This week's RINO Sightings over at the Strata-Sphere. Great stuff!

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For as long as I've been a member of Netflix, I haven't had many complaints. In fact, no real complaints. I was a little miffed when they jumped over the next title on my queue once and sent me the one after that. Hey, I understand. Distribution can be complicated.

But recently they did the unthinkable. On Wednesday I received notification that Disc Six of the season of "24" that I am watching was being sent with an anticipated arrival of Thursday. Well, it's Saturday and no disc. I can't even report it as "missing" until Monday. We're talking the last four episodes of an intense story arc.

Luckily, I have a Blockbuster down the road and I can go pick up a copy there. Tonight is "date night" with the wife so I won't be watching them until tomorrow.

But anyone who is a fan of the show understands how pissed off I am. Grrrrr.

UPDATE 4/24/06 9:15am:
Although, I'm still a little annoyed with both NetFlix and the USPS there is a silver lining: Blockbuster includes the bonus material disc with its Disc 6. So I got that going for me...which is nice.

And once again, "24" throws in more curveballs at the last minute than an MLB closer. I've heard a couple of people say the Second Season was their favorite. I can see why. Awesome. Queue up Season Three!

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The NY Times headline says it all: "Democrats Eager to Exploit Anger Over Gas Prices".

Fine, exploit anger. That's about all they're good at. But while voters are unhappy about gas prices, what reason exactly are Democrats going to give that having them in power makes any difference? They certainly have no track record to boast of.

"While Democrats are eagerly laying blame for the situation on the Republicans, they did little to advance energy measures in eight years under President Bill Clinton. Democrats remain split to some degree over how to proceed, but in general favor greater investment in "clean fuel" technologies, more incentives for driving fuel-efficient vehicles and stronger steps toward reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. Those positions were included in a measure sponsored last year by more than 30 Democratic House members who opposed the Republican version of the energy bill. Even so, 75 Democrats in the House and 25 in the Senate voted with the Republicans to pass Mr. Bush's bill.

The recommendations of the memorandum to Democratic candidates include holding a campaign event at a gas station "where you call for a real commitment to bringing down gas prices and pledge that, as a member of Congress, you will fight for families in your district, not the oil and gas executives for which the Republican Congress has fought so hard."

A survey by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan research organization, in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs magazine suggests that the message could not be more timely. The survey said voters now believed that fears over energy independence rivaled the Iraq war as the leading foreign policy issue for the nation.

Daniel Yankelovich, chairman of Public Agenda, said the survey found that 90 percent of Americans viewed the lack of energy independence as a risk to security, that 88 percent said problems abroad were endangering supplies and increasing prices and that 85 percent believed that the federal government could do something if it tried."

Sure Democrats (as noted above) are in favor of "'clean fuel' technologies, more incentives for driving fuel-efficient vehicles and stronger steps toward reducing emissions of greenhouse gases" but how exactly does that lower gas prices? It doesn't. And gas prices are what people are so upset about. You have only two ways to lower gas prices - increase the supply or cut gas taxes - and Democrats don't believe in either. Holding stunts like having campaign rallies at gas stations is about as lame as you can get.

If Republicans in Congress are smart (and there's no reason to assume that they are) they should 1) hammer the Dems over their hostility to ANWR drilling and 2) call for even a modest cut in Federal gas taxes. Both are do-able, practical solutions that would force Democrats to show voters that they are the real price gougers.

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We have out first contender for the 80's Crush Championship: Morgan Fairchild. After heavy voting, she was able to hold off a challenge from Lea Thompson despite an official endorsement of the dimpled beauty by the Llamas. Congrats to Lea for her strong showing since the Divisional Round.

Next up, we have Elisabeth Shue facing off against Lynda Carter. Voting will remain open through 12 noon on Monday and the winner will advance to the Championship match-up.

View updated Tournament brackett HERE.

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We keep hearing about the possibility of the Democrats taking the House in November. One of the big numbers being thrown around is how they "only" have to unseat fifteen Republican incumbents to take a tenuous one-seat majority of the lower chamber.

But what pundits are forgetting is that in addition to taking those seats, they would have to hold every single district currently held by a Democrat. And, as Nathan Gonzales points out in his column at TownHall.com, no party has managed to do that in the last fifty years. He explains:

"In 1958, Democrats took over 49 seats (defeating 35 Republican incumbents and winning 14 GOP open seats), while Republicans still defeated a single Democratic incumbent. Eight years later, Republicans took over 43 Democratic seats, but Democrats simultaneously took over four GOP-held seats.

In 1980, Republicans took over 37 Democratic seats, but Republicans managed to pick off four seats from the DemocratsÂ’ column. And in 1994, Republicans took over 56 Democratic seats (defeating 34 incumbents and winning 22 Democratic open seats), yet Democrats still won four Republican-held open seats."

Gonzales looks at eleven Democrat seats that are vulnerable to flipping Republican. And I can guaranty you that Karl Rove's recent reassignment to political matters will be focused on all of them. So before Dems start to get giddy about their prospects, they better be watching their backs or they're likely to find come November 8th that the make-up of the next Congress will be fairly status quo.

Posted by: Gary at 09:07 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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You must go now to GOP And The City for the post behind this hilarious graphic:

Probably the funniest part is the reaction of some Libs over the "threat" to Helen Thomas.

Wish I could frequent "Blogs4Bauer" more often but I'm only just finishing up Season Two on dvd and the site is filled with plot spoilers.

h/t: Lorie Byrd

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Apparently, at least two women did. It seems 76-year old Philip Winikoff was going door-to-door offering free breast exams, posing as a doctor.

Now this is where the story stops being amusing. According to the police report, after Winikoff finished fondling these women's boobs he proceeded to put his hands down their pants and assault them digitally. Winikoff was arrested for sexual battery.

I mean, WTF ladies? Look at this guy? What are you thinking letting a stranger into your house to essentially feel you up?

Americans are by and large a fairly trusting people. Our culture, the most diverse in the world, is based on the idea of giving people the benefit of the doubt. Our legal system is founded on the principle of innocent until proven guilty. That's what makes it so hard for the U.S. to deal with terrorism, which uses our own trusting nature against us.

But this is just.plain.stupid. I feel badly for the victims but you really have to wonder what was going through their minds - if anything.

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This post by Mohammed at Iraq The Model should be required reading for all of those who can't put aside their hatred of the President to see the importance of his country's fight for their freedom and their future. He recently lost his brother-in-law to a terrorist attack. Please remember him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

"The terrorists and criminals are targeting all elements of life and they target anyone who wants to do something good for this countryÂ…They think by assassinating one of us they could deter us from going forward but will never succeed, they can delay us for years but we will never go back and abandon our dream.

We have vowed to follow the steps of our true martyrs and we will raise the new generation to continue the march, these children of today are the hope and the future.

What a difference between those who work to preserve life and those who work to end itÂ…it's terrorism and crime and there are no other words to describe these acts.

They will keep trying to steal life from us and we will keep fighting back and we will keep exposing them but not with bullets and swords, we never carried arms and we will never do because we are not afraid and because we are not weak unlike those cowards who know no language but that of treason.

April will always be there to remind us of the sacrifice and remind us of the dream we fight for."

Posted by: Gary at 04:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Looks like Lisa Shue ran away with this one. Now the seeds are set for the Final Four round:

First up, is the Fairchild/Thompson match-up. Voting will remain open through 12 noon on Friday and the Shue/Carter match-up will then run through the weekend until Monday.

Once set, the winners of each will square off against each other for the Championship, which will run through next Friday. That afternoon, the overall winner will be declared and on Saturday April 29th I'll post a "tribute" to that lucky lady complete with new images. Let the voting begin!

View updated Tournament brackett HERE.

Posted by: Gary at 12:01 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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New to the 'roll: You gotta love a guy with six posts up today and it's not even noon yet. Ran across his site as a trackback to the website that has the "emotional contagion" post.

Not to mention that he quotes one of my favorite Billy Joel songs and his assertive Comment Policy makes him a kindred spirit. Welcome aboard!

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Whenever I dip a toe into the fever swamp of the bitter, angry, unhinged Left side of the blogosphere (which I will do once in a great while when I need a good laugh), I'm always amazed at how these deranged folks are so powerfully drawn to each other. It's always either a mouth-frothing scream-fest or a big cyber-pity party.

Well, here's a fascinating post that explains the neuroscience behind this phenomenon known as "emotional contagion".

The next time you see a poll that shows Republicans or Conservatives being "happier" than Democrats and Liberals, remember that physiology plays a big part. Bottom line: Angry and negative people are bad for your health. Stay away from them. You'd think this would be common sense, no?

Posted by: Gary at 09:33 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This is the movie poster for Al Gore's "global warming" scare flick:

Does anyone else see the pack of penquins blindly following each other into a desert as a metaphor for the radical environmentalist movement?

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My cable company has finally signed a carriage agreement for SportsNet New York (SNY), which means that I won't have to miss some 120 Mets games this season (not that I have time to watch them all).

And as an added bonus, get a load of one of the new announcers for SNY that I also get to look at all summer:

SNY's Julie Donaldson

Cue Glen Quagmire: "Heh, Heh...Ooooooooooh yeah!"

The Team. The Time. The Hot Sports Babe!

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Compared to, oh, 4,700 who don't. BrainShavings has a great graphic that puts this into a nice visual perspective.

Go check it out.

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Is very good.

Opens in theaters April 28th. Dennis Prager declares that "All Americans Must See 'United 93'".

Jason Apuzzo at Libertas asks if Americans are "ready" to see the film. His answer: most definitely yes.

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This week's Carnival of the Raging RINOs hosted by Countertop Chronicles!

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Ever wonder what Bill Clinton would look like with a moustache? more...

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1 Hat tip: ME!

Posted by: Georgia Girl (gfsil) at April 18, 2006 02:14 PM (ZMwFa)

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No, not the guy from "Survivor". I mean Richard Hatch the actor who played Captain Apollo on the original "Battlestar Galactica".

Most of us over the age of 30...okay, 35...remember watching the show as a kid and over the years we've had nothing but good memories from it. When the network killed it after only one year, we were crushed. But we moved on.

Today, Ronald D. Moore has brought "Galactica" back to life as an updated "reimagined" series. While still retaining much of the plot and most of the characters, Moore has taken the concept to a new level and, in my opinion, it's one of the best shows on television today (behind only "24" and "Lost", in my book). The new series has been both a critical and ratings success and will be heading into its third season this fall. It has broken new ground, tackled controversial issues and attracted a wider audience than the first show ever did.

Now, Richard Hatch spent twenty years trying to revive the old "Galactica" - the "Galactica" that he was part of. He even went so far as to pitch a concept for a continuation of the series titled "Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming", complete with a four and half minute trailer. It was all his baby and he was hoping to write, direct, produce and star in the series (I expect he also planned to be director of photography, production designer, best boy, etc.). But the idea fell on deaf ears. In a Hollywood that thrives on remakes, even this concept couldn't sell.

Then here comes Ron Moore with his fresh look at the series and it takes off, buiding a loyal audience. Poor Richard Hatch, right? Oh No. Moore goes and hires Hatch to play a recurring role on his show out of respect for star of the original series. He plays Tom Zarek, a former political prisoner that has since managed to insinuate himself into a position of influence with the newly elected President. It's barely a supporting role but it's a significant one that could have a lot of potential down the road. So you'd think after all of this Hatch would be grateful to Moore for allowing him to be a part of this venture, right?

Maybe to his face. But get a load of this quote from an interview that Richard Hatch recently did with Dreamwatch Magazine (as quoted on TrekWeb.com):

Hatch talked about how he continues to feel that a continuation of the original series would have been just as successful as the Ronald D. Moore's re-imagining.

"I don't think a continuation would have been any less successful than a re-imagining," he stated firmly. "A continuation would have evolved the original show: it would have updated the Cylons, brought new characters in and gone into equally provocative areas. We could have had Eddie Olmos as the Commander, Mary as President, Jamie [Bamber] as Apollo's son, and Katee [Sackhoff] as Starbuck's Daughter. And we would have loved to have brought Ron Moore onboard too."

"A continuation would have had the best of both worlds – it would have had the values and positives of the old show but would have updated them for today. It also wouldn’t have had the problems the new show had in the beginning, when fans of the original felt upset and disappointed."

What balls! Here is a guy attached to the underbelly of a highly-successful project because the creative force behind it thought he'd be nice and throw him a bone. Talk about biting the hand!

Jeez. If I were Ronald D. Moore, I would make the character of Tom Zarek go the way of the red-shirted Star Trek guys.

Posted by: Gary at 02:30 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Geez..Richard Hatch has been a thorn in Ron Moore's side since the idea was announced to remake Battlestar Galactica. I remember all the controversy surrounding the premier of the BSG Mini Series. That same controversy is what piqued my interest to watch the mini series. It's been true love ever since....ahhh... Ron Moore has done a fantastic job of re-imagining this series. Despite our differing political views, I have to give Ron credit for offering an olive branch to Richard Hatch in the form of the character Tom Zarek. However, I'm still holding Ron personally responsible for breaking up the dynamic duo of Kara and Lee.

Posted by: Skyebuck at April 17, 2006 07:55 PM (CyqMo)

2 Aw, C'mon. You know the minute Lee and Kara hook-up the series will jump the shark. It'll be like David and Maddie on Moonlighting all over again. :wink:

Posted by: Gary at April 17, 2006 09:46 PM (AI6v2)

3 The original was one of the lousiest shows ever to air on television. Cheesy, stupid writing, stupid concept, stupid characters. The current show is one of the best, perhaps the best, sci-fi ever to air on television.

Posted by: rightwingprof at April 18, 2006 12:59 PM (hj1Wx)

4 I think you are being pretty harsh. If the original series had been without out merit it would not have been revived. Hatch has invested a lot personally in the series and I don't think there is anything in his statement that seems ungrateful. I think the Zarek character has a great deal of potential and I certainly hope that he doesn't go the way of the red shirts. Shame on you.

Posted by: zarek fan at June 20, 2006 09:57 PM (MtYJn)

5 As an actor, Richard Hatch had waaaaay too much invested of himself in a revival of that show. Even he has to admit that Moore has taken the concept to entirely new level. Most of the fans of this show are adults who loved the original as kids. We've evolved. The show needed to evolve. If they were to try and recycle the original, it would be a joke. It's like these fanboys who are all bent out of shape because the prequel Star Wars films just don't jack them up the way the first trilogy did. They were made primarily for kids, just like episodes 4-6. Except these guys aren't kids anymore. They've grown up even though the franchise hasn't. So things they think are stupid, they would have loved if they were twelve years old. Inviting Richard Hatch to be a part of this project was not something Moore had to do. Hatch needs to drop this whole "second coming" idea. No matter how hard he pitches it or how enthusiastic he gets about it, no one is interested. Plain and simple. He needs to go with the flow and make the most of the new "BSG" and embrace it - not express his disappointment over the demise of his pipedream.

Posted by: Gary at June 20, 2006 10:18 PM (Z0vta)

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We have our first "upset" of the Tournament with Lea Thompson beating out higher-ranked seed Jaclyn Smith to advance to the Final Four.

There is one spot remaining for the finals and that match-up is Erin Gray against Elisabeth Shue (a personal favorite of Llama Steve-O). Voting remains open through 12 noon on Wednesday, at which time we will move to the Finals round. Hey, something has to tide me over until NFL Draft weekend.

View updated Tournament brackett HERE.

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The Left (especially those in the Antique Media) hate Bush and Cheney. But pulling up a strong number three is SecDef Donald Rumsfeld. Now a bunch of retired Generals suffering from a wicked case of "hindsight-itis" - and many with an axe to grind - are running around criticizing Rumsfeld's decisions and leadership style. M'kay.

Hey, it's a free country and these guys are literally "arm-chair Generals" now. But, notwithstanding the Media's attempt to use this meme to somehow force Rumsfeld's "retirement" (which they would see as a major victory on their part against the Administration), the Editors at National Review Online are skeptical about the effectiveness of the nit-picks of these monday-morning quarterbacks.

"...the criticisms of Rumsfeld don’t have much force. Some say he is too imperious. This charge isn’t hard to believe of the strong-willed Rumsfeld, but it is disappointing that generals are apparently so easily cowed that their only recourse when dealing with a muscular Defense secretary is to whine about it after the fact. Others complain about his “micro-management” of the war. It is true that Rumsfeld has exercised a remarkably strong hand in dealing with the military. In planning for the initial Iraq invasion in particular, he was relentless in challenging the work of CENTCOM commander Tommy Franks, driving him to come up with a plan that wasn’t just an unimaginative repeat of Desert Storm. The plan didn’t suffer from Rumsfeld’s intense attention; in fact, the opposite was the case. Even such Rumsfeld critics as Cobra II authors Michael Gordon and Gen. Bernard Trainor credit the innovation and effectiveness of the invasion.

As a matter of principle, micromanagement from a Defense secretary is not a bad thing, even if Robert McNamara gave it a bad name during the Vietnam War. Our system is based on the U.S. military’s taking direction from civilian leadership. There is no reason to think that the assumption behind the micromanagement criticism of Rumsfeld — that if only the generals had been left to their own devices, things would have turned out fine — is true. Rumsfeld should actually be faulted for not micromanaging Tommy Franks enough when it came to planning for postwar operations, in which the general had little or no interest."

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1 Zinni..what a tool! This guy presided over more total failures than any general in recorded history. In a way, he is the undesputed expert on failure. He is one of the last people to go to for military advice. Even worse than Wesley Clark and his near starting of of WW3 in Pristinia. What is with libs and their obsession in digging up these testaments to failure as a weapon to use in their favorite sport of Bush-bashing?

Posted by: Skye at April 17, 2006 07:58 PM (CyqMo)

2 These people hate the military. It's amazing how much they fawn over a General who'll support their whacked out point of view.

Posted by: Gary at April 17, 2006 09:47 PM (AI6v2)

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