Reading over this post at Hot Air, a sudden illumination came over me about PETA. Beyond the fact that they delight in being PITAs, PETA is devoted to the destruction of reason.

It’s really very simple when you think about. PETA is premised on the idea that animals are morally equivalent, or even morally superior, to human beings and therefore must be accorded equal rights with humans. The only way this is possible is to ignore the primary faculty which distinguishes homo sapiens from any other species now alive on the planet: the ability to reason.
Therefore PETA thinks that reason is either trivial or morally bad.

Found on Pixdaus

Since Steamboat McGoo is still assembling himself in his new location,  some members of the Moronosphere may be suffering withdrawal pains.  You know, no daily p*** page.  But never fear, Kishnevi’s here.

It’s pretty soft p*** but it is probably NSFW, unless you have a very cool boss.  But it does a pose a quandary for any feminist.

Should a feminist be angry because it is, after all,  p*** and therefore exploitative of the underclass?

Or should a feminist be happy because, after all, it shows that a woman is eminently qualified to do a man’s job, if not better?

Found on Pixdaus

Notice how everyone reacts as if they are in the direct path of the bat–not just the three women in the front (and I have to wonder how badly hurt that woman in the middle was, since it seems to be flying directly at her)–but the people a few rows back and to the side.

Except of course the two kids. The family outing just got a little more exciting, obviously. The boy has an “Oh wow! Awesome” look, but the girl just chomps on her pizza, totally unimpressed.

A Silicon Valley guy gets upset with McCain because he’s not very computer literate. (McCain, I mean, not the Silicon Valley guy).

Fortunately a few of his commenters take him to task, both on the point that he’s a techie blogger and not a politico blogger, and also on the more relevant point that the President of the United States shouldn’t be going around doing Google searches. There’s this thing called staff that does that.

I will merely related a point of anecdotal data and leave the parallel to current events to be drawn by the reader.

I know a woman who once voted for a presidential candidate because he was promising to bring the troops home and end an ongoing war.  Her husband was in the army, and while he had not yet been ordered into combat, she wanted to ensure there was no possibility of his going overseas.

The presidential candidate was Gen. Eisenhower, and the war was Korea.   The woman and her husband were my parents; this has been the only time in their lives either one voted for someone other than the Democratic candidate.

To the individual of perverted mental faculties who stole my personal data while I was in the hospital; and to the other individual of cretinous mental faculties who tried to use my personal data to steal goods from Sears and Penney’s and leave me with the bill–I’d tell you Go to Hell, but you’re obviously looking to do that on your own.  But may you get there more quickly than you intended.

(And thanks to prompt reaction and proaction by the credit card people, there has been and will be plenty of stress and need for heavy watch and ward, but apparently no damage to the checkbook.  But, since I try to maintain all reasonable security precautions, and more, like not shopping or banking online,  the fraud people at MasterCard told me the most likely location was when I was in the hospital at the turn of the civil year–but since three hospitals shared me over the course of a month,  that still leaves room for more than a little brigandage.)

2008 ברק עבמה

To be sure, I know most of my readers would prefer to see one that said

ן’ מקון 2008

For those that are not familiar with the language that the Master of the Universe prefers, see under the cut for the English equivalents.

Barak Obama and John McCain, respectively. You were expecting perhaps a reference to Dark Knight?

A reporter finds out that HE is the security threat when air marshals get on the plane

I wasn’t surprised when we waited nearly an hour on the runway. But I didn’t expect a return to the gate. Certainly not the Port Authority Police car waiting for us and the four more cars and trucks speeding our way. I was really surprised by the two guys in black body armor who strode toward the front of the plane with automatic weapons.

………………..

I barely had time to ask ”What’s up?” before a cop grabbed my shirt and pulled me to the side.
”Excuse me?” I protested. He put his hands on my shoulders and chest and pushed me against the wall.
”Stand there and be quiet,” he said, an edge in his voice. I obeyed and leaned back against the curving corridor.
”Let me see your hands,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir.”
An older officer approached. ”Here’s the deal,” he said. “A passenger saw you doing something suspicious.”
”Like what?” I asked.
”Mixing something,” he said. Mixing something? I was stunned. This was about me?
I thought for half a second and then laughed before blurting out unwise words.
”It’s Airborne,” I said.
”What’s airborne right now?” the officer said sharply.
”No, the cold medication you take when you go on an airplane,” I said.
He asked me if it was still in my bag. Sure, I said.
”Dissolves in liquid, right?” the officer said, holding the brightly labeled plastic tube. He spoke with a resigned disgust that seemed to say he was tired of never-ending false alarms. ”Wonderful,” another said. Someone muttered about wasted money.
The officer who shoved me took my name, address and other information. I hope a no-fly list isn’t in my future.
A JetBlue worker offered brief apologies and took still more information.

……………

And I am left with questions.
Should I have protested more? It’s hard to argue with an outcome that doesn’t involve a small, windowless room.
Would someone paler or older plopping an antacid turn any heads? When I fly home, is it prudent to dress up in a sports jacket despite the summer heat? Will flying ever feel the same? What have I lost?
How often does ‘’see something, say something” save lives? How often does it burn up jet fuel and cause nationwide air traffic delays?
And how many people have this kind of disturbing experience, but don’t get to tell their stories?

(And this afternoon I read this post at View from the Porch. I don’t feel sorry not having had the chance or a need to fly in the last eight years.)

:

A nice meditation on the flag.
short, but too many good ideas to pick out any single one as a summary quote.