Month: December 2005

Words cannot adequately describe the level of stupidity required to accomplish this goal.

Brilliant.

That’s gonna leave a mark.

Remember this one? Well, here’s another helpful suggestion ladies. Now, go, create, with fervor.

How to dance like a white guy (video). Order now.

Tom Daschle, whose hindsight is always 20/20, writes in the WaPo today that as majority leader in 2001, he never heard anyone mention anything about warrantless wiretaps.

I did not and never would have supported giving authority to the president for such wiretaps. I am also confident that the 98 senators who voted in favor of authorization of force against al Qaeda did not believe that they were also voting for warrantless domestic surveillance.

This is what the Democrats do. They trot out a loser from their glory days to tow the party line, and give what they believe to be the ‘bottom line’ on whatever story they’re using to bash Bush. It’s so predictable, and so boring.

When are we going to hear leadership from the Democrats? I’ve said it in this space way too many times already – Americans are tired of hearing liberals complain. We’re tired of them pointing fingers and not stepping up to say what they would do to lead, to change things, to make things better.

Why do they do what they do? They don’t have the answers. They don’t know what they would do if they were in leadership. The economy is cookin’, the war in Iraq is progressing at a pace that cannot be increased, and consumer confidence is up. In other words, the Democrats don’t have a platform. So, they blame. They complain. They obstruct.

That’s not a compelling message. 

The ‘Light Blogging’ sign is now officially illuminated. I’ve been slow this week as it is, since I’m on holiday from work, staying at home and doing ‘home’ things with the family. Now, with Christmas just a couple of days away, it’ll be even tougher for me to do any significant blogging. So it is during this time of year.

Not that there’s a lack of topics – lots of stuff going on, but if you’re a blogger or a blog reader, you already know that.

I’ll be checking in from time to time, but things won’t be back to normal til after Christmas day.

In the meantime, enjoy this excellent tribute to our troops. (Thanks for the tip Dan!)

James Dungy, the 18-year-old son of Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, was found dead in a Tampa-area apartment, police said Thursday.

No foul play is suspected, but a cause of death won’t announced pending an autopsy, said Vida Morgan, a secretary in the Hillsborough County sheriff’s office.

James Dungy’s girlfriend found him when she returned to the Campus Lodge Apartments in Lutz, Fla., the sheriff’s office said in a news release on its Web site. Police responded at 1:32 a.m. Thursday and performed CPR on Dungy before he was taken to University Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Tony Dungy has left the Colts and is in Tampa, according to NFL.com. The Colts (13-1) are at Seattle on Saturday; Indianapolis lost its first game Sunday against the visiting San Diego Chargers, ending what had been a perfect season.

The coach and his wife, Lauren, have four other children: daughters Tiara and Jade and sons Eric and Jordan. James, their second-oldest child, was taking extension classes at the University of South Florida, Morgan said.

FOXNews says foul play has been ruled out, but speculation runs wild. A commentator mentioned that some are wondering if James Dungy committed suicide. So far, I’ve found no other source that goes so far as to suggest that James killed himself. UPDATE: Tampa area radio reporting that suicide is suspected.

According to a press statement made just minutes ago (8:30 AM PST) by Colts team president Bill Polian, Tony Dungy called him earlier this morning with the news, then immediately flew to Tampa. Contingency plans have been put into place and Jim Caldwell will coach the team while Dungy is away with his family.

Statement posted on the front page of the Indianapolis Colts website:  

“Our Colts family is united in prayer and support for the Dungy family at this time,” said Colts Owner and C.E.O. Jim Irsay. “It is an unspeakable tragedy, and we will do whatever we can to assist Tony, Lauren and their children.”

“The thoughts and prayers of everyone in the Colts organization are with Tony and his family. Those joining the organization in these sentiments are asked to observe the family’s wish for privacy at this time,” said Colts President Bill Polian.

• Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office statement
• Google Maps satellite view of James Dungy’s apartment.
• Indianapolis Star Colts site
• James Dungy “fit in well” at North Central
• Colts Fan Forum

UPDATE II: Death is suspected to be suicide. Medical Examiner: Dungy Took His Own Life.

Others: ESPN | ABC News | 620 WDAE Radio | WRTV Indianapolis | Sports Illustrated |

The USA Patriot Act stays alive for at least six months.

U.S. Senate leaders reached a bipartisan agreement on Wednesday to extend for six months key provisions of the anti-terrorism USA Patriot Act set to expire in 10 days.

The accord, to be voted on later on Wednesday, would provide time for Congress to try to resolve differences over safeguards for civil liberties before making most of the provisions the Bush administration deems necessary for its war on terror permanent.

Democrats and Republicans who helped negotiate the deal voiced confidence that the White House and House of Representatives would give needed approvals.

This is good news. Now, what to do about those turncoat* Republicans? 

(*Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Larry Craig of Idaho, John Sununu of New Hampshire and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska)

Pope Benedict XVI as Santa?

Someone ring the Vatican and advise them not to do this ever again. I showed these pictures to each one of my kids and it terrified them. They wanted to know why this man was pretending to be a mean Santa.

If you think about it, he does look slightly off.

Jeanine Pirro gives up.

After weeks of pressure from her own party to drop out, Republican Jeanine Pirro abandoned her struggling campaign to unseat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and announced Wednesday that she will run for New York attorney general instead.

“I have decided that my law enforcement background better qualifies me for a race for New York State attorney general than a race for the United States Senate,” Pirro, the Westchester County district attorney, said in a statement.

With her campaign against Clinton in trouble, Pirro had been under strong pressure from top state GOP leaders to make the switch.

The move leaves Republicans with two active candidates for the Senate nomination: former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer, who is not well known statewide, and an even less well known tax attorney from the Catskills region, William Brenner.

Her campaign was doomed to failure anyway, so it’s better that she gets out now than later, when she’s whupped upside the head by the Clintonistas. Time now to find the right candidate who will ask the tough questions that the press can latch onto. If Hillary wants to run for president in 2008, it’s important that Republicans push her into a corner now and treat the mid-terms like a presidential primary.