camera-a-a-a

I got a video camera today.  I'm a little in awe of it.  I'm not sure if I'll keep it, but hopefully I'll get to test it out on some good action soon.

Well, hopefully there won't be any good action any time soon.  If there is, I'll be testing it out.

Whee!

Letter to the Occupiers: Don't You Know It's Gonna Be All Right?

We all want to change the world -- but when you talk about destruction, don't you know that you can count me out.  


You say you got a real solution.  We'd all love to see the plan.  You ask me for a contribution.  We're all doing what we can.  But if you want money for people with minds that hate, all I can tell is brother you have to wait.  


You say you'll change the constitution.  We all want to change your head.  You tell me it's the institution.  You better free you mind instead.  But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao, you ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow.


Don't you know it's gonna be all right? 

UN owns OWS website

Yep!

The organizing hub website 15october.net is registered to:
Paulina Arcos
866 United Nations Plaza
Suite 516
New York, New York 10017

According to a Wikileaks cable, Ecuador's Foreign Minister Francisco Carrion-Mena is "married to Paulina Arcos".  He is also the chairman of the UN's Decolonization committee.

What is Carrion-Mena's address at the UN?  You betcha, it's the same as Paulina Arcos's 15october.net website!

Question: why the hell is the UN connected to a website promoting Occupy Wall Street's "spontaneous", "organic", and "leaderless" uprising and growth throughout the world?


Question: why was the domain name 15october.net registered in July 2011?

Question: why isn't the media talking about this?

ADDED: 15october.net has posted an explanation.  Paulina Arcos paid for the website with her credit card.  Her son (Santiago Carrion) is the one affiliated with the website.  Question: Why the hell is the UN connected to a website promoting OWS and #globalchange?  (I understand that Santiago Carrion asked to use his mother's credit card.  That doesn't address the question, though.  Via her credit card, she has endorsed the website.  Why?)


Continue below the fold for pictures and screengrabs.

TP/OWS, Paving the Way...

Okay, I finally get it.  The Tea Parties were called a radical fringe group because they paved the way for contemporary understanding of peaceful gatherings of patriots.  Occupy Wall Street has such a noble depiction, because the Tea Party paved the way.  


Right?  Right??

To the 99%ers:

In America, you are the 99%.

To the rest of the world, you are still the 1%.

What happens after you achieve your U.S. goals?

#OccupyHomes

This is going to end well.

Looking Back: Feb 11, 2011

O'Reilly: "In the United States, you fully believe there's a movement on the way to foment chaos in the streets?"
Beck: "Are you kidding me?  Absolutely."

F.U. Oscar the Grouch

Sesame Street is set to debut a new muppet.

Poverty Lily!

Is it just me, or does she look like a Wall Street protester?

Goodbye, Steve Jobs

sigh.

I gotta say, this certainly seems like a horrible metaphor for the state of the country.

ADDED:  1984 commercial

Occupy Wall Street: "Dear Santa"

OWS has presented a list of demands which they say will "create so many jobs it will be completely impossible to fill them without an open borders policy."  (I'm just going to let the open borders thing slide for now.)

Off the top, I'm not impressed.  Their first demand is X, which they continue to say must be accomplished by alo instituting Y and Z.  That's, ya know, three demands.


ADDED: Additional thoughts.  1. These people are trying to kill us.  2. These people really are trying to kill the country.  3. These people have no idea what America is.  4. These people are gonna be out there "occupying" for a long, long time.

Anyways, here they are...

1. Restore "living wage".  Raise minimum wage to $20/hour.  Reimpose trade tariffs (/end "Freetrade").
2. Universal single payer healthcare.  Ban private insurance companies.
3. Free allowance for everyone!  ("Guaranteed living wage income regardless of employment.")
4. Extend HS by four years.  (Free college education.)
5. Fast-track process to end fossil fuel economy.  Increase demand for alternative energy.
6. One trillion dollar in infrastructure spending NOW.
7. One trillion dollar in eco-restoration now.  Decommission all nuclear power plants.
8. Racial equal rights amendment.  Gender equal rights amendment.
9. Fully open borders.
10.  Election accountability -- paper ballots counted and recounted in public.
11. Immediate debt forgiveness for all.  (Debt = sovereign debt, commercial loans, mortgages, home equity loans, credit cards, student loans, personal loans...)  "All debt must be stricken from the books."  I must directly quote more from this one: "World Bank Loans to all Nations, Bank to Bank Debt and all Bonds and Margin Call Debt in the stock market including all Derivatives or Credit Default Swaps, all 65 trillion dollars of them must also be stricken from the "Books." And I don't mean debt that is in default, I mean all debt on the entire planet period."
12. Outlaw credit reporting agencies.
13. No regulations on how/when union votes are gathered regarding a union's representation or formation.

-----------
ADDED: Sometime between when I posted this and right now, the website responded to some bad press about this list and posted a claim that this list is unofficial.  Mhmm.

Sarah Palin's 2012 Presidential Statement

Listen to Mark Levin read it.  (Or just read my transcription.)

After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.

My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.

From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it.

I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs. 

Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation.

In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House.

Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country! 

God bless America.



Sarah Palin

Palin's out

Damn.

Damn.
Damn.
Damn.

Arab Spring: A "Democracy" By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet?...

'Our' Revolution: 


The following excerpts are from an English language website for khilafah.  (That's caliphate to you and me.)  It begins by noting that language shapes the way you understand the world, and it quickly jumps to the word democracy.


While Americans associate the word with our rights and responsibilities, Muslims associate it with freedom from tyranny and oppression.  One and the same?  It depends on the tyrant, the oppressor, and what the oppressed have been prevented from doing.

[W]hen they [the Western world] talk[s] about the right of people to govern themselves, they also mean the prevention of religious interference in ruling - whether this is explicitly stated or not.

In viewing democracy as a word representative of being free from a specific tyrant or specific type of tyranny rather than freedom from conceptual tyranny, Muslims have un(?)intentionally misled Americans to believe that they embrace American-style governmental values, for example the freedom to practice your religion of choice and the prevention of the state from imposing a national religion.  The Muslim use of the word democracy has sent the wrong message; America has willingly, blindly, and egocentrically assumed that our definition of democracy is global.

Imagine a human-rights charity who decided that a swastika would be a suitable logo for their organisation, being ignorant of the symbol's association with the Nazis. So, being ignorant of the history and values that come with the symbol they proudly display it on their leaflets and posters. Would this convey the message they wanted?

Palin = Democrat Nominee?

No, I'm not saying that Sarah Palin is a Democrat.

I'm saying, what if she runs as a Democrat.  What if she primaries Obama!

Obama: "Asking a billionaire to pay the same amount as a Jew..."

Yep, he said it.  The money shot is at the end.

Psst.  Weren't we totally better off with a president whose gaffes were as horrible as saying nuke-u-ler?

palmface

If health insurance = healthcare...

why doesn't my car insurance cover oil changes?

Weathermen, Cops, Vietnam Vets, & the New New Left

Yesterday I started thinking about the old New Left, the new wave of old protests, and the tight rope between the two.  Here's the small nugget that I'm stuck on right now.

One of the differences between then and now: people have learned that when it comes to soldiers, one should love the sinner but hate the sin.  In other words, spitting on returning vets doesn't help anyone (except helping the establishment make the protesters look heartless).  So I've been thinking about what other things the protesters might have learned.

In the 60s, cops were pigs.  They were the house nigger who enforced the establishment's bogus rules.  Now, the protesters are quick to point out that the cops are on their side.  WTF?  Oh...

Is it possible -- possible -- that the protesters realized that if you want to break the rules, it's best to have the first line of rule-breaking-enforcers on your side... not wanting to enforce laws against you... doing whatever they can to secretly help you (or, at least, not mess you up)?...

But, how do you get the pigs on your side?  How do you get them to trust you?  Just telling them you're on their side is not enough.  You gotta make it seem like your actions benefit them.  You gotta make them feel torn, such that they must make a Sophie's choice between (A) doing their job and enforcing the law lest they lose their job and (B) not doing their job which somehow will help them keep their job.  In other words, if the protesters accomplish their goal, the cops benefit.

<b>Enter the new alliance of the New New Left, in which they support and promote the unions.</b>

Biden: Labor Day & 9/11 speeches eerily similar

Please pick which of the following Joe Biden quotes were from his Labor Day speech (to a union audience) and his 9/11 speech.


1. "[T]this is a different kind of fight.... A fight for the right to exist. It’s more like the fights of my grandfather’s era."
2. "They didn’t know the horror that awaited them, but they confronted unimaginable fear and terror with a courage that has been summoned only by the truest and the rarest of American heroes."
3. "We’ve lost some battles along the way, too. But we’ve won when we’ve stayed together."
4. "They join an incredibly elite list of women and men, and a long history filled with ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things -- men and women of undaunted courage, uncommon resolve, and a stubborn perseverance in the face of unfathomable challenge."
5. "We’ve won, when we’ve amassed our collective will and strength to defeat those who try to stymie American progress."
6. "It’s about the rights too many people take for granted today.... Today is about remembering that none of those rights would exist if folks like you hadn’t stood up and fought for them."
7. "There is not a single moment of hardship that cannot be transformed into one of national strength."
8. "They not only want you—but they want your children and your parents—to pay the price for their folly"
9. "They knew it was the opening shot in a new war. "
10. "Like you guys, the president and I know [this day] is not about a day—it’s about a life."
11. "And so, they acted.  They acted as citizen patriots have acted since the beginning of our country.  They stood up and they stood their ground.  They thought, like Captain Parker said at Lexington, and I quote him, “If they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”"
12. " [We are] under the most direct assault in generation.... The other side has declared war on [our] house."
13. "We think of them.  We think of our nation.  We think of our history and we think of the future.  And we think of it, because of them, with a confidence knowing that ordinary citizens will continue to stare down fear, overwhelm evil, and bring forth hope from what seems to be none.  And although it will continue to amaze us and inspire us when it happens, it should not surprise us.  For that heroism is who we are.  And that courage lies deepest and beats loudest in the heart of this nation."
14. " The seeds of doubt, planted by those who wish to harm us, will instead grow into flowering meadows like this one where we stand in today, for they cannot defeat the American spirit.  We know this with certainty."
15. "What we’re fighting for is what my great-grandfather’s generation fought for, my grandfather’s generation, and my father’s fought for. "
16. "Folks, you and I both know that a lot of Americans are still hurting and hurting badly."
17. "The tide is turning, because Americans... are beginning to understand just what these guys are about."
18. "[Y]ou're the lifeblood that will sustain [the American] dream."
19. "[T]hose other guys see the world differently than we do. They have different priorities. They have a different vision.  But it’s not only the vision that’s different—they just have a different value set than you and me and President Obama"
20. "It’s about dignity. It’s about respect. And, above all, it’s about basic fairness. That’s what America stands for all around the world—fairness."
21. "The collective spirit of your mother, your father, your brother, your husband, your wife, your sister, your best friend -- that spirit lives on not only in you, but in your country.... And it definitely lives on in a new generation of warriors."
22. "It’s a fight literally for our right to exist. Don’t misunderstand what this is.... You are the only folks keeping the barbarians from the gates."
23.  "The seeds of doubt, planted by those who wish to harm us.... [T]hey cannot defeat the American spirit.  We know this with certainty."
24. " My mother used to say... “Courage lies in every heart, and one day it will be summoned.”"
25. "And we will win this fight the same way: together. Because, this, ladies and gentlemen–this is the fight of our life."

Another reason to avoid the cities...

ACK!

This is What Democracy Looks Like

Israel evacuates ambassador in Cairo following attack

NYT loves Palin?

NYT:

"[S]omething curious happened when Ms. Palin strode onto the stage last weekend at a Tea Party event in Indianola, Iowa. Along with her familiar and predictable swipes at President Barack Obama and the “far left,” she delivered a devastating indictment of the entire U.S. political establishment — left, right and center — and pointed toward a way of transcending the presently unbridgeable political divide."

I'm in shock.

Right to Work Day!

Happy Right to Work Day!
In celebration, I spent the day investigating and learning.  Then I ate a porterhouse. Rare.  (And, honestly, don't tell my bbq-meister-Dad, I woulda eaten it rare-er).  We opened less-than-fancy wine with our steaks, and we toasted in honor of the day that workers in my fuckin' state (/all states) might be allowed to cash in a pay check without bending to Senor Union's will.

After that, we watched Undefeated.  Yeah, that movie.  The Palin movie.

Before watching the movie, I told my mother that I was going to have a difficult time returning to Madison (after spending the summer in northern WI w my folks).  Gotta say, the movie didn't change my position at all.

Gotta say. Aw, shit.  Negate the coupla paragraphs I was gonna write and reduce it to this: Happy Right to Work Day!  Palin 2012!

"Manufactured Crisis"

Listening to Obama's Labor Day Right to Work Day Speech, I heard him use that irksome phrase "manufactured crisis".  During (& since) the debt ceiling previews of 2012 talks, that phrase has been tossed around a lot.

It pisses me off.  Inconsistency pisses me off.  They call the Tea Party terrorists/hobbits for holding [insert whomever] hostage during the debt talks.  They also say the debt ceiling crisis was manufactured.  Finally, they also say that the Tea Party was willing to let the govt/country fall off a cliff if that's what it takes to get their way.

WTF.

BUT!!!  But, I think I finally understand.  Something in Obama's (more passionate than usual) speech clicked something into place for me.  It's not that they think the crisis was both manufactured (e.g. non-existent, created for political manipulation) and used to threaten the country...  They think that the Republicans' refusal to approve a simple debt ceiling reduction CREATED the crisis.  IF the House had just okayed the increase like good little kiddos, then there would be no crisis.  The crisis was manufactured by the House insisting on the country getting something in return for raising the debt ceiling.

In other words, because the Republicans would not do what the Democrats wanted them to do, the Republicans/TP created a crisis, held us hostage, etc.  How bipartisan!

If you can figure out a different explanation that logically explains the seeming inconsistencies, please share.


ADDED:  Based on Obama's speech, I think part of his new jobs plan will, essentially, be large amounts of stimulus moneys funneled not to the states but directly to the mayors of Democrat cities in key states.  Like Detroit.  This helps to buy back votes of key demographics.  This gives those cities extra funds to keep their unions afloat.  This money could get laundered into campaign & GOTV efforts.  And, most importantly, if the Republicans try to block it, all the better!  Rage against Republicans denying people what's "theirs" is an even bigger motivator than Obama giving it to them straight up.  Hell, it's better, since Obama throwing money at those cities won't help them one damn bit.

I do hope Republicans let Obama do whatever he needs to do, so long as it's a one time shot.  (e.g. not starting new programs that will then need to be repealed.)  Sort of like giving your teenager a second chance to fuck up before grounding them...  Then they have no excuses to bitch.  Do whatever Obama says "needs" to be done & take away his whole "I'm a shitty president because Republicans are jerks" meme.  OH, and of course, write into the vote that there will be no increase in the debt ceiling until 2013...  In other words, the POTUS has a budget within which he must operate.  If his plans fail, he's gotta make CUTS.

Ratings: Did Boehner fall into a trap?

Why the hell would the POTUS pull this?  Why announce a Sept 7th speech in front of Congress without talking to the House?  Why?!

I'm inclined to believe he fumbled.  If Obama hasn't stopped playing ball, then here's my theory -- in which Boehner has helped Obama.

THEORY:  Obama doesn't have a speech.  Not the presumed "speech about an actual, on paper, CBO-score-able PLAN".  Obama has a speech about the concept of ideas related to jobby-job related economicking.  In other words, Obama knows his speech will suck.  Obama wants to take back the promise of a speech.  Obama is scrambling.  Obama needs to have the least amount of people watch the speech, and he needs as many gimmes in his pocket as possible.  He needs the majority of people to hear about the speech from the forgiving media instead of hearing the bungling live...


"Hey, guys!  I got it!" Obama yells out to his advisers.  "Thursday is football night, eh?  Let's do the speech then!"
"There's one problem, sir.  You will look like a dick if you schedule a speech for Thursday."
"But, but, but..." whines Obama.  "I want it!  What can we do to get me Thursday night and not make it my fault?  Geez Louise.  So I guess that means Tuesday?  It's not like we can schedule it for Wednesday during the R debate.  Oh my.  Oh, wait..."

Thus, Obama schedules the speech for Wednesday, and he makes it a Congressional Speech.  Boehner will get pissed about the power struggle and insist on Thursday (which was Obama's first choice all along.  "Whatever you do, don't throw me in that Briar Patch!").  Then, on Thursday, Obama can have a little-heard speech.  And, he can blame the scheduling on the Republicans.  Republicans hate football!  Republicans care more about their debate than America!  Republicans are playing partisan games while I, the mighty orator, arise above it all.  YOU SHOULD ALL LEARN FROM ME, THE MIGHTY COMPROMISER

Now, it's time to compromise: everyone do what I tell you to do.


(Oh, and second-best scenario:  Do the speech on Wednesday, during the debate.  At least that will mess up the conservative press and make it more difficult for them to bash Obama and also help Perry ride the wave.  Only one thing can take center stage at a time.  Whatever, whatever happens, the president CANNOT speak on Tuesday.  That gives the Republicans a solid 24 hours to prepare for each of their zingers.  No Tues.  Gotta be Wed or Thurs.  GOTTA!)

Prez likes LOST fans more than America!

Obama announced the date of his long-awaited "jobs" speech...  and it's the same as the upcoming Republican debate.  When LOST fans freaked out that the SOTU might interrupt the final season premier, the WH worked around it.  Incredible.

Furthermore, it will not be a speech he gives to America.  He will be delivering a speech to Congress, and the event will be televised.  Says Obama:

"As I have traveled across our country this summer and spoken with our fellow Americans, I have heard a consistent message: Washington needs to put aside politics and start making decisions based on what is best for our country and not what is best for each of our parties in order to grow the economy and create jobs....  We must answer this call."

Mr. Obama, you said that wrong.  I'll fix it for you.

"As I have traveled to three Midwest towns (and vacationed at Martha's Vineyard) this summer and spoken with prearranged Midwestern audiences and 'corporate jet owners' in Massachusetts, I have heard myself giving a consistent message, in which I try to dodge responsibility for my failed presidency by blaming the bipartisan climate that my politicking created.  My butt in the presidential throne is the most important thing for this country, so I hope that my reminding Congress and the country that the two sides of the aisle hate each other will somehow shadow the fact that I have created this situation.  When I made the decision to put my non-jobs jobs speech (that is about jobs rather than giving a plan for jobs) atop the Republican debate, I wasn't thinking in a bipartisan manner.  Not one bit.  I was thinking about how Republicans are jerks who won't let me bankrupt the country into a fundamental transformation, so it's okay to schedule a speech that messes with them, 'cos it's only messsing with the Republicans.  I mean, I don't really WANT to mess up Rick Perry's debate debute (especially because Rick Perry will be soooo easy to beat, HAHAHA), nor do I want to mess up TV and stuff.  But the main people who get fucked here are Republicans.  And who cares about them?  I have to focus on BIPARTISAN stuff, like forcing more regulations on likely Republican voters.  And also, when is the second September Republican debate?  'Cos I think I'll have another not-jobs jobs speech to give around that time, too..."

NYC/ Irene Haiku

Irene floods subways

Millions of rats seek dry ground

Next, they'll want to vote

National Anthem... Too Violent?

An Indiana college has banned the Star Spangled Banner at all sporting events.  Not just the words, but the music as well.  Seriously.  I'm not making this up.

At first they felt the lyrics were too violent but allowed the music to be played.  Now they've gone whole hog and banned the entire thing.

Flagman: Walk like an Egyptian

While Egyptian protest outside the Israeli Embassy, one man scales the building and removes the Israeli flag.



ADDED: "Flagman" has a FB page now and is trending on Twitter.

ADDED: Did you know that Israel has gay pride parades?  Can you name any other countries in the Middle East that do that?

ADDED: footage from Aljazeera

Paul Ryan: where does this puzzle piece fit in?

Rumors have been flying around that Paul Ryan, encouraged by everyone from Boehner to Daniels to Rove, is considering throwing his hat into the presidential ring.  Some worry this is an "Anything But Perry" push.  Some worry this is a Machiavellian plot to unseat Ryan from Congress.  Some worry this will backfire and make Ryan unelectable in 2016.  Some see presidential qualities in Paul Ryan but, for now, prefer he works his magic in the House.  Paul Ryan rocks, but in 2012 he should remain where he can be the most effective and do the most good for our country...  but where is that?

That's what I want to consider: Where can Paul Ryan do the most/least good?  Where can he be the most effective?  And what is the risk/reward ratio for the different options that lay ahead of Paul Ryan?

Walker Wins?

Might Wisconsin be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel?

The first round of recall elections was clearly won by the Republicans.  
     * Of the six elections last week, Republicans won four while Democrats won six.
     * Democrats did not win enough seats to flip the senate majority from red to blue.'

Today Wisconsin votes in recall elections for Sens. Wirch and Holperin.  Holperin, in the vast and northern District 12, is most vulnerable of the two.  His challenger, Kim Simac, has no government experience but has been running a strong grassroots campaign.

And now... PPP is saying that Wisconsinites do not favor recalling Gov. Walker.

Dam, Rachel Maddow

MSNBC is promoting Big Government, and Rachel Maddow jumped on board.  In her 30 second clip, Maddow boasts the glories of public works projects like the Hoover Dam.  This leads me to believe that Maddow chose to promote something about which she doesn't know a damn thing....  That, or her values are waaaay off base from what she otherwise promotes.

"You can't be the guy who builds this.  You can't be the town who builds this.  You can't even be the state who builds this.  You have to be the country who builds something like this.  This is a national project."

Yeah.  Well, ahem, tell that to Frank Crowe, the Hoover Dam chief engineer -- without whom the project would never have been completed.  Hell, without the water-cooling pipes in the concrete, the concrete would still not be fully hardened today.  Also, did you know that people died during the construction of the Hoover Dam?  And attempts to unionize the workers were stamped out?  Funny how Maddow just glosses over that part.  (OR, could it be that she wants new public works projects to literally mimic the Hoover Dam?)

Tea Party: It's Our Time Now

I just read a great article over at Mark America -- Bi-Partisan War on the Tea Party and Sarah Palin.  As I tried to decide which paragraph to excerpt, my first choice was to highlight the whole damn thing.  Instead, I ask you to go over there and check it out for yourself.

Here's the first paragraph to get you started.

There has been a sudden wave of attacks by the DC establishment against Sarah Palin and the Tea Party.  You know something is afoot when forces of the elites of left and right begin to unite, with Bill O’Reilly, and his recent mini-me, Laura Ingraham, along with all the other usual suspects, aligning with such leftist jackals as Maureen Dowd, who today compares the Tea Party members of Congress to suicide bombers. Foxnews is busily hustling Tea Party critics into their studio and via live feed, to claim that the Tea Party is to blame for our current crisis.  With Foxnews having secured a lock on many Republican minds, they’re now free to push stories fitting the corporate messaging in service to the DC establishment.

Read more here. 

Cairo substitutes "Muslim" for "Egyptian"

If you didn't know this was coming, you are an idiot.  If you are surprised by this, you need to wake up.  If you have no idea what to do with this knowledge, feel free to climb in my boat.
---------
Crowds played on slogans made popular during the epic protests that culminated in February. Heard often back then was a cry that soon became famous: “Hold your head up high, you’re Egyptian.” On Friday, “Muslim” was substituted for “Egyptian.” The chant that became the revolution’s anthem, “The people want to topple the regime,” changed on Friday to “The people want to apply God’s law.”


“If democracy is the voice of the majority and we as Islamists are the majority, why do they want to impose on us the views of minorities — the liberals and the secularists?” asked Mahmoud Nadi, 26, a student. “That’s all I want to know.”

NYT: 

Tens of thousands of Egyptian Islamists poured into Tahrir Square on Friday....  

NO WH PLAN

h/t The Blaze

"if we elect a fucking moron..."

h/t @survivalstation

Where did the Tea Party come from? MSNBC answers

I'm listening to MSNBC.  The vote in the House just passed Boehner's plan (+BBA amendment), putting the ball in the Senate's court.  There is so much to talk about that's coming up, but what are they talking about?  That damn Tea Party.  If it weren't for those meddling kids...

Al Sharpton (I think that's Sharpton... he's looks different to me right now) is saying, regarding the Tea Party: "Here we are.  The monster is alive.  The Squeaker, I mean Speaker Boehner has no way to control it."

Joining him is an investigative reporter from -- get this -- Think Progress.  Yep.  (And they dare call out Fox's credibility?)

Can you hear the sound of one party negotiating?

"As of this writing, the president has pulled off a great political trick, with the help of some kamikaze Republicans. He has refused to offer a deficit-reduction plan, or submit a budget, or allow the Senate Democrats to do either—and has the public persuaded that he is the man who is seeking a bipartisan solution to the deficit problem."

Yes, We Spam!

While Congress debates the bill, Obama fearmongers and spams Twitter.  Isn't he dreamy?

image via Michelle Malkin

Note: to report the Prez for spam, go to his Twitter page.  Click on the drop down menu, and the option to report him should be listed. 

Debt Speech Bingo

THIS is amazing.

"Arrest the Tea Party for treason"

I'm seeing that phrase all over twitter.  To borrow a phrase from Wisconsin... THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE....  Elected representatives sworn to defend the Constitution while acting on behalf of their constituents.

I'm not currently going to comment on what may or may not happen on August 2nd.  I am commenting on the absolutely tyrannical meme that the Tea Party is tanking America.  The TP representatives were elected just like the Rs and Ds.  Why are their election promises politics any less legitimate than anyone elses?  Why is it okay for the majority party to trash a group of idealistic freshman?  Either side bullying this group should be viewed as unacceptable, regardless of party.

The Tea Party prevented a vote from passing in the House yesterday -- on a bill that the Democrats did not like. An amended bill is being put before the House today, thus the Tea Party should be arrested for treason?  I could only understand that leap in logic if I dropped acid.

The meme is ridiculous.  The only sense I can make of it is the Dems are freaking out about how to handle the bill when it goes to the Senate.  Not to mention Obama's approval dropping to 40%.  I guess if my "chosen one" was sinking, I'd feel like kicking the under dog, too.

That's what the Tea Party is: the under dog.  They have the lowest numbers in Congress.  That they stand firm in their principles and have managed to find a way to use their minority-minority status to wield some power is not treason.  It's called politics.

Obama approval drops to 41%

...according to Gallup.  But how does Gallup frame these stunningly low presidential approval numbers?  Obama Rates Higher Than Boehner, Reid on Debt Situation.


To be fair, their headline is true.  Boehner's approval is at 31; however, Harry "The ONLY compromise that there is is MINE" Reid's approval is at a whopping 23.

The Gallup headline makes it look like people support the Dems' plan more than the Republicans' plan.  With Reid's support at 23, that seems highly unlikely.  In fact, if you combine Obama and Reid's numbers, it comes at pretty damn close to Boehner.

Conclusions:
1. The only way to discern public support for different plans is to ask about those actual plans.
2. Gallup wants to contrast public opinion of Boehner vs. Obama, as if the power and perception of the president and the speaker of the house were comparably important.
3. The most important contrast here is Boehner vs. Reid, but Gallup chose not to highlight that in their headline.  Hmm.  I wonder why.
4.  The second most important contrast here is Obama's current approval rating compared to his previous (higher) approval rating, but Gallup chose not to highlight that in their headline.  Hmm.  I wonder why.

ADDED: Obama Approval Drops to New Low of 40%

Obama on the Debt, circa 2006

The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies.

Over the past 5 years, our federal debt has increased by $3.5 trillion to $8.6 trillion.That is “trillion” with a “T.” That is money that we have borrowed from the Social Security trust fund, borrowed from China and Japan, borrowed from American taxpayers. And over the next 5 years, between now and 2011, the President’s budget will increase the debt by almost another $3.5 trillion.

Numbers that large are sometimes hard to understand. Some people may wonder why they matter. Here is why: This year, the Federal Government will spend $220 billion on interest. That is more money to pay interest on our national debt than we’ll spend on Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. That is more money to pay interest on our debt this year than we will spend on education, homeland security, transportation, and veterans benefits combined. It is more money in one year than we are likely to spend to rebuild the devastated gulf coast in a way that honors the best of America.

And the cost of our debt is one of the fastest growing expenses in the Federal budget. This rising debt is a hidden domestic enemy, robbing our cities and States of critical investments in infrastructure like bridges, ports, and levees; robbing our families and our children of critical investments in education and health care reform; robbing our seniors of the retirement and health security they have counted on.

Every dollar we pay in interest is a dollar that is not going to investment in America’s priorities.

Senator Barack Obama
Senate Floor Speech on Public Debt
March 16, 2006

while we await the House vote: Gutfeld on the TEA Party

Greg Gutfeld, The Five, 28 July 2011:

The TEA party is actually a threat to this duopoly.  This is what's so interesting about it.  It is the most encouraging political movement I've ever seen....  This is a group of people based on a principle.  They are metaphorically a brick wall.  It's why the people like Wasserman are going crazy, because they've never seen anything like it.  

I love this.  It also makes me wonder about the uber lefties I know...  Perhaps some of their TEA Party hate is misguided jealousy.  I mean, both groups hate what the establishment has done to our country.  Both groups want a revolution.  Hell, exchange "Taxed Enough Already" for "Tax the Rich", and voila!  The uber left IS the Tea Party.

Tea Party to Protest NAACP

Oh, and btw, this Tea Party group is not lily white.

The NAACP is holding its 102nd annual conference on 24 July, and the South Central LA Tea Party intends to "rally to expose the failed big government agenda and lies of the NAACP."

Founding member and president Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson said

"The NAACP is a tool of the Obama administration....  For decades, this group [NAACP] has supported left-wing policies which have created dependency, destroyed black families, and hurt race relations."

Debt Ceiling? Pfft. Credit Cards for All!

Former federal employees still receiving taxpayer credit cards

Where's my pony, Obama?  Don't the top 1% owe me a goddamn pony?

"Spending on tax breaks"

Obama just said that in his speech about the deficit.

Dear Mr. President,

"I guess I have to respect this verdict. I think it's a travesty."

That's a quote from a talking head that I heard on the news just now.  It makes me sick.

It seemed obvious to me that there was not enough evidence to convict Casey of anything (besides lying, to which she admitted), and I am delighted that the jury was not contaminated by the state's emotional appeals and faulty logic.  I am disgusted that TV's talking heads (which nearly unanimously were sharpening their guillotines) are now back pedaling, but instead of saying that they were wrong or pretending that they predicted this, they are angry that Caylee will not get justice.

The media was, for the most part, a mob that riled up the viewers to gnash their teeth, awaiting a guilty verdict.  I have been loosely following the trial (catching some but not all live coverage everyday, the summation on the nightly news, and talking heads discussing the case) and watched the closing statements.  Some of the things covered in the defense's closing statements were not even mentioned in the state's closing statements, nor were they mentioned in the news.

The rabid talking heads are recognizing that Casey is guilty but not convicted, and they see that Casey received justice, but the dead child did not -- because her not-guilty mother will not be penalized.  These talking heads are completely neglecting that only a mob mentality can consider penalty for unproven guilt to be "justice" for the injured party.   It's like they're saying that justice is more important for one person than another, which is so anti-American that I am nauseated.

Casey Anthony trial verdict

First degree murder -- not guilty

Aggravated child abuse -- not guilty

Aggravated manslaughter -- not guilty

Providing false information to a law enforcement officer -- guilty (x4)

(source: it's live on TV right now.)

While I played home-juror, this was how I felt, too.  

WaPo: Happy Fourth of July. And fuck you.

Article here.

I'm too pissy to comment about it now. 

Weekend Update from Galt's Gulch: Raccoon War

All other residents and annual visitors have left the mostly-summer getaway I like to refer to as Galt's Gulch.  (Actually, I'd prefer calling it the less aurally offensive Mulligan's Valley, but that would be like calling myself Jesus.)  I've not spent much time here alone.  Only two other times that I can recall, but to be fair, one of those times a scab was on the premises.

This time I was left with a list of chores.  Minimal stuff, but enough to set up a routine.  I'm thinking I'd like to maintain this routine when the others return -- unless, of course, those already holding the positions enjoy them and would object.

Ducks: fed.  Mail: tended.  Hummingbird feeder: full.  Plants: watered.  Flying squirrels: fed, watched, enjoyed.

The unlisted chore = protecting flying squirrels and flying squirrel feeder from Raccoon Invasion.

Colbert's Super PAC: breaking the fourth wall

I don't watch The Colbert Report on a regular basis, but I did catch the May episode earlier this year, in which Colbert asked guest (and former chair of the FEC) Trever Potter about PACs while filling out an actual, legal form for creating a PAC.

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Colbert is a man who follows through.  He has pushed the boundaries of both comedy and PACs; the FEC approved his PAC earlier this week.

If A exists under B, then B created A?

"Why shouldn't profitable corporations and finance-savvy individuals pay back to the system that made them rich?"argues social justice activist Paul Buchheit at Buzzfeed.


I take issue with the premise that "the system" makes anyone rich.  

Who said it?

It [the U.S.] can lose its dominance only as a result of its own mistakes. At present the country is in the process of committing such mistakes because it is in the hands of a group of extremists whose strong sense of mission is matched only by their false sense of certitude.

Click here for answer.

Birthday books -- suggestions?

My family is full of summer birthdays (except for me).  I've decided that this year, I'm giving books.  My dad's birthday is up next.  For him, it's mostly a matter of narrowing the list.  My sister is the next month, and that one is gonna be tough.  I have to walk a fine line with that one.  ANY suggestions are more than welcome!

It Takes Five People to Replace One Glenn Beck

For now, at least, a rotating ensemble of five Fox personalities will be filling up Beck's time slot.  Gutfeld sounds intriguing, Williams bores me already when he subs for O'Reilly, I have no idea what to think about Beckel...

Here's the money question:  Did they even ask Breitbart if he wanted the slot?

The Glenn Beck Program, June 30 LIVEBLOG -- LAST SHOW

"Yes, we buy chalk by the case."

-----------------------------------------

I'm gonna be doing less transcript work and more talkin.  Eventually I'll get the transcript up at TTHNA.

Beck is outside the building, showing the outside of the studio.  They're starting to take the set apart.  "We've really done some amazing things together."  And now... time for a clip show.

• Question with Boldness
• Hold to the Truth
• Speak without Fear

Less of a clip show, more of a clip montage.

TV goodbyes

Today, it's the end of an era.  (Can two years be an era?)  TV enters our homes, be it Walter Cronkite or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and it becomes a welcome visitor and a part of our routine.  Similar to high school, when you'd always see specific friends between classes -- not necessarily because you liked them more, but because their locker was by your math class -- TV shows on the faces on the screen can become entwined with our everyday life.  Change is strange, and it can be hard to say goodbye.

When Twin Peaks ended, my sister and I drove to a doughnut shop in silence.  I've still not fully accepted the end of Buffy, partially evidenced by my refusal to watch the last two episodes of Angel.  Somehow, that keeps Buffy alive for me.  I felt empty when LOST ended, but to be fair, that might have something to do with the big middle finger that was the final episode.

Point being -- today is Glenn Beck's last show, and I'm feeling sad.  I'm suspicious yesterday was his last real episode and today will be a clip show, a tour of the new frontier, an hour long prayer, or something equally bleck.

I've started blogging about Beck.  On this blog, I type while watching Beck -- which has morphed into me pausing to catch every single word, sometimes inserting my own commentary -- and elsewhere I take my transcript and insert pics, links, and video.  It's a lengthy process, and it's led to me spending many hours everyday working with Beck material and his primary sources.  I've not been doing it for a long time, but I've highly enjoyed the time spent doing it.  I plan to continue to do this work with his older shows, but it obviously won't feel the same.

I have a feeling that my live blogging will be commentary, not transcript tonight.

Village Voice Silenced by Staff?

One of the nation's staple alt-weekly newspapers is in a sticky situation.  Village Voice staffers are threatening to strike over contract negotiations.  They have set up an alternate website to continue publishing news in the event of a strike.  (Who wants to bet that the primary news covered will be their strike?)

The Glenn Beck Program, June 29 LIVEBLOG

Hello, America.  This is the last audience that will join us, because tomorrow it's just you and me.  And tomorrow is our last episode on the FoxNews Channel.  You don't want to miss it.

I have a lot to share with you.  Tonight it's big picture.  When you're down to the last episodes of something you've worked in for five years and you're trying to think "What is it I want to leave you with?  What is the most important..."  I haven't been good at narrowing things down.

Today I want to spend time on two things.  Most important things.
- What's coming our way?  (One last stab at it.)
- And, who do you trust?/ The Media.
Tonight I want to talk to you about those things.  But I have to start over here [walks to chalkboards] with Israel, because you are being lied to.  Absolutely, positively -- you're being lied to.  And you need to know what the truth is.

LiLo FED Up

Lindsay Lohan recently tweeted

Barackita

When Obama went to Brazil, I was horrified by the results, and I began referring to his foreign trips as his Rainbow Tour, a reference to Eva Peron's 1947 trip to Europe -- as well as a reference to a song from the musical Evita.

To be honest, the bulk of my Argentinian historical knowledge comes from and/or stems from that musical.  (I'm okay with that.  You gotta start somewhere.)  While I'm not naive enough to make Andrew Lloyd Webber my sole source for Argentinian history, there was some niggling thing about Obama that reminded me of the Rainbow Tour -- and the Perons.

Then I came across this nugget from Abraham H. Miller over at Pajamas Media.  Stop reading here and go read what he has to say about Obama & Juan Peron.  It's great stuff.

Oh, fine.  Here's a sample:

Predictably, Peron’s reforms led to a bloated government bureaucracy that drained resources from the private sector. Universal health care and high social security benefits further increased the bureaucracy and monetary liquidity. Pumping money artificially into both social programs and wages caused an inflation rate of 52%, by 1951, coupled with a massive trade deficit — as money chased foreign goods.

Okay.  Now stoppit.  Stop reading here, and go check out Miller's piece.

Buffy nostalgia

This makes me ridiculously happy.

Alec Baldwin "Casts the First Stone", Palinizes Bachmann

... and might be upping the ante.  Let's review: Palin's pretty thus dumb.  That meme's already been taken.  So the Bachmann meme is that she's serious thus dangerous.  So far, all of the smears I've noticed have been falling squarely into that category.  But Baldwin offers a new twist.

Idiots beg Hillary for HALP

Teenagers are asking their parents for a way to safely get in the car with a drunk driver.

Oops, I mean six Democrats have asked Secy of State Clinton for help to keep Americans safe on the Audacity of Hope, a boat sailing with the "humanitarian" Flotilla 2.  The fleet, due to start today but now appearing to be delayed, is a repeat of last year's Flotilla.  Ships that say they carry humanitarian aid will attempt to sail to Gaza and break the Israeli Gaza blockade.

The Glenn Beck Program, June 28 LIVEBLOG

Welcome to the Glenn Beck Program.  I want to go over a few stories that came across my desk this morning, and I want you to see if you can figure out what they all have in common.

First, Greece is rioting.  [video.]  These are the police in Greece.  More violent clashes as the youths throw rocks and gas bombs at the Greek Finance Ministry over the cost cutting measures being taken by the government.  They bombed a satellite truck, they blew up kiosks, they attacked police.  The protests and strikes have brought the economy to a grinding halt.  Everything from the electric company workers to ambulance drivers to air traffic controllers to public transportation employees -- they all walked off the job.   Greece is lovely today.

We told you about this two years ago.  We told you it was coming.  Nobody believed us then.  There's much more coming.  Okay, there's story number one.

Chokegate or Whiner-gate?

More details emerge about the Prosser/Bradley WI SC debacle.

Long story short, Prosser was acting in self-defense, and other justices agree that no "choking" occurred. What is also becoming obvious is that Wisconsin's Supreme Court is embroiled with more dysfunction than Homer Simpson at a vegetarian picnic.

Perhaps that is the reason that this story broke at the same time that the press was announcing Walker's signing of the Budget Bill which curtailed public sector unions' ability to collectively bargain.  That way, when people read about Wisconsin, they will also read about the dysfunctional Supreme Court which is responsible* for pushing the law forward.

*Note.  The Supreme Court had nothing to do with the publication of the law.  The court case regarded the meetings rules in which the legislature voted to pass the bill.  The court had no authority at that point to make claims about the bill/law's legality, and they made that clear in their ruling.  Regardless, presumed conservative Justice Prosser wanted to wait to announce the ruling.  This would not only relate to partisan perceptions, as the article notes -- doing so would have meant the Wisconsin legislature would have put the bill back up for vote in the Senate and Assembly, essentially re-passing it and taking the Supreme Court entirely out of public perception regarding the law.  Honestly, of everything that's emerging about the WI SC, waiting to announce their decision would have been a good decision.  Even if its intention was solely to give the perception of non-partisan whatevers, it also would have given the protesters and Dems a second chance to get their representatives to rule against the law...

Taliban claim responsibility for Intercontinental hotel bombing

Reuters

Suicide bombers + the Intercontinental hotel, a popular spot for Western journalists and ambassadors.  As I listen to cable news, they say there may have been some sort of negotiations taking place at the hotel, which could provide a reason for the attack.

Speaking of cable news, they had to interrupt Casey Anthony trial coverage to bring us the Intercontinental Hotel story.  What a shame.

The Glenn Beck Program, June 27 LIVEBLOG (with Rick Perry)

Welcome to the Glenn Beck Program.  Oh, to be young again!  Who doesn't remember being a wacky, crazy kid and organizing mass mob attacks on businesses and random strangers on sight?  Besides me, and maybe you.  50 young people stormed in Chicago a Walgreens.  They took bottled drinks, they took sandwiches, other items off the shelves, and then they left.  (UPI.com)

Walker signed the budget.

Whew.  Here's a list of additional budget vetoes.  

Freedom Flotilla 2: now, with journalists.

The anti-Israeli fleet of small ships is planned for this Tuesday.  Oddly, Turkish IHH has dropped out, leaving the flags of NATO and EU countries to represent the ships.  Another twist has developed: American journalists from CNN, CBS, et. al. plan to accompany the flotillas.  They might call themselves embedded reporters, except that implies the ships are engaging in violent actions, which they vehemently deny.  And yet a further twist: Israel is threatening sanctions, of sorts, against journalists who participate in the flotillas.

Palinizing Bachmann: Think Progress joins the fun

A Think Progress article opens with a description of a candidate who is extremely well-liked by their base and is an extremely effective fundraiser.  Sounds like Obama, no?  Nope, it's presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann.  Supposedly, she is Dangerous!, has Radical! Ideologies!, and recognizes that she is a Kook!

The article then lists the ten "nuttiest" things Bachmann has ever said.  Ever.  Ever, ever, ever!  (Does this mean that Think Progress's work is done, and they won't be publishing any further Bachmann smears?)

WI Supreme Court: playground shenanigans or serious business?

I have been trying to ignore this story, but I just can't seem to do it.  Apparently, A Situation occurred behind closed doors between Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices on the eve of announcing their ruling on the Act 10 case.

Who said it: Democrat or Republican?

A Wisconsin blogger has asked an important question regarding the celebrations -- the "glory" -- at the end of the road when questionable tactics wereused to achieve victory.  In other words, do the means justify the ends?  I've clipped some quotes from the blog.

Coulter's Mob & Le Bon's Crowd

In Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America, author Ann Coulter cites sociologist/psychologist Gustave Le Bon's work The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind (1895).  This was a new one for me.  A brief review of wikipedia portrays Le Bon as a formative element of the field of group psychology, especially as it relates to group think and propaganda.  Wikipedia notes that Edward Bernays -- who was influence by Le Bon -- wrote a work titled propaganda, in which "he declared that a major feature of democracy was the manipulation of the mass mind by media and advertising", in addition to both Hitler and Mussolini making use of Le Bon's findings.

Note: The work appears to be amoral; it is an academic study of the collective consciousness as opposed to an Alinksy-style how-to manual.

The Democrats Stole Your Birthday Cake!

Today was my mom's birthday.  I'm the cake-maker (and that went great, thank you very much), and my cake-themed card was a hit, too.

Cover: picture of empty cake platter.
Text:  The Democrats stole your birthday cake!


Inside, text: They sliced it up and gave it to people who aren't fortunate enough to have a birthday today.




Heh.  Heh heh heh.

The Glenn Beck Program, June 24 LIVEBLOG (with Chris Stewart)

Hello, America.  We are counting the days down.  Next Thursday is the last broadcast -- eh, this broadcast -- on this network.  And I can't thank you enough for joining me for the last couple of years for what has been an incredible journey and life-changing journey.  For me, and I hope that in some way you have been affected [Editor's note: More than you can ever know.] and now go out and affect or infect others.

buy here

Join us all next week for the final episodes here on Fox.

Now, tonight we're gonna talk a little bit about history.  This book [holds book, does not yet show cover] was written by a friend of mine.  We talked a little bit about it last week.  Trust me, if you're going to order it, you should order it at the beginning of the episode.  I understand it's already three weeks out of print.  So it's going to be...  They're printing them as fast as they can.  [picture of The 7 Tipping Points.]

Chris Stewart is a guy who I read one of his other books on my last vacation, I think it was in January, and I actually called him while I was on vacation.  I actually got yelled at by my wife [voice] "What are you doing?  You're on vacation."  I said, "I have to talk to this guy."

Books & Cakes!

If only the emperors would give us cakes and BOOKS instead of cakes and circuses.  That'd be a swell world.  (Of course, with all of the learnin' that accompanies readin', that's just not a good move for the emperor.)

I woke up this morning and inexplicably walked outside.  I usually wait a few hours to do that.  There, outside, were my parents (in their car), whose summer home is next door to my current summer lake house.  And who I rarely see until evening.

They were holding two packages for me.
1. A shipping box full of books, on which I've been waiting for days (weeks! months!)
2. Chocolate chip pancakes & bacon.

What a treat!

On the summer reading list:

How Will Wisconsin's Budget Cuts Affect YOU?

The IWF has a "non-partisan" answer.  Since I'm currently not in Madison (and embrace the northwoods -- and any chance to pretend I actually live up here year-round), I checked out the stats for my current little town.  According to these stats, my town will have $9,127 less moneys.  The town's population is just under 1000, so that will affect each town member by about $9.

Sounds okay to me.

The website also notes

There are 1,943 public workers in Vilas County. Under the proposedstate budget, each will lose about $2,071 in take‐home pay.  This will reduce local buying andeconomic activity by $4 million leading to closed businesses and retail job losses. 

Time Magazine: Does the Constitution Still Matter?

Does Time Magazine still matter?

excerpts: