The top 100 Americans

The Atlantic Monthly has come up with its list of the 100 most influential Americans, compiled by 10 historians. Some of their selections are just, but most are way off base. Margaret Sanger? Elvis Presley? Jonas Salk? Jackie Robinson? I don't think any of these people were particularly influential. Some on the list, such as Frederick Law Olmsted, Louis Sullivan, James Gordon Bennett, Walter Lippmann, George Eastman, and Stephen Foster, I had never even heard of before I saw the list. Overall the list includes far too many singers, songwriters, authors, architects, inventors, and businessmen, and too few politicians and military leaders. In addition to those already mentioned, John Dewey, Horace Mann, William Faulkner, Samuel Gompers, P.T. Barnum, James Watson, William James, Sam Walton, Cyrus McCormick, Margaret Mead, William Hearst, George Gallup, Benjamin Spock, John Steinbeck, Sam Goldwyn, Booker T. Washington, and Louis Armstrong need to go.

I also think Martin Luther King, Earl Warren, John Marshall, FDR, Alexander Graham Bell, Dwight Eisenhower, and Woodrow Wilson are too high on the list, and Robert E. Lee is way too low. Andrew Jackson is a little too low too. Rockefeller, Carngeie, Morgan, Ford, Bill Gates, and Sam Walton don't all need to be on the list, and none should be in the top 50.

Who should be on the list that isn't? Well, there are only 17 presidents for starters, and there should probably be about 40 on there, putting aside uninfluential ones like Grover Cleveland. James Monroe, JFK, George W. Bush, and James Buchanan (the only bachelor president) are particularly egregious omissions. I also think Timothy McVeigh should be on the list. Being the most murderous American is an important (although not necessarily good!) distinction. Maybe even Scott Peterson should; he's probably the second most famous American murderer. Condi Rice should definitely be on the list, and so should William T. Sherman, Jefferson Davis, and George Patton. If there needs to be an entertainer, it should be Shirley Temple. Also, it's weird that Eleanor Roosevelt is the only first lady on the list. Martha Washington, Mary Lincoln, and Jackie Kennedy are just as important.

The full list of the Atlantic's choices is here.

Benedict kicks butt!

In my opinion, anyone who is protesting Pope Benedict's visit to Turkey ought to knock it off. Numerous people in the mostly Islamic country are calling the pope an enemy of Islam, and maybe he has a reason to be. After all, Muhammad did condemn celibacy, while Jesus was celibate himself, as is Benedict and all of his predecessors. I think Benedict should go to Turkey and kick some Turkish butt!

No thanks for Gardasil

Argh! I saw an advertisement for Gardasil for the first time today! The TV ad, which aired on CBS, featured young women vowing that the HPV vaccine would make them "one less." One less what? One less innocent virgin? Apparently, because no one who intends to remain a virgin would have any reason to receive Gardasil. Another Gardasil ad will appear in TV Guide, if I am not mistaken. Bad job, CBS and TV Guide; you are aiding the sexual supremacist culture in its attempt to eradicate innocence and celibacy from America!

Have a great Thanksgiving, fellow Americans. I hope you have many things to celebrate this Thanksgiving, but Gardasil sure isn't one of them!

Longo's death sentence upheld

The Oregon Superme Court has upheld the death sentence of Christian Longo, a man convicted of killing his wife and three children. Longo fled to Mexico in December 2001 after killing his wife, MaryJane, and three children, ages 2, 3, and 4, and dumping the bodies in two different bays. His defense lawyer argued that he should be spared from death because Mexico usually does not extradite criminals if there is any chance that they'll receive the death penalty. However, Longo agreed voluntarily to return to the U.S., waiving his right to extradition proceedings. Read the full story at Court TV.

Farewell, Rummy

Of comparable importance to today's developments in the Entwistle case, most Americans know by now that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has resigned. I wish him well - I think he has done a great job and am sorry to see him go, as he was one of the few remaining members of President Bush's original inner circle. I am aware, however, that most Democrats and even some Republicans disagree with me.

Naturally, I am somewhat disappointed with yesterday's election results, but I still hold out hope that the Democrats won't take control of the Senate. Good luck, Senator Allen; the way the Virginia race seems to be going tells me you're going to need it!

Edit: Alas, the Senate has fallen! :(

Entwistle must take DNA test

Accused murderer Neil Entwistle must submit to a DNA test, ruled judge Peter Lauriat. Within 30 days, authorities will take a DNA sample by swabbing the inside of Entwistle's mouth. Also, Judge Lauriat denied defense lawyer Elliot Weinstein's motion to dismiss the charges against Entwistle. Read the full story at the Herald.

Watch for Neil's next court appearance on December 15.

Election results

As voting draws to a close, it seems the Democrats have gained ground :( They seem to have picked up three seats in the Senate. However, there is a bit of good news: it looks like independent Joe Lieberman has defeated democrat Ned Lamont!

Edit: Terrible news in Pennsylvania: the Democratic challenger has defeated wonderfully right-wing Republican Rick Santorum.

Also, at a rally for Deval Patrick (predictably the governor-elect of Massachusetts), John Kerry has just made a speech in which he comments that Ted Kennedy (who was predictably re-elected), is the greatest senator in the history of the U.S. Senate! Can anyone say hyperbole? So much for Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, Stephen Douglas, Jack Kennedy, and the numerous other great senators from history. I guess Kerry has even more of a knack for saying bizarre things than I realized.

Another edit: It looks like the Democrats have taken control of the House :(

For the latest election news, go to http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/.

Saddam sentenced to death

Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by hanging! Go to CNN for the full story.