From SportsPickle.com: "Brady Quinn Named “Sexiest Man Alive” By ‘Gay Priest Monthly’"

Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn has been named “Sexiest Man Alive” by ‘Gay Priest Monthly’ in this month’s edition of the magazine, the leading publication for homosexual clergy. It is the magazine’s first “Sexiest Man” edition in what some think might be its last issue in light of the Vatican’s ruling last week banning sexually-active homosexuals from entering the priesthood.

“Deep, brown eyes. Muscular arms and a rippling torso. Thick, wavy hair. And the pinkest, most luscious lips in all of Christendom. Oh, and did we mention he’s the young, hotshot quarterback of God’s favorite football team? Brady Quinn, our first-ever Sexiest Man Alive, would make even the most chaste priest bite his fist in lustful frustration,” reads the introduction to the 10-page article and photo spread.

Quinn was the run-away winner in Sexiest Man voting among ‘Gay Priest Montly’ editors, garnering 78-percent of the vote to actor-director Mel Gibson’s 18-percent. Fighting Irish head coach Charlie Weis received two percent.

“We thought Brady Quinn has everything our readership looks for in a man: He’s young, he’s strong, he’s a leader and he is a regular Mass attendee,” said the ‘Gay Priest Monthly’s’ editor, Father Michael McGee. “But most of all, he is totally freaking hot.”

With some reports and studies putting the number of homosexuals in the priesthood as high a 60 to 75 percent in the United States, ‘Gay Priest Monthly’ has had a large and loyal readership over the years. But Pope Benedict XVI’s recent moves to cut off the flow of practicing homosexuals into seminaries, the magazine’s days may be numbered.

“This Sexiest Man issue had been in the works for a while, mainly because I selfishly wanted to meet Brady Quinn – and let me say, he’s just as dreamy as I expected – but if this happens to be our final one, so be it,” said Father McGee. “At least we’ll have gone out with a bang.”

Quinn said he was honored by the recognition, but a bit uncomfortable.

“Well sure, I guess it’s sort of flattering to know that all these priests find me sexy,” he said. “But I kind of wish I hadn’t known. I already suspect as much when I go to Mass, and it takes all I can muster to put that out of my mind and focus on the true reason for being there.”



I really don't need to insert anything into this post...

I took this photo last Friday while my family was at a Christmas tree farm near Enochsburg, IN. It's a photo of St. John's, a Catholic church next to the farm.

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."

- Mark Twain, born on this date in 1835


...I kindof use this quote as my motto...

Should the Supreme Court's oral hearings be broadcast same-day?

Yesterday was the anniversary of the birth of famous English poet William Blake. In honor of his poetry, I offer up this quote:

"It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend."

Contrast that with the famous cliche from the movie "Love Story":

"Love is never having to say you're sorry."


Thoughts?

President Bush has announced his plan to handle illegal immigration, and I think it is a solid one. In fact, its two-prong approach-- secure our borders to illegals while at the same time making it easier to be a legal immigrant-- is one that I've been advocating for a long time.

Now we shall see whether the government even comes close to implementing the plan. If recent history is any template, we'll see an incomplete implementation of it.

When your back is against the wall, do not shy away from greatness. The Fighting Irish certainly lived up to this attitude this season--just as I predicted... Oh yes, that prediction! Remember it?

On August 22, before the season started, I predicted Notre Dame would go 9-2 AND would earn a probable BCS bowl. And how my readers scoffed at me!

Emperor Dan:

I don't know what you're taking, but I want double the dosage!

If we get out of the first six games at .500, I will consider that a victory.

Look, I'm usually quite optimistic about things like that. I have to, or else I can't function as a Cleveland sports fan. But a BCS bid? It's just a bit much to ask with this kind of schedule, one of the toughest in the nation.

Care to lower that accuracy rating, Dan?

Ted and Brendan predicted 7-4. Chris and Matt predicted 8-3 (pretty close), and two other readers predicted 6-5. Furthermore, nobody in the MSM predicted 9-2.... not even Bob Davie.

So in this instance, it's sweet to be alone. The lone man correct on the preseason prediction.

On my game-by-game predictions (also made in that Aug. 22 post), I missed two. I said the Irish would fall to Michigan (it was a close game), and that they would beat MSU (game taken to overtime). Regarding the Stanford game, my prediction was worthy of a sage: "ND wins- ND's cockiness at this point in the season could be a liability for an upset, but Weis's team won't lose the ones they shouldn't, unlike TW did."

So who will the Irish play in the Fiesta Bowl and will they win? Well, let's just say I'll quit while I'm ahead :-) ... Though I was wearing my 2000 Fiesta Bowl t-shirt to school yesterday, and I can say this: whatever happens this year, it will not be like Oregon State's embarrassment of ND that year.

Study - Longer Needles Needed for Fatter Buttocks

Marwan Barghouti, currently serving life terms in an Israeli prison for his role in attacking Israeli citizens, has made a strong showing in Palestine's Fatah party primaries.

This marks the first time that the party's candidates for the legislature have been chosen by ballot rather than by the party's current leaders.

I have repeatedly stressed the need for moderate leadership on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and I repeat that call now. However, I should note that Sharon is doing a decent job handling the conflict and he was a war criminal.

I have recently become somewhat dismayed at what many perceive as the irresponsibility of the television networks and the impact that has on society in America. The networks respond that they simply are giving the people what they, as media consumers, demand.

So when I read that two of the major networks are planning shows that portray a destroyed America, my attitude towards those networks is bound to drop further.

I admit that I have txt messaged somebody on my cell phone while driving, though I have tried to do it only while waiting at a stop light.

This story, about a kid who killed a bicyclist because the kid was too bust txting and not busy enough driving, should serve as a good warning regarding this practice.

Roncalli plays for the Indiana highschool class 4A state title today, at 3:30 P.M. EST in the RCA Dome. If the Rebels win, it will be their 4th championship in a row (which would be a record) and their 9th overall (8 already being a record).

Then, Notre Dame plays at Stanford this evening at 8 P.M. EST. In my ND season prediction, I said ND would beat Stanford, but that the game would be ripe for an upset. Now I suspect the Irish might come out strong and hammer the Cardinal.

Finally, the undefeated NFL-leading Indianapolis Colts play Pittsburgh at home on Monday Night Football. Not going to be an easy one.


Update: Roncalli lost by one point in a hard-fought game, tarnished by a few absolutely terrible calls by the refs. Notre Dame barely won, pulling the game out in the game's final minutes (making my original Stanford prediction shamefully good). Colts tonight...

Good, it's about time. The practice, dubbed "catch and release," applied to persons other than Mexicans (OTMs) that illegally crossed the southern border. The OTMs would be given a document saying that they had to show up for a hearing, and then would be released on the southern side of the border-- only to often cross back into America again and go uncaught.

The end of this practice will require many additional temporary detention centers, but should reduce the number of illegal immigrants.

So the Vatican is said to be readying a release of an "instruction" that would curtail homosexuals from entering the priesthood... (more on this in a forthcoming post)

And the Pope has been spotted wearing bright red Prada shoes. Maybe you could say he favors metros over homos? :-)

I saw the movie Walk the Line on Friday. Here are my thoughts.

...

Walk the Line tells the story of famous country musician Johnny Cash, from his adolescent years to his marriage and shortly thereafter. Many are familiar with Cash's genre-crossing and boundary-pushing music ("I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die") but fewer with Cash's tumultuous life. For those with a newfound interest in Cash following his death in 2003--myself included--or for those who simply appreciate a well-told personal story, this movie is a compelling and informative cinema experience.

Joaquin Phoenix puts in an Oscar-caliber performance portraying Cash, and Reese Witherspoon surprisingly shines as June Carter, the love of Cash's life, also deserving an Oscar nod. Overall the movie was well acted, written, and directed, though a bit formulaic: man pulls himself out from humble roots; newfound fame and fortune hurts marriage and leads to drug use; with help of friends, the star overcomes drug addiction and lives happily ever after. This is the same story we saw with Ray last year, although it had a spark that Walk the Line lacks.

The movie's biggest failing, though relatively minor, is that it spends too much time on musical sequences and not enough time developing the relationships between the story's characters. Cash's relationship with his father and with his first wife are both portrayed somewhat stiltedly, and the father and first wife both come off one-dimensionally as "bad people" while Cash's responsibility is minimized.

Nevertheless, the story shines, as the events in Cash's life are eloquently interwoven with Cash's musical performances. Cash's muse is the tragic death of his brother at a young age--an event that poisons Cash's relationship with his father and injects an honest cynicism into Cash's lyrics. When Cash and his band audition for the first time, the studio producer tells them that their cookie-cutter gospel music will no longer sell. Cash then breaks out with "Folsom Prison Blues," a song the movie portrays Cash as having written while on military duty in Germany during the Korean War (an experience which fanned the fire of Cash's cynicism). The producer immediately recognizes that he's onto something new, and this is the direction Cash's music is to take.

Like his father, Cash's first wife is portrayed as having no interest in music, or in Cash's musical career for that matter. The lack of love and interest at home are factors that contribute to Cash's drug use and infidelity, which in turn led to a divorce and Cash's life falling in the dumps.

Cash's savior is June Carter, a member of the legendary country music family. Besides her beauty, she shows an interest in Cash's music and connects with Cash in a way that Cash's first wife had not. June and her family nurse Cash back to emotional health, by getting him off drugs and by getting him religion. Unfortunately, the movie does not spend adequate time to explain the role they played in his life. The family's countless nights of bible study and religious conversion are reduced in the movie to a 15-second scene that shows June taking him to church.

After a long struggle where Cash tries to convince June that he is clean and on the straight, she finally accepts his marriage proposal. The marriage lasts over three decades.

Cash's love for and courtship of June is convincingly-portrayed in the movie. Phoenix and Witherspoon display a wonderful chemistry, especially when they are singing together. June is acted as sassy and strong, but whose faith is tested by her romance with Cash, which occurs at least in part while both of them are married to other people.

So, in short, go see this movie. See it for the story and see it for the masterfully done, if overly long, musical sequences. The lighting and camera angles, as well as Phoenix's careful acting will make you momentarily forget that you aren't watching an actual Cash performance.

Maybe you'll buy a Cash album after you leave the theater.

...

I find it very, very easy to be true
I find myself alone when each day is through
Yes, I'll admit I'm a fool for you
Because you're mine,
I walk the line

- Johnny Cash, "I Walk the Line"

Evidently special prosecutor Peter Fitzgerald was as unimpressed by the Woodward admission's implications for the Libby indictment as I was. Not only has he maintained the indictment of Libby, but he is also continuing the overall investigation.

Here's his brilliant take on the terrorists:

"If we stop trying to figure out the other side, we've given up. The person on the other side is not evil -- they just have a different perspective."

Ahhhh, I get it now! People who kill thousands of innocents in hopes of imposing their world view on the rest of us... they aren't bad, they just have a different perspective... BS!

When last I left television, and I did largely stop regularly following TV shows during undergrad (mainly due to the lack of cable or good reception in the dorms), NBC was clearly the dominate network among the "Big 4". Shows like Friends, Seinfeld, Law and Order, The West Wing, and ER had the best writing, acting, and directing, and the other networks were pretty much left in the dust.

But since my apartment has been blessed/cursed with cable this past year and a half, I have come to believe that ABC has overtaken its rival for the top spot on network television.

How did the alphabet network pull of the upset? I can't really say. I'm largely ignorant of the goings-on at the studios, but whatever they did, it worked. Shows like Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and Boston Legal have clearly surpassed my expectations, and those of most critics. Other than Fox (although they have taken a BIG hit by cancelling Arrested Development, pretty much anything worth watching on network television is on ABC.

By the way, just so you know: ABC has given me no financial compensation for this post. Although, they are more than welcome to!

"Notable and historic progress has been made in China's development of a democratic political system and human rights." - President George W. Bush (emphasis mine)


How in the world does Bush think China has made any strides in developing a democratic political system? Does he even read the news, such as these items:

96% of the population (the non communist party members) is not eligible to vote for their leaders. The public government (e.g. the National People's Congress) is a front for the real power in the country, the private and secretive central committee of the Chinese Communist Party. China is taking steps to lock down the media and internet EVEN FURTHER--in fact, Bush's own remarks about Taiwan, spoken in Japan the week before, were banned from the Chinese media. China recently arrested several Catholic seminarians and a Priest. And so forth.

President Bush's remark is irresponsible and ignorant. Chinese President Hu Jintao, on the other hand, knows exactly what he wants, when he told Bush point-blank, "We will by no means tolerate Taiwan independence."

Bush dodged the matter and did not respond by referencing Taiwan at all.

I ask President Bush this: how many years has it been since Tian'an Men Square and what has changed to keep something similar from happening again?


Update (11/21): From this AP article: "Police detained at least 30 people who visited the church in hopes of complaining to Bush about China's government, according to one man who said he was detained. Authorities initially denied that people were taken into custody."

This speaks for itself...

Is it possible for critic of the war in Iraq to write a column without citing a poll? All signs point to "no".

Indeed, I believe some pundits become downright giddy when they get the opportunity to cite how low President Bush's approval ratings are. Like E.J. Dionne, Jr. and his little hit piece in today's Post.

Referring to Rep. John Murtha, a "hawkish" Democrat from Pennsylvania who said yesterday that he now believes the troops in Iraq must come home immediately, Dionne describes his statement as a "political thunderclap" and claims that this is the week "when President Bush lost control over the Iraq war debate".

A Pennsylvania Democrat makes an anti-war declaration, and Dionne thinks Bush is really on the ropes? Oh, yes, there is a comeback: he's a "conservative" Democrat, so that's why Bush should be worried. Well, his being a conservative Democrat does much to explain why no one has ever heard of him before, but little, in my mind, to give pause to the war effort.

Dionne then stumbles through a few more paragraphs before giving up on making a cogent argument, so he calls in backup in the form of poll numbers. I have an unwritten rule that as soon as a columnist starts citing polls to me, I stop reading. I guess it's a written rule now.

What do you suppose Washington's poll numbers would have looked like during Valley Forge? Wonder what Maidson's approval ratings were after the White House was charred to black? Can you guess what the numbers looked like for Lincoln's handling of the war after the Battle of Bull Run?

If these presidents had had the misfortune of living in today's age of overnight polling, history may very well have been different. Mercifully, politicians spent less time back then worrying about likability numbers and more time considering what serves national interests better; less playing to the cameras, more working on solutions.

No critic of our efforts in Iraq is offering anything in the way of answers. Murtha and his Democratic brethren (and some weak-kneed Republicans) are running from the polls on Iraq because they will be running in less than a year.

Bush, who will face no more elections, is free to take the political heat. And he's doing it largely on his own. That speaks volumes about W, in my opinion. He could have easily pulled most of the troops out by now. Keeping them over there isn't doing him any political favors.

And yet, we are staying, because Bush knows it's the right thing to do. He knows this is not another Vietnam. He knows that Iraq has seen its first two free elections in decades go off with great success. He knows that that the terrorists, reduced to bombing Sunni wedding parties in Jordan, are the ones who are really losing this war. He knows Saddam Hussein is about to face justice at the hands of those who he once slaughtered with chemical weapons. He knows that there hasn't been another terrorist attack on American soil since that darkest of days more than 4 years ago. And he knows that America leaving Iraq right now would spark a civil war that would likely draw in Syria, Iran, and Turkey, and that probably would be just the first course of a banquet of belligerence.

Bush knows that, as in football, the only numbers that matter are those on the scoreboard at the end of the game.

Congress is mortgaging the future of my, and most of my readers', generation with its fiscal lunacy.

And the way they try to hide their actions is despicable. For instance, just this week, the Senate voted to kill the infamous "bridge to nowhere" pork project in Alaska, backed by Republican senator from that state, Ted Stevens. However, in reality, all they did is change the earmark. The exact same amount of money will go to Alaska, but instead of being tied to the bridge project, it will now go into Alaska's general fund, where, you guessed it, a large portion of it might end up paying for the bridge.

This way, Congress can say it cut out a major pork project but still keep the pork-supporters happy. Net savings to America: $0. Losers: us.

I'm going to squash this one before it picks up any more steam... Bob Woodward's admission that he was given Valerie Plame's identity from an undisclosed White House source, before the time when Libby gave it to Russert, does not debunk the indictment against Libby.

The indictment of Libby was for obstruction and perjury, not for the actual leak. A lot of people in the media are getting this wrong, which causes me to really wonder if they're even paying attention.

Andrew Sullivan, the man who was largely my inspiration for blogging, has sold out. He announced on Monday that his site will be hosted on Time.com in the near future. He says the site will have more features and will reach a larger audience, but wasn't the simplicity of his site one of its virtues?

He also claims he will retain editorial control, but there is zero possibility that his control will be 100% complete. Time will be supplying the funding to host the site and will place the ads on the site. When another person funds you, you don't keep 100% control. Period.

The University of Miami is back alright--on and off the field, so to speak.

While the Hurricanes have played well enough to earn themselves a #3 ranking, according to this ESPN story, a handful of Miami players also were involved in the creation of a lewd rap song.

That's right, the convicts we all know and "love" are back! Now let's see what the university's administration does about it. Will they punish these players for possessing and fostering an attitude that treats women like dirt, or will they give them a slap on the wrist?

[hat-tip: Kristine Lam]

To be human is to use Cool Mint Listerine and to appreciate the full meaning of the experience.

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."

- Albert Einstein

These types of ads are the most adept at illustrating that, yes, we actually did go to Iraq for a good reason, and no, our mission there is not complete. Democrats normally love to be on camera, but I bet they're regretting it here!

Although I really don't understand the porno music in the background. I mean, we're the GOP, the no-sex-till-natural-death party.

Late last night, or early this morning, depending on your perspective, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators reached agreement on a plan that would, for the first time, grant the Palestinians control of an international border. The plan, in essence, opens up the border between Egypt and Palestinian-run Gaza, with the border checkpoints being run by Palestinians, observed by neutral Europeans, and monitored by Israelis via closed circuit television.

Far from just being a step toward improving the economy in Gaza, a prerequisite for the development of a peaceful Palestinian state, the deal is a sign of something else: the diplomatic prowess of one Condoleeza Rice.

Even as late as yesterday, the talking heads (and other parts of the anatomy gifted with the power of speech) were predicting that there was "no way" any deal would come out of Rice's visit to the Middle East. But on as little as two hours sleep, and after delaying the start of another diplomatic mission, the Secretary of State pulled off a major upset. Of course, we expect nothing less from an ND grad!

I wonder what other miracle comebacks she might have in store for us?

Unfortunately, America will never have the money to fund scientific research when it chooses to do things such as spending $1-3 billion to subsidize television converter boxes for low-income families. The boxes which, would be priced around $40 per unit, will be necessary to make older TV sets receive the new digital TV signal which be the only signal broadcast sometime in the next few years.

Glad we have our priorities right....

With that post title I mock Sean Combs' "Vote or Die!" campaign from a year ago, but in all seriousness, the long-term health of the U.S. economy relies on continued pursuit of invention and innovation in this country.

Unfortunately, corporate and government research spending has decreased over the last several years, and many worry that the U.S. will lose its lead in the science and technology sector to China or India.

The government should promote greater scientific and technological research by giving companies and individual inventors tax incentives, as well as considering spending hikes when our budget is in a better situation.

...

On a related note, Robert Fulton was born on this date in 1765.

Sometimes the law can lead to a state of ridiculousness. Take, for example, this 1 sq. in. plot of land which is being sold by county officials in Indiana for $1500.

Due to the inflexible nature of a particular Indiana law relating to the tax-sale of property, as well as the property history of the area, this one inch by one inch parcel cannot be sold at a lower price or simply joined with an adjoining property.

At this value, a one-acre plot of land would cost nearly $7 billion. What ever happened to the midwest's cheap real estate??

Many of DC's readers are surely familiar with Maddox's "The Best Page in the Universe." (Warning: not for younger readers... which I realize will only entice the younger readers to click the link even more so). The page is similar to a blog, as evidenced by its tagline, "This page is about me and why everything I like is great. If you disagree with anything you find on this page, you are wrong."

But Maddox very obviously does not like blogs, or even the term 'blog' for that matter, and he would recoil at my labeling of his site as such. His rant regarding the term blog and other terms he finds vile is absolutely hilarious.

Observe:

Blog: It's an abbreviation used by journalism drop outs to give legitimacy to their shallow opinions and amateur photography that seems to be permanently stuck in first draft hell. Looking in the archives of the blogs, one would expect someone who has been at it for years to slowly hone their craft and improve their writing and photographs, since it's usually safe to assume that if someone does something long enough, he or she will eventually not suck at it. Even with lowered expectations, you'll get a shotgun blast of disappointment in your face.

and...

Blogroll: A long list of links that nobody will ever click on. Bloggers not only link to their friends and fellow bloggers, but their eventual goal is to link to every linkable document on the Internet. Most "blog rolls" are so full of links that it can bring even the mightiest of search engines to a crawl as they sort through all the frivolous bull**** bloggers link to.

It's too bad that Fox pulled the plug. It's also too bad that Arrested Development continued to get poor ratings. I guess Americans preferred the latest developments in Aruba and the recent drama in their favorite reality shows, over the intelligent and original wit of Arrested Development.

Nope, not according to the Black Coaches Association. They gave ND a 'B' in their minority hiring report card, which grades hiring procedures, considered candidates, and hired candidates for coaching positions.

Of the 30 programs that made coaching changes last year, only 13 received a 'B' or higher grade. A majority of the programs received average, below average, and failing grades.

So how many columnists are going to keep calling ND racist, even when the BCA obviously doesn't think so?

According to this poll done by the Pew Research Center, only 50% of respondents say that President Bush is being treated fairly by the press. This is the lowest mark since his election.

This coincides with Bush's approval rating which is also at an all-time low.

There is an important political lesson in these two polling stats trending together. Can you spot it?

This WashTimes article says that politicians and pollsters believe that Dubya was a downer in Virginia and that his last-minute visit to that state preceded a decline in Republican gubernatorial candidate's polling numbers.

There's plenty of doom and gloom in the article:

"We know that George Bush is just killing us," said Delegate David B. Albo, a Republican who narrowly defeated his Democratic challenger in Fairfax County. "His popularity just brought the ticket down. There's no other way to explain it."

I am, however, less inclined to be this pessimistic.

I do not think George W. Bush so repulsed voters into voting for Democrats, but I do think the Republican base is not overly motivated at the moment, they simply did not turn out for the vote because of this frustration with the President.

Well, that's it, GOP. It's time to pack up and go home. We've lost. The nation has rejected us.

Oh puh-leeeeze!

Let's sit back and examine what happened yesterday:

The incumbent party held the governor's seat in two states. Plain and simple.

Virginia: The Democrat narrowly defeated his Republican challenger in a state that went for Bush in 2004, but also a state that's had a Democrat governor previously.

New Jersey: The richest man in the U.S. Senate, Democrat Jon Corzine, bought himself the governor's mansion in one of the bluest (and most corrupt) states in the Union.

And the issue elections:

California: Blue Cali rejected all of its GOP governator's proposals. Teachers' unions won out over growing the economy in the People's Republic of Berkeley and its environs.

Pennsylvania: I can't believe we're even talking about a school board election in Dover, PA!

I am not impressed.

Fact is, last night meant nothing. Actually, the only thing election day showed us was exactly how depressed the Democrats are. They'll celebrate anything!! I mean, what's next? Are they gonna jump up and down when Ted Kennedy gets re-elected in Massachutesetts? Perhaps Diana Feinstein will steal one in California! Geez, it's been so long since they've won anything, these people don't even know what victory looks like!

The real bell weather state, and the election results we should care about? That's right! OHIO! Why?

Leaving out the fact that Ohio has voted with the presidential winner in all but 2 elections since the Civil War, Ohio is basically a microcosm of the nation: a mix of big blue cities, red rural counties, and the purplish suburbs and exurbs that fill in the rest. Columbus is a microcosm of the microcosm; Bush and Kerry signs alternated by the block in the last election, and the capital is so "typical" of America that many large corporation choose to test-market their products here.

Things were not set up well for the Republicans in Ohio. The GOP governor was indicted for misdemeanors; a big GOP fundraiser, for felonies; the economy, depressed compared with other states. And into all this step national liberal organizations who created and proposed the "Reform Ohio Now" amendments to the state constitution.

Designed to limit individual campaign contributions, introduce no-ID-required and no-excuse-needed absentee balloting, strip the Secretary of State of his election monitoring duties, and hand the power to draw legislative districts to an appointed "independent" commission, the amendments' purpose was to remedy the perceived (and might I add, fictional) voting irregularities of the 2004 election. The underlying intent of the amendments, however, would have been to destroy GOP power in the state.

Money poured in from out of state (over 90% of the campaign was financed from outside Ohio). GOP groups opposed to the amendments received little or no funding from outside the state. Cries of corruption went out over the airwaves, and all hope seemed lost for Republicans. And what happened?

All four amendments lost. Big-time (as Dick Cheney would say). We're talking 70-30, they went down. In fact, no county in Ohio, not even uber-Democratic Cuyahoga, Summit and Mahoning, recored a majority yes vote for any amendment.

And Republicans are supposed to be scared? Who's afraid of a big bad jackass?

Democrats took the governors' races in New Jersey and Virginia, rejected all of Gov. Schwartzenegger's ballot initiatives in yesterday's election, and ousted 8 Republican school board members in Dover, PA, replacing them with Democrats who vowed to drop the district's plan to implement "Intelligent Design."

In football, when a receiver readies himself to catch a pass, but he suspects that a tackler is barreling down to cream him the second he catches that pass, the receiver is said to "hear footsteps." This expression is used usually when a receiver is waiting for a lobbed pass over the short-middle part of the field, and the receiver drops that pass--possibly out of a subconcious fear of getting tackled.

Such is the case with Microsoft now. Bill Gates recently drafted a memo which speaks of a 'sea change' towards internet services and technology. The memo named Google as a top competitor in this exploding arena. So will Microsoft catch the pass and take dominance in this sector as they have in many other tech sectors, or will they hear footsteps and drop the ball?

...

And yes, to answer your unspoken question, I am quite proud of myself for the football metaphor :-)

The Chinese have been active and successful in the last several years at conducting spy operations against America. We should not take this lightly.

The latest example is this Chinese spy ring which was recently discovered and arrested. Over the last 15 years, these spies stole U.S. military secrets, including information on U.S. submarines and Aegis-class warships. China has reportedly already developed its own Aegis-style warships and could deploy them to aid an invasion of Taiwan if it so wished.

Perhaps we should borrow from our own experience of counter-espionage against the Soviet Union. For instance, in the early 1980's we purposely leaked certain computer technology to the USSR. But the technology we let them grab from us contained a bug that we inserted in its code. The computer was used to control the trans-Siberian pipeline, and our nasty bug essentially was designed to cause a massive explosion and shut the pipe down for a while.

Our ploy was successful and made the Soviets suspect all such technology grabs they got from us. I suggest a similar course of action with the Chinese.

Nano-technology may allow scientists to develop attack medicines that target cancer more specifically than ever.

This is good news. A U.S.-China trade war could have had serious economic consequences for China and minor to moderate consequences for our economy.

Look for any and all restrictions on Chinese textiles to fade over the next few years though, but also look for the Chinese labor market to gradually become more expensive as that nation continues to develop.

- Interested in Judge Alito's ideological underpinnings? Check out this excellent and thorough NYTimes article which discusses Alito's conservatism and his ideological roots.

- If Judge Alito is confirmed, a majority of the Supreme Court would be Catholic. Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and now Roberts are the current Catholic members of the court. This WashPost article looks at the historical developments that led to conservative Catholics' increased participation in constitutional law.

- Finally, Senator Joseph Biden, a potential Democratic presidential nominee, says that Senate Democrats will be unlikely to filibuster Alito's confirmation. On this note, this blogger admit to being mildly surprised.

...and the Colts whoop on the Patriots to complete my football trifecta. Nice.

Now bring on the Steelers!

Emperor Dan alerted me to this tremendous Mark Steyn column in the Chicago Sun Times. Steyn takes a strong position on an issue I've been wrestling with recently: to what degree is Islamicism driving the Paris riots?

Steyn takes issue with the media's reference to the rioters (rebels?) as 'French youth':

"French youths," huh? You mean Pierre and Jacques and Marcel and Alphonse? Granted that most of the "youths" are technically citizens of the French Republic, it doesn't take much time in les banlieus of Paris to discover that the rioters do not think of their primary identity as "French": They're young men from North Africa growing ever more estranged from the broader community with each passing year and wedded ever more intensely to an assertive Muslim identity more implacable than anything you're likely to find in the Middle East. After four somnolent years, it turns out finally that there really is an explosive "Arab street," but it's in Clichy-sous-Bois.

Steyn is making a bold point, and I would love to read a counterpoint. Without being "on the ground," I cannot know the sociology behind these rioters. Helpful though is the historical perspective Steyn supplies:

The notion that Texas neocon arrogance was responsible for frosting up trans-Atlantic relations was always preposterous, even for someone as complacent and blinkered as John Kerry. If you had millions of seething unassimilated Muslim youths in lawless suburbs ringing every major city, would you be so eager to send your troops into an Arab country fighting alongside the Americans? For half a decade, French Arabs have been carrying on a low-level intifada against synagogues, kosher butchers, Jewish schools, etc.

Could America handle a gay love story winning the Best Picture Oscar? If the early hype surrounding Brokeback Mountain, a movie about two cowboys that hide their love for each other, is true, then we will soon