Just so everyone understands (as if you hadn't figured this out, but there is, in fact, logic to this).
(a) I'm a crusty old phart, and was when I turned 18.
(b) there are, generally, three types of material here: cooking, personal stuff, and crusty political commentary. And anything else that piques my interest. If you aren't interested in part of that, feel free to ignore.
(c) to reiterate one rule from long ago, if you object to something sufficiently to want to drag me into court, the only acceptable venue is Santa Clara County, California. Don't like that, you're free to go away (thank our Cannuckistan brethren for the need for _that_ one).
(d) I'm generally very accepting, even of people who piss me off. There is, however, a line. Find it at your peril.

Been saying that it would do nothing more than counterbalance the large amounts the unions already pour in.

Now I've got documentation of how heavily the unions work to launder their contributions:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/09/anti-tea-party-web-site-scheme-funnel-funds/

The most recent backers of the Patriot Majority and Patriot Majority West, which helped fund the APPC and thus the Tea Party site, form a veritable Who's Who of the country's top labor unions: the Service Employees International Union, Change to Win, the Communications Workers of America, the National Education Association, the Teamsters Union, the United Food & Commercial Workers Union and others besides.

But by far the largest donations have come from a collection of unionized government workers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) -- which in 2008 alone donated $5.8 million to Patriot Majority and another $4.1 million to Patriot Majority Midwest.

Yeah, that's just to _go_ there.

http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_14367659

She and I are a lot alike in a number of ways. Dealing with being bipolar, strong resistance on some issues, very bright, high expectations, low BS tolerance... there are some pretty damn good reasons we click together as strongly as we do.

So it's very interesting sitting and talking with her when she's having a high-stress day. I've always held that stress is a variant on "in vino, veritas". Stress is like wine - the true person shows through, and you find out what someone's really like.

What I'm finding is that she's an awful lot like I was, oh, 15-18 years ago. She's stressing over things I stressed over. She's worried about things I worried about (though expressed in vastly different ways). She's even reacting the same way I did over similar issues (ask me sometime why I don't run conventions anymore, for example).

Kinda interesting to me to be able to give her a couple decades worth of perspective. Not sure if she's going to _accept_ it, mind you. ;)

But, in the end, she knows I'm there for her if she needs to talk, or vent, or cry, or what have you.

If this is what parenting really is, I guess it's what I've been wired for, and never realized it till now.

DoJ runs an add looking for 10 experienced trial lawyers, with assorted targeted disabilities including mental retardation.

http://volokh.com/2010/02/03/seeking-qualified-mentally-retarded-lawyers/

If someone put that in a story, they'd be told they were over the top. Truth is definitely stranger than fiction.

And how someone can become a leader mostly by saying so, and by being part of the political slant that a hostile press wants to push.

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/dale-robertson-no-friend-of-ours/2/

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_pl1101

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Emanuel, exasperated upon learning that liberal special-interest groups were planning to run ads against conservative Democrats not supportive of health care reform, blasted the plan as "f------ retarded" over the summer.

...
It should be noted that Emanuel, who is rumored to have once mailed a dead fish to a former coworker he disliked, has not offered any apology to the liberals his slur was aimed at, and it's highly doubtful that he ever will.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/A-setback-for-the-drive-to-punish-Bush-era-war-criminals-83148922.html

About the way I thought it would play out. Though I find it amusing that the guy who made the final decision is apparently one of the most "hard as nails" lawyers at Justice. Has a reputation for not giving freebies to _anyone_.

Subject: Wasting everyone's time investigating the BCS because Utah didn't get a playoff berth,
or
With a $1.9 trillion budget deficit and other major problems in this country, are you on crack????

Dear Senator Hatch,
While I'm sure that in some microcosm, the fact that Utah didn't get a playoff bowl game berth this year is important, I don't get it. I'd like to think that you, as a US Senator, were elected by your constituents to deal with the important stuff. Like, say, health care reform, the continuing US banking crisis, the massive US budget deficit, wrapping up things in Iraq, resolving the mess in Afghanistan/Pakistan, coming up with policies that have a useful impact on resolving the continuing recession, putting a stop to the current global warming idiocy (at least as regards national-level policies that have massively deleterious impacts on our already-fragile economy) and more.

Instead, I find (courtesy of SI, courtesy of Instapundit) that you seem to think it's important to waste scarce resources to investigate the BCS system.

Frankly, I don't disagree with you that BCS is stupid. But, like free speech, the best way to solve stupidity like this is to hold it up to ridicule. That's being adequately done - the BCS system looks stupid, entirely through their own actions.

What we don't need is to federally regulate college bowl-game selections. Especially when it appears to be the case that it's occurring because you and the President don't seem to like the results of the current system.

Please, stop wasting everyone's time, and our scarce public resources, on something that is fundamentally idiotic. BCS will collapse of it's own accord in due time - it is about as useful as the Berlin Wall, and has about as much of a long-term prospect.

In the meantime, can we devote those scarce Justice Dept. resources (and your non-infinite political capital) to something useful... like actually doing something about the New Black Panther intimidation case, for example?

Sincerely Yours,
Charles Prael
---------------
In response to this:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/01/29/obama.bcs.ap/index.html?xid=si_ncaaf

Orin Hatch is an idiot. Obama is too.

They're reviewing the legal standing of the BCS in response to a letter of concern from Senator Hatch.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/01/29/obama.bcs.ap/index.html?xid=si_ncaaf

You really have to be kidding me. _This_ is what they consider important, and worthy of federal regulation?

What next - what flavor of ice cream I eat?

If she wanted it stopped, she could have stopped it. That's historically demonstrable based on actual events that occured, inc. her stopping another CIA program she objected to.

That it went forward meant it had her approval.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/28/AR2010012803564.html?wprss=rss_politics&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wp-dyn%2Frss%2Fpolitics%2Findex_xml+(washingtonpost.com+-+Politics)

BTW, note that this is the Washington Post saying this. Even they can't cover things up this badly.

Turn on the lights, and watch the vermin try to hide...

http://newmexico.watchdog.org/2010/01/28/lujan-leaves-meeting-because-it-was-being-recorded-by-tea-party-reps/

But this, umm, "gentleman", doesn't get the point.

"As a black American I want people to remember who I am and where I come from without attaching assumptions about deficiency to it," said Dr. Imani Perry, a professor at Princeton's Center for African American Studies.

He wants me to pay attention to his blackness, but I'm not allowed to make judgements based on that.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_forgetting_blackness_analysis

Choose.

Hell has frozen over


This is not mine, but I have got to agree 100% with Nicki. This is Cross posted from www.thesniper.us

January 26th, 2010 by Nicki

For real. .

We have entered Bizarro World, the earth has turned upside down, and swine have grown wings and are currently dropping dung bombs on Osama Bin Ladin’s turban…


Mark this day on your calendars and remember it for what you are about to read, because hell has truly frozen over. I agree with Hillary Clinton.


“I deeply resent those who attack our country, the generosity of our people and the leadership of our president in trying to respond to historically disastrous conditions after the earthquake,” Clinton told State Department employees at a forum marking one year in office.


Clinton did not single out critics but said that “some of the international press either misunderstood or deliberately misconstrued” the US decision to send troops along with civilians to Haiti.


A senior Italian official on Sunday criticized the lack of a coordinated international aid effort in Haiti, saying that the United States had “too many officers” there and could not find a capable leader.

Let’s see… according to this article, “Despite a withering recession, near 10 percent unemployment, and a substantial loss of personal wealth, Americans demonstrated an outpouring of support. Within the first week, US charities had raised $275 million for Haitian relief, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.“

We have dropped food and water to help Haitians affected by the quake.

We have provided doctors and food.

How much has Italy given?

On 13 January, Italy pledged immediate, urgent aid to Haiti.

The Italian government has pledged one million euros in immediate emergency aid for the victims of the earthquake that has devastated the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. While government officials sought to verify whether any Italians were victims of the quake, foreign affairs minister Franco Frattini asked his ministry’s development co-operation unit to provide immediate support.

And the disaster “chief” has the unmitigated gall to call our relief efforts “pathetic.” Really? A country that has pledged just one million euros in TAXPAYER dollars two weeks ago, and has since then committed just over $8 million in total has the brass cajones to criticize America’s response?

That’s some staggering hypocrisy there, Luigi!

Oh, and by the way, here’s a message to the panty-shitting Fwench, when your level of commitment reaches ours… when your troops create new airfields, distribute food and other supplies to the needy, and when your troops deliver more than 1 million bottles of water and 1 million packaged meals to Haitians, then you can open your fat, worthless yaps and criticize American military involvement in Haiti. Until then, STFU.

I’m with Hillary on this one.

He keeps shooting himself, and the Republican Party, in the foot so damn much.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/32144

Relocation is, apparently, paid, but they've got tough requirements. Ping me if you or a friend are interested.