What better way for two beleaguered entities to divert attention away all of their imbecilic misdeeds than by coming together to form an odd coupling? Hey, it works for celebrities!

But seriously, Palin's piece for the Post on "Cap-and-Trade," an issue we, nor anyone else it seems, have any true understanding of, beyond the fact that it's something hated by the energy conglomerates that Obama says will help save the earth from environmental destruction, which naturally leads us to lean toward being in favor of it.

The whole piece reads like it was written by Sarah Palin pulling quotes from a brochure sent to her by an energy lobbyist. The sentences and paragraphs are short, filled with vague generalities and conservative buzzwords and catchphrases without providing a shred of evidence to support her central assertion, which is that Obama's energy plan will wreck the American economy. The only thing that comes close to resembling any form of "evidence" is her noting that the energy bill includes money to fund the re-training of energy industry employees who lose their jobs because of the plan.

Job losses are so certain under this new cap-and-tax plan that it includes a provision accommodating newly unemployed workers from the resulting dried-up energy sector, to the tune of $4.2 billion over eight years. So much for creating jobs.

Yep. That's it. Everything else is just Sarah being Sarah.

Take Palin's closing flurry for example, which we just love because she manages to work in references to God, Alaska, the need to drill for oil in Alaska's nature preserves, the prospect of having to depend on commies and terrorists for oil, while also managing to mock Obama's 2008 campaign slogan:

We must move in a new direction. We are ripe for economic growth and energy independence if we responsibly tap the resources that God created right underfoot on American soil. Just as important, we have more desire and ability to protect the environment than any foreign nation from which we purchase energy today.

In Alaska, we are progressing on the largest private-sector energy project in history. Our 3,000-mile natural gas pipeline will transport hundreds of trillions of cubic feet of our clean natural gas to hungry markets across America. We can safely drill for U.S. oil offshore and in a tiny, 2,000-acre corner of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge if ever given the go-ahead by Washington bureaucrats.

Of course, Alaska is not the sole source of American energy. Many states have abundant coal, whose technology is continuously making it into a cleaner energy source. Westerners literally sit on mountains of oil and gas, and every state can consider the possibility of nuclear energy.

We have an important choice to make. Do we want to control our energy supply and its environmental impact? Or, do we want to outsource it to China, Russia and Saudi Arabia? Make no mistake: President Obama's plan will result in the latter.

For so many reasons, we can't afford to kill responsible domestic energy production or clobber every American consumer with higher prices.

Can America produce more of its own energy through strategic investments that protect the environment, revive our economy and secure our nation?

Yes, we can. Just not with Barack Obama's energy cap-and-tax plan.

Pity the poor Washington Post copy editor who had the misfortune of having this thing recently land on their desk. That person probably hates their job right now, perhaps so much that they'd be willing to forward us the unedited version of the piece. Just a thought.

The 'Cap and Tax' Dead End [Washington Post]
Pic via

Schroder said the project is his fifth with the Halmis, following January's Journey to the Center of the Earth, which aired on Ion Television.

"Twenty years ago, the Halmis and I collaborated on Lonesome Dove, and I am honored that our relationship has developed to the point where they trust me to direct Hellhounds, " Schroder said.

The project, which The Hollywood Reporter notes is "full of CGI and special effects," is actually Schroder's sophomore directing effort, coming four years after his indie debut Black Cloud and overlapping preproduction on a short for the suspense anthology Locker 13. Best of luck to Ricky in Eastern Europe; if anyone can keep the lauded Romanian New Wave alive in these desperate, trying times, it's probably him.

• Ricky Schroder releases the 'Hellhounds' [THR]

Bell County's new line beats the original, She Is Dating Him Willingly.

i was sitting outside at la esquina, and i saw cory kennedy and genevieve jones. they were all dressed up with no place to go apparently because they circled the block a couple of times and then cory kennedy said, "well, we can wake up early and go to the gym! LOL!" i only overheard it because they were standing next to our table when it was said. ugh. genevieve jones is really unfortunate looking, by the way.