“You look around the world at potential trouble spots, Iran is right at the top of the list.”
Vice President Dick Cheney on MSNBC
January 20, 2005
“Well, I’m quite clear and I believe that everybody is telling the Iranians that they are going to have to live up to their international obligations or next steps are in the offing; and I think everybody understands what next steps mean.”
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to NATO
February 9, 2005
More fun from Virginia’s House of Delegates this session. Today they approved by a 60-34 vote H.B. 1981 which “Provides that any person who exposes his below-waist undergarments in a lewd or indecent manner shall be assessed a $50 civil penalty“.
Now I’m quick to offer my own disdainful smirk whenever I see some slovenly looking teen showing off his boxer shorts like it’s some sort of fashion statement. And if it was my own kid it would earn them a rap on the head and a shouted ‘Pull up your pants!’. But a $50 civil penalty? Ridiculous.
The bill brings penalties for display of undergarments ‘in a lewd or indecent manner’. Is there a tasteful and decent manner for showing off your thong or boxers? What about on the beach, where bikinis and swimsuits differ little from underwear? Does the mean that such items without pants are OK, but if on display hiked up above pants worn over them they are illegal?
C’mon Virginia. That’s twice this week the work of our House of Delegates has made news for their intolerant and stupid legislation. Do some real work or wrap it up and go home.
UPDATE: The Virginia Senate shows some good sense.
Droopy-Pants Bill Dropped in Va. Senate
AP, 2/10/05
As mentioned here before, my big brother Kevin is the conductor of the current tour of the musical Miss Saigon. Recently, they visited Tallahasse, and in this letter to the editor of the Tallahasse Democrat, he thanks the city for the warm welcome he received.
Virginia is for Lovers, that’s the long standing tourism pitch here in my home state. It’s a pitch that’s been in use for 36 years, so it’s certainly demonstrated some shelf life. Don’t mess with Texas, but come screw in Virginia. It make me feel good about which state I live in.
Another means by which Virginian’s can display our pride in various qualities of our state, our membership in an organization, or support for a cause, is on the license plates we wear on our cars. The Virginia DMV currents offers 180 specialized plates, and our General Assembly is hard at work on a new option promoting ‘Traditional Marriage’.
With only a week remaining in an overloaded session (and just in time for Valentine’s Day), the General Assembly in our state for Lover’s has passed HB 660 which requires that Virginia “shall issue to the applicant special license plates for supporters of traditional marriage. The design of such special license plates shall include the legend: TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE and two interlocked golden wedding bands over a red heart.”
But does this go far enough? I had in mind that perhaps the new plate should specify that our Virginia values can only support the missionary position (for purposes of procreation only thank you). And Waldo Jaquith has done a fine job with a proposed design along those same lines. Well done Waldo.
That our elected officials would waste a moment with such hateful nonsense to promote this opportunity to proudly display our intolerance on our cars is an embarrassment to all Virginians, and a warning to others that Virginia may be only for ‘Traditional’ lovers.
Thanks to Eric Folley for pointing this travesty out
My friend Eric has introduced me to the Blog phenomenom known as Friday Cat Blogging, and being the bandwagon jumper that I am, I’ve decided to join the fun.
The truth is, I’m not really much of a cat person. I miss my dog. But my current reality is that I’m in a house with three cats, and so maybe some cat blogging will help improve my relationship with them. Or maybe this category will turn into ‘Why Chris doesn’t like cats’, we’ll see.
So, meet Spaz, the youngest of our three cats. Spaz was the one kitten we kept from the four that his mother Kitty had last spring. Spaz sleeps, eats, and meows loudly to be let outside. Fun. See you next Friday.
A: None. There is nothing wrong with the light bulb; its conditions are improving every day. Any reports of its lack of incandescence are a delusional spin from the liberal media. That light bulb has served honorably, and anything you say undermines the lighting effect. Why do you hate freedom?
Thanks Karen for sharing the laugh
So I’m currently reading the book “One Man’s Castle“, which describes Clarence Darrow’s defense of a black family that dared to buy a home in a white neighborhood in Detroit in 1925. It’s been a good read, and has peaked my interest in Darrow’s life and work. His defense of Dr. Sweet in Detroit followed shortly after his most famous case, the Scopes Monkey Trial, and I recalled that there was a classic movie starring Spencer Tracy as Darrow called Inherit the Wind and I set out to Netflix to add it to my rental queue.
But before I could enter the title to begin a search for it, I noticed that Inherit the Wind was there waiting for me on the front page of the site as my current top recommended movie from Netflix! (insert Twilight Zone music here… Do do do do…) Weird.
The Netflix explanation is that this movie was recommended to me because of my having rented and rated the following movies; Fail-Safe, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Marty, All the King’s Men, Stalag 17, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Manchurian Candidate, and The Lost Weekend.
I can buy that, but the timing is still weird.
Tonight was the annual Girl Scout Father-Daughter dance. I’ve been going with my oldest daughter Katie since 1998, and for the last four years I’ve had a double-date, first attending the early dance with my daughter Colleen and the younger scouts, and then doing the later big-girl dance with Katie.
Soon my double-dates will be double duty, as Colleen becomes one of the big girls herself. And soon after that, I’ll fall off of Katie’s list of date prospects and I’ll be watching other guys drive her off to dances.
This years theme was a Luau, and Katie’s troop put the whole thing together. The girls (with help from their leaders and some step up parents) did a wonderful job. And I’ve added two new photos to my gallery of father-daughter dance photos, which I will treasure always.
It’s gotta be tough…
Straight talk about being Gay
Peoria Journal Star, 1/25/05
thanks to Hotline’s Wakeup Call, a worthy daily read.
Oh, you wanted a popsicle? Sorry, I thought you said…
Witness the dangers of not finishing the job!
And the job’s not finished until you’ve emptied the bucket,
especially in the winter time.
