Month: January 2009

Uncle Jay Explains Official Website

I gotta hand it to this guy, He does explain things quite well. But the humor is unmistakable. 😀

Red State Update: Obama’s Stimulus Package

Jackie and Dunlap on Obama’s trillion dollary stimulus package, pork projects, and art.

RedState Update HQ

Well, He is new to the Job

Posted onJanuary 29, 2009January 29, 20092 Comments

I will give him that. Here’s some funny bits from a NYT piece about the New President. Seems he has changed things a bit, perhaps it is a good thing.

Quotes:

The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.
“He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”

Not touching this, not with a ten foot pole.

He reads several papers, eats breakfast with his family and helps pack his daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, off to school before making the 30-second commute downstairs — a definite perk for a man trying to balance work and family life. He eats dinner with his family, then often returns to work; aides have seen him in the Oval Office as late as 10 p.m., reading briefing papers for the next day.
“Even as he is sober about these challenges, I have never seen him happier,” Mr. Axelrod said. “The chance to be under the same roof with his kids, essentially to live over the store, to be able to see them whenever he wants, to wake up with them, have breakfast and dinner with them — that has made him a very happy man.”

Hey, at least he is engaged, which is a bit more than I can say about the previous President, who seemed to outsource everything that either he did not understand or care to understand. (Which is just an opinion of mine.) I also like to see the President happy, for all of my criticisms of this President regarding his politics; I will not criticize him for being a family man. That says much about him; yes, I know about the far-right crazies who say it is all a front and he is a terrorist and all. Those people are stupid and lame, and should be treated as such.

In the West Wing, Mr. Obama is a bit of a wanderer. When Mr. Bush wanted to see a member of his staff, the aide was summoned to the Oval Office. But Mr. Obama tends to roam the halls; one day last week, he turned up in the office of his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, who was in the unfortunate position of having his feet up on the desk when the boss walked in.
“Wow, Gibbs,” the press secretary recalls the president saying. “Just got here and you already have your feet up.” Mr. Gibbs scrambled to stand up, surprising Mr. Obama, who is not yet accustomed to having people rise when he enters a room.

This sort of stuff cracks me up. I feel sorry for poor Gibbs. I mean, President Obama goes from being a friend and a Senator to the President of the United States; it is a bit of a adjustment.

I know, some of you Conservatives will think that I am slobbering over the guy. Which is a bunch of crap, if you’ve cared to read this Blog at all. I criticize his politics, but I do know that Obama is normal human being, like the rest of us. For the record, I thought Bush was as well. I was not one of those Bush derangement types, I had zero against the man, I just did not agree with his polices.

Now, there are those who would criticize President Obama for his change in protocol for the White House, in regards to dress code. I am not one of those people. I think that formality amongst the Republicans and most Conservatives is overplayed a bit. The way I feel about it is this; I would much rather have a President that ditches the formality, and proceeds to lead the Country with a sobering intelligence and a calm guiding hand. Than for him to be hung up on formalities and be a total disconnected, out of touch, buffoon. You know, like the last couple Presidents?

Yeah, I know, there is some Conservatives lambasting him for having the thermostat cranked up. Well, when you have no life and live in your own little world, what exactly do you expect?

Others: JustOneMinute, Michelle Malkin, The Swamp, Hot Air, marbury, Wonkette, Argghhh!, The Huffington Post, TIME.com, Gawker, Mudville Gazette, Rising Hegemon, Green Inc., Lost in Transition, The BLT and Althouse

Technorati Tags: Politics ,Opinion ,Barack Obama ,Obama ,White House ,Washington DC

This is why I don’t listen to Rush Limbaugh

Yes, I am a “right of center”, and no, I do not listen to Rush Limbaugh. I have in the past, here and there. But to say that I am a “Dittohead”, would be crazy. This below is why:

Yes, elections have consequences. But where’s the bipartisanship, Mr. Obama? This does not have to be a divisive issue. My proposal is a genuine compromise.
Fifty-three percent of American voters voted for Barack Obama; 46% voted for John McCain, and 1% voted for wackos. Give that 1% to President Obama. Let’s say the vote was 54% to 46%. As a way to bring the country together and at the same time determine the most effective way to deal with recessions, under the Obama-Limbaugh Stimulus Plan of 2009: 54% of the $900 billion — $486 billion — will be spent on infrastructure and pork as defined by Mr. Obama and the Democrats; 46% — $414 billion — will be directed toward tax cuts, as determined by me.
via Rush Limbaugh: My Bipartisan Stimulus – WSJ.com.

If you read the whole article, you will say that Rush Limbaugh believes in the classical Neo-Conservative line of; “Protect the rich, screw the poor and middle class.” It is funny, Rush is fond of quoting Reagan; does he know that Reagan was a economic populist? This is proven in what he did for Harley Davidson.

Basically, this is why I do not like Rush Limbaugh’s show, it is basically an ego driven show; it is all about Rush, if I am going to watch or listen to a politico, I want someone who is going to seriously discuss the issues, not sit and recite party propaganda.

Besides, who the hell to take someone like Rush seriously, when he constantly dismisses his own statements with, “I am just an entertainer?”

Others: The Opinionator, The Atlantic Business Channel, TIME.com, Don Surber, Hot Air, Weekly Standard, Balloon Juice, Commentary, The Note, Scared Monkeys and The Washington Independent

(via memeorandum)

Quote of the Day

Posted onJanuary 29, 2009

I think Peter Hitchens nailed it when he said that in broad cultural terms, the election of Obama showed that the United States was beginning its “long, slow descent into the Third World.” Hopefully, he’s wrong, and as the freedom fighters at Young Americans for Liberty suggest, Obama is simply more of the same. However, if Hitchens is right, perhaps I could suggest that Russia, in broad cultual terms, could become an alternative to the leftist regime that holds sway in North America and Europe.

Culture11 is shutting down

Some sad news, a start up Blog/Political site is going south…:

Sometimes there are simple stories. Culture11’s is one of them. We raised a certain amount of money last year predicated on the assumption we would raise more money last year. Then the Fall’s fall occurred and we stretched money as long and far as we could without incurring any debts. With no new money in the door the board decided the most prudent thing to do was suspend business operations. That is a way too technical way of saying that there are now 14 people who worked very hard for this company who are looking for new jobs because theirs disappeared. These people do not deserve to be out of jobs and yet they are. The economy racks up more victims.
A friend reminded me that Orson Welles once said that if you want a happy ending, it depends on where you choose to stop your story. This then isn’t the end – we are proud of the articles we commissioned, edited, and wrote, the blogs that we posted, the conversations we joined and sometimes started and the platform we created. Our hope is that we will be able to keep it alive and that we might continue to be a center for conversation, debate, and community. In that sense more than ever we turn Culture11 over to you.
via The Confabulum – The Fate of Culture11.

This is why I would never do a start up job. There’s just always that risk involved. Just more proof that the Economy is in terrible shape.

Wish all the guys who got let go, all the best in these tough times.

I just wonder why they haven’t tried a fund raiser?

Others: The League of Ordinary … and Eunomia

Dick Army Puts Liberal MoonBat Joan Walsh in her place!

Posted onJanuary 28, 2009January 29, 2009

This comes via Talking Points Memo.

Dick Army puts the smack down on Liberal Moonbat Joan Walsh.

I love it!

It’s about damn time that someone put that Harpy Liberal BITCH in her place.

Dick Army for President in 2012! 😀

Update: The Liberals are now having a snit about Army’s comments.. Boo Hoo! Where were they when Tony Snow was insulted by the far left?

Update #2: Joan Walsh responds and of course, plays the gender and race card in her quite feckless response. Typical Democratic, when cornered, play the card. Typical Liberal. 🙄

House Passes Democrat Liberal Moonbat’s $819 Billion Economic Stimulus Plan

Posted onJanuary 28, 2009January 28, 20092 Comments

I’m very glad to see the the Loyal Opposition doing it’s job, for a change!

With no Republican support, the House approved an $819 billion stimulus plan that will serve as the cornerstone of President Obama’s efforts to resuscitate the economy, an early victory for the new president but still a disappointment because of the lack of Republican votes.
The measure passed 244 to 188, with 11 Democrats and 177 Republicans voting against it.
The two-year economic package includes $275 billion in tax cuts and more than $550 billion in domestic spending on roads and bridges, alternative-energy development, health-care technology, unemployment assistance, and aid to states and local governments. It would also provide up to $500 per year in tax relief for most workers and more than $300 billion in aid to states for funding to help rebuild schools, provide health-care to the poor and reconstruct highways and bridges.
via House Passes $819 Billion Economic Stimulus – washingtonpost.com.

For the Video, Go Here, Embedded videos won’t load, from WaPo, Liberal Programmers are such idiots.

I guess President Obama was not able to convince the Republicans to get in line. So much for that Obama and Change line. I’m all for helping economy, but this damn thing is nothing more than a big waste. I mean, what in this is going to put ME back to work? None of it! I mean, because we all know that all the contracts for the road work is going to go to all MINORITY workers. Seeing the Democrats want to avoid the “White Construction workers“.

So, yeah, like Michelle said, this is all your crap sandwich Communist Liberals; YOU CAN EAT IT!

What idiots, we got an empty suit communist running the White House and communists running the damn Congress and Senate. McCarthy would be rolling over in his grave. 🙄

Zo breaks it down about “The Pledge”

Posted onJanuary 28, 2009January 28, 20092 Comments

For the record, he’s talking about this here.

He also makes some very valid point about the Libertarians. Although, there are some legit arguments to his comments. It is quite an awesome thing to watch.

Good luck with that!

The DC Examiner challenges President Obama:

“After a relentless expansion of big government for decades under both Republican and Democratic administrations, the nation’s economy is finally buckling under the load. In his inauguration address, President Barack Obama blamed “greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.” But Obama’s $825 billion stimulus plan contains few “hard choices”- just lots more government spending.
“The hardest choice off all is to scale back government at the local, state and federal levels and stop the seemingly inexorable growth of entitlement programs that are bankrupting the nation. But is the Obama administration up to this kind of real change?”

I hate to say it, but it’s just not going to happen.

Welcome to the new nationalized USA!

(Via the Libertarian Party Blog) (H/T IPR Blog)

Strange People

Some real weirdos out there….

Via Law.com:

Here’s where things get bizarre. Blalock drove to the Seventh District Police Station on Alabama Avenue S.E. in Washington, D.C., in May 2007. He pulled a handgun from the trunk and started firing, shooting in the air outside the station. Five shots. He shouted, according to court records, “The police should leave us alone and let us sell our weed!”
Blalock complied with demands to drop his gun—and he did not stop there. He dropped his pants, standing naked before officers wrapped him up in a towel. Police seized 23 bags of marijuana. Blalock told police he wanted to “throw weed” and shoot the gun to get recognition from a record label.

Uhhh…. I’m all for the debate of legalized marijuana. But not like this! 😮

(H/T Reason)

Quote of the Day

Like Rabin in 1994 and Ehud Barak in 2000, two of the most decorated soldiers in Israel’s history, Olmert had concluded, late in life, that it is either land for peace, with all its risks, or endless war for Israel.
Yet, after that interview, he launched the December blitz and invaded Gaza, killing and wounding 5,000 Palestinians, making of the Strip a zone of permanent hatred and making Hamas, whom he sought to dethrone and undeniably wounded, even stronger.
Enraged that Hamas was not destroyed or disarmed, Israelis are leaning toward the Likud Party of “Bibi” Netanyahu, who opposed the withdrawal from Gaza, opposes a withdrawal from the West Bank, will never share Jerusalem and calls Gaza “Hamastan.”
Should he win, a Bibi-Barack collision appears inevitable. Backing Bibi will be the Israeli lobby, the Evangelicals, the neocons and a Congress that could find only five members to oppose a resolution endorsing all the Israelis had done and were doing to the people of Gaza.
Where there is no solution there is no problem.

Finally – The history of the Internet

….and no, sorry, Al Gore was not involved.

From the “Awesomeness” Stack

Posted onJanuary 28, 2009January 28, 200916 Comments

Earlier today, I received a tweet from John Hawkings over at Right Wing News. Which pointed to a posting over on his Blog. John Hawkings also runs the Conservative Ads over on BlogAds; which you can get great ad prices over there, might want to check that out.

Anyhow, there was this e-mail that John was talking about, that I guess he saw over at DailyKos, that was attributed a Michael Crowley , however Mr. Crowley says he did not write it, but just the same, the posting is quite awesome.

Check it out:

Read More …

The Obligatory Sarah Palin PAC posting

Seems that ol’ Carabou Barbie has her own PAC now, so says New York Post and at The Fix. Oh Joy.

Chris Cillizza shells out the dope:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has started a federal political action committee — called Sarahpac — that will allow her to raise money for and donate cash to candidates for office over the coming years, a move that should be seen as a precursor to a run for president in 2012.
The PAC has a website and a post office box in Arlington, Virginia but has not yet formally filed its incorporation papers with the Federal Election Commission. According to an official with Sarahpac, papers were filed last night around 5 pm with the FEC and the PAC should be official by later today.
Sarahpac is “dedicated to building America’s future, supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation,” according to a statement on the PAC’s website.

I suspect she’ll do better than McCain on her PAC, as people amongst the grass roots Republican Base. Much to the consternation of the Liberal left; where McCain was seen as a RINO and a sellout.

Some have asked me whether I think Palin really was a dolt or if she was painted by the far left and the MSM as much. Honestly, I believe it was a combination of both. Plus, she just wasn’t handled properly. Not to mention all of the other issues surrounding the 2008 campaign, and believe me, there are many.

(via Memeorandum)

Another example of why Neo-Conservatism failed in this election

Amazon.com: The Widows of Eastwick

Check out this interview of former McCain blogger and editor of the Weekly Standard Michael Goldfarb.

The Money Quote:

“It’s unbelievable the way the media has covered this and the way has been played — which is partly from the bullshit inside the campaign. When you have The New Yorker write a story about how Sarah Palin was selected… well, that was like Jane Goodall going in and writing about fucking apes mating in the jungle–they don’t know what’s going on. They’re writing from another planet. I like Sarah Palin, I think she was a very attractive candidate, but I think she made a lot of mistakes. But so did Biden.”

Jeffery Goldberg thinks that Goldfarb is crazy. I disagree, I do not see crazy there, I see something that was a hallmark of the Bush Administration, and that’s cocky arrogance. Which seems to be what McCain’s biggest downfall was. Goldfarb’s arrogance and his refusal to admit that Bush was wrong about his convictions is what totally turns me off.

Oh, and by the way, I know what I wrote here, okay? Goldfarb made a good point. That’s all I am saying. I didn’t say that I like the guy. You can be right and still be a feckless prick.

(via Memeorandum)

John Updike has died

Posted onJanuary 27, 2009

Sad news via the NYT:

John Updike, the kaleidoscopically gifted writer whose quartet of Rabbit Angstrom novels highlighted so vast and protean a body of fiction, verse, essays and criticism as to earn him comparisons with Henry James and Edmund Wilson among American men of letters, died today at a hospice outside Boston. He was 76 and lived in Beverly Farms, Mass.
The cause was cancer, according to a statement by Alfred A. Knopf, his publisher.

I usually feature this sort of stuff, because I consider myself a writer. Anytime that writer dies, that world becomes a darker place.

May he rest in peace.

His works:

Amazon.com: Due Considerations

Amazon.com: Terrorist

The Rest

Cartoon of the Day

Posted onJanuary 27, 2009

Paving the Way?

(via)

Not Good: Jewish Rabbi distributes hate leaflet

Yikes!

The Israeli army’s chief rabbinate gave soldiers preparing to enter the Gaza Strip a booklet implying that all Palestinians are their mortal enemies and advising them that cruelty is sometimes a “good attribute”.
The booklet, entitled Go Fight My Fight: A Daily Study Table for the Soldier and Commander in a Time of War, was published especially for Operation Cast Lead, the devastating three-week campaign launched with the stated aim of ending rocket fire against southern Israel. The publication draws on the teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, head of the Jewish fundamentalist Ateret Cohanim seminary in Jerusalem.
In one section, Rabbi Aviner compares Palestinians to the Philistines, a people depicted in the Bible as a war-like menace and existential threat to Israel.
In another, the army rabbinate appears to be encouraging soldiers to disregard the international laws of war aimed at protecting civilians, according to Breaking the Silence, the group of Israeli ex-soldiers who disclosed its existence. The booklet cites the renowned medieval Jewish sage Maimonides as saying that “one must not be enticed by the folly of the Gentiles who have mercy for the cruel”.
Breaking the Silence is calling for the firing of the chief military rabbi, Brigadier-General Avi Ronzki, over the booklet. The army had no comment on the matter yesterday.
Rabbi Arik Ascherman, the executive director of the Rabbis for Human Rights group, called the booklet “very worrisome”, adding “[this is] a minority position in Judaism that doesn’t understand the … necessity of distinguishing between combatants and civilians.”
via Army rabbi ‘gave out hate leaflet to troops’ – Middle East, World – The Independent.

Let me simply say this, extremism, on both sides of this conflict, is not a good thing. Hamas is a extremist Muslim group. Just as well, this Rabbi is promoting a extremist view of Judaism. This does nothing to solve this conflict. The scary part is that he is a Rabbi in the Israel Army. Not a good thing, at all.

(H/T Anti-War.com) (Via Lew Rockwell)

Is Bernard Madoff’s Wife an accessory to a crime?

Posted onJanuary 27, 2009

That is what is being reported.

Since the Bernard Madoff scandal broke in December, two overarching questions have been raised. What if anything did other family members know about the Ponzi scheme? And when did it begin—was he a legitimate investor who ran into trouble or was it all a ruse from the beginning? Now, key players I spoke to in the multipronged investigation into the Madoff scheme say they are beginning to piece together answers to those questions.
While she has not been charged with any wrongdoing, authorities now believe Ruth Madoff, Bernard’s wife of almost half a century, played a larger role than previously thought. Until now, the assumption has been—as Madoff himself told FBI agents—that his investment-advisory business was separate from other, legitimate Madoff businesses; it was housed on a different floor and operated, he has said, without knowledge of others in his family.
via Partners in Crime? – The Daily Beast.

I do believe before it is over with, that whole family is going to end up in jail.

I was afraid of this

Posted onJanuary 27, 2009January 27, 20091 Comment

Last night I blogged about this and warned the far right not to do it, but naturally, because I am such a small blog, no one listens.

Anyhow, Huffington Post has the complete transcript of President Obama’s interview with Al-Arabiya Arab TV Network. Head on over and read it, because it is a bit much to quote here. Of course, the reaction amongst the far-right blogs was quite predictable.

However, Michael Goldfarb over at the Neo-Conservative Weakly Standard (:P) makes a valid point:

Reacting to this quote here:

Q Will the United States ever live with a nuclear Iran? And if not, how far are you going in the direction of preventing it?
THE PRESIDENT: You know, I said during the campaign that it is very important for us to make sure that we are using all the tools of U.S. power, including diplomacy, in our relationship with Iran.
Now, the Iranian people are a great people, and Persian civilization is a great civilization. Iran has acted in ways that’s not conducive to peace and prosperity in the region: their threats against Israel; their pursuit of a nuclear weapon which could potentially set off an arms race in the region that would make everybody less safe; their support of terrorist organizations in the past — none of these things have been helpful.
But I do think that it is important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress. And we will over the next several months be laying out our general framework and approach. And as I said during my inauguration speech, if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us.

Mr. Goldfarb comments:

Wouldn’t a simple ‘no, a nuclear Iran is unacceptable to the United States and our allies’ have sufficed? Instead Obama says that Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon is “unhelpful,” that it’s “not conducive to peace.” When Obama was in Israel, he said that “a nuclear Iran would pose a grave threat and the world must prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.” He added that he would “take no options off the table in dealing with this potential Iranian threat.” In the first debate of the general election, Obama reiterated that the United States “cannot tolerate a nuclear Iran.” But when Obama has the chance to speak directly to the Muslim world, he can only muster retread rhetoric from his inaugural address about clenched fists and open hands.
President Bush was incapable of engaging the Muslim world with his own words, but neither was it possible for the Muslim world to confuse his view of American interests in that region. President Obama has the potential to secure real progress through his skill as a communicator, but there’s always been a fear that some portion of his success in negotiating difficult issues was the result of a willingness, or perhaps a compulsion, to tell his audience whatever it is he thinks they want to hear.

I must say, he does have a valid point. One cannot use flowers and anvils at the same time. It tends to confuse people. Hats off to Goldfarb for bringing up this point.

Family Planning money…..under the bus!

Obama finally capitulates.

WASHINGTON – House Democrats are likely to jettison family planning funds for the low-income from an $825 billion economic stimulus bill, officials said late Monday, following a personal appeal from President Barack Obama at a time the administration is courting Republican critics of the legislation.
Several officials said a final decision was expected on Tuesday, coinciding with Obama’s scheduled visit to the Capitol for separate meetings with House and Senate Republicans.
The provision has emerged as a point of contention among Republicans, who criticize it as an example of wasteful spending that would neither create jobs nor otherwise improve the economy.
Under the provision, states no longer would be required to obtain federal permission to offer family planning services — including contraceptives — under Medicaid, the health program for the low-income.
via Officials: Family planning money may be dropped – Yahoo! News.

I must say, I cannot criticize Obama for this one. Because I feel abortion is murder, I am glad to see that Obama is telling Democrats in Congress to dump this. This is one that I will give him credit for. The Economy can be recovered without paying for abortions or handing out condoms. I find it quite shocking that the Democrats would use a economic situation like this, to further a murderous agenda.Which furthers my belief that the Democratic Party has become the communist party and an Anti-Christian, Anti-Life party.

(Via Memeorandum)

The G.O.P. grows a pair