Boy, Rome REALLY Wants To Stick It To The English.

They must, if this is were they are going to beatify Henry John Newman.

As a licensed architect, let me say this in the most professional, constructive way possible - eeeeeech. That says 'holy sanctuary' the same way a '74 Pinto says 'Born To Run'. The canopy looks like a giant Mars robot built by a bunch of MIT geeks, complete with articulating legs and a flip-up parabolic radio antenna. It only needs a few JPL stickers on the side to complete the composition.

Hattip: The MCJ.

Tolerance Does Not Require Approval.

Indeed.

Something The Episcopal Church (tm) should remember.

Heading To Weimar?

Ed Driscoll wonders if we're partying like it's 1923 again, and notes a lucrey design similarity that give the idea credence.

As for large denomination designs, there is a country with some recent experience. It also has experience - 30 years worth - with a charismatic leader and all that "transformative change" stuff. So we have a pretty good example of how it all plays out.

Oh, Yes. I Am.

Many tips of the hat: My buddy Karl.

Gentlemen, You Can't Fight In Here - This Is The War Room!

Bill Press of both The Left / Mainstream Media gets in touch with his inner Dr. Strangelove when discussing the Glenn Beck's rally this weekend:

Speaking on CNN, Press said that speaking about God in a ‘sacred’ space like the Lincoln Memorial is ‘inappropriate.’

Then Mr. Press was no doubt boiling over when this was said at the Lincoln Memorial exactly 47 years earlier:

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Listening.

For my Christian readers (which, by definition, may still include some Episcopalians), watch this all the way through.

A Clockwork Obama.

When Nanny Millicent starts to play some Luddie Van... watch out. Kathleen Sebelius says ObamaCare's lack of acceptance has nothing to do with it taking away our freedom to choose, or raising the cost of health care for those of us who work, or bankrupting this nation to pay for those who don't. Nope. Its because us gloopy, chai gruppa droogies need "reeducation" to understand its joys. I guess we'll all be standing in line for this kind of thing soon. I mean, it'll be fully covered under ObamaCare. (Can you say "comrade", dear readers...? You can? Great. We're making "reeducation" progress already! -ed.)

Like It Matters.

Via The Dead Pelican, it seems Ron Paul (R-Second star on the right, and straight on till morning) doesn't think Glenn Beck is a real Tea Partier. Ironic, coming from a man who isn't a real Republican.

It would take all the gold in Fort Knox for Ron Paul to get half a million people in one place. Oh, wait...

My My, Hey Hey.

It's better to burn out, than it is to rust.

But it's really awful when you do both.

Does This Bike Helmet Make Me Look Weak?

The folks at Maggie's Farm compare a recent image of Barack Obama riding a bike with the leisure activities of another world leader. Here's a hint, Mr. President: Unless you are mountain biking or racing, adults do not wear bike helmets. Kids, and people who listen to NPR, wear bike helmets.

Even Drudge notices.

UPDATE: The Breda Fallacy: "Oh, great. The bad guys have Dr. Evil and all we have to save us is Pee Wee Herman."

UPDATE: Even Izismile.com. Sheesh.

4:24

The moment the flood waters rose enough to stop this clock in Lakeview on 29 August 2005. They continued to rise another four and one half feet.


(Image by RSR)

There will be no other posts today.

Unhappy Hipsters.

Via Ed Driscoll, I found this site poking fun at uber-artsy-fartsy design. Well worth the read if that kind of thing amuses.

Here's an instant classic: Home Sweet Sandcrawler. Or this, which should be labeled, "The 747 seating chart really brings the composition together and livens up the space." Sad thing is, I could hear half my colleagues actually saying that.

Yamamoto Was Right. (UPDATED)

I'm not a big Glenn Beck fan, but honestly - how bad is the anger at The Ruling Class and where they are taking this country? This bad.

The Left / Mainstream Media will, of course, dutifully report it as "hundreds" and "thousands", not the half a million plus the image appears to confirm. (If one counts using 'Million Mom March' crowd accounting - 20,000 to 50,000 equals 1,000,000 - the press should report a crowd of 10,000,000 - 25,000,000! -ed.)

Think about this for a minute: How angry are us ignorant, self-interested, paranoid, McDonald's eating, Wal-Mart shopping, won't-get-off-the-couch, middle-class proles out in Jesusland, when that many of us will give up - even for a day - our greedy consumerist, capitalist, exploitative, global-warming way of life of shopping, shooting, going to church, watching violent movies and sports, staying married, and using carbon-producing, oil-guzzling toys and tools? Especially when many travelled - some for days - just for the opportunity to stand in the Washington heat?? Oh, and another 125,000 stopped to watch online? Yeah, we're that pissed off.

UPDATE: Heh. Ed Driscol: You Go to War with the TV Personalities You Have. And in this corner, carrying water for Obama and The Ruling Class, was their appointed TV personality and his counter-protest. Don't think you'll be seeing any pullback crowd shots from the latter to compare to Beck's rally.

From a Glenn Reynolds reader: "In other words, Glenn Beck’s rally drew more people than Keith Olbermann has viewers." Ouch! The truth hurts.

A Shot Heard Round The Election. (UPDATED AND BUMPED)

For some reason, Obama apparently wants to piss off as many people as he can before November, and this week's target is anyone who owns a firearm. Since the Supremes won't ignore a that pesky constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Team Hopenchange thinks it has found a nifty way to disarm us gun-'totin, knuckle-dragging rubes, and toss some red tofu to their base in The Left / Mainstream Media at the same time:

They want to ban ammunition on environmental grounds.

The link has contact information for you to comment during this "comment period", and we at RSR strongly encourage you to do just that.

Side question - is there anything the EPA can't regulate on "environmental grounds"?

UPDATE 28AUG2010: Well, an adult at the DNC or the White House, who has actually read that annoying Law thingy and was old enough to remember what happened when Democrats pissed off gun owners in 1994 and 2000, must have given the Team Hopenchange kids at EPA a swift Tom's in the butt - the proposed ban is off. Well, its off for now, anyway. But be aware, dear readers - if these people would propose it once, they are sure to do it again. Remember that as you head to the polls in November.

And the spin by The Left / Mainstream Media that this was just about "hunting ammunition" is - to put it mildly - a big, steamy pile of horseshit. It was about ALL ammunition. Here is the petitioners concluding request (open the .pdf):

VI. DESCRIPTION OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS REQUESTED

Petitioners request that the EPA issue a proposed rule under section 6(a) of TSCA to prohibit the manufacturing, processing, and distribution in commerce in the United States of lead ammunition (including bullets and shotgun pellets) and lead fishing tackle (including sinkers, jig heads, weights, and all other fishing tackle).

See anything in there about "hunting"? Me, either. (And neither did CBS News... -ed.) This is little more than a back-door way for The Ruling Class to get around, and effectively kill, your Second Amendment Rights.

A Priestly Employment Opportunity.

If the recently reinstated Charles Bennison, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, is looking for a new priest, there is a Roman Catholic fellow in Pennsylvania that will be shortly available. Well, yes, the priest was caught having sex with a teenage girl under his care, but such activities don't appear to be a deal killer for Bishop Bennison when it comes to priests.

Hey Kids, What Time Is It?

Via Instapundit, it's...

'Recovery Summer' equals 'Mission Accomplished' Time!

UPDATE: Geez. When you've lost Mort Zuckerman this bad, you've lost 'the middle' for sure:

The Most Fiscally Irresponsible Government in U.S. History

Current federal budget trends are capable of destroying this country

I wonder if Mort ever thought maybe "destroying this country" was the point?

UPDATE: I think this guy is right, but I think he'll be looking for a job soon for saying it.

Chumps Anonymous.

I wrote this back in the first month of the Team Hopenchange Administration. Its as true today as it was then.

Yet Another Sign Of "Moderation".

I said things were going to head Left in the Diocese of Louisiana now that our new, "moderate" Bishop, The Rt. Rev'd Morris K. Thompson, Jr., is calling the shots. Seems I was right: For the first time your humble blogger can remember, the activities of Integrity, the radical pro-gay agenda organization, are highlighted in the Diocese newsletter. Note that nothing is mentioned - oops! - about what Integrity is or what is stands for.

Note also, on this the week we remember the fifth anniversary of the flooding of New Orleans during Katrina, there is no announcement of a Mass or service to remember the event, or those who died - or those who survived. Just some amorphous earthy-crunchy "volunteer service day" to "to raise awareness and promote our environment". Gee, thanks.

Though it seems the Diocese of Louisiana doesn't think it important, there will be a remembrance service for those of us who think it is - at St. Paul's Church in Lakeview, the New Orleans neighborhood where the 17th Street Canal broke (and where your humble blogger grew up). From St. Paul's Facebook page:

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and School invites everyone to attend a special service on Sunday, August 29, 2010 at 10 a.m. to commemorate the five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

After the service, everyone is invited for a special Pancake Breakfast hosted by St. Paul’s seventh graders. Proceeds from the breakfast will help raise funds for their class trip.

At 12:30 p.m., the St. Paul’s Homecoming Center will host a Volunteer Workday offering an exciting opportunity for our community to continue its legacy of giving back.

For more information on the service or if you would like to get involved, please contact Lisa Davis at 504.488.1319 or ldavis@stpauls-lakeview.org.

Hope to see you there.

Where Y'At, Mate.

An Englishman looks at New Orleans.

Hattip: My friend Norris.

And In The Interview, Bind Them.

A fascinating 1968 BBC interview with J. R. R. Tolkien, and some of his English fans and students. Be sure to see the the obligatory Lefty git at 14:45 prattling on, Eric Idle-like, about Tolkien's work being escapism, and its failure to address "real issues" of the day. Hey, it was 1968.

Well, There's Your Problem.

Commerce Clause 101:



Watch it all, as ask yourself - can we keep it?

The Episcopal Church (tm) in 3:01.

Indaba!


And another gem from the same folks, this time on post-modern theology.

Hattip: Creative Minority Report.

Fairness Doctrine. (UPDATED)

There was a 'Beat Whitey Night' at the Iowa State fair. The Mainstream Media will label this a racially-motivated "hate crime" in...

In...

In...

Check back tomorrow. Or next decade.

UPDATE 25AUG2010: How's that Mainstream Media coverage going so far? CNN? ABC? NBC? CBS? Er, no.

Pop Quiz.

Let's say you are the President. Let's say going to speak at a Catholic university in a heavily Catholic city. On a Sunday. Let's just say.

What does it say about you, Mr. or Mrs. Hypothetical President, if you forget to consult with the local Catholic Archbishop about giving the speech at a Catholic university, or even inviting him?

Only a rank amateur - or an arrogant egotist - would forget such a thing, right?

Right.

A Thousand Words And All That.

This picture just made my entire week.

Shhhh. Don't Tell The Episcopal Church (tm).

Or they'll be creating new marriage rites for this kind of wedding in no time. You know how marginalized and persecuted the Rebels have been since the Empire took over. Besides, who are we to judge? They are in a committed and loving relationship...

Hey Kids, Whay Time Is It? (Real Estate Edition)

It's 'Recovery Summer' Time!

Can you say "27 percent drop", boys and girls of voting age? I knew you could.

We Shall Moonwalk Over The Running Dogs Of Capitlaism!

Me, I'm More Of A 'Seersucker'. Or Maybe A 'Proo'.

Via Instapundit, the origin of the word 'nerd'.

And I'm not from 'Ka-Troo', either. I'm from the land of 'Wh'er-yat'.

Hey Kids, What Time Is It?

It's 'Recovery Summer' Time!

Let's all put on our Obama ears and sing along to the new 'Recovery Summer' theme song:

R... E... C...

See the unemployment number at 9.5%!

O... V... E...

E? That's what our fiscal gas tank is on!

Then just add R-Y!

Why? Because we have no idea what we're doing!

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!...

Round these parts the 'Katherine Jefferts-Schori BS Alarm' goes off so often we mostly ignore it. But when it rings over something so easily proven false that any idiot with a computer can do it (wherein, I qualify), well then, let's get to proving. From Kate's weekly agitprop bulletin insert, this time on immigration:

Uncontrolled migration across the U.S. - Mexico border, for instance, actually has decreased by two-thirds over the last decade, and the total number of undocumented immigrants in the United States has declined about 10 percent. Violent crime in the border states has decreased significantly over the same time period.

While there has been a decline in the illegal alien population in the US recently, I can't find this "two-thirds" decrease in border crossings Kate claims. Not like facts have stopped Kate in the past. As to violent crime in border states, well...

Arizona.
California.
New Mexico.
Texas.

See any significant decrease? Me, either.

What Kate is peddling has little to do with Faith, and everything to do with partisan politics. Like the rest of The Episcopal Church (tm) leadership, Kate is more interested in your mortal vote than your immortal soul. (The former gets you invited to trendy parties; the latter, not so much. -ed.) Were it not the case, Kate would be advocating just as hard in those "15 other nations represented in the Episcopal Church " against their immigration policies, which are often far more draconian and punitive than those of the US.

When The Only 'Good Times' Were On TV.

Are we being prepped for a return of the we-must-accept-a-lower-standard-of-living-from-now-on of the 1970's? This article from MiniTrue The New York Times seems to be pointing in that direction.

We do have a weak, lefty ideologue President with a messianic self-image, a spend-it-we'll-print-more fiscal policy, a self-defeating approach to energy policy, and an uber-partisan press - so a 70's deja vu is not unreasonable. But do not despair, dear readers, we will come out of this - once we find this generation's Reagan - and will prosper once again. My greatest fear is disco and the leisure suit make a return in the interim.

Why I Am Unelectable*.

Creative people with a sense of humor can never win. Case in point:



*Also, I don't have the money, I didn't go to the right schools, I don't have the right friends, I haven't slept with the right wives, and I won't sell my immortal soul to Satan / The New York Times.

Imam Paul.

Powerline notices the similarity of views between Imam Feisal Rauf, the man pushing the Ground Zero Mosque, and our very own homegrown nutter, Ron Paul (R-prisonplanet.com). They don't sound too far apart.

Perhaps Paul would get a lot more folks in his fan club if he changed the name to 'Campaign for Jihad'.

"Narrative Akbar!"

So what does Cordoba - a place in Spain - have to do with a mosque in New York City? In radical Islamic terms, quite a lot. Here's some awkward historical background The Left/Mainstream Media and their Islamic theocrat allies don't want to talk about. Apparently truth, is "Islamophobic".

Hattip: Midwest Conservative Journal.

This Was Their Finest Crop Circle.

Yep.



From here.

Episco-Dhimmitude.

Only an Episcopalian would seriously equate the trials of Jesus Christ and His ministry to the Ground Zreo Mosque:

As the stranger from Nazareth found his voice in the cauldron of his times, he ran into stiff resistance. Jesus was declared impertinent, a blasphemer, functioning beyond his station. Proprietors of old ways savaged his new ways. Tradition fought back. Privilege fought back. Power fought back.

Jesus found himself isolated, forced to lead his small band from village to village, as he waited for the right time to set his face to Jerusalem.

And Mr. Ehrich dismisses the criticism of the Ground Zero Mosque as outside agitation:

Bigots and fear-mongering politicians beyond the Hudson River might be feasting on New York City's debate over the Cordoba House mosque, but they do so without any awareness of how much religious and racial tolerance mean in this melting pot...

But this poll of New Yorker's opinions of the Ground Zero Mosque pretty much puts that straw person argument in the dustbin.

Can is not the same thing as should. Most New Yorkers understand the distinction. So does nearly 70 percent of the rest of America.

They also understand that this isn't about religious freedom. This is about respect. Respect for the 3,000 who died on September 11, 2001, at the hands of men shouting "Allahu Akbar" as they went about their inhuman enterprise. When Islam, on it's own, seeks to cut out and purge these violent elements from itself, then I will believe the Ground Zero Mosque is there as a place of healing, not an opportunity for triumphalism.

Monday Required Reading.

P. J. O'Rourke visits Afghanistan.

The Law Doesn't Fit Our Narrative!

Bad, bad, Law! The folks at Volokh Conspiracy notice why a journalism degree isn't equal to a law degree when it comes to discussing, y'know, the Law. A people-unclear-on-the-concept gem from The New York Times:

Mr. DeLay, the Texas Republican who had been the House majority leader, crowed that he had been “found innocent.” But many of Mr. DeLay’s actions remain legal only because lawmakers have chosen not to criminalize them.
(Emphasis mine)

The same way many of The New York Times actions remain legal only because lawmakers have chosen not to criminalize them.

You Can Do That With HTML Code??

Go here, and scroll down. It must be, hee-hee, an HTML 2.0 thing.

Snicker... Chortle... Guffaw...

Yes, I know. Sometimes I'm my own best audience.

(Mildly NSFW)

Sunday Mustang Porn.

One can never tire of watching the P-51 fly. So, here's a threesome:

Well, Good.

The Internet is dragging Britain away from Europe and towards the Anglosphere:

The community of English-speaking nations is, potentially, the greatest force for freedom in the world. But, for the past 40 years it has been ignored by its constituent governments. Not any more. Truly the Internet is a wonderful phenomenon.

Yes, it is.

Fun With Engineering, Or...

...Force equals potato times acceleration:



You know it must be fun when the last line of the video is: "Let's get outta here before the cops show up".

Hattip: Borderline Sociopathic Blog For Boys.

Leadership: An Epic Example.

70 years ago yesterday, during the height of the Battle of Britain, Winston Churchill gave his famous "so Many, So Few" speech. Watch the video at the link, and remember when we had epic leaders willing to confront epic trials. Not like today.

Hey Kids, What Time Is It?

It's Recovery Summer Time!

The First Step To Solving A Problem Is Admitting You Have One.

In answer to this letter writer's nagging question:

Could the devil have his hand in my liking my liberal Episcopal church?

Yes, he could.

And, my dear friend, God is not "a judgmental, legalistic SOB". He has high standards which He calls us to meet, and He loves each of us enough believe that we can, with His help, meet them.

For Anne.

From here.

Friday Sooth.

My buddy John, a political sooth-sayer of some ability, has examined the polling entrails and read the tea leaves at the bottom of the electorate's cup, and he says this week's sooth for November:

House of Representatives
254 Republicans/181 Democrats (Republican gain of +75, 24 Democrats on the “watch list”

Senate
55 Democrats, 45 Republicans, or Republican gain of +4

Governor
32 Republicans, 18 Democrats, or Republican gain of +8

Friday Mustang.

Because it's my blog. That's why.



Via Theo Spark.

Something To Smile About.

How bad is November going to be for Democrats? This bad: To the recent question, "Miss Me Yet?", even rank and file Democrats are starting to answer, "Yes".

Stimulus!

Just like he has done for the firearms industry, Barack Obama is stimulating the book industry. Well, one book, anyway.

Seems a lot of folks are taking this fellow's grand advice before November.
When you finish reading that one, try this, and this, as well.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do. (UPDATED)

As a loyal member of Red Sox Nation, seeing Roger Clements in trouble gives one a perverse sense of pleasure. But honestly - lying to Congress? Think about that for a minute: If you, a Citizen, lie to Nancy Pelosi... you go to jail. But if Nancy Pelosi lies to you... nothing. Nada. Bupkis.

Laws, like taxes, are for little people. In red-state flyover country.

UPDATE: Yes, dear readers. We. Were. Lied. To. From the Democrat's own recent election talking points about ObamaCare (last line, last page):

Dont: Say the law will reduce costs and deficit.

A Wager.

I'm betting Barry, Michelle, and the kids will be in a pew for the next few Sundays. It's just a hunch.

UPDATE 20AUG2010: A friend says he would be surprised if they do end up in a church. He says Obama and Team Hopenchange - who seem predisposed to disdain traditional Christianity - don't understand the emotions of the American People surrounding the Ground Zero Mosque and Obama's comments. Or (more likely) they just don't care. I'm afraid he may be right, and for the latter reason.

Today's Required Reading II.

Once more via Maggie's Farm: The Social Psychology of Freedom. Read it all.

If you are not stopping by Maggie's Farm every day, you should be.

Today's Lesson.

From Maggie's Farm, a reminder of life's little caveat to that pursuit-of-happiness thing. As a friend in the Special Forces used to say, "Life, is choices." But life also makes some of those choices for each of us that no personal desire, no Law, no academic study, nor any Executive Order or Judicial Ruling, can change.

Today's Required Reading.

Jimmy Carter is redeemed.

Hattip: Scott at The Hayride.

Reset Pun.

BWHAHAHAHAHA!!



From here.

All Saints Anglican Has A Home.

All Saints Anglican Church, Baton Rouge - part of the Anglican Mission and Anglican Church in North America - launched worship in it's new home (14141 Airline Hwy. Building 4 Suite Z in the Barringer Foreman Technology Park).

On Sunday, August 8th, they had a service of celebration and blessing for their new church home, and began full operations there this past Sunday.

From the rector, Fr. Mark Turner: “I am so excited about what God is doing with All Saints. Each week is a new adventure as we seek to be faithful to Gospel. The Lord has added to our numbers in the past year and we look forward to His adding more new faces in the year ahead. Anyone interested in helping to shape the direction of a new Anglican church like All Saints are most welcome to come and be a part of our work for the sake of the unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Christian Education is held at All Saints at 9:30 on Sunday morning, followed by worship at 10:30. In the Fall All Saints will launch morning prayer on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a midday Eucharist service on Wednesdays. Their website is www.allsaintsbr.org.

UPDATE 18AUG2010: From Sunday:

Priorities. (UPDATED AND BUMPED)

Lessee - Barry refused to attend events on The National Day of Prayer. He opted to appear on 'The View' do a bit of fundraising instead of speaking to the Boy Scouts. But...

But...

He had time to attend a Muslim Ramadan dinner at the White House, where he - you better sit down for this - supported the building of a Mosque/Cultural Center/$100 million plus (of whose money, no one's sure) Islamic something-or-other at Ground Zero in New York. He said it's because America's commitment to freedom of religion "must be unshakable".

But for Obama, that unshakable commitment seems pretty damn one-sided. When Barry supports Robert Schuller building a Crystal Cathedral in Mecca with US government dollars, then I'll believe he means it.

UPDATE 14AUG2010: Obama to the gathered Muslims at the White House: "Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground. But..."

But...

Sir, there is no "but" after that first statement. There never should be when it comes to Ground Zero. It IS hallowed ground. End. Of. Sentence. The people who caused the deaths of almost 3,000 Americans in a day - the worst attack on our country in more than a century - weren't singing 'The Internationale' when they crashed those planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, or saying the Lord's Prayer. They were shouting, "Allahu akbar!". Did you forget this, Mr. President?

Simply because someone can, doesn't always mean they should.

UPDATE 14AUG2010: The Grey Man makes a great analogy in the comments: "Will we now have a Confederate Heritage Center at Gettysburg? A Japanese Embassy next to the Arizona?"

UPDATE 14AUG2010: Obama getting his dhimmitude on isn't sitting at all well with those ignorant, ungrateful proles the American people. Of course, the Team Hopenchange spinning has begun.

"And Now Pinch-Hitting For The American Press..."

...The UK's Daily Telegraph. You won't find this kind of sober analysis from Obama's Ministry of Information the Mainstream Media: 'The stunning decline of Barack Obama: 10 key reasons why the Obama presidency is in meltdown'. As they say, read it all.

The Left's End Game.

From the UK's Guardian: 'Since when was giving people a choice a good idea?' We should give up the freedom to choose for ourselves, argues one Catherine Bennett, because, you see, we really want the state to do it for us. Freedom is, ick... messy. Freedom is hard.

Since when when was choice a good idea, Ms. Bennett? Since, well, someone recognized that we are not slaves, or serfs, or subjects, but that we are endowed by our Creator - not by some king or government, no matter how "enlightened" - with certain inalienable Rights. It's tough to survive in the real world; its rather easier to live in a gilded cage, where food and a cuttlebone are provided, and all one has to do is sing to please the master. But that is not life; that is simply existence. If given the chance, most of the world would risk all for the blessings that messy old freedom has brought. Just ask the Cubans and the North Koreans - who live in the world to which you, Ms. Bennett, aspire.

I'm Shocked! Shocked!

Fraud in Louisiana.

To quote the Sicilian in that movie about a princess bride: "Inconceivable!"

UPDATE: RSR Daughter (tm) reminded me of the correct Sicilian quote. Revisions have been made.

Bob Heck Was Right.

My architectural history / theory professor used to say, "Make no small plans, for they will not stir men's souls". He was right.

And if you hadn't read her works already, the message is good advice.

Hey Kids, What Time Is It?

It's "Recovery Summer" Time!

Your Friday Afternoon Distraction.

Finally, a search engine with something worth searching: The Calvin and Hobbes Search Engine.

Compare And Contrast - Episcopal Church (tm) Edition.

This week's approved propaganda church bulletin insert from The Episcopal Church (tm) talks about "interfaith experiences", and embracing the "holy awkwardness" therein. According to TEC this is a good thing - except, of course, when that interfaith experience you embrace is with a bunch The Episcopal Church (tm) rabidly loathes. Then, your arse gets sacked ASAP.

As I have said before, with the new "moderate" bishop here in the Diocese of Louisiana, things are going to change - and this is a good indication what that change will look like. As many of us feared, our new bishop seems to be one who will march us lock-step to the Left, towing the party line of Kate Schori and her legal team.

I am a member of St. Luke's, Baton Rouge, but have found myself withdrawing more and more from parish life there. St. Luke's was, for me, a wonderful place where I could find God, but I can't find Him there today. I still do the Evening Prayers on Friday, and am a Lector and LEM, but they have lost all meaning and substance. Try as I might, they bear no deeper purpose anymore, nor do I find the Peace of God within. I am little more than legitimizing window dressing for a political agenda, an agenda with which I do not agree and which seems to see God and Faith as merely useful tools to achieve their secular purpose. To question that agenda in any way is the only sin recognized by The Episcopal Church (tm) nowadays, and I think that that will soon be the same down here in The Diocese of Louisiana.

On a positive note, All Saints Anglican here in Baton Rouge will be dedicating their new worship space this weekend, 15 August 2010.

Like, Who's The Weird Guy?

Now is the time at RSR where we use poetry to make fun of tween pop culture.


And they don't even know it.

From here.

The Ossuary Police.

Even when you shuffle off this mortal coil, dear readers, you're still not free from government regulation. Just ask the monks in Covington, Louisiana:



Yes, there really are monks are in Covington, Louisiana.

Hattip: Instapundit.

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAADD!!!!!!!

I love the sound of gross out in the morning. Or the afternoon.

The Congressional Incompetence Act of 2010.

When it showed up on Twitter this morning I thought it was a joke. Even Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi can't be this stupid. But apparently, they are. The U. S. Senate actually passed last week, and the House voted on today, HR 1586 - also known as...

"The _____ Act of _____".

Really. HR 1586 has been a tax-on-TARP-fat-cats bill, an aviation bill, and now it is The _____ Act of _____, the Democrats spiffy new "stimulus"/jobs/payoff bill - because we know how well that first one has worked. In reality, you can't find out what's in The _____ Act of _____ for sure - good luck finding the current language on the Internet after it was "clipped" (all the old text removed and new text inserted by Amendment). So much for "transparency". But you can bet the Prius The _____ Act of _____ will be chock-a-block full of all that caring political lard and compassionate patronage pork that Democrat spending/"stimulus" bills are known for of late. (According to this, it was. -ed.). The _____ Act of _____ was so important to our nation that to pass The _____ Act of _____ that Nancy Pelosi called the House into emergency session - for only the fourth or fifth time in 20 years - to pass the damn thing. (Could be Team Hopenchange's last chance to get patronage money flowing. -ed.) Of course, Obama says he is eager to sign The _____ Act of _____. For the children. Or something.

This isn't even close to representative democracy, dear readers, and our Ruling Class don't even pretend to care anymore. Not only do they not know what's in the bills they pass, they don't even know what they're voting on. They just vote like they're told. You, and your voice, don't matter - the have bigger people to represent.

No surprise here - Louisiana Senator Mary "I'm not cheap, but I can be had" Landreiu voted for The _____ Act of _____.

Some people are having fun with this. It does give meaning to Nancy Pelosi's blank stare...

Team Hopenchange's Cunning Plan...

...To keep Congress Democrat this fall: Candidates should ignore the issues.
Well, my dear Lefties, we won't let you - or your parrots in the Mainstream Media - do that. You will not be able to ignore:

ObamaCare: The most hated piece of legislation since, what? The the Stamp Act?

The 'Stimulus': The single most expensive waste of money in US history.

Congressional Corruption: From Nancy's most ethical Congress, evah.

Record Deficits: Nancy and Harry have had control of the Federal budget since 2007. Its not Bush's fault anymore.

Bailouts: 'Cash for Clunkers', 'Cash for Windows', cash for AIG, and cash for banks with big lobbying firms. And, how can we forget you letting the President and Big Labor engineer the de-facto nationalization of GM and Chrysler?

Immigration: Your do-nothing border policy which is killing this country because you and your cronies like the cheap gardeners and domestic help.

That, and a host of other local and regional busy-body annoyances, invasions of our privacy, policy f**k-ups, broken promises, pissing on our Rights, and generally wasting our time and our money.

But more than anything, we will not ignore you being the arrogant, thin-shinned, self-centered, prima-dona's that you are, and for treating your employers (that would be us) with such condescension, derision, and scorn.

To quote a famous Japanese admiral, who once lived in America and clearly understood her people a lot better than you in the Ruling Class:

"I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

And that is exactly what y'all in The Left / Mainstream Media have done. ObamaCare was your December 7th. Savor it now, because November 2nd will be our Midway.

Monday Afternoon 'Oh My', Or, Turning Japanese.

No words can describe. Just watch it.



Hattip: Steamboat McGoo, via email.

Let Them Eat Tapas! (UPDATED AND BUMPED)

Michelle Obama, a modern Marie Antoinette? You decide.

UPDATE: It's good to be the Queen.

UPDATE 08AUG2010: It's good to be the Queen II.

The Most Interesting Blogger In The World?...

Posted day before yesterday at Red Stick Rant.
Posted today at Instapundit.

[dosequisguyvoice]
"I don't always beat other bloggers; but when I do, I prefer to beat Glenn Reynolds".
[/dosequisguyvoice]

(Said with utmost affection, Glenn! -ed.)

When You've Lost The Boy Scouts...

He breaks a promise so he can do a cameo on The View. What did Barry expect 'em to do? Bow?...

No real surprise, actually. Its not like Barry is:

Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean
or
Reverent

(And yes, this Eagle Scout wrote that from memory. Some things you should never forget.)

Let Them Eat Off The Rack!

Because only a rank commoner wears American.

What 'Hope And Change' REALLY Means.

From here.

He's Got Some Mighty Big... Trains.

I have often theorized that search engines are possessed by evil spirits. Now, I have proof: According to Mr. Sitemeter, a bing.com search for "hot asian kicked in public trains" somehow delivered the searcher to this RSR post.

On a personal note, I was kicked in the public trains once - but it was on a Riverside (D) train and I was wearing a cup.

Why I was wearing a cup on a Riverside train is a whole other story.

Well-To-Do Unrepentant Communist Murderer Finds Out There Is A Hell Worse Than America.

Marilyn Buck snuffs it. She was involved in several bombings and murders for the Weather Underground and the Black Liberation Army in the 1970s & 80s. Her father was an Episcopal priest. Figures.

Will Bill Ayers will attend the funeral?

Hattip: Instapundit.

Today's Required Reading.

A 2006 reprise at Maggie's Farm, still worth reading: Liberty: Who Needs It?

1984 Word Of The Day.

BWHAHAHAHA!!!

Hey Ayatollah, Leave Those Kids Alone!

An Iranian freedom video remix of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall". Watch it all:



Pink Floyd's Roger Waters gave the band permission for this cover and lyric rewrite.

Many tips of the hat: Libertarian Republican.

UPDATE 08AUG2010: Welcome Last of the Few visitors! Have a look round. I just dusted.

To The Manor Born.

Did you know that FannieMae - once a quasi-government entity and now a wholly owned subsidiary of Team Hopenchange, whose insolvency in 2008 was a major cause of the current 'Great Recession', and who was rewarded for it with billions of your dollars in bailouts - has their own building? Well, they do. And here it is:


Image:Reuters

This is what the our Ruling Class thinks is necessary to house a publicly-funded, money-losing, mortgage company with it's hand in your pocket. Remember that when November rolls around.

UPDATE: Now that we own it, how about, oh, selling Mortgage Versailles and moving FannieMae into a more modest, I'm-living-on-handouts-thank-you facility. I know it would be a symbolic pittance compared to the tens of billions we've poured down the FannieMae rathole, but still...

Compare And Contrast - Church Accountability Edition.

Roman Catholic Bishop covers up pedophilia: Resigns.

Episcopal Church (tm) bishop covers up pedophilia: Gets off on appeal.

Hee, hee, hee... "Gets off"...

Well, that is The Episcopal Church's (tm) current theology in a nutshell.

Hee, hee, hee... "Nutshell"...

Hey Kids, What Time Is It?

Its 'Recovery Summer' time!

Let Them Eat Mandates!

Also at Legal Insurrection, Professor Jacobson notes the reaction of The Left / Mainstream Media to Tuesday's vote in Missouri, utterly rejecting ObamaCare. According the good Prof, these fall into three, predictably dismissive, categories:

1. The proles are idiots.

2. The proles really want more ObamaCare, not less.

3. Fuck self-government, we rule by court decisions anyway.

The Left / Mainstream Media see you and me as stupid, ungrateful for what they are 'doing' for us, and an unruly threat to their cunning plans for Utopian order (and to their cushy way of life you pay for). Don't forget that when you walk into the polls on November 2nd.

Birthwrong.

First, let me say I do not support the "birhter" claims that Obama was born outside of the United States. I've seen copies of his birth certificate from third-party sources I find reliable, and his birth announcement in the Hawaii paper. Like him or not as President, he appears qualified in that respect for the Office.

I have, however, been critical of Obama's aloof handling of this issue, and of Team Hopenchange's use of it as a handy stereotyping weapon against anyone who disagrees with them. But by letting so fundamental a question survive, and percolate just below the surface, they have been playing with fire. And according to Professor William Jacobson, it is Team Hopenchange that is getting burned by it - not Tea Partiers or the GOP.

I am quite stunned by the numbers, actually. Eight percent of Democrats, yes, Democrats, believe Obama was "definitely born in another country", and 28 percent are unsure one way or the other; so this myth has traction across the political spectrum, not just among some right-wing fringe as The Left / Mainstream Media claim.

Obama could politically nip this in the bud by, well, just releasing his birth certificate. But political calculation doesn't seem to enter into the equation for Team Hopenchhange - this is seen, like everything else Obama, as part of an epic ideological struggle for "transformative change". Giving in somehow hurts the struggle. In the end, the only change this will bring about is a lasting distrust, more fodder for the Alex Jones/Infowars.com tinfoil hat crowd, and yet another reason to go out and vote against "hope and change" in November.

Be done with it, Barry. Just release the damn thing.

WAAAAH! They're Not Playing By The Stereotype!

A group of Tea Partiers take on the press about charges of racism and the reporting of the same. Their former Left / Mainstream Media masters in the audience clearly didn't like it one bit.

And for what it's worth Ms. Maddow, these people are more my brothers and sisters than you, or Keith Olbermann, or any of the other folks at white-only MSNBC, will ever be.

Obama Equality.

The Justice Department applies some of that 'Ol Time Marxism:

The Civil Rights Division informed the schools they were under investigation. In subsequent talks, the Justice Department demanded the universities stop distributing the Kindle; if blind students couldn't use the device, then nobody could. The Federation made the same demand in a separate lawsuit against Arizona State."

Did this help the blind in any way? Nope. Dis it hurt everyone else? Yes. But that should come as no surprise. Other than lip service and election sloganeering, government is not, and never has been, concerned with empowering the disadvantaged. What government is concerned with - and especially this current Administration - is disempowering the unfavored "advantaged" to make the favored disadvantaged feel good, and see government as their savior.

It Must Be That Vast Right Wing Conspiracy Thing Again. (UPDATED)

Following quickly upon the recent Arizona ruling, yet another Federal judge uses the court to help turn out GOP voters in November.

UPDATE: Personally, I blame Bush. Or Karl Rove.

UPDATE: A friend noted that any more decisions like this and these folks won't have to do a thing this election cycle. Except count the margin of victory on 3 November.

Desperation Time. (UPDATED)

If you are so desperate you think this kind of thing is a scandal that will damage your opponent, think again. Nancy Pelosi in a bikini... now that's a scandal. Or a good argument for blindness.

My bet is North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven will now be 50-plus points ahead in his Senate bid after this.

UPDATE: Payback is a... just look. Shield the children and bring a barf bag.

The Two Americas, Or, More Tea Your Grace?

More proof of Clifford's First Law Of Modern Democrat Politics: There are only two kinds of Democrats anymore - those who can afford to be Democrats, and those who can't afford not to be Democrats. The rest of us exist to pay for it all, and to laud them for the privilege. To wit:

John Edwards popularized the term "Two Americas" a few years ago as a way to put Republicans in the sights of disaffected voters. The reality is there are two Americas, but it turns out John, his elite Democrat friends, and those who gain from their largess, are the ones in the well-heeled, entitled, do-as-we-tell-you camp.

Yet another fine example of which America today's Democrats inhabit. It's the modern equivalent of John Rockefeller giving away dimes.

I think this suggestion for mockery is a great one. And make it one of those deep, scraping-my-hat-on-the floor-because-I'm-meeting-Louis-XIV, kind of bows.

Instapundit is chock full of goodies today. Since I'm pretty jammed up with work right now, head on over.

Ghosts.

Russian photographer Sergey Larenkov used images taken during WWII and melded them in Photoshop with images taken from the exact spot 65 years later. They very effectively bring events forward that we know only in through history, putting them into context we can understand. Haunting.

Roman Army Knife.

Seems those SPQR folks beat Victorinox and Leatherman by 1,800 years.

New Blog De Jour.

I'm sorry, but with a name like Snark & Boobs, you know it had to be the Blog De Jour.

Matlock Is About To Lose His First Case.

They say that in the dark days of Stalin's purges, he made the condemned pay for the bullets the NKVD used to shoot them. Its pretty much the same approach, metaphorically speaking Team Hopenchange is using to sell ObamaCare.

I mean, really. What would Aunt B say?

Indeed.

LOLdweebs.

Celibacy - Yr Doin It Rite!


But honestly - is it really celibacy if you have no idea what sex is?...
[rimshot!]

I haven't seen this many virgins in one place since they closed Holy Angels Convent on St. Claude Avenue.
Heyoooo...!

Forget 'Metrosexuals' - its the "Technosexuals'!
Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?...

Image from here.

Today's Compare and Contrast.

Via Instapundit, The Boston Globe's token conservative, Jeff Jacoby, looks at another application of even-handedness by The Left/Mainstream Media, this time in reacting to blatantly anti-Semitic remarks by 1) A movie maker who is devoutly Roman Catholic, and 2) A movie maker who devoutly worships Hugo Chavez.

Spoiler Alert: One got pilloried (as he should -ed.); one got a pass.

Show Me... Your Middle FInger!

It seems Missouri, the Show Me State, showed tonight at the ballot box they really don't like ObamaCare. And I mean really, really don't like it. 71% - 29% don't like it. Missouri's vote - to enact a state law banning individual mandates in the state - is the first time the people themselves have had a chance to weigh in on ObamaCare by popular vote.

While this is a low turnout vote - about one third of the number that voted in November 2008 - this result is telling for two reasons: Missouri is not a red-red state (McCain won Missouri by only one-tenth of a percent in 2008), so such a lopsided vote should give some measure of the dislike of ObamaCare out there; and two, it shows that the conservatives, libertarians and Tea Partiers are doing what no one thought they could do - energize, organize and turn out voters over issues such as this - while Democrats don't seem too interested in getting out there.

Unless the GOP - once again - snatches defeat from the jaws of victory, it's going to be a very tough fall for the Obama/Pelosi/Reid clique.

As always, my buddy John over at WinWithJMC has more on this race, and the others that took place around the country today.

Hattip on the Missouri race: Christopher Johnson at Midwest Conservative Journal.

Another Obama "Green Economy" Success Story.

Team Hopenchange's "smart grid" could leave us open to cyber-attack on our power infrastructure, and even in our homes:

But to receive the stimulus money, utilities will have to install new devices across their entire customer base quickly. Security experts say that this could lead to problems down the road--as-yet-unknown vulnerabilities in hardware and software could open up new ways for attackers to manipulate equipment and take control of the energy supply.

Smart-grid deployments involve installing smart meters in homes and businesses across a utility's coverage area. These meters can communicate with the utility and with other networked devices--usually via a wireless network of some type. Some ways to hijack this type of equipment have already been revealed. Last year, Mike Davis, a senior security consultant at IOActive, created a piece of software that could spread automatically between smart grid hardware in different homes. The software would then be capable of shutting equipment down. (emphasis mine)

In other words, in Obama's quest for being "green", one of the 12th-century boys - sitting in a cave in Pakistan - could potentially turn off air conditioners in the middle of August, or cut the lights just before a bomb blast, or shut down the fire water pumps in a building. Gee, thanks, Barry.

Your ObamaCare Future...

...Is here today in Sweden. This is what single-payer, government-run "free" health care looks like, dear readers, at the local, personal level. What's worse, the man in question was reported to police for taking care of himself. Getting in trouble for taking care of yourself when the authorities won't: Is that the America you want you want to live in? Is that the America you want you want to leave your kids?

Good Guys 3, Bad Guys, 0.

I just love good news, and this time it comes from from Alexandria, Louisiana. Interestingly, the police did not release the names of the wounded, alleged suspects because the cases were "under investigation", but did release the names and addresses of the victims who defended themselves.

Profiles In LEEDership.

How did I miss this? California's 'Zero Energy House' uses... more energy!

I have to deal with 'green' - the new buzzword in my profession - every day, and with the idiocy that is the uber-bureaucratic LEED process. There are some good, common sense design concepts in all of this, but they are being subordinated to the moralistic political goals that are the driving force behind the 'green' movement. Going 'green' is nothing more than a marketing sop to the feel-good / I'm-doing-something set, and LEED an opportunity for non-productive busybodies to gain more of what they crave - the power to tell us how to live our lives, and force us to make the choices they want us to make. Think of LEED as a government-endorsed 'Moral Majority' of the Left.

Tagging.

So that's what they're for.

From here.

Compare and Contrast II

Your lunchtime assignment: Look at this CNN map of per capita state debt. Now, look at this map of the 2008 Electoral College results, and compare the 'blue' states with the 'red' states and their per capita debt. Notice anything?...

A Question For Our Gracious Lord Of Canterbury.

If tossing The Episcopal Church (tm) out of The Anglican Communion for pissing all over the Windsor Report requirements "would inhibit dialogue and ... would therefore be unhelpful", then doesn't the refusal by you and the ACC to recognize ACNA "inhibit dialogue" with the hundreds of thousands Anglicans there? Is that not, therefore, equally "unhelpful"?

Honestly, Your Grace - do Katherine Jefferts-Schori and Bonnie Anderson keep your bollocks in a box in New York?

Petard, Your Own, Hoisted By.

New Age pop "spiritualist" - and theological relativist in the same mold as Katherine Jefferts-Schori - gets owned. And I do mean, OWNED:



When a guy in a red t-shirt can destroy your whole theology with one question... maybe you need another one.

Hattip: Stand Firm.

Insider Trading.

Newsweek magazine, another failing Lefty squawk-box, was sold for one dollar (yes, $1.00 - if you subscribe to the labor theory of value, it's a fair price -ed.) to one of those "rich" industrialist, corporate magnates the Democrats love to hate. Except, this one is married to a Lefty Democrat Congresswoman who represents much of Los Angeles.

Media - Political Complex, indeed.

Compare and Contrast. (UPDATED)

Team Hopenchange, Spring 2009: We have a cunning plan to spend almost a trillion dollars to "stimulate" the economy right away with "shovel ready" projects - or else unemployment could reach... 9 percent!! Give us the money now, and by the summer of 2010 we'll get unemployment well below 7 percent. It must be true - our spiffy graphic proves it:


Team Hopenchange, Summer 2010: Um, graphic? What graphic?
Well, this graphic, actually:


Remember, dear readers - unless you do something about it - now, in November, and in 2012 - these same cunning government planners will be determining your health care future.

UPDATE: Some of Obama's "shovel ready" projects. To us mere proles, $71,000 isn't a "small" amount of money. If you really need your blood pressure elevated, here is the full report.

Queue Kansas.

How much of your life does Team Hopenchange want to control? This much: The Obama Administration wants the Federal Government to regulate dust. That's right - he thinks we need a national Swiffer program. Since we're reliving the Carter 70's, hit it, boys:



Maybe Barry believes we're in the dust bowl days again - I mean, he already thinks he's FDR...

UPDATE: Link fixed.

You Gotta Draw The String Somewhere.

Memo to Anjem Choudhary: Threaten Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson, you threaten me. I'm an American. Unlike our British cousins, we have the will, and the Constitutionally protected means, to shoot back.

Anjem, your disrespecting the G-string and Western women has deeply offended many people like me. So I guess we're even.

Well, There's Your Problem.

"Representative" Pete Stark opines on the ruling class view of power and the US Constitution:


He actually said, "The Federal Government, yes, can do most anything in this country." If that doesn't get your arse to the polls in November, nothing will.