Dave Barry’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide (Oops, I meant CHRISTMAS)

Miami Herald 
"The holidays are a super-busy time of year, and it’s too easy, with all the hustle and bustle, to forget about what this season is really all about. So we will remind you: It’s about purchasing high-tech consumer devices at retail.
"This is a tradition that dates back to the Nativity, as we can see in this dialogue among the Three Kings, taken verbatim from the Bible:
"FIRST KING: OK, we just have to follow that star, and it will guide us.
"SECOND KING: Really? That seems kind of vague.

"THIRD KING: Why don’t I get directions from this new technological device I bought at retail?

"FIRST KING: What is it?
"THIRD KING: It’s a primitive GPS, powered by olive oil.
"SECOND KING: What does “GPS” stand for?
"THIRD KING: I have no idea. But it has turn-by-turn directions! 

"Listen."
"GPS: Turn left at the Sphinx.
"FIRST KING: The Sphinx?
"SECOND KING: Apparently it thinks we’re in Egypt.
"FIRST KING: OK, like I said, we follow the star.

"THIRD KING: I’m glad I bought the service agreement.

 

Go here for the list, complete with pictures. Unless, of course you read the Tunnel Wall just for the articles. Below is just a sample of the photos.

 

NIGHT GLOW TOILET SEAT   ... "And then you notice that both the toilet and bathtub are missing. And then you realize you’re actually in a closet.

"
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article4053889.html#storylink=cpy

 

 

BLACK TOILET PAPER  Why would you give somebody black toilet paper? To answer that question, let’s quote the Amazon Product Description: “Black toilet paper will make a statement in any bathroom.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article4053889.html#storylink=cpy

 

OSTRICH PILLOW This is the perfect gift for the busy executive or airline pilot on your holiday gift list who needs to “get away from it all” by power-napping for brief periods, although preferably not during takeoff or landing.

 

Much more at the link...

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article4053889.html#storylink=cpy

Black on White on Black Crime

Black Male Crisis: Ferguson-Inspired Documentary in the Works
... "A call for action:

Americans need to take action. Black lives matter. All lives matter and we can’t tell their stories and help America changes its values without your help.

 

Imagery Of Innocent White People Victimized By Blacks Since Integration Was Created in 1964 *  "Note:  In 2005, the Justice Dept. - in one of only two cases that I can find - released a report regarding crimes that crossed racial lines.  More than 90% of all the violence in these types of crimes came from African-Americans.  And almost ALL of their victims - 580,000 of them -  were white. SOURCE (bottom of pg)
                                               
" All the images below, which represent less than 1% of the total white victims of black violence,  are taken from my 'victim's list.'  If you have any questions, or complaints, leave them in the comment section at the bottom of the page. "   See all the images here.

 

 Black Males: Murder / Attempted Murder Of White Police Officers
*Very informative article, but the underlying message seems to condemn the integration of the 60s, a message I fervently disagree with. I feel the social influences - many because of liberal policies - have had much more to do with this that integration. I never want to go back to those shameful days when blacks had to take the leftovers of society that were not claimed by whites. However I utterly condemn the racist violence that the left hopes to benefit from; demagogues such as Sharpton and Jackson being the role models for such disgusting business. The Tunnel Dweller.

 "My Internet search - so far - has produced the following for police officers gunned down since 1970:
--White police officers gunned down by Black males:  
    Deceased = 167
    Survived = 20

--Black police officers gunned down by White males:  
   Deceased = 3 
   Injured = 0 

 

“What if they held an election but America’s President said it didn’t count?”

Legal Insurrection   "We did, in November!"

 

"I just stumbled on this video from Conservative War Chest at FOX Nation and there’s only one word to describe it.
"Brutal.
"This spot goes after Obama, the Democratic Party and the liberal media. It perfectly captures the mood of conservative post-midterm America.
"Check it out:
 

 

"Here’s the description from Conservative War Chest::

Obama Putting at Risk “What’s Best About America”
(Washington, DC)—“As families gather to celebrate the American miracle, many are troubled and in disbelief this Thanksgiving because the President of the United States has “gone rogue” and is abetted by a compliant media,” Mike Flynn, spokesman of Conservative War Chest said announcing the new 2-minute television ad. “Just weeks ago, millions of Americans voted for a new direction in this country. Unfortunately, the President has chosen to slip the surly bonds of politics and ignore the voters,” Flynn added.

"Well said."

Bloomberg Politics: The Epic Two-Minute Attack Ad That Will Hit Mary Landrieu on Thanksgiving

VIDEO] Eating Spaghetti: Golden Retriever versus German Shepherd

Should you be considering one of these dogs for a pet, you may want to know this.

Bookworm Room

 

Justice Dept Investigation Is Next Chapter In Ferguson Case

Ferguson demonstrators rioted a second night Tuesday with TV cameras airing all the mayhem over the Missouri grand jury's verdict which sided in favor of the Ferguson cop. The rioters smashed the window of a Pay-Less shoe store and looted the place. They took everything except the work boots. Argus Hamilton

http://comicallyincorrect.com/2014/11/26/ferguson-looting/

 

Noisy Room  

• ISIS Extremists Vow to Send Militants to Fight Ferguson Police Forces Once Rioters Pledge Allegiance to Caliph
• #Ferguson Protesters Wave Commie Flags – Hand Out Commie Leaflets – Chant About Revolution
• Obama WH to Promote #Ferguson Indoctrination – Including Classroom Memorials to Mike Brown
• Church Attended by Michael Brown Family Burned in Wake of Grand Jury Decision; Pastor does Not Think Rioters to Blame – Video 11/27/14
• St. Michael the Gentle Giant, patron saint for the Racially Aggrieved
• BOOM: Black Residents Guard White-Owned Business With Assault Rifles During Ferguson Riots
• ‘Hands up don’t shoot IS A LIE’ – David Webb DESTROYS false Ferguson narrative on the Five
• ISIS seeks converts among Ferguson rioters
• Michael Brown vs. Miriam Carey

Andrew C. McCarthy: Progressive Mythography; Officer Wilson should never even have been brought before the grand jury.  ... "Suddenly, grand-jury procedure was all the rage. Commentators better known for parroting the bromide that a prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich went berserk when the sandwich on offer was a white cop and the grand jury refused to bite."

CNN: Michael Brown autopsy “expert” may be a fraud   "The easiest conclusion one can reach is that the media didn’t feel the need to check into Parcells’ background and claims because he gave them the narrative that they wanted to sell. If that’s the case, then Parcells wasn’t the one running the con."

Fuel Me Once

 

... "What this incendiary situation does not need is Barack Hussein Obama second-guessing the Grand Jury and telling the looters (in wink-wink nudge-nudge fashion) that they damn well should be angry at filthy awful white people. Unfortunately, that's the subtext that came through loud and clear in his statement following the announcement of the Ferguson decision." ...

For our dog Lovers

Eagles Game 2014   The home of Michael Vick?

 

 Nonstop Funny dogs & cats

The Grand Jury System Is Broken

 

Commentary Magazine   "The announcement of the grand jury’s decision in the Ferguson case could hardly have been worse handled. The prosecutor waited until well after nightfall to make the announcement and the governor, having mobilized the national guard to protect persons and property, kept them in their barracks while the rioters ran wild." 

 

Watch: CNN Reporter Blasts Jesse Jackson Over How Little Sense His Ferguson Rhetoric Makes

Natalie DuBose is pictured outside of her bakery in Ferguson, Mo
 

 

Western Journalism  "While Ferguson continues to burn following a grand jury declining to indict Darren Wilson, CNN reporter Don Lemon asked Jesse Jackson a serious question:

“But Reverend, with all due respect, if people need jobs in the community, why would you burn down a store or a place where you could possibly work?”

“If you want a job, if you want to be educated then you go look for a job, you go look for an education, what does it have to do with burning down your neighbor or burning down a store that someone needs for their livelihood?” Lemon continued.
“Someone needs the income from that store. That is their job. Someone needs that income to pay their bills. What does one have to do with the other?”

"The Rev. stalled but then sidestepped the question, saying that the disproportionate ratio of black/white police officers and firefighters led to an “irrational dimension of pain.”
 Read more and see video

Natalie's Cakes & More Facebook page
Order cakes from Natalie

Victor Davis Hanson on the past six years of Obama

Explaining Away Obama

 

"The only mystery about the last six years is how much lasting damage has been done to the American experiment, at home and abroad. Our federal agencies are now an alphabet soup of incompetence and corruption ^[1]. How does the IRS ever quite recover ^[2]? Will the Secret Service always be seen as veritable Keystone Cops? Is the GSA now a reckless party-time organization ^[3]? Is the EPA institutionalized as a rogue appendage of the radical green movement with a director who dabbles in online pseudonyms ^[4]? Do we accept that the Justice Department dispenses injustice or that the VA can be a lethal institution for our patriots? Is NASA now a Muslim outreach megaphone ^[5] as we hire Russia, the loser of the space race, to rocket us into orbit?

"Will anyone again ever believe a U.S. red line, step-over line, or deadline? Will Iran ever accept that it should not have a bomb or fear the consequences of trying to get one? Is Iraq (omnis effusus labor) a sort of rescued Eurydice that was abruptly lost on the trek up from the Underworld? Will Afghanistan become Saigon, 1975? How could Putin ever again be worried about offending a U.S. president, or could China or North Korea? Are we now always to be allies of Islamist Turkey and indifferent to its enemies like our once-allied Kurds, Cypriots, Greeks, and Israelis?" ...
Full article.

The Forgotten Americans;  Obama’s coalition is held together only by his personal mythography.

 

 

... "For liberals for whom power is the true goal, California is seen as a success because there are no more conservatives like Ronald Reagan or Pete Wilson in statewide office. Over the last 30 years, unchecked illegal immigration, an influx of high-income urban liberal professionals to the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas, and a steady exodus of the white middle and working classes explain why this liberal blue state has the largest number of both poor and wealthy people in the nation — and a shrinking conservative percentage of the electorate.

"But is the California progressive future applicable throughout the United States?... Full article.

Luis Gutirrez: The Immigration Demagogues

"Hoping for surrender on amnesty, Representative Luis Gutierrez demagogues and bullies."

  John Fund

 

"Al Sharpton, make some room to your left. The Reverend Sharpton now has a competitor for the title “demagogue in chief” of American politics. Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, Congress’s most outspoken advocate for immigration amnesty, appeared on MSNBC after President Obama announced his executive actions and was asked by Rachel Maddow why Republicans were opposing Obama. Gutierrez’s reasoned response was: “If you want to make it about people from Latin America, if you want to use xenophobia, if you want to use bigotry and hatred and [the president], then you want to mix up the facts.”

 

Gutierrez has followed up sound-bite missiles like that with something akin to a victory lap through America’s urban areas. He tells immigrants it is “my responsibility, now that [Obama] has done the executive action, to sign up as many people as possible.” That means getting them to pre-register for the time next year when applications will be available for what is likely to lead to amnesty.

Univision's Ramos To Journalists: 'Stop Pretending We're Neutral'

" 'We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.' " 

Well, who do you call "victims"? Those who are oppressed by the strong-arm robbers like Michael Brown, or do you consider Brown to be the victim of that shopkeeper?

Who demonstrates in support of the owners and employees of the destroyed businesses? Are those calling for the deaths of white people victims? When black youths punch unsuspecting passers-by, then dance over their prostrate form, just who do you call "oppressed"?

Are those who cry to "burn this b---h down!" to be considered oppressed? Apparently Mr. Ramos would say so.

Truth Revolt

 

... "During his speech before the group of journalists and media executives, Ramos made the case for journalists to drop the facade of impartiality and to use their voices and influence not just to inform but as activists to change policy:

" 'The best of journalism happens when we take a stand: when we question those who are in power, when we confront the politicians who abuse their authority, when we denounce an injustice," Ramos said. "The best of journalism happens when we side with the victims, with the most vulnerable, with those who have no rights. The best of journalism happens when we, purposely, stop pretending that we are neutral and recognize that we have a moral obligation to tell truth to power."

Maybe nonsense to power?

Brand Unawareness

Kevin D. Williamson 

... "Russell Brand is — let’s get this out of the way up front — a dope, a witless Hollywood poseur who having made himself a splendid fortune and having been cured of his various addictions now seeks new avenues of satisfaction. The progression is a common one among celebrities: To be paid handsomely is not enough, the sexual rewards are not enough, to be famous is not enough, to be celebrated is not enough — the hungry ego demands to be admired and respected, and the clown wants the world to know that underneath his makeup is the face of a Serious Man." ... 

Our Weasel Of The Week!!

Nice Deb  "Once again, It’s time to present this week’s statuette of shame, The Golden Weasel!!

"Every Tuesday, the Council nominates some of the slimiest, most despicable characters in public life for some deed of evil, cowardice or corruption they’ve performed. Then we vote to single out one particular Weasel for special mention, to whom we award the statuette of shame, our special, 100% plastic Golden Weasel. This week’s nominees were all slime-worthy,but in the end the winner by a nose was..the envelope please…



The P5+1 And U.S. Secretary Of State John Kerry!!

JoshuaPundit: "For allowing Iran to play them for even more time in ‘negotiations’ while Iran gets closer to having a nuclear weapon. The latest deadline (giggle) ended November 24th, with the Iranians still refusing even basic concessions like reducing the number of centrifuges, changing their heavy water reactor at Arak to a light water one incapable of increasing plutonium, ceasing all ballistic missile activity or even disclosing info on  their  program, or even a reliable verification program. "

"Kerry’s reaction? After a year of sheer horse manure that has accomplished nothing except to dismantle the sanctions regime and give badly needed billions to this fascist regime,Kerry and the P5+1 are begging Iran to continue the talks for another 7 months, until July 2015. They’ve caved on everything. The weakness this projects to the Iranians can only be imagined and it’s weaselness that threatens both our country and the peace of the world..."

"Ah, and the Iranians know it too! Let’s listen to what a couple of them had to say just a few days ago…like ‘moderate Iranian prez Hassan Rouhani:" ...  Read more.

http://www.classbrain.com/artteensb/publish/john_kerry_doctrine.shtml

Volokh Conspiracy: Private property and the Pilgrims

Washington Post  "There is much to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. One lesson of the holiday that we should try not to forget is how the Pilgrims were saved from starvation and misery by private property rights. Economist Benjamin Powell summarizes the story here:" ..

...Faced with potential starvation in the spring of 1623, the colony decided to implement a new economic system. Every family was assigned a private parcel of land. They could then keep all they grew for themselves….

 Ilya Somin is Professor of Law at George Mason University. His research focuses on constitutional law, property law, and popular political participation. He is the author of "The Grasping Hand: Kelo v. City of New London and the Limits of Eminent Domain" (forthcoming) and "Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government is Smarter."

A Black to Giuliani: 'Right on brother. Way to go Rudy!'

Lloyd Marcus  "All heck broke loose in the media when white former Mayor Rudy Giuliani smacked down black race pimp Michael Eric Dyson with the truth about black-on-black crime during a TV panel discussion.  As an American who happens to be black, I say, “Right on, brother.  Way to go, Rudy!”  It is about time someone got into the face of these despicable human beings like Dyson, whose evil intention is to divide our great nation along racial lines for political and personal gain.  Dyson and his ilk are disgusting.  We must not submit to their arrogance, bullying, and assumed superiority."  Read more:

Video

 

Artist’s ‘normal’ Barbie doll is modestly dressed, and can have cellulite too

Times of Israel

 

 

..."She’s not the waif-like fashion-plate doll girls are used to. Based on the proportions of an average North American 19-year-old girl, the Lammily doll is sporty, strong, and, well, pretty normal looking.

 

"For feminist thinkers and regular mothers around the globe, it is the Lammily doll’s normalcy that is its selling point." ...
 

 

 

"The Lammily Marks, a $6 packet of reusable stickers, give the doll anything from grass stains, to boo boos, to cellulite and stretch marks. (Lammily.com)

 

LIBERALS WILLING TO FIGHT TO THE LAST DROP OF BLACK BLOOD

Ann Coulter     (All emphases added, TD)

"Every other riot I've ever heard of was touched off by some spontaneous event that exploded into mob violence long before any media trucks arrived. This time, the networks gave us a countdown to the riot, as if it were a Super Bowl kickoff.

"From the beginning, Officer Darren Wilson's shooting of Michael Brown wasn't reported like news. It was reported like a cause.
...Full article here....

"The looters aren't the community!
"The community doesn't want black thugs robbing stores and sauntering down the middle of its streets. The community doesn't want to be assaulted by Big Mike. The community didn't want its stores burned down.
" That community testified in support of Officer Darren Wilson. About a half-dozen black witnesses supported Officer Wilson's version of what happened. One was a black woman, who saw the shooting from the Canfield Green apartments. Crying on the stand, she said, "I have a child and that could have been my son."
"And yet, she confirmed all crucial parts of Wilson's account. She said "the child" (292-pound Big Mike) never had his hands up and the cop only fired when "the baby" was coming at him. "Why won't that boy stop?" she asked her husband.
" I always want to know more about the heroic black witnesses. They are put in a position no white person will ever be in and do the right thing by telling the truth -- then go into hiding from "the community" being championed by goo-goo liberals.
 " White people don't feel any obligation to defend some thug just because he's white. Only blacks are expected to lie on behalf of criminals of their own race. "

"But real heroism doesn't interest liberals. They only ooh-and-ahh over blacks with rap sheets. The only meaningful white racism anymore is the liberal infantilization of black people. "

 

The New York Times and Other Members of the Ferguson Hall of Shame

Roger L Simon

"That the photograph of Walter Duranty — the New York Times Moscow correspondent who deliberately whitewashed Stalin’s 1930s forced starvation of millions of Ukrainians and won the Pulitzer for it — still is on the newspaper’s wall of fame with their other prize winners is apparently no aberration. The New York Times has no moral center. In fact, it’s despicable. " ...

...

"The NYT apparently doesn’t give a s--t (excuse the French, but it’s merited). In the midst of all this, they print Wilson’s address. It was to them “all the news that’s fit to print.” Who cares what might happen to the cop and his family? He’s just a cop, after all, and a white one at that. Definitely not a member of the elite — not bon type, bon genre. (Maybe someone should do a country song — “Two thousand miles from Zabar’s.”)

"So much for that newspaper. They’re cancer."

That is just number one in the list, Here are more nominees for the hall of shame:
...Not quite cancer but pretty bad is Jay Nixon, the governor of Missouri." ...

"And then there’s Brown’s stepfather who looks about five years older than Brown himself and exhorted the crowds to “Burn the bitch down.” ...

"And finally there’s the Revered Al, a character straight out of the pages of Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man. A demagogue with the ear of the president and attorney general, he’s no minor player." ...

...This last segment has had emphasis added for the import of the words:
"But the real top of the Ferguson Hall of Shame goes to the people who brought us Ferguson from the beginning. I mean the real beginning. I mean… what happened to black America in the post-civil rights era? Why has such a wonderful group of people who fought so hard against a racist society and won, who brought so much to American (and world) culture had the guts torn out of their community? Why is what was once one of our most family-oriented groups now virtually without family, seventy percent of their babies born out of wedlock? That was unheard of when I was a young civil rights worker in the sixties. And the endless black on black crime? Where did that come from? What caused that? Forget Brown. Forget Wilson. They’re trivial by comparison. Those are the real questions."

But the real problem is… Israel!

Sheikyer mami

 

...“Israel is the historical birthplace of the Jewish people and the place where we established the State of Israel.”– Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

“ 'Now, explain to me why you disagree. Tell me. I want to know,” Netanyahu said, as opposition legislators continued to shout their objections.

"Once again, freedom of speech wins over political correctness:
Victory: Federal Judge in AFDI Ad Case Says “Expert” Cannot Testify that “Islamic Jew-

" 'Hatred” Is False
...
"Time to check out the official hypocrisy of Israel’s critics, and note the deafening silence towards this supposed Arab and Islamic racism – by their definition. Here, from the Elder of Ziyon, (read article below the fold)" ...
 

Animal Rights Activists Hold Funeral For Frozen Chicken In Grocery Store

And these people vote. Probably for Nancy Pelosi and Jerry Brown.

KFBK Sacramento  "Direct Action Everywhere, a group of animal rights activists, held a mock funeral in a grocery store in Berkeley, CA to protest the killing of animals.  They had flowers, gave a eulogy and even brought a small coffin. "  Read more:

 

Hat tip to Harley Standlee; Placerville, CA

 

Cornel West Declares Ferguson 'Sad End of the Age of Obama'; The flames of Ferguson this age

Missouri governor Jay Nixon practically invited a riot Monday when he announced barricades were up in Ferguson two hours before the verdict. Even worse, they chose to announce the verdict at night. It's really going to hurt Black Friday sales when big screen TVs are free three days ahead of time. Argus Hamilton

Perhaps Dr. West is not aware of the Obama regulatory blitzkrieg discussed elsewhere in the Tunnel Wall.

The Weekly Standard   "Activist Cornel West called Ferguson the "sad end of the age of Obama." He made the comment in a tweet:"

  Cornel West        ✔ @CornelWest Follow

#Ferguson: The sad end of the Age of Obama

8:58 AM - 25 Nov 2014

 

 Cornel West        ✔ @CornelWest Follow

Obama's empty neutrality, moral bankruptcy and political cowardice is now undeniable to even his most loyal cheerleaders and boot-lickers!

8:59 AM - 25 Nov 2014

 

 J. Christian Adams: Flames of Ferguson Illuminate Age of Obama  "When history remembers the Obama administration, the flames of Ferguson will light up our memories. It wasn’t just an AutoZone and Jade Nails burning up in the fires of Ferguson, it was also the “Hope” of 2008 going up in smoke.

"Instead of hope, the age of Obama has been characterized by racial division and discord.

 

"Obama and Holder commanded the police to behave themselves. The police behaved, and look what happened.

"Last week, members of the New Black Panther Party were arrested by state officials for plotting to use pipe bombs against the St. Louis Gateway Arch and for purchasing guns in a plot to kill as many policemen as possible."...

Democrats Lost the Election. But Obama Still Controls the Regulatory Agencies.

The Daily Signal
"The election results were a crushing political blow for the Obama administration, giving Republicans firm control of both houses of Congress for the final two years of his term. But this in no way signals the end of the president’s policy agenda. It simply shifts the action to regulatory agencies.

"In the days since the vote, this has already begun. Obama is moving forward with his immigration plans, and pushing his appointees on the Federal Communications Commission for stronger Internet regulation. While most modern presidents have routinely ended their terms by unspooling red tape, the regulatory hyperactivity of this administration may take the tactic to new levels.

"President Obama has hardly been shy about his intention to use administrative action to bypass Congress. In this year’s State of the Union address, he vowed to wield his executive powers when faced with congressional resistance to his legislative agenda: “America does not stand still – and neither will I,” he said. “So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation … that’s what I am going to do.”.....More..

 

"And there are many more regulations in the pipeline; agencies have identified 124 additional major rules they intend to work on going forward . (A “major” rule is defined as one expected to impose costs on the private sector of at least $100 million annually.)"

 

 

Amid Ferguson and Thanksgiving, Obama’s Rolling Out 3415 New Regulations. Some commentary:

Has anyone noticed the anti-capitalism tone of the Ferguson riots and how it juxtaposes with the Obama philosophy of economics?  Does anyone recall the Che Guevara posters at an Obama campaign HQ? Did anyone notice the Soviet communist flag in a crowd of demonstrators st Obama's first inauguration?

As Jonathan Gruber believes, there is a rich vein of stupidity among American voters, but among Obama voters there is also much insidiousness.  The Tunnel Dweller

http://comicallyincorrect.com/2014/06/05/obama-epa-regulations/

Happy Thanksgiving! Obama Issues Most Expensive Ozone Reg Yet    "It’s the day before Thanksgiving and Obama has a gift for people who hate fossil fuels though it will make the rest of us sick. Today, Barack Obama will issue the most expansive and expensive ozone pollution regulation yet under the cover of protecting public health and meeting the challenge of climate change.

"Environmental extremists and government toadies in public health applaud the move.

"Business groups charge that it would be the costliest regulation of all time.

"It brings us one step closer to the demise of coal by these de-industrialists." ...
...
It will be the end of coal and it will come at great cost to the citizens."

"
Red State  "The grand jury decision and subsequent riots in Ferguson have been dominating the news coverage for the last few days. Meanwhile, in about 48 hours, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving, one of our most cherished national holidays and a day when we probably won’t pay much attention to the news. It’s the perfect time for a politician to do something controversial, so of course, the Obama administration isn’t letting the opportunity pass them by. News broke yesterday that the President was getting ready to roll out 3,415 new regulations, and with other stories dominating the news in a usually slow news week, it’s probable that most Americans won’t hear this. The Daily Caller explains that Obama’s Unified Agenda for Fall 2014 “includes some 3,415 regulations– more than the last regulatory agenda, and one that includes 189 rules that cost more than $100 million.”. So what exactly is in the list of over 3,400 new regulations? The highlights include some controversial new EPA regulations that continue the agency’s power grab. As the article explains:" ...

For those who’d like to check out the Obama administration’s proposed new government red tape, released Friday, it’s called the Unified Agenda.

The Rule of Memo    "Turn now to the President’s “executive action” on immigration. What did he do?"

New ozone regs would cost industry billions with very little public health benefit   "As Mr. Feldman points out, existing rules have been working fine, and there is no compelling evidence that drastic reductions of ozone emissions will even marginally improve the health of Americans. What the rules will accomplish is a loss of jobs. And they will make American prodicts even less competitive overseas."

Regulate First, Ask Questions Later

The Volokh Conspiracy: Michael Brown grand jury process was fair. Officer Wilson speaks,

 

 

 

WaPo  "The Michael Brown grand jury has spoken, declining to return charges against Officer Darren Wilson. The evidence that the grand jury reviewed has made available to the public and can be found here.  Since I haven’t yet had an opportunity to review the voluminous testimony, in this post I discuss not substance, but procedure.  Contrary to the complaints of some critics, the grand jury process was clearly fair.

"Prosecuting Attorney Robert P. McCulloch described the process that he used.  The grand jury was one that a judge had previously selected, well before the shooting occurred.  After the shooting, the grand jurors were asked to extend their service to hear the evidence.  Prosecutors then called before the grand jury everyone they could that had evidence relevant to the case.  The St. Louis Post-Dispatch summarized the process neatly:" ...

Darren Wilson explains why he killed Michael Brown ... "On a hot August day, Wilson drove down a street and spotted two young black men walking down the middle of the road. One wore a black shirt. The other held cigarillos. The details of a robbery earlier that day, blared out on a police radio, clicked into Wilson’s head. Were they suspects? He told the two young men, one of whom was Brown, to move to the sidewalk.

"Things then happened very quickly. Wilson said Brown was at his car window, enraged. Wilson said Brown hit him in the face, grabbing for his gun. Two shots fired. Brown bolted down the street. Wilson pursued. As Wilson told it, Brown charged the officer, reaching into his pants. Wilson raised his .40-caliber Sig Sauer and aimed for a lethal shot."

Ferguson officer: 'I know I did my job right'  ... "Wilson says he felt like it was his duty to chase Brown after a confrontation at his police vehicle. When asked about witness accounts that Brown at one point turned toward Wilson and put his hands up, he responded "that would be incorrect.' "

[VIDEO] Obama in 2006 said “I stole ideas from Jon Gruber”

Wayne Dupree  "Obama in 2006: “You have already drawn some of the brightest minds from academia and policy circles, many of them I have stolen ideas from liberally, people ranging from Robert Gordon to Austan Goolsbee; Jon Gruber; my dear friend, Jim Wallis here, who can inform what are sometimes dry policy debates with a prophetic voice.'”
 

Missing the Crime Beat; Most of today’s reporters have never covered police day-to-day — and it shows.

NRO

 

"The generally abysmal media coverage of the Ferguson tragedy has raised one major question among those of us who once practiced the journalistic trade: Doesn’t anybody cover the cop shop any more?

"It was clear from much of the coverage that few of those assigned to the story knew very much about the law, and that they knew even less about how cops do their jobs. Time was, every genuine news organization had at least one often-grizzled and highly cynical veteran of covering the police beat, who would have suggested that it might not be good or accurate to refer to someone caught on camera pulling a strong-arm robbery as a “gentle giant.”
...
"Policemen and old police reporters have a saying about someone whose actions result in his own demise: He bought his ticket. As sad as it is, the person most responsible for Michael Brown’s death was and is Michael Brown. It’s a shame there were no tough old police reporters in Ferguson to see that."

What Obama said about the grand jury (and what he could have said)

American Thinker

 

... "Let's consider these words.  He starts by appearing to give both sides an even footing, but then he allows that anger is understandable, which is tantamount to it being justified.
 
"A man of peace, a man with compassion and yet a representative of the nation, would not say it is an understandable reaction – because it isn't.  It is not understandable to be angry unless you believe that a result of a lawful and objective jury decision is unfair – and angry with whom?  The police in general?  The government of the state?  The world?
 
"He then goes on not to say that justice has to be trusted, but to call for those who "protest" to be non-violent.  But he does in truth call for protest.

"Thomas Lifson adds:
Let’s consider what could have been.  President Obama could have discussed the thorough process of evidence review undertaken by the grand jury.  He could have discussed why grand jury secrecy is an important feature of the justice system in all 50 states.  He could have stressed that all Americans of all races are protected by the process of checks and balances built into the grand jury system.  He could have mentioned that the grand jury was representative of the demographic composition of the St. Louis area.  He could have urged all those with anger and frustration to take the time to review the evidence seen by the grand jury before jumping to conclusions.
But instead he stated that anger was “understandable.”