Reed the Viking

Just a Reminder: It Sucks to be a Cop in Mexico

At least 75% of us still agree it's the greatest country EVAH! Optimism in U.S. Government is at a 36 Year Low.  And for those of you who read my blog, optimism is the code word I use when I'm trying not to drop the H-Bomb (hope). 

Just a reminder in case you forgot: The U.N. is completely useless. Iran and Saudi Arabia Considered for U.N.'s New Womens Agency Board.

Just a reminder in case you forgot: Mexico is now more dangerous than Iraq. Every Cop in Mexican Town's Police Force Resigns After Attack. Yikes... I'm glad I'm on an island far, far away from MS-13.

More anti-elitism from Glenn Reynolds and Meg McArdle.

In the case of climate change, there is actual scientific knowledge about the properties of CO2, but advocates of emissions mitigation schemes constantly attempt to drape the mantle of science, or more broadly expert knowledge, around public policy positions that, as I have argued many times, do not follow even from the core technical reports produced by the asserted experts.

 

Bill Buckley famously said that he "would rather by governed by the first 2,000 names in the Boston telephone directory than by the Harvard faculty." So would I. But I would rather fly in an airplane with wings designed by one competent aeronautical engineer than one with wings designed by a committee of the first 20,000 names of non-engineers in the Boston phonebook. The value of actual expertise in a technical field like wing design outweighs the advantages offered by incorporating multiple points of view.

 

The essential Progressive belief that Klein expresses in undiluted form is that crafting public policy through legislation is a topic for which, in simplified terms, the benefits of expertise outweigh the benefits of popular contention. Stated more cautiously, this would be the belief that the institutional rules of the game should be more heavily tilted toward expert opinion on many important topics than they are in the U.S. today.

 

This would be a lot more compelling if the elites didn't have such a terrible track record of producing social interventions that work.

 

An aeronautical engineer can predict reliably that "If you design a wing like this, then this plane will be airworthy, but if you design it like that, then it will never get in the air." If you were to build a bunch of airplanes according to each set of specifications, you would discover that he or she is almost always right. This is actual expertise. I've tried to point out many times that the vast majority of program interventions fail when subjected to replicated, randomized testing.

 

Our so-called experts in public policy talk a good game, but in the end are no experts at all. They build castles of words, and call it knowledge.

Elites are often missing crucial knowledge, and unaware of it. In some ways, that effect is more pronounced than it used to be, with more and more of the elites drawn from a narrow class of extremely well-educated people from a handful of metropolitan areas, few of whom have ever, say, been responsible for a profit and loss statement, or tried to bring a gas station into compliance with local and federal EPA regulations. In a world where your primary output is words, it is easy to imagine a smoothly operating process based on really smart rule-making.

Good stuff.

Senator Babs Boxer is facing ethics complaints again. Who's Barbara Boxer, you ask? Why, she's the Chair of the Senate ETHICS Committee. What's she up against? Complaints that she didn't disclose a million dollar house she had in Oakland and complaints that she had solicited public school students to campaign for her. You'd think somebody on the Ethics Committee would know their right from wrong. And they wonder why we have so little... optimism in the system.

I love Jon Stewart, but I've always said that his upcoming march to restore sanity was basically a pro-democrat operation. I mean, it's bi-partisan as long as you agree with the liberal agenda, if you disagree, however, you're lacking in sanity! I've also always said that the Daily Show, while not claiming impartiality, will almost never make fun of Democrats or criticize them with one glaring exception. They will criticize and make fun of Democrats who aren't being Liberal enough. David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun has a more detailed post on that subject here. If you're interested in seeing how "moderate" his march is going to be, just take a quick look at this WaPo piece by Anne Applebaum. If you're too lazy to look, people are going to be bussed in by PETA and Arianna Huffington, hardly paragons of moderation.

And if you're really naive enough to think that this march is going to be moderate or bi-partisan, just check out Allah's summary report.

That’s one way to look at it, and the DNC is certainly trying to take full advantage. (Says a voting expert at American University, “For Stewart, sanity is a code word for Democratic.”) Another way to look at it is that the left is hot to top Glenn Beck’s rally in turnout and “prove” that they’re still the ones who Care The Most, notwithstanding the brutal beating they’re about to take next week. And a third way to look at it, I suppose, is as a reaction to what Shelby Steele identified today in his superb op-ed about the failure of Obama’s liberal Hopenchange redemption narrative. As George Carlin once said, inside every cynic is a disappointed idealist, and there an awful lot of disappointed idealists among the lefty base right now. Is it any surprise that they’d take comfort in a rally organized by two guys who’ve become superstars of cynicism, with a consoling chicken-soup theme of sanity and moderation and, heck, all-around niceness? (Plus, Sheryl Crow will be there!)

Oh, Sheryl Crow!!! Honestly, if I had the chance, I'd go to the rally because I enjoy Jon and Steven and find them hilarious. 

The Frisky: Men are from Bacon, Women are from Cupcakes. Quite possibly the best piece on gender differences I've ever read. It's hilarious and spot on. I'm not one much for sweets, but I'm always down for a bleeding, unhealthily-rare steak with a side of bacon and slathered in baconnaise with bacon salt. Chocolate covered bacon for dessert? If I was kosher, would I be from Turkey Bacon? This article is insensitive to Joos, Islambs, and Hindoods.

That's just how far our culture has gone... chocolate covered bacon, baconnaise. Just look at what King Sized used to mean, back when our country was poor and starving or something. I always marvel at the drinks when I go to Wendy's. They have a price on the board (it's for small) but when you order the meal, they assume you want medium so you end up paying more. And medium is ginormous. I don't even like soda (see above, don't like sweets) very much, and now I've got 32 ounces of it. WTF mate?

Saudi Prince Wants NYC Mosque Moved? When you've lost the Saudi Princes...

I hope I ride on these beasts: New Navy Boat Powered by Seaweed. I'll just unwrap my Lion Roll and fill up my tank.

Johnny Dollar finds more hypocrisy at MSNBC... you don't say? They might as well give Alan Grayson a TV show where he can call everybody Monkey Hitler Talibans and Whores.

Nazis, Commies, Truthers, and Real Life Ron Burgundy

News from the East

On the mainland: Communist Party Elders Call for an End to Censorship.

Across the strait: Taiwan to Allow Small Brothels.

Well, it seems obvious that I'd prefer to head to Taiwan, where censorship has never been in effect, and where hookers were just legalized. I suggest you follow suit, China, if you want my sweet, 24 karat, sexy pouch of joo gold.

Communism is bad, mmm'kay? As bad as Nazism. Robert Heinlein quote for the win:

Let me go on record that I regard communism as expressed by the U.S.S.R. and its friends here and elsewhere as a grisly horror, a tyranny maintained by force and terror, utterly subversive of human liberty, freedom of thought, and dignity. I regard it as Red fascism, distinguishable from black and brown fascism by differences of no importance to me nor to its victims.

Best Idea Evah: "Draft Chris Christie 2012." I realized that what I like the most about Chris Christie is his straightforwardness. Even when he's doing things that I don't like, or that others don't like, or that HE doesn't even like, he doesn't shy away from telling the hard truths. And he's been pretty willing to listen to other perspectives as well (as evidenced by his reconsideration for an expensive mass transit project).

Viking Blogger just messed his pants at the sight of it: The Krispy Kreme Bacon Cheeseburger. Guess what I'm cooking for dinner tonight?

Grandma's got a lead foot: 82 Year Old Woman Pulled Over for Doing 110 in a 55.

Real Life Ron Burgundy Sacked for Drinking During Live Newscast. If that's an indication of Finnish culture, Finland is freakin' awesome. Well, not that the poor hero was fired, but the fact that he's out there doing it makes me happy.

Great News: Russia Vows to Help Venezuela Build Nuclear Power Plant.

Let's Talk About Race!

Identity Politics Fail: Charlie Crist Scolds Marco Rubio for Turning His Back on Hispanics. I hate identity politics to begin with, but this is just silly. I'll defer to Allah's commentary because I'm lazy and he said it first:

It’s bad enough playing identity politics when one is of the identity in question. It’s doubly offensive when it comes from someone who shares nothing of the ethnicity they purport to represent. In Crist’s case, though, it qualifies as high satire. Isn’t Crist the candidate that just “turned his back” on the political party he led in this state only because Rubio was kicking his rear end in primary polling, and then spent the next several months reversing almost every policy position he ever held? Crist has the nerve to lecture Rubio on political ambition?

Fail.

More about those "overwhelmingly white" rallies. Fun picture comparisons at the link.

Angela Merkel Proclaims Multiculturalism a Failure. Yep, and it's destroying the places who subscribe to it. Assimilation is important and should be encouraged, not discouraged.

Joy Behar and Whoopie Goldberg Walk Out of the View Interview with O'Reilly. I think O'Reilly's a bit of an asshole, and it wrong to smear all Muslims with 9/11. I just wish Joy and Whoopie would be such moral paragons as to stand up to the smears of, you know, 9/11 truthers who think Bush committed 9/11. Because you know,  suggesting that Muslims perpetrated 9/11 is far more sinister and outlandish than suggesting the former President of the United States commissioned an inside job. Think it's time I bust out Ye Olde Conspiracy Theory that I cooked up:

The Future is Going to Rock, Can't Wait to Get There

DIY - Father and Son Launch Camera and iPhone into Space.

Scientists Find Evidence of Psychic Phenomena.

Cell Phones Reveal Emerging Disease Outbreaks.

Pocket Optometry: Use Your Cell Phone to Identify Eye Problems.

And to bring this post to a close, I'm going to link you to some whiny Republican crying about how Libertarians aren't more partisan. I'm sorry I'm not more of a team player, and that I don't support Christine O'Donnell over her opponent, the self-styled bearded Marxist. I never claimed to be a Republican, and excuse me for disliking politicians who's ideas are antithetical to mine. As for who I think is better in the O'Donnell/Coons election, I think that I'll prefer the full-on Marxist, because hopefully he'll be so horrible that it'll motivate Delawareans to throw him out in the next election. Meanwhile, if that embarrassment O'Donnell won, it'd be the Republicans who have an embarrassment to deal with. Look at Alan Grayson (D) in Florida, he's doing more damage to Democrats than a Republican ever could, and so count yourselves lucky if O'Donnell loses. God knows her parading about trying to convince people that masturbating is bad (if masturbating is bad, I'm going to the Hitler level of Hell) and that she's not a witch (uh, duh?). However, Miss Clouthier, I did appreciate this part of your post, which will be the exit quotation to mine.

P.S. NO ONE believes the old Republican guard has learned their lesson. NO ONE. Can we just chuck this straw man right now? Set it on fire. Throw it in the streets and stomp it so you can make sure it’s not just dead, it’s libertarian dead (really super, extra special, smarty pants dead). What people in the Tea Party believe is that 2010 is a START. And then, there’s 2012, where a whole bunch of scumbag Senators are up for re-election. Guess what? They’re going to be primaried and lose, too. This wave Is Not Stopping.

I'm glad that's a common sentiment.

Zimbabwe's Latest Trend and the Truth About Bieber

I didn't post all weekend and monday was a holiday, Columbus Day, so I took that off from blogging but I'm back as normal now.

New Report: Bill Maher Even More of a Shithead Than Previously Thought. In case you're too lazy to click the link, Bill Maher praises Bin Laden's environmentalist message. It's shit like this and those climate ads that totally scares off lower-case E environmentalists like me. They remind me of the anti-drug crusaders who refuse to tell the truth about drugs. Marijuana is not going to kill you, and global warming is not going to force us into cannibalism. If these assholes weren't so over the top with it, they'd ingratiate a lot more people. Here's an article I've linked to before about Progressives Against Progress. It's an awesome, enlightening article worth the time of your day. Make sure to read it!

I've said I'm a lower-case libertarian, a lower-case environmentalist, and now I'm going to claim the mantle of lower-case progressive. Because the Progressives are against the very progress that I would welcome. Although I can't see who wouldn't welcome this sort of green technology. 285 MPG, and it's not a hybrid. Sure, it'll never hit the market, but I can't see how creative minds couldn't make something similar with great gas mileage. 

Related: If you're worried about "range anxiety" with electric cars, do an experiment with your current car to see if you could deal with it.

I'm also a lower-case feminist. meaning I believe in female equality (just kidding). So when Jerry Brown, the Democratic candidate for Governor of California, called his opponent Meg Whitman a whore, you'd think the feminists would be all over his ass. Especially considering his opponent, Meg Whitman, is an independent female who was extremely successful as eBay's CEO. I think Whitman's a terribly weak candidate, but you'd expect women's advocates to at least voice their disapproval, right? National Organization for Women Endorses Democratic Candidate Jerry Brown Within Hours of "Whore" Comments. Ed furthers remarks on NOW's endorsement hypocrisy here, where NOW endorses Alan Grayson after his comments about "a K Street whore." Because calling a woman a whore is excusable if you're a Democrat.

More on Military demographics: Military Smarter, Richer, Southern..er. Well, I'm smart, and I'm Jewish so I have my secret Jew gold that the media and banks dole out to each of us at birth, making me rich. But like Meatloaf says, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad.

Questions NOT to ask the police: Is There a Warrant Out for My Arrest?

H/T to R.S. McCain for reminding me how hilarious the Onion is.

Justin Bieber Found To Be Cleverly Disguised 51-Year-Old Pedophile 

J.Biebz was just on Oahu, I'm glad I wasn't molested by him before he was exposed by the Onion.

Muslim Brotherhood Declares War on the U.S., nobody notices. As noted in the article, Al-Qaeda once declared war on the U.S. to little note.

Zimbabwe's latest trend: Women Raping Men. Not as awesome as it sounds :(.

Strategypage: The Cost of Muslim Intolerance. Related: Saudis Arrest Filipino Catholics at Mass.

The Viking Returns!

After a weeklong break during my training course, I am returning to the blog. Please, contain your excitement, I don't want anybody to go into cardiac arrest. I have come to the decision that I will start breaking up my posts, with an individual post for each topic that I write about, and one post per day with a roundup of my favorite links that speak for themselves (or call for minimal commentary).

Victory: Possession of Pot Down to Infraction from Misdemeanor. C'mon Prop 19, pass this fall and give us something to cheer about. Hawaii has legal medical marijuana, I wonder how long until it gets legalized here... probably a long time, considering how long it takes to get anything achieved in Hawaii (30+ years to build H3?). 

From commenter CF, a glorious story about crack in crack... that is, crack-cocaine in a butt-crack. But don't worry, it's not his, he swears!

People fret about diseases making the jump from animals to humans (bird flu, swine flu), but Prof. Jacobson gives us a new cause for concern. Computer Virus Makes Jump to Humans. That stuxnet virus is both terrifying and incredible. I hope we're amping up our cyber-warfare divisions...

Rick James, take notice: The Dangers of Unity. Ed's a smart man, and he hit the nail on the head right here.

Scary stuff in Paris (video at the link). Hat tip to the Mother Viking. For those who have been paying attention, this shouldn't be news to you. Nonetheless, it's pretty crazy to actually see it.

The Miracle of Science: Boob Job in a Bottle. I'm not a big fan of fake bewbs, but if you could make your bewbs larger by stimulating natural body processes, please by all means go ahead. And email me, [email protected] if you'd like feedback.

I'm not a smoker, and I'm happy that I don't have to hang out in stinky smoke filled restaurants and all that, but c'mon this is just retarded: Cincinnati Reds Reported to Health Department for Smoking Victory Cigars. In their own clubhouse... and they were reported by their own fans. But seriously, do they really expect us to believe that there's a team called the Cincinnati Reds?

VDH wrote another great piece, and I wanted to pick out some quotes for you all, but I'd have just taken the whole thing, and I think it truly deserves a full read. This is the one I urge you to read out of all the links in the post. This is the one that would get it's own post if it wasn't late at night (I will start doing that tomorrow). Read the whole thing! How the Unbelievable Can Become the Accepted.

An old argument I've made before, but simply and shortly stated here in this video. Liberals should by all means be Israel's biggest supporters. Would that that were so... The Liberal Case for Israel:

 

Being anti-Israel is almost exclusively a left-wing phenomenon in this nation. That is, not all lefties are anti-israel, but all most anti-Israel folks are lefties. Similarly, not all lefties are anti-American, but most anti-American folks are lefties.

Tony Soprano meets Al Gore: Reduce Your Emissions... Or Else. That's some of the craziest Enviro-fascism I've ever seen, and let me tell you, I've seen my fair share of humanity hating radical Environmentalists. Needless to say the more moderate environmentalists are not thrilled about this campaign.

Apparently, the 1940's are ancient history. Because people who died in my lifetime are obviously irrelevant now. Next they'll tell us that Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead is an obscure, kooky text from days long gone (The Fountainhead was published a couple years before Hayek's Road to Serfdom). NYT's Kate Zernike, you fail. Glenn's got some good comments as well at Instapundit.

From my college buddy Leornidas, the appropriate comeback to use if you're a woman and a man asks you to make him a sandwich.

And from my other college buddy and BFFE, Dr. Ago, here's the coolest picture I've seen all weekend. Yes, it's real. Click to see it full sized.

America's Best Moms, Teachers, and Young Dancers

Cleveland Mom and Indianapolis Mom fight over title for "Best Mom Evar." I hope these monsters die in jail.

Huge Fossil Cache Found in California. How did the camels get here? Wait a minute... I think the more important question is, why did they leave? DUH DUH DUHHHHH *cue scary music*.

Legalize it: Pot-Ice Cream. It's like, exercise averse potheads didn't have enough on their plates with just brownies, now they get to have them a-la-mode. Banannabis Foster, that's a good one. I wonder what kind of creative name they'll come up with for pot-laced Half-baked...

Legalize it: 5 Myths About Prostitution.

The most important issue to independents: Healthcare? Well, I support health-care reform, just not the version that was passed into law. The most important issue to me is the debt (which is linked to Obamacare I guess), because it's my generation that is going to have to deal with paying the price. I know I'm in the minority on this one (for both parties), but I think Social Security and Medicare are breaking our nation. I see no difference between what Bernie Madoff did and what our government is doing with Social Security. Everybody agrees that Madoff is a cocksucker, so why is support for social security so high? Because people have already paid into it with the expectation of getting a payout. The article of the day that is a must read is this one right here: Why Does Government Grow and Grow and Grow? Most people are in favor of small government in theory, but when it comes to real life actions towards that end, support fizzles.

"While aid for vulnerable groups obviously drives a lot of government spending, we could lift every American, young or old, above the poverty line with government transfers of around 1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Yet the federal government today spends more than 25 percent of GDP. Big government isn’t generated by caring for the truly poor; after all, despite spending 25 times more than needed to fill the poverty gap, we nevertheless leave millions in poverty."

Andrew G. Biggs then goes on to explain exactly what's wrong with our approach to Social Security, and why it's so hard to fix. Seriously, read this article. Tough, unpopular choices are going to have to be made if we want to continue being the best country evah.

More on that "sore loser syndrome" that's infected the GOP establishment. Money quote: "party unity is a lie used to make conservatives more obedient." Ouch. I vaguely support the idea of the tea party, but in reality a lot of the winners of primary elections are not libertarians, but social conservatives. They offer libertarians some lip-service by saying that they won't legislate based on personal and religious views, and I hope that's true. But that'd require me to believe something that somebody running for political office is saying. So color me naive, but I'll believe them for now, because I'm tolerant of somebody with different social views than I have (until they try to legislate based on it).

I color myself naive, as politicians making promises are perhaps the most untrustworthy people in the world. Just look at Obama. Or, take a look at the Republicans. Today, they offered up a 21st century update to 1994's Contract With America. It offers gems like "read the bill," promising to have the bills online for 3-days before they vote on them (hey, didn't the dems promise that?). Or how about this platitude (as we all know, a platitude is a platypus with an attitude): "adhere to the constitution." No shit. Besides, why should we trust you when it's been less than 20 years since your last contract with us and you acted like assholes pretty much since then?

Where were these teachers when I was a teen? Legalize it? Middle-aged Blonde Teachers Plied Young Boys With Drink and Drugs at Summer Sex Party. I can't believe they're getting jail for 10 years! When they get out I'll be waaaaaaay too old to fulfill my cougar/teacher fantasy with them :(.

Yesterday I talked about all the great men who thought capitalism was a blight upon this green earth. I forgot to mention the Marxist leader of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe. Mugabe and China are working together to thrive in the blood diamond trade and suppress their people. Personally, I ONLY buy blood diamonds. I feel that they're worth more if I know somebody has died for them. It's like there's a soul trapped inside.

Remember that computer virus I talked about yesterday... I was seriously wondering (that's sarcasm, get it?) who could be behind it. Well today, I got this: Stuxnet Malware is "Weapon" Out to Destroy Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant. Seriously guys, who could it be?! Awesome stuff, if not downright scary.

Real Reason Titanic Sunk: somebody didn't know their right from left. The worst part is knowing that if somebody was more concerned with saving lives than his own reputation, thousands could've been saved.

Smirnoff is running a new advertisement saying that they performed well in a blind taste test against high end vodkas. I'll believe that if by high-end they mean 5 dollar plastic handle. I don't like vodka to begin with, but I'd rather drink anti-freeze than Smirnoff. I can actually enjoy the nicer vodkas, although I'll still be happiest with a nice glass of scotch.

Party of Tolerance: Democrat Congresswoman: "The Vietnamese are Trying to Take Our House Seat." RACIST! Just imagine the outcry if a white Republican said this.

The always hilarious Daniel Tosh has a video of some little kids dancing like... whores I guess?

Tosh.0	Weds 10:30pm / 9:30c
20 Seconds on the Clock - Kids Grinding
www.comedycentral.com
Tosh.0 Videos Daniel Tosh Web Redemption

And because traffic has been down since last week, I am going to gratuitously post a picture of a smokin' hot Indian babe in a bikini.

 

All We Hear is Radio Ga Ga

VDH: Decline is in the Mind. This is one of my favorite posts by VDH, a former professor of Classics and military historian, and it put some things in perspective for me. Decline is in the mind, and it's also a choice. America doesn't have to throw in the towel and let China take the lead. That is not predestined.

Canadian Woman Survives Deadly Cancer with Miracle Procedure... in America. It doesn't explicitly mention it in the article, but the Mayo clinic she had her procedure in is located in America. We'll see how long that sort of headline lasts after our healthcare system fully realizes the new legislation. I hope we don't see any decline in those sorts of headlines, though. I sincerely hope I am wrong and the healthcare legislation transforms our system for the better. But just save this article when people brag about Canadian healthcare.

Jewish Viking Blogger Re-evaluates His Feelings About Germany. Actually, I harbor no ill will against ze Germans; I love their food, I love their beer, and their women ain't bad either. Just gotta keep our eyes open for the telltale signs if they start to revert back to their 1930's attitudes. I was actually thinking about it earlier last week, how people often dismiss the anti-semitic comments from the usual suspects (Mahmoud Imadinnerjacket comes to mind) as just a political rhetorical flourish to please the fundamentalist base. It's very hard for Jews to dismiss eliminationist comments as empty threats, when, given the opportunity, people who spoke that way DID try to eliminate us. So yeah, that might be why Israel takes Iranian threats very, very seriously. Last time we didn't take such comments seriously, it didn't end well for us.

Best Dad Evah. Alternate Headline: British Guy Really Loves Fat Chicks. Cost to the taxpayer: 1.5 million pounds, which is equal to the combined weight of his ten girlfriends.

I've always been a huge fan of the Quaids. Denny Q-ballz is great for a trillion reasons (Dragonheart, Frequency being the first two I can think of). Randy Q-ballz is great for even more reasons (Not Another Teen Movie, Midnight Express, Independence Day), but most recently I love him for this: Randy Quaid Arrested for Squatting. I thought he would never measure up to Denny, seeing as Dragonheart is the greatest movie of all time (I mean c'mon, Sean Connery is a Dragon, Professor Lupin is an evil ginger king, Pete Postlethwaite joins to make the best cast evar). This might put him on the level.

We already knew Sasha Baron Cohen could do gay, but can he do Zoroastrian? Sasha Baron Cohen Slated to Play Freddie Mercury in Biopic. I hope he's good for the role, because if they fuck up a Freddie Mercury biopic, they'll have legions of angry Queen fans at their throats, myself included. Here's to the greatest vocalist in rock 'n roll history.

SEXIST! Harry Reid Calls Kirsten Gillibrand "Hottest Member of Senate." NOW, please notify me when after you have sent him a letter of reprimand.

Having just fasted for the holiday of Yom Kippur, I do find this practice a bit... unsettling. Jews Twirl Dead Chickens Above Their Heads. I found a Reform Jewish Temple out here (never found one when I was stationed in California) and I had a nice time going to services for the High Holy Days. It's funny to go to temple and see people dressed in Hawaiian floral shirts, and it was the highest population of Asian Jews I've ever seen in once place. The Rabbi was pretty good, but he has a funny speech impediment and sounds like one of the Spathi from Star Control 2. Pretty damn funny.

Suuuuuuuuuure you did, Dave. David Letterman: Yeah, I Knew Joaquin Phoenix's Interview Was a Hoax.

Media Lefty Admits Media Bias for Democrats. Nothing we didn't know here, but I like to repeat it to drill the point home. Especially when prominent, well-known leftists admit that the media will literally play cover for the D's.

More on Delaware and the O'Donnell race... I'm still of the opinion that I preferred Mike Castle as a candidate, but Christine O'Donnell is who the primary voters of Delaware wanted, and the GOP in Delaware should get behind her instead of playing sore loser. Sore loser also being played in Alaska, where entrenched establishment politician lost the primary and instead of endorsing the GOP candidate, has continued to smear him and conduct a write in campaign. Back to the topic of O'Donnell, I think the lefty meme about her being a witch is way off the mark. I've done stuff in HS that I'm not proud of, and that would look terrible on a campaign. It's not fair, but the Dems will do it to her as the GOP would do it to Dems with shady pasts. To prove my point, let's take the O'Donnell/Carter Quiz! I scored a perfect score, 100% ;). Don't cheat, and see if you'll be surprised. The takeaway from the quiz, for me, was not that O'Donnell or Jimmy Carter are loons because of crazy things they've said in the past taken out of context, but that pretty much everybody says crazy shit sometimes. If I ran for office in 20 years, do you think I'd be the same person as I am now? And do you think that the admittedly crazy things I've said here, taken out of context, could seem pretty damning? I sure do, my mom's even worried about my employment when I get out of the military because of this blog. In the quiz article is a quote from O'Donnell that actually warms me up to her a great deal, so hopefully that's really who she is and I underestimated her.

If there's one link you click on in this entire post, let it be the VDH post that I linked to first. If you click on TWO links this entire post, take the O'Donnell/Carter quiz. It'll challenge your preconceived notions and all that (well, I scored 100% but that's mostly because I'm a smart ass and guessed at the game, I didn't truly know the answers).

How Dogs Got Domesticated. Awesome video, I want a pet fox.

58% of Middle East Muslims Oppose Ground Zero Mosque? Talk about pre-conceived notions, consider my mind blown. Of course, I wouldn't take those numbers at face value; polling is often about the way questions are worded and the samples used. But I'm too lazy to do due diligence, so I'm stickin' with the article. Actually, the numbers aren't the important part of the article, just good for a headline. This is a very good article, read it. I particularly love the story about Caliph Omar, and the way Fouad Ajami relates it to his larger point.

I had previously seen the Facebook: Civil War Edition, but today my BFF Dr. Ago sent me a new one of Facebook: Historical Events. I am posting both pictures side by side, you'll need to click on them to make them larger so you can see, they're both really funny.

 

Politicians Gone Wild

It's more exciting than Girls Gone Wild... well, probably not, but it's at least as entertaining... Politicians Gone Wild will be interspersed throughout the post. Some will speak the truth, some will yell the truth, and others will make themselves look like assholes on what they probably took for granted as an easy interview on friendly turf with the Daily Show. Read on to find out!

Hopefully this Boston man doesn't get charged for defending himself with the use of deadly force. Imagine, you're getting robbed and shot a few times, kill your assailants, and you're recovering in the hospital when you get a court summons. Shittiest week evah.

Sometimes, on the very rarest of occasions, a politician will come out and tell the truth. Rep Tom Perriello (D - VA): "The only way to get congress to balance the budget is to give them no choice, and the only way to keep them out of the cookie jar is to give them no choice... if you don't tie our hands, we will keep stealing." I'd be shocked if it wasn't something everybody already knows.

I've got to get my hands on this: Child Molester's Bible - Police say manual on 'how to molest children' is legal. Yeah, it's just frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane. Included are important tidbits on how to convince the kids not to tell their parents, what type of kids to go after and so on. Good summer leisure reading.

Florida College Shuts Down Conservative Group After Seeing Anti-Obama Literature. This sort of thing is not as uncommon as you'd think at an institution that's supposedly a place for the free exchange of ideas. FIRE has been on top of all sorts of free speech type cases at schools around the country; if you are experiencing discrimination or the rejection of your first amendment rights, these guys are your advocates.

Viking Blogger Knows Where He Wants to Work When He Gets Out of the Navy: Tucker Carlson's News Organization, the Daily Caller, has installed a kegerator in his office. He doesn't drink, but he wants his employees to enjoy their work. Where can I sign up? Right now if I drink at work, I go to jail and make big rocks into little rocks, and at night time I get to play hide the salami with Big Earl.

Stores lie about their pants size to make you feel better. That's annoying, considering about 85% of the clothing I get is in gift form at the holiday/birthday time. Way to make things difficult, dickheads. Then again, I don't shop at Old Navy 'cause I'm too baller, if I'm not wearing custom tailored Italian designer suits, it's cause I'm geared up Viking style with my rape suit* on.

*My rape suit is a pair of sweatpants...

Alternate Headline: Some of us in deep, deep denial. I always wondered if ugly people know that they're ugly... thankfully, it's not a problem I have to worry about.

I'm sorry you feel this way about us, Mr. Chinese UN Diplomat. Until these old school communists are out of office and the military, I don't have much hope for good Sino-American relations. On the flip side, I have a lot of hope (fuck, the h-word... Obama really ruined that one), er, I have a good feeling about the future of China and their leaders of tomorrow. I truly believe they're headed in the right direction (but are we?).

Proven: Flamboyant Dance Moves Attract Female Mates. And yes, I'm talking about humans. How do you think I get so many girls? I let my hips swing and my arms flail like a Donkey Kong. One day I'll post a video for you all to see ;).

Legendary author of science fiction, Arthur C. Clarke, correctly predicts the future over 50 years ago. Awesome video, the man was wise beyond his years.

John Stewart to Tim Kaine: "You're the underdog in what universe?" Awesome interview on the Daily Show with John Stewart and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D). Stewart, an admitted lefty, tears Kaine up, and even visibly gags and rolls his eyes when his own crowd eats up the bullshit Kaine lays out. Note, later in the interview, that Kaine somewhat subtly gives Stewart the finger. I might disagree with John Stewart most of the time, and I think he's often very dishonest when it comes to reporting the other side, but he's a funny guy usually, a good entertainer, and proven that he's not such a lightweight. This ain't like getting interviewed by Olby, Kaine.

Steven Colbert had Vice President Biden on last night in another great tribute to the troops episode. Steven Colbert has a history of being awesome for the troops, and Biden keeps it classy as well. Though I disagree with pretty much everything Biden says from a political standpoint, I have always liked the guy (search my blog archives, you'll find it to be true). He's a funny character, and sometimes he's a bit of an asshole, which I find hilarious, although people without a sense of humor might take issue with him. Also, in the video he refers to his homestate as "Dover." 

Omri Casspi (first Israeli in the NBA) experiences his first brush with anti-semitism in this country. I thought California was one of those progressive states... Happy New Year, Omri, and good luck next year. (H/T: BFF Guiseppe Fratelli)

Researchers translate thought to speech, could have implications for those "locked-in" patients. I love the future.

Time to weigh in on the whole Quran burning Church thing... that church is led by a serious asshole. There is nothing constructive that could possibly come out of burning the Muslim holy book, and it will only alienate the moderate Muslims out there. It's not comparable to the Ground Zero Mosque because at least, in theory, that Mosque is about bridging cultural divide, despite it's shady anti-American imam. Even though I don't buy the bridging cultural divide bullshit, building a mosque at Ground Zero is not inherently hateful. The book burning is inherently hateful and it comes from a hateful man who also launched a "no homo mayor" campaign. Some officials, including Obama, Petraeus and Gates, have urged him not to burn the books because it'll put our troops in harms way. I would urge him not to burn the books because it's indecent and detestable. I think the troops argument is stupid, because if we were going to censor ourselves from every action that might upset the extremist Islamic militants, we'd be going down a slippery slope (canceling South Park, maybe? Censoring newspapers from reporting on the war?). I mean, what DOESN'T piss off the Islamic militants? I know short skirts do, and by G-d if they took those, I'd revolt. So don't burn the books, not because it'll hurt the troops (that'd be cowing to the bully, appeasing the tyrants), but because it's just plain wrong and goes against the freedom to practice religion that this country was built upon. That's my word.

The Orlando Sentinel has, from what I've seen so far, the best take on the story. I disagree with the implication that this is totally the media's fault, but agree that without the media taking notice of this story, nobody would give a damn and troops' lives wouldn't be in danger. This Reverend is a media whore, a Christianist Paris Hilton or Tila Tequila. Don't reward him for his bad behavior by giving him press. Some highlights in the link are the Sentinel calling him a hick and likening him to Hulk Hogan. Last I read, the Reverend has indefinitely postponed the Quran burning, presumably due to pressure from the feds?

The Imam in charge of the Ground Zero Mosque wrote an op-ed in the times which I can't read since I don't pay for it. Allah has a good post on it here. The most important line, in my opinion, is from Allah's reaction, which sums up exactly how I think about the sanctimonious lefties patting themselves on the back for their moral superiority.

"Rauf is willing to make a concession to the feelings of opponents, at least in theory, in the name of “dialogue”; that’s more than you can say for the lefty commentariat who’ve treated this episode, as always, mainly as an exercise in self-congratulation for their moral supremacy."

This whole debacle is just ugly, and I really hope I don't have to write any more about it. It makes me pretty sick, how disgusting the atmosphere has become surrounding this "debate." 

At the link is a video of exactly why I love Chris Christie. This video, as Allah says, is not quite as good as the last one where he figuratively cockslapped a union shill at a townhall meeting, but it's still pretty damn awesome. This guy talks real talk. He says exactly what he means, and he does exactly what he says he's going to do, and he'll explain it with not-so-nice words if he needs to. This guy is the definition of "keepin it real." Unlike so many pols that just spew platitudes (which of course, is a platypus with an attitude), this guy speaks English. I've never seen a politician communicate better than this guy.

Remember when I just said, "I've never seen a politician communicate better than thus guy?" I take it back. With a BA in Communications just to prove how great a communicator he is, Phil Davison is filmed here, giving a speech to be nominated for Stark County Treasurer. (H/T: Allahpundit)

I literally laughed through the entire speech. His voice cracking, forgetting his speech, and his pacing around the room have me rolling. I wonder if that's his actual speaking voice. He sounds like Joe from Family Guy when he's yelling (played by Patrick Warburton). If there is one video you watch today, make it this one, you will not regret it. Also, I just realized, I have a friend from college who we used to call Chris Phil Davison... maybe they're related? 

Peterson/Davison 2012.

P.S. - Davison did not get the nomination, sadly.

Happy New Year!

Don't be confused my gentile friends, tonight is New Years eve on the Jewish calender, tomorrow being the first day of year 5771. For those of you gentiles who doesn't know what a gentile is, it's a non-derogatory word for a non-jew. If I wanted to go derogatory I'd call you women shiksas and you boys shaygitz. Whatever, you're all goyum, so you don't have to worry about it. It's already 11:30 and I haven't had a chance to blog yet today so this is going to be a short post. 

First, I'd like to reflect on Judaism's impact on mainstream culture. Without Jews, there'd be no Hip-hop, as we invented the du-rag (see: yarmulke aka skullcap), we started the whole saying "peace" as a greeting or farewell (Shalom!), and we've been challah-ing for thousands of years. Also add in the fact that Moses was hearing voices from a burning bush and it becomes pretty obvious what plant he was lit up on. 

Also, without Jews, what music industry would be representing and selling the rappers? The other day, I thought I was a genius when I created a rap name for myself as "Dr. Dreidel," but I had my suspicions that somebody probably already thought of it, and a quick google search proved me right (to my disappointment). There's also Jewpac and the Jew Tang Clan. I particularly like the last one, because it's Jewish people pretending to be Black people pretending to be Chinese people. Your mind just got blown. 

And for those of you who have problems with the Jews, you better stay in line because I know Jewjitsu, Kung Jew, and Jew-do. Jewjitsu involves crushing you with my wallet, Kung Jew utilizes the Jew gold as a flail with which to beat my foes, and Jew-do is when I sue your ass in court and take all the money! While we're doing stereotypes, a Jewish friend of mine from college is out here with her boyfriend, and the three of us met up with some of my friends, who remarked that we looked like a crest ad. Let's hope this one catches on: Jews have nice teeth!

Finally: Obama Administration Names Asian Carp Czar. To think we've been going all these years without a bureaucrat on the Asian Carp case. Bravo, Mr. President!

Voter fraud in Houston and Philly yesterday, Kansas today? Well, it's not necessarily fraud, but it's at least at the level of "shady." In Kansas' defense, the article has no mention of ACORN, so maybe it's not fraud after all.

The great Allah's two cents on the Castro article I linked to yesterday.

Tommy Christopher from Mediaite with what happens when you live-tweet your own heart-attack. He fell into the trap I always warn people about (the trap which many a hipster has fallen into). I am, of course, referring to what my brother says is the greatest point I ever made: "You can't live a joke." If it wasn't so late, I'd explain, but alas, you'll have to wait for another day. Perhaps I'll write a post just about that some time.

Civil Rights Defeat in NY's Long Island: Man Arrested For Brandishing Arms in the Defense of His Home. Ok, so he didn't just brandish a piece, he also fired some warning shots. Note that he obtained the weapon legally and, oh yeah, uh, 20 suspected MS-13 thugs were rushing his property. I believe this homeowner is correct though; The only way to battle MS-13 is with AK-47.

Democratic Congresswoman facing ethics charges was more involved in nepotism than she claimed. It wasn't enough that she ensured the scholarship would go to the institutions her family members were attending, she had to personally see that the money went directly to her family. 

Monkeys acting like people.... No, you misunderstand, the monkeys are literally acting, as in, they are performing a role. Bangkok Monkey Shows (NOT like Tijuana Donkey Shows) H/T Hotair.com.

To all my Jewish friends and family, L'shana Tova (it just means happy Jew New Year, nothing serious. C'mon we all know I can't speak Hebrew).  

Technology: Past, Present and Future

The future of relationships: GPS Dating? I can't wait 'til the first murder case from that idea hits the press.

The Irony of Jesse Jackson's SUV. 

If I had known the police force was this much fun, I would've looked into becoming a cop! That guy has a pretty terrible mustache though, and from that you can see that it's clear he could never cut it as an officer of the law. Seems like the other cops that arrested them watched it for a while, considering they reported seeing THREE different sexual acts followed by a threesome of... fondling.

Hey look, a midget! The shortest one in the world, at that.

Prof. William Jacobson gives us a look at the world's most... unexpected Toyota Pious. Seriously, I thought Prius' came from the factory with the Kerry/Edwards '04 and Obama/Biden '08 stickers attached... this car is some anomaly.

The other day when that Discovery hostage situation went down, I wrote about the different reactions from left and right. Glenn Reynolds wrote an article in the Washington Examiner which I believe to be written as satire on who is responsible for the hostage situation. I'm not 100% sure it's satire, as Glenn said he wasn't going to tell and "spoil the fun" but my first thought was, "this doesn't sound like Glenn, I can't believe he's really writing this," and then my second thought was, "oh, he got me, it's satire." When Patterico responded similarly to myself, Glenn took notice and put a poll on his site asking his readers what they thought (is it satire? serious? joking on the square?). Readers opinions were pretty split; I had to look up "joking on the square" to know what it meant, but it's basically when you're joking, but what you're saying is also kinda true. I hope it's satire, because that's exactly the type of article a lefty would write in response to violence from a right-wing nutjob.

Jammie Wearing Fool rips Code Pink (not like it's hard, but still) and reminds us all that many involved in the anti-war movement between 2000-2008 were simply playing partisan politics for the democrats they support. They flat out say it. At least Cindy Sheehan has beliefs and principles, nutty as they may be.

Unbelievable: The Palestinians are to the right of the Obama Administration on the matter of Iran. If only our president had the stones to use that kind of language against a regime which is undeniably our enemy. The same Iran that allegedly is paying an 1000 dollar bounty on American soldiers' lives. The same Iran that is alleged to have orchestrated the Hamas attacks on Israeli settlers to derail peace talks.

Looks like the Obama administration did as thorough a check of it's new carpet as the media did of Obama during the campaign. Talk about tone deaf, this is 2 years after the first time somebody corrected the same mistake. Even the WaPo couldn't ignore this one.

God responds to Stephen Hawking.

A certain Viking named Reed wishes he was born 800,000 years ago. The food was good and the women were sexy, and most importantly, clothing was optional ;). If only they had the medical technology of the Nubians, they'd be the perfect society. 2010 AD: Medical Marijuana. 250 AD: Medical Beer. Seems like they were way ahead of the times.

While on the topic of ancient technology that was way before it's time, here's a picture of an ancient virus protection device.

 

The Washington Examiner asks, "Why is the White House so obsessed with sex?" Maybe they'd have a clue if they weren't a bunch of virgins over there... Oh, wait, they mean "With unemployment at 9.6%, why is the White House obsessed with gender." Good question that we all know the answer to.

End the war on drugs.

End the war on drugs. Yes, this is a different link.

Jonah Goldberg has a great roundup of links (including the one I linked to about 800,000 year old society). A lot of good stuff in there, but too many for me to link 'em all when he's got it all neatly arranged for you there.

Some Navy news from the entertainment industry. "The one thing the Navy can never afford to ever do is allow that battle to be screwed up in any way by Hollywood." Don't let Hollywood film it then.

Here's a cool look at what screen technology might look like in 2014. I love the future.

Rutger Hauer Even Cooler Than Previously Imagined

Ok so I've got some new developments for the blog I'd like to say some words about. First and foremost, I have added my twitter feed to the right side of the blog, feel free to subscribe to me on twitter for blog updates and any other one-liners I might have. Second, I have created a facebook "page" for Reed the Viking; I'm trying to add a "Like" button to the blog itself, but I'm technologically retarded I guess, so it's not here yet. For now, you can just click this link to get to the official facebook page. As with twitter, I will post all blog updates to that page. I figure, it's the 21st century, so I have to have all these official social media set up so I can be a real person. I urge you to follow me both on facebook and on twitter, because it will bolster my ego (at least I'm honest, right?).

**UPDATE** I have figured out how to add the "Like" button to my blog, and it's now at the right side of the blog underneath the twitter feed. Be sure to "like" me, or else I'll cry.

Speaking of facebook, Tosh.0 brings us the "Facebook Status of the Week" which really shows how important punctuation is (H/T: Young Goobz)

Stephen Colbert often proves how multi-cultural he is by repeatedly referring to his "black friend Alan." Well, I too, have a black friend Alan, and thanks to him I can present you with this gem of a trailer (very not suitable for the faint of heart, children under 4 years old). I give you, Hobo With a Shotgun!

As if the title didn't suggest it would be the best movie ever, they decided to cast Rutger Hauer in the title role to make sure it would be the best movie ever.  I've been a fan of Rutger Hauer since the first time I saw Ladyhawke as a young viking, and that love only grew when I saw his performance in the classic, Blade Runner. Appearing in Batman Begins was just the icing on the awesome Dutch cake. Rutger was born for this role, and I can't wait for the movie to come out. Some background info about the project at the link above.

2.5 Million British Men Are Too Fat to See Their Penis'. Part of me REALLY wants to comment, but I know the stats would be far worse for their American counterparts so I'm going to sit silent on this one. Hell, there's probably more than 2.5 million guys too fat to see their dicks in the gulf states alone. Maybe it's all the oil in their diet, HEYO! Too soon?

Japan has been replaced by Iraq as the country with the most cruel and ridiculous prank show. New Iraqi Prank Show: Plant Fake Bombs in Cars at Security Checkpoints. It's all fun and games until somebody blows a car up...

Via Hotair, Headline of the Day: Butts Arrested in Boob Murder Case.

Unlike VDH, who I greatly respect, I do not miss Boooooooosh. Still, the comparisons are on point, and although I never bought the narrative about Obama (well, I admit I really liked him when I saw him in 2004 and didn't really know much about him; likewise, I was impressed with Palin until I started actually getting to know her), for those who do buy into the narrative Obama and the administration try to establish, this post might be illuminating. 

Change: Street Gangs Holding News Conferences to Complain About Law Enforcement. Could you imagine Vito Corleone holding a news conference... I guess the gangs are just begging for some relevancy. It's hard to conduct crime when you've got to deal with a Hobo With a Shotgun.

NRO's Rich Lowry writes about the Revolt of the Bourgeois. He notes some interesting things, particularly how polite the Tea Party protests are in contrast to the wild, sometimes violent protests of the 60's. He even makes the claim that after the Beck rally, the Lincoln memorial was spotless because everybody cleaned up their trash. He boasts that there were no "orgiastic displays" at the Beck rally... and they wonder why the democrats clean up with the youngsters. Hint: we like orgiastic displays (as long as it's two or more women between the ages of 14-17 that are at least a 5 on the hotness scale). Liberal commentators make the Tea Party sound like an insidious, theocrat plot while conservative  commentators make the Tea Party sound like a boring bunch of respectful people sitting around listening to speeches. So while I stand for maybe 75% of the same principals that the Tea Party stands for, I still don't think I could ever go to their events. On the other hand, I'd go to a liberal event (see: Taping of the Daily Show). Guess who lost the culture war?

My newest Cause Du Jour (that's European for "Cause of the Day"), inspired by... Jimmy Carter?: Legalize Moonshine! I'm a big fan of the phrase "legalize it," whether it is referring to pot, prostitution, organ sale, non race-based slavery, revenge murder, or jay walking. Now I have a new one to add to the list, thanks to the guys at Reason and Hotair for bringing it to my attention.

Just because the Republican Party has been having tons of minorities run for office does not necessarily mean that they are more open minded; identity politics have been working for the Democrats since the 60's and the Republicans have seen how it works. On the other hand, the fact that Republican and Tea Party voters are willing to vote for minorities of every color does lead me to believe that they legitimately do not care about race and are willing to vote for anybody with the same principals as they have. That is one reason the racist charge doesn't make sense to anybody who actually pays attention (another reason is the dearth of evidence in favor of the racism charge). Just off the top of my head I can think of a bunch of Tea Party favorites who are minorities: Marco Rubio (Cuban), Nikki Haley (Indian), Lt. Col. (Retired) Allen West (Black). I personally find them too socially conservative for my liking, and I personally like Chris Christie, Mitch Daniels and Paul Ryan best out of anybody in the political arena right now.

Now I can add this Cambodian immigrant, Sam Meas, who has a remarkable and horrifying history, to the list of 'unconventional' Republican candidates. Again, he sounds a little bit crazy to me, especially with his Paulian "audit the fed" bit and his near comparisons of Obama to the Khmer Rouge, but I bring your attention to him not to promote him or his politics, but to further put to rest the obsolete narrative that claims Republicans are the party of the rich, elitist, yacht club white man. The list of the 50 richest congressmen just came out, and 27 were Democrat and 23 were Republican. What this doesn't mean is that Democrats are the party of the rich. What this DOES mean is that BOTH parties are, and that having money, just like arrogance, racism, and corporate bedding are not solely the domain of one political party. Neither is corruption, as the Republicans were tainted during the Bush years, a bunch of high ranking democrats have had ethics charges leveled against them. 

News you can use: How To Make Mormon Porn (mostly safe for work), complete with some examples. It's surprisingly sexier than I expected, believe it or not.

Also from Izismile, some funny pictures to close out this work week.

Hey look, Math!

Note the flavors.

Have a good weekend!