darn lap dog try

Both Michael Steele, the supposed new leader of the Republican party, and Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana who delivered the GOP's laughable response to Obama's speech to Congress have recently shown us that they are just lap dogs for Rush Limbaugh, he of Oxycontin and a propensity to divide the conservatives more effectively than Moses parted the sea.

It's hard not to observe that in an effort to try and absorb that the country recently elected its first non-white president, the GOP appears to be scouring its ranks for visible leadership that is racially inclusive. Too bad their most recent 'stars' have had to grovel to the stereotype that is the real representative of the party: white, self-indulgent, hypocritical, and larger-than-life (in more ways than one). How embarrassing that Mr Steele had to apologize to the pink, bulbous face of intolerance -- he dared to intimate that Limblob is nothing more than an "entertainer" -- and a broken record of one at that.

A real oxy-moron. Hail Shrub Mug!

(credit to wordsmith.org for the anagrams)

red (eyes) white and blue

Second in a series of rants and raves to quell my reverse culture shock following my move back to the Bay Area after almost three years in Paris.

Three cheers for the flag when he wins eight gold medals at the Olympics, but throw Michael Phelps under a bus for a bong hit. America at its best: greed and glory are good so long as you are aren't stoned.

Now that we have an adult in the White House again -- one who long ago admitted to the occasional joint in his youth -- can we allow our athletic heroes to be human, too? I'm personally not in favor of performance-enhancing drugs for competition, but if the guy wants to have some fun during his off hours, light(en) up. You only get to be young and given to moments of careless behaviour once.

As someone who smoked several hundred pounds of that shit when I was in my late teens (and never mind the other things I was ingesting), somehow I seem to have managed to be a productive adult. I'm sure Mr Phelps has already eclipsed anything I will ever accomplish, so leave him be already.

I can only imagine the reaction of the typical resident of Paris (qui me manque). Will America ever move past its insecure adolescent mentality of demonizing sex and drugs while glorifying violence?

Feh. Pour me another glass of wine while it's still legal.

now why didn't I think of that?

From an article in the New York Times on the risks of bird populations near airports:

As for deterrents, pulsating lights and reflective coatings need more research, he said, in addition to the use of bird-detection radar at airports.

Want to win a Nobel prize? Genetically engineer geese with strobe lights and radar-reflective feathers.