Iowa Corn

Let's sing of grand old I O W A Y,
Yo-ho; yo-ho; yo-ho.
Our love is strong ev'ry day,
Yo-ho; yo-ho; yo-ho.
So come along and join the throng,
Sev'ral hundred thousand strong,
As you come, just sing this song:
Yo-ho; yo-ho; yo-ho.

We're from Ioway, Ioway;
State of all the land,
Joy on every hand;
We're from Ioway, Ioway.
That's where the tall corn grows.

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get and the scientific community is united in that fact.

That's all I have to say about that.

Obama Llama Ding Dong

My friend Cal and I were driving down Dean Avenue, heading to Pleasant Hill to try out a Mexican restaurant, when
we passed a sign "Llama's for Obama".

I know in the past that dogs have been registered to vote.

There was Toby in New Zealand and Duncan in Washington state.

I thought maybe we'd reached a new low in Iowa.

However, research shows the llama's might be quite astute and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Within some computing environments, the label "llama" has been derogatory indicating a person with little knowledge and new to the environment.

That sounds like Barry Obambi.

At least per Hellary, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd.

Not so Super man

A couple of weeks ago I posted on a letter to the editor my friend Cal sent to the Ragister.

The letter was regarding the "Momma's peace rap".

The Ragister printed his letter on the 19th.

This week there was a rebuttal from Rodger Routh, one of the co-conspirator's in the "peace rap" video.

It turns out that Routh is the uncle of Brandon Routh (Superman Returns).

Superman fought the never ending battle for Truth, Justice and the American Way.

Rodger Routh looks, and sounds, like Superman's arch enemy Lex Luthor and the scientific community is united in that fact.

In his letter Routh says "peace activists" have a right to be angry.

It's time for another toke Rodger, you shouldn't be so angry when you have "a universal connectivity that is at the heart of spirituality." ?

He continues...

"We are all creations of the same source, and there is another way besides guns and bombs. We have only to find the courage to seek and carry it out."

"Kumbaya" won't save you in this conflict, so put down that doobie and get on board with "Praise The Lord And Pass The Ammunition."

"There is something profoundly wrong when opposition to the war in Iraq seems to inspire greater passion than opposition to Islamist extremism."

...Joe Lieberman

Routh is angry, continually...

At the Catholic Church (scroll down for his letter) and at President Bush's policies toward Hugo Chavez's Venezuela (signing under individuals).

Cal must have really pissed him off when he suggested they pass off their "peace anthem" in Venezuela, stating their epithet "Emperor" fit the leader of that nation.

Magic Bus

The Multi-Millionaire Trial Lawyer , who was chauffeured around Iowa and New Hampshire in a bus, tells Americans to give up their SUVs...

"Joanie" Edwards told the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers that Americans should be asked to drive more fuel-efficient vehicles.

As usual, "Joanie" Phony is two faced and the scientific community is united in that fact.

When Edwards made his Presidential announcement in Iowa he was driven in a Cadillac SRX Crossover.

Just like rich fiberals, "Joanie" Phony salves his conscious by buying carbon offsets for his personal vehicles.

Why can't Edwards quit putting his foot in his mouth and use them to walk across Iowa?

I'm not talking that Tom Vilsack "walk across Iowa" where he would be driven and when he neared town would get out and walk before being driven to the next town.

I'm speaking of the Dick Clark walk across Iowa that helped get him elected to the Senate in 1972.

Interestingly you'll find "Joanie" Phony's web site has a new Biofuel Buses program to help school districts replace conventional diesel with cleaner-burning biodiesel blends in 100,000 school buses nationwide. Biodiesel reduces bus-riding children's exposure to cancer and asthma-causing emissions.

"Joanie" Phony's bus, pictured, doesn't appear to be biodiesel.

I don't care how much I pay
I wanna drive my bus to my baby each day

I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it

Every day you'll see the dust
As I drive my baby in my Magic Bus

Magic Bus, Magic Bus, Magic Bus

Twenty to Life

Today is the twentieth anniversary of my first "real date" with Chris.

It's something special when you can share your life with a special someone you enjoy being with more than anyone.

Sharing life with your best friend.

(With apologies to Harry Nilsson)...

People let me tell you 'bout my best friend,
She's a warm hearted person who'll love me till the end.
People let me tell you bout my best friend,
She's a one boy cuddly toy, my up, my down, my pride and joy.

People let me tell you 'bout her she's so much fun
Whether we're talkin' with our friends or whether we're talking one to one.
Cause she's my best friend.
Yes she's my best friend.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

I Love You Chris!

Apology not accepted

Does anyone ever say "I'm Sorry" anymore?

People give an apology, when they should be sorry.

The difference to me is you take personal ownership when you say you're sorry.

I can apologize for offending someone without being sorry for the offense.

Here's what bothered me about Micheal Vick's apology.

"I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward..."

The day you plead guilty is not the time to ask for for forgiveness & understanding.

"So I got a lot of down time, a lot of time to think about my actions and what I've done and how to make Michael Vick a better person."

I don't have a lot of faith that he'll be successful, as I mentioned in my post last week, Hair of the dog...

It began when he was still at Virginia Tech in 2000.

ESPN ran a video interview where Vick talked about how he needed to clean up his act and change his associates.

When the time line progressed to April of this year, at the NFL Draft, the words were exactly the same.

In 7 years he didn't get it, I'll be surprised if he gets it after prison.

Speaking of faith, so did Michael Vick.

"...I found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God. And I think that's the right thing to do as of right now."

As of right now?

Does that mean later he's going to revert to the asshole he is?

Michael Vick had at least one bus load of supporters there and commentators on ESPN said they were family and friends from the church Vick built.

If your building a church, you shoud have found Jesus and turned your life over to God then.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Agent of Change?

Barry Obambi likes to say...

"I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change."

But Barry learns quickly and the scientific community is united in that fact.

From The Washington Times/Inside Politics column...

Democrat Barack Obama was inclined to vote for John G. Roberts Jr. for Supreme Court chief justice back in 2005, but decided against it when told it could hurt him in the Democratic presidential contest, said the senator's chief of staff.

..."Talking with his aides, the Illinois Democrat expressed admiration for Roberts' intellect... Besides, Obama said, if he were president he wouldn't want his judicial nominees opposed simply on ideological grounds."

And then Pete Rouse, his chief of staff, "spoke up,"... "This was no Harvard moot-court exercise, he said. If Obama voted for Roberts, Rouse told him, people would remind him of that every time the Supreme Court issued another conservative ruling, something that could cripple a future presidential run. Obama took it in. And when the roll was called, he voted no."

...Mr. Obama praised his aide for guiding him back to a politically expedient position.

Barry Obambi on June 23, 2007...

"So let's rededicate ourselves to a new kind of politics - a politics of conscience."

Troubling

Police have issued a description of the suspect in a weekend burglary at Democratic presidential candidate Christopher Dodd's Senate office in Hartford.

...the suspect is a Hispanic male between 35 and 40 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall with short dark hair. He was last seen wearing no shirt, white low-top sneakers and black cargo-style pants.

The suspect broke into Dodd's office late Saturday, taking undisclosed items and leaving evidence at the scene.

Either Dodd's campaign missed this memo...

Democratic presidential candidates say they are reaching out to Hispanics

Or...

As the senior Senator from Connecticut, his neighbors know him and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Oh Carol

Ragister Editor Carol Washburn, pictured, had an opinion piece from her time at the Republican Straw Poll (August 11).

I can see why she works in a fiberal sheltered environment.

First, she got the remarks of Congressman Tom Tancredo wrong.

Tancredo said, in speaking on the rules of engagement our armed forces are restricted by...

"The only rule of engagement I'm going to have in a Tancredo administration is this,"

"We win, you lose!"

This is how Washburn interpreted it...

Tom Tancredo said his rule in dealing with obstinate countries: "We win, you lose."

Totally the wrong context and the scientific community is united in that fact.

At least she got the quote accurate.

I've used this quote before, but it fits so well...

"If you don't read the newspaper
you are uninformed, if you do
Read the newspaper you are
Misinformed."
-Mark Twain

The bigger issue is her pretext of negative campaigning...

Why the negative campaigns?

Apparently it's only a Republican thing.

She conveniently ignores John Edwards remarks...

"We need a president of the United States who can walk and chew chewing gum at the same time."

And...

"What Giuliani is, is George Bush on steroids."

Before expanding that to include all Republicans running for President.

Dummycrats are master mudslingers, they just get a pass from the press.

Cry Me A River

(Insert Joe Cocker)

The Ragister wasted space so Fran & Ray Koontz could carry on about their 51 year old son in a federal pen, Waseca Federal Correctional Institute (pictured).

"...He longs to attend the Koontz family picnic, play ball with cousins, visit with aunts, see all the new "little ones" born in the past 11 years."

The Koontz's write about prison as if its only filled with "Drug addicts and mentally ill people" and "Once a prison is built, it's a capital investment and must be filled."

That's the only reason their drug addicted/mentally ill son John is incarcerated?

Hardly!

Caring only about their kid and trying to evoke sympathy, the Koontz's don't tell the total story and the scientific community is united in that fact.

State 29 posted about their scumbag son from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals...

After stopping John Raymond Koontz for a traffic violation, local police in Buchanan County, Iowa, arrested him for driving while his license was suspended. Subsequent searches of his car revealed drugs and a loaded and cocked gun; state drug and gun offenses were then added to the charges against him. Evidently unable to post bail, Mr. Koontz was sent to the county jail pending a preliminary hearing provided for by state law. After four days, he asked to talk with a federal drug agent and did so, once on that same day and once about a week later. At the first interview, according to the agent, Mr. Koontz acknowledged distributing about ten pounds of methamphetamine in the previous year. At the second interview, according to the agent, Mr. Koontz reduced to about four pounds the amount that he acknowledged distributing in the previous year.

John Koontz was a previous felon, including three DUI's, when he was arrested for driving without a license.

The Koontz's are deluded into believing these so called "non-violent offenders"...

"hurt only themselves and those who love them."

HE WAS DEALING METH!

In the words of Roman historian Titus Livius...

No crime can ever be defended on rational grounds.

Luckily, Koontz never killed anyone while driving under the influence.

Showing that denial is more than a river in Egypt, the Koontz's actually believe...

"Based on reviews of his case by three attorneys, we believe his civil rights were violated at trial."

Earth to Planet Koontz...Because your idiot son asked to speak to the federal drug agent, that doesn't violate his Miranda rights.

This isn't the first time The Ragister has let the Koontz's lie to generate sympathy.

They published their Letter to the Editor in June and in July of 2006 again gave the Koontz's OpEd space.

How soon before they write seeking sympathy for Waseca's most famous inmate...Enron's Jeff Skilling?

Here's a synopsis of the prison from its first warden...

The Waseca prison is one step above a minimum security institution, which, in most cases, don’t have fences. Security is tight for getting on and off the grounds, but the buildings inside don’t have barred doors and windows.

"If you don't read the newspaper
you are uninformed, if you do
Read the newspaper you are
Misinformed."
-Mark Twain

Rekha'd over the coals

When the Ragister's resident fiberal RekHA Basu was back in her native India recently she went to a palmist.

Here's what she heard...

I'd have a solitary, angry life followed by an early death. Before that, I'd live far from my children and never amount to much. I would have friendships, but, in his words, to no "advantage." There would be travel and enough money, but ultimately, "You will not be satisfied."

"Don't you see anything good?" I persisted.

He shook his head. "I can't see anything great in your future," he replied.

Hell, I've known for a long time that she'd never amount to much and that there's not anything great in her future and the scientific community is united in that fact.

I guess I'm psychic (probably more like psychotic).

Previous Basu posts that support the prophesy...

Real Hosers

Therapy for me

Rekha Rebuked

Invisible

First came Jenna Jameson

Now Hellary celebrity(?) endorsements include Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss and "Interview with a Vampire" Author Anne Rice.

I bet Hellary's the one wishing she was invisible and the scientific community is united in that fact.

If I was invisible
Then I could just watch you in your room

If I was invisible...
If I was invisible...
If I was invisible...
If I was invisible...
If I was invisible...
If I was invisible...

Isn't it rich

Members of Florida's Democratic congressional delegation are threatening a voting rights probe should the national party strip the state of its presidential primary delegates.

The delegation members, in a letter to national party chair Howard Dean, accuse the Democratic National Committee of being ''poised to assault'' Floridians' right to cast their ballots.

This from the folks who couldn't cast a ballot if their butts depended on it and the scientific community is united in that fact.

This from the paranoid party who has cast dispersions on the last two Presidential elections, without one piece of evidence.

However, there's a lot of evidence of Dummycrat voter fraud...

In 2004 paid Democrat operatives charged with slashing tires on GOP get-out-the-vote vans in Milwaukee and an Ohio court order stopping Democrat operatives from calling voters telling them the wrong date for the election and faulty polling place information.

In June 2005 Democratic Party officials in East St. Louis, Illinois have been convicted of massive voter fraud in last November's election. The local jury convicted them of, among other things, paying people to vote Democratic. This is, really, only the tip of the iceberg; still to come is an attempted murder trial arising out of the effort by a Democratic Party official to murder a witness who threatened to blow the whistle on the Democratic official's corruption.

Don't forget...The Florida secretary of state's office reported it had found "legally sufficient" evidence that some 60 people in Palm Beach County had committed voter fraud by voting both there and in New York state. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has launched a formal probe. In 2004, New York's Daily News found that 46,000 people were illegally registered to vote in both New York and Florida.

And...The U.S. Department of Justice recommended that an outside party be appointed to oversee Democratic primary elections in Noxubee County, Miss. In June, federal district judge Tom Lee found that Ike Brown, the Democratic political boss of Noxubee, had paid notaries public to visit voters and illegally mark their absentee ballots, imported illegal candidates to run for county office and manipulated the registration rolls.

Isn't it rich, isn't it queer
Losing my timing this late in my career
And where are the clowns
Quick send in the clowns
Don't bother, they're here.

The loons! The loons!

Chris Dodd had to deal with them recently and he didn't make them happy.

Dodd: Impeachment a bad idea

Dodd thinks its a bad idea for purely political reasons...

"Democrats could lose control of Congress in the 2008 elections if they pursued that course...".

Purely political reasons are why the loons want impeachment.

They also want Vice President Cheney impeached first and then President Bush, because President Cheney would drive them out of their gourds.

Dodd is correct, to a point.

It would blow up in Dummycrats faces because Bush and Cheney haven't done anything illegal and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Its not as if they committed perjury in testimony in a federal sexual harassment lawsuit (that was settled for $850,000).

Or, as if they agreed to avoid perjury charges by being disbarred and paying a $25,000 fine.

Rush to Judgement

Last month the President of the Atlanta NAACP told America that it was prematurely punishing Michael Vick.

"... to treat him as he is being treated now is also a crime."

R. L. White lectured...

"...Be restrained in your premature judgment until the legal process is completed."

Now, White is not waiting for the process to be completed before telling...

"...the NFL, Falcons, and the sponsors not to permanently ban Mr. Vick from his ability to bring hours of enjoyment to fans all over this country."

White is under the delusion...

"His crime is, it was a dog."

Actually, it was eight dogs executed in April, I don't doubt there were more and the scientific community is united in that fact.

There's more to it than just killing dogs...

A federal grand jury indicted (Vick)...on a single count of conspiracy to cross state lines to engage in illegal gambling; to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture; and to buy, transport and receive dogs for animal fighting.

Vick plans to plead guilty to the conspiracy charge.

The NFL's anti-gambling policy states that a player can be suspended indefinitely or have his contract terminated if he "knowingly associates with gamblers or gambling activity."

Don't forget...

The Attorney for Surry County, where Vick allegedly operated his dogfighting business, said last week the evidence revealed in federal court so far has solidified his plans to prosecute Vick on animal cruelty and dogfighting charges. State charges could bring Vick up to 40 years in prison.

I'm surprised Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton haven't weighed in.

After all it's not about justice, but just us.

Hey Dummycrats

Instead of this...

















Why don't you quit playing politics and do this...














And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Hell (ary) No!

A recently released report from the CIA's Inspector General, completed two years ago, shows why the Clinton's can't be trusted in the Oval Office.

Hellary in September 2006...

"...I'm certain that if my husband and his national security team had been shown a classified report entitled 'Bin Laden Determined To Attack Inside the United States' he would have taken it more seriously than history suggests it was taken by our current president and his national security team."

Per the CIA IG's report...

George Tenet (CIA Director) personally sounded the alarm with a 1998 memo, "We are at war" with Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

That must have been too simplistic.

There's also this...

Per the 9/11 Commisssion, on Dec. 4, 1998, President Clinton received a Presidential Daily Briefing titled "Bin Ladin Preparing to Hijack US Aircraft and Other Attacks."


And the coup de grace...

"The Intelligence Community has strong indications that Bin Laden intends to conduct or sponsor attacks inside the United States."-Classified document signed by President Clinton in December 1998

It just goes to show...




And the scientific community is united in that fact.

John you ignorant slut

For John Edwards it was "Two Americas" in 2004.

This time around its "One America"...

Because he's foreclosed on the other!

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Last week I highlighted the two John Edwards.

Rich Lowry touches on it too...

In the case of John Edwards, however, hypocrisy is simply a way of life.

The infamous $400 haircut - actually, some of his hairstyling sessions ran as much as $1,200 all told - wasn't a freak embarrassment for a candidate so self-righteously devoted to the poor. It was part of a pattern so pervasive that it has become the defining aspect of Edwards' candidacy.

When he lambasted hedge funds for incorporating offshore to avoid or delay paying U.S. taxes, what could be more natural than that he made nearly $500,000 for part-time work at the Fortress Investment Group, with hedge funds incorporated in the Cayman Islands for tax purposes?

When he hit other candidates for taking donations from Rupert Murdoch's media holdings, wasn't it inevitable that it would turn out he had taken $800,000 from Murdoch's HarperCollins for a coffee-table book?

Or when he attacked subprime lenders for foreclosing on victims of Hurricane Katrina, he would have $16 million - half of his net worth - invested in Fortress while it was foreclosing on a couple dozen homes in New Orleans?

Edwards is pictured pulling one thumb out of his ass and inserting the other.

Hair of the dog

I caught a time line on ESPN yesterday regarding Michael Vick.

It began when he was still at Virginia Tech in 2000.

ESPN ran a video interview where Vick talked about how he needed to clean up his act and change his associates.

When the time line progressed to April of this year, at the NFL Draft, the words were exactly the same.

In 7 years he didn't get it, I'll be surprised if he gets it after prison.

Chris & I did some shopping in Green Bay over the weekend and in one store there was a complete rack of Vick jerseys.

I like what's happened in Atlanta...

About a dozen bright red Vick jerseys have been donated -- often accompanied by financial contributions -- to the Atlanta Humane Society since he was indicted last month. The shelter uses them for dog blankets, and to clean up after the animals.

The only thing wrong with the picture is that Vick isn't in the jersey so the dogs could tear him apart.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Heart breaker, soul shaker
Ive been told about you
Steamroller, midnight stroller
What theyve been saying must be true

Red hot mama
Velvet charmer
Times come to pay your dues

Now youre messin with a
A son of a bitch

There's a difference?

This sports dud for WHO/TV 13 was giving the story about a couple of Hawkeye football players being arrested.

He ended the story with the fact the two were released on their own
rec·og·nize-ance instead of re·cog·ni·zance.

I hope he'll keep us abreast of further developments and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Later, watching NFL pre-season football, I heard Chris Berman screw up OFFENSE when speaking about Michael Vick.

He pronounced it as a football term, rather than a criminal transgression.

Matching Headline & Story

I caught up on my reading when I came back from Wisconsin.

Thankfully its the Ragister so it takes little time.

I caught this headline in Saturday's paper...

Military isn't for 'dumb, ignorant,' Dodd says

I thought it better suited for this story...

Obama To Woo 'Downscale Dems'

For the past 40 years, Democratic nominating contests have pitted "wine track" candidates (backed by young, well-off, college-educated elites) against "beer track" opponents (who cultivate a less-educated coalition of min orities and blue-collar workers).

The 2008 contest is no exception. According to the latest Cook Political Report survey, Hillary Clinton polls 12 points higher among voters who haven't graduated from college than those who have; Obama's numbers are reversed. His problem: only 34 percent of likely Democratic primary voters have college degrees.

Which is why I've said I'd have to have a frontal lobotomy before I'd vote Dummycrat.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Full of **it

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

I see the Ragister gave a thistle to Iowa's Congressional delegation for trying to keep open the new recruiting station at Camp Dodge.

The Ragister says the thistle is...

"for sticking their noses into U.S. Army business."

It must have been some other rag I was reading those editorials that want us out of Iraq.

Sanctimonious Bastards.

Put up wet

After hitting the road hard to our weekend Green Bay getaway.

Friday was beautiful at Lambeau, albeit on the cool side.

You can't help but be impressed by the renovations at the stadium.

For my money its clearly the nicest thing in the Oshkosh-Appleton-Green Bay corridor and the scientific community is united in that fact.

My friend Curt and his wife, Marty were kind enough to play tour guide around Titletown and bought our dinner at Curly's Pub.

Saturday we got there early to experience "game day".

I'm sure the rain and the fact it was a pre-season game tempered the experience a bit.

It rained for about half the game and some doofus from Warsar (Wausau) told me he was glad it rained.

Really?

Then why did you arrive late and leave early?

I'm going to have to take a trip to Texas so I don't have to hear someone say, "We could use the rain".

We had great seats in the northwest corner of the end zone, about 18 rows up.

There really isn't a bad seat there because you're so close to the field.

With a 48-13 drubbing of Seattle, we saw quite a bit of Lambeau leaping.

Poor Seneca Wallace, of Iowa State fame, was sacked twice and fumbled each time which the Packers scooped up and raced into the end zone.

The 69, 761 loved Favre, not so much Aaron Rodgers (heir apparent) who fumbled twice.

It looks like Will Blackmon will be their kickoff/punt return man, he had an 83 yard kickoff return that set up the Packers first TD.

The new #89, James Jones will make fans forget the previous jersey wearer (Robert Ferguson).

Jones caught two TDs and had a nice diving catch along the sidelines.

It was a nice time, I'm glad Chris made it happen.

The Appleton/Green Bay people we encountered were extremely nice, although the Canadian-esque accent can get to be much yah.

Wisconsinites are awful drivers, worse than Iowegians.

PS: The F16 flyover was fantastic.

Hello Wisconsin

It's shouted at the end of the opening for "That 70s Show".

Chris was able to get tickets to a Green Bay Packer pre-season game, versus the Seattle Seahawks.

She got the tickets at face value from someone she knows.

Face value for Packer pre-season tickets are $64 per ticket.

OUCH!

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Especially since last month I attended a regular season Major League Baseball game for $14 a ticket and that included the New York Yankees.

Oh well, I'll get a glimpse of Brett Favre and it'll be nice to see Mike Holmgren (who as Packer coach led them to a Super Bowl win).

Lambeau Field won't be the frozen tundra, it'll be the somewhat cooler and wet tundra with temp of 67 and 50% chance of thunderstorms.

I'll also be getting together with a guy I went to high school with in the 70s.

We're still rocking in Wisconsin
Oh yeah!
We're still rocking in Wisconsin

Its Bacon

From The Washington Times Inside the Beltway.

No more flowers, no more bike paths, no more highway-beautification projects will be paid for with federally earmarked transportation funds until those states with structurally deficient bridges make needed repairs.

Such is the language of legislation Rep. Jeff Flake, Arizona Republican, says he will introduce when Congress reconvenes in early September. He says "many" of the more than 6,000 recent transportation earmarks went to such beautification projects.

He may be a Flake, but he's not delusional and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Keep Dopes Alive

Barry Obambi is such a lightweight and the scientific community is united in that fact.

From his it would be "a profound mistake for us to use nuclear weapons in any circumstance".

To his belief that in Afghanistan we're "just air raiding villages and killing civilians."

Last Month, in Adel, it was shades of Michael Dukakis with "Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?"

Where can you find arugula and Whole Foods in Iowa?

Barry showed a bit of Dan Quayle when he referred to the "president of Canada."

In April "...he vowed not to cut funding for US troops…”

However, In May he voted against a $100 Billion Iraq War funding bill.

Obambi likes to brag about not taking money from Washington lobbyists, that has not stopped him from taking money from his home state lobbyists.

Now Barry wants...To make the government more accountable, he would post all non-emergency bills online for five days before he signed them into law, allowing Americans a chance to weigh in on the legislation.

The average American isn't going to be tracking every piece of legislation that is sent to the President and five days is hardly anytime.

A President is elected, and well compensated, to make decisions.

It's a bad idea to govern by polls and even worse by committee.

If America doesn't like it, just blame the President of Canada.

Blame Canada
Shame on Canada

Goodbye, good riddance

It looks like I was on the right track when I wrote yesterday about John Edwards' words...

"Goodbye, good riddance."

Funny, those are the same words uttered by the American people in 2004 and will be repeated in 2008 and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Edwards Moving Staff Out of Nevada

...a reflection of the uncertainty about the prominence of the first Western contest and Edwards' tight resources.

More likely it's the reality nobody is buying the Multi-Millionaire Trial Lawyer's "Fighting for One America" bull.

There are actually two John Edwards and the scientific community is united in that fact...

One pays $400 (actually more) for a haircut, the other one lies about it by saying his staff arranged it and his personal assistant paid the bill.

One rails against Wal-Mart, the other one blames a "volunteer" for contacting Wal-Mart about a PlayStation 3 for his son.

One chastises his own party for taking money from Rupert Murdoch, the other one takes $500,000 for a book from a Murdoch company plus over $300,000 in expenses. Part of that $300,000 going to his daughter Cate.

One castigates Hellary for ties to lobbyists and Washington special interests, the other one relies heavily on donations from lawyers. Through the first two quarters of this year, he had received $6.5 million from them.

One wants to focus on poverty, while the other one has assets over $30 Million and is also the main beneficiary of his Center for Promise and Opportunity.

One says..."We need a president of the United States who can walk and chew chewing gum at the same time.", The other has to turn down chewing gum to show his talent by saying..."I'm not sure I can."

Ides of August

August is traditionally referred to as the Dog Days of Summer.

In lieu of the Iowa State Fair, some are calling it the Corn Dog Days of Summer.

There are days when it has even been a little warm for me, sans breeze.

Per The Washington Post we'd better get used to it...

Arctic Ocean Getting Warm; Seals Vanish and Icebergs Melt

...great masses of ice have now been replaced by moraines of earth and stones.

...at many points well-known glaciers have entirely disappeared.

If you clicked the Post link and didn't find the article, it's because it appeared November 2, 1922!

"Gore-bull" warming before "Gore-bull" warming was cool?

A study by the Business & Media Institute found that media, such as The New York Times, Newsweek, Time and I'm sure The Washington Post, have warned about impending climate doom four different times in the past 100 years.

Sounds cyclical and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Truth in Advertising

In honor of her new TV spots, "The softer side of Hell-ary".

Number 1 should say, with pants kept on and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Shirt is available at ThoseShirts.com

The man they love to hate

As the architect of the two national Bush victories, Fiberal Dummycrats despise Karl Rove.

What burns them more is his ability to shine the light on who they really are...

Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers.

Left out is their desire to blame America.

It's said you can tell a lot about a man by the enemies he makes.

From the Press, Bill Plante of CBS News...

"If he's so smart, how come you lost Congress?"

If you're so good, why do your ratings suck?

From Dummycrats, John Edwards...

"Goodbye, good riddance."

Funny, those are the same words uttered by the American people in 2004 and will be repeated in 2008 and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Harry Nilsson sums it up best with these lyrics from "You're Breaking My Heart"...

You've gotta have your way
There's nothin' left to say
There's nothin' left to do--ooh!
You're breakin' my heart
You're tearin' it apart
So fuck you

Peace Out

My friend Cal sent the Ragister a letter regarding the "rapping peace activist" and I felt obligated to share it.

I though it very revealing that Jan Hill mentions how"There was a lot of anger behind it".
"It" being her anti-Bush "rap" song. It certainly was not a "peacerap".
It isn't until the ninth verse that the word peace is used.
The first eight verses are filled with the usual rancor, hatred, half-truths and innuendo all so-called

peace-loving liberals spew at President Bush.

It is so easy and safe for Ms.Hill and her social worker friends to be so demeaning and passionately spiteful at our President over the military action in Iraq.
If this"middle-aged momma with babies to save" truly wantsto help save babies she might possibly aim her vitriol atthe terrorist's in Iraq and Iran who routinely use very young children as suicide bombers to kill, not only American soldiers, but, more often now, the Sunni, Kurds and Shiites

of their own nation who disagree with their brand of fanatical Islam. I suggest these "truth tellers" try passing off their "peace anthem" in North Korea, Syria or even Venezuela.
Ms. Hills much repeated epithet, Emperor, fits the leaders of those nations, not the leader of this country.

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

Let's see if they print it.

Who's Delusional?

No surprise that the Ragister is calling for higher taxes in the wake of the I-35W bridge collapse.

Their editorial specifically called for an increase in the gasoline tax.

If I recall correctly 39 cents is the current tax per gallon, with the feds taking 18 cents and the state 21.

The Ragister resorts to name calling with...

Anyone who says we can shift a few dollars around here and there to pay for all that without raising significant new revenues is delusional.

You may be right, I may be crazy.

However there is a one word solution...

Earmarks!

Earmarks in the House have increased from 3,000 in 1996 to 15,000 in 2005 to 36,000 in spending bills for this fiscal year.

The Ragister asks...

If current state and federal gas taxes won't cover all the roads and bridges needing attention, where will the money come from for the rest of it?

Per the Sunlight Foundation they found $503 Million earmarked in one appropriations bill and $132.3 Million in another.

That's just $632.3 Million in just two spending bills!

Clean up wasteful spending before you come to me for higher taxes.

The infamous "bridge to nowhere" in a remote part of Alaska received over $200 Million.

To paraphrase Everett Dirksen, you're almost talking real money and the scientific community is united in that fact.

If a bridge to nowhere falls, does it make a noise or even matter?

Saturday in the Park (ing lot)

To me the Iowa Straw Poll is like the Iowa State Fair, only with a better class of people (for the most part).

Cal and I got there around 11 a.m. (in the morning?) and headed off to vote.

I got numerous compliments on my "Viva La REAGAN Revolucion" T-shirt, including Republican House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, who remembered me from a previous life.

Cal voted for Tom Tancredo and I cast my ballot for Rudy Giuliani.

I've taken some heat from conservative friends for that, mainly because he's pro-choice.

My response has been that pro-life President's haven't changed anything.

Here's why I like Rudy...

His 12 Commitments to Voters:

*I will keep America on offense in the Terrorists’ War on Us.
*I will end illegal immigration, secure our borders, and identify every non-citizen in our nation.
*I will restore fiscal discipline and cut wasteful Washington spending.
*I will cut taxes and reform the tax code.
*I will impose accountability on Washington.
*I will lead America towards energy independence.
*I will give Americans more control over and access to health care with affordable and portable free-market solutions.
*I will increase adoptions, decrease abortions, and protect the quality of life for our children.
*I will reform the legal system and appoint strict constructionist judges.
*I will ensure that every community in America is prepared for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
*I will provide access to a quality education to every child in America by giving real school choice to parents.
*I will expand America’s involvement in the global economy and strengthen our reputation around the world.

Plus, it's an Italian thing. I guess he's my Paesan, my Goombah.

After voting we ate some BBQ, the sauce was a little too sweet for me, and then went into Hilton for the candidate's speeches.

I thought Mitt Romney did a good job, certainly the best of what I saw.

I loved the slam at John Edwards and his $250 savings plan for Americans.

Romney noted that $250 wouldn't even pay for an Edwards hair cut.

Tom Tancredo had some good lines, but he needs to learn how to give a speech.

Why did we have to have our time wasted with John Cox?

Ron Paul scares me.

He's a contradiction inside an enigma wrapped up in a conundrum.

Don't tell me that 9/11 could have been prevented with a lot more respect for the 2nd Amendment, the terrorists would have taken guns on board the planes instead of box cutters.

Don't tell me we need to get back to the Constitution and you're a firm believer in the rule of law, that same Constitution allows Congress to make law.

Don't tell me the U.S. can't be the world's policeman and then offer a bill to allow anyone to hunt Osama bin Laden.

Don't tell me we must preserve all life and then have a bounty on bin Laden's head.

There were signs throughout Ames for his "revolution", more like Devolution!

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

He says he's an OB/GYN, but if my wife were pregnant I wouldn't let him near her.

Mike Huckabee has no fire with his brimstone.

We left after Huckabee.

The voting results were to be announced at 7 p.m. (in the evening?), but weren't released until around 8:40 p.m.

Congratulations to the Republican Party for lending credence to the Paul supporters who filed suit trying to stop the use of optical scanners to count votes.

On Friday the Story County Election Commissioner expressed confidence in Story County's machines, saying testing shows they are counting votes correctly.

"This is a very secure process, and we wouldn't want a machine that wasn't functioning properly."

On Saturday that's exactly what they got...a party official confirmed one voting machine malfunctioned and that tabulators recounted at least 1500 ballots.

Final results 14,203 ballots were cast:

Mitt Romney won the 2007 Ames straw poll, receiving 4516 votes.

Mike Huckabee finished second with 2587 votes.

Third-Sam Brownback with 2192 votes.

Fourth-Tom Tancredo with 1961 votes.

Fifth-Ron Paul with 1305 votes.

Sixth-Tommy Thompson, 1,039 votes.

Seventh-Fred Thomson with 203 votes.

Eighth-Rudy Giuliani with 183 votes.

Ninth-Duncan Hunter with 174 votes.

Tenth-John McCain with 101 votes.

Eleventh-John Cox with 41 votes.

Let the winnowing of the field begin.

Off to Poll land

I'm not as excited as 1999.

I'm not exactly sure who I'll vote for, I've got a couple of folks in mind.

My friend Cal and I are off to Ames, amidst the Socialists of Story County, this morning for the Iowa Straw Poll.

The shirt I will be wearing sports the message Viva La REAGAN Revolucion and the scientific community is united in that fact.

The shirt, and others, are available at thoseshirts.com

Dis means war?

Iowa's goober, Chester Culver, has said he'll do whatever it takes to keep the Iowa Caucuses the first in the nation.

I'm not sure he's willing to go to war with the other 49 states, but it sounds good.

What doesn't sound good is this...

"...All's I can tell you is as governor I'll do everything in my power to make sure that Iowa has the first caucus in the nation and I'm confident that we will."

ALL'S?

This is the same lug who gave us...

Literasly

What a maroon!

A regular ta-ra-ra-goon-de-ay!

And the scientific community is united in that fact.

PS: Those are Bugs Bunny-ism's sprinkled throughout.

The San Francisco Treat

"...Barry Bonds etched his name into baseball's history books and took his rightful place among sport's immortals."

--Nancy Pelosi

That statement comes as no surprise since a needle full of poison has found its way inside both of them and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Wrong-o!

"We can't make John black, we can't make him a woman..."

--Elizabeth Edwards

It appears you can!

Truth be told, it's John Edwards who made himself into a woman and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Better living through chemistry?

I'm told that Barry Bonds is Major League Baseball's new all time home run hitter.

Between the 'roids and the body armor

I remain unimpressed.

I think it was Monsanto that years ago had a commercial that ended with...

"Without chemicals, life itself would be impossible"




















And the scientific community is united in that fact.

I'm no Bobby Fuller

That's because I FOUGHT THE LAW and I WON and the scientific community is united in that fact!

Nearly two months ago I received a notice from the I.R.S. that said I owed them $750 from our 2005 return and interest of $76 and growing.

Chris had won a magazine contest that was a trip to Miami that included air & hotel valued at $3,000.

The problem (besides doubling its actual value) is we never got the trip, never received a thing.

However, the magazine (who couldn't get us the trip or the 1099 form) did manage to turn the tax forms into the I.R.S.

I sent a letter to the I.R.S. advising all of this and ending, "Therefore we will not be paying for a trip that we never received".

In yesterday's mail I received a CLOSING NOTICE that stated, "We are pleased to tell you that, with your help, we were able to clear up the differences between your records and your payers' records".

I must say that given the reputation of the agency, I was expecting to have a battle royal on my hands.

Not many folks can speak of victory against the I.R.S.