Today, I take a minute to remember 4,000 dead in Iraq. I thank all of you for your gallant service to your nation and the ultimate sacrifice you and your families have made dispatching your duties with honor.

Tomorrow, I go back to criticizing the idiots who sent you someplace you should not have been fighting an enemy who at best, could have waited for us to get the guys who killed thousands here at home.

He makes me wish we had moved to Iowa. I have to tell you that I was going to send him an email but apparently our representatives in Congress aren't interested in receiving the opinions of those who are not their direct constituents. This was not always the case I know because I have written several congress-people in my life via email many of whom were not my Representative. Thank God that the brief sampling of Senatorial websites allow for email from outside of their home districts.

I found the statements made by Representative Steve King, to be reprehensible. This is the worst kind of politics this politics of fear. Rep. King wishes us lowly idiots that he represents to believe that terrorists actually care who wins our election. Does anyone out there really think that Osama Bin Laden gives a steaming turd who our next President is? I mean is he really huddled in a cave somewhere in Pakistan hooked up to his dialysis machine planning the next attack while watching The Fair and Balanced reporting of FOX News? I assume that it would be Fox because I can't go to any public place without seeing those assholes spout their own version of the Islamic Terrorists will be dancing in the streets rhetoric. I also think there is some brand of television that is only sold to businesses which is only able to tune in Fox in spite of having 100 channels of cable television.

Do you have a favorite in the Pakistan elections that should be coming up soon. I mean I know we all were rooting for Benazir Bhutto over General Musharraf but now, do you have a new favorite? If you answered yes I know where you stand politically by the way. You are a near commie lefty. I'm not talking to you, your too busy saving the rest of the world to worry about this nomination, you'll vote for whichever person is running against John McCain. The rest of you think about it. If you don't care about Pakistan's Elections how can you believe that terrorists care is is going to lead the infidels for the next four years?

Just a thought...for now.

Do we really want to see people like this involved in the outcome of another election?

Florida: They had a valid primary back on January 29th. Florida's primary is a closed primary so we don't have to worry about any real disenfranchisement of voters in Florida. Clinton and Obama both were on the ballot, and there were originally 210 delegates to be seated from Florida at the convention. In the primary Hillary Clinton won with 50% to Barack Obama's 33%. If we subtract the number of Florida Superdelegates (22) there are a total of 188 up for grabs. Florida probably does deserve to be punished in some way for moving their primary against the wishes of the DNC, but it was not the people of Florida that decided to move, it was the State Legislature. I haven't researched this but I have heard from several news sources that the legislature could not get the primary moved without help from the democratic minority so let's not go blaming republicans for it. It's Florida, they're all to blame. so let's say that the DNC decides to seat 20% fewer delegates from Florida as a penalty. This leaves us with 146 delegates. If we divide delegates proportionately Hillary Clinton would get 73 delegates, Barack Obama would receive 48 delegates with the rest going to Edwards and Kucinich. Florida solved; most everyone happy right?

Michigan is a totally different animal. Michigan has 26 Superdelegates available and I doubt that the DNC would ever not seat Superdelegates so we'll assume the the 26 will be available in Denver. Now we need to figure out how to deal with the other 130. Firstly there's the penalty for moving the primary, so I'll start with 125 (rounded up from 124.8). Here's the specific problem with Michigan, not every candidate was on the ballot. I am not sure why Barack Obama wasn't on the ballot in Michigan but he wasn't.

Here is what I would propose for the Michigan do-over.

I know that there are other ways to skin this cat, but why is it that I can think of a reasonably fair and equitable option to a do-over in just a couple of hours and the DNC, candidates, State Officials, and talking heads can't? This solution would be affordable for the DNC, could allow more people to be involved, doesn't disenfranchise the base of the party or either candidate, and can be done rather quickly. Let's get it done, and let the Florida Primary stand as it was decided.

I also have the utmost respect for McCain's service to this country. Who could've blamed McCain if he came home from the Hanoi Hilton and dropped out, not our boy McCain. He came home from his horrific internment and torture served in the Navy honorably and sought to serve his constituents and the country in the House & Senate. I consider John McCain's story to be one of the greatest triumphs of courage and hope I have ever heard of.

I am both disgusted and disappointed today with NBC's decision to air videos and photographs sent to NBC by Cho Seung-Hui. The intent of sending those materials was precisely the outcome; Cho Seung-Hui wished to be the center of the storm of infamy that followed his heinous acts. Cliff Vanzant has said on MSNBC, with respect to the victims and because the intent of the perpetrator was to gain attention for his crimes, he would not have aired the videos.

I was made aware by the story that Cho considered the tragedy at Columbine High School perpetrated by Dillon Klebold and Eric Harris to be inspiration for his attack, which I think is useful information for the public to have. Showing the videos made by Klebold and Harris as contrast to the Cho videos is truly a disgusting act. If we now know that Cho drew some inspiration from the Columbine killings and made videos that were eerily similar to those made by Klebold and Harris what sense does it make to once again air the original videos? How many others who will become mentally unstable and fall through the cracks of our mental health system will draw inspiration from seeing not one of these videos but both the Columbine and Virginia Tech videos?

There are ways in which NBC could have retain the information that was received by the news organization and benefit from the jump that was received on the competition thereby getting better ratings while not showing the tapes. It is possible in my opinion to maintain ratings and a moral high ground on the competition. I would suggest that the next time NBC news receives such inflammatory materials they perhaps put such information on their websites so that it is not broadcast as widely as it is being now. I realize that the same number of people who have viewed the videos on television may eventually see it on the internet, but there is a difference in individuals making an active choice to to view them as opposed to the passive choice on their television to either change the channel or sit through the report. The distinction may not be separated by a wide margin but I believe this would allow NBC News to its position on the moral high ground you've claimed last week with the firing of Don Imus.

Let's get this part out of the way I do not condone what Don Imus said about the Rutgers basketball team. I appreciate the fact that these women were hurt by his statements. I don't even necessarily disagree with the fact that he was fired.

I personally take offense to the actions of Matt Lauer, who used his position as America's number one soft and cuddly conservative (see attack interviews with Michael Moore and other lefty's vs softball interviews with W and Coulter)to attack one of his harshest critics. I have listened to Imus off and on for close to thirty years and have heard him criticize many people over the years but in recent years the Today show has been roundly criticized for its lack of real news.

Before the today show Matt Lauer was really nothing more than an entertainment reporter and second banana on a regional talk show. The simulcast interview of Imus last week was fine. I thought it moved the issue forward towards a resolution that may have seen Imus fired or not. It's the day two panel that included everyone but Don Imus that made me sick. You don't beat people who were willing to take a beating once they've left the room. To have everyone on the next day is disgraceful and distasteful. The prior day's discourse gave way to a bunch of torch-wielding villagers looking to drive their agendas forward without regard to the real situation unfolding before them. I am disappointed that the news media appointed the Rev. Al Sharpton to be a spokesperson and leader in this most recent cause given his track recordwhere racial sensitivity is concerned. Rev Al "Tawana Brawley" Sharpton may have served his people in the past but now seems desperate to hold on to the power he's amassed. Al Sharpton had Imus on his radio show for two hours one day last week and in that time paraded his own daughter in front of Imus to humiliate and confront Imus as if he had never seen a black woman before. It has been reported that for those two hours, at each commercial break, Sharpton left the studio so as to avoid any conflict that might have carried over from the interview of Imus. Has Sharpton ever accepted an invitation to go on Imus' show?

I believe that Don Imus would have changed his show to address the issues raised by his insensitivity and that he would look to include African Americans at the desk and in the writing of his show. We will never have a chance to see if that worked out. The media whores didn't want to see resolution. What they wanted was blood and they got it.

I'll try to tell you why later.

For those of you who are familiar with our situation, skip ahead to the next paragraph. The rest can read on. Late in the Fall of 2006 we started to get the idea that Cheeky Prof's tenure package was not being received with the glowing praise it deserved (read: some hole has a hair across his/her ass about Cheeky or her department or some other shit). Skip ahead to holiday season..Tenure? DENIED! I held out hope for the union, the vice-president, the president and the board of directors all to no avail. The new job search offered opportunities in our area but each eventually revealed itself to be the wrong kind of job or the wrong kind of school or the wrong kind of department. Meanwhile the far flung opportunities began calling to set up interviews. This is now my story.

Here's a hint I got the idea from this post but it is not one of the FOL gang.

Happy Valentimes!

I just wanted to talk about what an idiot THIS GUY is. I don't wish to run afoul of publishing types but I just had to share. Please visit the Colorado Springs Gazette for the full story. What is this guy 14? The Bangkok maneuver? You've got to be kidding me. I'm glad that both he and his wife have been fired for his stupidity. She was after all; dumb enough to marry this dorkwad. Dorkwad,dicktard,or dickweed, I always get them mixed up, you know they all look the same to me. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that this guy freezes his wife underwear, sleepover style, and snaps her bra straps in public. I just felt that this might be the dumbest story I have heard in a while but I think there is some old school TV-style evidence to suggest that the detective assigned to investigate may have coached the "victims" a little in their affidavits since there is so much phrasing in common. You can read the detective's report and see for your own damn self.