So I randomly decided to watch Zoolander again… and if you didn’t catch the 3 greatest fashion magazine covers of all time… well, here you are.

*the middle one is for American Ballet Theater…

I thought I’d relay a conversation of sorts I had with my Starbucks Barista today… seeing as the news is slow and my blog is in desperate need of an update.

So I’ve been working for a little over 2 hours at Starbucks at this point… and had gotten an incredible amount of work done (cheers!).  However, my coffee, at least what was left of it, was downright cold… and I really thought that a half-glass would really be the reasonable thing to ask for especially since I was heading out very shortly… and my stomach was not exactly ready for what would be the day’s third cup of coffee.  To make a long story short, I went up to the counter and very shortly, a short, cute brunette asked me if she could get me anything.  I explained the situation…  I wanted a re-fill but only needed a half-cup… decaf, thanks… and she responded very politely, but followed up with the question:

“You’re going to be an attorney, right?”

I answered with a grin, “well, ya, that’s right, but what does that have to do with the fact that I need a re-fill?”

“O, nothing… I just remember we had talked about it before…”

at which point I quickly racked my brain and was quite sure that such a conversation had never happened…

“it’s just I’m a poly-sci major and that’s an area I’m interested in”…

at which point… I figured out she was just flirting with me and we proceeded to have nice chat… BUT! the lesson to be learned from this story is that Starbucks Baristas SEE ALLL and REMEMBER ALL!!! if you have a book out on the table and a secured transactions outline displayed on your laptop screen… THEY WILL NOTICE!!!  nothing is safe, nothing is private at starbucks…

consider yourself warned.

this video is just maddening… you don’t even have to watch every answer… just scrub through to get an idea of the questions that were being asked and you’ll know exactly how uninformed and WRONG all these people were on the facts.

And listen to the last question: “where do you get most of your information”… that pretty much explains things…

Wow, Victor Davis Hanson is NAILING it on the race industry…

Victimization for generations has proven lucrative, precisely by allowing self-appointed leaders to advance their careers through doctrinaire “they did it” complaints. The script is now old indeed: Blame the pathologies of the underclass that hamper economic progress — inordinate drug usage, illegitimacy, crime, or dismal graduation rates — on the racism of those with “power.” “The Man” can find penitence only through perpetual apologies and the proper channeling of plentiful lucre.

and, near the end… discussing the new “morality” of electing the first black president…

Quit the smug moralizing that we have somehow proved to the world and ourselves that we are now finally worthy and deserving of adulation — as if wisdom and morality were always only an easy punch of the ballot away.

What a great article… I highly suggest the whole thing if you have time.

Win One For the Messiah! by Victor Davis Hanson on National Review Online.

I’m thinking of starting a new series on my blog… which consist of short, poignant quotations that describe some truth, some fundamental point that I think all conservatives need in their contrarian repertoire–so to speak.

When Europeans talk about “multilateralism,” they typically don’t mean agreeing on a common policy to carry out together. They mean defaulting global security to the United Nations, where Russian and Chinese vetoes curtail effective action. At best, multilateralism à la Paris and Berlin is short for European approval for where and how Americans may intervene around the world.

Same Old Berlin Wall - WSJ.com.

Does it not strike anyone as strange that when Republicans try to give businesses more useable cash in the form of tax cuts, they are lambasted as being in the ‘pockets’ of big businesses but when DEMOCRATS blow HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS of dollars to bail out Wall Street, they are “protecting our financial system”?

How is it that unconscionable loans to the US auto industry that reward uncompetitive behavior and fundamentally unsustainable union demands… loans that line the pockets of interest groups that give generously to the Democratic party… are hailed as brilliant and necessary public policy by the same people who despise Republican tax cuts?

Does not anyone wonder how Democrats behaving exactly like republicans as a practical matter (except worse, they are rewarding incompetence instead of rewarding ingenuity), they are hailed even by their own party as saving the country, standing up for the little guy… but when Republicans try to make life easier on businesses, they are EVIL CORPORATE SHILLS…

You democrats are a piece of work… I’m serious.

I recently penned some incredibly retrospective(or is it introspective? maybe both) thoughts–which is rather typical for me, believe it or not–and thought that these words might also encourage you to make some changes of your own.

life is a journey… and part of that journey is taking some big risks and laying things out on the line… and if you don’t ever do that, you’ll never grow as a person… and I’d hate to go through life out of fear of those risks… without facing those challenges… never growing.  I’ve been very complacent, I think, in many ways…  and I am just turning that page… I’m not going to be that kind of a person anymore.

I’m not sure if this is ironic or just plain depressing.  Turns out that Obama is tapping Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, the most incompetent and financially damaging governor in Michigan’s history, to serve on his economic pannel.  GREAT, I just can’t wait for the next four years…

WASHINGTON — Gov. Jennifer Granholm and former U.S. Rep. David Bonior will serve on a panel of financial luminaries and corporate experts advising President-elect Barack Obama on the nation’s hard-bitten economy, ensuring Michigan, its troubled auto industry and labor has a seat at the table.

Granholm, Bonior join Obama’s economic transition team | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press.

This is why MSNBC’s ratings are in the tank:  they (admittidly) are not journalists.

*update*

Victor Davis Hanson sums it up so nicely:  “In short, we live now in the Age of Post-Journalism. All that was before is now over, as this generation of journalists voluntarily destroyed the hallowed notion of objectivity and they will have no idea quite how to put Humpty-Dumpty back together again.”

Looks like Obama’s campaign staff are starting to understand what “spread the wealth” means… and they dont like it.  Spreading someone ELSE’s wealth in the abstract is a GREAT idea… but when all of a sudden that Idea is realized on YOUR paycheck… well, all of sudden it’s not that cool after all:

“Still that’s not right. I’m disappointed. I’m glad for the president, but I’m disappointed in this system,” said Diane Jefferson, temporary campaign worker.

“It should have been $480. It’s $230,” said Imani Sankofa.

“They gave us $10 an hour. So we added it. I added up all the hours so it was supposed to be at least $120. All I get is $90,” said Charles Martin.

“I worked nine hours a day for 4 days and got paid half of what I should have earned,” said Randall Waldon.

Some people weren’t satisfied with filling out a claim form for money they felt was still due to them.

“They say that they gonna call you or they going to mail it to you, but I don’t know. We’ll see what happens,” said Antron Grose.

“Talking about they’ll mail it to us. I ain’t worried about that, man. They’re not going to mail nothin’,” said Martin.

WTHR - Indianapolis News Weather -Obama campaign workers angry over unpaid wages.

Well, we lost… it’s a fact.  We’ve elected the most inexperienced candidate in history and things are going to be tough for a couple years… but the sooner conservatives move on and learn from this, the better.  I think there are many things to be upset about; but those can wait for another day.  For now, I just wanted to list some things conservatives can still be thankful for:

1. The country’s conservative instinct.  It wasn’t a fluke the financial bailout was widely criticized… and we should expect to see much more of this kind of gut rejection of most of Obama’s government solutions.
2. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. Congressional chances in 2010 are vastly improved because of the incompetency that is the Democratic Congressional leadership.  I haven’t met a person who actually says they trust either of these people; defeating them isn’t rocket science.
3. Our safety the last 7 years.  Nuff said; if Bush has been successful at anything, he’s kept us safe.
4. Rush Limbaugh - he’s now the leader of the Republican party as far as I can tell… hopefully he’ll be on TV much more on the offensive now that he doesn’t have to defend a bunch of stupid Republicans.
5. The moderates are gone.  That’s right, we’ve finally cut off all the moderate republicans in Congress.  The country rejected them… and rightfully so.  To all those loosers, I just want to say one thing… [insert middle finger here].
6. Obama won! Seriously, do we want the coming economic malaise shackled around republican’s shoulders for the next 2 decades?  Democrats will finally share in the blame that they have been due… and Conservatives can get back on their economic message.  Sure, the world is going to become more dangerous in the meantime… maybe Europe will take the opportunity to take some responsibility knowing their US trump card is not quite as useful as it used to be.  Israel might even take the opportunity to finally say NO to washington and take care of business.
7. Jonah Goldberg (and NRO generally). some of the smartest and best communicators in the country are fighting strong every day; and they haven’t given up… they will take the lead in reforming and re-building the Republican party.  We have a strong base to start from… which should make our suffrage under Obama as short as possible.
8. Sarah Palin.  Conservatives have found a star–and we are in desperate need of stars.  She has serious potential and she reflects all our best ideas and values. 2012 anyone?
9. THE NEW MEDIA! We may not realize this but the election wouldn’t have even been close had it not been for the facts they were able to dig up on Obama.  This is an invaluable resource… and they proved themselves as quite capable.
10. Thomas Sowell, Mark Steyn, Andrew Klavan, James Taranto, Victor Davis Hanson, and any other of my favorite authors I may have overlooked.
11. Our collective perspective. Let’s face it, the country has been through much worse than this.
12. Scalia, Roberts, Alito and Thomas. These are some mighty fine men we’ve got there.
13. more as events warrant…