Sunday, July 05, 2009

Curious Obituary Photo o' the Day



Hat tip: LB

Larwyn's Linx: In Dependence Day

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email or reply via Twitter.

Nation

Independence Day: America turns 233: Malkin
Tea Party Photos: Instapundit
A political powerhouse in the making: CS Monitor

CAIR/ISNA Thuggery on July Fourth: Atlas
Sarah Palin is running a marathon: Hewitt
In Dependence Day: AT

Palin, Cloward, Piven and Kafka: AT (Suhadolnik)
Sarah Palin's Independence Day: Anchoress
Obama's future memoirs: AT (Guanipa)

Climate & Energy

Driehaus admits all families will receive 5-10% carbon tax hit: Virtuous Republic
Climate Change Factoid o' the Day: TigerHawk
Some Time to Ponder: AJacksonian

Media

He doesn't get it: Phillips
Krauthammer and Palin: Doc Zero
Palin Derangement Syndrome: Photoshopping Trig: AT (Lifson)

CNN vs. the Tea Parties: Blatt

World

Honduras leaves the OAS: Fausta
Saudis greenlight IDF attack on Iran: TAB
MI6 chief has cover blown through Facebook: Daily Mail (UK)

Hangings continue in Iran; World is silent: Atlas
GOP reaches out to Iranians in weekly address: GWP
Happy Planet: Cuba’s the 7th happiest country in the world: Fausta

Cornucopia

God Bless America: Voices of Glory
@PatrickRuffini One can only imagine how bad unemployment would have been had we not passed that fast-acting stimulus

"Sarah Palin's ability to provoke the left into displaying its inner ugliness alone makes her a national treasure." -- Thomas Lifson

Saturday, July 04, 2009

On July Fourth, Hondurans Thirst for Liberty


On July the Fourth, Hondurans are thirsting for independence, a return to the rule of law and their own civil society.




Honduras Abandoned is on the ground in Tegucigalpa.

"Palin is running for president, get used to it"


The Internet rumor mill is afire with speculation on the reasons for Sarah Palin's resignation as Governor of Alaska.

The usual cadre of deranged lefty bloggers hatched dozens of Troofer-esque theories, ranging from impending "embezzlement" charges (alleged ethics accusation #16) to an "Iceberg" scandal (don't ask).

Eh, no one tell the deranged leftist bloggers that all politicians operating under ethical clouds hang relentlessly onto power until it is clawed from them (see exhibits: Conyers, Dodd, Feinstein, Frank, Jefferson, Mollohan, Murtha, Rangel, Reid, Pelosi, Waters, et. al.).

The left's psychoses revolve around one characteristic: fear of Palin. She drives them absolutely nuts. They have hatched feverish story lines, plots, ambitions, conspiracy theories and "damning" evidence of her inability to serve as a credible candidate for high office. Their inordinate attention betrays their fears.

And recall that these are the very same rocket scientists who predicted -- for roughly 72 months running -- that Karl Rove was about to be "frog-marched" out of the White House.

At last count, Mickey Kaus had 14 theories.

Here are the facts on the ground:

• She could not build a campaign organization and a core team of contributors from Alaska;

• She could not relentlessly campaign for conservative candidates in 2012, which would build up her war-chest of owed favors;

• She could not sustain the endless series of ethical accusations, which cost enormous amounts of money both for her personally ($500,000) and the state of Alaska ($2,000,000). Of 15 ethical challenges, she has been cleared in all 15 cases. As an aside, note that these tactics are eerily reminiscent of those used by Barack Obama in having four of his Illinois challengers disqualified from office. It wouldn't be surprising, therefore, to discover that Obama's ACORN shock troops, Rahm Emanuel and/or David Axelrod were operating behind the scenes in these cases.

• She could not easily kick the asses of her many detractors in the mainstream media from Alaska. Consider that all of the major network news anchors were on vacation this week. This timing may have been purposeful; Palin will be old news by the time they return. I believe she's prepared to go on offense against a "media" that provided the most unbalanced coverage of two candidates (Obama versus Palin) in the history of American politics. Simply compare the questions ABC's Charlie Gibson asked of both in his one-on-one interviews to understand the callous disregard the media has for American voters. She reduced David Letterman to a quivering tub of goo; look for that to occur in other venues now.

Ever astute, Mark Levin listed but one reason for her announcement: Palin is running for president, get used to it..


Update: Patriot Room finds similar sentiments.

Update II: "It's On! Palin Counsel Plans to Pursue Liberal Blogs and Statist Media For Slander"

How does 0-60 in 2.5 seconds feel in a droptop?


Reliapundit points us to Wired's review of Bugatti's Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport.

"Comparing it to any other car is pointless, because there is nothing else in its $2.1-million class."

"Even if there were another 253-mph drop-top with more luxury appointments than a Bond villain's boudoir, you wouldn't want it. You'd want this exact car, because more than being a blast to drive, it is the greatest gasoline-powered vehicle that has ever been, or will ever be, built. Seriously."

"[It] is the most structurally rigid convertible in the world, which, miraculously, weighs no more and goes no slower than the coupe on which it is based. With the transparent roof removed, air resistance limits the Grand Sport to 217 mph, but you'd want that roof on for a top-speed run anyway; the wind could rip your face off at around 245.

By now, the Veyron's stats are legendary: 1,001 horsepower from a mid-mounted, 8.0-liter, 16-cylinder engine that gets air stuffed down its ravenous gullet by four massive turbochargers. All-wheel drive. A seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission that switches gears faster than a state staffer ducking questions about the Appalachian Trail. Depending on how you define "production car," it is the fastest in the world. In the quickest Lamborghini ever produced, the Murcielago LP640, you can hit 60 mph in 3.2 seconds. In the Grand Sport it takes a hair under 2.5. How does it feel to command that pace? Godlike.

The acceleration is so immediate you can feel your eyeballs deform under the G-forces..." >> Read the entire article.

The Hollywood Squares -- Classic Comebacks


'Borrowed' from S, C & A:

Q. If you’re going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.

Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.

Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years.
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.

Q. You’ve been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?
A. Don Knotts: That’s what’s been keeping me awake.

Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he’s married?
A. Rose Marie: No- wait until morning.

Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.

Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say ‘I Love You’?
A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineapple and a twenty.

Q. What are ‘Do It,’ ‘I Can Help,’ and ‘I Can’t Get Enough’?
A. George Gobel: I don’t know, but it’s coming from the next apartment.

Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking?
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I’ll give you a gesture you’ll never forget.

Q. Paul, why do Hell’s Angels wear leather?
A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.

Q. Charley, you’ve just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year?
A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I’m too busy growing strawberries.

Q. In bowling, what’s a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.

Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two subjects at nudist camps. One is politics, what is the other?
A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures.

Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?
A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I’m always safe in the bedroom.

Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?
A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out.

Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?
A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark?

Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to?
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark.

Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.

Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it?
A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn’t neglected.

Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do?
A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth.

Q. Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your elephant?
A. Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant?

Q. When a couple have a baby, who is responsible for its sex?
A. Charley Weaver: I’ll lend him the car, the rest is up to him.

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?
A. Charley Weaver: His feet.

Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh.

Q. Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat?
A. Paul Lynde: Loneliness!
(The audience laughed so long and so hard it took up almost 15 minutes of the show!)


Larwyn's Linx: The Madness That's Killing Jobs

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email or reply via Twitter.

Nation

Thanking Our Veterans and Troops on July 4th: GOPleader
Stop the madness that's killing jobs!: IBD
The ISNA Conference: AT (Gaubatz)

The costly truth about Canada's health care system: Reason
The Absentee Senator: WSJ
Sotomayor and ACORN: joined at the hip: AT (Moran)

Obama De-Criminalizes Hiring Illegals: S&L
Palin breaks the mold again: AT (Lifson)
It reminds me of Slovenia: PJM (Grabar)

Al Franken -- Democrat from ACORN: Investors
ACORN and the census: 'Systemic Fraud': Vadum
Lawyer responds to Rep. Jackson-Lee's ACORN inquiry: Vadum

Our founders, the realists: Lowry
Boomer Wars: Steynian
Get your Driehaus Blog Widget: Taxman

Great Question: Brutally Honest
Medicare Plans to Cut Specialists' Payments: WSJ
Prominent Jewish Democrats Double Down On Obama. Unpersuasively.: Mere Rhetoric

Climate & Energy

The EPA Silences a Climate Skeptic: Strassel
House climate bill wouldn't cut oil dependency much: McClatchy
A libertarian for coercive energy policy?: Green Hell

Media

Who wouldn't believe Chris Dodd?: Riehl
CBS omits Obama mention on 9.5% Unemployment Story: NewsBusters
Storm Clouds on the Fourth: PJM (Simon)

Ten Palin Theories: Kaus
Helen Thomas: Not Even Nixon Tried to Control the Media Like Obama: CNS
Colin Powell, the Useful Idiot: Exurban League

Moonbats

Huffington Post celebrates Palin's resignation with "retard" jokes: GWP
Successful terrorist attack on Obama's watch is GOP's only hope: Daily Kos

World

First Impressions Upon Landing in Honduras: Honduras Abandoned
Afghanistan: the WTF? War: Captain's Journal
Bon Jovi stands by Iran's rebels: SIGIS

Cornucopia

Fireworks Safety Video: JWF
Don't look down: Mail Online (UK)
1971 air crash survivor recalls her journey: CNN

How Much is in Karl's Obama Cuss Jar?: ushanka
Two Centuries On, a Cryptologist Cracks a Presidential Code: WSJ
Freight Train vs. Tornado: LiveLeak

Friday, July 03, 2009

Deranged progressive bloggers photoshop Trig Palin to mock the disabled


You've probably heard by now that Sarah Palin has resigned as Governor of Alaska. Unexpected, to be sure, but probably not irrational given the rampant Palin Derangement influenza endemic among Democrats and the mainstream media (but I repeat myself).

Exhibit A: Consider the behavior of deranged bloggers like TBogg at FireDogLake, first noticed by Dan Riehl.

TBogg depicts the Palins as the spawn of Satan.

The eyes are especially menacing, reminiscent of the media's treatment of Condi Rice.

Notice that, in the lower lefthand corner, Trig Palin -- the Governor's son afflicted with Down's Syndrome -- has been photoshopped in to enhance the mockery.

Disgusting, despicable and outrageous -- but not surprising from the vicious propagandists of the Left. Next month, expect TBogg to artistically depict Bibi Netanyahu as a rat.


Update: The Huffington Post on mental retardation.

Update II: It Always Has Been About Trig.

Linked by: American Thinker and Fausta. Thanks!

The new grill is here! The new grill is here!


Just in time for the Fourth!


Hat tip: Papa B.

Jennifer Loven of the AP: Barack Obama's Personal Publicist


I'd call Jennifer Loven of the AP a useless sycophant and a slavish mistress of the Obama administration, but that would understate her remarkable lack of journalistic ethics. She is, to be sure, a publicist disguised as an objective reporter. After all, that's how one gets those cherished one-on-one interviews with President Obama. To put Jennifer Loven in perspective, consider the headlines of her bylined stories over recent months.

07/02/2009: Obama: More work needed to create new jobs
07/02/2009: Obama: too many jobs lost
07/02/2009: Obama cites Michael Jackson as entertainment icon
07/02/2009: Obama troubled by indefinite detention
07/02/2009: Court 'moving ball' on racial hiring, Obama says

06/26/2009: Obama says US, Germany oppose violence in Iran
06/25/2009: Obama touts deal with drug firms
06/25/2009: Obama says he's committed to immigration reform
06/24/2009: Obama condemns violence against Iranian protesters
06/23/2009: Obama talks tougher on Iran violence

06/05/2009: Obama offers America's hand in peace to grateful Muslims
06/04/2009: Obama highlighting ties to Islam
06/04/2009: Obama troubled by Iran election but sees change
06/03/2009: Obama visits Saudi king on eve of key speech
06/04/2009: Obama extends hand to Muslim world in speech

06/05/2009: Obama sees 'serious progress' for Mideast peace
06/06/2009: Obama, Sarkozy, agree on Middle East strategy
06/06/2009: Obama: North Korea must engage in diplomacy
06/06/2009: Obama marks D-Day's solemn 65th anniversary
05/21/2009: Obama fights to take command of Guantanamo debate

05/12/2009: Obama seeks to block release of abuse photos
04/27/2009: From Obama: swine flu action, reassuring words
04/27/2009: Obama team offers calm, experts for swine flu
04/27/2009: Obama administration: Stern border enforcement not yet necessary
04/27/2009: White House asks lawmakers for $1.5b for flu

04/21/2009: Obama open to Hill probe of harsh interrogations
03/19/2009: Obama defends Geithner
03/12/2009: Treasury Secretary says global action needed to combat recession
02/28/2009: Military shaped Obama's Iraq plan
02/28/2009: Obama's balancing act on Iraq withdrawal

Now compare and contrast: Jennifer Loven stories from her years covering the Bush administration.

07/26/2005: White House: Judge Roberts writings out of bounds
06/08/2005: Bush, Blair agree to forgive Africa debt, at odds over aid
05/01/2005: Bush to keep pushing Social Security changes
02/11/2005: Bush threatens to veto Medicare changes
10/03/2004: Bush assails his foe on outsourcing security

09/01/2004: Troops got the message, but no one told Bush
04/14/2004: Bush, Cheney taxed less in '03
04/02/2004: Bush signs measure giving more legal rights to fetuses
03/06/2004: Bush Says He'll Relax Security Checks on Mexicans
02/21/2004: Bush defends decision for War in Iraq

12/15/2003: White House soft-pedals Baker's mission
12/14/2003: Bush sounds like candidate in radio talk
12/03/2003: Steel tariff decision dogs Bush
02/16/2002: Bush tells nation to relax a bit
12/03/2001: Affordable housing crunch persists for poorest

10/03/2001: Report Growing gap between wages, cost of renting
08/27/2001: 1 in 32 people in corrections system
08/03/2001: Democrats thwart Bush's consumer products nominee
12/07/2000: Pentagon: Project Falsely Justified
11/02/2000: LaHood continues effort to abolish Electoral College

The Loven agenda -- and by extension, the mission of the AP -- is as clear as glass.


Update: "State-Run Media Smears GOP for Pushing Family Values".

Update II: In 2006, Tom Blumer offered valuable background on Loven:

Jennifer Loven of the Associated Press is one of AP's regular reporters covering Mr. Bush and The White House... She also has an obvious conflict of interest, as her husband, Roger Ballentine, was a senior adviser to John Kerry on energy and environmental issues during the 2004 presidential campaign. Ballentine is currently president of Green Strategies, Inc., an environmental consulting and government relations (read: lobbying) firm. He also continues to be actively involved in the politics of energy and the environment, as this appearance at a renewable energy conference in December 2004 and the promotion for his October appearance on "E&E TV" show.

It has apparently never occurred to AP that her husband's point of view could affect the objectivity of Ms. Loven's reporting, though, as this post at Powerline supplied by me back in September 2004 shows, she went so far as to ridicule a 2002-2003 Bush Administration environmental initiative in one of her "objective" reports using language that parroted her husband's environmental advocacy statements.

Whether it's Iraq, the Joe Wilson charade (a report that led Powerline to call her a "Democrat Operative"), or the economy, Ms. Loven's reports on day-to-day happenings in the administration have been consistently negative and sometimes even hostile.


Holy Crap: Audi 4-Door Coupe and Convertible Due Next Year


A four-door convertible in S7 trim?


Motor Authority has the details.


Carbon Crap-and-Trade Kids Propaganda Website o' the Day


Can you believe this load of monkey manure? It's a screen-cap of a website which advertises a book for kids. The book -- The Adventures of Jimmy Carbon -- describes all of the dangers inherent to the deadly toxin called carbon dioxide.


I will not provide a link to the propaganda website, but you can read about the Green Gestapo in the insane piece of legislation called Waxman-Markey. Although here's a fair warning: you may need blood-pressure meds by the time you finish.


Inside the White House Panic Room



Sad, ain't it?


Larwyn's Linx: A Single-Prayer Health Care System

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email! or reply via Twitter.

Nation

Dust Bowl 2009: Priestap
Cali: cash for pols; IOUs for the blind: Surber
Barney Frank: Spend TARP income before taxpayers get it!: Coach P

Obama II vs. Obama I: Hanson
Dems to Remove Reagan's Name From Airport? : JWF
Senate bill fines people refusing health coverage: AP

Canada's Single-Prayer Health System: IBD
Get ready to lose your private insurance: Examiner
FairTax: IBD (PDF)

'Why do they hate Sarah Palin?': Anchoress
America losing hope in Obama's change: STACLU
'We're in the middle of a crash' -- Black Swan: CNBC

Free July 4th Protest Posters: Cube
Missing our moment in Iran: Hanson
A biblical look at the Declaration of Independence: Salt and Light

Climate

50 reasons to oppose Waxman-Markey: NRO
Waxman-Markey flunks basic math: PJM (Karlgaard)
Arctic temp above 80N parallel still below freezing – trend flat: Watts

World

Not a coup!: Sun-Times
Honduran protesters bash Obama and CNN: GWP
Let them come to Tegucigalpa: LegalIns

Honduras and Iran: Obama Betrays Freedom Again: AT (Geller)
Honduras: EU withdraws ambassadors: Fausta
Time for Israel to crush Iran: Matzav

Media

Mr. Pecksniff Meets the Press: AmDig
Administration, Lobbyist, Journalist: Who Can Tell the Difference?: Power Line
Gray Lady Ignores Times Square Tea Party: JWF

Cornucopia

Ant mega-colony takes over world: BBC

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Just go ahead and set your wallet on fire


A couple of months ago, global citizen Barack Obama promised the world a bold new strategy for dealing with global warming. The plan can be summarized with a single phrase: Wreck the Economy at the Worst Possible Time.

...cumulative GDP losses for 2010 to 2029 approach $7 trillion. Single-year losses exceed $600 billion in 2029, more than $5,000 per house¬hold. Job losses are expected to exceed 800,000 in some years, and exceed at least 500,000 from 2015 through 2026.

Well, that should help pay off the country-killing deficit caused by the Obama Depression Budget.


The climate change scam was birthed by the United Nations. A bunch of bureaucrats, losers and scam-artists formed businesses designed to profit from the very recommendation they made: to start forcing countries to cap-and-trade carbon emissions using "credits" or "offsets".

The grift was originally called "The Kyoto Protocol". But the scam has since undergone a name change reminiscent of the re-branding global warming has undergone -- to "Climate Change" (which should fool the media because of phenomena known as "seasons"). It's now known as "The Bali Action Plan" and you can read it online.

It is called AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON LONG-TERM COOPERATIVE ACTION UNDER THE CONVENTION (Part 1 and Part 2, both in PDF format), dated 18 March 2009. It demands the following (emphases mine):

(a) An assessed contribution from developed country Parties as a percentage of gross national product or gross domestic product; (Taxes)

(b) An assessed contribution from all Parties, except LDCs, based on a predefined set of criteria, including GHG emissions, respective capacity and population; (More taxes)

(c) Auctioning of assigned amounts or emission allowances at the international and/or domestic level; (More taxes)

(d) A uniform global levy on CO2 emissions, with exemption for LDCs; (More taxes)

(e) Levies on emissions from international aviation and maritime transport; (More taxes)

(f) A tax on air travel; (More taxes)

(g) A share of proceeds from market-based mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol. (More taxes)

(h) A global levy on international monetary transactions. (More taxes)

Gee, I detect a pattern.

Investors Business Daily
calls the EPA's finding -- that carbon dioxide is toxic, and therefore should be regulated -- "The Anti-Stimulus."

Carbon dioxide, which comprises an infinitesimally tiny fraction of Earth's greenhouse gases, is no more dangerous than oxygen or water.

Regulation of carbon dioxide is a scam designed to accomplish two things: (a) increase the power of the state over the individual and (b) impoverish our society.

But it's not about economics with Enviro-Statists like Obama. It's about ideology.

Welcome to intellectual -- and actual -- bankruptcy.



Do you feel stimulated yet?


The new crap is available at Cafepress.


Coffee mugs? We got 'em. Bumper stickers? Got them, too. Glock 30's? Eh, Cafepress turned down my request to carry them.

2009 Contractor Award Nominees for June


Cory sent these in. There are a couple of sure-fire winners in the category of best barbecue hack.






















Related: 2008 Contractor Awards.