Bits & Pieces (Tuesday Evening Open Mic)

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis

Yes, people have often said that the moon landing was faked. But now, you can finally learn the truth: not only was the moon landing not faked, but there was evidence of an entire civilization on the moon when we got there, and there are moon bases, whole cities, and more. Alas, it turns out, O.J. Simpson never actually went to Mars. It was all a tissue of lies.

Shepard Smith clear has an opinion about our involvement in Libya, and he doesn’t think much of it. He asks senator Lindsey Graham some pointed and snarky questions. “So, about time to get into Syria, right?” Interview starts about 1:25.
 

Some of you have noticed Nathan Sullivan is following the group. I invited him to take a look around. He’s a good friend of mine, and whip smart. Whether or not he’ll find this conglomeration to his taste, I don’t know, but I thought I’d give it a shot. In any case, in addition to regularly contemplating the conundrums that have long stymied all of mankind (or womankind) in his (or her) search for meaning, he (or she) publishes a wicked-cool graphic novel. 
It’s love the graphic style. Seriously gorgeous. Check it out. 
Since I’m pimping Mr. Sullivan, might as well take a minute to pimp out myself. Here’s a little tune I did a few years ago called Thomas Dolby’s Evil Twin, from my loquaciously titled album, Songs to Listen To While Playing “Downland” on a TRS-80 Color Computer in 1985.
No doubt, all this made you, like me, think of Mike Nesmith’s (formerly of the Monkees) bizarre song and video from 1981 entitled “Cruisin'”, but better known as the Lucy and Ramona and Sunset Sam song.

Went to Apple.com after the iPhone 4S announcement, and this is what I saw:

I bet heads are rolling at Apple right about now.


All right. That’s all for me today. Laterz! — KW

All right. One more. In high school, I loved a set of songs I had taped off the local college radio station from a “group” calling itself The Android Sisters. The problem is, it wasn’t an actual album off a music label, so you couldn’t go to the local record store (remember when they had those?) and buy it. You can now buy it direct from the original publisher, but I thought I’d just share one (make that two–listen to Livin’ in the 50s, too) of the tunes from that fine album. A sly commentary on automation in agriculture? You tell me. Down on the Electronic Farm:

 

Now, that’s really it. — KW

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Apropos of Just About Nothing. . .

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Michigoose

But I can’t tell you how much I love this story. This is close to the area of Michigan that I grew up in and it takes me back to my high school days; we were a small, small, tiny school and I ran cross country and played basketball on the boys’ teams (more successful in cross country than round ball) and it wasn’t that big a deal once the guys got used to it. Homecoming queen was out of my league, though!!

On Friday, with Pinckney leading powerful Michigan rival Grand Blanc, 6-0, at the half, Amat, the first girl to play football for the school’s varsity, was asked to return to the field. When she arrived, she was told that her fellow students had voted her queen. When the tiara was placed on her head, she was wearing not a dress, like the other girls in the homecoming court, but her No. 12 uniform, pads and all.

A short while later, with five minutes to play in the third quarter, Amat was called to the same field to attempt a 31-yard field goal. She split the uprights.

The kick proved decisive as Pinckney held on for a 9-7 victory against a Grand Blanc team that had come into the game ranked seventh in the state in its division. It also earned Amat the nickname the Kicking Queen.
Emphasis added. This girl is my hero for the week!!

Filed under: Football, fun stuff | Tagged: | 10 Comments »

Religious Freedom Under Attack

Posted on October 4, 2011 by quarterback

A week or two ago, we briefly discussed the future of religious freedom in the Supreme Court, with Mark posing a question about how the Court would deal with laws against polygamy, if such a case came up. In Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. EEOC, the issue is the existence and scope of the “ministerial exception” recognized by all federal courts of appeal to protect religious organizations from employment-related lawsuits. The Obama Administration has taken the position in its brief filed on behalf of the EEOC (see Brief of Federal Respondents at the link) that there is no ministerial exception under the Constitution, and, as a fall-back position, that if there is such an exception it should be limited to persons “who perform exclusively religious functions” (emphasis added).

This case and the position of the Obama Administration may have sweeping significance to the future religious freedom. Who, if anyone, has “exclusively” religious functions? As some have pointed out, the Pope probably does not even meet this test. If there is no ministerial exception at all, then haven’t we opened the floodgates to lawsuits against churches and other religious organizations, and forever entangled the courts in their affairs? And, stepping back, consider how the ever-expanding reach and proliferation of federal regulation itself creates these conflicts and entanglements. The more the government regulates, the more conflicts with religious freedom it creates.

Filed under: Constitution, First Amendment, legal theory, rights theory, Supreme Court | Tagged: | 81 Comments »

Operation Fast and Furious

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Let the mutherfuker burn!
An update on Operation Fast and Furious. Attorney General Holder testified in front of Issa’s House committee on May 3rd where he testified that he’d only heard of the operation in the “last few weeks.”
It turns out he was briefed on the operation at least 7 months prior. When asked about the discrepancy, the Justice Department said:
” And tonight they tell CBS News, Holder misunderstood that question from the committee – he did know about Fast and Furious – just not the details.”
Another excuse, cited at the link, is that Holder doesn’t always read his briefings.
Hoooooookkkkaaaaaaay. So, either the AG doesn’t understand that letting guns, purchased with your tax dollars, walk to Mexican drug cartels is a bad thing to do. Or, he’s a lousy AG who’s in over his head.
Meanwhile, at least one American Border Patrol agent is dead and, according to Mexican investigators, at least 200 Mexicans are dead as a result of this operation.

Filed under: guns | Tagged: , , | 9 Comments »

Bits & Pieces (Monday Evening Open Mic)

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Kevin S. Willis
Ah, geeks. This guy set it up for his kids to watch the Star Wars movies for the first time, and then filmed his son’s reaction when Darth Vader reveals just whose father he happens to be:

Ah. Takes me back, takes me back.

Robot Chicken does the same scene a little differently:

Speaking of Robot Chicken and Star Wars, this would be the most awesome thing to happen in the history of ever (the Quarterback is toast!):

Star Wars not your thing? Then marvel over this miracle of the Internet. Lip Quencher! Barbecue on the patio, all year round! Just 6.95 for a transmission check-up! From Delk? Who? Chrysler made air conditioners? It’s just a run of commercials on a New York TV station (channel 5) but . . . it still takes me back.

Speaking of going back in time. Back when MTV still played music, I vaguely remember this:

That’s my cold-addled contribution to the day. — KW

This one’s for Kevin, since he’s not feeling too hot and he brought up She Hulk earlier in the day:

— Michigoose

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