Monday, May 31, 2010

Lt. John W. Finn, Medal of Honor Recipient, Dead at 100

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In October of '08, we honored Lt. John W. Finn for his valor which resulted in being awarded the Medal of Honor. Citation here. Sadly, Lt. Finn has passed away at the age of 100.

Navy Lt. John W. Finn, who received the Medal of Honor for mounting a daring counterattack on Japanese airplanes from an improvised machine gun post during the raid on Pearl Harbor, died May 27 at a veterans home in Chula Vista, Calif. No cause of death was reported.

At 100, he was the oldest surviving recipient of the nation's highest honor for valor and was among the first to receive the award during World War II.


There is a petition to honor Lt. Finn by naming the next Naval ship after him.

To sign the petition, go here.
Rest in peace, Lt. Finn.

Cross posted at Left Coast Rebel

Happy Memorial Day!

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Be sure to take some time today to meditate on the sacrifices made to keep our country free and strong. And fly the flag today!

Quote du jour

“I define manhood simply; men should be tough, fair, and courageous, never petty, never looking for a fight, but never backing down from one.”

-Marion Robert Morrison (John Wayne)

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Obama "Enraged" Over BP Failure

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"As I said yesterday, every day that this leak continues is an assault on the people of the Gulf Coast region, their livelihoods, and the natural bounty that belongs to all of us. It is as enraging as it is heartbreaking, and we will not relent until this leak is contained, until the waters and shores are cleaned up, and until the people unjustly victimized by this manmade disaster are made whole."


This photo has clearly been photoshopped*. This is not the look of a man enraged (or engaged) over any serious problem. No word on whether or not he was asked for his papers.


*It was a single scoop.

Update: Obama called this a "manmade disaster"? Isn't that what the Secretary of Homeland Security calls terrorism? Is Obama calling this a terrorist act by BP?

In my speech, although I did not use the word "terrorism," I referred to "man-caused" disasters.
-Janet Napolitano

Oh. Man caused! Big difference. /sarcasm

Taps for Veterans

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Chris Wallace interviewed Tom Day, the founder of Bugles Across America on Fox News Sunday today. Believing that having a live human being play Taps to show respect at the grave of the fallen, as opposed to a recording, Tom Day has made it his mission to make this happen.

From their website:
Bugles Across America, NFP was founded in 2000 by Tom Day, when Congress passed legislation stating Veterans had a right to at least 2 uniformed military people to fold the flag and play taps on a CD player. Bugles Across America was begun to take this a step further, and in recognition of the service these Veterans provided their country, we felt that every Veteran deserved a live rendition of taps played by a live Bugler. To this end, we are actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.


According to his interview with Mike Wallace, Bugles Across America, even with all the contributions they receive, still falls short about $10,000 annually, which Tom Day makes up out of his own pocket.

Tom Day saw a need and sought to fill it.

http://buglesacrossamerica.org/

Cross posted at Left Coast Rebel, Say Anything

Mourn for the Fallen

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Mourning usually consists of sorrow over our own losses. Memorial Day is the mourning over the loss of others, and our national loss of men of valor who laid down their lives for others.
And it is fitting for us to do so.

Picture via Woman Honor Thyself

Quote du jour

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Pic O' the Day

You know how some people just have too much time on their hands? Like the folks who did that excellent little trailer for Iron Baby?
Yeah. I know people like that!
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Dennis Hopper Dead at 74 of Prostate Cancer


by the Left Coast Rebel

Rest in peace, Dennis Hopper. If not known more for his portrayal of the unsultry or crusty iconoclast then possibly he will be remembered for acting out the perfect badass character. It's funny, when I think of anyone in Hollywood that may have actually lived the hard living life portrayed on the silver screen, Dennis Hopper comes to mind.

Entertainment Weekly has Dennis Hopper's top 12 movies, as follows:

Easy Rider
(1969)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
The Last Movie (1971)
The American Friend (1977)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Out of the Blue (1980)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Hoosiers (1986)
River's Edge (1987)
Colors (1988)
True Romance (1993)
Speed (1994)

Via Google Trends, Memeorandum. Visit Dennis Hopper's IMDB page here.

Child Pornographers are the Scum of the Earth

Robert Stacy McCain did a piece "In Canada, It’s Called ‘Research’", about a scumbag who was caught with child porn on his computer and tried to pass it off as "research" into child porn. Yeah. Right! How much smut do you need to know it's evil and should be eradicated?

The former director of B'nai Brith Quebec, Bill Surkis, has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges after agreeing to a plea bargain.

Surkis and his wife made a brief appearance at the Montreal courthouse Wednesday morning

In return for a guilty plea to charges of possessing and accessing child pornography, the Crown dropped a charge of distributing child pornography, said prosecutor Cynthia Gyenizse.

Explicit files were discovered on Surkis' computer when he brought it in for repairs in 2008.

The technician contacted police after 86 videos and 153 photos were found, including images of girls aged six to 12 years.

Surkis's lawyer had previously said he would argue the videos were downloaded as part of research Surkis was undertaking.


I was reminded of a similar story I covered in Dec. 2008 about Wade Sanders, former Swift Boat crew mate of John Kerry's. Sanders plead guilty to possessing child porn, but also tried to pass off what he was doing as "research".

"Research"? Come to my house, gentlemen and let's "research" methods of "cruel and unusual punishment". I sure the results will be every bit as satisfying for me as yours was for you!*

*Closed Captioning for the Hyperbole Impaired: I really really dislike these people!

Cross posted at Say Anything, Left Coast Rebel

Saturday Linkaround

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Whose Blowout Is It, Anyway? -Krauthammer

Did Birnbaum lie to Congress? -Ed Morrissey

Minimum Wage Cruelty- Walter Williams

Obama opposes 1.9 percent pay raise for military members

Multiculturalism Trumps Feminism -Steyn

WaPo criticizes Texas textbooks sans quotes and links- Althouse

Do Illegal Immigrants Pay Their Fair Share, or is this a Myth?

Obama off the prompter: his silver-tongued rhetoric invariably turns to sludge -Steyn

Customer stuck with counterfeit money from the post office

So, the money was worthless and the government wouldn’t stand behind their actions? Sounds like a pilot program for the Obama administration!


Obama commits Plagiarism -John Lott

Sestak says which laws it would violate had he been offered a job by the administration in exchange for dropping out of senate race.

Terror Alert on Our Southern Border

Why So Few Medals of Honor?

Rand Paul’s Civil Rights Act Comments Revisited -Goldberg

Don’t make it too hard for your liberal friends to admit they were wrong. The Other McCain

You have a green job? Obama says, take a day off without pay!

Joe Biden: Brussels: ‘capital of the free world.’

A Weekend To Remember and Contribute -Hugh Hewett -A “roadmap” to a Senate majority

Encounter Broadsides - The Federalist Papers for the 21st. Century?

He Was Supposed to Be Competent -Noonan


Use the comments as an open thread on any of these topics.

A Little Saturday Night Music

Randy Travis - Three Wooden Crosses

The Women of PETA VIII

To the delight of some and the chagrin of others, we continue with our tribute to those lovely lasses who would bare their assets to further the cause of PETA. I was beginning to think that I was running out of naked, nearly naked and vegetable clad vegetarians, then I found a new supply (Including Dita for PETA!) and the beat goes on!
Again, any pixelation (or faux pasties) is designed to keep the blog PG-13 and the folks at Tiny Pic happy!

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The Women of PETA
The Women of PETA II
The Women of PETA III
The Women of PETA IV
The Women of PETA V
The Women of PETA VI
The Women of PETA VII

This is the Money You Could Have Saved...

Blonde Sagacity has a protester holding a similar sign:

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Modern Watch Found in Ancient Tomb?

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This story is from 2008: Anachronous discovery: Swiss watch in ancient tomb

Chinese archaeologists have found a tiny Swiss watch in a tomb dating back to the Ming dynasty, which they believed has been intact for four centuries.
The watch was discovered by scientists making a documentary, reports ananova.com website.

The out-of-time piece of jewelry was pressed into the soil covering one of the coffins.

The watch is stopped at 10:06, and there is the word “Swiss” on its back.

Work at the archaeological site has been suspended and experts from Beijing have been called in to help solve this mystery...


That's nothing! When the tomb of Alexander the Great was opened, they found a sundial tied to his wrist with strips of cloth.

Obviously, Alexander's Rag Timeband!

(Points for whomever saw that one coming!)

Iron Baby - Be Very Afraid!

In keeping with the more light hearted theme of the weekend heading towards Memorial Day, I give you: Iron Baby!


Note the pacifier in his "heads up" display!

Shamelessly reswiped from Troglopundit

Come for the Babes, Stay for the Snarky Goodness!

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Not a video link. Ignore the arrow! Heh.


Welcome to all of you who have recently discovered "Proof Positive"! It's going to be a slow news cycle this weekend. All of the bombshells were unloaded Friday, hoping they'd be forgotten or "old news" by resumption of business on Tuesday, so I thought I'd do a little "inside baseball" here.
We recently got a little spike in traffic here. Okay, we got a substantial spike in traffic, due to one link from Roger Kimball of Pajamas Media, henceforth know as the "Patron Saint" of Proof Positive. Heh.
And the amazing, and pleasantly surprising thing to me, was not that a big dog like Pajamas Media can throw you a link and you get a lot of traffic, but the number of people who came back afterward because they liked what they saw. (Or enjoy laughing at our feeble efforts? But, anyway, you're back!)
The increase of traffic that is not directly from that link is substantial. (And you know who you are!)

Which, in a roundabout way, brings us to the babes! One of the purposes of posting pictures of the pretty ladies, aside from their obvious aesthetic qualities, is that they attract readers. And once attracted, many of them come back. Robert Stacy McCain codified this in his famous Rule Five of "How to Get a Million Hits on Your Blog in Less Than a Year" back in 2009. But, I knew the principle before Stacy wrote about it because it worked for me (The principle, not the Million Hits!)
The first political blog I ever read was NRO's "The Corner". I used to devour it, every post. I learned a lot from The Corner. Then, one day in 2008, as I recall, Jonah Goldberg made some reference to a blog in North Dakota, of all places, complete with a link. It was Say Anything.
At the time, Rob Port, in addition to the political stuff, was running a feature he called "Friday Night Babe". (So ladies, if you think the "babe" appellation is sexist somehow, blame Rob!) I don't remember if Jonah linked to the "babe" or just to another story on a Friday night, but I bookmarked the spot and sometimes, even on a Friday night, I'd come back.
What I found, alongside the pretty girl, was lively and insightful commentary on the issues of the day. And liberals futilely arguing their talking points, like fish in a barrel. I was hooked. I made my first comments on a political blog there*. Shortly after, I was posting an occasional guest post in Rob's Reader Blogs. Before long I was a regular contributor...and it all started with one link, aided and abetted by a pretty girl's picture, and I stayed for the snarky goodness!

I first got into the "babe" business by resuscitating Rob's feature. He'd started it as a bachelor, and after he got married, the ring through his nose, er, around his finger, cut off his circulation. I picked up the standard and have been carrying it ever since. (I kid, Mrs. Rob! I'm a kidder!)

But, whether you first stopped to admire the pulchritude, or see a video or read the commentary, we appreciate you stopping by. And be honest now! How many of you started reading this because you saw the picture of Audina above?
Some of you were even hoping I might even let her phone number slip! It's right here in my Rolodex...it's (562) 555-....

*And because so many of the commenters there shared my first name, I picked a pseudonym, a nom de cyber, if you will, later shortened to "Proof". I picked it to stand out from the crowd, so that anything I wrote, would be clearly attributed to me and the wackadoodle things said by others, would not. Who knew I'd be doing this after all these years? So, for the time being, I'm "Proof". Just as soon as I become a household name, I will make the transition to my real name, like Datsun becoming Nissan. Until then, bear with me! Thanks!

Just When You Thought You Had Seen Every Conceivable Thing....

by the Left Coast Rebel

.......you witness one that takes the cake and outdoes them all. Knowing that Obama's handling of the gulf oil spill has been nearly the disaster that the oil spill itself has been has pushed Obama (five weeks after the Deepwater Horizon explosion) to flounderingly move to plan b. Plan b. as explained by Carol at No Sheeples Here is as follows:

BP, the oil company taking flak for its inconsistent response to the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, bused in 400 extra cleanup workers to Grand Isle during President Obama's visit today, Jefferson Parish Council Chairman John Young said.

"It appears to have been a PR stunt by BP, not to say we don't appreciate the extra participation," Young said. "We certainly need them, but we don't need them for just one day that happens to coincide with a visit from the president.”Young said he saw the workers dressed in red shirts, blue jeans and black shrimp boots mulling across the beaches and in the mess hall during the president's appearance. They were uniformed in a way "which you don't normally see workers dressed like that," Young said.

After Obama's departure, Young said, the work crews all but vanished.
I've seen a lot in this man's disastrous short tenure so far but this may top them all.

Simply. Unreal.

From a vantage point of righteous indignation, not to mention anger, No Sheeples Here brandished forth this amazing video:


Please make this video go viral. Wake up, America.

Greeting from the Left Coast Rebel

Greetings Proof Positive readers! Tim here, the proprietor of the Left Coast Rebel blog and fellow Once Golden State-Proof compatriot of Mr. Positive. Proof has invited me to contribute here from time to time and I am more than happy to oblige. Proof has also humbly offered to do the same at the Left Coast Rebel.

So look forward to seeing me around the block here now and again.

Cheers!

Quote du jour

“It is difficult to produce a television show that is both incisive and probing when every twelve minutes one is interrupted by twelve dancing rabbits singing about toilet paper”

-Rod Serling

Friday, May 28, 2010

More Proof or Just More Positive?

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Well, maybe not angry. And maybe not all men!


I started Proof Positive as a solo blog, a place where I could say anything I wanted because I was sleeping with the editor...scratch that! ...because I was the editor. And, although nothing has been set in concrete, it now looks as though that might change, hopefully for the better.

I've sent out invitations to a couple of like minded bloggers to join Team Proof and I may be reciprocating with a few guest posts on their blogs. This could be like the blogging equivalent of Manifest Destiny. Or not.

Anyway, if we can work out the logistics, we'll bring you a little more variety and perhaps a little more content for those times when work (or life) gets in the way of blogging! Don't worry! I'll still be the Alpha Dog here.

As they say in the funny papers:

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Friday Night Babe

Tonight's FNB* is Jennifer Aniston!
(*a.k.a. Rule Five Friday)

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Gary Coleman, Dead at 42

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The former TV sitcom star died of an intercranial hemorrhage today.
Like so many child stars, Coleman's life after fame was sometimes less than kind to him.
Rest in peace, Mr. Coleman.

"How Much Would You Like it to Be?"

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I think we've all heard the joke about the shady accountant who, when asked on a job interview, "How much is two plus two?" answered "How much would you like it to be?

Does anyone get the same feeling about this exchange?

Reporter: Elizabeth Birnbaum resigned today. Did she resign? Was she fired? Was she forced out? And if so, why? And should other heads roll as we go on here?


Obama: Now, with respect to Ms. Birnbaum, I found out about her resignation today. Ken Salazar had been in testimony throughout the day, so I don't know the circumstances in which this occurred. But, what would you like it to be?


Okay! I added that last part! But don't you get the feeling that Obama needs the input from a few focus groups to know whether or not he was a tough, accept no excuses kind of guy that fired her or the kindly boss who accepted this incompetent's (whom he hired) resignation?

Funny how Obama has been on top of this "since day one", but was totally clueless as to the personnel change in the top oil regulator at the Department of Interior?

In this age of modern communication, do you really believe that something this important would not have been brought to the attention of the CinC before a major press conference? Did he think no one would ask? Did his staff not think to inform him? Or did he simply wish to maintain the air of clueless deniability long sought after by his press secretary? (see below)

Doesn't this guy tweet???

Heh.

This goes hand in hand with the general tone of transparency of this administration:

Reporter: He said he was offered a job, would you deny that?

Gibbs: I don’t have anything to add to what I said in March.

Reporter: What exactly was the conversation?

Gibbs: Dick, I don’t have anything to add to what I said in March.

Reporter: But you never , never really explained what the conversation was

Gibbs: And I don’t have anything to add to that.
Most transparent administration evah!

Pic O' the Day

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Liberals delude themselves about other things, too!

Quote du jour

Unfortunately, you could flood the L.A. Times and not get a real reporter damp.

-John Nolte

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Homeland Insecurity

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Washington (CNN) -- Just weeks after the failed car bombing of New York's Times Square, the Department of Homeland Security says "the number and pace of attempted attacks against the United States over the past nine months have surpassed the number of attempts during any other previous one-year period."

That grim assessment is contained in an unclassified DHS intelligence memo prepared for various law enforcement groups, which says terror groups are expected to try attacks inside the United States with "increased frequency."

CNN obtained a copy of the document, dated May 21, which goes on to warn, "we have to operate under the premise that other operatives are in the country and could advance plotting with little or no warning."


An increased frequency of terror attacks and attempts. Could that be aided and abetted by the porous border to our south, where not everyone is coming here for a better life? (unless you count the 72 virgins!)

Law enforcement in Houston has been asked by U.S. Homeland Security to be on the lookout for a suspected member of an al-Qaida ally, the al-Shabaab group, based in Somalia.

We have an increased frequency of terror activities, and an alert because of an al-Qaida ally is suspected of coming across our open border.

Note to the reality impaired: It's not about race, it's about securing our border.
Always has been.

Was Barack Obama Off the Prompter, or His Rocker?

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So I sneak up behind Biden and say: "Guess who?"


From Obi One the Hopey's press conference today:

Yesterday the federal government gave BP approval to move forward with a procedure … to try to stop the leak.

…The American people should know that from the moment this disaster began, the federal government has been in charge of the response effort.

…But make no mistake: BP is operating at our direction. Every key decision and action they take must be approved by us in advance. I've designated Admiral Thad Allen, who has nearly four decades of experience responding to such disasters, as the national incident commander. And if he orders BP to do something to respond to this disaster, they are legally bound to do it.


Now, I'm not a lawyer. I don't even play one on TV, but to me, it sounds like Obama is making the US government joint and severally liable for the results of this spill and the subsequent clean up, or lack thereof.

The American people should know that from the moment this disaster began, the federal government has been in charge of the response effort.
So if BP wanted to do "A" and the feds said, no, do "B", or if Louisiana wanted to build sand bars today and then government makes them wait until Tuesday, it could be (and probably will be) argued that whatever course taken, not taken or delayed may have had a percentage of liability for the final damages. Yes, BP may have put the oil in the water, but the US, Obama claims, was in charge from day one of the efforts to cap the well and clean up the mess. Doesn't that make them (and the taxpayers who are on the hook for it) at least to some degree liable?

Quote du jour

The oil can is mightier than the sword.

-Everett Dirksen

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

James Carville Attacks Obama

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James Carville came out swinging against the Obama Administration this AM on Good Morning America. And it's not the first time either. Anyone who stayed to the end of Iron Man 2, after the credits, saw a brief preview of things to come: (Spoiler alert!) Thor's Hammer. In a similar fashion, Carville is hinting at the sequel nearest and dearest to his heart: Clinton III: This Time for All the Marbles! I think that these are the opening salvos of the Hillary for President 2012 campaign. Under the guise of "Mr. President, here's what you need to do" is an underlying "Mr. President, here's what you failed to do"

This will build until finally, neither Carville or Hillary will be able to sit still and watch their country and their party so mismanaged, that she will have to resign. Over principle, you see, not personal political gain. Carville will have long been on record that this guy Obama isn't up to the job, but he'd been willing to work on the campaign of someone who was. Three guesses who that might be! Huff Po had this to say of Carville on CNN:

Democratic strategist James Carville and MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews, two reliable supporters of President Barack Obama, have issued withering critiques of the administration's handling of the Gulf oil spill.

Carville, the famously outspoken Louisianian who was a chief political aide to Bill and Hillary Clinton, told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday that the administration's response to the spill has been "lackadaisical" and that Obama was "naive" to trust BP to manage the massive clean-up effort.


Obama is naive and lackadaisical. Two qualities the Democrats will be looking for in 2012!

Then, on GMA:

...the political stupidity (of Obama) is unbelievable. Here, you have a situation, where you have some working- 11 working- hard-working people, blown up as the result of corporate malfeasance and maybe criminal negligence, as a result of inept bureaucrats who were part of the- you can actually blame the previous administration for this. And the President doesn't get down here in the middle of this. This thing should be- his approval should be up seven points right now if he had come down. I have no idea of why they didn't seize this thing. I have no idea of why their attitude was so hands-off-y here. It's just unbelievable. Now, I hope he sees it now, because very seldom do you get good politics and the really the right thing to do. And that is to get involved here.


Translation: The Obama administration is politically stupid and incompetent. Unbelievably stupid and incompetent.

The President of the United States could have come down here. He could have been involved with the families of these 11 people. He could have commandeered the things. We could have sent the Woods Hole people. He could have sent the Scripps on research vessels in the Gulf of Mexico. He could have implemented a plan in anticipation of this. You know, right, he can't exactly fill the hole up. Last night I was on Larry King, the CEO, the former CEO of the Shell. They said they got 85 percent of the stuff cleaned up in the Gulf of Saudi Arabia. He could be commandeering tankers and making BP bring tankers in and clean this up. They could the deploying people to the coast right now. He could be deploying people to the coast. He could be with the corps of engineers and the Coast Guard with these people in Plaquemines Parish, doing something about these regulations. These people are crying. They're begging for something down here. And it just looks like he's not involved in this! Man, you have got to get down here and take control of this! Put somebody in charge of this and get this thing moving!


Translation: The people are begging for political leadership and for the president to show a little empathy and compassion. Obama isn't exhibiting any of that.

It's a heck of a problem. I'm not exactly sure if you hear conflicting things. Some think that the crime rate in Arizona is down, with the number of illegals into Arizona is down over a period of time. I have no idea what the facts are. But, obviously, they have some problem on their border. They really feel that way. This is an area of great frustration. And he's doing something. Hopefully this works. But, man, he's got to- the other thing he needs to do. They need to launch a criminal investigation. The Attorney General needs to investigate criminal negligence on the part of BP and what went on at MMS. There are a thousand of things that he can do. He just needs to get down here and start doing something. People are dying!


Translation: Obama's not showing leadership on the problems with illegal immigration and he's pulling a Katrina with the BP oil spill. And he's soft on corporate polluters.

Let's recap: Obama is incompetent, naive, lackadaisical, cold, politically stupid, soft on corporate polluters and doesn't show empathy or leadership. And Mr. President, I'm telling you this as your friend... Yeah. Right!

And when your friends run against you in 2012, Mr. President, don't say I didn't warn you!

Cross posted at Say Anything

Environmentalist Wackos Sabotage Clean Up Efforts

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You have got to be kidding me! Whoever said that liberalism was a mental disorder may be on to something.

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Vandals have slashed hundreds of feet of booms in Pensacola, rendering them useless in soaking up oil from the massive Gulf spill.

Escambia County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Ted Roy said the suspects likely used a boat to access the booms and then sliced a roughly 600-foot stretch with a razor blade or box cutter


What better way to prove you love the environment than by making an environmental disaster worse than it needs to be?

H/T Pirate's Cove
Cross posted at Say Anything

Mickey Kaus Debates Box, Not Boxer

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Kaus vs. Box


Gadfly blogger Mickey Kaus, who is running in the Democrat primary against Barbara "Bouncer" Boxer, can't get any respect. At least, not from Babs.
Barbie knows that as the incumbent and front runner she can only lose by exhibiting just how stupid she is in any debate against anyone with the intelligence of a rutabaga or better. Hence, she refuses to debate Mr. Kaus.

Not to be ignored, Mickey held his debate not against Boxer, but against a box. Yes, it was a gutsy move, considering the box was at least two to three times more intelligent than Barbara Boxer!

Senator Barbara “Don’t Call Me Ma’am” Boxer (D-CA) has been dodging her opponent in the U.S. Senate race all primary season. But her opponent, Mickey Kaus of Kausfiles and Common Sense Democrat fame, decided to hold the debate without her.

Some in the audience professed not to notice that Boxer was absent.
-DBKP

Another good reason to defeat Prop 14, is front runners who feel that they are not obligated to debate their opponents. How can one possibly pick the two best candidates when the front runners know that it is in their best interest to hide their views and keep their mouths shut until after they have the job?

Cross posted at Say Anything

Obama Sends Unarmed Troops to Stop Gun Smuggling

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Obama's Crack Border Patrol Agent


Just when you think this guy have maybe the smallest bit of a spine (or a clue) the truth comes out! Twelve hundred national guardsmen getting sent down to the border. Almost sounded like Obama's Dirty Harry moment for a minute there, didn't it?

WASHINGTON — US National Guard troops being sent to the Mexican border will be used to stem the flow of guns and drugs across the frontier and not to enforce US immigration laws, the State Department said Wednesday.

The clarification came after the Mexican government urged Washington not to use the additional troops to go after illegal immigrants.

President Barack Obama on Tuesday authorized the deployment of up to 1,200 additional troops to border areas but State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters, "It's not about immigration."

He said the move was "fully consistent with our efforts to do our part to stem, you know, violence, to interdict the flow of dangerous people and dangerous goods -- drugs, guns, people."

He said the extra troops would be used to free up civilians engaged in support functions...
In other words, paper pushers. They are a relief column for civilian paper pushers. Oh, I am so relieved that Obama is CinC!

H/T Gateway Pundit
Cross posted at Say Anything

Inert Napolitano

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I was scanning quickly across a story about Janet Napolitano, when one of those weird, closure kind of Freudian slips takes place, and I thought I read her name as "Inert Napolitano". How apropos!


in·ert

 /ɪnˈɜrt, ɪˈnÉœrt/ Show Spelled[in-urt, ih-nurt]
–adjective
1. having no inherent power of action, motion, or resistance (opposed to active): inert matter.
2. Chemistry. having little or no ability to react, as nitrogen that occurs uncombined in the atmosphere.
3. Pharmacology. having no pharmacological action, as the excipient of a pill.
4. inactive or sluggish by habit or nature.


Yeah. That sounds about right!

Cross posted at Say Anything

Obama's Worst Daily Tracking Poll to Date

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Say it with me now: "Schadenfreude". Heh.

The Medal of Honor

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Captain James M. Sprayberry


Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Sprayberry, Armor, U.S. Army, distinguished himself by exceptional bravery while serving as executive officer of Company D. His company commander and a great number of the men were wounded and separated from the main body of the company. A daylight attempt to rescue them was driven back by the well entrenched enemy's heavy fire. Capt. Sprayberry then organized and led a volunteer night patrol to eliminate the intervening enemy bunkers and to relieve the surrounded element. The patrol soon began receiving enemy machinegun fire. Capt. Sprayberry quickly moved the men to protective cover and without regard for his own safety, crawled within close range of the bunker from which the fire was coming. He silenced the machinegun with a hand grenade. Identifying several l-man enemy positions nearby, Capt. Sprayberry immediately attacked them with the rest of his grenades. He crawled back for more grenades and when 2 grenades were thrown at his men from a position to the front, Capt. Sprayberry, without hesitation, again exposed himself and charged the enemy-held bunker killing its occupants with a grenade. Placing 2 men to cover his advance, he crawled forward and neutralized 3 more bunkers with grenades. Immediately thereafter, Capt. Sprayberry was surprised by an enemy soldier who charged from a concealed position. He killed the soldier with his pistol and with continuing disregard for the danger neutralized another enemy emplacement. Capt. Sprayberry then established radio contact with the isolated men, directing them toward his position. When the 2 elements made contact he organized his men into litter parties to evacuate the wounded. As the evacuation was nearing completion, he observed an enemy machinegun position which he silenced with a grenade. Capt. Sprayberry returned to the rescue party, established security, and moved to friendly lines with the wounded. This rescue operation, which lasted approximately 71/2 hours, saved the lives of many of his fellow soldiers. Capt. Sprayberry personally killed 12 enemy soldiers, eliminated 2 machineguns, and destroyed numerous enemy bunkers. Capt. Sprayberry's indomitable spirit and gallant action at great personal risk to his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.


Capt. Sprayberry: We humbly salute you and thank you for your service.

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Hat tip Home of Heroes





There are fewer than a hundred living MoH recipients today. Their names and their stories should not be forgotten. My mission is to honor one of those heroes here each week, and salute them for their courage and sacrifice.

Cross posted at Say Anything

Pic O' the Day

Compliments of The Troglopundit
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The raising of the flag at Iwo Jima

Chuck DeVore "Hearts" Jack Bauer?

California is known as the land of fruit and nuts, but this election campaign year is weirder than most! First we had Carly Fiorina's Demon Sheep ad, and now this:



This ad, if you will, I imagine is designed to go "viral" and create a lot of buzz and name recognition for Chuck DeVore. Frankly, I think it fails. I like Chuck and think he would make a far better senator than the one we have now. Of course, with Babs "Barbara Bouncer" Boxer as an incumbent, the bar isn't all that high!
Still, it seems to me that this video tends to obscure what ought to be a sterling record by throwing in all the fictional cr@p. It like recycling all those Chuck Norris jokes. An acquired taste.

DeVore would be better served to present his credentials and views in a factual and straight forward manner and leave the cutesy stuff to Al Franken. We already have enough clowns and jokers in California politics.


Cross posted at Say Anything
H/T Daily Caller

Quote du jour

But what did the “loss” of Daniel Pearl mean? Well, says the president, it was “one of those moments that captured the world’s imagination.” Really? Evidently it never captured Obama’s imagination, because, if it had, he could never have uttered anything so fatuous.

-Mark Steyn

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

New Whitman for Governor Ad



I've seen this ad popping up a lot lately. It has Mitt Romney, Condoleezza Rice and Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association singing Meg's praises as it were. I'm not sure how effective this ad is going to be. On the one hand, I like Rice. On the other hand, I don't really think of Condoleezza Rice when I think "California".

On the other, other hand, we have Mitt Romney, who didn't impress me with his run for the presidency and Mr. Massachusetts, who dabbled in the Winter Olympics in Utah, is also not the poster boy for California politics.

Howard Jarvis was the driving force behind the Prop 13 tax relief measure, and I haven't paid much attention to them since, so I cannot attest to their fidelity to their founder.

But the feeling I get from the commercial is that of bringing in ringers. Are there no home grown heavy hitters that can testify for Meg?

It looks like Newt Gingrich is jumping on the Meg bandwagon, too. We all know his insight and acumen from jumping in on the wrong side of NY-23. One more carpet bagger for the campaign.

And how will she explain her near thirty year absence from voting? If not now, then in November?
In the interest of full disclosure, I have come out and endorsed Steve Poizner.

Cross posted at Say Anything

Quote du jour

The Democrats brag that they have won multiple special elections lately; they are slightly less likely to mention that seven of the eight that they have won thus far this season were also previously held by Democrats; and that five of those seven were for utterly safe seats, at that.

-Moe Lane

Monday, May 24, 2010

Save the USS Olympia

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Wyatt over at Support Your Local Gunfighter and Captain America over at First In, tell the story of a piece of our nation's history that may soon be lost to us. The USS Olympic, the last surviving ship from the 1898 Spanish American War, has "been part of Philadelphia’s waterfront for 50 years". A floating museum.

Thousands of visitors have walked its decks, seen and perhaps touched what was cutting edge naval technology in the late nineteenth century. It is a link to our past. A milestone on the road of how we got here. Perhaps an indicator of where we need to go.

Right now, the city of Philadelphia is considering scrapping or sinking the USS Olympia for lack of funds to maintain it. Yeah, and we could probably get a better return on our money by turning the Smithsonian into condos and putting it back on the tax rolls!

The museum can no longer afford the ship’s upkeep, McLane said. At least $20 million is needed to tow, restore, interpret, and endow the deteriorating vessel.


I can't believe that in the city, state and federal budgets, there is nothing of lessor merit to cut than this. The USS Olympia has probably provided more educational moments than the entire output of the bureaucrats of the National Department of Education since its inception. And how much are they spending?

ED currently administers a budget of $63.7 billion in FY 2010 discretionary appropriations (including discretionary Pell Grant funding) and $96.8 billion in discretionary funding provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009—and operates programs that touch on every area and level of education.


Efforts should be made to preserve this bit of history while we still can. It's a small crisis compared to the challenges this country is facing today, but if you have the time and the inclination, consider shooting off a letter or email to the politician of your choice and see if something cannot be done to save this historic ship.

Cross posted at Say Anything

Transparency 101: "I Don't Have Anything To Add To That."

There's a video over at Pundit and Pundette about the whole Sestak job offer from the administration to sit out the PA senate primary race.



But there's this exchange that starts around 1:28 in the video between press secretary Robert Fibbs and a reporter I find particularly enlightening (or not).

Reporter: He said he was offered a job, would you deny that?

Gibbs: I don’t have anything to add to what I said in March.

Reporter: What exactly was the conversation?

Gibbs: Dick, I don’t have anything to add to what I said in March.

Reporter: But you never , never really explained what the conversation was

Gibbs: And I don’t have anything to add to that.


Most transparent administration evah!

Cross posted at Say Anything

Quote du jour

Obama’s candidate endorsements:
... they aren’t the kiss of death, but they certainly aren’t the kiss of life either. They’re more like a kiss from your sister. They add little to no excitement while inviting many unwanted questions.

-Jonah Goldberg

Sunday, May 23, 2010

This Last Week's Poll

This Last Week's Poll: After Six Weeks and Two to Three Dozen PETA ads, Do you Think:

PETA is right on the money 0%

They mean well, but go too far at times 4%

I agree with some of what they advocate, but not all 6%

They're fruitier than a two dollar fruitcake. 91%


Multiple choices and Obama's crack budget office accountants may account for totals greater than 100%

Thank you for your participation!
Not a scientific poll. Respondents are self selecting. Questions are drawn from fortune cookies, hieroglyphics and tomorrow’s New York Times.

Please make your opinion known in this week's poll.

Have a Little Crystal Head!

Dan Ackroyd, star of Ghostbusters, et. al, wants you to know that drinking can kill you. At least, that's what might be inferred from the shape of the bottle he's marketing his vodka in!
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Banned by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, this skull shaped bottle is...an invitation to drink yourself to death? Fortunately, the Canadians must not have that much to worry about if the shape of the bottle your booze comes in is their biggest problem!

via Instapundit

Sunday Funnies

A couple of really good cartoons from over at Flopping Aces this AM. (Okay...a couple few as we used to say!)
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Republican Charles Djou Wins in Hawaii!

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What a great Saturday! I got to spend most of the day with my five children, celebrating the college graduation of one of them. Then, I come home to good news:

For the first time in twenty years, Hawaii is sending a Republican to congress!

“This is a momentous day. We have sent a message to the United States Congress. We have sent a message to the ex-governors. We have sent a message to the national Democrats! We have sent a message to the machine.

We have told them that we will not stand idly by as our great nation is overburdened by too much taxes, too much debt and too much wasteful spending.”

-Charles Djou

All in all, a bad day for Honolulu cabbies!*

H/T Gateway Pundit
Cross posted at Say Anything

*Inside joke

Quote du jour

Despite their attempts to prove their intellectual superiority, leftists must confront the harsh truth. They are not, nor have they ever been, at the top of the intelligence food chain. They are comfortably in the middle. They have always masked the shallowness of their intellect with the depth of their vocabularies. They have sought refuge from real world experience and accomplishment in the sanctuary of academic institutions.

-Leigh Scott

Ooh! That's going to leave a mark!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Saturday Linkaround

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I'm going to cross post the Saturday Linkaround. Some of the links I've put in Hot Links, and some are shameless self promotion, but there was a lot of good stuff on the Web this week.

Mexico's Calderon Knows Nothing About America's Gun Laws -John Lott

Miranda: A New Consensus? -Krauthammer

George W. Obama Part 7

Fake Mich. ‘Tea Party’: Another Example of How Democrats Fight Dirty

Cap and Tax as the “Mr. Potato Head” Bill

Credit Where Credit Is Due: For Once, the New York Times Acts In the Best Interests Of Our Country

Anyone Remember Mexico’s Ixtoc I Spill?

Left, right and wrong -Jonah Goldberg

‘Enough Money’ -Thomas Sowell

The 9th Circuit: Often in error but never in doubt -Will

Krauthammer: Tea Party Success A "Tribute" To Obama's "Radical" Agenda -video


Mark Steyn : A Tale of Two Borders

Times Square Bomber Accomplice is Illegal Alien

No, You Can't Keep Your Health Plan

Sestak Could Face Ethics Inquiry

Use the comments as an open thread on any of these topics.

(I actually edited out the shameless self promotion.)

A Little Saturday Night Music

Chad Mitchell Trio w/ John Denver: For Bobbie

The Women of PETA VII

To the delight of some and the chagrin of others, we continue with our tribute to those lovely lasses who would bare their assets to further the cause of PETA!
Again, any pixelation is designed to keep the blog PG-13 and the folks at Tiny Pic happy!

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Okay! That last one probably isn't from PETA, but her heart is in the right place!

The Women of PETA
The Women of PETA II
The Women of PETA III
The Women of PETA IV
The Women of PETA V
The Women of PETA VI

Reunions



This should warm the cockles of your heart!

H/T Threedonia

Tom McClintock Responds to Felipe Calderon



A breath of fresh air over the fetid swamp of Washington.

Update: Welcome to all of you coming here from Pajamas Media. And thanks to Roger Kimball for the link!

H/T Weasel Zippers

Quote du jour

Well, I’m sort of offended when the president of Mexico says, criticizing the Arizona law: 'It's placing our people in the face of discrimination.' If they’re his people, what are they doing in the United States? If they're his people, why did they leave Mexico, abandon his country, to live under the jurisdiction and the laws of the United States?

-Charles Krauthammer

Friday, May 21, 2010

"Come to the USA" -Ray Stevens



Funny in a sad kind of way!


H/ T Left Coast Rebel

Krauthammer on the Lawlessness of the Obama Administration



Plain talk from one of America's premier pundits.

H/T Flopping Aces

Megyn Kelly on the Arizona Immigration Law

O'Reilly has the disgusting video of all those Democrats giving a "standing o" to the leader of a foreign nation meddling in our affairs.



Notice at 1:08 in the background. Is Nancy Pelosi picking her nose? Sheesh!

Friday Night Babe

Tonight's FNB* is Scarlett Johannsen
(*a.k.a. Rule Five Friday)

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