PunditGuy

Was released 10 years ago today.

Headlines and Commentary for 08.24.05

Rescuers Look for Peru Airliner Victims – Rescuers combed a jungle marsh Wednesday for victims of a Peruvian airliner that split in two after an emergency landing during a hailstorm, killing at least 31 people and leaving 10 missing. Fifty-seven people escaped the burning wreckage, wading away through knee-deep mud.

Is it me or have there been like 4 plane crash stories in the last couple of weeks? Not good.

Tropical Storm Katrina Nears Florida – Tropical Storm Katrina threatened to dump more than a foot of rain on parts of water-logged Florida as it approached the state Wednesday, with forecasters expecting it to strengthen to a weak hurricane before hitting the coast. Katrina was expected to strike Florida’s east coast early Friday.

I don’t care how many days out of the year the sun shines in Florida. I’m never moving there.

Insurgent Attacks Leave 13 Dead in Iraq – Dozens of insurgents wearing black uniforms and masks launched their boldest assault in Baghdad in weeks, attacking police Wednesday with multiple car bombs and small arms fire. Up to 13 people died as Iraqi politicians struggled to end a stalemate over a draft constitution.

The war on terror continues. The American people need to hear the good things that are happening in Iraq. Reading the same headline day after day makes it look like no progress is being made.

Tour Chief: Armstrong Fooled Sports World – The director of the Tour de France claims Lance Armstrong has “fooled” the sports world and that the seven-time champion owes fans an explanation over new allegations he used a performance-boosting drug.

The French have been out to get Armstrong for years. Would I be surprised if it turns out that Lance has a steroid problem? Nope. They’re a scourge. Part of the lure of any sport is watching people use their strength in competition with others. If everyone is loaded on drugs that enhance your performance, it’s cheatin, and that’s wrong. Something has to be done about it, but what that is, I don’t know.

Panel Overrules Feds on New England Bases – Overruling the Pentagon on two of its biggest requests, a commission reviewing base closings voted to keep open a shipyard and a submarine base in New England that military planners wanted to shut down.

I’m all for cutting excess spending, even in the military, if there truly is waste and inefficiency. But, growing up in a Navy town, I know about the fear, the worry, and the stress these closures cause. And I don’t care what BRAC says – when you take a major economic force out of a community, it takes years, decades in fact, to recover. Tough stuff.

Roberts Urged to Address Ethics Issue – Two Democratic senators said Wednesday that they want Supreme Court nominee John Roberts to explain before his confirmation hearings why he continued to judge a lawsuit against the Bush administration while being interviewed to be a justice.

Don’t be intimidated into doing or saying anything before your confirmation hearing John. Just sit tight. Your confirmation is secure.

Court releases new Saddam photos – New photos of Saddam Hussein have been released by the Special Iraqi Tribunal investigating the former Iraqi leader.

So what! Just get on with the freakin trial. This guy’s getting 3 hots and a cot (which is probably better than the bed I have at home). Judge him, convict him, and execute him. Sounds like simple expedient justice to me.

And finally…

Sperm donor reality show – Billionaire television producer John de Mol, behind the pioneer show Big Brother, will test the limits of reality TV with a program in which a woman searches for a potential sperm donor to conceive a child.

Good Lord.

I’ll never understand why the Left gives this lady so much credit.

Barbra Streisand uses a portion of her website to post “blog like” statements, which are most often anti-Bush, anti-Conservatism, and in some ways, anti-American.

Problem is, she has no credibility.

In this post, she tries to highlight the anniversary of a certain event:

Posted on August 5, 2005

August 6, 2005 marks the 60th anniversary of the US bombing of Hiroshima. The Atomic Bomb, which decimated the Japanese city and its people, was never used in combat again.

What’s wrong with this picture?

She claims that the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was never used in combat again. Oh really!

This would be a surprise to the people of Nagasaki, bombed 11AM on August 9, 1945.  Japan surrendered on August 15.

Heh.

Stick to making music Babs. That way, you won’t have to recite history, spell, or do that ‘new’ math.

This is priceless. Hollywood’s ‘movie trailer’ voices, together in one car. (QuickTime video)

Wow, where did the day go?

Intentions, assumptions…

I had intended to blog this morning, but then something got in the way and I couldn’t. So, I’m off to work, and I’m thinking that I’ll take some time during lunch and write. It’s a safe assumption, because I usually eat at my desk and the computer is right there in front of me. It’s easy to dash off a few blog articles and then get back to work after an hour. As it turned out, I was wrong on that. I’m training a new person in my department, so this means lots of talking, explaining, more talking and more explaining. Before I know it, lunch is half eaten and now it’s time to get back to work.

And now here we are. It’s late in the afternoon and I’ve got commitments this evening so I probably won’t get to write anything until late tonight.

So it is with the blog.

More (hopefully) later. 

This is unreal.

The 700 Club looks like a current event / news show, but in reality, it’s Pat Robertson. He’s the show. He’s the one who comments after each little news segment. He’s the one who has the most camera time. Make no mistake about it. This is Pat’s gig.

What happens when you have a TV show that is really just about you and your comments? Well, sometimes you actually say on TV what you think. That can lead to controversy, like it did tonight.

Robertson was doing his little commentary thingy during a discussion that included the mention of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Everyone knows that Chavez has been in a funk lately over the policies of the Bush administration. Recently, he accused the U.S. government of conspiring to topple his government and back plots to assassinate him. U.S. officials have denied this.

Well, Pat started on his rant, filling the air with his audible ponderings, when this came out of his mouth:

There was a popular coup that overthrew him [Chavez]. And what did the United States State Department do about it? Virtually nothing. And as a result, within about 48 hours that coup was broken; Chavez was back in power, but we had a chance to move in. He has destroyed the Venezuelan economy, and he’s going to make that a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent.

You know, I don’t know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it. It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war. And I don’t think any oil shipments will stop. But this man is a terrific danger and the United … This is in our sphere of influence, so we can’t let this happen. We have the Monroe Doctrine, we have other doctrines that we have announced. And without question, this is a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil, that could hurt us very badly. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don’t need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.

Isn’t that priceless? Can’t believe it, right? Well, believe it. Watch the video here.

I can only imagine what the Left is going to say about this. The MSM has already had a cow, with more birthings expected.

Note to Pat: Many of us would (in a private setting) agree with what you’re saying about Chavez. He’s a loose cannon for sure. But when you get on television and say these things, it only ends up making you look a little wacko. And while you might be used to accusations of wackiness, it hurts the Republican party, it hurts Conservatism, and it sure doesn’t help non-Christians understand Christians any better (it’s that whole ‘Love Thy Neighbor’ thing that trips ’em up).

UPDATE: Backpedal, backpedal. Pat, just stop. It’s better to shut up than to deny what you said.

I’m not a fan. I haven’t attended. I don’t personally know anyone who has.

All I know is this. Thousands are getting ready. You’d think it was the week before Christmas or something.

Countdown.

Do you attend? If you do, tell me why.

I hope I never have to hear about a death in my family by reading a blog. Phone calls or face to face communication, please.

Exhibit “A” – Jennifer Aniston.

Jennifer Aniston to Publish Her Intimate Diary

Jennifer Aniston reportedly plans to publish her intimate diary she kept during her agonizing split with husband Brad Pitt. Aniston wants to prove she is strong and truly “unsinkable” by describing her most private feelings on the collapse of her four-year marriage and Brad’s romance with Angelina Jolie.

Diagnosis – Patient suffers from an inferiority complex and paranoia.

According to some reports, Jennifer Aniston is afraid people will think she is weak, as she appeared crying and confused in an interview to Vanity Fair magazine.

Exhibit “B” – Denial; Patient does not admit she has a problem.

By publishing a diary Jennifer also hopes it will help women deal with infidelity and divorce.

Exhibit “C” – Patient is surrounded by enablers.

A friend told Britain’s Grazia magazine: “Jen’s kept a diary throughout her ordeal. Putting her out-of-control thoughts down on paper was a way to keep things from going haywire.

“She’s thinking about using her experiences to help other women with suddenly being dumped. Jen feels she’s coming across as weak. It’s not the image she wants.”

Recommended Course of Treatment – Get a life. Move on. Take a vacation. Stop it with this Brad obsession. Work. Keep making your millions. Stop listening to the suck-ups who are paid to be around you. Don’t be a victim. Don’t seek revenge. Don’t worry about who’s taking your picture and who isn’t. Don’t worry about not appearing on the cover of the latest magazine. You’re not on ‘Friends’ anymore…get over it. Stop hanging with Courtney and all the other ‘Friends’ stars. They need to move on too and you’re not helping each other. Don’t go all New Age and do the Kabbalah thing like Madonna.

Prognosis – Not good. Patient will not recover and will continue suffering from the disease due to an unwillingness to deal effectively with Exhibits B & C. Patient will eventually succumb to the disease, and by age 50 will be hosting Time Life infomercials on the USA Network and appearing in “Where Are They Now?” filler shows broadcast by TV Networks who have unexpected holes in programming.