musings on faith, culture, and politics
Funnier than expected. Donning their white boxers and rose colored Oxfords, Coach K, Rick Pitino, Roy Williams, and Bobby Knight participate in the “Risky Business” of a Guitar Hero commercial with Metallica. Take a look.
Here’s behind the scenes footage with the coaches.
At Shearer Academy, memorization is a vital aspect of spiritual formation and sharpening our minds. Scripture has much to say about hiding God’s word in your heart and knowing his Word for yourself and for others. Second Timothy 3:14-17 says:
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
This year we have committed to memory Psalm 103, Lamentations 3:22-23, Romans 8:38-39, Psalm 19, John 15:1-8, and Psalm 121.
As we study American History this year, we are now turning our attention to noteworthy speeches of this period. My oldest is memorizing a portion of Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream,” my second daughter is memorizing “The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln, and I am working on “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth. While committing these to memory, we study the historical background and context of the speech, which is always fascinating. Additionally, these speeches provide wisdom and context to our many political and cultural discussions.
Here’s the transcript of Sojourner’s speech, “Aint’ I a Woman?” given at the Women’s Convention in December 1851 in Akron, Ohio.
Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that ‘twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s all this here talking about?
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman?
Then they talk about this thing in the head; what’s this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That’s it, honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negroes’ rights? If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?
Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ’cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain’t got nothing more to say.
iTunes has a good recording of the speech at “Every Tone a Testimony” by Various Artists.
Jim Calhoun defended himself against the interrogation of a political activist “journalist” in a post-game press conference last week. This presser was typical: it takes place following a basketball game in which sport’s journalists ask the Coach and certain players questions regarding the game.
So this jerk sneaks into the press-conference and then hijacks it with a non-basketball related question about Calhoun’s high salary in economic hard times, and he does so in an offensive and combative manner. Calhoun attempts to redirect the “journalist” by asking him, “What was your take tonight?” Psuedo-journalist: “I don’t know.” Then he continues with his scheme.
This guy clearly had an agenda. The other journalists reprimanded him on the spot, yet this “journalist” continued with his interrogation, until Calhoun gathered himself and basically told him off in G-rated language.
Now, Connecticut lawmakers want to reprimand Calhoun!
Un. freaking. believable.
Here’s the confrontation.
Are you serious? They want to reprimand Calhoun?!?
First, did the lawmakers request privately to Calhoun their concern over his behavior? There was no mention of it in the article, so I’m assuming “no.” Perhaps, they’re looking for “15 minutes” of face time and decided to reprimand Calhoun publicly? There are better ways to handle this situation than for these two lawmakers to air publicly their grievances over Calhoun’s response to the “reporter.”
Secondly, are there no pressing problems in Connecticut for these lawmakers other than to quip about Calhoun’s personal defense from this “reporter’s” sinister agenda?
As a Duke fan, I do not like UConn nor will Calhoun ever be in my Top 5. I can put aside my allegiances and will defend Calhoun in this situation. This is just government gone mad.
Get out of our lives and stop telling us how to act, think, speak, spend, and live!
He’s been in office for less than a month and it’s been a complete disaster. Yet, they’re already throwing out the idea of adding Obama to Mt. Rushmore. The Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine ran a feature article with this photo on the cover today:
Unbelievable. The deification and obsession of Obama never ceases to amaze me.
Duke lost to Wake Forest last night. Duke played awful until the last few minutes of the game, minus the last 2.6 seconds. But nothing is more annoying than an ungracious winner. Case in point: Wake Forest guard Jeff Teague.
Watching Teague during the game and his demeanor and actions toward the Duke players reminds me of another egocentric, ungracious player from Wake Forest: Chris Paul. If you know about the time Paul punched NC State’s Julius Hodge in the groin in 2005, then you know what I’m talking about. Paul was suspended, rightly so, for one game. Incidentally, he attempts the same shenanigans in the NBA. I watched him in a game last week where he threw a light punch to another player in the chest, the guy fell down, and the ref didn’t call it. Paul acted like he didn’t do anything. Hey, who cares, he’s passionate and an NBA all-star??? I digress.
I am not saying Teague is a dirty player like Paul, but that he has a similar arrogance.
I’m wondering how the Duke coaching staff is feeling after Teague’s swipe at them when he said this in the post game press conference, “You give our coaching staff a whole week to prepare for you, we’re going to have everything down pat.” And then another dig at the entire Duke team: “I knew we were going to win this game,” Teague said. Bulletin board material me thinks.
Wonder if Teague will be singing a different tune after Wake’s visit to Cameron in a few weeks on Feb. 22. I would venture to guess yes.
Love or hate Duke, everyone can admit that they are a classy, gracious organization, which is set by the attitude of Coach K. They are always quick to say good things about the opposing team–win or lose–and deflect personal praise to a team effort.
I didn’t watch the press conference, so if you did and (objectively) think I’m judging Teague harshly, set me straight.
On a side note, I used to love Dickie V., but now I find him so annoying. I had the most of the game muted. Vital doesn’t call the game, he cheerleads as the wind blows. It gets old. Even when he’s singing the praises of Duke. Thankfully, he isn’t calling many of Duke’s games this year. But then sometimes we’re stuck with Jay Bilas, a former DUKE player (!), who is almost as bad. I’ll take Mike Patrick and Len Elmore any day. Better yet, Coach Knight! I digress again.
Anyway, Wake Forest is a tough place to play and Wake is exceptional this year. I think the two teams will split their games. That said, I am not surprised at the outcome of this game, but I am surprised at how poorly Duke played. It wasn’t Duke basketball or defense. They were clearly rattled. I was amazed that they nearly squeaked out a W given their horrendous play. Hey, it’s a long season and this is the ACC. Carolina beat Florida State at the buzzer yesterday. They will all beat each other up and lose to one another.
Duke will watch tape, learn from it, and adjust appropriately. The rematch on Feb. 22 will be a good one.
Next game: Virginia on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 1 @ 2 pm (et) (FSN)
Do you ever wonder what you’d do if you won the lottery? Well, I think the Democrats are manifesting their fantasies with the “Stimulus” Bill, which is really a facade for PORK geared to stimulate bigger government and left-wing interest groups.
In order to stop the madness of our representative, elected officials, please participate in the political process and voice your concerns with OPERATION MELT THE PHONES.
Call the offices of your elected representatives TODAY and share your thoughts.
and so Dee Dee Myer gushes.
Lest you miss her premise, her lap dog rhapsody begins with her thesis statement:
Barack Obama is the most famous living person in the history of the world.
Knowing that cultural savants will immediately think of John Lennon’s infamous statement in 1966, “The Beatles are more popular than Jesus,” Myers dispels any grandiose comparisons between Obama and Jesus.
I’m not trying to induce an acid flashback to John Lennon’s infamous 1966 comment, “The Beatles are more popular than Jesus.” But whether you measure fame in terms of saturation or sheer numbers, it seems indisputable to me that more people know at least something about the new American president than anyone alive, at this point—or any—in the planet’s existence.
My daughter asked me today to define “idolatry.” I responded, “Worshipping something or someone in the place of God, i.e., it is your god. It is the thing/person/idea that you think about most and shape your life around. If it isn’t God, then that thing/person/idea becomes your idol and, consequently, you commit idolatry.”
I think Myers’s adulation of Barack Obama provides a fitting, albeit long-winded, example of such misguided reverence.
Give me all 100!
Obama enjoys an adoring media (networks, cable news, nationally public funded radio, newspapers and editorial pages, supposedly unbiased news agencies such as AP) whose “reporting” borders on propaganda. Yet, there are a few outlets and voices that dare to elicit not-so-glowing assessments of The One. One such outlet is Fox News. Given the mammoth number of venues providing positive coverage for Obama, it appears that negative reporting does not sit well with him. To say that Obama has thin skin is, well, an understatement.
According to someone in the Congressional meetings today:
He [Obama] also acknowledged that there will be plenty of time for them to beat him up politically, according to the notes of one participant in the meeting. “I understand that,” Obama said, then joked, “and I will watch you on Fox News and feel bad about myself.”
This reminds me of the parable the prophet Nathan told King David regarding Bathsheba. David had everything, but one. Rather than focusing on what he had, he focused on what he lacked. In the same manner, Obama has nearly all of the media carrying his water but a few and he choses to focus on them. Telling.
His insecurity is going to trip him up.
In my last post, I highlighted Barack Obama’s philosophy of governance, learned and implemented during his community organizing days in Chicago. “Rules for Radicals” (RR) by Saul Alinsky is Obama’s playbook. In order for his “plan” to succeed, he nudged the proverbial #13 ball down the hill last Friday by singling out Rush Limbaugh, a prominent voice of Conservatism.
By attacking Rush, Obama utilized Alinsky’s RR Tactic 13:
Pick the target (Conservatism specifically and Republicans generally)
Freeze it (Why me? We are not the problem, it’s x, y, and z!)
Personalize it (Avoid abstracts, make it personal: Rush Limbaugh)
Polarize it (Get the Conservatives and Republicans to fight one another)
Polarize it.
Yesterday, it was Bill Bennett chastising Rush for his rhetoric against our new CinC. Today, it is the House GOP leadership telling Rush to zip it. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., said:
“I think that our leadership, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, are taking the right approach,” Gingrey said. “I mean, it’s easy if you’re Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or even sometimes Newt Gingrich to stand back and throw bricks. You don’t have to try to do what’s best for your people and your party. You know you’re just on these talk shows and you’re living well and plus you stir up a bit of controversy and gin the base and that sort of that thing. But when it comes to true leadership, not that these people couldn’t be or wouldn’t be good leaders, they’re not in that position of John Boehner or Mitch McConnell.”
Limbaugh responded in an email to Politico:
“I’m sure he is doing his best but it does not appear to be good enough. He may not have noticed that the number of Republican colleagues he has in the House has dwindled. And they will dwindle more if he and his friends don’t show more leadership and effectiveness in battling the most left-wing agenda in modern history. And they won’t continue to lose because of me, but because of their relationship with the grassroots, which is hurting. Conservatives want leadership from those who claim to represent them. And we’ll know it when we see it.”
Obama has achieved his objective. These cowardly Republicans have earned their bottom feeder approval ratings. Our elected officials are more concerned about getting a picture with The One and neglect their principles due to Obama’s intimidating approval ratings. And they wonder why Democrats are in power and the GOP base is revolting?
Obama’s attempts to divide Republicans have not gone unnoticed from those across the pond .
I’ll take “Get A Clue for the GOP Leadership for 100″ Alex.
UPDATE
Smart move and humbling. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga, just called into Rush Limbaugh’s show in the first hour to apologize for his comments yesterday, say he was wrong, and pledge his solidarity with Rush and Conservatives.
Barack Obama attacked Rush Limbaugh in a private meeting on Friday morning with House leadership. Many are scratching their heads and asking, “Why would Obama, the most powerful person in the world, attack Rush Limbaugh, a talk show host and clown*?”
In order to understand the motives behind Obama’s actions, we must turn to “Rules for Radicals” (RR) by Saul Alinsky.** As a disciple of Alinsky, RR is Obama’s playbook and he’s using the Tactics (126-164) to a tee. I finally got my own copy (I was using my local library’s copy; hey, I live in Chicago so of course they’d have a copy!) and tore through it over the weekend.
When Obama attacked Rush on Friday, he combined a number of the Rules. Rush responded citing Rule 13:
Pick the target (Conservatism)
Freeze it (Why me? We are not the problem, it’s x, y, and z!)
Personalize it (Avoid abstracts, make it personal: Rush Limbaugh)
Polarize it (Everyone comes out in support of Rush or against him, e.g., Bill Bennett goes against Rush and others will speak out in like manner)
Obama’s attack on Rush, a private citizen, unelected official, and entrepreneur, actually combines a few of Alinsky’s “Tactics”: Rule 5 (Rush is Conservatism’s most potent weapon given his audience and the talk-show medium), Rule 6 (The Dems and Liberals LOVE it when Rush is ridiculed), Rule 8 (They are keeping the pressure on Conservatives, and Republicans to a lesser degree, with the assistance of the media (think Pitts and other “Conservative” editorials and Astroturfing via Axelrod).
Obama’s attempting to restructure power with the Cabinet and the Czars and it all comes from Alinsky–fascinating at his arrogant audacity and frightening in the scope of the potential damage he can render to our country. However, I think Obama has met his match.
Rule 13 says to “ridicule” the enemy, yet that plays right into Rush’s hand. Rush is the master at poking fun at others and getting his message across and Obama’s skin is too thin. For example, Rush opened his show today calling himself “Senator Limbaugh,” jabbed Obama and the spineless Republicans who won’t stand up to the tyrannical, bullying tactics of the Great Unifier.
* This is projection by Leonard Pitts, Jr., who is the real clown.
** In order to not contribute income to the Alinsky estate and the Vintage publishing company, consider buying a copy from a reseller.
Where’s the dummkopf hat when you need it? Oh that’s right, it has permanent residency at NBC’s sister network MesSNBC.
Once again, Drudge gets the scoop. NBC has banned Coulter for life. Their actions backfire and essentially proves the premise of Coulter’s new book, Guilty: The MSM is a mouthpiece of liberal ideology and will silence any and all dissenting voices.
“Over the top” or too close too home? Reality bites.
UPDATE
All is well. NBC saw the light and reneged its hours old “life-long ban” of AC. She’s booked for Wednesday morning on The Today Show in the first hour.
Can you believe conference play has already started and I have not mentioned Duke basketball once??? What is going on?!? Let’s get up to speed.
For the non-basketball junkie, college basketball has different phases to the season: Preseason, non-conference play, conference play, conference tournaments, and the crown jewel–March Madness. The season begins with boondoggle preseason tournaments, the most coveted and prestigious being the Maui Invitational. Seriously, who in their right mind wouldn’t want to be in Maui in late November? I rest my case.
Other tourneys include the Paradise Jam in the Caribbean, the South Padre Invitational, CBE Classic, Great Alaska Shootout, the Preseason NIT (you don’t want to be in the POST season NIT because that means you didn’t make the cut as one of the 65 teams for the Big Dance. NIT is also known as Not In Tournament, i.e., no March Madness and no money), Coaches vs. Cancer at Madison Square Garden in NYC, which incidentally Duke won this year. Sweet.
Well, Duke has played well thus far; they’re 12-1 (They lost to Michigan). I have my gripes with the line-up and their sometimes mediocre play despite having 8 (EIGHT!) McDonald’s All-Americans on the roster, but Coach K is still one of the best coaches in the game and knows how to maximize his talent. I like the defense creates offense philosophy and unselfish team play. There are aspects I don’t like, but we’ll focus on the positive.
Conference play started yesterday in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and this is when the W’s really count. It is with the utmost satisfaction and heartfelt glee in which I write the following:
The ABCs of college basketball, especially on Tobacco Road: Anyone But Carolina.
The sport’s pundits can make excuses all they want, but the fact is Boston College played a good, tough basketball game against UNC except when BC got careless in the last few minutes. They could’ve given away the game if Carolina had made some shots, but they didn’t. It goes to show that conference play is challenging, especially within the ACC. This is the one time of year that I miss living in North Carolina. It’s ACC all the time. Gotta love it.
Obama was elected the 44th POTUS as a perfect example of the Peter principle. Now he wants to nominate political hack Leon Panetta to run the CIA. Frankly, nearly all of Obama’s Cabinet selections are case studies of the Peter principle, e.g., Hillary Clinton as Sec of State, Ken Salazaar as Sec of Interior, Bill Richardson as Sec of Commerce, Tom Daschle as Sec of HH Services, and Janet Napolitano as Sec of Homeland Security.
Back to Panetta. Imagine putting Rove in as CIA director or Andrew Card or Rahm Emmanuel in a few years. Is the blurriness giving way to the focused absurdity of this pick? Just what we need: the further politicization of the CIA. The inevitability of another unwarranted and unwanted attack and/or international crisis involving our country becomes more of a reality with these buffoonish decisions. Gird your loins people, we have entered the Twilight Zone.
On a side note — Does it bother anyone with the number of Senators being nominated to run the Executive Branch of our representative government? Anyone???
UPDATE
Via Hot Air Allahpundit notes opposition to The One’s questionable pick from fellow Dems Dianne Feinstein and Jay Rockefeller. Schadenfreudelicious.
UPDATE 2
The One is trying to calm the waters with Dianne Feinstein. Biden confesses that they made a “mistake” by not informing Feinstein, the incoming head of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Goodness, Obama isn’t sworn in and he continually makes junior Senator mistakes. One problem, he isn’t a junior senator from IL anymore, but POTUS. His blunders make national headlines (well, they should) and the repercussions go far beyond the Illinois state borders.
UPDATE 3
Obama handpicked CNN’s medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta for Surgeon General. A journalist for Surgeon General??? Red is yellow, black is white, and 1 + 1 = 3. It’s going to be a bizarre four years.
One of the highlights on Gupta’s resume–in 2003, he was named one of PEOPLE magazine’s “Sexiest Men Alive.” Michelle Malkin asks, “What next? Judge Judy for the next Supreme Court opening?”
Granted, this decision comes with reservations.
Gupta’s only hesitation in taking the post is said to involve the financial impact on his pregnant wife and two children if he gives up his lucrative medical and journalistic careers. But he is expected to accept the position within days.
So he’ll be slumming for a couple of years making only six figures instead of seven or more.
Rush is right: It’s a Giant Sitcom.
Welcome to 2010! It’s a new year and that means it’s time to make some goals for the next 365 days.
Yes, I make New Year resolutions and generally attain many of them, but certainly not all of them. I know most people steer clear of NY resolutions, but I am not one of them. Taking personal inventory is a good thing. There is a saying, “If you aim for nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” The only way to grow and be the best me that God wants me to be for the greater good is by challenging myself and aiming for new heights. That includes introspection, which can be painful and messy.
Some of my goals are recycled, some are new. I focus on different areas: spirit, soul, mind, body, family, and work. This year I’m adding some new categories: Angel (our new dog, a rescue pet, and yes, we need to set some goals with her!) and finances. I ask the Lord for a theme and how he desires me to grow and be shaped in the next year. Over the years I’ve learned to set realistic targets, hence I actually accomplish some of them!
For some fun NY ideas, go here.
Slightly Off-Topic ~
I am still trying to figure out the thematic content of this blog. My tag is “musings on faith, culture, and politics,” but I’ve written mostly about politics. Honestly, it generates a lot of traffic and that is enticing. Yet, I don’t want to be trapped into writing about one topic and, frankly, it’s draining and time-consuming. The media machine never stops: it’s 24/7/365. I’ll leave that to more qualified people who enjoy the madness of politics. My topics will reflect my life and interests–a hodgepodge of musings.
May this be a year of new beginnings, growth, and the realization of many dreams. Blessings to you.
Another shiver up my spine.
Group Asks IRS to investigate Catholic Bishop Against Obama
Serratelli wrote that Obama has pledged, if elected president, to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, abortion-rights legislation the Catholic Church vehemently opposes.
“If this politician fulfills his promise, not only will many of our freedoms as Americans be taken from us, but the innocent and vulnerable will spill their blood,” Serratelli wrote.
The Rev. Barry Lynn, president of Americans United, said it is “impossible to interpret this passage as anything but a command to vote against ‘the present Democratic candidate’ because of his promise to sign a certain piece of legislation disfavored by the Catholic Church’s hierarchy.”
The Paterson diocese said Serratelli’s column was focused on proposed abortion legislation, not the upcoming presidential election.
“It’s absolutely, positively misleading to say that the bishop urged Catholics not to vote for Sen. Obama,” the diocese said in a statement.
Not only do the Liberals interpret body language, now they are mindreaders.
Amendment 1 (of the U.S. Constitution)
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Our country is founded on the premise of these ideas of freedoms. We live, breath, promote, embrace, and DIE for these freedoms. We are capable of finding any “viewpoint” we want to listen to–extreme, radical, fringe, moderate, or mainstres–on the radio, satellite radio, Internet, television, magazines, periodicals, and newspapers. Nobody is forced to listen to a contrary view; you are perfectly capable of tuning it out and turning if off. Don’t like Fox News? Don’t watch it. Can’t stand the slanted, biased views of the New York Times? Don’t read it. Despise Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity? Then listen to Ed Schultz or National Public Radio (NPR).
What these liberal ideologues want to do is change our identity and beliefs. They seek to create a theocracy, with the Government as the god and the only acceptable “doctrine” their doctrine. Anything else will be “hate-speech.” If you espouse or promote anything contrary to their beliefs, you will be silenced.
IF there is a Democratic controlled Congress with enough votes and IF there is an Obama Administration, they will seek to restore the (un) FairnessDoctrine. We can be assured that Obama as President would not veto the legislation.
Crazy? Well, Obama’s thugs have a track record: here, here, here, here,here.
It’s not about free speech, but Completely. Silencing. ANY Opposition.
From HillBuzz. Someone emails a practical demonstration of Obama’s redistribution of wealth.
“Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read “Vote Obama, I need the money.” I laughed.
Once in the restaurant my server had on a “Obama 08″ tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference — just imagine the coincidence.
When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need–the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.
I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I’ve decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.
At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn,
but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient needed the money more.I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.”
I wonder if that server wants to rethink his/her choice? I would.
from NRO.
A pollster just doing his job and having the audacity to report the actual numbers that *gasp* show McCain/Palin ahead in Ohio!
Below are the results of a three-day poll of likely voters in the state of Ohio. Results are based on telephone interviews with 1200 likely voters in Ohio, aged 18+, and conducted October 20-22, 2008 by telephone. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.
1. If the election for President were held today would you support the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joseph Biden or the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin?
McCain/Palin 48%
Obama/Biden 45%
Other 2%
Undecided 5%
And in return, what does he get from an Obamacon? A death threat.
My goodness, your polls stinks. There are 3 polls that have Obama by double digits and only yours has Obama down. WOW!. How come your poll is the only one giving Palin high favor ratings? I think you nee dto be careful tonight when you get in your car and might want to check underneath your car. SCRAP YOUR IDIOTIC POLLS OR ELSE!
Unhinged. Desperate.
One can only imagine the sort of chaos after Nov. 4 when their guy loses. Lock your doors. Pull the curtains. Take down your McCain/Palin signs.
Welcome to the Banana Republic.
A few probing questions and the Obama camp cries “FOUL!” Do they want to retract that “spine of steel” comment? Listen to how Biden bobs and weaves himself into a hole. Watch the video if only for Biden’s facial expressions at the audacity of a reporter to ask solid questions.
A couple of money quotes from a partial transcript:
About ACORN, Say It Ain’t So Joe said:
There is no relationship. . . . Those are the facts!
Come on, Let’s get real here.
West asks:
Karl Marx wrote, “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” How is Senator Obama not being a Marxist if he isn’t spreading the wealth around?
Biden retorts:
Are you joking? Is this a joke? Is that a real question?
(Snark. God love ya’ Barbara.)
West:
You recently said, “Mark my words, It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama . . .”
Biden:
I don’t know who’s writing your questions, but . . .
Translation: Wait until we get a hold of your editor and your personal files. We’ll Joe-the-Plumber you!
The look on Biden’s face is priceless.
There is an honest reporter left.
*
h/t Michelle Malkin
Some Saturday afternoon entertainment. You’ll be humming it for the rest of the day.
“He never met a tax he didn’t like
He’s got crazy friends like Reverend Wright.
He’d rather give away the foreign land fight.
Non, merci beaucoup!
Aw, go inflate your own tires!”
h/t Nice Deb.
It isn’t about being a D or an R, but a C.
Agreement on issues is not required, but Palin merits respect.
It is dismaying that misogyny and sexism are so excessively marbleized into our daily interactions that some of us cannot even recognize their existence when confronted with it or when staring at it directly in the mirror.
George Orwell’s 1984 that is.
From Wizbang:
A New Cabinet Level Department Under Obama Administration
The Corner points us to HR 808, the Department of Peace & Non-Violence. It’s a new cabinet level the Democrats are proposing. I’m not kidding. This is going to be huge. And expensive. And oppressive. Take a look at some of the offices.
Office of Peace Education and Training
Office of Domestic Peace Activities
Office of International Peace Activities
Office of Technology for Peace
Office of Arms Control and Disarmament
Office of Peaceful Coexistence and Nonviolent Conflict Resolution
Office of Human Rights and Economic Rights
Another chilling preview of what an Obama Administration will implement, changing our country into a socialist (dare I say fascist?) state.
Yep, that’s some kind of change. And you can keep it.
h/t HillBuzz
We were told to inflate our tires and now this:
He called on Americans to do their part, to turn off the lights and insulate their homes to help decrease the U.S.’ dependence on foreign oil. “It may sound like small stuff but it adds up,” he said.
Yes, that’s the ticket to energy independence. Why didn’t anyone think of this before? As if nobody does this already. We’re not toddlers, Senator Obama.
Such brilliance. Sheer idiotic brilliance.
Advocacy journalism on full-display in Colorado today:
Hersperger couldn’t get a ticket for Obama’s presidential acceptance speech at INVESCO Field at Mile High in August but wasn’t going to miss him when he came to Fort Collins. “It’s historic,” Hersperger said. “This way we can tell him he saw the president of the United States.”
Notice the reporter, the embodiment of fact and truth, says Obama’s presidential NOMINEE acceptance speech back in August at the Democratic National Convention was in fact Obama’s presidential acceptance speech. I know the whole Greek temple thing made it seem like the second coming of Caesar and all. The reporter and Mr. Hersperger may be projecting a bit, but they forgot one minor detail.
A small, insignificant, frivolous, irrelevant detail like a general election and the American people actually VOTING!
oh yeah, silly me. I forgot–this isn’t an election, it’s a coronation. duh.
This audio is from 2001. 2001!
WHAT is the mainstream media doing? Sipping lattes and getting measurements for their Inaugural attire? Because they sure aren’t doing their job.
Ace of Spades is all over it.
h/t Michelle Malkin.
Posted in the comments at HillBuzz. “Sarah” wants to clear her conscience.
sarah p Says:
October 27, 2008 at 5:04 amOk, I want to clear my conscious a little. Hopefully you could make a blog post to help some fellow clinton supporters out.
I work for a campaign and can’t wait for this week to be over.
I was doing it for a job. I was not a fan of any candidate but over time grew to love HRC.
The internal campaign idea is to twist, distort, humiliate and finally dispirit you.
We pay people and organize people to go to all the online sites and “play the part of a clinton or mccain supporter who just switched our support for obama”
We do this to stifle your motivation and to destroy your confidence.
We did this the whole primary and it worked.
Sprinkle in mass vote confusion and it becomes bewildering. Most people lose patience and just give up on their support of a candidate and decide to just block out tv, news, websites, etc.
This surprisingly has had a huge suppressing movement and vote turnout issues.
Next, we infiltrate all the blogs and all the youtube videos and overwhelm the voting, the comments, etc. All to continue this appearance of overwhelming world support.
People makes posts to the effect that the world has “gone mad”
Thats the intention. To make you feel stressed and crazy and feel like the world is ending.
We have also had quite a hand in skewing many many polls, some we couldn’t control as much as we would have liked. But many we have spoiled over. Just enough to make real clear politics look scarey to a mccain supporter. Its worked, alough the goal was to appear 13-15 points ahead.
see, the results have been working. People tend to support a winner, go with the flow, become “sheeple”
The polls are roughly 3-5 points in favor of Barack. Thats due to our inflation of the polls and pulling in the sheeple.
Our donors, are the same people who finance the MSM. Their interests are tied, Barack then tends to come across as teflon. Nothing sticks. And trust, there were meetings with Fox news. The goal was to blunt them as much as possible. Watch Bill Oreilly he has become much more diplomatic and “fair and balanced” and soft. Its because he wants to retain the #1 spot on cable news and to do that he has to have access to the Obama campaign and we worked hard at stringing him a long and keeping him soft for an interview swap. It worked and now he is anticipating more access. So he is playing it still soft.
This is why nothing sticks.
The operation is massive, the goal is to paint a picture that is that of a winner, regardless of the results.
There is no true inauguration draft or true grant park construction going on. There will be a party, but we are boasting beyond the truth to make it seem like the election is wrapped up.
Our goal is to continue to make you lose your moral. We worked hard at persuasion and paying off and timing and playing the right political numbers to get key republican endorsements to make it seem even more like it was over and the world was coming to an end for you all.
There is a huge staff of people working around the clock, watching every site, blogs, etc. We flood these sites. We have had a goal to overwhelm.
The truth is here. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
I am saying this because I know HRC was better for the country, and now realize this. I was too late by the time I connected to her. To me Barack was just a cool young dude that seemed like a star. I didn’t know him or his policies, but now I understand more than I care to and I realize his interests are more for him, and the DNC and all working like puppets with dean. I always thought a president wanted the better good for the country. The end result I see is everyone dependent on the government, this means more and more people voting for the DNC. This means the future is forever altered. I don’t see this as america, so I am now supporting John Mccain.
Sarah Palin is a huge threat, and our campaign has feared her like you can’t imagine. If it seems unfair how she has been treated, well its because she has had a team working round the clock to make her look like a fool.
this is a big conspiracy and I am so shocked that its not realized.
We released a little blurb the other day that the Obama campaign was already working on reelection and now putting our efforts towards 2012. This was to make it seem like it was above us to continue caring about 2008. Trust me, its a lie. David is very smart, but its a sticky ugly not very truthful kind of intelligence.
Its not over yet, but I think the machine is working. And its a hill to climb.
I will be quitting my post on nov 5th and my vote will be for John Mccain. Fortunately, my position has been a marketing position and I don’t feel I had any part of anything I would feel guilty for. But I look forward to getting out of this as the negativity and environment upsets me.
I wish you all well, and goodluck.
PS my name is not really sarah. but I am a female and I understand your plight.
Some things do not add up. Chicago Tribune had a front page story last week of construction beginning in Grant Park. But this article says they haven’t started. Hmm. Podesta did admit to drafting an Inaugural speech, although the O camp quickly denied it. O camp working already on 2012 stuff? Incredible. The Obama people give a new meaning to Audacity.
But I quibble. I think the gist of “Sarah’s” confession is legit. We’ve all seen the Astroturfing on blogs and watched them deceive on television and through newspapers.
The MORAL OF THE STORY:
Axelrod has built a house of cards and it’s going to tumble down in 8 days. Get out there and Vote! Encourage fellow Republicans. Encourage them to vote and help others get to the voting booth who cannot on their own. Volunteer! Phone bank from home. Go to your local Republican office and ask how you can help. Talk and persuade others to vote McCain/Palin!
Keep your eye on the goal. 8 more days!
Whew. I can watch the Disney Channel without being bombarded by Obama commercials. Glad to know that.
Did anyone wonder why Michelle and the kids didn’t go see Grandma “Toot” who is supposedly on her deathbed? Guess Grandma and Michelle aren’t that close, huh?
Elaine Lafferty, a Democrat and former editor of Ms., shares her take on Sarah Palin.
Read the whole thing. This is true feminism.
In order for a Democrat to write like this about a Republican, Ms. Lafferty knows who she is herself. Regardless of party affiliation, I love someone who is comfortable in their own skin.
h/t Hot Air
The Obama campaign is instructing their supporters to “take the day off” on November 4. They shot out an email yesterday complete with video instructions (I’m not linking it. Go to Greta’s page if you want to see it.)
Greta Van Susteren expresses her shock,
Are you kidding? telling people to “take the day off” when our economy is in the tank? That’s not a good idea…PRODUCTION is needed! This is not party time, it is work time!!
Do the responsible thing: go to work and class. Then, when you’re done with work, class, or commitments, go volunteer, vote, and help with the McCain/Palin campaign!
Ohio state official Helen Jones-Kelley may be getting a free pass on illegally searching Joe the Plumber’s government records, the same Ohio government official who went to the Supreme Court Of Ohio to protect the identity and privacy of a private citizen from public knowledge, but will she get a free pass for exceeding campaign contributions to Barack Obama as well?
Since Ms. Jones-Kelley is keen on illegally accessing a private citizen’s information, let’s look at something that is common knowledge, information any private citizen can access, i.e., this is legal.
Open Secrets shows that Jones-Kelley donated $2300 AND $200 on July 31, 2008 during the primaries to Barack Obama. FEC laws state the maximum contribution of individual to a political candidate cannot exceed $2300 per election cycle:
$2,300 per election to a Federal candidate or the candidate’s campaign committee.2 Notice that the limit applies separately to each election. Primaries, runoffs and general elections are considered separate elections.
Two hundred dollars may be nothing, but the law is the law, right Ms. Jones-Kelley? The questions begs itself: Why is Jones-Kelley getting a free pass for giving above the maximum donation, information that is PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE, unlike the information Jones-Kelley obtained ILLEGALLY?
And anyone that thinks politics played no part in this crime against Joe the Plumber lives under a rock.
h/t on Supreme Court of Ohio vs. Jones-Kelly to #161 The Guvnah at October 28, 2008 01:06 AM (+ndb4) at Ace of Spades
UPDATE: Helen Jones-Kelley admits to digging more than initially disclosed. Things aren’t looking so bright for Ms. Jones-Kelley. Breaking the law always darkens a sunny day.
We want to see this woman for the next four years!
Sarah Palin, Gretchen Wilson, and the people of Asheville sing Happy Birthday to Sarah Palin’s mom in Alaska via her Blackberry.
h/t Greta Wire
A new and effective RNC ad is out. Barack Obama continues to move the goalposts and redefine “rich.” Crunching his numbers and unwilling to commit to a spending freeze, we can be sure that his “rich” number will continue to decrease.
Obama repeatedly says that President Bush’s tax cuts are for the wealthy. This is bunk. Some of those tax cuts are credits for married couples and families with children in the middle class income tax bracket. He’s flat out lying when he says they’re for the wealthy and our taxes will not increase. It’s a lie. Don’t fall for it.
And now, we can all agree that Joe the Plumber was prescient in evaluating Obama’s tax plan. Watch:
UPDATE: They’re sliding down quicker than expected! Bill Richardson lowers the boom on “rich” to $120,000! Where will they stop?
h/t The Patriot Room
Finally! In the knick of time, the brilliant Ohio Secretary of State resolves the issue of heavy voter turnout in Ohio. Please makes sure this press release gets into the hands of all ACORN workers and volunteers. Stat!
h/t IMAO
If you read only one blog post between now and Election Day, please make it this one at HillBuzz. These guys (or gals, or whoever they are) have seen Obama’s mind games in the primaries, and they know the tricks he and his drones are trying to play on us:
(1) Calls for McCain to just give up and quit, because the race is over.(2) Wild claims of Obama winning states that shock and surprise you.
(3) Repeated insistence that blacks and young people will decide this election, and they are all going to vote in record numbers for Obama.
They explain why you shouldn’t believe these things, or believe in their importance, just because Obama desperately wants you to believe them. If he can’t get you to vote for him, he’s trying to get you to stay home Nov. 4. If you let him tell you what to do, then you’d better get used to it.
As HillBuzz says:
If you, collectively, can keep Republicans and other McCain voters from falling for these, we believe there’s nothing Obama can do to win this election. The ONLY way McCain loses is if you Eeyores allow the media to keep you from the polls.
Vote for McCain/Palin and GOTV!
Doonesbury cartoonist sees the future. Heh.
Flashback:
Dewey Defeats Truman Headline
In the words of the Chicago Tribune in 1948, “Well, everyone makes mistakes.”
History repeating itself.
h/t Michelle Malkin
The day following John McCain’s acceptance speech as the Republican nominee, I was doing a lesson on WWII and the dictators Mussolini and Hitler, who were seeking to take over the world. In that lesson, the end of Winston Churchill’s famous speech “Fight on the Beaches” was highlighted. As I read aloud Churchill’s words, it was clear to me that McCain’s speech writer was echoing Churchill. Here is the excerpt from the end of Churchill’s famous speech:
“We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills: we shall never surrender.“
John McCain’s acceptance speech is littered with “fight” references, twenty-five times to be exact.
McCain said, “I don’t mind a good fight. For reasons known only to God, I’ve had quite a few tough ones in my life. But I learned an important lesson along the way: In the end, it matters less that you can fight. What you fight for is the real test.”
What did John McCain say he will fight for? He will:
“fight for your future”
“fight for Americans”
“fight for you”
“fight for families”
“fight to restore the price and principles of our party”
NOT “fighting over who gets the credit” but sharing it.
“fight for [his] country”
“fight for the men [he] had the honor to serve with”
fight for “an idea” and “a cause”
“fight for [his country] as long as [he] draw[s] breath”
And here’s the Coda to McCain’s Nomination speech:
I’m going to fight for my cause every day as your president.
I’m going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank him, that I’m an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on Earth. And with hard work — with hard word, strong faith, and a little courage, great things are always within our reach.
Fight with me. Fight with me.
Fight for what’s right for our country. Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.
Fight for our children’s future. Fight for justice and opportunity for all.
Stand up to defend our country from its enemies. Stand up for each other, for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.
Stand up, stand up, stand up, and fight.
Nothing is inevitable here. We’re Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.
Note the similarities between the speeches. McCain, not known for his rhetorical skills, spoke this section passionately and the crowd resonated with his , spontaneously standing and cheering. And the speech writer who connected the dots between the two men, two epochs, and two speeches: Brilliant.
Here is a moving video featuring that excerpt of John McCain’s acceptance speech:
Now, stand up and fight for our country-the land of the free, home of the brave!
h/t on Video -The Patriot Room
Goodness, I just spit my food on the computer screen from laughing at this video.
John McCain on SNL. John McCain has a keen sense of humor and good comedic timing. Great writing in the skit too. Here’s his Weekend Update appearance. Hehe.
I don’t know how to embed this video. Anyone know how to do this?
Goodness, this CNN “journalist” Rick Sanchez is a hack. He has a used-car salesman shtick, ala Joe Biden, and makes me feel like I need to take a shower. Ick.
Can you imagine someone voting based on principles and not race?!? Yes, WE are beyond the race issue, obviously the liberals are not. Listen to the sound, thoughtful reasons these young men give to vote for John McCain.
h/t commenter Ben at HillBuzz
This interview occurred in January 2008 in San Francisco, of all places, and we hear about it two days prior to the election? And the MSM wants to convince us they’re doing their job? Uh-huh. Here you go:
Here’s a transcript:
“Let me sort of describe my overall policy.
What I’ve said is that we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as aggressive, if not more aggressive, than anybody else’s out there.
I was the first to call for a 100% auction on the cap and trade system, which means that every unit of carbon or greenhouse gases emitted would be charged to the polluter. That will create a market in which whatever technologies are out there that are being presented, whatever power plants that are being built, that they would have to meet the rigors of that market and the ratcheted down caps that are being placed, imposed every year.
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it’s just that it will bankrupt them because they’re going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that’s being emitted.
That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in solar, wind, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches.
The only thing I’ve said with respect to coal, I haven’t been some coal booster. What I have said is that for us to take coal off the table as a (sic) ideaological matter as opposed to saying if technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, we should pursue it.
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can.
It’s just that it will bankrupt them.”
h/t Free Republic
In the waning days of the Presidential campaign, much is coming to light. For example, what is Obama’s top priority IF he is elected President? Securing victory in Iraq? Afghanistan? Economic Stability? Tax cuts? Immigration? Give up. Here’s what Obama told TIME magazine reporter Joe Klein, in an interview that will be released on November 10:
As Obama told me in our interview, a government-propelled transition to an alternative-energy economy will be his most important initiative.
Yes, Obama will “jump start our economy” with an “alternative-energy” plan in the form of a $300 billion stimulus package.
Many are in an uproar, and rightly so, over Obama’s revealing comments that purport to link farming and health issues like Type 2 diabetes, obesity, stroke, and heart disease. The Des Moines Register reported on the controversial comment Obama gave to Time magazine:
Agriculture is “partly responsible for the explosion in our health care costs because they’re contributing to type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease, obesity, all the things that are driving our huge explosion in health care costs.”
The Obama camp fired off a statement saying, “Obama was merely paraphrasing an article by Michael Pollan,” who incidentally is an outspoken critic of U.S. farm policy. If that is the case, then why did Obama quote Pollan in the first place? Here’s the quote in its entirety:
“I was just reading an article in the New York Times by Michael Pollan about food and the fact that our entire agricultural system is built on cheap oil. As a consequence, our agriculture sector actually is contributing more greenhouse gases than our transportation sector. And in the meantime, it’s creating monocultures that are vulnerable to national security threats, are now vulnerable to sky-high food prices or crashes in food prices, huge swings in commodity prices, and are partly responsible for the explosion in our health care costs because they’re contributing to type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease, obesity, all the things that are driving our huge explosion in health care costs. That’s just one sector of the economy. You think about the same thing is true on transportation. The same thing is true on how we construct our buildings. The same is true across the board.”
Obama never distances himself from Pollan’s position or indicates he disagrees with him. The statement released by the Obama camp is disingenous, again, and misleadingly glosses over this fact.
Further down in the Des Moines Register article, responding to a question regarding his energy plan, Obama replied:
that farming, enabled by cheap energy, “actually is contributing more greenhouse gases than our transportation sector.” Globally, agriculture is considered a bigger contributor of heat-trapping gases than transportation, but the opposite is true in the United States. Much of the agricultural emissions come from manure and the fertilizer used on crops.
Well, what exactly does Pollan believe about the farming industry?
Pollan, who teaches journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, has long criticized the wide-scale cultivation of corn for use as livestock feed. He contends that it would be better for the environment and human health to fatten livestock on grass.
So, the veil is lifted. Not only does Obama want to bankrupt the coal industry, his policies would bankrupt the farming industry and the American people. How? Forcing farmers to feed livestock on grass would cut back livestock production, thus meat prices would skyrocket and consumption would decrease. This would increase prices further in order for farmers to stay in business OR farmers would be forced into bankruptcy. A vicious cycle and a sinister, deceptive ideological position based on Global Warming. By the way, Obama feels the same way about our transportation and construction sectors–they all contribute to greenhouse gases and his Energy Plan would force major changes on them as well. What would they be? No one knows; it’s a mystery.
How does the Obama camp respond to his detractors? More ideology.
Obama’s campaign said his “strong record of standing up for farmers and America’s rural communities speaks for itself.”
The statement also said Obama would “bring the change rural America needs by increasing investments in renewable energy and giving family farmers the support they need by allowing them to diversify their crops and increase revenue.”
McCain has opposed biofuel requirements and subsidies.
Ethanol. That’s the support Obama gives farmers. Guess what? Ethanol drives up food prices.
Supporting ethanol, yet blaming farmers as major contributers to green house gases-even more so than the transportation sector!-and to health issues. Ideology hidden in the mantra of “change.”His policies stem from an ideology that has been hidden from the American public. Obama’s policy will be terrible for farmers and bankrupt our economy, not stimulate it.
Glad the mask is coming off before Election Day.
But don’t worry, these big guys dressed in gang-like military attire brandishing nightsticks are “guarding” the polling place, not intimidating people who look like they’re voting for McCain. ‘Cuz that would be rascist, right?
And in other news, unicorns were spotted flying throughout the earth.
h/t HillBuzz on second video
Barack Obama has been elected the 44th President of the United States.
Michelle Malkin shares some thoughts.
UPDATE
What Steyn said. Like Treacher, I am feeling NUMB.
and what Levin said.
most of what Red State said. I’m having trouble with #3. While the verdict is in, everyone knows that multiple voting by individuals and ACORN as well as rampant fraudulent online donations gave Obama a big assist.
what Chizumatic said. h/t Ace of Spades
what Blackfive said.
what Greta said.
The GOP: the new Democrat Party? Not on my watch.
I can’t decide if this is an Elite Alert or an Idiot Alert. I know, they’re usually synonymous. Well, you decide:
h/t Greta Wire
A quote from an anonymous source. Trust me on this one.
And while we’re at it, how’s that for libel, slander, and defamation, eh Carl?
I’d report a response from Mr. Cameron, but he’s busy rinsing out his mouth and flossing his toothy grin.
P.S. So let’s get this straight. John McCain wants to run an honorable campaign, and the day after he loses the Election his minions are unleashed to trash the VP candidate, Sarah Palin? Slander Sarah Palin, but Jeremiah Wright is off the table?
And is it really Carl Cameron’s “duty” to report this drivel? Without sources? Spineless.
Another episode for the PDS annals.
The American Spectator reports that the “anonymous” McCain sources are ex-Romney aides??? Ace speculates that the leakers may not be ex-Romney aides. David Frum thinks it may be Nicole Wallace, who has a track record.
Greta offers some clarity.
Until we get people ON THE RECORD, we will not know. But they have done their damage.
Gateway Pundit has a round-up.
Gabriel at Ace of Spades supports Sarah Palin.
Greta shares her thoughts.
Sarah Palin is back home in Alaska. The pressure and filters are off, so now we can get to know this great woman.
Listen to this four-part local radio interview with Sarah Palin. We need more people in government like this classy lady.
UPDATE
Sarah Palin responds to these anonymous smears and the “jerks” who spread them during an impromptu press conference.
h/t Hot Air
Since I like trivia, enjoy games, and must be organized, I am compiling some categories for President-Elect Obama and his Administration for future virtual rounds of Jeopardy!. As we follow President-Elect Obama and his Administration through the next four years, I will file their activities, legislation, policy, etc. into different categories. We can stay sharp on our politics by routinely playing Obama Jeopardy!, have a nice filing system to the Obama Administration’s activities, and have fun! It’s a win-win.
Here are some first round categories:
Moving on to Double Jeopardy
What categories would you add?
In Philadelphia, police arrested a young man wearing a McCain/Palin t-shirt at a post-election rally for President-Elect Obama.
No resistance to the officers, yet they rough him up. DBKP thinks they probably saved his life.
There is no dissent in the Age of Obama.
With a track record of suppressing freedom of speech here, here, here, here, here, and here, we can, unfortunately, expect more of this in the future.
Gird your loins people.
Irrationality hangs in the air.
Cook county residents of Chicago: Your top-in-the-nation tax dollars at work celebrating The One.
And to satisfy all your Messiah needs: History is on sale at The Tribune store.
If there’s one thing Joe Biden said of merit on the campaign trail, it was this:
Now, we have one of those possible scenarios looming on the horizon:
OSAMA bin Laden is planning an attack against the United States that will “outdo by far” September 11, an Arab newspaper in London has reported.
This is no surprise, but still jarring at the reality of an imminent attack. Even more so since I live near a major urban city that could be targeted. *sigh*
I hope PE Obama truly realizes he has been elected to protect the people of our country, not just to inject his ideology and transform our nation into something he thinks is better. The American Idol winner has been crowned; OJT and voting “present” does not cut it anymore.
h/t Ace of Spades
Obamamessiah weekend slobfest below.*
Farrakhan shares God’s divine plan:
Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan said God’s divine plan for the world is the reason President-elect Barack Obama won the election, and that God will make sure Obama has the vision needed to guide the country through current economic and social woes.
Speaking Sunday at Mosque Maryam, the movement’s headquarters, Farrakhan gave a speech titled “America’s New Beginning: President-elect Barack Obama” and warned the packed audience that having a black president will not mean the end of racial inequity in the U.S.
The prime minister of Antigua “plans to rename its highest peak after Barack Obama.”
Kenya declares a national holiday after President-Elect Obama.
Not to be upstaged, a civil rights organization in Kansas wants November 4 to be a national holiday, commemorating the day “America grew up” by electing Barack Obama as President of the U.S. Forget Presidents’ Day, they want The President’s Day!
Obama ready to “rule” on Day 1 says Valerie Jarrett. (h/t Newsbusters)
To Obama be the glory.
UPDATE
Reverend Pfleger’s Sunday sermon, “Free at Last.“
How could I forget. The Obama faux Presidential seal is back! Because he can.
Global adulation for the new “political rock star.” (h/t Hot Air)
FLASHBACK:
Newsweek: Under God: Is Obama a (or the) Messiah?
Slate: Inaugurated the Obama Messiah Watch in 2007
Ben Shapiro weighed in.
*Excuse me while I go and take a shower.
Honor. Courage. Commitment.
Semper Fi: More than a Motto. A Way of Life.
The Few. The Proud. The Marines.
I love that commercial.
And a little something for the anti-war crowd courtesy of the Marines:
Another reason to search elsewhere.
Thank you to all the veterans, active duty members, reservists, and family members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines who serve in defense of our country’s freedom, security, and prosperity.
Self-restriction, self-denial, self-discipline, temperance, moderation, spending freezes, et.al., are so passé. Especially if you live in Chicago.
Illinois has a “historic $4 billion backlog of state bills.“
Mayor Daley prepares for mass layoffs in Chicago. (h/t Riehl World)
CTA board expected to voted today and approved an increase in transit fares, again.
The agency blames higher costs and Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s decision in January to extend free rides to seniors.
Rob Peter to pay Paul. Some people call this “sharing our toys,” others call it “socialism.”
“The CTA’s still got to raise fares even though there’s an increase in passengers?” Rome, 56, said in disbelief. “Is somebody stealing money from the CTA, or does the head of CTA not know what he’s doing?”
I think he’s onto something. Gov. Blagojevich confesses:
Blagojevich has countered criticisms of the senior free rides and his veto of the transit subsidy by saying the CTA has failed to manage it money well, despite a sales tax increase for transit that the legislature passed in January. Blagojevich begrudgingly accepted the tax hike, but he added the senior free rides.
Now, nine months after the tax increase, a statement Thursday from the governor said it is “unfortunate that the CTA is now asking riders to bail them out.”
Wonder how P.E. Obama will pay for those social programs? Look no further than the Windy City and get ready to empty your pocketbook. It’s part of the Chicago Way.
“The Audacity of Hope Denial”: The Blubbering of Unrepentant Terrorists and Rewriting History.
(h/t The Jawa Report)
UPDATE
If you can stomach it, the unrepentant, got-off-on-a-legal-technicality terrorist appeared on Good Morning America this a.m.
Freedom of speech is acceptable only when I agree with you.
The final tally of California’s Prop 8:
YES 52%
NO 47.8%
The people voted and they voted to define marriage between a man and a woman. Get. Over. It. Move. On.
If anyone wonders how the 52s would be acting if Obama would have lost and they were the 48s? Look no further than the Prop 8 losers gone freaking crazy.
Welcome to the Banana Republic.
Goodness, our electorate is stoopid. Not to mention, McCain ran the most inept campaign in history and Obama had a major assist from his press secretaries–that would be the MSM. Watch and weep.
h/t Jawa Report
Since I am a home educator, Joy Behar’s comments about homeschooled children being “demented” caught my eye. (I never watch this drivel. Ever. I read about the story online.) Ironically, Whoopi Goldberg was homeschooled, to what extent I do not know.
The humdinger begins around the 6:00 mark and putters out around 7:30.
Ms. Blowhard owes an awful lot of people an apology. Will she? Doubtful. Does it matter? Anyone with an ounce of common sense recognizes that she is a graceless, clueless, arrogant, vulgar, crass individual. My daughters have more class and respect for others in their pinkies than this grown woman. Why she still has a job is beyond me. Why people listen to her and give her the time of day is another mystery.
If you want to exercise your First Amendment rights (while you still can), then you may send ABC a complaint here.
As the wise sage Solomon penned, “Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them.”
h/t Michelle Malkin
PDS (Palin Derangement Syndrome) rears its ugly head and the Left and the MSM city slickers are in a tizzy again courtesy of, guess who?: Sarah Palin! You’d think they were obsessed with her or something . . .
Doing what governors do prior to Thanksgiving, Governor Sarah Palin pardoned a turkey. While at the turkey farm, she gave an impromptu on-camera interview as the other not-so-fortunate gobblers were prepared in the background for our Thanksgiving feasts next week.
This is outrageous because? Someone give these lefties and liberal MSM elites a clue. They wouldn’t be such blubbering hypocrites if they showed some outrage at the barbaric practice of abortion on demand and partial birth abortion. The beasts are these liberal idiots who will sound a clarion call to defend an animal, but not an innocent baby.
This pithy, sobering email comment from NRO sums up the Left’s outrage perfectly:
She should tell the media that she apologizes and she’ll do her next interview inside an abortion clinic.
(h/t Power Line)
The adulation and idolatry worship of the mere mortal messiah Barack Obama continues.
STREET NAME: Check.
SCHOOL NAME: Check.
CITY NAME: Check.
Already sealed: MOUNTAIN
Still working on it: B.O. NATIONAL HOLIDAY
Normally, accolades such as these occur after a person has performed well and actually done something. I guess just being “Barack Obama” is sufficient for his cult followers.
Hmmm…..grumblings are trickling in from the ranks. Things are getting interesting as The One’s MSM cohorts grow edgy. The more Barry talks, the more he exposes his nothingness, and we witness the Peter principle in HD.
Three press conferences in three days. Yowza! He’s like Superman. (Well, in his world he is.) And he’s sooo smart, ‘cuz you know, he went to those Ivy League schools and so did all the members of his team. What happens when Barry exhausts his talking points on the topic of the day? He talks about the really important issues: missing his Blackberry, Christmas shopping, the future First Puppy, and, drumroll please……turkey recipes!
Well, Dana Milbank (yes, of the MSM) gets indigestion and calls out Mr. B.O. for “talking B.S. turkey” and “running out of things to say.” Gasp! Is that possible? I thought the high-brow Ivy Leaguers never run out of important things to say. But what do I know, I went to a state college.
I’m sure VP-Elect Biden, who loves to hear himself talk, could help Barry out, but he seems to be, uh, mmm, well, sequestered unavailable.
The funniest (you have to laugh at these things or you will be on the max dose of Prozac for the next four years constantly asking yourself, “How did this guy get elected?!???”) is when reporters go off-topic: ”First of all, that’s not the topic.” Mr. Prez-Elect does not approve. Like I needed to tell you that. Watch for yourself:
This exchange makes me chuckle. Obama interrupts Ed Henry from CNN whilst he’s submitting the second of this three-part question, and asks, “How many compound questions is this going to be?” Because dude, I can only handle one-part questions. Didn’t you get the memo?!?
Obama is such a tyrant; a megalomaniac enamored with this fictional messianic image of himself created by Axelrod and propped up by the media. Incidentally, a megalomaniac who thinks he’s the President already. These spectacle press conferences and weekly addresses look like an SNL skit. I’m waiting for Barry to say, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”, but I digress.
I do not doubt that in time we will all see the emperor is not wearing any clothes. In time….Let’s just pray he doesn’t destroy our country and our families in the process.
Classy guy that Jon Favreau, newly appointed director of speech writing for Obama. The following picture of Favreau groping Hillary and his fellow “Obama Staff” buddy, seemingly giddy giving “Hillary” some beer, surfaced briefly on his Facebook. As Obama’s main speechwriter, does Favreau think posting this picture on Facebook will somehow go unnoticed? Yeah, riiiiight.
Feast your eyes on the “Grope and Change“:
Jerks.
How long do you think it’ll be before the “immensely talented” wordsmith is checking the Classifieds? Any guesses? Answer: He gets a pardon! At least that is the Washington Post’s position. Moral equivalency makes all things justifiable.
Favreau is not the first campaign aide whose online presence has proved awkward. Last March, John McCain aide Soren Dayton forwarded an anti-Obama YouTube video to his private Twitter feed linking Obama with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, leading to his suspension from the campaign. And in 2007, two bloggers hired by former North Carolina senator John Edwards stepped down after blog posts they had written before he hired them became a subject of controversy.
Imagine the crime of posting an anti-Obama link to *gasp* Obama and Rev. Wright! From a McCain staffer no less!!! That’s another story.
An endless supply of sexism today! Oh joy. This time courtesy of MesS-NBC. ***CONTENT WARNING***
Let’s hope the producer will get help for his obvious inability to handle stress and latent misogyny.
(thanks to commenter joannathemaid)
Yeah, right. The more “news” that spews forth from the O Camp and Democrats in general, the more I see a class system ala Imperial Rome. The politicians are the elites, the aristocracy, the ruling class. We are the plebs, the common people, the masses or hoi polloi.
The list is long and will grow, but let’s look at two examples from today’s news that demonstrate this great divide.
Case in Point #1:
Caroline Kennedy is interested in replacing Hillary Clinton in her soon-to-be-vacant NY Senate seat. What political experience does Caroline Kennedy have other than being an attorney, an author, serving on various Boards, and some stump speeches for other candidates? None.
BUT her last name is Kennedy.
Case in Point #2:
The Obamas will be vacationing in upscale Kailua on the island of Oahu for Christmas. Having lived on the Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay for two and a half years, which is a stone’s throw from Kailua, I am quite familiar with the area. Dumps in Kailua cost $750k. Anything in that area along Kailua beach is pricey, like millions pricey. To be sure, it is one of the most beautiful places on the earth. Kailua is on the windward side. Because it receives more rain than the leeward side of Honolulu, the lush beauty and the majestic Ko’olau mountain range are awe-inspiring. When it rains, spontaneous waterfalls cascade the mountains. It really is something to behold.
Kailua is the quintessential beach town–laid back and slow. Obama’s vacation digs will be relaxing and serene. He will be vacationing like a king. Somehow, I can’t imagine the locals being happy about the traffic jams he will cause since there are only a couple of main streets. Hopefully he won’t go anywhere or the locals will be stuck going nowhere fast.
Hey, if Obama wants to vacation in one of the most expensive places in our country, knock yourself out! My problem is this: drop the class warfare rhetoric and stop pretending that you’re one of the common people. Common people don’t live in million dollar houses, complain about the price of arugula at Whole Foods, send their kids to an elementary school that costs $28k+ per year, or vacation in multi-million dollar beachfront homes in Hawaii no less. That isn’t common people livin’, but living like a king.
An interesting tidbit to his getaway vacation spot: from his beachfront view and across the lagoon, he’ll see the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, home of the awesome Marines (one of the five military branches stationed on the islands). The above picture is one I took while living there. It’s a typical view from the Kailua side of MCBH, with the multi-million dollar oceanfront “civilian” properties of Kailua across the water in front of the Ko’olau mountains.
Come to think of it, I wonder if he’ll stop and visit the Marines since it is literally right around the corner. Doubt it. Not that the Marines care. They’re too busy defending freedom and keeping us all safe.
Environmentalist wackos intend to inflict their ideology on the world, whether we agree with them or not.
This is just insane.
The obvious question is “Why?” Why is Medved lecturing Rush and other “conservative” talk radio hosts on the content of their show and their approach?
I listen to Michael Medved regularly and subscribe to his podcasts, mainly for his member exclusive commentaries. For the most part, I enjoy his show. He respectfully engages people who disagree with him on political issues (which I like) and he has interesting topics and guests. He is highly intelligent, almost to a fault. At times, he comes across as condescending and snooty, borderline elite. (He often reminds his audience of his educational pedigree and going to Yale with Hillary and Bill Clinton). He is a liberal turned conservative. I think his living in Seattle, a bastion of far-left liberalism, colors his perspective (think Stockholm Syndrome).
Medved was the only conservative who supported and embraced John McCain for the Presidency from the beginning of the ‘08 campaign. This is telling as his support for McCain discloses his moderate Republican leanings. Reading Medved’s recent editorial and listening to his subsequent commentary on his radio show exposes the fact that Medved doesn’t actually listen to Rush. If he did, he wouldn’t make the suggestions and statements about Rush that he does. But everyone knows that mentioning Limbaugh’s name gets media attention, which is why Medved does so. If Medved and Rush have ideological differences, then so be it. But Medved wants to redefine Conservatism with moderate principles and that puts him at odds with Rush. In my opinion, that is one of the chief reasons Medved takes aim at Rush, as well as Medved wanting to generate some traction for his position.
h/t Hot Air
Nobody says it better than Red Eye–the funniest, straight-talking (ha! no pun intended.) show on cable.
h/t Gateway Pundit
Having lived a good portion of my life in northwest Minnesota and being part Norwegian, this list made me laugh. For all you like-minded people, here is a little something to make you chuckle. Enjoy.
1. Der’s only one God, ya know.
2. Don’t make that fish on your mantle an idol.
3. Cussing ain’t Minnesota nice.
4. Go to church even when you’re up north or at the lakes.
5. Honor your folks.
6. Don’t kill. Catch and release.
7. There is only one Lena for every Ole. No cheatin’.
8. If it ain’t your lutefisk, don’t take it.
9. Don’t be braggin’ about how much ya shoveled.
10. Keep your mind off your neighbor’s hotdish.
The originals. For visual learners.
Do they wonder why? Here’s a hint: Try a different front page subject matter other than The One and tell your newspaper deliverers to avoid knocking over your patron’s pumpkins.
Newsflash: Not everyone in the Chicago area voted for BO. You are a newspaper not a propaganda machine. I loved doing the daily crossword puzzle, but couldn’t stand another day of the “All Obama, All the Time” format and downgraded to Sunday only. Here’s their thanks:
Lots happening in the Windy City. Blago isn’t the brightest bulb on the tree, but I gotta give him props for his chutzpah. The Democratic Party, the Chicago machine, and the MSM are throwing him under the bus and he’s fighting back. Until Monday? And poor Rahm is stuck in the middle. Boo-hoo.
He is, after all, a Chicago politician. What’d you all expect–Hope and Change??? Joke’s on you.
h/t Hot Air
Calling all bibliophiles and lovers of learning! Trevin Wax at Kingdom People is generously giving away a stack of books for Christmas! Here’s the list:
1. THE REASON FOR GOD
2. CULTURE MAKING - Andy Crouch
3. SURPRISED BY HOPE - N.T. Wright
4. WHY WE’RE NOT EMERGENT - Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck
5. HOW PEOPLE CHANGE - Timothy Lane & Paul David Tripp
6. THE BIG PICTURE STORY BIBLE -
7. JESUS MADE IN AMERICA - Stephen Nichols
8. RESIDENT ALIENS - Stanley Hauerwas & Will Willimon
9. WORSHIP MATTERS - Bob Kauflin
10. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT THROUGH THE CENTURIES - Jeffrey Greenman, Timothy Larsen, and Stephen Spencer
The winner will be chosen on December 25. So, stop over at Kingdom People and get your name in the drawing!
h/t sunestauromai
UPDATE: Winner here.
