Chilling

It's Pretty Simple, Really

Last Friday, a lunatic started a hostage situation at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs. In the end, three people were killed (including a police officer), and another nine injured (five of them police officers). Neither of the civilian fatalities were in the Planned Parenthood facility when they were shot, and they had no connection
to it. Details are still being pieced together, but at the moment it appears that the two civilian fatalities and the arrival of the police on the scene is what prompted the shooter to enter the Planned Parenthood facility and begin the hostage standoff.

In an entirely predictable manner, the progressive left and the mainstream media (but I repeat myself) have gone into attack mode, using the incident as yet-another pretext to call for more gun control (even though there is no reason to believe that would have prevented the incident), and blaming the coverage of the Planned Parenthood baby parts-for-cash scandal for driving the shooter to attack (even though there is no evidence to support that claim either). Planned Parenthood itself actually sent out a fundraising message on Twitter while the standoff was still underway.

"I can't even..."

All-in-all, it was the sort of spectacle that makes me shake my head, and despair for the future of reason and evidence in our public discourse.

Absent some sort of unconstitutional mass confiscation scheme, there is no gun control measure that would have prevented what happened in Colorado Springs.

The hypocritical squawking about "angry rhetoric" should also stop. We don't need to create a Nutjob Shooter Veto over our discourse. In fact, the more free we are to express our opinions, even in overheated rhetoric, the safer we are. Free speech saves lives.



What we should do is pretty simple, really: We should mourn the dead, pray for the wounded and the loved ones of all who were touched by the atrocity, and make sure to tell those who matter in our lives how much we love them.

"That's a good thing to do every day, no matter what."

Yes, yes it is...

Things That Make Me Happy: TCB Edition

For those of you not steeped in Elvis Presley lore, this section's heading is a reference to the logo pictured at right, which was designed by The King himself. "TCB" stands for "Taking Care of Business," and Elvis had that logo plastered all over his Graceland mansion, his private jet, and everything else he could find. He even called his backup musicians the TCB Band when he began his legendary comeback in 1968.

My beloved Kansas City Chiefs took care of business yesterday at Arrowhead Stadium, defeating the Buffalo Bills 30-22 and improving their chances of making the playoffs. It was the team's fifth win in a row, following a five-game losing streak. They are now 6-5, and occupy the 5th spot in the AFC playoff standings as of this morning.

RB Spencer Ware and QB Alex Smith were a dynamic duo Sunday.

Running back Spencer Ware had a fine performance last week in San Diego, and followed it up with another strong effort yesterday: 114 yards on 19 carries (averaging 6 yards per carry), 1 touchdown.

Quarterback Alex Smith also had a fine game: 19-for-30, 255 yards, two touchdown passes. Alex also extended his club-record streak of pass attempts without an interception to 283, and for the sixth straight game the Chiefs did not turn the ball over, also a franchise record.

Next up is a trip to the west coast next Sunday for a game against the archrival Oakland Raiders.

How Old People Do Cyber Monday

The Maxine character is the creation of Hallmark artist John Wagner, a nice Catholic school boy made good. You can find more of her here.

"She's old, crabby, sarcastic, loves coffee...why aren't you married to her?"

Crackers in bed turned out to be a deal-breaker...

Until Next Time...

This week's Music Recommendation is the latest release from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, a recording of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 7. The PSO is arguably the most exciting symphony orchestra in America at the moment, and this release will do nothing to diminish that reputation. The No. 5 is amazing, but if you are a fan of No. 7 this outstanding rendition will probably become your new favorite.

Today's send-off is a "Sneak Peek" video from the group's YouTube channel. It is a live performance of an excerpt from Beethoven's Symphony No. 6. Enjoy...and buy their new album!

Advent 2015

First Sunday of Advent

Today is the 1st Sunday of Advent, which marks not only the beginning of the Liturgical Year in the Catholic faith (and in many other Christian denominations) but also the beginning of preparations for Christmas.

My Celtic Advent Wreath

My Advent wreath is not the traditional kind, made of intertwined evergreen branches. When I went shopping at Gloria Deo in Omaha for Advent candles my first year living in Atlantic, 

I spotted the Celtic wreath pictured at right, and I have used it every Advent ever since.

Like many Catholics, I place a white candle in its own holder in the center of the wreath, to be lit on Christmas morning.

The candle we light on the 1st Sunday is called the Prophet's Candle, a reminder that the coming of Jesus has been prophesied.

Pigskin Saturday

It was a tough Saturday. My best friend Skip is a Penn State grad and is still a fanatic for his alma mater, so it was painful to watch the Nittany Lions get scalded by No. 5 Michigan State yesterday in East Lansing. Still, PSU will play in a bowl game this year, which is more than can be said for almost all of the teams I root for. The Black Knights of Army were idle this weekend, and won't play again until their annual meeting with Navy on December 12 in Philadelphia.

Notre Dame lost to Stanford on a last-second field goal, and Iowa State got stomped on the road at West Virginia. On the other hand, I'm still savoring Iowa's defeat of Nebraska from Friday, and it was fun seeing winless Kansas get blown up again, this time by Kansas State.

Notre Dame's loss means that there won't be any teams I care about in the playoff leading to the National Championship, so I've really got nothing to look forward to now until next season...

"Stop complaining. The college team I root for never gets to play in a bowl game."

That's because they don't play football, dumbass...we've been over this...

Po-TAY-toe, Po-TAH-toe

From the delightful comic strip FoxTrot, by Bill Amend, which you should read every Sunday, as I do.

Until Next Time...

With Advent comes the shift in liturgical music to hymns associated with this particular time of year. At this morning's Mass, for instance, we sang "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," whose message is an expression of the spirit of preparation at the heart of Advent.

Today's send-off is a rendition of the song by Enya, whose latest album is this week's Music Recommendation. This particular selection is found on her previous album, 

And Winter Came...

Enjoy...

Cold Comforts

Wild Kingdom Bed & Breakfast Update

The onset of really cold weather is causing some adjustments in the B&B. Specifically,
I have to keep a pretty close eye on the bird bath to make sure the water doesn't freeze over during the day. Last night I actually brought it indoors, which made the process of getting fresh water out there in the morning a bit easier. Given how popular the thing is, I imagine my avian customers are struggling to find other non-frozen water sources. That makes me feel pretty good about the B&B.

I'm also experimenting with some suet cakes, as I am told these will be popular items as well once the snow arrives. At the moment, I have one hanging on the patio, and later today I am going to hang one on the tree directly across the parking lot from my patio.

"You wish you were as good-looking as me."

Speaking of that tree, on the day before Thanksgiving I spotted a red-headed woodpecker snacking
on it. I hadn't seen him before, and I haven't spotted him since, but the suet cake I'll be hanging in that tree is supposed to have stuff that attracts woodpeckers, so we'll see.

While he isn't, strictly speaking, a B&B customer, I do consider that particular tree to be part of the B&B (many of my customers nest in it when it has leaves), and I often sprinkle some food around the base of it.


And I enjoy doing something nice for a fellow red-head.

Corn Bowl

Of course there's a special trophy for this game. Of course there is.

There actually wasn't any way for me to lose when Iowa and Nebraska played football yesterday in Lincoln. Either way, one of the annoying fan bases I find myself living in the midst of would be miserable, and I could use their tears to make my morning coffee.


My loathing for Nebraska runs a little deeper, and so yesterday's 28-20 victory by the undefeated Hawkeyes pleased me.

And the tears of Hawkeye fans will taste even sweeter when they lose in the Big Ten Championship Game on December 5.

People like to make a big deal about how the two schools first played in 1891, but for a so-called "rivalry" series, there have only been 46 games in the 124 years since they first played each other. There was an 11-year lapse from 1909 to 1930, a 33-year break from 1946 to 1979, a 17-year gap between 1982 to 1999, and another 11-year lapse from 2000 to 2011.

By contrast, Missouri and Kansas first played each other in football in 1891, just as Iowa and Nebraska did. The Tigers and Jayhawks treated it as an actual rivalry, though, playing every year until 2012, when Kansas petulantly decided to end the series after Missouri moved to the SEC. Minnesota and Wisconsin started playing each other the year before, and have played each other every year since, 124 straight years and counting.

It is highly unlikely that Nebraska and Iowa would play if they weren't both in the
Big Ten. That ain't much of a "rivalry," if you ask me...

"Did someone ask you?"

It's just an expression...

Goebbels's Grandchildren

From the acerbic pen of Chip Bok, whose editorial cartoons you should read regularly,
as I do.

Until Next Time...

One of the more interesting aspects of American popular culture is the periodic phenomenon known as the "sleeper hit," something that pops up seemingly out of nowhere to capture the public's imagination and become embedded in our cultural consciousness. The 1987 film Dirty Dancing is a classic example. Filmed on a small budget by a minor studio with a cast of unknowns, the film soon became the No. 1 movie in America, and was a huge hit internationally as well. A year after its release, it became the No. 1 video rental in America, and the first movie to sell over a million copies on video. Even today, it is estimated that more than a million DVD copies of Dirty Dancing are sold every year.

It also came along at the same time that I was dating the woman who would become my second wife. To say that she liked the movie would be a colossal understatement, which means that I have seen it an inordinate number of times. It helped that the only big-name actor in the film, Jerry Orbach, is a favorite of mine.

Part of what made the movie such a hit was its soundtrack, which featured several popular songs from the early 1960s by stars like Otis Redding, The Ronettes, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and The Drifters. But by far the most popular song in the film was written specifically for it. On November 28, 1987 "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," sung as a duet by Bill Medley (one half of The Righteous Brothers) and Jennifer Warnes, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The song would go on to win a Grammy Award and an Academy Award as well.

Today's send-off is the official music video of the Medley/Warnes duet, which includes clips from the film. The usual music video disclaimers apply. Enjoy...

Leftovers

Thank Ullr It's Friday!

"Winter is coming! Bracing yourself won't do a damned bit of good!"

Respite

Even though it is a weekday, I am going to eschew my normal fulminating about political and social controversies.

I'm entitled to an extended weekend every now and then, just like anyone else. And it isn't like asshat Donald Trump is going to stop doing asshat things anytime soon. President Obama isn't suddenly going to stop being a sanctimonious bully when people dare to question his policies, either.

Hillary Clinton will continue to beclown herself on the campaign trail, the precious snowflakes will still be trying to stamp out free speech on campuses from sea to shining sea, and the progressives will still be trying to sell their usual pack of lies about citizens exercising their 2nd Amendment rights.

"So much stupid, so little time, eh?"

Exactly...the hammerheads will all still be around come Monday...

Wild Kingdom Bed & Breakfast Update

It has been an interesting experience to watch the changes brought on by the changing of the seasons. Many of the species that visited daily all through the spring and summer have left for warmer climes, and the species that have stuck around now have their cold-weather plumage.

"Nice place you've got here. I'll tell my friends!"

I have been told that birds that don't generally care for feeders in the warmer months will show up from time to time now that winter is almost here, and that has started to happen at the B&B.

As I was getting in my car to head to the Hy-Vee on Wednesday afternoon, I glanced up at the feeder and happened to spot a type of bird
I had not seen around before (the species pictured at right).



He was a white-breasted nuthatch, and he was soon joined by another just like him. According to what I have read, these birds prefer to eat insects, but will eat seed when bugs become harder to find.

They're quite handsome, and of course they are more than welcome to visit whenever they like. That's the whole idea...

The Power of Paralanguage

From the delightful webcomic xkcd, by Randall Munroe, which you should read every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, as I do. (And you should also buy Randall's latest book, which happens to be the Weekly Recommendation this week.)

Housekeeping

Just a quick reminder that clicking on highlighted bits of text like this one is highly recommended. A lot of the content I'm trying to share depends on readers checking out at least some of those links.

I also welcome comments here. I got one from an old friend yesterday and it was great! Agree or disagree, I'd love to hear from you!

Until Next Time...

One of the few advantages of my life in its current phase is that I have no need to do "Christmas shopping" in the way that most Americans do. That means I feel absolutely zero desire to go out on Black Friday and do retail combat toe-to-toe with my fellow citizens. Been there, done that, got the emotional scars to prove it!

Instead, I'll be busying myself putting up some snazzy seasonal decorations, including the wreath on my apartment door pictured at right, and some lights for my patio doors.

I'll also be noshing throughout the day on leftovers from yesterday's tasty Thanksgiving feast (it is a sin to waste food, after all), and listening to some soothing music.

My preference when I'm in the mood for "soothing" is piano-based classical music, sonatas and concertos. One of my favorite shorter works of this type is Beethoven's famous Piano Sonata No. 8.



Commonly referred to as Sonata Pathétique, the piece was one of Beethoven's early successes, and helped to establish his reputation as a major composer.

Today's send-off is a performance of the second movement of the sonata by the inimitable Arthur Rubinstein. Enjoy....

Thanksgiving 2015

I am blessed to be alive and reasonably healthy today. At my age, one can no longer
take such things for granted (and the experiences of my life have taught me that we must never take them for granted at any age). Today's post is an incomplete listing of the many blessings in my life...

Faith

St. Peter's Catholic Church, Council Bluffs, Iowa

I was raised in a Catholic family, as were all of my relatives, and I was fortunate enough to attend Catholic schools through 8th grade.

I am grateful for the comfort and guidance my faith has given me through the years, and for the moral grounding I received by reading the great scholars of the Church like St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine.

Friends

My best friend Skip, posing with UP 4023 on a visit last year

I am grateful to have almost always had one "best" friend in my life. It hasn't always been the same person, but
I have rarely been without one.

I am especially grateful for the good fortune that brought my current best friend into my life. He lives in Philadelphia, so it is a minor miracle that our paths ever crossed.

Opening Night 2009 with the most talented cast I ever directed

I am grateful for all the wonderful men and women I taught alongside in my career, and even more grateful for having had the opportunity to help shape the lives of so many wonderful young people.

My Iowa neighbor Patty Patrick and my hero Joe Bonamassa

Sometimes my enthusiasms bring me into contact with wonderful people I would never have met otherwise.
I am deeply grateful to have found the Joe Bonamassa online fan community.

I am thankful for having had the opportunity to meet Joe himself on a couple of occasions, as well as many of his devoted fans.

My roommates, relaxing

Things get a little lonely sometimes when you're single, but I'm never really alone these days. I am grateful for the company, if not for the soggy hairballs...

Oh, stop. You know I could never forget you...or our mutual friend...I miss him, too...

Food

Food is always a wonderful thing, of course, and I am grateful that I have all that I could possibly desire on that score. Thanksgiving is at least in part a celebration of favorite foods, 
and I'll be enjoying a number of my traditional favorites today. Some highlights...

For noshing during the day, with some Ritz Crackers, naturally.

Nothing but dark meat for me, please

My mother and I shared a fondness for dark meat, and we were both grateful every year that dad and my two brothers preferred white meat exclusively. Fools.

Mashed potatoes with turkey gravy

Thanksgiving is really the only time I ever have gravy on my mashed potatoes when I'm eating at home. My mom made awesome gravy from the turkey pan's drippings, but mine will be Heinz.

Baked beans with bacon

My mom had a lot of really terrific recipes, but being the kind of cook she was, none of them were really written down anywhere, which meant those great dishes died with her in 1996. After years of trial and error, I have managed to come pretty close to duplicating her baked beans with bacon recipe.

Harvard beets

Ironically enough, I first encountered Harvard beets at a university cafeteria, but it was love at first taste. Since no one I have ever known was willing to try making them for me, I consider myself very fortunate to have discovered Aunt Nellie's.




There will be other items on the menu, too, including deviled eggs, stuffing, flaky biscuits, and cranberry sauce. The crowning moment will be dessert, naturally...

Village Inn Pumpkin Supreme Pie

Fandom

Sports are a wonderful escape from the stresses of everyday life, and I am thankful
for all of the teams for which I root, including my beloved Kansas City Chiefs and,
of course...

Kansas City Royals, 2015 World Series Champions

Favorite Arts

Raymond Chandler

I am thankful for all the writers who have inspired me over the years. In the pantheon of mystery writers alone I am especially grateful for having met Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald, Robert B. Parker, and Dennis Lehane.

I am thankful for all the wonderful movies
I can watch over and over and always enjoy, including The Last of the Mohicans, A Man for All Seasons, The Lion in Winter, North By Northwest, Sleuth, Seven Days in May, Patton, and Anatomy of a Murder.

I am thankful for having been around to witness the Golden Age of television drama, led by shows like Justified, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Criminal Minds, and The Walking Dead.

Favorite Places

One of the Kansas City traditions I miss the most is the annual Plaza Lighting Ceremony, which happens each Thanksgiving evening and draws hundreds of thousands of people to the Country Club Plaza area...

Country Club Plaza, Kansas City

Funny Stuff

From the pen of Henry Payne, whose editorial cartoons you should read regularly,
as I do.

And here's my all-time favorite Thanksgiving cartoon:

Until Next Time...

Music, of course, is one of life's most sublime pleasures, and not a day goes by that I am not thankful for all of the wonderful music that always has and continues to enrich my life.

My first thought for a song appropriate for Thanksgiving was the great Sam & Dave 1968 hit "I Thank You." It got tons of airplay during the second semester of my 9th grade year, and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The versions I was finding on YouTube were all unsatisfactory for one reason or another, though, so I began to consider using the Z.Z. Top cover version instead. Released in 1980 as the second single from the band's 1979 Degüello album, it features a great bluesy vocal from guitarist Billy Gibbons and a nice guitar solo as well. I'm thankful that I expanded my search, because I found something I hadn't heard before that I liked quite a lot.

Today's send-off features Gibbons performing the song with Daryl Hall and his house band on the Live from Daryl's House show on January 15, 2014 (not long before Hall and his longtime partner John Oates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). Enjoy...and be thankful for your life's many blessings...

Preparations

Don't Do It

This weak-ass motherfucker.

It all started with Pajama Boy back in December of 2013. Desperate to get young people to sign up for health care they didn't want and couldn't afford (because that was the only way the fraud known as the Affordable Care Act had a prayer of surviving), the progressive propaganda outfit Organizing for Action launched an ad campaign featuring what someone, somewhere must have figured was just the sort of guy young people would want to talk to about health insurance coverage.


The idea behind the campaign was to get you to sit your (young) friends down and explain to them how totes kewl ACA was, over a nice cup of cocoa.

Do I even have to tell you how that idea worked out?

Undaunted, the progressives decided to double down on the stupid, and began publishing talking points for their acolytes to use at Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings to browbeat their less-enlightened relatives into accepting the preferred progressive point of view on not just the ACA but, well, pretty much everything.

I thought about linking to some of the more egregious instances of this nonsense, but decided not to enable them to get any additional traffic. They're not hard to find.

Frankly, though, if you're lucky enough to have family to spend these holidays with, and you decide to poison the atmosphere with bullying political discussions, someone should club you over the head with a drumstick and make gravy out of your giblets.

Because only a terrible person would do such a thing.

"You're bluffing."

Bring up politics at Thanksgiving dinner and find out. I have recipes that would work just fine with anteater giblets, too...

Oh, By The Way...

That "study" that supposedly showed religious kids are "meaner" and "stingier" and "more judgmental" than non-religious kids that's been all over the progressive media lately?

Complete bullshit.


It is also an excellent example of what is called "confirmation bias" on the part of the researchers and anti-religious prejudice among reporters.

You're welcome.

What a Splendid Idea!

From the indispensable comic strip Non Sequitur, by Wiley Miller, which you should read every day, as I do (even though Wiley is a squishy liberal).

Until Next Time...

On November 25, 1976 (Thanksgiving Day that year) one of the greatest musical groups in the history of rock and roll played its last concert together. The event took place at rock promoter Bill Graham's legendary Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco and featured a star-studded lineup of guest stars including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond, and many others. The concert was filmed by Martin Scorsese, and the result was the landmark documentary The Last Waltz.

Original 1978 one sheet poster

What rock band could possibly warrant all of this fuss, and attract such a stellar group of artists wanting to be a part of their final show?

That would be The Band.

The group's breakup was one of those frustrating stories that are not at all uncommon in the music business, but that didn't make it any easier to accept. That a group of peerless musicians and songwriters like this even got together in the first place is a minor miracle, I suppose, but I sure wish they had found a way the overcome the jealousies and prideful disputes that tore them apart.



Even now, I can't watch The Last Waltz without getting depressed. Yes, it was a memorable celebration of the group's music, but it was also an elegy, and one I wish hadn't been necessary...

Today's send-off is, appropriately, the group's final encore from that night, a cover of the Holland-Dozier-Holland song "Baby Don't You Do It," which had been a hit for Marvin Gaye in 1964. Enjoy...

List, Schmist

A Thought Experiment

Consider three hypothetical scenarios...

It is election day, and as you have on many other occasions you show up at your polling place to do your civic duty, only to be told that you will not be allowed to vote.

When you protest that you are registered, you are told that it doesn't matter, since your name is on an FBI "watch" list.

You arrive at your local parish for Mass one Sunday, but your pastor meets you at the door of the church and tells you that you the diocese has decided that you can no longer attend services at your parish or any other parish because your name is on an FBI "watch" list.

You arrive home from work one day to find police officers in the middle of a search of your home. When you ask to see their warrant to conduct such a search, the police claim they didn't need one because your name is on an FBI "watch" list.


Now, is there a single American anywhere would willingly give up their constitutional right to vote, their 1st Amendment right to practice their faith, or their 4th Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures just because their name turned up on an FBI "watch" list?

Before you answer, keep in mind that the process by which names are added to or removed from the list has been harshly criticized by the Justice Department, that the FBI is not required to divulge who is on their list or how they got on the list in the first place, and that thousands of people are put on the list by mistake.

Still think it should be okay to deny constitutional rights to someone just because they're on that list? Remember, these people haven't been arrested, or charged with any sort of offense, much less convicted of one.

I'm writing about this because progressive Democrats in congress, egged on by hysterical groups like Everytown for Gun Safety, are pushing a piece of legislation that would deny people their 2nd Amendment rights just as in the hypotheticals above. Given the Orwellian title "Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015," the law is a constitutional travesty.

It is tyranny, plain and simple. And my response to such proposals will never change...

"This is becoming quite a habit for you. Perhaps you need an anger management course."

Or maybe I should just tie your snout into a knot and call it a day...

 90 Years Ago Today...

...William Frank Buckley, Jr. was born in New York City. As I recently noted, Bill would eventually become the single most important influence in the way my life turned out. Fortunately, his life had other, far more noteworthy accomplishments.

November 24, 1925 - February 27, 2008

Happy birthday, Bill. You are missed...

Trump: The Teenage Years

From the droll comic strip Zits, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, which you should read every day, as I do.

Until Next Time...

On November 24, 1950 the legendary musical Guys and Dolls opened on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre (now known as the Richard Rodgers Theatre). Based on short stories by Damon Runyon, the show was an immediate hit, running for 1200 performances and winning the Tony Award for Best Musical. It also earned songwriter
Frank Loesser two Tony Awards, one for Music and one for Lyrics.

Ever since its debut, it has been one of the most popular musicals for both amateur and professional productions. I think it is safe to say that there is a production of Guys and Dolls either performing or rehearsing pretty much every day of every year in this country except on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

In 1993, Barbra Streisand released Back To Broadway, an album of show tunes. It was
a kind of sequel to Streisand's 1988 hit release The Broadway Album. The sequel debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and eventually received two platinum certifications and a pair of Grammy Award nominations. Among the songs included were two numbers from Guys and Dolls, the bouncy "Luck Be a Lady" and the ballad "I've Never Been in Love Before."

Today's send-off is Streisand's soulful rendition of the latter. Enjoy...

Turkey Week Begins!

Prominent Turkeys

In the wake of the terror attacks on Paris on November 13, there has been an entirely predictable attempt by American politicians to capitalize on the tragedy. It pains me to admit that conservative Republicans have been as prone to doing this as progressive Democrats. I suppose it is part and parcel of being a politician (or a pundit), but that doesn't make it any less distasteful.

What is revealing (and distressing) is how the progressives are attempting to capitalize.

"I'm killing my party, you say? Do I look like I care?"

Our President cannot be stirred to wrath by terrorist acts themselves, but he has no problem unloading great wrath and furious anger on Republicans who criticize him.

In fact, he says that such criticism is the same thing as supporting ISIS.

Gobble gobble, you pompous douchebag.

"I used to be Secretary of State, so I know lots of stuff."

Meanwhile, the leading candidate for the Democratic party's presidential nomination has been running around the country insisting (against all of the evidence) that events like the Paris attacks "have nothing whatsoever to do with Islam."

Gobble gobble, you black-eyed skank.

"I went to law school and everything."

Of course, the sycophantic mainstream press is going along with this nonsense. CNN, for instance, published an idiotic article by nitwit progressive (but I repeat myself) Raul A. Reyes on how Republican opposition to President Obama's plan to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees plays right into ISIS's hands.


Gobble gobble, asshat.

"At least you skipped the obscene gestures today. That's progress."

It won't last...

Things That Make Me Happy: Lazarus Edition

On October 18, my beloved Kansas City Chiefs lost 16-10 on the road to the Minnesota Vikings, in a game that was even uglier than the score suggests. It was the team's fifth straight loss, and few Chiefs fans could look at the team's 1-5 record and see anything other than a lost season.

Yesterday afternoon the Chiefs were on the road again, and defeated the San Diego Chargers 33-3 at Qualcomm Stadium. It was the team's fourth straight victory, and second straight on the road. At 5-5, the Chiefs have clawed their way back from the brink of oblivion and have legitimate playoff aspirations again.

RB Spencer Ware, filling in for an injured Charcandrick West, rushed for 96 yards on just 11 carries. He scored twice.

All-Pro LB Tamba Hali and the defense harassed Chargers QB Philip Rivers the entire game, and sacked him three times.

How tough was the defense? The Chargers never got closer than the Chiefs 34 yard line the whole game.

The highlight for the defense was All-Pro LB Justin Houston's interception return for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter that made the score 19-3 Chiefs, and put the game out of reach for the Chargers.

Chiefs QB Alex Smith had yet another game free of serious errors. Alex was 20-for-25 for 253 yards, and has now gone seven straight games without throwing an interception.

He is currently on a streak of 253 pass attempts without throwing a pick, a record for the franchise and the best such streak in the NFL this season.

How miraculous a turnaround has this been? If the undefeated New England Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills tonight in Foxboro, the Chiefs will occupy the sixth and final playoff spot with six games remaining. The Chiefs play four of those six games at Arrowhead Stadium, and the Buffalo Bills (next Sunday's opponent) are the only team with a winning record left on their schedule.

That's enough to allow Chiefs fans to dream a little. What more can a pro football fan ask for at Thanksgiving?

A Simpler, Less Complicated Time

From the delightful comic strip Non Sequitur, by Wiley Miller, which you should read every day, as I do (even though Wiley is a squishy liberal).

Until Next Time...

If you love beautiful voices (especially Irish ones), this week's Music Recommendation is quite an event. Released on November 20, Dark Sky Island is Irish singer-songwriter-instrumentalist Enya's first album in seven years, since 2008's And Winter Came....

How important an event, you ask? Well, Enya has managed to sell tens of millions of records and win four Grammy Awards (plus an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song) while almost never touring or giving live concerts. One listen to her latest, though, and you'll know how she pulls it off. Her voice, and the music, are almost impossibly beautiful. "Enchanting" isn't a word I use often, but it is apt in this case.

Today's send-off is the official music video for "So I Could Find My Way," the album's first single, which was released a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy...