Sunday, November 30, 2008
'Disgusting' Bias for Obama, Time Writer Admits
I have to think these (after the fact) admissions of media bias must be some kind of soul cleansing.
Perhaps, they all realize it was so dishonest that they want to confess so they can sleep at night...
Perhaps, they all realize it was so dishonest that they want to confess so they can sleep at night...
I found this in a posting at NewsMax.com:
"Last week, Time magazine's Mark Halperin called the media's performance during the campaign simply 'disgusting.'
Halperin told a panel of media analysts at the Politico/USC conference on the 2008 election, 'It's the most disgusting failure of people in our business since the Iraq war.'
He added, 'It was extreme bias, extreme pro-Obama coverage.'"
Oops! - No Way Out
Attention all potential robbers: stay in the neighborhood you know...
I found this on the KATC.com website:
"Imagine commiting a felony, then realizing there's no way out. That's what happened to a Pennsylvania couple in Vermilion Parish."
Oil - Brazil seems to have it
I figure it's time for the U.S. to get on Brazil's good side...
At the Christian Science Monitor website, Sara Miller Llana reports:
"More than 180 miles off Brazil's coast, trapped under a few miles of water, rock, and salt, lie billions of barrels of light, sweet crude – the largest discovery of oil in the Western Hemisphere in a generation.
Accessing it will require some of the most advanced technology on the planet. But Brazil, once a heavy importer that celebrated its 'oil independence' only two years ago, is uniquely positioned to extract reserves trapped millions of years ago when South America and Africa began to separate. The state-controlled oil company, Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras), says it will begin production by 2010.
The potential is enormous. "
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Media - Keith Olbermann Caught Lying?
For every media outlet or host there is a "watcher".
These "watchers" devote their time to scrutinizing their chosen entity.
They are usually very good at what they do and they frequently catch and expose the media's slipups (or outright lies)...
These "watchers" devote their time to scrutinizing their chosen entity.
They are usually very good at what they do and they frequently catch and expose the media's slipups (or outright lies)...
On video, OlbermannWatch.com catches Keith Olberman:
"Video: Oops! Keith Olbermann Caught Lying Again!"
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Meanwhile - In Quebec, CN
A sign of the times.
We certainly live in a world of high tech...
We certainly live in a world of high tech...
Beth Johnston reports in the Ottawa Sun:
"The Mounties have warned every police agency in the country about cellphone jammers after two Quebec officers were left with two suspects and dead radios on a darkened highway shoulder last month.
It was Oct. 15 and the Quebec City police officers had stopped a car whose occupants they believed were connected with organized crime. When they approached the car, they saw 'a suspicious device' on its door, police sources said.
The suspects told police they bought the 'jammer' -- which sends out a powerful radio signal that makes it impossible for phones within a 10-metre radius to communicate with cell towers -- on eBay."
Mr. Obama, Give That Man a Medal - WSJ.com
Learn about Stephen Hadley...
In the Wall Street Journal, William McGurn wants credit given to the man behind "the surge":
"I suppose it's possible that George W. Bush would award Stephen J. Hadley the Medal of Freedom. Certainly the president's national security adviser has earned it, for work that made possible the success we are now seeing in Iraq. And it would be within the president's prerogative to see that work acknowledged with this honor before they both leave the White House come Jan. 20.
But how much better it would be all around -- for the country, for the recipient, and even for Barack Obama -- if Mr. Hadley were to receive this honor from the hands of the 44th president of the United States.
Now, Mr. Hadley is a former colleague of mine from the White House. We did not always see eye to eye, and I know this self-effacing man well enough to know he would be appalled to find anyone putting his name forward for a medal. Yet one fact trumps everything else: Without this good man's courage and persistence, there would have been no surge."
Monday, November 24, 2008
Meanwhile - In Manatee County, FL
I know this is the constitutionally correct decision, but ...
Todd Ruger reports in the Sarasota, FL Herald Tribune:
"Another circuit judge threw out evidence in a drug possession case, ruling that a narcotics-sniffing dog’s nose was not reliable enough to justify searching a vehicle.
Matthew McNeal is the second Manatee County defendant to escape drug possession charges this year because Talon, a now-retired K-9 from the Palmetto Police Department, alerted to the odor of drugs in a car and officers used that to search it.
Defense attorneys have shown Talon alerted that there were drugs in almost every vehicle he checked, yet officers found drugs fewer than half the time."
Politicians - U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel
Quite a few lawmakers obviously ignore the laws.
And, we have to think that they have staff and advisers that know what's going on.
So, with that being said, it seems clear that they don't really care what WE think.
Possibly, history has shown them that we won't do anything about it...
And, we have to think that they have staff and advisers that know what's going on.
So, with that being said, it seems clear that they don't really care what WE think.
Possibly, history has shown them that we won't do anything about it...
Isabel Vincent and Jill Culora follow the congressman's issues in the New York Post:
" Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel took a "homestead" tax break on a Washington, DC, house for years while simultaneously occupying multiple rent-stabilized apartments in New York City, possibly violating laws and regulations in both cases.
The situation raises a number of potential problems for the congressman, including:... "
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Politicians - Ex N.J. lawmaker Wayne Bryant
Another one bites the dust.
Is it just me, or do you agree that we seem to hear one of these stories almost every day?...
Is it just me, or do you agree that we seem to hear one of these stories almost every day?...
Richard Pearsall on the New Jersey Courier-Post website:
"Former state Sen. Wayne Bryant was found guilty of all 12 counts of bribery and pension fraud Tuesday, convictions that could send him to prison for 15 years or more.
Advertisement
A federal jury deliberated over parts of three days before finding the once-powerful legislator guilty of selling his office for personal gain and inflating his state pension with work he did not perform at a Stratford medical school.
The jurors declined to discuss the case as they left the courthouse.
Bryant's co-defendant, Dr. R. Michael Gallagher, 59, of Haddonfield, was found guilty of six of seven counts of carrying out a bribery scheme with Bryant at UMDNJ's School of Osteopathic Medicine. Gallagher also faces 15 years or more of prison time."
Our Spendthrift States Don't Need a Bailout - WSJ.com
Well, so much for letting the states handle the money...
Steve Malanga writes about them in the Wall Street Journal:
"This is not the first time states have been caught in this trap. One reason is because many fail to address their deep, structural budget problems during the good times, preferring to use booming tax revenues to start or expand politically popular (and often costly) programs. Another, deadlier issue is their failure to deal with huge and growing employee pension and benefits liabilities.
For years, state and local politicians have bought support from public sector unions by promising big benefits. Over time these promises exert severe pressure on their budgets. A study three years ago by the Employee Benefit Research Institute estimated that the average public sector worker earns 46% more in total compensation than his counterpart in the private sector, largely because government employers spend 60% more per worker on benefits than counterparts in the private sector.
States have collectively racked up some $731 billion in unfunded liabilities for pensions and other retirement benefits, according to a study published last December by the Pew Charitable Trusts' Center on the States. In particular, the states have been promising their employees rich nonpension benefits -- such as retirement health and dental care -- and paying for virtually none of it. According to Pew estimates, states have put aside a mere $11 billion to fund $381 billion in future nonpension benefits. Illinois, which has the largest percentage of unfunded pension liabilities among the states, actually cut its contributions to pension funds by $2.3 billion in the flush years of 2006 and 2007 as stock market returns were rising."
Tarp The TARP -- Lawrence Kudlow
Does anybody really know what's going on?
I'm wondering at what depth will partisanship, greed, and finger-pointing stop, and the powers that be realize that their own self-serving behaviors are actually the cause of most of our current problems.
Let's stop the insanity and throw the bums out...
I'm wondering at what depth will partisanship, greed, and finger-pointing stop, and the powers that be realize that their own self-serving behaviors are actually the cause of most of our current problems.
Let's stop the insanity and throw the bums out...
Lawrence Kudlow reminds us at gopusa.com:
"Hundreds of academic studies over the past 25 years show clearly that countries that spend more grow less -- but that nations that tax less grow more.
Why these lessons have been forgotten is beyond me. We have to restore market discipline and personal accountability. We should reward the economic good, but punish the bad. Instead, we have launched a demoralizing government-spending nymphomania."
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Gen. Kevin Chilton: Sounding the Nuclear Alarm - WSJ.com
Bailout needed here?...
In a Wall Street Journal editorial, Gen. Kevin Chilton includes this "gem":
"The U.S. is alone among the five declared nuclear nations in not modernizing its arsenal. The U.K. and France are both doing so. Ditto China and Russia. "We're the only ones who aren't," Gen. Chilton says. Congress has refused to fund the Department of Energy's Reliable Replacement Warhead program beyond the concept stage and this year it cut funding even for that."
American Public Flunks Basic Civics - Deroy Murdock
I'm willing to bet that none of us are surprised by this.
I'm also willing to bet that most of us wouldn't perceive ourselves amongst the "flunkees".
The scary (but constitutionally correct) thing is that we ALL get to vote!...
I'm also willing to bet that most of us wouldn't perceive ourselves amongst the "flunkees".
The scary (but constitutionally correct) thing is that we ALL get to vote!...
Deroy Murdock writes at HumanEvents.com:
"However you regard the outcome of the November 4 election, it was heartening to watch 125 million Americans cast their ballots at precincts from coast to coast. Unfortunately, they and the many millions more who skipped the whole thing collectively know frightfully little about the government we just reaffirmed, the principles that undergird it, and the basic documents in which those ideas are enshrined. Thus, Americans slouch into the 21st Century -- a free and confident people blissfully unaware of how we got here or how we shall continue our 232-year-old tradition of limited self-government.
Consider these staggering data:
*Fully 71 percent of Americans flunked a 33-question civic-literacy survey conducted by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Among 2,508 respondents ISI randomly selected, 1,791 failed this test of U.S. historical, political, and economic basics. The average score was just 49 out of 100 -- a solid F. While just 2.6 percent scored Bs on this quiz, only 0.8 percent earned As."
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Meanwhile in the U.K. - Presumed Consent
Here's a concept that should give you pause.
This is about organ donation; however, the concept itself should give us all pause for concern.
Try to imagine having to opt out of everything; even those things that you don't know about; and then, think about circumstances where you weren't physically able, or couldn't produce your "opted out" documents.
Ugh!...
This is about organ donation; however, the concept itself should give us all pause for concern.
Try to imagine having to opt out of everything; even those things that you don't know about; and then, think about circumstances where you weren't physically able, or couldn't produce your "opted out" documents.
Ugh!...
At LifeSiteNews.com, Hilary White reports:
"Despite his own task force having said that it will not succeed, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he will not give up on a plan that would see every person in the UK automatically registered as an organ donor.
Brown said of the task force and his plan, 'While they are not recommending the introduction of a presumed consent system, as I have done, I am not ruling out a further change in the law.' The PM indicated that the government would 'revisit' the question at the end of the 'next stage' of the campaign."
Election lawsuits
Here's another one.
Perhaps it's true, perhaps not.
Either way, it's interesting reading...
Perhaps it's true, perhaps not.
Either way, it's interesting reading...
Jeff Schreiber has it all at AmericasRight.com:
"In his action filed against New Jersey Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells, Donofrio contends that Wells has not fulfilled her duty as Secretary of State to independently verify the constitutional qualifications of the presidential candidates before placing them on the ballot in the Garden State. Specifically, Donofrio notes in the brief accompanying the Application for Emergency Stay filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, Wells was required by N.J.S.A. 19:13-22 to make a statement in which she certifies and signs off on the names of the candidates on the ballots. The statute, in relevant part with emphasis added:
The Secretary of State, not later than eighty-six days before any election whereat any candidates nominated in any direct petition or primary certificate of nomination or State convention certificate filed with him are to be voted for, shall make and certify, under his hand and seal of office, and forward to the clerks of the several counties of the State a statement of all such candidates for whom the voters within such county may be by law entitled to vote at such election.
According to Donofrio, the underlying issue at the heart of his action is the word 'born' in Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which of course states in part that only natural-born citizens can be eligible to serve as president of the United States. "
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Barack Obama - 17 Lawsuit Challenges
I've been following this for what seems like forever and it just doesn't go away.
As for the final result; your guess is as good as mine...
As for the final result; your guess is as good as mine...
At RightSideNews.com, Douglas J. Hagmann reports the latest:
"Currently, there are 17 lawsuits in 12 states that are challenging the eligibility of Barack Hussein Obama to become the next President of the United States based, in part, on the true circumstances of his birth. These circumstances include his actual place of birth as well as his status as a naturalized citizen. The latest lawsuit was filed by Alan Keyes, a Presidential candidate in the 2008 election."
Pirates Exploit Confusion About International Law - WSJ.com
International piracy seems to be an increasing concern.
Here's an informative article that also includes some history...
Here's an informative article that also includes some history...
David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey discuss the issue in the Wall Street Journal:
"Media reports suggest that Somali pirates have already attacked more than 80 ships in 2008.
These are unprecedented and dangerous developments. Suppressing piracy and the slave trade, accomplished by the last quarter of the 19th century, were among mankind's great civilizing achievements. These were brought about by major maritime powers such as Great Britain and the United States. Indeed, in the American republic's earliest days, President Jefferson dispatched the infant U.S. Navy to confront the Barbary pirates, both on shore and at sea.
By the 1970s, as a part of a growing chaos in parts of Africa and Asia, incidents of piracy began to pick up. But it was not until the 21st century that piracy has experienced a meteoric rise, with the number of attacks increasing by double-digit rates per year. Last year, according to the International Maritime Bureau, 263 actual and attempted pirate attacks took place. Large maritime areas have now become known as pirate heavens, where mariners can expect to be routinely molested."
Psycho stuff - Unhappy people watch TV
If this were NOT a 30-year study, I would be inclined to dismiss it out of hand. After all, times HAVE changed, and there's MUCH more to watch.
But, after thinking about it, perhaps they are on to something.
You can have your own opinion...
But, after thinking about it, perhaps they are on to something.
You can have your own opinion...
I found this at PhysOrg.com:
"A new study by sociologists at the University of Maryland concludes that unhappy people watch more TV, while people who describe themselves as very happy spend more time reading and socializing. The study appears in the December issue of the journal Social Indicators Research.
Analyzing 30-years worth of national data from time-use studies and a continuing series of social attitude surveys, the Maryland researchers report that spending time watching television may contribute to viewers' happiness in the moment, with less positive effects in the long run."
Health News - "Mass-Drugging"
In my opinion, drug companies have mastered the "fear" factor.
They would have us think that every one of us is likely to get every disease known to man.
It's no coincidence that they have a product for each one...
They would have us think that every one of us is likely to get every disease known to man.
It's no coincidence that they have a product for each one...
At NaturalNews.com, Mike Adams expresses strong feelings. He begins:
"Drug companies used to sell products for the treatment of disease. But it didn't take long for Big Pharma to figure out that the number of diseased people is limited, and therefore so are drug profits. To bypass this problem, they began inventing diseases and marketing them to the public as a way to create new demand for high-profit pharmaceuticals. This is how 'bi-polar' came into existence, for example. Same story for ADHD, social anxiety disorder and even high cholesterol (which isn't a disease in the first place)."
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
It's Priceless -- Thomas Sowell
Politicians have been the same since the beginning of time.
Why haven't we learned?...
Why haven't we learned?...
Thomas Sowell explains some truisms at GOPUSA.com:
"Politicians have more ways of escaping from prices than Houdini had ways of escaping from locks. When savvy pols want to hand out goodies, but don't want to take responsibility for raising taxes to pay for them, they can tax people who can't vote-- namely the next generation-- by getting the money by selling government bonds that future taxpayers will have to redeem.
Even such deficit spending leaves a record, however-- a national debt that is the ghost of Christmas past. But politicians can even get around that.
The most politically painless way to hand out goodies, without taking responsibility for their costs, is to pass a law saying that somebody else must provide those goodies at their expense, while the politicians take credit for generosity and compassion."
Politicians - Dodd Interview Censored
Go ahead. Try to convince yourself that this was NOT deliberatley censored for a political reason...
In the New Haven Independent, Paul Bass reports:
"Watching the TV news monitors in the WELI newsroom, Tom Scott (pictured), a former state senator and Congressional and gubernatorial candidate, had grown frustrated that reporters seemed to be going easy on Dodd. So he savored the chance to push Dodd on why, for instance, he won’t release the documents connected to his personal Countrywide loans.
The result was riveting radio. But WELI’s listeners never got to hear it.
Click HERE to hear the interview that never aired.
Asked why the interview never ran, Todd Thomas, Clear Channel’s regional operations manager, said, 'That’s something that happened behind closed doors.' He declined to comment further."
"Hyphenated Americanism"
I was originally intrigued by the "hyphenated Americanism" verbage.
Then, I read the comments and learned quite a few things that I didn't know...
Then, I read the comments and learned quite a few things that I didn't know...
Talk show host Neal Boortz posted this on his website:
"'There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all... The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans or Italian-Americans, each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality, than with the other citizens of the American Republic... There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.' Teddy Roosevelt"
Monday, November 17, 2008
Meanwhile - in Dallas
Is it too obvious to ask, "what are they thinking?...
Tawnell D. Hobbs reports at DallasNews.com:
"Years after being advised by a state agency to stop, the Dallas Independent School District continued to provide foreign citizens with fake Social Security numbers to get them on the payroll quickly.
Also Online
Unused workbooks are tossed out at Dallas school, violating policy
Some of the numbers were real Social Security numbers already assigned to people elsewhere. And in some cases, the state's educator certification office unknowingly used the bogus numbers to run criminal background checks on the new hires, most of whom were brought in to teach bilingual classes.
The practice was described in an internal report issued in September by the district's investigative office, which looked into the matter after receiving a tip. The report said the Texas Education Agency learned of the fake numbers in 2004 and told DISD then that the practice "was illegal.""
"The Intolerance of the Same-Sex Movement "
I'm clearly on Gary Bauer's side here.
It's always interesting to me to see how quickly people, who don't get their way via legitimate means, turn to violence...
It's always interesting to me to see how quickly people, who don't get their way via legitimate means, turn to violence...
In this article at HumanEvents.com, Gary Bauer wonders:
"Having gone 0 for 30 across the country in state marriage amendment battles, same-sex marriage advocates have some soul searching to do and some questions to answer.
Will they continue to stand for a false tolerance that regards authentic choice as a barrier to the implementation of their policies and worldview? Or, will they embrace genuine forms of choice and tolerance that also adhere to the basic standards of morality at the heart of American democracy?"
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Barack Obama - and the Selective Service
For what it's worth, here's another odd "thing" about the President Elect...
On her blog, Debbie Schlussel posts this and much more:
"Did President-elect Barack Hussein Obama commit a federal crime in September of this year? Or did he never actually register and, instead, did friends of his in the Chicago federal records center, which maintains the official copy of his alleged Selective Service registration commit the crime for him?
It's either one or the other, as indicated by the release of Barack Obama's official Selective Service registration for the draft. A friend of mine, who is a retired federal agent, spent almost a year trying to obtain this document through a Freedom of Information Act request, and, after much stonewalling, finally received it and released it to me.
But the release of Obama's draft registration and an accompanying document, posted below, raises more questions than it answers. And it shows many signs of fraud, not to mention putting the lie to Obama's claim that he registered for the draft in June 1979, before it was required by law."
Barack Obama - "Every week" or not
More of the same on the President Elect.
Maybe it's just a case of "say anything to get elected", but the answer to this question clearly can't be both...
Maybe it's just a case of "say anything to get elected", but the answer to this question clearly can't be both...
Fred Lucas reports at CNSnews.com:
"President-elect Barack Obama said in 2004 – while he was a state legislator running for a U.S. Senate seat – that he attended services at Trinity United Church of Christ every week.
This is in contrast to what Obama, as a presidential candidate, said this year after controversial anti-American remarks by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright surfaced. Obama then told news outlets that he did not attend the church frequently and was not aware of Wright’s comments.
The comments from Obama about his church attendance appeared in the transcript of an interview posted Tuesday on the religious news Web site Beliefnet.com. The interview was conducted on March 27, 2004 by Chicago Sun-Times religion writer Cathleen Falsani for a story on Obama’s faith, but the interview was not released in its entirety until now."
Barack Obama - and the F.E.C.
My first thought was that I thought they fixed all this.
Duh! "they" are politicians.
Can anyone remember anything about governing themselves that they have ever fixed?
And what does the FEC really do anyway?...
Duh! "they" are politicians.
Can anyone remember anything about governing themselves that they have ever fixed?
And what does the FEC really do anyway?...
At Politico.com, Kenneth P. Vogel reports:
"The Federal Election Commission is unlikely to conduct a potentially embarrassing audit of how Barack Obama raised and spent his presidential campaign’s record-shattering windfall, despite allegations of questionable donations and accounting that had the McCain campaign crying foul.
Adding insult to injury for Republicans: The FEC is obligated to complete a rigorous audit of McCain’s campaign coffers, which will take months, if not years, and cost McCain millions of dollars to defend.
Obama is expected to escape that level of scrutiny mostly because he declined an $84 million public grant for his campaign that automatically triggers an audit and because the sheer volume of cash he raised and spent minimizes the significance of his errors. Another factor: The FEC, which would have to vote to launch an audit, is prone to deadlocking on issues that inordinately impact one party or the other – like approving a messy and high-profile probe of a sitting president."
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The Media - MSNBC retracts false Palin story
I found this in the Canadian news. Maybe it's other places and I didn't see it.
It's just another example of our media not thoroughly checking facts when it comes to "certain" people...
It's just another example of our media not thoroughly checking facts when it comes to "certain" people...
The Associated Press's David Bauder reports:
"MSNBC was the victim of a hoax when it reported that an adviser to John McCain had identified himself as the source of an embarrassing story about former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the network said Wednesday.
David Shuster, an anchor for the cable news network, said on air Monday that Martin Eisenstadt, a McCain policy adviser, had come forth and identified himself as the source of a Fox News Channel story saying Palin had mistakenly believed Africa was a country instead of a continent"
Pulling Plug On GM Would Help Both Auto Industry And Michigan
I strongly believe that politicians put their own expedient needs above the lessons of history.
As a result, bad decisions are repeated, and the citizens suffer the consequences...
As a result, bad decisions are repeated, and the citizens suffer the consequences...
At Investors Business Daily, John Tammy's opinion column discusses General Motors:
"Worse, business history, from ships to farming to mining, shows that sectors reliant on government help are invariably weakened as opposed to strengthened.
The above is the case because businesses rarely fail due to a lack of money. Instead, poorly run businesses find it hard to raise money in the capital markets. Government money allows the architects of bad decisions to continue making mistakes that cause a company to be capital-deficient to begin with.
This distinction is important, considering the efforts of GM's present management to secure more funds on top of the low-interest loans that Congress recently approved. Were GM a well-managed company, it would have no need to run to the federal government. But because its management has proved time and again that it lacks ability, capital is correctly searching for better opportunities."
Friday, November 14, 2008
A Monument to Education?
When I read stories like this, (yes, I know it's old news) I have to wonder that there must be more to the story than just politics.
Then when I read about purposefully "getting around Congress", I realize that it very likely IS all about politics...
Then when I read about purposefully "getting around Congress", I realize that it very likely IS all about politics...
This was written by Mary Mostert back in 1996. This and more is posted at BannerOfLiberty.com:
"Clinton will use the 1906 'Antiquities Act' in an attempt to prevent development of and estimated 52 billion tons from the largest deposit of high quality coal reserves in North America. 'To make that coal off-limits by presidential decree is unconscionable,' Utah Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett told Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt during a meeting on Saturday. The meeting was also attended by staff members of the Utah congressional Representatives, the governor's office and the White House.
Senator Hatch said after the meeting, 'We would be highly offended if they did this without a lot more consideration and working with the delegation and the governor. They could interfere with the rights of every school child in Utah for decades to come and the state's right to revenue. It's much more complex than a political decision to be made in a presidential election year.'"
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Global Warming - about that methane gas
Dear Mr. Gore, I have a question...
I found this in a post by Rick C. Hodgin at TGdaily.com:
"Boston (MA) - Scientists at MIT have recorded a nearly simultaneous world-wide increase in methane levels. This is the first increase in ten years, and what baffles science is that this data contradicts theories stating man is the primary source of increase for this greenhouse gas. It takes about one full year for gases generated in the highly industrial northern hemisphere to cycle through and reach the southern hemisphere. However, since all worldwide levels rose simultaneously throughout the same year, it is now believed this may be part of a natural cycle in mother nature - and not the direct result of man's contributions."
Global Warming - Denying has a cost
It seems like the global warming furor has subsided recently.
Perhaps it's been overridden by financial problems and the Presidential election.
Hopefully, common sense and articles from respected scientists have brought people to realize that it's NOT for sure...
Perhaps it's been overridden by financial problems and the Presidential election.
Hopefully, common sense and articles from respected scientists have brought people to realize that it's NOT for sure...
In the U.K.'s Daily Express, David Bellamy writes:
"Climate change is all about cycles, it’s a natural thing and has always happened. When the Romans lived in Britain they were growing very good red grapes and making wine on the borders of Scotland. It was evidently a lot warmer.
If you were sitting next to me 10,000 years ago we’d be under ice. So thank God for global warming for ending that ice age; we wouldn’t be here otherwise.
People such as former American Vice-President Al Gore say that millions of us will die because of global warming – which I think is a pretty stupid thing to say if you’ve got no proof.
And my opinion is that there is absolutely no proof that carbon dioxide is anything to do with any impending catastrophe. The science has, quite simply, gone awry. In fact, it’s not even science any more, it’s anti-science.
There’s no proof, it’s just projections and if you look at the models people such as Gore use, you can see they cherry pick the ones that support their beliefs."
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Mischief in Minnesota? - WSJ.com
Wouldn't you think we could have a voting system where these things just couldn't happen?
We can remotely fly airplanes on the other side of the world, drive remote vehicles on Mars, and have credit cards and EZ Passes that work as we pass by.
Oh, there it is. I just remembered that governments run the elections...
We can remotely fly airplanes on the other side of the world, drive remote vehicles on Mars, and have credit cards and EZ Passes that work as we pass by.
Oh, there it is. I just remembered that governments run the elections...
The Wall Street Journal reports:
"According to conservative statistician John Lott, Mr. Franken's gains so far are 2.5 times the corrections made for Barack Obama in the state, and nearly three times the gains for Democrats across Minnesota Congressional races. Mr. Lott notes that Mr. Franken's 'new' votes equal more than all the changes for all the precincts in the entire state for the Presidential, Congressional and statehouse races combined (482 votes).
This entire process is being overseen by Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, who isn't exactly a nonpartisan observer. One of Mr. Ritchie's financial supporters during his 2006 run for office was a 527 group called the Secretary of State Project, which was co-founded by James Rucker, who came from MoveOn.org. The group says it is devoted to putting Democrats in jobs where they can 'protect elections.'"
In Our Schools - Minus zero
Well, I guess this is the new trend of adjusting the grading system, rather than improving the teaching system.
In the example cited, a student with three grades of 70 and a zero grade (adjusted to be a 50), ends up with a 65 average, a "D".
Enter the devil's advocate.
Suppose another student also has three grades of 70 and another grade of 65. Well, they end up with a 68.75 average, also a "D".
So, using this system, both students are equal; right?...
In the example cited, a student with three grades of 70 and a zero grade (adjusted to be a 50), ends up with a 65 average, a "D".
Enter the devil's advocate.
Suppose another student also has three grades of 70 and another grade of 65. Well, they end up with a 68.75 average, also a "D".
So, using this system, both students are equal; right?...
At NaplesNews.com, Katherine Lewis reports:
"Fifty is the new zero — if you are a Collier County elementary school student, that is.
That’s because the Collier County School District is taking a different approach to help kids succeed. In an attempt to help students learn while making it easier for them to succeed, district teachers will issue a score no lower than 50.
Beth Thompson, the district’s executive director for elementary school programs, said the idea is not new in the Collier district. Educators have studied it for years as the district looked to make grading practices more effective."
I.R.A.'s - They belong to you, for now
If you like government, you'll probably LOVE this.
I am so glad I can link to these articles; otherwise, you'd think I was making this stuff up...
I am so glad I can link to these articles; otherwise, you'd think I was making this stuff up...
At CarolinaJournal.com, Karen McMahan begins with :
"RALEIGH — Democrats in the U.S. House have been conducting hearings on proposals to confiscate workers’ personal retirement accounts — including 401(k)s and IRAs — and convert them to accounts managed by the Social Security Administration.
Triggered by the financial crisis the past two months, the hearings reportedly were meant to stem losses incurred by many workers and retirees whose 401(k) and IRA balances have been shrinking rapidly.
The testimony of Teresa Ghilarducci, professor of economic policy analysis at the New School for Social Research in New York, in hearings Oct. 7 drew the most attention and criticism. Testifying for the House Committee on Education and Labor, Ghilarducci proposed that the government eliminate tax breaks for 401(k) and similar retirement accounts, such as IRAs, and confiscate workers’ retirement plan accounts and convert them to universal Guaranteed Retirement Accounts (GRAs) managed by the Social Security Administration."
"That huge voter turnout? Didn't happen"
To be fair, I guess this depends on the meaning of "huge".
Perhaps a better title would have been that it fell far short of expectations...
Perhaps a better title would have been that it fell far short of expectations...
David Paul Kuhn reports this at Politico.com:
"Despite widespread predictions of record turnout in this year’s presidential election, roughly the same portion of eligible voters cast ballots in 2008 as in 2004."
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Fighting with photons - The Economist
Zeus. The ultimate Zapper?...
A science article at Economist.com, describes it and more:
"The deployed ray gun (or 'directed-energy weapon', in the tedious jargon that military men seem compelled to use to describe technology) is known as Zeus. It is not designed to kill. Rather, its purpose is to allow you to remain at a safe distance when you detonate unexploded ordnance, such as the homemade roadside bombs that plague foreign troops in Iraq.
This task now calls for explosives. In practice, that often means using a rocket-propelled grenade, so as not to expose troops to snipers. But rockets are expensive, and sometimes miss their targets. Zeus is effective at a distance of 300 metres, and a laser beam, unlike a rocket, always goes exactly where you point it."
Beware of the graph?
They say that statistics can be manipulated to show whatever is desired.
In this article, the writer sees a graph being used the same way...
In this article, the writer sees a graph being used the same way...
Christopher Cook explains at ModernConservative.com:
"The impression the verbiage in the summary seeks to create is . . .
Right-wing FOX News hostile to Obama, friendly to McCain.
The actual result of the study, viewable in their very own graph, leads to a far more salient and newsworthy conclusion:
MSBNC beatifies Obama, assaults McCain; meanwhile, FOX treats both equally"
Monday, November 10, 2008
In Our World - In Church?
Now, what in the world is this all about?...
This is part of a post by Nick at RightMichigan.com:
"On Sunday morning, amidst worshiping congregants and following unifying prayers that our President-elect be granted wisdom as he prepares to lead our nation through difficult global, social and economic challenges, the Michigan left declared open war on peaceful church goers.
They did it with banners, chants, blasphemy, by storming the pulpit, by vandalizing the church facility, by potentially defiling the building with lude, public, sex acts and by intentionally forcing physical confrontations with worshipers.
This didn't take place in some dystopian, post modern work of fiction and it didn't take place in San Francisco or Berkley. This was the scene at a Bible believing church in Lansing, Michigan.
Read on..."
The Media - Campaign Coverage
I, we, and they have known this all along.
To report it after the fact seems disingenuous to me.
I'm all for forgiveness; however, this is the equivalent of shooting someone in the head multiple times, and THEN saying "I'm sorry".
I'm not appeased at all...
To report it after the fact seems disingenuous to me.
I'm all for forgiveness; however, this is the equivalent of shooting someone in the head multiple times, and THEN saying "I'm sorry".
I'm not appeased at all...
Deborah Howell, the Washington Post's Ombudsman, writes:
" - An Obama Tilt in Campaign Coverage"
"The op-ed page ran far more laudatory opinion pieces on Obama, 32, than on Sen. John McCain, 13. There were far more negative pieces about McCain, 58, than there were about Obama, 32, and Obama got the editorial board's endorsement. The Post has several conservative columnists, but not all were gung-ho about McCain."
The Media - Media Meltdown by Cal Thomas
I don't really know whether the media is "truly arrogant" or have their collective heads in the sand.
I do know that I have little remaining respect for them and am one of those who has turned to alternative sources.
Inaccurate, biased news, permeated with ever lengthening minutes of advertising is not something I'm willing to spend my time on...
I do know that I have little remaining respect for them and am one of those who has turned to alternative sources.
Inaccurate, biased news, permeated with ever lengthening minutes of advertising is not something I'm willing to spend my time on...
At TownHall.com, Cal Thomas writes this, and a lot more:
"Journalism is the only profession I know that ignores the wishes of its consumers. If a department store found that most of its customers preferred over-the-calf socks to ankle-length socks, would that store ignore customer preferences for the longer socks because the president of the company preferred the ankle-length style? Not if the store wanted to make a profit in the sock department. Yet journalists have this attitude: 'we know what's good for you, so shut up and take it.'"
Sunday, November 09, 2008
The End of Journalism - by Victor Davis Hanson
I'm inclined to agree about the "end of journalism"; however, there are more than enough "sheeple" to keep most of our present media organizations, and their products, in business.
Need I mention "the Jerry Springer Show"?...
Need I mention "the Jerry Springer Show"?...
At NationalReview.com, Victor Davis Hanson writes this and then explains why:
"Sometime in 2008, journalism as we knew it died, and advocacy media took its place."
"We’ve known for a long time — from various polling, and records of political donations of journalists themselves, as well as surveys of public perceptions — that the vast majority of journalists identify themselves as Democratic, and liberal in particular."
The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace - WSJ.com
Personnally, I can't disagree with the quoted paragraphs below.
I also have great respect for the multifaceted responsibilities of the President. There's certainly no way to please all of the people, all of the time.
I think President Bush underestimated the fierce partisanship of Washington politics. On domestic issues, he seemed more interested in creating a legacy of "uniter, not divider" than pursuing the (perceived) conservative platform that got him elected.
That being said, my overall view is that President Bush must have thought that his compromises would be returned in kind, and when they were not, he compromised even more, not realizing that it weakened, rather than strengthened, his position.
There are many studies that show the majority of Americans are conservative; so it seems to me, that for a Republican to get elected, their party must return to their principles, America's principles. They have done it before, so they can do it again. It WILL take time, so I'll have to be patient...
I also have great respect for the multifaceted responsibilities of the President. There's certainly no way to please all of the people, all of the time.
I think President Bush underestimated the fierce partisanship of Washington politics. On domestic issues, he seemed more interested in creating a legacy of "uniter, not divider" than pursuing the (perceived) conservative platform that got him elected.
That being said, my overall view is that President Bush must have thought that his compromises would be returned in kind, and when they were not, he compromised even more, not realizing that it weakened, rather than strengthened, his position.
There are many studies that show the majority of Americans are conservative; so it seems to me, that for a Republican to get elected, their party must return to their principles, America's principles. They have done it before, so they can do it again. It WILL take time, so I'll have to be patient...
In the Wall Street Journal, Jeffrey Scott Shapiro explains his thoughts:
"The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.
Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House."
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Barack Obama - SCOTUS wants the birth certificate?
This law suit has been hanging around for a while now.
As I've said before, I can't quite wrap my arms around that it might be credible.
One side of me says that the Obama organization is holding out to the last minute, hoping to embarrass someone or some group big time.
Of course, on the other hand, it could be far worse than ugly...
As I've said before, I can't quite wrap my arms around that it might be credible.
One side of me says that the Obama organization is holding out to the last minute, hoping to embarrass someone or some group big time.
Of course, on the other hand, it could be far worse than ugly...
Pamela Geller posted this at the AtlasShrugs2000 blog:
"At this point, Supreme Court Justice David Souter's Clerk informed Philip J. Berg, the lawyer who brought the case against Obama, that his petition for an injunction to stay the November 4th election was denied, but the Clerk also required the defendants to respond to the Writ of Certiorari (which requires the concurrence of four Justices) by December 1. At that time, Mr. Obama must present to the Court an authentic birth certificate, after which Mr. Berg will respond.
If Obama fails to do that, it is sure to inspire the skepticism of the Justices, who are unaccustomed to being defied. They will have to decide what to do about a president-elect who refuses to prove his natural-born citizenship."
Friday, November 07, 2008
In Our World - Bias, bias, and more bias
You're biased, I'm biased, we're ALL biased.
In fact I'm so biased that I think this article may be intended to dilute our criticism of a biased media and confuse us.
So, what do you think?...
In fact I'm so biased that I think this article may be intended to dilute our criticism of a biased media and confuse us.
So, what do you think?...
In a Philly.com article, Faye Flam, a Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer, begins with this and then elaborates:
"We all have it innately, psychologists say - it's our way of making sense of the world. Empathy can broaden biased perceptions."
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Immigration - You can't ask!... Say what?
All of the laws in this case were created by the government and are administered by the government.
That says a lot, all by itself; however, I have to wonder if the CITIZENS really agree...
That says a lot, all by itself; however, I have to wonder if the CITIZENS really agree...
Tiffany Gabbay, at CNSnews.com, reports:
"The Boston Housing Authority (BHA) told CNSNews.com that illegal immigrants like Onyango can qualify for the state-funded housing in Massachusetts because, unlike federally funded programs, Massachusetts forbids the BHA from even asking about an applicant’s immigration status.
Federally funded vs. state-funded public housing
The BHA administers both federally funded and state-funded housing, according to communications director Lydia Agro.
Federally funded programs require that housing applicants be a U.S. citizen or be an 'eligible non-citizen.' The Federal Housing Authority defines eligible non-citizens to mean those immigrants with a resident alien card, a temporary resident card, an employment authorization card or proof of refugee or asylum status.
But there is no such requirement for state-funded housing in Massachusetts, according to Agro."
Work that Americans won't do?
Apparently, the American media implication that this was a Republican "surprise" isn't true; and why would we expect them to get that right?
On the other hand, I wonder if this qualifies as "doing the work Americans won't do"?...
On the other hand, I wonder if this qualifies as "doing the work Americans won't do"?...
At the U.K.'s TimesOnline, Ben Macintyre and James Bone report:
"The Democrat campaign has implied that the story might have come from Republican sources – “the American people are ... pretty suspicious of things that are dumped in the marketplace 72 hours before a campaign,” said Mr Obama’s chief strategist David Axelrod yesterday.
In fact, the story came from a book that has been read by millions, including just about everyone connected to the Obama campaign."
Meanwhile - in the U.K.
Punishing bad behavior.
Wait 'til you read what it is...
Wait 'til you read what it is...
On the U.K. Telegraph website, Chris Irvine begins with:
"A London-run company called Bud-Umbrella will work in 60 primary and 14 secondary schools, offering the alternative therapy to improve unruly children's behaviour.
Lambeth Council in south London is to reportedly spend £90,000 next year sending the reflexologists into the schools - despite the fact there is little evidence such treatment improves behaviour."
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Sheeple - Have you seen any lately?
A folk usage of portmanteau refers to a word that is formed by combining both sounds and meanings from two or more words...
From WikiPedia.com:
"Sheeple is a term of disparagement, a portmanteau created by combining the words 'sheep' and 'people', a reference to herd mentality. It is often used to denote persons who acquiesce to authority, and thus undermine their own human individuality. The implication of sheeple is that people believe whatever they are told, without processing it to be sure that it is an accurate representation of the real world around them. The term is generally used in a political sense."
Idiocracy (2006) - The Movie
Some say that there is a strange relationship between truth and fiction.
As a Sci-Fi fan, I'm amazed at how often old movies seemed to have predicted current states of society.
With that being said, I'm calling your attention to this movie.
You may glean something by reading about it; but, if you ever have a chance to watch it, you will see my point immediately, and at the same time, have a laugh or two...
As a Sci-Fi fan, I'm amazed at how often old movies seemed to have predicted current states of society.
With that being said, I'm calling your attention to this movie.
You may glean something by reading about it; but, if you ever have a chance to watch it, you will see my point immediately, and at the same time, have a laugh or two...
I extracted this from the I.M.D.B. synopsis of the movie:
"A narrator explains that natural selection is indifferent to intelligence, so that in a society in which intelligence is systematically debased, stupid people easily out-breed the intelligent, creating, over the course of five centuries, an irremediably dysfunctional society. Demographic superiority favours those least likely to advance society. Consequently, the children of the educated élites are drowned in a sea of sexually promiscuous, illiterate, alcoholic, proletarian peers."
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
The Media - "Suddenly Incurious Katie"
It's not likely that this issue matters; however, this does serve as another example of the media's bias...
At NewsBusters.com, Mark Finkelstein noticed:
"When Katie Couric was trying to pin Sarah Palin down on examples of John McCain promoting increased government regulation of business, the CBS anchor posed no fewer than three follow-up questions, even breaking out the 'not to belabor the point' line as she did just that.
But when the man perhaps poised to become the most powerful person on the planet, with all the most sophisticated communication resources at his fingertips, claims 'I haven't been able to get in touch' with his aunt who has been residing illegally in this country for over four years, Couric doesn't bat an eye. To the contrary, she can be seen nodding in agreement. And far from asking a follow-up question, such as 'have you tried?', Couric tossed Obama a super-slo softball, asking him to describe the thing the McCain campaign has done that's made him angriest."
Cracking ACORN - by Matthew Vadum
They are SO entangled, and I'd bet that it's intentional.
There are just too many "things" about ACORN for me to believe that they are "good" guys...
There are just too many "things" about ACORN for me to believe that they are "good" guys...
In this National Review article, Matthew Vadum writes about ACORN:
"ACORN uses a complex system of interlocking directorates to control its far-flung network of affiliates. Well, actually they’re not that far-flung. An intrepid blogger discovered that 294 ACORN affiliates operate out of ACORN’s building on Elysian Fields Avenue in New Orleans.
ACORN lawyer Elizabeth Kingsley raised the alarm about interlocking directorates and the dangerously close ties between ACORN and Project Vote in an internal report, the New York Times reported on October 22. There is so much overlap that 'we may not be able to prove that 501(c)3 resources are not being directed to specific regions based on impermissible partisan considerations,' Kingsley wrote in a reference to the tax code provision regulating charities.
Capital Research Center discovered that ACORN moves money around its network with a boldness and agility that Pablo Escobar would have admired.
ACORN affiliate Project Vote paid ACORN $10,861,825 (2000–2006), Citizens Services Inc. (CSI) $1,206,942 (2005–2006), and $1,266,967 to ACORN affiliate Citizens Consulting Inc. (CCI) (2000–2004). Incidentally, Project Vote, ACORN, CSI, and CCI all share the same address in New Orleans.
Other ACORN affiliates with the same Big Easy address swap funds all the time.
Since 2000, the American Institute for Social Justice Inc. (AISJ) has paid ACORN at least $8,563,303. AISJ has paid CCI $362,464, and ACORN Associates Inc. $258,593. Since 2000, ACORN Housing Corp. Inc. paid its roommates, CCI and ACORN affiliate Peoples Equipment Resource Center $1,566,228 and (at least) $58,003, respectively."
Monday, November 03, 2008
Confession of an Obama Blogger - by Sarah P
I think we've all heard that in politics, nothing happens by accident.
Unfortunately, a good many of us don't seem to fully comprehend what that really means...
Unfortunately, a good many of us don't seem to fully comprehend what that really means...
Perhaps, this post by Sarah P. will enlighten us (and there's more):
"The internal campaign idea is to twist, distort, humiliate and finally dispirit you.
We pay people and organize people to go to all the online sites and 'play the part of a clinton or mccain supporter who just switched our support for obama'.
We do this to stifle your motivation and to destroy your confidence.
We did this the whole primary and it worked."
Wendy Button - So Long, Democrats
One of my favorite sayings is "Hope clouds observation".
Keeping that in mind is instrumental when it comes time to make evaluations.
The writer here seems to be a good example of one who has learned that lesson...
Keeping that in mind is instrumental when it comes time to make evaluations.
The writer here seems to be a good example of one who has learned that lesson...
Meet Wendy Button, "A speechwriter for Obama, Edwards, and Clinton on why she’s voting McCain:
"I can no longer justify what this party has done and can’t dismiss the treatment of women and working people as just part of the new kind of politics. It’s wrong and someone has to say that. And also say that the Democratic Party’s talking points—that Senator John McCain is just four more years of the same and that he’s President Bush—are now just hooker lines that fit a very effective and perhaps wave-winning political argument…doesn’t mean they’re true. After all, he is the only one who’s worked in a bipartisan way on big challenges.
Before I cast my vote, I will correct my party affiliation and change it to No Party or Independent. Then, in the spirit of election 2008, I’ll get a manicure, pedicure, and my hair done. Might as well look pretty when I am unemployed in a city swimming with “D’s.”"
An Acorn Whistleblower Testifies in Court - WSJ.com
We should remember that what is said in court, under oath, is more likely to be truthful than what is said elsewhere...
In the Wall Street Journal, John Fund discusses what she's saying:
"And yesterday, a former employee of Acorn testified in a Pennsylvania state court that the group's quality-control efforts were "minimal or nonexistent" and largely window dressing. Anita MonCrief also says that Acorn was given lists of potential donors by several Democratic presidential campaigns, including that of Barack Obama, to troll for contributions.
The Obama campaign denies it 'has any ties' to Acorn, but Mr. Obama's ties are extensive. In 1992 he headed a registration effort for Project Vote, an Acorn partner at the time. He did so well that he was made a top trainer for Acorn's Chicago conferences. In 1995, he represented Acorn in a key case upholding the constitutionality of the new Motor Voter Act -- the first law passed by the Clinton administration -- which created the mandated, nationwide postcard voter registration system that Acorn workers are using to flood election offices with bogus registrations.
Ms. MonCrief testified that in November 2007 Project Vote development director Karyn Gillette told her she had direct contact with the Obama campaign and had obtained their donor lists. Ms. MonCrief also testified she was given a spreadsheet to use in cultivating Obama donors who had maxed out on donations to the candidate, but who could contribute to voter registration efforts. Project Vote calls the allegation 'absolutely false.'"
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank
Here, I agree with the writer. There are many things I can do without, but a strong national defense is NOT one of them...
Here's the story by Stuart Koehl at WeeklyStandard.com:
"One reason nobody takes Democrats seriously on matters of national security are statements like those of Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to the effect that he wants to cut the Defense budget by a mind-numbing 25 percent in order to reduce the deficit and to pay for programs he and his Democratic colleagues hold near and dear to their hearts. Aside for the questionable wisdom of cutting the defense budget at all when more than 200,000 American troops are deployed in combat zones around the world, Frank's proposal suggests that the man, for all his years in Congress dealing with budgetary matters, simply does not understand the military or how the country pays for it. Because any halfway informed person, hearing Frank's proposal, would realize that it is not physically or fiscally possible to do what he wants.
'Why?' one might ask. After all, we will spend some $650 billion on the Department of Defense next year. Surely, it should be possible to eliminate a measly $162 billion, just by cutting 'waste, fraud and mismanagement.' In fact, the Defense Department is actually quite well managed as compared to some of Barney Frank's more favored government bureaucracies, like the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or the Department of Health and Human Services. If all the inefficiency and corruption were squeezed out of the Defense Department, I doubt that one could save more than $20-30 billion. So when Frank calls for cuts, he means real cuts. So let's look at how that would have to be done."
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Watching The Watchdogs -- David Limbaugh
Here are quite a few interesting questions.
I'd bet that you would agree that a majority of them need to be answered...
I'd bet that you would agree that a majority of them need to be answered...
David Limbaugh has a list at GOPusa.com, including these:
"When Democrats insist every vote must count, do they also mean multiple votes from individuals and votes from dead and nonexistent people? If not, why aren't the MSM demanding answers about Obama's incestuous relationship with the criminal enterprise ACORN, whose serial crimes could alter the outcome of this election?
-- How can the MSM allow ACORN's dissemblers to deflect the charge that they are seeking illegal votes with 'these are registrations, not ballots,' as if there is any purpose in procuring illegal registrations apart from maximizing illegal votes?
-- The MSM preach that money in politics necessarily corrupts, so why do they ignore Obama's broken promise to accept public financing, his record-breaking campaign receipts, and the large number of untraceable contributions?
-- Why do they dwell on VP candidate Sarah Palin's lack of foreign policy experience but ignore presidential candidate Obama's thinner experience?
-- As champions of the 'little guy' and privacy rights, why are they not outraged that the Obama campaign targeted, slandered and investigated Joe the Plumber by illegally using government computers merely for asking Obama one of the many questions they should have asked him?"
Voting in Ohio - What is this all about?
Some of the things I've read about voting in Ohio, and in fact, many other places sound unbelievable.
Now, this just sounds crazy...
Now, this just sounds crazy...
In Athens, Ohio, Jesse Hathaway writes in "thepost":
"Since I last covered this issue, the Ohio Secretary of State’s office has declared that poll workers “may not challenge a voter on Election Day” if the 'information provided by the person' doesn’t match the 'records maintained by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (including data originally obtained from the Social Security Administration database).' In other words, if people were to go to Baker Center and try to vote under false pretenses, there’s nothing anyone can do to stop them. The same goes for absentee ballots; if people turn in absentee ballots with faked addresses or names, it’s now forbidden for Ohio boards of election or other interested parties to challenge those ballots. Is this the ultimate expression of universal suffrage: granting all people the right to vote, regardless if they are real or imaginary?"
Taxing the Dolphins - WSJ.com
The idea that it's bad for rich people or big companies to make a lot of money is really stupid.
Anyone who has worked (maybe that says something) knows that when your boss or your company is doing well, the money and benefits flow.
Subsequently, the workers spend that money and help other businesses to make money and grow.
All of the businesses employ people; people who pay taxes; and those taxes keep the government afloat.
So, the rich get richer, the companies make money, the employees become financially successfully, and the government gets their share.
What's not to like?
It's a WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, situation!...
Anyone who has worked (maybe that says something) knows that when your boss or your company is doing well, the money and benefits flow.
Subsequently, the workers spend that money and help other businesses to make money and grow.
All of the businesses employ people; people who pay taxes; and those taxes keep the government afloat.
So, the rich get richer, the companies make money, the employees become financially successfully, and the government gets their share.
What's not to like?
It's a WIN, WIN, WIN, WIN, situation!...
This article, in the Wall Street Journal points out a sidelight:
"One economist who observed this tax avoidance was Austan Goolsbee, of the University of Chicago, who is now a top Barack Obama adviser. In a 1999 paper, 'What Happens When You Tax the Rich?,' Mr. Goolsbee wrote that 'the higher marginal rates of 1993 led to a significant decline in taxable income.'"
Barack Obama - What we DON'T see
I'd sure like to know some of these things.
How about you?...
How about you?...
At AmericanThinker.com, Randy Fardal writes this and more:
"Take, for example, the final presidential debate. What didn't we see there that we expected to see? The MSM moderator asked no questions about abortion, gun control, or property rights. From that, we can conclude correctly that Obama is especially weak on those issues because asking him to explain his positions on them would have cost him votes.
Or why did Obama remain motionless when his US citizenship was challenged in court? Obama did not respond with the documentation demanded by the suit, yet it should have been easy to produce if he has nothing to hide.
Why the mysterious silence? Once again, it's not what we saw, but what we didn't see that causes suspicion.
Another example: no records of his terms in the Illinois State Senate exist. 'I don’t have archivists in the state senate,' he said. Millions of small business owners wish they could use this same excuse when it comes to governmental agencies."
Barack Obama - "Redistribution"
So, if the Constitution doesn't fit your agenda, you try to go around it?
Hopefully, we realize that it's OUR money that's on the "redistribution" block...
Hopefully, we realize that it's OUR money that's on the "redistribution" block...
In the Washington Times, Wesley Pruden reports:
"One of the 'tragedies of the civil-rights movement,' Mr. Obama says, is that the Supreme Court did not address redistribution of wealth, probably because of the inherent difficulty of achieving such goals through the courts. The Supreme Court did not break from the restraints of the Constitution and 'we still suffer from that.'"
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Wonder Land - WSJ.com
One thing for sure, Sarah Palin's arrival hasn't gone unnoticed.
It will be interesting to see how her future plays out...
It will be interesting to see how her future plays out...
In the Wall Street Journal, Daniel Henninger discusses the treament of Gov. Sarah Palin. He closes with:
"It seems only yesterday that the most critical skill in presidential politics was being able to connect to people in places like Bronko's bar or Saddleback Church. When Gov. Palin showed she excelled at that, the goal posts suddenly moved and the new game was being able to talk the talk in London, Paris, Tehran or Moscow. She looks about a half-step behind Sen. Obama on that learning curve.
Lorne Michaels, the executive producer of 'Saturday Night Live,' lives on the forward wave of American life. This week he gave his view of Sarah Palin to EW.com: 'I think Palin will continue to be underestimated for a while. I watched the way she connected with people, and she's powerful. Her politics aren't my politics. But you can see that she's a very powerful, very disciplined, incredibly gracious woman. This was her first time out and she's had a huge impact. People connect to her.'"
