Snapped Shot

America's Cultural Suicide

Brian C. Ledbetter — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:35:21 +0000

American society has been degenerating into a fetid wasteland of endless "shock" for as long as I've been alive, but nothing that I've seen illustrates this unforgivable decline like this.

To put things in perspective, here's how our "shocking" pop culture looked way back in 1957:

Fast forward to the present, and we see a video that literally leaves me speechless—but be forewarned, Lady Gaga and Beyonce have made every effort to ensure that your sensibilities will be offended (which is why I won't embed it here).

Mrs. SnappedShot, who sent this to me, hit the nail on the head by describing this video as a "disgrace to America." And I couldn't agree more.

If this is the culture we want to live with our children, then I'm truly ashamed to call myself an American.

Robo-Blogging: Meet EvilFeed!

Brian C. Ledbetter — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:14:21 +0000

I know I've been absent a lot around here as of late, but that doesn't mean I've been sitting around doing nothing. In fact, I've been working on quite a bit way back here behind the scenes!

With that in mind, I'd like to introduce you to EvilFeed—a diabolical tool which I think you will most certainly come to enjoy.

"What is EvilFeed?" you might ask. And boy am I glad you asked, because I can definitely explain!

Pres Obama: The Liar

captainfish — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:44:01 +0000

Obama pledged the use of coal and oil during his 2010 State of the Union address along with nuclear an alternative energy sources.

But yet,

...for the next three years and probably more, trillions of dollars in domestic energy assets will remain untouched while billions of dollars more are spent on foreign oil.

Pres Obama is locking away vast amounts of natural and easily accessible sources of energy.

"The Pledge is constitutional"

captainfish — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:52:06 +0000

Sanity prevails. America prevails.

A federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld the use of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency, rejecting arguments on Thursday that the phrases violate the separation of church and state.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected two legal challenges by Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow, who claimed the references to God disrespect his religious beliefs.

"The Pledge is constitutional," Judge Carlos Bea wrote for the majority in the 2-1 ruling. "The Pledge of Allegiance serves to unite our vast nation through the proud recitation of some of the ideals upon which our Republic was founded."

And what is more...

In a separate 3-0 ruling Thursday, the appeals court upheld the inscription of the national motto "In God We Trust" on coins and currency, saying that the phrase is ceremonial and patriotic, not religious.

So, what did the anti-American athiest zealot have to say about all of this?

Reached on his cell phone, Newdow said he hadn't been aware that the appeals court had ruled against him Thursday.

"Oh man, what a bummer," he said.

Now, send him the bill for all this harassment and see if he still thinks its just "a bummer"!!

Leon Weinstein Speaks Truth, Proposes Strike!

Brian C. Ledbetter — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:17:42 +0000

Received via e-mail moments ago—This letter speaks entirely on its own merits:

My name is Leon Weinstein. I immigrated to the US from the former Soviet Union. I already experienced the Universal Healthcare, equality in housing and distribution of wealth the socialist style. I remember chronic deficit of every imaginable product, long lines for services, obnoxious salespeople (yes, you probably can't even imagine that) and "communal apartments" where in a 4-bedroom flat lived four families using one bath, kitchen and shower.

"Lil' Johnny, Be Quiet Or I'll Pop A Plug In Ya"

captainfish — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:27:45 +0000

Yep. That statement heard coming soon to a Chicago school near you.

It is bad enough that Chicago itself is one of the most, if not #1, dangerous city in America for juveniles. Now, the Dept of Education is buying shotguns!

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) intends to purchase twenty-seven (27) REMINGTON BRAND MODEL 870 POLICE 12/14P MOD GRWC XS4 KXCS SF. RAMAC #24587 GAUGE: 12 BARREL: 14" - PARKERIZED CHOKE: MODIFIED SIGHTS: GHOST RING REAR WILSON COMBAT; FRONT - XS CONTOUR BEAD SIGHT STOCK: KNOXX REDUCE RECOIL ADJUSTABLE STOCK FORE-END: SPEEDFEED SPORT-SOLID - 14" LOP are designated as the only shotguns authorized for ED based on compatibility with ED existing shotgun inventory, certified armor and combat training and protocol, maintenance, and parts.

Didn't we have the IRS buying assault shotguns a while back?

That last line makes me really scared. The Dept of Education has an inventory of shotguns and battle armor?

Holy freak!!!

Are the Chicago schools really that bad that the teachers have to wear amor and carry shotguns? I mean, who else would?

Mr. Overenthusiastic 2010

Brian C. Ledbetter — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:17:23 +0000

From the land of Islamic Rage Boy, a new contender in the Jihadi Idol series:

A supporter of senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Shah Geelani shouts slogans during a welcome rally for Geelani in Srinagar, India, Thursday, March 11, 2010. After spending over two months in New Delhi for medical treatment and regular check-ups, Geelani arrived in Indian Kashmir's main city to a welcome rally Thursday. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

I don't know about how this little fellow would do at jihad, but he definitely seems well qualified to be a cheerleader in the NBA.*

(* Nonprofessional Basketball Associates, of course.)

Total Distraction Time!

Brian C. Ledbetter — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:56:48 +0000

Thanks to our good friends at Fairfax Underground, here's a good old-fashioned Japanese funk-out:

Happy double-bonus early Friday, y'all! (I look forward to seeing this mashed up with whatever the kids are listening to this year real soon.)

Shocka: Heavily-Muslim Sweden Now Hostile to Jews

Brian C. Ledbetter — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:15:10 +0000

On the scales of surprise, hearing that Jews are now openly threatened in the Muslim-dominated city of Malmo ranks right up there with the shock and awe of a daily sunrise:

The most common anti-Semitic hate crimes have been graffiti or engraved swastikas or Stars of David on buildings or cars but there have also been several arson attacks on Jewish sites in Helsingborg as well as Malmö Jewish community.

According to Expressen, some of the most serious anti-Semitic hate crimes occurred in Northwest Skåne where a family from Helsingborg was threatened with death and a man later tried to run their car off the road. In another northern Skåne town a man is suspected of etching a swastika into the hand of another person with sulphuric acid.

Ahh, diversity!

(Thanks to Carl the Awesome.)

Snapped Shot Endorses TaxCut From Here On Out

Brian C. Ledbetter — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:00:10 +0000

This is why I always advise companies to stay the heck away from politics:

I dunno about you, but I think I'm going to be going to these guys for my tax software needs from now on.

Jim Moran: Keeping the "Moron" in Congress

Brian C. Ledbetter — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:47:44 +0000

Our favorite anti-Israeli congressman has penned a huffy letter to Virginia's governor demanding that we halt all plans to begin drilling offshore for oil.

His arguments contain the standard litany of liberal complaints—including our favorite whine about how profits from oil drilling won't start until "8 years away," which is really funny considering that we'd be in far better financial shape today if we had started on this process 8 years ago... but I digress.

What really cracks me up about this little letter is the fact that Moran and his amazing staff can't be bothered to make sure he's actually addressing the letter to the right person.

"Bob McDonald," huh?

If this is how Jim Moran & Co handles "serious" issues, just imagine how much attention these ignorant jokers are putting into actual legislation.

(Shudder.)

From the Department of Repetition Department

Brian C. Ledbetter — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:56:13 +0000

A scientific* study of how broken our press is.

With thanks to Frank J., who was kind enough to take some time out of his busy hippie-punching schedule to share this interesting little nugget of joy with us.

(* Not really.)

70 Years of Roundhouse Kicks!

Brian C. Ledbetter — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:50:24 +0000

Happy belated birthday to the awesomest man in the history of the world. Snapped Shot wishes that your next 70 years be as unstoppably evil-destroying as your early years have been, Chuck!

Happy Early Friday, Y'all!

Brian C. Ledbetter — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:34:49 +0000

Man, I haven't done one of these in a while, but since the crack staff at iOTW have found a real good one, I couldn't help but share.

Presenting, the Ultimate (Generic) Oscar-Winning Movie Trailer:

"Put That Salt Down And Step Away Slowly With Your Hands Up!"

captainfish — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:00:47 +0000

When you allow progressives, socialists, and liberals a foothold in your country and your life, they desire more and more control. We allowed them in to help provide some jobs during the Great Depression. We allowed them in more to help give our old people supplemental income when retirement and savings accounts were unheard of. They were then allowed to institute health care for the poor and elderly as well. All good intentions.

They were then allowed to provide monies to the unemployed and unemployable. No longer were families thrown out in the cold and forced to find any kind of work should they lose their former jobs. Now, they can look for more fitting employment with ease and less stress.

They were then allowed to determine how much people got paid by private companies. They were allowed to dictate the level of health care that the company and worker agreed to. They were allowed to dictate taxes and fees on any and everything. They were allowed to dictate where people could live and what people could do do or construct on their own properties. They were allowed to take personal properties in place of property taxes. They were allowed to charge drivers for driving on certain roads and were now allowed to dictate what kinds of vehicles people could buy.

Lately, we have allowed these do-gooders, busy-bodies, over-bearers to dictate what kinds of food we could buy and eat. They banned certain foods and food ingredients and even how foods were made. Some have even gone to the extraordinary step of banning your easy access to food by just driving by the restaurant.

Now, these progressive, socialist, liberal nazi's are seeking to take that power one step more.

This Probably Won't End Well

captainfish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:36:38 +0000

How many times have we heard about the transplanting of species in attempts to either bring in an economy or to eliminate a pest and it turns around and causes a much bigger problem than the original issue.

Pigs and cats in Hawaii? Snakeheads in California?

Well, scientists who think they know everything are at it again.

A handout image obtained on March 9 shows an adult psyllid, a Japanese insect which preys on Japanese knotweed. The insect is to be introduced on a trial basis in Britain to tackle a damaging super-weed, the government announced Tuesday.
(AFP/CABI)

They want to bring in a plant eating insect from Japan in the hopes that it will eat, and only eat, a noxious weed. Yeah..... Say good bye to your agriculture, England.

I guess spraying the weeds is out of question? Oh right. The informed don't spray anymore. After banning DDT spraying to kill off Malaria-carrying mosquitos, we are now being banned more and more from home-spraying of weeds with easy and effective herbicides.

Now, Malaria is growing around the globe and my weeds are harder to kill. Ugh, it is going to be another clover year.

Must Be Their Idea of ..."Going Green"

captainfish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:15:57 +0000

Ummm? Seriously?

This is their idea of fashion? I have several thoughts on the latest Fall (??) Fashion by designer Unique. First, utterly (pun intended) STUPID.

Did the designer do this because he hates the models? I mean, would any serious fashion designer make his girls wear something like this and not have them think that they are hated? Could it be that this was a bet. Maybe the models said that they could make anything look great. Yeah, I think they lost this bet. And, they definitely do not look happy wearing this stuff.

Second, the only other logical thing I could come up with was that this was the liberal greenies ideal look for us to wear after they destroy our economy and way of life through green taxes and green takeovers. If a nation can't afford the taxes, fines and levies to supply its energy needs, then it reverts back to the wilds. May I point you to Venezuela, Haiti, Gaza, and to some extent Mexico.

If you want to live like this day in and day out, then continue to vote Democrat.

Me, I like the 21st century and the idea of generating our own power from our own natural resources so that I can drive a vehicle of my own choice from my home of choice around the city of my choice.

Either way, you have to be asking yourself, "Are they serious?"

Yes. Yes they are.

Rest in Peace Corey

captainfish — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:17:25 +0000

Corey Haim was found dead this morning. He led a troubled life but was most known for his early childhood roles in movies such as:

Silver Bullet - 1985

Lucas - 1986

The Lost Boys - 1987

and my favorite (partially due to Meredith Salenger)... (ok, more than partially)

Dream A Little Dream - 1989

Lately he has been seen on the reality show The Two Coreys and the movie Crank 2: High Voltage. He had seemed to have turned his life around after a troubling and life-decimating bout with drugs.

Corey, we hope you are in a much better, kinder, and peaceful place.

Could This Be Windgate?

captainfish — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:28:01 +0000

Or maybe the Windmill-tapes?

Seems, Obama's administration got caught being a proxy for the wind energy lobbyists when Obama needed positive news about wind energy and jobs. Gabriel over at Ace has the story:

The short attack piece they produced under the seal of the Department of Energy (PDF) was then used by the President to keep pretending that green jobs aren't the economic black hole that the Spanish report (and common sense) tells us they are.

According to emails (damn those ever-incriminating emails!) recovered by FOIA request, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a division of Department of Energy, got interested in producing the report because the lobbyists asked them to. For example, from an AWEA email to NREL with the subject "Spanish jobs report":

"It is critical we respond, this thing won't die and its doing a good job of undermining our green job message."
And from NREL emails:

"AWEA policy people are quite concerned about a recent report published in Spain (likely the one cited here) and I suspect they are not the only ones." ... "We need to come up with an appropriate response to these criticisms soon. I just spoke to a few people at AWEA about this." ... "The AWEA folks are wondering what we'll do, so if this is our plan, I'll let them know."

Does their deceit know no bounds? Will they do nothing to tax and spend our money?

Shocka: AP Reveals Murder of Christians; AFP Doesn't

captainfish — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:28:49 +0000

I know. I was shocked too. The crAP media outlet actually goes out and prints the truth of the slaughter of christian women and children. The AFP doesn't feel it news worthy to note the religious-based massacre of christians.

Here is the AFP version of the story from Yahoo News:

JOS, Nigeria (AFP) – Nigeria's acting president put security forces on alert after machete wielding gangs massacred at least 100 people, mainly women and children, near the central city of Jos, officials said.

Witnesses described how victims were caught in animal traps and fishing nets as they tried to flee their attackers, who hacked them to death in what appeared to have been a well-organised attack.

"Over a hundred people have been killed -- most of them women and children," said a government official Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Some of the children are less than one year old," he added.

But the raiders also set fire to dozens of houses in the nearby villages of Ratsat and Zot, all less than 10 kilometres (seven miles) from Jos and home to members of the Berom ethnic group.

"These villages were attacked by Fulani herdsmen killing scores of people and burning houses," Ratsat resident David Daniel Daniel told AFP.

Other residents and local rights activists also blamed the attacks on the Fulani ethnic group.

Please click on to second page:

Dr. Jones Gets B**ch-Slapped By Sweden

captainfish — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:30:07 +0000

Remember all those affirmations from Dr. Phil Jones from East Anglia's Climate Research Unit that the data he was protective of was because he was not allowed to release it? He was under a written privacy agreement to keep the data secret?

Well.....the Stockholm Meterological and Hydrological Institute gives Dr. Jones a great big SLAP!!

It has come to our attention, that last Monday (March 1), Dr. Phil Jones, head of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia (CRU), in a hearing with the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee made a statement in regards to the alleged non-availability for disclosure of Swedish climate data.

Dr. Jones asserted that the weather services of several countries, including Sweden, Canada and Poland, had refused to allow their data to be released, to explain his reluctance to comply with Freedom of Information requests.

This statement is false and misleading in regards to the Swedish data.

BOOYA!!

This man needs to be drummed out of every scientific establishment. He should not even be allowed in to Best Buy, Radio Shack, or the local science museum. He is a sham. He is a fraud. He made a mockery of science and of research. This man should not be seen in the daylight again.

But, the Swedes were not finished. They had to do the little "twist" at the end of their dagger-thrust to Dr Jones' gut.

All Swedish climate data are available in the public domain. As is demonstrated in the attached correspondence between SMHI (Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute), the UK Met Office and Dr. Jones (the last correspondence dated yesterday March 4), this has been clearly explained to Dr. Jones.

What is also clear is that SMHI is reluctant to be connected to data that has undergone “processing” by the East Anglia research unit.

Ooooooo... that's got to hurt!

[Update] The Royal Imperial Torturer thinks it will leave a mark that Jones will see in the mirror in the morning.

Global Warming Causes Glaciers To Bleed

captainfish — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:05:58 +0000

Yeah, that's what the AGW alarmists would say at least. But, what I would like to know is how come a lake isolated for over 2 million year, ... why was there no evolution?

You know for all the alarmist's fluster about CO2, they seem to forget that CO2 only plays a very minor part in our atmosphere's greenhouse effect. Methane is 30x more potent and yet is also naturally produced in vast quantities.

All the while we are being made poor slaves to the unscientific and uneducated laws and taxes being forced upon us by the liberals and socialists in power.

But then, it is people like that that gave rise to the Darwin Awards. May I introduce you to the latest Honorable Mention?

On The EDL

DMartyr — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:27:48 +0000

Robert Spencer, in an article about self-proclaimed "anti-Fascist" groups attempting to suppress free speech, defends the newest anti-Jihad movement, the English Defense League:

Since everyone who stands up for human rights and freedom against Islamic supremacism and violence is branded a racist nowadays, it's useful to look at the evidence. Here is a group that is so racist that it has featured a Sikh speaker, has a youth group that bears the slogan, "Black, White and Brown Unite," and says: "We welcome members from all over the political spectrum, and with varying views on foreign policy, united against Islamic extremism and its influence on British life. Everyone from those whose ancestral roots are in pre-Roman Britain to immigrants just arrived yesterday will be welcomed into the EDL with open arms as long as they are willing to stand up with us for English values and against Islamist hate."

Many people conflate the EDL with the genuinely racist and antisemitic BNP, which I repudiate utterly, but there seems to be a good deal of evidence to suggest that the EDL is not itself racist, white supremacist, antisemitic, neo-fascist, etc. At very least, they bear watching. In any case, these charges are invariably and inevitably trotted out by Leftists and their jihadist allies whenever anyone stands up against the Islamic supremacism that would deny our freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and equality of rights before the law. After awhile, the wolf-crying becomes obvious.

I completely agree with Mr. Spencer. Although the EDL is relatively new, it should only be judged by its mission and its promotion of unity of all people opposed to the radical, Islamic ideology.

Those who support the Jihadist movement, as well as the ignorant and uninformed in the media, have been quick to label any who oppose open immigration and multiculturalism as "fascist" and "racist". Do not allow such dishonest labeling to influence your perception of truth and reality.

As Geert Wilders so perfectly states, it is not about rejecting individuals, but rather the violent ideologies that some immigrant groups bring with them to, and impose upon, more civilized societies:

(Cross-posted at Avid Editor's Insights and Al Salibiyyah)

I..., I... Can't Stop Laughing!!!

captainfish — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:11:37 +0000

Busted guts courtesy of UT Knoxville:

[Al] Gore will receive the degree — an Honorary Doctor of Laws and Humane Letters in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology — at the spring commencement exercises of the College of Arts and Sciences on May 14.
...
“Vice President Gore’s career has been marked by visionary leadership, and his work has quite literally changed our planet for the better,” said UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “He is among the most accomplished and respected Tennesseans in history, and it is fitting that he should be honored by the flagship education institution of his home state.”

I highlighted the funniest and most rediculous parts of UT-K's Joke-of-the-Day!

I don't know how they could have made it any more funneh. Ugh, I am still laughing.

Good one UT-K. Good one.

We're All Gonna Die!! volume# 15,348

captainfish — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:25:30 +0000

*updated

In the latest glorious news, we find that our deaths have now come much sooner—thanks to the Chilean earthquake that struck last week.

According to the top, THE TOP, scientists who work at NASA—you know, those guys that can predict the weather to the hundreth of a degree hundreds of years from now because they know exactly what the weather was billions of years ago... yet somehow can't seem to predict the weather a week in advance—our clocks are no longer running on 24 hours a day.

Richard Gross, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and colleagues calculated that Saturday's quake shortened the day by 1.26 microseconds.

OMG.OMG.OMG. Does this mean we are going to have to change our whole
culture? Are we going to have to buy new clocks, adjust our work and
sleep schedules? Will we even get paid for 40 hour work weeks now? Could it be that the French have been ahead of the game with their 35 hour work weeks this whole time?

Earth's days may have gotten a little bit shorter since the massive earthquake in Chile, but don't feel bad if you haven't noticed. The difference would be only about one-millionth of a second.

Hmm. One MILLIONTH... of a second.

Wait, this is news? This is something to get the media all wee wee'd up about?

Certainly that can't be all there is to this story.

Islamic Jihad FAIL!

Brian C. Ledbetter — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:04:22 +0000

Sometimes, our little terrorist friends just toss us the funniest little bits of joy.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants fall off of a truck after one of them was injured, center, during a training session on the outskirts of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, March 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

Ye bloody infidels, behold Hamas' new terrifying weapon of terror:

Oooo, scary!

See-Also: The Jawa Report, doubleplusundead. (Thanks, guys!)

Still Death

Brian C. Ledbetter — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:32:42 +0000

This photo, sent across by Reuters stringer Suhaib Salem, represents everything that I believe is wrong with press coverage in the Middle East. It could easily adorn the cover of some macabre screenplay—which, in essence, is all that it is.

See if you can spot every single actor in this shot that's playing specifically to a camera. I'll get you started by pointing out the gentleman in the front with the simulated-bloody hand, playing to Camera A. Or the one behind him playing to Camera B. Or even the two guys in the center who are clearly playing up their determination for Suhaib himself.

How many times will Reuters fall for the same staged shot, presenting it to Western readers as if this were some genuine outpouring of emotion—rather than the staged play that it is?

(Feel free to share your observations down in the comments—Let's see if you can find all of the actors from the comfort of your own home!)

[ Daylife Link ]

Palestinians carry the body of militant Mohammed Gabin during his funeral in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip March 1, 2010. Israeli army shelling killed Gabin, a Palestinian gunman, in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, his group said. The Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella militant group allied to Gaza's Hamas rulers, said the dead man had been on a "jihadist mission" when he was killed. The term usually denotes armed operations or training. The Israeli army had no immediate comment. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

Interruptions

Brian C. Ledbetter — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:53:53 +0000

If one defines "discussing the issues" while "listening to the other side of the debate" as interrupting the proceedings and lecturing, then I guess I'd have to give Barack Obama a good, solid B+ for last week's Health Care "Summit"—

There you have it, folks—Barack Obama and the Democratic Party are genuinely interested in bipartisan talks... Just so long as the "other" party doesn't actually get any chance to talk.

I really can't wait until November.

Funniest Weekend In History

captainfish — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:20:52 +0000

With much misery that has affected this world over the last few months, I bring you some levity. And, what makes it even more hilarious, is that the people who stated these words actually believe them.

The first quote comes from Nancy Pelosi:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sunday that Republicans have left their mark on the healthcare bill and should accept that the bill will go forward. "Bipartisanship is a two-way street. A bill can be bipartisan without bipartisan votes. Republicans have left their imprint."

Continue on for more bloviating.

Just Another Reason To Replace All Of Congress

captainfish — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:54:48 +0000

... even the so-called Republicans.

Why do I say such things? Again?

I present you with this....

The Senate's second-ranking Republican leader says he expects GOP lawmakers will vote to extend unemployment benefits this week — derailing a fellow Republican's objections.

And why would this staunch (so-called) Republican say such a thing? Why would this so-called Republican vote for such a thing?