WHAT did she say?

"PALIN: We cannot repeat the Cold War. We are thankful that, under Reagan, we won the Cold War, without a shot fired, also. We've learned lessons from that in our relationship with Russia, previously the Soviet Union.

We will not repeat a Cold War. We must have good relationship with our allies, pressuring, also, helping us to remind Russia that it's in their benefit, also, a mutually beneficial relationship for us all to be getting along.

GIBSON: Would you favor putting Georgia and Ukraine in NATO?

PALIN: Ukraine, definitely, yes. Yes, and Georgia.

GIBSON: Because Putin has said he would not tolerate NATO incursion into the Caucasus.

PALIN: Well, you know, the Rose Revolution, the Orange Revolution, those actions have showed us that those democratic nations, I believe, deserve to be in NATO.

Putin thinks otherwise. Obviously, he thinks otherwise, but...

GIBSON: And under the NATO treaty, wouldn't we then have to go to war if Russia went into Georgia?

PALIN: Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help.

But NATO, I think, should include Ukraine, definitely, at this point and I think that we need to -- especially with new leadership coming in on January 20, being sworn on, on either ticket, we have got to make sure that we strengthen our allies, our ties with each one of those NATO members.

We have got to make sure that that is the group that can be counted upon to defend one another in a very dangerous world today.

GIBSON: And you think it would be worth it to the United States, Georgia is worth it to the United States to go to war if Russia were to invade.

PALIN: What I think is that smaller democratic countries that are invaded by a larger power is something for us to be vigilant against. We have got to be cognizant of what the consequences are if a larger power is able to take over smaller democratic countries.

And we have got to be vigilant. We have got to show the support, in this case, for Georgia. The support that we can show is economic sanctions perhaps against Russia, if this is what it leads to.

It doesn't have to lead to war and it doesn't have to lead, as I said, to a Cold War, but economic sanctions, diplomatic pressure, again, counting on our allies to help us do that in this mission of keeping our eye on Russia and Putin and some of his desire to control and to control much more than smaller democratic countries.

His mission, if it is to control energy supplies, also, coming from and through Russia, that's a dangerous position for our world to be in, if we were to allow that to happen."

OK, now wait just a darned minute... Vigilant? When the US has been, over the last decades, overwhelmingly the one nation that has "invaded smaller" countries. Oh, no, WAIT! It's only smaller "democratic" countries she is concerned about. Does this mean she is just fine and dandy with someone invading non-democratic countries? And what standard does she use to define "democratic?"

Wish someone would explain all that to me.

Anyone up for an experiment?

With fruit flies?

I have so many fruit flies that we could have all kinds of fun doing experiments concerning Mendellian genetics. Red eyes/dark eyes. Wing patterns. All the cool and interesting stuff.

Otherwise, I am getting some bug spray and killing them.

9 WORDS OR PHRASES WOMEN USE

(i stole this... LOL)

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right, and you need to shut up..

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says "Thanks a lot" - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say "you're welcome" ... that will bring on a "whatever").

( Whatever: Is a women's way of saying @!#$ YOU!!

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "What's wrong?" For the woman's response refer to # 3.

An Alaskan native speaks out

from OCA:

An Alaska Native Speaks Out on Palin, Oil, and Alaska

By Evon Peter

4 months

ago a very dear friend died, suddenly and unexpectedly.

Yesterday, as I finished up the last of his prize-winning salsa, I realized that I am still struggling to deal with his death. I had pulled the jar out of the fridge and, in doing so, noticed his handwritten label on the lid. For no reason and many reasons, I suddenly was in another place and time, laughing, talking, being bitten by his horrid dog, and eating his marvelous minestrone.

The memory was so clear, the voices so present, that it brought tears to my eyes. I smelled the soup, tasted the bread, heard the kids in the other room... I was there, once again, even if only in my mind and only for a short interval of time.

My dear friend, I don't know if you know how much we miss you. You were the very heart of a widespread circle of friends from many backgrounds and outlooks. You brought us together with your humor, your can-do attitude, and that marvelous food. Do you know that your mother took me under her wing at your funeral and brought me right into your family circle? She had never met me but treated me as one of her own, an Italian mama to the core, just as you always said. I know now from whom you learned your life-skills, to my delight. Also to my great regret for I find myself wishing I could have met her years ago.

I miss you, indeed I do. I suppose, in time, memory will fade, but for now... let it just be said that there is a large and empty place in my pantry where there should be a jar of a beloved friend's salsa.

Wanna live in the U.K.?

Best be careful what day you put your trash out...

The zeal shown by councils in enforcing their complicated rules about rubbish disposal, including the use of child informers to catch "bin criminals", is particularly oppressive. A woman in Manchester was fined £700 this week for putting out her rubbish on the wrong day - an offence known as "the advancement of waste". Her reason? To make more room in her backyard for her four-year-old daughter to play in.

That's approximately 1400 USD for the heinous crime of "advancement of waste." Uh, yeeeeeaaah.

If someone tried imposing something like that here, they'd be getting irate phone calls, being stopped on the street, and just generally would have their lives made miserable by irate, disgruntled, disgusted citizens, and rightfully so.

In the last year there was a big stink raised in one of the snooty suburbs of our little capitol about trash bins. There is a regulation that states no trash containers shall be seen from the street. Some poor schmuck left his beside his garage because he was already late for work. He then received a summons because someone, either a snoopy neighbor or a cop, noticed the bin and reported him. I don't know how the whole thing worked out but you can be darned sure I would be making an appearance at a council meeting and asking to confront my accusers...

Something to hide...

Check out this horrific video from the American News Project:

Palin's Hidden Base

"Sarah Palin has something to hide, especially from swing voters: her deep roots and thriving base of support among social conservatives who are thrilled at the prospect of overturning Roe v. Wade, among other things. Palin and the GOP leaders at the 2008 Convention avoid speaking frankly about the social conservative agenda, but ANP got an earful when we spoke with GOP delegates and anti-abortion activists at the convention. -Harry Hanbury"


Those people just scare the living daylights out of me. The only thing worse than their stupidity is their total earnestness and absolute lack of rationality.