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Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Comment Of the Day: On the Thinness of His Skin
Dennis Miller: “I do not note the color of his skin. However, I do note the thinness of it.”
My I make a note about his color, without being banned? OK. He acts awful green to me.
Paul-Cincy on May 29, 2010 at 5:14 PM
from Hot Air
Friday, May 28, 2010
Peggy Noonan on Obama's Unforced Errors
Noonan in today's WSJ:
"I don't see how the president's position and popularity can survive the oil spill. This is his third political disaster in his first 18 months in office. And they were all, as they say, unforced errors, meaning they were shaped by the president's political judgment and instincts.
"There was the tearing and unnecessary war over his health-care proposal and its cost. There was his day-to-day indifference to the views and hopes of the majority of voters regarding illegal immigration. And now the past almost 40 days of dodging and dithering in the face of an environmental calamity. I don't see how you politically survive this.
"The president, in my view, continues to govern in a way that suggests he is chronically detached from the central and immediate concerns of his countrymen. This is a terrible thing to see in a political figure, and a startling thing in one who won so handily and shrewdly in 2008. But he has not, almost from the day he was inaugurated, been in sync with the center. The heart of the country is thinking each day about A, B and C, and he is thinking about X, Y and Z. They're in one reality, he's in another."
..................
"The original sin in my view is that as soon as the oil rig accident happened the president tried to maintain distance between the gusher and his presidency. He wanted people to associate the disaster with BP and not him. When your most creative thoughts in the middle of a disaster revolve around protecting your position, you are summoning trouble. When you try to dodge ownership of a problem, when you try to hide from responsibility, life will give you ownership and responsibility the hard way. In any case, the strategy was always a little mad. Americans would never think an international petroleum company based in London would worry as much about American shores and wildlife as, say, Americans would. They were never going to blame only BP, or trust it."
................
Noonan says Katrina,"illustrate[s] that even though the federal government in our time has continually taken on new missions and responsibilities, the more it took on, the less it seemed capable of performing even its most essential jobs. Conservatives got this point—they know it without being told—but liberals and progressives did not. They thought Katrina was the result only of George W. Bush's incompetence and conservatives' failure to "believe in government." But Mr. Obama was supposed to be competent."
One could wish that Noonan could also look at her own unforced error: she failed to look critically at the information about Obama that was available to anyone who could use Google. If she had looked him over then she might have realized that there was nothing in the record to suggest the canard of competence. She would have seen that here is a man who has seldom done anything or accomplished anything beyond getting his ticket punched and grabbing the next higher spot. He has never demonstrated competence at anything besides ambitious and ceaseless movement. He has never stayed in one spot or position long enough to accomplish much of anything. He has tried desperately to control all the information available about himself. Maybe if Peggy had come face to face with his many attempts to control information she would have been as skeptical then as she is finally becoming. The canard of competence would not have ever taken hold if members of the media had demonstrated a minimal level of competence in their job performance.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
70 Million by Hold Your Horses !
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The Lesson: do not mix old masters and electric guitars. The probability is that the result will be uglier and more unwatchable than this. And that is just too ugly.
70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L'Ogre on Vimeo.
The Lesson: do not mix old masters and electric guitars. The probability is that the result will be uglier and more unwatchable than this. And that is just too ugly.
Coulter and Panel Discuss Immigration
.Mexican law is much more severe than American immigratiin law so Ann asks why are we welcoming racists into our country.
h/t: Ann Coulter.com
h/t: Ann Coulter.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
'As I Went Out One Morning to Breathe the Air Around Tom Paine"
The Greatest Compassion You Can Show Illegal Aliens Is To Show Them Respect for the Rule of Law
h/t: Hot Air
h/t: Hot Air
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Millionaire Tries to Stand Up for Poor Folk
Funny how Kennedy compares the new Arizona law to slavery when his position on the issue ensures that millions will continue to work in slavery-like conditions for less than a living wage.
Who Woulda Thunk? Our Southern Border Connects Not Just with Mexico But with the Whole World
I posted this clip last week but the issue it raises, though important for our national security, remains absent from the public discourse.
I guess it is a tough concept to understand and apply. But if there is anyone, anywhere in the world whose entry into the US could pose a threat to US citizens, the Obama administration allowing anyone to walk across our border anytime they want opens the whole country up to anyone who would do us harm. It really does not seem that difficult to understand. But apparently one can spend a lifetime reporting the news and commenting on the news and be unable to understand and appreciate this simple concept.
I guess it is a tough concept to understand and apply. But if there is anyone, anywhere in the world whose entry into the US could pose a threat to US citizens, the Obama administration allowing anyone to walk across our border anytime they want opens the whole country up to anyone who would do us harm. It really does not seem that difficult to understand. But apparently one can spend a lifetime reporting the news and commenting on the news and be unable to understand and appreciate this simple concept.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Stephanopoulos Thinks Pelosi Is A Genius?
She is not stupid but her real strength is Chicago-style street fighting.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
All the Dead Polar Bears: Parts 3 and 4 plus an Algore 'debates
Is CO2 the cause? Part 3
Part 4
THE DEBATE Sort of . . . Al Gore talks to a worshiping crowd and then video is shown of scientists pointing out that the evidence says Gore is lying (or colossally misrepresenting the meaning of the evidence).
Part 4
THE DEBATE Sort of . . . Al Gore talks to a worshiping crowd and then video is shown of scientists pointing out that the evidence says Gore is lying (or colossally misrepresenting the meaning of the evidence).
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Doctor Zero: All Net
Here are three quick quotes from Doctor Zero's post at Hot Air today. It is, a usual with the doctor, well worth reading.
"The truth is that American labor unions, and angry Greek pensioners, have become de facto arms of the State. They are the feral vanguard of a collapsing system, using violence and intimidation to make it clear those not favorably connected to the political power structure will be sacrificed to preserve it, for as long as possible."
...........................
" Obama has no intention of spreading wealth around for the good of everybody. His objective is to transfer your wealth to the SEIU and other powerful collective organizations, to fund their lavish benefits. He even bought a car company as a gift to the United Auto Workers. The American taxpayer has pumped over $17 billion into GMAC, so it can continue to provide the UAW with wages and benefits far beyond anything those taxpayers enjoy… a wealth transfer hidden behind shell games and media manipulation."
...............................
"That explains why socialism is miserable. It turns feral because it always makes promises it cannot keep, and the primary skill of a successful politician is the ability to avoid responsibility. As of this writing, it remains the official position of the Democrat Party that not a single one of its members bears any responsibility for the subprime mortgage crisis. Dodd, Frank, and Obama swam in millions of dollars of campaign donations and graft. They blocked audits of Fannie Mae, and gave speeches assuring the country that it was completely solvent. They greeted any suggestion of reform or oversight with furious accusations of greed and racism. None of them have been punished. In fact, they all enjoy more power than ever today, although Dodd’s time is running out."
Faberge Eggs, Part 5: Do Barack and Michelle believe in the divine right of presidents?
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Why am I running five videos on Faberge eggs? They are the perfect symbol of an out of touch elite that governs a population sliding into depression and unending and massive unemployment yet feels no shame at opulent balls like the recent one at the White House. They have not a clue how barbarically tasteless their excesses appear to those on the outside who daily make do with less to pay the taxes for such craziness as having a chef flown across the country to prepare one meal. These clueless elites do not see why it might not be good taste to consume so conspicuously on money bled from the productive layers of society. I could have just as well have laid out the wild excesses of the court of Louis XIV. A major commonality in all three instances is the obvious separation between the great mass of society and a blind aristocracy that feels justified in spending the fruits of the labor of others without check or any thought about the propriety of their public excesses. Do Barack and Michelle believe in the divine right of presidents?
Why am I running five videos on Faberge eggs? They are the perfect symbol of an out of touch elite that governs a population sliding into depression and unending and massive unemployment yet feels no shame at opulent balls like the recent one at the White House. They have not a clue how barbarically tasteless their excesses appear to those on the outside who daily make do with less to pay the taxes for such craziness as having a chef flown across the country to prepare one meal. These clueless elites do not see why it might not be good taste to consume so conspicuously on money bled from the productive layers of society. I could have just as well have laid out the wild excesses of the court of Louis XIV. A major commonality in all three instances is the obvious separation between the great mass of society and a blind aristocracy that feels justified in spending the fruits of the labor of others without check or any thought about the propriety of their public excesses. Do Barack and Michelle believe in the divine right of presidents?
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
.Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Islam needs reform (1/2)
Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Islam needs reform (2/2)
Sorry I don't know how to edit Bill Maher out of this last clip. Here, as usual, he adds nothing positive to the disussion.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali - Islam needs reform (2/2)
Sorry I don't know how to edit Bill Maher out of this last clip. Here, as usual, he adds nothing positive to the disussion.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Faberge Eggs, Part 4
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To the degree that these expensive and opulent eggs grew to be a normal part of the lives of the Romanovs, the Romanovs were growing to be too expensive a decoration for the Russian people. Just as the eggs were conspicuously too refined and too expensive so were the Romanovs and the Medieval political system that supported them.
To the degree that these expensive and opulent eggs grew to be a normal part of the lives of the Romanovs, the Romanovs were growing to be too expensive a decoration for the Russian people. Just as the eggs were conspicuously too refined and too expensive so were the Romanovs and the Medieval political system that supported them.
Comment Of the Day
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kong May 20th, 2010 - 6:47 pm
Obama failures in just first year:
-unemployment goes to 10%
-2 trillion more to national debt
-Iran getting nuke
-North Korea shooting off nukes, sinks South Korean ship
-Russians help Iran, Eastern Europe open to them
-Obama backs marxist takover in Honduras
-Obamacare failure, will cost 250% more than claimed as European socialism collapsing
-Mexican border Chaos
-Americans dying on American soil again
-anti-free speech president
That’s just in the first year — and I was running out of room. All they got is calling critics “racist” — it’s pathetic.
from Breitbart TV
kong May 20th, 2010 - 6:47 pm
Obama failures in just first year:
-unemployment goes to 10%
-2 trillion more to national debt
-Iran getting nuke
-North Korea shooting off nukes, sinks South Korean ship
-Russians help Iran, Eastern Europe open to them
-Obama backs marxist takover in Honduras
-Obamacare failure, will cost 250% more than claimed as European socialism collapsing
-Mexican border Chaos
-Americans dying on American soil again
-anti-free speech president
That’s just in the first year — and I was running out of room. All they got is calling critics “racist” — it’s pathetic.
from Breitbart TV
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Ravel Introduction et Allegro for Harp, stringquartet, flute, clarinet
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I still have a dim memory of the first time I heard this piece. It would have been around 1967-8. It was at a big record store where they had little booths where you could take the records and listen to them. It was an Angel recording. I loved the etherial quality of the piece and bought it immediately. In those days I worked six days a week as a dishwasher. I rented a small room in a private home and almost everything that I did not spend on food and rent was spent buying books and records. My idea of a fun way to spend my day off was to have a chili dog at a nearby place that had Bob Dylan's 'Tom Thumbs Blues' on their juke box and listen to it four or five times. It is the previous incarnation of 'Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues' that is on side two of 'Highway 61 Revisited,' I know it is not related to Ravel but if I continue to free associate we will end up on the 'Bob Dylan for President' posters that were in almost every window in Berkeley in 1968 and all of the great used bookstores that were in the two blocks next to the campus where I bought a bunch of old Modern Library classics.
I still have a dim memory of the first time I heard this piece. It would have been around 1967-8. It was at a big record store where they had little booths where you could take the records and listen to them. It was an Angel recording. I loved the etherial quality of the piece and bought it immediately. In those days I worked six days a week as a dishwasher. I rented a small room in a private home and almost everything that I did not spend on food and rent was spent buying books and records. My idea of a fun way to spend my day off was to have a chili dog at a nearby place that had Bob Dylan's 'Tom Thumbs Blues' on their juke box and listen to it four or five times. It is the previous incarnation of 'Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues' that is on side two of 'Highway 61 Revisited,' I know it is not related to Ravel but if I continue to free associate we will end up on the 'Bob Dylan for President' posters that were in almost every window in Berkeley in 1968 and all of the great used bookstores that were in the two blocks next to the campus where I bought a bunch of old Modern Library classics.
The Leftie Is Always the One Who Worries Most About What People Wear Not About How Many People They Slaughter
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h/t: NewsBusters
Do they now teach the kids that the founding fathers were Puritans?? You would think they would want to hire history teachers that know something about history. The poor kid probably thinks that the Revolutionary soldiers could have just gone to the Gap or Banana Republic and bought the designated uniform.
h/t: NewsBusters
Do they now teach the kids that the founding fathers were Puritans?? You would think they would want to hire history teachers that know something about history. The poor kid probably thinks that the Revolutionary soldiers could have just gone to the Gap or Banana Republic and bought the designated uniform.
Comment Of the Day
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Who cares if what I’ve written may show my tedancies toward a form of government that historically has been reproved time and again by people who favor an individuals right of liberty? Confirm me to the Supreme Court, I promise not sting you because our futures depend on the decisions we make tomorrow, not the one you’re making today.
The Scorpion and the Frog
The story is about a scorpion asking a frog to carry him across a river. The frog is afraid of being stung, but the scorpion reassures him that if it stung the frog, the frog would sink and the scorpion would drown as well. The frog then agrees; nevertheless, in mid-river, the scorpion stings him, dooming the two of them. When asked why, the scorpion explains, “I’m a scorpion; it’s my nature.”
Americannodash on May 20, 2010 at 12:35 AM
from Hot Air
Who cares if what I’ve written may show my tedancies toward a form of government that historically has been reproved time and again by people who favor an individuals right of liberty? Confirm me to the Supreme Court, I promise not sting you because our futures depend on the decisions we make tomorrow, not the one you’re making today.
The Scorpion and the Frog
The story is about a scorpion asking a frog to carry him across a river. The frog is afraid of being stung, but the scorpion reassures him that if it stung the frog, the frog would sink and the scorpion would drown as well. The frog then agrees; nevertheless, in mid-river, the scorpion stings him, dooming the two of them. When asked why, the scorpion explains, “I’m a scorpion; it’s my nature.”
Americannodash on May 20, 2010 at 12:35 AM
from Hot Air
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Not Surprisingly the Goldman Sachs Candidate for Supreme Court and Obama's Candidate Are the SAME PERSON
This from USAToday:
"Solicitor General Elena Kagan was a member of the Research Advisory Council of the Goldman Sachs Global Markets Institute, according to the financial disclosures she filed when President Obama appointed her last year to her current post. Kagan served on the Goldman panel from 2005 through 2008, when she was dean of Harvard Law School, and received a $10,000 stipend for her service in 2008, her disclosure forms show.
h/t: AnnCoulter.com
Comment Of the Day
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Leftwing environmentalists are very worried that more geriatric jellyfish are disappearing, and they may go extinct in their natural habitat–the US Capitol Building.
RBMN on May 19, 2010 at 1:07 PM
from Hot Air
MSNBC Dependably Racist: Matthews Says There Is No Reason To Not Vote for Critz in PA12 Since He's Not Black
.The Democrats seem to be doing everything they can to make American politics racial again. I guess they think it is their only chance of winning.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
In Obamaworld 'Freedom of the Press' Does Not Extend to Answering Questions from the Press
By this point you would think Obama would be ashamed to show his face in a freedom loving country.
But there is an upside to him turning transparency on its head. There are inevitable side effects to frequent, regular and open press conferences that we are spared. I think that all of the MSM outlets would have to go to hour long evening news programs to even begin to explain, justify or cover over all of stupid, inaccurate and embarrassing answers Obama would give. That would just speed the rate at which Americans with common sense would abandon the alphabets. And so we are saved from ten to twenty years of elite pundits blaming everything but the real cause of the problem. I am sure my readers can think of many more examples of unpleasantness that Barry saves us from with his unhealthy attachment to secrecy and the blockade of the free flow of information. It's just too bad that Barry's bad habits are so destructive to a free and open society.
But there is an upside to him turning transparency on its head. There are inevitable side effects to frequent, regular and open press conferences that we are spared. I think that all of the MSM outlets would have to go to hour long evening news programs to even begin to explain, justify or cover over all of stupid, inaccurate and embarrassing answers Obama would give. That would just speed the rate at which Americans with common sense would abandon the alphabets. And so we are saved from ten to twenty years of elite pundits blaming everything but the real cause of the problem. I am sure my readers can think of many more examples of unpleasantness that Barry saves us from with his unhealthy attachment to secrecy and the blockade of the free flow of information. It's just too bad that Barry's bad habits are so destructive to a free and open society.
Fed Government's Written Policy on State Enforcement of Immigration Laws Exactly the Same As Arizona Law
President Obama and his AG are too busy with politics to do actual lawyer word apparently.
This from the Washington Post:
"In the legal battle over Arizona’s new immigration law, an ironic subtext has emerged: whether a Bush-era legal opinion complicates a potential Obama administration lawsuit against Arizona.
"The document, written in 2002 by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, concluded that state police officers have “inherent power” to arrest undocumented immigrants for violating federal law. …
"The author of the Arizona law — which has drawn strong opposition from top Obama administration officials — has cited the authority granted in the 2002 memo as a basis for the legislation. The Obama administration has not withdrawn the memo, and some backers of the Arizona law said Monday that because it remains in place, a Justice Department lawsuit against Arizona would be awkward at best.
“The Justice Department’s official position as of now is that local law enforcement has the inherent authority to enforce federal immigration law,” said Robert Driscoll, a former Justice Department Civil Rights Division official in the George W. Bush administration who represents an Arizona sheriff known for aggressive immigration enforcement. “How can you blame someone for exercising authority that the department says they have?”"
Ed Morrissey from Hot Air comments:
Barack Obama has been in office for sixteen months. Eric Holder has been AG for almost as long, being one of the first Cabinet members confirmed by the Senate after Obama assumed office. During the transition, both men promised to “hit the ground running,” which should have meant a review of policy positions across the board. Immigration reform was a key agenda item for Obama and the Democrats — and yet no one at the DoJ or the White House apparently thought to withdraw this memo. That speaks volumes about competence.
Don't Smoke In Bed
I really enjoyed the visuals in this music video. I was tipped to this from a post at Pundit and Pundette about songs written by Peggy Lee.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Comment Of the Day
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All those Harvard,Princeton,& Yale educated Obamacrats got outmaneuvered by Iran?
Of course they did.
That stupid lady with the Idaho college degree warned us not to trust them.
portlandon on May 17, 2010 at 3:48 PM
from Hot Air
UNCOVERED AUDIO: OBAMA’S REGULATORY CZAR PUSHES CREEPY PLAN FOR LEGALLY CONTROLLING INTERNET INFORMATION
Why do these Obama regulatory thugs feel driven to control everything? I can no longer think of the Democrats as the governing party. They are an evil force that I pray America can survive.
h/t: Breitbart TV
h/t: Breitbart TV
Is Anyone Surprised that Obama's Solicitor General Argued that Feds Can Ban Books??
After listening to Obama's people for over a year I know they have no respect for the civil rights of non-Democrats. They seem to think that if someone disagrees with them that person has somehow proved they are 'anti government' and they tend to treat them as enemies with a vigor they never seem able to summon in dealing with our country's true enemies. They seem to share intolerance for dissent and a need to control everything that starkly contrasts with the democratic and basic human rights elements in our Constitution and traditions.
From The Hill:
""Solicitor Kagan's office in the initial hearing argued that it would be OK to ban books," McConnell said. "And then when there was a rehearing Solicitor Kagan herself in her first Supreme Court argument suggested that it might be OK to ban pamphlets.
"I think that's very troubling, and this whole area of her view of the First Amendment and political speech is something that ought to be explored by the Judiciary Committee and by the full Senate," McConnell said.
"In the case in question, Chief Justice John Roberts asked the government lawyer whether the law in question could also prevent the publication of a campaign-related book, if it was paid for by a corporation or labor union.
"“If it's a 500-page book, and at the end it says, 'and so vote for x,' the government could ban that?” Roberts asked.
"Kagan's deputy, Malcolm L. Stewart, said yes.
""We could prohibit the publication of that book," he responded.
""In a later oral argument, Kagan slightly modified that position, but still found herself arguing that the government could ban certain pamphlets, depending on who paid for their publication.
""And if you say that you are not going to apply it to a book, what about a pamphlet?" Roberts asked.
"“A pamphlet would be different. A pamphlet is pretty classic electioneering, so there is no attempt to say that [law] only applies to video and not to print," Kagan responded."
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Janeane Garofalo's dog pees on her
It's bad enough that I enjoy posting this. I won't further stain my soul with snarky comments.
But most people must be wondering if the dog did it just because Garafalo is white. Or maybe the dog is suffering from Stockholm syndrome or just got stuck in his lizard brain.
But most people must be wondering if the dog did it just because Garafalo is white. Or maybe the dog is suffering from Stockholm syndrome or just got stuck in his lizard brain.
GOP THROWS ‘PINK SLIP PARTY’ FOR GRAYSON AND KOSMAS
It looks like Grayson is determined to return to obscurity the same way he emerged from it: angrily spouting shiboliths.
h/t: Breitbart TV
h/t: Breitbart TV
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Immigration Nostrums
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h/t: NewsBusters
When the Simpson-Mazzoli Act of 1986 gave amnesty and citizenship to many who had entered the US illegally and had worked here illegally it was argued that passing such a law would only cause much more illegal immigration. There have since been tens of millions who have entered the country illegally. When foreigners see that our government has lost respect for our laws, many feel that there is no reason for them to treat the law with any respect. Villaraigosa's inability to see one of the major lessons of Simpson-Mazzoli can only mean that he does not mind if he provides motivation and encouragement for tens of millions more crossing our border illegally. And quite possibly he is more concerned with increasing the ranks of the Democrat Party rather than what is best for all Americans. Thankfully the majority of Americans do not agree with this divisive and overly partisan mayor.
h/t: NewsBusters
When the Simpson-Mazzoli Act of 1986 gave amnesty and citizenship to many who had entered the US illegally and had worked here illegally it was argued that passing such a law would only cause much more illegal immigration. There have since been tens of millions who have entered the country illegally. When foreigners see that our government has lost respect for our laws, many feel that there is no reason for them to treat the law with any respect. Villaraigosa's inability to see one of the major lessons of Simpson-Mazzoli can only mean that he does not mind if he provides motivation and encouragement for tens of millions more crossing our border illegally. And quite possibly he is more concerned with increasing the ranks of the Democrat Party rather than what is best for all Americans. Thankfully the majority of Americans do not agree with this divisive and overly partisan mayor.
Jussi Bjorling - Che Gelida Manina
'What a frozen little hand' from Puccini's La Boheme sung here by the great Swedish alcoholic.
Friday, May 14, 2010
"The Sinking of the Reuben James" by The Kingston Trio
This song was written by Woody Guthrie back in those long forgotten days when lefties still wrote patriotic songs.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Video: Chris Christie destroys reporter for calling him confrontational
Christie tell him how to count the cabbage.
h/t: Hot Air
| Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his 'confrontational tone' |
h/t: Hot Air
Politico's Chief Political Correspondent on Bennett and Reid Elections
Basically Mike Allen argues that if your senator is good at getting pork, you're crazy to not re-elect him. But my first thought is that one of the main things that has caused our national problems, i.e., pork, is probably not one of the things that will fix much of anything.
h/t: NewsBusters
h/t: NewsBusters
Luntz Focus Group of Arizona Citizens on New Law: People Are Very Angry
They want to live in a crime free area -- crime in Arizona does not seem to be an issue to the Obama regime. But Obama has to accept some responsibility for the deepened anger and division that his partisan policies have helped to create.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Elena Kagan Did Not Respect the Constitution 14 Years Ago- There Is No Reason To Expect More from Her Now
Two quotes below from a CNS post about Elena Kagan, almost 15 years ago trying to construct a rationalization for ignoring the First Amendment.
Elena Kagan, "expressed that idea in her 1996 article in the University of Chicago Law Review entitled, “Private Speech, Public Purpose: The Role of Governmental Motive in First Amendment Doctrine.”"
...................
"In her article, Kagan said that examination of the motives of government is the proper approach for the Supreme Court when looking at whether a law violates the First Amendment. While not denying that other concerns, such as the impact of a law, can be taken into account, Kagan argued that governmental motive is “the most important” factor.
"In doing so, Kagan constructed a complex framework that can be used by the Court to determine whether or not Congress has restricted First Amendment freedoms with improper intent.
"She defined improper intent as prohibiting or restricting speech merely because Congress or a public majority dislikes either the message or the messenger, or because the message or messenger may be harmful to elected officials or their political priorities."
********************************************
I am afraid that this is the most least radical nominee we can expect from President Obama.
Elena Kagan, "expressed that idea in her 1996 article in the University of Chicago Law Review entitled, “Private Speech, Public Purpose: The Role of Governmental Motive in First Amendment Doctrine.”"
...................
"In her article, Kagan said that examination of the motives of government is the proper approach for the Supreme Court when looking at whether a law violates the First Amendment. While not denying that other concerns, such as the impact of a law, can be taken into account, Kagan argued that governmental motive is “the most important” factor.
"In doing so, Kagan constructed a complex framework that can be used by the Court to determine whether or not Congress has restricted First Amendment freedoms with improper intent.
"She defined improper intent as prohibiting or restricting speech merely because Congress or a public majority dislikes either the message or the messenger, or because the message or messenger may be harmful to elected officials or their political priorities."
********************************************
I am afraid that this is the most least radical nominee we can expect from President Obama.
Crime inc ~ Why Obama Needs to Control the Internet.
I find the assertion that Obaama might try and outlaw Tea Party events far fetched but the video is on the right track.
The Culture War and the Growth of Irrationality - Part One, Talking Heads Lie and Slander to Shame Their Enemies into Silence
Change is in the air. And it is not the change that Barack Obama talked about. It is millions of Americans feeling deeply in their bones that things are changing too quickly and for the worse. And these millions of average people are paying much more attention to what is going on in Washington than they ever have. Americans are more informed and following events more closely. But, paradoxically, viewership of network news is down, news magazine and newspaper subscriptions are at staggering lows. Newspapers are going under and Time and Newsweek are barely alive.
But is this really so paradoxical? If you want to gamble wouldn’t you tend to play where that you’re pretty sure the game is not rigged? Sure, the odds are always going to favor the house, but why just give your money away? How much of Harry Smith, Brian Williams, George Stephanopoulos kissing up to Obama has it taken for the average American to know it’s a rigged game with the networks? They lie by omission: they never fully covered the Van Jones story, the ACORN scandal, Max Baucus’ drunken rant on the floor of the Senate, Climategate, the violence from lefties at Tea Parties and townhalls, the congressional vote on a statehood election in Puerto Rico and on and on and on. They make up and continually spread lies about Barack Obama’s most feared opponents. And when that perverse stuff goes wall to wall, 24/7 people tend to move on. So, in order to keep some viewers coming back, the pimps at the nets act like Tiger Woods is news. And the exodus from their lying dens of iniquity has continued nonstop. The White House gang and their sycophants in the media carry on and wail about Fox News. But when people turn it on and watch regularly they usually become convinced that there is a more accurate view of the world than they will ever get from the old media. Or if the Fox game is rigged too, that a combination of the two differing slants might move everything toward even.
I find it especially irritating the way the old media try to demonize and dehumanize their most effective opponents. (And why would a professional journalist have an obvious enemy? But the way they savagely attack as if it was their job makes it obvious that they actually do think it is their job) Here I refer mainly to their dishonest and mob-like attacks on Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Fox News. They don’t even attempt to be fair, honest or objective when it comes to these targets. It reminds me of the social bullying that goes on in junior high and high school. The talking heads sit around and make yuckie faces and assassinate the characters of people they fear. You never hear them offer anything objectively verifiable to back up their opinions. Often a group of these lefties will happen upon one of their Great Satans during a discussion and they will launch into a long jag of pure subjectivity. It has been accurately compared to Orwell’s Two Minutes of Hate in 1984. Every possible permutation of ‘stupid.’ ‘ignorant,’ ‘evil,’ ‘racist,’ and ‘unlettered,’ ‘backward,’ ‘religious’ and ‘rural’ is pulled out and enjoyed to the fullest degree. They seldom provide a fact or a shred of argument; there is just subjectivity and hate. I am sure we are dealing some sort of mass psychosis when these rants get going: infantilized and privileged adults in packs acting like junior high school kids . They are unhinged and divorced from reality: it is like a fugue state or an unusual absence seizure. But only where two or more lefties congregate: while all this goes on these are not sane people; they are not in touch with reality. It put me in mind of the lizard brain meme some of them use to attempt to discredit their enemies. There is nothing rational or mature going on here.
I often watch these panel shows via YouTube, Eyeblast and other video formats on my computer. While watching and listening I rehearse counter arguments in my mind. But I have come to the conclusion that reason is useless when you are dealing with men who have no understanding of reason. All these leftie denizens of the talk shows are lacking in the ability to reason and base most everything on group/mob feelings. One sure sign of irrationality: I have never heard so many demands that people disagreeing with them just shut up as well as the repeated but baseless assertions that their opponents operate well outside civilized norms. This is unusual. Americans have not generally feared others being allowed to express their opinions. But it seems to have become rather accepted on talking head shows that a panel of network approved and pampered libs (with a sprinkling of token pseudo-conservatives) have some kind of hallowed insight into who should be denied their most basic constitutional rights. They are out of touch with American roots and values and deeply in tune with some moon barking, bullying strain of irrationality. I am not going to say this is a result of the liberal arts, history, and political science departments of high schools and colleges having become leftie fiefs. Why belabor the obvious? These poor people were never taught how to read or think critically, they didn’t go to the trouble to learn on their own and now the public discussion is daily diminished by this plague of a learning disability
These MSM gab fests often react only obliquely to anything they disagree with. They are usually incapable or unwilling to directly answer any position of the opposite side. So they endlessly assert that the opponent’s statement has no place in a decent society. They will dismiss their opponents as racist, traitorous, sell outs to special interests, haters. Their point is always that the offending statement should be ignored because they successfully placed a hex on it with one of these leftie insults. This refusal to consider the position of others is essential to irrationality.
I came across a good example of this a little while back. The leftie group Media Matters for America named Glenn Beck Misinformer of the Year. Their website had a long page explaining all of the reasons for their choice of Beck. There was not a free standing objective fact that directly supported their calumny on that page. It was all subjective judgments. For example they cited Beck’s accusation that Barack Obama is guilty of prejudice against whites. I might not always want to go that far in describing the president but it IS a judgment call. [Though the obsession with questions of race by doctrinaire lefties such as Obama and their tendency to want to grant favors from the state based solely on skin color or ancestry makes it difficult to not think of them as racists. Such issues are of marginal interest to most conservatives and I only feel the need to bring it up rarely: let’s nott let the matter die but there is no point in beating a dead horse either.] Beck had given reasons and examples from the public record for his characterization of the president. Beck sees prejudice. I think that honest people can easily have a difference of opinion about this issue. But to call it a lie is going beyond what the circumstances warrant. To call that misinformation is itself a lie and is truly misinformation. I saw no honest attempt to engage in honest and open discussion. It was subjective slandering with the intent of undermining a man’s reputation.
It’s difficult enough to have a reasonable discussion just because the two sides share so few assumptions. And lefties have long been schooled to hide their assumptions behind sweet sounding goals. Rather than say. “The more people who work for the government the better,” they will say. “Everybody has a right to health care.” And, “The evil insurance companies kill thousands every year by denying care and putting so much money aside for profits and bonuses.” How do you talk to someone who won’t be honest about their motives? I am beginning to think that it’s best to not waste time and energy even talking to them. Just watch and see who they support and never vote for that person.
Much of what goes on with the MSM is not communication but an attempt to exert raw power. The MSM outlets have a shared ideology and they attempt to force it by endless repetition into the unconscious of all members of society. And they are somewhat successful at this. The average American tends to accept the idea of man caused global warming unquestioningly. Most people accept the racial and social divisions preferred by lefties and obediently follow clues as to which social class has been chosen for special treatment this week. This is a class of communication. It is information poor but rich with feelings and subtle commands cues.
To strengthen the MSM command structure there is much attention paid to boundary issues. A lot of time is spent reinforcing the command that it is not acceptable to listen to competing sources of communication. Attempts are made to poison all the other wells. Endlessly it is communicated that it is wrong and racist to disagree with Obama. It is wrong and racist to watch Fox News or to go to a Tea Party. This is just psychological bullying. Information is seldom used in these communications. The enemies of the MSM are just unendingly called unkind names as such racist or profit seeking, sell out. When I was young elementary school kids accused social pariahs of having ‘cooties.’ This bullying by the media is a near equivalent. It separates the sheep from the goats and those who cheerfully enlist to carry on the bullying immediately communicate that they will go to great lengths to be part of the power structure. We saw a sort of reverse aspect of this bullying recently. People and groups lined up to defend to give Harry Reid a total pass on racially insensitive remarks that would never have been tolerated from a conservative.
Much of what the old media do is just basic propaganda. They repeat the same few themes over and over. They rely on repetition and the illusion they have tried to create that there are no other answers. Fortunately talk radio, the internet, Fox News and such give people other sources of information and opinion. And from those vantage points the old media look empty and shallow. More than that, they look unaccountably self-important as well as weak and clingy. And they seem scared to death of losing all the power they have convinced themselves they have but which is evaporating before their eyes..
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