Saturday, February 21, 2009

Take a close look...

From Islamabad to Bradford by Mark Steyn:
"Thirty years ago, in the Obama golden age, a British documentary-maker was so horrified by the “honor killing” of a teenage member of the House of Saud at the behest of her father, the king’s brother, that he made a famous TV film about it, Death Of A Princess. The furious Saudis threatened a trade boycott with Britain over this unwanted exposure. Today, we have honor killings not just in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, but in Germany, Scandinavia, Britain, Toronto, Dallas, and Buffalo. And they barely raise an eyebrow."

...Meanwhile, President Obama has removed Winston Churchill’s bust from the Oval Office and returned it to the British. Given what Sir Winston had to say about Islam in his book on the Sudanese campaign, the bust will almost certainly be arrested at Heathrow and deported as a threat to public order.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Via: Taranto

The Two-Piece Puzzle
CNN reports on some groundbreaking science:

New research shows that, in men, the brain areas associated with handling tools and the intention to perform actions light up when viewing images of women in bikinis.
The research was presented this week by Susan Fiske, professor of psychology at Princeton University, at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
"This is just the first study which was focused on the idea that men of a certain age view sex as a highly desirable goal, and if you present them with a provocative woman, then that will tend to prime goal-related responses," she told CNN.
To sum up, men are beasts. (Note: The preceding generalization should not be construed as applying to the authors of the stimulus bill.) Now all we need is a study to find out why women wear bikinis.

What a bunch of pussies.... their parents should be ashamed...

Students End N.Y.U. Cafeteria Takeover:
“This morning the university summarily suspended the remaining students,” a university spokesman, John Beckman, said in a statement that was sent to reporters. “Any non-N.Y.U. students will be turned over to the police for arrest as trespassers; we will notify their schools of the participation in improper activity.”
Students occupied a third floor dining room Wednesday night, and issued a list of demands that included greater financial transparency from the university and calling upon the school to offer scholarships to Palestinian students from the Gaza Strip. At times up to 70 students from N.Y.U. and other schools, including Barnard and the New School, were in the dining room.

W. gets vindicated as each day passes....

Guantánamo Meets Geneva Rules, Study Finds

Do NOT be surprised if this becomes the basis for keeping the center open...

So what? "There is no threat".....

Iran Has More Enriched Uranium Than Thought

Want to know why the MSM is dying?

Geronimo’s Heirs Sue Secret Yale Society Over His Skull:
"The descendants of Geronimo have sued Skull and Bones, a secret society at Yale University with ties to the Bush family, charging that its members robbed his grave in 1918 and have kept his skull in a glass case ever since."

Here we have the perfect example: Notice how the genius "journalist", James McKinley, Jr., points out that the secret Yale University society has ties to the Bush family; but fails to inform his readers that the very same secret society also has ties to Senator John Kerry and a "who's who" of other Yale grads who have served or are currently serving in the government.

Dishonest? Of course. But that's what we have come to expect from America's Newspaper. Nothing more, nothing less....

And maybe we would all be better-off if Holder would worry about being AG....

Cowardly Conversation Starter by Jonah Goldberg:
"My biggest objection to Holder’s speech is that it reveals how enthralled to a cliché he is. Look, despite the bold tone of his remarks, this is just a terribly hackneyed idea. People have been calling for a national dialogue for years. Twelve years ago, Bill Clinton even proclaimed a whole year would be dedicated to a national conversation on race.

Assuming Holder is serious, who says more talk would make things better? Is there some social science to back up this talking point posing as wisdom? Have there been studies showing that if you force blacks and whites to talk endlessly about race, race relations improve? If so, is the research any good? Or is this liberal conventional wisdom masquerading as something else?"

And this is exactly where the current administration wants to take us....

Czech president compares EU to Soviet Union:
"BRUSSELS – The European Union has turned into an undemocratic and elitist project comparable to the Communist dictatorships of eastern Europe that forbade alternative thinking, Czech President Vaclav Klaus told the European Parliament on Thursday.

Klaus, whose country now holds the rotating EU presidency, set out a scathing attack on the EU project and its institutions, provoking boos from many lawmakers, some of whom walked out, but applause from nationalists and other anti-EU legislators."

It's old politics, really.... Obama doesn't deserve that much credit...

Greg Mankiw's Blog:
"The expression 'create or save,' which has been used regularly by the President and his economic team, is an act of political genius. You can measure how many jobs are created between two points in time. But there is no way to measure how many jobs are saved. Even if things get much, much worse, the President can say that there would have been 4 million fewer jobs without the stimulus."

The fate of the overly self-righteous is always the same...

Mark Hemingway:
"In other words, Moyers didn't just use the FBI to dig up dirt on the sex lives of fellow members of the Johnson Administration. He used the FBI to dig up dirt on the sex lives of the president's chief political rivals. Notice also that Moyers's memory was a lot clearer back in the 70s than he admits today; he didn't have any problem recalling his involvement back when Larry Silberman was Deputy Attorney General."

Well, based on past performance, what do you think he really means?

Associated Press:
"Obama tells Canada he favors free trade"

So what? Don't for get that "he won" - so shut up, bend over and take what you're given...

Obama victory bash owes city $1.74 mil:
"Chicago has yet to recoup the $1.74 million cost of President Obama's victory celebration in Grant Park -- despite a burgeoning $50.5 million budget shortfall that threatens more layoffs and union concessions."

They've got us by the short ones...

Lawmakers take fundraising to slopes:
"The deepening economic recession hasn't stopped members of Congress from throwing lavish events to raise campaign money for the 2010 election."

Quickest quote of the day yet....

Instapundit :
"OBAMA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL CABINET PICK: Hillary Clinton? So far I’d agree, though the bar has been set pretty low. . ."

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Now what do you think?

Carter voices confidence in Obama stimulus plan

Tone, huh?

Democrats strike different tone on Katrina
The economic stimulus signed by President Barack Obama will spread billions of dollars across the country to spruce up aging roads and bridges. But there's not a dime specifically dedicated to fixing leftover damage from Hurricane Katrina.

And there's no outrage about it.

Democrats who routinely criticized President George W. Bush for not sending more money to the Gulf Coast appear to be giving Obama the benefit of the doubt in his first major spending initiative. Even the Gulf's fiercest advocates say they're happy with the stimulus package, and their states have enough money for now to address their needs.

Nobody really knows - but read it anyways...

What do you mean by "New Deal"?

Quote of the Day:

Little Green Footballs:
"Because nothing restores pride like throwing a shoe at the leader of the country that gave you a chance at democracy."

Watch the damn video!!!

Video - CNBC.com

Oh no!

I think everybody is missing the boat on Burris. When he first appeared in D.C., even the Dems didn't want anything to do with him. I suspect Obama, Reid and Pelosi quickly realized they needed him to be the 60th vote in the Senate for the Porkulus bill. All of a sudden he was accepted. He voted as required, and presto, Porkulus is law. Perhaps all the hustle and bustle to enact the conference bill with less than 12 hours' deliberation occurred because the real slime on Burris was about to leak out. So the real catastrophe that was avoided with such haste was the loss of the oh-so-important 60th Senate vote.

Tune in....

American Muslims Call for Swift Action Against Domestic Violence

Be VERY careful what you ask for...

E.P.A. Expected to Regulate Carbon Dioxide and Other Heat-Trapping Gases:
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to act for the first time to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that scientists blame for the warming of the planet, according to top Obama administration officials. The decision, which most likely would play out in stages over a period of months, would have a profound impact on transportation, manufacturing costs and how utilities generate power. It could accelerate the progress of energy and climate change legislation in Congress and form a basis for the United States’ negotiating position at United Nations climate talks set for December in Copenhagen.

I can hear all the so-call environmentalists, and especially Al Gore, cheering from the loge seats now. But does anyone have any idea what all this is going to cost? And does anyone realize that the entire "stimulus" could be put to naught by a series of rulings that could stop any economic recovery dead in its tracks? Not to worry - the folks in D.C. won't be affected a bit.....

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Bye-Bye....

Shea Rests in Pieces as Last Section Is Torn Down

Upside down, inside out....

No Fans Allowed When Sweden Hosts Israel:
"In the Swedish city of Malmo, tennis matches between Sweden and Israel will be held in an empty arena, because they’re afraid of violence from Muslims. Of course, they don’t put it that way; it’s the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about."

Headless Body in Legless Story ..

Mark Steyn:
"That's what makes this a story rather than one family's tragedy. If you're not intrigued by the apparent fraud at the heart of this man's life and work — a fraud in which the U.S. media cheerfully colluded — you lack the elementary curiosity necessary to be a journalist."

Yes it do....

Instapundit:
"It does kinda explain the favorable election coverage . . . ."

But, of course, ol' John Boy had most of it wrong...

Yes, John Edwards, There Are Indeed ‘Two Americas’

Quote/Article of the day - for oh so many reasons....

Popehat: New York Times publishes deceptive editorial endorsing Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, while Greenpeace sells non-CPSIA compliant babywear:
"My conclusion diverges rather sharply from that of the Times, but it can be expressed in fewer words: The Times is full of shit.

Either the Times editorial board did not read the law, or they did, and they are lying to their readers. I suspect that the first option is true.

I have read the law. The specific worry about what the law will do to smaller enterprises like libraries, resale shops, and handmade toy businesses, as well as any other business producing or selling consumer products primarily intended for children under 12, is that it will bankrupt them by requiring them to test such products for lead and phthalates at ruinous cost. And it will."

Watch the video if you're in the mood for some irony...

Debbie Schlussel
It's funny. I didn't see the NBC News follow-up to this video, when one star of it beheaded the other. It's interesting: Aasiyah Zubeir Hassan tells us she founded Bridges TV (the Islamic propaganda cable channel) because she didn't want her kids growing up with people thinking they're terrorists. But I guess there's no prob with her children growing up motherless and with people thinking they're the progeny of a wife-beheader (hubby Muzzammil Hassan). Oh, and don't believe the 8 million Muslims figure either. That's more Islamic propaganda and a figure that comes straight from the fabricators at CAIR. The real figure--using Pew research results--is closer to 1.8 million.

Michelle Cottle is on to something here...

An A for Effort? Talk About a Lousy Idea:
"Alternatively, now might be a good time to revisit my dream of becoming a concert pianist. I've never had much of an ear for music, but I bet if I quit my day job and worked at it really, really hard--or at least showed up at all my lessons and did the homework--someone would eventually reward my 'excellence.'"

Bush bad - Obama OK

Obama’s War on Terror May Resemble Bush’s in Some Areas

Thank you, NY Times.....

Welcome to the nose of the camel....

Fairness Doctrine: Better Off Dead or Alien Resurrection?

Megan has the balls to say things you're not supposed to admit...

A living wage:
"History really is written by the winners."

Very interesting, and, as usual, historically honest. Read it all.....

No, that didn't work either....

Megan McArdle:
"Good luck. Attempts to fix the prices of agricultural commodities at artificially high levels were one of FDR's ideas that probably prolonged the Great Depression. In deflationary times, the last thing you want to do is keep the staple food commodity of your nation's poor at artificially high levels, even if that does help the farmers."

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Megan McArdle

Did World War II end the Great Depression? :
"There is no simple narrative of the Great Depression that allows you to atttribute the ultimate recovery to trend output to the simple magic of the New Deal. That's why people like Paul Krugman focus on the high deficits and spending levels of World War II."

Monday, February 16, 2009

But bureaucrats don't think this way...

Megan McArdle:
"But ultimately, the health of the economy relies on the ability of the private sector to generate growth, and the private sector to generate jobs. It's the tax revenue from that growth, those jobs, that allow the government to create government jobs. In the short term, the government can borrow and spend, but if the private sector and the labor market are not growing, eventually lenders will get worried about the ability to repay and raise the interest rates they charge. Result: well, there are a lot of deposed Latin American heads of state who could describe the result in some very vivid language."

Worth reading....

The writing is on the synagogue wall:
"The periodic crises that have shaken world capitalism in the century and a half since Marx wrote Das Kapital are marked by a common political phenomenon. It is the rise of political anti-Semitism. Attacks on Jews and Jewishness constitute the canary in the coal mine that tells us something is going seriously wrong."

Quote of the Day:

BostonHerald.com:
"Our elected representatives in Washington sold the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” as a stimulant for the economy, but it is, in fact, Viagra for the leviathan state."

Heh...

Dissent on policy is not war, gentlemen. It’s America:
"It’s as if they can’t accept that some people might have legitimate objections, based on our economic philosophy and political principles, to oppose the president’s policies. Heck, back when Bush was president, opposition to the president’s policies was deemed patriotic."

Swallowing the baloney sandwich without even chewing...

Roger’s Rules:
"The current President of the United States is correct that “Ultimately, this is your money, and you deserve to know where it’s going and how it’s spent,” but I’d wager you won’t find this administration treating it as your money or telling you where it went."

Headless Body in Gutless Press...

Mark Steyn:
"The media's lack of curiosity is in marked contrast to their willingness to propagandize for the launch of Mr. Hassan's station. It also helps explain why the U.S. newspaper business is dying."

More and more of the same....

Obama administration no longer issuing denials on Fairness Doctrine

As our friend Jim Geraghty reminds us, all of Barack Obama’s statements come with an expiration date. Today, Chris Wallace interviewed David Axelrod and asked him directly about the Fairness Doctrine — and suddenly the White House adviser got a lot less definitive..

Don't worry, the politicians will make more laws to "protect" your kids....

Free book on Free Range kids:
"No Fear joins the increasingly vigorous debate about the role and nature of childhood in the UK. Over the past 30 years activities that previous generations of children enjoyed without a second thought have been relabelled as troubling or dangerous, and the adults who permit them branded as irresponsible. No Fear argues that childhood is being undermined by the growth of risk aversion and its intrusion into every aspect of children’s lives. This restricts children’s play, limits their freedom of movement, corrodes their relationships with adults and constrains their exploration of physical, social and virtual worlds."

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Why terrorism works...

If We’re Nice to Them, Maybe They’ll Kill Us Last

I'm shocked, I tell you, SHOCKED!

Obama Runs For The Memory Hole

Since making that statement almost a year ago, President Obama has consistently refused to make good on his campaign promise, and support legislation to stop Fortune 500 firms from hijacking federal contracts designated for America's nearly 27 million small businesses.

Not only has President Obama refused to propose even a single policy to address the problem, but he actually changed his Web site to remove the appearance that he had ever made the statement, "It is time to end the diversion of federal small business contracts to corporate giants."

Our talented legislators...

California Congresswoman discovers get-rich-quick scheme:
People who wonder how elected officials come to Congress on modest means and retire wealthy should study Rep. Grace Napolitano of California. Few have found campaigning as personally enriching as Napolitano … literally. And according to the FEC, her scheme is apparently completely legal...