ampdead

I wonder if at some point on Christmas Day 1914 the question wasn't asked:  Why don't you Germans go home?  Stop trying to invade these countries, leave the countries you've already invaded, go back to your homes and your families and celebrate this holiday as it should be celebrated - stop being a threat.

The Christmas Truce does say something about humanity, but it isn't that we'll choose peace at the cost of defeat.  As the quick end of the truce and the next five years of terrible fighting point to:  Not wanting to fight doesn't mean we won't.

Posted by: Jason at 07:04 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 103 words, total size 1 kb.

There's something to note about the Romney marching with MLK flap regarding the larger political picture.  As Jonah Goldberg wrote here:  "...your Republican dad led a march in racially polarized Detroit timed to coincide with MLK's Selma march..."  It's high time the Republicans took this issue back - phrasing it, as it was phrased then, in terms of human dignity.  Afterall, what's the more dignified stance:  Dependence or independence?  Romney, if he could speak on his feet, could capitalize on this history.  Any candidate could, but it's something that resides in the very heart of Conservatism, and Conservatism is ostensibly the core of the Republican Party.

That is, a campaign platform based on human dignity - as opposed to this sort of hodgepodge of talking point issues.  That would, of course, require someone, in the vein of Reagan, who could explain and communicate the ideas with a bona fide belief in those ideas - faking it wouldn't, and shouldn't work.

Posted by: Jason at 08:06 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 163 words, total size 1 kb.

Posted by: Jason at 02:55 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 3 words, total size 1 kb.

Little girl brings steak knife to school so she can eat her leftover steak for lunch.

And then, of course, THE WORLD ENDEDED!!11!11  Assessments were needed so the little girl was escorted to the "assessment center" (yes, that's a direct quote - say it again, "assessment center").

Marion County School Spokesman Kevin Christian:  "Anytime there's a weapon on campus, yes, we have to report it..." because little girls eating steak are wicked threatening.  Also, our programming doesn't allow for deviations. 

IF sharp THEN freak out ELSE freak out.

Oh, right.  The story - linked at Drudge.

Posted by: Jason at 10:19 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 101 words, total size 1 kb.

I took a class on journalistic style and grammar a couple years ago - I survived, it was interesting, and I learned to lose my fear of hyphens.  Also, I had the opportunity to visit the Detroit News/Free Press for some reason.  I really don't remember any of it, but Ace at AoSHQ constantly reminds me of one topic that was brought up:  Headlines. 

It was a big question - how to write a headline?  Wording, length, and everything else.  It even got into the minutia of font size.  The common sense rule:  If it doesn't grab a reader's attention, it's worthless.  It doesn't have to be over the top and it should actually reflect the story beneath it, but if it doesn't get someone to read the story (that is, buy the paper) then it's just a waste of space.

In that vein of thought, Ace should be hired to write newspaper headlines.  Latest evidence:  50 Taliban Die Due To Complications Arising From Having The Shit Kicked Out Of Them.  In comparison, the headline of the AP story Ace linked to:  Over 50 Taliban killed in 2-day battle.

Posted by: Jason at 01:15 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 190 words, total size 1 kb.

Whatever the title says.

Posted by: Jason at 07:49 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 5 words, total size 1 kb.

Note:  I'm not posting this because I recently fired off an email stating my lack of qualifications for blog writing to The American Princess in hopes of landing wider distribution of my inane thoughts.

I'm posting this on behalf of the Spinster Bloc of voters who, apparently, won't be voting for the wannabe spinster, M(r)s. (Rodham) Clinton (depending on whether or not baking cookies is in vogue).

That, and I had no idea there was a World Bridge Championship.  But there is.  And so I make post.  Plus YouTube video about the latest shocking scandal rocking the professional Bridge world.

Posted by: Jason at 10:38 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 117 words, total size 1 kb.

If you've noticed this blog, I regret to inform you of possible impending changes.  If you've read this blog before, you've noticed it was called by my long-time interwebz handle, 'ampdead.'  There is a long and storied history of my ampdead persona dating back to my AOL days when I used to frequent the uber-daddy of anti-whatever chatrooms, 'Punk Sucks'.

By the way, yes, there is a story behind the name as well.  It begins with underage drinking and ends with a guitar amp that only plays Hendrix-style noise-fests.  Or it refers to electricity and synapses.  Whatever you prefer.

This blog is now named 'The Rat' and is sure to undergo some other changes.  One of those changes may be switching the url from ampdead.mee.nu to therat.mee.nu.  So, if you're really interested in reading what I write, keep that in mind in case ampdead.mee.nu brings you an Interwebz has been shutdown 404 error.  Remember:  The subterranean Jedi lizards are your cookie-giving friends - even if they are Nazi Shriner Joooz from the planet Finkle interrupting my weekly mindcasts.

Posted by: Jason at 10:00 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 181 words, total size 1 kb.

$25,000

Posted by: Jason at 02:34 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 9 words, total size 1 kb.

As opposed to the post below.

Posted by: Jason at 11:02 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 23 words, total size 1 kb.

From HotAir

Checks should be made payable to the Ayaan Hirsi Ali Security Trust and sent to:

Ayaan Hirsi Ali Security Trust
Bank of Georgetown
1054 31st Street, N.W.
Suite 18
Washington, DC 20007
Ayaan Hirsi Ali Trust Tax Identification Number: 75-6826872

Thank you for your interest in assisting Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

For more information please contact: John Matteo (jmatteo@jackscamp.com) or Mackenzie McNaughton (mmcnaughton@jackscamp.com), representatives for Ms. Hirsi Ali. Telephone: 202-457-1600

Wire Transfer information

Account Name: Ayaan Hirsi Ali Security Trust
Account Number: 1010054748
Bank of Georgetown
1054 31st Street, N.W.
Suite 18
Washington, DC 20007
Bank Telephone: 202-355-1200
Bank Routing Number: 054001712

Posted by: Jason at 04:26 AM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 110 words, total size 1 kb.

Dylan ditches electric for gasoline.  Hippies hardest hit.

Posted by: Jason at 11:33 AM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 10 words, total size 1 kb.

As such it has an equal but opposite reaction.  Or would if we human beings stopped thwarting the laws of Nature.  We humans, being decent folk, continually interfere with the natural consequences of being stupid.  Instead of removal from the gene pool we put them on display.

Posted by: Jason at 10:02 AM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 51 words, total size 1 kb.

Actually, it's worse than this.

h/t HotAir headlines that h/t'ed LGF

Posted by: Jason at 12:10 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 15 words, total size 1 kb.

Posted by: Jason at 05:19 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 2 words, total size 1 kb.

The photoshops are flying, poking fun at Dennis Kucinich.

But how do you explain this?

h/t HotAir headlines for the "Photo of the Day."

Posted by: Jason at 04:26 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 29 words, total size 1 kb.

Got this off a comment to Jimbo at Blackfive's post on his encounter with David Horowitz - though I did have to find the actual story.

CNN:  Around 800 drooling inbreds Marines volunteer to help save Southern California from burning to the ground. 

Go figure.

Edit:  Glenn Beck eats 50 pounds of donuts - braincells go on vacation.  Rephrasing that statement would actually make sense though, and this question is valid.  How many people in that area support forest "management via wildfire"? 

Yes, I get it.  The fires are a terrible thing, and as Allah at HA writes, "The sheer scale of it is astounding."  No, I'm not trying to make light of it.  But if you make your bed out of underbrush, it's going to burn.

Posted by: Jason at 12:47 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 129 words, total size 1 kb.

If Dumbledore was gay, does that make J.K. Rowling a homophobe for killing him off?

Update from lolcats.

Posted by: Jason at 09:52 AM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 20 words, total size 1 kb.

If Mr. and Mrs. Frost don't give a damn about their kids, why should anyone else?

Maybe instead of SCHIP they should be the poster-parents for government funded birth control.

Could the Democrats not find a family that actually needs government assistance to tout this government assistance program?  If the Frosts are the state of poverty in the U.S. now then Johnson's War is won, and there's no need for these programs.

Posted by: Jason at 01:12 AM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 74 words, total size 1 kb.

I recently finished Ayaan Hirsi Ali's book, Infidel, and then comes the news she's going back to the Netherlands because the Dutch won't continue to pay to protect her and the U.S. can't because she's not a U.S. citizen.  She can't do it herself because it's too expensive.

This is absurd.  Here is a woman who is in danger of losing her life because of militant misogyny, but no one from the NOW crowd or similar is saying anything.  She's a ready-made poster-girl for women's lib, a bona fide new face for female empowerment, but the feministas are silent.  Not only is her story compelling - running away from an arranged marriage, getting herself through college in a country that was as foreign as foreign can be, elevating herself to getting elected as a member of parliament in that country - but she's an outspoken fighter as well.  The lady simply does not back down.  If there is a personification of the feminist movement, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is arguably it.

Is thinking that people take themselves and what they say seriously expecting too much?

h/t HotAir - that crazy, hateful right-wing vile machine is wondering where to donate to protect Hirsi

Posted by: Jason at 11:57 PM in Misc | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 205 words, total size 2 kb.