A columnist for the Sun, Alicia Colon, said writers who pull no punches in their news pieces might not be able handle the give-and-take of political negotiations and campaigning.

"To be a politician you have to compromise, and I don't think a lot of editors or columnists would be able to do it." Ms. Colon said. "Maybe they have too much integrity.

Way to dig deep to find someone to represent extremism, NY Sun. Extremism of integrity, that is. But is it really too much integrity that stops columnists from taking their rightful place as our leaders—or is it that the masses are simply afraid of their intellectual honesty?

"We have a nasty tendency to see complexities in life, and I suspect your average politician likes to think in more terms of black and white," [NYT columnist Clyde] Haberman said yesterday in an interview. "They don't get bothered too much by all the gray that defines life for most people."

Discussing the Church's recent decision to return to the Latin liturgy, the Sun columnist notes objections by those pesky Hebrews, who are always seeing anti-Semitism in everything.

The pope's announcement has drawn inquiries from Jewish groups concerned that a prayer for conversion of the Jews will also be reinstated. They have asked for a clarification on exactly what restoring the Latin Mass will entail. My first reaction to that news was, "What prayer of conversion?" I certainly don't recall it being any part of the Latin Masses I attended so I dug out my old English/Latin "Sunday Missal" which we used to follow the services. If there had ever been such a prayer it certainly wasn't anything heard at a regular Mass. There had been something similar during Good Friday services, I've been told, but that also was not listed in the prayer book.

The 16th-century Tridentine Mass, which refers to Jews as "perfidious", was replaced in 1969. In the words of the original, penned in 1570, Jews live in "blindness" and "darkness"; it pleads that "the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ".

Latin Mass No Threat To Judaism [NYS]
Will pope reintroduce anti-Semitic mass? [ynet]

In full, it's a screed about abstinence education and how the liberal media hides the truth that teaching kids not to fuck works. (An analogy from Rush Limbaugh is offered to buttress her argument, if that gives you any indication.) But it's not only that: Secular Hollywood types are trying to promote their pro-banging agenda through movies and TV aimed at children! Take, yes, the recent big-screen adaptation of the E.B. White classic Charlotte's Web.

I can't say that I'm overly familiar with the original story or film but this one has its star, Dakota Fanning, making googly eyes at a young boy with whom she ends up riding on a Ferris wheel. Why unnecessarily interject a romance between children in a classic juvenile story? Why wasn't everyone outraged at young Ms. Fanning playing in another film depicting her violent rape? Why are prepubescent actors even allowed in R-rated films? Where are their parents?

"Coasting is the most fun there is," said Avery.

"The most fun there is," retorted Fern, "is when the Ferris wheel stops and Henry and I are in the top car and Henry makes the car swing and we can see everything for miles and miles and miles."

"Goodness, are you still thinking about that ol' Ferris wheel?" said Avery in disgust. "The Fair was weeks and weeks ago."

"I think about it all the time," said Fern, picking snow from her ear."

Not content with limiting her bursts of creativity to the written word, New York Sun columnist Alicia Colon turns out the be quite the visual artist as well. The above image comes from her online gallery, which houses a collection of both paintings and doodles! While the paintings are sadly not for sale, Alicia is "open to commission assignments." We might want to take up a small collection: Any ideas as to what we should commission her to paint?

Gallery [AliciaColon]

Earlier: Gawker's coverage of Alicia Colon

By the time I was pregnant with my third child, I was getting nasty looks whenever I walked to First Avenue from my Waterside apartment with a swollen belly and my two sons in a double stroller. I'm sure many strangers were under the mistaken impression that their tax dollars were funding our existence and resented my obvious fecundity.
How different I felt when we moved to Staten Island. Twin and triple strollers were a common sight at the mall and in Costco. Most Island restaurants are geared toward babies and large families. Playgrounds are abundant, and child-proofed. We have a huge carousel in Willowbrook Park and springtime sees Silver and Clove Lake parks teeming with babies and toddlers. Staten Island is the fastest-growing county in the state because growing families are finding the welcome mat is out for them.
My children are all adults now, and I'm awaiting my sixth grandchild. I probably could have used a nanny when mine were all young and driving me bonkers.

In Praise Of Large Families [NYS]

Earlier: Gawker's coverage of Alicia Colon

News of a good year, performance-wise, at Goldman Sachs and of compensation to match for the firm's employees and executives has set some of our competitors — and no doubt, plenty of other New Yorkers — into singing carols of socialism. The New York Post's Sean Delonas, one of the great humorists in town, drew a cartoon, published in the paper, depicting the Goldman bankers as common criminals, complete with bandit masks. It's something to imagine Rupert Murdoch reading that over his cornflakes in the apartment on Fifth —

Goldman $achs [NYS]

Earlier: In Case You Needed a Reminder That You're in the Wrong Profession
Gawker's coverage of Sean Delonas
Gawker's coverage of Alicia Colon

Christ is the reason for the season, and for time immemorial it was a joyous occasion celebrated by people of all faiths. The anti-Semites who blame the Jews for the war against Christmas are targeting the wrong individuals. Religious Jews have never objected to our celebration. After all, Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas," and most of the great Christmas films of old were made by Hollywood studios headed by Jews.

My Jewish neighbors in Spanish Harlem (yes, there are poor Jews, too, folks) used to join in during the festive time of the year and gave us gifts of fresh-baked Challah bread on Christmas morning.

Just What Are We Celebrating? [NYS]

Related:: Matt Drudge: Left-Wing Liberal Media Criminal [Wonkette]
Earlier: Gawker's coverage of Alicia Colon

So what's happening at this point? According to the latest announcement from the AFA's chairman and founder, Donald Wildmon, the organization will no longer call for the boycott of Wal-Mart, because the retailer has promised not to contribute to controversial causes. Its official statement reads: "Wal-Mart will not make corporate contributions to support or oppose highly controversial issues unless they directly relate to our ability to serve our customers. Wal-Mart does not have a position on same sex marriage and we do not give preference to gay or lesbian suppliers. Wal-Mart does have a strong commitment to diversity among our associates and against discrimination everywhere." Whew, that's a relief for low-income families everywhere who haven't completed their Christmas shopping. What boggles the mind, however, is why Wal-Mart even decided to enter into an arrangement with an organization representing individuals that are very unlikely to shop there in large numbers.

Power to The People [NYS]

[Image via]

Earlier: Gawker's coverage of Alicia Colon

Four decades ago, a gunman accosted my mother, who was on her way home after attending the 6 a.m. Mass at St. Lucy's in Spanish Harlem. When he demanded all her money, she looked him in the eye and said, "What would your mother think of you doing this?" The gunman turned around and fled, saying nothing. These days, she likely would have been shot dead.

My mother-in-law bought her shotgun at Kmart. She and her family lived near the Everglades, where snakes and alligators are unfriendly neighbors. My uncle-in-law owned a gas station in a rough neighborhood, and had been beaten severely by robbers. He started carrying a .45 wherever he went, and was never beaten or robbed again.

My daughter-in-law has been stalked by an ex-boyfriend. He kidnapped and assaulted her and violated more than 20 orders of protection. He served a minimum sentence of a few years, and as soon as he was released came back to issue more death threats. How likely would this be if he knew she had a loaded weapon and knew how to use it?

A Case For Guns [NYS]

Earlier: Gawker's coverage of Alicia Colon

Naturally, I ordered a case of W ketchup, and later a W cap, bumper stickers, and decals. It was just a gesture of support for President Bush's reelection, but the ketchup was a real surprise that was enjoyed by everybody in my family.

The concept of freedom before wealth is hard for Democrats to understand, but it is this principle that defines conservatism. Smaller government, less regulation, strong defense, and civil rights for all — these are radical concepts today, but one forgets that the original Republican Party members were radicals. Abraham Lincoln was hated just as much as Mr. Bush, only his vice president was a Democrat, Andrew Johnson. Maybe having Vice President Cheney around is keeping the president out of harm's way. After Lincoln was assassinated, the Democrats did all they could to unravel his Emancipation Proclamation. Not many blacks know that it was the Democrats who formed the KKK, and Jesse Jackson sure isn't going to clue them in.

Rebels With A Cause - Conservatism [NYS]

Earlier: Gawker's coverage of Alicia Colon

Whatever one may think about celebrity adoptions, as a mother of six and a grandmother of five, I declare that loving babies is a very good and healthy thing for our country.

Thank God someone is willing to take this brave stand. We can't tell you how tired we are of all the "Fuck babies" columns you get from the likes of Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd.

On Adoption, Birth Rates, And Madonna [NYS]

Blacks are the ethnic group that benefits the least from the current Social Security process because their lower than average life expectancy means that many benefits go uncollected. Mr. Bush's plan would have allowed ownership of their contributions to the system, which could then be passed on to their heirs. The black community should be battling for this change. Why isn't it?

Good question, Alicia! Maybe it's because they're too busy dying!

Shocker At the Polls: A Republican [NYS]

Earlier: Gawker's coverage of Alicia Colon

A recent headline on Gawker.com — "Who is Alicia Colon and Why is a Religion of Peace Trying to Kill Her?" — has prompted an Albanian Muslim to send me an e-mail expressing concern that I had received death threats for my columns supporting Israel. I explained that the blog entry was satiric and not to be taken seriously.

Whoever edits the Gawker site decided that I was overwrought about Muslims in my community not rising up to condemn Islamic terrorism, especially in light of a Staten Islander being arrested for plotting to bomb our subway system. The site's entry began as follows: "Remember the plot to murder Sun columnist Alicia Colon? You don't? Well, it happened a couple years ago, but, as the target, she hasn't forgotten." Who could blame the Albanian for misunderstanding?

This is a whole column full of crazy; to single anything out would be to unfairly suggest that the other items were somehow less completely and utterly insane. But once we finished reading the whole thing, we finally realized it: Alicia Colon is the Mrs. Kravitz of Staten Island, and Albanian Muslims are the magical neighbors who are trying to sneak something past her. Like a bomb.

For Muslims, Silence Means Acceptance [NYS]

Earlier: Who is Alicia Colon and Why is a Religion of Peace Trying to Kill Her?"