THE GREAT CAT SOAP OPERA: 

Never before have I returned home to a wrecked home.  Yesterday was different.  I went down to my bedroom late last night.  The fire-screen had been knocked down, sending a beautiful bottle onto the floor (no breakage).  The lamp on my night table was on the floor.  (It still works).  A scar had been pulled off another lamp.  I have a LV case I keep out on a table.  That was sitting on the floor.  The lid of the whicker chest on which it sat had been pulled aside and several scarves were on the floor.  I don’t want to make any rash accusations but the only difference this time is the fact that Miss Piggy is now living with  us.  And – I can see no logical way a small for her age 3 month old kitten could do such damage.  I do not want to accuse Bat Masterson of anything….  The one thing I do find absolutely fascinating is the total and complete change in ‘family dynamics’.  With the exception of Redford, who is a loner (anyone want him?). Everyone else is one big happy family.  They all seem to sleep in a little ball together.  Rumsfeld has been forced over into Brunhilda’s now vacant bed.  The cats seem happy.  As I’ve mentioned before, no one was happy for quite awhile except for Miss Piggy who was too  young to know better, and Bat Masterson who just follows his own odd ball drummer.  Doc is happy.  She is purring.  She is going in for a complete physical, though.  She definitely won’t be purring then.

 

I’m sticking primarily to the political today, with the exception of putting thumb to nose for the minutemen.  I have quite a bit of immigration news I will be adding throughout the week.  At first I thought it was simple, but then realized I need to do some research. 

 

Movie stupidity:

 300 Spartans.  First, Xerxes, the bad guy, was the husband of Esther – you know Esther in the Bible.  It was the Battle of Thermopylae For those who are ignorant of history, as are most these days, the Spartans, those 300 glorious fighters who gave their all that day, were GAY.  They were HOMOSEXUAL.  Xerxes was straight.  He was heterosexual. In Sparta homosexuality was the norm both male and female.  There are those who say the homosexual tendencies of Spartans is nothing but antidotal, but I disagree. On the other hand, women probably had more freedom and more rights in Sparta than they did in many eras in history.  They were allowed to own property.  They ran the house-hold.  They controlled estates.  And, they were allowed to have children by men other than their husbands.

 

I find the whole web atwitter about the homosexual undertones in film to be hilarious.  Spartan men were encouraged to be homosexuals.  Contrary to popular ‘conservative’ comments, there were several well known ancient sources on the subject.  The average ancient Greek man was as flamingly gay as any militant resident of San Fran is today.  Aside from Sparta, women were treated as well as women were under the Taliban.  Fact is, today’s militant Islamic societal practices basically come from ancient Greece – not ancient Persia, where there was a rather enlightened culture and Hebrews were openly allowed freedom of worship.  The only women in Athens who had any rights were prostitutes. 

 

The Jawa liked the film.  My problem, I want my history accurate. 

 

Slavery today.  

 

FROM THE ONLY IN NEW MEXICO CATEGORY:

The NM legislature has passed a bill requiring the astronomical community to restore Pluto’s status as a planet.

 

Does water exist on Titan?   

 

CONSERVATIVES UNHINGED

WND’s financial backer on the lam from the IRS! 

 

Excellent Novak/Bottoms think piece on the pros and cons of GWB.  Novak, as usual, is excellent.

 

Thanks to Liz Mair over at GOP Progress I have my rant for the day. 

She posted a comment about the alleged opposition to Lindsey Graham in 2008 in SC.  It came from a Dan Hoover column in the Greenville News. I was going to do a rant but realized it is self contained and I’ve said it all before. 

 

 IMMIGRATION

Evidently the whole uprising and no honor among thieves bunch known as minutemen are still fighting it out with Jim Gilchrist.  I have it  on good authority he is quite ticked with Barbara Coe.  Are we starting to see the beginning of the end or just growing pains?  I also know, from good authority, the #2 guy is in Tombstone this week. 

 

Are we having fun yet?  I am.

“…Gilchrist, who denies the allegations, has filed suit in Orange County Superior Court to regain control of the Minuteman Project, claiming that he was illegally ousted from a corporation he formed and was the sole voting board member. "These are people I would have trusted my life with and they were conspiring against me behind my back," Gilchrist said. "They are kidnapping my child." The story behind the vote to dismiss America's most famous anti-illegal immigrant fighter contains allegations of hubris and missing money, jealousy and greed, backstabbing and extremism. It may also be the almost inevitable result of a rapidly growing organization whose membership is swollen with passionate individualists not known for getting along with others. "They are taking the law into their own hands and doing it in a dramatic way," said Luis Cabrera, a political science professor at Arizona State University. "It's tailor-made for attracting people who want attention and a thrill and want to execute their agenda." Though others had proposed similar ideas, Jim Gilchrist's battle cry for citizens to guard the border — amplified in appearances on conservative talk radio shows — launched 200 Minuteman groups, garnered intense media coverage and set off a national debate on immigration….There were public accusations of secret bank accounts, missing funds, sloppy accounting and donations that had been collected without the full board's knowledge. None of the claims were made in court and proof wasn't offered. But the seriousness of the charges drove the former allies further apart. Coe, Stewart and Courtney said in interviews with The Times that they finally concluded that there was as much as $750,000 missing from Minuteman accounts. They said they filed a theft report with the FBI and asked for an investigation.Gilchrist, in turn, says he filed a theft complaint with the Orange County Sheriff's Department, alleging that the dissident board members illegally took money and the Minuteman website from his corporation. The FBI and Sheriff's Department did not return calls seeking comment….”

 

Okay we need a scorecard.  Gilchrist gets fired.  He fires the whole staff.  Barbara Coe quits, heart-broken.  There are allegations of missing funds.  Others quit.  Gilchrist files lawsuit, others counter.  This could get good.  Let’s watch and see what new organizations these people form.

 

 

According to the SPLC:

 

“…The board of directors of the Minuteman Project fired the group’s founder after accusing him of mismanagement, embezzlement, and fraud.The Minuteman Project shot into the national spotlight shortly after it was formed two years ago, but now a bitter dispute over its leadership threatens to tear the anti-illegal immigration group apart. Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist filed a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court last week after the group's board of directors fired him and his executive director over allegations of mismanagement and fraud. Gilchrist alleges in the lawsuit that the firings were illegal and that board members also illegally spent Minuteman money, seized its Web site and stole 20,000 pieces of letterhead. For their part, the board members accuse Gilchrist of embezzling $400,000 in Minuteman Project donations and using $13,000 of the organization's money for his own legal fees. They recently filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service, alleging that Gilchrist illegally received a nonprofit postal discount. [...]”

 

I was saving this one for Thursday’s blog on some interesting new anti-immigration links but it is so disturbing I had to post it today.  It now seems that even LEGAL immigrants who want to LEGALLY wire money back to MEXICO (we’re talking just Mexicans here – so follow the racism, please)  When you read it, I hope you are as outraged as am I.

 

LIBERALS UNHINGED

Remember when liberals were alleged to be of ‘liberal’ or questioning mindset?  They were willing, allegedly, to take on the world – ask – be sacrilegious, and question everything.  Not today, especially with global warming.

“….Some of the dissident voices on climate change were rounded up for last week's polemical Channel 4 documentary made by Martin Durkin, The Great Global Warming Swindle (repeated tonight on the digital channel More4). Whether or not you were persuaded by their articulate doubts, you could not help being struck by the McCarthyite persecution (up to and including death threats) which their non-conformist opinions had attracted. Scientists with impeccable credentials, emeritus professors and acknowledged experts in the field being hounded and professionally discredited for their reservations about an established orthodoxy: not a pretty sight…”

Powerline on those pathetic fired US attorneys.

 Malkin on HRM Nancy I’s problems. 

 

ISLAM

Why did the taxi problem erupt in the Twin Cities and not elsewhere?

How do you get these people out of the Dark Ages? 

 “…The Muslim world's emergence out of its Dark Age requires "the separation of religion from state and the observance of universal human rights." Then hopefully, and logically, will follow reforms ending "Sharia law, fatwa courts, clerical rule," and elimination of such practices as "female circumcision, honour killing, forced veiling, and forced marriage that further the oppression of women." …”

PRIMARIES 2008

Can Giuliani color Pennsylvania red instead of the current blue?

I love it.  Giuliani went to Costco instead of wallyworld!   

A Drudge hit on Giuliani.

Called As Seen on the Giuliani hit.  

The MA GOP version of Romney.   

Does Obama have a “Jewish” problem?

How pure must Rudy be? 

The Politico on Romney’s rehab. 

Now Hillary is seeing that Vast Right Wing conspiracy again.  (Cue Twilight Zone theme)

Unchristian Baptist behavior against Rudy. 

McCain’s faith.

Are there problems with the Giuliani campaign in SC?

Frist says Thompson should run.

Sharpton v. Obama.

Flap on the Giuliani fireman fight.

 When Drudge started running the 1989 video of Giuliani I wondered if Romney was behind it.  Eye on ’08 confirms my theory.