TwilightCafé

funeral protesters

Holy cats this woman's a nutcase!

Hannity & Colmes vs. crazy lady

More later, just watch and tell me what you think.

life imitating art?

Do you watch The West Wing? Did you watch it during the first season? Then you may remember the third episode, in which President Bartlet is ordering an air strike against Syria in proportional retalliation to having an American plane shot down. He is angry. He wants to strike back harder than a proportional response would dictate. He wants to send a message that America is the last and only superpower left and we are not to be trifled with. As Admiral Fitzwallace puts it, he wants to mete out a $5000 punishment for a $50 crime.

Sound familiar? Yeah, it does to me as well. Here is the transcript of a conversation between Leo (Chief of Staff) and President Bartlet.

BARTLET
What do you need, Leo?

LEO
Well, you’ve gone through everyone who works for you and everyone who’s married to
you. I didn’t know who else you could get mad at, so I was afraid the American
people might be next. Oh, by the way, when we’re done here you’re sending Abby
some flowers.

BARTLET
[pause] Did you know that two thousand years ago a Roman citizen could walk across
the face of the known world free of the fear of molestation? He could walk across
the earth unharmed, cloaked only in the words ‘Civis Romanis’ I am a Roman citizen.
So great was the retribution of Rome, universally understood as certain, should any
harm befall even one of its citizens. Where was Morris’ protection, or anyone else
on that plane? Where is the retribution for the families and where is the warning to
the rest of the world that Americans shall walk this earth unharmed, lest the
clenched fist of the most mighty military force in the history of mankind comes
crashing down on your house!? In other words, Leo, what the hell are we doing here?

LEO
We are behaving the way a superpower ought to behave.

BARTLET
Well our behavior has produced some pretty crappy results. In fact, I’m not a
hundred percent sure it hasn’t induced them.

LEO
What are you talking about?

BARTLET
I’m talking about two hundred and eight-six American marines in Beirut, I’m talking
about Somalia, I’m talking about Nairobi.

LEO
And you think ratching up the body count’s gonna act as a deterrent?

BARTLET
You’re damn right.

LEO
Then you are just as dumb as these guys who think that capital punishment is going
to be a deterrent for drug kingpins. As if drug kingpins didn’t live their day to
day lives under the possibility of execution. And their executions are a lot less
dainty than ours and tend to take place without the bother and expense of due
process. So my friend, if you want to start using American military strength as the
arm of the Lord, you can do that, we’re the only superpower left. You can conquer
the world, like Charlemagne, but you better be prepared to kill everyone and you
better start with me cause I will raise up an army against you and I will beat you!

BARTLET
He had a ten-day-old baby at home.

LEO
I know.

BARTLET
We are doing nothing. They dest...

LEO
We are not doing nothing. Four high rated military targets.

BARTLET
And this is good?

LEO
Of course it’s not good, there is no good. It’s what there is. It’s how you behave
if you’re the most powerful nation in the world. It’s proportional, it’s reasonable,
it’s responsible, it’s merciful. It’s not nothing, four high rated military targets.

BARTLET
Which they’ll rebuild again in six months.

LEO
So we’ll blow ‘em up again in six months! We’re getting really good at it. [beat]
It’s what our fathers taught us.

BARTLET
Why didn’t you say so? [beat] Oh man Leo. When I think of all the work you put in
to get me to run. [both sit] When I think of all the work you did to get me elected.
I could pommel your ass with a baseball bat.

They laugh. [end scene]

All I want to know is...where is President Bush's Leo?

oh bother!

I apparently missed the ABC showing of the movie, "A Wrinkle in Time," from the book by Madeleine L'Engle. I love that book. Did anyone catch the movie? Was it worth watching?

The New Yorker had an interview with L'Engle in an issue a couple of months ago. She rarely gives interviews. There is another one on MSNBC.com. She is an interesting woman, and I love her idea about the truth being more important than facts.

Sesame Street turns 35

Michael at eclecticism points out that Sesame Street turned 35 this year, and directs us to the 35 Years of Sesame Street Trash Trivia Game. Oscar is a real grouch, too, as your game host! :)

public service announcement

Next week, starting Sunday, is chocolate week on The Food Network.

(The only thing that really bothers me is Giada de Laurentis, who says she is addicted to chocolate, but she weighs maybe 90 pounds. Should we trust skinny chefs?)

"we like the subs"

Over at Stupid Evil Bastard's, I found out that Quiznos is using the Spongmonkeys (not Spongemonkeys) in a couple of their ads. The Spongmonkeys are the animation of the guys at rathergood.com, the ones who brought you Viking Kitties and other great, bizarre stuff. I can't tell you how odd this is, but I figure Quiznos has decided their target audience is internet geeks like me. And dang, I had Quiznos for lunch yesterday, maybe they are right!

Addendum: These are the SPONGmonkeys, not the Spongemonkeys like I thought.