Phriendly Phil's Velociraptor Pharm n' Pettin' Zoo

Just leave Bristol Palin the hell alone.

Yeah, schadenfreude is fun, and heaven knows right-wingers seem to have lots of trouble living up to the standards they so want to impose upon us all, but this is a seventeen-year-old we’re talking about here.

Hammer Sarah Palin for her right-wing social views all you want. Hell, I’ll help.

Just let the girl go.

Ezra Klein writes:

As Sarah Arnquist has written, aside from his awful internment in a Vietnamese prison camp, it is hard to find a day in McCain’s life when he was not sheltered by the government-run health care he now claims to loathe. Born the son of a Navy admiral, he was cared for by Navy physicians during his childhood. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the U.S. Military Academy, and the military’s care continued until he retired from the service in 1981. In 1982, he won a seat in Congress, ushering him into the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, and in 2001, he qualified for Medicare. When he says, “we have the highest quality of health care in the world in America,” he is speaking as a man who has enjoyed a lifetime of government-run care.

Don’t forget to pull the ladder up after you, McCain!

I’ve been interested in UFOs since the flap of 1973, but since my teens I have never been much impressed with the evidence that has been put forth.

You may have heard, if you keep track of such things, of the so-called “CARET drone” UFO. To make a long story short, over a period of several weeks in May and June, several dramatic pictures and some interesting documents were sent to places like Coast to Coast AM and Earthfiles.

I suspect, but cannot prove, that all this is a hoax, but that’s neither here nor there, because something wonderful has come out of this case that in my opinion makes it all worthwhile.

Two posters to one of the sites that is heatedly debating the
reality of this case, the Open Minds Forum, teamed up to create a
wonderful piece of art about this case. They are German musician
Drone, and British CGI artist Kris Avery, aka Saladfingers. Here it is:

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http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/845277/ufo_drone_video.swf
UFO Drone Video – The funniest home videos are hereI love good CGI, and this is awesome. The crash scene is astounding. (more…)

I came across this article on grylliade.org. It was written by Jennifer, one of the posters there, for the newspaper she used to write for. The version that was published was heavily abridged, and she has granted permission to re-post it.

For several reasons, I have long opposed the war on drugs, but even I was surprised at some of the information in this article, especially the 1.3 percent addiction rate throughout the last 100 years.

Article after the break.

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No, seriously, test the microwave pain beam on yourself first, jackhole:

“If we’re not willing to use it here against our fellow citizens, then we should not be willing to use it in a wartime situation,” said Wynne. “(Because) if I hit somebody with a nonlethal weapon and they claim that it injured them in a way that was not intended, I think that I would be vilified in the world press.”

Via boingboing.

Update: Apparently this paragraph was taken out of context by AP. Quote in context below the fold. My apologies to all involved, especially Sec. Wynne.
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Who woulda thunk? A Christian describes his experience at a football game in a predominantly Shinto/Buddhist town in Hawaii:

The point is this. I am a professional, educated and responsible man who is strong in his faith and is quite comfortable debating the social and political issues of the day. Yet when placed in a setting where the majority culture proved hostile to my faith and beliefs, I became paralyzed with indecision and could not act decisively to defend and proclaim my own beliefs. I felt instantly ostracized and viewed myself as a foreigner in my own land.

Via The Two Percent Company

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So, these are the times that try the souls of those of us who support mass transit.

I love taking the train to work, basically because I can spend my commute working or (more likely) sleeping or playing Baldur’s Gate II, behaviors that are generally frowned upon while driving (actually, I’m pretty sure my wife frowns upon me playing BG II at any time.) I also think that the world would be a better place if more people took the train to work, and that if train transit were more popular, perhaps it would become convenient for more people.

Of course, now that rising gas prices mean that the trains and stations are crowded, I get to put my money where my mouth is. I can’t say I like the crowds, but if they remain, it can only encourage the further development of mass transit. Overall, it’s a good thing.

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Welcome to Chicago.

Yes, the view of the Chicago River is nice from the Adams Street bridge. The Boeing headquarters (up yours, Seattle!) is especially majestic.

Now, could you go take your pictures from the north walkway, across from the train station, where there are a tenth of the people trying to make their evening train?

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