Robert Moran on Election 2004 & Bush Commercials on National Review Online

The pollster poses four "questions Republicans need to ask Democrats and their friends in the media:

1. Was Bill Clinton's use of the Oklahoma City bombing to attack conservatives and talk radio 'politicizing' a tragedy?

2. How about the awful James Byrd ad run by the NAACP against George W. Bush? Was reenacting Mr. Byrd's 1998 dragging death for the camera a politicization of his murder? Was that fair?

3. Is an ad that says, 'So when George W. Bush refused to support hate-crimes legislation it was like my father was killed all over again' politicizing a tragedy?

4. How about using church arsons as a political issue? Is suggesting that 'when you don't vote another church burns' politicizing a human tragedy?"

FIRST OPENLY GAY BISHOP APPEARS ON '60 MINUTES'

Gene Robinson, AKA the naughty vicar, "allows 60 MINUTES cameras into his life, public and private, including his New Hampshire home he shares with his partner of 16 years, Mark Andrew, and a gay bar he frequents in New York City. 'I am not embarrassed about being a gay man. I am not embarrassed about being in a place with other gay folk,' he tells [60 Minutes' resident journalistic soul brutha Ed] Bradley."

Absolute madness.

OPEC may raise output if prices stay up

or else we will invade more of their lands and take it.

MSNBC - Kerry far behind Bush in race for money:

Money doesn't win a race, but it sure does help.

GeorgeWBush.com :: TV Ads

Watch for yourself.

Bush Campaign Defends Ads With 9/11 Images

I expected this and it's great to see Bush's people shouting back.

"'With all due respect, I just completely disagree, and I believe the vast majority of the American people will as well,' Karen Hughes, a Bush campaign adviser, told 'The Early Show' on CBS. 'September 11th was not just a distant tragedy. It's a defining event for the future of our country. ... Obviously, all of us mourn and grieve for the victims of that terrible day, but September 11 fundamentally changed our public policy in many important ways, and I think it's vital that the next president recognize that.'"

THE PASSION OF THE LIBERAL

Ann Coulter stirs it up, delightfully so:

"the loony-left is testy with Gibson for spending so much time on Jesus' suffering and death while giving "short shrift to Jesus' ministry and ideas" -- as another Times reviewer put it. According to liberals, the message of Jesus, which somehow Gibson missed, is something along the lines of "be nice to people" (which to them means 'raise taxes on the productive').

"You don't need a religion like Christianity, which is a rather large and complex endeavor, in order to flag that message. All you need is a moron driving around in a Volvo with a bumper sticker that says 'be nice to people.' Being nice to people is, in fact, one of the incidental tenets of Christianity (as opposed to other religions whose tenets are more along the lines of 'kill everyone who doesn't smell bad and doesn't answer to the name Mohammed'). But to call it the 'message' of Jesus requires...well, the brain of Maureen Dowd.

"In fact, Jesus' distinctive message was: People are sinful and need to be redeemed, and this is your lucky day because I'm here to redeem you even though you don't deserve it, and I have to get the crap kicked out of me to do it. That is the reason He is called 'Christ the Redeemer' rather than 'Christ the Moron Driving Around in a Volvo With a 'Be Nice to People' Bumper Sticker on It.'

Oooh! Saucy!

This is sacred art

Nice to see liberal rags in the big cities, where the movement to institutionalize buggery is at a fever pitch, actually allows comments favorable to Mel Gibson from someone who purports to know about Christianity (though not necessarily identified as a Christian, that would be too extreme.)

Yet, see what happens when one of these "religious fanatics" starts raving on:

"The devil used to have a very important role to play in Christianity. Modernity has found him largely unnecessary. Science, technology and capitalism argue that all the bad things in life are to be solved by a judicious use of the tools offered by human industry and wealth. Even modern forms of Christianity like Evangelical Protestantism make far less use of Satan than they once did. Scaring people is less compelling than attracting them with the positive benefits of belief."

"Gibson does not agree. He presents the gory anguish of Jesus in a manner that recalls the way that the raging Catholic prophet Savonarola stood before the crowds of 15th-century Florence to call them to penance and to cast their vanities into the bonfire. Gibson gives viewers an unblinking rave that stands against the age in order to denounce it and to call it to repentance. The path of return to God begins with the contemplation of Christ's suffering as his triumph over evil.

Gibson believes that seeing is an irresistible avenue for believing. But it's what he wants us to see that will shock: not the gentle savior whose message is peace, but the paschal lamb whose humiliating slaughter is the sacrifice that assures salvation."

These comments echo a homily given by the pastor at my church this past weekend on the occassion of the first Sunday of Lent. At the very least, Gibson will have scared the devil into some folks. For that, we should be eternally grateful.

Woman drives car into lake in film re-enactment

Uh, I don't recall seeing a car anywhere in that film.

Perceptive comments on The Passion

"the movie is not about how things are meant to be but about how things are."

Amidst articles about the Rio Grande and cowboy poetry, a writer for a small, independent weekly in west Texas lays out some of the most astute observations on Mel Gibson's blockbuster:

"I'm just one person. I can't interpret this movie for anyone else. Christianity transformed our conception of moral grounding -- from tradition to intention, from obedience to adoration -- and centered it in the heart of the individual. The interpreter Paul speaks of the Christian message as one of faith, hope and charity, 'and the greatest of these is charity,' he said, by which he meant love.

"What I do believe is that the portrayal of Christ in Mel Gibson's movie is in agreement with common Christian beliefs, in agreement with Christian faith and is coherent with indefinite varieties of interpretation."

Gay marriages not valid

A liberal democrat finally caves to the rule of law.

Newspaper Headlines in 2035

Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventh largest country in the world, California.

White minorities still trying to have English recognized as California's third language.

Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops & livestock.

Baby conceived naturally.... Scientists stumped.

Last remaining Fundamentalist Muslim dies in the American Territory of the Middle East (formerly known as Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and Lebanon.) Iraq still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least ten more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.

Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking.

George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2036.

Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesday only.

35 year study: diet and exercise is the key to weight loss.

Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.

Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.

Upcoming NFL draft likely to focus on use of mutants.

Average height of NBA players now nine feet, seven inches.

Microsoft announces it has perfected its newest version of Windows so it crashes BEFORE installation is completed.

New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters, and rolled up newspapers must be registered by January 2036.

Congress authorizes direct deposit of illegal political contributions to campaign accounts.

IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75%

Average price of a single family home in Southern California is $2,500,000. and a three bedroom apartment now rents for $8,000 a month.

Celebrating Christmas now officially a felony as it offends too many people.

THE YEAR'S BEST [ACTUAL] HEADLINES OF 2003

Crack Found on Governor's Daughter

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers

Iraqi Head Seeks Arms

Is There a Ring of Debris around Uranus?

Prostitutes Appeal to Pope

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over

Teacher Strikes Idle Kids

Miners Refuse to Work after Death

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant

War Dims Hope for Peace

If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile

Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures

Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges

Man Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group

Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks

Chef Throws His Heart into Helping Feed Needy

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors

And the winner is....

Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

CBC: Bush helped rebels oust Aristide

"Black lawmakers said the White House must prove that Aristide was not kidnapped. "

Wrong, gentlemen. It is up to you to prove that the White House is guilty, not the other way around.

Oscar watch, so far

Putting his politics aside, Johnny Depp is still the coolest guy in the room. Even 13 year olds are swooning over him.

Honorable mention: Benicio Del Toro.

Old school: a raspy Sean Connery. Still the man after all these years. Clint Eastwood hasn't aged as well, but you won't hear me telling him.

Babes: Angelina Jolie looking fabulous. Charlize Theron proving she's not some Livingston Parish frump.

Funny moment: Billy Crystal's medley and "trailer". His random jabs at celebs not so funny. I wanted to laugh at Michael Moore being stomped on, but Moore participated in the joke so its not a true jab.

Too bad Mel Gibson didn't show up. If he had been booed as the LA Times says he feared, that would only solidify the valley between Hollywood and America. He should have dared them to face him. He has the rest of civilized society on his side.