Let's Make The Dems'...

...heads explode!

 

Thx, @yesnicksearcy

Polite Look...

...at Vlad and Barry's relationship

Carrying Putin's balls.

Heh.  Thanks Janie Johnson!

Debate Rules For Liberals

You got that right!

Thanks to @BarracudaMama!

New Time Waster...

...Twitter.

I opened an account so I could Tweet when I put up a post.  Sadly, it got out of control in the last month, and I've spent a significant part of my time over there.

Which has to stop.  I stumbled into a potential money-making gig about a week and a half ago, and we met today to start getting our brains around it.  I walked away with a pretty good list of things I need to do.  In addition, I need to get some things sorted out at the office here at home in order to support what I'll be doing there.

Yes, I'm being deliberately vague about what it is.  I think we need to get the proverbial ducks lined up before I make a big to-do about it here.

But I'm optimistic about it.

And I'm saying the (Alan) Shepard's prayer, too.  A lot!

More as it develops.

This Will Leave A Mark! Updated

The Weekly Standard's Elliott Abrams filets  Obama's (lack of) coherent foreign policy!

I see  a consensus building:

Deseret News

Washington Post

(And, just for fun, Freedom Outpost - totally unrelated!)

Sane Discussion About Abortion

I found out about Cecile Richards and her "hand wave" about when life begins in this article at NRO yesterday.  She says:

“It is not something that I feel is really part of this conversation,” Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood told Fusion’s Jorge Ramos on Thursday. “I don’t know if it’s really relevant to the conversation.”

I started reading the coments, and found this one, by Bob Wynne:

 

Bob Wynne • a day ago

If any of you full grown adults that are definitely alive needed to be hooked up to my blood supply for months, would the choice to carry that burden be up to me or not? It is not a question of whether you are alive. I accept that you are. Yet there is still a question.

 It piqued my interest, and I responded to him.  I was expecting the "forced gestation" argument to surface pretty quickly, but it didn't.  Instead, I found myself in a conversation with someone who has genuine concerns about the rights of the mother vs the rights of her unborn child.

See what you think.  My initial response:

 leelu Bob Wynne • a day ago

Wonderfully bogus argument, and totally off the point, too.

Bob Wynne leelu • a day ago

No argument from me, Boss. Just asking a question. You might wonder, "Why would Bob ask that?" In order to get an answer. So far I have been unsuccessful.

leelu Bob Wynne • a day ago

 Ah... To answer your question, I would say yes, you definitely should/would have a say in it. OK?

Bob Wynne leelu • 21 hours ago

Now, I am asking what the point is that I am off of?

leelu Bob Wynne • 21 hours ago

What I perceive as the point of the article - the assertion that the issue of when life begins is irrelevant to abortion. I just don't see a connection there?

Bob Wynne leelu • 8 hours ago

The point is that I think that if we, as civilized people, can agree that society cannot force an individual to share their blood, oxygen and nutrients with another living person, then it is not relevant when a cell mass becomes a person for purposes of abortion rights. If we can agree that society can force a person to share their blood, oxygen and nutrients with another person, then personhood might be relevant in the discussion.

leelu Bob Wynne • 3 hours ago

The short answer is, if "it is not relevant when a cell mass becomes a person", then ,by a simple logical extension, there no reason why I should be penalized in any way for shooting you. (This is *not* a threat, btw.)

Your whole "sharing" example is irrelevant as well. In your case, you are talking about somthing that, absent force, would be, by definition, a contractual arrangement. I expect that you would not let me "hook up" for nothing. That is not the case between a mother and child - no contract exists. It is a moral issue, based exactly on the point of the start of personhood. Hand-waving it doesn't make it go away.

Bob Wynne leelu • 3 hours ago

You may be right on your primary position here. We all agree that you cannot do anything to another person. I am suggesting that if the fetus is a person, that there is more to discuss along those lines.

Some would argue that refusing to share your resources is not doing something to them. It is not allowing them to do something to you. You are removing them from your personal space. You are redirecting your blood flow for your personal use. They are free to go on their way. But they feed on you only by your grace and agreement.

That is what I would say if some born person needed some component in by blood for some period of time. I do not believe in killing another, but I do not belive in forcing anyone to support someone else, either.

As far as the comparison to the abortion debate, I have no answers. I cannot support forcing anyone to make that sacrifice. Even if the fetus is deemed a person, why would I give him or her more rights than me or you? I am glad that the decision does not rest on me. I feel that it should be left up to those that will have to live with it.

leelu Bob Wynne • 2 hours ago

If you donate blood or are an organ donor, then the resource sharing issue is moot. You may, if you want, or not. Same with me, as a first responder - I am under *no* legal obligation to administer CPR, just as you are under no legal obligation to give blood. 

"Feeding" suggests a parasite-host relationship, which again, is moot, since we are agreed that you have voluntarily donated blood or organs (I'm thinking "live donor" here, as in kidney or liver parts).

I don't think it's ultimately about rights, altho that certainly is a big part of the legal debate. If we agree that the unborn baby is human, then I would argue that his/her "right to life" is equal to yours or mine. So, in spite of Richard's hand waiving, it really does come down to that.

I'm enjoying this discussion. I can relate to your dilemma- my Catholic upbringing informs my conscience even today, yet I don't want to see women forced into the old "back alley/dirty coat hanger" environment. Women *will* get abortions, legal or not. If it came to a vote, I *would* vote my conscience ("No"), and still hope that women who sought them would be well cared for.

I'd like to post this to one of my blogs (leelusplace.blogspot.com). If you prefer, I will "anonymize" you.

Bob Wynne leelu • 2 minutes ago

Post it if you like. But I would like to close with the notion that not all decisions that need to be made, need to be made by government. And if the solution is not universal, then it should not be enforced by law.

leelu Bob Wynne • in a minute

Agreed!

And there we have it.  What do you think?

Demon's Nest

On time this week.

Don't be hard on the maggots!

Via Pibgorn

Primary Challenger to Boehner!

Here's his "Meet Eric" page.

Hey, should be better than the (spit) incumbent, and damned better than any Democrat, no?

Of course, I could be wrong.

The Day We Fight Back

 

From Day By Day (obviously!)

APOD Rocks Today!

The Felix Baumgartner jump:


APOD

Belated Demons

Once again, I've bee remiss in staying on top of the weekly Demon's Nest of Sentiments.  This week's here, the rest below the fold...

It was 40 Years Today...

Mr. Brooks Taught The Band to...

Bah, that's not gonna fly.

But this did:




From  Ace!

How Fast Do You Read??

I'm still above 400 words per minute (455-ish on this test).  Guess I wasn't really cut out to be a college prof!

Source: Staples eReader Department

Via @The Anchoress

Yet Another Blog!

My daughter has the genealogy bug, and I have been scanning photos and documents for to use in her research.  I plan on writing them all off to disc, and then thought "Why not a Tumblr page for her to use?"  I can get the pictures to her, and add notes and comments to explain what each one is about.

New tab for the site - "Leelu's Tumblr" at the top.  A bit thin right now, but More To Come!

For Your Delight And Edification

President Chairman Obama:

Wow, I was putting together a list like this. Now I don't have to. http://t.co/S0SUKpPJVP @instapundit
— Elizabeth Scalia (@TheAnchoress) January 28, 2014

The real SOTU.

Big Bada-Boom!

From The DC:




Enjoy!

Actor's Rule: Never Work...

...with kids and dogs!!

No matter what is going on in your life, this will make you smile & laugh! Bookmark it for emergency happiness! http://t.co/kiqtHcW1iE
— Tammy Bruce (@HeyTammyBruce) January 26, 2014

Political Cartoonery

Found at random places:

 

Happy Monday!!

TEK RMD

This is cool! I gather from the site that it's still in development, but I want to share!

A user transitioning from a standard wheelchair to the TEK RMD

Link to one of their videos.  (Warning - it may auto-start!)

(I can't seem to embed it.  Sorry!)

Presented Without Comment

From Drudge (of course), via Sondrakistan.

Found at...

...the Coalition:


Koda did that for leftover steak one night. I caught him eating it whilst standing on the dining table. Consuelo did not find it helpful when I told her not to leave such things unattended.

 I miss him…

Small Crack...

...in the wall!

California schoolteachers file lawsuit over mandatory union dues

Demon's Nest

Quite the screed this week!

From Pibgorn, as always.

Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons...

 

 My daughter wrote: "Jake carved the face.  I helped shovel snow and spray the body blue.  I've got to figure out how to build a minion  :)"

I'm thinking trashcan full of snow, flipped over, round up the top.  Paint and decorate as needed!

Demon's Nest, Thursday Edition

Indeed.

From Pibgorn.

Piano Guys - O Come, Emmanuel

Found at Gerard's.

What is best...

</Anhuld>

I have nothing else to add.

From The H2

Demon's Nest

This week's installment:

Via Brooke's Pibgorn

How Odd...

...she was not only Hawaii's Health Director, she also verified Obama's birth certificate to the world. And was the only one who died in the crash.

 I'm sure it's just an odd coinkydink.

Official who verified Obama’s birth certificate sole casualty in plane crash

Via the Daily Caller and NBC.

Sincere condolences to her family and friends.

WHEN A SOLDIER COMES HOME

WHEN  A SOLDIER COMES HOME (Read to the Very End!)

This email is being  circulated around the world~~~please keep it going.

When  a soldier comes home, he finds it hard......to listen to his son whine about  being bored.

 

....to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes.

To  be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work. 

...to  be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night's  sleep.

 

  ...to  be silent when people pray to God for a new car.

 

...to  control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive  slower.

..to  be compassionate when a businessman expresses a fear of  flying.

 ....to  keep from laughing when anxious parents say they're afraid to send their kids  off to summer camp.

 ....to  keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot  weather.

....to  control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee being  cold. 

 

  
....to  remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the  dog.

.....to  be civil to people who complain about their jobs.

.....to  just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a  year.

 ...to  be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the  house. 

The only thing harder than being a  Soldier...  

Is loving one. 

I was asked to pass this on and I will gladly do so!! Will  you???

 
No  one has been able to explain to me why young men and women serve in the U.S.  Military for 20 years, risking their lives protecting freedom, and only get  50% of their pay on retirement. While Politicians hold their political  positions, in the safe confines of the capital, protected by these same men  and women, and receive full-pay retirement after serving one term. It just  does not make any sense.  

If  each person who receives this will forward it on to 20 people, in three days,  most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one  proposal that really should be passed around.

Proposed 28th  Amendment to the United States Constitution: "Congress shall make no law that  applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to  the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that  applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to  the citizens of the United States."

You  are one of my 20+. I passed it on, will you?

"If  you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice," and these brave  soldiers have given you that choice.  

This from my cousin,

Pass it on!

Free Concerts...

...and a Flash Orchestra!!  (Updated and bumped!)



Via The Anchoress.

Merry Christmas!!

Update:  How they did it, from The Blaze.

I Knew This...

...from way back!

My personal rule has always been, "Do not interrupt the person you are talking with for someone else."  Unless. of course, it's the boss, or my kid (or her mom) with an emergency.  After that, flames, not smoke, and only for arterial blood.

I watched a fair number of folks get real uncomfortable when I ignored my phone and continued our conversation.  I never actually timed anyone, but my best guess is that it was less than a minute before I was asked "Aren't you going to get that?"

I suspect that anxiety is behind the compulsion to be in constant contact (and not the other way around, as stated above).  So I suspect that some people are just not comfortable in their own skin.

Via Drudge

Demon's Nest...

...this week's installment.

From Brooke's Pibgorn

Juxtapositions du Jour...

First this...


...from the daily Caller


Then this...

Going Boldly

December 5th, 2013 - 7:25 am

Faster-than-light travel — made real?

And explained in layman’s terms for those of us (especially me) who struggled through these things in high school and college.

...from the ever-suave Mr. Green!

Sexist Study du jour...

The hardwired difference between male and female brains could explain why men are 'better at map reading' 

And why women are 'better at remembering a conversation'

It's what, I think, most people have known all along (in the intuitive sense, anyway).  And if the theory of mis-wiring in autistic kids is substantiated, it blows the hell out of the "inoculations cause autism" theory.

Thank God!!
 
From the U.K. Independent, via Rodger!

Demon's Nest of the Week...

 

...at Pibgorn.

Demon's Nest...

I guess I'm not checking as well as I shood - gocomics sometimes gets a day or two behind, and I miss "episodes" unless I go look for them explicitly.

Here are the last two installments:

For 11/24...

...aaaand for 11/17

One Man's Take...

...on the Catholic Mass



WARNING: Unclean language in spots!

Thanks to The Anchoress!

Demon's Nest of Sentiments

This week's installment:

Whimsey du jour..

...lifted bodily from Gerard:

Bay Bridge's mysterious protector out of hiding

The troll, who has no name, was created and surreptitiously installed in 1989

on a quickly fabricated section of bridge deck that replaced the pieces that collapsed in the Loma Prieta earthquake. He remained out of sight - only bridge workers and boaters could see him on the north side of the span - and cast his magic to protect the bridge and its users. In early September, when the new eastern span opened, the troll was spirited away by ironworkers, who wanted to make sure he was free before demolition of the old span began. - - SFGate

Thanks, man.  I needed that.

Comfort Food

...presented without comment.

Carefully lifted from Gerard!

Merida Grown Up...

...and the feminists don't like it!

Apparently, someone at Disney/Pixar decided to upgrade Princess Merida for the Disney "Princess" collection.  So, she's a bit older, and a bit curvier, which can happen when girls grow up.  Watching a daughter turn into a young woman can be startling (if not downright shocking), but that's what they do!  Especially if, like me, you put a kid on an airplane, and four months later the young woman returns in her place.  Sadly, growing up to be attractive seems deemed 'sexualization' by the feminist cohort. But it's what little girls (and little boys) do.

The most quoted critic is the film's former co-director, Brenda Chapman, who was replaced during the film's production.(See the UK's Guardian and The Hollywood Reporter for more.)

From all the heat, light and noise, you'd think Disney had let Merida go the route of Miley Cyrus.
 Speaking of whom, I couldn't find quite the same outrage about her VMA appearance as I did about Merida.  Here are my searches at the Guardian and the Reporter.  Yes, there were critical articles, but no one was espousing that Miley turn back to her Hanna Montana persona, either.

Silly me.  I still think beauty in any form should be celebrated, not denigrated.  Yes, not every girl will grow up to be a Hollywood "princess" (which is actually a Good Thing).  And not every boy will grow up to be a leading man, which is also good.  Parents need to instill a solid sense of self-worth (not self-esteem) in their children, and teach them how to be the best person they can be.  I have seen both men and women who are outside of the leading man/princess ideal, who have learned to be their best, and who present  themselves quite well.  As a result, I find them handsome or attractive.

It's much more about character,  and much less on looks.