Is The Politico Targeting Iowahawk?

What does Politico have against Iowahawk or is it just Iowa in general?

The bulleyes on the map should be apparent they are gunning for someone. The question is whom?

And the most pressing of questions, in light of recent events, should Politico be engaging in this violent sort of imagery?  Politico needs to stop now and self-censor themselves should they say anything that may incite a feeble minded reader into doing something like, say, voting for a democrat.

It's for the children.

Update:  I've heard of an instalanche before but does this qualify as a Hawkalanche?

Update II: It's worse than we previously feared.

Update III: What does this have to do with Jon Huntsman?

Update IV: Linked by Transterrestrial Musings.

The Outrageous Outrage Of The Eon. Chick-Fil-A Is Owned By Christians!

Because supporing Chick-Fil-A leaves a "bad taste" in some people's mouths.

Fast food being fast food, most people don't go to Chick-Fil-A for the 5 star atmosphere. They go for a tasty sandwich for lunch or dinner, fast. Chick-Fil-A offers that. And a hand dipped shake, made the old fashioned way.

What keeps drawing me back is the customer service. When the person behind the counter hands you your food and you say, "Thank you", you'll hear something back that you would never hear at 95% of other fast food restaurants. "It was my pleasure."

The employees there seem more cheerful than at, say, a Taco Bell. Where the chalupa is carelessly tossed on a tray and someone shouts, "Number 87!" and walks away.

It's a small touch but it makes a difference. I know it’s their store policy but it's the same policy that many sit down restaurants have as well. Why limit it to those? It's a welcome change in the world of fast food.

If someone doesn't like Chick-Fil-A, don't go to Chick-Fil-A. Kentucky Fried Chicken is open on Sundays. That's the beauty of a free market. Choices.

But for some people, it's not a matter of personal choices. Robert Stacy points out that:

All of this goes to illustrate the totalitarian spirit of gay-rights radicalism, which aims toward the extirpation of dissent.

The radicals will not be satisfied so long as anyone is permitted to disagree with, disapprove of, or criticize homosexuality.

As I've said on here before, liberals have a "If I don't like 'A', you can't like 'A' either" attitude. Astounding the lack of tolerance that exists among those who claim to be the tolerant ones.

Besides, it's food. Most people go because of food. I don't shun Panera Bread because their CEO is a "No Labels" advocate. They have an amazing French Onion Soup and incredible sandwiches. And the food keeps you feeling full long after you have finished eating.

As for me and my house and Chick-Fil-A? I will eat there 9 times out of ten (the tenth time being a Sunday).

Would Be Suicide Bomber Killed By Spam Text Message And Hellfire Missiles. . .

Well, pretty much by spam text message.

An unexpected and unwanted text message from a wireless company prematurely exploded a would-be suicide bomber’s vest bomb in Russia New Year’s Eve, inadvertently thwarting a planned attack on revelers in Moscow, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The would-be suicide bomber was planning to detonate a suicide belt bomb near Red Square, a plan that was foiled when her wireless carrier sent her an SMS while she was still at a safe house, setting off the bomb and killing her.

Video: Andrew Klavan And The Road Of Good Intentions

Via Insty.

Picture Of The Day

Just so you know, it stands for "Winning The Future". Or something.

Via Instapundit and American Glob.

"Global Swings" Hitting The Eastern Seaboard

Did Climate Change not catch on so environmentalist are switching to a new, even more ambiguous term like Global Swing?

So terms like Climate Change, Global Warming and winter have gone by the wayside now.

Notice that Michio Kaku said that scientists didn't know what was causing the extreme weather patterns. But it didn't stop him from dropping in 'human activity' as a quantifier as to what may be causing it.

Like the Blogfather says, "I'll believe it's a crisis when the people who keep telling me it's a crisis start acting like it's a crisis."

Just When I Thought Rahm Was Out. . .

He gets dragged back in.

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled today that Rahm Emanuel can stay on the ballot for mayor of Chicago, saying in a unanimous decision that he meets the state's residency requirements despite spending most of the last year as White House chief of staff.

The decision came without a moment to spare; early voting for the Feb. 22 city election begins Monday, Jan. 31.

In Chigago, when judges are bought, they stay bough.

Via Ace.

Signs That The Apocalypse Shall Soon Be Here

Lady Gaga is introducing a new perfume.

"Yeah? So? What's so shocking about that?" You might be temped to say.

Wait until you find out what she wants the perfume to smell like.

According to sources in the fragrance industry hired to develop Lady Gaga‘s first fragrance, the pop star has requested that the scent “smell of blood and semen.”

State Of Ohio To Mom, "Know Your Place"

Ohio mom arrested. All in an effort to get her children into a better school.

Kelley Williams-Bolar was convicted of lying about her residency to get her daughters into a better school district.

"It's overwhelming. I'm exhausted," she said. "I did this for them, so there it is. I did this for them."

Williams-Bolar decided four years ago to send her daughters to a highly ranked school in neighboring Copley-Fairlawn School District.

But it wasn't her Akron district of residence, so her children were ineligible to attend school there, even though her father lived within the district's boundaries.

The school district accused Williams-Bolar of lying about her address, falsifying records and, when confronted, having her father file false court papers to get around the system.

Williams-Bolar said she did it to keep her children safe and that she lived part-time with her dad.

"When my home got broken into, I felt it was my duty to do something else," Williams-Bolar said.

I don't know why the city of Akron wanted to shackle Ms. Williams-Bolar to a failing school district just because of her address. All she wanted was freedom of choice for her children to get a better education. But she is being punished for trying to leave the plantation failing school district.

Yes, she lied but she was also being forced, by virtue of her address, to send her kids to a lousy school. This is where school vouchers would have helped save her jail time and possible, her career. Enabling her a real choice to send her kids to a better school.

Video: I Thought I Heard Obama's State Of The Union Speech Before

At least he's being 'green' and recycled last years speech.

The Academy Award Nominees Are Out

It's the usual list. Most of the movies have been released late in the year, hobnobbing for Oscar bait.

And most of them haven't been seen by the general public, save for a couple of notable exceptions.

All to be passed out in a three and a half hour show which will run over it's allotted time slot by an hour. All for some statues that can be given away in 45 minutes time.

Most of these, I'll be commenting from just things I've heard about the movie. Opining on things I don't even know about. You know, the usual blogging stuff I do from day to day.

BEST PICTURE
127 HOURS (Fox Searchlight)
An Hours Production Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
BLACK SWAN (Fox Searchlight)
A Protozoa and Phoenix Pictures Production Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
INCEPTION (Warner Bros)
A Warner Bros. UK Services Production Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
THE FIGHTER (Paramount)
A Relativity Media Production David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (Focus Features)
An Antidote Films, Mandalay Vision and Gilbert Films Production Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
THE KING'S SPEECH (The Weinstein Co)
A See-Saw Films and Bedlam Production Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Sony Pictures)
A Columbia Pictures Production Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
TOY STORY 3 (Walt Disney)
A Pixar Production Darla K. Anderson, Producer
TRUE GRIT (Paramount)
A Paramount Pictures Production Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
WINTER'S BONE (Roadside Attractions)
A Winter's Bone Production Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

I'm guessing either True Grit, The Social Network or Black Swan.

Why would True Grit will win? Because it's the Coen Brothers. Why it might lose? It's the Coen Brothers and didn't they win just last year? Or was that the year before last?

Why would The Social Network win? It's a biopic. Why it could lose? It was relatively popular.

What does Black Swan have going for it? It's dark and it's about lesbians. Against? It's dark and it's about lesbians. I don't know much about this movie other than a couple of reviews I've read. The lesbian theme isn't what the movie is supposed to be about. Only a way to make guys buy tickets for the movie. Black Swan will win an award or two tonight but I don't think it will be Best Picture.

BEST ACTOR
JEFF BRIDGES - TRUE GRIT (Paramount)
JAVIER BARDEM - BIUTIFUL (Roadside Attractions)
JESSE EISENBERG - THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Sony Pictures)
COLIN FIRTH - THE KING’S SPEECH (The Weinstein Company)
JAMES FRANCO - 127 HOURS (Fox Searchlight)

Jeff Bridges or Colin Firth. Other than The Social Network, I haven't seen any of the movies listed but from the other movies I've seen Bridges and Firth in, they are good actors.

BEST ACTRESS
ANNETTE BENING - THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (Focus Features)
NICOLE KIDMAN - RABBIT HOLE (Lionsgate)
JENNIFER LAWRENCE - WINTER’S BONE (Roadside Attractions)
NATALIE PORTMAN - BLACK SWAN (Fox Searchlight)
MICHELLE WILLIAMS - BLUE VALENTINE (The Weinstein Co)

Natalie Portman or Annette Bening. If there is a dark horse in this race, it's Nicole Kidman. She's due.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
CHRISTIAN BALE - THE FIGHTER (Paramount)
JOHN HAWKES - WINTER’S BONE (Roadside Attractions)
JEREMY RENNER - THE TOWN (Warner Bros)
MARK RUFFALO - THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (Focus Features)
GEOFFREY RUSH - THE KING’S SPEECH (The Weinstein Company)

Christian Bale is a very good actor. Don't dismiss him just because he's Batman. But that doesn't mean winning. So I'm going with Geoffery Rush. Haven't seen any of these movies either, I'm going with what I've seen in the past.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
AMY ADAMS - THE FIGHTER (Paramount)
HELENA BONHAM CARTER - THE KING’S SPEECH (The Weinstein Company)
MELISSA LEO - THE FIGHTER (Paramount)
HAILEE STEINFELD - TRUE GRIT (Paramount)
JACKI WEAVER - ANIMAL KINGDOM (Sony Pictures Classics)

Helena Bonham Carter. Biopic, period piece. She's shoo-in. Unless Hailee Steinfeld pulls a hail mary (that pun was full of suck).

BEST ANIMATED PICTURE
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (DreamWorks Animation)
TOY STORY 3 (Walt Disney)
THE ILLUSIONIST (Sony Pictures Classics)

The Best Animated Picture category is only a few years old but it's long overdue.

And, not surprisingly, this is the category where I have seen most of the movies. Toy Story 3 should win. But I have a gun feeling that the voters aren't too keen on voting for a sequel so How To Train Your Dragon might win.

BEST DIRECTOR
DARREN ARONOFSKY - BLACK SWAN (Fox Searchlight)
DAVID FINCHER - THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Sony Pictures)
TOM HOOPER - THE KING'S SPEECH (The Weinstein Co.)
JOEL AND ETHAN COEN - TRUE GRIT (Paramount)
DAVID O. RUSSELL - THE FIGHTER (Paramount)

This is where having the lesbian subtext of Black Swan will win it for Darren Aronofsky. David Fincher directed a beautiful film with The Social Network, the look, the acting, the setting, the feel but there wasn't any soul to the story. It had all the right paints applied at all the right parts but the picture didn't have any depth.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
ANOTHER YEAR, Mike Leigh (Sony Pictures Classics)
THE FIGHTER, Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (Paramount)
INCEPTION, Christopher Nolan (Warner Bros)
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg (Focus Features)
THE KING'S SPEECH, David Seidler (The Weinstein Co)

I did see Inception. I liked it for what it was. An action thriller that made you want to see it again to see what you missed the first time around. A popular film so I'm thinking it will go to The Kids Are All Right.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 HOURS, Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy (Fox Searchlight)
TOY STORY 3, Michael Arndt, Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich (Walt Disney)
THE SOCIAL NETWORK, Aaron Sorkin (Sony Pictures)
WINTER'S BONE, Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini (Roadside Attractions)
TRUE GRIT, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (Paramount)

Toy Story 3 should win but, again, it's a sequel and on top of that, a cartoon. True Grit or The Social Network. I hate the rapid fire dialog that Sorkin does but Hollywood seems to like it.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Algeria, Hors la Loi (Outside the Law) (Cohen Media Group) - A Tassili Films Production
Canada, Incendies (Sony Pictures Classics) - A Micro-Scope Production
Denmark, In a Better World (Sony Pictures Classics) - A Zentropa Production
Greece, Dogtooth (Kino International) - A Boo Production
Mexico, Biutiful (Roadside Attractions) - A Menage Atroz, Mod Producciones and Ikiru Films Production

Don't know, haven't seen any of these. Last foreign film I saw was House Of The Flying Daggers and The Kite Runner.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Black Swan (Fox Searchlight) - Matthew Libatique
Inception (Warner Bros.) - Wally Pfister
The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) - Danny Cohen
The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit (Paramount) - Roger Deakins

Only seen two of these, Inception and The Social Network. Of the two, The Social Network should win.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Exit Through The Gift Shop (Producers Distribution Agency) A Paranoid Pictures Production Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz
Gasland - A Gasland Production Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
Inside Job (Sony Pictures Classics) - A Representational Pictures Production Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
Restrepo (National Geographic Entertainment) - An Outpost Films Production Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
Waste Land (Arthouse Films) - An Almega Projects Production Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley

Haven't seen any of these or know what they are even about. Whichever one panders furthest to the left will win.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Killing In The Name - A Moxie Firecracker Films Production Nominees to be determined
Poster Girl - A Portrayal Films Production Nominees to be determined
Strangers No More - A Simon & Goodman Picture Company Production Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
Sun Come Up - A Sun Come Up Production Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
The Warriors Of Qiugang - A Thomas Lennon Films Production Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

Same deal with the Documentary Long Subject above.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
Black Swan (Fox Searchlight) Andrew Weisblum
The Fighter (Paramount) Pamela Martin
The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) Tariq Anwar
127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) Jon Harris
The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

I'm saying The Social Network because David Fincher is notorious for taking numerous takes of the same scene with slight differences.

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) - Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Bros.) - Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
Hereafter (Warner Bros) - Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
Inception (Warner Bros) - Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
Iron Man 2 (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment, Distributed by Paramount) - Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

The movie that shouldn't win? Alice in Wonderland.

It looked horrid and very cartoonish. If it's a cartoon or animation, that would be one thing. But they were shooting for making it look real and it only looked fake. Fake enough to pull me out of the movie to realize that the Jack of Spades body wasn't normal. But when you finally accepted that, someone else would appear looking cartoonish and pull you right back out.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) - Production Design: Robert Stromberg, Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Bros.) - Production Design: Stuart Craig, Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
Inception (Warner Bros) - Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas, Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) - Production Design: Eve Stewart, Set Decoration: Judy Farr
True Grit (Paramount) - Production Design: Jess Gonchor, Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

True Grit and The King's Speech are both period pieces. It's a toss up.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) - Colleen Atwood
I Am Love (Magnolia Pictures) - Antonella Cannarozzi
The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) - Jenny Beavan
The Tempest (Miramax) - Sandy Powell
True Grit (Paramount) - Mary Zophres

Most everyone in Alice in Wonderland was wearing green suits that were digitally costumed later. The King's Speech because of the royalty wearing the royal outfits. Should be a no brainer.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
Barney's Version (Sony Pictures Classics) Adrien Morot
The Way Back (Newmarket Films/Wrekin Hill Entertainment/Image Entertainment) Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
The Wolfman (Universal) Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

The Wolfman. I'm going only by the title here.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
How to Train Your Dragon (Paramount) - John Powell
Inception (Warner Bros.) - Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) - Alexandre Desplat
127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) - A.R. Rahman
The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Inception's score was good but The Social Network's was great. Very nontraditional with their approach to it. I've never been a fan of Nine Inch Nails (one or two songs of theirs I liked. But never as a group.) but Reznor and Ross did a good job with the score.

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Coming Home” from Country Strong (Sony Pictures/Screen Gems) - Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
“I See the Light” from Tangled (Walt Disney) - Music by Alan Menken, Lyric by Glenn Slater
“If I Rise” from 127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) - Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
“We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) - Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Tangled or Toy Story 3. This is one of the few categories where animation is actually respected.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Day & Night (Walt Disney) - A Pixar Animation Studios Production Teddy Newton
The Gruffalo - A Magic Light Pictures Production Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
Let's Pollute - A Geefwee Boedoe Production Geefwee Boedoe
The Lost Thing (Nick Batzias for Madman Entertainment) - A Passion Pictures Australia Production Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary) - A Sacrebleu Production Bastien Dubois

Day & Night. There was a preachy little segment in the middle of it where someone on the radio was talking about keeping an open mind. Maybe I'm jaded (and my mind is as open as anyone else. I've tried sushi before) about it.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
The Confession (National Film and Television School) - A National Film and Television School Production - Tanel Toom
The Crush (Network Ireland Television) - A Purdy Pictures Production - Michael Creagh
God Of Love - A Luke Matheny Production - Luke Matheny
Na Wewe (Premium Films) - A CUT! Production Ivan Goldschmidt
Wish 143 - A Swing and Shift Films/Union Pictures Production Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

No idea. I didn't receive my DVD for my consideration for some reason.

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
Inception (Warner Bros) - Richard King
Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) - Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
Tron: Legacy (Walt Disney) - Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
True Grit (Paramount) - Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
Unstoppable (20th Century Fox) - Mark P. Stoeckinger

Toy Story 3. Because every sound you hear was made in the studio. At least, that's the working theory why.

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Inception (Warner Bros) - Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) - Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
Salt (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
True Grit (Paramount) - Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

No idea. I wouldn't have the first clue on how to decide which movie had the best sound mix. So I'm going to say The Social Network for no other reason than it was the only one I've seen.

Sorry for the distraction, I'll be back on politics tomorrow.

In An Effort To Clear My Browser Tabs That Involved Francis Fox Piven

This may give you an idea as to who I'm reading about.

And a bonus video with Thomas Sowell, Milton Freidman and Francis Fox Piven (one of these is not like the other).



Frances Fox Piven's Violent Agenda.

A Tyranny Of The Heavily Armed?

Marxist Barbara Ehrenreich Exploits Arizona Shooting in Latest Smear on Glenn Beck.

Glenn Beck Wants You to Threaten Violence Against Harmless Academics.

And my favorite so far, Blood Libel Is In The Leftist Bible.

Video: Obama, Still Unfocused On Jobs

Via Instapundit.

For a guy whose entire career was built on nothing but talking, he looks like he blew his speech last night. Maybe the ugly reality of last fall's election is finally hitting home.



Da Tech Guy has a good round up of other reactions to the SotU speech.

My favorite catch, 'Countless New Jobs'.

And if you've lost Mickey Kaus. . .

3) Tactfully leaves out cheap unskilled labor as an explanation of other countries' competititveness;

4) Nuclear power: It's back (still);

5) Obama's earmark veto threat seems ill-advised, since he will probably have to eat it. This will be the Beltway CW, but that doesn't mean it's wrong;

If I Had Only One Reply To Tonight's State Of The Union Address. . .

High speed monorails, of course.

For The State Of The Union Tonight

If you're playing Bingo, the game is blackout.

Or if it's a game involving an adult beverage, Doug has you covered.

Every time you see or hear one of these things, DRINK!

* Every time Obama says “let me be clear”
* Every time Obama says “make no mistake”
* Every time Obama says “for too long”
* Every time the camera zooms into Michelle
* Every time Nancy Pelosi pops out of her seat cheering wildly
* Every time Obama says “unprecedented”

He has more if you dare.

"It's Not Violent Rhetoric When Directed At Republicans"

Is what I'm guessing Chris Matthews might say if someone put the irons to him, demanding why he would denounce Glenn Beck for 'violent rhetoric' then-- mere seconds later-- compare Tea Partiers to Nazis.

Nazis being responsible-- next to Communists-- for some of last centuries most horrible crimes against humanity. But like all good progressive plans for their utopia, it ends in death camps.

George Allen To Run For Senate

Again.



Nothing against Allen but I'm not a big fan of rerunning politicians. I would rather inject some new blood into the system. More state level senators and delegates could step up.

And speaking of new blood, Senate Candidate Jamie Radtke had this to say about Allen throwing his hat in:

“It’s been great to hear from conservatives and Tea Party supporters across Virginia who are supporting my run for the U.S. Senate in 2012. They want a new generation of predictable, dependable conservative leader whose positions are clear and straightforward.

“I welcome George Allen to the campaign. Last week I invited Mr. Allen to join me in meeting with the voters in monthly Town Hall meetings around the Commonwealth, and today I am extending that invitation again.

“Twelve years ago when George Allen was running for the U.S. Senate, he pledged his
commitment to a balanced budget, reducing spending and reducing the debt.

“Then he went to Washington and voted for spending measures that increased our national debt by $3.1 trillion and voted for $90 billion in earmarks.

“Now, 12 years later, George Allen is making the same promises again. George Allen must explain his record on deficit and pork barrel spending, as well as gun rights, abortion, and his endorsements of Republicans such as Arlen Specter.

“Senator Allen was part of the Washington establishment, and he still is. If we want to change Washington we need to change the people in Washington, and elect a new generation of strong leadership to the Senate who will make principled decisions. I look forward to proving I am that person for Virginia.”

Dave Weigel and Erick Erickson have more about George Allen's issues.

I'm not endorsing either one yet. There are issues with both. Allen has his history and Radtke has, well, none. But that's what blogs and primaries were invented for, right?

BREAKING: The Ballerina Is Out? Updated.

Rahm Emanuel is tossed off the ballot.

Someone is getting a dead fish in the mail.

Via Ace.

Update: As funny as this may sound, it might not be a good thing that Rahm has been tossed off the ballot. It paves the way for Carol Moseley Braun.

Walter Todd Huston has this via Robert Stacy:

Emanuel will certainly take this case to the Illinois Supreme Court with the hopes that they can get an expedited case.

Rahm had won two other cases in lower courts. The Chicago Board of Elections and a Cook County court sided with Emanuel in previous decisions.

At that point, it will became a watching a game where you don't care which team will win, you only root for injuries.*

*Metaphorically speaking, naturally.

Linked by The Other McCain.

A Series Of Clown Cars Communist Bus Tour Is Hitting The Streets

Coming this summer, a group of youths advocating violence may be traveling to your town in a bus colored to inflame emotions.

Be sure to find out where they are and ask them questions. Not about philosophy of their system but ask for money.

Something like, "Brother, I identify with your views and agree with you to some point but the man has been keeping me down and I need some money. Can you help me out? One true believer to another?"

Anyway, this is from the Young Communist's website, the group sponsoring the tour:

Youth Unite and Fight! - Young Communist League, USA - Who We Are!

[. . .]
What do you call a system that promotes community, economic justice and equality, peace among nations, and outlaws racism, sexism, and homophobia? [My emphasis on the ironic parts for the liberals who might see this]

I would imagine they are immune to their own irony.

Okay, it's not so much as irony but it's that they want fights and 'revolution' until the right people are in charge. Then there will be 'peace'. And their version of 'peace' is smashing the fingers, toes, feet, hands, nose, kneecaps or nuts of anyone who speaks against their way of running things. How else do you keep order in a "perfect society"?

Arrest Paul McCartney?

That's the question posed over at I Own The World.

Because there is a much clearer chain of events that links Paul to murder than there ever was linking Sarah Palin.



It only goes to show you that it isn't always the quiet ones (George Harrison).

A Short Message To The Republicans In The House Of Representatives

It took the Republicans acting like Democrats twelve years to lose control of the House of Representatives, starting in 1994. And it can be argued that Republicans only started acting like Democrats in 2000.

It took Democrats acting like themselves to lose control of the House in four years. Ponder on that.

DVD Review: The Social Network

I finally had the chance to finally catch the movie version of the story of Facebook last night. If you’re a fan of Facebook, it might be of interest of you.

If you never used Facebook before, move along.

It starts out with Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, and his girlfriend and the time, talking in a bar. But it wasn’t any normal conversation. It was the fast paced, rapid reply type of conversation that no one ever has except addicts in their cocaine addled brain. It almost made me want to stop the disc then and there and take an axe to it if I didn’t have to return it to the library.

Did I mention that the movie was written by Aaron Sorkin? Let’s see:

“It was the fast paced, rapid reply type of conversation that no one ever has except addicts in their cocaine addled brain”.

So it was implied.

It’s a Hollywood version about the origin of Facebook so take that with a grain of salt. If there is a scene that needed to be embellished to show conflict and drama instead of what really happened, 99 times out of a 100, Hollywood will go with the embellishment. Having the movie sacrifice the truth in order to create drama.

Which is what happened here, I think. Most movies need a villain of some kind, no matter how abstract. Zuckerberg happened to be it this time. Instead of a big bad like Darth Vader, he's more of a introverted nerd obsessed with making the best damn social network online today, relationships be damned. And it came back to bite him in the form of a few lawsuits.

The movie itself was beautifully shot, using Johns Hopkins backdrop as a double for Harvard for the first part of the film. Movie lots and a few other select locations where used for the rest.

One thing this movie did affirm for me. Is that Justin Timberlake is the epitome of metrosexuality.

What most people didn’t realize until after the fact is that this movie was a special effects movie without realizing it was a special effects movie. Two actors played the Winklevoss Twins. But you only see one of them. The main actor’s face was digitally superimposed over the other actor’s face. I don’t think most people realized it unless they tried to catch the guy's name in the credits. Depending on which DVD or BluRay disc you have, it's shown how they digitally mapped one face over the other.

The soundtrack is very non-traditional. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails helped to create much of it. The high point was the track being played during the sculling regatta of “In the Hall of the Mountain King”.

The fast pitched dialog did get on my nerves at times. But that is Sorkin's gimmick. Because he hears it in his head, everyone speaks in a fast, faster retort fashion.

If you want to watch the movie expecting to be told the real story about how Facebook came about, give it a pass. If you’re looking for something about how people come to power, money and influence and how they can stab others in the back, then this might be the movie for you.

Violence From Tea Party Right Wing Violent Progressive Radicals

The Other McCain has more about Casey Brezik's recent assault.

In September 2010 Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon was scheduled to speak at Penn Valley Community College in Kansas City.

At some point, wearing black clothes and a bullet-proof vest, 22 year-old Casey Brezik bolted out of a classroom, knife in hand, and slashed the throat of a dean. As he would later admit, he confused the dean with Nixon.

I was able to capture these out of his facebook account to show that he was more liberal radical than anything.

Che as his hero.

What is currently on his wall. I think he made one of those options he was talking about clear.

A call for revolution.

Quoting Che. He's looking further and further left to me.

Bragging about what he did at the G8 Summit. Proudly spitting in an officers face.

Part I of a thread where he declares himself to be a radical.

Part II of the thread where he declares himself a radical.

Screen Capture Of The Month

Via Insty. Keep this as a reminder the next time Democrats ask for 'civility'. It means they want the other side to shut up.

Christine Amanpour Tries To Link The JFK/RFK Assassinations To Today's "Political Atmosphere"

I have to put this into context.

You can go outside of Reno, Nevada to visit a legalized brothel. To legally pay for sex and not worry about getting arrested. There are rules, however, that need to be followed. For the girl's safety. But if you offer them enough money, most of the time the rules are considered guidelines.

With that in mind, here is Christine Amanpour trying to link one thing with another that has nothing to do with each other.



It's been shown on this blog and others about Jared Loughner's mental condition and how he wasn't political. Crazy doesn't have an ideology.

The assassination attempts of JFK and RFK have nothing to do with the shootings in Tucson. Or political climate or "Violent Rhetoric". Which, in more cases than not, it's "Speech That Liberals Don't Like To Hear."

For the record, JFK was shot by a Communist sympathizer and RFK was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, a radical who had Muslim sympathies.

And yes, I was comparing Christine Amanpour to a dirty, dirty whore.

Nice Work If You Can Find It

Sounded like Michael Steele's old job as the head of the RNC was only resume padding.

What Ever Happened To The "Pump Patrol"?

Gas in our area had just hit three dollars per gallon after a relative lull from last summer and fall. But I seem to remember watching the local news a few years ago and every night they would feature, "The Pump Patrol". Where someone would be the designated reporter to go out and find the cheapest price at the pump. This was all before Jan. 8, 2009. If I recall correctly.



I've yet to see that on my nightly news around the Richmond, VA area.

Maybe if it the price get's higher, the news will act.

Anyone else notice this?

Meet The New Tone. . .

Same as the old tone. Rep. Richard Cohen (D-Head in a Hole) and others engage in hateful rhetoric against Republicans in the House.

So much for keeping it civil.

This is good, I can go back to saying that I would like to sit Keith Olbermann on a Judas Cradle overnight. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Related: Anderson Cooper, to his credit, puts the fire to Richard Cohen's feet in this clip. I'm okay is saying that seeing how Cohen went full Godwin first.

Video: The Most Amazing Jet Take-Off I Have Ever Seen

Incredible.

Lockheed would call this a "software malfunction" and needs to do a little more "regressive testing".

Good demo of power-to-weight ratio of this aircraft! And some unbelievable stability control.

If he didn't come out of the loop wings-level, it probably would have been bad news, maybe taking some of the carrier with him!

Flying through your own exhaust can lead to equipment malfunctions, too, but fortunately he avoided that.

This is the most unbelievable piece of flying you will ever see in your
life. This is how a supremely well-trained US Navy pilot with ice water running in his veins instead of blood, fully regains control of his $70 million fighter
jet, after a problematic vertical take-off attempt that would have killed you or me.

D'OH! It's from a game. The video looked real enough at first. Last time I take a tip from my dad.

Video: Michael Moore Says That Owning Guns Is Racist

In my favorite kind of TV format. Two progressive liberals talking on how they know gun owners think.

Video: Obama At Halftime

Fair warning, the video series is called "Firewall".*



*The usage of the word, 'fire' is for a descriptive usage only. It was used by Bill Whittle. This blog does not condone anyone using fire for any use other than to cook the occasional meal in a controlled environment. New tone and all that.

CNN Apologizes For The Use Of Crosshairs

For the love of Pete.

Before we go to break, I want to make a quick point. We were having a discussion about the Chicago mayoral race. My friend Andy Shaw used the term 'in the crosshairs' in talking about the candidates. We're trying, we're trying to get away from that language. . .[Emphasis mine]

This is getting ridiculous. CNN seems to be treating certain words like landmines, uh, like a diseased whore. . . Wait. CNN seems to be treating certain words as if there are something not to be used. I don't want to say 'bad' because that's implying a negative. Not-Good. CNN wants to use good words and avoid not-good words.

It's Newspeak in the hear and now.

From 20/20 Tonight

It was a special edition of 20/20 with Diane Sawyer interviewing the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and how she is recovering.

There was a little talk about Jared Loughner, the guy who actually shot Giffords in the brain, but much, much more lip service was paid attention to "violent rhetoric" talk. Which had nothing to do with Loughner. Because crazy has no ideology. But that wouldn't fit the narrative. So no matter how unconnected, Diane Sawyer was going to smear the Tea Party.

This is why the main stream media sucks and needs to die a fast death. Wait, was that violent rhetoric? This is why the main stream media needs to pass on with minimal amount of resistance, post haste.

Update: Nightline is playing a condensed version of the 20/20 show. Loughner was mentioned a few times. And no mention about 'violent rhetoric' either.

If anything is learned tonight, watch as little network news as possible. There is less chance of them getting a key part of the story wrong.

Can Andrew Sullivan Be Far Behind Jared Loughner?

Who's to say? But one can do is to look at similar milestones that Jared Loughner had left and see how they stack up against Andrew Sullivan. Maybe-- before it's too late-- an intervention could be set up so that no one can be hurt. This time.

Exhibit A: The Shaved Head. Sure it's a minor detail. But like most puzzles needs all of the pieces to finish, this shouldn't be glossed over.

Both are documented to have railed about genocides and illegal wars. The Other McCain has the video for Loughner's case on both. Sullivan rattles on about about genocide here and "Illegal war crimes" here.

Sullivan and Loughner hated George W. Bush.

"So what?", you may be thinking "How is this any different from any other mind numbed liberal?" But these are just scratching the surface, to give you an idea of the size and scope of just how big the iceberg really is underneath the water.

Pot has played a big role with both Excitable Andi and Loughner. Loughner is reported to have been a long time stoner. And Sullivan? I'm guessing he's a rather habitual smoker of pot. He was arrested for using marijuana at a federal park. If he can't wait to get to the privacy of his own home to light up, he have issues.

Nothing against someone who dabbles a little but like anything else, it can be abused.

The case can be made that both have their share of mental illnesses. Loughner may be a "textbook case" for being a paranoid schizophrenic. Sullivan's is more self-induced.

But the keystone of the case is this. Both have showcased an unhealthy obsession for female politicians. More specifically, Loughner may have been stalking Rep. Giffords since 2007.

And Andrew Sullivan's obsession with Gov. Sarah Palin is ledgendary.

So please. If it saves the life of one person, wouldn't it be worth it to institutionalize Andrew Sullivan? Writing is cathartic, as evident of the sheer amount of postings that Sullivan does per day. But at what point does mere writing stops satisfying to be a catharsis and actions are needed to fill that void?

As Sullivan is fond of saying, I'm only asking questions. Questions that need to be asked about his well being.

It's for the children.

Video: Eric Fuller Tells Tucson Tea Party Founder Trent Humphries, "You're Dead!" When Humphries Calls For Healing

Video from Outside the Beltway. The Other McCain has touched on this as well.



It's a bit difficult to hear but it's definitely there.

To date: Legitimate threats of violence from the left since the Tucson incident. One and counting. Legitimate threats of violence from the right. Nothing reported so far but if it happens, it will be the lead story in every newscast.

Absolute Moral Authority Does Not Mean Immunity

To put the title into context, Da Tech Guy noticed this about Eric Fuller-- a victim in Tucson's shootings-- seemed to be being groomed for Cindy Sheehan's old job. That of the ultimate victim that could never be criticized.

Unfortunately, Fuller didn't realize that the law still applied to him.

One of the victims from the Tucson shootings has been arrested and involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, according to the Pima County Sheriff's Office.

Eric Fuller was arrested Saturday after authorities said he shouted "You're dead" to Tea Party spokesman Trent Humphries.

Humphries was speaking at a town hall event to discuss the shootings that happened a week earlier outside a Tucson Safeway store.

Pima County sheriff's spokesman Jason Ogan said that Fuller has been charged with threats and intimidation and he also will be charged with disorderly conduct.

If You Haven't Heard Of The Movie Zeitgeist Yet, You Are Missing Out On A Big Chunk Of The Story With What Happened In Tuscon

Robert Stacy is doing a yeoman's job of hustling up on something that fell through the cracks about something that could have led to the mindset* of Jared Loughner on that fateful Saturday.

And it has nothing to do with the Tea Party or Sarah Palin at all.

Should you be so inclined, the rest of the story is here:

Obligatory: Video in Which Tucson Killer Jabbers About ‘Illegal Wars’ Like Your Average DKos Diarist or Cindy Sheehan

How to Talk to a Follower of the Zeitgeist Cult (If You Must)

Zeitgeist: Watch the Conspiracy Movie That Had a ‘Profound Impact’ on Tucson Mass Murder Suspect Jared Loughner

Salvia, Zeitgeist and the Tucson Shooter

‘Vain in Their Imaginations’: God-Haters and the Tucson Massacre

*This movie reportedly had a profound impact on him. That in and of itself wouldn't do that but the movie with copious amounts of pot consumption, hating religion and an unhealthy obsession with a female politician could.

Friday Night Throwback Video

With all of the speed and efficiency that the Canadian Government can muster, they banned the Dire Straights song, "Money For Nothing" because of some horrible slur. Primarily the part where Mark Knopfler sings, "See that little faggot with the earring and the make-up. . ." I'm not sure what took them so long. The song was only released in 1985 and won a few Grammies.



It took the Canadian government 25 years to figure out the words to the song I learned when I was 13 years old. Now imagine the same Canadian government in charge of your health care. (Yeah, it's a cheap shot. I'll cop to that.)

Who Is Lauren Bendik?

Specifically, she said: "I think Sarah Palin should get shot instead of Gifford!!!" Legal Insurrection has the screen cap and some harsh words for her. A Time For Choosing has more about her also. YouTube took down the old video but it's still available here.  Her public comment on Twitter is at about the 1:50 mark.  

What I would like to know is it even possible to 'move beyond' uncivil discourse in the political battleground arena discussions when people like Lauren Bendik has no problem making fun of George Bush ("He can read?") and openly wish Sarah Palin was shot?

Nah, who am I kidding.


Twitter Users Wish Death on Sarah Palin from JoeKenha on Vimeo.

It's sad because she sounds like she's has an interesting story. Jewish girl whose parents split when she was younger. And this[Under Perseverance]:

I’ve been through a lot in my life and I’ve overcome many obstacles. I was born with spina bifida, a defect in the spine. When I was born, it was uncertain if I would be able to walk or keep up academically with my classmates. Not only can I continue but I was a straight A student in high school and continue to do well at Pacific. I enjoy pushing myself and hope to continue exceeding the expectation of others and myself in the future.

It's a shame she is so bitter.

Updated: Have a link back to Serr8d's place.

I Watched Parts Of The Movie Zeitgeist And Didn't Even Get The T-Shirt

Robert Stacy has a copy of the video up. It's a bit out there. Especially with the Christianity stuff. It sounds more like the Number 23 Enigma than anything else.

And anything that questions how 9/11 happens needs to be seriously scorned.

The movie did have an impact on Jared Loughner (quote found at the link above):

“I really think that this Zeitgeist documentary had a profound impact upon Jared Loughner’s mindset and how he views the world that he lives in.”

Most of the movie seems to be a "Rage Against Those In Charge" diatribe. If it's political at all, it is to the point of anarchy. Not the pseudo anarchists who are really socialists but real life anarchists who want no rules.

Except that anarchy can never happen. Pretend that actual, no rules anarchy broke out overnight. True anarchy. It would be every man for himself. Someone will always step up to take charge of the situation. A man or woman with a big gun will emerge to control part of their block. Then larger groups will form in the hopes of self-preservation. And so on and so forth to the point of gangs and clans starting to control large swath of territory.

Self-governance will happen of sorts. A clan will form with their rules and impose them on the population they can control. Until another clan or gang can move in to take over the territory. If anarchy broke out

Why a gun? Or whatever weapon of choice at the time? It helps to control order. It's why a well armed society is a polite society. Everyone is on equal footing.

Anyway, anarchy seemed to be the general direction that the makers of the movie wanted to go. That's what I got out of it, at least.

I didn't watch the entire movie. It was one of those things-- like Coast To Coast AM-- that if it starts making sense, you've listened to it for far too long.

The movie is extreme, to be sure. Extreme to the point where it may even go all the way around the political spectrum into left wing territory and the state (some sort of provisional government would need to) controlling everything and the absolution of private property. Why isn't this in the news as part of Loughner's motive? If he had issues with reality and Giffords was his personification of government to him, it wouldn't of mattered what her political party was.

Yeah, I know. It didn't fit the narrative that Conservatives are bad.

Video: Vindictive And Hateful Fat Man Actively Edits Quote From Michelle Bachmann

This isn't just a selective quote or two, they snipped the audio quote in such a way, there couldn't be any question as to what their intentions were. To try and smear Michelle Bachmann.



I'm sure they knew that a video like this would emerge in order to correct the record but that obviously didn't stop them from playing it in the first place. They have to give their acolytes* some red meat, no matter how untrue. who hang onto every word. And even if you were able to show them the quote in context-- the one without the deceptive edit-- they wouldn't care. It would be brushed off with a comment like, "She means violence in her heart", "She lies all the time so it's OK." or something else to that effect.

Didn't there use to be standards at one point? At least the illusion of standards?

*Is acolyte too strong of a word to use? To me, the meaning conjures up images of members of a cult, all with the same haircut and clothing.

On second thought, that sounds about right.

This Just In

In the wake of the revisionist version of Huckleberry Finn, the classic novel, Nineteen Eighty Four is also under the revisionist scope.

The most notable change, all anti-semantic references to "Emmanuel Goldstein" are going to be replaced with "Sarah Palin".

I Think I Need To Do A Mea Culpa

With the name of the blog having the word, 'Gun' in the title. I realized how scary that can be for some people. Considering how the level of rhetoric has risen in these last two years too. I realized that I may have had something to do with it, no matter how few hits I get here. Am I at fault? If I am, here is my attempt to straighten things out after spending a day sorting through about two years worth of posts.

I called for someone to throw a bucket of water on Nancy Pelosi. I'm sure a lot of other people echoed my sentiment but that's still no excuse. Besides, I doubt a bucket of water would do anything to her.

Then there was the time when I said that Chris Matthews needed to be waterboarded. I meant that figuratively.

I interrupted Taylor Swift accepting her People's Choice award to say, "Taylor, I'm going to let you finish but Dick Durbin shouldn't of let Katrina happen." If the green rooms to those events didn't serve booze, that would have never of happened.

In the interest of bipartisanship, I did say that Mike Huckabee needed to go to the ninth circle of hell and suffer it's ironic fate by eating his weight in doughnuts.

And I meant it completely as a metaphor when I said that Keith Olbermann should be sacrificed by Aztec priests to Quetzalcoatl. Not literally have his skin removed all in one piece so that the Aztec high priest could wear it for the ceremony.

As for Paul Krugman, I suggested that someone needed to strip him naked, take him out to the woods, nail his penis to a tree and give him a butterknife and tell him to make his decision. Well, that was only a figure of speech.

Lastly, when I said that Markos Moulitsas needed to be drawn and quartered in the badlands of South Dakota by four chariots speeding off into the four directions and his remains to be burried upside down after everyone pees on him, I meant that as a joke. Haha! Some people have no sene of humor.

So you can see how I might have been at fault. And for that, I apolozise. I'll adjust the level from 11 down to about a 10 from now on out.

Thank you.

Video: Twitter Users Wishing Violence On Sarah Palin

Not sure if I can handle much more of this. Most of the twitter users listed probably can't see their hate if you laid it out in front of them. Or at least find some way to justify it.

About This Weekend's Shooting

What happened to Rep. Giffords is definitely a tragedy. Brought on by someone who is obviously a nut and a wacko. Thoughts and prayers go out to all who was affected by this incident.

And the shooting isn't even the saddest part about what happened this weekend. The slain bodies where not even cold yet when liberals on Twitter start accusing the Tea Parties and Sarah Palin in particular of being guilty of the shooting. Why? Anything to use as a slur against her and them. No matter how unconnected the events are.

Which brings to mind this quote by Glenn Reynolds [Thanks to Bob Belvedere for highlighting it]:

To be clear, if you’re using this event to criticize the "rhetoric" of Mrs. Palin or others with whom you disagree, then you’re either: (a) asserting a connection between the "rhetoric" and the shooting, which based on evidence to date would be what we call a vicious lie; or (b) you’re not, in which case you’re just seizing on a tragedy to try to score unrelated political points, which is contemptible. Which is it?[Emphasis mine]

This wasn't about ideology but about being crazy. What Jared Lee Loughner did is the work of one crazy person who has been fixated on Rep. Giffords since 2007.

Investigators found a letter from the congresswoman in a safe at the house where Loughner lived with his parents, thanking him for attending a similar 2007 event, according to court documents released Sunday.

"Also recovered in the safe was an envelope with handwriting on the envelope stating 'I planned ahead,' and 'my assassination' and the name 'Giffords,' along with what appears to be Loughner's signature," the affidavit states.

Never let the facts get in the way when you want to use a tragedy to score political points.

The Biggest Brother Passed Away

Dick Winters-- who became a household name by the book and HBO mini-series, Band of Brothers-- has passed away.

From what I've read about the man, he seemed to have been a very humble and gracious fellow. To the point where he didn't want a lot of fanfare for what he did in World War II. It was just his duty.

It makes me wonder if Maj. Winters wouldn't have wanted much attention called to his passing. So it's just as well that the media maelstrom has centered over the shooting in Arizona* rather than over him.

He will be missed.

*Not that he would have wanted the shooting, only the media's attention diverted elsewhere. The shooting is tragic, in and of itself.

Added: If you have yet to read the book, Band of Brothers, do so. It's a front row seat into the theater of World War II in Europe. The mini-series is worth watching as well. Surprisingly faithful adaptation of the book onto the screen. There is some condensation of events, mostly for time allowance and dramatic purpose but it didn't take away from the greater story of Easy Company.

Video: The Moron Who Banned Happy Meals In San Fransisco

Swiped from Gator Bait-- Uh-- I mean The Daley Gator.

It's sad commentary for modern day journalism when The Daily Show is able to do a more probing and in depth story than the MFM where it's their job to dig abuses of power like this.

Stick with it towards the last half. The City Councilman can't quite square the circle of what he did when he was asked about making everyone else in San Fransisco to watch "Super Size Me".



There is an email going around (I'm pretty sure I've received close to a dozen copies of it from my parents alone) about how conservatives and liberals do things differently. If driving SUVs is hazardous, Conservatives don't drive or drive one with caution. Liberals want to ban them for everyone. Smoking tobacco? Conservatives don't smoke while Liberals want to ban it for everyone. Incandescent light bulbs not as efficient as fluorescent? Conservatives would let you chose to use whichever bulb you want while Liberals want to ban the incandescent bulbs. And fast food for kids is bad so, well, you get the idea.

Yes, he's not banning Happy Meals outright. He is, however, placing enough regulatory hurdles in front of McDonalds so that they won't offer Happy Meals anymore.

Worse yet, he's a busy body who is shocked to find out that fast food is unhealthy so what does he want to do? He tries to be the parent to the population.

He's a nanny stater type of liberal who believes that because his beliefs are supposedly the better than everyone, then everyone needs to follow his boneheaded philosophy. It's obviously not. Not when he's trying to regulate people's behavior through their lunch menus. He takes it upon himself that he knows better than the masses so he's telling them how and what to eat. He's smarter than you because he watched a movie.

I'm throwing in an obligatory "Yes, I know fast food is junk and not really good for you" here. Most everyone knows that. With moderation, it won't hurt to eat fast food once or twice a week. Check with your personal physician first but most diets are about calorie intake and exercise. And not treating diet as a noun but a verb.

The times I hit the McDonald's drive through with my kids, it's for convenience sake, not because I'm looking for a 'healthy meal' for them.

Besides. I hate McDonalds. Wendy's and Chick-Fil-A is a much better alternative.

Related enough: Very fat man is suing the National Health Service (NHS in England) for "letting him" blimp up to almost a thousand pounds.

At his heaviest Paul was eating 20,000 calories a day - ten times what a normal, healthy man should consume - and the cost of caring for him is thought to have hit £1million [Pounds Sterling, about $1,500,000 in US dollars] in 15 years.

If anyone, he needs to sue the person who brought him the food when he became bed bound. As it is, no accountability for his actions. Only blame for someone else.

Obviously, This Guy Has Never Had Bacon In His Life

Otherwise, he wouldn't be so uptight.

Language is about as salty as a piece of crispy bacon, so fair warning.



More at The Blaze and The Jawa Report.

Update: Poached by Doug over at The Daley Gator.

At Least Dede Scozzafava Didn't Go The Levi Johnston Route And Pose Naked

Dede Scozzafava is back.

Former North Country Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava — who became a household name across America during a tough 2009 congressional race — was appointed today by [Democrat] Gov. Andrew Cuomo as deputy secretary for local government at the state Department of State.

She should feel right at home.

Remember, Newt Gringrich endorsed her over conservative candidate Doug Hoffman in the special election in New York congressional district 23. Only to have her drop out and endorse Democrat Bill Owens. Because she was 'Electable' or something.

The thing about electable candidates, voters have to want to vote for them.* Dede was supposed to be the 'safe' and 'electable' choice. Until the voters spoke out (Damn little people, wanting a say in who represents them in Congress. The nerve!) and her candidacy went down the drain.

Dede wasn't moderate, she wasn't conservative. She was a flat out liberal who just so happened to have an (R) behind her name.

I guess the book deal didn't pan out.

*And offer a choice, not an echo. If the candidates are two shades of the same color, why even vote? I've beaten this drum quite often here but it's worth saying again.

The Real End Of An Error

AKA: Real progress, defined.

Thanks in part to the fine folks in the Tea Parties.

Update: Linked by the one and only, Bob Belvedere.

Video: The Next Hot, New Reality Show Is Coming Sooner Than You Think

The Real Housewives of Tent City, USA.



Thanks to Sara.

Video: Photoshop In Action

It's still surprising to me how much modern photos are manipulated by Photoshop. Next time you see a girl on a cover of a magazine who looks too good to be true. She is.

Europe To Nationalize Private Pensions

Via Instapundit.

Like the Blogfather said above, "Lampposts".

People’s retirement savings are a convenient source of revenue for governments that don’t want to reduce spending or make privatizations.
[. . .]
The most striking example is Hungary, where last month the government made the citizens an offer they could not refuse. They could either remit their individual retirement savings to the state, or lose the right to the basic state pension (but still have an obligation to pay contributions for it). In this extortionate way, the government wants to gain control over $14bn of individual retirement savings.

The Bulgarian government has come up with a similar idea. $300m of private early retirement savings was supposed to be transferred to the state pension scheme. The government gave way after trade unions protested and finally only about 20% of the original plans were implemented.

A slightly less drastic situation is developing in Poland. The government wants to transfer of 1/3 of future contributions from individual retirement accounts to the state-run social security system. Since this system does not back its liabilities with stocks or even bonds, the money taken away from the savers will go directly to the state treasury and savers will lose about $2.3bn a year. The Polish government is more generous than the Hungarian one, but only because it wants to seize just 1/3 of the future savings and also allows the citizens to keep the money accumulated so far.

Be sure to read the whole thing.

You can bet many a member of Congress are licking their chops, wondering how they can do this here.

Bush Derangment Sydrome Still Going Strong? The Deuce You Say!

Two years after Pres. Bush left office, some people still have to let the hate burn. The video clip is at The Blog Prof.

Maybe the cold fire of disdain for their version of Emmanuel Goldstein keeps their mind off of their own self-loathing. That and how Bush sold as many copies of his memoir in two months as Clinton did of his in six years.

What I think really pains most liberals is that they never had a chance* to try and impeach Bush the way Clinton was impeached. An eye for an eye.

*Or the courage. It would have been over the Iraq War** involving who knew what intel and when. From what I've seen, Bush's staff kept everything on the up and up with the checks and balances in Congress. So it would be show trials more than anything. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi knew what the White House knew going into the war. No matter what they say today.

**Or more accurately, the Global War on Terror's Theater of Operations in Iraq. Nuance.

As We Look Back At 2010. . . A Retrospective Of The Best And The Worst, Depending On Your Point Of View

As my stomach slowly starts to return to it's normal size after a New Year's Eve gorging, it's time to do the annual look back on the that was.

• The Democrats took a beating. And there was much rejoicing and pudding being violated.
• Former Sen. John Edwards is a deadbeat. But there's nothing new about that.
• James Cameron is an egotistical narcissist among egotistical narcissists.
• Al Gore is inconveniently single again.
• Yes, the United Nations continues to be a joke.
• And Ezra Klein continues to illustrate how overrated he actually is.

No predictions other than Obama will shift from blaming Pres. Bush to blaming the House of Representatives.

And if this doesn't count toward the news of the weird, it should count towards someone who is highly suspect.

Wishing everyone had a Merry Christmas and here is to a New Year.

Update: Linked by an Old Retired Petty Officer.

To Start The New Year Out Right

Why not spend New Year's Day recovering from that hangover with the last Star Wars review by Mr. Plinkett?

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith gets demolished.

He gets a little salty with the language at times but if you can get past that, there really are some good pointers about story telling with the visual medium. Maybe George Lucas can take some notes.