The COFFEE SHOP

FABRICAN - NSFW

2012-01-25T21:11:00.000-08:00

◼ From its base at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, Fabrican technology has captured the imagination of designers, industry and the public around the world. The technology has been developed for use in household, industrial, personal and healthcare, decorative and fashion applications using aerosol cans or spray-guns, and will soon be found in products available everywhere. (h/t: O)

The story was much different when Gingrich was exonerated. The Washington Post ran a brief story on page five. The Times ran an equally brief story on page 23. And the evening newscasts of CBS, NBC, and ABC -- which together had devoted hours of coverage to the question of Gingrich's ethics -- did not report the story at all. Not a word. . . . .

2012-01-25T01:41:00.000-08:00

◼ What really happened in the Gingrich ethics case? - Byron York/Washington Examiner

The bottom line: Gingrich acted properly and violated no laws....

Given all the attention to the ethics matter, it's worth asking what actually happened back in 1995, 1996, and 1997. The Gingrich case was extraordinarily complex, intensely partisan, and driven in no small way by a personal vendetta on the part of one of Gingrich's former political opponents. It received saturation coverage in the press; a database search of major media outlets revealed more than 10,000 references to Gingrich's ethics problems during the six months leading to his reprimand. It ended with a special counsel hired by the House Ethics Committee holding Gingrich to an astonishingly strict standard of behavior, after which Gingrich in essence pled guilty to two minor offenses. Afterwards, the case was referred to the Internal Revenue Service, which conducted an exhaustive investigation into the matter. And then, after it was all over and Gingrich was out of office, the IRS concluded that Gingrich did nothing wrong. After all the struggle, Gingrich was exonerated. Full story at the link

Deja Vu?

2012-01-24T22:07:00.001-08:00

National Park Service Director Admits They Haven’t Enforced Camping Ban On Occupy DC Because They Fear Violent Reaction From Protesters…

2012-01-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

◼ "...we felt that going in right away and enforcing the regulations … against camping, could potentially incite a reaction on their part that would result in possible injury or property damage..." - Weasel Zippers

The SOTC

2012-01-24T17:57:00.000-08:00

freddoso
Just getting it out of my system. RT @freddoso: YOU LIE!!!!!!!!

Stacy Mott
@AriFleischer No empty seats. Speaker Boehner took care of that and invited the heads of all the pipeline companies for him. #sgp

Steven Ertelt
Looking forward to the #SOTU tonight. Can't wait for an update on building high speed rail to salmon farms.

Marooned in Marin
Judging from all the drinking game references I've seen here & on Facebook, there's going to be a whole lotta drinkin goin on after 9PM

Right Scoop
We need a lie-o-meter for Obama's speeches. Who wants to count the SOTU lies tonight?

Allah Pundit
Oddly fitting to have tonight's warning about looming catastrophe delivered by a guy who won't run to try to prevent it #paralysis

Right Scoop
Actually, it might be easier to only count when Obama tells the truth tonight.

Sister Toldjah
MT @SpiritOfMadison: Tonight #TOTUS earns it's keep, delivering an hour's speech w/o mentioning FastAndFurious, Keystone or Solyndra

AndrewBreitbart
The Real Twitter SOTU Drinking Game: Drink every time someone tweets about their 'SOTU' drinking game rules.

Ace of Spades
we're doing a stupid liveblog for this stupid shit speech here ace.mu.nu i hate my fucking life

Jonah Goldberg
Hey Geithner's walking in. I wonder whether he'll blush when the president starts talking about people paying their fair share of taxes.

Moe Lane
Short take on the speech: President Obama doesn't have the testicles to criticize Reid for the lack of a budget. Because he's a coward.

Moe Lane
Also, he's going to brag about energy production and not admit that he's killing Keystone because he likes Greenies better than working men.

John Hayward
Shock State of the Union address: "My fellow Americans, I've decided the rich are paying their fair share after all. Good night."

Moe Lane
Obama: Seize manufacturing@

Jonah Goldberg
Masterlock is running at full capacity so Americans can secure their canned goods and bottled water before the next crash.

'Jim' 'Treacher'
"What's happening in Detroit can happen in other places." Less than 10 minutes in and he's already reduced to threats. #SOTU2012

Tabitha Hale
RT @guypbenson: Wow, I didn't realize how awesome things were these days! #Learning

Steven Ertelt
RT @teamboehner: 769,000: Manufacturing Jobs Lost Since Obama Took Office bit.ly/zV4nID #SOTU

Timothy P Carney
Is Obama going propose cutting the corporate income tax rate? The policy for which he basically slandered McCain?

freddoso
RT @annesorock: Ooh sad, Barry seems to have totally skipped the chapter on why bizs go overseas to begin with

Right Scoop
OH NO. OBAMA IS NOT GOING TO STAND BY!

Jonah Goldberg
You also go to Brazil to open American markets to Brazilian oil.

Allah Pundit
Second look at censoring the entire Internet?

AndrewBreitbart
AKA: C'mon, Hollywood! Where's that 2008 level donations?

freddoso
RT @jimantle: No American biz should be able to avoid paying their fair share of taxes simply by going out of business from too many taxes

Steven Ertelt
In 2000, federal nat gas production was 37% of the US total. In 2010, after 2 years of Obama policies, its cratered to 20%.

Allah Pundit
Let's get to the good stuff: More unconstitutional recess appointments

Jim Hoft
RT @tobyharnden: Key word of #sotu is "fair". Obama will use it 8 times. It means redistribution of wealth #sotu

John Hayward
You know, employers were willing to train their own new hires, back when they weren't getting crushed by Obamanomics.

Moe Lane
Did he just call for mandatory school attendance until 18? What do you do if they say no? Send them to jail?

James Joyner
A law requiring belligerent, stupid 17-year-olds to stay in school and ruin it for everybody

Allah Pundit
RT @andylevy: "We know that when students don't quit high school, more of them graduate" is what he just said #SOTU

freddoso
Obama says he's going to do something about skyrocketing tuition. Yeah, right. Let's see you cut the loan program.

Tabitha Hale
Federal truancy laws are totally why we elected this guy, obvi.

ary Katharine Ham
Dude, you're susbsidizing skyrocketing education costs bc you're HANDING OUT free taxpayer subsidized $ for skyrocketing education costs.

John Hayward
All this popcorn about education and training means the cause of high unemployment is unskilled, ignorant workers. Who's buying that?

Moe Lane
Wait, did the guy notorious for not hiring women and paying them right during his campaign just call for pay parity? #sotu

Michelle Malkin
Oh, man. Obama's trotting out the old "equal pay, equal work" hobby horse?

Sister Toldjah
RT @freddoso: A federal law against dropping out of school? Huh?

Philip Klein
On second thought, maybe Obama is beatable. This is the worst speech I've ever seen him give.

Pamela Geller
What does the Statist in Chief know about work? Jobs? Employment? Man never worked a real job. I mean seriously. #SOTU Nails on a chalkboard

Tabitha Hale
Don't stop the spending! For the future!

John Hawkins
We're "winning the race for our future" so much that we're not going to have a future because we're spending it all today.

Steven Ertelt
American made energy? Except Keystone.

DefeatObama
45,696: Pages Of New Rules Added To The Federal Register During Obama’s First Two Years In Office. bit.ly/zV4nID

Tabitha Hale
Since we've started the President has proposed 4 new spending proposals. And no cuts.

Michelle Malkin
How dare this job-snuffer-in-chief talk about creating offshore drilling opportunities. How. Dare. Him.

Ace of Spades
We must do EVERYTHING we can to reduce our dependency on foreign oil, so I open 75% of our reserves to drilling. Um, what?

freddoso
RT @NoelSheppard: Obama says he's opened millions of acres for new oil exploration. He's right - in BRAZIL!

Jonah Goldberg
That's why we're going to put bad high school students in giant hamster wheels, to harness their power.

Michelle Malkin
Please. Someone. Yell "KEYSTONE XL" now. #sotu

Chris Stigall
The man is currently SUING Louisiana to stop them from drilling. The Dem. Senator there is on record opposing Obama on this.

Michelle Malkin
Oh. The audacity. It burns. #sotu

John Hayward
This speech would be so much better if I didn't know Obama spent years opposing all the stuff he's talking about with job-killing fury.

Jim Hoft
Please Lord. Only one more year of listening to this guy. Please.

Steven Ertelt
RT @CantorPress Oil & natural gas production on federal lands is down by over 40% compared to ten years ago ow.ly/8FgqP

Moe Lane
Some companies fail. LIKE SOLYNDRA. Despite your administration's best efforts.

Jim Hoft
Here it comes - Obama's green jobs sham. Some companies fail - NO KIDDING

John Hayward
Obama just promised he will not walk away from the failed "green energy" boondoggles owned by his top contributors. Great.

Allah Pundit
RT @conncarroll: he's really doubling down on solyndra. god bless him.

John Hayward
No amount of your money is too much to spend, in order for Obama's top contributors to reach that green energy utopia.

DanRiehl
When they said state of the union, I figured it meant the SEIU knowing this guy. U mean he's talking about America? Are u sure?

Joe Pounder
FAST FACT: Obama dedicates just 194 words or 2.8% of tonight's #SOTU to talking about our $15 trillion debt crisis.

John Hayward
Anyone got a tally on how much money he's spent in this speech so far? We up to another trillion yet?

Philip Klein
RT @McCormackJohn: Obama: Let's reduce our troop levels so we can afford more green energy. #WTF

Derek Hunter
You know why "green energy" is "promising"? Because after hundreds of billions wasted, that "promise" is still unfulfilled. #SOTU

Byron York
Obama orders military to buy into his green energy agenda. National defense?

College Republicans
RT @JohnBoehner: @WhiteHouse predicted the "stimulus" would now have unemployment at 6%. Unemployment is currently 8.5% #stateofjobs

Jim Hoft
Obama's going to kill manufacturing with his new green regulations. He never learns.

Tabitha Hale
RT @Ben_Howe: We still have crumbling roads and bridges? I thought the stimulus fixed that? #SOTU

Natl Policy Chairman
I'm guessing the President won't be cutting the red tape on the #KeyStoneXL pipeline. #SOTUGOP

Steven Ertelt
I thought shovel ready jobs were supposed to cure the infrastructure issues? Never mind.

Moe Lane
You know what's a smart regulation designed to stop irresponsible behavior? An election.

Political News
I love how Obama says "No Bailouts!" when he used the first 5 minutes of his speech admiring the GM Bailout.

Jonah Goldberg
Why won't he intervene in California to kill the condom mandate to keep good American porn jobs from being shipped overseas?

John Hayward
Man who has added more regulations than any other President boasts of the milk regulation he repealed.

John Hayward
"I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its own set of rules." Yeah, there were no regulations before 2008.

John Hayward
Obama boasts of his illegally appointed consumer super-czar.

Billy Hallowell
"Financial Crimes Unit." Is that going to be a "Law & Order" series?''

Michelle Malkin
Obama mocks overzealous eco-regulations. This from the guy whose DOJ raided Gibson Guitars. #sotu

Pamela Geller
Big cancer grows.Another behemoth gvmt agency that will criminalize and prosecute 'mortgage misconduct' & businessmen

John Hayward
Here's the Buffett stuff! DRINK!

freddoso
Call Warren Buffet now and demand a raise for his secretary!

James Pethokoukis
Buffett chose to leave most of his fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, avoiding 55% estate tax

Mary Katharine Ham
THAT'S AN ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, PRESIDENT 1979. #sotu

Jim Hoft
The frightening thing about Obama is that he will lie so easily. He continually misrepresents the facts and tricks with his numbers #SOTU

Michelle Malkin
Here we go. Obama tees up Buffett rule nonsense, assails tax loophole exploiters. Except for his bundlers & TreasSec #sotu

Moe Lane
Half the population doesn't actually pay income taxes in the first place.

Steven Ertelt
The Buffet rule: The more you haer Obama's drivel, the more you need to drink. #SOTU #LostShakerofSalt

John Hayward
President who has dumped over $4T in debt on next generation rhapsodizes about a time when generations felt responsible for each other.

Timothy P Carney
Wow. Obama could not have phrased that more misleadingly. "asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary..."

freddoso
What is the opposite of a "bounce?" I think Obama might get it from this speech.

Michelle Malkin
O preaches "shared responsibility." Tell it to billionaire donor/Solyndra investor/tax loophole exploiter George Kaiser. #sotu

Jim Hoft
RT @tobyharnden: RT @davidlimbaugh: I am so sick of fundamental dishonesty involved in conflating capital gains and ordinary income taxes.

Ilya Shapiro
The senate confirmed 97% of Obama's nominees last year. cato-at-liberty.org/97-of-obama-no…

John Hayward
Man who spent last year demonizing people who want to reduce gov't spending calls for "reducing the temperature in Washington."

Jim Hoft
Obama talks about consensus - This is the same guy who rammed thru Obamacare, right? #SOTU

Allah Pundit
RT @philipaklein: It really is astonishing that he's not even attempting to make a case for Obamacare beyond a passing mention.

jimgeraghty
President Punish Our Enemies wants to lower the temperature in Washington.

Tim Graham
Obama lecturing about deficits is like Kim Kardashian lecturing about marriage.

John Hayward
They should close-caption Obama's bleating about money in politics with the number of fundraisers he's done over the past year.

Jim Hoft
Obama says we all want a smaller efficient government - This is the same guy who raised the annual US budget by a TRILLION dollars #SOTU

Sister Toldjah
If lightening really did strike liars, the Presidential podium & #TOTUS wld be wildly on fire right now. #truth #sotu #attackwatch

Michelle Malkin
This is the problem right here. RT @BarackObama: "With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions..."

freddoso
RT @JonahNRO: We need to do all the things I promised I could do but have proven utterly incapable of doing. So re-elect me.

Allah Pundit
RT @jamespoulos: Translation: we will prevent al Qaeda from returning to power in Afghanistan by putting the Taliban on the payroll

Michelle Malkin
RT @allahpundit: Seriously, someone hit the gong #toolong

Noel Sheppard
RT @arifleischer: Maybe the President will call on the Senate to pass a budget (which requires only 50 votes). It's only been 1000 days

Darcy
Drop the crack rock. RT @howardfineman:This is...O's best most combative, substantive, politically shrewd speeches. Progressive but centrist

freddoso
RT @johntabin: Iran is faced with crippling sanctions (that my administration opposed before losing a 100-0 Senate vote)

Ben Howe
You advocated for that in Iran? I saw a quiet and scared little man in the oval office while Iranian protestors died in the street. #SOTU

Sister Toldjah
And #unions? RT @Beregond: "We will stand against violence and intimidation." So, BHO is against #OWS? #sotu

Philip Klein
Only about 500 words left...getting there.

Right Scoop
how much longer is this freaking speech?????????

AlinskyDefeater
Didn't he say, "and finally" like 20 minutes ago? #ocra #tcot #sotu

Buck Sexton
Cyber threats are real, but among the most dangerous ones are those posed by our own government. #digitaltyranny #SOPA

Steven Ertelt
RT @teamboehner $24.0 Trillion: Projected Federal Debt In 2021 Due To Obama’s Binge Spending bit.ly/zV4nID #SOTU

Josh Harkinson
If Obama is so angry at bankers and Wall Street guys, why did he hire so many of them? #justasking #SOTU

Michelle Malkin
Gross. Obama spiking the Seal Team Six football. #sotu

Moe Lane
Yes, Hillary, you would have done a better job. And, judging from the length of time C-SPAN lingered on you, they agree too.

freddoso
RT @politicalmath: 74 minutes. This speech is another Solyndra (we've spent half a billion in that time).

AndrewBreitbart
AKA: That's why I took credit for it, idiot!

Andrea Tantaros
Wonder what Defense Sec Panetta thinks about Obama's talk of strengthening the military now that he's gutted the defense budget.

John Hayward
Obama probably shouldn't have stayed up all night playing Counter-Strike before writing the conclusion of his speech.

Michelle Malkin
Good news: Obama's teleprompter got the number of states right.

Nick Confessore
RT @TonyFratto: Biden: "I ran against him for president, too."

Billy Hallowell
RT @FisherFiles: #SOTU No not God Bless. Thank God, It's over...

8) If they could, don't you think the Nobel Committee would take back the Nobel Peace Prize that you were awarded?

2012-01-24T17:44:00.001-08:00

◼ 15 Questions The Mainstream Media Would Ask Barack Obama If He Were A Republican - John Hawkins /Townhall

Fire Brian Williams

2012-01-23T20:47:00.001-08:00

Worst debate questions ever.

George Soros on the Coming U.S. Class War. Well, he ought to know... better gird your loins

2012-01-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

He's setting it up.

◼ Riots in the streets: 'Yes, yes, yes'... The situation is about as serious and difficult as I've experienced in my career.'

...As he sees it, the world faces one of the most dangerous periods of modern history—a period of “evil.” Europe is confronting a descent into chaos and conflict. In America he predicts riots on the streets that will lead to a brutal clampdown that will dramatically curtail civil liberties. The global economic system could even collapse altogether....

“I am not here to cheer you up. The situation is about as serious and difficult as I’ve experienced in my career,” Soros tells Newsweek. “We are facing an extremely difficult time, comparable in many ways to the 1930s, the Great Depression. We are facing now a general retrenchment in the developed world, which threatens to put us in a decade of more stagnation, or worse. The best-case scenario is a deflationary environment. The worst-case scenario is a collapse of the financial system.”...

In short, he's almost achieved his goal.

The Battlestar is about to blow up the planet.

He's setting it up for Obama.

...As anger rises, riots on the streets of American cities are inevitable. “Yes, yes, yes,” he says, almost gleefully. The response to the unrest could be more damaging than the violence itself. “It will be an excuse for cracking down and using strong-arm tactics to maintain law and order, which, carried to an extreme, could bring about a repressive political system, a society where individual liberty is much more constrained, which would be a break with the tradition of the United States....”

...he says, almost gleefully...

In spite of his warnings of political turmoil in the U.S., he has no plans to engage in politics directly. “I would prefer not to be involved in party politics....

Says the wolf... to the gullible sheep.

High stakes at tonight’s NBC/National Journal/Tampa Bay Times debate, especially for Romney and Gingrich

2012-01-23T17:51:00.001-08:00

#FLDebate airs beginning at 6:00 pm PT on NBC, moderated by NBC’s Brian Williams

◼ Live Blog Transcript: GOP Florida Debate on NBC – January 23rd, 2012 at 9pm EST/8pm CST - HillBuzz

How to Watch: Livestream can be found here. Note: NBC has one of the worst track records in providing a reliable Internet stream to watch these debates. I can’t recall a single time they’ve hosted one where the stream worked properly. So cross your fingers.

Alternate streams: National Journal or TampaBay.com

◼ Follow us live from the USF debate
If you would like to be part of the conversation, tweet your debate feedback to @PoliticsTBTimes
or leave a comment on the Times Facebook page.

Let the games begin ....

2012-01-21T00:41:00.000-08:00

◼ Federal Official Pleads Fifth Amendment on Fast and Furious - FOX News

"The chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona is refusing to testify before Congress regarding Operation Fast and Furious, the federal gun-running scandal that sent U.S. weapons to Mexico.

Patrick J. Cunningham informed the House Oversight Committee late Thursday through his attorney that he will use the Fifth Amendment protection.

Cunningham was ordered Wednesday to appear before Chairman Darrell Issa and the House Oversight Committee regarding his role in the operation that sent more than 2,000 guns to the Sinaloa Cartel. Guns from the failed operation were found at the murder scene of Border Agent Brian Terry."

"This schism is the first big break in what has been a unified front in the government’s defense of itself in the gun-running scandal. Cunningham claims he is a victim of a conflict between two branches of government and will not be compelled to be a witnesses against himself, and make a statement that could be later used by a grand jury or special prosecutor to indict him on criminal charges."

So, as Issa shines the light of justice on this atrocity and the rats scurry to hide their trails, at least one of these vermin has now been caught out in the open. We are now faced with the stunning reality that our President, in concert with our Department of Justice, is willing to lie, grovel, and obstruct justice to hide the fact that they broke multiple federal laws, and sacrificed countless innocent lives, both Mexican and American, in order to advance their anti-gun agenda and erode our second amendment rights. It's been clear from the beginning that this scandal reaches all the way to the top, and the implications of that are earth shattering. The coverup has been thorough and well-orchestrated, but it is not without its flaws. We can only hope that eventually, the facts of this case will be fully exposed. If and when they are, operation "Fast and Furious" will make the Watergate break-ins look like child's play ...

If our media was willing to drop their partisan bias for a moment, do their job, and bring the people responsible to justice, perhaps the trail of illicit weapons could be revealed and lives could be saved. Yet, because they remain obsessed with protecting their Messiah, and they insist on turning a blind eye to this travesty of justice, the guilty continue to cover their tracks, the weapons continue to circulate, and the assault on our Constitutional rights continues...

What is it going to take to snap the media out of their coma and wake them up to what Obama is doing to this country?

Is it too much to ask for some intellectual honesty from Nancy Pelosi, and Janet Napolitano - NOW?

2012-01-18T07:44:00.000-08:00

THE WHITE HOUSE WAS ON LOCK DOWN LAST NIGHT.

NOT BECAUSE THE TEA PARTY ATTENDED A TOWN HALL, NANCY.

#OCCUPIERS THREW SMOKE BOMBS OVER THE WHITE HOUSE FENCE, NANCY.

AND, NOT A PEEP.

◼ Obama’s Army Attacks White House– - Gateway Pundit

Over 1,000 #Occupy protesters gathered at the White House tonight and threw smoke bombs over the fence. This forced the White House to go on lockdown. Reporters were forced to go underground to the basement.

UPDATE: Police dispersed the leftist mob tonight. ◼ The Washington Post reported:

An apparent smoke bomb was thrown over the fence of the White House as hundreds of Occupy protesters massed outside the gates.

The crowds were dispersed Tuesday night, and U.S. Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie says there were no arrests in the incident.

NO ARRESTS. NO TEARS ON NATIONAL TV.

British scientists find Darwin fossil slides 'lost' for 150 years

2012-01-17T12:13:00.000-08:00

◼ Dr. Howard Falcon-Lang, a paleontologist at the Royal Holloway, University of London, found an old cabinet with drawers labelled "unregistered fossil plants," and decided to take a look. - Digital Journal ◼ via neoneocon

He said: "I can’t resist a mystery so I pulled one open. What I found inside made my jaw drop! Inside were hundreds of beautiful glass slides. Almost the first I picked up was labelled 'C. Darwin Esq.' This is an amazing snapshot into Darwin’s working life. This was one of the most exciting periods in the history of science, forming the mind of the man who would develop the theory of evolution, which would change the world."

Did Space Aliens Cause Global Warming? A Speech Delivered By Michael Crichton To The Students Of Cal-Tech.

2012-01-17T10:16:00.000-08:00

◼ at Blogmocracy

More Michael Crichton:

The New Religion is profitable for the new-age con men (and women, it turns out): ◼ NY Governor's ex-wife Kerry Kennedy 'making $40 MILLION by advocating for rainforests'

Our Tyrant - in - Chief ...

2012-01-17T01:03:00.000-08:00

◼ The Transformational Tyrant - William L. Gensert via American Thinker

People have asked me what I have against President Obama, and some have even implied that my dislike for him is based on race. Nothing could be further from the truth. My dislike for Mr. Obama is based on his obvious lack of respect for our Constitution and the rule of law ... a character flaw that, in my opinion, should disqualify anyone from serving as President. This article sums my feelings up perfectly. What Obama is doing is indeed tyranny. One need only consider the following statement...

"The checks and balances codified in our Constitution are the foundation of the balance of power intrinsic to our system of government. It is an exercise in divided authority -- adversarial, confrontational and restricted.

The Constitution is meant to curtail the extremes of unbridled authority. It protects liberty by throttling the wet dreams of would be tyrants.

A constitutional law professor should know this, but Barack Obama was a Senior Lecturer, not a professor on the track to tenure. Apparently, he had no desire for the rigorous imperative of publish or perish. He had bigger plans. Why write about the Constitution, when as a tyrant, he could rewrite the Constitution?"

Obama has certainly done that. The real kicker is that as as he's been busy trying to convince us that he has the right to ignore the Constitution, he's on record condemning someone else for doing the very same thing ...

"when speaking of George Bush in 2007, he said, "I was a constitutional law professor, which means unlike the current president I actually respect the Constitution" .... "

Of course, this makes Obama a liar as well as a tyrant, which is a VERY dangerous combination. This is an excellent read for anyone who cares about the future of our country. It is imperative that we recognize just how dangerous this President is to our Republic ...

#SCDebate

2012-01-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

Moe Lane
Actually, if you could turn off Ron Paul's microphone that'd be spiffy, thanks.
John Hawkins
The only thing left of Juan Williams after that exchange with Newt is a single tooth and a torn page from "What's the matter with Kansas."
Chuck Todd
So Santorum wins Part 1 of this debate; Gingrich may have won Part 2. If Romney can't win debate; then his foes splitting it is fine w/him
John Hayward
ABC News wants to know: if convicted felons could vote, would Republican felons vote to ban contraceptives?
Philip Klein
RT @allahpundit: I hope Juan Williams remembers to report that in-kind contribution to Newt
Jake Tapper
Of course Paul's newsletters had quite a different take on MLK, but ...
John Hayward
I understood Jon Huntsman's Mandarin better than I understand what Ron Paul just said about killing bin Laden.
Allah Pundit
Did Newt just take over this debate? #newtmentum
Hugh Hewitt
Newt blocking Santorum rise with strong answers #tcot #hhrs.
Philip Klein
RT @jimantle: This is Romney's worst debate.
Hugh Hewitt
Romney answering as C-in-C. Best moments of many debates.
Philip Klein
RT @allahpundit: Newt playing like the Giants tonight, everyone else like the Jets
Hugh Hewitt
"The noise you were looking for is a gong." Bravo Rick Perry #tcot #hhrs
John Hawkins
Rick Perry crushes it with the gong comment. That's the funniest thing he has said so far in the debates.
Moe Lane
And Perry just calls Obama Carter with that Iran reference. AND HE IS RIGHT.
freddoso
RT @DanFosterNRO: Turns out it was the presence of Jon Huntsman on stage that was sapping the strength of the non-Romney candidates.
freddoso
Newt: Soc Sec privatization would reduce gap between rich and poor. AND HE'S RIGHT.
Michelle Malkin
Juan Williams: Have you gone hunting since 2007? Romney stumbles, confuses moose with elk. #fail #scebate
Jimmie
I’m pretty sure the only thing that will get the candidates talking about Fast and Furious is to have Brian Terry’s family ask them.

DSA Marxists Take Over the Occupy Movement: Plan ‘Spring Offensive’, With Widespread Occupations of State Capitols, Schools and Workplaces

2012-01-16T11:21:00.000-08:00

◼ DSA is working hard to sustain ‘Occupy’ over the winter in readiness for a major “spring offensive” largely directed at Republican controlled state capitols as they struggle to address massive budget problems. - Big Government

"This spring Occupy should move to the front lawns and rotundas of state capitol buildings to demand a change in state budget policies – and to demand federal government aid to states and localities."

Great.

Volokh's Troll

2012-01-15T16:27:00.000-08:00

◼ The Joys of “Anonimus” - The Volokh Conspiracy

Progressives play a constant game of three-card monte with their intentions, couching their goals in sad, worst-case scenarios presented as the norm, always with accompanying anecdotes about those who suffer or will suffer without some expansion of government.

2012-01-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

◼ How Progressives Work - Derek Hunter/TownHall

They will raise and spend millions to publicize the suffering of one person from wealthy donors who wouldn’t give a dime directly to aid the person being exploited. It’s always the same – their big government, one-size-fits-all solution is always the only way to address some problem that never will confront the vast majority of Americans.

You’ll hear plenty of examples of these in President Obama’s State of the Campaign, er, Union address later this month...

Aside from exploiting the less fortunate, Progressives also are hypocrites – they have to be. There’s no way Michael Moore, Keith Olbermann or any of the media elites who routinely go on TV to lament “greed” would dare live the lives they seek to impose on others.

There are no negative consequences to progressive’s hypocrisy. They rail against capitalism and wealth by engaging in, ahem, capitalism to amass wealth. Michael Moore doesn’t work for free – or even for a reasonable price.

This embrace of hypocrisy allows Democrat National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to decry the incivility of political discourse one minute and imply the Tea Party is responsible for the tragic shootings last year in Tucson the next.

It allows President Obama to give a speech that complains about Republicans’ unwillingness to work with him one minute, then create unconstitutional powers to bypass Congress and claim Republicans want to poison the air and water and starve children and the elderly the next.

When you’re neither bound by reality nor held accountable for your words and actions by your bedfellows in the media, there become simply no limits on what you can seek to impose on others.

As long as there is a liberal stranglehold on the media, there will always be a job out there for professionally intolerant and narrow-minded race-baiters like Joan Walsh.

2012-01-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

◼ Is Joan Walsh The Most Bigoted Journalist in Media? - Rusty Weiss/Breitbart's Big Journalism

Projection is a staple of the left. It is why they continue to harbor some of the more egregious offenders on the topic, whilst playing the race card at every turn. Rush Limbaugh summed it up best when he said the following:
“Democrats and liberals think that we, conservatives, are racists, sexists, and all those other things. In fact, it is they who are those things. It is liberals who look at a human and first notice a skin color, or gender; then they get into sexual orientation, then segment into all kinds of groups. This is the way they see people. They also use projection quite commonly and regularly, and so it is us, they think, who are racists and sexists.”

I suspect the pictures do not do it justice

2012-01-15T09:33:00.000-08:00

◼ Nacreous cloud show at the Arctic Circle - more at wattupwiththat

“Nacreous clouds far outshine and have much more vivid colours than ordinary iridescent clouds, which are very much poor relations and seen frequently all over the world,” writes atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley. “Once seen they are never forgotten.”

An interesting comment regarding delegates

2012-01-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

Regardless of all that most have missed a RNC ruling of how delegates get awarded this year and why it makes the 'five states and I win' game bogus to the max.

http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/R-Alloc.phtml

Proportional Allocation to Presidential Contenders
Prior to 1 April 2012, any presidential primary, caucus, convention, or other meeting to select National Convention delegates shall allocate delegates on a proportional basis. [Rule 15(b)(2)

◼ Picked up here, at AJ Strata's place.

Officials: 3 killed, scores missing after cruise ship runs aground off Italy

2012-01-14T08:51:00.000-08:00

◼ Rescue teams worked through the night to evacuate more than 4,000 people from the Costa Concordia, owned by Genoa-based Costa Cruises, after it ran aground off of Italy's western coast.

If you've ever been on one of those ships, those pictures are pretty terrifying.

◼ Costa Concordia Cruise Ship Disaster: 160-Foot Gash Torn into Hull, Videos, Photos - DBKP

Civil irony

2012-01-13T22:43:00.000-08:00

◼ Link doesn't seem to be working, try to view it at Patterico's.
◼ or Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion
◼ Small Dead Animals
◼ The Other McCain
◼ Ace

Romney? Gingrich? Paul? Santorum? Perry? Huntsman?

2012-01-13T19:30:00.001-08:00

Who?

2009: The corner street preacher predicts world's end

2012-01-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Cowards using kid to push adult agenda

2012-01-11T22:09:00.001-08:00

◼ Toddler Lily says the F-word on upcoming 'Modern Family'

Socialist SEIU Leader on the Future of Unions and the O.W.S. Movement

2012-01-11T20:49:00.000-08:00

◼ She makes some very interesting revelations about October 2010′s union organized One Nation Rally, and the future of unions and the Occupy movement. - Trevor Loudon (who DOES follow these things)

Turn in your neighbor, get a grand.

2012-01-11T17:22:00.001-08:00

Anonymous.

The Props didn't arrive in time

2012-01-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

◼ (W)hat many couldn’t see in press coverage of the event — held with roughly 120 executives to discuss bringing jobs back to America from overseas — were the dozens of empty seats in the audience. - Donovan Slack/Politico

Guess they weren't going to get to wear white coats.

Dead People Receive Ballots in NH Primary

2012-01-11T11:38:00.001-08:00

"Rebuild the Dream" Thugs Call for Holiday "Meet Ups"

2012-01-11T05:57:00.000-08:00

◼ Commie Van Jones Warns of Turbulent Year - US News and World Report

Of course, we all know what this means. We have a holiday coming up, where most, if not all, of the OWS crowd will be off work for a couple of days. Who could think of a better time for a bunch of ungrateful, America-hating parasites to come out and defecate on, deface, and demean America together? Meanwhile, those of us who actually WORK for a living will be hoping to avoid injury as we wade our way through their filthy protests, trying to get to our jobs and put food on the table for our families. Don't worry though ... they'll probably be completely civil and non-violent, just like the Tea Party protesters .... (eye roll)

-18

2012-01-10T23:07:00.000-08:00

◼ Youth Misery Index At All-Time High - AlexaShrugged
◼ Poll: Americans, 2-1, Fear Obama's Reelection - US News & World Report
◼ Gallup: Obama in trouble - Don Surber/Daily Mail

A Fine for Not Using a Biofuel That Doesn’t Exist

2012-01-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

◼ When the companies that supply motor fuel close the books on 2011, they will pay about $6.8 million in penalties to the Treasury because they failed to mix a special type of biofuel into their gasoline and diesel as required by law. - NYT

But there was none to be had. Outside a handful of laboratories and workshops, the ingredient, cellulosic biofuel, does not exist.

In 2012, the oil companies expect to pay even higher penalties for failing to blend in the fuel, which is made from wood chips or the inedible parts of plants like corncobs. Refiners were required to blend 6.6 million gallons into gasoline and diesel in 2011 and face a quota of 8.65 million gallons this year....

“From a taxpayer/consumer standpoint, it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense that we would require blenders to pay fines or fees or whatever for stuff that literally isn’t available,” said Dennis V. McGinn, a retired vice admiral who serves on the American Council on Renewable Energy.

#Occupy's Real Purpose Rears Its Ugly Head

2012-01-09T23:12:00.000-08:00

◼ Occupy Protesters Surround Santorum and Family After Final New Hampshire Pitch - ABC

#Occupiers - harassing conservative candidates, disrupting and threatening those who challenge Obama. A new way, that has not been seen before, that has been sanctioned, tacitly or not, by the administration. Make no mistake. These are another manifestation of Obama's goons. And things are going to get uglier as this election year moves forward.

Update:
◼ The Obama-backed “Occupy” movement has been working nonstop in New Hampshire bullying, intimidating, harassing, and provoking the Republican Party’s presidential candidates. - Front Page Magazine

Ready for Alcohol Credits? An Alcohol Exchange?

2012-01-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

◼ Cut back on drinking, British people are advised - LA Times

The committee proposed that the government emphasize "that people should have some drink free days every week."

The again, this may help: ◼ Chinese tree extract stops rats getting drunk - NewScientist.com

U.S. debt is now equal to economy

2012-01-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

◼ The soaring national debt has reached a symbolic tipping point: It's now as big as the entire U.S. economy. - Richard Wolf, USA TODAY

The amount of money the federal government owes to its creditors, combined with IOUs to government retirement and other programs, now tops $15.23 trillion.

That's roughly equal to the value of all goods and services the U.S. economy produces in one year: $15.17 trillion as of September, the latest estimate. Private projections show the economy likely grew to about $15.3 trillion by December — a level the debt is likely to surpass this month.

"The 100% mark means that your entire debt is as big as everything you're producing in your country," says Steve Bell of the Bipartisan Policy Center, which has proposed cutting nearly $6 trillion in red ink over 10 years. "Clearly, that can't continue."

WAKE-UP CALL: The ministry of culture and Islamic guidance

2012-01-08T22:22:00.000-08:00

◼ Iran cracks down on film industry - Iran's regime has fired the opening shot in a cultural war on the film industry as the Islamic leadership seeks to curtail the one artistic field that has maintained an international following. - Telegraph

Officials issued a notice shutting down Tehran's House of Cinema, an institute that promotes Iranian-made films.

The ministry of culture and Islamic guidance said that its bodies would assume oversight of the industry after the centre is wound up.

...The Ministry of Culture was spurred into action by a conservative backlash against an invitation to Angelina Jolie, the Hollywood actress, to attend the 30th anniversary of its national film festival in a few weeks.

"The Iranian cinema under [House of Cinema] guidance is now worse than Hollywood when it comes to vice issues," said Farajolah Salahshor, a prominent conservative director.

The invitation to Miss Jolie was, he said, "a fitting invitation to a whore actress from the House of Whores". Mansour Vaezi, a culture ministry official, said that the House of Cinema had "continued to ignore directives on the issues of our concern about the contents of the films made by its members".

A new trend is marrying lectures on anything from quantum physics, linguistics, and high tech with the big city's rowdy nightlife.

2012-01-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

◼ (B)ars get smart as academia finds an unlikely late-night home - haaretz h/t: ON1

On the face of it, there doesn't seem to be much a connection between a sleazy, smoky bar and a stuffy lecture on quantum physics or dark matter. But, at least in Tel Aviv, these two strange worlds are coming together.

The result: Some of the big city's best bars are hosting lectures led by those considered as these establishments' outsiders, drawn out of the labs and research institutes into nightlife stardom.

Meddling has consequences ....

2012-01-04T15:12:00.000-08:00

◼ The Islamist Winter: New Report Suggests Extremist Views Winning in Libya - FOX News

"The Arab Spring may quickly become an Islamist Winter in Libya, reads a new report circulated among federal law enforcement and written for policymakers on Capitol Hill.

An advance copy of the report entitled "A View to Extremist Currents In Libya" and obtained by Fox News, states that extremist views are gaining ground in the north African country and suggests a key figure emerging in Libya formerly tied to al Qaeda has not changed his stripes."

"The Kronos report says that "Libya is of such strategic interest" to al Qaeda that for years it was its own entity separate from its north Africa affiliate -- al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Libya was considered important to al Qaeda because of its geographic proximity to Egypt and its perceived ability to "affect the jihadist political situation in Egypt."

For this reason, among others, al Qaeda's new leader Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri in April 2011 called on jihadis to prepare to mount an insurgency against any Western forces in Libya.

"I would like to alert my Muslim brothers in Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and the rest of the lands of Islam that if the United States and the NATO forces interfere in Libya, it will be necessary for their neighbors ... and the rest of the Muslims to go forth to fight all of the mercenaries of (Muammar) al-Qaddafi and the crusaders of NATO," he said, according to a translation provided by Kronos."

So, Obama's meddling, rather than bringing freedom and democracy to Libya, has destabilized the region even further, and handed al Qaeda a prize that they have been coveting for years. One has to wonder ... was this a case of poor intelligence, and incredibly bad planning, or was this Obama's goal all along?

Lunacy

2012-01-03T14:25:00.000-08:00

◼ The US has agreed in principle to release high-ranking Taliban officials from Guantánamo Bay in return for the Afghan insurgents' agreement to open a political office for peace negotiations in Qatar - Guardian

According to sources familiar with the talks in the US and in Afghanistan, the handful of Taliban figures will include Mullah Khair Khowa, a former interior minister, and Noorullah Noori, a former governor in northern Afghanistan.

More controversially, the Taliban are demanding the release of the former army commander Mullah Fazl Akhund. Washington is reported to be considering formally handing him over to the custody of another country, possibly Qatar.

The releases would be to reciprocate for Tuesday's announcement from the Taliban that they are prepared to open a political office in Qatar to conduct peace negotiations "with the international community" – the most significant political breakthrough in ten years of the Afghan conflict.

The Taliban are holding just one American soldier, Bowe Bergdahl, a 25-year-old sergeant captured in June 2009, but it is not clear whether he would be freed as part of the deal.

...This time, he (Michael Semple, a former EU envoy in Afghanistan) said, it was clear that the top Taliban council – including its reclusive leader, Mullah Omar – was on board with the proposal. In return, Semple said he thought the release of a few prisoners from Guantánamo Bay was politically feasible for the Obama administration, even in an election year.

"The prospect of ending a costly war in Afghanistan is sufficiently attractive for the Obama administration to move forward with it," Semple said.

"Even if all five of these people they release went straight back to Quetta [the Taliban stronghold in Pakistan] to rejoin a fight, it wouldn't make any real difference."

Trash

2012-01-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

The epitome of #Occupy. Trash and ugliness. Corrupting everything they touch.

Drudge's headline: HOPE THE MAYANS WERE WRONG!

2012-01-01T13:03:00.000-08:00

✫✫✫✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫✫✫✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✫✫✫✫
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✿♥❀♥❁•*¨✿❀❁•*¨`*•.✿❀❁•*¨`*•.`✿♥❀♥❁♥❀♥❁

★¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ ★ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆
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║╔╗║╔╗║╔╣╔╩╗╔╝ ★ NEW YEAR
╚╝╚╩╝╚╩╝╚╝═╚╝☆¸.•°*”☆★2012★☆¸.•°*”˜”*°•.¸★

7.0 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Eastern Japan, Reportedly No Danger of a Tsunami

2011-12-31T22:39:00.000-08:00

◼ A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 earthquake hit off the shores of Japan's southern Pacific island. The Meteorological Agency says the offshore quake Sunday struck about 230 miles below the sea surface. The agency said there was no danger of a tsunami. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. - FOX

Fer yer 2012 preparations...

2011-12-31T21:25:00.001-08:00

Countdown

2011-12-31T20:58:00.000-08:00

◼ Online Clock

Happy New Year, East Coasters!

What does it take?

2011-12-31T12:16:00.000-08:00

◼ Afghan Child Bride Beaten and Tortured: “My Mother-in-Law Pulled Out My Nails” (Video)

Horrible. An Afghan 15 year-old child bride describes being locked and tortured by her husband and in-laws. Sahar Gul was married off to a 30-year-old man around seven months ago, when she was just 14 years old.

FOURTEEN.

REMEMBER: "Women are bellwethers of society and, in fact, sometimes they do play the role of canary in the coal mine. They know when communities are fraying and when citizens fear for their safety," she (Hillary) told a Georgetown University event.

EIGHT YEARS AS FIRST LADY. YEARS IN GOVERNMENT. YEARS CAMPAIGNING. YEARS NOW AS SECRETARY OF STATE.

AND...how many bellwethers does it take?

He who controls the spice...

2011-12-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

◼ Iran to test-fire missiles in key oil waterway - Breitbart

Iran, which has been carrying out war games in the Strait of Hormuz over the past week, has said that "not a drop of oil" would pass through the strait if Western governments follow through with planned additional sanctions over its nuclear programme.

The US State Department said on Thursday that Iran's threat to close the waterway, through which more than a third of the world's tanker-borne oil passes, exhibited "irrational behavior" and "will not be tolerated."

The naval manoeuvres launched by Iran in the strait on December 24 have so far included mine-laying and the use of aerial drones, according to Iranian media.

Let's see if our President can unseal te private divorce records when it counts. Not just in an election.

How ruthless is he? When it counts.

Big Brother is here. How the feds are tracking your kid

2011-12-29T14:37:00.000-08:00

◼ Student privacy at risk from Feds - NY Post

Would it bother you to know that the federal Centers for Disease Control had been shown your daughter’s health records to see how she responded to an STD/teen-pregnancy-prevention program? How about if the federal Department of Education and Department of Labor scrutinized your son’s academic performance to see if he should be “encouraged” to leave high school early to learn a trade? Would you think the government was intruding on your territory as a parent?
Under regulations the Obama Department of Education released this month, these scenarios could become reality. The department has taken a giant step toward creating a de facto national student database that will track students by their personal information from preschool through career. Although current federal law prohibits this, the department decided to ignore Congress and, in effect, rewrite the law. Student privacy and parental authority will suffer.

How did it happen? Buried within the enormous 2009 stimulus bill were provisions encouraging states to develop data systems for collecting copious information on public-school kids. To qualify for stimulus money, states had to agree to build such systems according to federally dictated standards. So all 50 states either now maintain or are capable of maintaining extensive databases on public-school students.

Get it?

And remember last week - ◼ California 'qualified' for "Race To The Top" monies. Not a dime of which is going to educate your kids, but is instead being used for the creation of 'cradle to career data systems.'

Only One Taker On the Paid Upgrade

2011-12-28T21:18:00.001-08:00

◼ At IOwnTheWorld: You know you have to click

Ditching Java might be a good move

2011-12-28T13:50:00.001-08:00

◼ As unpatched Java vulnerabilities are frequently taken advantage by exploit kits and users often forget to update Java, F-Secure's Mikko Hypponen says that maybe it's time to consider doing without it. - net-security.org

All in all, you might need Java for only a handful of pages or web applications you usually visit or use, so Hypponen advises leaving Java on your system but removing the Java plugin from the browser you use every day, then using another browser for only these sites and services.

He also points out that a move to Chrome should be considered, as Google's browser does not only block many Java exploits, but also doesn't use an Adobe Reader plugin to render PDF files and has a good sandboxing feature.

Champagnes for the Holidays

2011-12-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

◼ Ted Loos reviews a dozen of the best bubblies to sip on New Year's Eve - Epicurious

Get The Look: Rent The Runway

2011-12-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

◼ Should you like to dress like the First Lady, but fear having to go on food stamps after wasting your entire unemployment check on a sundress, you can rent a Sophie Theallet dress from internet retailer Rent the Runway (you have to give it back), for around $125. - NakedDC

As she accompanied Barack and family to church services on the Kaneohe Bay Marine Base on Sunday, Michelle sported a Resort Collection ◼ Sophie Theallet sundress, which, at the time it was purchased in late 2009, cost between $1K and $2K. Similar dresses from the Resort 2012 collection sell for that much and more. ◼ Bookmark Rent The Runway

Computers implanted in brain could help paralyzed

2011-12-27T22:07:00.001-08:00

◼ It sounds like science fiction, but scientists around the world are getting tantalizingly close to building the mind-controlled prosthetic arms, computer cursors and mechanical wheelchairs of the future. - SF Gate

Researchers already have implanted devices into primate brains that let them reach for objects with robotic arms. They've made sensors that attach to a human brain and allow paralyzed people to control a cursor by thinking about it.

In the coming decades, scientists say, the field of neural prosthetics - of inventing and building devices that harness brain activity for computerized movement - is going to revolutionize how people who have suffered major brain damage interact with their world.

Rolling Meadows teen's killing in Mexico sends dread through Mexican community

2011-12-27T22:05:00.000-08:00

◼ Some fear homeland's violence will prevent them from going back — even - Chicago Tribune

Mexico is lost to the druglords.

Can you spot the Muslim?

2011-12-27T20:45:00.001-08:00

What church does Obama attend?

Fire hazard fears over compact fluorescent lamps - after they've stopped working

2011-12-27T20:42:00.000-08:00

◼ Compact fluorescent lamps, which will gradually replace traditional incandescent bulbs, are a fire hazard that could burn down your home, experts have warned. - Daily Mail via Lucianne

The lamps (CFLs) use electricity to heat an element in the lamp’s base that leads the mercury vapor gas in the coils to emit light. But when a CFL can no longer produce light, the electronics in its base will still try to function, sometimes leading to overheating, smoke and fire. Fires from the old incandescent bulbs, on the other hand, are virtually nonexistent...

Kiss your freedom goodbye, one drop at a time

2011-12-27T14:59:00.000-08:00

◼ New laws: No caffeine in beer, shark fins in soup - Washington Times

Rick Perry's right - we need a citizen legislature that works three months out of the year. And focuses on REAL issues like solving the state's budget problems.

In California, they have time to worry about the recreational use of cough syrup, but can't cut spending. They can dream up extensions to nanny-state laws (your kids now have to be strapped in a car seat til they're 8), that's easy, and they do it all day long, but actually do the tough stuff, not so much.

Vote them all out.

So every business should hire Jehovah's Witnesses or atheist to work holidays

2011-12-25T22:25:00.001-08:00

There's no reason for closing down on Christmas day when there's a ready supply of non-believers who can work with no ill-effects.

2011-12-25T00:16:00.001-08:00

In the "This Is sad" category: Las Vegas Teacher’s Union To Fire 1,000 To Protect Cushy, Overpriced, Taxpayer-Subsidized Insurance Policy

2011-12-23T12:18:00.000-08:00

◼ Las Vegas Teachers’ Union May Force 1,000 Layoffs to Preserve Its Profitable Insurance Company - Big Government

While the Great Recession has affected almost all Americans, Nevadans may be the hardest hit. The state leads the nation in unemployment (13 percent) and home foreclosures (three times the national average).
Because of the faltering economy and slowed tax revenue, the Clark County School District needs to cut $78 million from its budget over the next two years. The district must do this either by freezing teacher pay and finding a more affordable employee health insurance carrier, or by laying off 1,000 educators as early as next month.

◼ Lawmakers in Maine, Wisconsin and Michigan have recently taken steps to give school districts more freedom to accept competitive bids for employee health insurance, thereby ending or at least eroding the expensive monopoly held by union-affiliated insurance companies. - Pat Dollard

Letting School Districts "switch to Geico' saves taxpayer's money and saves teacher's jobs, something the Unions long ago stopped caring about.

State Legislatures Take on “Judicial Hellholes” that Undermine Business

2011-12-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

◼ Some state legislatures are taking a stand against abusive litigation practices that drive up costs for consumers and discourage business, according to a new report from the American Tort Reform Foundation (ATRF). - NetRightDaily

(T)he nation has a long way to go before abusive litigation practices are brought to heal as the report makes clear. The following areas have been identified as the top “judicial hellholes” for 2011: the states of California and West Virginia, along with local jurisdictions, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, South Florida, Madison and St. Claire Counties in Illinois, and New York City and Albany, New York.

Merry Christmas everyone!

2011-12-23T07:30:00.001-08:00

Another year has passed us by, and I just wanted to take a minute to say "thanks", both to Rose, for hosting this blog and inviting me to be a contributor here, and to everyone else who reads and comments on it. Just a few short years ago, unless you worked for a magazine or newspaper, voicing an opinion or expressing an idea was relatively futile venture. With the advent of the internet, and the blogs that came with it, regular citizens have been empowered with the ability to reach out to hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people with a simple series of keystrokes. Many wonderful new ideas, philosophies, and viewpoints have been brought out of the shadows and into the public eye as a result, and that can only be good for America, and the world.

So, it is with that in mind that I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. The coming year promises to be a trying time for many of us. The future of our great country hangs in the balance, but we have the tools at our disposal to shine the light of truth into the darkness and corruption that has enveloped us and tip the scales our way. We must work diligently over the coming months to expose those who would strip us of our rights and our freedoms, and replace them with people who understand the principles that have made America the greatest country in the world. We must do everything in our power to restore our Constitution and Bill of Rights to their rightful place as the governing documents in this country, and drive the people who despise our liberty and our way of life back under whatever rock they crawled out from under, because the penalty for complacency and failure is unimaginable.

Many of the people who seek to impose their concept of "change" upon us, and limit our God given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the same people who seek to take the "Christ" out of Christmas, and drive God out of our lives. I wonder how many of them will spend the coming Christmas holiday with friends and family anyway, ignoring the reason for the season, and exchanging their gifts and good cheer, without giving a single thought to what it all means? I certainly hope they enjoy themselves. They will be doing it at our expense ...

Define "Payroll Tax"

2011-12-22T17:33:00.001-08:00

Well, one thing is for certain, they can no longer deny that it is a flat-out tax, no longer an "investment" in your own retirement.

And is the ONE tax that everyone pays. Even Govt. which had long exempted itself.

ACORN, Voter Fraud, and Democrats ... They're Synonymous

2011-12-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

◼ Democrats Plead Guilty in New York Voter Fraud Case - FOX News

"A total of four Democratic officials and political operatives have now pleaded guilty to voter fraud-related felony charges in an alleged scheme to steal a New York election.

The latest guilty pleas expose the ease with which political insiders can apparently manipulate the electoral system and throw an election their way, by the forging of signatures of unsuspecting voters that are then cast as real votes.

"The phrase they use is: 'making sure they vote the right way,'" said a source close to the case, which is unfolding in Troy, N.Y."

I don't know exactly what sort of penalty these people are likely to receive for their actions, but in my opinion, corrupting an election at any level is a heinous crime. On a federal level, it is a fundamental violation of the rights of all Americans, and strikes to the very core of our existence as a nation. It is treasonous, and should carry the same penalty as any other form of treason.

15 Things That Even Liberals Should Be Willing To Admit

2011-12-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

◼ "I am curious to see whether the liberals here at Huffington Post would be willing to admit in the comments that all of these statements are not only true, but fairly uncontroversial. Maybe we agree on more than we think." - John Hawkins/RightWingNews

Some things should be outlawed - for all of time

2011-12-21T18:52:00.001-08:00

Why not say it?

2011-12-21T14:46:00.002-08:00

Who should Tucker Carlson bring to dinner with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers?

2011-12-20T20:48:00.000-08:00

◼ Tucker Carlson wins online auction for dinner with Bill Ayers - Daily Caller

Carlson’s winning dinner bid entitles him to bring up to six people. The dinner must be arranged at a mutually agreed-upon date before October 2012.

He gets to bring six people... who should they be?

But what does she say about Sharia Law? About Honor Killings?

2011-12-19T17:02:00.000-08:00

◼ Clinton says U.S. to help women broker peace - Reuters

Clinton said a new U.S. plan, signed by President Barack Obama, would help train and give more voice to female community members who often have a strong sense of how to address dangers and strains in conflict zones.

Forget Sharia, Hillary - How about how your fellow countrywomen get treated? Like Sarah, for instance?

Women were being shot in the streets in Iran and Obama (and Hillary) said nothing. He came out against the cops over his own perceived racial injustice, but he never breathed a word when Sarah Palin and other conservative women were denigrated here. Three years into his term, and oh, it must be time for re-election, let's talk up women.

We know he's suddenly rediscovered church, and this year's Christmas trees aren't decorated with Mao Tse Tung, but rather with ornaments created by the children of soldiers, so let's not pretend any of it is real. Pretending to suddenly care about 'empowering women.' Hah. Tell that to Neda, and apologize to Sarah. Then you can talk.

"Women are bellwethers of society and, in fact, sometimes they do play the role of canary in the coal mine. They know when communities are fraying and when citizens fear for their safety," she (Hillary) told a Georgetown University event.

Yeah. Bellwethers.

Flowers for Algernon

2011-12-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

◼ “Super memory” pill–and possibly an Alzheimer’s cure–could be around the corner - Yahoo

Scientists have isolated a gene in mice that works to give them "super memories" and reverses the course of several degenerative mental illnesses like Alzheimer's. And because of the similarity of mice and human brains, a powerful brain pill for humans may now not be far off.

◼ Discovery could lead memory-enhancing pill out of realm of science fiction Vancouver Sun

The milquetoast language of these endorsements

2011-12-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

◼ Nikki Haley talks about why she endorsed Mitt Romney - Philip Rucker/Washington Post

“What’s been the nicest surprise is how much he’s changed. I supported him in ‘08, but it’s really amazing to look at the change in what was a candidate back in 2008 to now see him evolve into a leader. You know, as a candidate, he talked about what he could do. Now he’s talking about what he’s gonna do. It’s not figuring it out the first day. He knows the first 30 days, 60 days. This is a man that understands all the problems that exist in our country and he already knows exactly what he’s gonna do when he gets there. It’s pretty impressive.”

Is it?

◼ Sobriety, wisdom and judgment." - Des Moines Register

I really couldn't find a decent pull quote in this endorsement. It seems to be damning with faint praise. But try this:

In giving its endorsement on Saturday, the paper cited Romney’s "sobriety, wisdom and judgment" and noted that he graduated from the Ivy League, finishing "in the top 5 percent in his MBA class at Harvard."

The Register said that, although Romney is not a Democrat, he has distinguished himself from others in the GOP field because "he offers smart and well-reasoned alternatives rather than simply proposing to swing a wrecking ball in Washington . . . His detailed policy paper on the economy contains 87 pages of carefully crafted positions on taxes, energy, trade and regulatory policy, complete with 127 footnotes."

As opposed to this:

◼ An Editorial: For President, Newt Gingrich - NH Union Leader

Truth be known, many in the liberal media are belittling the Republican candidates because they don't want any of them to be taken as a serious challenger to their man, Obama.

Readers of the Union Leader and Sunday News know that we don't back candidates based on popularity polls or big-shot backers. We look for conservatives of courage and conviction who are independent-minded, grounded in their core beliefs about this nation and its people, and best equipped for the job....

"We are in critical need of the innovative, forward-looking strategy and positive leadership that Gingrich has shown he is capable of providing," said the editorial by publisher Joseph W. McQuaid.

"A lot of candidates say they're going to improve Washington. Newt Gingrich has actually done that, and in this race he offers the best shot of doing it again," he added.

“We would rather back someone with whom we may sometimes disagree than one who tells us what he thinks we want to hear,”

Now THAT'S an endorsement one can be proud of. And proud to have written.

We Have Rats in the Kitchen ...

2011-12-18T07:20:00.000-08:00

◼ Rats in the Kitchen ... a Parable - American Thinker

For those of you who have difficulty with reality, or reading comprehension, let me explain the parable for you. Progressive liberals, and the dependent class they have created in America are the "RATS".

Hard-working Americans and their children are the "MAN".

What the man did is what MUST happen if America is to survive as a nation, and the longer we wait to do it, the harder it will be, and the more damage and suffering our nation will endure doing it.

Where this parable deviates from reality a bit is in the final paragraph, where the rats cease to invade the man's home. In reality, that would NEVER happen. The lust for easy and plentiful access to food and shelter is ingrained in a parasite's nature, leaving us with no choice but to remain ever vigilant. We must fend them off firmly and consistently, or face the consequences.

Gallup: 99% is really 34%

2011-12-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

◼ On paper, the rhetoric of the Occupy Wall Street crowd should have led to revolution. - Don Surber

1% of the country controls more than 1% of the wealth. For shame. But the classic battle between the Haves and the Have Nots never materialized, and the Gallup Poll people found a reason for this: The overwhelming majority of Americans — 58% — say they are members of the Haves.

Only 34% believe they are members of the Have Nots.

But! Wait!! there's MORE!!!

Google "Let It Snow"

2011-12-17T19:08:00.001-08:00

◼ Enjoy!

‘When the Legend Becomes Fact, Print the Legend’

2011-12-17T17:27:00.000-08:00

◼ Barack Obama is a myth, our modern version of Pecos Bill or Paul Bunyan. What we were told is true, never had much basis in fact — a fact now increasingly clear as hype gives way to reality. - Victor Davis Hanson/PJM h/t: Ploome

Who was this Churchillian president so much smarter than the Renaissance man Thomas Jefferson, more astute than a John Adams or James Madison, with more insight than a Lincoln, brighter still than the polymath Teddy Roosevelt, more studious than the bookish Woodrow Wilson, better read than the autodidact Harry Truman?

...That his brilliance is a myth was not just revealed by the weekly lapses (whether phonetic [corpse-man], or cultural [Austria/Germany, the United Kingdom/England, Memorial Day/Veterans Day] or inane [57 states]), but in matters of common sense and basic history. The error-ridden Cairo speech was foolish; the serial appeasement of Iran revealed an ignorance of human nature; a two-minute glance at an etiquette book would have nixed the bowing or the cheap gifts to the UK.

In short, the myth of Obama’s brilliance was based on his teleprompted eloquence, the sort of fable that says we should listen to a clueless Sean Penn or Matt Damon on politics because they can sometimes act well.... READ THE WHOLE THING AND WEEP

In their own words: SEIU Job Description: Train & Lead Members to Occupy State Buildings & Takeover Banks

2011-12-17T17:17:00.000-08:00

◼ The SEIU is advertising on its site for SEIU Healthcare 775NW in Washington State. Among the job duties listed includes the training of members in civil-disobedience, peaceful resistance (how to get arrested), as well as the occupation and takeover banks and state buildings - RedState (image source)

◼ Leadership Development:

• Leading members and organizers to develop curriculum and lead leadership development trainings

• Train and lead members in non-violent civil disobedience, such as occupying state buildings and banks, and peaceful resistance.

• Implement leadership program with the goal of engaging 10% of members in active leadership and majority participation

Member Mobilization:

• Execute field plans mobilizing members around political campaigns, annual Leadership Convention, lobby days, regional meetings.

• Execute field plans for special campaigns including contract campaigns, ballot initiatives, COPE contributions, general membership growth and the broader campaign to fight for a fair economy.

• Plan and execute strategic direct action field plans including banner drops, bank takeovers, and capitol occupations with membership, other local unions, and coalition partners

Additional Responsibilities:

• Assignments to electoral, legislative and growth new organizing campaigns as required• Other duties as assigned

The ultimate OWS slogan: "We need more; you have more."

2011-12-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

◼ “Trinity has probably done as much or more for the protesters than any other institution in the area,” Mr. Cooper wrote on his parish Web site. “Calling this an issue of ‘political sanctuary’ is manipulative and blind to reality. Equating the desire to seize this property with uprisings against tyranny is misguided, at best. Hyperbolic distortion drives up petition signatures, but doesn’t make it right.” - Althouse via ◼ NYT

Essentially, the #Occupy parasites are thieves. And they'll steal from anyone, even a church. Why? because they want it.

The Chump Effect

2011-12-16T21:59:00.000-08:00

◼ Reporters are credulous, studies show. - Weekly Standard

Entire journalistic enterprises, whole books from cover to cover, would simply collapse into dust if even a smidgen of skepticism were summoned whenever we read that “scientists say” or “a new study finds” or “research shows” or “data suggest.” Most such claims of social science, we would soon find, fall into one of three categories: the trivial, the dubious, or the flatly untrue.

...the allure of “science” is too strong for our journalists to resist: all those numbers, those equations, those fancy names (say it twice: the Self-Activation Effect), all those experts with Ph.D.’s!

To their credit, the Stapel scandal has moved a few social psychologists to self-reflection. They note the unhealthy relationship between social psychologists and the journalists who bring them attention—each using the other to fill a professional need. “Psychology,” one methodologist told the Chronicle of Higher Education, “has become addicted to surprising, counter-intuitive findings that catch the news media’s eye.”

That’s a scandal, all right. Stapel’s professional treachery is a scandal, too. But the biggest scandal is that the chumps took him seriously in the first place.

(2008) Barack Obama's Deputy Field Organizer for the West Side (OHIO)

2011-12-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

Do you see the problem?

2011-12-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

◼ California finally grabs school money from Race to the Top - Sacramento Bee

California shot and finally scored in the competition for more federal education dollars, as the state was one of nine winners named Friday in the Education Department's Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grant program.

But don't count on the funds to relieve California of K-12 cuts. The state will receive $52.6 million, largely to build a new child-care rating system that measures learning environment, teachers and parent involvement, according to the California Department of Education.

In other words - The state will receive $52.6 million to piss away - $52.6 million to spend, without doing a SINGLE thing to solve the state's existing problems - $52.6 million to create more bureaucracy - $52.6 million to study studies done on other studies.

A "new child-care rating system" - maybe they can borrow Homeland Security's color-coding chart.

California and the eight other states will divvy up $500 million, with the money targeting K-12 school reform plans that, in the words of the Education Department, "raise academic standards, improve teacher and principal quality, build cradle to career data systems and turn around persistently low-performing schools."

Interesting. When did 52/43 become 50/50?

2011-12-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

◼ AP-GfK Poll: Obama re-election odds roughly 50-50

The INTERESTING phraseology: The poll found Americans were evenly divided over whether they expect Obama to be re-elected next year.

FOLLOWED BY this sentence: For the first time, the poll found that a majority of adults, 52 percent, said Obama should be voted out of office while 43 percent said he deserves another term. The numbers mark a reversal since last May, when 53 percent said Obama should be re-elected while 43 percent said he didn't deserve four more years.

Obama's overall job approval stands at a new low, with 44 percent approving and 54 percent disapproving. The president's standing among independents is worse: 38 percent approve while 59 percent disapprove. Among Democrats, the president holds steady with an approval rating of 78 percent while only 12 percent of Republicans approve of the job he's doing.

ROUGHLY 50/50? Heh.

Sipsey Street under attack

2011-12-15T21:52:00.001-08:00

◼ Sipsey Street Exclusive: Oh my, a Fed forensic audit of Sipsey Street, whatever shall I do? - sipseystreetirregulars

2011-12-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

◼ Bill Whittle on Facebook

Unprecedented Uprising in Chinese Village Chases Out Communist Party

2011-12-14T19:13:00.000-08:00

◼ For the first time on record, the Chinese Communist party has lost all control, with the population of 20,000 in this southern fishing village now in open revolt. This needs to go viral... - The Other McCain

◼ Inside Wukan: the Chinese village that fought back, Something extraordinary has happened in the Chinese village of Wukan. - Malcolm Moore, Wukan

Jon Huntsman & Newt Gingrich - Lincoln-Douglas Debate

2011-12-12T13:11:00.001-08:00

◼ Livestreaming here

NO-O-O-O kidding!

2011-12-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

◼ The union's president suggested in a letter to members that protesters were attempting to co-opt the union's cause to advance their own agenda. - Occupy protesters seek to shut West Coast ports - AP/Seattle Times

I'm glad someone has the guts to say it ...

2011-12-11T10:39:00.000-08:00

◼ America's Communist President

Alan Caruba has an excellent essay on his site today. In it, he quotes Jeffrey T. Kuhner of the Washington Times as saying:

“There is only one problem with the White House’s narrative: It’s completely false. Mr. Obama is not a defender of the middle class but has been its mortal enemy. His policies have impoverished working-and-middle-class Americans.”

Other than the utterly brain-dead liberals, for whom facts are meaningless, most Americans understand, as Kuhner pointed out,

“His massive stimulus failed to restore economic recovery…his trillion-dollar deficits and skyrocketing debt have mortgaged the future of our children…Obamacare suffocates businesses, stifles job creation, and adds another unsustainable entitlement. It is creeping socialized medicine, which is wrecking the world’s finest health care system.”

There's much more. It's an excellent read, if you're willing to take the blinders off and open your eyes ...

"Scientists warn that time is running out to close the gap between current pledges on cutting greenhouse gases and avoiding a catastrophic rise in average global temperatures".... and they're right. Time IS running out.

2011-12-11T07:53:00.001-08:00

Their sick game is being exposed, and they have to act before every last shred of credence is gone. ClimateGate, the wikileaks of the Warmista cult is revealing the "Inconvenient Truths" every day. It's been a sham built on distortions.

They have to ACT NOW!!! RRRRRRightWaay!!! Rrrrightnow! or we're all gonna die - or before you have time to realize jut how bad it is - for them.

◼ Draft U.N. climate accord emerges, debate turns ugly

Complete ABC News Yahoo Republican Iowa Debate

2011-12-11T00:44:00.001-08:00

thx:nin

Miss the eclipse?

2011-12-10T13:42:00.001-08:00

◼ watch it here
◼ Watch Saturday's total lunar eclipse on your computer - LA Times
Bookmark it for the next eclipse in May.

Anti-Corporate Totalitarian Wing of Democrat Party Proposes Constitutional Amendment to Censor Newspapers

2011-12-09T17:46:00.001-08:00

◼ It shouldn't come as much of a surprise. These are the same radical Leftists who re-proposed the ill-named "Fairness Doctrine" and, that having received a royal flushing, are now marketing "local community standards" for broadcasters. - Doug Ross

◼ Proposed Constitutional Amendment Would Ban Editorials About Candidates or Ballot Measures by Nearly All Newspapers - Eugene Volokh/The Volokh Conspiracy

Nearly all newspapers, TV stations, cable networks, and rations (except of course for nonprofits such as NPR) are organized as corporations or other entities established for business purposes. Under section 3, they “shall be prohibited” from making expenditures “in any election of any candidate ... or the vote upon any ballot measure.” Since to write or print or broadcast anything, newspapers, networks, and broadcasters must spend money, this would ban — not just authorize Congress to ban, but itself ban — editorials supporting or opposing a candidate or a ballot measure.

...Now perhaps one could argue that, notwithstanding sections 1 and section 3, (H. J. RES. 90) business entities retain the “freedom of the press” even though they lose all other constitutional rights. But, as I’ve discussed in considerable detail in this article, the “freedom of the press” has throughout American history meant the freedom of all to use communications technology, not a freedom limited to any specific industry. So if business entities do still have “freedom of the press” rights, which leaves the New York Times free to exercise such rights, then other business corporations would have the same rights as well, including the right to rent space or time in newspapers and television and radio programs to express their views, much as newspapers, cable networks, and broadcasters have the right to use such space or time.

On top of that, the proposal would mean that any government could take corporate property — whether of big businesses or small closely held corporations — without paying any compensation at all, could take corporate property without due process, and more. That would be quite a constitutional amendment.

MVRDV Towers

2011-12-09T09:20:00.001-08:00

◼ DOES THIS DESIGN OF TWO TOWERS REMIND YOU OF ANYTHING? - The Blaze

“MVRDV regrets deeply any connotations The Cloud projects evokes regarding 9/11. The Cloud was designed based on parameters such as sunlight, outside spaces, living quality for inhabitants and the city. It is one of many projects in which MVRDV experiments with a raised city level to reinvent the often solitary typology of the skyscraper. It was not our intention to create an image resembling the attacks nor did we see the resemblance during the design process. We sincerely apologize to anyone whose feelings we have hurt, it was not our intention.”

Seriously.

We knew this all along ....

2011-12-08T21:28:00.000-08:00

The day this story broke, my hackles immediately went up, because those of us who support the Second Amendment knew it was only a matter of time before the Obama administration made some sort of move against the rights of gun owners in America. This is shaping up to be one of the most outrageously blatant and illegal attempts to impose the left's anti-gun ideology on us in the history of this country.

Never let a good crisis go to waste, especially one that YOU'VE CAUSED, huh Eric?

EVERYONE involved needs to be called out on this. Despite their attempts to convince us otherwise, Eric Holder, and Obama himself, were complicit in this. They know it, we know it, and the Mexican Government knows it. They've lied, and people have died, but where is the MSM in all of this? Are they going to keep ignoring this story until the National Enquirer scoops them on it? This is an impeachable offense. It's time we expose, once and for all, this culture of lying and deceit that is DEFINING this administration and force these people to atone for their actions. These criminals are so obsessed with implementing their agenda that they consider the lives of innocent people to be inconsequential. They should all be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, for treason, and for each and every injury or death they cause.

How's that Hope and Change working out for 'ya?

2011-12-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

◼ Obama Receives More Financial Sector Donations than all GOP Candidates Combined ... - PatDollard.com

◼ Obama Campaign "flush" with Wall Street Donations - Washington Post

"Obama has brought in more money from employees of banks, hedge funds and other financial service companies than all of the GOP candidates combined, according to a Washington Post analysis of contribution data. The numbers show that Obama retains a persistent reservoir of support among Democratic financiers who have backed him since he was an underdog presidential candidate four years ago."

15.6 MILLION DOLLARS? Now THAT is a lot of change ...

Better not tell the OWS'ers and all the other "progressive" fools that voted for Obama about THIS.....

Direct reprogramming of cells from one type to the other avoids that danger, because the cells never enter the pluripotent stage to begin with, Wilmut said.

2011-12-07T16:03:00.001-08:00

This is not so much about the debate over fetal stem cells and adult stem cells as it is about media bias - again. When a Cloning pioneer urges shift away from embryonic stem cells, why is that not front page news? Who is afraid of having the discussion?

◼ Shhh, Don't Tell Anyone: Dolly the Sheep Pioneer Recommends Shifting Away From Embryonic Stem Cell Research - Newsbusters

Comment of the week. No. The Year.

2011-12-06T22:40:00.001-08:00

"I'm Barack Obama and George Soros approved this message" LukeHandCool at Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

Bob Woodward says sitting next to Al Gore is 'taxing, unpleasant’

2011-12-06T07:32:00.001-08:00

◼ Describing an event where he was paired up next to the monotone-talking ex-vice president, Woodward said, “Now, sitting next to Gore is taxing.” After some laughs from the crowd, Woodward continued, “In fact, it’s unpleasant.”

Woodward offered up another tidbit from the conversation with his dinner companion. The investigative reporter asked the politician, more than five years after leaving office, how much the public knows about what went on during the Clinton administration. Gore replied, “One percent.”

Woodward admitted that revelation made him feel a bit icky, saying, “I kind of died inside and have to confess to having an unclean thought.”

Be careful what you wish for .....

2011-12-05T06:02:00.000-08:00

◼ Liberal Youth DECIMATED in Free Egyptian Elections - Associated Press

"Egypt's top reformist leader has said the liberal youth behind the country's uprising have been "decimated" in parliamentary elections dominated by Islamists and expressed concern about the rise of hard-line religious elements advocating extremist ideas such as banning women from driving.

Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Prize laureate and possible presidential candidate, said Sunday he hopes moderate Islamists will rein in the extremists and send a reassuring message to the world that Egypt will not go down an ultraconservative religious path.

"The youth feel let down. They don't feel that any of the revolution's goals have been achieved," ElBaradei told The Associated Press in an interview on the same day electoral authorities announced that Islamist parties captured an overwhelming majority of votes in the first round of elections last week. "They got decimated," he said, adding the youth failed to unify and form "one essential critical mass." "

So there you have it. Like most children, they threw their temper tantrum, and made their demands, but they were too immature to realize that "change" just for the sake of change is not always a good thing. They failed to think about who, or what, would take the place of the leaders they were determined to replace. Now, they will pay a severe and long-lasting price for their childish behavior and willful ignorance.

There is an excellent lesson to be learned here. Our youth threw their support behind Obama before they knew what they were getting, and they wound up regretting that decision. Apparently, they failed to learn anything from that mistake, because they came right back at us with another tantrum, trying to upset the status-quot with the OWS movement. Again, little thought was given to what their goal was, or what the potential risks of such an uprising might be. They just wanted "change", and were willing to risk the potential consequences of riots, insurrection, and anarchy, to get their way. Now, I don't care how much you despise the "establishment" or the "rich" or "Republicans" ... destroying the existing power structure in your own country prior to establishing a suitable replacement is a reckless and ignorant thing to do. Luckily, calmer heads prevailed, and the adults sent them packing with their tails between their legs.

I'd like to think that these spoiled brats have learned something, and will take the time to formulate a rational, workable PLAN that can be implemented through calm, reasoned legal action before they ever try to destroy America again. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem very likely. Over the years, our youth have repeatedly demonstrated that they're too self-centered and stupid to think about the consequences of their actions. Why would anyone think they will be any more mature the next time?

If they were wise, they'd take a close look at what has just happened in Egypt, and realize that this very sort of thing could have just happened here. They could have destabilized our government and brought violence and anarchy to this country, and found themselves living under martial law, dictatorship, or worse. Will they consider that the next time they decide to "protest" or "occupy" our cities? I'm not holding my breath....

Blasphemy, I know...

2011-12-04T17:00:00.001-08:00

But you gotta see this ad from MoveOn.Org:

◼ Somebody didn't get the memo.

Dead Movement Walking:

2011-12-04T15:16:00.001-08:00

◼ Top Ten New Media Moments That Brought Down #OccupyWallStreet - John Nolte/Big Journalism

...(Y)ou have to remember ’twas New Media that killed Obama’s astro-turfed, anti-American army of poopers, rapists, vandals, drug abusers and trespassers — and that without New Media the MSM would’ve gotten away with their evil (yes, really) master plan, which was to recreate the sixties’ anti-war movement. The whole of the MSM intended to give these Occupy degenerates the same oxygen they gave anti-war degenerates forty years ago. The worst people in the world would be spoon fed the encouragement and legitimacy required to spin them into something they are not. And all of this was going to be made possible through the covering up of a hundreds of sins both big and small.

The only problem for the MSM, though, is that this isn’t the sixties and, therefore, they no longer control every portal of mass communication. Thus, armed with our own cameras, the power to disseminate information without funneling through the media’s corrupt filter, and armed with THE TRUTH — video by photo by investigative report, Occupy collapsed under the exposed weight of their own hypocrisy, noxious beliefs, and craven misdeeds.

In the form of a victory lap, here are (the) top ten New Media moments: at the link.
10. The Copper-Pooper Photo That Went ‘Round the World
9. #OccupyWallStreet Cult Chant: ‘You Can Have Sex With Animals’
8. #Occupy Trust Fund Baby
7. ‘New York Times’ Reporter Busted As #Occupy Activist, Supporter
6. Anti-Defamation League Condemns #Occupy Anti-Semitism
5. Exposure of #Occupy Sexual Assaults, Including Alleged Rape of a Deaf Man
4. #OccupyOakland Threatens Reporter With Physical Violence
3. The ‘Kent State Moments’ That Collapsed Under New Media Scrutiny
2. The Occupy Wall Street Rap Sheet
1. ‘Crowdsource This’: Occupy’s Astro-turf Exposed In Massive Email Dump
By the hundreds, thousands and tens of thousands, citizen journalists took everything listed above (and more) and then went around the corrupt MSM in order to let the word go forth.
While the mainstream media told their lies and half-truths and chose whatever context would fit their pro-Occupy narrative, within seconds, real truths were emailed, posted on Facebook pages and blogs, tweeted and re-tweeted. With lightning speed, photographs and videos told the story the MSM attempted to cover up….