Don't think east coast bias exists?

Let me cure you of this misconception. I am living proof of it.

In October, I started work on a book. It's a heck of a good subject and I've gotten a lot of help with it. The subject: the 1999 "Bonfire Game" between Texas A&M and the University of Texas. The game took place a week after the collapse of Aggie Bonfire on Nov. 18, which killed 12 Aggies and injured 27. I've talked to everyone from kids who were hurt in the collapse to EMTs, to reporters covering the event to the guy who called the game on ABC. I've gotten an awful lot of support from guys who played in the game on both sides, which is truly remarkable.

For those who aren't familiar, the Aggies were supposed to be a national championship caliber team in 1999 but had three losses; the Longhorns were supposedly a year away, but needed a win against A&M to have a chance at playing for the national championship. The Aggies had been in that spot the year before and lost on the last second in Austin. After the Bonfire collapse and the heartbreak Aggieland suffered, nobody expected A&M to put up much of a fight.

Instead, after falling behind 16-6, the Aggies mounted a comeback and won a stunning upset, 20-16. It was one of the most memorable games in the history of the rivalry--and nobody has written about it in a decade.

So I've got a chance to write about one of the best-known games in college football in the last 25 years. I wrote nearly 150 query letters, trying to get the interest of some book agents. And, lo and behold, I'm actually represented--by a guy from New York!

So what's the point, right? How about this--for all the letters of interest I got (about 20), I got E-mails back from New York-based agents saying, "Yes, I remember that game. And you did a great job with your query. But since it happened in Texas, I'm not interested."

Ok, let's get this straight--we've got a book about one of the worst tragedies of the 1990s combined with college football in an emotional story of overcoming true adversity. The two schools involved are among the five largest in the nation and, oh, college football is king in the south!

I've got a pretty good idea that, if I don't screw this up, it'll sell well. Hell, Aggies alone would probably buy 10,000 copies. So why doesn't it have a release date yet?

Because five out of the eight major publishers have also said that "it's too regional."

Ok, fine. So what if that "region" includes Texas, the second-most populous (and coolest) state in the union. So what if people across the south will gobble up the story because of their love for football? It happened in flyover country, therefore it's just dull, not hip enough and just oh-so inconsequential.

Pathetic.

Oh, well. Someone's going to pick it up and it'll sell well. And then I'm going to fly to New York and laugh.

Why's the media afraid of Sarah Palin?

In case you didn't know, Sarah Palin's autobiography, Going Rogue, comes out on Tuesday. The media has gotten their mitts on advance copies (of course) and (also of course), have decided to savage her.

The headline on this week's Socialist Newsweek (what, they haven't renamed it yet?) reads, "How do you solve a problem like Sarah? Why's she's bad for the GOP (and for America)." The AP assigned 11--11!--half-brained reporters to "fact-check" the book (remember that when you hear the AP bitching about how they just don't have enough staff to cover the news) and the New York Times, in shocking fashion, slams her -- and her supporters -- by bemoaning "just how thoroughly colorful personal narratives overshadow policy arguments and actual knowledge."

(In other words, she's stupid and has nothing to say.)

Judging from these obvious and slightly more subtle digs, Sarah Palin's a threat to the future of the republic. Which begs the question: compared to who? Compared to Barack Obama, whose "colorful personal narratives" in The Audacity of Hope were lauded by the media? The same Obama who has run up the deficit with no benefit to the economy, the guy who has stomped on personal freedoms with his nationalization of the auto industry and his push for nationalized health care? That guy, the one who has made the U.S. a joke internationally as he attempts to "make up" for the Bush Administration's defense of the nation?

Or maybe she's not as big a threat as chronic liar Joe Biden, who hasn't met a dumbass comment he doesn't like? Or perhaps John McCain, who is a brave man filled with courage and principle except when he's in the halls of the Senate, where he's been for the past 20 years selling out the Republican Party?

So she's a bigger threat than an overrated loser who's lost popularity faster than any political figure in modern history, a bloviating fraud and a spineless twerp with an attitude problem? Do tell, media.

What gets your goat, guys? That she speaks simply? That she's not from New York, Chicago, or L.A.? That she believes in her family and doesn't believe in abortion? That she believes in the military and national defense, not cowering to those who would do our nation harm? Is it because she's more experienced a politician than Barack Obama, whose "personal narratives" seem to be about all he brings to the White House?

Is it because she's smoking hot?

Whatever it is, the press treats Palin with an irrational hatred that is breathtaking to watch. Honestly, they're like a bunch of snot-nosed high school brats who are going to do anything they can to pick on the kid they don't like. But, like those kids, they're the ones who come out looking like a gaggle of idiots.

Hey, talking heads: we get it. You don't like Sarah Palin. So what? Overwhelmingly, the American people don't like you. At least 40 percent of the American people like Sarah Palin, so maybe you could take some notes.

My first suggestion would be to get the hot members of your community to dress up in spandex and pose for photos. That would be a start--we'll give you a few minutes to remove your heads from your collective backsides and freshen up.

Just keepin' it real

So just a few minutes ago, I went over to our local Chic-fil-a (also commonly known as the Single Greatest Fast Food restaurant EVER) to get dinner, since the Missus is under the weather. Business for the evening rush really hadn't picked up yet, so I walked straight up to the counter to place my order.

The girl who was taking my order had a co-worker, maybe 17 years old, jabbering in her ear. Apparently, they'd been having a conversation about another co-worker before I showed up. Instead of doing the smart thing and shutting up, the kid kept talking.

"See, one of my homeboys was there, so I know she was keepin' it real, you know what I'm sayin'?"

I looked at him quizzically for a second, then motioned him over. Being that customer service truly does come first at the local Chic-fil-a, even in a situation that could be to the employee's physical detriment, he walked over the counter in front of me.

"You don't have homeboys," I said, leaning over the counter and speaking softly. "And I don't know what you're saying, she doesn't know what you're saying and, really, you don't know what you're saying."

For you see, the 17-year-old in question had a small problem that made it a little tough to believe he could keep it real: he was the whitest kid you've ever seen.

How white? White enough that I felt soul within me when I looked at him.

The kid had super blonde hair, blue eyes, and a complexion so pale that his cheeks really were red. This kid was so nordic that Hitler would have popped a Woodrow at the sight of him.

So here he was, the postcard for Der Fuhrer's Master Race, talking like he had Master's Degree in Thug Life. Uh, no.

To his eternal credit, he stiffened up, said "Yes, sir," and went in the back ignoring the stifled giggles of his co-workers. Whether he busted out his Kanye CD to figure out how to respond to such criticism is unknown.

Dinner, by the way, was quite good. CFA kept it real, you know what I'm sayin'?

How Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize

Keep in mind, the real remarkable aspect of this is that he did something within two weeks of being sworn in that was good enough for him to get nominated. I mean, that's truly remarkable; to do enough for world peace in 14 days that a bunch of politically-motivated morons with a hatred of George W. Bush and U.S. stature in the global community thought he was deserving of consideration. I mean, plainly this is not socialists helping socialists; after all, they can point to Obama's doing a lot since his nomination to clinch the award. His feats include:

• Devaluing the dollar, not only damaging the American economy but the global economy, due to his fundamentally foolish economic policies;
• "Improving relations" with Russia, which has strengthened their hand in support of nefarious regimes like North Korea and Iran (more on them shortly);
• Betraying staunch allies in Poland and the Czech Republic by scrapping the missile shield;
• Supporting Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro in attempting to have the extraconstitutional leader of Honduras returned to power. The socialist douche attempted to circumvent the constitution by holding a referendum to expand his powers (unconstitutional) and was thrown out by the military (oddly enough, constitutional). Instead of upholding what is actually the rule of law, he wants the Chavez-ista back in power, which isn't going to help our standing in Latin America one iota;
• "Re-engaged" North Korea, which paid off in their re-starting a nuclear reactor they shut down under pressure from the Bush Administration and test firing multiple missiles, some of which can hit American territory;
• "Engaged" Iran, which allowed them to continue work on a nuclear bomb;
• Worked so hard on his "engagement" with Iran that he failed to raise a finger when Ahmadinejad stole the presidential election and then killed thousands of protesters, who should have received at least tacit support from the United States;
• Brought a pro-Palestinian policy to the Arab-Israeli issue, essentially undercutting the Jewish state and leaving them more vulnerable than ever before;
• Had members of his cabinet and vocal supporters advocate shooting down Israeli aircraft if they flew over Iraqi territory to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. Thankfully, the Saudi royal family (!) is more intelligent and cognizant of the threat of a nuclear Iran, and granted them flyover rights;
• Backed off campaign promises to do what is necessary to win in Afghanistan, instead deciding that attempting to negotiate with yet another group dedicated to our destruction (in this case, the TALIBAN) was just a peachy keen idea, thus leaving our military out to dry;
• Botched Chicago's effort to win the 2016 Olympics (ha, ha).

So, in short, here's how he won the Nobel Prize: he weakened his nation's standing internationally, made it more vulnerable to attack and sold out long-standing allies as part of some incredibly naive (some would accurately say monumentally stupid) effort to make evil regimes want to snuggle with us.

The Nobel committee has no shame, so they won't be embarrassed by this farce of an award. But a whole lot of people around the globe are beginning to wonder just how dumb and politically motivated they truly are.

Say hello to the Affirmative Action Nobel Prize.

YOU'RE A RACIST!

This pretty much sums up the idiotic left--ahem, excuse me, progressive Democrat -- view of their opposition (hat tip: Powerline; click on the image to expand):

We get letters...

A good sign that you're doing something right is if you're pissing someone off. In this case, criticizing Jimmuh Carter for making his astoundingly absurd comments about opponents of Obama all being racist brought out a survivor of Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS). BDS has evolved, now, to Wilson Derangement Syndrome (WDS), with leftist cooks stuck with their own stilted world view up in arms for a guy calling it as he saw it (I'm sure they were aghast when Pete Stark D-Calif., called GWB a Nazi and W. was booed during the 2005 State of the Union).

I yield the floor to you, "Paul":

South Carolina has a long list of dignitaries that includes Lauren Caitlin Upton (Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant contestant), Board of Education Chair, Kristin Maguire, Governor (and avid Appalachian hiker), Mark Sanford and now Joe “the hater not a debater” Wilson or the “screamer not the dreamer” as others have dubbed him. I did enjoy him cut and running through his apology, which only goes to show that he stands for nothing. He is just another good old boy where in the morning these married men preach to you that there should be prayer in our schools and in the evening they are on their cell phones setting up a date with their other women on the side, hypocrisy has been bred in. I am not surprised that he felt compel to yell like he was at some Friday night game. So long Joey, you too will be seeing the unemployment lines.

My thoughts: Paul, where in my post on Carter did I mention Joe Wilson? That's right; I didn't. I wasn't talking about Joe Wilson. I was talking about me, and the tens of millions of people like me. We're not racists; we're opposed to the restructuring of American society that the sitting president is trying to shove down our throats. Now, I'm very glad you've got it all figured out on Joe Wilson, but you totally missed the point of my post.

Oh, and Wilson is in a R+9 district. He'll be re-elected handily. BZZT!

But "Paul" is not done; like Michael Moore, he comes back for another round when the audience really couldn't care less. But, again, you have the floor:

Some call Joe Wilson a great statesman, and are even proud of his “Shout Out”, so lets see, he says, he was told by the Republican leadership to apologize (he did not realize the magnitude of his mistake), he then gives his weak “not for reals” apology, but then goes on to those “Commentator Talk Shows” and basically says he real was not wrong and plays the victim card and calls for people to send in for money to support him for re-election. Had he kept quiet after his apology, that might have been the end of it but now that people know he lied about the apology the story will continue, until he is out of a job and the funny thing is, he does not see it coming. This summer has been rough for his beleaguered political party. At least he did not end up on the “Republican 2009 Summer of Love” list: Assemblyman, Michael D. Duvall (CA), Senator John Ensign (NV), Senator Paul Stanley (TN), Governor Mark Stanford (SC), Board of Ed Chair, and Kristin Maguire AKA Bridget Keeney (SC). In my opinion the Republican Party has been taken over the most extreme religious right (people who love to push their beliefs on others while trying to take away the rights of those they just hate) and that’s who they need to extract from their party if they real want to win. Good Luck, because as they said in WACO, “We Ain’t Coming Out”. The birthers, the teabaggers, the screamers, and the deathers continued extreme minority presence will become tiresome to mainstream America, if it has not already done so.


My thoughts: A tell-tale sign of derangement is rambling. All of the above was written in one paragraph, which is one hell of a ramble. It does make one wonder about the mental capacity of our friend "Paul". Also, you really have to wonder what kind of brain-dead nitwit thinks the Republicans had a bad summer when they've gone from down six in the generic ballot to +2 over the Democrats. The Republicans are now more trusted on health care, something that hadn't been the case in more than a decade (Hillarycare, anyone?). Indeed, Republicans are now more trusted by the public to deal with virtually all issues than Democrats (the exception being education). Gallup--which has been very, very slow in catching up to Obama's loss of popularity--has a poll out today that indicates less than half of their respondents approve of Obama's decisions on ALL of the subjects they brought up, and this is in a poll that went D+6. This meshes with Zogby and Rasmussen, who have been calling this for weeks.

At least 55 percent of the American public is opposed to Obamacare; 48 percent are strongly opposed. That number has continued to go up over the summer, not down. The Cook Report, a Democratic-leaning strategist group in D.C., has issued an alert saying it is likely Democrats will lose at least 30 seats in the house and have a 33% chance of losing control altogether. This is why Obama/Pelosi/Reid are trying so hard to shove this plan through Congress now; they won't have another chance!

Another problem arises for you, Paulie: the Democrats can't agree with themselves. Forty-four Dems won't vote for the plan if it has a public option; another bunch won't if it has federal funding for abortion included. Fifty-seven Dems won't vote for it if the public option isn't in it; either way, you don't have the votes. And there's no doubt you don't have the votes in the Senate.

Now, let's discuss lying. Obama said in his speech 30 million people didn't have health care. He'd been saying 47 million for months before that. He says his program would not have funding for illegal aliens, but that's the only way you get to 47 million. He said there was no funding for abortion, but it's right there on page 16 of the House bill.

He either hasn't read the bill, or he's not telling the truth. Paulie-boy, that means he's lying. Hmm.

Bad summer for the Republicans, Paulie? Another lousy summer like this and they could control Congress. I hope the weather's pleasant where you are, my good sir, because it's not a very smart place--because you, sir, are an idiot.

ACORN finds the source of their problems..

Isn't it obvious, why these morons from across the country gleefully dispensed advice of a criminal nature to the kids on the video, just like they falsified hundreds of thousands of voter registration forms and committed other acts of a felonious nature?

It's racism.

As in, whitey has come to get them. Seriously. Don't believe me? Here's the idiot-in-chief of ACORN making that claim herself:

"There is an undertone of racism here. I think they're basically saying these people shouldn't be trusted, how could they be trusted? You know, they're all poor black and brown people," Bertha Lewis told ABC News.

Wrong, Bertha (by the way, what the hell kind of name is Bertha? Are you a golf club? A 70-year-old white woman?). They're not black or brown; they're criminals. They're just like every other American, who is supposed to follow the letter of the law.

But that's the thing: ACORN doesn't want to follow the letter of the law. They think they're entitled to something, and they have no problem using duplicitous methods to get what they want. And, finally, they got busted.

And that's whitey's fault. Give me a break.