6:05 PM Mar 30, 2008

by Rob Ritchie

Teen makes mistake of trying to rob former U.S. Marine

A boy in his mid-teens learned Wednesday afternoon that it is not a good idea to try to rob a former U.S. Marine at knifepoint, even if the former Marine is 84 years old, police said today.

Santa Rosa police Sgt. Steve Bair said that's what happened around 2 p.m. in the 1600 block of Fourth Street. The elderly man was walking with a grocery bag in each arm when the boy approached him with a large knife, Bair said.

The boy said, "Old man, give me your wallet or I'll cut you," Bair said. The man told the boy he was a former Marine who fought in three wars and had been threatened with knives and bayonets, Bair said.

The man then put his bags on the ground and told the boy that if he stepped closer he would be sorry. When the boy stepped closer, the man kicked him in the groin, knocking him to the sidewalk, Bair said. The ex-Marine picked up his grocery bags and walked home, leaving the boy doubled over, Bair said.

10:45 AM Mar 25, 2008

by Rob Ritchie

Blind Faith

The Ku Klux Klan (originally a Protestant identity movement, as many people prefer to forget) and the Nation of Islam (a black sectarian mutation of Quranic teaching) may be weak these days, but bigotry of all sorts is freely available, and openly inculcated into children, by any otherwise unemployable dirtbag who can perform the easy feat of putting Reverend in front of his name.

10:08 AM Mar 25, 2008

by Rob Ritchie

An Open Letter to Senator Obama

6:18 PM Mar 24, 2008

by Rob Ritchie

Power Line has a post about the White House Press Corp that is fairly amusing. Some sample questions:

QUESTION: The four thousandth U.S. death in Iraq, does the president regard that as a significant milestone? What does it mean to him?

PERINO: President Bush thinks that every single loss is tragic, from the very first several years ago to the ones that sacrificed yesterday. And he's extremely proud of the courageous men and women in uniform and all that they've done to help protect Iraqis, to protect each other, and to protect this country.

Most of the families of the fallen that he meets with have one request of the president, which is, "Do not let my loved one's sacrifice be in vain." And the president assures them that he is committed to staying and fighting and winning.

***

QUESTION: Aren't there also families of the bereaved who ask him to stop the war?

PERINO: There have been. But the vast majority have all asked him not to allow that sacrifice to be in vain. But certainly there are some.

QUESTION: (inaudible) can you say that with certainty?

PERINO: He has said that repeatedly. And that is true for the -- I think almost to nearly 1,000 families of the fallen that he's met with.

QUESTION: Does he take responsibility for a war he started without provocation that led to 4,000 deaths and 30,000 traumatically injured for life?

PERINO: As you know, as he said many times, he was the one responsible for making the decision to go to war. He didn't make it lightly. And as commander-in-chief, the hardest thing that you do, that he's done, and that any commander-in-chief before him and those in the future, the hardest thing that they will do is decide to commit our men and women to harm's way.

QUESTION: Did he foresee this kind of catastrophe?

Really, does anyone actually go to the press corp for their news any more?

Happy Easter!

9:53 AM Mar 23, 2008by Rob Ritchie

7:53 PM Mar 22, 2008

by Rob Ritchie

Welcome, brother!

Global Warming

10:27 AM Mar 20, 2008by Rob Ritchie

I don't really know what to think about the global warming climate change science. I haven't made a detailed study of the data involved.

I do have an opinion about the politics of global warming climate change, though, and it's fairly simple: if the Al Gore / Hippy alliance believes we should go one way ("left") then I think we should probably go the other way ("right").

That being said, here is an NPR story about ocean temperatures that is interesting for the uncertainty in it's text:

Some 3,000 scientific robots that are plying the ocean have sent home a puzzling message. These diving instruments suggest that the oceans have not warmed up at all over the past four or five years. That could mean global warming has taken a breather. Or it could mean scientists aren't quite understanding what their robots are telling them.

...

Kevin Trenberth at the National Center for Atmospheric Research says it's probably going back out into space. The Earth has a number of natural thermostats, including clouds, which can either trap heat and turn up the temperature, or reflect sunlight and help cool the planet.

That can't be directly measured at the moment, however.

"Unfortunately, we don't have adequate tracking of clouds to determine exactly what role they've been playing during this period," Trenberth says.

It's also possible that some of the heat has gone even deeper into the ocean, he says. Or it's possible that scientists need to correct for some other feature of the planet they don't know about. It's an exciting time, though, with all this new data about global sea temperature, sea level and other features of climate.

"I suspect that we'll able to put this together with a little bit more perspective and further analysis," Trenberth says. "But what this does is highlight some of the issues and send people back to the drawing board."

.

I don't see "consensus" reflected in this article. And that's interesting, concerning the source.

9:01 PM Mar 18, 2008

by Rob Ritchie

Probably the first Science Fiction book I read as a boy was Tales From the White Hart. It sparked a love of the genre that continues to this day, and many a happy hour has been spent reading this good man's work.

R.I.P. Arthur C. Clarke. Enjoy your Rendezvous With Rama.

Ha ha ha!

5:34 PM Mar 12, 2008by Rob Ritchie

9:06 AM Mar 9, 2008

by Rob Ritchie

Mark Steyn: Torn between 2 white liberal guilts

The Democratic primary season seems to have dwindled down into a psycho remake of "Driving Miss Daisy." The fading matriarch Mizz Hill'ry (Jessica Tandy) doesn't want to give up the keys to the Democratic Party vehicle but the dignified black chauffeur Hokey (Morgan Freeman) insists it'll be a much smoother ride with him in the driver's seat. Yet, just as he thinks the old biddy's resigned to a nomination as Best Supporting Actress, the backseat driver plunges her hat pin into his spine, wrests the wheel away and lurches across the median.

Is the Democratic presidential process a Karl Rove plot? Right now, neither Mizz Hill'ry nor Hokey can win without the votes of the superdelegates, whose disposition is apparently in flux. The gay superdelegates are apparently sticking to Hillary like the "Hello, Dolly!" waiters to Carol Channing. But others are said to be moving Barackwards.

Very funny! Read it all.

Pious gratitude to: PowerLine

10:23 PM Mar 8, 2008

by Rob Ritchie

Can McCain Win if There’s a Recession?

A more important question is, will the Democrats foster economic uncertainty and promote a recession if they think it'll help them win the White House?

I'm certain they will, since it worked in 1992.

But their abettors in the Media aren't the only game in town any more....

9:02 AM Mar 8, 2008

by Rob Ritchie

When the Democratic nomination is over, and the press have to choose, this should become apparent to every Republican:

When you're the darling of the press, you're feisty. When you're the Republican nominee for President, you're dangerously unstable.

Well, obviously....

5:49 PM Mar 5, 2008by Rob Ritchie


FCC Okays Nudity On TV If It's Alyson Hannigan

5:36 PM Mar 2, 2008

by Rob Ritchie

11:00 PM Mar 1, 2008

by Rob Ritchie

Clinton supporter and Media Expert Decries Campaign Coverage of Obama.

Cry me a river. Boo freakin' hoo.