Archive for January, 2009
Michael Steele..Looking Forward
January 30th, 2009
Michael Steele grants his first interview to Sean Hannity following his election as Chairman of the Republican Party:
The party has a great deal of work to do and today they selected a man who is up to the task.
Another Cabinet Nominee Whose Knowledge Of The Federal Income Tax Laws Is Lacking? (Updated)
January 30th, 2009
Is improperly filing federal tax returns a prerequisite to receiving a Cabinet nomination in the current administration?
ABC News has learned that the nomination of former Senator Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., to be President Obama’s Secretary of Health and Human Services has hit a traffic snarl on its way through the Senate Finance Committee.
The controversy deals with a car and driver lent to Daschle by a wealthy Democratic friend, a chauffeur service the former senator used for years without declaring it on his taxes.
It remains an open question as to whether this is a “speed bump,” as a Democratic Senate ally of Daschle put it, or something more damaging.
After being defeated in his 2004 re-election campaign to the Senate, Daschle in 2005 became a consultant and chairman of the Executive Advisory Board at InterMedia Advisors.
Based in New York City, InterMedia Advisors is a private equity firm founded in part by longtime Daschle friend and Democratic fundraiserLeo Hindery, the former president of the YES network (the Yankees’ and Devils’ broadcast network).
That same year he began his professional relationship with InterMedia 2005, Daschle began using the services of Hindery’s car and driver.
The Cadillac and driver were never part of Daschle’s official compensation package at InterMedia but Mr. Daschle — who as Senate majority leader enjoyed the use of a car and driver at taxpayer expense — didn’t declare their services on his income taxes, as tax laws require.
During the vetting process to become HHS secretary, Daschle corrected the tax violation, voluntarily paying $101,943 in back taxes plus interest, working with his accountant to amend his tax returns for 2005 through 2007.
Mr. Daschle has one thing to be grateful for -that (D) after his name.
As a side note I would like to commend Jake Tapper for being a member of the media who is honest enough (and has done so on more than one occasion) to report misgivings on both sides of the aisle. How refreshing.
HT:Hot Air
Update:Mr. Daschle’s tax issues continue to grow:
Mr. Daschle also didn’t report $83,333 in consulting income in 2007.
The Senate Finance Committee Report also notes that during the vetting process, President Obama’s Transition Team “identified certain donations that did not qualify as charitable deductions because they were not paid to qualifying organizations. Daschle adjusted his contribution deductions on his amended returns for 2005, 2006 and 2007 to remove these amounts and add additional contributions.” This adjustment meant a reduction in the amount he contributed to charitable foundations of $14,963 from 2005 through 2007.
With the unreported income from the use of a car service in the amounts of $73,031 in 2005, $89,129 in 2006 and $93,096 in 2007; the unreported consulting income of $83,333 in 2007; and the adjusted reductions in charitable contributions, Daschle adds a total of $353,552 in additional income and reduced donations, meaning an additional tax payment of $128,203, in addition to $11,964 in interest.
Why does he not withdraw his nomination at this point? It would seem not only the smart but decent thing to do.
It’s Smart To Choose Your Arguments (And Targets) Wisely
January 30th, 2009
Rush Limbaugh in a radio interview with Mark Levin discusses recent events emanating from comments to members of congress attending a White House meeting:
[Warning: minimal strong language not suitable for children]
This clip was created by your Radio Equalizer
The RNC Elects A New Chairman
January 30th, 2009
Congratulations to Michael Steele who secured the RNC Chairmanship in the 6th round of voting today:
Love That New Bipartisanship
January 30th, 2009
Who said the following when asked a question relating to bipartisanship?:
I didn’t come here to be partisan. I didn’t come here to be bipartisan. I came here, as did my colleagues, to be nonpartisan, to work for the American people, to do what is in their interest.
a) Harry Reid
b) Barack Obama
c) Mitch McConnell
d) Nancy Pelosi
e) John Boehner
If you answered (d) Nancy Pelosi you win.
See the story.
Will They Love Us Tomorrow?
January 30th, 2009
You’ve heard by now that our standing in the world will much improve now that the evil George Bush is no longer in office.
A Democratic White House and Congress will create a love-in across the globe for certain.
Not so fast:
The EU trade commissioner vowed to fight back after the bill passed in the House of Representatives late on Wednesday included a ban on most purchases of foreign steel and iron used in infrastructure projects.
The Senate’s version of the legislation, which will be debated early next week, goes even further, requiring that any projects related to the stimulus use only American-made equipment and goods.
The inclusion of protectionist measures has quickly raised hackles in Europe.
Catherine Ashton, the EU trade commissioner, said: “We are looking at the situation. The one thing we can be absolutely certain about, is if a bill is passed which prohibits the sale or purchase of European goods on American territory, that is something we will not stand idly by and ignore.”
Despite the parlous state of the US economy, some major American firms, including General Electric, are also opposed to the Buy American stipulations, fearing reprisals from overseas and further damage to the global economy.
Bill Lane, government affairs director for Caterpillar, which has just laid off nearly a fifth of its 112,000 work force and is the tenth largest US investor in Britain, warned it was a dangerous step.
He said: “We are the first to recognise that if the US embraces Buy American then the whole notion of buying national will metastasize and limit our ability to take part in overseas projects.
“We are students of history. A major reason a very deep recession turned into the Great Depression was the fact that countries turned inward.”
Buying American is important, however, we must keep avenues of free trade open if we are to survive.
Let the love fest end and the tough days of governing begin.
When Opinions Really Do Not Matter
January 30th, 2009
Does this administration’s Press Secretary honestly believe members of Congress do not know each other?
“You know, the president also wanted last night to be a little bit more social, you know, so that individuals could better get to know each other and understand where they’re coming from in these legislative disagreements,” Gibbs told reporters Thursday. “But, again, you know, the president’s outreach on this will continue.”
emphasis-mine
Outreach? This man informed Republicans “I won.”
While the statement is true, this is behavior expected from a child, it is not befitting the President of the United States.
Are Republicans just supposed to roll over and play dead? Are they just to give a nod and wink to all proposals because the opposition won?
I for one am proud of the Republicans in the House for standing up to the Speaker and administration with regard to this pork laden stimulus bill. These folks are sent to Washington to fight for all Americans-not just special interests which support them in their political ambitions.
On Sunday, there will be a winner and a loser in the Super Bowl.
It’s a safe bet the majority of those interviewed from the winning team will have very complimentary things to say about their opponent.
Too bad we don’t have the same level of courtesy in Washington.
Blagojevich Removed From Office
January 29th, 2009
Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois has been found guilty in the state senate and has been removed from office. See story.
Two Different Options; Two Different Results
January 29th, 2009
A 93 year old WWII veteran froze to death in his home because he was getting forgetful and didn’t pay his electric bill for four months, so the city utility company in Bay City, Michigan installed a power-limiting device.
Apparently they didn’t tell or show the old man how to flip the switch on the outside so he could turn his electricity back on and he was found dead, wrapped in a winter jacket over four layers of clothing.
The pathologist found frostbite on one of his feet and is checking to see if he suffered from dementia, since there was more than enough cash found in the home to have covered the bills.
Now comes the story of President Barack Obama, who the NY Times gushingly praises as though he were a god, working in the Oval Office in shirtsleeves because he grew up in Hawaii and hates the cold.
He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”
One has nothing to do with the other, but didn’t this president as a candidate insist we couldn’t keep our thermostats at 72 degrees and expect the world to think it was fine?
He may have grown up in Hawaii but one gets used to the weather where one lives if one lives there long enough.
I grew up in Maine and live in the South now. When I go home to Maine I get colder than I do in the South and dress accordingly. I don’t suffocate everyone around me just so I can stay warm.
I remember when my grandmother got old and got colder due to age. I would visit her every January and would suffocate with a blast of heat hitting me in the face as soon as I opened her door. Most days I would take a walk outside with my jacket either off or unbuttoned so I could cool off.
If he’s so concerned about global warming and the effects of man-made emissions why is the president breaking his own rules and having his office, and probably his living quarters, hot enough to grow orchids?
I’ve been to Hawaii and one of the things they impress upon you is the weather is a balmy 72 degrees or whatever year round. It did seem to get hot to me when I was there on some days but then a ride to a volcano made you wish you had your long johns on.
Two different stories in the past two weeks. One died from freezing to death while the younger man just turned up the public thermostat.
Taxes, The View and a Pancake House in Michigan
January 29th, 2009
Just a few things to pass along today:
Iowahawk on taxes. Too funny!
The hero worship continues:
On January 23, Joy Behar, who apparently was once a comedian of some kind and now is in politics–sort of like Al Franken–appeared on the Larry King show on CNN. The Gay Patriot caught it and commented, but didn’t have access to the transcript. It’s up now, here, and it illustrates pretty well what we’re up against in the world of entertainment. (I assume someone out there must think Behar is entertaining.)
KING: OK, is this administration going to be hard for the comics to have fun with?
BEHAR: Yes. And all I can say is thank you for Joe Biden, because he is going to always give us some laughs. He’ll say something crazy and out there, and it will be fun. And Sarah Palin, you know, we can always rely on her to come back and give us some material. But it is really not easy to make fun of the Obamas, because they’re really — they’re kind of really perfect, aren’t they?
Emphasis, mine
Those who voted this administration into power should be proud and happy their man won, however, when one begins to believe that any human is above criticism…well that’s a whole different story.
Generous, giving people are not hard to find (even in rough times):
Live Demonstration of “Bite-Partisianship”
January 29th, 2009
Think of the dog as Congress. Think of the mouth as Pelosi Inc. Think of the bone as the House passed “stimulus bill”. Think of the leg as any member of the Republican caucus who wishes input into legislation.
What you get is this:
Yeah, I know. It’s crazy. But it’s the new world in Washington. Just call it “bite-partisanship”.
Football Fun
January 29th, 2009
Two balls collide in mid-air and are delivered on target to two receivers..oh heck, just watch the amazing abilities of these professional football players:
Stimulus For The Economy..Or Not?
January 28th, 2009
Some stimulus package huh?
The WSJ calculates that no more than 12 cents on the dollar in the trillion-dollar whale goes to actual economic stimulus, and that the rest go to Democratic wish lists for electoral advantage:
Access to the Internet is spotty today due to weather so please read at the above link for Ed Morrissey’s further thoughts:
The Journal discovers another “lu-lu” in public transportation, but not the kind you’d expect. Congress wants to spend $600 million on new cars for federal agencies. Do you have the money to buy a new car in 2009? Well, you won’t if this bill passes, but apparently a few thousand federal employees will enjoy that luxury, thanks to your tax dollars.
At Least This Once I Can be Proud of One of My Home State Senators
January 27th, 2009
My home state is Maine, and for a republican to get elected anywhere in the Northeast the republican must be a moderate or actually a liberal politician.
This is one time I can be proud of one of my home state’s senators. Sen. Susan Collins explains why she couldn’t and ultimately didn’t vote for Timothy Geithner’s confirmation to Treasury Secretary:
On the other hand, Sen. Olympia Snowe stayed true to form and rubber-stamped the nomination.
Here’s the list of republican senators who voted for confirmation:
Corker
Cornyn
Crapo
Ensign
Graham
Gregg
Hatch
Shelby
Snowe
Voinovich
If they had all voted no Geithner would have received 50 votes instead of 60 votes and he still would have won since we don’t have a complete senate yet, but at least the message would have been sent.
Tomorrow I will put in a call to the third senator from the state of Arizona, who is posing as the senior senator from my current state of South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, and tell him how I feel about his vote.
A First Hand Account From Iraq
January 27th, 2009
While the media and politicians (at home and abroad) jockeyed for position on the Iraq war, its residents have seen the fruits of not only the labors of the joint military forces but of their own citizens:
When hypocrites and extremists sober up from their shoe hangover they will see a new Iraq which will not be easy for them to recognize. Even harder for them will be to contain the tides of freedom and democracy which are bound to reach their shores and shake the foundations of dictatorships and extremism.
Those seeking perfection will never find it. Just look at our own country as it serves as a prime example of a nation still striving to find itself.
What is a travesty is that for pure political domination many sought to destroy those who believed in freedom for those oppressed.
Move Over One Through Forty Three
January 27th, 2009
Just thought you would like to know:
Quite simply, quite plainly, just by virtue his being, Obama is America. The first true American to lead our nation.
What are you thinking right now?
Tax Cheats: You May Have an Out!
January 27th, 2009
Tax cheat extrairdinaire Timothy Geithner has been confirmed 60-34 and sworn in as Treasury Secretary.
By now we all know his story. He failed to pay back income taxes until ordered to do so, but paid only the two years in which the statute of limitations had not expired. He paid those taxes when he knew he was going to be nominated for Sec. Treas. Of course, he didn’t have to pay any penalties. What a sweet deal.
I can just see someone going to tax court now saying he wants the same treatment Geithner got: pay the back taxes with no penalties.
I wonder how the judge will react to that.
Every year we get audited for something that is legitimate and agreed it is once checked by the IRS.
Geithner didn’t and may not pay his taxes the whole time he’s Sec. Treas. Why should he? He heads the IRS.
In no way am I encouraging anyone to cheat on their taxes, but err in the government’s favor if you do err.
I’m getting a headache.
The New “Stimulus” Package and Other Thoughts
January 27th, 2009
The House Democrats and some weak-kneed Republicans will go along, have written a new stimulus package that doesn’t seem to stimulate the economy all that much unless you think free contraceptives creates jobs.
Parts of the new stimulus bill include new sod for the Washington Mall. Yeah, I guess it got torn up pretty good during the inauguration and is incapable of rejuvenating itself with some new seed and fertilizer. So they have earmarked a million or so dollars to put in new sod to be trod upon by visitors in the spring and summer.
And let’s not forget extra money for the arts. Goodness knows we couldn’t live without seeing the Virgin Mary dipped in urine or spread with feces. Or how about the “artist” who can make feces from scratch using a machine. Yep, we need to keep funding that sort of thing. It will bring a lot of jobs. Sarcasm off.
There is plenty of pork to go around because they had a big barbecue and have a lot of leftovers.
The thing that bothers me a lot is they want to cut payroll taxes so those who pay no income taxes will get a tax cut.
What about the rest of us who are retired and no longer subject to payroll taxes, but are subject to the same income taxes everyone else is?
The biggest problem with cutting payroll taxes is the tremendous amount of people who are now or soon to be unemployed and won’t have payroll taxes anyway.
Why do Democrats always have an aversion to cutting income taxes? Yes, we are in uncharted waters, but tax cuts should be a large part of a stimulus package so people can hold onto what little money they have. It will put money into the economy immediately, and Congress can take the time necessary to put forth a considered bill without the pork. We can’t afford spam now, let alone pork. Republicans and Democrats, alike, need to get this through their thick skulls.
Now we get word that our new president has granted his first interview since taking office and the lucky news organization to get the “get” is Al-Arabia.
I think Israel might be getting the jitters, and I’m beginning to wonder what’s going on if he can’t grant an interview with an American news source, even the fawning press who love him would work, instead of his first interview with an Arab audience.
When asked a simple question by Politico last week about why he was hiring a lobbyist for the Defense Department the president got irritated and said something to the effect of “See, this is what happens. I come down here to visit with you and you ask questions.” Umm, they are the press and it is their job to ask questions, though some as fluffier ones than Politico did.
Oy vey!
Posted in Barack Obama, Economic Stimulus for the Common People, Media, Media Bias | 
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And Now for Their Pound of Flesh
January 27th, 2009
We have already heard Pelosi and Obama remind the world they won and we can like it or lump it. It doesn’t matter because the new era of post-partisanship is just like a cloud that disappears, and disappear it has, if it was ever there.
Now House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers has issued a subpoena for Karl Rove to appear before his committee on Feb. 2 to discussing the firings of US Attorneys and the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.
The body isn’t even cold yet and the witch hunt has begun.
Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey named a special prosecutor in September to investigate whether former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, other Bush administration officials or Republicans in Congress should face criminal charges in the firings of the U.S. attorneys.
The inquiry followed the recommendation of internal Justice Department investigators who concluded that, despite administration denials, political considerations played a part in the firings of as many as four of the federal prosecutors. Conyers wants to know what role Rove played in the dismissals.
Siegelman has alleged his prosecution was pushed by Republicans, including Rove. The former governor was convicted on bribery and other charges and was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. He was released early, when a federal appeals court ruled his appeal raised “substantial questions.”
Conyers said in a statement that times have changed.
He said Bush’s position of “absolute immunity” was “rejected by U.S. District Judge John Bates and President Obama has previously dismissed the claim as ‘completely misguided,”‘ Conyers said.
“I have said many times that I will carry this investigation forward to its conclusion, whether in Congress or in court, and today’s action is an important step along the way.
“Change has come to Washington, and I hope Karl Rove is ready for it. After two years of stonewalling, it’s time for him to talk.”
Last July, Bates rejected Bush’s contention that senior White House advisers are immune from subpoenas, siding with Congress’ power to investigate the executive branch.
Conyers also has sought testimony from former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, and ex-White House chief of staff Josh Bolten — although only Rove was named in the new subpoena.
Emphasis mine.
OK, so some of the dismissals were political. Hold the presses! The president has the right to dismiss his appointees for any reason he wants.
What’s so hard to figure that out? In other words, unless Congress passes an ex post facto law (and I wouldn’t put anything beneath them, because after all, they won and they have a majority that can do anything all by themselves. I started to say a fool-proof majority but that would be a lie since we have so many fools in congress who have bloated up so much they require their suits and pantsuits to be let out two sizes at least.
So, let’s watch our post-partisan Democrats in action and see if the people agree. Maybe they will as they seem to be sore winners more than they were sore losers before.
To clear this up, I’m talking about the fringe left who are about to drop off the left side of the earth.
Off with the former administration’s heads! will be the new cry of Conyers and company and they won’t be happy until all are 1) in jail, 2) in debt with legal bills or 3) tried at The Hague.
I suspect the latter option is being reserved for George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney.
And we wonder why we can’t get good people to serve our country.
Tuesday Tid-Bits
January 27th, 2009
These artistic renditions at Mother, May I Sleep With Treacher? are very clever. Keep scrolling here for more.
Perhaps I simply missed the coverage of this (I say tongue in cheek):
On Thursday, I went to visit [my sister] at her new house in West Virginia. I changed trains in DC and had about 1/1/2 hours to kill. I walked outside Union Station and found myself in the middle of a massive right-to-life demonstration. The area around the Capitol was jammed with about a half million people. I saw crowds of Catholic clergy and lay people. But, not a TV camera or journalist with a notepad in sight.
Erick Erickson reports on the state of the race for RNC Chairman:
We can be pretty sure right now that at the end of the week we won’t see Blackwell or Saltsman in the Chairman’s office. As the week goes on and more shifts in voting occur, I’ll try to update with where things stand. Today though, pay attention to Duncan and Steele.
The most we can hope for at this point is that when the new chairman is selected he understands that Democrats are in constant campaign mode. Not only do the Republicans need to play catch up, they need to begin recruiting candidates who are willing to stand up to those in opposition and have the desire to win.
Karl Rove is still making people cry.
A fable turned reality?
Now the media are utterly dependent on President Obama’s good will because they sacrificed so much — their independence, their objectivity — to get him elected. The only way for the media to reassert their independence would be by subjecting Obama to the same level of scrutiny that used to characterize the status quo relationship between the press and the government. I’m not sure they can muster the credibility for such a bold move: too many people’s eyes have been opened to the gross malpractice the press has committed during the campaign — the mainstream media’s love-fest around candidate Obama.
Read the rest. It’s a very appropriate comparison.
Posted in Abortion, Art, Barack Obama, Double Standards, Karl Rove, Media, Media Bias, Politics, RNC |
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Does Pelosi Plan to Implement a One-Child Policy?
January 26th, 2009
Below is a quote from an interview with Nancy Pelosi by George Stephanopolous on This Week at ABC.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?
PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children’s health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those – one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies for that?
PELOSI: No apologies. No. we have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.
So, contraception helps our economy and she has told us why the several hundred thousands of dollars going to contraceptives is not really pork barrel spending, but is actually good for the economy.
I think this woman has met the requirements of having the Peter Principle applied to her: Sooner or later everyone rises to his (her) level of incompetency.
We knew she was a wacky-doodle in the last congress, but with a foolproof majority she has really stuck out like a sore thumb in this congress, which is only days old.
Well, as she said, We won. As the new president told the Republican leadership of congress last week when they gave him input on the stimulus package he said he wanted (the input that is), “I won.” Then he added, “I trump you.”
How I love this new age of post-partisianship and reaching across the aisle.
Remember, elections do have consequences and with the big majorities in the House and Senate the leadership is going to shove it down our throats. I just hope we don’t die of suffocation.
It Is Well With My Soul
January 23rd, 2009
kimsch, the designer of this blog and a blogger in her own right, has posted video from Wednesday’s National Prayer Service for President Obama.
You owe it to yourself to watch the video regardless of politics, as it is the best rendition of Amazing Grace I have ever heard sung. It’s very powerful.
In the past week my husband and I have had to deal with something that troubled me and it was only today when he had surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his scalp that I realized how afraid I had been all week since we got the biopsy results.
Just hearing the word “cancer” strikes fear in most people’s very being and, even when told it is highly curable if caught early, you keep thinking of if caught early.
You wonder if it was caught early, and being on the head makes you worry that it may metastasize.
While trying to find the video of Dr. Wintley Phipps so I could give the reference to kimsch so she could see the story behind the song, I found Dr. Phipps singing It is well with my soul, and I realized it is now well with my soul.
The writer of the hymn lost his children in a boat sinking in the Atlantic, and as he crossed the same area on his way to meet his grieving wife, he wrote this beautiful song that is sung at so many Protestant funerals.
I give you Dr. Phipps and his version of It is well with my soul. May it give you the peace that passes all understanding, especially if you are going through a tough time right now.
What a powerful God is the Great I Am. He is indeed Good.
To Malia and Sasha From Jenna and Barbara
January 23rd, 2009
Very little could provide more of a rewarding, heartbreaking, confusing, educating or enlightening childhood than being that of a President of the United States.
Jenna and Barbara Bush offer a little advice to Malia and Sasha Obama in this very heartwarming (and if you are like me, tear producing) video:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Get a Load of This BS
January 22nd, 2009
After letting his staff trash his running mate right after he lost the election, and not defending her publicly or telling his staff to be quiet, here’s what John S. McCain had to say to Larry King about Gov. Palin:
McCain has been so busy looking out Obama’s mouth (think about that) that he has shown himself to be the reason many of us had serious doubts about him.
How can you tell when a politician lies? Take a look at the video and you’ll see the real deal. Emotionless platitudes to the woman who gave him a chance in the election.
A Lesson In Humility
January 22nd, 2009
This story is one which has many life lessons rolled into its’ text.
It begins as follows:
William “Bill” Crawford certainly was an unimpressive figure, one you could easily overlook during a hectic day at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Mr. Crawford, as most of us referred to him back in the late 1970s, was our squadron janitor. While we cadets busied ourselves preparing for academic exams, athletic events, Saturday morning parades and room inspections, or never-ending leadership classes, Bill quietly moved about the squadron mopping and buffing floors, emptying trash cans, cleaning toilets, or just tidying up the mess 100 college-age kids can leave in a dormitory. Sadly, and for many years, few of us gave him much notice, rendering little more than a passing nod or throwing a curt, “G’morning!” in his direction as we hurried off to our daily duties. Why? Perhaps it was because of the way he did his job-he always kept the squadron area spotlessly clean, even the toilets and showers gleamed. Frankly, he did his job so well, none of us had to notice or get involved.
If you have a few moments read the rest..you might be surprised at what you discover.
HT:Blackfive
Posted in Friendship, Heart Warming, Honesty, Honor, Humility, Military, Pride, Respect |
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Not In My Backyard (Or Close Enough) You Don’t
January 21st, 2009
Just when you think a person cannot say or do something more bizarre than they have in the past they surprise you.
Here’s Jack Murtha’s suggestion as to where to house the terrorists imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay:
Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., says he’d be willing to house prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in his congressional district if President Obama makes good on a plan to close the U.S. prison there.
As one of his first acts in office, the president circulated a draft Wednesday that would shut down Guantanamo Bay within a year.
Murtha only has a minimum security prison in his district. But he says he’d have no reservations about holding detainees there in a maximum security prison.
“Sure, I’d take ‘em,” said Murtha, an outspoken critic of the Iraq war. “They’re no more dangerous in my district than in Guantanamo.”
Murtha added that there was “no reason not to put ‘em in prisons in the United States and handle them the way they would handle any other prisoners.”
But that idea disturbs House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.
“Most communities around America don’t want dangerous terrorists imported into their neighborhoods,” Boehner said in a statement.
“The key question is where do you put these terrorists?” Boehner asked.
Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, is introducing a bill that outlaws the release of a known terrorist into the U.S. Smith, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said it would be appalling to close Guantanamo.
“If terrorists suddenly get the same rights as citizens, then we’ve turned the world upside down,” Smith said. “We don’t think there should be a limit to their detention as long as they are a clear and present danger.”
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Mo., had hoped the president would close Guantanamo Bay. But he said he didn’t know how best to handle the prisoners.
“They’re very unsavory,” Skelton said. “I don’t know where you put them.”
[emphasis-mine]
Jack Murtha has accused United States Marines of being cold blooded killers without them receiving due process. He has insulted his own constituents and now believes that my home state is equipped to deal with those who would kill more innocent Americans given even one whit of a chance.
No thanks sir. If you wish to personally take the responsibility of policing these thugs then please go find yourself a piece of ground away from civilization, retire from the House and do so. Requiring civilian guards in an already overcrowded prison system to take on this chore is well beyond the pale.
Are you listening Western Pennsylvania? Please think twice the next time Rep. Murtha is up for re-election.
John McCain’s Blame Game
January 21st, 2009
Politics is a high stakes game.
At the federal level the chess matches are monumentally important as the lives of millions are at stake.
John McCain chose to play the game. He was soundly taken to game, set, match, in short order.
Exactly whose fault his loss was depends on what day of the week it is..at least according to his camp (it escapes me why they would still be discussing it):
Just when you thought Senator John McCain and his crew had finally left the scene after getting pounded last November, at least one prominent McCain operative has crawled out of his bunker long enough to blame McCain’s loss on Rush Limbaugh and conservatism.
That’s right. On January 15, 2009, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis appeared on BBC’s “Hardtalk” and credited McCain’s loss to “the Rush Limbaughs of the world who…literally almost feed the nativist attitude toward immigration reform” and the exclusivity of conservative principles.
So the McCainiacs are still trying to blame the 2008 disaster on everyone except themselves and their candidate. If you’ll remember, in the initial days and weeks after the election they were spinning the idea that it was Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin’s fault that McCain lost. Members of the McCain campaign dumped on her and McCain was nowhere to be seen. “Big Mac” proved to be but a “small fry” as he failed to come to her defense even once.
Senator McCain fails to realize that he never excited the Republican base.
Many moderate conservatives had no interest in him as a candidate. Perhaps this was based on prior actions of bucking his party in his own interest or simply because they did not trust him to introduce legislation which would adhere to conservative principles.
Given the choice of the two candidates many made a conscious choice to go for the known entity feeling left with little other option. I do not believe those who were not totally committed to either candidate did so wholeheartedly.
Senator McCain and his minions need to leave the stage at least as far as this past election is concerned.
It remains to be seen whether he decides to work in the best interest of the country or chooses the path he has so often, the one of self serving political ambition.
Posted in John McCain, Politicians, Politics, Presidential Election, Presidential candidates, Winners and Losers |
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Pictures Are Worth Thousands Of Words
January 21st, 2009
“You must love soldiers in order to understand them, and understand them in order to lead them.”
-Henri Turenne
Somehow I missed this tribute to now former President Bush earlier in the week.
Thanks to Greyhawk for sharing the following video:
This is the new era of post-partisanship
January 21st, 2009
Rahm Emanuel thumbs nose and sticks out tongue to people on his left. Could it be at President Bush?
This is the Chief of Staff to President Obama. Classy guy, huh? Now we know the children are in charge.
Enjoy your victory lap, Rahm, but just remember, what goes around comes around. And that thumb? It is pointing right back at you.
“It is good to be home”
January 20th, 2009
We haven’t seen much of former President George W. Bush today, and that is as it should be on the inauguration day of a new president.
I have had to search high and low to find a video of him speaking to the fine Texas folks who welcomed him home. I have seen estimates of between 20,000 and 25,000 people at the welcoming ceremony. At any rate, the people of Midland, Texas, and surrounding areas love this man and his family.
Here is the only embedable video I was able to find and I’ll have a quote after the video:
“The presidency was a joyous experience, but as great as it was, nothing compares with Texas at sunset,” Bush said, standing next to his wife. “Tonight I have the privilege of saying six words that I have been waiting to say for a while — It is good to be home.”
Thank you, sir. Some don’t realize it yet, but you kept us safe after the 9/11 attacks. Now, enjoy your much-deserved retirement and watch your approval ratings go up within a year.
Update: The Anchoress has a review of today’s inauguration speech
You small, petty, adolescent people, all of you ignorant fools who boo’ed the outgoing president and jeered at him – remember all those jeers and boos when you get into the subway cars that do not blow up or the planes that do not fly into buildings, on your way home. You just took part in a huge gathering – a terrorist’s wet dream of an event – and you were completely safe. Who do you thank for that?
You thank BUSH, you immature ingrates!
And:
Federalists Paupers pronounce: Petty!:
How petty do you have to be to denigrate and take pot shots at your predecessor right after you’ve being sworn in as president? You’re going to have the next four years as president, and one day you’re not going to be as popular as you are at this moment. I’m sure, whenever your successor is being sworn in and you’re sitting there powerless in front of millions, you’ll appreciate not having someone who has no conception of how hard the job is, but who is suddenly the most powerful man in the world, talk about you like you’re chopped liver. Campaign’s over, dillweed; try to act presidential.
6. That poet chick was terrible. Simply, utterly, terrible. To fit in with my overall theme, I’d like to call her performance petty – and, truly, it was self-absorbed to an unseemly degree – but the most appropriate word for it is “terrible.”
…a bunch of very small people on a very big stage.Perhaps if Obama had been more gracious in his speech, the crowd would have taken their cue and behaved themselves.
