Obama killed Osama: Strategy Fail

From an unscientific internet poll on the left-leaning MSN.com:

And coming up next at the #Fail network: "Forward"!


....I knew that sounded awfully familiar. From Wikipedia: 


 Vorwärts (“Forward”) was the central organ of the Social Democratic Party of Germany published daily in Berlin from 1891 to 1933 by decision of the party’s Halle Congress, as the successor of Berliner Volksblatt, founded in 1884. 


 Friedrich Engels and Kurt Tucholsky both wrote for Vorwärts. It backed the Russian Marxist economists and then, after the split in the Party, the Mensheviks. It published articles by Leon Trotsky, but would not publish any by Vladimir Lenin. . . 


 Vorwaerts lives on today as the house organ of Germany’s leftist SPD; you can read all about its illustrious history here (in German). And if you don’t think David Axelrod doesn’t know this, you really ought to think again.


A variation on Mao's "Great Leap Forward", perhaps?

All #Fail, all the time...!

George Takei Is An Idiot

Yeah, I know, how can I be so mean?  Mr. Sulu is funny, witty, a pop-culture internet sensation, and oh-so-delightfully gay!

But like most liberals, he has anger issues, and he displaces most of them upon American conservatives, who have little if nothing to do with him and his myriad of issues.

Takei writes what would be a moving piece about his - and his family's -  imprisonment in Japanese internment camps in Arkansas and California shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  Takei goes on to describe the horrific conditions and the cruel injustice of the camps, and how they tore apart families and communities.

Fine and good.  Takei speaks of the 70th anniversary of those dark days, and he is a good spokesman for the cause.  But what struck me is that within the entire piece, he does not once mention the name of the man who ordered Japanese-Americans to be marched from their homes and into squalid camps: FDR.

He does mention the name of one politician, though:

President Ronald Reagan only reluctantly signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. It expressed regret for the injustice and paid a token redress of $20,000 to those survivors still alive. My father had already passed away in 1979, never to know of the apology or receive the redress money.


"Reluctantly"?  There is no record of Reagan being reluctant to sign this bill.  Takei can only imagine Reagan as most liberals of the time saw him - as a simpleton, a warmonger, and a rabid conservative - and so makes an assumption about his mindset that has no factual or historical basis.

Kyle Smith goes further:

So Reagan’s alleged state of mind is more worthy of note than the name of the man who put Takei and his family in prison. The one political figure Takei singles out for his wrath, the man we should despise for all this is the one president who apologized and made partial amends for the outrage.


Can I make an assumption about Takei's mindset?  He cannot criticize FDR, the lion of the Left whose name is still spoken with reverence, regardless of the hate crimes he committed against Takei and his family.  Frustrated, he lashes out at the one man who said, "I'm sorry", unloading his repressed rage and hostility upon an acceptable (by the Left), if entirely innocent, target.

I'm sorry about what happened to you and your family, George.  I'm sorry your hero treated you so shabbily.  And I understand you must harbor feelings of rage and resentment that I cannot hope to understand.

But when you attack with vengeance the one man who offered you his hand, well....my sympathy dips a bit, I'm sorry to say.  And while I can fairly say that you and your family were mistreated by FDR and his government, I can also say this:

For a grown man, you're a puerile little bitch.  And an idiot to boot...

Yahoo! Tells Us: In 2012, Cool Über Alles!

Forget about soaring gas prices, creeping inflation, real unemployment of close to 15%, a national debt reaching unimaginable numbers, a social safety net in danger of shredding under it underfunded burden, and a world sinking into chaos.

According to Yahoo!, none of this matters. The 2012 election will be decided based upon whose party has the coolest candidate. And you know who that is...

Sigh:

VP contenders help Romney fill cool gap

The reflected glow of Republican stars means buzz for Romney during a lull in the campaign action. The famously square presumptive GOP nominee may just find the right campaign formula in the process...

The veepstakes action comes as something remarkable is happening in the campaign: The Romney campaign appears ready to cede the likability argument to President Obama.


Strange too, how Yahoo! leaves out a key word in a key part of their article.  Screenshot, in case they eventually edit (click to enlarge):

Just can't get that phrase - "don't vote for him" (as in Obama)  - out of your proverbial mouths, can you, Yahoo?

Somewhere, Freud nods his head sagely.  And hear in America, the foundations of the Republic crumble, while its would-be guardians argue over who's "cooler"...



(more of my beefs with Yahoo's slanted news service here,  here,  here and here...)

In Which I Forgot What A Douche Jimmy Fallon Is...

You know, it's not just the fact he lent Barack Obama a campaign appearance on his late night show - one that may, in fact, be in violation of federal election law. Or that his "slow jam" with Obama may be the most undignified moment ever for a sitting American president (at least George H. Bush vomited on the Japanese Emperor or whomever by accident; the Fallon debacle is the equivalent of Obama forcing his finger down his throat).

No, it's not because Fallon made me cringe as he fawned over the president like a star-struck schoolboy, ready to shine his shoes with a toothbrush - lodged between his teeth  - should Obama have asked (is that type of obvious subservience really the new "cool"?)

It was when I was reminded of how Fallon treated a different politician, that I achieved enlightenment, and realized: Holy shit, this Fallon guy is a real Grade A douchebag:

Jimmy Fallon, the host of NBC's "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," issued an apology Tuesday night to Republican Presidential contender Michele Bachmann after a snippet of a controversial song was performed by the show's band as she took the stage.

As Bachmann strode on to the NBC stage for Fallon's late-night show, the program's band, led by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, played a snippet of a 1985 Fishbone song called "Lyin' Ass Bitch."

How big of a prick is Fallon? Bad enough he behaves childishly and boorishly, and mean-spirit, towards a well-intentioned female guest (what? A Democrat mistreating a woman? No!), but what happens when a real "lyin-ass bitch" comes onto his show?

Why, he drops to his knees and sucks him off. Without even really understanding why he's doing it. Who thinks he's rebel-cool, even when on all fours before the wing-tips of power.

What a douche. What a typical Hollywood liberal douche.

Karma, Jimmy, karma.  Mistreating women and licking the balls of the president will get you far among the liberal elite, but not among the population at large, who will effectively determine your career trajectory.

And for some, the embrace of The One has not been a Midas touch, but more of the Kiss of Death.

Just ask Oprah Winfrey.

The White House Correspondents Dinner: Talk About Whores...

What a distasteful event.  We already know the media has betrayed the Founder's dream of an independent press that would hold the powerful to account, do they really need an annual party celebrating their disloyalty to the American people?

Ilana Mercer:

During the sickening specter, some of the most pretentious, worthless people in the country—in politics, journalism and entertainment—get together to revel in their ability to petition and curry favor with one another, usually to the detriment of the rest of us. The annual pimping of the office is nothing new.

Like nothing else, the annual White House correspondents’ dinner is a mark of corrupt politics. The un-watchful dogs of the media have no business frolicking with the president and his minions. This is co-optation. 

Gawker:

....the most powerful elements of our nation's DC press corps are all "on the same team" as the people they cover (politicians) and the people they idolize (celebrities). This is called the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, and it is the single most revolting annual gathering of pseudojournalistic cocksuckery in all the land.

This is not just any segment of the working press, enjoying a night out. This is the DC press corps, which has arguably the most important job in American journalism: informing the public about the activities of its government, and serving as a strong and omnipresent check on the government's power. Great to know that our fearless watchdogs are busy swilling wine with the people they are supposed to be covering and introducing them to their wives and posing for pictures with Mila Kunis.


And the hosts never fail to deliver the mean-spirited sense of humor that liberals are famous for.  2009 had Wanda Sykes praying for Rush Limbaugh's death; Jimmy Kimmel picked up the theme last night:

Kimmel defended fellow comedian Bill Maher in a bit about Rush Limbaugh.

"Just to clear things this up for the extreme right wingers, here's the difference between Bill Maher and Rush Limbaugh," Kimmel explained. "The people who watch Bill Maher know he's an ---hole."

And just to clear things up for the extreme left wingers at last night's "Dinner": You guys are whores, selling your soul to suck political/celebrity dick.  And your johns know it.  Remember what Obama said to you at the same event, again back in 2009?

Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me.

Yeah, it's funny 'cause it's true...

Umpire Jeff Kellogg Now MLB's Leading Tackler...

...as he brought down this unruly fan with a from-behind NFL-style tackle:

Short clip:

One has to figure that Kellogg is a conservative - refusing to stand around waiting for someone else to help, disgusted at watching a lawbreaker sully the field without sanction, he took matters into his own hands, literally.

It's what conservatives do, I suppose.  And what to liberals do?  They write snarky, cheap-shot opinions from the bench, then scurry away.  Lke Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagen, slipping this bit of catcalling into a decision:

...Truth be told, the answer to the general question “What does ‘not an’ mean?” is “It depends”: The meaning of the phrase turns on its context...Not an” sometimes means “not any,” in the way Novo claims. If your spouse tells you he is late because he “did not take a cab,” you will infer that he took no cab at all (but took the bus instead). And if a sports-fan friend bemoans that “the New York Mets do not have a chance of winning the World Series,” you will gather that the team has no chance whatsoever (because they have no hitting).

Cheap shot, your honor.  Next time, take off your robe, head to Citi Field, and boo out loud.  I hear there are still plenty of seats available...

The Bin Laden Raid: Obama Once Again Taking Credit For Someone Else's Work?

When it goes right, all credit and praise be upon He, Barack Hussein Obama, the one who has brought us out of the darkness and into the light.

When it goes wrong, it is everyone else's fault...but usually George W. Bush, the Republican Party, or Big Oil is usually to blame.

But so hungry for is The One to develop a Midas-touch mythology, that he's developed a nasty habit of taking credit for successes that don't have the remotely anything to do with him. You'd almost think he invented shale drilling, or passed this 25 year old government program, or is in favor of building pipelines, if you listen to Obama pat himself on the back for these "success stories".

But he may have gone a bit too far with his recent campaign ads congratulating himself for killing Osama Bin Laden, while claiming Mitt Romney would have been too much of a pussy to do the same thing.  For the more information that comes out about the day Bin Laden died, the more it seems that Obama, as with everything else in the presidency, was only peripherally involved, at best.

Investors.com:

As reported by Big Peace, Time magazine has obtained a memo written by Leon Panetta, then-director of the Central Intelligence Agency and now-Secretary of Defense, that says "operational decision-making and control" was really in the hands of William McRaven, a three-star admiral and former Navy SEAL.

"The timing, operational decision-making and control are in Adm. McRaven's hands," the memo says. "The approval is provided on the risk profile presented to the president. Any additional risks are to be brought back to the president for his consideration. The direction is to go in and get bin Laden and, if he is not there, to get out."

In other words, it was McRaven's call to pull the trigger or not on the raid.

Obama watching the raid from a position best described as "on the outside"...

Our brave president had already built in a "blame factor" if the raid went askew:

The Panetta memo, rather than presenting a profile in courage, says "approval is provided on the risk profile presented to the president." This left enough wiggle room to blame the operation planners and controllers if the raid had gone as wrong as President Jimmy Carter's famous failure to rescue American hostages held by Iran. This memo left room for the blame for another "Blackhawk Down" snafu to be blamed on anyone and everyone but President Obama.

Luckily, operational control was in McRaven's hands, and the planning, execution and decision-making were virtually flawless...


...and not in Obama's hands, where he would still be in the process of picking a blue-ribbon committee to weigh the options available.

Surprised Time would even run this story, as the MSMS's default position in news reporting is not primarily the need to inform the public, but first and foremost how any one piece of information may affect the re-election fortunes of Barack Obama. But this story is bigger than one man - yes, even you, Mr. President - and the truth will come out sooner rather than later this time.

Might turn out that the Osama raid may just be one more thing Obama will not be able to run on this fall...

Did Elizabeth Warren Exploit Native Americans For Her Own Gain?

Hey - they couldn't have built those teepees without her help!  Well, wait a second...

This story has so many ironies, I don't even know where to begin:

Elizabeth Warren’s avowed Native American heritage — which the candidate rarely if ever discusses on the campaign trail — was once touted by embattled Harvard Law School officials who cited her claim as proof of their faculty’s diversity.

Warren’s claim, which surfaced yesterday after a Herald inquiry, put the candidate in an awkward position as campaign aides last night scrambled but failed to produce documents proving her family lineage. Aides said the tales of Warren’s Cherokee and Delaware tribe ancestors have been passed down through family lore.

Like most Americans, Elizabeth learned of her heritage through conversations with her grandparents, her parents, and her aunts and uncles,” said Warren’s strategist Kyle Sullivan.

Grew up tracking buffalo through the Plains, made her millions in Reservation casinos?

The Ivy League law school prominently touted Warren’s Native American background, however, in an effort to bolster their diversity hiring record in the ’90s as the school came under heavy fire for a faculty that was then predominantly white and male.

Christopher Child, a genealogist at the New England Historic and Genealogical Society, traced back Warren’s family to her great-grandfather on her mother’s side and couldn’t find any proof of Native American heritage....


 Chris, don't waste your time. So desperate was Warren to deny her whiteness and be a minority, any kind of minority, that she stole herself some native American heritage and claimed it as her own. One doubts she would even have the gratitude to often the poor bastards some colored glass beads and (disease-free) blankets...

Was this a way for our precious little 1%-er to quicken her movement up the faculty ladder at a grateful university, who could claim her as Indian AND female, and thus kill two politically correct birds with one sacred stone?

Or was she so dying to be one of the oppressed - so that she could "legitimately" claim oppression, and claim to speak on behalf of those "oppressed" - that she created a new identity for herself?

Was it a way, perhaps, to secure that sweet interest -free loan that Harvard gave her?

Or did she really just want to be cool?

Somehow, I don't believe that even the people of Taxachusetts are going to fall for this old Indian woman.   I think by speaking with forked tongue, Elizabeth Warren is in heap of big trouble...

Democratic War On Women Continues Unabated

Via Instapundit 

Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate calls the mother of his child a “crazy slut.”

Yeah, respect for moms, and all that...

Ann Althouse:

Meanwhile, Edwards still lives "in a sprawling house on about 100 acres with two of his children, Emma Claire, 13, and Jack, 11." Their mother is dead. Their dad faces 30 years in prison for letting friends help him hide his adulterous affair from the public.

Nobody cares.


See why liberals are so adamant that all women get free birth control?  The other option is winding up like John Edwards - being responsible for people you brought into the world.  You can accept that responsibility, but that's something only dumb Republicans do.  Smart liberals direct their women to the nearest abortion clinic, and should they decide to make another "choice" with their bodies, lash out at them with puerile rage, resentment, and undisguised hostility.

And why does "nobody care"?  Because the men in the mainstream media like to treat women, well, "liberally", so to speak.  And the women in the media, so fearful of ending up alone - like so many of their 40 -something friends on the Upper West Side -  accept this twisted value system as a way to ensure companionship (and to avoid being ostracized by the in-crowd).

And so this second-class treatment of women by the Left is imprinted into the nation's consciousness as "normal" by a media who benefits from it.  And who suffers?

Anyone ever touched, apparently, by John Edwards.  Ask Rieille.  Or ask John's children how their dad's philosophy is working out for them...

Emo hairstyles for summer 2012

FOD 2012.04.02

I think most people are of the opinion that politics is a sleazy business. However, it always seems to come as a shock when hard data is compiled that illustrates that opinion. What used to be even more shocking, but nowadays is sadly expected, is the reluctance of the mainstream media to do report those facts, at least when the m`lefactor is a democrat or liberal.

Case in point: buying House votes for unpopular legislation.

An examination of “administrative earmarks” around the time of congressional votes on key pieces of President Obama’s agenda suggests the White House used its power to fund local projects as a mans to “buy” votes for major legislative efforts.

... an analysis of grants from agencies during the early years of the Obama administration shows that the districts of moderate Democrats, whose support was so crucial for Obama during the 111th Congress, received large sums right around the passage of three key pieces of legislation: Obamacare, Dodd-Frank financial regulations, and the cap-and-trade bill.

During the run-up to votes in the House of Representatives for each of those pieces of legislation, the rate of administrative earmarking spiked. ...

The number of grants given by those agencies spiked precisely when the House was considering each of the three pieces of legislation.

Even more troubling: during the same time periods, significant grant money went to the districts of numerous Democratic representatives who looked to face tough battles for re--election. The legislation Obama was attempting to get through Congress was generally unpopular, and vulnerable members needed other ways to appeal to constituents. Federal grants made for a perfect opportunity.

Then-Rep. Chris Carney (D-PA), for instance, kept his support for Dodd-Frank quiet. His website never posted a press release announcing his “yes” vote on the bill. It did, however, tout two federal grants totaling $3.6 million for businesses in his district two days before the Dodd-Frank vote.

Then-Rep. Zach Space (D-OH) hailed from a district reliant on the coal industry, which would have been hit particularly hard by cap and trade. He voted for the measure, but neglected to publicize the vote on his website. He did, however, announce eight federal grants totaling roughly $1.8 million all made during the month before the House passed cap and trade.

At least 32 vulnerable House Democrats received significant federal grant money in the periods leading up to or directly after their votes on at least one of these three pieces of legislation (see charts below), raising concerns that those grants may have been used either to encourage or reward votes in favor of the administration’s position.

Yes, this practice has been going on for a while, under both democrat and republican administrations. But as the above article goes on to point out, under obama both the number of administrative earmarks and the value of those earmarks has skyrocketed. Combining those increases with the blatantly obvious timing of them goes to show "how taxpayer funds are used for crass political purposes — it is a rank abuse of the government’s power and another sign of this administration’s lack of a moral compass.”

Is anyone really surprised?

Springtime In South Texas

I left my home in Central Texas early this afternoon. It was a beautiful spring day. The morning air was so crisp and pure that we opened all the windows and aired out the house. The sky was a deep, deep, wonderfully vibrant shade of blue that made me want to sing, or do cartwheels, or both (disregarding the fact that I can't do either). Birds were singing, butterflies were flitting about, squirrels were chattering ... I even heard a turkey gobbling.

Every plant was some shade of verdant green, and they were all budding, blossoming, or blooming. The wildflowers ... ah, God, the wildflowers ... they are beyond my poor powers of description. After the last couple years of drought, we've had a decent amount of rain this spring, and the wildflowers have responded, bursting forth with long-delayed passion.

When I climbed into my truck the temperature was in the high 70s and the humidity was in the mid 40s. You couldn't ask for a better day.

I rolled down the windows, cranked up the stereo, and headed south.

Sigh...

Three short hours later the temperature was 98 and the humidity was somewhere around 75. Semis were roaring hither and yon, leaving whirlwinds of dust and gravel in their wake (I've replaced one windshield and filled three chips in the new one, all in the last three months). Yes, the Eagle Ford shale play has been a great boon for the South Texas economy, but it does come at a cost. Part of that cost is a degradation of the quality of life down here. IMO it's a tradeoff worth making, but that doesn't make it any less palatable.

 

So my incredibly spirit-renewing absolutely drop-dead gorgeous spring day lasted about four hours. To top things off, tomorrow I have to face 100+ college students whose performance on last week's exam was flat-out dismal.

Usually crushing their hopes and dreams cheers me up, but after today's transition from paradise to Hades it's going to take more than that.

Like Shiners.

Many, many Shiners...

Bond ... James Bond

In a story that sounds like something straight out of a James Bond movie,

Sexpot spy Anna Chapman came close to snaring a member of President Obama's inner circle in a honey trap, a top U.S. intelligence official has claimed... In a documentary broadcast last night, FBI counter-intelligence chief Frank Figliuzzi claimed the glamorous Russian agent got close enough to 'disturb' U.S. spy catchers.

He said the fear that Miss Chapman was close to seducing a sitting member of the Obama administration spurred agents to swoop on the 10-strong spy ring of which she was a part... Mr Figliuzzi told the Channel 4 documentary the auburn-haired spy got 'closer and closer to higher and higher ranking leadership... she got close enough to disturb us'.

Jeez, I wish the FBI could have held off long enough to catch Ms. Chapman in flagrante delicto with whoever the administration horn-dog is. I'd love to know who is this administration's Bill Clinton or JFK.

Doug Ross speculates, hilariously, on who it might be.

Warning: don't drink liquids while viewing.

Never Trust An Electrician With A Sharpie

Media Malpractice

The Trayvon Martin episode has now reached the point where the story about the story is rivaling the original story.

If you have trouble following that mangled syntax, what I'm trying to say is that the media's botched coverage of the incident and subsequent developments has become so egregious that it has become its own story.

Coverage of media coverage of the Trayvon Martin shooting has now fully separated from the actual events of February 26, 2012, and become a separate story in its own right, as have political attempts to manipulate perceptions of the case.  Two important updates on the media front:

First, NBC News has launched an “internal investigation” of how a heavily edited version of the audio from George Zimmerman’s 911 call on the March 27 broadcast of the “Today” show.  The same “mistake” was made in a written transcript published at MSNBC.com.

It should be a fairly short “internal investigation,” because the brass just needs to figure out who decided to edit the following conversation between Zimmerman and the dispatcher:

ZIMMERMAN: This guy looks like he's up to no good… or he's on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around, looking about.

DISPATCHER: Okay, is this guy, is he white, black, or Hispanic?

ZIMMERMAN: He looks black.

… into this: “This guy looks like he’s up to no good… he looks black.”  As deceptive edits go, it’s rather clumsy, isn’t it?  Not to mention grossly irresponsible, given the volatile situation surrounding the Sanford case.

Of course, NBC has a long and proud tradition of selectively editing their 'news' programs to reflect their world-view. Remember the faked GM pickup fires?

In 1993 (a NBC spokesman) admitted "NBC had misled viewers when it showed a simulated crash in which a gas tank on the G.M. truck exploded into flames ... in its apology Tuesday night, the network cited its use of an incendiary device to ignite an explosion and its failure to inform the viewers about the device.

Returning to the present day and the Trayvon Martin story:

Meanwhile, ABC News manufactured a “scoop” last week by releasing edited video from the Sanford Police Department, ostensibly “proving” that Zimmerman didn’t have any visible injuries.  Since Zimmerman claims to have been physically assaulted by Trayvon Martin, a lack of injuries would do some damage to his story.

But ABC not only failed to remind its readers that Zimmerman was treated by paramedics at the scene of Martin’s death – a well-established hard fact documented in police reports.  They also used an on-screen graphic to obscure Zimmerman’s head at a crucial moment in their “big scoop” video clip.  Without this graphic, viewers can see a rather large gash on the back of Zimmerman’s head, which is totally consistent with his story, and completely destroys the action line for ABC’s “reporting.”  The video loudly touted as showing no injuries did, in fact, depict what appears to be a significant injury.

Lo and behold, ABC News has now produced an “enhanced” version of the security camera video, and whaddya know – it’s another sizzling-hot blockbuster scoop, which just happens to completely erase the previous scoop, because after more “enhancement and re-digitization” than Disney deployed to create Tron:Legacy, it turns out ABC’s sharp-eyed analysts can see that scar too!

Thus, ABC News claims to have “revealed for the first time” what everyone who didn’t fall for their earlier “scoop” could easily see with their own eyes, by viewing the unedited security tape.  Maybe a sufficiently loud cry of “Whoops!” will make an internal investigation unnecessary.

So far CBS hasn't been caught doctoring transcripts or altering recordings, but given its track record, it's probably only a matter of time. After all, during the 2004 presidential election they produced bogus memos purporting to show irregularities in George W. Bush's national Guard service records.

Dan Rather admitted he'd been chasing the story for five years--proof that there was something in George W. Bush's National Guard record that would convince people not to vote for him.  

That fiasco resulted in the memorable statement uttered by CBS in its defense that the memos were "fake, but accurate."

Even Walter Cronkite would be embarrassed by that one.

Gosh, if you can't trust NBC, ABC, and CBS, who can you trust?

(Y)our Government At Work

Pay attention, children. This is an allegory that draws a parallel between how the government does things, and how things should be done.

Way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and there were two world superpowers -- the U.S. and Russia (okay, technically, it was the USSR, but Russia and the USSR were used interchangeably - for the sake of convenience, we're going to use Russia here) -- there was this contest between us and them known as the Space Race.

That was back when America had pride in itself, had lofty objectives, and had the technological, economical, and spiritual resources to strive and achieve. In other words, pre-obama.

Anyway, back then when NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity.

To combat this problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 billion developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 300° C.

The Russians used a pencil...

Different Strokes For Different Folks

I saw the below at Boned Jello. My mind was duly boggled. (For those of you not familiar with Wegmans, it is a regional grocery store chain located mainly in the northeast - similar to HEB for all you Texas folks.)

Wegman's has put up a sign asking customers buying pork or alcohol not to use a particular checkout line when a Muslim teenager is on duty as the cashier.

I have a better idea. If I'm buying pork or alcohol (or anything else) I'll not only chose another lane, I'll chose another store.

Tolerance is one thing. Hiring people who are unwilling to do the job is something else entirely. Why not give her a job in the produce department and hire cashiers who aren't so picky?

Here's the link to the full story. Don't read the "Mosqueing the workplace" section until after you've taken your blood pressure pills.

Wine - The New State Secret

I'm more of a beer guy then a wine aficionado. On occasion, however, I do like to indulge in a nice glass or two of vino. When I do, I usually seek out what I like to call 'value wines.' To me, that means reasonably palatable and priced around $20 per box bottle.

I realize that there are better vintages out there. And I certainly understand that when hosting the leaders of other nations it is appropriate to serve a high-quality selection of wines. But that doesn't mean those wines have to cost in the neighborhood of $400 per bottle.

When British Prime Minister David Cameron visits President Barack Obama this week, one detail may stay bottled up: the labels on the wines the White House pours at the state dinner tomorrow night.

For Obama’s first three state dinners, honoring the leaders of India, Mexico and China, the White House released the name, year and appellation of wines—all-American—paired with each course.

Part of a tradition observed by previous presidents, including George W. Bush, that disclosure stopped after Obama’s dinner last year for Chinese President Hu Jintao. One of the wines served on Jan. 19, 2011, was a top-rated 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington state that originally sold for $115 a bottle and went for as much as $399 by the time of the dinner.

Just another example of obama's belief that nothing's too good for him - especially when he's spending other people's money. (Remember that Hawaiian vacation? Or the one at Martha's Vineyard? Or the many others that he and/or Michelle have enjoyed at our expense?)

At the next state dinner, on June 7, 2011, for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the menu made public by the White House didn’t include details on the wines.

Another time-honored American tradition ignored and discarded by the Wino-in-Chief.

Quelle surprise!

Obama and Hu sharing a toast. At $400 per bottle, and about 5 glasses to the bottle, they're each holding $80 worth of wine.

People Search For The Strangest Things

Here's a sequel to a recent post about reviewing my blog stats. As I mentioned, the most-viewed pages were those having something to do with sex, or some variation thereof. Mildly interesting, but not especially surprising.

What was surprising, however, were some of the search terms that led people here. Three in particular stood out

Search Words: used bra for sale

Search Words: butt chin cartoon

Search Words: guy in love you like a love song sunglasses

Anyone wanna fess up and explain themselves?

I'm Tired Of All This Racial Crap

All you liberals who think anyone that doesn't like obama is a racist - check this out and then STFU!

(H/T The Looking Spoon)

Sunday Funnies 2012.04.08

Have a happy and blessed Easter!

"Why You Wouldn't Want To Be An Easter Egg"

It takes you three minutes to get hard.
You only get laid once.

 * * * * * * * * * *

Years ago in Ireland, there was a priest who was very anti-British. Every Sunday he would blast them from the pulpit. He became so notorious that the Pope himself summoned the priest to Rome fnr an audience.

"Father," said the Pope, "I want that there should be peace between the British and the Irish. You're not helping matters at all. I want you to kiss my ring and swear by the Blessed Virgin that you'll never so much as mention the British in public again."

"But Your Holiness, I - I - " the priest stammered.

"No buts," said the Pope. "Swear it here and now or there'll be trouble!"

"Aye, Holy Father," sighed the father. "All right. I swear it."

The very next Sunday just happened to be Easter, and the priest was back at his pulpit in Ireland, giving his annual Easter sermon.

He got to the part of the Easter story where Jesus said, "And one of you shall betray Me."

The priest continues: "Saint Andrew jumps up and says, 'Is it I Lord?' and the Lord says, 'Nay, Andy darlin', it's not you. Sit down now and dunna worry. Eat your supper.'

Then Saint John the Divine gets up with tears in his eyes and cries, 'Is it I Lord?' And the Lord says, 'Nay, Johnny me boy, it's not you. Sit down now and dunna fret yourself. Eat your supper.'

"Then that dirty dog Judas Iscariot slowww-ly rises to his feet. And he looks the Lord right in the eye and says, 'Blimey, Mate. Ya think it's me?"

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If a Muslim and a Buddhist were to pass over Easter Island, where would they bury the irony?

FOD 2012.04.09

It's been a long holiday weekend, I'm tired, and the week ahead is shaping up to be a royal pain in the butt. So I went searching Amazon.com for something to inspire me. Instead, I found a whole bunch of books by or about barack obama. Here's just two (and no, these aren't a joke - they are real honest to goodness books that sheep people are buying).

Words That Changed A Nation: The Most Celebrated and Influential Speeches of Barack Obama

Michelle Obama: First Lady of Fashion and Style

Now I'm really depressed...

Vote Early And Vote Often

An article in Monday's San Antonio Express-News noted that "Sixteen small counties across Texas appear to have more registered voters on their rolls as of 2010 than qualified citizens of voting age." The article carefully skirts the issue of voter fraud, much less the controversy over Texas' voter ID law that is currently being tortured to death in the courts. However, other commentators have noted the long and colorful history of the somewhat informal approach to voting in South Texas.

... elections in South Texas have not always been left to chance. In May, Texas Watchdog, an independent investigative website, provided a startlingly detailed look at political corruption in Jim Wells County, due south of San Antonio and named after a nineteenth-century Democratic boss. Reporter Steve Miller showed how the grunt work of vote harvesting is performed by politiqueros, tactfully translated as “canvassers” (“fixers” if you’re politically incorrect).

One of the politiqueras, Zaida Bueno, not only went on the record but, with cameras rolling, also showed Miller how the process of vote-coaching and absentee ballots actually works. At the going rate of three dollars for every successfully returned ballot, personal contacts generate volume — and volume counts. Meant to aid the aged, the infirm and the illiterate as well as genuine absentees, Ms. Bueno was forthright about why manipulation of the less fortunate is modest but steady work. “I have to push [the candidates]…to push their name.” While the voter may ask for suggestions, “…I vote for the one I want, the one I am helping.” And finally, “They say ‘yes,’ I put [the ballot] in the envelope, and nobody knows but me, you.”

Jim Wells County keeps popping up in South Texas voting fraud lore.

The complaints filed by Jim Wells County residents have a familiar ring ... residents said they went to the voter polls on Election Day 2008, only to discover that they had already voted ... This is a scenario that has been seen before.

In 2006, Duval County officials said that nearly half of the ballots cast in that year’s primary — 2,800 out of 5,445 primary votes — were by mail-in ballot. A woman said that her deceased father’s name was among those that showed up on a mail-in ballot.

Of course, the most famous - or infamous - South Texas ballot fraud of all time took place in 1948 when Lyndon Johnson first ran for the U.S. Senate. It appeared that he had lost the primary, until all of a sudden Box 13 from Jim Wells County appeared out of nowhere. It contained 203 ballots, 202 of which were for LBJ ... in the same ink ... and the same handwriting ... and in alphabetical order. That resulted in a new nickname for him: Landslide Lyndon.

South Texas aside, the democrats have been carrying on similar shenanigans across the nation.

...four Democratic officials in Indiana were hit with felony charges related to petition fraud in the state's 2008 primary ... Without the phony signatures, there's a significant chance that Obama would not have qualified for the primary ballot -- throwing the validity of the entire election into question.

... a New York judge set new trial dates for Democratic officials and political operatives accused of another ballot fraud conspiracy...

... in Wisconsin, the state's Medical Examining Board decided last month to investigate 11 additional doctors for writing fake sick notes for public union teachers who ditched their classrooms to protest GOP Gov. Scott Walker. Nine other medical professionals have already received slaps on the wrist.

There's more, of course. One of the most notorious locations for old-style machine politics is Chicago, obama's home town. And one of the most notorious examples took plaice in 1982, resulting in "one of the largest voter fraud prosecutions ever conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice ... the U.S. Attorney in Chicago at the time, Daniel Webb, estimated that at least 100,000 fraudulent votes (10 percent of all votes in the city) had been cast. Sixty-five individuals were indicted for federal election crimes, and all but two (one found incompetent to stand trial and another who died) were convicted"

So the next time some head-in-the-sand liberal says there's no need for voter ID laws because there's no evidence of fraudulent voting, just refer him to South Texas ... and Indiana ... and New York ... and Chicago ... and the list goes on ... and on ... and on...

Then The Democrat Wins

I recently posted about voter fraud and the democrats opposition to any form of a voter ID law.

One alternative might be some sort of current events or civics test that a prospective voter would have to pass before being issued a ballot. You know, sort of a “Don’t let ignorant people vote” proposal.

Is it constitutional? In a word, yes.

The Constitution specifies several factors that cannot be used to deny someone the right to vote—most notably, race (15th Amendment), gender (19th Amendment) and age (26th Amendment). No amendment forbids putting citizens to the test before they can register to vote, so the idea is fair game.

Is it a good idea? IMHO, not only yes, but "Hell Yes!" 

Will it ever happen? Regretfully, probably not.

Why not? The answer is below.

The Big Lie - Big Oil Version

It is often said that if you repeat a lie often enough, people will begin to believe it. Obama and his flunkies in the media have mastered this technique. Case in point: the myth that energy companies are reaping billions of dollars in government subsidies.

Listen to any liberal or democrat. Read any paper. Watch any news broadcast or talking heads opinion show. The story is remarkably similar. Big Oil is raping the American taxpayer, enjoying record profits while receiving billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies, all resulting from a massive lobbying campaign.

The only problem with this narrative is that none of it is true.

First, start with the definition of "subsidy." In economic terms it is "A payment from government to individuals or businesses without any expectations of production."

That definitely describes the solar, wind, electric car, and ethanol industries. But it's a far cry from oil and natural gas production. There, we are talking about the tax code, not government handouts. Here are the tax treatments targeted by democrats.

Domestic manufacturing tax deduction -- $1.7 B.  This is a tax deduction given to every manufacturer in the US.  Per CNN, it was "designed to keep factories in the United States."  If that deduction were eliminated for oil companies only, it would mean singling out oil companies from all other manufacturers.

Percentage depletion allowance -- $1 B.  Any industry can write down a portion of the cost of its capital equipment as part of the cost of doing business.  Right now, oil in the ground is treated as capital equipment.  Again, this "subsidy" amounts to how the cost of doing business is defined.  All companies get it, not just oil companies.

Foreign tax credit -- $850 million.  Companies get credit for taxes they pay to other countries.  All companies get this "subsidy," not just oil companies.  Should a company pay tax on tax?  Should only oil companies pay tax on tax?

Intangible drilling costs -- $780 million.  According to CNN, "[a]ll industries get to write off the costs of doing business, but they must take it over the life of an investment. The oil industry gets to take the drilling credit in the first year."  Among these four tax "breaks," this smallest one was the only one that treated oil companies differently.

The above address taxes that are not collected from the oil companies. What about actual tax payments?

Exxon recently released its first quarter results for 2011.  The number grabbing the headlines was Exxon's profit: $10.65 billion in a single quarter.  The number not given quite as much exposure was the taxes it paid in that same quarter:  $8 billion, or 42% of income before taxes.

And what does Exxon do with all that money it has left after paying $8 B in taxes?  It put $7.8 billion into capital and exploration, as part of its plans "to invest between $33 billion and $37 billion per year over the next five years to develop new energy supplies."

In any other industry, that would be called "research and development."  Exxon is plowing 73% of its after-tax profits back into R&D.  Who would be better at spending $4 billion of energy companies' earnings in an attempt to provide our energy in the future: the energy companies or Obama's energy czar?

But there is at least one member of the Big Oil club that gets subsidies from the U.S. government. Any idea which one?

It's Petrobras, the state-owned Brazilian oil company.

The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil's Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James Jones met ... with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan.

A few more tidbits:

• The amount of earnings not collected in taxes is about $4.3 billion per year -- about 0.2% of this year's deficit and enough to fund about 10 hours of current US government spending.
• A full $3.55 billion of that amount (82%) is due to the way taxes are treated for all industries or manufacturers.  To change these tax laws only for oil companies would require singling them out among all industries for special mistreatment.
• The only tax in which the oil industry seems to get special treatment compared to other industrids is intangible drilling costs.  The amount of that subsidy?  That would be $0.78 billion per year -- enough to fund less than two hours of federal spending in 2011, and not even half the amount we are lending a foreign-owned and state-owned oil company for drilling offshore Brazil.
• Oil companies already pay tax rates of 40-50% of income.

As for the notion that Big Oil gets special treatment because of its massive army of lobbyists, consider this.

... the Oil & Gas industry ranked only 19th in the amount of money contributed to politicians in the 2008 election cycle: $17.7 million.  Who was number one?  Lawyers, who contributed $126.9 million, or over seven times as much as the Oil & Gas industry.  The Education lobby gave $37.4 million, more than twice as much as Oil & Gas.

Of course, lawyers and teachers unions are obama allies, so the lapdog media would never report that fact.

One final point, again unreported - nay, buried - by obama's lackeys in the MSM:

According to the DOE's Energy Information Administration, every time you fill up your gas tank, more of your money goes to taxes than goes to refining costs and profits combined.

Facts are such inconvenient things when you're trying to spin a story...

And Then There Were Three

Yesterday Rick Santorum dropped out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination.

Rick Santorum, who pitched himself as the true conservative in the race and used a platform focused on social issues to come from well back in the pack to be the main challenger to Mitt Romney, announced (Monday) afternoon that he is suspending his effort for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, told a gathering of reporters in Gettysburg that his three-year-old daughter's battle with a genetic disease, and her hospitalization over the weekend, "did cause us to think ... about the role we have as parents." And he concluded it was time to step aside from the campaign trail, where his campaign no longer appeared to have time left to stop Romney from being the nominee.

I can't really blame him. Family should come first. Regardless of your political leanings, I hope you will take a moment to say a prayer for Santorum's daughter.

Shortly after Santorum's announcement, Gingrich made a play for Santorum's supporters. Ron Paul's people likewise argued that their man deserved the allegiance of Santorum backers.

Vultures...

But that's beside the point. Of the three remaining candidates, Romney is the odds-on favorite to win the nomination. Ron Paul has been relegated to the role of after-thought. He's a novelty act that appeals only to a small number of fanatics. That's a shame, because I share his libertarian views to a certain extent. However, I think he goes too far on a number of them.

Newt is an interesting case. In my opinion he is the smartest and most articulate of anyone still running -- including obama. I like his approach to many of the issues: big problems call for big ideas, not just tinkering with existing policies. I also think he'd flat-out destroy barry in a head-to-head debate.

But Newt also has baggage - lots of it. There are ethics questions regarding his use of campaign funds. And of course, there is his history of infidelity. The press paints him as a cross between Bill Clinton and John Edwards, and there is some basis for that characterization.

Some people say a politician's private life is irrelevant. That was the liberals' position during Monicagate. Conservatives, on the other hand, argued during the entire blue dress kerfluffle that "character counts." Today everyone has switched sides. Newt's detractors argue that he's shown he can't be trusted to keep his word, while his supporters say his marital history doesn't matter.

I side with the "character counts" folks. I said it with Clinton, and with Edwards, and I hold that position with Newt. As much as I like his ideas, I can't get past the fact that he broke his oath "to forsake all others." Why should I believe that he'll keep an oath to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America"?

That leaves us with Romney. By all accounts he is a good family man, a man whose personal life is above reproach. But he's also an incremental thinker, not a radical one. By that I mean he has small ideas to improve the status quo, at a time when big ideas are needed to address big problems. To borrow an overused phrase, he can't think outside the box.

He also doesn't have the most scintillating personality. He's not exactly Mr. Electricity. Women don't swoon when he walks in a room. He comes across as privileged and out of touch with most people. He's Mormon, which shouldn't matter, but will to some people. And there's that whole Romneycare thing hanging around his neck.

Still, Romney has one great big thing going for him.

He's not obama...

This Message Brought To You Courtesy Of...

Due to time constraints, this post is shamelessly stolen borrowed linked to from Moonbattery:

In the race to achieve the status of America’s worst president, Barack Hussein Obama has left Jimmy Carter choking on his dust.

Obama has hit one more Carter benchmark – both saw gas prices double in their first term of office.

In fact, while just barely, Obama has seen an even higher gas price increase than Carter dealt with under his administration.

Under the Carter administration, gas prices increased by 103.77 percent. Gas prices since Obama took office have risen by 103.79 percent. No other presidents in recent years have struggled as much with soaring oil prices. Under the Reagan administration, gas prices actually dropped 66 percent.

The difference is that Obama has been causing gas prices to rise on purpose, as part of the insane, antihuman green ideology that animates his hard left base. This is why the Keystone XL pipeline was nixed, why drilling is not allowed off most of our coasts, why the BP spill was seized upon as a pretext to strangle the Gulf oil industry, why drilling on government-owned land is down, et cetera.

Thanks, guys.

Friday Follies Happy Hour 2012.04.06

Easter weekend means one thing - Easter Egg Hunts!!!

To help you get fired up for the festivities, here's a short video about Easter Egg Hunt Boot Camp.



I hope y'all have a great Easter weekend.

Chic Mane

What a sleek poof! We think this would be great for the sophisticated bride.


Courtesy of Nicky Oliver

Long Hairstyles 2012 woman

The beginning of 2012 will bring a lot of hairstyles that can make the wearer look gorgeous. Long hairstyles 2012 are for those who want to get rid of their short and boring hairstyles and want to get a new look with a new hair length. Bright and fresh doubled toned colors to the hairstyles enhance the beauty of the hairstyle. Long hairstyles 2012 can also be highlighted and blended with the good combination of colors.
If you have long and wavy hair type then it is good to get a good haircut. But the main problem with long and curly hair is that they are difficult to maintain. The best haircut for long hairstyles 2012 is to get a layered haircut that and help you to transform the curls by making them bouncy from start to end. If you have straight hair type and want to get long hairstyles 2012 then get multi layered haircut so that the straight hair can be balanced. Moreover, multi layered long hairstyles 2012 will also remove extra weight from the hair so that you can manage the hairstyle easily. But you must make sure that hair is neither cut too short nor too long. It is a better idea to give the bowl shape at the crown to add bounce to the hairstyle

Long hairstyles can work well for straight, wavy and curly hairstyles. If your face is narrow or long then long locks with bouncy hairstyles. The best hairstyle for casual wear can be made with ponytails. It is one of the most popular hairstyles that suit the long hair lengths. There is a variety of ponytails. You can try wearing multiple ponytail style that consists of three ponytails. After you have mastered the three ponytails hairstyle you can easily create it within minutes. To create this hairstyle you can wash your hair so that ponytail can look great. Apart from ponytails, you can also create braids and knots.

To create a perfect braid you must make sure that you have brushed your hair and there are no tangles. Then pick up the hair from the crown area and separate them into sections. It must be ensured that the three sections are even. Twist the sections one over another to make a braid. You can also leave a few strands of hair to float freely. Long hairstyles are not only designed for women but also for men. There are many hairstyles for men that can be made with long hair lengths. They can use different styling products such as gel, wax, mousse and hair spray to keep the hairstyle in place. They can even get the straight look by straightening the hair with a flat iron. Men can also make braids and ponytails.

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