A site named HillBuzz has a VERY interesting idea:

We’ll let you in on a little secret:  the reason these donors give to the DNC is not because they actually believe in what the DNC is doing.  They give money because they want things, and most of what they want is pictures of them with famous people to hang on their walls at home, or in their offices.  Whenever we do special events here in Chicago, the houses we go to are filled with snapshots of the owners with every Democrat imaginable over the last 20 years.  95% of these pictures are taken at $1,000 a person photo-op meet and greets.  Those political evenings feature weak drinks and room temperature cheese.  Occasionally, here in Chicago, there are hot waiters in little tuxes, passing mediocre spinach puffs.  If you are lucky.

. . .

BUT, in this economy, people are already averse to forking out the money they used to for meet and greets.  If heat was put on these people for giving to the current 60 Democrats in the Senate, for instance, many wealthy Democrat donors might find it reasonable to make do with the photos they already have this year, instead of ponying up the funds to take new ones with Claire McCaskill, Evan Bayh, Chuck Schumer, Barbara Boxer, et al.

 Go read the whole thing, as they say. 

Had an interesting conversation during an office break.  I was describing how good the book "Inferno" (by Niven & Pournelle) is to Ted. I was describing how they update Dante's description, and that the ultimate punishment is being continuously chewed by Satan.

He disagreed.  He said the worst punishment he could think of would be to have to watch loved-ones suffer punishment and to not be able to stop them from making the mistakes that lead to that.

Ding!  Clickity click and I had up Luke 16:19-31 (Revised Standar Version):

[19] "There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

[20] And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz'arus, full of sores,

[21] who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

[22] The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried;

[23] and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz'arus in his bosom.

[24] And he called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Laz'arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.'

[25] But Abraham said, `Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz'arus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

[26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.'

[27] And he said, `Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house,

[28] for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.'

[29] But Abraham said, `They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'

[30] And he said, `No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'

[31] He said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'"

(Spacing added for readability)

So, there's Ted's vision of the worst possible punishment in Hell -- Jesus's description of Heaven.

According to an article at the Mercury News (found via alphecca.com) there is good news--REALLY GOOD NEWS!

Starbucks: Bring on the guns

Starbucks has brushed aside a request from a gun control advocacy group to ban the display of guns in its retail locations, saying it will abide by laws that allow patrons to openly carry unloaded weapons.

The national Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence made the request in the wake of a series of meetings in local restaurants over the past few months by Bay Area Open Carry, a group that hopes to make it legal to carry loaded guns in California. Peets Coffee & Tea and California Pizza Kitchen responded to similar requests by banning displays of weapons in the companies' coffeehouses and restaurants.

"Starbucks does not have a corporate policy regarding customers and weapons; we defer to federal, state and local laws and regulations regarding this issue," Starbucks' customer relations department said in response to the Brady Campaign's request.

The head of a local chapter of the Brady Campaign was disappointed by the response.

Two VERY IMPORTANT updates were sent with their last blast email:

ARE YOU FED UP WITH THE CONGRESS?
(Then do something about it now.  Early voting starts 2/16/10.)

and

Why is it important to vote in the primary elections?

Didn't get them? Drop me a line and I'll send it on to you.  But first, hie thee over to the new SATP site and SIGN UP (in the upper right corner)!

The crowd was big by 9 a.m.  It was really big by noon.  It was an incredible experience by the time Glenn Beck did his show.  It was absolutely freaking astounding, can't move anywhere it was so packed by the start of our Tea Party.  Yet I ran into these lovelies twice.  (Yes, God, I hear you.)  I'd forgotten my camera that day (D'Oh!), but I did have my cell phone. 

Here's the winners of the San Antonio Tea Party Chairman's award for best signs for the 2009 Tax Day Tea Party:

On the sixth day, he put the man to sleep, extracted a rib, and built . . . The Critic.

The Critic soon instructed Adam on the many errors of his ways.  The Critic made Adam change his fig leaf, comb his hair, trim his beard, sit up straight, and put up curtains.  Then The Critic rearranged the Garden, transplanting these flowers here and those bushes there, because it was just ALL wrong.

The Lord observed all this and decided in His Infinite Wisdom that resting on the seventh day was the better part of valor.

Married men find the above funny.

Women note that it's incorrect--the fig leaf came later!  Thus do they prove that they are indeed the daughters Eve.

First, take this simple 12-question test of your News IQ by Pew Research.

We'll wait.  Go on -- just do it!

Done?  OK.  How'd you do?  I got 12 of 12.  ( I preen....)

John Ziegler has some interesting things to note.  Probably the biggest thing is that just just by picking answers at random, you should get three right, on average.  Yet, 26% of the people -- one in four! -- did WORSE than that!  The result is horrible, as he notes:

Taking this concept out of the theoretical and into the practical, I have written previously about how Scott Brown's magnificent win is being overrated as an indication of a political shift in this country. How could his victory really be all about repudiating health care reform when only 32% of adults in this country know that no Republicans voted for it and only 39% know Harry Reid leads the Senate? This means that at least 61% of potential voters have absolutely no clue about what is really going on regarding the most publicized public policy issue of the past year!

More and more I am convinced that all that matters in elections is how you look/sound, what your personal narrative is, whether you are part of the party the public (often wrongly) thinks is in power, and how the media treats you. That is a recipe for both the destruction of the conservative movement as well as the nation itself.

 Oye Vey -- if we don't get the truth out, we are screwed!  Why do so many get it wrong?  BIG MEDIA tells L*I*E*S!

This chart from Cato@Liberty covers most of the years I've been alive.  It illustrates that our masters in Washington, District of Corruption, have gone totally insane.

Found at Ed Driscoll's (via Instapundit)

One looks forward to the day!