Missing the California of My Youth

Tim Daniel  in Pajamas Media  "California has been fundamentally transformed. The results stand as a warning to the rest of America."

"With my own eyes in California I have witnessed the perils of socialism and top-down collectivist government, the havoc wreaked by a blind eye turned to the rule of law, and what creeping and crippling regulations and taxes do to a once-thriving middle class."

Mr. Daniel was inspired to write by this article,  posted Wed, Dec 15th.

Feds Force Okla. Bank To Remove Crosses, Bible Verse

KOCO.com, OK. City "The examiners came to Perkins last week. And the team from Kansas City deemed a Bible verse of the day, crosses on the teller’s counter and buttons that say "Merry Christmas, God With Us." were inappropriate. The Bible verse of the day on the bank's Internet site also had to be taken down."  Via Drudge.

Should Michael Steele Stay as RNC Chairman?

Star Parker  "Many Republicans are unhappy with Steele’s leadership style and management. But despite the relevance of these concerns, they should not be the central issue.

Michael Steele

"Of central concern should be crystallizing the Republican Party’s vision for our nation and electing a chairman in tune with this vision, committed to it, and capable of rallying the party and the nation around it.

"Despite the sweeping Republican victory in the 2010 congressional elections, there’s little evidence that the election reflected a new love affair between voters and the Republican Party. Much work remains to be done to restore party credibility."

Worst biased reporting.

Newsbusters "First up, the winner of the Poison Teapot Award for Smearing the Anti-Obama Rabble, goes to PBS's Tavis Smiley for this:  (video and transcript)

Author Ayaan Hirsi Ali, talking about radical Muslims: “Somehow, the idea got into their minds that to kill other people is a great thing to do and that they would be rewarded in the hereafter.”
Host Tavis Smiley: “But Christians do that every single day in this country.”
Ali: “Do they blow people up every day?”
Smiley: “Yes. Oh, Christians, every day, people walk into post offices, they walk into schools, that’s what Columbine is — I could do this all day long....There are folk in the Tea Party, for example, every day who are being recently arrested for making threats against elected officials, for calling people ‘nigger’ as they walk into Capitol Hill, for spitting on people. That’s within the political — that’s within the body politic of this country.”



Tavis Smiley



Tavis Smiley: There are way more Christian murderers than Muslim ones    "Either he’s missing her point so wildly that they’re having two different conversations or he seriously believes that a guy who shoots up a post office after, say, getting laid off is necessarily committing an act of religious terrorism in the name of whatever faith he follows."

Barack Obama's 2010 Holiday Card

Slate  "...As for Bo, we're really losing patience with that dog. He got everything he wanted this year. He had a cough, we took him to the doctor. When Carla Bruni's poodle ate all his food, we refilled his bowl. He wanted a giant rubber ball, we got him a giant rubber ball. And what thanks do we get? He peed in every single room of the White House on Nov. 2. We think he'll come around by 2012."

'Don't ask' repeal moves toward law

Politico  "The Senate on Saturday cleared a crucial hurdle in repealing the controversial 17-year-old ‘don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on gays serving openly in the military, all but ensuring the repeal will become law. "....
"But with support from all but one member of the Democratic caucus and help from six Republicans, the bill overcame the 60-vote threshold required to move forward.
"The Republican senators voting “yes” with the Democrats were Mark Kirk of Illinois, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, George Voinovich of Ohio, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – and Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine."

Gays in the Military: Still Illegal For Time Being  "For the next few months and possibly for as long as a year, gays and lesbians in uniform will still be subject to investigation and discharge if they acknowledge their sexual orientation, Pentagon officials said. Despite action in Congress to repeal it, the controversial policy banning gays from serving openly remains in effect until, in essence, until the Defense Department is good and ready to wipe if off the books."  David Wood, Chief Military Correspondent, Politics Daily

Senate Blocks Bill for Illegal Immigrant Students  "The vote by 55-41 in favor of the bill, which is known as the Dream Act, effectively kills it for this year, and its fate is uncertain. The measure needed the support of 60 senators to cut off a filibuster and bring it to the floor."....
"Five Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the bill. They were Democratic Senators Max Baucus of Montana, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Jon Tester of Montana.
"And three Republicans joined the balance of Democrats in favor of it: Robert Bennett of Utah, Richard Lugar of Indiana, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska."

The new comeback kid

Charles Krauthammer  "If Barack Obama wins reelection in 2012, as is now more likely than not, historians will mark his comeback as beginning on Dec. 6, the day of the Great Tax Cut Deal of 2010."

Extinction



Investors Business Daily



Obama Talks Competitiveness as Japan Cuts its Corporate Tax Rate

Big Government  "Obama’s comments were timely, because on Tuesday, it emerged that Japan, which currently maintains the highest corporate tax rate of any O.E.C.D. (i.e., developed) nation, will cut its corporate income tax by “5 percentage points in a bid to shore up its sluggish economy,” according to the New York Times.

"Currently, Japan’s corporate tax rate is about 40 percent, slightly higher than but roughly the same rate as the U.S. rate."

'Christmas Capital' of Texas Says 'Humbug!' to Tea Party because of Complaints from Local Dems

P/Oed Patriot  "Every year the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce sponsors the "Parade and Carol of Lights". The event is open to all and according to the 2008 parade application has few rules on who can participate.
"But that could change in 2011 because of complaints this year about a Float Sponsored by the Local Tea Party."

Photo: star-telegram.com

WikiLeaks conspiracy theorists target Israel

American Thinker  "...After all the exposed hypocrisy of the Arab governments vis-a-vis Iran and the incompetence of the Obama Administration in dealing with the messianic apocalyptic regime in Tehran, people do not understand how come Israel come out so clean in Wikileaks. So they concoct conspiracy theories of an Israeli deal with WikiLeaks. Where is the real dirt on Israel?" question some.

"But the answer is quite simple and straightforward. Israel has been demonized and lied about by a pernicious media for the last 30 years."...

Teaching their children to hate  "Israel's former premiere, Golda Meir of blessed memory, was once asked when peace would end the Israeli-Arab conflict. She quickly replied

"Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us."

barenakedislam/ john Cole

Is FCC Commissioner Michael Copps Trying to Reinstate the Fairness Doctrine?

Newsbusters  "What Copps fails to grasp is that "public value" is such a subjective term that it is almost unavoidable for political factors to play into a determination of whether or not certain content satisfies the definition. In other words, there is not official regulation of political speech, but such speech will almost surely be regulated indirectly."