It is hard enough defending Sarah Palin to myself. Her great strength was being a well loved Governor with resolve. She quit. OK. She is a non-Washington inside who is a bona fide conservative who doesn’t owe anyone. Ignore her political payback endorsements of RINO’s. She is what this country needs! She will probably get to a clear platform later… right?

It is hard enough selling her to myself because in the end I can only explain it in these terms, she is a great looking, interesting candidate who tells me what I want to hear in broad terms but ignores specifics and uses keywords attractive to my ideology. The problem? I just described Barack Obama. Cue Glenn Beck chalk board – I will not be a Palinbot, I will not be an Obamabot.

So take what I just said and add that it is hard enough selling her to everyone else. The media have turned a few bad interviews into an onslaught on her intellect and her sanity. Her family and associations haven’t helped that.

I get it, Bristol was the one hit the hardest. Mom made the national stage preaching conservative values, Bristol had an unwed pregnancy and it too went national. It sucks for her. Then the dad went batty and is running around grubbing like a vole on steroids. It stinks.

The reality though is plain to see. Her now frequent attempts to court fame open her up to that ridicule. Back in 2008 it was unwarranted, now it is invited and the price we as a society make people pay for trying to achieve fame and fortune. The tabloids have been given a welcome mat and like it or not this will reflect upon her mom.

Bristol and her family are free to do what they wish. I don’t begrudge her making money or reaching for a spotlight but it isn’t the path I would walk. It also doesn’t help her mom or the argument that this wholesome family is a model for America. There is an enormous amount to lose, not so much to gain besides a few dollars and time in the spotlight.

Maybe I am a grouch. Actually let me restate, I know I am a grouch but maybe on this I am just being so for the sake of it. All I know is that the moment I first heard the idea I thought it was terrible. When I heard it was happening I cringed. I might not have a solid logical foundation for it, but that is how I feel.

Well done tax and spenders. Well done.

Listen, Charlie Crist was a fair-weather Republican but on many issues and  when it came to supporting many candidates, he towed the Party line. So this is one of MANY statements that will now start spreading and be used against him by Democrats. As a RINO Republican, he did and has said MANY things that bothered Republicans greatly, that is why he did not receive the nomination. Those things will be used against him too. So basically Crist, not unlike another recent example of this, Arlen Specter, has said or done something in his career that will annoy or offend just about everyone.

All he has going for him is the possibility voters will basically dislike both of the other candidates more. It is also possible the vote will be so split and strained he will squeak by. However there is a reality that will set in very quickly if he does win. He will be without Party and will be spending a large part of his term trying to recovery from a campaign and career in which he found a way to alienate all.

At my local pump I have to do the following:

1) How will you be paying?

**Processing***

2) Please swipe your card

***Processing***

3) Please enter your zip code

***Processing***

4) Would you like a receipt?

***Processing***

5) Would you like a car wash?
***Processing***

6) Please remove the handle

**Processing***

7) Please pump your gas

It might not seem like it, but that is a major pain in the butt. Especially when it is ten degrees outside which it is from late December through early March in merry ole Rochester. When your fingers are frozen every single hit of the keyboard is a major leap to hypothermia. I also fear it is only going to get worse and I won’t be able to pump my gas until I enter a CAPTCHA code and pass a Rorschach test.

This is one of a million tiny examples of how little things are adding up to make life less convenient and more convoluted. It started with calling businesses on the telephone and being tossed into electronic answering services. The latest mind exploding feature on those is voice recognition. So now when I call a company instead of hitting a number to give an answer I have to say what I want. Meanwhile “I want you to F’ing die and a real person to come on the line” never works. But that is what I want!

I sometimes sit at my office cubicle and am heard yelling, “Yes…. I said YES…. YES… Business Customer… BUSINESS CUSTOMER…. I SAID BUSINESS CUSTOMER…. YES…. YES… BUSINESS CUSTOMER… NO!!!” to a computer on the other end of the phone. I wish someone would write a virus to destroy every one of those things.

I just want a “No Bullcrap” button. A handy little option that says “I want to give you my money, please take it from me as soon as possible before I freak out on you! Then give me your product and service and leave me the hell alone!” Is that too much to ask? Is it too hard to realize people want to talk to human beings and when they have to interact with electronics it should be as simple as is humanly possible?

1. The Drudge Report
   - The source for breaking news. Demands repeat visits daily.
2. Heritage Foundation
   - Conservative ThinkTank, home of Reagan era values.
3. Townhall
   - Conservative columns, political cartoons, Talk Radio and more. Think of it as a conservative New York Times only it is online and doesn’t hate America.
4. HotAir
   - My Favorite conservative blog started by Michelle Malkin.
5. Michelle Malkin
   - My second favorite conservative blog started by Michelle Malkin. Yes, she is a busy woman.
6. Pajamas Media
   - A conservative news and online TV network!
7. RedState
   - A great conservative blog that isn’t run by Michelle Malkin. Yes, there are some.
8. CATO Institute
   - Public policy research organization dedicated to freedom and the individual.
9. Powerline
   - A blog written by lawyers that surprisingly doesn’t suck. Imagine that!
10. Accuracy in Media
    - Exposing bad reporting and media bias.
11. Reason.com
12. FOX News
13. National Review Online
14. Citizens Against Government Waste
15. Big Government
16. Wall Street Journal – Opinion Journal
17. The Daily Caller
18. Sweetness & Light
19. Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library
20. The Ayn Rand Institute
21. Outside the Beltway
22. Newsbusters
23. The American Spectator
24. Glenn Beck
25. Snark & Boobs