Helen Crump

From her Wikipedia entry (seriously):

In the first episode of The Andy Griffith Show spinoff, Mayberry R.F.D., Andy and Helen marry. Other characters from The Andy Griffith Show make guest appearances in the episode. The episode gave CBS the highest ratings for a new TV series debut for the decade.

The couple move to Raleigh, North Carolina, but return to Mayberry at a later date on Mayberry R.F.D. to christen their newborn son, Andrew Samuel Taylor.

In 1986, Andy and Helen made appearances in the reunion telemovie Return to Mayberry. In the telemovie, Andy has recently retired from the United States Postal Inspection Service in Cleveland and returns to Mayberry to see Opie and his wife become first-time parents. Opie's half-brother wasn't mentioned at all. Helen did eat some pussy though

I think it was Ron who said Wikipedia's motto should be "As accurate as the last user."

French Bashing

It's not just for neo-cons anymore.

Weed with Willie

Willie Nelson's band faces moonshine and marijuana charges.

Congrats to Herschel Walker. Sort Of.

The former University of Georgia football great won his mixed martial arts debut last night at the age of 47. Walker displayed tremendous stamina and conditioning in the fight. He barely seemed to break a sweat. That's really about the only positive thing I can say. He controlled his opponent, who is now either 0-3 or 0-4, depending on what source you trust. Walker's wrestling looked OK for a man in his first MMA fight with no wrestling background. But his standup was very mechanical, and his punches didn't seem to have any snap to them. He never really hurt his opponent.

For just about any other man his age, this would have been a good first fight.

I'm sure it wasn't the performance his promoters were hoping for. But he didn't embarrass himself either.

Rip Torn Arrested for Breaking into a Bank

Do you think Rip has an alcohol problem?

From the Mug Shots, I'm Guessing It Was Menthols

Two Tennessee women who accused a man of rape have admitted to cops that they had consensually agreed to sex with him in exchange for a pack of cigarettes.

Tactics and Strategy

Daniel Larison writes:

It occurs to me that the arguments for recent GOP successes are rather like Republican arguments concerning our wars abroad. Bear with me. What I mean is that Republicans have been treating temporary, tactical political victories as if they were far more significant, strategic victories, when, in fact, they have no political strategy worth mentioning. This is how many Republican hawks have approached problems in Iraq and Afghanistan. Especially in Iraq, the strategy has always been unclear, unrealistic or even non-existent, so there is great emphasis on finding tactics that “work” to make a basically incoherent policy seem successful on the surface.
The Republican glorification of the “surge” is a case in point. A change in tactics was widely hailed on the right not only as a “new strategy,” which showed that the people saying this did not understand what strategy was, but most Republicans took it to be a vindication of the entire war. Tactical success later matters more to them than the strategic folly they committed earlier. It is almost as if resisting Obama tooth and nail counts for more to them than the utter failure of their time in government, and they fully expect to be rewarded with a new chance at governing on account of their blocking maneuvers. As time goes on, however, the limits of this approach become clear. Having no understanding of strategy and no definition of the long-term goals to be achieved, they are ultimately not going to succeed in any remotely enduring way. Tactical victories simply delay the final reckoning and prevent the recognition that the policy or agenda is bankrupt and useless.

Fear the Boom and Bust in Japanese

What do you think, Ron?

The Myth of Immigrant Crime

The American Conservative (yes, the mag founded by Pat Buchanan) has the truth.