Stranger in a Strange Land

IT'S ALIVE, IT'S ALIVE!

2009-08-18T11:21:00.002-04:00

Well finally, I seem to have everything back in good working order. Too bad our government can't be fixed so easily.

Friday Funny

2009-08-14T23:41:00.001-04:00

Couldn't pass up posting this before I went offline.

Computer woes

2009-08-14T23:37:00.002-04:00

Sorry I have been away for a while. I seem to be having some problems with my PC. I'm going to be repairing and reformatting this weekend, and I expect to be back up and running by Monday. Please stop back and visit me then.

The stranger

2009-08-11T23:22:00.002-04:00

Wow what a bummer. My modem died sunday night, and I just got back online. On a good note though, I Have a new favorite song. Check it out

Nancy and the Astroturfers

2009-08-09T12:08:00.004-04:00

I thought this was pretty interesting.

Friday Funny

2009-08-07T18:25:00.002-04:00

ICE made deputies release 3 illegals

2009-08-06T14:19:00.005-04:00

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said Friday the federal government refused to take three illegal immigrants arrested in a crime sweep Thursday because their arrests didn’t fit new Department of Homeland Security policies.

What policies? These people are criminals. If they had pulled over someone with a dismembered corpse in their trunk would we be discussing policy?

Homeland Security is requiring all local police agencies with existing 287(g) agreements to sign new ones within the next three months that are in accordance with new policies and department objectives or else lose their authority.
In issuing the new 287(g) policies July 10, Homeland Security said it was concerned that local police were using minor infractions to get illegal immigrants deported.

Okay let me get this straight DHS is worried that law enforcement will use the minor crimes these people are committing to catch them for their major crime "illegal immigration", so what's the problem. Currently if you are driving in traffic the police can scan or run your liscence plate, and if a warrant shows up say for overdue traffic fines they can stop the vehicle and investigate. If you are found to be in commission of a crime (whether or not you are the registered owner for whom the warrant was issued) you will be ticketed or arrested. If these are the rules for American citizens why should it be any different for illegal aliens.

I think it's pretty obvious the immigration issue has become another political game, and we are the pawns. The American people have made their opinion clear, the majority of us don't want the illegal immigrants here, but the politicians (both parties) are too afraid of losing 10% of the vote to take direct action. Maybe it's time we showed them it's the other 90% that gets them into office.

The Stranger

This is the newest message out of D.C.

2009-08-05T14:39:00.002-04:00

Well here is the newest tactic in the fight to socialize America. This is from the official whitehouse.gov site.

"There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov."

Aaaahhh there you go, and if you feel one of your neighbors is a right wing extremist feel free to call the FBI. Remember also, if you happen to overhear one of your comrades bad-mouthing our Dear Leader while you are in the bread line, please report the incident to the nearest brown shirt. Thank you and remember to always be "socially" responsible.

The Stranger

And on that funny note...........

2009-08-04T10:38:00.002-04:00

A man boarded an aircraft at London's Heathrow Airport, and taking his seat as he settled in, he noticed a very beautiful woman boarding the plane.

He realised she was heading straight toward his seat and bingo she took the seat right beside him.Eager to strike up a conversation, he blurted out, "Business trip or vacation?"

She turned, smiled enchantingly and said, "Business. I'm going to the Annual Nymphomaniac Convention in the United States."

He swallowed hard. Here was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen sitting next to him, and she was going to a meeting for nymphomaniacs! Struggling to maintain his composure, he calmly asked, "What's your business role at this convention?"

"Lecturer," she responded. "I use my experience to debunk some of the popular myths about sexuality."

"Really?" he smiled, "what myths are those?"

"Well," she explained, "one popular myth is that African-American men are the most well endowed when, in fact, it's the Native American Indian who is most likely to possess that trait. Another popular myth is that french men are the best lovers, when actually it is the men of Greek descent. We have also found that the best potential lovers in all categories are the Irish."
Suddenly the woman became uncomfortable and blushed. "I'm sorry," she said. I really shouldn't be discussing this with you, I don't even know your name!

"Tonto," the man said. "Tonto Papadopoulos. But my friends call me Paddy."

2 Obama officials: No guarantee taxes won't go up

2009-08-03T15:45:00.002-04:00

By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Philip Elliott, Associated Press Writer – Mon Aug 3, 1:27 am ET
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's treasury secretary said Sunday he cannot rule out higher taxes to help tame an exploding budget deficit, and his chief economic adviser would not dismiss raising them on middle-class Americans as part of a health care overhaul.

We just need to "redistribute" a little more "wealth". Relax the states got everything you need, baby. Maybe we'll just subsidize all the housing. We could get rid of all those pesky stand alone houses, with more high rises we could really pack the folks in.

You will still be able to buy a house in the country side, much like you can in France. The only problem is you will have to pay $250,000 USD for a "house" that looks like my first vacation cabin.

This is what happens when your Presidents policies are based on his beer, and pot fueled, late night bash America sessions, with all of his radical college buddies. How does it feel to know that Bill Ayers has more influence in the White Houese than you do?

The Stranger

Good Song

2009-07-31T18:15:00.002-04:00

I just caught this on the Glenn Beck show. This is a pretty good song.

If you can't take the heat. Close down the kitchen?

2009-07-31T15:19:00.003-04:00

Town halls gone wild.

Screaming constituents, protesters dragged out by the cops, congressmen fearful for their safety — welcome to the new town-hall-style meeting, the once-staid forum that is rapidly turning into a house of horrors for members of Congress.

Still don't think our government is out of control? The people have spoken, they are not happy with the way things are being run. What have some of our congressman decided to do? Shut out the voices.

In at least one case, a congressman has stopped holding town hall events because the situation has spiraled so far out of control.

“I had felt they would be pointless,” Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) told POLITICO, referring to his recent decision to temporarily suspend the events in his Long Island district. “There is no point in meeting with my constituents and [to] listen to them and have them listen to you if what is basically an unruly mob prevents you from having an intelligent conversation.”

Firstly Rep. Bishop is obviously not listening to his constituents, or he would realize where the problem lies. Secondly if this were some minority group airing their grievances everyone would be forced to listen, to not do so would be discriminatory. However because these are regular tax paying citizens with no special interest group to lean on it's okay to sweep them under the rug. My final issue stems from this statement made by Rep. Bishop.

“I have no problem with someone disagreeing with positions I hold,” Bishop said, noting that, for the time being, he was using other platforms to communicate with his constituents. “But I also believe no one is served if you can’t talk through differences.”

Who gives a damn what your positions are. The fact of the matter is Congressional reps have one job. Listen to and record the grievances and opinions of the people they represent, and carry those to Washington. These people were not elected to tell us what is best for us, they were elected to serve as our go between with the White House. I think many in Congress have outgrown their positions, and it's time for a housecleaning. If we allow this to continue how long will it be before all government business is conducted behind closed doors?

The Stranger

Here bunny, bunny..................Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

2009-07-29T17:56:00.001-04:00

You can't fix "Stupid"

2009-07-29T14:22:00.001-04:00

Something we should consider more in politics.

Obama's Ten Commandments

2009-07-26T17:00:00.000-04:00

I. Thou shalt have no God in America, except for me. For we are no longer a Christian nation and, after all, I am the chosen One. (And like God, I do not have a birth certificate.)

II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, unless it is my face carved on Mt. Rushmore.

III. Thou shalt not utter my middle name in vain (or in public). Only I can say Barack Hussein Obama.

IV. Remember tax day, April 15th, to keep it holy.

V. Honour thy father and thy mother until they are too old and sick to care for. They will cost our public-funded health-care system too much money.

VI. Thou shalt not kill, unless you have an unwanted, unborn baby. For it would be an abomination to punish your daughter with a baby.

VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery if you are conservative or a Republican. Liberals and Democrats are hereby forgiven for all of their infidelity and immorality, but the careers of conservatives will be forever destroyed.

VIII. Thou shalt not steal, until you've been elected to public office. Only then is it acceptable to take money from hard-working, successful citizens and give it to those who do not work, illegal immigrants, or those who do not have the motivation to better their own lives.

IX. Thou shalt not discriminate against thy neighbor unless they are conservative, Caucasian, or Christian.

X. Thou shalt not covet because it is simply unnecessary. I will place such a heavy tax burden on those that have achieved the American Dream that, by the end of my term as President, nobody will have any wealth or material goods left for you to covet.

Racism and "Hate Crimes"

2009-07-25T13:40:00.004-04:00

On the night of June 27, Marty Marshall and his family were standing outside a friend’s home in Akron, OH. The group had gathered to watch a fireworks display at nearby Firestone Park, the festive night ended suddenly, when the family as well as their friends were brutally attacked by a group of nearly 50 black teenagers

Where was Obama's righteous indignation when this atrocity occured? Where was the national media, oh yeah, they were reporting about the poor daycampers in Philidelphia who lost their place to swim. The police say they are not sure if this was gang activity, so they are not ready to declare it a hate crime.

Marty says the boys were all chanting while attacking. "They just kept chanting and yelling out", said Marshall.

"A couple of them said 'This is a black world' and the other ones sat there and were saying 'This is our world'.

Sounds pretty racially motivated to me. A while back my friend got into an argument with a neighbor who happened to be Mexican. The dispute was over lawncare and property boundaries, however during the course of the argument my friend in his infinite wisdom used several racial epithets. The police were called and things were ended before they went too far. One of the officers who arrived on the scene told my friend that if the situation had come to blows he could have been charged with a hate crime because of the things he said during the altercation.

As far as I am concerned every crime is a hate crime, you don't commit a crime against somebody you like or respect. Why are we wasting our time debating the severity of the same crime committed by different people? How about if we just put all the criminals away for their crimes, and get on with our damn lives.

This kind of lopsided justice can't work anywhere. This is simply another case of political correctness in sheeps clothing. If it's really true that Jewish families have cornered the market on guilt, then white Americans must be running a close second. You simply cannot enforce racial harmony. I will never like beets, and some people will never get along, no law will change either of those things. The best we can do is make the laws equal for everyone across the board.

In the old days children were were taught valuable lessons through folk tales, I think I have a new one for the coming generations, it's called "The boy who cried racism".

The Stranger

Sources:
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GUARDIANS OF THE NIGHT

2009-07-23T22:47:00.003-04:00

I am dedicating this to my Son-in-law Mike, and his K-9 partner Tex.

Trust in me my friend for I am your comrade.

I will protect you with my last breath.

When all others have left you

And the loneliness of the night closes in, I will be at your side.

Together we will conquer all obstacles

And search out those who might wish harm to others.

All I ask of you is compassion,

The caring touch of your hands.

It is for you that I will selflessly give my

life And spend my nights un rested.

Although our days together

May be marked by the passing of the seasons.

Know that each day at your side is my reward.

My days are measured by

The coming and going of your footsteps.
I anticipate them at the opening of the door.

You are the voice of caring when I am ill.
The voice of authority over me when I've done wrong.

Do not chastise me unduly For I am your right arm,

The sword at your side.

I attempt to do only what you bid of me.

I seek only to please you and remain in your favor.

Together you and I shall experience
A bond only others like you will understand.

When outsiders see us together
Their envy will be measured by their disdain.

I will quietly listen to you And pass no judgment.

Nor will your spoken words be repeated.

I will remain ever silent, Ever vigilant, ever loyal.

And when our time together is done And you move on in the world,

Remember me with kind thoughts and tales.

For a time we were unbeatable, Nothing passed among us undetected.

If we should ever meet again on another field I will gladly take up your fight.

I am a Police Working Dog and together

We are GUARDIANS of the NIGHT.

Author unknown

Dr. Orly Taitz and Maj. Cook

2009-07-23T13:44:00.003-04:00

This is pretty interesting stuff. I had never heard about the numerous social security numbers BO has used. I guess it's not too shocking to see another illegal immigrant taking advantage of the system, the only difference is he's doing it from the top.

Obamopoly

2009-07-22T14:15:00.001-04:00

The object of the game is to destroy American capitalism by having
the government take over everything.

Wanna play? No? Too bad, you're already playing.
And in this game, nobody wins.

Commerce Secretary: Americans ‘Need to Pay’ for Chinese Emissions

2009-07-22T13:12:00.002-04:00

With the U.S. secretaries of energy and commerce in China this week, much of the attention focused on the standoff over emissions reductions or small breakthroughs in clean-tech cooperation.

But yesterday, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said something amazing—U.S. consumers should pay for part of Chinese greenhouse-gas emissions. From Reuters:

“It’s important that those who consume the products being made all around the world to the benefit of America — and it’s our own consumption activity that’s causing the emission of greenhouse gases, then quite frankly Americans need to pay for that,” Commerce Secretary Gary Locke told the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.

"OMG! WTF! Now we have to pay for losing our jobs. Locke says their pollutuion is our fault for increasing the demand for their product, okay I have a solution. Decrease the demand for their products...........................by producing them here like we used to you f#$%ing morons! If you want China, India, and Mexico to stop polluting, then stop trying to jumpstart their f#$%ing economies! Globalization only works in sci-fi movies, and even in those it's usually a bad idea. When are we finally gonna get a politician who says, hey maybe we should get America straightened out before we solve the worlds problems? Please write to your Congressional reps, tell them we want American jobs, we want American products, and we want American prosperity!"

The Stranger

The "Transparent" Administration?

2009-07-20T21:29:00.002-04:00

Uh, no. Especially when locked in a battle in which it is trying to fool the public into accepting a 1 trillion plus spending program as a "money saver". Then, apparently, it is quite all right to be quite opaque and delay the scheduled release of its revised budget numbers (based on known economic indicators).......... From McQ.
Read entire story here.

This is a pretty good read.

The Stranger

Journalist inviting friends to flogging

2009-07-20T21:19:00.002-04:00

By Bob Unruh© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Facebook is one of the top social networking sites, and probably sees millions of invitations posted each day, but one put up by a journalist in the Sudan probably is unique: It invites her friends and the public to her flogging.

According to a report today from the Middle East Media Research Institute, Lubna Ahmad Hussein posted the invitation to her friends and supporters to "stir up a scandal around her case."

As WND reported just days ago, she was among the women – including many Christians – arrested and flogged for wearing trousers. Read entire story here.

Dennis Prager on the American "Trinity of Values"

2009-07-19T13:51:00.002-04:00

Snatched from Moonbattery

Zombies!

2009-07-19T12:27:00.001-04:00

This had me and the wife crackin' up. I knew there was a reason I liked Bob Hope so much.

The Stranger

Dems New Welfare Plan to Target... Horses?

2009-07-18T17:31:00.002-04:00

This is an outrage! I'm trying to work up as much self-righteous lather as I can over this latest piece of Democrat insanity, but I just can't stop laughing at it: Wild horses couldn’t keep Democrats from spending money

House Democrats plan to hold a vote on the “Restore Our American Mustangs Act” (H.R.1018), which would create a new $700 million welfare program for wild horses. This floor action comes at a time when unemployment has soared to 9.5 percent, a 26-year high, and the federal deficit has grown to a historic $1 trillion.

Here’s what HR1018 proposes to do with the $700 million:

Conducts a horse census every two years
Provides “enhanced contraception” and birth control for horses
Establishes an additional 19 million acres of public and private land for wild horses
Covers $5 million tab to repair horse damage to land
Mandates that government bureaucrats perform home inspections before Americans can adopt horses

Birth control … for horses. How exactly does that restore the mustang population? If it needs “restoring”, doesn’t that suggest that we need to encourage reproduction rather than launching a mustang safe-sex program? Of course, mustang rubbers would make each successive “horse census” easier, assuming mustangs can figure out how to wear them.

When it comes to crafting bills that are full of horse pucky, this Congress may be the best evah. More at the link above.

From Scott,

"But what if we tweaked the bill a little? You could replace horse with say, illegal immigrant. I would say you could drop the adoption part, but I'm sure Brangelina would want a few. Also I bet we could get a good deal on the 19 million acres in Mexico................I'm just saying."

The Stranger

2009-07-18T13:43:00.002-04:00

What is that saying? Oh yes, once bitten twice shy. It looks like even Congress is getting wary of Obama's fast tracking of our economic destruction. After the rush to vote on the cap and trade bill Democratic moderates are voicing their displeasure by scrutinizing Obama's health care reform measures. I'm just waiting to see what intimidation tactics the administration will use to push this one through.

Is Dem. Arrogance Causing Pelosi Trouble on Healthcare?

The Stranger

Friday Funny

2009-07-18T13:39:00.002-04:00

Sorry I realize it's a day late, but I was a little busy yesterday

This was never truer than today.

2009-07-16T20:00:00.002-04:00

You can't fight "The Man"

2009-07-15T17:46:00.003-04:00

Well we see how the Obama administration is going to handle this latest attempt to ascertain B.O.s true birthplace. The Pentagon has coerced Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook's private civilian employer to fire him.

Pentagon orders soldier fired for challenging prez

According to the CEO of Simtech Inc., a private company contracted by the Defense Security Services, an agency of the Department of Defense, the federal government has compelled the termination of Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook. Now you may say well if they have government contracts that's a risk you run. Think about it though, with the government taking control of many private corporations it may not be long before your job is in jeapordy for simply speaking your mind.

The Stranger

Bombshell: Orders revoked for soldier challenging prez

2009-07-15T09:37:00.002-04:00

"Major victory for Army warrior questioning Obama's birthplace"

A U.S. Army Reserve major from Florida scheduled to report for deployment to Afghanistan within days has had his military orders revoked after arguing he should not be required to serve under a president who has not proven his eligibility for office.

His attorney, Orly Taitz, confirmed to WND the military has rescinded his impending deployment orders.

"We won! We won before we even arrived," she said with excitement. "It means that the military has nothing to show for Obama. It means that the military has directly responded by saying Obama is illegitimate – and they cannot fight it. Therefore, they are revoking the order!"

She continued, "They just said, 'Order revoked.' No explanation. No reasons – just revoked."

A hearing on the questions raised by Maj. Stefan Frederick Cook, an engineer who told WND he wants to serve his country in Afghanistan, was scheduled for July 16 at 9:30 a.m.

"As an officer in the armed forces of the United States, it is [my] duty to gain clarification on any order we may believe illegal. With that said, if President Obama is found not to be a 'natural-born citizen,' he is not eligible to be commander-in-chief," he told WND only hours after the case was filed.

"[Then] any order coming out of the presidency or his chain of command is illegal. Should I deploy, I would essentially be following an illegal [order]. If I happened to be captured by the enemy in a foreign land, I would not be privy to the Geneva Convention protections," he said.

The order for the hearing in the federal court for the Middle District of Georgia from U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land said the hearing on the request for a temporary restraining order would be held Thursday.

"While I personally believe that Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen, and is therefore ineligible for presidency, and while I am glad that Americans are continuing to call him on this, I am still frightened by the precedence this sets. This situation has the potential to undermine our entire military. If the President can prove his birthplace he needs to stop playing games, and do so immediately. If however he cannot then he needs to step down before he does further damage to the country".

The Stranger

Obama Rewrites the Cold War

2009-07-14T15:39:00.002-04:00

The President has a duty to stand up to the lies of our enemies.
By Liz Cheney

There are two different versions of the story of the end of the Cold War: the Russian version, and the truth. President Barack Obama endorsed the Russian version in Moscow last week.

Speaking to a group of students, our president explained it this way: "The American and Soviet armies were still massed in Europe, trained and ready to fight. The ideological trenches of the last century were roughly in place. Competition in everything from astrophysics to athletics was treated as a zero-sum game. If one person won, then the other person had to lose. And then within a few short years, the world as it was ceased to be. Make no mistake: This change did not come from any one nation. The Cold War reached a conclusion because of the actions of many nations over many years, and because the people of Russia and Eastern Europe stood up and decided that its end would be peaceful."

The truth, of course, is that the Soviets ran a brutal, authoritarian regime. The KGB killed their opponents or dragged them off to the Gulag. There was no free press, no freedom of speech, no freedom of worship, no freedom of any kind. The basis of the Cold War was not "competition in astrophysics and athletics." It was a global battle between tyranny and freedom. The Soviet "sphere of influence" was delineated by walls and barbed wire and tanks and secret police to prevent people from escaping. America was an unmatched force for good in the world during the Cold War. The Soviets were not. The Cold War ended not because the Soviets decided it should but because they were no match for the forces of freedom and the commitment of free nations to defend liberty and defeat Communism.

It is irresponsible for an American president to go to Moscow and tell a room full of young Russians less than the truth about how the Cold War ended. One wonders whether this was just an attempt to push "reset" -- or maybe to curry favor. Perhaps, most concerning of all, Mr. Obama believes what he said.

Mr. Obama's method for pushing reset around the world is becoming clearer with each foreign trip. He proclaims moral equivalence between the U.S. and our adversaries, he readily accepts a false historical narrative, and he refuses to stand up against anti-American lies.

The approach was evident in his speech in Moscow and in his speech in Cairo last month. In Cairo, he asserted there was some sort of equivalence between American support for the 1953 coup in Iran and the evil that the Iranian mullahs have done in the world since 1979. On an earlier trip to Mexico City, the president listened to an extended anti-American screed by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and then let the lies stand by responding only with, "I'm grateful that President Ortega did not blame me for the things that occurred when I was 3 months old."

Asked at a NATO meeting in France in April whether he believed in American exceptionalism, the president said, "I believe in American Exceptionalism just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism." In other words, not so much.

The Obama administration does seem to believe in another kind of exceptionalism -- Obama exceptionalism. "We have the best brand on Earth: the Obama brand," one Obama handler has said. What they don't seem to realize is that once you're president, your brand is America, and the American people expect you to defend us against lies, not embrace or ignore them. We also expect you to know your history.

Mr. Obama has become fond of saying, as he did in Russia again last week, that American nuclear disarmament will encourage the North Koreans and the Iranians to give up their nuclear ambitions. Does he really believe that the North Koreans and the Iranians are simply waiting for America to cut funds for missile defense and reduce our strategic nuclear stockpile before they halt their weapons programs?

The White House ought to take a lesson from President Harry Truman. In April, 1950, Truman signed National Security Council report 68 (NSC-68). One of the foundational documents of America's Cold War strategy, NSC-68 explains the danger of disarming America in the hope of appeasing our enemies. "No people in history," it reads, "have preserved their freedom who thought that by not being strong enough to protect themselves they might prove inoffensive to their enemies."

Perhaps Mr. Obama thinks he is making America inoffensive to our enemies. In reality, he is emboldening them and weakening us. America can be disarmed literally -- by cutting our weapons systems and our defensive capabilities -- as Mr. Obama has agreed to do. We can also be disarmed morally by a president who spreads false narratives about our history or who accepts, even if by his silence, our enemies' lies about us.

Ms. Cheney served as deputy assistant secretary of state and principal deputy assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs from 2002-2004 and 2005-2006.

All right everyone say it with me now......................Palin & Cheney in 2012. And if the liberals give them problems we can simply browbeat them by saying they are sexist, and trying to stifle the feminist movement(wink,wink,nudge,nudge).

The Stranger

Contract or not, lesbian can't be 'mommy'

2009-07-13T01:05:00.002-04:00

A district court judge ruled against a lesbian woman seeking to attain legal standing as the mother of her former lover's child and, in the process, struck a blow for parental rights.

In 2006, Gena-Louise Edvalson entered into a "contract" with her lover, Jana Dickson, to co-parent her partner's newborn son. But after the relationship ended, Edvalson sued Dickson, who is now married to a man, demanding the mother honor the contract and grant her former partner parental standing in the boy's life. Read entire story here.

Three cheers for Judge Leon Anthony Dever of Utah's Third District Court! This is my nominee for Supreme Court. Finally someone with some common sense.

The Stranger

Episcopal Bishop calls individual salvation 'heresy,' 'idolatry'

2009-07-10T21:32:00.003-04:00

ANAHEIM, CA - Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says it's "heresy" to believe that an individual can be saved through a sinner's prayer of repentance.

Is it just me or is she nuttier than squirrel turds? I got to get the whole world to come around, what am I a muslim? That's not the deal I made with "my God" lady. I do believe she may need to get off the pulpit, and get on her knees. There's only one way to do it.

The Stranger

Friday Funny

2009-07-10T17:11:00.003-04:00

Snagged from GOC

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009

2009-07-10T15:29:00.003-04:00

Well Congress is trying to push another anti-discrimination bill on us see the full bill here. What ever happened to personal responsibility, and advancement based on merit?

I'm sorry but is anyone out there still living in the 50's. We have a black President, and women have held just about every position of power in this country short of the Presidency, or vice presidency. Is discrimination so rampant that we need to continue bolstering the anti-discrimination laws. I have been working in the workforce for 22 years, and have never witnessed a blatant act of discrimination. I have however been witness to several frivolous lawsuits claiming discrimination.

That is the legacy of tougher anti-discrimination laws. These laws open employers up to baseless lawsuits, and force their hand to make ignorant decisions based primarily on race, and sex. The most recent case in point is the Conn. fire dept. who chose to discard their written test results in favor of an arbitrary promotion system. This was done after claims that the tests were discriminatory. Pardon me, but how can a written test be racially discriminatory, I thought we were all equal? We all have access to the same shitty educational system, so to say the test was somehow discriminatory would be the equivalent of saying blacks, and latinos are inferior to whites. Isn't that discrimination?

I think it's time for minorities to start stepping up, and proving their equality. This is why America "used" to encourage immigrants to acclimate. As Americans we are all equal, but that can never be achieved if minority groups continue to segregate themselves. I think that all these new anti-discrimination policies do is drive a wedge further between the American people. I have seen people passed over for raises, and promotions in the past, and as sad as it may be it was simply because they didn't deserve them. Now employers have to worry that if they pass over an employee for promotion, or refuse them a raise based on their performance that they will be sued for discrimination.

Let's put it this way. Imagine you go into your job, and bust your ass every day to do the best job you can. The person next to you however has no pride in their work and is just doing what they need to do to keep their job. For whatever reason a supervisory position has opened up in your dept., and based on your performance you're certain you will get the spot. The next day however, you find out that in fear of legal retaliation the company has given the promotion to your slacking fellow worker, based on their racial or sexual status. Do you really believe this will promote an air of racial, or sexual harmony in the workplace? I think not.

The Stranger

Al Qaeda Mocks President Kumbaya

2009-07-10T14:26:00.002-04:00

Hey! Mind your own business. Mocking Obama's agenda is our job

An American who left the United States to join an Al Qaeda-linked group in Somalia is strongly condemning President Obama's efforts to seek "a new beginning" with the Muslim world, mocking Obama's "magic of charisma" and warning of more attacks against U.S. interests.

"Despite the fact that you have been ... forced [by Muslim fighters] to at least pretend to extend your hand in peace to the Muslims, we cannot and shall not extend our hands," said the man in the audiotape, identified by the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) as Abu Mansour al-Amriki. "Rather, we shall extend to you our swords, until you leave our lands."

The 20-minute audiotape, called "The Beginning of the End," was posted Thursday on several jihadist web sites as a direct response to Obama's much-publicized speech in Cairo on June 4, when he promised "a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world."

"Let this not come as a surprise to those who are mesmerized by Obama's speech in Cairo, our positions ... have not changed in the least," al-Amriki said, in the transcription provided by MEMRI. "If we study his words carefully, we can note very clearly that this new beginning is still heavily based upon American interests ... [Obama spoke] not because he loves the Muslims he lived with in Indonesia, as a boy, but rather, it is because the only way to defeat the Muslims is by distracting them with this temporary life."

As Obama runs around the world on his apology tours, as he tries to reach out to blood thirsty enemies - while simultaneously dissing our allies - it is quite apparent that he is wasting his time, he is being played, and he is turning American power back into the paper tiger version Bin Laden scoffed at back in the 90's. And these groups will still hate the United States for being the greatest nation ever, no matter how much Obama reaches out and apologises.

Snagged from William Teach

Hoyer: Stimulus Slow to Create Jobs, But Time is Not Ripe for New Package

2009-07-05T22:17:00.002-04:00

The House's No. 2 Democrat said Sunday that he is not satisfied with the results of the stimulus so far, but it's too soon to consider a second package since not all of the $787 billion has been released yet. Read here.

China:
Exports to:
2004: 34,744,053,000
2005: 41,925,281,000
2006: 55,185,707,000
2007: 65,236,121,000
2008: 71,457,073,000
Total: 268,548,235,000
Imports from:
2004: 196,682,034,000
2005: 243,470,105,000
2006: 287,774,353,000
2007: 321,442,867,000
2008: 337,789,782,000
Total: 1,387,159,141,000 (176,574,278,000)* (1,210,584,863,000)**
Trade deficit: 1,118,610,906,000 (942,036,628,000)**
* Amount of cost attributed to crude oil
** Excludes crude oil purchases

We just can't sustain this kind of import economy. This is just one of many countries the U.S. trades with at a huge deficit. When you take into account the fact that many of the countries we are trading with are only borderline friendly, we are being bleed dry.

Trillions of dollars are just leaving our economy every year. Well you say what do we have to show for our trade dollars? What we have is essentially the worlds largest garage full of v.c.r.'s, and that money is not coming back. It's obvious these countries have no incentive to trade fairly with us, you only need to look at the numbers.

It's time to get trade under control, and use some of that stimulus money to rebuild our Technical and Industrial sectors. This is a good time for more small busineses and less corporate hoarding. Stop blaming the war for the economy. We rebuilt from the depression while fighting the Korean, and Vietnam wars. The fact of the matter is we have allowed trade to snowball out of control, it has become a secondary humanitarian effort. Couple that with the fact that our government is doing everything short of prohibiting small businesses, and you've got a recipe for disaster.

Money has become so intangible Washington seems to have forgotten, printing money is useless if you have no way to funnel it to the populous. People have to have jobs and we can't all be CEO's. Somebody has to sweep up, all I'm sayin is let it be a proud American making a decent wage.

Bring the small factories back to America, and if you want to bitch about the pollution why don't you take a look at China. People are wearing masks on the street, but the liberals are happy to go on supporting this while crowing look how green we are.

Bring the jobs home, start drilling for some of that oil we're sitting on, and if a caribou gets displaced shoot that F%#@er and ship it off to me I'll eat it.

The Stranger

Happy Independence Day America

2009-07-04T11:27:00.002-04:00

Sarah Palin resigns

2009-07-03T16:32:00.002-04:00

Please excuse any typos as I am currently typing with one hand while I scream and pull out my hair with the other. Who the hell is going to stand up to the liberal juggernaut. Conservatives have been branded as hatemongers and radical extremists, maybe it is time we lived up to that moniker. I don't condone violence, but if the current trend of rule by intimidation continues i'm afraid the only way to save this country may be revolution. Republicans have tried playing the game fairly, but if we learned anything from Vietnam it's that you can't fight a conventional war against geurilla tactics. Sarah Palin can't wear a jacket with her husbands team logo on it, but Nancy Pelosi can call our most effective intelligence agency a bunch of liars. The Bush family was slammed for being on good terms with the Saudi royal family, yet when Obama bowed down before the Saudi king he was simply being respectful. When you call the liberals on these topics they quickly reply that these are trivial issues the important thing is Obamas policies. My point is that the Obama campaign was based on these types of trivial issues so I would expect him to at least attempt to rise above them. As far as the Obama policies, okay let's discuss how he is bankrupting the country at an unprecedented rate. Maybe we could discuss the Bush stimulus plan the Obama team criticized so vocally. Obama has already passed one stimulus bill and is gearing up for a second, the only difference between the Bush and Obama stimulus plans is that Bush gave our money back to us while Obama is doleing it out to local and state governments. Let's talk about where the stimulus money is going. Your tax dollars are going to fund important projects like blowing up beaver dams and building a country club in a town that has more cows than people.
If we cannot at least take back the Congress this election I'm afraid the America we have all known and loved these many years will be doomed to third world status.

The Stranger

Chicago politics hits New York

2009-07-01T22:02:00.002-04:00

Still don't think it's time to take Congress back? If the Republicans don't take it back in 2010 you won't recognize this country by 2014. Remember to vote and vote republican.

Economy in a nutshell

2009-06-29T14:25:00.001-04:00

It is a slow day in the East Texas town of Woodville.

It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted.

Times are tough, everybody is in debt and everybody lives on credit.

On this particular day a rich tourist from the East is driving through town.

He enters the only hotel in the sleepy town and lays a hundred dollar bill on the desk stating he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night.

As soon as the man walks up the stairs, the hotel proprietor takes the hundred dollar bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to pay his debt to the pig farmer.

The pig farmer then takes the $100 and heads off to pay his debt to the supplier of feed and fuel.

The guy at the Farmer's Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has lately had to offer her "services" on credit.

The hooker runs to the hotel and pays off her debt with the $100 to the hotel proprietor, paying for the rooms that she had rented when she brought clients to that establishment.

The hotel proprietor then lays the $100 bill back on the counter so the rich traveler will not suspect anything.

At that moment the traveler from the East walks back down the stairs, after inspecting the rooms.

He picks up the $100 bill and states that the rooms are not satisfactory...... Pockets the money and walks out the door and leaves town.

No one earned anything. However the whole town is now out of debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government is conducting business today.

If that doesn't scare the heck out of you, then I don't know what will.

Special thanks to Brent B.

Finally the U.S. flexes a little

2009-06-29T13:30:00.002-04:00

Air Force test fires missile from Calif coast

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – The Air Force says it has successfully launched an unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile from a California base, firing it to targets in the Pacific Ocean.

Lt. Raymond Geoffroy (JEFF-rey) said the ICBM was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 3:01 a.m. Monday.

He said it carried three unarmed re-entry vehicles that hit their targets near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, some 4,200 miles away.

On clear mornings, missile launchings from Vandenberg can be seen as far away as Los Angeles, 140 miles to the southeast, but fog along the coast made Monday's launch difficult to see even in the immediate area, Geoffroy said.

The Air Force said the launch was an operational test to check the weapon system's reliability and accuracy.

Test data will be used by United States Strategic Command planners and Department of Energy laboratories.

"More likely the test will be echoing in the minds of N Korean and Iranian dictators."

The Stranger

White firefighters win Supreme Court appeal

2009-06-29T13:23:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.
Read entire article here.

"Finally Supreme Court gets one right."

The Stranger

The voice of reason

2009-06-26T19:14:00.002-04:00

Rep. John Boehner launches energy bill filibuster

Friday Funny

2009-06-26T18:38:00.002-04:00

Stolen from GOC

The Climate Change Climate Change

2009-06-26T17:18:00.002-04:00

Well it looks like everyone else is wising up to the global warming scam.

It's time to look behind the curtain

2009-06-25T18:34:00.003-04:00

All right I am sick and tired of the economic shell game. Everybody Republicans and Democrats alike are scrambling to come up with reasons for our economic woes. Some say that healthcare costs incurred by smokers and obese Americans is placing a strain on our economy. Excuse me, but last time I checked it was my constitutionally protected right to have a smoke and a Twinkie if I want to.

Why are we ignoring the 14 to 22 million illegal immigrants currently in the United States. In 2004 the annual uncompensated cost of medical care for illegal immigrants in California was $1.4 billion. That is just California. It's estimated that California houses nearly a third (31%) of the nations illegal aliens. If you extrapolate based on those numbers that means the total estimated cost of healthcare for illegal immigrants is approximately 4.2 billion dollars per year, much more than the approximated 80 million dollars incurred by smokers and obese Americans. Why then I ask are we not doing something about these criminals? How can I say that all illegal immigrants are criminals, well it's sort of implied in the name "illegal" immigrant.

This is just healthcare costs, add to that the expenses incurred for financial aid, as well as education, and these criminals are robbing the American taxpayers of tens of billions of dollars every year. Do I feel sorry for the disenfranchised citizens in other countries? Yes I do, I also feel it is their responsibility to stand up and work for change in their own system. You can,t just go where the grass is greener, or eventually you will trample all the grass.

I like to break things down to their simplest form. Lets say I lose my job, and my family is in financial trouble, but my neighbors are doing fine. Would it be acceptable for me and my family to sneak over and move into my neighbors house? Of course not, it would be my responsibility to find work and support my family. Why can we not seem to apply this common sense on an
international level. Take the people of Iran for example, they are not happy with their situation, but they're not fleeing to greeener pastures they are trying to affect change. I applaud them for that.

Another favorite target are American businesses, they are too greedy, they are being mismanaged. I'm sorry but as ugly as it may be greed is an inherent part of capitalism. The
solution is not for the government to step in and help protect the monopolies these companies have on their services and products. We already have a system of checks and balances to protect against greed and mismanagement, it's called the American consumer. If a company gets overly
greedy, or is being mismanaged consumers stop using their services or products. At this point the company in question has a choice, either make improvements to win back their consumers, or fail and be replaced.

The fact is these supposed issues are nothing more than a smokescreen to hide the real issue, the unfair trade practices our government has promoted. Here are some stats on trade for the last five years.

China:Exports to:
2004: 34,744,053,000
2005: 41,925,281,000
2006: 55,185,707,000
2007: 65,236,121,000
2008: 71,457,073,000
Total: 268,548,235,000

Imports from:
2004: 196,682,034,000
2005: 243,470,105,000
2006: 287,774,353,000
2007: 321,442,867,000
2008: 337,789,782,000
Total: 1,387,159,141,000 (176,574,278,000)* (1,210,584,863,000)**
Trade deficit: 1,118,610,906,000 (942,036,628,000)**

Japan:Exports to:
2004: 54,243,120,000
2005: 55,484,472,000
2006: 59,612,714,000
2007: 62,703,458,000
2008: 66,579,152,000
Total: 298,622,916,000

Imports from:
2004: 129,805,199,000
2005: 138,003,696,000
2006: 148,180,776,000
2007: 145,463,343,000
2008: 139,248,199,000
Total: 700,701,213,000
Trade deficit: 402,078,297,000

Germany:Exports to:
2004: 31,415,882,000
2005: 34,183,656,000
2006: 41,319,095,000
2007: 49,650,956,000
2008: 54,732,310,000
Total: 211,301,899,000

Imports from:
2004: 77,265,574,000
2005: 84,750,871,000
2006: 89,082,049,000
2007: 94,164,096,000
2008: 97,552,900,000
Total: 442,815,490,000
Trade deficit: 231,513,591,000

Britain:Exports to:
2004: 36,000,233,000
2005: 38,587,772,000
2006: 45,410,107,000
2007: 50,228,663,000
2008: 53,775,110,000
Total: 224,001,885,000

Imports from:
2004: 46,273,823,000
2005: 51,032,621,000
2006: 53,513,018,000
2007: 56,857,542,000
2008: 58,619,220,000
Total: 266,296,224,000 (16,372,304,000)* (249,923,920,000)**
Trade deficit: 42,294,339,000 (25,922,035,000)**

France:Exports to:
2004: 21,263,284,000
2005: 22,410,379,000
2006: 24,217,407,000
2007: 27,412,546,000
2008: 29,186,901,000
Total: 124,490,517,000

Imports from:
2004: 31,605,739,000
2005: 33,842,058,000
2006: 37,039,632,000
2007: 41,552,711,000
2008: 43,997,090,000
Total: 188,037,230,000
Trade deficit: 63,546,713,000

Italy:Exports to:
2004: 10,684,740,000
2005: 11,524,325,000
2006: 12,546,042,000
2007: 14,149,624,000
2008: 15,478,613,000
Total: 64,383,344,000

Imports from:
2004: 28,097,275,000
2005: 31,009,260,000
2006: 32,655,071,000
2007: 35,027,630,000
2008: 36,143,410,000
Total: 162,932,646,000
Trade deficit: 98,549,302,000

Canada:Exports to:
2004: 189,879,866,000
2005: 211,898,689,000
2006: 230,656,014,000
2007: 248,888,145,000
2008: 260,914,364,000
Total: 1,142,237,078,000

Imports from:
2004: 256,359,836,000
2005: 290,384,293,000
2006: 302,437,859,000
2007: 317,056,763,000
2008: 335,555,269,000
Total: 1,501,794,020,000 (176,574,278,000)* (1,325,219,742,000)**
Trade deficit: 359,556,942,000 (182,982,664,000)**

Total exports to G7 countries 2004-2008: 1,796,277,639,000

Total imports from G7 countries 2004-2008: 3,262,576,823,000
(369,520,860,000)* (2,893,055,963,000)**

Trade deficit: 1,466,299,184,000 (1,096,778,324,000)**

* Amount of cost attributed to crude oil
** Excludes crude oil purchases

Now I understand that some international trade is necessary, but look at those deficit numbers that is money that will never make it back into our economy. Once again I would like to break this down into it's simplest form. Let's say there are only two people left on earth me and joe, and joe and I own the last two restauraunts on earth. If joe eats at my restauraunt once a month,
but I eat at his place every day there is no way I can prosper.

Another thing that bothers me are the products we are importing. We are importing billions
of dollars worth of produce, grains, and meats. How can we possibly justify this when American farms are failing on a daily basis, and in a political climate where "green" industries are being touted as the salvation for America. I don't think you can find a "greener" industry than agriculture.

Another import we are spending billions per year on is iron and steel products. You only have to look at Pennsylvania to see the insanity of this. You have cities reduced to virtual ghost towns by the closing of steel manufacturers. This isn't because these companies were poorly managed, it's simply that they couldn't compete with unchecked foreign suppliers.

In the late 90's I was working for a fastener manufacturer, at the time they were buying steel from a mill in Dong Bu Korea. The price they were paying for their steel was the same price we were getting for our scrap metal, granted we were scrapping nearly half of what we purchased because of damage and defect, but when you're paying only a quarter of the normal price you can afford to throw away half the product. Also when they scrapped the material they were making back their money anyway.

Now you can't blame businesses for buying these products, they will do whatever they can to increase their bottom line, and that's how it should be. It's up to our government to say enough is enough, it's time to level the playing field for American businesses. Reduce trade set higher tariffs, I don't care how they do it, but we need to stop hemmoraging money or we will never stabilize our economy.

The Stranger

Cheaters GOP vs Dems

2009-06-25T15:13:00.000-04:00

Okay first of all I think what Gov. Mark Sanford did was deplorable, and he should step down because of it. Now with that said what I am wondering is why are the mainstream media and the left jumping all over this? I thought traditional family values were just so much hate speech. How come when it was Slick Willy (Bill Clinton) getting a hummer in the White House it was just a personal issue between him and his wife. Hmmmm do I smell more liberal hypocrisy? Let's see if Gov. Sanford fairs as well as former President Clinton.

The Stranger

An oldie but a goodie................or

2009-06-20T16:10:00.005-04:00

How to build an Oligarchy

Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said "Someone may steal from it at night." So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.Then Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write the reports. Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created the following positions, a timekeeper, and a payroll officer, then hired two people. Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, Assistant AdministrativeOfficer, and a Legal Secretary. Then Congress said, "We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cut back overall cost."

So they laid off the night watchman.

And the machine rolls on.........................

The Stranger

Sooooo True

2009-06-19T18:42:00.000-04:00

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy outof freedom. What one person receives without working for, another personmust work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybodyanything that the government does not first take from somebody else . Whenhalf of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because theother half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets theidea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get whatthey work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. Youcannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

~~~ The late Dr. Adrian Rogers , 1931 to 2005 ~~~

Temp Work Helps Mask Joblessness Among Americans

2009-06-16T19:42:00.002-04:00

Look at that, they have saved or created 1.2 million jobs............................ for about 5 weeks.

This is a pretty good article.

GAFFNEY: America's first Muslim president? - Washington Times

2009-06-13T17:12:00.001-04:00

GAFFNEY: America's first Muslim president? - Washington Times

Shared via AddThis

Sotomayor: Never thought about rights of unborn

2009-06-12T01:05:00.001-04:00

President Obama's Supreme Court nominee has made an astonishing admission -- she has never considered whether an unborn child has any rights.

Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) says he had a "good meeting" with Judge Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday that covered a broad range of issues, but none of his concerns about the high court nominee were eased.

DeMint, chairman of the Senate Steering Committee, says he remains deeply disturbed with her view of the Second Amendment. "She was unwilling to say the Second Amendment protects a fundamental right that applies to all Americans, which raises serious questions about her view of the Bill of Rights," the senator offers.

According to DeMint, Sotomayor -- a Catholic -- also indicated she does not share her church's commitment to protecting the unborn.

"When I asked if an unborn child has any rights whatsoever, I was surprised that she said she had never thought about it," he says. "This is not just a question about abortion, but about respect due to human life at all stages -- and I hope this is cleared up in her hearings."

Given Sotomayor's comments on gun rights and the unborn, DeMint questions whether the nominee has what he believes is required of a Supreme Court nominee -- an "unwavering commitment to the Constitution and equal justice for all Americans."

Jim Brown - OneNewsNow

Chicagoland politics

2009-06-11T16:54:00.002-04:00

One must wonder these days if the Democrats are wrapping themselves around Chicagoland rough and tumble politics, or are they wrapping themselves around the politics of hyper-inflation experiencing third world thugocracies.

In Chicagoland politics, like third world thugocracies, opponents of government get gunned down, thrown in jail, threatened by the powers of government, etc. We saw this happen a few months ago when a bank executive wrote a letter to the editor in his local newspaper criticizing TARP. Barney Frank demanded he appear before Congress to answer questions unless he recanted his position.

We see it again today, very starkly,

Roll Call reports Senator Max Baucus, the Democrat leading the fight for socialized healthcare, is threatening businessmen that appearing with Republicans will be harmful to their business interests.

Top aides to Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) called a last-minute, pre-emptive strike on Wednesday with a group of prominent Democratic lobbyists, warning them to advise their clients not to attend a meeting with Senate Republicans set for Thursday.
Russell Sullivan, the top staffer on Finance, and Jon Selib, Baucus’ chief of staff, met with a bloc of more than 20 contract lobbyists, including several former Baucus aides.
“They said, ‘Republicans are having this meeting and you need to let all of your clients know if they have someone there, that will be viewed as a hostile act,’” said a Democratic lobbyist who attended the meeting.
“Going to the Republican meeting will say, ‘I’m interested in working with Republicans to stop health care reform,’” the lobbyist added.

People are not explicitly being denied their right to peacefully assembly and petition government. They are simply made to fear that should they exercise their constitutional rights, harm will come to them, their families, or their businesses.

It is the Chicago way. And these same people will not now go on the record because they fear the power of Congressmen who do not respect differing opinions.

But it is not just the Chicago way. It is also the way of the third world thugocracy. And what makes me think this is more third world thugocracy that your basic Chicago cement shoes, is that in thugocracies, in addition to rounding up political opponents, throwing them in jail, harming businesses, or putting bullets in heads via hired hit men, the thugocracy also seeks to deny the opposition basic services — something that does not happen in Chicago.

In the summer of 2008, Congressman Thad McCotter took to the well of the United States House of Representatives to ask tough questions of Nancy Pelosi. Her response? Order the C-SPAN cameras turned off.

Later that summer, when Republicans took to the floor of the House of Representatives to demand a vote on off shore drilling, what did the Democrats do? They turned off the power, locked the doors, and dared the GOP to do anything. But the GOP stayed and resisted. The GOP scored big points.

The same is happening with Democrats outside Washington. In New York State, when Republicans took over the State Senate this past week, Democrats turned out the power, cut the internet lines, shut down the phone lines, and fled.

Robert Mugabe would be proud.

This should also be a sign of just how manifestly wrong the Democrats are and where the Democrats are heading. In third world thugocracies the governments typically set the countries on a path toward hyperinflation after bullying opponents, whistle blowers, and businesses into silence.

Think about it — if we add healthcare to Obama’s already prolific spending, we’ll each be taking whole uncut sheets of greenbacks straight off the U.S. Mint’s printer to pay for a burger and fries at McDonalds.

The only way to address this is for businessmen to overcome their fears and speak out. But until they do, we are all going to have to be strong and unite in opposition to the thugocracy. And we must because we can see in the third world what we will otherwise become.

Gee. Barney Frank seems testy.

2009-06-11T16:35:00.002-04:00

Boy Mr. Frank is really pissed. I think maybe these politicians have gotten too used to the main stream media towing the company line.

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

2009-06-11T15:51:00.001-04:00

By Lou Pritchett

Dear President Obama:

You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.

You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.

You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.

You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.

You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.

You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.

You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.

You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.

You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America' crowd and deliver this message abroad.

You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.

You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.

You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.

You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.

You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.

You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.

You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.

You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.

You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.

You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O'Relllys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.

You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.

Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.

Lou Pritchett

Note: Lou Pritchett is a former vice president of Procter & Gamble whose career at that company spanned 36 years before his retirement in 1989, and he is the author of the 1995 business book, Stop Paddling & Start Rocking the Boat.

Mr. Pritchett confirmed that he was indeed the author of the much-circulated "open letter." “I did write the 'you scare me' letter. I sent it to the NY Times but they never acknowledged or published it. However, it hit the internet and according to the ‘experts’ has had over 500,000 hits.

Here SHE is, the USS New York

2009-06-10T19:08:00.002-04:00

Well she has been built and christened, now on Nov. 2nd she will be commisioned into service in New York Harbor. The 9-11 terrorists attacked the WTC because they symbolized what America stands for. Once again the WTC (USS New York was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center) symbolizes what we as a nation stand for. Taking the fight to the enemy before they bring it to us.

It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.

Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite , LA to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept 9, 2003, 'those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence,' recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. 'It was a spiritual moment for everybody there.' Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that
when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the 'hair on my neck stood up.' 'It had a big meaning to it for all of us,' he said. 'They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back.'

The ship's motto?
'Never Forget'

(I Won't)

The Stranger

Iraqi accused in 5 US soldier deaths freed

2009-06-10T15:19:00.003-04:00

BAGHDAD – The surprise release of a Shiite militant linked to the killing of five U.S. soldiers in Iraq is part of a high-stakes gambit that could result in freedom for five British hostages and a political role for a major Shiite extremist group with reputed ties to Iran.

Laith al-Khazali, a leading figure in the Asaib al-Haq, or League of the Righteous, was freed from U.S. custody over the weekend and taken to his home in Baghdad's Sadr City district, according to Iraqi officials involved in negotiations for his release.

Al-Khazali and his brother Qais were arrested in March 2007 and accused of organizing a bold raid on a local government headquarters in Karbala that killed five U.S. soldiers on Jan. 20, 2007.

Danny Chism, whose son, Spc. Johnathan Bryan Chism, was among the Americans killed, was outraged upon hearing that al-Khazali had been released. "Somebody needs to answer for it," he said from his home in Donaldsonville, Louisiana. Read entire article here.

So this is how were gonna stop terrorism? Where in the hell are these politicians getting their advice from, Syria? You don't release criminals accused of terrorist attacks to avoid further acts of terror. Come on people WTF that's like saying if we just released all of our prisoners there would be no more crime. Once again we see the extent of liberal hypocrisy. Liberals in America constantly bash Conservative Christians, they're called intolerant, hatemongers, and homophobes. In this article we see the liberal government trying to include Shiite Muslims in the world political process. WTF! First of all Shiites aren't a political party they are a religous group. What if I said the Southern Baptist Convention should play a bigger part in world politics? I'll tell you what, the liberals would shit their pants. Do the liberals really believe that Islam would welcome their brand of tolerance. The gay agenda is heavily promoted by the left, but according to Sharia law homosexuality is forbidden and in most cases punishable by death. Liberals also greatly enjoy their freedom of speech Sharia law however makes no real provisions for free speech by non-muslims, it does however state that if you in any way insult Allah, or Muhammad you will be put to death. Maybe these moronic bleeding hearts should brush up on their quran as well as sharia law before tearing down our culture to replace it with a religious dictatorship.

The Stranger

Barack Obama's Top 10 Apologies: How the President Has Humiliated a Superpower

2009-06-10T13:21:00.002-04:00

by Nile Gardiner, Ph.D. and Morgan Roach

A common theme that runs through President Obama's statements is the idea the United States must atone for its past policies, whether it is America's application of the war against Islamist terrorism or its overall foreign policy. At the core of this message is the concept that the U.S. is a flawed nation that must seek redemption by apologizing for its past "sins."

On several occasions, President Obama has sought to apologize for the actions of his own country when addressing a foreign audience--including seven of the 10 apologies listed below. The President has already apologized for his country to nearly 3 billion people across Europe, the Muslim world, and the Americas.

The Obama Administration's strategy of unconditional engagement with America's enemies combined with a relentless penchant for apology-making is a dangerous recipe for failure. The overall effect of this approach has been to weaken American power on the world stage rather than strengthen it.

President Obama's personal approval ratings across much of the world may be sky high, but that has not translated into greater support for U.S.-led initiatives, such as the NATO mission in Afghanistan, which is heavily dependent on American and British troops. The U.S. is increasingly viewed as a soft touch internationally, which has encouraged rogue regimes such as North Korea and Iran to accelerate their nuclear and missile programs.

As President Obama embarks this week on his second major overseas tour, which will take him to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Germany, and France, the world does not need yet another apology from the President. Rather, it is looking for strong and principled leadership from the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. American leadership is not a popularity contest, nor should it be an exercise in self-loathing. Rather, it is about taking tough positions that will be met with hostility in many parts of the globe. Above all, it demands the assertive projection of American power, both to secure the homeland and to protect America's allies.

The following is a list of the 10 most significant apologies by the President of the United States in his first four months of office as they relate to foreign policy and national security issues.

1. Apology to France and Europe ("America Has Shown Arrogance")

Speech by President Obama, Rhenus Sports Arena, Strasbourg, France, April 3, 2009.[1]

So we must be honest with ourselves. In recent years we've allowed our Alliance to drift. I know that there have been honest disagreements over policy, but we also know that there's something more that has crept into our relationship. In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive.

2. Apology to the Muslim World ("We Have Not Been Perfect")

President Obama, interview with Al Arabiya, January 27, 2009.[2]

My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that.

3. Apology to the Summit of the Americas ("At Times We Sought to Dictate Our Terms")

President Obama, address to the Summit of the Americas opening ceremony, Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17, 2009.[3]

All of us must now renew the common stake that we have in one another. I know that promises of partnership have gone unfulfilled in the past, and that trust has to be earned over time. While the United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the hemisphere, we have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms. But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership. There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations; there is simply engagement based on mutual respect and common interests and shared values. So I'm here to launch a new chapter of engagement that will be sustained throughout my administration.

The United States will be willing to acknowledge past errors where those errors have been made.

4. Apology at the G-20 Summit of World Leaders ("Some Restoration of America's Standing in the World")

News conference by President Obama, ExCel Center, London, United Kingdom, April 2, 2009.[4]

I would like to think that with my election and the early decisions that we've made, that you're starting to see some restoration of America's standing in the world. And although, as you know, I always mistrust polls, international polls seem to indicate that you're seeing people more hopeful about America's leadership.

I just think in a world that is as complex as it is, that it is very important for us to be able to forge partnerships as opposed to simply dictating solutions. Just to try to crystallize the example, there's been a lot of comparison here about Bretton Woods. "Oh, well, last time you saw the entire international architecture being remade." Well, if there's just Roosevelt and Churchill sitting in a room with a brandy, that's an easier negotiation. But that's not the world we live in, and it shouldn't be the world that we live in.

5. Apology for the War on Terror ("We Went off Course")

President Obama, speech at the National Archives, Washington, D.C., May 21, 2009.[5]

Unfortunately, faced with an uncertain threat, our government made a series of hasty decisions. I believe that many of these decisions were motivated by a sincere desire to protect the American people. But I also believe that all too often our government made decisions based on fear rather than foresight; that all too often our government trimmed facts and evidence to fit ideological predispositions. Instead of strategically applying our power and our principles, too often we set those principles aside as luxuries that we could no longer afford. And during this season of fear, too many of us--Democrats and Republicans, politicians, journalists, and citizens--fell silent.

In other words, we went off course. And this is not my assessment alone. It was an assessment that was shared by the American people who nominated candidates for President from both major parties who, despite our many differences, called for a new approach--one that rejected torture and one that recognized the imperative of closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

6. Apology for Guantanamo in France ("Sacrificing Your Values")

Speech by President Obama, Rhenus Sports Arena, Strasbourg, France, April 3, 2009.[6]

Our two republics were founded in service of these ideals. In America, it is written into our founding documents as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In France: "Liberté"--absolutely--"egalité, fraternité." Our moral authority is derived from the fact that generations of our citizens have fought and bled to uphold these values in our nations and others. And that's why we can never sacrifice them for expedience's sake. That's why I've ordered the closing of the detention center in Guantanamo Bay. That's why I can stand here today and say without equivocation or exception that the United States of America does not and will not torture.

In dealing with terrorism, we can't lose sight of our values and who we are. That's why I closed Guantanamo. That's why I made very clear that we will not engage in certain interrogation practices. I don't believe that there is a contradiction between our security and our values. And when you start sacrificing your values, when you lose yourself, then over the long term that will make you less secure.

7. Apology before the Turkish Parliament ("Our Own Darker Periods in Our History")

Speech by President Obama to the Turkish Parliament, Ankara, Turkey, April 6, 2009.[7]

Every challenge that we face is more easily met if we tend to our own democratic foundation. This work is never over. That's why, in the United States, we recently ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. That's why we prohibited--without exception or equivocation--the use of torture. All of us have to change. And sometimes change is hard.

Another issue that confronts all democracies as they move to the future is how we deal with the past. The United States is still working through some of our own darker periods in our history. Facing the Washington Monument that I spoke of is a memorial of Abraham Lincoln, the man who freed those who were enslaved even after Washington led our Revolution. Our country still struggles with the legacies of slavery and segregation, the past treatment of Native Americans.

Human endeavor is by its nature imperfect. History is often tragic, but unresolved, it can be a heavy weight. Each country must work through its past. And reckoning with the past can help us seize a better future.

8. Apology for U.S. Policy toward the Americas ("The United States Has Not Pursued and Sustained Engagement with Our Neighbors")

Opinion editorial by President Obama: "Choosing a Better Future in the Americas," April 16, 2009.[8]

Too often, the United States has not pursued and sustained engagement with our neighbors. We have been too easily distracted by other priorities, and have failed to see that our own progress is tied directly to progress throughout the Americas. My Administration is committed to the promise of a new day. We will renew and sustain a broader partnership between the United States and the hemisphere on behalf of our common prosperity and our common security.

9. Apology for the Mistakes of the CIA ("Potentially We've Made Some Mistakes")

Remarks by the President to CIA employees, CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia, April 20, 2009.[9] The remarks followed the controversial decision to release Office of Legal Counsel memoranda detailing CIA enhanced interrogation techniques used against terrorist suspects.

So don't be discouraged by what's happened in the last few weeks. Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we've made some mistakes. That's how we learn. But the fact that we are willing to acknowledge them and then move forward, that is precisely why I am proud to be President of the United States, and that's why you should be proud to be members of the CIA.

10. Apology for Guantanamo in Washington ("A Rallying Cry for Our Enemies")

President Obama, speech at the National Archives, Washington, D.C., May 21, 2009.[10]

There is also no question that Guantanamo set back the moral authority that is America's strongest currency in the world. Instead of building a durable framework for the struggle against al Qaeda that drew upon our deeply held values and traditions, our government was defending positions that undermined the rule of law. In fact, part of the rationale for establishing Guantanamo in the first place was the misplaced notion that a prison there would be beyond the law--a proposition that the Supreme Court soundly rejected. Meanwhile, instead of serving as a tool to counter terrorism, Guantanamo became a symbol that helped al Qaeda recruit terrorists to its cause. Indeed, the existence of Guantanamo likely created more terrorists around the world than it ever detained.

So the record is clear: Rather than keeping us safer, the prison at Guantanamo has weakened American national security. It is a rallying cry for our enemies.

Nile Gardiner is the Director of, and Morgan Roach is Research Assistant in, the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation.

Obama fashions a government of many czars

2009-06-08T15:59:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Name a top issue and President Barack Obama has probably got a "czar" responsible for tackling it.

A bank bailout czar? Herb Allison. Energy czar? Carol Browner.

There's a drug czar, a U.S. border czar, an urban czar, a regulatory czar, a stimulus accountability czar, an Iran czar, a Middle East czar, and a czar for both Afghanistan and Pakistan, which in Washington-speak has been lumped together into a policy area called Af-Pak.

There are upward of 20 such top officials, all with lengthy official titles but known in the media as czars, and next week there will be one more, when Obama appoints a czar for cyber-security who will be charged with improving the security of computer networks.

"In short, America's economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cyber-security," Obama said on Friday.

Experts say Obama's reliance on czars can be helpful by focusing attention on a big issue and making someone responsible for it, but that it can also lead to turf fights and add another cumbersome bureaucratic layer.

Or, as Republican Senator John McCain likes to say, Obama has "more czars than the Romanovs," who ruled Russia for three centuries.

On cyber-security specifically, some with deep knowledge of U.S. national security issues say having a central coordinator in charge would be helpful.

Ken Wainstein, who was former President George W. Bush's homeland security adviser, said the issues inherent to cyber-security cross many different government agencies, from the Department of Homeland Security to the ultra-secret National Security Agency, to the Defense Department, and on.

"It's a big issue that has a lot government players so it needs some coordination," said Wainstein, now at the law firm O'Melveny & Myers.

"It also helps to raise the profile of the issue within the bureaucracy to ensure the issue is addressed aggressively. Our cyber systems are being attacked on a regular basis," he said.

'OUTSIDE FORMAL CHANNELS'

Bruce Buchanan, a University of Texas political science professor, said that in some respects Obama looks to be relying on a formula from his successful election campaign last year -- making top people responsible for various parts of his sprawling operation.

"It does seem to facilitate going outside formal channels and creating ad hoc solutions," he said. "I think it makes sense. It's the way he operates."

Many analysts are carefully watching what happens at Obama's State Department, where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in overall charge but has a number of top envoys working on many central issues.

Veteran diplomat Richard Holbrooke has the Afghanistan-Pakistan portfolio, Dennis Ross is the Iran point person and George Mitchell is the Middle East envoy.
Buchanan said it is up to Obama to make sure they all work together and that rival power centers do not develop that compete for the president's favor.

"The key is whether the president is adept at managing the kind of pathologies that can flow out of setting up these rival power centers," Buchanan said.

Linda Fowler, a professor of government at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, said presidents often appoint czars in a symbolic move to show they care about an issue. They also are trying to control a sprawling bureaucracy, she added.

"Presidents of both parties have done this because they are all dealing with this problem, this huge bureaucracy that has built up over the last 100 years. All presidents seem to have this idea that if they can just get it in the right direction, they can redirect the Queen Mary," she said, referring to the massive ocean liner.

Didn't the russians try a system like this? Hmmm how did that work out for them?

Are we safer yet Mr. President?

2009-06-03T13:37:00.001-04:00

By EILEEN SULLIVAN and H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer Eileen Sullivan And H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – The government accidentally posted on the Internet a list of government and civilian nuclear facilities and their activities in the United States, but U.S. officials said Wednesday the posting included no information that compromised national security.
However, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, questioned about the disclosure at a House hearing, expressed concern with respect to a uranium storage facility at the department's Y-12 facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn. The facility holds large quantities of highly enriched uranium, which if obtained can be used to fashion a nuclear weapon.
"That's of great concern," said Chu, referring to the Y-12 site. "We will be looking hard and making sure physical security of those sites (at Y-12) is sufficient to prevent eco-terrorists and others getting hold of that material."
But later Chu told reporters that while the disclosure may be embarrassing "there's no secret classified information that's been compromised (and) the sites and everything are public knowledge" already available elsewhere.
But, he added, the list "gathers it up" in a single document, and that is of some concern.
The 266-page document was published on May 6 as a transmission from President Barack Obama to Congress. According to the document, the list was required by law and will be provided to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Some of the pages are marked "highly confidential safeguards sensitive."
Chu said he had no details as to how the document was released, beyond that it involved the government printing office. "Someone made a mistake," said Chu, appearing before a House Appropriations subcommittee .
Damien LaVera, a spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, said the document had been reviewed by a number of U.S. agencies and that disclosure of the information did not jeopardize national security. He said the document is part of an agreement on nuclear material inspection under the IAEA's nuclear nonproliferation effort.
"While we would have preferred it not be released, the Departments of Energy, Defense, and Commerce and the NRC all thoroughly reviewed it to ensure that no information of direct national security significance would be compromised," LaVera said in a statement.
An Energy Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly, said none of the sites on the list are directly part of the government's nuclear weapons infrastructure.
In addition tothe Y-12 facility, the document includes some facilities at the Energy Department's Hanford nuclear site in Washington state and various civilian nuclear fuel processing sites including uranium enrichment facilitates, according to government officials.
Uranium stored at the Y-12 site is scheduled to be moved into a new $549 million high-security warehouse in 2010, said Y-12 spokesman Steve Wyatt. The 300-by-475-foot, fortress-like warehouse, under construction since 2004, will replace several aging vault-like storage facilities.
Beth Hayden, a spokeswoman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said the agency reviewed the document as it relates to civilian facilities with NRC licenses and "we are confident that information of direct national security significance was not compromised."
The NRC has jurisdiction over commercial nuclear power plants and civilian uranium processing and storage facilities.
The publication of the list was first reported in an online secrecy newsletter Monday. The document had been posted on the Government Printing Office Web site, but has since been removed from that site.
In a statement, the Government Printing Office said Wednesday: "Upon being informed about potential sensitive nature of the attachment in this document, the Public Printer of the United States removed it from GPO's Web site pending further review. After consulting with the White House and Congress, it was determined that the document, including sensitive attachment, should be permanently removed from the Web site."
The GPO said it processes and produces approximately 160 House documents during the two-year congressional cycle, and the list was received by the agency in the normal process and produced under routine operating procedures.
The document includes both government and civilian nuclear facilities, all of which have various levels of security, including details and location of nation's 103 commercial nuclear power reactors, information readily available from various sources.
The document details the location of the nuclear sites and what is being done there.
For instance, there are nuclear reactors at the Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh, Pa. This facility is currently working on research into what happens when there are accidents with the nuclear reactors. The project started in 2006 and is expected to end in 2012, according to the document.
__
Associated Press reporter Pamela Hess in Washington and Duncan Mansfield in Knoxville, Tenn., contributed to this report.

A Climate of Hate

2009-06-02T14:16:00.003-04:00

From the time the Warren Commission report cited it for fostering the assassination of JFK up through the recent murder of an abortionist in Kansas, the left loves to writes about and decry what they refer to as a “climate of hate.”

Lately little more than code for “conservatives are talking,” the phrase “climate of hate” is ubiquitous, both in traditional media and on the left side of the internet. Each and every time a figure on the left is murdered, threatened, jostled on the subway, slips in the shower and gets a boo boo, or is just feeling a little blue, there is a blog and media blitz blaming Rush, Hannity, Coulter, and company for creating a “climate” of hate. Democrat blogging mothership DailyKos warns stridently and often of the murder and mayhem daily unleashed by the festering madness of conservative talk radio. Bill Maher, Keith Olbermann and Janeane Garofalo never miss the chance to sell the notion that rhetoric begets violence. The criticism of Obama paints a target on his back just as surely as Bill O’Reilly’s prolife position was directly responsible for the Kansas murder.

One can only conclude, therefore, that the left is trying to kill you.

Yesterday, a gunman murdered one soldier and wounded another outside a recruiting station in Kansas. There’s little surprise that the left, like their President, haven’t much to say about the murdered soldier. The anti-war left has been creating a climate of hate with regard to our troops individually and our military at large for years, with an increasingly brazen message the last few years. Blogs which continue to wring hands over fears of right-wing “hate” in the form of prime time cable news pundits can’t spare a pixel or two to reflect on the environment they’ve helped create spending 5 years calling our men and women in uniform murderers, rapists, and baby-killers. I’d normally advise against, but today I suggest you take a few minutes and peruse that liberal flagship to see the mixture of “hate” and “fear of hate” blogs. Enlightening.

When Sarah Palin was on the campaign trail the mainstream press were deeply concerned (one could tell by empathetic brow-furrows and “this is my serious voice” tonality) that her campaigning against Barack Obama was fostering a climate of hate; that she was stirring up rabid righty anger and an urge to kill in her audience. They were certain of it, you see, because some dude in one of her audiences may have yelled something unintelligible about Obama that one time.

What does it take to create a climate of hate? If you are talking about Obama, you need only Palin stating actual facts about his life and career, or radio DJs using his actual middle name. That’s enough to be thought architects of assassination. If you are talking about Palin, however, there doesn’t seem to be a line the left considers too far. Time magazine can go as far as explaining “Why Some Women Hate Sarah Palin”, with a bit of a light-hearted twist, and yet no accusations fly. Search for “hate Sarah Palin” at Google for a few more eye-openers. There is a “Hate Palin” cottage industry of t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs and more, not to mention the articles and blog posts which indulge. When hate directed at a person is so common as to be a marketing tool, is that not a climate of hate?

Sarah’s problem, of course, is being a smart, successful, conservative woman. On the left this is just about the worst thing a person can be, running just slightly behind black Republican. Yesterday, Playboy posted, and then removed, an “article” titled “So Right It’s Wrong - Ten Conservative Women We Hate To Love” by Guy Cimbalo. The premise was explicit. The author took ten conservative women and grotesquely elaborated on why he wanted to “hate f***” them. Yes. Hate. The screenshots are here and decidedly NOT safe for work. Although Politico would have you think otherwise, the posting was a virtual rape fantasy. Even celebrity gossip blog Jezebel could identify the misogynist tone which somehow escaped the notice of pretty much the whole left side of the blogosphere, other than Tommy Christopher. When a writer at Playboy feels comfortable writing something this vile, something the left was happy to let stand, Politico pointed to as a lightly humorous romp, and AOL deemed so uncontroversial they yanked Tommy Christopher’s story, is that not a climate of hate?

Conservative women aren’t the only group for which the left routinely expresses hate. Christians are roundly derided. Christians are mocked in movies, TV shows, and online routinely. Backward. Racist. Homophobes. They are called co-conspirators to murder. Is this not a climate of hate? How do you not hate someone who is murdering your ideological allies? If Maher is right that Glenn Beck’s show paints a target on Obama, then why is it not the case that Maher paints a target on Beck? Or on Christians with his never-ending crusade against them?

The viciousness with which conservative women are discussed on the left borders on horrific. The blatant calls for violence against our military are pervasive. The mockery and derision directed at Christians and conservatives is habitual. And all this from the same left who have spent decades decrying climates of hate as breeding grounds for violence. This is their calculus. They are clear about it. They believe it.

So if they are so sure that creating a climate of hate results in bloodshed, then what, I wonder, is their objective when they routinely create climates of hate?

Originally posted at RedState by Caleb

If I die before you wake

2009-05-30T16:29:00.001-04:00

Me is mine you is yours

2009-05-30T10:48:00.001-04:00

Wow if this doesn't sum up our situation today I don't know what does. And it's a catchy ditty too.

What happened to neighborhoods?

2009-05-30T09:38:00.003-04:00

DALLAS - Frank Larison is a disabled veteran with more than 14 years of service, including more than a year of combat duty in Vietnam.
The 58-year-old former Marine now finds himself under attack by his Dallas homeowners association for displaying seven decals on his vehicle supporting the Marine Corps.
"To me, it's being patriotic, and it shows that I served," the veteran told FOX 4.
The board says the decals are advertisements that violate HOA rules, and must be covered or removed.
Otherwise, the homeowners association for The Woodlands II on The Creek --- where Larimore has lived for eight years --- says in a letter it will tow the car at Larimore's expense. The board also threatens to fine him $50 for any future incident.
Larimore says the decals, ranging from the Marine emblem to Semper Fi slogans, aren't advertisements for anything. "You can't buy freedom," he reasoned.
Some neighbors are outraged.
"That is his identity," said neighbor Mary Castagna. "He goes to a lot of the veteran meetings, and it means a lot to him. Everyone else agrees with it; it doesn't bother anybody."
"He's in the Marines, and he's proud of it, and I don't blame him," said neighbor Paul Hardy. "If I'd gone through what he's gone through, I'd be kind of proud of it myself."
The letter from the board states you can't have any form of advertisement anywhere on your car on your property. FOX 4 cameras spotted bumper stickers for political parties, health causes, and other non-commercial interests on the property as well.
One board member said he was unaware the HOA presidents sent the letter and did not know of any issue with Larimore's vehicle.
"I will be looking into it," said board member Art Bradford. "I didn't know anything about this. I haven't seen this."
The board president was out of town and unavailable. The condo management company did not want to comment.

This goes to the heart of what I continually say about personal responsibility. Homeowners associations are just another gradual step towards socialism. Where I grew up people took care of their own property. Neighbors pitched in (voluntarily) to take care of the things that fell outside of their property boundaries. I can remember my dad and his buddies clearing the sewers so the streets wouldn't flood. Snowblowing the alleys and the streets to make them passable. Nobody told them to do it, it was called being neighborly. If you had a problem with something your neighbor was doing you talked to them about it. With these HOA's neighbors no longer communicate except through memo's and official letters, all the while resenting each other for the imposition. This is exactly what the liberal socialists want. The less we communicate the more we are divided. The easier it is for them to gather in small groups and push their agendas. Take this case for example this probably originated with one maybe two complaining neighbors but look at how much they were able to accomplish quietly. We don't need HOA's we need neighborhoods.

More sanctioned racism from the Obama administration

2009-05-29T17:39:00.001-04:00

Charges brought against three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense under the Bush administration have been dropped by the Obama Justice Department, FOX News has learned.
The charges stemmed from an incident at a Philadelphia polling place on Election Day 2008 when three members of the party were accused of trying to threaten voters and block poll and campaign workers by the threat of force -- one even brandishing what prosecutors call a deadly weapon.
The three black panthers, Minister King Samir Shabazz, Malik Zulu Shabazz and Jerry Jackson were charged in a civil complaint in the final days of the Bush administration with violating the voter rights act by using coercion, threats and intimidation. Shabazz allegedly held a nightstick or baton that prosecutors said he pointed at people and menacingly tapped it. Prosecutors also say he "supports racially motivated violence against non-blacks and Jews."
The Obama administration won the case last month, but moved to dismiss the charges on May 15.

Click here to see FOX News video from the scene on election day.

Click to watch the incident on YouTube.

The complaint says the men hurled racial slurs at both blacks and whites.
A poll watcher who provided an affidavit to prosecutors in the case noted that Bartle Bull, who worked as a civil rights lawyer in the south in the 1960's and is a former campaign manager for Robert Kennedy, said it was the most blatant form of voter intimidation he had ever seen.
In his affidavit, obtained by FOX News, Bull wrote "I watched the two uniformed men confront voters and attempt to intimidate voters. They were positioned in a location that forced every voter to pass in close proximity to them. The weapon was openly displayed and brandished in plain sight of voters."
He also said they tried to "interfere with the work of other poll observers ... whom the uniformed men apparently believed did not share their preferences politically," noting that one of the panthers turned toward the white poll observers and said "you are about to be ruled by the black man, cracker."
A spokesman for the Department of Justice told FOX News, "The Justice Department was successful in obtaining an injunction that prohibits the defendant who brandished a weapon outside a Philadelphia polling place from doing so again. Claims were dismissed against the other defendants based on a careful assessment of the facts and the law. The department is committed to the vigorous prosecution of those who intimidate, threaten or coerce anyone exercising his or her sacred right to vote."

FOX News' Eric Shawn contributed to this report.

The Judge 05/27/2009 Freedom Watch

2009-05-29T17:36:00.000-04:00

Pelosi vs. CIA: Why it matters

2009-05-28T22:31:00.003-04:00

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the CIA "misled" her about waterboarding.

What difference does it make, in the grand scheme of things, whether Pelosi is telling the truth? Maybe the CIA did; maybe the CIA did not. So what? Well, it makes a great deal of difference -- and not only because if true, the CIA didn't just "mislead" Pelosi but also committed a crime.

People like Pelosi, who once supported waterboarding -- just like the folks who once supported the war -- now attempt to rewrite history.

The country turned against former President George W. Bush and Republicans because of the war in Iraq. Yes, many Americans reversed their previous support of the war because of its unexpectedly high human and monetary costs. Yes, many turned against the war because, in its early stages, Iraq seemed on the verge of civil war. To many, the toppling of dictator Saddam Hussein backfired -- and made America less, not more, safe.

But what turned growing unease over the war into outright disdain for Bush? As to the case for war -- the assumption that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction -- many Americans feel flat-out lied to.

This brings us to waterboarding.

Like Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib, waterboarding serves as a metaphor for the former president's alleged deceitfulness and villainy. Pelosi denounces waterboarding as torture, yet another outrage by the lying, scheming, manipulative Bush administration.

Pelosi, at first, said she knew absolutely nothing about the administration's use of this "enhanced interrogation technique." The CIA disputes this. But by her own admission, the agency told her that it was considering using waterboarding. Wasn't that enough for the speaker to have thundered her disapproval? What about a letter of protest to the Bush White House? What about moving to cut off funds to prevent the agency from employing a technique that she purportedly finds so offensive?

The CIA pushed back. The agency said that it informed Pelosi, who received briefings, that it not only intended to use waterboarding but, in fact, had used waterboarding. Former CIA Director Porter Goss said that the CIA provided accurate information to Pelosi. Goss further said that the only objection during the briefing was the concern as to whether the CIA was going far enough.

Current CIA Director Leon Panetta agreed with Goss. In a memo to CIA employees, Panetta said, "CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, describing 'the enhanced techniques that had been employed.'" Panetta also wrote: "Our task is to tell it like it is -- even if that's not what people always want to hear. Keep it up. Our national security depends on it."

Now, the retreat.

Before declaring in a news conference that she no longer wants to stress the matter, Pelosi praised the CIA. Pelosi said, "My criticism of the manner in which the Bush administration did not appropriately inform Congress is separate from my respect for those in the intelligence community who work to keep our country safe." Does her respect extend to former CIA head George Tenet? Tenet served under former Presidents Clinton and Bush. As for believing Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, Tenet described the case as a "slam-dunk." Does she now "respect" that he made that assertion in good faith?

So, what does all of this tell us?

It tells us that in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, most Americans -- including the Democratic leadership in Congress -- wanted to prevent another attack. Despite their newfound "outrage" over torture, people like Speaker Nancy Pelosi understood, accepted, and even encouraged harsh interrogation techniques to prevent another attack.

As to the case for war, all 16 intelligence agencies concluded -- at the highest level of probability -- that Saddam Hussein possessed those stockpiles. Yet people like Sen. Ted Kennedy said things like "week after week after week, we were told lie after lie after lie." And many Americans -- especially those predisposed to believe the worst of the Bush administration -- completely bought it. "Bush lied, people died" became a refrain uttered endlessly by Bush haters.

But Bush didn't lie -- and the Democrats know it. Indeed, to extricate herself from Torture-gate, Pelosi now compliments the CIA, the very agency Bush relied on in making the case for war.

But public opinion turned against the war. Then waterboarding became "torture." And Bush became not simply a commander in chief who, in good faith, relied on near unanimous but faulty intelligence. He became, as then-Minority Leader Harry Reid said, "a loser" and "a liar."

Disgusting.

Courtesy of Larry Elder

American Taliban Targets War Memorial

2009-05-28T17:55:00.006-04:00

No wonder Plugs Bidens thinks that only 5% of the Taliban is too "incorrigible" to get along with. After all, he gets along fine with the ACLU, which as Teh Resistance Blog points out is the Taliban's American equivalent.

Here's one of the 6th-century Buddhas of Bamyan, which no longer exist because the Taliban doesn't like competition with Islam:

Here's a WWI memorial that has stood in the Mojave Desert since 1934, but that may not exist for long because the ACLU doesn't like competition with militant moonbattery:

Quacks an ACLU thug named Peter Eliasberg:
For us to choose the principal symbol of one religion that says Jesus is the Son of God and He is divine and say that is an appropriate way to reflect the sacrifice of people who don't believe that … is excluding by its very nature.
It would be exclusive not to exclude the Christianity, even if it is the basis of our civilization going back 2,000 years. So bring on the dynamite. Currently the cross is still standing, but is hidden in a box so that it can't offend anyone while the case is considered by the Supremes. Any guesses on where Sonia Sotomayor would stand?
Next to be dynamited: all those offensively exclusive crosses at Arlington. That should get a hearty thumbs-up from Mullah Omar.

Courtesy of Moonbattery

N. Korea v. Iran

2009-05-28T13:31:00.002-04:00

I've noticed that the media is all over the N. Korean nuclear tests. Please don't misunderstand I don't in any way welcome the notion of Kim Jong Il having a nuclear arsenal, but lets be honest he's probably not going to be around much longer. There is at least the possibility that after the passing of KJI N. Korea may get a more stable and open minded leader. There is also N. Koreas history of warfare which is pretty standard and straight forward. I don't see N. Korea as a nation prepared to sacrifice itself to destroy it's enemies. What everyone seems to be glossing over are the Iranian missle tests. Iran has a less clean cut history of warfare, as is illustrated in this excerpt of an article by writer Matthias Kuntzel:

During the Iran-Iraq War, the Ayatollah Khomeini imported 500,000 small plastic keys from Taiwan. The trinkets were meant to be inspirational. After Iraq invaded in September 1980, it had quickly become clear that Iran's forces were no match for Saddam Hussein's professional, well-armed military. To compensate for their disadvantage, Khomeini sent Iranian children, some as young as twelve years old, to the front lines. There, they marched in formation across minefields toward the enemy, clearing a path with their bodies. Before every mission, one of the Taiwanese keys would be hung around each child's neck. It was supposed to open the gates to paradise for them.At one point, however, the earthly gore became a matter of concern. "In the past," wrote the semi-official Iranian daily Ettelaat as the war raged on, "we had child-volunteers: 14-, 15-, and 16-year-olds. They went into the minefields. Their eyes saw nothing. Their ears heard nothing. And then, a few moments later, one saw clouds of dust. When the dust had settled again, there was nothing more to be seen of them. Somewhere, widely scattered in the landscape, there lay scraps of burnt flesh and pieces of bone." Such scenes would henceforth be avoided, Ettelaat assured its readers. "Before entering the minefields, the children [now] wrap themselves in blankets and they roll on the ground, so that their body parts stay together after the explosion of the mines and one can carry them to the graves."These children who rolled to their deaths were part of the Basiji, a mass movement created by Khomeini in 1979 and militarized after the war started in order to supplement his beleaguered army.The Basij Mostazafan - or "mobilization of the oppressed" - was essentially a volunteer militia, most of whose members were not yet 18. They went enthusiastically, and by the thousands, to their own destruction. "The young men cleared the mines with their own bodies," one veteran of the Iran-Iraq War recalled in 2002 to the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine. "It was sometimes like a race. Even without the commander's orders, everyone wanted to be first."

This is a nation which believes paradise can come only through chaos and destruction. Do we really want them to have a nuclear arsenal? I don't know about you, but I would rather live through another cold war than a nuclear winter.

The Stranger

The media loved him too............

2009-05-27T17:11:00.003-04:00

I urge everyone to read the latest post from Pamela Geller. Here is an excerpt from her post.

I thought I would never be able to experience what the ordinary, moral German felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the savior was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they did know was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory and promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully them into submission. And then he was duly elected to office, with a full-throttled economic crisis at hand [the Great Depression]. Slowly but surely he seized the controls of government power, department by department, person by person, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The kids joined a Youth Movement in his name , where they were taught what to think.

Posted At Atlas Shrugs.

Negative Action

2009-05-27T08:48:00.001-04:00

Today I want to talk about one of my favorite topics affirmative action. When are the extra rights going to end. Minorities have achieved just about every milestone you can think of. I know this because the media has to make a public declaration every time it happens. Take for example the nominee for the job of Administrator of NASA, Gen. Charles Bolden. All I heard for a week was Gen. Bolden will be the first African American to hold the position........and. Do you really think Gen. Bolden is sitting around thinking wow I can't believe I'm African American and I'm gonna be the Administrator of NASA.......I think not, he's probably thinking man I've worked my ass off for years and now it's paying dividends. If I were a minority I would find this insulting it's almost as if they're saying, can you believe "one of them" made it so far. I think the affirmative action order has run it's course, it's obsolete. affirmative action is a redundant piece of legislation. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act guarantees you the right to non-discrimanotory employment.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
The following is the text of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Pub. L. 88-352) (Title VII), as amended, as it appears in volume 42 of the United States Code, beginning at section 2000e. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 (Pub. L. 102-166) (CRA) and the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-2) amend several sections of Title VII. In addition, section 102 of the CRA amends the Revised Statutes by adding a new section following section 1977 (42 U.S.C. 1981), to provide for the recovery of compensatory and punitive damages in cases of intentional violations of Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

The only thing affirmative action does is set quotas for the hiring of minorities. Get serious people this isn't 1960 there are no segregated water fountains, bathrooms, or schools. We all have access to the same educational opportunities, and don't give me the financial disparity crap, I grew up poor and I'm as white as fresh snow. I'm just now getting to go to college now that my children are grown. My parents couldn't afford to send me to college so I joined the military. When I got out I took a low paying industrial job and worked my way up to a management position, it took about ten years and nobody gave me anything. I don't blame anyone for this that's just how the world works. Affirmative action creates situations like the one we have in New Haven Conn. where firefighters are being promoted to positions that they are not the most qualified for, because they couldn't be bothered with studying for a test. This twisted mentality starts early on with people now teaching their children that there are no winners and losers you just have to participate. They have "competitions" where everyone gets an award just for showing up. What does this teach? That you only have to do the bare minimum, there's no motivation to excel. What ever happened to personal responsibility? You are responsible for your successes and failures, not the world. I say it's time to repeal the affirmative action order. To show favortism to any group be it minority or majority is to diminish the rights of the other.

The Stranger

A Little Humor

2009-05-26T19:16:00.003-04:00

lolteriztz

Why not a liberal justice?

2009-05-26T13:03:00.003-04:00

This is an excellent crash course on constitutional law posted by Devils Advocate

Sotomayor Nomination

2009-05-26T09:50:00.003-04:00

Please join me in doing everything we can to block the nomination of this racist nominee for Supreme Court. Now I try not to throw the "R" word around too loosely (like the democrats did in 08' if you didn't vote for Obama), But this is what Ms. Sotomayor said at UCLA berkeley in 2001. "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion [as a judge] than a white male who hasn't lived that life." How many white judges do you think could have gotten away with a comment like that? This isn't her only shortcoming by far, even though she managed to make it to a federal court appointment without the help of lawmakers, still she rabidly supports affirmative action. Sotomayor was on the panel that not only quashed but then tried to bury the claims of the Conn. firefighters who filed a claim of reverse discrimination over the promotion practices in New Haven. For those who aren't familiar with the story New Have decided to use a standardized test to decide promotions but when the results of the test were in, and all the promotable passing scores belonged to white firefighters and one hispanic N.H threw the results out. We do not need more affirmative action I believe we as a country have fulfilled our obligation to minorities. I think the responsibility rests upon individuals to better their situation, just like all the other Americans. Write your congressman, sign any petitions you find, we must block this nomination.

The Stranger

Shhh the muslims will hear you.

2009-05-26T01:31:00.002-04:00

I guess we're not the only country covering for radical islamists.

Death in an Islamic "homemade concentration camp".

The abduction and murder in Paris of a young Jewish man by a gang of Muslim immigrants calling themselves the Barbarians shocked the whole of France in 2006. But now that the accused are on trial - silence.

Read the entire story here

Memorial Day in California

2009-05-26T01:05:00.003-04:00

Image courtesy of Diversity Lane

Newsbusted

2009-05-25T21:27:00.001-04:00

Fat Tax

2009-05-25T16:48:00.002-04:00

Okay, I was watching Neil Cavuto on Foxnews, and he was interviewing some liberal broad who was speaking in support of the new "fat tax". She claimed that 40 billion dollars were spent last year on medical care for obese people. She said that 9 out of 10 obese people were that way by choice, and that essentially they should be punished for that. What I would like to know is how much money was spent on medical costs for illegal immigrants, and who is being punished for that. The liberals tell us that gays are born that way. They tell us that pedophiles are born that way, and need treatment. Obese people however are like that by choice and should be punuished. WTF! Where do these people come from, do they all live in the same underground bunker sealed off from the normal world. When are we as a people going to finally say enough is enough.

The Stranger

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T14:24:00.003-04:00

I would like to begin by saying thank you to all the men and women who have served, and are still serving in our armed forces.
On the subject of the military I would like to offer my opinion on the Gitmo situation. Once again the liberal smoke and mirrors have created a fantastic illusion. A dark and filthy prison where inmates live in deplorable conditions between bouts of torture. The fact is the inmates at Gitmo receive better care than many American inmates.
The President says Gitmo is a recruiting tool for terrorists.....really? Do you honestly believe closing Gitmo will reduce the terrorist threat? The President wants to bring the Gitmo prisoners here, and place them in American super-max prisons. They tell us that no one has ever escaped from a super-max facility, and the Gitmo detainees will be held in isolation so they can't recruit more terrorists (pay no attention to the man behind the curtain).
The thing they're neglecting to tell us is that if some of our liberal supreme court judges decide we don't have cause to hold any of these people they will be released on american soil. I say keep the prison open until we can determine the guilt or innocence of everyone there. Anyone who is found innocent should be returned to wherever they were picked up. I think anyone found guilty of terrorist activities should be executed, you can't rehabilitate radical extremists. Prisoners found guilty of lesser offenses should be jailed in the countries they were originally detained in. There problem solved, and at no extra cost to the taxpayers.
One last thing I need to comment on. Our government will not even try to find the tens of millions of illegal immigrants in this country, but they will spend God knows how much money, and mobilize the forces of the FBI, Immigration, and Interpol to find poor Daniel Hauser. What did this fugitive do? He refused to take chemtherapy treatments for cancer after the supreme court insisted he should. This is the same supreme court who believes our children should have access to abortion, sexual education, and birth control without a parents consent. This young man along with both of his parents made an informed decision about his medical care. Stop using my tax dollars to harass this family. Well that's all folks have a good holiday.
The Stranger

Wake up America!

2009-05-24T14:45:00.001-04:00

All right folks, let's get right to the point. What the hell is wrong with this country? I'm supposed to be proud. Why? Because we have our first affirmative action president? Do any real Americans believe Obama was the best person for the job? Do any real Americans believe Obama has our best interests at heart? Obama is a typical radical liberal and as such, he is only good at one thing, pointing out faults. I understand there were plenty of problems with the previous administrations, but where are the solutions?

Obama spent his entire campaign, and so far his entire presidency, slamming the Bush administration for its shortcomings, but still he has offered no viable solution for our economic troubles. Let's take a look at what he has done. Obama has given our hard earned money to financial institutions that, in essence, are failing and hemorrhaging money everywhere. I thought free market capitalism meant sink or swim, either you succeed or you don't, and if you fail, another company replaces yours. The government now wants to have a say in how these institutions run their business. Can anyone say socialism?

The current administration has also given huge sums to the automakers. Now, I support the big three, but you might as well send that money to Mexico, Canada, or China, because that's where a good percentage of their jobs and suppliers are. Bail out the automakers by all means, but first repeal NAFTA and bring our jobs home. How will the automakers ever succed if the American people can't afford the vehicles they're producing?

Okay, one more thing before I close for the day. Who the hell does Nancy Pelosi think she is? Does she really believe she can accuse one of our largest intelligence agencies of lying to her and Congress, and then just say, "That's it. I'm not talking about it anymore." The way I see it, Ms. Pelosi has three choices produce evidence to prove her claim: publicly apologize for her defamation, or step down and shut up.

Well that's my opinion for now, but don't worry there will be more.

The Stranger