Christian Schneider

Author, Columnist

Category: Uncategorized (page 20 of 52)

Starting Up the "Machete" Oscar Buzz

The other night, I watched Robert Rodriguez\’ movie \”Planet Terror.\” The best part of the film happened to be a fake trailer for the phony movie \”Machete\” that runs at the very beginning of the main feature.

The hypothetical plot goes something like this, as far as I can tell: An illegal immigrant is hired to kill an anti-illegal immigration senator, only to find out he was framed – so that the senator can make immigrants look bad by pointing to the fact that one tried to kill him. \”Machete\” then goes on a rampage of revenge, which leads to a lot of bloodshed and some classic tag lines.

Should this movie ever actually be made, the chances of me going to see it are exactly 100%.

Here\’s the trailer – and be warned, it is most certainly not safe for work. But it is hilarious.

The Mount Rushmore of Crazy People

Just when I thought my chain of posts featuring crazy constituent letters was coming to an end, this letter fell to me like manna from heaven. Several Capitol offices sent to to me, as it was sent to every state legislator in the United States.

Like great jazz, it displays improvisation based on the sound fundamentals of crazy people. It features many of the staples of great crazy people letters – the conspiracy theories, the personal vendettas, the incomprehensible CC list, and so on. But lest you think this is just your run-of-the-mill looney, skip ahead to the cartoon he drew to illustrate his problems with his lender. I\’m not sure who the scariest villain is – although I would like to personally thank Mr. Mozillo for making this guy\’s life a living hell. Without it, he wouldn\’t have been inspired to create such a masterpiece.

Read it here (and as usual, click on the maginifying glass at the top right to make it bigger). You can scroll through the pages by using the arrows at the top. And make sure you\’re not drinking anything at the time.

Tired of the “Cranky” E-Mails

There’s a topic known to all internet users that doesn’t get nearly the discussion it deserves. In fact, as a worldwide threat, it is second only to al-Qaeda in terms of danger to America. It threatens to bring down the economy and cripple work productivity. I am talking, of course, about the worldwide scourge of penis e-mails.

For some reason, in the past week, I’ve been flooded with these damn e-mails. (And for my own sake, I hope everyone gets these – I would hate to think I am being singled out specifically by the penis enhancement industry.) Just in the last week, I’ve received some of these erudite beauties:

  • tired of pulling your pole? start taking penis pills today
  • In company ladies may declare, that man’s skill as a lover is much more significant, than the length of his willy. But we all know, that privately, they confess to the contrary! In actual fact that massive pen!s is more mighty and exciting! MegaDik will help you to become more competitive as a lover!
  • Believe us, she will appreciate it very much to discover bigger one-eyed python in your pants!
  • stop paying for sex dummy! get all the girls with a big c**k
  • Impressive F***stick!

Notice these Mensa candidates have managed to completely confuse my spam filter by substituting a “!” for the “i” in “penis.” There’s an 80% chance my spam program was written by U.S. border security.

Obviously, someone must reply to these e-mails. Otherwise, why would anyone take the time to send them out to everyone in the world? Again, I hope everyone gets them – otherwise, I’m part of a select “penis database” kept in the basement of the Trilateral Commission, or they’re being sent to me by someone from my health club.

Either way, these e-mails defy any standard of logic. First of all, as I’ve pointed out repeatedly, 98% of the hard work is finding someone who will actually want to be in the same room as your exposed weiner. Once you’ve convinced a woman that you’re not storing anthrax in your penis, it’s pretty much gravy from there on out. Its “tale of the tape” is pretty much a side issue.

That being said, how many guys are like “oh, man, the reason I can’t meet girls is because my crank is too small?” It’s actually more likely because they’re still wearing a digital watch.

Furthermore, who are these hypothetical women that notice your penis size even before you meet? Put it this way – if the first thing a woman sees of yours is your love muscle, you better damn well have your credit card ready.

I’d just love to be there when a guy asks a girl out for the first time, and she says, “You know, Chris, I think you’re a great guy and you’re really smart and funny and everything, but… and I hate to say it… but your one-eyed python just isn’t massive enough for me. In fact, I know this great website…”

On top of that, who are the remaining people in the world that think their “size” can be enhanced by some magic pills purchased on the internet? That’s just crazy. Everyone knows that the only realistic way to “enhance” your manhood is to make all of the furniture in your apartment 20% smaller. Expensive, but effective.

Finally, how is it that with all the people working on worthwhile causes, the only junk e-mails I get are from scam artists? How come I never get spam from the “Save Darfur” people? Yet some guy in his basement working for the penis black market was able to track me down. How is it that the penis pill people have gotten their hands on the most powerful spamming program known to man – shouldn’t this concern us a little bit? This is like Iran having nukes. Is INTERPOL too busy tracking down people copying DVDs in their basements?

Whenever they catch the bastards in charge of flooding my e-mail box with this junk, they better get the stiffest penalties possible.

(Too easy, I know… I could go on all day…)

UPDATE: Honest to God, as I was writing this post, I got the following e-mail:

“If your warrior of love is too small, you may lose this war”

We Have Our Tenth Rule of the Road

Congratulations to Casper for suggesting \”The Timid Merger\” round out the top ten list of people on the road that drive a guy nuts. There were several good entries, but this one was my favorite.

Just what is the mindset of The Timid Merger anyway? \”Hmm, traffic\’s moving pretty fast on the highway. I\’d better try merging with those cars doing seventy by going thirty.\”

Equally rotten, though, is \”The Overly-Aggressive Merger.\” He\’s the guy that just flies onto the highway sans blinker who just expects you\’re going to make way for him. Appropriate punishment for him is to spin him out by nudging the corner of his back bumper. I see this work all the time on World\’s Scariest Police Video\’s. (Quick side bar on World\’s Scariest Police Video\’s, how totally awesome is the guy that narrates that show? He could make a million dollars in a week if he offered to be the voice on people\’s answering machine for ten bucks.)

The GOP YouTube Debate – Recap

Under normal circumstances, I’d rather staple my lips to a zamboni machine than watch another GOP debate.

However, I can\’t find my stapler (or my zamboni machine), so I decided to watch the YouTube debate between the Republican presidential contenders. Naturally, debate organizers think that there’s this untapped resource of deep, insightful questions amongst the American populous. In actuality, there are only three questions Americans regularly ask themselves:

1. Where are my shoes?
2. Why isn’t Natalie Portman answering my letters?
3. What was Wendy’s thinking with those commercials?

And that’s pretty much it.

So here are my observations of the debate. Some good, some… eh.

\"\"Charlie Crist of Florida is introduced as the “nation’s most popular governor.” In fact, in Florida, Crist only trails methamphetamine in popularity. His fake tan confuses Tom Tancredo, who immediately calls the INS to come pick him up.

CNN plays a montage of questions that won’t be asked, in an attempt to convey some sense of false dignity to the program. Basically, they are saying “because we’re not using a video of a guy in a bear suit playing the bongos, you should take these questions seriously.” I refuse this invitation.

Ah, Chuck Norris is at the debate. Or, should I say – the debate is at Chuck Norris?

We’re off to a rousing start, as the first video features some dope playing his guitar. Everyone on stage pretends to enjoy this nonsense, while all of America prays for the little red time bar to move faster. He takes a shot at Mitt Romney, who grits his teeth while simultaneously plotting the guy\’s death.

Giuliani gets the first question from a sweaty, meaty fellow from NYC who accused him of running a \”sanctuary city.\” Giuliani and Romney trade accusations about who is more of an immigrant lover, and Romney takes a swing at Rudy when Giuliani accuses him of being a former member of Menudo. Rudy looks rattled, and Romney claims he has never even seen “The George Lopez Show.” Actually, Rudy accuses Romney of having illegal immigrants working in his mansion. No, really. That actually happened.

Another anti-illegal immigrant video from a member of Molly Hatchet. The question goes to Fred Thompson, who in high-definition looks 30% more like a living person. John McCain says he doesn’t support amnesty, but also claims that he knows a lot of people whose last names end in “z.”

Tancredo gets a shot at answering an immigration question – courting the crucial “guys who are afraid of their daughters dating a Mexican” vote. He criticizes both illegal and legal immigration. Says there aren’t any jobs Americans refuse to do. Except, apparently, be a campaign volunteer for Tom Tancredo.

Duncan Hunter brags that in California, he built a “double border” fence. This would be more impressive if there were alligators with lasers strapped to their heads in between the \”double fence.\” He then makes the crucial mistake of messing with Texas, challenging them to build a “triple border fence.”

Huckabee is asked a question about why he supported a program to give scholarships to the children of illegal immigrants. He answers with an allegory about how he himself, as an illegal immigrant, worked his way through college.

\"\"To this point, the entire debate has been nothing but a test of who can be the toughest on immigration. We should just settle this once and for all, pull out the ruler and have a “manhood” measuring contest. I would actually give more credit to any candidate that could figure out a way to deport the Osmonds.

Ah, we finally get to hear from internet fundraising sensation Ron Paul. Actually, before the debate, it was reported that Paul’s prodigious fundraising totals were revoked as the result of a mixup with his solicitation e-mails. On the one hand, Paul now has no chance at winning the nomination. On the other hand, all of his supporters now have LaRGer peN!sEs.

Paul gets the chance to talk about one of his theories about the “tri-lateral commission,” in which the Death Star is conspiring with the International League of Justice to undermine America’s sovereignty (and make us watch the WNBA). This question moves quickly.

Someone asks a question about debt. McCain boasts that he will use a pen Ronald Reagan gave him to veto pork. Unfortunately, he carries his bragging too far, saying he would wear a jock strap given to him by Barry Goldwater while fighting excessive spending.

Next up, a question about federal spending from a hot chick on a webcam in Los Angeles. Confused, Fred Thompson pulls out his credit card.

In response to this question, the candidates take turns giving examples of programs they’d cut. Surprisingly, nobody takes a shot at FEMA, which seems like the most obvious piñata. (Wait – did I just say \”pinata?\” Hold on – I think the INS is at my door…)

John McCain goes after Ron Paul on the war, which causes all the commissioned Jedis in the audience to boo. It’s actually refreshing to see Paul contribute something to the race – as a punching bag for McCain. It’s safe to say that Ron Paul will not be heading up the Department of Crazy in the McCain administration.

Duncan Hunter said “Ronald Reagan.” Drink!

Romney answers a question about ethanol subsidies by saying he wants to avoid a food shortage. Since, of course, our children are suffering from just not having enough food to eat. This exposes Romney as a hypocrite, as he personally is causing a shortage in Just for Men hair coloring products.

Rudy Giuliani is asked about a scandal that has rocked his campaign – the fact that he held on to his horrifying combover until just last year.

We start with the candidate videos. Tom Tancredo inexplicably believes taking on Geraldo is like taking on Hillary Clinton. Aside from their thick, flowing mustaches, what’s the similarity between the two?

A question is asked about poisonous toys from China. Duncan Hunter says the Chinese can keep Audrey Raines in return for safe toys.

McCain’s video apparently was put together by a team of people who had to look at the instruction manual of their computers to figure out how to turn it on. Truly horrible.

The candidates are asked question about guns from a nut. Hey, another question about guns. How about that – another question on guns from a nut. Oh, by the way – has CNN told you that Republicans like to sho
ot guns? Well, they do!

The candidates then get a serious question about black on black crime from a father and son. Mitt Romney explains how he’s going to make sure that more families stay together. Of course, this hypothetical government program to keep families together is almost as horrifying as the problem it seeks to correct.

The crime question is a softball for Giuliani, who is itching to talk about his record as mayor. In fact, as mayor, he brags that reduced al-Qaeda related plane crashes into New York buildings by 100% in one year. Romney rebuts by saying he increased funding for DNA tests, yet my request to provide Jessica Alba with a DNA sample apparently has yet to be processed.

Ron Paul gets a question about abortion and talks about his career as an obstetrician. This means Ron Paul has seen more female genitalia than all of his supporters combined.

Giuliani strangely keeps calling Roe v. Wade “Roe Against Wade,” as if it were some sitcom debuting in CBS’ fall lineup.

A twitchy guy with a mini-beard asks the candidates if they believe the Bible literally. Giuliani says he doesn’t believe Jonah was in the belly of the whale. Ironically, the next video was from Jonah actually in the belly of the whale asking for help getting the hell out.

This question, of course, is ridiculously easy for Mike Huckabee, who’s a Baptist minister. It would be like asking Mitt Romney about hair care products. Speaking of Romney, his video is up next – and it appears that his greatest qualification for being President is that he’s exceptionally adept at rolling up his shirt sleeves.

The candidates are asked what they are going to do to better the image of America in the world. My suggestion: America should start wearing better-fitting clothes that draw the eye away from its trouble areas. And maybe wear nicer shoes.

The candidates are asked to weigh in on torture. While some of them seem sincere, none of them are willing to outlaw torture as a tool – which means terrorists will continue to be forced to watch more Republican candidate debates.

McCain answers a question about how much authority he would give his Vice President by saying he wants his VP to have expertise in a number of areas – telecommunications, gardening, operating a HAM radio, rollerblading, quilting, pilates, the periodic table, knifeplay, Excel, archery, fire safety…

There’s a question about gays in the military. Mitt Romney is challenged on a quote he gave in 1994 where he expressed hope that at some point in time gays could serve in the military, but almost falls off the stage backtracking – saying “now’s not the time.” Somewhere in America, the gay guy that was planning on voting for Romney just turned off his television in disgust.

CNN then allows the questioner to lecture the candidates for two minutes about how wrong they are, which leads to an uncomfortable scene where audience members catcall him, forcing him to stop talking and sit down. I anxiously await the next Democratic debate, when CNN allows an audience member to harangue the candidates for two minutes on abortion.

Romney said “Reagan.” Drink!

Huckabee says he’d be open to expanding the space program. This is good news, as we may finally be able to re-connect Dennis Kucinich with his family.

Rudy Giuliani lists kicking hundreds of thousands of African-Americans off welfare as a reason more blacks should vote for him. While there’s no doubt that welfare reform is a positive development, the following sequence of words have never been uttered: \”You mean I now have to work for all these benefits? How do I vote for you again?\”

Ron Paul doesn\’t know if he\’s going to run as an independent, but he says he went to a party once where there were a lot of \”blacks\” and \”hispanics.\” Honestly, Ron Paul is more likely to pour jello down his pants than make a relevant point in one of these debates.

Obviously, there was more covered than just what\’s in this seat-of-the-pants post. For a full listing of questions and answers, go here.

In summary, I don\’t think anyone distinguished themselves. My mind\’s still not made up on which candidate I\’m going to support. I just hope Ron Paul can set me up with some HoRNy HouSEWiveZZZ.

More Constituent Tomfoolery

Yesterday, I wrote a post about some of the crazy constituent letters we used to get when I worked in the legislature. Here\’s another one worth reading – and remember, every time you pay your taxes, some of it goes to try to help families like this:

Page One
Page Two

(Again, click the magnifying glass on the top right of the image to read it more easily.)

And despite the entertainment value, it gets a lot scarier when you realize we got letters like this all the time.

Rulez of the Road

Hello Everyone,

I know it\’s been awhile since I last rapped at ya, but it\’s been terribly busy lately at the Shuffhausen Clinic in Vienna. Between work and Thanksgiving travel, I’ve had plenty of time recently to ruminate about things other motorists do that make me wish I had a hood-mounted cannon on the ol’ Shuffhausenmobile. In the interest of beating the Top Ten motif to death, here is my list of the ten most obnoxious people you see on the road and how they should be punished. As a handy reference, you may wish to just paste a copy of following post on your dashboard.

The Offender: The “Thank You” Wave Forgetter
Setting the Scene: You are leaving a packed parking lot after a sporting event and cars are funneling down into the one main lane out. Being the polite person that you are, you allow someone to jump in line in front of you. The problem is he doesn’t acknowledge your good deed with a wave, smile or even a head nod. This is incredibly poor form.
Appropriate Punishment: Since the ingrate is now right in front of you, turn your brights on and keep them on until you are out of the parking lot.

The Offender: The “Lane Closed Ahead” Sign Ignorer
Setting the Scene: Since his time is much more important than everyone else’s, this guy thinks it\’s OK for him to skip ahead of 40 other cars who actually obeyed the sign and moved over. Sadly, someone ALWAYS lets this boor in.
Appropriate Punishment: Under no circumstances should this motorist be allowed to cut in. You must ram this offender into the rail when he tries making his move into the line. If I ran the world, the cost to repair any damage your car incurred while nudging Lane-Closed-Ahead-Sign-Ignorers off the road would be paid out of their insurance. Plus you would be given a $500 reward for your service to humanity.

The Offender: The Intersection Blocker
Setting the Scene: It’s bumper to bumper traffic with cars just creeping through green lights. Instead of waiting to make sure he can get all the way through, this guy gets stuck in the middle of the intersection after the light turns red and now he’s blocking traffic in the other direction.
Appropriate Punishment: Since everyone in their cars is stuck, pedestrians need to pick up the slack here and give the Intersection Blocker a pressed ham until he can get his car out of the intersection.

The Offender: The Ambulance Pull-Over Place-Hopper
Setting the Scene: The rule is as such: after everyone pulls over for a passing ambulance, everyone resumes his place in traffic. The Place-Hopper uses this opportunity to dangerously try jumping ahead a few spots.
Appropriate Punishment: Since his NASCAR-style moves will have gained him two whole car lengths by the time you hit the next traffic light, you’ll see him again. Hop out of your car at the light and give him the ol’ banana in the tailpipe bit Axel Foley-style.

The Offender: The Too-Late Left Turn Signaler.
Setting the Scene: Bear with me on this one. You are on a busy four-lane (two in each direction) city street. Up ahead are stop lights. At the intersection, cars in the left lane may turn left or keep going straight and cars in the right lane may turn right or keep straight. There are ten cars in the right lane and only one car in the left lane. You want to go straight. The car in the left lane does not have on his blinker so he must be going straight too, right? You choose the left lane. The light turns green and NOW he decides to put the turn signal on. Meanwhile, you are watching the ten cars on your right whiz past and you don’t even get through the intersection.
Appropriate Punishment: When you are in this situation, grab whatever is available and expendable (spare change, empty beer can) and throw it hard at this guy’s rear window.

The Offender: The Two-Parking Space Taker-Upper
Appropriate Punishment: Dig your keys into the hood of his car and carve the lyrics of your favorite Michael Bolton song.

The Offender: The F.I.B.
Setting the Scene: The next time you see some maniac tail-gaiting, swerving in and out of lanes and going 90 on the Interstate, look at the plates. I guarantee you the guy is from Illinois.
Appropriate Punishment: The Preemptive Middle Finger. Just flip off all Illinois drivers the minute you see them. They are about to do something rude or dangerous any minute anyway. Giving them the bird now just saves time.

The Offender: The Bicyclist
Setting the Scene: A member of the spandex mafia is doing 15 mph in a 25 zone in the middle of the lane right in front of you. He demands equal respect and lane space yet he feels quite comfortable creeping at a snail’s pace and ignoring red lights.
Appropriate Punishment: Being a dumb outfit-wearing, self-righteous bicyclist is its own punishment. Either he is a radical environmentalist who is “thinking globally and acting locally” or an insufferable health nut. Just know that your sheer presence in an automobile galls him either way. Plus he stinks like sweat all day.

The Offender: The Well-Meaning Crosswalk Recognizer
Setting the Scene: You are standing at the crosswalk waiting for a chance to dart across a busy three-lane, one-way street. One motorist slams on his brakes and motions for you to cross. Meanwhile, every other car is zooming by. The Well-Meaning Crosswalk Recognizer gives you a puzzled look and is clearly wondering why you aren’t crossing when he is trying to let you.
Appropriate Punishment: This person wins points for trying to be nice and technically even obeying the letter of the law, but he loses points for his lack of awareness. He’s about to get rear-ended any second by the car behind him and that will be punishment enough.

Savvy Trousers readers (and first graders) will notice now that my list is finished yet I only delivered nine out of my promised ten. That is where you come in, dear reader. Submit your favorite driver pet peeve in the comments section. I’ll choose my favorite and it shall round out the top ten.

Your Friends and Neighbors

One of the true joys of working in a state legislative office is reading some of the mail constituents send in to try to get their family members out of jail. No matter what their relative did, it can\’t be bad enough to justify going to prison. Plus, the judge is obviously biased. And likely is a cross-dresser. And on and on it goes.

I remember getting a letter from a guy sitting in prison who had been sentenced for having sex with a nine-year old girl. In the letter, he tried to convice us that sexual assault of a minor shouldn\’t be a felony, because it was consensual. He said that with television and the internet these days, nine year old girls are more mature – that nine today is like eighteen a few years ago. I dropped the letter out of my hands and onto the floor, it was so repulsive. Of course, it immediately went into the office \”creepy constituent hall of fame.\” (When I find my scanned copy, I\’ll post it.)

Another office passed this gem on to me, in which a girl demands her brother be taken off the sex offender list immediately:

Well truth be told, I don\’t care WHAT these people think about how intelligent I am, I have something I need to say on behalf of myself, my mother, my family, my brother and all those men out there labeled Sex Offendrs that have lost their lives because when they were in high school motivated by sexual tension, peer pressure, emotional highs and the need to be accepted, they experimented with SEX… or rather, they experimented with Rape…

I am not blind to the fact that there are men out there doomed by their sickness to find children to prey on, but my brother is not one of them. My brother, has been in jail since he was 17 years old because his raging teenage hormones got the best of him and so did the state. He\’s being punished for being a teenager.

Got that? \”Experimenting with rape\” is just a part of \”being a teenager.\” Much in the way Osama bin Laden \”experimented with Jihad\” in high school. (I\’d love to see his high school yearbook, where his classmates picked him \”most likely to start a holy war.\”)

Of course, it\’s natural to want to try to help either yourself or family members. But that doesn\’t mean it\’s not repulsive for the rest of us who managed to avoid experimenting with rape in high school.

At some point, a reporter should start randomly calling offices to collect some of their favorite constituent letters. It would amaze the public to know the types of things people write to their legislators (teachers mentioning the legislator\’s school-aged children by name, for example) and the types of things they expect their elected officials to fix for them. (I remember one Assembly office being contacted by a woman who said she had termites in her home. When asked why she didn\’t call an exterminator, the woman said \”my termite problem is way too serious for an exterminator.\”)

These are the people that live among us. And their stories are all sitting there, in legislative office constituent files.

(Incidentally, if any staffers want to send me some of their best letters, I\’ll be happy to post them.)

UPDATE: The crazy constituent letters are rolling in. Click on the magnifying glass if they\’re hard to read. Here are two from a constituent named \”Vern:\”

Letter One
Letter Two

And here\’s one from \”Ed\” (the highlight of which is his CC: list)

Page One
Page Two

For another gem, see this post above.

Me and WisconsinEye Are Going to Fight

So last week I wrote my little post about going to the David Maraniss book signing. When I was there, I noticed that there was a WisconsinEye camera there (WisconsinEye is like the state C-Span, and apparently they cover author speeches and such).

Near the end of the Maraniss speech, I asked a question that I thought was pretty good. It even elicited a \”great question\” from him. I was excited to watch the video, to see if my question was a good one, or if I sound like a total dope.

I\’ve been checking it almost hourly for a week (which has probably doubled the traffic to their website), and noticed that they finally archived it. But here\’s the hitch…

The video plays clearly for nearly an hour. Then finally at the 59:20 mark, you can see Maraniss turn to me to recognize my question. THEN THE FREAKING SCREEN GOES BLACK. When it comes back on, you can see him answering my question! Those sons of bitches cut me out! I am the only edit made in the whole damn thing!

My one chance to be immortalized forever, lost on the editing floor. You can watch the video here, and be sure to fast forward to the part where WisconsinEye stabbed me in the heart. It\’s probably more entertaining than hearing my actual question.

I hereby challenge WisconsinEye to a fistfight.

Ribbed, For His Pleasure

Recently, a controversy has broken out in California over whether inmates should be provided free condoms, to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Supporters of the program argue that prisons are becoming breeding grounds for disease, while opponents say that sex in prison shouldn\’t be encouraged. Only one state, Vermont, and five cities regularly hand out condoms to inmates.

This may surprise some people, but I\’m actually closer to siding with the pro-condom people than I am the program\’s opponents. One of my main objections to \”free condom\” programs in schools is that people who accept the freebies could just as easily have gone into a store and bought them. They have that option. (In college, you could go down to the clinic and get a pack of 50 free condoms – and they were industrial strength, about a half inch thick. You might as well be wearing a space suit. Mostly, we used the clinic for large amounts of free Robitussin, but that\’s another story.)

Yet in prison, I\’m not so sure that\’s the case. They can\’t just run down to Walgreens and pick up a box of rubbers. Maybe some prisoners can have a family member bake some condoms into a cake or something. Even if they were made available for sale within a prison, who is going to use what little money they have to buy them? You think a prisoner in for life is going to forego buying a pack of smokes for some condoms? We\’re not exactly talking about long-term thinkers here. While one inmate may not be getting out for the rest of his life, an inmate to which he gains entrance may be back out on the street in a year.

However, according to the AP story:

Prison officials contend that condoms can be used to conceal drugs, and law-and-order politicians scoff at what they depict as a step that would encourage both consensual and coercive sex.

\”Coercive sex.\” Is that what it\’s called? I can say with almost 100% certainty that without \”coercive sex,\” I wouldn\’t have two kids. Maybe it\’s more like \”nagging\” or \”begging\” sex.

Furthermore, whether or not the state \”encourages\” sex among inmates, it is happening. (I know this from the time I spent three years in the joint for plagiarizing passages of Judy Blume\’s \”Are You There, God? It\’s Me, Margaret\” in my Master\’s Thesis.) And it\’s not the state handing out condoms that is forcing these guys into having sex – it is more likely the thought that they will never see another live female birth canal.

I\’m not saying that I\’m 100% on board with this plan – naturally, I\’d normally be on the side of the anti-condom people. Certainly, there are questions as to whether a man who is willing to rape another man in prison is going to be responsible enough to use a condom. I just think there are some extenuating circumstances here that could be addressed. Even if a few more inmates are protected, we\’re all better off. Either taxpayers can pay for a box of condoms now, or treating an AIDS patient in prison later.

A Special Thanks…

…to parents who send their kids to day care while they\’re sick. Due to your thoughtfulness, my son was throwing up on Friday, my daughter was throwing up on Saturday, and I was made to hug the toilet on Sunday and Monday.

Once your kids get sick, it\’s almost like a zombie movie – you know you\’ve been bitten by a zombie, so you just have to sit back and wait to turn into one. By Saturday night, I was resigned to my fate. And sure enough, I haven\’t been able to eat anything but a banana for three days. Fortunately, I was able to work my way through the entire first season of \”Friday Night Lights,\” which is a spectacular show.

(Cough…)

UPDATE: Today is my wife\’s turn to be sick. The germ is now an outstanding 4-for-4 in our family, making it the Ryan Braun of viruses.

The Doctor is Dead to Me

Those of you who follow this blog pretty regularly know that I\’ve been at this blogging thing for a while now. For three years, I\’ve stayed up late, slaving away on hundreds of posts. Some of them I happened to think were pretty good. Some of them got some local recognition (of which I am always appreciative).

With a couple of big work projects coming up, I decided to pass posting duties off to a couple friends who I knew had some good ideas. Naturally, the first post by Dr. Emil Shuffhausen immediately hit the national blogs, courtesy of Tom McMahon. As of Friday afternoon, the post had been featured on The Conservative Grapevine and The Corner at National Review.

So, in about 3 hours, Dr. Shuffhausen got about the same number of readers that I get in three months. The total is at 6,000 hits and counting. Therefore, I now officially hate him and and I hate his ass face.

Morrissey has a song called \”We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful.\” I may spend the rest of the day listening to it, assuming I can hear it with my head in the oven. I\’ll keep telling myself not to be bitter – all the way until my car is underwater in Lake Mendota.

Estrogen Level Raised to Red

Anyone with a Y chromosome would be well advised to steer clear of the Alliant Energy Center in Madison this weekend, as the Madison Women\’s Expo rolls into town.

One of the featured speakers at the event is Jenny McCarthy, who most people know rose to celebrity as a Playboy playmate. Nothing says \”woman power\” more than showing off your great wax job to teenage boys. Furthermore, there are these nuggets on her resume:

  • A sketch on her MTV show centered on her character, a well-coifed business woman, answering the question of \”What did you have for lunch?\” by forcing herself to vomit all over a table (which she then ate on-screen). The direct contrast of McCarthy\’s reputation as a sex symbol and this often grotesque humor is closely associated with her image. This image was taken to a new extreme in her film Dirty Love, which featured McCarthy\’s character sitting in a massive pool of her own menstrual blood.[10]
  • In a February 2006 interview with Howard Stern, adult actress Jenna Jameson said she had two sexual encounters with McCarthy.[11] When McCarthy visited Stern\’s show in April 2006, she denied having sex with Jameson, but said she \”made out\” with her during the two encounters.

Funny – her official Expo bio doesn\’t mention any of this.

Apparently, McCarthy will be talking about her new book about having a child with autism. Let\’s hope her book does some good for kids – although it probably has a lot to do with getting her reputation back.

David Maraniss at Sequoya Library

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I went to see Pulitzer-prize winning author David Maraniss at the Sequoya public library tonight. Even got a couple books signed. Naturally, I was the youngest person there by 30 years.

Above is a picture of me telling him about how I bought my Dad his \”When Pride Still Mattered\” book about Vince Lombardi for Christmas – then received the very same book back from my Dad the next Christmas. He had actually forgotten I gave it to him in the first place. It\’s one thing to \”re-gift.\” It\’s entirely another to give the gift back to the same person that gave it to you. Anyway.

Madison is infinitely lucky to have ties with such a talented writer. I\’ve read several of his books, and he is widely considered to be in the upper echelon of American non-fiction authors. The detail he provides in his books is a wonder to behold – the only way he can rationalize such thorough research is that he\’s completely crazy. But we are all richer as a result.

During his presentation, he answered a good audience question with an interesting point that I hadn\’t really considered. He mentioned how difficult it will be to do research in the future, given the lack of a paper trail left by electronic communications. He mentioned looking at over 40 letters written by Bill Clinton to his grandmother during his college years, and how invaluable they were to his understanding of Clinton during those years. Today, that communication would most likely be done via e-mail, and not readily accessible.

On the one hand, that may be true – but there are plenty of benefits to the internet age, as well. Documents often can be found with the click of a button – and nothing ever goes away completely. In fact, I\’ll be saddled with the crap I\’ve written for the entirety of my adult life. That and my unibrow.

I actually asked a question during the Q&A period. It was about how much detail he uses when he describes a certain battle in \”They Marched Into Sunlight,\” a book about the competing interests in the Vietnam War – part of which is set in Madison. I couldn\’t believe that many of the soldiers there recalled the battle in such vivid detail, and wanted to know how he got them not only to remember, but talk about it to him. He said he relied on documents created right after the battle and on interviews. Honestly, I don\’t remember much because I was nervous and my hands were sweating a lot.

The whole event was a fundraiser for the new Sequoya library, being built at the corner of Midvale and Tokay on the near west side. So give them money and stuff – asking them to raise private money is a good thing for taxpayers, but it means individuals have to step up and give.

A WisconsinEye camera was there, so I\’ll post a link to the video when they make it available. Then you can hear my dopey question.

Bask in Bumper Sticker Wisdom

I regularly have occasion to drive on Madison’s isthmus, which is home to the worst liberal bumper stickers on the planet. Below, I have listed the top ten most egregious. I originally planned on ranking them from least to most obnoxious, but that was simply too difficult. Therefore, we have a ten-way tie for the title of Most Obnoxious Bumper Stickers I Have Seen In Madison.

\"\"“COEXIST” (spelled out with various religious symbols) – If some of the followers of the religion represented by the crescent moon “c” on your cute little bumper sticker would stop hijacking planes and blowing up buildings, coexisting would be a little easier.

“A PBS Mind In a FOX News World” – This particular bumper sticker is positively oozing with smugness. “God, I can\’t stand being surrounded by these Wal-Mart-shopping, NASCAR-watching, deer-hunting troglodytes. How can these country-fried rubes allow themselves to be spoon-fed White House talking points from Bill O’Reilly? They must not be smart enough to enjoy watching some dusty old Brits mumble through a clunky drama on PBS like I am.”

“Live Simply So That Others May Simply Live” – The airheads with this little chestnut on their bumpers are confusing simple wordplay with incredible profundity. This bumper sticker sounds really deep until you realize that a.) it doesn\’t mean a damn thing and b.) the dork in your office who asks if you’re workin\’ hard or hardly workin\’ is making an equally clever play on words.

“Bush/Cheney 1984” – Because the Bush Administration has turned America into an Orwellian dystopia where a totalitarian government throws thought-criminals into gulags. Earth to the under-30 crowd that has this sticker on your bumpers: the Patriot Act is for keeping tabs on terrorists. The feds don’t give a damn about eavesdropping on your phone conversations about ultimate Frisbee.

“Pro-Child, Pro-Choice” – I’m for the kids, but I’m also for aborting them willy-nilly too. This bumper sticker has the intellectual consistency of “Pro-Ants, Pro-Raid.\”

  • A close runner-up in the worst abortion-related bumper sticker goes to “Against Abortion? Don’t Have One.” (Against Robbery? Don’t Rob People!)
  • Dishonorable mentions: “Keep Your Rosaries Off My Ovaries” and “Keep Your Laws Off My Body.” Ugh.

“Health Care Is A Right” – Says who? This one perfectly captures the entitlement mentality of liberals. I am owed whatever I want and someone else is going to pay for it.

“Defend America, Defeat Bush” – On the list of Threats to America, I would rank “Terrorists” in first place and “President Bush” in 436,957,647th place just below “Crabgrass.”

  • Runner-Up in the worst I Hate President Bush Category: “Bush Knew.” That one is so positively unfair I don’t even know where to start.

“Defy Corporate Domination” – I spotted this gem on the rusty bumper of a Honda Civic on November 8th. Chances are you have never heard of Honda, but its a small automobile-making co-op based out of Mazomanie.

“Remember Katrina. Fight Global Warming” – Fight it with what? Nunchucks? Me attacking global warming like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, you driving a Prius or the U.S. signing the Kyoto Protocol all have the same effect on changing the earth’s temperature: zippo. I started mocking all the angles on this bumper sticker and it started getting too long. Look for a thorough dismantling of the fraud that is human-caused global warming in a future post.

“Peace Through Music.” – Trouble in the Sudan, you say? Send in State Street’s bongo-playing hippies. They’ll calm things down. Al-Qaeda insurgents wreaking havoc in Iraq? I’m sure Mr. Johnson’s fourth-hour band class can get in there and straighten things out.

There you have it. The ten worst bumper stickers I\’ve seen in Madison. Got an entry of your own? Post it and your pithy retort in the comments section.

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