Note Well: This blog is intended for rational audiences. Its contents are the personal opinions of its author. If you quote from this blog, which you may do with attribution, please assume personal accountability for any consequences of mischaracterizing these expressed intentions.
Related Link » Yale Fellow "Obama Most Radical US President Ever"
“Dr. Richard L. Rubinstein, Yale fellow, "Distinguished Professor of the Year", and Harvard Phd, […] states that president Obama due to his family heritage is extremely pro Muslim - to the point of "wanting to see the destruction of Israel".”
— Tuesday, June 29, 2010 (New Zeal)
I have been posting such messages about The Obama Himself ever since His Wondrousness darkened the White House door. But what do I know? I'm just a Cornell alumnus and a Columbia PhD, the universities comprising the New York Ivies, whereas Harvard and Yale comprise the most prestigious New England Ivies. Be that as it may, His Wondrousness, who claims unverified alumni status from Columbia and Harvard, can no longer claim universal adoration from the Ivy League, not that any of His claims can ever be verified.
Trust Him. He's from the government, and He's here to help you. You saps.
Post #1,338 Yale Fellow and Harvard PhD: Obama a menace to Israel and Western Europe
Related Link » RE: What Is Israel to Do?
“As Jennifer points out, Admiral Mullen’s remarks about Iran are disconcerting. I am no military expert and, like most of us in the blogosphere and the policy community, lack the actionable intelligence to make the kind of judgment that Admiral Mullen makes on whether a military strike against Iran would yield the kind of benefits desired without the kind of consequences one may reasonably fear. […] What is remarkable, and remarkably shocking, about this procession of military and intelligence personnel coming to say what politicians have now said for a while, is that they do not seem to appreciate how these comments have damaging consequences. […] But there is a world of difference between entertaining skepticism about the military option in private and ruling it out in public. Whether it is politicians or uniformed personnel, their public dismissal of the military option — perhaps the only thing Iran’s regime truly fears — undermines the effectiveness of all non-military alternatives. Besides, it is not the job of military personnel to dismiss or even fret publicly about the consequences of a military operation. Their job is to find the best way to accomplish a mission they are tasked with by their civilian leadership — and, if that mission entails negative consequences, they can certainly let it be known and factor them into their plans. It should not be their business to comment on these matters on the record. […] So, paradoxically, the more Admiral Mullen and his military peers say that an attack against Iran would be a bad thing, the more likely it is there is going to be an attack on Iran.”
— EMANUELE OTTOLENGHI - 06.29.2010 (Commentary)
Dr. Ottolenghi brings up a very interesting point, one that had occurred to me as well. Superficially, Admiral Mullen's remarks, as well as those of other high-ranking officials, are foolish for the reasons mentioned by Dr. Ottolenghi. But American Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff tend not to be foolish men, nor are they accustomed to making superficial public statements. Hence, the only alternative that makes sense is that it is part of a strategy of misdirection aimed at disarming Iran's vigilance against a preemptive strike.
On the other hand, Iran's leaders may be evil, but they are not stupid. So wouldn't they see through such deception? It may devolve into a variation on the famed prisoner's dilemma ...
Related Link » Gun Control Laws
“There is no point arguing, as many people do, that it is difficult to amend the Constitution. The fact that it doesn't happen very often doesn't mean [necessarily] that it is difficult. The people may not want it to happen, even if the intelligentsia are itching to change it. When the people wanted it to happen, the Constitution was amended 4 times in 8 years, from 1913 through 1920. What all this means is that judges and the voting public have different roles. There is no reason why judges should "consider the basic values that underlie a constitutional provision and their contemporary significance", as Justice Stephen Breyer said in his dissent against the Supreme Court's gun control decision. But, as the great Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said, his job was "to see that the game is played according to the rules whether I like them or not". If the public doesn't like the rules, or the consequences to which the rules lead, then the public can change the rules via the ballot box. But that is very different from judges changing the rules by verbal sleight of hand, or by talking about "weighing of the constitutional right to bear arms" against other considerations, as Justice Breyer puts it. That's not his job[!] Not if "we the people" are to govern ourselves, as the Constitution says.” [emphasis added]
— Thomas Sowell, June 29, 2010 (Townhall)
I don't much care for that self-proclaimed "wise Latina" and her ilk — promoting her own pedestrian intellect cum strident activism — not-surprisingly favored for the Supreme Court by the like-minded iPOTUS. Give me the intellect of an African-American Thomas Sowell, or, as I like to refer to him, a wise man, any day. I would love it if Dr. Sowell became a Supreme-Court Justice.
Unlike iPOTUS and his nominees, Dr. Sowell understands the important role played by our Judicial Branch of the Federal Government. It is not to make laws; it is to adjudicate whether or not the laws made by the Legislative Branch (and confirmed by the Executive via signing) is Constitutional. The Supreme Court is one of the Triumvirate of Branches in the Founders' brilliant "checks and balances" strategy, sort of a "rock-paper-scissors" rule-of-law for grownups.
But the lefties just can't stand playing by the rule of law. No, they have to introduce the leverage of their own presumed superior intellect by whatever means they can get away with, preying on the naiveté of their intellectual "inferiors". And so, instead of building on the greatness of former Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes and others, they dilute and pervert the Court's integrity with second-rate "smart asses", to borrow a term favored by our esteemed Vice President Joe "Big F*cking Deal" Biden.
Post #1,336 Packing the Court with Smart Asses
Related Link » What Is Israel to Do?
“Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is at it again. In the past he’s spoken about his aversion to military action against Iran. At a swank Aspen gathering, he made clear just how averse he is — and the dearth of other options for preventing a nuclear-armed Iran […] Following on Leon Panetta’s troubling interview, this should certainly unnerve you — on multiple counts. […] So what is Israel to do? If you put it all together, the conclusion must be: learn to live with a nuclear-armed Iran. As many of us have argued for over a year, that has been and remains, if not the intent, at least the inevitable result of Obama’s Iran policy. That the vast majority of mainstream American Jewish leaders have not woken up to this reality – nor in any meaningful way challenged the administration – is a tragic failure of immense proportions. As for Israel, Obama’s game plan is — to borrow a term — unacceptable. In this case, the Israelis mean it and will at some point be forced to take military action, unless the Obami undergo an epiphany and reverse course. War is a horrid prospect, as is the potential for massive loss of life – but not as horrid as that of a nuclear-armed Iran. Obama’s willingness to leave Israel to fend for itself or, worse, interfere with its ability to do so is not merely a betrayal of our democratic ally; it is an abdication of American responsibility that will resonate for years to come, signaling that the U.S. is no longer the guarantor of the West’s security.” [emphasis added]
— JENNIFER RUBIN - 06.29.2010 (Commentary)
That iPOTUS has reneged on every campaign "assurance" regarding his commitment to the traditional American alliance with Israel is not a surprise. After all, this is a man who has surrounded himself with Jew-haters, self-loathing Jews, and miscellaneous miscreants his whole miserable life.
The real enigma is how stiff-necked God's chosen continue to be. For a demographic that dominates the Nobel prizes, vastly disproportionately to its fraction of the general population, it is exasperating how ignorant and trusting they can be in the face of unambiguous duplicity.
People, this "nice young man who speaks smoothly" is not your friend. It is not clear that he is anyone's friend. He is a narcissist who would throw his grandma under the bus for some votes. He will say anything to advance his self-image, which exceeds the screen-size of an IMAX Theater.
Related Link » Flirting with zealotry in Malaysia
“Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of Malaysia's political opposition, has become known over the past decade as one of the foremost advocates of liberal democracy in Muslim countries. […] Lately, Anwar has been getting attention for something else: strident rhetoric about Israel and alleged "Zionist influence" in Malaysia. […] Therein lies a story of the Obama era -- about a beleaguered democrat fighting for political and personal survival with little help from Washington; about the growing global climate of hostility toward Israel; and about the increasing willingness of U.S. friends in places such as Turkey and Malaysia to exploit it. […] Anwar is like Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he regards as a friend and fellow traveler. Both know better than to indulge in such stuff. Both have recently begun to do it anyway -- after a year in which the Obama administration has frequently displayed irritation with Israel.”
— By Jackson Diehl, June 28, 2010 (WaPo)
Poor little Obama. All that bowing and scraping and what does it get him? Not respect.
Our Nation's enemies, as well as some of his hand-picked generals, are laughing at him. Our Nation's friends are exasperated by him. His lefty base is unhappy with him. His political opponents can't stand him. Other than that, he's very popular.
What would it take to get him to wake up and fly right? And he says he wants to know whose ass to kick?
They have mirrors in the White House don't they?
Post #1,334 Speak apologetically and carry a small wick
Yeah, well, I had iPOTUS pegged practically from the get-go. What is it about the multitudes of saps who are so easily persuaded by hucksterism on steroids?
This Chicago-style "American Idol" is nothing more than an empty suit. He knows it; I know it; millions of sane Americans know it. What is it about the leftists that draws them to iPOTUS like flies to flypaper?
Post #1,333 The more it "dope-y change-y", the more it's the same thing
Related Link » Punk’d, Passive, and Petulant
“Naturally, the followup to the `I was just standing in the kitchen and the cup fell’ argument is the petulant `If you’re gonna be grumpy about it, I’m not going to go to the store and buy milk!’ threat […] It’s obvious Beaux Zeaux is expecting to lose his Progressive supermajorities in Congress. As is most everybody else, short of some major gaffe by the Republicans or astonishing turnaround in the economy. So he’s starting early on the new era of bipartisanship and sweet reason that he promised during his campaign.”
— Secular Apostate, June 28th, 2010
My friend the Apostate has the goods on iPOTUS, whom he refers to, hurtfully, as President Beaux Zeaux [French pronunciation: "Bozo"]. The Apostate's analysis of the post-mortem dish of petulance, AKA "a news conference", is spot-on.
Just tryin' to spread some free lunch ... h/t Theo
Related Link » Fighting Crime Where the Criminals Are
“THERE was a predictable chorus of criticism from civil rights groups last month when the New York Police Department released its data on stop-and-frisk interactions for 2009. The department made 575,000 pedestrian stops last year. Fifty-five percent involved blacks, even though blacks are only 23 percent of the city’s population. Whites, by contrast, were involved in 10 percent of all stops, though they make up 35 percent of the city’s population. […] Allegations of racial bias, however, ignore the most important factor governing the Police Department’s operations: crime. Trends in criminal acts, not census data, drive everything that the department does, thanks to the statistics-based managerial revolution known as CompStat. Given the patterns of crime in New York, it is inevitable that stop rates will not mirror the city’s ethnic and racial breakdown. […] Such stops happen more frequently in minority neighborhoods because that is where the vast majority of violent crime occurs — and thus where police presence is most intense. Based on reports filed by victims, blacks committed 66 percent of all violent crime in New York in 2009, including 80 percent of shootings and 71 percent of robberies. Blacks and Hispanics together accounted for 98 percent of reported gun assaults. And the vast majority of the victims of violent crime were also members of minority groups.”
— By HEATHER Mac DONALD, June 25, 2010 (NYT)
It is pointless to reason with liberals. They don't do reason. They only do political correctness, and they will be the arbiters of correctness, thank you very much.
OK, then. The only way to deal with such a mentality is to acquiesce, selectively. Alternatively, ignore them, if acquiescence would be too detrimental to the general population. Such a strategy is akin to dealing with children or immature young adults who haven't figured out how reality works.
For instance, the liberals scream "Racism!" because the police interdict minorities at a frequency that exceeds disproportionately their corresponding fraction of the general population? Fine. Cut back the frequency of dispatches to minority neighborhoods such that they do not exceed the frequency demanded by strict and politically correct demographic proportions. Then wait for the liberals to come screaming for more police protection where it is actually needed. At which point, calmly explain that it wouldn't be politically correct to do so ...
Related Link » Brewer to Obama: Warning Signs Are Not Enough
“Earlier this month, Governor Jan Brewer sat in the Oval Office with President Barack Obama to discuss the critical issue of border security. The Governor personally related to the President the concerns of millions of Arizonans over the lack of security on Arizona's southern border. During their visit, President Obama committed to present details, within two weeks of their meeting, regarding his plans to commit National Guard troops to the Arizona border and commit to spend $500 million in additional funds on border security.”
— SecureTheBorderAZ | June 25, 2010
I used to think Hillrod Clinton had balls, but it turned out to be nothing but standard issue penis envy. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, however, has balls. Brass.
Related Link » Rummy on Freedom
Former Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld made remarks at a Pentagon ceremony today unveiling his portrait. Here is some of what he said:
Can you spot South Korea?
“The night satellite image of the Korean Peninsula, my favorite as many of you know well, captured many miles above the earth, tells the whole story. Below the 38th parallel, South Korea is bathed in the light of dozens of cities, monuments to that nation’s freedom. In one of the most successful economies in the world, millions of South Koreans go about their work, creating opportunity and prosperity for themselves and their families. North of the DMZ is darkness. There live exactly the same people, with the same natural resources. But those millions of Koreans labor not for themselves or their families, but for a regime that enslaves them. The stark difference between the free and the unfree is illuminated in that picture. The boundless energy of human beings is most assuredly not unleashed by governments of boundless power. That energy is unleashed only by free political institutions and free economic systems.” — Don Rumsfeld
— Andy McCarthy, June 25, 2010(NRO)
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.” — Robert Frost
“Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.” — Jerry Seinfeld
“Sometimes the road less traveled is less illuminated.” — TheBigHenry
It is not often that ideological extremes can be rendered in such stark contrast, as the political and socio-economic differences between North and South Korea by the above satellite image. Is there a sane person alive who would choose to live north rather than south of the 38th parallel?
§ ≡ One of an ongoing series of posts in which I pick, in my not-so-humble opinion, the best songs of the second millennium. Feel free to offer constructive dissenting opinions; preferably set to music.
Doris Day (early 1950s)
Song #73 is Dream a Little Dream of Me sung by Doris Day. "Dream a Little Dream of Me" was recorded by traditional popular music singers of the 1940s and 1950s, including Doris Day, who during 1957 was the first latter day singer to record it at the slow tempo in which it had been written.
Related Link » Live Analysis: Isner Wins Marathon Wimbledon Match, 70-68
“WIMBLEDON, England – John Isner of the United States outlasted Nicolas Mahut of France, 70-68, in the fifth set of their epic three-day first-round match at Wimbledon on Thursday. In an astonishing display of endurance, the players fought for 11 hours and 5 minutes, breaking all records for length of match, games played, and aces served.
When it ended, the All England Lawn Tennis Club awarded bowls of commemoration to the players and the chair umpire, Mohammed Lahyani of Sweden.”
— By THE NEW YORK TIMES, June 24, 2010
Hamish Blair/Getty Images John Isner, left, and Nicolas Mahut during the third day of their first round match at Wimbledon on Thursday
"Wow" says it all!
Post #1,327 Tennis Match Ends in Basketball Score: 70-68
Related Link » A Sad Day
“The flap about General Stanley McChrystal's "resignation" was nobody's finest hour. But there are some painful lessons in all this that go beyond any of the individuals involved […] What is even more important is the national security of this country. […] But the worst aspect of the national security policy of this administration is its clear intention to do nothing that has any realistic chance of stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons. This may be the most grossly irresponsible policy in all of history, because it can leave this generation-- and future generations-- of Americans at the mercy of terrorists who have no mercy and who cannot be deterred, as the Soviet Union was deterred. All the current political theater about "international sanctions" is unlikely to make the slightest difference to Iran. Nor is the administration itself likely to expect it to. What then is its purpose? To fool the American people into thinking that they are doing something serious when all that they are doing is putting on a charade by lining up countries to agree to actions that they all know will not have any real effect.” [emphasis added]
— Thomas Sowell, 6/23/2010 (Townhall)
Once again Dr. Sowell cuts to the chase. While the masses are mesmerized by the actions of the ephemeral characters in the current mini-series, the big back-story charade proceeds unabated and inexorably.
The calamity of our era is unfolding on the world stage for everyone to see — Iran's fanatic death-worshipers are racing to the finish line of nuclear armament. And the only power able to stop them is in the hands of The Won Who Refuses to See. And those who can and do see are powerless to make iPOTUS listen to reason. He reasons to the tune of a different drummer, one with no sense of rhythm, rhyme, or reason, as the latter is understood by mere mortals.
§ ≡ One of an ongoing series of posts in which I pick, in my not-so-humble opinion, the best songs of the second millennium. Feel free to offer constructive dissenting opinions; preferably set to music.
Song #72 is Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral ("That's an Irish Lullaby") sung by Bing Crosby. It is a classic Irish song originally written in 1914 by composer James Royce Shannon and popularised by Bing Crosby in 1944's film Going My Way.
I've been told that there are two kinds of people in this world — the Irish and those who wish they were. My first inkling that this may be so was when my Mom sang this lullaby to me many years ago. She was a very big fan of Bing Crosby's.
Though I am not of recent Irish ancestry, my Y-DNA has been traced to the late 4th-century Irish king Niall of the Nine Hostages (and/or the seven vegetables). And having married an Irish girl, with strawberry blonde hair and freckles, I believe I have a legitimate claim to some Irish heritage, if only by virtue of inverse injection.
General McChrystal has committed the one unpardonable act for any American military commander whose name is not George Washington — public humiliation of the sitting President, his Commander-in-Chief. Not even the great Douglas MacArthur could get away with that, nor should he have.
I, along with millions of others, have not minced words in my contempt for iPOTUS, The Obama Himself. That is my right as a civilian protected by the First Amendment to our Constitution. But our military commanders must acknowledge the primacy of our civilian head of the United States Armed Forces, and they must respect the hierarchical order of the chain of command.
Regardless of what McChrystal may think privately of the inadequacies of iPOTUS (the man and the myth), he must keep his opinions to himself for as long as he is on active duty. Respect for the Office of the President demands it.
As a result, McChrystal must submit his resignation. Those are the rules of engagement, most especially for theater commanders.
Meanwhile, in other news from Rolling Stone ragazine, there's this:
Related Link » Degeneration of Democracy
“When Adolf Hitler was building up the Nazi movement in the 1920s, leading up to his taking power in the 1930s, he deliberately sought to activate people who did not normally pay much attention to politics. Such people were a valuable addition to his political base, since they were particularly susceptible to Hitler's rhetoric and had far less basis for questioning his assumptions or his conclusions. "Useful idiots" was the term supposedly coined by V.I. Lenin to describe similarly unthinking supporters of his dictatorship in the Soviet Union. Put differently, a democracy needs informed citizens if it is to thrive, or ultimately even survive. In our times, American democracy is being dismantled, piece by piece, before our very eyes by the current administration in Washington, and few people seem to be concerned about it. […] The man appointed by President Obama to dispense BP's money as the administration sees fit, to whomever it sees fit, is only the latest in a long line of presidentially appointed "czars" controlling different parts of the economy, without even having to be confirmed by the Senate, as Cabinet members are. Those who cannot see beyond the immediate events to the issues of arbitrary power -- versus the rule of law and the preservation of freedom -- are the "useful idiots" of our time. But useful to whom?” [emphasis added]
— Thomas Sowell, June 22, 2010 (Townhall)‘’
"The more things change, the more they stay the same". "There is nothing new under the sun". "Youth is wasted on the young". "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". All such familiar aphorisms confirm that every generation replenishes the coffers, for the likes of iPOTUS, with useful idiots who provide the smoke screens. The current batch comprises: the free-lunchers ("Obama is going to pay for my gas and mortgage!"); the Holyshitwoods (who love to champion the cause of the free-lunchers because it assuages whatever guilt they may harbor for their own unseemly extravagances); the young and other naive individuals ("This time socialism is going to work!"); and, the criminally insane.
Most of these useful idiots, useful to the budding Despot who requires hordes of worshipers to cover His tracks, telegraph their own agenda when accusing their Hero's predecessor of the very misdeeds they support in their own Dear Leader. If, as they allege, President George W. Bush "shredded" the Constitution, then iPOTUS has taken a wood chipper to it. If President Bush increased the deficit, iPOTUS has inflated it cosmologically. If President Bush lied, then iPOTUS lies pathologically. Anything President Bush is alleged to have done wrong, iPOTUS has established a new Guinness World Record for it.
And, as if that weren't enough, there is always the extremely useful felonious idiot presiding over the House of Representatives.
Related Link » Rahm Emanuel, Obama's Chief of Staff to quit White House in six to eight months: report
“Rahm Emanuel just can't take it anymore. […] This year he battled Republicans on health care reform, watched the President's approval ratings plunge, and found himself embroiled in controversy when the Wall Street Journal reported that he had called a liberal group 'retarded' in a closed-door meeting, prompting Sarah Palin and other conservatives to call for his resignation. […] According to the Telegraph's sources, Emanuel has told friends he is "very sensitive to the idea that he is not a good father for having done this," and that privately he has expressed a desire to run for Mayor of Chicago, his home town.” [emphasis added]
— BY MEENA HARTENSTEIN, June 20th 2010
Good riddance to bad rubbish! Mayor of Chicorrupto is the job he was born and bred for.
This self-loathing gangster from Gangster Town, who promulgated the infamous “Never let a serious crisis go to waste” operating principle, has done nothing to reign-in his Chief's wrecking-ball demolition of the American way of life. On the contrary, he has encouraged iPOTUS† at every step of His random-walk, as He tramples America's principles, traditions, and values. As if iPOTUS needs any encouragement ...
I've heard it said that "there's honor among thieves". But "gangster friends" is a new one on me.
_______________________________________
† iPOTUS: I, President of the United States
§ ≡ One of an ongoing series of posts in which I pick, in my not-so-humble opinion, the best songs of the second millennium. Feel free to offer constructive dissenting opinions; preferably set to music.
"It's Now or Never" by Elvis Presley
Song #71 is It's Now or Never sung by Elvis Presley. It is a popular song recorded by Elvis Presley in 1960. The melody of the song is borrowed from the Italian standard, 'O Sole Mio.
In 1960, "It's Now or Never" was a number-one record in the U.S. and the UK, where it spent nine weeks at the top, and numerous other countries, selling in excess of 25 million copies worldwide, his biggest international single ever.
Most animals experience sleep-like states. Many sentient animals have probably wondered why. I haven't researched the subject, but I think I would have been aware of it if someone had already discovered a definitive explanation. So, based on purely speculative reasoning, I will venture an explanation.
At the dawn of the emergence of multicellular animals, the ongoing war between such host organisms and parasitic microbes has been waged to a fluctuating degree about some equilibrium standoff. There has never been a cease fire in this everlasting warfare, though its complexity has been evolving with the advent of some measure of symbiosis.
I think that the primary reason for sleep is to give the host organism a recurring life-saving phase during which the host marshals its immune-system forces and allocates maximum discretionary energy to battling its resident parasites.
Related Link » Oil and Snake Oil
“Once the elections were over and the time for governing began, there was now a new audience to consider -- a much more savvy audience, the leaders of other countries around the world. However impressed the media and the Obama cult might be with the President's image, rhetoric and style, leaders of other countries -- allies and enemies alike -- are interested in results. […] President Obama had barely settled into the White House before he began demonstrating his willingness to sell out this country's friends to appease our enemies. […] But if no American commitment can be depended upon beyond a current administration, then any nation that allies itself with us is jeopardizing its own national security, because dangers in the international jungle last longer than 4 years or even 8 years. We are already seeing the consequences. Even Turkey -- formally a NATO ally -- is cozying up to Iran, now that it is painfully clear that Obama is not going to do anything that has any realistic chance of stopping Iran from going nuclear. If leaders of other nations can't depend on the United States, then they need to make the best deal they can with our enemies. They understand that preserving their nation's security is a leader's top priority, even if Barack Obama doesn't.” [emphasis added]
— by Thomas Sowell, June 15, 2010 (townhall)
The Obama Fan Club will no doubt continue cheering its favorite son, but the savvy jury of foreign leaders has already taken his measure — it doesn't "up". He's all talk and random walk. Furthermore, empty suit that he is, his only plan is to make his scheduled tee time.
This grand experiment in "showing the world that our Nation is willing to bet the farm to prove a point", however trivial that point may be, is fast approaching a train-wreck of unprecedented proportions for our Nation as well as for our traditional allies. And, to use a phrase favored by that favorite son, "make no mistake about it," there will be no winners in this grand fiasco.
The Obama Himself did indeed win. He just campaigned for the wrong job. He thought his stellar résumé comprising Ivy League lounging and Chicago community-organizing would serve him well as Social-Engineer-in-Chief of the United States, and environs. "We don't need no stinking crisis leadership," He was overheard saying to Rahm "It Up Your Ass" Emanuel. His Messianic vision for Himself was modeled on the Pontificate, just on a grander scale.
All this petty crap having to do with the little people's jobs, as well as all those natural and human-caused disasters and distractions just aren't what He signed up for, you know? These nuisances have most likely been caused by Booosh and other lesser beings. This is why we have lackeys — to mop-up the messes and plug-up the holes, n'est pas?
The Dilettante-in-Chief is prepared to gen-up a broad-stroke schematic of something like wholesale overhaul of the Nation's healthcare system, and then hand off the filthy details to the Congressional hacks, while He plays the back nine before that elegant State Dinner for a few hundred of his closest buds. Somebody's got to do it; and He was born and bred for it.
Related Link » N.C. Congressman Apologizes for Physical Confrontation With Man in Washington
“[Rep. Bob] Etheridge, a Democrat, is seen in an amateur video grabbing the wrist and neck of an unidentified young man after the man approached the congressman and asked if he supported the ‘Obama agenda’. […] Etheridge is then seen trying to snatch a cell phone camera out of the student's hands. He then grabs the man's wrist and refuses to let go. ‘Who are you!’ the seven-term congressman demands. ‘Tell me who you are ... I have a right to know who you are’.” [emphasis added]
— Published June 14, 2010 | FOXNews.com
Rep. Bob "I have rights" Etheridge, a Democrat and an asshole (redundant?), claims to have rights that are not enumerated in the U.S. Constitution. All of the well known rights that Americans are fortunate to have and which are enumerated in the Bill of Rights (the first ten Amendments of the Constitution) do not include any such rights as Bob "My rights are greater than yours" Etheridge, the deranged liberal from North Carolina and a well known asshole, claims for himself.
The young man, who approached Bob "I have a right to know who you are" Etheridge, behaved with admirable restraint in politely asking Bob "Asshole" Etheridge to let go of him, for, in my opinion, the young man had every right to defend himself from this asshole's assault.
Related Link » Matches and Lighters
“Fires, burns and property damage associated with children playing with matches are common events in the United States and a number of programs and procedures have been developed to try to control this problem. […] Children are at high risk for burn injuries largely due to their own experimentation with matches and fire. Since children have difficulty appreciating the use of matches as a tool, they most often will misuse them. Children need to understand that big fires start small. They need to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate use of matches and lighters. They also need to understand the risks and dangers associated with their use.”
— City of Phoenix Official Web Site
Children playing with matches have been responsible for innumerable catastrophes. Sometimes, children survive their childish experimentation, but with their childish inclinations intact. They grow up without maturing. We call such children liberals.
Liberals are extremely dangerous children. They appear to be, in most cases, no different from other adults, but when you strike up a conversation with them, their childish beliefs come rushing out like flame from a thrower. And, of course, they have easy access to matches, credit, and voting.
Inevitably, one of their own emerges as a Presidential candidate and lights the fire for all the others. He is perfect in the flame of their liberal vision: he is young; he is handsome; he is articulate; he is passionate; he has childish aspirations to cure humanity of all that ails it. And to top it off, he is a self-proclaimed master of community organization. Liberal nirvana sets in.
In due course, this liberal Messiah starts playing with big matches — trillions of dollars of other people's money; a nation's health-care system; the world's economy; regional wars ... ever mindful of his access to the really big matches — the nuclear stockpile.
§ ≡ One of an ongoing series of posts in which I pick, in my not-so-humble opinion, the best songs of the second millennium. Feel free to offer constructive dissenting opinions; preferably set to music.
"Cracklin' Rosie" by Neil Diamond
Song #70 is Cracklin' Rosie sung by Neil Diamond. It is a 1970 song written and performed by Neil Diamond in 1970, from his album Tap Root Manuscript. This was Neil Diamond's first American #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1970.
This is one of my favorite "happy" songs. When I'm driving along without a destination of urgency, I occasionally play this song, and it invariably makes me smile.
In case you're wondering, Crackling Rosé is NOT a favorite of mine. And if anyone orders Merlot, I'm outta here ...
Related Link » Experts Say White House 'Misrepresented' Views to Justify Drilling Moratorium
“The seven experts who advised President Obama on how to deal with offshore drilling safety after the Deepwater Horizon explosion are accusing his administration of misrepresenting their views to make it appear that they supported a six-month drilling moratorium -- something they actually oppose. The experts, recommended by the National Academy of Engineering, say Interior Secretary Ken Salazar modified their report last month, after they signed it, to include two paragraphs calling for the moratorium on existing drilling and new permits. Salazar's report to Obama said a panel of seven experts "peer reviewed" his recommendations, which included a six-month moratorium on permits for new wells being drilled using floating rigs and an immediate halt to drilling operations. "None of us actually reviewed the memorandum as it is in the report," oil expert Ken Arnold told Fox News. "What was in the report at the time it was reviewed was quite a bit different in its impact to what there is now. So we wanted to distance ourselves from that recommendation." Salazar apologized to those experts Thursday.” [emphasis added]
— Published June 10, 2010 | FOXNews.com
“Can't anybody here play this game?” — Casey Stengel
Does the Obama Administration understand that it has not been tasked with playing a game, but with performing the executive duties of our federal government? I am not convinced that it does understand.
We are in the midst of a continuous stream of crises, and the routine response from this bunch of criminals and clowns is to deflect, deny, dissemble, and denigrate anything and everything that is inconvenient to their vision of reality. Meanwhile, the monstrous international dangers lurking in the wings are sizing up the pathetic situation in the White House Situation Room and drooling in anticipation of a particularly generous gift-giving season.
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right ... h/t Theo
(L to R) Clyburn; Johnson; Lee; Rangel; and Scott (AP Photo)
Related Link » Lawmakers seek to gut ethics office
“The Office of Congressional Ethics [OCE], a powerful symbol of Democrats’ promise to "drain the swamp" in Washington, is in danger of having its power stripped after the midterm elections. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus [CBC] have led the charge, airing complaints about the aggressive, independent panel in a private session with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last month, and they’ve drafted a resolution that, if approved, would severely curtail the panel’s power.”
— By JONATHAN ALLEN & JOHN BRESNAHAN | 6/10/10 (politico.com)
Apparently, you can have too much ethics. According to the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), if one of your own is losing support within his party because of ethics violations, namely Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. (4th from left in above photo), then too much ethics becomes a serious embarrassment. Of course, I presume there was ever any embarrassment available in Congress to begin with, and if so, there is any embarrassment left.
The machinations of our Members in Congress assembled have always been suspect. But their brazenly vile behavior of late has been beyond the pale.
Related Link » Women Forced to Breastfeed Adult Men in Saudi Arabia ...
“Islamic law bans mixing between the sexes who are not related. Recently, the Saudis have issued a fatwa that forces women who come into contact with unrelated men on a regular basis to breastfeed them so that they can be considered "relatives" and not potential lovers.” [emphasis added]
— Editor's Pick, JUNE 7, 2010 (open.salon.com)
Related Link » President Obama looking to kick some ass over BP Gulf oil spill
“I was down there a month ago, before most of these talking-heads were even paying attention to the Gulf. A month ago I was meeting with fishermen down there, standing in the rain talking about what a potential crisis this could be. And I don’t sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar. We talked to these folks because they potentially have the best answers so I know whose ass to kick.”
— Barack Obama quoted by The Daily Caller, 06/07/10
When the Great Healer of Nations is on the warpath, perhaps it is time for a time out. Even The Coolness Himself has his limits, I guess, though it does contradict the omnipotence thingy.
As has been well documented, there is a whole lot of hatred going on in the world today. And by most accounts, there is ample reason for some of it. Unfortunately, there is not a consensus on what or who would qualify as a target for guilt-free hatred, though great strides have been made in recent times to fall back on the tried and true standby — Jew-hatred. But those pesky Jews in Israel and some of them in America refuse to play the role the world has been trying to impose on them for ever. There is nothing more galling than a target of hatred that refuses to roll over.
Full-time hatred must be debilitating, just as constant deflection of hatred seems to be. Everyone needs a breather now and again, before stepping up for the next round. But not everyone is fortunate enough to have an escape hatch for a time out. An escape to a place in spacetime where chaotic sights and sounds are attenuated to mellifluous peace and harmony; where the gentlest sound to be heard is, "I love you, Grandpa."
Related Link » Helen Thomas Should Not Be Fired — the Real Problem Lies Elsewhere
“Strangely, though I think that Ms. Thomas’ comments were horrible and very anti-Semitic, I do not necessarily agree that Ms. Thomas should be fired for her anti-Semitic rantings. Helen Thomas is merely a symptom of the problem, not the disease. Firing her would be like treating HIV with a band aid. […] Pat Buchanan, who is a holocaust revisionist, has a daily gig on MSNBC. Some of Buchanan’s anti-Semitic greatest hits include: being labeled a Jew hater by William F. Buckley; blaming the Iraq war on Jews in the American Government; saying the Mossad was behind 9/11; and claiming there were too many Jews on the Supreme court. By the way, Buchanan said the same thing about the Senate three years ago.”
— by Jeff Dunetz Jun 7th 2010 (Big Journalism)
I think Jeff's reasoning is confused. Are there other Jew-haters around who are arguably more contemptible than Helen Thomas? No doubt. So, perhaps we should draw up a list of Jew-haters the world over, and prioritize them in some order of hatefulness? Maybe we take a deck of cards, make I'madinnerjacket the ace of spades, and go from there? Perhaps on such a list, Helen Thomas gets to be assigned to the trey of clubs? And we just ignore her until every higher ranking Jew-hater has been dealt with, down to the trey of diamonds? Not nearly efficient enough.
There are millions (maybe billions) of Jew-haters. That is a very large data base (and growing) to be mined and prioritized, not to mention the time it would take to check who is next on the hit list.
My problem with people who insist on dealing with Jew-hatred, as if it were the equivalent to a personal dislike of broccoli, is that they trivialize the gruesome consequences of unrestrained Jew-hatred. And in so doing, they give cover to the metastasis of this cancer.
“JERUSALEM -- Israeli naval forces shot and killed four men wearing wet suits in the waters off the coast of Gaza Monday, and a militant group said they [the wet-suit wearers] were members of its marine unit training for a mission.”
"Right there is where our innocent surfers were massacred by the evil Juice!"
— Published June 07, 2010 | Associated Press
In modern-day parlance a "massacre" is an instance in which Israeli Juice confront terrorists, their leftist/liberal supporters (including many self-loathing Juice), or any scum such as Helen Thomas that surfaces like flotsam on the cesspools of the earth, and put them out of their misery.
“Having worked in four government agencies, I know that when a battle between contractors has such a high public profile, there is usually more to the story than what we see in the news. Might this be true in the case of the Joint Strike Fighter engine debate? […] And guess what? The GAO report totally backs up the GE-Rolls Royce claims of cost savings. GAO studies indicate that a procurement track that pits two contractors against each other as a product is developed actually does save a huge amount of money over the long term because the competition encourages innovation and efficiency. I was, frankly, surprised at how conclusive the GAO report is – I suppose I’d guessed that the report must be mixed or somehow inconclusive since its findings haven’t been the lead in news stories about the Strike Fighter.” [emphasis added]
— By Jean Card, 06/04/10 (TheDC)
In my considered opinion, Ms. Card should not have been surprised at all by her finding. The most important research and development effort ever undertaken, which must be credited with safeguarding humanity for more than half a century to date, has been conducted under the auspices of the two premier American National Laboratories — Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore. And the reason there are two laboratories (rather than only one) engaged in this ongoing national-security endeavor has been understood by serious people for a very long time: vital missions thrive from the innovation and efficiency promoted by competition (friendly or otherwise).
Politicians and the media are, by and large, not serious people. Serious people shun the limelight. They work hard applying themselves to the solution of difficult problems of great significance to humanity, frequently in the face of outrageous impediments inflicted by self-serving politicians and the salacious machinations of the media jackals. The magnificent accomplishments of all our National Laboratories are largely taken for granted by most politicians, often maligned by the scandalous media, and virtually unknown by the man on the street. But serious people know. And they are grateful.
The "No Drama" Obama Demeanor Exhibiting a "Clenched Jew"
Related Link » Obama loses the Left: suddenly, it's cool to bash Barack
“Well, at least he's still got Sir Paul McCartney. At the White House last week, the 67-year-old crooner was gushing in much the same manner as his own groupies did at Shea Stadium in 1965. ‘I'm a big fan, he's a great guy’, McCartney told American critics of President Barack Obama. ‘So lay off him, he's doing great’. Later, McCartney serenaded the First Lady with a rendition of Michelle and, receiving a [Gershwin] prize from the Library of Congress, took a cheap shot at President George W. Bush that was as unfunny as it was unoriginal. […] McCartney's banalities were an example of a transatlantic dissonance that is all too apparent these days. […] That reality has now begun to dawn on some of Obama's natural constituency — Hollywood and the Left. The ‘no drama Obama’ demeanor that served him so well on the campaign trail is now becoming a liability. […] Then there was Gibbs illustrating Obama's passionate concern for the people of the Gulf by relating that he had said ‘damn’ and exhibited a ‘clenched jaw’.”
— Toby Harnden, 05 Jun 2010 (Telegraph)
Oh, to be young and cool and fawned-over by adoring fans ... must be great. These days McCartney has to work at being cool. A favorite technique among such has-beens is to suck-up to the current idol and take cheap shots at someone who is conveniently absent from the spotlight, microphone, and teleprompter. Furthermore, ‘I'm a big fan, he's a great guy’ is an obvious bit of presumptuousness.
Liberals are constantly accusing conservatives of hatefulness. That is, of course, their prerogative. But I see no sign of restraint on the left when it comes to spewing venom that tingles up their legs and dribbles down their chins. Now they're adapting it to crooning. They're resourceful; I'll give 'em that.
Related Link » Quotes and Quotations
“It will fluctuate.” [emphasis added]
— J.P Morgan, when asked what the stock market will do
“The fundamental change in nature is fluctuation.”
— TheBigHenry
Why do bad things happen to good people? God-fearing people say it is because God works in mysterious ways. Perhaps. Perhaps it just depends on what your definition of "good" and "bad" is. Perhaps it just "is what it is". I prefer to leave such lofty inquiries to the mental exertions of the philosophers. For me, such inquiries represent an unfailing prescription for a migraine headache.
Helen Thomas and friend
Consider humanity as a statistical collection of more than 6 billion imperfect individuals, partially constrained by the collective knowledge accumulated over the ages, largely motivated by inherited and cultivated traits, and basically driven, as all things are, by the Second Law of thermodynamics. Although anything can happen within such a statistical mix, one thing is extremely unlikely — long-term monotonic change. In a statistical sample of such size and diversity, there will be major fluctuations. Some fluctuations will be very bad indeed.
In the current cycle between global good and global evil, the scum of the earth is in ascendance.
With Jew-hatred sweeping the world, again, we ponder why the Jews are hated so. Arguably, it is because, no matter what they attempt to engage, say, or do, they excel.
Other people just hate that, you know?
Thou Shalt Excel!
Category
Jews Who Excelled
Deification and Saving
Jesus Christ [They basically own this category.]
Prophecy and Investing
Moses [Whereas Jesus saves, Moses invests.]
Self Loathing
Noam Chomsky; Rahm Emanuel; Barney Frank; others
Self Hatred
Bobby Fischer; Imadinnerjacket (supposedly)
Genius
Albert Einstein
Physics
Robert Oppenheimer; Enrico Fermi (by inverse injection);
I. I. Rabi; Wolfgang Pauli; many others
§ ≡ One of an ongoing series of posts in which I pick, in my not-so-humble opinion, the best songs of the second millennium. Feel free to offer constructive dissenting opinions; preferably set to music.
Up Where We Belong
Song #69 is Up Where We Belong sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, is a song from the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. Written by Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie, with lyrics by Will Jennings. The song was part of the "An Officer and a Gentleman Original Soundtrack", and was later released as part of "The Best of Joe Cocker" (1993). In 1991, it was re-released as a Jennifer Warnes CD-single alongside "First We Take Manhattan" and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life". The song's composer, Buffy Sainte-Marie, did a cover of the song for her album "Up Where We Belong" and the TV special of the same name.
