Rangel, Kerry singing from same hymnal

I blogged yesterday about Charlie Rangel's swipe at my neighbor, the great State of Mississippi. Rep. Chip Pickering (R) has demanded an apology and voiced what's on many Southerners' minds:

"I hope his remarks are not the kind of insults, slander and defamation that Mississippians will come to expect from the Democrat leadership in Washington, D.C.," he said.

Don't get your hopes up, Chip.

Rangel came back with this Kerry-esque response: "I certainly don't mean to offend anyone. I just love New York so much that I can't understand why everyone wouldn't want to live here."

Reminds me of Ray Nagin's insistence that "chocolate" meant "a drink made with white milk and dark chocolate."

This "I meant the exact opposite of what I said" act is getting old, but I don't think it's fooling many people. Personally, I say, keep handing them the microphones. Let's have the whole country hear more about what bigots they are. Yes, I said bigots. Smearing the troops or Southerners is just as bigoted as smearing African-Americans or homosexuals.

Dang, I'm getting cranky. Time for the weekend and some time out with Rich.

He never shoulda been there in the first place

Note to Shakira: Would you like to write a check to Adrienne Shelly's widower and child to help compensate them after her brutal murder at the hands of an illegal immigrant?

Would you, by any chance, like to amend your statement at the Latin Grammys in support of "the recognition [illegals] deserve from the government"? I'm sorry ... exactly what sort of recognition did this piece of crap deserve?

Just asking.

(Hat tip: Michelle Malkin)

He ain't whistlin' Dixie

Charlie Rangel takes a swipe at the South. From the New York Times (big surprise):

“It’s not just committees — our influence within the House Democratic caucus will grow enormously,” Mr. Rangel said in an interview. To that end, he sketched out an expansive federal agenda: Teaming up with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on gun control, passing new tax incentives for urban job programs, and redirecting federal money to New York in return for the outsize tax collections that the federal government makes here.

“Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?” Mr. Rangel said.

I thought the Dems were all about helping poor people, and there are more poor people in Mississippi than in New York, right? So, why the griping, Charlie?

But I, frankly, am glad that Mr. Rangel doesn't live in Mississippi or anywhere else near me. He's a doofus. Ted Nugent nailed him on Hannity & Colmes a few years ago on the subject of gun control. Nugent pointedly asked what he'd do if someone were breaking into his house and threatening his family. Rangel said, "Call 911." Nugent laughed and said, "Good luck."

Yeah, that's the problem with you gun-control nuts: By the time you have to call 911, it's often too late.

For example, on 9/11.

(Hat tip: Michelle Malkin)

OMG

Y'all, I am so bummed.

Terrorism. Illegal immigration. John Kerry's frightening mug. It's all just trivia now because of the horrors of Brit and K-Fred breaking up.

Who could have seen this one coming? I mean, what a great couple. Just the perfect couple. And Brit is the one doing the leaving. Is she crazy? What's not to love about this guy?

I'll be okay, y'all. Just give me a little while.

::: sniff :::

Aw ... say it isn't so

I like Shakira. I really, really like Shakira. As one of the few contemporary singers I bother to keep up with on occasion, she saves me from being a complete old-timer permanently stuck in Retroville.

And now she's done it. Dangit. According to Fox News:

"She threw her support to those trying to become citizens as they work without documentation. 'I hope soon they will receive they recognition they deserve from the government,' the Colombian superstar said."

Shakira, girlfriend, please ... "the recognition they deserve"? They deserve??

By the way, I don't know where this "trying to become citizens" business comes from. Between the Mechistas claiming that the southwestern U.S. belongs to them anyway and the revolving door at the border, I don't see a whole lot of investment in the idea of U.S. citizenship.

First George, and now Shakira. Oh, this makes my head hurt.

Reason #376 why I like living in Alabama

Okay ... we're certainly not the only state in the Union with deciduous trees, but check out these photographs at one of my favorite weather sites:

ABC 33/40 Weather Blog: Fayette County, Alabama

Scenes like these almost make me weep. I'm not joking. And they're everywhere in the richly forested central and northern Alabama. A gift from the Almighty, if you ask me.

South Park disses Darwin

BWWAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

Before you click -- this is definitely PG-13. (Hat tip: Hot Air)

QotD

"Big government is a national security threat: it increases your vulnerability to threats like Islamism, and makes it less likely you'll be able to summon the will to rebuff it. We should have learned that lesson on Sept. 11, 2001, when big government flopped big-time and the only good news of the day came from the ad hoc citizen militia of Flight 93."


-- Mark Steyn in America Alone