Chicago is the home of a dying breed of huge political machines. The Daley machine still operates. The following article comes from the Boston Globe ( hardly a conservative newspaper.)
Note how all of this comes down and how public money is squandered and stolen by "inside" players and politicians. Practices such as these have been going on in America for at least 150 years! And, yes, occasionally people like Rezko have to go to jail.
Change, my ass!
Grim proving ground for Obama's housing policy - The Boston Globe
Monday, June 30, 2008
Listen Up! I don't like Obama!
This old dog wonders what he has to do to be shut down by Google as an anti-Obama web site. Since, at this point in my life, I can't really be intimidated by anything or anybody, I think I should give it a try!!
The following is a kind of scary:
Bloggasm » Who’s responsible for shutting down a number of anti-Obama Blogspot
The following is a kind of scary:
Bloggasm » Who’s responsible for shutting down a number of anti-Obama Blogspot
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Spreading Lies
From Laura Ingraham:
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL:
Feeling happy? Satisfied? Sounds like a job for Amnesty International! In an attempt to convince Americans of their own depravity, Amnesty is bringing a life-size replica of a Guantanamo Bay cell on a national tour.
One problem. As reported by Cybercast News Service, the cell has far more in common with the paranoid delusions of the blame-America-first crowd than anything you'll find at Gitmo. The replica measures 7 by 10 feet, while actual cells are 10 by 20.
The cell on the Mall is also missing the sink Gitmo cells include. Amenities like bedding, toiletries, copies of the Koran and three-square meals a day also go unmentioned. As do prayer rugs, "culturally appropriate meals," and a recorded call to prayer broadcast five times daily. AIUSA aims for Americans to know the feeling of being "almost totally isolated, where you're put in stress positions that are extremely painful."
In truth, prisoners with good behavior at Gitmo are also allowed to socially interact and even play a little soccer.
Amnesty even screwed up the colors; detainees wear tan, not orange. But other than that, this "replica" is dead on.
It's no surprise that to paint America in a bad light, Amnesty's resorting to spreading lies and enemy propaganda.
Not that I can really blame them. It's hard to imagine too many Americans getting worked up over terrorists being denied turndown service.
SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL:
Feeling happy? Satisfied? Sounds like a job for Amnesty International! In an attempt to convince Americans of their own depravity, Amnesty is bringing a life-size replica of a Guantanamo Bay cell on a national tour.
One problem. As reported by Cybercast News Service, the cell has far more in common with the paranoid delusions of the blame-America-first crowd than anything you'll find at Gitmo. The replica measures 7 by 10 feet, while actual cells are 10 by 20.
The cell on the Mall is also missing the sink Gitmo cells include. Amenities like bedding, toiletries, copies of the Koran and three-square meals a day also go unmentioned. As do prayer rugs, "culturally appropriate meals," and a recorded call to prayer broadcast five times daily. AIUSA aims for Americans to know the feeling of being "almost totally isolated, where you're put in stress positions that are extremely painful."
In truth, prisoners with good behavior at Gitmo are also allowed to socially interact and even play a little soccer.
Amnesty even screwed up the colors; detainees wear tan, not orange. But other than that, this "replica" is dead on.
It's no surprise that to paint America in a bad light, Amnesty's resorting to spreading lies and enemy propaganda.
Not that I can really blame them. It's hard to imagine too many Americans getting worked up over terrorists being denied turndown service.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Tired of Being Compared to Hitler?
The following is a cute article from the satirical blog, " Stuff White People Like."
Comparing People to Hitler
By: Isaac “Absent” Amirian
Being a truly advanced white person means being able to speak with authority about pretty much any field of conversation- especially politics. In order for white people to streamline the process of knowing everything, all human beings can be neatly filed into one of two categories: People I Agree With, and People Who are Just Like Adolf Hitler.
Comparing people to Hitler is an easy way for white people to get a strong point across to the less enlightened, or the insufficiently white. Everyone knows who Adolf Hitler was. And everyone knows that Hitler was very, very bad. Therefore, if a white person really, REALLY, doesn’t like something or someone, he or she may angrily say something to the effect of, “This is exactly the same kind of thing that Hitler used to do!” accompanied by varying levels of profanity based on blood-alcohol content. No matter what your gut reaction may be at that point, do not disagree with that white person. Otherwise, well, you love Hitler.
This time-tested white-person maneuver may seem so awesomely useful to you that you are tempted to go out and try it right now. Not so fast. White people have spent the last 30 years perfecting this technique. There are cultural guidelines.
It’s also critical that you avoid the fatal mistake of getting creative and comparing people you don’t like to other evil dictators, such as Joseph Stalin or Fidel Castro. With few exceptions, white people are actually fond of almost any dictator not named Hitler, and your remark that “this is just like something Mao Zedong would do” will be met with blank stares and possible social alienation. This is because, with the exception of Hitler,oppressive dictators share a passion for many of the things white people love- such as universal health care, conspiracy theories, caring about poor people while being filthy rich, and cool hats. Stick to the script and
compare things you don’t like to Hitler, and Hitler alone.
Now, like most reasonable people, you might find this strategy distasteful, and even a bit disrespectful, since after all, Hitler was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions, and probably doesn’t have that much in common with Pat Robertson, in perspective. If you prefer to avoid hearing or using the Hitler technique, we recommend you speak in soothing, affirming tones around angry white people to prevent the phenomenon from manifesting, and change the subject tactfully. To something that doesn’t involve GeorgeW. Bush.
Comparing People to Hitler
By: Isaac “Absent” Amirian
Being a truly advanced white person means being able to speak with authority about pretty much any field of conversation- especially politics. In order for white people to streamline the process of knowing everything, all human beings can be neatly filed into one of two categories: People I Agree With, and People Who are Just Like Adolf Hitler.
Comparing people to Hitler is an easy way for white people to get a strong point across to the less enlightened, or the insufficiently white. Everyone knows who Adolf Hitler was. And everyone knows that Hitler was very, very bad. Therefore, if a white person really, REALLY, doesn’t like something or someone, he or she may angrily say something to the effect of, “This is exactly the same kind of thing that Hitler used to do!” accompanied by varying levels of profanity based on blood-alcohol content. No matter what your gut reaction may be at that point, do not disagree with that white person. Otherwise, well, you love Hitler.
This time-tested white-person maneuver may seem so awesomely useful to you that you are tempted to go out and try it right now. Not so fast. White people have spent the last 30 years perfecting this technique. There are cultural guidelines.
It’s also critical that you avoid the fatal mistake of getting creative and comparing people you don’t like to other evil dictators, such as Joseph Stalin or Fidel Castro. With few exceptions, white people are actually fond of almost any dictator not named Hitler, and your remark that “this is just like something Mao Zedong would do” will be met with blank stares and possible social alienation. This is because, with the exception of Hitler,oppressive dictators share a passion for many of the things white people love- such as universal health care, conspiracy theories, caring about poor people while being filthy rich, and cool hats. Stick to the script and
compare things you don’t like to Hitler, and Hitler alone.
Now, like most reasonable people, you might find this strategy distasteful, and even a bit disrespectful, since after all, Hitler was responsible for the deaths of tens of millions, and probably doesn’t have that much in common with Pat Robertson, in perspective. If you prefer to avoid hearing or using the Hitler technique, we recommend you speak in soothing, affirming tones around angry white people to prevent the phenomenon from manifesting, and change the subject tactfully. To something that doesn’t involve GeorgeW. Bush.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Crazy People Are Out There
Unbelievable stuff.
And to think these people's votes count just as much as ours! I will never understand the mindset of humans who can think this way! Please click on the link:
lgf: Obama Blog Troofer Roundup
And to think these people's votes count just as much as ours! I will never understand the mindset of humans who can think this way! Please click on the link:
lgf: Obama Blog Troofer Roundup
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Uh-Oh. No News Conference After All
Dems In Disarray
Yesterday, the Democrats' House leadership announced with considerable fanfare that Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, James Clyburn, Rahm Emanuel and John Larson would hold a news conference at 11:30 this morning "to discuss the New Direction Congress' efforts to lower gas prices."
Here is the press release; click to enlarge:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/PressConference61.php
This morning, the news conference was canceled. The Democrats don't have an energy policy, and they can't think of one. The truth is that the "New Direction Congress" has done nothing whatsoever to lower gas prices, and, on the contrary, the Democrats have blocked all efforts by Republican members to enact policies that would have that result. At the moment, the Dems aren't even able to come up with a plausible cover story, let alone a constructive energy policy
Yesterday, the Democrats' House leadership announced with considerable fanfare that Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, James Clyburn, Rahm Emanuel and John Larson would hold a news conference at 11:30 this morning "to discuss the New Direction Congress' efforts to lower gas prices."
Here is the press release; click to enlarge:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/PressConference61.php
This morning, the news conference was canceled. The Democrats don't have an energy policy, and they can't think of one. The truth is that the "New Direction Congress" has done nothing whatsoever to lower gas prices, and, on the contrary, the Democrats have blocked all efforts by Republican members to enact policies that would have that result. At the moment, the Dems aren't even able to come up with a plausible cover story, let alone a constructive energy policy
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Palin Doing the Responsible Thing
From a statement issued by the State of Alaska
Governor Palin Urges Congress to Open ANWR
June 23, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today urged members of Congress to enact legislation that would allow oil and gas development in a small portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
In a letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and key members of Congress, Governor Palin stressed the need to enact an energy policy that includes oil and gas production from domestic sources, since failure to enact a sound energy policy is having real-life consequences.
The Governor reminded members of Congress that the footprint of development would be less than 2,000 acres. She also assured members that any development would be conducted in a responsible and environmentally safe manner
Governor Palin Urges Congress to Open ANWR
June 23, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today urged members of Congress to enact legislation that would allow oil and gas development in a small portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
In a letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and key members of Congress, Governor Palin stressed the need to enact an energy policy that includes oil and gas production from domestic sources, since failure to enact a sound energy policy is having real-life consequences.
The Governor reminded members of Congress that the footprint of development would be less than 2,000 acres. She also assured members that any development would be conducted in a responsible and environmentally safe manner
This Dog is Happy for Ole Will
A comment from the ever wonderful Laura Ingraham:
'THE PURSUIT OF DAFFYNESS': Will Smith appeared on the Today show this morning and after some prodding by co-host Matt Lauer, went all Michelle Obama on us: "You know I just, I just came back from Moscow, Berlin, London and Paris and it's the first, I've been there quite a few times in the past five to 10 years. And it just hasn't been a good thing to be American. And this is the first time, since Barack has gotten the nomination, that it, it was a good thing."
Ah yes, the trials of visiting Moscow, Berlin, London and Paris in the Bush era. The things celebrities are forced to do.
'THE PURSUIT OF DAFFYNESS': Will Smith appeared on the Today show this morning and after some prodding by co-host Matt Lauer, went all Michelle Obama on us: "You know I just, I just came back from Moscow, Berlin, London and Paris and it's the first, I've been there quite a few times in the past five to 10 years. And it just hasn't been a good thing to be American. And this is the first time, since Barack has gotten the nomination, that it, it was a good thing."
Ah yes, the trials of visiting Moscow, Berlin, London and Paris in the Bush era. The things celebrities are forced to do.
Monday, June 23, 2008
No Wonder Newspapers are Dying
Media to America: Disaster Seen as Catastrophe Looms
June 23, 2008 10:52 AM ET James Pethokoukis
"I know you're just a reporter, but you used to be a person, right?" is a quote from the film Deep Impact and immediately came to mind after I read this article from the Associated Press. (It actually took two people to write it.) The "article" made me weep for my chosen profession. The absolutely disgraceful lead:
Is everything spinning out of control? Midwestern levees are bursting. Polar bears are adrift. Gas prices are skyrocketing. Home values are abysmal. Air fares, college tuition and health care border on unaffordable. Wars without end rage in Iraq, Afghanistan and against terrorism. Horatio Alger, twist in your grave. The can-do, bootstrap approach embedded in the American psyche is under assault. Eroding it is a dour powerlessness that is chipping away at the country's sturdy conviction that destiny can be commanded with sheer courage and perseverance.
I dunno, maybe contributing to our low national morale are media that 1) compare a weak economy—although one that has yet to suffer even a single negative quarter—to the disastrous economies of the 1930s and 1970s; 2) forget to mention that the average person buying a home in, say, January 2000, is still sitting on a 66 percent gain; 3) ignore the economy's sky-high productivity, which helps make it the most competitive in the world; 4) ignore a global economic boom that is pushing up gas prices but also raising hundreds of millions of people out of poverty; and 5) for the heck of it, perpetuate the myth that college is unaffordable.
(Oh, and since the authors of the article brought it up, it sure looks to this Soviet politics major that Iraq is turning into a situation for al Qaeda that is exactly the reverse of Afghanistan in the 1980s: Militants take on superpower. Get annihilated along with their global brand.)
America's "can-do" attitude? We are coming off a record year for initial public offerings. I mean, I could go on and on here. I don't know anyone who is giving up, other than the AP.
June 23, 2008 10:52 AM ET James Pethokoukis
"I know you're just a reporter, but you used to be a person, right?" is a quote from the film Deep Impact and immediately came to mind after I read this article from the Associated Press. (It actually took two people to write it.) The "article" made me weep for my chosen profession. The absolutely disgraceful lead:
Is everything spinning out of control? Midwestern levees are bursting. Polar bears are adrift. Gas prices are skyrocketing. Home values are abysmal. Air fares, college tuition and health care border on unaffordable. Wars without end rage in Iraq, Afghanistan and against terrorism. Horatio Alger, twist in your grave. The can-do, bootstrap approach embedded in the American psyche is under assault. Eroding it is a dour powerlessness that is chipping away at the country's sturdy conviction that destiny can be commanded with sheer courage and perseverance.
I dunno, maybe contributing to our low national morale are media that 1) compare a weak economy—although one that has yet to suffer even a single negative quarter—to the disastrous economies of the 1930s and 1970s; 2) forget to mention that the average person buying a home in, say, January 2000, is still sitting on a 66 percent gain; 3) ignore the economy's sky-high productivity, which helps make it the most competitive in the world; 4) ignore a global economic boom that is pushing up gas prices but also raising hundreds of millions of people out of poverty; and 5) for the heck of it, perpetuate the myth that college is unaffordable.
(Oh, and since the authors of the article brought it up, it sure looks to this Soviet politics major that Iraq is turning into a situation for al Qaeda that is exactly the reverse of Afghanistan in the 1980s: Militants take on superpower. Get annihilated along with their global brand.)
America's "can-do" attitude? We are coming off a record year for initial public offerings. I mean, I could go on and on here. I don't know anyone who is giving up, other than the AP.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Time to be a Man
In response to Obama's claim that Republicans will use race to stoke fear, Lt. Col Allen West, candidate for Congress in Florida's 22 District issued this release:
My advice to Senator Obama is to run as a Man and Leader, and the American people will evaluate you as such, not as a victim. This is a Presidential race, based solely on a capacity to lead the United States of America.
It is not about skin tone...however, perhaps we should come to expect these immature statements. It also seems rather humorous that the Presidential candidate who was supposed to be such a "uniter" and transcend race is the one talking about it the most.
If Senator Obama was confident in his abilities and character, he would not need to create a crutch for failure. Senator Obama has just tipped his hand, any criticism of him and his policies will be directly attributed to racism. I congratulate Senator Obama for taking race relations in America back some 30 years
My advice to Senator Obama is to run as a Man and Leader, and the American people will evaluate you as such, not as a victim. This is a Presidential race, based solely on a capacity to lead the United States of America.
It is not about skin tone...however, perhaps we should come to expect these immature statements. It also seems rather humorous that the Presidential candidate who was supposed to be such a "uniter" and transcend race is the one talking about it the most.
If Senator Obama was confident in his abilities and character, he would not need to create a crutch for failure. Senator Obama has just tipped his hand, any criticism of him and his policies will be directly attributed to racism. I congratulate Senator Obama for taking race relations in America back some 30 years
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Crocodile Tears
Laura Ingraham reports on this LA Times story:
POOR LITTLE GANG BANGER!
Cue the world's smallest violin, 'cause we've got ourselves a sob story of epic proportions. In saner eras, yesterday's front-page L.A. Times story about a 23-year-old Anaheim gang member would be confused for parody. Sadly, today it's just another example of the length many will go to excuse criminal behavior.
Jose Luis Muñoz, we are told, was raised by a single mother. And as if that weren't heartbreaking enough, we're also told Muñoz's childhood was not one of affluence. In 2005, Muñoz found himself running from cops for reasons the Times opts not to report. The pursuit ended with Muñoz being hit by a police cruiser. Naturally, he sued and won $2.5 million. After serving a jail sentence, the idealistic minds behind the settlement were excited, certain the cash would help Muñoz turn his life around. Not so much. Instead, he was arrested only months later for violating his parole for associating with other gang members. But don't blame Muñoz! As The Times reports:
Richard Ramos, a gang expert and author who grew up in Highland Park, agreed that identity and fitting in have a lot to do with Muñoz's recidivism.
"People who don't have money transform their lives all the time," Ramos said. "In this case, $2.5 million wasn't enough. To kids like him, identity and belonging are powerful forces that keep them in gangs. There has to be an inside-out transformation or a life-changing event to bring change. Gangs compete with your family for loyalty
.And rough upbringings are hardly a new excuse. Recall that in 2006, Zacarias Moussaoui -- aka the "20th hijacker" -- pleaded guilty to charges ranging from conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism to conspiracy to destroy aircraft and use WMDs. Before his sentencing, his attorneys offered a real tearjerker: his father was abusive, his girlfriend's parents never approved of him, his native France was intolerant of his Muslim beliefs ... of course he turned out to be a terrorist.
The only thing such excuse making serves to accomplish is to re-enforce in defendants' minds that whatever he's done -- it's not his fault. That's bad for society, and the convicted.
POOR LITTLE GANG BANGER!
Cue the world's smallest violin, 'cause we've got ourselves a sob story of epic proportions. In saner eras, yesterday's front-page L.A. Times story about a 23-year-old Anaheim gang member would be confused for parody. Sadly, today it's just another example of the length many will go to excuse criminal behavior.
Jose Luis Muñoz, we are told, was raised by a single mother. And as if that weren't heartbreaking enough, we're also told Muñoz's childhood was not one of affluence. In 2005, Muñoz found himself running from cops for reasons the Times opts not to report. The pursuit ended with Muñoz being hit by a police cruiser. Naturally, he sued and won $2.5 million. After serving a jail sentence, the idealistic minds behind the settlement were excited, certain the cash would help Muñoz turn his life around. Not so much. Instead, he was arrested only months later for violating his parole for associating with other gang members. But don't blame Muñoz! As The Times reports:
Richard Ramos, a gang expert and author who grew up in Highland Park, agreed that identity and fitting in have a lot to do with Muñoz's recidivism.
"People who don't have money transform their lives all the time," Ramos said. "In this case, $2.5 million wasn't enough. To kids like him, identity and belonging are powerful forces that keep them in gangs. There has to be an inside-out transformation or a life-changing event to bring change. Gangs compete with your family for loyalty
.And rough upbringings are hardly a new excuse. Recall that in 2006, Zacarias Moussaoui -- aka the "20th hijacker" -- pleaded guilty to charges ranging from conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism to conspiracy to destroy aircraft and use WMDs. Before his sentencing, his attorneys offered a real tearjerker: his father was abusive, his girlfriend's parents never approved of him, his native France was intolerant of his Muslim beliefs ... of course he turned out to be a terrorist.
The only thing such excuse making serves to accomplish is to re-enforce in defendants' minds that whatever he's done -- it's not his fault. That's bad for society, and the convicted.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
From Laura Ingraham
PRESIDENT POOH?
Sen. Barack Obama's top foreign-policy adviser, former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig, says the U.S. should follow Winnie the Pooh's lead when it comes to fighting al Qaeda. No joke. Here's what he said: "Winnie the Pooh seems to me to be a fundamental text on national security."
The possible National Security Adviser to President Obama added that Pooh's war philosophy can be summed up thusly: if something is causing you too much pain, give it up and try something else.Tell that to the veterans of Belleau Wood, Sicily, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, Mr. Danzig. Tell it to the Special Forces troops who may be tracking al Qaeda terrorists in Somalia, the Philippines, Afghanistan or Iraq right now.
Things worth doing, things that are vital to keeping this country safe, are often difficult and, yes, even painful. Danzig's hedonistic approach to foreign affairs is a signal that America is a paper tiger (Tigger?) because the leaders we elect are weak (Eeyores, all). And if America elects Barack Obama, our enemies just may prove that theory right.
Sen. Barack Obama's top foreign-policy adviser, former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig, says the U.S. should follow Winnie the Pooh's lead when it comes to fighting al Qaeda. No joke. Here's what he said: "Winnie the Pooh seems to me to be a fundamental text on national security."
The possible National Security Adviser to President Obama added that Pooh's war philosophy can be summed up thusly: if something is causing you too much pain, give it up and try something else.Tell that to the veterans of Belleau Wood, Sicily, Iwo Jima and Okinawa, Mr. Danzig. Tell it to the Special Forces troops who may be tracking al Qaeda terrorists in Somalia, the Philippines, Afghanistan or Iraq right now.
Things worth doing, things that are vital to keeping this country safe, are often difficult and, yes, even painful. Danzig's hedonistic approach to foreign affairs is a signal that America is a paper tiger (Tigger?) because the leaders we elect are weak (Eeyores, all). And if America elects Barack Obama, our enemies just may prove that theory right.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Education Matters
If you don't think that what a child learns in school can be manipulated by the teachers and the society, this should give you pause.
Elian Gonzalez Joins Cuba's Communist Youth Union
Gonzalez Says He Would Never Let Down Fidel CastroHAVANA (CBS4)
― Eight years after a headline making international custody fight which ended with his return to his father in Cuba, Elian Gonzalez has joined Cuba's Young Communist Union.
In an article in Cuba's communist youth newspaper, Juventud Rebelde, the 14-year old Gonzalez said he would never let ex-President Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro down. He joined more than 18-thousand others who joined the group on Saturday.
In 2000, Gonzalez' mother was killed when a boat carrying them to the U.S. capsized in the Florida Straits. Elian, who was 6 years old at the time, and two other refugees were found clinging to an inner tube for survival. After his rescue the boy stayed with relatives in South Florida until a long tug of war over custody ended with armed federal agents seizing him from his great uncle's Miami home. Elian then returned to Cuba to be with his father.
Elian Gonzalez Joins Cuba's Communist Youth Union
Gonzalez Says He Would Never Let Down Fidel CastroHAVANA (CBS4)
― Eight years after a headline making international custody fight which ended with his return to his father in Cuba, Elian Gonzalez has joined Cuba's Young Communist Union.
In an article in Cuba's communist youth newspaper, Juventud Rebelde, the 14-year old Gonzalez said he would never let ex-President Fidel Castro and his brother Raul Castro down. He joined more than 18-thousand others who joined the group on Saturday.
In 2000, Gonzalez' mother was killed when a boat carrying them to the U.S. capsized in the Florida Straits. Elian, who was 6 years old at the time, and two other refugees were found clinging to an inner tube for survival. After his rescue the boy stayed with relatives in South Florida until a long tug of war over custody ended with armed federal agents seizing him from his great uncle's Miami home. Elian then returned to Cuba to be with his father.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Weekend Reading
Two very interesting columns in the Wall Street Journal were published in the past few days. If you wish to, please check out these columns from Peggy Noonan and Thomas Sowell, two of the best conservative thinkers in America today:
The Tragedy of America's Disappearing Fathers - WSJ.com
Declarations - WSJ.com
The Tragedy of America's Disappearing Fathers - WSJ.com
Declarations - WSJ.com
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Senator Mc Cain, Wake Up!
Excerpt of an editorial in the Wall Street Journal:
Anyone wondering why U.S. energy policy is so dysfunctional need only review Congress's recent antics. Members have debated ideas ranging from suing OPEC to the Senate's carbon tax-and-regulation monstrosity, to a windfall profits tax on oil companies, to new punishments for "price gouging" – everything except expanding domestic energy supplies.
Amid $135 oil, it ought to be an easy, bipartisan victory to lift the political restrictions on energy exploration and production. Record-high fuel costs are hitting consumers and business like a huge tax increase. Yet the U.S. remains one of the only countries in the world that chooses as a matter of policy to lock up its natural resources. The Chinese think we're insane and self-destructive, while the Saudis laugh all the way to the bank.
At present, it is charitable to call Mr. McCain's energy ideas incoherent, and it may cost him the election.
Anyone wondering why U.S. energy policy is so dysfunctional need only review Congress's recent antics. Members have debated ideas ranging from suing OPEC to the Senate's carbon tax-and-regulation monstrosity, to a windfall profits tax on oil companies, to new punishments for "price gouging" – everything except expanding domestic energy supplies.
Amid $135 oil, it ought to be an easy, bipartisan victory to lift the political restrictions on energy exploration and production. Record-high fuel costs are hitting consumers and business like a huge tax increase. Yet the U.S. remains one of the only countries in the world that chooses as a matter of policy to lock up its natural resources. The Chinese think we're insane and self-destructive, while the Saudis laugh all the way to the bank.
At present, it is charitable to call Mr. McCain's energy ideas incoherent, and it may cost him the election.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Gas Prices
The Republican Whip, Roy Blunt, introduced this chart yesterday to the House of Representatives. Let us remember that he is the MINORITY WHIP and likely to remain so.
So, forget about it!!!
http://www.powerlineblog.com/GasChart51.php
So, forget about it!!!
http://www.powerlineblog.com/GasChart51.php
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Pelosi Premium
William Katz at Urgent Agenda reports on this:
Investor's Business Daily gets to the heart of the gasoline-price issue in exposing the "Pelosi premium." We can solve this problem, but we're being stopped by environmentalism's fundamentalist fanatics:
The price of gasoline when the Democrats took control of Congress was around $2.25 per gallon.
The average price of regular gas crept over the $4-per-gallon barrier over the weekend, as measured by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.
That represents a more than 75% increase in the retail price of a gallon of gasoline on Pelosi's watch. Call it the "Pelosi premium" we're all now paying.
It's a problem driven by domestic supply restrictions imposed by the Democratic Congress in the face of growing worldwide demand. The Democrats preach energy independence while they do everything in their power to prevent it. If the American people truly want change, this would be it.
And...
The U.S. Congress has voted consistently to keep 85% of America's offshore oil and gas off-limits, while China and Cuba drill 60 miles from Key West, Fla. The U.S. Minerals Management Service says that the restricted areas contain 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
There are 3,200 oil rigs off the coast of Louisiana. During Katrina, not a single drop was spilled. More than 7 billion barrels have been pumped from these wells over the past quarter-century, yet only one thousandth of one percent has been spilled.
Katz: What is sickening here is that the very people who scream of their love for the poor are themselves gouging the poor, making them pay absurd prices for fuel in order to live their pure, aren't-I-wonderful, environmentally pure lives. Ask the independent cabbie in Harlem what he thinks of five-dollar-a-gallon gasoline. But, of course, these superior creatures in the environmental movement would never talk to a cabbie in Harlem unless he was hauling them to a fundraiser at the Waldorf-Astoria.
Investor's Business Daily gets to the heart of the gasoline-price issue in exposing the "Pelosi premium." We can solve this problem, but we're being stopped by environmentalism's fundamentalist fanatics:
The price of gasoline when the Democrats took control of Congress was around $2.25 per gallon.
The average price of regular gas crept over the $4-per-gallon barrier over the weekend, as measured by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.
That represents a more than 75% increase in the retail price of a gallon of gasoline on Pelosi's watch. Call it the "Pelosi premium" we're all now paying.
It's a problem driven by domestic supply restrictions imposed by the Democratic Congress in the face of growing worldwide demand. The Democrats preach energy independence while they do everything in their power to prevent it. If the American people truly want change, this would be it.
And...
The U.S. Congress has voted consistently to keep 85% of America's offshore oil and gas off-limits, while China and Cuba drill 60 miles from Key West, Fla. The U.S. Minerals Management Service says that the restricted areas contain 86 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
There are 3,200 oil rigs off the coast of Louisiana. During Katrina, not a single drop was spilled. More than 7 billion barrels have been pumped from these wells over the past quarter-century, yet only one thousandth of one percent has been spilled.
Katz: What is sickening here is that the very people who scream of their love for the poor are themselves gouging the poor, making them pay absurd prices for fuel in order to live their pure, aren't-I-wonderful, environmentally pure lives. Ask the independent cabbie in Harlem what he thinks of five-dollar-a-gallon gasoline. But, of course, these superior creatures in the environmental movement would never talk to a cabbie in Harlem unless he was hauling them to a fundraiser at the Waldorf-Astoria.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Fascinating Woman
The governor of Alaska had been mentioned on this site much earlier. I wonder if we could be looking at a possible Vice-President here.
What are your thoughts? Am I goofy?
BeldarBlog: Would Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin be a grand slam as McCain's Veep?
What are your thoughts? Am I goofy?
BeldarBlog: Would Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin be a grand slam as McCain's Veep?
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Iowahawk for President
Funny, funny stuff. This guy is absolutely the best satirist on the web!! Take some time to read through three of his recent posts and add him to your "favorites" list.
iowahawk: And Then There Were Three
iowahawk: Canadian Radio Classics: Warman of the Mounted
iowahawk: Dear Barry
iowahawk: And Then There Were Three
iowahawk: Canadian Radio Classics: Warman of the Mounted
iowahawk: Dear Barry
We Hope
The following is a sliver of an op-ed that former UN Ambassador, John Bolton, penned in the Los Angeles Times. However, I'm cautious. Much has changed since 1984.
It is an article of faith for Obama, and many others on the left in the U.S. and abroad, that it is the United States that is mostly responsible for the world’s ills. In 1984, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick labeled people with these views the “San Francisco Democrats,” after the city where Walter Mondale was nominated for president.
Most famously, Kirkpatrick forever seared the San Francisco Democrats by saying that “they always blame America first” for the world’s problems. In so doing, she turned the name of the pre-World War II isolationist America First movement into a stigma the Democratic Party has never shaken.
This is yet another piece of history that Obama has ignored or never learned. There may be one more piece of history worthy of attention: In 1984, Mondale went down to one of the worst electoral defeats in American political history. We will now see whether Obama follows that path as well.
It is an article of faith for Obama, and many others on the left in the U.S. and abroad, that it is the United States that is mostly responsible for the world’s ills. In 1984, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick labeled people with these views the “San Francisco Democrats,” after the city where Walter Mondale was nominated for president.
Most famously, Kirkpatrick forever seared the San Francisco Democrats by saying that “they always blame America first” for the world’s problems. In so doing, she turned the name of the pre-World War II isolationist America First movement into a stigma the Democratic Party has never shaken.
This is yet another piece of history that Obama has ignored or never learned. There may be one more piece of history worthy of attention: In 1984, Mondale went down to one of the worst electoral defeats in American political history. We will now see whether Obama follows that path as well.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
An Important Distinction
Taken from an article by David Warren, a Canadian columnist:
I have myself observed this distinction between the Right and Left sides of mainstream electorates in most other Western countries: the Right tends to believe in facts, the Left to believe in “theories”; and as we advance through post-modern irrationalism, those theories become battier and battier.
The trend towards “global crazing” was not always there, however. If we go back half a century, differences between Liberals and Conservatives up here, as between Democrats and Republicans down there, did not hinge on “ability to discern reality.” On the facts of life; on moral, legal, and religious principles; on the need to keep government out of our lives and resist tyranny in any other form, there was broad agreement. A “very liberal” voter from the 1950s would pass for a “rightwing dinosaur” today.
This has become a signal threat to democracy. For where we once had broad agreement on facts, and relatively mild disagreements on what should be done about them, we now have one-half of the electorate drifting off into Cloud Cuckooland.
I have attributed this to many things, but chiefly to the effects of mass urbanization. People living in vast conurbations become disconnected from nature, and thus increasingly suggestible. The press of crowds enforces conformity, so that we get “school of fish” movements in public opinion. The individual fish believes that the direction of the school has been determined by “experts,” and anyway fears being eaten if he deviates from the consensus in any way.
I have myself observed this distinction between the Right and Left sides of mainstream electorates in most other Western countries: the Right tends to believe in facts, the Left to believe in “theories”; and as we advance through post-modern irrationalism, those theories become battier and battier.
The trend towards “global crazing” was not always there, however. If we go back half a century, differences between Liberals and Conservatives up here, as between Democrats and Republicans down there, did not hinge on “ability to discern reality.” On the facts of life; on moral, legal, and religious principles; on the need to keep government out of our lives and resist tyranny in any other form, there was broad agreement. A “very liberal” voter from the 1950s would pass for a “rightwing dinosaur” today.
This has become a signal threat to democracy. For where we once had broad agreement on facts, and relatively mild disagreements on what should be done about them, we now have one-half of the electorate drifting off into Cloud Cuckooland.
I have attributed this to many things, but chiefly to the effects of mass urbanization. People living in vast conurbations become disconnected from nature, and thus increasingly suggestible. The press of crowds enforces conformity, so that we get “school of fish” movements in public opinion. The individual fish believes that the direction of the school has been determined by “experts,” and anyway fears being eaten if he deviates from the consensus in any way.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Back to My Favorite Subject
How Are These Kids Going To Learn Such Things?"
By Ed Driscoll · June 05, 2008 12:24 PM · The Return of the Primitive
Andrew Klavan, the author of True Crime, adopted by Clint Eastwood for the big screen, albeit in a slightly bowdlerized form, visits an inner city fourth grade class, and comes away noting:
Beating poverty in America nowadays is largely a matter of personal behavior. Get a high school diploma, don’t have kids until you’re married, don’t get married until you’re 21, and you probably won’t be poor. It also helps if you work hard, show up on time, act courteously, and avoid anything felonious.
But where are these kids going to learn such things? It’s the stuff you just sort of absorb in a healthy, traditional, two-parent home, and that’s exactly what they’re missing. If they learn what they’ve lived, they’re done for—the girls too likely to “come out pregnant” like their mothers, the boys to be underemployed and maybe even do time.
You can’t legislate responsibility, either. Personal behavior in a free society has to be a matter of choice—choice without which there is no virtue—virtue without which a society can’t be free.
It seems to me that leaves these kids only one recourse: the culture. Where the institution of family is broken, only the surrounding culture can teach people the inner structures required for a life of liberty.
Many conservatives often seem to have given up on culture or not to care. There’s a strong strain of philistinism on the right. When we talk about “culture wars,” we usually mean preventing the courts from redefining marriage or promoting abstinence instead of birth control: culture, in other words, as the behavioral branch of politics.
Culture, in the true sense, is more than that. It’s the whole engulfing narrative of our values. It’s the stories we tell. Leftists know this. These kids get an earful from the Left every day. Their schools serve up black history in a way guaranteed to alienate them from the American enterprise. Their sanctioned reading list denies boys the natural fantasies of battling villains and protecting women from harm. Any instinct the girls might have that their bodies and their self-respect are interrelated is negated by the ubiquitous parable of celebrity lives. And I hardly need mention the movies and TV shows that endlessly undermine notions of manly self-discipline, feminine modesty, patriotism, and all the rest.
Conservatives respond to this mostly with finger-wagging. But creativity has to be answered with creativity. We need stories, histories, movies of our own. That requires a structure of support—publishing houses, movie studios, review space, awards, almost all of which we’ve ceded to the Left.
There may be more profitable businesses in the short run. The long run, as always, depends on the young. If you want to win their hearts, you have to tell them stories. I have reason to believe they’ll listen.
It's all part of the Great Relearning, especially important when the rest of culture is essentially ashamed of any history that's prior to 1968
For another fabulous article, please read the following from P J O'Rourke. Both humorous and sarcastically slamming the "silly left," you will enjoy his notes from his visit to the Field Museum in Chicago as it today, and how it was when he went there with his grandmother 50 years ago:
When Worlds Collide
By Ed Driscoll · June 05, 2008 12:24 PM · The Return of the Primitive
Andrew Klavan, the author of True Crime, adopted by Clint Eastwood for the big screen, albeit in a slightly bowdlerized form, visits an inner city fourth grade class, and comes away noting:
Beating poverty in America nowadays is largely a matter of personal behavior. Get a high school diploma, don’t have kids until you’re married, don’t get married until you’re 21, and you probably won’t be poor. It also helps if you work hard, show up on time, act courteously, and avoid anything felonious.
But where are these kids going to learn such things? It’s the stuff you just sort of absorb in a healthy, traditional, two-parent home, and that’s exactly what they’re missing. If they learn what they’ve lived, they’re done for—the girls too likely to “come out pregnant” like their mothers, the boys to be underemployed and maybe even do time.
You can’t legislate responsibility, either. Personal behavior in a free society has to be a matter of choice—choice without which there is no virtue—virtue without which a society can’t be free.
It seems to me that leaves these kids only one recourse: the culture. Where the institution of family is broken, only the surrounding culture can teach people the inner structures required for a life of liberty.
Many conservatives often seem to have given up on culture or not to care. There’s a strong strain of philistinism on the right. When we talk about “culture wars,” we usually mean preventing the courts from redefining marriage or promoting abstinence instead of birth control: culture, in other words, as the behavioral branch of politics.
Culture, in the true sense, is more than that. It’s the whole engulfing narrative of our values. It’s the stories we tell. Leftists know this. These kids get an earful from the Left every day. Their schools serve up black history in a way guaranteed to alienate them from the American enterprise. Their sanctioned reading list denies boys the natural fantasies of battling villains and protecting women from harm. Any instinct the girls might have that their bodies and their self-respect are interrelated is negated by the ubiquitous parable of celebrity lives. And I hardly need mention the movies and TV shows that endlessly undermine notions of manly self-discipline, feminine modesty, patriotism, and all the rest.
Conservatives respond to this mostly with finger-wagging. But creativity has to be answered with creativity. We need stories, histories, movies of our own. That requires a structure of support—publishing houses, movie studios, review space, awards, almost all of which we’ve ceded to the Left.
There may be more profitable businesses in the short run. The long run, as always, depends on the young. If you want to win their hearts, you have to tell them stories. I have reason to believe they’ll listen.
It's all part of the Great Relearning, especially important when the rest of culture is essentially ashamed of any history that's prior to 1968
For another fabulous article, please read the following from P J O'Rourke. Both humorous and sarcastically slamming the "silly left," you will enjoy his notes from his visit to the Field Museum in Chicago as it today, and how it was when he went there with his grandmother 50 years ago:
When Worlds Collide
Thursday, June 5, 2008
The Messiah Speaks
Last night Barack Obama broke all records for campaign promises, with one of the most over the top self-aggrandizing statements ever uttered by a presidential candidate.
"I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal."
He’s going to heal the sick and make the oceans part.
Ooohhkay.
"I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal."
He’s going to heal the sick and make the oceans part.
Ooohhkay.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
A Good Rant
From Kathryn Lopez of NRO this morning:
We don’t need faux pioneers like Hillary Clinton. In her 2000 book, The Hillary Trap, Laura Ingraham wrote of Hillary Clinton: “If you think Hillary Clinton is a pioneer, if you think Hillary is a political genius, if you think Hillary is an innovator, you have been drawn into one big Clinton con job.” Ingraham wrote, “She wanted to be seen as the strong, assertive, mature feminist, but she advocated policies that were guaranteed to keep women as dependent on government, unions, and even the United Nations — as she was on Bill.”
We don’t need faux pioneers like Barack Obama. Tell me he’s a pioneer when he meets with Ward Connerly and embraces his Civil Rights Initiative movement, a successful effort to undo the damage big-government patronizing has done to civil rights.
Tell me he’s a pioneer when he talks about the importance of the damage the welfare state has done in urban America, to the family.
Tell me he’s a pioneer when he talks about protecting marriage.
Tell me he’s a pioneer when he talks about the effects of abortion on blacks in America. Americans need to be confident in American greatness — with its exceptional promise and opportunities.
Hope is here, it’s not contingent on an Obama win in November. We need leaders who share this confidence — leaders who don’t need Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to make them believe
We don’t need faux pioneers like Hillary Clinton. In her 2000 book, The Hillary Trap, Laura Ingraham wrote of Hillary Clinton: “If you think Hillary Clinton is a pioneer, if you think Hillary is a political genius, if you think Hillary is an innovator, you have been drawn into one big Clinton con job.” Ingraham wrote, “She wanted to be seen as the strong, assertive, mature feminist, but she advocated policies that were guaranteed to keep women as dependent on government, unions, and even the United Nations — as she was on Bill.”
We don’t need faux pioneers like Barack Obama. Tell me he’s a pioneer when he meets with Ward Connerly and embraces his Civil Rights Initiative movement, a successful effort to undo the damage big-government patronizing has done to civil rights.
Tell me he’s a pioneer when he talks about the importance of the damage the welfare state has done in urban America, to the family.
Tell me he’s a pioneer when he talks about protecting marriage.
Tell me he’s a pioneer when he talks about the effects of abortion on blacks in America. Americans need to be confident in American greatness — with its exceptional promise and opportunities.
Hope is here, it’s not contingent on an Obama win in November. We need leaders who share this confidence — leaders who don’t need Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to make them believe
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Being Old and Rich
That appears to be the only thing that will keep this woman from being thrown under the jail house floor.
Ain't no way that western civilization is going to wake up, is there?
Former screen siren Bardot convicted in race case - Yahoo! News
Ain't no way that western civilization is going to wake up, is there?
Former screen siren Bardot convicted in race case - Yahoo! News
Let the Race Begin
My Old Party [William J. Bennett]
This is an astounding moment in American politics. You cannot credibly say the Clintons are a political dynasty the way, say, the Kennedys or Bushs are. But I think one has to say the Clinton rule of the Democratic party has been dynastic. Bill Clinton is the only Democrat to have served two terms as president in two generations, the only Democrat to twice beat Republican nominees for president and his wife is a two term U.S. senator who will likely be in the Senate for years to come. Bill Clinton has been rated one of — if not THE — most popular person in the world, and yet Clinton rule in American politics ends tonight. Whatever it was the Republicans and so many independents did not like about the Clintons, we’ve learned the Democrats have had enough as well.
And thus the Democratic party is about to nominate a far left candidate in the tradition of George McGovern, albeit without McGovern’s military and political record.
The Democratic party is about to nominate a far-left candidate in the tradition of Michael Dukakis, albeit without Dukakis’s executive experience as governor.
The Democratic party is about to nominate a far left candidate in the tradition of John Kerry, albeit without Kerry’s record of years of service in the Senate.
The Democratic party is about to nominate an unvetted candidate in the tradition of Jimmy Carter, albeit without Jimmy Carter’s religious integrity as he spoke about it in 1976.
Questions about all these attributes (from foreign policy expertise to executive experience to senatorial experience to judgment about foreign leaders to the instructors he has had in his cultural values) surround Barack Obama. And the Democratic party has chosen him.
This is an astounding moment in American politics. You cannot credibly say the Clintons are a political dynasty the way, say, the Kennedys or Bushs are. But I think one has to say the Clinton rule of the Democratic party has been dynastic. Bill Clinton is the only Democrat to have served two terms as president in two generations, the only Democrat to twice beat Republican nominees for president and his wife is a two term U.S. senator who will likely be in the Senate for years to come. Bill Clinton has been rated one of — if not THE — most popular person in the world, and yet Clinton rule in American politics ends tonight. Whatever it was the Republicans and so many independents did not like about the Clintons, we’ve learned the Democrats have had enough as well.
And thus the Democratic party is about to nominate a far left candidate in the tradition of George McGovern, albeit without McGovern’s military and political record.
The Democratic party is about to nominate a far-left candidate in the tradition of Michael Dukakis, albeit without Dukakis’s executive experience as governor.
The Democratic party is about to nominate a far left candidate in the tradition of John Kerry, albeit without Kerry’s record of years of service in the Senate.
The Democratic party is about to nominate an unvetted candidate in the tradition of Jimmy Carter, albeit without Jimmy Carter’s religious integrity as he spoke about it in 1976.
Questions about all these attributes (from foreign policy expertise to executive experience to senatorial experience to judgment about foreign leaders to the instructors he has had in his cultural values) surround Barack Obama. And the Democratic party has chosen him.
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