Tuesday, July 08, 2008
You're Fired!
Mac vs. PC: Obama a Communist?
Thanks for your patience these past few months. The video editing took a back seat to hat sales and site enhancement priorities.
The video above is a Mac vs. PC skit. These are lots of fun because we get to impersonate a leftist. In this video, our PC (Progressive Communist) took lines verbatim from the Huffington Post. Our Mac (Mature American Conservative) showed great restraint and intelligence, as expected. We like this format, and will scan the lefty blogs for more material. (As if that is a big chore...)
Monday, July 07, 2008
FARC in Check
Part two of our review of the hostage rescue in Columbia. Part one - link
Mary Anastasia O'Grady, of the WSJ, has a great opinion piece in today's paper - FARC's 'Human Rights' Friends.
While we focused on the brilliance, humor and audacity of the rescuers wearing Che t-shirts, O'Grady discusses the FARC's absolute trust that some nameless Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) will provide helicopter support to the terrorists. While the operation had been planned for nearly a year, and surely picked up steam with the recent laptop recovery - link -, the fact that the helicopter support wasn't questioned by the FARC demonstrates NGO cooperation and sympathies to terrorists in the past.
O'Grady mentions some names in her article. Commie Hugo Chavez has been long linked to the FARC. Colombian Sen. Piedad Cordoba is pictured with the Venezuelan leader. She is under investigation in Columbia for ties to the FARC. US Senator Chris Dodd, former Democrat presidential candidate and Countrywide VIP is mentioned in the quote above. And, our Dear Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who has been pushing for hostage trades (aka diplomacy) with the FARC.
Presidents Bush and Uribe are mentioned too, but in a different light... The video below offers a good summary.
Here is a video of one of the three US hostages, Marc Gonsalves. U/T: Hotair.
Mary Anastasia O'Grady, of the WSJ, has a great opinion piece in today's paper - FARC's 'Human Rights' Friends.
While we focused on the brilliance, humor and audacity of the rescuers wearing Che t-shirts, O'Grady discusses the FARC's absolute trust that some nameless Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) will provide helicopter support to the terrorists. While the operation had been planned for nearly a year, and surely picked up steam with the recent laptop recovery - link -, the fact that the helicopter support wasn't questioned by the FARC demonstrates NGO cooperation and sympathies to terrorists in the past.
It may have taken years for army intelligence to infiltrate the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, and it may have been tough to convincingly impersonate rebels. But what seems to have been a walk in the park was getting the FARC to believe that an NGO was providing resources to help it in the dirty work of ferrying captives to a new location.
The Colombian military tricked the FARC into releasing their most valuable hostages. I am reminded of President Álvaro Uribe's 2003 statement that some "human rights" organizations in his country were fronts for terrorists. Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd got his back up over Mr. Uribe's statement, and piously lectured the Colombian president about "the importance of democratic values."
But as the helicopter story suggests, Mr. Uribe seems to have been right. How else to explain the fact that the FARC swallowed the line without batting an eye?
The Colombian military tricked the FARC into releasing their most valuable hostages. I am reminded of President Álvaro Uribe's 2003 statement that some "human rights" organizations in his country were fronts for terrorists. Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd got his back up over Mr. Uribe's statement, and piously lectured the Colombian president about "the importance of democratic values."
But as the helicopter story suggests, Mr. Uribe seems to have been right. How else to explain the fact that the FARC swallowed the line without batting an eye?
O'Grady mentions some names in her article. Commie Hugo Chavez has been long linked to the FARC. Colombian Sen. Piedad Cordoba is pictured with the Venezuelan leader. She is under investigation in Columbia for ties to the FARC. US Senator Chris Dodd, former Democrat presidential candidate and Countrywide VIP is mentioned in the quote above. And, our Dear Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who has been pushing for hostage trades (aka diplomacy) with the FARC.
Presidents Bush and Uribe are mentioned too, but in a different light... The video below offers a good summary.
Here is a video of one of the three US hostages, Marc Gonsalves. U/T: Hotair.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Karl's Weekend Reading
For this 4th of July weekend, let's start with Obama's latest defense against non-criticisms. Nope, not racism. That was earlier in the week. To keep questions about taxes and national security at bay, Obama's camp is in full defensive mode on trivial matters. The last couple days: Patriotism. Here are just a few great comments in James Taranto's Best of the Web:
Hugh Hewitt chimes in with a LONG list of the "core of Obama" in his Townhall article "Obama In Focus On the Fourth":
Also at Townhall, Larry Elder responds to the Heller decision that re-affirms the individual's right to keep and bear arms with some interesting quotes from our founders, and from a few other characters:
Bret Stephens at the WSJ has an excellent piece on the religion of global warming, "Global Warming as Mass Neurosis. Probably the best summary on the subject - a must read.
Karl Rove writes a piece on Obama's fund raising expectations - "Can Barack Buy the Presidency?". That subject doesn't excite us, but we did pull this gem out of the article:
Happy 4th!
The problem for Obama is that he is a child of the counterculture to a greater extent than any past presidential nominee has been. Bill Clinton flirted with it a bit, but had long since "sold out," if you'll forgive the '60s argot, by the time he arrived on the national stage. John Kerry was more deeply immersed, as a leader in a radical anti-Vietnam group--but years before he ran for president, he reinvented himself (albeit implausibly) as a war hero.
By contrast, until a few weeks ago, Obama belonged to a church whose pastor blamed America for all that was wrong with the world. He made his political home in Hyde Park, Chicago, where unrepentant Weather Underground terrorists are regarded as upstanding civic leaders. And he seems to have absorbed the counterculture's complicated view of patriotism and disdain for those for whom it is a simpler emotion...
...
Patriotism ultimately is not a matter of policy, or even of symbols or actions, but of feeling. The sense one gets from Obama is not that he isn't patriotic, but that his feelings about America are complicated. But when expressing feelings, simpler usually is better. Saying "I love you" in three words is many times more powerful than saying it in 3,000.
By contrast, until a few weeks ago, Obama belonged to a church whose pastor blamed America for all that was wrong with the world. He made his political home in Hyde Park, Chicago, where unrepentant Weather Underground terrorists are regarded as upstanding civic leaders. And he seems to have absorbed the counterculture's complicated view of patriotism and disdain for those for whom it is a simpler emotion...
...
Patriotism ultimately is not a matter of policy, or even of symbols or actions, but of feeling. The sense one gets from Obama is not that he isn't patriotic, but that his feelings about America are complicated. But when expressing feelings, simpler usually is better. Saying "I love you" in three words is many times more powerful than saying it in 3,000.
Hugh Hewitt chimes in with a LONG list of the "core of Obama" in his Townhall article "Obama In Focus On the Fourth":
He's hard left.
He wants the marginal rate on total federal taxes...
Obama has proposed more than a trillion dollars in new spending.
Obama wants to cut and run from Iraq...
He supports the decision extending habeas rights to Gitmo detainees...
He wants the marginal rate on total federal taxes...
Obama has proposed more than a trillion dollars in new spending.
Obama wants to cut and run from Iraq...
He supports the decision extending habeas rights to Gitmo detainees...
Also at Townhall, Larry Elder responds to the Heller decision that re-affirms the individual's right to keep and bear arms with some interesting quotes from our founders, and from a few other characters:
Dictators throughout history sought to disarm their citizenries in order to impose power:
Vladimir Lenin said, "One man with a gun can control 100 without one."
Mao Zedong said, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."
Josef Stalin said: "We don't let them have ideas. Why would we let them have guns?"
Adolf Hitler said: "The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by doing so."
Vladimir Lenin said, "One man with a gun can control 100 without one."
Mao Zedong said, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."
Josef Stalin said: "We don't let them have ideas. Why would we let them have guns?"
Adolf Hitler said: "The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by doing so."
Bret Stephens at the WSJ has an excellent piece on the religion of global warming, "Global Warming as Mass Neurosis. Probably the best summary on the subject - a must read.
Listen carefully to the global warming alarmists, and the main theme that emerges is that what the developed world needs is a large dose of penance. What's remarkable is the extent to which penance sells among a mostly secular audience. What is there to be penitent about?
As it turns out, a lot, at least if you're inclined to believe that our successes are undeserved and that prosperity is morally suspect. In this view, global warming is nature's great comeuppance, affirming as nothing else our guilty conscience for our worldly success.
As it turns out, a lot, at least if you're inclined to believe that our successes are undeserved and that prosperity is morally suspect. In this view, global warming is nature's great comeuppance, affirming as nothing else our guilty conscience for our worldly success.
Karl Rove writes a piece on Obama's fund raising expectations - "Can Barack Buy the Presidency?". That subject doesn't excite us, but we did pull this gem out of the article:
Mr. Obama's ads show he's aware of his vulnerability on two fronts: his liberal values and his meager achievements. Yet he should be more cautious with these weaknesses. His bio ad says he was raised with "values straight from the Kansas heartland," though he grew up in Hawaii. He claims to have passed three bills, but fails to mention that two were in the Illinois state Senate and that he didn't vote on the third in the U.S. Senate. His new ad praises welfare reform, yet he opposed the legislation when a Republican Congress passed and President Clinton signed it.
...
...when running for president, money alone can't buy a candidate love. Cash matters, but being a good candidate and right on the issues matters even more.
...
...when running for president, money alone can't buy a candidate love. Cash matters, but being a good candidate and right on the issues matters even more.
Happy 4th!
Friday, July 04, 2008
Jesse Helms, RIP
A shock to both Karl and his professors, Jesse Helms invited Karl to testify at his Senate Foreign Relations Committee in April 1997. We had written a paper that identified flaws in the Chemical Weapons Convention treaty. Flaws others had missed. The senator, one of the few opponents of the treaty, wanted his committee to hear what we had to say.
Long story short, our employer at the time told us to pick between testifying, and keeping our job. We didn't testify.
We remember Senator Helms for his tenacity for, and stubbornness towards, conservative principles. He didn't compromise on the important issues. Ever.
Link
UPDATE 7.5: WSJ articles: Editorial,
and John Fund.
Long story short, our employer at the time told us to pick between testifying, and keeping our job. We didn't testify.
We remember Senator Helms for his tenacity for, and stubbornness towards, conservative principles. He didn't compromise on the important issues. Ever.
"I had sought election in 1972 to try to derail the freight train of liberalism that was gaining speed toward its destination of government-run everything, paid for with big tax bills and record debt," Helms wrote in his 2005 memoir, "Here's Where I Stand."
"My goal, when my wife, Dot, and I decided I would run, was to stick to my principles and stand up for conservative ideals."
"My goal, when my wife, Dot, and I decided I would run, was to stick to my principles and stand up for conservative ideals."
Link
UPDATE 7.5: WSJ articles: Editorial,
As a Senator, Helms was a forceful anti-Communist, resisting Nixon's detente of the 1970s and promoting U.S. support for dissidents behind the Iron Curtain and freedom fighters in Central America.
and John Fund.
Jesse Helms was a major influence on American conservatism, but his career provides a blueprint for anyone who represents an embattled minority viewpoint. You can, with persistence and unflinching determination, change the political odds in your favor.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Che Shirts - For Good, Not Evil
Columbian Army to FARC Leaders:
And the rest is history! Che Guevara t-shirts on capitalists?! What will they think of next? Ushanka's worn by American conservatives?!
Picture: Reuters picture of Ingrid Betancourt and three US hostages with President Alvaro Uribe.
Comrades! The Worker's Paradise is close at hand! Just a little more sacrifice, and we will have our Utopia!
Alfonso Cano, our newest Dear Leader, requests the transfer of selected hostages for intense negotiations with the imperialist forces. He is close to a breakthrough in the negotiations that our murdered founder, Manuel Marulanda, and our strongest supporter, Hugo Chavez, started long ago. He has the capitalists on their knees, Comrades!
On July 2nd, two helicopters from a sympathetic non-governmental organization will come to pick up the hostages. The high-value hostages - the three US contractors and that bothersome French woman are to be included in the group of 15 - shall be escorted by two of our own in addition to the security forces that arrive with the helicopters.
The helicopters will be unmarked, but the security forces will be wearing Che Guevara t-shirts, just like the trust-fund kids in San Francisco! Give them your cooperation, Comrades.
Workers of the World Unite!
**FARC email service is for Official Use Only**
Alfonso Cano, our newest Dear Leader, requests the transfer of selected hostages for intense negotiations with the imperialist forces. He is close to a breakthrough in the negotiations that our murdered founder, Manuel Marulanda, and our strongest supporter, Hugo Chavez, started long ago. He has the capitalists on their knees, Comrades!
On July 2nd, two helicopters from a sympathetic non-governmental organization will come to pick up the hostages. The high-value hostages - the three US contractors and that bothersome French woman are to be included in the group of 15 - shall be escorted by two of our own in addition to the security forces that arrive with the helicopters.
The helicopters will be unmarked, but the security forces will be wearing Che Guevara t-shirts, just like the trust-fund kids in San Francisco! Give them your cooperation, Comrades.
Workers of the World Unite!
**FARC email service is for Official Use Only**
And the rest is history! Che Guevara t-shirts on capitalists?! What will they think of next? Ushanka's worn by American conservatives?!
Picture: Reuters picture of Ingrid Betancourt and three US hostages with President Alvaro Uribe.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
District of Columbia v. Heller
We'd like to offer deep analysis of the District of Columbia v. Heller 5-4 ruling this past week, but frankly, the narrowness of the ruling has left us a bit reserved. Apparently, four members of the highest court are unaware of a document called the constitution or their role in its interpretation.
While we're left scratching our heads (and clinging to our guns), we offer the always thoughtful analysis of Jackie and Dunlap:
While we're left scratching our heads (and clinging to our guns), we offer the always thoughtful analysis of Jackie and Dunlap:
Commie Jokes
David Frum at the NRO has posted a few communist jokes in his diary. Here are our favorites:
What do you call a Soviet quartet that goes abroad? A trio.
Three men in a Soviet labor camp are sitting around the barrel stove one night and the subject of what they are incarcerated for comes up. The first one says: "I am here because I voted for Comrade Petrov in 1934." The second one says: "I am here because I voted against Comrade Petrov in 1934." The third one says: "I am Comrade Petrov."
A Frenchman, a Brit, and a Russian are admiring a painting of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. The Frenchman says, "they must be French, they're naked and they're eating fruit." The Englishman says, "clearly they're English. Observe how politely the man is offering the woman the fruit." The Russian notes, "they are Russian of course. They have nothing to wear, nothing to eat, and they think they are in paradise."
There was the Russian who bought a car and was told it would be delivered ten years from the purchase date. "Morning or afternoon?" he inquired. "What does it matter?" asked the salesman. "The plumber is coming in the morning."
In the 1980s the Soviet leadership decided to open a strip club in Moscow. It was a miserable failure. The commissars in charge of the project were sitting in a meeting pondering what went wrong. One said, "It couldn't be the food. It is as good as what goes into the Kremlin." Another lamented, "It couldn't be the vodka. It is the best made in all Russia." A third said, " It couldn't be the strippers. They all have been loyal Party members since 1942."
What do you call a Soviet quartet that goes abroad? A trio.
Three men in a Soviet labor camp are sitting around the barrel stove one night and the subject of what they are incarcerated for comes up. The first one says: "I am here because I voted for Comrade Petrov in 1934." The second one says: "I am here because I voted against Comrade Petrov in 1934." The third one says: "I am Comrade Petrov."
A Frenchman, a Brit, and a Russian are admiring a painting of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. The Frenchman says, "they must be French, they're naked and they're eating fruit." The Englishman says, "clearly they're English. Observe how politely the man is offering the woman the fruit." The Russian notes, "they are Russian of course. They have nothing to wear, nothing to eat, and they think they are in paradise."
There was the Russian who bought a car and was told it would be delivered ten years from the purchase date. "Morning or afternoon?" he inquired. "What does it matter?" asked the salesman. "The plumber is coming in the morning."
In the 1980s the Soviet leadership decided to open a strip club in Moscow. It was a miserable failure. The commissars in charge of the project were sitting in a meeting pondering what went wrong. One said, "It couldn't be the food. It is as good as what goes into the Kremlin." Another lamented, "It couldn't be the vodka. It is the best made in all Russia." A third said, " It couldn't be the strippers. They all have been loyal Party members since 1942."