Rule 5 Sunday

by Smitty

Rule 5 Sunday, (my Senator is a) Ho Ho Ho Edition. Actually, we're eschewing politics here. The man of the day is Jasper Schuringa, who may not have actually saved the Amsterdam-Detroit flight per se, but rather demonstrated the kind of un-Progressive derring-do to which all should aspire.

• Atlas Shrugs had the first Jasper Schuringa pic in my Google Reader. That guy is wired for life.
• Rule 5 madman Bob Belvedere is owed an apology. He dutifully sent in his FMJRA links, but the clone bots managing the Inbox whisked his FMJRA links to the Rule 5 label, to be discovered late Saturday night by an abashed Smitty. Technology is a many-edged suppository.
  • Ann Sheridan
  • Leslie Parrish
  • Denise Milani
  • Betty Grable
  • The Pajamagram Gals
  • Denise Milani Redux
  • Vera Lynn and Shirley Jones
• The Blogprof leads off the somber Rule 5 remembrance of Brittany Murphy,
• Left Coast Rebel had follow-up on the poor waif.
• Makes My Brain Itch serves up some Pamela Anderson Action, as well as fuax-nekkid protesters.
• That's Right has a mystery Tea Party babe, along with others, but hopes some of our regular readers can help. This challenge recalls a Love and Rockets track:

• Yankee Phil links to a clip for plus-sized beauty contest. Obligatory AC/DC.
• Dustbury exposes the darker side of the Danica cult, and has important Kylie Minogue reporting.
• House of Eratosthenes gives us a target for all of the new firearms Santa delivered: mantyhose. Back to the Alphabet of Beauty, this week's installment includes Torrey DeVitto and Urmila Matadonkar.
• Troglopundit kept up with other Danica news.
• Three Beers Later had a Denise Milani video, and another Juliana Moreira installment. He reaches back for Dorothy Malone.
• Manolo the Shoe Blogger featured Judy Garland.
• Proof Positive found some Lucy Pinder.
• Fischersville Mike featured Colts cheerleader Sara.
• Jeffords reports that Katee Sackhoff joins "24".
• Power Line had Kristin Chenoweth.
• A Conservative Shemale featured Brad Pitt and Catherine Zeta Jones. From Wikipedia: "Zeta-Jones is married to actor Michael Douglas, sharing the same birthday, making him exactly 25 years her senior. She claims that when they met, he used the line 'I'd like to father your children.'" Rule 5 regrets the delay in passing on this critical information. Try this the next time you're single and beset with such beauty. The 1st Amendment should still keep most of us out of prison.
• Paco Enterprises features Lane Truesdale singing the popular ‘40s novelty song, “Who’s Yehudi?”
• The Classic Liberal coaxes from Linsday Loah an explanation of inflation.
• Trainwife1962 brings Jon Voight, as both George Washington and the Pope. Versatile actor, Jon.
• Here's My Thing submitted several: Rose McGowan, tennis girls, Christina/MJ Hart/Mariah, Hilary Duff, [NSFW] Kate Hudson.
• Smash Mouth Politics features Lauren Graham, for all I despise that Bad Santa flick. The only nice thing I can say is that, like Pulp Fiction, its title represents truth in labeling.
• Makes My Brain Itch has the scoop on Keira Knightley.
• Serr8d's Cutting Edge brings you the photoshop lesson featuring Stormy Daniels.
• Gahrie's Grumbles and Groans takes Rule 5 where it has never gone before: World of Warcraft. No wedgies, dudes: this is a friendly post.
• Point of a Gun brings the Fox News babes. Rule 5 envies Bill O'Reilly every time he gets chewed out by Megyn Kelly.

That's your Rule 5 wrap. Until next Sunday, keep it lovely, people.

Seasonal Traffic Suckage Syndrome leads to Shameless Tip-Jar Rattling Disorder

One of the obvious reasons for doing the changeover to the WordPress site during the holidays is that blog traffic sucks this time of year, so time spent on the changeover doesn't really subtract from the overall blog ecology. What's the point of doing a dozen posts on Christmas Day, if nobody's reading it anyway?

For similar reasons, some bloggers don't blog much on weekends -- when blog readership decreases by 30% or more -- but we've never really observed that custom here. Smitty reports that a relative paucity of Rule 2 linkage made for a much shorter FMJRA this week, which is to be expected, although we hope there won't be a similar shortage of babe-blogging for Rule 5 Sunday.

One of the things about Seasonal Traffic Suckage Syndrome (STSS) is not to take it personally. Traffic here is demonstrably down for December -- currently about 160K visits for the month, after four consecutive months of >220K -- but when compared year-to-year, we've gained about 80% over December 2008. And so you have to have a certain amount of perspective when you realize that on Christmas Day we recorded our worst weekday traffic in recent memory.

Because routine headline+link+snark formula blogging would be kind of a waste of time during the holidays, I've taken advantage of the situation to do some long-form stuff. First there was "Don't Fear the People," a retrospective on my coverage of the populist grassroots revival -- the first substantive post at the new site -- and then there was today's post about Washington's Christmas crossing of the Delaware.

Another thing to do during periods of slow traffic is to blog about totally silly stuff, like the Christmas Day arrest of celebrity scumbag Charlie Sheen. Why not? Do you really expect us to constantly monitor Memeorandum for the latest breaking news on the Nigerian terrorist? On a day when we're averaging less than 200 visits an hour?

Let's face it: We could post a completely random photo of an impressively endowed chubby chick -- hey, more to love -- and not get any complaints, because nobody's reading us this weekend anyway. (Folks, don't worry that we're corrupting your kids. If your teenage son got a computer for Christmas, do you really think he'll be cruising political blogs for chubbettes?)

Would a serious political commentator -- say, for example, Dan Collins -- link something so irresponsibly exploitative as a post with photos of random topless fat chicks? Of course he would. Because at least it's fun, and if traffic sucks anyway, you might as well have fun.

However, there are more useful things bloggers can do with the readerless holiday hours when we're afflicted with Seasonal Traffic Suckage Syndrome (STSS). Therefore, while Smitty toils away on the technical geekery of the WordPress changeover, I've been writing thank-you e-mails to the tip-jar hitters.

We're about halfway to our $2,000 goal for the Pasadena trip, which was a double-dog-dare-ya scheme promoted by Dan Collins. As I said at the time, I didn't think I could possibly rattle the tip-jar hard enough to make this trip happen and yet . . .

Well, as of yesterday, 34 people had hit the tip jar for an average of $30 each during December. And today I got a Christmas card from Barbara Espinosa of American Freedom blog, with a gift incentive for the trip. I checked Travelocity and can make a flight to LAX departing next weekend for about $450 if I booked it today.

Mrs. Other McCain is, of course, worried about the bills. If I make this trip, will it clear enough cash to break even and still pay the bills? Does that 1990 photo of Mrs. Other McCain looking hot in her bikini encourage you to ease her mind with an extra $10 or $20? Would you rather see more photos of fat chicks? Is anybody actually reading this?

The point is, I can roll either way: Fat chicks, celebrity scumbags, historical inspiration, or up-to-the minute breaking news about John Kerry and other terrorists. But I don't want to have to choose between (a) paying the bills and (b) going to Pasadena to provide neutral, objective coverage of the Alabama Crimson Tide's spectacular triumph in the BCS Championship.

As I explained to one of the tip-jar hitters in an e-mail exchange, I'm planning to take a look at the tip jar situation Monday before booking my flight, probably departing Jan. 2 or 3. Every little bit will help me convince Mrs. Other McCain that this is a good idea not evidence of incipient psychosis.

Maybe you're feeling that Roll Tide spirit to the tune of $20. Or maybe you just figure it would be worth $10 to read about me racing around Southern California in a rental car, interviewing hawwwtt University of Alabama cheerleaders and buying $7 gin-and-tonics for Little Miss Attila during Happy Hour at one of her favorite L.A. dive bars.

Fear and Loathing in Pasadena could be the wildest scene since I covered the Libertarian Party national convention in Denver last year. Surely the true story of Rose Bowl decadence and debauchery has got to be worth $5 to readers who have nothing better to do this weekend than to read a political blog.

Carol at No Sheeples Here is also an Alabama fan trying to hustle her way to Pasadena, so if you've already hit my tip jar, you should think about throwing Carol some action, too. Besides, if I help her make it Pasadena, maybe I can get her to do a free logo for the new WordPress site -- with or without naked fat chicks. 'Cause I can roll either way . . .

Just hit the tip jar!

Festivus 'Mas Joy Rings Around

by Smitty

It's that time of the year when we celebrate our traditions in ways that hopefully don't alienate everyone else.
All of those readers with lives have been too busy to post or link us as much as we like, but we love them nonetheless.

The Nebraska Compromise:
As negative as everyone is about the whole steamer, except the lefty portion of the 111th Congressional Circus, its parade of bad ideas may not be over.

• Jules Crittenden linked the Sobriety Cat post in a roundup.
• The Classic Liberal picked up the Cheap Whore post.

We Don't Seriously Foresee the Union Disintegrating, but We're Closer to Such an Event:

• South Texian picked up the Texas secession post about Ladd Ehlinger, with a technical correction.
• Paco Enterprises joined the Sheldon Whitehouse foe club.
• Jumping in Pools thinks that Texas cannot secede, but Montana Can. At a certain point, as with the Declaration of Independence, it's really not about what a piece of paper says, but rather about what you do.

Get Stacy That Malkin Award!
He's still in the running for [whatever it means] who lacks a radio and TV show.

• The Sundries Shack has us wired. Vote now, vote Stacy.

Congratulations to Clan McCain Over Kennedy's Engagement Pour In:

• Obi's Sister said 'Hi'.

Yes, The Other McCain is in Transition:
Stacy and I continue to make delightfully uncoordinated progress in a positive direction.

• The Classic Liberal notes our efforts.
• SI VIS PACEM also noted the motion.
• Dustbury opines:

  Not that I have any particular complaints about WordPress, which we’ve been using here now for over a year with little difficulty. But it seems to me that McCain, who specializes in high-value, low-cost reporting, really belongs on Blogger, which is to blogging what Walmart is to retail: you might claim to hate it yourself, but a lot of your friends like it just fine. (Or maybe you need new friends. Your mileage may vary.)

About Those Goreflakes:

• Political Byline noted the hammering of Maryland.

Girl Culture:

• Wombat Rampant gave us a shout while relating an occurrence similar to the Protein Wisdom/Patterico thing which is apparently, hopefully, finally, running out of gas.
• American Power has also been dealing with its variation on the theme. Donald Douglas also noted Stacy while examining anti-Hamsherism. he then followed up with "A Theory of Racist Smears and the Case of Robert Stacy McCain". All I can say is that the notoriety looks better on him than me.
• Stogie links us while asking "Is Charles Johnson (of LGF) a Transvestite Cross-Dresser?" Can I please retain my ignorance?
• Rhetorican picked up Stacy's AmSpec piece about a possible Hamsher move to the right.

Other FMJRA outings:

• So It Goes In Shreveport
• Fischersville Mike
• The Classic Liberal
• The Blogprof
• Rightofcourse
• WyBlog
• Eternity Matters
• Paco Enterprises
• CatHouse Chat
• Obi's Sister

The Seven Figure Club:

• American Power reached one megahit. Keep up the good work, Donald!
• The BlogProf linked us while congratulating DD.

Miscellaneous:

• American Glob just laughed at my attempt to defend Harry Reid.
• Stogie proved a non-fan of Jason Raimondo
• Paco notes us in passing while congratulating Jim Treacher. He also noted the Dave Brooks flambé.

Enjoy the respite, everyone. Gather your strength. If 2010 is any weirder than 2009, we'll all be needing it.

Your Democratic Party Gift

by Smitty

Krauthammer's take (I suppose this is Fox All Stars) is perhaps too tactical:

The problem is this: The Democrats over-read the mandate in the election of '08. They assumed it was for great change of American social policy and making America into a kind of European social democracy -- radical changes in health care, energy, and in education.

That was not what happened in '08. It was rejection of the Bush administration, a weariness of war, and the rejection of an administration at a time of economic collapse. It was nothing more. They [the Democrats] overreached. They have tried to push a centrist country to the left, and [therefore] they're going to lose a lot of seats in the November election.

I submit that, strategically, the Progressives are realizing that the national debt and technology are combining to make a mockery of the notion of vast power in the hands of few. We increasingly realize that the man behind the curtain is an emperor in the buff. They sort of grasp that, after expending tremendous resources in 2006 and 2008, they'd reached a now-or-never (or at least not soon) moment. The national debt situation, media control, mood and personalities will likely never be better for a full-on European statist coup in this country.

Thus, the Democratic party's over-reach is a left-handed gift of liberty, if we keep up the pressure and face the ugly realities that reform will entail.

In the nearer term, Merry Christmas from The Porch. I'm panhandling for gifts, as well. Please take a moment and stuff the Inbox stocking with URLs for tomorrow's FMJRA.

Fraudulent Meteorological Joyride Reaches Aphelion

by Smitty

How can the FMJRA not notice the foreign policy disaster that is Hopenchangen, so brilliantly juxtaposed with the domestic trainwreck that is ObamaCare?

We can report that, if they fire the jets at the right moment, and go beyond, just exactly what will happen. They will reach Boston. You know, more than aphelion:

Code Redeye:

• That's Right delivers the goods. He who shot a video of Death with the try-dumb-virate. Then there is a 148 picture gallery.
• Instapundit, some Tennessee blogger from whom we'd like to hear more, noted the report.
• Fischersville Mike picked up mine and The Journey's report, as well.
• Rhetorican linked it.
• Little Miss Attila picked up the Tabitha Hale clip. Have courage and long underwear, ye patriots.
• American Power reviewed the Patterico/Goldstien situation, which actually seems less serious than DD's with EDK.
• The Camp of the Saints picked up the post.
• Mulieris Dignitatem also linked it.

Comity of Errors:

• Dustbury liked my envisioned scene.
• Valley of the Shadow prompted the whole thing.
• Rightofcourse picked up on the boycotting of Connecticut post, with related linkage here..

Blogenkrieg:

• Little Miss Attila surveys. You know you're a big-time blogger when Gerard is your first comment:

  vanderleun said:
  December 13th, 2009 at 8:36 am
  I looked at that whole kerfuffle and the only things I could see was
  1) Paterico is caught in the trap of “I’m wrong but I can’t get out or back out so I’ll dig in deeper and deeper and assert more and more assertions.”
  2) Paterico is building a gigantic ball of horse manure and expects everyone to chew through it or else. Sort of a Johnsonian bit of business without the outright banning. (I decline this menu.)
  3) Patrico believes he can read minds. Sorry, Pat, but not
  sold.

  LMA here also.
• Left Coast Rebel viewed Stacy's consumption by wolves with shock and horror.
• Protein Wisdom, the half of the argument we support, continues the battle.
• Villainous Company weighs in.
• Obi's Sister also linked the tragic wolf dinner.
• A Conservative Shemale reports on the lefty reaction.
• At the Point of a Gun wonders about collusion in some blog wars.
• A Political Glimpse from Ireland had a good thread on the topic.

---

• Troglopundit's ongoing spectacle with No Sheeples Here remains a terrifying descent into blogospheric atrocity.

Stacy Wonders How Clark Gable Could Presage Him So Effectively:

Interestingly, I was just over in England at one of the RAF bases where Gable is said to have operated during his explosive landscaping phase. Supposedly the Reich put a bounty on him, and it was deemed to great a propaganda risk to have that smile flying about, risking disaster.

• Atlas Shrugs picked up the AmSpec piece.
• Villainous Company:

  For men are truly at their best when they are protecting those they love. Just as men wish for a woman who is demure and proper in public but will turn on the fireworks just for him, we ladies can't resist a guy who is strong and independent in public but reserves his tender side for the woman he loves.

• Belvedere enjoyed the Gable post, with a segue into wedding congratulations.
• Mulieris Dignitatem also echoed the sentiment.

Hoping for Grandbloggers:The congratulations pour in.

• Nathan Cossey
• Political Byline
• Little Miss Attila
• Mulieris Dignitatem

Alabama's Heisman:

• Carol's Closet offered congratulations.

Stacy's AmSpec Tea Party Piece:

• The Sundries Shack offered additional thoughts.

ACORN Bill of Attainder Ruling:

• Piece of Work in Progress shares our cynical view of the ruling.
• The Rhetorican: "Judge Gone Wild"

Cablinasian: Not Exactly a Wine

• Piece of Work in Progress: "Who is to say that in Cablinasian society it is considered bad form to prefer buxom blondes, or to enjoy threesomes behind one's wife's back, fueled by booze, Ambien and Cialis?"
• Bob Belvedere announces that he is beavering away on "Misunderstandings Of The Cablinasian Habit Of Tapping Botoxed Women" for the nternet Department of Cablinasian Studies. Let us hope PETA doesn't step on his tale.

HR 4173: the 111th Congressional Hit Parade Rolls On

• Left Coast Rebel had a great post, also noting that this bill contains HR 1207, which merits a stand-alone vote.
• The Camp of the Saints had further thoughts on the matter.

Sarah on Conan:

• Political Byline offered up a "Heh".
• Saberpoint: "Shatner looks slightly bemused but utterly stunned by this turn of events!"

Other FMJRA outings:

• So it Goes in Shreveport
• Blogprof: Sat, Sun, Mon, Fri
• No Sheeples Here, and also here.
• Fischersville Mike
• The Reaganite Republican Resistance, also here
• Paco Enterprises
• A Conservative Shemale
• Rightofcourse
• Left Coast Rebel

Miscellaneous Shouts:

• Smash Mouth Politics gives us the bump for traffic received.
• Rightofcourse linked the Hive Mind review.
• The Daley Gator gave a QOTD for a Brooks riff.
• The House of Eratosthenes linked the Green Pope post.
• The Sundries Shack comes in affirmative on fisticuffs.
• Jumping in Pools linked the Webb post.
• Paco Enterprises picked up the "Republicans are mean spirited; Democrats, on the other hand, are just telling it like it is" post.
• Daily Pundit picked up the Ray Stevens we'd thugged from Stogie.
• The Camp of the Saints picked up on the Rhand Welsch post at AmSpec. Also the anti-Lowry/pro-Goldberg rant. Great graphic, BTW.

That's your FMJRA. I'm sure I'm missing a boatload here, so send updates to Smitty. Also, Rule 5 Sunday beckons, with the question: are we sick of Tiger leftovers yet?

Joe Lieberman Walks the Valley of the Shadow

by Smitty

VotS picks up the parliamentary angle of yesterday's For Want of a Minute incident.

The meta-joke here is that the reason for the brusque treatment is that there is no slack left in the schedule. In treating our collective bottom like a stocking, the fascistsProgressives pretend to watch every minute, in the name of getting the whole suppository wrapped in time to get to the mantlepiece and jam the bill where it ought not go.

---

Senator Lieberman may as well have been a man pleading for prostate cancer treatment. The presence of Senator Smalley foreshadows the coming Death Panel saying "Sorry, no budget for you. We can give you Ibuprofin."

"Thanks, no offense taken," replies a morose Joe in this hypothetical scene, "but I was taxed at a rather high rate my whole life in order to pay for this kind of thing. How is it that I've followed the rules all along, yet still come up short?"

Smalley takes on a expression blending boredom with sadness. "You know the four stages:

1. From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
2. If everyone else couldn't have it, it was/is immoral to let you have it.
3. You had, therefore you must have stolen.
4. Since you were classified a thief, it was morally correct to separate you from your ill-gotten gains.

Thus, you should thank the State for having kept your foul capitalism in check these years. I shall accept your gratitude, as a representative of the State."

Lieberman, dejected: "Thanks"

Smalley, beaming: "You're welcome."

---

In all surreality, though, that minute matters not. As the recent Sanders Incident demonstrates, the Progressives care not fig #1 for anything like rules, tradition, or decorum when such do not support their foul agenda. Dingy Harry is going to plant that stocking stuffer, come hell or a Milli Vanilli record.

And it's time for me to head to work. Might as well enjoy having the job enjoy me while it lasts. But I'm blegging for FMJRA input. Spam me, ye linkers. That includes any slack-jawed crypto-Marxists who don't agree with the this blog's traditional American stance on matters. If you're one of these hate-America-first weenies that's going to go see Avatar tonight, by way of getting your masochistic fix, stop on by. Offering infantile Al Gore apologists a boot to the head is just another service we offer.

Peace, out.

Update: And, just as I Tweet this post, here is Fausta with a related offering.

Furtive Manbearpig Jester Running Amok

Smitty

As the Naughties draw to a close, who has been more naughty than former Vice President Albert Gore, Junior? Not to accuse the man of lying: he's too smart for that. I'm quite confident he lives a 'filtered fact fantasy', where 'trained professionals' feed him 'groomed information' so that he can maintain plausible deniability at all points. By dividing the effort amongst several compartments, an organization can argue its individual integrity with maximal vigor while being nowhere near forthright, overall. For example, take Iraq. By force. Ah, yes: the raw CRU data were co-located with the WMD. Oh, ManBearPig. Anthropogenic Global Warming is your revenge for being unable to finagle a win in 2000, isn't it? I may feel another bit of farce brewing...

Farces come in various sizes. Hopefully the last bit of the dead 'raaaaacist Stacy' horse has been eliminated, as that zombie pferd was exhumed, ridden, flogged, and dispatched for the third time or so this year by Patterico. For an undead animal, it does manage to imitatate life better than an Alan Colmes post. Wasting time on that proved an unwelcome distraction from blogging substantial news. Let me move on to the FMJRA before I stand accused of over-selling Alan.

Roll Tide (though I confess a preference for Method, since meine frau ist one of thse eco-German types)
Last week's FMJRA was launched amid the Alabama win, which may have been the sand grain a the heart of a pearl informing a hairball that turned into a confusing eruption of whisky-tango-foxtrot-ery last week, courtesy of Patterico.

• Carol's Closet congratulated Stacy and No Sheeples Here for last weekend's big win.
• Obi's Sister: Sweet, sweet bittersweet.
• Piece of Work in Progress favors sending Stacy to The Big Game.
• Fischersville Mike piled on.
• Little Miss Attila had the adult beverage angle on the game trip, but then overindulged, mis-spelling "Suzanna Logan" as "Monique Stuart". Shocking. Tragic. Messy catfight to follow. Stand by.
• Jumping in Pools supports the effort to get Stacy on the road.
• Troglopundit tried to set up some kind of riff on the superiority of Wisconsin to Alabama. As I look at the Bowl Championship Series page, I see no mention of this "Wisconsin" team. My home state of Oregon is playing in the Rose Bowl, I note (go, Ducks!). Try not to fail so hard next time, Troggy.
• The Daley Gator echoed the idea of The Other McCain Championchip Series.

Patterico Suave Starring In: The Case Of The Odd Timing.
One admits that this seems an 'inside baseball' story largely between Jeff Goldstein and Patrick Frey. It seems that ancient mutterings of Robert Stacy McCain are some sort of ping-pong ball between JG and PF. The sad truth of this, alluding to Ronald Regan, is that internecine warfare is joy to the foe.

• South Texian got in early and played a strong defense.
• Saberpoint dignified the discussion with the Shakespeare allusion.
• Paco Enterprises noted the 52 card racial pickup game.
• Villainous Company took a Tiger Woods swing in the analysis.
• Carol's Closet hit full-on burnout.
• Baldilocks: "Charles Johnson is gone. Face it. He was never ours. How about we let him take his delusions and slanders and paranoias and obsessions and falsehoods with him?"
• American Power: "...it's no surprise that Patrick Frey's trying to weasel out of his insinuations of racism against Robert Stacy McCain."
• The Reganite Republican Resistance offered some of the LGF backstory.
• Da Tech Guy speculated as to Patterico's motive.
• The Old Rebel offered support.
• Valley of the Shadow, as we've linked previously, indexed ToM and Patterico links in a handy way. His call for Stacy to apologize for misconstruing Patterico's words may go unfulfilled for the foreseeable future.
• Snapped Shot is also fully supports this blog, fully grasping the underpants gnome business model under which we operate.
• Enoch Root at Piece of Work in Progress makes a telling point:

  What I am saying is that the discerning of patterns is the only manner in which we can really even glimpse a man's heart. Again, I do not know the details of Mr. McCain's alleged or even real propensities. What I do know is that I am saddened because a man (any man or woman) can do very little to defend himself or herself once a certain meme is floated, introduced, embraced, disseminated--SYNDICATED.

  He then offers a related parable which is worth your time.
• Bob Belvedere thought that Stacy's apology directed at POWIP was, hopefully the last word on this topic. As your FMJRA summarizer, I would cheerfully direct efforts at other topics. The defensive efforts of friends are laudable, but the energy could be employed more gainfully still somewhere else.
• Protein Wisdom, home of Jeff Goldstien, was in the thick of things, driving analytic trucks through the contemptable Potemkin village known as Patterico's argument. See also this post getting at the absurdity of using political correctness to draw hasty conclusions. Goldstein has been a top-drawer blog for years, and is well worth subscribing and linking.
• Little Miss Attila had the family photos. She alludes to RSM cryptically here. The latest dialogue with Patterico, apparently, is happening in her comments section.

Hapless Harry Reid:

• The Camp of the Saints linked Stacy while rounding up the hammering of Hapless Harry Reid's slavery remark. Concur with TCotS's credit to Paco for best title.
• Daley Gator reached Dennis Miller-esqe heights of irritation with the dim bulb from Vegas:

  Senator, let me make myself perfectly clear, it sickens me that a Marxist fool such as you is a United States Senator, until the next election anyway, those poll numbers are looking BAD for you Senator. The Founding Fathers would be irate that a miscreant such as yourself had been elected to any office, much less the United States Senate!

Leave the unspeakable unspoken:
Desperately seeking not to be informed about what other consenting adults are getting up to in private.

• Mulieris Dignitatem echoed Stacy's posting concerning the 'Safe School' Czar.
• The Daley Gator also picked up Stacy's Kevin Jennings post.

Will Mark Sanford Caddy for Tiger Woods?

• Obi's Sister quoted the front/back nine jape.
• Bob Belvedere quoted Mrs. ToM via Stacy: 'I swear to God, Stacy, I'd kill you,' she said. Having come under that gaze myself, I wouldn't go testing that oath for all the data in East Agnlia University.
• Mulieris Dignitatem linked the post about sympathy for the idea of ventilating Sanford.

Gearing up for the next exlection:

• Mulieris Dignitatem liked the post about the people picking up the slack from the SCOTUS.
• Bob Belvedere agreed substantially with my point, though raised the question of whether we should seek to eliminate entitltements outright, rather than punt them to the states. In the comments, I was trying to make the point about segmenting the argument, so that one can use Federalism in discussion with a lefty and not be seen attacking Socialist ideas *as such*. He replied by comparing my position to David Frum. Ow. Let me expand. I'm endorsing Socialist ideas to the extent I endorse unspeakable sexual acts: not at all. However, in the name of suggesting a tangible course of action, I'd say that Socialist ideas and every other uspeakable thing should be allowed to die at the state level, so that conservatives can vote with their feet and let the utopians reap the value of their ideas. Why? Because every human has a finite number of breaths, and why waste my time trying to teach one for whom even experience may prove insufficient?

Other FMJRA action:

• Blogprof: Sat, Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri
• Fischersville Mike
• The Classic Liberal
• Snapped Shot
• SI VIS PACEM
• Paco Enterprises
• Rightofcourse
• The Camp of the Saints
• No Sheeples Here
• The Daley Gator

Miscellaneous Shouts:

• Over at Progressive Alaska all both of the Progressives in Alaska take Stacy to task for failing blogging about Andrew Sullivan while failing to mention some alleged lie made by Sarah Palin on some Thursday. I need to write a cron job to go through Sitemeter and scrape this sort of hilarity more often.
• Left Coast Rebel links us while touting Danny Tarkanian for the Senate to replace somebody with the personality of a vacuum cleaner.
• Troglopundit feels a newfoud sense of acceptance, since Matthews called Sarah Palin a 'Troglodyte'.
• That's Right linked us while posting Governor Palin and Michelle Malkin, and also on the post-trillion post

That's your FMJRA. Thanks to those who loaded me with links. Gear up for Rule 5 Sunday, sending URLs to Smitty, which will again have a tearline under which any Tiger Woods reporting will go. Sure, it's news, but infedility bites.

Also, links to any sites are concerned with Rule 5 posts only. Inclusion of a link to a Semi-Conscious Liberation Army site does not constitute an endorsement of their insurgency in Zambiniland. Those teddy bear killings are clearly in violation of the Geneva Convention, but Rule 5 goes on in any case.

Finally, Mr. Johnson Retreats Ad Infernam

by Smitty

This weeks FMJRA title celebrates a mad blogger, who really doesn't merit the attention, but that was the best backronym I could derive for the topics at hand. The Most Atrocious Congress Ever continues to pile on the nonsense. Cops are slain, but the political ramifications are somehow painted as more significant. The interview with American Glob was well received. And the mainstream media silence on Warmaquiddick just keeps getting more absurd. The Smith Guess is that BHO is going to sign some kind of middle-finger-to-you document. He's bowed to two monarchs thus far. If he, for one, bowed to the new AGW Overlord, that would round out the rule of three well enough.

I'll be out for the day, so check this post Saturday night for some updates. Bob Belvedere is conspicuous in his absinthe.

Update: Rightofcourse, Obi's Sister and The Camp of the Saints added.

Crap & Enslave:

• Rhretorican echoed Stacy's hope that Warmaquiddick will kill Cap & Trade. Zombie Troll Congress does not inspire much confidence, however. Random pages from one bill could be cut and pasted into another bill at odd hours on a Friday. It would be great to be making a joke on this point.
• Left Coast Rebel hat tipped us.

The Purity Test: Did You Study?

• The Classic Liberal quoted us in a three-fer.

Tyger, Tyger, no' so bright:

• Left Coast Rebel linked a Rachel Uchitel post.
• The Blog Prof covered the story with enthusiasm.
• Troglopundit weighs in with cocktail waitress expertise.
• The Camp of the Saints weighed in on the less-than-saintly Tiger.

I'm Almost a Ron Burgundy 'Big Deal' Now:
Genuinely pleasant feedback on the American Glob interview.

• Mike Tuggle wrote an appreciative email, mentioning his book, which I promptly added to the wish list.
• Paco Enterprises linked the interview.
• Dustbury quoted the interview.
• No Sheeples Here made me blush. Burgundy, of course.
• Bob Belvedere expressed appreciation for inclusion in the suggested follow-up list, and dismay at the proximity with the Troglopundit. Can't we all just get a long...?

Four Officers, Maurice Clemmons Dead. Huckabee, DEADBEEF:

• American Power covered Maurice Clemmons well, granting Stacy top billing.
• Paco Enterprises noted the story.
• Bob Belvedere to Gov. Huckabee: "How many more ticking timebomb psychos are out there free because of you and your supremely wrong-headed compassion?"

I'd Say This Counts as a 'Blog Thing':

• Grandpa John and No Sheeples Here have a 'blog thing' going on. There is really only one college football game, the Army/Navy Game. All else is window dressing.
• No Sheeples Here is as serious as a campaign promise is not: "Never before has a blog post by Steve of Grandpa John’s blog felt as false as his Tuesday post announcing his new strategy for the blog war against No Sheeples Here. It seemed like Obama campaign rhetoric—and left both Gator fans and ‘Bama fans feeling distraught."
Mind the decorum over there, people.

Hopefully Charles Johnson Soared Far Enough Over the Shark, and We Never Hear From Him Again:

• Jules Crittenden rounded up reactions:

"apparently it works like this: If you disagree with any element of half of the American body politic, you disagree with the whole thing. This makes you saner, more compassionate, more embracing of diversity. Probably smarter, too."

• Another Black Conservative had another roundup.

RS McCain literally put Another Black Conservative on the map. His blog was the first major blog to link ABC when I was getting less than 100 hits a day. Bringing a black voice to wider audience doesn’t strike me as the actions of the white supremacist label Charles smears McCain with.

Also, you write a great blog, Clifton.

• Exurban League had a thoughtful posting on LGF.
• The Classic Liberal tracked Stacy along with some climate stories.
• American Power was out to grab every related URL, it seems.
• Carol's Closet: "I've never paid much attention to Charlie but apparently he's been cutting his ties with the Right for almost as long as he's had ties with the Right."
• The Jawa Report spells Stacy's name like my sister's, but delivers a good fisking nonetheless.
• Paco Enterprises: "Aunt Ada Doom".
• The Camp of the Saints may have put the pussy in there for symbolic value; he's never been a cat-blogger to my knowledge.

Shout at the Data!

• Rightofcourse sounded hurt by my judgement that Mötley Crüe is 'dreck'. Did you read those lyrics, boss? Any less coherent, and Robert Gibbs would use them in lieu of his dreck. Rightofcourse followed up here about the dumped raw data.RoC did spring into action with the Laurel & Hardy variant.
• Dan Riehl may have vomited in his mouth a bit, again. My posting should consider his tender stomach more often.
• SI VIS PACEM offered us a hat-tip.
• No Sheeples Here had a pole-dancing bear to celebrate the farce.
• Paco Enterprises liked the Piltdown Man reference more than my parody tune. But Paco is a little too respectable for metal, anyway.

Other FMJRA roundups:

• Paco Enterprises, , and again.
• Piece of Work in Progress
• So it Goes in Shreveport, and a putting up the tree edition, too.
• The Reaganite Republican Resistance
• Wombat Rampant
• The Blogprof Sat, Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu,, Fri
• Fischersville Mike
• Political Byline
• Instapundit
• Obi's Sister had a keyword-based roundup, and another one here.
• Bob Belvedere

Kathleen Parker 'Love':

• Cynthia Yockey concurred with the canning of Kathleen Parker.
• Bob Belvedere linked the KP post in a fisk roundup.

Waxman and the Need to Control Everything:

• Bob Belvedere linked us and quoted the Clash:
  When they kick in your front door
  How ya gonna come
  With your hands on your head
  Or on the trigger of your gun?
• Instapudit linked the Waxman post. Troglopundit bloviates about how we're not linking Insty. Trog sounds like he's in search of employment. You ready to get out of the Swamp and step up to the Porch, mister?

Miscellaneous Shouts:

• No Sheeples Here liked the Paper Moon reference on the Weisberg post.
• The Classic Liberal picked up the Federal-Reserve-as-vampire offering.
• Little Miss Attila liked the Neutra Face video I sent her.
• Dustbury had at least two cheeky puns for Stacy's reaction to the tragic/absurd demise of Argentina Solange Magnano.
• Obi's Sister remembered the Rules while elaborating on her comments policy.
• Rightofcourse linke the Mark Campano post.
• Bob Belvedere linked and liked the ZING for Chris "Enemy Camp" Matthews. He also picked up Stacy's tweaking of Karl Rove.

I'm off doing the Weekend Warrior thing. Do send me updates, additions, and corrections. If you sent me links, I'll be updating tonight, as well as producing the Rule 5 Sunday post.

Facts Make Jiggery-pokery Really Arduous

by Smitty

This weeks FMJRA title celebrates a level of global thievery vast enough to make Bernie Madoff blush. The CRU clowns were not only playing fast and loose with grant money, their duplicity has been distorting public policy along heinous lines for years now. May the perpetrators rot.

It's hard to tell whether the Big Lie of global warming exceeds die Große Lüge that the health care debate is become. What amount of cure-worse-than-disease is sufficient to give even modern hyper-partisan über-pragmatists pause? Is it sheer religious zealotry? Do they grasp their wrong-headedness, but need to play out the charade in full, in political tool fashion, for their owners?

May the grace of God continue to empower us to deal peacefully, legally with these destroyers in the 111th Congress.

And now onto our regular FMJRA.

Yeah, Top Ten: Yeah
Special recognition is afforded to Bombs and Dollars for putting us at #7. This is exactly the sort of shamelessness we applaud and encourage.
Not to be outshone, Mulieris Dignitatem inaugurates The Other McCain Award, with a photo hinting at Stacy's heretofore unknown sci-fi alter-ego.

Try-dumb-virate Care:
PelosiCare, ReidCare, ObamaCare, I don't care: it's giving steaming piles of hooey a bad name, like that of the atrocious 111th Congress from whence 'twas excreted.

• Dixinet reveals the surprise identity of Senator Louisiana Purchase.
• Belvedere rounds up reactions and adds some thoughts.

Yeah, I Bought Three Copies:
Gave one away today to someone.

• The Daley Gator hat tips our 11 reporters fact-checking Going Rogue post. Then he suggests Stacy run her 2012 campaign, to which she hasn't exactly committed ATM.

Bill Sparkman Results:
Stacy, of course, owned his own Memeorandum thread on the topic.

• The Reganite Republican Resistance honored Stacy's shoe leather efforts.
• Paco Enterprises: "...once again, the idiots wind up accidentally self-administering suppositories made with their own bottle-rockets."
• The Camp of the Saints picks it up, and offers a roundup coda.

Clubbing SEALs:

• American Power picked up our re-transmit of Blackfive's reaction.
• The Camp of the Saints concurs on the "brick in the wall" observation.

The New Stage in the Struggle:
It will be an open question for historians whether the bizzarre revelations of 2009 for the climate, about ACORN, Insptectors General, and all of the other noise swirling about amounts to a new phase. Bob Belvedere maintains the definitive index on the IG-Gate.

• SI VIS PACEM picked up the post.
• So it Goes in Shreveport links us while rounding up coverage of the Gerald Walpin case, and follows with the Michelle Rhee angle.
• The Camp of the Saints echos the concern.

Rush puts the whole mood to music in this video that might last for too long on YouTube:

South by Southwest?

• Stogie links us, but doubts the lefty drift: "I think it is unlikely that South Park will go too far left. If they do, they will surely hear about it."
• Political ByLine is amazed that the state media can get away with much.
• The Camp of the Saints is moderate in its South Park views.

A Week Without Andrew Sullivan? Not This One:

• The Reganite Republican Resistance picked up on the Andrew Sullivan as anti-Semite question.
• Carol's Closet opines that that Andrew is 'plain nuts'. No salt of the earth on the assortment.
• Dan Riehl points out that some japes are simply unfunny.
• Political ByLine links us in a related post.

Parodies in Paradise

• Fischersville Mike thinks that he created a monster, with the afterbirth of the Copacabana parody. "Its name was RICO. It was a statute..."

Still Unsure Why Rick Moran Torques Me So Much:
The last week afforded a couple of opportunities to rebut Rick.

• Smash Mouth Politics decided she is litmus paper.
• SI VIS PACEM: "I don't care how Moran sees himself, but in framing his argument in Leftist fashion and adopting Leftist premises, it's... difficult for him to make his argument from Conservatism."
• House of Eratosthenes offered a coveted "Best Sentence I’ve Heard Or Read Lately (BSIHORL)" to the following: To tweak Nietzsche, socialism is the opiate of the bureaucracy, but addiction lacks middle ground.
• Paco Enterprises thinks that aspiring to be as smart as Rick Moran is a low bar. Hey, man: 'Set low goals, fail to meet them' is one of my major points in life.
• Bob Belvedere nominates me for Fisk Chef. That would be Stacy. Out here on the porch, I'm just the sous chef. One does not over-rate one's apron.

Your Organization Supports the Opposition:
Stacy managed to post about the CCHD issue in a model of journalistic restraint.

• Da Tech Guy reacts favorably to Stacy's post.

Brewhahah:

• So it Goes in Shreveport slices Stacy's argument thinly, differentiating between genuine enjoyment and foppishness in beverage choice.

Monty Python settles the argument definitively, [NSFW]:

• Dustbury links us with a retro title that is highly appreciated.

Other FMJRA outings:

• The Reganite Republican Resistance, and also here.
• The Blogprof: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
• So it Goes In Shreveport
• The Daley Gator
• Adrienne's Catholic Corner has a short one, with a picture of a cotton ball disguised as a kitten.
• Fischersville Mike, on the internet, with the Buffet reference.
• Piece of Work in Progress
• Paco Enterprises
• Instapundit
• No Sheeples Here attacks, conquers parade.

Miscellaneous Shouts:

• Fischersville Mike noted the Dennis Moore retirement post.
• American Glob asks if this blog has any ideas about the curious mis-alignment of resources in the war on terror. Yes: involvement. The only reason the left isn't rolling over us is that we're paying attention. No charlatan gets away with anything before the truly attentive audience. What we see is a pile of tripe, but don't let the horror deflect the gaze.
• The Classic Liberal opines that Ed Begley is just plain crazy.

There's your Thanksgiving weekend FMJRA. Technorati still has not technical restoration in sight. Which remains a crying shame. I've got some other ideas, but I need to STFU and implement them before wasting anyone's time on the hand waving. In the meantime, don't let my inattentiveness in the RSS reader get you down. Take action. Mail your updates, corrections, and rubber-chicken floggings to Smitty.

'Free Medicine, Juanita,' Reid Announced

by Smitty

This week's FMJRA is a shout of anger, a bellow of dismay, a scream of horror at the Congress That Shall Live in Infamy. If the legislation now oozing through the bowels of Congress was anything other than toxic sludge, they would speak boldly and with pride of the details, rather than hiding them. Reid and Pelosi's actions are all the indictment necessary.

Title disclaimer: the words were selected to fit the FMJRA form, and should not be taken as a derogatory remark about anyone named Juanita (I'm don't know any) or to imply specific knowledge of what's in the godforsaken legislation. My ignorance matches that of the jackasses voting it. The Federal government has no business doing anything but bare maintenance until the budget is balanced and a plan to work on the national debt is in progress.

Enough preamble.

Governor Sarah Palin:
She continues to disturb the left for some reason. She's been in the headlines a lot the last week. Has she done something?

• Reaganite Republican Resistance agrees with the suggestion of Dick Armey as an advisor to Sarah.
• Lead and Gold thinks the Left's anti-Palinism has to do with their...dysfunction.
• Rightofcourse offers a Newsreek cover roundup showing their anti-Palin bias.
• Monique Stewart concurs with Stacy on the Newsweak cover: "I agree with him on this one. Screw Newsweek! "
• American Glob announces ice in Hades because Media Matters attacked Newsleak for sexism. Don't get excited. The occasional outburst of intellectual honesty does not rehabilitation constitute.
• Frank Schaeffer opines that Sarah is America's Evita Perón, and lays down some beautiful projection:

  The chief characteristic of Palin's book is her trashing of the old cautious and respectable William F. Buckley-style Republican Party in general and John McCain and his campaign in particular, an act of backstabbing right up there with the "Et tu Brute" assassination of Caesar. I should say it is actually the second characteristic, that comes a distant second to the building of a Sarah Palin cult of personality, wherein Jesus and Sarah will "take America back for God."
  
  As a former Republican, religious right activist who saw the light, re-registered as an independent voter and then, in the last election cycle, worked hard to get then Senator Obama elected, and having been one of the instigators of what is now becoming the bomb-throwing wing of the former Republican Party -- now a far right fundamentalist cult -- I understand better than most that Palin's book is her bid to take over the Republican Party, something like Oprah's positioning herself as the doyen of publishing.
  
  It's personality cult time, personality cult with an agenda. The agenda isn't about politics at all. This is about naked power.

  
  Wow. It has the potential to be true, one must admit. However, Mr. Schaeffer, do you have the intellectual honesty to apply this same analysis to the same administration you worked so hard to bring about?

  And who is standing between us and Sarah's burning desire to BE somebody? President Obama, that's who.
  
  Problem is President Obama has "friends" who seem more like enemies every day: the impatient juvenile left is already trumpeting his "failure" because he hasn't fixed everything in one whole year!

  What if it's not about Sarah at all, but rather about the principles upon which the country was founded? The principles that Progressive government-worshippers on either side of the aisle have increasingly rejected for the last century? No, you have religious certainty. You need criticize Progressivism as much as Anthropogenic Global Warming. Thanks for nothing, buddy.


• Jules Crittenden notes this blog's commitment to Sullivan Scholarship and Dick Armey suggestion.
• Conservatives for Palin notes Stacy's American Spectator piece.
• Rhetorican gave us a shout.
• Dustbury noted the Newsweek photo, along with a URL pointing to bogus Sarah Palin quotes. That page, on supposes, could grow to megabytes as the Lefty worms dig in their...noses?
• Paco thinks Sullivan a demented entrepreneur:

  What I find especially amusing is Sullivan's notion that he is in a position to demand an accounting from Sarah Palin on anything, particularly given his bizarre, embarrassing and highly vocal fascination with Trig Palin’s parentage. I believe he still styles himself a Catholic and a kind of "generalissimo" of "true" conservatism, but the last thing we need – and certainly, a thing we need never pay any serious attention to – is Francisco Franco in a pink uniform.

• The Camp of the Saints echoed the lament that Sarah was bottled up during the campaign, and also had highlights from the AmSpec piece.
• The Daley Gator suggests Stacy run Sarah's 2012 campaign.

---

Update: I can't quite figure out where this blog is from or what is their chief concern, but Texas for Sarah Palin gives us the linky-love we need:
• The AmSpec Article
• The Michigan event
• The media spin
• Sullivan love
• A quote roundup

Would the race card please vaporize itself?
I suppose if we could hook the arm playing the card to a generator, the country would be well on the way to regaining energy independence.

• Dixinet approved of the SPLC rebuttal.
• Carol's Closet, to Progressives: "So stop the projecting."
• Saberpoint notes that the latest tired, sad accuser is a Smith. I hang my head in shame at this news. Stogie then adds:

  However, as one who actually observed McCain over a decade ago, arguing against racism and white supremacy, I know that the charges against McCain are irresponsible, unfounded smear.

• Legal Insurrection offers the succinct description of the problem:

  How does one defend oneself against such charges? It's the age-old problem of self-publication. In order to defend oneself against defamatory accusations, one has to repeat the accusations as part of the defense. So McCain is put in the difficult position of having to defend himself while not self-publishing the accusations. "Ignore it or fight it" is a difficult choice, made all the more difficult by the rise of the internet, where smear merchants playing the race card abound.

• Bob Belvedere offered his usual stalwart support.

We don't need taxpayer protection by government, we need taxpayer protection from government:
Oddly, that seems to have been the motive for founding the country initially.

• Paco finds Dodd's new ideas reassuring.
• Political Byline picked up the open question of whether BHO could be seeking impeachment.
• The Sundries Shack thinks BHO could be committing political suicide.

Senator Graham is useful on at least one topic:

• American Glob hat tipped us for the Graham-flogs-Holder clip.
• Another Black Conservative picked us up, appreciating the background research.
• Carol's Closet: "My favorite saying is the golden oldie-don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining. Under the current administration, every day is monsoon season."
• The Blogprof went for the Fast Times angle.
• Obi's Sister linked us.

3 Megahits:
Stacy continues to blaze a mean trail, while I, riding shotgun, am in awe.

• Fischersville Mike gave us a shout.
• Troglopundit feels it necessary to trash Jerry Springer by comparing us to Jerry. What did Springer ever do to you, Trog?

Feminism and the Iron Law:
The idea that Feminism would somehow escape The Iron Law is mildly laughable.

• Carol's Closet opines: "A narrow, small-minded cabal of women have hijacked feminism and redefined it in their anti-vibrant image. We have gone from "be all you can be" to "you can be all we tell you is acceptable." Thanks but no thanks. I'm just fine."

Carrie Prejean:

• Carol's Closet speaks wisdom:

  Back in March, Stacy McCain wrote Mamas Don't Let Your Daughters Grow Up To Be Downloads. Well now that Carrie Prejean has become a download, who better to talk to drive home to our young people the message that "it can happen to you". The message to young people should be, if you think it is embarrassing for your ex-boyfriend to show his friends the nude pics of you now, how embarrassing would it be if ten years from now he sends them to your boss?

Other FMJRA Roundups:

• So it Goes in Shereveport
• The Bolgprof Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
• Fischersville Mike, and again here, cleverly wrapped in a song parody.
• Another Black Conservative
• Left Coast Rebel
• Adrienne's Catholic Corner
• Director Blue--fantastic title!
• Obi's Sister, emphasizing this weeks demonstrations of incompetence.
• No Sheeples Here--Palinoia edition
• The Daley Gator

Miscellaneous Shouts:

• Fischersville Mike hat tips us on the BHO "Kick Me", and mentions us for the Weblog Awards. I, for one, remain mired in depression that my IowaHawk Steel Cage Art Death Match entry received such a drubbing. *sniff*
• Troglopundit is working hard to deny that this picture is of him on a bike. We'll allow him his devices.
• Paco picked up the Allen West post. That guy is teh r0x0rz.
• Makes My Brain Itch reveals that Scratcher is doing as well as Stacy in the offspring department.
• Political ByLine appreciated the attack on the comment trolls.
• Obi's Sister linked the hammering of Sullivan.
• Rightofcourse gathers news of the global warming scandal, linking us as well.
• Daley Gator hat tips us for a Sarah Palin quote.

Please send additions to Smitty. Paused in working on a GData coding project to improve these FMJRA outings. I also need to review Technorati to see if they restored the old functionality. As one does in these situations, one orders a tome from Amazon to offer worked examples. "Everything is easy when you know how to do it".

Update: Jumping in Pools picked up the Advice for Trolls post after a discussion of LGF's Rush Limbaugh attack.