MLK on the Democrat "stimulus" bill

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Friday blogroll roundup

Wednesday, I got a call to do some freelance for an agency for whom I did some work back in 2007. So blogging has had to take a back seat for the past couple days while I've been working on-site.

I appreciate y'all who still come 'round here looking for snarky goodness. Here's a few good posts from a few of the folks on my blogroll. I'll be back by Monday.

• Leaning Straight Up has a story of first graders pledging allegiance to Obama


• Two Dogs updated his Obamoron Failures Linkdump


• LGF posts on Obama's preemptive apology to the Muslim world


• Michelle Malkin is tracking the race for RNC chair


• Neal Boortz analyzes Obama's "government good, capitalism bad" stance


• Red State Politics elaborates on the legacy of President George W. Bush


• Say Anything posted the anti-Limbaugh shinola being run by "Americans United For Change"

And today's "quote of the day" comes from jcrue:

"The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." ~ Margaret Thatcher

Stop the Democrat porkfest!

We've been hearing about Obama's "stimulus" bill for the past two weeks. And the House is voting on it today. It's so packed with waste, The Wall Street Journal has dubbed it "The 40-year Wish List.”

We’ve looked it over, and even we can’t quite believe it. There’s $1 billion for Amtrak, the federal railroad that hasn’t turned a profit in 40 years; $2 billion for child-care subsidies; $50 million for that great engine of job creation, the National Endowment for the Arts; $400 million for global-warming research and another $2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects. There’s even $650 million on top of the billions already doled out to pay for digital TV conversion coupons.

In selling the plan, President Obama has said this bill will make “dramatic investments to revive our flagging economy.” Well, you be the judge. Some $30 billion, or less than 5% of the spending in the bill, is for fixing bridges or other highway projects. There’s another $40 billion for broadband and electric grid development, airports and clean water projects that are arguably worthwhile priorities.

Add the roughly $20 billion for business tax cuts, and by our estimate only $90 billion out of $825 billion, or about 12 cents of every $1, is for something that can plausibly be considered a growth stimulus. And even many of these projects aren’t likely to help the economy immediately. As Peter Orszag, the President’s new budget director, told Congress a year ago, “even those [public works] that are ‘on the shelf’ generally cannot be undertaken quickly enough to provide timely stimulus to the economy.”

So much for Obama's inaugural promise:

"...those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account – to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day – because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government."

Rack up another EPIC FAIL for The One. Do Democrats honestly believe that 12 cents on the dollar is spending wisely?

Nevermind all the wasteful spending and concurrent stupidity. The Dems can't be bothered to weed out all the pork they've hidden in this legislation and they won't allow Republicans to do so, either. It's time to act NOW and get this ridiculous excuse for a bill passed before the public realizes just how badly they've been raped. In the words of White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, "If we get focused on this number and that number, and two-one-hundreths of one percent of the spending...We can't afford to wait. We have to act."

Translation: Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!

I know we've been told to "give President Obama a chance." But I refuse to give him and the Democrats a chance to further ruin the economy by recklessly spending $800+ billion of our money.

Remember, Democrats have told us for eight years that dissent is patriotic. So join Operation Melt the Phones and call your elected representatives to let them know what you think about this outrageous thievery masquerading as economic stimulus. Michelle Malkin has conveniently posted ALL the phone numbers for the House of Representatives. If you don't know whom to call, click here to look up your Congressional Representative based on your ZIP code.

Religion of Peace update: Egyptian cleric hopes for another Holocaust

WARNING : The above clip includes disturbing Holocaust images
For Holocaust Remembrance Day, while Israel's Holocaust museum reaches out to Muslims, Egyptian cleric Amin Al-Ansari instead shows graphic Holocaust footage and proclaims, “This is what we hope will happen but, Allah willing, at the hands of the Muslims.” (h/t: LGF)

Pelosi: Abortion will stimulate the economy

I'm not sure if Speaker Pelosi is referring to the reduced cost resulting from a reduced population, or a reduction in states' costs because the bill for abortions would be picked up by the federal government. But either way, this is pretty monstrous.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?

PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children’s health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies for that?

PELOSI: No apologies. No. we have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.

No apologies for more federally-funded abortions because, ya know, it'll stimulate that dadgum economy! So much for the Democrat smokescreen of keeping abortion "safe, legal and rare", huh? We need to stimulate that economy, so start making and killing babies! The economy needs your help!

And lest you think Pelosi isn't talking about abortion because she didn't use the word, refer to last week's reversal of policy which now gives taxpayer dollars for overseas abortions; it was euphemistically termed "family planning" there, too.
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UPDATE: Ed Morrissey smells earmarks.

This line item exposes what we all know about this stimulus package: it’s a pork fest. Consider where these contraception dollars will go. It won’t be to Walgreens. Eventually, this money will go to Planned Parenthood, in order to shore up their operations. They just laid off 20% of their workforce, and the Democrats need PP to campaign for them in national elections. Pelosi wants to increase the government subsidy for electoral purposes, and will exploit the “stimulus” package to do so.

Obama legalizes worldwide infanticide with US tax dollars

President Obama purposely avoided yesterday's anniversary of Roe v. Wade and instead chose today to issue an executive order (which doesn't require Congressional approval) to quietly reverse U.S. policy regarding taxpayer funding of abortion overseas.

President Barack Obama will sign an executive order later Friday ending the ban on federal funds for international groups that promote or perform abortion, officials said.

It is a move certain to please liberals and other abortion-rights advocates, and the reversal was expected in the Democrat’s first week as president.

The so-called “Mexico City policy” has been reinstated and then reversed by Republican and Democratic presidents since Republican President Ronald Reagan established it in 1984. President Bill Clinton then ended the ban, but President George W. Bush re-instituted it in 2001 as one of his first acts in office.

During the campaign, when Obama was asked point-blank when a baby is entitled to human rights, he hid behind a cowardly excuse that answering the question with specificity was "above his pay grade".

Today, we see the specifics he didn't want to let the American public to know before casting their votes.

Forcing every American to fund abortion around the world is something that wouldn't necessarily fit within his "Hope 'n Change" mantra.

Ed Morrissey notes the economic stupidity of this EO:

It seems significant that the first such Friday afternoon news cycle of the Obama administration gets used for authorizing American tax dollars for abortions abroad. We’re spending a trillion dollars that we don’t have now for an economic stimulus that will likely make the economy worse as we pull capital out of the markets. With the federal budget deficit exploding to three times its previous size, thanks to the bailout, why should Americans pay for abortions overseas?

Apparently, killing babies is a high priority for President Obama.
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Previous posts:

• The party of infanticide and other child abuse
• Obama's infanticide lies exposed
• Obama: live babies pose burden

Religion of Peace update: Geert Wilders to be prosecuted for criticizing Islam

Yesterday, a Dutch court ruled that legislator and Geert Wilders should be put on trial for his anti-jihad film which criticizes Islam.

THE HAGUE, Netherland – Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders made headlines around the world in March 2008 with his film "Fitna," which juxtaposed Koranic verses against a background of violent film clips and images of terrorism by Islamic radicals.

In 2007, Wilders called for a ban on the Koran "the same way we ban 'Mein Kampf."' He said both Adolf Hitler's work and the Muslim holy book contain passages that contradict Western values.

The Amsterdam Appeals Court called Wilders' statements in his film, newspaper articles and media interviews "one-sided generalizations ... which can amount to inciting hatred."

The court's ruling reverses a decision last year by the public prosecutor's office that said Wilders' film and interviews were painful for Muslims but not criminal.

Wilders told Dutch media it was a "black day for myself and for freedom of speech."

The decision set the stage for what will likely be a highly charged trial touching on the declining Dutch tolerance toward a large immigrant population from Muslim countries, mainly Morocco and Turkey. Dutch attitudes shifted markedly after the 2004 murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a radical Dutch Muslim.

If Dutch courts mean to prosecute anyone who "incites hatred", they're gonna have their hands full with the Netherland's radical fringe of Muslims. Is it hatred to point out Islam's endorsement of violence and hatred within many mosques and contained within the Qur'an and many hadith?

Wilders' film, Fitna is back up on LiveLeak. Judge for yourself.

Obama's Bulletproof Inaugural Suit

Although some folks believe President Obama is able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, Gizmodo has the details on the bulletproof suit he was wearing Tuesday:

Jesse Jackson choked on his sandwich on CNN when Barack got out of the Beast and walked in the open, unprotected air. Thankfully, the reverend could have relaxed: BHO was wearing a bullet-resistant suit.

That's according to the law enforcement junkies at Officer.com, who are carrying a McClatchy-Tribune story that quotes law enforcement officials saying Obama would wear "bullet-resistant clothing" for the inauguration.

While this could just mean some standard kevlar, we agree with our friends over at Slate's Explainer that it's much more fun to hypothesize an actual bullet-resistant suit, tailored to Obama's exacting standards. Slate points to the wares engineered by the intrepid Miguel Caballero—the Colombian designer known for dressing international journalists in his anti-assasination fashions and then firing guns at them

Obama orders Gitmo to be closed, terrorists released

Well, that didn't take long.

WASHINGTON — The new Obama administration circulated a draft executive order Wednesday that calls for closing the controversial detention center at Guantanamo Bay within a year and halting any war crimes trials in the meantime.

Closing the facility in Cuba “would further the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and the interests of justice,” read the draft prepared for the new president’s signature.

While some of the detainees currently held at Guantanamo would be released, others would be transferred elsewhere and later put on trial under terms to be determined.

Now we know what Obama meant when he said this in his inaugural address yesterday:

"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy."

Maybe he got that last line mixed up, because the terrorists he is about to release will certainly not be heading back to the Middle East to build skyscrapers, hospitals and schools. This foolish course of action will most certainly cost American lives.

So much for his oath of office. And, for that matter, justice, domestic tranquility, and the common defense.

Thought for the day

As I try to get my career back on track, I've been reflecting on how it hasn't exactly gone the way I'd like it to. And this quote found particular resonance with me today:

"We only become what we are by the radical and deep-seated refusal of that which others have made of us."
~Jean-Paul Sartre

A few thoughts on Obama's inaugural speech

Contrary to my initial plans, I went ahead and watched President Obama's inauguration after all. Since I managed to get home from my interview a little early, I couldn't really just ignore what is, for many, a huge day in American history and politics. Personally, I don't see the race thing as an issue. To me, America has gotten over its racist past a long time ago. And from my perspective, the nomination and election of Barack Obama is just an indicator of past progress, not the start of something new.

As I watched Obama (and Justice Roberts) flub the oath of office, I confess that I had to restrain myself from giving the Nelson "HA ha!" laugh. I tried to remain focused on the substance of what President Obama would say in his inaugural address.

Much of what he said was very good. But unfortunately, some parts were exactly what I expected from him and hoped not to hear: patriotism mixed with occasional touches of socialism and totalitarianism. (In case you want to read the entire speech for yourself, here's the transcript)

"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."

Ok, remaking into what? I love America. We don't need to "remake" our nation. There are always improvements to be made, but the choice of words here is troubling, given Obama's past as well as his previous remarks.

"We will restore science to its rightful place..."

Is this a wink toward global warming hucksterism? Does he really believe science has been ignored for eight years? Oh please. If anything, science has been used as a cudgel to advance a radical political agenda.

"Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short."

A pre-emptive swipe to diminish those who are opposed to big government programs?

"What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works..."

I fully realize and admit that I'm a cynic. I am skeptical of what this man says because of what he's already pledged to do, and it causes me to question things like this. To me, this seems like an attempt to inhibit debate. Specifically, to dismiss the questions that have been raised about Obama's predilection for socialism.

"Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous."

This seems a calculated attack on the principles of capitalism. It's not the free market that got us into our current economic crisis, it was government's heavy hand, forcing private businesses to lower their standards to accommodate some namby-pamby notion of "fairness."

"The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity..."

This one sounds like just a more eloquent rephrasing of his previous comment; "I think that when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

"And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect."

This one has two prongs, so first, I'll say he's dead wrong about America being indifferent to suffering outside our borders. Under President George W. Bush, federal funds for AIDS in Africa more than tripled – we're now spending $48 billion dollars to alleviate suffering abroad. And included in that amount is $9 billion to battle malaria and tuberculosis. Second, I have no problem with what America consumes. I believe we need to begin to wean ourselves off of the world's resources where possible, but we shouldn't apologize for what we consume. Nor should the government begin to tell us what we can and cannot consume. Let's hope they won't.

There was one particular phrase in Obama's speech that I think perfectly described Obama's allies, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid:

"To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history."

Don't get me wrong. Not all the speech was bad and I don't mean to disparage the entire thing with a few reservations and objections. There was much to agree with and much to like. In particular, I enjoyed the way he chose to end it, with a quote from Thomas Paine (although it was inferred to have been a quote from George Washington):

“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”

With that in mind, I'd like to end today's post with another quote from Paine which appears earlier in the book The American Crisis and bears particular relevance to our nation's current struggles at home and abroad:

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."

Step right up and get your Hopeychange Pony!

Ask your doctor if "Hope 'n Change" is right for you.

Bush commutes sentences of Ramos & Compean

After far too long, Bush is finally undoing a travesty of justice: he's commuted the sentences of Border Patrol Agents Ramos & Compean. Although he should have given both men full pardons, at least they won't continue to sit in jail for having done their jobs.

On his last full day in office, President Bush commuted the controversial sentences of two former Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a Mexican drug runner in 2005.

The imprisonment of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean had sparked outcry from critics who said the men were just doing their jobs and were punished too harshly. They had been sentenced to 11- and 12-year sentences, respectively.

Their sentences will now expire on March 20 of this year.

Ramos and Compean were sentenced in connection with the shooting of Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, who was shot in the buttocks while trying to flee along the Texas border. He admitted smuggling several hundred pounds of marijuana on the day he was shot and pleaded guilty last year to drug charges related to two other smuggling attempts.

The pair's case ignited debate across the country, as a chorus of organizations and members of Congress -- many of them Republican -- argued that the men were just doing their jobs. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., was particularly outspoken on the issue, at one time describing Ramos and Compean as "unjustly convicted men who never should have been prosecuted in the first place."

Nearly the entire congressional delegation from Texas and other lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle pleaded with Bush to grant them clemency. Conservatives hailed Bush's decision Monday.

Laid off again

Until 2007, I had made it through 18 years in the advertising industry without having ever been laid off or fired. That's pretty unusual, as this business tends to be pretty cutthroat. Then my luck ran out and I got laid off in April 2007. The next year was extremely difficult for me as I had to re-enter the market, networking and freelancing to make ends meet while I sought permanent employment. One of the agencies for whom I freelanced used me as a contractor for a year before finally hiring me to head up a new department. But after 5 short months, the agency is making severe cutbacks and laying off 20% of their personnel. My group got the axe today.

So now, I've been laid off twice in the past two years.

And it feels just like this picture looks.

Blogging may be light for the next couple days while I file for unemployment and get my resume and portfolio up-to-date to start scouring the market for a new job.
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UPDATE: Welcome, Hugh Hewitt listeners. (I'm still blown away that James Lileks mentioned me on Friday's show! Thanks, guys!)

The bear vs Obama and his unicorn

This painting from Dan Lacey is one of the most hilarious (and disturbing) things I've seen in a while! (h/t: RightwingSparkle)
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UPDATE: I know, I know...

Ricardo Montalban dies at 88

Via AP:

Ricardo Montalban, the Mexican-born actor who became a star in splashy MGM musicals and later as the wish-fulfilling Mr. Roarke in TV's "Fantasy Island," died Wednesday morning at his home, a city councilman said. He was 88. Montalban's death was announced at a meeting of the city council by president Eric Garcetti, who represents the district where the actor lived. Garcetti did not give a cause of death.

Those of us who remember the 70s will fondly recall his memorable stint as Chrysler's pitchman for their Cordoba model, extolling the virtues of "soft, Corinthian leather."


But geeks like me will always have a soft spot for the role he played as the villainous Khan Noonien Singh in the Star Trek original series episode "Space Seed" and later in the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (the best of the series).


Since 1949, he endured excruciating agony from a spinal injury he suffered after falling off a horse. But despite the temporary paralysis and unrelenting pain which continued the rest of his life, he continued his fruitful career and earned his place as a beloved Hollywood icon.

R.I.P. Mr. Montalban. You are missed.

Religion of Peace update: Saudi cleric defends pedophilia

Hey, looks like the Saudis are getting uptight about the Islamic age of consent. Just last year, they were allowing marriages at 1 year of age and sex by 9.

RIYADH – Saudi Arabia's senior-most cleric said girls as young as 10 years old can be married, local media reported on Wednesday.

The powerful Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh said in a speech late on Monday that Islamic Sharia law allows the practice of pre-teen girls getting married, and that critics of the practice were doing the girls "an injustice," reports said.

"We hear often in the media about the marriage of minors. We must know that Sharia law is not unjust for women," the cleric is quoted as saying.

"If it is said that a woman below 15 cannot be married, that is wrong. If a girl exceeds 10 or 12 then she is eligible for marriage, and whoever thinks she is too young, then he or she is wrong and has done her an injustice."

His comment came in the wake of several well-publicized cases of young girls being married to men sometimes old enough to be their great-grandfathers.

I suppose nobody should be shocked by official excuses like these, coming from those who follow a "prophet" who enjoyed sucking on the tongues of boys and girls (such as his 6-year-old bride, Aisha) as documented in the Musnad hadith #16245 and the Bukhari hadith, described as "the most authentic book after the Qur'an."

No wonder Muslim apologists are pushing the UN to outlaw all criticism of Islam.
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UPDATE: Regarding the assclown's declaration that "Sharia law is not unjust for women"...

Women 'banned' from mosque road in Bangladesh town

Women in the Bangladesh town of Pirojpur are being physically prevented from walking down a road where a mosque is located, regional media said on Tuesday.

Graffiti on Bara Masjid Road in Mathbaria says "women are forbidden on this road" and a retired soldier and self-styled "cleric" - one Abdus Sattar - has been guarding the area with a stick for a month.

"There is a mosque on this road. Use of this road by women is najayez [illegal in Islam]," he said.

I wonder where he got that idea?

It's Talk Like Jack Bauer Day, dammit!

Today is Talk Like Jack Bauer Day!

• Either whisper or shout everything. There's no middle volume.


• No eating, sleeping, or using the bathroom.


• When in doubt, use excessive force.


• Every conversation needs at least one "Dammit!"


• Be sure to start each hour with "The following takes place between X:00 pm and Y:00 pm." (and if you really wanna kick it old school, include "...on the day of the California Presidential Primary.")


• No time for questions, dammit! YOU'VE GOT TO TRUST ME!

And here's a fun (and slightly less vulgar) twist on the Team America: World Police "America! F*** yeah!" theme song, using a collection of Jack Bauer's favorite word.

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UPDATE: More fun, courtesy of Top 100 Jack Bauer Facts:

• There are two hands that can beat a royal flush. Jack Bauer's right hand and Jack Bauer's left hand.


• The city of Los Angeles once named a street after Jack Bauer in gratitude for his saving the city several times. They had to rename it after people kept dying when they tried to cross the street. No one crosses Jack Bauer and lives.


• Jack Bauer was once charged with attempted murder in Los Angeles County, but the judge dropped all charges because Jack Bauer never "attempts" murder.


• Some people see the glass as half full. Others see it as half empty. Jack Bauer sees the glass as a deadly weapon.


• When a convicted terrorist was sentenced to face Jack Bauer, he appealed to have the sentence reduced to death.


• Jack Bauer's sperm come in 9mm, .40, and 12 gauge slug.


• Once, someone tried to tell Jack Bauer a "knock knock" joke. Jack Bauer found out who was there, who they worked for, and where the goddamned bomb was.


• If Jack Bauer was in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Nina Meyers, and he had a gun with 2 bullets, he'd shoot Nina twice.


• Jack Bauer always tests positive for steroids. Not that he uses steroids. It's because steroids are made from Jack Bauer.


• The 2007 budget for the US Military covers Jack Bauer, two pistols and four billion rounds of ammunition.


• There have been no terrorist attacks in United States since Jack Bauer has appeared on television.


• Upon hearing that he was played by Kiefer Sutherland, Jack Bauer killed Sutherland. Jack Bauer gets played by no man.


• Alex Trebek once asked Jack Bauer the question, "What's your idea of a perfect game show?" He replied with, "I'm the contestant and I ask the questions around here." Jeopardy was born at that moment.


• When life gave Jack Bauer lemons, he used them to kill terrorists. Jack Bauer fucking hates lemonade.


• It's no use crying over spilt milk... Unless that was Jack Bauer's milk. Oh you are so screwed.


• ...and on the seventh day Jack Bauer said, "I'll take it from here."

Midweek Peek 01.14.09

In honor of Talk Like Jack Bauer Day, today's peek is Mary Lynn Rajskub, who plays 24's Chloe O' Brian. Dammit!

Obama, president for life?

This whole cult of personality thing is going WAY too far. From Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:

Apparently, the notion of Hope and Change has overwhelmed [Rep. José Serrano, D-NY] to the point that he just can’t stand to see Barack Obama limited to two terms in office. Never mind the fact that Obama has yet to start his first term, and no one knows yet whether he’d get re-elected in 2012. Maybe it’s that New Deal vibe; Serrano may want to prepare the way for a more tangible comparison between Obama and FDR in 2016 and 2020.

Of course, a repeal wouldn’t just apply to Obama. What other former President might decide he wants to return to the White House? Someone who couldn’t quite close the deal by having his wife run for the office?

If Serrano is successful in repealing the 22nd Amendment, Obama could join Kim Jong-il and Fidel Castro in the president for life club.

What About Gay Marriage?

BaconSalt!

I think I just found a worthy recipient for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

BaconSalt is a zero calorie, zero fat, vegetarian and kosher seasoning that makes everything taste like bacon.

Snarky rhetorical question: I noticed this new product is kosher but it didn't say if it's halal. I wonder if this would this pass muster with the Religion of Peace. Is even the taste of pork forbidden? I can just see the scene in Gitmo... "Guard! Why does my Orange Glazed Chicken and Rice Pilaf taste funny?"

Revealed: Hillary's pay-for-play in the Senate

First off, allow me to apologize for any inadvertent mental images that headline may have conjured up.

As Hillary Clinton gives lofty-sounding speeches before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today, new evidence has been revealed of more pay-for-play from the Democrats (shockeroo); this time from Hillary herself. Maybe this is the "smart mix of diplomacy and defense" she was referring to?

Looks like it's just leftovers from Bill Clinton's "most ethical administration in history."

Secretary of State appointee Hillary Rodham Clinton intervened at least six times in government issues directly affecting companies and others that later contributed to her husband’s foundation, an Associated Press review of her official correspondence found.

The overlap of names on former President Bill Clinton’s foundation donor list and business interests whose issues she championed raises new questions about potential ethics conflicts between her official actions and her husband’s fundraising. The AP obtained three of the senator’s government letters under the Freedom of Information Act.
[...]
Under an agreement with President-elect Barack Obama, Bill Clinton recently released the names of donors to his foundation, a nonprofit that has raised at least $492 million — including millions from foreign governments — to fund his library in Little Rock, Ark., and charitable efforts worldwide on such issues as AIDS, poverty and climate change.

The letters and donations involve pharmaceutical companies and telecommunications and energy interests. An aide to the senator said she made no secret of her involvement in many of the issues. Bill Clinton’s foundation declined to say when it received the donations or precisely how much was contributed.
[...]
Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Clinton Foundation both declined to answer questions about whether the senator tried to step away from issues directly affecting donors to her husband's charity, and whether the foundation tried to screen out money from those on whose issues the senator had intervened.

In Chicago, this is exactly the kind of influence-peddling which resulted in Gov. Blagojevich's impeachment. But do you think this will have any effect on Hillary?

Creepy Obama cultists brainwashing public school children

Via talk show host Dori Monson:

How can any reasonable, rational person be comfortable with this news story? In Chicago, elementary public school students were recruited by the principal and an artist to be part of a 150-foot portrait of Barack Obama...Teaching children to worship government is a way to enslave their minds.

You can read the gag-tacular "news" story here

Ace asks the right question:

Whatever happened to the separation of cult and state?

Transformers 2 poster revealed: Revenge!

Yahoo! Movies has posted the first teaser poster for Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen.

Al Franken rejected in bid to be seated in Senate

He's not good enough, he's not smart enough and doggone it...people DON'T like him. (h/t: TCOT Report)

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Democrat Al Franken was quickly turned down Monday when he asked Minnesota's governor and secretary of state to issue an election certificate that would let him take office in the Senate.

In letters the campaign sent to Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, Franken's lawyers argued that a seven-day waiting period for issuing the certificate after an election has passed and he should get the signed certificate. But the state officials said their hands were tied by state law and they could not act.
[...]
"Minnesota law is very clear on when a certificate of election can be issued. Neither the governor nor I may sign a certificate of election in the U.S. Senate race until all election contests have reached a final determination," Ritchie's statement read.

Fake Thundercats trailer

Some talented fan-fakery, not coming soon to a theater near you.
(h/t: Right Wing Video)

Obama: “Everybody’s Going To Have To Give”

Hope and change becomes sacrifice.

Bait. And. Switch.

In style and substance, Barack Obama is looking like he could be a different president than the candidate voters got to know during the campaign.

His message of changing the country has been replaced by one of repairing the country as he inherits crises that demand immediate action.

"I want to be realistic here," Obama said in an interview that aired Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "Not everything that we talked about during the campaign are we going to be able to do on the pace that we had hoped."

During the campaign, Obama stressed fixing the economy as one of his top priorities, but his recent language has taken on an urgent tone.

Obama painted a dire picture of the economy last week, warning that if Congress does not take "dramatic action" on his economic aid package as soon as possible, the nation would face devastating long-term consequences.

"For every day we wait or point fingers or drag our feet, more Americans will lose their jobs. More families will lose their savings. More dreams will be deferred and denied. And our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse," he said.

It's a far cry from what voters heard from Obama the Democratic candidate, who inspired roaring crowds of thousands by telling them, "This is our moment. This is our time."

But with the economy in a recession and people afraid for their financial future, Obama's soaring campaign rhetoric has given way to grim reality.

Well, whaddya know? When the most unqualified presidential candidate finally took a look at reality, he realized he couldn't reward all his voters with the ponies and rainbows he promised them.

He told voters that change couldn't happen without them, "without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice." He reiterated that same message this weekend, explaining what it's going to take to reform the government.

"Everybody is going to have to give. Everybody is going to have to have some skin in the game," Obama told ABC.

Looks like Tavis Smiley will be proven correct: "We’re all working for Barack Obama."

Hold on to your wallet. And don't drop the soap (not that it'll help you).
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UPDATE: Somehow, The New York Times must have missed Stephanopoulos' interview with The One.

“He hasn’t asked anybody for sacrifice,” Baker said. “His whole economic package is about giving things to people.”

Cognitive dissonance much?
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UPDATE: With all this bailout nonsense and our current situation with the entitlement economy we've created for ourselves, here's an extra helping of relevant brilliance today from the Wall Street Journal (h/t: Neal Boortz)

[Ayn] Rand, who had come to America from Soviet Russia with striking insights into totalitarianism and the destructiveness of socialism, was already a celebrity. The left, naturally, hated her. But as recently as 1991, a survey by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club found that readers rated "Atlas" as the second-most influential book in their lives, behind only the Bible.

For the uninitiated, the moral of the story is simply this: Politicians invariably respond to crises -- that in most cases they themselves created -- by spawning new government programs, laws and regulations. These, in turn, generate more havoc and poverty, which inspires the politicians to create more programs . . . and the downward spiral repeats itself until the productive sectors of the economy collapse under the collective weight of taxes and other burdens imposed in the name of fairness, equality and do-goodism.

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UPDATE: Commenter JBooth83 shared a particularly relevant quote that deserves to be front and center today...

"It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master." ~ Ayn Rand

The downside of excessive regulation

This is exactly the kind of thing more and more business owners will begin to discover once they feel the sting of the restrictions from a bigger and more intrusive government. S#!t increased taxes and regulations on business always roll downhill. (h/t: Hot Air)

It doesn’t get much more clueless than this, but it does mirror what happens in Congress when these kinds of regulations get proposed. Politicians stick names on in like “Safety Improvement Act” in order to make a vote against it look like a vote against safety. No one considers the ramifications of the bill until it goes into effect, and suddenly we’re talking about putting good used clothing in landfills instead of on people, and ensuring that only the biggest toymakers and clothiers can afford the testing necessary to sell their goods.

Something to keep in mind before Obama and the Democrat-led Congress release a new flurry of well-intentioned legislation. In other words; be careful what you vote for, you just might get it. In your wallet.

Chrysler begs for additional bailout money

Unbe-freakin'-lievable.

DETROIT – Chrysler LLC is seeking $3 billion in additional government aid and its finance arm is in advanced talks with the U.S. Treasury to obtain a multi-billion cash infusion that could be finalized by Friday, officials said.

Chrysler is the only one among Detroit's Big Three automakers seeking immediate additional aid. General Motors Corp. said it had no plans to seek more aid beyond the $13.4 billion the U.S. Treasury Department is loaning it from the $700 billion Wall Street rescue fund, known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP.

But wait, it gets even better.

Detroit's automakers also are seeking loans from a $25 billion Energy Department retooling program to help modernize factories to build more fuel-efficient models.

If, instead of paying your car payment on time, you were to call and let them know you're going through tough financial times and need some help, what do you think they'd do?

They'd tell you, "Tough s#!t, pay us right now. Or we'll ruin your credit rating and take away your car."

That's precisely the kind of thing that should happen to these buffoons. Their financial ineptitude got them into this. Let them declare bankruptcy and reorganize, just like anyone else would have to do when facing insurmountable financial difficulties.

Interesting quote on skepticism

“The skeptic does not mean him who doubts, but him who investigates or researches, as opposed to him who asserts and thinks that he has found.”
~Miguel de Unamuno

Hamas in their own voices

Here’s a new video from MEMRI TV: Hamas in Their Own Voices. With all the useful idiots here in America protesting against Israel for defending themselves, it's prudent to listen as Hamas clearly states their goals.


Intolerant, brain-dead fascists like those Hamas cockwrinkles in that previous video are what make this MADtv parody of Al Jazeera all the more funny.
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UPDATE: This gem comes from Infidels Are Cool...

"Contrary to popular belief, Hamas has nothing to do with ham. Actually, if you throw hams at them, they'll get angry."

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UPDATE: The Guardian is reporting that President-elect Obama has now signaled that he's willing to legitimize Hamas by meeting with them. This stands in sharp contrast to what he said during his campaign as well as his criticism of ex-President Carter's overtures toward the Islamic terrorist group. I've got no love for Obama, but he's been pretty clear so far that he would not talk to Hamas until it recognized Israel and renounced terrorism. Since The Guardian was unwilling to quote sources (the conveniently anonymous "sources close to the transition team" don't count), we'll have to wait and see. I hope they're wrong.

Florida beats Oklahoma 24-14 to win National Championship

Tim Tebow and the mighty Florida Gators have brought the National Championship home to The Swamp for the second time in three years! It's great to be a Florida Gator!

In case you didn't watch, it was an amazing game last night with lots of good back and forth on both sides. And although Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford and his team played well, this game marked their fifth straight loss in a BCS game. I was particularly pleased to see Florida stop the Sooners twice within their 6-yard line in the first half. Denied!

Since I'm not a sportswriter, I'll refer you to USA Today for the best write-up I've read of last night's game. And if you're into stats, you can check out a scoring summary here.

GO GATORS!

Religion of Peace update: Anti-semantic Gaza protesters

What is the Geico caveman doing at a pro-Hamas demonstration and why does he hate citrus beverages?
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UPDATE: The Nose On Your Face covers the Juicephobia response by juice icons Tropic-Ana, Anita Bryant, Punchy the Hawaiian Punch guy, and Kool-Aid Man.

Feds suing “New Black Panther Party” for Philly voter intimidation

Remember this from Election Day last year?

"We will be at the polls in the cities and counties in many states to ensure that the enemy does not sabotage the black vote, which was won through the blood of the martyrs of our people."
~Uhuru Shakur, chairman of the New Black Panther Party's Atlanta chapter

The Left was quick to dismiss this as a "trick" by Karl Rove, refusing to believe these were angry racists brandishing weapons at a polling location on behalf of the Obamessiah.

Now, the feds filing a lawsuit against these thugs.

The U.S. Justice Department is suing the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and three of its members over what authorities allege was Election Day voter intimidation in Philadelphia.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Philadelphia alleges that two men intimidated voters Nov. 4 by standing outside a polling place at 1221 Fairmount Avenue wearing party uniforms. A video of the men, one holding a police-style baton weapon, was widely distributed on the Internet.

The lawsuit seeks a court order barring party members from being deployed to, or displaying weapons at, polling place entrances.

Bailouts for porn publishers?

It had to happen sooner or later. (h/t: Newsbusters)

Hustler's Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis Ask for Government Bailout of the Adult Entertainment Industry

As the 2009 AVN Adult Expo opens in Las Vegas this week, Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis and HUSTLER magazine publisher Larry Flynt are petitioning the newly convened 111th Congress to provide a financial bailout for the adult entertainment industry along the lines of what is being sought by the Big Three automakers, a spokesperson for Francis announced today.

Adult industry leaders Flynt and Francis sent a joint request to Congress asking for $5 billion in federal assistance, "Just to see us through hard times," Francis said. "Congress seems willing to help shore up our nation's most important businesses, we feel we deserve the same consideration. In difficult economic times, Americans turn to entertainment for relief. More and more, the kind of entertainment they turn to is adult entertainment."

But according to Flynt the recession has acted like a national cold shower. "People are too depressed to be sexually active," Flynt says, "This is very unhealthy as a nation. Americans can do without cars and such but they cannot do without sex."

While not to the degree felt by banks and automakers, the Adult Entertainment industry has been hit by the effects of the economic downturn. DVD sales and rentals have decreased by 22 percent in the past year as viewers turn to the internet for adult entertainment. It is estimated that roughly half of all internet users visit adult sites, with the number of unique visitors to adult websites (including GirlsGoneWild.com and Hustler.com) has grown to more than 75 million per month.

But the "saltpeter" effect remains.

"With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind," Flynt says, "It's time for congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America. The only way they can do this is by supporting the adult industry and doing it quickly."

The only question remains which Congressman will champion this bailout cause or include it as an earmark.
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UPDATE: If this keeps up, I'm gonna need a bailout in order to maintain the Midweek Peek. Heh.

Demand deflates for DDs

The bigger-boob business has gone bust.

With the stock market in a tailspin and home values dropping, demand for breast implants is sagging too, city docs say.

"The number of the bigger surgeries has gone down for sure," said Dr. David Shafer, a Manhattan plastic surgeon. Breast enlargement surgery can cost anywhere from $4,000 to more than $10,000.

"People are definitely thinking twice right now," said Dr. Sydney Coleman, another Manhattan surgeon. He said his colleagues in the lucrative field are starting to feel the pinch. "They're complaining about it," he said, "and they don't usually complain."

Andy Griffith on personal responsibility

Check out this short clip from the 1963 "Opie and the Spoiled Kid" episode of The Andy Griffith Show. (h/t: Moonbattery)

As someone who grew up in the 60s, it's hard for me to believe the 180° turnabout our society has made in the past 40 years. If they filmed this Andy Griffith Show episode today, Andy would have been sued by the boy's father and the ACLU, likely resulting in the loss of his job as well as a visit by Child Protective Services.

Midweek Peek 01.07.09

In honor of the Florida Gators playing in the BCS National Championship Game tomorrow. GO GATORS!
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UPDATE: Per Kanaka Girl's request, here's a little Tebow time!

EPA proposes fart tax

Yes, it's just as stupid as it sounds. But sadly, they're serious.

Indirectly it could be considered a cheeseburger tax, but one of the suggestions offered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) for regulating greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act is to levy a tax on livestock.

The ANPR, released early this year, would give the EPA the authority to regulate greenhouse gas for not only greenhouse gas from manmade sources like transportation and industry, but also “stationary” sources which would include livestock.

The New York Farm Bureau assigned a price tag to the cost of greenhouse gas regulation by the EPA in a release last month.

“The tax for dairy cows could be $175 per cow, and $87.50 per head of beef cattle. The tax on hogs would [be] upwards of $20 per hog,” the release said. “Any operation with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs would have to obtain permits.”

Although methane is 20 times more detrimental than CO2 as a "greenhouse gas," it's ludicrous to use this red herring to further line the government's pockets under the guise of global warming/climate change/insert next euphemism here.

Am I the only one here worried about the EPA trying to impose taxes? Last I checked, (and according to the United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 8) only Congress has the authority to lay and collect federal taxes.

Besides, if the EPA is actually serious about controlling methane, are they planning on also taxing wetlands (76% of global methane emissions from natural sources result from wetlands), termites (they create 11% of the global methane emissions), oceans, and wildfires? Because that's just as stupid as what they're proposing.
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UPDATE: Turns out, this one is just so much hot air. (Sorry, couldn't help myself on that one.)

The farm lobby warned that EPA "could" push for such a tax, but EPA never proposed any such thing and says it lacks authority to impose one anyway.

This one is a case study in how lobbyists sometimes justify their own salaries by loudly fighting against hypothetical but nonexistent threats from Washington.

The source of this hokum is a misleading news release put out by the American Farm Bureau Federation on Nov. 20. The highly inaccurate headline read: "AFBF Opposes EPA-Proposed Tax on Livestock." In truth, however, the Environmental Protection Agency hasn't proposed any tax on livestock. In fact, the Farm Bureau's own documentation admitted as much.

The President of Awesome countdown

We just can't wait! (you gotta click the link to get the joke)
h/t: Urban Redneck, Two Dogs

Ayn Rand's advice on compromise

As we get ever closer to the new Obama administration and a Democrat-controlled congress, we're being told that we all need to come together and unite behind our new president. And that's a noble goal for which we should strive.

But at the same time, Conservatives, Libertarians and Republicans are taking time to look at how they were outflanked by the vacuous HopeyMcChange sideshow and what can be done to prevent similar lapses in the future. Pundits from all along the political spectrum are offering differing advice on what should happen next for the GOP. And grassroots organizations like Top Conservatives On Twitter have sprung up to encourage a return to true conservatism rather than a watering down or outright abandonment of basic principles.

With that in mind, I saw a quote from author Ayn Rand posted today by one of my Twitter buddies, jbooth83, regarding the nature of compromise.

There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.
Galt’s Speech, For the New Intellectual

It really got me thinking. So I Googled some of her other quotes and found a few that seemed like Rand must have been presaging the Obama campaign in a crystal ball.

Contrary to the fanatical belief of its advocates, compromise [on basic principles] does not satisfy, but dissatisfies everybody; it does not lead to general fulfillment, but to general frustration; those who try to be all things to all men, end up by not being anything to anyone. And more: the partial victory of an unjust claim, encourages the claimant to try further; the partial defeat of a just claim, discourages and paralyzes the victim.
“The Cashing-In: The Student ‘Rebellion’”
Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

The three rules listed below are by no means exhaustive; they are merely the first leads to the understanding of a vast subject.

1. In any conflict between two men (or two groups) who hold the same basic principles, it is the more consistent one who wins.


2. In any collaboration between two men (or two groups) who hold different basic principles, it is the more evil or irrational one who wins.


3. When opposite basic principles are clearly and openly defined, it works to the advantage of the rational side; when they are not clearly defined, but are hidden or evaded, it works to the advantage of the irrational side.

“The Anatomy of Compromise”
Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

I don't pretend to have the answers as to what Libertarians and Republicans can do to reclaim the imagination of American voters. But I do know that abandoning conservative beliefs in a vain attempt to win popularity hasn't worked for President Bush or John McCain.

That first quote from John Galt's speech in Ayn Rand's For the New Intellectual was part of a larger passage that not only applies to the sad state of class warfare in America, but also the creeping dhimmitude in the face of global Islamofascism. Appeasement is poison, regardless of the where it's administered.

There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil. The man who is wrong still retains some respect for truth, if only by accepting the responsibility of choice. But the man in the middle is the knave who blanks out the truth in order to pretend that no choice or values exist, who is willing to sit out the course of any battle, willing to cash in on the blood of the innocent or to crawl on his belly to the guilty, who dispenses justice by condemning both the robber and the robbed to jail, who solves conflicts by ordering the thinker and the fool to meet each other halfway. In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit. In that transfusion of blood which drains the good to feed the evil, the compromiser is the transmitting rubber tube...

When men reduce their virtues to the approximate, then evil acquires the force of an absolute, when loyalty to an unyielding purpose is dropped by the virtuous, it’s picked up by scoundrels—and you get the indecent spectacle of a cringing, bargaining, traitorous good and a self-righteously uncompromising evil.

Items I found while perusing my blogroll

• Powerline notices anti-American sentiment abroad already focused on Obama


• Wired still has open voting for Sexiest Geeks of 2008


• Weasel Zippers displays a screencap showing the depths of Hamas propaganda depravity.


• Pajamas Media lists differences between Hamas and the Nazi Party


• JennOfTheJungle posts video of a pro-Hamas demonstration in Ft. Lauderdale where a Muslim woman screams Jews should "go back to the oven"


• Hot Air comments on Team Obama's tapdance around Bill Richardson's pay-for-play resignation


• Say Anything looks at Pelosi trying to change House rules to curb minority party’s power


• Gateway Pundit details Al Franken's theft of Minnesota's Senate seat with more ballots than voters who signed in to vote

HuffPo columnist chides Gore for his eco-hysteria

In related news, an unseasonable arctic blast brings traffic in Hell to a standstill.

Mr. Gore: Apology Accepted
You are probably wondering whether President-elect Obama owes the world an apology for his actions regarding global warming. The answer is, not yet. There is one person, however, who does. You have probably guessed his name: Al Gore.

Mr. Gore has stated, regarding climate change, that "the science is in." Well, he is absolutely right about that, except for one tiny thing. It is the biggest whopper ever sold to the public in the history of humankind.

Although light on sources, columnist Harold Ambler elaborates on his refutation of Gore with a brief list that's entertaining, thought-provoking, and well worth the click.

R.I.P. Miko

Tonight, my 10-year-old pet Sugar Glider, Miko, passed away. She's always been very healthy and active, but tonight around dinnertime she came out of her pouch and was laying on the bottom of the cage, her eyes uncharacteristically droopy and her ears down. I scooped her up and held her for a while before going online to look up what may be the matter. I quickly headed to the store for a medicine syringe and some Pedialyte to stave off dehydration until I could get her to the veterinarian. It appears that she may have had Hind Leg Paralysis – a unfortunately common malady for Gliders. Although she's always eaten a balanced diet with a good mix of fruits, veggies, protein and plenty of calcium (the ingredient whose lack causes the condition), she still managed to come down with it and within 5 hours from when I first saw her acting lethargic, she had died.

She was a very affectionate and playful pet and will be sadly missed.