Wiener of the Week

If ever a WotW were to need a subtitle, this is the one. I call it: California's Vultures have come home to roost.

ABC News has learned that tax refunds are now on hold in California for the first time in state history, according to the state controller's office.

"Unfortunately, we have asked the California Franchise Tax Board not to send over tax refund claims beginning today because we will not be able to process them and have them out the door by Feb. 1 when a 30-day delay in tax refunds goes into effect," Hallye Jordan, spokeswoman to California State Controller John Chiang, tells ABC News.

So...why exactly is this Wiener-worthy? Because in 2007 California -- in the midst of the housing crash -- passed a budget that was an increase of 11% over the previous year. It was chock full of the kind of BS legislative thumb-sucking that CA is famous for. Then last Fall, when the economy cratered, rather than pare back the budget to pre-2007 numbers, they reduced the budget by a whopping .006%! Now they're whining (QQing is how my boys would put it) and begging for federal bailout dollars. Meanwhile, they hold back citizen's tax refunds rather than address the root problem: their government is Leviathan in size and scope and needs to be pared by half.

Congratulations California! You're the Wiener of the Week.

The Gore Effect

Gore Effect -- The phenomenon that leads to unseasonably cold temperatures, driving rain, hail, or snow whenever Al Gore visits an area to discuss global warming. Hence, the Gore Effect.
Courtesy of The Urban Dictionary.

Al Gorebells, chief propagandist for Big Warming, appeared before Congress yesterday to hype his fraud. Of course, as alluded to in the quote above, the Gore Effect was in full force. We had gawd-awful weather -- snow, sleet, freezing rain, a plague of frogs (okay, I made that last one up).

Still, when you're the chief propagandist for Big Warming, you can't let a little inclement weather in one of the coldest winters on record get the best of you.

Big Media (the BM for short) was in full-fledged worship of the one they call The Goracle. Dana Milbank of the Washington (Com)Post was in full-blown journalistic fellatio.

Once Al Gore was a mere vice president, but now he is a Nobel laureate and climate-change prophet. He repeats phrases such as "unified national smart grid" the way he once did "no controlling legal authority" -- and the ridicule has been replaced by worship, even by his political foes.

Pardon me while I try not to throw up in my mouth.

Yep, the scam continues. Some of you might be saying, "Hey, Vulture! Weren't you supposed to be doing a series on the AGW scam?" Why, yes I am. But work is pounding me, and the research is daunting. More Big Warming asshattery is occurring all the time; it's almost too much for one bird to stay on top of.

But I WILL post my series of anti-AGW related bloviation, and you will understand at the end of that series exactly what is happening and why it is happening.

Exhibit A

As if you needed any further proof that the entire country is convinced that it is entitled to everything, here is yet another proof.

Imagine you need an MRI exam, but you can't get one because you're too big for the machine.

Carolyn Ragan has been through a lot since a tumor was found on her spine, including surgeries and paralysis. But she says nothing was as humiliating as a trip to the hospital to get an MRI two years ago.

She was told that at 5 feet and 275 pounds, none of the MRI machines would hold her. Carolyn says an assistant began searching for one elsewhere that would.

"So he suggested the Kansas City Zoo. I thought, I know I'm big but I'm not as big as an elephant," she said. "And my husband got mad."

So here's the deal. We have a woman who, at 5' tall and 275 pounds, is just a few pounds shy of being square. She can't fit in the equipment. So...what's my problem? Continue reading.

"They should have machines that fit most everybody," Carolyn said.

Ah, yes. No matter that MRI machines aren't exactly cheap. The hospital should have one "that fit[s] most everybody" because this hippo says so.

Where's the personal responsibility here? It's not her fault that she can't fit! The hospital is the bad guy because they won't spend the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a specialized machine for the incomprehensibly obese.

I have an idea! How about you lose 150 pounds? Besides allowing you to fit into the damn machine, it'll probably save you from dying at age 50 from heart failure.

Wiener of the Week

While it would seem that, given my lack of posting activity, I would be the candidate for the WotW, there is actually a more deserving recipient.

I want to know who in our wonderful governmental mess thought that this was a good idea.

The United States and the United Arab Emirates have hammered out a nuclear cooperation deal that would bring U.S. atomic technology and know-how to a site less than a hundred miles from Iran's shores, an envoy from the Persian Gulf monarchy confirmed Monday to state media.

Okay, I know that UAE makes sense as a counterweight to Iran. I know that the UAE has been a great ally for the past quarter century. BUT...the Shah of Iran was a great ally for a quarter century, too.

Does UAE seem like the kind of place that might abuse nuclear technology? No. At least not at the present time. But nuclear technology is like Pandora's box. Once it's open, there's no putting the genii back in the bottle. If UAE's government is ever overthrown by Islamic extremists, we'll have given birth to nuclear Jihad!

So, to whatever of Leviathan's moronic representatives dreamed up this idea, congratulations! You're the Wiener of the Week.

The DoublePlusGoodHopeChange era begins

Here we are, Day One of a new era. Hail King Obama!

After the election, I wrote a post speculating on what kind of president Obama would be. You might want to read it. It's one of my better posts, if I say so myself.

But if I were to write that same post today, I'd be less certain that Obama might fall into one of the four presidential categories I defined. Circumstances have changed. Obama isn't a stupid man; he knows that we are in the midst of an economic crisis that could have calamitous consequences if it gets too much worse. He's already starting to back off from some of his campaign promises (you know, the one's that would have added a trillion dollars in new spending). He's even talking about tax cuts.

I wish him well. He certainly wasn't my choice for president. But he's got the hardest job in the world and he's inherited a hell of a mess from King George the Dim. My prayer is that he would set aside his ideology and show wisdom in the choices he makes as president. Our nation's survival may depend on those choices.

Wiener of the Week

George W. Bush -- King George the Dim -- is destined to be the charter member of the Wiener Hall of Fame. But before he receives that dishonor, he needs to be named as WotW yet again.

What did he do this time? It's not so much what he did, which was the right thing -- freeing two border patrol agents from prison who were scapegoated convicted of the high crime of doing their jobs as agents charged with protecting America's borders. It's how he did it.

Bush didn't pardon the men for their crimes, but decided instead to commute their prison sentences because he believed they were excessive and that they had already suffered the loss of their jobs, freedom and reputations, a senior administration official said.

The action by the president, who believes the border agents received fair trials and that the verdicts were just, does not diminish the seriousness of their crimes, the official said.

Fair trials? Just verdicts? Bullshit! Those two guys were railroaded to placate Mexico, nothing more, nothing less.

What a colossal a-hole Bush is! And he's the Wiener of the Week.

A hero prevents a catastrophe

Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III is an incredible human being. Who, exactly, is Sully? Sully is the pilot of USAir flight 1549 from LaGuardia to the Hudson River. His heroics saved the lives of 155 people.

In the sick, sad world in which we live, there aren't many opportunities to acknowledge heroes -- mostly because they're few in number and not given to tooting their own horns. And there is a tendency (I'm as guilty as anyone in the media or blogger nation) to focus on the negative.

But I'm overwhelmed with admiration at this great man, who took a life-and-death situation and, utilizing a combination of extraordinary preparation, extraordinary skill, and extraordinary courage, put a completely disabled airplane down into a river in such a way that the plane remained intact, allowing the rescue of all aboard.

You want real role models for your children? Don't look to athletes and politicians. Look to quiet, strong men like Sully Sullenberger.

Cold enough for ya?

9 degrees. -3 degrees wind chill.

These aren't normal temperatures for Frederick. It's usually more in the range of 30-40 degrees for the high (today's high is supposed to be 17) and 20-32 degrees for the low. But the Arctic Blast that hit the Midwest last week has arrived here. We're going to have a chilly weekend.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking if you live in Utah, Idaho, Wisconsin, Montana, Minnesota, anywhere in Canada, or any other cold place I failed to mention. What a poofter, griping about 9 degrees! You have to understand that all weather is relative. My 9 degrees, adjusted to the spectrum of "normal", is your -25 degrees. And I'm no poofter! I left the gym last night still wearing my workout clothes (light Under Armour style shirt, shorts) and a coat. One of the personal trainers acted like I was going to my death! "You run to your car!", she said. I walked. It's not THAT cold.

So why even bring up the weather, then? Because we're in the midst of the second consecutive Winter with below normal temperatures. And things seem to be trending towards continuing colder weather for the foreseeable future. Even CNN ran a story (on Lou Dobbs Tonight) asking the question, "Are we entering a new Ice Age?" There is ample scientific evidence to support that hypothesis.

This weekend I'll post Part I of my anti-AGW blitzkrieg - Follow the Money. Big Warming isn't about temperatures. It isn't about 'saving the planet'. It's about money and power.

Bye-bye, Mexico!

You thought we had emigration problems before? You ain't seen nothin' yet!

Mexico is one of two countries that "bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse," according to a report by the U.S. Joint Forces Command on worldwide security threats.

If Mexico does indeed collapse, we'll be flooded with a wave of illegal immigrants that makes the current problem seem minuscule by comparison. And if (when?) it happens, we'll rue our utter lack of any kind of sane emigration policy. Our nightmare will be self-inflicted, and we'll deserve all of the consequences that befall us. We've had chance after chance to halt the mass migration from the South, but we've kowtowed to special interests instead.

Was it worth it for cheaper fruits and vegetables for a short 30 year run?

Honestly, the crooks in Washington can't see 5 minutes past the next election, and they don't give two hoots about the future of this nation. If they did, they wouldn't spend their time discussing meaningless hearings on the crimes of King George the Dim, or trying to bail out their rich and connected friends by dumping soon-to-be-worthless bales of money in their laps. Their actions speak louder than words. They're more interested in looting the Treasury and playing government than in protecting the interests of their country and its citizens.

It's a good thing I speak semi-fluent Spanish. I have a feeling I'm going to need it.

Fortress DC

Preparations for the Coronation of King Obama of DoublePlusGoodHopeChange (the Savior of the BM) have been heavy on security. Okay, that's a major understatement. They're effectively shutting down the city in phases starting Monday, with some restrictions not lifting until Wednesday. Unless you're some kind of dignitary or a glutton for Schutzstaffel abuse, you don't want to be anywhere NEAR this MCF. I'm not even going to try to get to work on Inauguration Day, and I work 15 miles from downtown on the other side of the river.

The official list of bridge, highway, and street closures is pretty daunting. To see it represented graphically, click on the picture to the left or click here.

Our forefathers would be appalled. The very idea that the ceremony to inaugurate a a new President would be accompanied by a walled-off city full of Schutzstaffel goons! This is NOT the way a freedom-loving nation behaves. This is the way third-world tyrants behave.

Oh, sure, you'll hear about the extra security being necessary because of the terrorism threat or because they're afraid that some racist scumbag will try to kill the new President. That's a smokescreen. They are afraid of those things, to be sure. But they're just as afraid of ordinary Americans, none of whom they want to have show up to spoil their pretentious mockery of the principles on which this nation was founded. So ordinary Americans can attend the outdoor events on the Mall. They can even walk the streets, within limits. They just can't be allowed anywhere near the Ruling Class. THAT's the real reason for the impregnable fortress.

Piracy Update

Piracy in the area around the Horn of Africa is back in the news. It seems that the United States Navy is planning to join the fight after all. Well, sort of.

A new international naval force under American command will soon begin patrols to confront escalating attacks by Somali pirates after more than 100 ships came under siege in the past year, the U.S. Navy said Thursday.

But the mission—expected to begin operations next week—appears more of an attempt to sharpen the military focus against piracy rather than a signal of expanded offensives across one of the world's most crucial shipping lanes.

The force will carry no wider authority to strike at pirate vessels at sea or specific mandates to move against havens on shore—which some maritime experts believe is necessary to weaken the pirate gangs that have taken control of dozens of cargo vessels and an oil tanker.

Typical. Too little. Too late. Too toothless. The Somalis are quaking in their boots.

Not to worry, though. The Somali pirates have released the oil supertanker they hijacked late last Fall. Of course, it took a substantial ransom to accomplish the vessel's return.

But, in what can only be deemed an amazing bit of irony, some of the pirates won't get to enjoy their ill-gotten booty because they're dead.

Five Somali pirates drowned when a wave washed off their getaway boat as they squabbled over over how to split their $3 million ransom.

Ah, sweet schadenfreude!

Death Knell for Anthropogenic Warming Alarmism?

Regular readers of this blog know that I'm an unbeliever. I do not believe in the Official State Religion. I do not believe in Anthropogenic Global Warming. In fact, I'm more than a denier; I'm in the camp that believes that the planet is, in fact, getting colder.

Some of you may have wondered when you read my Wiener of the Year post why there was no reference to Big Enviro or Big Warming. I mean, Big Media (the BM for short) got major mention. John McCommie got his. King George the Dim got his. Team Elephant got theirs. So...how could the Vulture have failed to mention either of the 'Bigs' whose Official State Religion he disparages?

It was entirely intentional. Starting today, and running about once a week, I'm going to be writing a series of posts in which I present the case that 2009 will be the year that Anthropogenic Global Warming is finally and decisively debunked.

Some might say that I'm a dreamer, that it can't happen, not in the face of all of the pro-State Religion propaganda being crammed down our throats. But poll after poll shows that more and more Americans and Brits are beginning to doubt the veracity of the Big Warming claims. It turns out that people with common sense can see for themselves that the overblown claims and predictions of Big Warming just don't match with reality.

So the Death Knell series begins. I hope that in presenting this series I can convince any fence-sitters out there who stumble upon these posts. And, while I'm aware that I'll never shake loose the Official State Religion True Believers, maybe I can at least have some schadenfreude at the thought of their heads exploding as I gore (pun intended) their sacred cow.

Sheila Dixon's Vultures come home to roost

If you know the Vulture, you know that I love schadenfreude almost as much as life itself. Please don't misunderstand -- when I say 'schadenfreude', I specifically refer to the suffering of pretentious a-holes who desperately NEED to suffer.

Mayor Sheila Dixon of Baltimore (pronounced "Bawlmer" in these parts) is one of those pretentious a-holes.

Baltimore Mayor Sheila A. Dixon was charged today with 12 counts of felony theft, perjury, fraud and misconduct in office, becoming the city's first sitting mayor to be criminally indicted.

The case stems in part from at least $15,348 in gifts Dixon allegedly received from her former boyfriend, prominent city developer Ronald H. Lipscomb, while she was City Council president. She also is accused of using as much as $3,400 in gift cards, some donated to her office for distribution to "needy families," to purchase Best Buy electronics and other items for herself and her staff.

Stealing gift cards intended for the poor. Man, if that isn't the essence of 'pretentious a-hole who desperately NEEDS to suffer', I don't know what is.

But who's really surprised? This sort of pillaging and looting are ALWAYS the end result of one-party rule. Baltimore hasn't elected anyone but Democrats for any city office since....well, not in the 20+ years I've lived here, that's for sure. Maybe since Reconstruction - who knows?

Of course, as we've seen with the "recount" situation in Minnesota, when "justice" is administered by the corrupt, you can never be sure of the outcome...

Wiener of the Week

This week's WotW appears to be on track to become an annual recipient. Who is it? The National Football League. Just as I did last year, I'm calling out the NFL for their ridiculous and thick-headed policy of refusing to publish a general list of Pro Bowl alternates.

WHY is the NFL so obstinate? In order to know who the Pro Bowl alternates are, you have to run a Google search and check various blogs and newspaper websites in order to piece together the complete list in a mind-numbingly tedious one-team-at-a-time effort. That's asinine! Where's the logic in that?

The NFL is the big dog of all sports leagues in North America; second place isn't even close. So why the secrecy on something that is of general interest to the very fan base that keeps them in business?!?!?!?!

C'mon, NFL! Cut the crap! Publish an alternates list! For crying out loud!

NFL, you're the Wiener of the Week. Again. And you probably will be when next year's Pro Bowl rosters and alternates are named as well.

Asshats!

Living the nightmare

"We don't need to make a movie out of the book," Mr. Kelley jokes. "We are living it right now."

I can't do this justice with excerpts. You'll have to read it yourself.

Curse you, Vista!!!!!

My laptop was running like crap, so I did what any normal, right-thinking Windows user would do: I rebooted. What happened next is the subject of this post.

After I logged in I noticed that my screen was different and none of my 'front loaded' applications had started. After investigation, I discovered that Vista hadn't come up using my profile - it had created a 'Temp' profile and associated it with my user name.

My first attempt to fix it was a seemingly commonsensical one: reset the files in 'C:/users/[myid]' to what they had been before the reboot. No dice; this didn't fix it. So I went to Plan B: Google the condition to see if anyone else had encountered this anomaly. Anyone? Hardly! There were literally hundreds of threads, posts, plaintive cries for help, etc. devoted to this very issue!

Hey Microsoft, you A-holes! Why don't you fix the frigging bug that causes this to happen and get a patch out to your customers instead of spending millions on advertising aimed at negating the negativity generated as a result of the user community's experiences with Vista?

You don't want to tick off a vulture! We like to projectile vomit when angry or threatened (see "Vulture Fun Facts" in the right hand column of this page for more fun and informative information like this).

I know! Raise taxes!

The one-note wonders who work in the Logic-Free Zone known as the District of Columbia are at it again. First, let me set the stage.

When the price of gasoline was pushing up over $4 a gallon, the nanny nags in Washington hectored us to drive less. You see, it's easier to tell people to drive less than it is to address the actual issue of energy independence against the backdrop of trying to please Big Enviro.

But now, now that people ARE driving less and the price of gasoline is down to the lowest it's been in years? It could only mean one thing to the one-note chorus.

Motorists are driving less and buying less gasoline, which means fuel taxes aren't raising enough money to keep pace with the cost of road, bridge and transit programs.

That has the federal commission that oversees financing for transportation talking about increasing the federal fuel tax.

That's right. No matter the issue. No matter the problem. No matter the economic climate. There's nothing in Heaven or on Earth that can't be fixed by a tax increase.

Just shoot me.

Oh, he was also a terrible president...

In 1981 President Jimmy Carter was unceremoniously given the gate by the American people. Having been the most completely inept President in American history since US Grant (who would have easily been less inept than Carter had he been able to stay sober), he set out on a number of philanthropic projects to try to better his image.

A quick aside, if you don't mind. Mr. Jimma also set out to become the worst ex-President in the nation's history. It is probably the sole endeavor he succeeded at in his entire inept, clueless life. His post-Presidency has been an endless parade of criticizing and second-guessing his successors -- even the one from his own party, Bill Clinton. I guess if you can't do the job yourself you're uniquely qualified to criticize those who can.

Back on topic. Chief among the philanthropic projects undertaken by the Peanut Man was involvement with Habitat for Humanity, an organization dedicated to providing housing for the poor. Now, I happen to think that Habitat is a wonderful organization with a real heart to serve their fellow man. But if there's one thing that ex-President Jimma has shown, it's an uncanny ability to eff up everything he touches.

RESIDENTS of a model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, are complaining that it is falling apart.

Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers, including Carter, in a record 17-day “blitz” organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity.

Eight years later it is better known for cockroaches, mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

---

April Charney, a lawyer representing many of the 85 homeowners in Fairway Oaks, said she had no problems taking on Habitat for Humanity, despite its status as a “darling of liberal social activists”. She said the charity should have told people that part of the estate had been built on a rubbish dump.

One man pulled up his floorboards to find rubbish 5ft deep under his kitchen. Other complaints include cracking walls and rotting door frames that let in rats and ants. Many residents have complained of mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

One resident said her children were suffering from skin complaints. “The intentions are good, but when the politicians and big-shot stars have left we’re stuck with the consequences. This house looks pretty but inside it either stinks or sweats,” she said.

I can't top that last quote. It pretty much summarizes everything liberals do. Great intentions, lousy execution.

The next four years should be a real hoot.

The treatment of GW Bush

Pappy Bush is in the news today. He is pimping Jeb as a future presidential candidate. He's also not happy with the treatment his dimwitted son King George has received from the media. Boo frickin' hoo!

Just after the election, this clown lamented the way his champion had been maligned.

Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right.

This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats and Republicans.

---

It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right.

---

The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.

Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.

Pardon me while I barf!

Are we talking about the same GWB, Mr. Shapiro? The one who routinely wipes his ass with the Constitution? The one who sold out the Republican party? The one who gives away billions of tax dollars against the will of the American people after a similar give-away was rejected by the Senate? The one who has us entangled in foreign wars without end? The one who, worst of all, saddled us with the Department of Homeland SSecurity (der Shutzstaffel).

Mistreatment? How about HIS mistreatment of this country? King George the Dim is one of the foremost enemies of personal freedom this nation has ever seen, and it's seen a few. His "treatment" may have been harsh. But, aside from the moonbat contingency who hate the mere fact that he breathes, nearly all of the criticism of King George has been, if anything, too little, too light, too unfocused.

Our Founders would have strung him up. Instead, we the taxpayers will pay him a handsome retirement pension, provide him with a praetorian guard 24x7, and pay much of the price for his future Presidential library (to include both books he's ever read).

You've got to put down the pipe, Mr. Shapiro. Put it down. Step away from it. Join us back here in reality land.

Wiener of the Year 2008

It's here! The moment you've all been waiting for -- that is, if you don't have a life.

The Wiener of the Year is the highest dishonor that can be bestowed on a person or group of people by this Vulture. A WotY is someone who has surpassed all other scoundrels and asshats during the past year. It takes a LOT of effrontery against mankind to get a WotY, trust me.

Last year's Wiener was Mike Nifong, the asshat prosecutor of the Duke lacrosse rape fiasco. His prosecutorial malfeasance was stunning in its self-delusion, not to mention the damage done to the lives of the young men railroaded by Nifong. He was head-and-shoulders beneath all other contenders.

First, I'd like to introduce the runners-up.

• King George the Dim. This is twice that this future Wiener Hall of Fame legend has been a runner up. He received consideration based on his bailout of the auto industry against the wishes of the American people after the bailout bill was quashed by the Senate. King George proved yet again that he doesn't give a rodent's hindquarters what the Constitution says nor what the will of the American people is.

• John McCommie. This is the guy who ran Bob Dole's 1996 campaign all over again and had the audacity (through his surrogates) to throw Sarah Palin under the bus as the scapegoat for his loss to the Media's Lord and Savior, Barack Obama. McCommie was every bit as loathsome and unpalatable a candidate as I thought he would be. And he proved to be every bit the core belief-lacking toad I always knew him to be.
  

• Governor Rod Blagojevich. Holy graft and corruption, Batman! Most years this guy would be the hands-down Wiener. He is the quintessence of every stereotype of a corrupt Chicago politician. That he continues as governor and refuses to step aside even in the issue of naming BO's replacement in the Senate demonstrates the utter shamelessness of this clown.

• Congress. Where to begin? This country club for the politically connected voted for bailout money for their rich friends when the banks and investment houses all cratered. They steadfastly refuse to acknowledge the need for energy independence, placing all of their faith in yet-to-be-developed "new technologies". They have bought in hook, line, and sinker to the Religion of Man-Made Global Warming. They continue to try to regulate every aspect of our lives. And, as the frosting on the cake, they accepted a self-awarded pay increase at the end of a year in which the economy is struggling and many Americans are unemployed or have lost their homes.

• Texas CPS, in conjunction with Texas Stoßtruppen. I can't do the whole FLDS fiasco justice here. Details are spread throughout this blog, but the best source for information on this story is Sore Toes and a Bleeding Heart. This is one of the worst examples of Nanny State tyranny that I've seen in my lifetime. The founders were rolling in their graves as this disaster was unfolding.

• Big Media (the BM for short). It was S-O-O-O-O tempting to make the BM this year's Wiener. The BM's behavior throughout the election in pimping for their Lord and Savior Barack Obama was beyond contemptible. Their behavior of late in inflaming Depression fears in the public is nearly as contemptible. They are, collectively, as pompous, imperious, and out-of-touch a group of people as anyone on this planet outside of Congress.

• The Team Elephant elitist establishment. These asshats mismanaged, misread, and bungled every opportunity to reach the American people. Worse yet, their hitwomen in the so-called conservative commentariat wrote one hatchet job after another targeting Sarah Palin, the one bright spot in the entire gawd-awful election process. Team Elephant is in danger of going the way of the Whigs and the Federalists, but they're absolutely convinced that they need to be Team Donkey Lite if they want to win elections. Bye-bye, Elephants!

But those are just the runners-up. The Wiener by far surpassed each and every one of these individuals or groups. Drum roll, please! 2008's Wiener of the Year is Judge Barbara Walther.

Judge Walther is every freedom loving person's worst nightmare. She personally drove the entire FLDS debacle from her lofty position as a Texas District Judge. She was in up to her eyeballs, from the first warrants all the way until the final slapdown by the Texas Supreme Court and beyond. This reprehensible Nanny State-worshiping shrew determined in that empty head of hers that Crimes had been committed! in the FLDS compound and that she would ride in with her Stoßtruppen and save the day. Then, after the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the stolen children must be returned to their parents, she undertook a scheme to undermine the Court's ruling! The Court had to rebuke her directly to get her to finally comply with their order.

Barbara Walther is the poster child for Judicial Activism. She embodies the "I know best" ideology of the activist judge, who seeks to rule as a sort of benevolent dictator over people who had no say in their appointment to the high and lofty position they hold. She needs to be impeached. Now.

Barbara Walther, you despicable freedom-loathing shrew -- you're the Wiener of the Year for 2008!

Wiener of the Month - December

The WotM for December has a much more personal than usual twist to it. It seems that Big Enviro has struck again in their never-ending quest to rid the planet of pesky humans.

Vin Suprynowicz reports.

As usual, it was initially reported as unmitigated “happy news.”

“Your Metered-Dose Inhaler is Changing to Help Improve the Environment,” is how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration chooses to present word that the inhalers used by those who suffer from asthma and other respiratory ailments are being pulled from the shelves as of Jan. 1.

Back in 1987, representatives of the federal government signed the “Montreal Protocol,” in which 27 major industrialized nations agreed to halve their use of chlorofluorocarbon gases, which some believe could damage the earth’s ozone layer.

Real-world experiments to prove the theory have been in short supply — it’s hard to imagine how one would be devised, since it would first have to be shown how chlorofluorocarbons, which tend to be heavier than air, could reach the ozone layer in the first place.

Nor did the Montreal deal actually call for banning the propellant from the inhalers, since that use represents only about 1.5 percent of all CFC uses (it was less than 1.0 percent at the time), and signatory nations get to choose what uses to change. (Car air conditioning systems were the first use targeted — Greens hate cars — whereas the Environmental Protection Agency saw no immediate need to go after document-preservation sprays, foam insulation for coaxial cable, or CFC-based fire extinguishers.)

But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled the switch would be mandatory as soon as a viable replacement could be marketed.

Reports show that the new drug is much more expensive than current remedies, some of which are available over-the-counter, bringing the cost from around $8 per inhaler to $40 or more.

Vin continues.

Meantime, multiple studies have shown that raising costs leads to poorer adherence to treatment; one study found that patients took 30 percent less anti-asthma medication, for instance, when their co-pay doubled. There are also concerns about patients getting proper instruction on use of the new inhalers, which need to be primed more often than the old models, and which also tend to clog and need to be cleaned more often.

So why is this personal to me? Because I'm an asthma sufferer, and have been since I was a small child. I know the panic of not being able to breathe, of struggling to get air down into swollen, laboring lungs. To think that Gaia is more important than a child whose only desire is that next breath is abhorrent to me! I can only wish the most horrible kind of death on people who put the vanity of "saving the planet" ahead of the terrifying plight facing many poor children in the year ahead. Die, all of you.

You're the Wiener of the Month for December.

Wiener of the Week

Get out your mustard, everyone! It's that most wienerishous time of year! At the end of every calendar year you get a triple helping of wieners - a WotW, a WotM, and, of course, the long anticipated Wiener of the Year.

We'll start small and work our way up. This week's WotW is a longtime favorite of the Vulture. Yes, boys and girls, Big Media (the BM for short) is back as a WotW.

Seventy-seven percent of Americans believe that the U.S. media is making the economic situation worse by projecting fear into people's minds. The majority of those surveyed feel that the financial press, by focusing on and embellishing negative news, is damaging consumer confidence and damping investment, making a difficult situation much worse.

This isn't the first time I've heard this sentiment voiced, just the first time I've had numbers to back it up. The BM has been running nonstop gloom and doom since September about how horrible the economy is. Didn't these guys get the memo? The Chosen One already won the election. They can back off now.

For taking a bad situation and making it worse by fueling the fear and panic, the BM is my Wiener of the Week.