Shallow men believe in luck, believe in circumstances -- it was somebody's name, or he happened to be there at the time, or it was so then, and another day would have been otherwise. Strong men believe in cause and effect.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Glenn Beck takes over!

Just for the halibut

I just watched the 2nd episode of Sarah Palin’s Alaska series. Okay, I’m impressed. That’s not too surprising, since I’ve always been a fan of hers. But I have been listening to the critiques that say she’s not qualified to be President of the United States, regardless of whether she can see Russia from her back yard or not.
So what does the series tell me about her that I didn’t already know? Other than she can shoot, fish and cook better than me?
Not much, I guess. Does a President actually need to know anything about catching, cleaning, and cooking halibut? Does he (she) really need to know about how a fishing boat makes a living? Or is an understanding of how to organize protests against ostensibly unfair working conditions a better qualification?
Gosh, that’s a tough one!

Fantasy: Nancy's first (and last) commercial airline flight

 

A bored Democrat congressperson from San Francisco was seated next to a little girl on a commercial flight so she turned to her and said, "Do you want to talk?  Flights go quicker with intelligent conversation."
 
The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the somewhat familiar stranger, "What do you want to talk about?"
 
"Oh, I don't know," said the politician.  "How about global warming, universal health care, or the stimulus package?”
 
"OK," the little girl said.  "Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first.  A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass.  Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps.  Why do you suppose that is?"
 
The former Speaker of the House, visibly surprised by the question, thinks about it and says, "Wow, I have no idea."
 
To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to discuss global warming, universal health care, or the economy, when you don't know shit?"
 
And then she went back to reading her book about the Boston Tea Party.

 

And Nancy went quietly back to California and was never heard from again. 

(I wish…)

 

(CNSNews.com) - When Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) gave her inaugural address as speaker of the House in 2007, she vowed there would be “no new deficit spending.” Since that day, the national debt has increased by $5 trillion, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

At the close of business on Jan. 4, 2007, Pelosi’s first day as speaker, the national debt was $8,670,596,242,973.04 (8.67 trillion), according to the Bureau of the Public Debt, a division of the U.S. Treasury Department.  At the close of business on Oct. 22, it stood at $13,667,983,325,978.31 (13.67 trillion), an increase of 4,997,387,083,005.27 (or approximately $5 trillion).

Pelosi, the 60th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has added more to the national debt than the first 57 House speakers combined.

 

NPR fires Juan Williams!

I guess it's my cynical side that makes me laugh at this. As often as Juan Williams has pissed me off with his (I consider) off-the-wall opinions, I've always respected him. In fact, sometimes I wonder if Fox pays him to say those things so they can be "fair and balanced". I like him too much to think he could actually believe that stuff.

But now I can't help myself...this is the best thing that could have happened two weeks before a critical election. With a likely GOP takeover of Congress, NPR (and PBS) will come under increased pressure to reform their left-leaning editorial content--and hopefully even lose public funding! Even better, this sorry episode exposes liberals and Democrats as the politically-correct hypocrites that I've always known them to be--at least since Jimmy Carter educated me. (Alright, one more time, I'm sorry I voted for him. Okay?) Just one more rock for all the Dimocrat candidates to carry into the election.
Please pardon my grin.

"A declaration not of war, but of ambivalence"

Regardless if you agree with the war in Afghanistan, this column by Charles Krauthammer is a devastating indictment of Obama.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/248433/why-he-sending-them-charles-krauthammer

You might be a redneck!

You might be a redneck if: It never occurred to you to be offended by the phrase, 'One nation, under God.'
You might be a redneck if: You've never protested about seeing the Ten Commandments posted in public places.
You might be a redneck if: You still say 'Christmas' instead of 'Winter Festival.'
You might be a redneck if: You bow your head when someone prays.
You might be a redneck if: You stand and place your hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem.

You might be a redneck if: You treat our armed forces veterans with great respect, and always have.
You might be a redneck if: You've never burned an American flag, nor intend to.
You might be a redneck if: You know what you believe and you aren't afraid to say so, no matter who is listening.
You might be a redneck if: You respect your elders and raised your kids to do the same.
You might be a redneck if: You'd give your last dollar to a friend.

If you’re just dying to get rid of Obama, here’s a suggestion.

The Forgotten Man

National Review comment here.

Oorah!!!

News Alert

from The Wall Street Journal

 

 

U.S. Marines early Thursday boarded and seized control of a German-owned commercial vessel that had been commandeered by pirates, in what appeared to be the first American-led military boarding of its kind amid a recent surge of attacks in the Gulf of Aden and along the east coast of Africa.

 

A raiding party of 24 Marines boarded the ship about 85 miles southeast of Mukallah, Yemen, in the Gulf of Aden, according to the U.S. Navy.

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704644404575481252054001786.html?mod=djemalertNEWS

 

Pee Power

“Urine-powered fuel cells to offer pee power to people”  [Link]

Low on fuel?  Stop at the next 7-11, buy and drink a case of Coors, then wait for nature to call.

Now if they’d just figure out how to capture and use the methane produced by bean dip we can literally drive those eeviilll oil companies out of business!

The Gipper speaks!

Time magazine cover

I like National Review’s comment on the Time magazine cover:

Time Suddenly Finds a Cover Story You Can't Ignore 

Managing editor Rick Stengel explains: "Our cover image this week is powerful, shocking and disturbing. It is a portrait of Aisha, a shy 18-year-old Afghan woman who was sentenced by a Taliban commander to have her nose and ears cut off for fleeing her abusive in-laws. Aisha posed for the picture and says she wants the world to see the effect a Taliban resurgence would have on the women of Afghanistan, many of whom have flourished in the past few years. Her picture is accompanied by a powerful story by our own Aryn Baker on how Afghan women have embraced the freedoms that have come from the defeat of the Taliban -- and how they fear a Taliban revival."

I see that image and think, "Tell me we've killed a lot of these guys. Tell me we're going to kill a lot of Taliban today, and a lot of Taliban tomorrow, and a lot more before we leave, even if we don't leave this country in the state we originally desired." I realize that the problem in Afghanistan is not a lack of firepower or enemy casualties and that the difficulties there are complicated by a mess of local corruption, shifting tribal alliances, consistent suspicions of Pakistani assistance, and some of the toughest terrain on this earth. But clearly the foundation for a better tomorrow for all of our children is built upon a high stack of Taliban corpses. I don't know if God will look into the eyes of a man who disfigures a woman like that and forgive him; I just know that we ought to help arrange that meeting as quickly as possible.

I’m not a big fan of Time magazine, but their cover story this week is right on target.

Check the cover out:  http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20100809,00.html .

 

 

 

Regarding the Gulf oil spill ABC News reports, “…the federal government have amassed an army to clean the oil up, but there's one problem -- they're having trouble finding it. At its peak last month, the oil slick was the size of Kansas, but it has been rapidly shrinking, now down to the size of New Hampshire.”

Or, as I heard one commentator on Houston’s KNTH radio describe it, “The oil slick at one point was the size of President Obama’s ego.  Now it’s the size of his credibility.”

 

www.usdebtclock.org

This you just got to see!

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

 

You just can't describe a liberal better than this!

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a recent interview that his "foremost" mission as the head of America's space exploration agency is to improve relations with the Muslim world.  [Link]

 

This has raised a few eyebrows but I think it’s a great idea.  If we build a mosque on the moon maybe Obama could finally shut down Guantanamo!  Shoot, we won’t even need any barbed wire!

 

How much do you think we could get for Washington DC?

Greece starts putting island land up for sale to save economy.

 

House, Senate leaders finalize details of sweeping financial overhaul

"This is about as important as it gets, because it deals with every single aspect of our lives." –Sen. Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.)

 

"No one will know until this is actually in place how it works.”—Sen. Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.)

 

"My guess is there are three unintended consequences on every page of this bill," Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R., Texas) said of the nearly 2,000-page bill.

 

Maybe now I can sleep better!

Joe Barton was right about the ‘shakedown’, but he shouldn’t have apologized to BP.  He should have apologized to the nation.

This just makes me proud to be an American...

Residents get 6 votes each in suburban NY election

By JIM FITZGERALD, Associated Press Writer – Tue Jun 15, 4:08 pm ET

PORT CHESTER, N.Y. – Arthur Furano voted early — five days before Election Day. And he voted often, flipping the lever six times for his favorite candidate. Furano cast multiple votes on the instructions of a federal judge and the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a new election system crafted to help boost Hispanic representation.  [Link]

 

An itsy bitsy problem

Freedom of religion is the very first guarantee in the Bill of Rights:  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

How, then, can we possibly deny the right of Muslims to worship as they wish?  This question has been bothering me for quite a while.

Here’s an interesting observation by Andy McCarthy (in his book, The Grand Jihad) that I hadn’t thought about:

… though Islam aspires to be much more than a religion (it is an all-encompassing legal, political and social system from which the spiritual elements are indivisible), it is given the label of “religion.” [link]

This raises an interesting—and not entirely hypothetical—question:   Do the American people have the right to divest themselves of their first amendment rights?

You might want to ask the Canadian people, who enjoy these Fundamental freedoms in Part I, Section 2 of their Constitution:

Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

(a) freedom of conscience and religion;

(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication

Now talk to author Mark Steyn, who is currently being prosecuted—in Canada—for statements critical of Islam in his book, America Alone.

I got to thinking about this today when commandos from the Israeli Defense Force—the IDF—tried to stop some “peace activists” from delivering “relief supplies” to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.  The Israelis were attacked with pipes and knives, and ended up killing nine of their attackers.  (You may not have heard that this all happened after the ship refused an Israeli offer to escort the ship to port, inspect its cargo, and then allow it to proceed. They do this to prevent arms from being delivered into a highly volatile region.) I suppose it’s just a matter of time before the UN condemns the Israelis for having the nerve to defend themselves.  And since Obama is the first citizen of the world he’ll have no choice but to, sadly, go along. (Dare I say, a fellow traveler?)

Anyway, back to the subject I never really left…

If Muslims themselves consider Islam to be more than a religion then it would seem apparent that we have the right (obligation!) to just say no!  Isn’t it just a bit odd that Baptist pastors are threatened by the IRS if they endorse specific candidates, while Muslim Imams are free to preach a form of Sharia  law that would condemn homosexuals and force women back into the 18^th century?  It’s painful for me to imagine an America where that itsy bitsy teeny weenie yellow polka dot bikini would have to covered by either a burqa or a barrage of stones. 

Cliff

 

Bad, bad America

Christie for President?

New Jersey Gov. Christie ain’t pretty, but he's quickly moving up my list of Republican presidential prospects!

Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his 'confrontational tone'

From Politico: 
During his time in the Senate and while running for president, Obama received a total of $77,051 from the oil giant (BP) and is the top recipient of BP PAC and individual money over the past 20 years, according to financial disclosure records.  
An Obama spokesman rejected the notion that the president took big oil money.  [Link]

I thought this pair of headlines on Drudge today made for a revealing contrast:

 

Obama To Wall Street:

"I Do Think At A Certain Point You've Made Enough Money"  [source]

 

Want to get rich? Work for feds  [source]

As of 2008, the average federal salary was $119,982, compared with $59,909 for the average private sector employee. In other words, the average federal bureaucrat makes twice as much as the average working taxpayer.

Yes, these are the same people who are running the economy!

 

1st Annual Everybody Draw Mohammad Day

Here’s a great idea! The “Citizens Against Citizens Against Humor” (CACAH) has designated May 20, 2010, as the First Annual Everybody Draw Mohammad Day. 

Ever since the crazy jihadists decided that any depiction of The Prophet is blasphemy punishable by death, all of the “courageous” media—most recently Comedy Central—have been working overtime to avoid offending the most cowardly fighters in the history of the planet. (What else would you call killers who then run and hide behind their own women and children?)

Anyway, the jihadist threat seems a little extreme given the fact that no one has a clue what Mohammed looked like.  I suppose it’s like the little girl who decided to draw a picture of God.  When told that no one knows what he looks like she said, “They will when I finish!”.

In that same spirit I heartily endorse the idea and have already started work on my drawing.

'Mercury Falls'

I have a book recommendation that I’m a little hesitant about because it’s so irreverent.  In fact for a while I was worried it was going to be sacrilegious but I don’t think it ever went quite that far (I was laughing so hard I may have missed it).  It’s about the Apocalypse and it’s called “Mercury Falls”, by Robert Kroese.  Mercury is a (sort of) fallen angel, and (sort of) a Mitch Rapp or Jack Bauer with wings. (He doesn’t really have wings, but that doesn’t really matter, either.) There’s also a fat slob named Karl who wins a contest to become the Antichrist.  Plus lots of other seraphim and cherubim to keep things rolling along.

Up to now the funniest book I ever read was Don Quixote, but this one is right up there.  I pedaled my stationary bicycle for 67 minutes tonight, laughing all the way, just to finish it. You can download it to your Kindle for $2.99.  Or you can pony up $12 on Amazon for the paperback.

 

 

 

Stupid humans!!!

“Humans are too stupid to prevent climate change from radically impacting on our lives over the coming decades. This is the stark conclusion of James Lovelock, the globally respected environmental thinker and independent scientist who developed the Gaia theory.”  [Link]

 

They couldn’t fool us with falsified temperatures and sloppy science, so now we’re stupid.

 

We the People

Sean Penn just oozes compassion.  Or something.

When asked on CBS' "Sunday Morning" about those who question his motives for his humanitarian work in Haiti, he [Sean Penn] said:
"Do I hope that those people die screaming of rectal cancer? Yeah.”    [Link]

 

 

US Marines airdropped into Taliban-held territory

US Marines airdropped into Taliban-held territory

Feb 19, 7:05 AM (ET)

By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU

MARJAH, Afghanistan (AP) - Elite Marine recon teams were dropped behind Taliban lines by helicopter Friday as the U.S.-led force stepped up operations to break resistance in the besieged insurgent stronghold of Marjah.

About two dozen Marines were inserted before dawn into an area where skilled Taliban marksmen are known to operate, an officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

 

Let’s see…in this story he’s revealed our troop strength, target and approximate location. 

Does anyone besides me think this anonymous “officer” should be identified and shot?

 

 

Valentine's Day

For some reason Valentine’s Day always reminds me of a short poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay:

 

All the grown-up people say,

“What, those ugly thistles?

Mustn’t touch them!  Keep Away!

Prickly!  Full of bristles!”

 

Yet they never make me bleed

Half so much as roses!

Must be purple is a weed,

And pink and white is posies.

 

 

Global warming and chaos theory

Here’s the latest headline from the global warming front:

UN climate change panel based claims on student dissertation and magazine article [Link]

I remember when I first heard of chaos theory that what grabbed my interest was the “butterfly effect” hypothesis that a wind current generated by the flap of a butterfly’s wing could set off a chain reaction resulting in a hurricane. It was a fascinating idea, but today I think it’s about as silly as the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) wanting to reorder the world economic system based on anecdotal evidence from one student’s science paper and a couple of mountain climbers.  That certainly is a formula for chaos!

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration is considering several steps that would review the legality of the controversial Bowl Championship Series. [Link]
I know…what business does the US government have interfering with college football?  Yes, I know, I know!!!  But maybe, just maybe His Majesty will stay so busy screwing up something as harmless as the BCS then he won’t have time to screw up health care, the environment, and the economy.

Think of it as Tinker Toys for half-wits.

 

This just keeps getting better and better.  The London TimesOnline, referring to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report that won a Nobel prize in 2007, said today that at least five “glaring errors” have been found. 

The error that started it all was the one about the Himalyan glaciers melting by 2035.  Syed Hasnain, the Indian glaciologist who was erroneously quoted about the melting glaciers, said he first noticed the mistake in 2008. But he didn’t mention it because he wasn’t working for the IPCC at the time—even though his boss, Dr. Rajenda Pachauri, was the head of the panel.

“I was keeping quiet as I was working here. My job is not to point out mistakes.”

I wonder whose job it is?  Must be a union thing.

 

John Stossel on free markets

Watching John Stossel's reports is a much needed antidote to the non-education provided by our public schools and colleges. Here are links to a report (in 6 parts) on Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged" that soon morphs into a seminar in free market principles.

1. Atlas Shrugged (part 1)
2. Atlas Shrugged (part 2)
3. Atlas Shrugged (part 3)
4. Atlas Shrugged (part 4)
5. Atlas Shrugged (part 5)
6. Atlas Shrugged (part 6)

backlash!

Here’s an excerpt from Victor Davis Hanson’s excellent column today:

 

Voters are sick and tired of a terrible year of big spending and big deficits — especially the sight of Obama and his congressional allies almost daily talking breezily about spending what we do not have.

Voters went for the hope-and-change Obama in part because he promised fiscal sobriety after the Bush $500 billion deficit. Instead, in utterly cynical fashion, Obama trumped that red ink four times over. In the process, he developed a terrible habit of promising favored constituencies a hundred billion here, a hundred billion there as if it were all paper money — rather than real borrowed currency that will have to be confiscated in the future from the beleaguered taxpayer. It only makes it worse than the more the administration borrowed, printed, and spent, the higher unemployment rose and the lower economic activity plummeted.

Most have had enough of pie-in-the-sky talk of massive new health-care entitlements, cap-and-trade taxes and regulation, more stimulus, and more takeovers of private enterprise. The country is broke and the people want to pay off, not incur more, crushing debt. What got us into the mess was too much borrowing, skyrocketing debt, and reckless spending — not too many balanced budgets and too much lean government.

 

"crony capitalism"

John Stossel’s expose on “crony capitalism” was on Fox Business Network last night and will be repeated tonight at 9 PM Central.

Everyone in this country over the age of 12 should be required to watch it.

Take your blood pressure medicine first.

 

 

Can BO tell a lie?

You be the judge.

Thousands protest global warming!!!