So it's official: Charlie Crist, once heir-apparent to Florida's Senate seat, is taking the ball and leaving as the party faithful decide they'd like to give someone else a shot. 15 minutes ago, Charlie was the "true conservative" in this race. Now, with his embrace of Obama, blocking of education reform, and talk of tax-hiking, he's...the true Democrat in this race?
Oh, wait, we have one of those already. Rep. Kendrick Meek, who inherited his congressional seat from his mom, and has never run in a race against a Republican before. He was New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez's pick, as the Senate Democrats’ campaign chairman. Senator Menendez (D-illegal aliens) finds hope in Crist's independent run:
New Jersey Democratic Rep. Bob Menendez... said the Florida rift was the latest casualty of “a divided Republican Party cannibalizing itself.” The Democrat in the race, Rep. Kendrick Meek, will benefit from the divide, he said. “Kendrick has run a very strong campaign and will likely emerge as the candidate of choice for Democrats, independents and even moderate Republicans.”
Really? Let's look at the polls, shall we?
The latest Rasmussen Reports poll of Florida voters finds that 37% would vote for GOP frontrunner Marco Rubio, 30% for Crist and 22% for the likely Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek. That’s much closer than a month ago when Rubio had a 17-point advantage and Crist was in third place.
In a two-way race, both Rubio and Crist hold solid leads over Meek.
So Meek has been losing ground do Crist? Maybe Charlie should run as a Democrat...
More from PPP:
45% of Democratic voters have a favorable opinion of Crist while only 29% have a favorable opinion of Meek...
The level of support Crist starts out with from Republicans is likely to decline over the next six months. On our recent poll Crist had 18% of the GOP vote in a three way contest. 18% is the share of the Republican vote Arlen Specter got against Pat Toomey on a Quinnipiac poll immediately after his party shift. A year later he's now getting just 9% of the GOP vote. Crist seems likely to experience a similar erosion in his Republican support as the year progresses.
Looks like Crist is at his high-water mark right now, and whatever votes he does draw will be from Meek, not Rubio. Seems even more likely now that Meek will have to face trillionaire Jeff Greene in a Democratic primary.
So Menendez picked a weak horse who - assuming he makes it through what will now likely be an expensive, bruising primary - will have votes siphoned off by Crist in a three-way race.
Seems like a divided Democratic party is cannibalizing itself, Bob, and Republican Marco Rubio will benefit from the divide and emerge as the candidate of choice Democrats, independents and Republicans.
Seems like Chairman/Senator Bob may be out of a job if this debacle continues...that is, unless New Jersey voters recall his sorry ass first...
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Separated At Birth: Patrick Kennedy and Rainier Wolfcastle ?
Well, it's Rainier "Luftwaffe" Wolfcastle, to be precise...here's the star of the fictional action series "McBain" on the Springfield Shopper's equivalent of Page Six (lower right):
...and here's the alleged Congressman Patrick Kennedy, making the paper for the same exact reason:
Barkeep cuts off boozy Camelot kid
After a candid speech discussing his substance-abuse problems, Rep. Patrick Kennedy sauntered into a DC watering hole and ordered up so many vodka shots that the bartender refused to serve him any more, it was reported yesterday.
Kennedy, the troubled son of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, downed at least six shots of straight-up vodka before the bartender cut him off, a source told the Roll Call's Heard on the Hill blog.
He strolled into the Capitol Lounge just hours after being recognized for helping people with mental-health issues.
When a patron offered to buy him a drink, Kennedy eagerly ordered up a vodka shot, according to Roll Call.
The Rhode Island Democrat -- who is not running for re-election -- was in high spirits, calling President Obama "the best president ever," the source told Roll Call.
Wow, he must've been mad high...
A "Smart" Arizona Boycott? Unlikely...
...since "smart" seems to be some type of liberal code word for "insanely, almost criminally, stupid" (see "smart power", "smart sanctions"," smart meters"). Yesterday, I had a good laugh when I heard San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsome called for a "smart and effective" Arizona boycott:
We've seen what "smart" means when used by Democrats. In other words, expect San Francisco to wind up inadvertently boycotting New Jersey....
Well, I was close. Instead, "smart" liberals are planning to boycott Arizona Ice Tea, which is made in....well, read it to believe it:
Opponents of Arizona's new anti-immigrant law are calling for a boycott of the state's products - including the popular Arizona Iced Tea.
The problem: Arizona Iced Tea is actually brewed in New York.
Online, misguided tea fans vowed to switch to Lipton or Snapple.
"Dear Arizona: If you don't change your immigration policy, I will have to stop drinking your enjoyable brand of iced tea," Twittered Jody Beth in Los Angeles.
"It is the drink of fascists," wrote Travis Nichols in Chicago.
Founded in Brooklyn in 1992, the firm was based in Queens before moving into a new $35 million headquarters in Nassau County last year.
Next, liberal New Yorkers vow not to attend any Arizona Diamondbacks games in Yankee Stadium this year. Oh, wait....
We've seen what "smart" means when used by Democrats. In other words, expect San Francisco to wind up inadvertently boycotting New Jersey....
Well, I was close. Instead, "smart" liberals are planning to boycott Arizona Ice Tea, which is made in....well, read it to believe it:
Opponents of Arizona's new anti-immigrant law are calling for a boycott of the state's products - including the popular Arizona Iced Tea.
The problem: Arizona Iced Tea is actually brewed in New York.
Online, misguided tea fans vowed to switch to Lipton or Snapple.
"Dear Arizona: If you don't change your immigration policy, I will have to stop drinking your enjoyable brand of iced tea," Twittered Jody Beth in Los Angeles.
"It is the drink of fascists," wrote Travis Nichols in Chicago.
Founded in Brooklyn in 1992, the firm was based in Queens before moving into a new $35 million headquarters in Nassau County last year.
Next, liberal New Yorkers vow not to attend any Arizona Diamondbacks games in Yankee Stadium this year. Oh, wait....
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Overheated Liberal Rhetoric Alert!
I never - NEVER - want to hear another word about the rhetoric of the "tea party" rallies. There's no "there" there, of course, but it hasn't stopped the media from stretching every causal remark, deconstructing every word, and flat-out lying to make the tea partiers seems like radical nutjobs.
But maybe it's just an attempt to hide the radical nutjobs that make up the entire Democratic wing of American politics? Here's today's liberal hate-fest directed at the American people...
First, Harry Reid declares all who oppose his "crony capitalism" financial reform bill to be...wait for it...
Reid said that Republicans “keep stalling, keep stalling.” He charged Republicans with trying to pick apart the bill before it even comes to the floor where both sides could offer amendments and openly debate the measure.
“Even some Democrats would like to offer amendments on this bill,” Reid said. “All of this talk from Republicans about wanting to do something about this bill before it gets on the floor is really anti-Senate and anti-American.”
Next, the douchebags that make up the city council of Los Angeles want to create an "apartheid America", in which Arizona is blacklisted and boycotted like, say, a Jewish nation that may have attempted to defend itself:
Two Los Angeles City Council members called Tuesday for an economic boycott to protest a tough new immigration law in Arizona.
"It's important that the second-largest city in the country respond to a legislative act that, in essence, promotes persecution and racial profiling of a group of people that make up a large number of this country's citizenry," Councilman Ed Reyes said.
"More than half of the folks living in Los Angeles are Latino, and for us to do nothing is unacceptable," he said. "For us to not to take heed to this action, which essentially is promoting this concept that every state can establish their own federal immigration laws, is just wrong and dangerous."
How many of those Latinos are here legally, Reyes? And did you ask those who are what they think of the 16 illegals in the one-bedroom apartment next door?
And in San Francisco, they're barring folks from travel to Arizona. But in case you were concerned, it's still perfectly legally to get on your knees and kiss the ass of an Islamist terrorist:
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced today a moratorium on official city travel to Arizona after the state enacted a controversial new immigration law that directs local police to arrest those suspected of being in the country illegally...San Francisco's move comes as the Board of Supervisors introduced non-binding resolutions calling for comprehensive immigration reform and a boycott of Arizona because of the new law...
Travel restrictions? Boycotts? Over a state exercising its right to live free of fear? Don't worry, though, Newsome is being...smart:
the mayor today convened a taskforce that includes representatives from the City Attorney's Office, Controller, city purchasing office and his chief of staff to look at a "smart and effective" targeted boycott, Newsom spokesman Tony Winnicker said.
We've seen what "smart" means when used by Democrats. In other words, expect San Francisco to wind up inadvertently boycotting New Jersey....
Again: This is a lot of trash-talking and fear-mongering for a measure that is supported by 70% of Arizona residents and almost 60% of the nation at large. Do the Democrats realize - as they often admonish us - that words have consequences?
But maybe it's just an attempt to hide the radical nutjobs that make up the entire Democratic wing of American politics? Here's today's liberal hate-fest directed at the American people...
First, Harry Reid declares all who oppose his "crony capitalism" financial reform bill to be...wait for it...
Reid said that Republicans “keep stalling, keep stalling.” He charged Republicans with trying to pick apart the bill before it even comes to the floor where both sides could offer amendments and openly debate the measure.
“Even some Democrats would like to offer amendments on this bill,” Reid said. “All of this talk from Republicans about wanting to do something about this bill before it gets on the floor is really anti-Senate and anti-American.”
Next, the douchebags that make up the city council of Los Angeles want to create an "apartheid America", in which Arizona is blacklisted and boycotted like, say, a Jewish nation that may have attempted to defend itself:
Two Los Angeles City Council members called Tuesday for an economic boycott to protest a tough new immigration law in Arizona.
"It's important that the second-largest city in the country respond to a legislative act that, in essence, promotes persecution and racial profiling of a group of people that make up a large number of this country's citizenry," Councilman Ed Reyes said.
"More than half of the folks living in Los Angeles are Latino, and for us to do nothing is unacceptable," he said. "For us to not to take heed to this action, which essentially is promoting this concept that every state can establish their own federal immigration laws, is just wrong and dangerous."
How many of those Latinos are here legally, Reyes? And did you ask those who are what they think of the 16 illegals in the one-bedroom apartment next door?
And in San Francisco, they're barring folks from travel to Arizona. But in case you were concerned, it's still perfectly legally to get on your knees and kiss the ass of an Islamist terrorist:
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced today a moratorium on official city travel to Arizona after the state enacted a controversial new immigration law that directs local police to arrest those suspected of being in the country illegally...San Francisco's move comes as the Board of Supervisors introduced non-binding resolutions calling for comprehensive immigration reform and a boycott of Arizona because of the new law...
Travel restrictions? Boycotts? Over a state exercising its right to live free of fear? Don't worry, though, Newsome is being...smart:
the mayor today convened a taskforce that includes representatives from the City Attorney's Office, Controller, city purchasing office and his chief of staff to look at a "smart and effective" targeted boycott, Newsom spokesman Tony Winnicker said.
We've seen what "smart" means when used by Democrats. In other words, expect San Francisco to wind up inadvertently boycotting New Jersey....
Again: This is a lot of trash-talking and fear-mongering for a measure that is supported by 70% of Arizona residents and almost 60% of the nation at large. Do the Democrats realize - as they often admonish us - that words have consequences?
To Question Immigration Law Is To Be A "Bigot" ?
...and I'm not even talking about the kerfluffle in Arizona, where a state overrun by illegal aliens is now likened to a massive Jim Crow/Klu Klux Klan/Nazi rally for merely trying to enforce the laws that federal government refuses to.
No, I am referring to the disintegration of civilization across the pond, where soon to be former Prime Minister Gordon Brown called a 65 year old woman a bigot just for asking about immigration reform:
BLUNDERING Gordon Brown has been caught calling a voter a "bigot".
The Prime Minister was heard describing an exchange he had just had with female Labour supporter Gillian Duffy, 65, on the campaign trail in Rochdale, Lancs, today, as a "disaster".
Asked what she had said, he replied: "Everything, she was just a bigoted woman.
Mr Brown was accosted by Mrs Duffy in the street after visiting a community payback scheme in Rochdale.
She tackled him on a series of issues including the national debt, taxes, student financing and immigration.
Mrs Duffy said she was "very disappointed" with Mr Brown's remarks.
After hearing what the Prime Minister had said about her, she said it was "very upsetting".
"He's an educated person, why has he come out with words like that?" she said.
"He's supposed to lead this country and he's calling an ordinary woman who's just come up and asked questions what most people would ask him - he's not doing anything about the national debt and it's going to be tax, tax, tax for another 20 years to get out of this mess - and he's calling me a bigot."
Surprised? Don't be, because that's what Barack Obama and the Democrats think of anyone who is not part of their "open borders" crowd. Just to ask about the limits of immigration, even to think about it, apparently, is enough to be tarred as a "racist", a "hater", and a "bigot".
The American media says it openly all the time (see Party, Tea). It's just that no politician here has been caught on an open mike expressing his disdain for the commoner (and common sense) the way Brown just has.
But don't expect to have to wait too long. The disdain for public opinion grows daily in the Obama administration, and their moment in power has freed their tongues even as they feel less and less vulnerable to any consequences. The Arizona immigration debate is the perfect storm - for the nation to show its support for commonsense restrictions, and for the elites to show their scorn and disgust for the American people.
Will the citizens of this country stand for being called bigots for endorsing sane border control? Well, put it this way - if the Tea Party movement was selling stock, I would be putting in a "buy" order right around now...
UPDATE: Sometimes the apology is worse than the offense...
No, I am referring to the disintegration of civilization across the pond, where soon to be former Prime Minister Gordon Brown called a 65 year old woman a bigot just for asking about immigration reform:
BLUNDERING Gordon Brown has been caught calling a voter a "bigot".
The Prime Minister was heard describing an exchange he had just had with female Labour supporter Gillian Duffy, 65, on the campaign trail in Rochdale, Lancs, today, as a "disaster".
Asked what she had said, he replied: "Everything, she was just a bigoted woman.
Mr Brown was accosted by Mrs Duffy in the street after visiting a community payback scheme in Rochdale.
She tackled him on a series of issues including the national debt, taxes, student financing and immigration.
Mrs Duffy said she was "very disappointed" with Mr Brown's remarks.
After hearing what the Prime Minister had said about her, she said it was "very upsetting".
"He's an educated person, why has he come out with words like that?" she said.
"He's supposed to lead this country and he's calling an ordinary woman who's just come up and asked questions what most people would ask him - he's not doing anything about the national debt and it's going to be tax, tax, tax for another 20 years to get out of this mess - and he's calling me a bigot."
Surprised? Don't be, because that's what Barack Obama and the Democrats think of anyone who is not part of their "open borders" crowd. Just to ask about the limits of immigration, even to think about it, apparently, is enough to be tarred as a "racist", a "hater", and a "bigot".
The American media says it openly all the time (see Party, Tea). It's just that no politician here has been caught on an open mike expressing his disdain for the commoner (and common sense) the way Brown just has.
But don't expect to have to wait too long. The disdain for public opinion grows daily in the Obama administration, and their moment in power has freed their tongues even as they feel less and less vulnerable to any consequences. The Arizona immigration debate is the perfect storm - for the nation to show its support for commonsense restrictions, and for the elites to show their scorn and disgust for the American people.
Will the citizens of this country stand for being called bigots for endorsing sane border control? Well, put it this way - if the Tea Party movement was selling stock, I would be putting in a "buy" order right around now...
UPDATE: Sometimes the apology is worse than the offense...
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
N.J. State Troopers, Protecting Their Own...
...at the expense of your, and your loved ones, lives. Hey, they're cops - don't you get the fact that their lives are worth more than yours, you potential perp?
And speaking of perps...here's a story of one of their own, who they let off the hook again and again:
A state trooper named Sheila McKaig, 41, was stopped 10 times for various traffic offenses over 14 months and never once got a New Jersey traffic citation... The Star-Ledger...reported that in 2008, McKaig, off duty, was stopped three times in a three-month period after drinking, according to a State Police document. “Each time no blood-alcohol test was given, no charges were filed and no ticket was written.”
A drunk (and armed? who knows?) trooper, driving poorly enough to attract attention at least 10 times, gets off the hook, despite the fact she is a clear and present danger to every other driver on the road. What would have happened you, had you been busted once for a DUI offense? Ah, the irony:
During this time, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office was boasting about a crackdown on drunken driving. In 2008, police arrested 28,705 people for driving under the influence.
But Sheila McKaig, despite being caught red-handed breaking the law ten times during this "crackdown" period, escaped completely unscathed by the "law". Thank God she didn't kill anybody.
But this type of brazen, above the law attitude is typical of the New Jersey state police (despite the above-linked article's protestations). Read here about how State Police union leader Davey Jones released personal information ( "we know where you live") about his critics at a news conference. More on that incident here ("28 years on the job, its called a get out of jail free card"). And of course, there's the law-breaking by the State Police that took place during Jon Corzine's infamous accident, the one where he was ignoring his own crackdown on buckled seat belts...
So this two-tier justice system - slam the civilians, while the cops and politicians go wild - is pretty well established in New Jersey, as it is in any third-world socialist country. It's gonna take a lot more than four years of Chris Christie to break the entitlement mentality of the New Jersey State Police, and make them honest again...
And speaking of perps...here's a story of one of their own, who they let off the hook again and again:
A state trooper named Sheila McKaig, 41, was stopped 10 times for various traffic offenses over 14 months and never once got a New Jersey traffic citation... The Star-Ledger...reported that in 2008, McKaig, off duty, was stopped three times in a three-month period after drinking, according to a State Police document. “Each time no blood-alcohol test was given, no charges were filed and no ticket was written.”
A drunk (and armed? who knows?) trooper, driving poorly enough to attract attention at least 10 times, gets off the hook, despite the fact she is a clear and present danger to every other driver on the road. What would have happened you, had you been busted once for a DUI offense? Ah, the irony:
During this time, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office was boasting about a crackdown on drunken driving. In 2008, police arrested 28,705 people for driving under the influence.
But Sheila McKaig, despite being caught red-handed breaking the law ten times during this "crackdown" period, escaped completely unscathed by the "law". Thank God she didn't kill anybody.
But this type of brazen, above the law attitude is typical of the New Jersey state police (despite the above-linked article's protestations). Read here about how State Police union leader Davey Jones released personal information ( "we know where you live") about his critics at a news conference. More on that incident here ("28 years on the job, its called a get out of jail free card"). And of course, there's the law-breaking by the State Police that took place during Jon Corzine's infamous accident, the one where he was ignoring his own crackdown on buckled seat belts...
So this two-tier justice system - slam the civilians, while the cops and politicians go wild - is pretty well established in New Jersey, as it is in any third-world socialist country. It's gonna take a lot more than four years of Chris Christie to break the entitlement mentality of the New Jersey State Police, and make them honest again...
"Taiwan temblor a titillating story on cleavage day"
...hey, that's not my headline, its the New York Post's! But it's pithy, so I'm appropriating it...
Maybe the world really is hanging on by a bra strap.
The same day that women showed off their cleavage to disprove an Islamic cleric's claim that such displays cause seismic activity, there was, in fact, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake in Taiwan.
...and she puts together a nice little presentation, with charts and graphs, proving....nothing, really.
But that's OK. This girl gets it:
Now how about making this an annual event? Or semi-annual? Or bi-monthly....?
The question is, of course, did the "BoobQuake" - Purdue senior Jennifer McCreight's mass experiment to prove that"immodest women" (to quote cleric Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi) do not cause earthquakes - actually in fact cause the ground to shake in Taiwan?
Maybe the world really is hanging on by a bra strap. The same day that women showed off their cleavage to disprove an Islamic cleric's claim that such displays cause seismic activity, there was, in fact, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake in Taiwan.
"Maybe I shouldn't wear a low-cut shirt ever again," said Annie Marter, 33, in Manhattan. "I feel really bad."
Are America's teeming hordes of beautiful bountiful-bosomed babes actually a weapon of mass destruction? Nah:
In fact, there were more quakes worldwide with greater than a 5.0 magnitude Saturday and Sunday than yesterday.
And as Miss McCreight herself points out:
We're not just trying to see if any earthquakes occurred, since dozens happen every day. What we want to see if we actually increased earthquakes in either number or severity.
...and she puts together a nice little presentation, with charts and graphs, proving....nothing, really.
But that's OK. This girl gets it:
New York women said they supported the protest against the cleric's statements.
"It's a way of oppressing women and blaming them for the world's problems, when really it's just plate tectonics," said Lisa Goins, 24, an NYU graduate student.
"It's a way of oppressing women and blaming them for the world's problems, when really it's just plate tectonics," said Lisa Goins, 24, an NYU graduate student.
Lisa's right, of course. Bravo to all the women who stood up to the hate and raging misogyny that underlies radical Islam.
Now how about making this an annual event? Or semi-annual? Or bi-monthly....?
Monday, April 26, 2010
Jersey Doctors Pessimistic About Obama's "Reform"
Maybe somebody in the Obama administration should have actually sat down with real-life doctors to discuss health care reform, as opposed to giving political supporters white lab coats and checking off the box marked "Meet w/Docs".
Because the doctors out here in Jersey aren't feeling too well - by a large margin - about the medicine they will soon be forced to administer:
Patients across New Jersey can anticipate a conspicuous downturn in the overall quality of medical care, if the majority of the state's physicians are correct.
In an online poll conducted by Success Communications Group and National Research Inc. between March 31 and April 12, 2010, 87.8 percent of 223 doctors surveyed said they expect the current shortage of physicians in the state to become even more severe as a result of the national legislation signed into law on March 23...
In addition, 78 percent of the doctors surveyed indicated an overall belief that health care in the United States is on the wrong track, with 74.9 percent disapproving of the recent health care reform package.
When asked, only 15.5 percent of the doctors expressed a belief that reform will actually improve patient care, with 54.3 percent saying the reform efforts will actually decrease the quality of patient care.
A paltry 19.7 percent of doctors polled believe the reforms will increase patients' access to quality care. The majority, 58.3 percent, say patients' access to quality care will be limited.
In addition, based on what they currently know about health care reforms, 56.3 percent of respondents projected their practices will need to reduce new medical technology investments, while 50.2 percent speculated they may need to reduce office staff. And, 37.5 percent said it may be necessary to close some of their practice's locations.
....80.5 percent of the physicians are less optimistic about their career, now that the law has been enacted
Longer waits in order to access poorer quality services at higher prices provided by professionals who are less-than-enthusiastic about their jobs...
Yeah, but what do these guys know, anyway? They're just a racist mob of red-necked, gun toting, dumb-as-dirt...doctors.
Because the doctors out here in Jersey aren't feeling too well - by a large margin - about the medicine they will soon be forced to administer:
Patients across New Jersey can anticipate a conspicuous downturn in the overall quality of medical care, if the majority of the state's physicians are correct.
In an online poll conducted by Success Communications Group and National Research Inc. between March 31 and April 12, 2010, 87.8 percent of 223 doctors surveyed said they expect the current shortage of physicians in the state to become even more severe as a result of the national legislation signed into law on March 23...
In addition, 78 percent of the doctors surveyed indicated an overall belief that health care in the United States is on the wrong track, with 74.9 percent disapproving of the recent health care reform package.
When asked, only 15.5 percent of the doctors expressed a belief that reform will actually improve patient care, with 54.3 percent saying the reform efforts will actually decrease the quality of patient care.
A paltry 19.7 percent of doctors polled believe the reforms will increase patients' access to quality care. The majority, 58.3 percent, say patients' access to quality care will be limited.
In addition, based on what they currently know about health care reforms, 56.3 percent of respondents projected their practices will need to reduce new medical technology investments, while 50.2 percent speculated they may need to reduce office staff. And, 37.5 percent said it may be necessary to close some of their practice's locations.
....80.5 percent of the physicians are less optimistic about their career, now that the law has been enacted
Longer waits in order to access poorer quality services at higher prices provided by professionals who are less-than-enthusiastic about their jobs...
Yeah, but what do these guys know, anyway? They're just a racist mob of red-necked, gun toting, dumb-as-dirt...doctors.
What to Wear for "BoobQuake"!
Ah, today's the day, as discussed here, for American woman to show their disgust with Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi claim last week that “immodest” women cause earthquakes. Purdue senior Jennifer McCreight is spearheading the effort, and what started as a snarky blog post has become a nationwide phenomenon....
And Jen McCreight is a woman of her word, and rearin' to go today:
Even the New York Post has picked up on the theme - in an article entitled Sheik it! , they enlist "plus-sized stunner Lizzie Miller" to model a few suggestions for the ladies today (are they cashing in on two controversies at once?). A few:
And Jen McCreight is a woman of her word, and rearin' to go today:
Enough to make the ground shake for me.... but if you want to go patriotic, here's an option as well:
"I'm blind!", shrieked the Imam, while still peering between his fingers....
Sunday, April 25, 2010
"Blue Jersey" No Longer!
Well, this is a state that elected a Republican governor, is trying to recall Democratic senator Robert Menendez (D-La Raza), and who just went out (at Chris Christie's urging) and voted against tax-hiking school budgets in almost 60% of the state's townships. All while becoming more socially conservative, to boot.
So maybe the party whose platform is based upon high-spending, tax-raising, social engineering shouldn't be too surprised to see results like this out of Burlington County, New Jersey... Jim Geraghty reports:
The Burlington County Democratic Committee is deep in debt and raised no money during the first three months of the year, according to the committee’s latest New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission filings.”
Think about it: If you found a penny in the street today, you raised more in that moment than they raised in three months.
Maybe if the Democrats weren't trying to enact a tax on pennies found in the gutter....
Welcome to Red Jersey, my new label for the state (until I think of a more pithy one). With apologies on their fate to the bloggers at Blue Jersey, who soldier on bravely, not unlike the half-dozen remaining members of the American Communist Party...
So maybe the party whose platform is based upon high-spending, tax-raising, social engineering shouldn't be too surprised to see results like this out of Burlington County, New Jersey... Jim Geraghty reports:
The Burlington County Democratic Committee is deep in debt and raised no money during the first three months of the year, according to the committee’s latest New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission filings.”
Think about it: If you found a penny in the street today, you raised more in that moment than they raised in three months.
Maybe if the Democrats weren't trying to enact a tax on pennies found in the gutter....
Welcome to Red Jersey, my new label for the state (until I think of a more pithy one). With apologies on their fate to the bloggers at Blue Jersey, who soldier on bravely, not unlike the half-dozen remaining members of the American Communist Party...
Good Luck With VAT, Barack
What will the "value added tax", or VAT, accomplish in America, should it be introduced? It's explained succinctly by Matt Welch in today's New York Post:
The VAT isn’t a way to streamline a complicated tax code; it’s a new spigot to flood money into the pockets of teachers who can’t be fired, and securities regulators who can’t get enough porn...
And Obama really thinks he can enact this with the cover of a "recommendation from the blue-ribbon deficit commission", on which union thug Andy Stern sits? Welch address that as well:
The fact that America’s most influential public-sector union leader is within a thousand miles of a deficit commission, let alone one that is floating the idea of an American VAT, tells you all you need to know about the relationship between any new consumption tax and fiscal responsibility. Which is to say, there isn’t any.
Does Obama remember - or even know - that this nation was born out of a tax revolt? He may as well try to convince blacks of the benefits of slavery, or the Jews of the glory of fascism, for all the luck he'll have....
Well. on the plus side, you'll have the full support of Nancy Pelosi and the New York Times editorial board. On the minus side, you'll have earned the wrath of just about everyone else. Let's see how that works out for you.
Good luck with VAT, Barack...
The VAT isn’t a way to streamline a complicated tax code; it’s a new spigot to flood money into the pockets of teachers who can’t be fired, and securities regulators who can’t get enough porn...
And Obama really thinks he can enact this with the cover of a "recommendation from the blue-ribbon deficit commission", on which union thug Andy Stern sits? Welch address that as well:
The fact that America’s most influential public-sector union leader is within a thousand miles of a deficit commission, let alone one that is floating the idea of an American VAT, tells you all you need to know about the relationship between any new consumption tax and fiscal responsibility. Which is to say, there isn’t any.
Does Obama remember - or even know - that this nation was born out of a tax revolt? He may as well try to convince blacks of the benefits of slavery, or the Jews of the glory of fascism, for all the luck he'll have....
Well. on the plus side, you'll have the full support of Nancy Pelosi and the New York Times editorial board. On the minus side, you'll have earned the wrath of just about everyone else. Let's see how that works out for you.
Good luck with VAT, Barack...
Saturday, April 24, 2010
In Which I Take Issue With The Asbury Park Press
The two emails seen below, sent to the op-ed page editor of the Asbury Park Press, tell the story in short order:
February 15th, 2010:
Dear Editor,
I grew suspicious upon reading a letter [dead link, sorry - ed.] in today's print edition entitled " Everyone deserves health coverage". The argument seemed a bit bizarre, and the pimping of Rep, Pallone too obvious. A quick 30 second search on Google proved that the letter writer, one Sherri West, is actually the Municipal Chairman of the Democratic Organization of Wall Township.
By not identifying herself as an official within the Democratic party, Ms. West is able to pose as simply a concerned citizen making the case for Democratic national policies (even if, in this case, she is - albeit incoherently - trying to exploit the 9/11 attacks to make her case). Don't you think, in a situation like this, the letter-writer should have been identified with her political patronage title as well, thus making clear to any readers that this letter is from a party functionary and not simply an unaffiliated resident of New Jersey?
I'm not saying the letter shouldn't be printed - free speech and all that. But I think that a quick search is in order on these letters - especially letters so blatantly partisan that even a layman like myself could smell the dirty hands of "The Party" - so that your readers get an idea whose "voice" they are actually reading. Again, a quick search, not a full-bore investigation, is all that is needed. If I could smell foul play and get an answer in 30 seconds, why can't you guys offer the same amount of editorial checking?
Curious to hear you thoughts on this matter....
No reply. Forgotten about in short order, until today, when reading the op-ed page of the Park Press, I stumble across something that rings a bell. And thus today's email:
April 24th, 2010
Dear Editor,
Note the email below that I sent back on February 15th (which went without reply, thanks). Forgot about this until I saw yet another letter by Sherri West featured prominently in your op-ed page today. I didn't even recognize the name; her health-care claptrap just seemed so "pro-forma" that I knew it wasn't written by an ordinary citizen, and it didn't take me long to put it all together.
I will repeat myself: If you are printing letters by functionaries of a political party, regardless of their affiliation, you are creating a misrepresentation in people's minds that these are really the views of the community, as opposed to the talking points of an ideological advocacy group.
Unless, of course, that misdirection is actually your intention?
Again...awaiting your reply on your policy here, and why this woman has had two letters printed in the last 65-odd days (that I saw, anyway)...
Is the APP this careless? Or are they allowing themselves to be used as a propaganda tool in order to create a false perception of New Jersey public opinion, one that is no longer valid among the general population but still prevalent in the APP's newsrooms?
Based on my non-answer, I'm guessing the latter rather than the former...
February 15th, 2010:
Dear Editor,
I grew suspicious upon reading a letter [dead link, sorry - ed.] in today's print edition entitled " Everyone deserves health coverage". The argument seemed a bit bizarre, and the pimping of Rep, Pallone too obvious. A quick 30 second search on Google proved that the letter writer, one Sherri West, is actually the Municipal Chairman of the Democratic Organization of Wall Township.
By not identifying herself as an official within the Democratic party, Ms. West is able to pose as simply a concerned citizen making the case for Democratic national policies (even if, in this case, she is - albeit incoherently - trying to exploit the 9/11 attacks to make her case). Don't you think, in a situation like this, the letter-writer should have been identified with her political patronage title as well, thus making clear to any readers that this letter is from a party functionary and not simply an unaffiliated resident of New Jersey?
I'm not saying the letter shouldn't be printed - free speech and all that. But I think that a quick search is in order on these letters - especially letters so blatantly partisan that even a layman like myself could smell the dirty hands of "The Party" - so that your readers get an idea whose "voice" they are actually reading. Again, a quick search, not a full-bore investigation, is all that is needed. If I could smell foul play and get an answer in 30 seconds, why can't you guys offer the same amount of editorial checking?
Curious to hear you thoughts on this matter....
No reply. Forgotten about in short order, until today, when reading the op-ed page of the Park Press, I stumble across something that rings a bell. And thus today's email:
April 24th, 2010
Dear Editor,
Note the email below that I sent back on February 15th (which went without reply, thanks). Forgot about this until I saw yet another letter by Sherri West featured prominently in your op-ed page today. I didn't even recognize the name; her health-care claptrap just seemed so "pro-forma" that I knew it wasn't written by an ordinary citizen, and it didn't take me long to put it all together.
I will repeat myself: If you are printing letters by functionaries of a political party, regardless of their affiliation, you are creating a misrepresentation in people's minds that these are really the views of the community, as opposed to the talking points of an ideological advocacy group.
Unless, of course, that misdirection is actually your intention?
Again...awaiting your reply on your policy here, and why this woman has had two letters printed in the last 65-odd days (that I saw, anyway)...
Is the APP this careless? Or are they allowing themselves to be used as a propaganda tool in order to create a false perception of New Jersey public opinion, one that is no longer valid among the general population but still prevalent in the APP's newsrooms?
Based on my non-answer, I'm guessing the latter rather than the former...
Scott Baio Comes Out of the Closet....
....and seems to confess that yes, he is a Hollywood conservative! Based on his Twitter feed:
~~The frd request was something like "You want Boxer". My
wife told her "YES, I DO WANT TO BOX HER" (& other choice things)
~MOST Conservatives will pay $5.00 for 24 cupcakes & MAKE them. Libs USUALLY pay 4.50 for ONE cupcake from Sprinkles. Who's smarter?
~Asked my father inlaw if he had an alarm. He said "Son, see those dogs & that safe" (the size of a fridge) "I HAVE GUNS & I NEVER MISS"
~Yes, I've been there. Never seen so many churches & American flags. I didn't think those places existed, it was like a movie set. I liked it
~Happy Patriot's Day! I know it especially means a lot to New Englander's "Midnight ride of Paul Revere
~~The frd request was something like "You want Boxer". My
wife told her "YES, I DO WANT TO BOX HER" (& other choice things)~MOST Conservatives will pay $5.00 for 24 cupcakes & MAKE them. Libs USUALLY pay 4.50 for ONE cupcake from Sprinkles. Who's smarter?
~Asked my father inlaw if he had an alarm. He said "Son, see those dogs & that safe" (the size of a fridge) "I HAVE GUNS & I NEVER MISS"
~Yes, I've been there. Never seen so many churches & American flags. I didn't think those places existed, it was like a movie set. I liked it
~Happy Patriot's Day! I know it especially means a lot to New Englander's "Midnight ride of Paul Revere
The fact that he'll never work again in Hollywood for daring to love his country is a given...
Brave man.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Hey Muhammad: Fear The Wrath Of Our Tits!
Barack Obama has eliminated the word "Islamist" from our vocabulary, Comedy Central has censored all images of Muhammad on South Park, and as we already know, drawing a picture of the Islamic prophet can earn you a death sentence.
When the media, the artists, and the president himself shake with fear any time the name of Islam is invoked, who is left among us to be brave enough to take on the insanity percolating in the Muslim world?
An American college senior. Go figure:
An Indiana college student is shaking her fist at an Islamic cleric's kooky claims that scantily clad gals are responsible for temblors -- and is recruiting tens of thousands of women to don "immodest" clothes next week, even at the risk of a rumble.
Purdue University senior Jennifer McCreight is staging "Boobquake" on Monday, asking women of the world to give an eyeful to Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi.
Sedighi laid out his thick-headed theory last week, declaring that barely-there wear leads to "corrupt" men -- and then, naturally, earthquakes.
"Many women who do not dress modestly . . . lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes," he said during a prayer in Tehran last week.
"What can we do to avoid being buried under the rubble? There is no other solution but to take refuge in religion and to adapt our lives to Islam's moral codes."
Our all-American Jenny is rightly pissed that she is essentially being accused of mass murder, and being told to submit to the burkha or face God's wrath. But unlike Barack Obama, or Comedy Central, she's going to fight back:
McCreight, through her blog, Blag Hag, [the relevent post is here] is calling for ladies to flash a little more leg (or other flesh) than usual, so Sedighi will know science stacks up well against his goofy geological theories.
"What we want is for women to wear something that's a little more immodest than what they'd normally wear, maybe shorts or a low-cut shirt," McCreight told The Post yesterday.
"The main thing is to show we don't need to put up with this kind of supernatural anti-science. Sometimes the best way to attack this is with comic mockery."
More than 45,000 presumably female readers of McCreight's Web site have volunteered to take part in Boobquake.
While our elder statesman seem prepared to give up our liberties and freedoms the minute someone shakes a fist at us, it is the youth of America that give us hope. James O'Keefe, Hannah Giles, and now free-thinker Jennifer McCreight...
So ladies - maybe a little extra skin on Monday? Hey, it's not for me, it's all part of the fight for freedom...
When the media, the artists, and the president himself shake with fear any time the name of Islam is invoked, who is left among us to be brave enough to take on the insanity percolating in the Muslim world?
An American college senior. Go figure:
An Indiana college student is shaking her fist at an Islamic cleric's kooky claims that scantily clad gals are responsible for temblors -- and is recruiting tens of thousands of women to don "immodest" clothes next week, even at the risk of a rumble.
Purdue University senior Jennifer McCreight is staging "Boobquake" on Monday, asking women of the world to give an eyeful to Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi.
Sedighi laid out his thick-headed theory last week, declaring that barely-there wear leads to "corrupt" men -- and then, naturally, earthquakes.
"Many women who do not dress modestly . . . lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes," he said during a prayer in Tehran last week.
"What can we do to avoid being buried under the rubble? There is no other solution but to take refuge in religion and to adapt our lives to Islam's moral codes."
Our all-American Jenny is rightly pissed that she is essentially being accused of mass murder, and being told to submit to the burkha or face God's wrath. But unlike Barack Obama, or Comedy Central, she's going to fight back:
McCreight, through her blog, Blag Hag, [the relevent post is here] is calling for ladies to flash a little more leg (or other flesh) than usual, so Sedighi will know science stacks up well against his goofy geological theories.
"What we want is for women to wear something that's a little more immodest than what they'd normally wear, maybe shorts or a low-cut shirt," McCreight told The Post yesterday.
"The main thing is to show we don't need to put up with this kind of supernatural anti-science. Sometimes the best way to attack this is with comic mockery."
More than 45,000 presumably female readers of McCreight's Web site have volunteered to take part in Boobquake.
While our elder statesman seem prepared to give up our liberties and freedoms the minute someone shakes a fist at us, it is the youth of America that give us hope. James O'Keefe, Hannah Giles, and now free-thinker Jennifer McCreight...
So ladies - maybe a little extra skin on Monday? Hey, it's not for me, it's all part of the fight for freedom...
Patriotic American freedom fighter, ready to join Miss Jennifer's cause...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Nancy Pelosi Spends $140K On Light Fixtures...
....cafeteria light fixtures, mind you. Well, for members of the House only. And their sycophants. So you can't go and experience their "green" glory for yourselves, even though it was purchased with your money.
But this isn't about us. It's about Washington feeling good about itself, and if you have to buy that self-esteem for Congress, well - it's a good bargain. For them, I mean.
Anyway - such big news this is, that Nancy called a press conference to say how good she felt about spending taxpayer money on a investment that may pay for itself by 2020:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called a Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday to unveil new light fixtures in the House cafeteria. The light fixtures cost $140,000 and will take almost 10 years to pay off in saved energy.
Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers told CNSNews.com...we’re sort of kicking the tires on it for the moment. It seems to work terrific. It’s got great energy savings, and it’s got – we think – great lighting quality....the lights would theoretically pay for themselves in less than 10 years, due to estimated reductions in electricity usage.
That's a lot of "ifs", "we think", "estimated"and "theoretically(s)" for sure. If it were you or I making an investment of almost $150K, we'd certainly think twice if we were told based upon "estimates", we should "theoretically" recoup it in "ten years".
But if it were somebody else's money, then sure? WTF not, right?
But Pelosi's idiot-speak sure as heck does not raise my confidence in this investment:
Pelosi said that the new lights in the cafeteria would make the Capitol a “shining example of sustainability” and green technology.
Pelosi said that the new light fixtures and window shades would “set the standard for sustainable living nationwide.” “In making this change we are flipping the switch on a greener future for Congress and setting the standard for sustainable living nationwide,” Pelosi declared.
And what, pray tell, does that mean? Will this "new standard" force us to spend $140K on electronic drapery and lighting fixtures that will pay for themselves after we're dead? And if this is really "flipping the switch for a greener future for Congress", does that mean Nancy will stop demanding carbon-belching Air Force jumbo jets to shuttle her family members around town? Or does the "greener future" refer to the additional tax dollars that Congress will extort from us so that they may feel good about themselves for potentially saving energy by sometime in the 2020's?
Seems like Congress is living in a pretty green present, even without the fancy fixtures. And this energy-savings scam of investing $140K today to save a few pennies in a few decades is a scam so transparent that only a dumb-as-a-doornail Democrat could actually believe it...
Suckers. Born every minute, they are....
But this isn't about us. It's about Washington feeling good about itself, and if you have to buy that self-esteem for Congress, well - it's a good bargain. For them, I mean.
Anyway - such big news this is, that Nancy called a press conference to say how good she felt about spending taxpayer money on a investment that may pay for itself by 2020:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called a Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday to unveil new light fixtures in the House cafeteria. The light fixtures cost $140,000 and will take almost 10 years to pay off in saved energy.
Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers told CNSNews.com...we’re sort of kicking the tires on it for the moment. It seems to work terrific. It’s got great energy savings, and it’s got – we think – great lighting quality....the lights would theoretically pay for themselves in less than 10 years, due to estimated reductions in electricity usage.
That's a lot of "ifs", "we think", "estimated"and "theoretically(s)" for sure. If it were you or I making an investment of almost $150K, we'd certainly think twice if we were told based upon "estimates", we should "theoretically" recoup it in "ten years".
But if it were somebody else's money, then sure? WTF not, right?
But Pelosi's idiot-speak sure as heck does not raise my confidence in this investment:
Pelosi said that the new lights in the cafeteria would make the Capitol a “shining example of sustainability” and green technology.
Pelosi said that the new light fixtures and window shades would “set the standard for sustainable living nationwide.” “In making this change we are flipping the switch on a greener future for Congress and setting the standard for sustainable living nationwide,” Pelosi declared.
And what, pray tell, does that mean? Will this "new standard" force us to spend $140K on electronic drapery and lighting fixtures that will pay for themselves after we're dead? And if this is really "flipping the switch for a greener future for Congress", does that mean Nancy will stop demanding carbon-belching Air Force jumbo jets to shuttle her family members around town? Or does the "greener future" refer to the additional tax dollars that Congress will extort from us so that they may feel good about themselves for potentially saving energy by sometime in the 2020's?
Seems like Congress is living in a pretty green present, even without the fancy fixtures. And this energy-savings scam of investing $140K today to save a few pennies in a few decades is a scam so transparent that only a dumb-as-a-doornail Democrat could actually believe it...
Suckers. Born every minute, they are....
The Eyjafjallajökull Conspiracy
Europe loves a good conspiracy theory, but they usually begin and end by blaming the Jews. It's kind of tough to get on them about the Eyjafjallajökull volcano (but, hey - it's still early!), so Europeans are casting about for other villains. Mr. Benjamin Barton, a would-be MP for Nottingham, catalogs a few for us, with his thoughts about their validity:
Climate Change - It is being put about that it is a scam being dreamt up by Iceland (the country, not the supermarket) to stop Europeans travelling by plane as other means will surfice on our relatively small continent.
Iceland is exaggerating the impact to damage European Economies in a Schadenfreude situation - This I could believe. The theory is that it’s actually a simple and regular occurence that Iceland has geological activity but it is simply making this look worse than it is in revenge for the damage that was done during the economic downturn. The reason I give this gravity is that they have nothing left.
European Governments will use it as an excuse to give Iceland aid - This I understand but don’t believe.
Some people believe UFOs are behind the eruption. This makes the most sense, because everyone knows UFOs are real, and their alien technology makes them impenetrable to fire....
Then, of course, there is the Mayan calendar thing. Sure, that's not until 2012, but isn't it possible that it will take the world a couple years to end properly?....
Armageddon Online throws some more fear into the fire:
Scientists fear tremors at the Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) volcano could trigger an even more dangerous eruption at the nearby Katla volcano - creating a worst-case scenario for the airline industry and travelers around the globe. How big would a Katla eruption be?
A Katla eruption would be 10 times stronger and shoot higher and larger plumes of ash into the air than its smaller neighbor....
Me? I've got my own Eyjafjallajökull conspiracy theory. Barack Obama had the United States military use top-secret technology to force the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, so that he could skip the funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczynski (a rather boring affair, with little opportunity to draw attention to himself) and get in a quick 18 rounds of golf instead...
Climate Change - It is being put about that it is a scam being dreamt up by Iceland (the country, not the supermarket) to stop Europeans travelling by plane as other means will surfice on our relatively small continent.
Iceland is exaggerating the impact to damage European Economies in a Schadenfreude situation - This I could believe. The theory is that it’s actually a simple and regular occurence that Iceland has geological activity but it is simply making this look worse than it is in revenge for the damage that was done during the economic downturn. The reason I give this gravity is that they have nothing left.
European Governments will use it as an excuse to give Iceland aid - This I understand but don’t believe.
Dude, I neither understand you or believe you...
Gawker has more:Some people believe UFOs are behind the eruption. This makes the most sense, because everyone knows UFOs are real, and their alien technology makes them impenetrable to fire....
Then, of course, there is the Mayan calendar thing. Sure, that's not until 2012, but isn't it possible that it will take the world a couple years to end properly?....
Armageddon Online throws some more fear into the fire:
Scientists fear tremors at the Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) volcano could trigger an even more dangerous eruption at the nearby Katla volcano - creating a worst-case scenario for the airline industry and travelers around the globe. How big would a Katla eruption be?
A Katla eruption would be 10 times stronger and shoot higher and larger plumes of ash into the air than its smaller neighbor....
Me? I've got my own Eyjafjallajökull conspiracy theory. Barack Obama had the United States military use top-secret technology to force the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, so that he could skip the funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczynski (a rather boring affair, with little opportunity to draw attention to himself) and get in a quick 18 rounds of golf instead...
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
We Will NOT Use Force Against Iran! But Against Israel? That's Another Story...
The military option is off the Iranian table as far as Obama is concerned; both the administration and various officers have made it clear that we would rather engage in containment with a nuclear-armed Iran than try to eliminate it beforehand.
But the Israelis haven't taken the military option off their checklist, obviously. There's only one problem: In order to hit Iranian targets, Israel must cross Iraqi airspace, and thus receive permission from the United States to do so.
Bringing us to a very troubling conversation between a young airman and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mullen:
In a town hall on the campus of the University of West Virginia, a young airman asked Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen to respond to a “rumor.” If Israel decided to attack Iran, the speculation went, those jet would need to fly through Iraqi airspace to reach their targets. That airspace is considered a “no-fly” zone by the American military. So might U.S. troops shoot down the Israeli jets, the airmen asked the chairman, if they breached that airspace?
Mullen tried to sidestep the question. “We have an exceptionally strong relationship with Israel. I’ve spent a lot of time with my counterpart in Israel. So we also have a very clear understanding of where we are. And beyond that, I just wouldn’t get into the speculation of what might happen and who might do what. I don’t think it serves a purpose, frankly,” he said. “I am hopeful that this will be resolved in a way where we never have to answer a question like that.”
The airmen followed-up: “Would an airmen like me ever be ordered to fire on an Israeli – aircraft or personnel?”
Mullen’s second answer was much the same as his first. “Again, I wouldn’t move out into the future very far from here. They’re an extraordinarily close ally, have been for a long time, and will be in the future,” the admiral said.
Let's face it. If the answer was "no, we would never fire on an Israeli jet flying over Iraq", the Admiral would have said so. He very clearly refused to answer the question, which means it has currently been discussed at the highest levels, and that the Joint Chiefs either have no idea what to do, or have already made up their mind what to do, and Mullen didn't think the answer would go over very well.
Terrifying, but what do you expect when you elect a guy named "Hussein"?
Here's the real question - let's assume Israel asks for permission for the flyover first, and they are denied by Obama. They decide, with their nation at risk, to launch an attack anyway. As Israeli warplanes cross the Iraqi desert, Barack Obama gets the 3AM phone call:
"Mr. President, we're tracking a squadron of Israeli airplanes on a trajectory towards Iran, making an unauthorized entry into Iraqi airspace. Let them pass or intercept?"
How will Barack Hussein Obama respond? Well, if I am right about what he truly aspires to, he will answer without hesitation...
But the Israelis haven't taken the military option off their checklist, obviously. There's only one problem: In order to hit Iranian targets, Israel must cross Iraqi airspace, and thus receive permission from the United States to do so.
Bringing us to a very troubling conversation between a young airman and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mullen:
In a town hall on the campus of the University of West Virginia, a young airman asked Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen to respond to a “rumor.” If Israel decided to attack Iran, the speculation went, those jet would need to fly through Iraqi airspace to reach their targets. That airspace is considered a “no-fly” zone by the American military. So might U.S. troops shoot down the Israeli jets, the airmen asked the chairman, if they breached that airspace?
Mullen tried to sidestep the question. “We have an exceptionally strong relationship with Israel. I’ve spent a lot of time with my counterpart in Israel. So we also have a very clear understanding of where we are. And beyond that, I just wouldn’t get into the speculation of what might happen and who might do what. I don’t think it serves a purpose, frankly,” he said. “I am hopeful that this will be resolved in a way where we never have to answer a question like that.”
The airmen followed-up: “Would an airmen like me ever be ordered to fire on an Israeli – aircraft or personnel?”
Mullen’s second answer was much the same as his first. “Again, I wouldn’t move out into the future very far from here. They’re an extraordinarily close ally, have been for a long time, and will be in the future,” the admiral said.
Let's face it. If the answer was "no, we would never fire on an Israeli jet flying over Iraq", the Admiral would have said so. He very clearly refused to answer the question, which means it has currently been discussed at the highest levels, and that the Joint Chiefs either have no idea what to do, or have already made up their mind what to do, and Mullen didn't think the answer would go over very well.
Terrifying, but what do you expect when you elect a guy named "Hussein"?
Here's the real question - let's assume Israel asks for permission for the flyover first, and they are denied by Obama. They decide, with their nation at risk, to launch an attack anyway. As Israeli warplanes cross the Iraqi desert, Barack Obama gets the 3AM phone call:
"Mr. President, we're tracking a squadron of Israeli airplanes on a trajectory towards Iran, making an unauthorized entry into Iraqi airspace. Let them pass or intercept?"
How will Barack Hussein Obama respond? Well, if I am right about what he truly aspires to, he will answer without hesitation...
AP Pimps For Government Motors, But America Loves Ford
...but, as usual when dealing with whores, what you get is often much different from what you see...
The headlines scream:
AP-GfK Poll: Americans say US cars top Asian autos
Slightly more Americans now say the United States makes better-quality vehicles than Asia does, with 38 percent saying U.S. cars are best and 33 percent preferring autos made by Asian companies, according to an Associated Press-GfK Poll.
So who do you think of? General Motors, first and foremost. And that's what the AP wants you to believe, even though they admit early on it's all about one particular American car company:
The survey suggests those numbers are largely fueled by a plunge in Toyota's reputation and an upsurge in Ford's.
You mean the company that scorned the government, refused taxpayer money, and swore they'd live or die their own way? One might think that America's new love affair with Ford might be a car-crush on the one company who stood up to a loathed president and his henchmen in Congress. Even the AP can't walk away from that supposition without losing all of its credibility, so it hides it in some green blather:
Williams and others also cited a fresh look Americans are giving U.S. automakers, especially Ford and General Motors. Though GM and Chrysler went through bankruptcy last year and the federal government invested $80 billion to keep them afloat, GM has revamped its lineup with more fuel-efficient and crossover vehicles. Analysts say Ford revived its reputation by not accepting the taxpayer bailout and improving its vehicles' gasoline mileage.
So it's GM's "fuel efficiency" that's boosted it's standing, and Ford's "gasoline mileage" that has been it's primary mover (oh yeah, and -" not accepting the taxpayer bailout")? Even the AP's own survey don't bear that out:
Highlighting the changing attitudes, 15 percent in the March poll said Toyota makes the best cars, down from 25 percent who said so in 2006. Moving in the opposite direction was Ford, cited as tops by just 9 percent in 2006 but by 18 percent last month.
Eighteen percent said GM cars were best, little changed from 2006. Chrysler — which continues to struggle — remained mired at 3 percent.
Really, if this survey says anything, it is that GM has not gotten a second look, as its survey numbers are "little changed" in four years (and which direction is that "little change", I wonder? Since they don't mention it, I can only assume down). It's Ford which has doubled its positive ratings, and it ain't on fuel economy. It's on the most popular crossover vehicle out there, the Edge (sorry, AP, that's not a G vehicle you're seeing at every red light), the Mustang (with a 5.4L V8, it's pure American gas-slurpin' muscle. "Like it or not", Mr. President, Americans like muscle), and the ubiquitous F-150.
If Americans have turned their roaming eye back to American vehicles, it is only to one, the Ford. General Motors was dead to them the minutes Obama took their money and lavished it on GM's unions. Sorry, AP, but even you can't get me to look twice at the filthy old whore that is now known as "Government Motors"...
Related: Chrysler Group LLC lost a staggering $3.8 billion from the time it left bankruptcy protection June 10 through the end of last year....But there were also were signs that Chrysler could have a rough go in the future, especially in the U.S., its key home market. The company's U.S. sales grew 5 percent for the quarter, but lagged behind other automakers as the whole market grew 15.5 percent. About 40 percent of Chrysler's sales for the period were to rental car companies and other fleet buyers, which generally yield lower profits than retail sales to individuals.
The headlines scream:
AP-GfK Poll: Americans say US cars top Asian autos
Slightly more Americans now say the United States makes better-quality vehicles than Asia does, with 38 percent saying U.S. cars are best and 33 percent preferring autos made by Asian companies, according to an Associated Press-GfK Poll.
So who do you think of? General Motors, first and foremost. And that's what the AP wants you to believe, even though they admit early on it's all about one particular American car company:
The survey suggests those numbers are largely fueled by a plunge in Toyota's reputation and an upsurge in Ford's.
You mean the company that scorned the government, refused taxpayer money, and swore they'd live or die their own way? One might think that America's new love affair with Ford might be a car-crush on the one company who stood up to a loathed president and his henchmen in Congress. Even the AP can't walk away from that supposition without losing all of its credibility, so it hides it in some green blather:
Williams and others also cited a fresh look Americans are giving U.S. automakers, especially Ford and General Motors. Though GM and Chrysler went through bankruptcy last year and the federal government invested $80 billion to keep them afloat, GM has revamped its lineup with more fuel-efficient and crossover vehicles. Analysts say Ford revived its reputation by not accepting the taxpayer bailout and improving its vehicles' gasoline mileage.
So it's GM's "fuel efficiency" that's boosted it's standing, and Ford's "gasoline mileage" that has been it's primary mover (oh yeah, and -" not accepting the taxpayer bailout")? Even the AP's own survey don't bear that out:
Highlighting the changing attitudes, 15 percent in the March poll said Toyota makes the best cars, down from 25 percent who said so in 2006. Moving in the opposite direction was Ford, cited as tops by just 9 percent in 2006 but by 18 percent last month.
Eighteen percent said GM cars were best, little changed from 2006. Chrysler — which continues to struggle — remained mired at 3 percent.
Really, if this survey says anything, it is that GM has not gotten a second look, as its survey numbers are "little changed" in four years (and which direction is that "little change", I wonder? Since they don't mention it, I can only assume down). It's Ford which has doubled its positive ratings, and it ain't on fuel economy. It's on the most popular crossover vehicle out there, the Edge (sorry, AP, that's not a G vehicle you're seeing at every red light), the Mustang (with a 5.4L V8, it's pure American gas-slurpin' muscle. "Like it or not", Mr. President, Americans like muscle), and the ubiquitous F-150.
If Americans have turned their roaming eye back to American vehicles, it is only to one, the Ford. General Motors was dead to them the minutes Obama took their money and lavished it on GM's unions. Sorry, AP, but even you can't get me to look twice at the filthy old whore that is now known as "Government Motors"...
Related: Chrysler Group LLC lost a staggering $3.8 billion from the time it left bankruptcy protection June 10 through the end of last year....But there were also were signs that Chrysler could have a rough go in the future, especially in the U.S., its key home market. The company's U.S. sales grew 5 percent for the quarter, but lagged behind other automakers as the whole market grew 15.5 percent. About 40 percent of Chrysler's sales for the period were to rental car companies and other fleet buyers, which generally yield lower profits than retail sales to individuals.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Bill Clinton: Still Paying For A Blowjob He Got In '97
...but more on that in a moment....
The former president has been mocked far and wide for his recent statements conflating the Tea Party protestors and domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh:
.... we should remember that there is a big difference between criticizing a policy or a politician and demonizing the government that guarantees our freedoms and the public servants who enforce our laws.
We are again dealing with difficulties in a contentious, partisan time. We are more connected than ever before, more able to spread our ideas and beliefs, our anger and fears. As we exercise the right to advocate our views, and as we animate our supporters, we must all assume responsibility for our words and actions before they enter a vast echo chamber and reach those both serious and delirious, connected and unhinged.
Civic virtue can include harsh criticism, protest, even civil disobedience. But not violence or its advocacy....Fifteen years ago, the line was crossed in Oklahoma City. In the current climate, with so many threats against the president, members of Congress and other public servants, we owe it to the victims of Oklahoma City, and those who survived and responded so bravely, not to cross it again.
And who decides what is civil disobedience and what is violence? Or the difference between a government that guarantees our freedoms and one who is bent on limiting them? Bill Clinton, I suppose...
But what I find interesting is why the ex-Prez would even feel compelled to make a statement like this, essentially throwing out a warning that the tea partiers are - as ignorant children, controlled by Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sarah Palin - a ticking time bomb, about to destroy a federal office building near you.
Does he believe it? Maybe, but if there is one thing I believe about Bill Clinton, is that he always knew which way the wind was blowing, and never hesitated to blow with it. He was the master, if I recall... Welfare reform? Check. That newfangled thing called the Internet? Hands off. Folks getting tired of terrorism? Lob some bombs overseas. All while stealthily raising spending and empowering the government further and further....
So why the turn against the tide now, when the wave is obvious to all save the deepest Kool-Aid drinkers?
I can only think of one reason: His wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. To support Obama is to support her; to demonize his detractors is to defend her from them. And so our brave knight marches forward, slamming ordinary bread & butter Americans, even as he knows it is political suicide (the only moral calculus Bill has ever worked upon, incidentally), all to protect the one he loves....
But is this really the chivalrous Bill Clinton? Or is it a Bill Clinton who still is in hock to his wife, who stood by his side while he cheated by hers, and who may have, by not divorcing him in 1997, saved his political and post-political career?
Think of Bill Clinton's legacy if Hillary had left him after the Lewinsky scandal broke. Caught cheating, dumped by his wife, impeached. He would still have survived, but without the cuddly-bear image he still maintains by virtue of a wife who doggedly refused to leave him.
Bill cannot forsake Hillary now; at this point a politically betraying her would be no different than a (second)physical betrayal. So he toils away as Obama's bitch-boy, slamming the tea party crowd, damning the Jews, and supporting legislation that the nation loathes. And bit by bit, his won post-presidential reputation gets further and further tarnished.
Bill, I hope the blowjobs from Monica were the best you ever got. Because you are still paying for them, and their price has exploded like an adjustable-rate mortgage come due....
Justice, finally served to Bill for executive misdeeds, and revenge served late has a lot of accrued interest to bear...
The former president has been mocked far and wide for his recent statements conflating the Tea Party protestors and domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh:
.... we should remember that there is a big difference between criticizing a policy or a politician and demonizing the government that guarantees our freedoms and the public servants who enforce our laws.
We are again dealing with difficulties in a contentious, partisan time. We are more connected than ever before, more able to spread our ideas and beliefs, our anger and fears. As we exercise the right to advocate our views, and as we animate our supporters, we must all assume responsibility for our words and actions before they enter a vast echo chamber and reach those both serious and delirious, connected and unhinged.
Civic virtue can include harsh criticism, protest, even civil disobedience. But not violence or its advocacy....Fifteen years ago, the line was crossed in Oklahoma City. In the current climate, with so many threats against the president, members of Congress and other public servants, we owe it to the victims of Oklahoma City, and those who survived and responded so bravely, not to cross it again.
And who decides what is civil disobedience and what is violence? Or the difference between a government that guarantees our freedoms and one who is bent on limiting them? Bill Clinton, I suppose...
But what I find interesting is why the ex-Prez would even feel compelled to make a statement like this, essentially throwing out a warning that the tea partiers are - as ignorant children, controlled by Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sarah Palin - a ticking time bomb, about to destroy a federal office building near you.
Does he believe it? Maybe, but if there is one thing I believe about Bill Clinton, is that he always knew which way the wind was blowing, and never hesitated to blow with it. He was the master, if I recall... Welfare reform? Check. That newfangled thing called the Internet? Hands off. Folks getting tired of terrorism? Lob some bombs overseas. All while stealthily raising spending and empowering the government further and further....
So why the turn against the tide now, when the wave is obvious to all save the deepest Kool-Aid drinkers?
I can only think of one reason: His wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. To support Obama is to support her; to demonize his detractors is to defend her from them. And so our brave knight marches forward, slamming ordinary bread & butter Americans, even as he knows it is political suicide (the only moral calculus Bill has ever worked upon, incidentally), all to protect the one he loves....
But is this really the chivalrous Bill Clinton? Or is it a Bill Clinton who still is in hock to his wife, who stood by his side while he cheated by hers, and who may have, by not divorcing him in 1997, saved his political and post-political career?
Think of Bill Clinton's legacy if Hillary had left him after the Lewinsky scandal broke. Caught cheating, dumped by his wife, impeached. He would still have survived, but without the cuddly-bear image he still maintains by virtue of a wife who doggedly refused to leave him.
Bill cannot forsake Hillary now; at this point a politically betraying her would be no different than a (second)physical betrayal. So he toils away as Obama's bitch-boy, slamming the tea party crowd, damning the Jews, and supporting legislation that the nation loathes. And bit by bit, his won post-presidential reputation gets further and further tarnished.
Bill, I hope the blowjobs from Monica were the best you ever got. Because you are still paying for them, and their price has exploded like an adjustable-rate mortgage come due....
Justice, finally served to Bill for executive misdeeds, and revenge served late has a lot of accrued interest to bear...
Obama Launches A CyberWar Against Goldman-Sachs
Funny, there are a few battles that Barack Obama is actually prepared to fight with all the weapons at his disposal...too bad they're only against free markets, banks, and other capitalistic ventures...oh, and doctors too.
For his current jihad against Goldman-Sachs - the mustache-twirling villains the Obama assumes he must have in order to convince dull-witted Americans that his pending financial reform package, like his health care reform package, is something they will grow to love - he has enlisted his cyber-warriors to commandeer all web traffic inquiring about the SEC charges against the investment giant and direct them to...him:
Internet surfers who entered "Goldman Sachs SEC" into Google were directed to the president's campaign Web site via a sponsored link titled "Help Change Wall Street."
The White House's political arm paid for the keywords -- but would not say how much.
The tactic provided the latest evidence of how Obama and the Democratic National Committee are using the Securities and Exchange Commission's bombshell fraud suit against the financial giant to push financial-reform legislation through Congress.
The president's political operation says the Internet push bought up numerous other relevant search terms and phrases and started days before the SEC action against Goldman. They say they bought the term "Goldman SEC" after the lawsuit was filed.
The links -- some titled "Fight Wall Street Greed" -- led to the Web site of the White House's political arm, Organizing for America.
The page that users were directed to features a photo of Obama and the quote: "We've seen and lived the consequences of what happens when there's too little accountability on Wall Street and too little protection for Main Street. It is time for real change."
Not sure if Obama realizes that maybe it isn't in his best interest to be seen by casual web-surfers as a URL-hogging internet bait& switch scammer, trying to steal your click in order to direct you somewhere you have no interest in going.
But hasn't that been the modus operandi of this Administration from day one?
I'm curious, of course, how soon after the announcement was of the SEC's suit vs. G-Sachs that the White House web purchase team sprung into action? Thirty seconds, perhaps?
Just asking...they seem pretty well prepped on what was about to happen, that's all....
For his current jihad against Goldman-Sachs - the mustache-twirling villains the Obama assumes he must have in order to convince dull-witted Americans that his pending financial reform package, like his health care reform package, is something they will grow to love - he has enlisted his cyber-warriors to commandeer all web traffic inquiring about the SEC charges against the investment giant and direct them to...him:
Internet surfers who entered "Goldman Sachs SEC" into Google were directed to the president's campaign Web site via a sponsored link titled "Help Change Wall Street."The White House's political arm paid for the keywords -- but would not say how much.
The tactic provided the latest evidence of how Obama and the Democratic National Committee are using the Securities and Exchange Commission's bombshell fraud suit against the financial giant to push financial-reform legislation through Congress.
The president's political operation says the Internet push bought up numerous other relevant search terms and phrases and started days before the SEC action against Goldman. They say they bought the term "Goldman SEC" after the lawsuit was filed.
The links -- some titled "Fight Wall Street Greed" -- led to the Web site of the White House's political arm, Organizing for America.
The page that users were directed to features a photo of Obama and the quote: "We've seen and lived the consequences of what happens when there's too little accountability on Wall Street and too little protection for Main Street. It is time for real change."
Not sure if Obama realizes that maybe it isn't in his best interest to be seen by casual web-surfers as a URL-hogging internet bait& switch scammer, trying to steal your click in order to direct you somewhere you have no interest in going.
But hasn't that been the modus operandi of this Administration from day one?
I'm curious, of course, how soon after the announcement was of the SEC's suit vs. G-Sachs that the White House web purchase team sprung into action? Thirty seconds, perhaps?
Just asking...they seem pretty well prepped on what was about to happen, that's all....
Monday, April 19, 2010
Nick Clegg: The British Barack Obama?
Out of nowhere, Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats has surged into the lead, usurping the far-left Labour and the center-left Tories. Much like candidate Barack Obama, who was assumed to be running in 2008 to test the waters for a more serious run in 2012.
The similarities are legion:
....senior Labour and Conservative figures described Cleggmania either as like a teenage crush, in the case of Peter Mandelson, or as "the biggest load of media-driven nonsense since the funeral of Diana"
Sound familiar? Here's Anorak, tongue firmly planted in cheek:
Nick Clegg will save us. Nick Clegg has a Dutch mum and a half Russian dad....
His mixed nationality will save us! Just like Obama's saved the United States from...from...well, you know from what....
And does this economic program sound like something you heard back in the summer of '08?
The Liberal Democrats plan to create a one-year green job stimulus plan, for which £3.1 billion of cuts in government expenditure would be used to bring 200,000 empty properties back into use, and invest in new green energy infrastructure and public transport.
There would also be a ''90-day guarantee'' for young people, who would be offered a place of training, work or apprenticeship after 90 days of unemployment, so they were not ''left in a state of despair''.
It's worked so well in America...can't you tell by our 9.7% unemployment rate?
And some are trying to sound a warning, just like a few did on this side of the pond...will the cry of Cassandra be drowned out again by the thunder of stampeding feet?
Vote Churchill, Elect Stalin
Mr Clegg is attracting votes from those fed up with the lying, cheating, spinning, bullying, class war obsessed weirdness that is the Gordon Brown Labour party. No wonder a poll today judges him the most popular party leader since Churchill. Yet a vote for Mr Clegg and his friends almost certainly means entrenching for good the lying, cheating, spinning, bullying, class war obsessed weirdness that is the Gordon Brown Labour party.
Perhaps now is the time to hear from St Vince Cable, who will tell you what that means: Vote Churchill, Elect Stalin.
Finally - where have you seen this uplifted chin before, upon which one can easily look down one's nose at the riff-raff and rabble known as ordinary citizens:
Uh-huh:
You've been warned, our fish & chips eating brothers....
The similarities are legion:
....senior Labour and Conservative figures described Cleggmania either as like a teenage crush, in the case of Peter Mandelson, or as "the biggest load of media-driven nonsense since the funeral of Diana"
Sound familiar? Here's Anorak, tongue firmly planted in cheek:
Nick Clegg will save us. Nick Clegg has a Dutch mum and a half Russian dad....
His mixed nationality will save us! Just like Obama's saved the United States from...from...well, you know from what....
And does this economic program sound like something you heard back in the summer of '08?
The Liberal Democrats plan to create a one-year green job stimulus plan, for which £3.1 billion of cuts in government expenditure would be used to bring 200,000 empty properties back into use, and invest in new green energy infrastructure and public transport.
There would also be a ''90-day guarantee'' for young people, who would be offered a place of training, work or apprenticeship after 90 days of unemployment, so they were not ''left in a state of despair''.
It's worked so well in America...can't you tell by our 9.7% unemployment rate?
And some are trying to sound a warning, just like a few did on this side of the pond...will the cry of Cassandra be drowned out again by the thunder of stampeding feet?
Vote Churchill, Elect Stalin
Mr Clegg is attracting votes from those fed up with the lying, cheating, spinning, bullying, class war obsessed weirdness that is the Gordon Brown Labour party. No wonder a poll today judges him the most popular party leader since Churchill. Yet a vote for Mr Clegg and his friends almost certainly means entrenching for good the lying, cheating, spinning, bullying, class war obsessed weirdness that is the Gordon Brown Labour party.
Perhaps now is the time to hear from St Vince Cable, who will tell you what that means: Vote Churchill, Elect Stalin.
Finally - where have you seen this uplifted chin before, upon which one can easily look down one's nose at the riff-raff and rabble known as ordinary citizens:
Uh-huh:
You've been warned, our fish & chips eating brothers....
Change? Under Obama, The Oppressed Have No Hope
It's no surprise, really, that an autocrat like Barack Obama would see no necessity in preserving or encouraging democratic institutions across the world. The democratic process, now that it has driven him to power, can be thrown under the bus, its usefulness all but gone.
And if people he likes are already in power, why would he encourage something as radical as free elections, that, you know, might allow an empowered populace to toss them out?
He won't. Instead, he's crushing the fragile flower of Middle Eastern democracy before it even has a chance to open its petals to the sun:
President Barack Obama has dramatically cut funds to promote democracy in Egypt, a shift that could affect everything from anti-corruption programs to the monitoring of elections. Washington's cuts over the past year - amounting to around 50 percent - have drawn accusations that the Obama administration is easing off reform pressure on the autocratic government of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to ensure its support on Mideast policy, including the peace process with Israel.
"Obama wants change that won't make the Egyptian government angry," said Ahmed Samih, head of a Cairo-based organization that in 2005 used U.S. funds to monitor parliament elections. And in the Egyptian context, that means there will be no change
The administration has made similar cuts in democracy aid to Jordan, another U.S. ally.
The democracy cuts for Egypt are of particular concern as the environment there becomes increasingly restricted - as evidenced by recent crackdowns against political activists, bloggers, and journalists, the U.S.-based democracy watchdog Freedom House said in a report released Friday.
Obama wants to democratize the region the way the leaders of the Arab countries want, not the way the Arab people want, Girgis said.
So much for our "citizen of the world". He's more like a lackey of Arab despots. Finally, America brought to their knees by a man who's afraid to make the Egyptians "angry". If Obama thinks this will bring him respect, rather than the scorn and derision of the natives of the Middle East, he is more naive than I ever could have imagined.
Jennifer Rubin:
...Obama sees democracy and human rights as afterthoughts or, worse, impediments to his smooth dealings with the world’s despots....Obama has not used his vaunted eloquence or his supposed international popularity to advocate for the repressed around the world. To the contrary, he has enabled and encouraged oppressors, who for now need not fear that they will suffer any adverse consequences from the American president.
And the oppressed, who used to look towards America as the eternal light of freedom in an enslaved globe, now see only darkness, and a future with no hope.
Well...that is change. As promised.
And if people he likes are already in power, why would he encourage something as radical as free elections, that, you know, might allow an empowered populace to toss them out?
He won't. Instead, he's crushing the fragile flower of Middle Eastern democracy before it even has a chance to open its petals to the sun:
President Barack Obama has dramatically cut funds to promote democracy in Egypt, a shift that could affect everything from anti-corruption programs to the monitoring of elections. Washington's cuts over the past year - amounting to around 50 percent - have drawn accusations that the Obama administration is easing off reform pressure on the autocratic government of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to ensure its support on Mideast policy, including the peace process with Israel.
"Obama wants change that won't make the Egyptian government angry," said Ahmed Samih, head of a Cairo-based organization that in 2005 used U.S. funds to monitor parliament elections. And in the Egyptian context, that means there will be no change
The administration has made similar cuts in democracy aid to Jordan, another U.S. ally.
The democracy cuts for Egypt are of particular concern as the environment there becomes increasingly restricted - as evidenced by recent crackdowns against political activists, bloggers, and journalists, the U.S.-based democracy watchdog Freedom House said in a report released Friday.
Obama wants to democratize the region the way the leaders of the Arab countries want, not the way the Arab people want, Girgis said.
So much for our "citizen of the world". He's more like a lackey of Arab despots. Finally, America brought to their knees by a man who's afraid to make the Egyptians "angry". If Obama thinks this will bring him respect, rather than the scorn and derision of the natives of the Middle East, he is more naive than I ever could have imagined.
Jennifer Rubin:
...Obama sees democracy and human rights as afterthoughts or, worse, impediments to his smooth dealings with the world’s despots....Obama has not used his vaunted eloquence or his supposed international popularity to advocate for the repressed around the world. To the contrary, he has enabled and encouraged oppressors, who for now need not fear that they will suffer any adverse consequences from the American president.
And the oppressed, who used to look towards America as the eternal light of freedom in an enslaved globe, now see only darkness, and a future with no hope.
Well...that is change. As promised.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Has The Eyjafjallajokull Volcano Saved Us From Global Warming?
Ruh-oh, Scooby Doo! First the world's leading authorities on "climate change" were exposed as a bunch of lying, cheating, data-altering hacks. Pretty bad for the believers, but they could always whitewash any inquires and claim the data, such as it is, was still "sound".
But over the last week, things have gotten worse, as God himself has stepped in and decided to end the debate once and for all. As Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano belches enormous amounts of ash and soot into the atmosphere, some historical scientific precedent must be noted:
When volcanoes erupt, they release sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, where the gas transforms into sulfuric acid droplets, also known as aerosols, which reflect sunlight. Historically, large volcanic eruptions have caused discernible global cooling. When Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, it emitted 17 million tons of sulfur dioxide that caused a 0.5-0.6°C drop in the Northern Hemisphere's temperature. Mexico's Mount Chichon eruption in 1982 also had a demonstrable cooling effect.
While this eruption is no Krakatoa (yet), one should remember that in the year following that volcano's massive eruption, average global temperatures fell by as much as 1.2 °C (2.2 °F). If Eyjafjallajokull's effect is merely 1/10th of Krakatoa, it would wipe out any "warming" that has occurred over the past hundred years or so.
At the very least, it gives us time to rethink and revisit the entire global warming issue. In other words, leave it to honest science to figure out what, if anything, is happening to Earth's climate.
But that doesn't really help Barack Obama any, does it? After all, he was counting on using the EPA and "cap & trade" legislation to create a command & control economy, and thus use carbon credits to pay for his massively expanded welfare state.
Will science truly be "restored to its proper place", as the campaign version of Obama promised? You betcha, and as you will see, when science is unhelpful to the march of socialism across America, science's proper place will be the garbage can...
But over the last week, things have gotten worse, as God himself has stepped in and decided to end the debate once and for all. As Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano belches enormous amounts of ash and soot into the atmosphere, some historical scientific precedent must be noted:
When volcanoes erupt, they release sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, where the gas transforms into sulfuric acid droplets, also known as aerosols, which reflect sunlight. Historically, large volcanic eruptions have caused discernible global cooling. When Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, it emitted 17 million tons of sulfur dioxide that caused a 0.5-0.6°C drop in the Northern Hemisphere's temperature. Mexico's Mount Chichon eruption in 1982 also had a demonstrable cooling effect.
While this eruption is no Krakatoa (yet), one should remember that in the year following that volcano's massive eruption, average global temperatures fell by as much as 1.2 °C (2.2 °F). If Eyjafjallajokull's effect is merely 1/10th of Krakatoa, it would wipe out any "warming" that has occurred over the past hundred years or so.
At the very least, it gives us time to rethink and revisit the entire global warming issue. In other words, leave it to honest science to figure out what, if anything, is happening to Earth's climate.
But that doesn't really help Barack Obama any, does it? After all, he was counting on using the EPA and "cap & trade" legislation to create a command & control economy, and thus use carbon credits to pay for his massively expanded welfare state.
Will science truly be "restored to its proper place", as the campaign version of Obama promised? You betcha, and as you will see, when science is unhelpful to the march of socialism across America, science's proper place will be the garbage can...
Start With A Show Trial...
So the Democrat's latest attack on capitalism comes in the guise of a "financial reform bill", one which will added layers of bureaucratic oversight and limit risky investments. Just what the economy needs to bust out of a recession, huh?
Well, the Republicans are lukewarm at best and the American people are somewhere between indifferent and cautious, remembering how "credit card reform", enacted to "protect" them from unscrupulous lenders, is now limiting their credit options while raising its costs.
So how do the Democrats rally some support? By using some old-school socialist tactics, and dragging one of those big, bad companies into the dock for a good, old-fashioned show trial! Look at the evil, dastardly villains at Goldman-Sachs! They're the cause of all of your problems, and we can solve it by incarcerating these mustache-twirling barons while taking over control of the banking industry ourselves! Look, if you can trust Nancy Pelosi with your health insurance, why, you can certainly trust Christopher Dodd and Barney Frank with your bank account...right?
Wall Street is wise to the game:
Wall Street is more than a little suspicious of today’s charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has accused Goldman Sachs of lying to investors about who was really behind junk mortgages securities it sold to clients.
Barclays banking analyst Roger Freeman comes right out and blasts the SEC effort as “a well-timed, and perhaps not coincidental, effort to sway some on-the-fence Republicans” to get tough on financial reform.
“Targeting GS, given the flurry of anti-Wall Street press that has centered around that firm, offers the publicity that the administration needs at this critical juncture,” Freeman says in a note to clients today.
Well, as Alinsky said, "Pick the target, freeze it, polarize it". Goldman-Sachs becomes the stand-in for all of nation's economic worries, as well as the fall guys for all of Congress' economic misdeeds. Remember how Obama used Anthem Insurance's rate hikes in California as a sledgehammer against opponents of health care reform? Well, he needs another corporate evildoer to help him take control of the banking industry, and Goldman-Sachs will fit the bill just fine. His bitches have already lead the charge:
Reid (D-Nev.) said reform would "establish clear rules of the road . . . while protecting consumers, investors and financial institutions."
"Republicans should stop obstructing our efforts to hold Wall Street accountable so that Main Street can once again prosper," he added.
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), the sponsor of the legislation, said: "We don't need to know the outcome of this case to know that the opaque nature of unregulated asset-backed securities fueled the financial crisis.
"Let's work on this together, let's debate the bill, and pass strong Wall Street reform to protect our country from the kinds of abuses that lost so many their jobs, their homes, and their life savings," said Dodd.
Change "Wall Street" to "insurance companies", and the Democrat's rhetoric sounds awfully familiar...
Isn't it grand that the SEC - an "independent" oversight board whose members are appointed by the president -decides to bring action against the most high-profile Wall Street firm at exactly the same time that the president needs a high-profile target to advance his political agenda?
"It will move the bill."
Change, my friends, change...
Well, the Republicans are lukewarm at best and the American people are somewhere between indifferent and cautious, remembering how "credit card reform", enacted to "protect" them from unscrupulous lenders, is now limiting their credit options while raising its costs.
So how do the Democrats rally some support? By using some old-school socialist tactics, and dragging one of those big, bad companies into the dock for a good, old-fashioned show trial! Look at the evil, dastardly villains at Goldman-Sachs! They're the cause of all of your problems, and we can solve it by incarcerating these mustache-twirling barons while taking over control of the banking industry ourselves! Look, if you can trust Nancy Pelosi with your health insurance, why, you can certainly trust Christopher Dodd and Barney Frank with your bank account...right?
Wall Street is wise to the game:
Wall Street is more than a little suspicious of today’s charges by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has accused Goldman Sachs of lying to investors about who was really behind junk mortgages securities it sold to clients.
Barclays banking analyst Roger Freeman comes right out and blasts the SEC effort as “a well-timed, and perhaps not coincidental, effort to sway some on-the-fence Republicans” to get tough on financial reform.
“Targeting GS, given the flurry of anti-Wall Street press that has centered around that firm, offers the publicity that the administration needs at this critical juncture,” Freeman says in a note to clients today.
Well, as Alinsky said, "Pick the target, freeze it, polarize it". Goldman-Sachs becomes the stand-in for all of nation's economic worries, as well as the fall guys for all of Congress' economic misdeeds. Remember how Obama used Anthem Insurance's rate hikes in California as a sledgehammer against opponents of health care reform? Well, he needs another corporate evildoer to help him take control of the banking industry, and Goldman-Sachs will fit the bill just fine. His bitches have already lead the charge:
Reid (D-Nev.) said reform would "establish clear rules of the road . . . while protecting consumers, investors and financial institutions."
"Republicans should stop obstructing our efforts to hold Wall Street accountable so that Main Street can once again prosper," he added.
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), the sponsor of the legislation, said: "We don't need to know the outcome of this case to know that the opaque nature of unregulated asset-backed securities fueled the financial crisis.
"Let's work on this together, let's debate the bill, and pass strong Wall Street reform to protect our country from the kinds of abuses that lost so many their jobs, their homes, and their life savings," said Dodd.
Change "Wall Street" to "insurance companies", and the Democrat's rhetoric sounds awfully familiar...
Isn't it grand that the SEC - an "independent" oversight board whose members are appointed by the president -decides to bring action against the most high-profile Wall Street firm at exactly the same time that the president needs a high-profile target to advance his political agenda?
"It will move the bill."
Change, my friends, change...
And The Final Word On "Climate Change" Goes To...
Sh*t my Dad Says :
"Science and Mother Nature are in a marriage where Science is always surprised to come home and find Mother Nature blowing the neighbor."
"Science and Mother Nature are in a marriage where Science is always surprised to come home and find Mother Nature blowing the neighbor."
Saturday, April 17, 2010
The New York Tea Party, And The Central Question of ObamaCare...
Put very well by Fred Schwarz, as he talks about what he saw at NYC's Tea Party event last week:
...there were about 1,000 people there (the final crowd was closer to 2,000), crowded into two lanes of Eighth Avenue, with taxis whizzing by a few feet away...The 99-cent pizza store at 30th Street was doing a great business among the thrifty tea partiers. (But would you make everyone eat 99-cent pizza, and charge them $4.50 for it? That’s the central question of Obamacare.)
And send the IRS after them if they refused to comply? Even if the pizza sucked? Well, once the government forces every other pizza joint to close so they have their monopoly, you'll either have to wait on the long line at "Federal Joe's Egalitarian Pizza", or just go hungry. Or maybe go to that secret underground, unlicensed pizzeria you heard about in somebody's basement where they take cash and don't ask any questions...
I'll close with this teaser:
...Lou Dobbs came on and gave a rousing finale, which will probably end up being his stump speech when he runs for senator.
I'm sure he'll take on Gillibrand, who's the lower-hanging fruit, but man-0h-man would I like to see him bring down Schmuckie Schumer, the Senator who represents New York by selling it down the river to increase his own personal power and positioning...
...there were about 1,000 people there (the final crowd was closer to 2,000), crowded into two lanes of Eighth Avenue, with taxis whizzing by a few feet away...The 99-cent pizza store at 30th Street was doing a great business among the thrifty tea partiers. (But would you make everyone eat 99-cent pizza, and charge them $4.50 for it? That’s the central question of Obamacare.)
And send the IRS after them if they refused to comply? Even if the pizza sucked? Well, once the government forces every other pizza joint to close so they have their monopoly, you'll either have to wait on the long line at "Federal Joe's Egalitarian Pizza", or just go hungry. Or maybe go to that secret underground, unlicensed pizzeria you heard about in somebody's basement where they take cash and don't ask any questions...
I'll close with this teaser:
...Lou Dobbs came on and gave a rousing finale, which will probably end up being his stump speech when he runs for senator.
I'm sure he'll take on Gillibrand, who's the lower-hanging fruit, but man-0h-man would I like to see him bring down Schmuckie Schumer, the Senator who represents New York by selling it down the river to increase his own personal power and positioning...
Friday, April 16, 2010
Noam Chomsky: The Tea Partiers are Nazis!
Chomsky claims he knows a fascist when he sees one, but apparently, he doesn't spend enough time looking in the mirror...
Here's the liberal's favorite linguist, speaking in friendly territory out in Madison, Wisconsin, on what the Tea Party means to him:
“I’m just old enough to have heard a number of Hitler’s speeches on the radio,” he said, “and I have a memory of the texture and the tone of the cheering mobs, and I have the dread sense of the dark clouds of fascism gathering” here at home.
So he's comparing us to Hitler, and his SS agents? Well, may I remind everyone that the Nazi intelligentsia was filled with folks who had "Dr." as part of their title, and the Party loved to spotlight them as proof that their genocidal ambitions had strong scholarship behind it. And here today we have liberals shining a spotlight on Dr. Chomsky, as he introduces a blood libel against American "tea partiers". But hey - I'm not making any more of a connection to the Nazis than you are, Dr. Chomsky, I'm just saying...
But here's what's mind-boggling: Barack Obama, when running for office, held massive stadium rallies, filled with spotlights, Roman architecture, massive backdrops, mass-produced signage, and oratory filled with vague promises about "change", without ever specifying what that change was going to be. Millions attended, swore allegiance to him, and often fainted on the spot.
But that is not the sign of fascism, lord no. To Chomsky, 1,000 - 2,000 regular Americans gathering in the town square to complain about taxes, and having their heath care seized and taken from then against their wishes is the true sign that fascism is on the march.
Well, it is on the march, but unfortunately, Barack Obama is at its head, and Chomsky is just there to lend his credentials to the Party. Just like Hans F. K. Günther, Alfred Ploetz, Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer, Alfred Baeumler, and Martin Heidegger lent theirs to Nazi Germany.
It's not your theories of linguistics that will make you immortal, Dr. Chomsky....
Here's the liberal's favorite linguist, speaking in friendly territory out in Madison, Wisconsin, on what the Tea Party means to him:
“I’m just old enough to have heard a number of Hitler’s speeches on the radio,” he said, “and I have a memory of the texture and the tone of the cheering mobs, and I have the dread sense of the dark clouds of fascism gathering” here at home.
So he's comparing us to Hitler, and his SS agents? Well, may I remind everyone that the Nazi intelligentsia was filled with folks who had "Dr." as part of their title, and the Party loved to spotlight them as proof that their genocidal ambitions had strong scholarship behind it. And here today we have liberals shining a spotlight on Dr. Chomsky, as he introduces a blood libel against American "tea partiers". But hey - I'm not making any more of a connection to the Nazis than you are, Dr. Chomsky, I'm just saying...
But here's what's mind-boggling: Barack Obama, when running for office, held massive stadium rallies, filled with spotlights, Roman architecture, massive backdrops, mass-produced signage, and oratory filled with vague promises about "change", without ever specifying what that change was going to be. Millions attended, swore allegiance to him, and often fainted on the spot.
But that is not the sign of fascism, lord no. To Chomsky, 1,000 - 2,000 regular Americans gathering in the town square to complain about taxes, and having their heath care seized and taken from then against their wishes is the true sign that fascism is on the march.
Well, it is on the march, but unfortunately, Barack Obama is at its head, and Chomsky is just there to lend his credentials to the Party. Just like Hans F. K. Günther, Alfred Ploetz, Otmar Freiherr von Verschuer, Alfred Baeumler, and Martin Heidegger lent theirs to Nazi Germany.
It's not your theories of linguistics that will make you immortal, Dr. Chomsky....
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