Surly's Soap Box

I was installing some signs at one of the local clinics when I spied a gentleman working his way through the most recent Harry Potter book. I noticed that he was almost finished, so I went over and asked him, "Have you gotten to the part where he (Harry) bites off the head of the snake yet?"

The man just glared at me.

I just laughed, because I finished the book just the other night, and I know for a fact that Harry never bit the head off the snake.

Hermione did.

Seeing that someone close to me just got let go from Carlson (for humanitarian reasons), I get a bit of a chuckle out of this. They say that most family businesses implode at the third generation. Well, let the dirty laundry fall where it may.

Apparently Anna Nicole has been in the spot light a bit to much this last week, so Britney is doing what see can to pull the cameras back in her direction:

Britney's New Look Is Bald

SHERMAN OAKS, February 16, 2007 - Britney Spears is back in the U.S., and she's sporting a brand new look.
Spears was photographed at the valley tattoo shop "Body and Soul" in Sherman Oaks, getting a tattoo reportedly of a pair of red and pink lips on her wrist. But the biggest change to the pop singer's style? She shaved her head bald.

Spears could be seen inside the tattoo parlor with her head fully exposed, but as she left the shop she was led by her bodyguard straight to a waiting SUV. Spears had her head covered with a hooded sweatshirt to hide her new noggin.

The sidewalk outside the shop was filled with fans, onlookers and paparazzi. Some fans that were interviewed after Spears departed declared the new look less than flattering.

She was also over heard saying, "What do you have to do to get noticed around here? Kill someone?"

Fox has already staked out her home with a news team.

K-Fed, watch you back. Or not.

Anna Nicole Smith. R.I.P.

If my wife and I had the opportunity to adopt her little girl and raise her away from all the insanity that she was born into, we would. The lawyers can have the money. We wouldn't want a penny of it.

Well, I was going to start a live blog of the game, but before I could finish my hot wings (wing sauce can play heck with a keyboard), Nebraska was down 14.

More updates as warranted.

Update:Neb just crossed the 50 yard line! Could this be the start of a drive?

Update:Taylor is trying hard to give it to the Sooners with all that lousy passing.

Update:Score! Nebraska is on the board!

Update:Sooners are dropping like flys out there. Can Nebraska even it up? Where is Bogus Doug?

Update:I guess the answer is no.

Update:Half Time: Taylor sacked again.

Update:Wow. The Huskers come back with a vengence. But can they score?

Update: They are trying hard to give this game away! I'll give them 5 more minutes to get it going or this live blog is over. Also, I am tired of the Dr. Pepper 'Turning Japanese' parody song.

Update:This is why
I don't get into sports: I get into sports. If I start watching them at the beginning at the season, I get sucked in and every Saturday for the next 3 months is ruined. Anyway, the Sooners are dominating right now, and once the score is 21/7, I'm done.

Update:This live blog is over.

A gal I know, whose Marine son just returned from Iraq, shared an interesting point of view on the war: We have been spending too much time trying to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi's when we should be teaching them to fear us.

If they feared us, they would get serious about cracking down on the terrorist and policing themselves, but they don't even really respect us because every time something bad happens, we're out there kissing everyone's butts trying to apologize.
And now with the Dem's in charge, we'll become even a great embarrassment by abandoning them once again, just like Bush I.

We'll be fighting them in our own alleys before long.

I blame Enron for...no real reason at all.

First there was this:

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - A Kansas-based group that proclaims “God hates fags” plans to picket the funerals of the Amish girls killed in Bart Township.

The Westboro Baptist Church — described as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League — has made a name for itself by picketing the funerals of U.S. troops killed in Iraq. The troops are dying as punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality, the group says.

The Kansas group says the Amish schoolgirls were “killed by a madman in punishment for Gov. Ed Rendell's blasphemous sins against Westboro Baptist Church."

"Gov. Ed Rendell — speaking and acting in his official capacity to bind the State of Pennsylvania — slandered and mocked and ridiculed and condemned Westboro Baptist Church on national Fox TV," the group says on its Web site.

“Rendell also revealed a conspiracy to employ the State's police powers to destroy WBC in order to silence WBC's Gospel message. Co-conspirators identified by Rendell included state officials, citizens, lawyers, legislators and media,” the Web site says.

Westboro Baptist Church said it is "continuing to pray for even worse punishment upon Pennsylvania.”


Well, I'm about to 'blaspheme' the Westboro Baptist Church, so I'm sure they will be calling down fire, brimstone, and all other sorts of judgment and condemnation on me as soon as this hits the web. In particular, I want to go after Fred Phelps, who I place on the same level as Charles Carl Roberts, the man who killed those girls. I think the suffer from the same issue: A failure to understand what true forgiveness is about. (I'm working on a couple of sermons on forgiveness, which I will post down the road).

Honestly, I think that if you were to dig into Fred's past you would find that he either had a homosexual relationship, was molested, or has struggled with homosexual desires all his life. Maybe we should sic MikeWhale Moore or Bob Woodward on this guy...no, never mind. Some how Bush would get dragged into the fray. "Bush lied, Amish died." What causes such hatred? Somewhere in the Bible there is reference to hating the short comings in others that we see in ourselves.

Now, someone can have strong convictions about things. I have strong convictions about stealing, but I don't rally outside of criminals funerals declaring the judgment of the Lord.

Anyway, they have decide not to picket the funerals in exchange for air time one the Mike Gallagher Show. I would like to think that Mike did this as a sacrifice to help those grieving families morn in peace.

Current Affairs

News and Politics

I watched the new NBC 'comedy' Studio 60 last night.

Essentially, it's a 'behind the scenes' look at a failing late night, hard driving comedy show, a la 'Saturday Night Live', done in the style of 'The LeftWest Wing.

Why is the show failing? Well, as quest star Judd Hirsh makes it clear in a 53 second rant that the reason the show is failing is because the network and writers are afraid of ***drum roll*** The Conservatives and the Born-Again Christians! Or as Judd Hirsh referred to it, a 'psyclo religious cult'. They get into bashing born-agains towards the end of the show. Oh, and when I say bash, they make it very clear that one of the major points of the show is the tension caused by a born again cast member.

Yes, she is going to be a flake.
Yes, she is going to be a hypocrite and make all Christians look bad.

They also got some shots of at Bush, and promised that next week, they'll be going after him big time.

It's to bad, ya know. I was enjoying the show. The character interaction, the life situation, they way they where playing off each other was good. There were some excellent jokes, but they practically had to come to a stop so they could rage against Christians.

I'll probably watch one more episode and then let it go. It's not that I'm thin skinned about my faith or politics: I appreciate a good joke even if it's at my expense, but you know that they are going to go out of their why to slam, basically, me.

On the horizon, there's a show coming up with Robin Williams running for president. It's going to be the same thing.

And the networks wonder why people claim the the MSM leans left.







Studio 60

Pope Says Sky is Blue, Muslims Burn Europe
Pope Calls Ice Cold, Muslims Destroy Churchs
Pope Sneezes, Immans Call For Head.

You get the idea.

"Religion of Explosive Rage" is what I call it.

The muslims are rioting again. The adherents of the 'religion of peace' are burning things and so on. Innocent people will die, and the leftist in the west will try to kiss butt in order to bring about 'peace'.

Blah, blah, blah, it's not all muslims that do this, just extremist. When the government of Turkey, which has been lifted up as an example muslim moderation, comes out and denounces the Pope as Hitler over a misunderstood quote, I start to give up on the idea of having a peaceful coexistence with islam. Not that that is possible, but the politically correct politicians keep pushing the idea.


Middle East, Islam, News and Politics

Laura Ingram brought up a great point about 'moral authority' this morning. People grant Cindy Sheehan 'moral authority' because she lost a son in Iraq. People grant McCain 'moral authority' because he was a vet and a prisoner of war.

Unfortunately, moral authority only applies when people are trying to neuter the United States.

Sure, McCain would like to think that he's elevating the US to a higher moral ground, but in reality, he sending a message that we are weak. We are dealing with a people who have no regard for human life. To be captured by terrorist mean torture and death. To be captured by the US means "three hots and a cot", twenty extra pounds, and better health care than you could ever imagine.

Terrorist aren't going to treat our people better because of the way we treat their people. Hell, they don't even treat their people well.

This is another reason why McCain has as good of a chance of getting my vote as Cindy Sheehan.

Current Affairs, McCain, Cindy Sheehan

Models' skinniness can't be regulated: French fashion official

I think that the fact that the French actually have a "Fashion Official".

I also think that all these fashion people are pedeophiles. They don't want women, they want boys.



This 'gal' should get help somewhere.

...gas prices will go up after the election.

I just wanted to beat the conspiracy minded commies and leftist to the...

Crap. Someone already beat me to it.

Commies, Gas Prices

Steve Irwin was killed by stingray today while filming a documentary down under.

Normally, this stuff wouldn't bother me. I might have written him off as a kook, but he was a earnest, likable kook.

I guess what gets to me about this tragic death is that, in a why, he's the first celebrity that I would consider to be one of my contemporaries that died of something other than a drug overdoze.

It brings mortality into question.

He leaves behind a young wife and two kids who needs our prayers.

Rest In Peace, Steve Irwin

Can you believe that Miller would sponsor a rally to support illegal immigrants? (HT Michelle Malkin)

I'm officially boycotting all Miller products:

Miller Lite
Miller Genuine Draft
Miller Genuine Draft Light
Miller High Life
Miller High Life Light
Sharp's non-alcohol brew
Red Dog
Icehouse 5.0
Icehouse 5.5
Icehouse Light
Southpaw Light
Leinenkugel's Original
Leinenkugel's Light
Leinenkugel's Red Lager
Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss
Leinenkugel's Apple Spice (seasonal)
Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss
Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest (seasonal)
Leinenkugel's Creamy Dark
Leinenkugel's Big Butt Doppelbock (seasonal)
Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat
Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve
Henry Weinhard's Blue Boar Pale Ale
Henry Weinhard's Classic Dark
Henry Weinhard's Northwest Trail Blonde Lager
Henry Weinhard's Hefeweizen
Henry Weinhard's Summer Wheat

Hamm's
Hamm's Draft
Hamm's Special Light
Olde English 800 Malt Liquor
Olde English HG800
Olde English HG800 7.5
Magnum Malt Liquor
Mickey's Malt Liquor
Mickey's Ice
Milwaukee's Best
Milwaukee's Best Light
Milwaukee's Best Ice
Foster's Lager
Foster's Special Bitter
Peroni Nastro Azzurro
Pilsner Urquell
Sheaf Stout
Sparks
Sparks Light
Sparks Plus 7%
Sparks Plus 6%
Steel Reserve Triple Export 8.1%
Steel Reserve High Gravity
Steel Reserve High Gravity 6.0
Steel Six

Well...It won't be that hard of a sacrifice, but it's one I'm willing to make.

Hezbollah Head Didn't Foresee Such a War

Middle East

Dylan says modern recordings "atrocious", while anyone who has heard any of Dylan's recent crooning has declared him obsolete.

Bob, you had your run. You made great contributions to music and culture. But your voice is gone and you're changing your songs because you can't sing them the way you wrote them. You haven't written anything 'vital' in quite away. Time to rap 'er up and become the lovin' grandpa of modern music. Before you become the Jimmy Carter of modern music.

This is RICH with irony: Water needs may soon hamper ethanol plants.

Think about it: The anti-oil drilling, hybrid driving, no blood for oil, socialist are going to be butting heads with the bicycle riding, new home burning, vegan environmentalist anarchists over ground water concerns.

This might be one were we of the center right might be able just sit back, have an adult beverage, and watch. And for further irony, I think I'll be drinking Skakers Vodka.



H/T: King Bananian


Ethanol

And we're not talking State Fair here. I've been a proponent of the Fair Tax for years, and I'm glad to hear it's making head way in congress. What is the Fair Tax?

The FairTax is a bill that would repeal all taxes on income - no more corporate income tax, no personal income tax, no payroll taxes, no self employment tax - no gift tax, estate tax, capital gains tax or alternative minimum tax. Any tax that is pegged to income would be gone, as would the IRS. We would replace that with a consumption tax - a tax of retail sales on personal consumption at final purchase of new goods and services.

Currently, the average taxpayer gives the government 33 cents of every dollar they earn. In our system, they would give the government 23 cents of every dollar they spend. Then we would provide to every household - every household - a cash distribution at the beginning of every month that would totally untax them up to poverty-level spending.

More here.

H/T to Psycmeistr.


Fair Tax