I used to be a big fan of Peggy Noonan. I thought that her columns were thoughtful, eloquant, and had a way with the English language. Her seeming understanding of the world and of Conservatism was always enjoyable, and I looked forward to her weekly columns.
All of that started to change after the 2004 election. While still writing good columns, she seemed off her game. As the 2008 campaign heated up last fall, she started to show tendencies of elitism, denigrating Sarah Palin and swooning over Barack Obama. Now, in her latest column, she viciously attacks Sarah Palin, calling her a “very nice middle class girl with ambition” who “wasn’t thoughtful enough to know that she wasn’t thoughtful.” Noonan goes on to claim that Palin was “not ready for national politics, and never would be.”
Noonan appears to know everything about Sarah Palin, and assumes from that fact that Palin is a bimbo with no brain. Her article is dripping with condescension, and claims that Palin was a product of the Republican elite. Rather, it is the Republican elite who is against her, and who thwarted her. Many of her missteps during the campaign were due to mismanagement by the McCain campaign, a campaign that now viciously has turned on her. Noonan’s condescension assumes that Palin is not fit for anything involving national politics, and that she is a dolt who will never be able to study up on national issues.
“Now she can prepare herself for higher office by studying up, reading in, boning up on the issues.” Mrs. Palin’s supporters have been ordering her to spend the next two years reflecting and pondering. But she is a ponder-free zone. She can memorize the names of the presidents of Pakistan, but she is not going to be able to know how to think about Pakistan. Why do her supporters not see this? Maybe they think “not thoughtful” is a working-class trope!
This nasty column is unbecoming of Ms. Noonan, and cements in my mind that she is an elitist snob. One could easily argue that neither Barack Obama nor George W. Bush were “ponderers” as Noonan thinks the ideal president to be. Noonan is forgetting that Conservatism and democracy envisions that normal people run our government, not an elitist, governing class. To quote the late, great, William F. Buckley, Jr. (hardly a lightweight in the intellectual sphere), “I would rather be governed by the first 2000 people in the Boston phone book than the entire faculty of Harvard.” Peggy would do well to learn this lesson, and realize that she is insulting the vast majority of hard-working Americans who see Palin as someone who can return the American form of government to “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
It’s been a bad week for Obama from a legislative point of view. Yesterday it was reported that Cap and Trade was going to be put on hold by the Senate until the fall, dealing a blow to his goal of having two major pieces of legislation signed by the August recess. Now, it appears that health care reform has stalled in the House of Representatives, due to Blue Dog Democrats expressing their serious reservations about the process and content of the draft legislation.
Both of these delays are very bad news for Obama. Once Congress comes back from their August recess, much of the work needs to be done on the budget for FY 2010. Additionally, with his popularity plummeting, Obama had hoped to get these two major pieces of legislation rushed through before the American people caught on. The delays will make it very difficult to debate pass both pieces of legislation this session, and Obama will not have the political capital in September/October that he has right now.
Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) officially announced that he would challenge Sen. Benedict Arlen Specter in the Democrat Primary next year for Senate. Specter responded by accusing Sestak of only being a recent convert to the Democrat Party (Sestek declared his affiliation with the Democrat Party n in 2006, at least three years before Arlen Specter switched parties). Now, I’ve seen politicians make stupid lines of attack before, but this one has to take the cake. It would be like Rep. Patrick Kennedy attacking a primary challenger for getting drunk once in a while, or like Bill Clinton attacking his primary opponent for marital infidelity. If this is the best line of attack that Specter can come up with, he’s toast.
There’s been some buzz about this picture taken at the G8. At first glance I didn’t see what the problem was. However, on second glance I noticed that Presidents Obama and Sarkozy are also in the picture!
See for yourself:
As innocent as this may or may not be, it probably gives Obama a little more street in Europe and on the American Left — he’s so young and dreamy and sexy that his eyes still wander. Swoon. Then again the man’s got a pulse, right? I’m sure Michelle Obamasaurus isn’t pleased, but then again he does get her some very nice things. In truth I’d rather talk about this silliness from the G8 than more stimulus packages (the economic kind) and global warming bilge.
Support for Sonia Sotomayor has slipped since the Supreme Court overturned her in the New Haven firefighters case, according to a recent Rasmussen poll. Speaking of which, GOP Senators are apparently capitalizing on that case, calling two of the affected firefighters to testify before the Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings. Americans by and large are against affirmative action and reverse discrimination, so it will be interesting to see how the “wise Latina” responds to this, and how the American public reacts. Her confirmation may not be all that assured after all.
This is a blow for Obama who wanted Cap and Trade to be achieved as soon as possible, to put a victory in his cap. By September, who knows where Obama’s approval numbers will be, but I suspect that if the economy doesn’t show signs of improving by then, he will have used up most of his political capital without accomplishing his major initiatives.
It’s the first full week of July and there are some political trends worth checking out. Usually the summer is very slow news time since so many people are on vacation or otherwise busy enjoying what summer has to offer. However, with Cap-and-Trade, Obamacare, and Tea Parties galore, both June and July have already been pretty busy!
However, here’s Rasmussen’s latest take on his Presidential Approval Index (strongly approved minus strongly disapproved). Looks like the halo is getting heavy for our Most Beneficent Leader:
Also, the New Jersey race for governor has tightened slightly. Republican Chris Christie once led Jon Corzine by about 13 points after Christie’s nomination bounce. This has settled to about a seven-point Christie lead, 46-39%. New Jersey will be a serious bellwether for where national politics is moving. Obama and Biden will be in every city, township, borough and hamlet across Jersey to save liberal Jon Corzine. If Christie pulls it off in spite of that and a Republican wins a statewide NJ election for the first time since 1997, 2010 will look more and more hopeful for the GOP nationally.
JUSTICE GINSBURG: Yes, the ruling about that surprised me. [Harris v. McRae — in 1980 the court upheld the Hyde Amendment, which forbids the use of Medicaid for abortions.] Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of. So that Roe was going to be then set up for Medicaid funding for abortion. Which some people felt would risk coercing women into having abortions when they didn’t really want them. But when the court decided McRae, the case came out the other way. And then I realized that my perception of it had been altogether wrong.
So Ginsburg, who was heavily involved in feminist and pro-abortion circles in the 1970s and 80s, and a fierce proponent of aborton, feels that its original purpose was to control population growth among people “that we don’t want to have too many of.” This is eugenics at its core, social engineering to control the type of people who can be born. While shocking, it should not come as a shock to anyone who knows the history of Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood. Sanger was a committed eugenicist and racist, and advocated birth control and abortion to lower-income people with the purpose of keeping their population under control, so that the undesirable populations (blacks, Jews, etc.) would begin to die off while the white master race would survive. The whole pro-abortion movement is marred with the stein of its eugenics past, but what is so alarming is that the above statement came from a sitting Supreme Court Justice. If not for the fact that Obama would replace her with someone equally as liberal (and insane), I would be calling for her resignation.
With Obama’s approval ratings now hovering at about 50% and the economy continuing to flounder, the Republicans have a real opportunity to score some political points. As pointed out previously, the first stimulus package is a complete disaster, and Democrats are worried, so much so that they are considering a second stimulus. Well, the GOP is pointing out that the first one hasn’t worked so well, even though the delusional Democrats are trying to maintain that it has:
This is a well done ad. It contrasts the words of Obama with thel simple economic facts that make sense to ordinary Americans, while pointing out general ideas that the GOP has (although avoids specifics) which are popular with the American people — tax cuts and reduced spending. Overall, a well done ad that starts to pave the way for 2010.
Cap and Trade, the “climate change” bill created to combat the fictitious climate change hoax will impact all areas of life and affect virtually everyone in this country. One aspect of this is home ownership. Besides draconian, new building codes being enforced on new construction, the bill requires that all homes have a published energy efficiency rating. That means that your local officials have the power to inspect your home to determine how energy efficient it is. The bill also requires that states have a certain percentage of buildings within the state meet specific energy codes. That means that the states will have a large incentive to force homeowners to retrofit their homes for energy efficiency.
The bill would, in fact, pave the way for the erosion of private property rights. Private property is one of the cornerstones of a free society. As that right slowly gets stripped down, and the state slowly gains control of everything from how many light bulbs one can have to what type of Air Conditioner one can install, the individual property owner loses ownership of their home in the practical sense. The insidious part of Cap and Trade is that it puts the tentacles of government into nearly all aspects of one’s life in the name of saving the planet. Home ownership is the American Dream, but under this scheme, that dream will come with a slew of government stipulations.
With Arnold Schwarzenegger running California into the ground and Al Franken returning Minnesota to joke status, Alec Baldwin has decided that now is the perfect time to float the idea of running for Congress. Oddly, Baldwin doesn’t know which state he wants to represent, though he says that his dream is to challenge Joe Lieberman in Connecticut because he is too conservative. Apparently, New York and New Jersey are also possibilities, but Ohio is plum out of luck. Baldwin has decided not to run for Governor in the Buckeye State. I know Baldwin is a pantywaist, but is really that afraid of John Kasich?
Now before you call this funniest joke Baldwin ever told (and you obviously never saw this skit if you do), let’s at least give credit where credit is due. There is hardly a shortage angry left-wing celebrities eager to show the nation how misinformed they are, but few of those celebrities are willing to offer themselves up to the voters they insult. Baldwin is at least considering the possibility of putting his name on the line, even if he were to run in a safe district. For that, he should be commended.
Running for office is difficult. By his own admission, Baldwin has given potential opponents plenty of fodder over the years and as Maggie’s Notebook points out, there is plenty of fodder.
Ultimately, I think Baldwin would win if he decides to run because let’s face it, as his reluctance to run in Ohio shows, Baldwin will not run in anything but the safest of Democrat districts. On the bright side, the Republicans may have found a prolific fundraiser.
A picture is worth 1,000 words. Consider this fairly famous picture taken of Obama during the primaries, in which he does not place his hand over his heart during the singing of the National Anthem:
Contrast it with this picture below of Obama this week in Moscow, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soviet Soldier:
I was listening to a bit of Mark Steyn filling-in for Rush today, when he mentioned an interesting concept on socialized health care: the nationalization of your body. Put simply, if you do not belong to yourself anymore (i.e., no longer have control over health decisions of your body), isn’t that a form of slavery?
“In the province of Quebec, patients with severe incontinence – i.e., they’re in the bathroom 12 times a night – wait three years for a simple 30-minute procedure. True, Quebecers have a year or two on Americans in the life-expectancy hit parade, but if you’re making 12 trips a night to the john 365 nights a year for three years, in terms of life-spent-outside-the-bathroom expectancy, an uninsured Vermonter may actually come out ahead.”
Elaborating on this story on-air today, Steyn basically said that your bladder (or any other part of your body) in Canada simply belongs to the government, and the government decides when and where it will be treated, if at all. Socialized health care rips apart the concept of individual liberty, plain and simple. That might be fine for a democratic socialist soft tyranny in Europe, but in principle it’s very un-American at its heart.
This falls under the definition of insanity — trying the same thing repeatedly expecting different results. The first stimulus is not working, and is in fact likely to make the economy worse. The Democrats, however are tone deaf to this. Says Hoyer, “…we believe it is working. We believe there are a lot of people who otherwise would have been laid off, lost their jobs, who haven’t done that.” Now THAT’s a measure of success, and a completely non-provable assertion. In fact, the entire stimulus project has consisted of a collection of back-room pork deals, with money not even being spent on what it was intended for, and faulty reporting designed to make the stimuls seem more successful than it actually is.
Democrats should face facts. Increased government spending does not work to stimulate the economy, because the government does not create economic growth. It is the hard-working American people, the entrepreneurs, the greedy capitalists, who create jobs by providing products and services that people want, and constantly improving them because of competitive pressure. Government stifles that ingenuity, and if the Democrats get another Porkulus bill, it will be even worse. Additionally, another Porkulus bill will significantly increase a budget deficit that is teetering on the edge of being unsustainable.
A better solution to the current economic crisis would be for government to get out of the way. Cut needless programs, cut waste, cut spending, and then, most importantly, cut taxes. Cut the Corporate Income Tax, the Capital Gains Tax, and the Personal Income Tax. Ensure that spending cuts are done concurrently to match the tax cuts so we don’t worsen our budget deficit. This would result in increased investment and new private sector jobs that would push the economy into a new period of prosperity. Obama and the Democrats, however,are completely tone deaf and know only how to spend.
As Chinese President Hu Jintao joins the G-8 Summit in Italy, problems linger across China. Seriously, what the heck was a “uighur” just a few months ago? Now they’re rioting in the streets and around have 156 died while over a thousand have been “rounded-up” Chinese-style as a result:
It’s this very internal domestic tumult (first the Tibetans, then the pro-democracy movement, religious groups, always the peasants, now the uighurs) which China will have to deal with if they are to eclipse us as the next superpower. Frankly, Obama is nearly ensuring that our hegemonic days are numbered and that usurpation will take place sooner rather than later because of Obama’s foreign and domestic policies.
Since 1979, China has moved 100 million people into the middle and upper class. Yet, that’s still less than 10% of their population. Most of the country are poor peasants perpetually repressed by the government — news of only a few such disturbances ever reach the outside world. The Internet will force the government to deal with that big, scary outside world, as well as the young people who will demand the boundaries of Internet censorship be lifted.
More proof that market economies eventually lead to demands of greater political freedom. The two are inextricably tied. Perhaps someone can remind Obama about that at the G-8. I’m sure Hu Jintao will be quiet on the subject.
Rupert Grint, the actor who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies, recently contracted swine flu. Well, at least he doesn’t have spattergroit.
Happily, Grint is doing much better and is now talking about his swine flu ordeal. According to Grint, swine flu was scary “but it was just like any other flu really.” With that simple statement, Grint did more to educate people about swine flu without trying to cause a panic than weeks of media coverage. Ten points to Gryffindor!
A missile reduction treaty with the Soviet Union Russia? With Iran on the verge of getting nukes, Eastern Europe fearing a return of Russian Imperialism and looking to America for support, with North Korea ready to ignite the planet, with heightened violence in Afghanistan, we’re reducing missiles with the Russians? Huh? Did I just step out of a DeLorean or is Obama feebly trying too hard to accomplish something in foreign affairs?
We can reduce our numbers down to a few hundred — it isn’t going to matter! We’ll still be able to blow each other completely to smithereens AND make the rubble bounce a few times. While a nice gesture reminiscent of the 1980s (when this kind of thing actually made a difference), it’s a meaningless one — the Russians want no missile defense in Poland, we want to be able to take short cuts to Afghanistan. They’ve let us take short cuts, so does that mean we eventually sell-out Eastern Europe on this trip?
Stay tuned! Barry’s still in Russia and he is the anti-Reagan in so many ways. Run for it, Marty!
Since Sarah Palin’s announcement on Friday, pundits from across the political spectrum have been in a frenzy, with pundits from across the political spectrum arguing over whether or not her career is over, speculating on her health and welfare, and pontificating on whether her decision is part of one grand political strategy which will either prove to be incredibly brilliant or completely foolish. I have been tempted but have avoided to write and comment on the reaction to Palin’s announcement. However, one article in particular struck me as particularly spot-on, a post by Jim Prevor over at the Weekly Standard (H/T: Patriot Room).
The main thesis of the article is the standard that seems to be in place among the political class that only government employees are worthy of consideration for higher office, and that government is the axis around which the universe rotates. To illustrate his point, Prevor contrasts the reaction to Palin’s announcement to that of any other public official announcing their resignation to take on a cabinet post. Indeed, did anyone accuse Sens. Ken Salzar or Hillary Clinton of abandoning their constituents when they resigned to take Secretary of the Interior or Secretary of State, respectively? They were given a pass because they were moving from one political post to another, from one government position to another. Yet Palin’s resignation from political office and return to the private sector is met with the attitude that the private sector is not a productive place for one to serve one’s country.
Prevor further makes the argument that Palin’s decision was a completely conservative decision. Whether she felt her role of advocating for limited government could best be achieved through the private sector, or that her family simply needed her attention, her decision was based on the fact that a role in government is not necessarily the only role that matters. On the political front, if Sarah felt she could do more to advance the cause of limited government and Conservatism as a private citizen than as the Governor of Alaska, why is that such a travesty? Why is it that only bureaucrats and career politicians are considered viable candidates for high office?
Indeed, for a country that was founded on the idea of “citizen government”, we have evolved into a country with a political ruling elite. Although Democratically elected, one is expected to follow a certain career path to achieve high office. The system of an elite governing class has not produced good results. Our government is dysfunctional and our political priorities are completely out of whack. A return to “citizen government” would be a refreshing change, and Sarah Palin is the perfect person to lead that charge.
The Washington Post has apologized for their recent attempt to sell lobbyists off-the-record access to key members of the Obama administration and members of its editorial board for $25,000 a pop. Of course they only did so after the flyers advertising the salons were discovered. Now the Post is in damage-control mode. Who knew that a journalistic equivalent of a whorehouse would be so concerned about its reputation?
Sadly, the fact that an established mainstream media outfit would abandon all pretense of ethics while insulting our intelligence is not even close to the most troubling part of the story. The MSM crossed that Rubicon years ago. The troubling part of the story is the cozy relationship between a supposedly independent media and the highest levels of government.
Here, the Washington Post demonstrated its capability of delivering off-the-record access to key members of the Obama Administration, a situation that is only possible when the Obama Administration can send its officials to such gatherings without having to worry about the Post abandoning its role as a mouthpiece for the Administration while pretending to be the watchdogs of democracy. That’s because the newspaper’s financial venture would have been dependent on the Obama Administration supplying the officials, something the Administration would not do if the Post dreamed of reporting on the Administration as it should.
Rush Limbaugh calls the MSM state-run media. I don’t know if that’s an entirely accurate description because the media seems to have volunteered for the role, but it’s close enough. Thankfully, we have our samizdat in the form of internet and talk radio.
You’ve probably already heard about this story from last week regarding EPA analyst Alan Carlin’s 98-page study on global warming and carbon dioxide. It’s definitely worth noting. The EPA didn’t like the findings and tried to suppress Carlin’s key finding: that while levels of CO2 may have increased in recent years, global temperatures have gone down. Oops!
In short: from this study’s peer-reviewed data it doesn’t look like CO2 is a greenhouse gas strong enough to effect global warming. Uh-oh!
To the point: it’s about as heretical as one could possibly get to the Global Warming, Climate Change religion, and would completely destroy the need for cap-and-trade legislation. Ah ha!
Now we get to the heart of the matter. Saying in an email to Carlin about suppressing his data: “The administrator and the administration has decided to move forward on endangerment, and your comments do not help the legal or policy case for this decision.” So it’s not science the EPA is concerned about, it’s policy issues which would benefit the EPA greatly. Interesting.
While to open-minded folks on this issue, the global warming hoax is well-known. Power, money and influence are usually at the heart of any attempt to misinform people on a large scale. It’s fascinating how the same people married to and avid followers of some science are willing to deny and suppress other science that gets in the way. Liberal Paul Krugman even commented that climate “deniers” be charged with treason! Wouldn’t Algore’s minions like that! Fundamentally, science should not be political; it’s just numbers and data. Try telling that to the EPA and they’ll shut you up.
Ultimately, they’re getting more and more desperate, but by being intellectually dishonest, they deserve all the stress and desperation they are now feeling as more and more people join the global warming climate change skeptic camp.
Well, it’s probably the most beautiful day of 2009, but a lingering 4th of July ”headache” coupled with a first-of-the-year super-red sunburn from yesterday kept me homebound. So, here’s some assorted things that interested my inner geek online today:
First of all, it’s just ten days until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Princecomes out! I love the book and have high hopes that the movie will be much better than the recent adaptation of Phoenixto the silver screen. See it.
Next, when I caught Transformers 2, I saw a trailer for a new Tim Burton movie called 9. It looks like a cool, digital cartoon post-apocalyptic Matrix-like morality tale with an all-star cast to boot. Check it out here – great choice of Coheed and Cambria’s “Welcome Home,” and the visual style of the film instantly caught my attention. I’ll be there on 9-9-09.
Finally, though I’m not a fan of the “Expanded Universe,” this video game trailer for Star Wars — The Old Republiclooked really cool (I guess they make full-length trailers for video games now?). Why didn’t Uncle George make this into a movie rather than that overdone Clone Wars crap? Regardless I’m not going to buy the game (the last video game system I bought was the N64!), but the quality of the trailer certainly is really top-knotch.
I was absolutely shocked when I read about this bizarre story yesterday. It seems like a very dangerous time to be famous nowadays: Michael Jackson, Farah Fawcett, Billy Mays, Ed McMahon, to name a few who’ve left us over the past few weeks.
Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair, who spent most of his career at the Tennessee Titans, was found dead yesterday with a 20-year-old female “friend” who was arrested for a DUI on Thursday. They were both shot to death. The police don’t have any suspects yet, and the relationship between McNair and the woman is murky at this time.
I always respected McNair as a quarterback. He gave back to the community and was a great guy by most accounts. He was also the definition of tough: always taking hits, getting back up, playing while injured. He was a scrambling quarterback, which put him in harms way more often than most, and irked many defenses. For a number of seasons he helped get the Titans to the playoffs, and even to Super Bowl XXXIV. That final drive was historic, with the Titans coming one yard shy of taking the Super Bowl into its first overtime game.
Happy Fourth of July! What a perfect day for a protest — sunny with small intermittent clouds, around 72 degrees with a nice breeze! Much much better than a 40 degree rain from April 15.
I chose to attend the closest Independence Day Tea Party, which was in Middletown, NJ, to listen to and observe average people who believe that not all is well in the land of plenty and in the spirit of our Founders, voice their discontent through our freedoms of speech and assembly. For many I spoke with this was their first Tea Party, for others trading stories about their Tax Day Tea Party experience was fun!
After a few Assemblymen, candidates and war vets spoke, a number of us went to the roadside. We became a Rte. 35 curiosity, slowing traffic and eliciting plenty of honks! I’d have to estimate that this specific protest brought out about three hundred people, and the press even showed up. Other Tea Parties in Morristown, Jackson and Summit were expecting thousands (Morristown got over 2000 in the rain last April!). Hopefully turnout is great everywhere.
It was a lot of fun protesting with like minded people on such a symbolic day about something so important. Plus, I had time to get home, relax a bit, and post this all before going to a barbecue with fireworks later! The next round of protests are slated for September 12, and may be a national one in Washington from the buzz at today’s Tea Party.
Here are a few pictures of signs and people from the Middletown Tea Party:
Sarah Palin has announced that she will resign as Governor of Alaska on July 26. Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell will take office at that time and presumably run in for his own term in 2010. Some outlets are speculating that Palin is resigning to concentrate on a run for President in 2012.
On the one hand, today’s announcement suggests Palin does not want to run for President. If she did, running for re-election or challenging Lisa Murkowski in the 2010 Senate race as an outgoing governor would make more sense. It is difficult enough for a sitting governor to run for the Republican nomination, but even more so for one who does not even finish her first. (Democrats on the other hand, have no problem nominating an empty suit). Today’s announcement does not make sense if Palin’s goal is to run for President.
My initial reaction was in line with those who think Palin is done with politics. Who could blame her? Her family has been subjected to the most vile attacks from the dregs of society. She has incurred a small fortune in legal bills associated with successfully defending herself from one unfounded ethics complaint after another. The media’s coverage of her has focused on distractions rather than her successful stint as Governor. No normal person would put up with such nonsense.
On the other hand, Palin’s statement that she will continue to serve people in an “unconventional” way suggests she isn’t going away. I just don’t see how resignation is a winning political strategy.
One thing to keep in mind in all of this is that only the Palins know what Sarah’s intentions are. K-Lo is right.
Usually the 4th is a chance to have some barbecue with friends and family, catch some fireworks, and cheer about how awesome we are. And I hope that is the case with everyone this year – even if you’re not American, please feel free to use tomorrow as at least another excuse to drink!
However, these aren’t normal times. April 15th saw thousands of Tax Day Tea Parties pop-up across the nation in protest of an out-of-control government. They were non-partisan and highly spirited. I showed up in Trenton, New Jersey, in the rain, to listen to rousing speeches and commune with like-minded people concerned about the future given our current trajectory.
July 4, 1776, was a day of action. It was a day when the signers of the Declaration of Independence penned their death-warrants for treason under the Crown of George III (who showed no signs of madness until over a decade later by the way) because they believed in the simple notion that a free people shouldn’t live under a tyranny.
Well, we have that representative republic they sought for, but too many feel it’s gotten sick. Since Ronald Reagan, the spirit of our Founders which he reinvigorated has dissipated, and some feel the “soft tyranny” Alex de Tocqueville warned about in the 1830s has been creeping ever steadily. 37 states have introduced state sovereignty resolutions because they sense this too.
So tomorrow, if you can, if you care, please take a few hours out of your Saturday, and try to find a nearby Tea Party. Your presence is participation enough. Talk to like-minded people, embrace the true spirit of July 4th, and then go off to a regular party to indulge in ribs, hot dogs, burgers and beer. Most Tea Parties are early enough to have a fulfilling day all around.
So have an active Fourth of July this year! If this movement doesn’t go away, maybe the Washington elites will listen. But to do that, we need you!
Or to put in another way: Nine point five percent! Bad humor, but in all seriousness at the end of the day there’s no good way view this. That’s the highest unemployment rate we’ve seen since August 1983, as the US economy shaved another 467,000 jobs in the month of June.
Unemployment is considered a lagging indicator when it comes to the economy: the unemployment rate could be rising as the fundamentals of the economy are being repaired. Plus, jobs always come back once the economy has already repaired the damage and companies are in a position to expand. That makes sense.
However, even though initial signs last month were good (a slower rate of job loss, but job loss nonetheless) this increased rate has many saying that evidence of a recovery is not as near the horizon as most thought. Some even think the worst is yet to come, and most of our future problems result from a stubborn government ignoring common sense. The Administration is still ostensibly blaming Bush and being optimistic on (ready for this) renewable energy jobs and college kid’s summer jobs!
Seriously, did Secretary Solis today just find hope in green jobs and summer youth programs as a solution to our general employment woes? We’re in trouble if government is the only ones hiring people, especially since they have their sights on health care — the only other sector to do well last month.
The only direction the President’s plans have taken us is down.
Yes, Al Franken has been (ahem) elected a United States Senator from the state of Minnesota — Jesse Ventura and Walter Mondale-Land now has a new embarrassment!
I feel bad for Norm Coleman. He did the noble thing by conceding promptly after Minnesota’s Supreme Court handed the election to Franken after a long and arduous legal battle to settle this election. As in typical recount form however, it ended with the Democrat winning, as was generally predicted – it seems to always happen that way with the exception of Florida 2000.
I’m not too worried.
Think about this – many have pondered: Why doesn’t America become a dictatorship? The typical answer: Because of the next election. So, even with 58 Dems, a Socialist Independent, and Joe Lieberman, the Senate Democrat coalition is not quite a guaranteed filibuster-proof body. Occasional illnesses from Teddy and Byrd, and the fact that so many Dem Senators are from Red States should keep many of them in line — they’ll have to stand on their records in the next election and unlike the House, Senators can’t hide behind others as easily.
Stuart Smalley is in the Senate (shudder). I suppose it was inevitable given the history of such elections, but we don’t have to like it. However, it does give Coleman more time to work on his and the party’s future at the grassroots level before 2010, getting the message out and rallying the troops (once the party sorts those few things out in the meantime).
Since the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) was signed in November, we gave the enemies of Iraq and America a date to hold off until — June 30, 2009. Well, dozens of people have been killed and hundreds have been wounded across the country today as a result. The Iraqi Security Forces are being and will continue to be tested for a while. We’ll be there to help only if asked until 2011. I hope those requests continue to drop and that we eventually leave Iraq quietly after the ISF is able to handle security issues by themselves.
Regardless, today was being celebrated as “Sovereignty Day” and may end up an annual holiday. I don’t take that as an insult, rather a compliment because as Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said:
“While we celebrate this day, we express our thanks and gratitude to our friends in the coalition forces who faced risks and responsibilities and sustained casualties and damage while helping Iraq to get rid from the ugliest dictatorship and during the joint effort to impose security and stability.”
I guess that’s Talabani’s way of saying “Thank You.”
Ron Paul has been pushing for transparency at the Federal Reserve for 26 years. Suddenly, that proposal is getting more attention nowadays. His bill simply asks for a full-fledged audit of the Federal Reserve – we want to know where our money is going, how much money they are handling, and anything else they’ve got their mitts on.
This bill should be a no-brainer in these intense economic times, but Barney Frank won’t bring it up at committee despite 245 co-sponsors. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is freaking out, so you know this bill must be good! Here’s Beck’s take:
I was never one to create a smoking gun by playing twenty five degrees of separation. That kind of nonsense is best left to the Michael Moores of the world. But I just couldn’t linking to this post by Chris Chase on how the New England Patriots owe all their success to this guy. The theory is that a 1984 Michael Jackson tour created the circumstances that allowed Robert Kraft to buy the Patriots.
Nice theory, but it’s about as believable as what most Americans don’t watch on MSNBC. The Patriots aren’t successful because of Michael Jackson. They’re successful because they cheated.
