Bad argument of the day: "Only those who have military experience should speak of matters concerning war."

This is one of the most disastrous arguments that has been wrought on the melted brains of the average citizen. Really, there is no argument here in the truest sense of being a good argument, it only takes the form of sentence structure necessary for an argument.

Basically, this sentence is affirming that only a person who is involved by experience in some activity — to what degree we do not know but at least professionally it would seem — should speak intelligently on that activity.

This would mean then, by the same logic, that a person would not be able to speak intelligently about the fit and look of his clothing unless he were a past or present tailor. A person would not speak of food unless he were a professional cook. A person would not speak at all unless he were at minimum a paid lecturer.

In the final analysis of this logic, a person would not even form an argument without first being a person of English, Philosophy, Logic, Law, Public Speaking and Rhetoric credentials. Is there such a person?

Intelligent discussion and judgments are found worthy in regard to how accurately they fit the activity they are directed towards, not whether the speaker belongs to a professional association.

While it is true that a Sunday is a day of contemplation and humility, it is also a day of recognizing good works.

A good work is exactly what four men did in Lund, Sweden to the perverted and disgusting works of Andres Serrano, the decrepit who has shown such works as Christ drowning in urine and a Nun masturbating….(images.google.com)

A number of pictures by American photographer Andres Serrano were vandalized on Friday afternoon at an art gallery in Lund.

Four masked men stormed into the Kulturen gallery and began attacking the framed photographs with crow bars and an axe, Sydsvenskan reports.

According to witnesses, as the men ran in they pushed staff out of the way and shouted the words: "We don't support this shit."

They then left behind flyers bearing the message: "Against decadence and for a healthier culture".

The flyers however were unsigned and the men did not leave any clues as to their identity.

"Almost all of the works were destroyed. The glass was broken on several of them and they smashed a big hole in the middle of one of them."…(thelocal.se)

"Against decadence and for a healthier culture." That has a decent ring to it.

The Men of Lund, Sweden who destroyed loathsome and morally depraved craftings. The Men of Castalia, Canada who burned a drug house to the ground. The Men of Your Black Muslim Bakery, West Oakland who took down two liquor stores.

All heroes, in these particular instances, who recognized injustice and took action.

In Praise of Front Porches, by Karin Chenoweth

Urban planners and architects are agonizing over how to create neighborhoods that have the "feel" of true neighborhoods. All kinds of novel ideas are being introduced: sidewalks, small shops near homes, and narrow, tree-lined streets. In other words, we are beginning to appreciate the town-planning skills of 100 years ago.

But there is one essential element that still is being overlooked by modern designers—the front porch.

Front porches provide the necessary transition from the privacy of indoors to the public scrutiny of yards and sidewalks. Front porches lure people out of their houses and out of their atomized, individual existences, but without requiring formal commitments to public interchange.

A family sitting on a front porch invites the hellos of passersby without the necessity of a lengthy chat. However, such a chat is easy to solicit with the wave of a hand.

I fell in love with my street the first time I saw it, but it took a while for me to recognize exactly why. It was partly that the street itself was narrow, forcing traffic to slow when cars are parked along the side. It was partly the tree-shaded sidewalks. It was partly the small, colorful front gardens, both those that were well-tended and those that were—shall we say—"naturalized." It was partly that a grocery store and other small retail stores were within walking distance and thus encouraged people to walk.

But it was mostly the front porches….(In Praise of Front Porches)

It was said that one man, Richard "Rick" Pollitt, was going to save the people of Wicomico County from their brutish lives of ignorance and darkness.

It was said he was a "great man", "could get things done", and was going to "clean house": statements which the citizens awed and cooed over — until a lone man sitting high up on some aluminum press corp bleachers shouted down:

Pollitt? Clean house? I say Pollitt can't even clean himself and an honest effort by him to do so is an over sudsing of the sewer pipes and an exploitation of water resources!

But assuming Pollitt's hygiene is adequate at best, what of his attempts to scrub others down with his soap?

I tell you Pollitt only knows the degree of cleanliness that will pass the muster of the average "Pollitt Soapdown and Warsh Off," a degree which the average person's nose would assuredly balk at.

For example, if Pollitt is unable or unwilling to clean underneath the lower third role of flab overhang on the bottom half of his back, will he not also be unwilling or unable to clean similar areas on other people? And if 60 percent of Wicomicountians are plush with rolls of flab would this not present a most disagreeable and malodorous situation?

In the unlikely event that Pollitt knuckles down and honestly applies the "Pollitt Soapdown and Warsh Off" to others with water and soap aplenty in the same amounts he uses himself, will not a total environmental catastrophe result? and a drowning and inundation of the good and bad folk alike and all their many Wal-mart plastic things?

The lone man's name? Outraged Richard, speaking of Wicomico County Executive Richard "Rick" Pollitt when running for office in 2006.

Pollitt, a man who created a website: ricksfriends.com, that stated his campaign's promises and principles — a website which he promptly erased once he was elected.

But hearken closely dear friends and detractors! Pollitt's promises and principles live on at outragedrichard.com in an ongoing series of revived past posts.

Ladies and gentlemen, we bring you in all his folds of glory and empty campaign promises amidst puffs of confectioner's sugar and glazed donuts… Pollitt! 

In a rare instance of public admonishment towards America’s celebrity degenerates, David Letterman takes filthy whore Paris Hilton to task.

But as one celebrity would typically treat another of the same ilk, Mr. Letterman only gently addresses Ms. Hilton’s scofflaw behavior and tentatively questions her role model status.

Nevertheless, Bravo!