CBS thinks the country is 37% Democrat but only 28% Republican

http://newsbusters.org/node/4211

On the bottom of the PDF version of the poll (page 18) it says how many Democrats versus Republicans were contacted.

"Total Republicans" contacted: 272 unweighted and 289 weighted.

"Total Democrats" contacted: 409 unweighted and 381 weighted.

"Total Independents" contacted: 337 unweighted and 348 weighted.

Unweighted poll percentages: 27% Republican, 40% Democrat, 33% Independent

Weighted poll percentages: 28%, 37%, 34%

If you actually believe that those percentages accurately reflect the political make-up of this country (like some people do), you need to have your head examined.

Haleigh Poutre turns 12; receiving physical therapy

An uplifting update:

Haleigh Poutre, the little Massachusetts girl who was put into a hospital after she was physically abused by her stepparents, turned 12 years-old. Poutre, who is receiving physical therapy now, reached her birthday Friday and her birthmother was prevented from visiting her.

Poutre was the subject of a national euthanasia debate recently when state officials sought to remove her from life support. As they battled her stepfather in court, Poutre began breathing on her own and showing signs of possibly recovering from the coma.

The girl was placed in a hospital in September after being beaten by her stepmother, who later killed herself in an apparent suicide. Poutre had been subjected to physical abuse for some time.

About a week after taking custody of her, state officials sought to deny her life support. Haleigh was admitted to the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston and Department of Social Services officials tell the Boston Globe she is in medically stable condition.

After making a partial recovery, Poutre has been receiving physical, speech, and occupational therapy.

Keep praying for her. She's still got a long way to go.

Previous posts here and here.

UPDATE: CanadianCynic is trying to take me to task for saying nothing about Sun Hudson, a 5-month-old who died last year after having his ventilator removed. Others are also trying to compare Sun's case to Terri Schiavo's. These comparisons are intrinsically flawed. Sun Hudson was born with a fatal birth defect and life-support was only delaying the inevitable. Neither Haleigh Poutre nor Terri Schiavo were terminally ill. (In fact, it's now without a doubt that Haleigh was misdiagnosed!) It's as simple as that, folks.

Knotts, McGavin and Weaver

Three memorable actors gone, but not forgotten.

(Incidentally, my family often commented about how my Dad - who died in February of 1998 - and Dennis Weaver looked alike, so his passing is particularly affecting.)

"It's a major award!" - Darren McGavin RIP

From his official website:

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Darren McGavin at approximately 7:10 A.M. Pacific time today, Saturday 25, 2006. Darren was just three months short of his 84th birthday. While we suspect none of us can imagine a world without the beloved, feisty little red-head, it is time to reflect, give thanks for his life and hold in reverence his memory. Darren is gone, but in many respects he will always be with us: as Carl Kolchak, fighting authority and battling monsters; the grumpy Old Man sending curses over Lake Michigan; as David Ross, the outsider, Grey Holden, captain of the Enterprise, the irascible detective Mike Hammer or any number of memorable guest star appearances, most notably as Joe Bascome on GUNSMOKE and as the washed-up old actor from "Distant Signals."

Please take a moment in your sadness to reflect upon all the ways Darren touched your lives, say a prayer and raise a glass to toast a career which spanned over fifty years and affected us all in ways too numerous to count.

S. L. Kotar and J. E. Gessler

Is this a "Google washing" attempt?

Check out the referrals pages from my SiteMeter. Here's the first page:

unknown
http://www.google.com/search?h...e+president&btnG;=Google+Search
http://www.google.com/search?s...PIB:en&q;=insult+the+president+
unknown
http://search.yahoo.com/search...ei=UTF-8&fr;=FP-tab-web-t&x;=wrt
http://search.msn.com/results....undstrom%22&first;=31&FORM;=PORE
unknown
http://www.google.com/search?h...e+President&btnG;=Google+Search
http://pamela-troeppl.blogspot.com/
http://www.google.ca/search?q=...rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official
http://www.google.com/search?s...GLG:en&q;=insult+the+president+
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q;=Insult+The+President
http://www.google.com/search?q...rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q;=insult+the+president
http://www.google.com/search?s...GGLG:en&q;=Insult+The+President
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q;=insult+the+president
http://www.google.com/search?h...e+president&btnG;=Google+Search
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q;=insult+the+president
http://www.google.com/search?h...sult+the+president&btnG;=Search
http://www.google.com/search?q...rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official
unknown
http://keyword.netscape.com/ns...temURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fsh
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q;=insult+the+president+
http://www.fraterslibertas.com/
http://www.google.com/search?c...esident+.com&ie;=UTF-8&oe;=UTF-8
http://www.google.ca/search?hl...he+president&btnG;=Search&meta;=
http://search.msn.com/results....+lundstrom&first;=41&FORM;=PERE4
http://www.google.com/search?s...RNWK:en&q;=insult+the+president
http://anti-strib.blogspot.com...r-happy-fun-time-thursday.html
http://www.google.com/search?s...GGLD:en&q;=insult+the+president
http://www.google.ca/search?hl...he+president&btnG;=Search&meta;=
http://www.google.com/search?c...he+president&ie;=UTF-8&oe;=UTF-8
http://www.google.com/search?s...HPIA:en&q;=insult+the+president
http://www.google.com/search?s...RNWE:en&q;=insult+the+president
http://www.google.com/search?s...GGLG:en&q;=insult+the+president
http://www.google.com/search?q...rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official
unknown
http://search.yahoo.com/search...ei=UTF-8&xargs;=0&pstart;=1&b;=11
unknown
http://www.google.com/search?h...e+president&btnG;=Google+Search
http://search.earthlink.net/se...link-ws&FD;=0&channel;=broadband
http://www.rightwinged.com/200...nd_at_harrys_do_the_kos_k.html
http://www.google.com/search?s...GGGL:en&q;=insult+the+president
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q;=insult+the+president&meta;=
http://www.google.com/search?h...afe=off&q;=insult+the+president
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q;=insult+the+president
unknown
http://www.google.com/search?h...e+president&btnG;=Google+Search
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q;=insult+the+president
http://www.google.ca/search?hl...ident&btnG;=Google+Search&meta;=

Most, if not all, of those Google searches are for "insult the president." And they're all from different visitors, too.

Just thinking this might be a lame attempt at a "Google washing." It doesn't appear that that is how it works, however. *shrug*

When does assistance become dependence? When do victims become freeloaders?

Some on the left are up in arms because the government is cutting off the funds that victims of Hurricane Katrina have received for the past 5 months. Why? Exactly how long does it take to pick yourself up and find a new job and a new place to live? More than 5 months? Only if you're a lazy slob! If you need a job and a place to live, you WILL find it no matter what the circumstance.

Don't get me wrong (like some people). I'm not heartless. I have a heart and am all for helping the victims of disasters, but there comes a point when that assistance has to stop. It doesn't have to stop because people like me don't care anymore. Quite the opposite! It has to stop because we care a great deal. Depending on the government to take care of you while you don't lift a finger is just plain wrong. We don't need a welfare or nanny state where the government takes care of you.

Another thing to consider is the fact that there will be more victims of other disasters in need of help in the future. If we're still throwing money at people who should've gotten back on their feet by now, what happens? The new victims suffer because not as many funds are available.

Bottom line is this: the government needs to end the assistance because it's not a charity. If there are victims of Katrina that well and truly need more assistance, there still are plenty of private charities with the funds to help them. (And yes, liberals, I actually have donated to Katrina relief charities.) If there are victims who are simply freeloading off the government so they don't have to lift a finger to help themselves, then they need to have this kick in the pants.

UPDATE: Hmm... They celebrated Mardi Gras. Floats, costumes, beads, booze. Wonder where all that money came from. They obviously can't be that bad off.

"We need continued assistance from the gov... uh... Hang on. Excuse us while we throw this big, expensive party."

Want to be happy? Become a conservative Republican!

Republicans happier than rivals

Conservative Republicans are among the most joyous, according to a survey released yesterday by the Pew Research Center for the Public and the Press, which found that 47 percent of respondents who were both conservative and Republican said they were "very happy."

The survey was specific. This isn't just ho-hum happy. This is emphatically happy.

The findings revealed that the Republican Party has an upbeat history: Republicans have been consistently happier than Democrats every year since the survey began in 1972, with up to a 17 percentage point lead. Republicans topped their rivals by 11 points even during the Carter and Clinton presidencies, according to Pew.

I've little doubt that the reason for this result goes much deeper than politics or money.

Hillary's accident vs. Cheney's accident

No surprises here:

Differing Media Outrage: Hillary’s 2001 Car Accident Was Totally Ignored

America’s media have been falling all over themselves with outrage concerning this weekend’s quail hunting accident involving the vice president. Yet, when a van containing Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) rolled through a checkpoint at the Westchester County airport in 2001 injuring a policeman, the press paid virtually no attention. A LexisNexis search identified only six reports on this subject in the two weeks after it happened, with one being an October 16, 2001 Journal News (Westchester County, N.Y.) article

Furthermore:

Two weeks after the accident, NewsMax caught up with Officer Dymond and asked if Mrs. Clinton or anyone from her office had bothered to apologize - or even check to see how he was doing.

"I can tell you, no," the hero cop said.

In contrast, Vice President Cheney was described as "very concerned" about the incident and spent Sunday checking on his injured friend "almost on a minute-by-minute basis," the New York Times said.

UPDATE: A couple of visitors have taken umbrage with my comparison of the two accidents. The main issue seems to be that one accident was caused by Hillary's driver and the other was caused directly by VP Cheney. Of course, what these two people fail to acknowledge is that most personal drivers do not act autonomously. They drive the way they're told to drive and their employers should take responsibility for the mistakes they make. They also fail to acknowledge that VP Cheney's accident was also caused by two people's mistakes. Mr. Whittington was at fault in the accident, too.

It's...

Monty Python's Flying Circus!!!

“Monty Python’s Personal Best,” a series of six outrageous one-hour specials showcasing the groundbreaking comedians with new footage and original clips, will premiere on PBS February 22, 2006.

Each episode will include members of the original Monty Python troupe performing in favorite clips from their unorthodox television series, “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” repurposed with exclusive new material. Each of the five living Pythons — John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin — produced and wrote his own episode, and collaborated to create the sixth special in honor of deceased member Graham Chapman. The episodes will air over a three week period in two-hour blocks on PBS on February 22, March 1 and March 8.




"Monty Python's Flying Circus" Returns to PBS in April 2006

The "Pythons" burst onto the scene in October 1969 when "Monty Python's Flying Circus" debuted in Britain on the BBC to a startled UK audience. The series' 45 episodes ran until December 1974. American audiences were first introduced to such phrases as "nudge, nudge, wink, wink," "naughty bits" and "nobody expects the Spanish inquisition!" when local PBS stations obtained broadcast rights to the series in 1974. The series returns to PBS in April 2006.

"And there was much rejoicing."
"Yay!"

Great online movie

In God We Trust

(Those of you with slow connections should be warned that this is a long load.)

ABA adds 1 and 1 and gets 5

Source

Starts out with the results of a poll:

According to a poll commissioned by the American Bar Association and released today, 52 percent of respondents said that in the fight against terrorism, the President of the United States alone cannot suspend constitutional freedoms, with an additional 25 percent saying he must obtain authorization by a court of law or Congress.

And then takes a bizarre (but not surprising) turn:

Thus 77 percent of Americans express deep reservations about the president’s secret surveillance program.

Exactly how did they get from the poll results to that conclusion? What the heck???

UPDATE: I guess I have to spell it out for some people. The ABA's poll question (found here as a pdf file) asks about generic "constitutional freedoms." It does not specifically refer to President Bush's surveillance program, yet the ABA draws a specific conclusion about the program based upon the poll results. This is just plain dishonest. In fact, one could plug any issue regarding constitutional freedoms into the ABA's conclusion. That fact makes their conclusion fallacious and meaningless.

Saying goodbye to a brave warrior

Marine Cpl. Brett Lundstrom was killed in Iraq on January 7th. On January 14th, his family, his community and his people said goodbye. See the moving photos here:

A wake for an Indian warrior

[H/T: "Chuck58" on the Conservative Underground forum.]

Fla. judge gets one right - upholds parental notification law

Another step in the right direction:

Florida's law requiring doctors to notify parents if their daughters 17 and under seek abortions was upheld Friday by a federal judge who cited a U.S. Supreme Court decision last month on a similar statute in New Hampshire.

Senior U.S. District Judge William Stafford in July refused to stop enforcement of the Florida law, which took effect June 30, pending the challenge from Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, clinics in Orlando, Daytona Beach and Jacksonville and two doctors.

Their claims included arguments that the law is unconstitutionally vague, violates due process rights of doctors and minors seeking abortions and impermissibly burdens various rights of pregnant girls.

``Florida has carefully crafted a parental notification statute that serves a compelling state interest,'' Stafford said. He noted the Supreme Court, in the New Hampshire decision, wrote that states have a right to require parental involvement because of their ``strong and legitimate interest in the welfare'' of minors who may lack the maturity, experience or judgment to chose whether to have an abortion.

Source

It boggles my mind how liberals think abortion should be the only medical procedure that is exempt from parental notificaton and consent. We don't even let minors have their teeth cleaned by a dentist without parental notification and consent! What gives?

CNN pixelates Mohammed cartoons but not offensive Virgin Mary depiction

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/02/02/cartoons.wrap/index.html

CNN has chosen to not show the cartoons in respect for Islam.

Click that link and watch the video included after that phrase. They pixelate the cartoons "so as not to offend viewers."

Of course, being CNN, they had (and have) no problem showing uncensored images of offensive depictions of Christian figures:

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/STYLE/arts/03/27/museum.flap/index.html

Scroll down to view a photo of Chris Ofili's "The Holy Virgin Mary":

He used elephant dung and images of female genitalia in that work.

Maybe CNN knows the difference between Christians' response to being offended (peaceful) and Muslims' response (violent).

Cue the clueless liberal remarks. e.g. "Double-standard? What double-standard? I don't see a double-standard."

UPDATE: Not surprisingly, the New York Times is doing the same thing.

I hope appropriate justice comes quickly for this monster

Manhunt on for gay bar attacker

A massive police manhunt was under way last night for a hatchet-wielding teenager accused of launching a bloody attack at a New Bedford gay bar that badly wounded three patrons and left a community reeling from the vicious hate crime, authorities said.

Jacob D. Robida, 18, is wanted for an attack at the Puzzles Lounge gay bar early yesterday morning, in which he allegedly smashed two patrons in the face with a hatchet, then blasted three men with gunshots as frantic customers raced to subdue him with pool cues.

...

Police said a search of Robida’s home turned up Nazi regalia in his bedroom and anti-Semitic writings on the wall. District Attorney Paul Walsh is viewing the attack as a hate crime. “I can’t see any other motivation at this point,” he said.

I understand he has a hate-filled website, too. Sick and sad.

Islam: "religion of peace"

Yeah, right...

Witchvox/Wren's Nest revisited for the final time

So after a long absence, I decided to see if things were still the same over at Wren's Nest News on the Witchvox website. Lo and behold, I discover that my account has been disabled. Furthermore, all of my posts have been deleted. No explanation for any of this, of course.

I decided to see what Shannon thought of all this, so I emailed her. After getting a couple meaningless emails to begin with, I received this from her:

Follow the link and see that it is possible for
christians and Pagans to express themselves without
behaving the way you do:

http://www.witchvox.com/wren/wn_detail.html?id=14858

Look for a comment from 'journeyman'. He got his point
across without being either negative or rude. You
could learn a lot from him.

So I followed the link. Instead of "Journeyman's" supposedly level-headed statement, I found these statements from pagans:

Thats What We All Need..............
Feb 1st. at 5:52:30 pm EST
night rider (spartanburg, South Carolina) - Email Me
Oh GD,..........
Thats all we need is a bunch of baptist dicktators.........Telling us what to do.........They are the true terroist of the south. We are heading for the dark ages, if these idiots get in control. I got a baptist across the street who murdered his mom in the hosiptal , he is the devil, i hate them. Hay baptist masturbators you want some, come get some........


Scary
Feb 1st. at 11:55:33 am EST
Mysteries Child (Morgantown, West Virginia) - Email Me
Yes, they're laughable idiots who do not in any way compete fairly and couldn't hold their own against a few fourth-graders with sharp critical thinking skills...


WHEN WILL....
Feb 1st. at 4:57:16 am EST
Whitewolf (Schenectady, New York) - Email Me
These evangelical jerks get it through their head that the "end of the world" isn't happening? It's just going to change a lot, thats all.... and the ones who can't - or won't adapt to the changes ARE NOT going to survive. Mother Earth is slowly making displeasure known, and only the ones who can live in harmony with her will survive. I learned this a long time ago. This "end of the world" nonsense never ceases to amuse me. They can debate all they want - Mother Earth will have the final say in the end. If this sounds like a Native American speaking, it is. I am mostly Cherokee and Blackfoot. So, debate on, boys. You are wasting precious time that would be better spent learning how to survive. I hope christianity and all this fundieism is the first casulty of the changes to come....


The Pen Will Soon Become The Sword
Jan 31st. at 10:08:12 pm EST
Jedi Gordy (Sharpsville, Pennsylvania) - Email Me
Ye be careful, for when they control the country, they can control ye. If ye resists, ye shall be killed. If ye all don't nip thoust in the bud, ye shall all be slaughtered.


Where Is My Smiley
Jan 31st. at 7:57:04 pm EST
Max (Williamsburg, Virginia) - Email Me
you know the little smiley "tossing his cookies"


Here's A Thought
Jan 31st. at 4:51:58 pm EST
William (New Glasgow, Nova Scotia) - Email Me
why not ship Jerry and his band of merry Christians over to China so they can bitch to the Chinese about their policies first hand?


Jerks For Jesus Ride Tall In The Saddle
Jan 31st. at 4:40:50 pm EST
Raven-touched (Aurora, Colorado) - Email Me
It never ceases to amuse me how, over time, religions become the sworn defenders of the vices they originally opposed. If they cannot persuade through deed, the "evidence" of a changed life having been found wanting, they think to change the hearts of men through brute force, be it that of the pen or the sword.
I salute their determination, even as I shall celebrate the bloody end they will bring on themselves.

When I posted messages on WV/WN, I NEVER stooped to the disgusting hate these pagans have in regards to Christians. I never called pagans (or anyone else) "dicktators," "idiots," "masturbators," "laughable idiots who do not in any way compete fairly and couldn't hold their own against a few fourth-graders with sharp critical thinking skills," or "jerks." I never wished pagans to be "the first casulty of the changes to come." I never stated that pagans wanted to control the country and, if you resisted it, they would kill you. I never wanted them to be shipped over to China for any reason. And I NEVER, EVER said I would "celebrate the bloody end they will bring on themselves." I never said anything like any of that. And I supposedly am the "negative" and "rude" one! A simple Google search can prove that (though you have to open the cached versions to view my posts).

But then that's what I've learned to expect from these people:

Ah! The wonderful tolerance of Wren's Nest

More "tolerance" from Wren's Nest News

Yep. They pontificate "tolerance," "civility," and "understanding" to Christians like me to no end, but they tend to not follow their own advice.