Star-Tribune Hack Columnist Attacks Autistic Child

Doug Grow... utter jackass.

Just a little hyperbole on my part? Only a little, and much less than Grow. He cries hypocracy because he found a (Minnesotan) Republican party member who wants to trim government waste yet benefits from government assistance. How? Grow picks on the man's autistic child because the boy takes part in a state-funded program.

Residual Forces features a little write-up on Mr. Grow's strange little column.
Bogus Gold also comments.
Anti-Strib does as well..

Grow's giving the Strib's other wingnut (Nick "commie" Coleman) a run for his money.

Note to Doug Grow... please read my recent post on guilt and shame.

Superman II: More Donner, Less Salkinds

I just got an e-mail from a friend of mine about an hour ago. He's a big fan of Superman and we've talked recently of some guy online who made a hobby re-edit of Superman II to suit it more to the original director's vision (Richard Donner, who also directed the first Superman film, the Lethal Weapon movies, Scrooged, and quite a few other enjoyable movies).

Here's what my pally said:

While Washington waits for news of indictments, I have real important news! Richard Donner himself has been hired to do a special edition DVD cut of Superman II !!! The official word came through on the Superman Homepage!

See a script of the film that more closely reflects the Donner version (as opposed to the version by Richard Lester, who directed the highly enjoyable The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers) at Donner's Superman II.

The Superman Homepage hastens to add:

It's still very early days, so anything can happen from here on in, but we'll be following the story closely.

An interesting note, but you probably already know it. Alexander and Ilya Salkind (father and son) were the producers for Superman and the two musketeer films I mentioned before. (IMDb credits Ilya without his father as producer of Superman II.)

Apparently, the cast were under the impression they were making one single film, and thus were paid for one film. A lawsuit followed.

Notes on IMDb says they sued director Richard Lester, but I believe a fair amount of complaint is dished to the producers by members of the cast in a featurette on the musketeer DVDs.

Have You No Shame?

No one really likes shame or guilt, especially if you are the source. Who would disagree? However, can you appreciate the value of those emotions? As I get older, I sense more folks pooh-poohing guilt. Even if this feeling I have is way off target, I'm sure most of you know someone (however close or distant) who believes shame and guilt to be outmoded feelings... emotions whose time has come and gone.

I remember a sermon from one of my parish priests regarding Catholic guilt. The very words 'Catholic guilt' probably conjure a negative image. You might even feel a sense of disdain for any Catholic who would even think of imposing their values and morals upon another, forcing him to feel unneccessary guilt. Well, our priest took it upon himself to illustrate how Catholic guilt was good.

Maybe you are a Catholic reading this right now. Perhaps a Jew or a fallen away Catholic. (Maybe a "recovering Catholic", as the ever-so-witty phrase goes by anti-Catholic former Catholics... how clever you are.) You might remember your grandmother laying a guilt trip on you for mot visiting her recently, not going to Church or Temple, or not seeing your family over Easter or Yom Kippur. How can guilt have any good?

I doubt you need a Catholic or Jewish grandmother to feel guilt. She might remind you of that little voice you hear when you do something you know is wrong... but you knew in the first place. Even as a child you know when you are doing wrong or when your motives were not honorable (inspite of what you told yourself).

Guilt merely reminds us of loyalty or obligations to others that we are failing to uphold. Some folks work hard to bury their guilt... to forgive themselves. I've actually heard of people forgiving themselves for heineous sins. What hubris! The height of arrogance... to forgive yourself before you have sincerely reflected upon the wrong you commited. You must also admit your wrong-doing to the people you have crossed and then seek forgiveness from them!


Guilt is Good (from Jewish News of Greater Phoenix) or On Days of Awe, don't feel guilty about feeling guilty--guilt's good (from Jewish News Weekly)

Guilt is like a pain that lets you know you need to go to the doctor before the situation gets worse. Guilt is an early warning system, a light on your dashboard telling you to pull into a mechanic and check things out.

Rosh Hashana is all about facing our guilt head-on. We may be able to ignore it, obscure it, justify it all year, but when Rosh Hashana rolls around, there's no more running, no place to hide.

The Postitive Aspects of Guilt (from Mental Health Matters)

So in what sense is guilt good for you? Guilt, when applied to behavior, is the little alarm system that tells us when we are not living up to our own standards. Where our standards come from, and how much ours are like others', are beside the point for now. Guilt is what we feel when we have let ourselves down. Without it, we would be in an amoral world in which everyone could act on the impulse of the moment. Guilt, not agriculture or the wheel, may be the foundation of civilization.

And how to make sure that guilt only lasts a few minutes? I believe the Catholic Church teaches that forgiveness of sins requires two things: sincere repentance, and a firm intention to amend. Repentance, guilt, by itself is not enough. I've known many people whom I've felt were truly remorseful for their actions, but repeated them again at the next temptation. It takes a determination to do better next time to allow us to put guilt away. Next time we may fail again, but if we truly wish to change our behavior, eventually we will succeed.

Guilt is Good (from Beliefnet)

It is a striking fact about our basic human architecture that we want certain actions to remain secret, not because of modesty but because there is an unarguable sense of having violated a law more basic than that in any law book--the "law written on our hearts" that St. Paul refers to (Rom 2:15). It isn't simply that we fear punishment. It is that we don't want to be thought of by others as a person who commits such deeds. One of the main obstacles to going to confession is dismay that someone else will know what I want no one to know.

[...]

"Guilt," comments my Romanian friend Ioana Novac, "is a sense of fearful responsibility after realizing we have taken the wrong step and behold its painful consequences. In my experience, unfortunately not many people can tolerate this insight. My hunch is that many people these days experience less and less love, less and less strengthening support from their families and communities. As life gets more harried and we become more afflicted, the burden of guilt increases while our courage to embrace repentance--to look ourselves straight in the mirror and face the destructive consequences of our blindness and wrong choices--decreases."

It's a common delusion that one's sins are private or affect only a few other people. To think our sins, however hidden, don't affect others is like imagining that a stone thrown into the water won't generate ripples…

Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks like this. ;)

I'm sure some areligious folks (and definitely the anti-religious folks) would make something out of the fact that most of the quotes come from columns that quote the Bible or Jewish faith and tradition. Hopefully, they can at least see the basic truth about guilt.

(As a Catholic, I'm very greatful for the idea that guilt is a component of repentance and that without guilt we cannot gain repentance.)

Anti-War and Opportunistic: Ghouls

Shame matched only by stupidity. Smiles at a 'rally' which commemorates the 2,000 casualty in the Iraq War... at least some of them had the courtesy to clean up.

The photos are shocking. Sinatra might actually jump out of his grave and bust some chops for this. If he doesn't, the Duke might.

Smug fools.

Face (and SCOTUS) Saved

Efforting...

Miers Withdraws Her Nomination to Supreme Court

Thank you, Ma'am. Clearly, a tough personal decision to make (especially in public), but the correct action to take. Especially as a conservative.

Can't Blog: Child Sick

Tricky... the kid's a little demanding when feeling ill.

I have a post I'm cooking up, but it's not quite finished. Maybe later this week. It is on shame and guilt. (Ooooh! Just what you've always wanted.)

In the meanwhile, cuddling on the couch with Toy Story makes me feel like the greatest dad in the world. (That, and changing all of the really messy and stinky diapers.)


UPDATE: 8:25 AM, October 26, 2005

Healthier... which wasn't nearly as great as I had hoped. No longer letharic and a little whiney, but sudden attitude (babytude) with short but loud screams. The Beautiful & Dutiful Mrs. Badda-Blogger and I seem to have figured out a way to stare him down so he becomes smiley and says 'please' and 'thank you' again... however, these moods occasionally spring up at other times.

We're praying for this Babytude to completely give way by this weekend so that his usual (and acceptable) demeanor returns full-time.

(By the way, I think he's more taken with Buzz Lightyear than Woody... probably ought to show him all of Toy Story 2 for more Woody, and a little Jessie. He'll love her.)

Canoe Believe This?

Kind of late... not much else to say.

Canoe Girl & the MSM Play-Actors

All the News is a Stage

Democrat Elites: Stop With the Talking

Mitchell at Our Word crafted an articulate post regarding advices to Howard Dean, however it might as well go to any of the numerous self-appointed spokesmen who hijacked the Democrat party.

It is worth a read... and you'll find any number of interesting posts while you're there. I should mention he also quotes me from time to time... when I'm not bathering that it. ;)

Audrey Hepburn Would Roll Over: Bling-Bling Fashion

What would the lovely Miss Audrey Hepburn think of the modern bling-bling fashion? I'm not just wrinkling my nose at the trampy girls who wear the gear, I mean the fashions of the dolls young girls like.

I have no worry about Barbie dolls... in general. Since James Lileks' recent column (the newly launched Quirk! in the otherwise no-credibility paper of Minneapolis), I've began to cringe.

...Barbie isn't stupid. As a role model, you could do worse. You could do the Bratz, which are grotesque pumpkin-headed creatures with Kate Moss coke-hag bods and bedroom eyes. And the "bedroom" in this case is a motel room on the outskirts of Vegas littered with crack vials and crumpled cigarette packs.

I know, I know: Kids grow up faster today, which is why it's important to provide 10-year-olds with slutterific dolls so they'll know how to dress for their photo in the escort section of the free weekly. But why Barbie gets people riled up and the Bratz get a pass -- go figure.

Due to some of the people the Beautiful and Dutiful Mrs. Badda-Blogger associates with, I hear plenty about the evils of Barbie. (When you hear it from Lisa on "The Simpsons" it's funny, when you hear it from living, breathing agenda-warriors it's annoying and embarassing.) Admittedly, I don't really have a dog in this fight, but I cannot see the damage a simple Barbie doll (or even a collection) could possibly do.

However, when she looks like this I enter into curmudgeon mode:

...For the holiday season Mattel is bringing out the "My Scene Bling Bling Barbie," an attempt to out-skank the Bratz market by tarting up America's sweetheart. Her lips now contain so much collagen she looks like she'd make a sloshing sound if she puckered up; her eyes are bigger, the mascara looks like she was attacked by a rabid Sharpie, and her lids have that come-hither half-mast appearance that make her look as though she smoked half a pound of hash on the way over from China.

Her accessories are blinged out, as you might expect -- a silver cell phone for calling her dealer, a tiny silver purse whose contents you can imagine dumped out on a police car hood (sold separately), gauche synthetic fur that suggests they lifted the ban on trapping pimps and selling the pelts, a halter top, short shorts, pink leg warmers and high-heeled boots. Just ghastly. "Flashdance" meets "Foxy Brown" meets "Pretty Woman." On Cinemax.

Madonn'.

Now, I love walking around in public and seeing young, attractive women dressed somewhat sparsely, if you know what I mean. (The Beautiful and Dutiful Mrs. Badda-Blogger isn't nearly as enthusiastic, if you know what I mean.) Of course, that's merely as eye candy. I have a counter-instinct that says to me, "How can these girls dress like this?" Not that long ago I saw a very hot looking girl walk by wearing and extremely short skirt... and it wasn't merely short because it only came down to her upper thigh (if you know what I mean). To be quite explicit, you could tell that she was keen on managing her bikini line. Now, she was attractive, but far too young to dress like that! (Not to mention, you usually need a website membership to see someone dressed like that.)

Lileks continues:

It fits the target market, though. Let's be honest: Most kids have no sense of style. Most little boys would wear a Spiderman costume to Great Aunt Agnes' funeral if they could. But adults are the ones pushing bling on kids, even though bling can only be worn ironically as a comment on the awfulness of bling. Adults are supposed to teach kids about style. In a way, it's apt; Barbie's clean-cut California classic look is out, replaced by the ugly incoherence of modern fashion, most of which looks like something Audrey Hepburn would slit her wrists rather than wear.

I'll tell you something about Audrey Hepburn. She was so classy that even my subconscious dreams wouldn't dare to get too explicit when she was the featured item. Seriously.

One of the most fondly remembered dreams was of a younger Audrey Hepburn cuddling with me on a couch. We were fully clothed. There was no groping, let alone any sex (regular or otherwise, for you Clinton voters). There was nothing untoward at all... I merely woke up smiling like a school boy.

It was all very innocent and it was one of the sexiest dreams I ever had. ;)

(Uh, I kind of jumped topics... but that's the power of a real woman who knows how to dress.)

Language Corruption: Doctor Appointments NOT "Baby Well-Visits"

You know how folks like to soften up the language for the sake of sensitivity or under the guise of clarification.

I had never heard of such a phrase (even with a young nephew and now a baby in the family), but while at a friend's house I overheard the wife talk about doctor visits for her children... however, she referred to them as "well-baby visits" or "baby well-visits".

Huh?

Oh, for the days of my youth. What in the flamming hootie-hoo does that mean, why did someone come up with it, and why did other people repeat it?

When you bring your baby to the doctor for a check-up it's a check-up, a doctor visit, a doctor oppointment, or an appointment for shots.

This silly corruption came about sometime before 2000. On the Discovery Health Channel website, Doctor Eileen Mc Laughlin gives a description.

A well baby visit is when a newborn, infant, toddler, or young child has a routine physical exam at the doctor's office or clinic. This exam has several purposes. One goal is to check a child's physical growth and development. This can help the doctor find and address problems early. Another goal is to teach parents about healthy growth and development milestones. Regular exams are also a good time for the child to get immunizations. Childhood is a stage of physical and mental development. Providing the proper health care and guidance helps a child have a positive future. The chances of illness can be reduced with good preventive care. Problems can be detected and treated early.

Ah! Right there in the first sentance she provides another sensible phrase for old curmudgeons like me... routine physical exam.

Now, while shaking my head at this strange little euphemism, Mrs. Badda-Blogger (who is not a blogger, merely a patient, tolerant, and dutiful wife) happened to walk by and read part of this entry. She speculates that the phrase comes from an insurance definition that essentially breaks down to what comes out of your pocket versus what comes out of the insurance company.

For example, if you have a regular check-up with your pediatrician when your baby is nine months old it is a baby well-visit as the baby is not sick. However, if your baby has hives, pukes purple chunks, or cuts himself accidentally in a toy train mishap you bring your kid in because he is not well and you cough-up some or all of that cost (depending on your insurance policy).

Sounds like a believable reason. (When I say reason, I don't mean reasonable folks came up with the language... merely that it seems to follow a familiar pattern.)

It's just as annoying (and useless) as "wellness center" is compared to "doctor's office" or "hospital".

Madonn'!

Price Gouging?

This afternoon, Charlotte's Mr. Right mentioned an article on claims of price fixing in the Charlotte Observer.

Jason adds that you can't really price something above the market price... as the market determines the market price. If you want something sold, you place a price on it that the item will sell at and at a price that you will get the profit you want.

He also suggests that Attorney General Roy Cooper is suing for price fixing to get publicity so he can run for governer of North Carolina. This may sound like a similar statement Jason may have made regarding a certain Attorney General Mike Hatch of Minnesota... you may very well think that, but I couldn't possibly comment. ;)

Jason later added that John Stossel's recent column addresses so called fair wages.

Hugh Hewitt Possessed By John Stewart: "You're Hurting the Reagan Revolution!"

Surely you remember John Stewart's little rant about "hurting America".

(I hear you say, "Of course I do, but don't call me Shirley!")

Stewart's a funny guy, but I wouldn't trust him to spot what's bad for America... at least not while he's on Comedy Central. Now, we have Hugh Hewitt practically parrotting Stewart's words.

Hewitt... the guy who hosts an afternoon drive-time radio show, the mister nice guy of conservative talk shows, the pleasant and affable guy... the guy who has some of the worst bumper music in talk radio (and talks with a guy on one of his Friday segments that gabs about top ten movie lists with some of the most overrated films in the categories they select)... he's such a water carrier for G.W.'s administration.

Hey, don't get me wrong... overall I'm a G.W. guy. He spends like a drunken sailor, but considering the alternatives we had in the 2000 and 2004 elections I'll take George any day.

Let me shift back to the point. Hewitt apparently went crazy-eight bonkers the other day while poo-pooing the anti-Miers camp of the Republicans... Speed Gibson has a select transcript.

Listen! Listen, please! You are hurting the Republican Party’s chance of holding the Senate in 2005. You are hurting the Republican Party’s chance of hanging on to the Supreme Court’s gradual shift to the right. You are being completely disingenuous in your arguments and you dress poorly if you do not like Harriet Mier’s nomination.

C'mon, Hugh... debate's good, isn't it?


Update: 11:35 AM, October 27, 2005

Once again, Speed Gibson discusses Hewitt's possition... he's anti-anti-Miers.

American History: Columbus

Shame on me for posting this a day late.

In any case, here's something I found on Instapundit regarding Christopher Columbus.

Instapundit also mentions an article from UPI (linked at Instapundit) that offers up reasons for celebrating another Italian... Giovani Caboto, or John Cabot as he was known in England.


Cent anni... may you live for one hundred years.

America In Good Shape: We Have Proof!

Things must be going well. Why? Because Algore claims we are in Grave Danger. Hell, if he's droning on about how bad America is we must be doing something right.

Again, another guy who thinks he's important. Get over yourself, son.

He drops references to the Roman Empire, the Greeks, Edward R. Murrow, German philosopher Jurgen Habermas... he tries equating Rush Limbaugh with hate-speech... and then he drops (with the subtlety of a 16 ton weight) the name of his network Current TV.

This calls for a look back into the realm of The Onion... and it's similar enough to be funny all over again. ;)

Gore Delivers Emergency Presidential Address Into Bathroom Mirror

"My fellow Americans, our enemies have struck at the heart of our great democracy," Gore solemnly intoned into his electric razor during the not nationally televised address.

RIP Ronnie Barker

Ronnie Barker of The Two Ronnies (with Ronnie Corbett) and Open All Hours (with David Jason) died quite recently (today or yesterday).

Sadly missed... he was very funny.

New Punishment For Vandalism: College Tuition

Heard this on Joe Soucheray's radio show Garage Logic on Monday (or whenever he mentioned it this week)... and found a link to Pair 'o Dice (through a link on Shot in the Dark), and you must check it out. The news story is in the Duluth News Tribune.

Swenson Wants to Offer Scholarships to Vandals

James I. Swenson is the chief financial backer of the new science building at the University of Minnesota campus in Duluth.

Swenson said he and UMD Chancellor Kathryn A. Martin have talked about offering the vandals, who caused $8 million in damages to the new science building November, scholarships to the university.

I recall Souch saying that the building ran about $33 million to build. (The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has a little more.)

The university said there are no concrete plans yet. "Nobody has discussed this in any formal way," said UMD spokesperson Susan Beasy Latto. "(Swenson) is such a good-hearted man. I'm sure he'd like to see something happy happen."

When Latto says good-hearted she means reckless and stupid.

I know folks who have gone to U of M Duluth... some still have college loans to pay back. Obviously, I've suggested the repay those loans with vandalism. Perhaps I could even try to get tuition for my boy by making a little day trip to Duluth soon.

Moron.

The Strib mentions a little more on the vandals.

...three boys, ages 12 to 14, smashed windows, discharged fire extinguishers, clogged drains and left standing water on three floors...

For crying out loud, their stones haven't even dropped yet and they figured out how to do more than $8 million worth of damage!

Science Daily mentions that there were three kids who confessed (the other was a 13 year-old) and has more on the vandalism.

They drove forklifts into walls, broke doors and windows, threw paint and glue around and opened 30 faucets on the third floor, causing a majorflood.

Sounds a little more severe than the vandalism in the Strib story, huh?

English Flag Offensive To Whom?

Thanks to Little Green Footballs for posting the following news from beyond the pale:

Race fears spark St. George ban

The flag in question is not the Union Jack, although that flag also sports a red cross (in addition to diagonal red stripes)... this is the flag of St. George. It is a white flag with crossing red stripes. It is the red cross that has some folks up in arms. Just take a guess who those folks are.

Chris Doyle, director of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding, said Tuesday the red cross was an insensitive reminder of the Crusades.

Oh, yeah. Now was this a concern brought to Doyle by a British Arab citizen who was offended by one of these pins or was this a concern that came to Doyle on his own. (I suspect Doyle isn't part Arab or a practicing Muslim... although I suspect he is a practicing multiculturalist.)

The silliness doesn't end there, of course. (It never does.)

[Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne] Owers said: "Staff should not wear unauthorized badges or pins."

How can a pin of the flag of St. George be unauthorized anywhere in England, let alone a state prison? That's similar to saying that a pin of Old Glory is unauthorized at a prison in the US, or a courthouse, or a police station, or a fire department, etc.

"Muslim or Arab prisoners could take umbrage if staff wore a red cross badge. It's also got associations with the far-right. Prison officers should be seen to be neutral."

In what way is the flag associated with England's far-right? I don't doubt it (I mean, this story comes from CNN after all... whatever!), but is it too much to ask for a further explaination or some (God forbid) facts behind this statement?

Take heart, though. The sub-headline of the story reads a differnent angle.

British prison officers who wore a St. George's Cross tie-pin have been ticked off by the jails watchdog over concerns about the symbol's racist connotations.

Correct me if I am wrong, but if you go read the entire story there is no further discussion of prison officers annoyance with the jail watchdog.

Madonn', the second sentance associated with the news piece is the first and last mention of a key element of the story!

More proof of lazy news at best, and pro-multiculturalism (and Leftist) bias at worst.

Not only that, the CNN website also has a little vote for readers to take part in... Is it time for England to change its national flag? The question itself is a leading question. It suggests there might be a time for the flag to change... and that potentially outside influences might provide reasons for changing the flag.

EOW

Double-Dumbass on Me, 10/04/2005

What a dolt!

In the past several years, we've noticed a rise in folks wearing helmets... and not necessarily for typical activities. Soucheray mentions it every now and again on his radio show Garage Logic (AM 1500 KSTP), and some of his listeners call in with Helmet Updates. There have been sightings of tricycle riding kids, lawn mowing folks, walkers, car drivers, etc. It sounds crazy... and it probably has something to do with a growing trend in our culture: total risk aversion.

Well, while shopping I noticed a guy in a helmet. He was collecting grocery carts. Now, this grocery store isn't exactly always clean, the sorrounding parking lot is a maze, my wife's car has been hit at least twice by drivers, many more parking lot crashes have been noted, and it's fairly well travelled. My first reaction was that perhaps the store manager required their cart gofers to wear protection... especially since they also have a bright vest with reflective tape (like road construction guys).

(To be fair to the store, it's a nice enough... the grocery store is getting some work done to it and the guy who rang me up today was absolutely great.)

Well, I called up Joe to mention it... and the first thing he wondered about was whether the guy's health was such that the guy needed the helmet. That's when my wife heard... and she immediately gave me The Look. Yeah, the guy apparently is missing a few teeth because of epileptic fits (or something like that) so he needs the thing for certain.

Put me in the dictionary under the description: jackass.

Tom Hanks?!?!?! But He's Such a Nice Guy!

Go to Malkin... it looks like we've got a celebrity look-alike terrorist. He resembles Tom Hanks... and Doogie Howser, M.D.

Boo-Hoo Number Two

Madonn'! What is it with tough guys eager to cry in public?

Last time I mentioned this it was Dan Rather (Gunga Dan, Dan Blather, Dan-I'd-Rather-Slant-the-News, etc.). Now it's actor Donald Sutherland.

The Drudge Report has this to say:

At one point during the session, Sutherland started crying: "We've stolen our children's future... We have children. We have children. How dare we take their legacy from them. How dare we. It's shameful. What we are doing to our world."

Sutherland went on rip Karl Rove's "methods and means" against people like Cindy Sheehan.

"We're back to burning books in Germany," Sutherland said of NBC's editing out of Kanye West's comment on Bush during a hurricane relief telethon.

He must be feeling leftie-guilt now that his son has been so sucessful with his anti-terrorist show on FOX. ;)

Any chance these whiny-woos get to allude to Nazis they jump at it and froth at the mouth... and in the case of Donald, he starts to weep. What a girl.