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...I took this quiz. I don't think the results should surprise anyone:
| You are a Social Conservative (31% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (70% permissive) You are best described as a:
Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test |
(Via the ever-centrist Dean Esmay.)
I'm mentally and physically exhausted, so I'm going on a real hiatus for at least a few days. I have also turned off comments and trackbacks for now. I will turn them back on again when I'm feeling better.
In the meantime, I have 100 Gmail invites available. I've been meaning to mention it, but I keep forgetting. Gmail is a very nice web-based mail system by Google. They give you 2 GB of storage for email messages. I don't use it for all my email, but I do find it handy for certain purposes. If you would like to grab a Gmail account (which are by invitation only) just email me at my Gmail address:
It will only take a second for me to send the invite, but I may not get around to it until later in the evenings, so be patient.
Also, until I'm back, go play with the moonbat. Tell him you hate him and he smells bad and see what he says.
Okay, I've been thinking this, but Dean Esmay said it. I've been wondering how necessary it is to evacuate Houston. Galveston I can understand because it's built on a barrier island. The whole purpose of a barrier island is to take the brunt of a hurricane for the mainland.
But Houston is pretty well inland. And it's a huge city with a lot of people sitting practically still in traffic while Rita clips along at about 11 MPH or so. And they may be still sitting there when the storm hits. This almost happened here in Pensacola with Hurricane Opal ten years ago. It strengthened overnight to, I think, a very strong Category 4 storm. People went into hysterics (thanks to radio DJs and such screeching, "This is the big one!") and with the storm very close they attempted to flee and clogged the roads. Fortunately, the storm weakened before making landfall and went slightly to the east of Pensacola. But if that had not happened, there would have been a lot of people stranded on the road with a Category 4 hurricane bearing down on them.
Here is my opinion on evacuation. Unless you live below sea level (like in New Orleans), live near enough to the water that storm surge and flooding is a threat, live in a trailer or unsound house or have medical issues that make loss of power or water life threatening, you should probably stay put. This is why I stay put...because none of the above applies to me. If a Category 5 storm were to ever threaten the area, I would certainly consider evacuating. But the thing is, these storms usually don't maintain that strength for very long and can weaken considerably before landfall (like Opal did then and Rita is doing now). But then you have hurricanes like Camille, Katrina and Andrew, which did not weaken. It's a tough call, but if you decide to evacuate, you can't decide at the last minute because then it's too late. You have to make that decision days ahead of time.
Update: I thought it fitting that I should highlight the post that Dean linked to on BeldarBlog. Perhaps I've done a poor job expressing my point here. Perhaps my use of the word "hysteria" was unnecessarily offensive. So here are some excerpts from Beldar's post explaining why he stayed rather than getting stuck in gridlocked traffic:
IMHO, local media have done a very bad job of distinguishing between "mandatory evacuation" areas (truly coastal counties, storm-surge areas) and elsewhere. Some of the adjacent coastal county officials are already bitching (publicly and unproductively) at Houston/Harris County officials for "ignoring the plan," which was to get the coastal zones evac'd first. Since so many Houstonians are also on the road ("early," in the view of those adjacent county folks), congestion is much worse for everyone. But I think the "fault" for that, if fault there be, can be laid more at the feet of the breathless media rather than Houston/Harris County officials. And ordinary folks are hyper-receptive to the hype because of Katrina.If folks have actually LISTENED to what Mayor Bill White has been saying on TV, he's only been twisting arms for the mandatory evac zone folks to leave, plus those otherwise at high risk (e.g., hospital/nursing homes, those in mobile homes, those in houses repeatedly flooded by bayous in past storms). But I'm inferring that Mayor White — a friend of mine from law school, who'd probably like to be Sen. or Gov. White someday if a Democrat can ever get elected again in a state-wide Texas race — doesn't want to DISCOURAGE rank-and-file Houstonians from evacuating either. So neither he nor the Harris County officials have been explicitly calling for high-ground Houstonians to sit tight for now. And thus, when amplified by the media megaphones and imprecision in the media's reporting, Mayor White saying anything at all about evacuation by anyone comes across to most people like "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" [...]
There's essentially nothing on the local media to remind folks that, for example, Houston isn't dependent on vulnerable levies, below sea level, and in between a huge lake and the Mississippi. The man-on-the-street interviews with those planning to stay are always spun to make them look crazy.[...]
I've seen three major hurricanes since I moved to Houston, plus a buncha lesser but still impressive tropical storms, and I *DO* respect Mother Nature. But I'd rather be emailing you from my living room right now than out-of-gas on a gridlocked interstate, and I think I have a rational basis for concluding that I'm also safer here.
I apologize if the tone of this post has offended those who evacuated. I'm just expressing my opinion here based on my own experiences.
Until life calms down a bit, I'm still on a sort-of hiatus. So, here's something fun for you to play with. The funniest thing is that there are people who actually say things like this. And they're serious.
Thanks to Sean Gleeson for creating this wonderful toy. I'm thinking about putting the "fun-size" one on my sidebar.
Aside from a couple of comments on other blogs, I've been rather disengaged from blogdom this week. I had a class for work, plus I've been having some painting done. The worst part of the painting was today. The popcorn ceilings in the living room, dining room and kitchen areas were painted, which was a messy, messy business. But, because of Hurricane Ivan, it had to be done.
Speaking of hurricanes, please pray for the folks in Eastern Texas and Western Louisiana. Hurricane Rita is a mean one...hopefully she will weaken some more before making landfall.
I'm not in the best of moods. Being exhausted, being really busy, having my house in disarray because of the painting (which, of course, can't be helped), listening to my mother complain about the disarray, and having to deal with buttinskies on top of all that makes me more than a little surly.
Lord, please get me through this week...
Well, she's not quite a hurricane yet at this writing, but she will be soon enough. Another one coming into the Gulf, another one to keep an eye on. Right now, they have it tracking towards Texas...perhaps the Houston area. But it still has quite a way to go. I just wish that track and these models would quit inching eastward. I hate to see it hit anyone, but Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida need a break. Lord have mercy, please?
The painter is coming tomorrow, so I have to unplug my PC and other equipment and move my computer desk out of his way. Also, I will be in training for work tomorrow (and the next few days as well). While I can get online in the classroom, I usually don't have much time during breaks to do much. So, I'm turning off comments and trackbacks until I get everything situated again, which will probably be tomorrow evening. Just an FYI...
Update (9/19/05): I'm back and comments and trackbacks are on again. I may even get around to posting some actual content in the next couple of days...
Thanks to Mark Shea for making me laugh this morning. Clinton is with the Spirit of the Age of Aquarius, no doubt!
I also agree that this is petty on the media's part, but also funny. It's funny because there are people who are surprised that President Bush pees and poos just like everybody else. The only thing I wonder about is this: the man is the President -- he should be able to get up and go relieve himself without asking permission. If I'm at a meeting or something at work and "nature calls" (as it does often since I drink a lot of soda and/or water and I have a bladder the size of a pea), I just mutter, "Excuse me" and I get up and go. I mean, I'm not in high school anymore...I hardly need anyone's permission to "go potty". Somebody on another blog pointed out the top writing (asking to go to the bathroom) looks different from the President's writing. Perhaps someone passed him a note asking if they could go.
Anyway, it's hilarious what kind of silly things the media will latch on to. As Steve H. says, this is more ridiculous than the "plastic" turkey brouhaha.
From the Curt Jester:
This is not to say that are Moslems are inheritantly terrorists. Just that Christians get into trouble when they don't act like Jesus and Moslems get into trouble when they act more like Mohammed.
(Via Relapsed Catholic.)
...why you couldn't access this site for a few hours yesterday, this is why. My web host is based in Los Angeles, CA and was affected by the power outage.
This is the anniversary (and doesn't that sound like an inappropriate word) of 9/11. Four years ago, seemingly out of the blue, we were attacked. Here is what I wrote on the one-year remembrance of that day of evil.
As part of remembering that day, I want to remind you that what happened wasn't really out of the blue. If we had all been paying attention, and if the media -- both national and foreign -- had been doing its job, the growing menace of Islamist terrorism would have been taken more seriously.
The best way I can remind you is to link to this excellent essay at Sweetness & Light: Deaf. Dumb. Blind. Please read it. There were signs of what was to come, but nobody paid attention.
Unfortunately, many have forgotten the horror of 9/11 and have gone back to being deaf, dumb and blind. If you would have told me four years ago that people would go back to sticking their heads in the sand, I would have never believed you. I would have never believed that so many people would not only go back to the same partisan bickering, but that the bickering would turn into toxic, insane hatred. As always, human nature never fails to disappoint.
But for those of us who do remember, let us keep trying to shake people out of their complacency. Let us keep the focus on the real enemy. Those 3,000 who died that day deserve at least that.
(Photo courtesy of iStockPhoto.com. Click for larger view.)
I'm turning off trackback auto-discovery for my site. It keeps pinging the wrong posts on other people's sites even though I'm linking to the correct ones. I'm sure this is really irritating to those I'm linking to -- my apologies. From now on, I'll just have to remember to input the trackbacks manually.
Someone on a blog somewhere (I can't remember where) said Katrina is the "anti-9/11" and I think he's right. I remember how after 9/11 people put aside their differences and stopped sniping and hating for a while. Now, in the aftermath of Katrina, sniping and hating has reached levels I never though possible. Both Bryan Preston and James Lileks (via the Anchoress) take a look at this sad development.
From Preston:
But al Qaeda must surely see in Katrina reasons for hope and the will to fight on. We had the chance to demoralize al Qaeda for all time, by showing them that even if nature or an enemy could take out one of our most historic cities and one of our most important ports and puncture our economy, we will come together, put legitimate differences aside and work through it as a united people. But that isn't what we showed them, is it?We showed them division. We showed them that we don't understand how our own government works. We showed them that we have among us ambitious people who will accuse their fellow Americans of genocide if it might score a political point or two. We showed them how we will respond to al Qaeda's next massive attack on us. How Osama bin Laden's heart must have leaped.
From Lileks:
The next terrorist attack will not unite us for a warm, hug-filled fortnight. The hard left won't wait 24 hours before blaming Bush, and the country will enjoy the sight of prominent pundits angrier at the president than at the men who nuked Des Moines.
Meanwhile, as the sniping and blaming continues, people like Daniel Morris have to pick up the pieces.
I'm done with this subject. If you want to read some sane, rational thoughts on all this, go to the Anchoress. Just start at the top and keep reading.
Just one update: Daniel Morris, who lost his home to Katrina, has a heartfelt post about the controversies swirling around right now. An excerpt:
Let’s look at our broadcast media, too. You suck. My stomach turns whenever I see an interview on television. Would you stop hunting the dramatic confrontation? Stop trying to get this one to blame his bosses. Stop trying to get that one to say he dropped the ball.Tell us what happens. Say what needed to happen. Say what needs to happen tomorrow. I turn the radio and the television off when reporters ask people to criticize their bosses. To explain what happened before they got involved. To make an angry speech. To blame someone for this or that or the other thing. What a joke.
Don’t ask a politician if things went wrong, or if things could be better, or if someone dropped the ball. Don’t ask them to point fingers. Go and look. See the plans. See the requirement. Did they go together? Did they fall short? Were they stupid?
Report that.
Mark Shea throws fresh meat to the blame-Bush crowd, is surprised when they run naked and screaming through his comments and trash the place!
Shea is like Neal Boortz* in that sometimes he infuriates me and sometimes he hits the nail on the head. I'm glad he's back, but I refuse to read his commenters. There are too many anti-American, Buchananite freakazoids (who never get slapped down by Shea) and too many pacifist goofballs (who sometimes get slapped down). Now apparently a bunch of lefties have been added to the mix.
*Actually, they are mirror opposites of each other -- Shea is the anti-Boortz (or perhaps Boortz is the anti-Shea).
Okay...that's it, I'm going back on semi-hiatus. Yes, the blame-Bush idiots have been getting to me. Yes moronic celebrities, whether they be gangsta-rappers or anorexic Canadian singers, get to me. (Although some celebrities provide some unintended laughs.) Yes, I know some celebrities give large sums of money...well, good for them. What do they want, a cookie? (Well in Celine's case, she probably wouldn't keep it down anyway, lest she gain an entire ounce.) There are plenty of non-famous people with a lot less giving and doing more, and they manage to do it without accusing the President of racism or spouting simple-minded pacifist platitudes.
But this story, found via Relapsed Catholic, was the last straw. Yes, I know it's WorldNetDaily*, but still this is according to what British tourists told BBC News. And to be honest, it doesn't surprise me -- people are mostly rotten to the core and we live in a disgusting pornographic culture. Thank you feminists and Hugh Hefner for your sexual revolution...I hope you die soon and burn in Hell for what you've done to our culture! (I apologize for wishing death and Hell on people. I didn't sleep well last night, I had a trying weekend and I was very frustrated and angry when I wrote that. However, I do believe that these people corrupted our culture to the point that rescuers would actually try to get girls to flash themselves as a condition for helping them. This appalls and disgusts me.)
So, I've had it...that's the last straw. Now, with the exception of posts about Katrina relief, I'm back to posting infrequently about lighter topics again.
Whew...that was cathartic...I feel better now...
*WorldNetDaily lost a lot of credibility with me back when they hyped all the Y2K hysteria while at the same time carrying ads selling "Y2K survival" stuff.
Update: And one more thing...I want whoever runs this list to GET ME OFF OF IT! I am a woman but I am NOT "progressive" -- I'm conservative and pro-life. Why the hell I'm on this "progressive" blogroll, I don't know. I'm not the only conservative or pro-life woman that's included. I'm sure whoever comes here from that blogroll expecting to read a blog by a so-called "progressive" woman is sorely disappointed when they come here. That's one reason I never said anything before now...I kind of enjoyed the idea of annoying these people. Now I just want off the list.
I am so sick of all the complaining regarding "who is responsible for Katrina's destruction". Why is it that the first one who is blamed is the President? I'm sorry, but if things were mismanaged in New Orleans, isn't that the fault of the local government -- you know, the people who actually run things in New Orleans and Louisiana?
And, all you Bush haters...would you get off the man's back for just five minutes? I mean, the man goes and visits the devastated areas and the people affected and you sneer that it's just a photo op. However, if he didn't visit, you'd sneer about how he doesn't care. Just be honest...you hate the man and NOTHING he does in response to this will ever satisfy you. You want to wallow in your hate? Fine. Just shut up about it for right now, okay?
I agree with what Andrea Harris has to say here. I agree with Bryan Preston that those who use this tragedy to make political hay and create racial tensions need to be slapped down. And I love this hilarious post by Steve H. about irrational Bush-hatred. These posts say what I'm thinking better than I can. (There's some strong language in a couple of the posts, and yes, the strong language expresses exactly what I think.) And don't miss the caption that Steve H. has for the infamous picture of the flooded fleet of school buses...it's not too far off from something a BDS sufferer would actually say.
As an aside, Steve also posted about conspiracy theorists the other day and I just wanted to point out this quote:
I think conspiracy nuts of all types should be castrated and then pressed in giant waffle irons on prime-time television. But I am not known for my warmth.
Hey, I'd watch it...
Finally, I'll end with this. (Also via Andrea.)
Update: More about placing the blame from Steve H.:
Let's start with one simple fact. States and cities bear primary responsibility for preparing for and responding to their own problems, and Louisiana and New Orleans get a big fat "F" for their efforts. They can blame Bush all they want, but the fact remains, they blew it big-time. It's amazing, how talking heads and Democrat politicians are trying to make this a federal failure. Let me ask a question. When did the federal government become society's diaper? If you don't take care of yourselves, shouldn't you expect to suffer while Uncle Sam gears up to wipe your rear end?
Update 2: If blame must be placed, place it on incompetent local politicians who were more afraid of "looking bad" politically than doing what was needed to save New Orleans.
Update 3: Just one more...Jeff Goldstein at Protein Wisdom on media bias and placing blame:
Sure, it took until the sixth paragraph for the Post writers to get to the gist of why the White House is “shifting blame”—specifically, that they weren’t at fault for the delays, and in fact, if they are to be blamed for anything it is for being too deferential to the local government —but hey, at least the paper managed to shoehorn it into the story after the requisite top-loading of “continued suffering and misery.” And really, beggers can’t be choosers.
Final Update: The Anchoress asks, "How much hate can YOU live with?"
Nothing good can be attributed to you - if good news is even reported. If unemployment numbers go down to new lows, those numbers are fake and fiddled with. If millions of people are liberated from tyranny on your watch, they didn’t really have it that bad to begin with.But…everything bad can be attributed to you. If there is a tsunami, it is your fault. If there is a hurricane, it is your fault. If an area is so stricken and flooded that relief workers cannot get there, it is your fault. If the local leadership do nothing to prevent lawlessness, that is your fault. If it takes the requisite three days to mobilize naval ships, national guardsmen and others into the disaster area - because it is a disaster of catastrophic and unusual proportions - that is your fault - you should have been able to twitch your nose and get those people in there, sooner.
Imagine trying to live like that - with that tremendous force working against you - because hate, like love - is a force.
I wonder how many of us could stand up, day after day, and live under that, and try to function and remain faithful to ones own ideals and ideas?
Staggering to contemplate. I know I couldn’t do it. I don’t think many people could.
This was originally posted on September 2. I'm bumping it up to the top again. I have added some information regarding relief efforts by local LCMS churches. See the update for 9/7/05.
I have changed this entry back to the original date.
Today I got an email about the First United Methodist Church here in Pensacola which is collecting materials for health kits to send to the hurricane victims. Somebody at where I work is collecting the kits, so I'm going to assemble one this weekend.
Here is what's needed as per the email:
The items should be assembled and sealed in 1 gallon plastic bags.
Here is a website that tells about the project and a picture of the items needed. Anybody reading this in Pensacola can drop these kits off at the church, which is located at 6 East Wright Street, Pensacola, Florida. The kits are needed no later than Sunday, September 11, 2005.
Update: I forgot to mention this -- the church needs over 100,000 kits.
Update (9/7/05): The Southern District of the LCMS contains the areas that were most heavily damaged by Katrina. The district headquarters in New Orleans is a total loss. LCMS churches in the Pensacola area are collecting Hurricane Katrina relief items. They will be distributed through Grace Lutheran Church in Pensacola. (More about that can be found in this article.) Here are the types of items being collected:
So, if you are in Pensacola, stop by an LCMS church and donate some of these items. Grace Lutheran Church is at the following address: 6601 N. 9th Avenue, Pensacola, Florida.
I have noticed that the skin selection for this site doesn't work anymore. I think it has something to do with the recent upgrade to MT 3.2, because as far as I know, it worked fine before that. I'm sorry about this...I will try to figure out what's causing the problem when I have some time. If anyone has any ideas why this is happening, feel free to let me know in the comments.
Update (9/3/05): Looks like it's fixed now. For some reason, some of the coding (which came from here) used in setting the skin choice cookie stopped working. As I said previously, it seemed to stop working after installing MT 3.2. Anyway, I tweaked the coding and the cookie seems to be working properly now.
I found out from Kathy Shaidle at Relapsed Catholic that Thursday, September 1 is the day that blogs all over the world will be having a "blogburst" to encourage donations for Hurricane Katrina relief. InstaPundit* has a whole list of links to agencies that need donations.
Two charities that I recommend are Mercy Corps and Operation Blessing. Also, Amazon.com is collecting donations for the American Red Cross.
I'm going to forward-date this post for September 1 and it will stay at the top of the blog all through that day.
Update: More good charities to give to: LCMS World Relief and the Salvation Army.
*I know I've said some mean things about InstaPundit in the past, but I really appreciate that he's doing this.
