Yes, I’ve seen the turban picture. You can stop sending it.
Yes, I’ve seen the e-mails “proving” that Barack Obama went to a Muslim elementary school and pointing out what his middle name is. You can stop forwarding them.
Now, I have a question for you. Do you believe EVERYTHING you read on the Internet, or just unsourced conspiracy theories and childish taunting?
Barack Obama is no more a Muslim than I am. He’s a Christian, and there is NO evidence he has ever held any other religious leanings.
Hillary Clinton wore a headscarf on a visit to the Middle East once; does that maker her a Muslim?
Come to think of it, in the early 1980s I was partial to a Japanese rising sun bandanna. (Hey, it was the 80s!) But the closest I’ve ever come to practicing Shinto or Buddhism is singing along with “Turning Japanese.”
It’s amazing what an effective rumor-propellant the Internet is. It is both the single-greatest resource for fact-checking, and thus debunking, rumors and the single greatest vehicle for their propagation.
Here’s a hint. Before forwarding the next conspiracy-theory e-mail you get, Google it! Or better yet, log onto www.snopes.com and check it out. Chances are, it’s false. Do your reputation a favor and stop forwarding nonsense.
And by the way, I don’t care how many times Ann Coulter says it, Obama’s middle name is indicative of nothing other than his father’s heritage. Bringing it up just makes you look as mindlessly reactionary as she is.
My initial reaction to Merrimack Town Councilor David McCray’s proposal to reserve Wasserman Park for town residents was that it wasn’t a good idea. I’ve changed my mind.
After doing some reporting and studying the issue as it exists in Merrimack and other NH towns, I don’t see why Merrimack shouldn’t try to take its park back if residents there have stopped going because it’s too crowded with non-residents.
In general, I don’t like such restrictions. I think they ought to be used only when non-residents crowd out those whose taxes pay for the park and its upkeep. That is the case in Merrimack, according to numerous locals.
McCray’s proposal would have the police cruise through the parking lot at the park. They would ticket any car that does not display a town dump sticker or a windshield hanger indicating the car is owned by a town resident or a guest of a resident.
It prevents what McCray calls a “police state” situation in which officers are asking to see IDs, and it allows residents to bring their guests. That seems sensible to me.
Merrimack Town Council member David McCray wants to ban non-Merrimack residents from Wasserman Park.
“It’s time we kick the riffraff out of here,” McCray said. “The most beautiful resource we taxpayers have is Wasserman Park. I am not ashamed to say this is ours. We pay the freight.”
Hmmm. So, who are the riffraff?
Would they be anyone who doesn’t live in Merrimack? Or would they be Hispanics?
I wonder how, exactly, the town would enforce such a ban. Checking driver’s license at the park entrance? If this is a taxpayer issue, who is going to foot the bill for the beach bouncer?
And what do Merrimack residents do with friends and relatives are visiting? They can’t take them to the park. Guess they’ll just have to stay home and play in the kiddie pools in their back yards.
What happens when a non-resident steps right past the bouncer and says, “Sorry, I’m going to the beach, buddy”? Do the police arrest the trespasser? What is the punishment for non-resident riffraff who set foot inside the park? A fine? Thirty days in jail? Forty lashes? Mandatory attendance at the next town council meeting?
What if a beachgoer is drowning or has a heart attack, 911 is called, and the EMTs who arrive on the scene are not Merrimack residents?
I’m not sure Councilor McCray has thought this one through.
Before I arrived in New Hampshire 6 1/2 years ago, I’d met a few New Englanders who had moved to the South. But for this Southern boy newly arrived in New Hampshire, Ellie Ferriter, who passed away this week, provided my initiation into Yankee ways.
Ellie was our family editor, and her desk was right outside the office I was moving into. (It turns out, the office had been hers years before, and if she held a grudge about that she never showed it to me.)
Each morning, she would be sitting there as if holding court in the newsroom. She was a Yankee queen — gregarious, loud, fussy, argumentative, and opinionated about everything. The Southern women I’d worked with before were not like this. There was absolutely nothing submissive about Ellie. She did not care if you liked her or hated her. She did not care what you thought about her. She was. . . wonderful.
It took me probably a year to get acclimated to Northern New England culture. Ellie was my compass, my touchstone. She taught me what New Englanders meant when they spoke a certain way or said certain things. I learned over time that her brusqueness was not intentional rudeness. It was just the opposite. And I learned that it was not a substitute for a kind heart and a sweet soul, but only an outward way of expressing what were often very gentle and caring feelings.
Ellie was a smart, tough woman. I never saw her let anyone get the best of her. I never saw her be cruel, either. She seemed to treat everyone, from janitors to presidential candidates, the same. She suffered no fools, and could be as sweet and charming as she was rough and combative.
She was one of the most interesting, complex, and remarkable women I’ve ever met or ever will meet. I’ll miss her, as everyone here will, because no one will ever replace Ellie. She was one of a kind.
Gary Dodds’ story was more preposterous than Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign strategy, and now it’s official.
Dodds was found guilty today of falsifying evidence, false public alarm, and conduct after an accident for staging a car accident and pretending to be lost in the woods for 27 hours afterwards. He was running for the Democratic nomination for the 1st District congressional seat at the time.
A prosecutor called his staged disappearance “one of the biggest frauds of 2006.”
There was a bigger one?
Maybe he’s thinking of Carol Shea-Porter claiming she’d be bipartisan.
So, let’s all say it together now…
Trench Foot!
OK, the question on everyone’s mind: What was he thinking?!
If you’re running for public office, or hold public office, there are some things you just don’t do:
1. Drive drunk while wearing women’s clothing (even if you’re a woman, this is a no-no).
2. Solicit sex in a public restroom.
3. Chat up minors for sex.
4. Drink and curse on the job (though in some cultures this is encouraged).
5. Hire illegal aliens.
6. Stage your own disappearance.
These would all generally fall under one of two categories: Sanity or common sense. If you don’t have one, you’d better have the other. If you don’t have either, well, you really shouldn’t be running for public office.
Here’s a thought for all the Carol Shea-Porter haters out there (you know who you are). Had she not entered the race, would Dodds have had a shot? Could it have been Rep. Gary Dodds, D-NH, at this very moment? As much as you might dislike Shea-Porter, one thing can be said for her. She isn’t Gary Dodds.
The best reactions to the resignation of Fidel Castro have come from the world’s few remaining commie stooges. While sane world leaders have expressed cautious optimism about Cuba’s future, and some have even taken the opportunity to show their contempt for the World’s Oldest Commie Nutter, the fellow travelers opened their Soviet propaganda manuals circa 1920 and spewed forth a stream of comical commie claptrap.
* Gennady Zyuganov, leader of Russia’s Communist Party, called Castro “a brilliant politician.”
“He held the banner of independence and socialism high over the Island of Freedom, Latin America and the whole Western Hemisphere,” Zyuganov, said. “But time is merciless. And Fidel Castro made the right decision — to hand over power to a younger generation of leaders.”
* “To leaders and the people of Vietnam, President Fidel is forever a great friend, a dear comrade and a brother,” Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le Dung said in a statement.
The Vietnam spokesman’s statement said Castro made an “extremely great contribution to the cause of building and protecting Cuba over nearly the past five decades,” Reuters reported.
* “He is the cleverest and wisest man. He likes to take risks and he is a hero,” Eduard Shevardnadze, the last Soviet foreign minister, told Reuters.
* “We send revolutionary greetings to Fidel Castro. We wish him a long and happy retirement. We also send greetings and best wishes to the new leadership, headed by comrade Raul Castro Ruz, who are taking over the government,” Patrick Craven, spokesman for the Council of South African Trade Unions, said in a statement.
“Comrade Fidel holds a special place in South African hearts because of his decision to deploy thousands of soldiers to help our African liberation struggles.
“His intervention in the civil war in Angola became a crucial turning point in our struggle against apartheid capitalism,” Craven said.
Castro’s Cuba had been a “shining symbol of hope” for the workers and poor people of the world.”
If only Baghdad Bob were still around to contribute his two cents.
Did you know that Bono sang at the memorial to Tom Lantos? Here’s a Washington Post photo essay on the memorial. Didn’t see the Swetts pictured.
As for the disruption caused when the House voted during the service, both sides should have made absolutely certain nothing like that would happen. I think they share the blame, and it’s a sign of how low the partisanship has sunk that this could even happen.
If Barack Obama wins the Democratic presidential nomination, what will Hillary and Bill’s excuse be?
They won’t graciously acknowledge that the voters heard both sides and chose Obama fair and square. Never. There will have to be a scapegoat, a villain to blame. Who will it be?
I’ve asked a few people who follow politics closely, and the best response was “the media.” That does seem to be the most likely scapegoat. Bill already has accused the media of being soft on Obama. He and Hill can say that the favorable coverage of Obama and unfavorable coverage of Hillary was just too much to overcome. It wasn’t a fair fight, you see.
Other possible villains:
Karl Rove and the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, for convincing Democratic voters that Clinton wasn’t electable or would be the preferred opponent of Republicans.
The DNC rules on delegates, particularly the barring of those from Michigan and Florida.
Sexist voters — America just isn’t ready for an ice quee… I mean, female President.
Racist blacks (for voting for Obama only because he’s black).
Oprah.
The evil Gavin McLeod (Simpsons reference alert!)
Those meddling kids.
Dartmouth College professor Dr. Jay Buckey has dropped out of the U.S. Senate race, as it was perfectly clear for a while that he would have to do.
At the Democratic debate at Dartmouth last summer, Dr. Buckey was full of confidence. He was assuring people he was in the race to stay and win. I wonder if his more realistic assessment came after getting out of Hanover and realizing that the rest of the state isn’t as supportive of insurgent left-wing challenges to an old-style, machine candidate who has proven she can win elections.
Since I’m still trying to get rid of some books here, anyone who can tell me which Space Shuttle Dr. Buckey flew on will win a book from my stack.
Winners of the last trivia contest were Alexander Klingerman of Franklin and Andrew Shagoury of Center Tuftonboro. For knowing that Fred Thompson’s character on “Law & Order” was named Arthur Branch, Alexander wins a copy of Atlas Shrugged. For knowing that Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were the two Presidents elected after losing the New Hampshire primary, Andrew gets a copy of Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist by Richard Feldman and It’s Okay to Miss the Bed on the First Jump: and Other Life Lessons I Learned from Dogs, by John O’Hurley.
The greatest conservative writer of his generation, Mark Helprin, has an outstanding op-ed in today’s Wall Street Journal. I am no so down on talk radio in general as he is. I like Rush and some others. But Helprin’s point is made brilliantly and conservatives will regret it later if they ignore it now. And his point is this:
Your cause is weakened, not aided, by abandoning its only possible champion in the midst of a battle you are losing because your previous champions failed you.
This excellent Stephen Hayes story in The Weekly Standard reveals some details about the rift between John McCain and conservatives. There are some great anecdotes in it, but what I found most interesting was that Hayes found Tom DeLay at CPAC and DeLay was just bashing McCain.
Hayes pressed, and DeLay conceded that he had not ruled out voting for McCain. Hayes writes, “Coming from one who previously said McCain had ‘done more to hurt the Republican party than any elected official I know of,’ that’s progress.”
Right. Part of McCain’s problem is, as DeLay said, his record. Another part is that his record includes not falling in line behind so-called conservatives whose lust for power knew few if any bounds. Tom DeLay was chief among Republicans who destroyed the party in their own quest for the power a “permanent majority” would provide.
Trying to spend and deal themselves into power for the rest of their lives, they destroyed the Republican brand. They turned the party of fiscal responsibility into the party of profligacy. And for no other reason than to buy votes so they could hold onto their power.
Tom DeLay has done more damage to the Republican Party than John McCain ever will. McCain’s path to the presidency is tougher because he has to undo so much damage DeLay, Ted Stevens, Randy Cunningham George W. Bush and other Republicans have done. They and Republicans like them lost the GOP majority that Newt Gingrich and Dick Army built on Reagan’s model while McCain criticized them to no end for their overspending.
What’s amazing is that anyone still cares what Tom DeLay has to say about anything. It’s disappointing that Republicans cannot see that DeLay and his big-spending buddies destroyed the trust in the GOP that Reagan, Gingrich, Army and others had taken so long to build.
This is a satire I wrote for The American Spectator today. It’s getting passed around the Internet now, and evidently some people can’t tell it’s satirical. For the record, it’s a joke, people.
Bill Clinton to Virginia: Ya’ll vote for Hillary or I ain’t leavin’
LYNCHBURG, Va. — Campaigning for his wife yesterday, former President Bill Clinton threatened to remain in the state of Virginia indefinitely if its voters did not choose Hillary Clinton in Tuesday’s Democratic presidential primary.
“OK, now here’s the deal. If ya’ll don’t vote for Hillary, I ain’t leavin’,” the former president said as he loudly downed a pulled pork barbeque sandwich, hush puppies, slaw and a jumbo iced tea in under 45 seconds.
“I’m not kidding,” he said. “I love this place; I can stay here a long, long time. LOTS to do here. Golf. Fish. Sit beside your wives at church. Buddy, I would LOVE it. I live in New York now, man, you know how long it’s been since I hung my underwear out on the clothesline to dry? Oh, yeah, I hang ‘em high, too, so the whole neighborhood can get a good look.”
Clinton made his comments the day after Sen. Barack Obama swept Sen. Hillary Clinton in primaries in Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington, and the Virgin Islands. Sen. Clinton replaced her campaign manager after the losses, which came shortly after she loaned her campaign $5 million when it became clear that she had been unable to raise as much money as Sen. Obama in the fourth quarter of 2007.
“It’s clearly a desperate strategy,” University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabbatical said of Bill Clinton’s threat. “But they’ve tried just about everything to beat Obama, and nothing’s worked. At this point, what else have they got? The prospect of a white trash ex-president sitting in his boxers on a lawn chair in his front yard sipping cheap beer and hooting at your daughters before scores of national and international media representatives, that’s a pretty powerful incentive, I think.”
At another campaign stop later in the day, Bill Clinton showed up in a sleeveless undershirt, gym shorts and flip flops, carrying a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and said he was shopping for a house.
“I’m fixin’ to get me one uh them biguns up in a fancy neighborhood,” Clinton said just before belching loudly. “It’s gotta have a giant front yard, though. I need somewhere to put all the spare parts to my 1969 Camaro.”
Exit polls conducted over the weekend show a surge of support for Hillary Clinton starting on Sunday, the day after Obama’s sweep.
“Given Saturday’s election results, you’d expect to see a bump for Obama,” William and Mary political scientist Bill Mary said. “Clearly something local has happened to shift the momentum toward Sen. Clinton. I can’t say for sure it had anything to do with her husband spray painting ‘I love chicks’ on the statue of Stonewall Jackson in Manassass, but I suspect that didn’t hurt his argument any.”
Comment from Dave Wells in Lynchburg, Va.: The reason people mistook your article on Bill Clinton as real is that you right-wing morons have become so outrageous and dishonest in your attacks on the Clintons, and anyone with a liberal viewpoint for that matter, that satirical writing like yours reflects the serious commentary on the Fox Network and the deceitful venom spewed out daily as gospel truth on radio shows like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Michael Savage. You are all a bunch of idiots whether you are writing satirically or seriously. Can’t wait to get a forwarded email of this from my right-wing whacko friend who will take it as a serious article.
(And thanks for using my hometown in your half-baked article.)
