Up Yours Columbia U

That's what former Italian President Francesco Cossiga said to the University when he returned his honorary Doctorate degree, and burned the toga which they gave to him.

"Regardfully for six millions of murdered Jews whose you - racialists old-fashioned, and today also advocates of Islamic terrorists I - catholic , return admitted me the title of Honoris Cause and I burn the toga which you gave to me"

Ouch.

H/T: Atlas Shrugs

If You're 18 (Some 19) Years Old Or Younger...

If you were born after January 20, 1989, you have never lived in a world without a Bush or a Clinton in the White House.

George H. W. Bush was inaugurated on Jan 20, 1989, and was replaced by Slick Willie on Jan 29, 1993, until George W. Bush was sworn in on Jan 20, 2001.

I was born at the tail end of the Carter Administration in the middle of the Reagan Administration in 1984, so I'm not a part of this crew, but it is a neat factoid.

A Giant Among Insects

In one of my classes we had a lawyer come over who has the ideology of "All cops are power hungry villains who just want to control people."

Ahem...Exhibit A in my defense of the police force...Wyatt.

My other objection to what he stated was one that really irks me. He believes that no one, not even police officers should be allowed to carry guns.

Insert now the Black Market for Weapons. Smugglers from other countries will sell weapons at a gross price to whoever wants one. This is a very scary thought to me, and hence the name of this post.

One person with a gun among many without one is a giant among insects.

There's the "American Ahmadinajad"...

Then there's the REAL Ahmadinejad who is the leader of Iran. Check this out, from Kos

For example;

No wonder those that are beating the war drums against Iran didn’t want Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak any place American might hear him. Thanks to Columbia University and CPAN he was heard by many. He sounds entirely to reasonable. Hearing his own word doesn’t help the cause of demonizing him as a madman and the most recent Hitler. This is someone we definitely should be talking to. so in the interest of promoting peace and knowledge, I present these short excerpts from his talk at Columbia University today.

Reasonable man? Here, you want proof of how "reasonable" this man is? How about hard video proof.

Ahmadinejad proclaiming the world is shouting "DEATH TO ISRAEL" causing the crowd to erupt in the same chant.

Crowd chanting Death to America, and Ahmadenijad claiming that the United States created AIDS.

Ahmadinejad was quoted in June 2007 by the Islamic Republic News Agency as saying the "hegemony of the occupier regime (Israel) had collapsed, and the Lebanese nation pushed the button to begin counting the days until the destruction of the Zionist regime.
...God willing, in the near future we will witness the destruction of the corrupt occupier regime."

Ahamdinejad incites a crowd on August 1, 2006 to scream Death to Israel and Death to America in the same speech.


There's the extremist Ahmadinejad that exists in Iran, and the phony one who shows up when he comes before the UN and Western Press.

I Had A Great Weekend

I went with my parents to St. Louis this weekend. It was the first time we'd been since my grandparents moved from there 3 years ago.

Man did I have a blast! I got to go eat at Ozzie's and Imo's (St. Louis style pizza is AMAZING) and I got to see the Cardinals win a game at the new Busch Stadium (That makes them 2-0 when I was attending the game!!). I also got some great pictures from the game. Check them out.

Rick Ankiel hitting a 2 run HR

Busch Stadium, right field looking in

No Gays In Iran?

Really? I wonder why...

HA has a possible explanation for the saying,

Maybe it was a translation error and he meant “There will be no gays in Iran”?

And for once, I agree with the liberals at Think Progress. Reports of as many as 4,000 gays/lesbians may have been executed in Iran.

The Other Side Of The Tazering

This hasn't hit any news stands yet, but I wonder if it's already too late to save face for the police that were there.

... there was a long line of people waiting to ask questions, and Meyer was near the back. He rushed up to the mic, butting up past many, many kids and making a scene. Apparently he’d been talking with the police and they were arguing long before Meyer ever got to the mic (reports from Florida are that they threatened him with arrest already). That’s why there are police in the video when you first see it. They tried to remove him before he said anything, but JK intervened, calling them off and saying he’d answer his question. Remember, back in 2004, there was a lot of press about how open the Kerry campaign was to outside questioners and even protesters, especially compared with the hermetically sealed Bush campaign. JK’s done thousands of these events, really enjoys them (he told me once that doing Q&As with regular citizens is the best part of his job), and he’s totally comfortable dealing with disruptive people. So he made sure to call the U of F police off. Which, technically, he had no authority to do, since this was a U of F event, not a Kerry event. They were their police. - Statement by the Kerry camp

Other stories of the events seem to be the same. Well Meyer, your 15 minutes is up.

From some one who was there, "Nothing pisses me off more than hearing stories about power tripping cops abusing their power, unnecessarily tazing or arresting people, etc. It's a huge problem and I'm glad it's being discussed. Just don't mistake this for one of those cases."

H/T: Hot Air and Kos

Whooooaaaa!

I hate the Braves, but this is just cool!



H/T: Hot Air

How Is This Possible?

I still can't figure out how Southern Cal is still number one. They've played 2 teams and have scored a total of 87 points while allowing 41 points.

OK, they doubled their opponents scores. Woohoo. But let's look at Number 2 LSU. They are 3-0 and have scored 137 points, and have given up a total of 7 points. One touchdown. And that came from formerly #9 Virginia Tech. They have scored almost 20 times more than their opponents.

Southern Cal gave up 31 points to number 14 Nebraska.

Then there's Florida. Florida is 3-0 and has scored 167 points and given up only 54 points, but they are #3.

Seriously, ESPN, AP, USA Today...how much can Southern Cal suck before you realize they aren't that good? The rest of America has already realized it. I can't wait for LSU vs Southern Cal. That game will be as one sided as when Florida schooled Ohio State.

GOP & College Interviews NHRA Driver Max Naylor

After the 4th round of qualifying at the O'Reilly Midsouth Nationals, I got to sit down with NHRA Pro Stock Driver Max Naylor, who drives the Jagermeister Dodge. If you don't know a little history of Max, he worked at UPS for 34 years and was the owner/operator of Numidia Dragway south of Bloomsburg, PA.

I asked Max after being in the working world so long, what happened to make him want to get in and drive a race car. He told me that one of the local guys one a championship and was invited to Pomona Dragway. Max said he and his wife went along and when they got there they looked at the crowd and said, "We have got to figure out a way to do this." Then he set out to find a sponsor and here he is.

I then asked him if there were any words that could describe the feeling of not only setting the Track E.T. record for O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indy, but to follow up the next event and set the E.T. record for Memphis. He told me that didn't know if there were any words to describe it, but that he feels Memphis validates the fact that Indy wasn't just a one-time deal.

I then mentioned that some people in the drag racing community are starting to see him as the dark horse in the Pro Stock division, and what he had to say about possibly becoming the next Giant-killer. He said that it's a very tough division with many great competitors, and that his success could be fleeting. He emphasized that missing the set-up by just the slightest bit will send you packing.

I asked Max about his recent switch from Goodyear tires to Hoosier, and if the car felt any different (Max switched because the Goodyear supplier would frequently run out of good tires, leaving him with lower quality tires). He said that Hoosier makes a good tire...But it's not as fast as a GOOD Goodyear, and if they could get good quality Goodyear's the potential to go faster is there. However Hoosier is working to make their tires better. He said that they are a great group of people, and the ability to run well on Hoosier tires is good for the class because it eliminates the borderline monopoly Goodyear has on rubber.

I also asked Max what the hardest part of racing in the Pro Stock class was . He gave a simple answer. Money and Logistics. I asked out of curiosity how much a season costs in the Pro Stock class. He said "If you don't have the better part of $2 million, you might as well stay home."

Back in May, a foul up in the repair of Bristol Dragway forced a one month delay of the Thunder Valley Nationals that put a lot of fans in a bind. I asked him as a racer what he felt about the rescheduling. He said that as a racer, it wouldn't matter and he felt it was the right thing to do. He said that drag racing is all about entertainment and if you don't have the track in good condition, then you won't have an entertaining event. He said, as a racer, "For us, it just has to fit in somewhere."

Being a guy who would golf 7 days a week myself, I asked Max about the fact that he plays, and if he followed the PGA Tour. He laughed and said he didn't really have time to play anymore, and that ever since the Lee Travino's and Arnold Palmer's of the golf era left, he felt there wasn't really much personality in the PGA. I had to ask him after that if he had heard of Woody Austin. He hadn't and if you are unaware, he is a type A personality who wears his emotion on his sleeve.

Last I told him I know he's sponsored by Jager, and might be inclined to say it's his favorite drink is Jagermeister, but in all honesty what is his favorite drink. He said a Black Eyed Jane. At that point I let out a bit of a laugh at the fact his wife's name is Jane. The drink is 2 parts Jagermeister, 1 1/2 part purple grape juice and a dash of Sprite/7up. Needless to say, I'm anxious to try one myself.

To Max, Jane, and the rest of the Jager crew, thanks for the interview and keep kickin' some ass! And be sure to check out the Naylor Blog over at NHRA.com, and the official webpage at NaylorRacing.com

Weekend In Memphis

Well, technically it's Millington, TN but who's really checking. I was at the Midsouth Nationals for the weekend and I had an amazing time. I also got t odo something that is remarkably cool in my opinion. After the 4th round of qualifying, I got to sit down with my favorite driver, Max Naylor, and ask him some questions, but I'll get into that later. First I'll tell you about Friday.

I got done with my only Friday class at 11, and shortly after that was on the road. It took me about 4 hours to get to the track from TTU, and I went to the Will Call window. They had LOST my tickets! When I finally got my tickets 10 minutes later I noticed a note on there that said *REPRINT* So ok, now I've got my tickets. I head to the gate with my stuff. Before this year fans were not allowed to bring coolers, but they were allowed to bring in outside snacks. My plan was to bring a sandwich, crackers, a water bottle (they had fountains) and powdered Gatorade since the price of food and drinks was outrageous ($3.25 for a 20 oz bottle of anything for example). I got all the way to the gate and the lady says "By the way, no outside food or drink." So now I had to walk all the way back to the car drop off my stuff, and head back in. I finally got seated after round one of Pro Bike had finished, and Pro Stock car was almost halfway through. But what I was really waiting for was round 2. As the sun set further the speeds picked up because the track was 10 degrees cooler. However the adjusted altitude was still at 2,500 feet. Not good for naturally aspirated motors. Chip Ellis led the bikes with a 6.997 second pass at 187.44 MPH, and Dave Connolly led the Pro Stocks with a 6.673 sec pass at 205.41 MPH. Max was in 8th with a 6.715 second pass at 203.86.

Then the fire started. As much as I love the competitiveness of the Pro Stock ranks, there's nothing more aww inspiring as 8,000 horses, and motors shooting flames 10 feet tall out of the header pipes.

Oh, you want pictures??? OK!! (click for much larger)


After the night session, Ashley Force led Funny car, and Schumacher led the rails.

I finally got to check into the hotel that night, and settled down for the night.

Saturday's forecast was cool and dry. And did it ever bring out some HUGE numbers for the stock guys. The air temperature was only 79 degrees and the track temp was at 104, but the killer was the adjusted altitude. It was at just over 1,500 feet, a full 1,000 feet lower than the night before. In Pro Bike Chip Ellis ran the now second fastest pass in bike history! A 6.892 second pass at over 193 MPH. Then the factory hot rods took the stage. The round went well, and then the Jager crew rolled up to the line. Max laid down an AMAZING 6.594 second pass at 207.37 MPH to take the poll, and the SECOND TRACK RECORD in a row! The amazing stat was his 60 foot time at 0.966 seconds, almost .01 faster than any other driver.


Needless to say I was floored. I met the Naylor crew last year at Indy, and then they were struggling to make the 16 car fields, and now just 1 year later, they were consistently racing on Sunday, and had set 2 track records in consecutive events!

The Top fuel guys took to the track, but no real changes happened in the rankings, and round 4 was a bit slower as track conditions slipped. One cool statistic was that in the Pro Stock Car the previous track record was too slow to qualify.

After the 4th round I made my way to the Jagermeister pit and waited for Max to get done discussing the day, ans asked him a series of questions.

(The interview can be found here)

Sunday came, and it was go or go home time. Already I could see many empty trailer spots where teams had left the night before after not making the field. I watched all the rounds of elimination and there were MAY upsets. Like in round one, Tony Schumacher blew the motor at half track and lost to #16 qualifier Doug Foley, and in round 2, Foley KO'd Rod Fuller. In Funny Car, Fast Jack Beckman made good of his name as he not only got to the final, but knocked out John Force and Robert Hight in the process.

In Pro Stock Max took out Greg Stanfield in round one, but spun the tires hard in round 2 and had to let out, giving up the race. In the final round it was a repeat of the US Nationals as Dave Connolly beat Greg Anderson, and in the bikes Andrew Hines took home the Wally when Steve Johnson's bike broke and coasted to a stop without passing the finish line.

After the 3rd round I went into the pits to thank Max for the interview, but he was tower, but I saw his wife Jane at the trailer and thanked them, and that hopefully I will get to see them again next year at either Atlanta or Bristol.

It was a great trip and I got 170 pictures and 2 hours of video to remind me of it.

Victory Is Mine!

I defeated my brother (again) in week 1 of the HWC Football league. This puts my overall record against him up to 7-3 after 2 wins this season in Baseball, and another win in football this week. Mwahahaha!

Oh, and I am pwning (yes I said pwning) the CRAP out of The Man in the Futility league. It is a rotisserie league where we just rack up points, and I have an almost 1200 point lead over TM in 2nd place after being down by some 700 or so at midpoint.

I'm also closing in quick on Wyatt and The Godfather Wyatt's NASCAR league. I gained 119 points on 2nd place Wyatt, and 71 points on Godfather. Technically, I'm in 5th right now 272 points out, but the way Yahoo shows it, I'm in second only 64 points from the point (because I ran my drivers for the Daytona 500 and it counted my 208 points even though I had left the league) and I am charging, FAST. I've gained 214 points on the leader in just 4 weeks.

Bring it.

As a side note, I'm heading to Memphis the weekend to catch my 3rd installment of the NHRA Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsport Park. However, Hurricane Humberto may soggy up my plans for the night racing Friday night, but Saturday and Sunday are set to be AMAZING!

Thanks Will

Will Franklin has a great post on the reaction to the MoveOn.org ad calling General Petraeus "General Betray Us"

Via HotAir we find that John Kerry, incredibly, is criticizing MoveOn's ridiculous 'Betray Us' ad. Kerry called the ad "over the top" [ed. - ya think?] and “I don’t like any kind of characterizations in our politics that call into question any active duty, distinguished general . . . who I think under any circumstances serves with the best interests of our country.”

When you've lost Waffles, you know you're in trouble.

Hehehe

Even the MSM isn't going to give MoveOn a free pass on this one.

These Crimes Are Disgusting To Begin With...

But I can't seem to get out of my head how fast this story is going to pick up steam, and sheds light on how the MSM really does seem to pick and choose headlines based on racial affairs.

This story has broken mere days at the latest, if not hours after the incident occurred, however the rape and murder of a couple from Knoxville picked up zero attention for nearly 5 months with a reversal of the roles.

And this is not the only case. Watch this story progress, and although it likely will not pan out in the same way as the Duke case did, expect the public reaction from "leaders" like Al Sharpton to be the same.

I must say though, I find the actions of the criminals in WV to be unbelievably appalling. I believe that everyone is given by God the same opportunities to succeed as everyone else, but what they choose to do with that opportunity determines their fate. These vile, ignorant, racist, hate-mongers treat African Americans like the scum on their shoe, and frankly I myself would love to walk up to them with a 2x4 and smack some sense into them. A crime like that is inexcusable, and they should get the absolute harshest punishment available.

MSNBC Slimes Rick Ankiel

MSNBC reports that Rick Ankiel was another member of the MLB to receive Human Growth Hormones to improve his baseball abilities...

in 2004.

Look at Rick Ankiel's statistics.

In the entire year of 2004, Rick pitched all of 10 innings in 5 games the entire season. Then from 2004-2007 HE DID NOT PLAY FOR THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS AT ALL! He was kept in the minors for nearly three years.

It's not until late in the story that you see this little blurb.

"Authorities have not accused Ankiel of any wrongdoing, the newspaper said. According to the Signature records the News cited, he stopped receiving HGH just before baseball banned it in 2005."

So in 2004, he was doing something that was perfectly legal in baseball, then ceased once it had been banned, and there's something wrong with that?

MSNBC writer Mike Celizic gets the point across very well though.

I guess baseball and sportswriters didn’t get the memo, so let’s repeat it for them: the fans don’t care what Rick Ankiel did three years ago.

Big News For Truthers

A Zogby Poll just came out and I've got some big news for the people who believe the story in Loose Change.

29.1% Of people believe you!






Oh...wait. I did the math wrong, possibly how the truthers did it when they came up with that figure. I simply added the percentages of each group together. But guess what! That's WRONG!

The actual figure is of the 967 people polled, only 45 people believed that the government caused the attacks on 9/11. That's only 4.65% who believe the crap you tried to pass off as legit.

One sad fact though is that 25.7% of people believe that the government let 9/11 happen, mostly from the moderate/liberal side. 173 of the 249 people who responded that way were in the middle or to the left side of the political spectrum.

Immigration Hypocrisy

Mexican President Calderon's calls for the United States to loosen their immigration policies have no right to be coming from his mouth. If you look at it, the immigration policies in Mexico make the U.S.'s look like they are already open border policies.

In the United States only 2 job positions require a native born person, the President and Vice President. All others require citizenship and possibly a minimum living in the States. In Mexico, if you're not native born, you cannot partake in ANY government job.
"...Mexico’s Constitution reserves almost all federal posts, and any position in the military and merchant marine, for 'native-born Mexicans.'"
Not only that, but the Mexican government has been trying to make those restrictions even tighter to include jobs such as fire fighters, police officers.
On top of that Mexico has an immigrant population of only about 1/2 million out of 105 million citizens (0.5%), while only allowing 3,000 people per year to become legal citizens.

Compare that to the United States has 38.9 Million immigrants among the 299 million residents of the United States (13%) and allows nearly 500,000 people PER YEAR to become American Citizens.

So Felipe, instead of being more open now, we'll wait until you decide to make your country more like ours before we start to open up more than we already have.