Jason Mattera's latest video catch is with ethically-challenged Rep. Charlie Rangel (D):
Rangel can't stand the heat over his mounting ethical/financial scandals. When Hot Air TV special correspondent Jason Mattera confronts the tax cheat, Rangel has a snit fit.
Catch Mattera's other classic interviews with (D) corruptocrats William "Cold Cash" Jefferson and Jim Murtha at Pajamas TV.
I'm sorry, but Steele is simply not ready for conservative prime time as his latest at bat concerning abortion showed. Ed Morrisey pointed it out all too well with these two contradictory comments:
For the third time in his short tenure as RNC chair, Steele has fumbled a media appearance, this time on abortion, and had to reverse himself afterwards. Steele told an interviewer that he thought abortion was a matter of personal choice and that it should be regulated by the states. Now, as Ben Smith reports at Politico, Steele explains that what he really meant was that abortion should be banned by a Constitutional amendment:
I am pro-life, always have been, always will be.
I tried to present why I am pro life while recognizing that my mother had a “choice” before deciding to put me up for adoption. I thank her every day for supporting life. The strength of the pro life movement lies in choosing life and sharing the wisdom of that choice with those who face difficult circumstances. They did that for my mother and I am here today because they did. In my view Roe vs. Wade was wrongly decided and should be repealed. I realize that there are good people in our party who disagree with me on this issue.
But the Republican Party is and will continue to be the party of life. I support our platform and its call for a Human Life Amendment. It is important that we stand up for the defenseless and that we continue to work to change the hearts and minds of our fellow countrymen so that we can welcome all children and protect them under the law.
Explain that. The choice issue cuts two ways. You can choose life, or you can choose abortion. You know, my mother chose life. So, you know, I think the power of the argument of choice boils down to stating a case for one or the other.
You can’t. The two statements cannot be reconciled with each other. They are mutually exclusive. And Steele has offered both as his views in two successive days.
You can change your positions over time—hopefully towards pro life—but not from day to day, and not depending on your audience. Sorry Mr. Steele. but you just aren't measuring up. The GOP does not need further reasons for people to run away from the party.
Time Online did a piece yesterday on their top 10 picks for Newspapers about to fall. Guess who is #2 on the list.
You guessed it. Our own bastion of liberal agenda journalism. The STrib:
2. The Minneapolis Star Tribune has filed for Chapter 11. The paper may not make money this year, even without the costs of debt coverage. The company said it made $26 million last year, about half of what it made in 2007. The odds are that the Star Tribune will lose money this year if its ad revenue drops another 20%. There is no point for creditors to keep the paper open if it cannot generate cash. It could become an all-digital property, as supporting a daily circulation of more than 300,000 is too much of a burden. It could survive if its rival, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, folds. A grim race.
Camille Paglia has a good piece at Salon that conservatives should enjoy, and President Obama would be wise to take heed of. She is still a supporter, and sounds earnest in her want for him to succeed, but offers some tough love in criticizing the gafftacular moves. Unlike her, I don't think these plays can or should be dismissed as mistakes made by his aides. Bottom line—it is his cross to bear. Read the whole first page, but here are my favorite graphs.
First it was that chaotic pig rut of a stimulus package, which let House Democrats throw a thousand crazy kitchen sinks into what should have been a focused blueprint for economic recovery. Then it was the stunt of unnerving Wall Street by sending out a shrill duo of slick geeks (Timothy Geithner and Peter Orszag) as the administration's weirdly adolescent spokesmen on economics. Who could ever have confidence in that sorry pair?
And then there was the fiasco of the ham-handed White House reception for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, which was evidently lacking the most basic elements of ceremony and protocol. Don't they read the "Iliad" anymore in the Ivy League? Check that out for the all-important ritual of gift giving, which has cemented alliances around the world for 5,000 years.
Let's not forget the endless parade of appointed cabinet members who keep bowing out for one scandal or another. As always she has a strong defense of conservative talk radio, in this case Limbaugh.
Case in point: The orchestrated attack on radio host Rush Limbaugh, which has made the White House look like an oafish bunch of drunken frat boys. I returned from carnival in Brazil (more on that shortly) to find the Limbaugh affair in full flower. Has the administration gone mad? This entire fracas was set off by the president himself, who lowered his office by targeting a private citizen by name. Limbaugh had every right to counterattack, which he did with gusto. Why have so many Democrats abandoned the hallowed principle of free speech? Limbaugh, like our own liberal culture hero Lenny Bruce, is a professional commentator who can be as rude and crude as he wants.
Yes, I cringe when Rush plays his "Barack the Magic Negro" satire or when he gratuitously racializes the debate over Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who is a constant subject of withering scrutiny for quite different reasons on sports shows here in Philadelphia. On the other hand, I totally agree with Rush about "feminazis," whose amoral tactics and myopic worldview I as a dissident feminist had to battle for decades. As a student of radio and a longtime listener of Rush's show, I have gotten a wealth of pleasure and insight from him over the years. To attack Rush Limbaugh is to attack his audience -- and to intensify the loyalty of his fan base.
If Rush's presence looms too large for the political landscape, it's because of the total vacuity of the Republican leadership, which seems to be in a dithering funk. Rush isn't responsible for the feebleness of Republican voices or the thinness of Republican ideas. Only ignoramuses believe that Rush speaks for the Republican Party. On the contrary, Rush as a proponent of heartland conservatism has waged open warfare with the Washington party establishment for years.
Just had to post this parody of Watchmen the Movie from Hot Air.
As we see the Obama administration continue to provide a fumbling, incompetentresponse to foreign policyas well astheeconomy, we can count on one growth industry: satire. How best to define the embarrassment of on-the-job training for a junior executive stuck at the top of the food chain, by a public who worshiped him as a secular messiah during the campaign? An Instapundit reader offers a takeoff on the new movie Watchmen:
The movie’s tag line works in this case: Who’s watching the Watchmen? Certainly not the national media, as Mickey Kaus discovered. The boss likes it, except for the disturbing image of Hillary. They did a good job of nailing President Obama, too, in a pose reminiscent of his “glistening pecs” pic during the campaign.
Still, I prefer The Gong Show. We need a good graphic for that, because I’m hoping that we get to bang a gong in 2010 and start sending these zeroes offstage.
I said previously that I was assuming that everything "president" Obama did would be wrong, and that by doing so I could avoid disappointment, and be pleasantly surprised if by chance he did something right. I think we can now say definitely that I have not been disappointed. As John Hawkins points out in his Townhall piece, Obama has made [at least] ten big "amateur mistakes" in the short six weeks he has occupied the Oval Office. Not a disappointment, from that standpoint.
What is surprising is not that he has managed to do something right, because he hasn't, but that he has done so many things so wrong and so quickly. Yesterday, for example, the President-in-training signed an Executive Order overturning President Bush's ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research that destroyed human embryos not part of existing stem cell "lines," and yes, it was exactly that narrow and specific. It was all over the news, you couldn't have missed it, though it was usually grossly mischaracterized as overturning some widespread ban on a very fruitful line of research. What you did not hear is that the President also issued a NEW Executive Order, effectively banning the federal funding of any stem cell research that did NOT destroy human embryos, a much wider and much more harmful overall restriction on medical science. Adult stem cells have already been used to cure several serious medical conditions, for example. This ban will directly impact the ability of researchers to find more cures with an already proven and ethically sound technology. Why?
Mind you, I'm not disappointed, just surprised that The One is that clueless, or arrogant, or both.
The MN Organization of Bloggers party was great fun last night, and Keegan's was stuffed to capacity. Mitch said about 35 responded with RSVPs, over 70 showed up. Chief, Guy'd Dog, Molosseus and myself were there from FreedomDogs. We enjoyed meeting bloggers from across the political aisle (Jeff from MN Publius and Flash from Centrisity), along with Erik Black from MinnPost, new bloggers (Chris from Rockets Red Glare), and readers who just wanted to meet us. Thanks to Mitch and MOB Mayor JRoosh at Shot in The Dark for organizing. Here's a collage of the few photos I took (I was in a booth most of the night and couldn't get out). I'm pictured with our favorite activist and talk show caller "Enge" who sounded his entrance by blowing his Vikings horn.
Starting March 9, radio ads begin across the state from Minnesota Majority.
The new ad campaign features ordinary Minnesotans expressing their concern about out-of-control state spending. “We have received so many calls that we simply can’t air them all,” explained Minnesota Majority’s President Jeff Davis, “But we are planning to put all of the calls we have received onto CDs which will we then provide to state legislators. This represents hours of testimony that was never heard in the official listening sessions because legislative leaders stacked the agenda of most meetings with government employees and beneficiaries instead of private sector citizens.”
I think some DFL legislators are taking our voices to heart. At my district's legislative town meeting March 7, all three (DFL) said that no taxes were on the table so far (unless they plan to hide them under "fees" and other creative verbiage). I was pleasantly surprised to see them more receptive to suggestions from small business owners and others who are fed up with state spending. Except for the bleeding hearts crying for money and cuts to "be fair," the majority in the room were against raising taxes. It pays to show up at these events.
We are being bombarded with a daily barrage of doom and gloom. 8.1% unemployment. Dow in the low 6000s. A federal government focused on pursuing an agenda at the expense of common sense. It can be overwhelming if one looks at things from a short-term perspective. Well, Obama objectives can be downright scary if you look at them long-term, but that's another post.
(Disclaimer: due to the extremely creepy nature of some commenters, the following information will be intentionally vague and generic.)
I work at a local plant owned by a multi-national. It is a production facility with several production lines. For those of you in academia that means we bring raw materials in one door, process them, and move a finished product out another door. We used to do this a lot in America. No, I do not work on one of those lines, as that would prevent me from enjoying the daily exchanges on this and other blogs.
The products we produce are in great demand by a major sector of the economy, and they have a shelf life. They are sterile, and must be produced in a controlled environment. They are heavily regulated by the government, with all of the documentation requirements that entails.
The determination was made that a packaging modification would be beneficial for our customers. That modification entails a substantial investment in capital equipment and incorporation of that equipment into one of the production lines. Management of the Corporation took the decision to proceed, based on analysis of cost to benefit. That is what happens in the real world, as opposed to the rainbow and unicorn world. The cost of the project is in the millions.
This is the perspective: The project was green-lighted. The line will be modified here in a Minnesota manufacturing plant. Not only do dozens of people keep their steady, gainful employment (we run three shifts, five days a week), but this multi-national determined that all of this was the best business decision. My contract is extended through 2009, and most likely beyond, because I am doing what that modification does, namely adding value to the product by improving the process, and helping to maintain the quality of the product itself. That's how things work in the real world.
I wish that those in power now would apply the same discipline to the policy that they are implementing. I see no evidence at this point, but there is still time. An ideologist, whether conservative or liberal is the most incompetent of managers. The ideology cripples objectivity and stifles prudence. Which decision making model is the best one for this country, the cost/benefit model, or the ideological one?
Of course, I have to give credit where it's due: Here is a great sketch that make me miss the good old days when Bob Newhart still did stand up.
Imagine if you will that President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, fill in the blank with pretty much any liberal politician took the chair instead of Mo Collins in the video above. Their concerns, instead of Mo's relationship woes, hang ups and psychological pecadillos, would be financial policy issues like these:
Patient O: "Doctor, I keep voting for the same burdens that make it harder on small businesses and large businesses alike."
Patient O: "Doctor, I keep saying I'll oppose earmarks to my voters, then I keep buckling and writing them in as if I'm not in control."
Patient O: "Doctor, I don't like the term socialist, I know it fails every time it's tried, but I keep pushing for it."
Patient O: "Doctor, I know all of these bail outs aren't doing any good yet, but maybe the next one mmmmiiight?"
Patient O: "Doctor, My constituents hate the tax code and the IRS, I can't even do my own taxes, but I just love adding more regulations and additions to the code?"
Patient O: "Doctor, I know the free market has worked, I hear voters don't trust me. Wall Street Is in the toilet, but I can't help but pushing my agenda."
There is something to be said for that line from MacBeth. There isn't a day that passes without this blog, and many others, objecting to this or that outrage by this or that Democrat. It is a deeply serious matter, causing laughter only because the situation is so idiotic. During such political badinage last evening, somebody remarked that, "It's not nice to make fun of the mentally handicapped," referring, of course, to the just-discussed and derided Democrat. It set me to thinking.
Why do we continually vent our outrage at the actions of Democrats, when we should be trying to understand them, and why they do the things they do? Why aren't we looking for the underlying reason for why the minds and actions of Democrats appear, to such rational people as ourselves, as some sci-fi motion picture's depiction of hyperspace travel, or the core of a black hole? Please select one of the following explanations. Judging by their actions, Democrats are collectively:
Mentally challenged, unable to reason properly by virtue of inborn or acquired mental defect. More to be pitied than censured.
Willfully ignorant, that is, they have deliberately avoided learning those things which would cause them to change their decision. "My mind's made up, don't confuse me with the facts."
Stupid, akin to ignorant, but in this case they have acquired the knowledge to "know better," but cannot apply that knowledge to practical matters. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Insane, living in an alternate reality of their own design, in which what they do makes perfect sense to themselves, and no one else. Personally, I like this explanation, but it does not explain how these people are able to function reasonably well in daily life, and only exhibit symptoms in their political life.
Evil, meaning they know what they are doing is wrong, and are determined to do it anyway. Without one of the other reasons, this is the only possible conclusion.
It MUST be one of the above though, on review, it looks like a pretty poor list of adjectives to apply to someone we have entrusted to manage our governmental (and increasingly, our private) affairs. I would be willing to entertain the suggestion that the real answer is some combination of two or more, but they seem to me to be mutually exclusive. Still, I'm not completely comfortable remarking further on the Democrat Outrage of the Day until I know I'm not speaking ill of the handicapped. It's not nice.
The knee-jerk reaction amongst my family and friends to our recent economic woes is ‘it’ll bounce back.’ The question becomes ‘when’ and ‘how big a bounce?’ I don’t want to sound alarmist around them, but the reason for my personal dread isn’t because the market has fallen – markets do that – but because government (read: Obama) is doing nothing, zero, less than zero, to provide incentives for money to chase wealth. Rather, the push has been for money to chase government (which, even the street beggar will tell you, has a poor rate of return).
From Michael Boskin in today’s WSJ, this little nugget might provide some historical perspective:
"Mr. Obama's $3.6 trillion budget blueprint, by his own admission, redefines the role of government in our economy and society. The budget more than doubles the national debt held by the public, adding more to the debt than all previous presidents -- from George Washington to George W. Bush -- combined. It reduces defense spending to a level not sustained since the dangerous days before World War II, while increasing nondefense spending (relative to GDP) to the highest level in U.S. history. And it would raise taxes to historically high levels (again, relative to GDP). And all of this before addressing the impending explosion in Social Security and Medicare costs."
Can anyone argue this is not a recipe for a long, protracted and painful recession? The Dow is simply reflecting investors lack of confidence that this game plan is not only dangerous, but historically unsuccessful - unless, of course, you're a committed socialist whose goals are not growth and prosperity, but command and control.
I was at my local Cub Foods picking up some produce and came across a bizarre (to me) creature of a fruit I had never seen before. It's called a Buddha's Hand.
Now, I'm a Midwest boy, born and raised, but don't consider myself sheltered. I have traveled a bit to Hawaii and southern China, and locally I have been to plenty of Asian markets. This thing really threw me and I had to take a picture of it with the iphone.
Genuinely creepy at first glance, essentially it's a lemon that's all rind. It looks like something that belongs on the back of John Merrick or in a Star Trek goes tropical set. I hope I'm still discovering new things like this until I die. Of course by then, I'll probably just re-discover things I've long since forgotten. From wiki:
The fruit itself is a type of citron and is often described as lemon-like or lemon-esque. The fruit is segmented into finger-like sections. It has a thick peel and a small amount of acidic flesh and is seedless and juiceless. It is very fragrant and is used predominantly by the Chinese and Japanese for perfuming rooms and personal items, such as clothing.
This just in from the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus: The DFL sees raising taxes as the way to go. No shocker there, but now it's on the books.
In response to Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller’s (DFL-Minneapolis) admission on TPT’s “Almanac: At The Capitol” last evening that “property tax increases” or “state revenue increases” will be a part of any solution to solve the growing budget deficit, Senate Republican Leader David Senjem (R-Rochester) released the following statement:
“Minnesotans be warned: DFL legislative leadership will be attempting to raise your taxes to solve the growing budget deficit. I have repeatedly said that now is the worst time in state history to raise taxes. With all due respect, DFL legislative leaders are out of touch with their legislative talk of taxes increases.
“Helping create a business-friendly environment that will stimulate the creation of private sector jobs is the best solution to solving this budget deficit. Minnesota businesses are being chased away with excessive taxes and regulations, and any call for new tax increases is simply the wrong approach to jump-starting Minnesota’s economy.”
Top DFL Legislative Leader Says “Property Tax Increases” or “State Revenue Increases” Will be Part of Budget Solution. “So I think it’s fair to say that under any resolution of this [budget deficit] there’s going to be property tax increases or state revenue increases.” (Senator Larry Pogemiller, “Almanac: At the Capitol”, TPT, March 4, 2009)
Thanks to Onie for sending me this one, from America's author of liberty, President Jefferson from 1802:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.
Want a few more that are as pertinent today as when they were written...
When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Amen sir, you lived through it saw it coming 230 years ago.
More than 1,500 Mexican troops have moved into Ciudad Juárez, Mexico trying to regain control in the middle of a turf war between drug cartel gangs. More than 2000 people have been murdered in this city over the past year. The Mexican military is taking command of city police and other city departments.
Pops and a few other people I know well at our church recently returned from Juarez Mexico. Thank goodness they did not meet with any troubles there, but the reports are increasing and looking pretty ugly on the bits of video footage I've seen. This post from Kathleen Mckinley caught my eye. She sounds very concerned.
"The specter of U.S. troops fighting the cartel armies on Mexican soil is not simply a product of paranoia, however. The possibility was raised in a Pentagon policy document last December. The report by U.S. Joint Forces Command, entitled "Joint Operating Environment 2008", focuses on the challenges potentially facing the U.S. military over the next 25 years. It speculates that the Mexican state could face "a rapid and sudden collapse" from the onslaught of cartel paramilitary armies, and says the U.S. forces would have to respond to such a threat. "Any descent by Mexico into chaos would demand an American response based on the serious implications for homeland security alone," it says."
Recently Sen. John Cornyn sent a letter to President Obama expressing his serious concern over the escalating drug related violence occuring at the U.S./Mexico border. Sen. Cornyn is so concerned that he is urging the President to visit the southern border and see for himself the increasing violence.
I've written about this before, but it seems this story doesn't seem to be very interesting to the msm. I'm worried when Gov. Perry suggests deploying 1000 toops or border patrol guards on our border. I'm worried about Mexican citizens fleeing violence in large numbers across our borders. I'm worried about an actual battle between our military and the drug cartels.
I'm worried that we will wait until it's too late to do something about this.
I was at my local Cub Foods picking up some produce and came across a bizarre (to me) creature of a fruit I had never seen before. It's called a Buddha's Hand. 
