Go Navy!

The newest US Navy recruiting poster:

Did Obama Give away Texas Without Us Knowing?

According to the gaffe-inclined State Dept. they did:

Secretary Clinton is already the most traveled Secretary of State in a new Administration. The Secretary’s trips have included her inaugural trip to Asia, the Middle East and Europe, Mexico and across the border to Texas, the Hague in the Netherlands, Europe with President Obama, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago with President Obama, and to Iraq and Kuwait.

Now I know The One has been on a ceaseless blame America first, mea culpa tour of the world telling any world leading he could find that he was sorry for the deeds us evil Americans have perpetrated upon them but did he appease Mexico by giving Texas back?

I'm sure his supporters of La Raza will be very happy as they thought it would require a fight to reclaim land they believe was stolen.

I'm sure the Texans will be shocked (and possibly pleased) by this news but they've been arming themselves of late and are probably itching for a battle. Plus, they can now drill wherever the hell they want to and reduce taxes as a sovereign nation. A win-win for them I guess.

How the hell have we gone from a professional State Dept. led by a competent former Provost at Stanford to an agency lead by a bumbling former Senator that can't get even the smallest detail right?

Thursday Morning News & Notes

Here's what's news:

-The ups and downs of counter terrorism through the years. It's at a definite nadir right now thanks to the systematic neutering of our intel gathering and the release of the "torture" memos.

-Arlen Specter will soon find out that nobody likes a traitor. I just read that even though Benedict Arnold was given a Brigadier General post, he was never trusted fully by the Brits because anyone who would sell out his own was just too unreliable. Arnold was promoted ahead of others and it had the effect of making him an outcast. I hope Specter suffers the same fate and is tagged with the same legacy. Instead of a "Quisling", perhaps we should call anyone who betrays their own a "Specter".

-Joe Biden says exactly the wrong thing again; tells public to stay off of subways and trains in light of the swine flu. That's it Joe, calm the nation in a time of crisis. What a friggin' buffoon, he makes Dan Quayle seem downright cerebral and Al Gore seem as intelligent as Einstein.

-People rag mag includes Rahm Emanuel and Tim Geithner among its "most beautiful". Perhaps they are a bit confused as to what beautiful actually means.

-Curtailing our rights at every opportunity. The Obama administration at its finest.

-Doing that old global warming two-step again.

The Voting Rights Act 45-Years Later

Yes, as has been pointed out in myriad studies and has been used by liberals for decades, we did have a serious race issue in the southern US in the early 1960's. Yes, we did need legislation to ensure that African-Americans were allowed to vote without interference and no, it was not passed because of men like Al Gore. Sr, Robert Byrd and other Dixiecrats but in spite of them. If not for the GOP, LBJ's legislation would have gone down to ignominious defeat.

That said, should the South continue to pay for the sins of the past?

The Southern states (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas, as well as Alaska and Arizona) remain fully under the thumb of the federal government, and must get permission before making any change--no matter how minor--in voting procedures. Complying with the federal law cost those states and a handful of counties and municipalities across the country $1 billion in the past decade, one court filing estimates.

Today's arguments in the Supreme Court were incredibly compelling, and they got straight at this question, as raised by Chief Justice Roberts, to a lawyer defending the Act:

"Is it your position today that Southerners,” Roberts asked, “are more likely to discriminate than Northerners?"

The short answer to Chief Justice Robert's query is no.

Anyone who travels as extensively as I can tell you that the view of the South held by anyone from the North is stunted and remains in a pre-1965 mindset. People in the Northeast--especially liberals--believe that Bull Connor is still turning hoses on helpless blacks while southern governors are giving JFK the finger. They don't only think that white southerners are racist, they know they are.

To them I say, look around you. Then take a trip to Atlanta, Houston, Charlotte, Mobile, Knoxville or Memphis and tell me they are more racist than Boston, Newark, Philly, New York, Washington, DC or Baltimore. You can't because it's not true.

In the South, whites and blacks live together in the same communities and their kids attend the same schools. They respect each other for the most part and consider themselves Georgians, Alabamans, Texans or Tennesseans. You can't say that about us up here on the eastern seaboard.

In the aforementioned northern cities, we have a segregation that is nearly as insidious as that which was imposed in the South in the forties and fifties. It's a self-imposed segregation whereby blacks live in run-down cities like Newark, NJ or Camden, NJ and whites live in Chatham, NJ or Villanova, PA. These are a completely different culture and one in which the races mix only when absolutely required. Go to Atlanta and you'll see blacks and whites in equal numbers at a restaurant but where do you see the same thing up north?

Northern liberals have deluded themselves into thinking they are better than their southern brethren but they are the leading practitioners of this neo-racism. They flock to enclaves of whiteness like SoHo and Society Hill where you see no blacks living at all. They know exactly what neighborhoods not to go into because they are "dangerous" (read: black). They talk of equal rights but don't live it. They scoff at southerners who say "sir" and "maam" and label them rednecks but tend to have infinitely more racist tendencies.

I agree with Obama and his media sycophants, let's have a frank discussion on race. It will be shut down once those who consider themselves non-racists are forced to see the facts as they truly are.

Obama on TV...Again

Have we ever had a president who is so much like a three year old with his "look at me" attitude and constant search for acceptance? The "photo op" over Ground Zero (what many who think of 9/11 as an act of war and not a tragedy were appalled by) is just another symptom of his solipsism. This guy makes Chuck Shumer look like a wallflower with all his primetime press conferences.

Anyway, no I didn't watch. I had more pressing things like my sons baseball game and the Phillies game to watch.

Apparently some sicophantic scrub reporter asked about Obama's most "enchanted" moment and no one asked him who exactly was on Air Force One when they scared the shit of of Lower Manhattan and the Gold Coast of Jersey. He continued to whine that this economy is not his even though he has led it completely over the cliff based on yesterdays GDP numbers and he had no good answers about Gitmo, Afghanistan or how exactly we are going to get out of the mess and malaise we are currently in.

In other words, he wasted the networks time and yours if you watched.

The line of the night comes from Goldfarb:

Perhaps Obama ought to try and think of waterboarding like he thinks of abortion -- as something that ought to be kept safe, legal, and rare. A last resort when all else fails.

Full transcript here. Perhaps video later or perhaps not.

Female Turkish Suicide Bomber Suffers Work-Related Injury

You know sometimes you get up for work and you just know it's going to be a shitty day. The toast burns, you hit traffic, you get a flat or the damn explosives you strapped to yourself in an attempt to kill a former Turkish leader fail to detonate fully leaving you injured but alive and facing life in a Turkish prison. I hate days like that:

This woman believed she was going to die today.

But instead she survived, a failed suicide bomber who managed to harm no one but herself.

Paramedics rushed the woman away today after she tried to blow herself up at a university in Turkey.

Disguised as a student, she detonated her bomb at the Ankara university as a former justice minister visited.

The blast occurred just a metre from where former minister Hikmet Sami Turk was standing.
But something went wrong, and the blast did not kill either the woman or Turk.
Instead she was detained and two separate explosives with fuses were found on her.

Turk was hated by left-wing organisations for his policies when he was in office. Turk also said he had received death threats.

So what do female suicide bombers get in Paradise anyway? I guess if she was a virgin, she could have been Adam Gadahn's or Osama bin-Laden's plaything. Instead she's going to jail or maybe worse.

Economic Tailspin Continues: GDP Shrinks 6.3%

I'm looking for reasons to hope. They're not immediately evident but there are some. Mostly, it's just horrible news piled on top of really bad news:

The U.S. economy contracted at a steeper-than-expected pace in the first quarter, weighed down by sharp declines in exports and business inventories, according government data on Wednesday that showed the economy was still deep in recession.

Gross domestic product, which measures total goods and services output within U.S. borders, dropped at a 6.1 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said, after shrinking 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter.

CNBC tries to make it sound somewhat heartening but it's a hard sell. This is very troubling:

Investment by businesses tumbled a record 37.9 percent in the first quarter, while residential investment dived 38 percent, the biggest decline since the second quarter of 1980.

The residential number is bothersome but expected. The business investment number is the really scary element. Until businesses decide the paradigm is changing, they will horde cash, not invest in upgrades and capital improvements, not hire and not take on new vendors. The cycle will just continue.

Granted, the fact that consumer spending increased is a good thing but is that more a case of buying things they put off spending money on last quarter and last year or is it a sign that people are feeling better about the economy? A question that is far from being answered right now I'm afraid.

As an aside, I'm seeing some life in the construction sector and that can be attributed to government spending under the stimulus bill. However, Obama didn't put nearly enough money into construction as he should have--instead loading up pork-filled projects--so this may be only a temporary uptick.

Wednesday Morning News and Notes

The Phillies are rolling. After getting fat on the Marlins, they dominated the Nats last night to take the first two in the series. With a Mets series this weekend, it's a good time to be playing well.

Here's what's news:

-Fashion faux pas making a comeback. Welcome back Carter indeed! Well, I am seeing The Dead on Saturday so it does have a 70's feel to events.

-Please spare me. Whatever it's called, it is a potential epidemic. I'm sure those who've died really couldn't care less.

-The NY Post always has the best headlines.

-The lying San Fran Nan hits bottom, keeps digging. I'm sure that there are docs that show Pelosi was apprised of every detail.

-20 great moments from Obama's first 100 days. the next 1,200 are going to be a friggin nightmare. My previous thoughts here.

-The great Michael Caine is a hardcore Conservative. He'll be labeled racist within a day.

Pic at right of new Phillies outfielder Raul Ibanez making Philly fans forget Pat Burrell.

Don't Let the Door Hit Ya In the Ass, Arlen

Good riddance Senator Specter:

Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter will switch his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and announced today that he will run in 2010 as a Democrat, according to a statement he released this morning.

Specter's decision would give Democrats a 60 seat filibuster proof majority in the Senate assuming Democrat Al Franken is eventually sworn in as the next senator from Minnesota. (Former senator Norm Coleman is appealing Franken's victory in the state Supreme Court.)

"I have decided to run for re-election in 2010 in the Democratic primary," said Specter in a statement. "I am ready, willing and anxious to take on all comers and have my candidacy for re-election determined in a general election."

He added: "Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."

Let's parse this for a sec. The Democrat party has gone very far left and Specter says his philosophy is more in line? We should be thanking the good Lord that we have finally rid ourselves of the man who dreamed up the single bullet theory, voted against his own party on crucial issues and recently was a deciding vote in passing the stimulus boondoggle after being wined and dined by The One. He invoked Reagan but was far from a Reagan Democrat let alone a Reagan Republican.

Please leave Senator and join the party that will now be the undisputed leader of the country and will be held responsible when we stagnate for another year or so. Toomey may not beat you but he will embarrass you during the general.

This was nothing a move of political expediency and Specter has shown that he is a man of low moral standing and possesses no scruples at all. He cares about Arlen and Arlen only. He should fit right in with the party of Obama.

I consider myself an American first, then a Conservative and finally a Republican. For years, Specter has been a shady Republican, not a conservative and bailing on your team when the stakes are high to join the winner is not only un-American but not something that any self-respecting Pennsylvanian would ever do.

I think this hurts him badly if Toomey can play it right.

Would Swine Flu Have Spread If We Had a Real Border Fence?

It's difficult to say but one would suspect that if had actually built a fence designed to keep people out, we may have averted the spread of the latest epidemic--swine flu. It started in Mexico and spread quickly in places where a good many illegal aliens make their destination.

Predictably, the idiots in DC are still arguing over building the damn thing.

Thanks to presidents Bush, Clinton, Obama and Sen. McCain for taking absolutely zero action on not only protecting us from the potential for terrorist's to cross the border but also the potential for infectious diseases coming here as well.

DHS Chief Napolitano is clueless and her response to this has been infinitely more inept than the Bush response to Katrina. I guess we should have seen this coming with her uninformed comments of late and her woeful response to the ice storms that hit in the South over the winter.

A grateful nation thanks you.

Monday Afternoon News and Notes

On the road again...

I waited for weeks for spring to spring and instead we went right to summer. It was a scorcher in Rehoboth and throughout the northeast this weekend. If this global warming, I'm all for it.

Here's what's news:

-According to the Pakistani ISI, Osama is currently Satan's buttboy (or his enema giver)having left this Earth. Not sure if we can trust them but I've generally suspected he's been dead for a few years. Hey, one can hope.

-I saw the best bumper sticker this weekend on an SUV. It read "I already have a savior, I'm looking for a president". This would be why it was created.

-Us evil Republicans want everybody to get swine flu and die--provided those who do are heathen liberals don't you know. Or something like that. Hey, it's progress, they blamed it on Rove and not on Bush.

-DICK Polman is such a sycophant for Obama he knows what The Ones jockstrap smells like:

On the cusp of his first 100 days in office, the new president is fully embarked on his transformative mission, dominating the news cycle by sheer force of his telegenic cool, exuding confidence, and prompting downhearted Americans to feel better about their troubled country.

DICK evidently hasn't been paying attention to the first 100-days. Does anyone wonder why the Inquirer is losing readers at an alarming rate with bias such as this while the Wall Street Journal is gaining?

-Swine flu hits US, Obama team is woefully unprepared and understaffed.

"President Pantywaist" Not Exactly Exciting All of Europe

The European press as a whole and the press in Great Britain in particular are the last vestige of great journalism. They play it straight and if the don't they make it known. For instance, the Guardian is a well-known leftist paper and they make no bones about it while papers in the US like the NY Times put on ridiculous airs that they are not biased.

Another thing about Brit papers is that they are fearless when it comes to berating politicians and they seem to have a a special loathing of Barack Obama in the wake of his gift-gaffe with Gordon Brown and his call for Turkey to be allowed into the EU.

Here's the latest example:

THERE is a certain type of political career that has auto-destruction built into its DNA: look no further than the predicament of the pathetic creature pointlessly lingering on in 10 Downing Street, si monumentum requiris. To this category belongs Barack Obama. This, of course, is heresy to the consensus that is still rapturously inhaling the heady fumes of self-delusion - as it did with Tony Blair.

What most Obama sceptics would have to concede is some surprise at the speed with which he has launched into self-destruct mode. The President Pantywaist tour on which he embarked, embracing America's enemies, was fairly predictable, even if some of the detail was more grotesque than expected. There was, however, one area where most commentators believed Obama would tread warily: it seemed implausible that he would play politics with America's national security within his first 100 days in office.

Meanwhile in the US, the left is calling for release of everything that would make George W. bush look bad and prompt calls for him to be investigated, tried and convicted. Well, all the documents that don't show that water boarding actually works but I digress. The jihad to get Bush regardless of the national security concerns is among the most dangerous misadventures we as a nation can partake in.

They get it in Great Britain as they've not lost the will to fight terror that we have. They still remember the 7/7 bombings in London and the death toll. They know that they are an easier target than the US and they know that these people can't be appeased. They will attack given one small opening and Obama just gave them the opening.

Saturday Morning News & Notes

Off to Rehoboth Beach to watch my son play ball. It's going to be a beautiful weekend to say the least.

Here's what's news:

-Obama arrogance and vanity to cost networks millions.

-Hmmm...53% say next president will be a Republican. That says a lot about Obama, eh?

-Detroit wins dubious distinction again. This is what happens when you work hard, eat your veggies and get your sleep, you can come out victorious.

-Good news: NoKo to extract plutonium from spent fuel rods and ramp up its nuke program. Hope and Change, baby.

-Great moments in socialized medicine. It's coming and we can't do a damn thing.

Obama Throws Aremenians Under the Bus

Another day, another promise broken:

It was presidential candidate Barack Obama who last fall loudly declared that "America deserves a president who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide" -- promising, "I will be that president."

He even wrote then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice blasting the recall of an ambassador to Turkey who'd used the term "genocide" to describe the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire.

The Turks, not surprisingly, blame the deaths on fighting during World War I.

But, as candidate Obama wrote: "The occurrence of the Armenian genocide in 1915 is not an 'allegation,' a 'personal opinion' or a 'point of view.' Supported by overwhelming evidence, it is a widely documented fact."

Well, that was then.

Yesterday, President Obama released the annual White House statement for Armenian Remembrance Day, which commemorates the atrocity. And nowhere in that statement does the word "genocide" appear.

Lighten up Armenians, you're just another in the long line of people and group that Obama used simply for political expediency. You're in good company with luminaries like Rev. Wright, black farmers, Obama's grandmother and the American people to name but a few.

Who do you people think you are--important folks worth being faithful to like Bill Ayers and Tim Geithner?

Shep Smith's Lost His F-ing Mind

What up with Shep?



Don't worry, CNN or MSNBC will hire you dude.

Is It Time to Invade Pakistan?

It's a question that needs to be asked.

It would be an extreme action by every measure except the one that counts: national security. Should we invade Pakistan or at the very least encourage the Pakistani government to allow us to send troops as "peace keepers" to stem the rapid offensive of the Taliban on the capital? Perhaps utilizing our aircraft to selectively bomb the Talibani militants and gain the Pakistani forces time and distance would be a play we have available.

Allah points to two stories about the Taliban insurrection and the potential for them to take Islamabad. One from the Daily Mail but more importantly one from Roggio:

The Taliban takeover of Haripur would put the Taliban on the doorstep of Islamabad and would also put two major nuclear facilities at risk.

Haripur borders the Margala Hills, a region in the Islamabad Capital Territory. Haripur also borders the Punjab districts of Attock and Rawalpindi.

Attock hosts two major nuclear facilities in Pakistan: the Wah Cantonment Ordnance Complex and the Kamra (Minhas) Airbase. The Wah Cantonment Ordnance Complex host three sites where nuclear weapons and components are stored and assembled and aircraft and missiles are modified for use in nuclear attacks. The nearby Kamra Airbase is thought to host attack aircraft capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Rawalpindi is the "garrison" city for Pakistan's military. The city hosts the headquarters of the Army and Air Force, and several nuclear weapons research facilities are also located there.

During 2007, The Taliban and al Qaeda conducted several suicide attacks at Pakistani facilities that are thought to house nuclear weapons and research facilities. It is unclear if the suicide attacks were a demonstration of the groups' capacity to penetrate security at sensitive locations or merely attacks on targets of opportunity.

There is no way we can allow the Taliban in concert with al-Qaeda to take over the nuke facilities in Pakistan. One would hope that the Pakistanis would have moved the weapons after the previous attacks and it is imperative that the Obama administration find out if they were indeed secreted out to another location. If not, we must press strongly for providing assistance and if they decline we must insist in the strongest possible terms. If that doesn't work, an invasion may need to be considered. A nuclear al-Qaeda is the worst of all possible scenarios. A tight blockade of the entire Pakistani coastline would be a requisite action and stopping and boarding all ships would be the only way we could ensure that a nuke was not smuggled out the country. An action along the northern frontier to prevent transport out through one of the "stans" or west through Iran would require a major effort.

I'm not even adding in that Islamabad is dangerously close to Jammu and Kashmir--the disputed territories--and India is already on edge after the attacks in Mumbai that have ISI fingerprints all over the place.

Add to that the heightened state of tension between India and Pakistan and you're looking at a scenario that could see all-out war in the region with Iran and other Muslim states jumping in to assist Pakistan while we would have no option but to support the Indians.

This is the nightmare scenario playing out in full color and we have to act decisively and with resolve. If the Pakistanis cannot stop this onslaught, we may well have to consider what our options are and what can best ensure our national security. I fear Obama is ill-equipped in both advisers and foreign policy experience to deal with this situation.

Update: To be clear, I'm not advocating that we invade. I'm terrified of an Indian response, which, as Allah points out would lead to civil war with the Taliban leading one side. I'm saying bluntly that this is critical and we may have to make a quick decision on what our options are. Our men and women in uniform have done excellent work in Iraq and Afghanistan but this is a new phase that is crucial and may well decide the WOT.

Obama's First 100-Days: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

President Obama has been working in the Oval Office for 100 days now--well, he's been on the road for a great many of them but I digress. Let's grade him on his abilities thus far.

First, the good:

-He decided to keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates on to ensure that we have someone with a military background, intelligence and maturity running the Iraq War and the war in Afghanistan. I guess he could have made Leon Panetta the SecDef since he knows as much about defense as he does about the CIA--not a damn thing on both counts.

-He released the "torture" memos. This would count as bad or even ugly since it will set back our intel-gathering efforts decades but it did light a fire under Cheney and has forced Obama to make a decision on whether he would release the rest that show that water boarding worked and saved hundreds of lives. Cheney requested them released, now the ball is in Obamas court.

-He hasn't closed Gitmo, we still have enough of a presence in Iraq to sustain our gains and he has beefed up the operations in Afghanistan where the current battle against al-Qaeda is taking place after forcing them out of Iraq.

-He has continued to decapitate the leadership of al-Qaeda in Pakistan using Predator drones. It's an effective strategy developed under Bush and has kept us safe.

The Bad:

-The TARP fiasco. It's a jumbled mess whereby we threw money out, have no idea how it's being spent, it hasn't helped and now the government won't take it back because they like the idea of nationalizing industry.

-The porkulus bill. It was nothing but a sop to Democratic senators and congressmen who could rain down money on their constituencies and hold on in the next election. It was written by Pelosi in concert with the most corrupt congress we've seen in decades. It was woefully short on actually providing any stimulus and is ripe for corruption on a scale that was unfathomable just a half-year ago.

-Cabinet selection madness. He vowed to not have lobbyists working for him and has more than Bush ever dreamed of. He nominated a tax cheat to head Treasury and has had numerous others bail because they had tax problems. If this isn't the epitome of amateurism, i don't know what is.

The Ugly:

-Bowing to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The press went nuts when Bush held his hand but Bush never showed subservience that would signal to the Arab world that we are truly weakened. Obama did just that.

-The Gordon Brown gift kerfuffle. How pathetic that our greatest ally gives us a pen carved from a anti-slaving ship and Obama gives him DVD's that don't even work in Britain? For crying out loud, he gave the Queen a friggin' I-Pod. Plus, he tossed a bust of the greatest and most-pro-American statesman to ever live out the Oval Office door the day he arrived.

-Glad-handing with despots and thugs. Obama went to a summit featuring such America haters as Hugo Chavez and Daniel Ortega and sat through diatribes about the evil of America without saying anything. He accepted a book from Chavez that blames the US for all of South America's ills and blamed America for guns in Mexico. Next he'll blame us for AIDS and excessive gas from eating broccoli.

-His European America Suck tour. He wowed the leftist populations and pissed off the leaders. Effective strategy indeed. He made us more of a pariah than Bush ever did.

So all in all, it's been a nightmare 100-days. The honeymoon has been waning and now people will not be so apt to give him the benefit of the doubt. The media has been compliant but we are seeing some break out and point out that the emperor has no clothes on occasion. Let's hope the nation is still standing a hundred days from now.

Obama Dictating to Credit Card Industry Now

It was just a friendly conversation but The One is essentially signalling that they better play ball or else:

President Barack Obama is pushing to rein in costs for millions of Americans who use credit cards, an appeal to consumers as many struggle to pay their bills.

But the banking industry is warning that Obama's push for legislation could backfire, restricting lenders and making less credit available to Americans during the economic crisis.

Obama was meeting with leaders of the credit-card industry Thursday, a session the White House said would be an "open and productive conversation."

"The president believes new rules of the road for the credit card industry are needed," Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett said ahead of the president's planned session at the White House with executives from the nation's top credit-card companies.

"New rules of the road" is Obama-speak for more regulation and more government intrusion, exactly what we don't need.

Americans know that credit card companies charge higher interest than, for instance, banks. They still sign on. What should be encouraged is for a company to come out with a low interest card--say 5%-- APR--available to everyone with a decent credit limit (I'm thinking $1,000) whereby it can't be abused. If one company does it and it makes money, others will follow.

By the way, it appears The Most Articulate President Ever is so intellectually stimulating he's holding Larry Summers completely rapt:

Pic courtesy of Think Regress Progress.

Is Napolitano the Worst Cabinet Choice Ever?

Short answer: Yes.

The Secretary of Homeland Security is challenging Joe Biden for the title of Gaffe Master of the Obama administration (although the boss is a close third). In the past week, she's approved a report that names vets and conservatives as homeland security risks, said that crossing the border illegally is not a felony and now her latest gaffe may top them all as it alienates an ally:

Can someone please tell us how U. S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano got her job? She appears to be about as knowledgeable about border issues as a late-night radio call-in yahoo.

In an interview broadcast Monday on the CBC, Ms. Napolitano attempted to justify her call for stricter border security on the premise that "suspected or known terrorists" have entered the U. S. across the Canadian border, including the perpetrators of the 9/11 attack.

All the 9/11 terrorists, of course, entered the United States directly from overseas. The notion that some arrived via Canada is a myth that briefly popped up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and was then quickly debunked.

Does Napolitano have even an iota of a clue? People who don't follow the news, have no Internet connection and don't listen to the radio know full-well that the hijackers arrived via US airports. In fact, even the most clueless among us knows that Atta and the others entered using visas and some attended flight school. If it wasn't for a man named Jose Melendez Perez and his thoughtful profiling, the 20th would have entered via Florida.

We have gone from a very smart administrator--Michael Chertoff--to a woman who doesn't have the first clue as to what security means and she's in charge of our national defense essentially. What qualification does she have? Answer: none.

So now we have a DHS secretary who is absolutely unqualified for the position at a time that Obama is cutting our intel-gathering abilities and al-Qaeda is ramping back up to take us out. I feel really good about our national security right about now.

The only person who was a worse choice for a homeland security position was Golan Cipel who was allegedly Jim McGreevey's boy toy and had zero qualifications for the position.

Update: Allah has some thoughts as well.

Wednesday Evening News & Notes

Busy so I'll just throw headlines at ya.

-Earth Day Philly Style.

-The NY Times: All the news that fits to print online (where fewer people will see it).

-I shudder to think what could make a successful 41-year old exec at Freddie Mac, with a five-year old daughter commit suicide. That little girl will be scarred for life by the selfish actions of the man.

-The Yankees are having some serious attendance problems. The highest priced seat in San Diego is $69. The Yankees is well over $2,000.

-The dreadful result of higher taxes. Obama should pay heed but won't because, well, he's The One.

-Mealy-mouthed on torture.

-Those damn misogynistic and racist high school exit exams. Have they no shame?

-Terri's take on Earth Day is worth a read. Hey Terri, it's getting to be bathing suit weather. I expect more pix this year.

Tuesday Evening News & Notes

The weather has turned (for good?).

So, we have a plethora of news to sink our teeth into, let's get started:

-"So may layers of awesome". Indeed dude, indeed. More on the topic here from the Brits who are fearless in their reporting unlike our neutered domestic press.

-Now Obama is trying to squash Internet freedom. He's curtailed more rights in three months than Bush did in eight years.

-My cold GOP heart pumps large quantities of piss for this poor young man...or not.

-Shocka! Dianne Feinstein is corrupt (allegedly). Who woulda thunk it?

-This is one battle I want no part of. I'll just sit on the sidelines and watch in quiet amusement.

-Recalling the USS Iowa incident. Iowa pictured at right in all her glory via this site.

-Things are tough all over. Especially at work.

Obama Throws Black Farmers Under the Bus

The words of an African-American farmer ring true as highlighted below

Man, the media must be perplexed. How to report a story about black farmers being dissed by a black president:

...Barack Obama led the charge last year to pass a bill allowing black farmers to seek new discrimination claims against the Agriculture Department. Now he is president, and his administration so far is acting like it wants the potentially budget-busting lawsuits to go away.

The change isn't sitting well with black farmers who thought they'd get a friendlier reception from Obama after years of resistance from President George W. Bush.

"You can't blame it on the Bush administration anymore," said John Boyd, head of the National Black Farmers Association, which has organized the lawsuits. "I can't figure out for the life of me why the president wouldn't want to implement a bill that he fought for as a U.S. senator."

At issue is a class-action lawsuit known as the Pigford case. Thousands of farmers sued USDA claiming they had for years been denied government loans and other assistance that routinely went to whites. The government settled in 1999 and has paid out nearly $1 billion in damages on almost 16,000 claims.

Emphasis mine.

While I disagree with the suit, I have to say that it's becoming abundantly clear that Obama is in it purely for himself and his cronies. The fact that the farmers failed to make the deadline is not the fault of the government, it's there own fault but the fact that Obama is kicking them to the curb is about what I expected from The One. He's thrown his grandmother, brother, Rev. Wright, Father Pfleger and all of America under the bus so he wouldn't think twice about ditching some poor farmers. I mean, they probably live in rural areas and "cling to guns and religion" when times are hard.

Welcome to the era of Obamanation.

Cheney - 1, Obama - 0

The CIA has confirmed that enhanced interrogation techniques--specifically water boarding--led directly to thwarting a plot to slam a plane into a building in LA:

The Central Intelligence Agency told CNSNews.com today that it stands by the assertion made in a May 30, 2005 Justice Department memo that the use of “enhanced techniques” of interrogation on al Qaeda leader Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM) -- including the use of waterboarding -- caused KSM to reveal information that allowed the U.S. government to thwart a planned attack on Los Angeles.

Before he was water boarded, when KSM was asked about planned attacks on the United States, he ominously told his CIA interrogators, “Soon, you will know.”

According to the previously classified May 30, 2005 Justice Department memo that was released by President Barack Obama last week, the thwarted attack -- which KSM called the “Second Wave”-- planned “ ‘to use East Asian operatives to crash a hijacked airliner into’ a building in Los Angeles.”

before the interrogations KSM was mute or cocky, afterward we had the intel that saved perhaps thousands of lives. It wasn't torture but was successful. I think that the majority of Americans can agree with that especially since many fly and many still remember 9/11 like it was yesterday. The can't even begin to imagine the fear that the people trapped on those planes that hit the WTC, Pentagon and the field in PA were experiencing and to make KSM uncomfortable five times as KSM himself said not the absurd 183)to get the info was the cost, I'm sure many would agree it was worth it.

This is a battle Obama doesn't want as Cheney will eviscerate him. When the docs are released that Cheney asked for, Obama will look pretty damn lame and even more amateurish than usual. This has the fingerprints of Rahm Emanuel all over it and he's definitely doing his boss a grave disservice by pushing this line and forcing the release of only the portion of the docs that made the Bush administration look bad.

This make Obama look bad in fact:

Before they were subjected to “enhanced techniques” of interrogation that included waterboarding, KSM and Zubaydah were not only uncooperative but also appeared contemptuous of the will of the American people to defend themselves.

“In particular, the CIA believes that it would have been unable to obtain critical information from numerous detainees, including KSM and Abu Zubaydah, without these enhanced techniques,” says the Justice Department memo. “Both KSM and Zubaydah had ‘expressed their belief that the general US population was ‘weak,’ lacked resilience, and would be unable to ‘do what was necessary’ to prevent the terrorists from succeeding in their goals.’ Indeed, before the CIA used enhanced techniques in its interrogation of KSM, KSM resisted giving any answers to questions about future attacks, simply noting, ‘Soon you will know.’”

More here and here.

On a similar note, Obama is looking like he will allow the prosecution of those who green lighted the water boarding at Gitmo in what will surely be a stunning blow to our intelligence services. The next guy we get with intel that is critical will not be subjected to the enhanced interrogation and Americans will die because we didn't get the info that would have saved them.

Obama has to stop acting on emotion and start acting like a man who has Americas best interests at heart. I'm not holding my breath.

Geithner Keeping a Close Eye on Bailout $...or Not

Tim Geithner was the only man who could save the economy according to Obama. Despite the fact that he failed to pay taxes and would oversee the Treasury Dept...nothing to see there.

No, Geithner was going to be our watchdog and ensure that the money we doled out was used for its intended purpose like getting credit freed up and propping up banks. It appears he was incredibly wrong on the former and is looking like a complete buffoon on the latter:

In the first major disclosure of corruption in the $750-billion financial bailout program, federal investigators said Monday they have opened 20 criminal probes into possible securities fraud, tax violations, insider trading and other crimes.

The cases represent only the first wave of investigations, and the total fraud could ultimately reach into the tens of billions of dollars, according to Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general overseeing the bailout program.

The disclosures reinforce fears that the hastily designed and rapidly changing bailout program run by the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve is going to carry a heavy price of fraud against taxpayers -- even as questions grow about its ability to stabilize the nation's financial system.

You're doing a heckuva job, Timmy.

And what of the plan to buy up toxic assets? It seems just as well thought out as the bailout plan was:

Indeed, much of the 247-page report released in Washington today by Barofsky's office focuses on a segment of the bailout that is only now being put into motion -- an effort to buy toxic securities from banks and other investment groups in which the federal government would provide up to 92.5% of the money. That effort could be the most vulnerable to fraud, Barofsky said, because investors would have so little at risk.

Now that's what I'm talking about, baby. Allow the ones who raped clients when they were privatized pilfer the taxpayer now that they're nationalized. They put the progress in "progressive" do they not?

Yeah, I for one feel just groovy about the state of the Treasury Dept. and the amazing work they've done there. They've destroyed 200+ years of hard work in three-months. They should be so proud of that accomplishment. Sure, they'll have a couple of trials and make a big deal about putting a few guilty guys away but the 99% who don't get caught will have a blast with our money personally handed them by Obama.

Maybe it's just me but after 100-days of hope and change, I'm a bit hope and changed out.

Cheney Ups the Ante on Obama

Dick Cheney is not only smart but he is ruthless and is a shrewd politician. Obama is an amateur and not even remotely in Cheney's league, he should have left well-enough alone but opted to embarrass the Bush administration and neuter our intelligence efforts in one fell swoop by releasing the torture memos that, as I noted earlier, are dubious at best.

Here's Cheney:

“One of the things that I find a little bit disturbing about this recent disclosure is they put out the legal memos, the memos that the CIA got from the Office of Legal Counsel, but they didn't put out the memos that showed the success of the effort. And there are reports that show specifically what we gained as a result of this activity. They have not been declassified.”

“I formally asked that they be declassified now. I haven't announced this up until now, I haven't talked about it, but I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process and what the consequences were for the country.”

“And I've now formally asked the CIA to take steps to declassify those memos so we can lay them out there and the American people have a chance to see what we obtained and what we learned and how good the intelligence was, as well as to see this debate over the legal opinions.”

Brilliant. Cheney will effectively show that we didn't water board as much as the NY Times said and we gleamed high-level intel that may have saved lives when we did. Hell, even Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said we only water boarded him five times. The left-wing blogosphere repeats the 183-times idiocy as if it were actually possible but I digress..

Most Americans will look at the carnage avoided and admit to themselves that it was worth it to use a method of interrogation that did not injure and did not have long-term effects. In other words, he may well lay the whole farce that Bush sanctioned torture to rest and all because Obama made an egregious error in releasing the memos he did.

Obama, Ortega and Chavez

This weekend, President Obama sat through a diatribe about American imperialism from a dictator, made happy talk with a another who insulted our nation and our president and generally belittled our nation in the eyes of our hemispheric neighbors. An all-around successful weekend for the South American region if you happened to be a crackpot socialist or quasi-communist.

So who are these men that Obama allowed to embarrass our nation? Well, we know all about Chavez--a man who is about to make himself President for Life and has supported terrorists in a neighboring nation who were trying to overthrow their democratically-elected leader. But what about Daniel Ortega?

Ortega has a history as brutal as any despot:

The Sandinistas also institutionalized torture. Political prisoners in jails such as Las Tejas were consistently beaten, deprived of sleep, and given electric shocks (but hey, they didn't waterboard--ed). They were routinely denied food and water and kept in dark cubicles known as chiquitas (little ones), that had a surface area of less than one square meter. These cubicles were too small to sit up in, were completely dark, and had no sanitation and almost no ventilation. Prisoners were also forced to stand for long periods without bending their arms or legs; they were locked into steel boxes exposed to the full force of the tropical sun; their wives and daughters were sexually assaulted in front of them; and some prisoners were mutilated and skinned alive before being executed (again, at least they didn't play Barney music loud--ed).

One Sandinista practice was known as corte de cruz: this was a drawing-and-quartering technique in which the prisoner’s limbs were severed from the body, leaving him to bleed to death. The result of all of these horrifying cruelties was yet another mass exodus from a country enslaved by Communism, with tens of thousands of Nicaraguans escaping and settling in Honduras, Costa Rica, or the United States.

This is the guy Obama allowed to berate us without so much as an "er" or an "uh" or a "senor". Because we deserve to be berated by men such as this who we used our full-force to oust because of just such abuses. But it was done by a republican named Reagan so it was unjust and just another example of our imperialism and oppression of other nations.

We have reached the point where we allow torturous murderers to slam America in front of our president and he says nothing. Ortega could have called us a cabron and Obama would have smiled that idiotic smile and nodded and thanked him afterward.

Alright, I can see making nice with Europe, we'll need them someday. But why should we apologize and be nice with a man who killed tens of thousands? Thank the good Lord that the Soviet Union was destroyed by Reagan because Obama would have given our secrets, weapons and country away to them.

Monday Night News & Notes

A cold spring thus far with temps in the low fifties and a lot of rain lately. i wish it would just get warm and stay warm.

Anyway, waiting for the next episode of 24 and catching up on the daily news of the day. Also, my son bought a bearded dragon like the one pictured at right yesterday. It's a prety cool lizard unless you're a cricket, which he devours with gusto.

Here's what I found interesting today:

-Sweetness and Light takes the NY Times to task for their latest instance of shoddy reporting. Thank God they have good fact-checkers, eh?

-The environmentalists forced the military to stop using lead ammo during practice because of the hazards of lead in the soil. They were required to use a "green" bullet that was made of supposedly less-hazardous constituents. It turns out they are carcinogenic and may cause even more harm to the environment and people. Classic environmental insanity, y'all. I hope i get the contract to clean these sites up.

-Anyone with an iota of sense could have told you that corn-based ethanol was a horrid idea. It's expensive, causes spikes in food prices and doesn't do a damn thing to combat supposed global warming. Congress included it in the last energy bill as a sop to the agriculture industry. Plus it does major damage to engines.

-Spinning the vast increase in ice in the Antarctic. These people will never go away, will they?

-A curse-filled "fisking". I like curse-filled fiskings a lot; especially when it includes sentiments such as : "Well the best part of you trickled down your mothers leg after the fleet left town."

-Hundred of thousands turn out for the Tea Parties and the media says nothing. Less than fifty turn out supporting gun control and it's big news. I feel bad for those who died at Columbine ten years ago but the two killers would have found a way to kill even if they didn't have access to guns.

Harman Allegations Put Libs in a Pickle

Hmmm...we have a senior Democrat on tape agreeing to a quid pro quo with the American-Israeli Political Action Committee and I'm sure the donks have no idea how to feel:

Rep. Jane Harman , the California Democrat with a longtime involvement in intelligence issues, was overheard on an NSA wiretap telling a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department reduce espionage-related charges against two officials of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, the most powerful pro-Israel organization in Washington.

Harman was recorded saying she would "waddle into" the AIPAC case "if you think it'll make a difference," according to two former senior national security officials familiar with the NSA transcript.

...In exchange for Harman's help, the sources said, the suspected Israeli agent pledged to help lobby Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., then-House minority leader, to appoint Harman chair of the Intelligence Committee after the 2006 elections, which the Democrats were heavily favored to win.

Seemingly wary of what she had just agreed to, according to an official who read the NSA transcript, Harman hung up after saying, "This conversation doesn't exist."

Harman declined to discuss the wiretap allegations, instead issuing an angry denial through a spokesman.

"These claims are an outrageous and recycled canard, and have no basis in fact," Harman said in a prepared statement. "I never engaged in any such activity. Those who are peddling these false accusations should be ashamed of themselves."

Liberals love Democrats and hate Israel so one has to wonder how they'll deal with this. My guess is they hate Israel more than they like Harman so I say they'll throw Harman under the bus and go hard after Israel. Of course, Think "Regress" went after the only Republican and one with the least skin in the game.

Add to it that AG Gonzalez interceded on Harman's behalf to protect the domestic wiretapping of terror suspects and the fact that Harman was caught in a wire tap and you have an oleo of politics and influence run rampant.

Reports say the man Harman was talking to is a prominent Dem fundraiser and suspected Israeli agent but that part is unclear.

Now I'm no fan of any nation spying on America but Israel, just like Britain, France and every other one of our allies are doing what intel agencies do, trying to procure info and Israel more than any country needs to know our intentions since we don't exactly state them overtly.

Obama Trashes Civil Rights

The left went insane when President Bush conducted communications surveillance of terror suspects with credible evidence. I can't wait to hear how they white-wash this bit of civil rights insanity:

Law enforcement officials are vastly expanding their collection of DNA to include millions more people who have been arrested or detained but not yet convicted. The move, intended to help solve more crimes, is raising concerns about the privacy of petty offenders and people who are presumed innocent.

Until now, the federal government genetically tracked only convicts. But starting this month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation will join 15 states that collect DNA samples from those awaiting trial and will collect DNA from detained immigrants — the vanguard of a growing class of genetic registrants.

Where's the ACLU? The new administration is squashing civil rights in ways Dick Cheney could never have dreamed. Innocent people are subjected to DNA sampling and the results are entered into a database in clear violation of the Constitution and the left says nothing.

Every American has the right to be assumed innocent until proven guilty, at least they did until now. With the civil rights squashing machine of the Obama regime running rampant over everything America previously stood for, who knows how long that will last.

Saberi Gets Eight Years on Trumped Up Iranian Charges

An American who went to her ancestral country to try to help and encourage change for the country has been convicted on murky charges of spying:

The US has expressed dismay after a court in Iran jailed an Iranian-American journalist, Roxana Saberi, for eight years on spying charges.

Ms Saberi, 31, was sentenced after a secret one-day trial in Tehran.

President Barack Obama "is deeply disappointed at this news," his spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Correspondents say the case will have serious implications for US-Iranian relations at a time when Mr Obama has reached out to the Tehran.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier expressed her disappointment at the sentence.

I for one am glad that both Obama and Clinton are "disappointed". Their disappointment should go far in making Ahmadinejad see the error of his ways and make the mad mullahs tremble in their turbans.

An American has been sentenced to 8-years in an Iranian prison on trumped up charges and was tried in a kangaroo court and all we hear is that it's disappointing from the President and SecState. My Lord, we have fallen farther and faster than even I dared to fear.

Update: Wait, he's now "gravely concerned". That's escalation, baby. But don't worry, we have Ahmadinejads assurance that her appeal will fair so that makes me feel better...or not.

Sea Change: 2/3 Believe Global Warming Not Man-Caused

It seems the majority of the country now has discovered what some of us knew all-along: Al Gore is a lying, hypocritical buffoon who has no credibility:

Just one-out-of-three voters (34%) now believe global warming is caused by human activity, the lowest finding yet in Rasmussen Reports national surveying. However, a plurality (48%) of the Political Class believes humans are to blame.

Forty-eight percent (48%) of all likely voters attribute climate change to long-term planetary trends, while seven percent (7%) blame some other reason. Eleven percent (11%) aren’t sure.

OK, maybe it doesn't say anything about feelings on Al Gore but it does mark a huge change in feelings on global warming at a time that the Obama administration is pushing very expensive environmental policies. This may be the issue that sets people against Obama in large numbers. I have seen it in my business; two years ago I'd ask my classes who believes global warming is man-made and it was nearly unanimous in the afirmative. Not any more.

The GOP should grab this issue with both hands when Obama uses his office to push new, oppressive and expensive regulations.

Update: That whole thing about polar ice melting...er, nevermind.

Sunday Morning News and Notes

Spring has sprung and yesterday was the nicest day of the year so far. Today is looking iffy but hey, take what you can get.

Here's the latest from around the globe:

-The Taliban allegedly execute a man who was assisting the military in wiping out al-Qaeda and Taliban elements.

-Liberals are wringing their hands because we waterboarded KSM 183 times. It wasn't enough to make up for 3,000 dead in my opinion. Add to that we have no idea what intelligence was gained so it could have been fruitful.

-Arguing the "Tea Party" turnout. It doesn't make much sense and the political left and Democrat party would be foolish to brush it off as the fringe right.

-No arguing how many turned out to pay respects to Harry Kalas. He was loved in this region and will be sorely missed.

-Rep. Peter King (R-NY) is under fire. I don't worry about King, he can handle himself just fine.

-Iowahawk has the transcript to his newest movie posted. Pure genius once again.

Pic at right via Lucianne.com.

Obama Throws America Under the Bus

It's all coming clear now. President Obama truly believe what his wife once said about not being proud of America until now. Liberals scoffed at us when we defended this nation as one of opportunity, freedom and hope versus the idea that America as was a nation that had a great many things to apologize for as espoused by Michelle Obama.

Case in point:

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago -- President Obama endured a 50-minute diatribe from socialist Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega that lashed out at a century of what he called terroristic U.S. aggression in Central America and included a rambling denunciation of the U.S.-imposed isolation of Cuba's Communist government.

Obama sat mostly unmoved during the speech but at times jotted notes. The speech was part of the opening ceremonies at the fifth Summit of the Americas here.

Later, at a photo opportunity with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Obama held his tongue when asked what he thought about Ortega's speech.

...A senior administration official declined to criticize Ortega, saying the president wanted to focus on the future.

And so you have it. A thug socialist leader of a nation that is so poor the citizens leave in droves and trek thousands of miles to sneak into America is telling us that we are terrorists. Nicaragua is a nation that uses torture and violence to sway elections and they are belittling us? Obama sits there and takes it and then doesn't even speak to rebut the slander. Why? Because he agrees with it. America is evil--or was until January 20th of this year.

Obama is on a tour that has taken him from Europe to the Caribbean with the only goal to apologize for America's supposed past misdeeds. The 2009 America Sucks tour is in full-swing and Obama is the star of the show (along with his teleprompter) disparaging a country that allowed him--the son of an African immigrant--to attend an Ivy League university, make millions of dollars and rise to become its most powerful politician.

The shining city upon a hill has always been a ghetto according to Obama and the world is eating it up. They like America as a blubbering, feminized wimp. They are licking their chops to take us down as many pegs as possible and Obama is helping them to do so.

Hope and change my ass.

Update: I neglected to post this earlier:



That picture says more than I ever could. A socialist dictator who has fomented terror who has wished nothing but ill-will to our nation is enjoying a nice moment with the new prez. I want to friggin' puke.

Update: Gateway Pundit (with a spiffy new look) has some thoughts and notes that Obama did "mildly rebuke" Ortega. If someone slams my country the way Ortega did, they'd receive more than a mild rebuke.

On the Environment, Capitalism & Reality

As anyone who has read this blog more than once knows, I own an environmental consulting firm. Mostly centered on remediation and training but as any consultant would tell you, I'll do anything that remotely deals with the environment.

That said, there's a big difference between someone in the environmental field and an environmentalist. I'm not an environmentalist but one that believes in sane environmental policy that will actually, well, protect the environment while not forcing industry to pack up and head for foreign climes.

That also being said, I'm also a capitalist and as such will pursue any work that will make me money. So I'm a bit torn on the Obama administrations sudden, yet expected leftward shift on the environment and environmental issues. I mean, it's a niche that could be highly lucrative but also one that could force good American companies to bolt south or north while leaving good American workers in the lurch. I befuddled and perplexed but as a good conservative and capitalist, I have to pursue the money.

So, the Obama EPA has decided to go balls to the wall and declare "greenhouse gases" a threat to human health that could lead to very strict emissions standards:

By Jim Tankersley WASHINGTON — The federal government's declaration Friday that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health marked a first step toward likely regulation of the tailpipe emissions of cars, power plants and factories that scientists blame for global warming.

The decision by the Environmental Protection Agency was a clear break with the Bush administration, which downplayed concerns about global warming, and set the stage for a possible national standard for vehicle emissions and other federal efforts to curb such pollution.

The Obama administration already is developing a plan to make the U.S. auto fleet cleaner by regulating carbon dioxide emissions from tailpipes. But the move Friday also gives it the capacity to either regulate larger emissions producers such as power plants or prod Congress to set limits, which the administration would prefer.

Now that, of course, flies in the face of this, which says that we are not, in fact, experiencing global warming in the frightful way Al Gore and the Obama EPA want us to believe. A quandary to be sure.

So how to play this; I mean, I could use the administrations actions as cause to scare potential clients into compliance or I could leave this idiocy alone and concentrate on my core business.

What to do?

I guess I'll do what any good capitalist would do. It's ironic that the socialistic Obama administration will help this enemy who is both capitalistic and a global warming sceptic.

Thanks dude.

Be Honest; Glenn Beck Creeps You Out Too

Back about five years ago, the local talk radion station replaced Imus with Glenn Beck. I gave it a shot for a week or so and went to sports talk radio then Laura Ingraham and never listened to the guy again.

I'm not sure what it is about the dude, he just isn't funny, espouses views that I find extreme, drivels on about insignificant topics and is a horrid example of what I think of as a Conservative. I don't want people like him representing what I think is a new and emerging wing of the conservative movement where we take a hard line on terror, militant Islam, illegal immigration and big government. We tend to take a more centrist line on issues that are more cultural like gay marriage, abortion and the "war on drugs".

He attacked ER-linker and one of those I reference and link to to often--Charles Johnson of LGF. Video at Charles' site if you want to see it. Beck disparages Johnson in the same smug manner that turned me off and continues to keep me from tuning in to his FoxNews show.

Granted, I've been a bit turned off by Charles of late due to his battles against Creationist's, I view it along the same lines I view the abortion debate; people are fixed in their mindset and no amount of bickering or "facts" will change their view. But Charles has been vigilant in exposing hate--whether it be white supremacism, Islamo-fascism or anti-Semitism. Beck on the other hand is one who will do anything to gain another fifteen minutes of fame...we are about three years past the time he should have been relegated to the dustbin of inane radio hosts right alongside Garofalo, Cuomo and Donahue. Why Fox gave him a show is beyond me and the fact that he draws ratings is disturbing. I'm guessing the rest of the lineup helps that considerably.

Anyway, for a national talk show host to go after a blogger who has gone decidedly centrist is beneath contempt and to be honest, is disconcerting. We are facing real issues like piracy inspired by al-Qaeda, a wretched economy and two wars. The fact that Glenn Beck felt it of importance to attack Charles Johnson shows me that he's not only one who is just not serious about pressing issues but is highly vindictive and a classic narcissist as well.

Random Dead Show

Buffalo in late March 1973 with the single best Box of Rain I've heard:

Obama Releases Torture Docs

The day started as one of hope for the anti-Bush, Anti-war lefties who consider us as torturers on a par with Saudi Arabia, North Korea and Sudan:

UPDATE: Here’s a link to the memos (the Times also has them) with three cheers for the FOIA petition from the ACLU. …and on quick inspection of the documents, the redaction rumors are correct, with Obama deserving a lot of credit for allowing the bulk of the information into the light. I said earlier that the burden of proof was on Obama if he decided not to release the OLC memos. Now that he has, with few redactions, credit goes to President Obama. This is definitely change we can believe in.

Congress, you’re up.

However, they quickly became disillusioned when The One said he wouldn't prosecute those who performed the "torture":

This is a time for reflection, not retribution. I respect the strong views and emotions that these issues evoke. We have been through a dark and painful chapter in our history. But at a time of great challenges and disturbing disunity, nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past. Our national greatness is embedded in America’s ability to right its course in concert with our core values, and to move forward with confidence. That is why we must resist the forces that divide us, and instead come together on behalf of our common future.

Alas for our left-wing friends, they will not see the objects of their scorn strung up because Obama--at least in prosecuting the War on Terror--knows full-well that he may be required to take steps that would have him answering to Congress in 2013 about the tactics he approved. He's now understanding that Bush took actions he deemed appropriate with arch terrorist Zubaydah who probably disclosed important info that we'll never hear about--info that may have saved lives. It seems Obama is realizing that repelling America's enemies and gaining intel is not like reading from a teleprompter in front of 10,000 Obamatons in Sioux City Sioux Falls.

And what of the allegations the alleged torture has been worse and more frequent since Obama took office? Water boarding versus hands-on physical abuse is more disconcerting, don't you think? Of course the source is al-Jazeerah but liberals always took their word when they complained while Bush was in office so I guess they are a legitimate source in their eyes.

Besides, he has been pretty zealous in going beyond the laws on wiretapping so why should BHO supporters be surprised?

Update: B & R had the same thoughts as I did before I did.

Thursday Evening News and Notes

A beautiful day in South Jersey. One that makes you happy to be alive in fact.

Here's what's news in this great land and world of ours:

-What illegal immigration problem? 11% of all born in Mexico now live in the US.

-The next front in the War on Terror: al-Qaeda urges Somali's to attack ships.

-Woody Allen has no reputation left to ruin. Yeah, that sounds about right.

-Pics from the Sacramento Tea Party. My favorite is the one that reads "Arnold, You've Become a Girlyman"

-DHS Sec Janet Napolitano didn't read report on right-wing extremism that warned of vets and anti-abortion types. Says apology is warranted.

A Stunning Scene

Let CNN and MSNBC snark but what we saw yesterday was a collective roar from the middle class of this country. Politicians on both sides ignore it at their peril.

This from liberal hotbed Madison, WI (via Instapundit):



That cannot be explained away as some fringe right wingers.

Pushing the Multilateral Meme

Back when we invaded Iraq, the MSM took it as gospel that we invaded unilaterally. This despite the fact that we had 15 other nations providing significant support in our effort to topple Saddam. It was a meme they wouldn't let go of regardless of the fact it that it alienated our crucial allies. George W. Bush was a cowboy, George W. Bush invaded because he was avenging his father and George W. Bush did it unilaterally. End of discussion.

But now that we have The One in power, the unilateral angle just won't be sufficient. We can't have the world continue to think us a cowboy--cowboys are uneducated buffoons from Texas with no culture who sit around the camp fire and pass gas like in Blazin' Saddles. Obama is smarter than any president, more cultured and more urbane. He's decidedly not a cowboy.

But then a funny thing happened, Obama ordered deadly force used against a group of young pirates who took an American hostage. He gave the order that resulted in three teenagers getting their heads blown off by highly-trained Navy SEALs. He acted in a unilateral fashion and acted like a, well, cowboy.

The MSM couldn't have that, it didn't fit the meme. US warships arrived at the scene and US warships were responsible for the release of the captain being held. US Navy SEALs burst the heads of the pirates like ripe grapes--how to make it fit so Obama is not seen as a go it alone American who directs our military to take unilateral action. How to make him not seem uncultured and like a gunslinger.

But wait, they hit on an idea; make up a story. Yeah, that's it, we'll say he French are involved now thanks to their new love of Obama and everything good about him and America:

MOMBASA, Kenya - The United States and its allies battled Somalia's pirates on two fronts yesterday, with French forces seizing a bandit mother ship and the Obama administration announcing it will take the unusual step of trying to seize pirates' financial assets and property.

Allies? I thought we had no allies (with the exception of the Aussies, British, Polish, Japanese...).

No, they couldn't have Obama portrayed as the shoot first, ask questions later type because he would seem so much like the vile George W. Bush and we couldn't have that. Obama is brilliant, intellectual and smooth while Bush was just an inbred country hick from Texas who shot any man who crossed him. He was uncultured and not nuanced enough to handle these important issues.

So what if another nation's vessel wasn't within 200 miles, we'll say the effort is a joint effort. Now we are a nation that has "allies" and do everything "multi-laterally" not "unilaterally" like the cretin W did.

Glad to know we still are using the military that was hated by the left for years to take care of business.

Wednesday Evening News and Notes

How's it going?

Busy as hell with no end in sight...I guess it beats the alternative, huh?

Here's what's new in the world:

-A nice tribute to Harry Kalas.

-Obama may have lost a serious voting bloc.

-News you can use: Why some people (me included) sneeze when the sun shines.

-Hey, Paul Begala is still a raving idiot.

-Teaching a young boy about character.

-More pics of protests. The Dodd one is pretty good.

-Unintended global warmeny consequences. But hey, they won't be able to pay their electric bills, they'll have to go on the government dole and coal use is lessened. For libs it's a win-win.

Dissent is Patriotic; Except When It's Against Obama

There are quite a few liberals slamming the Tea Party protests occurring everywhere. Here's the one that begs a fisking:

The Web is buzzing with information about how to throw an anti-Obama Taxpayer Tea Party, something organizers hope will be held today from Santa Monica to South Carolina. But no need to burn up your bandwidth reading complicated instructions. Here's a simpler recipe:

Go to a hobby store. Buy a scale model of a U.N. One-World-Government Black Helicopter and a tube of glue. Toss the model kit. Sniff the entire tube of glue. You're all set for the party.

Ha, get it. We're all conspiracy theorist's and insane. No wonder the LA Times is about a week away from dissolving with inane writers like this assclown Marc Cooper.

He continues the drivel:

So, if you'll excuse the mixed metaphor, what's the beef behind today's protests? The Obama administration is cutting taxes for all except the very richest of Americans. Reduced withholding is already showing up in millions of paychecks.

Libs just don't get it. "Reduced witholding" that results in a weekly savings of a twelve pack and a pack of Marlboro's is not the point. The point is that we are in debt to an extent we've never even considered. Obama will have a larger deficit than the entire budget from 96-99. China now owns us and has us by the balls if they decide to call in our loans. We will see a depression that will make the current situation look like an improvement beyond words. Does the intellectually-stunted Cooper really believe that Obama won't raise taxes? He'll let the Bush tax cuts lapse and hit the middle class with a double-digit tax increase that will stunt economic growth for a decade until we finally get smart and oust Obama.

Then again, this rash of tea parties is being organized not only by the pseudo-journalists at Fox News (with Glenn Beck, Neil Cavuto and Sean Hannity actively stoking the flames) but also by FreedomWorks, a conservative lobbying outfit headed by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey. I suppose it was Armey's constitutional if morally dubious privilege to have built an entire political career out of defending the wealthy.

I get it, if Fox News is involved, it's automatically evil and favors the rich. Did Cooper see any pictures? They sure as hell weren't the wealthy standing in the rain. The entire Fox News line of attack is a red herring. Plus, Fox is crushing the competition in every demographic. Perhaps if Cooper's employer could grab 5% of the Fox audience he wouldn't be a day away from the unemployment line in between writing free posts on Daily Kos or the vile FiredogLake.

But are common folks actually going to dump Earl Grey into Santa Monica Bay because they are outraged, simply infuriated, by the marginal tax rate rising 3% for millionaires?

Again with the class warfare incitement. Has Cooper looked around and seen what's happening in the country? What about his deeply troubled state? The Wall Street meltdown has destroyed the economies of NY and NJ--the very same people who are paying the majority of the taxes in the country. I'll put it in simple terms for Cooper: Imagine if Hollywood lost 50% of it's income tomorrow. What would the effect be on LA? Where is the money to feed, clothe, house and provide medical treatment for illegals going to come from? Priorities here Cooper, priorities.

And so it goes throughout the liberal media. We have elitist's like Marc Cooper who piss on the great unwashed and won't even take a second to ponder why these people stood in the rain and cold. He is so smug and self righteous that he can't fathom why people would be upset that Obama is spending money we could never pay back.

Oh well, liberals never understood Reagan either and he pummeled them in two straight elections and carried enough carryover clout to get the RINO George HW Bush elected. This time, it will be twenty years before we elect another Democrat.

Update: More from Karl posting in the Hot Air Green Room.