Archive for February, 2009
What History Has Taught Us, We Should Not Forget
February 28th, 2009
Common Sense[1] was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was first published anonymously on January 10, 1776, during the American Revolution. Common Sense presented the American colonists with an argument for independence from British rule at a time when the question of independence was still undecided. Paine wrote and reasoned in a style that common people understood; forgoing the philosophy and Latin references used by Enlightenment era writers, Paine structured Common Sense like a sermon and relied on Biblical references to make his case to the people.[2] Historian Gordon S. Wood described Common Sense as, “the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era.”[3]
“Thomas Paine”, now: (While the video is 6 minutes in length, it is worthy of viewing to completion)
When a silent majority allows their nation to lose their common sense, that nation is lost.
Please Tell Us Something We Don’t Already Know
February 28th, 2009
Governor Rendell and Joe Biden may have said the following in jest:
Noting that Specter had supported the stimulus to his own “peril,” Rendell joked: “You could make life a little easier for yourself by taking that registration card of yours and making that little change from ‘R’ to ‘D.’”
Biden, too, expressed gratitude by telling Specter that deep down inside, the veteran Republican – who’s vulnerable to a challenge from the right in 2010 – is really a Democrat.
Specter returned fire with a self-deprecating joke, according to the pool report, answering Rendell by commenting: “These comments sound more like eulogies.”
but they are not telling the residents of Pennsylvania anything they haven’t known for years.
The fact is, Specter needs the GOP to be re-elected in Pennsylvania.
If he had run as a Democrat and was seriously challenged he no doubt would have long been retired from the Senate.
It’s one of those lesser of two evils..vote for him and at least have one Senate seat remain in the hands of the GOP or turn over both seats to the Democrats. Another one of those sad choices we are faced with when we attempt to vote our conscience.
Does God Exist? A Debate Between Christopher Hitchens and Frank Turek
February 27th, 2009
This debate takes about two hours of your time, so if you want to view it and can’t watch it all at once just pause it when you have to and minimize it so you can come back to it later.
Some questions to ponder while watching this:
http://www.vimeo.com/1904911In the first place, Turek cheerfully admits that he believes in the “Big Bang” explanation for the origin of the universe.
The reason? Because atheists also believe in the Big Bang.
Which means they also have to believe that means the universe began from a point of literal, non-physical nothingness. Before that, there was no time, no space, and no matter and then it all banged into existence out of nothing with great precision.That admission creates a major problem for the atheist worldview. Why couldn’t natural forces be responsible for the creation of the universe? Because until the universe came into being, there was no nature.
Think about this for a second. It means the cause of the universe must be something beyond nature—something we would call supernatural. It also means that the supernatural cause of the universe must at least be:
1) spaceless, because it created space; 2) timeless, because it created time; 3) immaterial, because it created matter; 4) powerful, because it created out of nothing; 5) intelligent, because the creation event and the universe was precisely designed; and, 6) personal, because it made a choice to convert a state of nothing into something.Hitchens’ response was considerably less than inspiring. He said the argument was ’speculative’ — since nobody could be there before the beginning.
THIS is where atheism proves itself to be a religion.
It operates on blind faith. Hitchen’s admission that the universe HAS a beginning demands an explanation for what came before. Nothing can erupt from nothing.
Hitchens couldn’t refute the obvious fact that there had to be something BEFORE the Big Bang. Before there was space. Before there was time. Before there was matter.
Hitchens admits the evidence, but then mocks where it leads because it would contradict his own blind religious faith. It isn’t speculative to say that since all time, space and matter had a beginning, it must also have had a Beginner.
Since space, time and matter were created via the Big Bang, then it logically follows that the Cause of the Big Bang must be spaceless, timeless and immaterial.
To support his argument, Turek quotes Dr. Robert Jastrow, the director of the Mount Wilson Observatory until his death.
“There is a kind of religion in science . . . every effect must have its cause; there is no First Cause. . . . This religious faith of the scientist is violated by the discovery that the world had a beginning under conditions in which the known laws of physics are not valid, and as a product of forces or circumstances we cannot discover. When that happens, the scientist has lost control. If he really examined the implications, he would be traumatized. As usual when faced with trauma, the mind reacts by ignoring the implications—in science this is known as “refusing to speculate.”In any other category except atheism, it would be known as “blind faith.” Atheists call it ‘rational thought’. (Jack Kinsella, Omega Letter)
Obama Must be Planning to Use Monopoly Money
February 26th, 2009
After blaming the previous Bush administration at every opportunity he gets for leaving him an inherited $1.3 trillion deficit, Obama is outspending in one month what Bush spent during two wars and the 9/11 disaster in 8 years.
And still the beat goes on. Congress passed a stimulus bill that no one really knew what it contained (and probably still don’t) that will cost our country over a trillion dollars by the time interest is added to it.
Now comes Obama’s proposed budget, which could go as high as $4 trillion. That’s just for next year and does not include the Omnibus spending bill already passed by the House yesterday and headed for the Senate now.
President Obama, who on Thursday previewed a fiscal 2010 budget expected to total as much as $4 trillion, said he is beginning the long-term task of restoring fiscal discipline despite massive deficit spending he claims is necessary to kick-start the economy.
“There are some hard choices that lie ahead,” Obama said. “We’re going to go through our books, page-by-page, line-by-line to eliminate waste and inefficiency.”
He said his administration has already identified $2 trillion in reductions over the long-term.
But he said “we must add to our deficits in the short-term to provide immediate relief to families and get our economy moving.”
Obama is sending Congress a budget Thursday that projects the government’s deficit for this year will soar to $1.75 trillion, reflecting efforts to pull the nation out of a deep recession and a severe financial crisis.
Obama’s budget overview will call for as much as $4 trillion in spending in fiscal year 2010 and creates space for up to $750 billion in additional bank bailout funds this year — money that hasn’t been requested and the administration hopes will not be necessary to stabilize the still-reeling financial system.
The only “hard choice” Obama has to make is how many billions of dollars to spend on each project. It must be rough to have only $750 billion to bail out the banks, again.
If the people running the banks are this bad at their jobs then their businesses should close and another bank will come along. Hopefully one that will be a bit smarter.
The same thing goes for the auto makers. If they allow the unions to push them into such rich contracts they should suck up their mistakes and file for re-organization, which will enable them to re-do the labor contracts and make them more competitive.
Boy, do I wish we had a few more conservative Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate to stop this drunken binge we are on.
The late Sen. Everett Dirksen once said of the budget, “A million here, a million there. Soon we’ll be talking about real money.”
Obama is spending a billion here and a billion there and we can’t possibly be talking about real money because we don’t have enough anything to back it all up. He must be playing with Monopoly money where you can just go buy another game to get more cash. Either that or I’d like to know where that tree is he’s picking for money that grows on it.
Obama is a great speech maker, but his words ring hollow. He is not a leader. I read someplace yesterday he is going to let Congress write the budget bill. All he does is tell them the amount and he lets them fill it with whatever goodies he hasn’t already specified.
A couple of trillion dollars spent in his first month in office and now a $4 trillion budget. Can we afford to have him in office?
Does he run his personal finances that way? For that matter does Congress? Do you? No, you don’t. You know what your income is and you spend within your means. I’ve always said to let any housewife be in charge of the budget and it will be balanced every time because we know how to spend what we have and save some besides.
One last thought: Obama needs to peel his face off the TV screens and quit talking about the economy in public because everytime he does the market loses about 300 points. This doesn’t sound like someone in the know has much faith in this rookie’s plans.
Before anyone screams at me for calling him a rookie, look at his past governmental service record and tell me if he really knows how government works. Yes, other presidents are rookies too, in the sense they took over a new job, but they at least had an idea of how to run a government.
Losers: Government and the Media – Winners: Small Business, Family and Friends
February 25th, 2009
Good Question.
We Media/Zogby Poll: Who will lead us to a better future?
Now for some not so surprising answers:
MIAMI – Most Americans are putting their faith in small business owners, entrepreneurs and science and technology leaders to lead the U.S. to a better future – and they are significantly less hopeful the news media, government or large corporations will do the same, a new We Media/Zogby Interactive poll shows.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans (63%) said small business and entrepreneurs will lead the U.S. to a better future, while 52% said the same of science and technology leaders. Americans are far less optimistic about the leadership of government (31%), large corporations and business leaders (21%), or traditional news media such as newspapers, television, radio, and magazines (13%).
Americans think leadership toward a better future is more likely to come from family and friends (38%), non-profit groups (32%), or even themselves (36%).
About all those news organizations who are having a tough time holding it together lately? How about these numbers:
Nearly half of Americans (46%) said they first turn to Internet news sites for information on breaking news about national and government issues and nearly as many (40%) said online news sites are where they get most of their news and information. These online sites far outpace traditional news sources, such as television (25%), radio (14%), and newspapers (12%), as a source of daily news and information. It comes as no surprise that younger Americans are most likely to favor online news sources, but only those age 65 and older are more likely to turn to television (36%) over the Internet (29%) to get their news.
all emphasis-mine
Maybe, just maybe if the majority of the media in this country were not so biased, those willing to view or purchase their product would increase.
It would be encouraging to believe that the results garnered by Zogby in this survey are from a cross-section of the country.
If that is the case then maybe, just maybe, we can turn the corner quickly and stop putting our faith and hope in changing our country as those in the press and Washington wish us to do.
Let’s put our faith and hope back in the hands of Americans who believe that with hard work and determination we will remain the strong, vital nation which we have always been.
HT:Instapundit
If you have a few minutes you might also want to check out this post:
I missed the speech last night. I could not stomach listening to someone promise everything in the world as if he had a magic wand. It is not so much the wild, fantasy promises – but the fact Americans are buying them that really turns me off.
Anyway, I am not sure how well this is all going over. I don’t believe in the tooth fairy and I know that all those TV shows and movies where they pull a hat out of a rabbit is not real life. And I think (though I cannot know for sure) most people are realistic enough to know when they are being snowed.
Well said!
So….Who Was It?
February 24th, 2009
I have a question for anyone who watched the speech this evening (only asking because I did not.)
Was it JFK, FDR, Abraham Lincoln or Reagan who delivered the remarks?
Just asking….
This question is not meant to come across as sarcastic.
Barack Obama has been compared to so many former presidents in matters of policy, mannerisms and speech that I sometimes wonder how he manages to have a true sense of self.
It’s not very becoming of a President to have his handlers (and the press) feel the necessity to constantly offer comparisons to past leaders.
This is not to say that references to those who shaped history should never be rendered but in Obama’s case it.is.all.the.time.
Taking responsibility for ones own words and actions is a far more attractive alternative.
Just my opinion.
Tuesday Tid-Bits
February 24th, 2009
The Anchoress misses former President Bush. Me too.
The man was always true to his word. No double talk, no constant campaigning – just words from the heart. Whether one agreed or disagreed with his policies,you knew where he stood.
We should all expect at least that much from the leader of the free world.
Below is an excerpt from an interview Alan Colmes conducted with Bill Ayers:
On setting bombs as part of the Weather Underground:
“I don’t regret anything I did it to oppose the war. It was — I did it to oppose the war. I don’t regret it.”
“I don’t look back on those things and regret them, but I’m willing to rethink them. And there are many things which I’m going to rethink.”
Ah, the company the current administration in Washington has chosen to keep.
Taking of life or property in acts of domestic terrorism is nothing to regret..not even a cause for remorse. It must be nice to live in that world.
The more I read about this man the more I believe he should have a strong leadership role for the GOP in the Senate:
Jim DeMint’s gentlemanly air and refined tone belie a power and an urgency in his words.
The stately senator from South Carolina sees America’s unique centuries-old system of freedom dying out.
And he thinks we may have to take to the streets to save it.
“I would think it’s time to start thinking about peaceful demonstrations,” he told us last week.
Seriously?
“Seriously.
“The power of the people is there. Freedom is in the people’s hands right now, and it’s about to slip through.”
Of course, the recent “stimulus” debate is what’s fresh on DeMint’s mind. Despite DeMint’s putting 15 aides on it overnight, no one in Washington was able to read the bill, which was the most expensive in American history — as well as being perhaps the most irresponsible.
emphasis-mine
About those demonstrations..the ball is rolling.
How long the momentum lasts or the numbers involved is anyone’s guess, but if things continue in the vein of the past month, one might think it would be a long time and many Americans.
Are the tears of joy turning to a bit of anger? Gee, that didn’t take long.
While reading and posting tonight hubby was watching a special on Fats Domino.
Thought I’d close this post with one of his best.
Find your “Survivors IQ”
February 21st, 2009
From Glenn Beck’s site. TheSurvivors Club Quiz:
A Fighter, Believer, Realist, Thinker or Connector? And what kind of survivor are you?
According to the test, I am a thinker. Who knew?
How about you?
Ninety Years Young
February 20th, 2009
What do you do when you are ninety years old and lose seven hundred thousand dollars due to financial schemes devised by Bernie Madoff.
You go back to work:
Watch CBS Videos Online
What a sad but also inspiring story. Two individuals who should not have a worry in the world are devastated financially, yet there are no tears, no blame being afixed (and they would be more than justified).
Without a doubt, they are living proof that the old cliche,”money doesn’t buy happiness” is true.
The Thiermann’s are a wonderful example of those who have built and shaped this country for over 200 years.
Bernie Madoff and those of his persuasion should pay a huge penalty for what they have done, not only to these folks but countless others.
Related story here.
For Your Listening Pleasure
February 20th, 2009
One of my favorite CD’s is the George Jones Gospel Collection.
Have a listen as Jones and Sheri Copeland offer their beautiful rendition of “I Know a Man Who Can.”
Friday Fly-By
February 19th, 2009
How about this for picture of the week?
Senator DeMint has shown great courage lately through his actions in the Senate. Calling for a vote on the Fairness Doctrine as early as next week would be another moment worth watching:
Sen. Jim DeMint announced that he will force a vote next week on a bill that prevents the Federal Communications Commission from reinstating the Fairness Doctrine.
The South Carolina Republican’s bill, the Broadcaster Freedom Act, is cosponsored by John Thune, R-S.D., and 27 others and will be offered as an amendment to the D.C. Voting Rights bill…
Let’s get it out in the open. America should see how each of their elected officials lean on this matter.
Cowards, huh? That’s a heck of a thing for a Attorney General of the United States to say.
Here is the best take down of Holder’s statement I have read to date.
If anyone can tie coffee, the courts and the porkfest legislation into one neat package it is Alfonzo Rachel..just watch:
Have a good weekend all. Hopefully by Monday this bug will have departed altogether. Maybe then this exhausting, exasperating monster will allow me to post something original and intelligent.
Simple Common Sense Would Have Averted This
February 19th, 2009
We did this to ourselves. We can blame Bush, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter and so on all the way back to Noah. But the plain, simple fact is we are the ones responsible for this economic mess we are now trying to clean up.
Depending on your politics there is enough blame to go around in both major political parties, from the Republican Congress going spend happy and acting like Democrats to Democrats such as Chuck Schumer, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd insisting banks were failing and causing a run on them, to insisting banks grant loans for mortgages to people who did not qualify for the loans.
We can blame ourselves individually or as a group if it makes you feel better. I’m not going to take any responsibility for it because I know how my husband and I have lived our adult lives.
We bought our first house in 1971 for $18,000, and a monthly payment (including escrow) of around $150. That was high for us and my husband worked two jobs in order for us to afford it and for me to stay home with our children.
Our children got older and money was tight so I went back to work over my husband’s objections.
We built the house we now occupy in 1979 for $39,900 and a payment of somewhere around $400-$450 a month, including escrow.
We were told we could have afforded a house for twice the amount, based on the formula the bank used, but we knew that formula was too rosy for us and we opted to build according to what we could safely afford to pay. Our house has been paid off for several years now and we never missed a payment. Nor were any payments late. We even paid an extra $100 or so a month to reduce the principal.
When interest rates dropped we refinanced. We did this twice and reduced the amount of years to pay back to fifteen at first and then ten later. Still we paid it off early.
Now we hear Obama wants to spend at least $75 billion to bail out people who over-extended themselves and are now behind on their mortgages because they were only paying interest anyway due to the prices of the homes they bought.
People like you and my husband and I are now going to be forced to subsidize mortgages for those who wanted it all and wanted it all then. No common sense; just a sense of entitlement, and now Uncle Sam is going to bail them out.
Uncle Sam is you and me. We are the ones who will foot the bill, along with our grandchildren three generations removed from us.
Congress passed the biggest spending bill in our history and is even now saying it’s not enough. We have to subsidize banks, auto companies, housing, medical care and anything else we haven’t been subsidizing before now.
According to the polls some of you think that’s just fine because you think you will benefit from the largesse. But remember, what the government giveth, the government can taketh away and can put such restrictions on it as to make you think you have touched a hot poker.
I worked for the telephone company and I lived under an umbrella of uncertainty about my job security from the time of divestiture in 1984 until my office was finally closed in 1998.
Every single time rumors floated or management threatened to close the office we would go to the drawing board and see where we were financially should I lose my job. We always had a plan and that plan did not include the possibility of me working and bringing in income for much time.
Somehow we managed to put children through college, buy new cars, pay all our bills and have some money for recreation all without having to ask anyone to help us but ourselves.
This is why I have no sympathy for those who failed to use common sense and make sure they could afford what they were getting even if their income dropped. *note* I am not referring to the people who played by the rules but had something catastrophic happen such as illness or personal circumstances that could not be foreseen.*
Obama and Biden each flew to Colorado for the stimulus bill signing, four days after it was passed in such a hurry because we were in a “catastrophe” situation.
Planes the size of AF One and Two, 757’s cost $50,000 per hour to use. Then Obama hopped aboard and flew to Arizona, where Sen. Jon Kyle says it’s a ten hour flight from there to Washington DC, all so he could tell a crowd 25 times in a single speech about housing that we are in a “crisis”. I don’t know if Biden went along for the campaign photo op or not.
TARP I was an “emergency”, stimulus was to avert a “catastrophe” even to the point of dragging Sen. Sherrod Brown away from his mother’s wake and flying him, at taxpayer expense, to Washington to cast the sixtieth aye vote. It was that “urgent”, but it took Obama four days just for staff to sort through the bill and get it all in order for him to sign with his $300 Mont Blanc pens. That and a million dollars to fly these two jokers to the west for a campaign trip.
I don’t know about anyone else, because I seem not to have a finger on the pulse of my own country anymore, but I have reached the end of my rope and it was reached as soon as I heard about this spendulus bill.
Barack Obama has already become so tired of the White House he now has to fly home to Chicago so he can go out to dinner with his wife. At the cost of $50,000 per hour for the plane (using 2004 prices for fuel) and who knows how much for his security staff to stay in or around his house to protect the family. I don’t begrudge him his time off, but in this economic “crisis” situation and for a weekend? He worked two years constantly so he could live in the White House and before he’s in office for a month he’s already complaining of how lonely it is. Should have thought about that two years ago.
They live in the White House! Couldn’t they have found a nice dining area where they could have had their chef (who was brought from Chicago because he cooks all those weird foods they like) fix them a nice meal?
This man who grew up on foodstamps eats food now I can’t even pronounce. I liked that Bush 43 ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. At least I can identify with that and he was brought up by aristocrats.
It is now time for the people of this country to tell Obama and all the people of his administration and the Congress that we are their employers and not the other way around. We get that you won and you can write the bills, but we also get that we can boot you out when you come up for re-election.
It’s up to us. Hold their feet to the fire or follow them like sheep to the slaughter. If you do the latter, America, I will not join you.
Want to see someone else express my feelings? Watch this.
Posted in America, Barack Obama, Bush, Congress, Congressional Dictators, Disgusting | 
11 Comments »
Immediate Forecast: No to Light Blogging
February 19th, 2009
The bug that won’t die has Sue in its grips right now and is beginning to bite at me.
As a result blogging will be light to moderate with occasional spurts of none. Please bear with us.
Leapin’ Lizards..No Wait, That’s Lemurs
February 18th, 2009
The Besancon Zoo in Eastern France welcomed the arrival of a baby Sifaka in late December. ‘Tahina’ means ‘needs to be protected’ in malgache. With no mother to protect her, ‘Tahina’ is seen living up to her name by clinging tightly to a surrogate stuffed Mommy Lemur.
(Jeff Pachoud/AFP/Getty Images)
Here is the lemur as he/she matures:
Hope I made you smile.
Compean and Ramos Out of Prison
February 17th, 2009
Former Border Patrol agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos were released from federal prison today and will spend the time between now and their release date of March 20 in home confinement in El Paso, TX.
I’d rather have seen a complete pardon for these men who were doing their jobs and spent two years in solitary confinement for their efforts due to an over-zealous US Attorney.
Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean have been released from federal prison after serving more than two years in solitary confinement for the non-fatal shooting of a Mexican drug smuggler.
President Bush commuted the sentences of the two border guards Jan. 19, and his order will go into effect on March 20. The pair will serve out the remaining month of their sentences in home confinement in El Paso, Texas.
Ramos’ wife Monica was waiting at the federal penitentiary in Phoenix for her husband’s release and told FOXNews.com she was overjoyed to be reunited with her husband.
“I can tell you it’s a great day for me. We’ve been anticipating this for quite a while now but seeing him walk through those doors today was just surreal,” she said. He is expected to land in El Paso at 2:30 p.m. EST.
I pray they can get their lives back together and find gainful employment. This was a travesty of justice and needs to be righted.
Christianity Has Been Perverted..So Says The Secretary Of State
February 17th, 2009
To some it is all about image.
It’s all about creating a false impression of what America really is in order to appease others.
It’s about affixing blame and apologizing to those abroad for all of our mistakes.
If America is such a drain on the rest of the world due to our beliefs and ideals then riddle me this: why is it when others are in imminent danger or oppressed they look to the United States first in almost all instances?
Gateway Pundit quotes the Washington Post today with a most disturbing statement from this administration’s Secretary of State:
Clinton’s remarks came in response to a question about the “prejudice” in the United States against Muslims because of terrorism, a term she rejected forcefully, pointing to the history of Christians. “I am a Christian,” she said. “Through the centuries we have had many people who have done terrible things in the name of Christianity. They have perverted the religion.”
It would be difficult to quibble with the fact that all religions have had their moments in which they have committed egregious acts in the name of their faith, however, taken in the context of this forum, the Secretary of State appears to wish to apologize for those in America who have “persecuted” Muslims.
She leaves the distinct impression with her statement that Christianity is perverted on a large scale. Does she truly believe this to be the case or once again it is convenient rhetoric to soothe those who feel wronged by America?
In our short existence, this country has given more than any other. We give money, in generous amounts, when necessary. Countless times we have sent aid with the assistance of peaceful organizations [many of them Christian based] when needed and, yes, we have shed blood many times so others may live free.
Perhaps its time the current administration stress the strengths and
goodness of the country they were elected to serve. That is, if they believe it themselves.
[As an afterthought, here's something to ponder.
Does the Secretary of State think by her remarks she could change the thinking of those who committed acts of terrorism here and abroad during her husband's two terms?
How about those who killed the 3000 plus on 9-11 or maybe these fellows could be swayed to believe we and other free nations are willing to atone for all our sins.
If she does then I think she is sorrily mistaken.]
Islamist Training Camps in US
February 17th, 2009
This is something that grabbed my attention last night as I watched “Hannity”. This time it’s even more personal to me and to my family. One of the training camps is located in York, SC, the next city from us. It is the county seat and where I spent a good portion of last week on jury duty.
Little did I know this was going on in our neighborhood, and I pray our military and intelligence people are on this and have infiltrated them.
Watch and pay attention:
I know if I see a man with headgear of Islam I will stay as clear from him as possible.
Pleasant Childhood Memories
February 17th, 2009
I don’t know if Guss remembers this or not, but when we were small children our great-aunt (Mama-Auntie to us) would tend to it seems like all the small children in our family.
If one of us got sick she would rock us and sing to us. It was at those times that I heard her sing the following song, and is a song I associate with her even after all these years.
I remember her rocking our cousin Timmy and others while she sang this song.
It has a great deal of meaning and happy memories for me. I hope you enjoy Ernie Ford’s rendition of Let the Lower Lights be Burning” as much as I do.
A Suggestion for Obama’s Entrance Song
February 16th, 2009
A couple of weeks ago I read that Obama has dispensed with the usual “Hail to the Chief” playing when he enters a room.
On Day One of his presidency, everywhere Mr. Obama went they played “Hail to the Chief” for him – but not since. In fact the U.S. Marine Band’s duties at the White House over the last 10 days appear to have been dramatically downsized.
Instead of the usual contingent of trumpets, tubas and drums, a single piano player now provides musical interludes before and after the president’s appearance.
And the tunes have little connection to the military marching music of John Phillips Souza [sic] that is the usual accompaniment to presidential appearances. These days the pianist’s repertoire includes Cole Porter’s “Night and Day” and Sting’s “Desert Rose.”
“He’s not a ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ kind of guy,” says press secretary Robert Gibbs of the new president.
I was thinking of that today as I considered his actions while speaking. Beside the stuttering for an answer not scripted, I notice he raises his chin and looks down his nose as though he is an emperor or king looking down at his subjects.
As a side note, Timothy Geithner, our tax-cheat Treasury Secretary can’t seem to look anyone in the eye. He holds his head down and sideways while raising his eyelid to glance in the general direction of his questioner. Strange, that.
Anyway, I think I have found the song for Obama to use whenever he is at a public function and he can use his pianist or the Marine Band.
What do you think? Does it fit our young would-be emperor?
Religious Importance, State by State
February 16th, 2009
Via Gallup:
A recent poll of more than 350,000 Americans on the importance of religion revealed that the nation is separated into enclaves of widely divergent viewpoints on faith, with some states and regions clearly religious and others significantly secular.
In Honor of Presidents Day:Which President Said This? (Updated with answers)
February 16th, 2009
A friend of ours who has studied and taught American History gave the following quiz to his seventh grade class.
The object was to match the United States President to his proper quote.
I asked that he email it to so I might give it a whirl.
Thought just for fun you might enjoy taking a crack at it also. [I'll update the post tomorrow with the correct answers.]
1]
Honor is not the exclusive property of any political party.
answer:[c] Herbert Hoover
2]
If men were angels, no government would be necessary.
answer: [e] James Madison
3]
Any man who wants to be president is either an egomaniac or crazy.
answer [a] Dwight D. Eishenhower
4]
I don’t think the intelligence reports are all that hot. Some days I get more out of the New York Times.
amswer: [f] John F. Kennedy
5]
Let us all take more responsibility, not only for ourselves and our families but for our communities and our country.
answer: [d] William J. Clinton
6]
If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience.
answer: [b] Woodrow Wilson
7]
Advertisements contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper.
answer [g] Thomas Jefferson
Answers in no particular order:
a] Dwight D. Eisenhower
b] Woodrow Wilson
c] Herbert Hoover
d] William J. Clinton
e] James Madison
f] John F. Kennedy
g] Thomas Jefferson
Good luck and enjoy!
Sitting ‘Round the Campfire
February 15th, 2009
From the time I was eight until I was twelve years old I attended Bible Camp for two weeks in the summer.
The thing I loved most about the day was at the end of the day when we would leave chapel and go to a big building where there was a roaring fire (this was in northern Maine and was cold) and people would hear a short sermon followed by testimonies of love for Christ, and then we did singing around the campfire.
Enjoy this campfire singing with me:
I can never sing “Near the Cross” without breaking down because it is so beautiful to me, in spirit and in music.
The Forever Debt
February 15th, 2009
Following a link provided at Right Wing Nuthouse I discovered one of the best articles published on the stimulus package to date.
In addition to providing a comprehensive list of the projects which will move our economy forward, there’s this little gem:
Perhaps the worst part, however, appears in Section 1607 of the final bill. This section essentially says that if a governor refuses to accept stimulus funds allocated to his or her state, the state legislature can override the governor’s decision by passing a concurrent resolution. It means that governors, such as South Carolina’s Gov. Mark Sanford, who have said that they would not accept the money, could be overridden by their state legislative bodies.
Usurping the power of a states Governor is now acceptable in Washington.
What a pet project, pork filled power grab this is.
*Ms. de Rugy continues the breakdown of the bill here. It doesn’t get any better.
*Also: Dan Riehl gives us a glimpse of the topics to be addressed in the not too distant future (via CNN):
The following week, the president will host what the White House is billing as a “fiscal responsibility” summit on February 23. The goal of the summit is to begin weighing the impact of massive federal programs like Social Security and Medicare just days before the president plans to unveil his first annual budget to Congressional leaders.
Emphasis-mine
Remember when former President Bush attempted to address the size and scope of Social Security? Look no further than this:
The money quote from this video comes at approximately the 3:00 minute mark and is delivered by Senator Dick Durbin:
Do you want to saddle your children and mine with five trillion dollars of debt?
What a difference a few years makes.
.
When Things are Bad We Look to God
February 14th, 2009
Feb. 13: Mourners of the Continental Connection Flight 3407 crash listen to a sermon during a vigil at the Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church in Clarence, N.Y.
With the plane crash near Buffalo, NY, came a lot of sadness and psychological damage to those who witnessed the crash, along with untold grief of those loved ones of the ones who perished on the plane and in the house that was hit.
We see people in a church, praying or grieving, but it seems when a cataastrophe hits our nation we turn to God.
God gives us the comfort and strength to go on, and the blessed assurance He is in charge of all things. He didn’t make this plane go down, but He knew it would and, for whatever reason, He decided it was time to call these souls Home.
As Sue quoted the Anchoress, we should also be in prayer for our country. We are commanded to pray for our leaders that our lives will be easier.
The same God who is with us in the valleys is still the God of the Mountain. Now, more than ever we all need to be praying for the families and loved ones of the victims and the witnesses to this crash and for our country as well.
When Words Won’t Come, Music Fills The Void
February 14th, 2009
The irreplaceable Kate Smith:
The Anchoress writes:
Snark aside, pray. I’m really serious. Pray for this nation. Pray for the diplomatic corp that will now be at more intense risk. Pray for our military. Pray that this president and these people in charge come to their damn senses. No negative prayers – there are no negatives in Christ – but pray.
Please do. Something tells me we are going to need it.
Friday Fly-By
February 13th, 2009
Only one entry today due to the length of the video.
Reagan v. Obama.
One believed in the American way the other believes in his way.
HT: Texas Rainmaker
Stark contrasts don’t you think?
Have a great weekend all!
Posted in America, Barack Obama, Debate, Democratic politics, Political Speeches, Politicians, Ronald Reagan |
5 Comments »
Breaking News: Judd Gregg Out As Commerce Secretary Nominee (Updated and Bumped)
February 12th, 2009
(Update): There are those who know how to handle a situation with class:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Others, well not so much:
In an unusual statement, spokesman Gibbs puts the blame on the New Hampshire Republican:
“Senator Gregg reached out to the President and offered his name for Secretary of Commerce. He was very clear throughout the interviewing process that despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace, and move forward with the President’s agenda….”
No, it could not have been the administration’s plans to move the Census process to the White House or the fact that Senator Gregg does not see the stimulus package as producing the promised effects.
Then again, what do you expect when there is no way to ascertain with certainty when the Senator notified the White House of his decision:
Obama himself told an Illinois newspaper that Gregg’s withdrawal was “something of a surprise” because the senator had “approached us with interest and seemed enthusiastic.”
Although one White House aide said he was “blindsided” by the news, chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said Gregg signaled to the administration earlier in week that he was having second thoughts and Obama met with him Wednesday at the White House to urge him to stay.
In an on-plane briefing as the president flew on Air Force One to Springfield on Thursday evening, Gibbs said that Gregg told the president of his decision to withdraw in a telephone call on Wednesday.
But Obama later told the pool reporter on the flight that he hadn’t known until today, and called Gregg “a good man” who had a “change of heart.”
emphasis-mine
Right hand, meet left and when you figure it out please let the rest of us know where the truth lies.
Also, very interesting observations at the Washington Post from members on both sides of the political Spectrum on Senator Judd’s withdrawal.
HT: Mark Halperin
End Update
Drudge is reporting:
Senator Gregg Statement on His Withdrawal for Consideration of U.S. Commerce Secretary
Sen. Gregg stated, “I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. This was a great honor, and I had felt that I could bring some views and ideas that would assist him in governing during this difficult time. I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle.
“However, it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy.
Read more.
Good move Senator.
Those Pesky Contradictions
February 12th, 2009
For all the news the Administration would consider unfit to print look no further than Jake Tapper:
EAST PEORIA, ILL. — President Obama today repeated the claim we asked about yesterday at the press briefing that Jim Owens, the CEO of Caterpillar, Inc., “said that if Congress passes our plan, this company will be able to rehire some of the folks who were just laid off.”
Caterpillar announced 22,000 layoffs last month.
But after the president left the event, Owens said the exact opposite.
Asked if the stimulus package would be able to stop the 22,000 layoffs or not, Owens said, “I think realistically no. The truth is we’re going to have more layoffs before we start hiring again”
“It is going to take some time before that stimulus bill” means re-hiring, he said.
Will Jim Owens now find himself removed from his advisory position on Obama’s economic advisory board?
Joining Immelt on the new board, which is chaired by former Fed Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, are:
William H. Donaldson, Chairman, SEC (2003-2005); Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., President & CEO, TIAA-CREF; Robert Wolf, Chairman & CEO, UBS Group Americas; David F. Swensen, CIO, Yale University; Mark T. Gallogly, Founder & Managing Partner, Centerbridge Partners L.P.; Penny Pritzker, Chairman & Founder, Pritzker Realty Group; John Doerr, Partner, Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers; Jim Owens, Chairman and CEO, Caterpillar Inc.;Monica C. Lozano, Publisher & Chief Executive Officer, La Opinion; Charles E. Phillips, Jr., President, Oracle Corporation; Anna Burger, Chair, Change to Win; Richard L. Trumka, Secretary-Treasurer, AFL-CIO; Laura D’Andrea Tyson, Dean, Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley; Martin Feldstein, George F. Baker Professor of Economics, Harvard University.
What would you be thinking if you were a member of Caterpillar’s workforce at the moment?
Who would you believe?
