(H/T Ace)
He MIGHT be doing something that could land him in jail. If you know the dude, contact this guy here.
Tag: News
WaPo: Haiti’s Rich and Elite Spared the worst because they are really rich or something
Man, talk about a liberally biased article! 🙄
Check out this anti-wealthy article by the Communist Post AKA The Washington Post:
PETIONVILLE, HAITI — Through decades of coups, hurricanes, embargoes and economic collapse, the wily and powerful business elite of Haiti have learned the art of survival in one of the most chaotic countries on Earth — and they might come out on top again.
Although Tuesday’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake destroyed many buildings in Port-au-Prince, it mostly spared homes and businesses up the mountain in the cool, green suburb of Petionville, home to former presidents and senators.
A palace built atop a mountain by the man who runs one of Haiti’s biggest lottery games is still standing. New-car dealers, the big importers, the families that control the port — they all drove through town with their drivers and security men this past weekend. Only a few homes here were destroyed.
“All the nation is feeling this earthquake — the poor, the middle class and the richest ones,” said Erwin Berthold, owner of the Big Star Market in Petionville. “But we did okay here. We have everything cleaned up inside. We are ready to open. We just need some security. So send in the Marines, okay?”
Those dirty bastard rich business owners, how dare they not get hurt as bad, as the poor downtrodden bottom feeders?!?!
Unbelievable. 🙄
More info on the Tennessee Tea Party Ruse
Dr. Melissa Clouthie Reports, go read.
I believe that every true Conservative and Tea Party supporter, not to mention every Sarah Palin fan should AVOID this Convention like the plague. One of my readers said that this changes nothing. I disagree; this guy lied his ass off, and has kicked people out of his group, that simply disagreed with his tactics. It changes everything. Someone needs to let Michelle Bachmann and Sarah Palin know about this nonsense, so that she can cancel her appearance.
Let Judson Phillips pound sand. He is a deceiver is the highest regard.
Quotable Quotes:
Tami Killmarx said that she heard Phillips say more than once, “I want to make a million from this movement.
[…]
He continued,”I think Judson is a good guy. He’s trying to do the right thing in the wrong way. We need to do it where everyone can get involved. Most of the people are like me, and just want to bring the country back to the people and to the constitution.”
Williams said that he resigned because he didn’t want to be a part of something that “leaves people out.”
[…]
When Judson Phillips suggested the $550 convention fee, some members were so aghast they got up and left the meeting.
At one point, fisticuffs nearly broke out, emotions ran so high. Those who had been in the bottom-up organization felt betrayed because the event excluded so many average people and many of the volunteers themselves couldn’t even afford to attend. Philips and his few supporters saw an opportunity to make money.
This meeting prompted many long-time Tea Party members to quit.
[…]
Killmarx expressed sadness about not getting to see Sarah Palin after volunteering and giving her own money to fund early Nashville Tea Party events.
“I believe in Sarah Palin. I believe in her and she’s a good woman. She’s being deceived like the rest of us.”
Spread the Word, shut this bastard down.
Others: Erick’s blog
10 year old Haitian Girl who was rescued on live TV, has died
I remember watching a little of the video over on HotAir and I had to stop, I just could not take watching the video.
This is such a heartbreaking video:
I hope Rush Limbaugh is damn satisfied. 😡
Police release more information on the Kentucky Census Worker Suicide
(H/T Sister Toldjah)
From the Lexington Herald-Leader:
FRANKFORT — Days before a U.S. Census worker was found dead near a secluded Clay County cemetery, he told another man he planned to kill himself but make it look as if he’d been murdered, according to the state police case file released Friday.
William E. Sparkman Jr. of London told Lowell Adams he had practiced asphyxiating himself by placing a bag over his head and had blacked out at times, Adams told police.
Sparkman said that when he was going “to do it for real,” he planned to put a rope around his neck, tie it to a tree, put blocks on his feet for weight and throw himself down a hill, Adams told police.
“Bill said he wanted to kill himself rather than die from cancer,” Adams said in a written statement to police.
Sparkman, 51, asked Adams to help him because he wasn’t sure he could complete the suicide alone, but Adams refused, according to the file.
Visitors to the cemetery saw Sparkman’s body Sept. 12 and called police.
He was wearing only socks, and his hands were bound with duct tape, though he could have moved them several inches apart. There was a rope around his neck tied to a tree, but his feet were in contact with the ground.
[…]
The police file included some new details, though authorities had released most of the information in November when they closed the case.
Police say Sparkman was trying to preserve payments under two $300,000 life-insurance policies that would have paid off if he died accidentally or was murdered, but not if he killed himself.
Sparkman said in a letter he left that his son, Josh, of London, was the beneficiary of one policy and Adams was the beneficiary of the other.
Sparkman had been successfully treated for cancer in 2008 but apparently was worried the cancer had returned.
[…]
Adams at first told police he had no details on Sparkman’s death but provided information after being asked to take a lie-detector test at the FBI office in London.
The polygraph examiner concluded Adams told the truth when he said he did not help Sparkman die.
The information from Adams was one key factor in the conclusion by police that Sparkman killed himself, but there were several others.
For instance, Sparkman had no wounds to show he had fought with someone or been assaulted.
There were no signs of a struggle at the scene, either, and police found only Sparkman’s DNA on items there.
Medical examiners concluded that Sparkman wrote the letters “fed” on himself because they were applied from the bottom up — not the way someone facing Sparkman would have done it.
Sparkman’s socks were dirty on the bottom, indicating he walked to the spot where he died on his own.
And Sparkman had a bone fracture in his neck that was healing, which was consistent with Adams’ statement that Sparkman said he had practiced asphyxiating himself.
Investigators found a note Sparkman had left at his home for his son.
“In a best-case scenario (at least for you), the accident policy will provide enough for you to live off the interest. Do not blow the money on anything,” Sparkman wrote to his son. “This was meant to provide for you in case something happened to me.
“Whatever the case, I love you and will always do so.”
Sister Toldjah chimes in:
This is a sad story all around. A mother lost her son, and a son lost his father. The family doesn’t believe that Sparkman killed himself, and has hired a private investigator of their own to dig through all the details surrounding his death. Whatever the family’s investigator concludes, I hope one day they will find closure to all of this. It sounds like the police and investigators were pretty thorough in this case, though.
In light of this new news – and the initial police news release in which they informed the public of their belief that Sparkman killed himself, I’m still waiting on the massive round of apologies from the left for using this man’s death for shameless political purposes via jumping to conclusions and making snide and denigrating insinuations about “murderous” conservatives as soon as this story broke. I won’t hold my breath. The ends justify the means in their eyes, and all that.
Amen. Been that way in the liberal media for a long time; since the days of Edward R. Marrow… and it is not going to change anytime soon. This is why we Conservative Bloggers are here. To bring out the facts and make sure the people know the truth.
Videos: Scott Brown Rally, Rudy Giuliani interview…
These videos were shot by R.S. McCain. I hope he does not mind me using them.
This is Scott Brown arriving on the North End in Boston.
Scott Brown Rally Part 1:
Scott Brown Rally Part 2:
Scott Brown Rally Part 3:
Rudy Giuliani Interviewed:
Looking back, I take back everything I said about him.
Scott Brown Supporter Interviewed:
President Obama to stump for Coakley
Hey, What’s the smell? It’s….it’s…. Fear!
President Obama will be heading to Massachusetts to campaign for Martha Coakley this Sunday, according to two senior sources informed of the president’s decision, a last-minute effort to give the Democrat a needed boost in the Senate race.
It's a sign that Democrats are deeply worried about Coakley’s prospects and the party's 60-seat majority, and believe the president can help turn out the Democratic vote in a state where he's viewed favorably.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs announced the president’s decision at today's briefing, and said the campaign stop will take place in Boston.
via The Scorecard: Congressional campaign news and analysis – POLITICO.com.
Man, looks like the Democrats are running scared, so, they have to bring out the big irons.
So, looks like we need to work harder!
Late Night at the PB Pub – Special Memorial Edition Presents: Teddy Pendergrass
This one’s for Teddy:
Such a young age…. a great loss for R & B…:
Teddy Pendergrass, who became R&B’s reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and '80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed, died Wednesday at age 59.
The singer’s son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at a hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had “a difficult recovery,” his son said.
“To all his fans who loved his music, thank you,” his son said. “He will live on through his music.”
Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down in the 1982 car accident. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album “Love Language.”
He returned to the stage at the Live Aid concert in 1985, performing from his wheelchair.
Pendergrass later founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, an organization whose mission is to encourage and help people with spinal cord injuries achieve their maximum potential in education, employment, housing, productivity and independence, according to its Web site
via Soul Singer Teddy Pendergrass Dies in Pa. at 59 – ABC News.
Thoughts and Prayer for the Pendergrass family.
Video: New Footage shows Haiti Earthquake as it happened
This Video comes via The Daily Caller:
Unbelievable. This earthquake will go down as the worst ever.
Jim Treacher went to a party
Did Jello shots and something involving two women and… a dog.
Click the pic to read…
Bow...Wow?
Updated – Conservative Christianity’s resident idiot yowls out his butt, again – CBN Issues Statement, White House Shocked at comments
Oh Brother…. 🙄
Video: (H/T AP)
Transcript:
“And you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it.
“They were under the heel of the French, uh, you know Napoleon the 3rd and whatever, and they got together and swore a pact to the Devil.
“They said, ‘We will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French.’
“True story.
“And so the Devil said, ‘Okay, it’s a deal.’
“And, uh, they kicked the French out, you know, with Haitians revolted and got themselves free.
“But ever since they have been cursed by, by one thing after another, desperately poor.
“That island of Hispaniola is one island. It’s cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti on the other side is the Dominican Republican.
“Dominican Republic is, is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etcetera.
“Haiti is in desperate poverty.
“Same island.
The problem is, what “uncle Chuckles” is saying, is, of course, wrong. 90% of Haiti is Christian. Further more, the story of the Satanic pact story, is, of course, Wrong. Even a Christian from there says so.
As a Born-Again Christian, and a Baptist. I encourage ALL Christians who read this blog, and DEMAND that Pat Roberson either apologize and resign from his position. Here’s the contact info:
Mailing Address
The Christian Broadcasting Network
977 Centerville Turnpike
Virginia Beach, VA 23463
CBA Canada
680 Progress Avenue – Unit #2
Scarborough, ON M1H3A5
Canada
CBN Main Switchboard (757) 226-7000
You know what to do… Light the phones up!
Update: CBN has issued a Statement:
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., January 13, 2010 — On today’s The 700 Club, during a segment about the devastation, suffering and humanitarian effort that is needed in Haiti, Dr. Robertson also spoke about Haiti’s history. His comments were based on the widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion led by Boukman Dutty at Bois Caiman, where the slaves allegedly made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the French. This history, combined with the horrible state of the country, has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed. Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath. If you watch the entire video segment, Dr. Robertson’s compassion for the people of Haiti is clear. He called for prayer for them. His humanitarian arm has been working to help thousands of people in Haiti over the last year, and they are currently launching a major relief and recovery effort to help the victims of this disaster. They have sent a shipment of millions of dollars worth of medications that is now in Haiti, and their disaster team leaders are expected to arrive tomorrow and begin operations to ease the suffering.
Chris Roslan
Spokesman for CBN
The White House, as expected, is quite shocked at Robertson’s idiotic behaviour:
Robertson’s words instantly triggered a firestorm across the country, including a rebuke from White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, who told reporters “at times of great crisis there are always people who say really stupid things.”
Earlier today, senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett said on “Good Morning America” that she is “speechless about that kind of remark.”
“Our heart goes out to the people of Haiti. … That’s not the attitude that expresses the spirit of the president or the American people, so I thought it was a pretty stunning comment to make,” Jarrett said.
I think that his non-apology apology is just not good enough. He must resign, a penalty must be paid for this sort of foolishness.
Keith Olbermann is fighting mad about this, and rightly so:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
I know what Rush Limbaugh said and I chose and still chose to ignore it. That is one of sad parts of being here on the right; is to have to be associated with the idiots like Limbaugh, Beck and Hannity. It is a part of the American experience, and the byproducts of a Free Republic. Freedom of speech does, at times, have it’s bad points.
I cannot, and will not apologize for Pat Robertson, nor can I explain his idiotic remarks. However, I can and I will say, publicly; that I wholeheartedly disagree and reject Pat Robertson’s and yes, even Rush Limbaugh’s idiotic and asinine comments — They do NOT reflect my feelings at all, about the situation in Haiti.
Looks like that TeaParty Convention is not what it is cracked up to be
Wow…. Looks like someone’s pulling the wool over Sarah Palin’s eyes. (shocka!)
Google Says to China, ‘If you keep hacking our servers, We will leave China’
I cannot blame them one bit.
We launched Google.cn in January 2006 in the belief that the benefits of increased access to information for people in China and a more open Internet outweighed our discomfort in agreeing to censor some results. At the time we made clear that “we will carefully monitor conditions in China, including new laws and other restrictions on our services. If we determine that we are unable to achieve the objectives outlined we will not hesitate to reconsider our approach to China.”
These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered–combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web–have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.
The decision to review our business operations in China has been incredibly hard, and we know that it will have potentially far-reaching consequences. We want to make clear that this move was driven by our executives in the United States, without the knowledge or involvement of our employees in China who have worked incredibly hard to make Google.cn the success it is today. We are committed to working responsibly to resolve the very difficult issues raised.
Which totally destroys the Conservative Meme that Google is some sort of evil socialist company. In actuality, Google strikes me as being more of a civil libertarian type of a group. Because Google is very big on privacy and has fought in court against privacy invasion; they also support many organizations that fight for privacy. The reason why Google is hammered by the right, is because they refuse to show deference to the American Christian Holidays. The reason they do this is to be fair to all of the faiths and because Google is not solely an American Company, but an international company with people from many faiths and backgrounds. Personally, I would like to see good be a bit more friendlier towards America, it’s Holidays and Customs, but, I do understand their position on the matter.
I personally commend Google’s stance on privacy and I am extremely happy to see Google stand up for the privacy of the people of China, especially those who are fighting against that Communist Government in China.
Updated – Latest News on Haiti Earthquake – As many as 100,000 feared dead
As I reported last night, a 7.0 Earthquake hit Haiti.
Now the death toll and damage tolls are being shown. Reader GWSSDelta told me about a video, that comes via CBS News:
CNN, MSNBC and Fox News all have in depth coverage. Memeorandum has an excellent Blog roundup on the political front.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper is in Haiti now:
No word on death tolls yet; but this does sound very bad. I will have more in a bit.
Update: Here is how you can help with the relief effort, via DIPNote:
For those interested in helping immediately, simply text “HAITI” to “90999” and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill.
Or you can go online to organizations like the Red Cross and Mercy Corps Mercy Corps to make a contribution to the disaster relief efforts.
The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747. We’ll provide more details and opportunities to help as we learn more. To stay up-to-date, follow us on state.gov.
Update #2: The Anchoress Reports a list of Relief Organizations helping: (H/T Malkin)
Catholic Relief Services
United Methodist Committee on Relief
The Red Cross
Salvation Army
Providence in Haiti
American Jewish World Service
Lutheran World Relief
Cross International
World Vision
International Orthodox Christian Charities
Ya’ll know what to do. 😀
Update #3: As Always, our awesome Military is “on it!” Military Times is reporting:
The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson was rerouted Wednesday to support humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti, according to U.S. Southern Command. The carrier is expected to arrive off the coast of Haiti Thursday.
The command confirmed additional Navy ships are underway to Haiti, but did not specify what vessels would be going.
The command, based in Miami, also deployed a team of 30 people to Haiti to work with U.S. Embassy personnel as well as Haitian, U.N. and international officials to assess the situation and facilitate follow-on U.S. military support, according to the press release. The team includes military engineers, operational planners, a command and control group and communication specialists. They will arrive in Haiti today on two C-130 Hercules aircraft.
Elements of the Air Force 1st Special Operations Wing were deploying to the international airport at Port-au-Prince to provide air traffic control capability and airfield operations. They are expected to arrive in Haiti on Wednesday afternoon.
Early Wednesday morning, Coast Guard helicopters evacuated four critically injured U.S. Embassy staff to hospital at Naval Station Guantanamo, Cuba, for further treatment.
A U.S. P-3 Orion from the Forward Operating Location at Comalapa, El Salvador, also conducted aerial reconnaissance of the affected area.
SouthCom has supported 14 major relief missions in the region since 2005, including assistance to Haiti in September 2008. During that mission, forces from the amphibious assault ship Kearsarge and other units airlifted 3.3 million pounds of aid to communities that were devastated by a succession of major storms.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Haitian people and all those affected by this devastating earthquake,” said Army Col. James Marshall, SouthCom spokesman.
Vinson and its crew of approximately 3,200 sailors left Norfolk on Tuesday en route to their new homeport in San Diego. The carrier, which is commanded by Capt. Bruce Lindsey, was joined by Carrier Air Wing 17 and the cruisers Lake Champlain and Bunker Hill. As flagship of the newly established Carrier Strike Group 1, Vinson was to provide maritime security as it circumnavigates South America and provide humanitarian assistance or disaster relief, if required.
The call came fewer than 24 hours later.
Major Kudos on our Armed Forces for being ready for the call; wherever it might be from. Good Job men!
Update #4: The Daily Caller is linking to a story in the Daily Mail in the U.K. that as many as 100,000 are feared dead.
It is times like these, when I do wish that my Ham Radio Station was Operational… 🙁
Fox News also gives the background as to why this happened. Simply put, the earth is just old.
Update #5: The Anchoress links in. Thank you! 😀
Update #6: ….and of course, the Stupidity of the Christian Right Starts.
Update #7: Man, 2 two days and about 5K viewers later and I realize, I have the Country misspelled in the headline! D’oh! 🙄
BREAKING NEWS – 7.0 quake hits Haiti
Uh, Oh… This is not good.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — A huge quake measuring 7.0 rocked the impoverished Caribbean nation of Haiti Tuesday toppling buildings and causing widespread damage and panic, officials and AFP witnesses said.
A tsunami alert was immediately issued for the Caribbean region after the earthquake struck at 2153 GMT.
An AFP correspondent said the ground shook for more than a minute. Just minutes later two aftershocks measuring both 5.9 and 5.5 on the moment magnitude scale hit, US officials said.
“I think it's really a catastrophe of major proportions,” the country's ambassador to the United States, Raymond Alcide Joseph, told CNN television.
The US Geological Survey said the powerful quake was initially measured at 7.3 on the scale and struck 16 kilometers (ten miles) from the capital Port-Au-Prince, and 27 kilometers (17 miles) from Petionville.
An AFP correspondent in Petionville said one three-story building, housing two offices, was toppled, and a tractor was already at the scene trying to dig out victims as people fled onto the streets in panic.
The up-scale area is home to many foreign diplomats and members of a major United Nations mission to the country.
via AFP: Fears of major catastrophe as 7.0 quake rocks Haiti.
Oy… California Yesterday, Hati today…
Thoughts and Prayers for the people down there. Stay tuned for updates, if any.
Ted Kennedy Seat-Gate
Can be followed here, if you care about such things.
The Daily Caller goes live
Something I kinda overlooked, but here it is.
Tucker Carlson’s “The Daily Caller” went live yesterday.
It looks Huffington Post’ish. However, I think it might work. It is using WordPress and that is a very good thing.
Good luck to Mr. Carlson on his new project.
The Vice President’s Mom, Jean Biden Dead at 92
Some awfully sad news to report today….
Video via ABC:
The Story via The New York Times:
Jean Biden with her Son, Joe
Her death was announced by Mr. Biden. She had become seriously ill in the last few days, and the vice president had left Washington on Thursday to be with her.
[…]
Mrs. Biden was in the audience when he accepted the vice-presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Denver on Aug. 27, 2008.
In his speech, Mr. Biden said she had helped and encouraged him in overcoming his stuttering as a youth, telling him that he stuttered “because I was so bright, I couldn’t get the thoughts out quickly enough.”
After his wife and daughter were killed in an auto accident in December 1972, Mr. Biden said, “She told me, ‘Joey, God sends no cross you cannot bear.’ And when I triumphed, she was quick to remind me it was because of others.”
He added: “My mother’s creed is the American creed: No one is better than you. You are everyone’s equal, and everyone is equal to you.”
There are some Bloggers who would use a time like this to snipe at the Vice President and his Politics. I am not one of those kind of bloggers. Further more, if anyone leaves a stupid comment, I will not approve it and I will add the IP address to the idiot filter.
There is politics and there is real life. This is a real life and a very real family. I, on the behalf of my family; would like to send our most heartfelt condolences to the Biden family on this very sad day. I could not even begin to imagine what it is like, or what it will be like to lose my Mother. I know that Joe’s faith will carry him and I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will be with him during his time of loss. Joe Biden has been through much, and I am sure that he will make it. However, I know loss like this, can hurt like bloody hell. God be with the Vice President and with his family.
Others covering: MyDD, HillBuzz, ABCNEWS, Politics Daily, The Huffington Post
Breaking News: London Police Board Plane due to passanger making threats
Man, decide to take the weekend off and all hell breaks loose… Oy!
The Video, Via Sky News:
The Story, via Sky News:
Armed police have boarded a plane at Heathrow airport and are believed to have arrested two men after a “verbal threat”.
Passenger Cameron McLean said: “Police just swarmed the guy and rushed him out.
“I think he was a white male. There was another one but I didn’t see him.”
He said the man was taken out in handcuffs then sniffer dogs were brought on board.
An airport spokesman said: “I can confirm there has been an incident on the EK004 flight to Dubai.
“Police are attending. It’s not affecting the rest of the airport which remains opens.”
Sky’s crime correspondent Martin Brunt said: “A verbal threat of some description was made. It was overheard. It was reported to members of the crew.
“They were understandably very concerned.
“They stopped the plane. The plane was taken back to some part of Heathrow, at which point anti-terror police boarded the plane.
“I think, at the moment, this was just a verbal threat but, of course, an investigation ensues until police are satisfied.
“It’s an indication of how jumpy airlines and anti-terror police are.”
Fox News is now reporting that it was group of drunken passengers. But it does show how jittery the authorities are here in America and in England.
Folks, if you’re flying, do not, I repeat, DO NOT make a stupid remark while flying. You will go to jail. It is being reported that these guys were trying to be funny. How stupid. They should be jailed for making false terror threats.
It is being reported that the Heathrow Airport is back to normal.
Update: Fox News is now reporting that three men have been arrested in London.
Good Luck to Richard Spencer
Who is leaving or has left Taki’s Magazine.
From the beginning, I thought of my role at Takimag as that of an impresario, my task being to surround myself with as many people who are smarter than I am as possible. (Whenever I’d mention this to my buddies, one would usually chime in with, “Well, Richard, that’s not too hard!” Hardy har har…)
Takimag was churning out great stuff before I arrived (with Paul Gottfried, Justin Raimondo, and John Zmirak leading the way), but I’m particularly grateful to those new contributors who helped me appear like an intelligent and well connected editor.
[…]
And what else will I be up to? Well, I’m currently hard at work creating a new web project. Many of the themes that predominated at Takimag over the past two years will be taken up again at the new site, but I also hope to cut some new paths, particularly in the discussion of Human Biological Diversity and also in terms of the format and look of a right-wing webzine.
In order to fuel more speculation around the blogosphere, I won’t say anymore… But expect a launch by early February. And if you’re interested in supporting this project, then I encourage you to shoot me an email, as I’d love to discuss the details with you.
Crises are opportunities, and I hope that 2010 will be the year when the Alternative Right comes into its own.
In closing, I’ve had a great time at Takimag over the past two years, and its been an honor to work with such intelligent contributors and readers.
Best of luck to Mr. Spencer. I have always enjoyed Robert writings, even if I disagreed with some of what he has to say. I have always enjoyed Taki’s Magazine. It is a bit of the high brow, but always enjoyable.
Brit Hume explains his comment
Quite Well, I might add..
I hereby publicly retract what I said to him.
Video: (H/T Hot Air)
I swear to all of you. I had zero clue about Brit Hume’s son. 😯
Hmmmmmmm: Fighter jets escort plane to after passenger becomes ‘unruly’
Saw this earlier… and it did make me wonder….
Two F-15 fighter jets escorted a passenger jet that had been headed for Hawaii back to Portland International Airport in Oregon after a passenger in coach became “uncooperative,” an airline official said Wednesday.
Hawaiian Airlines Flight 39 took off from Portland at 10:10 a.m. with 231 passengers and a crew of 10 when — 90 minutes into the flight — its captain decided to turn around the Boeing 767, said Keoni Wagner, the airline's vice president of public affairs.
The fighter jets intercepted the plane at 1 p.m. North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a written statement.
It landed at 1:16 p.m. without further incident, the TSA said.
Upon the plane's return, the passenger — a 56-year-old Salem, Oregon, man — was escorted from the plane with his female companion without incident, the FBI and the Port of Portland said in a joint statement.
The FBI said it was not releasing his name because he had not been charged.
FBI agents and Port officers interviewed the passenger and his companion, the flight crew and others, then released the two and referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for review.
via Fighter jets escort plane to after passenger becomes unruly – CNN.com.
What did he do?
In a statement, the Transportation Security Administration said the captain decided to return the plane to Portland “due to a suspicious passenger who made threatening remarks and refused to store his carry-on bag.”
Port of Portland Public Information Officer Martha Richmond told CNN that the plane was turned around “due to concerns the crew had.”
Do I think it was an overreaction? Possibly. However, in light of what happened over the Christmas Holiday; any action, is better than no action at all. Glad to see that TSA is on top of things.
Are the Democrats jumping from the ship?
It is a plausible question, and an interesting one at that. Are the Democrats now jumping from the bloated ship of socialist waste ever known to humankind? Are Democrats preparing themselves for the “Nuclear Option” on healthcare? The questions abound, the speculation is running rampant, and internet meme’s are burning up the bandwidth. I, on the other hand, will tell you what I do know.
First off, let us start with the local story; Michigan Lt Governor John Cherry was expected to be the person to succeed Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm at the helm of Michigan Governorship. However, Democrat Governor Jennifer Granholm’s performance as Governor of this state has been less than stellar. I ought to know this, I have lived here all of my life. Double-digit unemployment, a one state recession that towered over the national recession for many years now; put quite bluntly, there are no jobs here in Michigan. Sure, there are jobs, if you want to work in a fast food joint, making minimum wage. However, if you happen to be a 37-year-old man, looking for a decent paying, full time job, with health insurance — you are frankly out of luck.
However, to be fair, some of Michigan’s woes cannot be laid at the feet of the Democratic leadership. GM’s credit crisis cannot be blamed entirely on the Democrats, at least not the current ones in office here in Michigan. GM and Chrysler’s troubles are a direct result of the mortgage crisis, which was caused by President Jimmy Carter and President Bill Clinton and that idiotic piece of legislation that opened up the mortgage market to high-risk individuals. When the credit markets froze up, due to the stock market crash and subsequent credit freeze, the big three found themselves in the middle of it. This is my biggest issue that I have with the “Republicans” or those within the Conservative movement. They always, without fail, blame the unions for the troubles of the big three; when in all honesty, unions had zero to do with the meltdown or its effect on the automakers. The entire mess was, in fact, lack of proper regulation in the mortgage industry and the stock market in regards to credit swaps that caused this whole mess in the first place. Sorry to my fellow Conservatives, but I am just not buying that talking point.
However, it would be fair to mention that the unions did play a role in the financial woes of the big three, as did the big three’s failure to listen to the automotive experts, who saw what Japan was doing in the 1970’s and their arrogant attitudes. The big three could have saved themselves much heartache, by building smarter, higher quality vehicles. However, by the time the big three got around to embracing the ISO standards, it was too little, too late. As for the talking point of Union workers making too much money, I find it amazing how many Conservatives have axe to grind with those who simply want to make a decent working wage. Most of the people that make these idiotic claims are those who are making more than two hundred and fifty thousand a year and have no financial worries at all; but they want to rip away the comfortable living of others. Do you see now why I have not voted “Republican” yet?
Another point that I feel that is important to make, is the fact that the big three are just designing some of the most god-awful looking car nowadays. Heck, even the trucks are now getting just plain butt-ugly. Does it make any damned sense to build cars for every day Americans that look like they taken from the pages of a twenty fifth century comic book? Whatever happened to graceful, classic designs from the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s? Those were real cars back then, now all the big three can produce is glorified garbage — and do not even get me started on the idea of an electric car, now that is a idea that is going to go right straight were the Chevy EV1 went, right straight into the scrap heap.
Now back on the subject of politics, it seems that Chris Dodd, going to retire. Getting sweetheart deals on a house mortgage can do that to a fellow, especially when people in your district are losing their houses left and right. I also notice that Bryon Dorgan is also retiring; he supported Obama’s healthcare plan, which made him damaged goods. I also notice that Colorado Governor Bill Ritter is withdrawing from that race — corruption will do that to a fellow.
Now what is my personal take on these retirements and how it affects the 2010 elections? My take is this; I believe that there are going to be some very big upsets come election time. Now, I do not necessarily see a Republican wave or anything like that. However, I do see a drastic change in Washington D.C. I do also see a “defanging” of the socialist monster that exists on Capitol Hill right now. As for the Governor’s race here in Michigan, I believe that the Republicans can win Michigan, but they are going to have to work to earn the trust of the American people. It would take some very hard work and some massive breaking of some very established political rules to do it. However it can be done. The people of Michigan want real answers, real results, not political grandstanding, and platitudes.
It is going to be a very interesting 2010. I look forward to writing about it and giving you my take.
Utah deputy shot, killed; suspect sought
Sad Story here…. 🙁
Texas Fred has the story.
BREAKING NEWS: Michael Yon arrested at Seattle airport
(H/T Ed @HotAir)
That’s right, Michael Yon, famed independent war corespondent was detained at the airport, handcuffs and all.
For not disclosing how much money he makes…. 🙄
From his facebook fan page:
Got arrested at the Seattle airport for refusing to say how much money I make. (The uniformed ones say I was not “arrested”, but they definitely handcuffed me.) Their videos and audios should show that I was polite, but simply refused questions that had nothing to do with national security. Port authority police eve…ntually came — they were professionals — and rescued me from the border bullies.
and…:
Got arrested at the Seattle airport for refusing to say how much money I make. (The uniformed ones say I was not “arrested”, but they definitely handcuffed me.) Their videos and audios should show that I was polite, but simply refused questions that had nothing to do with national security. Port authority police eventually came — they were professionals — and rescued me from the border bullies.
and….:
When they handcuffed me, I said that no country has ever treated me so badly. Not China. Not Vietnam. Not Afghanistan. Definitely not Singapore or India or Nepal or Germany, not Brunei, not Indonesia, or Malaysia, or Kuwait or Qatar or United Arab Emirates. No county has treated me with the disrespect can that can be expected from our border bullies.
Jazz Shaw asks, “WTF??!?!”:
Very strange. Even if you’re into profiling, Yon would hardly fit one you’d be interested in. Of course, his passport, by now, doubtless has a list of countries stamped into it which could give an inspector pause, but that’s no excuse. Very, very strange. I expect this one will be high profile enough that you’ll see an apology coming from the government.
Ed Morrissey weighs in:
Unless there is more to this story, an apology would be the least owed to Yon. When an American citizen with a valid passport presents himself for travel, there should be some reasonable screening to verify identity and to determine whether there is a physical risk, ie, weapons and the like. Why should border security be interested in Yon’s annual income? How does that relate to national security and border protection? Unless this is an arm of the Internal Revenue Service, it doesn’t, and Yon was right to refuse to answer the question.
Instead of hassling American citizens about their income or watching the ice melt, how about paying attention to actual security and intelligence issues? Please?
I must say that I agree with both of these assessments, and I personally believe those responsible for detaining Mr. Yon, ought to be fired. I honestly have to ask this question, that neither Jazz nor Ed would even ask. If Michael Yon had been, say, Arabic or even black; would he have been detained? I somehow doubt it. But, because he’s a White American, he gets asked a stupid question and because he refuses to answer it, which was well within his rights; he gets detained. Welcome to Obama’s America people. Where white men are oppressed, interrogated and harassed; by the black power establishment. You say this isn’t about race? I disagree. This is all about race and as long as Barack Hussein Obama is President, you will continue to see this sort of nonsense happening in America. Bank on it.
Others: Michelle Malkin, Outside The Beltway, Gateway Pundit, Mudville Gazette, The Jawa Report, Atlas Shrugs, JammieWearingFool, Moonbattery