Friday Night Music--Addendum

Last night I featured dudes who shred on the guitar. I neglected one I meant to include and that would be Deep Purple and Rainbow guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.

Here's Man on the Silver Mountain that is worth your time with Dio providing the vocals.

The Military Budget Cuts Update

Update: See this post for an update. This may be false.

OK, we've established a few facts; first the Obama administration is cutting billions from the Pentagon's budget while we have an active war going on and another that is starting to draw down but could flare up at any point. That has never happened before whereby a president cut the budget while our troops were actively engaged in a hot war. Second, the media isn't covering it at all and the Obama administration shamefully and cowardly released the info on a Friday knowing that if the media did cover it at all, no one would be paying attention.

The question now is where to make the cuts. Smadanek has a breakdown of how it would affect the Navy and it ain't pretty. His supposition that it would fall to all the branches equally is a good one.

I mentioned earlier that you can essentially kiss missile defense goodbye just just as we approaching deployment. Obama will push for that as a sop to Putin. That leaves several other huge programs that will be stopped or get seriously whacked including the Joint Strike Fighter--the next generation of aircraft designed to take us well into this century. Ditto the F 22 Raptor.
These are two programs that would ensure military supremacy for the next thirty years--years in which we'll have to deal with a rebuilding Russia and an upstart China.

Still, even reducing or eliminating those programs won't reduce the budget to where Obama wants it so that leaves deficiencies at the deck-plate level--affecting the average airman, sailor, soldier or Marine. Reduced weapons capability means more dead and wounded troops and that's a kick in the balls to the good people who signed on over the last few years and now are being told that the new president doesn't think you need the latest and greatest.

It's up to you and me to make this a major issue; write your congressman and/or senator and tell them that you will abide this. Write your local paper and get the word out that Obama is willing to shortchange our military men and women while throwing money to anti-war groups posing as "neighborhood stabilization" outfits. Tell your friends that Obama thinks giving money to the National Endowment for the Arts is more important than keeping our country safe. Be professional when writing to these people but be be blunt in letting them know that those men and women who took the oath to protect our country entered into a deal with the government and part of that deal was to provide them the best equipment possible.

This vet is mighty pissed by this.

Contact info:

Congress

Find any newspaper in the country by clicking here.

Another Blow to al-Qaeda: Iraqi Elections Peaceful

Peaceful polling in Mesopotamia:

BAGHDAD — Iraqis passed through security checkpoints and razor-wire cordons to vote Saturday in provincial elections that are considered a crucial test of the nation's stability as U.S. officials consider the pace of troop withdrawals. There were no reports of major violence.

Polls closed at 6 p.m. (10 a.m. EST) on Saturday — an hour later than planned — after millions of voters cast ballots for influential regional councils around most of Iraq.

Officials said counting would begin Sunday with preliminary results not expected before Tuesday.

There was a shooting and some sporadic violence but no more than Detroit on a typical election day.

This is a severe rebuke to al-Qaeda as free and peaceful elections are the antithesis of what AQ wants, They thrive on chaos and slither in to fill voids. Elections fill voids and thus keep the jihadi's marginalized.

A good day all around for supporters of democracy and freedom. I guess the new President is not among them. Don't expect to read about this in tomorrow's papers.

Obama Gets a Taste of Iranian Diplomacy

Obama has this stunted view--a view most liberals share--that talk and negotiation will get other nations to like us. He sent some feel-good overtures to Iran and the Iranians have responded about how I'd expected:

US President Barack Obama's offer to talk to Iran shows that America's policy of "domination" has failed, the government spokesman said on Saturday.

"This request means Western ideology has become passive, that capitalist thought and the system of domination have failed," Gholam Hossein Elham was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.

"Negotiation is secondary, the main issue is that there is no way but for (the United States) to change," he added.

After nearly three decades of severed ties, Obama said shortly after taking office this month that he is willing to extend a diplomatic hand to Tehran if the Islamic republic is ready to "unclench its fist".

In response, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a fresh tirade against the United States, demanding an apology for its "crimes" against Iran and saying he expected "deep and fundamental" change from Obama.

The Iranians come from a part of the world where men are hard and have been for centuries. People in the region respect one thing: strength. Negotiating is for weaklings or for those who are losing.

Obama played right into that by his talk during the campaign of unconditional talks with Ahmadinejad and others. They look at him as a timid leader who doesn't have any heart and that's scary.

I expect an incident in the Straits of Hormuz in the next year in which the Iranian navy tries to get froggy with either a merchant ship headed toward the US or a US Navy vessel. The mullahs are going to want to test the backbone the unproven Obama.

Saturday Morning News and Notes

Another cold Saturday but tomorrow--Super Bowl (TM) Sunday--looks like it will be nice.

Anyway, here's what happening in the world:

'Zo has a new one out. That dude makes me look slow and my wife calls me "A.D.D. Boy":



Treacher has some comments that are well-worth your time.

Great, the new head of Somalia appeared in al-Qaeda tapes and will probably make things worse.

After spending trillions, we'll probably look back on the Global Warming Swindle like we do the rainforests today.

Where do laid-off journalist's go? They wouldn't stoop so low as to write blogs, would they? This blog has been around for six years and will outlive some of the papers out today.

Daschle owed greater than $128,000 in back taxes at one point. Hope and change from the Obama administration.

Mmmmmm....Bacon.

The Bush Legacy: Iraqi's Go to the Polls

You haven't heard much in the MSM because they've essentially stopped reporting anything from Iraq save a large bombing. Even when they do report about it, it's with a negative spin. They're pissed that George W. Bush had the nerve to order the surge and give Gen David Petraeus the tools needed to win. They wanted a loss and once it appeared we were victorious, all reporting stopped.

The Iraqi's are returning to the polls for provincial elections for the first time in four years. Expect much different results this time as the majority Sunni population will be out in force whereas last time they boycotted the elections.

Baghdad: Iraqis went to polls on Saturday to vote in the country's provincial elections, with a massive participation from Sunni Arabs and women, a candidate told Gulf News.

Ammar Al Zobaie, a Sunni Islamic Party's candidate in Fallujah, said many Sunni Arabs participated in the elections.
"Sunni Arabs [want] to redress the harm suffered by the Sunni cities because of their non-participation in the previous elections in 2005, which led to the suspension of development projects," Al Zobaie said.

Note I had to link to Gulf News to get any type of positive spin.

Another report, this one from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, shows the exuberance of the Iraqi people:

A correspondent for RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq, Adel Mahmoud, reported from Baghdad that spirits among residents and voters were "very high" around midday, with sunny skies contributing to the possibility of a high turnout in a vote that is seen as a bellwether for the national mood and a possible breakthrough in local governance for Iraqis.

Mahmoud said sectarian tensions that plagued the last vote were not in evidence and "the general atmosphere is like some kind of festival."

Our men and women who serve valiantly deserve the credit for this historic day. Their hard work, day in and day out, has given birth to a vibrant democracy in a place where one never existed before.

Congratulations to the Iraqi's as well.

Obama Orders Pentagon to Cut Budget 11%? (Update: Maybe Not)

Update: See this post for an update. This may be false.

Yes, he's cutting the military budget...in the midst of two wars. Think about that; he is cutting back on supplies, health care, VA funding and everything else while simultaneously pushing a bill that includes $4-billion plus for "neighborhood stabilization"--read ACORN.

Obama needs his base right about now and he'll do anything to get their support, including sentencing our men and women of the military to substandard conditions. That will result in deaths to those who joined to protect our nation.

I guess getting shown up by a military judge rubbed BHO the wrong way and he's spitefully taking it out on those we should be supporting.

Sure, we can give money to the NEA but we'll give the military the finger--sounds about right in Barack Hussein Obama's America.

I'm guessing the honeymoon will be shorter than most expect as I'm hoping the good people of the US will see this for what it is--a slap at the people who are protecting us. They deserve better.

Update: Fox reports that they are scrambling to find places to make cuts. Missile defense has shown to be very successful under Bush. Some are saying it is operational now. But I'd expect that to be shelved as Obama does everything possible to make us weaker and less secure. Instead of deploying the ultimate anti-ballistic missile weapon, Obama instead makes nice with Putin in a most Carter-esque way.

Update: Ed Morrisey notes what is not being cut.

Update: Gay Patriot linked, thanks.

Update: Doug Ross also links and has numerous updates. And no, the MSM with the exception of Fox have not reported this.

Friday Night Videos--All Shred Edition

Tonight we celebrate the great guitarists. Who is great and who is not is arguable but these are guys who full on wail.

Let's start with the man who single-handedly (the left one) changed music for eternity. He was a paratrooper who seemed to do everything--including drugs--with reckless abandon:

Jimi Hendrix doing abbreviated versions of Stone Free, Purple Haze and Hey Joe from May of 1967:



Next we have a guy who died much too young after playing on a stage with Eric Clapton and the excellent Robert Cray at Alpine Meadows in Wisconsin. Stevie Ray Vaughn was a guy I always wanted to see live and it never happened. Here's Little Wing from 1983:



See also SRV and Jeff Beck doing Goin Down.

Now we move on to the possible next president of the NRA. This guy put out an album entitled Double Live Gonzo that me and my bro put on and horrified my mother that included a rap that ended with the immortal "this is a song for all that Nashville pussy". I was ten and my bro was eight, my mom turned 80 on the spot. Here's a live Free For All. Dude is/was insane:



Next we have Clapton doing Pretending from Argentina. Looking at Clapton's career is a trek through rock history: Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominoes and on and on:



To end this post, how about a little Eddie Van Halen from 1986. This dude changed music for the better. Every one after him for the next decade stole his riffs (or tried to). Here's an insane live solo:

Michael Steele Wins RNC Chair

Sweet. A little history of our own.

Friday Afternoon News and Notes

Happy Friday.

Here's what's going on in this great big world:

Kathleen Parker almost sounds like a Republican again. I guess that whole infatuation with Obama wore off or something.

The non-stimulus bill just holds all kinds of ugly surprises, doen't it? We may be in for a tough four years but after Obama's gone, I would imagine the Republicans will be welcomed back with open arms.

Another frivolous suit gets thrown out.

Another case of Obama saying "do as I say, not as I do".

I will bet that Governor Palin has the state ready for an imminent volcano eruption. Alaskans seem to take it in stride.

More hope and change--North Korea tosses away non-aggression pact.

Update: Another game of Name That Party!

Military Judge Rebukes Obama on Gitmo

Obama may not want to take up this fight against the military:

A military judge in Guantanamo Bay today denied the Obama administration's request to delay proceedings for 120 days in the case of a detainee accused of planning the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole warship, an al-Qaeda strike that killed 17 service members and injured 50 others.

The decision throws into some disarray the administration's efforts to buy time to review individual detainee cases as part of its plan to close the U.S. military prison at the Guantanamo naval base in Cuba. The Pentagon may now be forced to temporarily withdraw the charges against Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi citizen of Yemeni descent.

Nashiri is facing arraignment on capital charges on Feb. 9, and Judge James Pohl, an Army colonel, said the case would go ahead.

"We just learned of the ruling here . . . and we are consulting with the Pentagon and the Department of Justice to explore our options in that case," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. Asked at a news briefing whether the decision would hamper the administration's ability to evaluate the cases of Guantanamo detainees, Gibbs replied: "No. Not at all."

Two predictions here: There's no way in hell that Obama will go against this judge because of the sensitivity of the case. Should he opt to fight it out, he'll have a mess on his hands from the survivors of the USS Cole bombing.

The second prediction is that Robert Gibbs will not last the year. The guy is unprepared and if the media attacked him with even an iota of the zeal they did Tony Snow or Dana Perino, he'd have been curled up in the fetal position last Wednesday.

Back to the military judge; the military instinctively loathes Democrats because of their inherent reluctance to make decisions without gauging public preference on an issue. They also distrust Dems because they'll make a decision after long contemplation and then go back on that decision leaving the military to take the bad PR. This is one judge saying to The One that he's not going to play Obama's game, especially since the main case involved deals with the man who helped kill American sailors.

Thank you Colonel Pohl.

Thursday Night News and Notes

I'm feeling pretty good tonight. Finally the GOP stuck together and gave obama the finger on the anti-stimulus bill. Republicans essentially said to Obama: "You now own this bullshit bill and you, Pelosi and Reid will suffer because of it". Plus, by Obama passing this bill, he effectively cut any lifeline he had connecting Bush to the recession. A good day all around.

Here's some news from around the web:

A great take on global warming alarmism from a San Diego meteorologist.

It may well be time for Royal Dutch Shell to do to the steelworkers what Reagan did to the air traffic controllers.

A recent study yielded some shocking results: the majority of commercials shown during NFL games feature alcohol, sex or erectile dysfunction. Shocking. I for one think they don't show enough sex and am now on record as saying so. I think there should be more hot chicks shown on a more regular basis and then the ED ads will not be needed.

Keeping an eye on Google.

Frank J being, well, Frank J.

Pelosi Struggles to Explain How STD Prevention is "Stimulus"

Speaker Botox stammers through a question she knew she'd be asked:



Well, it is CBS so maybe she thought she'd only get the usual softball questions The Eye throws at Liberals.

Via: Allah

What's In a Name?

With liberals, apparently a lot.

Libs are always changing the name of things they are passionate about because inevitably everything they are passionate about crashes and burns. Global warming became "climate change" once they realized that the world wasn't, in fact, warming. Besides, climate change allowed them to blame every snow storm, hurricane, tsunami, rainstorm, ice storm and fog on "climate change". Even they know they sounded stupid blaming a blizzard on "global warming".

Hell, they even changed their words for themselves. Once Ronald Reagan and Jeanne Kirkpatrick turned the word "liberal" into a dirty word, they switched it to "progressive".

They're at it again and it's by executive fiat this time:

Lesson in political correctness from the Obama administration:

No longer call the $819 billion spending bill in the Congress the “economic stimulus” package.

Henceforth, it shall be known as the “economic recovery” bill.

That’s the command from the White House to all federal agencies.

The Federal Highway Administration notified state transportation departments of the change in terminology this week.

Apparently, the word stimulus may give too much of an impression that the bill spends a gigantic load of tax dollars.

The word “recovery,” however, has a lot more hope in it. And “hope,” if you’ll remember from the campaign, was a major theme of the new president.

Emphasis mine. Apparently, progressives liberals aren't all that comfortable with this bill now that the Republicans have given them sole ownership. Apparently, the public isn't too hip on it either judging by the latest polling data.

Instead of calling it a "recovery" bill, let's call it was it truly is: The "Huge Fucking Spending Bill That Will Handicap Our Children With Debt"...That's a mouthful I know but why not be more truthful with ourselves than liberal are with themselves?

Rep. Obey's Son Gets Stimulus Perk

And so it begins:

A top House Republican is demanding an investigation into whether the more than $2 billion for national parks in the House stimulus package is proper in light of the fact that the chief lobbyist for the National Parks Conservation Association is the son of House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey.

NPCA is a major player in advocating for national parks funding, and its senior vice president for government affairs is Craig Obey, son of the Wisconsin Democrat who has long been his party's top Appropriations Committee member.

The money included in the stimulus bill that passed Mr. Obey's committee - $2.25 billion - was about equal to the National Park Service's total yearly budget, and would be a staggering increase and almost three times the $802 million that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved for park spending in its stimulus bill.

Expect a great many more stories like this as the Democrats were efectively handed the keys to the bank and are running wild. Nepotism and backscratching are going to run wild.

The House approved fiscal armageddon yesterday and once the Senate joins in (and increases the size) we'll set ourselves on the road to economic collapse like we have never even considered. Expect inflation to rocket up worse than the inept Jimmy Carter could manage and the unemployment rate to increase with every passing month.

I think the thing the shocks me more than anything about the chutzpah of the Democrats is that the American people are so ignorant. Poll after poll has shown an utter contempt for the Pelosi/Reid-led Congress yet we as voters allowed this farce to play out. Those who have been paying attention are appalled that we are allowing the same leadership that got us into this mess to attempt to spend our way out of it and spend on ridiculous, non-stimulative things.

Well, at the very least, the GOP was smart enough to see this for what it is: a pure scam and scramble for pork that will worsen the situation in the long run. Let's hope the Senate is smart enough to follow suit.

As for Obey, there was once a time when $2.2 billion was considered a huge amount of money. Not so anymore.

Stimulus Bill Passes 244-188

Republicans were unified:

The House of Representatives just approved the estimated $819 billion economic stimulus plan favored by President Obama. The vote was 244 in favor to 188 against.
All 178 Republican members voted against the plan, according to the chart that C-SPAN was updating.

The Senate is expected to vote on its version -- which is likely to cost more -- within days.

Now maybe the GOP will see that conservative principles would have kept them at least nearer in seats. Instead, they spent and spent and chowed down on earmarks. We're stuck with this piece of shit bill that will bankrupt us for a generation and most-likely won't work.

New Jersey will receive the following:

Highways and Bridges: $777.8 million

Mass Transit: $334 million

Wastewater Treatment and Sewers: $237.2 million

Heat Aid: $37.9 million

Schools Modernization: $419.7 million

Pell Grants: $502.8 million

Not nearly enough when compared to other east coast states. To put it in perspective, the NJ School Development Authority allotted $2.3-billion for school construction this year.

Congressional Republicans fought hard to excise any pork they could out of the bill but with no numbers they have no strength. Nancy Pelosi will crow and we'll have to watch her up on the podium with that botox face and shit-eating grin but we deserve it for straying away from Reaganism.

More later.

Joshua Key is a Scumbag Traitor

Joshua Key is a pussy. Joshua Key ran away from the US Army while on leave from a deployment to Iraq. He's now in Canada and is nearly out of options for staying there.

So Joshua wrote a book that portrays our men and women as murderers, terrorists and rapists and, of course, the liberals love it.

Thanks to the MilBloggers, this idiots lies are being shredded piece by piece and point by point.

Start at ROK Drop and work your way over to This Ain't Hell... Than head over to Blackfive and then tie it all together with Ace.

The Hypocritical Dreamworld of Maureen Dowd

Maureen Dowd has always lived in this kinda dream world where Republicans are always bad, Democrats are always good and she acts and writes like she's perpetually fifteen. Her world is a bubble that includes the entire upper East Side but of course stops well before the Bronx. I tend to not read her stuff anymore because it's kind of embarrassing that a) she actually gets paid to write for the NY Times and b) has received awards for doing so.

Anyway, MoDo brings us these highly intellectual words today:

Now that we’re nationalizing, couldn’t we fire any obtuse bankers and auto executives who cling to perks and bonuses even as the economy is following John Thain down his antique commode?

Perhaps MoDo ought to read something besides the New Yorker and Vanity Fair because the Ivory Tower she writes from is teetering like the Leaning Tower of Pisa:

The New York Times Co. said Wednesday that ad revenue at its news media properties dropped 15.8 percent in December as the recession weighed on what is usually a lucrative holiday season.

December's reduction from a year earlier wasn't as steep as the 17.2 percent drop in October and 21.8 percent in November.

For the quarter, total ad revenue at the company fell 17.6 percent, with an 18.4 percent loss in the news media unit alone.

Or this:

The New York Times Co. said Wednesday that fourth-quarter earnings plunged 48 percent and online sales fell for the first time as the recession depressed spending by advertisers. The results still beat analyst estimates, and its shares rose almost 5 percent.

The Times also announced it has retained investment firm Goldman Sachs to help explore a sale of its 17.8 percent stake in New England Sports Ventures, which owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team, Fenway Park, a portion of a cable sports network and other properties.

It appears that MoDo doesn't even read anything about the precarious state of her employer. Maybe she puts her hands over her ears and says "na na na na" real loud so she doesn't have to listen. I mean, were she paying attention, she might not have written this:

The former masters of the universe don’t seem to fully comprehend that their universe has crumbled and, thanks to them, so has ours. Real people are losing real jobs at Caterpillar, Home Depot and Sprint Nextel; these and other companies announced on Monday that they would cut more than 75,000 jobs in the U.S. and around the world, as consumer confidence and home prices swan-dived.

It would appear that MoDo's boss Pinch is dangerously close to earning the title of "former master of the universe" himself. Without an injection of $250-million from a shady Mexican businessman MoDo may have found herself writing for the Toledo Blade.

I guess Maureen didn't take notice that people have been losing their jobs at the Times as well and in big numbers. Those workers are "real people...losing real jobs"

With today's news, I'm guessing that people who have jobs like assistant to Maureen Dowd will lose their jobs. This might be a good thing because MoDo will have to leave her office to get her own damn latte and may notice that there's only about ten people still actually receiving a paycheck from Pinch.

Exit question: What does it say about the business that the NY Post and WSJ are faring much better in the current environment?

Shocker! Obama Can't Walk Through Glass

Who knew?

It looks like President Obama hasn't gotten acquainted to his White House surroundings. On the way back to the Oval Office Tuesday, the President approached a paned window, instead of the actual door -- located a few feet to his right.

Doors didn't open automatically for Obama’s predecessor either. While making a hasty exit from a 2005 press conference in Beijing, former President George W. Bush tugged on the handles of a door, only to find it locked.

Bush laughed off the blunder, but the pictures still live on as part of Bush's lame duck legacy. However, there was little note taken of Obama's rookie mistake.

Kudos to the NY Daily News for even publishing this but note they couldn't do it without also running a pic of President Bush doing essentially the same thing. I guess you can sum up the way the media has handled Obama in those three paragraphs: Obama made a mistake, Bush also made mistakes and the media won't cover the mistake because Obama is the smartest Prez ever and Bush was a buffoon.

I'm surprised The One didn't just magically make a door handle appear on command. He must be losing his touch thinking about Rush Limbaugh or something.

Ayatollah's Son: Ahmedinejad is Jewish

It appears old Mahmoud has fallen out of favor with the Ayatollah's:

Mehdi Khazali, the son of the conservative Ayatollah Khazali, has written on his personal website that he recently learned that President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has Jewish roots.

Khazali notes that Ahmadinejad changed his family name from Saburjian, and says that the origins of the Saburjian family in the town of Aradan should be investigated.

Ahmadinejad's relatives had told Britain's "The Guardian" following his election that the family had changed its name for "a mixture of religious and economic reasons."

Poor Mahmoud, the Iranians won't want him if he's a Jew and the Jews would probably not offer him a place of refuge, what with that whole "wipe Israel off the map" rhetoric.

I would say this is a sign that Ahmadinejad is probably not long for the leadership position.

Pic borrowed from Naked Loon who proves that the line between fact and satire is thin indeed.

Greedy US Airways Passsengers Look to Cash In

A few weeks ago, when Capt. Sullenberger heroically guided a stricken airliner into the Hudson River with no deaths, the natural reaction by everyone was to be relieved. For those on the flight, that relief must have been enormous.

Now, removed from the drama a bit, some passengers are looking to cash in:

Many US Airways (LCC) passengers who endured a crash landing in the Hudson River 12 days ago say they appreciate the $5,000 that the airline has offered — but some say it's not enough.

Joe Hart, a salesman from Charlotte who suffered a bloody nose and bruises, says he "would like to be made whole for the incident."

What the hell does that mean, "made whole"? The dude broke his nose and suffered a contusion or two. Your nose healed, the bruises faded so now you are whole, end of story.

"We're grateful everyone survived, and the captain on the plane was so marvelous," says Gail Dunham, the group's executive director. "But passengers lost luggage, briefcases, cellphones, BlackBerrys and business documents, and went through a terrific ordeal."

Sure, they lost a few belongings, but nothing exceeding $5,000 I'd suspect. More importantly, they still have their lives. Just as in a house fire, you may lose pictures and belongings but if you're alive, it a net positive.

Still, two idiot passengers are whining like pussies because they say they had more than $5,000 worth of belongings on the plane--yet admit that US Airways has treated them very well. If you had more than $5,000 worth of equipment while flying, you're an idiot.

This litigious BS is the sole reason we are in trouble with health care costs, consumer goods price increases and it affects every facet of daily life. US Airways properly trained the pilot, offered recompense in excess of that required and ensured that everyone made it to their destination. The accident was caused by a flock of birds that the government will not allow the airlines to properly deal with and was not their fault. In short, US Airways is not to blame and these two morons should be told to go pound sand and given only the required $3,300 instead of the generous $5,000.

Some people have their priorities straight, however:

Amber Wells of Charlotte says she's so thankful to have survived and to be with her 9-month-old daughter, Rayley, that she hasn't had time to think about her belongings.

She says she lost $2,000 of nursing equipment and a laptop computer, as well as a checked bag and a carry-on bag.

"Everything that's gone can be replaced," says Wells, 34, a senior manager for NASCAR. "My life cannot be replaced."

Amen Ms. Well, Amen.

Tuesday Evening Notes and News

Expecting about two to four of the old global warming tonight. Those in the Northeast, praise Al Gore while shoveling.

Here's what's new:

True Obama support. Read it as it should be required for every American kinda like we are being damn near forced to worship Obama.

When Democrats are laughing at Arlen Specter, it may be time for him to either rethink his allegiances or hang it up.

Democrats keep raising Rush's ratings.

One good thing about having Obama in office: he can't be accused of being racist for forcing out Mugabe. If he succeeds, they'll erect statues in Zimbabwe.

Mexico is sliding into a drug hell and it's going to make things here a nightmare.

The "Stimulus" That Won't Stimulate a Damn Thing

As someone who works closely with construction firms--some would argue the backbone of the economy--are banking everything on the stimulus package. They were promised infrastructure upgrades worth hundreds of billions and in some cases are barely hanging in there hoping against hope that it goes through. Ask anyone in construction or anyone who supplies those firm with brick, block, asphalt, concrete or wood about how business is going and you'll hear one refrain: "I can't wait until the stimulus goes through."

Well, it appears their hope has been dramatically misplaced and may be for naught:

House Republican Leader John Boehner issued a statement over the weekend noting that the stimulus bill wending its way through Congress provides $4.19 billion for "neighborhood stabilization activities."

He said the money was previously limited to state and local governments, but that Democrats now want part of it to be available to non-profit entities. That means groups like ACORN would be eligible for a portion of the funds.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La., told FOX News Tuesday that the money could be seen as "payoff" for groups' political activities in the last election. ACORN generally supports Democratic candidates and actively backed President Obama last year.

$4.19 billion would pay for a lot of roads and dozens of schools. Just as an example, I was recently working on a $32-million dollar combination middle/grammar school for ages pre-K through 8th. That project is employing 9 different construction trades encompassing about 70-90 workers making good, union wages. Add to that engineers and management and you're looking at another 10 people making upper-middle class wages. Now add to that the people who are ancillary site workers--surveyors, cleaning people, street sweepers, etc. Now add to that the service suppliers like the port-a-potty guy, the roach coach guy, the office cleaners, etc. Now add to that the suppliers who supply windows, doors, steel, roofing materials, mortar mix, fuel and a million other things. Add it up and you have 120-150 people directly associated with the job with double that still to work after this phase is completed including floor guys, finish electricians, HVAC guys, painters, sprinkler guys, etc. All those jobs on a job contracted at $32-million.

That $4.19 billion could be used to build 131 similar-sized schools or about 2.6 per state. Instead it's going to pay off liberal activist groups including ACORN who allegedly committed enormous voter fraud in favor of the Dems.

Dems want a stabilized neighborhood? Build quality schools where kids get an education in a safe environment and we'll see returns a thousand times greater than could be accomplished by an army of community organizers or neighborhood stabilizers. Hell, the teachers already vote for them and will vote in larger numbers if they have new, clean buildings to work in.

Pelosi wanted $200-million for birth control (which Obama gave her the finger on) while Murtha is waiting to roll in the money like the fat fucking pig he is and meanwhile, you have construction company owners maxed out or unable to get credit hoping beyond hope that the stimulus will get passed and the money will start to flow to the original beneficiaries--the states for infrastructure work.

I was a huge proponent of letting AIG, the banks and the auto companies wither and die. If they couldn't hack it, it wasn't up to us to bail their asses out. Not so for construction because once the construction industry starts to die, we'll have a loss of small business employment that will make the large company layoffs look like a joke. They are dangerously close to that precipice as we speak and the pork going to ridiculous recipients will ensure they go right over the edge for good.
Exit question: How exactly would $50-million for the National Endowment for the Arts stimulate anything beside some psychotic "artist" who gets off on pix of Christ in Urine or pictures of actual shit?

Tim Blair catches this:

“We wanted to make sure arts were not left out of the recovery,” said Robert L. Lynch, president of Americans for the Arts, a national lobbying group. “The artist’s paycheck is every bit as important as the steelworker’s paycheck or the autoworker’s paycheck.”

Let's see, without steel workers receiving paychecks, essentially nothing gets built. Now take away artists paychecks and...well, you'd have a bunch of useless slackers with liberal arts degrees paid for by their parents living off the government dole, so effectively, nothing will change from when the economy was good.

Helping Editorial Cartoonist's Find Something Funny About Obama

Consider it a public service and a help to my friends in the dead-tree, dying media who, gosh darnit, just can't find anything funny to draw about Obama.

Here's the gist:

After poking fun at George W. Bush for eight years — often drawing him with big ears and a severe overbite, or as a gung-ho Joe College type, or simply as a clueless doofus — political cartoonists are finding Barack Obama a more elusive target.

Bush's emotive facial expressions, easy-to-caricature physical features and, most of, all his deeply unpopular political decisions were fodder for liberal-leaning cartoonists. But the cool and detached Obama enters the White House at a time of considerable economic anxiety, bolstered by wishes of goodwill even from some political opponents.

"I had all my villains in place for eight years and they've been taken away," lamented Pulitzer Prize winner Pat Oliphant, one of the most widely syndicated cartoonists. "I don't know that I've ever had this experience before, of a president I maybe like. This is an antagonistic art. We're supposed to concentrate on finding things wrong. There's no point in drawing a cartoon that's favorable."

Oh Pat, don't kid yourself, you found Condi an easy target and didn't even give a damn you were being racist:

Now if Oliphant can conjure up that cartoon of an admirable former provost at Stanford who was the first African-American National Security Advisor and SecState, he sure as hell can come up with something about Obama.

Let's see what he can draw...how about we start with the dudes ears. He's got ears that would make Baby New Year laugh. Take a good look at these wind-catchers:


I mean come on, the guy can hear Nancy Pelosi's face cracking from Nepal with those otic receptacles.

Plus he smokes so that should make it easy. I imagine if Bush smoked, he'd have had a burner in every one of your smirking chimp cartoons.

Perhaps you can call Tony Auth, he can find a way to portray the Jews in a light that shows them as perpetrators of a new Holocaust, I'm sure he can give you some material to use drawing Obama, although he generally only deals in anti-Bush and anti-Semitic motifs. Plus, you can always go after Henry Waxman, if there's anybody who is right out of central casting for an editorial cartoonist, it's him:

So consider this a public service, Pat. You are part of a dying industry that just died a little more thanks to you.

Monday Night News and Notes

Awaiting the latest episode of 24 where Jack hasn't tortured anyone yet but has shot quite a few people..

Here's some links from around the web:

Obama bluff is called by Boy Assad and he's got a six high. Arab despots must be lining up to meet Obama.

The Gore Effect in all its glory. Drudge is having fun goofing on Al Gore. The Gore Effect explained at Cold Fury who linked to me yesterday. Thanks guys. Also the Gore Effect was coined by Tim Blair who linked the other day as well, thanks Tim.

The Anchoress also linked and I thank her.

Hillary shows that Clinton class we've all grown to know. Remember they said all Bill's victims were "trailer park trash"?

He may a communist, dictatorial, meddling idiot who has essentially codified anti-semitism but he's "warmed to Obama" so he must be a good guy.

I'm glad to see the world is all about Obamamania: US embassy in Yemen attacked.

My buddy Terri notes an interesting juxtaposition. Excellent post and I'm still waiting for those vacation pix (last item) from Australia. Don't be shy, now.

Cuba, Korea and Iran Warm up to Obama

Two thirds of the Axis of Evil seem to like the new man we have in the White House:

In his inaugural address, President Obama signaled conciliation to America's foes by promising an outstretched hand if they unclench their fists.
Already, there are signs that some of those foes were listening, sensing an opening for improved relations after eight combative years with George W. Bush as president. Fidel Castro is said to like the new U.S. leader, and North Korea and Iran sounded open to new ideas to defuse nuclear tensions.

Unclear is what they will demand in return from Obama, and whether they will agree to the compromises that the United States is likely to require in exchange for warmer relations.

Are the Castro brothers really willing to move toward democracy? Can Russia and the West heal their widening estrangement? Will Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez stop being a thorn in America's side?

Oh, I bet every nation in the world that wishes us harm is very willing to talk with us, some without preconditions or so Obama said. Ahmadinejad, Castro and Kim Jung Il are probably busy putting out the red carpet for Hillary as we speak.

Kudos to the Inqy for following suit and buying into the Obama hype, they've chose to run the latest AP piece that's so over the top in support of Obama as to be nauseating to anyone that has a shred of pride left in the newspaper industry.

North Korea continued building nukes even though they "befriended" Clinton, Carter and Madeline Aldull. Hugo Chavez abhors the US and has been sowing discord throughout South America countering our aims and Iran has been building centrifuges and looks to become friends so they can continue to do so without having to worrying about us prying.

Friends? I leave you with one picture of their ideas of friendship:

Boehner: Send Gitmo Detainees to Alcatraz

The GOP is so much more entertaining as a minority party:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday shrugged off Republican suggestions that the federal government reopen Alcatraz prison in her San Francisco district to house detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

President Obama this week signed an executive order calling for the closure of the prison at Guantanamo within the year. Republican Rep. Bill Young then suggested to White House counsel Greg Craig that the prisoners who could not be released back to their home countries or sent to a third country be put up in "the Rock," the famous military installation and prison that closed down in 1963 and is now part of the National Park Service.

Asked whether that was a serious proposal, Pelosi said, "It is -- no."

"Perhaps he's not visited Alcatraz," Pelosi said of Young while displaying little sense of humor. "Alcatraz is a tourist attraction. It's a prison that is now sort of like a -- it's a national park."

..."If liberals believe they ought to go, maybe we ought to open Alcatraz," Boehner, R-Ohio, told NBC "Meet the Press." Being reminded that Alcatraz is a national park, Boehner responded, "It's very secure."

Call it a stimulus plan if you will. San Francisco construction workers would be needed to refurbish the place and would welcome the work I'm sure. Does Speaker Pelosi not care about those out of work people in the Bay Area who would benefit from a re-opened Alcatraz. She must be heartless.

I hope to find video of Pelosi's face when approached with that question. Well, with all the work she's had done, you probably couldn't see the change of expression anyway.

I'm feeling this: we can "rehabilitate" guys like Ramzi Binalshibh and when they are ready to resume life on the outside, we ferry them to Frisco, give them a few bucks and wish them good luck.

We may not have the power to win votes but we sure as hell can yank their chains for a few years.

Rangel Probe About What You'd Expect

That is, it's not a probe at all:

Nobody's home at the House ethics committee that's supposed to be investigating Rep. Charles Rangel.

The panel created on Sept. 24 to probe the Harlem Democrat's alleged ethical lapses has been virtually disbanded, after meeting only twice in four months on the matter, The Post has learned.

Of the four congressmen named to look into the powerful Ways and Means Committee chairman, only one remains - Alabama Republican Jo Bonner. The three others left the Rangel probe last month when they were "rotated" off the 10-member Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.

Hey, who can blame Rangel? The President is pushing for a tax cheat to become Treasury Secretary--the head of the IRS--and is pushing for another man to become AG who had some super shady dealings under the Clinton administration and was instrumental in pardoning terrorists.

Rangel just bided his time and knew that he had to blow off a few questions here and there and come about February, he'll be in the clear.

Hope and change my friends, hope and change.

The Obama Plan on Gitmo: Blame Bush

Obama promised to close Gitmo as soon as he took office. Once he realized the extent to which the inmates were involved with terror organizations, he realized that it wouldn't be feasible--especially since many turn up back with terror group upon release.

So what to do? He couldn't sell out his base and he couldn't not take some action. So he decided to leak a story about how the files were in "disarray" and it would take some doing to pull everything together, thus buying time and breathing space. In other words; blame Bush. The WaPo dutifully took up the meme and this morning published the following:

President Obama's plans to expeditiously determine the fates of about 245 terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and quickly close the military prison there were set back last week when incoming legal and national security officials -- barred until the inauguration from examining classified material on the detainees -- discovered that there were no comprehensive case files on many of them.

Instead, they found that information on individual prisoners is "scattered throughout the executive branch," a senior administration official said. The executive order Obama signed Thursday orders the prison closed within one year, and a Cabinet-level panel named to review each case separately will have to spend its initial weeks and perhaps months scouring the corners of the federal government in search of relevant material.

Easy enough with a compliant media; just find several "Bush administration officials" who may want to remain in Washington to agree and voila, you have an excuse for Obama not taking immediate action.

Note they included that some officials dispute that but most people read the headline and the lede and that's that.

The Blame Bush scenario will most-likely play out for at least six-months but probably more like a year or more. It's an easy way for a man who has never taken a stand to blame his predecessor who always made a decision and stuck by it. Plus, Obama knows damn well that Bush will not be like Clinton or Carter who broke the presidential tradition of not criticizing their successors or subsequent presidents.

It's a brilliant strategy even if it is underhanded, cowardly and shameless. Truman said the "buck stops here" while the new Obama credo is "blame Bush for all the bad". About what most of us on the right expected.

Jules Crittenden has more.

Saturday Afternoon News and Notes

How's everybody doing? here's what's going on:

The NY Post is having too much fun reporting on the NY Times credit rating getting slashed to junk status.

Obama's Little Red Book? Remind you of anything? Alright, these people are just plain creepy right about now.

Liz Sidoti gives Obama a "Lewinsky". These people are shameless.

Things you didn't know you didn't know.

Huh, more misleading data on global warming. They must really be desperate.

The Law of Unintended Consequences: For years liberals have tried to get us to stop driving so much, conserve gas and drive more fuel-efficient vehicles. Surprise, now that we've done so, they need to make the money up somewhere.

Why Do the Democrats Hate Women?

It's a weird phenomenon of late but the Democrats have become downright misogynistic. Every woman who is runing for office or nominated instantly comes under major scrutiny and general scorn.

At first I thought they were just hypocrites because they attacked only Republicans like Condi Rice, Katherine Harris and any other woman who threatened their ideology or power.

But then I watched what they did to Hillary Clinton. Hillary was the can't-miss candidate and they backed her unquestionably. Partly because she still carried enough clout to neuter them politically but also because she was their ticket to power that had been lost. Remember, it was a little over a year ago that the entire party was fawning over her.

Enter Barack Obama. As soon as it became clear that BHO had any shot at winning the nomination, they dumped Hillary like a blind date who revealed she had herpes. Not only did they drop her, they belittled her and even went so far as playing the race card.

I won't even go into the sexism they displayed with Sarah Palin as that's been well documented.

Now we see how they treated Caroline Kennedy. Granted, she would have been a horrible selection but the way they eviscerated her was even worse than what Republicans could have dreamed of.

That brings us to the woman who was selected by Gov. David Paterson--Kirsten Gillibrand. As soon as Gillibrand was announced, they pounced on her like a kitten on a ball of yarn. Here's a taste:

“Nobody really likes her,” sniped one New York City-area member, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“She's smart and capable, but she's rubbed people the wrong the way,” said another.

That's not just political, that's personal. They hate her, her politics and everything else about her. But mostly, they hate her because she's a woman.

Ask yourself; why would they be so against an attractive, capable legislator? I asked myself that when Palin was running but I digress.

I ask again, why does the Democrat Party hate women?

Quote of the Day

So much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot.

George Orwell

Predator Strikes Under Obama Much Like Ones Under Bush

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Obama ordered a predator strike to go forward in Pakistan:

Two missile attacks launched from remotely piloted American aircraft killed at least 15 people in western Pakistan on Friday. The strikes suggested that the use of drones to kill militants within Pakistan’s borders would continue under President Obama.

Remotely piloted Predator drones operated by the Central Intelligence Agency have carried out more than 30 missile attacks since last summer against members of Al Qaeda and other terrorism suspects deep in their redoubts on the Pakistani side of the border with Afghanistan.

But some of the attacks have also killed civilians, enraging Pakistanis and making it harder for the country’s shaky government to win support for its own military operations against Taliban guerrillas in the country’s lawless border region.

...In the second attack, missiles struck a house near the village of Wana in South Waziristan, killing seven people, according to local accounts and Pakistani news reports. The reports said three of the dead were children.

But wait, it killed children--what Rethuglicans and Wingnuts call "collateral damage". The anti-warriors must be horrified and screaming about this egregious use of force against civilians, right?

Let's see.

First, we have this quote from Code Pink about the murder of innocents who has vowed to keep an eye on Obama:

...

Ok, what about International A.N.S.W.E.R? They must be appalled and had this to say:

...

What about Not In Our Name? They hate war. Oops, their website is gone inactive.

Hmmm...OK, you know that Iraq Veterans Against the War had something to say about the murderous attack by the Obama administration:

...

Er, what about Veterans for Peace, they have a nice Yes We Can! pic on their front page but they say nothing.

Alright, someone has to have actually stuck by their convictions and is calling out the new President for doing exactly what George Bush did.

United for Peace and Justice, the Campus Anti-War Network website is off back up but says nothing and no other groups thought it important enough to even post anything about the deaths of children at the hands of the military industrial complex.

I had one last option to find someone, anyone from the anti-warrior side who was not a complete hypocrite and would actually come out and challenge the new President. It should be easier now that they don't have to worry about the secret surveillance, secret detention centers and oppressive policies of the Bush administration anymore. I googled Medea Benjamin--founder of Code Pink--in Google News and found...nothing. She found more than enough time to post every single atrocity allegedly committed by Israel (truth was not a paramount concern in the postings either) against the Gazans but just could not find time to criticize The One.

So what can we surmise from this little investigation? How about the left-wing of this country is populated with hypocritical ideologues who not only hated Bush but had a severe dislike for America. Now that they have a leader who they feel a kinship with, well, it's all good.

Update: I also failed to mention that the new Obama administration is acting with more secrecy than Bush ever did with regard to military matters:

It's one of the first military actions of the Obama administration, but press secretary Robert Gibbs wouldn't say a word about it at today's briefing.

Reports indicate that a U.S. Predator drone fired three missiles in Pakistan, near the border with Afghanistan. When the subject came up, Gibbs said, "As you know, I'm not going to comment on those matters."

He moved quickly on to the second part of the reporter's question, prompting some laughter, but then serious questions from the room: would he really not comment on any military action ever?

"I'm not going to speak about these matters today," Gibbs clarified.

Gibbs is going to make the idiotic Scott McClelland look like a genius.

Update: It seems that the ascension of Obama has had an immediate effect on our standing in the world. Can we get them to hate us more? YES WE CAN!

Update: Awesome. Via Free Republic:


Update: Glenn Reynolds linked. Thanks and please see also this post on Rush, Obama and the Fairness Doctrine.

Note: Changes made as two sites that were not working this morning are working now but have no comments about Obama.

Heavyweight Title Fight: Obama vs. Limbaugh

The odds-makers put it at even with Obama holding a trump card--he can re-implement the Fairness Doctrine pretty much at will:

President Obama warned Republicans on Capitol Hill today that they need to quit listening to radio king Rush Limbaugh if they want to get along with Democrats and the new administration.

"You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done," he told top GOP leaders, whom he had invited to the White House to discuss his nearly $1 trillion stimulus package.

One White House official confirmed the comment but said he was simply trying to make a larger point about bipartisan efforts.

No, what that White House official was actually saying is that with all the problems we face, it's a bit un-presidential for a new chief executive to be calling out an entertainer--essentially what Limbaugh is. Imagine the back-lash on the Democrat side if President Bush had gone after Alec Baldwin, Randy Rhoads or Al Franken. It;s beneath a real president to do that.

Limbaugh is playing a political and PR game here and the supposedly brilliant Obama bit hook, line and sinker. Well played by Rush methinks.

Obama does have the Fairness Doctrine as a threat and it's not quite gotten any traction as yet, but that could change and to implement that now would make Obama look vindictive and petty--traits I think he possesses (see the rest of the linked piece where he commented "I won") but he would be providing Rush, Hannity, Levin and Ingraham loads of ammo and increase their rating to unforeseen levels.

Rush has a loyal listener base--more than Obama can count on paying attention to him daily--and that base is active and vocal. I think this was a bad move for Obama and will come back on him.

The best part about this is that Obama's minions are falling into this. They are power-hungry and think we are punch-drunk and on the ropes. What they don't quite understand is that we've accepted the loss and didn't curl into a ball like pussies and cry or go see a therapist because of some inane, made-up psychotic condition (labeled PEST) like they did in 2004 ( a condition for which we mocked them incessantly). We're ready to battle and as the left saw over the last eight-years, the minority power tends to have the troops who are most mobilized and avid about the cause while the incumbent tends to get lazy and complacent.

For the record, the next candidate won't be a RINO but a true Reagan Conservative.

Global Warming Places Last on Priorities List

I mentioned yesterday that more people now think global warming is naturally occurring and not man-made as has been pushed by the global warming lobby. I also mentioned that Al Gore was "losing hearts and minds" when it came to the global warming issue. It seems I was a little too reserved in my assessment:

That's amazing to say the least. The global warming swindle perpetrated by those who were looking to cash in has been a monumetal bust. One can easily see why the economy and jobs would rank at the very top but I find it interesting that terrorism is third considering we have not been hit and the media downplayed it significantly during the election.

Only 3 out of every 10 people now rank global warming as a priority and that's simply because people are getting the facts and seeing through the cheap facade constructed by those who subscribe to the theory.

Think about what a catastrophic result this is for Al Gorites; immigration, lobbyists and "moral decline" all placed well ahead of global warming. I'm guessing that global warminests overplayed their hands by predicting rising oceans, melting ice, balmy temperatures in places like Minnesota and all around calamity. In other words, they played the scare card and it backfired dramatically. All it takes is for people to step outside and feel the sub-zero temps or slip on the ice to know it's a bunch of bullshit.

Exit question: Would this be vindication for those of who signed The List?

Name That Party! Oregon Mayor in Sex Scandal

Welcome to our latest edition of Name That Party!

It's fairly easy to play; I'll give you a scandal and you tell me if the culprit is a Democrat or Republican:

Portland Mayor Sam Adams remained out of the public eye as City Hall work went on without him Thursday, but he said Portlanders should expect a decision "within days" about whether he'll resign or fight for his job.

He spent the day on "discussions of a personal nature" with people such as his pastor and his mentor, former Mayor Vera Katz.

...Adams, 45, said Monday he had a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old legislative intern in 2005 but lied about it and persuaded the young man to lie about it, too, in 2007 as he began his campaign for mayor.

Read the whole article and see if they tell you what party the man belongs to. Shocka, he's a Democrat.

Jack Ryan was a Republican and was eviscerated for propositioning his own wife, Larry Craig was arrested for tapping his foot and every other Republican that gets arrested has the "R" thrown next to their names in the headline. Not so with Democrats.

Here's a guy who may have had a sexual relationship with a minor (but definitely had a sexual relationship with an intern) and they don't even disclose his party affiliation.

I find it funny that the only time liberals seek advice from their "pastor" is when they are in trouble.

Gov. Paterson Picks Conservative Dem For Hill Seat

Giving the finger to the liberals in New York City, Gov. David Paterson opted for another candidate who will surely piss them off:

ALBANY - Gov. Paterson, defying the liberal wing of his Democratic Party, has chosen little-known, NRA-backed, upstate Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as New York's junior senator, it was learned last night.

The surprising - and, for many Democrats shocking - decision to pick the conservative Gillibrand, 42, from Hudson in Columbia County, was disclosed by the governor in calls to party officials and some members of the state's congressional delegation, many of whom said they were unhappy with the selection, sources said.

Excellent; a Kennedy was shut out because of tax issues, a Cuomo was rebuffed and now we have a Blue Dog from New York. Who'd a thunk it?

Upstate New Yorkers are essentially liberal Republicans in many other places as shown by Gillibrand's stance on big liberal social issues:

Liberal Democrats have been wary of her because she ran for re-election with the backing of the National Rifle Association, opposed the federal TARP program to rescue banks, and has been less than enthusiastic about gay marriage.

Awesome, a political meltdown in NY. Nothing makes me happier than two Dem strongholds--Chicago and NY--fighting amongst themselves.

Released Gitmo Detainee Becomes Yemen al-Qaeda Leader

Under pressure to release Gitmo detainees, President Bush released a big one and it's come back and bite us in the ass:

The emergence of a former Guantánamo Bay detainee as the deputy leader of Al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch has underscored the potential complications in carrying out the executive order President Obama signed Thursday that the detention center be shut down within a year.

The militant, Said Ali al-Shihri, is suspected of involvement in a deadly bombing of the United States Embassy in Yemen’s capital, Sana, in September. He was released to Saudi Arabia in 2007 and passed through a Saudi rehabilitation program for former jihadists before resurfacing with Al Qaeda in Yemen.

His status was announced in an Internet statement by the militant group and was confirmed by an American counterterrorism official.

Nice, it appears that Saudi rehab program worked just fine. I'd imagine it went something like this:

Saudi Rep: Ali, the rabid dogs in the US have released you to us. We will alllow you to go free so long as you perform your terror acts against them and not the kingdom. Do you agree?

Ali al-Shihri: Yes, I agree. Just attack the Great Satan and Zionist pigs but not any Saudi interests.

Saudi Rep: Good, here' $1-million to get you rehabilitated in Aden.

The NY Times is carrying Obama's water on this because they know full-well that he can't just close Gitmo and send the detainees to all corners of the Earth. It sounded like a good idea back last January in Iowa but now , this January in DC, not so much. The Times knows this and gave him an out. All liberals read the Times and all Liberals still believe what the Times says so they do a story on this guy who was released by Bush, they get to slam the former president and let the world know that Obama is trying to keep his word (through some murky plan) but it could be a problem so give The One some time. They're giving him cover.

Suppose Obama closes Gitmo and one of the detainees he releases comes back to attack America, he'll be destroyed politically and the Times knows that so they run this story and make sure everyone knows that it was a Bush release who is back on the battlefield.

More here, here, here and here where some misguided lefty thinks the Times is in cahoots with the military.

Marking the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Anti-abortion folks are taking to the streets in DC protesting the continued legality of abortion in all fifty states. Here's a run-down of what's happening:

-Rep. Mike Pence has introduced a bill to end funding for Big Abortion that is practiced by Planned Parenthood.

-Pro-life advocates take to the same streets Obama supporters did two days ago.

-Abortion and the rights of the father. Short summary, he has none.

-Some idiot slammed his SUV into a Planned Parenthood in Minneapolis.

Courtney at Feministing writes:

On the 36th Anniversary of Roe, there is really no way to articulate all the gratitude that women feel across this nation. It seems most appropriate to try to thank the unseen, the folks who day in, day out, do what must be done to ensure that women are able to make the best choices about their own reproductive health.

She's writing to thank those who make it possible to kill babies (and no, they aren't clumps of tissue) in glowing terms as if she's describing folks who work with the homeless or feed those who can't feed themselves. I generally have no dog in this fight but this is truly disgusting. I wonder if Courtney would ever write something akin to this:

On the 36th 6th Anniversary of Roe the Iraq War, there is really no way to articulate all the gratitude that women (and Men) feel across this nation. It seems most appropriate to try to thank the unseen (soldiers), the folks who day in, day out, do what must be done to ensure that women Americans are able to make the best choices about their own reproductive health live in freedom.

But no, that would never happen because those who areon the front lines fighting for the rights to kill a fetus are more important in the whole scheme of things then those who are on the front lines of freedom and saving untold millions from death or rape by despotic dictators.

I also find it interesting that she used a picture featuring all African-American women when Margaret Sanger--the founder of Planned Parenthood--was an avowed racist who pushed birth control to stop blacks and immigrants from having children.

Don't believe me? Here's Sanger in her own words:

Iowahawk--The Idiossey

A must-read by the most creative writer around.

The Changing Global Warming Battle

It seems that Al Gore is losing hearts and minds when it comes to perpetuating the global warming swindle:

Forty-four percent (44%) of U.S. voters now say long-term planetary trends are the cause of global warming, compared to 41% who blame it on human activity.

Seven percent (7%) attribute global warming to some other reason, and nine percent (9%) are unsure in a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

The consensus has been trending that way and now people are finally getting their info from sources other than the MSM. Temperatures have been trending down for a decade and, as I posted earlier, the ocean temperatures have gone down as well. Granted, it's winter and a brutal one at that and the results may reverse when it's 95 in August but I think us sceptics are finally getting through the flack thrown in our way by those making who've created an industry around the issue.

There's still a lot of work to do as people still believe that global warming is occurring, at least the bulk of people are now blaming someone other than industry and autos for it.

I still am a believer in the fact that we need to increase fuel economy and seek out alternative means of producing electricity and fueling vehicles because of our foreign dependence on fossil fuels--a condition that will lead to further entanglements. Yet we also need to increase domestic production of natural gas, crude and push for a new generation of nuclear production.

Perhaps now we can stop seeing Al Gore's hideous mug all over the place.

These are baby steps but steps in the right direction all the same.

Via AmSpec which has this must-read on the issue.

Thursday Morning News and Notes

It's cold but pitchers and catchers report in 23 days so life is starting to look better.

Here's the news of the day:

Welcome to Washington, Obamatons.

Shocker! The oceans of the world have been cooling according to NASA.

I don't know what's funnier; the fact that Jacques Chirac has a poodle, that he was mauled by it or that it was considered "clinically depressed". Dude, I have an Akita that weighs a buck ten but a poodle?

Obama blows off Medal of Honor winners at ball.

A Conservative icon passes.