Somehow I can see NYC Smurfette reviving her blog for this

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Can't argue with that

Me: Are you watching the Yankees?
Mets fan Dawn: Oh yeah, woooo look at me all watching the Yankees, rooting them on.
Me: Well, I thought you'd be rooting on the Red Sox then.
MFD: What do I look like, a moron?!? Who roots for the Red Sox?!

Bloggity

Eric the Young Curmudgeon is back, at a brand new site that looks suspiciously like the old site and even has part of the same URL. He blogs about tonight's crazy blogger party (which has about 100 bloggers attending) and wonders how he'll get people to remember his url. I scratched the idea of nametags because I was assured it was too doofy and also reminded that some bloggers are anonymous and may want to stay that way despite being at a blogger bash. Anyway, visit Eric's new digs and tell him to quit linking to Dawn Summers so much or Karl Rove is going to get really pissed.

And if you're in NY and have nothing to do in about an hour, stop by the party: K Lounge, W.52nd between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.

Click

Check out the ads in my sidebar, Dawn, Joe and Yehudit took me up on my ad offer and have produced some pretty cool ads.

Love the Drudge

The NY Press has picked the Observer's Politicker blog as Best Political Blog in its 'BEST OF MANHATTAN' list. Congrats to Ben and the gang, they completely deserve the honor (and not just because they link to me every now and again).

I've written a ton (here, here and here) on my feelings for the NY Press. And reading the first few paragraphs of the Best of Manhattan list, I almost started to think they had returned to form, clever, interesting and different. But then, no:

Best Overreaction to a Bad Pope Joke

Drudge & Co. vs. New York Press

Everybody just relax. You know Matt Drudge has a hydra-headed bug up his ass about something when he gives it more play than a new Hillary Clinton book deal. So it was last March when this newspaper printed an unremarkable column by Matt Taibbi listing the "Funniest 52 Things About the Upcoming Death of the Pope." For three full days—that's three entire news cycles while the country is at war—The Drudge Report devoted a sizable chunk of real estate to posting the cover of the offending issue of New York Press.

Three days.

If a giant killer asteroid were heading straight for planet Earth, Drudge might give it two days of play before dropping it to make way for a John Edwards bestiality rumor. Nothing gets three whole days of prime play from Drudge. But this stupid little New York Press story did. The only possible explanation is that Drudge was determined to make trouble for your humble narrator, whom he turned on violently after former Press columnist Michelangelo Signorile started outing his closet-case friends.

Emphasis mine.

This perfectly demonstrates 2 things:

1. Drudge is my kind of guy and,
2. Don't mess with Drudge (something I've written on before too)

Outing is purposely trying to hurt someone, by using something they keep secret, against them. Trying to destroy the business of the outer, or the business that employs the outer, is fine by me. I would take it further and go after his whole family but, you know, I'm Russian and all that. If you go straight for the kneecaps the first time an outer tries this kind of thing, we'll be unlikely to see any other outing efforts. No one wants to see their mom all sad, or their business destroyed. It's the only way.

Put down the kool-aid, Glenn

Could Giuliani be the Perot of this decade? If he wanted to be, I think he could. (Heck, if the two parties continue their spiral of mutual destruction, he might even get elected as an independent.)

-Instapundit

Little NY story

The other day I was walking out of the UBS building on Sixth Avenue and 51st Street and there was a large, wooden fruit cart in the middle of the sidewalk, instead of on a corner as is the usual location. It was a big, heavy thing, completely unlike every other fruit cart in the city. There was no one manning the cart. I was looking at it, all perplexed, when a woman said 'they're filming a movie' and pointed to cameras across the street. As if on cue, but actually totally unconnected to the filming, a ragged looking man walked by and scooped up two or three pieces of fruit and then continued on his way. You can't leave a food cart unattended in Manhattan, even if it is just a prop in a film.

Dreier out, Blunt in

NYC Right lays out what went down in the House GOP yesterday and why David Dreier, 'socially moderate amnesty supporting California Congressman' did not take over as Delay's successor.

NY Blogger Party (bumped for correction purposes)

It's this Friday at 8pm at K Lounge, 30 W 52nd St between Fifth and Sixth Avenues (thanks Yehudit for the correction). There are over 70 bloggers currently RSVP'd to attend. If you're in the NY area this weekend, come on by.

Free Ads, again

The last time I gave away 3 free ads, I got 4 paid ones within the week. So, let's try this again: A free ad for the first three people to comment. The ad can be for your blog or business but I do have final approval of all ads.

Good.

International Freedom Center idea scrapped

Indicted

Tom Delay has been indicted and has stepped down from his Majority leader position. Dennis Hasterst has picked David Dreier of California to replace him. The only thing I've ever heard about Dreier is that he's been the target of an outing campaign. The article I link notes:

Dreier can probably survive outing in his district and be re-elected, and it won’t hurt him much with Arnold and his cronies either. But Dreier’s days as a key member of the ultra-homophobic Hastert-DeLay House GOP leadership may be numbered.

Yep. Numbered.

'Now I ain't saying she a golddigger...'

Anna Nicole Smith's case reaches Supreme Court.

Obviously because of French support for the war in Iraq

Terror suspects 'targeted Paris metro'

'Thank you, America, for welcoming us.'

Boat people reach U.S. after 16 years

Hoist it, baby. 4pm EST (Bumped to top, new posts below this one)

(Click this graphic to listen)

Our guests today are Andrew C. McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and a contributor to National Review Online and the amazing, phenomenal, hilarious Jeff Goldstein of the blog Protein Wisdom.

Ms. Dawn Summers is unable to live-blog due to her new job so the position is now open.

Call in with questions: 1866-884-TALK (8255). Do it.

We've got Neal Boortz lined up for next week with Steve Forbes and Dick Morris coming up in mid-October. If you're not listening, you're a big loser.

UPDATE: Von Bek to All Sporting Men will be live-blogging the show.

Nothing like news like this from the ole' high school

This post has been removed. The people in the post have been cleared of all charges and it is unfair to them to keep the post up. I have apologized for writing on the matter before all the information was available and for my snarky tone. Albert and Adelphi deserved better from me.

My bizness

In my disclosure statement in the sidebar on my site, I note 'Additionally, all material on this site should be considered my personal opinion and may not represent that of my employers.'

I would just like to mention that this extends to my comments on other sites (which I always post under my real name because I'm not a chicken about my opinions) and also anything I say on 'Hoist the Black Flag', the weekly talk show on Rightalk.com that I co-host with Ace of Spades. Additionally, posts by guest bloggers do not necessarily reflect my opinion, just my opinion of them as interesting writers. I will update the sidebar statement to include all this but figured a post might be needed as well. I always thought my blog would be a problem for me if I wrote about my clients, and that was the point of that disclosure, but it seems it can be many other things as well.

Just saying

It'd be easier for me to laugh at the idea of Ben Affleck as Senator from Virginia if, you know, Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't Governor of California.

Going to the chapel and we're....

Charles Star, formerly Ugarte of that dumb RickBlaine.com site, is getting hitched and, like any good blogger, he and his lady, Carrie, have started a blog on the subject.

Charles and Carrie both write for the magazine Stay Free, which "explores the politics and perversions of mass media and American (consumer) culture", and oh boy are their readers letting them have it in the comment section of the wedding blog for daring to spend money on the day that will tie them together, presumably, forever.

It's funny because I acknowledge I love Capitalism, I love money, I love parties, I love getting all dressed up and I love presents and yet I absolutely, positively don't want a wedding. I see it as a waste of money. I'd rather have a down-payment on a home or a long vacation or one of those SUVs that are the cause of all the world's ills. But, obviously, to each his own and the anger directed at Charles and Carrie is more than a little absurd.

Did I Mention I Love Living (And Blogging) In The US? (Posted by Petitedov)

Yahoo outs a Chinese journalist critical of government.

I understand that as a business enterprise Yahoo has loyalty to its share holders and thus it must obey the laws of the country in which it is operating to remain a competitive company and not be barred by from a lucrative market such as China. In doing so Yahoo (and Google) is consenting to censoring information and essentially controlling the content of the internet. Although the notion is unappetizing I understand the rationale behind the endeavor.

However, what I find really wrong with this situation is the lack of resistance that Yahoo has showed under these conditions. A man is going to go to prison for ten years because of a single article he wrote. Whose fault is it? Mainly, the Chinese government, although Yahoo's hands aren't clean either.

We don't need no stinkin' facts

"Tim Russert went on the attack today to please the right wing apologists [i.e. MSNBC and NBC News] who had the nerve to fact check his impassioned outburst on MTP during the nightmare of Katrina."

-Crooks and Liars.

Via Blogometer.

'Apparently you ain't parents'

NY: Vegan parents convicted of assault for nearly starving their daughter to death.

Models to the rescue!

Naomi Campbell defends Kate Moss's drug use by taking part in a UN program on human trafficking?

Campbell said it was wrong to blame the modeling industry for drug abuse and eating disorders among young women.

She agreed to take part in a program run by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Colombia to raise awareness about human trafficking.

Campbell said she wanted to help in "providing a safe environment for models and preventing exploitation of human beings."

More than a dozen Colombian models from the Elite modeling agency recently attended a U.N. course in Bogota on how to spread the message about the risks of being lured abroad and sexually exploited.

Colombian police estimate that up to 50,000 Colombians, including many underage girls and boys, have been forced into prostitution, mainly in Japan, Spain and Holland.

Six Questions for Brian Duprey (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)

The water-cooler topic in Maine this summer was a bill that proposed banning abortions if those abortions were "based on the prospective sexuality of the fetus," should a "gay gene" be discovered. The bill's sponsor was State Representative Brian Duprey (R-Hampden). I interviewed Mr. Duprey this week for an upcoming piece at my own website, www.doriandavis.com. As a gay man, I asked him very tough, skeptical questions. His answers were candid and...controversial:

DORIAN DAVIS: What is your perspective, as a person of faith, on homosexuality: a) that it is a lifestyle choice, b) that it is a biological defect, or c) that it is a biological trait, like handedness, that isn't chosen nor pathological?

MR. DUPREY: Lifestyle choice.

DORIAN DAVIS: If science could isolate a "gay gene," and could "fix" that gene with gene technology, would you support genetic surgery to repair homosexuals prior to birth?

MR. DUPREY: There is no gay gene. They'll never find one. That's why homosexuals hated this legislation, it "outed" the fact that they were born normal and made this choice.

DORIAN DAVIS: The bill that you sponsored, LD 908, was called "An Act to Protect Homosexuals from Discrimination." Do you support legislation to protect homosexuals from discrimination in all sectors of public life, including the workplace?

MR. DUPREY: I support equal rights, not special rights. Protecting homosexuals discriminates against straight people. I employ homosexuals and have them as friends. Why would someone want to work for someone who would discriminate against them??? If a gay employer only wanted to hire gays, should he or she be allowed? Is that discrimination? An employer should be able to hire or fire anyone for any reason or no reason.

DORIAN DAVIS: The bill that you sponsored, LD 908, was predicated on the fact that several women had mentioned that they might abort their children if doctors could determine that their children were homosexual. Who, exactly, were the women who inspired LD 908? Were they liberal women or conservative women?

MR. DUPREY: They were all pro-choice women. Pro-Choice women are both Democrat and Republican, conservative and liberal. Pro-Life women do not abort babies, even if they did have the gay gene.

DORIAN DAVIS: The bill that you sponsored, LD 908, would have prohibited women from aborting their children on the basis of their children's projected sexuality. Do you worry, as a Republican, that punishing women for their reasoning, and not for the act of abortion itself, might be the equivalent of punishing women for a "thought crime"?

MR. DUPREY: If they did ever "map" the gay gene and my bill were to pass, all a woman would have to do is say I want to suck my child into the sink because I can't emotionally handle having another child. All she would have to do is lie as to the real reason. The bill would never be used.

DORIAN DAVIS: The bill that you sponsored, LD 908, was a small media sensation (I learned about it on The O'Reilly Factor), but it was declined by the Judiciary Committee in May 2005. Had you expected more support from the state legislature? What was the response from homosexuals? From conservatives?

MR. DUPREY: I asked the committee to kill the bill. After all the testimony from both sides it was clear there is absolutely no gay gene. The majority of gays or lesbians are either raped, molested, physically or sexually abused, emotionally abused, raised by a single parent, had an alcoholic parent, had a real dominate parent etc. There are very few cases of homosexuality where the child was brought up in a "normal" environment. Being gay is a choice that I do not judge people for. I can care less. Some of my best friends are gay and it doesn't bother me in the least. Knowing some of the childhood abuse stories I have heard, I can understand why they would turn out that way.

Watch

My friend Jeff Cook is primaring Rep. Sue Kelly (R-N.Y.) because of her big spending ways. It's going to be an interesting race. Jeff is National Field Director of the Log Cabin Republicans and is quite conservative, on everything except gay marriage. His opponent is fiscally questionable, her issues list on her website is basically a list of pork collected for the district and I don't know where she stands on gay marriage. The incumbent has the edge, obviously, but watching this race play out may be somewhat indicative of where the Republican party is going. Yes, it's just New York and we certainly don't a Republican party that can be considered average by national standards, but that Congressional District is pretty conservative. It will be interesting to see how much of an issue Jeff's gay marriage views become in the race and whether fiscal conservatism will beat out social conservatism.

Hurricanes ain't no thang

I am watching cnn and it is 100 percent rita...even though it is a little wind and a little rain...it is bad, but there are other things going on in this country today...and in the world!!!!

Via Gateway Pundit.

Zero integrity

The New York Times Public Editor is all over sloppy opinion pieces that pass for journalism over at the 'Paper of Record'. If only anyone who wrote for the paper actually cared.

What is Catholicism?

The other day I wrote about the Catholic church potentially seeking out, and presumably expelling, gay priests. I wrote about it sarcastically, because I think it's kind of dumb to assign sexual identity to people who aren't supposed to be having any sex. Who cares who they're attracted to, so long as they don't act on it? Well, the flip side is this kind of stupidity from Andrew Sullivan:

HOW TO FIGHT BACK: There is a solution to this. It's called courage. I am actually tired of hearing from all these gay priests who refuse to use their names and give blind quotes to the press. Memo to them: your silence is empowering Benedict and the forces of bigotry. You have a choice now: come out to your congregations, explain your lives, stand up for yourselves and the pope, or continue to be scapegoated, exiled, punished.

Oh yeah. That's a great idea. I can just see priests getting on tv to proclaim that they fantasize about other men. Maybe then straight priests will tell us about their fantasies. Maybe some are into bondage? I can't wait to hear all about it. We'll have reality programs of priests living in a house in Boston or Austin showing the wild antics they get up to.

The way I see it is this: if you choose to be a priest, you are choosing a celibate life. This is not a secret. And while it may be true, like commenter Jake noted, that it would be a good idea for priests to be allowed to marry, it just isn't happening in anything resembling the forseeable future. If you're gay or straight and can't control your urges for the lifetime that your position demands, perhaps being a priest is not for you. It certainly isn't for everyone. But to have priests come out as 'gay' while not acting on it is beyond absurd. Its really stating your sexual preferences in a setting that isn't conducive to have sexual thoughts at all. It's not about being gay, either, it's just as weird as Father McGrady telling the press he fantasizes about ole' Mrs. Margaret who sits in the third pew on Sundays. It's just not appropriate in the context of their chosen life. Priesthood is about devoting yourself to G-d and not allowing earthly pleasures, like sex, to get in your way of that. What Andrew Sullivan is advocating is a repudiation of Catholicism altogether. Putting aside that homosexuality is forbidden in the religion, which it obviously is as it is most faiths, Catholicism demands that its priests be chaste. To lose both of these basic tenets in one swoop, as Catholic in Name Only Andrew is advising, is beyond ridiculous.

I have a lot of respect for religion and religious people. The fastest growing religons, such as Islam and certain strains of Christianity, are the most strict and serious. There's a reason for that. People seek a certain wholesomeness and purity from their religions. The purpose of religion is to get you closer to G-d, and the vast majority of people believe it takes some level of sacrifice to get there. Catholicism includes the rejection of a personal life for its priests and nuns. And that's the way it is. If Sullivan or others thinks the church does not represent them, the door is open for them to leave at any time. To change everything about it and still proclaim yourself a member of the faith is ridiculous.

Just wondering

How is South Park on network TV (on right now on WPIX, Channel 11 in NY)?

Celebrating singlehood by finding your mate ASAP

Apparently, from September 19th-25th, it's National Singles Week. What's interesting about this is that it seems to be entirely devised by dating websites and organizations that aim to pair people up. I'd be a lot more impressed with Singles Week if it gave people the opportunity to lay around in their underpants or encouraged folk to make out with a different stranger every weekend. I mean, that's celebrating the single life, right?

Hey! I thought I was the only one with a short list of people I'd spit on if I ever saw them.

And, actually, one of my people appears on his list.

Quote of the Day

Don’t know about all of you, but I, for one, am completely at ease knowing that George Bush has put away the guitar and the cowboy hat, and that this time he really really cares.

Although, judging from this latest round of flooding, the streets of New Orleans don’t seem to appreciate the effort. Ungrateful, hard-hearted streets.

-Jeff Goldstein

Life imitates South Park

The event continues today, and features a concert that will without question make President Bush change his mind about keeping troops in Iraq.

-Greg Newburn on the anti-war protests in DC.

(The South Park reference)

''Are you sure?'

William Shatner has covered Pulp's 'Common People'.

On a different Britpop note, the party Tiswas at Don Hill's, where Peter and I met, is having its last dance party at that location tonight. Come for the indie rock, stay for the lip synching guy on stage acting out the songs.

Be back soon

I'm working waaaaay too much, and have a lot of stuff going on at the moment. I'll be back to regular blogging some time tomorrow (or, today, seeing as it's 3am). If I haven't returned your email, phone call or smoke signal, please forgive me.

What is gay?

Vatican weighs ban on gay priests, regardless of whether they act on their sexuality.

What I don't get is how they will know who is gay if they aren't actually having sex with members of their own gender. If they're celibate, what makes them gay? I imagine gay men who choose the priesthood, whether to supress their own desires or not, will likely not be the stereotypical Cher-listening, chaps-wearing Chelsea boy. So how will they weed out the gays?

Words that don't come to mind when you hear the name 'Ronald McDonald'

Sexy, sophisticated, stylish, female.

It's all Bush's fault

All headlines from Drudge:

DEATH: Bus carrying Hurricane Rita evacuees explodes on Interstate 45 near Dallas...

Jeb Bush warns Rita could set off gas crisis in Florida...

RITA IS 'GLOBAL WARMING,' SAYS UK ENVIRONMENTAL CHIEF...

Jeb Bush warns Rita could set off gas crisis in Florida...

Storm could hit refineries harder than Katrina...

Scenes from NY

Conversation last night with James Taranto:

Me: What?! You're voting for Ferrer?!?!
Him: Yes.
Me: Why?
Him: Well, do you know where Ferrer stands on John Roberts?
Me: No.
Him: I rest my case.

It's a bad scene when Peggy Noonan is ripping into Bush

At first I thought she was trying to excuse Bush's bad, bad spending habit:

George W. Bush, after five years in the presidency, does not intend to get sucker-punched by the Democrats over race and poverty. That was the driving force behind his Katrina speech last week. He is not going to play the part of the cranky accountant--"But where's the money going to come from?"--while the Democrats, in the middle of a national tragedy, swan around saying "Republicans don't care about black people," and "They're always tightwads with the poor."

In his Katrina policy the president is telling Democrats, "You can't possibly outspend me. Go ahead, try. By the time this is over Dennis Kucinich will be crying uncle, Bernie Sanders will be screaming about pork."

That's what's behind Mr. Bush's huge, comforting and boondogglish plan to spend $200 billion or $100 billion or whatever--"whatever it takes"--on Katrina's aftermath. And, I suppose, tomorrow's hurricane aftermath.

But then no.

"You Don't Fit In" (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)

Martha Stewart Flops in PrimeTime

Via: Drudge Report

Now get to work on China v. Taiwan

Gib has figured out a solution to the whole China v. Tibet friction.

'It's in a black person's soul to rock that gold'

Sorry, Kanye, it's in Shirley's soul to rock that cash:

"(Legally) it's something I want to look into, because he was very cheeky, so one way or another he is going to have to pay me a lot of money."

-Shirley Bassey after finding out Kanye West used her voice on his 'Diamonds are Forever' song.

Christianity and the Holocaust

Dawn Eden posts an interesting perspective on the Holocaust, in rememberance of the death of Simon Wiesenthal.

Tonight in NYC

Peter and Mike continue their excellent Archives Listening Project tonight at 12" Bar (179 Essex St, just below Houston) at 9pm. Tonight they're playing Oar by Alexander Spence. Don't worry, I've never heard of it either. Free Admission.

Hurricane Question

Do other countries name their hurricanes?

They're having a bad year

Hurricane Katrina victims in Texas flee Hurricane Rita

I've said it before......

I love Wal-Mart.

It's unanimous, New York girls love Dallas

Dawn Summers has one of her funny travelogues up. This one is about Texas.

Today, 4 p.m. EST

(Click this graphic to listen)

Our guest today is Jack Kelly, national security columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Toledo Blade, and a nationally syndicated columnist.

Our call-in number is 866-884-TALK. So, do call.

Sorry for the delay, am having a busy, busy day.

Thank you to Dawn Summers for posting this, even if it was under duress. She is guest-blogging the show once again so check her out.

Because we're better, Robert, that's why

Robert George questions why he is still a Republican in light of insensitive, and sometimes outright dumb, comments from people like Dennis Hastert and Barbara Bush. As I noted in his comment section, there will always be people in your party that will say dumb things. Lord knows I wouldn't want to be in the party that not only has Howard 'verbal diarrhea' Dean in it, but is actually led by him. I'm really annoyed at all the comments Robert has gotten telling him to 'come home' to the Democratic party as if black people (oh, by the way Robert George is black) belong to the Democrats or something. I find that so racist. It's like 'look, black guy, you've had your fun with the other side now fall into step where you should'. Gross.

I love Bubba Crosby

And just so no one thinks it's a recent love, I've adored him ever since he rounded the bases so fast he crashed into Jason Giambi at second (even if that did get him out, it still showed heart- and speed- that the Yankees were sorely lacking at the time) and then even more when he threw the the Tampa Bay pitcher off his game last week by stealing second. I think it's time for a Bubba t-shirt.

Pants on fire

Aaron Broussard, who broke down on Tim Russert's show during the aftermath of Katrina while telling a story about a man promising his mother day after day that help was coming until she finally died, turns out to have been lying.

Yes, the 92-year old woman did die, but she died on the first day of the tragedy, making those calls, promising that help is on the way, slightly impossible. I'm don't cry very often (ok, I did cry at the finale of Six Feet Under but I never cried over 9/11, no matter how much it broke my heart) but watching Broussard on Russert put a lump in my throat and brought tears to my eyes. I'm sorry to hear he had to embellish this story to tug at heartstrings such as mine. The Katrina disaster was sad enough without the exaggerated numbers and fake stories. I guess one old lady dying on the first day of the hurricane doesn't a sad enough story make. Neither does hundreds of dead, it needs to be thousands to create the appropriate hysteria. I blame the media, who love death, destruction, fear and can't seem to report a story, even about a natural event like a hurricane, without policizing it. And that's the saddest part.

Via Acey.

Quote of the Day

On Wednesday, wishing to spend a quiet and restful evening, I went to the debate between Christopher Hitchens and George Galloway, two mild-mannered, stereotypically reticent Englishmen who have a friendly quarrel over the war in Iraq. Hitchens was brilliant when I could hear what he was saying, and Galloway was always entertaining. But the highlight of the evening was a man in the row in front of us who periodically yelled out "Fallujah!" whenever Hitchens spoke. Indeed, Fallujah. Can anything else be said?

-Joey McKeown