Full Size Shot (7598px x 3312px).

My second-cousin-once-removed’s trained parrot (named Charlie), who can sing “Jesus Loves Me,” all by itself, is clearly smarter than Sarah Palin.

Update:
My impression of Palin - blah blah blah blah Regan, Russia, blah blah blah blah, John McCain, hockey mom, blah blah blah.

Update2: This flowchart gives us some insight into the high-end decision making processes involved in the debate.

Update3: For those of you that noticed the typo on ‘parrot,’ thank you. Sadly, my cousin does not have a singing-fortune-telling card (although that would be cool). I apologize for the error -  I was at the bar, using my phone to post and more concerned about shouting at the television than correct spelling.

There was an interesting bit on NPR this morning about a 70-year-old retiree who wants to return to teaching high school because his home equity loan has tanked and the hemorrhaging stock market has nose-dived his income.

Ok fine. I’m not opposed to this – in fact I think we should be working towards 100% employment in this country - give everybody who wants to work education and a job. But what’s that means for the current working generation, in a tight job-market (the one who’s keeping his social security fund afloat no less)? This guy probably knows less than me about computer-related issues, but he’s got experience I can never catch up with. We’re potentially equally employable. If there’s to be a mass return of seniors to the workplace, a decent wage for those of us who’ve only been working for five to ten years could be harder to come by.

To top it off the government will nail an employers ass for perceived age discrimination – So if me and the 70-year-old retiree happen to look the same on paper, chances are he’s going to get the job.

What interesting and mildly horrifying times we live in.

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year old Texas rancher whose hand was caught in a gate while working cattle, the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Sarah Palin and her bid to be a heartbeat away from being President.

The old rancher said, “Well, ya know, Palin is a post turtle.”

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a post turtle was.

The old rancher said, “When you’re driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that’s a post turtle.”

The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor’s face, so he continued to explain. “You know she didn’t get up there by herself, she doesn’t belong up there, she doesn’t know what to do while she is up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb ass put her up there to begin with.”

Thanks to my dad for this one.