And what do a variety of wingnuts say about it?

She's a FIGHTER, of course.

Yep. She quit, so she's a fighter.

Quit = fight.

A short film about the real implications of the Washington Post 'pay to play' scandal, with a July 4th twist....

Then it was erectile dysfunction.

Then it was prostate cancer.

Now it's bone loss.

It's all hysterical nincompoopery. Some of it hyped in order to sell weirdly shaped saddles.

This study reported in the New York Times claims that cycling causes near-osteoporosis. But you have dig down pretty deep into the article to realize that the study had to do with serious competitive cyclists -- guys who ride six hours a day and who routinely starve themselves in order to fly up mountains at high altitude.

Personally, I've broken two bones in separate crashes. But that was because, in the first crash, I was being stupid and, in the second crash, I was hit by a car. Nothing there to indicate that brittle bones were to blame. The only real culpret, in the latter instance, was my body ricocheting off a car and then slamming onto the road.

In a normal week, I ride around 100 miles (with climbing) and I'm pretty serious about it. But pro riders ride around 100+ miles a day, year round. That's a lot. So if this study is at all accurate, your bones won't be disintegrating if you hop on your bike for a three mile jaunt around the neighborhood. My bones won't be disintegrating either and I ride a lot more than that.

Here's an interesting point of discussion, though. It's about sunscreen. Sunlight helps the body produce Vitamin D which, in turn, fuels the body's production of calcium which, in turn, helps the bones. But a lot of people slather themselves with sunscreen and that inhibits the natural Vitamin D boost provided by sunlight (it also injects your body -- pours open -- with whatever weird chemicals are in sunscreen, but that's another discussion). So, if this bone loss study is accurate, sunscreen might be a factor when, perhaps, combined with other things like intense lactic acid production, and the fact that milk -- loaded with fat -- usually isn't on the training table of a rider who's watching his weight.

Either way, go ride your bike and don't worry about it. Trust me -- it won't screw with your plumbing. And it won't snap your bones like twigs (unless you're hit by a car). The fitness -- both mental and physical -- provided by cycling far outweighs any dodgy claims about your balls or bones.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was asked by a constituent of his: “Why is your insurance so much cheaper than my insurance and so better than my insurance?”

When Grassley struggled to explain the details of his own health care plan, the elderly man followed up, “Okay, so how come I can’t have the same thing you have?”

Grassley said, “You can. Just go work for the federal government.”

Government healthcare is excellent, but only for people in government. Like a United States Senator. So go run for Senate -- and if you win, you can have good healthcare.

Bastard people.

I’ve had this running thought all day, perhaps because I was watching it on TV in HD for the first time, that this is kind of like Ben Kenobi letting Darth Vader strike him down.

High Definition + Sarah Palin + Awkward Public Meltdown + Cackling water fowl = Star Wars!

Uh huh.

Okeeee. Dokeeee.

For the record his other running thought had to do with a bathtub filled with cottage cheese and a pair of rubber pants.

MST3K Saturday! - Fire Maidens from Outer Space
The first nine minutes

Max Blumental reports on The Daily Beast that Sarah Palin may have quit her job today because she was trying to avert a major, yet-to-be-disclosed corruption scandal. The gist of the rumor is that an Alaska building company called Spenard Building Supplies (SBS) was awarded a contract by Palin to build a hockey arena in Wasilla, AK, and in return, SBS helped construct Palin’s home.

Well, that would do it. If true, this isn't something she can wink and pageant-walk her way out of.

Okay, we're getting our first indication of what happened. It seems like a colossal sulk on Palin's part, or perhaps better to say an effort on her part to ingeniously combine anti-liberal media bias agitation with Christianist politics by portraying herself as having been crucified by the liberal media.

You know what this is? This is like every discussion board you've ever participated in. She's just like that forum/newsgroup regular who gets flamed and then does a GBCW (goodbye cruel world) speech and storms off -- believing that people will miss her and beg for her to return. It never turns out that way, and everyone else moves on.

She's insane.

You know, position flexible also.

UPDATE: Video via Paddy. This speech (or stream of conscious nonsensical ramble) absolutely goes into the WTF? hall of fame:

The water fowl in the background made me spit out my beverage. It sounds like they're mocking her -- "BAHAHAHA! WHAH-WHAH!" Also, did she suggest that the world needs more children born with Down's?

Anyway, it sounds like her excuse is that she's quitting in order to practice not being a doof in time for 2012.

UPDATE 2: Via the comments, Ed Rollins on CNN:

Republican strategist and CNN contributor Ed Rollins said, to a certain extent, Palin's announcement makes her look "terribly inept."

"I think everyone is shocked by this, and I think to a certain extent everyone is going to assume there's another story. You don't just quit with a year and a half to go. You certainly don't do this as a stepping stone to run for president. You finish the job that you're in, and obviously she's not doing that," he said.

And when reached for comment, the water fowl in the background said: "BAHAHAHA. WHAH. WHAH! BEHEHEHE!"

“I don’t dictate how people vote,” he said in an interview this month. “If it’s an important vote, I try to tell them how important it is to the Senate, the country, the president … But I’m not very good at twisting arms. I try to be more verbal and non-threatening. So there are going to be—I’m sure—a number of opportunities for people who have different opinions not to vote the way that I think they should. But that’s the way it is. I hold no grudges.”

I'm begging you, Nevada -- find a killer Democrat to challenge this guy in the primary. Or just replace him with an actual jellyfish.

Today, most Americans get their health coverage from private insurers. A public health insurance option would create a competitor to private insurers that could potentially drive down costs across the board. I support the concept of a public plan, because if it's done right, it means introducing exactly the kind of competition our system needs.

Bah. Bloomberg is such a socialist.

UPDATE: Going on any second now.

UPDATE 2: All done!

As the United States takes its first steps toward mandating that power companies generate more electricity from renewable sources, China already has a similar requirement and is investing billions to remake itself into a green energy superpower.

Yeah, we could've been a green energy superpower, but the Republicans (and more than a few spineless Democrats) would rather dick around and do nothing. Because Pat Buchanan and Rush Limbaugh think it's a hoax and Glenn Beck thinks that exhaling produces greenhouse gasses. And Brawndo's got electrolytes!

As long as America champions stupidity, we'll be left behind again and again and again.