Monthly Archives: January 2010
And the Grammy Goes To: Phoenix-Best Alternative Album
Back in July I posted a song by the group Phoenix, and thought it may be one of the best albums of the year. Tonight their album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, was awarded the Grammy for Best Alternative Album. Quality New Music brought to you by Gurus’s Mix.
Weekend Wuss Rock
Remember, wuss rock isn’t necessarily bad rock. This little diddy gets turned up when I hear it in the car.
Dave’s Quote(s) of the Day
In a planned Superbowl ad, Heisman Trophy-winning college quarterback Tim Tebow tells the story of how his mother chose to give him life after doctors advised her to abort him. The reaction of the pro-abortion forces in society has been fierce.
Ayla Brown – Pick It Up
Meet the Browns. Dad is a colonel in the National Guard, posed nude in Cosmo, and is now the newly elected US Senator from the state of Massachusetts. Mom is a TV reporter and was featured in a movie video in the ’80′s. Daughter Ayla Brown was on American Idol in season five and has now released a new song and music video. And I hear from a trusted source that she is ”available.” Quite the family. I feel like my life is really boring after taking a peek into theirs. Maybe I need to get out more or take up a hobby… This video would be better if it didn’t look like something a friend shot in the living room to put on her myspace page while they were taking a break from painting the garage. She should have brushed her hair or something. The song is fairly tolerable though.
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“Need a body cry?”
J.D. Salinger, the famously reclusive author whose novel, “The Catcher in the Rye,’’ was one of the best-selling books of the 20th century, died at his Cornish, N.H. home. He was 91.
Mr. Salinger died of natural causes Wednesday, his son, Matt, said in a statement from Harold Ober Associates, Mr. Salinger’s literary agency.
We all read him, did we not? He moved a generation of Americans. We would not have had “A Field of Dreams” without him.
I resented having to read him in school, not as much as being forced to read “Lord of the Flies” though. I thought Holden Caulfield was an angst ridden twerp when I was one too. I never understood why they taught with “The Catcher in the Rye,’’ and others like “A Separate Peace”, when there was Hemingway and always more Shakespeare to read. Then again, like I said, the novel moved a generation. Besides, I like some weird writers from New Hampshire, even if some of them don’t like me anymore.
I just trashed several semesters of 1960s and 1970s high school literature. What say you in response?
Leftist Hollywood Vs Reality
Having just suffered through all fourteen hours and twelve dimensions of “Avatar”, the Beast enjoyed this scathing take down of Hollywood Culture by “Big Hollywood’s” Andrew Klavan.
“No, I’m simply saying that life, uh… finds a way.” Dr. Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park.
One does not have to be a Nazi, socialist, communist or even a “narcissist” to have their good intentioned ideas result in unintended bad 
consequences. All living things, like the organizations man creates, want to grow. Governments are a prime example of this.
The level of public spending is only one indication of the state’s power. America’s federal government employs a quarter of a million bureaucrats whose job it is to write and apply federal regulations. They have cousins in national and supranational capitals all round the world. These regulators act as force multipliers: a regulation promulgated by a few can change the behaviour of entire industries. Periodic attempts to build “bonfires of regulations” have got nowhere. Under Mr Bush the number of pages of federal regulations increased by 7,000, and eight of Britain’s ten biggest regulatory bodies were set up under the current government.
The authors of this piece in the Economist do not always color with the shades I would have picked. They do at least outline the debate in clear terms.
Must Watch Movies: Moon
It’s Time To Go Back To Duncan Jones’ Moon – Moon – io9.
I guess movie-making is always a form of madness — it has to be, given how huge an undertaking it’s become. But usually it’s the madness of Hollywood power-mongers struggling to turn an incoherent digital rampage made up of branded content into another money spout. To explore the DVD of Moon is to witness another kind of madness at work — the madness of the small science-fiction auteur, and that in turn gives you a greater appreciation for the madness that Sam Rockwell embodies on screen.
What a film. It is too bad it slipped through theaters without much fanfare. It ranks as one of the best Sci-fi movies I’ve seen in a while and certainly ranks as the best of last year for me. The tension running throughout reminds me a lot of the original Alien or perhaps Outland…all for a budget of 5 million dollars. If you haven’t seen it, rent it soon.
Strawman Recovering From Rough Night: SOTU
“I had a rough night last night during the SOTU, but I survived.”
The Strawman
SOTU In Two Words: “More Cowbell!”
Ideology is like sales tax, you’ll put up with an extra 5% as long as you get the goods. Obama has it backwards, 5% goods gets you a heaping pile of leftwingery and that’s why he’s in trouble.
Last week several pundits declared Scott Brown’s special election victory as the “Can you hear us now?” moment. Over the last year Obama and the Dems have relentlessly pursued their own social agenda at the expense of most everything else. Unwilling to let a good crisis go to waste they’ve ignored growing concerns among the electorate about lost jobs and mounting debt and wasted an entire year pushing for programs like health care despite the fact that a majority of Americans have it and like what they have and don’t want to give it up.
One might have thought that three consecutive electoral drubbings might have opened a few ears on Capitol Hill, but not if you go by what was read off the teleprompter last night. Despite a few fig leaves, it’s damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead over there.
In a strictly partisan sense this could be good news. If the Dems awake from their fever dream now they might be able to mitigate the worst of election 2010, much as Clinton might have been able to fend off his own electoral defeat in ’94. Yet here is a President who has given some 400 speeches and has already addressed three joint sessions of congress and blithely assumes that the problem with his governance to date is that he hasn’t communicated enough with the public. The problem is not packaging, the problem is content. Too much cowbell, not enough music.
Obama doesn’t have to run for reelection for three years. He’s got time to hang tight and hope the economy turns around. This is a luxury many Dems in Congress do not share. They’ve got to run now and they’ve got to do it with the crappy hand Obama foisted on them. For these congressmen there was little cover offered last night. Pass healthcare, push CapNTrade, don’t run for the hills – follow the leader right off the electoral cliff.
One suspects those hills are looking pretty good right now.
Chris Matthews: “I forgot he was black tonight for an hour”
Stick a Cuckoo Fork in Chris Matthews; He’s Done « Snark And Boobs.
Will there be outrage in the morning over this analysis by Chris Matthews? Will Jesse and Al be hitting up the morning news shows?
Oh, by the way: Nuggets win eighth straight, 97-92 vs. Rockets
Nuggets win eighth straight, 97-92 vs. Rockets – Yahoo! News.
Winning without Carmelo. Liking how the squad is shaping up this year.
Facebook Fail 2
Brother gets back at his sister by posting her hookup list on Facebook… and tagging all of the guys
But you gotta jump first 
(And don’t miss the comments!)
Alito Appears To Mouth ‘Definitely Not True’ After Obama Criticizes Court Decision (VIDEO)
hat tip: TPM Livewire
SOTU. OMG!
Is Obama trying to be a stand up comedian? This is as bad and uncomfortable a speech as I have ever seen him give.
Update: I don’t recall seeing a President call out a previous administration like an elementary school teacher and two seconds later call out the Supreme Court. Wow.
Update #2: Christ Almighty! Can he stop talking down to people? This is a disgrace!
Update #3: Seriously, I know more about the last eight years than this guy. Bitching about needing super majorities? Really? The speech writer’s head should roll. This must be a talk radio host’s wet dream!
Update #4: Now he is talking about supporting the troops “when they come home” right after discussing HIS ending of the Iraq War. Are you friggin kidding me? Oh… oh, now you roll out Ronald Reagan’s name as you discuss your diplomacy? Great. I should turn on the XBox and play Modern Warfare 2. It’s more realistic than this speech.
Update #5: Scoring political points with the left by boasting about repealing the ban on gays in the military or prosecuting civil rights violations isn’t really what Americans want to hear. That is campaign fodder.
Update #6: He may cry. This speech is choppy and Obama looks like an empty suit.
Final Update: If I’m just being a partisan hack, by all means let me know. But I saw Clinton give some great speeches in the past. Comparitively speaking, this was shit.
I am just your humble messenger.
Tommy can you hear me? “The trouble is that we are making ourselves more and more difficult to be heard,” said Dr Drake. “We are broadcasting in much more efficient ways today and are making our signals fainter and fainter.” Your messenger thinks this is a good thing. He has a nineteen fifties view of aliens – they aint friendly.
FTW! Doug’s on going drive for excellence. “Douglas Robinson has been arrested so many times in the last two years – 74 times, to be exact – that social service agencies in the area put him on a list of people they wanted to help the next time he was arrested.”
The stewardess asks: “Is that a gecko in your underwear, or are you just happy to see me?”. A German leaving New Zealand has a reptile party in his pants. “Kubus was caught by wildlife officials at Christchurch International Airport on South Island in December, about to board an overseas flight with 44 geckos and skinks in a hand-sewn package concealed in his underwear.”
“I’m an alcoholic. I’m a drug addict. I’m homosexual. I’m a genius.” You know what? He was. Life, the magazine, has prepared a pictorial unmasking everyone’s muse “Famous literary drunks and addicts.”.
Welcome.. the NEW GeezPod.. err I mean IPad.
![blogSpan[1]](http://constitutionclub.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/blogspan1.jpg "blogSpan[1]")
When I first SAW the picture, as you may all see, what popped into my head was “OMG, they made a IPod for Legally Blind old people!”
Well.. sort of. It is the new IPad, as I will say GeezPod is the newest item of Apple. enjoy the read.
Lightning Strikes Twice At Kansas Gymnasium
Proof that there is a higher power and he hates vicious fun. A Kansas high school decides to prank their girls’ basketball coach en masse.
The idea: He will get up at half-time, be blindfolded, spun around and told if he makes an impossible half-court shot, he wins tickets to the Final Four college basketball tournament.
The wrinkle: The crowd is primed to erupt in cheers when he misses. He’s supposed to pull off the blindfold and feel stupid and ashamed. (Not clear on where to locate the humour here.)
The problem: The coach is a former player at Kansas University, which means he’s pretty damn good
So he makes the shot. Incredible, right? Just wait. There is more. A local tv reporter goes to the same gym to do a follow up story, and while filming a tease for the story manages to do this.
Tim Tebow riles pro-choicers
Just when you thought that our beloved Scribe was the only person who hated Tim Tebow, along comes Focus on the Family to turn this saint into a feminist sinner. Yes folks, it turns out that nothing makes a liberal woman more upset than when someone urges another woman not to have an abortion. In case you missed it, Tebow is scheduled to appear in a Super Bowl ad for Focus on the Family. The ad is part of a “celebrate life, celebrate family” campaign that Focus is launching. A few anonymous donors are ponying up the estimated $2 to $3 million for the coveted 30 second spot.
After learning of the ad late Monday, Women’s Media Center (speaking on behalf of the National Organization for Women, the Feminist Majority Foundation and other organizations) asked CBS to pull the ad. It also questioned how and why the network, which used to forbid “advocacy” advertising, agreed to air Focus on the Family’s spot, which is valued at $2.5 million to $3 million.
“An ad that uses sports to divide rather than to unite has no place in the biggest national sports event of the year — an event designed to bring Americans together,” Jehmu Greene, president of the Women’s Media Center, said in a statement.
I thought all advertising was “advocacy” advertising, but what do I know. Apparently, the Women’s Media Center is okay with scantily clad Go Daddy girls. And hell, I can’t blame them. I am okay with them too. But it does show just how divisive a simple message like, “I didn’t whack my own kid in 1987″ and “oh and spend time with your family” can be. Oh the hand wringing! Oh the gnashing of teeth!
The reality of the situation is that I will only have a problem with Tim Tebow ads if he starts preaching abstinence in one breath while getting his photo taken on the red carpet with that smokin hot broad pictured above. That would just be wrong advocacy advertising.
Avatar, The 30 Second Sequel
Transport ships streak up from Pandora and dock with the orbiting interstellar space ship. A steady stream of wounded limp dispiritedly through the docking ports. The ship skipper watches as Marines and ground personnel are examined by medics and disperse. The highest ranking survivor walks into the ship and the skipper nods at at him. He walks over and salutes.
“So, you got overrun by the natives.” the skipper says.
“Yes, sir. They caught us by surprise. We didn’t expect them to be as well coordinated as they turned out to be. We underestimated them.”
“Well, we’ve been monitoring the whole mess from up here. They’ve pulled back to their camps, and they appear to be having quite the victory party down there right now.”
“What’s next sir?”
“I’ve ordered reinforcements from Earth. Once they get here we’ll nuke the big blue kitties from orbit, gamma soak the ground sterile out to a 300 mile radius and then go back down and get our ore. What did you think we’d do, just go back to our dying planet?”
Bernanke 2006 – “I’ll Be Watching You”
Riffing on Steve’s post: in 2006 this video was produced by students at Columbia Business School and features Dean Glen Hubbard. It was motivated at the time by Alan Greenspan’s retirement and his replacement by Ben Bernanke. Seems like a nice piece of augury now doesn’t it?
Note: the refrain at the end – “CBS is great” – refers to Columbia Business School, not a certain sclerotic broadcasting network, soon to vanish forever from the vast, wild media pampas over which it once ruled.
“Fear the Boom and Bust” a Hayek vs. Keynes Rap Anthem
Now this, my friends, is how to teach economics. Watch. Listen. Learn.
Caption This Photo!
“…so then I said, ‘The difference between ’94 and now is that NOW you’ve got ME!’”!
AMERICA RISING!
I didn’t vote for Obama. But I think this video is best for those who did… and are regretting it.
enjoy!
Where is TOTUS?
If you have been around, you would know what TOTUS is. The Teleprompter of the United States, of course. But as of Jan. 1, 2010 no posts from teh one’s awesome prompter that brought hundreds of laughs to the Nation.
Come on folks, let’s be clear: does Big Guy look like someone who knows the difference between the Medal of Freedom and the Medal of Honor? And his staff? They’d have him vote “present” for one if he were still in the Senate, and they’d stall on the review for the other, especially if it involved a brave soul in Afghanistan.
I hope TOTUS is okay. You have to give props to a prompter that is dragged all over, tries to commit suicide and has a temper tantrum as well! But then, we all know that the POTUS has issues with word… but with 6th graders?
I miss the TOTUS. Someone please make TOTUS come back… I think we all need a laugh!
Hello, My Name is…
Four score and 285 days ago (give or take a few), our nation elected someone they thought they knew. Today, not so much – but not to worry. All (or at least some of it, digitally enhanced and re-packaged to fit the format of your screen) will be revealed, when he gets a chance to re-introduce himself to the American public. I can hardly wait.
Evangelicals shift to gentler tone
Today’s Denver Post has an interesting look at a small but newsworthy shift that is taking place within the Christian right. Much of it seems to be taking place within the age group of the Christians represented here but it is newsworthy nonetheless because we are now raising the next generation of possible Christian conservatives.
It turns out that we are not dead after all. Oh sure, there were plenty of proclamations following the elections last year, but the election of Scott Brown and the resurgence of the activist ‘teaparticans’ should dispell any notions that the Christian or “religious” right is in retreat.
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What happened to Little Green Footballs?
Our very own E the Wise pointed out the other day that any visit to the blog Little Green Footballs has become a repulsive exercise and should be avoided at all costs. As an inquisitive glutton for online punishment I failed to heed his warning and came away feeling slightly dirty and almost ashamed of myself. I felt like I had broken a taboo or peeked into something that was designed to be hidden from the public view. It was embarrassing. LGF is a sad shell of what it once was. A shadow of its former self. The once vaunted and often linked to LGF has imploded, its reputation shattered, while its author Charles Johnson has apparently become unhinged or sold out to the peddlers of discredited ideologies. In an inappropriately named piece titled Right-Wing Flame War! The New York Times turns its erratic and not always correct journalistic spotlight on the events surrounding Charles Johnson’s and LGF’s “break with the right.” Despite the sometimes obvious flaws it is an interesting journey into the meltdown at LGF and some of the fallout that accompanied it.
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More Climate Change Evidence Uncovered
Say it isn’t so. It looks as though there is some more evidence pointing towards climate change – or more specifically, how it has affected the economy in the U.K. Maybe there is something to it/in it for me after all. I have been so blinded by the evidence that I have completely ignored the financial opportunities that abound.
Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Let’s just say they were not kidding about the blood part…
As a passionate student of history I have always been interested in the story and life of the rebel slave, Spartacus. A man who shook Rome to the core yet a man we know fairly little about. Yet a legend has grown around his motives and actions and history has remembered him while forgetting countless others. Last night Starz debuted (to mixed reviews) an original series Spartacus: Blood and Sand which I made time to watch. It is produced by Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi who, a decade ago, gave to us Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.
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America’s Freedom – Tea Party Speech
Very well said…
11yr. old gives her “America’s Freedom” Speech to crowd of over 2,000 at Tea Party fireworks rally in Tallahassee, FL. July 4th, 2009
The Roots of Obama Worship
If people do not believe in a spiritual messiah then they will search and settle for a secular one. The messianic and religious overtones by the mostly secularized followers of Barack Obama have been commented on by a wide variety of pundits. The fainting, the tears, the emotional ecstasy, the wild-eyed hope, and the belief that the leader is politically sinless was continually manifested by vast numbers of people throughout the campaign and beyond. Not surprisingly, it has been described by even Obama sympathizers and supporters as “cult-like.” For Christians it was easy to spot the mimicry of the Christian religion that permeated the Obama campaign. The hushed references to “The One” were just plain eerie. And the near worship of Obama by the Europeans is downright disturbing.
This is not an article for one with a thirty-second attention span but is very interesting nonetheless…
The Roots of Obama Worship
Auguste Comte’s Religion of Humanity finds a 21st-century savior
Dave’s Quote of the Day
“Martha Coakley’s resounding defeat in the Massachusetts Senate race is hardly the sort of anniversary gift President Barack Obama could have predicted. Yet there it was, wrapped in a bow and plopped on his doorstep like a flaming bag of dog poo to mark the end of his first year in office.”
–Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch of Reason magazine
Teapartican Militant Group Responsible for Scott Brown Victory.
I often enjoy a good conspiracy theory. I even enjoyed the horrible Mel Gibson/Patrick Stewart movie of the same name. Something about the phrase “Pass the gravy, Jerry” just resonated with me.
Perhaps the thing I enjoy most about each new one that I read about is how exponentially outlandish they become – and how cool it would be (usually) if they were true; however the horrific suggestion that is the latest conspiracy theory (introduced by none other than Hugo Chavez) is that US weapons testing is behind the earthquake on Haiti. Apparently Haiti was a test subject for our contingency plan for Iran.
While the notion he puts forward is really sick, think of the strategic political potential behind this theory. Read the rest of this entry
I am just your humble messenger. (Seriously abridged edition)
Poor Paul needs another dance partner it seems. “He Wasn’t the One We’ve Been Waiting For!” All your messenger has to say is that the ides of March are coming. Every one seems to want to play Brutus to poor Barry’s Caesar. Your messenger thinks the Progressives plan for the elections is to throw Barry under the bus. It took the Republicans six years to sacrifice Bush. That is change for you.
“Now all of the sudden Volcker gets a “rule” to call his very own? In the world of politics, getting a “rule,” or better yet a “doctrine,” is not-quite having an airport named after you, but it ain’t far off.” The “Volcker Rule”? It’s change we can believe in! Oops, isn’t that Paul “Stagflation” Volcker? Your messenger thinks that he is change for the worse. You can believe in that.
State of Disunion
| Many years ago I was doing some blogging as “the infidel sage.” During that time I began a daily post titled “Wise Man Speaketh” where I would post or link to a particularly interesting or “wise” commentary piece somewhere on the web. It was also at that time that I “met” our own Hairy Beast who was also blogging on his own and began our online interaction that culminated with us blogging together here on the Conclub blog. But I digress. As we all eagerly await President Obama’s State of the Union address next week the rebuttals have already begun. And Mark Alexander of Patriotpost.us is in rare form. The Right’s anger at the president and his agenda is at an all time high and reaching a feverish pitch which you can see here. I predict that from a bloggers point of view this election cycle will be incredibly interesting to focus on and blog about. We may see a revolt against Congess that we have not seen since 1994. The GOP should enact its own version of the fifty state strategy. After Massachusetts, with a good candidate and message, every seat is indeed in play and no one is safe. Read the rest of this entry |
Glenn Beck escapes handlers and works without a net again.
“I want a chastity belt on this man,” he said, while his producer tried to justify Brown’s comments. “I want his every move watched in Washington. I don’t trust this guy…This one could end with a dead intern. I’m just saying, it could end with a dead intern.”
Why do they give this guy a microphone? Well at least he wasn’t crying when he said it. Watch his performance art caught on video at the link.
ADD: Before somebody trys to support this nimrod as a great conservative thinker, check out what others have to say about the looney tune.
Edwards admits love child is his
One can only wonder if this had come out earlier in the primaries if it would have helped Hillary to beat Obama, and put another Clinton in the White House. Chances are, we would be about where we are today anyway with Hillary in the oval office and Bill wandering around the white house in his p.j.’s prowling for interns…
Edwards admits fathering child with mistress
Scott Brown’s wife, Gail Huff: The Girl With The Curious Hands
The anger of the Left when it comes to Scott Brown and the “defiling” of Ted Kennedy’s senate seat knows no bounds. This was a front page story on the Huff Post today. Apparently Mrs. Scott Brown is a looker too and while this is not quite as “racy” as Mr. Brown was himself in Cosmo many years ago it is apparently “newsworthy” enough to attempt to be used against Brown. I thought that liberals were all for the continual objectivication of women in the name of sexual liberation? I love it when the far Left suddenly starts getting pious and sounding like Robertson or Falwell. You’d think they would be praising her for being a bold, liberated woman doing her own thing. What a bunch of nut cases. The truth is often stranger than fiction and you just can’t make this stuff up. The following is starting to go viral on the web so in the spirit of Meet Fred Thompson’s Wife, Jeri Kehn I give you The Girl With The Curious Hands by Digney Fignus…
She’s a Lady.. Wooo Oooo Ooo, She’s a Lady!
Oh yes, Tom Jones belts it out for sure. but the reason this came to mind is due to the candid, yet expressive little gem of a comment towards Senator Bachmann.
“I’m going to treat you like a lady,” Mr. Specter shot back. “Now act like one.”
Ms. Bachmann replied, “I am a lady.”
That’s Some Audacity
I heard on the radio this morning that Mr. Obama blames the recent Massachusetts election results on voter anger. This anger is not just present day anger for the last two years, but it’s more than that. Apparently it’s anger over the past 8 years.
As a non-elitist, I am sure I totally missed the meaning in that statement. What I heard the president say was that in order to stick it to George W. Bush, Massachusetts voters elected a Republican. I am certain that is not what he meant. But it does beg a few questions. . .
A little about Alaska.
I mentioned in my first post that I would talk about Alaska. I am not sure who has all been up here, but if you have I hope you enjoyed it!
I have lived in this state most of my life. I fish and hunt for subsistance (making baked alaskan silver salmon with lemon and cheddar) and own property around the state. I enjoy living here… and before you give me crap saying I am a trailer trash Palin bot, I have lived in the lower 49 and moved back because you all are insane!
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Glenn Reynolds on Brown’s win, Republican tactics, and the future
Shamelessly lifted in its entirity SO BROWN WON:
SO, BROWN WON. This is big news; while the White House is still in the healthcare bunker, things like Jim Webb’s move for a “suspension” until Brown is seated suggest that Democrats in Congress, being closer to the front lines, have a better idea of what’s really going on. We may still see something called “health care reform,” but it seems much less likely that it’ll be anything like ObamaCare, and if they do somehow ram ObamaCare through they’ll see anger that’ll make the Massachusetts special election look like a cakewalk.
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BADGERTASTIC!
You may or may not have heard of this wonderful little blog that hasn’t been around too long. But I tell you it get’s funnier and funnier everytime I go to sleep!
Sleep? Well… it is called “The Sleep Talkin’ Man” and it is about a man who sleep talks while his wife tape records it. You wanna talk about some insane dreams…. read this:
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The Radical Left Reacts to Brown’s victory and Obama’s First Year in Office
One would think the above banner was some sort of conservative graffiti designed to mock the president. Instead it was sent to me today by Code Pink and is from the website http://www.losing-hope.org/ which seems to be little more than “I’m in mourning” site for sad little progressives. It is exactly one year since the secular messiah of hope and change was sworn into office after being swept there by the Left’s version of “people power.” In 365 days Mr. Yes We Can has managed to disappoint just about everyone but a die hard few and despite a Nobel Prize from far off worshippers his influence at home continues to wane dramatically.
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Dave’s Quote of the Day
“If there’s anybody in this building that doesn’t tell you they are more worried about elections today, you should absolutely slap them. Of course everybody is more worried about elections. Are you kidding? It’s what this place thrives on.”
-Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri
What McGwire Was Really Thinking During Costas Interview
“I can’t remember having a better time in all of my life,” McGwire said during an hour-long interview with the MLB Network’s Bob Costas. “Do you have any idea what it’s like knowing instantly that a ball you hit is going to fly—no, soar—over a fence in a major-league stadium? Well, I do. And it’s f$%king fantastic.”
One day, I would love to see an athlete, or any public figure for that matter, embroiled in a controversy actually answer questions about it in this manner. You know this is what they are really thinking.
Click here for the full story.
John Stewart: “Republicans are playing chess and the Democrats are in the Nurse’s office because, once again, they glued their balls to their thighs!”
Stewart freaks out over Brown/Coakley. Prepare to be amused!
Ahhh sweet victory!
I admit that I was worried concerning the Brown throw down concerning the MSM spinning. But there is a reason why. The price of corruption shows no bounds and the People have had enough. And God help us all, they are a tad ticked off … so to speak.
There is a woman actually handing out absentee ballots. Why?
But that is neither here nor there anymore. How about this little tid bit as Brown is now elected in “The Peoples Seat” that Barney Frank is shaking in his boots concerning Obamacare.
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AP declares Brown the winner. Coakley concedes.
I got the news from MSNBC and Rachel Maddow. God bless them.
Andrew Sullivan Overcome With Angst Over Brown/Coakley
Andrew writes the epitaph the night before Hopenchange dies, and weeps into whatever fluid he prefers to consume.
A Looming Landslide For Brown
RCP.Com: All Polls (But Kos) Now Favor Scott Brown. *UPDATED – Coakley In Freefall!
Five of the last Six consecutive polls on Real Clear Politics.com now show a Brown lead. They range from 3 points (ARG) to 10 (PJM). Brown has taken the lead on INTRADE and Democratic (but respected) Polling firm PPP has him up 5. Rothenberg Political Reports has all but called it for Brown:
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CNN Political Ticker: Obama Advisers Believe Coakley Will Lose
Last week the Beast did not believe Obama would go to Mass Sunday to help Coakley because he didn’t want this race to look as if it’s a referendum on him. But on the other hand, if Coakley loses Obama’s going to catch hell no matter what. If Obama rides to the rescue and she wins he can claim a share of the credit. Word is leaking out from both candidate camps that the internals are dreadful for Coakley. Now we have a fresh leak from sources close to the White House.
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The Era of Transparency part deux
The first Era of Transparency post was penned by the Scribe last July. In it, Damien documented the fact that the Obama administration isn’t really giving us two choices regarding Cap and Trade and health care. He is pulling out the best of alternative scenarios and saying that Americans can have it all!
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We Are the Schlock We’ve Been Waiting For
This is just too good. Stop it, you are killing me…Can you imagine how goofy this must be? Guaranteed to get the bile going. This is what happens when hero worship meets absurdity.
From We Are the Schlock We’ve Been Waiting For at Gates of Vienna:
Nearly a year after Barack Obama was sworn in, a musical about him is opening. “Hope — the Obama musical story” makes its world premiere in Frankfurt.
LN was so moved by the occasion that he collected some additional material and sent it to us. First, from Der Spiegel:
Wearing a knitted cardigan and crooning into his microphone, Barack Obama paces around the stage, wooing Michelle with a love song. In another number, now clad in a suit, Jimmie Wilson who plays Obama, struts up and down, clasping his mike and leading a euphoric gospel chorus of “Yes We Can.”
Why Scott Brown Will Win.
Up in New Hampshire the Beast has watched the goings-on south of the border with great interest. Up until Friday he assumed Coakley would win and the best the GOP could do was make a close race, which would have to be good enough. But he now believes Brown’s going to pull it off next week and here’s why:
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Martha Coakley as Cotton Mather
I tend to be reluctant to condemn political candidates as morally wrong because of their professional work. For the most part, we just have different values. Theirs aren’t necessarily worse than mine, just different. But occasionally, there are candidates who are so personally revolting that merely their election itself would be a grievous injury to our populace.
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Haiti – A News Roundup
Haiti is the basket case of the Western Hemisphere. A classic definition of a failed state. Despite billions of aid over the years it is a swirling mess of violence and voodoo, corruption and coups, rampant poverty and severe desperation. And that was before Tuesdays devastating earthquake basically destroyed a country that has always teetered on the brink of chaos and hopelessness to begin with. Haiti may or not be a cursed land, but it is certainly not a blessed one.
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‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink…’
I do not know how to put suffering like this in perspective.
Death, devastation and deprivation prevail in Haiti’s capital, as the full extent of the country’s humanitarian crisis is being revealed to the world. The international community is rushing aid to earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince in the face of logistical challenges and with the knowledge that Haiti’s needs far outpace anything that can be delivered in the short-term.
I am a bit partial to Catholic Relief Services as one might imagine. One reason is that just about every penny goes to those in need. Whoever you choose to give to, please just give.
I had a terse, witty and intellectually challenging post ready, but now it seems pointless. This reminds me of how life is really not an intellectual exercise to be explained away.
About that change. . .
A week from Friday is the deadline for emptying the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, a cutoff that the newly inaugurated President Obama established as one of his first acts in office. No one seriously expects his administration to meet the deadline, and Huffpo’s Nathan Harvey wails that it may take yet another year to figure it out. “By all accounts we are not going to make it. In fact, the Obama administration has asked for another full year to do so.”
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Cafferty’s Second Rant FTW – this time on Emperor Pelosi
CNN must have really blundered in hiring this guy. He’s saying what the public ACTUALLY thinks instead of what CNN wants them to think. What gives?
Dave’s quote of the day – by E
“I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse.”
– Charles V
The kind of “change” we need
Dave’s recent War and Peace part II novel about militant Islam and the way we approach it today brought this clip to mind. If you want to see how a war is won, watch this mini-series (Band of Brothers), one of the best I have ever seen IMHO.
I can’t say enough about this segment though. Just when things are worst, a change is made. A two second politically incorrect decision and order (at 6:04) changes everything – and the effects it has on those following are obvious by the end of the clip. Watching the leadership ‘trickle down effect’ is inspiring, and makes me ‘hope’ for a leadership ‘change’.
Battered by major quake, Haiti braces for huge death toll – CNN.com
Battered by major quake, Haiti braces for huge death toll – CNN.com.
This is going to be very bad. Follow real-time news here.
Shark Horror – SA Bather Torn To Pieces In Waist Deep Water by Great White.
Here, Kitty Kitty Kitty!
South Africans call it “The Bitey Season” and it appears to have begun in earnest.
A middle aged man was killed off Fish Hoeck beach in South Africa yesterday. He was standing in waist deep water adjusting his swim goggles when an 18 foot Great White Shark grabbed him, ripped him apart and ate him in front of the entire beach. From South Africa’s News 24:
Fish Hoek – “It came from below and grabbed the man. Part of his body was gone,” said a woman who watched in horror as a shark ripped apart a tourist in Fish Hoek.
The victim, from Zimbabwe, was on holiday in Cape Town for the month to attend the wedding of his life partner’s daughter.
According to Ian Klopper, NSRI spokesperson, the victim was attacked at about 15:15 where he was standing chest-deep in the water, about 100m from the beach, as he was busy adjusting his diving goggles. Lifeguards later found only the goggles.
Alison Kock from the Shark Spotter Programme and Shark Centre in Kalk Bay, said he was presumably attacked by a Great White shark. “They are capable of such an attack,” she said.
Stood near rocks
A witness, Kathy Geldenhuys from Fish Hoek, who was sitting on the beach and saw the attack, said the man was in the water up to about his waist.
“He was standing near the rocks and my husband said, if a shark should go there now, he wouldn’t have a chance.”
According to her, just after her husband said these words, they saw an “incredibly big” shark attacking the man. “It came from below and grabbed the man. Part of his body was gone.”
Geldenhuys says the shark turned around and pulled the rest of the man’s body down into the water.
“I yelled: there’s a shark in the water, there’s a shark. There were about 30 people in the water then. They only got out of the water when I started yelling.”
The water where the man had been standing was dark with blood.
Recent shark attacks
This is not the first shark attack on the False Bay coast.
Tyna Webb, 78, died on November 15 2004 when a Great White shark attacked her at Sunny Cove near Fish Hoek.
Henri Murray, 22, a Matie, was ripped apart by a Great White shark in June 2005 at Miller’s Point near Simon’s Town.
The Paralympic swimmer Achmat Hassiem, 27, lost his leg on August 13 2006 in an attack by a Great White shark at Sunrise beach near Muizenberg. He and his brother, Taariq, were taking part in a lifeguard exercise when the incident took place.
Andrew Smith (14 at the time) was surfing at the Point in Strand in November 2007 when a shark got hold of both his feet. He survived fortunately, with only scars to show for the ordeal.
Doesn’t sound like a fun beach, does it?
UPDATE: Just to lighten the mood…
Militant Islam and The War on Terror
How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.
Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities — but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.
– Winston Churchill – The River War, volume II pp. 248–50 (1899)
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How does she do it?
This is the face of health care. (Caution. Graphic image after the jump. Be careful, you have been warned.)
HA! Team Coakley Misspells “Massachusettes” In Brown Attack Ad!
Coakley must have felt she didn’t do so well in the debate because she released the very first attack ad of the campaign right after it.
The front runner, supposedly ahead by 15 points goes negative? Very odd, wonder what their internal polls are telling them?
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Dem’s 2010 Strategy Revealed: They’re Going To Run Against Bush!
You see this all over the comments section on any post critical of the Dems: The “b…b…but BUSH…” response.
From the new Tucker Carlson site Daily Caller:
Democrats swear its not 1994 all over. From the way they’re talking, you’d think it was 2006.
Top Democrats are reformatting one of the main talking points from the year they took back the House and Senate, tying opponents in local elections to George W. Bush.
Well, the GOP won two elections on 911, so why not? Of course the difference there was that Republicans played to their strength as well as against the perceived weakness of their opponent.
It is the logical next step in the Democratic narrative of the last several years, which has used as its cornerstone the belief that Bush has been and remains their most effective foil.
That proved true in 2006 and 2008, but Democrats this year are facing anti-incumbent sentiment among the electorate that rivals that of 2006, when the nation was fed up with the Bush administration. Only this time, Democrats are in the cross-hairs.
This year the Dems have no strengths to play for at all – only the weakness of the other guy – who’s not running anyway!
They will attempt to run on job creation initiatives and the passage of health-care reform, (good luck with that, guys! – THB) but at this point it is still questionable whether those issues are assets or liabilities to Democrats.
Attack is one of their remaining options.
“We will not allow this to be an election just about Democrats,” said Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, in an interview.
Good idea, Senator Menendez, that would be suicide!
Your winnings, sir.
During the Bush administration, the Obama campaign, and the lead up to the election, it seemed like every John Mayer wannabe and artist of any (or no) influence at all would get an idea in their head, sit down and write a song about change, wanting the world to do so, and honesty. We were tired of Bush and his ‘lies’, tired of such an unjust and misguided war, tired of hearing about cleaning up Washington and ready for to drain the swamp. Ready for some ACTION. And now, after all this time, we are finally seeing the results of that action. This joyous occasion surely calls for a reward. If only there were one that truly fit the bill.
I Will Definitely Call It A Religion
Previous posts have highlighted the similarities between the adherents of AGW and religion. Indeed, it should be unsurprising that the two have so much in common. All of the utopian movements and catastrophic chicken-little crusades use religious language and typologies. This is because these movements stem from the same human desire and satisfy the same human needs, as religion does.
Two months ago in the United Kingdom, a court ruled that the belief in man-caused global warming is equivalent to a religious belief, and as such is protected by law. The ruling had few defenders, as neither the Christians nor the global warming crowd wished to be associated with the other. The Christians objected to having AGW believers raised to their level, while the latter group protested being lowered to it.
But it was the plaintiff himself who saw the danger in all this. Tim Nicholson, who had brought suit after losing his job as the Head of Sustainability for a UK residential firm, won when the judge rejected claims by the defense that AGW couldn’t be a religion because it could be proven by scientific data. Nonsense, said the judge. AGW was clearly a “philosophical,” rather than scientific, belief. But “This isn’t some new religion,” protested Mr. Nicholson, unwittingly undermining his winning legal strategy. “This isn’t a faith-based belief, but a belief based on overwhelming scientific evidence.”
I have no doubt that Mr. Nicholson sincerely believes that the science has “proven” his beliefs to be true. I also have no doubt that Christians are absolutely positive that their view is correct, just as are Muslims. All of these beliefs Read the rest of this entry
Be careful what you wish for
GOP calls for Harry Reid to step down over remarks
Part of me says that a Republican offensive is just what the doctor ordered in response to Harry Reid’s goofy comments regarding then candidate Obama. That part of me wants to get back at the Dems for the scores of times that anyone with conservative credentials has been made to feel bad or resign from whatever post they held over remarks that were not cleared by the sensitivity police at various universities.
And then there is part of me that wonders when and if we will ever get over the nonsensical tit-for-tat in racial politics. Needless to say, if Reid were speaking of a candidate from a southern state and said that “he did not have a redneck dialect, unless he wanted to have one” this wouldn’t even be an issue. And isn’t that really the way it should be?
If everytime someone makes heretical statements regarding race, should they be forced to give up a little something in order to atone for that sin? And shouldn’t the Republicans want a very unpopular and vulnerable senator to continue holding his post as majority leader heading into an election cycle? Both he and Pelosi are very good faces to attach to the utter incompetence of the “most ethical Congress in history.”
Which part of me is correct?
Harry Reid Said What?
It’s a tempest in a teapot, in this Beast’s humble opinion. But while we’re on the topic of the word “Negro”, check out this penultimate use of the word.
A Film Not By Ken Burns
The Old Negro Space Program
Don’t miss Andy Bobrow as the requisite asshole black studies professor!
That's one BAD hat, Harry!
A Nice Picture Of A Tiger Shark
The Beast hasn’t kept up with his sharkblogging, but that’s mainly because it’s been quiet out there. However he just came across a great Tiger Shark shot on the internet which he believes you’ll find quite impressive
Global Warming Flashback 2000: “Children just aren’t going to know what snow is.”
The scandal-battered East Anglia CRU of Climategate fame continues to suffer from internet “haters” who take their pronouncements out of context. In this example, they’re unfairly taken to task for a prediction made in 2000:
“Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past,” claimed the Independent, back in March 2000:
Britain’s winter ends tomorrow with further indications of a striking environmental change: snow is starting to disappear from our lives.
Sledges, snowmen, snowballs and the excitement of waking to find that the stuff has settled outside are all a rapidly diminishing part of Britain’s culture, as warmer winters – which scientists are attributing to global climate change – produce not only fewer white Christmases, but fewer white Januaries and Februaries.
What sort of kooky climate clown would ever predict such a thing?
According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia,within a few years winter snowfall will become “a very rare and exciting event”.
“Children just aren’t going to know what snow is,” he said.
They might be getting a vague idea now. David Viner, by the way, has since become the ”head of the British Council’s climate change programme”, whatever that means.
This is obviously a prime example of data cherrypicking. Climate Deniers play up the failed predictions and ignore all the ones that have come true.
Such as…
…
…
…
…
Bugger.
WAPO: When It’s Hot, It’s Climate Change. But When It’s Cold, It’s Just Weather.
You’ve been there many times – a heat wave hits or a bout of heavy rains, wildfires, or almost anything extreme and weather related, and the pundits tell you this is caused by Global Warming. But extended periods of meteorological calm or even frigid temperatures are either ignored or chalked up to Global Warming too. And the Beast is sure you have wondered why it is that heat proves warming but the converse never proves cooling, or at least less warming. And if you’re like the Beast, you might also wonder how those who push the alarmist view in the media cope with the obvious cognitive dissonance in their point of view. They must know what they’re doing, and they’re not stupid, so how do they justify it?
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Worshipping Creation – But Don’t Call it a Religion
“What if Mary is another name for Gaia?
Then her capacity for virgin birth is no miracle,
it is a role of Gaia since life began.
She is of this Universe and, conceivably,
a part of God. On Earth, she is the source
of life everlasting and is alive now;
she gave birth to humankind
and we are part of her.”
– Sir James Lovelock , Ages of Gaia.
‘These aren’t the droids you’re looking for’
Mind-reading systems could change air security
A would-be terrorist Jedi knight tries to board a plane imperial ship, bent on mass murder helping a princess. As he walks drives in some cool hovercraft through a security checkpoint, fidgeting and glancing around, a network sentry of high-tech machines storm troopers analyzes his body language and reads his mind magically change their minds. Screeners pull him aside The guards say ‘Move along.’
Tragedy is averted in fact, just around the corner. . .
I feel safer already!
Anti Global Warming Activism – We are Building a Religion
In the early days of the 90′s I recall hearing one of those college touring indie groups. This one stuck with me a.) because they were from Australia, b.) because they had some of the funniest songs I had ever heard and c.) I was changed by their lyrics forever. Now thanks to the wonders of the internet, I have found them – and the song that has stuck in my head to this very day. Needless to say, these guys were WAY ahead of their time. For your consideration, and for your enlightenment I present the Scared Weird Little Guys. Please excuse the quality of the audio/video. Years of play on You-Tube and the 1,032 views must have eroded the quality of the media somewhat. Remember, YOU can make a difference.
Church of Global Warming
Yes, global warming is real. But maybe, just maybe the story you are being sold by the MSM and AGW supporters is not as solid as they would have you believe. Watch this 1st segment of a movie that uses layman’s terms to explain the potential problems with the theories of “The Church of Global Warming”. Click here to watch the remaining 5 segments.
Sean Penn Set To Play Larry In New Three Stooges Film!
This from the team that made “Dumb and Dumber” and “Something About Mary”.
Sean Penn close to inking deal to star in ‘Three Stooges’
This Just In: Hollywood heavy Sean Penn, who dropped out of the Farrelly Brothers’ “Three Stooges” movie during the bust-up of his marriage, is back on board to play middle Stooge Larry, Bobby Farrelly told the Track .Penn took a Tinseltown time-out back in June when he announced he was forgoing future film projects to focus on his family as his marriage to Robin Wright Penn went down the tubes. Penn’s move sank the Farrelly Brothers’ hopes to get the long-awaited Stooges flick off the ground in 2009.
“We got him back,” Bobby Farrelly told the Track. “He always said he wanted to do it after, you know, taking care of his family.”
The Beast can see it, how about you?
More importantly, who will they get to play Moe? Ideas?
Nic Cage as Everyone
Seems as if Nic Cage has been taking on some weird celebrity look-a-like gigs recently trying to save some of his houses. LOL
A hole in sky is closing and now we are going to freeze!
Those of us who remember the seventies, okay the seventies when you weren’t in college, will recall that we were warned that there was a global COOLING coming! In fact a Mini 
Ice Age was likely. Well the frost is here my friends. The Brits are freezing their buns off and some there fear a nat gas shortage. China may have factories shut down due to the cold. Stock up on OJ because the orange crop is dying. Oil and nat gas are going up, which is bad unless you own royalties or live in Alaska. The thermometer on my porch reads -4 degrees and it is 10:30 am here in beautiful Centennial, Colorado.
There has long been speculation about the ozone hole over Antarctica. Is it there? Was it there? Why is or was it there? Well there is this guy in Canada, and they know cold up there, who thinks there is a hole in the sky caused by CFCs and it has been closing. That is good right? Well maybe. It seems CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons ) were all that was holding back the frost.
A peer-reviewed study by a respected Canadian physicist blames the interplay of cosmic rays and chlorofluorocarbons for 20th-century warming. The CFCs are now gone, and so is warming — perhaps for the next 50 years.
Professor Lu seems to be saying, if your humble messenger reads him right, that the environmental movement solved global warming without knowing they were doing it when they got the CFC restrictions passed. Neat trick that!
“Most remarkably, the total amount of CFCs, ozone-depleting molecules that are well-known greenhouse gases … decreased around 2000,” Lu said. “Correspondingly, the global surface temperature has also dropped. In striking contrast, the CO2 level has kept rising since 1850 and now is at its largest growth rate.”
Is it just your humble messenger or doesn’t this underline the validity of the law of unintended consequences? This time it might have worked in our favor. What about next time?
Get out your hairspray boys and girls, start bleeding freon directly into the air, you might be all there is preventing New York looking like it did in Artificial Intelligence: AI.
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