Let Him Talk

Talk like this is very instructive.

"This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright," Wright told the Washington press corps Monday. "It has nothing to do with Senator Obama. It is an attack on the black church launched by people who know nothing about the African-American religious tradition."

Right.

Interesting that most news reports don't want to discuss his answers to all the questions.

Voter ID Requirement

The SCOTUS found that you can require voters to produce an approved version of ID in order to vote. Logical assistance for fraud prevention. I just find it strange to hear Souter whining about:

Indiana's voter ID law "threatens to impose nontrivial burdens on the voting rights of tens of thousands of the state's citizens," Souter said.

God lord, voting is a duty and a privilege. You'd think that this was an egregious attack on the common voter rather than a simple additional activity to vote. How about registering? Getting to the voting booth?

Feingold's Follies

God this guy's a complete jackass:

"As he begins the confirmation process to become the next commander of CENTCOM, General Petraeus must answer the most important question we face, which is not whether we are winning in Iraq, but why we are not defeating al Qaeda," Feingold warns.

Great take idiot. Petraeus has been the general specifically in Iraq, not the one with overall control of the middle east. In fact he is probably more qualified to fight the insurgent fights due to his much better understanding of asymmetrical warfare than his counterparts.

But no doubt Feingold will remain like the rest of the Democratic Leadership and maintain his head directly up his backside.

Democrat's Standard?

The Flatulent Fruit from Flint is ranting in support of anything Democrat. He's for Barack Waffles Obama, which no doubt is another strike against him. Here's a touch of his reasoned discourse.

I don't get to vote for President this primary season. I live in Michigan. The party leaders (both here and in D.C.) couldn't get their act together, and thus our votes will not be counted.

So, if you live in Pennsylvania, can you do me a favor? Will you please cast my vote -- and yours -- on Tuesday for Senator Barack Obama?

I haven't spoken publicly 'til now as to who I would vote for, primarily for two reasons: 1) Who cares?; and 2) I (and most people I know) don't give a rat's ass whose name is on the ballot in November, as long as there's a picture of JFK and FDR riding a donkey at the top of the ballot, and the word "Democratic" next to the candidate's name.

Seriously, I know so many people who don't care if the name under the Big "D" is Dancer, Prancer, Clinton or Blitzen. It can be Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Barry Obama or the Dalai Lama.

Yep, forget the issues, just look for the union (D). Not that there is a huge difference between HillBillary and the Obamessiah on the issues.

I know some of you will say, 'Mike, what have the Democrats done to deserve our vote?' That's a damn good question. In November of '06, the country loudly sent a message that we wanted the war to end. Yet the Democrats have done nothing. So why should we be so eager to line up happily behind them?

I'll tell you why. Because I can't stand one more friggin' minute of this administration and the permanent, irreversible damage it has done to our people and to this world. I'm almost at the point where I don't care if the Democrats don't have a backbone or a kneebone or a thought in their dizzy little heads. Just as long as their name ain't "Bush" and the word "Republican" is not beside theirs on the ballot, then that's good enough for me.

I, like the majority of Americans, have been pummeled senseless for 8 long years. That's why I will join millions of citizens and stagger into the voting booth come November, like a boxer in the 12th round, all bloodied and bruised with one eye swollen shut, looking for the only thing that matters -- that big "D" on the ballot.

Don't get me wrong. I lost my rose-colored glasses a long time ago.

Right. I love the rose-colored glasses statement. The problem with that is that he just strapped on another pair when endorsing Obama. Has Obama personally discussed any issues in detail? When he's not giving a speech he can hardly talk to a position. Well at least he got the part about the Dems doing nothing right. Though he seems to have missed the point that they control both houses and still can't get anything done. All that reaching across the aisle must be slowing down their progress.

Pennsylvania, the state that gave birth to this great country, has a chance to set things right. It has not had a moment to shine like this since 1787 when our Constitution was written there. In that Constitution, they wrote that a black man or woman was only "three fifths" human. On Tuesday, the good people of Pennsylvania have a chance for redemption.

Well that finale is pretty insulting. Imagine Pennsylvania was the birth place of the country, forgetting that the war of independence was fought throughout the colonies, the only important thing is where they signed the paper. And Pennsylvania needs redemption because the writers of the constitution (mostly from other states) held a different standard than we do today.

Don't bother reading it, he's ranting up his cavernous backside, like usual.

Morons Against Illegal Guns

Saw this last night. What a steaming pile.


Nice to again see affirmation of how truly clueless our political overlords think the rest of us are.

Bloomberg's Walmart Standard

This is pathetic. And it makes you wonder what Walmart gained in doing this. (Maybe trying to get a store in NY City finally?)

Mayor Bloomberg's national anti-gun campaign won a big victory at Wal-Mart on Monday - and inserted itself into the presidential race with a new TV ad.

Surrounded by Republican and Democratic mayors from dozens of cities, Bloomberg announced that Wal-Mart, the country's biggest gun seller, will put tight new controls on firearms sales - including videotaping every purchase - to keep them out of the hands of criminals.

"This partnership has the potential to set a new standard for gun dealers across the country," Bloomberg said. "We want customers and police officers to ask, does this dealer follow the Wal-Mart standard? And if not, why not?"

Why not? Because it isn't required by law and in fact I wouldn't buy from them for just these reasons. Video taping a legal purchaser is questionable at best for privacy reasons. The police have no say in whether a dealer uses the legal standard or some trumped up BS. The written law is all that is required and if they don't like it, well tough.

Of course Bloomjerk it trying to move the topic into the presidential campaign. Good for him. Since the topic is your typical loser for Dems, it will do them more damage than good. Like anyone believes Obama or Clinton are supporters of second amendment rights or even sportsman's right.

China's Rain Gods

I wonder if anyone else has tried this.

China is preparing an arsenal of rockets and aircraft to protect the Olympics opening ceremony from rain, hoping to disperse clouds before they can drench dignitaries at the roofless "bird's nest" stadium.

Officials believe there is a 47 percent probability of rain during the August 8 opening ceremony and a 6 percent chance of a heavy downpour and will try to drain humidity from clouds before they reach Beijing.

More than 100 staff at 21 stations surrounding the city will have 10 minutes' notice to fire rockets or cannons containing silver iodide at approaching clouds in the hope of making them rain before they reach the stadium. Three aircraft will also be on stand-by to drop catalysts to unleash rain from the clouds.

"We've worked with neighboring provinces on a contingency plan for rainstorm and other weather risks during the ceremonies," said Wang Yubin, the deputy chief of China's meteorological service assigned to the Olympics.

Violating the rights of the Dragons is pretty humorous. I'm certain that will bring them more luck.

Obama's Explanation

VDHanson deconstructs the wording of the original quote compared to his explanation.

Here is what Sen. Obama said:

"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them...And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Here is what Sen. Obama now says he said:

"So I said, 'Well, you know, when you're bitter you turn to what you can count on,' " he continued. "So people they vote about guns, or they take comfort from their faith and their family and their community. And they get mad about illegal immigrants who are coming over to this country or they get frustrated about, you know, how things are changing. That's a natural response."

Personally the most obvious one to me was what I think was the most political about this.

8. Note how there is sudddenly no "context" for the landscape of version #1: an elite Bay-area audience that is told stories about those Pennsylvanian gun-toting zealots.

Read the rest, though you probably already have the idea of what he really meant, and it has nothing to do with his explanation.

Murder Moratorium

Caught this linked at SayUncle. I have to say I found this in line with all of the rest of the symbolic legislation that has been wafting it's stench about as of late.

The Los Angeles City Council dropped plans Tuesday for a symbolic moratorium on killing, deciding instead to use the upcoming anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination to promote peace.

Council members had been asked by a handful of activists to declare a 40-hour ban on murder and other violence, a concept one critic quickly derided as "silliness."

After a 45-minute debate, the council reworked its resolution, saying the city's opposition to homicides should last more than a single weekend.

"A moratorium on violence and killing is something we should support 365 days a year and every minute we live," said Councilman Richard Alarcon, who represents part of the San Fernando Valley.

The symbolic ban on homicides had been proposed by Los Angeles author and political commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson, who had urged the city to make a bold statement about the recent increase in homicides.

Who in the hell thinks up this nonsense. I especially like the call for a 40-minute moratorium. You'd think the fact that most murder and violence is considered a felony would be evidence enough that society "disapproves" of it.

What's next? Symbolic demands against illness?

Morons.

Third Grade Thugs

A bit frightening:

Nine third grade students suspended at Center Elementary in Waycross for an alleged plot to attack their teacher.

"This plot was uncovered at the point that something dangerous was brought to the school," says Lt. Dwayne Caswell with Waycross Police.

Police say the students were hatching a plan to harm their teacher Friday morning. They even brought items from home to carry out the plan.

"They had a broken steak knife, a crystal paper weight, toy handcuffs, several items and tape and stuff," says Lt. Caswell.

Early Tuesday, the Waycross Police Department released photos of some of those items. They include the knife, handcuffs, and gloves.

Ware County School officials say a classmate told the principal about one of the students bringing a weapon to school. The discovery was later made that more students were in on the plot. The school says it’s a matter they are not taking lightly.

"Some might say 'They were young and in the third grade and how serious could it be?', but anytime our students' safety or our teachers' safety is compromised we obviously have to take that very seriously," says Theresa Martin with Ware County Schools.

I suppose if I were the teacher I'd be taking this quite seriously.

I'm going to blame this all on the liberalization of schools. Obviously that trend hasn't made schools any safer. Not that I have any further proof of a relationship, but it feels right.

Not Getting IT

Always entertaining is to read these committee highlights. I'm sure in many cases they aren't as shrill as this, though in the case of Comrade Markey, I'm sure it was even shriller.

Appearing before a House committee, the executives were pressed to explain why they should continue to get billions of dollars in tax breaks when they made $123 billion last year and motorists are paying record gasoline prices at the pump.

"On April Fool's Day, the biggest joke of all is being played on American families by Big Oil," Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said, aiming his remarks at the five executives sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in a congressional hearing room.

Clever and substantive. Or not.

What would bring lower prices? asked Rep. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, the committee's ranking Republican

"We need access to all kinds of energy supply," replied Robert Malone, chairman of BP America, adding that 85 percent of the country's coastal waters are off limits to drilling.

But Markey wanted to know why the companies aren't investing more in energy projects other than oil and gas - or giving up some tax breaks so the money could be directed to promote renewable fuels and conservation and take pressure off oil and gas supplies.

"Why is Exxon Mobil resisting the renewable revolution," asked Markey, noting that the other four companies together have invested $3.5 billion in solar, wind and biodiesel projects.

OK. Let's see, OIL companies deal in OIL and make their profits from OIL, so they invest primarily in OIL technologies. I suppose Markey wasn't informed that these were OIL executives that he was going to lecture on how to run a successful business while handing out their product for free. I'd also conjecture that their investments in alternative energy has a fairly low return compared to, oh say, OIL.

"We face a new reality, volatility, high prices, greater competition for resources," said Peter Robertson, vice president of Chevron Corp., adding that he understands that "Americans see the pain" of $100-a-barrel oil.

Markey challenged the executives to pledge to invest 10 percent of their profits to develop renewable energy and give up $18 billion in tax breaks over 10 years so money could be funneled to support other energy and conservation.

They responded that their companies already are spending on alternative energy projects and argued that new taxes would dampen investment and could lead to even higher prices.

"Imposing punitive taxes on American energy companies, which already pay record taxes, will discourage the sustained investment needed to continue safeguarding U.S. energy security," said Simon. He said over the past five years Exxon Mobil's U.S. tax bill exceeded its U.S. earnings by $19 billion.

Markey was not impressed.

"These companies are defending billions of federal subsidies ... while reaping over a hundred billion dollars in profits in just the last year alone," he said. The companies are reaping "a windfall of revenue" while poor people have to choose between heating and eating because of high energy prices.

I always enjoy discussions of raising taxes on a highly profitable industry. Not that those taxes in the end aren't passed on to those that buy the product. But demanding that they invest in alternative energy isn't going to get you anywhere.

He did make one point there surprisingly. Oil subsidies with record profits just doesn't make any sense at all. Increasing their taxes just to hand that money back to them is silly. Even worse is taking my taxes and giving to the oilers to stabilize their profits is insulting.