Captions Outrageous! [Huggermugger Edition]

The above photo comes to us from REUTERS/Jim Bourg via Yahoo!

This contest will last approximately one week.

Good luck!


PREVIOUS PHOTO CAPTION CONTEST WINNERS:

Oh, Thank Heaven for 7/11 Edition
Fickle Finger of Fate Edition
Things Are Looking Up Edition
Rage in the Cage Edition
Not So Mellow Fellow in Yellow Edition
The Beards and the Beads Edition
Weapons of Mash Destruction Edition
You're Al I Ever Wanted Edition
His Cup Runneth Over Edition
The Eyes Have It Edition
Jeepers Veepers Edition

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I not only like to host photo caption contests, I like to play them, too! Be certain to check out the latest contests from these great folks...

Rodney Dill at Outside the Beltway gives us the Wookiee of the Year...
Will Franklin at WILLisms has a Bush in the hand...
Bullwinkle at Random Numbers might just be preggers...
The Man at GOP and the City gives us all the finger...

And while you're at it, check out the personal hot streak of your humble host, all within the last week...

Third Place: Random Numbers. I'm udderly overwhelmed.
Third Place: Outside the Beltway. No recount necessary.
Second Place: Random Numbers. I didn't even have to beg.
Second Place: Outside the Beltway. This one got me over the hump.
First Place: GOP and the City. Anyone for a dip?

Thank you, one and and all!

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This photo caption contest is proudly featured in:

OTB Caption Jam at Outside the Beltway

Thanks for the links!

Chris at Lucky Dawg News
THIRDWAVEDAVE
[FOR THE GUYS - Dave has a GREAT photo up himself, but be warned, it is NSFW (Not Safe for Work)!]

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UPDATE 10/7:

This contest is now closed...

WINNERS ARE POSTED HERE!

New contest is HERE!

Thank you all for playing!

Captions Outrageous! Winners [Jeepers Veepers Edition]

Announcing the winners of the eleventh ever Right Place Photo Caption Contest!

Thank you to one and all who participated!

Presenting the top ten captions for this picture [AP Photo via Yahoo!]...





#10: Former Vice President and Presidential candidate Al Gore explains how he balanced the budget during the Clinton years by saying, "When the Internet was invented, fonts were this big. I reduced the font size, and saved us trillions of dollars in disk space."

Special Ed


#9: "Global warming made it this small."

Doc


#8: "Yes, that's correct, I have THIS much sanity left - and no more!"

MFG


#7: "Could I have been clearer? I clearly said Lockbox with an L!

Darrell


#6: "The hell with the Macarena!. Okay, everyone, sing with me...
'L' is for the way you look at me
'O' is for the only one I see
'V' is very, very extraordinary..."

Giacomo
('E' is even more than anyone that you adore can...)


#5: "Mr. Bush, I am squishing your head!"

The Man
(I love it - an obscure reference I actually get!)


#4: "Thanks to the Bush tax cuts, schools can only afford half... that's right, this much, of the itsy bitsy spider."

Dr. Phat Tony


#3: Missed it by that much.

spacemonkey
(A salute to the recently departed Don Adams, no doubt!)


#2: "Now watch me, class, as I carefully, carefully place the 'L' over my forehead..."

Steve O


And the winning entry for this Caption Contest...


#1: "That 'L is for Loser' hand thing? I invented that, too."

Mike


BONUS: We hereby present a special "photoshop" division award this week to Chris...





Bravo! Bravo!

Encore! Encore!

Presenting:

Captions Outrageous! [Huggermugger Edition]

Enjoy!


PREVIOUS PHOTO CAPTION CONTEST WINNERS:

Oh, Thank Heaven for 7/11 Edition
Fickle Finger of Fate Edition
Things Are Looking Up Edition
Rage in the Cage Edition
Not So Mellow Fellow in Yellow Edition
The Beards and the Beads Edition
Weapons of Mash Destruction Edition
You're Al I Ever Wanted Edition
His Cup Runneth Over Edition
The Eyes Have It Edition

Ronnie Earle Goes Hollywood!

I've often wondered what was the reason for the close relationship between Hollywood and the Democratic Party, but then this comes along and makes things crystal clear:

For the last two years, as he pursued the investigation that led to Wednesday's indictment of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Travis County, Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle has given a film crew "extraordinary access" to make a motion picture about his work on the case.

The resulting film is called The Big Buy, made by Texas filmmakers Mark Birnbaum and Jim Schermbeck. "Raymond Chandler meets Willie Nelson on the corner of Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in The Big Buy, a Texas noir political detective story that chronicles what some are calling a 'bloodless coup with corporate cash,'" reads a description of the picture on Birnbaum's website, markbirnbaum.com. The film, according to the description, "follows maverick Austin DA Ronnie Earle's investigation into what really happened when corporate money joined forces with relentless political ambitions to help swing the pivotal 2002 Texas elections, cementing Republican control from Austin to Washington DC."

Geez - John Kerry films his exploits in VietNam, and now this. The Democratic Party, which until recently was the party of pork, is also the party of hams! But all this gives me a good feeling about the outcome of the DeLay indictment - Hollywood's box office has been in the toilet this year. I have a feeling that DeLay's indictment will be flushed down as well. Well, at least Earle has career-change options once he figures out that he can't cut the mustard as a DA.

UPDATE: Byron York, who is also the author of my first link, must be getting writer's cramp from Ronnie Earle:

Ronnie Earle, the Texas prosecutor who has indicted associates of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay in an ongoing campaign-finance investigation, dropped felony charges against several corporations indicted in the probe in return for the corporations' agreement to make five- and six-figure contributions to one of Earle's pet causes

A grand jury in Travis County, Texas, last September indicted eight corporations in connection with the DeLay investigation. All were charged with making illegal contributions (Texas law forbids corporate giving to political campaigns). Since then, however, Earle has agreed to dismiss charges against four of the companies — retail giant Sears, the restaurant chain Cracker Barrel, the Internet company Questerra, and the collection company Diversified Collection Services — after the companies pledged to contribute to a program designed to publicize Earle's belief that corporate involvement in politics is harmful to American democracy.

Some legal observers called the arrangement an unusual resolution to a criminal case, at least in Texas, where the matter is being prosecuted. "I don't think you're going to find anybody who will say it's a common practice," says Jack Strickland, a Fort Worth lawyer who serves as vice-chairman of the criminal-justice section of the Texas State Bar. Earle himself told National Review Online that he has never settled a case in a similar fashion during his years as Travis County district attorney. And allies of DeLay, who has accused Earle of conducting a politically motivated investigation, called Earle's actions "dollars for dismissals."

Folks, you can't make this stuff up!

Judy Who?

When the Rove/Plame "scandal" was heating up the dog days of summer, Tom Maguire of Just One Minute was my go-to guy for up-to-the-Minute(man) information. When Cindy Sheehan/Katrina/Roberts pushed Rove/Plame into the background, I stopped going to Maguire's site. But when I came across this article about Judy Miller, I realized how much I missed his skilled analysis. Maybe when I grow up, I will be able to blog as well as he can. Enjoy.

Hat Tip: Instapundit.

Culture Wars

For those multiculturalists who are forever trashing Western Civilization in favor of just about everything else, this article might - but probably won't - give them secomd thoughts:

An Islamic guide on how to beat your wife

By Isambard Wilkinson
LONDON DAILY TELEGRAPH
September 29, 2005

MADRID -- An imam who wrote a book on how to beat your wife without leaving marks on her body has been ordered by a judge in Spain to study the country's constitution. The judge told Mohamed Kamal Mustafa, imam of a mosque in the southern resort of Fuengirola, to spend six months studying three articles of the constitution and the universal declaration of human rights.

Mr. Mustafa was sentenced to 15 months in jail and fined about $2,600 last year after being found guilty of inciting violence against women. A judge released him after 22 days in jail on the condition that he undertake a re-education course. The Spanish government has set up a commission to find ways for the Muslim community to regulate itself. A central recommendation is that imams speak Spanish and have a basic knowledge of human rights and Spanish law.

In his book "Women in Islam," published four years ago, Mr. Mustafa wrote that verbal warnings followed by a period of sexual inactivity could be used to discipline a disobedient wife. If that failed, he argued that, according to Islamic law, beatings could be judiciously administered.

"The blows should be concentrated on the hands and feet using a rod that is thin and light so that it does not leave scars or bruises on the body," he wrote.

Thanks for the info, Mustafa!

Also, our friends the French are finding out that being opposed to the Iraq war won't protect them from Islamic extremists:

Nine Islamic militants arrested outside Paris on Monday were plotting a terrorist attack on the Paris subway system, an airport or France's intelligence headquarters, an intelligence official said Tuesday, raising fears that the capital could face bombings similar to those that killed more than 50 people in London in July.

"The moment that there is a verbal threat, we have to act," the intelligence official said, adding that the nine suspects had been under surveillance since the beginning of the year. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official's organization requires it.

France has stepped up surveillance of its subway system in the wake of the London attacks and updated its emergency response plans to take into account multiple bombings.

On Monday, the Interior Ministry warned that France was facing a "high level threat" of attack.

Courtesy of The Belgravia Dispatch. H/T - Instapundit.

UPDATE #1: Incoming FDNY chaplain questions 9/11 story:

An imam slated to be sworn in Friday as the second Muslim chaplain in Fire Department history said he questioned whether 19 hijackers were responsible for the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and suggested a broader conspiracy may have brought down the Twin Towers and killed more than 2,700 people.

In a telephone interview Thursday, Imam Intikab Habib, 30, a native of Guyana who studied Islam in Saudi Arabia, said he doubted the United States government's official story blaming 19 hijackers associated with al-Quaida and Osama bin Laden.

"I as an individual don't know who did the attacks," said Habib, 30, a soft-spoken man who immigrated to New York in July 2000 after spending six years in Saudi Arabia getting a degree in Islamic theology and law. "There are so many conflicting reports about it. I don't believe it was 19 ... hijackers who did those attacks."

Asked to elaborate on his reasons for doubting that story, he talked about video and news reports widely disseminated in the Muslim community.

Emphasis mine.

If this individual is confirmed as a chaplin for an organization that lost 343 members on 9/11, it is proof positive that political correctness is the law of the land.

Stephen Cassidy, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, could not be reached for comment.

I for one would be interested in what Cassidy has to say about this. Will he get past the censors? Time will tell.

UPDATE #2: FDNY Chaplain Resigns From Department Over 9/11 Remark:

The imam told NY1 in an exclusive interview Friday that he did not want to resign but felt it was the best thing for the department.

"I was given a choice of whether to resign or not," said Habib. "Unfortunately, I did not want to, but it was best for the department."

"In view of of his expressed views on 9/11 and what happened on 9/11, [it was determined] that he would not be able to adequately perform his function as an FDNY chaplain," said Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta.

The firefighters union says the fire commissioner personally hired the imam and should take responsibility for his words.

Emphasis mine.

Scoppetta's rocky relationship with the firefighters union certainly wasn't helped by this. Mayor Bloomberg should make finding a replacement for Scoppetta a top priority if and when he is re-elected.

Hail To The Chief (Justice)

Jesse Holland (AP):

"The Senate voted 78-22 to confirm Roberts - a 50-year-old U.S. Appeals judge from the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Md. - as the successor to the late William H. Rehnquist, who died earlier this month.

All of the Senate's majority Republicans, and about half of the Democrats, voted for Roberts."

Well, my prediction that Roberts would only get 15 Democratic votes max turned out to be overly pessimistic. But it seems that the Democrats decided to keep their powder dry in preparation of the next SCOTUS nominee, whom they would like to be a clone of the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor. As I noted in this post, Bush would be wise to follow the Clinton Precedent, where Clinton replaced the conservative Byron White with the ultraliberal Ruth Bader Ginsberg rather than seek "balance" by appointing another conservative.

The Democrats have been threatening a filibuster for the last four years. It's time for the Republicans to make them actually do something other than threaten.

UPDATE: The final tally of the Democratic vote on Roberts is here.

Having Fun Yet?

For a mother mourning the death of a son, Cindy Sheehan seems to be in good spirits.

Photo via Drudge.

Ooops! Ace of Spades HQ beat me to the punch!
Hat Tip - Lorie Byrd of PoliPundit

UPDATE #1: Can't get enough of Cindy! Bare Knuckle Politics has the video here. Courtesy of Michele Malkin.

UPDATE #2: Everyone Knows It's Cindy! The new Top-40 hit! C/O
Paul Shanklin and Rush Limbaugh

UPDATE #3: Thanks for the link to this post:

• Random Numbers
  

Angry Protesters Demand "U.S. Out of U.S. Now!"

During a much-publicized anti-war protest in our nation's capitol this past weekend, "Peace Mom" Cindy Sheehan, who previously demanded that President George W. Bush resign and withdraw his troops from occupied New Orleans, took things a step further during a speech to an enthusiastic crowd of dozens of fellow "Moonbats" in Washington, D.C.:

"We demand the war criminal Bushitler withdraw all U.S. troops from everywhere throughout the United States of America immediately and turn his self [sic] in to the United Nations to stand trial for conspiring with the Jews to murder my son! We will no longer tolerate his stormtroopers here on our home soil!"

Her cries were quickly embraced by the others in her movement, as an angry crowd of foul-smelling hippies, eyes bloodshot and pupils fully dilated, later showed up at the Pentagon in Arlington, VA, demanding that the U.S. Military surrender the building. "This is our country, we don't want you here!!!" Yelled Violet Lee Hill, a 26-year-old Graduate Student in Wymyn's Studies at the University of Wisconsin, "You have no right to be here! We are sick and tired of this oppressive occupation, and we aren't going to stand for it any longer! And bring us some more Cheetos, damnit!"

An indignant Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), seizing the moment, immediately took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives:

"Clearly, America is the biggest quagmire in U.S. history! American troops have occupied it since 1775, and they are still there today! How much longer will this exercise in futility continue? What is our exit strategy? When will the troops be going home? How many untold billions of dollars have we spent on this 230 year fiasco, and where has it gotten us? How many of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines have died on U.S. soil? Some estimates I have read place it in the millions - the millions - with hundreds of thousands of them killed in combat in tiny, insignificant places with names like Lexington and Concord, Gettysburg and Pearl Harbor!

I ask you, Mr. President, how much is enough? How many more of our sons and daughters must we lose to this insanity? How can you possibly continue to justify their presence in a land where they are unwanted and serve no useful purpose, when their very presence there is brazenly illegal to begin with? I have had my staff working day and night, researching the matter, and they can find no record of Congress ever approving of this deployment and no record of the matter ever even being discussed before the United Nations Security Council! The time has come to put an end to this! It is plainly obvious that the people of the United States do not want us there! The American occupation of the United States must end and end right now and the President must be impeached for undermining the very essence of the Constitution by illegally deploying our troops there in the first place!"

Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) added:

"Take a good look around you. It doesn't take a genius to see that we are surrounded by the American Military! Wake up, America! They have set up camps and bases in every state in this country, from Maine to Mexico... from Bermuda to West Dakota, and they are armed to the teeth with tanks and guns and warships and planes and even nuclear - yes I said nuclear - missiles! Did you ever stop and ask yourself why that is? The answer is plain as day, George W. Bush has us all under siege! He is using our own sons and daughters to keep his sorry ass in power, and we ain't gonna stand for it any longer! The time has come to rise up and demand our freedom from the tyranny of American Imperialism, if not for our own sakes, than for the sake of our children! George W. Bush has gone too far and he must be stopped! Mr. President, withdraw your troops from all of America, and do it right now!"

Ward Churchill, Professor at the University of Colorado and self-proclaimed Native American, issued a strongly-worded statement expressing support for Ms. Sheehan's sentiments:

"I am moved by the words of my pale-faced soul-sister, the one whom I call 'She-Who-Howls-at-Smirking-Chimp.' Long have my people suffered at the hands of the White Devil! We who rightfully own this land demand that all of you treacherous, conniving little Non-Native American Eichmanns, every last filthy one of you stained in the blood of our innocent forefathers, withdraw from North, Central and South America and the Islands of the Caribbean immediately, military and civilian alike! I am excluding myself, of course, because I really am a Native American - no really, I am and you can't prove otherwise no matter what proof you think you have, including those Native Americans who say I am not one of them, because I am - so there! And never mind that I once admitted that I wasn't, because I was lying when I said that - it was the evil white-man part of me speaking with forked-tongue!"

Famous Hollywood anti-war activists Jane Fonda and Martin Sheen later vowed to stand with Ward Churchill and "his people" in driving the Americans out of their homeland. Ms. Fonda even offered to be photographed on a vegetable-powered anti-aircraft gun shooting at American jets, if one was made available. MoveOn.org founder George Soros quickly offered to pay for such a weapon, if former Vice-President and Internet creator Al Gore would take the initiative to invent it.

A spokesperson for Mr. Gore said the former Senator from Tennessee and Vice President of the United States was too busy to comment at this time, as he is currently researching how President George W. Bush has managed to cause global warming not only here on Earth, but also on Mars.

Meanwhile, world renowned propagandist Michael Moore posted this press release on his website:

"We are a nation under siege by our own oppressive Imperialist government and we must endeavor to drive ourselves from our own land - for if we do not, who will? Who among you would dare to deny that it was the Americans who conquered America? And deep down inside, we all know the real reason why Bushco continues to occupy America with his troops, and it is all about oil! He has a secret pact with the big oil companies to develop oil fields in Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of California, and I have the proof! Bush is lying when he tells people that the American Armed Forces are here to protect and serve the people! They are nothing but a bunch of jackbooted thugs who were sent here for the sole purpose of raping the land and stealing our oil!

Before Shrub stole the last two elections, America was a peaceful land of hope and frivolity, where little children flew their kites and life was beautiful. Since then, every single day in our beloved country, thousands of people die, and this is a fact that even the Bush Administration dare not deny! Their blood is on his hands! How long is he going to continue to sit there on his lazy ass reading 'My Pet Goat' to gullible young school children while our people, our environment and thousands of innocent caribou are under assault by our most dangerous enemies, the American oil cartel and the U.S. Military? The world cannot afford to wait another three years for the end of the Evil Bush Regime - it must be ended now!

I am presently in the process of putting the final touches on a film, produced in conjunction with the good folks at Hezbollah and al-Jazeera, which will shake the very foundations of this country to its core and bring the much-hated Bush Regime to its knees, America the Pitiful: Oil's Well that Ends Wells! Once they see this film, I guarantee you that the American people will be rioting in the streets, demanding Bush's resignation, an end to the occupation of America, and the immediate cessation of all business activities by every oil company in America and throughout the world! Tell your friends and neighbors that they all MUST see this movie! [Advance tickets are now on sale at MichaelMoore.com]"

THUS ENDETH THIS WEEK'S DABBLING IN THE ART OF SATIRE


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I hope that you have enjoyed this post. Please take a moment out of your busy day and give whatever you can to the relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, which have so devastated the American Gulf Coast region. You'll feel good about yourself and you'll know that you did something to help those who really need it. God bless you.

Catholic Charities
The American Red Cross
The Salvation Army

More Charities Listed Here

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If you've enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy...

More Political Satire:
• New Orleans Rhapsody
• Cindy Sheehan Files Suit Against God; President Bush, Israel Named as "Co-Conspirators"
• The U.S. Constitution - A Liberal Interpretation
• George W. Bush and the Holy Grail
• The 9/11 Commission, Part 2 - Electric Boogaloo
• Democrats Give up on Winning, Push for More "Spectacular" Losses
• We Now Join the "Save Air America Radio" Telethon, Already in Progress...
• Top Secret Democrat Party Strategy Meeting - Exposed!
• The Far-Left's Favorite Soap Opera: Get Bush!
• You Just Might Be a Moonbat...
• Selections from the "Donktionary"
• The Moonbat Song

The Hill-Orgy of Errors:
• Hillary Clinton's Secret Love Affair Exposed!
• Bigfoot Takes His Own Life!
• The Right Place Stands By Its Story!

And a Filthy Lie:
• Glenn Reynolds Copyrights the Word "Indeed," Threatens to Bill Much of Blogosphere Right out of Existence!

Or feel free to check out our Main Page or our latest Photo Caption Contest. Thank you for visiting The Right Place!

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Thanks for the links!

Betsy Newmark at Betsy's Page
SondraK at Knowledge Is Power
Dr. Rusty Shackleford at The Jawa Report
Bill Crawford at All Things Conservative
Gateway Pundit
memeorandum
Pat Curley at Brainster's Blog
[Pat has a picture that just goes to prove you can no longer go too far in trying to parody the left!]
Bruce the Human Pet at The Conservative Cat
Linda SoG at Something... and Half of Something
Delftsman3 at Delftsman

This post is featured in:

Carnival of Satire #2 at the skwib
Carnival of Comedy XXII at Steve the Pirate
Carnival of the Clueless #15 at Right Wing Nut House
[This great carnival has now moved to Fridays - new (clue)bat time, same (clue)bat channel!]
Carnival of the Vanities #158 at This Blog Is Full of Crap!
(Avignon Edition)
Carnival of the Vanities #158 at The Conservative Cat
(EZ Reader Edition)
[Laurence Simon & Ferdy the Conservative Cat deserve some sort of blogosphere medal for rescuing this week's lost carnival from the hands of someone who mangled it so badly, I refuse to recognize it with a link! Visit Lair's or Ferdy's versions instead, and be sure to thank them - they did an awesome job of saving this event!]

Hooray! Carnival of Crazy #7 is ready at File It Under...

Character - or Characters?

Character, so the saying goes, is what you do when no one is looking. Using that as a point of departure, I don't know what to make of this from our good friend, Eleanor Clift:

Here’s a mind game: if the vote to confirm John Roberts were a secret ballot, would most Democrats vote for or against him? My guess is that Roberts would rack up numbers like Ruth Bader Ginsburg (96-3) and Stephen Breyer (87-9)—both appointed by President Clinton—if Democrats didn’t have to placate party activists so angry at President Bush they believe he should be opposed at every turn.

Emphasis mine.

A person with character will always do what he or she feels is right, whether or not someone is watching. Here, many Democrats reveal themselves as being characters, rather than having character.

UPDATE #1:

• Chicago Tribune:

  If Obama and other Democrats want more liberal justices on the court, there is one way to get them: Convince voters to put a Democrat in the White House. This tortured opposition to Roberts isn't likely to improve their odds of doing that. They instead might have tried extending to John Roberts the fairness they profess to value.

  
  
• Newsday:

  Democrat Herb Kohl of Wisconsin had it right when he said he was voting for Roberts with "his hopes, not his fears." Too many Democrats are voting their fears - and ambitions.

  
  

UPDATE #2: The Anchoress included this post in her Round Up With Obscenity Warning. If I knew that obscenity was allowed, I would have taken a shot at the rest of Clift's article - which was basically to cover her ample @$$ after she correctly notes how beholden elected Democrats are to fringe groups.

UPDATE #3: James Taranto of Opinion Journal has a running tally of how the Democratic vote on Roberts stands here. As of this writing, there are 13 Yeas, 16 Nays and 16 Unannounced. Take a look at the two lists of decided senators and see if there is a pattern.

The Clinton Precedent

When it comes to the issue of presidential appointments to the Supreme Court, Ronald A. Cass really nails it:

AS WE AWAIT President Bush’s nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, all the talk is about precedent. Roe vs. Wade: What does a judge do when a precedent is based on shaky legal ground? The Ginsburg Precedent: How much does a nominee have to answer, and how do you draw the line? Yet the most important precedent hasn’t been mentioned: the Clinton Precedent.

To refresh our memories, President Clinton had a chance to make two appointments to the Supreme Court. The first came with the retirement of Justice Byron White, a conservative who cast one of the two votes against Roe vs. Wade. And just one year before his retirement, White, joining three other justices, dissented in the 5-4 pro-abortion decision in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania vs. Casey.

With the court so closely divided, what did Clinton do to preserve the balance? Did he replace White with another conservative, someone equally clear that there is no constitutional protection for abortion? He chose the former general counsel of the American Civil Liberties Union, a leading liberal law scholar whose special interest was women’s rights: Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Any question how close she was going to be to White?

The president did what presidents always do. He picked someone he thought would be a good justice according to his own views. He didn’t worry about preserving the balance on the court, and he certainly didn’t worry about maintaining the court’s division over abortion.

It’s understandable that liberal Democrats would care about the Supreme Court. For more than half a century, the court has been pivotal in reducing the authority of the states, increasing the power of the federal government, eroding protections of property rights, tilting the legal balance from favoring religious worship to favoring atheism, and finding rights in the Constitution that no creative thinker in the nation’s first 175 years ever imagined.

Much of the liberal political agenda that could not muster support at the polls has been achieved through the courts. Would voters sanction government taking private property from one person to give to another? Would they approve banning the Pledge of Allegiance as an unconstitutional intrusion of God into our public life?

Unless courts keep altering legal rules to facilitate liberal causes, Democrats label judges conservative activists, and view anyone who supports them as wanting to take us back to the days of segregated lunch counters and back-alley abortions. It’s a mantra that worked against Robert Bork, so why not use it against everyone else?

It’s time to return to the understanding that presidents get to pick the judges they want, as long as they’re qualified for the job, and that senators are voting not on whether a nominee conforms to their preferences but on whether he or she shows the competence and temperament necessary to the judicial role. It’s time to recognize the Clinton Precedent as the benchmark for what presidents do

If I were President Bush, I would *not* let the Democrats have any say in who he nominates to replace Sandra Day O'Connor. Indeed, Democratic opposition should be challenged rather than appeased.

Captions Outrageous! [Jeepers Veepers Edition]

The above photo comes to us from REUTERS/Chip East via Yahoo!

This contest will last approximately one week.

Good luck!


PREVIOUS PHOTO CAPTION CONTEST WINNERS:

Oh, Thank Heaven for 7/11 Edition
Fickle Finger of Fate Edition
Things Are Looking Up Edition
Rage in the Cage Edition
Not So Mellow Fellow in Yellow Edition
The Beards and the Beads Edition
Weapons of Mash Destruction Edition
You're Al I Ever Wanted Edition
His Cup Runneth Over Edition
The Eyes Have It Edition

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Thanks for the links!

Rodney Dill at OTB with OTB Caption Jam
Oregano at Cafe Oregano with Carnival of the Caption Contests
Bohemian Like You at Where Have You Gone, Ronald Reagan?
Chris at Lucky Dawg News

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UPDATE 9/30:

This contest is now closed...

WINNERS ARE POSTED HERE!

New contest is HERE!

Thank you all for playing!

Captions Outrageous! Winners [The Eyes Have It Edition]

Announcing the winners of the tenth ever Right Place Photo Caption Contest!

Thank you to one and all who participated!

This was one of our best contests yet, with quite a few more worthy captions than slots to award, so be sure to check out the comments section of the original post (linked above) for plenty more good stuff! Great job, folks!

Presenting the top ten captions for this picture [AP Photo via Yahoo!]...





#10: "Dear God!!! They're beginning to suspect I'm a conservative!!!"

Steve O


#9: GULP! "That's not MY Klan membership card!"

spacemonkey


#8: "Yes, Master Kennedy, I live to serve you and do your bidding. I understand. No wind farms off Hyannis."

Giacomo


#7: "Holy crap! Did I leave that drifter's body in my trunk?!? This could derail the whole process! Think, Johnny, think!"

Buckley F. Williams


#6: Did you know that if you stare at the Constitution JUST right, you'll see a 3-D picture of Ben Franklin mooning you?

Special Ed


#5: Senator Biden's technique of relaxing by imagining Barbara Boxer nude was not working for Judge Roberts.

Hoodlumman


#4: In a microwave, no one can hear you scream.

Rodney Dill


#3: "My God... it's full of stars!"

oregano


#2: Eyes red and sore from staring at clueless liberals all day? There's a Visine for that!

bullwinkle


And the winning entry for this Caption Contest...


#1: Sen. Biden's gloved hand was suprisingly cold.

Rob B


Bravo! Bravo!

Encore! Encore!

Presenting:

Captions Outrageous! [Jeepers Veepers Edition]

Enjoy!


PREVIOUS PHOTO CAPTION CONTEST WINNERS:

Oh, Thank Heaven for 7/11 Edition
Fickle Finger of Fate Edition
Things Are Looking Up Edition
Rage in the Cage Edition
Not So Mellow Fellow in Yellow Edition
The Beards and the Beads Edition
Weapons of Mash Destruction Edition
You're Al I Ever Wanted Edition
His Cup Runneth Over Edition

Rita Is No Lady

Hurricane Rita has yet to make landfall, but already she has made herself felt - by reflooding the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, and, more tragically, in the deaths of up to 24 elderly evacuees in a bus explosion near Dallas. As of this writing, Rita has been downgraded to a Cat 3 hurricane. But that is no cause for celebration.

"We're going to get through this," Texas Gov. Rick Perry said. "Say a prayer for Texas."

If you are so inclined, take some time out to pray for our fellow citizens in the path of the storm. I'll also echo the sentiments of my partner Mr. Right for the safety of Will Franklin and DJ Drummond.

UPDATE: My friend Jeanette from numerous PoliPundit threads was nice enough to link to this posting here. Jeanette's son and his family, as well as her co-blogger Newton all live in Texas. Keep them in your thoughts as storm passes.

The Empress Has No Clothes

Vote Republican for free lap dancing:

MANY PEOPLE think conservatives, especially the American kind, are a mean-spirited, selfish bunch of misanthropists, irredeemably opposed to public spending on anything other than tanks and prisons.

They should talk to Abby, bartender at the Baby Dolls Strip Club in Houston. A week after Hurricane Katrina had relocated thousands of New Orleans residents to Houston, Fema, the much-maligned federal agency responsible for dealing with the crisis, decided it would be a good idea to hand out debit cards with a value of $2,000 to the displaced to buy necessities.

There were virtually no restrictions on the use of the cards and so the definition of “necessities” acquired some latitude. Louis Vuitton did a roaring trade in handbags in the Houston area and a good deal was dropped, as it were, at some of the city’s finest adult entertainment establishments.

Interviewed by a reporter for the local TV station, Abby over at Baby Dolls said she had seen many clients using their debit cards. She had nothing but praise for this exercise in government largesse. “A lot of customers have been coming in from Louisiana and they’ve been real happy about the $1.75 beers and they’re really nice.” It was only fair, she added that they should get a little publicly funded help. “You lost your whole house, then, why not?” she said. “You might want some beer in a strip club. There are a lot of guys out there that like to do that.”

Indeed. It may not be the kind of relief that most Republicans were thinking of when they voted through $50 billion in spending on the devastated region, but I can’t think of a more compassionate conservatism than one that pays for a Budweiser and a lap dance with somebody else’s money.

Emphasis mine.

The moral here is that giving money indiscriminately invites abuse, no matter how lofty the intentions behind the giving are. And I hope that the following isn't taken as blaming the victim, but many of the evacuees from the Superdome and Convention Center have made many poor decisions in their lives. If what Gerard Baker has noted is true, that tendency for some of them is still in place. It's hard to put your life back together when your priorities aren't in order. The road to hell is paved with good intentions - an old saw of a saying, but dead-on accurate. Democrats have long ago succumbed to the belief that having good intentions in and of itself makes you a virtuous person, even if actions based on those intentions fail to deliver results. I hope that Republicans don't fall into the same trap. In the case of the lap dances, the Empress has no clothes - literally! ;-)

UPDATE #1: Jonah Goldberg:

A great many liberals in recent weeks have argued that conservative hostility to big government suggests we don't support agencies like FEMA or fire and rescue services. This is nonsense. Every conservative I know wants firemen to put out fires. We don't, however, want firemen asking us how our marriage is going or lecturing us about how to be more "sensitive." A fireman can't put out the fires at my house if he's at your house giving you a big hug.

Ultimately, this is the core problem with all ideologies that try to make government an extension of the family. Welfare-state liberalism wants the government to act like your mommy. Compassionate conservatives want the state to be your daddy. The problem: Government cannot love you, nor should it try.

Amen!

UPDATE #2: Tom Coburn(R, OK) and Barack Obama(D, IL), US Senators, discuss the need for oversight of the funds appropriated for rebuilding after Katrina here. One tidbit of information that I learned from their article:

After September 11, 2001, when the Small Business Administration was directed to help New York businesses get back on their feet, it was later discovered SBA provided loans to a South Dakota country radio station, a Virgin Islands perfume shop and a Utah dog boutique -- none of which were affected by that day's terrorist attacks.

Kind of makes lap dances not look too bad!

UPDATE #3: Federal Dollars won't make New Orleans great, according to Daniel Henninger:

What is New Orleans today? It is the impoverished, lawless product of Huey Long's anti-capitalist populism, cross-fertilized with every poverty program Washington produced the past 60 years. The currently popular notion that "the country" somehow failed to notice that much of New Orleans had become a social and economic basket case is false. Every college student knows the basic storyline of "All the King's Men" if not that of former Governor Edwin Edwards (1992-96), now serving 10 years for extorting businessmen.

New Orleans needs an exemption from the politics and policies of the past 40 years. In a disaster equal to the hurricane's devastation of New Orleans, the federal welfare system eroded the life of the city's poorest families at the same time the schools were failing to educate them. Why should the poorest people of New Orleans have to return to their catastrophic schools? Where is the morality in a system that would do that?

Or, to paraphrase Lt. General Russel Honore, "Don't get stuck on stupid!"

Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin.

Blogging Hurricane Rita

Two of my favorite bloggers are in the Houston area, riding out the coming hurricane and blogging on their experiences for as long as the power holds out. One tried to leave before getting caught in traffic and turning around, while the other is staying put by choice. God bless you, guys. Please stay safe!

Will Franklin at WILLisms

DJ Drummond at Stolen Thunder

Houston, We Have a Problem!

[Photo stolen from NASA]

One of the most powerful hurricanes in recorded history is bearing down on the U.S. Gulf Coast - again.

Hurricane Rita seems to have its evil eye trained on the Lone Star State. Current projections have it hitting Galveston and Houston almost dead-on, but projections can and do change. Evacuations are well underway.

Please, if you live in the possible path of this storm, esp. anywhere along the Texas or Louisiana Gulf Coast, pay close attention to weather reports and local authorities and be prepared to evacuate or seek shelter.

We can only pray that it weakens before it hits land, and that it changes course and strikes in the place where it can do the least amount of damage.

MORE:

NOAA's NWS National Hurricane Center
NOAA's NWS Storm Prediction Center
The Weather Channel
NASA - Hurricane Season 2005: Rita
FEMA
Texas DPS Hurricane Rita Page
Louisiana State Police - State Emergencies
Fox News
CNN
Associated Press

Odd People Out

Los Angeles Times:*

IT WILL BE A DAMNING INDICTMENT of petty partisanship in Washington if an overwhelming majority of the Senate does not vote to confirm John G. Roberts Jr. to be the next chief justice of the United States. As last week's confirmation hearings made clear, Roberts is an exceptionally qualified nominee, well within the mainstream of American legal thought, who deserves broad bipartisan support. If a majority of Democrats in the Senate vote against Roberts, they will reveal themselves as nothing more than self-defeating obstructionists.

Washington Post:*

JOHN G. ROBERTS JR. should be confirmed as chief justice of the United States. He is overwhelmingly well-qualified, possesses an unusually keen legal mind and practices a collegiality of the type an effective chief justice must have. He shows every sign of commitment to restraint and impartiality. Nominees of comparable quality have, after rigorous hearings, been confirmed nearly unanimously. We hope Judge Roberts will similarly be approved by a large bipartisan vote.

New York Times:*

John Roberts failed to live up to the worst fears of his critics in his confirmation hearings last week. But in many important areas where senators wanted to be reassured that he would be a careful guardian of Americans' rights, he refused to give any solid indication of his legal approach. That makes it difficult to decide whether he should be confirmed. Weighing the pluses and minuses and the many, many unanswered questions, and considering some of the alternatives, a responsible senator might still conclude that he warrants approval. But the unknowns about Mr. Roberts's views remain troubling, especially since he is being nominated not merely to the Supreme Court, but to be chief justice. That position is too important to entrust to an enigma, which is what Mr. Roberts remains

Well, what kind of logic do you expect from a paper that's decided to charge people for the privilege of reading columnists like Dowd and Krugman online?

Anyway, two out of three ain't bad. The Democrats should keep the first two editorials in mind when they vote for Roberts' confirmation. But they probably won't. Prediction: Roberts will not get more than 15 Democratic votes.

UPDATE #1: James Taranto of Opinion Journal:

It looks as though John Roberts will be confirmed with only a few Democratic votes. Bloomberg News reports that Harry Reid, the Senate minority leader, announced this afternoon that he will vote against the chief justice-designate. Reid's words could have been scripted by the New York Times editorial board:

"No one doubts that John Roberts is an excellent lawyer and an affable person," Reid of Nevada said on the floor of the Senate today. "But at the end of this process, I frankly have too many unanswered questions about the nominee to justify a vote confirming him to this enormously important lifetime position." . . .

In his speech today, Reid said that the decision "is a very close question" and stopped short of encouraging his fellow Democrats to oppose Roberts. The minority leader also said the party won't use parliamentary tactics to block the vote.

We're guessing this means no more than a dozen Democrats will vote for Roberts, and maybe considerably fewer.

Emphasis mine.

Great minds think alike!

UPDATE #2: Leahy to Back Roberts for Chief Justice

The senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee announced Wednesday he will vote to confirm John Roberts for chief justice of the United States after leading senators met with President Bush to discuss candidates for a second high court vacancy.

The decision by the veteran Vermont senator dealt a serious blow to liberal efforts to mount significant Democratic opposition to the conservative judge who would succeed the late William H. Rehnquist at the helm of the court.

Leahy's announcement on the Senate floor came shortly after he and three other senators met with Bush at the White House to talk about the vacancy created by the decision by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to retire.

Ah...The plot thickens!

* Requires registration, or use Bug Me Not

UPDATE #3: Thanks for the link to this post:

• BlogMeister USA
  

Crocodile Tears

This is an understatement:

Story of a mother’s desperate calls from nursing home skewed

The Jefferson Parish president's emotional retelling of a mother's desperate calls from a New Orleans nursing home included details that conflict with the timeline of the tragedy.

The story, of a colleague's mother begging her son for rescue as flood waters rose after Hurricane Katrina, came to prominence on Sunday, Sept. 4, when Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish in New Orleans, was interviewed by Tim Russert on NBC's Meet the Press. (MSNBC is a Microsoft-NBC joint venture.)

New details and interviews with the son whose mother died in the flood show that the tragedy unfolded from Saturday through Monday, Aug. 29 — not Monday through Friday, Sept. 2 as recounted by Broussard. The owners of the nursing home were indicted Tuesday for the deaths of more than 30 residents, which officials say occurred on Aug. 29.

In the course of the interview, in which Broussard was expressing frustration with the slow-footed response by the federal government to the hurricane, he related the personal story of a man whose mother had died in the flooding caused by Katrina. Broussard, who did not identify the man by name at the time, broke down in tears as he related the story. As the Meet the Press transcript shows, Russert paused the interview to allow Broussard to compose himself.

Emphasis mine.

In other words, Broussard lied about the woman's death, for the express purpose of shifting the blame for it away from the local government - where it belongs - to the FedsBush Administration.

Just when I think that the Democrats can't go any lower in their Bush-bashing, they prove me wrong. Excuse me now, while I dry my eyes. ;-)

Hat Tip - Drudge Report

How Quickly We Forget

If a liberal ever asks you why conservatives can't "get over" Bill Clinton, tell him or her that it's because of two reasons. The first reason is that Clinton just won't go away:

Former US president Bill Clinton sharply criticised George W. Bush for the Iraq War and the handling of Hurricane Katrina, and voiced alarm at the swelling US budget deficit.

...On Hurricane Katrina, Clinton faulted the authorities' failure to evacuate New Orleans ahead of the storm's strike on August 29.

People with cars were able to heed the evacuation order, but many of those who were poor, disabled or elderly were left behind.

"If we really wanted to do it right, we would have had lots of buses lined up to take them out," Clinton said.

...FEMA boss Michael Brown quit in response to criticism of his handling of the Katrina disaster. He was viewed as a political appointee with no experience of disaster management or dealing with government officials.

"When James Lee Witt ran FEMA, because he had been both a local official and a federal official, he was always there early, and we always thought about that," Clinton said, referring to FEMA's head during his 1993-2001 presidency.

The second reason is that Clinton is an inveterate liar. James Lee Witt was *not* always there early. Just ask Jesse Jackson:

The Hurricane Floyd disaster was followed by what was judged by many to be a very slow Federal response. Fully three weeks after the storm hit Jesse Jackson complained to FEMA Director James Lee Witt on his CNN program Both Sides Now, "It seemed there was preparation for Hurricane Floyd, but then came Flood Floyd. Bridges are overwhelmed, levees are overwhelmed, whole town's under water . . . [it's] an awesome scene of tragedy. So there's a great misery index in North Carolina." Witt responded, "We're starting to move the camper trailers in, It's been so wet it's been difficult to get things in there, but now it's going to be moving very quickly. And I think you're going to see a -- I think the people there will see a big difference over within this next weekend."

Emphasis mine.

Three weeks then versus three days now - it seems to me that FEMA's response time has improved greatly. But of course, George Stephanopoulos didn't bring that point up when he did the interview with Clinton. If a rank amateur in pajamas (actually, shorts and a T-shirt) could find the Hurricane Floyd debacle, why couldn't a highly trained - and paid - professional do likewise?

UPDATE 1: I'm not the only person who caught Clinton lying on This Week today - Lorie Byrd of Polipundit zeros in on Clinton's fast and loose treatment of WMD:

What REALLY got me about the quote above, though, was the “no evidence that there were weapons of mass destruction” part. If I don’t see a big, fat MSM story showing Clinton to be the liar he is by quoting the long list of evidence that he cited as his reason for making regime change in Iraq the official policy of the U.S. in 1998, then I will never believe another word that I read or see in the MSM.Okay, I passed that point long ago. I guess I will just shake my head in disgust like I always do and rant a little here. Since the MSM is not likely to do it, I will provide some prime examples of Clinton WMD evidence here in a separate post.

We'll all look forward to reading it, Lorie.

UPDATE 2: That was fast - here is Lorie's follow-up post.

UPDATE 3: Thanks to all of the blogs who linked to this post:

• Memeorandum.com
  
• The Urban Grind
  
• The Other Corner
  
• The Nose on Your Face
  
• The Jawa Report
  
• The Anchoress
  
• According to this Jim
  
• Flopping Aces
  
• Jack Lewis Net
  
• Newmark's Door
  
• Joust the Facts
  

If I've missed anyone, I'll add you in a later update - thanks again!

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

No, it's not Howard Dean. It's Cindy Sheehan! Remember her? Maybe this will jog your memory:

George Bush needs to stop talking, admit the mistakes of his all around failed administration, pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq, and excuse his self[sic] from power.

It is clear from the above statement that Sheehan is not just anti-war, she is anti-military. No matter where you stand on the Iraq war, to make an analogy to placing troops in New Orleans to placing them in Iraq is sheer lunacy. If the MSM were really impartial, they would have given this pronouncement of Sheehan at least one tenth the ink that they gave to some of her other statements. But don't hold your breath waiting. The MSM and their Democratic allies have a vested interest in maintaining the fiction that Sheehan is politically moderate.

In an earlier post, I made the erroneous assumption that Cindy Sheehan's 15 minutes of fame were up. But no less a personage than Howard Fineman of Newsweek has set me straight in his article Beltway vs. Blogosphere. The growing influence - actually, stranglehold - of the 527 groups like Moveon.org on the Democratic Party has been well documented on talk radio and the right-wing blogs during last year's election. But the astute Mr. Fineman has just gotten wind of it via a tip from a friend:

If I am hearing Simon Rosenberg right (and he is worth listening to), a nasty civil war is brewing within the Democratic Party, and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton—the party’s presumptive 2008 nominee—needs to avoid getting caught in the middle of it.

“It’s not a fight between liberals and conservatives,” Rosenberg told me the other day. “It’s between our ‘governing class’ here and activists everywhere else.”

In other words, it’s the Beltway versus the Blogosphere.

According to Rosenberg, the Beltway Democrats are too accomodating of Republican excesses, and don't have the stomach to take them head on. An example of this was rejecting the presidential bid of Howard Dean in favor of that of Beltway insider John Kerry. Where does Cindy Sheehan fit in to this mishmash? Right here:

The first sign of its re-emergence was Cindy Sheehan (remember her?) on the national stage. Beltway Democrats avoided her like the plague; the Blogosphere embraced her as a heroine of the grass roots. It wasn’t so much the content of what she said; she was, after all, claiming mostly to be asking questions. It was the WAY she came to prominence—quickly, virally, seemingly from out of nowhere—and her stubbornly confrontational tone.

In truth, Sheehan didn't just "come from nowhere", but instead had considerable support:

Sheehan's message hasn't changed since she got here, but the support staff interested in getting that message out to the world has grown considerably.

Organizers are set up in a house trailer. Their meetings closed to reporters.

Leading the group is Fenton Communications employee, Michele Mulkey, based in San Francisco. Fenton specializes in public relations for liberal non-profits.

Their bills are being paid for by True Majority, a non-profit set up by Ben Cohen -- of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream fame.

Ben Cohen, True Majority: "People are willing to listen to her and we want to do as much as we can to make her voice heard."

Cohen's group has teamed up with Berkeley based MoveOn.org, an anti-Bush group co-founded by Joan Blades.

Earlier this month, MoveOn helped organize anti-war vigils in support of Cindy Sheehan.

Current Democratic National Party Chair Howard Dean's organization Democracy for America is also involved, as is the more radical anti-war group Code Pink organized by San Francisco's Medea Benjamin.

Money donated through these groups and others is helping to pay for Gold Star families whose children have been killed in Iraq to attend anti-Bush protests.

There is nothing wrong with any of this, but the information should be made public. But going back to Fineman, I like the advice that his buddy Rosenberg is giving to the Democrats:

In Rosenberg’s view, that’s the tone Democrats need to adopt now, especially after Hurricane Katrina. Too many “governing” Democrats, he says, wrongly assume that their party’s traditional vision of “competent, benevolent government” has been rejected by the voters. It hasn’t, he says.

There is no need, Rosenberg says, to wander in the desert in search of a new theoretical synthesis, the way conservatives did a generation ago. What the Democrats need, he says, is an unforgiving toughness and a mastery of new means of communications—and all of this is more likely to be accomplished in the Blogosphere than inside the Beltway.

Emphasis mine.

Anyone who has ever slogged through the comments of blogs like Daily Kos, Atrios or - in particular - Democratic Underground know that the readers of these blogs are nowhere near the political mainstream. If the Democrats adopt the shrill, over-the-top rhetoric of these blogs, their slide into irrelevance will continue. But based on recent comments by Sheehan and Howard Dean, the Democrats are taking Rosenberg's advive to heart. It's all a plot by Karl Rove!

YEEEEEAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGG!!!!!

UPDATE #1: Rush Limbaugh covered the Fineman article on his radio show yesterday.

UPDATE #2: DJ Drummond of PoliPundit weighs in on the Fineman article here.

Frequent Flyer (S)Miles

Okay, so I've been toying with the blogroll again. It's getting to be like a bad habit, but I just can't seem to stop fidgeting with it. Not that anybody really notices...

In recognition of those of you with blogs of your own whom I have noticed hanging out around here regularly, or who have been so kind as to link to me on numerous occasions, I have started the "Frequent Flyers Club."

Membership has its perks, insomuch as you get bumped to the top of my blogroll and highlighted with bold print, not to mention a link-loaded write up below. Maybe it will even get you a few hits. Heck, it might be nice if some of you checked each other out, you might like what you see.

The charter members of the Frequent Flyers Club are as follows:

The Anchoress, who has linked a few times and commented on a couple of occasions as well. Thank you, dear lady!

Anna (aka Anon) from A Rose by Any Other Name has become a frequent visitor and commenter here. Thank you!

charles austin of Sine Qua Non Pundit is a quick-witted captions regular. Thanks!

Basil from Basil's Blog has invited us to a few lovely meals over the last several months. Thanks, Basil!

bohemian like you of Where Have You Gone, Ronald Reagan? can be found frequenting the comments and photo caption contests. He even credited us with inspiring a contest he ran where he gave away an iPod Shuffle as first prize! Thanks for your patronage!

Bruce the Human Pet at The Conservative Cat frequently adds material from this blog to his daily "Funny Stuff" round-ups. Thank you!

Lorie Byrd at Byrd Droppings and PoliPundit, easily one of the world's greatest people, whose constant generosity in linking here made this blog what it is! Lorie, I cannot thank you enough!

CharlyG from Reformed Politics is a good buddy to both Stephen and myself from the PoliPundit threads who knows his way around all manner of music lyrics. Great guy!

Chris at Lucky Dawg News who has contributed photoshops to the last several caption contests and links to said contests on a regular basis. Thanks, Chris!

Pat Curley at Brainster's Blog, who is one of the nicest guys in the world and about whom we cannot say enough good things! Pat is easily our most frequent linker and even gave us not just one, but two links from Ankle Biting Pundits while he was guest blogging there! Wow! Besides that, Pat was the first blogger ever to put us on his blogroll! Thanks so much, Pat!

Rodney Dill from Outside the Beltway, a photo captions ace who links our contest every week with the "OTB Caption Jam." Thank you, big guy! Be sure to play Rodney's own caption contests (two per week) at OTB, too!

Dr. Phat Tony, another of our many photo contest regulars. Thank you!

Will Franklin of WILLisms has certfied this blog "classy" several times through his "Carnival of Classiness." Will is also a frequent caption contest specialist who runs a pretty cool weekly caption contest of his own, and is an all around great guy, who ought to know a thing or two about "classy," 'cause let me tell ya, my good man, "classy" is what you are! Will also sends our good friend Zsa Zsa over to play here all the time, so I want to send a special shout out to her here, too! Thank you both!

Giacomo at Joust the Facts, who I've been noticing around here frequently lately. He has linked a couple times and is now playing along with our caption contests as well. Thank you and welcome!

Hoodlumman & Rob B. from File It Under..., who hang around regularly (esp. "Hood"), leaving nuggets of wisdom in the comments sections, contributing great material to the photo contests and who also link to me frequently via "The Carnival of Crazy," published every other week. Be certain to check it out! And thanks!

I. Ronnie at Now That's Ironic is another one of our best photo caption players. Thank you!

Jeanette & newton from Oh How I Love Jesus, each of whom both Stephen and I have gotten to know quite well on the threads at PoliPundit and who visit here often. Thank you, dear ladies!

jimmy b from The Conservative UAW Guy, who has commented a number of times and also contributes regularly to the caption contests. Thanks!

Rick Moran of Right Wing Nut House has sent a load of traffic our way by featuring us regularly in his "Carnival of the Clueless." Thanks, Rick!

Kitty Myers of Kitty Litter and Lifelike Pundits (which also features Pat Curley) has made us a semi-regular stop on her "Interblogatory Travels" and linked here numerous times from Lifelike. Thanks, Kitty!

Betsy Newmark at Betsy's Page, who has linked a few times, including a very nice Michelle Malkin link while she was guest blogging there! Thank you, Betsy! You are a doll!

Oregano at Cafe Oregano, who has been nice enough to add our caption contests to his weekly "Carnival of the Caption Contests" feature and has also linked to some other stuff here. Thanks!

John Ruberry at Marathon Pundit is a long-suffering Chicago White Sox fan (just like Mr. Right) and has linked and commented here a few times. Thank you, sir!

Dr. Pat Santy from Dr. Sanity, who has made this blog a regular feature in her "Carnival of the Insanities." Thank you!

Dr. Rusty Shackleford & Howie from The Jawa Report, both of whom have linked multiple times. Thanks, fellas!

Chris Short from Conservative Thinking, a regular photo caption contributer. Thank you!

spacemonkey from The Flying Space Monkey Chronicles and, of course, IMAO, who is another photo contest ace. Thanks, dude!

Stew from Get Stewed is here so often, I ought to be charging him rent! Just kidding, buddy. Thanks for dropping by so often, commenting and playing the caption contests!

Don Surber has linked us quite a few times and has commented here as well. Thanks!

THIRDWAVEDAVE comes here so often, I'm thinking of offering a twelve step program on Right Place addiction in his name. Seriously, thank you, Dave, for all the visits, comments and captions!

Last, but by no means least, Buckley F. Williams from The Nose on Your Face, who can be found here frequently - commenting and cracking us all up with his photo caption genius. He, too, has linked more than once. Thanks, Buckley!

If I have missed anyone, I apologize. Trust me, if you are a regular who leaves some sort of bread-crumb trail (trackbacks, comments, e-mails), I will eventually notice you, too. Please feel free to leave a comment in this post as it is never too early to start catching my eye for the next time around!

By the way, anyone out there who has me on their blogroll and I have not yet reciprocated, please let me know! If you were a member of my "Filthy Little Link Whores Club," don't panic! While that section has now been removed, I promoted you to a new place on my blogroll!

Thank you all for visiting The Right Place! Please fly with us again. Buh-bye, now!

******************************

Thanks for the links!

Howie at The Jawa Report
THIRDWAVEDAVE at THIRDWAVEDAVE
Stew Magoo at Get Stewed

Wow! 2nd Runner-Up Ain't Too Shabby!

In a contest with as many entries as the Outrage a Liberal Headline Contest at Where Have You Gone, Ronald Reagan? (well over 100), coming in 3rd place feels pretty darned good!

Of course, nowhere near as good as it must feel right about now for the winner, Jason from Generation Why?, who walks away with a shiny new iPod Shuffle! Cool! Congratulations, Jason!

Thanks to Bohemian Like You for a fun contest. Aren't you dying to know the winning entries, yet?

Of course you are!

Captions Outrageous! [The Eyes Have It Edition]

The above photo comes to us from REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque via Yahoo!

Okay, so it's an obvious choice... but the humor potential is boundless here, so have it!

This contest will last approximately one week.

Good luck!


PREVIOUS PHOTO CAPTION CONTEST WINNERS:

Oh, Thank Heaven for 7/11 Edition
Fickle Finger of Fate Edition
Things Are Looking Up Edition
Rage in the Cage Edition
Not So Mellow Fellow in Yellow Edition
The Beards and the Beads Edition
Weapons of Mash Destruction Edition
You're Al I Ever Wanted Edition
His Cup Runneth Over Edition

******************************

Thanks for the links!

Rodney at OTB with OTB Caption Jam
Chris at Lucky Dawg News
Mike at Grendel's Dragon

This post is featured in:

Carnival of Comedy 21 at Basil's Blog

Be certain to check it out!

******************************

UPDATE 9/23:

This contest is now closed...

WINNERS ARE POSTED HERE!

New contest is HERE!

Thank you all for playing!

Caption Madness! Winners [His Cup Runneth Over Edition]

Announcing the winners of the ninth ever Right Place Photo Caption Contest!

Thank you to one and all who participated!

This was another good one, with more worthy captions than slots to award, so be sure to check out the comments section of the original post (linked above) for more good stuff! Great job, folks!

Presenting the top ten captions for this picture [AP Photo via Yahoo!]...





#10 (tie): "Are ya'll sure I didn't have a heart attack and go to Heaven?"

opine6


#10 (tie): "Ahh weesh Hillary were here... so I could see her head explode!"

Steve O


#9: "Don't mind the belly ladies. When you got a power tool like mine, you got to build a shed over it."

Dr. Phat Tony


#8: "Ya know, together, y'all are almost as old as I am."

charles austin


#7: "Two for me, two for Hillary..."

Mike


#6: "I brought the sausage and they got the buns."

don


#5: "Hillary who?"

I. Ronnie


#4: "Hey, Hillary, look what I found! Can I keep 'em?"

SJJ


#3: Count how many wieners you see in this picture.

Hoodlumman


#2: "Not with THAT woman, Miss Lewinski, But THESE women... well the day ain't over yet!"

spacemonkey


And the winning entry for this Caption Contest...


#1: "Looks like I need to buy some more Cigars!!!!"

Bill W.


(Maybe this week's winner, Bill W., can tell us all why he uses "Gil Thorp" as his homepage in the comments section... or is it a secret? Hmmm...)


UPDATE: I should also have mentioned that Chris had contributed another photoshop to this week's contest. While this particular photoshop is, shall we say, I tiny bit too racy for this blog, it is still quite amusing. Those wishing to view it, can see it HERE. Thank you.


Bravo! Bravo!

Encore! Encore!

Presenting:

Captions Outrageous! [The Eyes Have It Edition]

Enjoy!


PREVIOUS PHOTO CAPTION CONTEST WINNERS:

Oh, Thank Heaven for 7/11 Edition
Fickle Finger of Fate Edition
Things Are Looking Up Edition
Rage in the Cage Edition
Not So Mellow Fellow in Yellow Edition
The Beards and the Beads Edition
Weapons of Mash Destruction Edition
You're Al I Ever Wanted Edition

******************************

Thanks for the link!

Mike at Grendel's Dragon

Roberts To Be Confirmed

After watching bits and pieces of the Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats inquisitionquestioning of John Roberts over the last couple of days, I came away impressed. One man, alone and without notes, made mincemeat out of attack dogs like Ted Kennedy and Joe Biden, who were reduced in the end to mechanically repeating Moveon.org talking points rather than seek to engage Roberts directly. Some conservative pundits like Ann Coulter may consider Roberts to be a risk, and would have preferred a known quantity like Michael Luttig. But consider these two quotes from Roberts, then decide:

1: "Justices and judges are servants of the law, not the other way around. Judges are like umpires. Umpires don't make the rules; they apply them. Nobody ever went to a ballgame to see the umpire."

2: "If the Constitution says that the little guy should win, then the little guy's going to win in the court before me. But if the Constitution says that the big guy should win, well then the big guy's going to win, because my obligation is to the Constitution."

Liberals need the judiciary to advance their agenda, since they can't do it at the ballot box. Not one Democrat - executive or legislator, local or national - would dare run for office promising to abolish the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools, even though that's the position of the liberal elites who finance their campaigns. We conservatives should not seek to emulate the liberals by politicizing the judiciary. Putting someone like Roberts on the courts is the first step to returning the courts to do what the Founding Fathers intended it them to do - interpet the laws, not make them.

With the Judiciary Committee's hearings concluded, it appears that the Roberts confirmation is a done deal. The only questions left is how many Democrats will vote in favor of his confirmation getting out of committee, and how many will vote for him in the full Senate. My guess is that no more than two Democrats on the Judiciary Committee will vote "yea", and that Roberts will get no more than 15 Democratic votes in the final vote. The Moveon.org/Michael Moore people control the finances of the Democrats, so a sop in the form of a "nay" vote has to be tossed their way. No doubt that a large number of "nay" votes will be spun by the Democrats and their MSM allies as the need for President Bush to appoint a liberalmoderate woman or minority judge to replace O'Connor. Using that criteria, Bush could then nominate Janice Rogers Brown - two out of three ain't bad. ;-)