A dollop of wisdom.

No character, however upright, is a match for constantly reiterated attacks, however false. - Alexander Hamilton

I hate to say it, but Joseph McCarthy is posthumous proof of this. Let's hope the same is not true of Bush, or Karl Rove for that matter.

Music sharing = more music sales. What's so hard to understand about this?

This from the BBC this morning:

People who illegally share music files online are also big spenders on legal music downloads, research suggests. Digital music research firm The Leading Question found that they spent four and a half times more on paid-for music downloads than average fans.

Four and a half times more!!

Yet the RIAA and popular culture would have you believe that they're "pirates". Arrr.

Well these "pirates" are spending MORE MONEY on music than most people. So I can see why the RIAA would want to prosecute them.

The RIAA are fools.

When ignorance borders cute

This is Sheryl Crow, as quoted by WSJ's Best of the Web:

Ms. Crow has appeared on network television wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with "I DON'T BELIEVE IN YOUR WAR, MR. BUSH!" While her views are at least clear, an Associated Press reporter who profiled her in 2003 found her reasoning a little, well, simplistic. "War is based in greed and there are huge karmic retributions that will follow," she explained. "I think war is never the answer to solving any problems. The best way to solve problems is not to have enemies."

Normally when an entertainer utters liberal buffoonery--sorry, I repeat myself--I get irritated and begin avoiding his or her work. But in this case, I already somewhat avoid Sheryl Crow's music as it is, and I can't help but be tickled by the charming innocence of such a statement coming from an adult. It's just hard to gin up any irritation at this. All there is to do is smile, pat her on the head and hope that eventually she will grow up.

Paging Jim Taranto ..

On Sunday, ministers and senior police officers defended a policy of shooting dead individuals suspected of being suicide bombers, in spite of calls from British Muslim groups, human rights bodies and politicians for a public inquiry.

Um .. if he's already dead .. why does he need to be shot?

Or maybe this is the Financial Times' very subtle way of pointing out to British Muslim groups, human rights bodies and politicians that if we took no action against individuals suspected of being suicide bombers until they actually were suicide bombers, there'd be a lot more people dead as well? How about: "On Sunday, ministers and senior police officials defended a policy of helping suicide bombers die with the minimum loss of innocent life possible."

A story we wish were true ..

(Courtesy of Mike .. thanks Mike!)

A lawyer runs a stop sign and gets pulled over by a sheriff's deputy. He thinks that he is smarter than the deputy because he is sure that he has a better education. He decides to prove this to himself and have some fun at the deputy's expense.

Deputy says, "License and registration, please."

Lawyer says, "What for?"

Deputy says, "You didn't come to a complete stop at the stop sign."

Lawyer says, "I slowed down, and no one was coming."

Deputy says, "You still didn't come to a complete stop. License and registration, please."

Lawyer says, "What's the difference?"

Deputy says, "The difference is, you have to come to a complete stop, that's the law. License and registration, please!"

Lawyer says, "If you can show me the legal difference between slow down and stop, I'll give you my license and registration and you give me the ticket, if not you let me go with no ticket."

Deputy says, "Exit your vehicle then, sir."

At this point, the deputy takes out his nightstick and starts beating the ever-loving crap out of the lawyer and says:

"Do you want me to stop or just slow down?"

We are the aliens!

I knew there was a reason I wasn't interested in seeing War of the Worlds this summer. Just this morning I discovered it.

David Koepp, who wrote the screenplay for War of the Worlds, says the Martian attackers in the film represent the American military, while the Americans being slaughtered at random represent Iraqi civilians.

Not that I'm at all surprised by this. Disappointed, yes, since David Koepp has long been one of my favorite writers ever since his name popped up in the credits of Jurassic Park. But it doesn't surprise me that we have yet another liberal blockbuster movie intended to steer minds away from the truth by feeding them fantasy. Apropos, Oliver Stone is slated to produce/direct/destroy an upcoming film about 9/11 .. and if Stone's history is any indication, I'm sure half the audiences in America--the below-average IQ half--will walk out thinking how rotten America is for causing the deaths of 2700+ people, and that only votes for Democrats from elitist coast states can make us safe again.

Hollywood has no shortage of fantasy ..

And now for something completely different

Your LiveJournal Pirate Crew LiveJournal Username Fifteen men on a dead man's chest! Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!Ew... How unsanitary.*dances a jig on a dead man's chest* Cutlass or pistol? CutlassPistolTorpedoHeat vision What is the name of your pirate ship? Where is your secret pirate base? Jolly Pirate IslandTreasure IslandPleasure IslandIsland of DoomGilligan's IslandWindfall Island What kind of loot do you prefer? Pieces of eight!Bling!Babes!Booze!Crowns and scepters!Target giftcards! What do you and your crew prefer to be called? Freebooters!Swashbucklers!Corsairs!Seadogs!Desperados!Pirates, of course! Parrot or monkey? ParrotMonkeyUnicornKittenT-Rex Argh! Ahoy, matey!Avast!Shiver me timbers!I'll see you to Davy Jones!Argh! Ack! Gah! *thud* Your capable first mate quaint_shopgirl Your bumbling cabin boy with a heart of gold quaint_shopgirl The aloof, yet honorable, pirate with a mysterious past quaint_shopgirl Is always the first one into the fray quaint_shopgirl Is the naval officer who ruthlessly pursues your ship quaint_shopgirl Is the comical pirate who is always drunk on grog quaint_shopgirl Is currently in Davy Jones's locker quaint_shopgirl The amount of money you make as a pirate $166,161 This Fun Quiz created by Lynn at BlogQuiz.Net

Hey! I make quite a good living as a pirate!! Arrrr!

Oh Kriiiiiiis? I need you on my crew.

You stood with us. We stand with you.

We're with you, England. Our thoughts and wishes are with you today.

Terrorism and butchery will never weaken our resolve.