Political Quote of the Day

A top GOP Senate aide discussing the tax travails for HHS Secretary Designate and former Senater Tom Daschle:

“If a Bush appointee got rich off of Wall Street in this climate, had a chauffeur from one of his fat cat cronies, had unpaid taxes that amounted to more than what most people make in a year, and then the administration tried to fix it behind closed doors. Democrats would call for his head and would demand ‘accountability."

Exactly. However, Daschle is a nominee from hope and change and therefore his problems will likely be ignored.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was considered "too important to fail", and therefore got a pass from a majority of Senators. So, what does Daschle bring to the party that makes him "too important to fail"?

Nothing.

Some San Diego Photos

I took a bunch of photos during our train trip to San Diego today. Here are a few:

The Mrs. is being snuck up on by the Amtrak locomotive arriving at the Irvine Station. The train was surprisingly full for 8:22 in the morning, but we found two seats on the ocean side of the train.
Here's the San Clemente Pier as we roll by. The stretch between Capistrano Beach and South San Clemente is some of the prettiest on the trip.
At several spots along the route to San Diego the train runs along the coast. Here's Pacific Coast Highway south of the Leucadia area.
I took a shot of the old San Diego train station, complete with the Santa Fe sign that harkens back to the glory days of passenger rail service.
We tried another form of rail travel while we were down there. We took the San Diego Trolley to a couple of different spots around the city. It is a good way to go, but of course, the big downside of public transportation is that it works on their schedule, not yours. We found ourselves standing around for as much as 20 minutes a couple of times while we waited for the next train.
Here's Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, as shot from the window of the Orange Line Trolley.
We got off the trolley in the Gas Lamp Quarter and had lunch down there. The whole area is full of little bars and restaurants with a few shops thrown in. Since it's right by the Convention Center they probably do a pretty big business during the week. When I worked in San Diego back in 1978-1980 the whole area was sleazy retirement hotels, strip clubs and low rent bars that catered to the military crowd. They've really fixed the area up.
During the walk from Seaport Village back to the train station I grabbed a shot standing in front of the USS Midway, the former aircraft carrier turned floating museum.
Down the street from the Midway were three different cruise ships making port calls. The whole Seaport Village area was full of cruise passengers.
On the way back north I shot another photo of the passing beach scene south of Del Mar.

It was a fun day, though a little warm. Probably 80 degrees in the sun. Hardly seemed like January.

There Are Only Two Things The Arab World Recognizes

Strength or weakness. If something isn't strong, it's weak. There are no shades in between.

US President Barack Obama's offer to talk to Iran shows that America's policy of "domination" has failed, the government spokesman said on Saturday.

"This request means Western ideology has become passive, that capitalist thought and the system of domination have failed," Gholam Hossein Elham was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.

"Negotiation is secondary, the main issue is that there is no way but for (the United States) to change," he added.

After nearly three decades of severed ties, Obama said shortly after taking office this month that he is willing to extend a diplomatic hand to Tehran if the Islamic republic is ready to "unclench its fist".

In response, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a fresh tirade against the United States, demanding an apology for its "crimes" against Iran and saying he expected "deep and fundamental" change from Obama.

Yes, I know that technically Iranians are not Arabs, but the mindset is the same.

During the 1990's the Arab world detected weakness in the leadership of the United States. That's what prompted multiple attacks during the Clinton years (the first World Trade Center bombing, the two African embassies, the Khobar Towers bombing, and the USS Cole). When George Bush took office in 2001 the Arab world was still under the impression that America was weak. They hit us on 9/11 harder than we had ever been hit, but to their surprise the U.S. came out with all guns blazing.

President Bush was often criticized by the left because he was so "black and white". His "either you're with us or you're with the terrorists" speech terrorized the lefties as much as it did our enemies. However, after freeing 50 million people in two countries there was no doubt that he was a strong leader and one not to be messed with. That's why they were never able to hit us again on American soil through the end of the Bush presidency.

Now we have a new president, one who chose as his first interview to go on Arab TV and talk about how he's willing to sit down with Iran and how America has too often dictated terms to the rest of the world. What does the Arab world hear when they hear statements like that? Weakness.

There are no shades of gray in their world, which is why the Bush approach was so effect. They don't respond to nuance, diplomatic doublespeak or "positive energy". They respond to force or the threat of same. They detect weakness in this new president and Ahmadinejad will do what he can to exploit it. He'll keep pushing, confident that Obama won't push back.

You cannot negotiate with a 7th century ideology using 21st Century nuance. Unfortunately, that lesson probably will not be learned by Obama until there are a number of dead Americans.

Ridin' the Train

We're taking our first train trip of 2009 today as we ride the Pacific Surfliner to San Diego. The Mrs. has some exploring she wants to do in the Gaslamp Quarter and around Petco Park, along with the usual stops at Seaport Village.

It's supposed to be 73 and absolutely gorgeous in downtown San Diego. I'll try to have some photos later.

Can We Stop Panicking About the Rain Forest Now?

For years we've heard how the rain forest (i.e. jungle) is being ravaged by man and threatens the health of the whole planet. Well, maybe not:

CHILIBRE, Panama — The land where Marta Ortega de Wing raised hundreds of pigs until 10 years ago is being overtaken by galloping jungle — palms, lizards and ants.

Jungle is developing again on old holdings around Chilibre.
Instead of farming, she now shops at the supermarket and her grown children and grandchildren live in places like Panama City and New York.

Here, and in other tropical countries around the world, small holdings like Ms. Ortega de Wing’s — and much larger swaths of farmland — are reverting to nature, as people abandon their land and move to the cities in search of better livings.

These new “secondary” forests are emerging in Latin America, Asia and other tropical regions at such a fast pace that the trend has set off a serious debate about whether saving primeval rain forest — an iconic environmental cause — may be less urgent than once thought. By one estimate, for every acre of rain forest cut down each year, more than 50 acres of new forest are growing in the tropics on land that was once farmed, logged or ravaged by natural disaster.

“There is far more forest here than there was 30 years ago,” said Ms. Ortega de Wing, 64, who remembers fields of mango trees and banana plants.

The new forests, the scientists argue, could blunt the effects of rain forest destruction by absorbing carbon dioxide, the leading heat-trapping gas linked to global warming, one crucial role that rain forests play. They could also, to a lesser extent, provide habitat for endangered species.

The idea has stirred outrage among environmentalists who believe that vigorous efforts to protect native rain forest should remain a top priority.

This is the same silly argument we hear all the time about "old growth" forests, as though old trees have some sort of holy powers that younger trees don't have. We were told that spotted owls could only live in old growth forests...until they found a pair living in an old K-Mart sign. Maybe they like "old growth advertising signs" as well.

So much of what the environwackos promote is sheer nonsense, designed to part taxpayers from their dollars in order to "protect" this or that which really doesn't need protection. It's really all about the money and all about having an issue to complain about.

Another Day, Another Obama Nominee With Tax Troubles

Apparently not paying past taxes is a requirement before you can be appointed to a cabinet position in the Obama White House:

ABC News has learned that the nomination of former Senator Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., to be President Obama's secretary of health and human services has hit a traffic snarl on its way through the Senate Finance Committee.

The controversy deals with a car and driver lent to Daschle by a wealthy Democratic friend -- a chauffeur service the former senator used for years without declaring it on his taxes.

It remains an open question as to whether this is a "speed bump," as a Democratic Senate ally of Daschle put it, or something more damaging.

After being defeated in his 2004 re-election campaign to the Senate, Daschle in 2005 became a consultant and chairman of the executive advisory board at InterMedia Advisors.

Based in New York City, InterMedia Advisors is a private equity firm founded in part by longtime Daschle friend and Democratic fundraiser Leo Hindery, the former president of the YES network (the New York Yankees' and New Jersey Devils' cable television channel).

That same year he began his professional relationship with InterMedia, Daschle began using the services of Hindery's car and driver.

The Cadillac and driver were never part of Daschle's official compensation package at InterMedia, but Mr. Daschle -- who as Senate majority leader enjoyed the use of a car and driver at taxpayer expense -- didn't declare their services on his income taxes, as tax laws require.

During the vetting process to become HHS secretary, Daschle corrected the tax violation, voluntarily paying $101,943 in back taxes plus interest, working with his accountant to amend his tax returns for 2005 through 2007.

Will it matter? Probably not, but it starting to get comical.

FBI Cuts Ties With CAIR

I'm not sure what took them so long to figure this out:

The FBI is severing its once-close ties with the nation's largest Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, amid mounting evidence that it has links to a support network for Hamas.

All local chapters of CAIR have been shunned in the wake of a 15-year FBI investigation that culminated with the conviction in December of Hamas fundraisers at a trial where CAIR itself was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator.

The U.S. government has designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.

An official at the FBI's headquarters in Washington confirmed to FOX News that his office directed FBI field offices across the country to cut ties with local branches of CAIR.

About time.

Today's Quick Headlines

Some quick hits on today's headlines:

PLOT TO DESTROY ALL FANNIE DATA; FIRED WORKER PLANTED VIRUS...
There's nothing worse than a virus in your Fannie.

Bishop who denied Holocaust apologizes to pope...
Is the Pope Jewish?

Supermax the New Gitmo?
One wag suggests the Gitmo prisoners should be divided up among Obama states. Works for me.

Palin Will Share Stage With Obama This Weekend
I hope she field dresses him.

McConnell: GOP Must Better Explain Core Values
First they need to remember them.

J. Edgar Hoover Irked by George Carlin
Are they tormenting each other in hell?

The Super Bowl Ad NBC Doesn't Want You to See

NBC has rejected a pro-life advertisement from a Catholic group. It's hard to understand how they could have found this objectionable:

Senate Dems May Not Support Obama's Porkulus Bill

The bill that passed the House without a single GOP vote may be dead on arrival in the Senate:

An influential Senate Democrat said Friday that it's unclear whether President Obama's $819 economic stimulus bill will win enough support to pass in the Senate.
"I don't even know how many Democrats will vote for it, as it stands today," Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., told FOX News.

Nelson, a moderate Democrat, is famous for gathering lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in a so-called "Gang of 14" to avert a shutdown of the Senate over judicial nominations. He is seeking a similar bipartisan effort to improve the stimulus bill.

Lawmakers are unhappy that the bill, passed by the House on Wednesday, contains billions of dollars for programs that arguably won't spark much job growth.

"What I'm hoping to do is bring together a bipartisan group of Republicans and Democrats and offer changes that will attract others and improve the bill," he told FOX News. "People want this to succeed."

Asked how many Republicans he can get to vote for the bill, Nelson said he didn't even know how many Democrats would vote for it.

The longer this thing takes, the more pork is revealed and publicized. Any delays in this process are very much welcomed, and who knows, they might actually end up with a stimulus bill instead of a porkulus bill that they have now.

How bad is the current bill? Just ask Charles Krauthammer:

Had it been written in the White House, we might have had a clean bill. Instead, it was written by the House, by Pelosi, and it is one of the ugliest ever produced by an American legislature.

It has got pork. It is a 40-year wish list. It has all the stuff that you heard about. It's novel length-a late Norman Mailer novel long. You throw a dart at it and you will have on any page six items which are outrageous.

Now, what's ironic about all this is that Obama ran as the man who would redo our politics, who would eliminate the lobbying and the special interests and the earmarks.

This is the largest earmark bill - earmark, but without stealth, just out in the open—of special interests, favors, parochial interests, in American history. And it is under his aegis.

I think it contradicts his idea of the new politics, but he's stuck with it. And all he can do now is strip out the stuff that's in it.

But I think it's impossible. It's—more than half of it is all of this small stuff.

If a stimulus is needed (and there are those that argue that it's not), they should start this process over with a blank page and stick strickly to items with proven stimulus value and get rid of all the special interest giveaways and payoffs to liberal support groups.

The RNC Election - UPDATE: It's Steele!

UPDATE: Congratulations to Michael Steele, new RNC Chairman!

Michael Steele wins on the 6th ballot 91-77 over Katon Dawson. Nice job, Republican National Committee!

Given the way the GOP is standing up to Obama's Porkulus bill, and now this election of Micahel Steele, things are definitely looking up for the party. I don't think 2010 is going to look anything like 2006 & 2008.

=======
Today several candidates are vying for the position of chairman of the Republican National Committee. As of this writing there have been four ballots and two candidates have already dropped out, including the imcumbent chairman. Ken Blackwell has also dropped out and endorsed Michael Steele. Here are the results of the fourth ballot (from Campaign Spot):

Steele: 60
Dawson: 62
Anuzis: 31
Blackwell: 15

The winner needs 85 votes. If all of Blackwell's go to Steele, you have to think he's gonna win it. Stay tuned.

There are concerns that fourth ballot leader Katon Dawson could be a problem for the GOP. I personally would like to see Michael Steele win it. Saul Anuzis sends me 4 or 5 email a day, but that apparently hasn't helped him. He'll be the next one out.

UPDATE: Fifth round:

Steele: 79
Dawson 69
Anuzis 20

I'm now hearing that Anuzis has dropped out without endorsing either candidate. Next round should decide it.

The Environmentalist Wacko Super Bowl Pick

Here's Rush Limbaugh's environmentalist wacko Super Bowl prediction:

Cardinals are birds—innocent beasts of nature, struggling to survive as man encroaches upon their habitat. Steelers are big, polluting industrialists whose tactics have led to lung disease, global warming, and general filth. However, the Steelers are also Big Labor, rewarded just this morning at the White House. And birds have now become an enemy of polluting jets—consider the U.S. Air flight that landed in the Hudson.

So, with killing birds to protect union pilots and flight attendants now a federal project, and Big Labor being rewarded, the Steelers will exterminate the Cardinals for the good of America, and for economic stimulus.

27-10

President Obama's "Continuing Disaster"

The economy is going through some tough times, and what we need is a little optimism from the White House to encourage people and promote the idea that we can pull through if we all work together.

That's the way Reagan would have done it, and in fact that's the way he did it in 1982 when the economy shrank 6.4% in the first quarter. Today, with the announcement that the economy shrank 3.8% in the fourth quarter of 2008, these were the encouraging words from Obama:

WASHINGTON -- President Obama said Friday the deepening recession is a "continuing disaster" for America's families after a new report showed the economy shrank at a 3.8 percent pace at the end of 2008, the worst showing in a quarter-century.

Obama cited the new figure, released by the Commerce Department on Friday, to rally support for his $819 billion economic stimulus plan that was passed by the House on Wednesday and is under review by the Senate now.

Obama said he's pleased that the House has acted with the appropriate urgency in approving the plan. He said he hopes to "strengthen it further in the Senate," where he's hoping to get some Republican votes. No Republicans voted for the plan in the House.

Obama told a White House gathering that the government can't drag its feet or delay action much longer.

With Reagan it was "morning in America". With Obama it's "mourning in America".

Former USS Cole Commander Blasts Obama

After losing 17 of his sailors to a terrorist suicide attack the former commander of the USS Cole is in no mood for the political correctness of the Obama Administration:

The former commander of the USS Cole, the American war ship that was struck by a suicide boat in Yemeni waters more than eight years ago, on Thursday slammed President Barack Obama's orders to close the Guantanamo detention center and reassess the prisoners being held there.

''We shouldn't make policy decisions based on human rights and legal advocacy groups,'' retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Kurt Lippold said in a telephone interview. "We should consider what is best for the American people, which is not to jeopardize those who are fighting the war on terror — or even more adversely impact the families who have already suffered loses as a result of the war."

Lippold was responding to the decision by a U.S. military judge in Guantanamo to reject a request by Pentagon lawyers to delay next week's scheduled arraignment of Abd el Rahim al Nashiri, a Saudi Arabian who's charged with helping orchestrate the October 2000 suicide bombing of the Cole. The bombing killed 17 U.S. sailors.

Read the rest of it here. Since Lippold is retired he's not bound the military chain of command or proscriptions against criticizing the president. He wants justice for those lost sailors and all this other nonsense must be extremely infuriating for him.

Don't Doubt Redoubt

The experts say it's gonna blow:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Hardware stores and auto parts shops scored a post-holiday run of business this week as Anchorage-area residents stocked up on protective eyewear and masks ahead of a possible eruption of Mount Redoubt.

Monitoring earthquakes underneath the 10,200-foot Redoubt Volcano about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, scientists from the Alaska Volcano Observatory warned that an eruption was imminent "perhaps within hours," sending experienced Alaskans shopping for protection against a dusty shower of volcanic ash that could descend on south-central Alaska.

"Every time this happens we do get a run on dust masks and goggles," said Phil Robinson, manager of an Alaska Industrial Hardware store in Anchorage. "That's the two main things for eye and respiratory protection."

Ah, but there's a new sheriff in town since the last eruption:
That mountain will think twice before blowing up on her watch.

Two Little Words That Obama Will Regret

"I won."

Leave it to the British press to get it right (h/t Reader Sam):

MARY ELLEN SYNON: Arrogant at home, naive abroad. America is already suffering 'buyer's regret' over Obama

Yesterday, just eight days after the inauguration, President Obama had his £576bn so-called stimulus bill passed by the House of Representatives - but without a single vote from any Republican.

All 177 House Republicans opposed the bill. None of them fell for that 'bi-partisan' tripe, which is Democrat code for 'do it our way.'

Which gives me hope for the Republican Congressmen. Forget about 'change.' They know an old-style, Democrat pork-barrel piece of legislation - that is, a Bill designed to pay off or buy votes from vested interests - when they see one, and they aren't going to back it.


Congressman Eric Cantor, one of the leading House Republicans, says an analysis of the Bill shows it is mostly pork: just 12 cents of every dollar in the spending will go to any genuine economic stimulus, such as creating jobs.

More...Obama's controversial bill to revive economy is passed - but without any Republican backing

Yet Obama was keen to have support from the Republicans. He didn't get it, because what he really wanted was submission from the Republicans.

Clearly the Republicans on the Hill don't reckon they are going to get any backlash from the voters in their districts because they have given a No to The One. They understand that already their voters don't like what Obama is doing, or indeed the arrogance with which he is doing it.

Just two days after the inauguration, when Republican legislators told the president they objected to the massive spending bill, Obama dismissed them with two words: 'I won.'

That was a particularly stupid mistake by the new president. Hard-left Democrats may cheer at such gloating, but most Americans don't like that kind of contempt being shown to Congress.

Indeed, as the American website Politico points out, with those two words 'Obama brought the curtain down on the 48-hour era of bipartisanship.' He liberated the Republicans from any mainstream media pressure to offer support to Democrat policies. He dismissed 'bi-partisanship,' so why shouldn't they?

The big spending and the big arrogance are why Obama's support is already falling. During the transition from the Bush administration to the new administration - that is, during the weeks in which Obama kept near-quiet and had to do nothing - his ratings in the Gallup opinion poll were 83 percent. After just three days in office, Gallup showed his support had already dropped by 15 points to 68 percent.

As any economist will tell you, what is important in a statistic is not the number, it's the trend. In this case, the trend is down, and fast. Americans are already having buyer's regret about their new president.

The U.S. press dutifully blames the Republicans for any stalemates in Washington, and I'm sure we can find some blame to go around, but the reality is the new president decided to squander his political capital by taking an arrogant approach to the minority party. Had he truly listened to the GOP and incorporated some of their most important issues into the bill, it would have easily passed with strong bipartisan support.

The Wall Street Journal agrees:

“But the real risk here is to Mr. Obama, and it isn’t from Republicans. It’s from his fellow Democrats. Given the miserable economy and the Beltway’s neo-Keynesian policy consensus, a true compromise would have gathered overwhelming support. But rather than use Mr. Obama’s political capital to craft such a deal, the White House abdicated to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. House Democrats proceeded to ignore all GOP suggestions as they wrote the bill, shedding tax cuts while piling on spending for every imaginable interest group. The bipartisan opposition reflects how much the Pelosi bill became a vehicle for partisan social policy rather than economic stimulus.”

Woman Who Gave Birth to 8 Already Had 6

This story is getting a little more bizarre by the day:

WHITTIER, California , Calif. — The woman who gave birth to octuplets this week has six other children and never expected to have eight more when she took fertility treatment, her mother said.

Angela Suleman said her daughter expects a big challenge raising 14 children. The good news, she said, is all the babies appear healthy.

"I looked at those babies. They are so tiny and so beautiful," Suleman told The Los Angeles Times on Thursday.

Suleman's daughter gave birth to the octuplets Monday at a hospital in Bellflower but has requested that doctors keep her name confidential. Media knew little about the woman until a family acquaintance told CBS' "The Early Show" on Thursday that the mother is "fairly young" and lives with her parents and her six children.

Within hours, media had camped out at the family's home in Whittier, where the babies' grandfather pulled up in a minivan in the evening and briefly spoke to The Associated Press. Beside him were two children — a 7-year-old and 6-year-old — who said they were excited to have eight new siblings.

The question my wife and I have had all along is "where is the father?". The apparent answer is "there is none", which raises all sorts of other questions. I don't know this family's financial situation, but what are the odds a woman with six children living with her parents can afford to take on 8 more? I wonder how much government money is going to support all of this?

If they're doing it all on their own, God bless them and she can have as many kids as she wants. If the taxpayers are paying for all this, then I have problems with it.

UPDATE: Heard on the radio that there is a husband who is soon leaving for Iraq. I haven't confirmed that anywhere else. He reportedly works for a private contractor, not the military.

Today's Quick Headlines

Some quick hits on today's headlines:

Obama slams Wall Street over bonuses...
The day after he and his guests dine on $100 a pound Wagyu steaks.

Another Democrat Pol Falls From Grace...
The rest of them have cabinet appointments in the Obama administration.

MOVEON LAUNCHES AD: Are you with Obama or Rush?
No contest. Rush.

PEW: Almost half of Americans want to live somewhere else...
And about 90% of Californians.

Haunted hospital calls in exorcist...
Who ya gonna call?

Hellishly Hot Planet Hits Highs of 2,240 Degrees
Must be another Al Gore prediction.

Texas Inmate Executed for Killing Fellow Prisoner
Two for the price of one.

Obama Picks Super Bowl Favorite
Da Bears.

Springsteen promises high-energy halftime show
This is one year I definately don't want to see a wardrobe malfunction.

Kentucky hit hard as many lose water...
They may have to start pumping out the ce-ment pond.

Waxman Calls for Hearing on Salmonella Outbreak
Mr. Peanut's going to jail.

Gitmo Judge Refuses Obama's Request to Delay Justice

Looks like there's at least a few Gitmo defendents that will actually face justice (no thanks to the Obama Administration):

A military judge threw a wrench yesterday into the Obama administration's plan to suspend legal proceedings at Guantanamo Bay, denying the government's request to delay the case of a detainee accused of planning the 2000 attack on the USS Cole.

To halt proceedings for 120 days -- as Obama wants in order to conduct a review -- the Pentagon may be forced to temporarily withdraw charges against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri and possibly 20 other detainees facing trial in military commissions, including Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Nashiri, a Saudi citizen of Yemeni descent, is facing arraignment Feb. 9 on capital charges relating to the al-Qaeda strike on the Cole in Yemen that killed 17 U.S. service members and injured 50 others in October 2000.

The chief military judge at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Army Col. James Pohl, said that he found the government's arguments "unpersuasive" and that the case will go ahead because "the public interest in a speedy trial will be harmed by the delay in the arraignment."

The administration had argued that the "interests of justice" would be served by a delay that would allow the government to review the approximately 245 prisoners at Guantanamo to figure out who should be prosecuted and how, and who can be released.

"The Commission is unaware of how conducting an arraignment would preclude any option by the administration," Pohl wrote in an opinion obtained by The Washington Post. "Congress passed the military commissions act, which remains in effect. The Commission is bound by the law as it currently exists, not as it may change in the future."

The administration, which expected military judges to agree to its motions seeking suspension, was taken aback by the decision. Judges in other cases, including one involving five Sept. 11 defendants, had quickly agreed to the government's request.

Good. Several of the perps had wanted to plead guilty and take the death penalty. We shouldn't stand in the way of that.

New CA State Regulations Will Kill Off Many Gas Stations

President Obama just gave California permission to add all kinds of additional regulations on car manufacturers which will likely hasten their demise. But, no problem, because there may not be any gas stations left to service them:

ARCADIA - Dozens, and potentially hundreds, of gas stations around California are choosing to shut down rather than comply with a state mandate that would require owners to purchase new equipment to reduce vapor emissions at the pump.

The requirement, known as Phase II in the state's Enhanced Vapor Recovery Program, is set to go into effect in April. It requires gas station owners to individually purchase tens of thousands of dollars of equipment designed to prevent harmful vapors from escaping into the air when gasoline is pumped.

But smaller retailers say that the requirement puts an unfair burden on businesses that don't sell enough gasoline to offset the extra cost - and that don't contribute much to the problem in the

Among them is George Fasching, who after 31 years of selling gasoline at Fasching's Car Wash in Arcadia, stopped in December.

"I came to the decision that I was too small a volume operator to continue on with the expenses imposed by the bureaucracy of the state," Fasching said.

April's requirements would have cost him $35,000, he said. Fasching used to sell the gasoline as a convenience for his car wash customers, and blames the new regulations for forcing him to stop.

"It will have some effect on my business, but at least I have the relief that I don't have to deal with these people anymore," he said.

The State government will not be happy until every single business has been chased out of California.

Tears of a Clown

From Fox News:

More than a quarter of Americans say they were moved to tears during Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony.

They didn't specify whether they were tears of joy or tears of sorrow.

The Bushes in Waco

I reported on this item earlier today, but it's better in the video:

The GOP's Secret Weapon

Nancy Pelosi is becoming the best spokesman the GOP has. Listen to her explain how $300 million for STD prevention will stimulate the economy:

Just let her keep talking and she may kill the bill herself.

Illinois Kicks the Cabbage Patch Governor to the Curb

Say goodbye to Blago. Impeached, convicted and removed.

Holder Will Keep His Hands Off Former Bush Officials

Apparently the Attorney General Designate has cut a deal with the Republicans to ensure his confirmation:

President Obama’s choice to run the Justice Department has assured senior Republican senators that he won’t prosecute intelligence officers or political appointees who were involved in the Bush administration’s policy of “enhanced interrogations.”

Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond, a Republican from Missouri and the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in an interview with The Washington Times that he will support Eric H. Holder Jr.’s nomination for Attorney General because Mr. Holder assured him privately that Mr. Obama’s Justice Department will not prosecute former Bush officials involved in the interrogations program.

Mr. Holder’s promise apparently was key to moving his nomination forward. Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 17-2 to favorably recommend Holder for the post. He is likely to be confirmed by the Senate soon.

You know what, I'm okay with that. Holder was likely to be confirmed anyway and if Bond was able to get that kind of concession out of him, all the better for the country. Prosecuting former Bush officials would not have accomplished anything useful except to send a thrill up the leg of the ACLU and the wacky left.

I just hope we can trust Holder to keep his word. It wouldn't surprise me to hear later that he's changed his tune out of the president's "concern for justice".

Political Lie of the Day

I normally would call this "Political Quote of the Day", but there's no way I could give this that generic a title. From San Fran Nan:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she didn’t come to Washington to be “bipartisan”, one day after shuttling through an $819 economic stimulus bill without a single Republican vote.

“I didn’t come here to be partisan, I didn’t come here to be bipartisan,” Pelosi told reporters at her weekly press conference. “I came here, as did my colleagues, to be nonpartisan, to work for the American people, to do what is in their interest.”

You're not fooling anybody, Nancy.

It's Good to be the Former King

The former president starts back in the real world:

A big women's basketball game between No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 4 Baylor just gained added prestige.

Former President George W. Bush and wife Laura attended Wednesday's game. The two entered several minutes before the opening tip, flanking Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey, and received a prolonged standing ovation from the fans at the Ferrell Center. The group was engulfed by photographers and camera crews at the Oklahoma bench.

Another round of applause followed during the initial TV timeout at 15:57 of the first half, when the 43rd president was introduced again.

That's nice to see. History will end up being much kinder to President Bush than his approval numbers showed.

Especially after a couple of years of Obama.

Looking Forward to Tonight's Police Pursuit

So far this week we've had a long-running police pursuit every night during the evening news. Monday's perp finally just gave up, Tuesday's guy collided with a pick-up truck and then tried to run away on foot before being nabbed. Wednesday featured a 25-year old woman loaded on something who drove a U-Haul rental truck at high rates of speed for over two hours all the way from the Antelope Valley to Ventura County. She finally ran out of gas, tried to run away and was quickly tackled.

A little later on Wednesday a 14-year old tried to run from cops at 90 mph. The pursuit lasted only about 2 minutes when the kid crashed, killing himself and an 11 and 6-year old in the car. It was over before the TV news stations could cover it.

I can't wait to see who will be on the run tonight.

"You Could Grow Orchids In There"

That's the description of the Oval Office by David Axlerod, a senior aide to the Obama. Apparently the new president doesn't like cold weather. Don Surber has more:

Or, as my favorite environmental lawyer put it: “Green for Thee, Not for Me.”

From the New York Times puff piece today on President Obama (well, OK, they all are): “WASHINGTON — The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.”

Cranked up the thermostat, eh?

Let’s get into the Wayback Machine for June 6, 2008: “We can’t drive our SUVs and, you know, eat as much as we want and keep our homes on, you know, 72 degrees at all times, whether we’re living in the desert or we’re living in the tundra, and then just expect every other country is going to say OK, you know, you guys go ahead keep on using 25 percent of the world’s energy, even though you only account for 3 percent of the population, and we’ll be fine. Don’t worry about us. That’s not leadership.”

Hope. Change. Crank up the thermostat.

Mr. President, didn't you listen to the Goreacle yesterday? He promised us that we're all gonna die from climate change if we don't immediately scale back our energy usage.

In a sort of related item, I was making a couple of rental car reservations today (I have a couple of long driving trips coming up and would rather put the miles on somebody else's car) and at Enterprise Rent-a-Car I was given the opportunity to offset my carbon emissions for only $1.25 a day. I didn't check that box.

I'm proud of my carbon emissions and I don't care who knows it.

Obama Stimulus Plan Losing Support Among Independents

From Rasmussen:

Forty-two percent (42%) of the nation’s likely voters now support the president’s plan, roughly one-third of which is tax cuts with the rest new government spending. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 39% are opposed to it and 19% are undecided. Liberal voters overwhelmingly support the plan while conservatives are strongly opposed. ...

Over the course of the past week, there has been little change in the views of either Republicans or Democrats towards the legislation. Seventy-four percent (74%) of Democrats support the plan along with just 18% of Republicans. Both those figures are up just a single point from the previous poll.

However, support among unaffiliated voters has fallen. A week ago, unaffiliateds were evenly divided on the plan, with 37% in favor and 36% opposed. Now, 50% of unaffiliated voters oppose the plan while only 27% favor it.

I think the constant drumbeat from the GOP on the multiple pork barrel items in the bill is started to make it through the media clutter. Despite the best attempts of the mainsteam media to support Obama and this bill, the truth is getting out.

If anything, that might give the Senate GOP a little more backbone as they debate their version of the legislation.

Kelo Update

You probably remember the famed Kelo case in which the Supreme Court ruled that local municipalities could take your home and given it to a local developer just because his plan would generate more tax revenue. The Kelo case drew widespread attention and outrage, and many states now have passed laws preventing this kind of abuse.

So, whatever happened to the home that was the subject of the case?

As you know, Susette’s little pink house and the homes of her neighbors were seized through eminent domain in a landgrab sanctioned by the U.S. Supreme Court. New London promised to put a glitzy new private development project on the land, but now, nearly four years after the ruling and $78 million in taxpayer money spent, literally nothing has been built on the land; it remains vacant, the neighborhood bulldozed.

That whole case was criminal. If there was any justice the developer and the city would be required to rebuild that neighborhood and give it to the former residents.

The Rangel Rule

I like this guy's style:

All U.S. taxpayers would enjoy the same immunity from IRS penalties and interest as House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Obama Administration Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, if a bill introduced today by Congressman John Carter (R-TX) becomes law.

Carter, a former longtime Texas judge, today introduced the Rangel Rule Act of 2009, HR 735, which would prohibit the Internal Revenue Service from charging penalties and interest on back taxes against U.S. citizens. Under the proposed law, any taxpayer who wrote “Rangel Rule” on their return when paying back taxes would be immune from penalties and interest.

How can the Dems vote against this? (They will, but their hypocrisy will be pretty obvious.)

New Ride at Disneyland

According to Jay Leno:

"US Air will be sponsoring a new ride at Disneyland - Pilots in the Caribbean."

Hey, they're starting to run their trains on old french fry oil, why not?

Nuclear Free Zones Have Unintended Consequences

The peaceniks that run Berkeley, CA are making life difficult for their public library:

Berkeley's public library will face a showdown with the city's Peace and Justice Commission tonight over whether a service contract for the book check-out system violates the city's nuclear-free ordinance.

The dispute centers on a five-year, $63,000 contract the library wants to sign with 3M, an international technology company based in Minnesota, to service five scanner machines library patrons use to check out books.

But 3M, a company with operations in 60 countries, refused to sign Berkeley's nuclear-free disclosure form as required by the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act passed by voters in 1986.

As a result, the library's self-checkout machines have not been serviced in about six months. Library officials say 3M is the only company authorized by the manufacturer to fix the machines, which were purchased in 2004.

The library asked the Peace and Justice Commission for a waiver, but at its Jan. 5 meeting the commission voted 7-1, with two abstentions, to reject the request. The library is now appealing the decision to the City Council.

"We would not ever have selected 3M on our own, but we were thrust into this," said Donna Corbeil, director of library services. "We're not happy about it, but right now there's no alternative."

I just find stuff like that really funny.

Gore Gets Panned

Al Gore's latest hysterial rant to Congress on "climate change", "climate crisis", or "global warming" (depending on which term is considered currently politically correct) did not get rave reviews from one senator:

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate's Environment & Public Works Committee, had sharp criticism for former Vice President Al Gore's testimony Wednesday before the Foreign Relations Committee.

Gore, a former Tennessee senator and Nobel Peace Prize winner, spoke on the dangers of global warming, urging senators to pursue a treaty to lower carbon emissions at a United Nations conference in Copenhagen in December.

Inhofe called Gore's message "desperate," and noted the irony of it being delivered on such an icy day in D.C. "They almost had to cancel it because of freezing weather, and last year they did cancel it because of cold weather," Inhofe said. "I'd say he has a real serious problem. But he's already made his $100 million, so I don't think he needs to worry too much about it. But the science and logic are on our side, and we are winning."

The ravings of Gore have gotten more desperate as the science turns against him. Since the earth hasn't warmed since 1998 he's now promoting any kind of climate change as the end of all mankind. He's really becoming a pathetic figure.

Political Quote of the Day

From Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), describing the Dem economic stimulus plan:

"It shelters the homeless, and it heals the sick. It helps us look forward to a day when we beat our swords into plowshares...

Hallelujah.

I wonder if this bill could have made Christopher Reeve walk again like John Edwards had promised?

Stimulus Passes House Without a Single GOP Vote

The House GOP held together and unanimously opposed the Dem stimulus bill. Final vote was 244-188. 177 of those Nay votes were Republicans. The other 11 were Democrats who will be flogged at sundown.

The initial AP report plays it pretty fast and loose with the facts:

On the final vote, the legislation drew overwhelming support among Democrats while all but a few Republicans opposed it.

Every Republican opposed it. How did they miss that? Are they trying to give a little cover to the Dems, or are they just sloppy?

Let's see if they correct that report.

House Defeats Delay in Digital TV Switch

Good:

From TVDecoder: Two days after the Senate unanimously approved a four-month delay of the digital television transition, the House of Representatives rejected the same proposal on Wednesday, “leaving the current Feb. 17 deadline intact for now,” the Associated Press reports.

The legislation’s failure means that the nation’s television stations will have to switch from analog to digital broadcasting by Feb. 17, unless Congress takes other steps to delay the transition.

I guess the laggards will have to buy their own converter boxes.

In case you missed it earlier, I offered my own solution for how to get the slowpokes to buy their converter boxes if the deadline had been extended:

If you want to motivate these people to get what they need to switch to digital the solution is pretty simple. After the February target date go ahead and leave the analog transmitters on, except for the last five minutes of every half hour. The laggards who still don't have digital converters will quickly become frustrated when they won't be able to see who was the father of the baby, who won the game show, or what that day's soap opera cliffhanger was. They'll miss the lottery numbers, the ads from their favorite work comp and personal injury lawyers, and their opportunity for a free psychic reading.

They'll get those converters before the end of the day, even if they have to pay for them themselves.

Carrot and stick. Just that simple.

California Tax Refunds Now On Hold

If you owe the State money they want it NOW, but if they owe you money, well you'll just have to wait:

ABC News has learned that tax refunds are now on hold in California for the first time in state history, according to the state controller's office.

"Unfortunately, we have asked the California Franchise Tax Board not to send over tax refund claims beginning today because we will not be able to process them and have them out the door by Feb. 1 when a 30-day delay in tax refunds goes into effect," Hallye Jordan, spokeswoman to California State Controller John Chiang, tells ABC News.

During the 30-day delay, the controller's office estimates that a combined 2.74 million California individuals and businesses will have their tax refund delayed.

The controller's office estimates that the delay in tax refunds will free up $1.99 billion over the next month to pay for education, debt service, and other payments that legally have first claim to state funds.

California has had no money in its general fund for the past 17 months, and has been paying its bills by borrowing from Wall Street and special internal funds.

If the state's legislators and governor do not reach a budget agreement that brings immediate funds into the state's coffers, the state's borrowed funds will be entirely exhausted at the end of February, according to the controller's office.

I filed my return electronically yesterday and was notified that it had been accepted by the State at 5:20 pm. They owe me $1,075. This is the first time in years that they've owed me money. I usually try to make sure it's the other way around.

I want it NOW.

When Bush Did It They Thought He Was Stupid

So, how do you explain the new president trying to walk through a window into the Oval Office?

Rookie mistake. Anybody could do it. However, when Bush did stuff like that they thought he was stupid.

Maybe Leno and Letterman will finally have something to use on their shows.

UPDATE: Iowahawk adds this comparison:

The Case For Doing Nothing

Politico has a good piece from those who believe that doing nothing regarding the current financial crisis is smarter than throwing trillions of dollars at it:

Most of Washington has reached quick consensus: Government must do something big to shock the economy, and it should cost between $800 billion and $900 billion.

But dissident economists and investment professionals offer a much different take: Most of Washington is dead wrong.

Instead of fighting over what should go in the economic stimulus bill, pitting infrastructure spending against tax cuts and contractors against contraceptives, they say lawmakers should be fighting against the very idea of any economic stimulus at all. Call them the Do-Nothing Crowd.

“The economy was too big. It was all phantom wealth borrowed from abroad,” says Andrew Schiff, an investment consultant at Euro Pacific Capital and a card-carrying member of the stand-tall-against-the-stimulus lobby. “All this stimulus money is geared toward getting consumers spending and borrowing again. But spending and borrowing were the problem in the first place.”

Washington has a habit of passing legislation in a crisis and suffering from morning-after regrets — the Iraq war, the Patriot Act and last year’s original bank bailout plan come to mind. So we thought it would be wise to air the views of the naysayers toward Washington’s latest consensus approach.

Read the whole thing.

This Bill Should Have Been A Journalist's Dream

Bo Snerdley, the producer of Rush Limbaugh's show, made a good point today when he mentioned to Rush that if we had any real journalists left in Washington, this stimulus bill would have been a dream for them. He's right.

Try to imagine this same bill being offered by President McCain and promoted by Republicans. Every journalist in D.C. would be burning the midnight oil, examining every paragraph and spending item, to try and show all the items in the bill that could not qualify as economic stimulus. The papers and evening news broadcasts would be full of embarrassing lists of items that made their way into the bill. Democrats would be calling for a slowdown in the process and committee hearings to examine the merits of each item.

But no. We don't have real journalists in Washington anymore. We have fawning sycophants of the Dem party who have convinced themselves that Obama is a higher being and therefore we must embrace whatever He offers us because it comes from Him. WE MUST DO SOMETHING because He says we must. It doesn't matter whether that something might actually work.

Journalism as we used to know it is dead.

Challenger

Do you remember where you were 23 years ago today?
I was in my office at the bank when our data processing manager came running in and asked if I had a radio. He told me the Space Shuttle had just blown up.

I had a small transistor radio that I kept in my desk in case of an emergency, so I turned it on and began to listen to the tragic reports out of Florida.

When I got home that night I stuck a tape in the VCR and started recording the news reports. I still have that tape and now that I'm thinking about it, I'm going to run it off on DVD to preserve it. Included on that tape is the memorial service in Houston led by President Reagan. I've never watched it. At the time it was just too sad.

Democrats Abandon More Non-Stimulus Spending

After complaints from the GOP the Dems have dropped the contraception funding from the stimulus bill, and now the money to refurbish the National Mall:

On Tuesday evening the House Rules Committee stripped two provisions from the stimulus package: the family planning money that President Obama personally lobbied Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., to remove yesterday, and the $200 million to refurbish the National Mall.

The move was made amidst a torrent of GOP criticism about wasteful or non-stimulative spending in the bill, including those two projects, as the president attempts to woo House GOPers.

Don't get me wrong, I love the National Mall. It's a neat place to visit right in the heart of Washington. However, if refurbishment is needed, put those funds in a regular appropriation bill, not a stimulus package.

Next should be the money for ACORN. Those funds are designed for only one purpose: Pay off organizations that spend their time as Dem street workers. There's nothing about ACORN funding that will stimulate the economy. The GOP needs to keep identifying non-stimulus spending and shining the light on it. The Dems obviously are desperate for GOP votes given the way they are caving on these other items.

And while they're at it, there's no reason to approve $75 million for smoking cessation. Again, not a measure that will stimulate the economy.

UPDATE: What about $335 million for STD prevention? Again, doesn't belong in this bill.

I'm beginning to think that the Senate Republicans need to filibuster this bill until all these stupid non-stimulus provisions can be identified and removed.

Obama Gets Kudos From The Taliban

The Taliban is looking forward to getting their fighters back:

The Taliban welcomed President Barack Obama's order to close Guantanamo but said peace would only come if he reverses the "satanic policies" of his predecessor, George W. Bush.

In a message posted on online jihadist forums, the Taliban also called on Obama to close all "evil" US detention centers for militants, "completely withdraw" from Iraq and Afghanistan and "stop defending Israel."

Don't worry, Taliban, you'll probably get everything you want.

Another Defector From Globaloney

The guy who used to be global warming alarmist James Hansen's boss at NASA has declared himself a skeptic:

Retired senior NASA atmospheric scientist, Dr. John S. Theon, the former supervisor of James Hansen, NASA’s vocal man-made global warming fear soothsayer, has now publicly declared himself a skeptic and declared that Hansen “embarrassed NASA” with his alarming climate claims and said Hansen was “was never muzzled.” Theon joins the rapidly growing ranks of international scientists abandoning the promotion of man-made global warming fears.

“I appreciate the opportunity to add my name to those who disagree that global warming is man made,” Theon wrote to the Minority Office at the Environment and Public Works Committee on January 15, 2009.

And yet the stimulus bill includes $400 million so Hansen can study global warming and come up with more hysterical predictions. It will never end until ice covers North America again.

Is the GOP Coming Out of Its Slumber?

From the pages of Politico to God's ears:

Congressional Republicans, who only weeks ago were sheepish about their own electoral failures and cowed by Obama's polish and popularity, are suddenly punching back — hard — on both sides of the Capitol.

The Senate GOP surprised the administration Monday evening by mustering a muscular 30 votes — including their three top leaders — against the inevitable confirmation of Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary.

Sen. John McCain started this week's pummeling, declaring Sunday that he would oppose Obama's stimulus package as written. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has kept up a daily din of opposition to the specifics of the package, mocking the inclusion of a mob museum and a water park, and demanding more discussion and transparency. Senate Republicans are also rallying against the Democratic version of a children’s health care bill being debated this week.

The nitpicking took its toll, and Obama on Monday privately urged House Democrats to remove a notable flash point: funds for contraception that had been defended by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on national television just a day before. The Democrats agreed.

Then this morning, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) went for the jugular, urging his members to oppose the economic centerpiece of Obama's first term just hours before the president paid the Republicans the compliment of coming to the Capitol for a private meeting — even before he did the same for House Democrats.

Obama's aides cast the visit as an outstretched hand — and it got slapped.

The bottom line: a coordinated effort to embarrass a president who looked largely unassailable just weeks ago.

Yet Republicans are still walking a balance beam – trying to give the appearance that they are listening to Obama’s rhetoric while claiming that the Democratic Congress is ruining the Obama message.

McConnell told the Today Show Tuesday morning that Democrats in Congress are "drifting away" from Obama's preferred stimulus plan, which was supposed to include 40 percent tax cuts and be free of earmarks.

Democrats hope the tactics backfire.

"This is a very dangerous political vote for House Republicans, in particular those from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan," said a White House aide familiar with House districts. "Their constituents want them to take action to save the economy, not block progress."

Here's where the GOP has to make their argument that what the Democrats are doing will not result in saving the economy or making progress. It's a big government pork bill designed largely to reward Dem allies for their support in November.

Giving $4 billion dollars to ACORN or $400 million to that global warming nut at NASA will not stimulate the economy. Creating a new SCHIP bill that directs taxpayer funds to pay for the children of illegal immigrants is not progress. Republicans have to make those arguments and keep making them, even if they can't stop the bills from passing.

With very little effort they managed to knock Nancy Pelosi's contraceptive funds from the stimulus, and there's no reason they can't get rid of some of this other stuff to simply by bringing embarrassment and attention to the items and their Dem sponsors.

The Republicans are not required to provide political cover to the new president. The sooner they figure that out, the sooner they will become a more effective force.

Political Quote of the Day

From new Illinois Senator Roland Burris' biggest fan, Roland Burris:

“If there was no Martin Luther King Jr. and no Roland Burris, there would be no Barack Obama in the White House today,”

And if there were no Roland Burris, there would be no blog post mocking him.

Sarah Pac

Something new from Sarah Palin:
Sarah plans to be a player for a long time to come...and she probably will be.

Fixing the Digital TV Problem

After two years of warnings the digital TV conversion, originally slated for February, will be delayed to June. Why? Too many morons haven't been paying attention and haven't gotten their converter boxes, or are waiting for the federal government to give them a $40 handout:

The Senate voted on Monday to delay next month’s transition to digital television until June 12 because some viewers would not be ready for the switch.

The voice vote followed a call by President Obama’s administration to postpone the Feb. 17 date for major TV stations to stop sending traditional analog signals. Similar legislation awaits action in the House on Tuesday. ...

A federal program to subsidize digital equipment that some viewers will need has fallen short of money, and last week the government reported a waiting list of 1.4 million households.

More than 6.5 million homes are not able to receive digital TV programming, the Nielsen Company said last week. The figure is a decrease from last month, when Nielsen said almost 8 million could not receive it.

So, the beneficent federal government is worried that some folks won't be able to watch TV if the switch goes through as planned. Well, these laggards have diddled around for two years, what makes you think they'll get on the ball and get their converters now?

If you want to motivate these people to get what they need to switch to digital the solution is pretty simple. After the February target date go ahead and leave the analog transmitters on, except for the last five minutes of every half hour. The laggards who still don't have digital converters will quickly become frustrated when they won't be able to see who was the father of the baby, who won the game show, or what that day's soap opera cliffhanger was. They'll miss the lottery numbers, the ads from their favorite work comp and personal injury lawyers, and their opportunity for a free psychic reading.

They'll get those converters before the end of the day, even if they have to pay for them themselves.

Carrot and stick. Just that simple.

Eight Come in as Seven Go Out

The juxtaposition of these two stories, just a few miles apart in Los Angeles County, is rather stunning:

BELLFLOWER, Calif. (AP) -- Just think: eight cribs, eight highchairs, eight strollers (or maybe four double-strollers), and far too many dirty diapers to count.

A woman in Southern California gave birth Monday to the second set of octuplets ever delivered alive in the United States.

Doctors described the six boys and two girls as a feisty bunch who made their entrance kicking and crying and seemed to be doing remarkably well, despite arriving nine weeks premature. They ranged in weight from 1 pound, 8 ounces, to 3 pounds, 4 ounces.

And then there's this:

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A medical technician fatally shot his wife, five young children and himself Monday after claiming in a note to a TV station that he and his wife both had just been fired. Police urged those facing tough economic times to get help rather than resort to violence.

"Today our worst fear was realized," Los Angeles Deputy Chief Kenneth Garner said. "It's just not a solution. There's just so many ways you find alternatives to doing something so horrific and drastic as this."

Sometimes life just doesn't make sense.

Today's Quick Headlines

Some quick hits on today's headlines:

Dems Launch Petition Against Rush Limbaugh...
They should ask Harry Reid how well that worked out for him.

UPDATE: Obama chooses Arab network for first TV interview...
I knew that "Hussein" name would come in handy someday.

SNAP: Lawmaker wants cameraphones 'to make a sound'...
He's tired of being surprised in the House gym.

New York City fears return to 1970s...
Disco, Studio 54, bellbottoms. Be afraid, be very afraid.

VANITY FAIR: 'Is Obama the most famous living person ever?'...
I think there's a possibility that the guy in the robes in Vatican City might have something to say about that.

Poisonous Testicles Send Diners to Hospital
And what do non-poisonous testicles do?

Baby Born in Denver Public Library
They still have libraries?

Privacy, Potheads Challenge Obama Tech Team
I thought potheads were his tech team.

Obama’s Bill Hands ACORN $5.2 Billion Bailout
If that part of the bill stays in, the GOP has its 2010 campaign issue.

Political Quote of the Day

From celebutard Ashley Judd:

"It's So Nice to Live in America Again"

Apparently her mother ship just returned.

Oh That Voodoo That You Do

How bad does Mexico want to beat the U.S. in a World Cup qualifying match? This bad:

MEXICO CITY (AP) - A Mexican sports daily is pinning its hopes of beating the United States in a World Cup qualifying match on voodoo. Mexico is play the United States on Feb. 11 in Columbus, Ohio, in the first match of the last round of the CONCACAF qualifying. Mexico has not won at the United States in a decade.

The Record sports newspaper is encouraging readers to take part with a headline Tuesday that reads: "Help end the losing streak so Mexico advances."

Readers are instructed to cut out a page and take it to an electronics store in exchange for a U.S. team voodoo doll.

Just make the U.S. team drink the water. That will do a lot more to them than the voodoo will.

A Slobbering Love Affair

Bernard Goldberg, former CBS newsman and now media critic, has a new book that should be interesting: A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media

You can order yours by clicking on the link.

Read My Lips, No New Tax Cuts

That seems to be the message from the rookie president to the House GOP:

President Barack Obama rolled into the Capitol with a clear message for Republicans Tuesday afternoon: He’s happy to talk, but he’s not compromising on tax cuts.

Obama was ready for the House Republicans to pounce, telling them: "Feel free to whack me over the head because I probably will not compromise on that part [tax cuts],” according to two sources in the room.

One conservative House Republican who attended the hour-long closed door session was asked if Obama was winning any votes: "Nope. He said he won't compromise on more tax cuts. All form - not substance."

House Republicans pelted Obama for more than 30 minutes with questions about deficits, taxes and spending, according to sources inside the private meeting. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), won applause from his GOP colleagues when he asked the president whether he would promise that the stimulus would not be an excuse to raise taxes or increase spending. Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), asked Obama for common ground on taxes in the $825 billion package – and was rejected.

That should make the GOP response pretty easy: Vote No.

ATTN: GOP - Feel Free to Like the Man, But Please Hate the Ideas

This makes me a little nervous:

President Obama won praise from some of the House's most conservative lawmakers as "engaging" and "respectful" during his meeting with congressional Republicans Tuesday.

Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) said that Obama was sincere and "impressive" during his meeting with Republicans Tuesday afternoon.

"There's real desire in this room to figure a way back to prosperity," Inglis wrote on Twitter. "[The president] and Republicans here [are] expressing deep concern about unemployment."

"If [the] President carries this on it does open door for a new tone!" Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) exclaimed.

"Sharp differences are muted," Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) Twittered.

Inglis said that a comment by Obama that he would rather be a one-term president who addressed the economy than a two-term president who did not went particularly well.

Does anyone really believe that? On day three of his administration he was talking about what they'd have to do to win re-election. If the GOP believes Obama is being truthful about the one-term thing, they're delusional.

At least one GOP Rep seemed to have the right take on the meeting:

"President Obama is speaking to House Republicans right now on Democratic stimulus bill," wrote Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on Twitter. "Good sales man, bad product."

The Obama stimulus plan is a bad bill. It's loaded with pork projects, including $4 billion dollars for "community organizers" (i.e. ACORN), plus a lot of other stuff that won't stimulate anything.

Obama doesn't need a single GOP vote to pass this thing. If it's such a wonderful plan, why is he scrambling for GOP votes? Very simple - he needs political cover so that when this fails it won't be just his or the Dems fault.

The GOP needs to stand up for conservative principles and refuse to support this bill...regardless of how nice Obama treats them.

Trying to Read the Fine Print

I was driving home on I-5 this morning when I came upon a red VW Golf in the slow lane. The car was going 55 mph in a 65 zone (and in an area where most drivers were going 75). I'm creeping along behind him because I need to get off at the next exit and I notice a small red and yellow bumpersticker on the back of the car.

I couldn't read it but I was curious what this slowpoke had to say to the world so I crept up close to him until the words came into focus. It said:

Please don't tailgate me

Look, buddy, if you don't want big old SUV's climbing your trunk, the least you could do is go the speed limit, and while you're at it, get a bumpersticker than can be read from more than 5 feet away.

Citibank Grounds Their New Jet

The other day I gave a "tone deaf award" to Citigroup for continuing with the purchase of a $50 million corporate jet after receiving billions in taxpayer bailouts. I must have shamed them into changing their mind:

The high-flying execs at Citigroup caved under pressure from President Obama and decided today to abandon plans for a luxurious new $50 million corporate jet from France.

The bank used TARP funds to purchase a new corporate jet for executives.The decision came 24 hours after the banking giant, which was rescued by a $45 billion taxpayer lifeline, defended buying the state-of-the-art Dassault Falcon 7-X -- one of nine to be flying in U.S. skies -- as a smart business deal.

The jet, the epitome of corporate prestige and privilege, can carry 12 passengers in elegant comfort.

ABC News has learned that Monday officials of the Obama administration called Citigroup about the company's new $50 million corporate jet and told execs to "fix it."

Earlier on Monday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said made it clear that the president disapproved of the deal.

"The president said this during the transition, as it related to the auto companies using private jets; doesn't believe that's the best use of money at this point," Gibbs said.

The company issued a statement today saying, "We have no intent to take delivery of any new aircraft."

Okay, so Obama will get the credit but I really think it was my post that did it.

Actors Have Always Been A Little Bit Off

I found this little item interesting:

Dismissed for 175 years as a fake, a letter threatening the assassination of President Andrew Jackson has been found to be authentic. And, says the director of the Andrew Jackson Papers Project at the University of Tennessee, the writer was none other than Junius Brutus Booth, father of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth.

Junius was an actor too. Even before Hollywood was invented actors were badly misguided about politics..

Gitmo Alums Taunt Obama

Barack Obama's plan to close Gitmo (even though he has no idea what to do with the prisoners) is not getting rave reviews:

President Obama's plan to close Guantánamo Bay within a year appeared to be unravelling yesterday with the emergence of former inmates on terrorist websites, fierce opposition in the US and a lukewarm response to taking detainees from the European Union.

After signing an executive order last week to close the US military prison, Mr Obama has been confronted with myriad obstacles that are making his ambitious pledge look unrealistic.

David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, ruled out the prospect of Britain taking any more inmates, claiming that it had already made a significant contribution.

His announcement, at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, came as Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that it had rearrested nine Islamist militants, including former Guantánamo inmates released to the Kingdom who had undergone a re-education programme in Riyadh.

Two other former detainees sent home to Saudi Arabia from the prison in November 2007 re-emerged over the weekend on a jihadist website, railing against Britain, the US and Israel and identifying themselves by their Guantánamo detainee numbers. One of the men who appeared on video was Said Ali al-Shihri, now the deputy leader of al-Qaeda's Yemeni branch. He is suspected of involvement in a bombing at the US Embassy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa in September, which killed 16. “By Allah, imprisonment only increased our persistence in our principles for which we went out, did jihad for, and were imprisoned for,” al-Shihri said on the video. The other former inmate has been identified as Abu Hareth Muhammad al-Awfi, who is seen clutching an automatic rifle and a grenade.

Robert Gibbs, Mr Obama's spokesman, said that there were “admonitions” to be taken from the case of al-Shihri, but that the President had confidence in the process he had put in place to evaluate the prisoners.

The Pentagon is set to release a report this week giving details to back up its claim that 61 former Guantánamo detainees - about 11 per cent of the 520 inmates who have been released - had “returned to terrorism”.

The order was intended to placate the wacky left. I don't believe that Obama even seriously believes Gitmo will be closed in a year.

Bye-Bye Baby Stopper Money

Despite San Fran Nan's feeble attempt to defend the absurd theory that funds for contraception will stimulate the economy, the Obama administration, apparently embarrassed by the attention, is calling for the funds to be removed from the stimulus bill:

House Democrats are likely to jettison family planning funds for the low-income from an $825 billion economic stimulus bill, officials said late Monday, following a personal appeal from President Barack Obama at a time the administration is courting Republican critics of the legislation.

Several officials said a final decision was expected on Tuesday, coinciding with Obama’s scheduled visit to the Capitol for separate meetings with House and Senate Republicans.

The provision has emerged as a point of contention among Republicans, who criticize it as an example of wasteful spending that would neither create jobs nor otherwise improve the economy.

Under the provision, states no longer would be required to obtain federal permission to offer family planning services — including contraceptives — under Medicaid, the health program for the low-income.

Democrats considered the politically-potent change as congressional budget experts estimated it would take slightly longer for the overall legislation to achieve an impact on the economy than the administration projects…

…Several Democrats said Monday night that Obama had spoken personally with Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., about removing the provision. Waxman is chairman of the committee with jurisdiction over Medicaid and a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

The Democrats who described the likely reversal did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to disclose developments not yet made public.

Obama’s request to House Democrats underscores the administration’s desire to signal a spirit of bipartisanship, a recurring theme for the president in his first week in office.

It's not bipartisanship, it's embarrassment. Obama realized the argument was stupid, and Pelosi's attempt to defend it was simply ridiculous. The Obama team wants to stop the bleeding.

Conyers Continues to Tilt at Windmills

Congress, which is supposed to be frantically trying to save our economy, still has a little time on its hands:

(CNN) – House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers issued a new subpoena for former Bush adviser Karl Rove Monday.

Rove was subpoenaed by Conyers last year, but refused to testify before Congress, pointing to executive privilege although he was no longer part of the administration.

“I have said many times that I will carry this investigation forward to its conclusion, whether in Congress or in court, and today’s action is an important step along the way,” Conyers said in a statement released Monday. “Change has come to Washington, and I hope Karl Rove is ready for it. After two years of stonewalling, it’s time for him to talk.”

Conyers and his wacky left ilk are still convinced that Karl Rove is guilty of all kinds of evildoing and no matter how much hope and change comes to America, they won't rest until they "get" Rove. I don't know if he'll show up to answer the subpoena, but I kind of hope he does. He'll have Conyers for lunch.

Al Gore To Bring Winter Storm to D.C.

You've just gotta love this (from Drudge):

Al Gore is scheduled before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday morning to once again testify on the 'urgent need' to combat global warming.

But Mother Nature seems ready to freeze the proceedings.

A 'Winter Storm Watch' has been posted for the nation's capitol and there is a potential for significant snow... sleet... or ice accumulations.

"I can't imagine the Democrats would want to showcase Mr. Gore and his new findings on global warming as a winter storm rages outside," a Republican lawmaker emailed the DRUDGE REPORT. "And if the ice really piles up, it will not be safe to travel."

A spokesman for Sen. John Kerry, who chairs the committee, was not immediately available to comment on contingency plans.

Global warming advocates have suggested this year's wild winter spells are proof of climate change.

Gore could bring snow in August.

The First Week

Let's look at what Barack Obama accomplished during his first week in office (from Michael Novak at The Corner):

On January 20, President Obama called for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. He also declared his intention to give multiple rights and privileges to homosexual couples.

On January 22, he issued an order announcing his intention to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay within one year, but admits he has not figured out how to do that. President Bush had expressed a similar wish, but could find no nations willing to take responsibility for the detainees.

On January 23, President Obama issued an order that authorizes tax dollars for abortions abroad.

From these announcements we learn that President Obama recognizes no difference between the Jewish-Christian covenant between a woman and a man (a covenant that they will have and nurture children, if they are so blessed), and a civil contract between two persons of any sex, in order to set up a household of affection and sexual favors.

This is a relapse into paganism. The point of monogamous family networks is to treat male and female with complementary and mutually cooperative dignity and to tie the power of sexuality (male, especially) to self-sacrificing communities of love.

We learn, second, that this president’s guiding light in matters of national security is not a realistic assessment of the national interest but personal concern for what kind of figure he is cutting in the international eye. Good headlines first, practical thinking later.

Thirdly, we learn that the president is willing to do what a substantial bloc of U.S. taxpayers abhor, and will resist in conscience. Moreover, it is a mistake to think that people in most other nations love, honor, and respect the secularist preoccupation with abortion.

The first week did not have to begin this way. These first steps were unworthy of a great nation and unworthy of a serious leader. These decisions humiliated those who voted for President Obama because they had been assured, and assured others, that the new president would take seriously the culture of life. It is now clear that the new president was willing to allow those who risked their moral reputations to support him to feel in retrospect like liars. E.J. Dionne expressly warned the president-elect against not to issue these early executive orders.

These are the most important things a president should do in his first week? It's clear the Obama felt secure enough in his election to run hard left the moment he had power. He tossed favors to those leftist special interest groups that supported him, while insulting the many moderates and even conservatives that foolishly voted for him.

Well done, America.

One other question: Where are the big ideas? If I was elected president I would think my first priorities would be acting on and communicating my big ideas, not just tossing crumbs to the extreme ideological wing of the party.

Tax Cheat-in-Chief

Paying taxes on time or at all should no longer be a priority for Americans:

WASHINGTON -- New York Federal Reserve Bank President Timothy Geithner won confirmation Monday as President Barack Obama's treasury secretary despite personal tax lapses that turned more than a third of the Senate against him.

I don't care how talented this guy is supposed to be, the example he sets should disqualify him from the office. Make him an assistant or a consultant, but not Treasury chief.