Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Next Time You Fly...Watch Out For The Radical Christian Bombers!

Wikio As portrayed on "Law & Order", Christians are just as terrible as jihadists.

Kossacks Display Hate by Rejoicing in Rush Limbaugh Hospitalization

Newsbusters "...the Daily Kos has gained the reputation in the mainstream media for somehow being composed of "reasonable progressives" in stark contrast to their Democratic Underground cousins whom even many in the MSM will admit are flat out loons. However..."

Waterboard Abdulmutallab!

PowerlineBlog "Fifty-eight percent (58%) of U.S. voters say waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation techniques should be used to gain information from the terrorist who attempted to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% oppose the use of such techniques, and another 12% are not sure."

Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting

MediaResearchCenter "“Mary Jo wasn’t a right-wing talking point or a negative campaign slogan....We don’t know how much Kennedy was affected by her death, or what she’d have thought about arguably being a catalyst for the most successful Senate career in history....[One wonders what] Mary Jo Kopechne would have had to say about Ted’s death, and what she’d have thought of the life and career that are being (rightfully) heralded. Who knows — maybe she’d feel it was worth it.” — Discover magazine deputy web editor Melissa Lafsky..."

Houston: Rocket launcher, jihadist writings found in apartment -- no charges filed

Jihad Watch "Rocket launcher? Check. Jihadist writings? Check. But no worries -- the Feds found no ties to terrorism!"...."Houston police said they did a thorough investigation and did not find any ties to terrorists or a terrorist network. What a relief!"

FOUAD AJAMI: A Cold-Blooded Foreign Policy

WSJ "No despot fears the president, and no demonstrator in Tehran expects him to ride to the rescue."

Karl Rove: New Year's Resolutions for Washington

WSJ "Republican congressional leaders should resolve not to sit on their laurels. They're winning the battle for public opinion on health care, cap and trade, and spending, but by next fall, it won't be enough to surf voter dissatisfaction with Mr. Obama and Democrats. Voters will want to know what Republican candidates would do."

Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians" for 2009

Judicial Watch "Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2009 list of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians." The list, in alphabetical order, includes:" (Expect the left to make much of the Republican on the list.)

A Fairer Verdict On Bush

Victor Davis Hanson "Unmentioned has been Bush's character of both honesty and resoluteness. He ran one of the most corruption-free administrations in memory, something we are already beginning to appreciate as we compare the prior scandal-ridden Clintons and the Chicagoesque ambiguities that already swirl around Barack Obama and his cabinet appointments.In time, historians will come to a fairer verdict of George W. Bush; in the meantime such a favorable reassessment has already begun."

Oliphant

More Radicalizing of Higher Education Ahead

Jay Schalin , AT "If the previous committee was "too politicized" to permit its continued existence -- its big sin was to press for establishing universal, easily understood, quantifiable academic standards -- then what are we to make of way the Obama administration is loading up the newly formed NACIQI with diversity advocates and left-wing activists?" GLSEN-ing Young Children "Public education, led by people like Kevin Jennings, proceeds full throttle in the secular quest to extricate all vestiges of moral suasion and innocence, designing homosexual-friendly curricula to include books that augment acceptance of gay students, with the hope of diminishing incidences of bullying of everyone except Bible-readers and Jesus-sketchers."

2009: Tipping Point for Domestic Terror?

Patrick Poole Pajamas Media "No doubt many jihadists observing these incidents are encouraged by their apparent success and the added benefit of waging “legal jihad” in the court system afterwards, appealing to all the rights and protections afforded them by the very same U.S. Constitution they seek to subvert."

Our 2009 Chickens and Their 2010 Roost

Victor Davis Hanson " In other words, 2009 may seem to have ended relatively quietly. But in our foreign relations, in the war against terror, in our massive borrowing, and in our energy policies, we created chickens that will come home to roost in 2010."

Enough with the Yemen Terrorist Pipeline

Jennifer Rubin "The Obami are a stubborn lot. Even new and troubling evidence regarding the inanity of releasing dangerous Guantanamo detainees cannot shake them from their fixation with closing the facility. ....“Close Guantanamo!” was a campaign slogan devised with little information and pronounced in the heady opening days of the new Obama administration, before the commander in chief could survey the obvious political and practical problems of shuttering a secure, humane facility that could indefinitely hold those who would surely, if given the chance, return to kill more Americans."

"13 Attorney Generals(sic) Threaten Lawsuits Over Senate Health Care Bribes"

Gateway Pundit "The letter was signed by top prosecutors in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington state. All are Republicans, and McMaster and the attorneys general of Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania are running for governor in their respective states."

Barack Obama and the Exhausted Presidency

BigGovernment "One fact is emblematic. Obama managed to get elected editor of The Harvard Law Review without having to do what all of his predecessors did — which is to write an article of a quality that would allow it to be published in the journal. With the one exception mentioned above, his political races have been easy. Events consistently broke in his favor. He has never really been tested — until now. And, of course, now he finds himself in over his head. Obama’s difficulties are of his own making, and they arise from his failure thus far to recognize what it means to be President of the United States."

Prayers for a friend

Hot Air "I have a different perspective on Rush, based on our very first interaction, which had nothing at all to do with politics. Rush allowed me to share this story over three years ago when it happened, and I’d like to share it with Hot Air readers now while asking them to pray for a speedy recovery for Rush."

Will Fox News be removed from Time-Warner cable line-up?

MediaCoder "The two companies are fighting over the amount that the cable operator should pay Fox stations for the right to retransmit their popular shows, sporting events and local newscasts. Fox is demanding about a dollar per cable subscriber per month; Time Warner Cable calls that amount “excessive.”"

What Ben Nelson didn’t tell Nebraskans

Reuters "Suddenly down some 30 points to a hypothetical 2012 challenger, Ben “60th vote” Nelson — a guy who won his 2006 race with 64 percent — is taking to the airwaves to explain his decision to vote for ObamaCare. But in a TV spot, Nelson failed to tell his fellow Nebraskans that while the Senate bill supposedly improves the U. S. fiscal picture, it employs some Enron-esque bookkeeping tricks to get there."

Alan Caruba: 2010's Top Ten Myths

Warning Signs "In no particular order, here are ten myths that will affect U.S. domestic and international policy in the year ahead."

Limbaugh Hospitalized With Chest Pains

KITV Honolulu "Patient Told Emergency Workers He Was Taking Medicine For Back Pain"...."Limbaugh, 58, suffered from chest pains, sources said. Limbaugh was sitting in a chair in his ninth-floor hotel room at the Kahala when emergency crews arrived, sources said. He told medical crews that he was taking medication for a back problem, sources said."

Report: Rush Limbaugh taken to Hawaii hospital

WABC Radio Rush's flagship station "Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was taken to a hospital with chest pains on Wednesday and was in serious condition, a Honolulu television station reported."

Report: Rush Limbaugh taken to Hawaii hospital

Breitbart "Paramedics responded to a call at 2:41 p.m. from the Kahala Hotel and Resort where Limbaugh is vacationing, KITV reported. The station, citing unnamed sources, said the 58-year-old Limbaugh was taken to The Queens Medical Center in serious condition. " There will be great rejoicing at the White House and at NBC.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

IVANA TRUMP ESCORTED OFF PLANE: NAPOLITANO DECLARES 'THE SYSTEM WORKED'

Ann Coulter "This, allegedly, was the price we had to pay for safe airplanes. The one security precaution the government refused to consider was to require extra screening for passengers who looked like the last three-dozen terrorists to attack airplanes. Since Muslims took down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, every attack on a commercial airliner has been committed by foreign-born Muslim men with the same hair color, eye color and skin color. Half of them have been named Mohammed. "

Obama's lost Maureen Dowd even!

As the Nation’s Pulse Races, Obama Can’t Seem to Find His "Citing the attempt of the Nigerian’s father to warn U.S. authorities six months ago, the president intoned: “It now appears that weeks ago this information was passed to a component of our intelligence community but was not effectively distributed so as to get the suspect’s name on a no-fly list.” In his detached way, Spock was letting us know that our besieged starship was not speeding into a safer new future, and that we still have to be scared. Heck of a job, Barry."

Just What Did President Obama's Executive Order regarding INTERPOL Do?

ABC News "Some viewers/readers have asked me about an executive order President Obama signed earlier this month regarding INTERPOL, an issue that has exploded on the conservative blogosphere with all sorts of nefarious insinuations and accusations. Here are some background and the facts:" Jake Tapper.

Political Cartoons by Michael Ramirez

I'm not sure, but isn't this Don Knotts as Barney Fife?

Why the Mullahs Are Vulnerable

WSJ "What began as anger over a stolen election has grown into a revolt against Iran's system of Islamic government."

Carter "Apology": Reaction II

IsraelNationalNews "Carter's apology for maligning Israel in his book, Israel:The Apartheid State, letters and speeches not so easily accepted. Carter's grandson just happens to be running for office in an area with a vocal Jewish population. The writer has some ideas."

A Decade and Its Three Crises

Sammy Benoit in AT "...a Pharaoh who "knew not Joseph" arose, he sent Joseph's people into slavery for the next 210 years. Will the result of Emanuel's not wasting a crisis include the rise of a president who knows not the Constitution? Will the people of Emanuel's adopted land become the slaves of their government? Such a future can be fought only by an American people who understand what's happening and possess the will to fight it off. Hopefully the next decade will be called the Decade of Government by the People."

Uh-Oh… US Knew of Al-Qaeda Terror Plot Involving Nigerian Before Christmas

Gateway Pundit "The U.S. government had intelligence from Yemen before Christmas that leaders of a branch of Al Qaeda there were talking about “a Nigerian” being prepared for a terrorist attack, the New York Times reported Tuesday."

Our Year of Obama

Victor Davis Hanson "The final irony is that should Obama and his revolutionaries prevail in their remaking of America, their own progeny will not enjoy the opportunity and affluence that they so cavalierly take to be their birthright, which was bequeathed to them by less liberal others."

Kerry requests Iran let him visit

Jennifer Rubin "“Sen. John Kerry has filed a formal request to visit Iran, Iranian news agencies reported Tuesday — news made public in the middle of the government’s bloody crackdown on dissidents that has left more than a dozen dead.” It would be frightful if the Obami foreign policy toward Iran were this incoherent."

Why Obama pretends

PowerlineBlog Quoting Dick Cheney: "It doesn't fit with what seems to be the goal of his presidency - social transformation--the restructuring of American society. President Obama's first object and his highest responsibility must be to defend us against an enemy that knows we are at war."

Christian Bashing: A Special Christmas Gift From ‘NCIS’

Big Hollywood Spoiler alert: "It turns out the Marine was murdered by his own brother in what I can only describe as an “Honor Killing.” The ‘Christian’ family was so embarrassed by the son’s conversion to Islam that the brother thought the only recourse he had was to kill him. Out of all the cultures in the globe where honor killing is a very serious problem, how many have appened in America within a Christian family? Oh yeah—NONE. Is there a verse in the Bible one can point to where the Christian is instructed to kill the offending family member should he or she decide to convert to another religion? I think not. NCIS, what were you thinking? "

Model for air travel security may be El Al

CNN "El Al receives threats daily, yet it has not had a terrorist incident in more than 30 years, according to David Hermesh, El Al's president.".... "El Al attributes its record of safe travel to its tough security measures. "If you're a passenger on El Al, most likely you will be observed from the minute that you left your car or you have been dropped off ..."

Tea Parties: The Biggest Mistake We Could Make in 2010

Big Government "So, I see trouble brewing ahead for the Tea Party movement one that might lead to its being wasted and the frittering away of these potentially powerful passions will be the biggest mistake the right could make. Sadly, I can almost see no way to prevent it from happening. So, Happy New Year, sure, but let’s keep all this in mind and find a way to weld the Tea Party passion into action." But please! No third party- at least for conservatives.

Obama’s Shameful Handling of National Security Issues

Pam Meister , PJM "When he did finally make a public statement, it was pretty much boilerplate: ordering a review of security procedures and a promise to get the bad guys. All with the trademark “cool” that made him so different than his predecessor. Sorry, but “cool” isn’t what we need right now. We need someone who’s willing to fight."...."Does Obama have what it takes to stop them? I hate to say no, but that’s what it looks like from my little corner of the world. And it’s damn scary."

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Editorial Cartoon by Signe Wilkinson, Philadelphia Daily News

U.S. and allies must detain Afghan prisoners

Max Boot, WaPo "Some have been released and have gone on to commit fresh atrocities. Such a situation, which exists on a much bigger scale in Afghanistan, is profoundly demoralizing to troops. If service members see a "catch and release" policy in effect, they are likely to either pull back or pull the trigger prematurely. Both possibilities are worrisome. The former means more enemy fighters on the loose; the latter sullies our troops' honor, denies them the intelligence gleaned from interrogations and leads the remaining Taliban to fight harder. "

Connecting the Dots on Janet Napolitano’s Stupidity

Verum Serum "I think everyone would agree that the stupidest thing Janet Napolitano has said all year is that the “system worked” in reference to the failed terror attack on on Northwest flight #253 on Christmas Day. The second stupidest thing Napolitano has said this year, in my opinion, is most likely something you have not heard." Read it here. Also this by Clarice Feldman in AT: Napolitano in context

Learning from Abdul Mutallab

Victor Davis Hanson "... it is time to stop the apologetics and kowtowing, and grudgingly accept that thousands of radical Islamic fundamentalists worldwide want to kill Americans — and dozens of governments, at least on the sly, hope that they do. Such venom has nothing to do with past American behavior or George Bush's strut, nor can it be ameliorated on the cheap by Barack Obama's Nobel Prize, middle name, or reset-button diplomacy."

Skittish Democrats Refuse To Defend Obama On National Security

Plumline "This is part of a pattern. Last week, congressional Democrats told the administration they wouldn’t fund the administration’s attempt to Guantanamo prisoners to Illinois, and it already looks like the attempted bombing may affect some of the administration’s other plans."

Abdulmutallab’s Lawyer is Public Defender Who Forged Documents in Detroit Terror Cell Trial

Debbie Schlussel "...In fact, YOU–the American taxpayer–are paying for his defense. And his federal public defender, Miriam Siefer, has a record of sleaze and unethical behavior . . . some of it illegal."...."...Abdulmutallab’s:* family’s incredible wealth (noting that he’s yet another example debunking the absurd myth that Muslims turn to terrorism because of poverty or lack of opportunity–Nope, it’s because of Islam)..."

Airports Slow to Receive Whole-Body Imaging Scanners

"The scanners are able to detect weapons and explosives in places security screeners are not allowed to touch in physical pat-down searches, such as the groin area and even body cavities where items could be concealed."

President Obama’s Failed Response to the Attempted Terrorist Attack

Ron Radosh "One might contrast this strongly with the decision made during the Second World War by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. When would-be Nazi saboteurs landed off Long Island in a sub ready to move throughout the country and engage in sabotage, the plot fell apart when one of their numbers surrendered and implicated his fellow plotters. They were all arrested and tried in a secret military tribunal, and duly executed. The public was not informed; there was no hesitancy in carrying out a tough sentence, and nothing at all said about treating them as criminal defendants in a New York City court."

Sen. Hutchison: ‘No Place in Constitution’ Gives Congress Authority to Mandate Health Insurance – Is Trampling on Individual Rights

CNS News "She added that the health care bill recently passed by the Senate is a “trampling of individual rights.” "

Aviation screening

Iranian Dissidents Show Courage—Can Obama Do the Same?

Jonathan Tobin "Defenders of appeasement of Iran have told us that a strong stand will only hurt the dissidents and spur the regime to greater violence. But as recent events illustrate, Khamenei and Ahmadinejad have no compunction about unleashing their thugs on their own people. With so many willing to risk death to oppose the Islamist tyranny, now is the time for Barack Obama to find both his courage and his voice."

Needed: Wartime Commander in Chief

Max Boot "Obama has actually been a little tougher on terrorism (and Iraq and Afghanistan) than his record as an ultra-liberal senator would have led us to expect; certainly a lot tougher than Michael Moore or his ilk would like him to be. But not perhaps as tough as the situation demands. If there is any good that comes out of the attempted bombing of the Detroit flight, or the Iranians’ rejections of his naive overtures, it is that he may finally shed some of his remaining illusions about the world and start acting more as a wartime commander in chief should."

Monday, December 28, 2009

Berkeley High May Cut Out Science Labs

EastBayExpress "The proposal would trade labs seen as benefiting white students for resources to help struggling students." Pelosi and Obama get elected by voters who think like this and come from this part of California.

If the terrorist had been a Christian

Russ Vaughn , AT "Might not the media coverage be going something like this? .... "Because of the American flag tattoo found by authorities on the radical Christian terrorist's upper right arm, it is distinctly possible that he may be linked to a right wing militia organization, many of which thrive in Texas, where the reactionary Republican governor is known for providing them a sanctuary from which to attack peaceful progressives across the rest of the nation. "

MSNBC: The Place for Low-Brow 'Teabag' Humor

Business&MediaInstitute "Shuster has exhibited his anti-tea party behavior previously when filling in for Olbermann on the April 10 “Countdown.” Shuster and Newsweek’s Daniel Gross made every effort to belittle and misconstrue the April 15 Taxpayer Tea Party protests."

Obama’s statement on the Christmas Day jihadi attack; Perfunctory, hasty, and bloodless

Michelle Malkin "His little speechy wasn’t even delivered with the enthusiasm of a burnt out weather man. Guess Teleprompter Hal was on vacation too. There is so much more to this story and, for the most part, we’re all getting the feeling a whole lot of misconnected dots are being buried. The term “alleged” chaffs my posterior. When Nasan at Ft. Hood was believed dead he was the perpetrator. The minute it was known he was alive suddenly he’s alleged as well." From the comments section. Scroll down. Politicizing the terror attack Taking his vendetta with Fox News to a new low, President Obama sent an administration spokesperson to appear on every network but Fox to discuss the Northwest Airlines flight 253 terror attack.

Two Flight 253 plotters were released from Gitmo in 2007

Hot Air "...it wasn’t the left that presided over this one. The next interview with Dick or Liz Cheney should be pretty interesting, huh?"...."If not for the Crotch Bomber, these people would now be preparing to take custody from The One of nearly 100 mujahedeen zombies. As it is, it’s time for plan B. Exit question: What’s plan B?"

Re-Learning the Lessons from the Thwarted Detroit Airline Bombing

Heritage "The coalition and activist groups like the ACLU have battled a number of common-sense programs that are far more effective at catching terrorists and are less invasive, expensive, and time consuming than body searching children and grandmothers and super expensive screening technologies."

Political Cartoons by Scott Stantis

The Hypocrisy of the Left

Robin of Berkeley "I was pleased to find an Episcopal church whose website focused on religion, not ObamaCare. I left a message for the priest that I was looking for a church that didn't press a political agenda because I wasn't a liberal. I received an icy reply from the priest, the Reverend Lucy, who said with barely-contained disgust, "I don't think you should check us out." Her response left me shaken and angry. I understand that leftists despise conservatives. I have seen that creepy look of pure hatred when I naïvely told a leftist friend about my political conversion. But an Episcopal priest rejecting me during the holiest time of year? Isn't anything or anyone sacred?" ...."Obama and his friends preach tolerance, but there is bigotry at their group's core. ....While they fashion themselves as human saviors, they clearly don't like people very much, and they despise conservatives." h/t to American Thinker.

On the Horizon/ Some Modest Obama Predictions

Victor Davis Hanson "Such a strange phenomenon—as Obama’s polls dive, and the voters begin to see that the centrist moderate, whom they thought in 2008 that they were voting for, is in truth an ideologue, his supporters are reduced to calling critics “racialists.” That is the blueprint for 2010."

Time For Latinos to Stand Against Illegal Immigration

Ruben Navarrette Jr. , PJM "“I’m not only the grandson of a Mexican immigrant but also the son of a retired cop,” I wrote. “Opposing illegal anything comes easy, because it’s ‘illegal.’ The better question is why so many Latinos are willing to excuse this one kind of illegal behavior because they have family members who’ve engaged in it. I have cousins in San Quentin, born in the U.S., who engaged in other kinds of illegal behavior and I don’t feel compelled to defend them."

Obama Surrenders U.S. Sovereignty: His INTERPOL Executive Order

Pajamas Media "This international police force (whose U.S. headquarters is in the Justice Department in Washington) will be unrestrained by the U.S. Constitution and American law while it operates in the United States and affects both Americans and American interests outside the United States." Why Does Interpol Need Immunity from American Law? by Andy McCarthy "Interpol works closely with international tribunals (such as the International Criminal Court — which the United States has refused to join because of its sovereignty surrendering provisions, though top Obama officials want us in it). It also works closely with foreign courts and law-enforcement authorities (such as those in Europe that are investigating former Bush administration officials for purported war crimes — i.e., for actions taken in America's defense)." At least three more years of this to come.

Muslim Man Released From Jail After Posting $100 Bond… Threatened to Blow Up Local Stores

First Things ""The FBI found three Islamic cassette tapes and miscellaneous papers in the suspect’s car, which were removed for additional study, according to the affidavit. Police charged Ibrahim with commission of an act of terrorism, filing false reports and disorderly conduct. He posted $100 bond and was released, pending his court date on Monday." "The local store owners must be feeling much better now that Mohamed is back on the street." What was his name again?

Abdulmutallab: More Like Me In Yemen

ABC News "Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, charged with the attempted Christmas Day bombing of Northwest Airlines flight 253, told FBI agents there were more just like him in Yemen who would strike soon." State Department ignored warning on Abdulmutallab "When Robert Gibbs started spinning this back into more BushBushBushBushBush, it became apparent that the answer to Lieberman’s question was no. It’s one thing to get an anonymous tip about a potential terrorist suspect. When a father feels compelled to warn the US about his own son, that should have triggered a little bit more response than “We’ll take it under advisement.”"h/t to Hot Air

Sunday, December 27, 2009

US Response To Failed Christmas Jihad Is So 9/10

BigGovernment "President Bill Clinton should be cut a lot of slack when it comes to 9/11. Sure the attack was planned under his watch, and sure President Clinton cowardly avoided taking custody of Osama bin Laden when Sudan offered him on a platter." ...."Think about it this way, even after the Jihadis have murdered thousands upon thousands of people all around the world, including here in America on 9/11, the American Left still think it’s all America’s fault and that we deserved it, and therefore we have no legitimate right to fight back. Just image how much resistance there would have been toward going into Afghanistan prior to 9/11."...."Evidence that Democrats have returned to the 9/10 mindset of treating Jihadis as nothing more than common criminals, not worthy of the status of warrior, can be found in the Obama administration’s reaction to the failed Christmas Jihad of 2009."

"Xmas bomb bid complicates Gitmo plan"

Politico "Growing evidence that the Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up a commercial airliner as it landed in Detroit Friday spent time in Yemen and may have been fitted with customized, explosive-laden clothing there could complicate the U.S. government’s efforts to send home more than 80 Yemeni prisoners currently at Guantanamo Bay."

Kerry of Tehran

WSJ online "If the mullahs had any sense, they'd send him a government plane. Beset by almost daily demonstrations by a democratic opposition that has been growing despite beatings and arrests since the stolen June election, Mr. Kerry would arrive from Washington to show the Iranian people that at least someone still favors the regime. He would be the most senior American to visit Tehran in 30 years and his trip would convey legitimacy that the dictatorship is especially eager to have at the current moment."

Dave Barry's year in review: 2009

Miami Herald "In the Middle East, U.N. nuclear inspectors become suspicious when Iran attempts to ship to Israel, via UPS, a large crate labeled ``HARMLESS ITEMS -- DELIVER BEFORE TIMER REACHES 00:00.'' There are other troubling year-end developments: • In a setback for U.S. interests in Central America, voters in Honduras elect, as their new president, Rod Blagojevich. • The International Space Station is taken over by Somali pirates. • In sports, roughly 40 percent of the U.S. bimbo population announces that it has at one time or another hiked the Appalachian Trail with Tiger Woods."

Terrorism? What terrorism, asks media?

Henry Percy , AT "And the New York Times is mystified as to motivation: "What led a worldly young man, who had studied at an elite British university, to choose suicidal violence?" Islam just never occurs to the erudite reporters and editors at our major news organizations. How long till we are treated to the meme that Abdulmutallab was simply a confused young man in need of psychological evaluation and counseling?" Also here: "What About Holding People Accountable?" And here: A new hero "Saving the plane is due to the bravery of one passenger, Jasper Schuringa, a video director who lives in Amsterdam."

Not one nickel for California

Ralph Alter , AT "There isn't a single compelling reason to provide the girly-man of American gubernatorial fiscal responsibility, Arnold Schwarzenegger, with a nickel from our federal coffers. His failing California remains the poster-child for liberal fiscal insanity and it's time for the free-range chickens to come home to roost."

NCIS Goes PC

David Solway , PJM "Recent episodes of the popular show have inverted reality with Christian terrorists and honor murders." You haven't noticed Law & Order has been doing this all along?

The EPA: They Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Climate Treaty

Dan Miller , PJM "So what if President Obama flopped in Copenhagen? The EPA already has wide-ranging power to enforce its will on the people."...."The earliest likely chance of starting to undo the mess will come after January 2014, when (I hope) President Obama will have been replaced and the Congress may have reverted to something approaching sanity."

Detroit Bomber Failure: His Dad Tried to Warn US Authorities

Pajamas Media "The TSA has a lot of explaining to do, starting with why Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab was not placed on the U.S. no-fly list."

Senator Max Baucus Drunk / Intoxicated on Senate Floor - Shouts Down Wicker

YouTube h/t to Instapundit In the finest Kennedy tradition.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Where Did These Guys Come From?

Victor Davis Hanson "Such a strange scenario we have found ourselves in — a clear majority of Americans is opposed to almost everything Obama has to offer; congressional representatives know they are acting against the will of the people, but know too that they are offered all sorts of borrowed money for their districts to compensate for their unpopular actions."

Another Carter or Kennedy?!

Muhammad Sabrine Al Ahram, Egypt "The gap between vows and capability of achievement is often wide. Regrettably, voters were the ones who made Obama a president, verifying his slogan “Yes We Can," but their hero proved that he "cannot."" h/t to Watching America

"Arab logic:Murder a man,get killed while capture,AVENGE!"

Shawarma Mayor "New wave of terror is upon Israel, it always starts by deliberate acts of terror, getting hit back by Israelis - then starting a war in revenge."

Al Qaeda Sends a Christmas Message

Alan Caruba "Eight years ago this past week, Richard Reed, aka Abdul Raheem and Tariq Raja, tried to blow up a flight from Paris to Miami. There is an important message to be understood from these two incidents and it is the contempt for both Christianity and Judaism that Islam has always displayed. It’s worth remembering that Israel was attacked in 1973 on Yom Kippur, one of its holiest days."

Dems' 2010 Strategy: GOP Will "Repeal" Obamacare

Weekly Standard "Conservatives have been saying that if Obamacare passes Republicans should run on the platform of repealing this monstrosity. The Democrats really think it's a smart attack plan to send the same message? Does this count as an in-kind contribution to Republican candidates?" This assumes Republicans win both houses and the presidency with an electorate that may long for the days of gridlock.

Luck, not screening, saved Flight 253

Mladen Andrijasevic in AT "The passengers of Northwest/Delta Airlines Flight 253 are lucky they are still alive. They should be the last passengers in the U.S. exposed to this kind of risk because of political correctness. The incident would have never happened on a plane flying out of Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, because the Israelis do it right. They try to find out what is on the passenger's mind, not what is in his bag or shoe. "

Behar Politicizes Rush Limbaugh Wedding to Make Gay Marriage Plea

Culture&MediaInstitute

"It’s probably no surprise, but conservative talker Rush Limbaugh isn’t going to get a break from the liberal cheap shot artists on cable television in the wake of the news he will be getting married to Kathryn Rogers on July 4, 2010."

Passengers help foil attack on Detroit-bound plane

myway "It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase," said Peter Smith, a passenger from the Netherlands. "First there was a pop, and then (there) was smoke." Smith said one passenger, sitting opposite the man, climbed over passengers, went across the aisle and tried to restrain the man. The heroic passenger appeared to have been burned."

America and Russia: Rivals United by a Common Enemy?

Georgy Gounev , AT "Regardless of the presence of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, American-Russian relations could offer a dramatic U-turn to a stunned world. Why? The answer to this question is both logical and simple: The spread of radical Islam throughout the Muslim world and the quickly advancing Islamization of Europe could bring to life this unlikely and, according to many experts, even impossible scenario." We all know how well that alliance against Hitler worked out.

Court Martial of the Navy SEALS

Dan Miller, AT "The military justifiably prides itself on its system of justice, and it is a damn good one, superior in my view to what (little) I have seen of criminal justice in civilian jurisdictions. I hope not to be disappointed and don't think I shall be. "

Guess The Missing Word In NY Times Report On Attempted Plane Bombing

Newsbusters "...the [NY Times] has managed in its article today to report yesterday's attempt to bring down a NWA airliner, and the earlier attempts by Richard Reid [the "shoebomber'] and the those who plotted to bring down as many as ten jets leaving the UK for the United States, without using the word "Muslim."" Northwest 253 passengers tell of thwarted terror attack. Hot Air

Michigan Forces Business Owners Into Public Sector Unions

WSJ "A year ago in December, Ms. Berry and more than 40,000 other home-based day care providers statewide were suddenly informed they were members of Child Care Providers Together Michigan—a union created in 2006 by the United Auto Workers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees."

Chris Matthews: Alinsky 'our hero'

WorldNetDaily "Just five days after affirming on air that he is a liberal, MSNBC host Chris Matthews exclaimed that radical community organizer Saul Alinsky is one of his heroes. "

Obama’s Latest Appointment: A Reflection of his Radical Past

Ron Radosh "...Obama’s propensity to keep appointing rather low-level officials who can operate under the radar and who come from a similar radical or left-wing past. The latest appointment, perhaps not as low level, is that of Hannah Rosenthal, who started her new job last week in the State Department as the special envoy to monitor and report on anti-Semitism. With the growth of anti-Semitism in countries like Britain and France, the job sounds important and necessary. But what was Ms. Rosenthal’s first salvo aimed at?"

Friday, December 25, 2009

The Wonder of the Incarnation

CNS News "For Christians, one of the most breathtaking things about our savior Jesus Christ is that he willingly surrendered the privileges of his Lordship and descended from Heaven to walk among us, as one of us."

Krauthammer: The Year of Living Fecklessly

National Review "We lost a year. But it was not just any year. It was a year of spectacularly squandered opportunity. In Iran, it was a year of revolution, beginning with a contested election and culminating this week in huge demonstrations mourning the death of the dissident Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri — and demanding no longer a recount of the stolen election but the overthrow of the clerical dictatorship. Obama responded by distancing himself from this new birth of freedom. First, scandalous silence. Then, a few grudging words. Then relentless engagement with the murderous regime. With offer after offer, gesture after gesture — to not Iran, but the “Islamic Republic of Iran,” as Obama ever so respectfully called these clerical fascists — the U.S. conferred legitimacy on a regime desperate to regain it." More...

'Auschwitz sign stolen to fund Sweden attacks'

Atlas Shrugs "The purported former leader of a Swedish Nazi group told the Swedish Aftonbladet newspaper that, "We had a person who was ready to pay millions for the sign." The unnamed source told Aftonbladet that the money would pay for an attack on the home of Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and on the Swedish Foreign Ministry. A third attack allegedly involved plans to bombard Swedish MPs from the public seats of the parliament."

'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Legal Version

TaxProf "Check out the original and legal versions of the classic poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas [click on chart to enlarge]:"

An undiplomatic message to Israel?

PowerlineBlog "A dispute is rumbling between Israel and the US Consulate in Jerusalem after a US diplomatic car allegedly tried running over a Defense Ministry security guard recently at an IDF checkpoint in the West Bank. The car had been stopped after the occupants refused to present identification papers. Israel is also furious that one of the consulate cars was found to have transported a Palestinian without permits between Jerusalem and the West Bank." And here: Jerusalem Post

Christmas under Communism

Jeffrey Folks , AT "The communist state could not keep us or others among the ex-pat and local population from reciting the biblical story of the birth of Christ. What it could do was prohibit all public manifestations of the profound religious tradition that had once dominated the hearts and minds of most Eastern Europeans. .... There were no greetings of "Merry Christmas," no exchanges of cards or presents, no looks of anticipation or wonder."

Merry Christmas to Our Troops

AWR Hawkins , Pajamas Media "While our homes are full of family celebrating “the most wonderful time of the year,” take the time to pause and remember that ours is a life of ease rarely mixed with danger solely because the lives of these troops are those of danger rarely mixed with ease. These are those of whom it was said: “[We] sleep peacefully in [our] beds at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on [our] behalf.” Merry Christmas to our troops the world over. You are not forgotten."

Have a Merry Government-Regulated Christmas

Frank J. Fleming , Pajamas Media "Every year, Santa engages in some sort of domestic spying program, watching our children like a pedophile in wait, and he determines which children are “naughty” or “nice.” His methods for determining this are unknown; we also can’t know whether there is a racial disparity in these lists. He then makes his presents for the select few using non-union elf labor and comes to our neighborhoods in an unregistered sleigh pulled by disease-bearing caribou. Then Santa breaks into our houses and engages in his personal form of justice, leaving presents for the children he arbitrarily deems “good” and coal for the children he labels “bad.” "

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmans 2009

Gateway Pundit "The Anchoress posted this wonderful video of Aled Jones as a child and an adult singing “O Holy Night.’It is wonderful.I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas."

Could Jesus Live Safely In Bethlehem Today?

Phyllis Chesler , Pajamas Media "For example, the other day, I engaged my taxi driver in conversation. He was a young man from Turkey. He told me that he was a religious Muslim, that his wife wore hijab — and that he was committed to peace. “Do you understand the Islamic jihadists who massacre innocent civilians in the name of Islam”? Calmly, he answered. “Madame, they are not real Muslims. No real Muslim would do anything like that. I don’t know any Muslims like that.” He was very definite about this. Said I: “But don’t you want to stop such criminals from committing atrocities in the name of your religion?” He remained silent..."

War Against the Wannabe Rich

Victor Davis Hanson "Why the war against the productive classes who want to be rich? Maybe it is because they are not as numerous as the proverbial middle class. Perhaps they do not earn our empathy that is properly accorded to the poor. They surely lack the status and insider connections that accrue to the very rich. Yet continue to punish and demonize them, and the country will grind to a halt — as we are seeing now."

Ex-President Carter offers apology to Jews

GREG BLUESTEIN APNews "Carter's apology was welcomed by Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League and a vocal critic of Carter's views on Israel. When a former president reaches out to the Jewish community and asks for forgiveness, it's incumbent of us to accept it," he said in a telephone interview from Jerusalem. "To what extent this is an epiphany, only time will tell. There certainly was a lot of hurt, a lot of angry words that need to be repaired. But this is a good start." "I Do Not Forgive You, Jimmy Carter ", by Alan Caruba: "The calumnies and lies about Israel that the former President has lent his name to and the support he has demonstrated for the enemies of Israel cannot be wiped clean by an apology." Jimmy Carter: Still unforgiven by Ethel C. Fenig in AT: "Not so coincidentally his grandson, Jason Carter, is considering running for a seat in the Georgia state senate from a district with a large Jewish population..."

Political Cartoons by Gary Varvel

Criminalizing Christmas Cookies, Candy Canes, and Crèches

Jeannie DeAngelis in AT "Eliminating depictions of biblical stories and characters does not go far enough for iconoclasts wishing to totally exterminate Christianity from American culture. Childhood memories embracing flavors, smells, and songs must be stamped out to fully purge even the most remote allusion to Christ. Every good heathen knows that peppermint candy canes and spray snow possess the power to jar Christmas memories and summon dangerous, offensive hymns like "Silent Night." " "Pagan Propaganda: The Other Attack on Christmas" "When addressing the notion that Christmas is a pagan event, we should first start with a very simple pronouncement. It is not. "

We're Staying, We're Praying; Get Used to It

Deborah C. Tyler in AT "There are three kinds of faith: faith in God, faith in oneself, and faith in life. Think of these as building blocks. When the United States was founded, the big block on the bottom of the pile was faith in God. However, something happened through the course of American history: The blocks got restacked, and faith in self, or egocentrism, settled into the first position."

Shameless Islamist Doublespeak Rages On

Pajamas Media "To English audiences, jihadists talk of ending oppression; to Arabic ones, they talk of oppressing the infidel." And the pacifists of the left are their useful idiots.

The War Over California

Ross Douthat , NY Times "The argument about what went wrong with California is really an argument about the future of America. To the right, the Golden State’s ongoing crisis is a case study in liberal failure: A big-spending state that lived far beyond its means, and let its public-policy priorities be dictated by the appetites of liberal interest groups instead of the common good. To the left, it’s a case study in how a malign nexus of conservative intransigence and institutional sclerosis can thwart good governance. The problem in California isn’t the spending, liberals argue: It’s the supermajority requirements that prevent a liberal majority from raising the taxes necessary to pay for it."

Arrogance, corruption, stupidity

Powerline Blog "Republicans didn't have the votes to stop the Senate's Obamacare bill this morning. But they had the better argument. Oklahoma's magnificent Senator (and Dr.) Tom Coburn spoke for a lot of us in explaining his vote against the Democrats' bill: '....This process was not compromise. This process was corruption. This bill passed because votes were bought and sold using the issue of abortion as a bargaining chip. The abortion provision alone makes this bill the most arrogant piece of legislation I have seen in Congress. Only the most condescending politician can believe it is appropriate to force Americans to pay for other people's abortions and to coerce medical professional[s] to take the lives of unborn children.' " Also here: The Culture of Corruption .

Imam Linked to Ft. Hood Rampage Believed to Be Among 30 Al Qaeda Killed in Airstrike

FoxNews In case you were wondering why all the flags around town were at half-mast. "A Yemeni official, also speaking on condition of anonymity to AFP, said those attending the meeting "planned to launch terrorist attacks against economic installations in Yemen, in retaliation for Yemeni strikes launched last week.""

The Prosecution of Rifqa Bary

Pamela Geller in AT (Blogger at Atlas Shrugs) "There is a war of attrition going on in the Rifqa Bary case. Rifqa is the girl who converted from Islam to Christianity and fled from her family in fear for her life -- and the Islamic machine is attempting to wear her down, grind her down by constant mental abuse. The persecution is so obvious, and yet so mundane that no one seems to take notice. The banality of evil."

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Obama, Wow!

By DANIEL HENNINGER , WSJ "From the Wizard of Oz to Tiger Woods, the greatest danger to grand men is feet of clay. There are varieties of clay. For the politician known as Obama it is that if he is shown to be a cynic, he is finished. "Monopoly money" was an everyone-agrees-with-me remark. But to everyone, it was simply fantastic. The American people took a flyer on Barack Obama. If they conclude Obama is just the name of another lesser god, his fall could come as fast as his rise. "

Political Cartoons by Michael Ramirez

Townhall

In Other Words...

Ann Coulter "[Dana] Milbank was employing the MSNBC motto, "In Other Words," which provides the formula for 90 percent of the political commentary on that network. The MSNBC host quotes a Republican, then says "in other words," translates the statement into something that would be stupid to say, and spends the next 10 minutes ridiculing the translated version. Which no one said. Except the host."

Why Are We Tiring of Obama?

Victor Davis Hanson "...Bottom line: an academic sermon on peace/war with the now accustomed Obama characteristics:1) long again (4,000 words); 2) “I” or “me” 34 times: same old self referencing; 3) the inadvertent cosmic arrogance [“I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war.” = you think?]; 4) straw men trope: some say this; others say that; but I uniquely say…; 5) reference to my own personal inspirational story; 6) trash my predecessor or his policies; 7) end with hopey/changey cadences.That was pretty much it — a pulpit exegesis that could have been cut to 500 words." And check out the list of gaffes Hanson adds.

Senate Bill Has Un-Killable ‘Death Panel’

Sweetness&Light ‘‘INDEPENDENT MEDICARE ADVISORY BOARD ‘‘SEC. 1899A. (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established an independent board to be known as the ‘Independent Medicare Advisory Board’. ‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to, in accordance with the following provisions of this section, reduce the per capita rate of growth in Medicare spending—" Some annotations deleted within the excerpt to eliminate clutter. Open the link and you'll see what we mean. TD

Seeing the Savior ; Are Our Eyes Ready?

By Regis Nicoll in Breakpoint "But on this particular day, the Promise slipped into human history unnoticed by eyes and ears that were scanning the horizon for a conquering king. I can imagine village folk approaching the curious crowd, asking, “What’s going on there? Why all the fuss? The Messiah, you say? A Savior?” Some, familiar with the narrative and piqued to know more, lingered. They examined the setting and asked further questions to see if the prophesies and circumstances lined up. While others, expecting a full-grown Homeric hero, shook their heads and walked away."

Surprise: Obama Administration Telling General Motors How To Operate Plants

SayAnythingBlog "Back in November, in the midst of the auto bailout circus, Obama assured the public that “we are not in the business of running a car company. We’re not getting involved in day-to-day management.” But according to the Wall Street Journal today, it appears as though the Obama administration is involved in the day-to-day running of the car companies." h/t to Neal Boortz

Christmas, 2009

Roxanna Moser in AT "...Apologies rampant to those far abroad? /Rights dear and precious for those in jihad? /Of bowing and scraping we've had quite enough. /And to those who would harm us, it's time to get tough...."

The Washington Post Asks a Really Stupid Christmas Question

Newsbusters "The headline writers of Washingtonpost.com ought to win an award for the dumbest question of December. In a sentence promoting their discussion board for "The Secularist’s Corner," they wrote: "One in four Americans believe in 'spiritual forces' like ghosts. Is belief in the supernatural unlike the traditional story of Christmas?""

Alan Caruba: "America's Christmas Wars"

"Now they drive apart those who respect the traditions of all religions and those atheists who insist that everyone else reject belief in a higher power or give voice to it. Not content with toleration, they appeal to the courts and, as is the case in New Jersey, they get their way."

Yes, Virginia there was a Santa Claus.

Phil Boehmke in AT "Sadly our new "green" sleigh could not be deployed this season. The Secretary of Health and Human Services informed me that flying in an open sleigh, making entrance and egress to domiciles via chimney and consuming whole milk and cookies constitute dangerous and unnecessary health risks and that I would be subject to fine and possible imprisonment under the provisions in the Affordable Health Care Reform Act."

Hamas Declares Intention: all of Palestine, Brits Fall in Line

Atlas Shrugs "The cat is out of bag. As if we didn't know. The destruction of Israel is in the first paragraph of the Hamas charter. Hamas wants it all. All of Palestine. In front of a hundred thousand people in the city center of Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh explained this week the goal of Hamas. The moderate Minister President of the moderate wing of this religious Palestinian organization announced publicly which peaceful peace solution his government was seeking....The ultimate solution is the liberation of all of Palestine."

Plan to Move Guantánamo Detainees Faces New Delay

NY Times "...officials now believe that they are unlikely to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and transfer its population of terrorism suspects until 2011 at the earliest..."

Gitmo Does Not Cause Terrorism/ Doubt It? Ask the Blind Sheikh.

Andrew C. McCarthy "The red-carpet treatment didn’t begin or end with the trial. There were Miranda warnings upon arrest (no one cooperated). ...Mountains of evidence were culled from intelligence files and duly shared with overseas terrorist organizations. The defense enjoyed a couple of years to make motions to get more discovery, to suppress evidence, and to dismiss the indictment. When things finally went to trial, there was a two-month defense case (that’s much longer than most criminal trials), which allowed them to put the government on trial for its investigative tactics."

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Gary Varvel cartoon

Townhall We apologize for the egregious, unprofessional error in attributing this cartoon to Glenn Foden, another cartoonist whose work we respect and use. None other than Glenn Foden himself pointed this out to us. Tunnel Dweller

ACORN Qualifies for Funding in Senate Health Care Bill

The Weekly Standard "According to a Senate legislative aide, the scandal-plagued Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now could qualify for grants under this provision. ACORN would also qualify for funding on page 150 of the underlying Reid bill, which says that "community and consumer-focused nonprofit groups" may receive grants to "conduct public education activities to raise awareness of the availability of qualified health plans.""

Tora Bora- Revenge of the pundits

Blackfive "One of the favorite tropes of the hater left and the smarty pants crowd is how W and Rummy screwed the pooch and failed to capture bin Laden when he was sitting ripe for the taking in the easily accessible Tora Bora resort. I have been knocking this argument down for more than 5 years now with this being the most recent and succint version when F John Kerry poked his bone head into play." By Uncle Jimbo.

Obama's foreign policy bears its criminal fruit

Powerline "...those who thought they had the West's backing for resisting the thugs of Damascus have been forced to swallow their pride and swear loyalty to Assad in order to save their lives." Thus, Lebanon stands humiliated, its hopes for freedom and independence dashed probably for at least another generation. But the real humiliated party is the United States. Its president, with his fetish for engagement with tyrants and his indifference (at best) to the aspirations of those who oppose tyranny, has sold out the Lebanese. And for what? A Nobel Peace Prize awarded by those who share the same absurd fetish and the same disgusting indifference, plus the well-earned contempt of the tyrants he shamelessly appeases. "

Mr. Obama: Tear Down Your Wall of Secrecy

Monte Kuligowski , AT "Mr. Obama is the only president in U.S. history to have been raised in nontraditional/non-Christian homes. Based on what he's said, his mother was an agnostic. Obama's grandparents, with whom he lived for a period, were extremely left-leaning in their religion and politics. As Obama admits in one of his two pre-accomplishment autobiographies, he associated with Marxists and radical leftists during his college days."...."Even if Obama was born in Hawaii, he still looks unreasonable by not releasing basic information. Maybe he is natural-born, but has a radical ideology to hide and has been counseled to seal everything in an effort to appear consistent." TW's first link knowingly regarding Obama's birth records.

Video: Sebelius Praises Abortion Accounting Trick in Senate Bill

Verum Serum "...the federal government will legally compel you to contribute funds exclusively designated to pay for abortion into the new government-run system. Regardless of whether you have any personal need or desire for abortion coverage, and regardless of whether you have any religious or moral objections to abortion." Take note of the verbal gymnastics Sebelius uses to avoid saying the word "abortion".

Christmas, Satire, and Reality

Pajamas Media "The following public places in Pittsfield ban Christmas symbols: the post office, schools, City Hall, North Street, and Park Square. In public schools, students and teachers are forbidden to say “Merry Christmas.” They can’t sing Christmas carols. A student wearing red and green, if the clothes are judged to be a Christmas message, can be sent home. Boys dressing like gang members and girls like hookers, meanwhile, are fine."

In Between Sermons, Avatar a Stunning Experience

Pajamas Media "Avatar is a thing of beauty, a 3-D movie of clarity and power. And, at a time when the special effects bar is raised with every new blockbuster, Cameron’s film sends that bar rising through the rafters. So why did he retrofit his film with an immature Iraq war meme and, much worse, politically loaded dialogue that rips you right out of the movie time and time again?"...."Then again, in Hollywood, ideology too often trumps all."...."And for those bothering to keep score, the U.S. isn’t taking oil out of Iraq. It’s essentially telling us Cameron can’t really debate the Iraq war on its merits, so he has to stack the deck in his favor. He does it partially with dialogue that can’t be saved by any 3-D trickery."

Michael Moriarty : "The Christmas of ’09: Riding The Rhone"

Big Hollywood "The 2009 Law and Order is nothing more than a shamelessly arrogant, propaganda arm for the Obama Nation and its profoundly seminal importance for the Progressive aim of dragging the United States of America into the New World Order … kicking and screaming, if need be."

Congress Can Stop the KSM Trial

Michele Bachmann & Andrew C. McCarthy "... it has been recognized throughout our history that wartime enemies are not mere criminal defendants. When they commit provable war crimes, they are tried by military commission, a process that permits them fewer rights than a civilian trial while shielding more national-defense information from disclosure to the enemy. " Emphases added. "....in civilian court, a defendant has an absolute right to represent himself...they will have a very strong argument that civilian due process requires that they be given direct access to our intelligence."

Detroit in Ruins: What liberalism (oops; "progressivism) can do to a city

PJTV STEVE CROWDER: Detroit In Ruins: What Entitlement and Government Spending Buy You. Related: Ford Offers Buyouts to All UAW Workers But wait! There's more! Here: Liberal Politics at Its Best… Nearly Half of Detroit Is Unemployed

Kevin Jennings’ Suggested Reading For Kids Included Sick Book that Promoted S&M to Children- Media Silent

Gateway Pundit "Out of curiosity to see exactly what kind of books Kevin Jennings and his organization think American students should be reading in school, our team chose a handful at random from the over 100 titles on GLSEN’s grades 7-12 list, and began reading through. What we discovered shocked us. We were flabbergasted. Rendered speechless." Content warning:

Monday, December 21, 2009

Haven’t You Read Obama’s Speech in Oslo?

Ángel Verdugo Exelsior, Mexico "President Obama has given an invaluable lesson on what a true head of state should be, do, and say. He has shown that, above prizes and tributes, the conferred responsibility is and should be above all others."

Our Flip-Flopping Wars

Victor Davis Hanson ""No blood for oil," for example, was once a common anti-war cry. But Iraq's auctioning of its oil leases has gone mostly to Europeans, Russians and Chinese — not Americans. The U.S., it turned out, did not go to Iraq to steal its natural resources. Apparently, we instead ensured a fair auction by a constitutional government that preferred non-American companies to pump its oil. In the end, we were more idealistic — or naive — than conspiratorial."

"Harry Reid's Road Apple" by Glenn Foden

NB

Releasing High Value Detainees to non-existent countries

UncleJimbo "...so we have the Attorney General and his friends in the terrorist fellow travelers camp to thank for this. Remind me again why any operator in the field would ever bring one of these bastards in alive again. Grab ‘em, give them a couple hours of field interrogation and then an unfortunate, failed escape attempt. This administration cannot be trusted with our security." Hey, he said it, not me.

Dead Wrong Durbin

Andrew C. McCarthy "...we can predict that, once the detainees are physically in the United States, there will be plenty of judges who will find: (a) that the detainees enjoy the same broad range of constitutional protections as illegal aliens; (b) that the judicial power to review detention necessarily implies a companion power to order the release of any detainees determined not to be enemy combatants; and (c) that detainees found not to be enemy combatants must be released inside the United States if no other country is willing to take them."

FOX News - Constitutionality of Health Care?

ACLJ "There are growing questions about the constitutionality of the health care legislation that could become law. On the Glenn Beck show, ACLJ Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow discussed this issue with guest host Judge Andrew Napolitano. You can read a transcript of the interview ..."

The blinded side; "Many reviewers can’t see something to cheer about in the uplifting story of football star Michael Oher"

World Magazine "It's always an interesting experience as a Christian critic to attend a film preview in Los Angeles, especially when the film is as enriching and pro-Christian as The Blind Side, which relates the true story of Baltimore Ravens rookie Michael Oher."

Samuelson: healthcare reform a 'Nightmare for Obama'

Rick Moran "Liberal economist Robert Samuelson has been sounding the alarm for months about President Obama's extravagant spending. Now, he delivers a KO to Obama and his idea of health care reform.Writing in the Washington Post, Samuelson spares no words and lets the president have it right between the eyes:"

Ed Schultz Admits MSNBC Serves as Mouthpiece for White House

Newsbusters "And I find it offensive, and I'm all for MSNBC winning and getting the big interviews, but look what Joe Biden did today. The day that they capitulate on everything, Biden goes on 'Morning Joe' this morning. It's kind of a Cheney tactic. When things get tough, you go to Fox. Things get a little bit tough, well, we better go over to MSNBC where we can say our piece." Ever notice how often the "Law & Order" shows promote MSNBC?

Auschwitz Death Camp Sign Retrieved "Arbeit Macht Frei"

Atlas Shrugs "...the 16-foot (5-meter) sign, made of hollow steel, was found cut into three pieces, each containing one of the words. The cruelly ironic phrase means "Work Sets You Free" and ran completely counter to the purpose of Auschwitz, which began as a concentration camp for political prisoners during the Nazi occupation of Poland and evolved into an extermination camp where Jews were gassed to death in factory-like fashion."

Jews Who Won't Support Their Allies

Pamela Geller in AT "Non-Jews (in England) are demonstrating on 13th December against the anti-Semitism being taught in mosques which goes unchallenged by politicians, the media and so-called 'moderate' Muslims. Jews cannot, in all conscience, leave it to non-Jews to protest on the behalf of Jews who are once again the world's whipping boy." But they did. The Community Security Trust, a leading Jewish group in Britain, urged the Jewish community there not to support the demonstration."

Thoughts on the Democrats’ Health Care Victory

Ron Radosh in Pajamas Media "So the bill looks like it will pass—a bill that will change the country’s health system in profound ways, and that was done without one single Republican vote. It is the opposite of bi-partisanship, that should be necessary when such a major change is presented. Instead, the Democrats have rammed it down the country’s throat, refusing to wait until after the holidays, when everyone- including Republican senators and congressmen-have a chance to read the entire 2000 pages and digest it thoroughly. The Senate vote will come Monday morning at 1 a.m.—when most of the country will be sleeping, and not paying attention. This is hardly the way one hopes the world’s greatest democracy should get its business accomplished."

Obamacare still may not be inevitable.

NRO "Nelson’s sellout is a gigantic step toward the passage of the bill, but it’s not over yet. Here arare five obstacles that still stand between Reid-Pelosi and a White House signing ceremony: " By Rich Lowry & Robert Costa

GOP Leader McConnell... Releases Statement on Historic Mistake

Gateway Pundit "...Because, in the end, this debate isn’t about differences between two parties, it’s about a $2.3 trillion dollar, 2,733-page health care reform bill that does not reform health care and, in fact, makes its price go up."

Who is more respected, Sarah Palin or Al Gore?

Byron York "One is a former vice presidential candidate who has been vilified in much of the press. The other is a former two-term vice president who has been celebrated in much of the press. So which is more respected by the public at large?"...."But the striking thing is that Sarah Palin, after all the criticism that has been directed at her, finished tied for sixth place, respected by 13 percent of respondents, and Al Gore, after all the praise that has been directed at him, was in eighth place, respected by eight percent." Obama was first with 28 votes.

CBO Says Reid’s Vote Buying Cost $1.2B

Sweetness & Light "Nebraska will receive $100 million in assistance for its state Medicaid program under provisions ... negotiated by Sen. Ben Nelson (D). The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) informed lawmakers on Sunday night that the section of the manager’s amendment to the Senate’s health bill would cost $1.2 billion over 10 years."...."It looks like prostitution has been legalized in Washington, DC."

Scarborough: Rahm Fired as White House Chief of Staff 'Over the Next Year'

Newsbusters "We got a lot of friends in the Obama administration right now and they're in trouble because Barack Obama made promises during the 2008 campaign that he would not allow lobbyists to work in his White House. Well sometimes you want lobbyists working in your White House."

Lindsey Graham: Seedy Chicago Politics Passed Health Care Bill (Video)

Gateway Pundit "Senator Graham nailed it this time. “After the “health care bill debacle,” the “change you can believe in” slogan that President Obama campaigned on in 2008 seems to have been replaced by “seedy Chicago politics” with “backroom deals that amount to bribes.”… " From NRO: "You can't even dignify this squalid racket as bribery: If I try to buy a cop, I have to use my own money. But, when Harry Reid buys a senator, he uses my money, too..."

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Sing Along: 'This Land Is EPA's Land'

Investors.com "The Clean Water Act is being rewritten to give a government bureaucracy the power to regulate every body of water from the Mississippi River to a rain-flooded field. The first casualty may be American coal."

Flag-Waving Communists & Socialists March in Copenhagen to Stop Global Warming

Breitbart TV "Newsbusters: Network journalists who were quick to see racists, haters and extremists amongst the “tea party” protesters were oblivious to communists in the “climate justice” march in Copenhagen whose cause they trumpeted."h/t to Nealz Nuze

CLIMATE CHANGE

Neal Boortz "Here's a little montage of the communist and socialist protesters in Copenhagen. What a worthless bunch of looters. Sooner or later you're going to figure out that today's environmental movement is much more about fighting capitalism and economic liberty than it is about working for clean air and water."

The High Price of Ben Nelson's Low Vote

Marc Sheppard , AT "But there’s one state that today was guaranteed immunity from such a budget-annihilating burden -- Nebraska. While 49 other states will be forced to scramble and cut and tax and reappropriate in order to meet the new mandates, Nelson’s home state won’t. That’s because Nelson sold his vote for Reid’s assurance that the feds will pay 100% of any new Nebraska Medicade costs -- forever."

Why we need tort reform

Ralph Alter , AT "In the context of a lawsuit, the deep pocket is often the target defendant, even when the true (moral) culpability is with another party because the deep pocket has money to pay a verdict. For example, a lawyer may comment that he or she sued the manufacturer of a product rather than the seller because it is the deep pocket, meaning it has more money than the seller with which to compensate the victim."The latest target of greedy lawyers hankering for cash? Cell phone service providers: "

But Obama wanted to keep Saddam in place.....

Atlas Shrugs "Mass graves across Iraq have been turning up with some frequency since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam's regime. The latest discovery was made at a former military detention camp used by Saddam's forces in Tubzama, just west of Kirkuk, 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad, said Karim. The grave was discovered after people reported seeing bones and bits of clothing at the camp, he added. The remains were believed to be those of Kurds killed between 1988 and 1991, Karim said..."

Terror test runs on airlines?

John Leonard , AT "An experienced reporter working on these stories suggested I turn my attention backwards to seeing whether any dots could be connected to incidents on flights in the past." Consider these: ...."Two possibilities that come immediately to mind are either these incidents are orchestrated as a ploy to create a scenario to litigate for profit like the imams from US Airways Flight 300, or something more sinister is in the works. In the aftermath of Fort Hood, can we afford to ignore warning signs of abnormal or pattern behavior any longer?"

The childish Constitution and the mature Constitution

American Thinker "Sure, today we have difficulty defining what it means to be American, as the very kernel of our traditions is under assault. Yet, if being an American means anything beyond mere citizenship and if any element of such a definition should be obvious, it's that being an American involves abiding by the founding documents of America. To say otherwise is like asserting that you can be a Confucian while rejecting the words of Confucius, a communist while rejecting the tenets of communism or a golfer while rejecting the rules of golf." Or a Christian who rejects the authority of the Scriptures.

Sarah Palin: Dumb Like Reagan?

Pajamas Media "...his deep tax cuts, and his dealings with the Soviet Union from a position of strength (instead of a position of Carter-like weakness), it would be a mistake to overlook the important role common sense played in his huge victory. In other words...his possession of a tremendous amount of common sense made him a president to whom the people could relate."...."When Palin talks, people from all walks of life listen. When she says we need to be cutting taxes instead of raising them, fighting terrorists instead of babying them, supporting our military instead of second-guessing it, and backing off the seeming endless push for global warming legislation until all the ramifications of Climategate are clear, conservative Americans hear a common-sense approach that sounds very much like Reagan."

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Senator Mitch McConnell on the “Absolute Outrage Being Perpetrated on the American People”

Lonely Conservative "In this next video Republican Senators implore the American people to get off the sidelines because they say they cannot win this fight without us. " Also here:GOP Senators Release Video: Ask Americans to Stop Health Care Takeover Gateway Pundit

[Garrison] Keillor's Christmas curse

Powerline Blog "I don't know how to read those paragraphs either, but they're appalling even if intended to be taken humorously. Is Keillor a devout Christian? Maybe so; it's the first I've heard of it. In any event, I can't imagine that he speaks for a single Christian other than himself if he seriously thinks that "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "White Christmas" and so on have somehow ruined Christmas. And why anyone would view the fact that these wonderful contributions to our culture were penned by Jews in anything but a positive light is inexplicable."

‘Banana Republic’: Joe Rogan Rips Democrats for Un-American Attempt to Jail Political Opponents

'Banana Republic': Joe Rogan Rips Democrats for Un-American Attempt to Jail Political Opponents - The Lid (lidblog.com)     " ...

https://spectator.org/