I'm getting ready to head to the chiropractor (those of you who read my last post know what I'm talking about, those who didn't... go listen to the great Hendrix tune!!), but before I leave, I thought I'd share this little note of fun-ness with you.
Michael Moore, that all-knowing, all-eating bastion of leftism has warned Barack Hussein Obama not to expand the war effort in Afghanistan.
Sources close to Moore have not yet indicated whether his concerns have to do with how much his taxes may rise, or if this demand really has more to do with Moore's concern for the opium trade here in America, and how an escalation of U.S. forces might inhibit drug dealers' ability to acquire what clearly must be his favorite munchie-inducing narcotic.. perhaps outside of marijuana.
Moore is on a trip (vacation) to Japan 'promoting' his new lie-fest "Capitalism, A Love Story" which can be found in absolutely zero theaters, since it bombed pathetically.
Coincidentally, rice futures in Japan rose several times over their own value before Thanksgiving weekend. Actually, I made that last part up, but it's believable isn't it??
For more real reporting about Moore's stupidity, read here.
Friday I felt great - and as nature would have it, Friday late afternoon my disc slipped in my lower back, and I've been laying flat on my back in pain all weekend.
If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all.
Being single and 2000 miles away from family can make Thanksgiving an interesting experience. Yet even as I will not be with them in Ohio tomorrow, my family is always in my heart and at the forefront of my thoughts.
I have a wonderful family, and we have an unspoken and unconditional love for one another that amazes me. We do not speak as often as perhaps we should, but we always seem to pick up right where we left off each time we talk as if we've been together the entire time.
My parents are the most patient people I know. God knows I have not deserved the patience they've shown me over the years, but I believe their patience has paid dividends, for even with all the stupid things I've done I've finally "figured it out" and become a person I know they are proud of beyond the typical parental pride all parents have for their offspring.
If you know me, you know that is an incredible accomplishment.
My brother and sister are not only family, but they have been two of my best friends for years. When I needed someone to talk to, they always listened. Even when they could tell I was in a self-destructive phase, they listened and helped me rationalize what was happening in my life, offered advice, and never left me feeling uncertain of their love. They both are happily married and have beautiful families, and I am extremely proud of them.
My three nieces and two nephews are just the cutest and most loving kids I've ever met in my life. I went home last Christmas and really got a chance to spend some time with all of them, and Uncle Soloman walked away from that experience beaming with pride and felt like an absolute hero.
Through that visit came two of the most touching moments of my life. First was the moment when we were opening gifts, and I was group-hugged by five precious little people who hardly knew who I was, but understood how much I love them. Second was when I found out how my nieces all kept asking to go back to visit Uncle Soloman, and they had such a tough time understanding that I didn't live with my Mom and Dad, but I had to go home to a place very far away. It was an overwhelming feeling to know that I was the reason they wanted to go visit Mom and Dad's house...
As you celebrate Thanksgiving, I wish for you to know that I am very grateful for every one of you that I have come to know through this incredible blogging experience. You all have become my extended family; you keep me laughing, you touch my heart, and you inform me. You make me feel good when you comment, and I greatly appreciate each of you taking the time from your busy lives to come spend some time finding out if Soloman had something wise to say that day. Your compliments keep me working harder to improve my writing, which helps me improve as a person, which gives me greater confidence in everything I do, and for that I am grateful.
This truly is the great American holiday. While we are certainly living in perilous times and have much work on the horizon, we all have many reasons to be thankful. We live in the richest nation on Earth, at one of the most incredible times in terms of discovery and invention. Within my lifetime we have witnessed such amazing inventions that it truly boggles my mind, and with the help of God and common sense we will hopefully use all of our capacity as a nation to overcome all obstacles before us and become a stronger, more bountiful nation.
We can do anything, for we are Americans. God bless, and Happy Thanksgiving.
In yet another slap in the face to Christianity in America, electronics giant Best Buy has released an advertisement for its Thanksgiving Day sale that does not mention Christmas or Hanukkah but instead offers potential shoppers "Happy Eid al-Adha," which roughly translates to "Festival of Sacrifice" in Arabic.
In addition to the disgraceful attempt at "Political Correctness" by Best Buy, what is fascinating about this situation is the media coverage from various media sources.
From Fox 9 in the Twin Cities:
"A scanned version of the Best Buy Black Friday ad on BestBuy.com wishes Muslims a happy Eid al-Adha, which falls on the extended Thanksgiving weekend. Since the ad was posted, a message board on BestBuy.com has filled up with plenty of responses. Tuesday morning, a discussion of the ad on BestBuy.com had more than 100 responses. Some of those comments were supportive of the greeting and some called for a boycott of the retailer, including boldly racist remarks."
"A recent Best Buy ad [...] promoting the store's Black Friday sales includes a nod to the Muslim holiday Eid Al-Adha, which is celebrated that day.
Sounds rather innocent, doesn't it?
Instead of being praised for its inclusiveness, Best Buy is being attacked by some customers who have made their views known on the company's message board. Some consumers are particularly irked because the home electronics retailer recently announced that it will no longer put "Merry Christmas" in its flyers.
Conservative groups like the the American Family Association began attacking the retailer in 2006 after the chain said it would replace "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays" in its ads. Best Buy, for its part, denies it has abandoned the C word altogether; it can be found on gift cards and online. The AFA has yet to comment on the ad."
The AFA list of "Naughty or Nice" retailers can be found here".
The Best Buy forum with comments from potential shoppers can be found here. Some of the comments are interesting, to say the least.
I must say... interesting use of the "C-word" connotation by HuffPo, no? Also, it certainly is objective of them to point out "Sounds rather innocent, doesn't it?"
And the leftists wonder why we believe that journalism is dead.
Reports have surfaced that some leaders of the Democratic party are calling for a "War Tax" if The United States is to move forward with its efforts in Afghanistan.In an effort to appear fiscally responsible, Rep. David Obey (D-WI) and Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) are amongst those who have put forward the concept of a tax on Americans, specifically targeting the wealthy, as a means to fund any further deployment of troops and continuation of the now eight year old conflict.
As a concept this is not completely wrongheaded; we need to fund our expenditures, and there is a lot of money being spent overseas in an effort to provide security to our nation and the world. It is the politics of the proposition that I believe need to be called into question.
For ever and a day politicians from both sides of the aisle have been spending tax dollars like drunken sailors at a strip club; put something remotely attractive in front of them and they are sure to cough up the dough.
Most specifically, with Democrats holding the majority in both chambers, Congress has signed into law the $787 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 "Stimulus" bill, as well as the $700 billion TARP Reform and Accountability Act of 2009. Both of these pieces of legislation were passed without forward-thinking fiscal accountability. Essentially, our government planned to either borrow or print the money needed to pay for both of these bills. Both have been terribly mismanaged, and have proven to be extremely misguided expenditures of taxpayer dollars. The closest anyone might come to having a defense for TARP is that America was teetering on the brink of economic disaster and that TARP kept us from certain depression; there is no defense for the "Stimulus," period.
Suddenly we are informed by Congressional representatives that there is a need for fiscal responsibility regarding our national security, and something smells fishy about it to me. I suspect that there is a chess game about to be played by the Democratic party on Capitol Hill, and it involves our troops and their livelihood as well as our safety.
President Obama already has adjusted the nation's budget to include wartime expenditures. This was a hot-button topic during the campaign and then immediately following Obama's election leading up to the signing of the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, and the language of the Department of Defense section of the 2010 budget clearly reads "Includes $75.5 billion in supplemental appropriations for 2009 and $130.0 billion for 2010 to support ongoing overseas contingency operations, while increasing efforts in Afghanistan and drawing down troops from Iraq responsibly."
Understanding this, we know that the funding for any addition of troops to Afghanistan will in part come from the funding for troops already deployed in Iraq. Additionally, knowing that it is already included in a budget means it will be easier to include in future budgets, with funding to be provided by already anticipated resources. Given that the Preamble of our Constitution reads "Provide for the common defence" I believe that Afghanistan should be prioritized over other issues, and if cuts or restraints are needed for future budgets, certainly other items should be considered less important.
However, what it all comes down to is that this offers a perfect political opportunity for Democrats to put anti-tax representatives, specifically Republicans, behind the proverbial 8-ball. If Republicans or moderate Democrats were to speak out or vote against any legislation that provided additional funding for the troops, the Democrats will instantly jump all over them and make an issue of that position. Claims will be made that these individuals are not willing to do whatever it takes to support our troops, and that they are willing to fight a war but only if it is George W. Bush's war, but now that this war is Obama's to deal with these people no longer support every effort being made to win.
This will be hypocrisy in the highest form possible, of course, given that those who wish to enact taxing legislation have not been fiscally responsible in the past, and likely have no interest whatsoever in moving forward towards a winning end to a conflict that needs to have a positive outcome.
So while these politicians are putting froward the impression that they have suddenly found fiscal responsibility, don't be fooled: it's nothing more than another day in Washington D.C. politics as usual.
I've not been posting as much about politics lately; I've had a couple of issues I've been dealing with, but I'm sorting my stuff out and working my way back into the fold. I've been watching a lot of what has been going on, though, and I must say I am absolutely amazed at the things I've seen happen over the last week or so.
For example, Harry Reid flat out buying the vote of a Senator for $300 million in order to move his Dingy Harry Reid Hates America Act of 2009 past cloture and into the debate stage flat out floors me. I've not been the most astute observer of Washington politics over my life, but my common sense tells me this should be completely illegal. I say this not in a partisan fashion; I could give a rat's fat behind which party acts in this way. Buying votes is bull, and it needs to stop. Voting should be an act of conscience - either you agree or disagree in principle with what is being asked of you, and you vote accordingly. Expecting money to come from the other 49 states just to get you to say yes? Well, I guess you fell confident you'll be reelected. That's nice. Screw you.
If the decision on sending more troops to Afghanistan were a baby and Barack Hussein Obama wanted to abort it, he would now be perilously close to entering the phase where even a leftist liberal in good conscience might object to such an action. Mr. President - make a damned decision already. Either stay in or pull out (please excuse the bad visuals, no pun was intended). If you are waiting for that one voice to come along and tell you it's okay not to continue fighting this war.. the "good war, the war we must fight" as you put it - you'll be waiting a long time. American Generals do not go to war to lose; they go to war to win. You obviously do not want to fight in Afghanistan any longer, so please man up and make the call, or suck your gut in, deal with it, and take the advice of every person with four or five stars on their shoulders who's been around reality far longer than you. There is a reason we are in Afghanistan. Sure George W. Bush let that war go by the wayside while he worried more about Iraq, but you should be grateful that he essentially left you with one front to fight. Stop blaming and start doing.
The media is absolutely on fire. What the F#&% is with Chris Matthews and his description of those attending a Sarah Palin book signing in this video?
Are you kidding me? Can you imagine for one minute if a White anchor.. scratch that.. any anchor on any network said there was an "extremely Black crowd" at a Barack Obama rally, or that there was something "tribal" about those who gathered to support him??? The ACLU, NAACP, ACORN, SEIU, Media Matters, and whoever else could get involved would have that person's head on a platter in minutes. Remember Glenn Beck saying he believed Obama is racist? How about Rush Limbaugh wanting to buy into an NFL franchise? Need I say more?
On a happier note, Saturday Night Live seems to have caught on to the fact that we are spending our way into oblivion and that Obama is not perfect, as shown in the following clip:
Thank goodness some on the left are calling a spade a spade (will I be in trouble for that statement? flag@whitehouse.gov if you wish to report me).
Today on page A1 of the New York Times was an article that said everything that we conservatives have been saying for years about the fiscal state of America. I must say it was very entertaining to listen to Glenn Beck revel in this one... he's been called every name under the sun by the Times for saying exactly what was written in this article, as he describes below:
And of course, there's the incredibly astute Martha Stewart commenting on Sarah Palin:
Finally - Thank you to those of you who have commented as I turned into a music video blog for the past week or so... I greatly appreciate it!
Congratulations to driver Jimmie Johnson, crew chief Chad Knaus, and the entire team #48 for winning their fourth consecutive championship. In eight years as a team, this organization has accomplished something no other team has ever managed over the 61-year history of NASCAR.
Additionally, there are now four NASCAR drivers who have won four or more championships in their careers, yet none has done so in the short time span that it was accomplished by Jimmie Johnson.
INXS was born in Australia in 1980. Originally part of the "new wave" music scene, INXS became one of the most popular bands of the 1980's and early 1990's, and left a musical legacy that surely will stand the test of time.
Neither their self-titled debut nor their second release Underneath The Colours made much noise on the world-wide music scene, but with the growth of MTV and the new art of the music video, their third release Shabooh Shoobah brought some success in America and around the world. Two singles from Shabooh Shoobah, The One Thing and Don't Change were successful in America, and the band was was very well received as the opening act for fellow Australians Men at Work. Additionally, three songs from Shabooh Shoobah were on the soundtrack to the 1984 movie Reckless which starred Darryl Hannah and Adian Quinn.
A great part of the success of the band was their lead singer and public frontman, Michael Hutchence. With a look and performance style often compared to Jim Morrison of The Doors and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones, Hutchence had a pure, clean, distinctive voice. Coupled with the band's unique sound which included Tim Farriss' punchy Telecaster guitar licks, a solid rhythm section comprised of percussionist Jon Farriss and bassist Garry Beers, the rhythm guitar and alto saxophone stylings of Kirk Pengilly, and keyboards played by primary songwriter Andrew Farriss, Hutchence quickly became a pop icon and as well as an unassuming sex idol.
INXS' fourth release, The Swing, brought their first #1 single on the Australian charts, Original Sin. The band toured relentlessly and was rewarded with seven awards from MTV. The album also hit #1 in Australia, but was not extremely well received in Europe. Critics called INXS "depressingly definitive example of excruciating, boring, incredibly unimaginative MTV rock." However, The Swing ultimately went double platinum, and the band forged on.
One year later, in 1985, they moved closer to the forefront of the world's music scene with the release of Listen Like Thieves. With performances at the MTV video music awards, Live Aid, and worldwide concert tours in support of their rapidly released albums, INXS was now reaching more and more fans and selling more albums. While still critically panned by European critics, INXS was garnering great accolades from American critics, including Rolling Stone which wrote "INXS rocks with passion and seals the deal with a backbeat that'll blackmail your feet." Additionally, in 1985 Musician magazine lableled INXS "The best live band in the world." Listen Like Thieves topped the American charts at #11 and brought them their first top 5 hit with "What You Need."
If there were any questions remaining about the popularity of INXS, their 1987 release Kick certainly answered those questions with great resolve. Kick brought INXS their first #1 U.S. single, Need You Tonight, as well as three other top 10 hits, Devil Inside, Never Tear Us Apart, and New Sensation. They continued to be a huge success on the then-relevant MTV, sweeping the 1987 awards show, including the "Video of the Year" award for their "Need You Tonight/Mediate" combination video, which became a signature image of the band.
Their follow-up to Kick was titled X, and reached #5 on the U.S. charts. X brought four singles, including two that reached the Billboard top ten. The band was touring in front of enormous sellout crowds, and in late 1991 they released the album and accompanying video Live Baby Live, which was recorded in front of nearly 75,000 at Wembley Arena.
INXS' popularity had peaked and was beginning to decline. Over the next two years they released Welcome To Wherever You Are and Full Moon, Dirty Hearts, but despite critical acclaim and many guest appearances by other top performers neither brought the success to which the band had become accustomed. The band decided to take some time with their families. Hutchence remained in the spotlight to some degree through occasional modeling and acting.
In 1997 INXS released a comeback album entitled Elegantly Wasted. It met mixed reviews, and topped out at #41 on the U.S. charts. During this time, Hutchence was entangled in some personal problems having to do with a relationship with British television host and writer Paula Yates, who happened to still be married to musician Bob Geldof.
Sadly, on November 22, 1997 a generation lost one of its idols, music lost a great performer, and the world lost a troubled yet compassionate man as Michael Hutchence died of what was ultimately ruled a suicide.
In memory of one of my favorite performers of all time, tonight I offer three different videos. First from The Swing is a fun number about world peace and the need for all of us to learn how to love one another called Dancing On The Jetty, performed live for a German TV network. Second, from 1987's Kick but recorded in 1997 shortly before his passing is a live performance of Devil Inside that shows the passion and exuberance of a great performer. Finally, again from Kick is a unique unplugged version of Never Tear Us Apart, the song that was played at Michael's funeral.
I saw INXS perform live five times. They absolutely were one of the best live bands I have ever seen. They truly had the ability to bring their sound from the studio to the stage, and they were electric in their chemistry.
Tuesday Rush Limbaugh interviewed Sarah Palin for a full one-half hour of his show, less a "prosperity time-out." I believe there are three important points to take from today's discussion between El Rushbo and the former governor of Alaska.
First: while she certainly was on what some might consider "friendly turf," she certainly knew her stance on the issues.
At the "Saddleback Forum" presidential debate held by Rick Warren during the 2008 campaign, one of the most notable things of that event was Barack Hussein Obama's constant "hmm's" and "uhh's" while he pondered and searched for just the right answer. The left constantly made excuses for this long, drawn out approach to answering such simple policy questions as his position on abortion (his record is clear) and gay marriage (again, he's been consistent).
We now see clearly that Obama is lost without a teleprompter. While she may not always have every answer, I believe Mrs. Palin is much more capable of thinking on her feet and would be better prepared, for example, for situations like the recent terrorist attack at Ft. Hood.
In my opinion, the hallmark of a great candidate from either side of the aisle is knowing exactly where you stand on any issue. To quote Glenn Beck; "Say what you mean, and mean what you say." Palin certainly had no trouble responding to the questions Limbaugh offered today, and in that respect presented herself as a formidable voice for "Common Sense Conservatism."
Second: she seems to have a more focused approach to her speech.
Whether is was excitement and nerves, or perhaps an untrained person just being herself with a bit of a different cadence than many from the "Lower 48" including the media elites who took her to task, Sarah Palin today seemed much more controlled and organized in her speech. I also noticed this in the clips I have seen from the Oprah Winfrey interview.
Palin still clearly does not have the prim and proper Ivy League perfection to her sentence structure, and she still uses more "natural" words like "yeah" and has that funny use of the word "too" that drives liberal elites nutty, but amidst the strength of her knowledgeable commentary, an unbiased listener might find those quirks more endearing than irritating.
It is my belief that if Sarah Palin has spent some time working on her grammatical cadence and structure, it will be of incredible benefit to her with independents and moderates from both parties, because her common sense ideas are most definitely in line with the core values of America.
Third, and perhaps most important: She speaks with great respect for America.
Everything Sarah Palin has had to say about America has always been positive. This does not mean that she sees things through rose colored glasses. Rather, she has the ability to take serious current issues and find viable Conservative solutions.
Regarding the economy, she states that things are "bad, it's really bad" but follows that up with facts as to why (Bernanke's announcement of weak job prospects) and then immediately offers the common sense solution: "We need to cut taxes on the job creators. This is all about jobs, creating jobs. We have to ramp up industry here in America, and of course reduce the federal debt, quit piling on and growing more."
Regarding energy, she approaches it as both an economic and national security issue as she discusses "The regimes that can control us via energy, using it as a weapon against us, potentially." When asked her response to Vice-President Biden chiding her about "Drill, Baby, Drill," Palin replies "What is complicated about tapping into abundant, safe domestic supplies that could provide stability for our country and security for our country? I know Alaska has billions of barrels of oil underfoot, and we have the natural gas that's waiting to be tapped, too; and other states do, too. It's not that complicated. It's political, and that's what is the shame in this, is that for political reasons we're not allowing to tap these domestic supplies."
A final thought - she never referred to "The American People." She always spoke of Americans. As fellow blogger DC at Goomba News Network wisely pointed out just about one month ago, "Using "American" as an adjective instead of the damn noun that it is allows such scalawags to avoid calling people "Americans" -- a stronger word that conveys an identity in and of itself."
In my opinion, Sarah Palin definitely conveys a strong identity in and of herself. She may not be our next president, but she most certainly should be a force in American politics for many years to come.
Displaying the personality of a true American patriot (as opposed to our current Narcissist-in-Chief), Sarah Palin offered up some seriously straight talk in an interview with Barbara Walters, including offering Barack Hussein Obama a four on a scale of one-to-ten.
ABC has transcribed portions of the interview in an article on their politics page. Some excerpts:
"There are a lot of decisions being made that I -- and probably the majority of Americans -- are not impressed with right now," said Palin, the former governor of Alaska. "I think our economy is not being put on the right track, because we're strayed too far from, fundamentally, from free enterprise principles that built our country. And I question, too, some of the dithering, and, hesitation, with some of our national security questions that have got to be answered for our country."
[...] She scored a major blow to Obama in August when she wrote on her Facebook page that under Obama's plans, the fate of the elderly and her son Trigg, who has Down syndrome, would be determined by 'Death Panels' In his address to the joint session of Congress, the president lashed out at the charge, made by Palin and others, calling it "a lie, plain and simple." When asked by Walters if it was Obama who was lying, Palin said: "He is not lying, in that those two words will not be found in any of those thousands of pages of different variations of the health care bill. No, death panel isn't there. But he's incorrect, and he is disingenuous."
[...] Palin has also become a vocal supporter of the tea party movement, calling it "beautiful." This group of protestors, however, is staunchly against the bailout package, which Palin and McCain both supported in their campaign.
"Yep. That very first bailout, yes. Now we have learned, too, it didn't fulfill the promises that were made by Congress, and by the White House, that bailing out these businesses that were 'too big to fail,'" Palin said. "That did not put our economy back on the right track. So we learn from our mistakes. The tea party movement, beautiful. It energizes our country. More power to these people who are showing up there."
[...] The former governor wouldn't directly address the burning question of whether she wants to be the president, but she did not completely close that door either.
"That certainly isn't on my radar screen right now," said Palin. "[But] when you consider some of the ordinary turning into extraordinary events that have happened in my life, I am not one to predict what will happen in a few years."
"My ambition if you will, my desire, is to help our country in whatever role that may be, and I cannot predict what that will be, what doors would be open in the year 2012," she said.
As for whether she will play a major role, Palin replied, "If people will have me, I will."
This video cracked me up... and conveniently happens to be set to one of the greatest songs of all time. Written in 1968; clearly it will be fitting as long as there are politics.
Ginger Baker on percussion, Jack Bruce on bass guitar and vocals, and Eric Clapton on guitar. Because they were the cream of the crop in British blues and jazz during the mid to late 1960's...
Huffington Post readers are rejoicing today, as in another clear display of sickening hypocrisy, The Vacationer-in-Chief today announced that he does not want to create "political theater" and therefore is urging Congress to delay any investigation into the Islamic terrorist shootings at Ft. Hood.
On an eight-day Asia trip, Obama turned his attention home and pleaded for lawmakers to "resist the temptation to turn this tragic event into the political theater." He said those who died on the nation's largest Army post deserve justice, not political stagecraft.
"Political theater." Hmm.
So, Mr. Vacationer-in-Chief, if you wish to avoid "political theater" then I assume you would agree that having Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other conspirators of the September 11th tried in New York City is exactly "political theater," and therefore you will order your Attorney General Eric Holder to have proper Military Tribunals held for these worthless scumbags at Guantanamo Bay where they belong? Otherwise, will you please tell me why are you willing to risk American lives in the city that is already terrorist target number one in the world?
Please, Sir Emperor, explain to me why you believe that having Jihadists-on-parade in an American civilian courtroom in New York City is proper? Is that not "political theater?" Do we not risk the exposure of every trade secret our CIA operatives have if we allow proper full discovery, as would be allowed in any other civilian trial, which is exactly how you wish to treat this?
Mr. Obamessiah, I watched this video and was absolutely sickened by the amount of "political theater" that it is, in and of itself.
"Political theater" was your speech before the Tribal Nations Conference, where you rambled for nearly two minutes and gave "shout-outs" before addressing the Islamic terrorist shootings at Ft. Hood.
"Political theater" was you stating that we need not "jump to conclusions" about the events of that day, when you were so quick to declare the Cambridge Police force "acted stupidly" when arresting a race-baiting Henry Gates, then called for a "beer summit" to gather the two men together so that you could play "Healer-in-Chief."
"Political theater" was when you once again you call this Islamo-Fascist a "fellow Service member" of the fallen. My friends, those who have real life experience in such matters, beg to differ.
"Political theater" is when you discuss the fact that there is an ongoing investigation into the "motives" of this Islamo-Fascist. His yelling "Allahu Akbar" as he kills thirteen brave Americans and wounds dozens of others, and scars lives forever - that tells me all I need to know, thank you very much.
"Political theater" is you stating that you "will insist that the full story be told." You can't make up your mind whether or not we need to send help to our brave troops in Afghanistan, but this time you will be able to stand firmly on a belief? Bah.
"Political theater" is the fact that every single time you speak, it becomes all about you, what you did, your accomplishments. You, you, you, you, you. How about paying some attention to all that is going on around you, like unemployment? Try reducing taxes on small businesses so that owners can employ more people and buy more raw materials so that they can produce goods to sell for a profit.. oops.. there's a problem. Can't have profits now, can we...?
"Political theater" is stating that there needs to be a "full review of the sequence of events that led up to these shootings" and that the purpose of this review is to find out who had information about the Islamo-Fascist attitudes this terrorist had, and hold them accountable. Dear Leader, what do you say we address you, your political party, and the media - and all the political correctness that exists in America today? We can't call a spade a spade, therefore an Islamo-Fascist is now just a crazy person or a nut-case?
Excuse me, but I must call bullshit when I see it, and Dear Leader, you and your media are exactly bullshit. Those accountable are not members of our Armed Forces; they are victims. Yes, I know you can't tolerate that thought, Dear Leader, but our great military had been exactly victimized by leftist propaganda, softness, and political correctness to the point that now we have thirteen dead and dozens wounded, and little boys and girls growing up without Mommies and Daddies because you will not say that there is a War on Terror.
"Political theater" is the idea that you, Dear Leader, and your leftist Euro-pansy friends want to find George W. Bush guilty of "war crimes" when the truth is that George W. Bush was ten times the man that you will ever be. And now you say you want to avoid "Political theater?"
Go back to Chicago, Mr. President.
I'm sick and tired of you and I don't have any desire to ever see your face again. You, sir, are a criminal, and your crime is treason. You have made every effort to harm the sovereignty of this great nation, destroy our economy, shame us, and lie to us. You seem to have such great disdain for every single last fiber of our being that at times I almost wonder if you actually understand what America is and what you are doing to the greatest nation on God's green Earth.
Since he's clearly not wishing to act as the leader of the free world, I've decided that Barack Hussein Obama must be on a four year vacation.
Remember the time the Vacationer-in-Chief went to Saudi Arabia and met the king? Wow, that sure was fun...
Well, now The Vacationer-in-Chief is off in The Land of the Rising Sun, and it appears he met the Emperor. One important distinction worth noting: unlike ours, the Emperor of Japan has clothes.
Neil Young has had an incredible career as a solo artist and as a member of many bands including Buffalo Springfield, CSN&Y (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young), as well as the front man for Crazy Horse.
After leaving CSN&Y in 1971, Young recorded Harvest, which was the top selling album of 1972. From this album comes tonight's Friday Night Video, and Neil Young's only #1 song on the Billboard charts - Heart of Gold.
This particular recording was for a BBC show in 1971, and offers an amazingly talented performer displaying many of his musical skills, as well as a bit of his bashful yet comical personality.
As he transitions from the previous song, Neil fumbles around for a bit as he tries to find the correct harmonica, explaining to the crowd that harmonicas are made in different keys and that the one he needs is in the key of 'G' if anyone wishes to blow along, which draws laughter from the crowd. Moments like these are what sets a great performer apart, as many might leave an audience hanging through silence rather than holding their attention with some simple banter.
Young seems to be an entire band within himself. He displays amazing talent on the guitar, as his strumming seems to provide a bass line as well as the higher tones that accent perfectly his unique vocals and harp playing.
I play a little bit of guitar and I understand how difficult it can be to play and sing at the same time, therefore in my opinion his ability to transition seamlessly from the harmonica to singing and back wile keeping perfect tempo and not missing a note on the guitar is simply amazing.
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam once called Neil Young the "Godfather of Grunge." I would say that when God created Neil Young, he definitely planned on his being a musician.
If you would like to see the complete show on YouTube, it can be found here.
Neil Young's 64th birthday was yesterday, November 12th. Happy birthday, Neil.
From the website of the song's writer, a Canadian named Terry Kelly:
On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a drug store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the store’s PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.
Terry was impressed with the store’s leadership role in adopting the Legion’s “two minutes of silence” initiative. He felt that the store’s contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.
When eleven o’clock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the “two minutes of silence” to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.
Terry’s anger towards the father for trying to engage the store’s clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, “A Pittance of Time”. Terry later recorded “A Pittance of Time” and included it on his full-length music CD, “The Power of the Dream”.
Thanks to Mom for sending me an email with the video!
Kudos to the usually leftist NPR for taking a rather honest look into the Islamic fundamentalist murderer Major Malik Nidal Hasan, who "allegedly" gunned down thirteen and wounded dozens more.
From the article:
Starting in the spring of 2008, key officials from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences held a series of meetings and conversations, in part about Maj. Nidal Hasan, the man accused of killing 13 people and wounding dozens of others last week during a shooting spree at Fort Hood. One of the questions they pondered: Was Hasan psychotic?
"Put it this way," says one official familiar with the conversations that took place. "Everybody felt that if you were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, you would not want Nidal Hasan in your foxhole."[...] Hasan had been a trouble spot on officials' radar since he started training at Walter Reed, six years earlier. Several officials confirm that supervisors had repeatedly given him poor evaluations and warned him that he was doing substandard work.
Both fellow students and faculty were deeply troubled by Hasan's behavior — which they variously called disconnected, aloof, paranoid, belligerent, and schizoid. The officials say he antagonized some students and faculty by espousing what they perceived to be extremist Islamic views. His supervisors at Walter Reed had even reprimanded him for telling at least one patient that "Islam can save your soul."
[...] One official involved in the conversations had reportedly told colleagues that he worried that if Hasan deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, he might leak secret military information to Islamic extremists. Another official reportedly wondered aloud to colleagues whether Hasan might be capable of committing fratricide, like the Muslim U.S. Army sergeant who, in 2003, killed two fellow soldiers and injured 14 others by setting off grenades at a base in Kuwait.
[...] some of Hasan's supervisors and instructors had told colleagues that they repeatedly bent over backward to support and encourage him, because they didn't have clear evidence that he was unstable, and they worried they might be "discriminating" against Hasan because of his seemingly extremist Islamic beliefs.
There is a small degree of what I would call leftist excuse making in this article, but I was happy to find NPR honest enough to at least discuss the idea that many saw him as a Islamic extremist. It almost appears as if the writer wanted to find mental instability as the foundation of Hasan's motives, but at every turn found Islamic fundamentalism instead.
Additionally, I found it very entertaining to read through a few of the comments. This article was linked on Drudge Report, and the left-leaning NPR regulars clearly do not appreciate points of view that do not meet their own.
Drudge Report has a link to a Yahoo News story about a sculpture by Chinese artist Liu Bolin titled "Burning Man Obama," with this picture of the sculpture as it was tested at a workshop in Beijing today.
The article states "The sculpture represents U.S. President Barack Obama's impact on the world."
I checked Huffington Post, Daily Kos, and Think Progress, as I know those are three of the biggest leftist websites and found no articles as of yet. I also did a Google search but it looks like right now only right-leaning sites have picked up on this story.
I wonder what they will say, if anything?
I will update if I find anything interesting out there...
As I have previously documented, the left seems to thoroughly enjoy using children to promote their "Climate Change" propaganda.
This time is is the World Wildlife Fund that has made a video using innocent little ones to try to convince The Obamessiah to head off to Copenhagen for the big United Nations Global Warming is Going to Kill Us All Gathering scheduled for next month. It seems that, as the video tells it, the United States will "Stand in everybody else's way" in the effort to save the planet if The Obamessiah does not "Act quickly."
Do you leftists mean "act quickly" like when he "jumped to a conclusion" about the behavior of the Cambridge Police Department, even though we are not supposed to "jump to a conclusion" about a terrorist who was trying to communicate with Al Qaeda and declared himself "A Muslim first, an American second?"
The kids then let us know that "The rest of the world is ready," as they tell us some of the attendees of the conference, making the U.S. out to be the bogey man. "President Obama, please... please.. please..."
Oh, please.
Next they ask, "Do you think he knows where Copenhagen is?"
Guess what, liberals.. he sure does. That's where the big meanies that turned him down for the Olympics in Chicago reside. He knows, trust me.
Hey, leftists - stop using children to promote your agenda.
I don't like that my Congressman did it on the floor of the House on Saturday night, and I don't like that you are doing it all the time to propagate this falsehood that doesn't even have the same name as it did two years ago.
Have an honest debate, or shut up. The science is not settled - the science is not even old enough to come to the beginnings of a conclusion.
Oh, that's right... you and your Obamessiah can come to conclusions quickly, it is Conservatives that need to not rush to judgments.
In about one hour, at 9:00pm EDT, the D. C. sniper John Allen Mohammed will be put to death by lethal injection in the state of Virginia.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined without comment to consider the appeal and stop the execution of Mohammed. Additionally Virginia governor Tim Kaine refused to stay the execution, clearing the way for legal and just punishment to be served to the man who, in 2002, planned and executed terrorist shootings that left 10 dead and a community afraid to leave their homes.
Mohammed's three-week killing spree in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., was carried out with teenage accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo. Malvo is serving life in prison without parole; at the time the terrorist acts were committed he was not of legal age to be considered for execution.
Muhammad was sentenced to death specifically for killing Dean Harold Meyers at a gas station in northern Virginia. He and Malvo were also suspected of fatal shootings in Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana and Washington state.
Prosecutors chose to put Muhammad and Malvo on trial in Virginia first because of the state's willingness to execute killers. He and Malvo were also convicted of six other murders in Maryland and both were sentenced to six life terms.
Almost midway through the second quarter, and this game is everything we expected.
Denver scored a field goal on the opening drive, and has largely controlled the tempo, but an errant throw by Kyle Orton was intercepted and went for a touchdown, making the score 7-3 Pittsburgh.
****UPDATE****
The game reaches halftime with the score Pittsburgh 7, Denver 3.
Team Stat Comparison at the half
1st Downs
3
9
Passing 1st downs
3
9
Rushing 1st downs
0
0
1st downs from penalties
0
0
3rd down efficiency
2-5
5-9
4th down efficiency
0-0
0-0
Total Plays
18
34
Total Yards
54
183
Passing
31
157
Comp-Att
6-9
16-21
Yards per pass
3.4
7.5
Rushing
23
26
Rushing Attempts
7
11
Yards per rush
3.3
2.4
Red Zone (Made-Att)
0-0
0-0
Penalties
2-13
2-15
Turnovers
0
1
Fumbles lost
0
0
Interceptions thrown
0
1
Possession
10:44
19:16
Pittsburgh will receive the kickoff to begin the second half.
****UPDATE****
Pittsburgh was driving into Denver territory when the Denver defense forced a Roethlisberger fumble that was returned for a DENVER TOUCHDOWN!!!!!!
Saturday, Left Coast Rebel posted about the fact that Clifton B. over at Another Black Conservative is scheduled to be on Glenn Beck's show on Friday, November 13th. This is great news for all Conservative bloggers, and I am especially excited for Cliff.
Cliff gave me a place on his blog roll very early on in my blog's existence, and he even offered me help when I had questions about improving blog traffic. His blog has been growing quite a bit as of late, and he is a great guy who holds solid values.
Cliff recently was interviewed on a blog radio show; he posted a recording of the interview here.
Also scheduled to appear on the same Glenn Beck show are Adrienne Ross who blogs at Motivation: Truth and Maria, who many of us know as her comment name Namaste. Maria's blog is My Voice on the Wings of Change. I wish them all a wonderful experience!
Rebel's post about Cliff's planned appearance can be found here. Again, this is is great news that I believe everyone should be extremely excited about. Please visit Rebel's page and tell him I sent you, and then go see Cliff over at ABC and wish him luck!
As many of you know, I am a devoted fan of NASCAR and my favorite team is the Rick Hendrick owned #48, with driver Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus. Team #48 is just two races away from making history in the sport; at the beginning of today's race at Texas Motor Speedway team #48 held a 184 point lead over second place, and was well on their way to their unprecedented fourth consecutive championship.
However, today was a bad day for my favorite team but a good day for NASCAR, as Johnson wrecked on lap 3 of 334 and lost a wide margin of his points lead. Johnson now leads second place Mark Martin by 73 points, with third place Jeff Gordon 112 points back. Rounding out the top five are today's winner Kurt Busch at 171 points back, followed by Tony Stewart, who is 178 points off the lead pace.
Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is Phoenix International Raceway. Mark Martin won the 2009 spring race at PIR, while last years winner of the November race at the same track was Jimmie Johnson.
A triumphant Speaker Nancy Pelosi likened the legislation to the passage of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare 30 years later. "Oh, what a night!" she proclaimed at the beginning of a press conference held after the vote. President Obama issued a statement saying, "I look forward to signing it into law by the end of the year."
Pelosi and Obama failed to mention that Social Security currently has an unfunded liability of over $13 trillion, and Medicare over $73 trillion. For more information on exactly how broke our government has made the United States, click here.
The vote fell across party lines, with only one Republican voting in favor of the bill. It is likely in the coming days we will much about the bi-partisan nature of the vote. To see the names of those who voted in favor of this completely un-Constitutional measure, click here.
Meanwhile, Obama still has none absolutely nothing regarding the request from General McChrystal for the deployment of 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan, and he has issued no apology for his absolutely rude and inconsiderate speech Thursday at the Tribal Nations Conference, as he went on and on about his agenda before beginning to speak about the horrific murder by an Islamic Jihadi terrorist at Ft. Hood.
Instead, he once again made the event all about himself by saying "And I want all of you to know that as Commander-in-Chief, there's no greater honor but also no greater responsibility for me than to make sure that the extraordinary men and women in uniform are properly cared for and that their safety and security when they are at home is provided for." Apparently he missed out on the part where presidents are supposed to take Muslim Terrorists seriously.
However, he does have a Nobel Peace Prize, and it is likely his golf game is improving since he has had more than adequate time on the links since becoming president.
In late 1968 The Rolling Stones and a plethora of music royalty from that era performed and filmed two concerts on a circus stage. Intended to air on the BBC, these concerts never made it to air as originally intended and were held private until their release in 1996 as The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus.
The Stones and their guests performed in a replica of a seedy big top which was set on the sound stage of Abbey Road Studios. The event began at about 2pm, but setting up between acts took longer than planned and the cameras kept breaking down, which meant that the final performances took place at almost 5 o'clock the next morning.
From these concerts comes tonight's Friday Night Video: Yer Blues. The clip includes The Stones Mick Jagger and John Lennon of The Beatles introducing the song, and has a wonderful cameo of Yoko Ono as she sits in front of the band with a black sheet over her head. Many say it is Yoko's finest work.
A song penned by Lennon and originally released on the two-album set The Beatles (also known as The White Album) this version was performed by a 'supergroup' called Dirty Mac. Comprised of Lennon (guitar, vocals), Keith Richards (bass guitar) of The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton (lead guitar) of the recently defunct Cream, and Mitch Mitchell (drums) of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Dirty Mac was a one-time only band that performed only two songs during their one day of existence; the other being an instrumental with Yoko.
It is said that Lennon originally intended the song as a friendly parody of British blues. He said in a Rolling Stone interview that he used the humorous title as something of a defense mechanism, so that if anyone criticized the song, he could write it off as a parody. Aside from that, he claimed to be serious about the content of the song. The lyrics are extremely suicidal, and include references to Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" as well as cosmology, and were possibly reflective of Lennon's well-documented battles with his psychological demons.
In my opinion, any time such great musicians are gathered that Keith Richards must step away from a six-string guitar and pick up a bass means there's bound to be good music, and these four are certainly all legends who fortunately came together and gave us one song of great music.
With less than one week's notice and at the behest of Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, patriotic Americans made last minute plans to travel to the Washington, D.C. These freedom loving individuals skipped work, packed bags and traveled for miles to speak up for the rights of all American citizens.
With many Congressional representatives including House Minority Leader John Boehner gathered on the steps behind her, Bachmann addressed the crowd that had gathered to show their representatives "The whites of their eyes," as that crowd cheered their own efforts and chanted "Kill the bill!"
Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Thursday said he expects the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a sweeping health care overhaul on Saturday, but acknowledged that the vote would be close.
"I think it's going to be close," Hoyer told reporters. He said the House would take up the bill on Saturday and that it would win majority support from Democrats.
AARP stands to gain an incredible amount of business from the passage of this bill.
The AMA's president, Dr. J. James Rohack, told reporters Thursday that the legislation is "not a perfect representation of our views" but is close enough to warrant his group's support and keep the reform process moving forward.
Rohack said the bill needs to be accompanied by legislation reversing scheduled Medicare reimbursement payment reductions to physicians.
Finally, Republicans on The Hill have created their own version of health care reform. When asked about this development, Nancy Pelosi waved her hands around and blinked uncontrollably as she called the Republicans' plan "scandalous."
