Take Five

1. It's only January and I think we already have a winner for Unctuous Blowhard Post of the Year. Apparently, an anxious electorate breathlessly awaits the endorsement of Rob Huddleston. (Psssst, Rob, you have their phone numbers too, right? Who died and made you Ted Welch?)

2. Yes.

3. 24.

4. From Heather McDonald:

Noonan warns Obama that “radical movement on abortion” would rouse the “sleeping giant that is American conservatism.” Maybe so. But many conservatives are just as worried that a Democratic Congress is about to give government an all but permanent role in the economy, thus impairing the dynamism and entrepreneurship that is America’s greatest economic asset.

5. Heh: "Juicebox Mafia."

Take Five--Titty Ho Edition

1. For your inner 12-year old.

2. Special elections. Can't trust 'em.

3. Darn. No Senator Caroline Kennedy. And she had so much to offer. Like, er, her last name. And, well, other stuff that I can't think of right offhand.

4. Black: the new black.

5. Big Hollywood.

English Primarily

I am no longer a Nashvillian, but if I were I would vote against the "English Only" amendment, or whatever those crazy kids are calling it these days. I have a lot of reasons, but here are a few off the top of my head:

1. It is unnecessary. I don't about you, but every time I go into Nashville, everyone still seems to be speaking English, just as they they were when I lived there. Not the King's English, necessarily, but English just the same.

2. It's a waste of time and money. We already had to waste time and money having a special election to fill Ronnie Steine's seat way back when. This is equally appalling. Actually, it's more appalling, because at least then you got the psychic thrill of watching Steine, never one to shy away from turning up his nose at people he considers inferior beings, get whacked around a bit.

3. Even Buck Dozier thinks this is a stupid idea. Buck Dozier.

4. Telling people they have to do something is often the least effective way to get them to do it. Immigrants will learn English for the same reason they always have, because they have to function on a day-to-day basis. They're not going to learn it because there's some law written somewhere saying so. There are a lot of speed limit signs on the roadways, too. How are those working out?

5. It smacks of the worst kind of political fetishism that has infected segments of the right over the past few years. It's small, narrow-minded and with no big picture perspective. And ultimately pointless.

But what do I care? I'm a Williamson Countian now. Maybe over lunch I'll head over to Nissan headquarters and ask them their opinions on passing similar "English Only" mandate over here. I'm sure they'd really appreciate it. After all, they need us more than we need them, right?

Take Five - One Week's Pay Edition

1. I knew all about this, really I did, because I know everything that's going on at the state legislature, unlike you mere mortals who are completely out of touch, but I chose not to say anything until right now, because, well, um, I'll think of something...really I will...

2. Question: this incident was apparently well-known (and, apparently, just one of many such "notorious" incidents in the legislative cesspool), so, er, where was the Capitol Hill media on this (not to mention the other incidents?

3. Female Democratic Rep. Janis Sontany was privy to one of the more lurid occurrences reported in the memorandum. Democratic Rep. Janis Sontany voted for Kent Williams to be Speaker of the House. Discuss.

4. Democratic Speaker Jimmy Naifeh knew about all of these allegations, yet pulled all of the strings to make Kent Williams his personal Mini-Me. Discuss.

5. "Discuss" somewhere else of course. FITP remains a one-man show.

Yup II

"But may I add a small sigh of relief at once again having a president who can actually, you know, speak in public? It has been SO painful for the last eight years."

-- Charles Murray

Yup

Mickey Kaus reporting from Washington:

Conservatives I've met in D.C. so far have been near-ebullient, not downcast or bitter. Why? a) They know how unhappy they'd be now if McCain had won; b) Obama has not fulfilled their worst fears, or even second-to-worst fears; c) now they can be an honest, straight-up opposition.

Wow, This Is Indeed Truly Creepy

I guess it took having a new President to get these people to do things are nice.

Question: what were they doing before? And how pathetic is it that you allow the vagaries of presidential elections to dictate how you operate?

Here it is: