Let My People Go

President Obama intends to bury the nation in debt, condemning the American people to a life of servitude.

And he has no intention of letting any one of you go.

Extremists of Rhetoric, DNC Rank and File

Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid used his sickenly soft voice to throw out rhetorical fire bombs, as per his usual:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he would never agree to a debt ceiling deal that would require another vote before the end of 2012...

Never?! Look, the government is spending more money than it's bringing in. It's been doing that more and more since WWII, and it all hit hyperdrive with Obama's inauguration. It needs to keep borrowing if it wants to continue current programs and services. Never going to agree, Harry? That seems pretty unreasonable. In fact, extremely unreasonable.

... and blamed “extremists” from blocking a deal now.

A reporter asked Reid Friday if he would be open to a compromise allowing another vote before the end of 2012...

The Republicans want a deal that will address run away spending in a serious way, and not just give the president several trillion more dollars to just spend, with nothing more than promises to decrease spending and save money in the distant future. They want the issue to remain before us, not just flitted away with empty promises of future cuts that past experience has shown never materialize. Does that sound okay?

“No, no, no. We cannot be in this battle all the time. Right now the extremists have locked down this Congress. We’re doing nothing. The extremists have locked down the White House. They’re not able to do their work. The country is in an economic malaise and they want to keep this up.”

Oh my, not able to do your work? The country is in an economic malaise because of the 'work' that Democrats like you and your buddies in the White House have done. 1.65 trillion additional national debt from this year alone. That's enough work from you. What do you think the effect of all that borrowing has upon the rest of the country? The instability, the hyper-regulation, the devaluing of the dollar, and worst of all, the pending government tax increases?

Not good, Harry.

What's She Up To Now?

Could he be speaking of April Gavaza?

Of course! She's usually got something fun going on. I love the way she rips into people that well deserve ripping. Case in point:

"He obviously doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about anyway. Being called a hobbit is a compliment — they were loyal, steadfast, honest, true, the only creatures in Middle Earth with the moral fibre and mental tenacity to save the world from pure evil. I doubt McCain could stand up to Mordor. What am I thinking? He’d have joined up with the “winning” side long before Sauron ever became a threat. He’d be Saruman’s bitch."

Huh? Yeah?!

Who is she speaking of? Maverick John McCain of Arizona, of course.

McCain... what a dolt. You'd think he'd have the good sense not to beat up on the people that make up his own party. And when does he ever speak ill of democrats, who are out there opposing efforts to curtail collective bargaining or who want to expand the reach of the Environmental Protection Agency... or ACORN for that matter? Can't remember those quotes? Neither can I. In fact, 2006 saw John McCain as the key note speaker at an ACORN rally. It should say 'Black and Decker' across this guy's forehead... such a tool.

Check out the whole thing, and while you're enjoying the intriguing, humorous writing, drop a ten spot in the tip jar. It makes her day, and she's well worth it!

'Here Comes Mr. Jordan' Open Thread

 What did you think?

Obama's 'Fast and Furious' Fiasco

Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.

Brian Terry was a career border patrol agent who was attempting to perform his rather dangerous and thankless job when a Mexican national gunned him down with an AK-47.

The brazen, tragic loss of life was anticipated by Brian's fellow agents, who had been ordered to "stand down" and made to watch while large numbers of guns were ordered, purchased and carried over the border into Mexico. Rank and file Border Patrol agents out on the line were incredulous that all these guns were just being let loose into the hands of Mexican drug gangs who routinely murdered Mexican law enforcement, citizens and each other. It wasn't hard to guess the consequences of such a policy:

"At least 122 firearms from a botched U.S. undercover operation have been found at crime scenes in Mexico or intercepted en route to drug cartels there, according to a Republican congressional report being issued on Tuesday."

Purportedly the "higher ups" were interested in identifying and catching the Mexican criminals who would purchase such weapons, however, it turns out that the individuals were already known by the FBI, and that the weapons sold did nothing to change the dynamic with the Mexican drug gangs.

One theory is that the whole effort was to paint US gun laws as responsible for Mexican drug violence. Knowing the obvious risks, who then would come up with such an idiotic plan that put lives at risk for the purpose of tilting a political argument in their favor?

If "Operation Fast and Furious" was merely a botched attempt at law enforcement, why was a supervisor of the operation, David Voth, "jovial, if not, not giddy but just delighted about" marked guns showing up at crime scenes in Mexico, as career Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent John Dodson told Rep. Darrell Issa's House Oversight Committee?

Why indeed?

Is Anyone As Clueless As Chris Matthews?

In attempting to understand the Debt Ceiling debate, Chris Matthews reached for an anology and came up with ... South Africa and apartheid?

On his Monday MSNBC program, Matthews asked the Huffington Post’s Howard Fineman why he thought the GOP was taking a tough stand on the debt ceiling negotiations.

“What’s going on here as I see it is a kind of slow-motion secession,” Fineman said. “This is an ending of the social compact. This is two, three generations worth of agreement about Social Security, about Medicare, about the role of the federal government.”

To which Chris responded:

"That evokes images of South Africa during apartheid"

What?!

“This sounds like — I spent two years in southern Africa — sounds like what the whites talked about doing, eventually going into some circle, like Custer’s Last Stand against the United States.”

Perhaps we don't have to go quite so far as Custer's Last Stand, Chris. Think about it for a minute. Perhaps the Tea Party people recognize that they as citizens are responsible for all this dough that the elites in Washingtown are blowing through? Maybe they just recognize that spending has gone through the roof under Obama, with a deficit of 1,650 Billion dollars for 2011 alone. That's four and a half billion dollars further in debt each and every day. And it's accelerating. The solution is not to just raise the debt ceiling. The solution is to deal with our runaway spending.

Uncontrolled spending has real world consequences. It is in anticipation of those consequences and the impact they will have on our children that concerns us.

Sheesh. This guy is hopeless.

Too Funny!

Oops.

Contessa Brewer, part time news reporter for MSNBC, took it upon herself to school GOP representative Mo Brooks from Alabama. In discussing the national debt crisis, Mr. Brooks was pointing out the massive increase in government spending and national debt under President Obama, when Ms. Brewer took him to task, reminding him that at the time of the trillion dollar government Obama spending spree the lending markets were facing a major correction, and she went on to assert that an economic depression was averted by the Obama spending all those billions on so called shovel ready jobs. The congressman disagreed, at which point Ms. Brewer interjected a hasty and condescending:

"Do you have a degree in economics?"

"Yes ma'am, I do. Highest honors."

"Okay... "

What an idiot! I mean, really Contessa, that's laugh track material. You're a reporter interviewing a congressmen, you are supposed have some background information on him. Certainly you are not there to argue Democratic spin. And yet in your attempt to dismiss the opinion you are supposedly tasked with discovering, you ask a question you presume will undermine your guest without knowing how he will answer?

According to his Congressional page:

"Mo graduated from Duke University in three years with a double major in political science and economics, with highest honors in economics. In 1978, he graduated from the University of Alabama Law School."

And you wonder why no one takes MSNBC seriously?

Seriously?

Jimmy Carter Redux

On the anniversary of Jimmy Carter's Malaise speech, what better opportunity to compare and contrast our great leaders from the Democrat party? Here are the back to back sound bites, as compiled by Laura Ingraham:

Jimmy Carter: The people are looking for honest answers, not easy answers.

Barack Obama: We cannot rely on quick fixes or easy answers.

---

Jimmy: Not politics as usual.

Barry: We are tired of business as usual.

---

Jimmy: You often see a balanced approach that demands sacrifice.

Barry: A balanced way where everybody's sacrificing a little bit.

---

Jimmy: A little sacrifice from everyone.

Barry: We need shared sacrifice.

---

Jimmy: Congress must enact the windfall profits tax without delay.

Barry: If the wealthiest among us are willing to give up a little bit more, then we can solve this problem.

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Jimmy: I'm asking you to take no unnecessary trips.

Barry: Don't blow a bunch of cash on Vegas.

---

Jimmy: To use carpools or public transportation whenever you can.

Barry: We can't drive our SUVs.

---

Jimmy: And to set your thermostats to save fuel.

Barry: We can't keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times.

---

Jimmy: I do not promise a quick way out of our nation's problems.

Barry: I wish I could tell you there was a quick fix to our economic problems.

---

Jimma: There are no short-term solutions.

Barre: There aren't going to be a lot of great short-term solutions to this problem.

---

Jimmy: There is simply no way to avoid sacrifice.

Barry: We are going to have to ask everybody to sacrifice.


How come when a Democrat is in charge it is an unsolvable national crisis? Well Barry, if you want to start talking about the sacrifice we get to enjoy now that you're our president, how about leading by example? Take a break from all the vacations. Tell the wife to cut the safaris and trips to Spain and all that. Give the golf game a break. And while you are at it, try doing something that will free up the economy, and quit crushing our kid's future.

With a hat tip to Laura Ingraham.

'Cupid and Cate' Open Thread

What did you think?







Look over the rest of the photos at the posting at our Movie Club.

A Fine Piece of Writing

It's been too long since we've heard from our friend from across the sea. The wait was worth it:

I've always loved this story, mainly because it contains a fine example of the lost art of understatement, but also for the woman's heroic lack of prurience, a characteristic that was once quintessentially English and is now quintessentially not so."

What was the story, and how does it relate to the day's current controversies? Well, it's a fine piece of writing. Go check it out, and Bravo Bedes!

Obama Threatens Elderly

President Obama, who has been spending money like nobodies business while averting a discussion on the matter until we have no more money to spend, has taken to the airwaves to threaten the elderly by withholding their Social Security checks:

"I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue. Because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it," Mr. Obama said in an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley.

Congressional leaders understand that the debt limit is not the problem, national spending is the problem, and changing the debt ceiling now will only push off for tomorrow what must be faced now before it is beyond our ability to control it. The president has refused to meet with congressional leaders until just recently, allowing the debt situation to come to a crisis, all the while demagoging the issue by claiming the nation will face economic catastrophe if the United States does not do as he says and raise the debt limit. Meanwhile, the president has been running 1.5 trillion dollar annual deficits and forced a "stimulus" program through the congress which had no net stimulative effect. Unemloyment, which in December of 2008 stood at 7.2%, with 11.6 million workers unemployed, has now two years later risen to 9.2% and 14.1 million unemployed, a total 2.5 million less jobs now than when he took office. Meanwhile, the president chuckles over the old shovel ready job gag. I wonder if the chuckling throws him off while he's out on the links?

Meanwhile congressional leaders are expected to hold another round of negotiations with Mr. Obama at the White House Tuesday afternoon on long-term deficit reduction, but the republicans thus far have been unwilling to raise taxes during the current recession, while the president has no interest other than to raise taxes, and is willing to scare seniors to try to get what he wants.

Mr. Obama told Pelley "this is not just a matter of Social Security checks. These are veterans checks, these are folks on disability and their checks. There are about 70 million checks that go out."

Nice.

A Favorite Princess?

Though I only read it when my friend April drags me over there, I have to admit that I loved this story. A little Canadian girl named Diamond after princess Diana, had become ill with a very bad cancer, a sarcoma that had already advanced to Stage IV. This precious little girl is very ill, but she did have her day brightened, as reported in the UK Daily Mail:

Well aware of his daughter's love for all things princess-related, Mr Marshall had mused: 'Maybe she should meet Princess Kate... She will be coming to Calgary, after all.'

Little Diamond was overwhelmingly enthusiastic, and she wrote a letter to the Duchess, which read:

'Dear Princess Kate.

My name is Diamond Ann. I am six. I was named after Princess Diana. My Mommy Memory is in heaven with her. 'I have cancer. I spend a lot of time at the hospital. I watched you get married from my bed there. You looked pretty. I like playing Princess dress up. My favourite princess is Aurora. Who is yours? I would really like to meet you. Do you wait [sic] to meet me too?'

Her father also added a few words:

'Should the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge just happen to swing by for a little visit, it would go a long way for helping her spirits, her surrounding family and friends. She is in awe of Princess Kate's fairytale-like story.'

In June they found out that Diamond had been chosen to present Princess Kate with a bouquet of flowers as part of the official welcoming.

When the day of the arrival of the royals came, Diamond was so thrilled by the chance to meet Princess Kate, that instead of handing her the bouquet, she flung herself forward for a hug, much to Catherine's delight.

After her meeting with the Royal couple, Diamond said:

'She told me she liked the flowers a lot. She was as fancy as she looks on the TV.'

Mrs Marshall, who stood close to the little girl throughout the meeting, told how the Duchess complimented Diamond's dress. She described Princess Catherine as 'so lovely and so gracious.'

'For a little girl who has dreamed of meeting a princess it was a dream come true.'

The royals had a very successsfull trip to North America, but there was no better moment than this.

Do you have a favorite Princess?

I certainly do.

Revisiting Liberal Clap Trap

"No blood for oil!"

We heard it over and over again when the United States, under George W. Bush, invaded Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein and establish a new democracy in the heart of the Middle-East. Bush was fighting this war to enrich himself. He and his friends from Texas wanted that Iraqi oil. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how he was going to enrich his friends in Texas with Iraqi oil, but that was the claim over which much clamor was vented.

Well, ten years on and it appears that none of that talk was grounded in reality, yet the common misperception rolls on. One of the biggest losers in misguessing what George Bush would do and why had to be Saddam Hussein. George Jonas speaks to the problem:

"Iraq's dictator was convinced America wasn't going to interfere with his invasion of Kuwait in the summer of 1990. Indeed, if it had been all about "the oil, stupid," America wouldn't have. But it wasn't, and America did interfere, big time."

Good stuff. Read the whole thing here.

Judicial Disgrace: Conrad Black Returned to Jail

Conrad Black is a remarkable man.

Perhaps ten years ago I was listening to radio host Laura Ingraham interview the author of a biography of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The man was intelligent, well spoken, had a broad base of knowledge, and was gracious with his host. Though never having been an admirer of FDR, the more I heard this man speak the more keen I became to read the biography. It turned out the book, over a thousand pages long, was just a side project for the author. The author's name, of course, was Conrad Black.

A Renaissance man of sorts, Mr. Black was not only a capable and accomplished author, but the owner and manager of a vast media empire that crossed the oceans and spanned the globe.

Then came the trial, a sham trial where an ambitious prosecutor took aim at a media executive, bullying his co-defendants and tweaking the law to find him in violation. Conrad Black was confident that justice would be the result of our legal system. Mark Steyn spoke of the sordid affair here:

"He was not a fugitive but an innocent man, and eventually he would be vindicated by the justice system of this great republic." But that’s not possible – because, with a system that relies on multiple charges and an ability to pressure everybody else in the case to switch sides, you can win (as Conrad did) nineteen-twentieths of the battles and still lose the war.

Convicted under the so called Honest Services statutes, the conviction came into question when the USSC found the statutes too broad to be valid law. With those statutes overturned, one would think the man would be allowed to be free. Sadly, that was not the case.

For standing up for what was right, for truth, for equality before the law, when it would have been far easier to embrace the lie and buckle before the powers that be, Conrad Black became a great hero of mine. He stood up for what was best in this country, for its ideals, even though he knew he was confronting the reality of its failings. That was a remarkably noble and gutsy thing to do.

Over zealous prosecutors filled with personal ambition are a scourge to our times: Eliot Spitzer, Michael Nifong, Pat Fitzgerald... the list goes on, and judges with little notion of justice make it all the worse.

The great man has been returned to prison, but I stand up straight and take off my hat to one of the best men of our times... Conrad Black.

Update:
George Jonas comments on the case directly here:

"Last Friday, Judge Amy St. Eve slashed the 78-month sentence she had imposed on Conrad Black in 2007 to 42 months. She remarked that "this case is in a different state today, and you are a different person today." I don't think so. "

and more obliquely here.

61* Open Thread

   What did you think?