Viral, indeed

Burning Down the House, so to speak

so anyway, as I predicted over the weekend, the original "Burning Down the House" vid has been pulled from YouTube. I'm surprised it stayed up until Tuesday.

Viral, indeed. My brother Thayrone has the latest version of the source code up and running.



They've changed the music to obviously "public domain" stuff, as a "work-around" to Time-Warner's (bastages) bitching. I like it: the score is like Trans-Siberian Orchestra does Vivaldi, large. Good stuff, that.

more soon

Tuesday 30SEP08

34 days to go..... so anyway, yesterday I mentioned searching on "truth squad"+Missouri+Obama. In case you're behind in your reading (which is understandable, with the current financial siht-storm), Senator Obama's campaign is having law enforcement officials harass anyone who would say unpleasant things about the (very) junior Senator from Illinois. Last Tuesday, CBS affiliate Channel 4 TV News in St. Louis reported that some Missouri sheriffs and prosecutors have formed a truth squad to target anyone who engages in misleading ad or statements about Senator Obama.... The implied threat in the Channel 4 report is that prosecutors and sheriffs across Missouri will enforce "Missouri ethics laws" and conduct criminal investigations of "anyone who lies or runs a misleading television ad" against Barack Obama. Although the report did not directly state that intent, that implied message was clearly conveyed. Cold Fury (actual) fame chimes in: Yep - but there's nothing new about it, really. It's the same despotic, authoritarian politics we've seen throughout history — and fought more than one war to overcome. And now Barrack and his revanchist thugs are trying once again to bring it back. It's Change! you can be prepared to either fight back against or be run over by — and if it's a fight Obama's Brownshirts really want, I suspect it's a fight they'll be a-getting. James Simpson over at American Thinker does a good job of linking the current mess and just exactly who Barack Obama is. Do go read all of "Barack Obama and the Strategy of Manufactured Crisis": Despite the mass media news blackout, a series of books, talk radio and the blogosphere have managed to expose Barack Obama's connections to his radical mentors -- Weather Underground bombers William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, Communist Party member Frank Marshall Davis and others. David Horowitz and his Discover the Networks.org have also contributed a wealth of information and have noted Obama's radical connections since the beginning. Yet, no one to my knowledge has yet connected all the dots between Barack Obama and the Radical Left. When seen together, the influences on Obama's life comprise a who's who of the radical leftist movement, and it becomes painfully apparent that not only is Obama a willing participant in that movement, he has spent most of his adult life deeply immersed in it. Ace quotes Tom Coburn on the bailout: This bill does not represent a new and sudden departure from free market principles as much as it represents an emergency response to congressional actions that have ignored free market principles, and our Constitution, for decades. If anyone in Washington should offer their resignation it should be the members of Congress who peddled the fantasy of free home ownership without risk. No institution in our country is more responsible for the myth or borrowing without consequences than the United States Congress. John Fund in the Wall Street Journal: We will look back on the failure of Congress to reform the government-sponsored enterprises at the heart of the mortgage meltdown as one of the most expensive derelictions of its duty ever. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac used their lobbying clout, political contributions and even charitable largesse to charm or bully anyone demanding reform in their lending practices. MoronPundit, posting ranting over at DoublePlusUnDead reminds us that everything we learned in kindergarten is just f'n wrong: This brings me to the real reason I'm pissed off. Obama is going to get away with it. Obama and his ultra-liberal allies (who fcuking caused this) are going to be allowed to lie to your faces about what happened here because 40 years of hippie bullsiht has finally corrupted the smart part of your brains. The part of you that accepts responsibility for your own stupidity has been overwhelmed by decades of mottos and sayings and beliefs so fcuking stupid that only intellectuals and people with bong resin for blood could believe them. Well, until they were repeated so many times that even the average American believes them without thinking about it. He goes on to de-construct various aspects of "hippie logic" (oxymoron alert: "hippie logic" makes as much sense as "jumbo shrimp" or "40 ounce quart"). It's all good. more soon

Monday 29SEP08

35 days to go.....also known as the "Oh, Hells NO!" post

so anyway, whilst everyone's attention is drawn to the current financial crisis, there are other things going on that you don't know. Bad.Things. Doubleplusundead points us to the tip of the iceburg, in re: Senator Obama's real view of guns and the people who cling to them.

Both DPUD's opening line and Stephan "VodkaPundit" Green's rejoinder both point to the post at issue: Sebastian of Snowflakes in Hell fame and his "Obama Silencing Voice of Gun Owners" post:

Barack Obama’s campaign is trying to silence the National Rifle Association’s latest ad campaign using strong arm tactics by threatening them with possible legal action if they run the ads...

[insert your own "cold, dead fingers" sentiment here]

Commenter Carl in Chicago (who probably knows a thing or two about restrictive gun laws)
weighs in on the debate at Snowflakes in Hell:

I suspect this whole incident is going to backfire on the Obama campaign. I suspect they are banking on the fact that the NRA has been marginalized (and radicalized) by the mainstream, and are banking on their hope that gun owners are really a silent minority of “dumb rednecks.”

I also believe that the force with which the NRA has come out there was a wise tactic to garner more attention than would otherwise have been given them.

You know, what is unfortunate about the polarization of these two “views” is that it widens the “culture gap” or fuels the fire of the “culture wars.” We that support the 2A become more galvanized around what we know to be true, whereas the typical (and unbelieveably numerous) anti-gun and anti-NRA folks will become even more bigoted and entrenched in their dismissive views of the gun owners in general and the NRA in particular.

It’s sad.

But I still think that the gun control issue is one of the hot-button issues on which the so-called “left” persues to their detriment … just like the gay rights and right to choice issues are those hot-button issues that the so-called “right” persues to it’s detriment.

Take your pick. Neither party is squeaky clean when it comes to the honor and respect of individual rights.

Read the whole thing(s), please. Related: Senator Obama's plans for dis-arming America.



The financial crisis is too fluid to remark on now, the dust still hasn't settled from this afternoon's House defeat of the "bail-out" bill, and the big sell-off on Wall Street.

As an interesting intellectual exercise, try searching on the words "truth squad"+Missouri+Obama. Scary siht, that. Stalin would be so proud.....

more soon

Friday Night Lights

Don't blink. There's a lot of info coming at you really f'n fast. so anyway, you should set aside ten minutes of your weekend and watch this YouTube vid. Do it now, 'cause it's sure to be flagged as "inappropriate" by the leftards before Monday. What's it about, you axe? In ten minutes time, with charts and graphs and stone cold facts, it lays out our current financial crisis and names the names of those responsible for this mess.

Friday 26SEP08 (Breaking News!!!)

38 days to go..... so anyway, this just in (literally): McCain will attend the debate tonight! Excerpted from the campaign's statement: ".....The difference between Barack Obama and John McCain was apparent during the White House meeting yesterday where Barack Obama's priority was political posturing in his opening monologue defending the package as it stands. John McCain listened to all sides so he could help focus the debate on finding a bipartisan resolution that is in the interest of taxpayers and homeowners. The Democratic interests stood together in opposition to an agreement that would accommodate additional taxpayer protections. Senator McCain has spent the morning talking to members of the Administration, members of the Senate, and members of the House. He is optimistic that there has been significant progress toward a bipartisan agreement now that there is a framework for all parties to be represented in negotiations, including Representative Blunt as a designated negotiator for House Republicans. The McCain campaign is resuming all activities and the Senator will travel to the debate this afternoon. Following the debate, he will return to Washington to ensure that all voices and interests are represented in the final agreement, especially those of taxpayers and homeowners." As I said yesterday: "I can picture McCain working in DC until Friday afternoon, flying to Mississippi just in time to debate Senator "Where's my TelePrompter" Obama, stomping said leftist's as s into a muddy puddle, the flying back to DC to finish the job. I think Senator McCain knows a thing or two about "multi-tasking"." Insolublog has some thoughts on the $700 gigabuck bailout: Bailout now, and we will pay later, big time. Regulation of risk taking must happen first. No AMRs. No sub-primes. No short-selling mortgage backed securities. People taking the risk must own the risk first and have no sense of government sanctioned security. If taxpayer money must be used for market stability, it should be done in frugal chunks, not a big fat 700B wad. Every chunk should be examined and considered by the examination of the market health and effect of the previous chunk. Liberals brought us here. Liberal Democrats and liberal Republicans, wanting to be liberal with our wealth and our markets, while enriching their own pockets, campaigns and altruistic notions of social engineering. He also references his post from March of this year on the same subject. Over at Q and O, McQ asks "How bad are the current proposed bailout plans?" and provides commentary on Reason's article. more soon

Thursday 25SEP08

39 days to go..... so anyway, I'm sure you've heard by now that Senator McCain is suspending his campaigning and is returning to Washington, DC to have an active hand in resolving the current financial crisis. His official statement, via Ace: America this week faces an historic crisis in our financial system. We must pass legislation to address this crisis. If we do not, credit will dry up, with devastating consequences for our economy. People will no longer be able to buy homes and their life savings will be at stake. Businesses will not have enough money to pay their employees. If we do not act, ever corner of our country will be impacted. We cannot allow this to happen. Last Friday, I laid out my proposal and I have since discussed my priorities and concerns with the bill the Administration has put forward. Senator Obama has expressed his priorities and concerns. This morning, I met with a group of economic advisers to talk about the proposal on the table and the steps that we should take going forward. I have also spoken with members of Congress to hear their perspective. It has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the Administration's proposal. I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time. Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me. I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem. We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved. I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night's debate until we have taken action to address this crisis. I am confident that before the markets open on Monday we can achieve consensus on legislation that will stabilize our financial markets, protect taxpayers and homeowners, and earn the confidence of the American people. All we must do to achieve this is temporarily set politics aside, and I am committed to doing so. Following September 11th, our national leaders came together at a time of crisis. We must show that kind of patriotism now. Americans across our country lament the fact that partisan divisions in Washington have prevented us from addressing our national challenges. Now is our chance to come together to prove that Washington is once again capable of leading this country. Emphasis mine, natch. Can you say "Statesman"? I thought you could. Senator Obama has elected to stay on the campaign trail; but has promised to be available to vote "Present" if needed. "I believe that we should continue to have the debate," Obama said. "It's my belief that this is exact time when the American people need to hear form the person who in approximately 40 days will be responsibly for dealing with this mess and I think that it is going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once." To pick nits with the (very) junior Senator from Illinois' statement: the election is "approximately 40 days" away, the inauguration (you know, when the elected is actually responsible for things and has to make real decisions) is something like 117 days away. McQ at Q and O picks nits, as well (and rightfully so): Of course I can understand why Obama wants to "continue to have the debate". It's about foreign policy and he can now claim that McCain had his chance and didn't show up. It may end up being mildly embarrassing for Obama to do so, but it is also and excuse for Obama to refuse any future foreign policy debate. My personal take on the situation is that this will work out to be a net positive for McCain; it plays right up to McCain's "Country First" angle. Senator McCain also has a history for trying to enact regulations on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, notably in 2003 and 2005. I'm sure you'll be shocked to learn that all attempts for such regulation were blocked by the Democrats. By sunrise Friday, after Team Obama has run their course of pimping this as 'McCain running home to fix what he has broken", Senator Obama will return to The Capital just in time to vote "Present". I can picture McCain working in DC until Friday afternoon, flying to Mississippi just in time to debate Senator "Where's my TelePrompter" Obama, stomping said leftist's as s into a muddy puddle, the flying back to DC to finish the job. I think Senator McCain knows a thing or two about "multi-tasking". more soon

Wednesday 24SEP08

40 days to go.....

so anyway, Christopher Hitchens asks "Why is Obama so vapid, hesitant, and gutless?" Gabe over at Ace's place wonders out loud "Uh, is that a trick question?" Read them both, it's what all the cool kids are talking about.

Stanley Kurtz over at the Wall Street Journal has an excellent post up on Senator Obama's "executive experience":

Despite having authored two autobiographies, Barack Obama has never written about his most important executive experience. From 1995 to 1999, he led an education foundation called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC), and remained on the board until 2001. The group poured more than $100 million into the hands of community organizers and radical education activists.

McQ of Q and O fame chimes in with this gem:

It's not just his "most important executive experience", it is his only real executive experience. Yet he doesn't mention it or tout it. Why?

Kurtz continues:

The CAC was the brainchild of Bill Ayers, a founder of the Weather Underground in the 1960s. Among other feats, Mr. Ayers and his cohorts bombed the Pentagon, and he has never expressed regret for his actions. Barack Obama's first run for the Illinois State Senate was launched at a 1995 gathering at Mr. Ayers's [sic] home....

The Obama campaign has cried foul when Bill Ayers comes up, claiming "guilt by association." Yet the issue here isn't guilt by association; it's guilt by participation. As CAC chairman, Mr. Obama was lending moral and financial support to Mr. Ayers and his radical circle. That is a story even if Mr. Ayers had never planted a single bomb 40 years ago.

[Editor's note: Ayers describes himself as "a radical, Leftist, small 'c' communist". Just sayin', that's all]

Speaker Pelosi isn't going to let the domestic drilling ban expire without a fight a few sneaky tricks:

As recently as last week, leading Democrats were saying that they didn't have the votes to renew the drilling ban; they are simply outpolled on this issue two-to-one. Now they are hoping the crisis on Wall Street distracts the public long enough for them to extend the ban. (And make no mistake: Their plan, which locks up 90 percent of America's offshore oil and gas reserves, is an extension of the ban. That's why the New York Times editorial board and the Sierra Club, with a wink and a nod, have endorsed it.)

Cold Fury (actual) is all over it:

“Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats have made clear their desire to appease environmental extremists while fooling the American people into thinking that they support Republican efforts to open up America’s energy resources.”

Tar. Feathers. Pitchforks. You know the drill.

Off-topic, but pretty f'n cool, BlackFive has the 411 on one of the goodests parts of our tax dollars at work. Can I has one, pleez? I can think of several uses for this technology. Gimme one of those and those damn kids will finally stay off my lawn, for sure. Hellfires and Vipers are cool, but will this thing carry the GAU-8/A Avenger cannon (see also A-10)? That's the deal I'm lookin' for.

And, just 'cause you gotta have a "light-hearted" bit of info to just piss you off, Michelle Malkin brings us the tale of an eleven year old suspended from school for The Truth™.

It is indeed a crazy world in which we live.

more soon

Tuesday 23SEP08

41 days to go.....(why, yes! I am being proactive. It's a long story.)

so anyway, following up on a previous post, it looks like young Master Kernell is in fairly deep siht:

D'oh! Palin's Email Hack Traced Directly to David Kernell's Apartment. Sucks to be you, kid.

McCain campaign strategist Steve Schmidt "serves" the New York Times over at National Review Online:

But let's be clear and be honest with each other about something fundamental to this race, which is this: Whatever the New York Times once was, it is today not by any standard a journalistic organization. It is a pro-Obama advocacy organization that every day attacks the McCain campaign, attacks Sen. McCain, attacks Gov. Palin, and excuses Sen. Obama. There is no level of public vetting with regard to Sen. Obama's record, his background, his past statements. There is no level of outrage directed at his deceitful ads. This is an organization that is completely, totally, 150 percent in the tank for the Democratic candidate, which is their prerogative to be, but let's not be dishonest and call it something other than what it is. Everything that is read in the New York Times that attacks this campaign should be evaluated by the American people from that perspective, that it is an organization that has made a decision to cast aside its journalistic integrity and tradition to advocate for the defeat of one candidate, in this case John McCain, and advocate for the election of the other candidate, Barack Obama.

Jeff Goldstein of Protein Wisdom fame quotes Kevin Hassett of Bloomberg fame on the current Wall Street meltdown:

Why did Bear Stearns fail, and how does that relate to AIG? It all seems so complex.

But really, it isn't. Enough cards on this table have been turned over that the story is now clear. The economic history books will describe this episode in simple and understandable terms: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac exploded, and many bystanders were injured in the blast, some fatally.

Fannie and Freddie did this by becoming a key enabler of the mortgage crisis. They fueled Wall Street's efforts to securitize subprime loans by becoming the primary customer of all AAA-rated subprime-mortgage pools. In addition, they held an enormous portfolio of mortgages themselves.

October (BOOM) Surprise? Q and O brings us a sobering poll, prefaced by this:

"The intel system has been hearing rumblings of a desire by al-Qaeda to influence the US elections in November as it managed to do in Spain a few years ago."

Do go look and participate, it's a three question poll.

Anti-Palin Astroturfing Traced Directly to Obama-Connected PR Firm
UPDATE: LIKE CLOCKWORK, VIDEOS TAKEN DOWN!!!

Click and scroll, people. Click and f'n scroll.

Speaking of Q and O, McQ poses a snarky question:

"How is is we can bailout 700 billion worth of financial institutions in 2 days on 3 pieces of paper but it takes 18 months to build one mile of border fence?"

Elsewhere, Kim du Toit takes a little target practice (don't bother clicking at work, the net nanny will block Kim 'cause he speaks of those evil guns). Said net nanny will allow this:

Gun control has suddenly emerged as the toxic issue of the 2008 presidential campaign, endangering Barack Obama's appeal among Democratic blue-collar and labor union households.

The freshman Illinois senator has a long record of favoring gun bans in Chicago and Washington, D.C., and a raft of other gun control bills that are anathema to gun owners, hunters and sportsmen alike.

He insists now he supports Second Amendment gun rights to keep and bear arms that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld when it struck down the D.C. gun ban in June. But he refused to join 77 of his colleagues who signed a friend of the court brief to end the weapons ban and remains sympathetic to a broad range of gun ban statutes.

Yet the Obama campaign has been running ads in key states with large populations of gun owners and hunters, insisting he supports the right to own a gun. He cannot run away from his record.

Cold, dead fingers, and all that siht.

Steve H. Graham weighs in on the "astroturfing" issue:

This ranks right up there with the Dan Rather phony memo thing, but it's more complex. Get a fresh mug of coffee and turn off your phone's ringer before you read it.....

.....What is it with Sarah Palin? Why do people hate her so much? I shudder to say this, but PDS makes BDS seem insignificant. It's like I keep saying: Obama is running against Palin, not McCain. She scares the hell out of the opposition.

more soon

Monday 22SEP08

42 days to go..... so anyway, the always salient Bill Whittle has another post up at National Review Online, The Undefended City: "The pattern is always the same: at the height of a civilization's powers something catastrophic seems to occur — a loss of will, a failure of nerve, and above all an unwillingness to identify with the values and customs that have produced such wonders. The Russians say a fish rots from the head down. They ought to know. It may not be factually true that Nero fiddled while Rome burned, the saying has passed into common usage because the image as the ring of truth to it: time and time again, the good and decent common people have manned the walls of the city, and have been ready to give their lives in its defense, only to discover too late that some silk-robed son of a bitch has snuck out of the palace at midnight and thrown open the gates to the barbarians outside. And how is this done, this "throwing open of the gates?" How are defenders taken off the walls?" The Washington Times takes a sober look at all the "Palin-bashing" that seems to be all the rage amongst the short bus crowd and the potential repercussions thereof: "Not since the drubbing of Clarence Thomas during his 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearings have liberals in Hollywood and the elite media so openly conspired to deny a minority the right to free thought and free expression of political ideals. Now Sarah Palin is exposing the Democratic Media Complex to a new generation, many of them open-minded women. Perhaps if he wins in November, the eminently tolerant John McCain will pick an openly gay person to serve high in his administration. That's when the real Democratic Party derangement will begin." The big news of the day which, in a sane and just world, should have been front page news and the lead story on every national "newscast": Dr.Rusty Shackleford has the goods on the "astroturfing" that Senator Obama's campaign is sponsoring. It is a well-researched expose and worth every minute to takes to read it. Hope, Change, & Lies: Orchestrated "Grassroots" Smear Campaigns & the People that Run Them [Updated] Extensive research was conducted by the Jawa Report to determine the source of smears directed toward Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Those smears included false allegations that she belonged to a secessionist political party and that she has radical anti-American views. Our research suggests that a subdivision of one of the largest public relations firms in the world most likely started and promulgated rumors about Sarah Palin that were known to be false. These rumors were spread in a surreptitious manner to avoid exposure. It is also likely that the PR firm was paid by outside sources to run the smear campaign. While not conclusive, evidence suggests a link to the Barack Obama campaign. Namely: Evidence suggests that a YouTube video with false claims about Palin was uploaded and promoted by members of a professional PR firm. The family that runs the PR firm has extensive ties to the Democratic Party, the netroots, and are staunch Obama supporters. Evidence suggests that the firm engaged in a concerted effort to distribute the video in such a way that it would appear to have gone viral on its own.... The list goes on and on. Please read soonest. Ace has updates on this story as well. As I said before, we cannot allow the left to shape the narrative. more soon

Friday 19SEP08

45 days to go..... so anyway, the Palin e-mail hacker has been found. I'm sure you'll be surprised to learn that he's a democrat: The son of state Rep. Mike Kernell has been contacted by authorities in connection with a probe into the hacking of personal e-mail of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Kernell told The Tennessean.....Kernell, a Memphis Democrat, said his 20-year-old son David had been contacted by authorities investigating the hacking of Palin's personal e-mail account, the newspaper reported on its Web site this afternoon. The AP reporter who broke the story says that this whole thing is Governor Palin's fault. Investors Business Daily has the background on the mortgage meltdown that precipitated this week's Wall Street issues: But it was the Clinton administration, obsessed with multiculturalism, that dictated where mortgage lenders could lend, and originally helped create the market for the high-risk subprime loans now infecting like a retrovirus the balance sheets of many of Wall Street's most revered institutions. The untold story in this whole national crisis is that President Clinton put on steroids the Community Redevelopment Act, a well-intended Carter-era law designed to encourage minority homeownership. And in so doing, he helped create the market for the risky subprime loans that he and Democrats now decry as not only greedy but "predatory." Ragin' Dave sums it up (and thanks to Dave for the IBD link above): Never let a lawyer meddle with the economy. And never let a Leftist anywhere near the levers of government. The results end up hurting everyone except for the rat-bastard commies who caused the problems in the first place. Because they make damn sure they got theirs, and screw everybody else. You are correct, Sir! SGT! I really wish someone would have thought of this sooner: The Bush administration today recommended the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago. Under the plan, disclosed at a Congressional hearing today, a new agency would be created within the Treasury Department to assume supervision of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored companies that are the two largest players in the mortgage lending industry. The new agency would have the authority, which now rests with Congress, to set one of the two capital-reserve requirements for the companies. It would exercise authority over any new lines of business. And it would determine whether the two are adequately managing the risks of their ballooning portfolios..... Wait a minute, they did. This is from 2003.

....Significant details must still be worked out before Congress can approve a bill. Among the groups denouncing the proposal today were the National Association of Home Builders and Congressional Democrats who fear that tighter regulation of the companies could sharply reduce their commitment to financing low-income and affordable housing. ''These two entities -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- are not facing any kind of financial crisis,'' said Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee. ''The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.''

more soon

Thursday 18SEP08

46 days to go..... so anyway, some hacker managed to get in to Governor Palin's e-mail and rummage around looking for dirt. They found nothing of consequence. The rocket surgeon who perpetrated this crime then posted all of the e-mails on some leftard bulletin board for all the world to see. Unfortunately for the hacker, "all the world" includes the Secret Service, so the hacker has some very interesting conversations coming up in the very near future. Senator Obama is sending out "digital brownshirts" to stifle dissent: Here's how it works. A message goes out over Barack Obama's Web site with the names, phone numbers and e-mails of editors and producers foolish enough to host Obama critics. With Mr. Obama's extensive digital following, and his extensive fund-raising and contact lists, shutting up the Democratic nominee's critics with a fraction of Mr. Obama's millions of supporters is relatively simple. The digital legions plug phone lines, crash servers and intimidate the advertisers of these media outlets. This must be another instance of the "new" politics that Mr. Obama frequently talks about. Jim Treacher spells it out: This is not free speech. This is not "people expressing their opinion." This is people expressing Obama's opinion. This is a powerful politician arrogantly abusing that power to try to silence his critics, without even bothering to hide behind Media Matters or Kos, because he knows he can get away with it. This is wrong. Slublog over at Ace's place hits it up-side the head, smackly: One of the great ironies of this election is that liberals are worshiping a guy who embodies everything they claim to hate about the Bush administration. Elsewhere, Steve H. Graham of Hog on Ice fame has taken up cartooning as a hobby. You need to see it for yourself. More soon

Wednesday 17SEP08

47 days to go so anyway, it looks like the President is going to veto the weak excuse for an increased domestic oil exploration bill if it makes it out of the Senate. The house passed the restrictive bill today 236-189. The online edition of the Wall Street Journal had this to say: Democrats say sharing royalty revenue with states would put pressure on lawmakers to find offsetting budget cuts, because of an opinion issued this month by the Congressional Budget Office that sharing royalties with states would count as an increase in government spending. The bill also calls for eliminating $18 billion in tax breaks for large oil companies. House Democrats say the oil taxes are needed to pay for extending tax credits for electricity produced from wind and solar energy and to pay for energy-efficiency and conservation programs. Many Republicans object to the proposal to eliminate oil-industry tax breaks, saying that amounts to a tax increase that will discourage domestic production. Over at Ace Of Spades HQ, Gabe offers up this: House Democrats passed a bill which would allow energy exploration on the Outer Continental Shelf, but sharply limited drilling closer to land. The bill would also increase the tax burden on oil companies to subsidize wind, solar, and conservation programs. President Bush says "no deal" and it looks like Senate Republicans will keep it from a vote. Oil fell to near $90 per barrel today, the lowest it has been in seven months. Following the financial mini-crisis over the weekend, I bet Saudi Arabia is sending a big "I told you so" to the rest of OPEC. Of the oil producing states, Saudi Arabia seems most concerned with keeping the price of oil low enough to stave off the development of energy alternatives or a world-wide economic slump, either of which would cause oil revenues to plummet. The US Embassy in Yemen was attacked this morning: "At about 9:15 this morning a car exploded at the main gate of the embassy and then there was a secondary explosion," Ryan Gliha, a spokesman for the embassy, said in a phone interview. A group by the name of Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack and threatened to carry out similar strikes in the Persian Gulf region if al-Qaeda prisoners aren't released by the Yemen, the al-Arabiya news channel said. Details are sketchy, the initial report is 16 dead. Elsewhere, CBS News is so over Sarah Palin: The Sarah Palin Phenomenon is doomed.... .....The primary reason why the Palin bubble will burst is that the media will decide that they are bored with her. They'll need to move to shine a light on a fresh issue or individual. To which Stephen "VodkaPundit" Green replies: "The media didn't build up Palin — they did their damnedest to knock her down, and got routed in the process. So when they shine their lights somewhere else, it will be because they can't stand the reflected glare. In any case, it doesn't matter; the damage is done. Because Palin took the spotlight away from Obama, never to return. Now that he's no longer the It Boy, it will have to be someone else. Joe Biden? I don't think so." Finally, 'cause you need a good laugh, here's an outstanding look at the age old question "Which candidate would you rather invite to a back-yard BBQ?" Priceless. It comes to us via VodkaPundit, who got it from Jules Crittenden, who got it from Argghhh!, who originally cross-posted it at Ace of Spades HQ on Sunday. My blogging time on Sunday was completely FUBARed, so please forgive me for missing this nugget of comedy gold. More soon

Tuesday 16SEP08

48 days to go..... so anyway, Senator Obama has put forth an opinion on this week's Wall Street meltdown. "The Presidential hopeful actually faxed off a draft of his statement to his 6th grade social studies teacher, to solicit her feedback." He's gonna have to stay after class. Suitably Flip has the goods in his post entitled "How Come I Would Make the Economy Better" (Seriously, go read the whole thing) Thanks to Ace for laying the knowledge on me (or whatever the kids are saying these days). In other news, John Lott asks "Who do you want in the White House?". Graphically. The (very) junior Senator from Illinois needs to check the air pressure in his rear tire. Doesn't he know how much under-inflated tires cost us hard-working folk each and every year? Elsewhere, can you just imagine the global siht-storm if John McCain and/or Sarah Palin said anything like this: "The prayer that I tell myself every night is a fairly simple one: I ask in the name of Jesus Christ that my sins are forgiven, that my family is protected and that I am an instrument of God's will. I'm constantly trying to align myself to what I think he calls on me to do. And sometimes you hear it strongly and sometimes that voice is more muted." I just gotta add the spoiler line: Obama, like Palin, prays that he is on God's side. Palin, unlike Obama, does not (so far as we know) claim to hear the voice of God. Why is she the one who gets painted as a religious nut? A-fcukin'-men. Thanks to my brother-in-blog Ragin' Dave of Four Right Wing Wackos fame for helping me see the light. And in closing, just because it still cracks me up: Best Obama Facts. My current favorite: Obama can calculate your guilt just by looking at the numbers in your checkbook. Of course, this is just as funny: A microphone into which Obama has spoken, heals asbestos-related disorders and colorectal cancer by direct application. "Direct application", indeed. more soon

Monday, 15SEP08

49 days to go..... so anyway, reports this morning suggest that Senator Obama may have violated the Logan Act. As DrewM. over at Ace of Spades HQ opines: Let's be honest though, unless you are a member of the Cult of Obama, it's pretty clear he'd rather win an election than a war that might further US interests. Because of that, I can't say it's entirely out of the realm of possibility. It's all too possible that the man who parades around the country with his own presidential trappings (including his own 'presidential' seal and a plane dubbed O-Force One) might, from time to time, forget he is a mere Senator and a damn junior one at that. It's important that our friends in the press question Obama about this (don't laugh, it could happen). After all if we've learned anything from the last few weeks is that all questions must be on the table. Questions like, what are the criminal penalties for violating the Logan Act anyway? My take on the Logan Act violation: yeah, I can see Senator Obama going there. My money is on the "nothing's gonna happen about it", what with the liberal MainStreamMedia (redundancy alert) being all about the "O". It looks like the ACORN problem has reared it's ugly head here in Michigan: Several municipal clerks across the state are reporting fraudulent and duplicate voter registration applications, most of them from a nationwide community activist group working to help low- and moderate-income families. The majority of the problem applications are coming from the group ACORN, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, which has a large voter registration program among its many social service programs. ACORN's Michigan branch, based in Detroit, has enrolled 200,000 voters statewide in recent months, mostly with the use of paid, part-time employees. "There appears to be a sizeable number of duplicate and fraudulent applications," said Kelly Chesney, spokeswoman for the Michigan Secretary of State's Office. "And it appears to be widespread." Elsewhere, Noel at Cold Fury (who recently celebrated their 7th blogoversiary, congratulations to Mike and his crew) made with teh funny over Charles Gibson's interrogation of Governor Palin. A taste: Charlie Gibson: "First of all, I think we can all agree that Wasilla Machine Politics are endlessly, ENDLESSLY fascinating while Chicago Machine politics are BOR-ing! Move along, folks–nothing to see there! And now that we've settled that, let me ask you this, Gov. Palin; Governor, please calculate the apogee and perigee of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missle in flight. You may not use a calculator and please show all work. You have 30 seconds. And while we're waiting, let me ask Sen. Obama a question. And I don't want the pat answer you give everybody else; Senator, what is your favorite color, sir? I mean your real favorite....." Read the whole thing. That's some inspired siht, right there. more soon

Poetic Justice

looks like I need to break out my copy of "The Best Loved Poems of the American People"

so anyway, Dan Collins again goes all "Weird Al" in his response to David Ignatius of the Washington Post. I like it.

A taste:

Whose votes these were I think you know.
His house is in the Village, O!;.....

.....But we have premises to keep,

And miles to go before we sleep.

Righteous, Dan. But I gotta sleep now.

more soon

The Joe Cook vid

I should have done this sooner.....

so anyway, here's the YouTube vid I linked this on Wednesday last:



All it needs is the tagline "I'm John McCain and I approve of this message"

(Spoiler Alert) It heart-punches you right as you're reaching for the mouse to click on something else. [He walks away, and you see the prosthesis. Talk about underscoring a point.]

more soon

Saturday 13SEP08

51 days to go..... so anyway, I've been having a running debate with a friend at work over Governor Palin and the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere"; I just had to send this along. It's Senator Jim Demint from Wednesday's Wall Street Journal. Yes, Palin Did Stop That Bridge. Money quote: "Mrs. Palin also killed the infamous Bridge to Nowhere in her own state. Yes, she once supported the project: But after witnessing the problems created by earmarks for her state and for the nation's budget, she did what others like me have done: She changed her position and saved taxpayers millions. Even the Alaska Democratic Party credits her with killing the bridge. When the Senate had its chance to stop the Bridge to Nowhere and transfer the money to Katrina rebuilding, Messrs. Obama and Biden voted for the $223 million earmark, siding with the old boys' club in the Senate. And to date, they still have not publicly renounced their support for the infamous earmark." So, she was for it before she was against it. No, I don't offer this as the definitive end to the debate, all in all, it's just another brick in the wall. It's late, and for some weird reason The Kids'™ internal alarm clock radio is set at 6:34 AM. Sleeping would be a good plan.

more soon

Friday 12SEP08

52 days to go..... so anyway, compare and contrast these two statements, both from September 2001: We must also engage, however, in the more difficult task of understanding the sources of such madness. The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers: an inability to imagine, or connect with, the humanity and suffering of others. Such a failure of empathy, such numbness to the pain of a child or the desperation of a parent, is not innate; nor, history tells us, is it unique to a particular culture, religion, or ethnicity. It may find expression in a particular brand of violence, and may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics. Most often, though, it grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair. –Barack Obama, Hyde Park Herald, Sept. 19, 2001. "This is obviously an act of war that has been committed on the United States" – John McCain, September 12, 2001 So nuanced.... GrassFire.org is running a straw poll on the election issues. Give it a try Real Clear Politics is calling the race a dead heat. Gallup says that "Battle for Congress Suddenly Looks Competitive" Then there's this: "The reality is, governors every day have to make decisions for better or for worse. That's part of the job. It's an executive position. And it's a position that is like what you're going to do when you're president. Legislators, they do different things. They debate and they pass their bills back and forth," he said. Guess who said that. It was Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat. Sweet. I bet a couple of "community organizers" from the south side of Chicago will be visiting the Illinois Governor's Office today with a fresh copy of the playbook. Jeff Goldstein has the transcript of Palin's interview with Charlie "Dcikhead" Gibson. And you people wonder why I don't watch TV..... more soon

Thursday 11SEP08

53 days to go..... September 11, 2008. There are other things on my mind this day. Various reflections on That Day, presented without comment. Ace of Spades HQ, Cold Fury (graphic image warning), James Lileks from 2003 and 2006, Rachel Lucas, PW Pub. Stop the ACLU has all of the names of those who died on That Day. DoublePlusUnDead. Stoat Weasel. BlackFive. Please do go read at least half the links I've presented here today. We'll get back to our usual partisan bitching tomorrow. Or Tuesday. more soon

Wednesday 10SEP08

54 days to go so anyway, insert your own "lipstick" joke here. I find it rather amusing that Governor Palin has gotten so deep under Senator Obama's (very) thin skin that he's becoming un-hinged. Noel over at Cold Fury makes with the funny: "Two social workers were walking down the street, when they heard moans and groans coming from an alley. When they walked into the alley, they found a crime victim, beaten and bloody. One social worker turns to the other and said "You know, whoever did this really needs our help." So they organized the community and then ran for president." I haven't seen this yet, but it comes highly recommended from a reader. If I understand it correctly, it's a locally made pro-McCain ad, put together by a recent veteran of the war on islamofascism. Alas, the corporate net-nannies block YouTube, so you'll have to watch it elsewhere. Also recommended is this article from the Washington Post: Give Carmakers a Little Respect -- and a Loan. The referrer's comments sum it up: A good article to read - especially for us in Detroit for whom the current economic condition is really hitting hard. Federal government keeps spending billions of dollars to bail out financial companies (Bears Sterns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, to name the few) that knowingly made risky loans. We as tax payers are supporting this and same reckless behavior will continue. Ace has a good explanation on why you should take all the polls with a grain of salt. Newt's www.AmericanSolutions.com has a link to the new (just released yesterday) Aaron Tippin's "Drill Here, Drill Now" song that's sure to be a big, big hit. You can hear it here. more soon

Tuesday 09SEP08

55 days to go so anyway, the leftist media (redundancy alert) keep looking for the scandal that will end Sarah Palin's historic VP nomination. They're not coming up with much. Q and O parses the Washington Post's story: So what's the scandal? Three pages to tell us she works within the law on travel and per diem expenses and that some (the reporters) may question the legitimacy of her claims even if Alaska law and policy seem to support them. I'm simply outraged. What will they find next? Improper labeling of moose meat stored in her freezer? Funny, but most people do not believe Senator Obama when he says he's not going to take your guns: Gun sales are going boom around the country as gun owners and gun advocates brace for a potential Democrat in the White House for the first time in almost 10 years....."We call it the Obama factor. People are very concerned that if a Democrat is elected they will see more restrictions on handguns and assault rifles." Godell said. "I think as a result of that we have seen steady handgun sales, and there's been an increase in the sale of assault rifles like AK-47s, as well." Over at The Next Right, they're looking at the various polls and are seeing some good stuff: White women have moved from 50-42 percent in Obama's favor before the conventions to 53-41 percent for McCain now, a 20-point shift in the margin that's one of the single biggest post-convention changes in voter preferences. The other, also to McCain's advantage, is in the battleground Midwest, where he's moved from a 19-point deficit to a 7-point edge. And that's from the new ABC/WaPo poll. In other news, S.Weasel has the new Obama logo. See this to understand what being a "community organizer" looks like. more soon.

Monday 08SEP08

56 days to go so anyway, Bill Whittle, one of my favorite political commentators has a new piece up at NRO: Many conservatives were arguing that it would be better to sit this one out, and let the country go to hell, so that we could send the Republican party a message and re-emerge from the ashes in 2012 with "the next Reagan." I pointed out that there were two problems with this theory: First, you may not like the fact that Grandma smokes in bed, and you may indeed want to get her attention. But if that message consists of letting her set the bed, the house and the grandchildren on fire, perhaps there was a better way to "send a message." Second, it pained me to point out that there was no "next Reagan." Ronald Reagan was on the political scene for almost two decades before he became President. Who was waiting in the wings to magically fill this role? No one..... .....Sarah Palin has done more than unify and electrify the base. She's done something I would not have thought possible, were it not happening in front of my nose: Sarah Palin has stolen Barack Obama's glamour. She's stolen his excitement, robbed his electricity, burgled his charisma, purloined his star power, and taken his Hope and Change mantra, woven it into a cold-weather fashion accessory, and wrapped it around her neck..... .....A candidate who is young, funny, well-spoken, intelligent, charming, drop-dead gorgeous — and one of ours? Is this actually happening? I have personally seen hundreds of crusty, old-school paleocons who despised McCain now saying "He finally listened to us." By picking Palin — instead of Lieberman, who we all know he wanted — he has told conservatives that he gets it. They're not holding their noses and voting any more. They want yard signs and bumper stickers — they can't wait they are writing checks. I've seen post after post on Hillary forums about how much they love Sarah, how they are energized and lifted out of depression by her (and the sight of an actual Roll Call made some of them weep). They gush about how she reminds them of their hero, how tough and savvy and unafraid she is. And I have seen these women, hard-core, feminist Democrats for 30 years and more, sit in slack-jawed amazement at Palin and at how fiercely Republicans — Republicans! — are defending her, backing her, and cheering her to the rafters. These Clinton supporters say they don't know what to think any more: The Republicans are behaving like Democrats and the Democrats are behaving like Republicans! Emphasis mine, of course. Righteous, Brother. Read the whole thing. Hat tip to Ragin' Dave at Four Right Wing Wackos for the link. Elsewhere, Senator McCain is poised to point out the dog siht on Senator Obama's shoes. It looks like the DNC had a double-siht-load of American flags after their convention that they decided to put out with the trash. McQ of Q and O fame opines that "It is stupid things like this...which can cost you elections" McQ at Q and O also tips us to Charles Martin's most excellent run-down of Sarah Palin Non-Facts or rumors, or whatever. Good reading, that. Also at Q and O: Senator Barack Hussien Obama II is not going to take away your guns: "If you've got a gun in your house, I'm not taking it," Obama said.... But the Illinois senator could still see skeptics in the crowd, particularly on the faces of several men at the back of the room. So he tried again. "Even if I want to take them away, I don't have the votes in Congress," he said. "This can't be the reason not to vote for me. Can everyone hear me in the back? I see a couple of sportsmen back there. I'm not going to take away your guns." Damn wrong, skippy: this can be a reason not to vote for you. To quote McQ: Good grief. "Even if I want to take them away"? Translation: "I'm not a gun grabber, but assuming that I'm lying about that, I've put some thought into it and I've calculated that I can't currently succeed. So you're not going to hold this little matter against me, are you?" more soon

57 days to go

one for each state.....

Whittle sighting

in an unexpected venue.....

so anyway, thanks to Ragin' Dave, (we almost met in person recently, but he's in the Army and I'm in the Stoopid Business™, so our employers conspired against us.) I find out that Bill Whittle has a new piece up over at National Review Online.

Whittle? NRO? Who'd have thunk it?

A taste:

Sarah Palin has done more than unify and electrify the base. She’s done something I would not have thought possible, were it not happening in front of my nose: Sarah Palin has stolen Barack Obama’s glamour. She’s stolen his excitement, robbed his electricity, burgled his charisma, purloined his star power, and taken his Hope and Change mantra, woven it into a cold-weather fashion accessory, and wrapped it around her neck.

Emphasis mine, of course. Bill describes his "out of body experience" here.

Yeah, that about sums it up

Will Collier does good

so anyway, over at VodkaPundit, Will Collier hits it on the head, smackly:

.....Palin the Alaksan hunter looks like Ted Nugent crossed with Margaret Thatcher and your best friend’s mom, with a powerful dose of homespun country-girl sass thrown in to boot.....

Well played, Sir. Read the whole thing, please.

Friday 05SEP08

59 days to go.....

so anyway, McCain's acceptance speech was really good. He's not a real "dynamic" speaker in the first place, but he done good. I liked the voice-over intro by Teh Fred!

All the cool kids are still talking about Sarah "The Thrilla from Wasilla" Palin (I just wish I could remember who coined the phrase so I could give proper credit).

The best one-line comment of the day came from Rachel Lucas' blog:

Good Lord, I so wanna vote for her. I wanna vote all over her.

Not only did more people tune in to watch her than watched Senator Obama, but she gave her speech without a teleprompter! Apparently, the 'prompter crapped out early in the speech and she just kept going. Have you ever seen Senator Obama speak cohesively without a teleprompter? I thought not.

Victor Davis Hanson on Palin:

A beautiful, confident, articulate, independent, accomplished—and conservative—woman apparently has enraged Team Obama, the mainstream media, and the entire American intelligentsia, as if they were collectively hit by a cruise missile aimed from Middle America.

Looks like the dims' post convention bounce has done bounced away: statistical dead heat:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows the beginning of John McCain’s convention bounce and the race is essentially back where it was before Barack Obama’s bounce. Obama now attracts 46% of the vote while McCain earns 45%. When "leaners" are included, it’s Obama 48%, McCain 46% (see recent daily results)...

Both Obama and McCain are now viewed favorably by 57% of the nation’s voters (see trends). However, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is viewed favorably by 58%--a point more than either Presidential hopeful. Forty percent (40%) have a Very Favorable opinion of her.

Via Cold Fury, we learn that the Wilson sisters are not happy about having 35+ million people hear their song:

Ann and Nancy Wilson are pissed at the Republican Party and have fired off a cease and desist letter to the McCain/Palin campaign.

Specifically, the Heart women are upset that the GOP has used their classic “Barracuda” as a theme song for Sarah Palin. TMZ obtained a statement from Heart’s rep, who says “The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission.”

The statement goes on: “We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored.”

This from a band who's most recent gig was the "oldies reunion" show for a PBS pledge drive.

more soon