We're speechless...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Karl's Weekend Reading
WSJ's Mary Anastasia O'Grady explains how the US is "trying to force the country [Honduras] to violate its constitution" in her op-ed Hillary's Honduras Obsession:
Strong arm tactics. That is what is discussed in Tuesday's WSJ Opinion page, Baucus Bludgeons Humana. Apparently, Humana sent a one-page letter to their customers informing them of proposed changes to Medicare in the health reform legislation:
Author Mark Helprin reports that Obama blinked twice while the world watched. In his WSJ article, Obama and the Politics of Concession, he discusses the blinks: to Russia over missile defense, and to Iran over their nuclear program.
Baltimore's ACORN office finally stepped up and filed a law suit against those meddlesome kids. $2 million, which is a paltry sum compared to the massive (proposed) cuts in government grants to the criminal organization. These comments from James Taranto caught our eye, and suggest ACORN is saving money by going to the low-cost attorneys.
Thousands of readers have written to me asking how all this can happen in the U.S., where democratic principles have been recognized since the nation's founding. Many readers have written that they are "ashamed" of the U.S. and have asked, in effect, "How can I help Honduras?" A more pertinent question may turn out to be, how can they help their own country?
In its actions toward Honduras, the Obama administration is demonstrating contempt for the fundamentals of democracy.
In its actions toward Honduras, the Obama administration is demonstrating contempt for the fundamentals of democracy.
Strong arm tactics. That is what is discussed in Tuesday's WSJ Opinion page, Baucus Bludgeons Humana. Apparently, Humana sent a one-page letter to their customers informing them of proposed changes to Medicare in the health reform legislation:
Political intimidation has always been part of the current Congress's health-care strategy: "If you're not at the table, you're on the menu" is tattooed on every lobbyist and industry rep in Washington. But Max Baucus's latest bullying tactics are hard to believe by even these standards, as the Senate Finance Chairman has sicced federal regulators on the insurer Humana Inc. for daring to criticize one part of his health bill.
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A new study from America's Health Insurance Plans, the industry trade group, finds that seniors on Advantage in California spent 30% fewer days in hospitals over fee-for-service patients, based on federal data. Democrats say that insurers are "overpaid," but the cuts—as Humana correctly noted—mean that seniors may lose this coverage.
Mr. Baucus doesn't want seniors to be educated about these facts, and obviously he's willing to use his enormous power to punish any private company that doesn't affirm his, well, creative version of reality. Nearly half of Humana's yearly revenue comes from Medicare Advantage, and the insurer says that it is complying in full with the CMS investigation. Yesterday, the agency also barred all Advantage insurers from providing similar information to their beneficiaries.
This episode neatly shows how all U.S. health care will operate if Mr. Baucus's bill becomes law.
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Humana merely made the mistake of trying to tell seniors the truth about what will happen to their coverage, and now CEO Michael McCallister had better hire a good team of lawyers. Mr. Baucus and the Obama Administration are out to make him an object lesson to the rest of the business class, and that means they won't stop until Humana cries uncle or is ruined.
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A new study from America's Health Insurance Plans, the industry trade group, finds that seniors on Advantage in California spent 30% fewer days in hospitals over fee-for-service patients, based on federal data. Democrats say that insurers are "overpaid," but the cuts—as Humana correctly noted—mean that seniors may lose this coverage.
Mr. Baucus doesn't want seniors to be educated about these facts, and obviously he's willing to use his enormous power to punish any private company that doesn't affirm his, well, creative version of reality. Nearly half of Humana's yearly revenue comes from Medicare Advantage, and the insurer says that it is complying in full with the CMS investigation. Yesterday, the agency also barred all Advantage insurers from providing similar information to their beneficiaries.
This episode neatly shows how all U.S. health care will operate if Mr. Baucus's bill becomes law.
---
Humana merely made the mistake of trying to tell seniors the truth about what will happen to their coverage, and now CEO Michael McCallister had better hire a good team of lawyers. Mr. Baucus and the Obama Administration are out to make him an object lesson to the rest of the business class, and that means they won't stop until Humana cries uncle or is ruined.
Author Mark Helprin reports that Obama blinked twice while the world watched. In his WSJ article, Obama and the Politics of Concession, he discusses the blinks: to Russia over missile defense, and to Iran over their nuclear program.
What we have here is an inadvertent homage to Lewis Carroll: We are going to cancel a defense that takes five years to mount, because the threat will not materialize for five years. And we will not deploy land-based interceptors in Europe, because our new plan is to deploy land-based interceptors in Europe.
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Not OK. When Neville Chamberlain returned from Munich at least he thought he had obtained something in return for his appeasement.
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Stalin tested Truman with the Berlin Blockade, and Truman held fast. Khrushchev tested Kennedy, and in the Cuban Missile Crisis Kennedy refused to blink. In 1983, Andropov took the measure of Reagan, and, defying millions in the street (who are now the Obama base), Reagan did not blink. Last week, the Iranian president and the Russian prime minister put Mr. Obama to the test, and he blinked not once but twice. The price of such infirmity has always proven immensely high, even if, as is the custom these days, the bill has yet to come.
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Not OK. When Neville Chamberlain returned from Munich at least he thought he had obtained something in return for his appeasement.
---
Stalin tested Truman with the Berlin Blockade, and Truman held fast. Khrushchev tested Kennedy, and in the Cuban Missile Crisis Kennedy refused to blink. In 1983, Andropov took the measure of Reagan, and, defying millions in the street (who are now the Obama base), Reagan did not blink. Last week, the Iranian president and the Russian prime minister put Mr. Obama to the test, and he blinked not once but twice. The price of such infirmity has always proven immensely high, even if, as is the custom these days, the bill has yet to come.
Baltimore's ACORN office finally stepped up and filed a law suit against those meddlesome kids. $2 million, which is a paltry sum compared to the massive (proposed) cuts in government grants to the criminal organization. These comments from James Taranto caught our eye, and suggest ACORN is saving money by going to the low-cost attorneys.
This lawsuit is a gift to Acorn's critics. Assuming it goes forward, the defendants will be able to use the discovery process to gather still more facts about Acorn--and this columnist for one cannot wait to see what they find out.
Here's another oddity: Acorn's co-plaintiffs are the employees it recently fired precisely because of the misconduct the defendants exposed. Doesn't this create a big fat conflict of interest for the plaintiffs' lawyers? Maybe Thompson and Williams can sue Acorn for rightful termination.
Here's another oddity: Acorn's co-plaintiffs are the employees it recently fired precisely because of the misconduct the defendants exposed. Doesn't this create a big fat conflict of interest for the plaintiffs' lawyers? Maybe Thompson and Williams can sue Acorn for rightful termination.
Too Few: The Resignation
Our biggest frustration during the Clinton years was not with Clinton, but with so-called honorable men and women that allowed the President's poor decisions and actions to continue without their resignations. Two events come to mind:
1) Clinton meeting with his cabinet members during the Lewinsky rumors to lie to them as he did the American people. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the cabinet members stood by Clinton. Not one resignation. Not an honorable one among them.
2) During the same time, August 1998, when Clinton fired on Sudan and Afghanistan in retaliation for the embassy bombings - three weeks prior. A liberal using deadly force in foreign affairs rather than domestic affairs is a red flag, and most believed this pathetic show of force was to distract from Lewinsky, his most recent scandal. Not one member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or any other senior military official resigned in protest.
There are policy decisions one can support, one can disagree with, and one that requires a resignation. The resignation sends a very clear statement of protest while giving the resigning official the space necessary between his honor and the offending politician.
According to a McLatchy story last Friday, those who know General McChrystal well suggest he will resign if not given the necessary support in Afghanistan. Just guessing at this point, but it appears Obama replaced the commander just a few months ago with a principled general, someone he is now pulling the rug out from underneath. For foreign, and war, policy, this is called voting "Present".
Remember, the generals on the ground asked for 35,000 more troops for the original Afghanistan surge. Obama sent 17,000. And guess what? The surge did not achieve the intended results. Hmmm...
Obama is in a pinch here. The seasoned leaders in uniform all joined the military during the Cold War. They prepared for the worst for most of their careers, served with the best, and will be having some reservations with a national policy of apology, quagmire and defeat.
No resignations during Clinton. Let's not make that mistake again.
U/T: Threat Matrix
1) Clinton meeting with his cabinet members during the Lewinsky rumors to lie to them as he did the American people. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the cabinet members stood by Clinton. Not one resignation. Not an honorable one among them.
2) During the same time, August 1998, when Clinton fired on Sudan and Afghanistan in retaliation for the embassy bombings - three weeks prior. A liberal using deadly force in foreign affairs rather than domestic affairs is a red flag, and most believed this pathetic show of force was to distract from Lewinsky, his most recent scandal. Not one member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or any other senior military official resigned in protest.
There are policy decisions one can support, one can disagree with, and one that requires a resignation. The resignation sends a very clear statement of protest while giving the resigning official the space necessary between his honor and the offending politician.
According to a McLatchy story last Friday, those who know General McChrystal well suggest he will resign if not given the necessary support in Afghanistan. Just guessing at this point, but it appears Obama replaced the commander just a few months ago with a principled general, someone he is now pulling the rug out from underneath. For foreign, and war, policy, this is called voting "Present".
Remember, the generals on the ground asked for 35,000 more troops for the original Afghanistan surge. Obama sent 17,000. And guess what? The surge did not achieve the intended results. Hmmm...
Obama is in a pinch here. The seasoned leaders in uniform all joined the military during the Cold War. They prepared for the worst for most of their careers, served with the best, and will be having some reservations with a national policy of apology, quagmire and defeat.
No resignations during Clinton. Let's not make that mistake again.
U/T: Threat Matrix
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Karl's Weekend Reading
Randall Hoven asks What Would a Communist Do? in his American Thinker article this week. A good review of recent Communist Party USA posts at their site, and their opinions of current political events and proposed legislation. Regarding health care:
Mark Steyn writes at NRO, The Long Retreat: Our security will now depend on the kindness of strangers. This paragraph on missile defense was our favorite:
Charles Krauthammer analyzes Obama's communication skills in his Townhall article, Does He Lie? It appears Charles has figured him out. Obama's changing arguments for healthcare reform:
James Taranto does some analysis on the recent ACORN defunding vote in congress, specifically the votes from the Black Caucus members. In his Best of the Web series, Shrieker of the House:
So what would a communist do about health care? Support Obama, tenaciously and with persistence, and especially insist on including a public option. And attack your opponents as right-wing extremists and racists.
Mark Steyn writes at NRO, The Long Retreat: Our security will now depend on the kindness of strangers. This paragraph on missile defense was our favorite:
Vladimir Putin is no longer president but he is de facto tsar. And he thinks it’s past time to reconstitute the old empire — not formally (yet), but certainly as a sphere of influence from which the Yanks keep their distance. President Obama has just handed the Russians their biggest win since the collapse of the Iron Curtain. Indeed, in some ways it marks the restitching of the Iron Curtain. When the Czechs signed their end of the missile-defense deal in July, they found themselves afflicted by a sudden “technical difficulty” that halved their gas supply from Russia. The Europe Putin foresees will be one not only ever more energy-dependent on Moscow but security-dependent, too — in which every city is within range of missiles from Tehran and other crazies, and is in effect under the security umbrella of the new tsar. As to whether such a Continent will be amicable to American interests, well, good luck with that, hopeychangers.
Charles Krauthammer analyzes Obama's communication skills in his Townhall article, Does He Lie? It appears Charles has figured him out. Obama's changing arguments for healthcare reform:
That transparent attempt to exploit Emanuel's Law -- a crisis is a terrible thing to waste -- failed for health care because no one is stupid enough to believe that the 2008 financial collapse was caused by a lack of universal health care.
So on to the next gambit: selling health care reform as a cure for the deficit. When that was exploded by the Congressional Budget Office's demonstration of staggering Obamacare deficits, Obama tried a new tack: selling his plan as revenue-neutral insurance reform -- until the revenue neutrality is exposed as phony future cuts and chimerical waste and fraud.
Obama doesn't lie. He implies, he misdirects, he misleads -- so fluidly and incessantly that he risks transmuting eloquence into mere slickness.
So on to the next gambit: selling health care reform as a cure for the deficit. When that was exploded by the Congressional Budget Office's demonstration of staggering Obamacare deficits, Obama tried a new tack: selling his plan as revenue-neutral insurance reform -- until the revenue neutrality is exposed as phony future cuts and chimerical waste and fraud.
Obama doesn't lie. He implies, he misdirects, he misleads -- so fluidly and incessantly that he risks transmuting eloquence into mere slickness.
James Taranto does some analysis on the recent ACORN defunding vote in congress, specifically the votes from the Black Caucus members. In his Best of the Web series, Shrieker of the House:
...fewer than 1 in 4 Black Caucus members voted to stop spending taxpayers' money on an organization that has been caught on video at least five times offering advice on how to practice slavery.
ACORN: The Punchline
San Diego:
The employee, Juan Carlos Vera, was eventually fired. But there was some hesitation among the ACORN management. From the Union-Tribune:
As for the punchline that ACORN has become:
Doug Ross has an ACORN employment application - here.
Jay Leno comments - here.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal ordered all state funding to ACORN stopped - here.
And The Jawa Report suspects shenanigans with a recently uncovered ACORN police report - here.
From Townhall:
The employee, Juan Carlos Vera, was eventually fired. But there was some hesitation among the ACORN management. From the Union-Tribune:
NATIONAL CITY - Local ACORN officials reversed an earlier decision Thursday afternoon and fired a community organizer who was caught on video providing advice about human smuggling to a couple posing as a pimp and a prostitute.
In an afternoon press conference, David Lagstein said he believed his employee, Juan Carlos Vera, did his best to deal with a challenging situation, and would not be disciplined.
But two hours later, Lagstein stated he had reevaluated the videos posted online in which Vera was secretly filmed answering questions about smuggling people across the Tijuana border. Lagstein said in his earlier evaluation, he had only found a short, 52-second video, and not a longer seven-minute video. After consulting with supervisors and state ACORN officials, he decided Vera had contradicted his earlier statements and his conduct was "unacceptable."
In an afternoon press conference, David Lagstein said he believed his employee, Juan Carlos Vera, did his best to deal with a challenging situation, and would not be disciplined.
But two hours later, Lagstein stated he had reevaluated the videos posted online in which Vera was secretly filmed answering questions about smuggling people across the Tijuana border. Lagstein said in his earlier evaluation, he had only found a short, 52-second video, and not a longer seven-minute video. After consulting with supervisors and state ACORN officials, he decided Vera had contradicted his earlier statements and his conduct was "unacceptable."
As for the punchline that ACORN has become:
Doug Ross has an ACORN employment application - here.
Jay Leno comments - here.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal ordered all state funding to ACORN stopped - here.
And The Jawa Report suspects shenanigans with a recently uncovered ACORN police report - here.
From Townhall:
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Obama's Soda Tax
Coke's CEO Muhtar Kent comments on the soda tax idea floating around DC:
I have never seen it work where a government tells people what to eat and what to drink...
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If it worked, the Soviet Union would still be around.
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If it worked, the Soviet Union would still be around.
A CEO who knows his history? Did he just call President Obama a commie??
Our advice: order your Leninade now, while it is still tax-free!
U/T: Reason.com - who used a picture of our hat in their post!
UPDATE 9.17:
We asked the RealSoda CEO, Ushanka.us friend, Commie Obama Rally Cap owner, the idea man behind Leninade, and the Willy Wonka of the soda world to offer his $0.02 on this matter. His reply:
So they say they will not raise taxes on 95% of the population... so I guess only 4% drinks soda then?? !!
Well, actually this is another example of how the politicians who have no real scientific knowledge find another way to collect money from the general public under the supposed guise of protecting people from overconsumption of something. Now, again... if you don't have nationalized medicine then you should not be so worried about paying the costs of overconsumption. So the argument that makes most sense is to let people eat and drink what they want and pay their own medical bills and/or insurance.
Just as is the case with the schools, they banned sodas including stuff like Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi and then they introduced fruit juices which have the same sugar per ounce (albeit "natural", whatever that means) as what's in sodas. That is to say, the caloric content is essentially the same but one is banned and the other is forced down peoples' throats. Of course the liquor stores in the perimeter of the schools are selling sodas like there's no tomorrow...
Should the tax on sodas be limited to those with HFCS? Or cane sugar? How about evaporated cane juice? How about honey (more fattening than sugar)? How about concentrated fruit juice additives which are like simple syrup when added? The government doesn't care if you get fat or not; they just want your money. Their death panels will take care of anyone who overindulges once their health scare plan takes effect :(
Yours effervescently,
Danny
Well, actually this is another example of how the politicians who have no real scientific knowledge find another way to collect money from the general public under the supposed guise of protecting people from overconsumption of something. Now, again... if you don't have nationalized medicine then you should not be so worried about paying the costs of overconsumption. So the argument that makes most sense is to let people eat and drink what they want and pay their own medical bills and/or insurance.
Just as is the case with the schools, they banned sodas including stuff like Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi and then they introduced fruit juices which have the same sugar per ounce (albeit "natural", whatever that means) as what's in sodas. That is to say, the caloric content is essentially the same but one is banned and the other is forced down peoples' throats. Of course the liquor stores in the perimeter of the schools are selling sodas like there's no tomorrow...
Should the tax on sodas be limited to those with HFCS? Or cane sugar? How about evaporated cane juice? How about honey (more fattening than sugar)? How about concentrated fruit juice additives which are like simple syrup when added? The government doesn't care if you get fat or not; they just want your money. Their death panels will take care of anyone who overindulges once their health scare plan takes effect :(
Yours effervescently,
Danny
Link to RealSoda. Link to our Leninade commercial.
ACORN: Video #4
Unbelievable.
Jon Stewart scoops CNN, MSNBC and NYT with... The Audacity of Hos
U/T: Instapundit
Jon Stewart scoops CNN, MSNBC and NYT with... The Audacity of Hos
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The Audacity of Hos | ||||
| ||||
U/T: Instapundit
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Trilogy: ACORN in NY
Prior to becoming our Dear Leader, Obama worked for ACORN as an attorney and trainer.
It is to his credit that we can get the same advice regardless of which ACORN office we walk into.
As Mikhail says, "Obama is ACORN".
Today, a third video emerges. This time, an ACORN office in New York City:
Link to FoxNews Story. No stories at CNN or MSNBC, again. Why are some news outlets ignoring a criminal organization that will soon get over $4 billion in taxpayer money? Didn't the media used to do stings like this?
A big Ushanka Tip to James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles.
UPDATE - 10 minutes later...
We continued searching for more MSM outlets that are covering this story. A Google News search shows that FoxNews is the primary for the top three ACORN-related news stories.
We did notice the San Francisco Chronicle link in the top news story. Here is a link to their article, and an excerpt from the objective news organization:
The link that SD Chronicle offers to the CNN article does not mention any case where the police were called.
Well. Now the major paper in San Francisco (offering online only now) can say they covered the story.
It is to his credit that we can get the same advice regardless of which ACORN office we walk into.
As Mikhail says, "Obama is ACORN".
Today, a third video emerges. This time, an ACORN office in New York City:
Link to FoxNews Story. No stories at CNN or MSNBC, again. Why are some news outlets ignoring a criminal organization that will soon get over $4 billion in taxpayer money? Didn't the media used to do stings like this?
A big Ushanka Tip to James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles.
UPDATE - 10 minutes later...
We continued searching for more MSM outlets that are covering this story. A Google News search shows that FoxNews is the primary for the top three ACORN-related news stories.
We did notice the San Francisco Chronicle link in the top news story. Here is a link to their article, and an excerpt from the objective news organization:
What they reportedly did was go around America on a tour of different ACORN offices posing as pimp and prostitute. According to CNN, most ACORN offices called the police on them with the exception of the Washington and Baltimore offices.
The link that SD Chronicle offers to the CNN article does not mention any case where the police were called.
...the ACORN workers were wrong of course. Do you think I'm going to defend someone giving tax evasion tips to a pimp and his, well, you know. (I can't help but wonder if O'Keefe and Giles were sleeping together during their tour posing as people who were in the sex business. I mean all that talk and travel had to make them horny at some point, right?)
Well. Now the major paper in San Francisco (offering online only now) can say they covered the story.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Patriots on Capitol Hill
The first images are coming back from DC. It is like watching a JPL mission to Mars - we're on the edge of our seats!
Our favorite signs:
"Joe Wilson for Truth Czar"
and
"Stalin Called. He Wants His Policies Back."
Ushanka.us' Dmitry is there and will be sending video into the Ushanka.us bunker for editing and distribution. Be sure to check back later....
U/T: Drudge, Breitbart
UPDATE - 10 minutes later...
Another early video - nice editing!
Our favorite signs:
"Joe Wilson for Truth Czar"
and
"Stalin Called. He Wants His Policies Back."
Ushanka.us' Dmitry is there and will be sending video into the Ushanka.us bunker for editing and distribution. Be sure to check back later....
U/T: Drudge, Breitbart
UPDATE - 10 minutes later...
Another early video - nice editing!