Archive for January, 2010

Steven Hutson

Greetings, all:

I’m the newest columnist here at North Star, and I hope you’ve enjoyed my columns for the past few months.  It’s my small way of trying to change the world, 800 words at a time.  What you might not know about me is that when I’m not knee-deep in political debate, I write books on spiritual themes.  I have one book in print, and my agent is currently shopping around two others.  And in my limited free time I also edit books and mentor aspiring new writers.

This year will mark the fifth outing for the Antelope Valley Christian Writers’ Conference (near Los Angeles), where I serve as the director.  This springtime event (May 14-15) is a labor of love for me, because I know how hard it is for a struggling writer to carve out a place  in this fiercely competitive business.  It is our goal to become the area’s leading resource for writers to learn about the industry and network with others who can help them advance their writing careers.

If a joshua tree doesn't inspire you, nothing will.

We have assembled a distinguished faculty of experienced writers and editors, and they love to teach and help others succeed.  You can bring a sample of your writing, and receive a valuable critique from one of our experts.  Attend workshops in a variety of helpful topics.  Enter a writing contest.  Bring your laptop computer and take advantage of our wireless

internet connection.  A small number partial or full scholarships will be available.  Together we can help you take your writing to the next level, the best it can be.

Have we piqued your interest?  Come and join us for a time of refreshing in the desert.  Check out our website, at www.avwriters.com

Bob Franken

There was much in common with the two events. One was in San Francisco, the other D.C., but they were similarly preceded by an inordinate amount of hype. They each had become ritual.

Jobs was a main focus in both cases. But where Steve Jobs often deals with long lines at his stores, for Barack Obama it’s long lines at the unemployment offices.

Jobs's product...gimmick? Obama's product...relic.

The Apple CEO was presenting something new. The U.S. chief executive also had a new twist of two, but, for the most part, he was repackaging the same product he unveiled a year ago. A lot of it didn’t work, so he was trying to defend it just as more and more have decided they’re not buying.

Jobs was there after having obvious success with health care. Obama…well we all know that story. His reform is on life support.

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Brett Noel

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Kelly Anderson Wright

RENO – As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) entered the room behind President Obama for Wednesday’s State of the Union speech, he already looked a bit off his game. Television cameras zoomed in on Obama and Reid, commentators talked about Reid’s tough re-election back home, and Harry stared oddly off into space, not connecting with the people shaking his hand as he walked down the aisle.

Nevadans hope Reid is on his way to retirement.

The president began his first SOTU speech, and in less than five minutes, Harry Reid started yawning. Problem was, it was caught live by television cameras and seen by Nevadans and millions of Americans, who didn’t yet know the speech would drag on for 70 minutes and rehash Obama’s rhetorical talking points.

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Bob Maistros

As a public service, we are reprising portions of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address with the disclaimers the government requires on advertising:

President Obama: “We cut taxes for 95 percent of working families … small businesses … first-time homebuyers … parents trying to care for their children … eight million Americans paying for college… And we haven’t raised income taxes by a single dime on a single person.”

What I really mean is...

Tax cuts may not apply to fully 95 percent of families. Not all small businesses, first-time homebuyers, or parents (especially those actually earning income) may be eligible for tax cuts. Some “single persons,” due to change in filing status, source of income, place of residence or hair color, may see their taxes raised by a dime or substantially more.

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David Karki

“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! Go – before I lose my temper! The great and powerful Oz has spoken!”

With that last feeble attempt to cover up a fraud, the Wizard of Oz was no more. Exposed for what he really was, not even the most impressive special effects couldn’t keep the previously frightened Dorothy from confronting the real man behind the curtain.

What the hell are "jobs saved," Dorothy?

As it was in the movie, so too it was with last night’s State of Obama’s Presidency Address. Where the man behind the curtain had a microphone, fireballs, and thunder sound effects, the Wizard of Obama has teleprompters, applauding Democratic lackeys, and blaming Republicans and President Bush. And as all that sound and fury failed to accomplish anything in the film, so too did it last night.

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Dan Calabrese

I stayed up late to write thoughtful analysis of this?

Here’s a quick summary of President Obama’s State of the Union address:

- Everything I did was right.

- If you don’t like what I did, it only makes it that much more right because I’m so politically courageous.

Brutal.

- Bush did it.

- “USA. USA. USA. (Say it like Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. You’ve about got it.)

- Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!

That last part was especially good. Obama promises to double U.S. exports, even though he refuses to sign a free trade agreement.

Obama swears that he will not leave America’s fiscal crisis for the next generation to deal with, even though his own spending has made the crisis exponentially worse.

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Bob Franken

As always, it’s called the “State of the Union” speech but if we’re being real about this, it is the “State of Barack Obama’s Presidency” address, or in legislative terminology the “Obama Recovery Act”.

You get the picture. By the time he begins, we know what the president is going to say and who will be sitting in the upper deck listening.

One word to describe the state of the union: Sorry

Everyone thinks it’s a big waste of time…certainly the TV networks who could be making more money on their other reality shows. About the only good television in this one comes from the shots of the audience.

That’s where we can watch the expressionless expressions on the Republicans’ faces when Mr. Obama delivers his applause lines (The way things have been going his staff might have to pipe in some canned cheering.)

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Pamela Troy

“The common assumption is that the Nazis were a right wing phenomenon, a right wing party, that Hitler was a man of the right, and there are a lot of problems with this. His social agenda for expanding universal access to health care, for expanding access to education. It was for a cradle-to-grave welfare state. It was for attacking big business and high finance. People say, ‘Well, Hitler abolished labor unions. He was right wing then.’ Well, how did labor unions do under Stalin? How are labor unions doing under Fidel Castro?”

Jonah Goldberg, Glenn Beck special, January 22, 2010

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean neither more nor less."

Here is where the insularity so carefully fostered within the right wing over the past two decades begins to pay off. It is obviously news to a good many of Beck’s viewers that the full name of Hitler’s party included the word “socialist.” Rather than blame the fact that they dozed off in their 20th century world history class, many of these folks are eager to blame this ignorance on a liberal “cover-up.”

The sheer amount of misinformation packed into Goldberg’s relatively terse statement quoted above is impressive, but I’ll break it down:

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