That Sounds Familiar

I've been saying this for quite some time. Heck, MissSpeech and I have been warning our Financial Peace classes about this. Just nice to have it confirmed.

Jesus from South Texas signed up for credit monitoring at the notoriously scammy FreeCreditReport.com. He never received the confirmation email and wasn't able to access his account, so he never used it, but forgot to call to cancel it. After three months he realized he was being charged $15 a month as per their terms of service, so he went to their site to retrieve his login credentials and was told the account didn't exist.

See? They even scammed Jesus.

Whoa, THOSE Were Good!

I just had some awesome food. Taco Cabana now has Shrimp Tampico tacos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. I enjoyed two of the tacos, and dad-gum they were good! Lots of medium-sized shrimp marinated in lime, cilantro, garlic, ancho chilis, and chipotle, with diced tomatoes and onions all on Taco Cab's awesomely soft flour tortillas. These things are magnificent. I wonder if you can get them on corn tortillas... Just thought I'd share.

Just Say "No"

First, I apologize for the light blogging, but MissSpeech and I have been out of town for a while (a post about that coming soon!), and I've been really busy with various things. Anyway, I wanted to quickly draw your attention to a very troubling trend in "law enforcement" recently.

In both Boston and Washington DC, there is a new "mandate" that has the police going door-to-door looking for guns in people's homes. Ostensibly, it's to look for illegal guns possessed by minors, but it really just appears to be a gun grab AND a violation of the 2nd and 4th amendments. The only "good news" is that apparently, just like vampires, the police have to be invited in to look around, in exchange for amnesty.

The problem is, how many people, when faced with a cop at thier door, will just let the cop in to "just look around"? I would bet most people would. And that's unfortunate. Because it is you RIGHT to not have them in your house FOR ANY REASON without a warrant, even if you think you're just being nice. So, the GreatMoose has provided a simple response should something like this ever happen to you. Ahem:

Cop: "May we search your home?"
Homeowner: "Do you have a warrant?"
Cop: "No."
Homeowner: "No, you may not." And close the door.

It's that simple. Be polite. But remember, we live in a free (for the time being) country. You do, in fact, have rights. This isn't really even about guns and the 2nd amendment. It's about the 4th, and it's just as important.

Minor civil liberties rant over.

"'Tis But A Flesh Wound." (Badass of the Year Award)

This article is just amazing. A British soldier in Afghanistan takes on 150 Taliban an owns them all.

As a public service to those not well-versed in Brit-speak (or as they call it, "English"), I provide the following translation:

“Fusilier Hields showed extraordinary courage under intense fire,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Huw James, his commanding officer."

Translation - The LC says that Hields was taking none of their Islamo-bulls$h!t.

“I was astonished at the state of his vehicle. There were so many holes in it, it was like a teabag."

Translation - The enemy ragheads shot the hell out of his ride.

"The Taliban did everything in their power to neutralise [him] and Fusilier Hields was having none of it."

Translation - The ragheads knew not with whom they farked.

"His actions allowed his patrol to come out of the ambush in which they were outnumbered by three or four to one and probably saved a lot of lives.”

Translation - He went total Chuck Norris on their punk @$$es.

The weapon in question:



Mess not with the British, for they will end you.

The Moss Is Beginning To Chink On The Tiger's Spots

Or something. Anyway, the point is, chinks are beginning to appear in the Obama armor, and the GreatMoose is changing his mind. After my previous post on the topic, I had some time to think about it, and am rethinking my openess to consider Obama as a candidate. And it looks like McCain is my guy after all.

Honestly, it comes down to one thing: Can I wake up in January with a liberal as Commander-in-chief?

No.

And since Huckabee is out (and Thompson, and Paul, and...), McCain is the choice, even though he's not as conservative as I'd like. I'll get over it.

UPDATE:

McCain is officially the Republican nominee. Cool beans.

UPDATE II:

McCain is giving his victory speech, and I gotta be honest, I can't disagree with anything he's saying. IF he's being honest, I can support him 100%. Lower taxes, less regulation. Admits we live in a global economy and embraces it. No mandated/national healthcare. Win.

UPDATE III:

Aw crap, the Hildebeast won Ohio. I think I threw up in my mouth a little.

It's Getting Harder To Say No To Obama

Look, I'm a life-long Republican, but more importantly, a diehard conservative. USUALLY, the Republican in a race automatically has my vote, as the republican party is historically the party of conservatives.

But this year, we have John McCain. Not a conservative, but he plays one on TV. On the other side, it looks like we're going to have Barack Obama. Also not a conservative, but he's never claimed to be one.

McCain has been on both sides of just about every issue he's ever taken on. While I do believe that a person can and should change their mind from time to time (after all, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds"--Ralph Waldo Emerson), having BOTH opinions on any given topic is just ridiculous. In short, I don't really trust him.

As for Obama, it appears that what you see is what you get. He's a liberal. Apparently he has at least some measure of common sense. He HASN'T been in Washington for most of his life (and that's not a bad thing). I guess my point here is, "the enemy you know is better than the enemy you don't". Just for fun, lets compare the two (shamelessly stolen from 411mania.com):

Obama and McCain both voted for the failed 2007 Immigration Act

Both voted against a bill that would prohibit undocumented immigrants convicted of aggravated felonies, domestic violence, stalking, violation of protection orders, crimes against children, or crimes relating to the illegal purchase or sale of firearms from gaining legal status.

Obama sponsored a bill which would have increased the level of family sponsored immigrants from 226,000 to 567,000. McCain voted no.

Obama cosponsored an amendment that reduces the annual limit on guest workers to two hundred thousand from a ceiling of six hundred thousand proposed.

Obama voted for an amendment that declared English to be the common language of the United States. John McCain voted no. However, he voted against English being the national language whereas McCain voted yes. HOWEVER Obama voted for English to be the unifying language and McCain agreed. I are a bit confused.

Both voted for triple-layered fencing at the border.

They both voted no on the same sex marriage amendment.

Obama voted to provide 500 million to help vets deal with PTSD and substance abuse. McCain voted no.

Both voted yes to embryonic stem cell research

I guess my point is they're both liberal. At least Obama is honest about it. And he APPEARS to be tougher on immigration than McCain. Obama's current plan is this:

1. Make them learn English
2. Make them pay BACK TAXES
3. Make them pay a fine
4. Put them at the back of the line for citizenship

And you know what, that's EXACTLY what we as conservatives have been saying we want. Sounds good to me.

You know, this has been an absolutely fascinating campaign so far. When it started, Hillary had all the advantages. She had the most money, she had the inside track to all the superdelegates, and she seemed to have the press under control. All the local party officials seemed ready to organize the votes to get her the nomination.

Now look at her: she's lost the past ELEVEN primary races, she's having to loan herself money to pay the bills, and the superdelegates aren't so locked down as she thought. It's all falling apart around her and she isn't sure why. Almost every week we see another crack in the facade, another barely contained bought of furious anger at Obama. Hillary simply cannot believe that Obama (of all people) is outsmarting her.

And I think it's wonderful.

Needless to say, I'll be watching the March 4 Texas primaries with great interest.

Don't Say I Never Gave You Nothin'

I give unto you the goosebumps. And it shall be caused by this:



I don't know about you, but watching that I felt like I was 12 years old again. At the end, I got the biggest smile on my face. Looks like a true movie hero is back.

It's about time.

Here's a high-def link.

The Most Ridiculous Thing I've Seen In Quite Some Time

If you are in need of a good laugh today, I urge you to take a look at Hilary! Clinton's new campaign ad. It is a celebration of all that is out-of-touch about her. It really does take ridiculousness to a whole new level. Behold:



Fantastic. I never realized how "hip" that "jive turkey" Hillary was. Surely, she has "mad skillz" that are "all up in this hizzy." How can GoBama and McCAIN! compete when she's so "down wit it." Fresh.

It's like her campaign staff asked:

Q: "Hm, what do 18-30 year olds like?"
A: "Gnarly guitar solos, dude!"
A2: "Bitchin'."

In the Pantheon of Things That Are Lame, this claims the crown, even over the Apple MacBook Air.

Rad.

Super Tuesday Is Here!

I watch with great interest what happens in the Democratic primaries (mainly to make sure the Hildebeast does not win). The GOP primaries: I must tell you, I do not care. They all suck. One's as "good" as the other. Eh.

But now on to teh funny!



Ew.

No Thank You, Tom Brady!

HA HA! I know Matt is enjoying this. All in all, that was a pretty good game (especially the last 5 minutes). Commercials were good, too. Not sure of my favorite, but when the Terminator came on-screen and starting kicking to crap out of that Fox Football robot, I got pretty giddy. And seeing Justin Timberlake get beat senseless was pretty cool, too.

Here's The Play that won the game. It may just be the most amazing play in Super Bowl history. They're already calling it "The Grab In Glendale", since "The Catch" is already taken.



Great win, Giants!

I think it's safe to say that Eli Manning will no longer be in Peyton's shadow, you know?

Oh, and there's a great thread over on Fark explaining why Football is superior to (and less ghey than) soccer.

"Last I checked, prancing around on grass while kicking a ball doesn't really make you a man."

Golden.

And some more pics, just because:

Remembering The Greatest Super Bowl Halftime Show Ever

I'll never forget watching the 2002 Super Bowl halftime show. I remember being really excited because it was going to be U2 performing. What I didn't expect was what they were going to be doing. All of a sudden the stadium goes dark, the band starts playing "Mothers of the Disappeared", and the names of the 9/11 victims start scrolling on these tower-like canvases behind the band. Wow.

And The Edge goes into the beginning lines of what is quite possibly U2's greatest song, "Where the Streets Have No Name". And Bono recites Psalm 51. And everybody in the room fell silent.

It was something to see: a band that isn't from the US, pouring out thier hearts in love for our country. It still gets me. If you didn't see it, you owe it to yourself to watch it, and try to image what it was like watching this only a few months after Sept. 11th.



U2 really is the greatest band in the world.

Why It Is Important That Obama Win In The Primaries

I have created a simple visual representation showing why it is so important that Obama beat Hilary in the primaries:

80: Bush (VP)
81: Bush (VP)
82: Bush (VP)
83: Bush (VP)
84: Bush (VP)
85: Bush (VP)
86: Bush (VP)
87: Bush (VP)
88: Bush
89: Bush
90: Bush
91: Bush
92: Clinton
93: Clinton
94: Clinton
95: Clinton
96: Clinton
97: Clinton
98: Clinton
99: Clinton
00: Bush
01: Bush
02: Bush
03: Bush
04: Bush
05: Bush
06: Bush
07: Bush
08: Clinton
09: Clinton
10: Clinton
11: Clinton

This oligarchy crap has got to stop. Now that Thompson is out, I have no idea who I'm going to vote for. My only choice is this:

You Know, I May Have Been Wrong

Amazing, I know. For a long time I have said that is almost NO good music being released these days. Aside from a few standouts (David Crowder Band, Snow Patrol, maybe a few others), most modern (past 5 years) is garbage. So it is extremely exciting when you come across something worth listening to.

The sad thing is, this particular album came out over a year ago, and I'm just know noticing it. I heard one of the tracks from it a while back, and loved it. But thought, "The rest of it can't be that good," so I went on with life.

Well, the other night (while driving "the van"), I took the plunge and listened to the rest of the album online. And was completely blown away.

That album was The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. Honestly, it was a stretch for me to listen to at first, because I was under a large misconception about what kind of music it was. Look, I LOOOVE rock of all kinds. Except emo-rock. Which I THOUGHT this was. Well let me tell you something: MCR is anything but "emo". But I digress.

The Black Parade is a concept album, similar to The David Crowder Band's Collision. An album where every song is a part of a larger story. In this case, TBP is a rock opera (in every sense of the phrase) telling the story of "The Patient", a man dying of cancer. The album presents the story of his passage out of life, and his subsequent reflection back on his life. It's at times sad, angry, and hopeful (and everything in between).

The sound on the record is very 70's rock anthem mixed with modern punk. From the wiki:

Lead singer Gerard Way has cited the band Queen as a major influence on the album. Similarities have been noted between the guitar orchestration in "Welcome to the Black Parade", and the arrangements of Queen.

Way has also stated that Queen's A Night at the Opera, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pink Floyd's The Wall, and The Smashing Pumpkins' album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness as influences.

And it shows. The single "Welcome To The Black Parade" (probably the best known song on the album), is VERY Queen-ish, and every song is extremely well written and performed. There is some bad language on the album (not a lot, though) but honestly, it kinda makes sense, and it's never offensive just for offensiveness' sake. "Welcome" in particular stands out, as it consists of "167 separate tracks mixed together, including marching band drums, multiple snares and a horn section." It creates a literal "wall of sound." Very cool.

There is soooo much to digest here. I've listened to the whole thing straight through 4 times now, and am still hearing new material. I haven't picked a favorite song yet, but it's coming down to "Welcome" for it's creativity, "Famous Last Words" for it's sheer emotion and power, or "Heaven Help Us" (which isn't on the US version, it's on the Japanese import) for it's solid rock factor. Check out a the lyrics to the chorus of "Famous Last Words" (and keep in mind, this is from The Patient's point of view, as he's dying):

I am not afraid to keep on living!
I am not afraid to walk this world alone!
Honey if you stay, I'll be forgiven!
Nothing you can say can stop me going home!

It's interesting, as "Famous Last Words" is final (sort of) track on the album, it kind of leaves the fate of The Patient up in the air. For the entire album you are led to believe he has died, but by the end of the song, you're not so sure: it's so tiumphant and hopeful, it's easy to believe that he has been given another shot at life (MCR intentially made it this way. Thanks a lot, guys!) I'm still not sure where I stand on it.

I know the subject matter sounds extremely morbid and depressing, but it's really not. It's almost an adventure. Sure, there are plenty of very dark spots, but there's also awe, wonder, and even fun.

The creativity and effort put into this album is readily apparent in every track. There is some serious songwriting genius going on here, and sadly lots of people are missing it because it's "just emo punk crap." I know I thought that way, and I was wrong.

BTW: There's lots of places online you can listen to the album, and I'll be posting some videos I've made (or will make) in the near future.

BEHOLD! The Power Of The Intarwebs!

Some of you may know (or probably not, considering it's a non-controversy) about the so-called controversy over the computer game Mass Effect. Well, as our lovely media outlets just LOOOOVE to create a controversy where there is none, Fox News "interviewed" various people about the game (none of which ACTUALLY PLAYED IT!) The non-controversy stems from the fact this (Mature-rated, mind you) game has about 20 seconds of a "sex" scene between two characters (that only happens if you play the game exactly right). Of course, the people screaming about this haven't actually seen it, but I digress. It's nothing. I mean NOTHING. There's way more "sex" on "The OC" or "CSI" or even "Friends". Anyway, one of the people interviewed was a writer name Cooper Lawrence. She know NOTHING about the game. Behold what happened:

On a Fox News clip, self-proclaimed psychologist Cooper Lawrence shot her mouth off on a game she'd never played. (And most likely a game she'd never even heard of before she got on air.) Doing so, she not only exposed her own ignorance and prejudices, but also angered publisher Electronic Arts and the gaming community. As a sort of internet vigilante justice, the Amazon page for her new book The Cult of Perfection (the irony) is getting the crap spammed out of it. As of posting there are 330 reviews. 279 of those reviews are one star reviews.

And a link to the reviews: It's freakin' GLORIOUS!

Perhaps a little research next time, eh Ms. Lawrence? How about it, Fox?

Jack@$$es.

NEWSFLASH: Heath Ledger Found Dead In His Home

Well that's a surprise. My guess? Drugs, and lots of 'em. Kinda sad, really. He was a pretty good actor (as far as modern actors go). He was (is?) The Joker in the new Batman movie.

And yet Britney lives still.

Something is rotten here.