Archive for December, 2009

Bob Maistros

As a further public service, we felt it would be useful to expand our recent Obama Glossary to cover terms in presidential statements on the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen and the Senate’s version of health care “reform:”

“Action” and “actions” – inaction.

“Breakthrough” – embarrassing failure.

Let me be clear...

“Cadillac plans” – expensive private health insurance plans, except those benefiting union members.

“Compromise” – sellout or bribe.

“Concrete commitments” – vague pledges.

“Consensus” – complete lack of agreement. Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Calabrese

It’s no cause for celebration, and Sarah Palin’s not the type for schadenfreude, but she was right about the death panels. So right, in fact, that the death panels are receiving some very special and probably unconstitutional protection in the Senate health care bill.

She sure does turn out to be right a lot.

The creation of the so-called Independent Payment Advisory Board – the panel that decides who goes without coverage so costs can be cut – cannot be repealed, according to language Harry Reid has inserted into the bill, without a supermajority vote of two-thirds.

Death panels? There are no death panels! Stop listening to that crazy cackling woman Sarah Palin! There. Are. No. Death Panels! Got it? Got it? Get it!

Read the rest of this entry »

Bruce Fisher

In the coming weeks, indigenous peoples the world over will put on their 3-D glasses and rejoice in the film Avatar, a story of third world triumph over rapacious, militarized, white male capitalism. And we here in the evil West will rejoice right along with them, while our Chinese and Russian friends scratch their heads and wonder if we’ve all lost our minds.

When do the noble savages ever really win?

Avatar is the new $230 million triumph of computer-generated filmmaking by director James Cameron. It is a gorgeous piece of work that owes much to science fiction novelist Ursula K. LeGuin and to her anthropologist father, Albert Kroeber.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bob Franken

We need to cut Michael Steele some slack. If someone is willing to pay him big bucks to make a speech, he’d be a fool to say no. True, he has gotten into trouble about some of the dopey things he’s said, but he may as well make some money for them.

It’s not that there’s a conflict of interest, Democrats, in particular should realize that. They constantly charge that GOP chairman Steele heads a party that always favors the wealthy…those who can afford to pay for his words of wisdom.

When he shoots from the hip, he usually hits himself.

Oh yeah, full disclosure: I give a paid speech once in awhile, would love to make more. Mine aren’t a conflict of interest either. What interest?

But we’re talking about Michael Steele. He already gives his critics plenty to complain about. Some of his statements, for instance, as party chair, about health care, and other issues, have been widely considered to be emotional panderings, exaggerations and outright, shameless distortions. Read the rest of this entry »

Brett Noel

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Large version for newspaper publication.

Grayscale version for newspaper publication.

Dan Sherrier

It’s easy to deflect objections to abortion by shouting, “Who the heck are you to be shoving your religious views down everyone else’s throats?”

Except it’s really not about religion, not any more than objections to killing babies who have already passed through the birth canal. If a parent snaps and kills his/her one-week-old baby, we’d all consider that a criminal issue, not a freedom of religion issue.

Life.

True, many people who consider themselves “pro-choice” still do object to late-term abortions. Once the baby begins to look like a baby, they become too uncomfortable with abortion, and rightly so. And yes, I realize few people “favor” abortions or are totally comfortable with them. I realize most people don’t do it lightly, and it’s a very painful decision for them. Still, whether or not an innocent gets to live isn’t a decision anyone should have in the first place, regardless of how far along the baby is, because even an embryo is unique human life. Read the rest of this entry »

Jamie Weinstein

The unseemly attacks on Sen. Joe Lieberman have reached a new low, and one of the most influential liberal websites is complicit.

As I previously documented, Joe Lieberman’s stance on the Senate health care bill has so enraged the left that he has been subject to terrible slanders. One liberal blogger has directed her aim at Lieberman’s wife, while a

Seriously.

Washington Post blogger has outrageously accused the Connecticut senator of being “willing to cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in order to settle an old electoral score.”

Now, one left-wing blogger on the Huffington Post has delved into anti-Semitism while attacking Lieberman.

I am not one to idly accuse people of anti-Semitism, but there is nothing else you can call Michael Carmichael’s delusional blog post.

Read the rest of this entry »

David Karki

But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao  /  You ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow…

“Revolution” –The Beatles

With the passage of Mao’s communist health care, the die is now cast. Anyone who doesn’t purchase government insurance is a criminal, subject to prosecution.

You tell me it's the institution.

Moreover, the Democrats have illegally and unconstitutionally required a two-thirds supermajority to ever repeal the “Independent Medicare Advisory Board,” better known as more accurately described by former Alaska Governor and 2008 Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin: “death panels.” Read the rest of this entry »

Kelly Anderson Wright

Sometimes, when things look wrong, they’re right. Such is the case with health care reform, and a dog named Champs.

Champs is a certified serial digger-chewer, and we are his third adoptive family. So far, he has chewed through two couches, seven pillows, my favorite leather ottoman (pictured), a pine bed frame, four TV remotes, several pairs of shoes, my son’s favorite ball caps, an algebra textbook and most of the landscaping in the backyard. By most accounts, he seems all wrong for us.

Certified serial digger, chewer and life saver.

Champs is the third dog we’ve adopted. Cagney and Lacey came first, 14 years ago. It seems like yesterday.

We’d seen lots of spastic, barking, begging dogs at the shelter, all of whom desperately wanted to come home with us that Christmas. I was tired.

Two puppies were in the last cage. They were six weeks old, with gold fur and interesting black and white markings, signs of Akita and Boxer. Their paws were white, and huge. A bit of St. Bernard, the vet said. They would grow up to be big dogs, he warned. Lots of eating and pooping. I had two sons who did pretty much the same thing.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hat tip to Hot Air and Pajamas, and offered here as a followup to our recent discussion of Detroit.

Lest you think Crowder simply picked out the most horrific-looking scenes in the city and presented them as typical, he didn’t. The buildings and locations where he filmed could have been easily found anywhere in the city.

Horrifying, and happening right under our noses. Other than fearing for Crowder’s life, we could find little to disagree with here.