Son of Friday Bits of Tid

What a sad time of year this is, the official Sports Doldrums. The college football season is over (Roll Tide!), there's only one more Pro Game, (and no, this blog doesn't count the Pro Bowl), The Daytona 500 is still weeks away, the PGA season is beginning, although there's no Tiger yet (hurry up, get well soon). Our Orlando Magic managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat last night against the Boston Celtics in one of the better games they've played this season.

So, in the spirit of um, uh, Friday, that's it, Friday! this blog gives you a few things to liven up your weekend.

In the "You Don't Get Out Enough" department, Usama bin Laden goes green. Dude, srsly, you haven't heard about ClimateGate?

President Obama gave a speech the other night. Sarah Palin, along with most Americans, was not impressed.

Rush Limbaugh gives President Obama some fatherly advice. I hope he heeds it, but I won't hold my breath.

From Our Cousins Across the Pond comes this handy, dandy reference on how to report the news. Lesson 1. It isn't rocket surgery. 2. Maybe, just maybe, the news should have some bearing upon your life in order to qualify as news. Jus' sayin...



Also from Our Cousins Across the Pond, if you don't visit David Thompson's site every Friday, you really owe yourself a click. His Friday Ephemera always contains something amusing and interesting. Warning for dry British wit, extreme wordsmithing and references that Yanks won't get, but don't let that stop you.

As they used to say back home in Alabama, "Y'all have a good'un."

President Obama's SOTU, The Great Disconnect

Watching President Obama's State of the Union speech last night, this blog was struck by how distant, aloof and separated from reality he seems to be. But the most disturbing aspect was his obvious disconnection and indifference to the real state of our nation.

The state of our union, for those of us outside the Beltway, isn't good. We've had two years of Democrat rule in Congress and a year of one party Democrat rule in Washington. We were promised change, and that we have received, good and hard.

Economically, change has been for the worse: double-digit unemployment numbers, government takeovers of banks and auto companies, a stimulus bill that has yet to deliver on the promise of truly stimulating our economy, a focus not on the creation of jobs, but on a massively expensive government takeover of the healthcare system that the people see as unnecessary.

Forign policy has been a similar failure. Instead of confronting a dangerous world with strength and power, Obama has offered up appeasement and weakness, emboldening our enemies. For example, his UN speech on nuclear arms sounded more like a middle-schoolers' naive opinion that we should rid the world of nuclear weapons. The middle east situation is still a quagmire, only now, Israel can no longer count on the US being a staunch ally. Palestinian schoolchildren are still being indoctrinated into a culture of death daily on televison while human rights groups silently approve.

On the domestic terror front, Obama's shift to a pre-9-11 approach to terrorism is being roundly rejected by the people who understand that treating an illegal foreign combatant like a citizen is a mistake and allows our enemies to use our court system against us. Attorney General Eric Holder's judgement is called into question on many prominent cases, as he seems much more interested in bestowing rights to our enemies instead of defeating them.

Perhaps, this is what he should've said. It would've been much more honest, and could have stopped the downward trend in his approval numbers.

And it would've shown the American people that he is capabable of change.

Obama's Startling Lack of Vision: "We Certainly Don't Need to Go Back to the Moon"

Progress - noun - 1. Positive development. development, usually of a gradual kind, toward achieving a goal or reaching a higher standard.

2. Advancement of human society. the general advance of human society and industry over time toward a state of greater civilization.

3. A concept that the Obama administration cannot grasp.

If you wondered, even for a moment, that all of the wrong-headed decisions made in just one year by our rookie president were at all the result of inexperience, wonder no more. The Obama administration announced that it plans to drastically reduce the technological edge in space that America has worked so hard to achieve over the last half-century by killing the Constellation program, the Ares cargo rocket, and cancelling plans to return to the Moon.

Dr. Werner Von Braun once said that research and development was the steam that made our economic engine move. While that quote sounds quaint in today's world, his point remains a salient one. Presidents from Eisenhower forward have appreciated the unique role of America's space program in society. The innovation and scientific advancements fuel our free market system and generate new jobs. New products generate new sources of tax revenue, offsetting their initial cost to the taxpayers. Thus, NASA is one of the few, if not the only, government program that shows a return to the investor/taxpayer.

Space exploration has other intangible benefits in addition to an economic boost. Countless youngsters have been captivated by the idea of exploring the heavens. The unleashing of curiousity in a young mind has great potential for good. Who knows what great discoveries lie ahead for a child watching his or her first live Shuttle launch?

Obama has stripped young Americans of a very big dream. He’s done a disservice to every science teacher in the country. He’s robbed the Treasury of untold mountains of tax revenue. He is single-handedly responsible for the loss of thousands more jobs in the middle of the worst recession the country has seen in decades. In one fell swoop, Obama has proven that he’s of a small mind, void of vision. He is determined to bring America down as the worlds’ innovator, reducing our technological edge over other countries at a time when we need to be more competitive in the global marketplace.

Progress. I don't think the word means what you think it means, Mr. Obama.

A Drop in a Bucket, or Obama's Tiny Scalpel

Politics is great theatre. The entire range of the human condition is on stage, enhanced for a large audience. Drama, comedy, satire, it's all there.

Occasionally, political theatre becomes a farce. The upcoming Presidential State of the Union Address is a prime example. The buzz on Capitol Hill has President Obama proposing a spending freeze to combat his record federal deficit.

Obama used the financial crisis as the main excuse for a massive increase in spending, resulting in a correspondingly massive deficit. So, in theory, there should be a lot to cut. A lot. Lots and lots. Whole bunches of cuts. As-far-as-the-eye-can-see cuts. Right? RIGHT??

President Obama and the Democrats in Congress have increased the deficit from $161 billion to $1.75 trillion in two years! The "cut" is to $1.17 trillion in 2010. The panic of 2008-2009 required one-time expenditures to arrest the fear, but the Democrats used the crisis as an excuse to print billions and billions of dollars. And they refuse to stop.

Hmmm, that's not much of a cut, is it? $1.75T down to a paltry $1.17T. Up from $161B. You'd have to add up George Bush's final-year deficit over ten times just to get to Obama's starting figure.

Does that sound like a sane fiscal policy to you? Would you suddenly start spending ten times what you make without a corresponding increase in income? Could you? Possibly, but not for very long.

If you think that massive federal spending has no effect on the economic climate of the country, you're pretty much alone in your delusion. Many people, some with access to calculators, don't think it's a good thing. Our own Congressional Budget Office predicts sluggish growth due to the imbalance between GDP and the debt.

The farcical aspect of this is that Obama thinks this is the way to operate a country and that everything is hunky-dory. He's also not alone. He's been aided by economic illiterates in Congress who have proposed their own little spending agendas over and above Obama's. It's like a play where the King of a once-prosperous country decides to take a vacation to a distant land for several months and allows the court jester to run it, just for giggles. A court jester with third-stage syphillis, where large parts of the brain just aren't there any more.

It would be a laugh riot on stage, where it belongs. In real life, not so much.

James Carville: Dems Need to Learn to Blame Bush More!

James Carville, mastermind of Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign, has some sage advice for Democrats in Washington following the victory of Scott Brown: Blame Bush!

Never mind that Mr. Bush isn't running for office. Also never mind that our economy was humming right along even after the most devastating foreign attack on American soil and two simultaneous wars against radical Islam.  Dems never let a little thing like reality get in the way of anything. Carville proves his allergic reaction to facts in his article:

It was Mr Bush’s economic team that worshipped at the Church of Deregulation and was asleep at the wheel as banks and insurance companies became too big to fail.

Oh really, Jimmy? Gateway Pundit begs to differ:

Of course, it should be noted that President Bush publicly called for the reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac 17 times in 2008 alone before Congress acted. Democrats, on the other hand, blocked reform numerous times.

But wait, there's more. Carville continues his fuzzy thinking and abstract logic:

While Republicans decided that obstructionism would be their winning tool of choice, Democrats were left trying to explain what happened to the thriving America they once knew. Democrats were blamed for the recession and 10 per cent unemployment, while Mr Bush raised millions for his presidential library in Texas.

Hmmmm. Let me see if I've got this straight. Dems took over Congress in January of 2007 and we've been in a recession ever since then. And the Dems manage to somehow, magically, get the blame? Somehow? And explain to the class just how this is related in any way to George Bush raising money for his library.
Jimmy, you're not taking your medications like you know you should, now are you? Your cognitive dissonance is showing again. Take this red pill and call us in the morning. And leave that poor chicken alone.

"Barack Obama, Report to the Principal's Office Immediately."

“Come in, have a seat, Barack.”

“Thank you, Principal Sam.” Barack struggled to climb into the chair, which seemed uncomfortably large for him.

“Barack, I want to talk to you about your grades.”

“Let me be clear, these grades don’t reflect…” Barack said quickly, but Uncle Sam waved him silent.

“Right now, you need to listen. I’ll come straight to the point. Your grades in your first year here are horrific, Barack. There’s no other way to put it. Social Studies, F. Science, F. Economics, F. Your economics teacher has complained that you insist upon a “grade multiplier”. You do know there’s no such thing here, don’t you?”

“But, but, other students have used it…” Barack responded meekly.
“…Geography, F. Son, how can you possibly think there are 57 states in America?”

Barack stammered, “I, ah, uh, was, um, tired, uh, sir.”

“Which brings me to your English grades. Your Engish teacher considers you functionally illiterate when you’re not in front of those television things you always lug around with you.”

“That’s my teleprompter sir.” Barack said meekly.

Sam continued, “Yes, I know. The other students are beginning to make fun of you for that, plus you clog up the hallways moving it between classes.”

“I always try to be considerate of my fellow classmates as I travel the hallowed halls of knowledge in this great institu, uh, hey, what, um, just, ah, happened?”

Uncle Sam returned to his chair after unplugging the teleprompter. “See what I mean, son? This thing controls you, you don’t control it.”

Barack stared at the floor, “I, I, I… “

Sam leaned forward, “Look, I’m here to help you. But you’ll only succeed if you want to succeed. You do want to get better grades, don’t you? And not just in gym class.”

“Yes, sir! You should see my outside shot…”

“Listen closely, son.” Principal Sam’s voice became serious. “This institution has been in place for well over two hundred years. Through floods, tornados, hurricanes, wars and depressions. But I’m beginning to wonder if it will survive you. Every other day I receive a memo from your teachers about something you haven’t done, assignments you haven’t turned in, classes you’ve missed. And yet, you still think you belong among the most famous names in history.

We have very high standards here, but your academic performance leaves much to be desired. You tried for years to gain admission, now it seems as though you don’t want to be here. Do you want to be here, Mr. Obama?”

Barack looked up with determination. “Yes sir.”

“Then I’m going to tell you how to succeed.” Uncle Sam opened a desk drawer and produced a large book which he placed on the desk with an authoritative thud. Barack looked at the title, “American History.”

“You’ll begin by studying this book. In it, you’ll find out how this country was founded. You’ll read the founders thoughts about freedom, liberty and the inherent goodness they found in humanity, a goodness that gives people the power to run their own lives responsibly, without the interference of government. You’ll also find the rules for governing those people and what they expect from you. Qualities you’re struggling with, judging by what I’ve seen. Things like honesty, integrity, sincerity, and the Golden Rule.”

You’ll also learn about the principles that your more successful fellow students took to heart: individual freedom and liberty, the rule of law, equality in the court system. There’s a lot in there, so you’d better get to work. By this time next year, I hope to be congratulating you on your progress."

Prinicapl Sam leaned forward, "Don’t disappoint me."

With that, Barack skulked out of Principal Sam's office, mumbling under his breath. Ms. Ross, the principal's secretary, tried to cheer him up by saying, "Don't feel bad. He really likes you, he just wants you to live up to your potential. Just consider his little talk"tough love."

"I'll try to do better. But it's so hard, having to follow that last class. They really messed things up for me, especially that guy Bush."

Ms. Ross looked at him. "Blaming others for your shortcomings is part of your problem, Barack." She scribbled something on a note and pressed it into Barack's hand. "Here's the number of a tutor who can help you. Her name is Mrs. Palin."

Germany's Take on the Scott Brown Win

This blog is always on the lookout for Truth and Objectivity, wherever they are to be found. So this article from Germany's Speigel Online lamenting the end of HopeyChanginess as a result of Scott Brown's Senate win looked promising.

After reading it, not so much. There are a few hits:

Obama made a serious misjudgement.

Followed immediately by a miss:

...he saved the banks, rescued the automobile industry from collapse and passed a huge economic stimulus package.

What he did, instead of "rescuing the autombile industry", was to close many profitable dealerships (several of whom donated campaign money to his rival, John McCain) and pump huge amounts of taxpayer monies into a company that is essentially operated by the UAW. That hardly qualifies as "rescuing".

The next batter steps up to the plate:

For Obama, the election in Massachusetts means that he will have to re-evaluate his political style.

Fast ball, right down the middle.

And now for the foul ball hit straight into the catchers' mitt:

...he could back away from his strategy of bipartisanship...

Exactly what strategy of bipartisanship would we be referring to, pray tell. The one that closed Republicans out of every meeting to negotiate the Health Care Bill? Or maybe it's the strategy of telling opponents that the dabate is over, to sit down and shut up? That strategy?

Here comes the clean-up man:

But he cannot ignore the fact that his health care reform package is not popular, the situation of the country's finances is seen as threatening and many voters blame the high unemployment rate on the party in power -- on the Democrats, led by Obama.

It's going, going, gone. Outta the park.

Scott Brown's win in Massachusetts will reverberate in Washington for a long while. It is a deafening refutation of the Marxist policies of Obama, Reid, and Pelosi that are currently destroying the country. They have a choice: they can move to the middle or they can continue their assault on the country. One of these moves will benefit them, the other will result in the poisoning of the Democrat brand for at least a generation.

Overall, Germany doesn't seem to have a better handle on American politics than some in the American press, but it's still fun to read.

And even funnier to watch.



h/t The Jawa Report.

Scott Brown Wins Ted Kennedy's Seat in Massachusetts!

In a stunning political upset, the Massachusetts Senate seat previously held by Ted Kennedy for over forty years was won by national newcomer Scott Brown. His win brings many complications for the extreme, far-left Obama agenda, watering down some things and outright killing others.

Happy anniversary, Mr. President.

Brown’s victory should be a wake-up call for everyone in Washington. The far-left agenda led by Obama and aided by Reid and Pelosi is on life-support. In a year, we’ve seen the epic failure of state control; high and rising unemployment numbers, decreased tax revenue resulting in larger-than-expected deficits, government takeover and the subsequent evisceration of GM and Chrysler, closing many profitable dealerships across the country for no reason, the devaluation of the dollar and the very real threat of inflation, the list goes on. Clearly, Marxism doesn't work, and America knows it.

The win sent a refreshing breath of clean air through D.C. Scott Brown showed the kind of strength and leadership sorely needed in Washington. When he pledged his opposition to ObamaCare, “I’ll stop it”, he simply and plainly laid out, in no uncertain terms, exactly what he’d do in Washington. No vacillation, no wishy-washy non-commitments. Just “Here’s what I intend to do. If you want me to do this, vote for me”, then let the chips fall where they may. This is the type of commitment needed by future candidates. Straight forward, lay it on the line, no bullshit politics, endorsing policies that benefit the majority of Americans. The right stand on the right issues will win, every time.

Naturally, conservative blogs are all atwitter (see what I did there?) at Brown's victory. Over at Pajamas Media, Richard Pollock wonders why it was so quiet at the White House last night. Our buddies at Founding Bloggers give us a poem. House Democrats have begun their retreat from ObamaCare. Ace brings teh funny, perhaps NSFW, IYKWIMAITYD, NTTAWWT.

Today is an historic day. The tide has begun to turn away from tyranny and towards freedom.

Be glad you're an American. You have much to be proud of.

ABC News Discovers "Secret Jesus Bible Codes" on Military Equipment!

In a daring expose, ABC News has discovered the shocking revelation that a supplier of gun sights has been putting “Secret Jesus Bible Code” on their products. These codes are so super-duper secret that nobody is able to decipher their obviously nefarious meaning. It’s blatantly Christian, so there has to be some vast, right wing cabal of shadowy figures, known only to a privileged few, guiding this plot to undermine Western civilization.

The finest minds in academia coupled with the awe-inspiring power of many university supercomputers are currently working overtime on this mystery. These codes are so secret, no one has ever seen them before.

The reporters at ABC are dumbstruck. What could they mean? What is their meaning? What could they possibly refer to? How could they mean what they possibly refer to, and what, then, does that mean? Film at 11.

Bush 1, Obama 0

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that President Obama's decision to tap George Bush (along with Bill Clinton) to head up the Haitian relief effort seem a little, um, uh, unseemly? You'd think that after eight years of constant criticism from the press and Obama's immature blaming of him for all the problems he "inherited", he'd pick someone else. John F. Kerry (who served in Viet Nam) comes to mind. Or Nancy Pelosi. Or my next door neighbor.

Obama's choice shows just how well he's able to manipulate his political opponents. Bush couldn't turn him down, to do so would have been political seppuku. Obama's choice fairly reeks of hypocrisy in one way. In another way, it shows how inexperienced he truly is. He must call upon someone who's better equipped to lead in times of emergency.

President Bush is in a position to prove that he's above the petty, partisan political bashing that has become Obama's stock-in-trade. This blog was disappointed that Bush would not respond to the many false accusations leveled at him during his term in office. Here's hoping that Bush will take this opportunity to show himself to be a much better man than the MSM made him out to be, and the rest of us know he is.