Chocolate Covered Ants

Something you like around something you don't. In any event, it's going in your mouth.

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Location: Kansas City, Missouri

"Bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will, to be rightful, must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression." - Thomas Jefferson, 1st Inaugural address, 1801

Friday, September 23, 2005

Proudly embracing my geekdom

Wheeee! A week from today, I can indulge in total geekness when these two movies open:

Cancelled Too Soon

Muppets and Gaiman, how can this not be good?

I wasn't even this excited about Star Wars 3: Darth Lucas.

Shiny!

Republicans. State's Rights. My Ass.

Right, check this hideous little thing out:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050923/ap_on_go_co/head_start

Actually, it's a good thing we're totally gutting the Constitution. I mean, toilet paper is so expensive right now, it's nice to have a cheap alternative.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

When even FOX knows it's bullshit...

This morning, as I planned my day and drank my coffee and lamented the fact that, just a few scant months ago, I would be enjoying my third or fourth cigarette of the day (damn you, allergies!), I decided I hated myself enough to watch FOX news. Every other news network was torn between coverage of the impending Rita or the Jet Blue "Gosh, We're Happy This Wasn't An Accident, But If It Had Been An Accident Or The Pilot Hadn't Been So Darn Competent, Then Our Incessant Coverage Of It Would Make More Sense" thing. FOX was carrying Bush's comments on...well, on whatever the hell it is he feels the need to comment on currently. Basically, how "good" we're doing in Iraq.

Again, I no longer smoke and this has created such a depressing void in my life that I'm even willing to fill it with Bush's speechmaking. I should just go back to smoking. I mean, lung cancer can't be that bad in comparison.

Anyway, I was struck that, as G-Dub rambled through how the capture of some terrorists in Iraq by his "coalition," a word I'm sure Webster's is redefining to include voices in one's head, FOX chose to display a huge graphic of Hurricane Rita on screen. Indeed, the graphic made Rita almost as big as G-Dub, giving the impression that he was being stalked by a giant, red gin blossom from his past.

Now, ostensibly, this is meaningless. On any other network I would tend to ignore it. However, when the staunch bastion of Fair and Balanced right-wing reporting gives Mother Nature and G-Dub equal billing, well, I am forced to take notice. This almost qualifies as criticism. To add insult to injury, as soon as G-Dub finished his prepared comments, the reporters peppered him with questions about Rita instead of about Iraq. The first question I caught concerned how Rita's affect on coastal areas would be different from Katrina's. After a moment of puzzlement, which on anyone else would imply they were actually considering the next thing they would say, but on him just means he's trying to remember if Rita is a hurricane or yet another one of Jenna's drinking buddies, he blurted out something to the effect of, "Well, I think people understand better the need to evacuate those areas."

It's not that he said that. It's true, in essence, and substantially better than the foot-in-mouth disease his mammy seems to have developed in her withering years. It's the way he said it. He made it a joke. Given, he always has that supercilious smirk when he talks, like he's trying to talk down to the world. Usually, it's either laughable or confusing, because an idiot trying to talk down to someone is, by turns, funny and incomprehensible. The smirk, however, coupled with his obvious lack of preparation regarding the topic and the hideous little chuckle-like noise he made as if to say, "What me worry, they're only poor niggers," made me throw my coffee at the television set. I was in a hotel room at the time, so that may appear on my credit card later, but I did honestly try to clean up.

As I sat there shaking with barely concealed rage and less caffeine than I'm used to, a reporter asked a question about Iraq. FOX surprised me yet again, although this time it was even more subtle. As G-Dumb prattled on about how well we were cutting into the terrorist network in Iraq and worldwide and how we were preserving freedom and safety for America and the rest of the world, their bottom scroll was running a blurb about a roadside bomb killing yet another American soldier. While I'm uncertain how hard it is to synch up those bottom tickers with stuff happening in the main window, even if it was completely unintentional, it was an excellent offset.

Of course, this is all just implied and completely subjective. Still, it's interesting to think that maybe even FOX knows you should cancel a show that's in bad taste.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Beer Goggles and Michelle Malkin

Holy God, I agree with Michelle Malkin about somthing:

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/003576.htm

I don't know what to think about this. I'd always sort of considered her a Rush Limbaugh type. Well, maybe about 1/8th a Rush Limbaugh. And with sexier eyes. Still, she would say something and I would find myself agreeing with her and she'd say something else and I'd agree and get all excited and then she'd say something else and I'd agree and I'd get wood. Then she'd say the most gawdawful jingoistic bullshit and it was like I ran into a wall, stiffie first. Okay, I guess the whole Rush comparison isn't all that great. I am proud to say that he's never inspired me to an erection, even when I was a card-carrying Republican. Still, it's such a disappointment to go to bed with Michelle Malkin and wake up with Ann Coulter.

Please don't let the intelligence train derail this time, Michelle. I know you can do it! I have faith in you. And I still have your panties. Call me, m'kay? Next time, I'll let you use my whip!