Sharing a fag...

smith
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

And at least one of them is French!

Top 10 ways to crash those lame-ass fake-Halloween "Come As Your Favorite Biblical Character" "Fall Festival" parties...

1. Gather up a bunch of your gay friends. Two of them tongue-kiss and grope each other's crotches all night. They are David and Jonathan. The rest go as the City of Sodom.

2. Get with six of your friends and go as the Seven Deadly Sins. I suggest you call dibs on Lust, Gluttony, or Wrath.

3. Onan! Onan! Onan! Go be Onan in the punchbowl.

4. Whore of Babylon.

5. Solomon -- cut any unattended babies in half.

6. Noah, after the flood -- get so drunk you pass out and engage in incest with your two daughters. I suggest getting the Olsen twins to play the "daughters" part. Or was that Lot?

7. Be Cain. Smite random people, because they, unknown to them, are Abel.

8. The Serpent of Eden. Implore and manipulate women into tasting your fruit.

9. Judas. Dress in leather biker clothes and sing "Turbo Lover."

10. Could it be ... Satan? Get thee behind all the people dressed as Jesus. Tempt them with food and water. Lead a revolution against God. Get cast out of the party, shouting "I'd rather reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." Or, rather, reign in the parking lot than serve in the gymnasium.

October Surprise.

You just knew one had to come. And here you thought it was the "missing" materials in Iraq, or the health of Chief Justice Rehnquist, or maybe the shots of Arafat in his footie pajamas.

But no, the October Surprise (so far) is a videotape released by the animal.

The question is -- who does it help? Does it serve as a reminder that George Bush has so far failed to capture the animal either dead or alive?

Or does it remind people of the strength George Bush showed following 9/11, and that the world is still a dangerous place, and that the LAST thing we need is a Sensitive War On Terror (S.W.O.T.)?

For me it was the later, and it was enough to make me reconsider voting for Badnarik No Matter What. Monday I'm going to check the Missouri Presidential polls, and if it's within the margin of error, I will consider changing my vote. I'm not saying I WILL change my vote, but I will CONSIDER changing it.

Bush's attacks on civil liberties are atrocious, but we have to ask ourselves, would we rather have SOME civil liberties ignored in America under Bush, or would we rather have NO CIVIL LIBERTIES AT ALL if al-Qaeda succeeds in bringing down our republic?

moredoctors

moredoctors
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

All those doctors (especially if they're pooftery-looking like this one) can't be wrong!

Website blight.

Is it still cybersquatting if they've abandoned the site?

Pat Buchanan's 2000 website.
Bob Dole's 96 campaign site.
Clinton/Gore 96.
Janet The Butcher's site for FLA governor campaign.
Liddy Dole's old site.
Harry Browne 2000.

camel pleasure

camel pleasure
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

For what it's worth...

Astrologycom.com's November horoscopes for Kerry & Bush:

Kerry (Sagittarius) :

Friends, Hopes and Wishes

Jupiter, your life-ruler, favours you with a year long stay in your house of friends, hopes and wishes. This presence opens the road ahead with new contacts and fortunate meetings.

The month begins with mixed influences. There's a new friend or an opportunity and you will have a lot to say. There may be problems with communication or energy levels, so take things carefully.

Review financial plans from November 9th. There may be a changing relationship with an older person. Watch energy levels at the New Moon on November 12th. With warrior Mars in your solar twelfth house, you may be feeling the pressure. Make new spiritual or creative commitments. Set aside time for reflection.

There's excitement and intensity from November 20th, as Mercury conjoins with Pluto and the Sun moves to your sign. Many happy returns to the centaurs for the coming year. There may be changes or developments on the home front from November 24th as the Sun clashes with Uranus. The Full Moon follows in Gemini on November 26th, bringing a testy atmosphere. There could be unexpected events or outbursts of feeling.

You're poised at the end of the month as Mars and Venus clash with mystic Neptune. Communications may go awry or be misinterpreted. Something may come out of the blue that changes the picture. Be careful of pushing ahead without knowing what you're getting into. Creative or spiritual endeavours are favoured. Be prepared to change methods or views.

Talking in Circles

Mercury the messenger enters your sign on November 4th. You'll have a lot to say but will anybody listen? That's the question in the first week, as Mercury clashes with Uranus. There could be confusion or reversals on the home front or with family. They pass quickly. Intense discussions follow on November 20th. There may be an important meeting or a need for decision-making. Watch travel safety at this time. If you have discussions with a partner, consider your position. See things from another point of view, before Mercury turns retrograde on November 30.
Outward then Inward
Venus the goddess glides through Libra and your solar eleventh house as the month begins. The trend is to excitement, friends and the expansion of your dreams. You'll begin with a wave of excitement. There may be an important occasion to celebrate.

Things turn inwards in the middle of the month as weighty matters or concerns begin to occupy your mind. From here, Venus moves to Scorpio and your solar twelfth house. You may wish to withdraw. You may have to care for someone. There may be matters held in abeyance. You may simply be reflecting on matters of relationships. There's something or someone around you that you may not be able to get a gauge on. Weigh decisions carefully.

Inner World

Warrior Mars clashes with Saturn in the first week of the month. For some, there will be folk around you tested by events, asking for your help. Others may have to revise plans in accordance with the available dollars. From there, warrior Mars moves to Scorpio and your solar twelfth house. Put the brakes on things. Watch and wait rather than trying to leap ahead. Muster your resources before you make a run at things. You may encounter tension or opposition. There may be hidden obstacles that block your efforts. Sustained action and good conduct will carry you through. Be careful with fire, water or chemicals.

Bush (Cancer):

Creative Pursuits

The domestic scene is jumping for the Crab with giant Jupiter at work in your solar fourth house of home, family and emotion and with Venus the goddess there as well. There may be guests or special events to liven things up. Some of you will make home improvements and others will move to a better residence.

However, with the Sun in Scorpio, there is a strong focus on lifestyle, creative pursuits and children. Watch spending early in the month as the Sun clashes with mystic Neptune. You may misjudge or misread a situation where money is involved. If there is pressure or you encounter obstacles, just persist. November 9th sees you reviewing plans. Look at the results so far before you move forward.

A New Moon comes in Scorpio on November 20th. Creative endeavours advance. New and interesting people may be involved or partners take a new role. There is some tension at home from November 16th to 19th. There may be an issue with an older person or ill-health for a family member.

Decisions affecting work or health will be important from November 20th, especially after the Sun moves to Sagittarius. However, it may be best to hang fire and see what unfolds rather than surge ahead. The Full Moon on November 26th sees either tiredness or poor health and there may be startling developments or news from overseas. Creative endeavours abound as the month ends, but they could be expensive. Hmmm. Sexual feeling is high. If you find romance, make sure you find it in the right place.

Work Practices

Mercury the messenger moves to Sagittarius on November 4th, opening up proceedings in your solar sixth house of work and health. Things will be unsettled at first. There may be upsets, sudden changes or communication problems. Stay calm and matters will mostly solve themselves. Deep consideration and important communications or discussions mark the end of the month. Time for consideration is necessary as Mercury's move towards a retrograde phase ensures that the unforeseen or the unexpected will play a part.

Shifting Tides

With Venus the goddess in Libra as the month begins, there's a strong emphasis on home and family. Concentrate on beautification and enjoyment. There may be tricky climes to negotiate, mid month. If you clash with a family member or partner, negotiate the ground. You may have to let someone else find their way with something, regardless of how you see the situation. November 22nd sees Venus move to powerful Scorpio and your solar fifth house. There could be a new romantic interest for the singles. Romance may be rekindled for those with a partner. The end of the month brings a charged note where feelings may be mixed, so watch matters of both love and money and try not to force the issue or push the pace. A new creative project or pastime will come to light.

Going For It

There may be conflict or tension at home as the month begins. Males may be involved. Negotiate. Advance step by step. You may be trying to finish an important domestic task and find that you are delayed. Be persistent. Warrior Mars moves to Scorpio on November 12th. Romance will be on the agenda for some. The erotic flavour may be high. Others may be moved to speculative ventures or new recreational endeavours. Impatience or over-indulgence could mar the end of the month so be patient and perceptive.

Specifically on November 2, here are their horoscopes:

Bush --

Tue Nov 2: Write It Down

This is a fantastic day for getting your thoughts straight about something or someone. You're in a very practical and logical frame of mind right now, so you'll see things exactly as they are without any wishful thinking clouding the issue. Something else that goes well now is planning for a future party or social event. Get out your list and jot down the ideas that come to you. It might be anything from the need to hire some glasses to a decision about the venue. Inspirational colours are smoky pink and silvery green. Lucky numbers are 6 and 41.

Kerry --

Tue Nov 2: Think It Through

Take things slowly today and think them over carefully before taking any action or making any decisions. Right now you are very aware of the importance of what you're doing and you won't want to make any mistakes. Find the time to assess your financial situation and to check that everything is ticking over nicely. Advantageous colours are amethyst and persimmon. Lucky numbers are 11 and 2.

Smoke one for the Gipper.

I see dead people.

Hey, if the Show-Me State can elect a dead guy to the Senate, why shouldn't it also let dead people vote?

Nondiscrimination goes both ways, bee-yatch!

WCCO brings us this little story:

St. Cloud State Elects First Male Homecoming Queen
Oct 24, 2004 12:54 pm US/Central


Some people might say that the new homecoming queen at Saint Cloud State University is unqualified for the job.

That's because the new queen is a man.

Fue Khang, a student from Minneapolis, was crowned homecoming queen on Thursday night after a vote by students. School officials say a man has never been chosen queen in the 65 years the school has elected royalty.

University clubs and organizations nominate royalty candidates, and Kang was the nominee for the student senate. A school official says it is rare for student groups to nominate a man for the post.

Student government president Hal Kimball says the nomination was sincere. He says the student leaders wanted to make a point about not supporting gender stereotypes.

But the mother of one queen candidate wasn't too impressed. Kim Ferber says she was disappointed and is questioning whether she wants her daughter Annie to keep going to the school.

This broad's outrage might seem a little more genuine if she was equally appalled when sexual discrimination worked FOR her daughter as she is now that it works AGAINST her daughter. Equality is equality.

So, lady, unless you plan on campaigning to make your daughter and other women draftable, I don't want to hear it.

Not gonna say a word . . .

Homoerotic Cigarette Ad.

Homoerotic Cigarette Ad.
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

You don't have to smoke Marlboros to be a Marlboro Man.

BTW, was this ad ripped out of The Advocate?

Tragedy.

Other than Terry Labonte, I don't particularly like any of the Hendrick drivers, and I'm not going to pretend that I do. My feelings for the other four range from indifference (Brian Vickers) to near-outright-dislike (Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon). But today, my thoughts are with them, the Hendrick family, and the whole Hendrick organization. I cannot imagine losing four family members on the same day.

What's really weird is, all during the race yesterday, before the plane crash was announced, I kept thinking of Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison, NASCAR drivers who died in separate plane crashes in 1993, long before I became interested in NASCAR.

Good ol' American ingenuity.

Too bad a Canadian came up with it.

"A lot of beer drinkers, he said, also fish."

That's an understatement if I ever heard one.

Do they give Emmy's for campaign commercials?

If so, this one's a lock. I'm still not voting for him, but this is a very powerful commercial.

Electoral count predictions.

For Saturday, Oct. 23, 2004 -

DC Political report: Kerry 228, Bush 211, Too close to call 99.

Electoral-vote.com: Kerry 257, Bush 254, Tied 27.

LA Times: Kerry 153, Bush 158, Up for grabs 227.

Election Projection: Bush 274, Kerry 264.

Slate's Election Scorecard: Bush 352, Kerry 186.

All show Bush winning Missouri handily, so those of you wavering between voting for Bush and voting Libertarian, remember -- a vote for a candidate who is going to win anyway is a wasted vote.

paris

paris
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

This is me in Paris on Bastille Day. I narrowly escaped capture by the French Revolutionary Underground.

They wanted to take me to a secret warehouse and surrender to me.

The NEW New Coke.

Coke tries to blame C2's dismal sales on overpricing.

C2 Mistake Coca-Cola's soft drinks on average are priced 6.1 percent higher than PepsiCo's drinks, as of Sept. 4, according to Sanford Bernstein.

High prices helped undermine the new mid-calorie C2 cola, Coca-Cola's biggest product launch since Diet Coke in 1982. The introduction was backed by a U.S. marketing campaign with commercials using music from the Rolling Stones.

The cola was priced about 40 percent higher than other Coca- Cola soft drinks in grocery stores, and sales have generated less than 1 percent of the company's revenue.

``We need to take our share of the blame,'' Isdell said in an interview last month. ``We are going to correct it.''

Isdell said he'll reduce the price gap on C2 to about 15 percent.

That's part of it, but not the whole story. Like Pepsi's Edge, it targets a consumer (Atkins fanatics) that is and has been for a while now, drinking diet soda, which has zero carbs and zero calories. I don't see Atkinsoids suddenly deciding to switch to a higher carb, higher calorie drink when they've already gotten used to the taste of diet soda.

Another part is that, unlike Pepsi's Edge, Coke C2 is just plain awful.

I look for Coke C2 to go the way of New Coke soon. Speaking of New Coke, why is it that, almost two decades after the demise of New Coke, Coke is still calling the real stuff 'Coca-Cola CLASSIC'? Isn't it time to drop the 'Classic'? If New Coke still exists in some small market somewhere, wouldn't it make more sense to change IT's name to something like "Coke Formula B" so that the "Coke" default returns to where it SHOULD be -- the original Coca-Cola?

Space/time continuum imperilled.

If this was one of the Star Trek shows, it would be time to modify the main deflector dish, alter some emitters, or toy with the warp field a bit.

Because, you see, there is about to be a rupture in the subspace barrier.

The Red Sox are going to the World Series. This is just WRONG.

For awhile now, callers have been calling in to COAST TO COAST AM saying something about the universe just doesn't FEEL right -- that it's unbalanced somehow.

This is proof. The Red Sox are not SUPPOSED to go to the World Series. And if they win, POOF! Armageddon.

So call out Steve Bartman; slap a Red Sox hat on him and plant him in the stands next to the foul line. Do your best Babe Ruth curse voodoo.

The Red Sox must not win the World Series.

The fate of the Universe depends on it.

Towns where A is not A.

Farmington.
Searcy.
Manila.
Berryville & Carroll County.
West Plains.
Thayer.

I know -- let's have the Summer Solstice on December 21st! Let's have Christmas on February 29th! War is not peace. Freedom is not slavery. October 30th is not Halloween.

A is A.

Go steal something from the City of Columbia.

It's okay. It is the position of the city of Columbia that stealing's permitted.

Steal something from their fire department too.

Can you be a third party candidate if there are only two candidates?

The LP should be focusing it's money and effort on races like these.

Sometimes Blogger is a pain.

It grabbed onto my Guru Goodies recipe and held it hostage somewhere out there in cyberspace for a while, waiting for me to repost it two more times, then posted all three posts after I'd signed off.

I fixed it, but how many people saw three posts on the recipe for Guru Goodies and thought my obsessive-compulsive disorder must be acting up?

Hey you techie types.

How hard is it to switch out an A: drive?

Is it 'plug & play' or do you need some software?

My a: drive has been a VERY finicky little bitch for a long time now and so I bought an old computer at a yard sale to cannibalize for parts, but I don't want to get in the middle of it and find I've screwed something up.

spoontang

spoontang
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

heh heh.

Guru Goodies.

1. Mix 1 pkg. chocolate chips with 2/3 (.66666667) jar of creamy peanut butter.

2. Nuke until soft.

3. Stir in miniature marshmallows (or, as Spock calls them, marsh melons).

4. Pour into seperate, greased, shallow container.

5. Refrigerate.

ensue

ensue
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

More of my original artwork.

The ensuer needs a black Snidely-Whiplash cape to drape sinisterly over his face, but that is currently beyond my arty skills.

Russelville residents fight back against creeping socialism.

From The Courier:

Russellville residents attempting to repeal a newly-created city property tax submitted more than 1,500 signatures of support Monday, asking for a special election to decide if the tax will stick.

Michael Robbins, an attorney who represents the residents, and Garland Steuber, a former city alderman, submitted those signatures to Russellville City Clerk Kathy Collins Monday, the deadline for tax opponents to have the 1,007 signatures necessary to force a public vote. The group actually collected 1,563 signatures, 556 more than what was required.

The signature campaign came about after the Russellville City Council voted to raise city property taxes by two mills on Sept. 16, a revenue source aimed at increasing employee salaries.

Full story here.

NO NO NO NO NO.

User fees, you people. User fees.

Freudian Typo.

From a Neosho Daily News article about the Ministerial Alliance changing it's name:

The Alliance held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 12, the first time since its controversial meeting on Sept. 14 whereby its members voted 12 to 4 in favor of adopting a new mission statement into its by-laws banning homosexual clergy, among others, into the alliance.

...

"I still believe it's terrible that Christians can act like this," said Robinson. "We should ban together to help the community, not split apart. We shouldn't be divided over beliefs; we don't have a problem with their differing beliefs. We just feel we can all do so much more together.

I guess I'm voting for this.

Making a tax act more like a user fee is a pretty good idea.

It doesn't seem that unreasonable to have gas taxes go toward roads.

Moonshine Madness

CMT had a program last night on moonshine.

Questions not asked of the ATF agent were as follows:

What's worse for society, people making moonshine, or your agency making people homeless for making moonshine?

You've said moonshiners should get a real job. What jobs can they get in the areas where moonshine is made? There AREN'T any employers in those areas.

You said moonshiners see you as a jack-booted thug. Do they have a point?

Aren't there more important things the government could be spending our tax dollars on than taking down moonshiners? Protecting us from terrorism? Going after murderers, rapists, thieves and child molesters?

Too bad CMT took the easy road and didn't ask these questions. I'd like to hear his answers to them.

cookie

cookie
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

More of my original artwork, inspired by my stepping on the bathroom scale this morning.

Flashing lights and corpses.

I awoke this morning to what seemed like dozens of flashing police lights out my kitchen window. Not long after, a body was carried out of one of the rental houses in my neighborhood.

I don't know what that was all about.

Problems getting into [Suck my] Google News today.

So not a good day for news updates.

You can check out my new project, if you want. But social conservatives be warned; it may ... no, it WILL ... offend your fragile sensibilities.

I've added a chatroom.

Look for the link in the left-hand column, with the other Bravenet stuff. I won't be in there much, because you can't chat from library computers, but it'll give you a chance to mingle among other Arkanssourians and get to know them.

puppet

puppet
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

The puppet is scary.

Thayer-Mammoth Gun Show

Here's the text of a flyer I just swiped from a bulletin board at the library. Don't worry; I'm a good Libertarian and will replace it when I'm done typing it on here:

THAYER-MAMMOTH SPRING

ROTARY CLUB

3rd SEMI-ANNUAL GUN SHOW

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2004

(8:00 a.m. -- 5:00 p.m.)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2004

(9:00 a.m. -- 5:00 p.m.)

THE SHOW WILL BE HELD IN THE COUNTRY MUSIC

BUILDING, U.S. HWY 63, JUST SOUTH OF THE

RIVERVIEW MOTEL, MAMMOTH SPRING, ARKANSAS

(PLENTY OF FREE PARKING SPACES)

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC -- ADMISSION -- $3.00

(Children Under 12 Admitted free if Accompanied by an Adult)

CONCESSION STAND WILL BE AVAILABLE

ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY

*NOTICE THIS IS A SMOKE FRE FACILITY**

For information about Vendor Spaces Contact the following:

Doyle D. Fink Home Phone 417-264-2762--Cell 417-280-0493

Bill Pace Phone 870-625-3235

Suck My Google.

Google Adsense is gone. Permanently.

It's not every day I get mistaken for a bucket.

This has been a bizarre week. I'm wondering if maybe I've been secretly teleported to Twin Peaks.

This week, I have mistakenly called my mother a cat, have momentarily thought Gypsy had somehow returned from the dead, and have been mistaken for a bucket.

I've been mistaken for a Biblical figure slain by David in the past. Even a female seventies sitcom character, but until this week, I've never been mistaken for a bucket.

First, when Patches, the cat who identifies mostly with my mother, jumped on my lap and demanded to be petted, I screwed up the syntax in my mild questioning of her. "What are you doing on me?" I asked, "Granny's your cat." It was bad enough that I said it, but my mother heard me and insisted she was not Patches' cat.

One cool and misty morning before dawn, I saw Gypsy, my fuzzy little brown cat who has been dead for months now, walking up the sidewalk toward me. It's funny what your mind will let you believe, even momentarily, when you want it to be so. I turned on my porch light and sat in the rocking chair on it. 'Gypsy' jumped up on my lap. It was the right weight, the right hair texture, the right disposition. But it wasn't Gypsy. This one's fur was darker, and if I inspected it closely enough, I probably would have found it was a tomcat, judging from the proportion of it's head to the rest of it's body. If he had stayed around, I was going to name him Lazarus, but by nightfall he was gone.

That morning, as I sat in the rocking chair, I was wearing a red shirt. I heard my mother rustling about in the living room, looking out the porch window. When I went back in the house, she asked me where I'd been. I said I had been sitting in the rocking chair on the porch. She said she had looked out there but hadn't seen me. I was confused because the rocking chair sits right in front of the window.

We have this red laundry tub/bucket that functions as a laundry basket when we hang clothes on the solar-powered clothes dryer on the front porch. When not in use, it sits in one of the two chairs on the front porch. This day, it was in the non-rocking chair.

"I saw something red out the window, but I thought it was the laundry bucket," she told me.

"I am not a bucket," I informed her.

It's not every day that one gets mistaken for a bucket.

Freebie scoop.

I haven't seen this on any freebie site, and I'm putting it here a couple of days before I put it on one of those sites, to give my readers first dibs, if they want it.

Garage Floor Mat Samples.

The free sample link is in the right column, toward the bottom.

Not on REASON online yet,

but if you see the most recent issue of REASON anywhere, read the last page (not the back cover, the last real page.) It's hilarious.

It describes some of the things Indians (real Indians, not Native Americans) are doing with the free condoms their government gives them. Among the uses -- waterproofing their roofs, protecting gun barrels, and festive hats!

More on 3rd party exclusion.

From a much longer piece in The Clarion News on third parties being excluded from the debates:

Now and then, you hear the Democrats attacking Nader attacked for being a “spoiler,” potentially siphoning off votes that might otherwise go to Kerry.

Much less often you might hear about a fellow named Michael Badnarik. While he’s almost invisible in the news media, you can bet there are Republicans seriously worried about the candidate for the Libertarian party.

The GOP worries because some traditional conservatives and “small L” libertarians don’t like the foreign interventionism, out-of-control government spending and big government getting bigger and the rapidly rising deficit pinned on George and friends.

If Badnarik were a little better at the charisma thing and had more media play, he could potentially be more of a spoiler to the Republicans than Nader is to the Democrats.

Most opinion polls don’t even mention Badnarik, but I chanced across one that showed him pulling 5 percent of the vote in New Mexico ; serious in a close race.

And actually, according to the Libertarian Party web site (www.lp.org), more people will have a chance to vote for Badnarik than for Nader; Badnarik is on the ballot in 48 states, Nader in only 39. And the Libertarians are the third largest party in the U.S. , outstripping the Greens, Reform, Constitutional and the other larger third parties both in registrations and number of elected officials.

But neither Badnarik, Nader, nor any other third party candidates appear in the debates. It’s one less chance to hear what they have to say.

Comes The Darkness.

There's a certain shame that goes hand-in-hand with depression in men. Buck up, little soldier, they'll say. Get over it. Quit feeling sorry for yourself. And if you point out that such sentiments only make the matter worse, you're just feeling sorry for yourself.

But even that's not the worst of it. No, that honor goes to the inner criticisms. You know the ones -- the ones that insist depression is some sort of character flaw. The ones that ask why you are sitting on your ass staring out the window instead of getting up and doing something about it.

The ones that don't understand that you CAN'T get up off your ass but you can't explain why.

Because you don't know.

It's a common misconception that depression is a chronic state of being deeply sad.

At least for me, it's a chronic state of numbness punctuated with periods of acute hopelessness. Sadness comes sometimes, but what most defines my depression is an inability to think.

Picture the confusion of being really, really drunk, without the fun of a buzz.

Now picture that confusion lasting for weeks, even months. And the inability to see any end to it in your future.

That's what it's like for me, to varying degrees, at least six months out of the year. The pit usually begins around the autumn equinox, although it came somewhat early this year, gets deepest around the winter solstice, and finally relents around the spring solstice.

This next confession may well cause you to think I've totally lost my mind.

With me, the darkness sometimes takes on a visual manifestation. I can SEE it, in the form of a dark shadow hovering in a corner of my bedroom near the ceiling. Last year, it manifested itself as a hopeless black hole in the corner closest to my closet. It grew and shrank both in size and intensity, but it stayed in the same spot. This year, it is in the opposite corner, just over and to the left of my bedroom door.

Last year, and the year before, I managed to beat the darkness by becoming this bitter, cynical chap. I dressed like a THE/DAN* major and fell back too often on my caustic wit. I wore my skulls shirt on Xmas, prompting blank stares and bitchy comments from passers-by. Instead of celebrating Xmas, I celebrated the winter Solstice (because I knew it would get better from there on) and Kwanzaa (as a protest of the fakery of Xmas). Sometimes, the only way to beat the darkness is to outdark it.

But even last year, I could tell I was in the throes of the Law of Diminishing Returns. Think about opening a new can of Pringles. The first chip tastes fantastic, and the next a little less so, as your tastebuds fatigue. Before you know it, you've eaten the whole tube, chasing the pleasure of that first chip. But the pleasure never comes. So it is with Outdarking the Darkness.

It's not working like it used to.

And the bad thing is -- I've run out of strategies for beating the darkness. I tried plastering on a fake smile and "getting in the holiday spirit" several years ago. It made things worse, because underneath it all was the inconvenient knowledge that it wasn't real. I tried smothering the darkness with food, and that DOES work, but only as long as I am shoveling food into my face. As soon as I put down the spoon, the darkness returns, with it's colleagues Shame and Regret. Drinking works, but unfortunately I can't afford to be drunk 24/7.

I'll try Outdarking it again, and trying to remember that all I have to do is gut it out until the spring Solstice, but if that fails, I don't know what I'll do, because if that is the case, I fear I am lost.


* - THE/DAN is the abbreviation SMSU used on it's class schedules for Theatre & Dance. THE/DANs dressed all in black, smoked a lot, and seemed to be very depressed people. Think Janeanne Garofolo.

Maybe you shouldn't have tried to force taxpayers to fund your stadium, Mr. Mayor.

St. Louis mayor Francis Slay has a hissy fit about his fellow Democrats pointing out that certain Republicans voted to subsidize his rich ass.

Senate debate at MU.

Story here. Yes, the Libertarian was allowed to participate.

Google Adsense screws me over.

Apparently, they don't like me clicking on my own ads to see if their content is something I want on my blog.

And they don't like me using the search box on this blog as my primary search engine.

Because they have disabled my adsense account. No warning beforehand. No chance to appeal.

I have emailed them with my objections to this, and if it is not reactivated within a week, I am considering abandoning the whole blogging thing, because Blogger is a subsidiary of Google, and I don't want to be associated with a business that takes such unreasonable action in bad faith.

The OTHER third party.

Disillusioned with a particular Libertarian candidate, but you can't bring yourself to endorse the duopoly of Republicratism?

You might consider another third party, such as the Constitution Party.

They're not my cup of tea, considering their delusional rantings that somewhere in the Constitution the federal government is given the power to dictate the sexes of people allowed to enter private contracts, such as marriage. Could one of them PLEASE point out where, exactly, in the Constitution this power is written? Please? I just don't see it.

But if you think a vote for any third party symbolizes a stab against the duopoly, go for it.

"The Objectivist Death Cult."

Justin Raimondo of LewRockwell.com takes on the Randroids' support for collective punishment here.

Be careful, Justin. If there's a bigger bunch of Kool-Aid drinkers than the Libertarians, it's the Objectivists.

kerry

kerry
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

John Kerry, trying (and failing) to be a metrosexual, has resorted to Botox, a bad spray-on tan, and plucking of his unibrow.

Here is a rare "before" picture of him.

What's next, a Brazilian bikini wax?

Christopher Reeve dead.

I'm not going to pretend I was a big fan of Reeve. I SHOULD have been a big fan of the Superman movies, given my affinity for comic books, but they didn't really do anything for me.

And I found Reeve awfully eager to try to get the government to spend other people's money on spinal cord research without spending much of his own.

Now he's dead. And we're not supposed to speak ill of the dead.

. . .

Hearing granted on AZ Libertarian debate exclusion.

From the New York Sun:

The third and final debate between President Bush and Senator Kerry has been thrown into doubt after a state judge in Arizona ordered a hearing on whether the event, scheduled for Wednesday, should be halted because the Libertarian Party's nominee for president has not been invited.

Judge F. Pendleton Gaines III instructed the debate's hosts, Arizona State University and the Commission on Presidential Debates, to appear in his courtroom in Phoenix tomorrow to respond to a lawsuit filed last week by the Libertarians.

"I'm happy so far with the way things are going," an attorney for the Libertarian Party, David Euchner, said in an interview yesterday. "He did not have to sign that order. The fact that he did is a good sign."

There's more to the article.

Freebies.

I suggest setting up a dummy email account at one of the free sites like MYWAY so they won't spam your real account.

Free popcorn.

Free stuff for dry skin.

Free coffee sample. I got mine already; it's sort of a liquid concentrate.

Free Calendar & US Map.

Sample pack from King of Shaves. (This form's kinda long, FYI.)

List of free t-shirt, cap & other clothing offers. Some of these may be outdated. I'd stay away from the "for completing an offer" ones.

Runoff for poll on His Orangeness.

The results are locked up tighter than Martha Stewart. Initial results for this week's poll -- Why is John Kerry Orange? -- are as follows:

Cheetos! - 38%
He was doing the nasty with Paris Hilton and some of her orange rubbed off on him - 38%
Bad spray-on tan - 25%
Orangutan, makeup and carrots each got 0%.

I am taking the unusual step of having a runoff this week between the top 2 vote-getters.

Badnarik arrested trying to serve papers.

From WorldNetDaily:

Candidates arrested at debate
Libertarian, Green party nominees tried to serve commission
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: October 9, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

Two third-party presidential candidates were arrested at the presidential debate in St. Louis when they tried to serve the debate commission with a show cause order.

Michael Badnarik of the Libertarian Party and David Cobb of the Green Party were protesting their exclusion from the debate between President Bush and Democratic Party nominee John Kerry.

Just as the debate began, the two candidates purposely crossed a police barricade and were arrested.

The debate took place at Washington University. The campus was alive with protesters and backers of both major-party candidates.

Protesters had no direct path to the school's athletic complex, which was converted into a red-white-and-blue television studio for the 90-minute debate between Bush and his Democratic rival.

Cobb said his purpose was "to expose the undemocratic nature of these debate, this election and our government. These are not debates, these are infomercials."

Note to those who don't want to be served legal papers -- run for President as a Democrat or a Republican.

Beering Across Arkanssouri.

Several years ago, I ran across a piece about "Beering The Farmers," meaning going around the area sharing a beer with everyone doing farm work, even those who didn't want to be beered. I wish I still had that clipping, because I don't know what the publication it was in was.

This book excerpt in the WSJ, while not exactly 'beering' in the same sense, reminds me of that.

Here's an excerpt of the excerpt:

The Quest Takes a Southern Lurch

As I crossed into Arkansas, I realized I actually knew of a somewhat peculiar place where I might get a fresh beer perspective -- That Bookstore in Blytheville, which I knew from a previous book signing there held a keg filled with ice-cold Budweiser. When I cranked up my cellphone and called the store's owner, Mary Gay Shipley, from the interstate, I learned that, alas, Mary Gay was out but, worse, the keg had been removed for cleaning and refurbishing, thus ruining any hopes I had to hang out with a more literary class of beer drinkers. But Amy, a chatty young woman running the store in Mary Gay's absence, did tell me that I shouldn't leave Missouri without visiting Woody's, an extremely famous beer joint in the town of Caruthersville not that far away. The main reason it was famous, she said, was that Woody's had a firm policy of not serving beer in bottles because bottles, well, are just too hard on the human head.

I was happy to learn that Caruthersville, in the so-called Bootheel of Missouri, was in fact just 11 miles east. It seemed pleasant enough, a cotton-farming community of modest houses and tree-lined streets. It had been called Little Prairie until 1811, when one of the most violent earthquakes to ever rock North America (the equivalent of 8.0 on the Richter scale) knocked Little Prairie flat and heaved fire and brimstone out of the ground, causing residents to think the end of the world had come (and for some, it had).

I found Woody's thanks to four kindly men who'd been drinking beer out of brown paper bags in front of a grocery store and volunteered to drive by the place as I followed behind and point it out to me. It was about one o'clock in the afternoon and I counted only two cars in the parking lot. I wasn't even sure the place was open but I tried the front door and it gave. As I pushed through and my eyes adjusted to the dim light within, I realized that Amy had undersold the place.

The décor -- well, the aura might be a better term -- made many other scruffy beer joints I'd visited seem like a beer joint out of Vogue. The first thing I noticed was a well-worn, cigarette-burned pool table standing in the middle of the floor surrounded by a vast pile of empty beer cans and peanut shells. I'd say 400 to 500 beer cans might be accurate. Some were crushed. Most weren't.

Also, every inch of every wall that could be written on had been written on, signed apparently by exuberant patrons. The ceiling was hung with dusty, grimy baseball caps that had once shielded heads from oil changes and chicken coops, and undergarments that looked like they belonged to people who might have been better off keeping them on.

I settled in at the bar and was greeted by a lanky bartender named James Ford. I asked him if there was in fact a Woody attached to Woody's. He said there was but that Woody was away at soccer practice. I perused the beer choices such as I could see them and could tell right away Woody's was a Bud haven. I asked Ford what he served most of. He thought it over and said, "Well, a lot of my customers who don't have much money drink Natural Light. It's cheap, so the fellows who go through a half a case or more a night drink that."

I have to admit I'd never drunk Anheuser-Busch's low-calorie corn lager (it was the company's first light-beer offering) so I ordered one. As the bartender fetched it, I pointed to the mountain of discarded beer cans and asked whether maybe the cleaning people were on strike.

"Oh, that," he said. "Nah, people just throw their empties under the pool table. When there's too many of them, we sweep them up and take them out."

Space Liberty & Capitalism were good while they lasted.

Damn bureaucratic, regulatory vultures.

Couldn't they at least have given us A COUPLE OF WEEKS of hope?

Any takers?

Who wants to place bets on this not making it onto CNN?

For immediate release: October 7, 2004

Contact: Blair Bobier, Media Director 541.929.5755 or 414.364.1596

Marc Sanson, Contact in St. Louis on Friday, 217.415.7641



COBB TO BE ARRESTED AT ST. LOUIS DEBATE


Using non-violent civil disobedience to protest his exclusion from the St. Louis presidential debate, Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb expects to be arrested by St. Louis County police officers when he attempts to walk around the barricades cordoning off the Washington University debate site at 8:15 p.m., Friday, October 8.

At 8 p.m., when the restricted debate is scheduled to begin, Cobb and protesters assembled at Northmoor Park will proceed from the park north on N. Big Bend to the corner of Forsyth where they will come face to face with police and barricades. The protesters, joined by Mr. Cobb, will reach the N. Big Bend and Forsyth intersection where Cobb will make a brief statement about his exclusion and his campaign's attempts to have him included in the debate. At 8:15, Cobb will walk around the barricades and be arrested. It is expected that he will be taken to a near-by facility for processing.

Cobb will be flying into St. Louis direct from his appearance on the PBS program, NOW with Bill Moyers. He has participated in a series of debates with other presidential candidates in Florida, New York and Texas. For more information about the Cobb-LaMarche campaign, see http://www.votecobb.org. Information about the Green Party can be found at http://www.gp.org.

Big love to Knappster for pointing me toward the St. Louis October 8 Coalition.

Kerry: Political/Ideological Litmus Test for Consumers OK.

From Volunteer TV:

Kerry's Beer Choice

Englewood, Colo. (AP) - Running for President as a democrat apparently limits your beverage choices. Just ask John Kerry.

On a flight last night from Iowa City to Denver, the attendant on the campaign plane asked Kerry if he would like a Coors beer, which is made in the area.

Kerry said no thanks -- Pete Coors, the head of the brewing company, is locked in a bruising race for the senate with Democrat Ken Salazar.

Kerry told a crowd of supporters last night that his refusal prompted the flight attendant to quip, "so I guess I shouldn't offer you a Busch beer, either."

John, I don't want to hear ANY MORE OF YOUR BITCHING about those who choose to boycott your wife's crappy ketchup!

And yet the Democrats claim it's the REPUBLICANS who want to disenfranchise voters . . .

Orlando Bush/Cheney HQ Ransacked.

Gallatin County Republican HQ vandalized.

Vilas County Republican HQ vandalized.

Shots fired at Knoxville Bush/Cheney office.

600 Bush/Cheney lawn signs stolen in Kalamazoo.

Washington State Bush/Cheney HQ Burglarized; Computers stolen.

Swaztika burned into Bush/Cheney supporter's lawn.

Arson, theft, vandalism of Republican signs in Eagle County.

Vandals hit Bush/Cheney supporter four times.

Windows of Adams County GOP HQ shot out.

Another political hate crime involving Nazi imagery.

Coincidence? Yeah, right.

The plans for a stadium for the District of Columbia's baseball team JUST HAPPEN to include destroying D.C.'s gay neighborhood, by eminent domain if necessary.

You want a name for the team? How about The D.C. Queer-Bashing Land Thieves?

Oh, the HORROR!

From the Statesmen Journal:

Franzoni said he’s getting backing from moderate Republicans disillusioned by George.

“People want somebody that can get something done,” Franzoni said. “They don’t want somebody who is operating on the fringes of the political process.”

In addition, he said, “my opponent is a Libertarian.”

Franzoni said he’d legislate on values espoused by former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: “The principal of doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people.”

George is angrily shaking off charges that he’s a Libertarian.

“I am not nor have I ever been a member of the Libertarian Party,” George said.

When did 'Libertarian' become an insult?

NFL picks.

Lions @ Falcons.
Giants @ Cowboys.
Raiders @ Indy.
Vikings @ Texans.
Dolphins @ Pats.
Browns @ Steelers.
Bucs @ Saints.
Bills @ Jets.
Jags @ Chargers.
Rams @ Seahawks.
Cards @ Niners.
Panthers @ Broncos.
Ravens @ Redskins.

Monday Night Football -- Titans @ Packers.

They weren't English teachers, by chance, were they?

Thayer teachers receives TEAM award

If they were, maybe they should have helped the folks at Areawide Media with some grammar lessons.

My readers keep me on my toes.

Dap to the Alert Readers who noticed that in my post about old-school beers, I neglected to mention Stroh's and Olympia.

I sort of forgot about Stroh's entirely, and the last time I had an Oly, I actually was drinking two of them at one time, one in each hand. I'm kinda thinking they were Oly Lights.

Gilligan's Island meets Apocalypse Now meets Heaven Can Wait.

Check out ABC's Lost sometime.

My theory is that they're all already dead. The island is purgatory, and the crazy old fart is God.

And the so-far unseen beast in the jungle? Not a dinosaur. Satan.

Check your Dead Presidents.

Be careful with twenties, folks. Lotsa funny money floating around.

There is so much counterfeit money in circulation in northeast Arkansas that three fake $20 bills turned up in the till at Craighead County District Court, where people pay fines.

Bad./Lib.s get coverage in Region 8.

This wouldn't be that big of a deal, if not for the fact that until roughly 1992, Arkansas was virtually a ONE party state.

If you said you were voting for a Republican, people would look at you the way people now look at those who say they're voting Libertarian.

Jonesboro, AR -- Melissa Simas reports

Libertarian Party Works for Support in Region 8

October 6, 2004 -- Posted 4:45 p.m. CDT

Jonesboro, AR -- Many Americans have tuned in to watch the President and Vice Presidential debates, featuring candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties. But in this year's Presidential race, many 3rd party candidates will also be included on ballots across the country.

On the campus of Arkansas State University, the Libertarian Party is rounding up support for their Presidential pick, Michael Badnarik. This 50 year old candidate from Texas designed the computer program for the stealth bomber.

"70% of Americans are against the War in Iraq," said Libertarian Supporter Mark Nuckles. "This is the only candidate that is up against the war."

Badnarik is a member of a political party that was founded in 1971 by a handful of people meeting in a living room in Colorado. Today, the party is organized in all 50 states.

"They are dedicated to a certain ideology," said Political Science Professor Russell Fox. "You bring up drug use, you bring up abortion, you bring up same-sex marriage, consistently down the line, they will back the position that increases the choices of individuals."

On economic issues however, Libertarians are more conservative.

"When you cut the size of the federal government, you add jobs to the market," said Nuckles.

"The government is too big," said Libertarian Supporter Robert Reed. "It is consuming and sucking out blood from taxpayers dollars in America. We need smaller government to be more efficient."

Michael Badnarik is on the Arkansas ballot for this year's election. He's joined by other 3rd party candidates, including Ralph Nader, a member of the Green Party.

"The Libertarian Party is probably stronger than many other 3rd parties. You are certainly not going to see any Libertarian Senators or a Libertarian President," said Fox.

That's something these party members don't agree with.

"When you have evil and evil, you still have evil, so you get another voice," said Nuckles.

Currently, more than 590 Libertarians hold public office across the country.

Loopholes and technicalities.

Almost since the time the Libertarian Party was founded, Republicans and Democrats have exploited loopholes and technicalities to marginalize them.

It's nice to know that in the Carolinas, Libertarians have turned the tables.

Or at least they're trying to. I've got a feeling this will be one instance where the letter of the law is ignored.

CAUTION

hands
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

In the words of Larry The Cable Guy, "I don't care who you are; that's funny right there."

No, Hunter, Patrick is a LOON.

From a Hunter S. Thompson interview:

Are you still in touch with Patrick Buchanan?

Occasionally. We're still friends. Patrick is a libertarian, or at least in that direction.

You've killed too many brain cells, Hunter. Take a look at Pat Buchanan's immigration and free trade positions sometime.

Pat WOULD be a libertarian, if "libertarian" meant "the total opposite of a libertarian."

Inclusive Senate Debate.

Here in the Show-Me-State, sometimes we get it right.

Shadow debate.

While "major third-party candidates" may be an oxymoron, Friday you'll have a chance to see the candidates who were excluded by the duopoly on PBS.

Gitcha politics on, Slashdot.

Slashdot goes political.

MO LP pissing match follow-ups.

In my Inbox today:

Hi "vote-libertarian",

You have every right to criticize the leadership or lack thereof of the MOLP.

Your e-mail did not include a real name. Words carry a great deal more weight
when the person who writes them stands behind them.

Criticism is even more valuable when it is accompanied by concrete suggestions
for how the situation can be improved.

I agree with the point that the leadership of the MOLP should not play favorites.
I have stressed that point privately to a number of people, including Bob.
Although I may not agree with what Bob has done recently I am willing to cut
him some slack. He has worked very hard the last four years as the MOLP State Chair.
Frankly, I think he is getting burned out and frustrated. Bob has already said
he will be stepping down after this term.

Perhaps these issues can be raised when the MOLP elects a new State Chair and
Executive Committee next March. I hope you will participate in that
process in a positive way to help the MOLP move forward.

Regards,

Glenn Nielsen
Webmaster, District 9 Executive Committee Member
Missouri Libertarian Party

While I believe the position's validity exists independently of the identity of the person making it, if you want a name, here you go -- John Hutchison. Go crazy. I guess I sort of assumed you'd find my name on my weblog.

There was also this pissy little note from Bob Sullentrup in my inbox:

Dear John Thayer,

In as much as you did not bother to contact me to get my side of this before you post, I prefer to not fill you in on important details that you have missed.

That way your ignorance remains exposed, and you will reap the consequences that you have sewn.

Sewn? Should I get out my needle and thread? One who doesn't know the difference between sewing and sowing has no business lecturing others on their 'ignorance.'

Tell me, Bob (or should I add another 'o' to your name), in what context is this

Sullentrup said that Swenson showed up ill-prepared, ill-groomed and "wearing a Hawaiian shirt" at a recent forum with the other governor candidates.

NOT an anti-Libertarian, elitist, clique-loving, Eastern-liberal snobbery? What could YOUR "side of the story" do to disabuse me of my notion me that you believe people who don't conform to your little business-suit-wearing model have no business running for office as a Libertarian?

copropire

copropire
Originally uploaded by Arkanssouri.

So I'm feeling a little weird today . . .

I knew this guy.

Raymond Greer Jr.


Born 2-29-1964 – Died 9-18-2004
09/30/04

Raymond Devayne Greer Jr., 40, of Salem, Ark., son of Peggy Isom Gross and the late Raymond Devayne Greer Sr., was born Feb. 29, 1964, in South Haven, Mich. He died Sept. 18, 2004, at Salem.

He spent his working years as a father, grandfather and a die caster. He served his country in the United States Army and was of the Baptist faith.

Survivors include two sons – Raymond Devayne Greer III and Zebadiah Ray Greer, both of Pocahontas, Iowa; three daughters – Kimberly Dawn English of Pocahontas, Iowa, Emily Elizabeth Greer and Abby Annette Greer, both of Salem; mother and step-father, Peggy and Marshall Gross of Salem; two brothers – Glenn Jackson of Salem and Christopher Gross of Forrest City, Ark.; a sister, Yenneke Robinson of Salem; a granddaughter, Clara Ann English of Pocahontas, Iowa; He was preceded in death by his father and grandparents.

A memorial service was Sept. 22 at Barker Funeral Home Chapel in Salem with William Hughart officiating. Arrangements were under the direction of Barker Funeral Home of Salem, Ark.

Memorials are preferred to Salem Assembly of God Church.

That makes five, possibly six, people I knew who've committed suicide.

Seven if you count the one who died throwing an extension cord over power lines to hang up lights for a party. That one was so stupid it may as well have been suicide.

Also in the Post-Dispatch . . .

Bill McClellan explores the options for churchgoers whose churches take political stands contrary to their political beliefs.

Coat and Tie Required in the MO LP.

Though it's not the point of the Post-Dispatch article, Jo Mannies points out a certain snobbery, worthy of New England liberals, within the ranks of the good-ol-boy system of the Missouri Libertarian Party.

That lack of clout has prompted the dust-up within Libertarian ranks. Because it had automatic ballot access, anyone could file for Libertarian office this year. So the party ended up with contested primaries on Aug. 3 for several posts, including governor.

State Libertarian Party Chairman Bob Sullentrup said party regulars backed Randall Langkraehr. But he lost in the primary to John Swenson, who Sullentrup calls "an unmitigated embarrassment to the party."

Sullentrup said that Swenson showed up ill-prepared, ill-groomed and "wearing a Hawaiian shirt" at a recent forum with the other governor candidates. Swenson apparently also has no phone, so neither the party nor the press can reach him.

I guess the Hawaiian-shirt crowd isn't welcome to this particular little clique. I own more than five Hawaiian shirts. I despise ties. I already have given orders that nobody is allowed to wear a tie at my funeral, lest I haunt them for all eternity.

Does wearing a Hawaiian shirt disqualify you from office? Hell, no. And it's sure as hell NOT VERY LIBERTARIAN to imply that it does!

NFL wrapup.

How'd I do this week on my picks? Is picking winners harder than Michael Jackson at a Boy Scout Jamboree, or is it easier than Paris Hilton on a roofie?

An asterisk denotes a correct pick for me.

Pittsburgh 28, Cincy 17. *
Pats 31, Bills 17. *
Texans 30, Raiders 17. (How'd THAT happen?)
Browns 17, Skins 13. *
Cards 34, Ain'ts 10.
Jets 17, Fins 9. *
Rams 24, Niners 14. *
Colts 24, Jags 17.
Giants 14, Packers 7. *
Iggles 19, Bears 9. *
Falcons 27, Panthers 10. *
Denver 16, Bucs 13. *
Chargers 38, Titans 17. *

I got 10 out of 13.

Where have all the old-school beers gone?

Schlitz is still around, sort of. About a decade ago, when the "Ice" beers were all the rage, Schlitz Ice was actually pretty good.

I don't know about Blatz or Jax.

Falstaff is barely hanging on.

I think Stag was bought out by Miller, but I don't know if they kept making it or closed it down.

Old Style, which for some unknown reason I associate with Vikings and medieval Englishmen, is still around, but good luck finding it.

Meister Brau, the beer commercial I remember most from the 70's, is owned by Miller. It's not TOO hard to find, but I miss the commercials.

Am I right in thinking there used to be a seperate beer from Pabst Blue Ribbon called just Pabst? Either way, despite the glut of Pabst Blue Ribbon On Tap bar signs, it is almost impossible to find PBR on tap anywhere. You can still usually find it at convenience stores, though.

Pabst, I think, owns Black Label and Lone Star.

Get out your checkbook, Junior...

I watched this incident, and it obviously was not premeditated. In the celebration in victory lane, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was asked a really dumb question, something like "What does it mean to be a five-time winner here at Talledega?"

Junior didn't have his internal censors on and without thinking replied, "Right now it don't mean shit . . ." because he's concentrating on the championship race.

That it was broadcast over NBC is more NBC's fault than Jr.'s. They should have learned from CBS' Boobgate (which WAS premeditated) to put a five or seven-second tape delay in.

Guys, especially athletes, swear sometimes. There's no malicious intent in it. It just comes out.

NBC should have planned for that.

A response to my eminent domain question.

It's the only one so far. Let's be generous and assume the others haven't gotten around to it yet. But my generosity has limits, you other three.

Hi John,

Nobody has ever asked me this, so this is off the cuff.

As far as I know (please correct me if I'm wrong), the only
statement in the U.S. Constitution related to eminent
domain is the Fifth Amendment provision requiring
"just compensation."

My initial question is, How can eminent domain ever be
"just?" In eminent domain proceedings, the State first offers
to buy the property from the owner. Eminient [sic] domain
is only resorted to when the property owner does not feel
that the price offered by the State is just. From the
perspective of the owner, eminent domain is always unjust,
or else the owner would have accepted the offer of the State.

In England and Wales, and other jurisdictions that follow the
principles of English Law, the related term "compulsory purchase"
is more commonly used. This sounds like the "initiation of force"
which Libertarians pledge to oppose.

(In my opinion, the pledge which members of the LP are required
to sign logically requires members to be anarchists.)

I suspect that if the U.S. Constitution had deprived the states
of the power of eminient domain, its ratification might have
been jeopardized, but I would support the amendment you
describe.

Thanks for your interest. I appreciate being given the opportunity
to think through the issues.
--

Kevin Craig
Libertarian Party Candidate
U.S. House of Representatives
7th District, Missouri
P.O. Box 179
Powersite. MO 65731
417.334-8927
417.339-4417 (fax)
www.KevinCraig.US

What, Republicans aren't allowed to sign petitions?

From the Times Record:

Democrats have argued that the Republican Party of Arkansas was behind the Nader petitions because several signatures were of well-known Republicans. They argued that Arkansas is a battleground state in a close presidential race, and Republicans want Nader on the ballot to pull votes from the Democratic presidential nominee, John Kerry.

So? Is there any state law that voids signatures if they're signed by Republicans?

For now, Nader's back on in Arkansas.

Yes, a ban would be a good thing. Just not a ban on pit bulls.

Maybe there should be a ban on parents letting their five-year-olds roam the neighborhood unsupervised instead.

Football picks.

My NFL picks for this weekend. As always, my pick for winners is in bold.

Cincy @ Pittsburgh.
Pats @ Bills.
Raiders @ Texans.
Redskins @ Browns.
Ain'ts @ Cardinals.
Jets @ Fins.
Rams @ Niners.
Colts @ Jags.
Giants @ Packers.
Iggles @ Bears.
Falcons @ Panthers.
Broncs @ Bucs.
Titans @ Chargers.

MNF
KC @ Ravens.

A question for Blunt et al.

Here is the text of the email I sent them:

I called in a question to the four-way debate on PBS last night.
Unfortunately, the time ran out before the question could be gotten
to, so I'm asking each of the candidates individually.

Would the candidate support or oppose a Constitutional amendment
banning the exercise of the power of eminent domain anywhere in the
United States?

I'm hoping you'll get back to me soon.
Thanks.
John

I'll let you guys know their responses, if they send any.

Not a good day to post.

In the interest of not offending my Adsense advertisers, I shall keep this brief so as not to go off on a lengthy, profanity-laden diatribe.

1. I HATE idiots. Not in the shallow sense that people often use the word "hate", such as "I hate anchovies," or "I hate English class." I hate them in the sense that I wish they would all die painful deaths. Soon. I hate them in the sense that I hope they never find happiness. I hate them in the sense that I believe they are taking up space and oxygen that COMPETENT people could be using. I hate them with an eternal, white-hot, penetrating hate that permeates every fiber of my being, every neuron in my brain.

2. Life would be SO much easier on everyone if I had the power to revoke people's licenses on the spot.