Chris Matthews Recovering from Affliction of the Leg, Asks Logical Question

I am not a "birther", dear Readers.  But I am intrigued by the matter concerning President Obama's birth certificate -- and my intrigue was completely borne out of his thus-far refusal to release it.  Is it because he's just so offended that anyone would question his nationality and therefore, eligibility to hold his office?  If that's the only the reason, then he's an idiot, a prideful idiot.  The people have the right to question their leaders, even on matters that seem so outlandish.  President Bush made quite a few unforced political errors by retreating behind his integrity and refusing to answer his critics with reasoned and cogent arguments for his actions.  President Obama is allowing a conspiracy theory to grow and spread by refusing to humor requests for his birth certificate.  Honestly, owing to the fact that we do have a Constitutional requirement that our president be born in our great nation, I'm surprised that a presentation of candidates' birth records are not a prerequisite to running for the office.

The fellows that Chris Matthews is talking with about this issue are citing circumstantial evidence such as birth announcements and first-person accounts of news of the birth (I don't think any Wise Men were involved) in Hawaii to lay the issue to rest .  And I believe them, but why not release the piece of paper and end the speculation once and for all?  Why must we rely on secondary evidence when the birth certificate can be released?

I also think it's absurd that we spent the better part of the 2000 and 2004 elections comparing the freakin' grade point averages of the candidates and yet still, this president will not release the most basic of documents.  Who is advising him?  And what is their reasoning?

Pet Peeve

I watched a good movie yesterday, Julie & Julia, but there were two moments in the film that bugged me.  Of course, they had to do with politics -- just two small comments that did nothing to further the plot and only seemed to serve to insult conservatives/Republicans.  Now obviously, someone of my political persuasion is going to be a little annoyed by that, but I have to wonder if apolitical and/or liberal viewers appreciate those kind of comments or feel that they add anything to one's enjoyment of the film.  For me, the comments were jarring and took me out of my reverie in the story and put me in a political state of mind.

I just don't see the point -- as other conservative and libertarian writers have pointed out, we know Hollywood is liberal, they don't need to constantly reassure us that they're cool and hip and in the process, sully their own work to do so.  The writer (Nora Ephron, apparently, I didn't notice that when watching the movie) of Julie & Julia didn't offend me as a conservative, she offended me as a fan of her movie.

Freedom of Speech ... Sorta

Was just alerted to this infringement upon freedom of speech by my Dear Father:  what your real estate agent can and cannot tell you about the house you may be about to buy.  I shouldn't be surprised, but I continue to be astonished by just how limited our freedom is.  This kind of restriction may seem trivial (it also may seem pointless ... because it is), but it's just one of the many erosive government regulations which scratch away at our notion of freedom.

One day we'll wake up and it will all be gone and then we'll wonder how it happened.

War on Smokers

What if they tried this on HIV-positive job applicants?  Objectively-speaking, those with HIV (or any other remotely contagious virus) pose more of a risk to the hospital's "healthy environment" for patients than smokers do.  How fierce would the outrage be?

Ugh, The Government

Does it seem counter-intuitive to anyone else that more laws and regulations will "help preserve the free and open nature of the Internet" per President Obama?  


The internet is one of the last -- if not THE last -- preserve of a truly free market.  Anyone can buy some real estate in the form of a web address and set up shop, either to sell a good or service or to exercise their right to freedom of speech.


Infringement upon the internet in the form of rules and regulations will only stifle the market.  The government claims it is acting in order to help us -- it's worried that large companies have too much control over access, but as the authors of the article note:  "Most consumers haven't had a problem viewing whatever they want online; few instances have arisen of an Internet provider blocking or slowing services."  And when an instance such as this arises, do you know what is most effective in remedying it?  Ding ding -- the free market!  Consumers have choices -- I count at least six in the Atlanta area off the top of my head.  


But the government doesn't care about effectively protecting consumers -- the government only cares about control.  Anything that they don't control is a threat and an untapped resource from which to fill their coffers.  

Just in Time for Christmas

My faith in humanity and the American spirit has been (somewhat) restored.  Well done, young whippersnappers -- take charge!

Gawker laments The Death of the Suburban Office Park.


The author of this article believes that these suburban office parks are "terrible environmentally, terrible for transportation, and terrible for the soul".  They probably wouldn't be terrible environmentally or terrible for transportation if people lived in the same suburb as their office.  I realize that the suburbs are not in any way hip enough for the denizens of Gawker (as evidenced in the comments), but some people obviously like them.  And of course, the buildings themselves are ugly, but they serve a purpose -- or they used to when we used to have vibrant and growing small business sector. 


What really frightened me about this post was actually the comments.  These Gawker commenters have no idea that the vacancy of these office parks marks a significant loss to the economy -- it is these small businesses in ugly suburban office parks which employ the majority of the middle class that is the tax base that funds the government programs the commenters so love.  One of them suggested converting the vacant office buildings into "housing or shelters or something useful."  You mean something useful like a business that employs people, trades them money for work and allows them to be self-sufficient -- and pay taxes?  

How Bizarre

Christmas comes early for Bill Clinton; rest of world scratches head (some feel wave of nostalgia).

At it Again

Westboro Baptist Church strikes again with their unique and abhorrent take on Christianity by picketing Elizabeth Edwards' funeral.  Apparently, they've discussed the matter with God and He hates her.  I didn't agree with her politics or appreciate her involvement in covering up her husband's affair during the 2008 primary, but does any of that matter now?  What exactly are these people hoping to accomplish?  What offends me most about them is that they don't seem to have any real motives beyond spewing hate.  There are plenty of legitimate protests that are executed by unsavory means and some excuses can be made for those, but this is nothing but hate. 

Keep It Up

I'm a big fan of civil disobedience -- admittedly, I don't practice it much myself, but I do admire those who do.  We must keep the pressure on the TSA to cease and desist its ridiculous and pointless new "security" procedures.  And we must do so in our own uniquely American way -- with humor.  We don't have to get ugly with the TSA workers or engage in any actual criminal behavior, we just have to poke fun and expose the absurdity of it all. 

I would like to know what the airlines are doing about all of this.  I'm also a big fan of market-based solutions and urge all travelers who can reach their destinations in ways other than air travel to do so.  I know not everyone can do this, but I'm hoping the airlines will see that these new procedures are a threat to their customer base and try to find a different solution.  Personally, I think each airline should be responsible for its own security.

Just Curious

How long do you think it takes Congress to come up with their bills' names and shoe-horn in words with the appropriate starting letter to make fancy acronyms? 

Kinda Creepy

'IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING' is apparently a new-ish campaign to remind us that we live in dangerous times.  Admittedly, I'm biased against this administration and might not have been so creeped out by this if it had been done by President Bush -- and I do know that to some extent it was initiated by Bush.  (One of my favorite lines of his presidency was his response when asked what irregular behavior citizens should be on the look-out for:  "if you find a person that you've never seen before getting in a crop duster that doesn't belong to [them] -- report it", but I digress.)

However, this Big Brother-ish approach -- complete with computer screens at retail counters admonishing us to spy on each other -- coupled with the TSA overreach, the invasive healthcare bill, and other small infringements on our liberty (including my own recent brush with red light cameras) makes me uneasy.  It feels like the death of liberty by a thousand cuts -- which is exactly how our liberty will meet its demise. 

Maybe I'm naive and overestimate my fellow citizens (although, read the "About Me" and you'll see that's not true), but I don't think we need a reminder to be on the alert for things that seem suspicious.  In my estimation, it is our government that has forgotten about 9/11, not our nation. 

Speaking Truth to People

Bravo, Ron Paul.

It is our fault.  We blindly vote for unprincipled and self-serving politicians to represent us in government, then turn our backs on them and are shocked to find out the kooky stuff they're cooking up in Washington.  One day, you show up at the airport to fly to your cousin's wedding and are given the option of having a naked picture of yourself taken or experiencing a full-body "pat-down" -- both at the hands of a mostly underpaid, underqualified, and ill-tempered airport Stasi.

This should be the final straw for us -- the sheer ridiculousness of it begs for acts of civil disobedience to help us win back our dignity.  The government keeps telling us how important these measures are for our safety.  If that's true -- if the peep-and-grope is truly our last line of defense against terrorism -- then God help us all.

Stupid

This is a classic case of an organization preferring to be consistently wrong rather than inconsistently right.  I can understand the inclination, but it's still stupid.  Rather than suspend Joe Scarborough, MSNBC should just issue an apology to Keith Olbermann and admit they should not have suspended him in the first place.

News organizations shouldn't ban their reporters from donating to political candidates -- their donations are in the public record and as such, the public can decide whether or not a reporter is biased and at the very least, have the information as to which candidate -- if any -- a reporter supports.  It makes the process less open to ban them from making any contributions.

Smart Move

Robert Gibbs is cutting down on his on-camera briefings.  Thank goodness for small favors.  I can't think of a worse choice for Press Secretary -- this guy is as smarmy and smug as you can get.

John Cornyn, I Don't Know If I Like You

In a closed-door meeting, Sen. John Cornyn apparently made thinly veiled references criticizing the recruitment of "outsiders" (i.e. citizens not completely sullied by DC politics) to oppose his hand-picked candidates for Senate offices.

Cornyn argues that his colleagues who disagree with his selections should come to him privately with their concerns.  To what end?  So he can try to bribe them with some government pork to shut their traps?  Obviously, each parties' leadership in the Senate and the House have a lot of influence over who runs for office, but democracy is supposed to be open.  And if a sitting senator wants to oppose his own party's pick for an open seat, well, it is a free county ... isn't it?

Bottom line:  John Cornyn doesn't really get it.  Maybe an "outsider" can run against him for the next go-round.

Two Sets of Rules

A recurring theme on this blog is highlighting the difference in consequences for those in and of the government versus those of living and working as private citizens.  Here we have a cop -- who as a result of speeding -- struck a boy, paralyzed him and caused permanent brain damage.  The consequence: a $185 speeding ticket.

Do you think that would be your punishment if you were speeding (at almost TWICE the posted speed limit) and physically hurt a child (or any person)?  Are you protected by "limited liability" that severely curtails the amount of money owed to your victim (to help pay for his extensive medical bills) based on the fact that you were driving government property and wearing a uniform at the time of accident?  No?  I didn't think so.

You Can Play God on the Internet

This is truly disgusting.  I think we can all -- pro-choice and pro-life -- agree on that.  Please read this to understand what evil and utter disregard for life can exist among the most normal-seeming among us.  I'm not arguing there should be legal ramifications for what this couple is doing, but there should be very real societal ramifications -- this is what shunning and shaming is for.

Gawker thinks one possibility is that this is a pro-life stunt.  If that's true, it's no less disgusting and will serve no purpose in furthering that cause.

The article also notes that they couple have gone through 2 previous miscarriages, and that they're not sure they're ready to be parents.  There's this funny thing called birth control that I've heard of -- it really helps prevent pregnancy if you're not ready to conceive.  It's unfathomable to me that this woman would go through 2 miscarriages and then even consider the possibility of aborting a healthy baby, not to mention an abortion based on the internet voting of random people.

Our society is rotting and decaying at its core and Pete and Alisha Arnold are right in the middle of it.

Snape Would Be Pleased (If That's Possible)

Harry Potter sings the elements of the Muggle Periodic Table.

Rough Day

Mouse-infested naked man tased, arrested for burglary, assault.  What more can be said?

This is Reassuring

Missile launched off the coast of California and no one seems to know who did it.  Awesome.

UPDATE:  Department of Defense claims it wasn't a missile, has no other information on what it might have been. 

The best guess right now is that it was either an airliner or an amateur rocket, but we may never know for certain.

Really?  Am I wrong to be quite disturbed by this?

Rethinking

I may need to take back my previous statement about Bush's intelligence.

 “I probably won’t even vote for the guy,” Bush told the group, according to two people present.“I had to endorse him. But I’d have endorsed Obama if they’d asked me.”

So, Bush and McCain have some personal enmity, but voting on that basis is irresponsible.  Do I think McCain would have been a great -- or even good -- president?  No, I do not.  But I don't think he would have been a disaster, which is how I view Obama's presidency.

I would love to know what Bush thinks now.

UPDATED to add the caveat:  if the above quote is accurate ...

Killjoys

Pennsylvania considering statewide guidelines on what food parents can bring in for school parties. 

The president of one school's PTA is disappointed:

"I'm frustrated to hear that (the state) felt like they'd have to do that," said Michelle Sierk of Hempfield, president of the parent-teacher organization at West Point Elementary near Greensburg ... "We tell the party moms to send in one sweet snack, something salty, something healthy and one drink," Sierk said. "We try to regulate ourselves in the sense that it's our kids."

Oh, Ms. Sierk, you're so naive.  Those aren't your kids.  They belong to the state of Pennsylvania. 

How about letting kids have more recess time during the day and encouraging them to actually engage in physical activity?  Makes too much sense?  I thought so.

Something Else About That W. Interview

Matt Lauer spent a fair amount of time questioning George Bush about his popularity and the public's perception of him -- issues that Bush pretty much just brushed off.  This is a man who knows who he is and what motivates him and recognizes that others are entitled to their opinions -- opinions he really doesn't have much control over.  He said something very wise about if you're chasing popularity then you're just chasing a moment in time.

I understand our society's fixation on image and popularity, but I think that fixation is largely manufactured by the media and other celebrities.  Matt Lauer is basically in the business of being Matt Lauer -- his job is to report the news and host the Today show, but his success now comes from his personal brand and being popular with his viewers.  Same goes for Katie Couric, other news figures, and all of the celebrity figures of our culture.  These are people who must maintain a certain image and in interviews such as Matt Lauer's with George Bush, their obsession with image really comes through.  In watching that interview, it seemed to me that Lauer was really surprised at Bush's lack of concern for how people view him.  We should all be more like that -- we should all live our lives according to our values and principles and understand that if we do that, it really doesn't matter what other people think of us.

There's your PSA for today.  The more you know!

W.

Just watched George Bush's interview with Matt Lauer.  I don't agree with everything he did as president and I can certainly understand people of a different political persuasion critiquing his actions from their perspective on the role of government and the presidency, but in listening to this man speak, I'm really perplexed as to how people have painted him as some sort of ignorant cowboy figure.

He's circumspect, articulate (yes, it's true) and provides cogent explanations for his actions.  He takes responsibility and exhibits a fair amount of humility for a man who once held the most powerful office in the world.  For the people who disagree with what he did in office, I urge you for your own arguments' sake to focus your criticism on those decisions with which you disagree and eschew the ad hominem attacks that he's a fool.  Because he's not and you discredit yourselves by taking that route.

What the Hell?

Seriously?  Barbering without a license is a serious offense in Florida, and don't you forget it!

This is just another instance of government/police run amok.  Do they need to raid businesses and handcuff these poor barbers in order to enforce the law that they must be licensed?  The police claim the raids were part of a larger effort to curb criminal activity in the area, but these raids yielded nothing except for a couple of minor drug offenses.  While we're on the subject, why the hell do barbers need to be licensed in the first place?

Exactly Right

This is exactly how we should handle repugnant people such as Fred Phelps.  No one's rights were infringed upon and a community came together to protect their own in a peaceful way.  Well done.

Now Oklahoma Passes Law Fraught With Common Sense

We shouldn't have to pass laws in this country that spell out the fact that this is America and not a foreign country and that our courts should only use US law to determine cases, but such is the world we live in that some states feel it necessary to state the obvious.  Ergo, Oklahoma's new law preventing its courts from considering sharia or international law.  


And now, of course, the lawsuits start.  A fellow named Muneer Awad (a CAIR operative) is suing the state with claims that this law violates his First Amendment rights and will prevent his family from executing his will after he dies.  Apparently, Mr. Awad was too lazy to spell out those wishes in his will and just referred to "his estate divid[ing] his possessions 'in accordance with the guidance contained in the prophetic teachings' of Islam."  


Sorry dude, but you're going to have to explain what guidance Islam provides.  The courts shouldn't be responsible for researching such religious law -- what happened to concern for separation of church and state?  Should I be able to leave a will that says,  "divide my estate according to the principles of Festivus" and expect people to know what that means?  And what sane person would leave a will so vague and expect the government to execute it properly for them?  

Breaking News: Keith Olbermann Supports Democrats

Shocking!  I would love to know the actual reason for his suspension and probable termination.  Because it certainly isn't due to violating NBC's rule against political donations.  People (i.e. lefties) have been quick to point out that other members of the NBC news operation's family, including Joe Scarborough and Larry Kudlow, have made political donations to their candidates of choice and the rule seems to only apply to "impartial" members of the news group.  What kind of imbecile thinks Mr. Olbermann is impartial?  I don't think he's even deluded enough to claim impartiality.  So, what gives?  It will restore my faith in humanity to find out that even those of opposing political views to mine find him completely insufferable and will cling to any reason  to remove him from their presence.  But I do think it's cowardly to use such a flimsy, illogical excuse.  His ratings suck -- how 'bout that for a reason?

What will really make me laugh is when the lefties use the above examples of Scarborough and Kudlow to claim that MSNBC is part of the vast, right-wing conspiracy that controls American media.  Wait for it.

She Seems to Know Her Boss Pretty Well

I'm not sure who should be more embarrassed by this quote -- Obama or Valerie Jarrett?

I think Barack knew that he had God-given talents that were extraordinary. He knows exactly how smart he is. … He knows how perceptive he is. He knows what a good reader of people he is. And he knows that he has the ability — the extraordinary, uncanny ability — to take a thousand different perspectives, digest them and make sense out of them, and I think that he has never really been challenged intellectually. … So, what I sensed in him was not just a restless spirit but somebody with such extraordinary talents that had to be really taxed in order for him to be happy. … He’s been bored to death his whole life. He’s just too talented to do what ordinary people do.

We can't say for sure if this is truly Obama's impression of himself, but evidence leans in favor of him having a pretty high opinion of himself.  There was that thing about slowing the rise of the oceans and healing the planet -- you know, typical superhero feats.

In terms of politics, I hope he (He?) thinks this way about himself.  The simple fact of his egomania will prevent him from pivoting to the center.  He knows better than us yokels, dammit!  And he won't capitulate to the opinions and values of his lesser citizens (that being all the rest of us).  Therefore, he will continue down the road to electoral defeat and at least we now have a majority of representatives in Congress who will (hopefully) put the brakes on his more ambitious endeavors.

From a personal perspective, I hope he doesn't think so highly of himself.  That must make for a very lonely life.

Flying Broomsticks Would Be Cooler . . .

But I guess they have to start somewhere and the invisibility cloak was pretty awesome.  But remember, Harry's cloak was truly unique in that it was a Deathly Hallow.  What?  I'm a Harry Potter fan and I'm in countdown mode to the premiere of the final pair of movies.  You get a life.

Biggest Disappointments of the Night

1.  Harry Reid.  I really thought we could retire that smug, feeble-minded buffoon. 

2.  Defeat of California's Proposition 19.  Prohibition doesn't work and we have much bigger fish to fry -- especially in California.  This was going to be the first major step towards a common sense drug policy, but as California has proven in many other areas, the voters there seem to lack common sense.  LEGALIZE IT.

3.  Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer.  California is in crisis.  It's Greece, only bigger.  Brown is not the man to fix it from within and Boxer (excuse me, Senator Boxer) is not the woman to represent Cali's interests in D.C. -- especially not now.  They will try to make California's problems the problems of every taxpayer in America.  We cannot allow this.  You reap what you sow.  This has given me an idea -- there should be some sort of minimum requirement of financial solvency to be a part of our great union.  If we bail out states that destroy and cannibalize their own economies, there will be no incentive for fiscal responsibility. 

Stay Classy, Barney Frank

Note his disdain for having to participate in a democracy.  This is America and one of the greatest things about America is that anyone -- ANYONE! -- can run for public office.  Suck it, Barney. 

Great, Now Don't Mess It Up

Looks like big gains for the GOP in the House tonight and promising gains across the board.  The biggest question mark now is whether or not the Republicans understand -- or care to understand -- why they won.  If they want to keep their jobs the next go-round, they should look to Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Jim DeMint for information on their job description.

They cannot return to business as usual.  Otherwise, we'll just keep pinging back and forth between Republican and Democrat every election cycle.  I want to see true conservatism in action -- show me what limited government and fiscal restraint looks like.  Show America what it looks like and how it can help foster growth in the private sector.  We have to prove to our fellow citizens that ours is not just the right way in principle, but that it works in practice as well.  Show America that conservative principles don't just benefit the rich, they benefit everyone.

You have two years to prove your intentions -- get to work.

OMG, WTF

Conducting foreign diplomacy via Twitter -- this is your government, America.  In all its hip, cool glory. 

Wait, Katie Couric is Still On TV?

Howard Kurtz interviewed Katie Couric as her contract with CBS comes to a close.  Here's the money quote:

That’s why Couric has spent recent weeks in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and New Brunswick, New Jersey. She is touring what she calls “this great unwashed middle of the country” in an effort to divine the mood of the midterms.

I don't know about y'all, but I took a shower today. 

6 Days Before Election Day . . .

And the voter fraud has already begun.  Hat tip to Instapundit. 

I'd say that I'm sure both sides engage in these shenanigans, but if the GOP were under any sort of suspicion of this kind of election tampering, then the media would be all over it. 

Voter fraud and election tampering in a democratic society (especially one of the stature of the United States of America) is totally despicable.  It's as though the Democrats and their agents who have done this (notably here, Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader) concede that they cannot win on the merits of their policies and beliefs, so they must engage in criminal activity and steal the votes of their constituents and fellow citizens to keep their stranglehold on power.  Disgusting.

More Government Transparency

Treasury hiring FOIA officers "to withhold information from release to public". 

How loud would the howling be if this happened under Bush? 

Oh, Yes It Does

Some federal workers are getting together for a "Government Doesn't Suck" march. 

"It's time to turn the tables and remind the world that government employees just happen to be people -- people that don't suck," [Steven] Ressler said in a message sent to The Federal Eye on Sunday announcing the march. Government workers "are a lot of cool cats" who work hard, listen to good music and watch Stewart's "The Daily Show," "but that's all after they've spent a whole day keeping the country running," he said.

I think based on the above quotes from Mr. Ressler, it's safe to assume that he does kind of suck. 

So, who's in for the "IT BLOWS!" counter-protest?

What Does America Stand For?

Please watch this video of Dennis Prager speaking on a panel at the University of Denver.  He says everything much better than I ever could.

Obama's Leadership

There has been some discussion in the blogosphere lately about growing anti-Muslim sentiment and some believe that it is due to Obama's lack of leadership on this issue.  Following 9/11, Bush was proactive in exclaiming the virtues of Islam and pronouncing the terrorists as apostates of the so-called religion of peace.  Obama hasn't really continued that effort and his administration's efforts to return to dealing with terrorism as criminal activity and not as an act of war are leaving some Americans feeling more vulnerable to attack.  As such, it's presumed that this vulnerability leaves Americans more fearful of "the other" than they otherwise might be. 

Now we have Obama refusing to visit a Sikh temple because he will have to don a head covering to do so and the optics that creates would harm his image, or so he thinks.  I'm sure the Obama-is-a-closet-Muslim crowd would certainly pounce on that image.  But so what?  Why be beholden to them?  Especially when he's not even going to a mosque -- it's a Sikh temple for crying out loud!  Bush held hands with a Saudi royal (as is the apparent cultural norm in those parts) and Obama's worried about putting a handkerchief on his head?  Please. 

On a sidenote, Tunku Varadarajan claims in his article that "the old, bold Obama" is gone.  I would like evidence that such an Obama ever existed. 

Second sidenote:  for all the talk about how Obama would increase our stature in the world through his superior diplomacy and what-not, we got a President (and staff) who

• gives an iPod filled with his own speeches to the Queen of England
• gives DVDs that don't work to the British Prime Minister
• displays the Philippines flag upside down during an official visit
• and most certainly other transgressions that I can't remember or be bothered to find because it's too depressing

And yet, here's cowboy Bush sucking it up and holding hands with a Saudi prince because that's what grown men do in Saudi Arabia.  (Yes, I am overlooking the fact that the Saudi regime is about as unsavory as it gets.)  Who's more the citizen of the world -- Obama or Bush?

Damn Skippy

Get on with your bad self, Jim DeMint. 

Strange, But True

In light of recent speculation that Obama might change running mates in 2012, he said the following:

“The single best decision that I have made was selecting Joe Biden as my running mate,” he told the crowd.

“The single best decision I have made,” Obama added, for emphasis. “I mean that. It’s true.”

You know, given all the other stuff he's come up with, this might actually be true.  For any other human being, selecting a buffoon such as Joe Biden to sit one heartbeat away from the most powerful office in the world would be catastrophic, but for Obama, it's probably the least offensive -- and most entertaining --thing he's done in the past two years.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Did you know that insider trading is legal?  It is -- if you're a Congressman or work on a Congressman's staff. 

Are you as pissed off about this as I am?  Sometimes I think I exaggerate about the ruling class and their sins against regular folk, but now I realize that I don't.  And their transgressions are probably more egregious than you or I can even imagine.  We do not live in a free country.  We are ruled by an oligarchy just as corrupt as you can find in any two-bit Third World country.  I know that's a scary thought and that many of us would prefer to go about our business thinking that everything is just hunky-dory.  But we must admit to ourselves that this is not the country we thought it was.  We have allowed crooks and scoundrels to rule over us because we didn't want to do the hard work of governing ourselves.  We cannot continue down this path -- it will lead to our ruin. 

Please take few minutes of your time and contact your Congressman about the above.  There have been bills brought before the House to apply the private sector's rules to the public sector -- make yourself heard and demand some accountability.

Bullying and Suicide

I woke up (too) early this morning and caught something on the Today show that bothered me.  There is a high school in Ohio where 4 teens have committed suicide over the past two years.  All of the teens were bullied in some way or another.  The parents of 2 of the teens are now suing the school system for turning a blind eye to the bullying of their children.  I will address the bullying, but first let me address what I think is obviously the bigger issue:  suicide, particularly teen suicide.

The parents of these kids are in pain and they are looking for someone to blame and I can understand that.  In the course of their suing the school system, the school has claimed that they have an "aggressive program" geared toward tolerance and acceptance in order to prevent bullying.  That's probably the problem.  How about an aggressive program to explain to these kids that dead is dead?  You don't come back from that.  You don't bask in your classmates' belated adulation and acceptance of you.  You don't witness how bad they feel about how badly they treated you.  You're dead.  

Life is tough.  I have never been bullied to the extent that it appears these kids were, so I don't know the anguish they felt and how they must have dreaded school every day.  What I do know and what someone (either parents or teachers) should have told them is that the kids bullying them are douchebags.  That the bullies probably will have peaked in high school.  That while life is tough, it's also short.  That high school will be over before you know it -- even when it feels like an eternity.  That dead is dead and that no one should kill themselves over some punks calling them names and pushing them into lockers.  This is the issue.  Yes, that school does seem to have a problem with bullying, but when 4 kids kill themselves I think that's the larger issue, no?  

Now, for bullying.  See above about the douchebags.  There are 2 -- not mutually exclusive -- approaches that parents can take when their kids are bullied:  1) tell them to ignore it, to laugh it off, to get through it until they graduate and leave that hellhole and/or 2) get your kid into some martial arts class and kicking some serious ass.  I'm serious.  Bullies in every stage of life are nothing more than insecure little punks who have to go on the offensive against others because they're afraid they're going to get bullied if they don't bully first.  So, kick their ass.  High school is probably the last time it will be socially acceptable to kick a bully's ass.  You can't do it at work and you risk more serious legal repercussions if you do it in college.  So, take advantage.  The best advice my parents ever gave me was, "you can't start a fight, but you can sure as hell finish one."  

Incidentally, my mother had a bully in her neighborhood growing up.  He would terrorize her sisters.  One day after school, you know what my mother did?  She kicked his ass -- Ralphie-style.  Problem solved.

What kids (and adults) need to understand is that we can only control our own actions and reactions to what happens around us.  No matter what the problem is, suicide is always an overreaction.  It doesn't solve anything and only leaves more pain in its wake.  To address these kids taking their own lives through the prism of bullying is a huge mistake and misses an opportunity to reach all of the kids at that school and talk about what really matters -- life.

Transparency in Government

So, I'm assuming this is the kind of transparency and openness all of you Obama voters were yearning for during the awful Bush years, right?  Well done. 

Can we all please realize that regardless of political party, those in power will do whatever necessary to shield themselves from the purview of the people?  This is not some fundamental flaw of either the Republican or Democratic parties -- this is a fundamental flaw of a system that has given the political class way too much power.  They'll do anything they can to keep it.  Lying and covering up data is the least of it.

So, I Guess It's Not Really About Choice

Just came across this at the Corner on National Review's website.  Gloria Feldt, former head of Planned Parenthood, wants to let women know that if they choose to leave the professional arena and stay home with their children, then they are hurting the sisterhood:

They make it harder for the rest of us to remedy the inequities that remain. We have to make young women aware of how their choices affect other women. It should be acceptable criticism to point out that, although everyone has the right to make their own life decisions, choosing to “opt out” reinforces stereotypes about women’s priorities that we’ve been working for decades to shatter, so just cut it out. 

What?  I'm an individual.   It's not my responsibility to stay in the workforce in order to help women at large get equal pay.

And then there's this:

If we could see child-rearing as a necessary task and not an identity, and if we could collectively recognize that facilitating it benefits us all, we would go much further in guaranteeing women’s choices than we do when we are expected to uncritically celebrate every individual’s decisions. 

First of all -- she wants us to see being a mom as a task and not an identity.  Okay.  What then is being a "professional" woman?  Is it a task or an identity?  Because most of the professional women I work with (and I work with many) see it as an identity.  And secondly, it's been my experience (again, as someone who works with a lot of professional women) that it's the working women who are more apt to seek celebration and approval of their individual decisions to be working moms (or to have no children period) than it is the stay-at-home moms who are seeking outside validation for their choices.

Again, I refer to the fact that I am an individual and I could give a flying you-know-what if anyone besides me celebrates my individual decisions.  Conclusion:  Gloria Feldt must have some low self-esteem.

 

Priorities

The Federal Highway Administration has been hard at work updating the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices with vital changes to protect us from ourselves.  And it will only cost New York $27 million to comply.

Why is the federal government telling NYC what font to use on its street signs?  What gives them the right?  The city streets aren't federal highways.  Why do we continue to allow the government to do things like this? 

On a sidenote, how many people do you think it takes to update the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices?  I haven't been able to find a number online, but I'm betting it's more than we think it is.

Two Americas

One for those of us living without state patronage and one for those us living with it.  


As taxpayers, the parents of this cop's victims will be paying him compensation for injuries he sustained while causing the death of their children.  What a country!


What's that bumper sticker I saw a lot during the Bush years?  If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention!

Passed Along . . .

with no further comment.  

Come On, Let's Do This

At some point, those of with like minds who have been split between the two parties for various reasons are going to need to hold hands, close our eyes and vote Libertarian together.  Let's start with John Monds for governor, shall we?

Check out the official website, too.

And I Was Just Going to Get a Netflix Subscription . . .

Netflix CEO:  Americans are "self-absorbed".

Now, what are the best alternatives to Netflix?   (Preferably run by people who aren't self-loathing Americans looking to score some street cred with our northern neighbors.)

Viva la capitalism!

Would You Like Some Regulation With That?

More government intervention.  Did you ever think about opening your own business?  Finding some niche in which you could provide a good or service to the general public?  Think again.  The government, in partnership with whichever businesses your up-start threatens, will do whatever it takes to discourage you from your endeavors.

The nexus of Big Government and Big Business is where the middle class gets screwed.  Both political parties are beholden to Big Business so that they can continue to hold their power in Big Government.  You think GE supports the environmental movement out of the goodness of its heart?  No.  As a huge corporation with influential lobbying power, they have a seat at the table when these laws are written -- and they can shoulder the light burden placed upon them by environmental restrictions in a way that small businesses cannot.

On a smaller scale, we have the food truck business in DC.  The restaurants are frustrated because people (aka the market) prefer the tasty (and probably less expensive) street food over their restaurant offerings.  Instead of competing in the marketplace, they look to even the playing field by handicapping the food trucks right out of business.  They complain that "the food trucks aren't pulling their weight in taxes" when they should be complaining about the tax burden the state has imposed on everyone!  But they have already given in.  They've had their daily dose of soma and now they simply wait at the trough like so many others in order to get their handout or favor from the government.  What has happened to the American spirit?

Dear Coach Mark Richt:

Get it together, man!  I don't know what's going on -- if the team's having a crisis of confidence or if you are (it's hard to tell with you) -- but you must get. it. together.  

Those young men should fear the consequences of your disappointment.  They do not play as if they do.  

Y'all need to start winning -- and quick.  We know the games that still loom on the horizon.  They're going to fire you if you don't!  And neither of us want that. 

So please -- go forth with confidence, spirit and a sense of purpose.  And win, win, win! 


With Love and Respect, 
Michelle


PS.  Get some double-sided tape and put it all over Washaun Ealey's butterfingers because that kid is working my last nerve.  Go Dawgs.

John Kerry, I'd Almost Forgotten About You . . .

But now you've gone and opened that sad-looking mouth of yours.  

“We have an electorate that doesn’t always pay that much attention to what’s going on so people are influenced by a simple slogan rather than the facts or the truth or what’s happening,” Kerry told reporters after touring the Boston Medical Center yesterday.

Yep, that's it.  I'm definitely angry because I haven't been paying enough attention.  

He loses me again here:

“I think a lot of the anger today - while it’s appropriate because Washington is broken - is not directed at the right people,” said Kerry. “Barney is prepared, as others are, to explain what we’re doing. I think when people hear the facts and they see what we’re doing, it frankly makes sense.” 

Right again, John.  We shouldn't focus our frustration on the people who have been running Washington for years.  That would be preposterous.  

I know Massachusetts votes for liberals (except when they don't and vote for Scott Brown), but can you all up there please vote this guy out when he's up for re-election next? Just vote for the other guy in the Democratic primary.  Please.  He's insufferable. 

I Think ...

Nancy Pelosi is losing her mind.  Honestly.  She's afflicted.

I do like it when she talks about what the American people "like".  I'm sure my parents would have loved the opportunity to keep me on their payroll until the age of 26.  Isn't that the American Dream for all parents?  One day, little Timmy will grow up to be unemployed, living in our basement and waiting for us to die, so he can really start spending our money!  And he'll have full medical until he turns 26! 

Obama's Tin Ear

Meant to post on this a couple of days ago.  


Painting the Tea Partiers as extremists is ridiculous -- these are people who want to govern and be governed by the Constitution.  The people driving the Tea Party are tax-paying, productive, law-abiding citizens.  And they are more popular than either political party.  If the Dems want to tie the GOP to the Tea Party, I have to assume the GOP would see that as a gift.  I continue to be amazed at the lack of understanding the Obama White House has regarding the mood of the country and his place in it.

Thinking Small

He just seems like such a small man.  Either don’t engage hecklers/protesters who are trying to disrupt your speech or engage and own your decisions and shortcomings in enacting policies you campaigned on.  The approach of “go protest the Republicans - they really suck!” is not leadership.  It’s whiny, small and unbecoming for the President of the United States of America.  

Georgia Attempts to Pass Law Fraught with Common Sense

Okay, I don't know why I'm surprised that they don't already do this, but I am.  Here's the kicker for me:

The committee assembled by the State Board of Regents also recommended that all Georgia colleges verify every admitted student seeking in-state tuition to determine if the student is in the country legally. Illegal immigrants are not eligible for in-state tuition.  [Emphasis mine]

Um, duh?  You mean that someone whose official permanent residence is outside of the US wouldn't qualify for in-state tuition in Georgia? 

And then there's this:

Jerry Gonzalez, director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, said the committee's decision betrays the regents' mission to ensure access to quality higher education.

Is it the regents' mission "to ensure access to quality higher education"?  If so, then it shouldn't be.  Their mission should be to run the state's public universities effectively and ensure that quality education is provided to the students enrolled (legally). 

(Un?)Believable

I know I should be heartened by Andrew Breitbart's happy warrior swagger -- and I am -- but the absolute foolishness of these protesters is so depressing.  These people are the reason I understand Ayn Rand's "hate".

Government in Action

$111 million in stimulus funds creates 55(!) jobs in LA.  Fifty-five.  As in 5 x 11 = 55.  As in $2,018,181.82 per job. 

People, people, people -- this is what happens when the government tries to command the economy.  We can all agree that we want to be working, that we prefer employment to unemployment.  Now, liberals -- please provide me with a cogent argument for the practical successes that government has had in boosting the economy through so-called stimuli.  You can't do it because they don't exist.  And you're a dupe if you think otherwise.  You buy the politicians' lines that they're acting to help you and your fellow Americans, but it's a con -- their "help" is just a way to gain control over you and keep power for themselves.  Wake up!

I disagree in principle with most government action, but if I could be shown that it works in practicality, much of the fervor of my disagreement would subside.  But there are no practical successes!  We can help each other as private citizens much more than the government can help us.  Wake up, wake up, wake up!

Can We Please Legalize Drugs Already?

It seems as though they already are legal for those with enough money -- at least to the point where the consequences are barely felt.  If Paris Hilton were a poor black man, do you think the deal would be the same?  The only fair way to address the disparity of justice between the haves and the haves-not (or the haves-plenty and the haves-less) is to make drugs legal for everyone.  I don't think Paris Hilton should go to jail for snorting something up her nose that has no effect on me.  Nor do I think the countless others whose names we do not know should go to jail for the same offense. 

We have created a cottage industry based on the illegalization of drugs and it is funded primarily by a tax on the poorest and least-educated among us and I think it is despicable.

Pet Peeve

Dear Reader(s?), let me share a pet peeve with you (this feature may become a daily or weekly occurrence given my low threshold for irritation).  I ordered a pizza last night.  I wanted a small pizza.  When I called in my order, the girl at the pizza place told me that they didn't have a "small" size -- only medium or large.  Okay, forget the fact that it took her a few minutes to reach the logical conclusion that I wanted the smallest pizza they offered, what bothers me to no end is the lack of understanding that MEDIUM IS A RELATIVE SIZE!!!  You cannot have a medium pizza if you do not also have a small and large pizza.  I don't care if your smallest-sized pizza is larger than that of other pizzerias -- it's still your "small" pizza.  

This Makes Absolute Sense to Me

John Cornyn on the issues of the day.
  
My beliefs fall more in line with the libertarians -- personally, I'm a social conservative -- the main issues of the day (as I see them) that require political/governmental action are the economy and terrorism (I'm more gung-ho on killing and destroying terrorists than strict libertarians).  I feel that I can promote my socially conservative beliefs -- life starts at conception and traditional marriage -- in my personal life by trying to win hearts and minds, not by trying to force compliance through government fiat.  Allowing government intrusion into our personal lives on those positions with which we agree invites government intrusion into our personal lives in other ways with which we will disagree. 

Personally, I see her more as Emperor Palpatine ...

But this works, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7jJI1cfEgc

Athens, Ga. Still #1 (In My Heart)

How did Gainesville beat Athens in a rating of college towns?  It’s still in Florida, right?  With the jean short-wearing and the messes in orange and blue?  Whatever.

Why Are There Czars in America?

I just don’t even like the notion of “czars” in the United States.  Rubs me the wrong way.  In this instance, it seems as though he didn’t actually take a salary, but what a waste of time to go through getting the check, endorsing it and sending it back to the government.  Why bother?  I also love how he references the fact that he has “to pay taxes on the money I didn't keep – so it actually cost me money to be the special master."   Give Tim Geithner or any number of federal employees a call -- they don’t pay taxes on money they actually DO keep.

Dekalb County Gets a Shout-Out on Drudge

I love it when my city, county or state gets a mention from Drudge.  

Local farmer fined for growing too many crops.  The message they’re sending:  give in, succumb, it’s already too late -- you belong to the state and those things which you think belong to you actually belong to the state, too.  

On a related note, my husband used to work on a loading dock in an hourly position and he explained to me that he and his co-workers made more money when they worked 36 hours than when they worked 40 hours or more.  The difference:  the tax rate.  The government penalizes hard-working men and women in these hourly positions for trying to better their financial positions (and boost productivity for their employers) by triggering a higher tax rate when they work those extra hours.  That’s what a progressive income tax does.  Say you worked 36 hours per week and made $1000 and you get taxed at 25% -- your take-home pay is $750; but if you worked 40 hours and made  $1111 and you're taxed at 35% -- your take-home pay is $722.  Same message as above:  give in, succumb, you belong to the state.

The State of Georgia Has Defaulted on Its Loan (From Me)

Let me share my frustrations with you over my state income tax refund.  I noticed in early July that I had not received my refund check and went to the Georgia Department of Revenue website to check the status of my return via their “convenient” refund status page.  After entering my information, I was informed that my check had “been mailed or is scheduled to be mailed”.  (First issue:  those are two VERY different categories!)  


I was told to check back in 30 days if I did not get my check.  (Second issue:  there was no date associated with the 30-day time period and as I discovered on subsequent inquires 2 and 4 weeks following my initial inquiry -- the 30-day limit was meaningless because they kept telling me to check back in 30 days.  Boo.)


I finally called their hotline as instructed between 7:30AM and 5:30PM.  I called at 5:00PM.  I went through the automated system that repeated everything I did online.  When I was finally given the option of choosing to speak with a representative, I was told to call back “during normal business hours” -- the time was 5:10PM.  (If you're keeping count, that's my third issue.) 


I called back the next day at 9:00AM on the nose.  Spoke with a woman who told me they mailed my check on July 10.  After explaining again that I never received it, she confirmed with their bank that it had not been deposited.  Then she sent me a form to complete so that I could finally get my check within 10-15 business days -- I would be surprised if the government even knows what a business day is.


Here’s the thing -- I don’t believe them.  I don’t think they ever sent my check.  I know that as a state we have a budget shortfall and that last year they didn’t return my refund in a timely manner either.  I think they’re just giving taxpayers the run-around while they accrue interest and use our money as stop-gap and hope we don’t notice for awhile.  



The clock is ticking now on the 10-15 business days, we’ll see what happens.

Trivial Matters

I can’t be the only person who doesn’t find it strange that 1) Michelle Obama was out of town for the President’s birthday and 2) he was seen without his wedding band.

On the first issue -- he’s a grown man, not a child!  Is she supposed to host a party with pony rides and a clown for the guy?  I just don’t find it strange that two busy people may miss some “important” dates such as birthdays.  Then again, I’m not a birthday person.

On the second issue -- do we really think he would be so stupid as to announce problems in his marriage by taking off his wedding ring without comment?  (Okay, so given what we know of him, that could happen.)  My husband and I have gone long periods without wearing our rings for no reason other than a desire to take the jewelry off.  

There are so many curious and troubling things about this man, I just don’t think the above are worthy of mention when we have so much else to discuss.

We'd Like to Think it Couldn't Happen Here

What happens when a country goes bankrupt.

Chris Christie.

Enough said.

Really?

This is the problem with President Obama.

"Bin Laden has gone deep underground. Even Zawahiri, who is more often out there, has been much more cautious. But we have the best minds, the best intelligence officers, the best special forces, who are thinking about this day and night. And they will continue to think about it day and night as long as I'm president," Obama said. 

I understand the need to think through operations, but what he chooses to emphasize at a time when people want and expect action is mind-boggling. They're thinking about it day and night?  How about some real action words, Mr. President?  

It’s like he’s living in a different reality from the rest of us.