evolution

[UPDATE: Be sure to check out a couple of entries that for some reason didn't make it into the original post.]

Feel the point of the horn, infidel extremists! Your Kool-Aid will stain the carpeted halls and Herman Miller walls of your party headquarters! It’s RINO Sightings, volume XI, September 19 edition.

Speaking seriously now, I use the “jihad” reference to tweak your funny bone a bit, because any word that means “holy war” can’t possibly be applicable to the Raging RINOs (Republicans/Independents Not Overdosed (on party Kool-Aid)). In this round-up alone, you will find a great deal of rational discussion of issues — moral, ethical, scientific, and political. You will find two RINOs who utterly disagree on a topic, yet neither has called the other any sort of name. You’ll find issues discussed here that are discussed nowhere else. You’ll find both a sense of humor and a sense of duty. These are the forgotten people of American politics — the ones the polls don’t count, the ones the TV cameras don’t point at, the ones the media ignore.

The rhinoceros is a good mascot for the Raging RINOs. Rhinos are mostly docile; they like to sleep, lie in the cool mud, have sex, eat, play with the kids, things we all like to do. We Hornitarians like to keep our horns sharp, however, for when the elephants and donkeys come stampeding through with their bags of money and TV cameras.

First, an announcement:

» Welcome the newest Raging RINO: Diggers Realm.

Of course, the big issue of the day is the hurricane.

» Read a report straight from the scene: Raging RINO Kevin Boyd, the Louisiana Libertarian, survived the storm by fleeing from Slidell, LA to Texas the night before.

» AJ Strata catches up with the President’s speech the other night and offers his thoughts.

» The Art of the Blog saw the speech too, and totally disagrees with AJ.

» More disaster-preparedness items in the wake of Katrina: Don Surber is reminded of a disaster he covered in Bhopal, and he notes that a similar disaster could happen to the Beltway — unless they learn from the past.

» Now, let me try out a typical multi-culti argument on you for this item from The Countertop Chronicles: “We should respect other cultures where this sort of thing is permitted; after all, our culture is no better and we have no right to judge.” I’m not saying that our culture is indeed better because we don’t do that sort of thing, just that the set of people who would put forth this nonsense has a large intersection with the set of people — and their lawyers — who used to think “Save the Whales” was the Eleventh Commandment.

» Big Cat Chronicles notes an aspect of the hurricane not many others are talking about — a massive oil spill.

» More on the disaster: JimK of Right Thoughts debunks a false story from the recovery effort.

» Barry Campbell [not Barry "Greg Brady" Williams] of enrevanche has more on this false story, and an object lesson for those such as CNN’s Christiane Amanpour who think that “big government” is the answer.

» Another myth? Orac of Respectful Insolence thinks that the story about New Orleans doctors euthanizing patients in the face of the flood is just that.

» The Recovering Democrat noticed that no disaster is so bad that MoveOn can’t make a little money off of it.

» Dave Justus thinks maybe it’s time to take another look at poverty, race relations, and political correctness in the light of the politicization of the hurricane and flood.

» We must also discuss what we are to rebuild of New Orleans and how. The Commissar has a plan to rebuild the city so as to mitigate further disasters.

Meanwhile, there are things besides hurricanes going on in the world.

» Tom Hanna tackles the chaos following Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, a story that seems like aeons ago.

» Speaking of Israel, the Environmental Republican discovers just what kind of hate Israel inspires.

» Minh-Duc of State of Flux did not submit this article, but I don’t care. He asks whether the people who fight so hard against “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance have their priorities in order.

» Dean Esmay says now that we’re in Iraq, it’s time to choose sides.

» Jane of Armies of Liberation, who has been tirelessly dogging Yemeni government thugs, details a relationship between Able Danger, 09.11, and the bombing of the Cole.

Of course, we have to play politics as well.

» Nick Schweitzer takes a two-fisted approach to media and political partisans (which are really the same thing these days) on the Kabuki theater that is the John Roberts hearings.

» Professor Bainbridge takes John Roberts to task a bit for one of his answers on Roe, and then wonders what it would be to question a giant, maple-smoked, gin-soaked ham.

» The Bostonian Exile has a great discussion on the story we might have missed in the Pledge of Allegiance case.

» Eddie Thomas of One Good Turn chronicles the twists and turns that the center-left mag The New Republic must do just to keep leftist readers in this divided time.

» The Charging RINO is taking on Tom DeLay for announcing the patently ridiculous notion that there is “no fat left to trim in the federal government,” and notes the overall ridiculousness of the sudden concern over federal spending on the Right.

» Mark Coffey of Decision ‘08 sharpens his horn for thee, Howard Fineman.

» Eric Scheie of Classical Values details a case not of the blind leading the blind, but the stupid leading the stupid (Gwyneth Paltrow and Canadians are involved. I think that says it all.)

» Along the above lines of thinking - the grand-daddy of blogging satire, Allahpundit, wrote in the comments to this post:

This is why it truly is pointless for left and right to try to engage each other. Jeff [Goldstein] and I have talked often by e-mail of how the two sides seem, almost literally, not to speak the same language anymore.

This post by Piglito makes me think that the same is true of religious ideas as well.

» Note to phin: Just let this guy die. It can’t happen fast enough for me.

» Here’s another note on political correctness, this time in the art world, by Rachel of Tinkerty-Tonk.

All of that doesn’t mean there isn’t time for a little living, and maybe even some fun:

» RINO Say Uncle’s raging apparently includes a criminal history.

» Not much fun here: Ken Wheaton of As I Please does battle with the health care system.

» Dan of Searchlight Crusade is keeping his light on certain lenders for misleading information. Note: Banks do things to make money off of you. If bankers tell you that you are going to make money off of them, you are probably being jerked around.

» Prince of Restless Mania notes the birthday of that great document, the U.S. Constitution, and says that the existence of the state of West Virginia violates it. (Don’t tell Don Surber.)

» Of course it’s a matter of doctrine in some leftist circles (circle jerks?) that George W. Bush was the cause of the hurricane and subsequent disaster. Buckley F. Williams (that’s a great name) of The Nose on Your Face details Bush’s other crimes.

Finally, I am just getting to know some of you in the Raging RINO community, and some of you, both RINOs and others, are just stopping in for the first time. Take a minute and get to know me, or browse the evolution archives.

Next week’s RINO Sightings XII, the September 26 edition, will be hosted by Rachel Sawyer at Tinkerty-Tonk. Thanks to all who participated and to all who stopped in. And keep those eyes peeled and those horns sharp.