I believe that Ted Cruz is constitutionally eligible to be president. He was born in Canada to a father who was Canadian but his mother was and is American. I also believe that Barack Obama is ineligible even though he was born in Hawaii because he was adopted by a foreign national as a child.
I believe that John Roberts has been corrupted and cannot be trusted to deliver an honest decision. The Dems are comfortable losing hundreds of seats because they control the bureaucracies and courts and they run these institutions without regard to things like legality, constitutional safeguards, equal treatment under the law or even a sense of fair play. For the Dems, the courts are but one more deck of cards to stack.
Should Cruz get the nomination expect multiple challenges to his eligibility. With that stated, I think Cruz is the best hope for the resistance. He wins more or less by default. I had better hopes for Perry and Walker but their flaws showed sooner rather than later. Trump is a populist and he appeals to my populist streak but I would be more comfortable with someone who shares my basic principles.
I like Rand Paul on paper but I wish he was more hawkish. Stylistically I do not like the way he sucks up to the media. Whereas Trump puts the media whores in their place, Paul goes on CNN to bash the Donald. Do not even try to curry favor with those snakes, Dr. Paul.
The final straw with Paul came in the last debate when he made good points about the dangers of installing a no-fly zone in Syria and then delivered a cheap shot to Chris Christie about Bridgegate. once more, Paul decided to parrot the MSNBC party line to bash a Republican. Maybe 2024 but not this year.
Carly and Carson have faded. Neither candidate was prepared for the big time. Kasich and Christie are RINO's several times over. Oh, I forgot to mention Bush. Oh well. He will soon be an afterthought.
That leaves Rubio from the big stage. This guy has gone from Tea Party to Establishment faster than Scott Walker. Trey Gowdy's endorsement just won't seal the deal for me. Maybe 2024.
Cruz seems like the strongest viable choice for constitutionalists. Brace yourself for the eligibility challenge.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
David Spade Barely Criticizes Obama And The Empire Strikes Back
Here are eight years of Obama distilled in two short videos.
David Spade stated the obvious. Obama is first and last a celebrity in constant need of praise and adoration. ff anything, Spade greatly understated the thirst for attention that consumes the overgrown child in the White House. Nonetheless, TMZ performed due diligence to extract a clarification or retraction or apology from Spade.
SPADE GENTLY MOCKS HIS SOCIAL SUPERIOR AND HE IS TRACKED DOWN TO ATONE FOR HIS SINS
One can say that TMZ is not real news media, they are entertainment media. In the Obama Era we have witnessed a harmonious convergence within the fourth estate. The once distinct strata "bleed into one."
TRASHING THE REPROBATE
David Spade stated the obvious. Obama is first and last a celebrity in constant need of praise and adoration. ff anything, Spade greatly understated the thirst for attention that consumes the overgrown child in the White House. Nonetheless, TMZ performed due diligence to extract a clarification or retraction or apology from Spade.
SPADE GENTLY MOCKS HIS SOCIAL SUPERIOR AND HE IS TRACKED DOWN TO ATONE FOR HIS SINS
One can say that TMZ is not real news media, they are entertainment media. In the Obama Era we have witnessed a harmonious convergence within the fourth estate. The once distinct strata "bleed into one."
TRASHING THE REPROBATE
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Not Exactly A Book Review... "Undemocratic: How Unelected, Unaccountable Bureaucrats Are Stealing Your Liberty and Freedom" by Jay Sekulow
This might be the most important book of its era. In all the lib vs. con, left vs. right, D vs. R chatter, it is easy to miss the big picture. Prior to the rise of the Tea Party movement, the primacy of bureaucracy was rarely, if ever, challenged.
For years I thought of my high school education as a waste of time. As time passed, I realize I learned a few things that have stayed with me. We were required to take a Government class and this course was usually taught by a coach who viewed teaching as a sideline. My instructor seemed like a bit of a dolt. Yet, I will say that he was insightful if not colorful.
My high school teacher hammered home the three branches of government in mind-numbing detail. He also talked about "the fourth branch of government." He was matter of fact about it. It wasn't a warning and there wasn't any disapproval. "Some people say that federal bureaucracy has become the fourth branch of government." My high school teacher was ahead of his time in his observations.
The Reagan/Bush administrations never challenged the bureaucratic leviathan. They embraced and fed and nurtured the monster. It was hoped by many of us that the stuff of legend 1994 elections would usher in a new challenge to the Beltway cartel. No such luck. The reason the Republicans were so aggressive in publicizing Bill Clinton's sex life was because they were unwilling to engage him in matters of policy. Lacking the fortitude to wage a battle of substance, they turned instead to the politics of personal destruction.
Then we had another Bush era and even more bureaucracy. The absurd idea that replacing lesbians with nominal Christians atop agency pyramids would somehow bring forth a golden dawn was ultimately discredited. The GOP saw the alphabet soup of agencies as a plum orchard for people descended from Republican generals and siblings of press secretaries.
The Tea Party movement brought forth a rethinking of just about everything including the role and reach of bureaucratic agencies. At long last a bipartisan political class was identified and discussed. What took us so long?
"Undemocratic: How Unelected, Unaccountable Bureaucrats Are Stealing Your Liberty and Freedom" is a long overdue analysis of the elephant in every room. Sekulow delivers a concise overture of the multiphasic, polytiered problematic problem.
Frustratingly, we have to be reminded that our forefathers did not make provisions for FEC, NLRB, EPA, FTC, HHS, ad infinitum to write and impose and enforce law. We might not care about such philosophical fine points if bureaucracy did not fail so consistently. Witness the Veterans Administration.
Sekulow details the hows and whys of the ongoing VA fiasco. Veterans die awaiting treatment because it is easier to doctor paperwork than to doctor patients. It is the nature of bureaucracy. Boxcars don't fly and switching Shinsekis won't change that one iota. Despite its legacy of failure, the VA's problems were swept even farther under the rug by the Obama Administration because they used the agency's blue chip reputation as a model for Obamacare.
So we have a new branch of government that is illegitimate and wastes our money? Is that the worst of it? No. Not by a long shot. Federal workers are unionized. They are hyper-partisan. They have been weaponized.
Sekulow details the near impossibility of firing a federal bureaucrat. Having worked for the IRS in the late 70's and early 80's Sekulow insists there was no visible partisanship in his day. That has changed. Not only do we employ an army of Lois Lerner's, the unions and their members donate overwhelmingly to the Democratic Party. Even the Department of Defense employees donate to Democrats by about a two to one margin.
Some of us are given to rebuking other political camps for underestimating the evil and the threat posed by jihadists. That's easy to understand but some of our political allies underestimate the evil that rests in many a bureaucratic heart. For instance, Sekulow reveals a group that has been targeted by the IRS for enhanced scrutiny? Who might that be? Dark PAC's? Providers of material support for ISIS? Illegal aliens?
No, the group in question is adoptive parents. Why adoptive parents? According to Sekulow it's because the IRS has figured out that Evangelical Christians are more likely to adopt children than non-Evangelicals. That is just plain wrong on so many levels for so many reasons. Mike Huckabee called the jailing of Wendy Davis the criminalization of Christianity. Had the governor read Sekulow's book he would have learned that the war on Christians is old news.
I consider myself fairly well-informed and the revelations about "sue and settle" made my jaw drop. If the Obama Justice Department deliberately loses to sympathetic plaintiffs who happen to be political donors, does that not constitute graft? It is corruption if not criminal corruption.
Sekulow has keenly identified the greatest threat to our republic. I could not give a higher recommendation for "Undemocratic..." Read it!
For years I thought of my high school education as a waste of time. As time passed, I realize I learned a few things that have stayed with me. We were required to take a Government class and this course was usually taught by a coach who viewed teaching as a sideline. My instructor seemed like a bit of a dolt. Yet, I will say that he was insightful if not colorful.
My high school teacher hammered home the three branches of government in mind-numbing detail. He also talked about "the fourth branch of government." He was matter of fact about it. It wasn't a warning and there wasn't any disapproval. "Some people say that federal bureaucracy has become the fourth branch of government." My high school teacher was ahead of his time in his observations.
The Reagan/Bush administrations never challenged the bureaucratic leviathan. They embraced and fed and nurtured the monster. It was hoped by many of us that the stuff of legend 1994 elections would usher in a new challenge to the Beltway cartel. No such luck. The reason the Republicans were so aggressive in publicizing Bill Clinton's sex life was because they were unwilling to engage him in matters of policy. Lacking the fortitude to wage a battle of substance, they turned instead to the politics of personal destruction.
Then we had another Bush era and even more bureaucracy. The absurd idea that replacing lesbians with nominal Christians atop agency pyramids would somehow bring forth a golden dawn was ultimately discredited. The GOP saw the alphabet soup of agencies as a plum orchard for people descended from Republican generals and siblings of press secretaries.
The Tea Party movement brought forth a rethinking of just about everything including the role and reach of bureaucratic agencies. At long last a bipartisan political class was identified and discussed. What took us so long?
"Undemocratic: How Unelected, Unaccountable Bureaucrats Are Stealing Your Liberty and Freedom" is a long overdue analysis of the elephant in every room. Sekulow delivers a concise overture of the multiphasic, polytiered problematic problem.
Frustratingly, we have to be reminded that our forefathers did not make provisions for FEC, NLRB, EPA, FTC, HHS, ad infinitum to write and impose and enforce law. We might not care about such philosophical fine points if bureaucracy did not fail so consistently. Witness the Veterans Administration.
Sekulow details the hows and whys of the ongoing VA fiasco. Veterans die awaiting treatment because it is easier to doctor paperwork than to doctor patients. It is the nature of bureaucracy. Boxcars don't fly and switching Shinsekis won't change that one iota. Despite its legacy of failure, the VA's problems were swept even farther under the rug by the Obama Administration because they used the agency's blue chip reputation as a model for Obamacare.
So we have a new branch of government that is illegitimate and wastes our money? Is that the worst of it? No. Not by a long shot. Federal workers are unionized. They are hyper-partisan. They have been weaponized.
Sekulow details the near impossibility of firing a federal bureaucrat. Having worked for the IRS in the late 70's and early 80's Sekulow insists there was no visible partisanship in his day. That has changed. Not only do we employ an army of Lois Lerner's, the unions and their members donate overwhelmingly to the Democratic Party. Even the Department of Defense employees donate to Democrats by about a two to one margin.
Some of us are given to rebuking other political camps for underestimating the evil and the threat posed by jihadists. That's easy to understand but some of our political allies underestimate the evil that rests in many a bureaucratic heart. For instance, Sekulow reveals a group that has been targeted by the IRS for enhanced scrutiny? Who might that be? Dark PAC's? Providers of material support for ISIS? Illegal aliens?
No, the group in question is adoptive parents. Why adoptive parents? According to Sekulow it's because the IRS has figured out that Evangelical Christians are more likely to adopt children than non-Evangelicals. That is just plain wrong on so many levels for so many reasons. Mike Huckabee called the jailing of Wendy Davis the criminalization of Christianity. Had the governor read Sekulow's book he would have learned that the war on Christians is old news.
I consider myself fairly well-informed and the revelations about "sue and settle" made my jaw drop. If the Obama Justice Department deliberately loses to sympathetic plaintiffs who happen to be political donors, does that not constitute graft? It is corruption if not criminal corruption.
Sekulow has keenly identified the greatest threat to our republic. I could not give a higher recommendation for "Undemocratic..." Read it!
Thursday, December 17, 2015
A Tribute To Mike Barnicle: I Recycle Another Column
OK, I am flattering myself in my self-comparisons to Mike Barnicle. Mike Barnicle is the former "Boston Globe" columnist who was caught 1 Plagiarizing, 2 Fabricating and 3 Recycling his previous columns.
Plagiarizing and fabricating are certainly greater sins than recycling but it does say something about how few people actually read Barnicle's column if none of the millions of Globe readers even noticed his serial recycling.
Barnicle is in many ways emblematic of the privileged, anointed, socially-aware, socially-conscious, and most importantly, the socially-connected Left. Despite his repeated exposure as a fraud and a bore, Barnicle has always failed his way to bigger and better things. Last I heard his name he was drawing a check from MSNBC. Oh to be Mike Barnicle!
I hereby recycle a post from September 19 of this year:
Governor Bush, you called Donald Trump a weasel but Senator Paul has called him a snake...Not an exact quote from Jake Tapper but you get the gist of it. A three hour food fight without much sustenance. More heat than light as they like to say.
Without trying very hard I came up with 50 questions that could have been asked. I could easily come up with 50 more but I have a birthday party to attend. This is a good start.
1. Do you prefer a strong or weak dollar?
2. Do you support repealing Obamacare?
3. Do you support repealing Dodd-Frank?
4. Do you consider voter fraud a significant problem? If yes, what would your administration do to correct the problem?
5. Would your administration proceed with criminal investigations involving bureaucratic and/or DOJ abuses of power?
6. Would you allow American citizens to own/possess/use toilet tanks that provide sufficient water to flush in an effective manner?
7. Do you prefer freedom of choice in light bulbs?
8. Do you support the prosecution of body part brokers who procure their commodity in an illegal manner?
9. Would you allow American citizens to play poker on their computers?
10. Do you support prosecuting state and municipal officials who provide non-emergency aid to illegal immigrants?
11. Do you believe that religiously-influenced terrorism is a global concern?
12. Do you think the US should stay in NATO? If yes, should the US demand that other members provide a bigger share of resources?
13. Is ISIS a threat to American security?
14. If elected, do you agree to refer to ISIS as ISIL and instruct subordinates to do the same?
15. Is Al Shabaab a threat to American security?
16. Is Boka Haram a threat to American security?
17. Is the Castro cartel a threat to American security?
18. Is FARC a threat to American Security?
19. Are Mexican drug cartels a threat to American security?
20. Are refugees a threat to American security?
21. Would you keep President Obama's non-treaty that is commonly referred to as The Iran Deal intact?
22. Does global warming exist?
23. Are all natural disasters anthropogenic?
24. In general, do you support the use of hydraulic fracturing to procure energy?
25. In general, do you support the use of coal?
26. Do you support the export of American fuel?
27. Do you support the construction of the Keystone pipeline?
28. Do you support the construction of other pipelines?
29. In general, are business-government partnerships a good idea?
30. Do you support collecting metadata on all US citizens?
31. Do you prefer raising the age of Social Security eligibility?
32. Do you prefer raising the age of Medicare eligibility?
33. Is Social Security a legally-sanctioned pyramid scheme?
34. Is the number of Americans receiving disability payments too high, not enough or just right?
35. Does the 10th Amendment apply to marijuana laws? (Thank you Governor Christie for weighing in on this issue ahead of the pack.)
36. Is the Fort Hood massacre an example of workplace violence?
37. Is Russia an enemy, an ally or something else?
38. Should Israel go retro on their borders as our president has suggested?
39. Should Japan play a bigger role in funding their national defense?
40. Should South Korea play a bigger role in funding their national defense?
41. Is North Korea a threat to US security?
42. Should the US fund higher education? Should there be any stipulations on federal funding?
43. Do you believe the GOP loses every single time they "reach across the aisle?'
44. Do you believe the GOP Congress has betrayed the people who elected them?
45. Do you believe the GOP Congress holds the base of their party in contempt?
46. Do you favor auditing the Federal Reserve?
47. Are there any federal agencies or programs you would eliminate?
48. Does federal spending per se hinder our prosperity?
49. Given that Afghanistan produces most of the world's opium and the Afghani people are not getting rich and the US has a strong presence in Afghanistan and...Oh, excuse me. Nothing to see here folks! Move along!
49a. (To compensate for that ridiculous effort at an inquiry above) Do you believe the Internet should be treated as a public utility?
50. Is the National Debt significant or has its importance been overblown by political opportunists?
Three months later, most of these questions remain unasked and unanswered.
11. Do you believe that religiously-influenced terrorism is a global concern?
This has been addressed now that dozens of innocent people were slaughtered in Paris and 14 more in California. Kind of hard to ignore this one.
13. Is ISIS a threat to American security?
Same as #11.
20. Are refugees a threat to American security?
I have give Trump credit for LEADING on this issue.
22. Does global warming exist?
23. Are all natural disasters anthropogenic?
These issues have been addressed if only indirectly. The GOP candidates have rightly criticized the commander-in-chief for emphasizing climate flimflam as he ignores global terrorism.
30. Do you support collecting metadata on all US citizens?
Thankfully, we do have some clarity on this particular matter.
31. Do you prefer raising the age of Social Security eligibility?
Hat tip to Governor Christie for addressing what used to be a third rail issue.
37. Is Russia an enemy, an ally or something else?
This too has had some light shed on it. Rubio and Christie take a belligerent stance against the bear. I don't know why but they have.
In fairness, some of the questions previously posed don't need much elaboration. We know North Korea is a threat and that Fort Hood was an act of terrorism. Even the president has finally used the T-word. If you want to put FARC or Boka Haram on the back burner, that is understandable. Questions 1 through 10 should have been asked by someone in the well-paid journalistic world a long time ago.
Isn't it amazing how little we have been informed about what we really want to know?
Plagiarizing and fabricating are certainly greater sins than recycling but it does say something about how few people actually read Barnicle's column if none of the millions of Globe readers even noticed his serial recycling.
Barnicle is in many ways emblematic of the privileged, anointed, socially-aware, socially-conscious, and most importantly, the socially-connected Left. Despite his repeated exposure as a fraud and a bore, Barnicle has always failed his way to bigger and better things. Last I heard his name he was drawing a check from MSNBC. Oh to be Mike Barnicle!
I hereby recycle a post from September 19 of this year:
Governor Bush, you called Donald Trump a weasel but Senator Paul has called him a snake...Not an exact quote from Jake Tapper but you get the gist of it. A three hour food fight without much sustenance. More heat than light as they like to say.
Without trying very hard I came up with 50 questions that could have been asked. I could easily come up with 50 more but I have a birthday party to attend. This is a good start.
1. Do you prefer a strong or weak dollar?
2. Do you support repealing Obamacare?
3. Do you support repealing Dodd-Frank?
4. Do you consider voter fraud a significant problem? If yes, what would your administration do to correct the problem?
5. Would your administration proceed with criminal investigations involving bureaucratic and/or DOJ abuses of power?
6. Would you allow American citizens to own/possess/use toilet tanks that provide sufficient water to flush in an effective manner?
7. Do you prefer freedom of choice in light bulbs?
8. Do you support the prosecution of body part brokers who procure their commodity in an illegal manner?
9. Would you allow American citizens to play poker on their computers?
10. Do you support prosecuting state and municipal officials who provide non-emergency aid to illegal immigrants?
11. Do you believe that religiously-influenced terrorism is a global concern?
12. Do you think the US should stay in NATO? If yes, should the US demand that other members provide a bigger share of resources?
13. Is ISIS a threat to American security?
14. If elected, do you agree to refer to ISIS as ISIL and instruct subordinates to do the same?
15. Is Al Shabaab a threat to American security?
16. Is Boka Haram a threat to American security?
17. Is the Castro cartel a threat to American security?
18. Is FARC a threat to American Security?
19. Are Mexican drug cartels a threat to American security?
20. Are refugees a threat to American security?
21. Would you keep President Obama's non-treaty that is commonly referred to as The Iran Deal intact?
22. Does global warming exist?
23. Are all natural disasters anthropogenic?
24. In general, do you support the use of hydraulic fracturing to procure energy?
25. In general, do you support the use of coal?
26. Do you support the export of American fuel?
27. Do you support the construction of the Keystone pipeline?
28. Do you support the construction of other pipelines?
29. In general, are business-government partnerships a good idea?
30. Do you support collecting metadata on all US citizens?
31. Do you prefer raising the age of Social Security eligibility?
32. Do you prefer raising the age of Medicare eligibility?
33. Is Social Security a legally-sanctioned pyramid scheme?
34. Is the number of Americans receiving disability payments too high, not enough or just right?
35. Does the 10th Amendment apply to marijuana laws? (Thank you Governor Christie for weighing in on this issue ahead of the pack.)
36. Is the Fort Hood massacre an example of workplace violence?
37. Is Russia an enemy, an ally or something else?
38. Should Israel go retro on their borders as our president has suggested?
39. Should Japan play a bigger role in funding their national defense?
40. Should South Korea play a bigger role in funding their national defense?
41. Is North Korea a threat to US security?
42. Should the US fund higher education? Should there be any stipulations on federal funding?
43. Do you believe the GOP loses every single time they "reach across the aisle?'
44. Do you believe the GOP Congress has betrayed the people who elected them?
45. Do you believe the GOP Congress holds the base of their party in contempt?
46. Do you favor auditing the Federal Reserve?
47. Are there any federal agencies or programs you would eliminate?
48. Does federal spending per se hinder our prosperity?
49. Given that Afghanistan produces most of the world's opium and the Afghani people are not getting rich and the US has a strong presence in Afghanistan and...Oh, excuse me. Nothing to see here folks! Move along!
49a. (To compensate for that ridiculous effort at an inquiry above) Do you believe the Internet should be treated as a public utility?
50. Is the National Debt significant or has its importance been overblown by political opportunists?
Three months later, most of these questions remain unasked and unanswered.
11. Do you believe that religiously-influenced terrorism is a global concern?
This has been addressed now that dozens of innocent people were slaughtered in Paris and 14 more in California. Kind of hard to ignore this one.
13. Is ISIS a threat to American security?
Same as #11.
20. Are refugees a threat to American security?
I have give Trump credit for LEADING on this issue.
22. Does global warming exist?
23. Are all natural disasters anthropogenic?
These issues have been addressed if only indirectly. The GOP candidates have rightly criticized the commander-in-chief for emphasizing climate flimflam as he ignores global terrorism.
30. Do you support collecting metadata on all US citizens?
Thankfully, we do have some clarity on this particular matter.
31. Do you prefer raising the age of Social Security eligibility?
Hat tip to Governor Christie for addressing what used to be a third rail issue.
37. Is Russia an enemy, an ally or something else?
This too has had some light shed on it. Rubio and Christie take a belligerent stance against the bear. I don't know why but they have.
In fairness, some of the questions previously posed don't need much elaboration. We know North Korea is a threat and that Fort Hood was an act of terrorism. Even the president has finally used the T-word. If you want to put FARC or Boka Haram on the back burner, that is understandable. Questions 1 through 10 should have been asked by someone in the well-paid journalistic world a long time ago.
Isn't it amazing how little we have been informed about what we really want to know?
Saturday, December 12, 2015
The common sense behind Trump's Muslim travel ban
The disadvantage of staking out a controversial position is the lack of initial support but that is temporary. Here the commentator from Rebel Media makes Trump's ban on Muslim travel and immigration into the US seem commonsensical which it is.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
News Media Stunned Once More: 96% Of African-Americans Say Trump's Comments Did NOT Go Too Far
When asked if Trump went to far when he called for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration, 87% of Latinos, 88% of “other,” and 96% of blacks answered “no.”
Among white people, 69% answered “no.” Overall, 76% of Americans answered “no.” Trump’s overall support has increased since making the comments.
Personally, I don't like the way the question is phrased. "Too far?" What exactly does that mean? Still, when polling is this lopsided, you can jump to conclusions. If this were another candidate I might say beware the January Surprise. With Trump, there are no surprises left. With another candidate I might say he might yet put his foot in his mouth. Is that even possible with this guy?
Among white people, 69% answered “no.” Overall, 76% of Americans answered “no.” Trump’s overall support has increased since making the comments.
Personally, I don't like the way the question is phrased. "Too far?" What exactly does that mean? Still, when polling is this lopsided, you can jump to conclusions. If this were another candidate I might say beware the January Surprise. With Trump, there are no surprises left. With another candidate I might say he might yet put his foot in his mouth. Is that even possible with this guy?
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
The Annoyer Of My Annoyers Is My Friend
Donald Trump, where have you been all my life? You might be the answer to our prayers but you are not what we prayed for.
I cannot tell you how much fun I had today, listening to the many expressions of outrage from many, many sources. That vile Donald! Fie! Fie! Fie!
I don't know what's funnier, the claims of damage to the GOP brand or the next round of shrouding of Donald's campaign. GOP brand? The lesser of two evils party that is barely better than the party of absolute evil? The jellyfish party? The party who has a clown car full of candidates, none of whom will address jihad (or illegal immigration for that matter) until AFTER we face a disaster? The doormat party? The reach across the aisle party? How dare that brute impugn their sterling reputation!
Reince Priebus, Paul Ryan, Lindsey Graham, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina...The list goes on and on. They renounced that mean old Donald. I chuckled.
And I love it when pundits miss by a mile. This blog posted a few declarations of Trump's demise last summer, most notably Frank Luntz's Nostradamus moment. Now, Bill O'Reilly is writing off the Trumpster? And Krauthammer? Brilliant minds! Brilliant agents, anyway.
Fox News is in Obsession mode. Yet they find the time to tell us how the media are obsessed with Donald Trump. How do they do it? And MSNBC did not cut away to commercials during a Trump piece? Really? Not sure why anyone would advertise at that ghost network anyway.
George Stephanopolis finds someone who calls Trump Hitler so he can then say, "You are being compared to Hitler." The mayor of Philadelphia calls Trump "an asshole." David Cameron is threatening to ban Trump from the UK. Did these people express any anger after Paris or San Bernardino?
Four years of pouty pundits and snarling politicians? Trump might not be the ideal candidate but if he continues to make the right people mad, I might be happy to call him Mr. President.
I cannot tell you how much fun I had today, listening to the many expressions of outrage from many, many sources. That vile Donald! Fie! Fie! Fie!
I don't know what's funnier, the claims of damage to the GOP brand or the next round of shrouding of Donald's campaign. GOP brand? The lesser of two evils party that is barely better than the party of absolute evil? The jellyfish party? The party who has a clown car full of candidates, none of whom will address jihad (or illegal immigration for that matter) until AFTER we face a disaster? The doormat party? The reach across the aisle party? How dare that brute impugn their sterling reputation!
Reince Priebus, Paul Ryan, Lindsey Graham, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina...The list goes on and on. They renounced that mean old Donald. I chuckled.
And I love it when pundits miss by a mile. This blog posted a few declarations of Trump's demise last summer, most notably Frank Luntz's Nostradamus moment. Now, Bill O'Reilly is writing off the Trumpster? And Krauthammer? Brilliant minds! Brilliant agents, anyway.
Fox News is in Obsession mode. Yet they find the time to tell us how the media are obsessed with Donald Trump. How do they do it? And MSNBC did not cut away to commercials during a Trump piece? Really? Not sure why anyone would advertise at that ghost network anyway.
George Stephanopolis finds someone who calls Trump Hitler so he can then say, "You are being compared to Hitler." The mayor of Philadelphia calls Trump "an asshole." David Cameron is threatening to ban Trump from the UK. Did these people express any anger after Paris or San Bernardino?
Four years of pouty pundits and snarling politicians? Trump might not be the ideal candidate but if he continues to make the right people mad, I might be happy to call him Mr. President.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Trump Serves Up More Red Meat
And it looked like Cruz was sneaking up in Iowa.
I concur with Hoosierman concerning Trump's recent suggestion that we should temporarily ban Muslim immigration and travel "until we can get a handle on the situation." This will not be the millstone the talking heads and pundits and oracles are predicting. I predict that Trump's numbers will improve significantly.
Let me call your attention to something written at this blog four months ago.
I concur with Hoosierman concerning Trump's recent suggestion that we should temporarily ban Muslim immigration and travel "until we can get a handle on the situation." This will not be the millstone the talking heads and pundits and oracles are predicting. I predict that Trump's numbers will improve significantly.
Let me call your attention to something written at this blog four months ago.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
How To Trump Trump
Politics seems simple to outsiders like me. Who doesn't think they cannot possibly screw up a campaign as badly as a Schmidt or a Rove or a Sununu? Things that seem obvious often seem obvious because they are obvious.
Here are a few things that seem loudly obvious:
1. Red meat is popular.
2. To appeal to a red meat crowd...serve...red...meat. No quiche. No watery stew. No meat substitutes or products designed to look and taste like beef. Serve...red...meat.
3. If someone monopolizes the grill, get your own damn grill and start handing out fatter and juicier and tastier steaks and chops and burgers.
I heard Pam Gellar on the radio yesterday and she voiced her frustration with anti-jihad inertia. She sounds a lot like Ann Coulter discussing immigration. It's not just the Obama Administration who is allergic to truth. It's not just the Democrats who are addicted to euphemism. We are under attack and no one wants to acknowledge it.
Ann Coulter found her knight in shining armor in the form of Donald Trump. Pam Gellar is still the bridesmaid. Should a Republican page wish to earn his blade and mount, simply identify and denounce and attack jihad. Terrorism has a larger built-in audience than immigration.
One problem with stating the obvious is that no one will pay you for your advice. Consultants are paid to muffle Sarah Palin and to take Benghazi off the table and to attack Tea Party members. Meanwhile, Donald Trump speaks loud and clear and leaves the entire political class scratching their heads. Anyone else want to serve up a few burgers?
Here are a few things that seem loudly obvious:
1. Red meat is popular.
2. To appeal to a red meat crowd...serve...red...meat. No quiche. No watery stew. No meat substitutes or products designed to look and taste like beef. Serve...red...meat.
3. If someone monopolizes the grill, get your own damn grill and start handing out fatter and juicier and tastier steaks and chops and burgers.
I heard Pam Gellar on the radio yesterday and she voiced her frustration with anti-jihad inertia. She sounds a lot like Ann Coulter discussing immigration. It's not just the Obama Administration who is allergic to truth. It's not just the Democrats who are addicted to euphemism. We are under attack and no one wants to acknowledge it.
Ann Coulter found her knight in shining armor in the form of Donald Trump. Pam Gellar is still the bridesmaid. Should a Republican page wish to earn his blade and mount, simply identify and denounce and attack jihad. Terrorism has a larger built-in audience than immigration.
One problem with stating the obvious is that no one will pay you for your advice. Consultants are paid to muffle Sarah Palin and to take Benghazi off the table and to attack Tea Party members. Meanwhile, Donald Trump speaks loud and clear and leaves the entire political class scratching their heads. Anyone else want to serve up a few burgers?
Back to the present as symbolized by the absence of italics. Maybe Pam Gellar found her champion after all. While the other Republican morons sat on their hands, Trump served his audience red meat. Hey guys, it was there for the taking and in the words of Al Sharpton, you dwiddled your thumbs.
Trump may have just sealed the nomination.
Harkening Back To A Time When Men Were Men And Nuns Were Nuns
And bucks were nervous this time of year.
Interesting Factoid: How Many Members Of No-Fly Club Have Killed Another Human Being?
One and only 1. That dubious honor goes to the late Senator Ted Kennedy.
Monday, December 7, 2015
I Smell Deception
Energy might be the key to an American Renaissance. That is, if we can not only produce enough coal, oil and natural gas to satisfy our own demands but also sell the surplus abroad. Like to China for instance.
I have seen these ads in my mailbox and elsewhere. I suspect conservative types are being targeted by a shell group that opposes any and all domestic production. This doesn't pass the smell test.
Friday, December 4, 2015
Sometimes We Laugh Because We Have Exhausted All Other Options
These are laugh out loud stupid tweets. White Christian males terrorize Planned Parenthood...oops! Well they did have guns!
Kudos to the good people at firenadreamitchell.com. As the San Bernardino tragedy was unfolding said blog was scooping the MSM on details including identity of the shooters.
http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2015/12/03/the-dumbest-liberal-tweets-during-sanbernadinoshooting/
Kudos to the good people at firenadreamitchell.com. As the San Bernardino tragedy was unfolding said blog was scooping the MSM on details including identity of the shooters.
http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2015/12/03/the-dumbest-liberal-tweets-during-sanbernadinoshooting/
conservative, Conservatives and Conservatism
Let's face it, C J Pearson is a lot smarter than Sean Hannity.
AND A TEENAGER SHALL LEAD THEM
AND A TEENAGER SHALL LEAD THEM
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Standing Headline: "What Was The Killers' Motive?"
Let's face it, the terrorists won another battle. They have captured the hearts and minds, such as they are, of the MSM. I was hoping to find out a little about the terrorist (by definition) attack yesterday in California. As the reader might know I am not a big fan of the Fourth Estate. Of course, I believe they are good at pure reporting. As events unfold, they are still the first with who, what, when, where, etc.
As the dust settles and the vitals are recorded, the MSM immediately goes into spin mode. They try to massage the facts to fit their template. Square pegs will fit square holes but they will also be hammered into holes of every other shape. To paraphrase a popular commercial, if you're a journalist, it's what you do.
I gave up early on in my search for information. Reuters, Yahoo, MSN and a few others all offered stupid headlines at the top of their page.
What was the killers' motive?
Was the shooting of 31 people an act of terrorism?
Was this an example of workplace violence, terrorism or possibly a combination thereof?
Had the shooters' been radicalized?
The banal semantic exercises are insulting to the reader. We saw a small group indoctrinated with an overwhelming hate for infidels commit a series of terrorist acts in a workplace setting. That much is certain. We would like to know the how's but the why's are something known to 100% of the readership. If you are a jihadist, you commit jihad. It's what you do. If you are a terrorist...
In 2001 we did not question subject ourselves to the workplace violence vs. terrorism debate. Even ten years ago, we would not have witnessed such ridiculous verbiage. Then we got a new president who has a soft spot for enemies of The West and a press who has a soft spot for said president.
The press has retreated from acknowledging the obvious. San Bernardino is the new normal and acting perplexed is the new journalistic norm. "What in the world motivated these killers?"
As the dust settles and the vitals are recorded, the MSM immediately goes into spin mode. They try to massage the facts to fit their template. Square pegs will fit square holes but they will also be hammered into holes of every other shape. To paraphrase a popular commercial, if you're a journalist, it's what you do.
I gave up early on in my search for information. Reuters, Yahoo, MSN and a few others all offered stupid headlines at the top of their page.
What was the killers' motive?
Was the shooting of 31 people an act of terrorism?
Was this an example of workplace violence, terrorism or possibly a combination thereof?
Had the shooters' been radicalized?
The banal semantic exercises are insulting to the reader. We saw a small group indoctrinated with an overwhelming hate for infidels commit a series of terrorist acts in a workplace setting. That much is certain. We would like to know the how's but the why's are something known to 100% of the readership. If you are a jihadist, you commit jihad. It's what you do. If you are a terrorist...
In 2001 we did not question subject ourselves to the workplace violence vs. terrorism debate. Even ten years ago, we would not have witnessed such ridiculous verbiage. Then we got a new president who has a soft spot for enemies of The West and a press who has a soft spot for said president.
The press has retreated from acknowledging the obvious. San Bernardino is the new normal and acting perplexed is the new journalistic norm. "What in the world motivated these killers?"
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Sharyl Attkisson At Ted-x
We are all familiar with Sharyl Attkisson even if some of us will never be able to spell her name without looking it up. You should also familiarize yourself with TED and the media giant it has become.
Finally, someone takes on Wikipedia and exposes them as the Astroturf phonies they happen to be. She exposes the gaslighting tactics the MSM has used since the dawn of time.
I am surprised Attkisson was asked to speak at a TED Talk. TED reminds me a lot of NPR in that they have some good moments but they also grind political axes in a not exactly forthcoming manner. Talks that have nothing to do with George Bush or global warming will weave in asides that insult W and reinforce the Al Gore Bible. Both Bill Clinton and Al Gore have given TED Talks, BTW (and if the subject isn't 'how to troll for hotties' I don't think either man is an expert.) There is one Talk called "The Return of Wisdom" that involves the arrival of the Obama Presidency. A laugh track is sorely needed.
I have the feeling Attkisson will not be a regular speaker in TEDVILLE.
Finally, someone takes on Wikipedia and exposes them as the Astroturf phonies they happen to be. She exposes the gaslighting tactics the MSM has used since the dawn of time.
I am surprised Attkisson was asked to speak at a TED Talk. TED reminds me a lot of NPR in that they have some good moments but they also grind political axes in a not exactly forthcoming manner. Talks that have nothing to do with George Bush or global warming will weave in asides that insult W and reinforce the Al Gore Bible. Both Bill Clinton and Al Gore have given TED Talks, BTW (and if the subject isn't 'how to troll for hotties' I don't think either man is an expert.) There is one Talk called "The Return of Wisdom" that involves the arrival of the Obama Presidency. A laugh track is sorely needed.
I have the feeling Attkisson will not be a regular speaker in TEDVILLE.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
The joys of pyromania
As you thoughts turn to family during the holiday season imagine the joy of having this young man as a son-in-law. Here's a kid who could bake your turkey from across the street or cook roasting ears while they're still on the stalk.
I think most boys go through a pyromania stage. I certainly did but it was pretty much out of my system by the time I entered high school. In those days laser beams only existed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds or in science fiction. A grade school friend and I built some really good bombs using carbide. Carbide was available at most feed stores and was used to power lamps for those who needed a reliable source of light for a long period of time, people such a coal miners and coon hunters.
Carbide lamps such as the one above were usually mounted on the user's hat which allowed both hands to be free. Carbide, which looks like limestone gravel is placed in the lower chamber and water in the upper chamber. There is a small hole in the upper chamber which allows the water to slowly drip into the lower chamber causing a chemical reaction which produces acetylene gas. Obviously the gas is quite flammable so if it could be trapped in large quantities and ignited it produced an explosion. But what to trap it in? That was always a problem for us. Years later when plastic trash bags became available maintenance men at a local factory would fill trash bags with acetylene from a cylinder, allow them to rise in the in the night sky and then detonate them with a flaming arrow fired from a sling shot. Just imagine the fun they could have had if they had a laser gun like such as the one in the video.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Items From My Mailbox: Thanks Bonnie
This is amazing!
Did you know "listen" and "silent" use the same letters?
Do you know that the word "racecar" spelled backwards still spells "racecar"?
And that "eat" is the only word that if you take the first letter and move it to the last, it spells its past tense "ate"?
Have you noticed that if you rearrange the letters in "illegal immigrants" and add just a few more letters, it spells: "Go home you free-loading, benefit- grabbing, resource-sucking, non-English-speaking assholes and take those other hairy-faced, sandal-wearing, bomb-making, camel-riding, goat-shagging, raggedy-ass bastards with you."
How weird is that?
Friday, November 27, 2015
If We Cannot Find A Candidate Willing To Repeal EVERY WORD of Obamacare, We Might Just As Well Not Vote
To reiterate my perspective, I did not start this blog to hammer out the usual political discourse of the day. My interests were more about mind control and mass movements than about specific political issues. The creepiest phenomenon I have ever witnessed is the goose-stepping, Kool-Aid guzzling, cult of Obama who pledge their unending loyalty to a man they do not know and do not care to know.
That we can have an unvetted, unknown, international man of mystery whose autobiography is revealed to be entirely fictional serve TWO TERMS as president will confuse me for the rest of my life. Are there no limits to the gullibility of Obama worshipers? How did this amorphous figure hijack our entire news media? Who are the power brokers who control this empty suit and what are their objectives?
I have seen the Clintons as a lesser evil than this occult administration. Bill Clinton always seemed like a vain and venal politician. That might not be high praise but at least we know where he's coming from. We have weathered many a Tammany Hall and I would not suggest that the political machine is an ideal to capture our aspirations but if the big shots are not overwhelmed by hubris, life goes on pretty much as usual.
The contrasts with Bill and Barry are unending. We know more than we care to know about one and know almost nothing about the other. One seeks literal worship and the other craves cash and hotties and hotties and cash in that order. One is offended at the very idea of dissent and the other sees discord as an opportunity to rev up the charm machine. Could they be more different?
Which brings us to Hillary. Is Hillary more like Bill or more like Barry? Last night I saw an ad where Hillary is promoting the continuation of Obamacare. That puzzles me. The ever-savvy Clntons know that Obamacare is a train wreck and that it has been politically unpopular from its inception. Usually the public disapproves of Obamacare by a margin ranging from 4:3 to 3:2.
I cannot imagine that this ad has the blessing of the consummate politician whose wife views him as much as a mentor as anything else. We have to ask ourselves if this has anything to do with Hillary's criminal probe and her demand that Barry "call off your (expletive deleted) dogs.!" Regardless of motive, this ad puts Hillary's candidacy in a whole new light.
As mentioned, I don't have an appetite to continue political discourse from ten years ago. Talk radio hosts could not wait to bash Hillary. It sometimes seemed like the Obama Administration was an eight year distraction for them. It's the Clintons that the Conservatives love to hate and Barry was a plot complication. Get him out of the way so we can re-fight Whitewater.
My blogging has fallen off to a couple of posts per week. Part of that is a lack of enthusiasm for any GOP candidate (more on that in a later post) and part of it is a lack of enmity for the Clintons. Hillary's supporting a continuance of Obamacare changes things. Obamacare is not merely flawed legislation, It is a nightmare. A disaster. A catastrophe with no silver lining except perhaps the enhanced solidity of our nation's largest insurance companies. The people who the Dems love to hate have fared pretty well under Obamacare.
Granted this country has more problems than ever before with more scandals and more deception and more duplicity than we thought possible. In the flood of Iran deals and terrorist refugees and "powerful rebukes" and flimflam artists who say with no hint of irony that global warming is a greater threat than ongoing terrorism and who then jet-hop around the globe to wag their fingers at the peasants and decry their collective carbon footprint, it is easy to be consumed by the disaster du jour. In the tsunami of misery that is the Obama Administration we might have lost track of Obamacare as a political issue.
In all the debates and all the rallies and all the interviews, do we even know where the candidates stand on Obamacare? Trump says he would replace it with something better. Huh? Cruz says he would repeal every word. Carson has also expressed disapproval. Paul of course is against Obamacare but his campaign is fading into the sunset. I honestly don't know the other candidates' positions but I do wish they would express them.
For a handful of reasons--OK two or three handfuls---I cannot get excited about Donald Trump. If he came out and said "Repeal every word" I might put my hands in my pocket and get behind the Donald. I have been critical of the people who stayed home the last two presidential elections but if both major parties support Obamacare or a replacement with something similar, why bother voting?
That we can have an unvetted, unknown, international man of mystery whose autobiography is revealed to be entirely fictional serve TWO TERMS as president will confuse me for the rest of my life. Are there no limits to the gullibility of Obama worshipers? How did this amorphous figure hijack our entire news media? Who are the power brokers who control this empty suit and what are their objectives?
I have seen the Clintons as a lesser evil than this occult administration. Bill Clinton always seemed like a vain and venal politician. That might not be high praise but at least we know where he's coming from. We have weathered many a Tammany Hall and I would not suggest that the political machine is an ideal to capture our aspirations but if the big shots are not overwhelmed by hubris, life goes on pretty much as usual.
The contrasts with Bill and Barry are unending. We know more than we care to know about one and know almost nothing about the other. One seeks literal worship and the other craves cash and hotties and hotties and cash in that order. One is offended at the very idea of dissent and the other sees discord as an opportunity to rev up the charm machine. Could they be more different?
Which brings us to Hillary. Is Hillary more like Bill or more like Barry? Last night I saw an ad where Hillary is promoting the continuation of Obamacare. That puzzles me. The ever-savvy Clntons know that Obamacare is a train wreck and that it has been politically unpopular from its inception. Usually the public disapproves of Obamacare by a margin ranging from 4:3 to 3:2.
I cannot imagine that this ad has the blessing of the consummate politician whose wife views him as much as a mentor as anything else. We have to ask ourselves if this has anything to do with Hillary's criminal probe and her demand that Barry "call off your (expletive deleted) dogs.!" Regardless of motive, this ad puts Hillary's candidacy in a whole new light.
As mentioned, I don't have an appetite to continue political discourse from ten years ago. Talk radio hosts could not wait to bash Hillary. It sometimes seemed like the Obama Administration was an eight year distraction for them. It's the Clintons that the Conservatives love to hate and Barry was a plot complication. Get him out of the way so we can re-fight Whitewater.
My blogging has fallen off to a couple of posts per week. Part of that is a lack of enthusiasm for any GOP candidate (more on that in a later post) and part of it is a lack of enmity for the Clintons. Hillary's supporting a continuance of Obamacare changes things. Obamacare is not merely flawed legislation, It is a nightmare. A disaster. A catastrophe with no silver lining except perhaps the enhanced solidity of our nation's largest insurance companies. The people who the Dems love to hate have fared pretty well under Obamacare.
Granted this country has more problems than ever before with more scandals and more deception and more duplicity than we thought possible. In the flood of Iran deals and terrorist refugees and "powerful rebukes" and flimflam artists who say with no hint of irony that global warming is a greater threat than ongoing terrorism and who then jet-hop around the globe to wag their fingers at the peasants and decry their collective carbon footprint, it is easy to be consumed by the disaster du jour. In the tsunami of misery that is the Obama Administration we might have lost track of Obamacare as a political issue.
In all the debates and all the rallies and all the interviews, do we even know where the candidates stand on Obamacare? Trump says he would replace it with something better. Huh? Cruz says he would repeal every word. Carson has also expressed disapproval. Paul of course is against Obamacare but his campaign is fading into the sunset. I honestly don't know the other candidates' positions but I do wish they would express them.
For a handful of reasons--OK two or three handfuls---I cannot get excited about Donald Trump. If he came out and said "Repeal every word" I might put my hands in my pocket and get behind the Donald. I have been critical of the people who stayed home the last two presidential elections but if both major parties support Obamacare or a replacement with something similar, why bother voting?
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Not Exactly A Book Review: The Manchurian President: Barack Obama's Ties to Communists, Socialists and Other Anti-American Extremists by Aaron Klein with Brenda J. Elliott
The question at this stage of the game is "are the details of the background of Barack Obama still relevant?" I say yes.
And so, this is a book well worth reading.
Michelle Malkin exposed a cesspool in "Culture of Corruption." Aaron Klein warned us about Obama's ineptitude in the aptly named, "The Amateur." It was released as a warning prior to the 2012 elections. At about the same time David Limbaugh released "The Great Destroyer: Barack Obama's War on the Republic" which made a damn good case against Obama's re-election but would of course be ignored by the Kool-Aid crowd.
Corrupt, inept and deliberately destructive. Add Marxist ideologue to that list and you have an accurate description of President Obama. Klein painstakingly connects the dots in Obama's far left, anti-American network.
If you are not by now numb, this book will disturb you. Yes, the mainstream media glossed over Barry's bomb-throwing, nihilistic connections but in fairness to the fourth estate, it would have consumed most of their resources to elaborate on this story. It's not just Ayers and Dorhn and guys from the neighborhood. The devils are in the details and there are a lot of both here.
This is mostly a dry but fact-heavy expose. Given that Aaron Klein does not sit at the cool kids table in the Conservative cafeteria, he won't get the praise that Hannity heaps on Levin or Gutfeld heaps on Coulter. If the author is dismissed as a B-teamer, let me state that this is an excellent reference book.
One mark of a good book is that it reveals something in passing. For instance, in reading about the Kennedys I learned that the Navy recruited Ivy Leaguers to command PT boats because of their oversized egos that might not fit in well in the hierarchy of a larger ship. Men like John Kennedy (and I suppose John Kerry a couple of decades later) have to be the top dog and their personalities are better suited for small crews.
In reading "The Manchurian President..." I learned that the Nation of Islam was responsible for as many as 70 (Wikipedia says possibly more than 80) black on white wanton murders in the San Francisco area in the 1970's. I remember reading about "The Zebra Killers" way back when but the body count was not near as high and at no time did the press link the slaughter to the religion soon to be headed by Louis Farrakhan.
I recommend "The Manchurian President..."
And so, this is a book well worth reading.
Michelle Malkin exposed a cesspool in "Culture of Corruption." Aaron Klein warned us about Obama's ineptitude in the aptly named, "The Amateur." It was released as a warning prior to the 2012 elections. At about the same time David Limbaugh released "The Great Destroyer: Barack Obama's War on the Republic" which made a damn good case against Obama's re-election but would of course be ignored by the Kool-Aid crowd.
Corrupt, inept and deliberately destructive. Add Marxist ideologue to that list and you have an accurate description of President Obama. Klein painstakingly connects the dots in Obama's far left, anti-American network.
If you are not by now numb, this book will disturb you. Yes, the mainstream media glossed over Barry's bomb-throwing, nihilistic connections but in fairness to the fourth estate, it would have consumed most of their resources to elaborate on this story. It's not just Ayers and Dorhn and guys from the neighborhood. The devils are in the details and there are a lot of both here.
This is mostly a dry but fact-heavy expose. Given that Aaron Klein does not sit at the cool kids table in the Conservative cafeteria, he won't get the praise that Hannity heaps on Levin or Gutfeld heaps on Coulter. If the author is dismissed as a B-teamer, let me state that this is an excellent reference book.
One mark of a good book is that it reveals something in passing. For instance, in reading about the Kennedys I learned that the Navy recruited Ivy Leaguers to command PT boats because of their oversized egos that might not fit in well in the hierarchy of a larger ship. Men like John Kennedy (and I suppose John Kerry a couple of decades later) have to be the top dog and their personalities are better suited for small crews.
In reading "The Manchurian President..." I learned that the Nation of Islam was responsible for as many as 70 (Wikipedia says possibly more than 80) black on white wanton murders in the San Francisco area in the 1970's. I remember reading about "The Zebra Killers" way back when but the body count was not near as high and at no time did the press link the slaughter to the religion soon to be headed by Louis Farrakhan.
I recommend "The Manchurian President..."
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Plunder Via Civil Forfeitures Exceeds Plunder From Burglaries
If you can't beat them, join them.
Between 1989 and 2010, U.S. attorneys seized an estimated $12.6 billion in asset forfeiture cases. The growth rate during that time averaged +19.4% annually. In 2010 alone, the value of assets seized grew by +52.8% from 2009 and was six times greater than the total for 1989. Then by 2014, that number had ballooned to roughly $4.5 billion for the year, making this 35% of the entire number of assets collected from 1989 to 2010 in a single year. According to the FBI, the total amount of goods stolen by criminals in 2014 burglary offenses suffered an estimated $3.9 billion in property losses. This means that the police are now taking more assets than the criminals.
More tales of piracy and links here.
Between 1989 and 2010, U.S. attorneys seized an estimated $12.6 billion in asset forfeiture cases. The growth rate during that time averaged +19.4% annually. In 2010 alone, the value of assets seized grew by +52.8% from 2009 and was six times greater than the total for 1989. Then by 2014, that number had ballooned to roughly $4.5 billion for the year, making this 35% of the entire number of assets collected from 1989 to 2010 in a single year. According to the FBI, the total amount of goods stolen by criminals in 2014 burglary offenses suffered an estimated $3.9 billion in property losses. This means that the police are now taking more assets than the criminals.
More tales of piracy and links here.
Obama On Supreme Court? It Could Happen
The most corrupt politician in US history with a lifetime position to subvert the law and conduct fundraisers and to choreograph protests and riots?
Imagine the most prominent Anti-American figure on Planet Earth, the jihadist apologist, the only president who hates the culture and traditions and legacy and citizenry of the United States flipping us the bird for the rest of our lives. It could happen.
The silver lining is that this possible catastrophe could keep Obama on the ticket for years to come. The Republicans have gotten a lot of mileage out of running against Obama and when they don't run a candidate who wants to play kissy face with him, they almost always win.
We cannot afford more Democrats in the White House or Senate. The possibility of a jihadi Marxist on the Supreme Court makes RINO's like Kelly Ayotte a whole lot more attractive.
Imagine the most prominent Anti-American figure on Planet Earth, the jihadist apologist, the only president who hates the culture and traditions and legacy and citizenry of the United States flipping us the bird for the rest of our lives. It could happen.
The silver lining is that this possible catastrophe could keep Obama on the ticket for years to come. The Republicans have gotten a lot of mileage out of running against Obama and when they don't run a candidate who wants to play kissy face with him, they almost always win.
We cannot afford more Democrats in the White House or Senate. The possibility of a jihadi Marxist on the Supreme Court makes RINO's like Kelly Ayotte a whole lot more attractive.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
If Obama Is A Jihadi Quisling, He Sure Isn't Hiding It Very Well
Moment of Silence For Paris Victims. Notice Anyone Missing?
The President of the United States skipped out on the moment of silence for France's latest victims of workplace violence.
Keep in mind Obama also skipped out on the Charlie Hebdo show of support, not even allowing his VP or Secretary of State to attend. Excuses abound for the previous insult but if the president happened to be in Antalya immediately before or even during the ceremony, this can only be seen as a presidential disgrace.
MIA at Columbia.
MIA during Benghazi attack.
MIA in Paris.
MIA at Antalya.
Remember when they used to talk about this guy's presence? That is certainly not a word that defines him very well.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
C. S. Lewis's Definition Of Hell
Thanks to Fausta's Blog for posting this.
“We must picture Hell as a state where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives the deadly serious passion of envy, self-importance and resentment.”
C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
A Ray Of Hope From The Lost Generation
I like this Morgan Freeman better than the Obot Morgan Freeman.
The Lost Generation
It is easy to bash Millennials. Yes, they too shall inherit the Earth and the meek should run for cover.
I know. I know. I know. Millennials fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not every last one of them is a school shooter. Not every last one of them burns cities to the ground. Not every last one of them worships on the altar of Obama. Not every last one of them is a college agitator. Not every last one of them equates articulation with the volume control knob. Not every last one of them is a miserable crybaby angered over phantom grievances. But never have so many looked so ill-suited and ill-prepared for life itself.
SORRY TO SAY COMMENTS HAVE BEEN DISABLED FOR THIS VIDEO
I know. I know. I know. Millennials fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not every last one of them is a school shooter. Not every last one of them burns cities to the ground. Not every last one of them worships on the altar of Obama. Not every last one of them is a college agitator. Not every last one of them equates articulation with the volume control knob. Not every last one of them is a miserable crybaby angered over phantom grievances. But never have so many looked so ill-suited and ill-prepared for life itself.
SORRY TO SAY COMMENTS HAVE BEEN DISABLED FOR THIS VIDEO
Thursday, November 12, 2015
How To Deport Most Illegal Immigrants
This blog does not address illegal immigration very often. It is a convoluted subject. I don't think most people are passionate about the subject and as is often the case, the sizable minority expresses more frustration and anger than constructive solutions.
Six years ago I resided in Newmarket, New Hampshire. Newmarket borders a college town and is slightly bohemian. All in all it is a nice place to live.
I rented an apartment in a building that held five other units. There were illegal immigrants living in my building. There were even more illegal immigrants living and working on my block. None of them swam the Rio Grande. They came from Sweden, the UK, the Bahamas, Russia, China and probably elsewhere.
Sometime in the future I'll do a 'Where Are They Now' follow-up because it does get interesting. For now though, let me state that we are perhaps the only country in the world who routinely provides non-emergency services for illegal aliens.
If you travel abroad and have a coronary, the host country will usually offer whatever assistance is available. But sojourn to any of the cute and cuddly and non-militaristic European countries so praised by Oprah Winfrey and Morley Safer and Bernie Sanders and try to collect on their free health care, subsidized housing and free education for the kids. You might get a one way ticket home but that's about it.
The Kasichs and the Batchelors and the Establishment Republicans remind us that it is impossible to deport 11 million illegals. Maybe. But what if we fined states and counties and municipalities who knowingly provided free public education for people who are here illegally? It is illegal for employers to hire employees who are known to be here illegally. Why not extend the same standard to the public sector?
Why do we provide free public education for children of illegals? Unfortunately, it does not stop with school. Illegal aliens are often arrested in possession of EBT (food stamp) cards, sometimes multiple cards issued to other aliases. (Let's put illegal immigrant voting on the back burner for now.) They can apply for fuel assistance and pay little or nothing for prescription drugs that would cost most Americans a few hours' wages. All over the world, people know how to beat our system.
In a sentence, if we stopped subsidizing illegal immigration many--if not most--of them would go home voluntarily. That is something the Jebs and the Donalds don't want to address.
Six years ago I resided in Newmarket, New Hampshire. Newmarket borders a college town and is slightly bohemian. All in all it is a nice place to live.
I rented an apartment in a building that held five other units. There were illegal immigrants living in my building. There were even more illegal immigrants living and working on my block. None of them swam the Rio Grande. They came from Sweden, the UK, the Bahamas, Russia, China and probably elsewhere.
Sometime in the future I'll do a 'Where Are They Now' follow-up because it does get interesting. For now though, let me state that we are perhaps the only country in the world who routinely provides non-emergency services for illegal aliens.
If you travel abroad and have a coronary, the host country will usually offer whatever assistance is available. But sojourn to any of the cute and cuddly and non-militaristic European countries so praised by Oprah Winfrey and Morley Safer and Bernie Sanders and try to collect on their free health care, subsidized housing and free education for the kids. You might get a one way ticket home but that's about it.
The Kasichs and the Batchelors and the Establishment Republicans remind us that it is impossible to deport 11 million illegals. Maybe. But what if we fined states and counties and municipalities who knowingly provided free public education for people who are here illegally? It is illegal for employers to hire employees who are known to be here illegally. Why not extend the same standard to the public sector?
Why do we provide free public education for children of illegals? Unfortunately, it does not stop with school. Illegal aliens are often arrested in possession of EBT (food stamp) cards, sometimes multiple cards issued to other aliases. (Let's put illegal immigrant voting on the back burner for now.) They can apply for fuel assistance and pay little or nothing for prescription drugs that would cost most Americans a few hours' wages. All over the world, people know how to beat our system.
In a sentence, if we stopped subsidizing illegal immigration many--if not most--of them would go home voluntarily. That is something the Jebs and the Donalds don't want to address.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Other Proposed Pipelines
I grabbed the above from http://www.fractracker.org/2014/03/proposed-pipelines/. They seem to be a Luddite anti-fracking, anti-pipeline, anti-technology organization. Regardless, they provide interesting maps and metadata.
Maybe there are shovel ready jobs after all.
Monday, November 9, 2015
Too drunk for MADD? No problem
From the When the Roll is Called up, They'll be Yonder department, a Pinellas County deputy was too drunk to pick up his award from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. Deputy Michael Szeliga skipped the two days of MADD sponsored training to devote more time to intoxication. He was eventually suspended for one day after missing two days of training which he probably thinks was too harsh but not to worry his career is still on track. He is now a detective in the Special Victims Unit but with a resume builder such as this he would be the ideal candidate for Obama's Secret Service.
What Do Americans Think Of The Keystone Pipeline?
Here are three places to express your own opinion online:
1
2
3
Going back a ways: CNN did a poll in December 2014 that showed that the construction of the pipeline was favored by a 2 to 1 majority.
A month earlier Pew did a poll that produced similar numbers.
1
2
3
Going back a ways: CNN did a poll in December 2014 that showed that the construction of the pipeline was favored by a 2 to 1 majority.
A month earlier Pew did a poll that produced similar numbers.
Yet another 2 to 1 plurality taken at about the same time.
From March 2015, most Americans are not familiar with the Keystone Pipeline.
From September of this year, we have an API (American Petroleum Institute) poll that shows 68% of Americans support the Keystone XL.
Do we really need to conduct polls to gauge public sentiment on this one? The disapproval is palpable. The only people who support the oresident are those with "Bernie" bumper stickers on their Priuses.
Once more, this administration's instinct to rule against the will of the people will bear strange fruit. Obama's decision to kill the pipeline will not bode well for the Democrats in 2016. If the Dems had more seats to lose, we might see another wave election.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Bevin
On Wednesday, Boston talk radio was ablaze with Matt Bevin's upset victory in the Kentucky gubernatorial race. Howie Carr reported that Bevin ran a campaign that focused on Matt Bevin and was losing in the polls. In the final weeks he retooled his campaign to run against Barack Obama and victory was clutched from the mighty jaws of Jack Conway. So the story goes.
I like the story but I am not sure it's entirely accurate. I have been reading the local and national sites and I cannot get a confirmation of this. Bevin was always opposed to Medicaid expansion and he was an early supporter of Kim Davis. I don't know if he ran TV or radio spots denouncing the current administration or if he ran ads equating Conway with the radical-in-chief. Have not been able to find anything like that.
At any rate, the sagacious Tom Brokaw (you saw the Dominick Dunne spectacles) promotes a similar spin.
I like the story but I am not sure it's entirely accurate. I have been reading the local and national sites and I cannot get a confirmation of this. Bevin was always opposed to Medicaid expansion and he was an early supporter of Kim Davis. I don't know if he ran TV or radio spots denouncing the current administration or if he ran ads equating Conway with the radical-in-chief. Have not been able to find anything like that.
At any rate, the sagacious Tom Brokaw (you saw the Dominick Dunne spectacles) promotes a similar spin.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Update: Flash bangers appeal to the Supreme Court
To update the post of 10/31/15 Let's not confuse racism with stupidity the city of Evansville has appealed the decision by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals directly to the Supreme Court.
The petition for a writ of certiorari was placed on the Supreme Court's docket Tuesday, filed on behalf of Evansville Police Chief Billy Bolin and 11 officers named in the lawsuit and the plaintiff's lawyers have until December 2 to respond. As the Supreme Courts accepts only a few of the more than 10,000 petitions filed each year this action can only be viewed as a Hail Mary pass.
The writ argues that the Court of Appeals failed to look at the Fourth Amendment issues from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene instead of from hindsight. Unfortunately for the appellants reasonable officers are in short supply in the EPD. A reasonable officer would have had the good sense to run the legality of flash banging a residence by a lawyer who would have told him that the use of flash bang grenades in private dwellings is generally considered to be an excessive use of force by the courts. The reasonable office test is meant discern how a reasonable officer would respond when forced to make an immediate decision not how inept police administrators willfully violate the constitutional rights of innocent people. In this instance said inept police administrator, Chief Billy Bolin, literally had weeks to formulate a reasonable course of action. Even in the age of Obama stupidity is not a defense.
The writ argues that the Court of Appeals failed to look at the Fourth Amendment issues from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene instead of from hindsight. Unfortunately for the appellants reasonable officers are in short supply in the EPD. A reasonable officer would have had the good sense to run the legality of flash banging a residence by a lawyer who would have told him that the use of flash bang grenades in private dwellings is generally considered to be an excessive use of force by the courts. The reasonable office test is meant discern how a reasonable officer would respond when forced to make an immediate decision not how inept police administrators willfully violate the constitutional rights of innocent people. In this instance said inept police administrator, Chief Billy Bolin, literally had weeks to formulate a reasonable course of action. Even in the age of Obama stupidity is not a defense.
Monday, November 2, 2015
RIP Fred Thompson
Republicans might be cowards and traitors and hypocrites but I maintain that they are the lesser of two evils and that this dubious distinction has become more obvious over time.
One quick comparison. When the sleaziest and most corrupt president in US history appeared to be complicit in weaponizing the IRS for the purposes of winning a presidential election, the Democrats circled the wagons and helped to facilitate a cover-up. Party first, country second.
When Richard Nixon was accused of attempting to do what Obama succeeded at doing, the GOP put country before party. Senator Howard Baker, Republican from Tennessee, markedly asked, "What did the president know and when did he know it?"
Some people claim that Minority Counsel Fred Thompson
prompted the question. I don't know but it is certainly believable. Thompson was a lawful man in a country descending into thugocracy. His kind were once the norm. Now they are a rarity, made even rarer by Thompson's departure. Rest in peace, Fred.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Let's not confuse stupidity with racism
While it is hard to sympathize with the Black Lives Matter movement it is not because police conduct is beyond reproach. Quite the opposite! Policing like practically every other function of government is frequently incompetent and with the rise of the warrior cop, that is, the militarization of local police forces, frequently a menace to public safety. No city tramples on individual liberties to the extent that Chicago does. Last year it floated a $900 million bond issue with $100 million earmarked to pay off legal damages the Chicago Police Department had incurred. In spite of the malfeasance and police thuggery Chicago continues to be the murder capital of the world.
There can be no doubt that cable television bears some responsibility for both the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement and the perpetuation of the myth that policing is a dangerous occupation. It is true felonious police deaths in 2014 were greater than in 2013 but 2013 was the lowest year on record.
The reporting of this story on the evening of August 31 was laughable. It was first reported that a cop had been shot while investigating a burglary. That was true. Then it was reported that the homeowner had also been shot which was also true. When it became clear that the cops were black and the homeowner was white cable television seemed to lose interest in the story. The upshot of the story is the cops were investigating a suspected burglary but went to the wrong house. They entered the unlocked back door of a residence where a man and his wife were watching television. When the homeowner entered his kitchen he was shot in the leg. His dog, a female boxer, was also shot and killed. Then, as if to prove his lack of competence, one of the officers dispatched a round into the leg of his fellow officer evidently striking the femoral artery as the officer nearly bled out in the kitchen.
One would be hard pressed to say that race played a role in either shooting. Certainly incompetence did and it is probably the cause of most unjustified police shootings. Consider that local police forces are drawn from the same populations as those who read the water meters and those who collect the garbage and then add a measure of authoritarianism that comes from not being accountable to the public and the perception that they are at war with the communities they police which frequently comes from contemporary police training and one can see why the public does not trust the police.
This story coming out of Evansville, Indiana where they city is being sued following a SWAT raid on the home of a 68 year old women and her 18 year old adopted daughter provides an insight into the decision to deploy potentially lethal force against law abiding people. It also confirms the fact that rank does not confer wisdom as Chief of Police Billy Bolin is being sued in his personal capacity meaning that if he does not have good tort insurance he is apt to paying for his mistakes well into his 90's.
In June of 2012, threats against the police department were posted to Topix.com, a seedy bulletin board more conducive to hooking up with a dominatrix than finding political bed fellows.
The following posts were discovered under the heading “EPD leak!!! All officers addresses are being passed around Evansville”:
“Me n my boys need them copys asap.need to pay a few a visit.”
“[Chief] Bolin lives behind parkside”
“Lol at all da cops commenting,f#+k the police.you mfs need to b taught a lesson,always harassing n violating mfs rights. 4th of July a cops house gonna got hit.dont care about your kids or btchs lives.I dnt even care about my own life.I got my reasons…times ticking.?”
“Cops be aware.Note:I am proud of my county,but I hate police of any kind..I have explosives.:) made in America.Evansville will feel my pain.guess who’s in the river.”
Members of the local media tipped the police to the post and were rewarded for their subservience and solicitude by being allowed to accompany the SWAT team on its raid on the home of Edna Milan and her daughter. After an exhaustive investigation that lasted for 2 hours the raid was planned. Keep in mind as you view this video that all of this is over a class D felony ( Intimidation Against Police Officers ) as stated in the search warrant. The warrant called for the seizure of tablets, cell phones, laptops and computers not guns, ammo and bombs. Police had traced the source of the offending post to an IP address at 616 East Powell. Police also were able to detect an unsecured WIFI connection by driving by the house and using a cell to connect to the unsecured port. According to the appellate brief 9 people were associated with that IP.
Helmet cam video of the raid shows how it went down. It was not a "no-knock" warrant, but the "knock" delivered by the SWAT team had very little to do with announcing its presence and everything to do with giving itself permission to smash through the front door and hurl flash bangs into the house.
The 2 ladies having been duly perp walked before the media were released after about 20 minutes. Then evidently Chief Bolin had a WTF epiphany. The day after the raid contractors showed up to repair the door and the broken window and to replace the carpet that was burned by the flash bang grenades. Bolin even wrote Milan a letter of apology. The case was eventually solved and one Derrick Murray who lived 2 doors down the street from the Milans' was arrested. How was this desperado apprehended? Police called his home and asked him to come to headquarters were he was arrested.
Milan filed suit in federal court claiming that the use of flash bang grenades constituted excessive force and violated her rights as guaranteed by the fourth amendment. Chief Bolin claimed immunity citing the doctrine of qualified immunity. After that claim was denied in district court Bolin appealed to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Diane Wood presided over the panel which included Judges Ann Clare Williams and Richard Posner, who was once considered as a replacement for Sandra Day O'Connor. Do not underestimate the power of the helmet cam video the police were good enough to capture. Although Milan's attorney did not mention it in his brief or oral argument the libertarian leaning Posner is very much disturbed by the video showing an extremely young looking Stephanie Milan being handcuffed.
The case is complicated by the fact that the son of Milan's late husband and her stepson was a cohort of Derrick Murray as was a second man with the last name of Milan ( obviously a relative of her late husband ) who was no relation to Edna Milan.
Federal courts take a less benign view of flash bang grenades than do police actions flicks and cable news commentators. A considerable body of case law has evolved restricting their use. From Judge Posner
"These are explosive devices, similar to but a good deal less lethal than military hand grenades, that are intended to stun and disorient persons, thus rendering them harmless, by emitting blinding flashes of light and deafening sounds. They can kill if they land on a person, especially a child. The police call them “distraction devices,” an absurd euphemism; we called them “bombs”'..
Listen to the audio recording of the oral arguments to hear three judges eat an attorney alive. "that's not an answer it's mechanical recitation" and it goes down hill from there. "These SWAT team guys seem so chicken"
It's surprising that the court does not address the threat assessment mentioned in the oral arguments considering its contradiction to known facts. The form is bureaucratic banality at it worse which one assumes is to provide the police with a numerical value to a perceived threat thus making it sound more credible but it only works if the questions are answered truthfully. Notwithstanding the fact that no man was connected to the house and the police were searching for computer equipment the assessment indicates the presence of fully automatic rifles and explosives.
In the unanimous opinion Judge Posner wrote:
There can be no doubt that cable television bears some responsibility for both the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement and the perpetuation of the myth that policing is a dangerous occupation. It is true felonious police deaths in 2014 were greater than in 2013 but 2013 was the lowest year on record.
The reporting of this story on the evening of August 31 was laughable. It was first reported that a cop had been shot while investigating a burglary. That was true. Then it was reported that the homeowner had also been shot which was also true. When it became clear that the cops were black and the homeowner was white cable television seemed to lose interest in the story. The upshot of the story is the cops were investigating a suspected burglary but went to the wrong house. They entered the unlocked back door of a residence where a man and his wife were watching television. When the homeowner entered his kitchen he was shot in the leg. His dog, a female boxer, was also shot and killed. Then, as if to prove his lack of competence, one of the officers dispatched a round into the leg of his fellow officer evidently striking the femoral artery as the officer nearly bled out in the kitchen.
|
This story coming out of Evansville, Indiana where they city is being sued following a SWAT raid on the home of a 68 year old women and her 18 year old adopted daughter provides an insight into the decision to deploy potentially lethal force against law abiding people. It also confirms the fact that rank does not confer wisdom as Chief of Police Billy Bolin is being sued in his personal capacity meaning that if he does not have good tort insurance he is apt to paying for his mistakes well into his 90's.
In June of 2012, threats against the police department were posted to Topix.com, a seedy bulletin board more conducive to hooking up with a dominatrix than finding political bed fellows.
The following posts were discovered under the heading “EPD leak!!! All officers addresses are being passed around Evansville”:
“Me n my boys need them copys asap.need to pay a few a visit.”
“[Chief] Bolin lives behind parkside”
“Lol at all da cops commenting,f#+k the police.you mfs need to b taught a lesson,always harassing n violating mfs rights. 4th of July a cops house gonna got hit.dont care about your kids or btchs lives.I dnt even care about my own life.I got my reasons…times ticking.?”
“Cops be aware.Note:I am proud of my county,but I hate police of any kind..I have explosives.:) made in America.Evansville will feel my pain.guess who’s in the river.”
Members of the local media tipped the police to the post and were rewarded for their subservience and solicitude by being allowed to accompany the SWAT team on its raid on the home of Edna Milan and her daughter. After an exhaustive investigation that lasted for 2 hours the raid was planned. Keep in mind as you view this video that all of this is over a class D felony ( Intimidation Against Police Officers ) as stated in the search warrant. The warrant called for the seizure of tablets, cell phones, laptops and computers not guns, ammo and bombs. Police had traced the source of the offending post to an IP address at 616 East Powell. Police also were able to detect an unsecured WIFI connection by driving by the house and using a cell to connect to the unsecured port. According to the appellate brief 9 people were associated with that IP.
Helmet cam video of the raid shows how it went down. It was not a "no-knock" warrant, but the "knock" delivered by the SWAT team had very little to do with announcing its presence and everything to do with giving itself permission to smash through the front door and hurl flash bangs into the house.
The 2 ladies having been duly perp walked before the media were released after about 20 minutes. Then evidently Chief Bolin had a WTF epiphany. The day after the raid contractors showed up to repair the door and the broken window and to replace the carpet that was burned by the flash bang grenades. Bolin even wrote Milan a letter of apology. The case was eventually solved and one Derrick Murray who lived 2 doors down the street from the Milans' was arrested. How was this desperado apprehended? Police called his home and asked him to come to headquarters were he was arrested.
Milan filed suit in federal court claiming that the use of flash bang grenades constituted excessive force and violated her rights as guaranteed by the fourth amendment. Chief Bolin claimed immunity citing the doctrine of qualified immunity. After that claim was denied in district court Bolin appealed to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Diane Wood presided over the panel which included Judges Ann Clare Williams and Richard Posner, who was once considered as a replacement for Sandra Day O'Connor. Do not underestimate the power of the helmet cam video the police were good enough to capture. Although Milan's attorney did not mention it in his brief or oral argument the libertarian leaning Posner is very much disturbed by the video showing an extremely young looking Stephanie Milan being handcuffed.
The case is complicated by the fact that the son of Milan's late husband and her stepson was a cohort of Derrick Murray as was a second man with the last name of Milan ( obviously a relative of her late husband ) who was no relation to Edna Milan.
Federal courts take a less benign view of flash bang grenades than do police actions flicks and cable news commentators. A considerable body of case law has evolved restricting their use. From Judge Posner
"These are explosive devices, similar to but a good deal less lethal than military hand grenades, that are intended to stun and disorient persons, thus rendering them harmless, by emitting blinding flashes of light and deafening sounds. They can kill if they land on a person, especially a child. The police call them “distraction devices,” an absurd euphemism; we called them “bombs”'..
Listen to the audio recording of the oral arguments to hear three judges eat an attorney alive. "that's not an answer it's mechanical recitation" and it goes down hill from there. "These SWAT team guys seem so chicken"
It's surprising that the court does not address the threat assessment mentioned in the oral arguments considering its contradiction to known facts. The form is bureaucratic banality at it worse which one assumes is to provide the police with a numerical value to a perceived threat thus making it sound more credible but it only works if the questions are answered truthfully. Notwithstanding the fact that no man was connected to the house and the police were searching for computer equipment the assessment indicates the presence of fully automatic rifles and explosives.
In the unanimous opinion Judge Posner wrote:
True, we mustn’t base our decision on the wisdom of hindsight. If the police had had reasonable grounds for conducting the search as they did (that is, with flash bangs, yet without any but the most perfunctory, indeed radically incomplete, preliminary investigation), then the doctrine of qualified immunity would shield them from liability even though the flash bangs and ensuing search yielded no benefits for law enforcement. But, to repeat for emphasis, the police acted unreasonably and precipitately in flash banging the house without a minimally responsible investigation of the threats. The open network expanded the number of possible threateners and just one extra day of surveillance, coupled with a brief investigation of Murray and the three male Milans, should have been sufficient to reassure the police that there were no dangerous men lurking in the house.Keystone Kops! Black Lives Matter would do better to focus on stupidity.
Precipitate use of flash bangs to launch a search has troubled us before, leading us to declare that “the use of a flash bang grenade is reasonable only when there is a dangerous suspect and a dangerous entry point for the police, when the police have checked to see if innocent individuals are around before deploying the device, when the police have visually inspected the area where the device will be used and when the police carry a fire extinguisher.The police in this case flunked the test just quoted. True, they’d brought a fire extinguisher with them—but, as if in tribute to Mack Sennett’s Keystone Kops, they left it in their armored SWAT vehicle.
So while the defendants are correct to point out that a reasonable mistake committed by police in the execution of a search is shielded from liability by the doctrine of qualified immunity, in this case the Evansville police committed too many mistakes to pass the test of reasonablenes.
Friday, October 30, 2015
In This Administration's Ongoing Commitment To Protect Religious Freedom For All Americans...
EEOC wins punitive damages for two Muslim truck drivers who refuse to deliver beer.
I am sure that this administration will be every bit as vigorous in protecting the freedom of conscience as it is applied to Christian bakers, Christian pizza shop proprietors, the Little Sisters of The Poor, Hobby Lobby...it is a long list.
Let us rest assured that the Obama Administration will not tolerate religious obliteration in any form.
I am sure that this administration will be every bit as vigorous in protecting the freedom of conscience as it is applied to Christian bakers, Christian pizza shop proprietors, the Little Sisters of The Poor, Hobby Lobby...it is a long list.
Let us rest assured that the Obama Administration will not tolerate religious obliteration in any form.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Free Kevin Trudeau!
I feel remiss in never sticking up for Kevin Trudeau who was sentenced to ten years in prison in 2014 for exercising his First Amendment rights. You can pile up the rigamarole but cut through the BS and you will see a writer going to prison for selling books.
In the Obama era we have seen a full frontal assault on civil liberties. The NSA has compiled extensive metadata dragnets and given the moral turpitude of this administration no one should be surprised if that information was shared with the White House. The IRS has been weaponized repeatedly, not just dissident groups but honest citizens like Ben Carson and Wayne Alan Root who dared to raise questions about Barack Obama or his administration's policies.
Honest citizens have had their votes nullified by the votes of non-Americans, students who cast absentee ballots in their home states as they also vote locally, the deceased, political operatives who morph into gypsy voters in battleground states, other gypsy voters who have been car pooled to battleground states...all as this administration wages a war on voter identification.
We have seen the EPA crushing projects that could be damaging to the financial welfare of Obama donors.
There is the secretive--for good reason--Operation Choke Point.
We have seen this administration bully and intimidate honest journalists using illegal and frightening methods.
Barack Obama and his thugs have unleashed a tsunami of abuse on a scale never before witnessed. Excuse us if we cannot wage protest at every miscarriage of justice inflicted by America's most prominent criminal enterprise.
I am holding in my hands Kevin Trudeau's "The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You To Know About." (Actually I put it down so that I don't have to type with my feet.) Elsewhere I will write a review of this book. There is a lot of padding but mostly it sells the idea--not the practice of nor the implementation of said idea--of taking HCG supplements to lose weight.
Significantly, Trudeau did not sell HCG nor did he hold a financial stake in a clinic that administered said hormone. In no sense of the term did Trudeau attempt to practice medicine. Trudeau sold 850,000 copies of this diet book and from that colossal number generated 67 complaints of fraud. Being a sometimes-cynic, I bet the US government would not have a hard time generating 67 complaints against a man with a target on his back.
The term caveat emptor was probably created shortly after some Roman circulated the first weight loss manual that probably advised gargantuan quantities of vino and olive oil to help one go from an XL toga to an IXL toga. It has long been understood that there has never been a diet book written that was not part sound advice and part nonsense and the portions of each vary greatly. All dietary advice should be taken with a grain of salt.
An aside. The Food and Drug Administration has long been an oppressive bureaucracy. Newt Gingrich once famously said that the FDA was responsible for more American deaths than any other organization. There have been several attempts to clip their wings with varying success. One of the most disturbing developments is that The Federal Trade Commission has harassed many of the citizens the FDA is now forbidden to harass. Call it a vast bureaucratic conspiracy.
The FTC initiated the crusade against Kevin Trudeau. Whereas the FDA usually limited its persecutions to practicing physicians or people who actually sold pills, disinterested writers were usually left alone. Maybe it was a begrudging respect for the First Amendment. Maybe they thought blatant censorship would not hold up in court. At any rate the FTC has boldly expanded its sphere of influence to include freelance authors. This is what tyranny looks like.
A self-fulfilling conspiracy? Trudeau also wrote "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You To Know About." In each of the books mentioned here, there is the use of the stray pronoun, "They." Do "They" really exist? Obviously, "They" do indeed roam our planet.
Kevin Trudeau might not be the ideal poster child for Freedom of The Press but then again, who is? As Pearson and Shaw point out, the forefathers did not include a First Amendment so that we could talk about the weather. We are explicitly afforded the right to exchange ideas so that we can discuss topics that rankle people in high places. We are explicitly afforded the right to discuss controversial subjects, even those topics that special interest groups prefer we do not discuss. We are even explicitly afforded the right to discuss topics "They" Don't Want Us To Know About.
The Obama Thugs have flooded the zone on civil liberties. A blatant miscarriage of justice is ignored in part because we have dozens of other abuses to talk about. This has been on my back burner for much too long. Kudos to Lew Rockwell for taking up the cause right away.
Free Kevin Trudeau!!!
In the Obama era we have seen a full frontal assault on civil liberties. The NSA has compiled extensive metadata dragnets and given the moral turpitude of this administration no one should be surprised if that information was shared with the White House. The IRS has been weaponized repeatedly, not just dissident groups but honest citizens like Ben Carson and Wayne Alan Root who dared to raise questions about Barack Obama or his administration's policies.
Honest citizens have had their votes nullified by the votes of non-Americans, students who cast absentee ballots in their home states as they also vote locally, the deceased, political operatives who morph into gypsy voters in battleground states, other gypsy voters who have been car pooled to battleground states...all as this administration wages a war on voter identification.
We have seen the EPA crushing projects that could be damaging to the financial welfare of Obama donors.
There is the secretive--for good reason--Operation Choke Point.
We have seen this administration bully and intimidate honest journalists using illegal and frightening methods.
Barack Obama and his thugs have unleashed a tsunami of abuse on a scale never before witnessed. Excuse us if we cannot wage protest at every miscarriage of justice inflicted by America's most prominent criminal enterprise.
I am holding in my hands Kevin Trudeau's "The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You To Know About." (Actually I put it down so that I don't have to type with my feet.) Elsewhere I will write a review of this book. There is a lot of padding but mostly it sells the idea--not the practice of nor the implementation of said idea--of taking HCG supplements to lose weight.
Significantly, Trudeau did not sell HCG nor did he hold a financial stake in a clinic that administered said hormone. In no sense of the term did Trudeau attempt to practice medicine. Trudeau sold 850,000 copies of this diet book and from that colossal number generated 67 complaints of fraud. Being a sometimes-cynic, I bet the US government would not have a hard time generating 67 complaints against a man with a target on his back.
The term caveat emptor was probably created shortly after some Roman circulated the first weight loss manual that probably advised gargantuan quantities of vino and olive oil to help one go from an XL toga to an IXL toga. It has long been understood that there has never been a diet book written that was not part sound advice and part nonsense and the portions of each vary greatly. All dietary advice should be taken with a grain of salt.
An aside. The Food and Drug Administration has long been an oppressive bureaucracy. Newt Gingrich once famously said that the FDA was responsible for more American deaths than any other organization. There have been several attempts to clip their wings with varying success. One of the most disturbing developments is that The Federal Trade Commission has harassed many of the citizens the FDA is now forbidden to harass. Call it a vast bureaucratic conspiracy.
The FTC initiated the crusade against Kevin Trudeau. Whereas the FDA usually limited its persecutions to practicing physicians or people who actually sold pills, disinterested writers were usually left alone. Maybe it was a begrudging respect for the First Amendment. Maybe they thought blatant censorship would not hold up in court. At any rate the FTC has boldly expanded its sphere of influence to include freelance authors. This is what tyranny looks like.
A self-fulfilling conspiracy? Trudeau also wrote "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You To Know About." In each of the books mentioned here, there is the use of the stray pronoun, "They." Do "They" really exist? Obviously, "They" do indeed roam our planet.
Kevin Trudeau might not be the ideal poster child for Freedom of The Press but then again, who is? As Pearson and Shaw point out, the forefathers did not include a First Amendment so that we could talk about the weather. We are explicitly afforded the right to exchange ideas so that we can discuss topics that rankle people in high places. We are explicitly afforded the right to discuss controversial subjects, even those topics that special interest groups prefer we do not discuss. We are even explicitly afforded the right to discuss topics "They" Don't Want Us To Know About.
The Obama Thugs have flooded the zone on civil liberties. A blatant miscarriage of justice is ignored in part because we have dozens of other abuses to talk about. This has been on my back burner for much too long. Kudos to Lew Rockwell for taking up the cause right away.
Free Kevin Trudeau!!!
Ted Cruz Slaps Down Obama Butt Boy
CNBC once more parrots White House talking points. Cruz turns the tables and crushes the sleazy smirky whore.
Cruz is so right. This is why no one trusts the mainstream media.
This might be a turning point in the primaries.
AT LAST!!!
Cruz is so right. This is why no one trusts the mainstream media.
This might be a turning point in the primaries.
AT LAST!!!
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Friday, October 23, 2015
Mission Accomplished: White House Successfully Covers Up IRS Scandal
Possibly the largest abuse of power scandal in the history of the United States--that seemed to lead back to the White House by the way--was successfully swept under the rug by the most corrupt administration in US History.
Even the timing of the DOJ announcement smells bad. Friday afternoon, on the heels of Hillary Clinton's performance at Congress the day prior.
I don't care if it is Pataki, Santorum or Gilmore. Any Republican candidate who says "If elected my Justice Department will aggressively prosecute the widespread corruption of the Obama Administration up to and including the president" will receive my vote.
Even the timing of the DOJ announcement smells bad. Friday afternoon, on the heels of Hillary Clinton's performance at Congress the day prior.
I don't care if it is Pataki, Santorum or Gilmore. Any Republican candidate who says "If elected my Justice Department will aggressively prosecute the widespread corruption of the Obama Administration up to and including the president" will receive my vote.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Not Exactly A Book Review: The Kennedys: An American Drama by David Horowitz and Peter Collier
I read excerpts of this book in "Playboy" years ago. Years later I would buy a copy and read a hundred or so pages. I was selling books at the time and someone bought it from me. Sales are sales.
A few months ago I read "Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey" by David Horowitz and reviewed it at this blog. I had not previously connected that he was one of the biographers of the twice-started book. I like Horowitz and after reading "Radical Son..." I placed the book back on my reading list.
I like this book. Unlike some people who sympathize with dissident causes, I like the Kennedys. I respect them. I do not idolize them or vote for them but I do not hold them in contempt or wish ill upon them as do certain talk radio hosts and their hostile callers.
Regardless of what one's feelings about the Kennedys, they are interesting people. Horowitz and Collier do not trivialize their subjects nor do they gild any lilies. The chefs make good use of the ingredients provided.
For me, the most interesting character in this saga is not a Kennedy. The most intriguing character is Lem Billings. It is easy to dismiss Billings as a sycophant but that term understates whatever it was he was and whatever it was he did.
From time to time "The Boston Globe" would print obituaries about "a friend of the Kennedys." These would be fairly prominent and successful people whose lives would be summarized by their relationship to the First Family of Massachusetts. I don't recall ever reading an obit about a friend of a Carter or a Ford or even a friend of the Bush Family. The Kennedys might not have invented the entourage but they certainly redefined the idiom.
Billings started out as JFK's best friend in prep school. Odd as this might sound he would make a career and even a life as a "Kennedy friend." He was a confidant at large to the president. After the assassination he made a Barry Sanders maneuver and somehow found himself in Bobby's inner circle. Fast forward and Billings would be hanging out with Bobbie's sons with whom he would drop acid and shoot smack and lecture their peers (for lack of a better term) on the significance of the vocation as a Kennedy friend.
JFK is still my favorite Kennedy and one of my favorite presidents. A sickly kid, it is amazing that he saw adulthood. It's surprising that the Navy accepted him. Because he was so frail, JFK spent a lot of his childhood in bed reading books. He was incredibly well read.
I usually tune out the blah blah blah about declining morals, social media, hook-ups, etc. Didn't anyone have another hobby in the old days? Jackie Kennedy's father bragged about committing adultery just hours into his honeymoon. Marriage actually did slow down JFK. The president was linked to roughly thirty women but the bachelor Kennedy had a steady stream of anonymous waitresses and flight attendants that would make Wilt Chamberlain look like an underachiever. For all of his bad health, JFK's libido never lagged. And he wasn't the only gregarious fellow of his generation either.
One of my favorite JFK stories: As he was courting Jackie, the Auchincloss family were a bit snooty to his clan, whom they regarded as gauche and smelling of new money. At the reception JFK reminded the wedding party of the Auchincloss tradition of smashing their fine crystal in the fire place at the conclusion of the toast. The Kennedys strike back.
Horowitz and Collier load up the bon mots and interesting asides. Times have changed. One cannot imagine an up and coming government attorney getting into a bloody brawl stemming from a touch football game. But that was, if not par for the course in RFK's era, not so out of the ordinary as to be worthy of litigation or investigations.
One is impressed about how fast families can fall. JFK and RFK had great respect for the written word. Bobbie's oldest son would brag that he never read a book from cover to cover. The family's political outlook would follow a similar trajectory. The book was written as Horowitz was undergoing his own philosophical upheaval. The authors don't spend much time on the contrast of JFK's world view and Teddy's perspective.
Pundits like to yammer about the right to left evolution of the family. There is another way of viewing the family's metamorphosis. The Kennedys were outsiders who became insiders. Joe Kennedy, the ambassador, lived with a mentality that the ever-excluded Irish Catholics needed to prove their mettle. They had to demonstrate that they were up to the challenges the establishment might impose upon them.
Sometime circa Camelot the Kennedys became the establishment. The family of anti-Communism and tax cuts and even staunch isolationism became advocates of big government. Why not? They were insiders now. The nation was now Silly Putty in the hands of the elite. Ask what you can do TO your country.
The devolution is sometimes amusing in a car crash spectator sort of way. It is also painful in a car crash spectator sort of way. The decline of the Kennedys dovetails with the decline of our country. This is a book well worth reading.
A few months ago I read "Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey" by David Horowitz and reviewed it at this blog. I had not previously connected that he was one of the biographers of the twice-started book. I like Horowitz and after reading "Radical Son..." I placed the book back on my reading list.
I like this book. Unlike some people who sympathize with dissident causes, I like the Kennedys. I respect them. I do not idolize them or vote for them but I do not hold them in contempt or wish ill upon them as do certain talk radio hosts and their hostile callers.
Regardless of what one's feelings about the Kennedys, they are interesting people. Horowitz and Collier do not trivialize their subjects nor do they gild any lilies. The chefs make good use of the ingredients provided.
For me, the most interesting character in this saga is not a Kennedy. The most intriguing character is Lem Billings. It is easy to dismiss Billings as a sycophant but that term understates whatever it was he was and whatever it was he did.
From time to time "The Boston Globe" would print obituaries about "a friend of the Kennedys." These would be fairly prominent and successful people whose lives would be summarized by their relationship to the First Family of Massachusetts. I don't recall ever reading an obit about a friend of a Carter or a Ford or even a friend of the Bush Family. The Kennedys might not have invented the entourage but they certainly redefined the idiom.
Billings started out as JFK's best friend in prep school. Odd as this might sound he would make a career and even a life as a "Kennedy friend." He was a confidant at large to the president. After the assassination he made a Barry Sanders maneuver and somehow found himself in Bobby's inner circle. Fast forward and Billings would be hanging out with Bobbie's sons with whom he would drop acid and shoot smack and lecture their peers (for lack of a better term) on the significance of the vocation as a Kennedy friend.
JFK is still my favorite Kennedy and one of my favorite presidents. A sickly kid, it is amazing that he saw adulthood. It's surprising that the Navy accepted him. Because he was so frail, JFK spent a lot of his childhood in bed reading books. He was incredibly well read.
I usually tune out the blah blah blah about declining morals, social media, hook-ups, etc. Didn't anyone have another hobby in the old days? Jackie Kennedy's father bragged about committing adultery just hours into his honeymoon. Marriage actually did slow down JFK. The president was linked to roughly thirty women but the bachelor Kennedy had a steady stream of anonymous waitresses and flight attendants that would make Wilt Chamberlain look like an underachiever. For all of his bad health, JFK's libido never lagged. And he wasn't the only gregarious fellow of his generation either.
One of my favorite JFK stories: As he was courting Jackie, the Auchincloss family were a bit snooty to his clan, whom they regarded as gauche and smelling of new money. At the reception JFK reminded the wedding party of the Auchincloss tradition of smashing their fine crystal in the fire place at the conclusion of the toast. The Kennedys strike back.
Horowitz and Collier load up the bon mots and interesting asides. Times have changed. One cannot imagine an up and coming government attorney getting into a bloody brawl stemming from a touch football game. But that was, if not par for the course in RFK's era, not so out of the ordinary as to be worthy of litigation or investigations.
One is impressed about how fast families can fall. JFK and RFK had great respect for the written word. Bobbie's oldest son would brag that he never read a book from cover to cover. The family's political outlook would follow a similar trajectory. The book was written as Horowitz was undergoing his own philosophical upheaval. The authors don't spend much time on the contrast of JFK's world view and Teddy's perspective.
Pundits like to yammer about the right to left evolution of the family. There is another way of viewing the family's metamorphosis. The Kennedys were outsiders who became insiders. Joe Kennedy, the ambassador, lived with a mentality that the ever-excluded Irish Catholics needed to prove their mettle. They had to demonstrate that they were up to the challenges the establishment might impose upon them.
Sometime circa Camelot the Kennedys became the establishment. The family of anti-Communism and tax cuts and even staunch isolationism became advocates of big government. Why not? They were insiders now. The nation was now Silly Putty in the hands of the elite. Ask what you can do TO your country.
The devolution is sometimes amusing in a car crash spectator sort of way. It is also painful in a car crash spectator sort of way. The decline of the Kennedys dovetails with the decline of our country. This is a book well worth reading.
Watching Hillary
Elijiah Cummings is making his opening statement. I cannot believe how reckless he is. Is he trying to sink Hillary? He recited a series of insults by Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Lindsey Graham and others. Rule # 1 of public relations is do not repeat the criticisms....
Oh, now Hillary is speaking.
Oh, now Hillary is speaking.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Not Exactly A Book Review: Take No Prisoners: The Battle Plan for Defeating the Left by David Horowitz
I feel like I am preaching to the choir by recommending this book. Readers of this blog are not as docile as Mitt Romney or John McCain or even George Bush who would not fight in the public square to defend his war or terrorism. If we could get Reince Priebus and all the presidential candidates not named Donald Trump to read this book, we would all be better off.
Let's not leave Trump behind just yet. Horowitz's premise is that the Left is vulnerable and the only way to exploit their vulnerabilities is to expose the human victims of Leftist ideology. Think Detroit. Yes it's a hellhole and a national joke but what might get forgotten is that a half century of Democratic rule has left a toll of human disaster that makes things like hurricanes trivial by comparison.
There are dozens of other US cities under long-term Dem rule following Detroit's trajectory. Think of the disaster that is public education. It's gotten worse just about everywhere but it is especially bad in cities ruled by Democrats. Urban blight and the farce of public education are two examples that Horowitz suggests we throw back in their faces.
Trump threw sanctuary cities back in the faces of the Dems and he was launched directly to the top of the polls. Horowitz would probably approve.
I have not been posting a lot at this blog in part because I can't get excited about the GOP candidates. I like Trump's spirit but I don't think he is the answer. Many of us were hoping someone else might pick up the fight.
Returning to Hororwitz's book, I have a a couple of criticisms. Horowitz is of the opinion that we should parrot the same slogans the way the Dems do. To that I say, we are cats and they are cattle. We fancy ourselves free thinkers and they are obsessed with pruning their thoughts to conform to a rigid orthodoxy called correctness. We concern ourselves with truth and they concern themselves with sentiment. Being largely uninformed, the Democratic base is dependent on slogans. They want to be told exactly what to think and what to say.
But should we want to echo the same verbiage, we would be hard-pressed to beat the Dems. What Horowitz seems to miss is that 90+% of the news media repeat Dem slogans for them. They legitimatize their every viewpoint. War on women, health care reform, Wall Street reform, gun violence, living wage, the gap between rich and poor, global warming/climate change/climate disruption...We cannot compete against the Dems and the media when it comes to cliches.
With the nitpicking out of the way, I will sing my praises to Horowitz. He is one of the richest minds of our era. Given his Leftist background, Horowitz brings more to the table than say, Ann Coulter or anyone at Fox News.
Horowitz scores points with me for admonishing those on our side who call the opposition liberals. Horowitz prefers leftist or radical. Sometimes those labels are apropos but the opposition is dominated by people who are about as ideological as Al Capone or Charles Ponzi or Attila the Hun. Jonathan Gruber is not a liberal, he is a con artist. Lois Lerner is not a liberal, she is a criminal. Eric Holder is not a liberal, he is a thug. Barack Obama is all of the above (except liberal.)
Horowitz lays out a viable strategy. What is so overwhelmingly frustrating is that the truth is on our side. We can show victims of ISIS, victims of body part brokers, victims of Obamanomics, victims of Obamacare, victims of jihad, victims of Fast and Furious, victims of the war on coal, victims of IRS abuse, victims of voter fraud, victims of sanctuary cities, victims of John Corzine...we have a lot to choose from.
This book is well worth reading but I am probably preaching to the choir.
Let's not leave Trump behind just yet. Horowitz's premise is that the Left is vulnerable and the only way to exploit their vulnerabilities is to expose the human victims of Leftist ideology. Think Detroit. Yes it's a hellhole and a national joke but what might get forgotten is that a half century of Democratic rule has left a toll of human disaster that makes things like hurricanes trivial by comparison.
There are dozens of other US cities under long-term Dem rule following Detroit's trajectory. Think of the disaster that is public education. It's gotten worse just about everywhere but it is especially bad in cities ruled by Democrats. Urban blight and the farce of public education are two examples that Horowitz suggests we throw back in their faces.
Trump threw sanctuary cities back in the faces of the Dems and he was launched directly to the top of the polls. Horowitz would probably approve.
I have not been posting a lot at this blog in part because I can't get excited about the GOP candidates. I like Trump's spirit but I don't think he is the answer. Many of us were hoping someone else might pick up the fight.
Returning to Hororwitz's book, I have a a couple of criticisms. Horowitz is of the opinion that we should parrot the same slogans the way the Dems do. To that I say, we are cats and they are cattle. We fancy ourselves free thinkers and they are obsessed with pruning their thoughts to conform to a rigid orthodoxy called correctness. We concern ourselves with truth and they concern themselves with sentiment. Being largely uninformed, the Democratic base is dependent on slogans. They want to be told exactly what to think and what to say.
But should we want to echo the same verbiage, we would be hard-pressed to beat the Dems. What Horowitz seems to miss is that 90+% of the news media repeat Dem slogans for them. They legitimatize their every viewpoint. War on women, health care reform, Wall Street reform, gun violence, living wage, the gap between rich and poor, global warming/climate change/climate disruption...We cannot compete against the Dems and the media when it comes to cliches.
With the nitpicking out of the way, I will sing my praises to Horowitz. He is one of the richest minds of our era. Given his Leftist background, Horowitz brings more to the table than say, Ann Coulter or anyone at Fox News.
Horowitz scores points with me for admonishing those on our side who call the opposition liberals. Horowitz prefers leftist or radical. Sometimes those labels are apropos but the opposition is dominated by people who are about as ideological as Al Capone or Charles Ponzi or Attila the Hun. Jonathan Gruber is not a liberal, he is a con artist. Lois Lerner is not a liberal, she is a criminal. Eric Holder is not a liberal, he is a thug. Barack Obama is all of the above (except liberal.)
Horowitz lays out a viable strategy. What is so overwhelmingly frustrating is that the truth is on our side. We can show victims of ISIS, victims of body part brokers, victims of Obamanomics, victims of Obamacare, victims of jihad, victims of Fast and Furious, victims of the war on coal, victims of IRS abuse, victims of voter fraud, victims of sanctuary cities, victims of John Corzine...we have a lot to choose from.
This book is well worth reading but I am probably preaching to the choir.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
CNN: 15.3 Million Watch Hillary's Debate
Vs. 24 Million who watched Fox Republican Debate
Vs. 22.9 Million who watched CNN's Republican debate.
Vs. 22.9 Million who watched CNN's Republican debate.
Reading Between The Lines: How Many People Watched Democratic Debates?
I spent over an hour trying to find out the number of people who watched last night's CNN debates. I am not interested in pollster lingo, so a 11.6 Nielsen means nothing to me. I realize that's 11.6 % of total number of homes with televisions but 11.6 % of how many? Does the number of faces who watched CNN last night exceed the 25 million who watched the first GOP debate or the 23 million who watched the second?
Sometimes it's what they don't say: If CNN et al reveal the lingo but not the actual numbers if viewers it's because the absolute numbers are unfavorable to the Dems. If they highlight that the debate was the highest-ever Democratic debate while omitting the numbers, it's because the numbers are unfavorable to the Dems. If we are repeatedly told that GOP debates' audiences were inflated by the presence of Donald Trump, it is to excuse a less than impressive Dem audience.
The numbers will come out soon enough, after the pundits can praise Hillary and the 3 VP candidates and the bitter man who missed The Russian Revolution by a century. Oh and they will excuse the low numbers by the Mets vs. Dodgers competition. Oh and the afterglow of the Cubs victory.
Prediction: After the Hillary praise subsides, we will hear about the enthusiasm gap.
Sometimes it's what they don't say: If CNN et al reveal the lingo but not the actual numbers if viewers it's because the absolute numbers are unfavorable to the Dems. If they highlight that the debate was the highest-ever Democratic debate while omitting the numbers, it's because the numbers are unfavorable to the Dems. If we are repeatedly told that GOP debates' audiences were inflated by the presence of Donald Trump, it is to excuse a less than impressive Dem audience.
The numbers will come out soon enough, after the pundits can praise Hillary and the 3 VP candidates and the bitter man who missed The Russian Revolution by a century. Oh and they will excuse the low numbers by the Mets vs. Dodgers competition. Oh and the afterglow of the Cubs victory.
Prediction: After the Hillary praise subsides, we will hear about the enthusiasm gap.
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