Yeah, I know I just did one of these, but a few things have happened since the last one, so...
- Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints for winning the Super Bowl this year. The Saints and the Indianapolis Colts are both great teams, but for the Saints to win it all is a great testament to not just the team's athletic prowess, but to their commitment to the city. Now, I want to see the city match the Saints' commitment by getting committed to improving their conditions.
- In an op-ed piece in USA Today, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan wrote, "Politically motivated criticism and unfounded fear-mongering only serve the goals of al-Qaeda." Hmmm...when the Bush Administration said the same thing, didn't the Left scream about dissent being patriotic?
- More fallout from Climategate has the eco-Left digging in and going on the offensive. Instead of defending their misdeeds (which are indefensible, given the depths they've sunk to in order to keep up the myth that AGW is settled science), they've decided to attack those who are raising legitimate doubts. So much for the science being on their side...
- Meghan McCain has announced that she's a progressive Republican. I know. I was shocked, too. Anyway, it explains a lot about her advice for Republicans on how to win the youth vote in upcoming elections. What it explains: she is the last person the GOP needs to consult for advice on winning elections. Her father's approach has been tried and it has failed in two straight elections. Putting a new face on a failed strategy doesn't make it any better.
- Sarah Palin has caught a lot of heat from Leftists for notes she wrote on her hand prior to a speech she gave recently. As a public speaker, I understand the importance of notes to delivering a good speech, so I don't criticize Palin too much for it. Notecards would have been better, but sometimes you have to go with what you have handy, if you'll pardon the pun. Having said that, seeing how sparse her notes were makes me think the Left's criticism of Palin in this case is much ado about nothing. Seriously, you're getting on Palin's case for a few words written on her hand? If that doesn't scream "Palin owns us," I don't know what does.
- A new billboard of George W. Bush and the slogan "Miss Me Yet?" appeared near Wyoming, Minnesota, recently. It even got the attention of National Public Radio, who initiated an investigation into whether it was real and who put it up. Wow. With all of the stuff that could and really should be investigated (you know, like ACORN and government fraud under the guise of "stimulus money"?), it's nice to see NPR take the lead on something so insignificant. Then again, if the media did their jobs, we might not have had Obama in the White House...
And finally...
- A strip club in Ohio hosted an event called Lap Dances for Haiti. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to book a flight to Ohio to support this good cause because, dang it, I CARE!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Quick Hits
I figure there's been a few things in the news that I haven't talked about yet, so let me rectify that.
- President Barack Obama promised that he would enact a spending freeze effective with the 2011 budget that would keep spending at the 2010 budget levels for 3 years. Maybe he slept in when this was covered at Harvard Law, but there’s this thing called the separation of powers that prevents one branch of the government from intruding too much on another. And according to Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, federal spending falls under the duties of…the Legislative Branch. Funny that a Constitutional law professor missed that part of the Constitution, huh?
- Nancy Pelosi stated that she would do everything in her power to get the health care reform bill passed. Considering she essentially passed the House version of this bill by 3 votes the first time around, and there’s still a matter of reconciliation to address, I’m not sure she should be so confident of the outcome because conditions have changed since December. Failure by the Congressional Democrats to see this will result in the health care reform bill being watered down or defeated outright.
- Newly elected Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown was sworn in yesterday after a longer-than-necessary delay. When similar situation occurred in NY-23, the Democrat was sworn in immediately to vote for the health care reform bill in the House. Wouldn’t have anything to do with Brown being a Republican, would it?
- Senator Al Franken lambasted the Obama Administration for a lack of leadership on the health care reform bill. He cited how they failed to give Senate Democrats direction on how to proceed. Although I agree with Franken, I have to question the reason for his objection. After all, doesn’t he work for the people, not the White House?
- A recent report regarding the whereabouts of the funds from the Pork-A-Palooza bill shows that money was sent to Congressional districts…that don’t exist. Maybe that’s why the Obama Administration has taken the position that only some of the money is being misspent: because compared to the funds going to districts that don’t exist, the money being misspent is a drop in the bucket.
- In response to the recent controversy surrounding a pro-life television ad airing during the Super Bowl, “The View” co-host Joy Behar said that it was just as likely that Florida quarterback Tim Teboe could have been born a "pedophile rapist." Yeah, it’s possible that Teboe could have wound up as someone far less savory than what he has become. You know, like an unfunny talk show hack stinking up the airwaves on two different TV shows?
And finally...
- With the Super Bowl this Sunday, I’m torn as to who to root for. On the one hand, the Indianapolis Colts have proven to be an exceptional team on the field. Then again, the New Orleans Saints have proven to be an exceptional team off the field. Regardless of the score, I’m going to be happy for both teams because they’ve shown that they can do things right where it counts.
- President Barack Obama promised that he would enact a spending freeze effective with the 2011 budget that would keep spending at the 2010 budget levels for 3 years. Maybe he slept in when this was covered at Harvard Law, but there’s this thing called the separation of powers that prevents one branch of the government from intruding too much on another. And according to Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, federal spending falls under the duties of…the Legislative Branch. Funny that a Constitutional law professor missed that part of the Constitution, huh?
- Nancy Pelosi stated that she would do everything in her power to get the health care reform bill passed. Considering she essentially passed the House version of this bill by 3 votes the first time around, and there’s still a matter of reconciliation to address, I’m not sure she should be so confident of the outcome because conditions have changed since December. Failure by the Congressional Democrats to see this will result in the health care reform bill being watered down or defeated outright.
- Newly elected Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown was sworn in yesterday after a longer-than-necessary delay. When similar situation occurred in NY-23, the Democrat was sworn in immediately to vote for the health care reform bill in the House. Wouldn’t have anything to do with Brown being a Republican, would it?
- Senator Al Franken lambasted the Obama Administration for a lack of leadership on the health care reform bill. He cited how they failed to give Senate Democrats direction on how to proceed. Although I agree with Franken, I have to question the reason for his objection. After all, doesn’t he work for the people, not the White House?
- A recent report regarding the whereabouts of the funds from the Pork-A-Palooza bill shows that money was sent to Congressional districts…that don’t exist. Maybe that’s why the Obama Administration has taken the position that only some of the money is being misspent: because compared to the funds going to districts that don’t exist, the money being misspent is a drop in the bucket.
- In response to the recent controversy surrounding a pro-life television ad airing during the Super Bowl, “The View” co-host Joy Behar said that it was just as likely that Florida quarterback Tim Teboe could have been born a "pedophile rapist." Yeah, it’s possible that Teboe could have wound up as someone far less savory than what he has become. You know, like an unfunny talk show hack stinking up the airwaves on two different TV shows?
And finally...
- With the Super Bowl this Sunday, I’m torn as to who to root for. On the one hand, the Indianapolis Colts have proven to be an exceptional team on the field. Then again, the New Orleans Saints have proven to be an exceptional team off the field. Regardless of the score, I’m going to be happy for both teams because they’ve shown that they can do things right where it counts.
Monday, February 1, 2010
The War Against Glenn Beck
Arianna Huffington seems to have it in for Glenn Beck, if her recent comments about Beck are any indication. Huffington's point is that Beck is dangerous for America because he "incites violence." (Of course, she can't seem to point to any real evidence of Beck-inspired violence, nor has she attempted to explain away Beck's comments advocating non-violent protests, but I'm sure she'll address that any day now.)
The fact that Huffington's comments are echoed by a number of Leftists isn't surprising. The fact that Huffington's comments are so at odds with reality isn't surprising, either. What is surprising is how ineffectual such comments have been. Most people who watch or listen to Beck are the type who pay little attention to the Huffington crowd, and those who may be lukewarm towards Beck, but are aware of the facts, may not agree with Huffington's assertions. That leaves those who are predisposed to agree with Huffington, and that group is pretty small, comparatively speaking.
At the heart of Huffington's anti-Beck comments is an attempt to marginalize Beck using the classic Saul Alinsky method. Beck has been open with his flaws, which the Left has taken to paint him as a drunk, drug abuser, divorced, college dropout and, thus, not a credible source of information. Others have taken it a step further, accusing Beck of rape, tax evasion, and murder using facts even more tenuous than Huffington's. Why is the Left spending so much time, money, and energy to simultaneously dismiss and slander Glenn Beck?
Because he's effective.
The Left operates on a principle of keeping people ignorant and, thus, easily controllable. As much as the Left says that's Beck's shtick, Beck and his staff do their homework before they go public with anything. His recent documentary about the rise of progressivism was well-received by many people, except for the Left in academia who claimed Beck was factually inaccurate. Beck did clarify one of his statements and apologized for it, but as yet the people accusing him of being factually inaccurate have been at a loss for words when asked to show what Beck got wrong. But it's not about Beck being wrong; it's about Beck being right.
What makes Beck so effective is that he's really not driven by the same two-party fervor as other talk radio show hosts. He is concerned about finding the truth, no matter whose ox gets gored in the process. On the other hand, Huffington and her ilk have a purely ideological purpose for trying to destroy Glenn Beck: to preserve the Leftist status quo. To them, it's a battle for survival against the biggest threat they've ever experienced. To Beck, it's a battle for the survival of the country he loves.
I'm not usually a betting man, but in this case, I'll go all in for Beck winning this one.
The fact that Huffington's comments are echoed by a number of Leftists isn't surprising. The fact that Huffington's comments are so at odds with reality isn't surprising, either. What is surprising is how ineffectual such comments have been. Most people who watch or listen to Beck are the type who pay little attention to the Huffington crowd, and those who may be lukewarm towards Beck, but are aware of the facts, may not agree with Huffington's assertions. That leaves those who are predisposed to agree with Huffington, and that group is pretty small, comparatively speaking.
At the heart of Huffington's anti-Beck comments is an attempt to marginalize Beck using the classic Saul Alinsky method. Beck has been open with his flaws, which the Left has taken to paint him as a drunk, drug abuser, divorced, college dropout and, thus, not a credible source of information. Others have taken it a step further, accusing Beck of rape, tax evasion, and murder using facts even more tenuous than Huffington's. Why is the Left spending so much time, money, and energy to simultaneously dismiss and slander Glenn Beck?
Because he's effective.
The Left operates on a principle of keeping people ignorant and, thus, easily controllable. As much as the Left says that's Beck's shtick, Beck and his staff do their homework before they go public with anything. His recent documentary about the rise of progressivism was well-received by many people, except for the Left in academia who claimed Beck was factually inaccurate. Beck did clarify one of his statements and apologized for it, but as yet the people accusing him of being factually inaccurate have been at a loss for words when asked to show what Beck got wrong. But it's not about Beck being wrong; it's about Beck being right.
What makes Beck so effective is that he's really not driven by the same two-party fervor as other talk radio show hosts. He is concerned about finding the truth, no matter whose ox gets gored in the process. On the other hand, Huffington and her ilk have a purely ideological purpose for trying to destroy Glenn Beck: to preserve the Leftist status quo. To them, it's a battle for survival against the biggest threat they've ever experienced. To Beck, it's a battle for the survival of the country he loves.
I'm not usually a betting man, but in this case, I'll go all in for Beck winning this one.
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