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Helen Thomas, Lynne Stewart, a vat of anchovies and me ... indeed!
-Glenn Reynolds

Remembering Tom Lantos

It's been a long time since I posted anything here but a news item just appeared on CNN that jolted me into action.  Tom Lantos, a very good man has passed away at the age of 80.  Tom Lantos, as some of you might know, was a Democratic congressman from San Mateo, California for over a quarter century.  He was also so much more.  Long before Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or even my parents were even glints in their parents' eyes, Lantos, a Hungarian Jew, was helping to fight the Nazis as a teenager in the Hungarian resistance.  Those days shaped the man who would come to America and make it a better, more moral nation through decades of service.

the thing about Tom Lantos is that even if you didn't agree with him about a particular issue (and I often did not), you knew that his views were genuinely held and well thought out.  He was not a demagogue or idealogue.  He did not espouse views simply because they were popular or convenient at a particular moment (his pro-Iraq War stance while a congressman in the San Francisco Bay Area were decidedly against the tide).  He was a man who was decent and moral and loved this nation and the best, most moral ideals that it stands for with a passion that never dimmed with time or age. 

Tom Lantos was a mensch.  The world, and this nation in particular, is fortunate that, from the rubble and ashes of the nightmare that was World War II and the Holocaust, this diamond could be saved.  We should be so fortunate that Tom Lantos' wonderful example may serve to form more men and women like him.

Posted by: Jheka at February 11, 2008 09:30 | link | comments |
mensches

Can Someone Please Give Me a Good Reason

Why these two complete wastes of space should not be sterilized by the state of Nevada?

 

The children of Michael and Iana Straw, a boy age 22 months and a girl age 11 months, were severely malnourished and near death last month when doctors saw them after social workers took them to a hospital, authorities said. Both children are doing well and gaining weight in foster care, prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

 

Michael Straw, 25, and Iana Straw, 23, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts each of child neglect. Each faces a maximum 12-year prison sentence.

Viloria said the Reno couple were too distracted by online video games, mainly the fantasy role-playing "Dungeons & Dragons" series, to give their children proper care.

"They had food; they just chose not to give it to their kids because they were too busy playing video games," Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Police said hospital staff had to shave the head of the girl because her hair was matted with cat urine. The 10-pound girl also had a mouth infection, dry skin and severe dehydration.

Her brother had to be treated for starvation and a genital infection. His lack of muscle development caused him difficulty in walking, investigators said.

Seriously, why would we, as a society, allow these two soulless halfwits the opportunity to take care of a hamster, much less a child, ever again?

Posted by: Jheka at July 16, 2007 09:13 | link | comments |
schmucks, general idiocy

Random Friday Afternoon Art - Sometimes the Bull Wins

This is "The Dead Toreador," an 1864 painting by Édouard Manet, which was originally the bottom half of a larger painting.  It can be seen at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.  It's in one of my favorite rooms, full of wonderful impressionist paintings.  For some reason, this is my favorite. 

Posted by: Jheka at June 15, 2007 14:40 | link | comments |
art

Friday Afternoon Poetry - Again and Again

A little something by the wonderful early 20th century German poet Rainer Maria Rilke (who was a man, in case you're wondering):

Again and Again
   
  Again and again, however we know the landscape of love
and the little churchyard there, with its sorrowing names,
and the frighteningly silent abyss into which the others
fall: again and again the two of us walk out together
under the ancient trees, lie down again and again
among the flowers, face to face with the sky.

Rainer Maria Rilke
 

Posted by: Jheka at June 15, 2007 12:49 | link | comments |
poetry

Judge Sentences Man to My Life

I wonder if I can get credit for time served?

Posted by: Jheka at June 15, 2007 12:22 | link | comments |
humor

Passover Post: When is a Synagogue Burning Not Really That Bad a Thing?

Look, I'm against arson.  It's a damned stupid thing to do and it often kills people, even when no one is inside the building.  Cleaning crews, maintenance people, vagrants, mischievious children, pets and, too often, firefighters are hurt or killed when fire is set to supposedly empty buildings.  Neighboring structures often catch fire, power lines, telephone lines, water pipes and other infrastructure is sometimes destroyed, inconveniencing thousands.  People who set fires are dumbasses and, if caught, should be prosecuted (how's that, AG and AD, is that a sufficient condemnation of firebugs?).

I am also, as a rule, against torching synagogues.  The reasons for this should be pretty obvious. 

All of that said, if I met the schmuck that set this synagogue fire, I might give him a smack upside the head, yell at him (yeah, I know that I'm assuming a bit) and would think about turning him in ... but I would probably also put his drinks on my tab. 

Oh, and I'm also generally against assault and battery.  Generally.

Posted by: Jheka at April 02, 2007 11:02 | link | comments (2) |
schmucks, mensches

The Amazin's Have The Best Record In Baseball

I'm just sayin' ...

Posted by: Jheka at April 01, 2007 23:49 | link | comments |
sports

Cat Question

OK, I need some input.  Very late last night, I was walking home in Washington, DC when I suddenly saw a cat near a parked car on a fairly busy street.  What made this skinny, light orange cat different from the many other cats that I normally see around the neighborhood is that it had a blue collar with a tag on it.  Figuring that it belonged to someone, I called it and it came right over to me and let me pick it up.  I was able to read its collar and saw that there was a name and phone number on it.  Even though it was an hour when all normal people are asleep, I figured that if they had lost their cat, they'd want a call, so I dialed the number from my cell but only got voicemail.  Well, then I had a dilemma since I couldn't reach the owners and didn't want to just release it into the street in case they were looking for it.

I decided to carry it to my place where it could be safe until I figured out what to do with it so, in spite of mild protests from the cat (but no biting or scratching), I carried it the four or so blocks to my apartment. 
When I put it down, it saw Rummy and made a sound that I did not know cats could make (imagine a jaguar getting its tail caught under a rocking chair), scaring the daylights out of the much bigger Rummy, who took off running.  Well, not wanting to see a catfight or having the new cat hide somewhere, I locked it in the bathroom with some food, water and litter.

After unsuccessfully trying the owners again, I decided to call animal control, figuring that I could not simply keep it with me and that they could contact the owner and take care of it until they found him.    Surprisingly, animal control came right over at about 5 in the morning (just minutes after I called them) and the friendly officer took the cat away.

I figured that I had done my good deed for the day but when I called the owner again this afternoon to follow up and he cheerfully told me that, yeah, they let the cat out to play on the street and not to worry about it.  Predictably, he was pretty pissed when I told him that I had called animal control and that they had the cat.

Questions:  Should I have done something differently?  What would you have done?  It seems to me that if you put a tag with a phone number on the collar of your pet, you're implicitly asking whoever finds the animal to call you and suggesting that it is a domesticated animal that doesn't belong in the street (especially in the middle of a city; I suppose that the country, where there are less cars and other man made dangers, is different).  I know that if Rummy or Bogie ever got out, I'd want whoever found them to take them in and call me immediately, day or night, and not assume that I had simply let them out to wander the streets but maybe I was wrong in assuming that other pet owners think the same way.

Posted by: Jheka at April 01, 2007 15:25 | link | comments (6) |
miscellaneous musings

Friday Poetry - Baseball Begins

The new baseball season is about to begin.  This is the magical time f the year when even Cubs and Royals and Tampa Bay fans believe, if only a very little bit, that this might, somehow, finally be their year.  Here's an old poem by Franklin Adams about the game that is one of the few threads that connects Americans across generations, religions, races and economics. 

Where did I put that Yankees cap, anyway?

A Ballad of Baseball Burdens
   
The burden of hard hitting. Slug away
Like Honus Wagner or like Tyrus Cobb.
Else fandom shouteth: "Who said you could play?
Back to the jasper league, you minor slob!"
Swat, hit, connect, line out, goet on the job.
Else you shall feel the brunt of fandom's ire
Biff, bang it, clout it, hit it on the knob -
This is the end of every fan's desire.

The burden of good pitching. Curved or straight.
Or in or out, or haply up or down,
To puzzle him that standeth by the plate,
To lessen, so to speak, his bat-renown:
Like Christy Mathewson or Miner Brown,
So pitch that every man can but admire
And offer you the freedom of the town -
This is the end of every fan's desire.

The burden of loud cheering. O the sounds!
The tumult and the shouting from the throats
Of forty thousand at the Polo Grounds
Sitting, ay, standing sans their hats and coats.
A mighty cheer that possibly denotes
That Cub or Pirate fat is in the fire;
Or, as H. James would say, We've got their goats -
This is the end of every fan's desire.

The burden of a pennant. O the hope,
The tenuous hope, the hope that's half a fear,
The lengthy season and the boundless dope,
And the bromidic, "Wait until next year."
O dread disgrace of trailing in the rear,
O Piece of Bunting, flying high and higher
That next October it shall flutter here:
This is the end of every fan's desire.

ENVOY

Ah, Fans, let not the Quarry but the Chase
Be that to which most fondly we aspire!
For us not Stake, but Game; not Goal, but Race -

THIS is the end of every fan's desire.

Franklin P. Adams
 
 

Posted by: Jheka at March 30, 2007 14:59 | link | comments (2) |
poetry

A Truly Vile Troll

The blogosphere is, sadly, full of stalkers and trolls and other mentally and emotionally damaged people who use the anonimity of the net to maliciously give form and direction to their derangements.  Many, many prominent bloggers (and some not so prominent bloggers, such as yours truly) have had to deal with persistant stalkers, trolls, impersonators and other social misfits with too much time on their hands and obsessive natures.

Well, one of the very worst had to be pudgy, beady eyed Eliot Stein, a morally miniscule man who lived through his hatred of others.  In particular, Stein hated and obsessed over Cathy Seipp, a talented, witty and much beloved columnist and blogger.  This obsession, which had gone on for years, was going to have to end because Seipp was dying (she passed away on March 21 of this year) so Stein, obviously feeling that he was losing a part of himself, lashed out one last time.  As Seipp lay dying, he wrote a hateful, rambling post in Seipp's name.  Seipp was beyond Stein's ability to hurt by this time but he did manage to lash out at her teenage daughter (who he seems to blame for his various inadequacies) and Seipp's many, many friends.

Some say that the problem with internet relationships is the lack of physical contact that is essential to healthy human relations.  This observation is, in many respects correct.  After all, before the internet provided the safety of distance and relative anonimity to the maladjusted misanthropes of the net, a vile act like publicly defaming a good person as she died would have been met, at a minimum, with a punch in the mouth.  In today's world, Eliot Stein will probably escape with his teeth intact.  In today's world all we can do is point out the fact that he is a vile piece of filth and hope that the word spreads.

Posted by: Jheka at March 28, 2007 11:48 | link | comments (1) |
schmucks

Movie Review: Reign Over Me

What do you think of when you think of Adam Sandler?  Happy Gilmore?  Billy Madison?  The Hannukah song?  Forget it.  Throw out any and all preconceptions that you may have about Adam Sandler.  "Reign Over Me" is a completely different animal and, to the best of my judgment, is easily the best work that Sandler (and arguably Cheadle, who has done some very, very fine work ... he has come a long way since Meteor Man and (ugh) Swordfish) has ever done.

Let's get it out of the way:  Reign Over Me is, while imperfect, is a terrific, powerful movie and is the best serious movie that I have seen in a very, very long time.  It is also worth noting that although 9-11 is an important backdrop in this movie, it is not a movie about 9-11.  There is absolutely nothing political about it (it is a little sad that this is a clarification, one way or the other , that we have to make about virtually every serious movie that comes out these days). 

Reign Over Me is a movie about a group of people who are broken to various degrees who somehow come together to try to help each other and themselves.  If 9-11 had never happened, this movie could still have been made with only minor script changes.  It is a movie about loss and heartbreak and the delicacy of the human psyche.  It's about the restorative power of friendship and the devastating, corrosive effect of isolation.  It is, in turns, funny and disturbing and deeply, profoundly sad (it was easy to hear the crying in the theatre where I saw it).  Sandler turns in a performance that is on a different level from anything that he had managed before, including his fine performances in Punch Drunk Love and Spanglish.  He shows a vulnerability, both physically and emotionally, that was as effective as it was unexpected.  Cheadle, who's own  beleaguered, struggling character is the lens through which we see Sandler, once again shows that he is one of the better actors working today.  Saffron Burrows (who is insanely busy) and Liv Tyler also do a fine job.

The bottom line is that this is a very fine movie.  It should probably have a Best Picture nomination in its future.  However, it is NOT a "fun" movie.  Don't go see it on a first date and, when you go, bring the kleenex. 

Posted by: Jheka at March 28, 2007 10:51 | link | comments (4) |
miscellaneous musings

Movie Reviews: Shooter

I had guests in from out of town this weekend and when we were simply too exhausted to walk another block or lift another glass of ... um ... lemonade, we went to see movies.  On Saturday night we caught "Shooter," the Mark Walberg falsely accused, fugitive against "the man" flick.  It's a movie in the tradition of The Fugitive, U.S. Marshals, The Sentinel, Enemy of the State and dozens of other mostly mediocre ("The Fugitive" being a notable exception) chase movies with some variation of this hackneyed premise.

I am here to tell you that "Shooter" is not mediocre.  Not even close.  It is complete, unadulterated crap.  If it had stopped at stale clichés and physically impossible (to a ridiculous level) it might have been entertaining on a "things go boom" level.  If it had merely had completely unrealistic (and legally impossible) plot twists (at one point the Attorney General orders an accused assassin and mass murderer released because of a demonstration that suggested that it wasn't his gun that was used in the original assassination .. never mind procedure, the scores of other people he killed, the ... well, frankly the whole thing was silly), it might have been an inoffensively bad film.

Shooter was not just dumb.  It was not just unrealistic.  Shooter was offensive.  It is a grotesque, bloody, ultraviolent leftist fantasy about the evils of secret, ruthless, amorphous cabals that casually murder villages full of innocents for their evil oil profits.  You could practically hear the breathless murmurs of Halliburton and PNAC and AEI.  Ned Beatty plays a haughty, evil Senator who is, pointedly, from Montana (a Republican, in other words) and Danny Glover (his presence in the movie should have been a clue) plays the kind of murderous, psychotic, megalomaniacal government operative that, given his real life left wing blather, Glover believes really runs our government and, of course, the world.  His cackling, cigar smoking, scotch drinking portrayal of the evil, manipulative, untouchable pseudo-government agent who boasts openly of his evil deeds and invulnerability (how the Move On crowd envisions Rove, I suppose) would be pretty damned comical if it was meant as a parody.  Given the apparent sincerity, it's pathetic.

The bottom line is that Shooter does not have a single original or interesting frame of action .  The explosions, bloody gunplay and third rate martial arts have all been done (and done bigger and better) in far, far better movies.  Combined with a central message that might well have come out of the fevered delusions of a Sean Penn, Cindy Sheehan or, for that matter, Danny Glover, this tripe does not deserved to be viewed by anyone.  The $30 that I wasted on it was $30 too many.

Posted by: Jheka at March 26, 2007 12:24 | link | comments |
miscellaneous musings

Fun With Craigslist

Suppose a girl was looking for a nice guy ...

Suppose she's a baseball fan ...

Naturally, she might click on this:

Spring Training

PG-13 warning ...

Posted by: Jheka at March 23, 2007 11:10 | link | comments (4) |
humor

Random Tuesday Afternoon Art

Just because I'm sitting in a room with no windows and the world can use some prettying up ...

This is "Summer Evening," an 1886 painting by the American artist Childe Hassam.

Posted by: Jheka at March 20, 2007 12:34 | link | comments (6) |
art

A Gentle Reminder

It's been a while. 

Please don't forget.

Posted by: Jheka at March 17, 2007 02:13 | link | comments (4) |
the war against islamism

Friday Poetry for a Rainy Day Before St. Patrick's Day

Something sad, something beautiful, something Irish ... Philip Larkin delivers:

Dublinesque

Down stucco sidestreets,
Where light is pewter
And afternoon mist
Brings lights on in shops
Above race-guides and rosaries,
A funeral passes.

The hearse is ahead,
But after there follows
A troop of streetwalkers
In wide flowered hats,
Leg-of-mutton sleeves,
And ankle-length dresses.

There is an air of great friendliness,
As if they were honouring
One they were fond of;
Some caper a few steps,
Skirts held skilfully
(Someone claps time),

And of great sadness also.
As they wend away
A voice is heard singing
Of Kitty, or Katy,
As if the name meant once
All love, all beauty.

Philip Larkin

Posted by: Jheka at March 16, 2007 09:43 | link | comments |
poetry

One Bullet

Allow me to stress an earlier point ... You stab your 11 month old child in the back and throw him out of a car window, you should be entitled to a free, expressly delivered bullet from your fellow citizens via your government. 

Maybe there's a mental illness defense but, if not ...

Society has no obligation to house, care for and feed monsters.

None.

Posted by: Jheka at March 15, 2007 15:21 | link | comments |
schmucks

Two Bullets, That's All

Ok, ok ... a trial first.  However, if this is what it appears to be, well, I have always said that society has no obligation, moral or legal, to house, feed and care for monsters.

Two bullets.

Posted by: Jheka at March 13, 2007 07:30 | link | comments |
schmucks

Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia

A nineteen year old woman was kidnapped, beaten and gang raped repeatedly over several hours by seven men.  Afterwards, she hid what happened to her and attempted suicide.  When authorities finally did discover what happened, no one was convicted of rape because there were no witnesses (she doesn't count) but she was sentenced to 90 (NINETY!) lashes for admitting to being alone with a man who was not related to her.  Saudi Arabia applied Sharia (fundamentalist Islamic) law in this case.  This is the law that Islamists want to spread to Europe and the United States. 

Make no mistake about it ... what's happening to this woman ... this is part of what our fight is about.

Posted by: Jheka at March 06, 2007 15:11 | link | comments |
the war against islamism, schmucks

Bloggers Turn Their Back on Coulter

I am not exactly a conservative and this isn't really a conservative blog (but perhaps I acan be called right of center ... maybe a right wing liberal) but I'm happy to join in and spread the word that there are many, many bloggers on the right who will stand up and cry foul when a right wing celebrity pole vaults over the line of not just civility but decency.  If we saw more of such behavior from the left (there is some but it is a drop in the proverbial ocean), political discourse in this country would have a far brighter future:

An Open Letter to CPAC Sponsers and Organizers Regarding Ann Coulter

Conservatism treats humans as they are, as moral creatures possessing rational minds and capable of discerning right from wrong. There comes a time when we must speak out in the defense of the conservative movement, and make a stand for political civility. This is one of those times.

Ann Coulter used to serve the movement well. She was telegenic, intelligent, and witty. She was also fearless: saying provocative things to inspire deeper thought and cutting through the haze of competing information has its uses. But Coulter’s fearlessness has become an addiction to shock value. She draws attention to herself, rather than placing the spotlight on conservative ideas.

At the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2006, Coulter referred to Iranians as “ragheads.” She is one of the most prominent women in the conservative movement; for her to employ such reckless language reinforces the stereotype that conservatives are racists.

At CPAC 2007 Coulter decided to turn up the volume by referring to John Edwards, a former U.S. Senator and current Presidential candidate, as a “faggot.” Such offensive language–and the cavalier attitude that lies behind it–is intolerable to us. It may be tolerated on liberal websites but not at the nation’s premier conservative gathering.

The legendary conservative thinker Richard Weaver wrote a book entitled Ideas Have Consequences. Rush Limbaugh has said again and again that “words mean things.” Both phrases apply to Coulter’s awful remarks.

Coulter’s vicious word choice tells the world she care little about the feelings of a large group that often feels marginalized and despised. Her word choice forces conservatives to waste time defending themselves against charges of homophobia rather than advancing conservative ideas.

Within a day of Coulter’s remark John Edwards sent out a fundraising email that used Coulter’s words to raise money for his faltering campaign. She is helping those she claims to oppose. How does that advance any of the causes we hold dear?

Denouncing Coulter is not enough. After her “raghead” remark in 2006 she took some heat. Yet she did not grow and learn. We should have been more forceful. This year she used a gay slur. What is next? If Senator Barack Obama is the de facto Democratic Presidential nominee next year will Coulter feel free to use a racial slur? How does that help conservatism?

One of the points of CPAC is the opportunity it gives college students to meet other young conservatives and learn from our leaders. Unlike on their campuses—where they often feel alone—at CPAC they know they are part of a vibrant political movement. What example is set when one highlight of the conference is finding out what shocking phrase will emerge from Ann Coulter’s mouth? How can we teach young conservatives to fight for their principles with civility and respect when Ann Coulter is allowed to address the conference? Coulter’s invective is a sign of weak thinking and unprincipled politicking.

CPAC sponsors, the Age of Ann has passed. We, the undersigned, request that CPAC speaking invitations no longer be extended to Ann Coulter. Her words and attitude simply do too much damage.

Credentialed CPAC 2007 Bloggers

Sean Hackbarth, The American Mind
James Joyner, Outside the Beltway
BoiFromTroy, Boi From Troy
Joy McCann, Little Miss Attila
Kevin McCullough, Musclehead Revolution
Fausta Werz, Fausta’s blog
Patrick Hynes, Ankle Biting Pundits
Ed Morrissey, Captain's Quarters                                                                                                            Jane Stewart, seejanemom             

Other Right-of-Center Bloggers
Owen Robinson, Boots and Sabres
BLOGGER OF THE YEAR, N.Z. Bear, The Truth Laid Bear
Michael Demmons, Gay Orbit
Mark Coffey, Decision ‘08
Russell Newquist, The Philosopher’s Stone

 

Add my name

Jheka, The Daily Blitz

Posted by: Jheka at March 06, 2007 00:35 | link | comments (2) |
politics, mensches

Big Mouth, Small Heart

I figured that Edison Miranda would beat Allan Green (I actually thought that it would end in a knockout by either one man or the other) but I never thought that Allan Green would come in unwilling to mix it up, especially after all of the smack he talked pre-fight.  Sometimes a loss in a true war enhances a fighter's reputation.  Examples include Micky Ward's losses to Arturo Gatti (and Gatti's loss to Ward in the first of their three fights) and Jose Luis Castillo's loss to Diego Coralles.  This is not such a loss for Allan Green, who's previously sterling reputation took a bigger hit than his heretofore unblemished record.

Of course, if you get a chance to watch Miranda fight, don't pass it up.

Posted by: Jheka at March 04, 2007 04:38 | link | comments |
sports

What I Didn't Know About Jimmy

As some of you may know, Jimmy Carter is one of my least favorite people.  A noxious anti-American, anti-Semitic nutjob, he is a walking, talking sneak preview of what would happen if Americans were ever foolish enough to once again elect a far left wing surrender monkey.  Carter was a clueless 70's version of Dennis Kucinich (with apologies to Mr. Kucinich) who got into the White House due to a series of bizarre political events.  Carter did tremendous damage to our country during his four years as President and, his undeserved reputation to the contrary notwithstanding, has continued to harm this country and its people since leaving office (especially in recent years).

Well, the fact is that Jimmy Carter is worse than I thought.  I had never heard of Oscar Collazo until I happened to come across a Wikipedia article about him in a fairly random fashion.  Oscar Collazo, a Puerto Rican nationalist, and his partner, Griselio Torresola tried to assassinate President Harry Truman in the White House.  During their attempt, they murdered White House policeman Leslie Coffelt (who, in turn, managed to kill Torresola before succumbing to his wounds) and injured officers Joseph Downs and Donald Birdzell.  Collazo was captured and sentenced to death.  Truman commuted his sentence to life imprisonment.  Jimmy Carter used his presidential pardon power to release this murderer and would-be assassin.  He went home to a heroes welcome and was honored by Carter's good friend Fidel Castro almost immediately after the pardon.  Collazo lived for 15 years in freedom and comfort before dying of a stroke in 1994.

A President of the United States pardoned a man who sought to murder a sitting President
and who did murder a United States peace officer in the attempt.  He granted freedom, status and honor to a man who thought to harm this country and who continued to promote the cause that he killed for after his release. 

Jimmy Carter:  a true friend of America's enemies. 

Posted by: Jheka at March 04, 2007 02:52 | link | comments (2) |
schmucks, leftist idiocy

Sometimes Even Howard Dean is Right

Ann Coulter, the Paris Hilton of political punditry, is a hateful, self-absorbed nitwit who will do nothing but help defeat Republicans.  Half as smart and just as noxious as Michael Moore (and that's saying something), she's someone that any intelligent politicians would do well to disassociate themselves from.  Frankly, there is little reason for anyone to pay attention to her.

Posted by: Jheka at March 03, 2007 02:28 | link | comments |
schmucks, politics, rightist idiocy

The British Government Considers Saving a Child's Life

As a rule, I think that governments should stay out of people's household's and not interfere in the parent-child relationship except in the most extreme of circumstances but in this case, the Brits should come in and save this boy.  If his family was poisoning him with arsenic instead of food, there would be no question.  In the end, the result will be almost as bad ... an emotionally scarred child who will die very young and will suffer before he does.  The fact that the parents mean him no harm will not change the results one bit.

Folks, some people just aren't made to be parents.  They just don't have the skills or instincts or will for it.  Some of those people, who are not necessarily bad or malicious, have children anyway and it may be up to governments to protect those children.

It may not take a village to raise a child, but sometimes it may take a village to save a child.

 

Update: That poor child.

Posted by: Jheka at February 27, 2007 00:40 | link | comments |
general idiocy, miscellaneous musings

They Welcome Their Winged Overlords

You just know that a surrender is imminent ...

On a related note, Go Sarko!  The Hungarian that can save France.

Posted by: Jheka at February 21, 2007 09:55 | link | comments |
politics, humor

Friday Poetry for Winter

On a cold, cold day like today, what poet could I pick but the great Robert Frost?

Acquainted with the Night
    
I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
A luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

Robert Frost
 

Posted by: Jheka at February 16, 2007 13:14 | link | comments |
poetry

I'm a Real Boy and I'll Never Grow Up!

Dennis Kucinich spins on a chair ... rumor has it that, while on the campaign trail, he likes to jump up and down on the bed in his hotel room ... his last campaign helped Dennis (D-Keebler) finally get a girl ... I wonder what he's after this time around.

Dennis is but one of the many no-hopers from both parties that have thrown their hats into the ring for the 2008 Presidential race.  Here are the others (so far).  To make it clear, TDB is officially saying that the following people have no hope whatsoever of becoming President.  None:

Joe Biden (When he's not plagiarizing, he has a huge foot-in-mouth problem)

Mike Gravel (completely nutty ... seriously, read the man's website ... he would like to run the country by referendum ... nuttier than Kucinich)

Christopher Dodd (almost as much charisma as Bob Dole without the record of achievement)

Al Sharpton (who will he be blackmailing and extorting next?)

John Cox (um, he's president of the Fireworks for Kids Foundation ... um, yeah ...) (warning, links opens to a loud,  annoying speech)

Al Gore (if he runs, he'll discover that more rabid supporters don't equal more supporters)

Duncan Hunter (because if there's anything 2006 taught us, it's that America is yearning for an angry right winger they've never heard of to lead us)

Ron Paul (a Republican (sort of) who doesn't support the War on Terror and who isn't popular with his party ... going after that big Buchanan voting block, I guess)

Tom Tancredo (one issue candidates just don't win national elections or primaries)

Tommy Thompson (because former Bush appointees with no particular accomplishments are going to be all the rage in '08)

Jim Gilmore (trying to fill that Republican from Virginia void left by the George Allen wreckage, I guess)

Mike Huckabee (do you heart Huckabee?  Neither does anyone else ... and Republicans are not voting for any more Arkansas governors)

Sam Brownback (the author of the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2006 ... everybody who wants just a bit more censorship in their lives will be a Brownbacker)

Newt Gingrich (negatives of Hillarian proportions ... some holes are just too deep to dig out of)

Chuck Hagel (it doesn't help that much of his own party has disdain for him and the rest don't care)

and the TDB surprise no-hoper:

John Edwards (the Obama candidacy kills Edwards ... all of the "young charismatic American hope" karma without the "I was spanked by Dick Cheney" baggage ... Edwards will flame out early)

The rest ... Richardson, Vilsack, Clinton, Guiliani, McCain, Romney, Obama and Clark ... have some kind of chance ... a small one in some cases (Vilsack, Clark, Romney and Richardson) but a chance nonetheless.  One of those eight people will be the next President of the United States.

TDB guarantees it.

Posted by: Jheka at February 11, 2007 22:47 | link | comments (6) |
politics

Jean Kirkpatrick Has Passed Away

If you're under 30 you probably do not remember Ambassador Jean Kirkpatrick but before there was Condi Rice or even Madeleine Albright, there was Jean Kirkpatrick.  Not only was she an incredible, powerful, persuasive voice for America and democracy during a transformative time in the world, she transformed the opportunities and boundaries for women in government and, more  generally, in American society.    Everyone from Libby Dole to Hillary Clinton to Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and Condi Rice owe a debt to Jean Kirkpatrick and her combination of intellect, wit and courage.  Every American, man or woman, owes her a debt for expanding the path of opportunity for thousands of talented women in both public and private life who set their sights higher and have opportunities that they might otherwise not have had because the people who had held the keys to power saw, on the world's biggest stage, that an American woman could more than hold her own against the toughest opposition that the world could throw at her.  Suddenly, the idea of female CEO's, company presidents, surgeons and firm partners didn't seem as risky or far fetched as it once did.

When Jean Kirkpatrick was appointed as the US ambassador to the UN in 1981, the United States was near its lowest point with respect to the Cold War, having shown unprecedented weakness and incompetence during the previous administration in its international dealings from Tehran to Kabul to Moscow.  There was no sense that an American or Western victory over Communism was inevitable or even particularly likely.  Then, Ronald Reagan was elected and Jean Kirkpatrick was appointed and went on to become one of the most influential and recognizable U.S. ambassadors to the world in our history.  It was almost as if we had our own Maggie Thatcher speaking for Western interests at the UN.

Jean Kirkpatrick was an American giant, both politically and culturally. She changed our country and our world for the better.  The world needs people, men and women, like Jean Kirkpatrick, now more than ever.  The world will always need people like Jean Kirkpatrick.

Posted by: Jheka at December 08, 2006 13:53 | link | comments |
politics, mensches

The Saddest Place on the Net

Feeling just too happy to bear?  Feel like bringing your mood down to earth but don't have a fist full of Thorazine handy?  Let me introduce you to the web's natural downer:  Craigslist's "Missed Connections" section.  Angst, poignancy, loss, despair ... all there in raw, anonymous, immediacy.  I've written once or twice about the possibility of joy ... Missed Connections is a collection of desperate, usually futile attempts to grasp at it ... and sometimes it's what happens when the opportunity is missed:

what's left behind - w4m

---

I haven't thought of you in a while, but I did tonight, as I was getting ready. Suddenly i realized, I've become what you always wanted me to be. My hair is long enough to pull back now-- I put it in a chignon, and applied mascara, and dark lipstick to bring out the new blonde highlights. I still feel gangly and awkward, but outwardly I possess the glamour and poise you always admired in other women. I've lost weight too, become thin--not on purpose, but eating just hasn't been interesting lately. While i was waiting for my date, an older man admired my earrings and then said "I could slice apples on your cheekbones. You're uncommonly beautiful." and at that moment my heart cracked and I had to fight back tears. You see, I waited 3 years to hear that from you and never did. You should see me now, babe. You'd weep in your drink.

I miss you - w4m - 22

---

You will probably never see this, but I now see all the signals I missed. I miss you in my life. I wish I could change the past few months. I want to be with you. I know I hurt you, but I want to make up. if you see this...come to me

I had a dream about you last night - w4m

---

I dreamed you had moved back to town. You tried to pretend you didn't see me or notice me but everybody else wanted to know why you stared at me when I wasn't looking. Later I asked you to go fishing even though I didn't have any equipment. You said, "Yeah, fishing." and you said it with that grin on your face. That terrible, sexy, sly "we're going to get in trouble" grin. It made me hot just thinking about it.

It's been years and still I miss you.

S - w4m

---

i don't know what it is but i keep falling back in love with you, after all these times & all these years. you'd think i'd learn by now, but every time we do get together, the memories of first being with you come back and i just can't help it.
i really don't expect anything from you anymore, but i hate how you have this effect on me. i miss you

You Hurt Me So Bad - w4m

---

I thought we would be together forever. I loved you so much and you crushed me that day. I feel like I only exist only as a shadow now, moving along throughout the days and nights in a daze. It didn't have to end this way, you should have just been a man and told me.

I wish you had a different career - w4m

---

I squeal when I see an e-mail from you in my inbox. I enjoy our conversations on the phone. Yet, we cannot be together. I'm proud of you & the work you do. I really value our friendship.

Maybe one day. Until then . . .

just to get this out there... - w4m - 30

---

i sincerly doubt that the man this is intended for will actually read this, but I just want to get it out there.

I am still in love with you. As much as I would like to say that I am over it, I am not. I go to sleep thinking about you, I wake up and you are the first thing on my mind. I thought we could do this "new us" thing, but its just not me. I still have stronger feelings for you than I can admit out loud. I just can't do this anymore. When we are together, it actually hurts, because by all intents and purposes we are so good together, and yet, something is just off. I am not the woman you want.

I want the forever. I need to move on, and I finally realized I can't do that with you in my life.

This is the saddest realization I have ever come to, but I need to do this for me. I can't go into 2007 with you by my side, but not in your heart.

I need a reboot - w4m

---

seems my processor is stuck in an infinite loop. i want to be done with
my memories of you, but even after all this time, they still haunt me.
i think i've moved on. i'm dating other guys, cultivating friendships, having
fun, etc... yet, on occasion, i think of you and if i allow myself the
indulgence of prolonged thinking-of-you, the feelings are as strong as they
were back then. i've never felt about someone else, the way i felt/feel about
you, so i'm not sure how long this is going to take -- forgetting you, that is.

if i had it to do over, i would definitely do things differently -- i would
never allow myself to develop feelings for you, knowing that you did not feel
the same and never would... makes me mad, my logic fails me now... my head knows
what's best, but my emotions are not listening.

Question:

What do you guys suppose the guy's career might be? 

Posted by: Jheka at December 04, 2006 01:53 | link | comments (1) |
miscellaneous musings

Art From A Current Painter

I discovered Peter O'Neill by wandering into his Gallery in St. Augustine, FL about a year and a half ago.  He is the artist that painted this (and gave out free prints to firehouses and victims).  Well, with his permission, I am going to post a few more of his paintings (all of which are available for sale (originals and prints), should you want one ... just go here), starting with this one, which was painted just this past September or so ...

Original Sin: The Fall of Man:

Posted by: Jheka at November 19, 2006 11:34 | link | comments |
art