Our Odoacer.

Aside from the fact that Odoacer flubbed the oath, which wasn’t a big deal, and that his inauguration address sounded like some warmed over piecemealing of the words of John Kennedy, Ted Kennedy and (now) former President Romulus Augustus, here’s what jumped out at me, that hardly anyone would catch:

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), chairwoman of the Congressional Inauguration Committee, noted in her speech before the inaugurations that America was special because of its history of the peaceful and violence-free transfers of Presidential power.  She really has a lot of nerve, because her becoming Mayor of San Francisco wasn’t really steeped in peace, she became Mayor because George Moscone was assassinated.

***

This is the second change of Presidents in the Internet era, the first being the change from President Clinton to President Romulus Augustus in 2001.  Right when George W. Bush was inaugurated, the URL www.whitehouse.gov, which began in the Clinton years, changed from the Clinton-era tacky looking decidedly Web 1.0 product to a placeholder for the new Bush Administration, which simply had an oval logo with a visage of the White House.  Eventually, it would become somewhat of a Web 2.0 product.

Therefore, I wanted to see how whitehouse.gov transitioned at 11 am CT today.  Right after Joe Biden took the VP oath, the Vice-President’s page changed, with the URL home for the President going blank.  Once Odoacer was sworn in, the new whitehouse.gov was presented, not with a placeholder, but with a new real design.  Meaning that Odocaer’s IT staff already had a new design ready to go.  I noticed that change.gov was not altered to ask for a redirect to whitehouse.gov until about a half hour after the inauguration.  I wonder if change.gov will continue to remain the URL for future Presidents-elects, assuming there are any.

Also, this is the first change of Presidents in the Wikipedia era.  Right on cue, right after their inaugurations, the pages for Biden, Obama and Bush changed to reflect their status as current VP, President and former President, respectively.

***

UPDATE 7:15 PM:  What was John McCain doing at the post-inauguration lunch at Statuary Hall?  Especially, the inauguration for someone he supposedly opposed in last year’s elections.

I scoured over the new whitehouse.gov, and noticed that this paragraph is part of the biography of Bill Clinton:

In 1998, as a result of issues surrounding personal indiscretions with a young woman White House intern, Clinton was the second U.S. president to be impeached by the House of Representatives. He was tried in the Senate and found not guilty of the charges brought against him. He apologized to the nation for his actions and continued to have unprecedented popular approval ratings for his job as president.

And there was nothing like this on George W. Bush’s page.  Gee, you think that the Obamas have something against the Clintons?  As evidenced by Jill Biden’s slip of the tongue on The Oprah yesterday.

Ramos and Compean Free (UPDATE: Not Until March)

Within 24 hours of his leaving office, President Bush has commuted the Federal prison sentences of former US Border Patrol agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos, as they were sentenced to ten years in Federal prison for doing their jobs.

President Bush commuted their existing sentence only, nothing else.  Ideally, he would have pardoned them fully, eliminating their felony convictions.  Ideally, President Bush would have not had a U.S. Attorney in the person of Johnny Suttonfong that would have brought charges against them.  Ideally, we wouldn’t have an open borders administration like the Bush administration, or the one that’s about to come into power tomorrow, or the seven administrations before now.

But, c’est la vie.  Considering the reality that confronts us, this was the best thing that could have happened for Ramos and Compean.  Still, the damage to the morale of the U.S. Border Patrol has been done.

UDPATE:  The commutation is such that they will be released in March.  For those of you who worry that incoming President Obama could undo it, remember that pardons and commutations on the part of the President are absolute and irreversible.

Now More Than Ever

Happy Robert E. Lee Day.  Just for the heck of it, let’s also celebrate him tomorrow.

Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels

P-D:  Haiti struggles amid misery caused by storms

Damn those hurricanes, ruining a perfectly good first world country.

McClatchy:  Pitts: Lincoln might not have welcomed Obama’s election

Might?  Gee, Leonard, ya think that someone who didn’t want blacks to vote would have wanted a black President?

CNS:  Schumer, Durbin and Barney Frank See No Problem with Treasury Nominee’s Tax Problems

Because taxes are only for the little people.

KSDK:  Cruise ‘always wanted to kill Hitler’

Okay bigmouth, head on over to Universal Studios, grab Doc Brown’s DeLorean, punch in 1935 and see if you have the balls or if you’re just popping off.

NPR:  Gingrich Offers Advice For Future GOP Solutions

Because he did so well when he actually had power.

AP:  Mexican collapse? Drug wars worry some Americans

Those that aren’t are either snorting, rolling or shooting.

AFP:  Die-hard Republicans wait for Obama shine to fade

It’s already fading — the media’s going bankrupt.

Reuters:  Iran students say time for U.S. to change policy

The ones that say it should say the same gets Fs from Prof. Mahmoud A.

NPR:  Are Some Obama Coins Wooden Nickles?

Well then don’t take any.

AFP:  Frenchman speaks nonstop for 124 hours to set speech record

He blew right past Joe Biden and Charles Schumer.

You Don’t Mess Around With Slim

Mexican multi-billionaire Carlos Slim, who had a stint a few years ago as the world’s richest man, and currently sits at Number Two, already owns a piece of the New York Times.  Now, the Times wants him to buy more, as they evidently need the money.

Question:  What’s in it for Slim?  It’s not like the Times is profitable, and buying political consideration is useless, because the Times is already amnesty and open borders all the way.

Another Liberal Joke Becomes Liberal Reality

Again and again, I have come to understand that we should be careful making jokes about what libs want to do to solve certain problems.  What you joke about might sound outlandish and ridiculous, but it’s only a matter of time until some lib seriously proposes your joke.

I have made several tongue-in-cheek suggestions that the Southern Poverty Law Center would sue the virii and bacteria of STDs that affect blacks and other minorities more than whites, and sue them for civil rights violations.  Of course, we know that the races are inherently equal, so it’s not possible that it’s not more promiscuous black behavior as a measure of central tendency is a reason.  No, in libville, it’s always the fault of some external factor.

Yesterday, I was reading V-Dare’s blog and found this article on Slate, that’s full of lib boo-hooing about STDs and racial disparities therein.  And looky what I found:

Are the germs really ethnically and geographically prejudiced?

I could imagine that, as you’re reading this, every paralegal at the Poverty Palace in Montgomery, Alabama is getting the paperwork ready.  Since Morris Dees is pretty slick in court, he will win, though since a virus or bacterium cannot easily show up in court by itself, the trial will have to be in absentia.  And I highly doubt that the SPLC on behalf of STD victims will be able to collect any civil damages from virii and bacteria, though the Center will make it up by sending out thousands of beg letters bragging about how they stopped STDs.  Decades of medical research couldn’t do what Morris Dees did in a few months, he’ll be a trillionaire.

The Day of Risque

KSDK:  St. Louis County taking over policing of St. George

You’ll be able to drive like a normal human being on Reavis Barracks.

WCBS-2 NYC:  Mayor Honors Responders; Likens Rescue To A Movie

Movie, huh?  I know — Ben Affleck as Michael Bloomberg, Michael Bloomberg as Chesley Sullenberger, and Al Franken as a flock of geese.

WUSA-9 DC:  “Prostitution Free Zone” During Inauguration

The inauguration parties won’t be hoedowns.

AFP:  ‘Dogs don’t wear condoms,’ says Baywatch star Anderson

What a brilliant obeservation.

SEMO:  Sikeston-Miner hotel industry thriving, tourism official says

Ole man Lambert will have plenty of roll throwing in the near future.

KFVS:  Police say man drove to Heartland for sex with minor

The wrong way for a guy named Bone to get a boner.

KSDK:  DTV: Elderly easily confused by digital switch

Elderly easily confused by anything with more than three buttons.

KSDK:  Circuit City is liquidating. What happens next?

A short circuit.

KSDK:  Nick Jonas on Sasha and Malia: ‘Very sweet girls’

I knew there was something wrong in the head with those Jonas boys.

P-D:  Book highlights history of bra

Ron Jeremy will follow up with an unhooking the bra anthology.

AFP:  Nudist club offers rooms to inauguration bare-devils

Though nudist club parties for Presidential inaugurations were really popular in 1993 and 1997.

The Night Has a Thousand Eyes

P-D Race Blog:

New book documents “sundown laws” once posted for blacks

From the 1930s to the 1960s, hundreds of towns across America had “sundown rules.”Sometimes on the city books, other times posted, these curfews prevented African-Americans and other minorities from remaining in town past sundown. In essence, such laws excluded them from living in the communities where they worked.

James Loewen documents this phenomenon in his book “Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism”.

Gee, I’m glad those laws don’t exist anymore.  Because I can’t possibly imagine what it would be like to be prohibited from going outside in your own town during the night, lest some man with a gun would approach you.

Err….

Charles Schumer Isn’t That Stupid, Is He?

So, I’m watching news about the Senate Judiciary Committee dressing down Eric Holder, and Schumer actually asked Holder if he thought he could remain independent from the President.

Gee, Chucky, you think that someone who serves at the pleasure of the President might be influenced by said President?

I Just Looked Down At My Keyboard And Noticed — O, B, A and M are Wearing Out

Drudge:  NOT AGAIN! TIME MAG PUTS OBAMA ON COVER FOR 13TH TIME IN YEAR…

One word:  Triskadekaphobia.

P-D:  St. Louis Board of Aldermen poised to approve Obama Boulevard

Coming trend:  Like MLK Blvd., areas that have an Obama Blvd. will be the ones to avoid.

ABC The Note:  Republicans Find Voice in Opposing Stimulus: ‘Oh, My God’

“Yes?” — Barack Obama

Former Sen. Rick Santorum, in the Philadelphia Inquirer:  The Elephant in the Room: McCain may be Obama’s secret weapon

And you thought Obama sending Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to HLS was entirely because he liked her border plans?  All of a sudden, McCain’s a shoo-in to win another Senate term.

ZDNet:  Firefox 3.1 beta 3 now due Feb 2

And if the beta sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of beta testing.

CNS:  Obama’s Future Budget Czar Ducks Question of Whether Obama Will Ever Balance Budget

He was too busy trying to subtract $2 trillion in revenue from $5 trillion in spending.

P-D:  Holder says he learned from Marc Rich pardon

He learned how the system works.

P-D:  Senate panel backs Clinton as secretary of State

The news said that HRC passed the muster of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  Knowing that committee has Biden and Lugar, it wasn’t exactly the Spanish Inquisition.

Bloomberg:  Obama’s Actions May Pose Biggest Risk to Presidential Honeymoon

It seems like he’s already been President for 11 months, so it’s kinda like a man and woman getting married after they have already lived with each other for a couple of years.

USNAWR:  STDs Pose Biggest Risk to Young Women

Damn those racist STDs, now we find out they’re sexist and ageist.  Looks like somebody’s gonna need some sensitivity training, mm hmm??

USNAWR:  Little Progress on Adult Literacy

A lot of progress on spending money for education.

AFP:  Obama tells daughters he ran for president for them, all children

“And George Soros had noting to do with it?,” asks Malia.

Time:  Mexico Media on High Alert After Drug-Gang Attack on Televisa

Now I know why the media are all of a sudden so indignant about Mexican drug gangs.

AP:  O’Brien, Fallon see late-night challenges ahead

It might remain a challenge for Conan O’Brien’s Tonight Show to be classified as comedy.

NPR:  Haiti Fights Illiteracy With Comics

Once upon a time, comic books were hidden between a schoolboy’s reading textbook.

The Twenty-Year Job

President Bush in 2000 (above), before starting the heat of the campaign for President, and today (below), visiting the State Department.

The Presidency is a job that ages you.  Though the two photos are only nine years apart, Bush today easily looks 20 years older than he did nine years ago.  As I was watching his farewell address, which just ended, he could have been easily mistaken for his father, who is 84 now.  In fact, squinting my eyes at the high-definition image of him, he looks like a cross between his father and Ron Paul, now 73.

As for the address, the occasion was a tradition started by George Washington.  In fact, President Bush cited George Washington during the 15-minute address.  However, the rest of the address was anything but Washingtonesque, in fact it was Washingtonese, in that it repudiated the first President’s outgoing advice not to dick around with the rest of the world, instead suggesting that dicking around with the rest of the world was somehow our moral imperative.

And the goofy part?  While most of President Bush’s time as President has either been disappointing or repulsive, he’s going to look great once the next President has been in there for awhile.

Come next Tuesday, the Republican Revolution of 1994 will officially be over.  Both the House and the Senate were lost in the 2006 elections, but President Bush was the only remaining member of the “revolutionary” class (winning Texas Governor in 1994 in an upset over Ann “Silver Foot” Richards) that had any serious power.  The best that can be said for the Revolution is that it temporarily delayed the end of the United States of America.  Bush is Romulus Augustus, Obama is our Odoacer.

Roland Burris’s Wife Must Not Want to Work

Michelle Obama’s affirmative action sinecure at the University of Chicago Hospital has been eliminated.  You know, the one where she was making some $100,000 a year until her husband won election as U.S. Senator, at which time they tripled her salary.  As if whatever she did became three times more valuable simply because her husband won an election.

If her job was so important, why did they eliminate it?

BoA Is Struggling. Gee, Who Predicted This?

Affirmative action excuseologists are responding to conservative criticism of the subprime affirmative action lending fiasco by asking:  Why is Bank of America doing well?  After all, they made a lot of subprime loans, and are as pro-minority as any bank?

My response was to wait.

Wait, and ye shall see.

Charlie Rangel Just Might Get What He Asks For

Will reintroduce a measure that he has proposed several times before, to bring back the draft.  Rangel’s motivation is purely cynical, but he better be careful while doing this in the 111th Congress.  For Rush Limbaugh has speculated that the Obama administration will want to bring back the draft as a backdoor form of economic stimulus and job creation.  If it’s not a military draft, it could be into a Rahm Emmanuel-like “national service corps”  (read:  left-wing lobbying).

Have You Seen This Man?

He’s a convicted Paducah coke slinger that jumped bail.  It is said that he’s still in Paducah, and that’s a good thing — for if he would have fled to St. Louis, he might be home free, for I have seen him at least a dozen times in St. Louis.  If you catch my drift.

Not Magic

Have you seen Magic Johnson’s new testimonials for Jackson-Hewitt?  He says that you should go to J-H because “90 percent of their clients get refunds.”

Well, duh, a very high percentage of Federal Income Tax Return filers get refunds.  I can’t remember the exact number, but I know it’s in the 80s of percent.  So J-H getting 90 percent isn’t such a great accomplishment.

The FIT code is structured so that most people get relatively big refunds, because taxes are withheld from their paychecks based on the assumption of standard deductions, and the tax returns are filed using the more generous itemized deductions and other tax credits.  Ergo, refund.  Also, it has been my experience that even if people only claim all the standard deducts that they can, and claim the same number of deducts on the W-4, they’ll get a refund anyway, not that big a one, but a refund nevertheless.  On top of that, a lot of people claim fewer standard deducts on the W-4 than they do on the 1040 if they don’t itemize, so that’ll mean a bigger refund.  In other words, it’s Federal quasi-mandated savings, and because most people don’t have the discipline to save money on their own, it’s probably not that bad an idea.

If your state has an income tax, then it usually allows for a deduction in the amount of your Federal Income Tax liability, which is why the state wants you to fill out the Fed return first, in order to calculate your FIT liability, a number which you’ll use on the state return.  (In fact, this came into play twice during the Bush administration, in 2001 and last year.  If the letter of Missouri law were followed, Missourians who got Federal tax rebate checks would have had to give back 6% of that amount to the state, because the amount of that Federal refund was legally a reduced Federal income tax liability.  However, the General Assembly intervened both times and exempted these one-time refunds from this rule.)  However, state income taxes are withheld as if FIT liability was not a deduction, meaning that most people who reside in income taxing states get a state refund, too.

There is a reason why late spring sees a spike in furniture, electronics and appliance purchases.

A Distinction and a Difference

CSM:

In new tactic, L.A. goes after gangs’ money

Los Angeles – The gang capital of the world is taking a new tack against them: cash damages.

The city of Los Angeles, plagued by 23,000 violent gang crimes since 2004, including 784 murders and 12,000 felony assaults, announced Tuesday that it had won its first civil judgment, for $5 million, against a criminal gang that had dominated the heroin trade downtown for decades.

The verdict could bode well for another first-of-its-kind lawsuit the city filed last month that goes after all assets of gang leaders, not just those associated with their criminal activity. Both suits seek to plow the money back into improving the neighborhoods affected by the gangs through a fund.

“By giving prosecutors more tools to fight gang activity at the local level, we are protecting our communities at the same time [that] we’re able to strengthen our statewide anti-gang efforts,” said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a statement released with the announcement of the $5 million verdict against the 5th and Hill gang in L.A.

The CSM doesn’t seem to elaborate on the city’s chances actually to collect on these judgments, which are extremely small.

The CSM makes a comparison to a similar effort:

The tactic of trying to cripple organizations by taking away their assets has been commonly used against the mafia. More recently, it has been used against white supremacist organizations. In 2000, the Southern Poverty Law Center won a $6.3 million verdict against the Aryan Nations that forced the organization to give up its 20-acre compound in Idaho.

The center won its most recent case last November, getting $2.5 million from the Imperial Klans of America on behalf of a teenager assaulted by Klan members in rural Kentucky.

Except that in the case of the Aryan Nations, one of their people got into a scuffle with a dope dealer with whom he had a disagreement.  (Fights between dope addicts and dope dealers, what a shock.)  The SPLC swooped in and sued on behalf of the dealer, and won because Morris Dees is about as slick as they come in court.  The SPLC was able to liquidate the AN assets, which probably didn’t amount to 1% of the damages awarded, but that didn’t matter, becuase they got to send out fund raising hustle letters bragging about how they took down this vast white supremacist conspiracy (and, as evidenced by the dope angle, none of them in that facility were able to conspiracy a wet mop to save their lives), and of course the suckers sent big checks.  I don’t know about this Kentucky thing, but I expect it’s something similar and overblown.

The difference between what the SPLC is doing and what LA is doing is that the former has a fund raising angle, the latter are are bunch of liberal oblivious dorks.

So Help Me Obama

CNS:  Will Ferrell’s HBO Show Will Hold Bush’s Feet to the Fire

In forty years, the heavily promoted movie of the summer will be Ferrell/Bush.

CNS:  Obama Calls Treasury Secretary’s Failure to Pay Taxes an ‘Innocent Mistake’

A whole lot of people that made this ‘innocent mistake’ just happen to be in Federal prison.

P-D Race:  University City seeks dialogue about race, class, education

This being University City, there will indeed be dialogue, both socialists and communists will be invited to present differing viewpoints.

P-D Tech:  Online dangers for young people may be overblown

They may be overblown to whip people up in fear of the internet so they’ll let government censor right-wing content, which is what they really want.

CNS:  Pepsi Ad Campaign: Obama Will “Refresh Our Nation.”

Come to think of it, the Obama campaign was run with about the same acumen with the Pepsi Challenge.

P-D:  Charges in St. Louis claim prostitution conspiracy used federal computer in Kansas City

Since it was an Ag Department computer, we can rationalize the conspirators being interested in fresh meat.

V-Dare:  Police Want Help Solving Crimes; Media: Not with Our Help!

Fantasizing the cops arresting the media for obstruction of justice.

Denver Post:  Bush says he leaves with ‘good, solid record’

Good and solid describes the thing that is the Bush record, not the Bush record itself.

KSDK:  Loosen the Leash teaches juvenile offenders important lessons

The last thing we need to do with them is to loosen the leash.

AP:  Atheists want God stricken from inaugural oath

Who needs God when you’re inaugurating The Messiah?

Bad Day

From the Southeast Missourian’s police beat yesterday:

* Carrie Ann Smith, 18, 3513 Old Route V, Apt. A, was arrested on a Cape Girardeau warrant for contempt of court for no insurance.

* Aaron William Gordon, 18, 3513 Old Route V, Apt. A, was arrested on a Cape Girardeau warrant for contempt of court for no child restraint.

Same address, same age, and evidently they have a child.  What happened yesterday might preclude Miss Smith from becoming Mrs. Gordon anytime soon.

Not Much “Economic Development” Here

The Missouri Constitution Party calls on the State Senate to reject Gov. Nixon’s choice of amnestyaire/open borders Linda Martinez to head the state Economic Development Agency, precisely because she’s open borders/amnesty.  The Republican-run Senate actually doing this is unlikely, because of the courtesy of Gubernatorial appointments.

That Gov. Nixon chose someone like her does not surprise me, because he was caught cavorting with La Raza during the campaign for Governor.

BTW, how does importing third world people and thus a third world economy amount to development?

A Little Spanish Lingo, There…

CofCC.org:  FEMA Agent calls Founding Fathers “Terrorists” during class.

Well then, deport his ass to England.

Arch City Chronicle:  What is Irene Smith talking about?

Has to be something more interesting than what came out the other side several years ago.

SEMO:  Dexter’s only movie theater to cease operating in February

If they show new movies, then Dexter isn’t losing much.

SEMO:  Even during hard times, don’t ignore the IRS

Like they make themselves discrete.

Boston Globe:  Why should a journalist’s race matter?

If the media outlet has an affirmative action policy.

CNS:  Bush Says America Should Work to Stop Guns from Entering Mexico from U.S.

He should concentrate more on the people.  BTW, the guns are actually mostly flowing from north to south.

Paul Huebl:  The Lost History Of The Chicago Police Department

Cultural archaeologists made a shocking discovery, that Chicago cops were once allowed to do their jobs and weren’t concerned about diversity.

Daily Mail:  Bush declares a ‘state of emergency’ in Washington as cost of Obama’s swearing-in ceremony soars to £110m

Actually, the cost of the inauguration isn’t what I fear.

El Paso Times:  U.S. military report warns ‘sudden collapse’ of Mexico is possible

This would be like five minutes after your house was flattened, the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for your county.

El Universal of Mexico:  Obama planea reunir a familias de migrantes

La reagrupación familiar debe suceder en Mexico.

Reuters:  Mexico “narco junior” teenagers kill drug rivals

Just think, Obama wants to bring them here so they can be reunified with their families.

KSDK:  Lindenwood introduces women’s wrestling

That is, as an actual competitive sport, not dorm room foreplay for a three-way.

AFP:  Hormone drives sexy women to infidelity, says study

Maybe the hormone is why sexy women are sexy.

USNAWR:  Bush Makes Last Push on Education

He led off his Presidency with Education, he might as well end it that way.

CQ:  Child Hunger a Top Priority for Vilsack

Going out on a limb there, Tommy?  Only 99.999999% of people oppose child hunger.

CQ:  EPA Will Be Guided by Science, Jackson Pledges

Will the Justice Department be guided by science, or will they continue to believe in racial equality?

AFP:  Australia’s Aborigines to suffer most from climate change: experts

If it gets hotter, how will they be able to tell?  It’s already hot where they are.

PC World:  Video Game Censorship in New York City?

Yes, it’s amazing that a city where anything goes (except for Christianity) might do this.

P-D:  Order barred husband from Manchester house before murder-suicide

She had a piece of paper.  He had a gun.  Guess who won.

P-D:  UPDATE: O’Fallon denies records request for closed meeting on Lowery’s job

If you lose your job, it’s a recession.  If I lose mine, it’s a depression.  If a Lowery loses his, it’s a cause for celebration.

P-D:  Obama attends conservative dinner party

When I read the names, I tend to think that three letters were left out of the headline:  N, E and O.

John Boehner Gushes Over One-Term Congressman

From “Cold Cash” to “Cash Cao.”

When Anh “Joseph” Cao upset William “Cold Cash” Jefferson for LA-9 in the runoff in December, many lamestream conservative types, like Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham and Michelle Malkin, celebrated.

I was not so cheerful.  Besides my default position that we should not be countenancing our racial dispossession, even if it comes with an R next to its name, I was thinking at the time that one of two things or both would happen:  He would come out as almost a full-fledged lib, and/or the pandering Dorkpublicans would push him to the head of the class as quickly as they can.

Turns out both is happening.  Cao has come out for open borders, and against “white racism,” and against Michael Savage.  At the same time, House Minority Leader John Boehner is portraying Cao as the future of the Republican Party.  Trouble is, he can’t be the future of the Republican Party when he’s not even the future of his own House Seat — in two years, the blacks will regroup, run someone credible up the flagpole, and easily take back that seat.

You’re a Professional Athlete in New York City. So If You’re Gay and Hate Jews, You Better Keep It the Secret of All Secrets.

Gee, ya think he might bat for the home team? The earrings say all.

Eddy Curry’s former chauffeur has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against his former boss.  Among many unwanted sexual advances, and two instances of Curry pointing a gun at him, the chauffeur alleges:

Kuchinsky, 36, who is straight and Jewish, also alleges racism, saying Curry hurled slurs at him, including “f- – - ing Jew,” “cracker,” “white slave,” “white devil” and “grandmaster of the KKK.”

This show you how stupid Mr. Curry is.  How can you be Jewish and a Klan grandmaster?

Still, this should be a message to groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center that classifies black anti-Semitism in the same category as white right-wing anti-Semitism.  They’re definitely not samey same.

This is not the first time Mr. Curry has been covered in this medium. In July 2007, both he and Antoine Walker were bound with duct tape and robbed at gunpoint in Chicago. I made a conceal-carry issue of it, though back then he didn’t look gay at all.

Fun With Three-Letter Acronyms

P-D Race:  Is it right to say the suspect is black? Or Latino? Or white?

As the writer of the article might answer, white is right, black is whack.

CNS:  Treasury Department Can Help Fight Global Warming, Says Paulson

They can also help me rearrange my sock drawer.

Take Two:  CNS:  Treasury Department Can Help Fight Global Warming, Says Paulson

The EPA responds by printing money.

CNS:  ADL Decries Anti-Semitism Seen at Demonstrations against Israel’s Gaza Operation

Glory be, the ADL took a day off from picking on white people putting flyers on cars to pay attention to people who are actually bombing Jewish children.

CNS:  Tobacco Foes See ‘Tremendous Opportunities’ for Tobacco Control in 2009

At the same time, weed proponents see tremendous opportunities for less weed control in 2009.

NPI:  Do you think there’s enough minority representation on television?

Some people don’t think there’s enough, because it’s only 60% black and 30% Hispanic.

KSDK:  Elected board suggests full-service schools for SLPS

Except that the elected board doesn’t have any power.

Take Two:  KSDK:  Elected board suggests full-service schools for SLPS

There are rumors that there will actually be education that these “full-service schools,” though all the social services provided will have to get first priority.

WND:  Are you raising a video-game champ?

Yes, your kids are following in your footsteps.

NPR:  Detroit Residents Stung By Criticism Of Car Industry

Actually, many Detroit residents would be more stung by criticism of the crack industry.

AP:  Seagate replaces CEO, plans to cut 800 workers

The memo was send out to all those being laid off in 8.9 milliseconds.

AP:  Write this! Comedian Chris Rock has a book deal

Take a hint, Chris:  A hundred snarky one-liners about race does not a book make.

Reuters:  Army recruiting at the mall with video games

AND

AP:  Top Army recruiter weighs fat camp for recruits

Anybody in the five-sided shape going to put one and one together?

Revolutionary Delusion

To paraphrase David Letterman:  Mr. Hollywood, the Wheelers are fictional characters.

In Revolutionary Road, which earned Kate Winslet a Golden Globe last night, and a movie which repaired her with Leonardo DiCraprio, the pair being famous for 1997′s Titanic, we will see a husband and wife pair, who live in Connecticut and (at least the husband) works in The City.  Upon their 30th birthdays, they all of a sudden discover that their life just doesn’t do it for them, that there’s “more out there than this,” so they go off to “find themselves,” and predictably, they start cheating on each other, and the marriage falls apart.

In that, RR is even more fictional than regular fiction.  To prove this, let’s do a little math and history.

A 30-year old person in 1955 was born in 1925.   S/he was 4 years old when the depression hit, 8 when the depression peaked, 16 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.  He probably joined the military as soon as he could look old enough to pass for 17 years old, if not already 17, or else, he was drafted.  He probably saw action either in the Navy or Marines in the Pacific or on the front lines in North Africa and/or Europe.  He surely knew someone personally from his home town that died in combat.  Back on the home front, she became a Rosie the Riveter, or definitely did some sort of work, during the War.  She had a victory garden, and had to make do with rationed quantities otherwise.  They were 20 when the War ended.

Plain words, virtually all of their conscience lifetimes consisted of poverty, hardship, paucity and sacrifice.  So, if you fast forward ten years to 1955 when they’re 30 years old, and he makes enough money to afford a nice suburban house far enough away from the biggest city in the country to breathe clean air, not to mention a TV, full cabinets, full stomachs and a pretty new if not brand new automobile with as much gas in the tank as they could afford, relatively new furniture, they felt damned fortunate to have what they had, compared to their earlier life, and certainly didn’t despair over “something more,” they already had “something more,” nor did they try to go out and “find themselves,” they had already “found themselves” for years.   That kind of mentality would be the province of their own children, who never knew depression and ubiquitous, all-out warfare, that being the baby boomers.

New to the Blogroll

All American Blogger’s Missouri Edition.  Reciprocal, though s/he might also be able to add this blog to the Illinois Edition.

The P-D starts a new blog called “A Conversation About Race.”  It’s apparently a permanent follow-up to KMOV’s “Shared St. Louis” series.  And while the tone of most of the posts will be predictable, it doesn’t take an idiot to read between the lines.  This blog should supply me with plenty of material.

You Blame Oprah’s Thyroid All You Want, I’ll Go Drink Myself Into Insouciance

MOAA:  Missourians Refuse to Pay More to Hunt and Fish

Why not?  With the depression, hunting and fishing will be called mealtime.

SEMO:  Cape Girardeau and Jackson experience rash of burglaries

Gee, this wasn’t in the Chamber of Commerce brochure.

P-D Political Fix:  Photos but no questions to be allowed at Nixon’s first appearance as governor

I remember when another Nixon was so inhospitable to the media.  Then again, this Nixon reminds me of the other Nixon in a lot of ways.

P-D Race:  Will you miss the voluntary deseg program?

Depends on the definition of “you.”

P-D Race:  King’s legacy includes tribute to the Jefferson Bank protest

Well, it’s certainly Clay’s legacy, because that one protest set both him and his son for life.

Malkin:  Michelle Obama Wants You!

Why?  Is she not happy with Barack?

Mpls. Star-Tribune:  Bush cautions GOP not to become `anti-immigrant’ as it tries to win back power from Democrats

With that kind of mentality running the Republican Party during the last eight years, and they wonder why the Party lost its ass over the last two cycles.

NYDN:  Make room for mom-in-law! First Grandma moving to White House

Somehow, I get the feeling that everyone in the White House is gonna take Oregon State in the tourney pool this March.

WND:  ‘Beware, we are coming!’ – Islamic rule ‘from Alaska and Chile to South Africa’

They’re gonna take Alaska?  Better make sure those burquas are extra thick and made of moose.

KSDK:  10-year-old reporter gets credentials for Presidential Inauguration

Was initially denied when they thought he was too young and inexperienced to be for real, by someone associated with a 47-year old half-term U.S. Senator that’s about to become President.

Take Two: KSDK:  10-year-old reporter gets credentials for Presidential Inauguration

Too bad he couldn’t have covered the inauguration of the outgoing President, they both go to bed at 9.

Reuters:  U.S. judge allows Madoff to stay out of jail

Well, at least one person in New York City didn’t invest with Madoff.

USNAWR:  Oprah Can Blame Her Thyroid. Can You?

I could, but then I’d be the perrennial laughingstock of Carbondale when they find out that I blame all my life’s problems in Oprah’s thyroid.

AP:  Go East, young man? Californians look for the exit

It’s more like “Go East, white man.”

Business Weak:  Baseball’s New Austerity

George Steinbrenner only spent $400 million this offseason.

NPR:  Michigan Governor Asks Obama For Electric Grid

Maybe Jen needs Obama’s electricity to run Al Gore’s internet.

Reuters:  Young adults may underestimate heart risk: study

Through all the bad news, I am pleased to learn that I’ll be a young adult for another 18 years.

President Bush Can’t Decide: I Shouldn’t Have Cut My Nose Off, I Should’ve Spited My Face First

AP:

Bush regrets immigration reforms weren’t approved

(snip)

“I’m very disappointed that it didn’t pass,” he said in an interview with correspondents from his home state. “I’m very worried about the message that said, ‘Republicans are anti-immigrant.’”

Except that the reason that the 2007 version of soft amnesty didn’t pass is mainly because of some Senate Democrats, like Claire McCaskill.

(snip)

The outgoing president said that in hindsight he should have pushed his immigration proposal soon after the 2004 election, rather than after partisan squabbling over Social Security began.

Oh yeah, that’s right, because his immigration “reforms” were that much more popular than his Social Security “reforms.”  Really, I wish he would have pushed the issue starting in 2004, and would have kept it up.  The more they push, the stronger the reaction is.  This is why they didn’t push the immigration issue 2008, because then whites would have gotten mad and accidentlly made some good choices for House and Senate, even if there weren’t any for President.

Like the Today Show Would

The late great Dr. Samuel T. Francis once wrote of Ross Perot that he came across as someone “who watched the Today show at least three times a week and believed everything he saw on it.”

I have Today on for a few minutes, and these two gals are talking about how to “recession-proof” your teen.  One of their grand ideas is to encourage them to take your stereotypical teenage jobs.  The trouble is that those jobs are largely being crowded out by cheap labor illegal (and some legal) aliens.  And they wonder why we’re in a recession.

Blunt/Nixon

He was born and raised not too far from Interstate 55, and today, Jeremiah Wilson “Jay” Nixon became Missouri’s 55th Governor.  It might be the case that MO and IL both get new Governors within a month’s time.

In his inaugural speech, Gov. Nixon berated the fact that many Missourians are working longer and harder for less and less, and he couldn’t understand why, because they’re so productive and educated.  As I have said on this space before, even responding to Nixon, it’s because of free trade and essentially open borders.  Missourians can be as productive, smart and educated as can be, but it won’t get them anywhere because they won’t work cheaply and slavishly.  Either they move your job to Bangalore, or if they can’t do that, they bring Bangalore here (H1B).

Don’t look for anything to change, if Gov. Nixon has anything to do with it.

***

Nixon is 56 now, meaning that his first run for statewide office in 1988 for U.S. Senate vs Jack Danforth was when he was 32 years old.  Though Danforth was inevitable and Nixon was a sacrificial lamb.