Peter Schiff Predicts Economic Collapse

Will Thunderdome Become America's National Past Time?

The President would do himself some good by listening to Peter Schiff's economic theories instead of the modern-day Keynesians. Schiff correctly predicted the housing bubble going tits up, and his current economic forecast is just a bit grim. From Yahoo Finance:

The fiscal stimulus bill being debated in Congress not only won't help the economy, it will make the recession much worse, says Peter Schiff, president of Euro Pacific Capital.

Schiff scoffs at the notion the economic decline is starting to level off and concedes no government action means a "terrible" recession. But the path of increased government intervention will lead to "unmitigated disaster," says Schiff, who gained notoriety in 2007-08 for his prescient calls on the housing bubble and U.S. stocks.

The problem, he says, is the government is trying to perpetuate a "phony economy" based on borrowing and spending.

This Ponzi economy may very well bankrupt the nation much like the Weimar Republic in 1920s Germany he goes to argue. At best we can hope for some uber-nanny state like Great Britain (thx to St Ives Cornwall for the great vid on England's demise), but I'm sure it will be much worse. Sucks for us.

Knucklehead Congressman Can't Follow OPSEC Rules

While violence has dropped significantly in Iraq, it still remains an active combat zone. For obvious reasons, that's why it's a big no-no to specifically discuss the movement of Generals or VIPs around Iraq/A-stan in open source media. Apparently, Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-Michigan) thought his Twitter account was some kind of secure connection because he wrote this not long ago:

Moved into green zone by helicopter Iraqi flag now over palace.Headed to new US embassy Appears calmer less chaotic than previous here.

Whoops. Milbloggers get it beaten into their head to not violate OPSEC, and it seems like some of the DC elite could benefit from the same training. Brandon Friedman has the scoop on this CODEL visit and says OPSEC violation seems to be a Republican problem, but it's truly a bipartisan endeavor.

Iraqi Elections Big Losers: Sadr and Iran

Sadr's Campaign Ad Fell Flat

The results for the Iraqi provincial elections are mostly in, and the NYT Baghdad Bureau has the results broken out by province. The big winner is Prime Minister Maliki's Dawa party, which won in Baghdad and most of the southern provinces. The Iraqi Islamic Party won in some northern Sunni provinces like Salahuddin and Diyala, but the winner in the largest Sunni province (Anbar) was won by the secular Iraqi National Project. The awakening tribes finished in a close second and they are satisfied with the results and backing off on their initial call to arms amidst fraud allegations. Hakim's Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (with very close ties to Iran) and everyone's hero, Muqtada al-Sadr, lost big too...even in Muthanna and Basra.

Not bad. This is much more reassuring than our election results, where I was in an emo-like funk for 9 days crying myself to sleep, haha. Go democracy!

FAA Tapes Reveals Sully Kept Cool Under Pressure

Phenomenal that he managed to keep from panicking after a bird strike over a populated area. MSNBC has a full transcript of Flight 1549 and Air Traffic Control at La Guardia before the plane was landed in the Hudson River. I figured it was going to be more like Bill Paxton flipping out in Aliens (Game Over man!). A testament to his professionalism.

The Ongoing Stimulus Saga Information War

Early in the week, the President sent out a fear-mongering mailer for all of his devoted followers to ramp up the information campaign to get the stimulus passed through the Senate. Let's have a look at what some of the bigger Go-Bama blogs are saying about this unprecedented mountain of new government spending:

• Daily Kos wonders why no Democrats are talking to the media about the stimulus (I thought you guys were the "new media")
  
• Think Progress notes that the 2/3 of spending will come within the first 18 months, despite what Congressional Republicans were saying about the CBO report. Good to know that we will be saddled with a cumbersome debt early.
• Crooks and Liars sticks it to that perpetual enemy of American progress, Fox News, by wondering why more economists besides Krugman aren't coming out in support of the stimulus (probably because many economists think it's a bad idea)
• Kevin Drum says the honeybee insurance that opponents have touted as porky waste is actually disaster insurance for livestock. I got bored about two sentences into the post and started staring at the ceiling, so I'm not sure if it's accurate.
• Arianna Huffington is very upset that someone on Teevee called her "clueless" on economic policies and, in turn, she calls him "clueless". Wow, what a zinger.

Call me a skeptic, but as regular citizen, I still don't understand how rushing a near-trillion dollars worth of government spending when our deficit is out of control is supposed to be a good thing for Americans. So, President Obama, who hasn't learned the art of delegation yet apparently, just writes a damn Op-Ed himself in today's WaPo explaining the awesome of the stimulus package. Bipartisan compromise is reached as Republicans rush to give tax credits for their suburban constituencies to build McMansions and drive Hummers, the stimulus passes, the country is saddled with an astronomical debt, and America turns into Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The end.

Pakistan's Army Having Trouble in Battle with Taliban

This is video from an Al-Jazeera embed in northwestern Pakistan that shows Paki armor and troops being forced into retreat (it's near the end of the clip). Bill Roggio analyzes:

The Taliban drives off what appears to be a company or battalion-sized assault of Pakistani troops. Pakistani tanks race away from the fighting, and the Pakistani infantry moving in behind them does the same shortly afterward. The reporter describes the Pakistani troops as "clearly shaken" and the commander calls in for airstrikes, placing the civilians in the line of fire.

Keep this in mind when reading reports of successful Taliban operations in Swat. The military may be able to make short term gains, but the Taliban in Swat have repeatedly shown the ability to strike back and regain control of the region that is about 100 miles from the capital of Islamabad.

The great news just keeps coming!

The President is set to announce a new strategy that will more comprehensively engage Pakistan to defeat extremism. Seems like a good idea.

Obama To Force a Measly $500K on Banking Execs!

Where's Your $50M French Corporate Jet Now, Motherfucker!

The President has ordered that incompetently-managed banks who received federal bailout cash will have their compensations capped at $500K/year. This comes at a time when public support for the stimulus is tanking, and the Prez recognizes that seeing fat cats flying off to Vegas junkets pisses off the American public (as seen during his comments on AC360 last night). Obama inherited a huge bag of dogshit from the Bush administration with this bank bailout bonanza and accountability for this public money has been incredibly difficult for the media to get a handle on.

Great business leader, Lee Iacocca, took a dollar-a-year salary when Chrysler was about to go bankrupt to show shareholders and employees that he was serious about getting the company back on track. That attitude seems to have flown out the corporate boardroom window as the media continues to crank out stories of suits living it up on their outrageous "business expenses". So Obama's move is welcome, but Allahpundit suggests that it's all smoke and mirrors:

Read the fine print and you’ll see it’s not quite that simple. The cap only applies to companies that need “exceptional” assistance from TARP and contains an exception for stock options, provided they vest after taxpayers are fully repaid. (Non-exceptional TARP recipients can pay execs whatever they like so long as they disclose the amount.) Still, it’s a populist masterstroke, perfectly timed to bump Daschlepalooza and the cratering polls on the stimulus off the front page.

There's a strange meshing of private industry and public accountability going on with the banking sector, and no one in DC knows how to deal with it. That's probably something they should have thought back in September when people rushed to dump money in these banks to prevent a recession. That worked out so well for us (note: the stock market bombed today further into the 7000 territory and unemployment is up again).

Short Timers Syndrome

Suspect spoofs the Code of Conduct to apply to military folks about to separate that anyone who has gotten out can appreciate:

Article I.
I am an American short-timer. I serve in the forces into which I was so carelessly drafted/enlisted/recalled/stop-lossed. I am prepared to leave them at the time so designated by the Department of the Army, or sooner if at all possible.

Article II.
I will never extend or re-enlist of my own free will. If I am in command, I will never allow my fellow short-timers to fraternize with the lifers.

Article III.
If I am called before the Commanding Officer, I will continue to resist his re-enlistment talks by all means available. I will make every effort to escape.

Article IV.
If I should become the victim of an involuntary extension, I will keep the faith with my fellow short-timers. If I am the shortest, I will assume command; if not, I will obey the shortest.

Article V.
When questioned, should I become the object of a re-enlistment interview, I am bound to give only my name, rank, service number, date of birth and date I am due to be discharged.

Article VI.
I will never forget that I am an American short-timer, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which have made carefree, happy civilians out of thousands of short-timers before me.

If you are getting out and are not a complete shitbag, prepare to be talked to by no less than 100 or so senior enlisted and officers about why "staying in" is the way to go. You'll also hear stories about guys who got out, had to go live in a trash can like Oscar the grouch, and wish they never left the military. But stay strong! You did your time and a career in the service isn't for everybody.

Stoner Sport to be Funded Under Stimulus Package

Not to disparage the great game of Disc Golf or the great city of Austin, but does $880K of funds for a new course really need to be part of a federal stimulus package designed to jump-start the economy? The real porker part of the package is going to come when the states get dished out a bunch of cash to do "shovel ready" projects. From WSJ, a highlight of the more ridiculous examples:

These are among 18,750 projects listed in "Ready to Go," the U.S. Conference of Mayors' wish list for funding from the stimulus bill moving through Congress. The group asked cities and towns to suggest "shovel ready" projects for the report, which it gave to Congress and the Obama administration.

Although the bulk of proposals are roads, sewers and similar projects, some wouldn't require a shovel at all. The mayors group sees a potential 1.6 million new jobs from the projects, though a few of them wouldn't create any.

Some localities are using a kitchen-sink strategy. "Our approach has been to list everything, because we don't know what the final guidelines will be or what the final dollar amount will be," says Greg MacLean, public-works director in Lincoln, Neb.

Among entries on Lincoln's list is a $3 million environmentally friendly clubhouse for a municipal golf course. "From a public-perception standpoint, I see how it could be an issue," Mr. MacLean says. But, he says, construction would create 54 jobs.

Reason has a great article about how we are in an era of complete irresponsibility with the federal government vastly stepping outside its constitutional role to meddle in the economy. Saving money is now tantamount to sin, and wasting money like a frat-boy in Vegas is the new patriotism. At least we'll all be able to toke a doober and throw some frisbees around in the park Uncle Sam buys us.

Labor Secretary Nominee May Be Sacrificed

Blatant Union Stoogery From Hilda Solis Might Send Her Under the Bus

Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA) is listed as Treasurer for American Rights at Work. This organization is strongly lobbying for the Employee Free Choice Act, which seeks to have voting on unions at the workplace be a non-secretive affair, thereby leaving the employee open to a lead pipe to the face if he or she doesn't comply. Unions have a right to organize, but should a congresswoman so obviously in the tank for Big Labor be allowed to serve the American people. Weekly Standard say their might be some ethical problems:

A seemingly innocuous letter sent to the Clerk of the House of Representatives last Thursday by President Obama's Secretary of Labor nominee Hilda Solis raises serious and troubling legal questions about her nomination and apparent violation of House ethics rules. Not only was she involved with a private organization that was lobbying her fellow legislators on a bill that she has cosponsored, but she apparently kept her involvement secret and failed to reveal a clear conflict of interest.

Sharp political journalist, Dave Weigel, says that everyone on the Hill already knows about her "extracurricular" activities at a lobbyist group so no one is going to make a big stink, even though Obama pledged to not have any lobbyists in his cabinet. It's comforting to know that DC critters all know about each other's dirty laundry so no one will speak up.

Flashback: Daschle's Hilarious 1986 Ad on Being a Regular Joe

Saw this 1986 Daschle ad on my beloved right-wing noise machine, and I thought it's something everyone could enjoy regardless of political persuasion. It's Daschle claiming he's a regular guy because he drives a 1971 Pontiac hoopty instead of having a limo and driver. 20+ years later, I guess it's okay to be a man of the people as long as you don't report the limo and driver on your taxes. Of course, we should have known Daschle was a phony back in those days, since every respectable working stiff in the 80s drove a Dodge, like this guy:

The Anti-Mother Teresa

This woman's confession sheds some light on where the female suicide bomber networks in Iraq were originating. From the Herald Sun:

A WOMAN suspected of recruiting more than 80 female suicide bombers has confessed to organising their rapes so she could later convince them that martyrdom was the only way to escape the shame.

Samira Jassam, 51, was arrested by Iraqi police and confessed to recruiting the women and orchestrating dozens of attacks.

In a video confession, she explained how she had mentally prepared the women for martyrdom operations, passed them on to terrorists who provided explosives, and then took the bombers to their targets.

"We arrested Samira Jassim, known as 'Um al-Mumenin', the mother of the believers, who was responsible for recruiting 80 women'', Major General Qassim Atta said.

"She confessed her responsibility for these actions, and she confirmed that 28 attempts had been made in one of the terrorists' strongholds,'' he said.

That's pretty fucked up.

MySpace Turns in Names of 90K Sex Offenders

Great googly moogly, that's a lot of pervs! From NYT:

“Almost 100,000 convicted sex offenders mixing with children on MySpace — shown by our subpoena — is absolutely appalling and totally unacceptable,” Mr. Blumenthal said in a statement. “For every one of them, there may be hundreds of others using false names and ages.”

Last year, MySpace, owned by News Corporation, and Facebook.com agreed to set security standards after the Web sites were criticized for not doing enough to protect minors from sexual predators lurking on social networking sites.

Facebook is answering a similar subpoena for names of kid-touchers. This number is pretty high, and suggests that anyone out there on the internets could be rubbing vaseline all over themselves in some anime-covered rumpus room. Lest you think that all bloggers are pervs (probably a high percentage number), you'll see that neither "Nixon" or "Lt. Nixon" is in the registered sex offenders list in my geographic location.

Logistics in Afghanistan Left High and Dry

Donkey transports through mountain passes might be what our troops are stuck with as troubling news comes out of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Paki Taliban destroyed a bridge used by NATO supply convoys in the Khyber Agency, closing the Pak-Afghan highway again. Also, the Kyrgyzstan air base at Manas has been shut down due to meddling by Putin. Hot Air explains:

Just two weeks after supposedly agreeing to expand supply lines into Afghanistan, Russia cut one of the more important supply lines available to NATO. Vladimir Putin gave Kyrgyzstan over $2 billion, and the Central Asian country not-so-coincidentally booted the US from their air base.

This will require some robust strategic and diplomatic solutions from our Commander-in-Chief, but he seems to be getting way too bogged down with federal interference in the economy to maintain standards of living that no one could afford in the first place. The problem with democracy is that people expect the President to be like the tooth fairy bringing them free goodies instead of a leader.

Acrassicauda Makes it Into America, Gets a Guitar From Metallica

Good news. Acrassicauda, the excellent metal band that had to flee Iraq during the worst of the religious-fueled violence, has been granted asylum in the states and got to meet Metallica (that's the greatest band of all time, not like I'm biased). From NYT:

And on Sunday night, two days after the last of the band’s four members was resettled in the United States, they enjoyed what any metal fan would have to call heaven: bearhugs and “Wow, dude” heart-to-hearts backstage with Metallica at the Prudential Center in Newark. It probably wasn’t necessary for James Hetfield, Metallica’s lead singer, to surprise them after the show by handing over one of his guitars, a black ESP, and signing it “Welcome to America”; their minds were already blown.

“That’s for keeping the faith,” Mr. Hetfield said, adding as he disappeared with his entourage down a corridor, “Write some good riffs.”

This brings up the question of why more Iraqi refugees (not just the ones who can thrash) aren't allowed to settle in the United States (particularly those who helped us out). There's been less than 20,000 a year, despite the fact that there is already a large Iraqi community in Dearborn, Michigan which could easily assimilate more. Following the fall of Saigon, 135,000 refugees were allowed into America and the Vietnamese community in Los Angeles/Orange County quickly rose to affluence. Clearly, a revamping of our immigration policy, which is a bureaucratic clusterfuck, is needed. The Whitehouse.gov website has some terse language addressing immigration, but it's probably on the backburner as Obama feebly struggles to save the economy by running up the national debt.

Our nation has done well over the past 400 or so years because the best people from all over the world who have the courage to start a new life have crossed onto our shores. No reason to stop that now. A new metal band to electrify the genre highlights this point.

The Pride of the Purple

Dr. Mohammed, a blogger and dentist from the once blood-soaked Adhamiyah district in Baghdad, gets some space at the NY Times to discuss the recent provincial elections in Iraq. He offers mixed reaction: pleased that there was no violence but bummed out by the low turnout. From NYT:

Many people I spoke to had no faith in the credibility of the elections, thinking that the winners were already decided. But they wanted to do their part, hoping they might be wrong. Others voted to satisfy their consciences — especially after some religious leaders announced that it would be a sin not to participate.

I opened the door and I felt a very soft breeze. The weather was great, neither hot nor cold, perfect for a walk in the car-free streets, a walk along the sacred road to democracy. Yet with every step my hopes were crushed by a sad reality: there were far fewer people heading to the polls than there had been in previous elections. Still, there were some scenes that filled my heart with joy: for example, an elderly woman, so stooped she could barely walk, pushing her husband to a polling station in his wheelchair.

The initial results indicate that the sectarian politicians did not fare well, including ISCI which has strong ties with Iran. So that's good. But the Anbar tribes are threatening to take up arms against the Iraqi Islamic Party (the religious Sunni-party) due to fraud allegations. So that's bad. We'll see where things go from here.

Carbon Footprint This Motherfucka!

Angry Prius Drivers Taking Out Eco-Guilt on Larger Vehicles

A Prius driver in Colorado is being charged with felony road rage after ramming some poor old guy in a Chevy pickup and repeatedly shoving him against a door. From the Gazette (h/t DB):

The victim, a man who wasn't identified, told police that Cox followed him and intentionally sideswiped his Chevrolet pickup three times before both drivers stopped at Lake Avenue and Venetucci Boulevard, police said.

When the men got out, Cox pushed the victim several times into the doorjamb of his truck, police said. The man complained of back pain. The Prius sustained more damage than the pickup, Cirka said.

"I think the only damage was where the pickup's wheel ran up against the Prius," he said.

This reminds me of when a group of greeny Seattle bicyclists beat up a motorist last summer. The combination of white guilt, self-righteousness of saving mother earth, and misguided rage of these people will continue to provide some hilarious sissy-ass'd slap fights to make the headlines.

Daschle Sacrifices Himself For the Greater Good

Tax cheat and crooked politician Tom Daschle, who couldn't figure out how pay his taxes on his Limo & Driver, has just withdrawn as Health and Human Services nominee. His sacrifice into the molten vat of steel which will erase the media scrutiny will help keep the squeaky clean image of the Obama administration. This is the first senior Obama nominee to run into controversy, unless you count:

• Bill Richardson, (withdrawn Commerce Secretary), being investigated by a grand jury for pay-to-play allegations
• Rahm Emanuel (Chief of Staff) being involved with impeached Governor Blagojevich's Senate seat heist
• Tim Geithner (Treasury Secretary) being late on paying his taxes after working for the IMF
• Eric Holder (Attorney General) involved with shady gambling commission in Illinois possibly involving the mob
• William Lynn III (Deputy Defense Secretary) being a top lobbyist for Raytheon depsite the fact that Obama said there would be no lobbyists in his administration

But, after two weeks in office, the Biden and Obama families haven't been involved in any serious sex or money scandals. So good for them!

That Was $45B Well Spent by the Feds

Bread and Circuses for a Bailed-out Bank

Sharpshooting corporate excess might be a intellectually lazy endeavor, but it should piss you the fuck off if they got bailed out! ABC has the dirt on Bank of America, who received $45B in bailout funds, but decided to spend an obscene amount on some meathead monument at the Super Bowl:

The bank refused to tell ABC News how much it is spending as an NFL corporate sponsor, but insiders have put the figure at close to $10 million. The NFL Experience was on top of that and was inked last summer, according to the bank.

The NFL said it was a "multi-million dollar" event and that it was also spending money to put on the event. A Super Bowl insider said the tents alone cost over $800,000.

No surprise considering most of the bailout money was unaccountable in the first place. Does anyone still think Bush's TARP scam was a good idea?

Americans Pissed Off Now More Than Ever

The economic malaise has everything to do with dissatisfaction

Despite high approval for the new president, Americans are incredibly "dissatisfied" due to the economic funk we are currently experiencing. This goes to show that the axiom "It's the Economy Stupid" holds true in the modern age, and that even a guy as likable as The Obama can't assuage the colossal bag of dicks that our economy has become. Here's a snap shot of the past 15+ years from Gallup that coincides with economic perception:

There's also graphs that go all the way to the 70s, and the malaise even bottoms out further than when disco reigned and Carter was in office. You can probably attribute the American satisfaction-meter being high during the tech bubble burst of 2000-2001 because of post-9/11 patriotism. That and seeing the wedgie-deserving nerds who started crummy websites like pets.com fail probably brought a smile to many people's faces.

Journalist Dreams Up Murder Fantasy for Punxsutawney Phil

And you thought Groundhog Day was just a fun-spirited movie and a metaphor for an Iraq deployment. This journalist from Michigan is dead serious about offing Punxsutawney Phil because it's too depressing to hear that winter is going to drag on. From The Flint Journal:

But something about that damned gopher (groundhog, mole, whatever) in Punxsutawney, Pa., makes me think dark, murderous thoughts.

Why is a rodent allowed to make me wonder, even for a moment, if winter really is going to last six more blasted weeks? I know he's just a mole (gopher, groundhog, whatever) but still the little furball gets in my head when he doesn't predict an early spring, and I don't like it.

Groundhog-Human relations have already been strained this year as the NYC mayor got bit today, and further economic collapse might make groundhogs a possible addition to beef stew for struggling families.

Sarah Palin: Welfare Queen

For a political party seeking to re-brand itself as one of fiscal responsibility, Sarah Palin is fast becoming a serious embarrassment. She must have taken a page from the Nadya Suleman playbook (the crazy woman who juiced herself up with fertility drugs to crank 8 little tax burdens in California), because she traveled to DC this weekend to grovel at the feet of The Obama to get in on the stimulus pie. Jazz Shaw at The Moderate Voice weighs in:

As Mayor of Wasilla, Palin quickly mastered the art of working the spigot on federal funds, allowing cash to flow into her town. As Governor she wasted no time in setting records, making Alaska the highest per capita feeder at the federal pork trough. She seemed to undergo an amazing reformation during her vice presidential bid into some sort of mavickery pork buster, but now that she is - at least temporarily - out of the national races, it’s probably not surprising that she’s back in town with her hand out.

There's also a strange backstory to the governor everyone loves to criticize, as Ken Layne already notes. She blew off the Republican leadership for something called the Alfalfa Dinner that was hosted by Obama. It's some Southern society wingding to honor Robert E. Lee, who led a bunch of rabblerousers 150+ years ago but was squashed by the glorious Army of the republic. Why the President would continue this odd tradition is beyond me, but the irony was not lost on him:

"Many you are aware that this dinner began almost one hundred years ago as a way to celebrate the birthday of General Robert E. Lee. If he were here with us tonight, the general would be 202 years old. And very confused,” Obama said.

Alaska is already the porkiest state in the union, so the pride Palin takes in being the head of a "fiercely independent state" makes for easy scrutiny. Other governors are jumping on the bandwagon to fleece the federal taxpayers for more loot, and you can expect others to follow suit. Politicians tend to stay in power by providing freebies to their constituents so that voters come to depend on government largesse and become afraid to vote the bums out of office. You'd think there would be more hesitancy in a time of massive budget deficits to slow down this sort of corrupt behavior, but it appears to be ramping up.

Media Coverage of Phelps Smoking Weed Reveals They Are Complete Squares

Judging by some of these media bylines, you'd think that the only exposure to stoner culture these people had was watching Reefer Madness while attending an anti-drug symposium at Oral Roberts University. CNN writes that "Phelps Admits Bad Judgment After Marijuana-Pipe Photo", and the AP writes that "Phelps Acknowledges Pot Pipe". Regardless of whether or not you get high, referring to a bong as a "Pot Pipe" will make you a pariah at the house party faster than dropping a toilet-clogging deuce.

Like it or not, weed has been an important part of our cultural landscape that has spanned at least three generations. From Scooby-Doo to the famous stoned Mac user chick to Harold and Kumar, it's hazy outreach is undeiable. And, ignorance of the proper terminology in inexcusable. So here's a brief tutorial:

That's Phelps smoking a bong, and possibly carbing to get that monster rip.

That's a pipe, often referred to as a "bowl" (at least when I grew up).

That's a hallowed-out apple, which can be used in a pinch if your snooping folks stole all your zig-zags, but isn't for the novice.

And that's the stoned pizza guy who'll be delivering your Super Bowl double pepperoni special. Best to give him an understanding nod of approval of his wake-n-bake activities lest you be labeled "uncool" by the staff at Dominos.

Post That Has Nothing to Do with the Super Bowl

Apparently, all you rubes out there in internet land are stuffing your face with wings, locking your fat kids in the closet to prevent being annoyed so that you can watch the annual football match. But you should be doing these things while reading blogs! So here's a great YouTube montage from the classic teenage angst 80s movie Heathers starring Gen X icon (well, before she went batshit crazy) Winona Ryder to distract yourselves:

Kentucky: Trapped Under Ice

Shea from West Kentucky writes in that I have yet to talk about the disaster in Bluegrass State...so here y'all go.

This is a photo I stole from KY Woman's blog, which is a pretty view of an ice storm's aftermath that belongs in a Norman Rockwell painting or something. Unfortunately, this same ice storm has resulted in a spate of deaths and conked out the electricity for over 400K residents. Jazz Shaw from The Moderate Voice says the Obama administration isn't doing enough for this red state:

I think the point being made here isn’t that anyone seriously believes President Obama is looking to exterminate White Republicans, but rather two more salient questions:

1. Where is the matching outraged response we saw after Katrina in the press?
2. Where is FEMA? This certainly looks like a disaster which should be right up their alley.

Stay tuned. And give some thoughts and prayers for those locked out in the cold in Kentucky.

Hmm, this seems like a tacky way to exploit tragedy for partisan purposes. The President has already declared the area a federal emergency and the Governor (a Democrat) has already called up the National Guard. But I'm way out on the West Coast so I don't know how's it going. Let's hear from our Kentucky residents how the response has been.

Slam Dancing to Lower Capital Gains Taxes

Don't laugh, but Eric Dondero writes that conservative punks could become the norm as left-wing ideology is the dominant political paradigm. With its traditions of DIY culture, anti-authoritarianism, and hardcore individuality amidst a sea of suburban wankers, punk rock could find a home in No-Bamaism. Big Hollywood analyzes:

Lefty politics are no longer the fringe and no matter if the voters knew it or not they carved lefty politics into stone. Bill Ayers became the system he once fought against. Sure, they still wear the earring and say “fuck” a lot to maintain street-cred among the academics, but now rock has taken sides — it is for the establishment. Same with journalism, the university and pop-culture. The left has become a cliché. They’re not “Arrested Development” they’re “Golden Girls” with a soul patch. Snore.

Now that the art nerds and punks just became the football jocks and prom queens, a new rebel is emerging from the wilderness. They are the new anti-establishment. One minority force bands together against every other branch of government swallowed by the Democrat octopus. The last evidence of a check or balance against the popular people are now the Conservative Republicans.

The author of this piece pays homage to the late, great Johnny Ramone, and I can confirm from personal observation that he was a patriot before it became fashionable late last year. He unfurled a small American flag at the backdrop of a show in LA just after 9/11. There is some historical precedence for this in the genre and ethos, like when Screeching Weasel had an angry 58-second tune railing against faux-liberal compassion, while the UK Subs lamented big-government/nanny-state corruption with Organised Crime. And who can forget Op Ivy's Healthy Body, Sick Mind, which slams suburban yuppie culture (the same cadre of Subaru-driving drones that voted Obama).

I appreciate what Andrew Breitbart is doing trying to get young people onboard the right-wing bandwagon, and there are some other great sites that preach conservatism to the young and disillusioned. But it's going to hit a roadblock against the type of social conservatism that leads citizens to get in a tiff over things like Michael Phelps taking bong rips. Perhaps Michael Steele will do a better job of convincing Americans that the GOP isn't just about old white guys golfing in stupid hats. It's an odd time for politics, and stranger things have happened.

Support the Stimulus or the Terrorists Win

This is a pretty funny political cartoon, because it compares Republicans who are a no-go on the stimulus to "corrupt and deceitful" regimes, which Obama made the fist comments about during his inaugural address. This means that if you don't support a trillion dollars for a pork-laden monstrosity, you're a fucking terrorist! haha.

This parlays with the Democrats trying to blame The One's failed bipartisan support on a media personality, which might be a winning political strategy if you're reading the Hugo Chavez playbook. They've also unleashed a series of imbeciles to counter the so called "right wing noise" machine. The spokeswoman on Cavuto who forgot to take her meds and tried defending the stimulus package was incredibly humorous, particularly when she talked about buckets of money.

When you have the political opposition calling you traitors, you know you're doing something right and they are getting desperate. So, before we commit national suicide by passing this multi-headed hydra of wasteful spending, drop the cheesy rhetoric and consider what's in it. From Director Blue:

• $83 billion in welfare payments (the earned income credit for people who don't pay income tax)
• $81 billion for Medicaid
• $66 billion on "education", more than the entire Department of Education required just ten years ago
• $36 billion for expanded unemployment benefits
• $20 billion for food stamps
• $8 billion on "renewable energy" projects, which have a low or negative return
• $7 billion for "modernizing federal buildings and facilities"
• $6 billion on urban transit systems, dominated by unions and which, almost universally, lose money
• $2.4 billion for "carbon-capture demonstration projects"
• $2 billion for child-care subsidies
• $1 billion for Amtrak, the federal railroad that's run in the red for 40 years
• $650 million for "digital TV conversion coupons" (on top of billions already spent)
• $600 million on new cars for government (added to the $3 billion already spent each year)
• $400 million for "global-warming research"
• $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts

And the President wants to cut out 10% of the DoD's budget, but spend more on keeping reliable voters on the dole? The Democrats strategy of patriot economics doesn't add up. Nice try though.

No Major Violence During Provincial Elections in Iraq

Compared to the violence that ravaged Iraq during the 2005 elections, this is nothing short of phenomenal, but not entirely surprising, since people over there predicted that things would go well. There was no major violence, even in troubled provinces like Ninawa and Diyala. From The Guardian:

Millions of Iraqis passed through security checkpoints and razor wire cordons today to vote in provincial elections considered to be a crucial test of the nation's stability.

Polls opened shortly after dawn after a step-by-step security clampdown across the country, including traffic bans in central Baghdad and other major cities and a closure of border crossings and airports.

By the time polls closed at 3pm GMT there were no reports of serious violence.

We should be reminded of what General Odierno said two weeks ago. From McClatchy:

Gen. Ray Odierno , the commanding U.S. general in Iraq , said that if the country held peaceful elections this year, the relative calm that had settled on Iraq would be "irreversible."

There's still national elections for Iraq later in the year, but the fact that U.S. forces are leaving a smaller footprint in Iraq is an encouraging sign that the Iraqi Security Forces are capable of taking care of business.

President Obama issued an offical statement congratulating the Iraqi people. The coalition forces will eventually leave Iraq and it will be a relatively stable democracy in a nation notorious for corrupt thug-ocracies. I'm not doing the Carlton dance to celebrate victory or anything, but it's certainly no Vietnam II like many predicted.

First They Came For the Bus-Shitters

Subrookie emails a tip that the WA legislature is going to pass a bill making defecation on a public bus a crime. From The Strangler:

HB 1606: The Nanny State Doesn't Want You to Shit on the Bus

Believe it or not, taking a dump on the bus is not explicitly prohibited by state law. But if Representative Geoff Simpson (D-47) has his way, the halcyon days when you could poop on public transit to your heart's content may be coming to an end. What's worse: Simpson's bill also makes the not-yet-open light-rail line a poo-free zone.

If homeless people can't drop a deuce on the bus or in the library, where the hell are they supposed to go?!?

President Gets Cozy With Union Thugs

The President gave a nod to Big Labor, which always tends to have Democrats in its pockets, by reversing some Bush-era rules for federal workplaces. What sweeping regulations did the "party of the working man" provide? AP has the details:

Labor, riding high after quick wins with President Barack Obama, faces the harsh reality that the Democratic-controlled Congress will not find it easy to push more fiercely contested legislation to improve the status of workers or the unions trying to organize them.

Obama on Friday issued executive orders that union officials say will undo Bush administration policies favoring employers. Among the orders, federal contractors would be required to offer jobs to current workers when contracts change, and they would be prevented from receiving reimbursement for expenses meant to influence worker decisions on joining unions or engaging in collective bargaining.

I don't really have anything against the concept of unions, lest we have some Upton Sinclair-like dystopia for American workers. But the unions became too powerful and too greedy following WWII. Notoriously slow to adapt to new technology in the manufacturing sector (e.g. the UAW was extremely hostile to automation in automotive assembly plants in the 70s), getting mixed up with organized crime (like when the Teamsters let the mob use its pension fund as a bank), and demanding such costly benefits that it caused the many once-great American industries to get eaten alive by foreign competition.

Today, labor might not be as powerful, but they certainly can wield some influence. Opposition to Free Trade with Colombia was under the guise of human rights abuses by Uribe's government (which has vastly improved since the 90s), but was really about protectionism. Boeing workers went on strike last year, costing the company billions. Unsurprisingly, Boeing will have to lay off thousands this year due to that loss of productivity. So color me unimpressed with Big Labor. But what's most troubling is that they are just another special interest group looking for federal laws to be manipulated to what's best for them instead of what's best for America. It's ripping our country apart.