Our own Scott Malensek will be on the air tonight

Tune in here

Show Date: October 11, 2007
Show Topic: Headlines (A list will follow)
Show Time: 8:00pm CT/9:00pm ET
Segment Time: 8:30pm CT/9:30pm ET to approximately 9:00pm CT/10:00pm ET

UPDATE

Show cancelled, will be re-scheduled.

I’ve added the last 10 comments to the sidebar, enjoy.

I was sent a copy of the new book Under Enemy Colors by S. Thomas Russell to review a few weeks back and I have to say I came away from it pleasantly surprised.

I’m a big fan of Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin books and I’m happy to report Russell appears to be well on his way to filling the void left when Patrick died.

Most of the book is set on board the newly built British frigate, the Themis, during the French Revolution and tells the story of two very different men in command of that ship.

The main character is Charles Saunders Hayden, a man who seemed destined to become a Master and Commander but was bypassed and given a first lieutenant slot on the Themis.  A courageous and skilled commander Hayden is startled to learn that the man he works under, Captain Josiah Hart, is a incompetent, bumbling, tyrannical and cowardly leader.  So much so the crew of the Themis is very close to mutiny.

During the ship’s adventure-filled voyage into French waters Hayden finds himself stuck between a tyrannical leader, a disaffected crew with leanings towards violence, and his love of Britain and France (since he is half French from his Mothers side).

Russell has a easy to read writing style and is quite skilled at setting up some very suspenseful passages with some action scenes, but the guts of this book is more character driven rather than action-oriented which includes the inner workings of a crew so very close to mutiny and a complicated courtship ashore.

The characters are well-drawn and there is a virtual smorgasbord of period-correct naval minutia, so if you loved Aubrey and Maturin your gonna love this new series of books (at least I’m hoping it becomes a series) by S. Thomas Russell.

I’ve put up a comment feed on the sidebar above the "email me" link.  For those of you trying to keep up with your conversations it might be a good tool.

Heading down to San Diego for some R&R for the next few days with the wife.  Gonna enjoy the beach and completely disconnect from the world which means none of my rants will be going up until Sunday or so.  

Don’t think your safe tho, the rest of the fellas will still be ranting away.

Cya Sunday.

Check out the new faces on the sidebar.  Added Scott Malensek and Todd from Twin Cities Conservative PLUS Mike’s picture is a rendering of the real Mike from his pictures.  Not bad huh?

Seems like there are new video hosting companies popping up everyday with many starting to go niche.  For example, ImCooked.  A video hosting site with videos of people cooking recipes.  Now, I know, booooring.  But hold on a minute, is Christopher Walken ever boring?

Check him out cooking a chicken and pear dish:

Ok, maybe a little boring but I did notice he had no watch on.  Where could it have gone?

I know, this had nothing to do with politics, msm bias, or the war on terror but dammit….Christopher Walken IS the man!

A very sad day in the sports world today.  Bill Walsh, that innovative coach and a genius in his own right, who changed the football world immensely has passed away.

Greetings…allow me to introduce myself. My name is Todd Anthony, and I maintain "Right is Right," a site dedicated to exposing the twisted alliance between the Left and Islam.  I’ll be serving as a guest columnist here at the FloppinAces and posting my own politically-laced rants.

With that said, I’m a 34-year old dude. I’m a technical writer for a software company in Minnesota. I’m an avid guitarist, mostly consumed with the blues (also some rock, nu metal, a little jazz, and country). I possess a bachelor’s degree in English, and a master’s degree in Technical Communication. I wanted to note that to provide some background as to what drives my thoughts and opinions, i.e. I’m not some 16-year old fan boy sitting in his parents’ basement wiling away 18 hours on in the internet. I like to think I’ve seen and experience a little bit in this life…

I suppose I lean more to the right of the political spectrum. I believe in strong national security, but am generally pro-average Joe worker. I think we’re shooting ourselves in the foot by allowing the ACLU, CAIR, and other "political fronts" to dictate the policies of this country…ie. through the Democrats. I’m serious people, we do NOT want to live under Sharia law; and at this rate, it’s going to happen…you heard it here first.

Finally, I fully embrace comments either for or against my diatribes. If you disagree with me or find that I somehow made a factual error, let me know. We’ll see you on the other side…

A sad day in the online community.  The wife of Cold Fury blogger Mike was killed in a motorcycle accident at the age of 33.  As Glenn Reynolds said, words are completely inadequate to express our deep sorrow at the passing of his wife but they are indeed necessary.

I’m sure you remember when I was cajoling you readers to take that survey over the last few months.  Well, the results are in, check out the results here.

Some samples: (click to enlarge)

What does all this mean?  No idea, but hey…we do know many of you enjoy your cocktails.

The Fourth of July.  An important day and one day we should really reflect on our nation.  Enjoy your families, your friends, the fireworks and food.  But don’t forget what this day means.

If I had to choose one word to sum up this day I would choose sacrifice.  Those who sacrificed everything, their money, their positions in society, their lives, to sign that Declaration should be honored in every way possible.  This is not a day to just gaze at fireworks.  This is a day to reflect on those who sacrificed everything, including their lives so that we may live in a free land.  

In honor of this day I present this video made by GCS Distributing entitled, We Support You:

Happy Fourth of July to all.

We hold these truths, these ideas, to be self-evident, obvious, undeniable, and incontrovertible.

We believe in the idea that all men are created equal. People with black skin, brown skin, white skin, red skin, yellow skin and so forth are all born equal.

People who believe in Allah, Yahweh, Christ, Buddha, Mother Earth, Ra, any religion or no religion, are all people who are born equal.

They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. These rights, beliefs, ideas, truths are not unique to American citizens, but are rights of all people of all nationalities-including illegal immigrants / aliens.

We believe that among these are Life (the right to live), Liberty (the right to live under a government of one’s choosing as governments derive their power from the consent of the people and not vice versa), and the
pursuit of Happiness. No one and no group of people have the right to impede the pursuit of another person or group’s happiness. Harmony, agreement, compromise, understanding, individual rights, and the rights
of all groups should be respected and never blocked, or prevented.

These inalienable rights [to live, live under a government of one’s choosing, and to pursue happiness] are the soul of the American nation. The Constitution is our skeleton, the Bill of Rights our body, but our
soul was put to paper on July 4th, 1776. It was 23 decades ago when a handful of wealthy, elitist, smugglers, brewers, distillers, con artists, propagandists, slave owners, and dissatisfied Americans declared that a new nation be born based upon those inalienable rights of all people. They wanted to create a new kind of nation-one that recognized all men as equal instead of breeding wars to determine if Frenchmen were better than British, if Scots were better than Irish, if Saxons were better people than Genovese. The idea is that everyone is equal. Kings are no better than paupers, and in fact they dreamed of a nation where rulers were only able to rule based upon the will of those who were ruled.

We don’t derive these rights based on where we were born. They are not exclusive to those lucky enough to be born between two great oceans, but are extended to every human born on the same planet, under the same stars. All men are created equal.

This means that American citizens in Ohio were born as equal as the penniless, starving kids in Ethiopia, as old money debutantes in Vermont, as the children born in mine-laden Afghanistan, the same as the surfer kids in California, the hippie kids in Washington state, the kids in terrorized Israel and war torn Palestine. It means my kids were born with the same rights to live, to live under a government of their choosing, and to be happy…as Vietnamese, Cambodian or an Iraqi kid.

As I reflect on the constant ravings about being the world’s policeman, about Iraq being another Vietnam, about The Killing Fields, the Fall of Saigon, and the political craze to abandon Iraq to terrorists, I wonder
when Americans stopped believing that everyone is created equal, when we stopped believing that everyone has a right to choose their government, and when Americans gave up on protecting other people’s pursuit of
happiness?

It’s been said that America is supposed to just be a beacon of liberty for others to see and head towards. Of course, that stems from a time long before the United States could even certainly defend itself let alone be the last remaining superpower. With superpower comes super responsibility.

It should never be wrong to remove a dictator, but it should be wrong to make excuses to leave them in power. A nation that makes excuses is a dim beacon at best.

It should never be wrong to confront a terrorist. It should always be right to try and take the serrated knives from the hands of masked head-sawer-offers. A nation can’t possibly claim to be a beacon of anything if it makes excuses for running from such animals.

It should never be right to oppose what’s right just to score political points or to affirm our own political dissatisfaction, a sense of political defeat, a feeling of alienation, or plain ole fear of the consequences.

Knowing the right thing to do is never as hard as drawing up the courage, conviction, and dedication to doing it. The people who signed their names to the death warrant that was the Declaration of Independence knew that. They knew it 231 years ago, and despite their fears, they stood up for the rights of all men…

…not just those people lucky enough to have been born between two lines on a map and two great oceans.

231 years from now, will Americans look back and see 2007 as America’s greatest moment? Will they say, "THAT was America’s Greatest Generation"? Or will they be embarrassed at the national fear and excuse-making which has compelled so many millions to protest the liberation and never protest the terrorism?

So the iPhone is out and the madness begins