Unenviable Position of the Modern Liberal

So, anyone who knows me well knows that, IMHO the reason liberals are having trouble getting things done in this nation is that as a group have fractured viewpoints. The right has one viewpoint, they're sheep. The left has a myriad of viewpoints on each issue, let alone overall, and it's hard to get one, solid voting block together. Critical thinking is a bitch when it comes to politics.

Now, there is evidence to suggest we've got a more, well...biological problem. We aren't reproducing enough. Oops.

So, in order to win back the country, we've got to be globally irresponsible and reproduce more?

Terrific.

Well, I still insist we have more and better sex than the right. We just practice safe (and smart, and fun, and...well..you know) sex. Let's see a scientific study on that.

A rare victory for science and humanity

In what has to be counted as an extremely rare victory for science, the FDA finally went along (for the most part) with the recommendation its own panel of scientists and approved PlanB, "the morning after pill." Women under 18 still need a doctor's prescription, so it's not the total victory some reproductive and women's advocacy groups wanted, but it's a lion's share better than what it looked like was going to happen as recently as a few months ago.

I've been following this story fairly closely as a marker of the current administration's war on science. It's fascinating to me that after many indications that the administration was not just influencing, but completely changing the FDA's policies, suddenly the FDA basically did what it had initially said it would.

The question now, for me anyway, is why?

Did science truly prevail, or are the Bush administration's ideologically-based policies losing grip as the administration loses influence in the wake of subterranean approval ratings and a failing war?

Ha-ha, neener-neener, pbbbbbbbbt!

Awwww...you mean the already ridiculously, sickeningly, disgustingly rich can't get copious amounts of free stuff just for showing up somewhere and not pay taxes on it? That's the saddest thing I've heard in at least the last five seconds.

Preach on, brother. Preach the f@#% on!

Man, it's nice to see someone else get fired up about the absolute Bovine Skatology we're being force-fed by this administration.

Thank you, John Aravosis of AMERICAblog.

A-Freaking-Men!

Egg on my face

Yes, I do know it turned out not to be explosives and they sent the nice Pakistani woman on her way. So sue me.

Hold on to your hats, folks.

I figure things are about to get really interesting really fast.

A little slice of my life...

Important preface...I'm having a crappy morning and haven't had enough caffeine. This may all be mindless drivel. Consider yourself warned.

So, I've been wanting to get some punching bags to create a good training set up at home. For those who don't know, I took some Krav Maga classes (about 3 mos worth) last year, but the drive to Cincinnati and the rednecks who ran the school proved to be too much. I finally got everything ordered a couple of days ago from Everlast through their web site.

Here are my bitches about this experience. One: I ordered a 72," 100lb Thai-style heavy bag, a 50lb two-chain uppercut (up-elbow, down-strike, forward kick, in my case) bag, three springs and gloves. With shipping (on 150lbs of bags, it's a lot) it came out to a wee bit under $500. That's not at all a small order for any on-line retailer and a HUGE investment for us at my house. No matter how many times I asked (and I asked) they would not give me a discount on my order.

Okay, so I let that go.

Then this morning I get a message on my cel phone saying they were out of stock on the leather Thai style heavy bags...until December.

Now, at this point, I was about to go into meltdown. I have been waiting paciently for a place to hang my bags for while now. My girlfriend's father is going to be in town next weekend and will be able to help me hang them in the garage. I wanted leather and not vinyl because EVERYTHING I've read about heavy bags says take leather over synthetics because of wear.

I called them back and inquired into the situation, making sure I had all the details right. Yes, I did, not until December would they have leather Thai-style Everlast heavy bags. So, I vent a little telling the girl how inconvenient this is for me, why isn't it posted on their website that they are out of stock, etc, etc.

Now comes the twist in the story. I know (and I can't remember how) that Everlast and Title boxing are the same company. The products are made of the same materials in the same factories (goodness knows where) and just have different labels stuck on them. So, I ask the customer service rep "Do you have the Title Boxing leather, Thai-style bags in stock?" "Let me check. Yes, we do." Well, after double-checking that they are, in fact, the exact same product made with the same materials in the same factories with a different label, I had her switch my order to a Title bag.

Now, let me just ask you fine people: Why in all that is sacred, holy and pleasurable did a trained CSR not offer me that choice in the first place? Why stress out a potential customer when the money goes to the same damn pot no matter what label is on it? Does EVERYONE on the planet do a worse job of customer service than I was ever ALLOWED to when I was in retail and a CSR for an online retailer? Anyone else have "WONDERFUL" customer service stories?

Is Bush an idiot?

Not that we don't already know the answer to that question.

Video is a little long and large.

Important News Story

Please take five minutes to read the story linked to in this post. The story comes via AMERICAblog.

This poor guy was detained Sept 12, 2001 until this July with no charges ever filed. This is the a great example of where we need limits on the police powers we handed over to the government after Sept 11. It's also a perfect example of why judicial oversight on warrantless wiretaps and other covert police activities is critical. The law enforcement officials in this story made every effort to circumvent restrictions on how long someone can be held without charge and often ignored those restrictions outright.

Don't get me wrong. I am all for warrantless wiretaps if judicial oversight is maintained. I'm also for holding detainees suspected of terrorism for up to a year without charges if judicial oversight is maintained. Are you seeing a theme here, 'cause I gotta tell you, I sure am.

Profiling is Good, Dummies

UK Muslims are grumbling about a plan to profile air travelers including ethnic and religious backgrounds. Hey, kids. This is one of the BEST tools in the world to catch terrorists and I'm all for it on one condition: that all Muslims from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan get the full-on 'jelly-finger' treatment. I'm talking full body cavity search deep and hard. Because, let's face it folks, even if our government is in complete and utter denial and calls these people our allies in the war on terror...We all know that they are producing terrorists like the US produces fat kids.

And the war goes on...

Taking a break from the global war on terrorism and the war in Iraq, two TOTALLY different things, kids, just so you know. I know Mommy and Daddy won't tell you that, but that's because they're ignorant...But, I digress...Sort of...Back to another war.

I'm sure we're all familiar by now with my war on this country's obesity-rights movement. If not, here's a refresher (bottom of page). Here's the current news: Turns out that fat people now outnumber the hungry. Wow.

I mean, my solution is that we simply feed anyone with a certain BMI or higher
(let's say 38+) to the starving folks. If they care that little about other people that they can increase their weight to astronomically unhealthy levels while others starve, don't they kind of fail a basic test of humanity?

Oh, well that's just f#@$ing terrific!

Eleven Egyptian men on student visas disappeared. Next we'll hear that they were on their way to tour a nuclear power plant for their "science class."

Me

Just ignore the man in front of the sunset.