Cruising on the Taxpayer's Dime

I said in my previous post that most people are not deadbeats and generally speaking that is true but this post from The Corner certainly gives pause for thought:

Honk If I'm Paying for Your Cruise to Mexico [Michael Graham]

Another update from Bailout Nation:

Schoolteacher Shana Richey misses the playroom she decorated with Glamour Girl decals for her daughters. Fireman Jay Fernandez misses the custom putting green he installed in his backyard.

But ever since they quit paying their mortgages and walked away from their homes, they've discovered that giving up on the American dream has its benefits.

. . ."It's just a better life. It really is," says Ms. Richey. Before defaulting on her mortgage, she owed about $230,000 more than the home was worth.

. . .Ms. Richey's family of five used some of the money to buy season tickets to Disneyland, and plans to take a Carnival cruise to Mexico in March. Mr. Fernandez takes his girlfriend out to dinner more frequently. "We're saving lots of money," Ms. Richey says.

Nice to see they’ve taken the advice of liberals like “banking terrorist” Bruce Marks and “gotten over their sense of responsibility” and can enjoy the benefits of walking away from their bills. I wonder if the taxpayers stuck with hundreds of billions in bailouts will ever be able to do the same?

What Happens When the Bill Comes Due?

Via Memeorandum:

After twenty-five years working in the banking industry I've seen it thousands of times-that moment when the bills are due and there isn't enough money to pay them. The vast majority of people are not deadbeats and the vast majority of people will pay their bills no matter what it takes. In the real world, when the bills come due people will adjust their lifestyle in order to meet their obligations.

The real world does not exist within the halls of Congress. That's because they are playing the game with other people's money. When the bills come due in Washington they simply spend more of your money. Unfortunately, you and I aren't giving the kids in Washington enough money to keep them in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed to so it is time to pony up.

According to the New York Times, the VAT is back on the table:

The favored route of economists is known as a value-added tax, which is a tax on goods and services that is collected at every step along the production chain, from raw material to a consumer’s shopping bag. Similar to a sales tax, it generally results in consumers paying more for the things they buy. The revenues could be used to pay for health care or other social programs, or just to pay down existing debt.

Like universal health care, every other industrialized country in the world already has a value-added tax (as do about 100 emerging countries). And also like universal health care, this once-taboo policy option has recently been invoked, at times begrudgingly, by many prominent Washingtonians, including the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi; John Podesta, who was co-chairman of President Obama’s transition team; and two former Federal Reserve chairmen, Alan Greenspan and Paul A. Volcker

...a tax on goods and services that is collected at every step along the production chain, from raw material to a consumer’s shopping bag. In simply terms, the price of everything you buy for your family goes up and up and up until finally, it reaches you, and you then pony up your "fair share" for spineless politicians who don't have the balls to play by the same rules imposed on the rest of us. So much for Obama's promise not to raise taxes on the middle class.

Our politicians don't think that we will stand for having services scaled back in order to pay down the deficit. But in our personal lives, we cut back on things that we consider 'essential' all the time. We brown bag it to lunch, eat dinner at home, drive our car until the wheels fall off.
And maybe Washington should clean up its own house before it asks us for more:

The highest-paid federal employees are doing best of all on salary increases. Defense Department civilian employees earning $150,000 or more increased from 1,868 in December 2007 to 10,100 in June 2009, the most recent figure available. (emphasis added)

When the recession started, the Transportation Department had only one person earning a salary of $170,000 or more. Eighteen months later, 1,690 employees had salaries above $170,000. (emphasis added)

I don't think that it is unreasonable to tell our representatives that they can forget about getting one more penny from us until they start spending the money we've already given them more responsibly.

CAIR Goes After Rifqa Bary's Christmas Cards

Via Memeorandum:

I wrote about Rifqa Bary, the seventeen girl who fled her family in Ohio after converting to Christianity. She had taken refuge with a Christian family in Orlando but the courts ordered her return to Ohio despite her testimony that her father was abusive and would kill her for leaving her family's Muslim faith. She has been living in foster care since her return while awaiting further hearings.

Her parents, through their CAIR attorney, put on a good show of professing their love for her and insisting that they would respect her Christain faith. Apparently that respect doesn't extend to allowing her to receive Christmas cards. The Jawa Report:

In a stunning development in the ongoing legal saga of Muslim-turned-Christian convert Rifqa Bary, the parents' attorney, Omar Tarazi, filed a motion with the Franklin County courts last week moving to ban on all Christmas cards being sent to Rifqa through her attorneys, and demanding the seizure from her of all Christmas cards that she might have already received. And yet her parents still make representations to the media that they intend to honor and respect her Christian faith, while their attorney files sealed motions stating that Christmas cards are "dangerous to her health and safety".

First, trying to deny their daughter Christmas cards is petty beyond belief. Claiming that they are dangerous to her health and safety is nonsense unless the attorney is referring to her father's threats. In any case, it should be clear to the court that Rifqa'a parents have no intention of respecting her religious choices.

That's an Odd Title

Politico has a poll out by The New American Foundation that found that 39% of Israelis (both Jewish and Muslim) believe that President Obama is a Muslim. Although the number is a bit higher than I would have expected, I didn't find the poll particularly shocking. What I did find surprising was Andrew Sullivan's title to his post linking the poll:

Israelis Or Appalachians?

Andy didn't elaborate so I have no idea what he is inferring. I would love to hear from him how he believes that Israelis and Appalachians compare to each other. I am sure it would make for a fascinating anthropological treatise.

Consequences

I wish I hadn't clicked on the link at Instapundit.

EMILY BAZELON: Hope Witsell’s Sexting Suicide.

But I did. It led to a story in Slate:

In September, a 13-year-old girl in Florida named Hope Witsell hanged herself. Raised in a rural Florida suburb, she was the only child of a church-going couple who met in the post office where they're both employed. "She often went fishing with her father in her big, white-framed sunglasses," according to the excellent reporting in this story in the St. Petersburg Times.

Not just any rural Florida suburb, my little town. There are about 9,700 people here spread out among the fish farms, orange groves and tomato farms. Weekends are for fishing, the Florida Gators and church. And family. One of our kids shouldn't be hurt like that.

Hope had a made a terrible mistake and once made she didn't know how to undo it and didn't know how to live with the consequences. She sent a topless picture of herself to a boy she liked. A girl who didn't like Hope borrowed the boy's cellphone, found the picture and sent it to everyone she knew. The school found out, her parents found and her fellow students teased her relentlessly. At only thirteen years old she thought her entire life had been ruined.

Every single ounce of our society sexualizes children. It is no longer just popular media, but as we've learned from Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit, even our schools promote sex to our children. But does anyone stop to consider if our children have the emotional maturity to handle the consequences of their sexual actions?

Hope's story isn't one of a bad kid from a bad family. Just the opposite. Yet she succumbed to pressure and made a bad choice. We can promote sex until the cows come home but only time leads to maturity. The only way our children will have that time is if we, as parents and grandparents, say "enough." Don't wait until it comes to your small town.

Its Not a Baby

Despite Planned Parenthood's claims that they provide women with information that allows them to make educated choices, here are some things that you won't be told at an abortion clinic:

At the end of 12 weeks:

*Baby is 2-1/2 to 3 inches long.
*Weight is about 1/2 to 1 ounce.
*Baby develops recognizable form.
*Nails start to develop and earlobes are formed.
*Arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet and toes are fully formed.
*Eyes are almost fully developed.
*Baby has developed most organs and tissues.
*Baby's heart rate can be heard at 10 weeks with a special instrument called a Doppler.

Instead, you will be told its not a baby.

Pundette:

It's all perfectly clear: a pregnancy is what's growing inside your uterus when you're pregnant. It grows and grows until, presto, at 6, 7, 8, or 9 months, or maybe not until birth, it is magically transformed into -- of all things -- a baby.

Planned Parenthood makes its money from providing abortions. Anything that discourages women from having abortions directly affects Planned Parenthood's bottom line. Therefore, the manipulate the truth and dehumanize the developing baby in an attempt to dissuade pregnant women from considering the full magnitude of the proceedure that they are about to undergo.

Planned Parenthood and abortion proponents in general spin away from the truth of abortion, that for many women the proceedure is just another means of birth control, and seek cover behind rape, incest and the specter of a mother whose child is too severly disabled to survive outside the womb. They know that statistically only a minute percentage of pregnancies are the result of these causes. But the truth is unhelpful so they tuck it away.

As you watch the video, note the manipulation, note the deceit.



It is a baby.

Mirror, STAT!

Whoa, Nellie! Did Michelle Obama pick up that outfit at a Liberace estate sale?

Look, dissing the King and snubbing school children is just plain rude. Blinding people is criminal.

Somebody buy that woman a mirror stat.

H/T Don Surber

This is Getting Tiresome UPDATED

Stacy McCain finds himself under attack, again, and this time it is Patrick Frey at Patterico's Pontifications who is kicking up the dust. I'm not going to go in to a long winded defense of Stacy because a) none is needed and b) I already went through all that when that puke Charles Johnson at LGF started flinging his feces in Stacy's direction. Anybody who is curious as to what I had to say back then can read it here and here.

I will admit I was in a bit of a muddle when this came up the other day and then tonight when the flames started flickering again I decided to figure out what was going on. I've spent the better part of the last couple of hours reading, and in some cases rereading, the relevant posts at Little Miss Attila, Protein Wisdom, Saberpoint and of course, The Other McCain. The thing is, I'm no less muddled than I was when I started out.

I enjoy reading Patterico's Pontification's so I'm in no mood to presume that Frey has any evil intent, although it is a little hard to avoid. Why is he pulling out a thirteen year old comment that Stacy made now? After this much time has lapsed the context has clearly faded making it nearly impossible for Stacy to defend himself. Frey says he isn't calling Stacy a racist and he says that he's only asking a question so what exactly are his intentions? He is clearly labeling Stacy's comment as "racist" sooooooooo?

I find the timing confusing and I find the source confusing. Frey should either explain what is motivation is for this line of attack or drop it altogether.

UPDATE

My phone rang at 7:40 this morning. Under normal circumstances, I would be sitting at my desk but the caller, the CFO at my place of employment, apparently forgot that I am on vacation and woke me up. (hey, why isn't he at work? never mind) Anyway, it was no use rolling over and going back to bed so I am back right where I left off last night.

I started by reading Cassandra's take over at Villainous Company. In order to understand Cassandra's point, it is necessary to know the two quotes:

“But at the same time we still see him as a black man with a white woman, and it makes a difference,” said Johnson Cooper, a 26-year-old African-American from New York City. “There’s just this preservation thing we have among one another. We like to see each other with each other.”

And

As Steffgen predicted, the media now force interracial images into the public mind and a number of perfectly rational people react to these images with an altogether natural revulsion. The white person who does not mind transacting business with a black bank clerk may yet be averse to accepting the clerk as his sisterinlaw, and THIS IS NOT RACISM, no matter what Madison Avenue, Hollywood and Washington tell us.

The first part of the discussion revolves whether either or both of these two statements are "racist."

Devoid of any context, both statements appear racist to me but because I know the author of the second quote I view the statement from an entirely different mindset than would someone who reads the quote in "stand alone" mode. The reader, projects his or her own context on to the statement and by extension to the author. Or vice versa. Because I believe that Stacy McCain is not a racist I conclude that his statement is not racist. Which brings us back to Cassandra:

Regardless of the race of the speaker. And regardless of whether the second speaker is "one of us" (conservative, white) or "one of them" (liberal, black). Absent a convincing explanation of how those two statements differ semantically, if you refuse to apply the same standard then I can't help suspecting you of indulging in outcome-based moral reasoning.

Which doesn't strike me as intellectually honest. In fact, it strikes me as exactly the same kind of tribalism we conservatives love to point out on the Left: Ooooh! there's an unforgiving standard for people we don't agree with! And a different, far more lenient standard for those on "our side"! Would this post have aroused one tenth of the outrage it generated if the author of the second quote had been Michael Moore? I doubt it, because no one in his right mind defends Michael Moore.

So if we agree that we interpret statements through our own lens that brings us to the second part of the equation. Just as we pass judgement on Stacy based on our own context, so do we pass judgement on Frey for posting the comment based on our own context.

Frey posts the comment. Some readers of the comment conclude that the statement is racist. Those readers smear the author as a racist based on the statement. Others conclude that Frey set up the situation with the intent that it would result in the author being smeared. This is the conclusion that Donald at American Power reaches and he is being perfectly reasonable. Frey's position is that he was merely asking a question but his question doesn't lend itself to a dry academic discussion. If we agree that intent is dependent on context, the context of Frey's posting of Stacy's comment is that it comes suspiciously close to Charles Johnson's smear of Stacy. At best, Frey's timing was sloppy.

More at:

Memeorandum
Riehl World View

So How Much Does it Cost for a Circus These Days?

According to Pat at And so it goes in Shreveport the KSM circus trial is estimated at $75 MILLION dollars. You and I will be contributing our tax dollars to pay for:

* Beefed up counter terrorism and intelligence operations
* Deployment of sniper teams
* Heavy weapons deployment
* Barricades
* Traffic diversions
* Use of undercover officers and surveillance measures
* Coordination with FBI, U.S. Marshalls, and intelligence divisions

Of course we need all of this security because Atty. General Holder has turned ground zero in to a terrorist magnet by moving the trial to New York City. This show trial will put the citizens of NYC through 9/11 all over again. We should have excepted KSM's guilty plea and executed him at Gitmo.

The Tiger Woods Just Keeps Growing

It is starting to look like the Tiger Wood's story has more legs than a centipede. Donald has a new post up American Power and among other things, he has an excerpt of one of Tiger's "sexts." Tiger is turning out to be one classy guy.

Donald also reports, complete with email exchanges, that Tiger professed his love for Rachel Uchitel. But apparently neither his vows to his wife nor his "love" for Uchitel got in the way of his multiple conquests.

Sheesh, where did he find the time? I mean, what are we up to-eleven? Tiger Wood's "I'm not perfect" will go down in understatement infamy along side of Nixon's "I'm not a thief."

That "Inherited" Shtick Ain't Working

Via Memeorandum:


Forty-four percent say I want George Bush back. If that isn't a kick in Obama's pants I don't know what is. It is now Obama's deficit, Obama's unemployment, Obama's war and a healthy percentage of Americans thinks he's flubbing it.

Obama has gone to great lengths to avoid ownership of his failed policies. Looks like the American public is no longer buying it.

Obama Finally Pisses Off the Europeans

I have to give credit where credit is due-Obama is the only person I know who manages to embarrass the hell out of me and make me giggle at the same. The Daily Beast on Obama's latest misfire:

A day before President Obama receives his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, the president’s treatment of his Norwegian hosts has become hot news across Scandinavia.

News outlets across the region are calling Obama arrogant for slashing some of the prize winners’ traditional duties from his schedule. “Everybody wants to visit the Peace Center except Obama,” sniped the Norwegian daily Aftenposten, amid reports the president would snub his own exhibition at the Nobel Peace Center. “A bit arrogant—a bit bad,” proclaimed another Aftenposten headline.

Arrogant? Obama? Naw, say it isn't so. It continues:

“It’s very sad,” said Nobel Peace Center Director Bente Erichsen of the news that Obama would skip the peace center exhibit. Prize winners traditionally open the exhibitions about their work that accompany the Nobel festivities. “I totally understand why the Norwegian public is upset. If I could get a few minutes with the president, I’d say, ‘To walk through the exhibition wouldn’t take long, and I’m sure you would love the show. You have no idea what you are missing.’”

Meanwhile the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet is reporting that the president has declined an invitation to lunch with King Harald V, an event every prize winner from the Dalai Lama to Al Gore has attended. (The newspaper’s headline: “Obama disses lunch with King Harald.”)

Also among the dissed, according to news reports: a concert in Oslo on Friday that was arranged in his honor, and a group of Norwegian children who had planned to meet Obama in front of City Hall.

Obama dissed the king and children? Mercy! But on to my favorite part of the article:

But some news outlets are cutting him a bit of slack, noting that he is dealing with two wars and soaring unemployment back home and a new war, and that his main focus this week should rightly be on the climate-change summit in Copenhagen. Taking part in all the activities surrounding his Nobel Prize could send the wrong message. (emphasis added)

Yeah, far be it for Barack "let them eat cake" Obama to party down while the rest of us swirl around in the toilet bowl. Obama brings to mind the old saying, you can dress him up but you just can't take him out. Look, Obama being awarded a Nobel prize is a joke, but that is no excuse for him to go to Norway and act like a jerk. If he can bow to a Saudi king he can damn well eat lunch with the Norwegian king and let the kiddies sing for him. That would the least offensive thing he has done on an overseas trip.

Obama should reminded that he represents the United States to the rest of the world. A little class would be appreciated.

The EPA Strikes a Blow for Obama and Against the Economy

From Fox News:

The Obama administration is warning Congress that if it doesn't move to regulate greenhouse gases, the Environmental Protection Agency will take a "command-and-control" role over the process in a way that could hurt business.

The warning, from a top White House economic official who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity, came on the eve of EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson's address to the international conference on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Jackson, however, tried to strike a tone of cooperation in her address Wednesday, explaining that the EPA's new powers to regulate greenhouse gases will be used to complement legislation pending in Congress, not replace it.

"This is not an 'either-or' moment. It's a 'both-and' moment," she said.

But while administration officials have long said they prefer Congress take action on climate change, the economic official who spoke with reporters Tuesday night made clear that the EPA will not wait and is prepared to act on its own.

And it won't be pretty.

"If you don't pass this legislation, then ... the EPA is going to have to regulate in this area," the official said. "And it is not going to be able to regulate on a market-based way, so it's going to have to regulate in a command-and-control way, which will probably generate even more uncertainty." ( emphasis added)

I believe that is what we call “a threat.” The EPA is telling Congress that if they don’t regulate emissions that the EPA will do it for them, the economy be damned. This move by the Jackson and the EPA didn’t come out of the blue though the timing, Jackson’s protestations aside, is suspect. Back in February, the New York Times wrote:

If the environmental agency determines that carbon dioxide is a dangerous pollutant to be regulated under the Clean Air Act, it would set off one of the most extensive regulatory rule makings in history. Ms. Jackson knows that she would be stepping into a minefield of Congressional and industry opposition and said that she was trying to devise a program that allayed these worries.

Well, Jackson has stepped in to the minefield and she is firing a peremptory shot across the Congress’s bow. Further in the Times story:

…many Democrats from states dependent on coal-generated electricity and manufacturing jobs, where such regulation could significantly increase costs. Representative John D. Dingell, the Michigan Democrat who has long championed the interests of the auto industry, said that the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions by the E.P.A. would set off a “glorious mess” that would resonate throughout the economy.

Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, warned Ms. Jackson during her January confirmation hearing that she should not undercut Congress’s authority by using the agency’s regulatory power to address global warming. Mr. Barrasso called the use of the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon “a disaster waiting to happen.”

This move provides Obama with political cover. Just as he has distanced himself from unpopular decisions by the Justice Department by claiming that Holder is working independent of the White House, he will be claim that the EPA is also working on its own. Granted, this is the EPA’s end run, but it is purely for President Obama’s benefit.

Can't Get Any Worse for Tiger? How About Naked Pictures?

From today's what the Hell was he thinking file, American Power is reporting that someone is shopping naked pictures of Tiger Woods to Playgirl:

I'm not sure if Tiger is suffering from a maturity problem, an ego problem, or a he's just plain nuts problem but surely he would have to know that nude photos of someone of his fame and wealth would not stay hidden forever. In my humble opinion, ain't no flippin way he's coming back from this.

Read the rest of story.

Free Falling

Via Memeorandum:

The Quinnipiac survey is in and the news is not good for the Obama White House. Ed Morrissey:

Hide the decline! Barack Obama’s job approval rating dropped to a new low in yet another survey, this time in the respected Quinnipiac survey. Obama can only muster an anemic 46% approval overall, with 44% disapproving and 10% on the sidelines. His domestic-agenda priority now has even lower support, and Obama is seriously underwater on a number of issues:

American voters give President Barack Obama a split 46 – 44 percent job approval, his lowest ever, and both the health care reform package that he wants Congress to pass and his personal rating on handling health care now win support from less than four in 10 Americans, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Voters disapprove 52 – 38 percent of the health care reform proposal under consideration in Congress, and they disapprove 56 – 38 percent of President Obama’s handling of health care, down from 53 – 41 percent in a November 19 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh- pe-ack) University. …

“It’s a good thing for those pushing the health care overhaul in Congress that the American people don’t get a vote. At this time, supporters are down 14 percentage points,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

To provide a little more context for that, Obama won his election in November by half of that spread. That was not considered a close election, either.

The downward decline has picked up speed, too. It may be hard to recall this, but just six- months ago, Obama had a 59% approval rating, with only 31% disapproving. Two months ago, he still had a 50/41 split. It’s worse among independents, though. He’s underwater by 14 points, 37/51, an eleven-point plunge from last month’s 43/46. Six months ago, independents gave Obama a 27-point gap to the good, which means he’s flipped 41 points in just six months among this key group.

I don't imagine that it would occur to Obama that most Americans think that his agenda sucks. Common sense would dictate that the President take a few steps back but common sense be damned. Obama seems inclined to push his unpopular policies through and worry about the consequences later. Definately not an attractive quality in a leader.

Who Would Benefit From Capping Carbon?

Self interest is a powerful thing. There is nothing unusual, or necessarily wrong, with a "what's in it for me" attitude. I have no doubt that there are people who sincerely believe that Al Gore is a humanitarian who is selflessly working to save the world. In their estimation the fact that "global warming" has changed Gore from a wealthy man to a WEALTHY man doesn't speak to his motivation. We call these people "dupes."

But let's face it, Gore isn't alone in benefiting from the global fraud being promoted in Copenhagan. In Forbes, Joel Kotkin discusses the "what's in it for me" factor:

So why do leaders like Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown continue identifying themselves with the climate change agenda and policies like cap and trade? Perhaps it's best to see this as a clash of classes. Today's environmental movement reflects the values of a large portion of the post-industrial upper class. The big money behind the warming industry includes many powerful corporate interests that would benefit from a super-regulated environment that would all but eliminate potential upstarts.

These people generally also do not fear the loss of millions of factory, truck, construction and agriculture-related jobs slated to be "de-developed." These tasks can shift to China, India or Vietnam--where the net emissions would no doubt be higher--at little immediate cost to tenured professors, nonprofit executives or investment bankers. The endowments and the investment funds can just as happily mint their profits in Chongqing as in Chicago.

Global warming-driven land-use legislation possesses a similarly pro-gentry slant. Suburban single family homes need to be sacrificed in the name of climate change, but this will not threaten the large Park Avenue apartments and private retreats of media superstars, financial tycoons and the scions of former carbon-spewing fortunes. After all, you can always pay for your pleasure with "carbon offsets."

Global warming is very much a class issue. Cap and Trade schemes give the political class control; the wizards of Wall Street gain wealth; the self absorbed hedonists in Hollywood get to feel like they are doing something noble. But it is we schmucks on the bottom of pile who will pay the price.

Rev. Gore likes to say, as he passes the collection plate, that this is the fight of his life. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gore's lavish lifestyle is chiseled in stone whether anything comes out of Copenhagen or not. The same doesn't hold true for the rest us. Carbon schemes will severely curtail our lifestyle. And ten years from now the charlatans will move on to their next scam.

More at Memeorandum

What Makes Someone an "Environmentalist"?

Every day, no matter the weather, I eat my lunch at a picnic table next to the lake. Yesterday was absolutely beautiful, as most Florida days are, and I was joined by two companions.


Every evening I sit on my porch and enjoy the breeze off the bay. I love manatees. Nothing is more glorious than dolphins playing at sunset. I know it sounds silly, but I love to watch lizards chasing each other.

I feel blessed to have a very simple lifestyle that for the most part centers around nature. So does that make me an environmentalist? I imagine that many people would say "no."


I was recently told by an acquaintance that I only think that I care about the environment but that I am either fooling myself or being insincere because I don't believe in global warming. Now let me be clear, I believe that the globe warms and I believe that the globe cools. That is the "change" in climate change. I also hope that future generations will enjoy the ocean just as I do today. But I am not willing to ruin the economy for future generations based on a risky and unproven scheme.

Nobody can explain the medieval warming period to me. How is that we had period that was much warmer than today but there were far fewer people and no cars, no jets, no factories. Yet, I am to believe that warming is caused by over population, inefficient cars and industrialization.

The medieval warming period ended without Cap and Trade. Nobody met in Copenhagen and there were no carbon offsets. But it ended anyway.

I get that I sound simplistic. I readily admit that I don't understand the science. But from a common sense point of view, Global Warming just doesn't pass the smell test.

We are a pretty smart bunch of people. We can, without sacrificing our market based economy, preserve and protect our environment. Technology improves and evolves when the market is allowed to function. Instead of putting our faith on the alter of questionable science, let's take a step back and put our faith in ourselves.

Does Obama Know Kevin Jenning's Agenda?

I went almost fifty of my fifty-one years without any clue what "tea bagging" was. Up until a couple of days ago, I had never heard of "fisting". Now that I am acquainted with the term, my reaction is who would do that? The more important question is who would introduce children to an act like that? Well, if something is just too bizarre to be believed, there must be an Obama "czar" involved and in this case it is Kevin Jennings, Obama's "safe schools" czar. The problem with Jennings, or more precisely, one problem with Jennings is that he makes our schools decidedly less safe for our children.

Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit:

In March 2000 the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) organization of Massachusetts held its 10 Year Anniversary GLSEN/Boston conference at Tufts University. This conference was fully supported by the Massachusetts Department of Education, the Safe Schools Program, the Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, and some of the presenters even received federal money. During the 2000 conference, workshop leaders led a “youth only, ages 14-21″ session that offered lessons in “fisting” a dangerous sexual practice. During the same workshop an activist asked 14 year-old students, “Spit or swallow?… Is it rude?” The unbelievable audio clip is posted here. Barack Obama’s “Safe Schools Czar” Kevin Jennings is the founder of GLSEN. He was paid $273,573.96 as its executive director in 2007. Jennings was the keynote speaker at the 2000 GLSEN conference.

Hoft also reports that the 2001 conference Planned Parenthood passed out fisting "kits" to the children. I am fairly certain that fisting does not lead to pregnancy so I am a bit confused by Planned Parenthood's involvement. But the bigger issue is that children were taught how to perform sex acts. GLSEN contends that it promotes tolerance but it seems to me they are promoting the ability to tolerate a fist up the tailpipe. What on Earth does any of this have to do with "safe schools"?

President Obama has two young daughters. Is this the kind of thing that he wants his children exposed to? If not, why would he hire someone to expose our children to these acts? I don't doubt it is embarrassing for the President to admit yet another hiring error but he needs to deal with this situation as a father. If he doesn't fire Jennings then he needs to explain why he supports the sexualization of children.

Why I Rarely Watch TV

I decided for a variety of reasons to take a break from blogging. So, needing, for a variety of reasons, to pursue something totally mindless, I turned on the TV. CSI Miami to be exact. And lo and behold, ripped from the headlines is a murdered census worker complete with a angry white woman. These days who else refuses to co-operate investigators, besides, you know, we, pro-government, knuckle dragging WAPY trailer trash sorts who have suddenly become anti-government, with the election of a black man.

Suddenly, by pure coincidence, we have a black woman, a “domestic” worker with a heavy accent, who expresses concern, but can’t get involved because her white mistress wouldn’t like it. Oh, and there’s a meth lab involved. I am assuming that is because, ala my former home state of Kentucky, if you’re against big government you are also pro illegal drugs. Sheesh, how many stereotypes can they pack in to one segment?

I’m not going to watch this all the way through. As much as I really, really need a break this isn’t it. I get up every and go to work. I belong to the segment of society that pays taxes. I take care of my parents. I help my grown children. I think I deserve better than to be cracked on by a bunch on over paid actors whose only claim to fame is that they can regurgitate lines on cue.

Totally aside, the census worker’s death had nothing to do with the fact that he worked for the government. Go figure. But the evil white woman got arrested.

Al's Next Gig: Poet

Thanks, Gator, I'll never feel about poetry the same:

Sir Al (its just a matter of time):

One thin September soon
A floating continent disappears
In midnight sun

Vapors rise as
Fever settles on an acid sea
Neptune’s bones dissolve

Snow glides from the mountain
Ice fathers floods for a season
A hard rain comes quickly

Then dirt is parched
Kindling is placed in the forest
For the lightning’s celebration

Unknown creatures
Take their leave, unmourned
Horsemen ready their stirrups

Passion seeks heroes and friends
The bell of the city
On the hill is rung

The shepherd cries
The hour of choosing has arrived
Here are your tools

Whoa, that's deep. Like you know, waders deep. Grand Canyon deep. I need a hot fudge brownie deep. And some Cheetos. Brownies and Cheetos. Whoa, that's funny. No, I mean it. Al's deep. Ya know what I'm saying? Al's the bomb.

Is There a Double Standard About Domestic Violence?

Many assume, without a shred of evidence, that Elin Woods took a nine iron to her husband's head. Perhaps reflecting on how their own wives would react if it came to light that they had been cheated on, men make somewhat nervous jokes about it. Women tend to comment that they would have swung a little bit lower.

Fausta rightfully notes that nobody would be making jokes had Tiger swung upside Elin's face. Violence is violence and the neither the sex of the hitter nor the sex of the hittee makes any difference. And while we're at it, don't forget that there is a child in the Woods household. In very real terms, domestic violence is not a joke.

Cassandra at Villainous Company doesn't shed any tears for Tiger. She points out that by being a serial cheater, Tiger not only degraded himself, his wife and his marriage, he exposed his wife to grave danger if he engaged in unprotected sex with these women. We have no reason to believe he did but by the same standard, we have no reason to believe that Elin hit him with a golf club.

Somewhere in between is Little Miss Attila who makes the point that if anyone in this world can piss you off it is your spouse. Amen to that. I've been divorced for twenty-seven years and that man still pisses me off. However, as LMA says, we should handle those situations in a adult manner that avoids escalating disagreements to the point of no return.

Fausta, Cassandra and LMA all agree that domestic violence is abhorrent although they take different approaches towards the Tiger Woods situation. The problems is, none us knows what happened inside Tiger's house that night or if there was a pattern of violence between Tiger and his wife. If there was violence at the Wood's house that night and if it was a one time thing brought one by the shock of learning that her husband had been unfaithful I would lean towards cutting Elin a break. That is not the same as excusing her actions but I would be a bit more understanding. Honestly, I wouldn't cut Tiger a break if the situation were reversed. So yes, up to a point I do have a double standard.

Tiger and his wife appear poised to stay together. Definitely wouldn't be my choice. It takes a lot to heal a marriage that has been spectacularly, publicly broken. I wish them the best of luck.

Is Wiping Out Black Babies a Viable Green Policy?

Think you’ve heard it all? Don’t be silly! Seems there’s group of hoity toity environmentalists in Jolly Ol’ Great Britain who are doing “carbon credits” one better when it comes to assuaging their guilt over their lavish lifestyles: people credits. How they can possibly feel guilty when they obviously have no shame is beyond me, but here’s the deal-they pay women in third world countries to not have children as a means of mitigating their “carbon footprint.” Stacy writes in Politically correct genocide:

Rushing to the front of the race for the prize of Most Vomit-Inducing Environmental Initiative Ever Devised, the UK's Optimum Population Trust -- which counts such grandees as David Attenborough and Jonathon Porritt among its supporters -- has just launched PopOffsets. This quirkily named campaign is actually deeply sinister: It invites well-off Westerners to offset their carbon emissions by paying for poor people in the Third World to stop procreating.In short, if you feel bad about your CO2-emitting jaunt to Barbados, or the new Ferrari you just splurged on, then simply give some money to a charity which helps to "convince" Third World women not to have children, and -- presto! -- the carbon saved by having one less black child in the world will put your guilt-ridden mind at rest.

The Optimum Population Trust is a creepy Malthusian outfit made up of Lords, Ladies, and Sirs who all believe that the world's problems are caused by "too many people." It recently carried out a cost-benefit analysis of the best way to tackle global warming and "discovered" (I prefer the word "decided") that every £4 spent on contraception saves one ton of CO2 from being added to the environment, whereas you would need to spend £8 on tree-planting, £15 on wind power, £31 on solar energy, and £56 on hybrid vehicle technology to realize the same carbon savings.

If memory serves me, we used to refer to schemes like this as “eugenics.”

Let’s face it, “people offsets” are not only, as Stacy says, “creepy”, on the surface, they don’t seem very well thought out. Consider the average life expectancy in these third world countries: Malawi-48.3 years, Burkina Faso-52.2 years, Congo-46.4 years, Dijbouti-54.8 years and Guinea Bissau-48 years. The Lords and Ladies of the Optimum Population Trust aren’t getting much bang for the buck. Afterall, the average kid in Guinea Bissau probably doesn’t spend its short life tooling around in daddy’s Escalade. If they want to use their money to pay women not to have children wouldn’t they be better off paying for Paris Hilton’s tubal ligation? Now that would benefit society.

Look, I am all for environmentalists not having children. The fewer of them the better. But when they start paying women in third world countries not to bear children they are simply showing themselves to be racist hypocrites. There is much that can be done to improve the lives of children in third world countries-wiping them out should not be anyone’s goal.

I Guess I'm Just "Out of Step" UPDATE

In this case, "out of step" is code for "old fashioned" or maybe just old. American Power is reporting that six women are now claiming to have had affairs with Tiger Woods. "Affairs" may be too strong of a word, it appears that these young women were "booty calls." Whatever.

I can't think of any circumstance, or any man, that I would announce to the world that I had screwed around with them. In the case of a married man, I wouldn't even tell my best friend. I would be too embarrassed and ashamed. Yet, six women, so far have come out to say that they fooled around with Tiger Woods. Why?

If it is for money, whether in the form of a payoff or otherwise, it smacks of prostitution. If it is for "fame" it smacks of desperation. Who wants to be famous for being a whore? A month from now this story will have dropped off the radar and nobody will remember who these women are. I would be surprised if any of them even get fifteen minutes of fame. It seems like little reason to embarrass yourself over.

But I guess that is where the "old fashioned" comes in. I am projecting my values where they do not exist.

Read the American Power story here.

Related because it deals with Tiger Woods but otherwise unrelated, Legal Insurrection has news of the black communities reaction to the color of Tiger's flings. I would say that I thought we were beyond this but I recently learned otherwise when a dear friend's daughter married a black man. In my family, it is not an issue. Finding someone to spend your life with is an incredible thing, one I haven't managed. I can't think of anything less important to the qualities that make a good marriage than race.

UPDATE:

It seems like the color of Tiger's "ladies" is becoming a bigger story than the fact that he is a six (at least) timing cheat. Yukio Ngaby wrote a comment at Legal Insurrection recalling his own experiences of being married to a black woman and has followed up with a post at Critical Narrative:

But then the AP pushed this article upon us: "Tiger's troubles widen his distance from blacks." What's it about? Well, a lot of it's about the race of Woods' mistresses and the black community's attitude toward interracial marriage. My favorite quote from the article:

"On the one hand, Ebonie Johnson Cooper doesn't care that Tiger Woods' wife and alleged mistresses are white because Woods is 'quote-unquote not really black.'"

"But at the same time we still see him as a black man with a white woman, and it makes a difference,' said Johnson Cooper, a 26-year-old African-American from New York City. 'There's just this preservation thing we have among one another. We like to see each other with each other."'

Preservation thing? This kind of language is the same crap that various white supremacist websites push...

Read Yukio's entire post. He makes the case that this nonsense would not be tolerated if it were being made by white people. It shouldn't be tolerated when it comes from black people either.

Bama Wins

Congrats to Carol at No Sheeples Here, Stacy at The Other McCain and Alabama fans everywhere. My favorite Gator proves that he is one classy guy.

I Don't Know Who Bill is, But I like Him

Via Instapundit:

FOCUS GROUP: Congress Is Like Satan. Best bit: “One telling moment came after Hart asked each voter to write the name that comes to mind when they think of Congress. Bill, a 62-year-old retired automobile-industry executive and independent who backed Obama, wrote ‘Satan.’ When Hart asked why, Bill answered, ‘Because I wasn’t sure of the correct spelling of ‘Beelzebub.’ Now that’s intensity.”

ClimateGate Denialists Screech, Fling Poop

Via Memeorandum:

ClimateGate denialist Brad Johnson at Think Progress is frothing at the mouth:

As the United States — led by President Barack Obama — prepares to join the world in the fight against global warming, the opponents of reform are resorting to criminal desperation, harkening back to the amoral extremes of Richard Nixon. The release of the hacked emails from CRU was praised as the act of a “whistleblower” by conservatives. “The timing couldn’t be better,” chortled Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK). The original Watergate scandal began when right-wing operatives burglarized the offices of their political opponents during a presidential election. “Climategate” is turning out to be worse — now the criminals are turning on scientists as the world burns.

Brad, obviously not given to open mindedness, tolerance or simple, clear thought processes, doesn't like it when his religion is attacked. Considering that the files at the CRU were more likely leaked than hacked, the Watergate analogy is a bit misplaced. No matter. I can almost imagine Brad orgasmic with righteous indignation as his belief system is exposed as the scam of the century.

There is one way that Watergate is similar to ClimateGate-in both cases the guilty parties destroyed evidence in an attempt to cover up their crimes. In ClimateGate, it is the "scientists" who behaved in a Nixonian manner.

Why Does a Minute in Basketball Feel Like it Takes Forever?

Okay, we are up by five and I am truly losing it. A minute 56 to play. NC lands a three pointer. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Only two points! You're killing me boys! Come on! YOU. ARE. KENTUCKY! Play! Foul. Bledsoe scores a free throw. And another. Up by four. Thirty seconds left. I'm not breathing. Eleven seconds. How'd we get to five? Who cares! They score again. Down to three. Foul. He shoots, he scores X two. Back at five. Graves hits a three pointer. NOT ENOUGH. We win!

Kentucky beats North Carolina 68-66. The universe is back on its axis. Birds are singing.

And now you know what my kids refuse to watch Kentucky basketball with me in public.

Go Cats!

Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

Via Don Surber:

Where the Hell is our Commander in Chief? Sorry, but court martialing Navy Seals because they may have punched a terrorist in the face after capturing him is asinine beyond all belief. This scumbag captured, killed, burned and mutilated American citizens and then hung their bodies from a bridge. The video is of Republican (naturally) Congressman Dan Burton standing up for these Seals. I appreciate his support but shouldn’t it be the Commander in Chief who stands up for our brave fighting men and women? Shouldn’t the Commander in Chief be pinning a medal on these guys as we speak? God bless the people who put their lives on the line for my freedom every single day. God damn a spineless wuss of a Commander in Chief who doesn’t have the balls to back them up.



By the way, I would have aimed my punch considerably lower.

Kenvin Jennings, Safe Schools Czar and Sick Son of a Bitch

Last night I read Gateway Pundit's report on Kevin Jennings, President Obama's "Safe Schools" Czar, who is promoting child porn in our schools. I read the passages from the books that Jennings, through GLSEN, believes should be included on our school's reading lists. I won't reprint the sections here, though I strongly suggest that all parents read them. Parents need to know what this Administration is foisting on our children.

The passages I read contained graphic depictions of homosexual acts between children and between children and adults. Let me clear, I support civil unions for gays and lesbians. I do not believe that the actions between consenting adults is any of my concern. These books have nothing to do with gay rights. These books have nothing to do with promoting self esteem. In fact, in many cases, these books depict personal degradation as normal and desired. But my shock that these books are being targeted at children isn't based on any feeling I have about a gay or lesbian lifestyle. These books promote the sexualization of children and no matter anything else, the "sexing up" of children is wrong.

We are all born as sexual beings and I don't believe that it is shocking to say to we all have sexual feelings from a very young age. I also don't doubt that if a child that has feeling that are outside of societal norms experiences more confusion and more shame than other children. Responsible parents deal with these feelings, often in a covert manner, by promoting self esteem and helping their children set personal limits. The goal is to help our children delay physical encounters until they have the emotional maturity to experience their sexuality in a safe, healthy manner.

Our schools haven't done a particularly good job of fulfilling their intended purpose. They should not be in the business of agenda promotion. I would be just as opposed to these books if they promoted heterosexual acts between children. Don't get me started about sexual acts between unequals, i.e., adults and children. More than anything, schools should not be a party to eroding the relationship between parents and their children.

I am sorry if Jennings parents didn't deal his sexuality in a manner to his liking. But that is no excuse for making schools a branch of the the sex industry. Jennings is Obama's pick, let the President tell us why he supports these reading lists and why he chose a sick SOB as his "Safe Schools" Czar. In the mean time (I won't hold my breath while waiting for an explanation from the President) schools need to figure out how to improve math and reading skills and keep their hands off our children's bodies.

NOTE: Paco informs me that Gateway Pundit came under a cyber attack after posting on Jennings. I'm sure, as Master Paco says, it was just a strange coincidence.

ClimateGate: Starting Over

Seen over at Doug Ross:

Jonah Goldberg, writing in The National Review, makes the case that although nothing will come out significance will come out of Copenhagen or Cap and Trade, ClimateGate will not be the reason. Goldberg is much more generous to the scientist at the center of the ClimateGate scandal:

The e-mails don’t show that the scientists don’t believe global warming is real. Rather, they show that the scientists believe in global warming so much, they think they’re justified in doing anything to fight it. To paraphrase Bob Dylan, you never ask questions when Gaia’s on your side.

Personally, I believe that these scientists are a bunch of hacks who figured out that they could rake in the grant money and recognition by peddling junk science and were willing to go to any lengths to keep the money flowing. That's just me. However, Goldberg makes a very good point-there is no way in Hell to convince oil producing countries to leave their oil in the ground. Why should they? What has Saudi Arabia have going for it except its oil?

Being against Cap and Trade, I am, and believing that Global Warming is a scam, I do, doesn't mean that we should give up on energy independence. Energy independence is central to our national security. Make no mistake, every time you or I fill our gas tanks we put money in to the pockets who wish to see us dead.

What ClimateGate shows us is that we need honest scientists working on solutions to the very real energy problems that this country faces. But that will never happen so long as the very powerful environmental lobby is pulling the strings.

You will never see clean wind power being generated off our coasts because the environmental groups would rather worry about migrating birds than real solutions. Why aren't they promoting underwater turbines as a source of clean energy? Why aren't they promoting drilling to insure our energy independence? The environmentalists, and the scientists and politicians who are riding around in their pockets, have no interest in solutions except those that trade our dependence on foreign despots for dependence on one world fascists.

Goldberg says that it’s time to start over, beginning with the science. True enough, but this time around let's insist on honesty and transparency. We've seen what happens when the debate, and science, is left to those with hidden agendas.

Delegates to the Climate Conference in Copenhagen Score a Twofer

While the delegates at the upcoming climate conference at Copenhagen meet to discuss how to screw the world's economy to the tune of billions of dollars they can screw Danish sex workers for free. Spiegel:

Copenhagen's city council in conjunction with Lord Mayor Ritt Bjerregaard sent postcards out to 160 Copenhagen hotels urging COP15 guests and delegates to 'Be sustainable - don't buy sex'.

"Dear hotel owner, we would like to urge you not to arrange contacts between hotel guests and prostitutes," the approach to hotels says.

Now, Copenhagen prostitutes are up in arms, saying that the council has no business meddling in their affairs. They have now offered free sex to anyone who can produce one of the offending postcards and their COP15 identity card, according to the Web site avisen.dk.

Technically, the sex wouldn't really be free. All that heavy breathing would release copious amounts of carbon dioxide in to the atmosphere, requiring the purchase of carbon offsets to mitigate the damage to the environment. I hear Al Gore will be manning a booth at the conference for just that purpose.

More at:

Memeorandum

American Power

Hot Air

The Jawa Report

Politico Plays a Games of Wiffleball With Al Gore

Some things just boggle the mind and Politico’s Q and A with Al Gore is a boggler. In light of ClimateGate, why would anyone interview The Goreacle and not ask one question about what is being called the worst scientific scandal of our time? Pundit:

I've been curious to find out what Al Gore has to say about the scandal, so instead of ignoring his blather I scanned John F. Harris and Mike Allen's Politico interview with him. You'd think they'd ask him about the emails, the recriminations, the UN's plan to "investigate" the scandal, his recent change in schedule, or maybe even the suggestions that he ought to give back his Oscar.

Yeah, you’d think. Did Politico agree upfront not to ask Gore about ClimateGate? Some tough journalism that.

More at :

Memeorandum
Pajamas Media
Another Black Conservative

Rasmussen: Majority of American Don't Buy the Global Warming Shtick UPDATED

Ed Morrissey brings word of the latest Rasmussen poll:

The fallout of the University of East Anglia CRU e-mails threatens to smother the credibility of anthropogenic global-warming advocates — and the UN along with them. In a new survey conducted after the exposure of UEA-CRU’s behind-the-scenes chicanery, the Rasmussen poll indicates that a majority of respondents think AGW scientists have lied about their data. Only 26% think that such dishonesty and fraud is either not very likely or not at all likely:

Most Americans (52%) believe that there continues to be significant disagreement within the scientific community over global warming.

While many advocates of aggressive policy responses to global warming say a consensus exists, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 25% of adults think most scientists agree on the topic. Twenty-three percent (23%) are not sure. …

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Americans say it’s at least somewhat likely that some scientists have falsified research data to support their own theories and beliefs about global warming. Thirty-five percent (35%) say it’s Very Likely. Just 26% say it’s not very or not at all likely that some scientists falsified data.

I don't find the results of the poll surprising. I consider my fellow citizens to be thoughtful and not easily swayed by illogical arguments that don't pass the smell test. But there is one segment of the poll that bugs the beans out of me:

Despite the protestations of “consensus” from the Obama administration — reiterated by Robert Gibbs yesterday — only a quarter of Americans actually believe that a global consensus exists among scientists. Only 22% believe that the UN, which sponsored the IPCC report based in large part of UEA-CRU findings, is a credible resource for AGW. And only 15% of all respondents think AGW is a higher priority than rebuilding the economy and creating jobs, against 71% who believe jobs and the economy should take priority.

Who are these people who believe dealing with the non-existent Global Warming should take priority over getting the economy straightened out and putting people back to work? I can only imagine that we are talking about: a) spoiled brat college students who are still living on Mommy and Daddy's dime and b) people who are wealthy enough that they don't have to worry about Cap and Trade sending their electric bills through the roof. Does anybody think that "climate crusader" Leonardo DiCaprio gives a rat's ass what his utility bill is? What are the chances he even knows what is utility bill is?

I doubt that people who believe in Global Warming have any understanding of the unintended consequences of their good(?) intentions. Currently this issue is being driven by people who do not have a dog in the fight. I don't want this economy further damaged by people who will be unaffected or worse, profit, from decisions based on junk science.

Morrissey believes that Cap and Trade is dead:

This makes the job-killing cap-and-trade bill a political nightmare for Democrats, especially once the CRU scandal really captures the public imagination. No one will support higher energy prices and the economic handicaps they will impose for a cause rife with perceived falsehoods, misrepresentations, and flat-out fraud. The cap-and-trade bill has already been considered close to dead, thanks to Harry Reid’s rescheduling of it to the spring of an election year. This should convince all but the most radical Democrats on Capitol Hill to give up the effort entirely.

Bottom line-our elected officials won't walk away from Cap and Trade because of concerns about the economy, but they will run away from it out of concerns for their political careers.

UPDATE I

The Daley Gator has a report on the hypocrisy of the United Nations Climate Change Conference which begins this Monday in Copenhagen. It looks like the delegates to the conference need to buy a butt load of "offsets" from Al Gore to make up for the carbon they are going to pump into the environment while "saving the Earth."

UPDATE II

From Instapundit: CLIMATEGATE FALLOUT? Al Gore “Abruptly” Cancels Personal Appearance In Copenhagen.

Apparently 3,000 schmucks paid upwards of $1,200 for a picture with Big Al and a "light snack." The reasons for the cancellation aren't clear but maybe it has something to do with this:

Pajamas Media founder Roger L. Simon and independent filmmaker Lionel Chetwynd -- both members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Oscar nominees -- have called on the academy to rescind Mr. Gore's Oscars in light of the Climategate revelations.

"In the history of the academy, not to my knowledge has an Oscar ever been rescinded. I think they should rescind this one," Mr. Simon said Thursday.

Maybe the Academy could replace Gore's Oscar with a fictional award to honor Gore's peddling of the fictional Global Warming.

More at:

Memeorandum
Riehl World View
American Power
Michelle Malkin
Don Surber
Pajamas Media

"Locked In?"

Great news! The Taliban will lay down their arms and become peace loving hippies on July 20, 2011.

White House: July 2011 Is Locked In for Afghanistan Withdrawal

During the Senate Armed Services hearing today, Defense Secretary Robert Gates was pressed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. on whether the July 2011 date for beginning to withdrawal troops is "locked in."

Gates seemed to suggest there was some flexibility, that "it was a clear statement of his strong intent" and that "the president always has the freedom to re-evaluate his decisions." After the hearing Graham said he took that to mean the date is "not locked in" and will depend on conditions on the ground.

It was a point of contention at the White House briefing today – I asked White House spokesman Robert Gibbs if senators were incorrect calling the date a "target."

After the briefing, Gibbs went to the president for clarification. Gibbs then called me to his office to relate what the president said. The president told him it IS locked in – there is no flexibility. Troops WILL start coming home in July 2011. Period. It's etched in stone. Gibbs said he even had the chisel.

So it is settled. What a wise man our leader is. One word from him and viola! the war is over. I don't know how he got the Taliban to agree but it was a masterstroke.

/snark

Who is advising this guy?

That Was Then, It is Also Now

I've decided to re-post a piece that I originally wrote on June 28, 2009. I am adding some current thoughts at the end.

Shutting Down Scientists Who Oppose Global Warming

What happens to experts whose scientific opinions contradict Global Warming or Climate Change, or whatever the latest incantation is? According to the Telegraph, their more politically correct brethren shut them out:

Dr Taylor was told that his views running "counter to human-induced climate change are extremely unhelpful". His signing of the Manhattan Declaration – a statement by 500 scientists that the causes of climate change are not CO2 but natural, such as changes in the radiation of the sun and ocean currents – was "inconsistent with the position taken by the PBSG".

Dr. Mitchell Taylor has been studying polar bears for over thirty years. Unfortunately for Dr. Taylor, he cares more about honesty than being the messenger of a flawed political, quasi-scientific assumption. The “science of Global Warming is settled” only because opposing views have been silenced.

Dr Taylor agrees that the Arctic has been warming over the last 30 years. But he ascribes this not to rising levels of CO2 – as is dictated by the computer models of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and believed by his PBSG colleagues – but to currents bringing warm water into the Arctic from the Pacific and the effect of winds blowing in from the Bering Sea.

He has also observed, however, how the melting of Arctic ice, supposedly threatening the survival of the bears, has rocketed to the top of the warmists' agenda as their most iconic single cause. The famous photograph of two bears standing forlornly on a melting iceberg was produced thousands of times by Al Gore, the WWF and others as an emblem of how the bears faced extinction – until last year the photographer, Amanda Byrd, revealed that the bears, just off the Alaska coast, were in no danger. Her picture had nothing to do with global warming and was only taken because the wind-sculpted ice they were standing on made such a striking image.

Over 700 of the world’s top scientists disagree with the theory of climate change. In fact, far more oppose the current theory than support it. If those who favor the theory that global warming is man made are so confident in their position, why are they so opposed to debate? I say follow the money. There are those who stand to profit greatly and those who wish to see our free market destroyed. These two factions have joined forces and unless we take a strong stand against this farce the consequences will be the devastation of our economy.

UPDATE: E-mails indicate EPA suppressed report skeptical of global warming.

From Power Line: The Competitive Enterprise Institute has obtained an EPA study of the "endangerment" to human well-being ostensibly caused by carbon dioxide emissions, together with a set of EPA emails indicating that the study, which concludes that carbon dioxide is not a significant cause of climate change, was suppressed by the EPA for political reasons.The Administration is suppressing the truth. Surprise, surprise. Read the entire post.

There has always been ample evidence that Global Warming is a crock. Granted, the hacked emails lend credence because they were written by the hucksters themselves but despite the proof of fraud, nothing too much has changed. Robert Gibbs, "the science is settled." Carol Browning, "the science is settled." Barbara Boxer wants a criminal probe of the hackers. Obama is still going to Copenhagen and no, I don't think he'll be making any bold statements about the Global Warming scam. While I certainly appreciate Sen. Inhofe's stance on ClimateGate, where is his backup in the Senate? Where is Sen. Lindsey Graham?

It is, to say the least, deeply disappointing that so few of our representatives are willing to stand up and say that in light of the emails that the entire "science" of climate change should be be re-evaluated. Is there a politician in Washington still in possession of a spine?

So How's That Stimulus Working Out For You?

Sometimes I wonder if the current Administration understands that it doesn't have a pot to piss in. The government has no money. Never has, never will. The money that the government spends has been confiscated from its citizens in the form of taxes.

I use the word "confiscate" because the government has a fiduciary obligation under our Constitution that limits how our money is to be spent and that obligation is not being fulfilled. Whether it is $9,500,000.00 spent on "streetscaping" in Coral Gables, Florida or $3,400,000.00 for a turtle tunnel (seriously) outside of Tallahassee, our money is being spent on frivolous projects that have limited, if any, benefit for the taxpayer.

Doug Ross lists the top ten stimulus fables. The Stimulus has been a bust. The only job growth has been in non-existent districts and (surprise!) the public sector. So what is our government going to do next? Cut taxes? Not in this life time. Cutting taxes has been proven to stimulate the economy but does nothing to grow government and growing government and turning citizens in to dependents is what this administration is all about.

My guess is that Obama is going to continue to throw good money after bad. Can we afford three more years of stimulus?

Unheard of Among Politicians, Australia's Senate Exhibits Good Sense

From Don Surber:

By a 41-33 vote, Australia’s Senate defeated a global warming bill, the BBC reported.

Perhaps Climategate swung the votes.

Maybe not.

The jig is up on the Global Warming scam and Phil Jones, the con artist at the center of the scam, as been forced to step aside at the East Anglia Climate Research Unit.

Doug Ross:

As for "the status of climate change"? Simple: it's a UN-organized bunko scam, pure and simple.

That's why Jones and the CRU deleted their data files; evaded FOIA requests; and conspired to shut dissenting views out of peer-reviewed journals.

Jones isn't a scientist -- he's a hack. It would appear that between 2000 and 2006 Jones was the recipient (or co-recipient) of nearly $20 million worth of grants. But, remember, he was deleting all that data for the children.

Currently, only Sen. Inhofe is pushing for an investigation into the Global Warming fraud. Contact him and send him some encouragement and ask him to press his fellow Republicans to speak out against this scam. Maybe, like Australia's Senate, ours could show some good sense.

My Two Cents on Charles Johnson

Charles Johnson has officially announced that he no longer wishes to be associated with "The Right." Frankly, I've never paid much attention to Charlie but apparently he's been cutting his ties with the Right for almost as long as he's had ties with the Right. Everybody who is anybody is weighing in:

Stacy McCain: Whatever harm CJ has inflicted on me or anyone else, his "success" in turning Little Green Footballs into an unprofitable imitation of Daily Kos is as much vindication as any of his victims can expect.

Legal Insurrection: In fact, this is just another attention getting ploy to get back at people who have criticized Johnson. Go to The Other McCain for some background. Jules Crittendon and JammieWearingFool have good take-downs of Johnson's tactic, and James Joyner refutes Johnson's accusations in great and glorious detail.

The Daley Gator: He likely will not be watching, football as great as the SEC offers is too much for asshats wimps like Johnson. He will likely spend the Saturday telling his cat, likely named Mr. Giggles or some such name, how stupid Southerners are, and how we all chew dirt and think the earth is only 6,ooo years old.

American Power: I was never that big a fan of Charles Johnson, but last year I was amazed at his ability to weed out the most vile comments and posts at Daily Kos, and so I visited there routinely. C.J. hadn't fully transmogrified into the premiere enemy of everything-not-LGF, but the writing was on the wall with the early attacks on Pamela Geller, and the weird denunciation of must about any European criticism of Islam as "fascism."

Riehl World View: No, Chuckles has simply replaced one enemy with another. I suppose, as with some, he requires such a thing to survive. Chuckles isn't having an awakening, he's simply living out whatever the hell it is that passes for a reality of sorts in his cyber-induced dream-dementia of a world. Were he ever to truly awaken, he'd probably leave blogging behind. His mind simply isn't strong enough to maintain a single identity as he goes along and posts.

And so it goes. Here's my two cents on the method behind Charlies madness: links. Consider this from LGF today:

Well, LGF traffic is soaring this morning; nearly 6,000 visitors online as I write this. Links coming in from everywhere...The funny thing is, that post about “Why I Parted Ways with the Right?” I wrote it in about three minutes last night. It’s been brewing in my cortex for years, and something triggered the release; exactly what, I don’t really know. Guess it was time.

It was time because nobody pays any attention to LGF unless he is smack talking. That is his business plan.

The Left will tire of him soon enough and if the Right ignores him he'll fade away.