Rabid Weasel Radio Roots

Joe Pyne, trailblazer.

Talk radio host Ray Briem wrote in 1985, "Joe Pyne was the only radio personality who had higher ratings than Dodger baseball. (He was on KABC nightly against the Dodgers, who at that time were being aired by another LA station). He was also number one in the mornings at KLAC and was perhaps the first to bring a telephone talk format to that time period and make it the top-rated program in the market - overtaking such heavyweights as Dick Whittinghill on KMPC."

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Husband Of Mary, Notre Dame Alum

We weren't sure this could be pigeon-holed into any mere genre (very religious sci-fi was our first stab) but the author himself was kind enough to call it "entertaining orthodox fiction" at its merciful end. One couldn't believe this is a serious plan being put forth, but author must have a rich fantasy life, & we appreciate his sharing just a bit of it w/ us. 

When it comes to evil prophecies (i.e. Obama elected president, AND today's news that the spineless president of my Christian alma mater has indeed secured Barack the Butcher to speak at Our Lady's university), no true prophet likes to be right. However, if even a fraction of my following June 11th, 2008, counter attack comes to pass, I know the Gipper (not to mention Ronald Reagan!) will be happy ... and my prayers will have been answered.

So what's Thomas Augustine O'Toole (Not a joke.) been stewing over since June, on the outside chance that the evil prophecy of an Obama presidency, resulting in the President giving the N. D. commencement speech, may come to pass? His idea is to infiltrate the Notre Dame campus w/ a "mass of Mary's men," who "silently subdue the Secret Service" while the "Missionary of Charity sisters"

begin removing something hidden beneath their habits. No, the nuns have not been smuggling guns, but the aborted fetuses of late term abortions — and murdered live births — that Barack's regime has endorsed, and will soon enforce.

Then the Charitable sisters will place the

broken babe[s] at Obama's feet.

We just want to know where the womb-babies & murdered live births are coming from. Surely not Catholic hospitals. Is there a baby bank somewhere that loans fetuses for use as socio-political props?

Mary, Mother of Gawd! What are they teaching them at Notre Dame? No wonder the Fighting Irish are despised nation-wide. 

"Heil Me!"

Seldom shown after WWII. You'll have to wait until the end to understand why.

Misleading Info From The AP For 22 March

By The Associated Press — 1 hr 13 mins ago Today is Sunday, March 22, the 81st day of 2009. There are 284 days left in the year. AP's Alternate Universe. AP's A/V. And the UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: On March 22, 1765, Britain enacted the Stamp Act of 1765 to raise money from the American colonies. (The Act was repealed the following year.) [This sounds familiar. Is history, you know ...? — Ed. Later: No, it's just biting its own tail. — Ed.] On this date: In 1638, religious dissident Anne Hutchinson was expelled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for defying Puritan orthodoxy. In 1820, U.S. naval hero Stephen Decatur was killed in a duel with Commodore James Barron near Washington. In 1882, President Chester Alan Arthur signed a measure outlawing polygamy. [When, oh when, will Washington leave the states alone? — Ed.] In 1929, a U.S. Coast Guard vessel sank a Canadian-registered schooner, the I'm Alone, in the Gulf of Mexico. (The schooner was suspected of carrying bootleg liquor.) In 1933, during Prohibition, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a measure to make wine and beer containing up to 3.2 percent alcohol legal. In 1941, the Grand Coulee hydroelectric dam in Washington state went into operation. In 1945, the Arab League was formed with the adoption of a charter in Cairo. In 1958, movie producer Mike Todd and three other people were killed in the crash of Todd's private plane near Grants, N.M. [Or did it happen tomorrow, in Entertainment History? Stay tuned. — Ed.] In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson named General William C. Westmoreland to be the Army's new chief of staff. In 1978, Karl Wallenda, the 73-year-old patriarch of "The Flying Wallendas" high-wire act, fell to his death while attempting to walk a cable strung between two hotel towers in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ten years ago: Acting as his own lawyer, Dr. Jack Kevorkian went on trial on murder charges for the first time, telling a jury in Pontiac, Mich., he was merely carrying out his professional duty in giving a lethal injection to a man with Lou Gehrig's disease as shown on CBS' "60 Minutes." (Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder.) Five years ago: Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, enraging Palestinians. Terry Nichols went on trial for his life in the Oklahoma City bombing. (Nichols, already serving a life sentence for his conviction on federal charges, was found guilty of 161 state murder charges, but was again spared the death penalty when the jury couldn't agree on his sentence.) One year ago: Vice President Dick Cheney, visiting the Middle East, said the U.S. had an "enduring and unshakable" commitment to Israel's security and its right to defend itself against those bent on destroying the Jewish state. Jeffrey Buttle of Canada won the men's title at the World Figure Skating Championships in Goteborg, Sweden. Today's Birthdays: Actor Karl Malden is 97. [Hokey Smokes!!] USA Today founder Allen H. Neuharth is 85. Composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim is 79. Actor William Shatner is 78. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is 75. Actor M. Emmet Walsh is 74. Actor-singer Jeremy Clyde is 68. Singer-guitarist George Benson is 66. Writer James Patterson is 62. CNN newscaster Wolf Blitzer is 61. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is 61. Actress Fanny Ardant is 60.Sportscaster Bob Costas is 57. Country singer James House is 54. Actress Lena Olin is 54. Singer-actress Stephanie Mills is 52. Actor Matthew Modine is 50. Country musician Tim Beeler (Flynnville Train) is 41. Actress Anne Dudek is 34. Actor Cole Hauser is 34. Actress Kellie Williams is 33. Actress Reese Witherspoon is 33. Rock musician John Otto (Limp Bizkit) is 32. Today in Entertainment History Associated Press - March 22, 2009 3:13 AM ET On March 22nd, 1952, Grand Ole Opry star Uncle Dave Mason died in Tennessee. In 1956, Carl Perkins was injured in a car accident near Wilmington, Del. He was on his way to New York to perform on the "Ed Sullivan Show," but was forced to spend several months in the hospital. By the time he recovered, Elvis Presley had covered Perkins' hit, "Blue Suede Shoes," and Perkins' career was never the same. In 1958, an 8-year-old Hank Williams Junior made his stage debut in Swainsboro, Ga. In 1969, newlyweds John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their first "Bed-In for Peace" in Amsterdam. In 1986, singer Mark Dinning died of a heart attack at the age of 52. He's probably best known for the 1959 hit "Teen Angel." In 1990, Gloria Estefan underwent surgery in New York, two days after her back was broken in a bus accident. In 1994, singer-bassist-producer Dan Hartman died of a brain tumor in Westport, Conn. He was 43. In 1996, former Turtles drummer Don Murray died in Santa Monica, Calif., of complications from an undisclosed surgery. He was 50. In 1997, Marilyn Manson fell onstage during a performance in Honolulu and cut an artery in his hand. He was forced to stop the show. In 1999, the body of actor David Strickland of the TV show "Suddenly Susan" was found hanging in a Las Vegas hotel room. He was 28. Thought for Today: "Kindness consists in loving people more than they deserve." — Joseph Joubert, French moralist (1754-1824). Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reversed. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reversed.

We-the-People

Shorter Sher Zieve:

Obama & Congreƒs want a civil war so they can declare martial law, etc. Well, bring it on, boys, I've got teabags!

A bit more on Ms. Zieve & her associates from alex constantine's blacklist.

Fuck You Too!

Brought to our attention by Mick Farren of DOC40 is Dave Marsh's stirring condemnation of globalist asshole & talent-free fuckwad "Bono Vox," of Irish stadium rockers U2.

As for the lyrics, don’t jump to the wrong conclusion. It can’t be denied that Larry Mullen, Adam Clayton and the Edge can still make fascinating music.

Yes it can. And it will be. Right here, right now: They suck. They've always sucked. For 25 yrs. they have sucked. And we can only expect them to continue their suckery, until they're literally too old to suck. And that's only the music, mid-tempo slop that it is. Now we agree w/ Marsh.

Bono’s yelped vocals are another matter, his hollow lyrics--where every platitude yields to an obscurantist pretension and back again--yet another. Unfortunately, even if he’d come up with a lyric as great as “One,” Bono also carries into each project his off-stage political pronouncements, and his fawning affiliations with war criminals such as Tony Blair and George W. Bush.

Not quite a war criminal, but please: NYC Mayor Bloomberg & B. V. Finding the music so disposably dismissible, & Bono generally a self-righteous bullshit artist, we've never paid serious attention to U2 ('though they're certainly difficult to avoid, as they go forth to pollute the media-o-sphere every time they need to make money w/ their latest project). So we had no idea what an actual dilrod Bono is. Example: He's a co-owner of Forbes magazine. Yeesh!!

Pope On The Road, Bringing Death, Chaos & Lies

The vestiges of Western attempts at colonialism were on display in Angola today, as His Repulsiveness, Pope Ratzi, urged Angolan Catholics to

reach out and convert people who believe in witchcraft. "In today's Angola, Catholics should offer the message of Christ to the many who live in the fear of spirits, of evil powers by whom they feel threatened."

Sez his un-holiness, Dracula, seen here performing an obscure Catholic ritual,then condemning those who live in "the fear of spirits?"

In the completely non-spiritual real estate world of the church, a denial is issued.

Amnesty International on Saturday called on the pope to use his influence to halt the threat of forced evictions for residents of Luanda to make rise for high-rise apartments and office buildings. Many have been given cheap houses in faraway satellite towns that have no running water or electricity. Amnesty said that between 2003 and 2006, thousands of people were forcibly evicted from land belonging to the Catholic Church in three Luanda districts. Asked at the press briefing about Amnesty's allegations, Lombardi referred the question to an Angolan bishop, Monsignor Jose Manuel Imbamba. The prelate denied that anyone had been evicted or houses destroyed. "We help the poor, we don't send them away," Imbamba said.

Like you help the altar boys, Monsignor? The Pope does bring happiness wherever he goes.

Hours before he arrived at the Coqueiros stadium, a stampede broke out as the gates were opened to people waiting outside, and two people were killed in the crush, said Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi. "The pope is very upset," Lombardi said late Saturday. Portuguese news agency LUSA cites an unidentified source at a local hospital as saying a man and a woman were killed, eight others were hospitalized with minor injuries, and 10 were given medical assistance at the site.

Thank you, Jesus. Your love for humanity is a shining beacon of hope for the world. See how well it's worked for Angola.

Drawing on the more than 500 years of Roman Catholicism in Angola, [Pope Hitleryouth] called Christianity a bridge between the local peoples and the Portuguese settlers. The country's history as a Portuguese colony gave the country Christian roots. Eighty percent of the 16 million people are Christian, about 65 percent Catholic.

"Portuguese settlers." What a hideous euphemism. Benedict XVI is truly a pig. So we hope this is an indication of things to come very soon.

The 81-year-old pontiff, wearing white robes, looked tired and moved slowly in the tropical heat during the youth appearance in late afternoon.

Take him back to your bosom, Jeezis. Now.

Pot Claims Kettle To Be "Hot"

At American Thinker, this is what passes for thought & writing (See the way each sentence is as long, or longer, than the previous one?):

Reagan did great things. He decided to win the Cold War. He cut tax rates and federal regulation. Ronald Reagan took the tide of history and turned it away from the dreary meanders of the postwar world and channeled events towards new and happy futures.

American Thinker. The one w/ a mostly sepia illustration of Uncle Sam, sitting on what appears to be a two-ft. high pile of shit. You know the one.

Please do not, even for a moment, think that author Bruce Walker doesn't have some great new ideas that the Prez might try, to break from the ordinariness, the dullness, the lifelessness of the Obama Administration. Check this out!

Obama, by stark contrast, seems to think that doing what we have been doing will somehow bring a better America.  What if Obama had promised within his term of office to consolidate the cabinet into eight offices?  Even Richard Nixon had the imagination to propose that idea.  What if Obama proposed a radical tax simplification, even if rates stayed high? That would be something to savor: he could remain a socialist, but at least stand against hopeless confusion.

Yeah, do what Nixon wanted to do, that's a new idea whose time has come. (And, what we think is really behind the right's rabid opposition to taxes: They get all huffy & frustrated because they're too fucking stupid to fill out the forms. "Hopeless confusion." Hopeless idjits, is more like it.)

Mr. Walker, the typist behind this (or his editor) actually entitled it "The Banality of Obama." As in, of course, the "banality of evil." 

Bullwinkle's Nostalgia Corner

Naval Forces Briefing

The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and command ship USS Blue Ridge from the US Navy's Seventh Fleet are anchored at a base in Busan on March 11, 2009. The ships will take part in joint US-South Korean military exercises on March 9-20 that North Korea has said is aimed at launching a "second Korean War".

It's 21 March here, & no sign of this second Korean war. Other news from the seven seas:

In this undated photo released by the U.S. Navy, the port-side bow of the Los Angeles class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) is seen anchored off the US Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md. The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet says two of its vessels — a submarine, the USS Hartford and an amphibious ship, the USS New Orleans collided in the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian peninsula early Friday, March 20, 2009.

No serious injuries reported, thousands of gallons of diesel fuel overboard. Biggest casualty may be the submarine commander's career.

Through The Sniper's Scope

And dig Jerry & his shirt in this one. Did the coffee mugs come in yet?
Seriously, this poor guy is scared beyond belief by the sweet boys. Open the closet door & step into the light, Jerry!

Ho-Hum Date In History

By The Associated Press 1 hr 44 mins ago Today is Saturday, March 21, the 80th day of 2009. There are 285 days left in the year. The usual extras: AP. A/V. UPI. Today's Highlight in History: On March 21, 1685, composer Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany. On this date: In 1804, the French civil code, or the "Code Napoleon" as it was later called, was adopted. [If the state has accused you, you're guilty & must prove your innocence. — Ed.] In 1806, Mexican statesman Benito Juarez was born in Oaxaca. In 1907, U.S. Marines arrived in Honduras to protect American lives and interests in the wake of political violence. [Where have we heard that one before? — Ed.] In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan began a four-day conference in Bermuda. In 1960, some 70 people were killed in Sharpeville, South Africa, when police fired on demonstrators. In 1963, the Alcatraz federal prison island in San Francisco Bay was emptied of its last inmates at the order of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. In 1965, more than 3,000 civil rights demonstrators led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began their march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. In 1972, the Supreme Court, in Dunn v. Blumstein, ruled that states may not require at least a year's residency for voting eligibility. In 1985, police in Langa, South Africa, opened fire on blacks marching to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sharpeville shootings; the reported death toll varies between 29 and 43. In 1990, Namibia became an independent nation as the former colony marked the end of 75 years of South African rule. Ten years ago: Israel's Supreme Court rejected a final effort to have American teenager Samuel Sheinbein returned to the United States to face murder charges. (Under a plea agreement with Israeli prosecutors, Sheinbein was later sentenced to 24 years in prison for the murder of Alfred Tello Jr.) At the Academy Awards, "Shakespeare in Love" won seven Oscars, including best picture and best actress for Gwyneth Paltrow; Roberto Benigni won best actor for "Life is Beautiful," while Steven Spielberg won best director for "Saving Private Ryan." Five years ago: The White House disputed assertions by President George W. Bush's former counterterrorism coordinator, Richard A. Clarke, that the administration had failed to recognize the risk of an attack by al-Qaida in the months leading up to 9/11. (Clarke's assertions were contained in a new book, "Against All Enemies," that went on sale the next day.) Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid won the prestigious 2004 Pritzker Architecture Prize, becoming the first woman to receive the profession's highest honor. One year ago: Officials admitted that at least four State Department workers had pried into the supposedly secure passport files of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain, prompting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to personally apologize to the presidential contenders. Today's Birthdays: Actor Al Freeman Jr. is 78. Violinist-conductor Joseph Silverstein is 77. Actress Kathleen Widdoes is 70. Singer Solomon Burke is 69. Actress Marie-Christine Barrault is 65. Singer-musician Rose Stone (Sly and the Family Stone) is 64. Actor Timothy Dalton is 63. Singer Eddie Money is 60. Rock singer-musician Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) is 59. Rock musician Conrad Lozano (Los Lobos) is 58. Rhythm-and-blues singer Russell Thompkins Jr. (The Stylistics) is 58. Comedy writer-performer Brad Hall is 51. Actress Sabrina LeBeauf is 51. Actor Gary Oldman is 51. Actor Matthew Broderick is 47. Comedian-talk show host Rosie O'Donnell is 47. Rock musician Jonas "Joker" Berggren (Ace of Base) is 42. Rock MC Maxim (Prodigy) is 42. Rock musician Andrew Copeland (Sister Hazel) is 41. Hip-hop DJ Premier (Gang Starr) is 40. Actress Laura Allen is 35. Rapper-TV personality Kevin Federline is 31. Today in Entertainment History

Associated Press - March 21, 2009 3:13 AM ET

On March 21st, 1944, comedian Charlie Chaplin went on trial in Los Angeles, accused of transporting former protegee Joan Barry across state lines for immoral purposes. Chaplin was acquitted, but he lost a paternity suit despite tests showing he wasn't the father of Barry's child. In 1956, "Marty" won the best picture Academy Award. Ernest Borgnine won the best actor award for his role in that film. In 1961, The Beatles made their first appearance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.The band would play more than 300 dates there. In 1963, Barbra Streisand and Elliot Gould were married. They divorced in 1971. In 1970, the single "ABC" by the Jackson Five was released. In 1987, actor Robert Preston died at the age of 68. He's probably best known for playing Professor Harold Hill in "The Music Man." In 1989, Madonna's "Like A Prayer" album was released. Dick Clark announced he was stepping down as host of "American Bandstand" after 33 years. In 1991, Smashing Pumpkins signed a seven-album deal with Virgin Records. In 1995, the "Howard Stern Rest Stop" opened along Route 295 in New Jersey. Thought for Today: "One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible." — Henry Brooks Adams, American historian and author (1838-1918). Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.

Can You Wait Until 2012? We Can't!!

Via Sully's Daily Dish, an Alaskan web log proprietor types:

The most controversial chunk of change left on the table was $170 million for education that has both lawmakers and education professionals stunned.

Part of an e-mail allegedly rec'd. by the proprietor, Andrew Halcro, from a "legislative leader" (No doubt a Dem!):

The issue became a big tug of war for control of the Gov between folks in state government and Sara PAC. Sara PAC won, literally hours before the announcement was made. Alaska was sacrificed again to the godless pagan illusions of her national ambitions.

There might just have been some special education money for little TwigTrig in the refused monies. TwigTrig being the child sweet Sarah decided to have even though she was too damn old to chance it, & then decided to use him as a prop for the rest of her losing vice-presidential campaign. Now, he can spend his life under inadequate gov't. care, since Mom is ready to throw him under the short bus to further her aspirations.

“I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics,” Palin said in a statement. “This was a degrading remark about our world’s most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world."

[...]

Meanwhile, Palin has come under fire this week for refusing stimulus money slated to help special needs education programs. Her stance on funding for such programs as governor led to attacks during the campaign as well.

Can not wait until she & amateur exorcist Bobby J are clawing at each other in the primaries. (Assuming there's anything left over which to claw.)

We've Nothing To Add

Big Time Ninny

We're anxiously waiting for rodeo clown Glenn Beck to turn himself in & do his time for having been a booze n' blow abuser. C'mon, Glenn, do the right thing. As you said:

America doesn’t mind if you make a mistake, just admit that you made a mistake. If you break the law, pay the penalty. 

We're inclined to doubt if he's really off the rock. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt, though. Perhaps he just snooted so much that paranoia is now irreparably hard-wired into his noodle.

Do you really believe that Barack Obama is leading us toward socialism and that we are in danger of becoming a totalitarian state? I believe that he’s not leading us there, he’s led us there. Check the cover of Newsweek magazine, “We’re all socialists now.” We’re there. However — again, some context — I said these things under George Bush with the beginnings of the bailout. You don’t do this in a free-market society. I’m afraid that we are headed toward a state that is controlled in Washington and by these global corporations. We’re headed toward statism where these gigantic corporations and government are in bed. That was one of my main problems with George W. Bush.

That's why so many of Beck's programs, radio & telebision, were devoted to the cause of increasing regulation & oversight during the Bush administration's, shall we say, lax, enforcement of Beck's precious laws. (By the way, is this what the right means when talking about "respect" for an office? As long as their guy's in office, you have to respect the office. The minute their despised by 75% - 80% of population toad is out, it's "Who? Him? Never liked him. Not a real conservative.") 

Also amusing are Beck's & others' reactions to that Newsweek cover. Blood pressure medication & Depends® sales must've leaped that wk. 

After all, not just any magazine would brazen its cover with the canard “We’re All Socialists Now,” as Newsweek did in February. Though we’re not all socialists, that their editors have always been sympathetic to the movement is a given.

Yes, it's the same guy who called Newsweek "a roach’s den of radicalism." But back to Beck.

You seem to have said that Al Gore has used Nazi-like propaganda tactics to promote the idea that global warming is a man-made threat, is that correct? Yeah, the argument that he was making was the same kind of tactic used by the Nazis. I don’t believe Al Gore is trying to gas or round up Jews, I don’t believe the result is going to be the same thing. Just understand that the tactic used was a device used by the Nazis. For instance, we have him on tape during the convention or during the inauguration where he was talking to 12-, 13-, 14- and 15- year olds, and he said “Look there’s a lot of things you understand instinctively but your parents don’t understand those things because they’re just too trapped in old thinking.” Well, gosh, I mean, I know he’s not going to be rounding up Jews any time soon but that’s called the Hitler Youth where you turn the children against the parents.

Or "give the children an education," sometimes they call it that too. 

"OK, Johnnny, if your father says there wasn't a cure for the clap when he was your age, then I guess there isn't a cure, penicillin or not."

Really, how does this crap go on & on? It's never going to stop, is it?

Sure, You Think This Is A Joke ...

... until you get a look at the Male Chastity Devices. We thought Xian Wife Spanking was bizarre, but we should have known the religiously ill would be able to top it.

Newt: 15% Of Nation Threatens Religious Freedom Of Other 85%(Not An Onion Item)

From USN&WR, we see that Gingrich isn't exactly crossing the droolers off his list for the New Republican Apparatus. Actually, he's pandering to them.

"In the last few years I've decided that we're in a crisis in which the secular state, if allowed, will fundamentally and radically change America against the wishes of most Americans," Gingrich said in a phone interview on Thursday. "You've had such rising hostility to religious belief that I wanted to reach broadly into the country and dramatically raise public awareness of threats to religious liberty."

Yes. Thursday. Yesterday. The very day some people were a-bitchin' & a-moanin' that the Prez was on the tube w/ Leno, when he should have been handling the economy. And meanwhile the "idea man" of the Gumming Our Peas Party is re-recycling the "atheists will put us Gawdly Murkins in camps" routine.

The PowerPoint slides list Republican senators and congressman with the highest ratings from the National Right to Life Committee and juxtapose them with ratings for the same elected officials from Americans for Tax Reform. The conclusion: politicians with the strongest socially conservative records also have the strongest antitax records. [...] "A lot of donors have been out to lunch on this issue," says Tyler. "If I can prove to them that mobilizing evangelical voters leads to the best economic policies, I don't have to convert them into Catholics or Protestants. It's pretty straightforward."

One question: Aren't most of them Prots or Catholics already? What's this conversion he thinks he has to perform? Otherwise, we have to say Gingrich's plot is very discouraging. Sensible, even. (In which case it may not stand a chance in the current "conservative" environment.) We don't need con men like Newtie re-uniting (let alone renewing) the Party of Nixon. By the way: Is it coincidence that these advertsare on the page w/ the Newt piece? (Free Newt! Get it?) No, it isn't. It's done by robot. But it isn't as if USN&WR doesn't know which stories will make the robots post the ads that are going to get the most clicks from the droolers who read it.

Three Stooges - Dopey Dicks

Why not?

Henry IV Dead! Long Live Henry V!! Bonus: Spring Has Sprung

Today is Friday, March 20, the 79th day of 2009. There are 286 days left in the year. Spring's arrival: 7:44 a.m. Eastern time. More from AP. AP A/V. UPI Almanac. Today's Highlight in History: On March 20, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte returned to Paris after escaping his exile on Elba, beginning his "Hundred Days" rule. On this date: In 1413, England's King Henry IV died; he was succeeded by Henry V. In 1727, physicist, mathematician and astronomer Sir Isaac Newton died in London. In 1828, poet-dramatist Henrik Ibsen was born in Skien, Norway. In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe's influential novel about slavery, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," was first published in book form after being serialized. In 1899, Martha M. Place of Brooklyn, N.Y., became the first woman to be executed in the electric chair as she was put to death at Sing Sing for the murder of her stepdaughter. In 1956, union workers ended a 156-day strike at Westinghouse Electric Corp. In 1969, John Lennon married Yoko Ono in Gibraltar. In 1977, voters in Paris chose former French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac to be the French capital's first mayor in more than a century. In 1985, Libby Riddles of Teller, Alaska, became the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race. In 1995, in Tokyo, 12 people were killed, more than 5,500 others sickened when packages containing the poisonous gas sarin were leaked on five separate subway trains by Aum Shinrikyo cult members. Ten years ago: Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland and Brian Jones of Britain became the first aviators to fly a hot-air balloon around the world nonstop. The Yugoslav army, taking advantage of the departure of international monitors from Kosovo, launched a furious offensive against outgunned ethnic Albanian rebels. Five years ago: Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide rallied against the US-led war in Iraq on the first anniversary of the start of the conflict. The US military charged six soldiers with abusing inmates at Abu Ghraib prison. The Rev. Karen Dammann, a lesbian Methodist pastor, was acquitted of violating church doctrine in a trial held in Bothell, Wash. Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian narrowly won re-election. Former Dutch Queen Juliana died at age 94. One year ago: In a setback for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, a drive for a second Michigan presidential primary collapsed as the state Senate adjourned without taking up a measure calling for a do-over contest. Mao Asada of Japan won the women's title at the World Figure Skating Championships in Goteborg, Sweden.  Today's Birthdays: Producer-director-comedian Carl Reiner is 87. Actor Hal Linden is 78. Former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney is 70. Country singer Don Edwards is 70. TV producer Paul Junger Witt is 66. Country singer-musician Ranger Doug (Riders in the Sky) is 63. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Bobby Orr is 61. Blues singer Marva Wright is 61. Blues singer-musician Marcia Ball is 60. Actor William Hurt is 59. Rock musician Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) is 59. Rock musician Jimmie Vaughan is 58. Country musician Jimmy Seales (Shenandoah) is 55. Actress Amy Aquino is 52. Movie director Spike Lee is 52. Actress Theresa Russell is 52. Actress Vanessa Bell Calloway is 52. Actress Holly Hunter is 51. Rock musician Slim Jim Phantom (The Stray Cats) is 48. Actress-model-lifestyle designer Kathy Ireland is 46. Actor David Thewlis is 46.  On March 20th, 1948, "Gentleman's Agreement" won the Academy Award for best picture. In 1952, "An American In Paris" was named best picture at the Oscars. In 1964, "Funny Girl," starring Barbra Streisand, opened on Broadway. In 1969, John Lennon married Yoko Ono in a private ceremony in Gibralter. In 1970, David Bowie and Angela Barnett got married in London. They later split up. 

In 1990, singer Gloria Estefan broke her back when her tour bus was hit by a truck in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains. She underwent surgery and took months to recover. In 1991, Sony announced a long-term contract with Michael Jackson that was said to be potentially worth one billion dollars. Eric Clapton's four-year-old son, Conor, died when he fell out of a window in New York. In 1992, "Basic Instinct," starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, opened nationwide. Activists who claimed the movie was anti-gay turned up to protest at several theaters. 

Thought for Today: "I am I plus my circumstances." — Jose Ortega y Gasset, Spanish philosopher (1883-1955).

Who Cares What Manson Looks Like Now?

From the "Where are they now?" file, Charlie has been re-popularized by the Calif. State Dep't. of Corrections.Our immediate & cynical reaction is that the Corrections Dep't. wants all CA taxpayers to remember they're keeping us safe from Charlie, so don't cut their budget. Teachers, smeachers.