Ace, it's because *you* are not the audience here. You're sold on the whole concept.

And, in fact, so is the Pentagon. What, you gonna call Rummy a pussy?

No, this was a bad call, Ripley. But it was trying to find terminology that could get everyone on the same page, seek common ground with people who don't consider the war a real war, or who aren't imaginative enough to understand that you can have a "war" with more than fighting, i.e. the employ of all instruments of national (and international) power.

Heck, it wasn't called the "Cold Struggle Against Communist Extremism,", it was called the "Cold War," and only part of the time did it feature shooting.

Anyway, whatever. Moving on.

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

P.S. Personal opinion only, mind you. They never bother asking me for my thoughts on this sort of thing, I coulda told 'em it was a dumb stretch.

Ace--You mispelled "vagina" in the post title.

What's a "Viginia"?

Ace - its not a "war" to the lefties. They'll bloviate about it needing a "police approach" until your ears go numb.

But of course, worthies like the Taliban, Zarquawi, etc are probably not inclined to respond to a summons, so it may take another something along the lines of a nuke detonation to get them clued into the real nature of the threat....but then again, that probably won't do it either. Their capacity for self delusion appears boundless.

Now if the terrorists were to launch a targeted bombing campaign against say : Starbucks stores all over the country you'd have the left's rapt attention overnight...

"War against forced submission to imams" is I think we should be willing to employ any prudent means to beat Islam. Obviously, scaring ones enemies is a fine thing in warfare. Thus, I don't think we should make war on terror; I think we should be The Terror. By all means, let's cultivate love for the U.S., but let's also prime every bladder to open up and splash forth its contents when its possessor so much as thinks of hurting us.

I'm sorry; my post was poorly edited. It should have read:

"War against forced submission to imams" has the advantage that it says what we're actually trying to avoid. We should be willing to employ any prudent means to beat Islam. Obviously, scaring one's enemies is a fine thing in warfare. Thus, I don't think we should make war on terror; I think we should be The Terror. By all means, let's cultivate love for the U.S., but let's also prime every bladder to open up and splash forth its contents when its possessor so much as thinks of hurting us.

War by focus groups. the need to find the right words is even taking 5 minutes worth of time in the pentagon, shows that there is a need for prioraty fixing to be done in the pentagon.

The unfortunate problem with "The War on Terror" is that while it's at least somewhat descriptive, the name evokes a bunch of previous American "just kidding" not-wars - the "War on Poverty," the "War on Drugs," etc. And even disregarding that, it still kind of sounds like it refers to a sort of global police effort, not a real war.

Which is why I personally tend to use either "The Millennium War" (coined by Austin Bay, IIRC) or "The War for Civilization."

" Make no mistake, we are at war." and then heads off for a 6 week vaction, nice, at least he didn't say "Watch this drive.". How many troops will die in Iraq while he enjoys a nice relaxing game of golf? If he is not serious about the war, why should the rest of us, isn't this war supposedto be "hard work", guess not.

...

You think maybe fewer American soldiers might die if the President abstained from golf? Huh.

So you think that going on vaction for 6 weeks during a war is a good idea? So you think the pictures of him fishing and playing golf is a moral booster for the troops in Iraq? Does going on a 6week vaction sound to you as though he is serious about the war? Maybe a little scrafice on his part, by not taking a vaction, would show how serious he is about this war.

Jeff, our president has flown into a war zone to personally thank the troops and somehow they are going to get the impression that he's not committed because he takes a vacation? (and a working one at that)

I'm glad I don't have 'vacations' like the President's.

I say again, you think that this is agood idea? Preception sometimes means a lot. What was it 24 troops since Monday and he goes on vaction, wait a week.

Oh, Jeff, really now. Do you think President Bush ever has anything other than a working vacation? I wonder what his total weekly hours will be for teleconferencing, telephoning, having face-to-face meetings and briefings, etc.

Besides that obvious consideration, there's the likelihood that that sensitive work can be done while the President is away from prying eyes and it appears that nothing is going on.

Jeff, you'll have a lot more fun and come off as much more subtle if you ease up on the moral indignation and start to think in a more Machiavellian way. Live a little.

Yeah, FDR shopuld never have gone to Warm Springs during WW2.
You're such a tool, Jeff.

it's not a war on Tara?

Wow, jeff -- you went from zero to asshole in, like, two seconds flat. Do you have anything constructive to say, or did you just come in here to piss on the floor?

So W. is taking a few days off; I fail to see how that will affect the conduct of the war. It's not like W. is personally directing operations in Iraq or Afghanistan, and if he does need to provide input, I can promise you he has very high-tech communications gear available to him where ever he may be. And even though we call it a vacation, that probably only means he's working ten hours a day instead of sixteen.

You seem to think that all W. should do while in office is stew and fret and attend meetings about Important Things. W. is the President, but he's also a human being, and human beings need rest. Most of the sane people around here understand that. W. knows when to push and when to back off; when to charge and when to rest. This ability of his is part of why I and other people voted for him in the first place. He's no good to any of us if he keels over.

You know who stayed in Washington during crises?

Jimmy Carter.

THAT worked.

Remember Clinton's infamous all-nighters?

Those worked so well, too...

Dave,

How dare you speak ill of such a great man as James Carter! I am outraged! Outraged!

Wait...we're talking about the bluegrass musician, right? 'Cause he was cool. Not that peanut guy. Right? Cause that peanut guy was just sorry.

"The rabbit, it still haunts your dreams?"

Eh, the vacation thing is the new/old lefty talking point.

They did the same thing to Reagan, I remember it well. He took too many naps, he's lazy and self indulgent and out of touch, typical Republican bastard.
(yawn)
It all makes me so sleepy.

And Dave, that 'Tara' crack made me laugh out loud.

At least he waited until this latest massive offensive along the Euphrates was launched and well underway.

Oh, didn't you hear about that, Jeff?
Funny that.

How about "a jihad against terrorists"

I think it is hilarious that the military is being called foolish for telling the truth: Calling this a war is all about politics and nothing about reality. Since Bush has no inner fiber, he creates the image of strength by defining himself as a war president.

It's only the armchair warriors who insist that the country be at war -- wannabee's puffing up their cheeks to make themselves feel like real men while others die and are maimed in a "war" that has no defineable end.

Now that's truly an outrage.

Eddie, I've only had two mugs of coffee so far and I'm not in the mood. Shut it.

Mark - I preferred "crusade" myself. We should've stuck with that.

How about "Freehad" (rhymes with "Jihad")?

eddie:

In Iraq, we currently have the bulk of an Army division engaged in Iraq, along with a Marine expeditionary unit. This is aside from non-military groups like USAID and various support personnel and private security companies. There's also a significant Navy battle group deployed in the Gulf of Oman, and Air Force assets both in-country and based out of Incirlik in Turkey.

In Afghanistan, perhaps as much as half the SOCOM strength is in the field, along with significant air and combat assets based out of Bagram.

Our forces close with the enemy nearly every day, usual in small-unit actions, but sometimes (as in Fallujah) in major combined-arms combat.

That's warfare, whatever you and your ilk want to call it. You don't get to define the terms of the conflict; that's up to the President as Commander-In-Chief and the Congress (which voted overwhelmingly *in favor* of the Iraqi operation).

Oh, hell, why bother. You're obviously retarded, and nothing I say will impinge on your tiny little brain anyway.

Here, have a cookie.

That sort of, well, sucks. How about "total nuclear annihilation of terrorist fuckers?" It's more precise.

I said all that already, Monty, and it took me only two words. :/

I liked the term I found on Huffington's Toast the other day: "Operation Sheet of Smoking Glass"

See, that's what I don't get. We have the technology to drill for oil through a couple of dozen feet of radioactive glass - what's the delay here? Is there some rational reason the ICBMs aren't flying ESE yet?

Megan:

I don't have your talent with a curt turn of phrase.

awww, shucks. I loves ya anyway. :)

(Third mug.)

How about a global war against Michael Moore to get rid of these inane trolls?

Take out their leader, and maybe all of his zombie-like followers will stop parroting the vapid bullshit he calls a political ideology.

Now I need another cup of coffee or I'll just get grouchier.

What's your brew, Slubs?

Pretty much anything I can get, some mornings. Normally, though, I go for Green Mountain or pura vida.

Of course, now I'm even grumpier. Someone took almost all the coffee and left the dregs. I'm drinking it because I'm desperate, of course.

I used to go with totally basic Maxwell House a few years ago, but then I discovered Godiva's vanilla hazelnut blend. It still tastes like coffee, not some hippy frou-frou crap, but the smell is a thousand times better.

[blinking at FNC] The fuck is happening in Mexico.

And more old people smashing into shit and hurting people because they can't f'n drive...

!!!!!!

MEGYN KENDALL! MY LOVE!

Damn it, she only did one short story on the no-fly zone thing. Niiice girly-girl bubblegum pink jacket though. Made her face glow and set off her lips beautifully. Of course, she'd look gorgeous in just about anything. Or nothing at all.

The "War on Terror" is a McGuffin. It doesn't matter what you call it.

I'm sure you all have heard the latest from al-Zawahiri: "the 9/11 attacks are nothing compared to what you will see next."

While there's no denying it- politicians on both sides of the aisle mislead and distort messages for their own gain- we have to remember that at any moment a terrorist could set off a nuclear device and steal our lives for the perceived greater good of Islam. This is a time for vigilence. Meanwhile, I'll continue to ignore the PR from both camps.

I'll bet her moist, warm phleshy phlappps have the most intoxicating "come hither" musk aroma...

the change in language to signals of a shift in policy

Perhaps we should've used the new description to try to peel of moderates from extremeists in the beginning, but now is certainly not the time to do so. It could be (and apprently was) too easily interperted as a policy shift. And perhaps the old way was better, for as an old Roman saying went:

When Flavius speaks men say: how brilliantly he speaks, how beautiful are his words;

but when Scipio speaks, men say: Let us March!

I tend to agree with Oriana Fallaci on this point. "Moderate" Islam is the ideological equivalent of fool's gold.

Zawahiri's bitching about "negative attitudes" towards Moslems, according to Fox.

Gee, I wonder what could possibly have caused that.

Megyn Kendall is cute, but Kiran Chetry?

Oh, my...

Chetry does nothing for me. Some people over at The Pit were talking her up but I've been watching her all morning and I don't see it. Kendall, on the other hand, is simply a goddess. That mouth, those eyes, the way she quirks her lips... unbelievably cute, lethally gorgeous.

FNC, Ambassador Bolton on live at a UN meeting talking about Iraq.

OK, so that was pretty boring.

I think Zawahiri's definition of "negative attitudes" towards Muslims is basically when someone says "Thanks, but if it's all the same to you, I don't want to become a Muslim".

"...and could you kindly not try to behead me for that?"

Megyn's back! Yay!

...same story though. Bit longer now.

Damn, I wish I had FNC in my office.

I have 4 TVs in mine. :)

Megyn's back! Yay!

Megan, don't make me turn the hose on you.... This kind of breathless adoration is just unseemly. Practice some self-control!

I can't help it, man. Those eyes of hers and that half-grin that's always quirking her oh-so-kissable lips just turn my spine into jelly. I HAVE to figure out where she goes for drinks.

Where did our trolls go?

They're like seagulls - swoop in, crap all over everything then go away.

Good analogy. These were low-grade trolls though. We usually get a more tenacious variety here at Ace's.

I'm still on my first cup of coffee, and mightily pissed off that one of my local papers thought it was appropriate to greet me with the headline, "BOMB KILLS 14 MARINES IN STRING OF U.S. LOSSES." The same paper has a cartoonist who models his caricature of Bush after the Chimpy McHitler created by Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell.

Why the f^ck does Bush keep trying to coddle these people's sensitivities? Their coddling capacity is infinite, and they will never respond with loyalty or gratitude. He seems to get it that you don't negotiate with terrorists, but he keeps wimping out when he confronts terrorist enablers. This isn't a war of cultures, and I hope it doesn't become one, but it goddamn well is a war, and Bush's reluctance to face the full implications of that doesn't help.

Oh yes: Megyn Kendall? Very cute. Not really my type, but if she broke into my apartment and crawled into my bed I wouldn't rat her out to the cops.

She's MINE. All mine. You people stick with the Chetrys you like so much.

Oh, and all y'all better not be putting anything in your coffee. Anything but black is an abomination.

http://instapundit.com/archives/024686.php

Doesn't Glen know there's a war on? I'm getting a little sick of his blank assertions that any and all genetic manipulation using any means necessary is a Good Thing. There is such thing as science ethics Glen.

There's some chick called Gretchen Carlson on now. Not bad-looking but her hair is awfully helmety and she has bangs. I haven't seen her on often.

Fox News has plenty to go around.

I mean, there's Lauren Green, Juliet Huddy, Molly Henneberg, etc.

Hell, Megan, if you can nail her, more power to you. I go for the dark, exotic types. Like Christiane Amanpour, only younger and not such an obnoxious ditz.

I'm a plain black coffee gal myself. But I will have a whipped-coffee n ice cream type confection once in a while as a treat.

Bush never really gets a real vacation Jeff. He has an office at his ranch with teleconferencing and everything.

Jesus, utron, Amanpour is hideous even before her personality comes into play.

And I can't believe no one's mentioned the glory that is Laurie Dhue. Shame on you, Slubs.

dammit, now I want a sweet.

Wish I could just close up and go to the pastry place across the street.

Mea culpa.

Laurie Dhue is great. Here's her bio, for anyone who's wondering who she is.

Incidentally, I've really started liking Monica Crowley over on MSNBC. She's not superhot, but follow the link for a bloody wonderful exchange she had with a terrorist supporter about a week ago.

"How the hell are we going to convince these people that we are deadly serious about this when we can't even seem to convince ourselves?"

Exactly. I don't have a link handy, but just check the newswires out to find out how the New Liberal Party of Australia has proposed to fight terrorism (I heard about it yesterday). It's the best idea I've heard in a long time; VERY proactive, covert, and militant.

Laura, hon, just send your office boy. We're Republicans, we don't do chores like that. We get the little people to do them for us.

Laurie Dhue always looks to me like she has a touch of the dwarfism.

OK, you're now on my "naughty" list. :(

Oh, I don't know. I remember Christiane fondly from Gulf War I. Of course, politically speaking I was sort of an idiot at the time, and it's possible that my taste in women was also a bit idiotic. Thank god I've matured into the suave, worldly sophisticate that you all see today.

Second cup, BTW. Black, Italian roast.

LOL, my 'office boy' is a blue heeler that would probably come back with the rear wheel of a mail truck clenched between his jaws, but no pastry.

And I like my coffee with just a bit of sugar and no cream, ever. Keep that damn cow juice out of my brew.

NARAL's amazingly stupid "Screw Abstinence" bullshit seems to be backfiring badly.

ARE YOU PEOPLE LISTENING???

There's a war on, and lauraw can't get across the street to pick up munchies.

BTW, I like "Global Can O' WhoopAss On Anybody Who Fucks With Us"

Might be too wordy.

Crap, it's almost lunchtime. How little I've actually gotten accomplished this morning...

Oh well. Now it's time to figure out what to eat for lunch, as all this talk of munchies has me hungry.

I'm only two hours from NYC. Somebody swing by here and bring me a piece of cheesecake please.

I'll wait.

I'm going to go put on more coffee; this flask only holds 5 mugs and I don't have a housekeeper for the next few weeks. :/ Oh, the trials of existence I'm forced to endure...

Huh. Just checked Drudge. Seems the New York Times thinks the adoption papers on John Roberts' kids are fair game.

Jackasses.

The HUMAN PARADIGM

Consider:
The missing element in every human 'solution' is an
accurate definition of the creature. The way we
define 'human' determines our view of self, others,
relationships, institutions, life, and future. Important?
Only the Creator who made us in His own image is
qualified to define us accurately. Choose wisely...
there are results.

Human is earth's Choicemaker. Psalm 25:12 He is by
nature and nature's God a creature of Choice - and of
Criteria. Psalm 119:30,173 His unique and definitive
characteristic is, and of Right ought to be, the natural
foundation of his environments, institutions, and re-
spectful relations to his fellow-man. Thus, he is orien-
ted to a Freedom whose roots are in the Order of the
universe. selah

"Got Criteria?" See Psalm 119:1-176
semper fidelis

Huh?

Well, at least it's well-written spam.

It's catchy, but a little wordy for the press, I think.

Slub, if it were well written then I'd be able to figure out WTF he's going on about. This is more pretty but opaque, possibly even meaningless. Call it Kerryesque.

Don't know if it's on Drudge, but I saw that the ACLU is going after the MTA for their policy of checking bags on the NY subways. This is shaping up to be a really irritating news cycle.

Where the hell did that come from?

Just ordered a hot lobster roll and two slices of cake.
Screw you guys.

You know, I'm with Greg. Glenn Reynolds is starting to bug me with his 'full speed ahead, damn the ethical issues' approach to genetic science. I mean, this is what he wrote today:

The opponents of scientific progress on both the left and the right seek to clothe themselves in moral superiority, but it's pretty much a sham.

Yup. All a sham. All those religious convictions and ethical questions? Sham, sham, sham.

I only eat once every two or three days. :/ It's weird, I've just started doing that these past few months. I just don't get hungry for some odd reason.

Glenn's always been like that though. He's out there on the stem cell nonsense as well, IIRC.

Lobster rolls are good. Is yours made the right way, though, in a toasted hot dog bun?

Gotta go with the classics.

The Maine Lobster Festival is going on about an hour and a half from where I live. I can't stop in this year, dammit.

Maine... dude. I keep forgetting you're saddled with Collins and Snowe, you poor man. At least I've only got Moran to deal with, Warner's gone, and Kaine's chances aren't looking good...

I don't know, I'm actually ordering it from a new place. I've had their cold lobster salad and it was good, so I'm hoping this will be OK.

I would think its pretty hard to screw up lobster and melted butter on a bun.

I've always liked cold lobster myself. More flavorful, it always seems. Never had a lobster roll but it sounds good.

Yeah, those two are morons, and given Maine's love of incumbency, they aren't going away anytime soon.

Right now, we've got to put up with them on the news all the time because of the BRAC recommendations. I've got to tell you, there's nothing worse than listening to Susan Collins in a television interview. That voice...the horrible voice...

It's the way Snowe pulls her hair back, stretching her face into a grotesque mask, that really frightens me.

I prefer lobster in other dishes - salads, rolls, bisques, etc. I don't like it right out of the shell. The thing's a damned sea insect and looks absolutely unappealing to me on the plate.

Where the hell did that come from?

Psalms. I think it's one of David's.

Oh, and if you wanted a cup of cream and sugar, why'd you ask for coffee?

I always get my lobster separated totally from the shell so it's not a problem. But you know what's really gross? King crabs. They're fucking spiders and it seems everyone's fine with eating them. I can't even watch that shit.

Snowe is also not a nice person. The chief of staff in her Bangor office? The best person you'd ever hope to meet. But Snowe herself is a sourfaced grump.

I thought Maine was just some sort of invention of a secret conglomerate of Stephen King and Red Lobster. They invented the android RINO fembot to throw off people's supsicions.

"Psalms. I think it's one of David's."

Smartass. :)

"Oh, and if you wanted a cup of cream and sugar, why'd you ask for coffee?"

Who are you talking to, Dave? I think we all take it black here.

"Snowe is also not a nice person"

Oh, believe me I know. God in Heaven, I know. Sour old bitch.

Watching MSNBC for a bit. Monica Crowley's hair is looking really nice today. :)

I thought Maine was just some sort of invention of a secret conglomerate of Stephen King and Red Lobster. They invented the android RINO fembot to throw off people's supsicions.

The funny thing is we don't even have a single Red Lobster's restaurant in the state. Not one. Don't need 'em. We've got some outstanding local seafood places.

And really cheap lobster.

Slub, I envy you the Lobster Festival. The Jello festival here in Utah can't really compete.

OTOH, Ms. Snowe is a pretty heavy burden for you people. And with that do, she really does have some kind of Nancy Pelosi thing happenin'.

Oh, believe me I know. God in Heaven, I know. Sour old bitch.

Heh. That about describes her.

My secret hope is that she decides not to run again. If the base closings go through, she's in trouble. She's been campaigning for years on her ability to keep the federal military bucks coming in. It's what keeps the liberals/independents voting for her.

Plus, I think she's finally used up her last reservoir of good will with state Republicans.

Slublog:

Are you sure about that Red Lobster thing? I could swear I went to a Red Lobster in Bath six or eight years ago. (Crummy, cold, rainy, windy day it was too.)

Umm, Megan? Could it be that you are too sloshy and jittery with coffee to actually work up an appetite?

One cup of that stuff you drink I could vibrate through walls.

Pelosi actually looks halfway human next to Snowe. And given Pelosi's fucking scary Hallowe'en eyes that's saying something.

Big bug! Yeah that's pretty funny. But I like the whole shell-cracking ritual.

Sometimes when my husband and I go out to dinner, he'll catch me stashing extra money in my purse, and he knows its lobsterzilla night.

I ask the waiter to tell me if there are any 4 or 5-lb lobsters in the tank and have them bring it to me.

Its not even worth taking apart one of those little 1 1/4 lb hens they have on the menu.

Its terrible how people stare in restaurants when you're wearing a bib and tearing an animal apart with your bare hands. How rude.

Don't knock the coffee, Sponge. It works out well anyway, since my job basically involves sitting on my ass and this has ~10 calories a cup.

I keep forgetting you're saddled with Collins and Snowe, you poor man.

Oh, boo f'n hoo. Cry me a river. Try living out here in California with Boxer and Feinstein (especially Boxer) for a while, and you'll be begging for the wit and reason of Collins and Snowe in no time flat.

Monty...yup. The last few restaurants closed up about three years ago or so.

You don't really expect an accurate moral interpretation from a guy who drinks puppy smoothies do you?

As to the religous spam, I take it to mean that the fight we are in is a worthy one as our enemy is acting in the furtherance of an immoral, and therefore inhuman goal. They are on the side of the devil, and it shows.

Feinstein is okay on some issues, actually. I mean of course she's nuts overall, but she's not a total bitchy whackjob like Snowe. You have no idea how vicious that woman can be, or how long she can carry a grudge.

Oh, Boxer and Feinstein. I think Sean has me beat.

My thing with Snowe is personal. I'm going to send her a bunch of dead, rotting flowers with a really mean nastygram as soon as she's FINALLY no longer in a position to annoy me.

Slublog -

I actually re-read Glen's post and I think it's not as bad as I thought it was.

I think he was referring to all scientific stuff like GMO crops and whatnot.

Still, there have been quite a few semi-bigoted posts about embryonic stem cell research.

The lobsters are not fond of those lobster rolls though - I'm sure PETA would have something to say about this!

Quick, someone remind him there's a war on

Btw, can I assume that everyone here shares my intense dislike for that Napolitano guy who's on Fox all the f'n time?

Megan - yup.

I hate how they all call him "The Judge."

Ugh.

What really bugs me is that he doesn't even get the LAW right. And they drag him on anyway and ask him his ignorant opinion on every goddamn thing under the sun.

Lunchtime, I think. I'll just drive down the street until I see something that looks appealing. It's a beautiful day here - good for a drive.

Full report when you get back then, mister. I still like hearing about food even though I'm not eating it. Dismissed!

Well, if this ain't a bizarre running commentary. I leave for a meeting for a few hours and I come back to something that makes think everyone's AIM accounts are down.

Anyway, I hope lunch was good for everyone.

Oh, yeah: please tell me that I am not alone in thinking that Chris Jansing has Stewie-head. That, or she's an Anime girl. I keep waiting for the slithery tentacles to show up on the MSNBC set.

Then I remember Chris Matthews reports from D.C.

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

The reports coming to my desk today are really dull. I'm just skimming through, nothing interesting enough to comment.

Boxer, Feinstein and no lobster.

:(

Lobster roll was quite good, if small. Simple buttered claw meat on a toasted hot dog roll. Fries were limp and blah. Carrot cake was delightful.

If I didn't work so hard I'd blow up like a balloon.

Irritating though to have my lunch continually interrupted by customers. What do they think this is, a business?

Hmm, I've always preferred tail myself, Laura.

...

First person to say it gets smacked.

(claps both hands across mouth)

Uh. I find it uh. Rubbery.
Shit.

I don't mind a little bounce to the flesh, as long as it's firm and taut. :)

Honestly, will you two ladies get a room already?

With room service lobster, of course.

Oh, man. Things have gotten pretty typically odd around here.

Decided to go with the old standby - McD's. Didn't feel like getting out of my car. Of course, I was stuck behind some a-hole from Rhode Island (no, I'm not saying they all are, so calm down RIers) who was obviously a tourist looking for Stephen King's house.

He, of course, missed the turn.

[mild look] What's the matter, Dave? We're just discussing which are the best parts.

I see nothing offensive here. I enjoy the tail myself. And when the waiter brings it to the table, I always look at him and say, in my best Brando voice, "Bring me the butter."

Oddly enough, FNC's Dayside program is talking about McDonald's right now. Some lifeguard chick just said she always gets the #5.

*Frickin' older drivers and tourists. Might as well be walking for how fast I was...*

Oh, sorry...what was everyone saying?

I prefer the claw meat myself.

I prefer a sausage roll ;)

Does it feel like a Friday? Why does it feel like a Friday? And what the fuck are all these customers doing coming here today?

[giggling helplessly]

OK OK, enough.

Um, I had some McDonald's a week ago, I think. Chicken McNuggets. I just love breast.

It does feel like a Friday.

Shit, I am getting nothing done. Nothing.

Oh, well.

I don't get weekends off so I rarely know what day of the week it is in the first place. :P

Slublog: Just read your post about trolls and seagulls. Boy, are you arrogant!

I hear something cawing.

smartass

who. me?

lunch: tuna. unsatisfying, particularly with all the damn lobster talk.

megan, do I recall correctly that you are a Louisianianiann.. a Louisianaaer.. uh, from Louisiana? Do you go for the chickory stuff?

lauraw, I'm STILL laughing about "the moustache".

slublog. it's 99 here today. shut up.

What? Arrogant? Me?

Thank you.

Dave - no, Virginian. I have an aunt in Louisiana.

Hey, it's 80 degrees out there.

Heat wave.

Let's see:

1. The war on terror.
2. What to call the war on terror.
3. Banging the anchorwomen on FNC.
4. Coffee.
5. Lobster.
6. Maine politics.

Just your average thread at AOSHQ.

Sorry, anonymous above was me.

Quiet, Butters.

If you think the seagulls post was arrogant, you should read what I wrote at 11:20 p.m. in this post.

Now that's arrogance.

You've voted for Democrats?!

ah, my bad. regards to Aunt Louisiana.

Just the good ones.

Traitor!

Plus, I've voted for Snowe and Collins, so what's the difference?

Hey, they were local races. The Republicans running were chowderheads.

Eat me, Megan.

Speaking of eating, and on a more serious note, if your appetite is really as erratic as you described, I would strongly engourage you to talk to a doctor.

Still. I don't think I could ever bring myself to vote for a Dem. Even if it were Zell Miller, whom I love, if the Republican were a dork I'd just abstain. Marking off a (D), I'd never feel clean again.

How do you guys expect me to get any work done with all the yapping going on.

"I would strongly engourage you to talk to a doctor"

I am a doctor, doofus. :P

I didn't say I felt good about it, but next year I'm definitely voting straight ticket R. The Dems have gone over the deep end.

I am a doctor, doofus.

Then get a second opinion. :>)

Definitely. The party as a whole has to be punished.

I wish I could remember the name of the girl in this story, but I haven't been able to for some time now. Anyway, she approached me while I was waiting to get into the polling place a few years ago, and asked for my vote. (It was a local thing and I can't even remember the office now. Dammit.) She was running as a Democrat though so I told her to switch parties and I would. Long story short - at the time she just laughed, but two years later she did exactly that, and that time she won. With my vote. :)

"Then get a second opinion."

OK.

[calling Mom]

She says you should be quiet too, Butters. ;)

Hm. Missed this one.

Oh, yeah: please tell me that I am not alone in thinking that Chris Jansing has Stewie-head. That, or she's an Anime girl. I keep waiting for the slithery tentacles to show up on the MSNBC set.

Chris Jansing needs to eat a sandwich or something. She's all sharp edges and angles. Creepy.

If these rude customers don't stop coming in, I'm going to actually have to get working. I can't believe this. Its a total disaster.

What do you do, Laura?

The nerve of those people.

Work would be great if it weren't for all the bosses and customers and stuff.

I don't have customers and my boss is in Japan. :D

Heh. My boss is in the next office over, mired in paperwork. I don't really have customers.

Yeah Laura, but you had lobster. And cake.

I've just had a handful of cheerios and a diet coke. And I beggar myself to live at the beach and it's, (sob), cloudy!

I still have coffee.

Barely. Only two mugs left. Hmm. [pondering]

Small store owner/operator

Beaches, pah!

I live near a place that looks like this.

Yeah, like we don't know you switch to cognac at noon.

Actually, I've been trying to stop that. :/ It was playing hell with my body. Haven't had any alcohol since Monday, and I'd gone almost two weeks without before that.

More of a norther lake girl than beach girl.
My best friend is always dragging me to the beach so I can enjoy the blazing sun and rap music.

I much prefer slublog's cool pines and dark water. He can shove the black flies STRAIGHT up his ass though. Hate those frickin things.

Agree about black flies. When those little bastards bite, it bleeds like hell and itches for a week.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050804/ts_nm/qaeda_zawahri_tape_dc



"Our message to you is clear, strong and final: There will be no salvation until you withdraw from our land, stop stealing our oil and resources and end support for infidel, corrupt (Arab) rulers"



"To the people of the crusader coalition ... our blessed Sheikh Osama has offered you a truce so that you leave Muslim land. As he said, you will not dream of security until we live it as a reality in Palestine and until all your infidel armies leave Prophet Mohammad's lands."



Call them evil, call them nasty, but it's pretty clear they're not just evil dorks who hate freedom and want to destroy western civilization and put the world under evil Islamic rule. They want us out. That doesn't mean we should do what they say, but it is important to understand the motiviation of your enemy.

Just got back to my desk and things are dead, dead, dead. It really does feel like a weekend. Aside from being at my desk, that is.

"it is important to understand the motiviation of your enemy"

I don't see how it's relevant after they've been reduced to their component atoms.

Noticed a lot of out of state plates on the highway this morning, I think a lot of people worked 1/2 week this week.

It's the heat, I think. Slows life down.

I mean, the temperature here has crept up to 81.

"94, feels like 96" down here, according to the weather site. Of course, I haven't been outside in 3 days.

195 comments on this thread.

We've got some serious work-avoidance going on here.

About 95 here, I think. And, as they said in some movie, "Yeah, man, but it's a dry heat." Actually, that is less hot than it's been. And 105 in Utah isn't nearly as uncomfortable as 85 on the east coast.

I haven't read one. Consequential. Thing. The whole fucking day. Every single paper I was sent bored me out of my mind. There's nothing to do but watch the news and blather here until the office decides to stop wasting my time.

Beautiful photos Slu, but I just hate winter. I visit the ol homestead in the summer when the corn is ripe and the days are long.

Plus in So. Cal, you hardly need screens on the windows, there are barely any bugs.

Yeah, I'm pretty much babysitting my desk here. All of my projects are now dependent upon information from other people.

Slow people.

Yeah, Maine is a beautiful state. But you're right about the winters. Before I moved here, I didn't know cold could hurt.

I wish my people were slow. They're not. They're just being incompetent today; I just got off the phone after I finished yelling at a bunch of them. It's more satisfying if you make them put you on speaker first.

I'm in pretty much the same position, Slublog. It's just an odd day. I mean, I was perfectly busy yesterday, and I had no reason to assume today would be any different. But everything seems to be on hold.

Yeah, yesterday was straight out for me. Then today, crickets.

You know, Steven Bochco is an asshole. I mean, his stupid show about Iraq has allowed television critics to write crap like this into their reviews:

Yet it's Nassir who shrewdly equates the fervor of the insurgents to '60s hippies. To prove his point, Nassir detonates a booby-trap made out of C-4 explosives hidden in the trunk of a car. The resulting explosion knocked the doubting Smoke off of his feet and onto his pride. The incident paralleled the scene in The Godfather Part II when Michael Corleone witnessed the death of an anti-Batista suicide bomber in Cuba. Although Hyman Roth didn't take much stock in the isolated attack, evidence of such blind devotion to a cause told Michael that the dissidents could prevail. I hope history doesn't repeat itself Over There.

Full article here.

David Brooks on C-SPAN. Somewhat amusing speech to a... young conservatives group, looks like.

I mean, the temperature here has crept up to 81

Ah well, winter temps average high 50s here.

Pretty pictures slublog. Reminds me of those hills in Gettysburg.

Or maybe I'm just thinking of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

"The resulting explosion knocked the doubting Smoke off of his feet"

I've got nothin' substantive, but those double prepositions really annoy the hell out of me. Learn English, moron.

Naps are cool. Just completed one.

Heh.

"I'll die of alcohol poisoning around 80, but you guys are screwed."
- Brooks on Social Security

Damn, I'd love to take a nap. Have a frickin' meeting at 3, though.

Meetings are much better over the phone. That way you can just hang up when you get bored.

Well its another beastly hot day here with the kind of humidity that...is..um. Really humid.

And the store is busy with people who need to ship things. Just took in two great big old Budweiser lamps complete with clydesdales and dalmations. Some guy sold them on ebay.

Large wall clock, auto parts, cabinet samples, some kind of industrial-use putty in a big tub.
Time to hustle.
It has been such a pleasure chit chatting with you people today.

I had to get up and take a stroll through the department "to see how things are going" because, no joke, I'm about to fall face-first into the monitor. I mean, I finally get to sleep around 4AM, then force myself to get up and come to work at 8AM so I can just sit?

I'm still trying to figure out just what kind of store Laura owns. One of those easy shipping places that promises to find a way to ship whatever you've got?

Hm.

Anyway, I'm off to a meeting. What she said - been a pleasure.

We're the fun group. :) Later, guys.

And the store is busy with people who need to ship things. Just took in two great big old Budweiser lamps complete with clydesdales and dalmations. Some guy sold them on ebay.

Great, now I now what my father in law is getting me for my birthday.

Of the several things I saw worthy of smackdown, I'll provide for two:

First, the comments from the Imam are mere excuses for the attacks, and nothing more. Think; do you really consider that were we to aceede to his demands, that the attacks against us would stop? Why, because he SAID so? And do we even consider that he rep[resents the opinion of the majority of Middle Eastern people? I know I don't.

Second one of of a kind with the first;

Trying to attach cutsey terminology to this barbarism, will not sway anyone because whatever terms you use do not change the ideas behind such attacks. The nature of those attacking us is already known, as is what we ought to be doing about it. Trying to sell those facts by adding cutsey terminology won't help. THis is not a matter of the left not understanding what's what. They understand quite well. The problem is, they're so wrapped up in their anti-Bush derangement, that they support those attacking us, and that's something changing the wording ain't gonna help. You're in effect trying to argue with a madman about the wording describing common sense.