Conservative Musings

Quote of the Day

"I'm sorry, I don't talk to the press and that applies to you, unfortunately. Even though I think you're cute." - Chelsea Clinton, when asked the question "Do you think your dad would be a good 'first man' in the White House?" by kid reporter Sydney Rieckhoff, in Iowa.

It's rather sad when a campaign has to control everything so tightly.  But then again, considering the chances of a Clinton saying something dumb..........

The kid reporter's mom still supports Hilary as president. "I like her position on family values and health care. And I think it's time we have a female president" she said.

If someone working for a campaign dissed my kid or grandkid, I'd sure be re-thinking my support for them.  A former pastor of mine used to say that the best way to someone's heart is to treat their children well.  Sure applies to me, anyway.

-Colonel Steve

Movie Critics

I don't know if it's the same with you, but I've noticed that movie critics and award givers never seem to be on the same page with me.  Take Brokeback Mountain winning an Academy Award.  Surely not an award I would give.  I've always been a believer in that, if people found really good movies, they'd vote with their dollars.

So I'm not surprised with this list of 2007 best 10 movie picks by a couple of Associated Press movie reviewers.  With the 20 listed (10 by each, not discounting common picks by both), there's only one I have seen.   The Bourne Ultimatum was a hit in my books, that's for sure.  The one at the top of both lists, No Country for Old Men, I had considered only due to actor name recognition.  I never got interested enough to ever go see it.

I guess my differences are due to being a capitalist, not an artist.

-Colonel Steve

Whole Foods Market Fiasco

I want this guy working for me.  Whole Foods' reaction to this whole thing is way overboard.  "The fact that he touched him, period, is means for termination" makes this sound like some sort of sexual harassment suit.  I mean, just how do you stop a robber?  Holler "Hey buddy, please stop?"

Just another case of protecting law breakers.

-Colonel Steve

Such a Travel Deal!

I love how humorous some of the boilerplate, fill-in-the-blank advertising occasionally comes across with some humorous suggestions.  Take the kayak.com email I received today.  They suggested some great flight deals from "your hometown" to Warsaw, New Orleans, Paris, Halifax, and....Lexington, KY.

I just had to see what kind of deals I could get to that far away Lexington location.  A whole $304.  With a stop in Chicago's O'hare.  7 hours to Lexington, 9 hours returning.

Yeah, right!

-Colonel Steve

Owensboro Gas Company Christmas Decision

Texas Gas Transmission company in Owensboro, KY decided this year to not put up a Christmas decoration, after 40 years of displaying it.  This decoration was a lighted 50-foot by 30-foot cross.  The reasoning given was that they did not want to offend employees or visitors.

What's interesting to me is that in every story I could find (two examples here and here), the complaints came from those who opposed the decision.  No complaints filed supporting it.

Remember the Rasmussen poll, suggesting that most of us prefer "Merry Christmas"?   A plurality of both Republicans AND Democrats prefer the greeting.  Since we're in a culture where every vote counts, it sounds like most of us are offended by the removal of the Christmas cross, not the keeping of it.

Aren't we a country of respecting religious views?

-Colonel Steve

Benazir Bhutto Assassination

As noted by headlines everywhere, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated today in Pakistan.

Don Surber has thoughts on the issues leading up to this murder.  I agree with the gist of his remarks.  Many folks, including presidential candidates like Barack Obama, think we should have been applying U.S. like actions in the midst of the turmoil surrounding Bhutto's return to the country.  However, Pakistan finds itself far removed from the stability found the U.S.   Even it's politics is drastically different.

-Colonel Steve

Top Stories of 2007

Some news organizations have done a top story list for 2007.  Most of them, like the Associated Press' top 10 list of 2007, picked the list themselves. 

One list that I particularly like is the Courier-Journal's top story list 0f 2007 based on clicks.  What I like about the CJ's list is that we, the customer, choose what would be there based on what most of us wanted to read.  Not the "experts" or the ones in the know, but the ones reading the news picking the list.

-Colonel Steve

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

This morning, while surfing the net, I ran across this Fox News interview of Ben Stein.  I couldn't agree with him more.

(HT: Sillie Lizzie's Rock)

-Colonel Steve

Today's Humor

-Colonel Steve

Better Voting Late Than Never?

Hillary may have some problems getting her supporters to vote in Iowa's caucuses.

At a rally featuring her husband, former President Bill Clinton on Saturday, campaign workers asked supporters to sign and mail cards that said "Yes! I'm an Iowan for Hillary" with their contact information as well as other supportive friends.

One small problem. In the upper right-hand corner of the card, it says "I, _____, pledge to support Hillary Clinton at my precinct caucus on January 14, 2008."

Unfortunately, that's 11 days too late. The Iowa caucuses are January 3 and organization is key to getting voters to go to the events and support their preferred candidate.

Mmmmm......sounds like the opposite of Chicago's voting style, "Vote early and vote often."

-Colonel Steve