The Economist's Cookbook

Today's entrant is a complete hack, a completely intellectually dishonest hack.

Today's Recipient is one Judge Thomas V. Gainer Jr. from Chicago.

Let's do a bit of looking at this shall we?

1.) Cop gets videotaped drinking shots and other beverages before getting into his car.
2.) Cop causes an accident resulting in two fatalites.
3.) Cop cleared of all charges.

Prosecutors made two attempts to prove that Ardelean did. After the two-vehicle fatal crash Nov. 22 in Roscoe Village, Ardelean was charged with misdemeanor DUI -- later upgraded to a felony. But those charges were dismissed when Cook County Judge Don Panarese ruled there was "no indication" Ardelean, who was off-duty at the time, was drunk. Prosecutors reinstated charges after saying they had a lengthy surveillance videotape showing Ardelean drinking five shots and other drinks at a North Side bar shortly before the crash.

Prosecutors also suggested in pretrial hearings that police the night of the crash turned a blind eye to Ardelean's intoxication. Among other things, he wasn't arrested or given a Breathalyzer until seven hours after the crash. But Gainer ruled in April that the supervising officer who ultimately made the arrest didn't have strong enough evidence to do so. Gainer's ruling also suppressed key blood-alcohol evidence.

Well it's been a while since I've done one of these and there are so many assholes out there that picking up all of them is impossible. However, this one deserves special mention.

Ken Cuccinelli, the not-so-beloved Attorney General of my home state of Virginia, has managed another gaff that I find obnoxious and terribly appropriate to be dealt with.

He decided to modify the VA state seal to make it slightly less risque.

Now ... let's see ... Historic Seal? Check. Desire to be more "family friendly"? Check. Modify said historic seal? Check. Try to play it off as a joke to dodge the fallout? Check.

Yup. Ken ... You're an asshole.

I really don't get the moral majority people. I mean THIS is something you want to spend political capital on? After the catastrophe that was Ashcroft you actually thought you could do this and not take political flak?

So I suppose given my hiatus that the "You're an Asshole!" posts are no longer weekly but they shall remain a fixture of this irreverent website, until the day I'm taken out and shot for sedition of which I am sure to be accused of at some point.

Now ... ON TO THE SHOW!

Today's Asshole comes from NY.
Ah let's get a good look at you Ms. Carolyn McCarthy.

AH!! Oh god. Anyway ... This delightful human being had a detractor's house raided and a dozen guns taken from him. Now what the hell?

I mean if you disagree with someone about politics/policy it's okay to not like them, not associate with them, even hate them or call them names. But ... to unleash the Gestapo on them? I think not.

And all because "[t]he office staff felt that Razzano's behavior was disruptive and threatening". Oh really? Madam, I find your behavior disruptive and threatening.

I hope Mr. Razzano wins his suit. I also hope that you learn to be less of a douchbag, Rep. McCarthy.

As such Rep. McCarthy, You ... are an asshole.

Time for another installment of the supposedly weekly 'You're an Asshole' column.

Today's asshole, none other than my OWN SENATOR!

Yes ... Sen. Warner ... let's take a look at you:

Ah yes, well this dried up ol' fossil wants to 'look into' a national speed limit being imposed to force people to conserve fuel (like $4 a gallon for gas isn't making people do that already).

Well Senator Warner, I would like to introduce you to some of my friends that disagree:

These delightful automotive monsters vehemently protest.

So, for trying to make the rest of us less productive because we need to "slow down". You Sen John Warner ... are an asshole.

And I think that this will be one of the ones I want to do on a semi-regular/regular basis.

So now on to business. Today's candidate for the asshole crown can be found in the recent hubbub over gas prices and the *puts on a creepy chilling voice* eeeeevil of eeeeexcessive oil profits.
Oh let's get a picture of our lovely candidate up here shall we? Well look at that ... a Joseph Goebbels pose for the readers! How appropriate Ms. Waters.

Now for those of you that don't know, Congresswoman Waters recently made a spectacle of herself at a House hearing. Here she is grilling the President of Shell Oil Co.

Props to this John Hofmeister guy for understanding the ideas of Supply and Demand. When Supply is fixed and not moving and Demand rises a price increase is necessary for the market to remain as it should. In other words, with world consumption of gas going nowhere but UP! we should expect the price to rise Ms. Waters. All this seems lost on her however.
Allow me to quote her.

"This liberal would be all about socializi- ... uh uh ... would be about ... [pregnant braindead pause] ... basically taking over and the government running all of your companies."