I'm following Jim Geraghty as he follows the election results in NY-20. As of his last report the Republican Jim Tedisco is leading Dem Scott Murphy by 1,112 votes with about 105 precincts left to report. I'll update this as more results come in.
UPDATE from Jim: 10:23 p.m. UPDATE: This is almost certainly going to a recount; I'm hearing contradictory information on whether these totals include absentees. Murphy 77,208, Tedisco 77,127, an 81 vote margin, with one precinct remaining.
10:29 p.m. UPDATE: There are 6,000 absentees, according to every other political junkie watching the race on my Twitter feed. Looks like no final decision tonight.
10:36 p.m. UPDATE: We're not getting a winner tonight, folks. Word is "Absentee ballots and emergency paper ballots in the 20th Congressional District special election have been impounded under a court order, said Bob Brehm, a spokesman for the state Board of Elections."
Isn't it funny how the heavily Dem precincts are always the last to report. It's almost as though they wait to see how many votes they'll need.
I'm hearing that there are a good number of military absentee ballots yet to be counted. That could bode well for Tedisco. However, expect a fight.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Political Quote of the Day
From Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu, referring to Iran:
“You don't want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs.”Take out the "apocalyptic" part and he could almost be talking about the Democrats.
New GM CEO Proposes Bankruptcy
How's that bailout working for you?
Couldn't Rick Wagoner, the deposed CEO, have done that?
A lot of us thought GM should have been put through a structured bankruptcy way back before we gave them $14 billion dollars.
General Motors’s new chief executive told CNBC that filing for Bankruptcy may be the best option for the struggling automaker.
In a taped interview to be aired tonight on NBC Nightly News, Fritz Henderson said that because of greater demands from the Obama administration to restructure, GM is considering the bankruptcy option. The auto giant previously had ruled out such a move, saying it would discourage people from buying GM cars.
Couldn't Rick Wagoner, the deposed CEO, have done that?
A lot of us thought GM should have been put through a structured bankruptcy way back before we gave them $14 billion dollars.
Another Nominee With Tax Problems
Just breaking on Fox News - Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Kathleen Sebelius has reportedly corrected three years of tax returns and paid $7,000 in back taxes due to "unintentional errors".
More when the story hits the wires.
UPDATE: Here's the story:
These people are professionals. Please don't try this at home.
More when the story hits the wires.
UPDATE: Here's the story:
Health and Human Services nominee Kathleen Sebelius has corrected three years of tax returns and paid more than $7,000 in back taxes after finding "unintentional errors" -- the latest tax troubles for an Obama administration nominee.
The Kansas governor explained the changes to senators in a letter dated Tuesday that was obtained by The Associated Press. She said they involved charitable contributions, the sale of a home and business expenses.
She and her husband paid a total of $7,040 in back taxes and $878 in interest to amend returns from 2005-2007.
Several Obama administration nominees have been derailed by tax issues, notably the president's first nominee for HHS secretary, former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle. He withdrew from consideration while apologizing for failing to pay $140,000 in taxes and interest.
Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., quickly issued a statement supporting Sebelius' nomination.
"Congress is going to need a strong partner at the Department of Health and Human Services to achieve comprehensive health reform this year, and we have that partner in Gov. Sebelius," Baucus said. "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Gov. Sebelius has the political experience, determination, and bipartisan work ethic to get the job done with Congress this year. She's the right person for the job."
Sebelius is to appear Thursday before Baucus' committee, which will vote on sending her nomination to the full Senate. Sebelius testified Tuesday before the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee before the tax issue became public, getting a friendly reception.
In her letter to Baucus and the top Finance Committee Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Sebelius wrote that the errors were discovered after she and her husband, Gary, a federal magistrate judge in Kansas, hired an accountant to review her returns in preparation for her confirmation hearing.
The accountant discovered these errors:
--Charitable contributions over $250 are supposed to include an acknowledgment letter from the charity in order for a deduction to be taken. Out of 49 charitable contributions made, three letters couldn't be found.
--Sebelius and her husband sold their home in 2006 and then took a mistaken deduction for mortgage interest.
--Insufficient documentation was found for some business expense deductions.
These people are professionals. Please don't try this at home.
Barney Frank Wants to Regulate Your Salary Too
In the age of Obama government power knows no bounds:
No company in need of a bailout is going to want one by the time all the new restrictions are enacted. It would be cheaper to just go broke.
But now, in a little-noticed move, the House Financial Services Committee, led by chairman Barney Frank, has approved a measure that would, in some key ways, go beyond the most draconian features of the original AIG bill. The new legislation, the "Pay for Performance Act of 2009," would impose government controls on the pay of all employees -- not just top executives -- of companies that have received a capital investment from the U.S. government. It would, like the tax measure, be retroactive, changing the terms of compensation agreements already in place. And it would give Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner extraordinary power to determine the pay of thousands of employees of American companies.
The purpose of the legislation is to "prohibit unreasonable and excessive compensation and compensation not based on performance standards," according to the bill's language. That includes regular pay, bonuses -- everything -- paid to employees of companies in whom the government has a capital stake, including those that have received funds through the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP, as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The measure is not limited just to those firms that received the largest sums of money, or just to the top 25 or 50 executives of those companies. It applies to all employees of all companies involved, for as long as the government is invested. And it would not only apply going forward, but also retroactively to existing contracts and pay arrangements of institutions that have already received funds.
No company in need of a bailout is going to want one by the time all the new restrictions are enacted. It would be cheaper to just go broke.
Newt the Baptist Becomes Newt the Catholic
The former Speaker has had a religious conversion:
Well, good for Newt. I'm not sure why one would want to move from a religion heavy on grace to a religion heavy on ritual and liturgy, but to each his own.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich converted to Roman Catholicism over the weekend at St. Joseph's Church in Washington, D.C. So far, Gingrich has been conspicuously quiet about his conversion. He didn't mention it in an interview with me earlier this month that focused on his stepped-up efforts to organize religious conservatives and promote religious liberty issues.
An enthusiastic Twitterer, the former speaker has gone tweetless since Saturday. Best I can tell, Newt's one recent mention of Catholicism was a tweet last Tuesday about President Obama's forthcoming appearance at Notre Dame: "It is sad to see notre dame invite president obama to give the commencement address Since his policies are so anti catholic values."
I checked with his media team, which says that Newt is declining interview requests about his conversion for now but that he may open up later in the year.
Well, good for Newt. I'm not sure why one would want to move from a religion heavy on grace to a religion heavy on ritual and liturgy, but to each his own.
Suds Smugglers
Green = grease:
If you make Electrasol criminal, only criminals will have Electrasol.
SPOKANE, Wash. – The quest for squeaky-clean dishes has turned some law-abiding people in Spokane into dishwater-detergent smugglers. They are bringing Cascade or Electrasol in from out of state because the eco-friendly varieties required under Washington state law don't work as well. Spokane County became the launch pad last July for the nation's strictest ban on dishwasher detergent made with phosphates, a measure aimed at reducing water pollution. The ban will be expanded statewide in July 2010, the same time similar laws take effect in several other states.
But it's not easy to get sparkling dishes when you go green.
Many people were shocked to find that products like Seventh Generation, Ecover and Trader Joe's left their dishes encrusted with food, smeared with grease and too gross to use without rewashing them by hand. The culprit was hard water, which is mineral-rich and resistant to soap.
As a result, there has been a quiet rush of Spokane-area shoppers heading east on Interstate 90 into Idaho in search of old-school suds.
Real estate agent Patti Marcotte of Spokane stocks up on detergent at a Costco in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and doesn't care who knows it.
"Yes, I am a smuggler," she said. "I'm taking my chances because dirty dishes I cannot live with."
(In truth, the ban applies to the sale of phosphate detergent — not its use or possession — so Marcotte is not in any legal trouble.)
Marcotte said she tried every green brand in her dishwasher and found none would remove grease and pieces of food. Everybody she knows buys dishwasher detergent in Idaho, she said.
Supporters of the ban acknowledge it is not very popular.
"I'm not hearing a lot of positive feedback," conceded Shannon Brattebo of the Washington Lake Protection Association, a prime mover of the ban. "I think people are driving to Idaho."
Steve Marcy, manager of the Costco in Coeur d'Alene, about 10 miles east of the Washington state line, estimated that sales of dishwasher detergent in his store have increased 10 percent. He knows where the customers are coming from.
"I'll joke with them and ask if they are from Spokane," Marcy said. "They say, `Oh yeah.'"
Shoppers can still buy phosphate detergents in Washington state by venturing outside Spokane County, but Idaho is more convenient to many Spokane residents.
If you make Electrasol criminal, only criminals will have Electrasol.
Obama's Impact on Charitable Giving
Jim Geraghty has some information on the devastating effect Barack Obama's new tax plan could have on charitable giving:
But hey, it's not that significant. Obama told us so.
Impact of Obama's Charity Tax Ten Times Worse Than Current Recession
Obama, in his press conference last week:
I mean, if you look at the evidence — there's very little evidence that this has a significant impact on charitable giving. I'll tell you what has a significant impact on charitable giving is a financial crisis and an economy that's contracting. And so the most important thing that I can do for charitable giving is to fix the economy, to get banks lending again, to get businesses opening their doors again, to get people back to work again. Then I think charities will do just fine.
Actually, charitable foundations managed to stay close to previous donation levels, even in last year's contracting economy.
The nation’s foundations lost nearly $150 billion in assets last year, or almost as much as they have given away over the last four years, a new study has found.
The study, by the Foundation Center, a chief authority on American philanthropy, determined that foundation giving for the year nonetheless held steady at an estimated $45.6 billion, falling by just 1 percent on an inflation-adjusted basis.
Still, without the $2.8 billion given away by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the nation’s largest, the decline would have been almost 3 percent.
The study cautions that this coming year could be considerably tougher for charities than last year.
But the fact remains that in a particularly sluggish year, foundations reduced their donations by only $456 million; by contrast, Obama's tax proposal would reduce charitable contributions by about $4 billion.
But hey, it's not that significant. Obama told us so.
Congress Killed the Radio Star
Most of the talk in Congress when it comes to radio has involved the attempt by the left to shut down conservative talk radio via some new form of the Fairness Doctrine. Hugh Hewitt reports that there's another congressional effort that could kill another important radio format - music:
There's a fundamental law of taxes: You get less of whatever you tax. And adding a pay-per-play to every piece of music that crosses the airwaves will do as Hewitt suggested - drive stations out of the music market. It will become too expensive, especially in a time when there are fewer advertisers and fewer advertising dollars.
If anything this will drive stations to a cheaper talk or news format. If Congress enacts the Fairness Doctrine legislation, the airwaves will be filled with a hissing noise - which in fact could be preferrable to some of the music and all of the liberal talk that's currently out there.
The recording industry wants to break the decades old deal with music radio under which the radio plays the songs and the audience hears them and buys the music, first via records, then CDs, and now downloads. Now the recording industry wants all the free promotion but also a royalty on every play of every song.
If successful in the hunt for the new radio tax via Congressional mandate, the best brains of the music business will have killed music radio dead as formats change overnight to avoid the new expense in an advertising-challenged era. Good for talk radio, yes, but bad --very bad-- for the medium generally.
One of the Republican sponsors of this very bad idea is an old friend, Representative Darrell Issa of California. We discussed the tax on yesterday's show. The Congressman seems to believe that it can all be worked out, but this is another CPSIA moment-in-the-making, where the realities of a complex industry just don't register with the lawmakers intent on tinkering with it on behalf of special interests, and who end up sideswiping and damaging scores of companies in the pursuit of a slogan. If the performance tax passes, thousands of radio station employees will be out of work, many stations will simply fold up or move to non-music formats, and the Congress will move on to the next big idea that sounded good at the time.
There's a fundamental law of taxes: You get less of whatever you tax. And adding a pay-per-play to every piece of music that crosses the airwaves will do as Hewitt suggested - drive stations out of the music market. It will become too expensive, especially in a time when there are fewer advertisers and fewer advertising dollars.
If anything this will drive stations to a cheaper talk or news format. If Congress enacts the Fairness Doctrine legislation, the airwaves will be filled with a hissing noise - which in fact could be preferrable to some of the music and all of the liberal talk that's currently out there.
President Ticks Off the Potheads
The left held out a lot of hopes for Barack Obama. He continues to disappoint various segments of the Dem coalition:
President Obama probably didn't anticipate that his brief dismissal of marijuana legalization during the online town hall would light up a potent movement of support for decriminalization.This isn't a problem for Obama. The potheads will forget why they were mad in another hour or so.
The fact that he even addressed such a controversial and oft-ignored topic impressed some. But the way he seemed to deride the question angered manywho quickly expressed their dissent online in website comments, on blogs and throughout social networks.
"There was one question that was voted on that ranked fairly high and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy and job creation," the president said during the town hall, amongst a thunder of laughter from the crowd. "And I don't know what this says about the online audience." More laughter.
"The answer is, no, I don't think that is a good strategy to grow our economy," Obama said.
No further explanation given. Next question.
His short response was not only disconcerting for marijuana supporters but also a bit perplexing. After all, Obama called for marijuana decriminalization during ...
... a debate at Northwestern University when he was running for U.S. Senate in 2004.
The legalization debate is not a new topic for websites like YouTube, Digg and Facebook, where a pot-smoking niche has long congregated. But it has exploded in the days since the town hall.
The Huffington Post prominently featured an editorial titled "Pot Saved My Life, Mr. President." In it, the writer concluded, "The president will be asked this question again, and maybe next time he won't laugh at us."
The Times had a story Sunday quoting former federal judge Jim Gray claiming the war on drugs had failed and that pot should be legal. The so-called failed drug war was, incidentally, the same claim made by Obama in 2004.
The lit-up lobby rages strongly on social networking channels as well. The Facebook page, called M A R I J U A N A, has seen a spike in membership as of late.
And on the social news website Digg, a story about marijuana benefits, decriminalization or reactions to Obama's weedy treatment of the pot question has been voted to the home page every day since the town hall -- and in many cases, multiple times a day.
So what doesthat say about the online audience? Considering that many political analysts attribute a major part of Obama's election to his popularity on social networks, maybe he shouldn't be so quick to dismiss something they clearly feel strongly about.
NY-20 Special Election Today
The voters of the 20th Congressional District in New York State will be choosing the successor to Kirsten Gillibrand who left that seat to replae Hillary Clinton in the Senate. This largely Republican district is turning into quite a shooting match and the rookie president is pushing hard for a Dem win:
Who’s going to ignore an e-mail from “President Barack Obama”?The polls are close, but experts in such things are giving a slight edge to the Republican. His win would be a blow to the administration given that it's the first election since the rookie took office.
He’s hitting in-boxes Monday night with a reminder to Democrats in New York’s 20th Congressional District to get out and vote Tuesday for businessman Scott Murphy.
The high-level get-out-the-vote reminder is paid for by Organizing for America, the successor to the president’s grassroots organization, now a project of the Democratic National Committee. The return address is at barackobama.com.
Murphy is facing state legislator Jim Tedisco in the race to fill a Republican-leaning seat that came open when Kirsten Gillibrand was named to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The race is being covered as a test of Obama’s political swat because it’s the first major election since his inauguration.
The Ron Burgundy President
That's how Don Surber describes the rookie president who the mainstream media is discovering is addicted to his teleprompter:
The president’s problem stems from his media-generated reputation as a world-class orator who could give a rousing set-piece speech, charm an audience and provide off-the-cuff answers to complicated questions thrown at him by reporters, opponents and voters. There were signs during the campaign itself that this might not be quite accurate, but just how inaccurate it was didn’t become obvious to the general public until after he entered the Oval Office.The whole article is here. If Obama was a Republican he and his teleprompter would be a standing weekly gag on Saturday Night Live. However, they haven't gotten over their idol worship so it may take awhile for them to catch on.
It turns out that candidate Obama was at his best not in the hurly-burly give-and-take, but in delivering set pieces he could read from a teleprompter. When separated from his teleprompter and forced out on his own, he was far less sure-footed and a good deal less exciting. This happened more than once during the primaries, but reporters following him didn’t really cover it — and the fact that on his worst day he seemed more articulate than his Republican opponent in the general-election campaign that followed got him through Election Day with his reputation intact.
As president, however, he’s on his own, even though it turns out he’s so addicted to the teleprompter that one is tempted to believe he relies on it in private conversations with his wife and kids. He uses it for large speeches, news conferences and small gatherings. It turns out that he is to past presidents as news readers are to actual reporters. He reportedly even wants a video screen installed on his podium so that aides can provide answers to questions during press conferences. This is in such marked contrast to the image and reputation cultivated during his campaign and accepted by his adoring supporters that he now seems even less articulate than would otherwise be the case.
It's My Recession and I'll Cry if I Want To
The Obama Administration is showing it's sensitive, feminine side (from Drudge):
Did the Porkulus Bill include funds for Kleenex?T
he U.S. government is set to offer an online emotional rescue kit!
"Getting Through Tough Economic Times" will launch Tuesday with a media push across all platforms.
The site is meant to help people identify health concerns related to financial worries.
The feds will warn of depression, suicidal thinking and other serious mental illnesses.
It will raise warning flags for: Persistent sadness/crying; Excessive anxiety; Lack of sleep/constant fatigue; Excessive irritability/anger.
The guide will be available starting at midnight at http://www.samhsa.gov/economy.
An Expensive Earth Hour for One Family
A wise blogger asked this question the other day:
And I'm guessing their carbon footprint was not reduced that night.
How many fires were started because people were burning candles for illumination?The answer isn't zero:
A Mississauga family who tried to light a candle for Earth Hour nearly burned their Meadowvale townhouse down.That's too bad and completely unnecessary. I think next time this family will ignore the envirowackos.
Afshan Khalid, 46, said her 8-year-old daughter tried to light a candle before Earth Hour started at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
“She was lighting up the candle and we thought it didn’t light up or the match fell somewhere that we didn’t notice and then we left,” said Ms. Khalid. The family was going to see friends and when getting ready, they lighted scented candles so they could see.
While they were gone, Ms. Khalid’s son Omar, 19, came home at 9:30 with a friend, saw smoke and called 911.
“The upper floor is damaged. The central part is all burnt out, smoke damage to all the bedrooms,” said Ms. Khalid.
Platoon Chief Paul Hunter of the Mississauga Fire Department said the fire caused an estimated $15,000 damage.
And I'm guessing their carbon footprint was not reduced that night.
Was There Ever Any Doubt that Abortion Backers Don't Want You to "Choose Life"?
Look what has the pro-abortion crowd's panties in a wad:
How much must NARAL Pro-Choice and Planned Parenthood hate babies to get this upset over license plate frames?
Look, according to the article if they can get 350 people to pre-pay the $25 license fee, they can get their own "Choose Death" plates authorized.
Tim Kaine, the Virginia governor and President Barack Obama's hand-picked choice as the head of the Democratic National Committee, infuriated abortion-rights groups Monday by signing legislation that gives abortion foes an important symbolic win.All of this angst over a license plate frame?
Kaine brushed off intense lobbying by abortion rights supporters in Richmond to sign a bill that allows Virginia motorists to advertise their anti-abortion views by sporting "Choose Life" specialty license plates.
If Kaine were merely the governor of the Old Dominion, the move might have been less notable. Kaine—a Catholic who says he is personally opposed to abortion but pledged to leave the right to choose intact—won office in Virginia partly by seeking to reassure social conservatives.
But he is now on a national stage. And his decision could echo among women's activists who are among the most powerful financial supporters of the party.
“It is surprising that Governor Kaine would do this, but it’s all the more surprising that he would do it as chair of the DNC,” said Paulette McElwain, the president of the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood.
McElwain exchanged numerous calls with the governor’s office over the license plates and organized a grass roots effort that logged more than 2,000 calls to the governor’s staff.
“We provided him with abundant information,” she said. “We’re terribly disappointed that he decided to sign it.”
In Washington, NARAL Pro-Choice channeled more than 17,000 emails and 200 calls to the DNC urging Kaine to veto the bill.
How much must NARAL Pro-Choice and Planned Parenthood hate babies to get this upset over license plate frames?
Look, according to the article if they can get 350 people to pre-pay the $25 license fee, they can get their own "Choose Death" plates authorized.
Bailout Envy
The unions think Obama is treating them worse than the fat cats:
Yep, the auto workers are gonna get hosed, that's for sure. There won't be any multimillion dollar bonuses doled out to the guys putting bumpers on Buicks for $75 an hour (yes, that includes benefits).
But the unions supported Obama big time, and they're getting what they voted for. When the government finally gives up and puts them in bankruptcy they'll know where to look for the blame.
DETROIT (AP) -- Many assembly line autoworkers reacted with skepticism and anger Monday to the Obama administration's tough tactics, which stoked long-simmering feelings that the people who put the country on wheels get treated differently than the wizards of Wall Street.
"It's the age-old Wall Street vs. Main Street smackdown again," said Brian Fredline, president of UAW Local 602 at a plant near Lansing. "You have all kinds of funding available to banks that are apparently too big to fail, but they're also too big to be responsible."
"But when it comes to auto manufacturing and middle-class jobs and people that don't matter on Wall Street, there are certainly different standards that we have to meet -- higher standards -- than the financials. That is a double standard that exists and it's unfair," Fredline said.
Many workers -- not generally known for their affection toward executives -- even sympathized with Rick Wagoner, who was forced to step down as chief executive of General Motors Corp. He was by turns called a "sacrificial lamb," "scapegoat" and "fall guy."
"We knew someone was going to have to take the proverbial `bullet,' and it would have made it a lot easier to accept that had the CEOs of the banks also been required to give up their jobs," said Jim Graham, president of a union local in Lordstown, Ohio, where GM produces the Cobalt and Pontiac G5 fuel-efficient cars.
Yep, the auto workers are gonna get hosed, that's for sure. There won't be any multimillion dollar bonuses doled out to the guys putting bumpers on Buicks for $75 an hour (yes, that includes benefits).
But the unions supported Obama big time, and they're getting what they voted for. When the government finally gives up and puts them in bankruptcy they'll know where to look for the blame.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Political Picture of the Day
From Exurbanleague.com
New Transportation Secretary Cal Obama: "If I can't beat any deal, I'll eat a bug!"
New Transportation Secretary Cal Obama: "If I can't beat any deal, I'll eat a bug!"
Would You Like Your Pothole Original or Extra Crispy?
Here's an innovative way to help cities on a tight budget:
In Chicago they use pothole repairs to bury parts of their political enemies. You can't have the KFC folks finding out about that.
Everybody needs a little KFC. But maybe not Chicago.
The fast-food chain has sent off a letter to the nation's mayors, offering to patch theirpotholes for free. The company will leave behind a stenciled brand on the patch informing people the road has been "Re-Freshed by KFC."
"In honor of our "Fresh Tastes Best" campaign, we want to come and Re-"Fresh" your roads!" KFC president Roger Eaton says in the letter. "Every patched pothole comes with the Colonel's very own stamp of approval."
But Brian Steele, a spokesman for the Chicago Department of Transportation, which is charged with repairing the city's potholes, said "We don't allow any type of printing or advertising placed on a city street or sidewalk."
Here's one solution to potholes Photo He said the city was looking to promote and seek support for its own pothole repair program, and said they've been "in discussion" with an advertising firm for more than months about the idea.
As for the KFC offer, Steele said the city first learned of it Wednesday. "Were looking into it [the KFC offer].....Until we learn more we don't know how it stacks up."
In Chicago they use pothole repairs to bury parts of their political enemies. You can't have the KFC folks finding out about that.
Political Quote of the Day
From Rep. John Murtha (D-Rednecks & Racists in PA)
If?
“If I’m corrupt, it’s because I take care of my district,”
If?
Why the Democrats Can't Govern
That's the title of a piece by liberal Jonathan Chait
Number one - Republican are just better at national governance than are Democrats. That's been proved over and over.
Secondly, however, is the makeup of the parties themselves. Republicans do not have as many little factions with goals and objectives at odds with other factions within the party. Consequently, on the big stuff they tend to be able to hang together and show discipline.
Democrats are a party of special interest groups. You have the big government liberals, the gays, the pro-abortion bunch, the Affirmative Action and racial politics crowd...just to name a few...and to keep it all interesting, the House has a crop of Blue Dog conservative Dems who will lose their seats if they vote for everything the other groups want. That makes it tough to maintain any kind of party discipline no matter what the Dem president wants.
2010 could end up looking a lot like 1994 if Obama doesn't get his act together and get the congressional Dems under control. My guess is he won't be able to do it.
The last Democrat who held the White House, Bill Clinton, saw the core of his domestic agenda come to ruin, his political support collapse, and his failure spawn a massive Republican resurgence that made progressive reform impossible for a decade to come. The Democrat who last held the White House before that, Jimmy Carter, saw the exact same thing happen to him.
At this early date, nobody can know whether or not Barack Obama will escape this fate. But the contours of failure are now clearly visible. In Obama’s case, as with his predecessors, the prospective culprit is the same: Democrats in Congress, and especially the Senate. At a time when the country desperately needs a coherent response to the array of challenges it faces, the congressional arm of the Democratic Party remains mired in fecklessness, parochialism, and privilege. Obama has made mistakes, as did his predecessors. Yet the constant recurrence of legislative squabbling and drift suggests a deeper problem than any characterological or tactical failures by these presidents: a congressional party that is congenitally unable to govern.
George W. Bush came to office having lost the popular vote, with only 50 Republicans in the Senate. After his disputed election, pundits insisted Bush would have to scale back his proposed massive tax cuts for the rich. Instead, Bush managed to enact several rounds of tax cuts that substantially exceeded those in his campaign platform, along with two war resolutions, a Medicare prescription drug benefit designed to maximize profits for the health care industry, energy legislation, education reform, and sundry other items. Whatever the substantive merits of this agenda, its passage represented an impressive feat of political leverage, accomplished through near-total partisan discipline.
Number one - Republican are just better at national governance than are Democrats. That's been proved over and over.
Secondly, however, is the makeup of the parties themselves. Republicans do not have as many little factions with goals and objectives at odds with other factions within the party. Consequently, on the big stuff they tend to be able to hang together and show discipline.
Democrats are a party of special interest groups. You have the big government liberals, the gays, the pro-abortion bunch, the Affirmative Action and racial politics crowd...just to name a few...and to keep it all interesting, the House has a crop of Blue Dog conservative Dems who will lose their seats if they vote for everything the other groups want. That makes it tough to maintain any kind of party discipline no matter what the Dem president wants.
2010 could end up looking a lot like 1994 if Obama doesn't get his act together and get the congressional Dems under control. My guess is he won't be able to do it.
Congrats - You Now Own a Car Company
There used to be a saying that "what's good for GM is good for America". Well, we can now change that saying to "GM, a Wholly Owned Subsidiary of America".
The rookie president also offered this item to GM car owners:
WASHINGTON--Warning that they can't depend on unending taxpayer dollars, President Barack Obama on Monday gave General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC a brief window to craft plans that would justify fresh government loans.
"We cannot, we must not, and we will not let our auto industry simply vanish," President Obama said at the White House.
"What we are asking is difficult," he said. "It will require hard choices by companies. It will require unions and workers who have already made painful concessions to make even more. It will require creditors to recognize that they cannot hold out for the prospect of endless government bailouts."
The remarks come a day after the administration ousted GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner and rejected the restructuring plans that GM and Chrysler had hoped would lead to another infusion of government cash. Instead, the White House is giving GM 60 days to come up with a strategy for viability. Chrysler has a month to wrap up a partnership with Italy's Fiat SpA.
GM on Monday said it will address "the tough issues to improve the long-term viability of the company," including the restructuring of its financial obligations, as it responded to Washington's calls for stronger plans to stay afloat.
The rookie president also offered this item to GM car owners:
'Starting today, the United States government will stand behind your warrantee'...So, from now on you can take your GM cars to the Post Office, with the appropriate postage of course, and they will mail it to the government-approved repair facility where it will be almost fixed and then returned to you, postage due.
The Internet Smear War From the Left
Andrew Breitbart has written a piece at the Washington Times on the organized internet war against conservative opinion:
They're known as "seminar callers" on Rush's show. Folks who have attended the seminars that teach them how to mislead call screeners to get on the air. Almost all are stopped, but occasionally one makes it to the air but quickly becomes obvious.
As far as the war on conservative blogs goes, my site (unfortunately) isn't big enough to attract a lot of attention from the left, but I do see them from time to time. Since I monitor the Google search terms used to find HolyCoast, I'll periodically see someone searching for blog stories on some controversial matter and then posting a lengthy, obviously pre-written comment supporting the lefty policy of the day.
Since those are such obvious spin attempts I usually just delete them. If they want to write a liberal thesis they can get their own blogs.
This isn't about honest debate, it's about propaganda and attempts to create false smears against conservative voices. The big blogs can't take the time to monitor all comments for potentially actionable statements. I can.
You can read the rest of Breitbart's column here.
A digital war has broken out, and the conservative movement is losing. Read the comment sections of right-leaning blogs, news sites and social forums, and the evidence is there in ugly abundance. Internet hooligans are spewing their talking points to thwart the dissent of the newly-out-of-power.
We must not let that go unanswered.
Uninvited Democratic activists are on a mission to demoralize the enemy - us. They want to ensure that President Obama is not subject to the same coordinated, facts-be-damned, multimedia takedown they employed over eight long years to destroy the presidency - and the humanity - of George W. Bush.
Political leftists play for keeps. They are willing to lie, perform deceptive acts in a coordinated fashion and do so in a wicked way - all in the pursuit of victory. Moral relativism is alive and well in the land of Hope and Change and its Web-savvy youth brigade expresses its "idealism" in a most cynical fashion.
The ends justify the means for them - now more than ever.
Much of Mr. Obama's vaunted online strategy involved utilizing "Internet trolls" to invade enemy lines under false names and trying to derail discussion. In the real world, that's called "vandalism." But in a political movement that embraces "graffiti" as avant-garde art , that's business as usual. It relishes the ability to destroy other people's property in pursuit of electoral victory.
Hugh Hewitt's popular site shut off its comments section because of the success of these obnoxious invaders. Breitbart.com polices nonpartisan newswire stories for such obviously coordinated attacks. Other right-leaning sites such as Instapundit and National Review Online refuse to allow comments, knowing better than to flirt with the online activist left.
During the Clinton impeachment scandal, a new group out of California called MoveOn.org employed a plan to get its members to dial into right-leaning talk radio shows with scripted talking points falsely claiming that they were Republicans. They said they would never vote for the GOP again if the case against Bill Clinton was pursued.
They're known as "seminar callers" on Rush's show. Folks who have attended the seminars that teach them how to mislead call screeners to get on the air. Almost all are stopped, but occasionally one makes it to the air but quickly becomes obvious.
As far as the war on conservative blogs goes, my site (unfortunately) isn't big enough to attract a lot of attention from the left, but I do see them from time to time. Since I monitor the Google search terms used to find HolyCoast, I'll periodically see someone searching for blog stories on some controversial matter and then posting a lengthy, obviously pre-written comment supporting the lefty policy of the day.
Since those are such obvious spin attempts I usually just delete them. If they want to write a liberal thesis they can get their own blogs.
This isn't about honest debate, it's about propaganda and attempts to create false smears against conservative voices. The big blogs can't take the time to monitor all comments for potentially actionable statements. I can.
You can read the rest of Breitbart's column here.
Reactions to GM Firing
Various commentators are now responding to the President of the United States firing the Chairman of a major corporation. First, James Lileks from his Twitter feed:
Not likely.
And, in a flash from the past, John McCain mentioned during the campaign that it was almost impossible to fire a federal worker, a claim that is pretty much true. Had Rick Wagoner at GM been a low-level clerk in some government alphabet bureaucracy his job would have been safe.
The final commentary is coming from Wall Street which is down big as this is written. Investors are not impressed with his decision on GM, nor are they confident in his ability to run a major corporation.
Maybe I’m old-school, but “President fires CEO” looks as wrong as “Pope fires Missile.” Does not compute.Mark Steyn at The Corner:
...this GM/Chrysler thing is bad. Really bad. The descent into corporatism will doom America: The government is not competent to pick winners and losers, and will mire us in long-term Continental-style economic stagnation if it persists.One comment I read (and I don't remember where) wondered if Obama would next fire the head of the United Auto Workers Union.
Aside from anything else, it should be disturbing that GM appears to have evolved into what Canada calls a "Crown corporation" without its nominal owners having any say in the matter. (If you're thinking "Crown corporation" sounds like a contradiction in terms, you're right.) ...
The Obama economy is shaping up not just as a Carteresque decline but a global tragedy.
Not likely.
And, in a flash from the past, John McCain mentioned during the campaign that it was almost impossible to fire a federal worker, a claim that is pretty much true. Had Rick Wagoner at GM been a low-level clerk in some government alphabet bureaucracy his job would have been safe.
The final commentary is coming from Wall Street which is down big as this is written. Investors are not impressed with his decision on GM, nor are they confident in his ability to run a major corporation.
British "De-Baptizing" Themselves
The move away from Christianity continues apace in Britain:
What the NSS probably doesn't realize yet is that at the pace the country is going now they'll all be Muslims before too long. Baptism will be the least of their problems.
More than 100,000 Britons have recently downloaded "certificates of de-baptism" from the Internet to renounce their Christian faith.
The initiative launched by a group called the National Secular Society (NSS) follows atheist campaigns here and elsewhere, including a London bus poster which triggered protests by proclaiming "There's probably no God."
"We now produce a certificate on parchment and we have sold 1,500 units at three pounds (4.35 dollars, 3.20 euros) a pop," said NSS president Terry Sanderson, 58.
What the NSS probably doesn't realize yet is that at the pace the country is going now they'll all be Muslims before too long. Baptism will be the least of their problems.
Obama's First Judicial Nominee
This does not bode well for the future of the courts:
I can't wait to see who he chooses for his first Supreme Court nod.
True to his campaign promises, President Barack Hussein Obama has picked a rabid judicial activist as his first federal court pick. Judge David Hamilton has been chosen by Obama to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.
Hamilton is precisely what Obama wants in a judge: Someone who ignores the Constitution and imposes his own liberal ideas on each case. Hamilton will have what Obama calls “empathy” for the poor, child molesters, abortionists, murderers, etc.
Hamilton has ideal liberal credentials. He is a former ACLU lawyer and was a fundraiser for the corrupt group known as ACORN. This organization engages in fraudulent voter registration campaigns and is deeply involved in housing and poverty issues. Obama was an attorney for ACORN when he worked as a “community organizer” in Chicago. ACORN will be gathering data for the 2010 Census.
...Hamilton is also an enemy of the First Amendment and religious freedom. Interestingly enough, Hamilton has ruled that prayers in Jesus Name at the Indiana House of Representatives was unconstitutional, but prayers to Allah were not.
I can't wait to see who he chooses for his first Supreme Court nod.
1988 Shuttle Mission Within Seconds of Disaster
There's a long and interesting article here on a secret Space Shuttle mission in 1988 that nearly turned into a Columbia-like disaster. It was only the second mission flown following the Challenger disaster, and had this mission failed with a loss of life, the whole Shuttle program could have ended.
One of the astronauts on this mission was Mike Mullane whose book I've read a couple of times. Looks like you can get it pretty cheap at Amazon these days, and if you're a space buff, it's a great read. Well worth the $0.01.
One of the astronauts on this mission was Mike Mullane whose book I've read a couple of times. Looks like you can get it pretty cheap at Amazon these days, and if you're a space buff, it's a great read. Well worth the $0.01.
The Rush Challenge
Andrew Klavan tosses a challenge at the liberals that most will be afraid to take:
There's more here. Good for Andrew for listening to the libs, but I just can't do it. Just seeing Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews or any of a number of other libs on TV causes me to lose brain cells.
In another piece, lefty Earl Ofari Hutchinson writes at Huffpo that it's time for Democrats to wave the white flag in their fight with Rush. They're losing and his ratings are exploding.
Finally, a third piece from the Radio Equilizer - it's Rush vs. Obama in NY-20. The special election to replace Kirsten Gilibrand in the House has become a battle between Rush (who is being used by the Democrats to demonize the Republican), and Obama (who is also being used by the Democrat). The election's close in this majority Republican district, but I doubt it's because of the way they're using Rush. The Dem better hope that Rush doesn't decide to show up in the district and take him apart a piece at a time.
If you are reading this newspaper, the likelihood is that you agree with the Obama administration's recent attacks on conservative radio talker Rush Limbaugh.
That's the likelihood; here's the certainty: You've never listened to Rush Limbaugh.
Oh no, you haven't. Whenever I interrupt a liberal's anti-Limbaugh rant to point out that the ranter has never actually listened to the man, he always says the same thing: "I've heard him!"
On further questioning, it always turns out that by "heard him," he means he's heard the selected excerpts spoon-fed him by the distortion-mongers of the mainstream media. These excerpts are specifically designed to accomplish one thing: to make sure you never actually listen to Limbaugh's show, never actually give him a fair chance to speak his piece to you directly.
By lifting some typically Rushian piece of outrageous hilarity completely out of context, the distortion gang knows full well it can get you to widen your eyes and open your mouth in the universal sign of Liberal Outrage. Your scrawny chest swelling with a warm sense of completely unearned righteousness, you will turn to your second spouse and say, "I'm not a liberal, I'm a moderate, and I'm tolerant of a wide range of differing views -- but this goes too far!"
There is more untruthfulness in that statement than in a speech by President Obama. Even the commas are self-deceiving. You're not a moderate or you wouldn't be reading this newspaper. You're not tolerant of a wide range of views; you are tolerant of a narrow spectrum of variations on your views. And, whatever you claim, you still haven't listened to Rush Limbaugh.
Which leads to a question: Why not? I mean, come on, the guy's one of the figures of the age. Aren't you even curious? I listen to all your guys: NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, The Times, the New York Times, the New Yorker -- I check out the whole left-wing hallelujah chorus. Why are you afraid to spend a couple of hours listening to Limbaugh's show and seriously considering if and why you disagree with him?
Let me guess at your answer. You don't need to listen to him. You've heard enough to know he's a) racist, b) hateful, c) stupid, d) merely an outrageous entertainer not to be taken seriously or e) all of the above.
Now let me tell you the real answer: You're a lowdown, yellow-bellied, lily-livered intellectual coward. You're terrified of finding out he makes more sense than you do.
There's more here. Good for Andrew for listening to the libs, but I just can't do it. Just seeing Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews or any of a number of other libs on TV causes me to lose brain cells.
In another piece, lefty Earl Ofari Hutchinson writes at Huffpo that it's time for Democrats to wave the white flag in their fight with Rush. They're losing and his ratings are exploding.
Finally, a third piece from the Radio Equilizer - it's Rush vs. Obama in NY-20. The special election to replace Kirsten Gilibrand in the House has become a battle between Rush (who is being used by the Democrats to demonize the Republican), and Obama (who is also being used by the Democrat). The election's close in this majority Republican district, but I doubt it's because of the way they're using Rush. The Dem better hope that Rush doesn't decide to show up in the district and take him apart a piece at a time.
Obama Fires Head of GM
If you work for GM your new boss is Barack Obama:
There will be a new boss named, and in keeping with past Obama appointments, he'll be incompetent and will have major tax problems.
The Obama administration asked Rick Wagoner, the chairman and CEO of General Motors, to step down and he agreed, a White House official said.With all of Obama's vast executive experience, who better to run the car making giant?
On Monday, President Obama is to unveil his plans for the auto industry, including a response to a request for additional funds by GM and Chrysler. The plan is based on recommendations from the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry, headed by the Treasury Department.
The White House confirmed Wagoner was leaving at the government's behest after The Associated Press reported his immediate departure, without giving a reason.
The surprise announcement about the classically iconic American corporation is perhaps the most vivid sign yet of the tectonic change in the relationship between business and government in this era of subsidies and bailouts.
Wagoner has been CEO for 8 years and at GM for more than 30. The company has not said who will replace him. GM has received $13.4 billion in government aid, and has been seeking $16.6 billion more.
Industry sources had said the White House planned very tough medicine in Monday's announcement, which turned out to be an understatement. And it went to the very top. The measures to be imposed by the government will have a dramatic effect on workers, unions, suppliers, bondholders, shareholders, retirees and the communities where plants are located, the sources said.
There will be a new boss named, and in keeping with past Obama appointments, he'll be incompetent and will have major tax problems.
Earth Hour at Al Gore's House - An Eyewitness Account
Hat's off to Drew Johnson who took a drive by Al Gore's mansion during Earth Hour to see how the Goreacle was celebrating the pagan festival:
I pulled up to Al’s house, located in the posh Belle Meade section of Nashville, at 8:48pm – right in the middle of Earth Hour. I found that the main spotlights that usually illuminate his 9,000 square foot mansion were dark, but several of the lights inside the house were on.To paraphrase Glenn Reynolds: I'll believe global warming is a crisis when the people who tell me it's a crisis act like it's a crisis.
In fact, most of the windows were lit by the familiar blue-ish hue indicating that floor lamps and ceiling fixtures were off, but TV screens and computer monitors were hard at work. (In other words, his house looked the way most houses look about 1:45am when their inhabitants are distractedly watching “Cheaters” or “Chelsea Lately” reruns.)
The kicker, though, were the dozen or so floodlights grandly highlighting several trees and illuminating the driveway entrance of Gore’s mansion.
I [kid] you not, my friends, the savior of the environment couldn’t be bothered to turn off the gaudy lights that show off his goofy trees.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Earth Hour Quote of the Day
From Watts Up With That?, a commenter on his site had this to say about Earth Hour:
That gives it some perspective, doesn't it?
UPDATE: Bonus quote from a commenter at Don Surber's blog:
I will be thinking about the 1.8 billion people on Earth who have no access to electricity, and how insane they must think we are.
That gives it some perspective, doesn't it?
UPDATE: Bonus quote from a commenter at Don Surber's blog:
Paul Gross: “We had an Earth Week here in Kentucky a little while ago compliments of the ice storm. And Air Force One still hasn’t paid us a visit!”
I'm So Proud
Either we Californians and New Yorkers who thought that Earth Hour was a lot of nonsense made sure electricity usage didn't drop last night, or there aren't as many dummies in this state (and New York ) as I thought (from American Thinker):
And if you missed it, here's how Earth Hour was celebrated at Casa de HolyCoast.
The Greenies did not convince the average liberal New Yorkers and Californians to turn off their lights at the appointed Earth Hour of 8:30 PM local time.I'm so proud.
By looking at real time data in New York and California, there was no drop in electric usage.
And if you missed it, here's how Earth Hour was celebrated at Casa de HolyCoast.
Keep Smoking - It's For the Children!
I'm glad I never smoked:
Way back in 1983 I remember going to Disneyland with a friend from work who smoked, and when he arrived there he was hopping mad. He'd just paid $1 for a pack of cigarettes and he swore he was going to quit because he'd never pay that much for smokes. I wonder what he thinks today?
We all know that tobacco is a dangerous product. If used as designed it will give you health problems and may even kill you. The government knows this better than anyone else since they've done all the studies.
However, tobacco is a cash cow because it has an advantage that other products do not - it's addictive. Tobacco users often cannot quit the product without going through very adverse physical reactions. It's the perfect vehicle for ever-increasing taxation. Smokers are like battered wives who refuse to prosecute their husbands. You can keep raising the taxes and they'll keep paying.
Bottom line: There is absolutely no incentive for the government to ban the use of tobacco products. It would kill off to many government health programs.
So for all you smokers out there - keep it up. It's for the children.
WASHINGTON -- However they satisfy their nicotine cravings, tobacco users are facing a big hit as the single largest federal tobacco tax increase ever takes effect Wednesday.
Tobacco companies and public health advocates, longtime foes in the nicotine battles, are trying to turn the situation to their advantage. The major cigarette makers raised prices a couple of weeks ago, partly to offset any drop in profits once the per-pack tax climbs from 39 cents to $1.01.
Medical groups see a tax increase right in the middle of a recession as a great incentive to help persuade smokers to quit.
Tobacco taxes are soaring to finance a major expansion of health insurance for children. President Obama signed that health initiative soon after taking office.
Way back in 1983 I remember going to Disneyland with a friend from work who smoked, and when he arrived there he was hopping mad. He'd just paid $1 for a pack of cigarettes and he swore he was going to quit because he'd never pay that much for smokes. I wonder what he thinks today?
We all know that tobacco is a dangerous product. If used as designed it will give you health problems and may even kill you. The government knows this better than anyone else since they've done all the studies.
However, tobacco is a cash cow because it has an advantage that other products do not - it's addictive. Tobacco users often cannot quit the product without going through very adverse physical reactions. It's the perfect vehicle for ever-increasing taxation. Smokers are like battered wives who refuse to prosecute their husbands. You can keep raising the taxes and they'll keep paying.
Bottom line: There is absolutely no incentive for the government to ban the use of tobacco products. It would kill off to many government health programs.
So for all you smokers out there - keep it up. It's for the children.
Steele Done With Bipartisanship
Republicans have made the frequent mistake of believing that Democrats were interested in true bipartisanship. Of course, they're not. To a Democrat bipartisanship means Republicans agreeing with Democrat positions.
Michael Steele, new chairman of the Republican National Committee, has had a rocky start in his new job, but I think he's got this one right:
It actually sounds like the question was based more on Obama and Steele's race than political position.
Michael Steele, new chairman of the Republican National Committee, has had a rocky start in his new job, but I think he's got this one right:
In a CNN interview, RNC Chairman Michael Steele announced he's finished with efforts to reach out to President Obama.That "professional jealousy" question was just plain stupid. Did Steele run for president? No. If he'd asked that of John McCain it might have made some sense, but not Steele.
Steele: Look, I like the president personally, even though I think he has got a little thing about me, that I haven't quite figured out what that is.
CNN: You haven't spoken to him?
Steele: No.
CNN: You've reach out?
Steele: Several times, and I'm done.
CNN: So there is no bipartisanship going on there?
Steele: Not, not that I know of.
CNN: Is there any professional jealousy?
Steele: Not on my part. What would I be jealous of?
CNN: He's the president of the United States.
Steele: I'm chairman of the RNC, so, what's your point? We both have leadership responsibilities and roles. I'm not equating the two. My point is: you are on your track. I'm on my track. You do your thing. I do my thing.
It actually sounds like the question was based more on Obama and Steele's race than political position.
The UN Global Warming Takeover
Look out:
This is the set-up to the son of Kyoto, the agreement rejected by the U.S. that would have hamstrung our economy. The next agreement will come from Copenhagen and Obama will anxious to sign it.
Our enemies must look on in envy as our Democrat leaders destroy us from within.
A United Nations document on "climate change" that will be distributed to a major environmental conclave next week envisions a huge reordering of the world economy, likely involving trillions of dollars in wealth transfer, millions of job losses and gains, new taxes, industrial relocations, new tariffs and subsidies, and complicated payments for greenhouse gas abatement schemes and carbon taxes — all under the supervision of the world body.
Those and other results are blandly discussed in a discretely worded United Nations "information note" on potential consequences of the measures that industrialized countries will likely have to take to implement the Copenhagen Accord, the successor to the Kyoto Treaty, after it is negotiated and signed by December 2009. The Obama administration has said it supports the treaty process if, in the words of a U.S. State Department spokesman, it can come up with an "effective framework" for dealing with global warming.
The 16-page note, obtained by FOX News, will be distributed to participants at a mammoth negotiating session that starts on March 29 in Bonn, Germany, the first of three sessions intended to hammer out the actual commitments involved in the new deal.
This is the set-up to the son of Kyoto, the agreement rejected by the U.S. that would have hamstrung our economy. The next agreement will come from Copenhagen and Obama will anxious to sign it.
Our enemies must look on in envy as our Democrat leaders destroy us from within.
Joe Biden, Student of History
Barcepundit, a blogger in Spain, brings us today's Joe Biden moment:
And now we're learning that a Spanish court is trying to figure out a way to prosecute former Bush administration officials for torture under international law.
Some country you have there, Jose.
During his meeting with Spain’s primer minister José Luis RodrÃguez Zapatero in Chile yesterday, Biden thanked Zapatero for his effort… in Iraq (link in Spanish, haven’t found this detail in any English-language media).When we were attacked on 9/11 our president ran toward the fight. When the Spanish were attacked in the Madrid train bombings, the voters immediately surrendered and voted in Zapatero who promptly ran from Iraq like a frightened kitten. Profile in courage.
As everybody knows, the first decision Zapatero made after his unexpected win in 2004, right after the Madrid train terrorist attacks, was to abruptly and unilaterally pull out from Iraq.
And now we're learning that a Spanish court is trying to figure out a way to prosecute former Bush administration officials for torture under international law.
Some country you have there, Jose.
Obama Stimulates the Economy for Ticket Scalpers
Not to a presidential rally, but the annual White House Easter Egg Roll:
So, if you're from some far off state and you just picked up tickets to the Easter Egg Roll, what are you going to do with them? Scalp them, of course:
Maybe we should go back to standing in line.
The White House's Internet distribution of tickets to this year's Easter Egg Roll appears to have begun with a splat.
Yesterday's release of tickets online in batches produced what some would-be roll-goers described as large gaps in availability, and frustration and confusion.
In recent years, most people wanting to get the free tickets for the hallowed Washington rite of spring would have to stand in line, often for hours, at the Ellipse Visitor Pavilion, at 15th and E streets, the Saturday before the roll. Tickets were distributed first-come, first-served. Before that, huge lines would form Easter Sunday and into the next morning as people waited for tickets on the day of the event.
The switch to online distribution was envisioned as a way to ease the process and make tickets to the April 13 event on the White House's South Lawn available to a broader cross section of people across the nation. By 6 p.m. yesterday, tickets had been snatched up by people in 41 states, a spokeswoman said. By 7:45, the Web site said all tickets were gone.
So, if you're from some far off state and you just picked up tickets to the Easter Egg Roll, what are you going to do with them? Scalp them, of course:
A reader emails to note that six tickets to the Easter Egg Roll went for $979.99 on eBay.When Bush was president all we had to worry about for this event was The Gayster Bunny - the collection of lesbians, gays, transgendered, transspecies and transplanetary folks who wanted to flood the event with weirdos claiming to be normal families. At least they didn't have to pay $1,000 for their tickets.
Is Nuclear Power Finally Back in Style?
The nuclear power industry was nearly knocked out with the 1-2 punch of the Three Mile Island accident and Jane Fonda's agitprop movie The China Syndrome. Both happened in 1979 and the industry hasn't been the same since despite not having a major incident in the U.S. since then.
Since our legislators won't let us use our own oil or mine more of our own coal to produce power, nuclear is suddenly gaining some much deserved respect:
I have lived within 20 miles of a nuclear power plant for the last 19 years. I've driven right by it hundreds of times an to my knowledge I still don't glow in the dark. It appears to be pretty safe.
The main problem with nuke plants is getting rid of the spent fuel rods and other contaminated parts. We had an ideal location in the wilds of Nevada that would have been perfect as a disposal site, but of course, our legislators won't let us use it. Some lizard somewhere might be harmed.
Unless we get some serious people in Congress who are smart enough to realize that it's foolish to lead the country to national suicide, nuclear will just be a handful of applications on some bureaucrat's desk. There may be a bunch of companies that want to build them, but the approval process is so lengthy and expensive, and the environwackos have so many judges in their pockets, it's highly unlikely another plant will be built without a major change of focus on the part of our leadership.
Since our legislators won't let us use our own oil or mine more of our own coal to produce power, nuclear is suddenly gaining some much deserved respect:
Thirty years after the nation's worst nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island, U.S. lawmakers are back to praising nuclear power as a safe, alternative energy source to foreign oil.
When a nuclear reactor's water pump malfunctioned at the Three Mile plant near Harrisburg, Pa., on March 28, 1979, faith in nuclear energy shattered and the industry spiraled into a meltdown.
The accident caused nuclear power costs to skyrocket and prompted plans for new plants to be scrapped.
Now, three decades later, fears about climate change have prompted American leaders to once again tout nuclear power as a good source of energy and one that can wean the country off its dependence on oil from overseas.
Officials point to the fact that it's the only major form of power that is free of emissions, capable of generating large quantities of electricity and reliable and effective in all sorts of weather.
Lawmakers insist they've learned from the massive Three Mile Island mistake and have since been placing a greater emphasis on nuclear plant safety, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The industry has expanded by spending $4 billion and generating 15,000 jobs in recent years, Nuclear Energy Institute spokesman Tom Kauffman told the newspaper. Seventeen companies have applied with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build 26 reactors.
I have lived within 20 miles of a nuclear power plant for the last 19 years. I've driven right by it hundreds of times an to my knowledge I still don't glow in the dark. It appears to be pretty safe.
The main problem with nuke plants is getting rid of the spent fuel rods and other contaminated parts. We had an ideal location in the wilds of Nevada that would have been perfect as a disposal site, but of course, our legislators won't let us use it. Some lizard somewhere might be harmed.
Unless we get some serious people in Congress who are smart enough to realize that it's foolish to lead the country to national suicide, nuclear will just be a handful of applications on some bureaucrat's desk. There may be a bunch of companies that want to build them, but the approval process is so lengthy and expensive, and the environwackos have so many judges in their pockets, it's highly unlikely another plant will be built without a major change of focus on the part of our leadership.
Stem Cell Research Finally Pays Off
Did it cure cancer, make Michael J. Fox stop shaking, or make Christopher Reeve walk again? (I know, that ship has sailed.) No, it's giving British women bigger boobs:
Money well spent.
A STEM cell therapy offering “natural” breast enlargement is to be made available to British women for the first time.
The treatment could boost cup size while reducing stomach fat. It involves extracting stem cells from spare fat on the stomach or thighs and growing them in a woman’s breasts. An increase of one cup size is likely, with the potential for larger gains as the technique improves.
Money well spent.
Pictures From the Flood
The rookie president tells us that runaway global warming is responsible for the flooding going on in North Dakota and Minnesota along the Red River. Take a look at this amazing photo essay on the situation up there and tell me if you see a lot of warming going on.
Also, in times like this the very best is brought out in people and that's certainly true based on the photos in this collection. Neighbors helping neighbors.
Also, in times like this the very best is brought out in people and that's certainly true based on the photos in this collection. Neighbors helping neighbors.
Affirmative Action for Muslims
How do you feel about this?
Next week they'll be working on Wiccan priests and African witchdoctors.
CHICAGO — In a bid to get more Muslim Americans working in the Obama administration, a book with resumes of 45 of the nation’s most qualified — Ivy League grads, Fortune 500 executives and public servants, all carefully vetted — has been submitted to the White House.
The effort, driven by community leaders and others, including U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., was bumped up two weeks because White House officials heard about the venture, said J. Saleh Williams, program coordinator for the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association, who sifted through more than 300 names.
"It was mostly under the radar," Williams said. "We thought it would put (the president) in a precarious position. We didn’t know how closely he wanted to appear to be working with the Muslim American community."
Next week they'll be working on Wiccan priests and African witchdoctors.
Clean Movies Make Money
Dr. Ted Baehr at Big Hollywood shares some numbers from MovieGuide which analyzed the usage of substance abuse, foul language and sexual scenes in movies and how those movies fared at the box office:
You can almost hear the Hollywood weenies whining: "But clean movies aren't art!"
Are you in the movie business to make art or make money? Your shareholders might want to know the answer to that one.
Movies with no foul language compared to average box office in 2008:
No obscenities/profanities averaged: $55,568,733
0-25 obscenities/profanities: $32,145,527
More than 25: $22,934,908Movies with no sexual content compared to average box office in 2008:
No sexual content averaged: $42,953,235
Implied adultery, promiscuity, sexual perversion or sexual immorality: $33,290,253
Depicted adultery, promiscuity, sexual perversion, or sexual immorality: $19,390,655
Graphic adultery, promiscuity, sexual perversion, or sexual immorality: $14,878,503
Movies with no nudity compared to average box office in 2008 movies:
No nudity: $36,274,503
Some sexual nudity: $29,132,665
Extensive sexual nudity: $19,874,327Movies with no alcohol abuse compared to average box office in 2008 movies:
Some drunkenness: $32,809,224
Extreme abuse: $14,014,314Movies with no drug references compared to average box office in 2008 movies:
No drug references: $48,819,627
Some drug references: $18,880,203
Very strong drug references: $11,621,557For more information, visit www.movieguide.com or call 1-800-577-6684.
You can almost hear the Hollywood weenies whining: "But clean movies aren't art!"
Are you in the movie business to make art or make money? Your shareholders might want to know the answer to that one.
Putting a Stop to the Global New Deal
How come no one is following our Dear Leader?
I predict the G20 meeting will dissolve into chaos very quickly.
GORDON BROWN’S carefully laid plans for a G20 deal on worldwide tax cuts have been scuppered by an eve-of-summit ambush by European leaders.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, last night led the assault on the prime minister’s “global new deal” for a $2 trillion-plus fiscal stimulus to end the recession.
“I will not let anyone tell me that we must spend more money,” she said.
The Spanish finance minister, Pedro Solbes, also dismissed new cash being pledged at Thursday’s London summit.
“In these conditions I and the rest of my colleagues from the eurozone believe there is no room for new fiscal stimulus plans,” he said.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has insisted that “radical reform” of capitalism is more important than tax cutting.
The attacks on Brown’s ambitions for the G20 to inject more money into the world economy come at the end of a week where the prime minister has travelled to three continents to build support for his proposals.
The likely deadlock at this week’s meeting will kill any remaining hope that Alistair Darling’s April 22 budget will offer significant tax cuts.
The assault by European Union leaders also represents a defeat for President Barack Obama, who is desperate for other big economies to copy his $800 billion stimulus plan.
I predict the G20 meeting will dissolve into chaos very quickly.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Earth Hour Celebration
This is what the greenies decided to celebrate around the world tonight at 8:30 pm:
Darkness. Charming, isn't it. Sort of like the void between their ears.
This is how I'm celebrating:
Light and lots of it. I'm celebrating the achievements of humans over the years who have learned how to capture electrons and make them work for us to provide us needed light when the world is dark. The environidiots would have us return to the dark to "save the Earth". Well, if they want to sit in the dark, have at it. However, I and my civilized brethren will stay in the 21st century, thank you very much.
(By the way, for the record I'm not going to leave my car headlights on for the entire hour. I'd like to be able to start it in the morning.)
Watching the afternoon news reports was really disgusting. I got so mad I almost threw my shoe through my 42" electron-gulping plasma TV. I saw reports on both the Los Angeles NBC and ABC affiliates, and critical reporting was nowhere to be found on either channel. Both networks reported Earth Hour not only as a newsworthy event, but as something in which we should all be involved. In addition to reporting on the Dark Ages celebrations around the world and what would be happening in Los Angeles, the reporters cheerfully told us that we should participate. The ABC reporter said "Be sure to turn your lights out from 8:30 to 9:30 tonight to raise awareness of global warming!"
Why don't you go sit on a compact florescent bulb and spin.
And why does global warming need "awareness"? They've been pounding this drum for 25 years and if you're not aware of the propaganda by now, you're really not paying attention.
Well, let me answer my own question. The globalonists have a problem. Back in the mid-70's they were telling us that we were all going to die because of the coming global ice age. Then in about 1977 the sun decided to kick it up a notch and began to go into a cycle of increased activity and energy output. Lo and behold the Earth started warming.
You see, the heat on our planet does not come from SUVs, plasma TVs or other man-made appliances. It comes from the sun, and the sun does not always release energy in a consistent manner. It has warming and cooling cycles. Always has, always will.
The globalonists, realizing they were all wet about a coming ice age, shifted faster than Jeff Gordon at Bristol and suddenly decided we were all going to die from global warming. Voila, an issue they can scare people with a try to get laws passed that will allow them to control our lives.
That effort went merrily along its way until 1998 when Old Sol decided it was time to take a break. Solar activity began to slow down and with it the amount of energy reaching the Earth. Temperatures peaked in 1998 and haven't been as high since. Objective scientists are now saying we may be heading into a pronounced cooling period that could run 30 or 40 years.
That has really taken the wind out of the global warming campaign. Hence the creation of Earth Hour to try and gin up some needed support.
Thanks to a helpful media which won't even acknowledge the possibility that there are those who think Earth Hour is a bunch of bunk, we now have millions of people sitting in the dark, holding hands and baying at the moon in a pagan festival that would make the Druids jealous.
Well, count me out. The Earth doesn't need my help to survive. Man can't destroy it and we certainly can't save it. It's the height of arrogance to think we can.
It's the Tide, Stupid
Since we're celebrating globaloney on this day of stupid, empty futile gestures such as Earth Hour, here's another story featuring one of Al Gore's most specious claims - that sea levels are rising and will sone day soon swallow up islands and coastal cities:
Globaloney advocates will only listen to data that supports their wacky theories, and if such data cannot be found, they'll make it up.
Despite fluctuations down as well as up, "the sea is not rising," he says. "It hasn't risen in 50 years." If there is any rise this century it will "not be more than 10cm (four inches), with an uncertainty of plus or minus 10cm". And quite apart from examining the hard evidence, he says, the elementary laws of physics (latent heat needed to melt ice) tell us that the apocalypse conjured up by
Al Gore and Co could not possibly come about.
The reason why Dr Mörner, formerly a Stockholm professor, is so certain that these claims about sea level rise are 100 per cent wrong is that they are all based on computer model predictions, whereas his findings are based on "going into the field to observe what is actually happening in the real world".
When running the International Commission on Sea Level Change, he launched a special project on the Maldives, whose leaders have for 20 years been calling for vast sums of international aid to stave off disaster. Six times he and his expert team visited the islands, to confirm that the sea has not risen for half a century. Before announcing his findings, he offered to show the inhabitants a film explaining why they had nothing to worry about. The government refused to let it be shown.
Similarly in Tuvalu, where local leaders have been calling for the inhabitants to be evacuated for 20 years, the sea has if anything dropped in recent decades. The only evidence the scaremongers can cite is based on the fact that extracting groundwater for pineapple growing has allowed seawater to seep in to replace it. Meanwhile, Venice has been sinking rather than the Adriatic rising, says Dr Mörner.
One of his most shocking discoveries was why the IPCC has been able to show sea levels rising by 2.3mm a year. Until 2003, even its own satellite-based evidence showed no upward trend. But suddenly the graph tilted upwards because the IPCC's favoured experts had drawn on the finding of a single tide-gauge in Hong Kong harbour showing a 2.3mm rise. The entire global sea-level projection was then adjusted upwards by a "corrective factor" of 2.3mm, because, as the IPCC scientists admitted, they "needed to show a trend".
Globaloney advocates will only listen to data that supports their wacky theories, and if such data cannot be found, they'll make it up.
The Earth Hour Challenge
Last night I posted a comment on the NBC4LA website challenging that local news team to cover those of us who will be protesting against Earth Hour by turning on every light in our house. I left them my email address if they wished further comment or wanted to know where to send the reporter.
No response so far, as expected.
So, doing the job that TV reporters pushing greenie nonsense just won't do, here are a few questions that should be asked when their pagan celebration ends tonight:
No response so far, as expected.
So, doing the job that TV reporters pushing greenie nonsense just won't do, here are a few questions that should be asked when their pagan celebration ends tonight:
- How many fires were started because people were burning candles for illumination?
- How much carbon was thrown into the atmosphere by those fires or the burning candles?
- How many people were injured because they tripped over something in the dark?
- How many crimes were committed because we all know that crooks love darkness to do their work?
And for those who think that all this nonsense will save the Earth, let me suggest you further show your support by walking around in darkened areas of your city and celebrating its return to the Dark Ages. Surely the darkness will be good and holy and you will be bathed in joy from Gaia herself.
Just don't carry a lot of cash.
Meanwhile, tune back in here around 9pm PDT tonight and I will hopefully have some photos up of the well-illuminated Casa de HolyCoast. (UPDATE: Here they are.) And for those of you who will be joining me in Creator Hour or Human Achievement Hour (feel free to choose the secular or non-secular option), here a little video you'll enjoy:
Compact Florescent Bulb Problems Slowing Down the Saving of the World
We all know that in order to save the Earth we must get rid of our bright, reliable incandescent bulbs and replace them with compact florescents. So far not everyone is a fan:
SAN FRANCISCO — It sounds like such a simple thing to do: buy some new light bulbs, screw them in, save the planet.I have replaced some bulbs in my house with CFBs and have generally had good success with them. I haven't seen any marked reduction in my electric bill, though.
But a lot of people these days are finding the new compact fluorescent bulbs anything but simple. Consumers who are trying them say they sometimes fail to work, or wear out early. At best, people discover that using the bulbs requires learning a long list of dos and don’ts.
Take the case of Karen Zuercher and her husband, in San Francisco. Inspired by watching the movie “An Inconvenient Truth,” they decided to swap out nearly every incandescent bulb in their home for energy-saving compact fluorescents. Instead of having a satisfying green moment, however, they wound up coping with a mess.
“Here’s my sad collection of bulbs that didn’t work,” Ms. Zuercher said the other day as she pulled a cardboard box containing defunct bulbs from her laundry shelf.
One of the 16 Feit Electric bulbs the Zuerchers bought at Costco did not work at all, they said, and three others died within hours. The bulbs were supposed to burn for 10,000 hours, meaning they should have lasted for years in normal use. “It’s irritating,” Ms. Zuercher said.
Irritation seems to be rising as more consumers try compact fluorescent bulbs, which now occupy 11 percent of the nation’s eligible sockets, with 330 million bulbs sold every year. Consumers are posting vociferous complaints on the Internet after trying the bulbs and finding them lacking.
Dream Home Winner May Not Make the Move to Sonoma
I had a feeling this would be the case:
I imagine that once the Smith's see Sonoma and realize how far it is away from their family, not to mention how different the weather is from their home in Lakeland, they'll just sell it like most of the winners so they can pay the taxes and bank the rest.
LAKELAND — A Lakeland woman who won a $2 million dream home from a cable television network says she and her husband aren't sure if they'll be making the big move to the California house.See, they should have given it to us. We would have moved in (if we could have figured out how to pay the estimated $1 million tax bill).
Cheryl Smith found out Sunday that she won the custom-designed, fully furnished home in the HGTV Dream Home giveaway. The Victorian-style home is in Sonoma, Calif.
The 58-year-old grandmother and her husband, Joe, will be given the keys to the house at a ceremony next month. But Cheryl Smith says they are "just going out there to see what it feels like and then we will decide."
Smith was among the more than 39 million people who entered the drawing.
I imagine that once the Smith's see Sonoma and realize how far it is away from their family, not to mention how different the weather is from their home in Lakeland, they'll just sell it like most of the winners so they can pay the taxes and bank the rest.
Judd Gregg Has Become the GOP's Best Weapon
I'm thankful every day that Sen. Judd Gregg did not take the commerce post with Obama. He's become a forceful spokesman against Obama and for common sense. Today he gave the Republican weekly radio message:
Obama has had some nominations backfire, but none as badly as Gregg's.
U.S. Republicans say the path to prosperity is not the excessive spending proposed by President Obama but limited spending that holds down the growth of government, taxes and debt.
"We believe you create prosperity by having an affordable government that pursues its responsibilities without excessive costs, taxes or debt," Sen. Judd Gregg said Saturday in the weekly Republican radio address.
Gregg, who was offered the job of Obama's commerce secretary but withdrew his name, has become one of the toughest critics of Obama's handling of the economy.
"In the next five years, President Obama's budget will double the national debt; in the next 10 years, it will triple the national debt," the New Hampshire Republican said.
"His budget assumes the deficit will average $1 trillion every year for the next 10 years and will add well over $9 trillion in new debts to our children's backs," Gregg said. "He also is proposing the largest tax increase in history, much of it aimed at taxing small business people who have been, over the years, the best job creators in our economy."
Gregg said Obama's proposals "represent an extraordinary move of our government to the left."
He said Obama "is not trying to hide this; in fact, he is very forthright in stating that he believes that by greatly expanding the spending, the taxing and the borrowing of our government, this will lead us to prosperity."
Gregg countered that:
-- "It is the individual American who creates prosperity and good jobs, not the government."
-- "We believe that you create energy independence not by sticking Americans with a brand new national sales tax on everyone's electric bill, but by expanding the production of American energy ... while also conserving more."
--"We also believe you improve everyone's health care not by nationalizing the health care system and putting the government between you and your doctor, but by assuring that every American has access to quality health insurance and choices in health care."
He said the United States "has an exceptional history of one generation passing on to the next generation a more prosperous and stronger country, but that tradition is being put at risk."
Obama has had some nominations backfire, but none as badly as Gregg's.
Hillary's Virgin Mary Sighting
I haven't done any Virgin Mary sighting stories for awhile. Maybe the economic slowdown has caused her to cut back on her traveling.
Anyway, Hillary Clinton had a sighting of the Virgin Mary in Mexico City, but it didn't go as well as she might have hoped:
Anyway, Hillary Clinton had a sighting of the Virgin Mary in Mexico City, but it didn't go as well as she might have hoped:
During her recent visit to Mexico, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an unexpected stop at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and left a bouquet of white flowers “on behalf of the American people,” after asking who painted the famous image.State Department employees are supposed to prep the Secretary of State before they go visit important places. Somebody goofed.
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was miraculously imprinted by Mary on the tilma, or cloak, of St. Juan Diego in 1531. The image has numerous unexplainable phenomena, such as the appearance on Mary’s eyes of those present in the room when the tilma was opened and the image’s lack of decay.
Mrs. Clinton was received on Thursday at 8:15 a.m. by the rector of the Basilica, Msgr. Diego Monroy.
Msgr. Monroy took Mrs. Clinton to the famous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which had been previously lowered from its usual altar for the occasion.
After observing it for a while, Mrs. Clinton asked “who painted it?” to which Msgr. Monroy responded “God!”
Obama Road Show Fails to Win Support
Andrew Malcolm at The Ticket comments on the media blitz Obama has been doing to push his budget proposal, and the effect on the polling:
When the president goes on Leno to promote legislation the viewers rightfully think he's not a serious man. That's what those polls are showing (not to mention the fact that the voters are waking up about huge deficits and silly programs funded with their tax dollars).The Gallup Poll did another one this week on President Obama's $3,550,000,000,000 budget for fiscal 2010 and found support for it down slightly, disapproval up slightly and even "Don't Knows" also up a bit.
So no big statistical change, right?
Right.
But wait. Add a little context and it can look somewhat different.
Obama took his well-oiled road show to California in that time frame to hold two nationally-televised town hall meetings dominated by budget talk. He went on Jay Leno's show and talked to some 14 million bedtime viewers about the budget. He did a well-watched "60 Minutes" interview last weekend and talked more about the budget. He held a nationally-televised primetime news conference Tuesday and talked endlessly about the budget to an estimated 42 million Americans. His support team mobilized millions of e-mails to gin up supporters across the land to talk up the budget, especially to friends and elected representatives. Other groups ran ads supporting the budget. Obama brings up the ambitious budget at every opportunity. And he drove to Capitol Hill to create even more opportunity for budget news coverage.
The result, according to Gallup: People who feel positively about his budget fell from 44% in late February to 39% this week. People who feel negatively about the budget increased one point to 27% in the same time frame. And after all that budget talk, people who claim to not know enough to have an opinion increased 10% from 30% to 33%.
Creator Hour
Doug TenNaple at Big Hollywood and I are on the same wavelength:
Check back in tonight about 8:45 PDT and I may post a picture or two of my well-lit house.
Our government dare not promote a national religion that refers to a traditional notion of God. We are collectively trained to avoid pushing our values onto others largely because relativism claims that there are no transcendent moral truths. But where we empty our lives of one religion, we don’t embrace neutrality, we just put some other dogma on the throne and claim “the debate is over.”
The worship and love of materials is our nation’s religion. I’d say it was a new religion, but it’s actually the oldest religion in the world, Paganism. Judeo-Christian values came from a pagan world with a radical new concept: the Creator, not the creation, should not be worshiped.
Recent leftist hysteria demands the removal of formal religion from public life. But they snuck in a new absolute for which we are not to argue. There’s no “true for you but not for me.” when it comes to the dogma of Global Climate Change. If someone tells me I have to change the light-bulbs in my house or I’m a bad person, I cannot reply, “Who are you to judge?” Their answer will likely start with something like, “Science says…” or “Everyone knows…” or a standard ad hominem like “racist,” “homophobe,” “anti-science,” or “Bible-thumper.”
My children aren’t allowed to hear about God in public school, but my seven-year-old daughter brings home Earth Day bull#### propaganda that instruct children to tell their parents to change light-bulbs, turn off lights, and re-use shopping bags. When my daughter obeys the national religion’s mandate I tell her, “Those aren’t our values. That’s not our religion. We don’t fear capitalism, and we pay for the energy we use. We believe in a God that is not the creation.”
I’d like to announce that Saturday, March 29th from 8:30pm to 9:30pm local time is Creator Hour! We will make a statement that God’s illumination is the ultimate hope for mankind by turning on every light in the house for that one hour. Let your pagan neighbors self-flagellate themselves by depriving themselves of light. We need to make up for their lack of illumination by turning on yard lights, garage lights, maybe even start up the fireplace.
The Earth Hour website calls for us to “Vote Earth,” but I intend to cast my ballot for the other party: Vote Creator! Turn on the lights and show the pagans that illumination, inspiration, capitalism, creativity and sobriety in the face of hysterics is how we conquer our problems.
So, if you also have a higher opinion of the Creator than you do of fear-mongers, join me and turn on every unnecessary light you can from 8:30 to 9:30pm on the 29th. I’m turning on my pool lights, I’ll light some tiki torches, and I’ll probably leave the fridge open for that hour just to make sure my carbon production offsets the liberal church-ladies shoving their religion down my throat.
Check back in tonight about 8:45 PDT and I may post a picture or two of my well-lit house.
HHS Secretary-Designate May Have Saved Her Nomination
Gov. Kathleen Sibelius of Kansas, Obama's nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, may have made her confirmation a little easier with Republicans after signing this bill:
Anything that upsets Planned Parenthood is probably good for the rest of us.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed a bill Friday to ensure that women and girls seeking abortions in Kansas are allowed to see ultrasound images or hear their fetus' heartbeat before the procedure.
The bill, which takes effect July 1, amends a state law requiring doctors to obtain a patient's informed consent before performing an abortion. The measure requires abortion providers who use ultrasound or monitor fetal heartbeats to give their patients access to the images or sound at least 30 minutes before an abortion.
Spokeswoman Beth Martino said Sebelius concluded that the bill had no constitutional flaws, didn't jeopardize patient privacy and did not block access to health services. The governor has in the past vetoed legislation sought by anti-abortion groups.
Sebelius said in a statement that residents want politicians to move beyond such divisive legislative debates and tackle issues such as improving health care and controlling health care costs.
"Now, more than ever, we need to focus on those priorities, which unite the people of Kansas," she said.
Supporters of the bill said it would ensure women have enough information to make decisions about abortion and protect their health.
Peter Brownlie, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said its clinic in Overland Park already allows women to see ultrasound images but few accept the offer.
"We had hoped that Governor Sebelius would veto the bill, and we're disappointed that she did not," Brownlie said. "We give people complete information so they can make their own decisions."
The law also requires providers to post a notice saying it is illegal for anyone to try to force a woman or girl to have an abortion.
Anything that upsets Planned Parenthood is probably good for the rest of us.
Weather Headline of the Day
From AP:
CNN journalist, others arrested on Fargo dikesI would have expected it to read "CNN journalist arrested WITH Fargo dikes".
The Perfect 10
No, we're not talking about Bo Derek running on a beach somewhere, but a collection of entrees at a fine dining restaurant. I don't normally do restaurant reviews, but I'll make an exception for this one.
The guy who cuts my hair told me that Savannah Chop House in Laguna Niguel had started a special $10 menu to help folks out during the current tough times. The dinners normally run in the $20+ category, so I wasn't sure what you'd get for $10. He highly recommended it, so we went there last night.
Wow.
We got lucky when our 45 minute wait turned into 5 minutes thanks to a cancellation, and we ate on the patio overlooking the coastline and watched the sun set over the hills.
Here's the "Perfect 10" menu from the restaurant's website:
The guy who cuts my hair told me that Savannah Chop House in Laguna Niguel had started a special $10 menu to help folks out during the current tough times. The dinners normally run in the $20+ category, so I wasn't sure what you'd get for $10. He highly recommended it, so we went there last night.
Wow.
We got lucky when our 45 minute wait turned into 5 minutes thanks to a cancellation, and we ate on the patio overlooking the coastline and watched the sun set over the hills.
Here's the "Perfect 10" menu from the restaurant's website:
My wife had the Filet Mignon (she's a big time carnivore), and I had the Halibut. The Filet was good sized and the tenderest I've ever seen. I had a big piece of Halibut with veggies in a tasty sauce. Lots of food for $10 (and it also comes with sourdough bread). Since dinner was so inexpensive we also got a dessert - a wonderful chocolate cake with berries, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate sauce.
Excellent food, great atmosphere, great service and a terrific value all around. I highly recommend it for anyone in South Orange County.
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