Back To The Future - Iranian Style

Is it just me or does this:

look an awful lot like this?

The former is the "Karrar" drone built by the Iranians and translated into the really scary cool name: "Ambassador of Death."  Well, more properly according to Achmadinijad: "an ambassador of death for the enemies of humanity, [which] has a main message of peace and friendship."   The latter is the V1 "Buzz bomb" of Nazi Germany, responsible for so many pensioners in England, after World War II.

What is it about Jew-hating fascists that gets them to the same place?

Perhaps the only good news coming out of that sicko state is documented in an excellent piece by Michael Ledeen in this morning's Wall Street Journal:  "Cracks in the Iranian Monolith."  The article documents the continuing unrest and some of the lame attempts of the regime to increase control.  Well worth the read.

It never ceases to amaze me that the tighter governments try to control people, to tell them how to run their lives, the more people rebel.  Is it actually possible that we are hard-wired for freedom and personal liberty?  Don't tell that to the Democrats in Congress just yet - let them find out in November!

And the Government Said: "Be Healthy!"

Tax on fast food,  outlawing sweets, limiting trans-fats on it goes.  This is what is already happening in Europe according to Der Spiegel in an article titled "Outlawing Obesity: European Governments Seek to Mandate Healthier Diets."  Of course they do!  If you have to pay for everyone's health insurance, it sure helps if everyone is healthy.  And guess what will happen if the gnomes of Washington get their health care "reform" bill passed?  This is the shape of things to come...no pun intended.

And where does this movement come from?  From whence the hysteria over heft? It's our old friends at the Communi - err "Green Party:"

 In a Monday interview with the Rheinische Post, Green Party floor leader Renate Künast wants to ban advertising for sweets aimed at children.

"Aggressive advertising campaigns aimed at children 12 years and younger should be forbidden," Künast told the paper. "Food commercials, which are mostly ads for sweets, should not be broadcast during children shows. We need a ban."

Of course you need a ban!  And you need to tell us what color of underwear we are allowed to wear.  You statists are all the same, whether you are a "Green Party" member or a Democrat or a Communist - you want to dictate how we can or cannot live our lives.

I am all for healthy eating.  The Rumblediet is modeled on the Mediterranean diet with limited amounts of red meat...not because I have nightmares about cow flatulence, but because I don't think it is good for you.  But I make that decision...and if I want to slide over to Rotier's for an unbelievably good double cheeseburger, I will make that decision too.  I do not want the local Community Health Tsar standing in the door telling me I have had my quota for the year.  This monstrosity of a bill is all about the restriction of freedom and greater government control.  I stand firmly, unequivocally on the side of freedom.

Lou Dobbs Calls It Quits

Looks like the left wingnuts finally got to Lou. Can't blame him - I wouldn't like my house getting shot at either. Lou was about the only balance left on CNN, so it really pushes them completely in the camp of MSNBC and the rest of the "main stream" press. FOX, which the statists, including Obama himself, love to demonize continues to host balanced shows with both sides getting representation. Yes, leftards, even on a show like Hannity, liberals come on and posit their opinions. Something you never see reciprocation for on the rest.

There is a darkening force afoot in America. One that seeks to purge out the non-believers in Comrade Obama. For the first time in my half century, I feel a cold wind blowing across the Constitution. Who will they seek to silence next?

The Fall of the Wall

This would never have been possible....

if not for this:

Imagine a people wanting to be free. To be free of an oppressive government, even one that provided for free healthcare! Imagine that. It can be repeated.

The Liberal Paradigm

Great column by John Steele Gordon over at the Wall Street Journal this morning, "Obama and the Liberal Paradigm." It's a nice introduction to the liberal mind set which goes something like this:

a) The majority of Americans are dumb-stoopid! They are sheep and need to be led and protected.

b) Corporations, business people, financiers...you know "Wall Street," are the wolves who want to prey upon the sheep.

c) Liberals are the shepherds who protect the sheep from the wolves. Because of this they are an enlightened lot, pure and wise and all who would be against them must be dumb-stoopid!

This paradigm, as Gordon observes, worked well from the 1890's through the FDR administration. But times have changed and their paradigm has not.

While I agree with Gordon's analysis, I think it falls a little short. Specifically, this paradigm, this mindset, allows them to forgive all forms of malfeasance and misgovernment. Corruption by a liberal? Necessary! The Enlightened cannot be held to the same standard as the sheep. Accountability? Not Necessary! The Enlightened cannot lead the sheep if someone expects results - after all, you never know where the evil wolves will strike next.

I would add that there is a crucial disconnect in the concept of freedom between the sheep and the Enlightened liberal. The liberal views freedom as something that he provides to the sheep - by providing them with redistributive goodies from the state, the sheep are free to graze and enjoy themselves free of consequences. The real meaning of freedom in the American sense is the freedom to choose what we bloody well want to do with the understanding that with this freedom comes the responsibility to be a good citizen and that life has consequences.

Town Hall Meeting with U.S. Congressman Brian Baird

Hoorah, Marine Corps!

"...all enemies foreign OR domestic..."

I love this guy - "stay away from my kids!"

Who Pays?

Huge hat tip to Carpe Diem - I shamelessly lifted his charts from two different posts of his. But they make a stunning point: who the hell is going to pay? Maybe the real question needs to be "where's the money going to come from?" This first graph that really lays it out plainly: the awful "rich" already pay WAY more than their fair share of taxes.

Yeah, let's "tax the rich" some more!! OK, how about we tax those greedy corporations that don't pay their fair share?? Let's go gettem!!!

The point is - as Dan Henninger so brilliantly points out, there aren't a lot of places left to go. What kind of a country do we want to have? One in which we have driven every corporation and entrepreneur that creates jobs overseas and the government prints money to give to those that are left behind? Or do we want to go back to good old capitalist market driven America and get the government out of the way - it's put up or shut up for the "Blue Dog" Democrats. Where do we go now?