Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- When Rudy Giuliani made New York great again.  (HT Execupundit)

- The final text of the Protect College Sports Act. It's 171 pages - Jeez!

- If you've ever been to the Denver airport - this is funny.

- Three companies changing how we build, power, and defend America.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Neil Gaiman's Trigger Warning

- Penguins perform O'Canada prior to last night's game vs Flyers. I hope the San Francisco Giants make the same gesture of support.

- Wow - Rudy Giuliani really doesn't like Charlie Crist

- Founder of the Weather Channel - Climate change is nothing but a lie. The climate is changing but for reasons we neither understand nor control. We should be studying these reasons and not asking people to wear sack-cloth and ashes.

- Impact of vaccines in US

- "The Hot Zone" and the mythos of Ebola

Sarah Palin as Mrs. Weasley

Last night I got home too late to have seen Sarah Palin's speech live. I did find the text of her speech on RealClearPolitics and my initial reaction was "Wow!" Flipping around the channels I noticed that one of the C-Span channels was replaying the night's RNC events. I knew I would have to wait a while to see the speech but I had to see it. I couldn't wait till the morning when the speech would be available on video. The anticipation was killing me.

I fell asleep but awoke during Rudy Giuliani's speech. Governor Palin would be next. I sat up in rapt attention and when she started in my reaction was, "Wow - simply wow!" Her speech generated strong emotions in me. Feelings that were eerily familiar. It took me most of the day to realize when I had felt those feelings before.

Before I explain - let me back up. Like many people I was disgusted at the way the media had been attacking Palin through her children. Her speech reminded me on a visceral level of a lioness protecting her cubs. Governor Palin knows her family is not perfect nor rich nor to the aristocracy born. But it's her family and they are a family. Whole and intact. Like the Weasley family from the Harry Potter books.

It hit me tonight that the last time something generated such feelings was at the end of the last Harry Potter book - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

At the end of the book Bellatrix Lestrange is trying to kill Mrs. Weasley's youngest daughter Ginny (along with Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood). Mrs. Weasley's response? "NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!"

Mrs. Weasley did not need anyone to protect her child. She did it herself. Much like Sarah Palin last night. If you substituted the liberal media elite for Bellatrix - then to me the cry of "NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!" seems spot on.

To continue the analogy - again substitute the main stream media for Bellatrix and the reaction to Palin / Mrs. Weasley again seems spot on:

"Bellatrix's [the MSM's] gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge: For the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared..." Deathly Hallows Page 736-737

The gloating smiles over an inexperienced, white trash hick with no experience is gone. Evaporated by a speech like no other I can recall in my lifetime. The mainstream media has been exposed for their shabby treatment of a mother and her daughter. And last night the crowd cheered as the mother protected her family and prevailed over her would be tormentors.

The crowd is still cheering. Not my daughter you bitch indeed!

Good for Rudy

Rudy Giuliani won't sign any Packers gear this week.

Good for Rudy. People know Rudy's a sports fan and if anyone can understand being true to your team its Packers fans. I don't see this harming him in the Wisconsin Primary. In fact if the Packers end up winning Sunday - it could help him as Packer fans who are swing voters give their vote to a guy who is passionate about football.

HT The Big Lead

Presidential Election Odds - Republicans

Here are the latest odds on who will win the Republican nomination for President (odds via Bodog).

Rudy Giuliani 3/2
Mike Huckabee 2/1
Ron Paul 5/2
Mitt Romney 9/2
John McCain 5/1
Fred Thompson 6/1
Newt Gingrich 9/1

Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul are complete sucker bets and I'm guessing the odds are that short because people are betting on them as a joke. Mitt Romney and John McCain are the best bets if you ask me (in terms of chances and return on investment).