Random thoughts on politics, current events, popular culture, and whatever else interests me.
Parents of Teenagers Who Trashed NFL Star's House Threaten Lawsuits
Permissive parenting has been a vexing problem probably since the 1960s. Former NFL player Brian Holloway is finding out just how bad a problem it is, thanks to having his house in New York trashed by 300 teenage hooligans, according to Hot Air.
California May, in Effect, Ban Hunting
Gun control advocates often claim that they are not going after hunting when they want to pass gun control restrictions. But one measure now awaiting California's Gov. Jerry Brown's signature suggests that is not entirely true, according to the Washington Times.
The Washington Navy Yard Massacre a Mental Health Scandal
Charles Krauthammer, with his usually ability to get at the core of the problem, points out that the real scandal of the Washington Navy Yard massacre was not that Aaron Alexis had fire arms. The scandal was that he lacked proper medical care.
Democrats Flee Before Bereaved Benghazi Parents at House Hearing
The optics, as they say, were terrible when Patricia Smith and Charles Woods, mother and father respectively of two of the dead of Benghazi, appeared before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Tom Delay, Once Master of the House, is at Last Vindicated
Tom Delay, the former House Majority Leader who was so feared that he was called "the Hammer," has seen his conviction for money laundering overturned by a Texas appeals court. Legally and morally he has been vindicated.
NASA's Plutonium Shortage Threatens Space Exploration
NASA faces a shortage of money and leadership, as well as squabbles over its direction. However, according to Wired, it also faces a shortage of plutonium 238, which is about to impact plans for deep space exploration.
Congressional Democrats Divorce President Obama
Michael Barone suggests, with his usually insight, that the bonds between President Obama and Congressional Democrats. The afterglow of the 2012 election, not to mention the heady days of 2009, might as well be ancient history.
House Republicans Propose 'American Health Care Reform Act'
When Republicans, one way or another, place Obamacare on the ash heap of history, it will be incumbent upon them to come up with some kind of alternative to reform the health care system. The Daily Caller reports on one such effort.
The Strange Case of Elizabeth O'Bagy
Hot Air relates the strange case of Elizabeth O'Bagy, a 26 year old woman who was once touted as an expert on the Syrian rebels and provided that main support for the notion that a large part of the resistance was not comprised of jihadis.
Poll: Most Favor Government Shutdown to Force Obamacare Spending Cuts
The National Review is reporting that the House Republicans are not so much marching toward but staggering into passing a continuing resolution that defunds Obamacare, fulfilling the hopes of conservatives and the fears of everyone else.
IRS Targeted Groups for 'Anti-Obama Rhetoric'
USA Today is reporting that newly unearthed documents indicate that one way a group seeking tax exempt status got extra attention from the IRS is if their literature contained "anti-Obama" rhetoric.
Fracking Doesn't Release a Lot of Methane After All
Hot Air notes that a recent study on fracking has concluded that the process of extracting oil and natural gas from shale formations does not emit as much methane, thought to be a greenhouse gas, as previously thought.
Washington Naval Yard Massacre Sparks More Gun Control Demands
The smoke has barely cleared from the Washington Naval Yard massacre and, as with previous mass shootings, the inevitable demands for gun control are beginning to waft up into the ether, Politico reports.
His Manhood Damaged in Syria, Obama Declares War on Republicans
While the dead at the Washington Naval Yard had not yet turned cold, President Obama went ahead with an event at the White House in which he tore into Congressional Republicans accusing them of trying to sabotage the economy.
Under Obamacare, the Government Demands Sexual History of Americans
The New York Post is reporting yet another aspect of Obamacare that Nancy Pelosi so famously said we had to find out by passing the law. Now every American has to tell the government about his or her sex life.
Bill Maher Compares Barack Obama to George Zimmerman
Bill Maher's HBO rant show had its first episode since the summer break and, true to form; its host said something outrageous and off the wall. He basically compared Barack Obama to George Zimmerman, a stretch as it turns out.
Rand Paul Steps in it with Attack on Pro Israel Christians
The Washington Free Beacon reports that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, has stepped in it just a little bit when he criticized Christian conservatives who support the State of Israel. Paul is often mentioned as a possible presidential candidate for 2016.
Student Radicals Insult Native Americans by Desecrating 9/11 Memorial
Students, both from the College Republicans and College Democrats, placed 2,977 flags as part of a 9/11 memorial at Middlebury College in Vermont. The flags, each representing a victim of the attacks, were uprooted by five protestors, according to the Daily Caller.
Will the Obama Administration Force Movie Theaters to Close for the Blind and Deaf?
The Hill is reporting that the Obama administration is preparing regulations that will force movie theaters to install close captioning devices and audio narration equipment to make films more accessible to the hearing and visual impaired.
Paula Deen Gets a Standing Ovation in Houston
Paula Deen made her first appearance in public since she admitted once saying the one word that no one should ever say ever at a cooking show in Houston and, instead of protests, got a standing ovation from 1,500 people according to the Houston Chronicle.
Mixed Feelings About John McCain's Possible Retirement
The Hill is reporting that John McCain, the senator from Arizona, is thinking of retirement and may not run for a new term when his current one is up in 2016. One has decidedly mixed feelings about that.
White House to Big Labor: Live with Disappointment Concerning Obamacare
Richard Trumka, boss of the AFL-CIO, was one of the most fervent supporters of Obamacare and is now even more fervent in his desire that unions be exempt from its strictures. The Associated Press suggests that he will have to live with disappointment.
With an Eye to 2016 Texas Gov. Rick Perry Rustles Businesses in Maryland
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is headed for Maryland on his latest rustling expedition to lure businesses and jobs out of a deep blue state and invite them to come to the Lone Star State. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is not amused.
NASA Official Proposed 'Break-Dancing' Asteroid Mission
Struggling to sell President Obama's latest scheme to snatch a small asteroid and convey it to lunar orbit to be visited by astronauts, a NASA official attempted to wax enthusiastic. The result was very bizarre and unsettling, according to the Los Angeles Times.
House Republicans Plot to Offer Democrats Obamacare Choice
The Hill is reporting that the latest strategy being developed in the House to deal with the oncoming Obamacare train wreck is to craft a bill that will give Democrats a very stark choice, an offer they would like to but maybe can't refuse.
The 'New New Left' Turns on Barack Obama
If a new article in Politico is correct, it looks like that the left is turning on Barack Obama. This may seem odd for anyone on the center-right part of the political spectrum, but it does illustrate the utopian aspect of modern liberal thought.
Lois Lerner's Emails Are the Secret Tapes of the IRS Scandal
Lois Lerner, the IRS official who is at the heart of the tea party harassment scandal and who famously tried to plead the Fifth before Congress, may be about to learn that emails are the modern version of secret tapes.
Wendy Davis' Gun Control Views Doom Her Texas Political Ambitions
The one lesson that Democrats should take from two pro gun control state senators being given the royal order of the boot by their constituents in Colorado is that perhaps they should dial back their desire to restrict 2nd Amendment rights.
Vladimir Putin Twists the Knife on Barack Obama's Back
It is oddly appropriate that Russia's Vladimir Putin choose the pages of the New York Times to twist the knife that he so adroitly shoved into the back of President Barack Obama or that the Gray Lady eagerly cooperated in the same.
The Rise of Vladimir Putin and the Decline of Barack Obama as Middle East Players
If President Obama's long term goal was to diminish American influence in the Middle East, he seems to have succeeded brilliantly. At the same time, as power abhors a vacuum, Russian under Vladimir Putin has rushed in to fill the gap.
Meanwhile the Obamacare Fight Still Rages
The Washington Free Beacon reminds us that despite the current controversy over Syria, the Obamacare question is not going away. The tea party held a rally before the U.S. Capitol demanding that the health care law be defunded.
Elections in New York, Colorado Show Limits to Personal, Political Behavior
A number of elections, in New York City and in Colorado, demonstrated that it is possible for politicians to try the patience of the voters too much, both in the personal and in the political realms.
First New Episode of 'Crossfire' Too Civilized
CNN's "Crossfire" returned to the airwaves with conservative host Newt Gingrich and liberal host Stephanie Cutter bantering with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-NJ, about the Syria crisis.
Sarah Palin, who had gotten in trouble a few years ago for a crosshairs map that depicted certain congressional districts to be targeted which some claimed to have led to the shooting of then Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, is at it again.
Addendum: Sure enough, Mark Kelly deplores "violent rhetoric."
Putin Humliates Obama with Syria Peace Gambit
President Obama's Syria crisis took a bizarre turn, thanks to an offhand remark by Secretary of State John Kerry in response to a reporter's question in London that was immediately exploited by Russia and Syria.