Congratulations Senator Obama from all of us here at the Salmon.
Photo courtesy of the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
November 05, 2008
The 44th President of the United States, Barrack Hussien Obama
Congratulations Senator Obama from all of us here at the Salmon.
Photo courtesy of the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
November 02, 2008
Iowa Paper Endorses McCain
The Cedar Rapids Gazette makes the case for a McCain Presidency today. Being an independant paper, a rarity in the print media, may exlain the Gazettes willingness to go against the grain of the newspaper industry. As Editor and Publisher reported, as of Friday Obama led the endorsment race 240-114 with daily newspapers. 65 to 1 with college newspapers.
Well done C.R.Gaz.
From the Cedar Rapids Gazette E-Edition;
...Comparing the two major presidential candidates, Sen. John McCain’s approach is best aligned to spur economic recovery. This is the overriding reason The Gazette Editorial Board endorses the Republican Arizona senator over Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. McCain, like Obama, is no expert in economics. But his proposals to retain most of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts make sense for businesses that are struggling to survive and Americans who need jobs. McCain also wants to cut the corporate tax rate to help U.S. businesses compete in the increasingly global marketplace. His estate tax revisions would help family businesses avoid being swallowed by corporate giants. Growing business here means more jobs for more Americans. That is the single-best way to get our economy back on track. Certainly, business leaders who take irresponsible or illegal actions should be held accountable through fair, effective government oversight instead of expecting taxpayer-backed bailouts...
... His 20 years of military service, including heroism as a prisoner of war and a quarter-century serving in Congress provide perspective that Obama cannot match.
McCain has a deeper understanding of international issues and how to learn from mistakes and balance our interests with the world’s. . McCain’s record demonstrates he will cross his own party, even the president, if it’s in the country’s best interest. Witness his leadership on immigration reform initiatives. .
He understands that controlling and reducing the nation’s debt will, in part, require some difficult changes in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. .
His energy plan is pragmatic and forward-looking — reduce our reliance on foreign oil with a broad approach that includes more nuclear power, domestic drilling and renewable-energy development. We endorse McCain with some reservations. His campaign’s tactics at times have betrayed his billing as an honorable maverick. We expected better. McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin might well shake up Washington’s entrenched politics as usual. But she obviously lacks working knowledge and understanding of foreign policy and many national issues, which raises valid questions about McCain’s judgment in choosing her.
We acknowledge compelling reasons to consider Obama for president. His intellect, oratory and ability to inspire people from various walks of life are extraordinary. He has re-engaged much of the younger generation into politics. His message of healing our nation’s divisions resonates. He has our respect. But Obama has offered no clear plan to deal with our country’s staggering debt. His tax plan could stifle the economic rebound we desperately need. His lack of experience with international issues is troubling. And running mate Sen. Joe Biden’s frequent gaffes don’t inspire confidence. Critics of McCain say he’s “lost his way,” and he’s not the candidate he was in 2000. We believe the real McCain is alive and well.
The McCain who is a proven defender of his country. The McCain who knows how to reach across the political aisle and international borders to find common ground. The McCain whose rock-solid commitment to this country can reinvigorate our economy, maintain our security and revive the world’s respect for America and how we play our critical leadership role.
Well done C.R.Gaz.
From the Cedar Rapids Gazette E-Edition;
...Comparing the two major presidential candidates, Sen. John McCain’s approach is best aligned to spur economic recovery. This is the overriding reason The Gazette Editorial Board endorses the Republican Arizona senator over Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. McCain, like Obama, is no expert in economics. But his proposals to retain most of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts make sense for businesses that are struggling to survive and Americans who need jobs. McCain also wants to cut the corporate tax rate to help U.S. businesses compete in the increasingly global marketplace. His estate tax revisions would help family businesses avoid being swallowed by corporate giants. Growing business here means more jobs for more Americans. That is the single-best way to get our economy back on track. Certainly, business leaders who take irresponsible or illegal actions should be held accountable through fair, effective government oversight instead of expecting taxpayer-backed bailouts...
... His 20 years of military service, including heroism as a prisoner of war and a quarter-century serving in Congress provide perspective that Obama cannot match.
McCain has a deeper understanding of international issues and how to learn from mistakes and balance our interests with the world’s. . McCain’s record demonstrates he will cross his own party, even the president, if it’s in the country’s best interest. Witness his leadership on immigration reform initiatives. .
He understands that controlling and reducing the nation’s debt will, in part, require some difficult changes in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. .
His energy plan is pragmatic and forward-looking — reduce our reliance on foreign oil with a broad approach that includes more nuclear power, domestic drilling and renewable-energy development. We endorse McCain with some reservations. His campaign’s tactics at times have betrayed his billing as an honorable maverick. We expected better. McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin might well shake up Washington’s entrenched politics as usual. But she obviously lacks working knowledge and understanding of foreign policy and many national issues, which raises valid questions about McCain’s judgment in choosing her.
We acknowledge compelling reasons to consider Obama for president. His intellect, oratory and ability to inspire people from various walks of life are extraordinary. He has re-engaged much of the younger generation into politics. His message of healing our nation’s divisions resonates. He has our respect. But Obama has offered no clear plan to deal with our country’s staggering debt. His tax plan could stifle the economic rebound we desperately need. His lack of experience with international issues is troubling. And running mate Sen. Joe Biden’s frequent gaffes don’t inspire confidence. Critics of McCain say he’s “lost his way,” and he’s not the candidate he was in 2000. We believe the real McCain is alive and well.
The McCain who is a proven defender of his country. The McCain who knows how to reach across the political aisle and international borders to find common ground. The McCain whose rock-solid commitment to this country can reinvigorate our economy, maintain our security and revive the world’s respect for America and how we play our critical leadership role.
On the Road to Dystopia
If you have listened to the Democrats for the last three years you may have come to believe that the US has descended to the gates of hell and they are the only ones that can lead us back from the brink of destruction. They have offered up a savior to do just that. History has shown that when citizens cling to a savior at times of crisis (real or imagined) they eventually end up as slaves.
I am reminded this observation by Jean Jacques Rousseau,
Tyrants, the enemies of the very people it was their duty to make happy, maintained regular troops, apparently to withstand the foreigner, but really to enslave their countrymen. To form such troops, it was necessary to take men from the land; the lack of their labour then diminished the amount of provisions, and their maintenance introduced those taxes which increased prices.
This first disorder gave rise to murmurs among the people; in order to suppress them, the number of troops had to be increased, and consequently the misery of the people also got worse; and the growing despair led to still further increases in the
cause in order to guard against its effects.On the other hand, the mercenaries, whose merit we may judge of by the price at which they sold themselves, proud of their own meanness, and despising the laws that protected them, as well as their fellows whose bread they ate, imagined themselves more honoured in being Caesar's satellites than in being defenders of Rome. As they were given over to blind obedience, their swords were always at the throats of their fellow-citizens, and they were prepared for general butchery at the first sign.
It would not be difficult to show that this was one of the principal causes of the ruin of the Roman Empire.
"A DISCOURSE ON POLITICAL ECONOMY" by Jean Jacques Rousseau
In this next video the Democrats are once again portrayed in Orwell's "1984" its not hard to imagine the Orwellian world came about because of what Rousseau described. For the last seven years the left has used this comparison as proof that the Bush administration has turned us into the Orwellian world of Oceania. In fact I recently caught socialist financier George Soros waving an edition of "1984" on Cspan to make this exact point.
What they always fail to note however is the fact that Orwell's world came about because of IngSoc" or English Socialism. The very type of worldview that Obama is openly espousing in this campaign.
October 31, 2008
Obama: Endorse McCain, Get the Axe
From the Washington Times
From Politico:The Washington Times, which has covered the Barack Obama campaign from the start, was kicked off the Democrat's campaign plane for the final 72 hours of the race. The Obama campaign informed the newspaper Thursday evening of its decision, which came two days after The Times editorial page endorsed Senator John McCain over Mr. Obama.
Obama spokesman Bill Burton confirms Drudge's report that two right-leaning papers, the Washington Times and the New York Post, have lost their seats on the Obama plane, along with the Dallas Morning News...
Burton said the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times had returned to the plane, and confirmed that Ebony and Jet magazines have seats on the plane.
October 30, 2008
They Don't Teach You This in Flight School
Via Attack Machine.
At first I thought this was RC aircraft until the landing. Amazing!!!
At first I thought this was RC aircraft until the landing. Amazing!!!
Iowa Dementia Patients for Obama
From the Des Moines Register
Woman, 87, allegedly pressured to cast ballot;
Reports that an 87-year-old Council Bluffs woman was allegedly pressured to vote absentee by a Democratic campaign volunteer raise suspicions that some people who have diminished mental capacity are being targeted, a Republican official said Wednesday.The allegation by Chris Taylor, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, refers to claims by Angela Murphy-Hayes, who said her 87-year-old mother, a dementia patient, was coerced to cast a ballot about two weeks ago.
"This is happening everywhere, but nobody wants to stand up and say anything," Murphy-Hayes said Wednesday. "I'm so mad. It's not right."Secretary of State Michael Mauro said it appears the signature on the mailed ballot matched other legal documents that Murphy-Hayes' mother had signed.Even so, the ballot has been challenged by Murphy-Hayes, which means it will not be counted until a special precinct board can meet and consider her challenge.
The case comes amid nationwide questions about the security and veracity of the U.S. election system. Charges of voter fraud by both political parties have arisen in some parts of the United States.Voter deception, registration fraud and manipulation of Iowa's new optical scan machines are possible but not likely on Election Day due to various safeguards, state officials and a national advocacy group for clean elections said this week.Under Iowa law, residents 18 or older, even people with dementia, generally have the right to vote unless a judge has deemed the person incompetent.
Election officials would likely consider medical information submitted by Hayes-Murphy before deciding whether to count her mother's vote, Mauro said."Just because you might believe that somebody has dementia, that doesn't eliminate them from voting," he said.
Woman, 87, allegedly pressured to cast ballot;
Reports that an 87-year-old Council Bluffs woman was allegedly pressured to vote absentee by a Democratic campaign volunteer raise suspicions that some people who have diminished mental capacity are being targeted, a Republican official said Wednesday.The allegation by Chris Taylor, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee, refers to claims by Angela Murphy-Hayes, who said her 87-year-old mother, a dementia patient, was coerced to cast a ballot about two weeks ago.
"This is happening everywhere, but nobody wants to stand up and say anything," Murphy-Hayes said Wednesday. "I'm so mad. It's not right."Secretary of State Michael Mauro said it appears the signature on the mailed ballot matched other legal documents that Murphy-Hayes' mother had signed.Even so, the ballot has been challenged by Murphy-Hayes, which means it will not be counted until a special precinct board can meet and consider her challenge.
The case comes amid nationwide questions about the security and veracity of the U.S. election system. Charges of voter fraud by both political parties have arisen in some parts of the United States.Voter deception, registration fraud and manipulation of Iowa's new optical scan machines are possible but not likely on Election Day due to various safeguards, state officials and a national advocacy group for clean elections said this week.Under Iowa law, residents 18 or older, even people with dementia, generally have the right to vote unless a judge has deemed the person incompetent.
Election officials would likely consider medical information submitted by Hayes-Murphy before deciding whether to count her mother's vote, Mauro said."Just because you might believe that somebody has dementia, that doesn't eliminate them from voting," he said.
October 29, 2008
Money Money Money Money ....MONEY
From CNN Politics by Campbel Brown:Without question, Obama has set the bar at new height with a truly staggering sum of cash. And that is why as we approach this November, it is worth reminding ourselves what Barack Obama said last November. iReport.com: Your chance to ask Obama a question
One year ago, he made a promise. He pledged to accept public financing and to work with the Republican nominee to ensure that they both operated within those limits.
Then it became clear to Sen. Obama and his campaign that he was going to be able to raise on his own far more cash than he would get with public financing. So Obama went back on his word.
He broke his promise and he explained it by arguing that the system is broken and that Republicans know how to work the system to their advantage. He argued he would need all that cash to fight the ruthless attacks of 527s, those independent groups like the Swift Boat Veterans. It's funny though, those attacks never really materialized.
Buck Up Little Campers.
If you follow the news and read the polls you are probably convinced that this thing is over. Well its not! The Media does not have your republican (small r) interests at heart. If the poll has been generated by a media outlet and they are telling you that Obama is ahead by thirteen and Michelle O. is loaden up the U-haul and you believe it, then you must be a Democrat.First of all the Newsies have heard their own death rattle. They built a $450 million Temple Unto Themselves, then rather than quietly shuffling off to the elephant grave yard they went to the Oracle of Newseum and were instructed to push all in on the new messiah, journalistic ethics be damned.
Journalism Sacrificed for Power and Pensions by Michael S. Malone
The traditional media is playing a very, very dangerous game. With its readers, with the Constitution, and with its own fate.
The sheer bias in the print and television coverage of this election campaign is not
just bewildering, but appalling. And over the last few months I’ve found myself slowly moving from shaking my head at the obvious one-sided reporting, to actually shouting at the screen of my television and my laptop computer.But worst of all, for the last couple weeks, I’ve begun — for the first time in my adult life — to be embarrassed to admit what I do for a living. A few days ago, when asked by a new acquaintance what I did for a living, I replied that I was “a writer”, because I couldn’t bring myself to admit to a stranger that I’m a journalist.
Secondly, if you were nodding off in stats class The Iowa Hawk explains why the polls are just soooo much BS.
Thirdly, Big Lizards made this polling observation.Because, in this case, so-called scientific "sampling error" is completely meaningless, because it is utterly overwhelmed by unmeasurable non-sampling error. Under these circumstances "margin of error" is a fantasy, a numeric fiction masquerading as a pseudo-scientific fact. If a poll reports it -- even if it's collected "scientifically" -- the pollster is guilty of aggravated bullshit in the first degree
I believe that this race is close. Close enough that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth next Wednesday morning and it won't be the Republicans. Several weeks ago a Political Science Professor who specializes in political forcasting predicted that it would be 50 -49 Obama. Close enough that McCain would win the Electoral College. Now wouldn't that be a hoot?Nothing could more perfectly illustrate my point -- that we have two completely
different elections, depending on which pollster you ask -- than a pair of polls released today:
First, we have the Gallup tracking poll with its traditional test for likely voters, in which Barack H. Obama's lead over John S. McCain has shrunk to 2%... well within the margin of error (not even counting general biases in favor of Democrats, particularly with most of the poll conducted over the weekend).
And on the same day, covering nearly the same period, we have the Pew poll... which finds Obama's lead over McCain ticking up to fifteen points!
October 28, 2008
Obama and the Future of the Courts
Robert F. Kennedy used to say, 'Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not?'; that outlook has become a far too common and destructive approach to interpreting the law" Antonin Scalia
To go along with yesterdays revelation that Obama has, at least for now, given up on the courts promoting the social justice he envisions for America we also need to be mindful as the next president he will have a profound effect on the future of the courts. From the Wall Street Journal
On the Supreme Court, six of the current nine justices will be 70 years old or older on January 20, 2009. There is a widespread expectation that the next president could make four appointments in just his first term, with maybe two more in a second term. Here too we are poised for heavy change.
These numbers ought to raise serious concern because of Mr. Obama's extreme left-wing views about the role of judges. He believes -- and he is quite open about this -- that judges ought to decide cases in light of the empathy they ought to feel for the little guy in any lawsuit.
Speaking in July 2007 at a conference of Planned Parenthood, he said: "[W]e need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom. The empathy to understand what it's like to be poor, or African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old. And that's the criteria by which I'm going to be selecting my judges."
On this view, plaintiffs should usually win against defendants in civil cases; criminals in cases against the police; consumers, employees and stockholders in suits brought against corporations; and citizens in suits brought against the government. Empathy, not justice, ought to be the mission of the federal courts,and the redistribution of wealth should be their mantra.
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia also noted; " I am questioning the propriety – indeed, the sanity – of having a value-laden decision such as this made for the entire society ... by unelected judges,”. You only have to look to 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the absurd decisions that have been handed down to see Scalias point. eg, "Circuit Court of Appeals has concluded that municipal employers have the right to censor the words "natural family," "marriage" and "family values" because that is hate speech and could scare workers."
Do we want a panel of black robed social workers mandating the norms of society by what seems "fair" which is Obamas philosophy? Or do we want them to determine if laws meet the standards set out in the US Constitution? I vote for the latter.
October 27, 2008
Life at the Salmon Shack
As you have probably noticed there has been an sudden increase in blogging output this last week. Last month it became painfully apparent that I was seriously overloaded and woefully ill prepared for midterms so I made a conscious decision to drop blogging (and a poli-sci course). Then the other morning the woman that lets me live with her came home with a bit of an attitude. This wasnt the normal 8-AM grizzly bear attitude that she has after a 12 hour night shift. No this seemed to be genuine concern about something.
"Whats wrong?" I asked as my hand slowly slid reflexively down to the pepper spray on my belt just in case.
"I don't know if I can live in a place with him as president" she said nodding toward Obama on the morning news channel.
"I know how you feel." I replied compassionately.
"YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING!" She snarled like a Kodiak Brown on freshly shot Sitka blacktail.
"You know I've been stocking up on beans, bullets, and beers for the next Great Depression. What else you want me to do?"
"GET ON THAT BLOG OF YOURS AND LET PEOPLE KNOW!"
I tried to reason with her but if you have ever found yourself between a sow and her cubs you can imagine how effective that is. "You know the three people that regularly read my blog already know all this stuff. It's like preaching to the choir dear."
"I don't care just do it!"
So there are my marching orders. In a week we will know how effective I have been. In the mean time keep your fingers crossed and your hand on the pepper spray you may need it. Excuse me I got me some bloggin to do.
"Whats wrong?" I asked as my hand slowly slid reflexively down to the pepper spray on my belt just in case.
"I don't know if I can live in a place with him as president" she said nodding toward Obama on the morning news channel.
"I know how you feel." I replied compassionately.
"YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING!" She snarled like a Kodiak Brown on freshly shot Sitka blacktail.
"You know I've been stocking up on beans, bullets, and beers for the next Great Depression. What else you want me to do?"
"GET ON THAT BLOG OF YOURS AND LET PEOPLE KNOW!"
I tried to reason with her but if you have ever found yourself between a sow and her cubs you can imagine how effective that is. "You know the three people that regularly read my blog already know all this stuff. It's like preaching to the choir dear."
"I don't care just do it!"
So there are my marching orders. In a week we will know how effective I have been. In the mean time keep your fingers crossed and your hand on the pepper spray you may need it. Excuse me I got me some bloggin to do.
Obama on the Redistribution of Wealth and the Role of the Courts
If at this point you are still undecided who to vote for on November 4th but you still cling to a sliver of what this country is founded on then this Obama interview should send a shiver down your spine and finally get your ass off the fence. If you believe that the redistribution of wealth is wrong. If you believe that it is equally wrong for the courts to promote social justice*, then you should also believe that a vote for Barrack Obama is definitely wrong.
*The term "social justice" is often employed by the political left to describe a society with a greater degree of economic egalitarianism, which may be achieved through progressive taxation, income redistribution, and property redistribution.
*The term "social justice" is often employed by the political left to describe a society with a greater degree of economic egalitarianism, which may be achieved through progressive taxation, income redistribution, and property redistribution.
Obama on the Constitution
The Framers had a blind spot? No Barry, the framers were building a democracy not a socialist state.
October 26, 2008
Judge Rejects Obama Citizenship Suit
I thought this suit was a stretch but to dismiss the case because the harm of having candidates that are constitutionally ineligble is too vague or weak to investigate is judicial malpractice.PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging Barack
Obama's qualifications to be president. U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick on Friday night rejected the suit by attorney Philip J. Berg, who alleged that Obama was not a U.S. citizen and therefore ineligible for the presidency.Surrick ruled that Berg lacked standing to bring the case, saying any harm from an allegedly ineligible candidate was "too vague and its effects too attenuated to confer standing on any and all voters."
Palin On Paternalism
“Now they do this in other countries where the people are not free. Government as part of the family, taking care of us, making decisions for us. I don’t know what to think of having in my family Uncle Barney Frank or others to make decisions for me.”
October 24, 2008
Quote of the Day
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. — C.S. Lewis
Mr. Nobody
I came across this video on the web site of Palin misogynist Andrew Sullivan. Andy was just giddy that Betty Boop is soooo much like Palin. Only Sullivan is so blinded by his love of O'Bama's loins he didn't notice that Betty's opponent is the spitting image of his wet dreams.
Testing, Testing
I would not be troubled if a foreign power tested the next president if I knew that the president had been tested and passed sometime in the past. Outside of an election campaign Barry has never been tested that we can see. He certainly was tested in college but we have no record of how he did there because he isn't telling.
Barry, We Hardly Knows Ya.
This washed ashore yesterday and should be of interest to anyone looking for insights into our friend Barry. Lord knows he has provided precious little It could explain why he pronounces Pakistan like a local rather than like a guy from Chicago. Ed.
This election has me very worried. So many things to consider. About a year ago I would have voted for Obama. I have changed my mind three times since then. I watch all the news channels, jumping from one to another. I must say this drives my husband crazy. But, I feel if you view MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, you might get some middle ground to work with. About six months ago, I started thinking "where did the money come from for
Obama". I started looking into Obama's life.
Around 1979 Obama started college at Occidental in California. He is very open about his two years at Occidental, he tried all kinds of drugs and was wasting his time but, even though he had a brilliant mind, did not apply himself to his studies."Barry" (that was the name he use all his life) during this time had two roommates, Muhammad Hasan Chando
and Wahid Hamid, both from Pakistan.
During the summer of 1981, after his second year in college, he made a "round the world" trip. Stopping to see his mother in Indonesia, next Hyderabad in India, three weeks in Karachi, Pakistan where he stayed with his roommate's family, then off to Africa to visit his father's family. My question - Where did he get the money for this trip?
When he came back he started school at Columbia University in New York.
It is at this time he wants everyone to call him Barack, not Barry. Do you know what the tuition is at Columbia? It's not cheap! To say the least. Where did he get money for tuition? Student Loans? Maybe.
After Columbia he went to Chicago to work as a Community Organizer for $12,000. A year. Why Chicago? Why not New York? He was already living in New York.
By "chance" he met Antoine "Tony" Rezko, born in Aleppo Syria, and a real estate developer in Chicago. Rezko has been convicted of fraud and bribery this year. Rezko, was named "Entrepreneur of the Decade" by the Arab-American Business and Professional Association".
About two years later, Obama entered Harvard Law School. Do you have any idea what tuition is for Harvard Law School? Where did he get the money for Law School? More student loans?
After Law school, he went back to Chicago. Rezko offered him a job, which he turned down. But, he did take a job with Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland. Guess what? They represented "Rezar" which Rezko's firm. Rezko was one of Obama's first major financial contributors when he ran for office in Chicago.
In 2003, Rezko threw an early fundraiser for Obama which Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendelland claims was instrumental in providing Obama with "seed money” for his U.S.
Senate race. In 2005, Obama purchased a new home in Kenwood District of Chicago for $1.65 million (less than asking price). With ALL those Student Loans - Where did he get the money for the property? On the same day Rezko's wife, Rita, purchased the adjoining empty lot for full price. The London Times reported that Nadhmi Auchi, an Iraqi-born Billionaire loaned Rezko $3.5 million three weeks before Obama's new home was purchased.
Now, we have Obama running for President. Valerie Jarrett was Michele Obama's boss. She is now Obama's chief advisor and he does not make any major decisions without talking to her first. Where was Jarrett born? Ready for this? Shiraz, Iran! Do we see a pattern
here?
On May 10, 2008 The Times reported that Robert Malley, advisor to Obama was "sacked" after the press found out he was having regular contacts with "Hamas", which controls Gaza and is connected with Iran. This past week, buried in the back part of the papers, Iraqi newspapers reported that during Obama's visit to Iraq, he asked their leaders to do nothing about the war until after he is elected, and he will "Take care of things".
Oh, and by the way, remember the college roommates that were born in Pakistan? They are in charge of all those "small" Internet campaign contribution for Obama. Where is that money coming from? The poor and middle class in this country? Or could it be from the Middle East?
On September 7, 2008, The Washington Times posted a verbal slip by Obama that was made on "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos. Obama on talking about his religion said, "My Muslim faith". When questioned about that statement, "he made a mistake".
Some mistake!
(Author Unknown)
This election has me very worried. So many things to consider. About a year ago I would have voted for Obama. I have changed my mind three times since then. I watch all the news channels, jumping from one to another. I must say this drives my husband crazy. But, I feel if you view MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, you might get some middle ground to work with. About six months ago, I started thinking "where did the money come from for
Obama". I started looking into Obama's life.
Around 1979 Obama started college at Occidental in California. He is very open about his two years at Occidental, he tried all kinds of drugs and was wasting his time but, even though he had a brilliant mind, did not apply himself to his studies."Barry" (that was the name he use all his life) during this time had two roommates, Muhammad Hasan Chando
and Wahid Hamid, both from Pakistan.
During the summer of 1981, after his second year in college, he made a "round the world" trip. Stopping to see his mother in Indonesia, next Hyderabad in India, three weeks in Karachi, Pakistan where he stayed with his roommate's family, then off to Africa to visit his father's family. My question - Where did he get the money for this trip?
When he came back he started school at Columbia University in New York.
It is at this time he wants everyone to call him Barack, not Barry. Do you know what the tuition is at Columbia? It's not cheap! To say the least. Where did he get money for tuition? Student Loans? Maybe.
After Columbia he went to Chicago to work as a Community Organizer for $12,000. A year. Why Chicago? Why not New York? He was already living in New York.
By "chance" he met Antoine "Tony" Rezko, born in Aleppo Syria, and a real estate developer in Chicago. Rezko has been convicted of fraud and bribery this year. Rezko, was named "Entrepreneur of the Decade" by the Arab-American Business and Professional Association".
About two years later, Obama entered Harvard Law School. Do you have any idea what tuition is for Harvard Law School? Where did he get the money for Law School? More student loans?
After Law school, he went back to Chicago. Rezko offered him a job, which he turned down. But, he did take a job with Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland. Guess what? They represented "Rezar" which Rezko's firm. Rezko was one of Obama's first major financial contributors when he ran for office in Chicago.
In 2003, Rezko threw an early fundraiser for Obama which Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendelland claims was instrumental in providing Obama with "seed money” for his U.S.
Senate race. In 2005, Obama purchased a new home in Kenwood District of Chicago for $1.65 million (less than asking price). With ALL those Student Loans - Where did he get the money for the property? On the same day Rezko's wife, Rita, purchased the adjoining empty lot for full price. The London Times reported that Nadhmi Auchi, an Iraqi-born Billionaire loaned Rezko $3.5 million three weeks before Obama's new home was purchased.
Now, we have Obama running for President. Valerie Jarrett was Michele Obama's boss. She is now Obama's chief advisor and he does not make any major decisions without talking to her first. Where was Jarrett born? Ready for this? Shiraz, Iran! Do we see a pattern
here?
On May 10, 2008 The Times reported that Robert Malley, advisor to Obama was "sacked" after the press found out he was having regular contacts with "Hamas", which controls Gaza and is connected with Iran. This past week, buried in the back part of the papers, Iraqi newspapers reported that during Obama's visit to Iraq, he asked their leaders to do nothing about the war until after he is elected, and he will "Take care of things".
Oh, and by the way, remember the college roommates that were born in Pakistan? They are in charge of all those "small" Internet campaign contribution for Obama. Where is that money coming from? The poor and middle class in this country? Or could it be from the Middle East?
On September 7, 2008, The Washington Times posted a verbal slip by Obama that was made on "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos. Obama on talking about his religion said, "My Muslim faith". When questioned about that statement, "he made a mistake".
Some mistake!
(Author Unknown)
October 21, 2008
October 18, 2008
Iowa Hawk Gives a Shout Out to the Joe in All of Us
I hope you will join me in expressing a simple bit of solidarity with this guy,Spartacus style. I AM JOE. I am a Wal Mart schlub in flyover country who changes my own oil and unclogs drains without a license. I smoke and drink beer and toss the football in the front yard with my kid, and I figure I can fend my way without handouts from some Magic Messiah's candy bags. Most everyone in my family and most everyone I grew up with is another Joe, and if you screw with them, you screw with me.
Are you a Joe? Say it proud. Leave it on every goddamn newspaper comment section and online forum. Let these pressroom and online thugs know you won't stay silent when they try to destroy the life of a private citizen for speaking his mind -- because for every one of them, there are a million Joe Wurzelbachers. And for that we should all be thankful.
Hail Spartacus, Hail Joe! Read it all here.
September 07, 2008
The Loss of a Friend
"The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways. I to die and you to live. Which is better God only knows." Socrates
When the news came about his death emotions ran the gamut, shock, anger, guilt, and sadness. I took a job in Minnesota a few years ago and I was warned about Mike. Ornery SOB they all said. You'll have your hands full with that one they warned. With a hard gruff biker persona he let it be known that he wasn't about to take any crap from anyone, especially some outsider that blew into town expecting to change to his world. He was everything they promised and more, fortunately.
A funny thing happened over the course of that next year. There grew, I think, a mutual respect and when it became clear that my time with the company was coming to an end he stood beside me when it was obvious that no one else who would.
I always tell people when they are unsure about leaving a job because they "will miss the people" that in a couple months you probably won't hear from any of your co-workers but in this case I did. He called and stopped by over the next few months just to be sure we were making out all right. We had dinner the night before we left town but even after we moved away we still managed to keep in touch. Most of the time it was just to say to hello or talk about the weather.
He called a couple weeks ago to let me know he bought a new bike and had started going to the VA. I called to see how he fared when the company laid off some staff and we spoke again last Saturday when he said he may get a wild hair and come down to see us. He didn't show. I just didn't know. There is a certain futility in trying to rationalize the irrational, to make sense of the senseless, to understand the ununderstandable. So we are left lamenting the loss of a friend that will be sorely missed, and wondering what if...
When the news came about his death emotions ran the gamut, shock, anger, guilt, and sadness. I took a job in Minnesota a few years ago and I was warned about Mike. Ornery SOB they all said. You'll have your hands full with that one they warned. With a hard gruff biker persona he let it be known that he wasn't about to take any crap from anyone, especially some outsider that blew into town expecting to change to his world. He was everything they promised and more, fortunately.
A funny thing happened over the course of that next year. There grew, I think, a mutual respect and when it became clear that my time with the company was coming to an end he stood beside me when it was obvious that no one else who would.
I always tell people when they are unsure about leaving a job because they "will miss the people" that in a couple months you probably won't hear from any of your co-workers but in this case I did. He called and stopped by over the next few months just to be sure we were making out all right. We had dinner the night before we left town but even after we moved away we still managed to keep in touch. Most of the time it was just to say to hello or talk about the weather.
He called a couple weeks ago to let me know he bought a new bike and had started going to the VA. I called to see how he fared when the company laid off some staff and we spoke again last Saturday when he said he may get a wild hair and come down to see us. He didn't show. I just didn't know. There is a certain futility in trying to rationalize the irrational, to make sense of the senseless, to understand the ununderstandable. So we are left lamenting the loss of a friend that will be sorely missed, and wondering what if...
September 04, 2008
The Best of Sarah
Sarah Pallin "The Thrilla from Wassilla" (borrowed from Ace) delivered an amazing speech last night that as one Alaska commenter noted was "Like a moose going after a cabbage." She never wavered, her voice never cracked, her timing was precise and her message will resonate with the center and put fear in the hearts of the left.
As one sign on the convention floor put it "The hottest VP from the Coolest State."
Why is it that Sarah is being compared to Obama? It's simple because she is ready to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. And why does the Obama campaign keep referring to her as the mayor? Because to admit that she is a governor would point out the fact that the dems have once again anointed a candidate that shouldn't be within a hundred yard of the oval office. See how they match up here.
The wife wondered how long it would be before the press made fun of her hair. The answer to that would be... Six. Is it possible there is a scandle hiding under that doo?
September 03, 2008
September 01, 2008
Getting to know Sarah Palin
I talked to friends in Alaska last night and the feeling I get is Palin is generally well regarded in the state and along with some actual tears of joy that some mentioned, people are pulling for her to succeed. Alaska is a small place where people that make a name for themselves are referred to on a first name basis like neighbors, even if you don't know them personally. That said it is often hard to picture someone you know doing something that seems incredible but Alaska is a place where doing the incredible is something of a way of life. Growing up in that environment gives Palin an edge that outsiders really can't grasp and may underestimate.
In a state where the motto is "We don't care how they do it outside", outside meaning the lower 48 states, the outside press is digging for anything newsworthy about the candidate. Some of the accusations would seem absurd to Alaskans. One article I read this morning was amazed that no one from the McCain camp went to the office of the local paper "The Frontiersman" to check articles written about the candidate, failing to mention that "The Frontiersman" is not exactly the NY Times of the North Country. Until recently it has been a twice weekly, small town paper, published in Palmer while the "Anchorage Daily News" has to be considered the paper of record for south central Alaska.
One indication that the McCain choice has been so effective is the apparent tightening of the sphincters of the loony left. The resulting lack of oxygen has made them spew crazy and vile accusations about Palin and her family. They are attacking a kid that is 16 years old and a downs syndrome baby. How do you justify that? "She brought it up they are fair game" B as in B... and S as in S....! The supposed swiftboating of Kerry and the political tactics of Rove which they are not shy about lambasting pale in comparison to this. They truly are unhinged and I hope that these stories get some air time outside of the blog-o-sphere so the rest of the world can see who Barry is hangin with.
However, the question of experience is one that will become center stage over the next few weeks. Much of the electorate doesn't really take actual experience into account, but you do have to exude leadership (or "hope" if your audience is particularly gullible). If she can remain gaff free and come across as serious and knowledgeable she will succeed. How does the experience question really stack up between Palin and Obama? See chart here.
On the lighter side.
Sarah Palin’s finishing move in the VP debate will be pulling Biden’s still beating heart from his chest & taking a bite.
Sarah Palin will pry your Klondike bar from your cold dead fingers.
Sarah Palin doesn’t need a gun to hunt. She has been known to throw a bullet through an adult bull elk.
Sarah Palin was kicked off Survivor for killing a man and eating his entrails.
Sarah Palin makes Andrew Sullivan regret some key life choices.
Sarah Palin wears glasses lest her uncontrollable optic blasts slaughter everyone.
Sarah Palin’s son is going to Iraq after the Surge, because a Palin during the Surge would have been unfair.
Sarah Palin eats bald eagle for lunch because they taste better than spotted owl.
Sarah Palin aways brings a knife to a gun fight and WINS!
If something like this has shown up for Barry I'm not aware of it. Even the late night talk shows seem at a loss to put a human face on him. Since parody is the highest form of flattery certainly there is something in his persona that would lead to some lighthearted ribbing or is it too much like making fun of the short bus?
In a state where the motto is "We don't care how they do it outside", outside meaning the lower 48 states, the outside press is digging for anything newsworthy about the candidate. Some of the accusations would seem absurd to Alaskans. One article I read this morning was amazed that no one from the McCain camp went to the office of the local paper "The Frontiersman" to check articles written about the candidate, failing to mention that "The Frontiersman" is not exactly the NY Times of the North Country. Until recently it has been a twice weekly, small town paper, published in Palmer while the "Anchorage Daily News" has to be considered the paper of record for south central Alaska.
One indication that the McCain choice has been so effective is the apparent tightening of the sphincters of the loony left. The resulting lack of oxygen has made them spew crazy and vile accusations about Palin and her family. They are attacking a kid that is 16 years old and a downs syndrome baby. How do you justify that? "She brought it up they are fair game" B as in B... and S as in S....! The supposed swiftboating of Kerry and the political tactics of Rove which they are not shy about lambasting pale in comparison to this. They truly are unhinged and I hope that these stories get some air time outside of the blog-o-sphere so the rest of the world can see who Barry is hangin with.
However, the question of experience is one that will become center stage over the next few weeks. Much of the electorate doesn't really take actual experience into account, but you do have to exude leadership (or "hope" if your audience is particularly gullible). If she can remain gaff free and come across as serious and knowledgeable she will succeed. How does the experience question really stack up between Palin and Obama? See chart here.
On the lighter side.
Sarah Palin’s finishing move in the VP debate will be pulling Biden’s still beating heart from his chest & taking a bite.
Sarah Palin will pry your Klondike bar from your cold dead fingers.
Sarah Palin doesn’t need a gun to hunt. She has been known to throw a bullet through an adult bull elk.
Sarah Palin was kicked off Survivor for killing a man and eating his entrails.
Sarah Palin makes Andrew Sullivan regret some key life choices.
Sarah Palin wears glasses lest her uncontrollable optic blasts slaughter everyone.
Sarah Palin’s son is going to Iraq after the Surge, because a Palin during the Surge would have been unfair.
Salmon Submissions:
Sarah Palin eats bald eagle for lunch because they taste better than spotted owl.
Sarah Palin aways brings a knife to a gun fight and WINS!
If something like this has shown up for Barry I'm not aware of it. Even the late night talk shows seem at a loss to put a human face on him. Since parody is the highest form of flattery certainly there is something in his persona that would lead to some lighthearted ribbing or is it too much like making fun of the short bus?
August 30, 2008
The Obama Press and the Audacity of Dopes
As an illustration of how low the media is willing sink in its support of Barrak Obama, the dopes at MSNBC had the audacity to run this line during Sarah Palins acceptance speech in Ohio.
The press wonders why they are on the fast track to financial bankruptcy? (See links below) It's because they themselves are for the most part professionally and ethically bankrupt! " Even leftist Bill Maher thinks the press has lost all perspective when he noted that “The coverage after, that I was watching, from MSNBC, I mean these guys were ready to have sex with him.” So before I go on a rant about the imminent demise of the press and how they have essentially abdicated their role as the fifth estate let me answer their question.
She has her family home in Wasilla and this little gem in Juneau, the Alaska Governors Mansion. That would be TWO.
I find the fixation on McCain's housing situation laughable. I'm sure there is a degree of envy involved in the fact that Mac married up. But as I aways say, "It's not your fault if your daddy doesn't have money, but it is your fault if your wife's daddy doesn't have money." Get over it.Newsosaur: Defaultomatic
August 29, 2008
Palin?
UPDATE: Saturday, August 30, 2008
I caught the news that Sarah Palin might be named as the vice presidential nominee a few minutes before heading out the door and just had time to post the Mc-Palin logo which I had an file from a week ago when Obama named Biden as his running mate. You see, in a knee jerk reaction to the Biden announcement I wrote that Palin would be the logical choice as the McCain pick. You wont find that on the post however because upon further consideration I had to stick to my first assessment of her as a prospective nominee.
Since then I had been pondering who would be the best choice and there was no one that I could really get excited about. I backed Romney during the primary but as VP the more thought about it I felt there were aspects that were troublsome. Guilliani, Thompson, Leiberman, no way. Pawlenty or Jindal maybe, but again they seemed like safe choices that wouldn't do anything to shake up the race. The more I thought about it and the more I learned about Palin the more sense it made. I realized she was a candidate that I could get exited about.
The text message from the wife read, "I really like her" and I was immediatly run over by the bandwagon. (but then she "really liked" Huckabee and we know how that turned out). My original fears were that she would look inexperienced sitting next to Biden in a debate but having seen her in her acceptance speech and in other venues Biden will come off looking like Darth Vader. She has every bit as much solid government experience behind her as any of the other candidates and she is admired by the people of her state. Other reactions here, here and here. Alaskan Bio Here, Video Here.
The wife wondered how long it would be before the press started making fun of her hair. It became obvious pretty quickly that hair was probably pretty low on the list. As expected, the KO's loons immediately began to wallow in thier own crap but a better gauge of the brilliance of this pick is how Obamaite Andrew Sullivan and others are peeing like puppies over Mac's choice.
Good Luck Sarah, lets win one for the 49th State.
Krauthammer on "The Friends of Obama"
Who can forget the FOBs "Friends of Bill"? But who are the next generation FOBs, "Friends of Barrack". Charles Krauthammer makes the interesting observation that at the Obama convention FOBs were glaringly absent.
Read the whole thing.
Eerily missing at the Democratic convention this year were people of stature who were seriously involved at some point in Obama's life standing up to say: I know Barack Obama. I've been with Barack Obama. We've toiled/endured together. You can trust him. I do...
So where are the colleagues? The buddies? The political or spiritual soul mates? His most important spiritual adviser and mentor was Jeremiah Wright. But he's out. Then there's William Ayers, with whom he served on a board. He's out. Where are the others?
Read the whole thing.
August 28, 2008
Is he ready?
According to these experts, not so much. According to himself, he's needs to start cramming.
Humor: Clinging to our guns.
Are you a Democrat, a Republican, or a Southerner? Here is a little test that will help you decide.
You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife,and charges at you. You are carrying a 40 caliber Glock, and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?
Think
Think
Think
Think
Think
Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!
Should I call 9-1-1?
Does the man look poor or oppressed?
Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?
Could we run away?
Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?
What does the law say about this situation?
Does the Glock have an appropriate safety built into it?
Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?
Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me?
Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me?
If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?
We need to raise taxes and make this a happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior.
This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for few days and try to come to a consensus.
If this was your answer you are a Democrat.
A Republicans Answer:
BANG! __________________________________________________
A Southerner's Answer:
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click..... (Sounds of reloading) BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click
Daughter: 'Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those the Winchester Silver Tips or Hollow Points?'
Son: 'Can I shoot the next one!'
Wife: 'You're not takin' that to the Taxidermist!'
(Thx JJ)
You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife,and charges at you. You are carrying a 40 caliber Glock, and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?
Think
Think
Think
Think
Think
Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!
Should I call 9-1-1?
Does the man look poor or oppressed?
Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?
Could we run away?
Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?
What does the law say about this situation?
Does the Glock have an appropriate safety built into it?
Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?
Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me?
Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me?
If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?
We need to raise taxes and make this a happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior.
This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for few days and try to come to a consensus.
If this was your answer you are a Democrat.
A Republicans Answer:
BANG! __________________________________________________
A Southerner's Answer:
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click..... (Sounds of reloading) BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click
Daughter: 'Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those the Winchester Silver Tips or Hollow Points?'
Son: 'Can I shoot the next one!'
Wife: 'You're not takin' that to the Taxidermist!'
(Thx JJ)
August 26, 2008
Unity Fest 2008
I had to work last night and missed the opening events of the Democrats Unity Fest but from what I have been able to glean form the nattering nabobs this morning this quote from Obama worshipper Andrew Sullivan sums it up as a "Themeless Bore".
"My hopes weren't high for tonight, and hoisting Ted Kennedy into some kind of speech will probably provide all the drama TV craves. But seriously: what a crashing, distracted, short-attention span craptacular so far."
August 25, 2008
Back to School
I am predicting that this fall will be somewhat of a challenge due to the fact that for the first time I am taking 16 credit hours plus I still have to finish a independent study course in Greek and Roman history that did not get done over the summer. So while I will probably continue to post the occasional mindless drivel here at the Salmon any serious writing energies will have to be directed to those stranded on the Iowa Island of Acedimic Liberalism.
August 23, 2008
Bam! Who didnt see this ad coming?
McCain spokesman Ben Porritt
"There has been no harsher critic of Barack Obama's lack of experience than Joe Biden. Biden has denounced Barack Obama's poor foreign policy judgment and has strongly argued in his own words what Americans are quickly realizing -- that Barack Obama is not ready to be President.
Politics certainly makes strange bedfellows and this has to be one of the strangest. Biden is the quintessential egocentric pro war (before he was against it) gaff machine who has held no job outside of the US Senate. The man who raised nary a blip of support in his own runs for the presidency is asked to join forces with the man he once declared as not fit to hold the office. The left will dismiss Biden's war vote simply because he is the bottom of the ticket but other than his supposed grasp of foreign policy this is hardly a choice of a cutting edge hope and change candidate. This is insider status-quo writ large. It's no wonder that the democrats are looked at by 51% of the electorate as soulless empty suited drones of the collective and the "Barry and Joe Show" will do nothing to dispel that impression.
Biden's 3 AM Phone Call
It’s 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. But there’s a phone in Joe Biden's house and it’s ringing."Huh...What the...Hello"
"Joe it's me Barry. Man you gotta take the VP spot."
"Dude it's like 3 o'clock in the frikin morning. And we've already been over this!"
"I know Joe but I really need you man. I can't get anyone else to take the job, and the convention is Monday, and if I don't find someone by then I'll have to take that bitch and her husband, and..."
"Take a breath man you aint on the pipe again are ya?. What about that congressman from Texas? What's his name?"
"Fell out of his chair laughing then dissed me by telling the press how honored he was to be vetted. Bastard! You gotta help me! Joe look, lets uh um be ahh... honest. I need someone who already knows the world’s leaders, knows the military — someone tested and ready to lead in a dangerous world. That's you Joe, to a MF "T". If I was there right now I'd knuckle bump ya bro, you da man!"
"That would be me alright. But look, it really is a crappy job and....
"Come on man look what Cheney was able to do. You'd be the power behind the throne!"
....As you know I really like John McCain and I was the one that said that "your not ready and the presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training,'"
"Water under the bridge, under the bridge. You can even call me articulate if you want. Please Joe, tell me you'll do it?" Pleeeeease....sob sob sob
It’s 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. Are you sure you want to read that text message?
August 22, 2008
Quiz: Are You Smarter Than a Sociopath
Read this question, come up with an answer. This is not a trick question. It is as it reads:
A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met a guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazingly appealing. She believed him to be her dream guy and soul mate so much that she fell in love with him right then and there, but never asked for his number and could not find him. A few days later she killed her sister.
Question: What is her motive for killing her sister?
Think
Think
Think
Think
Think
Answer here at Maggies Farm. Let me know how you did.
A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met a guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazingly appealing. She believed him to be her dream guy and soul mate so much that she fell in love with him right then and there, but never asked for his number and could not find him. A few days later she killed her sister.
Question: What is her motive for killing her sister?
Think
Think
Think
Think
Think
Answer here at Maggies Farm. Let me know how you did.
August 21, 2008
August 20, 2008
August 19, 2008
Quote
Caecilius Metellus to the Roman Senate (100 BC) "It is certainly sordid to do the wrong thing and anyone can do the right thing when there is no danger attached; what distinguishes the good man from the others is that when danger is involved (personal or political) he still does right." (Qtd. in Plutarch, in Gaius Marius)
A more accurate translation:
"To do harm is proper of the evil spirits; to do good without taking risks is proper of the ordinary spirits; the man of heart never ever deflects from what is fair and honest, never looking to rewards or to threats." (Wikipeidia)
Today I am desperately trying to complete an essay on the fall of the Roman Republic and the lives of Marius, Sulla, Crassus, Pompey, and Caesar but as you can see a wandering mind has forsaken me. Focus Damn it Focus! Screw it Cato I'm going to the garage.
A more accurate translation:
"To do harm is proper of the evil spirits; to do good without taking risks is proper of the ordinary spirits; the man of heart never ever deflects from what is fair and honest, never looking to rewards or to threats." (Wikipeidia)
Today I am desperately trying to complete an essay on the fall of the Roman Republic and the lives of Marius, Sulla, Crassus, Pompey, and Caesar but as you can see a wandering mind has forsaken me. Focus Damn it Focus! Screw it Cato I'm going to the garage.
Reasons to Return to Alaska
#5. Money. aka. The Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend
JUNEAU, Alaska —Here are two reasons to smile if you live in Alaska: Your annual oil royalty dividend will likely be bigger than ever and the checks will go out earlier than ever before.
Nearly every man, woman and child received $1,654 each in last year's distribution. This year's payout is expected to be higher, but it hasn't been calculated yet.
But added to this year's check will be an extra $1,200 from the state's oil-rich treasury to help offset high energy prices, a factor driving the early distribution.
Obama Convention Credentials, Distressing.
From Denver's 9News.com, via Hot Air.
It is silly to parse every move of the messiah and his obvious need to wrap himself in patriotic symbolism, (although Dr. Phil could make a full time job out of it) but today it has been noted that the image on the Obama credentials for his sermon on Mt. Invesco appears to be an inverted flag which is the international sign for distress.
However, it looks more like the flag is not furled at all but laying on the ground which brought back memories of this very special moment in Obama campaign history.
However, it looks more like the flag is not furled at all but laying on the ground which brought back memories of this very special moment in Obama campaign history.
The question is, was this really the inspiration for the artwork on the ticket? Or are the media mavens at the DNC purely "artistes"?
Update: I just caught a snippet of Obama speaking to the VFW and he just warned everyone again not to question his patriotism. Moi?
August 18, 2008
PC Hypersensitivity
The New York Times reports that a group of the "hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history" have taken to the streets to protest the use of the word "retard" in the Ben Stiller release of "Tropic Thunder". This movie is a comedy and the purpose of comedy to be irreverent, to make us look at the sillyness of ourselves. It is not hate speech! Who didn't love Steve Martin as Nevin R. Johnson ("I was born a poor black child") in "The Jerk" or the racial overtones in "Blazing Saddles."
I am sure that anyone that looks hard enough can find something to be offended about in just about anything. (sarcasm alert) In fact, I took my daughter to see "Kung Fu Panda" yesterday and I was aghast to see pigs and geese depicted as stereotypical slanty eyed Chinese. Then his little tidbit jumped off the page as I read the transcript to the Obama/ McCain Saddleback Forum.
She calls him Boy? Insensitive x&Y%$, I'm outraged!.
This example, like the Tropic Thunder case is PC hypersensitivity at its worst. Seems ridiculous doesn't it.
I am sure that anyone that looks hard enough can find something to be offended about in just about anything. (sarcasm alert) In fact, I took my daughter to see "Kung Fu Panda" yesterday and I was aghast to see pigs and geese depicted as stereotypical slanty eyed Chinese. Then his little tidbit jumped off the page as I read the transcript to the Obama/ McCain Saddleback Forum.
Obama: You mentioned one person I'd be listening to and that is Michelle, my wife.... I think any leader needs somebody who can get in your face and say " Boy, you really screwed that one up. You really blew it."
She calls him Boy? Insensitive x&Y%$, I'm outraged!.
This example, like the Tropic Thunder case is PC hypersensitivity at its worst. Seems ridiculous doesn't it.
August 16, 2008
Flotsam and Jetsam: Signs, Signs everywhere a sign...
This sign is an old joke to Alaskans but with the number of bear incidents in Anchorage this year I thought perhaps they could use a little humor. (Click to enlarge)
Every time someone tries to explain the labyrinth of conspiracies that us unwitting sheep are ignorant of I always tell them, "You are going to have to draw me a picture cause I just ain't seein' it." Well, someone has finally done just that. It's all so much clearer now.
Courtesy Funny SignsWith the DoA Big Foot found in Georgia this week (or maybe not) this sign will certainly cut down on the Bigfoot roadkill problem in your neighborhood.
August 15, 2008
Orwell
If there is a more influential or often quoted writer of the 20th century than George Orwell I can’t say who it might be. His most famous work, “1984” of course led to the term Orwellian to describe the decline of western civilization into the dystopia world of Oceania. Both ends of the political spectrum often quote Orwell’s work to highlight the transgressions real or imagined of the other. In fact I recently stumbled across a C-Span panel discussion featuring George Soros clutching a copy of “1984” to prove his point that the Bush administration is Big Brother incarnate. You could argue that Orwell’s world was the result of “Ingsoc” ,English Socialism, which seems closer to the ideology of Mr. Soros.
Orwell also produced a body of work beyond “1984” during his career, insightful commentary on the turbulent 20th century. "Animal Farm" is of course the most prominent but his other works are also historically relevent. In "Why I Write" (1946) he noted that his goal was, “ to make political writing into an art”, this is particularly evident in his essays. Here are exerpts from a few personal favorites.
On Jews:
When you go through the Jewish quarters you gather some idea of what the medieval ghettoes were probably like. Under their Moorish rulers the Jews were only allowed to own land in certain restricted areas, and after centuries of this kind of treatment they have ceased to bother about overcrowding. Many of the streets are a good deal less than six feet wide, the houses are completely windowless, and sore-eyed children cluster everywhere in unbelievable numbers, like clouds of flies. Down the centre of the street there is generally running a little river of urine.
In the bazaar huge families of Jews, all dressed in the long black robe and little black skull-cap, are working in dark fly-infested booths that look like caves. A carpenter sits cross-legged at a prehistoric lathe, turning chair-legs at lightning speed. He works the lathe with a bow in his right hand and guides the chisel with his left foot, and thanks to a lifetime of sitting in this position his left leg is warped out of shape. At his side his grandson, aged six, is already starting on the simpler parts of the job.
I was just passing the coppersmiths’ booths when somebody noticed that I was lighting a cigarette. Instantly, from the dark holes all round, there was a frenzied rush of Jews, many of them old grandfathers with flowing grey beards, all clamouring for a cigarette. Even a blind man somewhere at the back of one of the booths heard a rumour of cigarettes and came crawling out, groping in the air with his hand. In about a minute I had used up the whole packet. None of these people, I suppose, works less than twelve hours a day, and every one of them looks on a cigarette as a more or less impossible luxury.
As the Jews live in self-contained communities they follow the same trades as the Arabs, except for agriculture. Fruit-sellers, potters, silversmiths, blacksmiths, butchers, leather-workers, tailors, water-carriers, beggars, porters—whichever way you look you see nothing but Jews. As a matter of fact there are thirteen thousand of them, all living in the space of a few acres. A good job Hitler isn’t here. Perhaps he is on his way, however. You hear the usual dark rumours about the Jews, not only from the Arabs but from the poorer Europeans.
“Yes, MON VIEUX, they took my job away from me and gave it to a Jew. The Jews! They’re the real rulers of this country, you know. They’ve got all the money. They control the banks, finance—everything.”
“But,” I said, “isn’t it a fact that the average Jew is a labourer working for about a penny an hour?”
“Ah, that’s only for show! They’re all money-lenders really. They’re cunning, the Jews.” (Marrakech, 1939)
On Atrocities:
I have little direct evidence about the atrocities in the Spanish civil war. I know that some were committed by the Republicans, and far more (they are still continuing) by the Fascists. But what impressed me then, and has impressed me ever since, is that atrocities are believed in or disbelieved in solely on grounds of political predilection. Everyone believes in the atrocities of the enemy and disbelieves in those of his own side, without ever bothering to examine the evidence. Recently I drew up a table of atrocities during the period between 1918 and the present; there was never a year when atrocities were not occurring somewhere or other, and there was hardly a single case when the Left and the Right believed in the same stories simultaneously. And stranger yet, at any moment the situation can suddenly reverse itself and yesterday’s proved-to-the-hilt atrocity story can become a ridiculous lie, merely because the political landscape has changed. (Looking Back on the Spanish War 1942)
On Facism:
It will be seen that, as used, the word ‘Fascism’ is almost entirely meaningless. In conversation, of course, it is used even more wildly than in print. I have heard it applied to farmers, shopkeepers, Social Credit, corporal punishment, fox-hunting, bull-fighting, the 1922 Committee, the 1941 Committee, Kipling, Gandhi, Chiang Kai-Shek, homosexuality, Priestley's broadcasts, Youth Hostels, astrology, women, dogs and I do not know what else.
Yet underneath all this mess there does lie a kind of buried meaning. To begin with, it is clear that there are very great differences, some of them easy to point out and not easy to explain away, between the régimes called Fascist and those called democratic. Secondly, if ‘Fascist’ means ‘in sympathy with Hitler’, some of the accusations I have listed above are obviously very much more justified than others. Thirdly, even the people who recklessly fling the word ‘Fascist’ in every direction attach at any rate an emotional significance to it. By ‘Fascism’ they mean, roughly speaking, something cruel, unscrupulous, arrogant, obscurantist, anti-liberal and anti-working-class. Except for the relatively small number of Fascist sympathizers, almost any English person would accept ‘bully’ as a synonym for ‘Fascist’. That is about as near to a definition as this much-abused word has come. (What is Fascism? 1944)
What brought this subject to mind was that this week the “Orwell Prize” is releasing entries from Orwell’s personal diary on a daily basis which should over the long term prove to be an interesting insight into one of histories most prodigious writers. I can only imagine that he would have made a hell of a blogger.
Orwell also produced a body of work beyond “1984” during his career, insightful commentary on the turbulent 20th century. "Animal Farm" is of course the most prominent but his other works are also historically relevent. In "Why I Write" (1946) he noted that his goal was, “ to make political writing into an art”, this is particularly evident in his essays. Here are exerpts from a few personal favorites.
On Jews:
When you go through the Jewish quarters you gather some idea of what the medieval ghettoes were probably like. Under their Moorish rulers the Jews were only allowed to own land in certain restricted areas, and after centuries of this kind of treatment they have ceased to bother about overcrowding. Many of the streets are a good deal less than six feet wide, the houses are completely windowless, and sore-eyed children cluster everywhere in unbelievable numbers, like clouds of flies. Down the centre of the street there is generally running a little river of urine.
In the bazaar huge families of Jews, all dressed in the long black robe and little black skull-cap, are working in dark fly-infested booths that look like caves. A carpenter sits cross-legged at a prehistoric lathe, turning chair-legs at lightning speed. He works the lathe with a bow in his right hand and guides the chisel with his left foot, and thanks to a lifetime of sitting in this position his left leg is warped out of shape. At his side his grandson, aged six, is already starting on the simpler parts of the job.
I was just passing the coppersmiths’ booths when somebody noticed that I was lighting a cigarette. Instantly, from the dark holes all round, there was a frenzied rush of Jews, many of them old grandfathers with flowing grey beards, all clamouring for a cigarette. Even a blind man somewhere at the back of one of the booths heard a rumour of cigarettes and came crawling out, groping in the air with his hand. In about a minute I had used up the whole packet. None of these people, I suppose, works less than twelve hours a day, and every one of them looks on a cigarette as a more or less impossible luxury.
As the Jews live in self-contained communities they follow the same trades as the Arabs, except for agriculture. Fruit-sellers, potters, silversmiths, blacksmiths, butchers, leather-workers, tailors, water-carriers, beggars, porters—whichever way you look you see nothing but Jews. As a matter of fact there are thirteen thousand of them, all living in the space of a few acres. A good job Hitler isn’t here. Perhaps he is on his way, however. You hear the usual dark rumours about the Jews, not only from the Arabs but from the poorer Europeans.
“Yes, MON VIEUX, they took my job away from me and gave it to a Jew. The Jews! They’re the real rulers of this country, you know. They’ve got all the money. They control the banks, finance—everything.”
“But,” I said, “isn’t it a fact that the average Jew is a labourer working for about a penny an hour?”
“Ah, that’s only for show! They’re all money-lenders really. They’re cunning, the Jews.” (Marrakech, 1939)
On Atrocities:
I have little direct evidence about the atrocities in the Spanish civil war. I know that some were committed by the Republicans, and far more (they are still continuing) by the Fascists. But what impressed me then, and has impressed me ever since, is that atrocities are believed in or disbelieved in solely on grounds of political predilection. Everyone believes in the atrocities of the enemy and disbelieves in those of his own side, without ever bothering to examine the evidence. Recently I drew up a table of atrocities during the period between 1918 and the present; there was never a year when atrocities were not occurring somewhere or other, and there was hardly a single case when the Left and the Right believed in the same stories simultaneously. And stranger yet, at any moment the situation can suddenly reverse itself and yesterday’s proved-to-the-hilt atrocity story can become a ridiculous lie, merely because the political landscape has changed. (Looking Back on the Spanish War 1942)
On Facism:
It will be seen that, as used, the word ‘Fascism’ is almost entirely meaningless. In conversation, of course, it is used even more wildly than in print. I have heard it applied to farmers, shopkeepers, Social Credit, corporal punishment, fox-hunting, bull-fighting, the 1922 Committee, the 1941 Committee, Kipling, Gandhi, Chiang Kai-Shek, homosexuality, Priestley's broadcasts, Youth Hostels, astrology, women, dogs and I do not know what else.
Yet underneath all this mess there does lie a kind of buried meaning. To begin with, it is clear that there are very great differences, some of them easy to point out and not easy to explain away, between the régimes called Fascist and those called democratic. Secondly, if ‘Fascist’ means ‘in sympathy with Hitler’, some of the accusations I have listed above are obviously very much more justified than others. Thirdly, even the people who recklessly fling the word ‘Fascist’ in every direction attach at any rate an emotional significance to it. By ‘Fascism’ they mean, roughly speaking, something cruel, unscrupulous, arrogant, obscurantist, anti-liberal and anti-working-class. Except for the relatively small number of Fascist sympathizers, almost any English person would accept ‘bully’ as a synonym for ‘Fascist’. That is about as near to a definition as this much-abused word has come. (What is Fascism? 1944)
What brought this subject to mind was that this week the “Orwell Prize” is releasing entries from Orwell’s personal diary on a daily basis which should over the long term prove to be an interesting insight into one of histories most prodigious writers. I can only imagine that he would have made a hell of a blogger.
That's Life:
On the first day, God created the dog and said: 'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.' The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?' So God agreed.
On the second day, God created the monkey and said: 'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.' The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?' And God agreed.
On the third day, God created the cow and said: 'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.' The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?' And God agreed again.
On the fourth day, God created man and said: 'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years.' But man said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?''Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'
So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
Life has now been explained to you.
Thx Rick
On the second day, God created the monkey and said: 'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.' The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?' And God agreed.
On the third day, God created the cow and said: 'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.' The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?' And God agreed again.
On the fourth day, God created man and said: 'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years.' But man said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?''Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'
So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
Life has now been explained to you.
Thx Rick
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