May 02, 2011
Final Photo Of Osama Bin Laden
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:09 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
The Shame of Success
Osama Bin Laden is dead. While there has been some celebration, the rejoicing has been somewhat muted, tinged with the sad realization that more than 3000 Americans at Ground Zero and thousands more thereafter have been lost to us, lost forever. Yes, we’re glad that justice has been done, but Bin Laden’s death seems to have, if anything, less importance than it once might have had. It may be nothing more than another milepost passed on a very long road, a road whose eventual end we can barely imagine.
Let us give credit where credit is due, primarily to the CIA and Navy SEAL assets who did the work, one imagines, with great and well-deserved satisfaction. Credit for President Obama? Certainly, but it must be tempered with the knowledge of the reality that with very few exceptions, his policies, ideals and beliefs have hampered rather than helped our war to preserve civilization. When one considers what is good for America, Mr. Obama is all too often standing on the opposite side. Yes, he has continued, even stepped up drone attacks on terrorists, but that, like the killing of Bin Laden, is virtually inescapable. It is a politically inexpensive way to appear to be doing something to combat terror while simultaneously pandering to a very anti-American, anti-war base. Could any president, handed the opportunity to get Bin Laden as Mr. Obama was, refuse? Certainly not--there would be no way to keep it under wraps--and Mr. Obama did not. This is the absolute minimum that any president could and should do, not a heroic, steadfast effort pursued with indomitable courage and a belief in American exceptionalism.Posted by: MikeM at 06:21 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Bin Laden Death Photo?
Update: Image Al-Arabiya is showing may have been Photo-shopped according to commenter (see below). I wouldn't be that surprised. Confirmed a fake. The U.S. government almost certainly had video cameras recording every second of the raid from satellite, drones, helicopters, and SEAL team member helmet-mounted sources. They also must have still photos from the scene and on-board ship where his DNA was drawn for confirmation and his body was buried at sea. This confirming information must be made public, While most rational people will find the claims of his death credible, there are a significant number—particularly among his supporters and sympathizers—who will refuse to admit his death if not dramatically shown otherwise with concrete proof. In this day and age, photos and videos still trump DNA tests that people in many parts of the world don't understand or trust. Show us his corpse, or the conspiracy theorists will have a field day with their rumors.
Iraqis watch a news broadcast on Al-Arabiya showing an image which allegedly shows the body of Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden. The killing of bin Laden by US forces at a palatial villa near the capital Islamabad has raised fresh questions over Pakistan's loyalties in the war against Al-Qaeda.
(AFP/Sabah Arar)
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:21 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Hidden By Pakistan, Osama Bin Laden Killed
Bin Laden's hideout was a custom-built home 100 yards from one of Pakistan's elite military academy. That nation obviously was aware of the hideout and was harboring the world's most wanted terrorist... for how long we have not been told. They have a lot to answer for, and all U.S. funding to that nation needs to stop NOW until we learn just how complicit they were. Update: Bert still on the run.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 08:11 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
May 01, 2011
The Deadly Political Correctness of Gun-Free School Zones, Part III
The first two installments of this series (available here and here) raised the issue of arming school staff, and raised and answered many of the primary objections. Still, how can school officials be convinced to accept concealed handguns in schools? How can risk-averse superintendents and school boards see the danger that we face? Can hard-core liberals be persuaded to accept reality? I hope to provide some possible answers in this, the final installment of this series. I’ll provide, first, some useful information on the relevant federal law (go here for more complete information).
In 1990, the Gun Free School Zones Act was written into law as part of the Crime Control Act. Among its provisions was a blanket prohibition on all firearms within 1000 feet of a school. The act relied on the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, asserting that Congress had the power to enact the law because most firearms probably had at some point moved in interstate commerce. The law basically turned huge portions of the nation into gun-free zones, making their perfectly law abiding owners liable for arrest and prosecution merely due to their unwitting proximity to a school. In the 1995 Lopez decision, the US Supreme Court struck down the law, ruling essentially that the Congress couldn’t write any law they wanted by claiming some Commerce Clause involvement. The Congress--Bill Clinton was then President--reenacted the law with a few minor language changes, but it was, in essence the same law, but without the 1000’ foot provision. This law has been upheld, for instance, in the Dorsey case (2005) by the 9th Circuit Court, which is infamous as the most liberal in the nation and also, the Circuit most overturned by the Supreme Court.Posted by: MikeM at 09:29 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
NRA Calls For Holder's Ouster for BATF "Gunrunner" Incompetence
Wayne LaPierre wants U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's resignation for the guns his agency intentionally supplied to drug dealers.
The specific political agenda that LaPierre refers to is the oft-debunk fiction pedaled by the Obama Administration that civilian gun stores in the United States are responsible for 90-percent of the firearms the Mexican government has recovered from cartels. The actual figure is just eight-percent, and that includes the thousands of firearms that Holder's Justice Department knowing let gun smugglers take into Mexico. "Gunwalker" AKA "Fast and Furious" was a transparent scheme by a radical President and Attorney General to create death and violence to justify more stringent gun control laws for our nation, and they were willing to put the lives of law enforcement officers and civilians on both sides of the border in jeopardy in order to do so. Republicans in the House and Senate should hammer the White House relentlessly over the apparent crimes carried out by Obama's Justice Department. Congressional investigations and criminal charges should be investigated. At least two weapons these men gave to some of the most violent criminals in the world have been used to killed a U.S. Border Patrol Agent. Holder is morally an accessory to murder. His resignation is the least Americans should be calling for as this scandal continues to unravel.
The National Rifle Association's CEO Saturday said Attorney General Eric Holder should step down for allowing an operation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to occur on his watch that involved the sale of guns to suspicious customers with ties to Mexican drug cartels. The ATF allegedly encouraged gun dealers to sell multiple firearms to known and suspected criminals as part of a broader sting operation to crack down on gunrunning. In a speech to thousands of gun activists here, NRA chief Wayne LaPierre said two assault rifles that the ATF "let walk" were found at the crime scene where a border patrol agent was gunned down in December. "Operation Fast and Furious may have gotten one or perhaps two federal agents killed, and countless other innocent victims have been murdered with the illegal guns that our own government allowed into Mexico all to advance a political agenda," he said.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 11:40 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 29, 2011
Obama: Lost In Thoughtlessness
Among the most fundamental differences between Progressives and Conservatives is the tendency of Progressives to be distinctly uncomfortable with everyday reliable principles, values and obviously common-sense solutions. So “war” becomes a “kinetic military action.” The Second Amendment means precisely the opposite of what it says. Terrorists captured on the battlefield should be given show trials in New York City rather than far less expensive, secure justice at Gitmo. An out of control budget deficit can only be fixed by even more borrowing and spending, and economic hardship brought on by rapidly rising gas prices can best be healed by proper tire inflation, high speed rail, and buying Chevy Volts at $41,000+.
Before continuing, it’s important to understand that when I use the term “Conservative,” I’m referring to every day Americans, people who have to live and work in the real world, where honesty, industry, reliability and day to day performance matter. They tend to care a great deal less for paper credentials than for demonstrated ability. They know stupid and they know smart. They know what works and what doesn’t, and they don’t have much patience with people who don’t, particularly when such people are pretending to be smarter than they are. So in effect, I’m including conservatives, probably most independents, and even some Democrats under the “Conservative” umbrella. Perhaps the most inexplicable manifestation of this tendency is the need of Progressives to call weakness and indecision a sort of calm strength and reflection, or to call a complete and obvious lack of accomplishment and practical intelligence signs of unimaginable ability and prodigious intellectual depth. A case in point is a recent April 26 Washington Post article by Dana Milbank, titled “Obama, Lost in Thought.”Posted by: MikeM at 09:57 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Think Progress: Those Hicks Deserved to Die
Despite the "COEXIST" bumper stickers on their cars, Obama's water-carriers at Think Progress are awfully eliminationist when it comes to their fellow man.
An interesting perspective, isn't it? According to Think Progress, hundreds of Americans deserved to die because the majority of voters in their congressional districts elected what Think Progress supposes are the wrong representatives. The thousands of quake fatalities in Japan and the hundreds of thousands of dead from the Boxing Day tsunami of several years ago are also obviously the fault of these rubes from Tuscaloosa according to Think Progress' logic. They still haven't come up with an explanation for Detroit, but they're working on it.
Storms Kill Over 250 Americans In States Represented By Climate Pollution Deniers Today, news agencies are still tallying reports of deaths from the most devastating storm system in the United States in decades: Dozens of massive tornadoes tore a town-flattening streak across the South, killing at least 250 people in six states and forcing rescuers to carry some survivors out on makeshift stretchers of splintered debris. Two of Alabama's major cities were among the places devastated by the deadliest twister outbreak in nearly 40 years.
"Given that global warming is unequivocal," climate scientist Kevin Trenberth cautioned the American Meteorological Society in January of this year, "the null hypothesis should be that all weather events are affected by global warming rather than the inane statements along the lines of 'of course we cannot attribute any particular weather event to global warming.'"
The congressional delegations of these states — Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Virginia, and Kentucky — overwhelmingly voted to reject the science that polluting the climate is dangerous. They are deliberately ignoring the warnings from scientists.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 11:19 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 28, 2011
Finally...
A crisis worthy of our President.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 01:40 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 27, 2011
Quick Takes, April 28, 2011
ITEM: Is This Cool Or What? Department: Go here for an article about a successful test of quantum teleportation. Remember the transporter of the Star Trek series, or the Asgaard “beaming” device of the later episodes of the Stargate SG1 series? That’s essentially what’s happening. Quantum information, in the form of light, has been essentially in two places at once, destroyed in the first, and rematerialized—intact—in the second. Unbelievably cool. The immediate potential application is for unimaginably fast and powerful computers, possibly powerful enough to be capable of finding Barack Obama’s college grades.
ITEM: Is This Cool Or What II? Department: Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN have announced (here) the possibility of finding “The God Particle,” the Higgs Boson. If so, this will be one of those truly revolutionary moments in science with profound effects for mankind. We live in interesting times indeed. ITEM: We recently received a cookbook from Dinner With Warriors, an organization selling the cookbook to benefit members of our military who have been wounded in action, and the survivors of those who have fallen. The cookbook, of the same name, contains 96 recipes of all kinds, each accompanied by a photograph and story of our servicemen and women. The cookbook is well made and the recipes varied and interesting indeed. Go here for more information. ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Union Edition: In last week’s QTs, we reported on the certified victory of incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser over the union-backed candidate JoAnne Kloppenberg by a 7000+ vote margin. Unfortunately, that total was barely within the margin that requires Wisconsin voters to pay for a recount. I’m shocked, shocked! to learn that Kloppenberg has indeed demanded a recount. The chance of finding sufficient votes to overturn the result is virtually nil. Kloppenberg and her union backers must know this, so their goal must surely be political rather than electoral. But stay tuned. Who knows how many of the voting dead may cross the border from Illinois? Go here for the story. For a legal take on the issue, go here. ITEM: Mr. Obama’s mean, petulant streak is never far from the surface, and surface it did (here) in a brief interview with a local Texas newsman. Not only did he demonstrate his continuing, debilitating lack of knowledge about history by claiming that Texas has always been Republican(?!)--That certainly would have been news to LBJ and Texas Dems until the election of George W. Bush--but he chastised the reporter for not being appropriately obsequious. Mr. President, it’s never smart to mess with Texas and while “petulant” and “presidential” are alliterative, they don’t go well together. ITEM: The title of Ann Coulter’s new book, due out in early June, is “Demonic: How The Liberal Mob is Endangering America.” You gotta love her, but I wish she’d be more forthright in telling us how she really feels. By the way, she publishes a new article every Thursday. It might be a good idea to visit there at anncoulter.com after visiting here first, of course. Smart, witty, beautiful conservative women! Sounds like a winning party plank to me. Hell, I’d even be willing to allow the government to subsidize that instead of the Chevy Volt! ITEM: By Their Fruits Shall Ye Know Them Department: Liberal blogger Wonkette has often contributed to the lack of civility so common in our social discourse. You know, the kind progressives live to criticize and stamp out? What’s that? It was all a lie? They never really meant it? Notify the Louis Renault Prize Committee! So why are we mentioning her? She has achieved the near-impossible, and has now descended even lower than the floor of the Marianas Trench (extra credit for depth and location--at the end of the QT. No fair peeking!) by crudely ridiculing Sarah Palin’s Down’s Syndrome-afflicted son on the occasion of his third birthday. Yes, there’s nothing quite like picking on people like Trig Palin to establish one’s humanity and progressive street cred. Go here for the story, but take your blood pressure medication first. UPDATE: Wonkette has apparently made a sort of “apology.” Go here to see it. If you don’t currently take blood pressure medication, this will likely provoke it. Is it possible to actually reason with--to say nothing about negotiating with--such people? Such is the result of long-term exposure to Progressivism. Discuss. ITEM: When You Look Into The Abyss, The Abyss Looks Into You! Department: From Fox News (here) comes the sad tale of DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Sean Smith who threatened to decapitate members of his own organization. That’s right, one of the Department of Homeland Security’s top public relations officials threatened to cut off the heads of coworkers. Isn’t that what Jihadists are supposed to do? Oh well. At least he’s leaving the DHS. He’s apparently been staring into the abyss too long. Janet Napolitano could not be reached for comment, but if she could, I’m sure she’d say that things were better than ever in the DHS, apart from a few decapitations, of course. I wonder if the Jihadist’s union knows that DHS management is trying to take over their jobs? Notify the NLRB! ITEM: Also from Fox News (here) comes the news that the Holder Justice Department intends to seek the death penalty for Abd Al-Rahim Al-Nishiri, charged for the bombing of the USS Cole which wounded 40 sailors and killed 17. Reflect, gentle readers, on the fact that, under the Obama Administration, such a routine charging decision in the case of a mass murderer and terrorist has become so remarkable. Discuss. ITEM: Oh Goody! Department: From CNBC (here) we learn that the possibility that gasoline prices could increase to as much as $6.00 per gallon by this summer is real indeed. Of course, none of this is Mr. Obama’s fault, nor does he have any power to do anything about it. Just ask him; he’ll tell you. As a matter of fact, he’s constantly telling you even if you haven’t asked. George W. Bush did it! That’s the ticket! ITEM: Unintended (?) Consequences! Department: Go here for what you’ve known was coming. That’s right! Compact fluorescent light bulbs, you know, the miracle energy saving bulbs that contain Mercury, one of the most poisonous substances known to man? And you know how you have to call out the EPA for a Super Fund clean up if one breaks? Well, now we know that they emit cancer-causing chemicals too! Could our green future be any brighter--or more carcinogenic?! ITEM: Art Imitates Life! Department: Remember that delightful scene in the Austin Powers film when Dr. Evil is annoyed because his associates cannot provide “sharks with fricking laser beams on their heads,” providing only ill-tempered Sea Bass instead? Consider this recent comment from Barack Obama: "You know the Oval Office always thought I was going to have like real cool phones and stuff. I'm like 'come on guys, I'm the president of the United States.' Where's the fancy buttons and stuff, and the big screen comes up? It doesn't happen." He’s an evil president! ITEM: You’re a stockholder in a company that has seen a 57.6% drop in income in the first quarter, to $5.4 million from $12.8 million during the same quarter a year ago. What do you do? Well, if you’re the New York Times (here), you keep cranking out the same tripe that put you in that position in the first place. Not to worry though, shareholders! I’m sure the NYT can be sold, like Newsweek before it, for at least a dollar. What’s that? Sidney Harmon, the stereo magnate who bought Newsweek for a buck recently died? Uh-oh... ITEM: Self-Delusion On A Mass Scale! Department. Go here for an article in The New Republic that seeks to explain why the Green Movement has been such a failure. There is much hand-wringing and angst over why Cap and Trade and other green initiatives have failed. It’s fascinating in that they cannot bring themselves to consider that “Climate Change” is essentially a crock. Such thinking is not possible for them. It’s an interesting, if slightly disturbing, look into the Progressive mind. ITEM: Can’t See The Forest For The Trees! Department: A group of California politicians, including Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, recently traveled to Texas (here). To try the BBQ? Attend a rodeo? Attend a Cowboy’s or Ranger’s game? Nope. To try to figure out why all of their businesses are leaving California and moving to Texas. Hmm. This is a tough one. Could it be because in California, businesses are constantly harassed by bizarre regulations, exorbitant taxes, insane zoning regulations, constant lawsuits from a plethora of looney-toon lobbying groups, and a skyrocketing cost of living for their employees? Why yes, I do believe the answer is “E:” All Of The Above. And they had to go to Texas to figure that out? Actually, none of this is surprising. Many self-styled “elite” West and East coastal dwellers really do believe that everything between is a vast cultural wasteland where the “little people,” most of whom are Republicans who cling to God and guns, live their pathetic, racist, sexist, you-name-it-ist little lives. For the California pols it was probably akin to a safari to an exotic land. Speaking as a Texan, I was going to say that I hope they never figure it out, but I’m reasonably certain they’re not capable of finding anything they do to be erroneous. I wonder of any of them defected and requested asylum? ITEM: A Palmetto Florida woman (here) came home to find a 6-foot alligator in one of her bedrooms. Wildlife officers eventually captured the beastie in a bathroom and released it into the wild. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of all of this speciesist discrimination! Whatever a consenting adult wants to do with a consenting alligator in the privacy of their own bedroom, or swamp, or bathroom, or whatever should be their business, unless they want to get married, then it’s everybody’s business. Strike a blow for biological diversity and inter-species equality! I think. ITEM: More Tales From The Religion of Peace Department: One Israeli was killed and four other wounded as they prayed at Joseph’s Tomb during Passover. Their killers, the murderers who kept firing at their vehicles even as they fled? Uniformed Palestinian police officers. Yes, the very same peace-loving humanitarians the Obama Administration has been arming and training. Go here for the whole sordid story. Remember, gentle readers, that these are the people our President reflexively supports and wants to negotiate with against our allies, the Israelis. Hope Change. Outreach. Smart diplomacy. Terrorist murder. ITEM: From the good folks at Powerline (here): “A year ago, the conventional wisdom about Barack Obama was: a nice guy but a weak president. That has been evolving, I think. The emerging conventional wisdom is: an awful president, and not that nice a guy either. Not a great position from which to run for re-election next year.” Hmm. I would suggest that there are a great many Americans, your correspondent included, who have said from the beginning: A cheap, thuggish hustler, a terrible, willfully destructive president, a nasty, vengeful piece of work, and a narcissistic socialist. Still, it’s good to see people catching up and catching on. I believe that it was Lilly Tomlin who said: “No matter how cynical you get, you just can’t keep up.” ITEM: Also from Powerline (here) comes the story of Mr. Obama who has launched a Justice Department investigation into those evil oil companies and speculators, and rich people and Republicans and people mean to democrats, and everyone who didn’t vote for Obama, etc. to protect the people from high gas prices. What’s that? Produce more American oil? HAHAHAHAHAHA! You obviously lack Mr. Obama’s brilliant grasp of the realities of economics and oil production. When your own nation isn’t producing oil, when gas prices are rising, when you’re in a recession and nearly bankrupt, all truly brilliant, Nobel Prize-winning economists know that the only smart thing to to is to help Brazil produce their oil so you can buy it from them! Do visit the story for a very informative graph. ITEM: Finally! A story about a high speed rail system-get this--in China! The Washington Post (here) has the story about the efficiency and brilliant fiscal planning that went into the system, a system routinely full of happy, satisfied...what’s that? They’re not happy? It’s not full? It’s hopelessly corrupt and losing money at an incredible rate? It’s not a story about Amtrack? Are you sure about that? You are? Darn. Oh well. Read the WaPo story anyway to see the bright future of American high speed rail. All aboard! ITEM: Man, Am I Glad We Got Rid Of That Guy! Department: From Fox News (here) comes a story about Van Jones, the avowed communist who was Mr. Obama’s pick for “green jobs czar.” Mr. Jones is now pushing for a movement to give “Mother Nature” the same rights as human beings, enforceable by--of course--international law. It doesn’t take much imagination to envision the lunacy that would run rampant under such a regime, nor does it take much imagination to envision the Obama’s administration’s underhanded support for such insanity. Read the entire article, if you have the stomach for it. ITEM: Well, It’s About Time! Department. From the beautiful and brilliant Michelle Malkin (here) comes news that the Obama Administration is planning to make a $2.84 billion dollar loan to upgrade a petroleum refinery. I know what you’re thinking: It’s about time! Finally, the Obamites are getting with the program to help out Americans! Not so much. The refinery is in Columbia, but that makes a kind of deranged sense. Mr. Obama is helping the Brazilians drill for oil, why shouldn’t he help the Columbians refine it so we can owe them billions that we have to borrow from the Chinese too? ITEM: From the Microsoft Network (here) comes an apparently earnest essay about why $5.00 a gallon gas is actually good for you and America. It has to be a parody, right? Right? The next thing you know, they’ll be publishing essays about why premature death eases pressures on overburdened medical providers. What? The Obamites are already doing that? Arrgggghh! ITEM: More Wisdom From The One! Department: So what’s the cause of high gas prices? Greedy oil companies? Evil speculators? George W. Bush? From Doug Powers at michellemalkin.com (here) comes the answer: It’s climate-change denying Republicans who won’t go along with bankrupting the nation to solve the global warming problem that is our real national security threat! Who’da thunk it? No wonder we made him president! ITEM: From Fox News (here) we learn that after spending almost $4 billion in the preparation and permit processes to begin drilling off the northern coast of Alaska, the EPA has turned down Shell’s application, likely forcing Shell to cancel its summer drilling plans. Why? The EPA said Shell failed to include the possible emissions from an ice-breaking ship in its overall environmental impact statement. Don’t read this story unless you’re prepared for an abrupt and dangerous rise in your blood pressure and anger levels. If this kind of thing doesn’t unseat Mr. Obama in 2012, America may very well be relegated to the status of European welfare states. The problem, of course, is that there will be no one to bail us out. Rosetta Stone has a Chinese language course, don’t they? ITEM: Honey, The Landlord Is Threatening To Evict Us! Department: From Hot Air (here) we discover that China is making very real economic threats, such as hinting that they may start retreating from the dollar and dumping their US investments. Why is this a bad thing? It will make it much harder for us to sell our bonds. After all, Japan is the next buyer in line, and they won’t be buying any for a long time to come. The Democrat high speed gravy train to oblivion is entering the gorge of doom with the washed out bridge of death, and we’re all about to face the enchilada of bankruptcy. OK, so I have no idea what an enchilada has to do with bankruptcy, but things are not looking good, sort of like a spoiled enchilada, or something. ITEM: So That Explains It! Department. From Forbes (here) comes news that Botox may interfere with the ability to empathize. OK. So that explains Nancy Pelosi and John Kerry. Yet to be explained by science is exactly how hair plugs cause the brain to be disconnected from the mouth in people like Vice President Biden, or how smoking, golf, spending other people’s money and excessive socialism causes the sense of shame to be removed in people like Mr. Obama. ITEM: The National Labor Relations Board is attempting to tell Boeing where it may, and may not, build airplanes. The NLRB, recently fortified by recess appointments of SEIU cronies by President Obama, is trying to keep Boeing, which has already spent billions, from opening a plant in South Carolina to build its new 787 Dreamliner. South Carolina, you see, is a right-to-work state, so no one may be forced to join a union there. SC Governor Nikki Haley is vowing to put Mr. Obama’s political feet to the fire. More here. So let’s see if I understand this: Businesses aren’t allowed to build plants where they want if unions object? Businesses are run entirely for the benefit of labor unions, and the government, acting on behalf of unions, gets to decide? Wait a minute! Isn’t that Socialism? But Mr. Obama isn’t a socialist! He said so! ITEM: We’re Number One! We’re Number One! Once again Forbe’s (here) has announced its “Worst Cars On The Road” list for 2011, and of the bottom eleven cars, GM and Chrysler hold nine of the not-coveted spots! No Fords were given the dubious honor. When Mr. Obama took over GM, I bought a Ford Escape and this year, a Ford Fiesta, and I’m not looking back (Dear Ford: Please feel free to provide service and repairs gratis for life. I’m in your database. Thanks!). It seems almost like precognition now. Hope. Change. Is this the part where the world respects us more? ITEM: I’ve Seen The Future, And It’s: “Leading From Behind.” That’s an Obama advisor’s assessment of Mr. Obama’s method of leadership in foreign policy, as so ably demonstrated in Libya. Go here for John Podhoretz’s brief explication of the issue. I’m reminded of the venerable Alaskan saying: “If you’re the last dog in line, the view never changes.” The tragedy, gentle readers, is that Mr. Obama and his advisors almost certainly consider such a pithy saying to be revealed wisdom and they are determined to see that America is the last dog. Oh well. At least it’ll make a great Republican sound bite and bumper sticker in the next election. ITEM: Tales of Smart Diplomacy! Department: It has been known for some time that it was Barack Obama who imposed the settlement freeze issue on the Palestinians, who didn’t want it in the first place, thus dooming any hope for peace. Of course, when the Palestinians raise their children on the mantra of “eat your vegetables, kill Jews, death to America,” peace tends to be a rather elusive pursuit. Visit Hot Air (here) for the whole story of how the Obama Administration has utterly botched relations not only with the Israelis, but with the Palestinians—the side they favor. The world has long ago concluded that America under Mr. Obama is an erratic and treacherous ally and a toothless enemy. ITEM: Visit the Atlantic (here) for an interesting article on another Democrat-sponsored attempt to run roughshod over freedom in the name of political correctness. I speak of the SaVE Act, which would establish new reporting requirements for alleged acts of sexual violence on college campuses. Among the troubling provision is the establishment of a “preponderance of the evidence” standard for charges of sexual misconduct in college disciplinary proceedings. Such a lowered standard of proof is inherently un-American. Yet another Progressive “improvement” about which to be aware—and to oppose. It seems like there is a great deal of that sort of thing abroad these days, doesn’t it? Discuss. ITEM: Q: How can you tell when President Obama is lying? A: His lips are moving. Am I being mean to Mr. Obama? He has taken, of late, to claiming that there is nothing he can do about skyrocketing gas prices, nothing except telling us to buy $41,000 electric wondermobiles and building high speed rail. Read this piece by Will Collier at Pajamas Media and decide for yourself if I’m being unfair to the President. It seems that there may be something he can do after all. A quick trip to the indispensable PowerLine (here) will add a bit more useful information. ITEM: Have you noticed that Mr. Obama seems to obsequiously grovel to our enemies and spit on our allies, particularly Israel? Me too. Go here for an essay by Israeli Ambassador to the US, Michael Oren, which well explains why that sort of foolishness, is, well, foolishness. ITEM: Imagine that the party in power practiced gangster government, threatening and bullying its political opponents and innocent businesses, extorting money from them, forcing out their CEOs on whims, and implicitly demanding contributions for its political campaigns. You don’t have to imagine. The Obama administration has been doing it since day one. Go here for just one of the most recent examples. The Obama Administration is giving thugs a bad name. ITEM: Unexpected Good News! Department: Yet another state (here) has curtailed the bargaining rights of public employee unions, and expects to save $100 million in the bargain. Amazingly, the state is Massachusetts, which is wholly Democrat controlled, and it was the Democrats that passed the bill! Hmm. Perhaps imminent financial Armageddon can have the proper effect even on Dems. Who’da thunk it? A shame it doesn’t work on the socialists in DC. ITEM: Moral Degeneracy Department: Israel builds dwellings (Washington Post editorial here) and the Obama administration goes berserk with moral outrage, forcing our best ally in the region to stop building homes for its own citizens on its own land. Syrian regime thugs massacre unarmed civilians marching in a funeral procession and the Obama Administration says and does…nothing. Tragically, this—as well as a great many other telling acts and/or omissions—says all we need to know about Mr. Obama and the moral degenerates he has hired to rule us. These people must be run out of office at the earliest possible opportunity and prosecuted where appropriate. And speaking of moral degeneracy, Syria will soon be seated on the UN Human Rights Council (here). The UN, of course, will do nothing to derail Syria’s elevation to the pinnacle of Human Rights glory. I am, of course, engaging in world-class irony and sarcasm. After all, it’s the UN we’re talking about! ITEM: From Hot Air (here) comes the news that our tax dollars have been spent for—wait for it—a climate change rap! I know! And they're serious too! That’s right you hippers and hoppers, now you can rap along with da feds! As a public service, Confederate Yankee provides, absolutely free of charge to the taxpayers (maybe we can get a subsidy?), our own little climate rap: Yo! You say you wanna clean da ‘vironment, make ever’body walk?Well, you make da energy prices skyrocket, not just talk the talk!
Obama make gas prices reach five bucks without fail,
An’ he be sayin’ “we gonna build da high-speed rail!”
And the UN be squawkin’ ‘bout meltin’ glaciers and such,
But the scientists be talkin’, sayin’ “not so much.”
And 50 mil climate refugees ‘sposed to be walkin’,
But they ain’t nowhere at all, da UN jive talkin’.
Now the CFCs be poisoning da folks,
Da bold green future, it don’t be no joke!
Chorus: Obama green! Yo! Obama Green! Yo! Da ‘bama machine, it be obscene! Obama green! Yo!
(repeat and fade) And on that get down funky note, it’s time to thank you for stopping by and to look forward to seeing you again next Thursday! EXTRA CREDIT: The Marianas Trench is the lowest point on the planet at 36,201 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. It is near Japan.
Posted by: MikeM at 10:01 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Obama's Long-Form Birth Certificate
It's a trap!
Update: I adjusted the title because as William Jacobson points out, this looks like it may be an original of Obama's short-form birth certificate, not a long-form certificate.
And no, I don't know the difference. Nor do I care.
What I do find amusing is Jacobson's observation that the media pundits and so-called news organizations that claimed Obama couldn't get his long-form birth certificate are full of crap, if this does indeed happen to be the long-form document.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:28 AM | Comments (17) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 26, 2011
An Explosive Automotive Debut
As regular readers know, I have been writing on the Chevy Volt for some time. Site search under “Chevy Volt” if you’re interested in reading my previous scribblings. I’ve been accused of being a modern Luddite, but in truth, I have nothing at all against electric or hybrid vehicles, unless my taxes are building and subsidizing them, as is the case with General Motors. Any private corporation that wants to build such vehicles (Nissan with their Leaf, for example), to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket. That said, it is one of the missions of CY to expose foolishness and waste, particularly where government is involved. But before I continue, visit here for an explosive tale of the Volt in the real world. More on that later.
The Chevy Volt is, for those requiring a quick review, a soap opera parody of government inefficiency. It’s a brilliant, pseudo-advanced technology solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. A $41,000 dollar MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) compact car selling for as much as $65,000, the Volt will travel in the real world only about 25 miles on a single charge, after which its weak gasoline engine--which requires premium fuel--takes over, providing no better mileage than a great many conventional vehicles. And speaking of soap opera parodies, at the 2011 New York Auto Show, the Volt was named the 2011 “World Green Car.” Beating out the Volt for 2011 “World Car Of The Year” honors was the Nissan Leaf, a truly all-electric, let the juice run out and you have a wheeled weight set, car. Apparently some 66 “jurors” make such decisions. All of this just goes to show you that, as Lilly Tomlin said, no matter how cynical you get, it’s impossible to keep up.Posted by: MikeM at 11:01 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 24, 2011
The Deadly Political Correctness of Gun-Free School Zones: Part II
The first installment of this series (available here) outlined a dangerous and very real issue facing American schools today: The likelihood of attacks by active shooters, whether disaffected or deranged citizens, or Islamic terrorists, foreign or domestic. This article will deal primarily with ways with which the problem may be successfully dealt, and with commonly raised objections to the only truly effective way to protect our children if a worst-case scenario occurs.
QUESTIONS, ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS: There is one simple update in school policy that can change American schools, as has been the case in Israel, from soft to hard--or at least harder--targets: allow teachers and other school staff to carry concealed handguns. This policy can be implemented at no cost to schools and mechanisms, both legal and practical, are already in place. Only two American states completely prohibit the carrying of concealed handguns, though it is likely, circa April of 2011, that this will change in Wisconsin. The rest allow it subject to records checks, testing and licensing. However, several states allow any law abiding citizen who is not otherwise disqualified by mental illness or past criminal status--Wyoming is the most recent--to carry a concealed handgun with no state testing or licensing. These laws have been a uniform success in that every state that has passed a concealed carry law has seen reductions in violent crime, mass shootings, and no corresponding increase in shooting incidents. The kinds of wild west shootouts anti-gun activists predicted would break out at the slightest provocation have simply failed to materialize.Posted by: MikeM at 03:08 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 22, 2011
Messaging Republican Racism
“There you go again,” Ronald Reagan famously said to Jimmy Carter during a 1980 debate. The quip, which generated many laughs, quickly became part of American political lore as a witty response to tired, often recycled political boilerplate. It is in that spirit that I respond to an April 17 article by Mr. Ruben Navarrette Jr. posted at Pajamas Media (here) titled “A Roadmap on Immigration for 2012.”
Ruben Navarrette, for readers not familiar with his work, is very much a pro-immigration writer who can’t seem to stop accusing Republicans of racism for daring to suggest that immigration laws already on the books ought to be enforced. I’ve earlier responded to one of his articles (here) wherein he claimed that anyone who opposed illegal immigration must necessarily also oppose legal immigration and therefore, hate foreigners, and particularly “brown” people. Mr. Navarrette’s theme, on first glance, would appear to be the relatively innocuous idea that Republicans ought to adopt “messaging” more pleasing to Latino ears for the 2012 election. Quoting Meg Whitman, who was defeated by Democrat Jerry “Governor Moonbeam” Brown in the recent race for California governor, Navarrette put forth the idea that Republicans should think and speak differently about immigration, taking credit for having championed that idea for years. Put aside the lack of wisdom and honesty inherent in adopting the Obamian calculus of substituting “messaging” for truth, steadfast principles and effective public policy. Such is the worst and most deceptive form or pandering. The deeper themes of Mr. Navarette’s essay are easy to detect and are of a piece with much of his writing on immigration, particularly his stereotypical portrayal of Republicans, and even of Latinos. The most prominent themes here seem to be:Posted by: MikeM at 10:34 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Obama's Energy Lunacy
Go here to read my latest post that the good folks at Pajama Media have been kind enough to print (so to speak). It's about how Mr. Obama is using the Chevy Volt as a part of his policy of economic debilitation for America.
Posted by: MikeM at 12:05 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 21, 2011
Building A Badly Maintained Bridge To Winning The Future
And so it begins, not with a bang, but with more lies than can be easily counted. Mr. Obama was on the campaign trail on April 18, jetting about the nation to perform in contrived “town hall” events. Go here to see a clip from the “town hall” At Northern Virginia Community College in Annendale, VA that includes some of his most blatantly false and offensive comments.
It was classic Obama: transparent claims to understand the lives of the little people and their economic woes, class warfare, the kind of smug superiority that is his trademark, and a glib ease with telling the most obvious and easily disproved lies. Its hard to know why Mr. Obama flings such falsehoods. Does he truly believe that because he’s Barack Obama, anything he says is, by the mere fact that he utters it, true? Is he really so ignorant of so much? Does he believe that, as always, others, including the media, will cover for him? Or perhaps he’s so arrogant that he doesn’t care what’s true and what isn’t because he believes he’s untouchable. Perhaps it’s an “all of the above” situation. Mr. Obama’s theme was that Republican budget cutting would reduce America to third world status by destroying infrastructure denied maintenance. His most egregiously false example was the collapse of the Minneapolis St. Anthony Falls bridge in August of 2007. Mr. Obama used it as an example of a lack of maintenance, implying that much worse would come if Republicans had their way.Posted by: MikeM at 05:41 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 20, 2011
Quick Takes, April 20, 2011
ITEM: Is This Cool Or What? Department. From Hot Air (here) comes the news of the first successful test of an anti-ballistic missile system using an integrated systems approach. A missile was tracked from great range by a variety of integrated systems, including the Aegis Destroyer “USS O’Kane,” which fired the interceptor missile that shot down the target. Extra credit points for anyone who know for whom the O’Kane was named (no fair googling!) Answer at the end of the QTs.
ITEM: Is This Cool or What Too? Department: Go here for a short video of a test-firing of a practical, ship-mounted railgun in which General Atomics fired an aerodynamic sabot projectile for seven kilometers--after it punched through a steel plate at Mach 5! Propelled by powerful electromagnets, such projectiles destroy through kinetic energy rather than any application of explosives. Functional systems could be installed on US warships in less than a decade. ITEM: By now, most Americans have seen a photograph (here) of crack TSA agents at the new Orleans airport frisking a blonde terrorist—a blonde, six year old, little girl terrorist who, if a photograph is sufficiently revealing, could scarcely have successfully concealed a piece of paper under her clothing. Regular readers know of my police background. I cannot conceive of any situation under which this particular child, or any such child, could be suspected of being a terrorist threat. Fortunately, I was not there. I fear that the child molester in government uniform would have experienced a rather more intense form of touching. When Ronald Reagan said “The most terrifying words in the English language are” ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help,’” he was more prescient than he could have possibly imagined. ITEM: Cosmic Irony Department: A bill that would require all presidential candidates to prove their US citizenship has been sent to the desk of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (here). If the bill is signed, Arizona would be among the first states to make proof of citizenship a requirement for placement on the ballot. Considering Mr. Obama’s war on Arizona for the shocking offense of daring to enforce the nation’s immigration laws, there is a certain delicious irony in this. Discuss. UPDATE: The bill was vetoed by Governor Brewer; no news on a potential override as this is posted. ITEM: Birther Redux: At Pajamas Media (here) David Solway explains why we should all just quit worrying about Mr. Obama’s birth bona fides and go with the spiritual flow. Hallelujah brothers! ITEM: Continuing Tales Of The Religion of Peace: According to the AP via Fox News (here), the brutally beaten body of Vittorio Arragoni, 36, an Italian “pro-Palestinian activist” was found, hanged, in an abandoned Gaza Strip apartment a few hours after he was kidnapped by an Islamist group. Hamas, of course, blamed Israel: “Such an awful crime cannot take place without arrangements between all the parties to keep the blockade imposed on Gaza, said a Hamas “leader” Mahmoud Zahar. Remember, gentle readers, that it is these people with whom Mr. Obama reflexively sympathizes and whom he supports against our ally, Israel. Imagine what such peaceful people would do to someone who was not a pro-Palestinian activist. ITEM: Political cartoons can be either stale political partisanship or brilliantly satirical and devoid of partisanship. A fine example of the latter by Nate Beeler of the Washington Examiner (Via Hot Air, here) is worthy of mention. By the way, what Sir Barack is holding is the scalpel he has sworn to use to brilliantly dissect the budget dragon. ITEM: Louis Renault Award of the Week: Yes Ladies and Gentlemen, the much-coveted Louis Renault Award goes to Sen. Harry Reid (D-State of Perpetual Nastiness and Confusion), who in 2006 said: “Why is it right to increase our nation's dependence on foreign creditors? Democrats won't be making an argument to support this legalization [raising the budget ceiling], which will weaken our country.” According to ABC News (here), Mr. Reid is now “embarrassed” that he said that, calling it a “political” statement designed to oppose Mr. Bush. Hmm. “Political statement?” I believe the common folk would refer to that sort of thing as a “lie.” I’m shocked, shocked! to discover that a United States Senator would lie about such a thing, truly! OK, OK, so I’m lying… NOTE: For those not familiar with Louis Renault, he is a police captain in the classic Humphrey Bogart film, “Casa Blanca.” He confronts Bogart’s Rick, saying that he is shocked, shocked! to discover that gambling is occurring at Rick’s Place. The words are no sooner out of his mouth than one of Rick’s employees hands Renault a stack of cash saying “Here are your winnings, Captain.” Renault thanks him, pockets the cash and continues with his faux outrage without missing a beat. Item: Louise Renault Award Honorable Mention: The Washington Examiner (here) reports that on April 14, every Senate Democrat rejected killing ObamaCare funding. The vote was 47 to 53, and was strictly party-line. I was shocked, shocked! to learn this. The Examiner notes that Sen. Joe Manchin (D. WV) won a special election last year by portraying himself as an independent, even saying he would vote for repeal of ObamaCare. Hmm. It would appear that Mr. Manchin and the other Senate Dems learned even less than seems humanly possible from the last Congressional election. Even Pavlov’s dogs would seem to be more capable of learning, and they drool just as well as Dems when given the proper stimulus. The 2012 election will be interesting on more levels than most previously thought. Discuss. ITEM: In light of Mr. Obama’s recent suggestion that wealthy people are just aching to give more of their money to the government, but have not done so because Mr. Obama hasn’t asked them, it may be time to revisit a simple concept: Charity. For the benefit of our readers, charity occurs when a citizen willingly and altruistically gives of their assets to help another. When the government demands it, that’s taxation. The IRS doesn’t “ask.” Discuss. ITEM: Democrats Are All About The New Civility: And lying, don’t forget lying! At the Daily Caller (here) we find a charming little story about Keith Olbermann, who tweeted (Twittered? Twitted? Tweetyed?) about smart and lovely conservative pundit S.E. Cupp: “On so many levels she’s a perfect demonstration of the necessity of the work Planned Parenthood does .” Check out the brief story to see Olbermann’s pathetic attempts to backpedal and claim that he was talking about Planned Parenthood’s voluminous services other than abortion. So he meant that she’s a perfect demonstration of the necessity of pap smears? Of pre-birth counseling? Of sonograms? Of proper breast-feeding techniques? This is very confusing. Obviously, a superior intellect like Mr. Olbermann’s must be involved to make sense of it all. ITEM: Judging Future Behavior By Past Performance Department: Investors .com has a lovely little story (here) about the reality of Mr. Obama’s conviction, expressed during his historic budget deficit teleprompter reading of April 13. He has actually promised (when running for president) to implement a system that would allow “40 million Americans” to “do their taxes in less than five minutes.” I’m not sure who the 40 million are, particularly considering that some 47% of Americans--who are reportedly very happy with the current tax system--pay no taxes at all, but apparently the other 260+ million have benefitted little under Mr. Obama. On his watch, it now takes 23 hours to fill out a 1040. It was 21 hours last year. And it now takes seven hours to fill out form 1040 EZ! I’m with Ronald Reagan: Please Mr. Obama, no more help, please! ITEM: Flee! Flee As From A Pestilence! Department: The Obama Commerce Department (here) announced its new internet initiative that would provide a supposedly secure, individual identity/password for those who “choose” to participate. There is substantial hard and software development yet to be done. I don’t know about you, but the idea of the federal government having that information, and thus, unfettered access to my computer life—so to speak—does not give me chills of joy and warm-fuzzy security feelings, particularly not the present administration. Discuss. ITEM: Those Evil Republicans! Department: From Hot Air (here) comes news of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s evil actions. He has beaten the unions at every turn, and now the state budget office predicts that his economic actions have essentially eliminated the budget deficit and will hold the growth of property taxes to no more than 1% per year for the next two years. Those cruel, heartless Republicans, killing children and old people and kicking puppies! How dare the Wisconsin public elect adults, and expect them to do what they were elected to do! ITEM: With a margin of some 7300 votes, incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser has been declared the winner of the election over challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg. Kloppenburg, who all but affirmed that she would be a reliable liberal/union vote, initially held a margin of approximately 200 votes, but a mistake in reporting more than 10,000 votes overturned her slim margin. While it is possible that Kloppenburg will demand a recount, it is unlikely, considering the margin, that she will overturn the result. Recounts in such elections commonly change fewer than 200 votes. What is remarkable is the way the results have been reported. Kloppenburg’s 200 vote margin of victory was proclaimed as a righteous vindication for union solidarity and a stunning repudiation of Republican Governor Scott Walker’s budget-cutting agenda. Prosser’s reelection to a ten-year term is seen as a narrow, highly suspect win meaning virtually nothing at all. In this case, the unions poured men and money into a state judicial race and accomplished nothing, except the continued gratuitous squandering of member dues. On the other hand, that’s what they do best. ITEM: No Man Is Above The Law! Department: Unless, that is, you’re the Obama Attorney General (here). It seems that Eric Holder was recently caught in the act of failing to pay property taxes. That makes how many members of the Obama Administration? Is anyone surprised? After all, when the Treasury Secretary cheats on his taxes, anyone else is something of an anti-climax for the most transparent administration in history. Discuss. ITEM: Tax The Rich! Department: From Powerline (here) comes an interesting exposition on the futility of taxing the rich as a means of cutting budget deficits. It has been often observed that even if we confiscated 100% of the income of the most wealthy Americans, it would amount to a teardrop in the ocean of our staggering debt. This article makes that point in a convincing way. ITEM: Ah, Cuba! Land of sunshine and opportunity! The favorite place for vapid Hollywood celebrities and assorted American Marxists to visit and praise as a model of enlightened, humane governance! And that Fidel Castro! The very model of the modern leader! Yeah. Not so much. Go here to examine the reality of one of the last, horribly failed Marxist states. This, gentle readers, is what Mr. Obama and his most ardent followers want us to emulate. I mean, I like 1950s cars as much as the next guy, but... ITEM: Nothing Succeeds Like, Um, Success? Department: Go here, for a short story on the grassroots success of the “Coffee Party,” which is billing itself as a “non-partisan alternative to the Tea Party.” It’s spreading like wildfire! Well, OK, not so much… Could this be why liberal talk radio is so overwhelmingly popular, even threatening to eclipse Rush Limbaugh in ratings…what? It’s not? It’s an enormous failure? It always has been? Oh. ITEM: Global Warming Is True! Really! Why Won’t Anyone Listen To Me?! Department: From the Daily Caller (here) comes news of more climate shenanigans from the UN. It seems that in 2005 the UN Climate Program boldly predicted that Global Warming would create 50 million “climate refugees” by 2010. Hmm. Not so much; in fact, not at all. The UN is now predicting 50 million climate refugees by 2020. Visit the article to see the UN’s hilarious coverup hijinks! We must immediately surrender American sovereignty to the UN! ITEM: The Most Neglected Aspect of National Defense Department: Go here for an article about the dangers of an electromagnetic pulse weapon. A nuclear bomb exploded high over a target produces an enormous EMP which destroys electronics, computers, cars, electric grids, anything that relies on electronic circuitry. Iran, for example, is very much aware of this and would be very likely to use it against us. Visit the article to more fully appreciate the potential consequences of smart diplomacy, cutting the defense budget, and outreach to those who would see us dead. ITEM: I’ve always been fond of Dick Cavett, who wrote in his autobiography about his undergraduate days at Yale. As the only student on campus from Nebraska, he was a curiosity. Other students actually sought him out to have their photos taken with him as though he was an alien. To the upper crust, I suppose someone from the far-away mystical land of Nebraska was an alien. He wrote that he never joined a fraternity because he could “get nude, drink beer and throw up,” perfectly well alone. Go here for his article on why offending people is a good thing, you %##((**^$&&!!! MANDATORY PC DISCLAIMER: I was not actually swearing at anyone. It was a joke. You know, a joke? Oh never mind... ITEM: Shrinking The Deficit! Department: Go here for an account of the report by the Treasury Department’s Inspector General who discovered that the IRS allowed some $500 million in first time homebuyer tax credits to people who were ineligible to receive them, including 128 IRS employees. Hey! I have an idea for deficit reduction… ITEM: Oh Goody! Department: Standard & Poor’s ratings service (here) has officially downgraded America’s sovereign debt rating from “stable” to “negative” due to political inability to get the deficit under control. S&P’s has warned that it might further lower America’s rating if positive steps are not taken soon. Unsurprisingly, the stock market tumbled on this news. So let’s see, our credit rating is nearing the bottom of the barrel and some countries are calling for the replacement of the dollar as the international reserve currency. We’re obviously in the best of hands. Now if the Republicans will only quit trying to kill children, women, old people, adorable kittens, puppies and baby ducks, we can make some progress. Somehow, this must all be George W. Bush’s fault. UPDATE: It now appears that the Obama Administration tried to talk S & P's into not announcing the downgrade. I can't imagine that. I'm shocked, shocked! ITEM: Learning From Past Mistakes Department: USA Today (here) has an article wherein Mr. Obama argues that it’s appropriate to try foreign terrorists captured on the battlefield in civilian court in New York City. “I think it's very important for us not to elevate folks who are murderers and thugs into something special. Our criminal justice system is -- and our trial system is capable of prosecuting terrorists,” said Mr. Obama. Let me see if I have this straight: Holding a show trial in NYC, a trial that would cost hundreds of millions, disrupt the city for years, give terrorist scum a world stage on which to spread their ideology, give them access to defense and intelligence secrets, and paint targets on the backs of untold thousands of New Yorkers would not constitute elevating “folks who are murderers and thugs into something special,” while trying them in isolation at Gitmo would. With that kind of logic, it’s little wonder we’re in such trouble. ITEM: Attack of the Death Panel! If you do nothing else this week, read this article by Stanley Kurtz (here) at National Review Online about the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), the actual death panel established by ObamaCare. Kurtz suggests that if Republicans fail to fully publicize this thoroughly evil creation and to use it against its maker—Mr. Obama—they’ll lose in 2012. I agree. Do read it. ITEM: In a past QT, we reported on Arizona border sheriff Larry Dever who has claimed that Border Patrol agents have been ordered not to do their jobs. Not surprisingly, government officials have called Dever a liar and DHA Secretary Janet Napolitano has claimed that the situation on the border is better than ever. Now comes Fox News (here) with information from current and former Border Patrol officers and others in a position to know who fully support what Dever has said. Apparently, Border Patrol Supervisors have even been heard ordering officers—by radio—to “TBS” illegals sneaking into to America, to make them “turn back south,” which only causes most to sneak across later. It’s an article well worth visiting if you want to know the truth about the Obama’s Administration’s border policies. Be sure to have your blood pressure medication close at hand. If you don’t need any, you probably will after reading this. ITEM: Man, I’m Glad I Don’t Live in New York State! Department. From Fox News (here), comes the bizarre news that the legislature has enacted safety regulations to protect our children from some of life’s most treacherous dangers, dangers such as: Capture the flag, dodgeball, flag tag, flag football, kickball, red rover and tag. Any summer camp that wants children to engage in such dangerous games must pay a $200 registration fee and have medical staff on hand. No. This is not an Onion satire. UPDATE: Due to immense public ridicule, the NY Health Department has allowed that perhaps they’ll sort of, you know, kind of, reconsider the whole thing. As Emily Litella would have said: “Never mind!” ITEM: What’s going to become of grandma and grandpa if the evil Republicans have their way? That’s right! Grandpa will have to resort to stripping for sorority parties! See the shocking truth right here! And on that “stimulating” note, it’s time, once again, to thank you for stopping by, and to look forward to seeing you again next Thursday! EXTRA CREDIT ANSWER: The USS O’Kane is named for Rear Admiral Dick O’Kane who commanded one of America’s most famous and effective WWII submarines, the “USS Tang.” His memoir of that command, “Clear the Bridge” is justly famous as well. The Tang was ultimately sunk due to a circular run by one of it’s own faulty torpedoes.Posted by: MikeM at 08:41 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 19, 2011
Presophile
Once again, Barack Obama turns to the reliably left-leaning sensibilities of a college campus to continue his perpetual campaign.
It's creepy how the President continually hides behind the pseudo-intellectual ignorance of adolescents and young adults who lack real-world experience. They seem utterly unaware that the platitudes he offers and the monstrous debit he champions are shackles constricting their opportunities, resigning them to a bleak future. It is in some respects pedophilistic watching the President gloat among the young. Let us make no mistake; the Obama agenda is child abuse of generations of Americans just starting to make their way in this world, and of generations to come. He rapes their futures with a smile and a wave and a lie, and didn't even offer them candy.Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 11:03 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
April 18, 2011
The Deadly Political Correctness of Gun-Free School Zones
Terrorists attempting attacks on American soil have, of late, had a run of bad luck. An underwear bomber succeeds mainly in torching his “junk” on an airliner; a car bomber is thwarted by an alert citizen in Times Square; would-be bombers are stung by the FBI in Dallas and Baltimore, and no doubt, other plots have been thwarted in earlier stages of execution, plots about which most will never know so that the methods and sources of our police and intelligence agencies might be protected, unless Julian Assange, the New York Times or similar internet/media vermin get their paws on the information.
But such good fortune has not been universal. During the seven years of the Bush Administration following 9-11, there were no successful terrorist attacks on American soil. In the first two years of the Obama Administration, hope and change have produced multiple successful attacks, including the Fort Hood attack, which cost 12 deaths and 31 injured. Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut), commenting on the report on that act of domestic terrorism, observed that it was not only preventable, but was the result of a climate of political correctness. It is that particular kind of attack that is likely to be the wave of the future. Due to misplaced, misinformed good intentions and political correctness run amok, America is particularly vulnerable.Posted by: MikeM at 05:34 PM | Comments (18) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
E.J. Dionne: Fugitive From Reality
Washington Post opinion writer displays for us one again why he is past-due for replacement with his latest dim analysis.
Dionne obviously knows nothing of the business world, something he seems to share with others wedded to his peculiar political philosophy. Business is never static, and not just thrives upon, but demands new ideas and new talent. In the business world, stagnation leads to death, and innovation can lead to nearly limitless prosperity. In the right political climate, businesses can create wealth out of thin air. Almost all wealth starts out as small businesses with big ideas. They drive our entire economy and way of life, when government doesn't get in the way. There is this thing called a "Facebook," and something else called a "Google," that Dionne may want to read about, and these new software programs called "apps" that have made many of yesterday's nerds into today's millionaires and billionaires. Many of our most accomplished employers found success for themselves and their employees by innovating in fields that didn't even exist as few as a handful of years ago. On the other end of the scale are protectionist industries that have sought to curry favor with Dionne's ruling class in order to protect the near monopolies they have, and which seek to use regulation to choke out both innovation and competition. One need look no further than the auto industry, manufacturing, and finance industries to find dinosaurs that use generous political contributions to thwart those with newer, better products. Simply look at President Obama's list of top campaign donors to find a list of companies using money to buy favor and defends the status woe. The only question about Dionne's column worth asking is whether the aging writer is conscious of his hackery in support of the entrenched elites, or if he really is a naif who does not understand the ramifications of what he advocates. I have to think that Dionne's support is a conscious effort to placate those which have lent him relevance in their own self-interests.
An enlightened ruling class understands that it can get richer and its riches will be more secure if prosperity is broadly shared, if government is investing in productive projects that lift the whole society and if social mobility allows some circulation of the elites. A ruling class closed to new talent doesn't remain a ruling class for long.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 12:29 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
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