Watching his victory speech on Fox News right now. He's talking about making the GOP more desirable to all Americans (e.g. winning in Northeastern states). Steele is fiscally conservative but socially moderate, so hopefully he'll provide some much needed leadership once the Democrats fuck everything up and they're voted out of office. Not that I want America to fail under Obama's leadership, but it seems inevitable at this point.
All Hail Steele, and His Glorious Regime!
Health Services to Become Super Efficient Overnight!Rahm Emanuel once advised that crisis means opportunity, and the Democrats have taken that message to heart. They’ve exploited the sense of economic crisis in order to build a Trojan Horse stimulus bill that encompasses all of their legislative goals — and they’re trying to stampede people into supporting it out of panic. Hope and Change? More like Fear and Loathing.Powerline has the details of how Medicaid is going to be made available to damn near everyone if the stimulus package becomes law. Also, CATO took out a full page ad in the NYT to warn America that the stimulus was going to be a bust. Some might say the Cloward-Piven strategy of orchestrating mass chaos in society to usher in a new regime is a bit conspiratorial. But it certainly seems to be going that way.
What this does has nothing to do with stimulating the economy. Worse, it exponentially increases the difficulty in reforming entitlements, and Medicare already was the one program most in need of reform. It’s heading into insolvency even without the additional load of ten million new and unplanned subscribers in three weeks. Now, we will have even more subscribers to throw into the reform grinder, making it more painful than ever to effect the necessary changes to bring the program back into solvency.
Most people say all kinds of bad things about their employer and/or boss. But it's generally in hushed tones at work and not to an international media source, like Samatha Powers did last March when she called Hillary a "monster" while she was an Obama aide. From CBS:
The Associated Press reports that Power will serve as senior director for multilateral affairs at the National Security Council. This may make for some awkwardness: In her new capacity, Power will be in close contact and may have to travel with Clinton, the new Secretary of State.Haha, to please Hillary Powers probably had to kiss her ring like some 14th-century penitent in the Vatican. Photos of Samantha Powers in the stockade outside Foggy Bottom will be posted once they become available.
Since the media firestorm that greeted her comments, Power has been inching back into a more public role in the Obama fold. She reached out to Clinton and was on transition teams for the State Department and the U.S. mission to the United Nations.
Officials close to the transition told the Associated Press that Power's gestures of apology have been well-received by Clinton. The two have met privately since the election. Both Clinton and Power appeared at the recent announcement of Obama's special envoys to South Asia and the Middle East, where they exchanged brief remarks.
This is something bloggers like The Sniper and myself have been trying to do ever since Obama got elected! God bless these technically-savvy social deviants for providing such an important PSA. From Fox News:
Transportation officials in Texas are scrambling to prevent hackers from changing messages on digital road signs after one sign in Austin was altered to read, "Zombies Ahead."ABWF tips us off with video footage from Austin, but there were no zombies filmed feasting on brains. They must be still slogging their way back from the coronation in D.C. last week.
Chris Lippincott, director of media relations for the Texas Department of Transportation, confirmed that a portable traffic sign at Lamar Boulevard and West 15th Street, near the University of Texas at Austin, was hacked into during the early hours of Jan. 19.
Brandon Friedman (A-stan vet) has some sharp analysis on why we need more troops in Afghanistan that's worth a read. Other COIN luminaries have called for more troops in Afghanistan, and the President has as well. I agree, but there still needs to be a larger active-duty force, which has been pretty steady since 9/11 to prevent morale/readiness problems. But at least it looks like things are going okay in Iraq. Ramblings from a Painter (works at the new embassy in Baghdad) has the scoop on the Provincial Elections scheduled for Saturday:
With over 14,400 candidates vying for 440 council seats, there are a lot of people looking for air time for their messages. I was watching an Iraqi channel on TV a little while ago and saw non-stop political ads. I mean non-stop: there wasn't any scheduled programming! Just ads for this candidate or that, with a bunch of "rock-the-vote" style ads in between.If "too many candidates" is the biggest problem facing Iraqi elections, I'd wager that's pretty good. This is in comparison to 2005 where the Sunnis all boycotted and violence went through the roof. Sure, Iraq still has a lot of problems with poverty, refugees, and corruption, but as far as our military is concerned..."Mission Accomplished". Yeah, I said it, and I'm not even wearing a flight suit with a cod piece. Hopefully our forces can leave Iraq without a lot of problems, because the writing is on the wall that Afghanistan is ramping up.
Unsurprisingly, the Blagmeister got thrown out of office today, where he will spend the rest of his life shaking down Chicago-area tourists with 3-card Monte. From MSNBC:
Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted at his impeachment trial and thrown out of office Thursday, ending a nearly two-month crisis that erupted with his arrest on charges he tried to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.Blago is pretty much the embodiment of every politician: self-absorbed, super sleazy, and always prattling on about how they "help" poor or working families. We will all miss his shenanigans.
Blagojevich becomes the first U.S. governor in more than 20 years to be removed by impeachment.
After a four-day trial, the Illinois Senate voted 59-0 to convict him on the broad charge of abuse of power, then again to disqualify him from ever again holding office in Illinois.
Portrait of Poverty: Distressed Girlfriends of Investment BankersThis whole messy ordeal has advanced my Botox start date by at least two years. Like every other DABA girl, the economy was wreaking havoc on my relationship and youthful good looks. Phone calls went unanswered, Hamptons invitations un-extended, plans canceled (including, but not limited to, expensive opening night tickets to the ballet, which were scalped instead of being graciously offered to me and a galpal), and so forth and so on. Until – the horror of all horrors – my FBF lost his job, which I guess technically downgrades him to just my BF.In general, being an attractive woman is an excuse for just about any sort of egregious behavior. But not this time! At first you might be led to believe that this site is high satire and ask yourself "Are these broads for real?", but a NY Times article reveals that this is indeed not a joke. NYT:
About 30 women, generally in their mid- to late-20s, regularly post to the Web site or attend meetings.The Huffington Post sympathizes with the plight of these money-grubbing wenches to the surprise of no one.
“We do make light of everything on the blog and it’s very tongue in cheek,” said Laney Crowell, 27, who parted ways with a corporate real estate investor last month after a tumultuous relationship. “But it all stems out of really serious and heartfelt situations.”
Why is Safe Sex Promotion Such a Bad Thing?“How you can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on contraceptives?” House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) asked after meeting with the president at the White House on Friday. “How does that stimulate the economy?”I understand his point that contraceptive and economic stimulus might have a tenuous connection besides a funny punchline (huh huh stimulus). But I believe there is a need for federal promotion of safe sex. Primarily, because AIDS is an ongoing public health emergency and education plus condom promotion are the best methods to prevent loss of life to this wretched disease. The GOP should recognize that some of the religious right were the nitwits that thought AIDS was divine intervention to kill sodomites (most notoriously Sen. Helms), and opposed any sort of federal response to this epidemic during its initial outbreak in the 1980s.
Waxman had included the funds as part of a $300 million package to slow the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
The proposal aimed to reduce costs for the states by making it easier for states to pay for contraception for women who qualified under Medicaid and whose income was 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
It's Good to Be Connected"American taxpayers deserve to know that their money is spent in the most effective way to stabilize the financial system," Geithner said in a statement yesterday. "Today's actions reaffirm our commitment toward that goal."This sounds like a move in the right direction, since the American public has no clue how the first $350B of TARP funds was spent, and all we here from these greedy banks is that they want more. But Geithner is just putting on a dog-and-pony show, because he just hired a former Goldman Sachs lobbyist to be his Chief of Staff. From USA Today:
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner picked a former Goldman Sachs lobbyist as a top aide Tuesday, the same day he announced rules aimed at reducing the role of lobbyists in agency decisions.So lobbyists might be barred from stealing your tax dollars under this bailout scam, but it's okay for former ones to be the go-to guy in the Treasury department...W-T-F.
Mark Patterson will serve as Geithner's chief of staff at Treasury, which oversees the government's $700 billion financial bailout program. Goldman Sachs received $10 billion of that money.
Dave Wenhold, of the American League of Lobbyists, said lobbyists bring expertise to the job. "Just because you are registered to lobby doesn't mean that you are evil, " he said.Maybe not "evil" in the Hitler sense, but having a career based on manipulating public funds to your private employers benefit certainly makes you an asshole.
Eugene Robinsons Thinks Blago's Sole Crime is His Goofy HairBut it is unclear to me what else Blagojevich has done that a duly constituted jury would find illegal. Even in the matter of his menacing mop, at worst he's a co-conspirator in a dastardly act committed by his barber.The liberal Crooks and Liars echoes sentiment that Blago is guilty by suggesting that this is Republican hit job on a guy who has the misfortune of being goofy. Political opinion has become so ideologically polarized that pundits and analysts rush to defend politicians "on their team", no matter how damning the evidence. A sad state of affairs.
Truth is always stanger than fiction. From San Diego:
A mistrial was declared Monday when a home-invasion robbery suspect smeared human feces on his attorney's face then threw more at the jury.Not sure why the prosecutor is surprised that the juror didn't know he was about to get hit with a big pile of shit. Unless you're in a monkey cage, it's pretty safe to say you're probably not gonna get hit in the face with a turd.
Weusi McGowan, 37, was upset because San Diego Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Fraser refused to remove Deputy Alternate Public Defender Jeffrey Martin from the case, prosecutor Christopher Lawson said.
At the mid-morning break, McGowan produced a plastic baggie filled with fecal matter and spread it on Martin's hair and face, then flung the excrement toward the jury box, hitting the briefcase of juror No. 9 but missing the juror himself.
"That juror didn't even see it coming," Lawson said.
Tom Ricks shares a comprehensive powerpoint showing the percentages by rank and by branch that have served in a combat zone. Not surprising when two wars are going on, but it's pretty damn high. The fact that the number of military on active duty has hardly increased is most likely to blame for repeated deployments, national guard mobilizations, stop-loss, and a host of other issues which threaten morale and readiness. You can thank Rumsfeld for that. But will Obama make good on his promise to increase the Army by 65,000 soldiers and the USMC by 27,000 Marines. Stay tuned.
Policy Wonks in DC To Cripple Your Way of LifeOver the past 50 years, Cook reports, the inflation-adjusted value of federal liquor taxes declined by a factor of six while the inflation-adjusted value of federal beer taxes declined by a factor of 3.6. Both taxes are well below what is required to recoup the alcohol-related “externalities” problem drinking imposes on the community.Typical nanny-state nonsense to socially engineer the rest of America to be like some MoveOn.org party in the Upper West Side. Understandingly, alcohol is primarily enjoyed by the middle and working-class to cope with the crushing bane of existence, despite some of liquor's problems. Furthermore, alcohol is most consumed by red states outside the bible belt (see Time's interactive map). Why don't they impose a tax on crap elite, urban white people prefer like Pilates Balls, Emo Glasses, or Yoga Mats? America is a cosmopolitan place with a vast array of interests and activities for the citizenry. Why do certain groups of people always feel like they have to attack those different from them?
Apparently, They Are Slithering From Pods into College ClassroomsWhen it comes to politics, today's college freshmen resemble their baby boomer parents of 40 years ago in all ways except two. One way makes perfect sense; the other is a puzzle.So much for college being a place where you form many political opinions, it seems to be pre-programmed. Pelosi sure was smart to nix the contraception portion of the stimulus package. A government plan to encourage breeding in key congressional districts will ensure a generations worth of citizens who will be completely reliant upon government services and, therefore, will consistently vote Democrat.
The evidence about kids and their parents isn't anecdotal; it's documented in a study just released by UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute, which has been investigating the attitudes of a massive national sample of American freshmen since the 1960s.
More freshmen today say they frequently discuss politics than at any time since Lyndon Johnson announced that he wouldn't run for re-election.
The Democrat stimulus package is fast becoming the "You're Either With Us or Against Us" for the new Obama administration. Lefty blogs are already on witch-hunts for conservative pundits who dare ask questions about how close to trillion dollars will be spent. Liberal economist Paul Krugman lashes out at the new traitors of our nation. From New York Times:
But here’s the thing: Most Americans aren’t listening. The most encouraging thing I’ve heard lately is Mr. Obama’s reported response to Republican objections to a spending-oriented economic plan: “I won.” Indeed he did — and he should disregard the huffing and puffing of those who lost.A trillion dollars isn't exactly an impulse buy of a spatula at the Albertson's. This is a lot of dough! And with a lot of money that will be unaccounted for, there's always Congress parasite or two to come looking for a handout. Senator Durbin is already looking for a billion dollar project for some "clean coal" power plant in his district, and Saxby Chambliss is already talking about the USAF needs more F-22s to keep jobs in his district. There's no reason to believe that Obama will be the savior of America or that the government will fix our catastrophic economic problem that was caused by people living beyond their means. It's just politics as usual.
What a shame! Is there any finer cuisine than Buffalo Wings? From Fairfield, Connecticut:
Nobody was able to cross the road Monday afternoon in front of Archie Moore's restaurant after 200 gallons of chicken wing sauce spilled onto Sanford Street.Oh the humanity!
The street was closed several hours after the 1:30 p.m. spill as the state Haz-mat team was dispatched to the scene.
Chicken wings are a signature item on the restaurant's menu and four large barrels of sauce for the spicy concoction were being delivered by Estes Express Line. As the truck driver was pushing a barrel toward the open truck door, it tipped over and spilled into the street, right in front of the restaurant.
"There's sauce everywhere," Perez said. "It's halfway across the street."
The Secretary of Defense is testifying to the House Armed Services Committee where he noted that things have not been going well in Afghanistan (thank you Mr. Obvious). Wired has pulled an interesting quote from his testimony regarding the DoD bureaucracy and how it has handled modern warfare:
Efforts to put the bureaucracy on a war footing have, in my view, revealed underlying flaws in the institutional priorities, cultural preferences, and reward structures of America’s defense establishment – a set of institutions largely arranged to plan for future wars, to prepare for a short war, but not to wage a protracted war. The challenge we face is how well we can institutionalize the irregular capabilities gained and means to support troops in theater that have been, for the most part, developed ad hoc and funded outside the base budget.Can anyone not say that acquisitions/procurement have been an absolute disgrace during the last 8 years? Last week, Lt. Col. Yingling took note of the type of officer culture of trying to get costly, but ineffective, weapons systems into production to support big defense contractors from bellwether states. The legacy of the last 8 years is hillbilly armor on humvees, an FBI raid on Murtha's buddies that he gave money to, and billions of dollars down the drain. Maybe the whole Cold War-era concept that the Defense Department should only exist to "create jobs" should be scrapped in light of COIN conflicts that have been going for over 7 years, but the GS-13s working for Uncle Sucker in DC have failed to notice.
Just kidding about the post title, but Obama did an interview with the popular, international media outlet Al-Arabiya for an interview recently. Al-Arabiya is owned by some rich sheikhs from Saudi Arabia and a few other Gulf states, and has been strongly opposed to terrorism in the past. I respect what Obama is trying to do: utilizing public diplomacy to squash some rumors regarding America that continue to persist in the Middle East. For example, many citizens in moderate countries, like Jordan, believe that 9/11 was not caused by terrorists. Obama walked the tightrope on the Israeli/Palestinian issue, which the interviewer hit him up with first. From the transcript:
Ultimately, we cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what's best for them. They're going to have to make some decisions. But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people. And that instead, it's time to return to the negotiating table.Probably a smart move, as there's no greater polarizing issue in the Middle East than Israel, and we'd be best to keep our distance to some extent. I don't understand our nation's preoccupation with sustaining Israel through aid and completely unwavering support. Is it in our constitution somewhere? If they're such great allies, how come they don't contribute any military forces to Iraq or Afghanistan? I have nothing against Israel, but I don't see why America needs to bend over backwards to support them even at our own diplomatic peril.
But I do think that it is important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress. And we will over the next several months be laying out our general framework and approach. And as I said during my inauguration speech, if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us.Since Al-Arabiya is from the Gulf, I doubt they have much sympathy for Iran. Also, it doesn't look like Iran is going to want to talk to us in the first place. We'll see how that works out. Maybe Ahmadinejad will unleash some creepy hour-long rant about how there are no Persian homosexuals like he did at Columbia.
From the Apocalypse font at Drudge:
Al Gore is scheduled before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday morning to once again testify on the 'urgent need' to combat global warming.There's a certain scientific laziness in attributing every winter storm to proof that global warming is a hoax, but the "Gore Effect" seems to be recurring...and equally hilarious.
But Mother Nature seems ready to freeze the proceedings.
A 'Winter Storm Watch' has been posted for the nation's capitol and there is a potential for significant snow... sleet... or ice accumulations.
"I can't imagine the Democrats would want to showcase Mr. Gore and his new findings on global warming as a winter storm rages outside," a Republican lawmaker emailed the DRUDGE REPORT. "And if the ice really piles up, it will not be safe to travel."
A spokesman for Sen. John Kerry, who chairs the committee, was not immediately available to comment on contingency plans.
Stimulus Spending by the Federal Government Might be a Tad SlowFrequently in the past, in all types of federal programs, a noticeable lag has occurred between sharp increases in funding and resulting increases in outlays. Based on such experiences, CBO expects that federal agencies, states, and other recipients of funding would find it difficult to properly manage and oversee a rapid expansion of existing programs so as to spend added funds quickly as they expend their normal resources. The seasonal nature of some spending also affects the speed at which activities can be conducted; for example, major school repairs are generally scheduled during the summer to avoid disrupting classes.So, money authorized by the feds to spend on "shovel-ready" projects will get tied up in paperwork at various echelons of government offices. This unseen cost of administration probably explains why the VA has a budget of $90 Billion a year, but vets have to wait 8 months to see a dentist. The Washington Post takes note of this even though they are a bit more optimistic than me. No matter how awesome you may think The Obama is as president, he is no match for the Kafka-esque foe of federal bureaucracy.
In an interview on NBC's "Today" show, Blagojevich said his impeachment trial is "rigged" and the federal charges that he tried to sell his appointment for the U.S. Senate vacated by Barack Obama are false, according to a transcript of the interview.Last week, Blago compared the attacks on his family to Pearl Harbor, but now he is comparing himself to actual people instead of events, which may have initially confused some Americans out in zombie land. Sounds like that high-priced PR firm is really paying off.
"I thought about Mandela, Dr. King, Gandhi and trying to put some perspective in all of this," he said of his Dec. 9 arrest.
Now this is totally classy! If you haven't turned on a cable TV station in the last 6 months, you may have missed out on the latest edition in the "missing and/or dead white girl" saga. The most recent media obsession is Caylee Anthony, who's corpse got fished out of the swamp last month. In trial by media fashion, the mother is widely suspected of being the culprit. This would make the photos of her shaking her ass at a club after the daughter was murdered even more bizarre. To further exploit death and misery beyond just what the Greta Van Susterens of the world are doing, a toy company in Jackson is making a dolly of the dead child that sings. From Orlando Sentinel:
A Jacksonville promotions company plans to sell a doll as a tribute to slain toddler Caylee Marie Anthony.The don't mention what song the doll sings if you tape it's mouth and chuck it in the trunk of your car, hi-yo!
The Inspirational Caylee Sunshine Doll will go on sale Tuesday for $29.99.
The blonde-haired, 18-inch doll wears jeans and a T-shirt depicting a sun and the phrase: "CAYLEE SUNSHINE." The song "You Are My Sunshine" plays when her belly button is pushed.
Great song from a young Reverend Horton Heat. Been trying to do this song on Guitar Hero 2 to help quit smoking, but it keeps kicking my ass. Maybe I should get help from this 8-year old.
Time is Running OutIf he does tackle the problem of the teetering entitlement system, he will do so at an unpropitious moment: Events are making reform more necessary while making it seem less urgent. A nation in which $350 billion was but the first half of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, and in which TARP is distinct from the perhaps $850 billion "stimulus" program, is a nation being taught not to take seriously sums with merely nine digits and two commas.It's easy to fall into the line of thinking that because the federal government spent billions and billions on Wall Street banks, then they might as well spend money on everything from the auto companies to free college education. Hell, all democracy in America is about is voting blocs trying to get themselves chunks of government largess. Not many people are really taking the time to ask how all this shit is going to be paid for. I'm glad at least one respected guy is.
Washington Times takes note of the real winners of the proposed $825B stimulus package:
A Washington Times review of lobbying disclosure reports found that 18 of the top 20 recipients of federal bailout money spent a combined $12.2 million lobbying the White House, the Treasury Department, Congress and federal agencies during the last quarter of 2008.To hell with investing in mutual funds, looks like the real money is investing in lobbying! Obama's economic adviser criticized the the stimulus package saying it was only going to help "white male construction workers", to which the lefty blog Crooks and Liars responded that many Americans were only capable of menial office work as opposed to physical labor. But, it seems like the lobbyist biz in D.C. is quite lucrative already. No wonder there is no recession in Washington.
For instance, the government bought $3.4 billion in American Express Co. stock on Jan. 9 as part of an aid package. In the last quarter of 2008, the company spent more than $1 million on federal lobbying.
I support the President's Decision!Missiles fired from a suspected U.S. spy plane killed seven people Friday on the Pakistan side of the Afghan border, a lawless region where al-Qaida militants are known to hide out, officials said.These intelligence-driven, cross-border airstrikes are authorized at the highest level of the chain of command, as seen during the strike in Syria last October, which killed a high-level Al-Qaeda facilitator. There will be some ostentatious criticism of these air strikes, and they alone will not be able to completely eliminate the terrorist presence in the lawless region of Northwestern Pakistan. But consider these facts before you rush off to go protest the President's decision to continue with this controversial strategy:
The strike was the first on Pakistani territory since the inauguration of President Barrack Obama.
Pakistani leaders had expressed hope Obama would halt the attacks, more than 30 of which have been launched since the middle of last year, reportedly killing several senior militants.
The pro-U.S. government routinely protests them as a violation of the country's sovereignty, but most observers speculate it has an unwritten agreement allowing them to take place.
Reader John has a few questions: “Where are the anti-war liberals? Where are the baby-killer signs? Why [aren't] the major media networks showing pictures of dead children as a result of Pres. Obama’s air strike?”IMHO, bipartisanship is no vice when it's a matter of us getting all killed.
Hey, haven’t you heard? CHANGE HAS COME TO AMERICA.
Me After One Day as a "Civilian"
Interesting documentary on the History Channel about the Eisenhower administration, and something I just learned for the first time was that Ike didn't even want to run for Prez initially. From his bio:
Although he had previously rejected numerous overtures from members of both parties to run for the presidency, Eisenhower yielded to the appeal of liberal Republicans in 1952.This sounds a lot like Gen. Powell in 1996, which Helium has a good bio on:
In 1993 Conservative America issued a genuine call to duty to Colin Powell, one-time Reagan National Security Adviser and George H. W. Bush's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was, after all, the first military leader in forty years to be seriously considered by both Republicans and Democrats as a candidate for President of the United States. Favorably compared to President Eisenhower, Powell's personal popularity transcended all political and cultural bounds.The article goes on to hypothesize that Powell didn't run because he feared the scrutiny of being not white, but Obama's huge win shows that race isn't necessarily a barrier to the executive branch in America. Imagine what America would be like today if we had a moderate with proven leadership to make decisions in a world of post-Cold War threats? Obviously, Powell sealed his political fate with his famous speech to the U.N. about WMDs in Iraq, which he later called "the lowest point in my life", so don't expect him to come back to power anytime soon.
Army Generals Might Have Antiquated ThinkingThe institutional military operates under a different incentive system. Those responsible for acquisition operate under powerful incentives to procure expensive, high-tech weapons, even if those weapons are not the ones combat forces need. Those responsible for organizational design operate under powerful incentives to defend existing force structure from claims by other branches and services, even if the existing force structure does not meet the needs of combatant commanders. Finally and most importantly, military officers operate under powerful incentives to conform to senior officers' views, even if those views are out of touch with battlefield realities. Unlike combat forces, the institutional military operates under an incentive system that rewards conformity and discourages adaptation. It's simply not reasonable to expect that large groups of people operating over long periods to behave in ways contradictory to the incentives under which they operate.This might be a REMF vs. Grunt thing, but the acquisition process for the military has certainly been getting a lot of bad press lately. Particularly that they totally dragged ass on fielding MRAPs (an excellent counter-IED vehicle in Iraq), while the Future Combat Systems has cost $200B taxpayer dollars and soldier's have not donned the Mega-Man uniforms as of yet. Based on current trends, it's hard to believe that the Navy was able to field strategic submarines in 5 short years during the Cold War from Lockheed Martin, which were nukes capable of turning Russia into a glass parking lot. I'm not one to go around using buzzwords like the "military-industrial complex", but...
Drunk Dialing Can Land You a CitationRoberto Benigno Campos thought there ought to be a law for kicking a man out of a bar at closing time, police said.Longtime resident Wek explains the Florida whackjob phenomenon here. Good thing I stuck with the advice of my pops who said "Beware of countries and states where it doesn't snow".
When the staff at the ShangriLa Gentleman's Oasis scooped up his drink about 3:15 a.m. today to shut down for the night, Campos called 911 to say he'd been robbed, an affidavit states.
Tampa police were not amused.
Officers arrived at the bikini bar at 2310 N. Dale Mabry Highway, sized up the situation and told Campos no crime had been committed.
Campos, 33, was undeterred and called 911 three more times to report a drink robbery, an affidavit states.
The St. Petersburg man also advised authorities that police did not help him because he was a supporter of President Barack Obama, the affidavit states.
At that point, police were glad to help Campos to jail.
Police charged him with misdemeanor misuse of the 911 system for calling the emergency number "for a purpose other than obtaining public safety assistance," the affidavit states.
Glenn Reynolds and Megan Mcardle both come out as proponents of changing the age to legally party-down to 18. From WSJ:
I will make one policy proposal. Some of my fellow libertarians hope that the Obama administration will put an end to the drug war. I hope so too, but I'm not too optimistic. Instead, I propose a smaller step toward freedom -- eliminating the federally mandated drinking age of 21. This mandate was a creature of Elizabeth Dole (who is no longer in the Senate to complain at its abolition), and it has unnecessarily limited the freedom of legal adults, old enough to fight for their country, to drink adult beverages.Might be a tough battle, since the MADD nannies have already come out against even military members aged 18-21 drinking on bases. I suggest we start there, as one brave SC statesman has done against a sea of opposition by those who can't mind their own damn business. Then the seriously encroaching Reagan-era federal law that prevents Highway funds to states if the drinking age is below 21 could get nixed. After that, our puritan country could be in the clear to start treating people over 18 as adults like every other goddamn nation in the world.
The proportion of students who describe themselves as “middle-of-the-road” politically continues to decline, hitting an all-time low of 43.3 percent, while the proportion who describe themselves as liberal and far left grew to 31 and 3.2 percent, respectively. “This is the largest percentage of students categorizing themselves as liberal since 1973,” states the survey. The survey finds that 20.7 percent of freshmen characterize themselves as conservative, down slightly from 23.1 percent the year before.Unlike Obama's Keynesian economic beliefs of the power of "stimulus", a massive binge on Natural Ice will only fuck you up for one night instead of prolonging the pain and agony of a depression for 8 years. While the computer science nerds are sipping on their Obamaesque Pepsis, cooler college kids could be guzzling booze and talking about the collapse of the dollar under a Democrat-controlled congress...or just have unprotected sex, whatever. Is this shameless policy promotion to woo young people politically? You betcha!
The report finds increasing support among freshmen for liberal causes — including same-sex marriage. Support for environmental causes continues to grow.
Freshmen are also, apparently, partying less in high school. In 2008, 18.8 percent say they partied an average of six or more hours a week, half the 36.8 percent total in 1987.
You'd think these people had never worked for the government before, but the Obama staff is furious that the White House is using antiquated technology. From WaPo:
Two years after launching the most technologically savvy presidential campaign in history, Obama officials ran smack into the constraints of the federal bureaucracy yesterday, encountering a jumble of disconnected phone lines, old computer software, and security regulations forbidding outside e-mail accounts.Facebook at work, what the hell is that? Most government-issue computers take so long to load up a goddamn Word document you'd be better off writing a report in Ottoman-era calligraphy. And a PDF? Fuggedaboutit! It might load up when the administration's over. All you can do is sit around, yell at your computer screen, and curse the Senator's brother who has the lucrative tech contract to set up this jenky-assed system.
What does that mean in 21st-century terms? No Facebook to communicate with supporters. No outside e-mail log-ins. No instant messaging. Hard adjustments for a staff that helped sweep Obama to power through, among other things, relentless online social networking.
Finally got the short story I was working on done (with some editing help from Sisu). It's about an ex-marine driving from California to NYC in sort of a negative American dream type tone. I got the idea after seeing some Marines coming through Kuwait back in June 2007. I vowed to get it done within the month I got back from Iraq, but better late than never. It's about 30 pages single-spaced 12 pt, but it's broken up into chapters using the blogger format with embedded tunes! Figured it'd be a more interesting and convenient format than just pdf-in' the thing and emailing it around. Hope you enjoy it. Links are always appreciated!
Read it right here.
See Through the Lies
Provocative Liberal Photoshopping Maybe Be Out of VogueThe entire Whitehouse.gov website has been renovated to reflect our new President, Barack Obama. It is a thing of beauty and nearly brought tears to my eyes - again.Shit, this ain't North Korea, feel free to criticize once in awhile. And the only thing that should make you cry on the internet is 2 Girls, 1 Cup, only because available women shouldn't do such hideous acts. These sycophantic blegs are really advancing the cult of personality that The Obama somehow transcends criticism. He even tried to squash any muckraking during his inaugural speech [Reason]:
"What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them—that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply."Scared yet? But, at least Spencer Ackerman and David Weigel are explaining why they laughed at Wheelchair'd Cheney and booed Bush. And Wonkette had some funny pics of tourists leaving trash all over the place in DC. Maybe cynicism and snark aren't totally crushed yet, but give it a few months...
It Was Fun While it LastedThere is also no prohibition on blogs operated by individual members as private citizens. The DON recognizes the value of this communication channel in posting current information and supporting the morale of personnel, their family and friends. As long as personnel adhere to specific restrictions on content, the DON encourages the use of blogs and recognizes this free flow of information contributes to legitimate transparency of the DON to the American public whom we serve.Not sure what the reason was for Spinnaker deep-sixing his blog, but it's very possible that his XO wanted his musings to be a private affair. This Naval instruction does not necessarily prevent the command from doing what they see necessary. If you think military members have some inherent "right" to blog, well you've probably never been in the military.
Dorky White People at Inaugural Balls Should Be Reason Enough to Hate Hope, Change
The latest NY Times tripe on the military suggests that people only enlist for a steady cash flow during our recession. Certainly, the promise of a pay-check might tip the scales for some potential recruits in their decision-making process, but just joining the military for financial rewards is a pretty lousy idea. The pay scale for junior enlisted personnel is publicly available, and you can see that an individual would have a much better shot at bringing in the Benjamins if they opened up a roller-disco or something. But that doesn't stop the grey lady from propagating the myth that people only sign up to avoid financial ruin. From the NYT:
Sean D. O’Neil, a 22-year-old who stood shivering outside an Army recruitment office in St. Louis, said he was forgoing plans to become a guitar maker for now, realizing that instruments are seen as a luxury during a recession. Mr. O’Neil, a Texas native, ventured to St. Louis for an apprenticeship but found himself $30,000 in debt. Joining the Army, his Plan B, was a purely financial decision. With President-elect Barack Obama in office, he expects the troop levels in Iraq to be lowered.This type of reporting in the media leads society to believe that they should not respect the patriotism of the Armed Forces. Because they had "nowhere else to go", young Americans can feel "less guilty" that only a small percentage of folks have chosen to serve. Recruits come into the military for a variety of reasons, but it all becomes moot as everyone is familiarized into the military lifestyle and ethnic/class/political boundaries are broken down as everyone dons the same uniform.
Today, serving our country no longer simply means drop and give me 20, this is your rifle, defend this land we call home. National service is becoming a term used to define a much broader and equally passionate category of patriotism. This brand of patriotism is inclusive of a pure humanitarian effort guided by the simple virtue of the giving of oneself for the benefit of another in the name of the United States of America.I am grateful that our nation has some excellent humanitarian workers here and abroad, but Ashton Kutcher isn't exactly Mother Teresa. And his flippant attitude that the military is just about "give me 20" is an embarrassment. It's a sad state of affairs when our nation's cultural elite think driving a hybrid is on par with sacrifices made in the military, but it's the reality we face.
If any of you ever pondered what Grover Cleveland (America's 22nd and 24th president) looked like during an orgasm, then this website is definitely for you [44 presidents coming]. Don't worry, the Obama caricature is set to arrive on the site tomorrow.
The Military Times is reporting that one of the many inauguration events in D.C., this one called the "Veterans' Inaugural Ball", has been canceled ane no one can locate the sponsor who sold all the pricey tickets:
As of 1:30 p.m. Monday, the links on the foundation’s Web site where tickets were sold — at prices topping $385 apiece — no longer work.Dante Hayes is listed as the president of a "A Brighter Future Foundation" which advertises itself as follows:
The St. Regis referred questions about the canceled ball to a phone number they had for Hayes, whom they identified as the sponsor and promoter. No one returned voice mails left for the foundation...
A representative of one veterans’ group that initially had been working with Hayes said he does not know what happened.
“He had been selling tickets online, but there were some kind of problems that we understand are now being investigated,” said the representative, who asked to not be identified.
The ABF (A Brighter Future) Education Foundation is a newly constituted conservative research and educational institute focusing on public policy issues impacting African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and other ethnic people. Our overarching goal is to promote policy initiatives that will offer historically disenfranchised Americans the opportunity to share equally in the access to and pursuit of the "American Dream."Obviously, corruption isn't limited to any specific political ideology. Caveat Emptor.
Wonkette and Washington City Paper seem to think that Neo-Obama is the cheesiest Obama-related souvenir, but I think Nick Gillespie has them beat with the dancing Obama bear.
MSNBC talks about the feel-good vibes of politically-correct, eco-friendly rockstars jamming for Obama at a pre-inaug event:
"Despite the enormity of the task that lies ahead, I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure — that it will prevail, that the dream of our founders will live on in our time," the president-elect said at the conclusion of a musical extravaganza that featured U2, Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen and a host of other stars.Zzzz. I bet there was nary a beach ball nor a vixen flashing her tits at this event, despite the fact that Pro-Obama lefties are hailing this as a "New Woodstock". If only Metallica was there to play "Leper Messiah", that would've set a more truthful tone for the coming administration:
David Ignatius of WaPo heaps praise and talks about the Ambassador's experience in the Middle East. Small Wars Journal opines on the Ambassador to Iraq's service:
BTW - Ryan Crocker is an official SWJ hero too - the right man, in the right job, at the right time - it does not get any better than that folks.I disagree on one thing with SWJ. Because, our nation was very lucky to have such an experienced public servant leading diplomacy efforts during those extremely carnage-ridden months of early 2007. As a wise man once said, it's better to be lucky than good.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
The Democratic stimulus plan, Emanuel said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” “has got to be coupled with a serious attack about putting our fiscal house in order, and for too long that hasn’t happened.”Keep in mind this is the same guy who penned an Op-Ed for the NYT just last year entitled "Don't Get Rid of Earmarks" and works for an administration that has made promises to the American people they know they can't afford. The fundamental problem of our economy is that people are living beyond their means, and we continue to vote for politicians who promise shiny objects and an unsustainable standard of living. Yet, we continue to elect them...with whopping approval ratings! Once the glitz and glamor of the inauguration wears off our collective consciousness, I suspect we are going to be in for a very nasty wake-up call.
Is an Openly Gay Military a Policy That Should Go Back in the Closet?And where does it end? Where do we draw the moral line in the sand when it comes to acceptable behavior? How, as a First Sergeant, do I deal with a male Soldier who dresses like a female? Which uniform do I issue him/her? Does a transgendered Soldier get graded on the male APFT standards or the female APFT standards? Does he/she get to choose? If that is the case, everyone should get to choose. When it comes to grading the APFT, I can just suddenly decide I'm a woman for a day so that I get a higher score. When I do an in-ranks inspection, how do I deal with a male Soldier showing up in a skirt and pumps? Which latrine does he/she use? Where do I put them in the barracks? Can a transgendered female who became a male go into the Infantry Branch? Armor? Other areas that deny women to serve?I know CJ is LDS and strongly religious, which is very common in the military. Most active-duty personnel do not support ending DADT either. So, opponents of DADT need to understand the servicemembers' mentality before jumping in head first and labeling everyone bigots. And if they utilize the anti-Prop 8 tactics of beating people up and publishing their home addresses, they probably aren't going to do very well with that strategy either.
They say children emulate our behavior and are "teh future". And with a nation in the grips of the great bailout bonanza, it's no wonder that these short-changed youngsters are looking for everything from easy homework assignments to extra credit for "everything". From the NY Times "Letters to Obama" by schoolchildren:
These are the first 10 things you should do as president:I'm sure Mireya will have a prosperous career as a community organizer somewhere down the line. In the words of Rodney Dangerfield, "Now I know why tigers eat their young!"
1. Make everyone read books.
2. Don’t let teachers give kids hard homework.
3. Make a law where kids only get one page of homework per week.
4. Kids can go visit you whenever they want.
5. Make volunteer tutors get paid.
6. Let the tutors do all the thinking.
7. Make universities free.
8. Make students get extra credit for everything.
9. Give teachers raises.
10. If No. 4 is approved, let kids visit the Oval Office, but don’t make it boring.
— Mireya Perez, age 8, San Francisco
To not scare off the 71% of people that support Obama, I generally get my anti-messiah rage on over at the other blog. Drop by if you like to read (or leave menacing comments) about the inauguration being interrupted by sham-wow commercials, Brownshirts 2.0, and other brickbats.
Also, a new blog from a sub Junior Officer (my old community) has started up called Don't Call Me Sir, which I have high hopes for. There's some pretty solid blogging from senior officers about strategic Naval policy out there already. This is more to revel in the mountains of work controls paperwork, re-live 6 hours of standing watch in a box, and learn about what it's like to have your skin flake off while underway. Fun for the whole fam! I fear he might be subjugated by the "hoo-yah brigade" to write more "upbeat" musings about the submarine force, but I stand by the policy that if you're not pissing off someone with your blog, you're fucking up.
Interesting photo gallery of all things nuke-related at Photography Served. I picked this 1951 atomic warhead and gussied it up a little:
Sure, our economy might suck and our nation might be full of fat chicks, but at least we can still obliterate the world a thousand times over.
Above is the share price for Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) with the golden sacks of coins representing the feds giving Bank of America free taxpayer money. It was $10B on January 1 when they bought out Merrill Lynch and another $20B last night. Obviously, their stock is in the crapper, but let's see how it's thousands of employees are doing. From McClatchy:
Bank of America expects to shed as many as 35,000 jobs nationwide as the banking sector crisis deepens. One top-level executive, who'd been handed a pink slip Thursday, told McClatchy that morale is at rock bottom.Sounds like the shit has hit the fan so bad that people are either "finding Jesus" or about to swallow the cyanide pill. Seeing how I'm a Bank of America customer, time to go waste all my money at the casino before the bankruptcy courts can seize it (I ain't counting on the FDIC!). Gambling is a lot more fun than investing in the stock market because there's free drinks involved, a shitty band, and blinking lights abound. And, unlike the stock market these days, you might even win some money.
"It's terrible," said the executive, who asked that his name not be used because details of his departure were still being worked out. "Everyone is worried, from the lowest employee to the highest."
Would Alex P. Keaton Even Have a Framed Bush Photo?
One of the most ridiculous post-Obama election conspiracies was that the military was going to implement some sort of revolt against the new President-elect and implement a junta where liberal baby Alex would get drafted to die in Iraq...at the age of 2! I guess if you believe that the military is chocked full of neo-nazis in uniform, you'd believe anything. At least the 9/11 conspiracies had a barrage of slo-mo videos with smoke poofs to back up their allegations. Put down that tin foil hat and sleep comfortably folks, because the military is implementing plans for a 16-month withdrawal from Iraq in case The Obama wants to follow up on his campaign promise. From AP:
"Our military planners do not live in a vacuum," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said. "They are well aware that the president-elect campaigned on withdrawing (combat) troops from Iraq on a 16-month timeline, so it would be only prudent of them to draw up plans that reflected that option."Much of the military's credibility is based on following the orders of elected civilian leaders. Why would they have jeopardized that? Conspiracy theory suffers from the fact that there is some tight-knit cabal pulling the strings of the entire world. Anyone who's worked at any position for the federal government will understand that no one is that smart, and you'll be lucky if someone can figure out how to get the office printer to work.
The 16-month option, which would represent a speedier withdrawal of battle troops from Iraq than defense officials preferred, would be among a range of plans presented to Obama whenever he asks, Morrell said. Since that request could come as early as the afternoon of Inauguration Day on Tuesday, the plans will be ready then, Morrell said.
Pretty informative and no further comment necessary. Just read it at Culture11. Get up to speed on the issue the media and politicians refuse to talk about even while our Mexican neighbors might be heading towards failed state status.
Halle-freakin-lujah Maryland officials estimate preparation costs, including security personnel, will be about $12.6 million. Congressman Steny Hoyer says Maryland is excited to be so close to the festivities, but he says the state needs federal help to make up for costs associated with law enforcement, infrastructure and transportation. The delegation is urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make the money available through an expedited federal disaster declaration.I may come across as the "party-pooper" who takes a dump in the closet ruining the festive ambiance, but is this really what the country needs? Admiral Mullen canceled a fancy military gala back in November due to sensitivities to the shitty economy, which shows respect for the nation's plight. I understand that people are interested in watching history happen, but couldn't Obama broadcast the oath in front of green-screen full of eagles, flags, and fireworks in our digital age. Just seems like we're a nation in collective self-delusion.
We Got to Move These Color Teevees!
The legislation of the $825B Stimulus Plan proposed by the House Dems is available here, and for something easier on the eyes you can read the summary. It's not a BBQ of porky corruption like the bailout bill, but rather focuses on a smorgasbord of initiatives like renewable energy, base construction, national park maintenance, etc. Not that I'm particularly opposed to any of those items, but a billion here and a billion there really adds up over time! How long can we keep printing "money for nothing" in this country, the report tries to answer [pg 2]:
With passage of this bill, we will face a large deficit for years to come. Without it, those deficits will be devastating and we face the risk of economic chaos. Tough choices have been made in this legislation and fiscal discipline will demand more tough choices in years to come.So we're counting on the "fiscal discipline" of future lawmakers to prevent the economy from going tits up in the long-term? I'm sure you all are totally confident in that. Yikes!
If it weren't for quick-acting by the pilot and rescue crews, there would be 155 frozen corpses floating down the Hudson River right now. And it was all because of those rotten pests of the sky [AP]:
A US Airways pilot ditched his disabled jetliner into the frigid Hudson River on Thursday afternoon after a collision with a flock of birds apparently knocked out both engines, but officials said rescuers pulled all 155 people on board into boats as the plane sank.How much longer are we going to allow this feathered menace to, literally, shit all over the civilized world? Alfred Hitchcock warned us decades ago, and we have done little in our country to eradicate this threat.
This Blog Gives a Thumbs Up to Ending Don't Ask Don't Tell
Since so many people are doing the "Make your own Obamicon" that their server is on the verge of crashing, I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon too! Who better to get out a campaign message than deceased punk rocker GG Allin.
Code Pink Witchcraft Might Just be the BeginningBy alienating the silent majority, the current anti-war movement has dealt itself a bad hand that essentially diminished its credibility.No doubt, John will be accused of being some kind of "Rovian Agent" or part of some neo-con cabal for his moderate and rational piece. Perhaps, he understands that when the Democrats are in power, people looking to take down this country through "revolution" became that much more crazy. The savage violence of the DNC protests of '68, 2000, and the "Battle of Seattle" in '99 were all during Democratic administrations. Something about the far left getting completely unhinged when "their guy" isn't espousing the policies of Leon Trotsky. We're already starting to see signs of this in Obama's world, and it's probably going to get a whole lot worse since Obama has advocated a centrist approach to foreign policy. Watch your back, folks.
In a democracy, strength is in numbers. This anti-establishment and absolutist view of the political process is likely to be the real cause of their implosion.
As someone who's been fighting for years for an end to the war in Iraq, I find this tragic because we need the voices of millions to put pressure on our elected officials to end the conflict and fix the many problems facing our country. But those voices have to be credible to be taken seriously, and circus acts never are.
So, Zombie Osama had some wisdom to share with the Western world in the wake of the Israeli-Gaza offensive [Today]:
In his first recorded message in eight months, aimed at harnessing anger in the Middle East over the attack, Osama condemned Arab governments for their response and urged Muslims to launch a holy war against Israel.Hmm. Pretty much the stock answer Osama has for everything. Two years ago he urged war against the Zionist Crusaders to play on worldwide tensions. The guy's just like a broken record of ABBA's "Waterloo" trying to predict the demise of Western civilization, except more annoying and not funny.
What Recession!?!The problem is that, save for the tech corridor in D.C.'s Virginia exurbs, the Washington Metro area doesn't actually produce anything. Washington doesn't create wealth, it just moves it around—redistributes it. As government grows and takes control of more and more of the private economy—either through spending, regulation, or taxes—more and more wealth that's created elsewhere comes to Washington to be devoured.I understand when politicians talk about needing to buckle down during tough times. But they could at least try to show the slightest hint of leadership by not doing things like allowing an exorbitant pay raise while everyone else is barely getting by. There may be some subtle signs that greed and corruption are a part of our federal government. Who would've thought...
The Washington wealth boom is the result of the massive expansion in government over the last 10 years, which has populated the region with an increase in well-paid federal employees, and wealthy federal contractors and lobbyists.
For some reason, this article in Military Times brought up some vivid memories:
But thanks to modern technology, as many as 50,000 service members deployed to the most remote and rugged locations — think the mountains of Afghanistan, or a submerged submarine — also will be able to catch the big game.So there we were in 2006 on some underway doing a bunch of exercises and inspections to get ready for a fun-filled deployment of more time at sea. We were able to somehow get the Super Bowl onboard (which kept getting knocked off the broadcast because submarine comms are notoriously shoddy). I was on watch, which didn't matter because I'm not the world's biggest sports fan, and our Supply Officer each hooked us up with, not just one, but two alcohol-free beers! I remember how awesome I thought this was at the time. This was shortly followed by a sudden epiphany that I either need to 1) end my life or 2) get a new life. yvaN ehT nioJ!
Family Portrait From the County Joint Holland Township Police Chief David van Gilson told LehighValleyOnline.com that he didn't know why the children were taken, but added that his office had not received any complaints of abuse.
The family made national headlines last year when a cakemaker refused to add the boy's name to a cake.
Modern veteran culture is something I take special interest in, because there's not that many of us out there and I consider it a decent group of people to try and form a network with to share experiences. I also will probably need to borrow money someday. Anyways, it's really tough to nail down that elusive "homecoming" experience of when you come back from a combat zone, especially when there are very few cultural mediums (movies, art) that even come close to expressing the reality. I've always looked for that voice of our generation to tell the world how it is. Old Blue once had a decent post about the malaise that follows a deployment, GI Kate does an excellent job of explaining what it's like for lovelorn female vets, a blogger you all know (who shall not be named) goes for the jugular of Washington elites for dissing vets, and Paul Reickhoff wrote about his desire to become more involved with politics in Chasing Ghosts. There are many more vets that have had excellent narratives about "what it's like", but I think Joe has successfully summarized a broad sentiment possessed in just a few quick sentences.
I was talking with BT and as much as I love to hate the Army, I hate civilian life more. It's very mundane and I can't stand most of the people I interact with in public. People here are just douchebags.Bravo, Joe!
Political journalist David Weigel takes a gander at new ideas for conservatives and links to possible populist uprising on the right. From RCP:
With the recession forecast to deepen throughout this year, we are going to learn more about how crooked, or at least unethical, corporate and financial bigs drove this country to near-ruin with their reckless avarice. Because of this crisis, President-elect Barack Obama warned last week that the nation faces "trillion-dollar deficits for years to come."I agree! The conspiracy between big Wall Street banks and the federal government to totally fleece the American people with this bailout crap would have made Mr. Burns blush. Of course we don't even know which corporations are slurping at the public troff. This is kind of what was decent about Ron Paul who advocated (*gasp*) balancing the budget and stopping the endless printing of money by the Fed. The blimp was merely a bonus.
As Michael Lewis and David Einhorn recently explained in a New York Times column, we got to this terrible place through a political system that served the Wall Street elite at the expense of ordinary people.
He thinks America ought to keep its nose out of other countries' business. He believes that the tax code ought to be restructured to favor families and companies that stay put instead of moving offshore. But most of all, he says, neo-populists of the right have to fight the concentration of both corporate and government power.Failed states provide a haven for transnational extremists to wage their war on civilization. I don't think we can just turn a blind eye, wall off our borders, and hope for the best. The point about tax codes favoring "families" is another form of trying to woo votes that results in social engineering of American culture. The tax laws to write off mortgage debt has had the indirect consequence of littering our country with shitty cookie-cutter homes and partially contributed to the financial apocalypse. Some good ideas here, but I ain't buying just yet.
Here's a bit of good news for a soon to be unemployed Navy nuke guy like myself and a country that is in desperate need of an electrical infrastructure makeover. Obama's incoming energy secretary is a nuclear nerd. From Politico:
The Nobel Prize-winning physicist told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee during his confirmation hearing that he’d help streamline nuclear loan guarantees that would help the industry construct several new plants to produce low-emission energy and would push the Energy Department to examine options for recycling nuclear waste.While counting on government subsidies is hardly a valid business model, if cap and trade were imposed or a gas tax, that some prominent conservatives are supporting, nuke power would be much more economically viable. Obama has hinted that he supports splittin' atoms before, but has waffled on what to do with nuke waste. I suggest dumping it at Al Gore's house..."for the children", or if his house unavailable going with the Yucca Mountain option. Either way it's good to see the administration at least paying lip service to new power plant / grid construction. However, expect most of the opposition to come from NIMBY types that expect all the benefits of living in modern civilization without any of the "eyesores".
“I’m supportive of the fact that the nuclear industry should have to be part of energy mix in this century,” Chu said. “And recycling [nuclear waste] in the long term can be part of the solution.”
Anyone else get those weird internet ads in their feed? Here's a screenshot of my google reader for Michelle Malkin's site, and right below her post about chintzy Obama gear is an ad:
Somehow, I think the average Malkin reader wouldn't be interested in Obama commemorative plates. Perhaps it's a conspiracy?
WaPo from the front lines of the war on Islamic extremism in Pakistan:
Afghan and Pakistani officers at the center were barred from talking to a reporter during a recent visit. But a glance around the room showed several of them primarily engaged in watching a wrestling match on one of the big TV screens and playing computer solitaire.D'oh! Well at least they weren't smoking weed. Getting more professional by the day!
Much to the dismay of some surly commenters, I've been overtly sympathetic towards Joe before. Primarily, because I felt he was the innocent victim of a smear campaign propagated by Obama supporters for asking a valid question, which I considered a subversion of democracy. But for reasons beyond our comprehension, the plumber is reporting on the Israeli-Gaza conflict for PJTV.
I'm a fan of independent war correspondents (David Axe, Michael Totten, and Zoriah to name a few) and, as a Z-list blogger, I'm also a fan of average schmucks ranting and raving about their political views. But Joe talking about the media's purpose is classic conservative boneheadedness and proves that this whole stunt is as cornball as Screech making amateur porn. Vetvoice has what he said in this video:
You know, I liked back in World War I and World War II when you'd go to the theater and you'd see your troops on, you know, the screen and everyone would be real excited and happy for'em. Now everyone's got an opinion and wants to downer--and down soldiers. You know, American soldiers or Israeli soldiers. I think media should be abolished from, uh, you know, reporting. You know, war is hell.First off, the modern anti-terror conflicts are nothing like WWI or WWII, which was a massive war between industrialized nations, and thinking like this shows a serious lack of understanding for the reality he is supposed to be covering. Second, the politically-toned coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan based on American politics, that Joe indirectly advocates, has made the media coverage so lousy. That's why Al-Jazeera English has some of the best credibility and American media can't get beyond looking like a 527 for whichever political party they're pulling for. Joe makes the error of saying that the media should be shilling for our government without thinking about how world opinion would view this significant lack of credibility. Turning moderates in troubled areas away from terrorism depends on our message being clear and truthful, and outright propaganda will be picked apart as bogus faster than Ashley Todd on Wonkette.
Finally, Joe is advocating a 1940's media strategy for wars that are being fought in the 21st Century. We can't roll back the mass access to print, television, the Internet, cell phones, etc. and push the news on grainy films at the theater.
The real irony here is that PJTV, a 21st Century, Internet-based news organization is sending a reporter--who doesn't want reporters to report on war--to report on a war. And apparently Joe would love to return to the days when the news was influenced by the government and seen at the theater.
I'm a product of Navy OCS, but all the military readers can probably relate to the similarities of any boot camp-type environment. Drill instructors built like brick shithouses, getting yelled at incessantly for not having your rack (navyspeak for bed) with proper "hospital corners", and getting PT'd to torturous extents day and night. I think one of my buddies I was going through with lost all his toe nails from all the running and marching we did. No joke, losing 40-50 lbs at these places is not uncommon. So it's very surprising that the Army is having to institute some pre-training "fat farm" for all the hefty recruits signing up. From AP:
The Army has been dismissing so many overweight applicants that its top recruiter, trying to keep troop numbers up in wartime, is considering starting a fat farm to transform chubby trainees into svelte soldiers.The whole point of military indoctrination is to fill out a bunch of paperwork to follow you around the rest of your time in the service, to lose the shit attitude you had in your civilian life (mine came back when I started blogging), and to get in shape. It's pretty sad that people are so obese that not even Basic Combat Training will save their fat ass. Ed Morrisey views at as a sign that we are failing our children by dumbing down Physical Education in our high schools. Or, maybe it's a sign that America is just too damn fat.
Maj. Gen. Thomas Bostick, head of the Army Recruiting Command, said he wants to see a formal diet and fitness regimen running alongside a new school at Fort Jackson that helps aspiring troops earn their GEDs.
With Your Kind Donation, This Little Shit Can Get a Free Ride to CollegeThird Way’s new proposal, by contrast, is a repackaging of this old idea from their outfit:Families earning up to $200,000 should receive a generous new college tuition tax cut in the form of a $5,000 credit toward the costs of college tuition, fees and books.Compared to proposals from Obama and from the DLC, this is more generous to relatively prosperous families, but does nothing for more economically struggling families.
I'm not saying everyone who is a bit skeptical of "Operation Cast Lead" is an anti-Semitic peace thug, but these Bay Area people make a pretty good case otherwise. Much more at Zombietime.
Seeing how Jewish businesses were one of the first victims of the Nazi regime when the Sturmabteilung began smashing their windows, I would recommend that the commie Santa Claus pictured above choose a different way to get his message across.
So much for the theory on newfound patriotism under Obama. Let's keep cheering on Iranian-funded terrorist groups!
So, Paulson, Where's My $700 Billion DollarsFOX Business Network (FBN) filed a lawsuit against the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Fed”) over its failure to release information requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), announced Kevin Magee, Executive Vice President, FOX News.Damn media. Why would the public want to know how the first $350 Billion dollars in an extremely controversial program was spent?
The initial request to the Fed, filed on November 10, 2008, sought the identification of the financial institutions receiving funds and an accounting of the collateral provided by these financial institutions between August 2007 and November 2008. In a second FOIA request, filed on November 18, 2008, FBN sought expedited processing and requested a list of financial institutions that have received lending from the Fed’s programs, the amounts borrowed and collateral pledged by each institution for the months of September and October of 2008, as well as the amount of collateral held by the Fed by close of business on November 14, 2008.
In making the announcement Magee said, “As a news organization, we believe in the public’s right to know and will continue in our quest to hold the government accountable for their actions on the allocation of the bailout funds.”
Look who the ACLU is supporting. Read about it at C.H.U.D. Busters, the blog I always forget to update.
Great. While the suits on Wall Street who ruined our economy are getting bailed out to continue their lives of luxury, working-class Americans may be getting extorted for even more cash from Uncle Sam. From Americans for Tax Reform:
Most "progressives" will jump onboard with this idea because it's a tax incentive to promote "public health" or some nonsense. Well, yuppie culture is contributing to the wussification of America, and I don't hear anyone in Congress talking about slapping yoga mats with an excise tax to fund S-CHIP. Quitting smoking is no fun either (as I'm learning from personal experience). It makes you act like an idiot and withdrawal can even make you lash out unexpectedly (e.g. at the hospital staff in Bremerton). Is this the type of behavior we are trying to promote?WASHINGTON, D.C. – The 111th Congress is less than a week old, and already the first tax increase has been put on the table.
What:
A 61 cents per pack, or 156 percent, increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes
to fund a proposed $35 billion expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance
Program (S-CHIP).Who Will Be Burdened?
The middle- and low-income Americans they said they will not raise taxes on:
- 55 percent of smokers are “working poor”
- One in four smokers live below the poverty line
- On average, smokers, whose median income is a little more than $36,000, make about 30 percent less than non-smokers.
From Al-Jazeera English:
The pirates were among eight men whose boat overturned off the coast of Kenya in a storm as they left the Sirius Star following a two-month standoff that ended on Friday, a pirate and a relative of one of the dead men said.Mmmm, I wonder if they taste like chicken.
"Six of our boys perished at the sea while coming from the released Saudi supertanker," Mohamed Said told the AFP news agency.
"The small boat that was carrying those killed and eight who survived was overloaded and at high speed, we have been told by the survivors.
"They were afraid of a chase from outsiders [foreign naval forces] who invaded Somalia waters," he said.
The group's $300,000 share of the ransom was also lost, he said.
Hollywood War Movies of the Last 5 YearsHmm, we’ve never heard of any Hollywood movie about American soldiers raping people “in the War,” at least not off the top of our headsI think the Big H was talking about Brian De Palma's epic flop, Redacted, but you can't fault Wonkette for not hearing of it since only about 20 people saw this cinematic abortion. I humbly believe that a good anti-war movie could be made by Hollyweird, simply because Born on the 4th of July is one of my faves. Generation Kill wasn't bad, but we're going to have to wait on a good Iraq/Afghanistan movie until the whole BDS phenomenon cools off. Preachy directors just try to cram too much political calculus and anti-war propaganda down our throats to actually develop a decent story.
The LA Times discusses the campaigns for the upcoming provincial elections in Iraq (h/t Mudville):
After shaking Khazaali's hand, Mohammed Saleh Faiz, 33, said, "I respect the way this candidate is campaigning. He is now living among the people. They can ask him about himself or his political program. We rarely see such frankness and transparency among the politicians."Welcome to the culture of democracy, Iraq: annoying door to door campaignsters, weird buttons flooding the lapels of overzealous citizens everywhere, and sheisty promises from politicians. If someone made a great campaign ad, like Zainab below, they'd be elected routinely for years to come (thx CDR S for vid).
Khazaali, 45, has also mobilized young people. Many on his campaign team are enthusiastic university students or recent graduates. They've taken his message door to door and have "no fear like old men," he said.
From the department of sore losers comes Middle East commentator and UofM prof, Juan Cole. After becoming enraged that the 2008 Weblog Award for Best Middle East blog was "dominated by neocons" and "must have been orchestrated", some bloggers rightfully considered an "Anyone But Cole" campaign for the prestigious award. Juan Cole has since altered his whiny post to make himself appear the victim of bloggin' bullies, but Sandbox has the original post (damn print screen key).
Michael Totten, who does actual independent journalism in combat zones instead of armchair speculation, has taken the lead by over 5,000 votes. Instead of gracefully congratulating Mr. Totten, Juan Cole has a lengthy post accusing him of being nothing more than a Rovian agent. That's probably a little bit of an exaggeration, since "thug neocons" tend to not write "A Defense of Barack Obama" and usually don't hail from Portland, Oregon (as Totten does). Cole explains Totten's agenda:
So that's how you do it. 1) You assassinate the character of your opponent. 2) You make his correct statements into a liability by propagandizing that they are false or unpatriotic. And 3) you mobilize a base of single-issue true believers that you can depend on to dominate the discourse because most people don't care and are not invested.A bit ironic, as Juan Cole was the one who compared Sarah Palin to terrorists only 4 months ago. I can assure you my hatred of Juan Cole has nothing to do with a cabal-like agenda to denigrate his political views. It's simply my dislike of pompous jackasses.
Troublemakers Converge on OaklandThe mob smashed the windows at Creative African Braids on 14th Street, and a woman walked out of the shop holding a baby in her arms.Dear God, rampant property destruction is the last thing California needs, since the state is teetering on the abyss of bankruptcy. The LA Riots in 1992 cost about $1 Billion in damage and over 50 lives, perhaps we are forgetting the painful lessons of history. But don't expect agitators to stop brainwashing impressionable youth by whipping them up in a frenzy of anti-establishment hysteria. This pic from Oakland is very disturbing:
"This is our business," shouted Leemu Topka, the black owner of the salon she started four years ago. "This is our shop. This is what you call a protest?"
Wednesday night's vandalism victims had nothing to do with the shooting death by a BART police officer of Oscar Grant on New Year's Day - but that did little to sway the mob.
"I feel like the night is going great," said Nia Sykes, 24, of San Francisco, one of the demonstrators. "I feel like Oakland should make some noise. This is how we need to fight back. It's for the murder of a black male."
Sykes, who is black, had little sympathy for the owner of Creative African Braids.
"She should be glad she just lost her business and not her life," Sykes said. She added that she did have one worry for the night: "I just hope nobody gets shot or killed."
Hey Boss, I Might Be a Bit LateLt. Gov. Brad Owen declared a state of emergency Thursday as many Western Washington rivers spewed over their banks at record levels, flooding homes and causing a traffic nightmare on major freeways.
Washington State Department of Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said floodwaters over I-5 near are expected to crest at about 10 p.m. Thursday night and it would likely be three more days until Southwest Washington's sole north/south freeway is reopened.
Elvis, wherever he may be, is probably the most influential individual on American music. The Ramones, Jimi Hendrix, and Black Sabbath might be incredibly influential as well, but no one tops the king. Luckily, my mother's birthday falls on the same day as Elvis' so we never forget about her. Happy B-day, Moms!
A concise synopsis of the 1984 classic Karate Kid. The 5 second version of The Matrix isn't bad either.
What a disgrace. Due to a "software error", the Army sent out letters to the families of soldiers KIA all addressed as "Dear John Doe". The Chief of Staff of the Army has already publicly apologized. LA Times:
In December, the Army sent out 7,000 letters to the families of most of the 3,544 soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 containing information about services or gifts for which they might be eligible.What's odd is the Army won't release the name of the contractor, but I hope they lose out on their next bid due to this short-sightedness. Of course, this was less egregious than when the Army sent IRR mobilization notices to the homes of dead soldiers.
Although the envelopes were properly addressed, a software problem resulted in an error that printed the salutation "Dear John Doe" at the top of the letters, which were printed by a private contractor.
IHT has an interesting article (thx b5) out of the East Bay exploring the phenomenon that was very apparent on election night: a new-found patriotism for some Americans. It discusses how many liberals are now not so embarrassed to sport American flags and might even learn the words to the Star-Spangled Banner. Maybe this is a good thing. One of my biggest dislikes of the American left is not for their criticism of lousy government policy, but rather their open sympathies towards enemies of American ideals. During the Bush years, we have been treated to a host of American celebrities schmoozing with Venezuela's thug-in-chief, a consistent misrepresentation of events in Iraq to make America look worse than it was, and even many pro-terrorist type festivities that persist to this day. These are examples of a radical element of the left, and, likewise, there are a large number of knuckleheads on the right reading The Turner Diaries as gospel and jerking off to outrageous government conspiracies. But, I have been incredibly disapointed by the mainstream left's inability to ostracize these blatantly anti-American elements from cultural influence.
So, maybe the newfound patriotism can end this corrosive element of politics that actively seeks to take down America by aligning with her enemies. We are lucky to live in a nation that was founded on a set of principles by some very intelligent people instead of just whatever warlord happened to rise to power. But, like Benjamin Franklin said, we're "a republic if you can keep it..."
No way! Obama takes on the geezer lobby. From AP:
Pointing with concern to "red ink as far as the eye can see," President-elect Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to tackle out-of-control Social Security and Medicare spending and named a special watchdog to clamp down on other federal programs — even as he campaigned anew to spend the largest pile of taxpayer money in history to revive the sinking economy.Best of luck, sir, the grey panthers at the most powerful lobby in Washington (the AARP) will probably want your kneecaps broken. But with Social Security and Medicare having a combined expense of well over $1T for FY09, it seems like a good place to start to pull the federal deficit out of the shits.
The steepness of the fiscal mountain he'll face beginning Jan. 20 was underscored by stunning new figures: an estimate that the federal budget deficit will reach $1.2 trillion this year, by far the biggest ever, even without the new stimulus spending.
Clever Plots Involving Double-Sausage Pizzas Need Federal AssistanceReeling from the success of the free Internet porn business, the adult entertainment industry should get a $5 billion piece of the government's $700 billion bailout fund, says Joe Francis, chief executive officer of the production company that produces the popular "Girls Gone Wild" video series.The pornography industry has survived unhinged attacks from feministas and religious types who can't mind their own business claiming it would result in more sexual assault against women. Actually, rape has been declining since the early 90s in America, and that was long before porn became ever more ubiquitous. The only reason the porn industry is doing this is a nutty publicity stunt, which Larry Flynt has been prone to do in the past. I'm anti-bailout; but, I'd rather the porn industry get a bailout than the banks. At least San Fernando Jones and the Temple of Poon is providing a valuable public service and never tried to foist a shady sub-prime loan on me.
He's sending letters to California congressman Henry Waxman (his local representative), Massachusetts' Barney Frank (the head of the House of Representatives' Financial Services Committee) and the U.S. Treasury Department asking for assistance. His argument: the last thing California needs is another economic crisis to hit when it is trying to climb out of the real estate crash. The porn industry calls the San Fernando Valley its home.
We Are the Mediocre Presidents!To illustrate this we are putting together a video that will symbolize that we are all stakeholders -- all being inaugurated on January 20th -- by having people from across America send us video of themselves taking the presidential oath of office: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."Being in the military, I understand the need for patriotism and public service that Arianna sorta advocates, but the concept that Obama is here to elevate everyone to his level of leadership is frightening. Maybe it's my time in an institution with a very strict "chain-o'-command" hierarchy, but you don't want a multitude of leaders not educated for the job. Sometimes, when the shit hits the fan, you're pretty glad you aren't the guy in charge, and just hope that the guy (or gal) that is knows what the fuck they are doing based on their experience and competence. A virtual army of would-be Presidents with "great ideas" is not what a constitutional Republic is about, but it certainly does bring up images of an angry mob of power-hungry loons. The scary part is Obama, during his victory speech in November, sounded like he actually believed this crap.
Possible New Uniform for USMC After Sweeping Budget Cuts for the DoDSo you'd think that this would be the ideal time to rethink our global military strategy and look for some savings in the defense area. I'm not talking radical disarmament, but I don't mean just canceling gold-plated programs like the F-22 or abandoning the chimaera of national missile defense. If America has to tighten its belt, shouldn't that include DOD?The DoD FY2009 budget is massive, indeed, but it includes things like $41.6B for military health, $107.8B in pay for active duty and reserves, etc. Anyone who's been on a base knows that it's not exactly an example of government largesse run amok. Most of the facilities look like a Stalin-era cement plant built in 1946 Romania. Messing with military health is another bad idea. The federal government is obligated to take care of active-duty members and their families, and the way with which the Foreign Policy post treats veterans as just another voting bloc is boneheaded. It's no secret that military personnel have some stressful gigs, and I've never seen so many gray-haired people in their 30s than senior enlisted guys, so maintaining adequate health is critical for having a military able to carry out its job. That's why it's a bit of shock (er, maybe not) to see the Congressional Budget Office looking to make some serious cuts on military health by imposing new TriCare fees. From Stars and Stripes (thx TSO):
A new report from the Congressional Budget Office shows why some military retirees and veterans could face higher out-of-pocket costs if the Obama administration and Congress take bold moves to reform the U.S. health system and to make federal health programs more efficient.Jonn Lilyea scolds us whippersnappers who have only served under Bush that a Democrat administration will mean troops on foodstamps, or something to that effect, like during the Clinton days. I certainly hope not. The military is a public service operating directly under provisions of the Constitution and not some voting bloc to be toyed with by threatening to cut benefits that aren't anything spectacular or lavish in the first place. While "trimming the fat" might be necessary during these tough times, just realize that they aren't just scrapping wizbang gizmotrons when you hear Defense Budget cuts.
Among 115 “options” presented, though not endorsed, in the CBO report, several focus on raising Tricare out-of-pocket costs for retirees and one targets families. Others would tighten access to VA hospitals and clinics, or raise VA health fees, for veterans with no service-connected conditions.
If for some strange reason you enjoy reading this humble blog, then you're probably as obsessed with movies, politics, and jokes in poor taste as I am. That's why Andrew Breitbart's new project "Big Hollywood" is an interesting new internet hangout for a blogosphere that is being rapidly taken over by pointy-headed think-tank nerds from DC.
The site got launched today, and it's already got one of my favorite celebrities, Greg Gutfeld, discussing in his usual satire how Pink Floyd incited an anti-communist revolution with The Wall. It is also has a lengthy rant against liberalism from actor Gary Graham. Who is this Graham you ask yourself? Oh, he was just in a little-known movie called Robot Jox, quite possibly the greatest movie evah!
Anyways, here's what he had to say:
I don’t want to get along with the Left. I want to take them down. I want to expose their idiocy for what it is and reveal it as a harmful, dangerous succession of lies and deceptions. My friends say that that effort, aside from being fruitless, will cost me work. It will cost me my career. And I say Wait-a-minute, Bucko. Those folks who founded this country were willing to risk not only their careers, but their property, their families, their very lives…the least I can do in standing up for our precious freedoms is risk a silly television career. Not to compare myself with the brilliant thinkers who declared themselves independent of England and framed our Constitution…but those were some pretty pissed off dudes too. Compared to that, loss of a little TV or movie work seems pretty inconsequential. So in honor of Pissed Off Americans past and present, I rant.Not very subtle, but it's a nice change of pace from the usual anti-American rabble you hear from Hollywood snobs. Consider me in the tank for the Big H!
From the Smoking Gun:
a skier at Colorado's ritzy Vail resort was left dangling upside down and pantsless from a chairlift last Thursday morning. The January 1 mishap apparently occurred after the male skier, 48, and a child boarded a high-speed lift in Vail's Blue Sky Basin. It appears that the chairlift's fold-down seat was somehow not in the lowered position, which caused the man to partially fall through the resulting gap. His right ski got jammed in the ascending chairlift, and that kept him upended since his boot never dislodged from its binding.Just a bit embarrassing. I wonder if the good folks at the Vail resort gave the gentleman a refund on his lift ticket.
The Taliban has long exaggerated its military successes, but its figures for 2008 may be the militia's most startling claims yet.And they even get into their tactical successes, which would be hard to confirm since they use the "fight n' flee" method:
The Taliban claims its forces last year killed 5,220 foreign troops, downed 31 aircraft, destroyed 2,818 NATO and Afghan vehicles and killed 7,552 Afghan soldiers and police.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, stood by the militia's numbers in a telephone interview Monday, saying that its fighters film every operation and verify the tolls.Well, I guess if Zabiullah Mujahid said it's exactly 2,818 vehicles, then it's gotta be true!
"The numbers I have given to you, that is counted one by one," he said. "When we say there are 2,818 vehicles destroyed, that is a correct number. Why aren't we saying 2,820? Because we have reports of 2,818."
U.S. prosecutors yesterday asked a federal judge to revoke Madoff’s bail because he violated the freeze. U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Ellis asked for legal briefs by Jan. 7 from the government and from Madoff, who remains free in his Manhattan apartment on a $10 million bond.What a scumbag. It's bad enough that he swindled money that was supposed to go to children's charities, human rights campaigns, the Little Lebowski Urban Achievers, etc., but now he's trying to save his own luxury items. What an ass.
Madoff mailed five packages of items, including “some very valuable jewelry,” after his assets were frozen by a judge in a related civil lawsuit, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Litt in court yesterday.
To hell with politics, wit, and intellectual discussion, blogging is primarily for the purpose of elevating your delusional visions of self-celebrity to compensate for shortcomings in your dreary "real life". That's why it's great to see a web tool like Typealyzer, which analyzes the "personality of your blog". LT Nixon Rants and The Obacalypse are both considered "The Mechanics", which is defined as:
The independent and problem-solving type. They are especially attuned to the demands of the moment are masters of responding to challenges that arise spontaneously. They generally prefer to think things out for themselves and often avoid inter-personal conflicts.I prefer to write ill-informed commentary about current events, so I guess that's where I get that label. It's truly an honor, since "The Mechanix" was Metallica's little known precursor to "The Four Horsemen", which is one of the greatest metal songs of all time (listen below):
The active and playful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.I dunno, sounds a little "fruity" if you ask me. When do they start singing showtunes? Anyways, what blog type are youse guys and gals?
A quick correction is in order. On Saturday, during an agonizing portion of nicotine withdrawal (that's my excuse, what's yours?), I linked to a LiveLeak video of dead Palestinian children that was reportedly the result of an Israeli airstrike on Gaza 1 Jan 2009. It turns out that this was 2005 footage of a Hamas parade where they accidentally blew themselves up or something. Volokh Conspiracy has the details (h/t Eric for the link) . Whoever thought that something on the internet could be wrong!?! What a shit world.
Why is this man trying to kill us all?Vice-president-elect Joe Biden likened the country’s economic crisis to the attacks of 9/11 Monday in a private meeting on Capitol Hill.Since the meeting was private, the article is a bit terse on who will be the targets in this new begotten battlefield. Will it be gubernatorial boobs, like The Governator, who ruined their state's economy through irresponsible fiscal spending? Will it be sheisty banks that offered shady loans and made off like bandits during the housing bubble? Or will it be the emerging American tendency to saddle yourself so badly with debt that, in the old days, you would have gotten your legs broken on more than one occasion by the neighborhood loan shark.
“We’re at war,” Biden told congressional leaders of both parties during their sit-down with Barack Obama in the Capitol, according to two sources familiar with the exchange.
It’s not the first time the vice-president-elect has used stark language to underscore the perilous state of the economy. In an interview last month on ABC’s “This Week,” Biden said that a stimulus package was needed to keep the economy from “absolutely tanking.”
How eerie is that?
Jonn mentioned that Obama's pick to head up the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, seems to be a bit lacking in spook experience:
With a war raging across the globe, do we really need a poltician with no intelligence experience running our intelligence service? A guy who is going to consider the political impact of every decision instead of the welfare of the nation and the American? And where's this damn change we were promised?But you are wrong, dear sir, because it turns out that Panetta actually has some experience with the CIA during the Clintonian years. RedState digs up something at the CIA website:
Woolsey also used DOD as an ally in preparing and defending the Intelligence Community’s program and budget. Leon Panetta, the Clinton administration’s first director of OMB, had indicated to Woolsey early in 1993 that OMB was considering providing the DCI with top-line guidance, perhaps with a publicly disclosed figure, and seeking sizable out-year cuts in intelligence spending. Woolsey also faced skeptical audiences in Congress anxious to find an additional “peace dividend” in intelligence spending as well as in the larger defense budget. From Woolsey’s perspective, he had the unenviable task of managing declining intelligence budgets in an era of multiplying intelligence targets (the “poisonous snakes”)We all know what effect dumbing down the nation's intelligence apparatus had on our country. Two embassy bombings, a suicide attack on one of our ships, and a 9/11 later, the conventional wisdom is that intelligence funding shouldn't have been the first item on the chopping block for federal spending.
1st-Prize Blogs for 2008Israeli tanks and infantry entered Gaza after nightfall Saturday, launching a ground offensive that the military said would be a "lengthy operation" in a widening war on Gaza's Hamas rulers.Due to Hamas hiding amongst civilians, the "collateral damage" of Gaza civilians was incredibly disturbing, as this graphic LiveLeak video will show. Kids with their legs blown off, people screaming in pain as their intestines fall out of their body, and the other pleasant aspects of conflict. Ground occupation would allow better intelligence and thereby less civilians casualties (as was seen when the Iraqi Army went into Sadr City in May), but it could also anger Palestinians and the surrounding region into sparking a prolonged period of mass violence resulting in more death and despair. I fear the latter.
Heavy gun battles were reported as Israeli tanks and infantry soldiers entered Gaza after dark. The forces stayed close to the border area, witnesses said. Heavy artillery fire hit east of Gaza City in areas where Hamas fighters were deployed.
"We have many, many targets," Israeli military spokeswoman Maj. Avital Leibovich told CNN, adding that Hamas has been digging smuggling tunnels and other facilities. "To my estimation, it will be a lengthy operation," she said.
She said the goal of the operation was to take over the areas used by militants to launch rockets against Israel.
"This label will arm consumers with the information they need to choose a vehicle that saves gas, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps fight smog all at once," said ARB Chairman Mary Nichols. "Consumer choice is an especially powerful tool in our fight against climate change."Real change in CO2 emission policy would be developing transit infrastructure which is woefully inadequate in Los Angeles, the second biggest city in America where traffic is a baffling ordeal. Instead, the state has chosen to waste money on a program that has negligible value while the state budget reaches a disastrous deficit and teeters on bankruptcy. No wonder California is fast becoming the "get packing" state for businesses.
If fire hoses work on Greenpeace and hippie protesters, I suppose it would work on pirates too. A Greek oil tanker chased off some Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. From AP:
Crewmen fired high pressure water jets to fight off heavily armed Somali pirates trying to board a Greek oil tanker in the dangerous Gulf of Aden on Friday in the fourth such attack since the start of the year, authorities said.A strong statement on the ability of maritime self-defense while these pirates continue to make a laughing stock out of international shipping and worldwide Navies. The USNI blog had some cheap ideas on how to effectively combat this menace, and I hope someone from 5th Fleet was paying attention.
The pirates in three speedboats and armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades twice tried to board the Greek-flagged Kriti Episkopi but were scared off when the crew turned fire hoses on them and EU aircraft scrambled from a nearby EU naval flotilla to help, company and Greek government officials said.
James Blanning Pictured With Awesomely Oversized GlassesTAKE THIS SHEET AND THE WHITE BOX TO THE ACTING HEAD TELLER. THE OTHER THREE ASPEN BANKS ARE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING THIS ONE IS AND THIS IS AS MUCH A SUICIDE MISSION AS A BANK ROBBERY, SO, IF IT GETS F----D UP, OUR SOULS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DESTROYED AND WE WILL ALL DIE LIKE THE RAG-HEAD MARTYRS THAT WE WERE KILLING OVER THERE. THEY TRAINED US GOOD FOR THIS SORT OF THING...Aspen isn't just for yuppies, as Hunter S. Thompson once ran for Sheriff there back in the 70s. But if this can happen in a fancy ski resort town, 2009 might be shaping up to be the Year of the Crazy.
...AFTER 2 HOURS THE FIRE CRACKER (IED), IF NOT DISTURBED, WILL AUTOMATICALLY DEACTIVATE AND CAN BE MOVED TO A SAFE PLACE (THE DUMP?) TO BE DISPOSED OF. FOR VERY UNIQUE CHEMICAL REASONS, WE RECOMMEND THAT ALL BE SET ON FIRE. WE LEARNED SOME NASTY CHEMISTRY FROM THE MARTYRS, ETC.
With the country reeling from unemployment and a massive drop in the stock market resulting in the collapse of retirement accounts, you'd think most folks would be happy just having a steady gig with all the benefits. But the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, is already begging for a raise. From NYT:
“Judges knew what the pay was when they answered the call of public service,” he wrote. “But they did not know that Congress would steadily erode that pay in real terms by repeatedly failing over the years to provide even cost-of-living increases.”This is not the best time to be hollering loudly about raises, because the Chief Justice already makes $200K+. Unless the Supreme Court wants to have the same popularity as Congress (already probing the depths of Screech-like uncoolness at 9%), they'd should probably just shut their yaps.
This year, he said, every other federal employee, including members of Congress, received a cost-of-living increase. Only federal judges missed out.
The Joys of Quitting Smoking (Help me, I'm in Hell)
Amazing, civilization made it another year! Now turn off the computer, poindexter, and get your party on.
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| De-Motivat |
See what the others have said:
Whee
