So I guess that disqualifies Hillary, too

Looks like the Democrats are ready to steal from the GOP playbook:

Democratic party chairman Howard Dean said on Thursday that Rudy Giuliani “personal life is a serious problem.”

Chariman Dean said the former New York City Mayor “has a lot of character issues that he has to answer for. And overwhelmingly, Americans are going to vote on honesty and integrity. … We’ve begun to reach out to evangelical Christians, and that’s a real problem for him. His personal life is a serious problem for him.”

Does he really think Americans voting on honesty and integrity will choose a Clinton?

By the way, proving me right, polls say Obama was the overwhelming winner in last night’s South Carolina debate.

Obama did three times better than Clinton and twice as well as Edwards among South Carolina’s Independents.

Che Guevara was a totalitarian thug

His profile may be fashionable, but his politics were abominable. You’ve likely been told otherwise, convinced perhaps that Guevara was a symbol of freedom, when, in fact, he was an architect of oppression:

He achieved nothing but disaster. Many of the early leaders of the Cuban Revolution favored a democratic or democratic-socialist direction for the new Cuba. But Che was a mainstay of the hardline pro-Soviet faction, and his faction won. Che presided over the Cuban Revolution’s first firing squads. He founded Cuba’s “labor camp” system—the system that was eventually employed to incarcerate gays, dissidents, and AIDS victims.

Production is about to begin on a new Guevara film, directed by Steven Soderbergh, that is said to portray Che favorably, much like “The Motorcycle Diaries.” While they’re at it, why not make a hero out of Pinochet? The left, correctly, views him as a villain, but not Guevara. Could it have something to do with Pinochet overthrowing a democratically elected Marxist?

That hypocrisy was on view again recently in a forum sponsored by The Nation on the future of Cuba. According to The Plank, the symposium was dominated by a “dictatorship’s toady” and his American apologists: 

None of this is to say that the Cuban embargo is a good idea (I think it is not), but one of the most vexing aspects of the debate is the extent to which people vilify the Miami exiles. What are their nefarious motives? The exiles (many of whom escaped from actual Cuban gulags) merely disagree about the best way to liberalize their country both politically and economically (the former goal is something about which The Nation panel seems at best indifferent; the latter, dismissive).

It is irrefutable that Fidel Castro wrought more destruction and human misery in Cuba than the once-great enemy of the international left, Augusto Pinochet (awful as he was), inflicted on Chile. But don’t expect to hear this from The Nation.

Nor from many others on the left. Makes you wonder why Soviet-empowered dictators are okay, while those installed by America are not? Both should be condemned by the left. That is, if consistency and human rights truly matter.

Looks like I made it after all

In honor of my good friend Molly Berg, socialist prude, here’s a classic clip of one of Mary Tyler Moore‘s disastrous parties. Proving that I am at least somewhat homosexual, I wanted to be Mary Richards when I grew up. Mission accomplished. I work in a newsroom, I’m single and I have quirky friends. I suppose I should be happy.

Now, for something good

Been listening to Air all morning, so I’ll let you in on the experience, you “Sexy Boy.”

The 20 worst pop songs ever (cont’d)

I figured I had to include Huey Lewis and the News in the countdown. Then I watched the scene from “American Psycho” featuring their ode to conformity, “Hip to be Square,” and I reconsidered.

Besides, Lionel Richie’s “Dancing on the Ceiling” is much worse. So is “Opposites Attract” by Paula Abdul, which reminds me of that regrettable period in pop culture history when Arsenio Hall was famous. Milli Vanilli was also big back then; “Blame It on the Rain” was their nadir. If I were “Rob and Fab,” I would’ve been much more embarrassed had I actually sung those songs.

They join: 

*”Summer Girls” — LFO

*”Waiting for a Star to Fall” — Boy Meets Girl

*”Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” — Genesis

*”All That She Wants” — Ace of Base

*”The Greatest Love of All” — Whitney Houston

*”The Glory of Love” — Peter Cetera

*”I Believe I Can Fly” — R. Kelly

Halfway there, and still no O-Town.

Beware the Asian kid who writes about shooting people

So ethnic profiling has made it to high school. I’m guessing it’s no mere coincidence that Allen Lee, whose father was a Chinese emigre, was arrested for an essay in which he shot people then had sex with their dead bodies.

Police Thursday released portions of an essay used to charge a Cary-Grove High School student with disorderly conduct, leaving several experts puzzled at an arrest based on such schoolwork.

Asked to write about whatever he wanted in a creative writing class, would-be Marine and honors student Allen Lee, 18, described a violent dream in which he shot people and then “had sex with the dead bodies.”

A second disorderly count accuses Lee of alarming first-year teacher Nora Capron by writing that “as a teacher, don’t be surprised on [sic] inspiring the first CG shooting,” an apparent reference to Cary-Grove High.

Disturbing, maybe, but this was a creative writing class. What would happen to a young Stephen King today? Would he be institutionalized? Are we really living in a country where people are arrested for what they write?

Hypocrite du jour

It’s Giuliani’s turn:

In a startling departure from his previously stated position on civil unions, Mayor Giuliani came out to The New York Sun yesterday evening in opposition to the civil union law just passed by the New Hampshire state Senate.

"Mayor Giuliani believes marriage is between one man and one woman. Domestic partnerships are the appropriate way to ensure that people are treated fairly," the Giuliani campaign said in a written response to a question from the Sun. "In this specific case the law states same sex civil unions are the equivalent of marriage and recognizes same sex unions from outside states. This goes too far and Mayor Giuliani does not support it."

Seems like Rudy’s learning — you can’t win over the base unless you bash gays.

On a February 2004 edition of Fox News’s "The O’Reilly Factor," Mr. Giuliani told Bill O’Reilly, when asked if he supported gay marriage, "I’m in favor of … civil unions." …

Asked by Mr. O’Reilly in the interview how he would respond to gay Americans who said being denied access to the institution of marriage violated their rights, Mr. Giuliani said: "That’s why you have civil partnerships. So now you have a civil partnership, domestic partnership, civil union, whatever you want to call it, and that takes care of the imbalance, the discrimination, which we shouldn’t have."

So I guess that disqualifies Hillary, too

Looks like the Democrats are ready to steal from the GOP playbook:

Democratic party chairman Howard Dean said on Thursday that Rudy Giuliani "personal life is a serious problem."

Chariman Dean said the former New York City Mayor "has a lot of character issues that he has to answer for. And overwhelmingly, Americans are going to vote on honesty and integrity. … We’ve begun to reach out to evangelical Christians, and that’s a real problem for him. His personal life is a serious problem for him."

Does he really think Americans voting on honesty and integrity will choose a Clinton?

By the way, proving me right, polls say Obama was the overwhelming winner in last night’s South Carolina debate.

Obama did three times better than Clinton and twice as well as Edwards among South Carolina’s Independents.

Che Guevara was a totalitarian thug

His profile may be fashionable, but his politics were abominable. You’ve likely been told otherwise, convinced perhaps that Guevara was a symbol of freedom, when, in fact, he was an architect of oppression:

He achieved nothing but disaster. Many of the early leaders of the Cuban Revolution favored a democratic or democratic-socialist direction for the new Cuba. But Che was a mainstay of the hardline pro-Soviet faction, and his faction won. Che presided over the Cuban Revolution’s first firing squads. He founded Cuba’s "labor camp" system—the system that was eventually employed to incarcerate gays, dissidents, and AIDS victims.

Production is about to begin on a new Guevara film, directed by Steven Soderbergh, that is said to portray Che favorably, much like "The Motorcycle Diaries." While they’re at it, why not make a hero out of Pinochet? The left, correctly, views him as a villain, but not Guevara. Could it have something to do with Pinochet overthrowing a democratically elected Marxist?

That hypocrisy was on view again recently in a forum sponsored by The Nation on the future of Cuba. According to The Plank, the symposium was dominated by a "dictatorship’s toady" and his American apologists: 

None of this is to say that the Cuban embargo is a good idea (I think it is not), but one of the most vexing aspects of the debate is the extent to which people vilify the Miami exiles. What are their nefarious motives? The exiles (many of whom escaped from actual Cuban gulags) merely disagree about the best way to liberalize their country both politically and economically (the former goal is something about which The Nation panel seems at best indifferent; the latter, dismissive).

It is irrefutable that Fidel Castro wrought more destruction and human misery in Cuba than the once-great enemy of the international left, Augusto Pinochet (awful as he was), inflicted on Chile. But don’t expect to hear this from The Nation.

Nor from many others on the left. Makes you wonder why Soviet-empowered dictators are okay, while those installed by America are not? Both should be condemned by the left. That is, if consistency and human rights truly matter.

Now, for something good

Been listening to Air all morning, so I’ll let you in on the experience, you "Sexy Boy."

The 20 worst pop songs ever (cont’d)

I figured I had to include Huey Lewis and the News in the countdown. Then I watched the scene from "American Psycho" featuring their ode to conformity, "Hip to be Square," and I reconsidered.

Besides, Lionel Richie’s "Dancing on the Ceiling" is much worse. So is "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul, which reminds me of that regrettable period in pop culture history when Arsenio Hall was famous. Milli Vanilli was also big back then; "Blame It on the Rain" was their nadir. If I were "Rob and Fab," I would’ve been much more embarrassed had I actually sung those songs.

They join: 

*"Summer Girls" — LFO

*"Waiting for a Star to Fall" — Boy Meets Girl

*"Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" — Genesis

*"All That She Wants" — Ace of Base

*"The Greatest Love of All" — Whitney Houston

*"The Glory of Love" — Peter Cetera

*"I Believe I Can Fly" — R. Kelly

Halfway there, and still no O-Town.

Beware the Asian kid who writes about shooting people

So ethnic profiling has made it to high school. I’m guessing it’s no mere coincidence that Allen Lee, whose father was a Chinese emigre, was arrested for an essay in which he shot people then had sex with their dead bodies.

Police Thursday released portions of an essay used to charge a Cary-Grove High School student with disorderly conduct, leaving several experts puzzled at an arrest based on such schoolwork.

Asked to write about whatever he wanted in a creative writing class, would-be Marine and honors student Allen Lee, 18, described a violent dream in which he shot people and then "had sex with the dead bodies.”

A second disorderly count accuses Lee of alarming first-year teacher Nora Capron by writing that "as a teacher, don’t be surprised on [sic] inspiring the first CG shooting,” an apparent reference to Cary-Grove High.

Disturbing, maybe, but this was a creative writing class. What would happen to a young Stephen King today? Would he be institutionalized? Are we really living in a country where people are arrested for what they write?

Coming soon to the Hell Cineplex

I have no doubt this will be the worst movie of the summer.

In the name of Orson, will someone please explain the appeal of Robin Williams? I’ve loathed this guy for 30 years, and still he persists. Never has there been a more inexplicable success.

Save me, man who portrays doctor on TV

Alec Baldwin has lost all reason — now he’s soliciting Dr. Phil for help:

Meanwhile, television therapist Dr. Phil McGraw revealed that Baldwin had called him for advice on Thursday and that the two had a “far-reaching, intense conversation” about the actor’s daughter and his former spouse.

McGraw, who offered on the CNN talk show “Larry King Live” to counsel the family, said Baldwin had given him permission to disclose that they had talked and that he also had “reached out privately” to Basinger.

Just in time for sweeps.

Noted and quoted, faux apology edition

Georgia Senate Democratic Leader Robert Brown, a descendant of slaves, is taking heat from the NAACP for not passing a state apology for slavery:

Brown said on Wednesday he’d vote against it because it does nothing.

“I’m not going to accept an apology for something that killed millions of people, that raped women and took babies from their mothers and then sold them like you would a piece of equipment.”