Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Did Democrats blow the bailout on purpose?
Robert S. McCain says "Oh, yeah":
Nancy Pelosi got only 60% of House Democrats to support the plan, and then used her final speech before the vote to lash out at Republicans.
It was as if the whole point of Monday's vote was to embarrass John McCain. The GOP nominee having identified himself so strongly with the bailout, a defeat for the bailout was a defeat for McCain, and the Democrats saw a chance to make him look like an idiot.
UPDATE: The Prowler confirms my hunch:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered her Majority Whip, Jim Clyburn, to essentially not do his job in the runup to the vote on Monday for the negotiated Wall Street bailout plan, according to House Democrat leadership aides.
"Clyburn was not whipping the votes you would have expected him to, in part because he was uncomfortable doing it, in part because we didn't want the push for votes to be successful," says one leadership aide. ...
During the floor vote, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Democrat Conference chair Rahm Emanuel could be seen monitoring the vote on the floor, and gauging whether or not more Democrat votes were needed. ...
Emanuel, who served as a board member for Freddie Mac, one of the agencies that precipitated the economic crisis the nation now finds itself in, had no misgivings about taking a leadership role in tanking the bill. "He was cheerleading us along, mothering the votes," says the aide. "We wanted enough to put the pressure on the Republicans and Congressman Emanuel was charged with making it close enough. He did a great job."
Democrats are in the majority in the U.S. House. If Nancy Pelosi and her crew had been able to control the Democratic caucus, the bailout bill would've passed. Indeed, if Tom DeLay had suddenly appeared on the House floor yesterday as the Democrat's Whip, is there any doubt that we'd today be talking about how the Dems bested the feisty Republican minority to get the bailout bill sent on to the Senate?
Watching the Democrats blame Republicans for the failure of the bailout bill absolutely sickened me. Watching the mainstream media breathlessly repeat the Democrats' charge sickened me even more. Again, the Democrats are in control of the House. The fact that Nancy Pelosi couldn't control her minions -- particularly her minions who are in tough re-election contests this year -- shows that she may very well be the most incompetent Speaker of the House since the founding of the American Republic. The mainstream media needs to be reporting that fact, indeed.
Nancy Pelosi got only 60% of House Democrats to support the plan, and then used her final speech before the vote to lash out at Republicans.
It was as if the whole point of Monday's vote was to embarrass John McCain. The GOP nominee having identified himself so strongly with the bailout, a defeat for the bailout was a defeat for McCain, and the Democrats saw a chance to make him look like an idiot.
UPDATE: The Prowler confirms my hunch:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered her Majority Whip, Jim Clyburn, to essentially not do his job in the runup to the vote on Monday for the negotiated Wall Street bailout plan, according to House Democrat leadership aides.
"Clyburn was not whipping the votes you would have expected him to, in part because he was uncomfortable doing it, in part because we didn't want the push for votes to be successful," says one leadership aide. ...
During the floor vote, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Democrat Conference chair Rahm Emanuel could be seen monitoring the vote on the floor, and gauging whether or not more Democrat votes were needed. ...
Emanuel, who served as a board member for Freddie Mac, one of the agencies that precipitated the economic crisis the nation now finds itself in, had no misgivings about taking a leadership role in tanking the bill. "He was cheerleading us along, mothering the votes," says the aide. "We wanted enough to put the pressure on the Republicans and Congressman Emanuel was charged with making it close enough. He did a great job."
Democrats are in the majority in the U.S. House. If Nancy Pelosi and her crew had been able to control the Democratic caucus, the bailout bill would've passed. Indeed, if Tom DeLay had suddenly appeared on the House floor yesterday as the Democrat's Whip, is there any doubt that we'd today be talking about how the Dems bested the feisty Republican minority to get the bailout bill sent on to the Senate?
Watching the Democrats blame Republicans for the failure of the bailout bill absolutely sickened me. Watching the mainstream media breathlessly repeat the Democrats' charge sickened me even more. Again, the Democrats are in control of the House. The fact that Nancy Pelosi couldn't control her minions -- particularly her minions who are in tough re-election contests this year -- shows that she may very well be the most incompetent Speaker of the House since the founding of the American Republic. The mainstream media needs to be reporting that fact, indeed.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Wow
You know, this is pretty sick:
Barack Obama's campaign earlier this month sought to find a rape victim to appear in a campaign commercial, according to an e-mail obtained by Politico.
Kiersten Steward, director of public policy at the Family Violence Prevention Fund, served as a conduit between the campaign and victims and women's advocates.
"Obviously, this is a big ask and I haven’t seen a script but presumably it will be a brief 'this is what happened to me, we need someone who will fight for women like me, these are the guys to do it,'" Steward wrote in a Sept. 15 e-mail. "Again, that’s just my assumption, given how these things
usually go."
Steward, a former top aide to Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), said the Obama campaign would have a crew in Washington and was hoping to film that week.
She didn't respond to a message.
I hate to say it, but if the Obama campaign was so interested in filming a campaign ad featuring a victim of sexual assault, all they had to do was call Juanita Broaddrick or Kathleen Willey.
Barack Obama's campaign earlier this month sought to find a rape victim to appear in a campaign commercial, according to an e-mail obtained by Politico.
Kiersten Steward, director of public policy at the Family Violence Prevention Fund, served as a conduit between the campaign and victims and women's advocates.
"Obviously, this is a big ask and I haven’t seen a script but presumably it will be a brief 'this is what happened to me, we need someone who will fight for women like me, these are the guys to do it,'" Steward wrote in a Sept. 15 e-mail. "Again, that’s just my assumption, given how these things
usually go."
Steward, a former top aide to Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), said the Obama campaign would have a crew in Washington and was hoping to film that week.
She didn't respond to a message.
I hate to say it, but if the Obama campaign was so interested in filming a campaign ad featuring a victim of sexual assault, all they had to do was call Juanita Broaddrick or Kathleen Willey.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
RUSH!
'Bout this time last year, I had this to say about one of my all-time favorite bands:
I was in third grade -- in a skating rink, if memory serves -- when I first grooved to Rush's "Tom Sawyer." I've been a fan ever since.
I can't begin to tell you how excited I was when I read this:
"Micol Marotti of PlaybackMag.com reports that boutique distributor Grindstone Media is hoping to have a hit on its hands with Rush: The Documentary.
"The $1.5 million feature doc about the famed rock band is produced and directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn -- the creative team behind the 2005's Metal: A Headbanger's Journey -- and executive produced by Grindstone president Paul Zimic.
I don't know if the Rush biopic is a "no" or "go." What I do know is that VH1 Classic is indulging Rush junkies for the next, oh, 20 hours with continuous videos and concert footage.
[Sidebar: The New Yorker recently opined: "Rush unites metalheads, computer geeks, and ... Ayn Rand fans in adoration of its erudite and burly rock." I guess that describes me!]
As bad as it pains me to say it: I'm gonna be glued to the boob tube whenever I get a spare moment from now until I (don't) go to bed. And I just might try to prove to myself that I can still play the "Tom Sawyer" guitar solo note-for-note when I'm not not sleeping.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 29, 2008
Talkin' baseball
I don't read GQ very often. First of all, a GQ magazine is about 75 percent ads for watches, cologne, and tacky-ass sport coats I wouldn't be caught dead wearing. Second, GQ's articles are not only all penned by Upper West Side hipster doofi who are too clever for their own good, they're usually excruciatingly boring to read.
There's a table at my office where my co-workers and I share magazines. Someone brought several GQs a couple of weeks ago, one of which had Adriana Lima - of Victoria's Secret fame - on the cover. Naturally, I had to give it a look-see.
The magazine in question was dated April 2008. In additional to the Lima pictoral, it had a piece on uniform changes several Major League Baseball teams were implementing for the 2008 season. Here's what it said about the Tampa Bay Rays new unis:
"[T]he Devil Rays ... are now officially just the Rays and have completely overhauled their uniforms. The new set is so incredibly bland it may put fans to sleep -- which is a better fate than actually watching a Rays game."
Unless you've been living in a hole, you know the Rays are not only going to the playoffs, they won the American League East with one of the best records in baseball. Anyone who knew anything about baseball going in to the 2008 season were fully aware that the Rays were going to be anything but boring. Indeed, I boldly told a friend of mine, about four weeks after the season began, that by mid-August the Rays would be contending for a playoff spot. I predicted they would fade in September, but I knew enough about their roster full of young arms and bats to know that the Rays would be fielding a strike-throwing, run-generating team.
Unfortunately, I didn't jot down the name of the feller (or fellers) who made the ridiculous statement 'bout the Tampa Bay Rays, so I can't call him (or them) out directly. Nevertheless, the next time GQ magazine wants to go opining about baseball, they need to give the assignment to someone who actually knows something about baseball.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 29, 2008
McCain wins on points
Since I was out of town this weekend, I didn't get to watch the McCain-Obama debate until late last night. The first post-debate commentary I read this morning was David Broder's, with which I agree:
There were no knockout blows in the first presidential debate of the fall, but John McCain outpointed Barack Obama often enough to encourage his followers that he can somehow overcome the odds and deny the Democrats the victory that has seemed to be in store for them.
It was a small thing, but I counted six times that Obama said that McCain was "absolutely right" about a point he had made. No McCain sentences began with a similar acknowledgment of his opponent's wisdom, even though the two agreed on Iran, Russia and the U.S. financial crisis far more than they disagreed.
That suggests an imbalance in the deference quotient between the younger man and the veteran senator -- an impression reinforced by Obama's frequent glances in McCain's direction and McCain's studied indifference to his rival.
Whether viewers caught the verbal and body-language signs that Obama seemed to accept McCain as the alpha male on the stage in Mississippi, I do not know.
But it reinforced my impression that McCain was the more aggressive debater. He flung the adjectives that stick in a listener's mind, calling Obama "naive" and therefore "dangerous."
Obama's supporters are feeling pretty confindent right now. One thing they should think about, however, is the fact that their man hasn't won a single debate during the 2008 presidential campaign, primaries included. And I thought he was supposed to be a 21st Century Daniel Webster.
Now that he's behind in the polls, look for McCain to take it up a notch in the remaining debates. The second Obama makes one of his patented naïve talking-point statements, look for McCain to blast him with a "There you go again" fit for the 2008 presidential election.
There were no knockout blows in the first presidential debate of the fall, but John McCain outpointed Barack Obama often enough to encourage his followers that he can somehow overcome the odds and deny the Democrats the victory that has seemed to be in store for them.
It was a small thing, but I counted six times that Obama said that McCain was "absolutely right" about a point he had made. No McCain sentences began with a similar acknowledgment of his opponent's wisdom, even though the two agreed on Iran, Russia and the U.S. financial crisis far more than they disagreed.
That suggests an imbalance in the deference quotient between the younger man and the veteran senator -- an impression reinforced by Obama's frequent glances in McCain's direction and McCain's studied indifference to his rival.
Whether viewers caught the verbal and body-language signs that Obama seemed to accept McCain as the alpha male on the stage in Mississippi, I do not know.
But it reinforced my impression that McCain was the more aggressive debater. He flung the adjectives that stick in a listener's mind, calling Obama "naive" and therefore "dangerous."
Obama's supporters are feeling pretty confindent right now. One thing they should think about, however, is the fact that their man hasn't won a single debate during the 2008 presidential campaign, primaries included. And I thought he was supposed to be a 21st Century Daniel Webster.
Now that he's behind in the polls, look for McCain to take it up a notch in the remaining debates. The second Obama makes one of his patented naïve talking-point statements, look for McCain to blast him with a "There you go again" fit for the 2008 presidential election.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 29, 2008
Only in Southern America
Conservative country duo Brooks & Dunn have no problem with Barack Obama's campaign using their hit "Only in America" at the Democratic National Convention (President Bush used the same song quite frequently during the 2004 election).
According to the Octbober 6 Country Weekly magazine, Kix Brooks, who co-wrote the tune, had this to say 'bout Obama's using the tune:
"[It's] very flattering to know our song crossed parties and potentially inspires all Americans."
Contrast Brooks & Dunn's "Good for him!" reaction to the reaction of John Cougar [Mellencamp] and Heart when they learned that John McCain was using their tunes around the time of the Republican National Convention. Mr. Pink Houses threw a pink-faced, public hissy fit, and Heart sent a cease and desist order to the McCain campaign.
You know, we may all be yellow-toothed hillbillies down here in the South (as an anonymous Creeder Reader recently suggested, but we have one thing, in spades, that most other folks don't have: good manners and class.
According to the Octbober 6 Country Weekly magazine, Kix Brooks, who co-wrote the tune, had this to say 'bout Obama's using the tune:
"[It's] very flattering to know our song crossed parties and potentially inspires all Americans."
Contrast Brooks & Dunn's "Good for him!" reaction to the reaction of John Cougar [Mellencamp] and Heart when they learned that John McCain was using their tunes around the time of the Republican National Convention. Mr. Pink Houses threw a pink-faced, public hissy fit, and Heart sent a cease and desist order to the McCain campaign.
You know, we may all be yellow-toothed hillbillies down here in the South (as an anonymous Creeder Reader recently suggested, but we have one thing, in spades, that most other folks don't have: good manners and class.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 29, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Gone fishin'
Joltin' Django is participating in some leisurely -- and some not-so-leisurely -- activities in West Tennessee this weekend. The Nigh Seen Creeder will return on Monday, September 29.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Barak Obamma supporters ... you should be so proud!
Earlier today, I got an e-mail from "JeanWean1982" in which he/she said this (swear to God):
"The reason I voting [sic] for Barack Obama is because every Obama voter is vastly more intelligent than the average McCain voter."
Oh, really? You mean the dildo who took out a full-page ad in the Tennessean a few months back, in which he misspelled his chosen candidate's name several times, is smarter than, say, yours truly?! Give me a break.
Here's the handiwork of one of your comrades, Obama supporters. You should be so proud ...
"The reason I voting [sic] for Barack Obama is because every Obama voter is vastly more intelligent than the average McCain voter."
Oh, really? You mean the dildo who took out a full-page ad in the Tennessean a few months back, in which he misspelled his chosen candidate's name several times, is smarter than, say, yours truly?! Give me a break.
Here's the handiwork of one of your comrades, Obama supporters. You should be so proud ...
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Thursday, September 25, 2008
No wonder ...
Here’s a story you won’t be hearing about in the mainstream media (HT: Campaign for Working Families):
"A coalition of groups representing leftwing pacifists and anti-American radicals met yesterday afternoon with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan. The meeting was billed as an opportunity for those on the Left to share their thoughts with Iran’s dictator about ways to 'address the conflict between our governments' and to 'better understand each other’s perspectives.'"
Here's where it gets interesting ...
"I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of those attending yesterday’s meeting were supporters of Barack Obama, but one in particular, Jodie Evans, has donated the maximum $2,300 to the Obama campaign and is listed on the campaign’s website as an Obama bundler – someone who has agreed to raise between $50,000 and $100,000 for Barack Obama’s campaign. Evans is also the co-founder of the radical 'blame America first' group CodePink."
No wonder B. Hussein is so eager to meet Mahmoud "The Holocaust Never Happened" Ahmadinejad without precondition.
"A coalition of groups representing leftwing pacifists and anti-American radicals met yesterday afternoon with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan. The meeting was billed as an opportunity for those on the Left to share their thoughts with Iran’s dictator about ways to 'address the conflict between our governments' and to 'better understand each other’s perspectives.'"
Here's where it gets interesting ...
"I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of those attending yesterday’s meeting were supporters of Barack Obama, but one in particular, Jodie Evans, has donated the maximum $2,300 to the Obama campaign and is listed on the campaign’s website as an Obama bundler – someone who has agreed to raise between $50,000 and $100,000 for Barack Obama’s campaign. Evans is also the co-founder of the radical 'blame America first' group CodePink."
No wonder B. Hussein is so eager to meet Mahmoud "The Holocaust Never Happened" Ahmadinejad without precondition.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Thursday, September 25, 2008
Why isn't this getting more attention?
That's the question Jenn Rubin is asking:
"A $100,000 state grant for a botanic garden in Englewood that then-state Sen. Barack Obama awarded in 2001 to a group headed by a onetime campaign volunteer is now under investigation by the Illinois attorney general amid new questions, prompted by Chicago Sun-Times reports, about whether the money might have been misspent."
Substitute "Gov. Sarah Palin" for "then-state Sen. Barack Obama" and Katie Couric would be beside herself, indeed.
"A $100,000 state grant for a botanic garden in Englewood that then-state Sen. Barack Obama awarded in 2001 to a group headed by a onetime campaign volunteer is now under investigation by the Illinois attorney general amid new questions, prompted by Chicago Sun-Times reports, about whether the money might have been misspent."
Substitute "Gov. Sarah Palin" for "then-state Sen. Barack Obama" and Katie Couric would be beside herself, indeed.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Thursday, September 25, 2008
Putting polls in perspective (say that ten times real fast)
This post from Red State puts polls in perspective:
On November 1, 2004, the day before the election, polls showed Kerry winning comfortably. The polls in 2004 all over-sampled Democratic voters in every single battleground state. There seem to be a significant percentage of people who vote Republican but either don’t like talking to pollsters or don’t have time to talk to pollsters.
Obama should listen to the "hand-wringers" in his party. Any state where polls show him with a lead of 1% to 4% should be considered a toss-up at best, or, more likely ... "leaning McCain."
From Rolling Stone magazine (June, 2006):
On the evening of the [2004] vote, reporters at each of the major networks were briefed by pollsters at 7:54 p.m. Kerry, they were informed, had an insurmountable lead and would win by a rout: at least 309 electoral votes to Bush's 174, with fifty-five too close to call. In London, Prime Minister Tony Blair went to bed contemplating his relationship with President-elect Kerry.
As the last polling stations closed on the West Coast, exit polls showed Kerry ahead in ten of eleven battleground states -- including commanding leads in Ohio and Florida -- and winning by a million and a half votes nationally. The exit polls even showed Kerry breathing down Bush's neck in supposed GOP strongholds Virginia and North Carolina. Against these numbers, the statistical likelihood of Bush winning was less than one in 450,000. "Either the exit polls, by and large, are completely wrong," a Fox News analyst declared, "or George Bush loses."
But as the evening progressed, official tallies began to show … disparities -- as much as 9.5 percent -- with the exit polls. In ten of the eleven battleground states, the tallied margins departed from what the polls had predicted. In every case, the shift favored Bush. Based on exit polls, CNN had predicted Kerry defeating Bush in Ohio by a margin of 4.2 percentage points. Instead, election results showed Bush winning the state by 2.5 percent. Bush also tallied 6.5 percent more than the polls had predicted in Pennsylvania, and 4.9 percent more in Florida.
UPDATE (from GillReport.com):
The Washington Post-ABC News poll released on September 24 has received a lot of media coverage as the mainstream media reports that Barack Obama has a 9 point lead over John McCain! CLICK HERE.
Now those of us who actually know something about politics are not easily deceived by these bogus polls. For example, if you will scroll down to question #901 in the poll you will find that the internal poll information reveals that the Democrats had a ten point edge in the makeup of those polled! 38% of the respondents said they are Democrats, versus just 28% Republican...yet Obama only had a nine point lead?! Just a month ago the poll oversurveyed Democrats by 13% among likely voters! This thing is simply intended to bolster the propaganda that Obama has turned things around.
Oh, and among the so-called independents polled, when asked towards which political party they lean the numbers were about 18% in favor of the DEMOCRATS. Check out question #904.
Most of the the other polls like Zogby and Rasmussen also tilt toward the Democrats by giving Democrats a six point advantage in the internal make up of the polls, but ten points is ridiculous and laughable! But see how many other talk hosts and pundits catch the real story of this "push poll." All this poll tells us is that Democrats are tending to support their nominee, but just barely.
On November 1, 2004, the day before the election, polls showed Kerry winning comfortably. The polls in 2004 all over-sampled Democratic voters in every single battleground state. There seem to be a significant percentage of people who vote Republican but either don’t like talking to pollsters or don’t have time to talk to pollsters.
Obama should listen to the "hand-wringers" in his party. Any state where polls show him with a lead of 1% to 4% should be considered a toss-up at best, or, more likely ... "leaning McCain."
From Rolling Stone magazine (June, 2006):
On the evening of the [2004] vote, reporters at each of the major networks were briefed by pollsters at 7:54 p.m. Kerry, they were informed, had an insurmountable lead and would win by a rout: at least 309 electoral votes to Bush's 174, with fifty-five too close to call. In London, Prime Minister Tony Blair went to bed contemplating his relationship with President-elect Kerry.
As the last polling stations closed on the West Coast, exit polls showed Kerry ahead in ten of eleven battleground states -- including commanding leads in Ohio and Florida -- and winning by a million and a half votes nationally. The exit polls even showed Kerry breathing down Bush's neck in supposed GOP strongholds Virginia and North Carolina. Against these numbers, the statistical likelihood of Bush winning was less than one in 450,000. "Either the exit polls, by and large, are completely wrong," a Fox News analyst declared, "or George Bush loses."
But as the evening progressed, official tallies began to show … disparities -- as much as 9.5 percent -- with the exit polls. In ten of the eleven battleground states, the tallied margins departed from what the polls had predicted. In every case, the shift favored Bush. Based on exit polls, CNN had predicted Kerry defeating Bush in Ohio by a margin of 4.2 percentage points. Instead, election results showed Bush winning the state by 2.5 percent. Bush also tallied 6.5 percent more than the polls had predicted in Pennsylvania, and 4.9 percent more in Florida.
UPDATE (from GillReport.com):
The Washington Post-ABC News poll released on September 24 has received a lot of media coverage as the mainstream media reports that Barack Obama has a 9 point lead over John McCain! CLICK HERE.
Now those of us who actually know something about politics are not easily deceived by these bogus polls. For example, if you will scroll down to question #901 in the poll you will find that the internal poll information reveals that the Democrats had a ten point edge in the makeup of those polled! 38% of the respondents said they are Democrats, versus just 28% Republican...yet Obama only had a nine point lead?! Just a month ago the poll oversurveyed Democrats by 13% among likely voters! This thing is simply intended to bolster the propaganda that Obama has turned things around.
Oh, and among the so-called independents polled, when asked towards which political party they lean the numbers were about 18% in favor of the DEMOCRATS. Check out question #904.
Most of the the other polls like Zogby and Rasmussen also tilt toward the Democrats by giving Democrats a six point advantage in the internal make up of the polls, but ten points is ridiculous and laughable! But see how many other talk hosts and pundits catch the real story of this "push poll." All this poll tells us is that Democrats are tending to support their nominee, but just barely.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Thursday, September 25, 2008
You're invited
Come show your support for
the next Vice President of the United States
Governor Sarah Palin!
By joining
the Tennessee Republican Party and Tennessee Victory 2008
for a Vice Presidential Debate watch party
Entertainment provided by Music Row for McCain
featuring The Routes
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Limelight
201 Woodland Street
Nashville, Tennessee
Doors Open at 6:00 pm
Debate Begins at 8:00 pm
McCain/Palin items available for purchase
Great Southern food, provided by Monell's, also available for purchase
Tickets: $10 in advance, $20 at the door
(includes 1 drink ticket and 2 bumper stickers)
RSVP online
Advance admission only available by online registration
Questions? Please call 615-269-4260
Photo I.D. required for all admission
No guests under the age of 21 please
Free parking available
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Joe Biden's "potatoe" moment
Apparently, Joe Biden thinks people owned televisions and Franklin Roosevelt was President in 1929:
"When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed," Biden told [Katie] Couric. "He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'"
You know, if John McCain'd said that, it would've taken about 5 minutes for the liberal blogosphere - and Keith Olbermann and Jon Stewart - to start talking about "senility" and such.
Joe Biden isn't senile (at least I think he's not), so why doesn't he get just absolutely Quayled for making such a stupid statement?
Inquiring minds want to know.
"When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed," Biden told [Katie] Couric. "He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'"
You know, if John McCain'd said that, it would've taken about 5 minutes for the liberal blogosphere - and Keith Olbermann and Jon Stewart - to start talking about "senility" and such.
Joe Biden isn't senile (at least I think he's not), so why doesn't he get just absolutely Quayled for making such a stupid statement?
Inquiring minds want to know.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Pic of the day
The Cumberland River, as seen from the banks of River Hills Industrial Park:
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 24, 2008
A telling sign of Obama's troubles
Can I get a "Tee Hee!" ...?
From the Campaign for Working Families:
"Here’s a telling sign of Obama’s troubles. The Chicago Sun Times reports today that the Obama campaign has abandoned its 50-state strategy, closing its 11 offices in North Dakota in order to send a 'surge' of 50 campaign staffers into other states that are showing signs of slipping away. Case in point: Wisconsin. Last week, Senator McCain and Sarah Palin drew a crowd of 10,000 in Green Bay. On Monday, only 6,000 turned out to see Obama in Green Bay."
From the Campaign for Working Families:
"Here’s a telling sign of Obama’s troubles. The Chicago Sun Times reports today that the Obama campaign has abandoned its 50-state strategy, closing its 11 offices in North Dakota in order to send a 'surge' of 50 campaign staffers into other states that are showing signs of slipping away. Case in point: Wisconsin. Last week, Senator McCain and Sarah Palin drew a crowd of 10,000 in Green Bay. On Monday, only 6,000 turned out to see Obama in Green Bay."
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Great quote
It's hard to argue with this:
"This is leftism’s great strength: it’s all white lies. That’s its only advantage, as far as I can tell. None of its programs actually works, after all. From statism and income redistribution to liberalized criminal laws and multiculturalism, from its assault on religion to its redefinition of family, leftist policies have made the common life worse wherever they’re installed.
"But because it depends on -- indeed is defined by -- describing the human condition inaccurately, leftism is nothing if not polite. With its tortuous attempts to rename unpleasant facts out of existence -- he’s not crippled, dear, he’s handicapped; it’s not a slum, it’s an inner city; it’s not surrender, it’s redeployment -- leftism has outlived its own failure by hiding itself within the most labyrinthine construct of social delicacy since Victoria was queen."
-- Andrew Klavan
"This is leftism’s great strength: it’s all white lies. That’s its only advantage, as far as I can tell. None of its programs actually works, after all. From statism and income redistribution to liberalized criminal laws and multiculturalism, from its assault on religion to its redefinition of family, leftist policies have made the common life worse wherever they’re installed.
"But because it depends on -- indeed is defined by -- describing the human condition inaccurately, leftism is nothing if not polite. With its tortuous attempts to rename unpleasant facts out of existence -- he’s not crippled, dear, he’s handicapped; it’s not a slum, it’s an inner city; it’s not surrender, it’s redeployment -- leftism has outlived its own failure by hiding itself within the most labyrinthine construct of social delicacy since Victoria was queen."
-- Andrew Klavan
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Buttons and stickers and signs, oh my!
I can't tell you how many requests I receive from Nashville-area voters for McCain-Palin stuff. A lot of these requests come after folks see the bumper sticker on my car: a large white sticker with "McCain" in blue alongside an American flag.
I got me my McCain bumper sticker when he was running in 2000. Even though I wasn't a McCain supporter in 2000 - I actively campaigned for Lamar Alexander until he dropped out of the race, and I voted for George W. Bush in TN's primary - his campaign sent me a half-dozen stickers, and a dozen gold lapel pins, when I dropped them a note admitting my addiction to collecting political memorabilia (a kind gesture, indeed).
It truly pains me when I have to tell folks that the McCain sticker on my car is vintage and rare. When I've admitted that I have a handful of additional "vintage" stickers, some people have literally begged me for one. All I can say is, "I can't do it." The inevitable follow-up request is: "How about some new stickers?" I can't do that, either.
If you live in Nashville and you want McCain campaign stuff, you need to visit the Tennessee Victory '08 office. I'm going down there myself on Friday. Here's the contact info:
Tennessee Victory '08
6213 Charlotte Avenue
Nashville, TN 37209
http://tnvictory08.com
I got me my McCain bumper sticker when he was running in 2000. Even though I wasn't a McCain supporter in 2000 - I actively campaigned for Lamar Alexander until he dropped out of the race, and I voted for George W. Bush in TN's primary - his campaign sent me a half-dozen stickers, and a dozen gold lapel pins, when I dropped them a note admitting my addiction to collecting political memorabilia (a kind gesture, indeed).
It truly pains me when I have to tell folks that the McCain sticker on my car is vintage and rare. When I've admitted that I have a handful of additional "vintage" stickers, some people have literally begged me for one. All I can say is, "I can't do it." The inevitable follow-up request is: "How about some new stickers?" I can't do that, either.
If you live in Nashville and you want McCain campaign stuff, you need to visit the Tennessee Victory '08 office. I'm going down there myself on Friday. Here's the contact info:
Tennessee Victory '08
6213 Charlotte Avenue
Nashville, TN 37209
http://tnvictory08.com
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Tibetophilia
The September 8 American Conservative magazine has a real good take on liberals' fascination with the corner of the globe known as Tibet:
"The driving force behind Tibetophilia today is not political solidarity with the Tibetans and certainly not any positive argument for full democratic equality, but rather a sense of disgust with Western life. In Rawson’s words, “the West perceives some lack within itself” and seeks to find fulfilment in the ostensibly preserved “pure East.” Ironically, then, Free Tibet activism has a colonial bent to it: wealthy Westerners pursuing emotional occupation."
Read the rest here.
That said, please to enjoy something I said 'bout Tibet a few months back:
Since Tibet's been all over the news recently, I figure it's a good time for me to share this story ...
'Bout my third year in college, some friends and I set up a table in front of my school's main cafeteria from which we dangled a big "Free Tibet!" banner. On the table we placed some flyers we'd printed up announcing that a mercenary force was being formed by several wealthy patrons who wished to see Tibet freed from Chinese rule. We added that the wealthy patrons would be providing several million dollars-worth of assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, landmines and assorted small arms. We also put out a sign-up sheet for anyone who was interested in joining the Free Tibet Expeditionary Force.
You should've seen it, man. These hippy dippy types would come up to our table all excited, then they'd read the flyer and stomp off. "Hey, don't you want to free Tibet?!" we'd shout when they stomped off. One guy gave us the middle finger, and one guy told us we needed to have our asses kicked. To that dude I said: "You should think twice about threatening us, pal. After all, WE'RE the ones who have access to assault rifles and machine guns!"
We manned our little table for about 2 hours before some university hack told us that we had to take the table down. (We'd neglected to get permission beforehand, you see.) That was okay because we'd accomplished just what we'd set out to do when we put up our table and started passing out our flyers:
We pissed off a lot of people that day. And exposed quite a lot of hypocrisy in the process.
Tee hee!
Tee hee, indeed.
"The driving force behind Tibetophilia today is not political solidarity with the Tibetans and certainly not any positive argument for full democratic equality, but rather a sense of disgust with Western life. In Rawson’s words, “the West perceives some lack within itself” and seeks to find fulfilment in the ostensibly preserved “pure East.” Ironically, then, Free Tibet activism has a colonial bent to it: wealthy Westerners pursuing emotional occupation."
Read the rest here.
That said, please to enjoy something I said 'bout Tibet a few months back:
Since Tibet's been all over the news recently, I figure it's a good time for me to share this story ...
'Bout my third year in college, some friends and I set up a table in front of my school's main cafeteria from which we dangled a big "Free Tibet!" banner. On the table we placed some flyers we'd printed up announcing that a mercenary force was being formed by several wealthy patrons who wished to see Tibet freed from Chinese rule. We added that the wealthy patrons would be providing several million dollars-worth of assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, landmines and assorted small arms. We also put out a sign-up sheet for anyone who was interested in joining the Free Tibet Expeditionary Force.
You should've seen it, man. These hippy dippy types would come up to our table all excited, then they'd read the flyer and stomp off. "Hey, don't you want to free Tibet?!" we'd shout when they stomped off. One guy gave us the middle finger, and one guy told us we needed to have our asses kicked. To that dude I said: "You should think twice about threatening us, pal. After all, WE'RE the ones who have access to assault rifles and machine guns!"
We manned our little table for about 2 hours before some university hack told us that we had to take the table down. (We'd neglected to get permission beforehand, you see.) That was okay because we'd accomplished just what we'd set out to do when we put up our table and started passing out our flyers:
We pissed off a lot of people that day. And exposed quite a lot of hypocrisy in the process.
Tee hee!
Tee hee, indeed.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 22, 2008
Let's talk about "root causes" ...
Read and learn somethin':
The Root Causes of the Financial Crisis
The Root Causes of the Financial Crisis
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 22, 2008
When "rationalists" become irrational
Once upon a time, I worked with a feller who was a self-described "super atheist." Mr. Super Atheist dubbed anyone who had religion - yours truly included - a "Jesus Crispy," even Jews. When I tried to explain how ridiculous it was to call a Jew a Jesus Crispy ... well, he didn't want to hear me explain nothin'.
My atheist co-worker and I once found ourselves driving to Chattanooga on b'iness. It was cold and spitting snow, and we got stuck in traffic trying to drive up the west side of Monteagle Mountain. We started talking about anything and everything -- baseball, booze, women, Monica Lewinsky's knees, the Jerky Boys, our dumbass boss. You name it and we talked about it.
All of a sudden, my supposedly "enlightened" atheist friend told me that his grandfather once scuffled with Bigfoot. I thought he was kidding. When I started laughing, he got all serious and launched into a 10-minute tirade about how Bigfoot was real and anyone who didn't "believe" was a fool. I tried to change the subject, but my bud wouldn't entertain no subject-changing. I had to listen to an in-depth anthropological lecture about Bigfoots from the time we passed the Tracy City exit until we got to Chattanooga.
I couldn't help but think about Mr. Bigfoot-Atheist when I read this in the Wall Street Journal:
The Gallup Organization, under contract to Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion, asked American adults a series of questions to gauge credulity. Do dreams foretell the future? Did ancient advanced civilizations such as Atlantis exist? Can places be haunted? Is it possible to communicate with the dead? Will creatures like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster someday be discovered by science?
The answers were added up to create an index of belief in occult and the paranormal. While 31% of people who never worship expressed strong belief in these things, only 8% of people who attend a house of worship more than once a week did.
Even among Christians, there were disparities. While 36% of those belonging to the United Church of Christ, Sen. Barack Obama's former denomination, expressed strong beliefs in the paranormal, only 14% of those belonging to the Assemblies of God, Sarah Palin's former denomination, did. In fact, the more traditional and evangelical the respondent, the less likely he was to believe in, for instance, the possibility of communicating with people who are dead.
More:
[W]hile increased church attendance and membership in a conservative denomination has a powerful negative effect on paranormal beliefs, higher education doesn't. Two years ago two professors published another study in Skeptical Inquirer showing that, while less than one-quarter of college freshmen surveyed expressed a general belief in such superstitions as ghosts, psychic healing, haunted houses, demonic possession, clairvoyance and witches, the figure jumped to 31% of college seniors and 34% of graduate students.
We can't even count on self-described atheists to be strict rationalists. According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life's monumental "U.S. Religious Landscape Survey" that was issued in June, 21% of self-proclaimed atheists believe in either a personal God or an impersonal force. Ten percent of atheists pray at least weekly and 12% believe in heaven.
Read the rest here.
My atheist co-worker and I once found ourselves driving to Chattanooga on b'iness. It was cold and spitting snow, and we got stuck in traffic trying to drive up the west side of Monteagle Mountain. We started talking about anything and everything -- baseball, booze, women, Monica Lewinsky's knees, the Jerky Boys, our dumbass boss. You name it and we talked about it.
All of a sudden, my supposedly "enlightened" atheist friend told me that his grandfather once scuffled with Bigfoot. I thought he was kidding. When I started laughing, he got all serious and launched into a 10-minute tirade about how Bigfoot was real and anyone who didn't "believe" was a fool. I tried to change the subject, but my bud wouldn't entertain no subject-changing. I had to listen to an in-depth anthropological lecture about Bigfoots from the time we passed the Tracy City exit until we got to Chattanooga.
I couldn't help but think about Mr. Bigfoot-Atheist when I read this in the Wall Street Journal:
The Gallup Organization, under contract to Baylor's Institute for Studies of Religion, asked American adults a series of questions to gauge credulity. Do dreams foretell the future? Did ancient advanced civilizations such as Atlantis exist? Can places be haunted? Is it possible to communicate with the dead? Will creatures like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster someday be discovered by science?
The answers were added up to create an index of belief in occult and the paranormal. While 31% of people who never worship expressed strong belief in these things, only 8% of people who attend a house of worship more than once a week did.
Even among Christians, there were disparities. While 36% of those belonging to the United Church of Christ, Sen. Barack Obama's former denomination, expressed strong beliefs in the paranormal, only 14% of those belonging to the Assemblies of God, Sarah Palin's former denomination, did. In fact, the more traditional and evangelical the respondent, the less likely he was to believe in, for instance, the possibility of communicating with people who are dead.
More:
[W]hile increased church attendance and membership in a conservative denomination has a powerful negative effect on paranormal beliefs, higher education doesn't. Two years ago two professors published another study in Skeptical Inquirer showing that, while less than one-quarter of college freshmen surveyed expressed a general belief in such superstitions as ghosts, psychic healing, haunted houses, demonic possession, clairvoyance and witches, the figure jumped to 31% of college seniors and 34% of graduate students.
We can't even count on self-described atheists to be strict rationalists. According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life's monumental "U.S. Religious Landscape Survey" that was issued in June, 21% of self-proclaimed atheists believe in either a personal God or an impersonal force. Ten percent of atheists pray at least weekly and 12% believe in heaven.
Read the rest here.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 22, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Music Row 4 McCain-Palin #2 is tomorrow night (and I intend to be there)
MUSIC ROW 4 McCAIN PALIN
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
September 22, 2008
DOUGLAS CORNER CAFE
2106 8th Ave S.
Nashville, TN
(Directions Below)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Bumper Stickers - Campaign Materials - Great Music
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Performances by some of Nashville's Top Singer/Songwriters
TAMMI KIDD
LEE THOMAS MILLER
MONTH CRISWELL
THE WARREN BROTHERS
BILL LUTHER
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Foradditional information contact:
RobertSchwartz, Music Row 4 McCain-Palin Chair
615-419-9615
robertrschwartz@yahoo.com
615-419-9615
Directions: Take I-65 to Wedgewood Avenue Exit. Turn left on Eighth Ave S. Douglas Corner Cafe is on the left at the next traffic light. If the parking lot is full, there is usually sufficient parking on the neighborhood streets.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Sunday, September 21, 2008
Obama loves the ladies (or does he?)
A little hypocrisy for you this mornin':
"While Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has produced a television ad criticizing Sen. John McCain’s position on equal pay for women and pointing out that women in America are paid only 77 cents on the dollar compared to men, Obama pays his own female Senate staffers, on average, only 78 percent of what he pays male staffers. Women on McCain’s staff, meanwhile, earn 24 percent more on average than women on Obama’s Senate staff. McCain also pays his female Senate staff members a higher average salary than his male Senate staff members."
"While Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has produced a television ad criticizing Sen. John McCain’s position on equal pay for women and pointing out that women in America are paid only 77 cents on the dollar compared to men, Obama pays his own female Senate staffers, on average, only 78 percent of what he pays male staffers. Women on McCain’s staff, meanwhile, earn 24 percent more on average than women on Obama’s Senate staff. McCain also pays his female Senate staff members a higher average salary than his male Senate staff members."
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Sunday, September 21, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
"An important part of Nashville's history is crumbling ..."
An open letter to:
Karl Dean, Mayor; Diane Neighbors, Vice Mayor; Tim Garrett, Council-at-Large; Megan Barry, Council-at-Large; Charlie Tygard, Council-at-Large; Ronnie Steine, Council-at-Large; Jerry Maynard, Council-at-Large; Phil Claiborne, Councilman
Dear Mayor Dean et al.:
An important part of Nashville's history is crumbling and may soon be lost. I recently drove through Nashville's historic Mt. Olivet Cemetery, and I was disturbed to see the cracked and crumbling condition of the building that once housed the cemetery's chapel and office. The building in question, which was built some 130 years ago, has a crumbling facade; it has shrubbery growing from its bell tower; and it has several broken windows.
I attempted to contact Mt. Olivet's management with questions regarding the upkeep of the old chapel, but none of my phone calls were returned. It is now time for others with more influence than this simple blogger to ask why such an important building is being allowed to - there's no other way to put it - rot.
Here are some pictures taken during my recent visit to Mt. Olivet (click each for a larger view):
Now, I understand that Mt. Olivet Cemetery is privately owned. However, the history that's buried in that cemetery is shared by each and every citizen who calls Nashville home. I would dare say that if more Nashvillians were made aware of the condition of Mt. Olivet's old chapel, the folks who own the cemetery might be encouraged to - nay, be shamed into - repairing, restoring, and protecting an important historical corner of this city.
I urge you to contact Mt. Olivet Cemetery and ask why the old chapel has been allowed to fall into such a serious state of disrepair. If you are told that Mt. Olivet lacks the resources to repair the building, please ask why no effort has been made to approach the public for donations or why no efforts have been made to contact state and local officials for assistance.
If Mt. Olivet's old chapel is not repaired soon, I fear that it will become yet another Old Nashville structure than can be visited only in history books. Thus, I respectfully ask that you use the full authority of your office to pressure Mt. Olivet's owners to repair the old chapel before it is lost forever.
Cordially,
Joltin' Django
Nashville, Tennessee
Karl Dean, Mayor; Diane Neighbors, Vice Mayor; Tim Garrett, Council-at-Large; Megan Barry, Council-at-Large; Charlie Tygard, Council-at-Large; Ronnie Steine, Council-at-Large; Jerry Maynard, Council-at-Large; Phil Claiborne, Councilman
Dear Mayor Dean et al.:
An important part of Nashville's history is crumbling and may soon be lost. I recently drove through Nashville's historic Mt. Olivet Cemetery, and I was disturbed to see the cracked and crumbling condition of the building that once housed the cemetery's chapel and office. The building in question, which was built some 130 years ago, has a crumbling facade; it has shrubbery growing from its bell tower; and it has several broken windows.
I attempted to contact Mt. Olivet's management with questions regarding the upkeep of the old chapel, but none of my phone calls were returned. It is now time for others with more influence than this simple blogger to ask why such an important building is being allowed to - there's no other way to put it - rot.
Here are some pictures taken during my recent visit to Mt. Olivet (click each for a larger view):
Now, I understand that Mt. Olivet Cemetery is privately owned. However, the history that's buried in that cemetery is shared by each and every citizen who calls Nashville home. I would dare say that if more Nashvillians were made aware of the condition of Mt. Olivet's old chapel, the folks who own the cemetery might be encouraged to - nay, be shamed into - repairing, restoring, and protecting an important historical corner of this city.
I urge you to contact Mt. Olivet Cemetery and ask why the old chapel has been allowed to fall into such a serious state of disrepair. If you are told that Mt. Olivet lacks the resources to repair the building, please ask why no effort has been made to approach the public for donations or why no efforts have been made to contact state and local officials for assistance.
If Mt. Olivet's old chapel is not repaired soon, I fear that it will become yet another Old Nashville structure than can be visited only in history books. Thus, I respectfully ask that you use the full authority of your office to pressure Mt. Olivet's owners to repair the old chapel before it is lost forever.
Cordially,
Joltin' Django
Nashville, Tennessee
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Ticket-splitting is for suckers
Here's a picture I took this morning, featuring two recently-planted political signs in a neighbor's yard (yeah, my neighbor just put out the "Vote August 7" sign):
John McCain is a Republican. Bob Tuke is a Democrat. No, wait ... Tuke is a Democrat hack who would never not do as he was instructed by Harry Reid and/or the liberal denizens at the Democratic National Committee. A Senator Tuke would each and every day stand opposed to a President McCain's policies. I can't for the life of me see how someone can rationalize that it's a good thing to vote for political candidates who would constantly pursue competing interests?
Eight years ago, Pennsylvania voters re-elected conservative Rick Santorum to the U.S. Senate and, by an even greater margin, voted for liberal Al Gore for President. Thus, a substantial number of folks voted for both Santorum and Gore. Not long after the election, I participated in a panel discussion during which I called Santorum-Gore voters "not politically astute" and advanced the "constantly pursue competing interests" argument. A fellow panelist took issue with my comment ... and later on he complained about "gridlock" in politics!
There ain't nothing that gets my goat quite like ticket-splitting. Whenever I hear someone say, "I don't vote for the party, I vote for the person," I just want to grab 'em up by the shirt and give 'em a dozen vigorous shakes. Why? Because most of the folks who say they vote "person" over "party" are effectively admitting that they vote for the candidate who has the fanciest political ads or the prettiest on-the-stump tongue.
President John McCain and Senator Bob Tuke -- yeah, that makes a whole lot of damn sense. Again, ticket-splitting is for suckers.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Friday, September 19, 2008
There's a new PAC in town
If you've been wondering what Jim Bryson - former state senator and 2006 GOP gubernatorial candidate - has been up to, I can tell you: he's started a PAC. I just got an e-mail from Bryson asking me to donate to his Government Accountability Project PAC (GAPPAC), which seeks to help elect a Republican majority in the Tennessee House of Representatives and Senate.
Two things:
I think it's pretty safe to say that Jim Bryson's going to be running for something in the very near future. Starting a PAC to help down-ballot Republican candidates, currying favor with GOP activists -- that's a sign that Bryson's trying to keep his name "out there." If U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn decides to run for governor in 2010, my dollar to your dime says Bryson jumps in the race for Blackburn's congressional seat.
I looked in vain for a Web site for Bryson's new PAC. You know, if he wants to helm a successful political action committee, he really needs a quality Web site with lots of "red meat" links for the Republican faithful. That's pretty much expected in this day and age. I've rubbed elbows with Mr. Bryson several times over the years, and I voted for him - twice - for governor in '06. I sent his PAC a check because I support his effort to end Jimmy Naifeh's iron-fisted rule over the Tenn. House of Representatives. I hope he follows my advice and throws a few bucks in a Web designer's way.
For more info: GAPPAC, 713 Mockingbird Drive, Franklin, TN 37069
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Friday, September 19, 2008
La vérité au sujet de "l'organisation"
Last week, I said this about B. Hussein Obama:
Obama and his organizing colleagues in Chicago had one primary purpose: pressuring the government - federal, state, and local - to distribute largesse into the inner city.
I just got an e-mail from someone named "JeanWean1982" telling me that my characterization of Obama's community organizing days "is unfair" and "lacking in proof." 'Tis neither. To wit:
"[Obama] had a narrow range of solutions to offer South Siders that matches with the rigid adherence he has shown in office to liberal ideas. ...
"[T]he proposed solution to every problem on the South Side was a distribution of government funds, the effect of which is necessarily limited and temporary. In the long run, many of the most significant problems that plagued [South Chicago] -- family breakdown, dependency, unemployment, and yes, racism -- would require major changes in personal habits that activism could never bring about."
-- David Freddoso, The Case Against Barack Obama, pp. 146-47
Obama and his organizing colleagues in Chicago had one primary purpose: pressuring the government - federal, state, and local - to distribute largesse into the inner city.
I just got an e-mail from someone named "JeanWean1982" telling me that my characterization of Obama's community organizing days "is unfair" and "lacking in proof." 'Tis neither. To wit:
"[Obama] had a narrow range of solutions to offer South Siders that matches with the rigid adherence he has shown in office to liberal ideas. ...
"[T]he proposed solution to every problem on the South Side was a distribution of government funds, the effect of which is necessarily limited and temporary. In the long run, many of the most significant problems that plagued [South Chicago] -- family breakdown, dependency, unemployment, and yes, racism -- would require major changes in personal habits that activism could never bring about."
-- David Freddoso, The Case Against Barack Obama, pp. 146-47
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Friday, September 19, 2008
I like the old time preaching, praying, shouting, singing
Thanks to Creeder Reader J. Aaron for sending us this pic (his comment follows):
These nuts are at a B. Hussein Obama worship service ... oops, I mean, "campaign event." The guy in front could have been at a Hitler rally in 1938, and the other two look like they're having some quasi-religious experience.
Indeed.
These nuts are at a B. Hussein Obama worship service ... oops, I mean, "campaign event." The guy in front could have been at a Hitler rally in 1938, and the other two look like they're having some quasi-religious experience.
Indeed.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Friday, September 19, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Happy Constitution Day!
Did you know today is Constitution Day? U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts speaks:
How can a document that was written at a time when people traveled by horseback still be relevant?
The Constitution is relevant today because the Framers who wrote it were planning a government they hoped would last beyond their own time. They wanted to promote justice and preserve freedom for future generations -- including yours! The Framers may not have thought about cars, DVDs or iPods, but they knew that every generation should be free and have a fair and just government.
What is the most important part of the Constitution?
The most important part of the Constitution is the way that all its parts work together. The Framers knew how bad it was to live under a powerful and unjust king, and so the Constitution split government power among the legislative, executive and judicial branches. That way no one of them could get too strong. That plan is more important than any one part.
What do you think is the coolest part of the Constitution that people do not really know about?
What could be cooler than the part about the Supreme Court? Under the Constitution, justices serve for life, so they can say what the law means without worrying that it might be unpopular. Because the Supreme Court is separate from the rest of the government, it can make sure the government follows the law, too. People may know that, but I'm not sure they know how rare and special it is.
Read more here.
How can a document that was written at a time when people traveled by horseback still be relevant?
The Constitution is relevant today because the Framers who wrote it were planning a government they hoped would last beyond their own time. They wanted to promote justice and preserve freedom for future generations -- including yours! The Framers may not have thought about cars, DVDs or iPods, but they knew that every generation should be free and have a fair and just government.
What is the most important part of the Constitution?
The most important part of the Constitution is the way that all its parts work together. The Framers knew how bad it was to live under a powerful and unjust king, and so the Constitution split government power among the legislative, executive and judicial branches. That way no one of them could get too strong. That plan is more important than any one part.
What do you think is the coolest part of the Constitution that people do not really know about?
What could be cooler than the part about the Supreme Court? Under the Constitution, justices serve for life, so they can say what the law means without worrying that it might be unpopular. Because the Supreme Court is separate from the rest of the government, it can make sure the government follows the law, too. People may know that, but I'm not sure they know how rare and special it is.
Read more here.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Cartoon of the day
Sticky Fingers Steine
Nashville's downtown library is sponsoring an exhibit of political memorabilia belonging to Councilman-at-Large Ronnie Steine. Here're some details from an e-mail I received:
Vote For Me! Political Memorabilia from the Ronnie Steine Collection
Dates: Saturday, September 13 - Sunday, November 09
Sponsor: NPL Foundation
In case you don't remember, then-Vice Mayor Ronnie Steine was running for Congress in 2002 when it was discovered that he'd been arrested for shoplifting. In an interview he said that he'd only been arrested once. It didn't take long, however, for the press to uncover a second arrest. Steine quickly dropped out of the congressional race and he resigned as Vice Mayor.
Before he resigned, Steine admitted to the Nashville Scene that he was guilty of a handful of additional thefts, which did not lead to arrests. These thefts were not from stores, but from friends and associates. In the same issue of the Scene, a local collector of political memorabilia accused Steine of stealing political buttons from him.
First of all, it shames me to know that the citizens of Nashville elected a confirmed kleptomaniac to an at-large seat on the Metro Council (Steine was elected last year). Just goes to show that there are a lot of dumbassess - a lot of Democrat dumbasses - in this city.
Second, I wonder if the folks at the downtown library have bothered to ask Steine if he purchased all of the buttons that are currently on display. Given Steine's thievin' past, I think it's a legitimate question.
I've sent this post to several library administrators. I'll let you know if I get a response. I, for one, ain't holdin' my breath.
Vote For Me! Political Memorabilia from the Ronnie Steine Collection
Dates: Saturday, September 13 - Sunday, November 09
Sponsor: NPL Foundation
In case you don't remember, then-Vice Mayor Ronnie Steine was running for Congress in 2002 when it was discovered that he'd been arrested for shoplifting. In an interview he said that he'd only been arrested once. It didn't take long, however, for the press to uncover a second arrest. Steine quickly dropped out of the congressional race and he resigned as Vice Mayor.
Before he resigned, Steine admitted to the Nashville Scene that he was guilty of a handful of additional thefts, which did not lead to arrests. These thefts were not from stores, but from friends and associates. In the same issue of the Scene, a local collector of political memorabilia accused Steine of stealing political buttons from him.
First of all, it shames me to know that the citizens of Nashville elected a confirmed kleptomaniac to an at-large seat on the Metro Council (Steine was elected last year). Just goes to show that there are a lot of dumbassess - a lot of Democrat dumbasses - in this city.
Second, I wonder if the folks at the downtown library have bothered to ask Steine if he purchased all of the buttons that are currently on display. Given Steine's thievin' past, I think it's a legitimate question.
I've sent this post to several library administrators. I'll let you know if I get a response. I, for one, ain't holdin' my breath.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Religion of Peace?
To those who think that Islam is a "religion of peace," and that an independent Palestinian state will make the Middle East a more peaceful place, consider ...
From Pop Eater:
"A leading Islamic extremist has labeled Paul McCartney the 'enemy of every Muslim' for his planned participation in a concert celebrating Israel's 60th anniversary and is warning of a terrorist attack if the ex-Beatle doesn't cancel.
"Syrian [cleric] Omar Bakri Mohammed said during an online radio broadcast out of Lebanon that 'sacrifice operatives' will be waiting for McCartney when he arrives in Israel. 'He will not be safe there,' he is quoted as saying by the Sunday Express."
From Cybercast News:
A television program aired on the Palestinian Authority’s official television station glorifies a notorious terrorist and ignores the existence of Israel.
"To Win With Shahad," a children’s quiz program, is broadcast daily in the afternoons by the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation.
Hosted by a girl named Shahad who looks to be a young teenager, the program debuted last week at the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Viewers are encouraged to call in answers to riddles or questions, and they are rewarded with money and prizes, including a $200 prize for a difficult question of the day, said Itamar Marcus, head of Palestinian Media Watch, an independent Israeli research institute that provided the translation of the program.
Many of the questions are "neutral" and related to Ramadan, Marcus told CNSNews.com. But last week a $200 dollar grand prize question exalted a female terrorist, he said.
Shahad, who hosts the show from a colorful studio with plaques of Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Winnie the Pooh and Piglet adorning the walls, gave the following clue to the riddle.
"[You were] a beloved bride, a daughter of Jaffa," she said. "Jasmine flower, you have lived 30 years since your death." The answer to the riddle was Dalal Mughrabi.
Mughrabi took part in a 1978 terrorist attack in which 37 people were killed, including at least one American and 10 children. She also was killed during the attack. Her body was recently exhumed and sent to Lebanon as part of the Israel-Hezbollah prisoner swap in July. A Palestinian school and summer camps have been named after her.
Marcus noted that the program uses the Disney characters as a backdrop while teaching children to exalt a mass murderer.
"They have no hesitation to continue glorifying terror," Marcus said.
In an earlier program last week, Shahad asked viewers a series of questions about the geography of "Palestine." The questions and their answers clearly included the land of Israel, without mentioning the Jewish state.
"What is the size of Palestine?" she asked. The answer: 27,000 square kilometers. But the size of the West Bank and Gaza Strip combined, where the P.A. says they are willing to establish their state, is only 6,220 square kilometers, PMW said.
Shahad asked for three countries bordering Palestine. The caller named Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. But only Israel borders Lebanon. She asked for two important seas, which the Palestinian borders overlook. The answer was The Mediterranean and the Red Sea. In fact, the Red Sea borders Israel’s southern tip. She also asked for the name of the "only sweet-water lake in Palestine" to which the reply was the Tiberias Sea. That is the Sea of Galilee, which is inside Israel.
In Marcus’ view, ignoring Israel’s existence is the worst kind of "hate incitement" because the child feels that he is obligated to destroy Israel.
From Pop Eater:
"A leading Islamic extremist has labeled Paul McCartney the 'enemy of every Muslim' for his planned participation in a concert celebrating Israel's 60th anniversary and is warning of a terrorist attack if the ex-Beatle doesn't cancel.
"Syrian [cleric] Omar Bakri Mohammed said during an online radio broadcast out of Lebanon that 'sacrifice operatives' will be waiting for McCartney when he arrives in Israel. 'He will not be safe there,' he is quoted as saying by the Sunday Express."
From Cybercast News:
A television program aired on the Palestinian Authority’s official television station glorifies a notorious terrorist and ignores the existence of Israel.
"To Win With Shahad," a children’s quiz program, is broadcast daily in the afternoons by the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation.
Hosted by a girl named Shahad who looks to be a young teenager, the program debuted last week at the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Viewers are encouraged to call in answers to riddles or questions, and they are rewarded with money and prizes, including a $200 prize for a difficult question of the day, said Itamar Marcus, head of Palestinian Media Watch, an independent Israeli research institute that provided the translation of the program.
Many of the questions are "neutral" and related to Ramadan, Marcus told CNSNews.com. But last week a $200 dollar grand prize question exalted a female terrorist, he said.
Shahad, who hosts the show from a colorful studio with plaques of Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Winnie the Pooh and Piglet adorning the walls, gave the following clue to the riddle.
"[You were] a beloved bride, a daughter of Jaffa," she said. "Jasmine flower, you have lived 30 years since your death." The answer to the riddle was Dalal Mughrabi.
Mughrabi took part in a 1978 terrorist attack in which 37 people were killed, including at least one American and 10 children. She also was killed during the attack. Her body was recently exhumed and sent to Lebanon as part of the Israel-Hezbollah prisoner swap in July. A Palestinian school and summer camps have been named after her.
Marcus noted that the program uses the Disney characters as a backdrop while teaching children to exalt a mass murderer.
"They have no hesitation to continue glorifying terror," Marcus said.
In an earlier program last week, Shahad asked viewers a series of questions about the geography of "Palestine." The questions and their answers clearly included the land of Israel, without mentioning the Jewish state.
"What is the size of Palestine?" she asked. The answer: 27,000 square kilometers. But the size of the West Bank and Gaza Strip combined, where the P.A. says they are willing to establish their state, is only 6,220 square kilometers, PMW said.
Shahad asked for three countries bordering Palestine. The caller named Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. But only Israel borders Lebanon. She asked for two important seas, which the Palestinian borders overlook. The answer was The Mediterranean and the Red Sea. In fact, the Red Sea borders Israel’s southern tip. She also asked for the name of the "only sweet-water lake in Palestine" to which the reply was the Tiberias Sea. That is the Sea of Galilee, which is inside Israel.
In Marcus’ view, ignoring Israel’s existence is the worst kind of "hate incitement" because the child feels that he is obligated to destroy Israel.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 17, 2008
When it rains, it pours
I'm sure you've heard the expression "When it rains,' it pours." Well, it was sure doing some pouring at Chez Joltin' Django yesterday. My fancy three-month-old TV went on the fritz (for the second time since I bought it), and my backyard faucet broke. If you thought you heard F-bombs in the distance yesterday, that was probably me.
It wasn't all bad, though. A friend recommended a plumber who not only arrived within an hour of my calling him, he didn't charge me an arm and a leg to saw and solder and crawl under my house. If you're ever in need of a good plumber, drop me an e-mail and I'll give you his name and number.
It wasn't all bad, though. A friend recommended a plumber who not only arrived within an hour of my calling him, he didn't charge me an arm and a leg to saw and solder and crawl under my house. If you're ever in need of a good plumber, drop me an e-mail and I'll give you his name and number.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
How Obama lost the election
From the Asia Times:
"Obama will spend the rest of his life wondering why he rejected the obvious road to victory, that is, choosing Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential nominee. However reluctantly, Clinton would have had to accept. McCain's choice of vice presidential candidate made obvious after the fact what the party professionals felt in their fingertips at the stadium extravaganza yesterday: rejecting Clinton in favor of the colorless, unpopular, tangle-tongued Washington perennial Joe Biden was a statement of weakness. McCain's selection was a statement of strength. America's voters will forgive many things in a politician, including sexual misconduct, but they will not forgive weakness.
"That is why McCain will win in November, and by a landslide, barring some unforeseen event. Obama is the most talented and persuasive politician of his generation, the intellectual superior of all his competitors, but a fatally insecure personality. American voters are not intellectual, but they are shrewd, like animals. They can smell insecurity, and the convention stank of it. Obama's prospective defeat is entirely of its own making. No one is more surprised than Republican strategists, who were convinced just weeks ago that a weakening economy ensured a Democratic victory."
"Obama will spend the rest of his life wondering why he rejected the obvious road to victory, that is, choosing Hillary Clinton as his vice presidential nominee. However reluctantly, Clinton would have had to accept. McCain's choice of vice presidential candidate made obvious after the fact what the party professionals felt in their fingertips at the stadium extravaganza yesterday: rejecting Clinton in favor of the colorless, unpopular, tangle-tongued Washington perennial Joe Biden was a statement of weakness. McCain's selection was a statement of strength. America's voters will forgive many things in a politician, including sexual misconduct, but they will not forgive weakness.
"That is why McCain will win in November, and by a landslide, barring some unforeseen event. Obama is the most talented and persuasive politician of his generation, the intellectual superior of all his competitors, but a fatally insecure personality. American voters are not intellectual, but they are shrewd, like animals. They can smell insecurity, and the convention stank of it. Obama's prospective defeat is entirely of its own making. No one is more surprised than Republican strategists, who were convinced just weeks ago that a weakening economy ensured a Democratic victory."
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 15, 2008
Who am I?
Thanks to Creeder Reader Reggie for sending us this:
Who Am I?
• I am under 45-years-old
• I love the outdoors
• I hunt
• I am a Republican reformer
• I have taken on the Republican Party establishment
• I have many children
• I have the VP spot on the national ticket with less than two years in the governor's office
Did you guess?
I am Teddy Roosevelt in 1900.
Who Am I?
• I am under 45-years-old
• I love the outdoors
• I hunt
• I am a Republican reformer
• I have taken on the Republican Party establishment
• I have many children
• I have the VP spot on the national ticket with less than two years in the governor's office
Did you guess?
I am Teddy Roosevelt in 1900.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 15, 2008
How to steal an election without really trying
Last year, Democratic State Senator Rosalind Kurita, demonstrating a lot of common sense and a whole pile of sound judgement, refused to vote for senile, half-silly John Wilder for Lieutenant Governor and thus cast the deciding vote for Republican Ron Ramsey. Democrats in Tennessee responded as they always do when one of their own shows the slightest hint of independence -- they collectively threw about 9,000 hissy fits.
Kurita didn't just encounter Democrat hissy fits, though. She was challenged in this year's Democratic primary by attorney Tim Barnes. Kurita won the hard-fought primary ... by 19 votes. Then she won a recount. Not satisfied with Kurita's win and re-win, state Democrats decided to let their Executive Committee decide whether or not the entire election should be voided.
On Saturday, the Democrats' Executive Committee voted 33-11 to void the election. Who becomes the next State Senator from District 22 will be decided by a handful of party bigwigs from the three counties in the district sometime this week (overseas absentee ballots, by law, must be sent out by September 20). Those bigwigs are sure to do the Executive Committee's bidding; so, Tim Barnes will almost certainly be the next Senator from District 22.
Two things:
First, remember the Democrats' "Let Every Vote Count" mantra from 2000? I guess such mantras go out the window when a Democrat fails to tow the party line 100 percent of the time, right? And why is it that Republicans who buck their party are "brave" and "thoughtful" and "free-thinking," but Democrats who buck the party receive none of the same accolades and get punished by their comrades? (Think Phil Gramm, Bob Casey, Sr., and Joe Lieberman, just to name a few.)
Second, Tim Barnes main complaint was that Republicans voted in the District 22 primary and unfairly influenced the results. Tennessee has an open primary, and citizens do not have to declare the primary in which they wish to vote until they walk into the polling place. Because there were no Republican candidates on the ballot for the District 22 seat, the Democratic primary was, in effect, the general election. It only makes sense that some individuals who had a history of voting Republican would participate in the Democratic primary. After all, it was the only chance voters in the district had to determine who would represent them for the next four years.
That said, how the hell does Tim Barnes - and his supporters on the Executive Committee - know that Republicans voted en masse for Rosalind Kurita? They don't, and that's the point. If Republicans pulled the same stunt - i.e., voiding an primary election claiming that too many Democrats crossed over to vote in said primary - the self-righteous sermonizing and cries of outrage from liberal bloggers and big-city editorial boards would be deafening.
The Democrats' chances of electing one of their own to be Senate Speaker and Lieutenant Governor are slim to none. Independent Senator - and first class ass - Mike Williams (who voted for Wilder for last year) will surely lose his East Tennessee seat to a Republican this fall, and Republicans stand a good chance of picking up Wilder's seat as well.
So, what does the Democratic Party gain by throwing Kurita, the most influential Democrat in the Senate, out in favor of an individual with no legislative experience? One thing and one thing only: Revenge. That's real democratic, ain't it?
Kurita didn't just encounter Democrat hissy fits, though. She was challenged in this year's Democratic primary by attorney Tim Barnes. Kurita won the hard-fought primary ... by 19 votes. Then she won a recount. Not satisfied with Kurita's win and re-win, state Democrats decided to let their Executive Committee decide whether or not the entire election should be voided.
On Saturday, the Democrats' Executive Committee voted 33-11 to void the election. Who becomes the next State Senator from District 22 will be decided by a handful of party bigwigs from the three counties in the district sometime this week (overseas absentee ballots, by law, must be sent out by September 20). Those bigwigs are sure to do the Executive Committee's bidding; so, Tim Barnes will almost certainly be the next Senator from District 22.
Two things:
First, remember the Democrats' "Let Every Vote Count" mantra from 2000? I guess such mantras go out the window when a Democrat fails to tow the party line 100 percent of the time, right? And why is it that Republicans who buck their party are "brave" and "thoughtful" and "free-thinking," but Democrats who buck the party receive none of the same accolades and get punished by their comrades? (Think Phil Gramm, Bob Casey, Sr., and Joe Lieberman, just to name a few.)
Second, Tim Barnes main complaint was that Republicans voted in the District 22 primary and unfairly influenced the results. Tennessee has an open primary, and citizens do not have to declare the primary in which they wish to vote until they walk into the polling place. Because there were no Republican candidates on the ballot for the District 22 seat, the Democratic primary was, in effect, the general election. It only makes sense that some individuals who had a history of voting Republican would participate in the Democratic primary. After all, it was the only chance voters in the district had to determine who would represent them for the next four years.
That said, how the hell does Tim Barnes - and his supporters on the Executive Committee - know that Republicans voted en masse for Rosalind Kurita? They don't, and that's the point. If Republicans pulled the same stunt - i.e., voiding an primary election claiming that too many Democrats crossed over to vote in said primary - the self-righteous sermonizing and cries of outrage from liberal bloggers and big-city editorial boards would be deafening.
The Democrats' chances of electing one of their own to be Senate Speaker and Lieutenant Governor are slim to none. Independent Senator - and first class ass - Mike Williams (who voted for Wilder for last year) will surely lose his East Tennessee seat to a Republican this fall, and Republicans stand a good chance of picking up Wilder's seat as well.
So, what does the Democratic Party gain by throwing Kurita, the most influential Democrat in the Senate, out in favor of an individual with no legislative experience? One thing and one thing only: Revenge. That's real democratic, ain't it?
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 15, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The last refuge of liberal scoundrels
An old adage suggests that patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels. I guess in some instances that's true. What is always true, however, is the fact that religion is the last refuge of liberal scoundrels (think Bill Clinton toting a big leather Bible to church during the Lewinsky scandal, or John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, and Joe Biden awkwardly opining on the Catechism of the Catholic Church when a big election rolls around).
Earlier this week, Steve Cohen, whom I'm ashamed to say represents a portion of my home state, said this on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives:
The "Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor" talking point is simply the latest episode of liberals, most of whom are anything but sympathetic to religion (like Steve Cohen), trying to impress church-going folk by quoting the Bible to reinforce their political views. I heard another one of these fools, a Democratic Representative from California whose name I didn't catch, on the radio last night when I was driving home from a business trip to Chattanooga.
Let's get one thing straight: Jesus was not a "community organizer" à la B. Hussein Obama. Obama and his organizing colleagues in Chicago had one primary purpose: pressuring the government - federal, state, and local - to distribute largesse into the inner city. Obama also worked with shady groups like ACORN to register voters, who could be called upon to pressure, by voting, the government for more redistribution of income. Does this sound anything like what Jesus did? Of course not. Jesus was an observant Jew who implored others to obey the Law and prepare for the coming Kingdom of God. Never once did he implore: "Gather ye collectively in a welfare state to build housing projects and Planned Parenthood clinics."
While comparing Obama to Jesus is just plain silly, comparing Sarah Palin to Pontius Pilate is an ugly, ugly smear. Pilate was an appointed administrator who did Rome's bidding in Palestine. Most of this bidding involved executing anyone who showed even a hint of disloyalty to the Roman Empire. Pilate's main concern was not the welfare and well being of his "subjects," it was exploiting the resources of the land he administered to fund a distant, corrupt dictatorship. Does this sound anything like what Gov. Sarah Palin - or any U.S. governor for that matter - does? Of course not.
B. Hussein Obama's supporters - secular and religious - need to get it through their thick skulls that their man ain't Jesus Christ, Jr. Jesus was a Jewish peasant who humbly spread the message that God is Love. Obama is an upper-income Chicago pol, with delusions of grandeur, who hubristically spreads a message that the taxman is coming for some, and the taxpayer is going to be expected to give even more.
Earlier this week, Steve Cohen, whom I'm ashamed to say represents a portion of my home state, said this on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives:
The "Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor" talking point is simply the latest episode of liberals, most of whom are anything but sympathetic to religion (like Steve Cohen), trying to impress church-going folk by quoting the Bible to reinforce their political views. I heard another one of these fools, a Democratic Representative from California whose name I didn't catch, on the radio last night when I was driving home from a business trip to Chattanooga.
Let's get one thing straight: Jesus was not a "community organizer" à la B. Hussein Obama. Obama and his organizing colleagues in Chicago had one primary purpose: pressuring the government - federal, state, and local - to distribute largesse into the inner city. Obama also worked with shady groups like ACORN to register voters, who could be called upon to pressure, by voting, the government for more redistribution of income. Does this sound anything like what Jesus did? Of course not. Jesus was an observant Jew who implored others to obey the Law and prepare for the coming Kingdom of God. Never once did he implore: "Gather ye collectively in a welfare state to build housing projects and Planned Parenthood clinics."
While comparing Obama to Jesus is just plain silly, comparing Sarah Palin to Pontius Pilate is an ugly, ugly smear. Pilate was an appointed administrator who did Rome's bidding in Palestine. Most of this bidding involved executing anyone who showed even a hint of disloyalty to the Roman Empire. Pilate's main concern was not the welfare and well being of his "subjects," it was exploiting the resources of the land he administered to fund a distant, corrupt dictatorship. Does this sound anything like what Gov. Sarah Palin - or any U.S. governor for that matter - does? Of course not.
B. Hussein Obama's supporters - secular and religious - need to get it through their thick skulls that their man ain't Jesus Christ, Jr. Jesus was a Jewish peasant who humbly spread the message that God is Love. Obama is an upper-income Chicago pol, with delusions of grandeur, who hubristically spreads a message that the taxman is coming for some, and the taxpayer is going to be expected to give even more.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Saturday, September 13, 2008
Ozzie speaks (and eyes roll)
While I'm on the subject of dipshittery being spouted by famous people, check out what Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen - who seems to fancy himself a Latin Yogi Berra - had to say about Fidel Castro in the October 2008 Men's Journal:
"He's a bullshit dictator and everybody's against him, and he still survives, has power. Still has a country behind him. Everywhere he goes they roll out the red carpet. I don't admire his philosophy. I admire him."
You know, a feller could also say that Kim Jong-il, Robert Mugabe, and Muammar al-Gaddafi "have countries behind" them and regularly have red carpets rolled out for them. That's because, just like Castro, they run totalitarian regimes that tolerate no dissent and expect 100 percent cooperation from the citizenry.
Methinks ol' Ozz needs to enroll in a college-level class on third-world dictatorships. He also needs a sock for his mouth.
"He's a bullshit dictator and everybody's against him, and he still survives, has power. Still has a country behind him. Everywhere he goes they roll out the red carpet. I don't admire his philosophy. I admire him."
You know, a feller could also say that Kim Jong-il, Robert Mugabe, and Muammar al-Gaddafi "have countries behind" them and regularly have red carpets rolled out for them. That's because, just like Castro, they run totalitarian regimes that tolerate no dissent and expect 100 percent cooperation from the citizenry.
Methinks ol' Ozz needs to enroll in a college-level class on third-world dictatorships. He also needs a sock for his mouth.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Saturday, September 13, 2008
"She can suck it."
Commenting on a picture of Gov. Sarah Palin sitting next to a bearskin-draped couch in Newsweek, Pamela Anderson - who's famous only because she has big cans and once starred in a sex tape - said this:
"I can't stand her. She can suck it."
Ms. Anderson's trashy rant kinda sounds like some of the penetrating (no pun intended) political analysis left by anonymous posters here at The Nigh Seen Creeder, n'est-ce pas?
"I can't stand her. She can suck it."
Ms. Anderson's trashy rant kinda sounds like some of the penetrating (no pun intended) political analysis left by anonymous posters here at The Nigh Seen Creeder, n'est-ce pas?
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Saturday, September 13, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Lest we forget
Gary Bauer tells us what's what:
In the seven years since that dark day, America has been spared the horror of another massive terrorist attack. That is not for lack of effort on the part of the Islamofascists. They have repeatedly tried to strike us from the shadows. This morning, Fox News published a list of 20 plots that have been foiled since 9/11.
Thanks to the bold leadership of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, the courageous men and women of our intelligence and law enforcement communities and our brave men and women in uniform, the terrorists have been stopped here in America.
But what has happened overseas? Since September 11, 2001, London has been bombed. Madrid has been bombed. The popular tourist resort in Bali, Indonesia, has been bombed. Terrorist thugs massacred school children in Beslan, Russia. And Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda have brutally terrorized the Afghan and Iraqi people, virtually all of them fellow Muslims, and murdered American soldiers in an attempt to strangle freedom in its infancy in the Middle East.
My friends, this is not just a “war against terrorism,” it is a war to defend civilization itself. Yes, the costs are high. Yes, families are hurting. Our prayers are with our men and women in the military and their families at home. But, yes, this is a just war, and it is a war that the free nations of the world must win. If we lose, the world will be plunged into another dark age of death, terror and chaos far greater and more horrible than what we witnessed on that dark day seven years ago.
UPDATE:
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Thursday, September 11, 2008
“I’m so depressed. It’s happening again. It’s a nightmare.”
I read this and all I can think is, "Tee hee!"
Polls showing John McCain tied or even ahead of Barack Obama are stirring angst and second-guessing among some of the Democratic Party’s most experienced operatives, who worry that Obama squandered opportunities over the summer and may still be underestimating his challenges this fall.
“It’s more than an increased anxiety,” said Doug Schoen, who worked as one of Bill Clinton’s lead pollsters during his 1996 reelection and has worked for both Democrats and independents in recent years. “It’s a palpable frustration. Deep-seated unease in the sense that the message has gotten away from them.”
Joe Trippi, a consultant behind Howard Dean’s flash-in-the-pan presidential campaign in 2004 and John Edwards’ race in 2008, said the Obama campaign was slow to recognize how the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate would change the dynamic of the race.
“They were set up to run ‘experience versus change,’ what they had run [against Hillary] Clinton,” Trippi said. “And I think Palin clearly moved that to be change [and] reform, versus change. They are adjusting to that and that threw them off balance a little bit.”
A major Democratic fundraiser described it a good bit more starkly after digesting the polls of recent days: “I’m so depressed. It’s happening again. It’s a nightmare.”
Read the rest here.
Polls showing John McCain tied or even ahead of Barack Obama are stirring angst and second-guessing among some of the Democratic Party’s most experienced operatives, who worry that Obama squandered opportunities over the summer and may still be underestimating his challenges this fall.
“It’s more than an increased anxiety,” said Doug Schoen, who worked as one of Bill Clinton’s lead pollsters during his 1996 reelection and has worked for both Democrats and independents in recent years. “It’s a palpable frustration. Deep-seated unease in the sense that the message has gotten away from them.”
Joe Trippi, a consultant behind Howard Dean’s flash-in-the-pan presidential campaign in 2004 and John Edwards’ race in 2008, said the Obama campaign was slow to recognize how the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate would change the dynamic of the race.
“They were set up to run ‘experience versus change,’ what they had run [against Hillary] Clinton,” Trippi said. “And I think Palin clearly moved that to be change [and] reform, versus change. They are adjusting to that and that threw them off balance a little bit.”
A major Democratic fundraiser described it a good bit more starkly after digesting the polls of recent days: “I’m so depressed. It’s happening again. It’s a nightmare.”
Read the rest here.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Thursday, September 11, 2008
Repent!
Surely this is a sign that the end of the world is at hand:
"Tori Spelling’s book sTori Telling will be moving into first place on the New York Times best selling list September 14. ...
"sTORI Telling ... has been on the best-seller list for 14 weeks. ... This spring, the publishing company will release a second book by Tori with the working title, Mommywood.
"Tori Spelling’s book sTori Telling will be moving into first place on the New York Times best selling list September 14. ...
"sTORI Telling ... has been on the best-seller list for 14 weeks. ... This spring, the publishing company will release a second book by Tori with the working title, Mommywood.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Political humor
My "cousin" David, who lives out in McCainland (Arizona), sends us these late night gems:
Jay Leno: "You know those glasses Palin wears? Those are a hot item right now. Everybody's buying them. They're huge, selling much better than the Joe Biden hair plugs."
David Letterman: "How about that Barack Obama? They are saying for the first time he's starting to slip in the polls. But don't worry, he's got a plan. He's going to go back to campaigning in Europe."
Jay Leno: "Out on the campaign trail this week ... John McCain spoke about the nightmare of being stuck in a tiny 8x10 room thinking he might go crazy. Not in Vietnam — when he got stuck in the Capitol elevator with Joe Biden."
Jay Leno: "You know those glasses Palin wears? Those are a hot item right now. Everybody's buying them. They're huge, selling much better than the Joe Biden hair plugs."
David Letterman: "How about that Barack Obama? They are saying for the first time he's starting to slip in the polls. But don't worry, he's got a plan. He's going to go back to campaigning in Europe."
Jay Leno: "Out on the campaign trail this week ... John McCain spoke about the nightmare of being stuck in a tiny 8x10 room thinking he might go crazy. Not in Vietnam — when he got stuck in the Capitol elevator with Joe Biden."
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Give her a break
The liberal blogosphere has its collective panties in a twist over a comment John McCain's über-hot daughter, Meghan, made on the Today show. This is what she said:
"No one knows what war is like, other than my family. Period."
Liberals are accusing Ms. McCain of being insensitive to families who currently have loved ones serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Please. If you watch the entire interview you'll see that she's clearly talking about the other "players" in this year's presidential contest, not the public at large (watch it here).
Now, before my liberal friends and acquaintances go trying to peg Meghan McCain as a right-wing nut, they need to check out this article from GQ magazine. She ain't no nut, and she ain't no right-winger. Indeed.
From the introduction:
"Meghan McCain is a 23-year-old, socially liberal John Kerry voter who loves Superbad, Dita von Teese, Bud Light (see right hand), and campaign blogging. Trouble is, this self-described 'Daddy’s girl' will do—and say—almost anything to help her 71-year-old father win the White House."
"No one knows what war is like, other than my family. Period."
Liberals are accusing Ms. McCain of being insensitive to families who currently have loved ones serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Please. If you watch the entire interview you'll see that she's clearly talking about the other "players" in this year's presidential contest, not the public at large (watch it here).
Now, before my liberal friends and acquaintances go trying to peg Meghan McCain as a right-wing nut, they need to check out this article from GQ magazine. She ain't no nut, and she ain't no right-winger. Indeed.
From the introduction:
"Meghan McCain is a 23-year-old, socially liberal John Kerry voter who loves Superbad, Dita von Teese, Bud Light (see right hand), and campaign blogging. Trouble is, this self-described 'Daddy’s girl' will do—and say—almost anything to help her 71-year-old father win the White House."
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Bad news for Obamaniancs
Look which way swing-voters are swinging:
"In a significant move for the McCain-Palin campaign, the support of 'independent' voters has shifted dramatically from Barack Obama to John McCain. When all other factors are equal, the independent or 'swing' voters can certainly make a difference, so this is welcome news.
"According to a new Gallup poll, 'John McCain's 6 percentage-point bounce in voter support spanning the Republican National Convention is largely explained by political independents shifting to him in fairly big numbers, from 40% pre-convention to 52% post-convention in Gallup Poll Daily tracking.'
"According to Gallup, support for McCain before the convention and after the convention was statistically unchanged (90% vs. 89%). Democrat support rose for McCain from 9% to 14%. But, as mentioned above, the significant move was among independents. Gallup notes that this is 'the first time since Gallup began tracking voters' general-election preferences in March that a majority of independents have sided with either of the two major-party candidates.'"
UPDATE:
More good news for McCain:
"GOP presidential candidate John McCain gained voter support on the economy, according to the latest Gallup poll.
"In a Sept. 5-7 USA Today/Gallup poll, 48 percent of Americans say Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama can better handle the economy compared to 45 percent who say McCain can do a better job.
"Before the Democratic National Convention, Obama had a 16-point lead over McCain on the economy. Now it’s just three percentage points, within the margin of error."
"In a significant move for the McCain-Palin campaign, the support of 'independent' voters has shifted dramatically from Barack Obama to John McCain. When all other factors are equal, the independent or 'swing' voters can certainly make a difference, so this is welcome news.
"According to a new Gallup poll, 'John McCain's 6 percentage-point bounce in voter support spanning the Republican National Convention is largely explained by political independents shifting to him in fairly big numbers, from 40% pre-convention to 52% post-convention in Gallup Poll Daily tracking.'
"According to Gallup, support for McCain before the convention and after the convention was statistically unchanged (90% vs. 89%). Democrat support rose for McCain from 9% to 14%. But, as mentioned above, the significant move was among independents. Gallup notes that this is 'the first time since Gallup began tracking voters' general-election preferences in March that a majority of independents have sided with either of the two major-party candidates.'"
UPDATE:
More good news for McCain:
"GOP presidential candidate John McCain gained voter support on the economy, according to the latest Gallup poll.
"In a Sept. 5-7 USA Today/Gallup poll, 48 percent of Americans say Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama can better handle the economy compared to 45 percent who say McCain can do a better job.
"Before the Democratic National Convention, Obama had a 16-point lead over McCain on the economy. Now it’s just three percentage points, within the margin of error."
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Have these people no shame?
Some liberal radio broad named Randi Rhodes had this to say about John McCain's 5-year stint in the Hanoi Hilton:
"Of course he (McCain) became very friendly with the Vietnamese. They called him the Prince. He was well treated actually. And he was well treated because he traded these propaganda interviews for good treatment. So look, it's a horrible story anyway you cut it, anyway you look at it, any way you you you deal with it.
"But, it's not the story Fred Thompson told. Nor is it the story Rudy Giuliani told. Nor is it the story Sarah Palin told. Nor is it the story anybody. Cindy McCain knew to limit herself to 'I think what my husband did in Vietnam was heroic' because she knows the truth too."
For God's sake, have these people no shame?
"Of course he (McCain) became very friendly with the Vietnamese. They called him the Prince. He was well treated actually. And he was well treated because he traded these propaganda interviews for good treatment. So look, it's a horrible story anyway you cut it, anyway you look at it, any way you you you deal with it.
"But, it's not the story Fred Thompson told. Nor is it the story Rudy Giuliani told. Nor is it the story Sarah Palin told. Nor is it the story anybody. Cindy McCain knew to limit herself to 'I think what my husband did in Vietnam was heroic' because she knows the truth too."
For God's sake, have these people no shame?
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Stayin' young
Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige began playing in the Negro Leagues at age 20 in 1926. He made his Major League debut in 1948, thus becoming the oldest man ever to debut in the majors. He pitched in his last professional baseball game in 1965 at age 59.
In his autobiography, Paige listed six rules for staying young. Here they are (courtesy of Baseball Digest):
1. Avoid fried meats which angry up the blood.
2. If you stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts.
3. Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you move.
4. Go very light on the vices, such as carrying on in society. The social ramble ain't restful.
5. Avoid running at all times.
6. Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you.
Sounds like a plan! I don't know about that first rule, though. Tain't a single part of me that's angry when I eat a piece of skillet-fried chicken.
In his autobiography, Paige listed six rules for staying young. Here they are (courtesy of Baseball Digest):
1. Avoid fried meats which angry up the blood.
2. If you stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts.
3. Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you move.
4. Go very light on the vices, such as carrying on in society. The social ramble ain't restful.
5. Avoid running at all times.
6. Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you.
Sounds like a plan! I don't know about that first rule, though. Tain't a single part of me that's angry when I eat a piece of skillet-fried chicken.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Monday, September 08, 2008
Take that, Mr. Unibrow, er, Gallagher!
Noel Gallagher, lead guitarist for Oasis, was attacked onstage over the weekend. Security quickly tackled the attacker and he was arrested. Video here:
Remember the Oasis vs. Blur feud from the late-1990s? I always preferred Blur -- still do. So, any bloke who's brave enough to bum-rush a stage and attempt to smack Noel Gallagher in his unibrow ... well, that bloke has my undying admiration.
Remember the Oasis vs. Blur feud from the late-1990s? I always preferred Blur -- still do. So, any bloke who's brave enough to bum-rush a stage and attempt to smack Noel Gallagher in his unibrow ... well, that bloke has my undying admiration.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 08, 2008
Quote of the day
"Unlike [B. Hussein] Obama, who thought so highly of himself that he wrote two autobiographies before he accomplished anything, Mrs. Palin has raised a family, run a business, managed a city and governed a state. She took on corrupt members of her own party, toppled a sitting Republican governor and said 'no' to Alaska's infamous 'Bridge to Nowhere.' She is pro-life, pro-family, pro-Second Amendment and pro-free enterprise. She is the governor of America's most natural resource-rich state and is an advocate of oil drilling in ANWR. Oh, and she has an 80 percent approval rating among Alaskans."
-- Doug Patton
-- Doug Patton
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 08, 2008
Bouncy, Bouncy!
When I was an undergraduate student, I had a friend who would often say "Bouncy, bouncy!" whenever he saw ... well, I'd be a little embarrassed to tell you what he saw when he said that (I'll let you use your imagination).
When I saw this this morning, I couldn't help but say "Bouncy, bouncy!" in a tribute to my bud:
[A]s of yesterday, the Gallup Track had gone from Obama +8 to McCain +3 a convention bounce of 11 percentage points for McCain/Palin. ...
Rasmussen's three-day track has the race tied as does the CBS poll. CNN's poll - which was in the field before the GOP convention started - has Obama +1. The Hotline Tracking Poll is the odd-man-out showing Obama with a six point lead.
LATE BREAKING: After I had finished writing this column, USA Today posted the results of its latest poll showing McCain leading Obama by a shocking TEN PERCENTAGE POINTS.
Given the public's big beef with Republicans in general, and President Bush in particular, Senator B. Hussein and Senator Lots O' Plugs should be at least - at least - five points ahead of McCain/Palin in national polls; and they should be besting 'em in battleground states by a similar margin, which just ain't happening (McCain is making a big play in Michigan, and just might win there).
If you've already booked package to Washington, DC, in anticipation of an Obama inauguration, you best be lookin' at the fine print to see if you can get your money back.
When I saw this this morning, I couldn't help but say "Bouncy, bouncy!" in a tribute to my bud:
[A]s of yesterday, the Gallup Track had gone from Obama +8 to McCain +3 a convention bounce of 11 percentage points for McCain/Palin. ...
Rasmussen's three-day track has the race tied as does the CBS poll. CNN's poll - which was in the field before the GOP convention started - has Obama +1. The Hotline Tracking Poll is the odd-man-out showing Obama with a six point lead.
LATE BREAKING: After I had finished writing this column, USA Today posted the results of its latest poll showing McCain leading Obama by a shocking TEN PERCENTAGE POINTS.
Given the public's big beef with Republicans in general, and President Bush in particular, Senator B. Hussein and Senator Lots O' Plugs should be at least - at least - five points ahead of McCain/Palin in national polls; and they should be besting 'em in battleground states by a similar margin, which just ain't happening (McCain is making a big play in Michigan, and just might win there).
If you've already booked package to Washington, DC, in anticipation of an Obama inauguration, you best be lookin' at the fine print to see if you can get your money back.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 08, 2008
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Joltin' Django's cure for "evacuation fatique"
Creeder Reader Dana sends this story about possible "evacuation fatigue" in southeast Louisiana:
"In Louisiana, still recovering from last week's Hurricane Gustav, Gov. Bobby Jindal set up a task force to prepare for the possibility of more havoc.
"'We're not hoping for another strike, another storm, but we're ready,' he said.
"Even as Gustav evacuees headed home, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said officials were anxiously monitoring Ike's projected path toward the Gulf.
"'Our citizens are weary and they're tired and they have spent a lot of money evacuating ... from Gustav,' he said. He added that if Ike were to threaten, 'my expectations this time is, it will be very difficult to move the kind of numbers out of this city that we moved during Gustav.'"
I think that the folks who name hurricanes should use less innocuous names. I mean, Hurricane "Ike?" Ike is a name that should be affixed to a high pressure system somewhere, not a hurricane.
If hurricanes were given fierce-sounding names, people would be more apt to consider the danger of staying in an area likely to be hit by a hurricane. Think about it:
If TV weather forecasters in southeast Louisiana were saying something like "Hurricane Genghis Khan/Vlad the Impaler is bearing down on this area," don't you think more people would want to get the **** out o' Dodge, er, New Orleans?!
"In Louisiana, still recovering from last week's Hurricane Gustav, Gov. Bobby Jindal set up a task force to prepare for the possibility of more havoc.
"'We're not hoping for another strike, another storm, but we're ready,' he said.
"Even as Gustav evacuees headed home, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said officials were anxiously monitoring Ike's projected path toward the Gulf.
"'Our citizens are weary and they're tired and they have spent a lot of money evacuating ... from Gustav,' he said. He added that if Ike were to threaten, 'my expectations this time is, it will be very difficult to move the kind of numbers out of this city that we moved during Gustav.'"
I think that the folks who name hurricanes should use less innocuous names. I mean, Hurricane "Ike?" Ike is a name that should be affixed to a high pressure system somewhere, not a hurricane.
If hurricanes were given fierce-sounding names, people would be more apt to consider the danger of staying in an area likely to be hit by a hurricane. Think about it:
If TV weather forecasters in southeast Louisiana were saying something like "Hurricane Genghis Khan/Vlad the Impaler is bearing down on this area," don't you think more people would want to get the **** out o' Dodge, er, New Orleans?!
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Sunday, September 07, 2008
Friday, September 05, 2008
"The glummest face Wednesday night might have been ... Hillary Clinton."
Is Palin the American Margaret Thatcher? We could only be so lucky. Check out this opinion piece from today's Wall Street Journal.
Best quote from the piece:
"The glummest face Wednesday night might have been, if only we could have seen it, that of Hillary Clinton.
"Imagine watching Sarah Palin, the gun-toting, lifelong member of the NRA, the PTA mom with teased hair and hips half the size of Hillary's, who went ... omigod ... to the University of Idaho and studied journalism. Mrs. Palin with her five kids and one of them still virtually suckling age, going wham through that cement ceiling put there exclusively for good-looking right-wing/populist conservative females by not-so-good-looking left-wing ones (Gloria Steinem excepting). There, pending some terrible goof or revelation, stood the woman most likely to get into the Oval Office as its official occupant rather than as an intern."
Brilliant observation. And from a Canadian, no less.
Best quote from the piece:
"The glummest face Wednesday night might have been, if only we could have seen it, that of Hillary Clinton.
"Imagine watching Sarah Palin, the gun-toting, lifelong member of the NRA, the PTA mom with teased hair and hips half the size of Hillary's, who went ... omigod ... to the University of Idaho and studied journalism. Mrs. Palin with her five kids and one of them still virtually suckling age, going wham through that cement ceiling put there exclusively for good-looking right-wing/populist conservative females by not-so-good-looking left-wing ones (Gloria Steinem excepting). There, pending some terrible goof or revelation, stood the woman most likely to get into the Oval Office as its official occupant rather than as an intern."
Brilliant observation. And from a Canadian, no less.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Friday, September 05, 2008
Pics of the day
Sometime around 4 a.m. this morning, my sleep was disturbed by something that sounded like Paul Bunyan snapping a large fistful of spaghetti noodles in half. I looked out my bedroom window but didn't see anything. Then I went back to sleep.
When I went out to retrieve the paper(s) this morning, I noticed a huge limb lying in my neighbor's yard. "That's what I heard this morning!" I says to myself.
I had to go to Lynchburg, TN, today. When I got home, my neighbor and some chainsaw-totin' fellers were just starting to bust that big-ass limb up. I grabbed a beer and went to watch. All I did was watch. Joltin' Django don't do chainsaws.
When I went out to retrieve the paper(s) this morning, I noticed a huge limb lying in my neighbor's yard. "That's what I heard this morning!" I says to myself.
I had to go to Lynchburg, TN, today. When I got home, my neighbor and some chainsaw-totin' fellers were just starting to bust that big-ass limb up. I grabbed a beer and went to watch. All I did was watch. Joltin' Django don't do chainsaws.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Friday, September 05, 2008
Thursday, September 04, 2008
So let me get this straight ...
“So I want to first of all acknowledge ... Kwame Kilpatrick, who has been on the frontlines — has been on the frontlines doing an outstanding job."
-- B. Hussein Obama
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick "was bounced from office Thursday in a deal with prosecutors that will send him to jail and put an end to the sex scandal that embarrassed this chronically struggling city and preoccupied its government for months.
"The 38-year-old 'Hip-Hop Mayor' who brought energy and excitement to City Hall when he took office in 2002 pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and will get four months behind bars.
"The Democrat will also pay a $1 million fine and lose his license to practice law, and cannot run for any elected office for five years. His resignation will take effect in two weeks.
"Kilpatrick was charged earlier this year with perjury and other offenses for denying he and his chief of staff had an affair. The scandal broke wide open in January with the release of a trove of lusty text messages between the two of them that appeared to contradict the mayor."
So let me get this straight ...
The Hip-Hop Mayor had an affair with a co-worker. He lied about the affair in court. He instructed others to lie about his affair. And he didn't begin to come clean until concrete proof, i.e., sexually-charged text messages, came to light. Now he's going to jail.
Bill Clinton had an affair with a co-worker. He lied about the affair in court. He instructed others to lie about his affair. And he didn't come clean until concrete proof, i.e., a not-so-clean blue dress, came to light. He not only hung on to his job, his approval ratings went up and he was able to delude himself into thinking that he "saved" the Constitution by successfully skirting the law.
What a f'ed-up country we live in ...
-- B. Hussein Obama
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick "was bounced from office Thursday in a deal with prosecutors that will send him to jail and put an end to the sex scandal that embarrassed this chronically struggling city and preoccupied its government for months.
"The 38-year-old 'Hip-Hop Mayor' who brought energy and excitement to City Hall when he took office in 2002 pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and will get four months behind bars.
"The Democrat will also pay a $1 million fine and lose his license to practice law, and cannot run for any elected office for five years. His resignation will take effect in two weeks.
"Kilpatrick was charged earlier this year with perjury and other offenses for denying he and his chief of staff had an affair. The scandal broke wide open in January with the release of a trove of lusty text messages between the two of them that appeared to contradict the mayor."
So let me get this straight ...
The Hip-Hop Mayor had an affair with a co-worker. He lied about the affair in court. He instructed others to lie about his affair. And he didn't begin to come clean until concrete proof, i.e., sexually-charged text messages, came to light. Now he's going to jail.
Bill Clinton had an affair with a co-worker. He lied about the affair in court. He instructed others to lie about his affair. And he didn't come clean until concrete proof, i.e., a not-so-clean blue dress, came to light. He not only hung on to his job, his approval ratings went up and he was able to delude himself into thinking that he "saved" the Constitution by successfully skirting the law.
What a f'ed-up country we live in ...
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Thursday, September 04, 2008
A pit bull with lipstick
Anyone who watched Sarah Palin's speech last night must surely agree with Rich Galen: "We needn't have worried. She was great." Here's more from Galen:
Sarah, on the other hand had two burdens: One, her speech last Friday from Dayton was so good that she had set the personal speech bar pretty high. Two, the ferocity of the attacks against her by the Democrats and their allies in the media might have put her on the defensive. ...
She came right out of the box talking about her family - all of them - in terms which any mom, proud of her brood, would have recognized.
That out of the way, she described her life as a small town mayor. "It's sort of like being a community organizer," she said, (a clear reference to Sen. Barack Obama's claim to fame that he was a community organizer in Chicago) "except that you have actual responsibilities," she concluded.
In politics we know that major candidates do not write their own speeches. But major candidates have to deliver their own speeches.
There was some question as to whether she should sustain a line of attacks against Obama which is typical of the role of the Vice Presidential candidate.
We needn't have worried. She was great.
One of my favorite lines in the speech was this:
In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers.
And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.
I don't know who wrote it. But I know who delivered it. With exactly the right pacing.
Sarah Palin.
The line which got the biggest roar of approval was an ad lib. The speech text reads:
I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids' public education better.
Palin, paused, looked around the hall, and said: "You know what the difference is between a pit bull and a hockey mom? - beat - Lipstick.
We needed have worried. She was great.
"It's sort of like being a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities." That has to be the best line thus far from campaign 2008!
Sarah, on the other hand had two burdens: One, her speech last Friday from Dayton was so good that she had set the personal speech bar pretty high. Two, the ferocity of the attacks against her by the Democrats and their allies in the media might have put her on the defensive. ...
She came right out of the box talking about her family - all of them - in terms which any mom, proud of her brood, would have recognized.
That out of the way, she described her life as a small town mayor. "It's sort of like being a community organizer," she said, (a clear reference to Sen. Barack Obama's claim to fame that he was a community organizer in Chicago) "except that you have actual responsibilities," she concluded.
In politics we know that major candidates do not write their own speeches. But major candidates have to deliver their own speeches.
There was some question as to whether she should sustain a line of attacks against Obama which is typical of the role of the Vice Presidential candidate.
We needn't have worried. She was great.
One of my favorite lines in the speech was this:
In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers.
And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.
I don't know who wrote it. But I know who delivered it. With exactly the right pacing.
Sarah Palin.
The line which got the biggest roar of approval was an ad lib. The speech text reads:
I was just your average hockey mom, and signed up for the PTA because I wanted to make my kids' public education better.
Palin, paused, looked around the hall, and said: "You know what the difference is between a pit bull and a hockey mom? - beat - Lipstick.
We needed have worried. She was great.
"It's sort of like being a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities." That has to be the best line thus far from campaign 2008!
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Thursday, September 04, 2008
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
"Hypocrisy is the only moral failing ..."
Check this out:
"The Politico has received an opposition research file from the Alaska Democrats. ...
"In the file, the Democrats have released Sarah Palin's social security number minus the last four digits. Also tied to the information are her various home addresses.
"Back in 2005, Democrats used Michael Steele's social security number to get his credit record."
You know, it wasn't that long ago when Democrats had their panties in a twist over the Patriot Act, which allows the government to monitor communications of suspected al-Qaeda operatives. But they have no problem snooping into the protected, personal files of their political opponents.
Historian Steven F. Hayward wasn't kidding when he said, "Hypocrisy is the only moral failing that's yet to become an alternative lifestyle."
"The Politico has received an opposition research file from the Alaska Democrats. ...
"In the file, the Democrats have released Sarah Palin's social security number minus the last four digits. Also tied to the information are her various home addresses.
"Back in 2005, Democrats used Michael Steele's social security number to get his credit record."
You know, it wasn't that long ago when Democrats had their panties in a twist over the Patriot Act, which allows the government to monitor communications of suspected al-Qaeda operatives. But they have no problem snooping into the protected, personal files of their political opponents.
Historian Steven F. Hayward wasn't kidding when he said, "Hypocrisy is the only moral failing that's yet to become an alternative lifestyle."
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Shhh ... the surge is working (part onze)
Anyone who's read Bing West's gritty account of the 2004 Battle of Fallujah can tell you how significant this news is:
With Iraq’s notorious Anbar province now in the hands of civilian authorities, the United States has reached a major milestone in the Iraq War, military experts say.
On Monday, President Bush announced that the United States has formally turned control of the former al Qaeda stronghold back to Iraqi authorities.
"Today, Anbar is no longer lost to al Qaeda – it is al Qaeda that lost Anbar," Bush said. "Iraqis – like countless other Muslims across the world – witnessed al Qaeda’s brutality first-hand and rejected it. As a result, Anbar has been transformed and reclaimed by the Iraqi people."
Retired Army Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis, a military expert and consultant to the Pentagon on Iraq and Afghanistan, told CNSNews.com that the transfer of authority was a major coup.
"It’s absolutely phenomenal that we’ve turned around, since the beginning of the surge, perhaps the largest eyesore and trouble spot in all of Iraq, and now it’s being run by Iraqi security forces,” Maginnis said from Germany, where he is training coalition troops.
"It’s evidence of the fact not only that the surge has worked but that the Sunni brothers have basically come to the rescue of their own people," he said.
Two years ago, Anbar was the most violent of Iraq’s 18 provinces – with al Qaeda threatening almost every major town in the province – a fact that did not escape the notice of the Iraqi government at Monday’s handover ceremony.
More proof that the surge is working:
U.S. casualties in Iraq were higher in August than they were in July, but down sharply from a year ago, according to a CNSNews.com analysis of Pentagon data. There were 20 U.S. casualties connected with Operation Iraqi Freedom in August 2008, 13 of which were caused by enemy action. That compares to 83 casualties in August 2007, 56 of which were caused by enemy action.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
On the day after Christmas, DNC gave to me (not what you think) ...
One of my all-time favorite bands, Drivin' N Cryin', has announced that they'll be playing a gig in Atlanta on Decmember 26.
DNC has been on a recording hiatus for over a decade, and the band only ventures out to play a gig every now and then. (Last time I seen 'em was in Atlanta on the day after Thanksgiving 2005.)
I'm gonna be in Atlanta on December 26, fo' sho'. You're welcome to come with.
P.S. Drivin' N Cryin's seminal 1991 LP Fly Me Courageous has been re-issued. Do yourself a favor and pick one up here.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Tuesday, September 02, 2008
"You can call me anything you want ..."
From Political Punch:
"[W]e hear ... that Karl Rove told the Maine Republican delegation to the GOP Convention that Sen. Barack Obama's running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., a 'big, blowhard doofus.' ...
"'Apparently he didn't get the memo,' the Delaware senator [said], referring to his belief that due to Hurricane Gustav both parties should refrain from partisan politics for the moment.
"'So can we call you Senator Doofus now?', a reporter asked the veep candidate.
"'You can call me anything you want,' Biden responded. 'I learned a long time ago you can call me anything you want.'"
What Senator Biden needs to know is that it's one thing to be a victim of juvenile name-calling; it's quite another thing to get pegged with a spot-on descriptive nom. Karl Rove's calling Biden a "blowhard" was spot-on. If I called Biden "Senator Bad Plugs," that'd be spot-on, too. "Senator Neil Kinnock, Jr." ... that'd be extra-good spot-on (as Andy Griffith might say).
Vice President Biden. That sounds almost - almost - as ridiculous as Vice President John Edwards.
"[W]e hear ... that Karl Rove told the Maine Republican delegation to the GOP Convention that Sen. Barack Obama's running mate, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., a 'big, blowhard doofus.' ...
"'Apparently he didn't get the memo,' the Delaware senator [said], referring to his belief that due to Hurricane Gustav both parties should refrain from partisan politics for the moment.
"'So can we call you Senator Doofus now?', a reporter asked the veep candidate.
"'You can call me anything you want,' Biden responded. 'I learned a long time ago you can call me anything you want.'"
What Senator Biden needs to know is that it's one thing to be a victim of juvenile name-calling; it's quite another thing to get pegged with a spot-on descriptive nom. Karl Rove's calling Biden a "blowhard" was spot-on. If I called Biden "Senator Bad Plugs," that'd be spot-on, too. "Senator Neil Kinnock, Jr." ... that'd be extra-good spot-on (as Andy Griffith might say).
Vice President Biden. That sounds almost - almost - as ridiculous as Vice President John Edwards.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Vote against left-wing low-lifery. Vote for John McCain.
Liberals are all about peace and non-violence and all that, right? Wrong. A large gaggle of left-wingers have descended upon St. Paul, Minnesota, for the Republican National Convention, and they're acting like ... well, they're acting like ****in' animals.
From The Pioneer Press:
Protesters harassed two state delegations in St. Paul to attend the Republican National Convention Monday. Someone threw a rock through the window as delegates from Alabama rode their bus to the Xcel Energy Center, where RNC events took place. And masked protesters confronted and harassed the Connecticut delegation — several of them were spat upon, roughed up and doused with a mixture of water and bleach.
From MyFox Twin Cities:
One 80-year-old member of the [Connecticut] delegation had to be treated for injuries, and several other delegates had to rinse their eyes and clothing [after being sprayed with bleach].
Oh, and there's this from Power Line:
[A] busload of Cub Scouts were en route to the convention, where they were to present the colors to open the convention. A group of protesters--liberals, Obama supporters, or whatever--blocked the road, surrounded the bus, and attacked it, rocking the bus back and forth, denting and scratching the sides, and generally terrifying the children trapped inside. The left-wing protesters attacked a number of buses in the same way, but there is something especially despicable about attacking a group of Cub Scouts.
Attacking the elderly. Squirting folks with bleach. Assaulting Cub Scouts. And you know each and every one of the low-life sombitches who did such will vote for B. Hussein Obama come this November.
Vote against left-wing low-lifery. Vote for John McCain.
From The Pioneer Press:
Protesters harassed two state delegations in St. Paul to attend the Republican National Convention Monday. Someone threw a rock through the window as delegates from Alabama rode their bus to the Xcel Energy Center, where RNC events took place. And masked protesters confronted and harassed the Connecticut delegation — several of them were spat upon, roughed up and doused with a mixture of water and bleach.
From MyFox Twin Cities:
One 80-year-old member of the [Connecticut] delegation had to be treated for injuries, and several other delegates had to rinse their eyes and clothing [after being sprayed with bleach].
Oh, and there's this from Power Line:
[A] busload of Cub Scouts were en route to the convention, where they were to present the colors to open the convention. A group of protesters--liberals, Obama supporters, or whatever--blocked the road, surrounded the bus, and attacked it, rocking the bus back and forth, denting and scratching the sides, and generally terrifying the children trapped inside. The left-wing protesters attacked a number of buses in the same way, but there is something especially despicable about attacking a group of Cub Scouts.
Attacking the elderly. Squirting folks with bleach. Assaulting Cub Scouts. And you know each and every one of the low-life sombitches who did such will vote for B. Hussein Obama come this November.
Vote against left-wing low-lifery. Vote for John McCain.
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Monday, September 01, 2008
Pics of the day
Don't know why, but I've had more critters to tromp 'cross my backyard this year than in any previous year. I've had squirrels; I've had rabbits; I've had possums; I've had coons; and today, I seen a groundhog. To wit:
He dug around for a bit, perked up ...
... and he was gone.
One of these days, I'm gonna master this fancy digital camera o' mine. I also plan on takin' a "photographing wildlife" class. Stay tuned!
He dug around for a bit, perked up ...
... and he was gone.
One of these days, I'm gonna master this fancy digital camera o' mine. I also plan on takin' a "photographing wildlife" class. Stay tuned!
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 01, 2008
Quote of the day
"We may be seeing the first woman president. As a Democrat, I am reeling. ... That was the best political speech I have ever seen delivered by an American woman politician. Palin is as tough as nails."
-- Left-wing cultural critic Camille Paglia on GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin
-- Left-wing cultural critic Camille Paglia on GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin
# posted by Joltin' Django @ Monday, September 01, 2008
