Just caught a headline:  “Balloon Boy’s Parents Willing to Turn Themselves In.”  And so the playing of the media continues.  If you want to demonstrate that you are willing to turn yourself in, you don’t issue a statement, you turn yourself in!

This whole thing makes me ill.  I hope to God they throw the book at these idiots.  Not just because of the major attention whores that they are, but to teach a lesson to those who would come after them.

CPS may take the kids away … seems like closing the door on an empty barn.  I’ve seen the Wife Swap clips, and, while it is almost certainly the parents’ fault, “Balloon Boy” is quite the little monster.  At least shave his head and check for the “666”.

You know, subjecting your family to Wife Swap alone should be grounds for removing the children.  The people they get on there, not quite Springer-esque, but darn close.

And of course, at the root of all this, it’s the media.  Things like this have become so formulaic.  The threshold for attracting the media’s attention is ever-increasing, but once they are on the hook, the self-righteousness, the condescension … it’s all predictable.

This I vow:  if this loser gets his reality show, I will never give any of the show’s sponsors another dime, even if it means I never drink another Diet Coke in my life.

A busy day for the President.

Word is that in addition to the Nobel Peace Prize, Barack Obama has also won the Heisman Trophy, the Miss Teen USA crown, and the Academy Award for Best Picture.  Sunday he’ll be named Food Network’s Next Iron Chef and tomorrow, over lunch, he’ll win $50 for collecting Mediterranean and Baltic Avenues in McDonald’s Monopoly.

Phew!  No wonder he doesn’t have time to meet with General McChrystal.

Count me among those who won’t be rushing right out to get the H1N1 vaccine, which is now available.  There are two very simple reasons:  1. I’m not convinced that it’s safe, and even if I was, 2. I’m not convinced that it works.

Of course, since the federal government is assuring us that it’s all good, I’m re-thinking.  I mean, this is the same organization that shrewdly turned those billions of dollars of stimulus $$ into how many million lost jobs?  Heck, I may just host a H1N1 vaccine party!  That would rock.  Strictly BYOP … Bring Your Own Prius.

I jest.  Our government is relentlessly trying to establish itself as the perpetual and only savior, and answer to all.  They’ve done nothing to inspire trust.  If this is like anything else they’ve put their hand to, there’s at least an even money chance they’ve screwed it up, and a better than even chance that we wouldn’t find out about it for years if they had.  I’m certainly not letting anyone inject the fruits of their incompetence into my body.

In 2001 the bad men tried to take our freedom.  Over the next eight years thousands fought and died defending our right to give our own freedom away to any smooth-talking, empty suit we damn well please.

Sorry, I guess this isn’t the typical 9/11 reflective.  Comparing then to now just brings my frustration to a peak.  It was tragic.  A tragic loss.  Out of such a disaster it would have been nice if we could have learned something … anything.

In my opinion 9/11 has taken its place alongside Christmas and Easter.  Today we act and think a certain way, and the other 364 days of the year it’s as if this day never happened.

I can’t believe this hasn’t been picked up by fanatical splinter groups, the Judean People’s Front, and Street Corner Lunatics everywhere. Actually, given how little time I spend in Judea or on lunatic-friendly street corners, perhaps it has. Anyway.

Can the inauguration of Barack Obama followed so closely by the switch over to digital-only TV be anything other than an ushering in of the end times? All you mad fools rushing out to get analog to digital converters would be wise to consider picking up a propane lantern, some sleeping bags and MRE’s instead.

Yours truly is going to be ready, I can tell you that. Currently I’m installing a fall-out shelter underneath my utility room. The guy who lives downstairs is going to be surprised but hey! I don’t think I’ll be too concerned about it after the dust settles and I’m having the last laugh by still being alive and enjoying Seinfeld reruns.

The tricky thing is to balance the two events. On the one hand, TV-geddon will rain down calamity on our society, the likes of which has not been seen since David Lee Roth left Van Halen. On the other, the anointing of BHO promises to rid the world all that is negative and icky.

So, do I pick up a carton of kleenix or gamble on the rumors that after the inauguration we will no longer have noses, and thus no need for kleenix. (more…)

So, another breaking news event has come and gone, and the Twit-Folks are convinced it has provided further evidence that Social Media has MSM on the run.

Here is the “news” as reported by a twitter user involved in the crash:

Holy f*g s*t I wasbjust in a plane crash! 8:25 PM Dec 20th from twitterrific

Ugh … My glasses fell off in the mass exodus getting off the plane .. Can’t see very well 8:57 PM Dec 20th from twitterrific

This was crash #2 for me. Maybe I should start taking the bus. 8:58 PM Dec 20th from twitterrific

Can’t see much, but that’s the crash site. http://twitpic.com/ut2c 9:35 PM Dec 20th from twitterrific

Continental keeping us locked up at the presidents club until they can sort everything out. Won’t even serve us drinks. 11:21 PM Dec 20th from twitterrific

… and by this point MSM is well underway on the story.

By the way, if you work with this guy and ever have to travel … take a separate flight.

Anyway nothing against the tweeter. Considering he was under duress I think providing any info at all was an accomplishment.

The point is, if you happen to be one of his followers and suddenly get those tweets, so what? You don’t know jack other than that you need to turn on the TV or log on to a MSM news site and find out what is going on. And, as one commentator to the post linked above mentioned – you can’t really even be sure this guy was actually in the crash.

Elsewhere I have read “I followed it on Twitter,” or “I followed it on Facebook.” Great. But I’m willing to bet Twitter or Facebook, in those situations, was merely serving as a relay. That user might have been getting info there, but somewhere on up the food chain you’ll find a user who was tuned into MSM and passing the info along. No harm in that, but just don’t represent it as Social Media getting over on MSM.

I think it will happen as these sites mature (if they can continue to find investors who will subsidize their operating at a loss). As events go down, users will live blog, tweet, or update with real “on the scene” information and beat the big news boys to some interesting details.

But it seems like before we can get to that point, a whole bunch of Social Media fanatics need to tone down their campaign to sell the world on Social Media. This has become the new global warming. Whatever happens, however inconsequential, it somehow stands as proof that Twitter is the most awesome thing ever in the history of man and if you don’t see that you’re lame. When there is real value to be seen, no one will notice because by then they’ll be too sick of the Twit-folk attempts to conjure up value where there isn’t any.

These sites / tools are making progress. Irrational pushing isn’t going to help things.

In Illinois, with Gov Blagojevich having tainted the state government, the majority of residents would prefer to hold a special election to assign the US Senate seat vacated by President-elect Obama. State officials are balking at the idea. I’m sure it has nothing to do with a reluctance to cede control of this appointment. No, the stated reason is that a special election would cost $55M in taxpayer money.

Makes sense, I mean, $55 million! Do you know how many Senate seats you can buy with that?

I just love how the government is only concerned about taxpayer dollars when it’s convenient. We’ll pay people billions to produce cars that no one wants, but when faced with the prospect of letting the electorate speak directly, well, it’s time to tighten our belts.

If a special election is held, step aside triple-J. The smart money is on dark horse candidate Jeff Kennedy, the gym teacher at Avondale Elementary in Chicago. Even an abbreviated campaign should give the little-known Kennedy ample time to win voters over with his qualifications. I mean, you did notice that his last name is “Kennedy,” didn’t you? Come on. Appoint the guy already and save the taxpayers some money as is your stated desire.

I’ve read it and I’m still not sure I believe it. On its surface the story is that a Pennsylvania supermarket refused to inscribe a child’s name on a birthday cake. Once again this year, Heath and Deborah Campbell ran into some trouble picking up a cake for their 3 yr old son, little Adolf Hitler Campbell. Aside: We’re just getting started.

Turns out that in previous years the store has also denied the family’s request to put swastikas on cakes. One can only assume that the Campbells will encounter similar difficulties celebrating for Adolf’s younger sister JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell as she grows.

I’m at a loss. Name your kid Adolf Hitler and trust me, being able to find a personalized birthday cake will be the least of your worries before all is said and done.

So, why the unique names? “Heath Campbell said he named his son after Adolf Hitler because he liked the name and because ‘no one else in the world would have that name.’ ” Well Heath, there is a reason for that. No one else will have that name because no one else wants to sentence their kid to a life of ridicule and harassment! I mean, it’s a pretty good bet that no one else would have the name Steve I Dare You To Punch Me In the Face As Hard As You Can Wilson either. Care to give than one a run?

Have no fear. The gestapo leaned on the local Wal-Mart and was able to extract some cooperation. Figures Satan’s corner deli would be part of this. (j/k, I’m a big Wal-Mart fan)

So the celebration went on as planned. ” … about 12 people attended the birthday party Sunday, including several children of mixed race.” Among them were Marvin Step Off Cracker Before I Bust a Cap In Yerass Johnson, Satesh We’ll See Who Is Laughing After I Set Off A Dirty Nuke In Your Most Populous City You Filthy Capitalist Pig Gupta, and Pablo If I Catch You Buying Your Cocaine From That Greasy Ecuadoran Down on the Corner I’ll Cut You Sanchez.

Why on earth weren’t they arrested for child abuse when they filed the birth certificate?

HT: Outside the Beltway

Really, I almost look down on the victims more than the crook. Madoff is slime, but there are people like that in life. In this case the victims are people who should have known better. Which brings me to …

How many of life’s problems are rooted in the desire for a shortcut, despite the fact that friends and family, for your entire life, have told you there is no such thing?

So, the candidates call a halt to the hostilities for one day while we commemorate the anniversary of 9/11.  And I do agree that it’s the right thing to do.

The shame of it is, except on this day we are scarcely allowed to even remember that this thing happened, much less suggest that we might learn from it so as not to repeat history so soon, and still less blame anyone but ourselves. 

So, this would be the perfect day to discuss things like negotiating with those who hate us without preconditions, or an irrational chasing after world opinion.  364 days of the year, the short-sighted can get away with that madness.  But on Sep 11, many more join the ranks of those of us who will never forget.

PS:  So, I’m following their lead, and other than this post I’ll refrain from political comment today, which is really hard as one of the campaigns is spewing fresh material on a daily basis now!