September 08, 2011
Drill Here, Drill Now
If memory serves, it was Jack Handy's Deep Thoughts that noted:
"The face of a child can say it all—especially the mouth part of the face." I have proof. My school is fortunate to have an excellent ROTC program run by two first rate men. As in any military unit, more senior soldiers are responsible for preparing and teaching less senior soldiers. And so it was that a senior cadet, whose younger sister had only recently joined the program proudly exclaimed to the ROTC commander today: "I drilled my sister all night!"Posted by: MikeM at 05:11 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Labor Union Terrorism Strikes WA State Port
Thugs first, last, and always.
They committed multiple counts of kidnapping, assault with deadly weapon, assault on a police officer, vandalism, property damage, and God knows what else, because they feel they have the right to take the jobs away from other people. Expect either a half-hearted response or not response at all from the Democratic Party, including the President. You will not see a forceful response from Homeland Security. You will not see a forceful response from the Department of Justice. This is precisely the kind of violence that they condone, and why the labor union constituency that are the enforcers of the Democratic Party must not just be controlled, but utterly destroyed. Update: Shockingly, it's co-ordinated and happening at other ports. ILWU is claiming that the actions must be local, which would be much more credible if ILWU International President Robert McEllrath wasn't personally leading the Longview assault and union rags weren't triumphantly showing photos of him being arrested.
Hundreds of Longshoremen stormed the Port of Longview early Thursday, overpowered and held security guards, damaged railroad cars, and dumped grain that is the center of a labor dispute, said Longview Police Chief Jim Duscha. Six guards were held hostage for a couple of hours after 500 or more Longshoremen broke down gates about 4:30 a.m. and smashed windows in the guard shack, he said. No one was hurt, and nobody has been arrested. Most of the protesters returned to their union hall after cutting brake lines and spilling grain from car at the EGT terminal, Duscha said. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union believes it has the right to work at the facility, but the company has hired a contractor that's staffing a workforce of other union laborers.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 02:23 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Obligatory, Next-Day Reagan Debate Commentary
Rick Perry may as well have walked on to a bullseye instead of a stage last night at the Reagan Library, with fellow Republican Presidential candidates and the moderators doing their level best to tear him apart.
Overall, Perry held his ground, which is all you must do as the front-runner. He got testy with Mitt Romney, which was expected, and with Ron Paul, which is unnecessary (you don't punch down, and you don't engage crazy). Mitt Romney, was, well, Mitt Romney. Incredibly polished, impeccably Presidential in his bearing, and yet so slightly off-putting and almost imperceptibly insincere. He's like a more refined version of Joe Isuzu.Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 11:03 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
September 07, 2011
Quick Takes, September 8, 2011
ITEM: Louis Renault Award: Illegal Labor Division. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has now extended the full protection of American labor laws to illegal immigrants. I'm shocked, shocked! Let's see if I have this right: They're in the country illegally. They're subject to immediate arrest and eventual deportation. Secretary Solis' actions violate many immigration and labor laws. Millions of Americans are unemployed and we're in serious economic trouble. Well of course! The first thing any rational person would want to do is to extend full labor protections to illegal immigrants! Go here, but be close to the bathroom in case of sudden nausea.
ITEM: Mr. Obama Has No Economic Clue? Who says so? Rep. Ron Johnson (R, WI), that's who. Go here to the Washington Times for an interesting article with what Mr. Obama always lacks: concrete, coherent proposals about what to do. ITEM: Oh Dear! Look at this quote from an article by James Delingpole in The Telegraph: “Green jobs” are a chimera. Though diverting taxpayers money into the renewable energy sector may indeed “create” jobs in the renewable energy sector, it will cost many more jobs in the broader economy." When the British (the British?!) are recognizing that "green job" are unicorn horns and fairy dust, we had better get with the program. Go here for the whole article. ITEM: The Romance And Beauty Of The Revolutionary Lifestyle. I didn't think it possible, but this article at The Mail almost—almost makes me feel a bit of pity for Jane Fonda. Why any woman could imagine that leftists care about women is beyond me. ITEM: He Said WHAT?! I "pulled our country back from the brink." Does Mr. Obama have any idea what "brink" means? Heck, does he have any idea what "pulled" means? "Country?" I know he's on intimate terms with "I." Go here for the story. ITEM: "Blustering, Opportunistic, Craven And Hopelessly Ineffective All At Once." Go here for the always insightful Michael Barone's commentary on Mr. Obama's recent failed attempt to force the Congress to listen to yet another "major speech" on his, rather than their, time frame. ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Murderous Union Thug Division: On Labor Day, Teamster President Jim Hoffa fired up the faithful by encouraging them to "take these sons-of-a-bitches [the Tea Party] out." Knowing the modern labor movement, that was expected. But I was shocked, shocked(!) to discover Mr. Obama expressing his solidarity with Mr. Hoffa (here). Is this the new civility about which Mr. Obama has spoken? ITEM: Isn't The Cold War Over? For America, it is, but in a very real sense, Israel has never had less than a hot war. And now, nuclear attack looms large. Read this brief but very informative article from the Jerusalem Post that explains the likely consequence of a nuclear attack. Does Mr. Obama care? Discuss. ITEM: Media Backpedaling? Go here for an interesting Hot Air story about several prominent Lamestream Media reporters backing away from ObamaCare. Perhaps they have seen the handwriting on the wall for 2012 and don't want to seem to be entirely wrong when the fake Greek columns come crashing down? Discuss. ITEM: Are Environmentalists Losing Enthusiasm For Wind Power? An interesting question being posed at the Volokh Conspiracy (here). My take: Not at all. They've never had any enthusiasm for power production of any kind and consistently practice bait and switch. We're absolutely against coal generated power, but we love windmills—until anyone actually tries to build any, and then they oppose those too, just as they oppose a solar power plant, in of all places, the Mojave Desert. Something about disturbing a lizard, I think. ITEM: How Much Worse Can It Get? At The Truth About Guns, which, with CY has been much involved in keep the Gunwalker and related scandals alive, we discover that Federal prosecutors from California are now taking over all Gunwalker related cases in Arizona. That would be the 20 some cases of low level straw purchasers that have been the entire "catch" of the idiotically conceived and implemented debacle. By all means, scroll down a bit and take the link to Bob's latest PJM article on the topic (Gunwalking in---Indiana?). The hits just keep on comin'! ITEM: Romney On The Ecomeney: John at Powerline has an interesting article on Mitt Romney's "day one" economic repair plan. It makes interesting reading and seems far more reasonable than anything we've seen in, well, 2.5 years, but by that measure, increasing the national debt by anything less than a trillion a year seems reasonable. I still have many reservations about Mr. Romney, with RomneyCare heading the list. Discuss. ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Lamestream Media Division: I was shocked, shocked(!) to learn that John King of CNN interviewed Teamster President James Hoffa Labor Day evening, an interview begun with videotape of Hoffa's "let's take these sons of bitches out…" quote, yet did not so much as hint at Hoffa's lunatic rant. Considering that Hoffa was the opening act for Mr. Obama, and considering Mr. Obama's frequent hectoring about civility, one might be tempted to think that Hoffa's comments would be worth at least one question, but noooooooooo! I'm shocked, shocked! ITEM: I Heard A Song The Reminded Me About The Way We Were. "What was it?" The Way We Were. Ah, remember those halcyon days of old when Barack Obama promised to get the federal investigation into Teamster corruption called off if he became President? Remember how that was one promise he kept? You don't suppose there's any connect…nah, of course not. Not with a Chicago machine politician in the White House. Michelle Malkin doesn't share my opinion (here). She's so smart and lovely, I'm not sure I share my opinion! ITEM: The Redoubtable VDH Opines: "The White House is in danger not just of becoming far more polarizing than even Bush in his latter years, but of descending into such incompetence and petty spitefulness that it inhibits economic recovery at home and the very sense of American confidence abroad." I've always enjoyed Prof. Hanson's writing and has books, but I do have one small addition: To whatever degree Mr. Bush was "polarizing," it was due in large part to an incredibly hostile and activist media and Congress. With the media firmly in Mr. Obama's pocket and democrats, as always, shamelessly shilling for him, what's his excuse? Read the entire article and discuss. ITEM: What's Noble Eagle? Go here to read about our military pilots responding to threats over America. It's good indeed to know they're there. The F-15 footage is also very cool indeed. ITEM: "Barbarians?" Did He Actually Call Us "Barbarians?" Indeed he did. Vice President Joe "the Sheriff" Biden, speaking to an organized labor crowd on Labor Day said: "you are the only folks keeping the barbarians at the gate." So, those who oppose extortionate union contracts and lunatic, ruinous federal economic policies are "barbarians?" So be it! Honey, where's my loincloth and broadsword? Arrrrrrr! ITEM: It's Official: Being Compared With Jimmy Carter Will Be A High Point of the Obama Administration. Go here for a brief and illuminating story about the massacre of the English language in the service of progressive policy. ITEM: Moose Kisses! Awwwwww! If you're in the mood for cute, visit Zoo Borns for a substantial dose. And with that calming influence, I'll thank you for visiting, and encourage you, once again, to stop by next Thursday for another edition of Quick Takes!Posted by: MikeM at 10:15 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
They Do WHAT?!
Submitted for your approval: A federal regulatory agency that, lacking a legal mandate to impose its will, encourages radical pressure groups to sue it so that it can claim that it is being forced to do what it, and the radical pressure groups, want to do in the first place. And that's not all. The agency has also paid one of the pressure groups to produce a do-it-yourself guide to suing the agency, and routinely pays the legal bills of the pressure groups it encourages to sue it!
How could any federal bureaucracy be so out of control? Why is such a bureaucracy allowed to exist? Go here to my latest Pajamas Media article to find out. Take your blood pressure medications first. You might want to sit down first too.Posted by: MikeM at 04:51 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
IHOP Shooter Used the Same Kind of Rifle ATF/DOJ/DHS Walked into Mexico
Don't expect the network news or cable television pundits make the connection, but the two AK-pattern semi-automatic rifles recovered from the scene of the IHOP massacre in Carson City, NV yesterday are the same weapons that Eric Holder's Justice Department and Janet Reno's Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security allowed to be smuggled into Mexico by the thousands.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 02:20 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
That Game's a Killer
So we have violent rhetoric from the Hoffa that's still above water to "take these sons of bitches out," and a nice little Brooklyn liberal who created a video game so that progressives can get whet their eliminationist instincts by violently killing Fox News personalities and conservative politicians... all under a shallow veneer of being a zombie killing game.
Yeah, right. It's the joy of killing zombies that makes progressives happy, not the enabling of their fantasy to murder real-life, flesh-and-blood conservatives that they loathe without facing consequences. It's like being Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn, without all the nasty side effects. Win! I have another one Starving Eyes Advergaming could develop. It's called the "OZombie Shooter." In it the Executive branch ships guns and grenades to Mexico, everyone dies, and the media tries to cover it up. Real damn funny, isn't it? If only it were a game...Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:45 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
September 06, 2011
Obama Stealth Socialism And The EPA
As a nation breathlessly awaits Mr. Obama's upcoming homily on his certain economic salvation of the nation, it might be good to recall that President Obama recently directed the EPA to put on hold proposed regulations that would have substantially ramped up smog control controls relating to ozone. The regulations, if imposed, would have hit American businesses with as much as $90 billion dollars a year in compliance costs.
This move has been met with praise from some quarters. Even Conservatives, who tend to want to respect their leaders and who tend to want to seek the good in them, even to the extent of giving due credit to political enemies who have sworn ever-lasting enmity against them, have also given cautious praise to the President. Perhaps a few are wondering if, at long last, Mr. Obama might be seeing the light—compact fluorescent light, not incandescent light, of course. However, many Progressives, including virtually all environmentalists, are wailing, gnashing their teeth and rending their garments in expressing their disappointment, even outrage at Mr. Obama's enviro-apostasy. All are wrong. Barack Obama remains what he always has been: A Marxist-indoctrinated stealth Socialist. However, extraordinary circumstances of Mr. Obama's own making have forced him to temporarily bow to reality, not for the sake of reality, but for a far more important consideration: the sake of his own reelection. To better understand what is happening, it may be useful to consider three discrete time frames: the upcoming presidential campaign (for Mr. Obama, the campaign is eternal), the lame duck post election day period from early November until the inauguration in early January of 2013, and the next presidential term. On September 2, Friday, the traditional Washington bad news dumping day, the Labor Department admitted that in August, not a single new job was created (or presumably, saved) for the first time since 1945, and that official unemployment remained at 9.1%. Adding to the economic bad news, the Obama Administration also admitted that unemployment would almost certainly remain at 9+% throughout 2012. Historically, no president has won reelection with unemployment at such an elevated level. In fact, Democrats ruthlessly excoriated President George W. Bush for unemployment in the 5% range, which videos will make for amusing viewing during the coming campaign. No doubt Mr. Obama, at the behest of his more occasionally rational advisors, has realized that unless he creates at least the appearance of moderating his reflexively anti-American, anti-business, rabidly pro-labor union and environmentalist core beliefs, his electoral prospects are grim at best. So why not announce a roll back (which can be reinstated when the heat is off) of a juicy, politically charged regulation about to be imposed by a much-reviled agency? It's a perfect, and perfectly predictable, stealth Socialist ploy. Mr. Obama's base will be allowed, even encouraged, to complain while giving independents the illusion that he has suddenly discovered rational policy. Even some conservatives might be tempted to partake of the Kool Aid for they, trusting souls (suckers!), seek the good in others and hope for their repentance and redemption. Simultaneously, the more rabid environmentalists are unleashed to express vitriolic disgust. All the while, however, the wiser of the Socialist base know that Mr. Obama is winking at them and that they can't lose. If Mr. Obama wins a second term, even if Republicans control both houses of Congress, America will see a blizzard of executive orders and bureaucrat-imposed regulations that will take a generation to undo, if such undoing is even possible. If he loses, America will experience a two-month blizzard of executive orders, regulations and pardons that will make Bill Clinton's pardons of Puerto Rican terrorists and of Marc Rich seem paragons of wisdom and rectitude in the administration of justice by comparison. In both cases, Progressives know that many such mandates, once established, will never be fully overturned. Despite their hatred for Ronald Reagan, Progressives ironically give him credit through their actions for his aphorism that the closest thing to eternal life we will ever see on Earth is a government program. Regardless of the outcome of the election, Mr. Obama's actions are merely a cynical continuation of his standard operating procedure: If it can't be obtained legislatively, accomplish it by means of executive order or bureaucracy. Like a bargain basement children's party magician, with his left hand he misdirects, rolling back or temporarily delaying a handful of ruinous regulations and mandates, while with his right he imposes thousands of new, far more destructive regulations. More than 4200 new regulations enacted since his election have been put into effect or will soon be imposed. Unless it is fully repealed, the more than 100 new federal bureaucracies conjured by ObamaCare will add thousands of additional regulations even more expensive, economy-destroying and enervating than those already imposed or planned, for the full impact of ObamaCare is not in those regulations written in the thousands of pages of the law, for in those which will be created by unaccountable, unelected bureaucrats. Mr. Obama will surely do nothing to ward off this perfect storm of rule making and imposition by the Socialist administrative state he has worked so hard to create. This is Mr. Obama's only true accomplishment, and it is to America's detriment. It is Socialist orthodoxy, not rational thought or concern for America that drives Mr. Obama. It forces him to continue to double down on obviously failed policies rational men would have long ago abandoned, for the Socialist truly believes only two things: Socialism cannot possibly be wrong, and Mr. Obama and his cadre of self-imagined elite Socialists will succeed where all Socialists before them have failed. This may seem self contradictory, but that's certainly not Socialist thinking. Rational people behold the abject failure and obscene waste of the Stimulus and vow never to repeat such an idiotic mistake. Socialists believe it failed only temporarily and only because it was too small. They demand more and even bigger and more wasteful Stimuli; they want to do more and spend more. Rational people behold Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and realize that they will soon bankrupt the nation. They want to take affirmative steps to retain necessary social protections for the deserving while preventing disaster. Socialists ignore the washed out bridge over the looming fiscal abyss and pass, against the wishes of the American people, ObamaCare, an entitlement which will, by itself, bankrupt the nation, even cynically stealing a half trillion dollars from its lesser brethren to prop it up. If a Socialistic program is floundering, this can only be because insufficient socialism has been applied. If more is applied but still avails nothing, this can only be because conservatives are allowed to exist to oppose it or because the program has not had sufficient time to work its transformative miracles. Socialism is always and in all ways unfalsifiable; it cannot fail; it cannot be wrong. Has Mr. Obama truly seen the CFL light? Ask Texas. If a January 1 EPA rule regulating cross-state air pollution goes into effect, Texas—and a great many other states—will have to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to upgrade their coal-fired power plants. This despite the fact that even the EPA admits that Texas really doesn't contribute to the problem and has its own, stringent, pollution control laws. Mr. Obama, during the campaign, promised to essentially destroy the American coal industry and threatened to bankrupt coal-fired power producers. The effects of such a regulation in Texas alone would be catastrophic. Texas, like most states, cannot do without a single megawatt of power. Any degradation in power production capacity would result in periodic blackouts in times of greatest demand, particularly during the summers, resulting in multiple deaths of the poor and infirm. Those of greater means will almost certainly install fossil-fueled generators, which will contribute to rather than reduce pollution, but Socialism cannot be wrong. Texas was never going to vote for Mr. Obama anyway, so why should he care? Before the election, Mr. Obama earned the coveted title of the most leftist Senator in America, more left even than the sole self-identified Socialist. That title is surely richly deserved, unlike the Nobel Prize he won for being Barack Obama. Like all magicians, Mr. Obama deals only in illusion.Posted by: MikeM at 10:42 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Gunwalker Hits the Midwest
Indiana this time. But you know, it's just an isolated incident.
My latest on this on-going scandal at Pajamas Media.Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 01:32 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Obama's DOJ Let Cartel Bombmaker Walk
Jean Baptiste Kingery seems to be yet another thug that took advantage of the Obama Administration's criminal stimulus package for the southwest, building grenades and IEDs for the Sinaloa cartel.
So what did the Department of Justice do when they caught him. They released him free as a bird within hours.Apparently the Obama Administration didn't think they were causing enough damage just running guns to Mexico, and so they released a bomb-builder and—against the pleading of ATF officials—so that he could flee to Mexico and resume building explosives. When Mexican police finally caught up to Kingery they found enough material to construct 500 hand grenades, the iconic Shepard Fairey Obama "Hope" poster thumb-tacked to the plaster wall over his workbench. I may have made up that last part. The sad thing is that is is utterly believable.
Federal authorities are probing why the U.S. in 2010 let go an Arizona man accused of supplying grenades to a Mexican drug cartel, a case that played a role in the ouster last week of the nation's top firearms regulator and the U.S. attorney in Phoenix. U.S. officials said missteps in the case, which hasn't been previously disclosed, are being investigated by the Justice Department and Congress. Federal agents in 2009-10 at the Phoenix office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the case against the suspect, who they believed was dealing grenades to cartels in Mexico. The case was overseen by prosecutors in the Arizona U.S. attorney's office, the U.S. officials said. The Arizona U.S. attorney's office and the Phoenix ATF office are the Justice Department units behind another botched operation, called Fast and Furious, which has been the subject of intense congressional interest this year. The Fast and Furious program allowed suspected smugglers to buy about 2,000 firearms, some of which later turned up at drug-related crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 01:17 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
September 05, 2011
A Letter From The Teacher #17: Big Government vs. Big Government
Anytown High School, Any State, USA
To: Bob, My Most Esteemed ColleagueFrom: Mr. English Teacher
Re: Big Government vs. Big Government Dear Bob: I hope you have a bit of time to read and consider this and get back with me. I'd like to see what you have to say about the issues I'll raise. Conservatives oppose big government. Most conservatives would agree with that statement without reservation. Perhaps they shouldn't, for many conservatives seem willing to embrace the stultifying power of government when it comes to educational issues such as mandatory, high-stakes tests or vouchers, among others. "But these are truly important issues," they say. "We have to do it for the children," they say. Does that sound familiar? Aren't those statements exactly what leftists say to justify the unjustifiable? Indiana has embraced the most ambitious voucher program in American history, and conservatives around the nation are enthusiastically applauding. They shouldn't. In many ways, they don't realize that they are supporting big government at its worst. A good article at Cato.org (here) deals with a real problem that always crops up whenever government is involved in anything: Red tape and regulations that inevitably "fundamentally transform" what works into what doesn't. Go here to see a brief but disturbing summary of the rules and unfunded mandates being imposed on any Indiana private school accepting voucher money. Ronald Reagan was right. The most horrifying words in the English language are truly: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." By all means, read these brief articles and then return; I'll wait. Oh yes, and as you read, remember that Gov. Mitch Daniels is a Republican, ostensibly a conservative.
Posted by: MikeM at 09:42 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Liberal Academics Support Prejudices Against Conservatives
Specifically, a couple of college professors asked ambiguous questions and inferred racist intent from questions like these:
You see, for liberal, often Marxist and truly racist academics, blacks are lesser humans, and they need subsidies, special treatment, and incentives. How else are they supposed to be "equal" unless we make them equal? Tea Party supporters of every race view this as condescending rubbish with good reason; equality means everyone having the same opportunities, not ensuring that everyone has the same results. In the eyes of the ignorati, however, such sentiments equal racism and bigotry because it doesn't embrace their belittling view of minorities. Remind me again... who are the racists?
...Mr. Abramowitz also said they were more likely to harbor racial resentment, which he judged based on their answers to questions such as whether blacks could succeed as well as whites if they "would only try harder," and whether they agreed with the statement that Irish, Italians and Jews overcame prejudice and "blacks should do the same without any special favors." Mr. Abramowitz said tea party supporters were substantially more likely than other voters to question how much effort black Americans are making to advance themselves, versus being held back by social factors.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 07:57 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
September 04, 2011
Fun With Vocabulary! Really!
At the beginning of each school year, I have a dilemma: How best to encourage seven separate sections of high school English students to enjoy and appreciate words? Building a large and flexible vocabulary is obviously important, but it's not so obvious to teenagers whose growing bodies are awash with love hormones and who often have the attention spans of gnats.
One of several methods I use is an unusual vocabulary quiz that illustrates the importance of knowing the denotations (definitions) and connotations (images and ideas associated with the word) of words. Because it's fun and provokes much delighted snickering (you'll see what I mean), the kids enjoy it, and it conditions them to do and even enjoy more traditional vocabulary work. We English teachers are sneaky that way (cue flashing lightning, thunder and maniacal laughter)! So in honor of Labor Day—and hopefully you're resting from your labors—here's a bit of fun with vocabulary. The answers appear after the jump. Don't peek or you'll be looking at detention, little mister/missy! Directions: Answer each question with a yes or no. (1) It is a presidential election year. The candidate you intend to vote for, responding to a sensational news story, admits that he is a practicing HETEROSEXUAL. Should you vote for him? (2) Your favorite minister, responding to persistent rumors, admits to the congregation that despite being married for 26 years, he has consistently practiced MONOGAMY. Should he be run off? (3) You have had your eye on a guy/girl for some time. You’re sure that they will go out with you if you ask, but you learn that they are POLYDACTYL. Would it be medically safe to ask them out? (4) Your favored candidate for the U.S. Senate delivers a speech wherein he announces his absolute support for FEDERALISM. Would it be un-American to vote for him? (5) You are seriously considering voting for an obviously intelligent, capable candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives when you learn that he is a lifelong LIBERTARIAN. Would it be moral to vote for him? (6) The President is running for reelection. He proudly states that he will aggressively pursue a FECKLESS foreign policy. Should he be reelected, particularly during wartime? (7) Your favored candidate for the U.S. Senate is forced to admit that he once EXPECTORATED in the presence of women and children. Does this make him unfit for office? (
You are considering voting for a presidential candidate, but during a campaign speech, he says that he believes that all women must be ENFRANCHISED. Is he against women?
(9) The man/woman you intend to marry tells you that he/she is very serious about POSTERITY. Should you be worried?
(10) Your boy/girlfriend suddenly demands that you kiss them on their RICTUS. Do you run away?
(11) You are considering dating a very attractive guy/girl until a friend tells you they have a well-deserved reputation for TRUCULENCE. Should you date them?
(12) You are considering dating a very attractive guy/girl until a friend tells you that they are ODIFEROUS. Would it be fun to date them?
(13) The opponent of your favored presidential candidate delivers a passionate campaign speech wherein he accuses your candidate of MASTICATING at least three times a day. Should you be concerned about this?
(14) The opponent of your favored presidential candidate delivers another passionate campaign speech wherein he asserts that your candidate has led an IMMORTAL life. Is this a reasonable charge?
(15) The opponent of your favored presidential candidate delivers yet another passionate campaign speech wherein he claims that your candidate supports FLUORIDATION and has a distinctly COPERNICAN view of the Earth. Should you be concerned?
Posted by: MikeM at 11:28 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
September 03, 2011
The Literature Corner: I Used To Be A Marine
“Car 3, two-two,” the dispatcher--radio call sign “two-two”--droned.
Without conscious thought, I lifted the microphone to my lips. “Car 3,” I replied. “Stockman’s Bar; Omaha and Maple. Henry Running Elk needs to go to Detox.” “Enroute,” I replied, almost simultaneously replacing the mic in its holder and turning the corner to reverse my track. All of the patrons of the Stockman’s were always incredibly drunk. Whew. If the Stockman’s wants Henry to go to Detox, he must be unbelievably blitzed. It wasn’t exactly a Parisian sidewalk cafe frequented by the wealthy and avant-garde. Its patrons were Bohemian in shabby dress and poverty only. It was only 2230 on Sunday night. I hadn’t been on the street ten minutes and the cycle was already starting. My mini-Blazer didn’t smell good. Another semi-wild black haired regular on the way to Detox on the previous shift was gracious enough to empty the contents of his shriveled stomach in the back seat, and even though the officer/recipient of that little present did her best to clean it up, the odor--as always--lingered. Hmmm. Ripple Blanc, late June I should think. An amusing and delicate bouquet, yet not too pretentious. That’s what you get when you buy your wine in a gallon jug. As I slid out of my car, I reached for my hat but decided to leave it. The Chief is a hat fanatic. The preservation of life itself pales in comparison to the wearing of hats. My wife thinks my hat makes me look like the Nazis in Casa Blanca. Besides, every time I have to run, or struggle with someone, the damned thing falls off and gets stomped into road kill. I push the door open, and just like in a movie western, heads swivel and all eyes lock on me. My eyes adjust to the dim, smoky atmosphere. The bartender nods and points to the stool at the end of the bar. It’s a ritual we’ve performed hundreds of times. Henry has degenerated to the point that it’s hard to tell where he ends and the stool begins. Henry’s pals, well on the way to oblivion, nod and smile. They’re all my regular customers. They know that I’ll be back for some of them later, and if not tonight, soon. We all know the drill, and mostly, they play by the rules with a sense of amiable detachment. They know I’m not there for them. They’re content. They’re the staggering wounded. Tripped up by life, they’re just too pickled to die, at least not right away. Their average, everyday B.A.C must hover around 0.30--three times the legal limit for DUI. At that level they’re all numb smiles, but to the casual observer, normal, perhaps even sober. “Henry,” I say softly, gently shaking him. No response. “Henry. C’mon Henry, we’re going to take a ride.” Nothing. He’s face down in a pool of his own saliva. Geez, but he’s awfully still. He couldn’t be. . .? I check his carotid pulse. . .nah. Not dead, but he’s probably a 0.42. After awhile, most cops can judge B.A.C (Blood Alcohol Content) levels with a good degree of accuracy. For some reason, I’m very accurate--I win nearly all the hospital emergency room betting pools. I try a pressure point at the jaw line under his right ear. For virtually anyone, it’s incredibly painful and compels them to move immediately. Henry doesn’t even flinch. I try my favorite wrist lock. Designed to make anyone pop to their tip toes and beg to do as you ask, it only provokes a mild, annoyed grunt. Henry raises his head just long enough to snort and rocket an asteroid-sized booger into the pool of saliva on the bar. He’s another dragger. Most cops aren’t injured in shootouts or fights. They suffer back injuries hauling the Henrys of the world. I call for backup and when he arrives, all I have to do is nod toward Henry and he knows.Henry was a big, strong guy once upon a time. A Marine. He always tells you that, and he was too. A few years back, one of the guys checked it out. He did three tours in Vietnam; got loads of decorations. He was a real high-speed, low-drag kind of guy. But that was then and this is now. Years of an all-alcohol diet have withered his body, maybe his soul. Henry’s a particularly ripe dishrag as we slither him off the stool and carry/drag him out of the bar to the boozy cheers and applause of the onlookers. I smile, nod to acknowledge their appreciation of my work, and bid them adieu. It never hurts to build a little good will with your regulars. Fresh air feels and smells good. We pour Henry into the back seat of my once-pristine Blazer and chat for a few minutes about how much Henry has deteriorated since we saw him last. Last week wasn’t it? I suggest that he’ll probably not survive to see next summer. My partner nods his agreement. We’ll meet at Detox. Henry will doubtless be limp as a dishrag there too. I’m almost at Detox when the moist, warm stench of kidney- filtered cheap wine fills the truck. Thanks a bunch Henry. I’ll never get the smell out. I wonder if Henry will notice he wet himself when he wakes up, or is that--like being constantly drunk--just part of his everyday cycle of life? We ease Henry onto the bench and call for the staff. While we’re waiting, Henry snorts and hacks to semi-consciousness and rises ponderously to his feet. Only one eye is even partially open, veins blazing fire engine red. Snot runs freely into his scraggly mustache, and drool hangs like a dirty icicle from his rubbery, numb lower lip. Even before he moves, something in Henry’s posture tells me it’s coming, so I only have to shift my weight slightly to the side. He’s still pretty fast. I have the choice of dodging or catching, not both. Henry’s right hand, only partially a fist, wobbles past my head with all the intensity and grace of a Gooney bird on landing approach. As momentum carries him past me and he falls, in the curiously disjointed slow motion of the lifelong alcoholic, toward the tile floor, Henry mumbles sadly. Unintelligible to anyone who hasn’t spent years hearing his language--the language of brains irretrievably damaged by booze--I get it. He hits face first, makes a wet, sloppy splat, and is down and out for the count. “I know Henry,” I say softly, “You used to be a Marine.”
Posted by: MikeM at 03:44 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
September 02, 2011
GunWalker Cover-Up Comes Apart At The Seams
It's starting to fall apart for Eric Holder's Justice Department and the Obama Administration, as you'll see in my latest article at Pajamas Media.
Media Matters has made their normal dysfunctional attempt to shield the Administration, in this case, the opinion of Michael Sullivan, a acting ATF director under the Bush Administration, as cited in an interview with Kelly Wright on Fox News.Media Matters, of course, refuses to provide some key details about Fast and Furious, starting with the fact that no ATF director has the authority to approve a gun-walking program, just interdiction programs. Nor do they have the authority to authorize a program that spans international borders as Fast and Furious was designed to do from the outset. The fact remains that multiple cabinet-level agencies—as many as four, including DOJ, DHS, Treasury, and State—colluded in Operation Fast and Furious had to work together, and the most logical nexus for such a high profile operation are political appointees in each of those organizations and the elected officials that appointed them. That doesn't fit the narrative fiction Media Matters would like to propagate, but hey, they've aren't paid by a foreign felon to spread the truth.
KELLY WRIGHT (ANCHOR): The President says he knew nothing about the operation, but the Justice Department has been slow in responding. Do you think this will lead all the way to the White House being involved? SULLIVAN: I would be surprised. From our experience at ATF, firearms trafficking cases were fairly routine in terms of the nature and scope of the investigations. They didn't require authorities outside of ATF, and for the purpose of initiating it. Could folks have been briefed up, considering the violence in Mexico and the violence on the border, about the strategy, that's clearly possible. But the project itself was well within the rights of the director to essentially approve or to reject.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 03:50 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
I've Got A Bad Feeling About This
20 inches of rain, being deposited in a hole in a swamp surrounded by major bodies of water.
Fire up the buses this time, you morons.Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 11:16 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
September 01, 2011
The Eco-Aliens Are Coming! The Eco-Aliens Are Coming!
In July of 2010, newly appointed NASA Administrator Charles Bolden was proud to announce the new mission given him by President Obama, the mission he considered most important to NASA: To make Muslims feel good about the scientific accomplishments of their ancient ancestors. Even then, Mr. Obama exhibited an almost divine prescience, for a year later, NASA no longer had the ability to send men into space, so why not focus on more Earthly pursuits? Exhibiting the same spirit that once landed men on the Moon, NASA has done just that.
According to Ian Sample of The Guardian, NASA has turned its legendary scientific brilliance and can-do culture to conquering an entirely new—if not essentially debunked and disgraced—frontier: Global Warming. Wait a minute! NASA is the National Aeronautic and Space Administration. Where’s the aeronautics or space in that? It’s actually spacier than anyone could have imagined. According to NASA scientists and Pennsylvania State University, we can forget all of that Climategate stuff, and all of the other evidence indicating that the UN and other climate doomsayers have been more or less making it all up. There is now a new and far more compelling reason to bankrupt the entire world even faster than was thought possible through ObamaCare. Using the unfathomable brainpower of NASA scientists and the tenured fecklessness of academia, NASA has determined that the gravest threat to Earth is: Greenie space aliens. Among the scenarios posited by this galaxy-class brain trust is the idea that alien civilizations watching Earth from across the vast expanse of interstellar space will be compelled to destroy Earth because they detect a change in Earth’s atmosphere due to greenhouse gas emissions. Being just about as green as they come (who knew the little green men were literal and figurative?) these advanced alien intelligences will be terribly offended by what we have done to our planet, so they will, of course, have to obliterate mankind. The authors wrote: "These scenarios give us reason to limit our growth and reduce our impact on global ecosystems. It would be particularly important for us to limit our emissions of greenhouse gases, since atmospheric composition can be observed from other planets." This is not, by any means, NASA’s first foray out of rocket science and into crackpot science. Dr. James Hansen (who was just arrested while protesting a proposed oil pipeline) of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies has a long history of embarrassing NASA and reputable scientists with his global warming pronouncements, which have upon occasion forced NASA to disavow or walk back his alarmist claims. Even Hansen’s boss, after his retirement, stated that Hansen violated NASA’s official position on climate forecasting, and embarrassed the agency with his unsupportable claims of impending climate catastrophe. Yet contact with extraterrestrial life is not beyond the realm of possibility, and responsible scientists have pondered it. Dr. Travis S. Taylor and Dr. Bob Boan published Alien Invasion: The Ultimate Survival Guide for the Ultimate Attack in 2011. The book was an outgrowth of a two-hour documentary produced for the National Geographic Channel in 2010. Taylor and Boan served as consultants for that effort. In the book (pp. 116-11 Taylor and Boan propose fourteen general reasons that might motivate an extraterrestrial visit, including a desire for conquest, food, resources, and a variety of other reasonable possibilities. Unsurprisingly, Earthlings being mean to Mother Earth thus sparking genocidal rage in a technologically advanced space-faring race is not among them.
No longer able to put men in space, reduced to begging the Russians for a lift on their 70s technology capsules for the short hop to the International Space Station and further reduced to serving as self-esteem coaches for cultures that are, for the most part, unable to design and manufacture toasters, NASA has fallen to trying to prop up Al Gore’s declining fortunes. Mr. Gore, obviously deranged as the global warming scam which provided such amenities as a 100 foot houseboat and a mansion that uses more electrical power in a week than most people use in a year collapses around his ears, dissolved into an obscenity-laced rant at an August 8 speech at the Aspen Institute. More recently, he branded as racists those who don't worship his AGW orthodoxy. Poor Al. People just aren't taking him seriously anymore.
It doesn’t take a doctorate in astrophysics to understand why this particular NASA rocket blew up on the launch pad, much like the August 24th launch of a Soviet resupply rocket. Let’s listen in on two alien scientists:
Alien Scientist #1: “Hey, look at this!”
AS#2: “What?”
AS#1: “Extreme range sensors indicate an infinitesimal increase in carbon dioxide concentration with a miniscule increase in global temperature on planet X-39822877B993XC988.1”
AS#2: “What! What are those maniacs doing to their planet! We must immediately rally a fleet and obliterate every sentient being on that planet that we may reduce carbon dioxide and the ambient temperature! We must…wait a minute; which planet did you say?”
AS#1: “Lemme check again…Yup, it’s X-39822877B993XC988.1 alright.”
AS#2: “How far away is that?”
AS#1: “Gimme a sec…uh, says here three trillion light years, give or take a billion or two.”
AS#2: “Three trillion…hmmmm, even at maximum glorg quotient, that's quite a ways…wait a minute, isn’t that the planet a deep space mission visited last clerch, you know, the one that sent back what the inhabitants call “television broadcasts?”
AS#1: “Now that you mention it, I think you’re right.”
AS#2: “Forget it. I’ve seen them. There’s no sentient life there.”
There are those who suggest that anything is possible, but they’re wrong. Monkeys are not going to fly out of my posterior. Barack Obama is not going to create jobs, Iran is not going to sue Israel for peace, and pigs aren’t going to achieve self-propelled flight. Of all of the potential alien visitation scenarios, this is probably one of the most far-fetched (apart from coming to Earth to get modest dressing tips from Lady GaGa), and besides, it’s a shameless rip off of a shameless rip off. One would expect rocket scientists to have a bit more imagination.
I refer, of course, to the classic 1951 classic SciFi film The Day The Earth Stood Still. At least the motivation of the alien visitor, Klatu, was remotely plausible. Alarmed at Earth’s nuclear weapon progress, his civilization, representing many alien races, delivered a warning: Expand Earth’s destructive tendencies beyond Earth, and face "obliteration."
Produced at the beginning of the Cold War, the film has a great deal of charm and delivers its message without Al Gorish condescension and pedantic hectoring. However, the idea that advanced aliens would take notice of a force as slight as a handful of low-yield nuclear weapons wielded by a barely advanced species requires a bit of suspension of disbelief. Why the aliens would be concerned about a species unable to travel even within its own solar system is an interesting question, as is why a race capable of obliterating entire planets via a single eight foot tall autonomous robot would be worried about a few miniscule nuclear explosives. But the film is well made and entertains 60 years later.
The first rip off was the 2008 Keanu Reeves vehicle of the same name. Reeves demonstrates his chops as an honor graduate of the Mt. Rushmore school of acting as an alien race comes to destroy Earth because we’re mean to it in a sort of vague, non-ecologically conscious sort of way, and probably because we eco-racists don’t listen to Al Gore anymore. Reeves is convinced to spare the planet by Jennifer Connelly, who could probably convince me that Al Gore actually won in 2000.
NASA’s rip off requires us to believe than an alien civilization sufficiently advanced to have mastered interstellar travel and with the power to obliterate an entire species on a given planet, ostensibly without harming any of the other flora or fauna, would even notice a completely unremarkable planet in a completely unremarkable star system in a completely unremarkable galaxy in a completely unremarkable corner of the universe. Such a species almost certainly wouldn’t notice if our sun went super nova, and we’re to think plausible that they’re measuring, across the unimaginable vastness of space/time--our global temperature and greenhouse gas concentrations as a sort of omniscient inter-galactic greenie police force?
To be fair, NASA has disavowed its own scientists involved in this scenario, much as it has done with Dr. Hansen from time to time, treating them all like the crazy uncle every family keeps locked in the attic. But perhaps all is not lost. If the alien greenie police do arrive to exterminate us, Mr. Obama can practice the smart diplomacy for which he is so famous. On second thought, maybe not: that would doom us for sure.Posted by: MikeM at 09:34 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Five Questions the Media Won't Ask The Administration About Gunwalker
So far, the shuffling of employees--and some might argue, the buying of their silence--has been the only reaction to the Gunwalker scandal, in which various agencies of the federal government conspired to assure the success of straw purchasers and smugglers running guns to a violent Mexican drug cartel.
In the months since the scandal was revealed, the Department of Justice (DOJ) , BATF, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Division (IRS-CD), Department of Homeland Security, and Department of State, have conspired to stonewall and House and Senate investigations that have been launched to investigate a scandal that appears to be worse than Iran-Contra and Watergate combined. The scandal is not complicated, and would be revealed by the answering of five simple questions that the media dare not demand answers to from this Administration. 1. Who came up with the idea of allowing guns to be purchased by straw purchasers and then "walked" across the border by smugglers? 2. Who authorized Operation Fast and Furious in the Department of Justice?3. Who authorized Operation Fast and Furious in the Department of Homeland Security?
4. Is Operation Fast and Furious the only operation of its type, or were there similar operations in Texas, Florida, and other states as evidence suggests?
5.What, precisely, did Barack Obama, Eric Holder, and Janet Napolitano know about Operation Fast and Furious, and when did they know it? Answering these five simple questions would go a long way towards revealing if Operation Fast and Furious was merely the most inept and bloody law enforcement operation in modern American history, or if it was--as logic and circumstantial evidence suggests--a criminal conspiracy intent on manufacturing evidence to justify gun control initiatives and further the Administration's political agenda at the cost of Mexican and American lives.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:28 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
August 31, 2011
Quick Takes, September 01, 2011
ITEM: I'm All For "Normalizing" Women's Breasts! Just show me how you do that, and I'll lend a hand—or two (cue Groucho eyebrows and mustache)! Sadly, like Lori Giganto at Pajamas Media, I'm not convinced that people consider breasts anything but normal—and pretty darned neat. Oh well. Check out the story anyway; there are links and pictures of, well, normal and pretty darned neat stuff, including a link to an organization called "gotopless.com." whose motto seems to be "FREE YOUR BREASTS." "FREE YOUR MIND." Well hey, as long as it's for freedom! Mom and apple pie, I'm not so sure about.
ITEM: Duty, Honor, Country. Go here for an uplifting and immensely sad video that clearly explains why dogs are known as "man's best friend." If this one doesn't make your heart swell with patriotic pride, you're an Obama supporter. If it doesn't make you want to hug your dog, you don't have a heart. ITEM: The Future Of Unionism: Over the years, I've been occasionally ambivalent about George Will, but he certainly redeems himself (I'm sure that redeeming himself in my eyes is his number one priority) with this article on the self-degradation of Wisconsin unions. One can only hope that the Wisconsin trend will continue throughout the nation. More and more, Americans are realizing that we can't afford liberalism and never could. Recommended reading. ITEM: And Ann Coulter Wants This Guy To Run for President? Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey, has some real problems. Among them, he's far too squishy on the Second Amendment, and now, has imposed a one-year moratorium on fracking in NJ. Some might consider this a not unreasonable and perhaps necessary political maneuver in a blatantly leftist state, but it is, nonetheless, another little bit of worrisome. Go here for the story. ITEM: Irony Overdose of The Day, but boy, does it feel good! Professional golfer Paul Azinger beautifully takes Mr. Obama to task, not only on golfing, but on job creation. This sort of zinger doesn't come along every day, gentle readers. Check it out here. ITEM: And This Guy Is A Republican?! Big Brother in the Big Apple. It seems that lunatic anti-gun Mayor Michael Bloomberg is now planning to put traffic cameras at every NYC intersection. Has he ever seen NYC traffic? Such devices are about revenue, and actually make intersections more dangerous, which in NYC would be an accomplishment akin to Mr. Obama making the French look muscular and manly by comparison—which he did in Libya. Go here. ITEM: Even The UN Is Afraid Of Chuck Norris! Rightfully so. At Politico, Norris takes the UN to task (here) for their latest stealth gun control scheme, ready to be served up to Mr. Obama just in time for the 2012 election. The Tatler's take on the issue is here. ITEM: The Evils of Deficit Spending. You absolutely have to see this one, gentle readers. At least George W. Bush had to fight several wars and deal with the economic fallout of 9-11. What's Mr. Obama's excuse? See what The One has to say about it. Deliciously ironic. If the Republicans don't use this to horrific effect for 2012, the idiots deserve to lose (we don't). Discuss. ITEM: Louis Renault Award of The Millennia: Mr. Obama is a Socialist? I'm shocked, shocked! For those not familiar with Stanley Kurtz's book on Mr. Obama's socialist upbringing, connections and orthodoxy, this Powerline link provides substantial illumination. It's definitely worth your time for the embedded video alone. The "Meeting Young Obama" link is also very revealing. You'll find yourself thinking, "well, that explains a lot." ITEM: Sub-College English 101. Jack Cashill, for those who don't know him, is a prolific and wide-ranging author who has deconstructed Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father and has concluded that he did not write it as he has claimed. Rather, domestic terrorist Bill Ayers wrote the book. Cashill's definitive video summarizing the evidence in his book on the subject can be found here. However the subject of this item is something nearly as rare as the Higgs Boson: A letter Barack Obama wrote, while President of the Harvard Law Review, on a matter of law. Cashill concludes that Mr. Obama's writing is far below the standard of that in the book he claims to have written. As a teacher of English, it is, at best, sub-college freshman level writing, to say nothing of the reasoning—such as it is. Go here for the article and a link to the letter itself. ITEM: ObamaCare Mandates WHAT?! Among the many things we're now finding out is in ObamaCare now that it has been passed is that women will get free birth control, and also, breast pumps. Penny Young Nance, CEO of Concerned Women For America, thinks that a bit--inflated. She has a point (perhaps even two—heh-heh—I'm soooo ashamed of myself)—here. ITEM: Who'da Thunk It? According to those infamous climate change denying racists at CERN, anthropogenic global warming is not all it's crackpotted up to be. What's CERN? The home of the Large Hadron Collider, the most important high-energy physical lab in the world where one or two smart folks are known to hang out from time to time. Having done real—as opposed to Al Goreish—science, they've discovered that the dominant factors influencing Earth's climate are the Sun and cosmic rays. Who could have imagined that it is the most powerful energy source in our solar system, combined with one of the most powerful energy sources in the known universe, that affects our climate? Sort of explains the Medieval Warm Period, doesn't it? If this be racism, sign me up. Go here to decide whether you want your climate racist badge and secret climate racist decoder ring. ITEM: Firm, Unchangeable Convictions Department: Having had their collective nether regions repeatedly and soundly kicked and having shot themselves in both feet, Wisconsin Union dysfunctionaries continue to kick themselves in the private parts by vandalizing a Catholic school and via the latest: trying to ban Republicans from a Labor Day parade. The ban was hastily lifted, however, when the Mayor of Wausau made it clear that if Republicans were excluded, the Labor Council would be footing the entire bill for the parade. So much for worker solidarity. Power to the people, right off! Go here for the brave, socialist worker story. ITEM: Our Brave, Green Future: Mr. Obama gave more than a half billion dollars in loan guarantees from the "Stimulus" to a solar technology company known as Solyndra based in Fremont, CA. At an appearance at Solyndra in May of 2010, Mr. Obama praised the company as the future of green jobs. Yeah. Not so much. The company has now gone, quite abruptly, bankrupt, no doubt in the most environmentally sensitive way. No solar goodies, no green jobs, more than half a billion of taxpayer money down the green commode. Go here to read about the real future of green jobs. ITEM: Melson Awaaaaay! And the wheels on the Obama bus go kerthumpity thump! Acting ATF director Kenneth Melson is being reassigned to what sounds like a job without actual work or responsibilities. The lovely, charming, and charmingly lovely Michelle Malkin has the story here. As regular readers know, Bob has done most of the heavy lifting on the Gunwalker story, and has added several great posts to the CY site over the last few days. Be sure to scroll down and read them as well. ITEM: Not Exactly Grizzly Adams. A grizzly bear and her cubs lumber into your backyard and menace your wife and children. So you, sensitive metrosexual that you are, reason with the bear and appeal to its environmental sensitivity and natural respect for inter-species diversity. The bear eats you and your entire family. Messily. Pity poor Jeremy Hill of Idaho who, when faced with the same situation, decided not to be eaten, shot the bear, and foolishly behaving as a law-abiding citizen, called the authorities. Local authorities declined to charge him. The feds—surprise, surprise, are throwing the book at him. Anyone surprised? Go here, but take your blood pressure meds first. ITEM: Mr. Obama Is All For Creating Jobs, Honest! Except for the fact that his Administration is promulgating thousands of regulations that will destroy far, far more jobs than any lame job creation idea he can possibly propose, he's a regular job-creatin' machine, that Obama. Go here to National Review Online where Andrew Stiles explicates the problem. Secure breakable items first. ITEM: That Dumb Rick Perry Never Flew Jets! The Beldar Blog (here) does something liberals rarely do: correct a mistake. Apparently some have been suggesting that because Perry primarily flew the C-130—a four-engined turboprop—he never flew jets. Not so. AF pilots fly the T-38 (and other jet aircraft) as part of their training and as part of getting in required flight hours throughout their careers. It's an interesting story and look at USAF culture. ITEM: Gibson Rocks On! If you haven't read my piece on the Feds' raid on Gibson, by all means, scroll down a bit. Bryan Preston, at the Tattler, reinforces the idea that the raid was politically motivated. No! Mr. Obama would surely never do anything like that! Not a graduate of the Chicago Political Machine? Yes he would, and don't call me Shirley. ITEM: Gunwalker Reassignments: Why are all of those federal bureaucrats involved in Gunwalker being reassigned? The Washington Examiner suggests some reasons here. ITEM: So If We Have Sex With Women, They'll Fall In Love With Us? Well, sort of. Go here to The Frisky (gad, I love that for the name of a website, but I could never pull that one off) for the low down on post-orgasm attraction and temporary insanity. And while we're still contemplating the infinite ramifications of the last item, I must sincerely thank you for stopping by, and once again encourage you to drop in once again next Thursday for another edition of Quick Takes!Posted by: MikeM at 09:44 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
Fast and Furious "Botched?" Hardly.
Botched Probe Into Gun Smuggling Leads to Justice Dept. Shakeup
--FairWarning
--International Business Times US agents botch big "sting" operation in Mexico
--The Voice of Russia These are just a handful of news articles in the past 24 hours after Ken Melson's banishment to the Department of Justice that insist upon calling the Gunwalker scandal a "botched" operation. Botched? In what way was Operation Fast and Furious botched? It was designed from the outset to provide federal law enforcement security to straw purchasers of firearms, assuring that neither the purchasers nor the smugglers stood any chance of being arrested by federal, state, or local authorities. What they offered for the entire life of the operation was protection to criminals. There was never a mechanism to arrest the alleged targets of the operation, which were in Mexico and out of our jurisdiction. The Operation kept Mexican authorities and even their own agents in Mexico purposefully in the dark, trying to make certain that the Mexican police were totally unaware that American law enforcement was facilitating the smuggling of weapons into Mexico that were then used to kill Mexican and U.S. nationals, including police officers and soldiers. Fast and Furious was only "botched" in that the scheme to arm the Sinaloa cartel by our DOJ, DHS, and White House was eventually ratted out by one of the participants when the plot led to the death of a fellow federal agent. Fast and Furious did precisely what Obama wanted it to, which was to put American guns in the hands of Mexican criminals in order to justify more gun control in the United States, like the long gun reporting rule celebrated in the ATF. This was a criminal conspiracy. The only thing that was botched was the cover-up.
Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 12:26 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)
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