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I could do without hearing the following statements, ever again: :: “It’s all part of God’s plan.” (Gee, when I was in management, I was always told that planning had to flexible. Joe Schmoe the manager at Pizza Hut has to be flexible, but God must execute every single detail in his plan, with no deviation? That make sense?! And why are we just cogs in some omnipotent being’s plan, anyway?) :: “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.” (Well, that horseback-riding accident didn’t kill Christopher Reeve, but I don’t think it exactly made him stronger.) :: “GodDown the rabbit hole….

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Matthew Yglesias has yet another in a long series of utterances by Jonah Goldberg that fail to live up to facts about the world. I know, it’s not a news flash when Goldberg turns out to have his head squarely planted right around the location of his own colon, but sometimes it’s downright amusing. Oh heck, while I’m at it, Kevin Drum’s got Glenn Reynolds being a damn moron too. Not a news flash either, since Reynolds is also a complete idiot. “If things go badly in Iraq”? By what possible intellectual gymnastics can people like Reynolds continue to convinceDown the rabbit hole….

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[Icky topic ahead] OK, folks, as someone whose day job actually involves cleaning public toilets, let me say that this practice, as demonstrated by Tyra Banks, should be outlawed by Constitutional Amendment. (If you don’t want to watch the video, it’s the practice of “hovering” above the toilet seat so as to avoid making physical contact with it, on the deluded notion that the toilet seat is swarming with germs by the billions.) First, “hovering” above the toilet seat does nothing to “protect” you from “germs”, since in a normally-maintained public bathroom, the toilet seat is not even close toDown the rabbit hole….

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OK, I should comment on the revised version of the American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest American Movies. :: First, what the hell is an “American” movie, anyway? I’m befuddled by how Lord of the Rings can be considered an American movie. Is it because New Line’s an American company? Well, so what? Disney owns distribution rights to Studio Ghibli movies, so let’s get Princess Mononoke on the list. :: Second, like Roger Ebert, I was wondering what happened to Fargo. When I first saw Fargo, my initial reaction was, “OK, it’s good. Not that good, but good.” But it sureDown the rabbit hole….

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Reading jaw-droppingly stupid stuff by people who really ought to know better is de rigeur in Blogistan, but I’ve got to note the staggering incidence of no fewer than three glaringly stupid statements from the last week or so. It’s like a Perfect Storm of Stupid. I’ve mentioned two of these already, but it’s just such an amazing thing to see such a concentration of idiocy out there, I figured I should gather them in one place. First, there’s Mark Helprin’s idea that copyright should last forever: Once the state has dipped its enormous beak into the stream of yourDown the rabbit hole….

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A few days ago, John Scalzi mentioned his preferred brand of red licorice, a brand called “Red Vines”. He also mentions his apparently strongly-held belief that Twizzlers are substantially inferior. Now, he’s mentioned Red Vines before, but I’ve never been able to judge them for myself, since I can never find them here…until now. It seems that Target stocks them (alongside the Twizzlers, of course). Now, I refuse to accept the notion that Twizzlers suck. I actually enjoy their waxy texture — mmmmmm, wax — and I like the flavor just fine. That said, I must admit that Red VinesDown the rabbit hole….

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Some thoughts on the soon-to-be-concluded TV season: :: I watched Heroes sporadically during the first part of the season, but in our household, 9:00 pm is a tough time slot since that’s The Daughter’s bed time. I’ll probably acquire the Season One DVD set when it shows up. :: I still love Scrubs, but the show’s starting to feel noticeably weaker to me. I suspect that the next season may well be the last. :: Sure, Mr. Trump, that’ll preserve your dignity. I’ve actually enjoyed The Apprentice during its run. But I think this style of reality stuff is runningDown the rabbit hole….

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May 1, four years ago: Today: Al Qaeda is getting stronger. The “surge” isn’t working yet. Four years into the War on Terror, terrorist attacks are sharply up. More than 100 soldiers in Iraq dead this month alone. Setting self-defense and self-policing aside, Iraqis are increasingly unable to reconstruct their own country. Four years after we “ousted” the Taliban, we’re still launching major offensives against them. American dead in Iraq outnumber American dead in the attacks on 9-11-01, with no end in sight. Four years. There’s your legacy, Mr. President: a stunt flight, a banner, bombs, death, and failure. ShareDown the rabbit hole….

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Just a brief note about tonight’s episode of The Office: this show had better come up with a really convincing explanation of just how Michael avoids getting fired for this debacle. I often have trouble maintaining my suspension of disbelief regarding Michael’s ability to get away with some of the stuff he does, but tonight? The only people in real life who screw up this badly and keep their jobs work for George W. Bush. Share This PostDown the rabbit hole….