Sunday, May 31, 2009

And from the former voice box of the Soviet Union...

Actually, some of the observations in this piece are spot on...Pravda admires our rapid descent into Marxism. Shame our own press can't get it.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Why are Conservatives So Mean?

Game, set , match to Varney



Wake up sheeple - this is the most blatant power-grab in the history of our Republic.

Oh Happy Day!

Roubini, the dark seer of the economy, is predicting an ironically named "W" shaped recession. Just when you thought it might get better, Nouriel is saying "not so fast."

Justice = Just Us

Disturbing news on the election monitoring front:

Justice Department political appointees overruled career lawyers and ended a civil complaint accusing three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense of wielding a nightstick and intimidating voters at a Philadelphia polling place last Election Day
Why am I not surprised that political appointees of a Chicago political thug, err, "the President," would endorse political intimidation at the ballot box? Read the whole article here.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

128 Days Later: It Can Always Get Worse

Williams on Sowell


Great column by Walter Williams reviewing Thomas Sowell's new book, "The Housing Boom and Bust." No surprise that Sowell gets it and tracks our current problems back to the Clinton administration, with no respite from the Bushies. Bush did try to warn the Congress what was happening, but Barnie and Chrissy and the boys kept the truth from getting out.

Systemic Risk

Some scary reading from the Financial Times - this is all quite logical...when you spend money you don't have at levels NEVER before even imagined, you are going to run into trouble...BIG trouble.

Top government officials, including the heads of the US Treasury, the Fed, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Securities and Exchange Commission are calling for the creation of a powerful systemic risk regulator to reign in systemic risk in the private sector. But their government is now the most serious source of systemic risk.

How's that "Hope and Change" gonna feel with double-digit inflation? Ahh, the Carter years redux.

Zimbabwe

Ahh, the Leftist ideal - Zimbabwe...or, this is what happens when you print money!

A Gift for Anonymous

Just in! A photo essay from the country that Mr. Anonymous, a frequent commenter here, wants us to become. See the happy citizenry, see their "Dear Leader," just think - if we could only give everything to the government how happy our lives would be!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

When In Danger...

There's an old Navy saying, said with tongue planted firmly in cheek, "when in danger or in doubt, run in circles scream and shout." This is certainly a favored tactic of the left, particularly when it comes to their latest power grab - "global warming."

It is the custom of those of us on the conservative side of the aisle to respond to their bombast with calm, measured tones. Here is one of those responses - an excellent summary of the current "global warming" hoax. I know the Gorons will scream that "there is no debate!!!!!" But facts are funny little things...I am old enough to remember these same creeps scaring the hell out of us that we were all going to die in a new ice age. It's all about the power folks:

As noted earlier, the alarmists have learned well from the past. They saw what motivates policy makers is not necessarily just hard science, but a well-orchestrated symphony of effort. Their approach is calculated and deliberate. Remember the quote from one of the most outspoken alarmists, “We have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified dramatic statements, and make little mention of the doubts we have.”

They have used that strategy to execute an orchestrated agenda over the last two decades:

  • Announce a disaster
  • Cherry pick some results
  • Back it up with computer modeling
  • Proclaim a consensus
  • Stifle the opposition
  • Take over the process and control the funding
  • Roll the policy makers

And the policy makers ARE getting rolled. Sad fact is it is the taxpayers that will foot the bill for this ludicrous "cap and trade" legislation that is being foisted on the Gullibullus Publicus Americanus. "Global warming" is just the fulcrum.

We ARE leaning right...

Despite wailing from cowardly anonymous posters in earlier scribbles asserting that conservatives were going the way of the Dodo, more evidence is emerging about the common sense and decency of the American people. Gallup is showing the majority of Americans (57% - in Obamaspeak, that's a LANDSLIDE!!!!) are opposed to gay marriage. The younger cohort is in favor of it by a large number, but they haven't gone through the marriage/life/raising kids stuff that tends to slap the foolishness poured into their skulls in the Temples of Academe. Yup, you can flsuh that "kumbaya, everyone is the same, moral relativism" right down the toi-toi with the environmentally friendly diaper that's coming apart in your hand.

This also corresponds with a recent poll on the pro-life movement where the majority of Americans say they are opposed to murdering babies...what a concept! Now, that was only 51%, although in Obamaspeak, that's still a LANDSLIDE!!! (only three exclamation points), but the trend looks good.

Hope IS still alive!

Reverse Diversity?

The left adoring Washington Post is showing glimmers of reason and sanity (maybe just humor). "Why not add a WASP to diversify the Supreme Court?" muses Fred Barnes over at WaPo this morning. I guess in the world of The One, white men can't jump and they darned sure have no empathy!

General Motors Going Four Paws Up

In honor of the pending bankruptcy of General Motors:



Barry O and the Boys would have done better with our money if they had heeded the old nursery rhyme:

"All the King's horses and all the King's men..."

So what is our return on the $15,000,000,000 + that Obama spent on this turkey?

Bankruptcy was the best option from the start, not paying off the Union thugs.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Why Not a Comissar?

I am getting tired of the "czar" role in the White Hose...not a typo...that's what 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has become. Now we have to have an "Internet Czar," why do I feel the cold chill of censorship descending?
Hat tip Mindless and Spineless.

Hayek

I've been thumbing through my dog-eared copy of "Road to Serfdom" of late, so it was with great joy that I saw this piece in the American Thinker over the weekend: "Revisiting Hayek."

One of the most chilling observations in the article:

Keeping in mind the theory that the optimum size of government is less than 25% of GDP, consider that in 2008, US total government spending equaled $5,237.1 trillion or 36% of GDP.8 This would suggest that we were already spending well beyond the "optimum level" and further spending increases will decrease economic growth and prosperity. Unfortunately, in 2009, US total government spending will be equivalent to 43% of GDP!
Yup, 43%. Go read the article, and if you haven't already, go read "The Road to Serfdom." It is a wake up call and should be required reading for all high schoolers.


An Emerging Picture

There is a picture beginning to emerge about the Obama administration and it's trickling out in the main stream press. Take the Commentary in Forbes Magazine that asks "Is Obama Another Jimmy Carter?" In this piece, a retired Indian Intelligence Officer muses that "Jimmy Carter took a little over three years to create the image of the U.S. as a confused and soft power. Obama is bidding fair to create that image even in his first year in office." As one who suffered through the Carter years I shudder at such conclusions.

Then a couple of pieces in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye. I have never been a fan of South Park, but I do remember a friend of mine relating the "Underpants Gnomes" storyline with great amusement - Bret Stephens picks up the theme and draws the parallel : "In Gnome-speak, then, Mr. Obama's energy policy goes something like this: Phase One: Inaugurate the era of "green" energy. Phase Two: Overturn the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Phase Three: Carbon neutrality!"

Bill McGurn follows up with "Dick Cheney's Second Act," in which the author observes : "Think about that. Back in those heady days after the 2008 election, anyone who suggested that Mr. Obama might find himself playing defense to Dick Cheney on Guantanamo would have been hauled off as barking mad. Yet that's exactly what Mr. Cheney has pulled off, leaving a desperate White House to try to drown him out by adding an Obama speech the same day Mr. Cheney was slated to address the American Enterprise Institute."

The common themes - confusion, weakness, incoherence. We can only pray that the scales will continue to fall from the eyes of the "observer class," as they were so complicit in getting this lightweight elected. But this is progress.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Honor Memorial Day

Between the BBQ's and the trips to the lake, take a moment and honor our heroes.

Dresden on D-Day

Gateway Pundit is rolling up the documentation on Barry O's planned stop in Dresden, Germany on the Anniversary of D-Day. Apparently, The One is going to apologize for our fire-bomb attack on the city. I guess all that stuff about concentration camps, slaughtered POWs, V-2 rockets and the leveling of London was just patty-cake...we were really to blame for World War II. This is freakin embarrassing people. OK, I've settled down, maybe this will make you feel better - a real President doing the right thing on a D-Day Anniversary:

From Across the Pond

Despite dazzling the Europeans with his bibble-babble, the Magical O cannot seem to get that darned press in the Mother Country to shut up! Another sizzler from our friends over at the Telegraph. Maybe it's the perspective of being able to look at the forest instead of the trees, but there are a number of voices from Olde England telling us that these men are "all bowler and no sheep." (Sorry for the strained Anglization of the old Texas saying - "all hat and no cattle.")


Excellent Analogy - hat tip DB.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

TOTUS dings POTUS Again!

O is not being nice to the Teleprompter of the United States again -



Note to file - it's ROBERT not William Gates that serves as your SECDEF. Bill is the rich one.

Americans doing Awesome Things

As Dan Henninger pointed out in his column this morning, we take too little time to really appreciate the good this country does. One of those things has been (and now will be for another five years) the Hubble Telescope. This was an extremely dangerous procedure, but we heard very little about it - here's some video:



Remember, this is 350 miles ABOVE the Earth and they are traveling at 17,000 mph. Fantastic!

You Want Torture?

We have become so sissified in this country that we have created a state of moral confusion. Water boarding, as Rumbler has maintained all along is not torture. What Saddam did to Kurdish Iraqis is:

There are also two torture rooms, each about 10 by 15 feet, and each with a beam, suspended from the ceiling, to which are attached several meat hooks. From these hooks, prisoners were hung by their wrists tied behind the back: the effect was to dislocate the shoulders and cause slow and agonizing suffocation while the rest of the body was beaten with wire whips and shocked by a generator attached to the nipples and genitals.

Read the rest of the story here.

The whole "torture" argument has been ginned up as one more thing to weaken the United States. In the real world, there are real bad guys, real evil. They have to be dealt with and negotiating isn't much of a solution when you are dealing with a guy that wants to see you on a meat hook. Rumbler has never advocated torture, but there is a very clear line between making someone feel uncomfortable enough that they tell you where the bomb is hidden and hooking someone up to a generator.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Democrats Plan to Block Gitmo Closing

ROFLMAO!!!

But seriously folks...I am sorry they rejected my idea of "RATTALFF" - "Release a Terrorist to Live with a Liberal for Fun." It would be entertaining to see how these folks with SOO much feeling would do as Achmed started sawing their heads off. These are truly bad folks, thank God some of the Dems are coming to their senses. Sadly though, it has more to do with power and re-election...you mean their constituents didn't want these baddies living with them??

This is yet another example of the war being fought by naive little brats.

THIS CANNOT BE!!!!!!

To blubbering shrieks from Nancy Pelosi and all the KosKids - Holy S#%T - we learn that something good happened on W's watch!

Report Shows Air Quality Improved During Bush Administration - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com

Oh, and he kept us safe for eight years.

How to Defeat Terrorism

The recent defeat of the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka is proof positive that negotiating with terrorists only delays the inevitable: the inevitable defeat of the terrorist target - in this case the Sri Lankan government OR the inevitable use of military force to defeat the terrorists. Not surprisingly, Barry O didn't get it - he threatened the good guys:
Mr. Rajapaksa wisely ignored international calls for a ceasefire as he got closer to victory, including threats from the Obama Administration to block $1.9 billion in International Monetary Fund aid money.

This isn't about a negotiated settlement where each side walks away happy. When you have an enemy that is committed to your death and destruction, you don't have many options. Great peice in the Wall Street Journal this morning documenting these facts.

There's also a bonus example for us to take heed of in the article:

After decades of socialism, several rounds of liberalization have since paved the way for 6% to 8% annual growth even amid a civil war.

How long will we have to wander in the socialist woods with Barry O before we realize the way back with free markets?


Science has indeed returned to the forefront! Thanks to the Great O!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

"Heteronormative"

More of the talking out of both sides of their mouth from the Administratione : "Obama's Faith-Based Advisor Urges Moving Beyond Heteronormative Fatherhood."

(Hat tip National Scene)

The parallels to Orwell's "1984" continue to mount with this bunch. Change the language and feel better:

WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

I guess we need to add some of the following now:

"HETERONORMATIVE IS ABNORMAL"
"GAY IS GOOD"
"ABORTION IS LIFE"
"RED INK IS BLACK INK"

Remember when words meant something?

Hat tip The People's Cube.

Hayek put Simply

So simple even a liberal err, "progressive" could understand it: The Road to Serfdom In Cartoons.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Government Airlines

Well, the Mighty O has taken over a couple of car companies...healthcare is next, then?? Well, if he decides to take over an airline or two - here's what we can expect.

Oink Oink

Freshman year at the dear old Alma Mater had the custom of the reading of the "Pig Book." This was the book that featured pictures of all the Freshmen so you could get to know one another better. The real purpose it served, however, was to give post-pubescent boys an opportunity to identify potential dates. Now there's a much better version of the Pig Book - the one that outlines the horrifying waste being committed by our Politicians - there's even an index by state! Rumbler was happy to see his dear old Tennessee in the lower 30's in this category. The good folks over at Citizens Against Waste sponsor this information but it should be the responsibility of every American citizen to read this information and complain loudly to their officials...because somewhere between Alaska and Arizona, it has to stop...but say, that $1.9 Million for the "Pleasure Beach Water Taxi" up in Connecticut!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

One-fourth??? ONE FREAKIN FOURTH????

This one should make you VERY mad - and where's the coverage? This little news gem just slid right past the headlines:

The Associated Press: Report: One-fourth of overseas votes go uncounted

Seriously folks, it's bad enough that the drinking age is 21 years old so our warriors that are under age can't quaff a cold one after waxing some Jihadis, but for God's sake, can't they at least have the right to vote?

Joe "the Mouth" Biden Strikes Again

Truthfully, this may be more of a tempest in a teapot - I would be disappointed if there wasn't some kind of a bunker out there at the old Observatory...and upset neighbors in swanky NW DC...duh!

But this reveals more about the casual nature that JFB (Joe "Freakin" Biden) approaches his job. If he is willing to part with small secrets like this so casually, what else is he going to blunderingly give up just to impress the ladies?

Biden Reveals Location of Secret VP Bunker - Presidential Politics | Political News - FOXNews.com


Thursday, May 14, 2009

Conversion

I meant to post this piece yesterday - it's a great letter from one that has had the scales fall from their eyes and recognized the Cult of O. Rehab is obviously going well.

American Thinker: Letter of Amends from a Recovering Liberal in Berkeley

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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

I Think This is Good...

Widespread reporting that Obama has reversed course on releasing the photos of "torture" victims:

“Last week, the President met with his legal team and told them that he did not feel comfortable with the release of the DOD photos because he believes their release would endanger our troops, and because he believes that the national security implications of such a release have not been fully presented to the court,” said a White House official who asked not to be named.

“At the end of that meeting, the President directed his counsel to object to the immediate release of the photos on those grounds,” the official said.
If this holds, Obama deserves praise for recognizing that all this would do is inflame passions in the Arab world and get some of our guys killed. The reservation I have is this -is this another case of Obamaspeak? Note "he did not FEEL comfortable..." and "directed his counsel to OBJECT to the IMMEDIATE release..." I realize he doesn't have the authority to single-handedly stop this - it's in the courts, although wait, if you can overrule 200 years of law in dealing with Chrysler bond-holders, wouldn't the ACLU be a walk in the park?

I sure would be more comfortable with language like "the President recognizes the grave danger this would cause for U.S. Servicemen and has placed a security classification on the documents to prevent their release..."

We shall see, but if it holds, credit where credit is due.

Whoopi Gets It!

Funny, Ha!

I've had a fun little dust up with an anonymous poster over my condemnation of the "hope Rush's kidneys fail" humor and Barry O's obvious approval of the hate, err, humor. Here's another take:

Big Hollywood » Blog Archive » Warning: This Post is Not Funny

It does remind one of the old Robin Williams schtick about communist humor - the "Soviet suppressions" - "they don't laugh they just sit in the front scowl and say 'funny,ha."

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

They Didn't Think it Could Happen


They didn't think it could happen...it did. It could again.

Obama versus Petraeus

Stratfor has an excellent analysis of what is going on with American strategy in Afghanistan. General David Petraeus, the architect of the surge in Iraq that Obama said would not work, wants to use a similar strategy in Afghanistan - a combination of surge of force with cultural inroads and the cultivation of local ties. General Barry Obama, the architect of absolutely no military campaign whatsoever, continues to send signals of uncertainty about our commitment to the Afghan people. One thing we can be sure of - in a nascent state, one that is attempting to get off the ground, not knowing if your strongest ally and lifeline will bail or not, is going to send you scrambling. Wall Street Journal's Bret Stephens has an excellent piece this morning on Pakistan that dovetails well with this analysis.

Shame shame Notre Dame

Thank God some of the students at Notre Dame are taking a strong stance.

SEIU

Gateway Pundit has an interesting story up about how the Service Employees International Union is calling the shots in the Magical Mystery Mansion, err, the White House. The SEIU is out doing the heavy lifting on healthcare "reform" right now - sneaking into Churches without disclosing fully who they are and attempting to "organize" the crowd. An attempt was made over at Rumbler's church, but a group of stalwart patriots outed them and met them with those disturbing things called "facts." No names or addresses were gathered that day after the "presenter" admitted he was a stooge of the Democrat Party whose only qualification for being there was that he was a "community organizer." "Bought and paid for" indeed.

The danger of the unions - really the union leadership-is exposed in this great piece over at American Thinker.

Obama - the Anti-Clinton?

McGurn: Obama and the Clinton Legacy - WSJ.com

This column is particularly interesting as it highlights the conflicts between the Kennedy wing of the Democrat party and the Clinton wing. Rumbler wrote at length about this some months ago - worth the read: Reflections from the Late '60's.

Monday, May 11, 2009

More Fun with ACORN

Bad Seed? - FOXNews.com


Insanity, pure and simple. "Creating a culture of corruption..." But hey, let's give them some more of our tax dollars!!

The O Sense of Humor and the Degredation of Class

Hmm...so 9/11 jokes are over the top, but having a political opponent confined to a dialysis machine is OK.



OK, Gibbsy says 9/11 was over the top...but take a look at his boss's reaction to the "joke."



It's a mindless "joke" anyway. Rush was very clear that he wanted Obama to fail if the policies he was advocating were socialist - which they are. That is a far cry from wanting the country to fail. But in typical simp-lib fashion, if you repeat the lie often enough, sooner or later it becomes truth.

Bottom line, these people have no class whatsoever. Can you imagine the firestorm that would have erupted if, while W was President, a comedian had gotten up and equated Hillary with a 9/11 hijacker? Political discourse in this country has become infantile. You cannot disagree with someone who is on the left without having the monkeys throw poo at you. Take, for example, Perez Hilton's lovely diatribe against Miss California because she does not approve of gay marriage:



That's what you get from the left nowadays - disagree with their position and you are a "dumb bitch." They follow up their hate-spew with either lame outs like Gibbsy gave or with full blown Krystallnacht tactics in an effort to shout down and intimidate any opposition.

If this is O's idea of "bringing us all together" and "putting aside childish things," we are in for a very long four years.

Happy Prayer Day! (Featuring the ACLU)

Crowder is a hoot. Great vid.

Muslims, Mozart and Hitler

This is a very interesting read from across the pond: "Why Muslims like Hitler but not Mozart." It is frustrating to see the total lack of defense of Western Civilization in our culture. We are taught "tolerance" but not taught the virtue and the greatness of our tradition - this is an interesting take on where it is leading.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Israel Today, the West Tomorrow

Israel Today, the West Tomorrow




This is an excellent article from the author of "America Alone." We need to wake up to the fact that the combination of democracy and political correctness is suicide.

Imagine

That was an unexpected conclusion! Very powerful.

Obama and the 9/11 Families - WSJ.com

Obama and the 9/11 Families - WSJ.com

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This is a sad article - at least among one group of people the reality of "we were had," is sinking in. How long before the rest of the nation figures this out?

Budget Bashing at Brookings?



Holy Cow! Even the Brookings Institute says the budget is a clunker and O's "cuts" are a "drop in the bucket"...I guess you can't call yourself an "Institute" if you simply read the White House talking points. Not to worry, O, the Dems in Congress have you covered!

The Cult of O

Interesting piece over at American Thinker this morning. We tend to think of "brainwashing" as something that happens in a Communist POW camp. It can be much more subtle than that...the evidence of it is all around us now.

How else can you explain the following quote from his Omificence when he is introducing a budget that will bury our children in red ink and taxes:

But one of the pillars of this foundation is fiscal responsibility. We can no longer afford to spend as if deficits don't matter and waste is not our problem. We can no longer afford to leave the hard choices for the next budget, the next administration -- or the next generation.

And Jim Jones said that KoolAid tasted good and was goooood for you!

Scary stuff, give it a read.

Glenn Beck Vs. Acorn Spokeman

This is great...the ACORN spokesman is Clintonesque in his response - it wasn't ACORN, it was ACORN employees. Best part is towards the end when Glen asks him if he could name one Republican they have ever supported.

These people are apparatchiks for the Democrat party and need to be stopped. Lack of ballot security will destroy the republic.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

O'Reilly Exposes the Loony Left Logic

This was really an excellent exchange illuminating the hollowness of the left's position on torture and war.

So it's OK to Torture New Yorkers?


Add ImageTeam O won't release the happy jet jockey pictures of Air Force One buzzing the Manhattan skyline, but they are more than happy to release pictures of our dead soldiers and pictures from military investigations into prisoner abuses. Interesting double standard - is Barry trying to send NYC some kind of message?

Top Secret Testing of New Pelosinator GM Model!

Watch carefully and you can see the UAW designed Pelosinator special making it's first urban run...

Barry O's BFF and the Jews and Catholics

Daggumit, looks like Hugo doesn't like the Jews and Catholics...just like that other dictator whose name started with an "H." These are some embarrassing pals you've got Barry, but I am sure if you just "talk to them without pre-conditions" they'll come around and actually start re-building the synagogues and restoring the damage done to the papal nuncio. Maybe they can get this covered at their next book club meeting...

El Gaffobama

We ought to start a whole section on "if W had done this..." but the gaffobamatic did it again...so it's "five till four," eh? The joke would have been "Welcome to Quatro de Mayo," not "cinco de quatro." Yeah, he's brilliant all right.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Law of Unintended Consequences...again.

Investors.com - Terrorist Hotbed

How about we build a prison in .... Cuba!!

Wire just reported that the Dems in the Senate have killed the $50 million request to build the new prison in the United States. Maybe they want to volunteer to "talk" to each of these prisoners by guesting them in their houses.


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