The Achilles Heel of Obama Might Just Be...AIG? Maybe Not.

Corporate Fat Cats Cramping Mr. Cool's Style

You might've thought Obama blowing off his promises to be an earmark reformer and not hire sleazy lobbyists in the administration would have been enough to piss off the American public in the first 100 days. But that news was met with more yawns than a Jane Fonda broadway performance, because Obama's approval is still relatively high. However, the Obama spin machine is freaking out about the latest news of teh ridiculous from government-subsidized AIG. From NYT:

Mr. Obama’s advisers argued that to at least some extent, this was a sentiment they could tap to push through his measures in Congress, including raising taxes on the wealthy. They pointed out that in his speech to Congress, Mr. Obama denounced corporations that “use taxpayer money to pad their paychecks or buy fancy drapes or disappear on a private jet.”

“The president has been very clear about this,” Mr. Axelrod said. “There is reason for anger, but we also have to solve the problem. We need a functioning credit system. That’s our responsibility, and he intends to meet it.”

Still, aides acknowledged the risks of a backlash as Mr. Obama tries to signal that he shares American anger but pushes for more bail-out money for banks and Wall Street.

Regarding AIG paying out $1B in bonuses for gross incompetence, the President would have had a better leg to stand on with the criticism if the feds hadn't just given them another $30B in loans two weeks ago. Obama likes to slam the fat cat culture, but why does he keep dumping more and more taxpayer dollars into their coffers? It should also be noted that AIG gave billions of bailout money to European banks, which has only recently been disclosed...I'm sure that'll stimulate job growth for Americans out of work! So while our newfound economic system based upon running up our debt to fund politically-connected zombie banks collapses around us, the Obama media strategy will be to distance himself from the inevitable fallout. At least he'll still be Mr. Cool in the public's eye.

NYT Op-Ed Ecstatic That Obama Replacing God

Frank Rich has a strange editorial in NYT where he argues that Obama lifting the ban on federal funding stem cell research indicates the culture wars are over, because politicians and pundits had better things to talk about this week (like the economy sucking ass). He cites how Prohibition was one of the early culture wars crusades (which he tries to equate to today's Pro-Life crowd) and how Americans don't like the gubment intruding on their business since we have bigger things to worry about. Actually, Prohibition was primarily a Progressive reform in the 20s and the issue gained much prominence once women were given the right to vote (sorry ladies, but history isn't always convenient). But let's not split hairs here, because Mr. Rich might be onto something.

While the Bill O' Reilly wing of the GOP has been talking about cultural decay and unwed mothers for a long time (remember Dan Quayle and Murphy Brown?), but the Dems are not free from their own morality crusades. Taxing the bejeezus out of cigarettes for social engineering purposes, banning fast-food restruants, and seeking the elimination of ladies night in New Jersey because it was "discriminating" were all born out of lefty policy ideas. So really, the only difference between these culture warriors is whether the state or the church should tell individuals how to live their private lives. Frank Rich comes out for the state [NYT]:

The new American faith, Allen wrote, was the “secular religion of social consciousness.” It took the form of campaigns for economic and social justice — as exemplified by the New Deal and those movements that challenged it from both the left and the right. It’s too early in our crisis and too early in the new administration to know whether this decade will so closely replicate the 1930s, but so far Obama has far more moral authority than any religious leader in America with the possible exception of his sometime ally, the Rev. Rick Warren.

Welcome to the new religion, America.

The Problem with Modern American Democracy

The "Modern Militia" is Neither Modern Nor a Militia. Discuss.

Could the U.S. Navy Be Slack-Jawed, Militia Wingnuts?

While the so-called "militia movement" had a bit of influence in the 90s during the fallout of Ruby Ridge and Waco, it certainly has been on the wane ever since the whole Y2K apocalypse never happened. As a matter of fact, the entire concept of survivalists taking down the New World Order is more an image conjured by the left to publicize negative stereotypes of rural conservatives than an actual political philosophy. The copies of The Turner Diaries updated for an Obama administration aren't exactly flying off the shelves. But it appears politically-motivated attacks on citizens unsupportive of current policy are going to be revamped by our government. Recall that Bill Clinton blamed talk radio ("hate radio" were his words) for the OKC bombing back in 1995, which goes to show that politicians are like buzzards waiting for human tragedy to strike in order to fulfill their opportunistic agendas.

Now, Missouri's Finest are using an ill-contrived study from February 2009 called "The Modern Militia Movement" to be on the lookout for potential thugs. The probable cause indications for law enforcement are completely ridiculous [see pg. 7 of the study]. They include "political paraphernalia" like "Ron Paul" and "Bob Barr" bumper stickers plus the "Don't Tread on Me" Flag. It should be noted that Ron Paul is an elected congressman, Bob Barr used to be an elected congressman, and the Don't Tread on Me flag was originally conceived by that wild-eyed McVeigh-incarnate: Benjamin Franklin. This type of profiling is foolish considering the security threat now posed by so-called "militias" is marginal at best, and this study represents a major distraction to serious law enforcement. The Missouri State Highway Patrol is trying to do some damage control over the leak of this document to the press [Columbia Tribune]:

Hotz said using those or similar factors to determine whether someone could be a terrorist is not profiling. He said people who display signs or bumper stickers from such groups are not in danger of harassment from police.

“It’s giving the makeup of militia members and their political beliefs,” Hotz said of the report. “It’s not saying that everybody who supports these candidates is involved in a militia. It’s not even saying that all militias are bad.”

Hopefully, the men and women of the Missouri State Highway Patrol aren't gullible enough to fall for a paradigm ginned up by Media Matters types to denigrate the opposition while performing their law enforcement duties. (h/t Sith By Sithwest)

Bonejob: Suspect Gets Stop-Lossed

Even though SECDEF Gates said the DoD was trying to curb the controversial Stop-Loss program, it seems angry infantryman and raunchy milblogger, The Usual Suspect, has gotten the proverbial bone. His writing was always very interesting, as he was much more concerned with exposing the bullshit and madness of Iraq than showing photos of himself smiling with Iraqi kids like some hometown press release. I can only imagine what his blogging is going to be like now, but it's gonna be good. But sorry, Suspect, that kind of blows for you, man.

His new blog is here: Stop Loss and a Wake-Up.

America's Repo Man (China) Getting Upset With Treasury Bonds

Great News: Loan Shark China Might Came After Our Knee Caps

China holds over $700B worth of U.S. Treasury bonds, so when their leadership starts getting anxious about the U.S. pissing money away, we should probably listen up. Kind of like when your parents threaten to cut off your allowance when you spent all your cash buying up Magic the Gathering cards and 2 Liter bottles of Shasta (don't judge me). So Premier Wen had this to say on Friday [UPI]:

Wen told Friday's session of the National People's Congress in Beijing he was "definitely a little worried" about China's investments in the United States.

"China is indeed the largest creditor of the United States, which is the world's biggest economy. We are extremely interested in developments in the U.S. economy," Wen said, according to a report from China's official Xinhua news agency.

"The Obama administration has adopted a series of measures to counter the international financial crisis. We are expecting these measures to take effect," Wen said. He stressed what he called China's principle of guaranteeing the "safety, liquidity and good value" of the nation's foreign exchange reserves -- the largest of any nation in the world -- and the importance of cautiously investing the reserves and diversifying in many different places.

Indeed, the Obama administration has tried all sorts of spending frenzies to fix the banking crisis, titillate the economy, and pay off friendly congressional districts with pork projects. But financial leaders admitted today at the G20 conference that the government intrusion into the market has not had the desired effect of stabilizing the worldwide economy. I'm not sure what else world governments can attempt to give the recession another shot in the arm, because they've tried damn near everything. We'll just have to accept the fact that, like the famous commercial, we are in debt up to our eyeballs. Sucks to be in a weakened position, and incidents like the USNS Impeccable getting harassed on the high seas are going to be the new norm.

Cougar Barbie

I'm a bit late ringing in Barbie's big 5-0, but this seems pretty apt. Recall that younger men tend to seek the older ladies when the economy goes to shit, so don't go too hard on Barbie's Neil Diamond collection of LPs.

Bernie Madoff Goes to the Clink

Bernie Madoff, Ponzi schemer and charity swindler, had his bail revoked today in a packed NYC courtroom. He'll be spending quality time in prison sharing Pruno recipes with his cellmates and trying not to drop the soap. His crime of ripping off an estimated $65 Billion is equivalent to the GDP of Croatia or Belarus and about 1/10th of the Obama stimulus package (just to give you some perspective on the enormity of this wad of cash). WSJ had a pretty good "moral of the story":

It wouldn't be the worst idea if managers at our trading houses put on every trader's desk a small plaque with those too-easily forgotten words, "Due Diligence." History attests that the world of too-good-to-be-true can smother due diligence, making any financial system vulnerable to thieves, dreamers and plungers.

Or, alternatively, there's only one job in the world where you can get a lot of money by lying on your back...and it has nothing to do with hedge funds.

And Out Here (In Texas)...You're On Your Own

West Texas

It's hard to argue that America is overcrowded if you've ever been to west Texas. I drove for about a 100 miles Northeast of El Paso and almost hit a steer, saw a rancher on horseback (who waved!), and saw a helluva a lot of open land. Pretty cool. Now I know why the Coen Brothers are so enthralled with the scenery (cf. Blood Simple and No Country for Old Men). If you've never drive cross-country, I've done it about a dozen times over the course of my life and I strongly recommend it. It also helps when you get prescribed Tylenol w/Codeine at an Army Hospital for your strep throat. Helps with the spiritual journey!

Watch Out, You!

Shocker: Nation's Happiest Area is Also One of the Richest

Hey You Rubes, Your Social Betters Are Happier Too

Apparently money brings about the easiest path to having a "happy life". Well, if you combine money with eco-guilt, froo-froo Organic market type places, and a strong employee base of poindexters. It may come as no surprise to you, dear reader, but the part of the country where your neighbor just got evicted for defaulting on a sub-prime mortgage or whipping up a meth lab is not the happiest place in America. Rather, the part of California's Silicon Valley that encompasses Santa Clara, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale has been ranked as the "most content" congressional district in America. From SF Chronicle:

"It is an extraordinary place," she said of the region that boasts of Stanford University, the venture capital bastions of Sand Hill Road, Santa Clara University and the Google headquarters. In a region where her constituents include some of the country's most innovative and successful high tech entrepreneurs, she said, "change is not this year's political promise ... it's a constant requirement and continuing expectation."

It'd be nice if the rank and file at Google, Yahoo, and Apple could actually afford to live in the area. With the median home price in Palo Alto at $1.7M, I imagine that those unhappy malcontents have to commute in from a "less content" congressional district. And Stanford University (annual tuition $36K) is not exactly the model for rags to riches social mobility.

Not sure how this poll was conducted, but examining the recent Stephen Fowler debacle (reality TV where a Bay Area smug type was a complete dickhead to the nice Midwestern lady), I'm having a hard time seeing how material wealth would make you a better person one way or the other.

Another Obama Nominee Goes Down in Flames

Sacrificed...Again

Ay Dios Mio! Creepy Mao-Apologist, Chas Freeman, has withdrawn his nomination as National Intelligence Chairman. This is the first presidential honeymoon I've been blogging, but it seems a bit...strange...that so many political appointees have been kicked to the curb like a sack of tangerines. But Chas Freeman didn't go down quietly like crooked New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, because he took a swat at the worldwide Jew conspiracy! Apparently, they control our foreign policy or the IMF or some such craziness. From Political Punch:

Freeman says, "The libels on me and their easily traceable email trails show conclusively that there is a powerful lobby determined to prevent any view other than its own from being aired, still less to factor in American understanding of trends and events in the Middle East. The tactics of the Israel Lobby plumb the depths of dishonor and indecency and include character assassination, selective misquotation, the willful distortion of the record, the fabrication of falsehoods, and an utter disregard for the truth.

Haha! Perhaps, he's auditioning for a guest spot at Jew Watch or some other wacko organization rehashing debunked conspiracy theories about the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. Between this and Nancy Pelosi abusing the Air Force to go to San Francisco tanning salons on the weekend, I'm not seeing Obama's promised "New Era of Responsibility".

Obama's Minions Will Soon Be Annoying You At Your Residence

After the messiah's coronation, you may have noticed that many lefty blogs got thoroughly boring in a hurry. Also, the big name anti-Bush commentators at MSNBC who provide blog fodder have seen their ratings slide faster than Season 5 of Coach in the past month. This has to do with the fact that no one wants to read some crummy repackaged press release from the White House, and the anti-Rush/"conservatives are mean dickheads" argument got stale in about 1997. That's why critical thought and snarky analysis is going completely by the wayside for the liberal community, and just annoying the shit out of your neighbors with Obama slogans is the "new" new media.

Obama's propaganda wing, Organizing For America, has a new video on how to spread the gospel in your community (h/t Politico). You basically go around calling your neighbors and knocking on their doors to get on Team Obama. Because who needs to get their information objectively when you can just get some talking points for every wacky new policy the President is proposing.

Shudddeerrr. How would you like this creep coming by your house during dinner time to explain why the latest omnibus bill chocked full of earmarks was really the result of "Bush's Failed Policies"? Also, that map in the background looks like he's pinpointed where he chopped up hookers and dumped them on the side of the freeway in garbage bags. Of course having to listen to this knucklehead in person, I'd probably asked to be mercy killed too.

Way Up On Boot Hill

Since I'm a total sucker for all things Tourist Trap, I swung by Tombstone, AZ today (a quick detour off I-10!). The Man in Black made the Boot Hill Graveyard famous with this ballad, and he wasn't lying. There really was a Lester Moore shot by 4 slugs from a .44.
I also noticed this gravestone:

Whoa! "Chinaman" is not the preferred nomenclature, but I suppose not being bigoted was a low priority for a mining/outlaw/prostitution town in the late 19th century. Interesting history nonetheless.

Massive Consumer Monstrosity To Brighten Up Recession Malaise

Tacky, Even For New Jersey

A retro-looking uber-mall (code name Xanadu) is opening in north Jersey, and Time has an article about how it was probably the lousiest development idea since Ozymandias:

The Meadowlands location isn't scenic — it's surrounded by weedy wetlands, decrepit factories, shipping containers and railroads — and Xanadu's developers spent $2 billion on what seems like the most hideous spot on the lot. "It's basically a lot of junk," says former New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne, for whom the basketball area at the Meadowlands was once named (it's now the Izod Center). "I drive by with friends and we're embarrassed."

One silver lining of a suckin' economy is that materialism gets put on the back burner to allow a rise in counter-culture activity (cf. the Punk Uprising during the malaise-ridden 70s). But, it seems we will continue to be treated to the same frosted-tipped douches watching reality TV and hassling the teenage waitresses at the mall's Ruby Tuesday's, even though everyone is unemployed and broke. Man that sucks.

Time notes that Xanadu was a strange Olivia Newton-John movie from 1980, but it was also a Nintendo RPG game from the late 80s which was advertised, in true nerd fashion, as "Daggers and Wingboots, Mantras and Monsters Await You". That's now been updated for 2009 as "Herp-Lips and Dry-Humping in the back seat of Dad's SUV Await You."

Why Facebook Sucks

It's Baacckk! More Morality Grandstanders As Craig's List Gets Sued

Culture Warriors a Lot Like John Malkovich: I'm Bigger Than Ever, You fuckers, I'm Back!

Prostitution is colloquially referred to as "The world's oldest profession" for a reason, but that doesn't stop Leave it To Beaver idealists from occasionally concocting a misbegotten campaign to get rid of it. It's a lot like Tipper Gore's war on Heavy Metal, and the nanny state wags saying we need to take violent video games off the market. You hear some group of concerned citizens sobbing about "Won't Someone Please Think of the Children!" while they lap up the media spotlight. The latest incarnation of this intrusion into the private lives of citizens is from the Cook County Sheriff's Department. From E-Commerce:

Ads like "Emily's" prompted Sheriff Tom Dart of Cook County, Ill., to file a federal lawsuit Thursday alleging that Craigslist has become the top provider of prostitution in the U.S. "Missing children, runaways, abused women and women trafficked in from foreign countries are routinely forced to have sex with strangers because they're being pimped on Craigslist," he said during a press conference.

Dart wants Craigslist to shut down the erotic services category of its Web site and compensate his department for the costs of prosecuting Web site-related prostitution cases.

By this logic, why not just sue teh internetz for providing a rapid way for individuals to communicate with each other. Sounds like the Sheriff should spend more time worrying about the notorious corruption found in Cook County and the rising homicide rate in Chicago, but that would be fighting real crime.

th>en Google

!

Matt Welch Shreds Freeman for Being a Mao/Tiananmen Apologist

An Example of What Chas Freeman Calls "Overly Cautious Behavior" On China's Part

My man crush, Matt Welch, obliterates Chas Freeman for being sympathetic towards human rights abuses in his latest Reason column:

This is the definition of clientitis; it exhibits not a "startling propensity to speak truth to power" but rather a startling propensity to lob bouquets at dictators. Like, for instance, these Freeman remarks at the 2006 SAIS China Forum:

Mao Zedong had a force and energy which none but men of equally great spiritual conviction could withstand. His animal appetites, we now know, matched his intellectual vigor. He was an object of adulation to his subjects and of mingled admiration and dread to his subordinates and intimates. While Mao lived, the brilliance of his personality illuminated the farthest corners of his country and inspired many would-be revolutionaries and romantics beyond it.

In case you didn't know, Chas Freeman is not some octogenarian wearing a beret at San Francisco protests, but Obama's pick for National Intelligence Director. Hillary's lack of comment on China's human rights abuses during her visit to the region was at least understandable in a diplomatic context. But this knucklehead is a full-on sympathizer! Perhaps, Obama's getting ready to embrace the totalitarian tactics of executing/imprisoning political dissenters, which are common among far-left regimes. This has already been seen from left-wing commentators on CNN, where Stephanie Miller pondered whether or not Rush Limbaugh should be executed for not worshiping The Obama.

Welch also makes note of some LaRoucher and kool-aid drinker at The Nation saying Freeman is under a coordinated attack from a small group of Neo-Cons. Lemme tell ya, Matt Welch and Reason magazine are pretty far removed from being part of some backroom cabal, and people who think that a government, anywhere in the world, should not routinely threaten political dissent is hardly a minority of neo-cons in America.

Obama Gives PM Gordon Brown a Crummy Box of DVDs

Maybe They Could've Sweetened the Deal with a Used VHS Copy of Mac and Me

It pretty much goes without say that the Brits have been one of our best allies ever since that whole unpleasant War of 1812 business. World War I, World War II, standing united against communist expansion, fighting side by side against terrorism, and other "minor" mutual understandings to name a few. But Obama's staff neglected to pull out the stops when PM Gordon Brown was in town and gave him what looks like a box of used DVDs from a Virginia flea market. Not exactly the V.I.P. treatment for a Prime Minister. Perhaps Obama should've screened his staff for protocol experience instead of whether or not they ever owned a firearm. From Daily Mail (h/t Flopping Aces):

Perhaps pertinently, given Britain is floundering in an economic slump, the DVD collection was thought to feature the movie of John Steinbeck's Great Depression novel, 'The Grapes Of Wrath'.

The gift also included the Oscar-winning boxing biopic 'Raging Bull' starring Robert Di Nero and Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Psycho - maybe a comment on the PM's notorious short fuse?

And he will hope that at a General Election the British public do not shun his imploration for another term in office by thinking at the ballot box of the famous line from another of the movies, Casblanca: 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.'

Obviously, the Brits, big on the whole pomp and circumstance thing, were bloody-well pissed. Obama is set to meet the Queen of England in the near future. Let's hope that some boneheaded staffer doesn't diarrhea all over the toilet seat in Buckingham Palace further embarrassing America.

Obama's Economic Policies Really Kicking Ass!

Laidoffs in Michigan (the bad kind of laid)

Well, the left has been trying to say that Wall Street hitting the floor faster than a prom dress was not a good indicator of the economy, but what about all those jobs that The Obama promised? The first full month of Obama's America isn't looking to swell either. Dismal news from Reuters:

The U.S. unemployment rate rose to a 25-year high of 8.1 percent in February as employers, buckling under the strain of a severe recession, axed 651,000 jobs, government data showed on Friday.

Adding to the gloom, a combined 161,000 more jobs were lost in January and December than previously believed, the U.S. Labor Department said in its monthly nonfarm payrolls report.

Now, blaming the Prez for all the economic troubles is a bit disingenuous, but continuing to blame Bush & Friends for everything bad with the economy is going to wear very thin among lefty pundits. Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress have already passed multiple bills to "stimulate" the economy and free up credit, but they probably would've been better off spending $787B Taxpayer dollars on some magic beans. And we aren't even experiencing the hyper-inflationary period since we printed a bunch of funny money and dumped into unprofitable banks. Get ready for a wild ride...Wheee!

x-posted at The Obacalypse

Michael Steele Breaks It Down

I thought Michael Steele was a good choice for RNC, because if the party is going to get out of the wilderness, it has to have a public relations strategy that goes beyond catering to angry, white males. Steele is incredibly media-savvy and recognizes this, but I thought this video was too damn funny not to share. From Wonkette:

Can you even get those boomboxes that take 8 D batteries anymore? I miss those things.

Real Life Stoned Cat Now Considered Animal Abuse

I tell ya, no one has a sense of humor these days. An unemployed man exposed a young kitten to the joys of marijuana and the fuzz showed up to bust him. From LA Times:

He says the kitten would bite and scratch him and his girlfriend but he didn't want to discipline it by swatting it or squirting it with water.

Schomaker says he put the kitten in the bong three times over the last week, which made the animal "act like a stoned person."

He says he knows now that what he did was wrong.

Lancaster County sheriff's deputies responding to a domestic disturbance call Sunday alleged they saw Schomaker smoking marijuana through a piece of garden hose attached to a duct-taped, plastic glass box in which the kitten had been stuffed.

"This cat was just dazed," Sgt. Andy Stebbing said.

"She was on the front seat of the cop car, wrapped in a blanket, and never moved all the way to the Humane Society," Stebbing said.

I'm not surprised the kitten didn't move, but it probably wanted some Cheetos or something. The R. Crumb era of hilariously stoned animals has apparently come to an end.

Weapons of Mass Distraction: The Operation Hush Rush Saga

From the Savvy Political Tactics of This Dude

Awhile back, the conservative American Spectator published an article called "The Hugo Chavez Democrats" outlining how redistribution of wealth and federal laws such as The Fairness Doctrine were going to lead America into a new dark age. Fortunately, the Fairness Doctrine as it was originally conceived is D.O.A. for the time-being, but the White House is orchestrating a political attack on a pundit to distract the public from serious problems the country is facing.

The list of woes for America is lengthy: the stock market is in the crapper, investors are more skeptical of financing U.S. Treasury bonds, Afghanistan-Pakistan is in need of a completely revamped strategy (see yesterday's Cricket attacks for how dangerous this country is becoming), and people like Octopussy are still mooching off the public dole.

Certainly, no one is saying that Obama walked into an easy presidency, but he has chosen to mask the shortcomings in the first month-and-a-half by blaming everything on a loudmouth political commentator. No one elected Rush Limbaugh to anything, and he is, indeed, a loudmouth...uh, he's on talk radio, so how the hell else would he act? The Democrat strategy involves convincing America that conservatives are backwoods morons, but it also has to convince Americans that they are pathetic enough to require perpetual financial assistance from the government (thereby securing a lifelong voting pattern). Attacking Rush Limbaugh is political gold, because it simultaneously demonizes the conservative opposition while seeking to attract buy-in from a bloc of voters the Dems have traditionally struggled with (primarily blue-collar/middle class angry males like yours truly). Politico has the details on the White House strategy:

With President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney out of the White House and Tom DeLay gone from Congress, the left had been suddenly absent an unpopular right-wing figure.

Few Americans know who the congressional Republican leaders are. Even Sarah Palin is now four time zones away from Washington.

Enter Limbaugh.

It’s something of a back to the future tactic for Democrats: painting the GOP as the party of the angry white male. But unlike Newt Gingrich or other prominent Republicans, Limbaugh doesn’t have to mind his tongue.

And the liberal political apparatus is at battle stations taking note of his every comment.

These type of tactics are nothing new, but they usually aren't reserved for an organization like the goddamn White House (which enforces law through the barrel of a gun rather than lefty protesters clucking about in the streets). One of Obama's "inner circle" strategists wrote this scathing critique of Rush Limbaugh in today's WaPo. Private citizens have the right to free speech whether they are criticizing the president or hypothesizing bizarre LaRoucheian conspiracies about the British controlling our banks. End of discussion. This intimidation from the highest levels of government puts us on the slippery slope of neglecting the First Amendment, and it's not difficult to foresee the imprisonment of media figures like what happens in other countries. Sometimes it's hard to believe this is still America.

Numero Uno with a Bullet

Not sure how much of the readership is into Country, but here's a new one I felt was appropriate. It's John Rich sounding the populist alarm with a song that certainly relates to our modern day woes: "Shuttin Detroit Down". Even though the reasons for Detroit's decline are numerous, you get the basic gist. The fat cats in DC are bailing out bankers and the obligatory "bossman", but everyone else gets boned. I have a soft spot for country music, but even if you don't like it, the song is way better than C-list celebrities pledging their souls on the Altar of Obama. Good tune for this uprising movement we keep hearing about.

Global Warming Protesters in DC Getting Frostbitten

It's a Great Day for a Climate Change Protest!

With a massive snow storm blanketing the East Coast, you'd think the protest organizers of "Capitol Climate Action" would've had the wherewithal to pick another day. But they're toughin' it out:

15 minutes out. Hundreds are gathering in Spirit of Justice park. The atmosphere is charged with hope and excitement. People are bundled up in their warmest coats and staying active by chanting. I hear “Coal can never be clean.” There’s a prayer vigil in the south section of the park.

Stay warm, fellas! Apparently, they've never heard of the "Gore Effect". They've promised to post pictures from their "action website" later today, which will certainly be good for a hoot.

Let the Good Times Roll (in Baghdad)

The stock market fell below 7,000, Afghanistan is seeing more casualties, and Joe the Plumber's terrible book is not inspiring any confidence in the musings of average Americans (read the Amazon link for some funny reviews). But, hey, at least Baghdad's citizens are having a good time. From Times Online (thx Eric):

For a few hours the violence of the past six years was eclipsed by beer and music.

The burgeoning nightlife in the Iraqi capital is the most dramatic evidence so far that this city is returning to its old, pre-war ways, after the nightmare of sectarian violence and a bloody insurgency punctuated by suicide bombings and beheadings.

Even during British rule, Baghdad's residents enjoyed their alcohol, music and dancing. For the best part of 15 years, however, those pleasures have been denied them.

First, Saddam Hussein moved to close down the bars and nightclubs around the city. In 1994 he launched the “Faith Campaign”, an attempt to persuade the Islamic world that he had become a Muslim believer after years of sectarian rule. He shut bars and nightclubs to demonstrate his faith.

Alcohol is probably the best weapon against the crippling reality of today's world where economies built on credit/debt are rapidly collapsing (see Ron Paul's speech at CPAC). So it's good to know that Iraq doesn't have Shi'ite death squads roaming the streets of Baghdad looking to drive nails into anyone's head with a vendor stall dedicated to Western music. Three years ago all you heard anyone in America talking about was how messed up Iraq was. Now all we talk about is how jacked up everything else is in American society and politics, but Iraq gets a back seat. How the tables have turned.

Obama Administration Continues Intimidation of Uncooperative Media

Rahm-Bo Fires a Salvo at Conservative Punditry

Rahm Emanuel (Obama's "bad boy" Chief of Staff) took aim at Rush's CPAC speech where he was critical of the administration. It's not so much that I'm a ditto head, as that I recognize media intimidation at the highest levels of government is not conducive to a free society (see Venuezuela, Iran, and Russia for examples). But, constant campaigning is the mantra for the Obama machine, which is why a communications strategy of crushing dissent is vital to secure America's path to mediocrity and general thuggery. From Politico:

“Our goal, Bob, is to continue to reach out and it’s our desire that the Republicans would work with us and try to be constructive, rather than adopt the philosophy of somebody like Rush Limbaugh.”

Emanuel’s comments were in line with a new strategy by White House allies in the private sector to make Limbaugh synonymous with the GOP.

The union AFSCME and Americans United for Change began airing an ad late last week showing a clip of Limbaugh saying “I want him to fail,” along with quick cuts of top Republican congressional leaders saying, “No … No. … No … No … No … No.”

Asked by Schieffer if the GOP really pays that much attention to Limbaugh, Emanuel replied: “I do think he’s an intellectual force, which is why the Republicans pay such attention to him.”

Making one-line zingers about how Republicans are dumbasses is normally reserved for holier-than-thou Kos diarists. Since Rahm-bo had to step into the fray, that would suggest that the "grassroots" Obamatrons of union leaders, trial lawyers, and George Soros is doing a rotten job of squashing any opposition to Dear leader. You liberals involved with Organizing for America (Obama's personal propaganda brigade) better start coming up with some new tactics. Try public humiliation of political opponents by making them wear signs around their neck and "smashing the old world" to usher in new revolutionary ideas about Obama's stimulus plan. It's worked well for other countries! Why do you make Rahm Emanuel work so hard on a Sunday?

Mugabe Throws Himself Extravagant Wing Ding

The worldwide economy hitting the skids has not stopped despots and thugs from spending money on celebrations of their atrocities. Similar to the Burmese wedding of the junta General's daughter in 2006, Mugabe spent $250K to honor his 85th. From ABC:

As he celebrates another birthday, Mugabe expects to be in power for the rest of his life. He says that "Only God can unseat me." Nevertheless, he and his wife, Grace, have set up a multi-million dollar fortified residence for themselves in Hong Kong.

In honor of Paul Harvey passing away, the "rest of the story" for the Zimbabwe people included swag bags with T-shirts that read "My leader threw a birthday party for himself and all we got was this lousy cholera epidemic".

Women Smoking While on Oxygen Tank Leaves a Mess for Fire Department

Well you certainly can't question her "commitment" to that sweet, sweet tobacco. A woman in Ohio set herself on fire while smoking because she was hooked up to an oxygen tank for emphysema. The funny part is that this is third fire of this sort in the area this year alone. From Cincinnati.com:

A woman smoking a cigarette while hooked up to an oxygen supply set herself on fire early Friday and badly burned her lower body, Middletown fire officials said.

It was the third such fire in Middletown this year, and a frightening illustration of the power of nicotine, experts say.

"To me, it's a sign of how incredibly addictive tobacco smoke is," said Robert Anthenelli, director of the Tristate Tobacco and Alcohol Research Center at the University of Cincinnati. "Despite the fact that there's obvious warnings and high risks, this person, like many other people, continues to be driven to smoke, despite these adverse consequences."

I can vouch that cigarettes are that addictive, but you think that once your lungs turned to fleshy, charcoal residue, you would re-think your priorities. Maybe it's just a sign of Obama being elected so people feel they can "Do whatever the hell they want". Much like the 15-year old on Maury who wants to be a stripper.

Getting Bagged

I think we've already been "tea-bagged" by the colossal sack of the Stimulus "package", but a witty sign nonetheless. Excellent political journalist David Weigel has more shots of the D.C. protest at his website, and Jonn Lilyea is liveblogging thing. Good shit.

Get These People Some Nails and a Cross

Bobos Feeling the Pinch of the Recession (Not so Much)

I suppose some Americans are suffering from the economy somewhere out there, but it sure as hell wasn't any place the Washington Post investigated:

Within one week, Mary changed the bulb in the headlight of her Mercedes, cutting out a $120 trip to the mechanic. The couple made a cake for their 11-year-old daughter's birthday party instead of spending $50 at the local bakery. And Chris, who works in a management job, picked up some cans of paint from the Sears in Fair Oaks to help a friend redecorate -- seven hours of work but a savings of roughly $1,000.

"We really had to look at the equation to build in additional efficiencies," Chris Poleto said.

Consumers are weighing similar decisions across sectors. Paola Domenge, 34, of Potomac canceled her lawn service last year and now mulches the yard and trims the wisteria herself, saving as much as $500 a month -- even before she was laid off from her marketing job about a month ago and started a bakery. Alina Zhukovskaya, 28, of Arlington dismissed her personal trainer to save $60 a week.

I have no clue what "wisteria" is supposed to be, but I'm sure these upper middle class cracker types will be happy that it's probably somewhere in that monstrous stimulus package. Good thing Obama will solve all of our problems.