Random thoughts on politics, current events, popular culture, and whatever else interests me.
Bill Maher: Anti-Science Crusader
The Daily Cardinal, the campus newspaper for the University of Wisconsin at Madison, noted that Bill Maher, the HBO ranter, made 100,000 robocalls on behalf of PETA accusing university researchers of cruelty to animals.
Generic Ballot Shows GOP in Not Bad Shape During Government Shutdown
Which party is being hurt the worse over the government shutdown fight largely depends on what poll one reads. John Nolte at Big Politics notes a Rasmussen Poll that gives an interesting perspective on the question.
CNN's Wolf Blitzer Breaks Ranks Over Obamacare and Then Wishes He Hadn't
Conservatives are understandably crowing, as Andrew McCarthy did at National Review, over CNN's Wolf Blitzer's breaking ranks over the disastrous Obamacare website and suggesting that the Affordable Healthcare Act be delayed another year.
$634 Million for an Obamacare Website that Doesn't Work
The Daily Caller has pegged the cost of the worst website ever created, that being the Obamacare signup site, at $634 million. It's a medium level example of government waste, fraud, and abuse by dollars amounts.
James Wood Risks His Career by Calling Out Obama
James Woods, a Hollywood actor, said something recently that rarely comes out of the mouth of someone in the movie business. He has been using Twitter to express what he believes to be career ending opinions.
House Republicans Shift Shutdown Strategy Away from Obamacare
Hot Air is reporting that the House Republicans, led by Speaker John Boehner and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, have persuaded the Republican caucus to shift strategy concerning the government shutdown.
'Affordable' Health Care Insurance that No One Can Sign Up For
The Verge has a pretty good rundown of how an allegedly tech savvy administration produced an Obamacare signup website that has turned into the greatest IT disaster in history. The question is, what next?
Rouhani Boasted of Lying to the West About Iran's Nuclear Bomb Program
The newly elected president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, has impressed President Obama with his moderate tone concerning Iran's nuclear program. But his tone was less than moderate when speaking to Iranian media, according to Hot Air.
Military Families' Death Benefits Held Hostage in Government Shutdown
The shutdown strategy move that surely has to take the prize for the cruelest imaginable was the decision to eliminate death benefits for families of fallen soldiers by President Obama's Defense Department.
The Latest Enhancement for Obamacare is a Virtual Waiting Room
The Washington Examiner reports that one of the ways that the buggy, not ready to go live Obamacare signup website is being enhanced is an added feature that will cause people to wait their turn in order to apply for the exchanges.
New York Middle School Bans Fun During Recess
A local CBS News affiliate turns its attention to Port Washington, New York and the Weber Middle School that seems to have banned most fun activities at recess in order to prevent children from getting hurt.
Jon Stewart Says HHS Secretary Sibelius is Lying About Obamacare Mandate
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius appeared on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" evidently thinking she was going to get a golden opportunity to pitch Obamacare to his young, healthy audience. Things didn't go as planned.
California is Run by Incompetent Fedual Barons
Joel Kotkin, writing for the Daily Beast, casts his eye on California and has concluded that the liberal, blue model of governance has transformed the once Golden State into a third world, medieval kingdom in which the rich lord it over the poor.
How Environmentalists Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Fracking
The old paradigm was that fracking would be the worst environmental disaster in history if it is allowed to continue. The new paradigm is that fracking will be an untold source of clean energy and will be lucrative to people who sign up for it.
Fox News' Chris Wallace put the question to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, how many people have actually signed up for Obamacare since the exchanges opened at the beginning of October. That he refused to answer is illuminating.
Bill Maher Insults World War II Vets
One can always count on Bill Maher, the HBO ranter, Obama campaign contributor, and intellectual leader of the Democratic Party to provide his own unique perspective on the government shut down and World War II vets.
Obama National Monuments War Spreads Across the Country
The national monuments war launched by the Obama administration is response to the government shutdown is heating up, with confrontations occurring with the National Park Service at a variety of locations.
American Special Ops Raids in Libya, Somalia a Change in Terror War Strategy
Government shutdown or not, American special operators were at work in two particularly lawless pasts of Africa, extending the long arm of the United States against terrorist targets, according to the New York Times.
Roman Catholic Priests to Be Arrested If They Hold Mass on Military Bases
According to the Daily Caller, Catholic priests who attempt to minister to troops during the government shutdown have been threatened with arrest by the Obama administration. This has naturally provoked outrage.
Tom Hanks Stands Up for Veterans and Against Obama
The actor Tom Hanks, whether he realizes it or not, has broken ranks with the Obama administration, which hitherto he has warmly supported, by expressing support for veterans who are breaking through barricades to visit the World War II Memorial.
Obamacare Exchanges System Designed to Commit a Denial of Service Attack Against Itself
The Obama administration has blamed the inability to actually apply for Obamacareon its online exchange system on "glitches" and heavier than anticipated traffic. But a story in Reuters suggests that the problems go much deeper.
Wendy Davis Throws Her Pink Tennis Shoes into the Ring to Run for Texas Governor
Wendy Davis, the Texas state senator who became nationally famous for launching an 11 hour filibuster in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to block an abortion restrictions bill, is running for governor of Texas, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The United States and Japan Strengthen Ties as Part of Long Term Pacific Strategy
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the continuing threat of a nuclear armed North Korea and the Chinese military buildup is causing the United States and Japan to upgrade its military ties for the first time in 17 years.
Dr. Ben Carson Gets a Visit from the IRS
Shortly after Dr. Ben Carson, the famous neurosurgeon and education activist challenged President Obama to his face about Obamacare, he received a kindly visit from the IRS with stern questions about certain investments he held.
Why Putin May Get the Nobel Peace Prize
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. If the Nobel Committee follows precedence in awarding the prize to unworthy recipients, he is likely to be the first Russian leader to get it since Gorbachev.
Lonegan Closes Gap with Booker in New Jersey Special Senate Race
A number of media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, have noted that the special senate election in New Jersey has tightened somewhat, with Newark Mayor Cory Booker leading his Republican opponent Steve Lonegan by 13 points.
Harry Reid About Saving Kids with Cancer ’Why Would We Want to Do That?'
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid should be careful of what he says and especially to whom he says it. Otherwise he would not be accused of wanting cancer stricken kids to die. The irony is that he is actually affronted.
Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu Warns About Iran's Rohani and Nuclear Weapons
President Rohani of Iran has impressed the world, especially President Barack Obama, with a new moderate tone. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is having none of it. He regards the moderate tone as cosmetic.
Software 'Glitches' Undermine Sign Up for Healthcare Exchanges
Three and a half years in planning and development, the Obamacare exchanges were opened for enrollment. The Associated Press reported that attempts by many to enroll in the exchanges were met with error messages and system crashes.
Veterans Defy Shutdown and Visit Closed World War II Memorial
Hot Air has a good account of how a group of elderly World War II veterans in Washington D.C. on an Honor Flight to visit the World War II Memorial breached the barricades set up by the Obama administration and took the memorial.
Rick Perry Prepares for His National Political Comeback
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, has been spending months on rustling raids on blue states such as California and Illinois to entice businesses to move to Texas. Now, according to Fred Barnes, he is about to embark on phase two.
Why There Will Be No 'Hillary the TV Show' After All
It looks like both the CNN documentary and the NBC miniseries focusing on Hillary Clinton are now off. Republicans feared that both would be free campaign commercials for the future presidential candidate. But Team Clinton put a stop to both projects.
The Government is Shut Down; What Comes Next?
As of this writing, the United States federal government is in partial shutdown, with only "essential" services allowed to continue. The reason for this is that the president and the Democrats wish it so.