Palin Author Demands His Privacy

'Get off. You're tresspassing."

Sarah Palin to an investigative reporter?

Nope.

That would be the reporter himself speaking through his window to an NBC news team looking to ask him why he felt he needed to rent the house directly next to the Palin residence in Wasilla, Alaska.

It's trying to have your life choices examined and critically commented on, and as is the way with the press in general, they just don't like the scrutiny. The poor dears.

Investigative reporter Joe McGinnis gave short shrift to an NBC News Crew that was merely doing its job attempting to inform the public on what they saw was a news worthy story. They were apparently curious about his decision to move in next door to Sarah Palin and her family while investigating and writing a critical book on them.

Of all the places he could live while writing about Sarah Palin, he chose the house directly next to her family residence? Why not just move into the basement? Creepy.

One of the appealing aspects to Sarah Palin is the fact that she is a common person. This is not the Kennedy Compound. This is not the Kerry Estate. It's the Palin residence, and despite the Soros efforts to distract and discourage her, Sarah Palin takes it in stride and keeps moving forward. These clowns must really be worried about her. They just wont let it go. If a common person can't rise to political prominence, then we are no longer a people that have a government, but have become a government that has a people. Love the quote though:

"Fences make for good neighbors. Todd and his buddies started the fence yesterday, and its looking good!"

We all know what it's like to be a neighbor, and we hope to be good ones ourselves. Keep an eye out for your neighbors property, offer to help when troubles arise, look out for your neighbors kids. This sorry excuse for a man stood those common values on their ear. What the left doesn't get is that their odd and intrusive behavior underscores what we already know:

Their values are not our values.

Update 6/1/10

Mr. McGinnis, apparently wounded that his honor would be called into question, complained on NBC's "Today" show that his motives were unfairly called into question.

"Joe McGinniss said Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show that the price was right on the house next door to the Palins. He says he moved to her hometown to talk to her longtime acquaintances, not to spy on the family. He needs to be in Wasilla to do his work."

Sure, Joe. One question: if your conscience is so clear, why wouldn't you speak with the NBC news crew that came by and knocked on your door? Why wouldn't you answer, let them in and take advantage of that opportunity to more fully explain yourself? Seems to be a tad inconsistent, but then I didn't realize how sensitive investigative journalists are. Who knew that comments placed on Sarah Palin's Facebook would strike home? Apparently, Ms. Palin posted on her Facebook page that she wondered what McGinniss would gather "while overlooking Piper's bedroom, my little garden, and the family's swimming hole?"

Excellent comment, and spot-on. Apparently the stone thrown struck this particular dog, as we all can tell from his howling:

"McGinniss called Palin's comments 'ugly innuendo' and 'revolting'".

Ahh, buddy, buddy. It's so unfair... so easy for an investigative reporter to be mistaken for a scumball.

- 'Wuthering Heights' Open Thread

  What did you think?

How Does She Do That?!

I wish I could write like April Gavaza.

"Oddly enough, I picked up the most current issue of Elle magazine, (despite the fact that the utterly bland Kristen Stewart was staring at me with her lifeless fish eyes from the cover), and there in its pages was a story on the father’s right to choose."

Light, airy, fun, cutting, incisive... wow!

And how do you get away with titling a post Cleavage? She pulls it off without a hitch. I wonder if she realizes the kind of traffic she is going to get trolling around with that title? Probably... and will snap them right out of their glandular stupor and get them to start appreciating a beautiful woman that is intelligent, fun and challenging. I think I'm loving it. Definitely.

She's no one act. She's the whole ice show.

Obama Strategy for 2010: Sell Whoppers

Democrat Strategy for 2010: start fibbing about the economy and keep on fibbing till people start believing you. Its not challenging as far as your constituents go, because the rank and file Dems either don't know economics, don't remember their recent history, or don't care. It's those swing voters that will be a tougher sell. The swing kids and the Tea Party movement types.

“The president needs to indict not simply Bush or even Republicans. He is a visionary thinker, and his rhetoric should reflect that,” said Democratic strategist Paul Begala. “I want President Obama to make a consistent, compelling indictment of conservative ideas.”

He is going to misrepresent the past economic melt down, ignore governmental intrusion into the mortgage and finance markets, ignore the pressure that the Clinton Administration applied under the Janet Reno AG office (hard to believe I am saying that, but she was the one doing the threatening), ignore his own involvement in pushing high risk loans on banks and other lenders through ACORN, and make up a fairy tale that the markets did not have enough governmental involvement, when in fact they had way too much.

The first glimmers of Obama's 2010 message came in New York last week where he rallied the party faithful with a charge that Republicans drove the economy into a ditch, obstructed Democrats’ efforts to pull it out and now want back the keys.

President Bush made every effort to ward of the crisis in 2002 and 2004, but the Dems would have no part in it, and Back Door Barney at the House Finance Committee characterized the Bush Administrations concerns as baseless and even racist. The result was the collapse of the world economy. And by the way, Bare, there is no economic bounce back. Unemployment continues to rise, and though all the press hacks are reporting this as a marker that people are now getting back out there cause it’s looking so good, I doubt they would play it that way if GW or any other conservative pol still had the White House.

Obama cranked up his indictment of the GOP in Ohio this week, criticizing “the ‘just say no’ crowd” and the Republicans’ “selective memory” of the economy in January 2009.

But Obama’s aides believe that explaining how the economic crisis occurred and what happened since is a fair argument to make and an important contrast to draw.

Obamonomics is a massive failure. You cannot spend your way into a better future, Everyone knows that, huckster. Quit lying to your poor dupes. Treat them decent, and give them the hard truth. You are not going to pay for their mortgage, you don’t have a stash of money to hand out, and things are getting worse, not better.

“I don’t necessarily think of it as blame,” said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.

Thanks Bob. And I don't necessarily think of you as a lying gas ball.

My advise to you Dems looking to save your seats? Keep the president... far, far away.

Feckless Posers Sass BP Over Oil Leak

"The U.S. government threatened to remove BP from efforts to seal a blown-out oil well in the Gulf of Mexico if it doesn't do enough to stop the leak, though it acknowledged only the company and the oil industry have the know-how to halt the deepwater spill."

Typical.

We're going to kick you out, BP, but of course we have no idea what to do ourselves. Fixing the problem isn't something we're really all that into. Posing now... it's mostly posing that we do around here.

"I am angry and I am frustrated that BP has been unable to stop this oil from leaking and to stop the pollution from spreading. We are 33 days into this effort and deadline after deadline has been missed," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said after visiting BP's U.S. headquarters in Houston.

Why didn't he stomp his feet as well? And by the way Mr. Salazar, what has the government contributed? With all it's resources and know-how, fixing the problem and protecting the coast just doesn't seem to pop up on their radar screen. To tell you the truth, the only thing I've heard is that Barry is going to keep his fat ass boot on the throat of BP, that cad Gibbs is out there encouraging people to bring lawsuits against BP, and that's about the extent of the efforts on the part of the Federal government. Great, huh? Sorry, but that's just pathetic.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said on Sunday Washington is frustrated and angry that BP missed "deadline after deadline" in its efforts to seal the well more than a month after an oil rig explosion triggered the disaster.

Wah. Waah. Waaahaha.

"If we find they're not doing what they're supposed to be doing, we'll push them out of the way appropriately," he told reporters as the administration maintained its hard line.

Push them out of the way? Go ahead, push them out of the way. Take their place. Show us all what government can really do.

Salazar's strongly worded comments followed President Barack Obama's on Saturday, when he blamed the spill on "a breakdown of responsibility" at BP.

There is a breakdown of responsibility here in this country, and it resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Dumpster Rapist Morton/Obama Idea of Good Government

John Morton, Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security was recently commented upon here for his remarks regarding Arizona's attempts to control her border. Meanwhile a serial Seattle area rapist has been the object of good government by Morton's way of thinking for some time now, and the women of Seattle have had the dubious benefit of it.

Investigators learned an illegal immigrant named Jose Lopez Madrigal, who was caught in the act of raping an Edmonds woman in a dumpster Sunday, has been deported nine times.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement won't comment on the case of Jose Lopez Madrigal.

Yeah, I kind of figured they might not have a lot to say.

Larry Klein was the man who heard the alleged victim's cries for help. Police say the suspect pulled the woman off the street to a dumpster and raped her.

"I could see the back of his head. I could see his pants were down. I could see her lying on the ground. I could hear her crying, but I couldn't really see her face," said Klein.

Klein called police, who quickly arrested the suspect. But learning his identity took much longer because of some 30 aliases. It was only through fingerprints that they identified him as Madrigal, a Mexican citizen.

"Madrigal's arrest and immigration record includes a staggering number of contacts with law enforcement since 1989."

And...?

People who live near the scene of Sunday's alleged rape wonder how it could keep happening.

"Makes you wonder, what are we doing wrong?" said Kirby Aumick.

Yeah, what are we doing wrong?! Try asking Mr. Morton. He's the expert on 'good government'.

"It’s troubling. I mean, if this man should not have been in this country, he should have been behind bars then, really, this is a senseless tragedy," said Klein.

Yeah, it is. And Arizona? Are the people there still the backward hicks you all have claimed them to be?

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has refused to comment on the case.

You don't say.

"One criminal justice source says Madrigal is a "poster boy" for the federal governments ineffectiveness."

Amen. It was too easy for this guy to stay here.

Obama-Mobs Threaten Bankers, Homes, Families

This looks like fun.

Community aggravators and their mobs are having a hey day since the community agitator in chief moved into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The word is out that the president has put the kibosh on the prosecution of his law breaking activist friends in the unions and government funded agitator groups.

Of course, we all remember the New Black Panther thugs that showed up at a Philadelphia polling station in the last election and stood there scowling, night sticks in hand, attempting to intimidate people from going in to vote. Their actions were recorded by republican poll watchers, whose video of the event went viral. Ultimately the panthers were pursued by career lawyers of the justice department, but the case was dropped when the political appointees intervened on two of the offenders, with the third ordered by the court to not return to a polling place with a weapon (?!). The light handed treatment set the stage for more threatening activities for other Obama-mob types, most notably at Town Hall meetings and Tea Party Rallies, where they attempted to subdue the free expression of ideas counter to the administration's opinion.

The most recent example occurred at the home of Greg Baer, a Bank of America executive. The Obama-mob were bused into the neighborhood on fourteen buses and with the escort of two police cruisers, where SEIU and the National People’s Action (NPA) members terrorized a teenage child in his own home.

"The Maryland officers reported there were approximately 500 protesters on and near the front lawn of Baer’s house. Montgomery County was not given a “heads-up” concerning the plan."

The bank executives son Jack was alone in the home at the time, and ended up locking himself in the bathroom. “When are they going to leave?” Jack pleaded.

Mr. Baer's neighbor just happened to be Fortune Magazine columnist Nina Easton, who wrote an excellent piece about it here.

The effort to intimidate and muscle banking institutions is a project the activists types have taken to with relish:

"SEIU and NPA also loudly stormed into bank buildings, occupying and shutting down their lobbies. How much would you like being in one of those bank lobbies during an SEIU-NPA Progressive Democrat hijacking of the property? How is anyone supposed to know that the loud angry mob coming through the front door isn’t there to rob it, or worse yet, burn it down?
Just an aside - isn’t it against Federal law to purposely shut down the normal operation of Federally insured banking institutions? Or is that sort of thing being encouraged now?"

This is all a part of an ongoing campaign which SEIU and NPA have titled “Showdown In America” in which they intend to heckle and bully banks, bank management and their employees and customers, all for the purpose of bilking the banks and their creditors out of millions of dollars in unsecured mortgages.

History has seen the Roman mob and the Paris mob. We now are being treated to the Obama-mob.

I guess Barrack found yet another private business whose neck he wants his boot on.

Homeland Security Shows No Interest In Laws of Land

John Morton, assistant secretary of homeland security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has said he has no interest in upholding the nation's laws, nor will he have Federal agents take illegal immigrants from Arizona into custody, nor return them to Mexico. The comment was made during a meeting on Wednesday with the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune.

"I don't think the Arizona law, or laws like it, are the solution. The best way to reduce illegal immigration is through a comprehensive federal approach, he said, and not a patchwork of state laws."

That is really a good idea. Like the Federal Immigration laws. Enforce those laws?

To check suspects for immigration status, is not "good government," Morton said.

Thanks, Mort. Now, what would good government look like, in your view?

Bonehead.

In defense of Morton's brazen comments, DHS officials said President Obama has ordered the Department of Justice to examine the civil rights and other implications of the law, hinting that Arizona's attempt to secure her border will not be backed up by either the Federal laws or those entrusted with enforcing those laws. They have a whole different agenda at the White House, and it's time you people in Arizona get used to it.

Fox News legal analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano said ICE is not obligated to process illegal immigrants referred to them by Arizona authorities.

"ICE has the legal discretion to accept or not to accept persons delivered to it by non-federal personnel," Napolitano said. "It also has the discretion to deport or not to deport persons delivered to it by any government agents, even its own."

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-AL, said it appeared the Obama administration is nullifying existing law:

"If he feels he cannot enforce the law, he shouldn't have the job," Sessions told Fox News. "That makes him, in my view, not fulfilling the responsibilities of his office."

Sessions said the U.S. government has "systematically failed" to enforce federal immigration law and claimed Morton's statement is an indication that federal officials do not plan on working with Arizona authorities regarding its controversial law.

"They're telegraphing to every ICE agency in America that they really don't intend on cooperating with Arizona," Sessions said. "The federal government should step up and do it. It's their responsibility."

Damn straight.

Steyn On Form Regarding Equality Under the Law

Political Commenter Mark Steyn knocks another one out of the park with his spot on commentary on the perverse notions of equality that emerge from those of us who hold a victim mentality mindset, such as Bernie Farber of the Canadian Jewish Congress. Quoting Mr. Steyn:

"Justice is supposed to be, like Dean Steacy, blind. If you run a red light and you hit a pedestrian, it makes no difference in law whether the pedestrian's Marc Lemire or Nelson Mandela. Or at least it shouldn't."

...with Dean Stacy being one of the zealous investigators of the Canadian Human Rights Council, who, though legally blind, researched hate speech written in the comments of various blogs and forums on the Internet (and I have to tell you I love the allegorical image of that), Marc Lemire being a tech savvy blogger who was abused by a CHRC investigation, and Nelson Mendela being the famous and much admired leader if the anti-apartheid movement in South African.

"..at least it shouldn't"

Of course. This is one of those rudimentary principles of English law that goes back hundred's of years. It is the reason Lady Justice, the symbolic image of the woman with scales, is blindfolded. She is presented this way to indicate that justice is (or should be) meted out objectively, without fear or favor, regardless of identity, wealth or poverty, power or weakness. And yet Bernie Farber, or Burnie as Mr. Steyn likes to call him, can't see why that might be an important element in our concepts of justice and equality before the law. Curious, these liberals.

Well said, Mr. Steyn.

It's My Party And I'll Cry If I Want To!

You would cry too
if it happened to you!

Senator Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania, who jumped ship from the GOP to join the Democrats after their takeover of both houses, was defeated in the Democratic primary for his Senate seat. Specter had been shown in campaign ads of opponent Joe Sestak saying he had switched parties so he could win re-election. The turncoat political moderate had never been known for his committment to conservatism, and was completely unreliable to his fellow republican party members. His switch in party affiliation underscored the mistake the GOP had made in backing him in 2004. Those same 2004 campaign adds came back haunt Senator Spector as Mr. Sestak made them the center point of his campaign, with a television commercial showing former President George W. Bush saying he could count on Specter.

Well, what goes around, comes around. Adios Senator Spector. You will not be missed.

Update Wednesday May 19th, 2010

Well the good senator has weighed in on his loss in the polls, with his own distinctly personal style:

“If we’re not careful, if you don’t field the strongest candidate — frankly, like Arlen Specter — they’re going to take over,” Specter said of the tea parties. “Beating the tea party gang is more important than who does the beating.”

Spoken like the self-absorbed nitwit that you are. Apparently we have all missed out on a strong candidate like Arlen Spector... such a pity! But Arlen, you lost in the Democrat primary. Presumably, a constituency group that you chose to associate with that want nothing to do with the Tea Party. You're the cook that baked this cake - quit your selfish whining and eat it!

Update II

Beating the tea party gang is more important than who does the beating? Defeating a broad based grass roots coalition that desires fiscal responsibility, limited government, limited taxation and greater individual freedom - essentially the principles which this nation was founded upon - defeating them is the important thing to this geez bag? The man's words betray who has always been. Wish we could have beat his ass years ago. Sit down, senator. Your time...is up.

Welcome Aunt Zeituni!

An immigration court judge has reversed a 2004 court order to deport Barrack Obama's Aunt Zeituni, and has granted her asylum here in the United States.

It's difficult to top John Derbyshire's assessment over at NRO:

"Barack Obama’s aunt Zeituni Onyango has gamed the immigration system. This follows her decade-long gaming of the municipal welfare system in Boston. (She has been living in public housing since 2003, and has done part-time work for the Housing Authority, in spite of having been living in the country unlawfully since 2002, and having actually been ordered deported in 2004.)

Plainly U.S. immigration laws mean nothing. Plainly a deportation order carries no risk of actual deportation. Plainly Boston welfare rules favor well-connected foreigners — even ones living here illegally — over needy citizens.

Plainly we Americans are the fools of the world."

Fools of the world...yep, that's us. Well Bare, one down, thirty million more to go!


With a hat tip to Bob Belvedere.

College Girl Bilks Army Out of 80 Large

A student who completed her college education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a full ride ROTC scholarship dodged her military obligation by formally declaring herself to be a lesbian.

"I didn't feel like I could be a good officer if I didn't have integrity"

Sara Isaacson submitted a formal memo to the head of the university's ROTC program declaring her desire for the fairer sex, despite being told that army policy was to not seek such disclosures.

"I was very clear with Miss Isaacson about that," said Lt. Col. Monte Yoder, head of the university's Army ROTC program. "I told her I won't ask."

Well, too bad Lt. Colonel Yoder, because this gal was hell bent on telling you. Not at the start mind you. No, not when she enrolled as a freshman. Integrity was not as precious to the young officer in training then. No, it wasn't until her degree was completed that integrity became an essential aspect of her core values.

Sara Isaacson was notified in March that she was being discharged for violating “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Along with the notice was a recommendation that she repay the $79,265.14 the government spent on her education, the paper reported.

Well, Ms. Isaacson, our armed forces are made up of men and women who are there to serve their country. They live and breathe integrity. Their very lives depend on the character and integrity of their fellow comrades in arms.

You don't belong among them.

Now pay back the $80 K.

Obama Shocked.. Shocked to Discover Finger-pointing Going On

The Nations number one pol, who since elected has never lost an opportunity to ridicule and demean a private industry he has turned his lustful gaze upon, finds himself at the end of his patience.

"Obama, whose comments until now have been measured, heatedly condemned a "ridiculous spectacle" of oil executives shifting blame in congressional hearings and denounced a "cozy relationship" between their companies and the federal government."

Yes, the man who has complained ad infinitum about the problems he 'inherited', and who has attempted to justify his TARP bail-out program, his insertion into and take-over of auto makers Chrysler and GM, who had a hand in the take down of Lehman brothers and most importantly the government takeover of the health care industry, all justified with the character assassination of the players involved, has decided that finger pointing is too much for him to brook.

"I will not tolerate more fingerpointing or irresponsibility," Obama said in the White House Rose Garden, flanked by members of his Cabinet.

Oh yes, the man who put the middle finger in finger pointing tells the White house Press corps that he has had it with finger pointing, and with untroubled hearts, they dutifully wrote it all down for you and me to ponder.

"The system failed, and it failed badly. And for that, there is enough responsibility to go around. And all parties should be willing to accept it," the president said.

Thank you , Mr. President. Would you care to lead the way for us?

Echoing President Ronald Reagan's comment on nuclear arms agreements with Moscow, he said, "To borrow an old phrase, we will trust but we will verify."

BP, a corporation that provides this nation with the resource that fuels our economy and upon which our nation depends, is to be treated like the Soviet Union, who looked to dominate and bury us?

Oy vey!

'Walk The Line' Open Thread

What did you think?

Blogger Votes to Boycott Los Angeles

One of the nation's most intriguing bloggers has decided to boycott the city of Los Angeles.

The decision by What the...?! founder 'nicholas' came on the heels of the Los Angeles city council's decision to boycott the entire state of Arizona. 'nicholas', the blog's proprietor, offered the following explanation:

"Los Angeles is a city with second rate thinkers in their leadership positions. I can't put up with that, and they shouldn't expect me to."

The decision seemed controversial, but the founder declared it to be a "no brainer"

"What the...?! is a first rate blog with some well thought out opinion pieces and some pretty darn snappy commenters. As an American, I cannot go to Los Angeles today without risking all of that. If I come across a Los Angeles city councilman having a bad day who appreciates the commentary at What the...?! is a tad over his pay grade, I'll have to get an earful of his thickheaded nonsense. I just can't risk that. It's not American."

The decision is projected to cost the City of Los Angeles four to five thousand jobs and six to eight million in dollars of revenue lost. The decision called for the blog What the...?! to "refrain from conducting business with the City of Los Angeles, including participating in any conventions or other business that requires blog resources, unless the cities boneheaded bullying of the people of Arizona is repealed."

Asked to justify the astounding cost estimates, nicholas replied in typical What the...?! fashion:

"Do you remember the president offering evidence of the success of his jobs program on the basis of the number of jobs he said he had "saved"? It's just like that."

The Los Angeles city council could not be reached for comment.

Update

April Gavaza over at The Hyacinth Girl takes the bull by the horns and smacks the good councilman square in the face. Here's a sample:

"Reyes’ statement doesn’t even make sense, by the way. And the smug self-congratulatory tone taken by the others quoted is absolutely nauseating. Honestly, these people couldn’t find their asses with both hands, and if you believe that they own the moral high ground in this case, you’re a complete moron. Do not waste my time by commenting or emailing."

That woman...wow! You know you want to read her. Get over there and quit wasting time. Do it now and save us both the heartache.


Update II

Here's a bit more insight from the brave souls over at the LA City Council:

"Councilwoman Janice Hahn, one of the co-sponsors of the motion and a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, said her office has been flooded with “hate calls and hate e-mails” criticizing the resolution.

That 'hate mail' is simply people expressing their disbelief at your thick-headed obstinacy. It's called holding a dissenting opinion.


'But, she said, “we know bad things happened when good people don’t stand up and say something.”

We know that, you brick. That's why we are supporting the folks of Arizona, and calling pretentious fools like you on the carpet.

Didn't this gal use to hang out with Sam Kinison, after that whole thing with Jim Bakker went south?

Group Think Wonk Looks to Crush Middleschooler

Freedom of thought and freedom of expression are the hallmarks of a free society. There continued existence depends on the will of the people. So found out a thirteen year old in an art class in Salinas California, when she was ordered to stop drawing the American flag by an art teacher at Gavilan View Middle School. Her mother, Tracy Hathaway, commented:

“She had drawn the flag and was sketching the letters, ‘God bless America,’ when the teacher confronted her,” Hathaway told FOX. “She said, ‘You can’t draw that – that’s offensive.’”

What's offensive is that such a thick-headed slob of a person would be entrusted with encouraging and training our children in art, of all things. The craddle of free expression is art. What was this woman about? Well, her motivation was brought to light in the experience of another student, who in the same art class drew a picture of President Obama and was praised by the teacher.

“The picture of Barack Obama was in red, white and blue hues,” Hathaway said. “The teacher said it was great. But when it comes to the flag – all of a sudden it was offensive?”

Hathaway said she took her concerns to the principal – and he was “floored” and apologized for what happened. He arranged a meeting with the Hathaways and the teacher.

“My husband point-blank asked her what she found offensive about the picture – the American flag or the words, ‘God Bless America,’” she said. “The teacher didn’t say a word.”

Hathaway said she was especially concerned that a picture of President Obama was praised yet a picture of the American flag was deemed offensive.

“That showed where she stood in the political spectrum,” she said “But this was not a political class. This was not a religious class. This was an art class. “

“My daughter wasn’t trying to break any rules and she wasn’t trying to create a scene,” she said. “She was just expressing her view and saying this is America and I want God to bless it.”
However, Hathaway said her daughter has yet to receive an apology – and in fact – the teacher told the girl that she should not have gotten her parents involved in the matter.

That's always a good sign. She has nothing to say to the girl's father, but she feels compelled to share a little advise with the girl when she's back in her art class, where she continues to instruct all on the beauty of free expression.

“My daughter felt like her rights were being trampled on – she was doing what she thought was right.” she said. “It’s disturbing. It really is disturbing. When I was in junior high we didn’t have a lot of the problems they are having now. We were allowed to speak our mind. It’s absolutely devastating for me. Last time I looked, this is America. This is still a free country.”

And the full response from Superintendent Mike Brusa:

"When we were aware there may be additional concerns, I asked the administration to contact parents again to see if there is any expectations from prior contact that have not been met. The Principal did so, and indicated the parents were satisfied that the situation had been handled. They told the Principal they had twittered Fox and had indicated that the situation had been handled. Secondly, there are 3,000 students in the district, 250 employees, and parents that go with the students. Every day there are many interactions that occur between all these individuals. As I indicated, this event occurred several weeks ago, and in that time there would be literally thousands of events large and small between the people involved with the school. This was one small event that did not even come to the level of my office. There is an informal and formal process that is used to resolve issues. The school administration and the parents did not view this as significant enough to bring it to the Superintendent’s office. Thank you for allowing me to clarify this situation."

Yes, you've claified it fine, and at the same time answered the question "Which is smarter, Superintendent Burasa or a pile of rocks. Far be it from us to disturb you with a question of your overbearing and overtly politically biased teaching staff.

It is a simple thing for the adminsitrator to communicate to the principle and the teacher involved that their positions were not political ones, that the expectation of parents is that their children will not be indoctrinated into the self hatred these people embody, and that for anyone who is a lover of freedom the true test of their committment will arise when someone advances an argument that they are in disagreement with.

The thick-headed dolt.

(With a hat tip to frequent commenter Darrell at The Hyacinth Girl).

Statist Bureaucracy

The time has come to begin the discussion of one of the major themes of this blog, that being the importance of free speech, and the statist threat that is posed against it in our society.

As a rule, bureaucracies of the state are clumsy instruments. No matter the high sounding purpose or lofty goals they use to justify their actions, the end result is too often the crushing of individuals and of freedom itself.

Further, the need for a bureacracy to justify its action means that the truth is no defense. This is at odds with our centuries old notions of equality under the law and freedom of thought and of expression. It is not unusual for such agencies to act in the interests of ascerting their power, rather than making a truthful, thoughtful and honest determination.

George Jonas wrote an excellent piece on England's Health and Safety Bureacracy that drives the point home.

"Bureaucrats are famous for their obtuseness as well as for their insolence. Officialdoms are rhinoceriats, seeing little and caring less. They rely on weight, not sight."

They see little and care less. Spot on right. Read the rest of his excellent piece here.

'The Philadelphia Story' Open Thread

What did you think?

Multicultural Issues Since Founding?

David Warren is always an interesting read, and his recent comments on the Tea Party movement places an intersting historical perspective to the on-going discussion:

"Thanks to contemporary political correctness, traditional America is presented as an artifact of white racism. This, in itself, is racist, and Middle America knows it. They are being demonized to advance political agendas in which they have, and want, no part."

Read the rest of his post here.

Too Funny!

Steve Burri posted this over at his blog Grandpa John, with the headline:

"Why does President Obama hate the new Arizona immigration law so intensely?"




















Good stuff!

While there check out Steve's W.H. Enemies List. It's hard to identify those guys, but isn't that Brett Favre in the background?

Greek Entitlements Threaten European Stability

The financial crisis in Greece has triggered a 4.1 percent drop in the value of the euro last week. That's the biggest weekly decline since Lehman Brothers holdings were liquidated. The decline threatens to destabilize the entire European economy and instigate a world wide recession.

President Barack Obama spoke by phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the second time in three days, adding to the international pressure Europe has faced since a hurriedly arranged conference call of Group of Seven finance chiefs on May 7. Obama yesterday emphasized “the importance of the members of the European Union taking resolute steps to build confidence in the markets,” White House spokesman Bill Burton told reporters in Hampton, Virginia.

That's a laugh. Mr. Obama is all about telling the Germans how important it is to protect their currency and financial markets? Just a year and a half ago he was on an apology tour telling the world that the economic financial crisis, instigated by US government meddling in the financial sector, was the fault of greedy US financial speculators. He followed that with a spending spree the likes of which the world has never seen. And now, with government debt and entitlements spending in Greece threatening to pull the entire European economy under, our Professor of Obamonomics, who has been pushing the country to exactly where Greece is now, wants European nations to take resolute steps to build confidence in...the markets?!

The euro slid to $1.2715 from $1.3293 last week and is down 15 percent since late November. European stocks sank the most in 18 months, with the Stoxx Europe 600 Index tumbling 8.8 percent to 237.18.

Sounds like trouble. What does Brian Williams know that David Letterman doesn't?

The extra yield that investors demand to hold Greek, Portuguese and Spanish debt instead of benchmark German bonds rose to euro-era highs. The premium on 10-year government bonds jumped as high as 973 basis points for Greece, 354 basis points for Portugal and 173 basis points for Spain.

Ouch, huh Dave?

Britain, the EU’s third-largest economy, won’t contribute to a fund to shore up euro countries, though it backs efforts to restore stability, Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling said.

“When it comes to supporting the euro, that is for the eurogroup countries,” Darling told Sky News.

Now that sounds reasonable. One of the few things reasonable coming out of England these days.

Letterman Taught Lesson in Obamonomics

This blog's favorite object of derision, the feckless David Letterman, was surprised to find himself on the receiving end of some very useful economic information. It came from an unlikely source when his guest, NBC's Brian Williams came on and was asked to comment on yesterdays wild market swing, where the market lost a trillion dollars worth of value over a matter of a few minutes, later regaining much of its value later in the day. On Dave's invitation, Mr. Williams began to hold forth on the major ills that plague our current economic situation, namely America’s unsustainable entitlement programs and bloated public employee pensions, which promise to put us on the path to the sort of fiscal crisis we are seeing in Greece, Spain and Portugal today. A stock market drop of one thousand points in fifteen minutes is a scary thing, and Mr. Williams commented that watching it gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, a sense that the world was falling apart right underneath his feet, much as he felt when he watched three thousand people killed in the jihadist attacks of 9/11.

Williams noted the reports that attributed the afternoon free-fall to a trader error and programed trading, but correctly added that these still were a harbinger of market volatility. Williams noted that traders were influenced by violent rioting over in Greece over that country’s debt crisis, and that similar crises may occur in Spain and Portugal, spreading through the rest of Europe. And an economic crisis in Europe would lead to an economic crisis in America.

“the dirty little secret is: the world has no money and the emperor has no clothes.”

Let me spell that out for you Dave, in case the stage girls were a little distracting tonight. We don't have any money. We've spent it all. We've spent tomorrows money as well. It's gone.

Now, where exactly does that leave us?

The government has to either stop spending increases, or attempt to increase the Federal coffers. Increasing Federal funds can be accomplished in a couple of different ways. The conservative approach is to decrease taxes on income and capital expenditures to stimulate the economy and encourage economic growth. Higher economic activity will translate to higher tax revenue being generated.

Sadly, though it has a uniformly successful track record, that method is never considered by knuckle-heads like Tim Geitner or Barrack Obama. No, the Obamonomics approach is to tax the hell out of everything under the sun. He also would like to spread it around a little, and he is thinking you're being stingy if you are not all good with that. His other ace is to simply print more money, and I got to admit, the Federal mint is the only entity that can potentially keep up with this clown. Unfortunately, the effort would ruin the country as inflation would be driven to 15 to 20 percent.

As Margaret Thatcher shrewdly once said “the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”

True enough, and the trouble is, with the Obamonomics spending spree and political slush funding, that very day is fast approaching.

Michigan Hutaree Militia Ordered Released, Federal Case Appears Thin

We discussed the rather odd Federal round up of a group of US citizens who were members of a militia group in my previous post here. Well, the case has been working its way through the system, and it would appear the prosecution is rather lean in the way of incriminating evidence. Citing that, U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts ordered the militiamen released from prison.

"Defendants are presumed innocent of all charges against them. ... This presumption of innocence is part and parcel of why, 'In our society liberty is the norm, and detention prior to trial or without trial is the carefully limited exception,'" Roberts wrote, quoting a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Prosecutors claim the suspects are too dangerous to be released from jail.

"The defendants must be released," the judge said Wednesday at the end of an eight-page decision.

On Monday, Roberts said it was "offensive and hate-filled speech" but it did not signal a conspiracy to levy war against the government.

Since a series of raids and arrests in late March, Hutaree members have been portrayed by the government as homegrown extremists out to strike at authorities. But evidence offered during the detention hearing pointed to no specific plot.

"The government's position that the defendants sought to acquire explosive devices is weakened by the evidence that the agents found no explosive devices when defendants were arrested," the judge said.

A rather entertaining take is offered over at Carol's Closet

One assumes that if the Hutaree "may have been planning something" that they also may not of have been planning something. If this is the best that the government can do I have to wonder why these people were picked up to begin with. After all, talking smack isn’t typically illegal.

Could it be that this whole little manuver was the government exercising politics rather than protecting the public?

AP At A Loss As To Motive of NY Car Bomber

The banner headline reads:

"NY car bomb suspect cooperates, but motive mystery"

and these folks are not embarrassed to place that in a place where people can read it? Am I the only person surprised they left out the word "alleged"? The suspension of disbelief is incredible.

"Until recently, his life in the U.S. appeared enviable. He had a master's degree from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, a job as a budget analyst for a marketing firm in Norwalk, Conn., two children and a well-educated wife who posted his smiling picture and lovingly called him "my everything" on a social networking website. But shortly after becoming a U.S. citizen a year ago, he gave up his job, stopped paying his mortgage and told a real estate agent to let the bank take the house because he was returning to Pakistan."

That seems troubling.

"Once there, according to investigators, he traveled to the lawless Waziristan region and learned bomb making at a terrorist training camp."

How strange. I wonder why he would do that?

AP... forsooth!

Obama Delay Obscured By Gibbs

Roger Gibbs used the White House Press room as the perfect place to bushwack the US public over the delay in responding to the BP oil rig leak in the Gulf of Mexico. He did so by attacking the Fox news reporter present and claiming that there was no way any factual statement that he offered would reverse the claim made on Fox by former FEMA Director Michael Brown that the Obama adminsitrtion had instigated the oil rig leak.

Of course, Mr. Brown never claimed that the Obama administration was responsible for the oil rig leak. He claimed that the disaster itself was to the liking of the Obama administration, and that the administration were likely to find it useful. Now surely that should not be a surprising line of thought, as White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is renown for his quip


“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste — and what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you didn’t think you could do before.”


which he offered forth at the start of the financial market crisis in 2008.

But I have to admire the audacity of Gibbs, by singling out his only enemy in the room, taking the right on the money comments of Mr. Brown and twisting them to suggest that he had claimed on Fox that the White House had instigated the oil platform accident, suggesting that Fox news did not challenge this assertion, and moving the focus of the story away from the possibly politically motivated tardiness in the administrations response.

Well, Gibbs is right in that Fox interviewer Neil Cavuto did not challenge that particular assertion. That, of course, is because Mr. Brown never made that assertion.

The rig is pumping out two hundred thousand gallons of oil into the bay a day, and its nine days before the Environmental Protection Agency thinks its an issue worth thinking about, and the story from Mr. Gibbs is that Fox is not fair in their reporting.

Hmm.

Obama Proud to Have His Boot on Throat of Another Private Sector Enterprise

Well it's a familiar refrain for the Obama presidency. Wait for a problem to develop, delay action until the problem has multiplied and then use the excuse of a crisis to extend Federal authority and cause another private industry to buckle under the wait of the US government. The clumsy hands of the bureaucrats in Washington DC have demonstrated their ability to muck up the works, and so it is with considerable consternation that we here them pledging more of the same:

"the administration has embraced the violent imagery of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar who said administration officials would keep their "boot on the throat" of the energy giant"

It is not responsible private industries like BP that we need be protected from. Rather it is the ever further grasping on the part of Washington that threatens us most of all.

Pundit of course always has an interesting take:

When husband Pundit saw the Gibbs clip last night, he was frankly astounded:

"Who talks that way, besides thugs?"

Bingo.


Roger, tell Barry to get his damn boot off BP, help them up off the ground and get his butt in gear helping to fix the problem at the rig and its clean-up.

Endless posing for the crowd doesn't cut it.

Obama Commencement Speech Displays Failure to Comprehend Founding Documents

One would hope that the man that has risen to head this great nation, the beacon of freedom for the world, would have a rudimentary understanding of the nation's history and the significance of its founding documents. In the case of Barrack Obama, Ivy league educated and law degree not withstanding, one's hopes fail.

After recently deriding the people of the entire state of Arizona, the president dashed off to Michigan to sell the massive programs that have crushed the nation in debt. First up the president minimized concerns over his trillion dollar expenditures by saying that debates about the size and role of government are as old as the republic itself. It wasn't at first clear if this was intended as a laugh line.

"But what troubles me is when I hear people say that all of government is inherently bad," said Obama, who received an honorary doctor of laws degree. "When our government is spoken of as some menacing, threatening foreign entity, it ignores the fact that in our democracy, government is us."

Holy cripes! What does this guy think the American revolution was about? What was worth risking life and fortune over? Though they largely considered themselves to be English gentlemen, the colonists found English rule unbearable. Why was that so, and what was it the young republic was set up to keep in check? Why the separation of powers? Why the Bill of Rights? Did any of that come up in the education of one Barrack Hussein Obama? Well, the president has answered that question in resounding fashion, and the answer is...No.





"Government, he said, is the roads we drive on and the speed limits that keep us safe. It's the men and women in the military, the inspectors in our mines, the pioneering researchers in public universities."



It is also the IRS, the massive bureaucracies, the incredible inefficiencies, the inside dealing, the corruption, and of course, the prisons, all of which stink worse than Barney Frank's basement apartment.

The financial meltdown dramatically showed the dangers of too little government, he said, "when a lack of accountability on Wall Street nearly led to the collapse of our entire economy."

Exactly wrong, professor. What financial melt down would have occurred if it were not for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?

None.

What melt down would have occurred if the federal government had not pushed unsafe lending practices under President Clinton and pushed further by the hapless Barney Frank and the greedy Christopher Dodd?

None.

The world economy owes the entire financial crisis that we are currently dealing with to the corrupt practices of liberals in governmental positions of power.

"Throwing around phrases like 'socialists' and 'Soviet-style takeover,"fascists' and 'right-wing nut' - that may grab headlines," he said. But it also "closes the door to the possibility of compromise..."

Is this guy for real? What the hell has he been saying the past week about the people of Arizona?

"At its worst, it can send signals to the most extreme elements of our society that perhaps violence is a justifiable response."

A president of the people?

"Your mind may not be changed. But the practice of listening to opposing views is essential for effective citizenship"

When has he ever done that? Where can he point? What, his cut off remark to republicans "We won"?

Anyways, sanity could be found just a few miles down the road, where forty-five minutes away Sarah Palin was speaking at an audience sponsored by the anti-tax Americans for Prosperity Foundation. She stated unequivocally that President Obama was overreaching:

"The fundamental transformation of America is not what we all bargained for"

Well... exactly.

Washington Post Makes Gaff

I try to get over to Bob Parks entertaining Black and Right as often as I can. I really do try. But somehow this post on what Bob likes to term his 'Bonehead of the Day' got past me...and my...oh my...it's a doosey!

The Washington Post, the DC liberal flagship, home to such investigative journalistic greats from the past as Woodward and Bernstein, well, for a liberal they made a boner, a gaff, a fumble of epic proportions.

Good Lord!