August 23, 2011

These Guys Won?

Look closely at the following photograph currently on the Fox News home page, showing Libyan rebel fighters.

Now look even more closely at the dufus on the right.

I've never been in the military (or even played a soldier on television), but even I know that a rocket-propelled grenade loaded in the ass-end of a launcher isn't a threat to anyone.

Seriously... these guys beat Qaddafi?

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:22 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Aggravated Analogies

As a teacher of the mother tongue, one of the more difficult and sometimes torturous things I do is teaching students how to enliven their writing with insightful, intellectually pleasing analogies. I have, for many years, kept the inadvertently funny things my students have written and often share them with you.

This list of aggravated analogies came to me from a colleague who was not sure from whence they came. Apparently, they are a conglomeration of beatings suffered by the language at the hands of students everywhere and anywhere. Should anyone wish to claim authorship of the list, by all means, let me know and I'll be delighted to properly apportion credit (or blame).

In the meantime, I can certify that these syntactic train wrecks are precisely the sorts of thing my students often produce. And no, these are not evidence of the horrors of the public schools, for such mangled contrivances are often produced by the brightest and most capable students who unlike their less daring peers are willing to inch as far out on the linguistic limb as possible before inadvertently sawing it off like an inadvertent linguistic limb sawer-offer or something. Stop me before I analogize again!

In any case, may the chagrin experienced by those students who couldn't see what they had written, nor understand its horror, until it was pointed out to them by English teachers shaking with helpless laughter, pass you by as you enjoy the fruits of their…labors?

1) She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

2) She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

3) Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

Posted by: MikeM at 09:16 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Wanna Know What I Really Think of Holder, Napolitano, Obama, and Gunwalker?

Ask me... I'll tell you.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 06:25 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Becuase Ideological Conformity is More Important than Solutions

Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) is the latest member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to try to blame the problems of her constituents on anything but the policies she champions.

"When you look at African American males, 40% of them are unemployed, those under 30 years of age. I understand exactly the entire nation must be involved in this recovery but the black community is experiencing a great recession. That's what we're experiencing," Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) told MSNBC.

First, criminals are all but unemployable, and while blacks comprise just 12.6% of the U.S population, they make up 39.4% of the prison inmates in 2009 according to Wikipedia.

A Guardian post claims that 30-percent of black men will go to jail.

So who is really to blame, the business community for not wanting to hire convicted criminals, or the culture and communities that allow such a high percentage of their young men to turn to a lives of crime and celebrate a popular culture of "thug life" that glorifies gang activity, violence, and misogyny?

The Great Society brought about by liberalism destroyed the black family unit, and Planned Parenthood is nothing more than slow-motion genocide being waged against African-Americans by white liberal cultural elites.

If black Democratic legislators were something other than Stepin Fetchits "out to get me mine's'" and cash in on the misery of their peers, they are a substantial enough force within Congress to effect positive change for their communities.

But they aren't there to enrich their communities.

Corruptocrats like Maxine Waters, Jesse Jackson Jr., Charles Rangel and others are there to personally profit at the expense of their communities, and instead of providing a way out, merely reinforce the broken system that that caused so many parts of what was once a thriving African-American middle class to implode.

From their perspective, it makes sadly perfect sense.

The unemployable and destitute will reliably keep voting for Democrats to ensure the table scraps offered by the Democratic party continue to come their way.

A thriving black middle class would turn their attention to matters of business and culture would break the Democratic stranglehold on the nearly monolithic black vote, and put shameless race-baiters out of work.

Wilson, et al find a wonderful scapegoat in vague claims of racism. It excuses the fact they've done nothing for their constituents, and serves to reinforce the low expectations that keep them chained to servant and victim mentality.

It's loathsome that a sitting Congresswoman is allowed to make such claims unchallenged, and sadly, completed expected.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 12:35 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Libyan Rebels Claim Qaddafi Compound Breached

I'll believe it when we have confirmation, but it seems plausible.

[Updated 11:39 a.m. ET, 5:39 p.m. in Libya] Rebels are saying they have made it into Gadhafi's Bab Al Aziza compound, CNN's Sara Sidner reported.

"They have been able to take some of the weapons off of the Gadhafi forces," she said.

Rebels are telling Sidner "Gadhafi is nearly finished."

Sidner said that rebels said they are still inside trying to secure the area, but are celebrating as fighting continues.

“Now they’re going to try and clear the compound," Sidner said rebels told her.

Sidner said that she is less than half a kilometer from the compound and can see more smoke coming from the area.

Sidner said rebels are hugging each other and crying on the streets. Loud chants can be heard in the background.

Rebels shouted "God is great, God is great" in celebration Tuesday.

The compound is symbol of the regime, and an important one, but only a symbol. Until they capture or kill Qaddafi and his sons, the fighting will likely continue.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:59 AM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Fife Element

"I believe the primary purpose of Gunrunner was so the the administration could be shocked, shocked! that American guns were being used by drug runners in Mexico and thus have an excuse for ever more draconian gun laws in the US.

"It's as though Barney Fife sold his only bullet to the bad guys, hoping to arrest them after they'd shot someone."

Operation Fast and Furious was a poorly conceived and ineptly executed multi-agency scheme that Obama Administration officials claim was a attempt to catch trafficking rings supplying Mexican drug cartels with weapons from U.S. gun shops.

What actually transpired is that a multiple-agency federal anti-crime task force composed of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) watched and effectively provided a law enforcement shield so that a relative handful of low-level gun runners without any ties to cartel leaders were allowed to traffic 2,020 firearms to the foot soldiers of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

The strike force placed tracers (GPS "bugs") on just two of 2020 weapons; there was no possible way of tracking them. Nor was there a possible mechanism of affecting arrests of cartel leaders in Mexico. Worse, they purposefully kept Mexican officials in the dark about the operation.

The weapons seem to have been sent to Mexico for one reason only; to be used in crimes. When the weapons were discarded at crimes scenes--which gunmen frequently did to avoid to being tied to specific murders via ballistic forensics--the recovered weapons were traced by the BATF and used to manufacture evidence to support President Obama's dishonest claim that U.S. guns stores were the primary supplier of cartel weapons. The President and federal law enforcement agencies reporting to him seemed to be working on gun control "under the radar," indeed.

The gun-running operation came to an end only after a U.S. border Patrol Agent was gunned down in a firefight, and two of the weapons were traced back to the operation, at which point whistleblowers within the BATF came forward to expose the plot.

It has been more than six months since Operation Fast and Furious was exposed, and during that time the federal law enforcement agencies involved in the scandal have participated in what appears to be a high-level cover-up of the operation, and one that the Obama Administration and their allies in the media are desperately trying to contain. They are using a number of methods, including attacking congressional investigators, stonewalling requests for information, and controlling individual employees inside the operation by recalling them to Washington and putting them in desk jobs where they can be more easily monitored.

Despite the stonewalling attempts of the Administration, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hold up the preferred narrative of a localized law enforcement operation gone horribly wrong.

The mainstream media and the White House are eager to portray Operation Fast and Furious as a solitary and limited operation that was the responsibility of a small band of BATF misfits in Arizona, backed by an overzealous U.S. District Attorney.

While the Administration has continued to push that story, emails confirm that every director of a law enforcement agency within the Department of Justice was briefed on the scheme from the beginning, and that FBI criminal informants were part of the plot.

Dennis Burke, the U.S. Attorney that holds at significant responsibly for this debacle is a close confidant of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; he was her Chief of Staff when she was the governor of Arizona and their relationship no doubt played a role is his appointment as a U.S. attorney, one of dozens of politicized hirings in the Department of Justice that other PJMedia reporters have been following. Despite these close ties between Burke Napolitano, the media and White House are doing their best to try to pretend that this was a BATF operation, with minimal contacts with other elements of the DOJ or from other branches of government.

We must ask ourselves as rational people, "How likely is it that someone as deeply connected to law enforcement in Arizona as Janet Napolitano as former governor and state attorney general, who is now the Secretary of Homeland Security with a huge stake in the events occurring along the southern border, has a close confident and former staffer as the U.S. Attorney running Operation Fast and Furious, and she knew nothing about the operation?" It is almost inconceivable that Napolitano wasn't directly involved in briefings regarding Operation Fast and Furious from the very beginning; one could and perhaps should make the argument that she has even more reason to be aware of and involved with Operation than any of the other directors or cabinet level officials that had a role in the plot. You won't see her name mentioned in the narrative however; it simply won't do to have another Cabinet level official facing fire in editorials and from Congressional investigators.

The mainstream media not pursuing this line of questioning because they've invested their own "single bullet" on the claim that Operation Fast and Furious was a horrible, but isolated mistake. But emerging evidence suggests that Fast and Furious was just one element of a scandal we know as "Gunwalker," with allegations of operations in two Texas field operations areas and one in Florida already on congressional radar and subject to inquires by Senators and Congresspersons alike.

And some media outlets are becoming tired of the obedient elitist press corps.

As the Dallas Morning News vents, "details only get worse" in regards to the Gunwalker conspiracy. CNS News pointedly notes that the Justice Department is being as vague as possible, dancing around the question of, "What did Attorney General Eric Holder know, and when did he know it?"

In an interview with Human Events, House Oversight and Government Reform committee member Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona's 1st District admits that the President himself is a potential target of the investigation.

Goser indicates that Operation Fast and Furious is the focus of the current investigation, but notes that they are aware of other allegations, including plots to supply both the Sinaloa cartel and the Zetas with weapons, which could be the basis for even wider investigations of the Obama Administration's role is supply drug cartels with advanced weaponry.

Those close to the investigation seem to think that evidence of corruption and criminality in Operation Fast and Furious may be enough not to bring down just U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, but his peers and perhaps even the Obama Administration.

Barney seems to have fired his only bullet, and shot himself in the foot in the process.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:20 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

August 22, 2011

A Letter From The Teacher #15: Opinion vs. Behavior

Anytown High School, Any State, USA

To: Mr. Martinez
From: Mr. English Teacher
Re: Opinion vs. Behavior

Dear Mr. Martinez:

Thanks for your e-mail. Your niece Aracelli is doing well and if you help her with her weekly vocabulary, I'm sure her English skills will rapidly improve. As you suggested, the more she speaks and reads English, the faster she'll improve, and I'll be happy to loan her books that will help. She's a bright girl and I'm glad to have her in class.

I'll do my best to address your other question, but please bear with me, as I make sure we're talking about the same case. I believe you're talking about the Florida teacher, Mr. Jerry Buell, who was recently suspended when he expressed his opinion about gay marriage on his Facebook page. Here's a link to the story in case you missed this particularly account.

Let's keep in mind that neither of us knows all the facts, but as I understand it, the man is an excellent, experienced teacher who was the Mount Dora (FL) High School teacher of the year last year. Apparently his record is unblemished and he is well liked and respected.

The trouble apparently began when someone complained about his Biblically-based, internet-posted disapproval of gay marriage. School officials contend that his opinion is "disturbing" and that students might be frightened or intimidated by that opinion. Keep in mind that Mr. Buell is not accused of any actual intimidation or improper behavior, but is suspended because school officials worry that unnamed students might possibly, at some point in the future, be intimidated by Mr. Buell's opinion expressed on a Facebook page in July. The Mount Dora School District obviously intends to fire Mr. Buell, or at the least, to humiliate or figuratively speaking, beat him into line.

In this case, the school district is completely wrong. Their behavior is ill-considered and excessive and damaging not only to Mr. Buell, but to the reputation of the entire school district. It seems clear that Mr. Buell wrote his opinion on his own time, using his own resources. It is equally clear that he did not represent his opinion as the official policy of the Mount Dora School District. It was written on his personal Facebook page, not in any school forum.

Posted by: MikeM at 10:25 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Lee Booth Properties Being Searched By U.S. Marshals

My favorite gun company-acquiring felon still isn't of interest to a corrupt North Carolina BATF, but he has at least drawn the attention of lawyers who believe Booth may have parts and equipment belonging to Pace Airlines.

His properties are being searched today by U.S. Marshals acting on behalf of the Pace bankruptcy trustee.

As I understand it, they are searching for parts that Booth claims he does not have that belong to the bankrupt airline. I suspect that one or two small parts would not be a big deal and could be written off as a legitimate accident, but if the Marshals discover substantial Pace materials, then he could be in a bit of trouble.

I'll update when I find out more.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:09 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Libyan Regime Goes Dead Parrot

Michael Palin, John Cleese, and Moammar Qaddafi

Rebels control most of Tripoli and have captured his two oldest sons, and it seems a foregone conclusion that the 42-year dictatorship of Moammar Qaddafi is finished, despite the Baghdad Bob protests of his few remaining supporters who hope against hope that the regime is just "pining for the fjords."

The location of the ex-dictator (I think it safe to call him an "ex" when he controls less than 20% of his own capitol) is anyone's guess, and it appears everyone is guessing, from supposing his death (inaccurately, so far), to thinking he's holed up in a strongpoint in Tripoli, to those who feel he has fled to neighboring Algeria, or even to South America.

Predictably, President Obama's supporters are crowing that Qaddafi's downfall is a victory and a feather in the cap of the President.

I say give Obama all the credit possible for what he actually did.

He pledged military and intelligence support to a popular preexisting coalition of primarily Western European forces.

He authorized the U.S. military to use air power, and then reined them in so that their effectiveness was diminished, prolonging the conflict.

Obama joined a victorious coalition, but certainly did not lead it. Give him the credit he deserves for putting a finger in the wind and following popular opinion. Just don't dare claim it amounts to anything remotely like leadership.

Beyond that, let us hope that the various rebel forces that will be vying for control of Libya are a bit less extremist than the dictator they replace. The Libyan people deserve better.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 09:17 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

August 21, 2011

I'm Takin' A Vacation!

What to make of Mr. Obama's Martha's Vineyard vacation? Some have suggested that considering the horrendous economic situation for which Mr. Obama bears primary responsibility, it is, as the trendy saying goes: "bad optics." Indeed it is. Others claim that Presidents are due their vacations, which also has the ring of truth. Others bewail the extravagance of the Obama family's choice of vacation spots and of the expense involved. The Obama's will be staying in digs reportedly costing some $50,000 per week, which is more than a great many Americans make in a year. There is indeed a case to be made for unthinking, uncaring extravagance.

All of this is disturbing too because the Martha's Vineyard excursion is hardly an isolated event. Combined with Mr. Obama's plethora of golf outings and his many command performance White House parties starring himself with a supporting cast of various celebrities, to say nothing of jetting on Air Force One on various "date nights," Mr. Obama has succeeded in creating a particularly unfortunate stereotype: The low roller suddenly come into money who lives large and fast and blows it all in an ostentatious display of greed and carelessness.

In Julius Caesar (Act. II, Scene I), Brutus speaks of those who climb the ladder of power too fast, and reaching its upper rungs, forget how they got there and the people they used and tend to abuse power. One might be forgiven for thinking that Mr. Obama didn't learn that lesson from Shakespeare, or the most important lesson: When the mighty allow themselves Hubris—excessive pride--they fall.

Yet this is far from the only evidence of Hubris. Mr. Obama recently went on a "jobs" bus tour of the middle states of flyover country. The two busses specially ordered and manufactured for this transparent campaign junket were painted Darth Vader black, which is as far as I'll go into the symbolism of that odd choice, except to wonder if perhaps some little bit of color, such as an American flag, might not be appropriate for Mr. Obama, who when last I checked was the President of the United States. Symbolism, you know.

Posted by: MikeM at 09:01 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Qadaffi Dead (or not?)... But what next?

Allahpundit is updating so fast I can't keep up with it but the gist of it is that instead of a siege of Tripoli, the various rebel grouping surging into the city are finding that regime loyalists have simply melted away.

As noted in the headline various voices on Twitter are claiming the strongman is dead. If he isn't, and he's in Tripoli, he most likely will be soon if he isn't now.

It is amazing how a bunch of ragtag rebels with no discernible organization can overthrown a firmly entrenched tyrant that started this war with total control of the government and military. Other dictators should look upon Libya with fear in their hearts.

Of course, this doesn't mean rainbows and sunshine for Libyans. We don't know who is going to take power in the suddenly leaderless state, or what their intentions are. The old dictator has fallen.

But what will we face now?

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 04:14 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Self Defense Or Socialism?

Do you have an inalienable right to self-defense, or is the value of your life measured only in its utility to the state? Is your right to continued existence contingent on the whims of Socialistic politicians and their allies in the permanent bureaucratic class? Who is more valuable to society, a member of the producer class or a member of the parasite class? And how does the Gunwalker scandal relate to this?

My latest article, published by the good folks at Pajamas Media, brings it all together. My thanks to Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit for linking to it.

Posted by: MikeM at 03:42 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

August 20, 2011

The Literature Corner: I Ain't No Crim'nul...

For this edition of the Literature Corner, I present a tale shamelessly modeled on Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." This particular true story took place during the years that I worked as a division commander in charge of just about everything no one else wanted to do, including evidence, vehicle maintenance, animal control, radio maintenance, a variety of other tasks, and also managed a small jail used primarily for short term incarceration. One night, a very drunk, very lonesome all hat and no cattle cowboy was a guest in my establishment…

I Ain't No Crim'nul…

“No!” The rodeo clown cried. “Don’t do it Billy Bob! The Crusher killed the last 20 cowboys tried to ride him! You’re doomed, doomed I tell yuh! Get off ‘fore it’s too late!”

Billy Bob snarled in defiance and swung his leg over the enormous back of the black bull. He could feel the incredible, animal power rumbling beneath the coarse hide as the Crusher snorted and fiercely pawed the loosely packed Earth. He wrapped the leather strap tightly around his right hand, locking himself in place. “Get out of the way, you fool!” he snapped.

“I’m tellin’ yuh, don’t do it. Ain’t nobody kin ride the Crusher!”

“I can,” Billy Bob spat, a confident smile playing across his weathered, yet ruggedly handsome face as he glanced toward the stands and saw Sally Mae Roughrider, the Rodeo Queen, bouncing up and down in nervous anticipation, concern furrowing her pretty brow, her wavy, long blonde hair shining in the high noon sun. Billy Bob touched the tips of the fingers of his left hand to the brim of his hat in a jaunty, fearless salute. She nearly dissolved, so taken was she by his attentions, by the slight gesture of recognition.

“Billy Bob! No...”

The buzzer blared and the gate exploded outward...

Posted by: MikeM at 12:59 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

The Erik Scott Case, 14.3: The Officers Speak--Sort Of (Concluded)

Date/Time: 07-10-10, 1835-1845
Duration of Interview: 10 minutes
Officer THOMAS MENDIOLA
Interviewed By: Det. Jensen and Det. Wildemann
Also Present: Sgt. Chris Halbert and Police Protective Association General Counsel Kathy Werner-Collins
Date/Time: 07-10-10, 1835-1845
Duration of Interview: 10 minutes

SUMMARY:

The detectives begin by establishing that Mendiola carries a Glock 17C in 9mm with 17 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. The "C" designation for Glocks indicates an integral compensator (slots in the top of the barrel and slide that direct gasses upward, helping to attenuate recoil). They said that Mendiola only carried 15 rounds on that particular day, but do not address that strange and highly relevant anomaly again.

Mendiola said that Scott was "brandishing" his handgun in the Costco, that he was "being loud," and "knocking things off the shelf." He also said that Scott was "ED," an that he told people "…he was Green Beret…"

Mendiola said that he told Costco employees—he could not identify who he was speaking with—to evacuate the store and spoke to Costco employees with radios to try to find out where Scott was and asked them to look on cameras and eventually was told that Scott was in the center of the store.

Mendiola said that he was the first to arrive and that a Sgt. was telling him where to park and what to do, but he doesn't explain further (who was that Sgt.? What role did he play? What did he see or hear?) and the detectives don't ask. In response to questions, he can only say that he heard that Scott was a white male, mid 30s with a black handgun in his waistband. Seconds later the detectives asked him where Scott was carrying his gun and Mendiola had no idea, yet the Detectives do not clarify this.

Mendiola said that he was at the entrance doors and Mosher was at the exit doors and people were leaving. He described them as "masses of people." Mendiola said that he heard Mosher "…yell out, 'Show me your hands.'" He said that he then realized that Mosher was talking to someone who resembled the description of the suspect and "Uh, at that time I also observed him pull a gun out." Mendiola said that when he noticed Scott, he was already facing Mosher. His description of what happened is confused (the detectives do no better):

Posted by: MikeM at 12:38 AM | Comments (12) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

August 19, 2011

Issa Demands Retraction of NY Times Hit Piece

I wrote earlier this week about the sorry excuse of a journalist Eric Litchblau, an ideologue that is one of the NY Times go-to writers who attacked Congressman Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee that is closing in on corruption in the Obama Administration like the Allies closed in on Berlin.

Issa is not taking the Litchblau hit piece laying down, and has demanded a retraction based upon 13—yes,THIRTEEN—erroneous statements (or as well call them, lies) in the front-page Times smear job.

Below is the formal request for a retraction sent by Rep. Issa’s office yesterday to editors of The New York Times:

On behalf of Rep. Darrell Issa, please accept this as a formal request for a full front page retraction, including the headline, "Helping His District, and Himself," that ran in the Monday, August 15 edition of the New York Times. The request for a full front page retraction is based on numerous errors that invalidate the primary assertions made in the story that is a false and sensationalized account Rep. Issa's efforts to conduct congressional oversight of the Obama Administration and other matters.

This request is being sent after New York Times reporter, Eric Lichtblau, who wrote the story, refused to share the contact information of his editors for a discussion of errors in the story as requested by Rep. Issa's congressional office.

The central claim in the New York Times story is an allegation of self-dealing on the part of Rep. Darrell Issa, as the story describes, "with at least some of the congressman's actions helping to make a rich man richer" and "specific actions that appear to have clearly benefited his businesses."

The New York Times story cites three central examples it believes justifies these allegations:

• A medical complex purchased by Rep. Issa in 2008 that the Times story alleges enjoyed a 60 percent appreciation as it increased in value from $10.3 million to $16.6 million, "at least in part because of the government-sponsored road work" that Rep. Issa supported.
• That he "went easy" on Toyota during 2010 hearings on unintended acceleration due to "his electronics company's role as a major supplier of alarms to Toyota."
• An alleged 1900 percent profit Rep. Issa's charitable foundation made on an investment of "less that $19,000" that was sold seven months later for $357,000 "months before the stock market crashed."

All central examples, however, are wildly inaccurate, and the truth deserves to be told.

• The medical complex the Times story alleges enjoyed a 60 percent appreciation since it was purchased for $10.3 million and is now valued at $16.6 million is a patently false claim. According to the buyer's final settlement statement, the property in question was not purchased for $10.3 million as the New York Times reported but for $16.6 million – the exact same figure of its current tax assessment. According to these numbers, the appreciation is not 60 percent but roughly zero. In addition, the government sponsored road work noted in the article has not even begun and Rep. Issa's requests for the project (which were publicly announced and made on behalf of and at the request of the City of Vista, and the San Diego Association of Governments which is the regional transportation planning authority) all came before the 2009 property purchase.
• The allegation that Rep. Issa "went easy" on Toyota during 2010 hearings because of "his electronics company's role as a major supplier of alarms to Toyota" is again an example of a factual error in the Times story that lends no support to the story's central premise. While the Times story tells readers that Rep. Issa's former company, Directed Electronics, is a "major supplier of alarms to Toyota," the story offers no evidence, and Directed Electronics is, in fact, not a supplier to Toyota. The New York Times also fails to note that Rep. Issa does not have a personal financial interest in Directed Electronics.
• The "1,900 percent" profit allegation is, again, based on reporting errors by the New York Times. This is assertion is based on an incorrect form obtained by the Times. According to a financial transaction record, the Issa Family Foundation's initial investment in the AIM Small Company fund was not $19,000 but $500,000. The asset was later sold for $375,000 resulting in a $125,000 loss – not a 1900 percent gain as was reported.

In other words, the claims leveled against Issa by Litchblau entirely fabricated. The writer and his editors totally failed to fact-check their claims. The real question here is, "Where did they get their information?"

I'm guessing the same place that plagiarist Sari Horwitz got her smear piece in Pravda on the Potomac, which was Barack Obama's White House.

Now back to the demand for retraction.

In addition, the lede line of the Times story – an attempt by the New York Times to foreshadow a corporate image of Rep. Issa's congressional office – contains a factual inaccuracy in introducing intentionally distorted imagery. The story begins, "Here on the third floor of a gleaming office building overlooking a golf course in the rugged foothills north of San Diego, Darrell Issa, the entrepreneur, oversees the hub of a growing financial empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars." As this video shows, however, the office building located at 1800 Thibodo Rd. in Vista does not overlook a golf course.

Because of these errors, and another error the New York Times did correct that grossly exaggerated the value of some holdings held by Rep. Issa, the following lines in the New York Times original story that ran August 15 are incorrect or made on baseless assertions:

• The title, "Helping His District and Himself" implies that Rep. Issa has engaged in self-dealing. The only evidence the story offers for this assertion are factually flawed assertions.
• The lede, "Here on the third floor of a gleaming office building overlooking a golf course in the rugged foothills north of San Diego, Darrell Issa, the entrepreneur, oversees the hub of a growing financial empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars." The building where Rep. Issa's office is located does not overlook a golf course as the reporter Eric Lichtblau implies he personally observed.
• "Mr. Issa has … split a holding company into separate multibillion-dollar businesses." Rep. Issa does not own a single multi-billion business (The Times has issued a correction for this error).
• "As his private wealth and public power have grown, so too has the overlap between his private and business lives, with at least some of the congressman's government actions helping to make a rich man even richer and raising the potential for conflicts." The only examples the New York Times raises of Rep. Issa's public actions benefiting his private holdings are the erroneous examples previously noted.
• "In one case, more than $800,000 in earmarks he arranged will help widen a busy thoroughfare in front of a medical plaza he bought for $10.3 million." The story erroneously reports the property's purchase price which was, in fact, $16.6 million. It also fails to mention that at the time he sought funding for his district he did not own this property.
• "At the same time, the value of the medical complex and other properties has soared, at least in part because of the government-sponsored roadwork." The roadwork in question has not begun and, as noted previously, the New York Times' assertion that the value of the medical complex has "soared" is based on false information. The Times' statement also conflicts with the statement of a quoted source in the story, Dean Tilton the local commercial property broker, who describes this as the worst market in twenty years. The Times suggests road projects miles away from those owned by Rep. Issa benefit him. By this logic, wouldn't the entire area be booming as a result of Rep. Issa's earmarks?
• "But beyond specific actions that appear to have clearly benefited his businesses, Mr. Issa's interests are so varied that some of the biggest issues making their way through Congress affect him in some way." The New York Times fails to provide accurate examples of "specific actions that appear to have clearly benefited his businesses."
• "After the forced sale of Merrill Lynch in 2008, for instance, he publicly attacked the Treasury Department's handling of the deal without mentioning that Merrill had handled hundreds of millions of dollars in investments for him and lent him many millions more." The New York Times fails to note that Rep. Issa's transactions with Merrill Lynch have been appropriately disclosed in his annual ethics filing.
• "In Mr. Issa's case, it is sometimes difficult to separate the business of Congress from the business of Darrell Issa." Again, the New York Times story fails to provide factually accurate examples for this assertion.
• "Then, Mr. Issa brushed aside suggestions that his electronics company’s role as a major supplier of alarms to Toyota made him go easy on the automaker as he led an investigation into the recalls." Rep. Issa's former company is not a supplier to Toyota.
• "In one 2008 sale, months before the stock market crashed, his family foundation earned $357,000 on an initial investment of less than $19,000 — a return of nearly 1,900 percent in just seven months, the foundation reported to the Internal Revenue Service." This assertion is based on an incorrect document. The actual purchase price was not $19,000, but $500,000 and resulted in a $125,000 loss.
• "That suggests the foundation may have acquired the shares from a third-party broker." This assertion is based on the false 1900 percent claim.
• "Mr. Issa is keenly interested in Goldman's performance." This statement lacks a basis in fact as Rep. Issa does not have investments dependent on Goldman Sach's performance.

I appreciate your attention to these thirteen errors contained in the August 15 story and look forward to hearing your response to our request for a front-page retraction of the story due to the inaccuracies that fully undermine the premise of the article.

Thank you,

Frederick Hill
Director of Communications

According to journalistic ethics (not that the MSM uses them anymore), a retraction should go on the same page in roughly the same place as the original article. Considering the blatant and numerous failures in researching and editing this article, the New York Times clearly owes Congressman Issa a front-page, above-the-fold and detailed retraction, along with an explanation to their readers of how such a smear made it into print.

In an ethical paper, I'd also expect suspensions or firings for the writer and editors involved, but since we are talking about the Times, I have no expectation of such competence.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 08:54 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

August 18, 2011

The Erik Scott Case, Update 14.2: The Officers Speak--Sort Of (Continued)

(2) Date/Time: 07-10-10, (app.) 1724-1728
Duration of Interview: App. 4 minutes
Officer DUSTIN BUNDY
Interviewed By: Det. Jensen and Det. Wildemann
Also Present: Sgt. Stephen Lehtinen and PPA Rep. Tom Reid
General Counsel Kathy Werner-Collins

SUMMARY:

Bundy says that on the way to the Costco, he remembers Dispatch telling him that Scott had a gun in his "back waist," and that he was being "really belligerent" with the manager, was ripping things off the wall, said he was a Green Beret, and could do whatever he wanted. Bundy said that as he got closer, radio traffic told him that Scott was getting "a little more irate with everybody."

Bundy said that when he arrived, he took his car's shotgun and noticed people already leaving, saying "there's just a sea of people in the, in the entrance of the, of the place." Bundy said that he was pushed by the crowd (?!) behind one of the large rock-faced pillars at the front of the building and could not see what was happening in front of the store.

Bundy said: "Um, all of a sudden I hear the word gun, kind a perks my ears up." He said he looked in "that direction" and heard gunfire. He said people were "falling toward me, and rushing toward me," and he tried to maneuver around the pillar and ran into a line of shopping carts, and he had no idea who was shooting or why.

Eventually, Bundy was able to get close enough to see Scott (he could not name him) on the ground and several officers "standing there." It was then that he said: "…and, ah, I seen the, ah, there was a gun a few feet away from him laying on the ground." In response to a question, Bundy describes the gun as: "…a black semi-automatic gun. Ah, it looked like it was still in the holster."

The detectives prompt Bundy who remembers Sterner (he didn't know her name) yelling at the officers. The detectives confirmed that Bundy didn't fire his weapons and didn't actually see the shooting, and that he didn't actually hear any commands given to Scott.

Posted by: MikeM at 09:46 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

RE: The American Iliad

A blogger calling himself "The Catholic Knight" passed along a link to a piece he wrote called, "The American Iliad."

It's a rather weighty read and I cannot say how accurate the history cited in this article may or may not be, but it provokes thought, one way or the other.

We are at a very troubling juncture in our Republic's life, and it seems that those who should be leading us are instead dedicated to ripping all we stand for as a nation. At times such as these it is good to remember where we came from, as that cultural memory, both of good things and bad, can help remind us of the kind of country we would like to be.

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 02:28 PM | Comments (0) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

August 17, 2011

Quick Takes, August 18, 2011

ITEM: Old Crazy Eyes Is Back! One of the favorite, and most idiotic, of the tricks of the Lamestream media is running photographs of conservatives to make them look as unattractive, stupid, crazy or evil as possible. Remember the famous "demon eyes" photoshopping of Condoleeza Rice? One would think that such people would try to hide their bias with a bit of subtlety, but no, these folks are stuck in the middle school locker room. Go here to the invaluable Michelle Malkin to examine what passes for intellect among the self-styled elite.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Climate Change Division: I'm shocked, shocked! that Al Gore, the Goracle himself, would descend to obscenities and screaming. Why, it would almost seem like the self-appointed redeemer of mankind is…well…off his rocker. I guess having the election stolen from him by those dastardly Florida voters has more of an effect than we imagined, or maybe it was wearing all that hemp clothing so as to look more manly. Oh well. Go here to see the mess.

ITEM: SEALs Are So Cute, Especially The Baby Ones! Go here to The Mellow Jihadi (written by a currently serving Naval officer who began as an enlisted swabbie) for an interesting look into the lives of Navy SEALS and those who work with them.

ITEM: Yes, I Know About the Mammalian Diving Reflex, but sometimes miracles really do happen. Go here to see one.

ITEM: Just Desserts. Go here to read that the life of the subhuman animal responsible for killing 38 allied troops on a Chinook in Afghanistan was blown to atoms in an F-16 strike in Afghanistan. It's cold comfort for the survivors of the warriors killed in that attack, but I can't help but wonder whether we'd be safer if we pursued each and every terrorist demon that even thought of harming Americans with this kind of determination. If they knew that there was no doubt that America would swiftly avenge any attack on Americans, wouldn't it stand to reason that our safety would be enhanced in at least some way? And what would be the negatives costs of such a defense posture? None that I can imagine. Discuss.

ITEM: Vacation? What Vacation? Go here to see Presidential Press Secretary Jay Carney suggest that Mr. Obama's upcoming 10 day vacation on Martha's Vineyard (you know, that cheap, sleazy, cut-rate dive) isn't really a vacation at all, and that Americans won't begrudge Mr. Obama some time with his family. Hmmm. He isn't with them in DC? And in other news, after a 400 point rally on August 9, the Dow dumped more than 500 points on August 10. Perhaps the market might be in a begrudging mood even if the American people aren't.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Vote Fraud Edition: Yes, those Merry pranksters of ACORN were slapped with a maximum fine for voter registration fraud in Nevada (here) recently. Those who support and commit vote fraud are not treated with nearly the disdain they deserve, for their actions strike at the very heart of democracy. Oh yes, Mr. Obama was closely aligned with ACORN, teaching them their craft. He lied about it. Discuss.

ITEM: She's Smart, Witty, Well Read, Eloquent…and OK, she's beautiful too. That's still OK to say about a women, isn't it? Maybe? Go here to see what Ann Coulter has to say about the British riots. Good stuff, as always.

ITEM: I Thought They Just Bronzed Baby Shoes! OK. So other than baby shoes, what would be the most logical thing anyone would want to bronze? c'mon…think hard…that's right! Justin Bieber (I think he's a pre-pubescent rocker star) and Selena Gomez (I have no idea who she is)! Actually, they're not actually bronzed, but there is now a bronze statue of them, naked of course. And at their feet is a duck or goose and an armadillo, which as everyone knows symbolizes armored, er, quacking, which is an ancient symbol for…for…bronzing prepubescent rockers. Anyway, go here for the story and inspiring photos. Does anyone know why? Discuss.

ITEM: There's A Lot Of Them Out There In Them There Hills! Despite being in serious financial trouble, California continues to spend itself to the bottom of the Marianas Trench while simultaneously making life as difficult as possible for business owners. The result has been a mass population and business exodus from the much-tarnished golden state for a very long time now. Go here to read the farewell of yet another productive Californian on the way to—gasp!—Texas.

ITEM: Triumphs of Smart Diplomacy: Remember when the advanced, stealthy helicopter supporting the mission to eliminate Bin Laden crashed at his compound in Pakistan? How did our allies, the Pakistanis, at the behest of the administration that promised to restore our standing in the world, the foremost practitioners of "smart diplomacy," handle it? They let the Chinese photograph it and take material samples! Hope, change, betrayal. Go here for the story.

ITEM: The Rarest Words Any Politician Can Say: "I made a mistake." So said Texas Gov. Rick Perry regarding his 2007 executive order mandating HPV vaccinations for Texas girls. The vaccine would have prevented cervical cancer, but the public and Legislature overruled Perry. Now, running for President, he made what appears to be an honest admission, an admission of which Barack Obama is absolutely incapable. Go here for something exceedingly rare.

ITEM: And Speaking Of Rick Perry, the Obama Campaign will attack him with every dirty trick in the book and many that have not yet been invented, and the onslaught has already begun. What's the truth about Rick Perry? Go here to discover it. Informed reading. I suspect it will make you more likely to be supportive of Gov. Perry.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, ObamaCare Division: Remember Rep. Joe Wilson (R. SC) who accused Mr. Obama of lying on camera when Mr. Obama claimed that ObamaCare would not cover illegal immigrants? Well, I was shocked, shocked! to learn that HHS is doing exactly what Rep. Wilson accused Mr. Obama of lying about. I'm doubly shocked, shocked! that Mr. Obama would lie about something like this, truly! Go here for Rep. Wilson's justified vindication.

ITEM: But He Has A World-Class Temperament! Go here to see how Mr. Obama actually handles one of the impertinent little people. I suspect we'll be seeing more and more of Mr. Obama's true self in the months to come. Those who have paid attention have always seen it, but more and more, he can't help himself. Go here to see how the elite deal with uncomfortable truths and troublesome villagers.

ITEM: ARRR! Can We All Be Salty Sea Dogs Now? I love salt. I can't imagine not eating it. Salt-phobics stare in absolute horror at the amount of salt I use on my food. Now it turns out that the anti-salt hysteria of, well, most of my life, may well be just that: hysteria. Go here for an article that might help take the fear out of sodium again. Oh, pass the salt, will you?

ITEM: Oh Yeah! The Eleventh circuit has found the individual mandate of ObamaCare to be unconstitutional. It was this circuit that heard the case brought by the Attorneys General of 26 states arguing that the mandate exceeded the powers of Congress under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. The entire case is now, ripe—as they say—for the Supreme Court. This poses enormous problems for Mr. Obama who would desperately like the matter to go away before the 2012 election. If the court promptly grants cert, its decision will be handed down shortly before the election. If it strikes down ObamaCare, that will be very harmful to Mr. Obama. If it supports it, that too would be very harmful and would tend to bring out Republican votes that might not otherwise appear. It's likely a lose/lose situation for the Dems. Go here for the story.

ITEM: Global Warming Is An Inconvenient Truth! Inconvenient indeed; truth, not so much. Go here to Powerline to see a brief and compelling illustration why the AGW hoax is just that. This one is over, Greenies. Move on to destroying western civilization through other means.

ITEM: Nobody Knows The Trouble He's Seen. Go here to the invaluable Byron York to read about Mr. Obama's bad luck and his comparison of himself to Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Obama, I knew Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was a friend of mine. You're no Abraham Lincoln. Heck, you're not even a Jimmy Carter.

ITEM: Even a Dog Knows The Difference Between Being Tripped Over and Kicked. And our military knows the difference between a Commander in Chief who truly respects and cares for the military and Barack Obama. Need proof? Go here to the New York Post for the story. A hat tip to Curtis F. for pointing me in this direction.

ITEM: ObamaCare Quicky: Go here for a brief video by Reason on why ObamaCare absolutely will bankrupt America.

ITEM: Illuminated Russians! Go here for an interesting YouTube video of what is apparently a Russian fellow shooting a fully automatic Glock 17, eventually with tracer ammunition. If language is an issue for you, he does utter one ubiquitous American obscenity. I know; you're very sensitive. The video is interesting on several levels, primarily for the slow motion frames that reveal just how quickly a pistol's slide cycles. It's fun, and women will love the guy's accent, but the shooting techniques are horrifying. Don't try this at home.

ITEM: The Cold Smack In The Face of Reality. So you're a college student who agrees with President Obama: It's best if the wealth is spread around. Make the rich pay more; give it to those who don't have as much. It's only fair, right? Maybe, as long as no one is asking you to give up something you've earned. Go here to see how reality tends to overcome liberalism, even in college.

And with that cold smack in the face, it's time once again for me to thank you for reading my wretched scrawling and to invite you to stop by again next Thursday for another edition of Quick Takes, the fastest growing Quick Takes on Confederate Yankee on Thursdays!

Posted by: MikeM at 10:47 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Ray Stevens Explains the Obama Budget Plan

Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 10:07 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

Vacation + Presidency = Vacancy

Like OJ chasing the "real killers" of his wife and Ron Goldman across the golf courses and country clubs of America, Barack Obama is chasing economic recovery from one vacation hotspot to another as the economy falters.

In the third year of his Presidency, he still doesn't have plans to create jobs or reduce the deficit, and you won't see anything, either, until after Labor Day.

The official who disclosed details on Obama's jobs and deficit plans spoke on condition of anonymity because Obama has not yet disclosed them. No final decisions on the economic package have been made.

Seeking re-election in a dispiriting economic time for the nation, Obama's rollout plan allows him to come into September swinging after one of the roughest periods of his presidency.

The economy has improved from the deep recession Obama inherited, but growth and hopes have stalled.

The unemployment rate is at 9.1 percent. No president in recent history has been re-elected with a jobless rate nearly that high.

He doesn't want to do the work that goes with the job, he just likes the power and the perks. Far from being one of our smartest Presidents, Barack Obama is proving to be the most peevish and lazy President to ever occupy the Oval Office. The sooner he is primaried, the better it will be for both parties and the Republic.

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Posted by: Confederate Yankee at 12:08 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment | Trackbacks (Suck)

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