Rahmbo headed back to Chicago early. ObamaBob's gone. The economic team that managed to run both the deficit and unemployment rate to dizzying heights is headed back to academia, where they will be lionized for their 'vision'.
And the fink who fired Juan Williams over the phone has just resigned. Her boss will be forgoing her bonus.
It's dawned upon the NPR board that their homeboyz in the past Congress never managed to pass a 2011 budget. And that there's a whole new bunch of people in Congress, many of whom NPR managed to alienate last year, now in charge of the checkbook.
A sacrificial lamb becomes necessary at such a moment.
Bye-bye, Ellen! Let's see if this has a sobering effect on those she leaves behind.
From Fox News:
The NPR executive who sparked a public outrcy in October by firing journalist Juan Williams is resigning from her job, the organization announced Thursday.
Ellen Weiss resigned as senior vice president for news on the same day that NPR's board of directors completed its independent review of the dismissal of Williams. The directors recommended new internal procedures for personnel decisions and disciplinary action.
The board expressed confidence in CEO Vivian Schiller's leadership but voted to forgo her 2010 bonus because of "concern over her role in the termination process." Schiller drew criticism in November for saying Williams should keep his feelings about Muslims between him and "his psychiatrist or publicist" -- comments that she later apologized for.
Williams, who is a Fox News contributor, cheered the announcement.
Let us hope the January trickle becomes the 2011 Stampede of Leftists, beating it out of town while they can, seeking shelter where they may. And, may shelter be difficult to locate. If you feed them, they just hide out and plot their return to power.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
The Reading Of The United States Constitution
OS posts this for his readers, with gratitude.
First, that we have a written Constitution that can be read aloud into the Congressional Record. Harder to stuff it down the Memory Hole, or have members claim not to be familiar with it. Many still despise it, but they can't plead ignorance.
Second, that for the first time in many years, we have a small group of people in Washington who think that its words have meaning.
First, that we have a written Constitution that can be read aloud into the Congressional Record. Harder to stuff it down the Memory Hole, or have members claim not to be familiar with it. Many still despise it, but they can't plead ignorance.
Second, that for the first time in many years, we have a small group of people in Washington who think that its words have meaning.
Administering The Pelosi High Colonic: Virginia Foxx Of Winston-Salem Shines!
It almost worked this morning, like it has worked before. The Pelosi, that is.
It's much like the technique Tom Wolfe recounted in his classic essay 'Mau-Mauing The Flak-Catchers'.
Here's how it works:
Take one Democrat CongressWoman, reasonably attractive (no Bella Abzug types will do) dress her nicely, wind her up, put her in front of the House Rules committee, and let her go. The assignment--talk, talk, talk. Lie mendaciously. Lie boldly. When one of the well-raised respectable GOP gentlemen members addresses her rant with the facts, have her rant some more, and change the subject. Never allow any of them to complete a thought, much less a sentence. Make the nice GOP gents look and feel uncomfortable, 'cuz she's dressed up to look like Mom, or the nice lady who taught them in Sunday School. They wuz' raised to respect Momma and the Nice Sunday School Lady. Good boys don't talk back to Momma or Sunday School Lady!
Even if you were clobbered in the last election, and are in the minority by a wide margin, pretend it never ever happened. Talk, talk, talk. Condescend, condescend. Lie, lie, lie, lie, and never ever take a breath. Perform a Pelosi on everyone in the room.
So this morning, Louise was designated to dress up and perform a Pelosi on the GOP members of the rules committee. OS could see the discomfort in the faces of a few GOP members, but Rep. Steve King (an old hand, who has seen this often before), was able to turn her back a bit.
The coup-de-grace came from another GOP member, Virginia Foxx, of North Carolina.
She actually is a nice grandmother and church lady. It was wonderful to see her administer a counter-Pelosi, a Pelosi High Colonic, as it were. She quietly noted Slaughter's stream of invective and lies, and sweetly responded, 'I think, if we will actually examine the record, because I just did, that Ms. Slaughter's memory may not be quite as...well...accurate as she might wish it to be.' She never actually had to say, 'You're a lying bitch, Nancy!' That thought was left to echo throughout the minds of everyone in the room.
It was a lovely moment, and here's a big-ole bow in the direction of Mr. King and Mrs. Foxx.
Hopefully, Speaker Boehner will spot her for the talent she is, and the sweet presence she is. There will be many more Pelosi High Colonics to administer in the years ahead.
And, Mr. Speaker--you are a nice man who loves Hiz Momma. Just remember who won the election, and don't let anybody do a Pelosi on you or your members.
It's much like the technique Tom Wolfe recounted in his classic essay 'Mau-Mauing The Flak-Catchers'.
Here's how it works:
Take one Democrat CongressWoman, reasonably attractive (no Bella Abzug types will do) dress her nicely, wind her up, put her in front of the House Rules committee, and let her go. The assignment--talk, talk, talk. Lie mendaciously. Lie boldly. When one of the well-raised respectable GOP gentlemen members addresses her rant with the facts, have her rant some more, and change the subject. Never allow any of them to complete a thought, much less a sentence. Make the nice GOP gents look and feel uncomfortable, 'cuz she's dressed up to look like Mom, or the nice lady who taught them in Sunday School. They wuz' raised to respect Momma and the Nice Sunday School Lady. Good boys don't talk back to Momma or Sunday School Lady!
Even if you were clobbered in the last election, and are in the minority by a wide margin, pretend it never ever happened. Talk, talk, talk. Condescend, condescend. Lie, lie, lie, lie, and never ever take a breath. Perform a Pelosi on everyone in the room.
So this morning, Louise was designated to dress up and perform a Pelosi on the GOP members of the rules committee. OS could see the discomfort in the faces of a few GOP members, but Rep. Steve King (an old hand, who has seen this often before), was able to turn her back a bit.
The coup-de-grace came from another GOP member, Virginia Foxx, of North Carolina.
She actually is a nice grandmother and church lady. It was wonderful to see her administer a counter-Pelosi, a Pelosi High Colonic, as it were. She quietly noted Slaughter's stream of invective and lies, and sweetly responded, 'I think, if we will actually examine the record, because I just did, that Ms. Slaughter's memory may not be quite as...well...accurate as she might wish it to be.' She never actually had to say, 'You're a lying bitch, Nancy!' That thought was left to echo throughout the minds of everyone in the room.
It was a lovely moment, and here's a big-ole bow in the direction of Mr. King and Mrs. Foxx.
Hopefully, Speaker Boehner will spot her for the talent she is, and the sweet presence she is. There will be many more Pelosi High Colonics to administer in the years ahead.
And, Mr. Speaker--you are a nice man who loves Hiz Momma. Just remember who won the election, and don't let anybody do a Pelosi on you or your members.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Nancy Pelosi Hands Over The Gavel, After Ten Final Interminable Minutes
OS had to see it, while working his way through his daily duties: The exit of Miss Nancy, and the beginning of John Boehner's Speakership.
As usual, she had that dreadful smile pasted on her face, talked about herself, and talked, and talked, and talked...about herself. She gave a final campaign speech, after having overwhelmingly lost her last campaign. A complete disconnect from reality. And, in a more profound disconnect, the remaining House Democrats voted for her to head their caucus. Rather like voting for George Armstrong Custer, one final time, as the Sioux nation encircles the troops.
Boehner, by contrast, in his opening remarks, after introducing his family, talked about the realities we face, and about the Constitution, and the American idea.
Here's hoping he means it, and will stick to it. We're out of time, and out of road down which the proverbial can may be kicked.
Just by dint of being from a large Catholic family, who worked his way through college as a janitor, and by being from the Midwest, he has automatically earned the hatred of the elites who moved through the Ivies into places of power. Hopefully, he just accepts their hatred as a badge of honor, and remembers all those of us living in all those counties and towns and neighborhoods who are also the objects of their disdain.
As usual, she had that dreadful smile pasted on her face, talked about herself, and talked, and talked, and talked...about herself. She gave a final campaign speech, after having overwhelmingly lost her last campaign. A complete disconnect from reality. And, in a more profound disconnect, the remaining House Democrats voted for her to head their caucus. Rather like voting for George Armstrong Custer, one final time, as the Sioux nation encircles the troops.
Boehner, by contrast, in his opening remarks, after introducing his family, talked about the realities we face, and about the Constitution, and the American idea.
Here's hoping he means it, and will stick to it. We're out of time, and out of road down which the proverbial can may be kicked.
Just by dint of being from a large Catholic family, who worked his way through college as a janitor, and by being from the Midwest, he has automatically earned the hatred of the elites who moved through the Ivies into places of power. Hopefully, he just accepts their hatred as a badge of honor, and remembers all those of us living in all those counties and towns and neighborhoods who are also the objects of their disdain.
Farewell, ObamaBob: Robert Gibbs Gets Out While He Can
It's exhausting work, ya'll, explaining away Himself and His cast of characters. Keeping a straight face while lying nonstop. Ignoring any and all inconvenient questions, especially if they come from TheNetworkThatCannotBeNamed, or ThatWallStreetJournalRag. (But let's make certain Helen Thomas is treated like royalty, and we'll just ignore the rabid anti-semitism...)
Explaining why losing 60 sump-n House seats to the Tea Party really wasn't that bad.
Explaining away a deeply-rooted populist voter revolt as a bunch of people who engage in a particular sexually perverse practice.
Explaining away a 14-trillion dollar debt that his boss helped rack up at historically breathtaking levels.
Explain, explain, explain it AWAY!!. Change the subject, change the subject, CHANGE THE SUBJECT!!
Well, at least you had BaghdadBob as a model. You know, Saddam Hussein's press secretary, who reported on the victories of the Iraqi military, with the US Marines setting up shop across the street from his hotel.
Blame it all on those wascawy Wepubwikans, or Congress, or industry, or the voters, or the Constitution, or....the banks--no, no, can't do that, cuz' what we all really want is a banking gig after this is over.
Get that faculty gig somewhere safe while you can, ObamaBob. In a blue/blue/blue state. With a huge endowment to keep leftists warm when the chill winds of reality begin to blow. Get that book advance in your pocket, and tuck that sucker away offshore. Git out, while the gittin's good.
After all, you don't want to end up like your predecessor Ron Ziegler, who went down with the ship for his boss Richard Nixon, whose reputation as the worst President post-1950 has been somewhat salvaged by your boss.
This poor guy got hisself no book deals, no lecture circuit love, no admiring eulogies from the press when he departed this vale of tears. Nuthin'. He spent years not getting his phone calls returned--from Republicans. And the rest of his old gang were cooling their heels in the Federal pen. Very cold, very lonely out there, if you work for a disgraced President. Last man at his side ends up coldest and loneliest.
(And, do make sure you've got a good lawyer. You may need one yet. And make sure you take yoh' notes and docs wij-yew, 'cuz yoh' boss gunna hang yoh' lily-white out to dry if timez gits tuff and He needz sumbody to blame. Jes' speculatin'.)
And, now, ObamaBob, OS leaves you with his favorite Ron Ziegler quote:
"If my answers sound confusing, I think they are confusing because the questions are confusing and the situation is confusing."
Explaining why losing 60 sump-n House seats to the Tea Party really wasn't that bad.
Explaining away a deeply-rooted populist voter revolt as a bunch of people who engage in a particular sexually perverse practice.
Explaining away a 14-trillion dollar debt that his boss helped rack up at historically breathtaking levels.
Explain, explain, explain it AWAY!!. Change the subject, change the subject, CHANGE THE SUBJECT!!
Well, at least you had BaghdadBob as a model. You know, Saddam Hussein's press secretary, who reported on the victories of the Iraqi military, with the US Marines setting up shop across the street from his hotel.
Blame it all on those wascawy Wepubwikans, or Congress, or industry, or the voters, or the Constitution, or....the banks--no, no, can't do that, cuz' what we all really want is a banking gig after this is over.
Get that faculty gig somewhere safe while you can, ObamaBob. In a blue/blue/blue state. With a huge endowment to keep leftists warm when the chill winds of reality begin to blow. Get that book advance in your pocket, and tuck that sucker away offshore. Git out, while the gittin's good.
After all, you don't want to end up like your predecessor Ron Ziegler, who went down with the ship for his boss Richard Nixon, whose reputation as the worst President post-1950 has been somewhat salvaged by your boss.
This poor guy got hisself no book deals, no lecture circuit love, no admiring eulogies from the press when he departed this vale of tears. Nuthin'. He spent years not getting his phone calls returned--from Republicans. And the rest of his old gang were cooling their heels in the Federal pen. Very cold, very lonely out there, if you work for a disgraced President. Last man at his side ends up coldest and loneliest.
(And, do make sure you've got a good lawyer. You may need one yet. And make sure you take yoh' notes and docs wij-yew, 'cuz yoh' boss gunna hang yoh' lily-white out to dry if timez gits tuff and He needz sumbody to blame. Jes' speculatin'.)
And, now, ObamaBob, OS leaves you with his favorite Ron Ziegler quote:
"If my answers sound confusing, I think they are confusing because the questions are confusing and the situation is confusing."
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Greg Mankiw Offers Friendly Advice To Our President For 2011
One would think that The-Beloved-Leader/Winner-Of-The-Nobel-Peace-Prize/Editor-Of-Harvard-Law-Review, would listen to a member of the Harvard economics faculty.
No need to speculate. He won't.
But, as a public service, OS passes Mr. Mankiw's wise words along.
Here.
No need to speculate. He won't.
But, as a public service, OS passes Mr. Mankiw's wise words along.
Here.
Unrepentant, Unscrupulous, Undeterred, Underhanded: The EPA Attempts A Coup On The Economy Of Texas
They released the news, quietly, on 23 December.
When no one (they assumed) would pay attention.
It's how totalitarians always operate, in the dead of night.
Back here at home, they've had their neck on our county for almost fifteen years. We have vast industrial park areasdeveloped, a stone's throw from the junction of two major roadways, and ZERO development for years.
Texas will fight back. You don't mess with Texas. Hell, they even kept ownership of their embassy building in London, just in case it would be needed.
Hope we draw courage from their example.
When no one (they assumed) would pay attention.
It's how totalitarians always operate, in the dead of night.
Back here at home, they've had their neck on our county for almost fifteen years. We have vast industrial park areasdeveloped, a stone's throw from the junction of two major roadways, and ZERO development for years.
Texas will fight back. You don't mess with Texas. Hell, they even kept ownership of their embassy building in London, just in case it would be needed.
Hope we draw courage from their example.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
OldSouth's 2011 Prediction List
It's an illness, admittedly.
OS did own up to his misjudgements from a year ago, though.
Last year, he spent too much time wonking about the economy. There are better heads for that than his, like Calculated Risk, who is able to speak dispassionately.
So, for 2011, OS will try to look ahead at the culture that shapes and foreshadows the economy.
1. The Grammys will be held in 2011. No one will care, audience share will shrink.
2. The North Koreans will attempt to pick a war, and the US and China will be left to defuse the mess. Until the next time.
3. Several US orchestras, ballet companies, museums, etc., will fold, or come within a whisker of folding. The impact of Zimbabwe Ben's money printing will truly hit home. Endowment funds used to operate from a rough calculation that they could draw 5% of assets as income, and still preserve and modestly grow the fund. With T-bills well below that rate, usable income has cratered from that source, just as the need for charitable donations to keep social services alive has grown dramatically. The donor base has also shrunk, and will take a long time to rebuild, as the economy takes whatever shape it assumes from 2012 onward.
4. The November 2010 elections were only Round 1 between Obama's followers and a large, resurgently conservative/libertarian proportion of the United States. Anyone who thinks that Himself has seen the light of day is sadly mistaken. The gloves will come off at some point 2011, and the serious public trashing and private harassment of people like Paul Ryan will begin. Paul Ryan will be the first target, since he will become a new committee chair, and begin saying 'no' to the kids when they ask for the credit card.
5. The persecution of Christians in Muslim nations will become even more aggressive. Obama will see nothing, say nothing, do nothing. People will wonder why, and come to their own dark conclusions.
6. When the new EPA rules hit, enforcing cap-n-trade outside of congressional approval, and the electric bills skyrocket, there will be hell to pay, just in time for 2012.
7. Given the revolving door between the White House and Wall Street, a major financial scandal will reveal itself. What is unknown is whether it will matter to anyone, given how morally numb we have become.
8. School systems and local governments will arrive at the point where there is no more road down which the proverbial can may be kicked. There will be no bail-out money being helicoptered in from D.C. We will see a lot of stories about gnashing of teeth at the local level.
Enough already. Let's enjoy the new year, especially if we live on this side of 'the pond'. We are blessed beyond description, even with our challenges.
OS did own up to his misjudgements from a year ago, though.
Last year, he spent too much time wonking about the economy. There are better heads for that than his, like Calculated Risk, who is able to speak dispassionately.
So, for 2011, OS will try to look ahead at the culture that shapes and foreshadows the economy.
1. The Grammys will be held in 2011. No one will care, audience share will shrink.
2. The North Koreans will attempt to pick a war, and the US and China will be left to defuse the mess. Until the next time.
3. Several US orchestras, ballet companies, museums, etc., will fold, or come within a whisker of folding. The impact of Zimbabwe Ben's money printing will truly hit home. Endowment funds used to operate from a rough calculation that they could draw 5% of assets as income, and still preserve and modestly grow the fund. With T-bills well below that rate, usable income has cratered from that source, just as the need for charitable donations to keep social services alive has grown dramatically. The donor base has also shrunk, and will take a long time to rebuild, as the economy takes whatever shape it assumes from 2012 onward.
4. The November 2010 elections were only Round 1 between Obama's followers and a large, resurgently conservative/libertarian proportion of the United States. Anyone who thinks that Himself has seen the light of day is sadly mistaken. The gloves will come off at some point 2011, and the serious public trashing and private harassment of people like Paul Ryan will begin. Paul Ryan will be the first target, since he will become a new committee chair, and begin saying 'no' to the kids when they ask for the credit card.
5. The persecution of Christians in Muslim nations will become even more aggressive. Obama will see nothing, say nothing, do nothing. People will wonder why, and come to their own dark conclusions.
6. When the new EPA rules hit, enforcing cap-n-trade outside of congressional approval, and the electric bills skyrocket, there will be hell to pay, just in time for 2012.
7. Given the revolving door between the White House and Wall Street, a major financial scandal will reveal itself. What is unknown is whether it will matter to anyone, given how morally numb we have become.
8. School systems and local governments will arrive at the point where there is no more road down which the proverbial can may be kicked. There will be no bail-out money being helicoptered in from D.C. We will see a lot of stories about gnashing of teeth at the local level.
Enough already. Let's enjoy the new year, especially if we live on this side of 'the pond'. We are blessed beyond description, even with our challenges.
OldSouth's GreenShoots Award For 2010
In the non-stop flow of venality, stupidity, hatred, bigotry, religious zealotry, poverty, and cultural cheesiness that seems to define so much of life in 2010, there are some real heroes, some people and institutions that work in ways large and small to transform the world around them. They apply large doses of imagination and perspiration to the situation at hand, and great things happen, even if not lionized by the world at large. HellBells y'all--the Oprah Winfrey Network (apt acronym OWN) is about to launch! We gots'ta pay attention to Oprah!
So, here we have OS's finalists:
Geert Wilders, for standing tall and saying things that need to be heard, even at the risk of being jailed for simply saying them.
The Acton Institute, which reminds us that only free and virtuous societies can prosper, and that Christianity is the fount of that virtue. Also something that needs saying, even at the risk of being ridiculed.
Alexandra Reau, a Michigan teenage entrepreneur who took a half-acre of the family's property, had her dad plow it for a garden, and set herself up in a tidy little business of growing and selling produce for her neighbors.
You go, girl!!
MIT engineers, who have created oil-spill-eating bots with technology at hand and a lot of ingenuity. They're cheap to build and operate, can run 24/7/365, and they work! Shhhhh! Don't let the gubbermint know! They'll ban them, for all the reasons listed above. They need failure, not success, to stay on their game. If there are solutions to oil spills, then there are few reasons to keep banning oil drilling, and continuing to impoverish the Gulf Coast of the United States.
Kaziah Hancock, the Utah artist who comforts families of fallen soldiers with portraits of the loved and lost. Words fail. If you view only one link, see this one.
And the 2010 GreenShoots Award goes to (sound of drumrolls, intake of breath, and tearing envelope): Santosh Ostwal of India, who created an ingenous irrigation control system rigged from mobile phone technology that...
...triggers irrigation pumps remotely – is saving water in India and helping more than 10,000 farmers avoid several taxing, dangerous long walks a day.
It's cheap to create, easy to use, works 24/7/365, and improves the lives of millions. Again, don't let the gubbermint know--they need the Indian peasantry to starve, so they can hold ConferencesOnStarvingIndianPeasants at Swiss ski resorts.
OS's charity of choice, to which he will donate in honor of Mr. Ostwal, is Heifer International. This organizations fights poverty one family at a time, with the simple tools of sound agricultural practice.
What a concept!
OS invites you to donate as well.
Happy New Year, ya'll. Stay sober, stay safe, and thanks for reading OS's scribble.
So, here we have OS's finalists:
Geert Wilders, for standing tall and saying things that need to be heard, even at the risk of being jailed for simply saying them.
The Acton Institute, which reminds us that only free and virtuous societies can prosper, and that Christianity is the fount of that virtue. Also something that needs saying, even at the risk of being ridiculed.
Alexandra Reau, a Michigan teenage entrepreneur who took a half-acre of the family's property, had her dad plow it for a garden, and set herself up in a tidy little business of growing and selling produce for her neighbors.
You go, girl!!
MIT engineers, who have created oil-spill-eating bots with technology at hand and a lot of ingenuity. They're cheap to build and operate, can run 24/7/365, and they work! Shhhhh! Don't let the gubbermint know! They'll ban them, for all the reasons listed above. They need failure, not success, to stay on their game. If there are solutions to oil spills, then there are few reasons to keep banning oil drilling, and continuing to impoverish the Gulf Coast of the United States.
Kaziah Hancock, the Utah artist who comforts families of fallen soldiers with portraits of the loved and lost. Words fail. If you view only one link, see this one.
And the 2010 GreenShoots Award goes to (sound of drumrolls, intake of breath, and tearing envelope): Santosh Ostwal of India, who created an ingenous irrigation control system rigged from mobile phone technology that...
...triggers irrigation pumps remotely – is saving water in India and helping more than 10,000 farmers avoid several taxing, dangerous long walks a day.
It's cheap to create, easy to use, works 24/7/365, and improves the lives of millions. Again, don't let the gubbermint know--they need the Indian peasantry to starve, so they can hold ConferencesOnStarvingIndianPeasants at Swiss ski resorts.
OS's charity of choice, to which he will donate in honor of Mr. Ostwal, is Heifer International. This organizations fights poverty one family at a time, with the simple tools of sound agricultural practice.
What a concept!
OS invites you to donate as well.
Happy New Year, ya'll. Stay sober, stay safe, and thanks for reading OS's scribble.
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