The Opposite of Bad

There's plenty of bad news out there (I'm not just talking about the fact there are still dozens of people listening to Keith Olberman).  Digesting it all can get burdensome.

Instead, let me relate some splendid information just gleaned from the top of the heap over at Big Hoolywood.  Sorry, I do that all the time...and spend hours, generally, retreating and correcting, or proofreading and correcting my many typing dyslexities.  That is Big Hollywood, thank you very much.

From John Nolte, at Big Hollywood, comes the unparalleled good news that the most important literary work of the past century is, as they say in Hoolywood (intentional that time): "in the can."  You heard correctly, my little Livermush afficionados...Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged has been made into a major motion picture.  Actually though, as Mr. Nolte reports, it's only the first third of the book (in the fashion of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy) which has finished production.  Like LOTR before, the remaining two thirds of Atlas will be produced and delivered forthwith.

More good news, apparently no megastar was employed to overshadow the script, which is said to be highly reflective if not identical in large part to the dialog as written by Mrs. Rand.  This means that instead of Anjolina Jolie, the role of Dagny shall be left to Taylor Schilling, pictured below.  I had reservations about the rumored casting of Jolie, doubtful that she has the range of talent.

Nolte says we can expect part one in "the second quarter of 2011 and start production on the second part the following fall."

Okay, "unparalleled" may be a bit strong.  But, it's still pretty great.

Be of good cheer.

Tough.

Chuck Norris will make you cry.

Get Well, Coach

Sportsman of the year the decade the century ever.



Statement from the family of Coach Smith.

Part of the Solution

I updated Saturday's post to somewhat disassociate the House of Livermush from implications of blanket friendliness regarding the NRA.  It appears that they consider Liberty, as Jesse Helms famously said, "as a roll of bologna, to be bartered away a slice at a time."

Erick Erickson says that the NRA has thrown you/us under the bus.

Their claim of fighting for the 2nd Amendment, while failing to send bullets or take them regarding its parent document (uh, the Constitution), means they aren't part of the solution, but remain part of the problem.  That problem, in part, has been that our representatives have been more concerned with their own self-preservation than with that of their constituents (whether those constituents be of elected representatives or the NRA.)

I'm checking out the GOA.

Shop at Fleggaard

A departure from the regular programming here at the House of Livermush, this is just the best ad ever.
Fleggaard is, I've concluded, some kind of Danish discount superstore.  Of particular entertainment value is the moment when the third skydiver pulls the cord for her "chute."  This is NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

This is a video ad for a sale on washing machines: Fleggaard.  I may not need a washing machine, but I do want to go to their store now.

If you're a man, and you're not gay, you can not help but love this.  I challenge you to disagree that there's ever been a better commercial for an appliance.

'Nuther Fleggaard ad just for the women-folk.  Sensitive.  Sweaty.  With a sing-a-long...in a blimp.

Is that the answer to the question, "Where have the Village People been since YMCA"?

Okay, so here's a more serious video.  Y'all have a great Monday.

NRA ad

If you believed the old adage, "what you don't know, won't hurt you" you may have been suckered in to the BarryO mystique.  After all, there wasn't any real evidence that he wanted to destroy America, at least none that was reported on the network news, right?

He seemed affable and very cool.  A person would have to be terribly cynical to suspect that his voting "present" and guarding his college and personal history meant he had anything sinister (like "healthcare", Cap & Trade, card-check, SEIU, ACORN, Van Jones, worldwide appeasement and bow-a-thon tours, bribery and influence peddling) to hide.  Likewise, nobody should have predicted his likely ineptitude regarding the disaster in the Gulf or those idiotic rules of engagement he's handcuffed our soldiers with, just because he'd never really led or governed anything.

Your sarcasm meter should be pegged in the red.

Try to split your mind in two screens of view.  Recall all the vacuous platitudes you swallowed in '08 on one screen, and compared that to the inaction, idiocy, or outright sabotage you're getting from this Administration now, on the other.

Now, if you don't have any reason to believe in Kagan's devotion to the Constitution other than her own rhetoric (like, say, an actual body of work?), at least consider the possibility that she's another wolf in sheep's clothing.  I agree with the NRA that there's plenty of reason for concern, if not alarm.



Call your representatives and have them oppose the confirmation.

UPDATE: But, let's not presume that this ad means that the NRA is forgiven for its recent sins.  It is certainly encouraging that such a powerful organization is spending money and resources to oppose the confirmation, but the NRA needs to start remembering (publicly) that the 2nd Amendment is part of a greater document, and that enemies of that Constitution should be and will be held accountable, regardless of their lip-service or special conditions.

Hey NRA, lie down with the dogs...wake up with fleas.  And then, you'll be sleeping out on the porch.

Fair-weather patriots.

Correction

I'd like to issue a correction/retraction regarding my post yesterday, where I wrote that Afghanistan is "now largely Obama's war."

It's fair to say that he has, to an extent, taken ownership of this war.  But, his only real contributions to it have been 1) ordering more troops to the region, but 2) not sending as many as requested, or 3) not sending them in anything resembling a timely fashion, and 4) hamstringing those troops with suicidal rules of engagement.

The war in Afghanistan is our war, America's war.  Obama only assumed ownership as an effort to usurp a military victory.  His ownership is no different than the false image of Che Guevarra as some kind of warrior (the only times Che pulled a trigger was when his enemies were beaten and tied and blindfolded).

In fact, you could make a case that Obama's actions are more consistant with someone angling to lose this war than win it.  This is a lot like a baseball game where the good guys have a slim lead, late in the game.  The starting pitcher did a great job putting our guys in a position to win, but the relief pitcher has come in and, under the misguided imperative of an unscrupulous manager (Obama), has walked the bases loaded.  That relief pitcher (McCrystal) has effectively taken himself out of the game, as a sacrificial lamb for his beloved teammates, and the Closer has now taken the mound.  If General Petraeus isn't forced to pitch underhand, we still have a chance at success.

With apologies to Ann Coulter, Bill Kristol, Michael Steele, and anyone else, this is our war.  Our going there was appropriate in the first place, and our remaining is still necessary, but not as mere targets for the bad guys.  If Obama can simply keep his mouth shut, stay in the dugout, give Gen. Petraeus what he asks for, when he asks for it, he'll keep the Taliban and AQ on the defensive, swinging and missing.

One other thing, O'Bastard:  This thing is more like baseball than soccer (guh).  You play till you win...not until some mystery-clock expires.  Leave the grown up stuff to the grown-ups.  Stay the fuck off the field.

SaraCuda. You Betcha.

Now, here's an idea I can wrap my arms around...

Draft Sarah Palin for RNC Chair, sign the petition.

Why do I like Sarah?

I like the fact that her political strength comes largely from her apolitical demeanor.  I like the fact that her party is a reflection of her values and not the source of those values.  I like the fact that she has values based in her faith, and values based on the Constitution, relies on both and doesn't confuse the two.  I like the fact that she has real public decision-making experience.  I like the fact that she has greater fondness for action than rhetoric, and that her rhetoric is always based on her own historical experience, as opposed to intangible platitudes.  I like the fact that she has a deep regard for Liberty.  I like the feeling that she disdains the special interest groups, in favor of limited government.

Do I think she'd be a good President?  Yes.

But, I also think she'd wield enormously positive influence over a Republican party that has for far too long sought its own perpetuation over the Founders' vision of Liberty.  And making a real impact, a positive impact, on our society is something she says she aspires to.

Even before reading about this idea (I heard it from Jim Hoft at BigGovernmentdotcom) I wondered who'd be good to replace Steele if it came to that.  And her name was the first that came to mind.

I don't necessarily subscribe to the notion that Steele must be ousted, just for his remarks over Afghanistan being Obama's war (See Ann Coulter's essay at TownHall on why, yes, it largely is now Obama's war), but his leadership has been mostly uninspiring, if not outright ineffective.  I believe her presence in that position immediately legitimizes it, and de-fangs the entire establishment-politics syndrome that keeps rewarding career incumbents whose focus has strayed from serving the Constitution and their constituents to serving themselves.

I like Sarah, and I like the idea of her being drafted to Chair the RNC.

WHEREAS the current Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, has woefully and repeatedly misstepped in his capacity as party Chair, failing to provide the leadership and vision necessary to battle the Progressive Socialist Left’s agenda, and

WHEREAS he has also failed to cultivate and facilitate emerging Conservative candidates who are able to convincingly argue that Liberty is superior to dependence upon the State Apparatus, and

WHEREAS Sarah Palin, by way of radical contrast, consistently and enthusiastically argues on behalf of Liberty, Free Enterprise, Individualism, and a small and Constitutionally limited Federal Government, and

WHEREAS she has also demonstrated an innate affinity with the great majority of Liberty-Loving Americans, a capacity to inspire them to action, and a willingness to act as a National Leader on important Conservative Issues,

THEREFORE, We, the undersigned, submit that Sarah Palin, as soon as is practicably possible, ought to replace Michael Steele

I was the 200-'something'th signer, and hope you'll join me.  Let's make it a million signers by the weekend.

New Addition

While I continue working on a few things in my drafts folder, I'd like to direct attention to a new resident in the ST&L blogroll: Big Peace.

Its creator, Andrew Breitbart, also known for his Big Government, Big Hollywood, and Big Journalism sites (which you should already have bookmarked and visit daily) says,

The site is pro-freedom, pro-liberty, and pro-American but will not be an outlet for false information or propaganda.

And from its editor, Peter Schweizer,

We are launching Big Peace on the 4th of July because we happen to believe that America is the last and best hope for mankind.

We are launching Big Peace on the 4th of July because we believe that freedom is an essential ingredient and condition for peace.

We are lauching Big Peace on the 4th of July because the American spirit of independence and fight, exhibited by our soldiers, is what ultimately keeps us safe.

I read elsewhere this morning that our own federal government has grown by 16% in the past year.  So, on one hand our actual independence seems fleeting.  But on the other, thanks in part to folks like Mr. Breitbart and the company he keeps, we have plenty to celebrate.

A belated Happy 234th Birthday, America!