Ah yes, the latest steaming pile from the New York Times, cleverly hidden in a column by Juan Williams. Excerpt:

But in a close race, the key to re-election rests on the president's ability to increase his percentage of the black vote. Here, he has the chance to make tremendous gains — if only because he now has practically no support among black voters. A May Washington Post/ABC News poll showed the likely Democratic nominee, Senator John Kerry, with a 79 percent to 6 percent lead over Mr. Bush among black voters. If the president gets only 6 percent of the black vote this year he will have achieved the near impossible task of getting a lower percentage of black votes than he did in 2000, when he won 8 percent.

But the president has the opportunity to flip the script. With a direct appeal, President Bush could win at least 20 percent of the black vote — and the White House.

My point is not that President Bush is polling horribly among blacks. Hey, he personally drove the car that dragged William Byrd to his death, right? At least, that's the impression you're likely to get listening to the Democrats. What I'm saying is that the prize of the black vote mentioned in this article is fool's gold. If President Bush's people buy into this nonsense, Senator Kerry will be sworn in as the next president. I can almost guarantee that Bush will receive less than 10% of the black vote this fall. After all, the Democrats will play up the church burning/black lynching/white sheet wearing "aspect" of the Republican Party(sorry Senator Byrd) as election day nears. Predictably, the blacks in this country will vote overwhelmingly for Waffles. I will add one caveat: if the Republicans start receiving 20% of the black vote in general elections, the Democrats can kiss the White House goodbye for a generation or more.

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Via Michelle Malkin comes a link to this story. So a guy beats a 6 year old into unconciousness and then passes out from smoking crack. The girl dies. Man spends time in jail and gets released. That's bad, but it's not the worst: he's got a cable TV job lined up already and he's still in jail. For killing a 6 year old girl. Words fail me.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 09:30 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Via the Emperor comes this link to Floyd and his artwork for Michael Moore.

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Today is Wictory Wednesday. Every Wednesday I ask my readers to volunteer and/or donate to the Bush campaign if they haven't done so already. And if you have volunteered and donated, then get a friend to join you. It's the only way to defeat the lying liberal media.

If you're a blogger, you can join Wictory Wednesday simply by putting up a post like this every Wednesday, asking your readers to volunteer and/or donate to the president's re-election campaign. Be sure to visit these fine participating blogs:

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Found this freakish link over at The Smoking Gun. I wonder if I'm too young for retinal transplants. Ugh.

Update: The above mentioned story seems to have bothered Ace a bit.

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Received the following in an email that had been forwarded so often that the addresses took up more space than the actual text. However, it does offer some interesting perspective:

People over 30 should be dead.

Here's why ............

According to today's regulators
and bureaucrats, those of us
who were kids in the 40's,
50's, 60's, or even maybe
the early 70's probably
shouldn't have survived.

Our baby cribs were covered
with bright colored lead-based
paint.

We had no childproof lids
on medicine bottles, doors
or cabinets, ... and when we
rode our bikes, we had no
helmets.
(Not to mention the risks
we took hitchhiking.)

As children, we would ride
in cars with no seatbelts
or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pickup
truck on a warm day was
always a special treat.

We drank water from the
garden hose and not from
a bottle.

Horrors!

We ate cupcakes, bread and
butter, and drank soda pop
with sugar in it, but we were
never overweight because
we were always outside
playing.

We shared one soft drink
with four friends, from one
bottle, and no one actually
died from this.

We would spend hours building
our go-carts out of scraps
and then rode down the hill,
only to find out we forgot
the brakes.

After running into the bushes
a few times, we learned to
solve the problem.

We would leave home in the
morning and play all day,
as long as we were back
when the street lights
came on.

No one was able to
reach us all day.

NO CELL PHONES!!!!!

Unthinkable!

We did not have Playstations,
Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no
video games at all, no 99
channels on cable, video
tape movies, surround
sound, personal cell phones,
personal computers, or Internet
chat rooms.

We had friends!

We went outside and found
them.

We played dodge ball, and
sometimes, the ball would
really hurt.

We fell out of trees, got
cut and broke bones and
teeth, and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.

They were accidents.

No one was to blame but us.

Remember accidents?

We had fights and punched
each other and got black
and blue and learned to get
over it.

We made up games with
sticks and tennis balls and
ate worms, and although we
were told it would happen,
we did not put out very many
eyes, nor did the worms
live inside us forever.

We rode bikes or walked to
a friend's home and knocked
on the door, or rang the
bell or just walked in and
talked to them.

Little League had tryouts and
not everyone made the team.

Those who didn't had to learn
to deal with disappointment.

Some students weren't as
smart as others, so they
failed a grade and were
held back to repeat the
same grade.

Horrors!

Tests were not adjusted
for any reason.

Our actions were our own.

Consequences were expected.

The idea of a parent bailing
us out if we broke a law was
unheard of.

They actually sided with
the law.

Imagine that!

This generation has produced
some of the best risk-takers
and problem solvers and
inventors, ever.

The past 50 years have
been an explosion of
innovation and new
ideas.

We had freedom, failure,
success and responsibility,
and we learned how to deal
with it all.

And you're one of them!

Congratulations!

Please pass this on to others
who have had the luck to grow
up as kids, before lawyers
and government regulated our
lives, for our own good !!!!!

People under 30 are WIMPS !

Posted by: Physics Geek at 04:00 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 LOL! I miss those days. As it is, I'm fighting to get my daughter into the school that isn't next door a paedophile "treatment" centre that admits it's "clients" just as the kids are coming out of school. Sad, but true. Same area, years later... As an ex-teacher, remember when you DIDN'T tell your parents you were in trouble at school as you'd get punished at home? I used to get "how DARE you speak to my foul-mouthed violent child like that, we know our Rights" ALL the time. Oh, and a panic-button on Parents night. Nice!

Posted by: Sally at June 16, 2004 08:19 PM (a1D32)

2 The best part is that all the weak children from that era were killed by those accidents, so the over 30 generation is VASTLY genetically superior to the "unders". Hmmm... I should go breed now... ... or at least PRACTICE breeding :-P

Posted by: Harvey at June 16, 2004 08:57 PM (ubhj8)

3 Practice makes perfect. Or in my case, more children.

Posted by: physics geek at June 16, 2004 09:01 PM (Xvrs7)

4 I'm an over 30, but I still reckon that I save my daughter's life nearly every day (Oh here's the bus, NOOOOO, DON'T run in front of it) but I agree it's been taken to extremes. As for "practicing", it reminds me of the story about the English Lord who took his wife for fertility treatment...It turned out he'd been *ahem* "offside" the whole time. I'm sure Harvey's doin' it right though. He's American

Posted by: Sally at June 16, 2004 09:13 PM (a1D32)

5 ?Offside? Sally, you're killing me. :-)

Posted by: physics geek at June 17, 2004 01:55 PM (Xvrs7)

6 Sally - well, all those holes. It gets confusing...

Posted by: Harvey at June 17, 2004 06:15 PM (tJfh1)

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Well, looky here. Looks like someone posted pictures of Wonkette as a child on the Internet.

They also found the secret ingredient in the Howard Dean cocktail:

A man prepares an absinthe drink. The Swiss parliament voted to end a 96-year ban on absinthe, the mythical herbal liqueur beloved of artists at the turn of the century and blamed for driving some of them mad.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 09:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Just saw interesting poll results over at Zogby wherein the Bush-Cheney ticket is matched up against Kerry-Dean and Kerry-Gephardt. Excerpt:

In an interactive presidential poll of 7,741 likely voters in key battleground states conducted by Zogby Interactive, a John Kerry-Howard Dean ticket receives 47% of support as compared to the George Bush-Dick Cheney ticket with 48%. Independent Ralph Nader receives 1%. The interactive poll was taken Tuesday, June 1 through Sunday, June 6. Overall results have a margin of sampling error that ranges between +/- 2.1- 4.5 percentage points.

In a nationwide telephone poll conducted during the same period that tested the pairing of John Kerry with two vice president candidates, Howard Dean and Richard Gephardt, Bush-Cheney holds a narrow lead over both Kerry tickets. In either race, Bush-Cheney leads by two percentage points, 45% to 43%. Ralph Nader garners 3% support with 8% unsure in a Kerry-Dean pairing, and Nader receives 4% of the vote with 7% unsure when Kerry is paired with Gephardt.

So the vice-presidential candidate might have an effect this election cycle. Who will John Effing Kerry pick?

Posted by: Physics Geek at 06:35 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I wonder if the other horses will make fun of the one in this story.

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Watching the media reaction last week reminded me of an essay by P. J. O'Rourke: 100 Reasons Why Jimmy Carter Was A Better President Than Bill Clinton. Specifically, it reminded me of the final and best reason:

And let us not forget that Jimmy Carter gave us one thing Bill Clinton can
never possibly give us-- Ronald Reagan.

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From the Emperor comes great tidings: Michelle Malkin has her own blog. So one of my favorite columnists now posts mini-columns every day, in addition to her regular work. Sweet.

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So I watched the eulogies in the Rotunda early Friday and then tuned in the TV to Foxnews around 7:30 to watch the conclusion of President Reagan's state funeral. I listened to Reagan's children give heartfelt speeches as they reminisced about their dad. And I watched Nancy finally break down over Preasident Reagan's casket as she said her final goodbyes. I was sitting with my wife at the time and I held her a little tighter right then watching someone suffer through pain I can't even imagine.

Image courtesy of Michele.

Update: I planned on linking to some of the eulogies, but Jonathan Hawkins has beaten me to it. Go here, here and here.

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Poll code from the Command Post via Michele.

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I've noticed some projecting an attitude of doom and gloom with regards to the Bush polling numbers. Hey Andrew? You might not want to take the LA Times at its word. Both links via Hugh Hewitt. Even more interesting is the link to the Iowa futures market for the presidential race of 2004. The current numbers might surprise you. Even Zogby, who called the race for Kerry last month, provides this update wherein he notes the Bush has been gaining on Kerry of late. Excerpt:

The poll numbers reflect a slight improvement for the President. Based on interactive polls conducted June 1-6 by Zogby Interactive of Utica, New York in 16 battleground states around the country, Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry would defeat the incumbent today by an Electoral College tally of 296 to 242. However, races in several states are simply too close to call.

Two weeks ago, Mr. Kerry held a 102-vote lead in the Electoral College, 320-218.

Rasmussen has the race still a dead heat. Hmm. Two prominent pollsters known for their accuracy show Bush closing the gap against Kerry or pulling even. The futures market lists somewhat towards the incumbent. And yet the LA Times decides to bravely buck the trend and post their completely madeup numbers. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results, of course, but I'm betting against the LA Times. Call me crazy.

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My guess is that Congress is already debating the public safety hazard posed by flying toilets. All you chili eaters that like to smoke while in the loo> They're coming for you.

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Saw the following column by the current governor of California. I'm reprinting it here in its entirety.

For several days, we have been hearing what Ronald Reagan meant to the world.

We all have such vivid memories of him, because he was a man of clarity -- in his heart, in his faith, in his convictions and in his actions. His was a strong, unwavering flame that burned brightly. That is why, although we have not seen him in 10 years, he appears to us so clearly today.

Reagan was a hero to me. I became a citizen of the United States when he was president, and he is the first president I voted for as an American citizen. He inspired me and made me even prouder to be a new American.

He used to talk about the letter he received from a man who said, ''You can go and live in Turkey, but you can't become Turkish. You can go and live in Japan, but you can't become Japanese. You can go to live in Germany or France, but you can't become German or French.'' But the man said that anyone from any corner of the world could come to America and become an American.

When I heard President Reagan tell that story, I said to myself, ''Arnold, you Austrian immigrant, he is talking to you. He is saying that you will fit in here. You will be a real American, able to follow your dreams.''

He represented America

President Reagan symbolized to me what America represented -- hope, opportunity, freedom. He made us remember that the United States stood for something great and noble. Once again, it was alright to stand tall and believe in this country, and in ourselves.

He made each of us, no matter our station in life, feel part of something larger and grander. He saw America as an ''empire of ideals,'' and he advanced those ideals to the world.

Just Monday, I spoke with some of my friends in Austria and Germany. They told me that every single newspaper, every television station, every radio program around the clock is reporting on the life and death of Ronald Reagan. The reports are not just about the passing of an American president, but intimate stories that capture the essence of the person and the persona -- as if he were one of their own.

Why are people everywhere so deeply and personally affected by Ronald Reagan's legacy? Because his leadership profoundly influenced not only America, but also the world. He embodied the very things that all people desire, the same things that draw immigrants like myself to the United States: an unfailing optimism, a devotion to freedom and a belief in the goodness of humankind.

He is a role model for any of us who have been granted the public trust as an elected leader. He led a life of public service with common sense and uncommon purpose. And he taught me something very special about this country: That here, the greatest power is not derived from privilege; it is derived from the people.

President Reagan's unshakable faith in the people reminds us that despite the challenges we face, by the power of our collective resolve, we are a mighty force for goodness and progress.

Words of action

He said, ''To those who are faint-hearted and unsure, I have this message: If you are afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. The people of this country are ready to move again.''

These are words of action, fitting for a nation whose best days are always ahead. Every generation can nourish the American experience -- with more opportunity, stronger security, greater equality, new discoveries.

Ronald Reagan is gone, but his spirit remains with us in all of its vigor and charm. We see the twinkle in his eye, the winning smile on his face, and we hear his message of optimism, courage and strength.

He once said, ''In this springtime of hope, some lights seem eternal. America's is.'' We are thankful for the life of Ronald Reagan, and blessed that his own light is eternal.

Posted by: Physics Geek at 03:13 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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A fairy tale for the assertive woman of the 2000's:

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self assured
princess happened upon a frog as she sat, contemplating ecological issues on
the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle.

The frog hopped into the princess' lap and said,"Elegant Lady, I was once a
handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you,
however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am and then,
my sweet, we can marry and set up housekeeping in yon castle with my mother,
where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and
forever feel grateful and happy doing so."

That night, as the princess dined sumptuously on a repast of lightly sauteed
frog legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled to
herself and thought,"I don't fucking think so."

Posted by: Physics Geek at 05:42 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Gee, it seems like there are a lot of Republican babes out there, doesn't it? Even one who lives in New Zealand. Yes, Stacy's mom DOES "got it goin' on".

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The passing of Reagan has rightfully replaced all of the current campaign bickering in the media. Soon though, the onslaught of he said/he said/I did NOT!/He did TOO! will begin again. Someone in the Kerry campaign will accuse Bush and the Republicans of roasting small children over campfires. The Bush people will respond with ads describing Kerry's voting record. And then the Kerry people will run around screaming about the negative attacks on their candidate. Funny how illustrating someone's past is considered going negative while relentless personal assaults is considered within bounds. Look, I'm no neophyte here. Politics is a rough and tumble, brass knuckles business. If you can't handle the truth about your past, then you have a few choices:

1) Change your past. Say hi to Christopher Lloyd for me while you're there.

2) Own up to your past and mention that there are some things that you would probably do differently now, having made the mistakes of callow youth in the past.

3) State that you support every single decision/statement that you've ever made and let the chips fall where they may. Suck it up and be a mensch.

4) Run around screaming like a baby because someone has the unmitigated gall to accurately describe your record.

I leave it to the reader to decide which of the above choices describes the junior senator from Massachusetts.

Today is Wictory Wednesday. Every Wednesday I ask my readers to volunteer and/or donate to the Bush campaign if they haven't done so already. And if you have volunteered and donated, then get a friend to join you. It's the only way to defeat the lying liberal media.

If you're a blogger, you can join Wictory Wednesday simply by putting up a post like this every Wednesday, asking your readers to volunteer and/or donate to the president's re-election campaign. Be sure to visit these fine participating blogs:

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