Our deepest thanks to those who stood the line, and stand the line, for our freedom and way of life.
U/T: Malkin
Monday, May 30, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Bi-Directional Oppression
History suggests oppression is only a top-down phenomenon. Maybe not.
Below are two stories of liberty lost. The first is the traditional top-down, the second a rare (?) bottom-up approach we only see here in America.
MarketWatch: Cisco accused of helping China track dissents.
San Jose Mercury News: Cisco accused of helping China track Falun Gong followers
Here is a photo we snapped outside the Democrat's convention in 2008. Her pose is forbidden in China.
Not to be outdone... our comrades here in the states are feeling a bit bloated with too much liberty - both theirs and yours. Seattle coffee houses and their customers agree with the mayor's initiative to ban paper cups. Seattle Times: Drive to drop paper coffee cup brews in Seattle:
UT: Weasel Zippers. Photo from Google Search "Seattle Coffee House".
Questions:
Of the people pictured above, who is likely the most principled?
Who above will fight for not just their rights but for yours too?
Who would you trust in the ballot box?
And a stretch here, but who probably agrees more with the values of America's founding fathers?
Unlike public school, there is a wrong answer.
Below are two stories of liberty lost. The first is the traditional top-down, the second a rare (?) bottom-up approach we only see here in America.
MarketWatch: Cisco accused of helping China track dissents.
Cisco Systems Inc. became the subject of a lawsuit which accuses the tech firm of providing the Chinese government with the means of spying on dissents and aiding human rights violations against its citizens.
A lawsuit filed by a group from the Falun Gong spiritual movement alleged that Cisco CSCO +0.06% provided networking applications and technical assistance which enabled the Chinese government to monitor its citizens online...
A lawsuit filed by a group from the Falun Gong spiritual movement alleged that Cisco CSCO +0.06% provided networking applications and technical assistance which enabled the Chinese government to monitor its citizens online...
San Jose Mercury News: Cisco accused of helping China track Falun Gong followers
"We have actual testimony from insiders, and we've amassed three years of data that goes beyond what was presented to Congress," said Lee Crawford-Boyd, a Los Angeles lawyer who brought the class-action suit with attorneys from the Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Law Foundation.
Here is a photo we snapped outside the Democrat's convention in 2008. Her pose is forbidden in China.
Not to be outdone... our comrades here in the states are feeling a bit bloated with too much liberty - both theirs and yours. Seattle coffee houses and their customers agree with the mayor's initiative to ban paper cups. Seattle Times: Drive to drop paper coffee cup brews in Seattle:
Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin endorsed the initiative, which urges participants to whip out their own reusable cups for mochas on the go, and opt for ceramic over paper when ordering "for here."
"Let's show that we can do this, and our success will be duplicated in other cities," Conlin said in a statement.
Co-sponsors of the initiative include Sustainable Seattle, Zero Waste Seattle, Caffe Ladro and several other local coffee shops.
"Let's show that we can do this, and our success will be duplicated in other cities," Conlin said in a statement.
Co-sponsors of the initiative include Sustainable Seattle, Zero Waste Seattle, Caffe Ladro and several other local coffee shops.
UT: Weasel Zippers. Photo from Google Search "Seattle Coffee House".
Questions:
Of the people pictured above, who is likely the most principled?
Who above will fight for not just their rights but for yours too?
Who would you trust in the ballot box?
And a stretch here, but who probably agrees more with the values of America's founding fathers?
Unlike public school, there is a wrong answer.
Monday, May 23, 2011
More Border Changes
Mike Adams at Townhall offers a suggestion to Obama - Time for America to Roll Back Its Borders
Dear President Obama:
I am writing today with a somewhat unusual request. Actually, it is a series of requests. First and foremost, I will be asking that you return America to its August 20th, 1959 borders so that Hawaii is no longer a state and you are no longer a citizen. I make this request because I don’t like your policies and I don’t like you.
I am writing today with a somewhat unusual request. Actually, it is a series of requests. First and foremost, I will be asking that you return America to its August 20th, 1959 borders so that Hawaii is no longer a state and you are no longer a citizen. I make this request because I don’t like your policies and I don’t like you.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
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Saturday, May 21, 2011
Karl Marx - Did You Know?
Karl Marx.
We knew he was a fat bum - think Michael Moore.
We knew he lived off of friends - think Daily Kos bloggers.
We knew his scribblings were driven by envy - think Daily Kos again.
What we did not know:
He had 5 children.
Plus one child he fathered with his wife's housekeeper.
Two of his children died due to his poverty.
Allow us to share what we learned this morning as we were reading Ann Coulter's To Liberals, Every Woman Looks Like a Hotel Maid. Her article is about that French IMF guy who assaulted the maid in his $3000/night hotel in New York. She closes with:
Is it any surprise Ann owns one of our Commie Obama hats?
We knew he was a fat bum - think Michael Moore.
We knew he lived off of friends - think Daily Kos bloggers.
We knew his scribblings were driven by envy - think Daily Kos again.
What we did not know:
He had 5 children.
Plus one child he fathered with his wife's housekeeper.
Two of his children died due to his poverty.
Allow us to share what we learned this morning as we were reading Ann Coulter's To Liberals, Every Woman Looks Like a Hotel Maid. Her article is about that French IMF guy who assaulted the maid in his $3000/night hotel in New York. She closes with:
Like Spitzer, Luster and Polanski, liberal men seem driven by their massive insecurities (often based on physical defects, such as their diminutive size or soap allergies) to choose unconscious, illiterate, servant-class and teenage females as their sex partners. But let's not drag pocket-sized Woody Allen's name into this, as my column appears in many family newspapers.
Karl Marx kept a female slave from the time she was 8 years old, eventually using her not only as a servant but as his mistress, never acknowledging his child with her or paying her at all. She waited on him hand and foot while he explained to the world that profit is the stolen surplus value of the laborer. Like so many liberal icons, Marx seldom bathed and left his wife and children in poverty.
As Schlafly says, no wonder liberal women think men are pigs: Their men are pigs.
Karl Marx kept a female slave from the time she was 8 years old, eventually using her not only as a servant but as his mistress, never acknowledging his child with her or paying her at all. She waited on him hand and foot while he explained to the world that profit is the stolen surplus value of the laborer. Like so many liberal icons, Marx seldom bathed and left his wife and children in poverty.
As Schlafly says, no wonder liberal women think men are pigs: Their men are pigs.
Is it any surprise Ann owns one of our Commie Obama hats?
Israel, part II
Ok, Wall Street Journal. We get it.
Normally the editorial page of the WSJ is where we look first for the explanation of a political event. They are consistently the best at explaining the issues and providing a sound opinion (except on Immigration reform). We then supplement their write-up with the opinions in our favorite blogs - listed at the left.
Twice, in as many days, the page has had a piece praising Obama's Middle East speech. Supposedly, everything except Obama's demand for Israel to revert to its 1967 borders was an "inspiring vision of US policy amid the political upheavals sweeping the region."
We don't know what those other suggestions were, and we can't stomach watching the speech or even reading it for we have fully rejected the speaker and his ideology. But here we are. The WSJ is our guide and it is telling us there were some good ideas.
We post this for two reasons:
1) full disclosure that we won't pile on just to pile on, and that we try to keep an open, albeit conservative, mind, and
2) this is a stunning example of the MSM's decline in steering a story. Even the WSJ can't get traction with one of its loyal readers.
Obama may have the MSM, and they may work overtime to cover for him. But if the Dear Leader has the absurd notion that he can tell an ally to change its borders by giving land to its most evil of enemies, he is mistaken to think the MSM can contain the damage.
WSJ 5.20: Obama's Freedom Agenda
WSJ 5.21: The 1967 Line of Fire
Normally the editorial page of the WSJ is where we look first for the explanation of a political event. They are consistently the best at explaining the issues and providing a sound opinion (except on Immigration reform). We then supplement their write-up with the opinions in our favorite blogs - listed at the left.
Twice, in as many days, the page has had a piece praising Obama's Middle East speech. Supposedly, everything except Obama's demand for Israel to revert to its 1967 borders was an "inspiring vision of US policy amid the political upheavals sweeping the region."
We don't know what those other suggestions were, and we can't stomach watching the speech or even reading it for we have fully rejected the speaker and his ideology. But here we are. The WSJ is our guide and it is telling us there were some good ideas.
We post this for two reasons:
1) full disclosure that we won't pile on just to pile on, and that we try to keep an open, albeit conservative, mind, and
2) this is a stunning example of the MSM's decline in steering a story. Even the WSJ can't get traction with one of its loyal readers.
Obama may have the MSM, and they may work overtime to cover for him. But if the Dear Leader has the absurd notion that he can tell an ally to change its borders by giving land to its most evil of enemies, he is mistaken to think the MSM can contain the damage.
WSJ 5.20: Obama's Freedom Agenda
WSJ 5.21: The 1967 Line of Fire
Israel
Remember when a US President's speech would have zero surprises? When he and his team would work behind the scenes with the affected parties to reach the best possible agreement? When the final agreement would exemplify US values of freedom and peace?
Those were the days, eh?
Our Dear Leader chose to include a completely obnoxious and unacceptable demand of Israel at the benefit of murdering marxist Palestinian filth in is Middle East policy speech week. He insists Israel return to its 1967 borders, THEN start peace negotiations with the people who refuse to accept Israel's existence and make every effort to kill its citizens.
We're on record sayingliberals progressives communists lie, cheat, steal and agitate, and tolerate others who do as well. Here is Obama lie #45,711:
While dollars are flowing out of the US Treasury at a record rate, they are flowing into our Obama Cuss Jar at record rates too!
On the positive side, there cannot be any honest, clear-thinking person alive who thinks the Democrats are pro-Israel. Like Gore says of global warming, "The debate is over."
And if this guy is such a 'big thinker', why is he only asking one of the smallest countries on the planet to change its borders? What about India and Pakistan's Kashmir region, for example? We're sure Russia or China would like an opportunity to adjust their borders.
Some comments from two Commie Obama hat owners:
Ann Barnhardt:
Congressman Allen West:
Images from: Moonbattery and IOTW - 1 and 2.
Those were the days, eh?
Our Dear Leader chose to include a completely obnoxious and unacceptable demand of Israel at the benefit of murdering marxist Palestinian filth in is Middle East policy speech week. He insists Israel return to its 1967 borders, THEN start peace negotiations with the people who refuse to accept Israel's existence and make every effort to kill its citizens.
We're on record saying
While dollars are flowing out of the US Treasury at a record rate, they are flowing into our Obama Cuss Jar at record rates too!
On the positive side, there cannot be any honest, clear-thinking person alive who thinks the Democrats are pro-Israel. Like Gore says of global warming, "The debate is over."
And if this guy is such a 'big thinker', why is he only asking one of the smallest countries on the planet to change its borders? What about India and Pakistan's Kashmir region, for example? We're sure Russia or China would like an opportunity to adjust their borders.
Some comments from two Commie Obama hat owners:
Ann Barnhardt:
Here is what they are trying to do. If Israel does not now FULLY surrender to the pre-1967 borders, the muslims will use this as an excuse to riot and eventually attack because they now have the EXPLICIT BLESSING of the POTUS to do so. Obama/Soros has given the Caliphate a central rallying point. In the name of "human rights", Obama/Soros is setting up a chessboard whereby a U.S./U.N. occupation of Israel will be "needed" to "enforce" the 1967 borders. If Israel tries to defend itself against muslim aggression - which remember has been agitated by Obama himself - or defend its sovereign territory, Obama/Soros will cast these actions of Israeli self-defense and self-preservation as "human rights violations" and move in. DO WE NOW FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THE LIBYAN ACTION WAS? It was simply to establish a precedent. Bishop to e6.
If I may be so bold, Netanyahu needs to take a page out of my playbook. He needs to give Obama the @$$kicking of a lifetime in his address to Congress. These Obama/Soros people are common gutter-scum street thugs, and need to be treated accordingly. TAKE OFF THE GLOVES AND BRING THE BEAT-DOWN. Because it is either that, or World War 3.
If I may be so bold, Netanyahu needs to take a page out of my playbook. He needs to give Obama the @$$kicking of a lifetime in his address to Congress. These Obama/Soros people are common gutter-scum street thugs, and need to be treated accordingly. TAKE OFF THE GLOVES AND BRING THE BEAT-DOWN. Because it is either that, or World War 3.
Congressman Allen West:
Today's endorsement by President Barack Obama of the creation of a Hamas-led Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, signals the most egregious foreign policy decision his administration has made to date, and could be the beginning of the end as we know it for the Jewish state.
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It's time for the American people to stand by our strongest ally, the Jewish State of Israel, and reject this foreign policy blunder of epic proportions.
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It's time for the American people to stand by our strongest ally, the Jewish State of Israel, and reject this foreign policy blunder of epic proportions.
Images from: Moonbattery and IOTW - 1 and 2.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Thursday Afternoon Cigar
Smoking another Romeo Y Julieta Habana Reserve. Today we are celebrating something new. It is still a secret, but maybe this rare color photo offers a hint....
Get In Their Face
Obama once told his supporters how to behave with their political opponents: "Get in their face".
Jason, from Human Events, did just that. 90 seconds of video, with no rudeness or yelling or immature antics, was all that was needed to expose the Left's hypocrisy. Actually, the first 3 seconds was enough.
U/Ts to Jason and Weasel Zippers.
Jason, from Human Events, did just that. 90 seconds of video, with no rudeness or yelling or immature antics, was all that was needed to expose the Left's hypocrisy. Actually, the first 3 seconds was enough.
U/Ts to Jason and Weasel Zippers.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Is Obama a Socialist?
For those new to Ushanka.us, we've already answered this. But, we found this video at Instapundit and felt compelled to add it to this endless discussion.
Yep.
It's immaturity. It's ignorance. And it's envy.
Yep.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Recurring Theme
Look at these recent events and see if you can find the recurring theme.
Washington Examiner: Indiana Trounces Fourth Amendment.
Seattle's Q13Fox.com: Secret Service interrogates Tacoma 7th grader.
At an American TSA Checkpoint, by AtomicNerds, a husband whose wife is going through the checkpoint:
Tucson's KGUN9: Former Marine killed by SWAT was acting in defense, family says
More Links:
Guerena was denied medical care for over an hour as he bled to death.
Sheriff Dupnik refuses to release information about the shooting.
Free Republic Conversations - Here, and Here.
EverydayNoDaysOff: Philadelphia Police Threaten To Kill Open Carrier
From Philly.com:
John Lott leads a discussion on this story over at BigGovernment.
So what is the recurring theme?
UPDATE - 10 minutes later....
Found this story through Drudge. Albuquerque KOAT7: Warrants Let Agents Enter Homes Without Owner Knowing
Washington Examiner: Indiana Trounces Fourth Amendment.
Indiana’s Supreme Court just ruled that police can basically enter Hoosier homes without a warrant, without justifiable cause, without – apparently – any regard whatsoever for the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. You know, that’s the one where it says Americans have the right to be secure in homes and in their persons. In Indiana, however, that right was just watered down a bit, as three of five justices found police can, in fact, push into a person’s home if the situation warrants – and by warrants, it’s meant that if police feel it to be true.
Seattle's Q13Fox.com: Secret Service interrogates Tacoma 7th grader.
A Tacoma seventh grader faced federal interrogation at school for what he posted on his Facebook page. His mom said it all happened without her knowledge or permission.
At an American TSA Checkpoint, by AtomicNerds, a husband whose wife is going through the checkpoint:
About ten minutes in, as she’s nearing the look-at-my-tits machine, a blue-gloved shaved-headed squirt, young enough I doubt both balls had dropped yet (or really, ever will) began striding at me With Purpose.
---
TSA: Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to either enter the line for processing to board your flight, or to leave. You cannot loiter observing a security checkpoint.
Husband: I’m waiting on my wife to get through with her stuff intact.
TSA: I’m sorry sir you will have to either enter the line for processing or leave immediately.
Husband: At this point, I saw LabRat raise her arms to make sure the highly professional security apparatus had a clear view of her crotch. “And as soon as you fucking little thieving perverts decide whether or not something shiny in my wife’s carry-on is banned all of a sudden or not, I’ll be on my way. Now either get a real cop and charge me with something or go fuck yourself you petty little shit.”
He turned an interesting shade of purple...
---
TSA: Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to either enter the line for processing to board your flight, or to leave. You cannot loiter observing a security checkpoint.
Husband: I’m waiting on my wife to get through with her stuff intact.
TSA: I’m sorry sir you will have to either enter the line for processing or leave immediately.
Husband: At this point, I saw LabRat raise her arms to make sure the highly professional security apparatus had a clear view of her crotch. “And as soon as you fucking little thieving perverts decide whether or not something shiny in my wife’s carry-on is banned all of a sudden or not, I’ll be on my way. Now either get a real cop and charge me with something or go fuck yourself you petty little shit.”
He turned an interesting shade of purple...
Tucson's KGUN9: Former Marine killed by SWAT was acting in defense, family says
New details are emerging about Jose Guerena, the man killed last Thursday in a SWAT incident at his Tucson home. He was gunned down by SWAT members while his wife and young child hid in a closet.
Now, the Pima County Sheriff's Department has taken responsibility for the fatal shooting. The SWAT team said it was just executing a narcotics search warrant when Guerena threatened officers with a military rifle. But the Sheriff's Department has changed its story on whether Guerena actually fired at anyone.
Now, the Pima County Sheriff's Department has taken responsibility for the fatal shooting. The SWAT team said it was just executing a narcotics search warrant when Guerena threatened officers with a military rifle. But the Sheriff's Department has changed its story on whether Guerena actually fired at anyone.
More Links:
Guerena was denied medical care for over an hour as he bled to death.
Sheriff Dupnik refuses to release information about the shooting.
Free Republic Conversations - Here, and Here.
EverydayNoDaysOff: Philadelphia Police Threaten To Kill Open Carrier
On a Sunday afternoon, a Pennsylvania resident was walking up Frankford Avenue in Philadelphia, bound for an auto parts store, and happened to be legally openly carrying a Glock pistol on his hip, under PA state law.
A passing Philadelphia Police officer saw his walking up the road, pulled over his squad car in the middle of the busy street, and drew his weapon on the man, threatening to kill him multiple times if he moved.
A passing Philadelphia Police officer saw his walking up the road, pulled over his squad car in the middle of the busy street, and drew his weapon on the man, threatening to kill him multiple times if he moved.
From Philly.com:
"Do you know you can't openly carry here in Philadelphia?" Dougherty asked, according to the YouTube clip."Yes, you can, if you have a license to carry firearms," Fiorino said. "It's Directive 137. It's your own internal directive."
The cops, department officials later admitted, were wrong. They didn't know that a person who has a license to carry a firearm can openly carry it in the city.
But the story doesn't end there. How could it?
After Fiorino posted his recordings on YouTube, they went viral. Members of pro-firearms forums on the Web took a particular interest in the incident.
The Police Department heard about the YouTube clips. A new investigation was launched, and last month the District Attorney's Office decided to charge Fiorino with reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct because, a spokeswoman said, he refused to cooperate with police.
The cops, department officials later admitted, were wrong. They didn't know that a person who has a license to carry a firearm can openly carry it in the city.
But the story doesn't end there. How could it?
After Fiorino posted his recordings on YouTube, they went viral. Members of pro-firearms forums on the Web took a particular interest in the incident.
The Police Department heard about the YouTube clips. A new investigation was launched, and last month the District Attorney's Office decided to charge Fiorino with reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct because, a spokeswoman said, he refused to cooperate with police.
John Lott leads a discussion on this story over at BigGovernment.
So what is the recurring theme?
UPDATE - 10 minutes later....
Found this story through Drudge. Albuquerque KOAT7: Warrants Let Agents Enter Homes Without Owner Knowing
A special type of government search warrant that allows authorities to search homes without informing the owner for months is becoming more common, Target 7 has learned.
Imagine someone walking through your neighborhood, coming into your home and rifling through your intimate belongings.
“(They) search through your home, your dresser drawers, your computer files,” Peter Simonson, with ACLU New Mexico, said.
These search warrants don’t involve knocking on doors or any type of warning at all. Delayed-notice search warrants, or "sneak-and-peek" warrants, allow federal agents to enter your home without telling you they’ve been there until months later.
Imagine someone walking through your neighborhood, coming into your home and rifling through your intimate belongings.
“(They) search through your home, your dresser drawers, your computer files,” Peter Simonson, with ACLU New Mexico, said.
These search warrants don’t involve knocking on doors or any type of warning at all. Delayed-notice search warrants, or "sneak-and-peek" warrants, allow federal agents to enter your home without telling you they’ve been there until months later.
Bitter Clinging - 2011
Our Dear Leader was heard talking about our unwashed masses during a campaign speech in Berkeley in 2008. He said we "bitterly cling" to our guns and religion. Yep.
Fast-Forward to 2011, and our clinging just added a third item: Gold. Why? Could the first Trillion-dollar deficits have anything to do with it? Maybe 2+ years of job losses and a common realization that the better days are behind us? Or maybe part of a sound investment prediction that Obama and the Fed have royally screwed the pooch and the only return to a sound economy will be to link our currency to gold? Maybe all of the above.
The Daily Reckoning, a site we've never seen before so we cannot vouch for its objectivity, has an article about this 3rd clinging item: Consumers and Investors Seek Protection with Guns and Gold.
Full Disclosure: We cling to all three.
Fast-Forward to 2011, and our clinging just added a third item: Gold. Why? Could the first Trillion-dollar deficits have anything to do with it? Maybe 2+ years of job losses and a common realization that the better days are behind us? Or maybe part of a sound investment prediction that Obama and the Fed have royally screwed the pooch and the only return to a sound economy will be to link our currency to gold? Maybe all of the above.
The Daily Reckoning, a site we've never seen before so we cannot vouch for its objectivity, has an article about this 3rd clinging item: Consumers and Investors Seek Protection with Guns and Gold.
Something serious is going on here. America’s economic recovery may be much weaker than advertised, while her economic vulnerability may be much greater than widely believed.
Confident citizens do not usually buy record amounts of guns and gold.
Confident citizens do not usually buy record amounts of guns and gold.
Full Disclosure: We cling to all three.
Quote of the Day
From Dave Blount at MoonBattery:
Really? That many?
He [Obama] must be very proud that under his rule, there are almost as many homosexuals in the White House as there are communists.
Really? That many?
Ann - Tribute #2
Ann Barnhardt is the first to get two Tribute posts at Ushanka. (Her first) Please give her a round of applause.
She was recently scheduled to speak in the Boston Ahavath Torah synagogue. And as a feather in her cap - a confirmation of her powerful message - the event was cancelled.
We sleep at night in our furry Commie Obama Ushanka and only dream of being so controversial.
Not to be silenced, Ann posted her speech to YouTube. And what a speech it is!
There are three parts - Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 below. Parts 1 & 2 cover her main topic, religion. While we love what she says, the subject is not our strength nor the focus here at Ushanka.us. Instead, we are posting Part 3 as she ties the evils of Islam to that of Marxism. And in this she nails it.
Democratic or representative Republic systems do not guarantee subsidiarity if infiltrated and usurped by godless power-hungry money-grubbing moral degenerates like Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Charles Shumer, Lindsey Graham, John McCain and all the rest. Those systems will lead to totalitarianism and ultimate collapse. That is what we are seeing right now.
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The Catholic church, and many Protestant sects as well, have been infiltrated and infested by Marxists.
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You filthy Marxist scum have been twisting and perverting the gospel into this satanic filth for decades, and you know what? I'm ending it right here and right now.
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The Catholic church, and many Protestant sects as well, have been infiltrated and infested by Marxists.
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You filthy Marxist scum have been twisting and perverting the gospel into this satanic filth for decades, and you know what? I'm ending it right here and right now.
Ann was a guest again at Andrea Shea-King's Patriot Radio show last Friday. Click to listen in.
Listen to internet radio with Andrea Shea King on Blog Talk Radio
Well done Ann. We want more.
USPS
The US Post Office. Good for two things: delivering my rental DVDs, and acting as the notification arm of the Internal Revenue Office.
A future project of ours is to look at all the tax-payer $$ added to all the USPS revenue to determine the actual cost of mailing a letter with the USPS. It isn't $0.44 as we are led to believe.
Shut it down. Sell the assets. If a letter is important, it'll get there.
A future project of ours is to look at all the tax-payer $$ added to all the USPS revenue to determine the actual cost of mailing a letter with the USPS. It isn't $0.44 as we are led to believe.
Shut it down. Sell the assets. If a letter is important, it'll get there.
Gingrich
Mr. Speaker, thanks for 1994. It was great. Now go away.
Brit Hume:
UT: Allahpundit at Hotair
UPDATE 8:15am
From The Blaze.
Brit Hume:
Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee have voluntarily departed the Republican field, but Newt Gingrich appears to have taken an involuntary step in the same direction only four days after entering the race.
UT: Allahpundit at Hotair
UPDATE 8:15am
Guy: Speaker Gingrich, what you just did to Paul Ryan is unforgivable.
Gingrich: I didn’t do anything to Paul Ryan!
Guy: Yes, you did. You undercut him and his allies in the house.
Gingrich: No, I…
Guy: You’re an embarrassment to our party.
Gingrich: I’m sorry you feel that way.
Guy: Why don’t you get out before you make a bigger fool of yourself.
Gingrich: I didn’t do anything to Paul Ryan!
Guy: Yes, you did. You undercut him and his allies in the house.
Gingrich: No, I…
Guy: You’re an embarrassment to our party.
Gingrich: I’m sorry you feel that way.
Guy: Why don’t you get out before you make a bigger fool of yourself.
From The Blaze.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Talking Left and Living Right
Nobody is more conservative than a liberal scorned. Or mugged. Or applies critical thought to today's problems.
Playwrite David Mamet recently spoke to a full auditorium at Stanford. Half students and half "aging faculty", all expected theirliberal progressive communist inspirations to be re-enforced by this speaker with a harsh, profanity-laced, liberal view of the world. Whoops. Andrew Ferguson at the Weekly Standard explains:
You're not supposed to think, you racist. Let our enlightened leaders in Washington and faculty lounges do the thinking for you.
Welcome to the club Mr. Mamet.
UT: BFH at IOTW
Playwrite David Mamet recently spoke to a full auditorium at Stanford. Half students and half "aging faculty", all expected their
He saw he was Talking Left and Living Right, a condition common among American liberals, particularly the wealthy among them, who can, for instance, want to impose diversity requirements on private companies while living in monochromatic neighborhoods, or vote against school vouchers while sending their kids to prep school, or shelter their income while advocating higher tax rates. The widening gap between liberal politics and liberal life became real to him when, paradoxically enough, he decided at last to write a political play, or rather a play about politics. It was the first time he thought about partisan politics for any sustained period.
You're not supposed to think, you racist. Let our enlightened leaders in Washington and faculty lounges do the thinking for you.
“I wondered, How did the system function so well? Because it does—the system functions beautifully.” How did the happiest, freest, and most prosperous country in history sprout from the Hobbesian jungle?
“I realized it was because of this thing, this miracle, this U.S. Constitution.” The separation of powers, the guarantee of property, the freedoms of speech and religion meant that self-interested citizens had a system in which they could hammer out their differences without killing each other. Everyone who wanted to could get ahead. The Founders had accepted the tragic view of life and, as it were, made it pay. It’s a happy paradox: The gloomier one’s view of human nature—and Mamet’s was gloomy—the deeper one’s appreciation of the American miracle.
“I realized it was because of this thing, this miracle, this U.S. Constitution.” The separation of powers, the guarantee of property, the freedoms of speech and religion meant that self-interested citizens had a system in which they could hammer out their differences without killing each other. Everyone who wanted to could get ahead. The Founders had accepted the tragic view of life and, as it were, made it pay. It’s a happy paradox: The gloomier one’s view of human nature—and Mamet’s was gloomy—the deeper one’s appreciation of the American miracle.
Welcome to the club Mr. Mamet.
UT: BFH at IOTW
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Questions
Victor Davis Hanson asks some questions at Pajama's Media. Our favorites:
He also predicts the four tactics for Obama's 2012 campaign:
d) In his speech on the debt a month ago, Obama seemed confused over the sudden additional $5 trillion in debt. But who ran that up between 2009-2011? A Republican House, Senate, or President Bush? A Republican-controlled Congress? And what happened to his own debt commission?
g) We are to believe that future additional drilling in the U.S. will not help lower world oil or gas prices, but calling on the Middle East to pump more, or praising Brazil’s proposed commitment to offshore exploration, will?
i) How can increasing five-fold Predator targeted assassination missions against suspected terrorists, dropping precision bombs to take out the person and family of Muammar Gaddafi, and ordering a hit on Bin Laden be considered OK, but waterboarding three admitted terrorists who claimed responsibility for 9/11 and gave information that led to the demise of bin Laden be considered both amoral and illegal?
g) We are to believe that future additional drilling in the U.S. will not help lower world oil or gas prices, but calling on the Middle East to pump more, or praising Brazil’s proposed commitment to offshore exploration, will?
i) How can increasing five-fold Predator targeted assassination missions against suspected terrorists, dropping precision bombs to take out the person and family of Muammar Gaddafi, and ordering a hit on Bin Laden be considered OK, but waterboarding three admitted terrorists who claimed responsibility for 9/11 and gave information that led to the demise of bin Laden be considered both amoral and illegal?
He also predicts the four tactics for Obama's 2012 campaign:
1) There will be no reference to or defense of four years of record massive debt, sky-high gas prices, creeping inflation, 9% unemployment, or slow growth— only on the “mess” that Obama inherited 48 months prior.
2) Constant demonization of a bogeyman “they” and “them”.
3) Race all the time.
4) Money and media: raise a billion dollars from the Wall Street and corporate BP/Goldman Sachs types that one trashes publicly. Ignore public campaign financing again, while praising government intervention everywhere else. Praise and court high-brow media (NPR, NY Times, CBS, NBC, etc.) while not letting up on the usual demons — Fox, Limbaugh, Hannity, Drudge, etc.
2) Constant demonization of a bogeyman “they” and “them”.
3) Race all the time.
4) Money and media: raise a billion dollars from the Wall Street and corporate BP/Goldman Sachs types that one trashes publicly. Ignore public campaign financing again, while praising government intervention everywhere else. Praise and court high-brow media (NPR, NY Times, CBS, NBC, etc.) while not letting up on the usual demons — Fox, Limbaugh, Hannity, Drudge, etc.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
A Revised 1st Amendment?
A student/instructor at LSU wanted to burn a US flag. He received permission from the school to do so. Where is the news? Aren't US flags being burned at all US college campus' and in the capitols of muslim nations?
Well, it became news when a force the size of a small army chose to protest. Yes, a protest in favor of NOT burning a US flag! Go figure!
There are some good videos of the protest. The pro-US crowd overwhelmed the bolshevik minority, drew riot police, and succeeded in chasing off the offending hippie student/instructor (pictured below). A hearty Ushanka Tip to all who participated!
Of the videos, however, this one won the day. We submit to you our suggested change to the First Amendment:
Found at Weasel Zippers.
Well, it became news when a force the size of a small army chose to protest. Yes, a protest in favor of NOT burning a US flag! Go figure!
There are some good videos of the protest. The pro-US crowd overwhelmed the bolshevik minority, drew riot police, and succeeded in chasing off the offending hippie student/instructor (pictured below). A hearty Ushanka Tip to all who participated!
Of the videos, however, this one won the day. We submit to you our suggested change to the First Amendment:
Found at Weasel Zippers.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Victory Over Fascism
In case you've been living in a hole these past 66 years, Russia saved us all from Fascism.
And in case you were shoved into alabor re-education death camp 66 years ago, you would have been proud to know the country that put you into that camp had saved us all from Fascism.
Russia celebrated with their annual Victory Over Fascism parade.
Here is the video. Notice the Rose Parade moving-camera shots. We celebrate stupid flower floats, they celebrate armor. Would the world be a safer place if we all celebrated flower floats, or armor?
EnglishRussia has some pictures from the parade...
...and from the event itself.
There is no argument for Russia's cost in WWII. They lost millions of civilians and millions of soldiers. But we recall another force that drove in from the West to meet the Soviets in Berlin. A force that provided liberty for the Germans in their sector, while those in the Eastern sector were without liberty. We all remember... just some of us remember it all.
Video found at NewZeal.
UPDATED 5.14 We were not supposed to see this. Luckily it was a parade and not an invasion into Poland, Finland, Afghanistan, Georgia, or some other country. Again from EnglishRussia.
And in case you were shoved into a
Russia celebrated with their annual Victory Over Fascism parade.
Here is the video. Notice the Rose Parade moving-camera shots. We celebrate stupid flower floats, they celebrate armor. Would the world be a safer place if we all celebrated flower floats, or armor?
EnglishRussia has some pictures from the parade...
...and from the event itself.
There is no argument for Russia's cost in WWII. They lost millions of civilians and millions of soldiers. But we recall another force that drove in from the West to meet the Soviets in Berlin. A force that provided liberty for the Germans in their sector, while those in the Eastern sector were without liberty. We all remember... just some of us remember it all.
Video found at NewZeal.
UPDATED 5.14 We were not supposed to see this. Luckily it was a parade and not an invasion into Poland, Finland, Afghanistan, Georgia, or some other country. Again from EnglishRussia.
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Saturday Afternoon Cigar
We smoked a Brazilia to celebrate another beautiful day in Southern Ohio. To pass the time, we watched these clips from Andrew Breitbart's recent interview with CBS. We've read his latest book and found it fascinating. We highly recommend it.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Today's Death Camp News
Today, in North Korea:
The New York Times reports on an update on North Korean Concentration Camps by Amnesty International.
From the Amnesty Int'l report:
The daily schedule:
US Policy (not just under Obama): Osama was a wanted terrorist who warranted a multi-year man-hunt and commando raid. Kim Jong-un and his father are leaders of a sovereign country and should be left alone. Both are murderers on grand scales.
Anything wrong with US Policy?
CLICK HERE to view satellite photos of some of North Korea's death camps.
A recent State Department report on human rights in North Korea said “detainees and prisoners consistently reported violence and torture” as well as virtual starvation rations. In various accounts, escaped inmates have reported eating earthworms and rats to get enough protein to survive.
Jeong Kyoung-il, a former Yodok inmate who was interviewed last month by Amnesty, said that deaths in the prison occurred almost daily. But the deaths of fellow prisoners came to be seen in a depraved and desperate light. “Frankly, unlike in a normal society, we would like it, rather than feel sad, because if you bring a dead body and bury it, you would be given another bowl of food,” Mr. Jeong said.
Jeong Kyoung-il, a former Yodok inmate who was interviewed last month by Amnesty, said that deaths in the prison occurred almost daily. But the deaths of fellow prisoners came to be seen in a depraved and desperate light. “Frankly, unlike in a normal society, we would like it, rather than feel sad, because if you bring a dead body and bury it, you would be given another bowl of food,” Mr. Jeong said.
The New York Times reports on an update on North Korean Concentration Camps by Amnesty International.
From the Amnesty Int'l report:
According to former detainees at the political prison camp at Yodok, prisoners are forced to work in conditions approaching slavery and are frequently subjected to torture and other cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment. All the detainees at Yodok have witnessed public executions.
---
“As North Korea seems to be moving towards a new leader in Kim Jong-un and a period of political instability, the big worry is that the prison camps appear to be growing in size.”
---
“As North Korea seems to be moving towards a new leader in Kim Jong-un and a period of political instability, the big worry is that the prison camps appear to be growing in size.”
The daily schedule:
“A room around 50m² in size, is where the 30 or 40 political prisoners sleep in. We sleep on some sort of bed made out of a wooden board with a blanket to cover. A day starts at 4am with an early shift, also called the ‘pre-meal shift’, until 7am. Then breakfast from 7am to 8am but the meal is only 200g of poorly prepared corn gruel for each meal. Then there is a morning shift from 8am to 12pm and a lunch until 1pm. Then work again from 1pm to 8pm and dinner from 8pm to 9pm. From 9pm to 11pm, it’s time for ideology education. If we don’t memorize the ten codes of ethics we would not be allowed to sleep. This is the daily schedule.”
US Policy (not just under Obama): Osama was a wanted terrorist who warranted a multi-year man-hunt and commando raid. Kim Jong-un and his father are leaders of a sovereign country and should be left alone. Both are murderers on grand scales.
Anything wrong with US Policy?
CLICK HERE to view satellite photos of some of North Korea's death camps.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
The other story
Be sure to be sitting down when you read this full White House Insider article. (The source is Socyberty, which may not be credible.)
Who the F**K is running this country's national security?
We also learn from Daily Mail, through Drudge:
They are going to have to release the OBL death photos now. Not to avert a massive conspiracy-theory surge, but to distract from these reports.
This Democrat had a big win Sunday night despite being unqualified for the job.
(Again, first source not known and may not be credible. If indeed false, then brilliant. We've all lost confidence in Obama to make an executive decision - other than vote Present - and just such an article plays into our expectations of him.)
UT: the vigilant Ann Barnhardt
I have been told by more than one source that Leon Panetta was directing the operation with both his own CIA operatives, as well as direct contacts with military – both entities were reporting to Panetta only at this point, and not the President of the United States. There was not going to be another delay as had happened 24 hour earlier. The operation was at this time effectively unknown to President Barack Obama or Valerie Jarrett and it remained that way until AFTER it had already been initiated. President Obama was literally pulled from a golf outing and escorted back to the White House to be informed of the mission. Upon his arrival there was a briefing held which included Bill Daley, John Brennan, and a high ranking member of the military. When Obama emerged from the briefing, he was described as looking “very confused and uncertain.” The president was then placed in the situation room where several of the players in this event had already been watching the operation unfold. Another interesting tidbit regarding this is that the Vice President was already “up to speed” on the operation. A source indicated they believe Hillary Clinton had personally made certain the Vice President was made aware of that day’s events before the president was. The now famous photo released shows the particulars of that of that room and its occupants. What that photo does not communicate directly is that the military personnel present in that room during the operation unfolding, deferred to either Hillary Clinton or Robert Gates. The president’s role was minimal, including their acknowledging of his presence in the room.
Who the F**K is running this country's national security?
In my initial communication to you of these events I described what unfolded as a temporary Coup initiated by high ranking intelligence and military officials. I stand by that term. These figures worked around the uncertainty of President Obama and the repeated resistance of Valerie Jarrett. If they had not been willing to do so, I am certain Osama Bin Laden would still be alive today.
We also learn from Daily Mail, through Drudge:
Barack Obama kept military commanders hanging by declaring he would 'sleep on it' before taking 16 hours to give the go-ahead to raid Bin Laden's compound.
They are going to have to release the OBL death photos now. Not to avert a massive conspiracy-theory surge, but to distract from these reports.
This Democrat had a big win Sunday night despite being unqualified for the job.
(Again, first source not known and may not be credible. If indeed false, then brilliant. We've all lost confidence in Obama to make an executive decision - other than vote Present - and just such an article plays into our expectations of him.)
UT: the vigilant Ann Barnhardt
Think Different
Obviously Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama do.
You can say it was just a different choice of words. But you'd be wrong.
We have a plaque on our desk with our favorite quote:
Are we making sense here?
Yesterday we congratulated President Obama for his operation in Pakistan. We defended him against comments from our friends who criticized a) no photos, b) corpse cleaning, c) muslim ceremony, d) burial at sea, e) taking credit for policies that he opposed in 2008, or f) his self-centered statements in the above clip.
That was yesterday. That was yesterday when he brought pride to the country and accomplished his first campaign promise from 2008.
UPDATE Bob shares our measured concern:
We look back and, correctly or not, recall as many days of disappointment with President Bush as we've had days of pride with President Obama. The contrast is stark.
You can say it was just a different choice of words. But you'd be wrong.
We have a plaque on our desk with our favorite quote:
There's no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit. - Ronald Reagan
Are we making sense here?
Yesterday we congratulated President Obama for his operation in Pakistan. We defended him against comments from our friends who criticized a) no photos, b) corpse cleaning, c) muslim ceremony, d) burial at sea, e) taking credit for policies that he opposed in 2008, or f) his self-centered statements in the above clip.
That was yesterday. That was yesterday when he brought pride to the country and accomplished his first campaign promise from 2008.
UPDATE Bob shares our measured concern:
We look back and, correctly or not, recall as many days of disappointment with President Bush as we've had days of pride with President Obama. The contrast is stark.
Monday, May 02, 2011
Pure Communism
Unbelievable! We found this at the Communist Party USA site today.
This is their best attempt to counter Glenn Beck?
Really?
Notice how they list the countries that failed at "Pure Communism", but did not list all those countries that are enjoying "Pure Communism".
An honest oversight? We doubt it, as there is nothing honest about Communism - "Pure" scientific Communism, or Glenn Beck's version.
This video has gone viral throughout the envy community with 2,034 views since it was posted on December 10, 2010. Those commies sure can put up the big numbers!