Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader would identify his politics as “Conservative.” But since there is no “Conservative” party in the United States he generally tends to vote “Republican” and the “Republicans” have in the modern period been more “conservative.” So, when your Maximum Leader asks in the subject line of this post “The best we can do?” the we in that statement does refer to “Republicans” in general and “conservatives” specifically.

So what the hell is your Maximum Leader talking about? Who is the “best” we can do? Well… Officially Former Governor (and Former Presidential candidate) Jim Gilmore (R) has announced that he is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator (and former Liz Taylor luve muffin) John Warner (R). The big Washington Post piece on the announcement is here.

There are two announced candidates. Jim Gilmore (R) and Mark Warner (D). Both former Governors. Both were initially popular, then less-so when they left the Governor’s mansion. (Although, Gilmore was more unpopular than Warner. Warner suffered a little downturn in his popularity but quickly rebounded.) Both flirted with the idea of running for President in next year’s election.

Now they seek to get a job in the Senate of the United States.

Let your Maximum Leader state that many years after voting for Jim Gilmore, your Maximum Leader has soured on him. And many years after voting against Mark Warner, your Maximum Leader sees a lot to like. If the election were held today, your Maximum Leader would vote for Mark Warner. It is likely that if it is a Gilmore/Warner race; then Mark Warner will get your Maximum Leader’s vote.

Of course, you may be wondering “Why would my Maximum Leader vote in such a way?” Well… Let your Maximum Leader assure you that Jim Gilmore is a posturing blow-hard who isn’t really capable of adding to the political discourse in Washington. That might sound like Gilmore is a “grid-lock” guy. And as you know, your Maximum Leader is all for grid-lock. But Gilmore is too annoying for your Maximum Leader to vote for. Warner is a much more reasonable type of fellow. He doesn’t seem as strident. He also doesn’t seem as partisan. This might sound like he is a man who can get things done in Washington, but your Maximum Leader thinks that Mark Warner will be bored of Washington in six years and want to get out. Warner is a businessman and executive. He doesn’t strike me as the endless debating type. Lucky for us, most of the men and women in the US Senate are the endless debating types. It is also possible that Warner will be more partisan on the national stage, but we will not know until he gets there. Your Maximum Leader will give him the benefit of the doubt.

Of course, it is possible that something will happen that will change your Maximum Leader’s mind… November 2008 is a long way off.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader is a sucker for political quizes. Thanks to Rachel he’s learned that:

Lucky for your Maximum Leader that the little elf has no chance of winning the Democratic nomination…

And while we are thanking Rachel for the quiz link… Here is a George W Bush conspiracy your Maximum Leader created using the little conspiracy generator in the same post…

It all makes sense you know… Welfare recipients vote Democrat… And Rosie was using her platform on The View to protect the hapless welfare recipients…

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader directs your attention to Miceage.com for an interesting little piece about a new craze at Disneyworld/Disneyland. (Your Maximum Leader has Tommy to thank for that link.)

The story… People are dumping the cremated remains of (presumed) loved ones in Disney rides. Here is more:

Speaking of vandalism, there’s been a growing list of incidents perpetrated on attractions at Disneyland that are not only illegal but that are increasingly, well… let’s just say disturbing.

The big problem isn’t graffiti or hot-to-trot teens in a back row, it’s park visitors smuggling in the cremated remains of their loved ones and then spreading the ashes inside a favorite attraction. The Haunted Mansion is by far the most popular location for this, but you’d be surprised where else people are dumping cremated remains at Disneyland.

[…]

Sometimes however the cremated ashes aren’t found until the end of the night when the Cast Members close down the rides and walk the tracks looking for lost and found. Just last month that situation occurred when a Cast Member at the Haunted Mansion found several piles and a trail of ashes alongside the ride track. The Anaheim Police and Disneyland Security were summoned, and judging by the large amount of ashes this deposit was likely a small group of deceased people, or perhaps a very large married couple. The police identified the substance as human remains, and the custodial crew came in for the clean up.

To respond to this growing problem, Disneyland’s custodial department recently had to purchase special vacuums with very sophisticated HEPA filters that can capture the gritty ash of human remains while also capturing the small bone fragments that can also be present after cremation. The Cast Members who work in Attractions know the code words when calling the custodial hotline, and they tell the custodial dispatcher that they need a “HEPA Cleanup” as soon as possible.

[…]

The residue is often found at the end of the night however, and most of the people who carry out a last request by spreading a loved one’s remains at The Happiest Place On Earth likely don’t know the less-than-reverential end they meet at the hands of the ultra-efficient Disneyland Custodial Department.

Eeeeewwww. Your Maximum Leader doesn’t know what to make of this other than this is yet another sign of people growing more rude and coarse as our civilization slowly declines. Of course, in addition to being rude, this is downright unsanitary. Your Maximum Leader isn’t exactly what one would call a germaphobe; but tossing around Auntie Ruthies remains while sitting through a Disney ride is just disgusting…

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader, when the vapor lock has him, finds himself going to an ole standby for a post… Something about the dreamy Jennifer Love Hewitt…

Yes… Some website has names the dreamy Miss Hewitt the Number 5 most attrative woman to watch in HDTV. As you all know, your Maximum Leader gives the dreamy Jennifer Love Hewitt the solid number One position in analog AND HD; but it is nice to see others are thinking about her. (Excursus: Perhaps too many people are thinking about her… If you catch your Maximum Leader’s meaning…)

Also on the list… Okay… Not the whole list but only those who your Maximum Leader has heard of/seen/can comment upon:

10) Angie Harmon. Grrr Baby. That Jason Seahorn is one lucky guy. Your Maximum Leader misses her on Law and Order. We’ll always have re-runs on A&E.

8 ) Hayden Panettiere. Your Maximum Leader has never seen Heros, but this little girl is cute.

6 ) Rebecca Romijn. Once again, your Maximum Leader has never seen “Ugly Betty” - but if he knew that Rebecca Romijn was starring in it, he might try to catch an episode.

1) Giada De Laurentiis. Whew… Todd (Mr Giada De Laurentiis) is one lucky guy. Landing Giada. Not only does he have all those film producers in the family, but Giada to cook for him.

Your Maximum Leader notices that a certain someone from “My Name is Earl” is not anywhere to be found on the list… Hummm… One suspects that the writer of the list had a modicum of taste and discernment…

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader is still “vapor locked” as Joan mentioned in a comment on the last post. That is a very a propos way of phrasing it. Your Maximum Leader is just locked up and can’t seem to focus enough on a subject to write anything pithy. Somehow this condition doesn’t seem to have stopped him over the past few months when he was still able to write, although he was unable to be pithy. Perhaps your Maximum Leader’s conscience (such as it is) was bothering him. Bothering him to stop writing crap and start writing some good stuff…

Alas, this post will not be full of good stuff…

Last night your Maximum Leader didn’t think of anything to write, but he did do something fun. To wit this photo:

That is Gilbert Arenas (aka: Agent Zero) after passing the ball to Caron Butler late in the second quarter of the Washington Bullets’ eventual 103-90 win over the lackluster Indiana Pacers.

Yes. Your Maximum Leader is sitting on the floor. He was in the third row to be exact. Very close to the action. If your Maximum Leader does say so, those seats are the bomb. You have attendants coming to bring you drinks and food throughout the game (still at overpriced stadia rates plus tip - but you don’t have to mingle if you don’t want to). You have access to the VIP lounge under the stands and just off the floor for cocktails and snacks before, during, and after the game if you like. It is quite nice. You are so close that you can interact with the players (alas your Maximum Leader is not a big smack-talker so his comments were mostly encouraging his team on to victory). You are also close enough to see the cameltoe, boob-job scars, and caked makeup on the dance team. Sadly the dance team for the Bullets leaves much to be desired. Your Maximum Leader found precisely two of the roughly 15 girls on the team attractive - and one of those two was sorta marginal.

Before the game your Maximum Leader had a fine dinner at Matchbox. He recommends it to you all. Sadly, your Maximum Leader’s photo of another eating establishment didn’t turn out. It was a photo of the “New Big Wong” restaurant. “NBW” is right around the corner from the Verizon Center in what passes for Chinatown in Washington DC. This particular restaurant is the successor to “Big Wong” restaurant. As your Maximum Leader understands it, “BW” was the victim of a grease fire. “NBW” is the veritable phoenix rising from the spicy szechuan ashes of the old restaurant. It is a dive of an eatery - but with a name like “New Big Wong” it just has to be good…

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader is in the midst of a very long brain fart (so to speak). He finds that he occasionally has had an idea about which he might write a post, but it flies from his mind very quickly. He will try and focus on something and write.

Of course, the fact that a squadron of Marine Osprey’s has been buzzing over him for two days now doesn’t help his concentration. When your Maximum Leader was out yesterday he was able to catch one of the Ospreys on his cell phone.

He figures this one was about 250 feet up when the photo was clicked. They seemed to be flying all around at that altitude most of the day. They were a little noisier than he thought they would be… But then again… Your Maximum Leader used to live a few miles away from Oceana Naval Air Station. The Osprey is nuthin’ compared to a Navy F-18 taking off with afterburners. So it is all relative.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader would like to thank all those who have served our Republic, and are serving our Republic for the portion of their life they dedicated to preserving our civilzation and way of life. He also remembers the sacrafices made by those who died in their service to our nation.

Many thanks to you all.

Carry on.

I don’t actually want Ron Paul to win the presidency.

He’s a kook.

BUT I would like Americans to demonstrate that support for small government exists in the hinterlands.

While imbibing beers and roasting a pig in the wee hours of the morning this summer, the Maximum Leader, Polymath and I joked about issuing letters of Marque and Reprisal to private contractors who would then attack terrorist organizations out of a profit motive.

It seems that we weren’t alone:

Washington, DC, October 11:

Congressman Ron Paul today presented Congress with the “Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001,” legislation designed to give President Bush an additional tool in the fight against terrorism. He also introduced legislation that changes the federal definition of “piracy” to include air piracy.

The Constitution gives Congress the power to issue letters of marque and reprisal when a precise declaration of war is impossible due to the vagueness of the enemy. Paul’s bill would allow Congress to authorize the President to specifically target Bin Laden and his associates using non-government armed forces. Since it is nearly impossible for U.S. intelligence teams to get close to Bin Laden, the marque and reprisal approach creates an incentive for people in Afghanistan or elsewhere to turn him over to the U.S.

“The President promised the American people that the federal government would use every available resource to defeat the global terror network,” Paul stated. “Congress should immediately issue letters of marque and reprisal to add another weapon to the U.S. arsenal. The war on terrorism is very different from past wars, because the enemy is a group of individuals who do not represent any nation. Western intelligence in the Middle East is exceedingly limited, so we should avail ourselves of the assistance of those with better information to track, capture, or kill Bin Laden.”

The Act allows Congress to narrowly target terrorist enemies, lessening the likelihood of a full-scale war with any Middle Eastern nations. The Act also threatens terrorist cells worldwide by making it more difficult for our enemies to simply slip back into civilian populations or hide in remote locations.

“Once letters of marque and reprisal are issued, every terrorist is essentially a marked man,” Paul concluded. “Congress should issue such letters and give the President another weapon to supplement our military strikes.”

UPDATE FROM YOUR MAXIMUM LEADER: It is good to see Congressman Paul hopping on the bandwagon. That bandwagon would be the one that your Maximum Leader started back on August 1, 2003 in the wee early days of this blog when he first thought about Letters of Marque.

I don’t agree with some of Ron Paul’s positions (immigration and the gold standard to name a couple), but am excited that there is actually a candidate running for the highest office on a platform of reduced government intervention.

On November 5th, he guaranteed that he will get my vote:

From the Congressional Record:

Mr. PAUL: Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation that allows the transportation and sale in interstate commerce of unpasteurized milk and milk products, as long as the milk both originates from and is shipped to States that allow the sale of unpasteurized milk and milk products. This legislation removes an unconstitutional restraint on farmers who wish to sell unpasteurized milk and milk products, and people who wish to consume unpasteurized milk and milk products.

My office has heard from numerous people who would like to purchase unpasteurized milk. Many of these people have done their own research and come to the conclusion that unpasteurized milk is healthier than pasteurized milk. These Americans have the right to consume these products without having the Federal Government second-guess their judgment about what products best promote health. If there are legitimate concerns about the safety of unpasteurized milk, those concerns should be addressed at the State and local level.

I urge my colleagues to join me in promoting consumers’ rights, the original intent of the Constitution, and federalism by cosponsoring my legislation to allow the interstate sale of unpasteurized milk and milk products.

Woo and hoo!

Ron Paul for President!

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader has been up to his eyeballs in various things he’s had to do. Alas, that leaves you, his loyal reader, hoping that Smallholder posts something so that you aren’t subjected to the old post you read yesterday still hogging the top line of the content section.

Since your Maximum Leader hasn’t had time for much original content. So here is a fun little link for you…

Try this on for a line: It was very much like Dad telling his teenage son he doesn’t get a vote on where the family goes for vacation, and the son goes off and sulks for eight years when the fam doesn’t go to Cancun or wherever Brooke Burke went on Wild On; and instead goes someplace sensible and boring like Disney World.

Ah… Brooke Burke… She is not as dreamy as Jennifer Love Hewitt… But not that bad…

Should your Maximum Leader mention that you will not guess the full context of the link just from that line? Has he now already mentioned it? Humm…

Carry on.

Perkins the butler stole into the mansion. He returned surreptitiously from vacation to do the deed. He trod silently in the passages and halls until he arrived at the bedroom of his employer. He entered the room.

Perkins looked at his employer sleeping. Pathetic. Dissipated. The young man wasn’t worthy of the family name.

Perkins put the pistol in his employer’s hand, put the gun to the temple, and pulled the trigger. It would look like a suicide. Richard Cory was dead.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader has been watching lots of football recently. In the spirit of camraderie with other men (and some really smart and sexy women out there) he sits himself down in front of his big screen tv and watches football pregame shows, then football games, then football postgame shows, then night games. On Monday night, he tunes in to Monday Night Football (your Maximum Leader is a big fan of Tony Kornheiser by the way).

So today your Maximum Leader was thinking about the team of destiny yesterday. A team that has everything going for it. A team that is doing what it has to do to win games. A team that comes from behind. When the chips are down, the team of destiny doesn’t give up. They play to the end. And they have been winning.

This team of destiny wasn’t supposed to be as good as they are. They are putting together the pieces of a strong team. A team that should go far into the playoffs. A team that people can root for.

The team of destiny is, of course, the Green Bay Packers.

Who did you think your Maximum Leader was writing about?

Oh yeah… That other team… That team from New England… That team that will likely go undefeated this year and be the greatest team ever to play the game of football. Them.

Honestly, your Maximum Leader believes the Packers are playing above their ability. And that is great. He thinks that the Pack will have some trouble against Detroit (who is also playing above their ability). But the Pack should prevail against the Lions. Indeed, your Maximum Leader thinks that the Packers are the third best team in the NFC (after Dallas and the Giants). A case could be made for the Packers being the second best team in the NFC. But your Maximum Leader isn’t going to make that case…

Of course, no one is as good as the Patriots right now. They are like football Terminators. Just playing methodically and without emotion. Just going after every team like they are just another Sarah Connor in the phonebook…

Yikes…

Go Pack go! Go as far as you motivation, talent, and Brett Favre’s arm will carry you. I hope it is to the NFC championship game…

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader is back on-line. His host suffered some sort of server outage that kept this blog off the interwebs for a good portion of today.

In case you can’t get to nakedvillainy.com you can always check for your Maximum Leader over at:

http://gotvillainy.blogspot.com

Don’t bother clicking through on that link… Your Maximum Leader didn’t post anything there today… It was a busy busy day. No time for blogging…

Carry on.

Our good friend the Big Hominid has triggered a change in Seoul’s Subway System.

For shame, you big ho.