"The problem with Congressman Paul is, all the things that Republicans like about him he can't accomplish and all the things they're worried about, he'll do day one.

Amen.

Every Christmas album I really enjoy has an original song that should become a classic. Clint Black has "Milk and Cookies" on "Looking For Christmas," "There's a New Kid in Town" is on George Strait's "Merry Christmas Strait to You" and "Please Come Home for Christmas" by Charles Brown are among my favorites. After repeated listening to "Reunion Song" on this album, I will be adding it to my list of personal holiday classics.

Clint's Christmas album is some of his best work. You can't say that about a lot of artists. There is some incredible writing on this, especially "Birth of the King."

Rehabilitating John Lackey, it’s a big priority,” Epstein said, “and we have to attack it from the physical perspective, see if there’s things we can do different with him physically to put himself in a better position to have success on the mound.

Amazon quietly announced a huge deal with Fox Broadcasting Company over the weekend. Posting directly on Amazon.com, CEO Jeff Bezos brought the big news to Prime subscribers who will now have unlimited access to an additional 11,000 movies and TV shows. These are huge titles, too: The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 24, Arrested Development, and The Wonder Years. Yep, you can now stream the adventurers of Kevin Arnold through Amazon’s Prime Instant Video.

I've often heard Apple enthusiasts say that part of their reason for choosing Apple rests on a desire to stick it to the man, which in this particular case is Microsoft. There are many valid criticisms of Microsoft, but saying you prefer Apple over Microsoft for that reason is like saying you prefer Hitler over Pol Pot.

I'm concerned that this will be the phone to start showing the limits of Verizon's capped data plans, though. With Verizon and Motorola so heavily selling Netflix and Zumocast as major uses for this device, owners will have to keep a close eye on their data usage.

Therein lies the problem.

The first canonized saint of the New World has one characteristic of all saints—the suffering of opposition—and another characteristic which is more for admiration than for imitation—excessive practice of mortification.

She was born to parents of Spanish descent in Lima, Peru, at a time when South America was in its first century of evangelization. She seems to have taken Catherine of Siena (April 29) as a model, in spite of the objections and ridicule of parents and friends.

A feast day for my little Rosella and my late grandmother.

LogMeIn Ignition (iTunes) We've mentioned LogMeIn Ignition before, appreciating its ability to let you remotely access your computer from your iPhone, but maligning the $30 dollar price tag. But for a short time, the previously $29.99 app is now $14.99.

If you have an iPhone/iPod/iPad, this app is a must-have. I use it all the time -- no more port forwarding on your router or having to remember your changing IP. And there are great features (including dual monitor support).

“Those of us who were bewitched by his eloquence on the campaign trail chose to ignore some disquieting aspects of his biography: that he had accomplished very little before he ran for president, having never run a business or a state; that he had a singularly unremarkable career as a law professor, publishing nothing in 12 years at the University of Chicago other than an autobiography; and that, before joining the United States Senate, he occasionally, as a state senator in Illinois, voted ‘present’ on difficult issues,” wrote Westen, author of The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation.

Apparently he’s not done. There are reports out of Latvia that the coaching search for the Latvian national team has been narrowed down to two final candidates. Both candidates would agree to coach not only the national team, but also the under-20 team that would participate in the World Junior Championships.

This would be fun.

Even the Democratic leadership is more flexible than President Obama, putting the lie to the oft-stated speculation that Obama is a mere puppet. He is his own counsel.

It was reported that on Sunday night, he unilaterally rejected a bipartisan deal presented to him by Senate and House leaders. "Sen. (Harry) Reid took the bipartisan plan to the White House, and the president said no," an aide said.

This is quite a different picture from what President Obama has been painting for the press. At the exact moment he said he didn't want to point fingers, he complained that he and his Democrats had been willing to compromise but that Republicans were dug into their ideological cement.

Considering it has been Obama vs. the Republicans (rather than, in the health care debate, Pelosi and Reid vs. their respective counterparts) it is clear that it is Obama who a) doesn't have a plan of his own and b) his administration is THE party in these negotiations that isn't willing to compromise.

Obama is trying to preserve some sort of positive image for himself in the midst of some bad circumstances, but what he has shown to the American people, instead, is that he is not only "same old Washington," but he is the worst kind.

Now that we've gotten to beer and cigarettes, everybody should pretty much have it figured out. We work for the government.

More great stuff from Soucheray. And while this is somewhat funny, it also leads to sadness.

Jurors were asked about their knowledge of those figures as well as their feelings about the case, baseball, Congress and principles of criminal law. They were asked whether they had scientific training, played organized sports or were baseball fans. One public relations consultant was not. "I can't imagine spending money to watch a sport where guys scratch themselves and spit a lot," she said, drawing a smile from Clemens, who otherwise sat expressionless through most of the proceedings.

LOL

TORONTO, Ontario, July 4, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – All of Ontario’s publicly-funded high schools, Catholic or public, must allow homosexual clubs if students want them, Premier Dalton McGuinty insisted Friday. He also admitted that his government is aiming at changing “attitudes” on homosexuality, a process he says “should begin in the home.

This is what those of us who believe in the natural law-based version of marriage have to lose by succumbing to distorted views of marriage. Not only is our religious liberty at stake, but government is going to want into our homes.

Very scary stuff.

The Kaukauna School District, in the Fox River Valley of Wisconsin near Appleton, has about 4,200 students and about 400 employees. It has struggled in recent times and this year faced a deficit of $400,000. But after the law went into effect, at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, school officials put in place new policies they estimate will turn that $400,000 deficit into a $1.5 million surplus. And it's all because of the very provisions that union leaders predicted would be disastrous.

In the past, teachers and other staff at Kaukauna were required to pay 10 percent of the cost of their health insurance coverage and none of their pension costs. Now, they'll pay 12.6 percent of the cost of their coverage (still well below rates in much of the private sector) and also contribute 5.8 percent of salary to their pensions. The changes will save the school board an estimated $1.2 million this year, according to board President Todd Arnoldussen.

Imagine that. Now let's get to curbing the teachers unions nationwide (and then, if it were up to me, methodically pull the plug on government-funded/agendized education).

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis police are investigating what they say was an arson fire at Gov. Mark Dayton's former home.

Wow -- this is awful. May the criminal(s) be caught and locked up.

He's by far the Twins' most important player, yet he's never thrown off the feeling it would take a herd of wild horses to pull him out of the lineup. And that's a shortfall that doesn't sit well with a fan base that still venerates wall-banging gamers such as Dan Gladden, who was dirty laundry waiting to happen, or the late Kirby Puckett, the effervescent little center fielder who probably would've coined the phrase "Let's play two" if Ernie Banks hadn't uttered it first.

Mauer is soft in an organization that enables soft mentality. The blame is two-parts. Mauer ought to demand that he's in the lineup for the next 45 games both because he's had enough of a break and because this is Twins crunch time. They either put up a good record over those games or they start dealing impending free agents. And the Twins need to meet that demand even if it is painful to see their baby catch two games in 18 hours sometimes.

There is simply no reason for optimism here.  Without a new president, America’s international position, especially in the Middle East, will only grow worse.  For those who do not believe national security is of much interest to the U.S. electorate, think again when gasoline prices resume their inexorable rise, when Iran’s nuclear weapons programs progress beyond the point of no return, or if the United States suffers another terrorist attack.