Author: David

See the post at The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns.

No. I’m not going to say more here. (Beef panties… what’ll they think of next? Fish bras? And why recall them, anyway? It’s painful enough even contemplating such a thing to begin with. 🙂

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Originally uploaded by mnmus.

Yeh, yeh: ever since I saw this posted at Parrot Check with the title “Paris Hilton Screwing By the Pool” I’ve been highly conflicted. Puke? Laugh myself silly (surely a redundancy) and then puke? Succomb to the temptation to mimic his post title in my own?

I never have understood the Paris Hilton thing. Someone is famous for being a rich slut? What’s going on there? She’s just Madonna without the recording contracts (of course, she may well sing better than Madonna, but that’s damning with faint and merely potential praise. A gutted tomcat sings better than Madonna).

Well, here is it, anyway. The stupidest pun-on-a-pic I’ve seen on a blog yet. Congrats, Parrot Check. That’s (seriously) quite an accomplishment. No one and nothing was damaged by the thing, save for whatever eyes actually look at the pic.

Here’s a lil treat from “Gribbit” while Jay, of Stop the ACLU, is occupied “out of town”…

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Read more…

From the ACLU:

ALBUQUERQUE –The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico filed a lawsuit today asking a federal court to declare Albuquerque’s recently passed Voter ID Amendment “unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.”

The new law requires people who vote in person to present a “current valid identification card containing the voter’s name and photograph.” Among the acceptable forms of identification are a driver’s license, a credit card, and a voter identification card issued by the City Clerk. Absentee voters are exempt from any photo ID requirements.

“If you’re poor or homeless, there’s a good chance you don’t have any of the permissible forms of identification,” said ACLU Executive Director Peter Simonson. “Wealth shouldn’t determine your ability to participate in democracy. Americans shouldn’t have to jump through unnecessary hoops to exercise their constitutionally-guaranteed right to vote.”

From the ACLU

CINCINNATI – The American Civil Liberties Union today asked the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a lower court ruling blocking an anti-abortion specialty license plate in Tennessee, saying that the plate discriminates against opposing viewpoints.

“When the state of Tennessee approved an anti-abortion license plate and failed to do the same for a pro-choice plate, it effectively cut off public discussion,”” said Julie Sternberg, Senior Staff Attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, who argued the case today before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. “The lower court made clear that the state cannot open up a forum for public debate on abortion without allowing both sides an equal opportunity to express their position. We are hopeful that the appeals court will do the same.”

The law in question makes a “Choose Life” license plate available to motorists for an annual fee of $35 over and above the basic costs of registering a car in the state. Fifty percent of all funds raised, after expenses, go to a private anti-choice organization called New Life Resources. The legislature twice rejected an amendment that would have authorized a “Pro Choice”” specialty plate.

I found this over at GM's Corner, posted by Woody, and just followed the bread crumbs and…

I started wondering about civics knowledge of the typical American citizen. Googling provides a superficial infoset about the topic that nevertheless supports a day-to-day impression formed by exposure to my fellow citizens, especially whenever political topics are being discussed.

"In the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the wave of patriotism that has followed, there has been renewed concern about the state of civics education, citizen formation, and national character in the United States. Yet according to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress test in civics, only 24 percent of high school seniors were "proficient" in their knowledge of American government and civics.[1] Study after study since then continues to suggest that historical literacy is at a similarly abysmal level.” [Federalism and Fiscal Responsibility: A Lesson in Civics Education]

In fact, as I drilled down deeper into the information at the source of the statement above, I found… a lot of mush and obfuscation hiding the core data. And a lot of euphemistic interpretation of the data.

Not a good sign. When educrats bloviate (when do they not?), it’s a sure sign they’re trying to hide or twist bad news.

Well, I decided to take the "citizenship quizes" that Woody linked to in a post he mentioned in the one that started this lil wander through the web. (Convoluted enough for you, yet?) Here's what resulted from the first lil quiz:

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations – you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Sadly, I know high school-and college!-grads who would definitely miss some of those very easy quiz questions, but I wasn’t satisfied, so I took the other two quizes mentioned. The results of those quizes are below the fold (if it works right this time-heh).

But here’s another lil quiz that’s perhaps a better indicator of whether or not a person should be allowed to vote (yeh, I said that, and I meant it). It’s an online practice quiz offered to help immigrants prep for a citizenship test. I'm thinking that if a person born a citizen in these United States can't pass this test, they should be given a Green Card and be treated as a resident non-citizen. *sheesh* Seriously, if I weren’t able to pass a 100Q quiz as easy as this one by seventh grade, I would have flunked my seventh grade civics class. And NO ONE lacking such basic knowledge of civics American style ought to be allowed in a voting booth. They’re too stupid and ignorant to exercise the franchise.

(Linked at GM’s Corner’s Open Trackback Wednesday.
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Here are the results of two other simple “citizenship quizes” Woody linked that I took (simply copied and pasted the text of the results. And note that I do know Rhenquist is no longer Chief Justice of the SCOTUS :-):

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You might be surprised to learn that immigrants usually know more about our nation than most born-and-bred Americans! Want more? Try the sample citizenship questions posed by the Immigration & Naturalization Service.

Your Score: 10 out of 10 — Congratulations! You’re a model citizen.

1. What country did we fight during the Revolutionary war?

a) Great Britain
b) France
c) Germany
d) Italy

You chose: a
The correct answer is: a

2. Why did the Pilgrims come to America?

a) to flee colonization
b) for religious freedom
c) for the right to vote
d) for a better life

You chose: b
The correct answer is: b

3. Who helped the Pilgrims in America?

a) the slaves
b) the Native Americans
c) the British
d) the Dutch

You chose: b
The correct answer is: b

4. Which list contains three rights or freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights?

a) Right to life, Right to liberty, Right to the pursuit of happiness
b) Freedom of speech, Freedom of press, Freedom of religion
c) Right to protest, Right to protection under the law, Freedom of religion
d) Freedom of religion, Right to elect representatives, Human rights

You chose: b
The correct answer is: b

5. Who is the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court?

a) George W. Bush
b) Janet Reno
c) Colin Powell
d) William Rehnquist

You chose: d
The correct answer is: d

6. How many changes or amendments are there to the Constitution?

a) 10
b) 13
c) 27
d) 9

You chose: c
The correct answer is: c

7. How many voting members are in the House of Representatives?

a) 50
b) 100
c) 435
d) 535

You chose: c
The correct answer is: c

8. Who becomes President of the United States if the President and the Vice President should die?

a) the Speaker of the House of Representatives
b) the Senate Majority Leader
c) the Chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff
d) the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

You chose: a
The correct answer is: a

9. Who has the power to declare war?

a) Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
b) the Supreme Court
c) President
d) the Congress

You chose: d
The correct answer is: d

10. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?

a) Articles of Confederation
b) Manifest Destiny
c) Bill of Rights
d) Declaration of Independence

You chose: c
The correct answer is: c

Quiz

U.S. Citizenship Test: Could You Pass?
Way to Go!
(Note: In the actual test, answers are given in sentence format; here we’ve changed the format by offering multiple-choice answers.) You got 11/11 correct.
1

Correct!
The correct answer: A They represent the 13 original colonies
Your answer: A They represent the 13 original colonies
The stripes on the American flag represent the 13 original colonies; the 50 stars represent the current states in the nation.
2

Correct!
The correct answer: C 27
Your answer: C 27
Over the years, there have been 27 amendments to the Constitution–the most recent one was ratified on May 2, 1992.
3

Correct!
The correct answer: A Legislative, executive, and judicial
Your answer: A Legislative, executive, and judicial
The three branches of the United States government are the legislative, executive, and judicial.
4

Correct!
The correct answer: B It ordered that slaves in rebel territory be freed
Your answer: B It ordered that slaves in rebel territory be freed
The Emancipation Proclamation ordered that all slaves in rebel territory be freed. It was issued on January 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln.
5

Correct!
The correct answer: C The Speaker of the House of Representatives
Your answer: C The Speaker of the House of Representatives
The Speaker of the House of Representatives becomes president of the United States if both the president and vice president die. During the country’s history, the line of succession has changed several times.
6

Correct!
The correct answer: C United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and China
Your answer: C United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and China
The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and China were principal allies of the United States during World War II.
7

Correct!
The correct answer: A Alaska
Your answer: A Alaska
Alaska was admitted as the 49th state of the Union on January 3, 1959.
8

Correct!
The correct answer: A 9
Your answer: A 9
Nine justices sit on the Supreme Court of the United States: eight associate justices and one chief justice. The president of the United States appoints them to the Court for life terms, but the U.S. Senate must approve each appointment with a majority vote.
9

Correct!
The correct answer: C “The Star-Spangled Banner”
Your answer: C “The Star-Spangled Banner”
“The Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States. Francis Scott Key wrote the text in 1814, and it later became popular as a song, sung to the tune of a British drinking song. Congress approved it as our national anthem on March 3, 1931.
10

Correct!
The correct answer: C 1787
Your answer: C 1787
The Constitution was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788.
11

Correct!
The correct answer: B Mayflower
Your answer: B Mayflower
The Pilgrims came to America aboard the Mayflower. A good way to remember this one is the old joke: If April showers bring May flowers, what do Mayflowers bring? The Pilgrims. Originally, the Pilgrims intended to take two vessels, the Mayflower and the Speedwell, but the latter proved unseaworthy.

“Once More, With Feeling”: The Script Book

Just caught Charles Schumer commenting that “[Alito] is considerably out of the mainstream on a number of cases…”

*sigh*

Cluebat #1 for Chuckie: that’s why federal judges/justices have life apointments, you know, so they won’t feel pressured to decide cases according to the latest poll but rather according to that strange thing you apparently never consider (except, perhaps, in the “what can I get away with” sense), you know, the law.

Cluebat #2 for Chuckie: ya ever think that YOUR “mainstream”… isn’t? No, of course you haven’t. Why would I even ask…

Glad I wasn’t physically present when Chuckie was proving his stupidity, cos I am constitutionally unable to suffer a fool gladly.

Chai Latte-esque

heh

Lately, I’ve been drinking some chai latte drinks. (For those who need a translation, “chai” is just the latest faddish way to say “tea”—yeh, I know all the linguistic gobbledegook. It’s still just a faddish way to say “tea”). And “latte” is the la-di-da way to say “milk”.

But the chai lattee drinks I’ve been introduced to by Lovely Daughter are a tad more complex than the old milk-in-tea (or cream-in-tea) I used to drink. Kind of a “la-di-da” version of my mom’s old spiced tea recipe with a few twists.

But the mixes and pre-mixed liquids all seemed just a little too “not me,” if you will . So, I’m sipping my first effort at approximating a chai latte drink from scratch.

Ingredients

• 6 individual serving bags of green tea
• 12 cloves of, well, cloves
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1 stick of cinnamon, ground finely (about a tablespoon or a little less)
• milk
• honey
• water (12 “coffee cups” or 12X 6-oz~ Just 2 quarts and an 8-oz measuring cup)

Doing the deed

• Opened the bags and dumped the tea into the filter basket of our drip coffee maker. Added the ground cinnamon on top.
• Crushed the cardamom pods to release the seeds; crushed the cloves.
• Tied (well, stapled) the cloves and cardamom in some of the emptied paper tea bags and dropped them into my coffee carafe.
• Brewed as for coffee.
• When the brewing was done, I let the cardamom/clove bags steep a bit (5 minutes?) and removed them.
• Nuked about 4-oz of milk in a mug for 30 seconds
• Added a tablespoonful of coffee creamer (I like the texture of CoffeeMate, and its no-fat version is as smooth as the regular, so… )
• Topped off with spiced tea from the carafe, sweetened to tste with honey.

Not bad. Needs something citrus, though.  Maybe dried lemon peel or dried orange peel. Maybe a tad more or less on the spices. It’ll be fun experimenting.

As it is, though, good enough for a warmer-upper on a fall day/evening. It’s not coffee, but it’s… nice.

Update: Second cup tried no milk, just creamer. Hmmm, a tad better. Maybe I should try it with cream sometime. Still needs some dried lemon or orange peel, I think.

Update #2: Oops. Forgot. Added just a pinch of nutmeg to the top of the tea leaves before brewing. Nutmeg just seems to enhance the high notes the cardamom adds.

(A Precision Guided Humor Assignment from The Alliance of Free Blogs.)

(Talk about amphibolous… )

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We’ve formed a blogburst group and here are the bloggers who are contributing so far. If you want to join the blogroll for Free Kerry’s 180, click here to email me, include the url for your blog. The blogburst is every Tuesday, so don’t forget to blog about it. All you have to do is encourage Kerry to set his 180 FREE, I’ll send you the code for the blogroll.

The more people we have, the merrier!