California circling the drain

NRO; Penniless in Paradise  " “The enemy is algebra.” Liccardo, a Democrat, is bracingly honest when it comes to his fellow partisans in Sacramento: “The fact is the unions own the Democratic party,” he says, and San Jose’s pension-and-personnel reforms have not made the city’s Democratic elected officials any friends in Sacramento. “Party orthodoxy is much more strictly enforced at the state level, because the unions decide who wins and who loses,” Liccardo says. San Jose mayor Chuck Reed, also a Democrat, has been out front on the pension issue, and he’s maybe had a little easier time with it than have the authorities in Compton or San Bernardino."

http://www.calwatchdog.com/

 Victor Davis Hanson; California: The Road Warrior Is Here  "Illegal immigration did its share. No society can successfully absorb some 6-7 million illegal aliens, in less than two decades, the vast majority without English, legality, or education from the poorer provinces of Mexico, the arrivals subsidized by state entitlements while sending billions in remittances back to Mexico — all in a politicized climate where dissent is demonized as racism. This state of affairs is especially true when the host has given up on assimilation, integration, the melting pot, and basic requirements of lawful citizenship."

Bill Clinton to Have Leading Role at Party’s Convention

Jeff Zeleny, NY Times  "For Mr. Clinton, who has become one of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, the speech will be among the most high-profile roles yet that he has assumed for Mr. Obama. The address is intended to offer a strong contrast with the Republican ticket and will be closely watched, particularly given a string of blunt statements — and retractions — that Mr. Clinton has made this year when talking about the Obama administration."

http://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/p/F/2/clinton-speech-sac0827cd.jpg

Jennifer Rubin; Will Clinton help or hurt Obama at the Convention?   "The most immediate concern for Democrats is his potential to upstage a president who has lost his freshness and has less to say with each passing month.  Really how many times can he say “Romney, bad. Tax rich people. Bush was bad”? Clinton is rarely boring and hardly ever publicly peevish. It is very likely a lot of people after his speech will say, “Boy, I wish THAT guy was on the ballot.” "

Romney in Israel and abroad

Daniel Pipes: Romney's Remarkable Speech in Jerusalem "The contrast with Obama could hardly be more dramatic. Indeed, one could go through the speech and note the many refutations of Obama. For example, the opening comment that "To step foot into Israel is to step foot into a nation that began with an ancient promise made in this land" directly contrasts with Obama's crabbed statement in Cairo about "the aspiration for a Jewish homeland [being] rooted in a tragic history." "


American Thinker; On the eve of Romney's Israel visit Obama tried to upstage him  "Questions should be asked as to why such statements were "leaked" on the eve of Romney's visit to Israel? Does the Administration suggest that Romney supports a "disloyal" ally?"

Remember this back in 2010? Obama snubbed Netanyahu for dinner with Michelle and the girls, Israelis claim   "Benjamin Netanyahu was left to stew in a White House meeting room for over an hour after President Barack Obama abruptly walked out of tense talks to have supper with his family, it emerged on Thursday."  The Times of London carried this:  Netanyahu 'Humiliated' by Obama Snub.  I'm not digressing. I just want you to see the contrast.


Barry Rubin; Mitt Romney Captures Jerusalem  "What Romney did do, however, was to scatter among the assertions of U.S. support for Israel’s security and a strong belief in a U.S.-Israel alliance some subtle references that many viewers and much of the mass media are likely to miss. Here are the key ones, which give some hints about Romney’s future campaign and possibly his presidency:"

Jerusalem Post's Herb Keinon isn't impressed with any of the US politicians.

Yid With Lid;  A Tale of Two Presidential Campaigns and One Holy City  "Unlike the classic Dickens work, this week's  presidential campaign was a tale of one city Jerusalem, and the different way it was handled by the two different campaigns, One handled it as if this was the age of foolishness, the other as the age of wisdom.  One refused to give its position on Israel’s capital publicly; the other stood in front of the panorama of the holy city over his shoulder and pronounced the city Israel’s capital."


 Charles Krauthammer; Romney Abroad; He needs to show appreciation for close allies.
"To the Israelis: “We understand your unique plight. If and when you do as you must, we will stand by you.” To the Poles: “You can count on the American umbrella. I will never leave you out in the cold.” And to the British: “We are grateful for your steadfast solidarity in awful places like Iraq and Afghanistan. The relationship truly is special.” "


Joan Walsh’s Selective Quote of Mitt Romney "Does Walsh find any fault with this passage in its entirety? If so, fine. But debate what Romney is saying and, at the very least, buy the damn book and don’t rely on others to supply your quotes.

Update 12:05: Walsh tweets:

Apologies for screwing up the Romney quote about “England” as “just a small island.” It’s corrected now.

Obama canceled Bin Laden ‘kill’ raid three times at Jarrett’s urging

Before It's News "In ”Leading From Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him,“ Richard Miniter writes that Obama canceled the “kill” mission in January 2011, again in February, and a third time in March. Obama’s close adviser Valerie Jarrett persuaded him to hold off each time, according to the book."
...."Obama administration officials also said after the raid that the president had delayed giving the order to kill the arch-terrorist the day before the operation was carried out, in what turned out to be his fourth moment of indecision. At the time, the White House blamed the delay on unfavorable weather conditions near bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

But when Miniter obtained that day’s weather reports from the U.S. Air Force Combat Meteorological Center, he said, they showed ideal conditions for the SEALs to carry out their orders."

Announcing the Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day on August 1

Announcing the Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day on August 1  "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day is our way of showing our support for a company whose leaders believe in marriage as that of one man, one woman.

"Join millions of others in showing support for Chick-fil-A by visiting your local Chick-fil-A on Wednesday, August 1, 2012. The plan is simple. At least once on August 1, eat a meal at Chick-fil-A and politely let the staff and management know you appreciate the company’s Christian value system."

The Facebook page for "Support Chick fil-A"

Mike Huckabee Censored by Facebook for Supporting Anti Gay Company?    More on this here.

If you want to know what the liberal press thinks of Chick-fil-A and their supporters, this should cover it pretty well.

This gay publication is much more outspoken:" IF YOU'RE EATING CHICK-FIL-A, YOU'RE EATING ANTI-GAY"  "Jeremy Hooper at Good As You points out that teh(sic) restaurant chain Chick-fil-A is sponsoring two marriage conferences in the South-Central Pennsylvania region run by the state's most prominent anti-gay, anti-equality group."
Then they posted this Family Life announcement to give you a visual picture showing the evil acts perpetrated by marriage traditionalists:

More Commentary on Chick-fil-A with Muppets update

Alderman Moreno

Update and clarification about the Muppets posted by the Chick-fil-A Facebook page:  "Hey Fans. Another rumor related to Chick-fil-A that is currently in the media is related to the Jim Henson Kid's Meal prizes. We want to set the facts straight. Chick-fil-A made the choice to voluntarily withdraw the Jim Henson Kid's Meal puppets for potential safety concerns for our customers on Thursday, July 19. On July 20, Chick-fil-A was notified of the Jim Henson Company's decision to no longer partner with us on future endeavors."


Several from National Review Online:
Mark Steyn writes: The Tolerance Enforcers; They’re ever more intolerant of anything less than total ideological homogeneity.   "Chick-fil-A does not represent “Chicago values” — which is true if by “Chicago values” you mean machine politics, AIDS-conspiracy-peddling pastors, and industrial-scale black youth homicide rates. But, before he was mayor, Rahm Emanuel was President Obama’s chief of staff. Until the president’s recent “evolution,” the Obama administration held the same position on gay marriage as Chick-fil-A. Would Alderman Moreno have denied Barack Obama the right to open a chicken restaurant in the First Ward? Did Rahm Emanuel quit the Obama administration on principle? "

The Chicken Inquisition  "Mr. Cathy’s own views are considerably more complex than his critics would have us believe: “We don’t claim to be a Christian business,” he said in the same interview. “Christ never died for a corporation.”
Politicians are treating opposition to gay marriage as if it were Jim Crow.  "That last statement implies that Emanuel believes it is politicians, not markets, who should determine what is and isn’t a good investment. And that is bad news not just for fans of waffle fries; it bodes poorly for any Windy City business that chooses to support unpopular or controversial causes."

Sarah and Todd Palin

Michelle Malkin: Hey, Boston: Leave Chick-fil-A alone  "Anti-Christian organizers have been staging boycotts and smear campaigns against “anti-gay” Chick-fil-A for the past year. An activist lesbian reporter for The New York Times poured fuel on the fire. The proprietors of The Muppets are just the latest to take a public stand.

"It’s their right. It’s also the right of Chick-fil-A supporters to organize social media campaigns, exercise their free speech and exercise the power of their pocketbooks to back the company."

Hat tip to Jon Hodges, Richardson, TX

American Thinker; Grand Mufti Emanuel's Chicago Values  "In 2009 Mr. Farrakhan said that homosexuality is "a learned behavior" and has its origins in predators sensing that children are vulnerable and "then some man will take advantage of that tenderness and engage a child in homosexual behavior."

"In contrast, Cathy's comments were quite tepid.  Yet not only does Emanuel have nothing to say about the Nation's Chicago restaurant, Salaam, he also welcomed Nation of Islam patrols of city streets."  Keep reading; it gets better....

Rick Moran; DC Mayor calls Chick-fil-A 'Hate Chicken'  "Their schools are a disgrace, the crime rate is appalling, there is corruption a-plenty, they can't manage their own budgets -- but they can pander to gays and liberals by refusing to allow the expansion of a business that would give jobs to some of their citizens and pay taxes that would help ease their budget problems."


Have you seen their 2004 ad? Chick Fil-A's Cow Super-Heroes Would Appreciate It If You Did Not Eat Them

Obama and private enterprise

Forbes; No President Obama, It Was Private Business That Made Our Roads And Bridges Possible   
...."As a result of all this, America joined the ranks of the world’s wealthiest nations with some of the highest average living standards.
"It happened before America became a welfare state.
"That’s how American taxpayers could sometimes pay very large amounts of money for roads and bridges.
"Other nations, many with abundant natural resources, tried to do what our private sector did, but they failed because they bet on a government-run economy. The Soviet Union isn’t even on the map anymore."  (Emphasis added)


Clarice Feldman: Wile E. Coyote Joins Obama Campaign Team  "It turns out that the "you didn't build it" theme was stolen from make believe Cherokee Elizabeth Warren. She got it from Berkeley linguistics professor George Lakoff.  He's one of those wise guys who tell people -- mostly leftist people to be sure-- how to use language to hide meaning.  In this case they hoped to hide the plan to steal our money and give it to Obama's supporters by pretending it was just a payback for services received.  Unfortunately for Obama, voters aren't all as dumb as Berkeley undergraduates."

.... "The ads highlighting his missteps have been brutal."

Ms. Feldman's far-ranging article includes this on the Chick-fil-A flap:   "If the right wing maniacs out there aren't engaged in mass murder, consumers and government must nevertheless punish them for exercising their right to free speech because they are hate-filled chicken sandwich pushing homophobes, if you listen to the media and Democrat politicians.

"The instigator of this latest hate campaign was CNN.  Terry Mattingly at Get Religion:" Via Lucianne 

Guy Benson: Liberal Columnist: These Devastating 'You Didn't Build That' Attacks Sure Are Racist  "Like the rising of the sun in the east and its setting in the west, one can always count on some element of the Left to resort to the 'R-word' to shield President Obama from the consequences of his own words and actions.  Today, the inevitable officially occurred.  Take it away, Jonathan Chait:"...  More here for you racism fans.
The column makes a brief digression with this: "Ed Morrissey also notes the Obama campaign's worries over the shrinking 'gender gap,' which is why his campaign has put out an ad lying about Mitt Romney's position on abortion:"

The Demons of the Modern Rampage Killer

Victor Davis Hanson   "As of now we know little about what conditions drove, or proved useful to, the Aurora suspect to murder and maim . But given the worldwide incidences of so-called “rampage killings,” the culprit was not the particular gun laws of Colorado. His dark counterparts exist in contemporary Norway, Uganda, Russia, and Latin America. I am sure there is a typology of the multifarious conditions that might prompt such demonic killers — workplace anger, spousal revenge, school-related grudges, religious fanaticism, race or ethnic hatred, political extremism, and abject insanity that offers no exegesis at all."....
I think Mr. Hanson refers to points of view such as is expressed  by this cartoon:

Hanson concludes with this: "In other words, I don’t care a whit whether the Aurora killer was a loner. I don’t care if he was unhappy or if he was on medication. Millions share such pathologies without killing a mouse. I don’t even know whether giving him swift justice will deter the next mass shooter. Yes, give the suspect expert legal counsel; call in all the psychiatrists imaginable; sequester the jury; ensure the judge is a pillar of jurisprudence; but if he is found guilty, I would prefer the gallows and quickly so, to remind us that we live in a civilization that prefers to remember the victims and to remember nothing at all of their killer."

Golden oldie of country music: "I'VE GOT TEARS IN MY EARS FROM LYING ON MY BACK IN [MY] BED WHILE I CRY OVER YOU"

Homer and Jethro via Youtube:   Hillbilly bopper novelty from 1949. Nice guitar by George Barnes.

Sorry, but this video is no longer available unless I can find it elsewhere. The Tunnel Dweller.


Here are some more song titles that you probably won't find on any chart. But they are real song titles.

I Just Bought A Car From The Guy That Stole My Girl, But The Car Don't Run So I Figure We Got An Even Deal. I Keep Forgettin' I Forgot About You.I Knew I'd Hit Rock Bottom When I Woke Up On Top Of You.I Like Bananas Because They Have No BonesI Liked You Better Before I Knew You So Well. I May Be Used, But Baby I Ain't Used Up I Meant Every Word That He Said. I Only Miss You On The Days That End In " Y " I Sat Down On A Beartrap (Just This Morning) I Sent Her Artifical Flowers For Her Artificial Love I Still Miss You, Baby, But My Aim's Gettin' Better. 

Many more songs here if you feel you really must know.


Why didn't I think to ask this? Why are country songs so often complete sentences?
"Stylistically, listen to country radio - you can usually understand every word of every song (as opposed to in rock/pop "what did he say"?) Lyrics are very important in country music. In commercial country music, much more so than in pop, there are many examples of jokey type lyrics, double entendres, and crazy rhymes..."


Here's one where you can understand the words, but won't be able to explain it:  I'm my Own Grandpa

Alan Caruba; The "Worst President Ever"

Presidential petulance personified

WARNING SIGNS  "You have to know how poorly Barack Hussein Obama has performed in office when the phrase the "worst President ever” has already become a cliché."
.... Dr. Hans F. Sennholz, the chairman of the department of economics at Grove City College, wrote an analysis of “The Economics of Jimmy Carter”noting that Carter was “unaware of the inexorable economic principles that direct and determine economic life.” 
"Carter, Sennholz wrote, was unaware that, “Consumers determine not only the prices of consumer goods but also those of the factors of production, that is, land, labor, and capital. They determine and pay the wages of every worker” noting also that “Carter never tires of expounding his displeasure and irritability about the income and wealth of many capitalists and about government policies that seem to favor the rich.” Who does that sound like today?"
(Emphasis added)

Obama vs. the Jewish state

Jennifer Rubin  "The conservative Emergency Committee for Israel is out with a new ad:"


"Democrats are upset that other Democrats are coming out to expressdisappointment with Obama. You can only shout “out of context!” and “smear!” so many times. But if you think it is all “lies,” take it up with The Post’s “authoritative report”or decidedly nonconservative voices such asAaron David Miller, Elie Wiesel, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) or many, many others. (Recall the House and Senate Democrats who spoke out when Obama “condemned” Israel building in its capital, the city Jay Carney dare not name.)
"That’s why the faux pro-Israel group J Street’s chief says, “The people who vote only on Israel didn’t vote for Obama last time and know who they are voting for already.” That speaks volumes, huh?"

Video: O, Jerusalem

Will four words — or two — derail Obama’s re-election?

Hot Air  "For the third time in two months, Obama’s musings on the economy have put him in hot water and given Mitt Romney huge openings to exploit.  Kim Strassel believes that four words in particular have Team Obama in a panic:

What’s the difference between a calm and cool Barack Obama, and a rattled and worried Barack Obama? Four words, it turns out.

“You didn’t build that” is swelling to such heights that it has the president somewhere unprecedented: on defense. Mr. Obama has felt compelled—for the first time in this campaign—to cut an ad in which he directly responds to the criticisms of his now-infamous speech, complaining his opponents took his words “out of context.” …

"It doesn’t stop there, either.  Last week, Obama spoke two words to an Oakland, California audience that may arguably haunt him even more — “it worked”:"