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.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Louisville' Ted Collins: There's No Fraud Like Affinity Fraud
On some beach, well out of reach...
There just must be a Perdition, because we live in a world where people like Ted Collins walk around and victimize people.
Actually, he's rather small potatoes, compared to guys like Madoff, who was small potatoes compared to the folks who kicked the legs out from under the entire economy and walked away, just to prove it could be done.
In this instance, though, it's the parlaying of his own daughter's death from cancer, and the death of another college student from lukemia, neatly packaged and sold to church-folk, that make this particular fraudster particularly odious.
In this life, he'll likely never face justice. In this life, his victims will never recover either their money or ability to trust so fearlessly.
In this life, which is short, and quixotic and unpredictable and unjust.
We are, however, assured of another, contrasting life...so enjoy this one, Ted, while you can. Drink up, bro'. Spend. Chase skirts.
Go for the gusto in this life. 'Cuz it's all yer gunna get.
Tom Jones has a word of wisdom to share in the meantime.
There just must be a Perdition, because we live in a world where people like Ted Collins walk around and victimize people.
Tedd Collins, a Louisville businessman who is under investigation by the Secret Service and Kentucky authorities, has been hit with a $3.3 million default judgment for defrauding a minister in South Carolina.
Collins attracted national attention last year after disclosures that he was raising money for a Yale hockey player with leukemia without registering the charity and despite his history of fraud allegations in several states.
Actually, he's rather small potatoes, compared to guys like Madoff, who was small potatoes compared to the folks who kicked the legs out from under the entire economy and walked away, just to prove it could be done.
In this instance, though, it's the parlaying of his own daughter's death from cancer, and the death of another college student from lukemia, neatly packaged and sold to church-folk, that make this particular fraudster particularly odious.
In this life, he'll likely never face justice. In this life, his victims will never recover either their money or ability to trust so fearlessly.
In this life, which is short, and quixotic and unpredictable and unjust.
We are, however, assured of another, contrasting life...so enjoy this one, Ted, while you can. Drink up, bro'. Spend. Chase skirts.
Go for the gusto in this life. 'Cuz it's all yer gunna get.
Tom Jones has a word of wisdom to share in the meantime.
Friday, June 17, 2011
If It's Friday, It's Bloodletting In Syria
One can set the watch to it--US Central +8 hours, midmorning the reports come back. They go to the mosque, they get fired up by the local imam, who stays safely indoors, they head to the streets and a couple of dozen are shot down.
Lather.
Rinse.
Repeat.
Does it occur to anyone, anywhere, in any position of responsibility that maybe-maybe-just maaaaby...there's an inherent flaw in the Islamic approach to life that always leads to repression and violence?
Just sayin...
In the meantime, what's an Arab uprising without a flood of refugees spilling across someone's border, with only the clothes on their backs, and tales of terror to share?
France24 has more to share.
Lather.
Rinse.
Repeat.
Does it occur to anyone, anywhere, in any position of responsibility that maybe-maybe-just maaaaby...there's an inherent flaw in the Islamic approach to life that always leads to repression and violence?
Just sayin...
In the meantime, what's an Arab uprising without a flood of refugees spilling across someone's border, with only the clothes on their backs, and tales of terror to share?
France24 has more to share.
TheWeiner Bows Out, With A Campaign Speech, Naturally/Larry Flint Offers The Weiner His Next Job
OldSouth should know better than to be surprised by people like TheWeiner, really. But, upon viewing his resignation statement, he was taken aback at LittleAnthony's continuing hubris.
(Clink on the link to hear the entire address--CNN posted it all. ABC edited out the campaign speech bits. They're protecting their boy to the bitter end. Shame on them.)
This ole' boy made a speech that sounded like he's running for the next office! Damn, ya'll! That requires real stones!
Or perhaps it requires such a complete state of blindness and deafness that it simply doesn't occur to him that this just might not be the tone to take...
So, off he goes to treatment (or so he announced earlier) his conscience still unpricked by the damage done (sorry...), his wife not at his side for TheBigAnnounce (Her lawyers are going over the family books now. She may not divorce him outright, but within a week or two, she'll own everything except the clothes on his back...including his camera-phone.) If he goes away, his world will be different when he returns, in any event.
But, then again, things are looking up, as he has a bright and rising future ahead of him, working for Larry Flynt.
OS has no proof, no way of knowing whether his suspicions are true or no, he just has his experience of life and a bit of a cynical edge. He suspects that Weiner may have done a Spiro Agnew on Nancy Pelosi and Obama, i.e., 'Here's the number you need to meet, in dollars, to make me go away and not publish what I know about you. Here's the number you need to meet to make sure all those notes from the caucuses, meetings, deal-making dinners, all those slimy stories and supporting docs, don't end up in the hands of Fox News, the RNC, John Boehner's office, or on WikiLeaks. Or all of the above, in a slow death-drip sort of release.'
With the funds safely tucked away in the Caymans, safe from the gaze of the media or his wife's lawyers and accountants, TheWeiner was (with a few Xanax to keep the voice steady) able to stand tall and make his final campaign speech.
For now.
In six months or less, expect TheRehabilitationOfLittleAnthony to begin. Just in time for 2012.
(Clink on the link to hear the entire address--CNN posted it all. ABC edited out the campaign speech bits. They're protecting their boy to the bitter end. Shame on them.)
This ole' boy made a speech that sounded like he's running for the next office! Damn, ya'll! That requires real stones!
Or perhaps it requires such a complete state of blindness and deafness that it simply doesn't occur to him that this just might not be the tone to take...
So, off he goes to treatment (or so he announced earlier) his conscience still unpricked by the damage done (sorry...), his wife not at his side for TheBigAnnounce (Her lawyers are going over the family books now. She may not divorce him outright, but within a week or two, she'll own everything except the clothes on his back...including his camera-phone.) If he goes away, his world will be different when he returns, in any event.
But, then again, things are looking up, as he has a bright and rising future ahead of him, working for Larry Flynt.
OS has no proof, no way of knowing whether his suspicions are true or no, he just has his experience of life and a bit of a cynical edge. He suspects that Weiner may have done a Spiro Agnew on Nancy Pelosi and Obama, i.e., 'Here's the number you need to meet, in dollars, to make me go away and not publish what I know about you. Here's the number you need to meet to make sure all those notes from the caucuses, meetings, deal-making dinners, all those slimy stories and supporting docs, don't end up in the hands of Fox News, the RNC, John Boehner's office, or on WikiLeaks. Or all of the above, in a slow death-drip sort of release.'
With the funds safely tucked away in the Caymans, safe from the gaze of the media or his wife's lawyers and accountants, TheWeiner was (with a few Xanax to keep the voice steady) able to stand tall and make his final campaign speech.
For now.
In six months or less, expect TheRehabilitationOfLittleAnthony to begin. Just in time for 2012.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
A Joyful Moment from Lyle Lovett: 'Church'
It's been an ugly month so far...this to share a smile, and a moment of basic wisdom.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
Pastor Peters Supplies The Closing Soliloquy For Weinergate: 'The first casualty of our vanity is usually our conscience.'
His entire thoughts are here, and well worth the time spent to read and consider.
Amongst the best moments of the essay is this one, a form of elegaic postlude to the disaster that Anthony Weiner made of his life.
OS hopes his readers take time to read, and share with their friends and loved ones.
Amongst the best moments of the essay is this one, a form of elegaic postlude to the disaster that Anthony Weiner made of his life.
You're so vain... she sang. I am so vain... The world is so vain... Our vanity is not a simple affront to God but our ultimate undoing. Only rightly ordered relationships can begin to hold this vanity in check... parent and child, husband and wife, citizen and neighbor. . . creature to Creator. Christ did not come to do away with these relationships or to set us from from their limitations but to restore to us the right relationship which sin had stolen from us. For it is only in light of these relationships that we know who we are. Sin steals away this identity. Rep. Weiner, Gov. Terminator, Sen./former Presidental Candidate Edwards.... not only forgot who they were but lost their identity in a sea of mirrors which inflated their egos and deflated their wisdom. In the end, we found out that they were not exceptional, like they wanted us to believe, but so full of themselves they thought they were above the Law (God's). The first casualty of our vanity is usually our conscience. The only treatment for this is Law and Gospel. The only medicine is grace. The only therapy is death and resurrection through the waters of baptism (and its daily dying and rising).
OS hopes his readers take time to read, and share with their friends and loved ones.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Score One For Sanity, And Against The Litigation Mills: Righthaven Loses Big
Dont'cha just looooove lawyers? This group, Righthaven, specializes in...
Sweet.
However, a Federal judge in Nevada has slapped them down big-time.
Ruh-roh...no more free money for them, it appears.
Copyright is supposed to be a means of maintaining order, in the marketplace and in the law, allowing creators to own/control and derive income from that which they create. It was never intended to be a billy-club used to extort money from the world at large.
HT Outside the Beltway.
filing lawsuits for alleged infringement of content created by others with the clear strategy for forcing quick settlements from bloggers who don’t have the resources to litigate a copyright claim in a Federal Court in Nevada.
Sweet.
However, a Federal judge in Nevada has slapped them down big-time.
A federal judge in Las Vegas today issued a potentially devastating ruling against copyright enforcer Righthaven LLC, finding it doesn’t have standing to sue over Las Vegas Review-Journal stories, that it has misled the court and threatening to impose sanctions against Righthaven.
Because he found Righthaven doesn’t have standing to sue, Chief U.S. District Judge for Nevada Roger Hunt dismissed Righthaven’s copyright infringement lawsuit against the Democratic Underground.
But he’s allowing the Democratic Underground to continue its counterclaim against Stephens Media LLC, owner of the Review-Journal. That could be expensive for Stephens Media as the Democratic Underground attorneys from the Electronic Frontier Foundation are asking to be awarded attorney’s fees.
“The court believes that Righthaven has made multiple inaccurate and likely dishonest statements to the court,” Hunt wrote in his ruling, citing specifically Righthaven’s failure to disclose Stephens Media as an interested party in the litigation as Stephens Media clearly had an interest in the outcome of the copyright lawsuits.
“Accordingly, the court orders Righthaven to show cause, in writing, no later than two weeks from the date of this order, why it should not be sanctioned for this flagrant misrepresentation to the court,” Hunt wrote in his ruling.
Ruh-roh...no more free money for them, it appears.
Copyright is supposed to be a means of maintaining order, in the marketplace and in the law, allowing creators to own/control and derive income from that which they create. It was never intended to be a billy-club used to extort money from the world at large.
HT Outside the Beltway.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The Great Non-Story: Sarah Palin's Emails, And A Random Thought Or Two
OS will be away from desk, home and normal life for the remainder of the week, attending a most wonderful conference. He thanks his readers, the number of whom has risen dramatically since the Weiner debacle. (Sorry, did it again...)
Sometimes, though, the things deserving attention are the things that don't generate fireworks.
Toby Harden at The Telegraph points out one such thing--the strange release of all of Sarah Palin's emails from her governorship of Alaska.
The trove of more than 13,000 emails detailing almost every aspect of Sarah Palin’s governorship of Alaska, released late on Friday, paints a picture of her as an idealistic, conscientious, humorous and humane woman slightly bemused by the world of politics.
One can only assume that the Left-leaning editors who dispatched teams of reporters to remote Juneau, the Alaskan capital, to pore over the emails in the hope of digging up a scandal are now viewing the result as a rather poor return on their considerable investment.
In other words, there is a possibility that the woman we see on the cameras really is just Sarah Palin, who has an unnerving way of speaking in a stream-of-consciousness form of English that draws ridicule from the literati. And, yes, she really should take a deep breath and allow the words to line up in coherent sentences before she engages her vocal cords.
One email that did surface was reprinted in its entirety by the LA Times, certainly no right-wing champion.
Among some 13,000 messages was an unexpected, revealing and touching email from Palin to friends and family.
It was initially written, obviously not for publication, in April of 2008 just a few days before....
...the arrival of her fifth child, Trig, who was born with Down syndrome. In her email Palin imagines a letter from God to the family about to launch on its challenging child-rearing experience together.
Here is Palin's entire letter:
To the Sisters, Brother, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Friends of Trig Paxson Van Palin (or whatever you end up naming him!):
I am blessing you with this surprise baby because I only want the best for you. I've heard your prayers that this baby will be happy and healthy, and I've answered them because I only want the best for you!
I heard your heart when you hinted that another boy would fit best in the Palin family, to round it out and complete that starting five line-up.
Though another girl would be so nice, you didn't think you could ask for what you REALLY wanted, but I knew, so I gave you a boy because I only want the best for you!
The remainder is here, go ahead and click on it...OS doesn't wish to ruin the surprise, the good moment that awaits his readers who take the time to read this letter.
OS thinks there are two questions (at least) at play with Sarah Palin:
1. Should she be President of The United States?
2. Does she deserve the vilification she has endured for being herself in public?
On Question 1, OS is not certain he can say 'yes', but only time will tell in that regard. For now, his view is 'probably not, but she has some valuable role to play somewhere going forward'.
On Question 2, OS sez definitively 'no'. Her treatment has been pretty shameful. Granted, the chaos generated by the daughter's out-of-wedlock pregnancy and accompanying soap opera certainly did not help matters, but had this been the daughter of Pelosi or Reid, the tone from the press would have been much more deferential.
OS keeps returning to that idea of 'culture', that common cement of modesty, shared values and civility that holds things together. Every Weiner, Schwarzenegger, Bill Clinton, Teddy Kennedy, Angelo Mozillo, Goldman-Sachs, Henry Paulson, Housewives of New Jersey episode and LeBron James erode that cement.
What, then to make of a Sarah Palin and her letter to her family in contrast to Anthony Weiner and his anatomical tweets to women with whom engages in phone sex while his wife is newly pregnant? What are we to make of those who still prefer a Weiner to a Palin, such as the editors of the New York Times?
None of this will be solved here, obviously. In the meantime, OS hopes his readers will take time this week to display extra kindness to those closest to them--family, colleagues, friends, church and synagogue. No better place to begin re-gluing the culture than where we are.
Have a great week.
Sometimes, though, the things deserving attention are the things that don't generate fireworks.
Toby Harden at The Telegraph points out one such thing--the strange release of all of Sarah Palin's emails from her governorship of Alaska.
The trove of more than 13,000 emails detailing almost every aspect of Sarah Palin’s governorship of Alaska, released late on Friday, paints a picture of her as an idealistic, conscientious, humorous and humane woman slightly bemused by the world of politics.
One can only assume that the Left-leaning editors who dispatched teams of reporters to remote Juneau, the Alaskan capital, to pore over the emails in the hope of digging up a scandal are now viewing the result as a rather poor return on their considerable investment.
In other words, there is a possibility that the woman we see on the cameras really is just Sarah Palin, who has an unnerving way of speaking in a stream-of-consciousness form of English that draws ridicule from the literati. And, yes, she really should take a deep breath and allow the words to line up in coherent sentences before she engages her vocal cords.
One email that did surface was reprinted in its entirety by the LA Times, certainly no right-wing champion.
Among some 13,000 messages was an unexpected, revealing and touching email from Palin to friends and family.
It was initially written, obviously not for publication, in April of 2008 just a few days before....
...the arrival of her fifth child, Trig, who was born with Down syndrome. In her email Palin imagines a letter from God to the family about to launch on its challenging child-rearing experience together.
Here is Palin's entire letter:
To the Sisters, Brother, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Friends of Trig Paxson Van Palin (or whatever you end up naming him!):
I am blessing you with this surprise baby because I only want the best for you. I've heard your prayers that this baby will be happy and healthy, and I've answered them because I only want the best for you!
I heard your heart when you hinted that another boy would fit best in the Palin family, to round it out and complete that starting five line-up.
Though another girl would be so nice, you didn't think you could ask for what you REALLY wanted, but I knew, so I gave you a boy because I only want the best for you!
The remainder is here, go ahead and click on it...OS doesn't wish to ruin the surprise, the good moment that awaits his readers who take the time to read this letter.
OS thinks there are two questions (at least) at play with Sarah Palin:
1. Should she be President of The United States?
2. Does she deserve the vilification she has endured for being herself in public?
On Question 1, OS is not certain he can say 'yes', but only time will tell in that regard. For now, his view is 'probably not, but she has some valuable role to play somewhere going forward'.
On Question 2, OS sez definitively 'no'. Her treatment has been pretty shameful. Granted, the chaos generated by the daughter's out-of-wedlock pregnancy and accompanying soap opera certainly did not help matters, but had this been the daughter of Pelosi or Reid, the tone from the press would have been much more deferential.
OS keeps returning to that idea of 'culture', that common cement of modesty, shared values and civility that holds things together. Every Weiner, Schwarzenegger, Bill Clinton, Teddy Kennedy, Angelo Mozillo, Goldman-Sachs, Henry Paulson, Housewives of New Jersey episode and LeBron James erode that cement.
What, then to make of a Sarah Palin and her letter to her family in contrast to Anthony Weiner and his anatomical tweets to women with whom engages in phone sex while his wife is newly pregnant? What are we to make of those who still prefer a Weiner to a Palin, such as the editors of the New York Times?
None of this will be solved here, obviously. In the meantime, OS hopes his readers will take time this week to display extra kindness to those closest to them--family, colleagues, friends, church and synagogue. No better place to begin re-gluing the culture than where we are.
Have a great week.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Nashville Turns Out To Greet The Sickos From Westboro Baptist
Nashville mourns a fallen Marine, Kevin Balduf, Lipscomb High School, Class of 2002.
As usual, the sickos from Westboro Baptist decided to show up. It was not, let us say, a friendly reception...
Golly-gosh, someone slashed the tires on the SUV of the wackos attempting to spread their poison at the Jewish Community Center.
OldSouth is, of course, appropriately shocked (shocked!!), to hear of this behavior.
Thousands of citizens lined the streets to welcome the fallen Marine home, along with a number of bikers who don't like the Westboro folks. One of those good citizens is a colleague who drove from some miles away to be on hand.
Best sign of the day: 'Ya'll go home, now, heah?'
The link above updates the day's activities.
As usual, the sickos from Westboro Baptist decided to show up. It was not, let us say, a friendly reception...
Golly-gosh, someone slashed the tires on the SUV of the wackos attempting to spread their poison at the Jewish Community Center.
OldSouth is, of course, appropriately shocked (shocked!!), to hear of this behavior.
Thousands of citizens lined the streets to welcome the fallen Marine home, along with a number of bikers who don't like the Westboro folks. One of those good citizens is a colleague who drove from some miles away to be on hand.
Best sign of the day: 'Ya'll go home, now, heah?'
The link above updates the day's activities.
Peter Hitchens Provides The Quote Of The Day
Is there any point in public debate, in a society where hardly anyone has been taught how to think, while millions have been taught what to think?
The rest of his thoughts are here.
The rest of his thoughts are here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)