President Barack Obama's Complete List of Historic Firsts
Doug Ross is a partisan, to be certain, but this list is factual, from publicly available sources. No tin-foil-hat stuff here.
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Meanwhile, Back In Tehran...
...and the popular uprising Obama wishes would Just. Go. DaBlank. Away.
('Cuz he's got no skin in that game!)
March 3, 2011 RoozOnline – Fakhrosadat Mohtashamipour, a member of the the Participation Front and wife of Mostafa Tajzadeh [incarcerated adviser to opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi] was arrested during the March 1st, 2011 demonstrations and is now currently behind bars at the IRGC Ward 2A at Evin prison. Her family has been informed that she will remain incommunicado while under interrogation.
Mohtashamipour’s arrest took place as a result of increased pressures leading from letters she published over the past 20 months, protesting the unjust incarceration of her husband Mostafa Tajzadeh. Recent reports indicate that although Tajzadeh’s health has deteriorated and he is still being held at the Quarantine Ward. Based on their last visitation with him, his family has become gravely concerned for his well-being.
('Cuz he's got no skin in that game!)
March 3, 2011 RoozOnline – Fakhrosadat Mohtashamipour, a member of the the Participation Front and wife of Mostafa Tajzadeh [incarcerated adviser to opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi] was arrested during the March 1st, 2011 demonstrations and is now currently behind bars at the IRGC Ward 2A at Evin prison. Her family has been informed that she will remain incommunicado while under interrogation.
Mohtashamipour’s arrest took place as a result of increased pressures leading from letters she published over the past 20 months, protesting the unjust incarceration of her husband Mostafa Tajzadeh. Recent reports indicate that although Tajzadeh’s health has deteriorated and he is still being held at the Quarantine Ward. Based on their last visitation with him, his family has become gravely concerned for his well-being.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Organizing For Wisconsin: So Much For The 'Adult Conversation' Obama Claims He Wishes To Undertake
One of the scariest things we learned about Richard Nixon in the early 1970's was that he had an entirely separate operation, aptly named CREEP ('Committee to Re-Elect The President), that operated at his behest. Apart from the Republican Party, out of sight, often operating in laundered cash. He had his Plumbers to do covert intelligence for him. He had an Attorney General (Mitchell) who served as his muscle. He had an enemies list, and used the IRS to harass them. He was on the way to setting up his own personal governance in the shadows. It was, well, scary.
So, now, forty years later....we have Obama inserting himself and his personal one-off machine into Wisconsin's local debate.
Those crowds with the printed signs did not appear out of thin air, ya'll. This appears to be severely ginned-up.
MADISON, WIS. - President Obama thrust himself and his political operation this week into Wisconsin's broiling budget battle, mobilizing opposition Thursday to a Republican bill that would curb public-worker benefits while planning similar action in other state capitals.
Obama accused Scott Walker, the state's new Republican governor, of unleashing an "assault" on unions in pushing emergency legislation that would nullify collective-bargaining agreements that affect most public employees, including teachers.
The president's political machine worked in close coordination Thursday with state and national union officials to mobilize thousands of protesters to gather in Madison and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals.
Their efforts began to spread, as thousands of labor supporters turned out for a hearing in Columbus, Ohio, to protest a measure from Gov. John Kasich (R) that would cut collective-bargaining rights.
By the end of the day, Democratic Party officials were working to organize additional demonstrations in Ohio and Indiana, where an effort is underway to trim benefits for public workers. Some union activists predicted similar protests in Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
There is a common denominator here: Obama must win these states to retain the Presidency.
Having lost at the ballot box, pretty decisively, we now face the prospect of a President of The United States actively fomenting mobs of loyalists to show up at state houses, to protect his core constituents, and likely to intimidate any and all who may disagree. It is his organization undertaking this. It is for him to say 'yea' or 'nay' to its activities. As President, his 'nay' would bring this sort of thing to a halt.
We are now on very dangerous ground. Heaven help us all. It is significant that The Washington Post would devote this much energy to reporting this story, as it is the organization that unraveled the Nixon machine.
We will be fortunate if no blood is spilled in the meantime. We are on very dangerous ground. The scenes we have viewed in Athens and London may be local events, unless wiser heads prevail.
So, now, forty years later....we have Obama inserting himself and his personal one-off machine into Wisconsin's local debate.
Those crowds with the printed signs did not appear out of thin air, ya'll. This appears to be severely ginned-up.
MADISON, WIS. - President Obama thrust himself and his political operation this week into Wisconsin's broiling budget battle, mobilizing opposition Thursday to a Republican bill that would curb public-worker benefits while planning similar action in other state capitals.
Obama accused Scott Walker, the state's new Republican governor, of unleashing an "assault" on unions in pushing emergency legislation that would nullify collective-bargaining agreements that affect most public employees, including teachers.
The president's political machine worked in close coordination Thursday with state and national union officials to mobilize thousands of protesters to gather in Madison and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals.
Their efforts began to spread, as thousands of labor supporters turned out for a hearing in Columbus, Ohio, to protest a measure from Gov. John Kasich (R) that would cut collective-bargaining rights.
By the end of the day, Democratic Party officials were working to organize additional demonstrations in Ohio and Indiana, where an effort is underway to trim benefits for public workers. Some union activists predicted similar protests in Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
There is a common denominator here: Obama must win these states to retain the Presidency.
Having lost at the ballot box, pretty decisively, we now face the prospect of a President of The United States actively fomenting mobs of loyalists to show up at state houses, to protect his core constituents, and likely to intimidate any and all who may disagree. It is his organization undertaking this. It is for him to say 'yea' or 'nay' to its activities. As President, his 'nay' would bring this sort of thing to a halt.
We are now on very dangerous ground. Heaven help us all. It is significant that The Washington Post would devote this much energy to reporting this story, as it is the organization that unraveled the Nixon machine.
We will be fortunate if no blood is spilled in the meantime. We are on very dangerous ground. The scenes we have viewed in Athens and London may be local events, unless wiser heads prevail.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Another State Dinner, Long Ago And Far Away
This being the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, OldSouth will honor the occasion, from time to time, by sharing cogent passages. The majesty of the language does much to convey the depth of the comic tragedy of this particular tale.
Book of Daniel, Chapter 5 (King James Version)
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.
Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry? I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing: And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Book of Daniel, Chapter 5 (King James Version)
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.
Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry? I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing: And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Spin Continues: Tortured Logic Award Of The Day
Well, actually, OldSouth didn't have sufficient imagination to think of this line of spin when he predicted the spin would begin in earnest.
This from an op-ed in today's YewNorkTimes:
Here it comes, wait for it!
“The best possible result for Obama politically is for the Republicans to gain control of both houses,” said Douglas E. Schoen, a Democratic pollster and strategist who helped President Bill Clinton recover from his own midterm Congressional defeat in 1994 to win re-election two years later. “That’s what Obama should want.”
Huh? To quote Jeff Foxworthy: 'Ya'll, I just can't make this stuff up!"
The whole op-ed is about the details of how Himself can maneuver and triangulate and foil those Weazewy Wepubwikans and get Himself re-elected in 2012. After all, that's the point, the goal of life, isn't it--to seize and maintain power?
The op-ed is so enlightening, because it betrays a cast of mind, a view of the world amongst our elites. They view this country, this culture, as some sort of backdrop against which they can play out their personal dramas, their competitions, their ambitions. It's our job to maintain the field, pay for the tickets, and cheer them from the stands.
But, what about us! Our families, our children, our schools, our towns, our businesses, our lives?
And OS isn't just railing at Democrat politicians and their journalistic hoes at places like the YewNorkTimes. The GOP has been just as guilty, as have the universities, banks, insurers, etc. etc. etc.
What about us?
This from an op-ed in today's YewNorkTimes:
Here it comes, wait for it!
“The best possible result for Obama politically is for the Republicans to gain control of both houses,” said Douglas E. Schoen, a Democratic pollster and strategist who helped President Bill Clinton recover from his own midterm Congressional defeat in 1994 to win re-election two years later. “That’s what Obama should want.”
Huh? To quote Jeff Foxworthy: 'Ya'll, I just can't make this stuff up!"
The whole op-ed is about the details of how Himself can maneuver and triangulate and foil those Weazewy Wepubwikans and get Himself re-elected in 2012. After all, that's the point, the goal of life, isn't it--to seize and maintain power?
The op-ed is so enlightening, because it betrays a cast of mind, a view of the world amongst our elites. They view this country, this culture, as some sort of backdrop against which they can play out their personal dramas, their competitions, their ambitions. It's our job to maintain the field, pay for the tickets, and cheer them from the stands.
But, what about us! Our families, our children, our schools, our towns, our businesses, our lives?
And OS isn't just railing at Democrat politicians and their journalistic hoes at places like the YewNorkTimes. The GOP has been just as guilty, as have the universities, banks, insurers, etc. etc. etc.
What about us?
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Sometimes, Only Laughter Will Do: Obama Joke Of The Day
Credit to Anabaptist for leaving this one to enjoy. It's a classic vaudeville-type of routine, but seems to never get stale.
It brought tears of laughter to Mrs. OS's eyes, which is a good thing.
So, here we go, joke of the day. If you enjoy it, pass it along to your friends:
Barack Obama met with the Queen of England.
He asked her, "Your Majesty, how do you run such an efficient government?
Are there any tips you can give to me?"
"Well," said the Queen, "the most important thing is to surround yourself with intelligent people."
Obama frowned, and then asked, "But how do I know the people around me are really intelligent?" The Queen took a sip of tea. "Oh, that's easy; you just ask them to answer an intelligent riddle." The Queen pushed a button on her intercom. "Please send Tony Blair in here, would you?"
Tony Blair walked into the room and said, "Yes, Maam?" The Queen smiled and said, "Answer me this please, Tony, your mother and father have a child. It is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?"
Without pausing for a moment, Tony Blair answered, "That would be me."
Obama went back home to ask Joe Biden, his vice presidential choice the same question. "Joe, answer this for me. Your mother and your father have a child. It's not your brother and it's not your sister. Who is it?" "I'm not sure," said Biden. "Let me get back to you on that one.."
He went to his advisors and asked everyone, but none could give him an answer. Finally, he ended up in the men's room and recognized Colin Powell's shoes in the next stall Biden asked Powell, "Colin, can you answer this for me? Your mother and father have a child and it's not your brother or your sister. Who is it?" Colin Powell yelled back, "That's easy, it's me!"
Biden smiled, and said, "Thanks!" Then, he went back to speak with Obama. "Say, I did some research and I have the answer to that riddle. It's Colin Powell!"
Obama got up, stomped over to Biden, and angrily yelled into his face, "No! you idiot! It's Tony Blair!"
It brought tears of laughter to Mrs. OS's eyes, which is a good thing.
So, here we go, joke of the day. If you enjoy it, pass it along to your friends:
Barack Obama met with the Queen of England.
He asked her, "Your Majesty, how do you run such an efficient government?
Are there any tips you can give to me?"
"Well," said the Queen, "the most important thing is to surround yourself with intelligent people."
Obama frowned, and then asked, "But how do I know the people around me are really intelligent?" The Queen took a sip of tea. "Oh, that's easy; you just ask them to answer an intelligent riddle." The Queen pushed a button on her intercom. "Please send Tony Blair in here, would you?"
Tony Blair walked into the room and said, "Yes, Maam?" The Queen smiled and said, "Answer me this please, Tony, your mother and father have a child. It is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?"
Without pausing for a moment, Tony Blair answered, "That would be me."
Obama went back home to ask Joe Biden, his vice presidential choice the same question. "Joe, answer this for me. Your mother and your father have a child. It's not your brother and it's not your sister. Who is it?" "I'm not sure," said Biden. "Let me get back to you on that one.."
He went to his advisors and asked everyone, but none could give him an answer. Finally, he ended up in the men's room and recognized Colin Powell's shoes in the next stall Biden asked Powell, "Colin, can you answer this for me? Your mother and father have a child and it's not your brother or your sister. Who is it?" Colin Powell yelled back, "That's easy, it's me!"
Biden smiled, and said, "Thanks!" Then, he went back to speak with Obama. "Say, I did some research and I have the answer to that riddle. It's Colin Powell!"
Obama got up, stomped over to Biden, and angrily yelled into his face, "No! you idiot! It's Tony Blair!"
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Chicago, Chicago, Obama's Hometown: Murder Rate 2x LA, 3x NYC
Sorta' makes you want to stand up and cheer, knowing we got us a whole passel of Chicago pols installed in the White House, knowhuddImean?
It’s a shame that the public has to be reminded of this from time to time, but any cop can testify to this inescapable fact of police work: Where there is no punishment for criminal behavior, crime will flourish.
Nowhere has this been demonstrated with greater clarity lately than in Chicago, where the Sun-Times has taken notice and sounded the alarm. In a three-part series that concluded Tuesday, reporters Mark Konkol and Frank Main examined the violent incidents that occurred over a single weekend in Chicago two years ago. During that 59-hour period, from April 18 -20, 2008, forty people were shot in the city, seven of them fatally. Stop and consider that for a moment: one city, one weekend, seven people murdered, and 33 others shot but still alive.
As it happens, not a single suspect in any of those shootings has been convicted of a crime. One accused shooter, says the Sun-Times, awaits trial for killing his boss. The other six murders remain unsolved, as do nearly all of the non-fatal shootings that occurred that weekend. In 2009, Chicago detectives “cleared” 30 percent of the murders and 18 percent of the non-fatal shootings they investigated. But, as in any city, a “clearance” in Chicago does not necessarily mean a suspect was arrested, charged, and convicted, but merely that one was identified to the satisfaction of investigators. In some cases detectives are reminded of one axiom of big-city police work: today’s suspect is tomorrow’s victim. Police sometimes come across evidence identifying someone as a murder suspect only to discover he himself has been gunned down, either in retaliation for the earlier murder or merely as a consequence of his engaging in a high-risk lifestyle.
In response, this essay has been making the rounds in Chicago, penned by a officer in the police force. It is not, shall we say, a flattering assessment.
Everyone in Chicago knows it. Almost everyone in America knows it. In fact, a lot of people throughout the world know. Chicago is a city at war with itself - fast tracking to anarchy.
Leading us there have been two major root causes - public violence and public corruption. While Chicago has been under attack with its people fearful and hiding, its police department was twisted into paralysis by organizational decimation, incompetent leadership, self-serving politics and corruption.
After three dead cops in less than 60 days, the men and women of the Chicago Police Department are saying, "Enough!!!" We are sickened that our world-class police department has deteriorated into ruin in only a few short years. We are tired of a leaderless department. We are angry at an unsupportive mayor.
We must rise up together to take this city back from the thugs, gangs and rogues that infect our city. The good people of Chicago must also take a stand against the corrupt politicians and their cronies that have bled our city and police department dry.
And that's just the beginning of the essay!
Weren't we assured of the competence, vision, and moral clarity of The One, so successful in transforming the rough neighborhoods of Chicago as a community organizer?
It’s a shame that the public has to be reminded of this from time to time, but any cop can testify to this inescapable fact of police work: Where there is no punishment for criminal behavior, crime will flourish.
Nowhere has this been demonstrated with greater clarity lately than in Chicago, where the Sun-Times has taken notice and sounded the alarm. In a three-part series that concluded Tuesday, reporters Mark Konkol and Frank Main examined the violent incidents that occurred over a single weekend in Chicago two years ago. During that 59-hour period, from April 18 -20, 2008, forty people were shot in the city, seven of them fatally. Stop and consider that for a moment: one city, one weekend, seven people murdered, and 33 others shot but still alive.
As it happens, not a single suspect in any of those shootings has been convicted of a crime. One accused shooter, says the Sun-Times, awaits trial for killing his boss. The other six murders remain unsolved, as do nearly all of the non-fatal shootings that occurred that weekend. In 2009, Chicago detectives “cleared” 30 percent of the murders and 18 percent of the non-fatal shootings they investigated. But, as in any city, a “clearance” in Chicago does not necessarily mean a suspect was arrested, charged, and convicted, but merely that one was identified to the satisfaction of investigators. In some cases detectives are reminded of one axiom of big-city police work: today’s suspect is tomorrow’s victim. Police sometimes come across evidence identifying someone as a murder suspect only to discover he himself has been gunned down, either in retaliation for the earlier murder or merely as a consequence of his engaging in a high-risk lifestyle.
In response, this essay has been making the rounds in Chicago, penned by a officer in the police force. It is not, shall we say, a flattering assessment.
Everyone in Chicago knows it. Almost everyone in America knows it. In fact, a lot of people throughout the world know. Chicago is a city at war with itself - fast tracking to anarchy.
Leading us there have been two major root causes - public violence and public corruption. While Chicago has been under attack with its people fearful and hiding, its police department was twisted into paralysis by organizational decimation, incompetent leadership, self-serving politics and corruption.
After three dead cops in less than 60 days, the men and women of the Chicago Police Department are saying, "Enough!!!" We are sickened that our world-class police department has deteriorated into ruin in only a few short years. We are tired of a leaderless department. We are angry at an unsupportive mayor.
We must rise up together to take this city back from the thugs, gangs and rogues that infect our city. The good people of Chicago must also take a stand against the corrupt politicians and their cronies that have bled our city and police department dry.
And that's just the beginning of the essay!
Weren't we assured of the competence, vision, and moral clarity of The One, so successful in transforming the rough neighborhoods of Chicago as a community organizer?
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Gulf Coast Mayors Get To Tell Their Story: Oil Spill Commission Testimony
Just completed, the mayors from the small towns along the coast tell their story. Both Democrats and Republicans, they tell of the frustrations of dealing with the oil spill damage, an inept federal government, a clueless BP, hordes of outside contractors descending upon their towns (with no ties to the community, and no accountability). They remained remarkably calm, but it is easy to see how strained they are by the experience.
They ran for office to administrate small-town life--roads, sewers, police,parking, etc. None of them signed up for man-made disaster duty--hurricanes they handle, but this is another order of magnitude.
This isn't about politics. It's about life. The people who successfully navigate this particular vale of tears, in both the public and private arenas, will have much to offer the culture in the future.
The link is here. On lunch break at this hour, testimony resumes this afternoon.
Blessedly, the commission itself is under much scrutiny, as its composition appears to be a left-wing environmental 'hit-squad', an extension of 'The Chicago Way'. The Senate appears to have closed the checkbook on their demands for more money. Slowly, the reality of Obama's war upon the Gulf Coast is sinking in, and the push-back may finally be underway.
This from the Washington Post:
Several blog entries written by commission members before their appointments called for banning or delaying offshore-drilling proposals. Their comments have drawn criticism from the oil industry and some local officials worried about economic hardships caused by shutdowns.
As president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Frances G. Beinecke supported the Obama administration's moratorium on drilling in deep waters after the explosion and on May 27 blamed BP, inadequate government oversight and "America's addiction to oil" for the disaster. Beinecke halted her blog after joining the commission.
That type of commentary left industry analysts, including Robin West, leery. West, chairman of PFC Energy, said "people in the industry are quite prepared to get to the bottom of facts on what happened" and restore confidence in offshore operations. But, he said, "will the commission be objective and informed about a highly complex industry?"
Again, smell for the moral hazard. Who has a stake in success? who has a stake in failure, creating the opportunity for litigation, harvesting of wealth, and growth of the governmental vampire-squid?
Testing on the new cap begins today. Admiral Allen giving a briefing now. Everyone keep a good thought. If the engineering is well-done, the flow of oil may finally be greatly reduced.
If memory serves, this installation was not expected until the end of the month. If it works, this is hopeful news. Let's see if the federal government will allow it to succeed.
Keep a good thought.
They ran for office to administrate small-town life--roads, sewers, police,parking, etc. None of them signed up for man-made disaster duty--hurricanes they handle, but this is another order of magnitude.
This isn't about politics. It's about life. The people who successfully navigate this particular vale of tears, in both the public and private arenas, will have much to offer the culture in the future.
The link is here. On lunch break at this hour, testimony resumes this afternoon.
Blessedly, the commission itself is under much scrutiny, as its composition appears to be a left-wing environmental 'hit-squad', an extension of 'The Chicago Way'. The Senate appears to have closed the checkbook on their demands for more money. Slowly, the reality of Obama's war upon the Gulf Coast is sinking in, and the push-back may finally be underway.
This from the Washington Post:
Several blog entries written by commission members before their appointments called for banning or delaying offshore-drilling proposals. Their comments have drawn criticism from the oil industry and some local officials worried about economic hardships caused by shutdowns.
As president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Frances G. Beinecke supported the Obama administration's moratorium on drilling in deep waters after the explosion and on May 27 blamed BP, inadequate government oversight and "America's addiction to oil" for the disaster. Beinecke halted her blog after joining the commission.
That type of commentary left industry analysts, including Robin West, leery. West, chairman of PFC Energy, said "people in the industry are quite prepared to get to the bottom of facts on what happened" and restore confidence in offshore operations. But, he said, "will the commission be objective and informed about a highly complex industry?"
Again, smell for the moral hazard. Who has a stake in success? who has a stake in failure, creating the opportunity for litigation, harvesting of wealth, and growth of the governmental vampire-squid?
Testing on the new cap begins today. Admiral Allen giving a briefing now. Everyone keep a good thought. If the engineering is well-done, the flow of oil may finally be greatly reduced.
If memory serves, this installation was not expected until the end of the month. If it works, this is hopeful news. Let's see if the federal government will allow it to succeed.
Keep a good thought.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Athens On Lake Michigan: Illinois Cannot Pay Its Bills, Won't Raise Taxes, And Cannot Borrow
Even the Yew Nork Times can no longer avert its eyes from what has happened to the state that sent us all The Winner of The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, whose cronies have run the place for years.
It's worth the time to read, if only to see how the cracks in the official story line that The One, having been elected, would lead us all to The Promised Land. Remember?
So, here's a taste of reality in Illinois:
...Illinois is caught between blue state convictions about social safety nets and a red state aversion to taxes. For years, the Democratic-controlled legislature has passed budgets that are, in effect, in deficit. Lawmakers routinely skip around the state’s balanced-budget law, with few consequences. (Republicans are near monolithic in voting against any tax increases and borrowings. When one broke ranks to try to keep the pension solvent, he was stripped of a committee position, reducing his pay and pension.)
The state’s income tax burden is not terribly high — Illinois ranks in the bottom half of states — and its government is not terribly large. (The budgets in New York and California, per capita, are much larger). Even if the state cut out all family and human services spending, more than half of the budget deficit would remain.
As comptroller, Mr. Hynes has trained his attention on the public and nonprofit agencies that rely on state money; he tends to roll his eyes at the notion that slashing alone is a solution.
Let's remember, this is a state run by The One's friends, where Himself cut His political teeth. This is the model he knows an endorses, the one set into motion when he moved to Washington.
It's worth the time to read, if only to see how the cracks in the official story line that The One, having been elected, would lead us all to The Promised Land. Remember?
So, here's a taste of reality in Illinois:
...Illinois is caught between blue state convictions about social safety nets and a red state aversion to taxes. For years, the Democratic-controlled legislature has passed budgets that are, in effect, in deficit. Lawmakers routinely skip around the state’s balanced-budget law, with few consequences. (Republicans are near monolithic in voting against any tax increases and borrowings. When one broke ranks to try to keep the pension solvent, he was stripped of a committee position, reducing his pay and pension.)
The state’s income tax burden is not terribly high — Illinois ranks in the bottom half of states — and its government is not terribly large. (The budgets in New York and California, per capita, are much larger). Even if the state cut out all family and human services spending, more than half of the budget deficit would remain.
As comptroller, Mr. Hynes has trained his attention on the public and nonprofit agencies that rely on state money; he tends to roll his eyes at the notion that slashing alone is a solution.
Let's remember, this is a state run by The One's friends, where Himself cut His political teeth. This is the model he knows an endorses, the one set into motion when he moved to Washington.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Skewers Obama Eighty Miles North Of The Mexican Border
One minute long, and she says it all:
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sovereign Default Hall Of Shame: May I Have The Envelope?
(H/T to Mish, the one and only Chief Rabbi of Economics)
Mish points us to the latest Credit Default Swap quotes.
It's sort of like golf: The higher your score, the worse your situation.
So, drumroll puhleezzze, for the Sovereign Default Hall of Shame!
Venezuela
Greece
Argentina
Pakistan
Ukraine
Dubai/Emirate of
Iraq
Illinois/State of
Portugal
California/State of
Wait-a-minit-thar, bubbah! OS gots a question or toooh 'bout this heah' list!
Illinois ranks below Pakistan, Iraq, and Dubai? Two of those states are in war zones, and one of them is run by a profligate royal family.
Now, where izzit that The Winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize hails from?
Isn't that Illinois?
Didn't He serve in the state senate there and vote on spending bills that now have to be paid for?
And isn't that guy Chavez in Venezuela someone The One and his posse positively admire?
And isn't Argentina that country that wants to get another war underway over the Falkland Islands, with the active help of The Winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize and Miss Hillary?
And isn't California the place that keeps voting Democrat, and building the welfare state, and is overrun with Mexicans--and isn't that where Miss Nancy Pelosi hails from?
Aren't they trying to do to the country what they did to their states?
So, if these folks and their friends are the True and Only Path of Enlightenment for both the government and economy, how come anybody with a buck to invest in sovereign debt runs away from them?
Maybe they know that these folks always take societies and their economies over the cliff?
Mish points us to the latest Credit Default Swap quotes.
It's sort of like golf: The higher your score, the worse your situation.
So, drumroll puhleezzze, for the Sovereign Default Hall of Shame!
Venezuela
Greece
Argentina
Pakistan
Ukraine
Dubai/Emirate of
Iraq
Illinois/State of
Portugal
California/State of
Wait-a-minit-thar, bubbah! OS gots a question or toooh 'bout this heah' list!
Illinois ranks below Pakistan, Iraq, and Dubai? Two of those states are in war zones, and one of them is run by a profligate royal family.
Now, where izzit that The Winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize hails from?
Isn't that Illinois?
Didn't He serve in the state senate there and vote on spending bills that now have to be paid for?
And isn't that guy Chavez in Venezuela someone The One and his posse positively admire?
And isn't Argentina that country that wants to get another war underway over the Falkland Islands, with the active help of The Winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize and Miss Hillary?
And isn't California the place that keeps voting Democrat, and building the welfare state, and is overrun with Mexicans--and isn't that where Miss Nancy Pelosi hails from?
Aren't they trying to do to the country what they did to their states?
So, if these folks and their friends are the True and Only Path of Enlightenment for both the government and economy, how come anybody with a buck to invest in sovereign debt runs away from them?
Maybe they know that these folks always take societies and their economies over the cliff?
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Never Let A Crisis Go To Waste: The BP Spill And Cap-N-Tax
Rahm Emanuel's famous quote rings in the ears.
An oil well blows up and pollutes the Gulf of Mexico.
The White House has a decision to make: All hands on deck and get this mess cleaned up, or (behind door number 2!) drag our feet, let things really really go to hell on the Gulf Coast (again), blame 'the corporations', 'big oil', Republicans (and any form of conservative), blame-blame-blame, and let the problem fester, rip Alabama's oil boom off for the Louisiana photo-op, and then....
Push for a massive tax increase!
And make damn sure it all gets done by November, cuz' we gonna a lose a lot of House members that first Tuesday. (If you're gonna make war on a culture, you gotta expect a few casualties, you know.) Ain't got no time to read no legislation--it's time to pass this thang!
In the meantime, OS talked with a friend from New Orleans, who said the 143-year old business that supplies oysters to the city has had to close down, due to pollution of the oyster beds.
Didn't have to happen. A timely response would have saved them, but that wasn't the plan.
That business is just another casualty of the Fundamental Transformation of America, and now can be conveniently used as a guilt-club to beat Congress into submission.
An oil well blows up and pollutes the Gulf of Mexico.
The White House has a decision to make: All hands on deck and get this mess cleaned up, or (behind door number 2!) drag our feet, let things really really go to hell on the Gulf Coast (again), blame 'the corporations', 'big oil', Republicans (and any form of conservative), blame-blame-blame, and let the problem fester, rip Alabama's oil boom off for the Louisiana photo-op, and then....
Push for a massive tax increase!
And make damn sure it all gets done by November, cuz' we gonna a lose a lot of House members that first Tuesday. (If you're gonna make war on a culture, you gotta expect a few casualties, you know.) Ain't got no time to read no legislation--it's time to pass this thang!
In the meantime, OS talked with a friend from New Orleans, who said the 143-year old business that supplies oysters to the city has had to close down, due to pollution of the oyster beds.
Didn't have to happen. A timely response would have saved them, but that wasn't the plan.
That business is just another casualty of the Fundamental Transformation of America, and now can be conveniently used as a guilt-club to beat Congress into submission.
Alabama's Gov. Riley Has Reason To Steam: The Case Of The Purloined Oil Boom, And The Polluted Bay
The term 'moral bankruptcy' floats to mind.
From The Wall Street Journal:
Last month, as oil began spreading eastward from Louisiana, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley made it a top priority to stop oil infiltrating the scenic Perdido Pass, a waterway near the Florida border that leads into Perdido Bay, one of the centerpieces of the fishing and tourism industry for both Alabama and Florida.
In mid-May, Riley and Coast Guard officials worked out a plan to hold the oil back, using a reverse funnel design to deflect the currents. Alabama authorities scoured the globe looking for the thick, heavy ocean boom to make the funnel, said Todd Stacy, a spokesman for the governor.
In the third week of May, they finally found it in Bahrain, and had it flown from the Persian Gulf to a staging area on the Alabama coast. Then, in the last week of May, just before Obama’s second trip to the region, the Coast Guard took the boom from Alabama and gave it to Louisiana, Alabama and Coast Guard officials acknowledge.
Tony Russell, a spokesman for U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the leader of the federal oil spill response, said today the boom was rushed to Louisiana’s Terrebonne Parish to protect Terrebonne Bay from oil in Barataria Bay, adjacent to it.
Riley was furious. At a June 4 meeting with the president and Allen, the governor sat seething as the admiral went over the materials that had been deployed throughout the Gulf, including Alabama. He told Allen he knew full well the ocean boom had been taken from his state, according to officials at the meeting.
“It was pretty testy,” said Charlotte Randolph, president of Louisiana’s LaFourche Parish.
In its stead, the Coast Guard and Alabama authorities deployed 18-inch boom, far more flimsy, into the configuration worked out. They then waited and hoped.
On Wednesday, June 10, oil breached Perdido Bay.
Well, it's all ok, 'cuz after all, The One got his photo op in Louisiana. That's what matters most, ya'll.
This is not an urban legend cooked up by some nutter. It' a documented series of events, recounted in the Wall Street Journal.
OldSouth has one purpose in recounting this tale. He gets visits from folks in Alabama, and hopes they'll pass this post along, far and wide, to every neighbor, family member, church member and friend.
Betcha' if it circulates enough between now and November, Alabama voters will figure out what kind of message to send Mr. Obama's direction.
From The Wall Street Journal:
Last month, as oil began spreading eastward from Louisiana, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley made it a top priority to stop oil infiltrating the scenic Perdido Pass, a waterway near the Florida border that leads into Perdido Bay, one of the centerpieces of the fishing and tourism industry for both Alabama and Florida.
In mid-May, Riley and Coast Guard officials worked out a plan to hold the oil back, using a reverse funnel design to deflect the currents. Alabama authorities scoured the globe looking for the thick, heavy ocean boom to make the funnel, said Todd Stacy, a spokesman for the governor.
In the third week of May, they finally found it in Bahrain, and had it flown from the Persian Gulf to a staging area on the Alabama coast. Then, in the last week of May, just before Obama’s second trip to the region, the Coast Guard took the boom from Alabama and gave it to Louisiana, Alabama and Coast Guard officials acknowledge.
Tony Russell, a spokesman for U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the leader of the federal oil spill response, said today the boom was rushed to Louisiana’s Terrebonne Parish to protect Terrebonne Bay from oil in Barataria Bay, adjacent to it.
Riley was furious. At a June 4 meeting with the president and Allen, the governor sat seething as the admiral went over the materials that had been deployed throughout the Gulf, including Alabama. He told Allen he knew full well the ocean boom had been taken from his state, according to officials at the meeting.
“It was pretty testy,” said Charlotte Randolph, president of Louisiana’s LaFourche Parish.
In its stead, the Coast Guard and Alabama authorities deployed 18-inch boom, far more flimsy, into the configuration worked out. They then waited and hoped.
On Wednesday, June 10, oil breached Perdido Bay.
Well, it's all ok, 'cuz after all, The One got his photo op in Louisiana. That's what matters most, ya'll.
This is not an urban legend cooked up by some nutter. It' a documented series of events, recounted in the Wall Street Journal.
OldSouth has one purpose in recounting this tale. He gets visits from folks in Alabama, and hopes they'll pass this post along, far and wide, to every neighbor, family member, church member and friend.
Betcha' if it circulates enough between now and November, Alabama voters will figure out what kind of message to send Mr. Obama's direction.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Rachel Maddow Visits Louisiana: The Oil Spill That Obama Claim's He's In Control Of...
Yes-siree, we're in good hands!
Even uber-Kool-Aid consumer Rachel Maddow of MS(allObamaAllTheTime)NBC is admitting that The One and his posse are not getting it done.
Technologies and solutions that are ready to go, already tested and approved, sit on the sidelines. The Tulane professor, typically academic, tells her, no no no, we can't begin to do anything until we've done years of research. She complains of the globs of oil, and complains about the dispersant used to break up the globs of oil that so gross her out, but that might be easier to clean up.
She complains that Feds stopped doing anything about spill mitigation after the late 1980's--hmm, who was in charge in the 1990's girlfriend?
She knows that this is a fail, cause she can see the boom that was improperly laid, and the island eroding before her eyes.
By the way, most offers of assistance from around the world were rejected by The One. We could have had a massive effort underway a long time ago, had The One really desired a solution.
The One does not desire a solution. He desires a crisis, he loves a crisis, he thrives on crisis. It opens the door to the acquisition of power. Is that the Reichstag I smell burning? Is that the Russian naval mutiny I see on the horizon? It worked before, it can work again.
Good managers know one thing: Success is often gauged by what doesn't happen. That is, if you do your job well, things run so well that nobody notices how well they run. The product ships, the payroll gets met, the dividends flow to shareholders, the taxes get paid. Nobody notices.
Incompetent (or venal) managers only understand management as a path to power, and always make certain to have someone to blame when things inevitably break down. Thus the attempts to run BP over the cliff, British pensioners be damned.
That oil never had to reach that island. It's Obama's special gift to the Gulf Coast.
Even uber-Kool-Aid consumer Rachel Maddow of MS(allObamaAllTheTime)NBC is admitting that The One and his posse are not getting it done.
Technologies and solutions that are ready to go, already tested and approved, sit on the sidelines. The Tulane professor, typically academic, tells her, no no no, we can't begin to do anything until we've done years of research. She complains of the globs of oil, and complains about the dispersant used to break up the globs of oil that so gross her out, but that might be easier to clean up.
She complains that Feds stopped doing anything about spill mitigation after the late 1980's--hmm, who was in charge in the 1990's girlfriend?
She knows that this is a fail, cause she can see the boom that was improperly laid, and the island eroding before her eyes.
By the way, most offers of assistance from around the world were rejected by The One. We could have had a massive effort underway a long time ago, had The One really desired a solution.
The One does not desire a solution. He desires a crisis, he loves a crisis, he thrives on crisis. It opens the door to the acquisition of power. Is that the Reichstag I smell burning? Is that the Russian naval mutiny I see on the horizon? It worked before, it can work again.
Good managers know one thing: Success is often gauged by what doesn't happen. That is, if you do your job well, things run so well that nobody notices how well they run. The product ships, the payroll gets met, the dividends flow to shareholders, the taxes get paid. Nobody notices.
Incompetent (or venal) managers only understand management as a path to power, and always make certain to have someone to blame when things inevitably break down. Thus the attempts to run BP over the cliff, British pensioners be damned.
That oil never had to reach that island. It's Obama's special gift to the Gulf Coast.
Stand Tall, Mr. Cameron
Looks like David Cameron and company are beginning to stand tall.
Obama and company are daily shown as being increasingly inept, and to create some sort of political cover, they ramp up the rhetoric, and even attempt a back-door seizure of BP via the US Federal courts.
It's now clear: For whatever reason, Obama's hostility to Great Britain is genuine, and out in the open. However irritated citizens here may be with BP, they do not share his antipathy for the UK. Again, Obama ran for office as one person, and has proven to be someone else entirely in office. It isn't like many of us weren't aware, and didn't scream until hoarse that the man is a dangerous fraud. There just weren't enough of us in November 2008.
Obama's numbers are tanking, and November's prospects are looking increasingly grim.
Politicians in trouble invariably do one thing: Attempt to change the subject. This is a classic example.
OldSouth hopes his British friends will encourage their government to stand up against this bullying. Yes, the well must be capped, and the mess cleaned up, and compensation paid to lives, businesses, and states disrupted by BP (not disrupted by the US government!). In order for that to happen, BP must remain healthily in business, with the resources to generate the cash to pay for the damages caused.
Stand tall, ya'll. This clown will be outta here in January 2013. Ya'll have survived a lot worse than him.
Obama and company are daily shown as being increasingly inept, and to create some sort of political cover, they ramp up the rhetoric, and even attempt a back-door seizure of BP via the US Federal courts.
It's now clear: For whatever reason, Obama's hostility to Great Britain is genuine, and out in the open. However irritated citizens here may be with BP, they do not share his antipathy for the UK. Again, Obama ran for office as one person, and has proven to be someone else entirely in office. It isn't like many of us weren't aware, and didn't scream until hoarse that the man is a dangerous fraud. There just weren't enough of us in November 2008.
Obama's numbers are tanking, and November's prospects are looking increasingly grim.
Politicians in trouble invariably do one thing: Attempt to change the subject. This is a classic example.
OldSouth hopes his British friends will encourage their government to stand up against this bullying. Yes, the well must be capped, and the mess cleaned up, and compensation paid to lives, businesses, and states disrupted by BP (not disrupted by the US government!). In order for that to happen, BP must remain healthily in business, with the resources to generate the cash to pay for the damages caused.
Stand tall, ya'll. This clown will be outta here in January 2013. Ya'll have survived a lot worse than him.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Too Clueless To Pick Up The Phone: Obama Admits He Has Never Spoken To BP's Hayward
Old South couldn't believe it, thinking 'Naw, this is just urban legend stuff spewed by some nutter. Couldn't possibly be true...'
To quote an old buddy: Well, cut my legs off, and call me Shorty!
It's true! Obama never bothered to pick up his telephone as the tragedy unfolded, first with the explosion that killed eleven of his fellow citizens, and then the leak that has polluted the Gulf of Mexico. OS is, however, relieved to report that the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Winner made his tee times. First thangs first, ya'll...
OS sought and he found: MSNBC's account of his interview on June 8 with Matt Lauer on the Today Show:
The president also defended not having spoken to Hayward.
"I have not spoken to him directly," he told Lauer. "Here's the reason. Because my experience is, when you talk to a guy like a BP CEO, he's gonna say all the right things to me. I'm not interested in words. I'm interested in actions."
(Pot, meet kettle.)
OS has one initial reaction: What?
Lessee--BP oil rig blows up in the Gulf, lots of folks killed, and perhaps a biiiiiig mess to clean up. BP is also a big employer in the US, in all sorts of ways. Don't cher normal person in a position of responsibility at a time like this do something like this:
1. Pick up the phone, and call someone high up at BP. Betcha someone can dig up Tony's cell phone number within the hour.
2. Express condolences, concern, and ask two simple questions: What's going on, and what can we do to help? We've got the world's best navy, the world's best hospitals, and the number one thang we need to pay attention to is makin' daaaaam sure that well ain't leaking no crude into the Gulf of Mexico! Everything we got, we'll throw at this thang, here's my cell phone number, Tony, I'm on my way to the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Getcherself on your plane. I'll meet you there, and we'll get after this thang together. Already got a guest room set aside for you and the misses, 'cuz you'll probably be there for while. Bring yer clubs, and we'll even get in a couple of rounds to talk stuff over. And yes, we will be sending you the bill, dontchew doubt that. In the meantime, let's get this thang byGod solved.
Is this too hard a thing to do?
Moh', latuh. OS is attempting to digest this, and suspects there is much worse, more evil, news to learn. Something smells much worse than all that dead fish.
Call me Shorty, meanwhile.
To quote an old buddy: Well, cut my legs off, and call me Shorty!
It's true! Obama never bothered to pick up his telephone as the tragedy unfolded, first with the explosion that killed eleven of his fellow citizens, and then the leak that has polluted the Gulf of Mexico. OS is, however, relieved to report that the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Winner made his tee times. First thangs first, ya'll...
OS sought and he found: MSNBC's account of his interview on June 8 with Matt Lauer on the Today Show:
The president also defended not having spoken to Hayward.
"I have not spoken to him directly," he told Lauer. "Here's the reason. Because my experience is, when you talk to a guy like a BP CEO, he's gonna say all the right things to me. I'm not interested in words. I'm interested in actions."
(Pot, meet kettle.)
OS has one initial reaction: What?
Lessee--BP oil rig blows up in the Gulf, lots of folks killed, and perhaps a biiiiiig mess to clean up. BP is also a big employer in the US, in all sorts of ways. Don't cher normal person in a position of responsibility at a time like this do something like this:
1. Pick up the phone, and call someone high up at BP. Betcha someone can dig up Tony's cell phone number within the hour.
2. Express condolences, concern, and ask two simple questions: What's going on, and what can we do to help? We've got the world's best navy, the world's best hospitals, and the number one thang we need to pay attention to is makin' daaaaam sure that well ain't leaking no crude into the Gulf of Mexico! Everything we got, we'll throw at this thang, here's my cell phone number, Tony, I'm on my way to the Pensacola Naval Air Station. Getcherself on your plane. I'll meet you there, and we'll get after this thang together. Already got a guest room set aside for you and the misses, 'cuz you'll probably be there for while. Bring yer clubs, and we'll even get in a couple of rounds to talk stuff over. And yes, we will be sending you the bill, dontchew doubt that. In the meantime, let's get this thang byGod solved.
Is this too hard a thing to do?
Moh', latuh. OS is attempting to digest this, and suspects there is much worse, more evil, news to learn. Something smells much worse than all that dead fish.
Call me Shorty, meanwhile.
Friday, May 28, 2010
So, What Is Calderon Complaining About, And Why Do The Congressional Dems Cheer For Him?
OS hates to harp on a subject, but he feels this one really matters, and that recent events have been illustrative of the character of our present political leadership.
As everyone who hasn't been in a coma for the past month knows, the State of Arizona decided enough was enough. The Federal government simultaneously claimed jurisdiction over matters involving the southern border of the the US while refusing to enforce immigration law and vigorously defend that border. Arizona has been over-run, and its citizens are being murdered and kidnapped. Arizona, within its constitutional rights, passed a law to deal with the problem.
The indignant outcry was immediate and blood-curdling from the Left, and from the Mexican government. El Presidente addressed the US Congress, denouncing Arizona for having the temerity to insist that people residing within its borders actually be able to demonstrate that they are there legally.
The Congressional Democrats stood and cheered, declaring their solidarity with their poor victimized southern compadres.From USA Today. 27 May 2010
TULTITLN, Mexico — Arizona's new law forcing local police to take a greater role in enforcing immigration law has caused a lot of criticism from Mexico, the largest single source of illegal immigrants in the United States. But in Mexico, illegal immigrants receive terrible treatment from corrupt Mexican authorities, say people involved in the system.
And Mexico has a law that is no different from Arizona's that empowers local police to check the immigration documents of people suspected of not being in the country legally.
"There (in the United States), they'll deport you," Hector Vázquez, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, said as he rested in a makeshift camp with other migrants under a highway bridge in Tultitlán. "In Mexico they'll probably let you go, but they'll beat you up and steal everything you've got first."
[end quote]
Kudos to USA Today for finally standing tall and beginning to tell the truth about Mexico. Most of the mainstream media simply will not begin to tell the truth about this place.
Mexico is violent.
Mexico is breathtakingly corrupt; from the street-corner cop to the Presidency, the entire operation thrives on la Mordida, literally 'The Bite', aka 'The Bribe'.
Mexico has been run from the 1920's by a corrupt oligarchy of politicians, 'labor union leaders', bankers and industrial interests. Until recent years, only one party the PRI, ever held power.
Then, there is the drug trade... The mayor of Cancun, a major resort destination, was arrested just yesterday for trafficking.
So, why do Democrats love Mexico so? Why do they cheer for this craziness, this corruption, this unfree violent culture? Do they see the future there, a fabulously wealthy country in the thrall of an oligarchy that gets to skim that wealth for themselves, while maintaining the appearance of civilization?
Perhaps there are other explanations, but this one certainly fits. Why would they cheer for this? Why would they roll out the carpet and put on a full-Monty Head of State welcome for the President of Mexico, who wants nothing more than to ship up millions more of his illiterate population?
Why do all the Democrats (and some Republicans like McCain--until challenged for his seat) think that an unceasing flow of illegals from Mexico is actually desireable?
Why the refusal to enforce the border?
Something else is at play in all this. Some people here must be making a lot of money, or gathering a great deal of power to themselves, by allowing this chaos to continue. Likewise, some people must have the same motivation south of the border.
People always act from motivation. Without it, there is almost no action.
What is driving this tragic, stupid race over the cultural cliff? What's the motivation?
Mexico is violent.
Mexico is breathtakingly corrupt; from the street-corner cop to the Presidency, the entire operation thrives on la Mordida, literally 'The Bite', aka 'The Bribe'.
Mexico has been run from the 1920's by a corrupt oligarchy of politicians, 'labor union leaders', bankers and industrial interests. Until recent years, only one party the PRI, ever held power.
Then, there is the drug trade... The mayor of Cancun, a major resort destination, was arrested just yesterday for trafficking.
So, why do Democrats love Mexico so? Why do they cheer for this craziness, this corruption, this unfree violent culture? Do they see the future there, a fabulously wealthy country in the thrall of an oligarchy that gets to skim that wealth for themselves, while maintaining the appearance of civilization?
Perhaps there are other explanations, but this one certainly fits. Why would they cheer for this? Why would they roll out the carpet and put on a full-Monty Head of State welcome for the President of Mexico, who wants nothing more than to ship up millions more of his illiterate population?
Why do all the Democrats (and some Republicans like McCain--until challenged for his seat) think that an unceasing flow of illegals from Mexico is actually desireable?
Why the refusal to enforce the border?
Something else is at play in all this. Some people here must be making a lot of money, or gathering a great deal of power to themselves, by allowing this chaos to continue. Likewise, some people must have the same motivation south of the border.
People always act from motivation. Without it, there is almost no action.
What is driving this tragic, stupid race over the cultural cliff? What's the motivation?
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Beloved Leader's Contempt On Display: Obama on Sarah Palin
OS is not a huge Palin fan, in terms of seeing her in the White House. She is, however, someone who connects with and speaks on behalf of a lot of Americans--the ones Obama pledged to be a President to as well. Well, if his lips move at moments like that, he's likely prevaricating...
George Stephanapoulis with ABC News managed to induce The One to show his true colors, if only for twenty seconds or so, here at the end of this clip.
His contempt is obvious, and he does not even pretend to mask it.
A leader has any number of ways to gracefully respond to criticism, defend a position, without resorting to ad hominem attack. That's what classy people do. That's what Himself isn't, and he displayed that gracelessness on the world stage, for all time.
And, thereby, he has just fueled the opposition, and probably tipped some folks over who still were trying to give him a chance.
MSNBC and its 5,000 viewers will cheer. It's a high price for a smattering of applause today, and a world of pain in November.
George Stephanapoulis with ABC News managed to induce The One to show his true colors, if only for twenty seconds or so, here at the end of this clip.
His contempt is obvious, and he does not even pretend to mask it.
A leader has any number of ways to gracefully respond to criticism, defend a position, without resorting to ad hominem attack. That's what classy people do. That's what Himself isn't, and he displayed that gracelessness on the world stage, for all time.
And, thereby, he has just fueled the opposition, and probably tipped some folks over who still were trying to give him a chance.
MSNBC and its 5,000 viewers will cheer. It's a high price for a smattering of applause today, and a world of pain in November.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Obama And 'Offshore Drilling': If His Lips Move, He's Prevaricating...
Well, the announcement did light up the news wires and feeds around the world.
One must admit, He and His are experts at letting us believe one thing, when the reality is something else entirely.
It's that inconvenient words have meaning thing! We, poor schlubs, live in a world where words have meaning. We have to, otherwise we starve alone in the dark and cold. In their world words are noises one makes to manipulate the listener on the path to one's true objectives.
But, in a two-fer for April 1, 2010, Heritage Foundation reminds us: If His lips are moving, he's misinforming us.
In fact, if anything, the policies announced by President Obama yesterday will actually decrease and delay future U.S. oil production. The President actually canceled four lease sales off the Alaska coast that were planned to begin producing oil within the next two years, delayed a planned lease off Virginia until at least 2012, and placed some areas off limits for at least seven years. Go back and look at President Obama’s actual announcement again: he only promised new exploration off the Atlantic coast. There is absolutely no guarantee that any new drilling will ever occur. Secretary Ken Salazar’s Interior Department still has full discretion to never allow a single drop of oil to be harvested from these waters. And that doesn’t even begin to address the court challenges the enviro-left will employ to attack and delay the entire process.
And it's not just Heritage Foundation saying it. The essay pulls from a lot of sources, normally sympathetic to Himself, who agree that Himself is blowing smoke.
Sort of like that 'Executive Order' he promised to Bart Stupak, not worth the paper it's written on, and still no word as to whether he got around to signing it, anyway.
Just words....ya'll go back to sleep now, watch another basketball game, another episode of 'The Biggest Loser'. Nothing to bother about here...
Obama And The Heritage Foundation
It will be amusing to see ObamaBob try to spin his way out of this one.
Himself was caught in a blatant howler, in a quiet interview setting with a sympathetic reporter, not working off his adrenaline in front of a crowd; claiming that great parts of ObamaCare originated in the bowels of the Heritage Foundation.
The Heritage Foundation, to put it mildly, is not amused!
It's as if our President has spend an entire lifetime just assuming that everyone will believe what he says, 'cuz he says it! Where did he get this idea planted in his head?
Words have meaning. Ideas matter. Presidents who behave like this create massive problems for the world. This is not the Illinois statehouse. This is the White House, and adult behavior is expected.
Himself was caught in a blatant howler, in a quiet interview setting with a sympathetic reporter, not working off his adrenaline in front of a crowd; claiming that great parts of ObamaCare originated in the bowels of the Heritage Foundation.
The Heritage Foundation, to put it mildly, is not amused!
It's as if our President has spend an entire lifetime just assuming that everyone will believe what he says, 'cuz he says it! Where did he get this idea planted in his head?
Words have meaning. Ideas matter. Presidents who behave like this create massive problems for the world. This is not the Illinois statehouse. This is the White House, and adult behavior is expected.
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