Here are just a few more tidbits of wisdom from our forbears that I thought held some special relevance as we head into 2009. May it be better than 2008, and nothing like 1984.
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence — it is force. Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." ~ George Washington
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." ~ Wendell Phillips
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." ~ Benjamin Franklin
"Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." ~ Frederick Douglass
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." ~ Edmund Burke
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." ~ Samuel Adams
"The attempt to make heaven on earth invariably produces hell." ~ Karl Popper
"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined." ~ Patrick Henry, Virginia's Ratification convention, 1788
This quote is usually misattributed to Abraham Lincoln, but it's good nevertheless and especially worth revisiting as we head into an Obama presidency.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help little men by tearing down big men. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by destroying men's initiative and independence. And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves. ~William J. H. Boetcker 1916
To wrap up 2008, here's a double-shot (no pun intended) courtesy of YouTube star philologist and Wired Magazine's "World's #1 Sexiest Geek," Marina Orlova of hotforwords.com.
"There is no such thing as a ‘disproportionate response’ to calls for genocide. All conflicts end with ‘disproportionate response.’
The Israelis are entitled to defend themselves from those who openly or not so openly call for their annihilation.
Peace among nations is arrived at when the cost of war becomes overwhelming."
Damn skippy. It's about time the world gets serious in this "war against terrorism." So long as we allow terrorist tactics to achieve their goals, we will continue to have terrorism.
Israel continually makes concessions and peace plans with barbarians whose stated goal is their complete elimination. So I think it's a good idea if Israel changes the game plan and give these scum more than their "proportional" dose of medicine. Wars aren't won with fairness.
Gates of Vienna offers an analogy that, pardon the pun, blows the "proportionality" argument away.
...imagine that you’re woken up in the middle of the night by a burglar in the living room. You grab your twelve-gauge and creep down the stairs very quietly. But when you flip on the light and surprise the burglar, he’s armed with only a knife! What do you do? Why, you drop the shotgun, rush to the kitchen, and rummage through the drawers for a knife. And not just any knife — it has to be no longer or sharper than the one the burglar has!
So eat it, Hamas. If you wanna play rough, then reap the whirlwind. If you want peace, then stop teaching your children from birth to hate and exterminate Israel.
The blog will be on hold a few days for Christmas. I'll be back on Friday or Saturday to get things going again. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or whatever other holiday, I hope you have a great time with friends and family.
The mainstream media keeps doing its damndest to frame Barack Obama as the second coming of Abraham Lincoln. We've already seen the arrogant Photoshop superimposing Obama's face over Lincoln's as well as replacing his head on the penny.
On January 20th, President-elect Barack Obama will take the oath of office using the same Bible upon which President Lincoln was sworn in at his first inauguration. The Bible is currently part of the collections of the Library of Congress. Though there is no constitutional requirement for the use of a Bible during the swearing-in, Presidents have traditionally used Bibles for the ceremony, choosing a volume with personal or historical significance. President-elect Obama will be the first President sworn in using the Lincoln Bible since its initial use in 1861.
"President-elect Obama is deeply honored that the Library of Congress has made the Lincoln Bible available for use during his swearing-in," said Presidential Inaugural Committee Executive Director Emmett Beliveau. "The President-elect is committed to holding an Inauguration that celebrates America's unity, and the use of this historic Bible will provide a powerful connection to our common past and common heritage."
CNN and Newsweek – in true, objective journalistic fashion – have gone so far as to write lengthy columns comparing the two men. But in their lame attempts to elevate Obama's inexperience by correlating him one of our most respected presidents, they conveniently overlook the fact that Lincoln wasn't an avowed socialist nor did he have close ties to domestic terrorists or criminals and other questionable people of low moral character.
Next up, Obama's face on Mount Rushmore. --- UPDATE: Although I spoke about Rushmore in jest, apparently someone else already thought Obama deserves a place alongside the greatest presidents in history, despite the fact that he's not yet taken office or even accomplished anything notable while in the Sentate.
I don't know what to make of this economy. First, we keep hearing how America is facing its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and our banks and auto makers belly up to the bar to receive billions in bailouts for their ineptitude.
Is anybody else hearing echoes of "Let them eat cake"?
When President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office next month, the nation's capital will be the site of a massive celebration. But local officials are worried they might get stuck with the check.
Even for a city used to big crowds, Obama's inauguration promises to shatter records for attendance. City officials predict up to 2.5 million people will converge on the capital January 20, and they are taking unprecedented steps to accommodate the masses.
Plans are in the works to open up the National Mall, extend hours for public transportation and -- perhaps most daunting -- provide parking for the influx of revelers.
"Even though we're very practiced at inaugurations and large events, this is one that will rewrite the book on inaugurations," said Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-Washington, D.C., who has requested an additional $15 million from Congress to help the city cover costs. That would double the $15 million Congress has already allocated to pay for all national events and demonstrations in Washington during 2009.
Mayor Adrian Fenty agreed that costs for increased security and crowd control would dwarf the original allocation. And for a city facing a budget shortfall and the same economic downturn affecting the rest of the country, now is not the time to rack up debt, Fenty told CNN.
"We are in talks with the federal government as we sit here today to let them know -- I think they already know that that's not enough," he said, referring to the initial $15 million allocation. "Now the question is if you want to make sure that you cross every 't' and dot every 'i,' it does look like it's going to be significantly more than that."
Fenty predicted costs for the city would near $50 million, the same amount Congress provided to both Denver, Colorado, and St. Paul, Minnesota, to host the Republican and Democratic conventions earlier this year.
Although I don't think Obama needs to have his inauguration at the IHOP, a little more financial restraint with the taxpayers' money might be in order.
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! And never mind how he's spending your money, either!
WASHINGTON — It’s something any bank would demand to know before handing out a loan: Where’s the money going?
But after receiving billions in aid from U.S. taxpayers, the nation’s largest banks say they either can’t track exactly how they’re spending the money or they simply refuse to discuss it.
“We’ve lent some of it. We’ve not lent some of it. We’ve not given any accounting of, ‘Here’s how we’re doing it,”’ said Thomas Kelly, a spokesman for JPMorgan Chase, which received $25 billion in emergency bailout money. “We have not disclosed that to the public. We’re declining to.”
The Associated Press contacted 21 banks that received at least $1 billion in government money and asked four questions: How much has been spent? What was it spent on? How much is being held in savings, and what's the plan for the rest?
None of the banks provided specific answers.
It's our money, given in good faith to financial institutions who've repeatedly made stupid decisions and gotten themselves into financial hardship. Yet we're not supposed to ask for accountability with the additional money we've provided them? If they choose to hand out loans with such a laissez-faire mindset, that's their business. But government funds deserve closer scrutiny. And we must demand it from them. 700 BILLION needs to come with some pretty big strings.
If these banks can't or won't agree to complete transparency, then we should do what a bank would do and recall the loan immediately. I'm sure the government can act as a pretty persuasive collection department. Somebody cue the IRS...
The Shorty Awards honor the best producers of short content (140 characters or less) on Twitter.
As a new media aficianado, I've been an avid Twitter user since January 24, 2007, tweeting about a lot of the same political and current event stuff stuff you find here on the blog as well as various personal crapola as it happens. To date, I've posted 3,767 tweets, not counting direct messages.
So in the spirit of "ye have not because ye ask not" (and in the interest of trying to grow this blog a bit), I'm gonna ask any of you who enjoy my posts here and/or follow my Twitter stream to nominate me in the #politics category or anything else that you think fits (no, they don't have a #dumbass category).
On December 19, 1998, President William Jefferson Clinton was impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors by the House of Representatives on charges of perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice.
I'll bet you didn't think you'd be giving such an extravagant gift this year, eh? Well, thanks to President Bush, you and your children better dig deep, because $17.4 billion dollars of your money is going to incompetent American automakers and the union that helped make them the failures they are. Merry Christmas, Detroit.
The government will offer up to $17.4 billion in loans to the ailing U.S. automakers and expects General Motors and Chrysler LLC to access the money immediately, a senior administration official said on Friday.
Some $13.4 billion will be made available in December and January from the $700 billion fund that was originally designed to rescue struggling financial institutions, but the loans would be called back if the automakers cannot prove they are viable by March 31, the official said.
Viability would be mean that the companies must have a positive net present value, which doesn’t necessarily mean immediate profitability but would require them to reach that point relatively soon, the official said.
We've known this was coming. Bush has been talking about illegally bailing out the Big Three automakers using the TARP funds which are reserved by law for financial institutions only. Now he's doing it, along with some nebulous conditions that will undoubtedly be ignored.
I found several things wrong with Bush's speech this morning:
"Because Congress failed to make funds available for these loans, the plan I'm announcing today will be drawn from the financial rescue package Congress approved earlier this fall. The terms of the loans will require auto companies to demonstrate how they would become viable.
They must pay back all their loans to the government and show that their firms can earn a profit and achieve a positive net worth. This restructuring will require meaningful concessions from all involved in the auto industry -- management, labor unions, creditors, bond holders, dealers, and suppliers.
In particular, automakers must meet conditions that experts agree are necessary for long-term viability, including putting their retirement plans on a sustainable footing, persuading bond holders to convert their debt into capital that companies need to address immediate financial shortfalls, and making their compensation competitive with foreign automakers who have major operations in the United States.
If a company fails to come up with a viable plan by March 31st, it would be required to repay its federal loans. The automakers and unions must understand what is at stake and make hard decisions necessary to reform."
First and foremost, the conditions Bush lists are very similar to what the Big Three would have to do under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, only without first stealing $17.4 billion dollars of our money.
Second, what happens if/when the automakers can't get their act together and have to declare bankruptcy? If they can't pay their creditors, what makes Bush think they'll pay back the government?
And third, since they're being given an enormous influx of taxpayer dollars, what makes him think a cash-emboldened UAW will be willing to make concessions they've heretofore refused to make under the looming spectre of financial insolvency?
Last, and perhaps most important, if the companies DO come up with a viable plan by March 31st, does that mean they aren't required to repay their federal loans?
This whole thing stinks to high heaven, and it reminds me of the scene in The Dark Knight where the Joker stacks a gigantic pile of money he stole from Gotham City's gangsters and sets it on fire. Only today, Bush is allowing the Big Three to do it with our tax dollars.
And here...we...go!
For what it's worth, Ford has declined to take your money. So if you're looking to buy an American car, you might consider throwing your business their way rather than to the GM, Chrysler and UAW piglets suckling at the government's teat. --- UPDATE As usual, Ed Morrissey puts things in more constructive terms:
"We’re all coughing up enough money for a down payment on a new car from every family in America, only without actually getting the car. And even if we’d used that money to buy a new GM, Ford, or Chrysler instead of it being a loan, none of the three would have shown a profit from the sales anyway. They’re losing money on every car they sell, and neither management nor labor shows much interest in changing those calculations. They just want a Governmentus ex machina to rescue them from their own folly without having to sacrifice anything … and George Bush just gave it to them."
Hugh Hewitt provides an optimistic appraisal of Bush's actions:
"This seems to me to be a much preferred approach that cedes the long-term issue to the new administration, and the president-elect will be able to factor assistance to the car companies into his legislative program for the new year. Lame duck presidents and lame-duck Congresses should do as little as possible to limit a new president's agenda, fresh as he is from a solid win and a shift to the left in the Congress. Senate Republicans have got to be prepared to fight for sobriety in January and February, and their principled positions of this month allow them to do that. President Bush's intervention provides his successor with all the options available."
WTF? One of the requirements for American citizenship is "...applicants for naturalization must be able to read, write, speak, and understand words in ordinary usage in the English language." But that didn't deter an activist judge who abused his authority while administering the oath of citizenship to new immigrants.
In one district with a large Spanish-speaking population, the judge administered the oath ceremony (introductions, directions, speech, artistic presentations, etc.) entirely in Spanish, with the exception of administering the oath itself in English and Spanish. A USCIS official polled the audience, by show of hands, to determine if every applicant present understood Spanish; despite the fact that several persons raised their hands indicating they did not speak Spanish, the presiding judge proceeded in Spanish. While certain waivers exist, no person is naturalized who cannot demonstrate an understanding of the English language.
Granting citizenship to non-English speaking individuals makes about as much sense as waiving the vision exam and driving test requirements for a drivers license.
Earlier this year, Al Gore – the left's "prophet" of environmental doom – claimed, "The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk."
He's right. But not in the way he intended. The lemmings of the global warming cult keep pushing for government to step in and radically alter our laws in order to "save the planet," often referring to worrisome statistics from experts who claim we're about to burn the Earth to a cinder with our SUVs and light bulbs. And while responsible consumption and energy conservation are admirable goals, many within the global warming movement want to go way too far, and look to science to provide irrefutable proof supporting their desire for larger and more intrusive government.
Luckily, not everyone in the scientific community has sipped the Kool-Aid, preferring instead to examine the evidence for themselves. Because once again, the facts don't support the left's dire predictions. Reputable scientists are increasingly speaking out about Al Gore's overblown snake oil hype and the media's complicity in perpetuating it
Scientists Call AP Report on Global Warming 'Hysteria' Scientists skeptical of the assertion that climate change is the result of man's activites are criticizing a recent Associated Press report on global warming, calling it "irrational hysteria," "horrifically bad" and "incredibly biased."
They say the report, which was published on Monday, contained sweeping scientific errors and was a one-sided portrayal of a complicated issue.
"If the issues weren't so serious and the ramifications so profound, I would have to laugh at it," said David Deming, a geology professor at the University of Oklahoma who has been critical of media reporting on the climate change issue.
In the article, Obama Left with Little Time to Curb Global Warming, AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein wrote that global warming is "a ticking time bomb that President-elect Barack Obama can't avoid," and that "global warming is accelerating."
This next part of the article brilliantly disassembles one of the most oft-cited reasons given in the blind rush to have government "deal with" global warming.
James O’Brien, an emeritus professor at Florida State University who studies climate variability and the oceans, said that global climate change is very important for the country and that Americans need to make sure they have the right answers for policy decisions. But he said he worries that scientists and policymakers are rushing to make changes based on bad science.
“Global climate change is occurring in many places in the world,” O’Brien said. “But everything that’s attributed to global warming, almost none of it is global warming.”
He took issue with the AP article’s assertion that melting Arctic ice will cause global sea levels to rise.
“When the Arctic Ocean ice melts, it never raises sea level because floating ice is floating ice, because it’s displacing water,” O’Brien said. “When the ice melts, sea level actually goes down. I call it a fourth grade science experiment. Take a glass, put some ice in it. Put water in it. Mark level where water is. Let it [melt]. After the ice melts, the sea level didn’t go up in your glass of water. It’s called the Archimedes Principle.”
He called sea level changes a "major scare tactic used by the global warming people."
Ah, a dose of common sense. With a dash of Mr. Wizard thrown in for good measure.
The facts don't unanimously support the global warming dogma. And a healthy degree of skepticism is not only warranted, but mandated by scientific method:
Scientific method refers to bodies of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. A scientific method consists of the collection of data through observation and experimentation, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses.
The next time some global warming acolyte tries to bully you into agreement by saying, "Contact your local university", remember the professors listed in this article. The next time you're told, "Your doubts are not supported by the scientific community," just remember there are hundreds of dissenting scientists whose informed opinions prove that argument to be intellectual rubbish. Just because the heads of some organizations allow science to be politicized doesn't mean all the experts in that group buy into the party line. And if you're willing to look at the evidence, you won't buy it either. --- UPDATE: And now, for something a little lighter. In the spirit of Christmas, here are "The 12 Days Of Global Warming."
In the few seconds it took Iraqi journalist Muntather Zaidi to wing a pair of shoes at President Bush, the Middle East got its own version of Joe the Plumber.
Just as Joe Wurzelbacher's gripes to Barack Obama during the U.S. presidential election catapulted him to fame, Zaidi's burst of rage toward Bush during a Baghdad news conference Sunday has made him a household name across the Middle East.
To many, Zaidi is a hero for engaging in the ultimate Arab world insult to Bush -- hurling his shoes at the American leader, who ducked to avoid being slammed in the head. To others, Zaidi is an embarrassment for a society that prides itself on being hospitable to guests, even those who are not much liked. However his act is viewed, there's no question that Zaidi, like Wurzelbacher, is no longer just another Joe.
LOLspeak cluebat: Moral equivalency...ur doin it wrong.
Here's the official HD version of the new trailer for X-Men Origins Wolverine that aired this weekend at the premiere of The Day The Earth Stood Still.
An Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes and an insult at George W. Bush, without hitting him, as the US president was shaking hands with the Iraqi premier at his Baghdad office on Sunday.
As the two leaders met in Nuri al-Maliki's private office, a journalist sitting in the third row jumped up, shouting: "It is the farewell kiss, you dog," and threw his shoes one after the other towards Bush.
Maliki made a protective gesture towards the US president, who ducked and was not hit.
The journalist, Muntazer al-Zaidi from Al-Baghdadia channel which broadcasts from Cairo, was frogmarched from the room by security staff, an AFP journalist said.
Soles of shoes are considered the ultimate insult in Arab culture. After Saddam Hussein's statue was toppled in Baghdad in April 2003, many onlookers beat the statue's face with their soles.
Some Iraqi journalists stood up to apologise.
The White House said Bush ducked to avoid the first shoe, while the second narrowly missed the president.
Of course, this "journalist" tool doesn't take the time to think that after America deposed their brutal dictator (y'all remember Saddam, they guy who routinely had his own people brutally raped and tortured), we peacefully handed the country back to Iraq's citizens after their liberation. And we've done the same in Kuwait, Germany, Japan, Italy, Grenada, Haiti, et al.
But the asshats at Daily Kos, Democrat(ic) Underground, and Huffington Post are never ones to let facts get in the way of their Bush Derangement Syndrome (I won't link these degenerates, but their vile rants aren't hard to find).
"Is the Iraqi reporter eligible for a Pulitzer?"
"Find out who it was the guy deserves a medal of honor."
"I would love to throw something at Bush.. not a shoe though.. maybe a brick.. or cinder block."
"Shall we say thank you Al-Jazeera?"
"The next time you see Bush's motorcade rush by, don't let anyone keep you from giving him your shoe, too..."
"does anybody know the name and address of the man who threw the shoe? I'd like to buy him a new pair and throwing lessons."
"F---ing shame he missed."
"Too bad Shrub didn't get his teeth knocked out, that guys a true hero!"
"*sigh* why can't anyone ever hit their targets? is it asking too much too see Bush hit in the face with a shoe, or Coulter with a pie, or Rove with flaming poo?"
"I soooooo wish I could throw something at the idiot too."
But don't question their patriotism, right? --- UPDATE: via jcrue – "The silver lining here is that the journalist did not have his arms broken, was not put into a wood chipper, his family was not gathered and executed, and he was not thrown from the roof of the palace (one of Saddam’s former palaces to be certain) in which the press conference was held.
Unlike under previous administrations in Iraq. Thanks to President Bush."
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The debate over anthropogenic global warming ISN'T over.
On the one hand...
Thousands Negotiate New Climate Treaty Scientists studying the changing nature of the Earth's climate say they have completed one crucial task — proving beyond a doubt that global warming is real.
Now they have to figure out just what to do about it.
"It is critical for us to get a much better understanding of the impact of climate change in some parts of the world," Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday.
Scientific warnings of potential catastrophe have been the backdrop for talks among more than 10,000 delegates and environmentalists negotiating a treaty to control the emission of greenhouse gases, which have grown by 70 percent since 1970. The treaty, due to be completed in one year, would replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
And on the other hand...
UN Blowback: More Than 650 International Scientists Dissent Over Man-Made Global Warming Claims The UN global warming conference currently underway in Poland is about to face a serious challenge from over 650 dissenting scientists from around the globe who are criticizing the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore. Set for release this week, a newly updated U.S. Senate Minority Report features the dissenting voices of over 650 international scientists, many current and former UN IPCC scientists, who have now turned against the UN. The report has added about 250 scientists (and growing) in 2008 to the over 400 scientists who spoke out in 2007. The over 650 dissenting scientists are more than 12 times the number of UN scientists (52) who authored the media-hyped IPCC 2007 Summary for Policymakers.
The U.S. Senate report is the latest evidence of the growing groundswell of scientific opposition rising to challenge the UN and Gore. Scientific meetings are now being dominated by a growing number of skeptical scientists. The prestigious International Geological Congress, dubbed the geologists' equivalent of the Olympic Games, was held in Norway in August 2008 and prominently featured the voices and views of scientists skeptical of man-made global warming fears.
“I am a skeptic…Global warming has become a new religion.” - Nobel Prize Winner for Physics, Ivar Giaever.
“Since I am no longer affiliated with any organization nor receiving any funding, I can speak quite frankly….As a scientist I remain skeptical.” - Atmospheric Scientist Dr. Joanne Simpson, the first woman in the world to receive a PhD in meteorology and formerly of NASA who has authored more than 190 studies and has been called “among the most preeminent scientists of the last 100 years.”
Warming fears are the “worst scientific scandal in the history…When people come to know what the truth is, they will feel deceived by science and scientists.” - UN IPCC Japanese Scientist Dr. Kiminori Itoh, an award-winning PhD environmental physical chemist.
“The IPCC has actually become a closed circuit; it doesn’t listen to others. It doesn’t have open minds… I am really amazed that the Nobel Peace Prize has been given on scientifically incorrect conclusions by people who are not geologists,” - Indian geologist Dr. Arun D. Ahluwalia at Punjab University and a board member of the UN-supported International Year of the Planet.
“The models and forecasts of the UN IPCC "are incorrect because they only are based on mathematical models and presented results at scenarios that do not include, for example, solar activity.” - Victor Manuel Velasco Herrera, a researcher at the Institute of Geophysics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico
“It is a blatant lie put forth in the media that makes it seem there is only a fringe of scientists who don’t buy into anthropogenic global warming.” - U.S Government Atmospheric Scientist Stanley B. Goldenberg of the Hurricane Research Division of NOAA.
“Even doubling or tripling the amount of carbon dioxide will virtually have little impact, as water vapour and water condensed on particles as clouds dominate the worldwide scene and always will.” – Geoffrey G. Duffy, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering of the University of Auckland, NZ.
“After reading [UN IPCC chairman] Pachauri's asinine comment [comparing skeptics to] Flat Earthers, it's hard to remain quiet.” - Climate statistician Dr. William M. Briggs, who specializes in the statistics of forecast evaluation, serves on the American Meteorological Society's Probability and Statistics Committee and is an Associate Editor of Monthly Weather Review.
“For how many years must the planet cool before we begin to understand that the planet is not warming? For how many years must cooling go on?" - Geologist Dr. David Gee the chairman of the science committee of the 2008 International Geological Congress who has authored 130 plus peer reviewed papers, and is currently at Uppsala University in Sweden.
“Gore prompted me to start delving into the science again and I quickly found myself solidly in the skeptic camp…Climate models can at best be useful for explaining climate changes after the fact.” - Meteorologist Hajo Smit of Holland, who reversed his belief in man-made warming to become a skeptic, is a former member of the Dutch UN IPCC committee.
“Many [scientists] are now searching for a way to back out quietly (from promoting warming fears), without having their professional careers ruined.” - Atmospheric physicist James A. Peden, formerly of the Space Research and Coordination Center in Pittsburgh.
“Creating an ideology pegged to carbon dioxide is a dangerous nonsense…The present alarm on climate change is an instrument of social control, a pretext for major businesses and political battle. It became an ideology, which is concerning.” - Environmental Scientist Professor Delgado Domingos of Portugal, the founder of the Numerical Weather Forecast group, has more than 150 published articles.
“CO2 emissions make absolutely no difference one way or another….Every scientist knows this, but it doesn’t pay to say so…Global warming, as a political vehicle, keeps Europeans in the driver’s seat and developing nations walking barefoot.” - Dr. Takeda Kunihiko, vice-chancellor of the Institute of Science and Technology Research at Chubu University in Japan.
“The [global warming] scaremongering has its justification in the fact that it is something that generates funds.” - Award-winning Paleontologist Dr. Eduardo Tonni, of the Committee for Scientific Research in Buenos Aires and head of the Paleontology Department at the University of La Plata.
As expected, the Bush Administration is defying the will of the American people by riding to the rescue of the Big 3, using funds allocated by Congress for the Trouble Asset Relief Program (TARP) for the bailout.
Under mounting pressure to act, the Bush administration said Friday it was ready to step in and prevent the U.S. auto industry from collapsing after the Senate refused to pass a rescue bill endorsed by the White House and congressional Democrats. The most obvious source of help was the Wall Street bailout fund.
"The current weakened state of the economy is such that it could not withstand a body blow like a disorderly bankruptcy in the auto industry," White House press secretary Dana Perino said.
Treasury spokeswoman Brookly McLaughlin said, "Because Congress failed to act, we will stand ready to prevent an imminent failure until Congress reconvenes and acts to address the long-term viability of the industry."
There's just one problem: using TARP funds for an auto bailout is illegal. (h/t: Michelle Malkin)
...Treasury lacks the statutory authority to direct TARP dollars to the automakers. While the statute, passed by Congress in October, grants the secretary extremely broad discretion to decide how to employ the funds, it clearly limits the recipients to “financial institutions.” And the definition of that term is quite clear:
FINANCIAL INSTITUTION- The term ‘financial institution’ means any institution, including, but not limited to, any bank, savings association, credit union, security broker or dealer, or insurance company, established and regulated under the laws of the United States or any State, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, or the United States Virgin Islands, and having significant operations in the United States, but excluding any central bank of, or institution owned by, a foreign government.
"It's a mockery of the Constitutional principle of the separation of powers...and a fitting cap to a disastrous, big-government Republican presidency."
Bettie Page, one of America's most photographed pin-up girls during the 1950s, died in Los Angeles on Thursday from pneumonia, her agent said. She was 85.
Page was a ubiquitous sight during the 1950s, propelled to stardom when she posed for Playboy as Miss January 1955. Soon her image was gracing playing cards, record albums and bedroom posters across the country.
She stopped modeling in 1957, retreated from the public spotlight and turned to religion. She enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in the 1980s, as a new generation of fans became obsessed with her legacy.
Her agent, Mark Roesler, said Page was admitted to a Los Angeles-area hospital four weeks ago. She never regained consciousness after suffering a heart attack earlier this month.
With her dark bangs, alluring blue-gray eyes and wide smile, Page cultivated an innocent girl-next-door persona. The one-time school teacher was nice, but clearly also naughty. Some of her photos featured spanking and bondage.
"Bettie Page embodied the stereotypical wholesomeness of the Fifties and the hidden sexuality straining beneath the surface," authors Karen Essex and James L. Swanson wrote in their 1996 book "Bettie Page: The Life of a Pin-Up Legend."
But this isn't over yet. The unions still have their hands out, and they're relying on President Bush to fork over your money to preserve their status quo.
With hopes of a $14 billion set of emergency loans dying in the Senate on Thursday night, the United Auto Workers and Detroit's Big Three automakers are resting their hopes on President Bush to save the industry from insolvency.
"I would hope that president Bush start thinking about the welfare of this entire country and pull the trigger on" automotive aid from the $700 billion finance bailout package that Congress passed earlier this year, said Jim Graham, president of the UAW Local 1112 in Lordstown.
Well, he got the "welfare" part right.
UAW members are some of the most highly paid workers in America, earning $28/hour, but their cost to auto manufacturers is more like $73/hour after wages, benefits, and retirement are factored in.
This bailout should be rejected on principle. The government should not be propping up failure and enabling dysfunction in the marketplace. Even so, Senator Jim DeMint (R - SC) hit the pragmatic nail on the head;
"The fairness of it becomes more and more evident as we go along. The auto companies may be hurting...but there are very few companies that aren't hurting and they're going to hurt. We don't have enough money to bail everyone out."
The Big Three's poor performance (thanks to the UAW) is what Chapter 11 bankruptcy was created for. If they file Chapter 11 bankruptcy, they will stay in business, be given relief from most of their debts, and a judge could order UAW's contracts to be renegotiated to reflect competitive realities. In the meantime, shareholders could demand the resignation of the inept leadership that created the situation.
Call the White House switchboard and tell them no means no: 202-456-1414.
I was disappointed to hear that the House of Representatives passed the Big 3 bailout bill last night by a vote of 237-170.
A $14-billion rescue package for the imperiled U.S. auto industry sped to approval in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday night, but the emergency bailout was still in jeopardy from Republicans who were setting out roadblocks in the Senate.
Democrats and the Bush White House hoped for a Senate vote as early as Thursday and enactment by week’s end. They argued that the loans authorized by the measure were needed to stave off disaster for the auto industry — and a crushing further blow to the reeling U.S. economy.
The legislation, approved 237-170 by the House, would provide money within days to cash-starved General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC. Ford Motor Co., which has said it has enough to stay afloat, would also be eligible for federal aid.
Click here to see the names of the 32 Republicans who abandoned the principles of free market capitalism and voted with the Democrats to reward the auto companies' failure with billions of taxpayer dollars. There's still hope to block this in the Senate. A mere five Republicans, led by Richard Shelby of Alabama, are willing to filibuster in order to defend American taxpayers.
With so many in the GOP eager to rescue the automakers' unions (make no mistake, that's what we're talking about here) with taxpayer funds, Ed Morrissey asks the increasingly pertinent question, “Why is there a Republican Party?”
Bankruptcy protection is there for a reason. Let these automakers file for Chapter 11 and reorganize themselves to cast off their bad business practices as well as the leadership and union thuggery that got them into this mess in the first place. We shouldn't repeat the disastrous bait-and-switch of the financial industry bailouts by putting a $14 billion dollar Band-Aid on the disemboweled auto industry.
I urge to call your U.S. Senators and tell them to vote against giving your money to failed businesses and the unions who helped ruin them (if you don't have your Senators' contact information, you can find it here).
Among other things, the 2008 election proved that the GOP and Libertarian parties failed miserably to adequately represent conservatism. And after the wake-up call of Obama's victory, Republican strategist and author Michael Leahy created a new Twitter movement called Top Conservatives On Twitter (#TCOT).
I'm glad to see that so many folks are responding to new methods of exchanging ideas and re-energizing conservative thought.
"In war as in life, it is often necessary when some cherished scheme has failed, to take up the best alternative open, and if so, it is folly not to work for it with all your might." ~Winston Churchill
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." ~Albert Einstein
--- UPDATE:Mamalogues has a nice post about how #TCOT and how conversatives are gaining ground on Twitter.
"An entire half of the country, asleep for the better part of four years, finally woke up. They looked around and saw that while they were sleeping, the other half of the country, the Democrats, had continued perfecting their netroots organization after Howard Dean lost his 2004 White House bid. They were entirely connected and could push an action through the grapevine with speed matched only by that of a headline traveling in a news feed.
For conservatives, Twitter was therapy before it was a tool. Sometimes it takes loss to spark great action."
I was reading this article on the latest bailout frenzy and something occurred to me. Check out the article and see if the same thing jumps out at you...
U.S. Could Take Stakes in Big 3 WASHINGTON -- Congress and the White House inched toward a financial rescue of the Big Three auto makers, negotiating legislation that would give the U.S. government a substantial ownership stake in the industry and a central role in its restructuring.
Under terms of the draft legislation, which continued to evolve Monday evening, the government would receive warrants for stock equivalent to at least 20% of the loans any company receives. The company also would have to agree to limits on executive compensation and dividend payments, much like those contained in the government's $700 billion rescue of the financial industry.
In the case of General Motors Corp., such a move could give the government a large stake in the company and may hurt existing shareholders. GM is seeking about $10 billion in short-term loans and has a market capitalization of about $3 billion. The legislation didn't specify what kind of stock the government would take, leaving open the option it could be preferred, common, voting or nonvoting.
Assuming congressional Democrats and the White House come to agreement on the plan, the car industry would be the latest to submit to strict government scrutiny in return for a bailout, joining most prominently the banking sector.
I know I'm not the first to say that these financial and auto bailouts seem to mirror Karl Marx's call for government to "Own the means of production." But when I was looking around at what else Marx had to say in The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, I found this description that sounded eerily familiar to many recent newscasts:
"Fascism is a more subtle form of government ownership than socialism. While socialism is a system in which the government owns and controls the means of production, fascism is a system in which government leaves nominal ownership of the means of production in the hands of private individuals but exercises control by means of regulatory legislation and reaps most of the profit by means of heavy taxation. The owners nonetheless bear all of the risks involved in entrepreneurship."
Back in the 50s, President Eisenhower invoked the phrase "creeping socialism" (first coined by the Republican Thomas Dewey in 1939) when he tried to roll back Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal.
And now, we're mulling over nationalized healthcare and allowing the government to control huge portions of our economy. Seems to me we're putting out our economic fires with gasoline.
Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
Abolition of all right of inheritance.
Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
Centralisation of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
Centralisation of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.
Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
Equal liability of all to labour. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equable distribution of the population over the country.
Free education for all children in public schools.
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been arrested for attempting to sell Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder as well as leverage state contracts and jobs to extort campaign contributions.
The FBI special agent in charge of the case called the governor's pattern of corruption "a new low for Illinois."
So it's time to play everybody's favorite game, "Name That Party!" (since the mainstream media seems to consistently fail to mention that Blagojevich is a Democrat)
(CNN) -- Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is in federal custody on corruption charges, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.
Rod Blagojevich is currently serving his second term as governor of Illinois.
Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, are charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office for the Northern District of Illinois.
Both men are expected in U.S. District Court in Chicago later Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors say Blagojevich, Harris and others conspired to gain financial benefits in appointing President-elect Barack Obama's Senate replacement, according to the statement.
"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement. "They allege that Blagojevich put a 'for sale' sign on the naming of a United States Senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism."
According to the statement, Blagojevich is alleged to have discussed obtaining:
a substantial salary for himself at either a non-profit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions;
a spot for his wife on paid corporate boards, where he speculated she might garner as much as $150,000 a year;
promises of campaign funds -- including cash up front;
a Cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself.
The Obama transition team is aware that Blagojevich is in federal custody, but has no comment, according to a senior Democratic source.
The statement also alleges that Blagojevich and others tried to illegally obtain campaign contributions.
Blagojevich, Harris and others are also alleged to have withheld state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of Wrigley Field. The statement says this was done to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members who were critical of Blagojevich.
Kathryn Jean Lopez: "He is innocent until proven guilty, after all. But I don’t remember MSNBC analysts giving, say, Scooter Libby the benefit of the doubt."
No media bias here! --- UPDATE: CNN has updated their story to now indicate Blagojevich's Democrat affiliation. --- UPDATE: The Chicago Way, courtesy of the FBI's transcripts of Gov. Blagojevich's phone calls...
"I've got this thing and it's f***ing golden, and, uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for f***in' nothing. I'm not gonna do it. And I can always use it. I can parachute me there," Blagojevich said in a phone call secretly recorded by the FBI on November 5, the day after the election, according to the affidavit.
The FBI affidavit said Blagojevich had been told by an adviser "the President-elect can get ROD BLAGOJEVICH's wife on paid corporate boards in exchange for naming the President-elect's pick to the Senate."
Told by two other advisers he has to "suck it up" for two years, the FBI says it heard Blagojevich complain he has to give this "motherf***er [the President-elect] his Senator. F*** him. For nothing? F*** him."
A federal judge in Chicago has ordered Governor Rod Blagojevich released on his own recognizance after the Democrat was hit with federal corruption charges.
The governor was arrested at his home Tuesday on charges he conspired to sell or trade President-elect Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder.
U.S. District Judge Nan Nolan said "Good afternoon, governor" in greeting Blagojevich at the afternoon bond hearing. The governor was wearing sweat pants, gym shoes and an athletic shirt.
He was released on a signature bond that specifies that he'll forfeit $4,500 bond if he doesn't appear in court. Blagojevich also was ordered to relinquish his passport and his firearm owner's identification car.
Last week, I signed up for the Top Conservatives on Twitter list (#TCOT). And that got me thinking about where I fit in the overall scheme of things, because I don't really sit in the middle of either political party but feel more at home in the conservative movement...for the most part.
As a quick summary to those of you who are new readers, I've taken several political ideology tests which place me slightly right of center (two of which are posted here: September 22, 2005 and January 31, 2007). On the political spectrum, I tend to fall somewhere between Libertarian and Capitalist.
And for what it's worth, I test pretty regularly as INTJ in the Myers-Briggs test. That doesn't really have anything to do with conservatism, but there it is.
To those of you who are now following me on Twitter, welcome! I hope to see you in the comments section some time.
This one is a hot potato, with passionate arguments being made on both sides regarding Obama's citizenship. Personally, I don't think it will amount to anything. I have some reservations about the authenticity of what I've seen so far, and I'm curious why the original certified birth certificate has yet to be produced (only a copy has been produced by Team Obama) but I think that the high court will sidestep the issue regardless of the truth. It's time to put this one to bed.
Court won't review Obama's eligibility to serve The Supreme Court has turned down an emergency appeal from a New Jersey man who says President-elect Barack Obama is ineligible to be president because he was a British subject at birth.
The court did not comment on its order Monday rejecting the call by Leo Donofrio of East Brunswick, N.J., to intervene in the presidential election. Donofrio says that since Obama had dual nationality at birth -- his mother was American and his Kenyan father at the time was a British subject -- he cannot possibly be a "natural born citizen," one of the requirements the Constitution lists for eligibility to be president.
Donofrio also contends that two other candidates, Republican John McCain and Socialist Workers candidate Roger Calero, also are not natural-born citizens and thus ineligible to be president.
At least one other appeal over Obama's citizenship remains at the court. Philip J. Berg of Lafayette Hill, Pa., argues that Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii as Obama says and the Hawaii secretary of state has confirmed. Berg says Obama also may be a citizen of Indonesia, where he lived as a boy. Federal courts in Pennsylvania have dismissed Berg's lawsuit.
--- UPDATE:Pink Elephant Pundit makes a very diligent observation: "I’m sure Obama is thrilled that the focus is on this and not on his cabinet choices and policy proposals."
"December 7th, 1941 – "a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."
67 years ago, Franklin Roosevelt's address to the Congress requesting a declaration of war reflects a steely determination which, sadly, seems to now be in short supply.
...always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.
Although the differences vary greatly between the nature of WW2 and the ongoing war against Islamic terrorists, the resolve required to defeat those who wish to conquer or kill us remains the same. Our deepest gratitude goes out to those who gave their all in the fight against totalitarianism. And to those who continue the fight today.
Perhaps the only perceived flaw in Florida's eight-game winning streak entering the SEC Championship Game was that the Gators had made things look too easy. They hadn't been hardened with a tough victory.
Nobody can say that after Saturday's come-from-behind 31-20 victory against top-ranked and previously unbeaten Alabama in the Georgia Dome.
There, behind game MVP Tim Tebow's 273 combined rushing and passing yards but most of all his determination and leadership, the Gators (12-1) most likely earned their way into theBCS Championship Game on Jan. 8 in Miami. And waiting should be Oklahoma, the Big 12 champion.
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — A Las Vegas judge sentenced fallen gridiron great O.J. Simpson to at least 15 years in prison for leading an armed confrontation last year at a Las Vegas hotel room over sports memorabilia.
Simpson could become eligible for parole in about nine years. Grimacing, Simpson was escorted from the courtroom in shackles. Judge Jackie Glass gave Simpson a tongue-lashing before passing sentence.
“Earlier in this case, at a bail hearing, I said to Mr. Simpson I didn’t know if he was arrogant, ignorant or both,” Glass said. “During the trial and through this proceeding I got the answer, and it was both.”
His voice shaking, Simpson had apologized in court and insisted he was merely trying to recover property that had been stolen from his family. He was convicted of leading a group of armed men into a room at Palace Station Hotel and Casino, where they planned to take sports memorabilia from dealers Bruce Fromong and Al Beardsley.
“I stand here today sorry, somewhat confused. I feel apologetic to people of state of Nevada,” Simpson began. At times, he appeared to be fighting tears as he spoke.
The judge said Simpson's contrite words in court were not as powerful as his angry words, as caught on tape, during the confrontation.
"Everything in this case was on tape," Glass said. "The evidence in this case was overwhelming."
She continued, "You went to the room. You took guns. You used force. You took property, and in this state, that amounts to robbery with the use of a deadly weapon."
More dhimmitude from the Brits. From here on out, I refuse to call them "Great" Britain. al-Britain sounds more like it.
Greenwood Junior School sent out a letter to parents saying the three day festival of Eid al-Adha, which takes place between 8-11 December, meant that Muslim children would be off school.
That meant planning for a traditional pantomime were shelved because the school felt it would be too difficult to run both celebrations side by side.
The move has left parents furious.
Janette Lynch, whose seven-year-old son Keanu attends the school, in Sneinton, Nottingham, said: "The head has a whole year to plan for Eid and so she should be able to plan for both religious festivals.
"I have never heard of this at a school. It is the first year my son has been there and a lot of the mums like me were really looking forward to seeing the children on stage."
She said a letter, sent from “The staff at Greenwood Junior School', said: "It is with much regret that we have had to cancel this year's Christmas performances. This is due to the Eid celebrations that take place next week and its effect on our performers."
Following outrage from parents, the school was forced to send out a second letter saying that the Christmas play would be done in January.
Sent by the head teacher, Amber Latif, and Yvonne Wright, chair of governors, it apologised for "any misunderstanding" but said it had to respect "the cultures and religions of all the children".
It added: "The Christmas performance has not been cancelled outright but has been postponed until the New Year.”
So much for live and let live. It's "too difficult" to allow Islam and Christianity to co-exist in the school. So move over Christians, now there's something meatier.
Once again, "respect for all cultures and religions" is a polite euphemism for "all cultures and religions must bow to the will of Islam." Never mind what the culture and traditions of the country are, there are some folks all too eager to relinquish both when the ROP comes a-calling.
Back in May, I mentioned the fact that Obama's Muslim childhood might prove problematic if he were to be elected president because Islamic extremists would view him as an apostate who needs to revert to his Islamic origins. And I posted several passages from the Qur'an and Hadith that demonstrate where Islamofascists derive the rationale for their "convert-or-die" mentality.
Let me take this opportunity to address the leader of Europe, and the leader of America, who is the leader of the world, the recently-elected Obama, who is the leader of the Byzantines – he is like the Byzantine leaders in the days of Prophet Muhammad.
My message to him is three-fold. First, I invite him to convert to Islam. This is the call of the Prophet and of Allah. Oh Obama – convert to Islam, and you will be saved. I hope that Allah will reward you twice: Once for converting to Islam, and another reward for all those who will convert in your footsteps. If you want glory – you will find it in Islam. If you want honor – you will find it in Islam. In religions other than Islam there is utter humiliation, even if you are the president of the entire world. [...] You, Obama, are among those who have pledged before Allah – Allah who created you, sustained you, and brought you to this position – to be a Muslim who believes that Allah is the one God, especially since you have some kind of roots in Islam. Convert to Islam, and you will be saved. All glory and honor lie in following Allah and His messenger Muhammad. Know that the true religion is the religion of Islam, and all other religions are fabricated religions, which are null and void – religions that were abrogated by the shari’a of Muhammad.
If you refuse to return to your [Islamic] origins, to the way Allah created you, withdraw your huge armies and military bases from the lands of the Muslims. Know that all your predecessors have ended up in the garbage bin of history, and that America’s black and bleak history in the land of the Muslims and the Arabs constitutes an evil omen for you, your predecessors, and your successors. Know, Obama, that America, with all its size and might, will know no peace, as long as a single Muslim child lacks food, drink, medicine, or housing. If you refuse, Obama, and insist on remaining in Muslim lands, know that Allah still plants in [Muslims] obedience to Him, and they are willing to wait for Paradise, which is closer than their own shoelaces.
Know, Obama, that in the lands of Islam, there are people who seek death, and are eager for it, even more than you and your people are eager for life – any kind of life, even a life of humiliation.
That last hint at assassination was pretty hard to miss. The only thing I'm not totally clear on; is Hassan Abu Al-Ashbal simply demanding Obama's conversion to Islam, or is he also demanding a financial bailout for all Muslim children?
DALLAS ― A longtime FBI agent warns the City of Dallas could be a top target for a terrorist attack and North Texas law enforcement needs to be prepared.
A federal report on terrorism – to be released Thursday - predicts a nuclear or biological attack within the U.S. sometime over the next five years.
Danny Defenbaugh, the former Dallas FBI director, says North Texas needs to take the report seriously because there is reason to believe the area could be a prime target.
Defenbaugh has been operating a private security consulting firm since retiring. He says terrorists might choose North Texas for an attack for multiple reasons.
For one reason, Exxon-Mobil's headquarters is based in Irving.
Another reason is because President Bush will reside in Dallas when he leaves office, and his library will be built at SMU.
Defenbaugh told KRLD radio that "anytime you have a former president or you have the former president's library that's going to be established, I think that always adds to another vulnerability or another risk that has to be assessed as far as a target."
He also praised the North Texas joint terrorism task force and said it has a good history of intercepting threats.
He failed to mention that Dallas will also likely be targeted by smelly anti-Bush protesters. Hopefully, William Ayers won't be joining them. Our bomb squad probably has their hands full already.
It's a slow news day, which might explain why I'm seeing this photo popping up everywhere. It's a picture of Nikolai Yezhov, Josef Stalin's "Loyal Executioner." He was the Commissar of Internal Affairs (head of the Soviet secret police) from 1936-1938 when over 700,000 people were killed and several millions were imprisoned in Stalin's gulags during the "Great Purge" campaign of political repressions.
And from what I can see, he was a dead ringer for a certain President-elect.
When looking around a bit to see if this might have been some Photoshop nonsense, I found this pic of Yezhov walking beside Stalin.
It makes sense. Stalin was a fan of "hopeychange" too.
I'm bored with the news today, so I was digging around in the pics folder on my iPod and found this one from my senior year, 1985 (I'm the geek on the left). Don't know what was up with my Lyle Lovett hair, though.
When asked about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, Bollywood hottie Shilpa Shetty said what many American politicians (and our mainstream media) lack the stones to admit about jihadists:
"It makes me sad and angry that Mumbai residents are soft targets for such attacks. It's an unsettling feeling, especially since we seem not equipped to deal with it. This is an open war against humanity."
Fellow actress Shabana Azmi nailed the money quote:
"Terrorism should be struck down with an iron hand."
Gohmert proposes a two-month tax holiday where the federal government would not collect any taxes from individual Americans. No income taxes. No payroll taxes. You would keep all the money that you earn for two months.
Now this is a statistic that should shock you ... Americans pay over $101 billion in income taxes and $66 billion in FICA taxes every single month. That means that if Gohmert's plan went into effect, there would be over $330 billion in American pockets. That is money that you have earned and money that you can decide where it is spent or saved. You pick the economic winners and losers with your money - the government doesn't get to do the choosing for you. The government can't use it to pay executive salaries for failing companies or subsidize failing UAW contracts. The government won't spend $50 million just to send every American a letter saying that their pithy "stimulus" check is on the way. That's it ... you just stop all federal taxes for two months.
Will it cost us anything? Well, no more than has already been pledged in the bailout bill. There's $350 billion left there ... this would eat up most of it.
Gohmert says that this will create a surge in the economy because more people will have the money to buy cars, build homes, pay their mortgages, pay off their credit card bills. It would even help the states that are currently lined up at the federal government bailout trough. [...] One thing for sure. Politicians won't like it because this would allow the people to clearly understand just how much money the federal government is seizing from their paychecks every week. After the two month holiday, when withholding kicks in again, there might even be something akin to a tax revolt! The only way this would work is if came from the ground up .. that means the voters up. Let your congressman know how you feel.
Wouldn't you like to get two months of what you actually earn without it being given away to deadbeats by elected deadbeats who supposedly work for us?
This news story caught my attention because of its similarity to recent events here in America. How ironic that Barack Obama and Russia's communists not only share the same philosophy of class warfare and wealth redistrbution, they've banked on the same "change/revolution" strategy to seize power.
Gennady Zyuganov told the party's annual congress the Communists should make maximum use of the growing public discontent caused by the economic downturn to try to restore their political strength.
"The wind of history is blowing in our sails again ... At this time of crisis the world of imperialism is starting to die. We are standing on the threshold of political and social shifts," Zyuganov said in a 2-hour speech opening the congress.
Russia's Communists ruled the Soviet Union for eight decades and remained a major opposition force for several years after the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991.
But the party has since lost much of its authority and many analysts say it is too weak to seriously challenge for power.
The Russian authorities are trying to minimise the impact of the financial crisis by promising billions of dollars of state aid. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has pledged higher social payments to the needy and lower taxes for business.
"The authorities are clearly not coping with managing the country ... A mass social protest is brewing and it is hard to predict now when and in what shape it will explode," Zyuganov said.
The Kremlin has acknowledged the crisis will lead to a rise in popular discontent, challenging the massive popularity that Putin secured in eight years as president and handed on to his successor, Dmitry Medvedev.
Medvedev has ordered police to stamp out any social unrest arising from the crisis and Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev has said higher unemployment could lead to a rise in crime.
"We should secure the support of society well before the political crisis comes ... We have to squeeze everything we can from this situation," Zyuganov said.
Zyuganov trailed far behind Medvedev at the presidential election in March and his party's contingent in parliament is dwarfed by the pro-Kremlin majority.
Many Russians associate Communist rule with empty shelves in the shops and endless queues.
Sounds like many Russians already know what 52% of Americans have yet to learn.
Dhimmitude finds new depths in Britain. I wonder what's been done to the Catholic bishops of England and Wales in order to force their submission to these demands? (h/t: Gateway Pundit)
Muslim prayer rooms should be opened in every Roman Catholic school, Church leaders have said.
The Catholic bishops of England and Wales also want special toilet facilities in schools to be adapted for Islamic cleaning rituals.
Their demands will shock both Catholic parents and the Government because they go way beyond the legal requirements on catering for the rights and needs of religious minorities.
But the bishops are keen to answer critics who say religious schools sow division - and to show that they are leading the way in building bridges between people of different faiths.
The bishops acknowledge in a new document proposing the measures that 30 per cent of pupils attending Catholic schools hold a non-Christian faith.
"If practicable, a room (or rooms) might be made available for the use of pupils and staff from other faiths for prayer," the bishops said in the document, Catholic Schools, Children of Other Faiths and Community Cohesion
"Existing toilet facilities might be adapted to accommodate individual ritual cleansing which is sometimes part of religious lifestyle and worship,” they said.
"If such space is not available on a permanent or regular basis, extra efforts might be made to address such need for major religious festivals."
The Islamic cleansing ritual, called "Wudhu", is carried out by Muslims before they pray.
Islam teaches that Muslims are unfit for prayer if they have not performed Wudhu after breaking wind or using the toilet.
Wudhu involves washing the face, hands, arms and feet three times each, gargling the mouth three times and washing the neck and inside the nose and ears. Some Muslims also wash their private parts.
Catholic schools would need to install bidets, foot spas and hoses to facilitate such extensive cleansing rituals, Muslims say.
So in the spirit of "building bridges between people of different faiths," will Islamic schools be offering pork on their lunch menu for non-Muslims?
Since Barack Obama has been widely hyped due to his being a constitutional law professor, shouldn’t he realize that his appointment of Senator Hillary Clinton to the post of Secretary of State is unconstitutional? Article One, Section Six (the so-called “Emolument Clause”) expressly prohibits senators or representatives from taking a civil office if the legislator has voted to increase pay for that job.
"No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office."
As I understand it, President Bush’s executive order from earlier this year “encreased” the “Emoluments” (salary) of the office of Secretary of State. Last I checked, Hillary Clinton was an elected Senator from New York at the time. Were she to be appointed to the civil Office of Secretary of State, she would be being appointed to an office for which “the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased” during the time for which she was elected to serve as Senator. The plain language of the Emoluments Clause would thus appear to bar her appointment … if the Constitution is taken seriously (which it more than occasionally isn’t on these matters, of course). […] Unless one views the Constitution’s rules as rules that may be dispensed with when inconvenient; or as not really stating rules at all (but “standards” or “principles” to be viewed at more-convenient levels of generality); or as not applicable where a lawsuit might not be brought; or as not applicable to Democratic administrations, then the plain linguistic meaning of this chunk of constitutional text forbids the appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. I wouldn’t bet on this actually preventing the appointment, however. It didn’t stop Lloyd Bentsen from becoming Secretary of [Treasury]. But it does make an interesting first test of how serious Barack Obama will be about taking the Constitution’s actual words seriously. We know he thinks the Constitution should be viewed as authorizing judicial redistribution of wealth. But we don’t know what he thinks about provisions of the Constitution that do not need to be invented, but are actually there in the document.
Today marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, which takes place every year on December 1. And while the global percentage of adults living with HIV has leveled off since 2000, 33 million people are still living with the virus and there are nearly 7,500 new infections each day.
Which is why there’s no room for complacency. Much progress has been made in fighting this disease, but much work still needs to be done.
One of my favorite companies, Starbucks, has partnered with (RED) to address World AIDS Day by offering 3 exclusive beverages, with 5 cents from each purchase contributed directly to the Global Fund to help fight AIDS and HIV. And today, the company's website is redesigned in red and this cool footage is showing on its home page.
Customers can also join the new online (STARBUCKS)RED Community launched to bring to life the potential collective impact that thousands of people can make if they choose to purchase (RED) at Starbucks. Customers can choose to take their photo in the (RED) parenthesis when visiting Starbucks, or upload one of their favorite photos into the (RED) parenthesis directly on www.starbucks.com/red. By using the "impact calculator" on this site, customers can learn how their (STARBUCKS)RED purchases translate into days of medicine to help save lives in Africa.
As Bono said, "It's pretty mind-blowing to think that millions of people can buy (RED) going about their daily lives and in doing so raise millions of dollars to fight AIDS in Africa. That's not a bad hit from your caffeine."
