Busted Tribute

Commentary Magazine  "Regardless of what the artist may say, there are artistic conventions. A bust of Stalin commemorates Stalin, not his victims. It is the wrong image in the wrong place." Ben Schachter

The D-Day Memorial  Read about the Stalin Debate .

The Bedford Boys "Nineteen of the young men cut down that day were from the small central Virginia town of Bedford. The saying has been oft repeated that Bedford suffered the greatest loss of any town in the U.S. that day, per capita."
 Why Bedford, Virginia was chosen for the D-Day Memorial. Then we spent the next half-century keeping Stalinists out of this country; only to erect a statue to the tyrant. In Bedford.

President Obama to Make Recess Appointment of CMS Administrator Republicans Attacking as 'Expert on Rationing'

ABC News "In response to these and similar criticisms, a number of physicians' groups and health care organizations wrote a letter on Berwick's behalf, saying "Unfortunately, some of Dr. Berwick’s speeches and writings have been quoted in ways that misrepresent his beliefs. Specifically, it has been suggested that Dr. Berwick is an advocate of health care rationing and that he in some way supports the government making health care decisions that should be made by patients and their doctors. This misrepresentation does a disservice to Dr. Berwick who has a long history as a leader in promoting patient-centered care." "

Democrats digging harder than ever for dirt on Republicans

WaPo "The Democratic Party is moving faster and more aggressively than in previous election years to dig up unflattering details about Republican challengers. In House races from New Jersey to Ohio to California, Democratic operatives are seizing on evidence of GOP candidates' unpaid income taxes, property tax breaks and ties to financial firms that received taxpayer bailout money. " Democrat theme: "See, they ARE worse than we are!"

Afghanistan R.O.E. - Clarify, Not Change

Blackfive "I agree that soldiers need to be able to protect themselves. Personally, I think that the ROE was not that restrictive. I believe that some commanders on down the line took it upon themselves to interpret the ROE in order to ensure that no civilians were killed under their watch in order to protect their careers." Uncle Jimbo.

More Tunnel Vision  "But the purpose of this post (and those that follow) isn't to relive the past so much as it is to examine the present - and determine what, if anything, has changed. Certainly something has (or some things have) but before identifying them it's worthwhile, says I, to revisit a point in time not long ago - before that change occurred... "Greyhawk in Mudville Gazette

Obama Making Carter Years look Like Paradise

Townhall "Plus, the Carter administration didn't view every real or perceived crisis as a political "opportunity." Quite the contrary: The Carter administration learned that crises can lead to political demise. Where did that demise eventually come from? Independent voters. They had committed to Carter because they were weary of Watergate and President Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon. They wanted change they could believe in. " Matt Towery is a former National Republican legislator of the year and author of Powerchicks: How Women Will Dominate America.

American Decline is a State of Mind

Victor Davis Hanson "The United States still remains the most racially diverse, stable, free, productive and militarily strong country in the world. Its current crises are largely the political and cultural creations of the most affluent and leisured generation in civilization's history -- not due to long-standing civil unrest, structural weakness or a sudden shortage of natural resources.
"America may well soon decline and simply become no different from any other nation. But such a depressing future would largely be our generation's own free choice; it is not a historical inevitability."

Bill Kristol Must Resign

Ann Coulter "But Iraq also was a state sponsor of terrorism; was attempting to build nuclear weapons (according to endless bipartisan investigations in this country and in Britain -- thanks, liberals!); nurtured and gave refuge to Islamic terrorists -- including the 1993 World Trade Center bombers; was led by a mass murderer who had used weapons of mass destruction; paid bonuses to the families of suicide bombers; had vast oil reserves; and is situated at the heart of a critical region."
Ann's words, not mine.

http://www.investors.com/EditorialCartoons/Cartoon.aspx?id=539459

Why the Personal Mandate to Buy Health Insurance Is Unprecedented and Unconstitutional

Heritage "Executive Summary : A mandate requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance would be an unprecedented form of federal action. The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States. An individual mandate would have two features that, in combination, would make it unique. First, it would impose a duty on individuals as members of society. Second, it would require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated by the federal government."

http://bigjournalism.com/

WE LOVE PIXAR: How Hollywood Cynicism Almost Ruined ‘Toy Story’ (and Pixar)

Big Hollywood "Under Katzenberg’s charge, Toy Story became an irreverent, mean-spirited muddled mess. It was only when Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton and others returned to the old-fashioned idea of staying true to their vision that Toy Story came alive. The ‘edgy’ storyboards were thrown on the scrapheap, and the characters were re-drawn from the heart of the writers. The rest is history: Toy Story became a family-oriented, masterfully told hit film and one of the most beloved franchises in modern cinema. But it is worth mentioning the film’s allure came when the budding filmmakers stopped making what they thought the studio wanted, and instead made the film they would want their kids to watch."

Donald Berwick “We Must Redistribute Wealth”

Eyeblast "In 2008 while speaking on the British health care system in the UK, Berwick said wealthy individuals must redistribute their wealth to those less fortunate for health care funding. Also during this speech, he told those in attendance that he opposes free markets."