November 04, 2012
Confederate Yankee is closed. Update your Bookmarks and RSS feeds
Mike McDaniel is now blogging at Stately McDaniel Manor.
I am at my own self- named blog. Thanks!Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:26 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
November 01, 2012
For Everything There is a Season
Confederate Yankee started with what was to be a one-off post on a hastily set-up Blogspot blog. That was posted Nov. 5, 2004. I sent an email to Glenn Reynolds, he linked it, and the very first blog entry I ever wrote garnered something north of 8,000+ hits and dozens of comments. I was hooked on the spot.
Seven years, 5,284 blog entries, and 7.8+ million page-views later, it is time to retire Confederate Yankee, a "temporary" blog that turned out to be a life-changing experience. No, I'm not retiring from blogging, and neither is Mike, commenter extraordinaire turned co-blogger and friend. We're just moving on. Mike is launching his first solo blog, Stately McDaniel Manor, which I hope will become a daily read for you. He'll also continue contributing to Pajamas Media and the Gun Values Board. I'll be moving to my own self-named blog, which will consolidate the future political blogging I'd previously done on CY with the gun-writing I'd been doing at Bob's Gun Counter. Of course, I'll also continue posting at Pajamas Media and Shooting Illustrated. Why am I retiring CY? It's time consolidate my work on a more robust and modern CMS (WordPress) that is more extensible and easier to administer, leaving me more time to focus on content. Don't worry, though. I have no intention of nuking CY, and all the existing content will remain exactly where it is for as long as our generous host Pixy Mesa will have us. Mike and I will continue posting here through the end of the month, but we'll be "locking the doors" to new comments and posts after that time and moving on to our new sites. I hope you'll follow us there. Thanks for being part of our blogging family!Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 08:10 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 31, 2011
Ave Atque Vale!
Halloween has come, and with it, my final post on what has been my blogging home--and my first blog--here at CY. My most grateful thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read us. I'll very much miss working with Bob and Brigid and of course, hearing from all of you.
I hope I've earned a place on your daily "to read" list for the Blogosphere and that you'll visit me at my new site, Stately McDaniel Manor. Of course, you'd be remiss not to visit Bob at Bob Owens and Brigid at Home On The Range. As Bob noted, we'll be closing CY on November 1, but the archives will still be accessible. Thanks again for your support and comments! PS: Just in case, it means: Hail and farewell!Posted by: MikeM at 05:13 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 27, 2011
The Volt Reaches New Lows
Are regular readers know, I've been following the misfortunes of the Chevy Volt and similar vehicles for some time. My latest update is at my new site--Stately McDaniel Manor--and discusses GM and the Administration's ridiculous spin about the Volt's sales and future prospects and the reality of producing a grossly overpriced car few are willing to buy. Not a good sign for the future viability of a company partially owned--and arguably mostly controlled--by the Federal government.
Posted by: MikeM at 10:54 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 23, 2011
Traffic Tickets and You
An article I wrote about the plight of a Florida man who flashed his headlights at oncoming motorists to warn them about the a speed trap and was ticketed for his trouble is now up at Pajamas Media. The good guy won this one, and might win another one. As always, the comments are probably more interesting than my writing. Have a look!
Posted by: MikeM at 08:04 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 22, 2011
Unexpected Opportunity
Now and then, God places us where we need to be. It's not always a welcome or happy thing, but upon reflection, it's right--of course.
As it has many times in a long and eventful life, it happened again to me on Thursday evening. I've written about it at my new blog. It may be worth your while.Posted by: MikeM at 10:51 AM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 19, 2011
Quick Takes: October 20, 2011
NOTE: This will be the final regular Thursday posting of "Quick Takes" here at CY. It has been grand!
ITEM: Talk About Fast And Furious! Well, it had to happen eventually, didn't it? I'm speaking—of course—about a couple having sex while skydiving. And of course, they had to film and post it on the Net. Yes, I could make the obvious, cheap jokes about "augering in," "premature release," "delayed opening," "blossoming canopies," "high speed, low drag," "terminal velocity," etc., but this blog is far, far too classy for that sort of thing. Is there a Guinness category for this? There probably is now. ITEM: Well, That Makes Sense… The NFL has picked Arizona to host the Super Bowl in 2015, so of course, someone is ticked off about it. This time, according to Fox News "some Hispanic activists who had organized a boycott of the state after a controversial immigration law passed last year." OK, so let's see if I understand this. Illegal immigrants flock to places like Arizona because its economy provides a far better life than they can ever have in their home countries, which by and large, do not have the rule of law. So it only makes sense that they would oppose the rule of law and try to stop anything that would help the economy of their chosen home—and congressional Dems would, of course, be on their side. Strange times. ITEM: They did WHAT?! There are some stories that make me ashamed to be an educator, or would, if most people didn't instinctively realize that principals like the subject of this story are complete ninnies. Why? She plans to ban Halloween and Thanksgiving in her school. I'm always amazed when I find "educators" that don't realize they're teaching—you know—children. Ninny. Discuss. ITEM: The Glories of Socialized Medicine: Wouldn't be nice if we didn't have to wander off into the abyssal wilderness of ObamaCare with nothing to guide us? Wouldn't be grand if somewhere, somehow, another nation had, you know—experience—at that sort of thing? What's that? Who does? For how long? You're kidding! You're not? England does? Go here to the good folks at Powerline for a look into your immediate ObamaCare future. Yes, we will do it as badly and probably worse than the British. ITEM: What Is This "Honor, Duty, Valor and Integrity" About Which You Speak? William Bennett, in this interesting article, asserts: "When the older generation fails to properly teach the younger males (and females) coming behind them, trouble surely follows." I agree with him. See what you think. ITEM: And This Guy Could Be The Republican Nominee? Mitt Romney has always been an Anthropogenic Global Warming Kool-Aid drinker, and he has not backed off that stance despite being, arguably, the Republican front-runner. We now know that AGW is a hoax, supported by false, manipulated and ([purposely) "lost" data. We know it is one of the biggest and most expensive scams ever foisted on America, and that it has made the execrable Al Gore very wealthy. Are Republicans really going to make this guy their nominee? Go here for a very good reminder why that might just be a very, very bad idea. ITEM: They Did WHAT II?! An essential component of ObamaCare was CLASS, a grandmother of all debacles wrapped up in the mother of all debacles. Now we discover that ObamaCare's backers knew it was a fiscal suicide pact even as they forced it down the throats of Americans. We also know that HHS secretary, the disgusting Kathleen Sibelius, has actually pulled the plug on this substantial part of the ObamaCare house of cards. In order for a true Marxist believer like Sibelius to do that, CLASS must have been a fiscal nuke in imminent danger of blowing up in Obama's face during the run up to the election. What remains to be seen is whether any of the Republicans will have the testicular fortitude necessary to make ObamaCare the issue it should be. And if Romney gets the nomination---well, we can probably forget that. Discuss. ITEM: They Did WHAT III?! You aren't going to believe this one, gentle readers—oh. Actually, you are, and without a second thought. Even though his HHS underlings agree that CLASS cannot possibly work, even though it is indisputably impossible —mathematically—to make it work, Barack Obama is against abandoning it! They're trying to keep it from blowing up in his electoral face, and he keeps relighting the fuse! If there was a clearer indication that Mr. Obama is motivated entirely by Marxist ideology regardless of reality, I'll be pleased to hold the line while anyone provides it… ITEM: Oh Man. Military Adventures In Africa Never End Well. And we're getting into one. With Iran's attempt to murder a foreign diplomat and hundreds of Americans in NYC still hot on the burner, Mr. Obama is taking bold, manly and forthright military action. That's right: he's sending our troops to Uganda on a vague, ill-considered, sure-to-result-in-tragedy-pseudo-mission. But hey, it's Barack Obama; what could go wrong? ITEM: It's Unexpected, Completely Unexpected! So let's see if I have this straight: You're a formerly wealthy, beautiful, and resource rich state. You enact idiotic, ruinous taxes, regulations and rules that chase businesses, jobs and citizens to other states as fast as they can rent the transportation, while simultaneously attracting millions of parasite class immigrants. You enact still more idiotic, ruinous taxes, regulations and rules, and when your tax revenues come up $705 million short for the first three months of the fiscal year, it's unexpected? Wasn't, at one time in the distant past, $705 million a lot of money? And what the hell is wrong with those pinheads in California anyway? Discuss. ITEM: The Ideal Breast Shape: This is something Man, or more appropriately, untold numbers of individual men, have been diligently searching out for millennia. It has been a long and arduous task, dark, sweaty, squalid rooms, high humidity, frantic struggles, screams and moans of anguish, and what has been accomplished? Squat. At least until now, for now a British Plastic surgeon has applied not only his educated hands but science to the task and has actually discovered the perfect breast shape! Well---darn! That kind of limits the old "we have to do it for science—no really—it's an experiment!" excuse, doesn't it? Oh well. Go here for the interesting story, but sorry, no graphic photos. ITEM: Meow. How would your house cat do in a confrontation with a mountain lion? Zeus, the Maine Coon was one cool kitty. Go here to Fox News for a brief video. ITEM: He's What? Vice President? Of The United States? You're Kidding! As most of you probably know, Mr. Biden is trying to sell the latest mini-stimulus masquerading as a "jobs" bill by actually saying that if Republicans don't pass it, rape and murder rates will rise. No, this isn't a parody, he's actually saying that, over and over. The logic, such as it is, seems to be that because Mr. Biden is claiming some few paltry billions of the half trillion will go to police salaries—well, you can figure out the rest. Of course, this is only a one time, temporary measure, so won't Mr. Biden be responsible for all those rapes and murders in another year? Sheesh. Go here for a bonus video demonstrating the superior temperament—for which they are justly famous--of the highest levels of the Obama Administration. ITEM: Is There Anything ObamaCare Can't Do? In this case, it's going to price lower waged, unskilled workers right out of the job market. You know, the lower wage people Mr. Obama and the Dems love so much, "the people?" You've heard of them? As with so many associated with The One, if ObamaCare is ever fully implemented, the wheels of the black Darth Vader, Canadian made bus will once again go "thumpity thump." ITEM: Well, Of Course! Who said: “I guarantee it’s going to be a close election [in 2012] because the economy is not where it wants to be and, even though I believe all the choices we’ve made have been the right ones, we’re still going through difficult circumstances." That's right. His reign has been absolutely flawless, without a single error. He has made all the right choices. Lord only knows how bad things would be if Mr. Obama wasn't the epitome of perfection. "Armageddon" comes to mind… ITEM: Talk About Playing Right Into Male Fantasies: This one is just about too good to be true. A study has apparently found that in a sampling of heterosexual women, "…60% were sexually attracted to other women, 45 percent had kissed a woman, and 50 percent had fantasies about the same sex." Thought provoking, to say the least. To say the most, it's other—things—provoking too. Discuss. And with that stimulating thought, it's time once again to bid you all a fond farewell and encourage you to drop by Stately McDaniel Manor where I'll carry on these little blurbs on a more or less daily basis. Thanks so much for all of your previous visits and I'll hope to see you there!Posted by: MikeM at 09:57 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 17, 2011
A Letter From The Teacher: Wherefore School Sports?
NOTE: This will be my final Letter From The Teacher education post on Confederate Yankee. I'll be cross posting this article to my new blog, and will continue my education writing there in a slightly different format, beginning Tuesday, October 25, 2011. Thanks for reading our work, and I look forward to seeing you at Stately McDaniel Manor where I am already posting.
Anytown High School, Any State, USA To: Bob, My Most Steamed Colleague
From: Mr. English Teacher
Re: Wherefore School Sports? Dear Bob: I hope you don't mind if I vent a bit. And you might not share this one too widely; it will, no doubt, tick people off. On second thought, when have we ever been worried about that? Anyway, here's a necessary disclaimer that may ward off at least a few of the death threats: I support athletic endeavors. Many of the apologies and arguments in their favor are, in lesser and greater degrees, true. I have been an athlete all of my life as a runner, martial artist, European fencer, Japanese fencer, soccer player, and now, with age and the ravages of many knee injuries, an avid bicyclist. I have, of course, played most other sports including football, baseball, tennis--you name it--from time to time. I don't reflexively oppose sports in the schools for I believe they do provide valuable benefits. Rather, I oppose waste, fraud, inefficiency, and anything that steals even a minute of the precious class time of my students. It has been said that high school sports aren't our focus; they're our religion. Indeed, some pursue them with that kind of fervor, even if only as fans. Is "fantasy football" a sort of devotion or merely escapism?
Posted by: MikeM at 10:35 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 16, 2011
Death By Cultural Misunderstanding
"The Iranian terror plot: Why would Iran do it the way they allegedly did it?" So goes the title of an article by Allahpundit at Hot Air. It is representative of many, not only on the Internet, but across the conventional media. Allahpundit is not nearly as credulous as many and raises several good points.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is former Federal Prosecutor Andy McCarthy—whose article is also linked in Allahpundit's article—who concludes: "But, as night follows day, the State Department and other administration officials are out throwing cold water on these claims with their usual tap dance: Iran is very complicated; the IRGC is like a government within a government; there are various rogue elements, so this was probably a rogue operation; just because somebody in the Iranian government may have been complicit does not mean muckety-mucks like Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei were involved; diplo-blah, blah, blah. It looks like we will keep chasing the Holy Grail — rationalizing inaction in the face of ever-mounting provocations while we keep searching for “moderates” embedded somewhere in the regime who will somehow maneuver Iran into a new era of good relations with the Great Satan. Continued good luck with that." What we now know is that the Iranian used-car salesman from Texas who was apparently the prime broker in the plot was actually trying to arrange not only the murder by explosives of the Saudi Ambassador in a Washington DC restaurant, but attacks on American and Israeli embassies possible in simultaneous strikes. Not only was this used-car dealer traveling between Texas, Mexico and Iran, but was prepared to deliver $1.5 million dollars to the DEA informant posing as a representative of a Mexican drug cartel. It is not known with certainty, but it seems we may have intercepted this plot for no reason other than that the Iranians blundered—by pure chance—into one of our assets rather than the Mexican killers he sought. If so, this is truly one of the most remarkable cases of serendipity on record. Some excerpts from Allahpundit: "As Iranians struggled Wednesday to comprehend an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, analysts here agreed that even if U.S. charges of official Iranian involvement were true, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his government likely had nothing to do with the scheme…"Posted by: MikeM at 09:47 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 15, 2011
The Literature Corner: Kill The Light, Hymie...
This will be my final installment of the Literature Corner at Confederate Yankee. I'll continue it at Stately McDaniel Manner, cross posting this story, and adding new stories beginning in November.
There is a classic scene from Mel Brooks’ Get Smart TV series. The bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart was working with a prototype human-appearing secret agent robot named Hymie. On the way out of a room, Smart said “kill the light Hymie.” Hymie, not understanding the idiom, pulled out his gun and shot it. Robots, it turns out, aren’t alone in taking things too literally. All cops begin their careers as patrol officers. It’s in that job that they learn all of the basics of police procedure, the law, and most importantly, how to deal with people without unnecessarily ticking them off. The best cops—because they have an innate feel for human nature--can talk people into doing just about anything, and as a result rarely have to use force. Master officers are easy to spot: people they arrest sincerely thank them for doing it. Cops usually start by attending a state mandated basic training academy, and larger agencies also have their own in-house academies. Virtually all police agencies have a field-training program. Some are very brief, little more than a rookie riding around with an experienced cop for a few weeks. Some are very specific and lengthy—up to six months--but the idea is to team up the new officer with an experienced officer who rides with them in a patrol car, watches over them and teaches them what to do and when, and most importantly, what not to do and when. In professional law enforcement agencies, new cops aren’t allowed out on their own for a year or more. Many people think anyone can be a teacher. Not so. Being a Field Training Officer (FTO) is a surprisingly difficult and demanding job. A good FTO can anticipate each trainee’s needs and accurately recognize and help them overcome their problems. A really good FTO can remember their own beginning experiences and can help to make the transition from rookie to seasoned professional seemingly easy for a new cop. Great street cops aren’t always good teachers of street cops. Just because they can do their jobs very well doesn’t mean that they can teach others to do the same. Very different skill sets are involved and are sometimes mutually exclusive. The best FTOs learn as much as they impart. It took several years before I became a FTO. Having many years of prior police experience, to say nothing of being the only officer on the force of any rank with an undergraduate degree in education (with years of teaching experience), made me suspect rather than an obvious choice for the job. Go figure. But when the time came to appoint new FTOs, my qualifications were so far ahead and above whoever was in second place, it would have been too embarrassing not to give me the job, so there I was, to the chagrin of the Chief, a guy who gave lip service to hiring only highly educated, smart cops. The problem was, he wanted them only smart enough, and not too smart. Cops that are too smart aren’t very easy to trick or control, but that’s another story.Posted by: MikeM at 01:21 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 13, 2011
Lanny Davis Arrives to Spin Gunwalker
You can gauge how serious a political crisis is by who the people under fire bring in to shore up their defenses. Clintonista Lanny Davis, who represented former President Bill Clinton during his impeachment, has now stepped up to issue an op-ed piece that attempts to make a molehill out of a mountain.
Davis' article in the Huffington Post is a perfect culmination of the spin that has been offered so far by the Justice Department, the White House, a smattering of loyal House Democrats, and the media. As such, it offers one-stop shopping to debunk all of the deception being offered to undermine the pursuit of the most deadly and damning political scandal in American history. Davis begins:If ever there is an example of hyper-partisanship, the recent personal attacks challenging the honesty and competence of Attorney General Eric Holder regarding the ATF's errors in its "Fast and Furious" gun-tracking program should be Exhibit A.Davis is entirely correct... just not in the way he intended. Under Eric Holder, the Department of Justice has been packed with far-left wing ideologues and Stalinesque snitch programs designed to silo and isolate employees, compartmentalizing the sweeping and radical changes that the Administration seems to implement, as noted in Christian Adams' new book, Injustice: Exposing the Racial Agenda of the Obama Justice Department. As for Eric Holder's credibility, Davis "forgets" to mention the Attorney General's two previous bouts of forgetfulness on the stand, regarding the pardons of nationalistic terrorists and financier Marc Rich in years past. The only question regarding Mr. Holder's sworn testimony is why he isn't required to present it while wired to a polygragh. Then Davis gets very creative with his description of Operation Fast and Furious.
This was a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) program in which guns were allowed to be illegally purchased so that they could be tracked to gun traffickers and Mexican drug cartel leaders. But the ATF, which now is supervised by the Justice Department, lost track of the guns -- which were "allowed to walk," as the parlance goes. Some of the guns were later found at the scene of murders of law enforcement officers.
Davis is desperate to compartmentalize the scandal as a rogue operation carried out in isolation by local ATF agents. The facts are that Operation Fast and Furious was a multi-department, multi-agency operation. In the Department of Justice alone, the ATF, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (and the directors of each), and a dozen top Justice Department officials, including Deputy Attorney Generals, Assistant Attorney Generals, Deputy Assistant Attorney Generals, and U.S. Attorneys were aware of the plot, with documentation already revealing that the #2 man in Justice was getting detailed briefings, in addition to the at least five reports that crossed Attorney General Holder's desk. Operation Fast and Furious also could not have occurred without extensive interaction with the State Department, which would have had to authorize the shipment of thousands of weapons in what would otherwise be felony violations of the Arms Export Control Act. The Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol would also have been in the loop, and it was agents from these agencies that have become the first known U.S. law enforcement agents murdered by guns provided under Operation Fast and Furious other alleged gun-walking programs. The Treasury Department also played a role in the task force, specifically the IRS Criminal Investigative Division (IRS-CID). The White House National Security Council (NSC) was also briefed directly from agents in the field. This wasn't an isolated operation, but a cabinet-level orchestration seeking to achieve unofficial, illegal, unconstitutional, possibly terrorist and treasonous policy goals.
There is no question that the program was botched -- Eric Holder has called it seriously flawed and immediately established a DOJ Inspector General investigation. But the Republican haste to blame it all on Holder and accuse him of lying to Congress -- even calling for a special prosecutor -- seems to me to be way over the top.Let's be crystal clear on this next claim by Mr. Davis, so that there can be no mistake. There was nothing "botched" about Operation Fast and Furious. There wee no mechanisms in the program to track weapons, specific, documented incidents where federal agents interfered on behalf of weapons smugglers who were interdicted by state law enforcement, and at least one incident where an ATF agent bought weapons with taxpayer funds, authorized by a senior ATF agent, and delivered weapons directly to cartel members. ATF agents have testified in sworn statements in front of Congress that the purpose of Operation Fast and Furious was to put thousands of American guns in the hands of the Sinaloa cartel. Interdiction was dissuaded, and tracking impossible. Supervisors were elated when OFF turned up at the scenes of murders. This was government-sanctioned arms smuggling to narco-terrorists locked in a near civil war with the legitimate government of Mexico. Nothing was "botched," and there was never an attempt to enforce laws until Brian Terry was killed and whisteblowers came forward to shut the program down.
Here are the facts I believe congressional Republicans making these personal attacks on Holder know, or should know. First, Republican congressional leaders know that this is not the first time this type of ATF gun-tracking program has gone wrong. A similar program with similar problems began under the George W. Bush administration. As CBS News investigative reporter Sharyl Attkisson reported, "Operation Wide Receiver" was implemented in 2007 during the tenure of then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. A source told Attkisson that during this program, hundreds of guns "walked" across the Mexican border.Davis would love to be able to muddy the waters of the scandal by implying that the previous Administration was involved, but the facts do not support his spin. Where Operation Fast and Furious was a multi-agency, multi-department plot involving high-ranking government appointees and possibly elected officials, Operation Wide Receiver was a local BATF operation, using untested new technologies in an attempt to interdict and capture weapons smugglers. Wide Receiver used RFID chips placed in weapons shipments and surveillance aircraft in hopes of tracking smugglers to their bosses. The plan failed because agents did not know how to install the RFID devices competently, shortening the range of their broadcast signals, combined with the fact that smugglers were far more cunning than the agents allowed. Aware of the limited loiter times of then-current surveillance assets, the smugglers would wait until the monitoring aircraft had to refuel, at which point they would sprint to the border. Wide Receiver's failures were apparent and the operation was shut down after hundreds of guns made it over the border. Operation Fast and Furious was designed explicitly to walk guns, and succeeded wildly, successfully delivering thousands of guns, responsible for the deaths of 200+ people before ATF agents finally blew the whistle.
Second, Republicans know Holder was asked a question during a congressional hearing about when he first learned about this program in the context of prior questions concerning the mismanagement of the program. He said he first learned about it -- meaning the problems and faulty tactics -- in the spring of 2011. Republicans know that the former U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona, the jurisdiction in which ATF was implementing the program, and the former acting director and deputy director of ATF supposedly in charge, have said they also did not know about the problems in Fast and Furious until just recently, and that they had not briefed the attorney general until this year, as he testified.The "former U.S. attorney for the District of Arizona" Davis refused to name is Dennis Burke, a political appointee elevated to that position due to his loyalty to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Burke was Napolitano's Chief of Staff while she was Governor of Arizona, and he is now the "former" U.S. attorney due to his actions in the gun-walking scandal.
Third, the Republicans know Holder could not be expected to have remembered a few lines making general reference to this program among hundreds of pages of reports from 24 departments regularly delivered to the office of the attorney general. Even if Holder had read every line of every report -- and Republicans know he didn't and it would be unreasonable to expect an attorney general to do so -- it is a fact that none of the references to the program included any disclosure of the problems and errors in the Fast and Furious program, as Republicans also know.Davis asks us to believe that a high-risk, politically-motivated multi-department, multi-agency plot that measured its success in the body count of Mexican citizens was something that the Attorney General not only was unaware of while it was being run, and that even after whistleblowers brought the program down he had no interest in learning anything about the program in the months before he was asked to testify under oath. If you find that credible, Mr. Davis would like you to be part of the jury pool when the criminal trials start.
Fourth, congressional Republicans should recognize that ultimately, this is a law enforcement issue that needs bipartisan support and assistance, not political cheap shots. You would think that conservative Republicans, who are known to emphasize law enforcement, would be providing the ATF and other law enforcement with the maximum number of tools to control and track these guns. These include closing loopholes in laws that facilitate following guns across the border and imposing strict reporting requirements for gun purchases to help combat gun trafficking. Unfortunately, many of those most vocal in criticizing Holder have opposed this legislation.As we have well established in our continuing coverage of the scandal, there was nothing like a law enforcement operation that came out of Operation Fast and Furious, or the nine other alleged gun-walking operations in five states. The obvious and apparent goal of the plot was to ship as many guns into Mexico as possible, so that when they were recovered at crime scenes, they could lend credence to the 90-percent lie that President Obama, Attorney General Holder, Secretary of State Clinton and others had staked the reputations on.
Americans have become so tired of politicians in Washington politicizing virtually everything. Mistakes can never be honest. Motives are always questioned. Members of the opposition are not only the subjects of policy disagreements; they must be demonized. I say respectfully to Republicans responsible for these unfortunate attacks on Eric Holder what I have previously said to Democrats who unfairly personally attacked Bush Attorney General Gonzales: Enough. We are all sick of this -- in both parties. Enough.The only honest mistake related to Operation Fast and Furious was the mistake that field agents had that their supervisors and the political appointees they reported to cared about law and justice more than political opportunism. Three American Federal agents were shot with guns walked by the Obama Administration, and their sacrifice pales in number when compared to the 200+ dead that the Mexican Attorney General has claimed in her investigation into this betrayal. A bipartisan group of Arizona sheriffs (5 Republicans, 5 Democrats) have called for an independent counsel to prosecute those involved in the murderous scheme. They too, have cried out, "Enough!" Mr. Davis isn't supporting them. I guess they couldn't afford his retainer.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 12:05 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 12, 2011
Quick Takes, October 13, 2011
ITEM: Technology Waits For No Man: The rotary (Wankel) engine always held great promise. Small and lightweight for it's power output, for a time it seemed a viable alternative to its more conventional brethren. Mazda, alone among the automakers, exploited the engine, most famously in its sports cars, most recently the RX-8. That's apparently now coming to an end. Fox News has the story.
ITEM: Ah! So That's What A Real Supreme Court Justice Is Like! Leftists, of course, excoriate Antonin Scalia for the crime of interpreting the Constitution rather than imposing the "progressive" policy preferences of the moment. In this fascinating story via Hot Air, we have the pleasure of his own words and his opinion that legislative gridlock inside the Beltway isn't such a bad thing after all. When hearing of the horror of gridlock from a Beltway denizen, I've often found myself thinking: "And Congress not being able to enact new laws is a bad thing because…?" See what you think. ITEM: And In The "Oh Goody" Department: we learn that the EPA, those never-resting saviors of bait fish and obscure flora and fauna are going to implement new regulations in January 2012 that could almost immediately shut down from 8.9% to 25% of American electrical generating capacity. Uh, don't they know that people are going to die? Of course they do, but Barack Obama's pre-election promise to destroy the American coal industry is far more important than the deaths of people who use coal! Take your blood pressure medication before reading this one. ITEM: Who Knew It Could Stop Rapes And Murders? Vice President Biden is at it again. At an October 12 speech in Flint Michigan, Mr. Biden said that if Mr. Obama's so-called "jobs" bill is not passed. Flint would experience far more rapes and murders. Mr. Biden tied his prophetic increase to lower police staffing. Michigan, whose major cities have long been under Democrat control, has had horrendous economic problems for a very long time. But who knew that not only would Mr. Obama's bill—which was voted down in the Senate—solve our unemployment problem, but our crime problem too! Maybe Mr. Obama really is the smartest human alive--nah. ITEM: Joe "The Sheriff" Biden II: Speaking to CBS, Mr. Biden observed that the Obama Administration plans to continue its policy of sanctions and engagement which has been so successful in moderating the behavior of a nation run by lunatic Islamist murderers in the first place. No wonder Mr. Obama picked him as a running mate. What could possibly go wrong? ITEM: A Hot Friend Cooling: An observation by Brutus in the final act of Julius Caesar. Shakespeare knew human nature well. So does Victor Davis Hanson, who well explains Mr. Obama's current woes. Not long and worth your time. ITEM: Why Do Women Have Prominent Breasts? Uh, you're kidding, right? I mean, who doesn't like them so much the question is irrelevant? I know I'm pretty fond of them. After all, I admire beauty of all kinds. Several gay chaps of my acquaintance are fond of them too. In any case, "The Chronicle of Higher Education (?)" posits several theories. Read it and see what pops up, er, out, er… ITEM: Well, It Is Italian Food…And in the "they did WHAT?!" category, we discover that an Olive Garden restaurant in Oxford, Alabama refused to allow a banquet meeting of the local Kiwanis Club to display their Kiwanis banner and the American flag. Apparently the reason given was an attempt to avoid "disrupt[ing] the dining experience" for other customers. Uh-huh. Go here for the story. I've never been overly fond of the cuisine at the OG, so my continued lack of patronage likely won't be missed. How about yours? ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Flip Flop Division: DNC chair, Debbie Wasserman Shultz recently observed that the American people don't elect Washington pols to create jobs. I'm shocked, shocked! What about those billions and billions of jobs the Obama administration has been "saving and creating" for the last several years? What's that? They haven't actually done that? Oh. I'm shocked, shocked! Does Barack Obama know about this? Oh. It was his idea, then? Right. ITEM: Forgive Me Father, For I'm Going To Sue Your Vestments Off! It had to happen sooner or later. The Supreme Court has granted cert in a case that will directly pit religious liberty against the Americans with Disability Act. Guess which side the Obama Administration is on? The ADA? Darn! How'd you know? Hot Air has a good, brief explication of the case and the issues. ITEM: Kicking Traitors In The—You Know What—Department. Over at The Mellow Jihadi, Navy One, an active duty Naval officer, engages in some delightful and satisfying fantasy. By all means, stop by and read a literate and humane voice in our armed forces. We really are the good guys. Well, except for the present Administration, I mean. ITEM: …But Why Would Chris Christie Endorse Mitt Romney? You're joking, right? Christie is no conservative (No, I have no idea why Ann Coulter is so enamored either). He's at best a centrist, which in a state like New Jersey makes him virtually a charter member of the John Birch Society, at least to the average denizen of that state. For genuine conservatives seeking a genuinely conservative Republican, Mitt Romney is far from a desirable candidate. But he's certainly of a kind with Governor Christie. Allahpundit has it out at Hot Air. You'll particularly like Mr. Christie's tirade in support of RomneyCare. I mean "like" as in "find disgusting, sniveling, false and self-serving," of course. ITEM: Baby Rhinos? Miniature Burros? A Carrot-Red Baby Monkey? Zoo Borns has them all and more. If you haven't had your weekly quota of "Awwwwwwwwwww," here's your passport. The baby Wallaby is particularly cute. ITEM: Zombie Youth Department: Mark Steyn has a way with words. Most recently, he discourses on the precious, entitled twits defecating—literally--all over Wall Street and other places. If you've not read Steyn, this will be a worthy introduction. By all means, make his acquaintance. ITEM: So Even THEY Are Admitting It? Admitting what? That "green energy" is a boondoggle and scam of truly epic proportions, a vast money pit down which we are throwing billions of dollars to create virtually no jobs at a million or so each. Only billions? Hey, in the Age of The One, that's pocket change. We can just tax millionaires like Steve Jobs—what's that? He did? Oh. Well, we can tax GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt then. He can make up the difference. What's that? He's one of Mr. Obama's cronies sucking funds out of the Treasury like a Dyson vacuum turned vampire? Oh. This article at National Review will help explain it. ITEM: Ah, Those Tall, Willowy Young Women With Their Slender Necks (and prominent other stuff)! Are apparently prone to the horrendous affliction of "text neck." I used to think people complaining of neck problems were weenies—until I got a neck injury when attacked by a lawyer and his family at a domestic violence call. I don't harbor that delusion any more. I do harbor tall, willowy young women with slender necks-- and other stuff. Details at The Frisky. ITEM: Our Troops Are Needlessly Dying? Yes, according to the inestimable Michael Yon. Yon, a former Special Forces troop, is perhaps our premier combat journalist, getting stories and photos no one else can. The photos shot with night vision equipment are fascinating, as fascinating as the story is infuriating. Read this one. ITEM: "Obama's Earplugs And Blinders Prevent Job Creation." That's the headline of a story at the Washington Examiner. It’s brief but highly informative. By all means, take a few minutes to read this one. It might not be a bad idea to be sure your blood pressure meds are up to date first.ITEM: Say, Do You Happen To Have A Music Video Of Cats Wearing Hats? You know, I'm glad you asked…
And with that bit of inspired whimsy, it's time to bid you a fond farewell and once again encourage you to return next Thursday for another edition of Quick Takes! Meow!
Posted by: MikeM at 08:24 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 11, 2011
This Is A Parody--Right?
Well, now they've done it, and the United States is fighting back with every tool at its disposal:
1) The United States "…will use the plot to marshal international pressure…" against those responsible. 2) Attorney General Eric Holder said: "The United States is committed to holding [them] accountable for [their] actions." 3) A "State Department Official" called it a "flagrant violation of international law." And then we brought out the really big gun: "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said we'd work with allies to "send a very strong message that this kind of action, which violates international norms, must be ended." She also said: This "crosses a line," and she and President Obama are calling international leaders to tell them what happened. She said Mr. Obama and she intend to "pre-empt" any efforts by [them] to deny responsibility, and to "enlist more countries in working together against what is becoming a clearer and clearer threat…" One might be tempted to think that this situation—whatever it is and whoever it involves—is a very serious matter and that our government will respond with the kind of righteous rage demonstrated after 9-11. It is a very serious matter indeed, but that's where reality breaks down. As reported at Fox News, we've intercepted an Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to America, with explosives, on American soil. Iranian members of the Quds Force," a paramilitary spy/internal security force pursued a hit on the Ambassador by trying to hire what they thought was a Mexican drug cartel to make the attack. Two Iranian agents were captured and others remain at large. Would this be the same Iran: 1) that constantly threatens to obliterate Israel and the United States? 2) that has been killing Americans and American soldiers for decades? 3) that is the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in the world? 4) that sponsors terrorists that kill the citizens of our allies around the world? 5) that threatens to turn the Middle East in a charnel house of unimaginable proportions? 6) that is feverishly producing nuclear weapons and which plans to use them in an EMP attack on America? 7) that is building missile bases in Venezuela and infiltrating every Latin American country that will have it?
that is working daily to infiltrate sleeper cells into America for future attacks?
9) that is working with cartels and Marxists south of our border to facilitate any and every kind of harm to Americans they can devise?
10) that declared war on us in 1979 when they seized our embassy and took hostages?
11) that is ruled by Islamist lunatics who want to provoke Armageddon because they believe it will produce the return of the "hidden Imam," and lead to a new caliphate? Posted by: MikeM at 08:50 PM | Comments (16) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 10, 2011
A Letter From The Teacher: Is Teaching A Profession?
Anytown High School, Any State, USA
To: Bob, My Most Steamed ColleagueFrom: Mr. English Teacher
Re: Is Teaching A Profession? Dear Bob: I read a column the other day wherein the author was spouting the usual thoughtless rhetoric: teaching isn't a profession; anyone can teach; public schools are utter failures--you know the drill. We've heard it a hundred times, but it does raise an interesting question: is teaching a profession? Regardless of the answer, there is a related question: are teachers professionals? As you know, I'm a "professional" singer. I have a degree in voice. I'm a composer, arranger and conductor. I'm classically trained and have more than four decades of experience. I sing every year with a fine symphony orchestra performing the works of the masters, and with a fine chorale that only last year debuted a new work and also performed the Mozart Requiem Mass in Dm at Lincoln Center in New York City. The promoters, people who regularly hear the finest choirs in the world, honestly said that ours was the most professional choral sound they heard in many years. I'm actually paid to sing for a church choir, which I gladly do every week. I'm paid to do solo work upon occasion. All this and more, still I'm not, in the strictest sense of the word, a professional. It might be wise to provide some definitions. I'm sure you'll agree that most Americans have been misusing these words their entire lives: Neophyte: A beginner. Amateur: One who does it for love. Professional: One who makes their living from it; one who performs at the highest levels of their profession.
Posted by: MikeM at 10:32 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Welcome to PoopStock
Here's all you need to know about the temper tantrum known as the "Occupy" movement, as a disgusting Occupy Wall Street denizen defecates on a NYPD car.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 08:53 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Useful Idiots, Part II
"Revolution, man!"
"Yeah, like anarchy, man!"
"We're gonna take it back from the fat cats, man!"
"Power to the people!"
Posted by: MikeM at 12:48 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 07, 2011
The Literature Corner: Desperate Love
One common problem that drives police officers crazy is domestic violence. There are few people more despised by the police than those who harm children or women—maybe people who hurt animals—but the situation is often not as clear-cut as some would has us believe. Officers are always careful in such situations, for as they handcuff and try to remove the offending male, the battered, bleeding woman may very well attack them. The fact that battered women often return to their abusers despite Herculean efforts by officers and others in the system is also a major cause of frustration and disgust.
This edition of The Literature Corner pays a true, early morning visit to the ravaged apartment of just such a couple as related in court. Desperate Love“And after Officer Doucett asked for backup, what did you do?” The prosecutor, a young guy fresh out of law school, was nervous. It was one of his first serious (multiple felony) cases and he was doing his best not to look like the neophyte he was. The bad guy was pleading guilty after a particularly disastrous (for him) preliminary hearing and I was testifying at the sentencing hearing before the judge. He plead guilty to two of four felony counts so he was looking at a maximum of only 20 instead of 50 years in the pen. And who knows? Maybe he’d be able to cry some crocodile tears, sloppily profess heartfelt remorse, and the judge would be suckered into giving him probation. Couldn’t hurt to try. “I was only a few blocks away, so I immediately drove to the apartment complex. While I was still on the way, Officer Doucett radioed for me to cover the north side of the building, so I parked at that side and approached on foot.” “Did Officer Doucett tell you why he needed help and who was involved?” “Yes Sir. He told me that Terry Wilson attacked a woman in the apartment, and wouldn’t let her out. He said that he was afraid he would harm the woman.” “And did you know Terry Wilson?” “Yes Sir.” “How did you know Terry Wilson, Officer?” “I had several past contacts with Mr. Wilson for a variety of reasons, including drunk driving, assault and domestic violence.” “So you knew Mr. Wilson to be potentially violent?” “That’s correct.”
Posted by: MikeM at 11:55 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Holder vs White House: Who Is Accountable?
Game on.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:23 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
October 06, 2011
Gunwalker, Guerena and Self Protection
For those interested in a bit of web-surfing, you might want to take a trip over to Pajamas Media where the good folks there are kind enough to publish me. I have a new article up on the Gurenea case. For those who have been reading my detailed posts here, it's nothing new—actually a summary of the last several updates for general consumption—but it's a pretty decent summary. Of course, I may be somewhat biased in that assessment… In any case, it's fun to read the many comments and PJM is a first class blog. If you don't know it, by all means, visit regularly. Bob has a great new Gunwalker article there too.
I've also been asked to write for the Gun Values Board and just posted a little article on the fact that the Police generally cannot be sued for failure to protect any individual citizen. The lesson: We're on our own; we're responsible for our own protection. For those who read my five-part article on gun ownership and the reasons therefore in the last year, it's a shorter version of one of those articles, but again, it's a pretty decent summary and a nice blog with which to acquaint yourself.Posted by: MikeM at 10:11 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
A Hilariously Unscientific Poll
Consider this scenario: You have been told, at least five weeks in a row, by memo—memos it is your job to read and act upon—that something very wrong is happening. You do nothing, and things blow up in everyone's face. The boss asks you about it, and you tell him that you have no idea what's going on; you only found out about it when things blew up. He says: "Oh, OK then."
Right. How about if you say: "Oh, I didn't understand your question." Or "I was responding to another question about some other context." How about: "Memos? What memos? I never saw any memos." Or better yet: "Memos? I don't read memos!" Q: What is the chance of keeping your job: A) ZeroB) Zip
C) Less than nothing
D) Hahahahahahahahaha—gasp---hahahahaha! Keep your job?! Hahahahaha… Comes now Tina Korbe at Hot Air who writes: "It was never a comforting thought to think the Attorney General just can’t be bothered to read his weekly briefings, but it was at least plausible to think Eric Holder overlooked one or two memos about the pernicious and fatal Fast and Furious program. But make that five memos and the AG’s incompetence and negligence appear especially gross:
Senator Chuck Grassley and Congressman Darrell Issa today said that Attorney General Eric Holder received at least five weekly memos beginning in July 2010, including four weeks in a row, describing the ill-advised strategy known as Operation Fast and Furious. The memos were to Holder from Michael Walther, the director of the National Drug Intelligence Center. The Attorney General told Issa during a House Judiciary Committee in May 2011 that he had just learned of Fast and Furious a few weeks before. Yet, on January 31, in a previously scheduled meeting, Grassley personally handed him two letters about Fast and Furious. Grassley and Issa said they find it very troubling that Holder actually knew of Operation Fast and Furious much earlier, and in greater detail than he ever let on. The memos specifically said that the straw buyers were 'responsible for the purchase of 1500 firearms that were then supplied to Mexican drug trafficking cartels.'”
Posted by: MikeM at 09:55 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
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