Random thoughts on politics, current events, popular culture, and whatever else interests me.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Craig Ferguson is Stepping Down as the Host of 'The Late Late Show' and That's a Sad Thing
Providing the last part of the trifecta of the diminishing of late night comedy that started with Jay Leno's retirement and continued with Stephen Colbert replacing Letterman was Craig Ferguson's announcement that he is retiring as well.
Does Rand Paul's 'Stand with Israel Act' Go Far Enough?
According to the Washington Examiner, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky has seized upon Secretary of State John Kerry's odious Israel apartheid state statement and has offered the "Stand with Israel Act of 2014"
Smoking Gun Emails Discovered in Benghazi Massacre Coverup
It looks like that the smoking gun email has been uncovered that demonstrates that there was an Obama administration coverup of the true cause of the Benghazi Massacre with the goal of protecting the president's reelection prospects.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Too Lare for Senate Democrats Over Keystone XL Pipeline
Politico notes that the Senate Democrats are having a quandary about what to do about the president's punting a decision concerning the Keystone XL pipeline. That there will be some kind of vote is virtually certain.
John Kerry Tries to Dig Himself Out from Under Israel Apartheid State Gaffe
Secretary of State John Kerry is trying to dig himself out from the mother of all gaffes in which he suggested that the State of Israel is in danger of becoming an "apartheid state." The resulting firestorm was huge and bipartisan.
Toyota Tells California that It's Going to Texas
Texas Gov, Rick Perry has gotten a pretty big prize on one of his business and jobs rustling raids, in this case the American marketing and sales headquarters for Toyota which is moving from Torrance, California to Plano, Texas.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Palestinian Leader Admits There was a Holocaust and that it was a Bad Thing
The leader of the Palestinian Authority on the West Bank Mahmoud Abbas, said something remarkable recently. He admitted that there was a Nazi holocaust of the Jews and actually suggested that it was a bad thing.
The Left Swoon Over 'Capital in the 21st Century'
That French economist Thomas Piketty's new book "Capital in the 21st Century" is bunk and hokum goes almost without saying, though Michael Barone does a pretty good job of explaining why.
NBC's David Gregory Accused Tony Blair, George W. Bush of 'Making Things Worse'
NBC has denied that they had brought in a shrink to try to examine why David Gregory has driven the one great Sunday morning show "Meet the Press" into the ratings toilet. However the way he savaged Tony Blair should serve as a clue.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Pro American on the Verge of Becoming Afghan President
The New York Times reports that the United States may have just caught a break, thanks to the people of Afghanistan, who seem to be on the verge of electing a pro American president name Abdullah Abdullah.
Sarah Palin Proposes Baptizing Terrorists by Waterboarding Them
Since it is an election year, Sarah Palin, the most powerful female politician on the planet, is on progress across the country supporting candidates and causes she favors. She stopped by an NRA rally in Indianapolis and had a provocative suggestion.
Dartmouth 'Phiesta' Fund Raising Event Cancelled for Being 'Culturally Insensitive'
An annual event called 'Phiesta' held at Dartmouth College by the Alpha Phi sorority and Phi Delta Alpha fraternity that raises money for cardiac care because a single student complained that it was culturally insensitive.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
The Haida People Fertilize the Ocean, Restore the Pacific Salmon, Enrage Environmentalists
Robert Zubrin best known for his advocacy of Mars colonies, recently touched on a little known project that has restored an abundance of salmon to the Pacific and in the process has gotten environmentalists irate.
The Democrats Have an Age Problem
Byron York, in a Washington Examiner piece calling on Sen. Elizabeth Warren to run for president, had an interesting observation about how really young and fresh most of the Democrats being mentioned for 2016 are.
Friday, April 25, 2014
VA Hospital Waiting List Scandal a Foretaste of Obamacare
Another commentary on the perils of government run health care occurred in the Fox News story of how a Veterans' Affairs official covered up the fact that almost 2,000 veterans were kept waiting months to see a doctor at a Phoenix VA hospital.
How Cliven Bundy Changed from a Folk Hero to a Racist Loon
It is astonishing how rapidly Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who is at the center of a land dispute with the federal government, transformed himself from a folk hero to a certifiable loon.
William Shatner Endorses Hillary Clintion for President
William Shatner made three crucial mistakes, as recounted on Hot Air. These are mistakes that neither of his two iconic characters, Captain James T. Kirk nor Denny Crane, would have made.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
George Will Shows Stephen Colbert How It's Done
Watching George Will, that dry, conservative intellectual, is always a joy. He recently showed up on "The Colbert Report" and, according to Newsbusters, owned that show's madcap host, Stephen Colbert.
The Republican Party Targets Harry Reid
According to the Washington Times, the Republicans are going to use Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as an issue in the upcoming 2014 midterm elections. In a way they are taking a leaf from the Democrats' playbook.
Chris Hayes Thinks that Getting Rid of Fossil Fuels is like Abolishing Slavery
Chris Hayes, a talking head on MSNBC, recently published a piece in the Nation that suggested that the fight to abolish fossil fuels is pretty much like the fight to abolish slavery, though he takes pains to not draw a moral equivalency between the two.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Missions to Mars Savaged from the Left
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, who rattled more than a few cages for his insistence that critics of the abandonment of the moon "get over it" is being savaged from the left for his advocacy of a Mars expedition.
John Kerry Bemoans How Complicated Things Are in the World
Hot Air notes that our current secretary of state, John Kerry, is bemoaning what he regards as the fact that things were so much simpler during the Cold War when all we had to do is worry about the Soviet Union.
Bureau of Land Management Mulls Seizing 90,000 Acres of Private Land on Texas/Oklahoma Border
Hard on the heels of the dust up at the Cliven Bundy ranch in Nevada, the Bureau of Land Management seems to be contemplating seizing 90,000 acres of privately held Texas land using a 1986 case as precedence,
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
An American Defector Living in Russia Weighs in on the Ukraine Crisis
Hardly anyone remembers Arnold Lockshin, a Houston cancer researcher who abruptly took his family and defected to the Soviet Union in 1986. But he seems to have resurfaced on Disqus in defense of current Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
More Former Supporters Turn on Obama
President Obama is coming in for some harsh and even personal criticism from quarters that have previously been more supportive for things ranging from his delay of the Keystone XL pipeline to his foreign policy.
Rick Perry Challenges Andrew Cuomo to Economic Issues Debate
According to the New York Observer, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is traveling to New York on one of his business and jobs rustling raids, challenged that state's governor Andrew Cuomo to "a thoughtful conversation, a debate."
Monday, April 21, 2014
Tywin and Daenerys Teach Politics in 'Game of Thrones' Episode
The recently aired "Game of Thrones" episode "Breaker of Chains" had some more lessons in power politics, first from Tywin Lannister, and next from Daenerys, the Abraham Lincoln of the sword and sorcery world along with the usual sex and violence.
MSNBC Host to Obamacare Victims 'Just Deal with That!'
MSNBC, that insane asylum masquerading as a cable news network, is surely entertaining if nothing else. That was certainly proven again when host Melissa Harris-Perry had some advice for people who have been hurt by Obamacare.
Hillary Clinton Cited in Decision Funneling Foreign Aid to Corrupt Afghan Ministries
The Washington Times is reporting that Hillary Clinton, as secretary of state, was linked to a decision taken by The United States Agency for International Development that channeled money to Afghan government ministries known to be corrupt.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Democrats Wonder Why Americans Are so Ungrateful About Obamacare
The Democrats' formula for grabbing and maintaining power is to provide some sort of overarching government benefit and then accept the votes of the grateful electorate. It worked for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
China to Become a 'Christian Nation?'
One of the more overlooked trends, as reported by the UK Telegraph, is that Christianity in various forms is exploding in China to such an extent that it may become the "most Christian nation in the world" by 2030.
New Push to Cede Federal Lands to the States
The Legislative Summit on the Transfer for Public Lands that was recently held in Utah was scheduled before the incident at Cliven Bundy's Nevada ranch, but the fact that the two coincided has an odd serendipity.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
American Troops to Poland Means Someone is Taking Putin Seriously at Last
The news that American forces are headed for Poland is surely welcome, evidence that someone in the administration is starting to take Russia's rape of the Ukraine with something resembling seriousness.
White House Uses Bieber Deportation Petition to Push for Immigration Reform
The Washington Times noted that the Obama administration used a White House petition asking that Justin Bieber be deported back to his native Canada as an opportunity to pontificate on the necessity to give illegal aliens a path to citizenship.
Obama Decides Not to Decide on the Keystone XL Pipeline
As Hot Air noted, the announcement by the administration on the Keystone XL pipeline was, in effect, that it will decide whether or not to build the thing "whenever we damn well please." Fox News suggests a revolt on both sides of the aisle is brewing.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Harry Reid Becomes Unhinged About Cliven Bundy
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decided to pour some gasoline over the fire started by the Bureau of Land Management's run in with rancher Cliven Bundy and called his supporters "domestic terrorists."
The Case for a Hillary Clinton Presidency Begins to Unravel
The Washington Free Beacon notes that the case for a Hillary Clinton presidency seems to be collapsing and with it hopes by the Democrats of retaining the presidency after Obama's administration becomes an unhappy memory.
Americans to Obama: 'You Lie!'
When Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C. yelled "you lie!" at President Obama during a speech before Congress a few years ago, it was thought to be a breach of decorum. Now, according to a Fox News poll, the vast majority of Americans agree with him.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
How Kathleen Sebelius Enhances Republican Chances of Winning the Senate
According to the Hill, Democrats in Kansas are deadly serious about running former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for the United States Senate. Hot Air, understandably, is wondering what they are smoking.
Rand Paul's 'Stratigic Ambiguity' Toward Iran
Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY recently opened his mind about foreign policy, specifically in regards to what he would do about Iran and its drive to acquire nuclear weapons. He opts for something called "strategic ambiguity.
Michael Bloomberg Thinks He's Buying His Way into Heaven with Gun Control Effort
Former New York Mayor and billionaire anti-gun activist Michael Bloomberg revealed a strange motivation for his campaign for gun control as well as against smoking and obesity. He thinks that he is going to Heaven for his efforts.
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Barack Obama's Monty Python Foreign Policy
As the Ukraine continues to spiral into chaos, thanks largely to Russian subversion, George Will had an interesting observation about the Obama administration's feckless response to the crisis.
PETA Declares War on the White House Easter Egg Roll
Now PETA, that organization which is apparently dedicated to the death of all joy where it comes to food, has declared war in Easter, or at least the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, a tradition dating back to 1878.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Why the Apollo Moon Landings Still Matter
Spaceflight Insider wonders if the Apollo 11 moon landing, which occurred 45 years ago this July, even matters. After all, it did not lead to lunar colonies, as many people at the time had hoped.
Why Cliven Bundy Aimed to Misbehave and Why We Should Care
Powerline lays out the case that even though Cliven Bundy is in the wrong where the strict letter of the law is concerned in his 20 plus year dispute with the Bureau of Land Management, he nevertheless deserves our support.
George H. W. Bush the Greatest Former President?
The New York Times seems to have pronounced George H. W. Bush the greatest living former president. The National Interest doesn't know what to make of that, considering the elder Bush's legacy a mixed bag.
Monday, April 14, 2014
'Game of Thrones' Teaches a Valuable Political Lesson Again
"Game of Thrones" had its second episode of the fourth season and we said farewell to a character who was not so much beloved but memorable. Along the way we learned a valuable lesson about politics.
Man Suspended from Los Angeles Public School for Being an Awesome Science Teacher
Greg Schiller is a popular science teacher who used to work at the Cortines School of Visual & Performing Arts. He has been suspending, apparently, for doing his job and thus frightening school administrators.
Steve Israel Plays the Race Card in a Dog Bites Man Story
It has become a kind of dog bites man story to mention a Democratic politician playing the race card, as Steven Israel, the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee did recently on CNN.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
To Prove Global Warming, Many Middle Classs White People Must Die
An unknown poster on a site called Climate Nuremberg, casting around for an argument to support the cause of global warming, actually suggested that what was needed was mass death and destruction to drive the point home.
A Cautionary Tale of Government Run Health Care from Vermont
Those who hope (or fear) that Obamacare is just a simple ruse to impose a Canada style single payer, government run health care system might want to look at the experience in Vermont as a kind of cautionary tale.
Cliven Bundy Stands Up to Federal Government and Wins
Someone in the federal bureaucracy got an attack of common sense and caused the armed troops sent by the Bureau of Land Management to the Bundy Ranch in Nevada to withdraw and to release the cattle it had confiscated.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Why Lyndon Johnson is No Hero, Liberal or Otherwise
The 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act has brought out a lot of plaudits for its main architect, then President Lyndon Johnson. Michael Kazin, writing for the New Republic, would like to dissent.
White House Spokesman Jay Carney Has Soviet Propaganda Posters in His Kitchen
Thanks to a short piece in The Week, we have confirmation of everything we always suspected of both the Obama administration and of the news media. It seems that White House spokesman Jay Carney decorates his home with Soviet propaganda posters.
IRS Hitting Tax Payers for Decades Old Social Security Debts Incurred by Their Parents
Hot Air is reporting one of the greatest outrages yet inflicted during the Obama presidency. It stems from a little known provision in the 2011 farm bill that lifted the 10 year statute of limitations on debts owed to the federal government.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Obama Bureau of Land Management Risking a Bloodbath in Nevada Ranch Dispute
Cliven Bundy is a Nevada rancher whose 20 year plus long dispute with the federal government has every potential of turning into a blood bath, thanks to the ham handed actions of the Bureau of Land Management.
Stephen Colbert Moves Up to Network TV as Host of 'The Late Show' Replacing Letterman
The good news is the "The Colbert Report" is going to be cancelled. The better news, at least from an entertainment perspective, is that this is because Stephen Colbert is to replace David Letterman at "The Late Show."
Kathleen Sebelius Falls on Her Sword Over Obamacare
Kathleen Sebelius has resigned as Secretary of Health and Human Services, thus falling on her sword for the horrors that Obamacare has inflicted on the United States. Typically the left is trying to spin it as a triumph, according to Hot Air.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
'Sharknado 2' Aims to Give Back to the Fish that Has Served it so Well
"Sharknado" as most will remember was that so bad it was great shlock movie that aired on the SyFy Channel that depicted tornados filled with man eating sharks ravaging southern California. The inevitable sequel, "Sharknado 2" draws nigh.
Partisan, Pro Obama Politicking Common at IRS Offices
If you want to know how it was that the IRS was motivated to harass conservative and tea party groups, the Washington Times reports how partisan, pro Obama politicking seems to be common place at tax agency offices.
Eric Holder is Affronted for Being Called Out, Plays the Race Card
You have to hand it to Attorney General Eric Holder. He handles outrageous outrage pretty well, albeit tinged with just a little schoolyard bully menace. That is all designed to cover up some distinctly lawless behavior.
Wednesday, April 09, 2014
Al Franken Designates Sarah Palin, the Koch Brothers as Enemies of the People
Al Franken, the former comedian and current United States Senator from the great state of Minnesota, has decided to designate both Sarah Palin and the Koch brothers as enemies of the people for wanting him back in the private sector.
Proposal: Use Texas Government Surplus to Fund Sales Tax Relief
Texas, owing to a relatively robust economy and a frugal government, has about a $4 billion surplus in revenues going into 2015. A think tank called Texas Public Policy Foundation proposes that it be used for sales tax relief.
Obama Gender Pay Equality Gambit Backfires
The Obama administration believes that touting gender wage equality is the perfect issue to stir up female voters and distract people from Obamacare and the bad economy. It might have worked too if the White House was not a glass house.
Tuesday, April 08, 2014
Maureen Dowd Imagines American Politics with Westeros Rules
Maureen Dowd has invoked her inner Walder Fey and has imagined what life would be like if the rules of "Game of Thrones" were to prevail in modern America. The results are, well, remarkable.
Monday, April 07, 2014
When the CIA Used 'Dr. Zhivago' as a Cold War Weapon
The Washington Post has run a story about a CIA operation conducted in the late 1950s that involved getting Boris Pasternak's classic novel "Dr. Zhivago" into the hands of as many Soviet citizens as possible.
California Radicals Protest Google Entrepreneur in Shakedown Move
Internet entrepreneurs used to be celebrated, even in California, for their ability to create wealth while developing entirely new industries. No longer, according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Time to Start Taking Down Putin's Empire of Corruption
Bill Gertz at the Washington Free Beacon has a great story about the other unsavory aspect of Vladimir Putin and his regime. It seems that while he is looking for new territory to conquer, he has been raking it in at the expense of Russia.
Sunday, April 06, 2014
Sarah Palin's Staying Power Not so Remarkable
The Washington Post recently expressed astonishment about the "remarkable staying power" of Sarah Palin, former governor, former vice presidential candidate, TV star, wife, mother, and most powerful female politician on the planet.
Mark Pryor Doubles Down on His Obamacare Vote
Sen. Mark Pryor, D-AK, is one of those red state Democrats who are in trouble over their vote for Obamacare, According to The Weekly Standard, he has decided to double down and reaffirm his commitment to the bill.
In Chicago, More Guns, Less Crime
According to the Washington Times, the Chicago Police reported that the city has seen the fewest murders in the first quarter of 2014 since 1958. Not coincidentally Illinois started issuing concealed carry permits in January.
Saturday, April 05, 2014
'Captain America: Winter Soldier' Wrestles with Freedom Vs. Security
"Captain America: Winter Soldier," besides being the latest Marvel Comics thrill ride, is a wry political commentary on such issues as NSA snooping and drone strikes wrapped up in a super her costume and amped up with CGI.
Friday, April 04, 2014
David Perdue Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot in Georgia Senate Race
A curious form of class warfare has entered into the Republican contest in Georgia for United States Senate. One of the candidates, David Perdue, suggested that his opponent, Karen Handel was unqualified because she is only a high school graduate.
An Israeli One State Solution an Outside the Box Idea
One of the oldest jokes in diplomatic circles is "For whom the gods would destroy, first they make them think they can make peace between Israel and the Palestinians." Secretary of State John Kerry is careening down that path to destruction.
Ben Carson Lays Down Principles for Obamacare Replacement
As Obamacare continues to careen out of control, its defenders such as the president after whom it was named have been thumping their chests and declaring that the debate is over and that getting rid of it is impossible.
Thursday, April 03, 2014
CAIR's Campaign Against 'The Honor Diaries' May Backfire
While liberal activists such as Sandra Fluke bellyache about an alleged "war on women" there is a real one going on in a number of Islamic countries, as documented in a new film called "The Honor Diaries."
The fight between New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo over charter schools is illustrative of a hidden divide between the far left wing and the slightly less far left wing of the Democratic Party.
Sarah Palin Banters with 'Vladimir Putin' on 'The Tonight Show'
There had been fears that when Jimmy Fallon took over "The Tonight Show" from Jay Leno, he would take the late night show into a leftist direction. This fear has proven groundless, as witness Sarah Palin's banter with an actor playing Vladimir Putin.
Wednesday, April 02, 2014
British Sniper Takes Out Six Taliban with One Shot
One suspects that a thus far unidentified lance corporal in the Coldstream Guards Regiment of the British Army will not have to buy his own drinks for a while. Smoking six Taliban with one shot is a record not likely to be beaten any time soon.
Obamacare Celebration Just a Little Bit Premature
You have to hand it to the president. He really know how to spike that football and do that end zone dance. Having declared that he has signed up 7.1 million to Obamacare, he has added that the debate is over.
Austrian Study: Meat Eating Healthier Than Vegetarianism
If you wait long enough, it seems, you will find a study that will justify just about any diet. The Medical University of Graz, Austria has concluded that vegetarianism is unhealthier than eating meat.
Tuesday, April 01, 2014
Rand Paul Once Blamed the United States for World War II
Sen. Rand Paul has been trying to remake himself into a Reaganite "peace through strength" conservative in advance of what many assume will be a run for the presidency in 2016. However he was not always so hawkish.
Harry Reid: 'Sarah Palin Berated Me'
According to Breitbart's Big Government, the latest target of Senate Majority Leader's ire is none other than former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. He invoked Palin in a fund raising letter sent out just before the first quarter of 2014 ended.
RIch Du Pont Heir Sentenced to Probation for Raping Three Year Old Daughter
For the general outrage comes the case of Robert H. Richards IV, a wealthy Du Pont heir, who was sentenced by Delaware Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden to probation for raping his three year old daughter.