THAT'LL GET YOU ELECTED:

Ralph Nader apparently thinks the way to win votes in Vegas is to campaign against gambling. Ralph, take a cue from John Kerry. Just tell them what they want to hear. If they change their minds, then change yours. You know how it all works!

MUHAMMAD ALI SELLS WINNING LOTTO TiCKET:

And he's upset with his $1800 in commission.

Teresa Roncon, spokesperson for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., said lottery retailers get paid a commission for every ticket they sell.

About $156 million a year goes back to retailers across the province, Roncon said. Instead of just giving payouts to stores selling winning tickets, the wealth is spread this way.

I thought Canadians were supposed to be happy when wealth was spread about. Where's the spirit of socialism, dude? He's probably upset because it's in CDN Dollars.

CNN REFUSES TO AIR LOG CABIN AD:

Enen though many other news and network outlets are airing Log Cabin's ad, CNN is refusing, saying the ad uses images that are too controversial. CNN is full of it, which, if you have seen the ad, you'd realize. You can call them at 404-827-1700 and let them know how jeuvenille they're being.

And here, I thought CNN was part of the liberal media?!?! I guess only liberal Democrats need buy ad space.

UPDATE: Sorry John. Remember, Falwell's the guy who said gays and feminists were to blame for 9-11.

ATLANTA POLITICS - BILL CAMPBELL:

Well, after 5 years, they finally indicted the most (allegedly! allegedly!) corrupt politician in Atlanta's history.

According to the indictment, when the subcontractor asked Campbell about providing the service, Campbell asked, "What's in it for me?"

The contractor replied, "Whatever it takes."

It's actually a long laundry list of impropriety. If only this was the most serious. Bill Campbell was a miserable mayor - and that coming from someone who had only lived here a year during his mis-administration.

Considering that there's been about a busload of other Campbell administration officials who've either pled guilty, been fined, or sent to jail for their roles in all of this, it'll be nice to see the same happen to this (alleged! alleged!) sleazebag!

BEST CAR SALE EVER:

Buy a new Nissan, get a pre-owned Nissan free! It is weird that you don't see more "normal" sales at dealerships. Unless you take the time to do a lot of math, you never really know if you're getting a good deal. They'll drop the price of the car and squeeze you on the financing, or vice versa.

Why don't dealers have 20% off sales and such? Has anyone ever seen anything like that?

RON SILVER:

He gave a fantastic speech last night. You can read it here.

I didn't get to see McCain or Rudi. Unfortunately, I'm no good past ten o'clock. That's about the time I crash. And, while I'm a tech junkie, that does not extend to TiVo. I heard they were pretty good though.

To be honest I lost interest in the RNC after the little girl sang the national anthem (badly) and the group of broadway medley singers started to make noise on the stage. I mean, what the hell was that?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I may not agree with everything they do, but I'll bet the DNC was a lot more fun.

WHILE YOU'RE AT THE RNC... TELL THEM WHAT THEY NEED TO HEAR:

I've noticed one thing in particular about right-wing bloggers' coverage of the RNC - they never mention how proud they are that people like Rick Santorum and Jerry Falwell are given prominence. And you can say that they only have minor speaking roles - but they were selected from amongst many who could have filled the same positions.

I never hear you talk about how much they exemplify your hopes and dreams for the Republican Party. Yet, I rarely hear you criticize the fact that they are prominent speakers either. I suspect that's because, in certain respects, there are things about the Republican Party that really embarrass you - things like Jerry Falwells and Rick Santorums.

Party unity is important - especially in the face of challengers like John Kerry and the rabid Democrats. But really, if you're going to be true to yourself and what you really believe, then you can't put all your eggs in one basket and say that Republicans need to win this election because we are in a war and President Bush is the right man for the job. In fact, I believe he will do a better job in that respect than John Kerry. But I also believe it is extremely important to let the Republican Party know that they've crossed the line.

I believe that if you believe that fairness and equality counts - even if you are a one issue voter - then you owe it to yourself and your friends and your family members to say, "I'm with President Bush, but the man sucks the big one when it comes to fairness and inclusiveness."

So, while you're all blogging up a storm in New York City, why don't you take the time to wander up to your more socially conservative members of Congress and Senate and let them know that you're supporting President Bush, but on just one or two issues (the war and taxes, for example) and let them know that they're generally assholes otherwise.

The bloggers I know would like nothing better than to rid the Republican Party of the elements that embarrass them. It's hard to be a good, honest Republican and then be proud of that when someone like Trent Lott liken some productive members of society to kleptomaniacs. It's rough to say you support a party when a prominent member calls keeping some of them out of the institution of marriage the ultimate Homeland Security. And it must just make your blood boil when someone asks you how you can be a Republican when the man offering a prayer at the beginning of the RNC is the same man who blamed 9/11 on gays and feminists.

So, let them know that when you're there ok? Society is changing, and you can say all you want that you're the party of Lincoln, but saying it doesn't make it true anymore if you're not willing to stand up for what you believe in.

Unless you believe what Rick Santorum, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and Trent Lott believe, and I don't believe most of you do.

BLENDER SOUP:

Robert bought a new Cuisinart blender/food processor last night that I've just discovered has a high enough RPM to make soup. Yes. Soup.

I grow my own tomatoes, so I thought I would give it a try. I cut up four of them, and pureed them in the blender. Then I threw in a couple cloves of garlic, a vegetable boullion cube and a bit of salt, pepper, and a handful of fresh lemon basil (which I stole from my neighbor's garden.) Next, I turned the blender on the highest RPM setting.

I let that go for about a minute and a half, allowing the molecules of soup to spin so fast that it heated up. It wasn't "hot" hot, but it was definitely "good enough hot." I then added a bit of left-over rice and vegetables, put it on the low setting and blended that in for about 5 seconds.

BAM! Blender soup! Pretty good, if I do say so myself, and hardly any clean-up, except for the minute it took to clean out the blender and wipe the counter.

HOPE, NOT FEAR:

The Log Cabin Republicans have a new ad out, and it's a good one.

As our nation’s eyes are on New York City for the Republican National Convention, Log Cabin’s mission, our courageous delegates and our GOP allies are under intense attack from the radical right. The Republican Party Platform is an outrageous insult to all of us and our families. The platform not only calls for an anti-family Constitutional amendment, but it also opposes civil unions and domestic partnerships. While thousands of courageous gay and lesbian Americans are fighting to win the war on terror, the platform also says, “Homosexuality is incompatible with military service.”

Log Cabin has decided to respond immediately to this outrageous platform. We are launching an aggressive counter attack against the radical right which has hijacked the GOP. Please help us in this fight by making a donation today.

You can make a donation here to help them raise the money to run this advertisement. I did.

TOYS FOR TWITS II:

Just in case you thought that I was reading too much into this, a new toy, from the same company has surfaced that appears to depict Bin Laden, or someone dressed in Muslim garb, hammering his fists against two towers.

There's something sad here. Either a.) Some company should be run out of business for being so cruel and stupid, or b.) Someone stupid person at that company is going to be responsible for driving it into the ground and costing many other people their jobs.

(via Drudge. Must credit Drudge.)

$100,000 VACATION OVER:

Andrew Sullivan is back.

PROTESTS IN NYC:

A propos my earlier post, Matthew Yglesias has some thoughts, some very correct ones, on protestors and how they should really get a more productive life:

If there's anything I hate more than the Farm Bill, it's protestors. Absolutely hate 'em. If people put all the time, energy, intelligence and ingenuity that they currently spend doing these things into boring jobs in Washington that involved ties and desks and offices then progressive politics would be about five times as effective as it is.

There's more.

SHHHHHHH:

Please stop booing my father! He's entitled to your vote, you know?

GMAIL:

I actually have a Gmail account now. Tell me. Why should I use it?

UPDATE: I have six five three Gmail invites. What to do...

A QUESTION FOR DEMOCRATS:

Do you realize how stupid you look? I'm serious!

Protesting is fine. Peacefully. But even one incident is going to make headlines - and not just on Fox News, but everywhere. I just watched a report where police officers were beaten up while making arrersts.

Yelling and screaming accomplishes nothing except to make you look silly on possible camera. And everyday Americans - the ones in the center whom you are trying to convince to vote for your guy - are seeing all this play out on national television. Who do you think they're going to want to vote for? People who seemingly only scream, cry, yell, beat up cops, put on the freakiest body paint and march through the streets of NYC carrying coffins, or people who peacefully assemble?

When I watched coverage of the DNC, I didn't see the protests that I am seeing now. And the protesters I did see didn't do everything in their power to make themselves look like a sideshow.

What is it with you people. You are not making any points here. And if you are, they're being lost on people who are either laughing at you, or are disgusted, for example, that you would carry coffins through the streets and use the deaths of soldiers for political gain. It really does make you look silly. And it's not going to convince any of the moderate "undecideds" to support your candidate.

THE COBRA:

That's what Bush calls the New York Times' Maureen Dowd. Just caught her on FoxNews. She actually seems like a person I could sit down and have a beer with. Well, she'd probably prefer a latté or something, but what the hell.

She also mentioned that everyone else in her family supports the president.

WEIRDNESS:

I just saw the strangest advertisement. It was CNN touting it's Republican National Convention coverage. Images of all the anchors, Larry King, Lou Dobbs, etc. etc. A pretty spiffy ad, actually.

It was on FoxNews Sunday.

I guess they know where all the viewers are. Fox must have accepted that ad out of pity.

SECURITY SURCHARGE:

I have a security surcharge on my Atlanta water bill of $1.05. Why?

MORE REAL ESTATE DOUBLE CHECKING:

I bet the bulk of her Web site traffic does not originate from people looking for houses.

http:///www.dianesass.com

A KILLER WHALE THAT'S A LITTLE TOO FRIENDLY:

Canadian officials are working on a plan to reunite Luna with his U.S. relatives. Luna, a 5-year old Killer Whale, enjoys being around people, bumping their boats, causing damage, etc.:

One fishing boat was so damaged that its 75-year-old skipper had to rig a rope-and-pulley system to steer it while Luna continued to "harass and bang around the boat like a beach ball for five hours," Rombough told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer for a story in Saturday's editions.

Still, Rombough said, "he's just being playful."

But as Luna grows, there is concern the encounters have gotten increasingly dangerous. Rombough said fishermen would love to avoid Luna, but "you just can't do that anymore."

It's gotten so bad that a fisheries agency has to broadcast advisories on the whale's location.

WHAT HE SAID:

If the Catholic Church denounces it...

(The view must be really nice from inside the Catholic Church's glass house.)

GOVERNMENT OVERREGULATION:

It seems like about twice a week, I call something "the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Sometimes, stupid outdoes itself. A contractor gets a call from a friend in Florida. He takes a week off to go help him repair his house. Then...:

Three days into the job, Howell was approached by two deputies from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office and two investigators from the state's Department of Business and Professional Regulation, who gave him a cease-and-desist order.

Under Florida law, only contractors licensed by the state may engage in roof repair. It carries up to a $5,000 fine. Not to mention that the practice of unlicensed contracting becomes a third-degree felony when the governor has declared a state of emergency.

[...]

Howell, who came back to New York on Sunday, now worries that if the authorities pursue the case, if he gets pulled over for something like a broken taillight, a background check would show that there was a warrant out for him and he would extradited to Florida.

"I'm nervous," he said. "It's a major inconvenience. It's messing up my life."

So the guy could get a $5000 fine and go to jail, all because he wanted to help a friend.

LAURA BRANIGAN:

"Gloria" singer dead at 47.

FORD GETS ALL WHINY AT SCHWARZENEGGER:

The governor is going to sign legislation to allow some hybrids which meet a certain fuel efficiency guideline to use the H.O.V. lanes, and Ford is not pleased:

But Mr. Schwarzenegger might as well promote a "Buy Japanese" campaign, William C. Ford, Jr., chairman of the Ford Motor Company, said in a letter to the governor. An official with the United Auto Workers National Ford Department also wrote to Mr. Schwarzenegger, urging him to veto the legislation because no American-built vehicle would qualify.

Here's a solution: Make your vehicles more fuel efficient so they can qualify. And if you don't know how to do that, then get someone who can to run your damned company ya whiny bastard!

WHAT IF AMERICA WAS POOR?:

Kris Murray asks the question:

I was thinking about how America gets so much criticism for being the "superpower". As an American, I resent this because our power and wealth has protected most of Western Europe and supported many, many countries for decades. Yet the same hands that our outstreched to take our support, slap our faces as soon as the check clears.

There are some good comments. The question is mostly rhetorical, I know, but it's one on which I'd like see more discussion.

By the way, Kris is Iain Murray's wife, and I'm gonna add Iain back to my blogroll, because, frankly, I don't know why his site was ever dropped.

MILITARY SERVICE DOES NOT QUALIFY ONE TO BE PRESIDENT:

How does military service qualify someone to be president? I mean, over the years, I've met a lot of people who have served in the armed forces - both in Canada and here in the U.S.. And, as is the case in the general population, some of them are idiots. Again, for my military blogger friends - no more so than the general population.

Lying about your military record could, in my opinion, make you less qualified to be president, or just about any job you apply for. So if Kerry lied about Viet Nam, then that's an issue. Equally, if Bush lied about his National Guard service, then he should be jumped on for it.

But to me, saying someone's military service is a qualification for serving in the presidency is akin to saying that if someone was a CEO of a corporation they'd be more qualified. Except, in the case of the CEO, you'd be right. Your record on how well you "run something" (or "run it into the ground", as the case may be) is a much more sensible thing to talk about than whether or not you were some grunt in Viet Nam, Korea or WWII.

The United States is unique, I think, in the we really, collectively believe that having picked up a gun, drove a tank, flew a plane, or skippered a swift boat somehow makes a person qualified for the most important job in the land. To me, that's outrageous. It's like saying that the stock boy at a grocery store is somehow qualified to be CEO of Kroger or Albertsons. It's just not true.

As a part of a much longer résumé, military service can count for something. You can learn a lot in the service. Discipline is important. If you moved up the chain of command, then your ability to lead a team is important too. Acting appropriately under pressure is another biggie. But these are all soft skills that you can learn anywhere. For most people who served, I see nothing unique in that service that remotely qualifies one to be president. So I am a little annoyed when we focus on it.

If you're going to comment on the post, please focus on the issue. I don't really want to hear about how Kerry is a liar, or about how Bush sucked as part owner of a baseball team. Just tell me how it makes sense to focus on military service as a qualification for the presidency. I'd really like to know, and I'm open to something I've overlooked.

SO-CALLED "VICTIMS":

Jay Tea nails it:

If a man and a woman both get equally drunk, both agree (drunkenly) to have sex, and both regret it after, why is the man held more liable than the woman? "Too drunk to say yes" outweighs "too drunk to say no?"

Men cannot be victims. When it comes to sex, the woman's version of what happened will almost always trump the man's.

William Kennedy Smith may or may not have sexually assualted the "victim" in this case. I don't know. What I do know is that, no matter what, the chips are already stacked against him, big time, because he has a penis.

How many men are serving years in Political Correctness prison??

UPDATE: Wah! Wah! Wah! Jay is being a baby in the comments. His original post is one that most people would agree with - that women should be held as accountable as men when they have sex with men while drunk. Then BAM! He writes an "I fooled ya!" comment in the post. He apparently doesn't believe that at all - prefering that his being a man is proof enough that he is the guilty party when two people have sex while pissed drunk.

What a moron...

It sucks when you call someone a moron when you basically agree with their main point.

CLARIFICATION:

I was a little unclear in a post this morning about Bush's fair use of the Olympics in his advertising. I ended the post by saying : "Man. The level of hatred in this country is really sickening sometimes." I struck it out, because it was obvious that people thought I was actually refering to the IOC or the USOC. I wasn't; however, I can see how people got that message. So let me clarify.

When I talk about the level of hatred, I talk about the fact that people will take any opportunity to trash the president. And, while I do believe the IOC would not have complained if Kerry hasd used their name, I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about:

• this;
  
• and this;
  
• and this;
  
• and this;
  
• and this;
  
• and this;
  
• and this;

Their point, of course, is not so much that Bush is running the ad, or that he is wrong in what he says. It's that the Iraqi soccer team is upset that Bush is using them in his ad. Now, the soccer team has a right to complain. If someone used my image in an ad, I'd feel like I had that right, too.

However, isn't it a bit hypocritical for Democrats to say that Bush shouldn't use a certain group of people to advance his campaign? I mean, it's not like John Kerry hasn't been using an event to advance his. And it's not like everyone who took part in that event is really happy about it.

But I said I wouldn't mention that here any more, so I won't. I don't have an explanation, exccept for pur hatred of the president, why John Kerry is allowed to use certain events to his advantage in the face of overwhelming criticism, while the president isn't allowed to do the same thing.

CANADIAN RESPONSIBLE FOR N.Y. PLANE CRASH?:

Although officials are insisting that the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 was accidental, a captured al-Qaeda operative in Canadian custody says differently:

Canadian Security Intelligence Service agents were told during five days of interviews with the source that Abderraouf Jdey, a Canadian citizen also known as Farouk the Tunisian, had downed [American Airlines Flight 587] with explosives on Nov. 12, 2001.

The source claimed Jdey had used his Canadian passport to board Flight 587 and "conducted a suicide mission" with a small bomb similar to the one used by convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid, a "Top Secret" Canadian government report says.

Interesting.

IT'S A GOOD QUESTION:

Damian Penny:

For that matter, if Israel "controlled" the American government, why would they need spies? And how would CBS - which broke this story, I understand, and which is supposedly part of the fabled Jewish-controlled media - be allowed to reveal it in the first place?

FAIR USE, BUSH, OLYMPICS:

Can I use the word Olympic here? I got into a discussion last night about the Bush ad. The ad says:

"In 1972, there were 40 democracies in the world. Today, 120," an announcer says. "Freedom is spreading throughout the world like a sunrise. And this Olympics there will be two more free nations. And two fewer terrorist regimes."

There is nothing in the ad that would suggest that the Bush administration is endorsed by the Olympic Committee. In fact, there's nothing there that says any of the athletes mentioned endorse the president. If the Olympic rings were placed in a spot that made it look as thought they approved the ads or endorsed the president, then I believe the people asking for the ad to be pulled would have a case.

The argument came up that the Olympics owns their trademark. And I don't dispute that. But this does not mean that the symbol cannot be used or that the name cannot be mentioned when pointing out a fact. And the fact is, the two contingents mentioned would never be at the Olympics - at least not without fear of torture upon their return - unless this president did what he did.

But Bush is using the Olympics to personally profit? By which was meant - to win the election.

Well, people do that all the time. In Atlanta, and I am sure many other places, it's become fashionable to run on the anti-Wal-Mart platform. So, if a politician wanted to keep a Wal-Mart Supercenter out of a neighborhood, could she not take photos of the congestion caused in other neighborhoods by Wal-Marts? Is that not fair use?

What about companies who proudly advertise that they have employees participating in the Olympic games? If nothing else, they're blatantly using the Olympics for profit. "Buy from us. We support our athletes' in their quest for Olympic Gold!"

Do the same people have problems with companies doing this?

And how about John Kerry? Should he be allowed to talk about Bush's Enron buddies in his ads, and maybe show a picture of their Texas headquarters in the ads? I'm sure someone owns the Enron trademark. And the Halliburton one.

I suspect most people complaining about Bush using the Olympics in his ads, to make a valid point of fact, would sit silently if John Kerry did the same thing using trademarks in ads they liked.

Man. The level of hatred in this country is really sickening sometimes.

UPDATE: See my comment in the comments.

UPDATE II: And my clarification above.

SUING INTO SILENCE:

John Kerry's sharks are, once again, trying to sue people into silence. Basically, they'll sue your ass if you post pictures of the cover of "The New Soldier", John Kerry's account of how much he respects and admires the people who served with him in Viet Nam.

I'm not lawyer, but I agree with James that posting the book cover in a post where you talk about the book would seem to be fair use.

Posting the entire book online? Not so much.

BIRTHDAY WISHES:

Glenn's birthday was yesterday. So Eric celebrated - appropriately. I celebrated by watching Glenn's wife's documentary on Oxygen. Happy belated birthday Glenn.

"ALL CREDIT APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED!!!":

That's my biggest pet peeve. They'll charge you 21% interest on your new car, but they'll accept your damned application.

Are people really that gullible??

Accepted ≠ Approved.

LET THE FROTHY MOUTHS BEGIN!:

The left has something to go nuts about! The Joooos control the Defense Department!

(via Kelley)

REVISIONIST HISTORY - A.K.A TWO DOGS HUMPING:

It seems our realtor friends didn't like the dogs "doin' it" in the backyard. So they blurred them out - which even makes them look more ridiculous.

Funny that this is my biggest story of the day, but at 5:30 or 6 am, that's all I could come up with. And you have to admit, it was funny. Both the dogs, and the televangelist realtors fronting their sexcapade.

UPDATE: Again, I've saved the original picture right here.

Question: How much is that doggie in the window?
Answer: Sorry ma'am, she works by the hour.

UPDATE II: Now the love puppies have been photoshopped out, although their shadow remains.

You'd think I believed I had a big coup here or something...

TOYS FOR TWITS:

The person who thought this might be a fun little toy to put in candy bags should really be made to stand on the site of the former World Trade Center Towers and attempt to sell them to visitors.

"For the second day in a row, the importer of the toy, L&M; Import and Export refused to comment. But, they told Channel 9 they didn't think it was a big deal, saying they consider it just a toy for children and don't think it's inappropriate."

Is there no end to the moron gene pool?

COMCAST VS. BELLSOUTH:

Jay likes Comcast, his high speed Internet Service Provider. I have to say, I agree. I switched from BellSouth to Comcast a year ago and have zero complaints. Zero. Nadda.

Here's the deal. I was spending about $45 a month for BellSouth FastAccess. On top of that, in order to get that price, I needed to sign up for a more expensive BellSouth phone line. So, in essence, I was paying about $85 a month - just for high speed Internet.

I don't need a home phone line. Like most of you, Robert and I have cell phones. Unless you have an alarm system that requires a phone line, why would you need one. Before Comcast, I also didn't have cable. But I wanted it.

Then:
$45 for BellSouth FastAccess
$40 forced charge for unneseccary landline
$45 for cellphone
Adding Cable to that would have cost about $40-50 more.
Total: About $175

Now:
$40 for Comcast high speed which is much faster than BellSouth
$45 for phones
$70 for Cable with HBO (which is still too much, but whatever)
Total: About $155

So I have a higher speed connection AND Cable for about $20 less than before. If you have cellphones in your house, consider getting rid of your landline unless you have no choice. You're paying about $40 a month for nothing, and your phone company is forcing you to have.

Oh, and on a related note, don't get sucked in by BellSouth's advertising that their High Speed is cheaper. They're not telling you it's DSL Lite, which is 11x slower than Comcast and only a few bucks less a month. Their highest speed DSL, which is still slower, is even more expensive than Comcast. I will never be a BellSouth customer again.

DOUBLE CHECKING (THIS IS FUNNY!!!):

If you're going to sell your house, and if you're going to post pictures of it on the Internet, you might want to double check those pictures before posting them - like this one!!

Oh-My-God, as they say.

(I've saved the pic right here, just in case they pull it down.)

UPDATE: Which they did...

UPDATE II: But they couldn't hide forever!. (But apparently, they can blur it out.)

RUSSIAN TERRORISM:

It now seems pretty clear that what happened to two airliners in Russia was terrorism. I think that was obvious from the beginning.

Probably radical Mennonites.

BUBBA'S BAKED BROWNIES:

Best animation ever.

A LITTLE FORM:

Just thought Senator Kerry might like to fill this out. Thanks Richard.

MANITOBA WILL NOT OPPOSE EQUALITY:

They're not going to oppose gay couples who seek to get married in the province.

``We see it as an issue between applicants and the federal government and we will not be defending the federal (marriage) law. We don't have an interest in opposing legally recognized rights of Canadians.''

More of that please. How about here too?

NAKED BOYS SINGING SILENCED:

The G.O.P. has deemed the popular Broadway show, Naked Boys Singing, unfit for their delegates to see during the G.O.P. convention.

The city's tourist bureau has pulled an off-Broadway show called "Naked Boys Singing" from a list of discounted offerings to visiting Republican delegates, after the Republican National Committee complained it wasn't suitable.

The gay-themed show, billed as a musical revue that "celebrates the splendors of male nudity in comedy, song and dance," has received generally good reviews and hasn't created much of a stir since it began its run six years ago. Its 2,127 performances make it the 10th longest-running off-Broadway show.

So, when NYC & Company placed the production among the theater offerings for its "Come Early, Stay Late" program designed to get delegates to spend an extra couple of days in the city, nobody thought much about it.

But this month, when members of the RNC's Committee on Arrangements began to review the list of offerings, the show's title caught their eye, and they asked that it be removed from the tourist bureau's Web site.

"The Republican Party selected what we felt were offers that would best suit our audience," RNC spokesman Leonard Alcivar said Wednesday. "We thank the producers for offering their generous discount, and wish them continued success with the show."

The Republicans - the supposed party or individual freedom, selects what they believe their members should see. Quaint. I only wish the Republican Party actually knew the debauchery that existed within their ranks. I was listening to Neal Boortz some time ago, and he related a story from a friend of his, who happens to own a few adult-themed stores in the Atlanta area. The man said he often experiences tremendous spikes in his business when conservative conventions, like the Southern Baptists come to town. No doubt.

Unfortunately, the G.O.P. forgot to censor a couple more Broadway shows from the list:

• Rent: A show about homos with AIDS.
• Mama Mia: I mean Abba. You know what comes with Abba music? That's right! Homos!!
• Aida: A show, the music for which was written by a famous gay.
• Blue Man Group: Men who love to wear lots of makeup

However, Democrats will be pleased to know that the G.O.P. is recommending their delegates take in a showing of The Killing Kompany

By the way, Naked Boys Singing will be in Atlanta, and I, for one, will be standing in line to see this acclaimed show.

A PREDICTION FOR THE RNC:

From Jeff, in the comments at Boi From Troy.

"...the Sticking With Cheney chorus is part of carefully scripted public relations coup by Rove. Just before convention, Cheney announces he's stepping aside for his health.

Overnite, convention is transformed from Dem snoozefest to must-see TV, with media (& world) riveted on unfolding drama, all speculating on who it will be. Kerry begins taking Thorazine.

Rove is smart enuf to pull this off, but Cheney wants to be prez, & politicos of either stripe don't relinquish power easily. Stay tuned..."

Plausible, and we will.

A PICTURE IS WORTH A LIBEL SUIT:

Just saw the stupidest thing at Choire Sicha's site. Chris Harbinson is suing Outsports.com for taking his picture and posting it, captionless as part of their coverage of the 2004 Los Angeles Marathon. Basically, he participated, and a gay sports site printed his picture.

Does this mean I can sue straight sites if they ever print mine? I mean, I'm not straight, and I would be very resentful if anyone suggested otherwise. Imagine how Robert would feel!?!?! Or Charlotte???

But I digress. Anyway, you can contribute to the Outsports Legal Defense Fund here. I did, and so did Choire who says:

Using the one-click no-hassle Paypal system, I sent the Outsports legal fund 25 measly bucks so they can pound this idiot's ass in court. Why not do the same?

Indeed.

I can see where Outsports was confused though. I mean, Chris Harbinson looks REALLY, REALLY gay. So the misunderstanding was understandable. I mean, those pretty teeth!

I donated $20 because this is the ultimate in frivolity. Go, now.

UPDATE: Kip puts it into perspective.

MORE VETS SPEAK OUT:

From what I've watched, the Kerry Campaign will not like this documentary - Stolen Honor.

(via Kevin)

BUSH QUOTE:

Thanks to Canaan for this - from Larry King, Feb 15, 2000:

KING: So if a state were voting on gay marriage, you would suggest to that state not to approve it?

BUSH: The state can do what they want to do. Don't try to trap me in this state's issue like you're trying to get me into.

Apparently not anymore.

JOHN KERRY WANTS WEEKLY DEBATES:

The Bush camp reacts:

There will be a time for debates after the convention, and during the next few weeks, John Kerry should take the time to finish the debates with himself.

You have to admit, that's pretty funny.

SUPER EARTH:

European astronomers have found a "Super Earth" outside our solar system:

It could be a rocky planet with a thin atmosphere, a sort of "super Earth," the researchers said today.

But this is no typical Earth. It completes its tight orbit in less than 10 days, compared to the 365 required for our year. Its daytime face would be scorched.

It also has daytime temperatures of around 1160 degrees Fahrenheit, so you know, plan for light clothing and possibly a fan.

NO EVIDENCE OF TERROR:

Hmmmm. Two planes go down at almost the same time. Maybe a coincidence. The government announces that terror is not involved. Black boxes are recovered. Both boxes had been "disabled" somehow during the flight. Coincidence?

Two planes go down at the same time. Two black boxes suspiciously disabled. Terrorism is not involved.

I find that extremely difficult to believe.

UPDATE: Valid explanations of the "coincidences" from Kip, in the comments.

PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION ACT:

Unconstitutional.

Judicial Activism™. Need a Federal Abortion Amendment, etc., etc, yadda yadda.

SURPRISE! UNSCUM ALERT:

European banks laundered oil-for-food money. (via Instapundit)

On another note, check out the linked story page and the none-too-subtle advertising for United Airlines.

WHO LIKES ME MORE?:

Oliver and his commenters seem to believe that I should despise everything that the Republican party does because they are generally against rights for gay people.

I pointed out in Oliver's comments that "African Americans, as a group, a far more hostile to gay rights than are Republicans, in general.

"It's a good thing I don't decide I hate African Americans based on that. I'd have to hate a lot of good people. I support much of what black America wants to achieve, and their general dislike of gay America, their 'want' to 'keep me down' is not going to make me change my mind on that."

Do I hate the Republicans' stand on gay issues? I sure do. I also hate Kerry's - although he doesn't really take much time for me in his platform anyway. I recognize that the Democratic Party is more friendly to me. You know? It was very "uplifting" for the gay community when Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act and "Don't Ask Don't Tell."

Keep it coming Dems.