Riehl World View

Oy! CNN, Puhlease!!

CNN offers a quick look, all the details aren't being made public, at Michelle Obama's Great, Great Grandfather, born in 1850 and believed to have been a slave in South Carolina. Many Americans might take exception to CNN's word choice below. I thought we did away with a "ruling class" a revolution, or so, ago.

It makes Friendfield Plantation a symbol of something more than servitude. It's the symbol of something that's never happened before: One important segment of an American family's journey from the humiliation of slavery to the very top of the nation's ruling class.

The Hill Should Correct This

The Hill's blog has published a misleading item that speaks to the heart of the Boxer versus Alford matter. And it needs to be understood clearly. Most especially, read the NAACP resolution below. Boxer did not enter a "report" into the record. She merely entered a political resolution that says little about climate change and a lot about black colleges. Alford was there to present objective data, not black opinion.

NBCC head Harry C. Alford took strong exception to Boxer having referenced an NAACP report favoring climate change legislation during a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, of which Boxer is the chairwoman.

Here and below is the sum total of the NAACP report. Report is a gross mischaracterization of what Boxer introduced against Alford. There was no rationale other than race to enter that resolution into the record at that particular time.

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) are at the precipice of major change.  Colleges and universities like Southern University, Grambling State, Florida A&M, Howard University and other historically black colleges and universities have a chance to play a major role in the U.S. march towards energy independence and environmental security.

Currently, Congress is crafting legislation that will lessen the U.S. dependence on foreign oil, achieve energy independence and advance a clean, safer environment—a much-needed step in the right direction. 

As part of this new initiative, the NAACP urges the federal government to fully engage historically black colleges and universities in the process of research and development as well as educating and training for these new alternative energy sources.  HBCU’s can be on the forefront of solar, wind and hydro technologies.  These public and private institutions need more resources to develop, implement and improve their programs in order to create green jobs.  Curriculums are being developed and expanded, and teachers are being trained in this and new, and growing technology.  HBCU’s need to have the capacity to equip technicians, installers and maintenance workers with the skills needed to participate in the green job revolution.

Let your Senators and Representatives know that allocating resources to historically black colleges and universities needs to be a key component of any new, green legislation or initiative.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

###

Does Sotomayor Know The Questions In Advance?

A commenter picked this up. It is curious, unless there was an earlier hearing reference to Perry Mason having lost just one case, despite that not being accurate. I couldn't find a reference to an earlier mention via Google. If it's there, than this is nothing.

But, for all the silliness of it, Sotomayor did start to answer Franken's Mason question before he finished asking it, or even mentioned what one case he was going to ask about. Hmm. Did she know he was going to interject some levity there? If so, it makes his one spotlight moment scripted, just like SNL. Watch her start answering early.

Sotomayor: Just Great

No matter your politics, we're about to get an intellectal lightweight and likely ideologue on the Supreme Court. Is there no end to the damage Obama is willing to do to this country?

And all because she's Latino and female. How repugnant.

The Left: Cracks In The Coalition?

I can't imagine the Earth firsters that supported Obama are going to be thrilled with him taking a page from Sarah Palin. I thought trees are people, too - according to the liberal playbook?

The Obama administration has approved the sale of timber from the Tongass National Forest in Alaska.

Obama Has Different Message For Blacks

The media will never dare point it out, but given the focus of his pending NAACP remarks, it's clear that Obama has a very different message for the black community, than the one he always advocates when addressing Americans as a whole.

Going all the way back to his campaign, his core vision and message has always been that government is here to help, with little or no emphasis on personal responsibility. Were he a white politician he would be accused of racism for this. But he clearly sees black America as having a different set of issues. Otherwise he wouldn't be emphasizing individual responsibility over collective government action, as he always does.

How about some of this take responsibility for yourself for the rest of America, Barrack? Frankly, they could use it right about now, instead of another Big Government plan. He constantly casts Americans as hapless victims of capitalists, or government that doesn't do enough. Not when he's addressing a black audience, evidently.

Obama will make clear that while the government can help, "individuals will have to take responsibility," according to Burton. The president is expected to make that point, in particular, on matters of education and economic opportunity. He is also expected to address health care, his dominant domestic priority.

Implicit in the appearance, Obama is seeking the backing of the powerful NAACP and its members for his ambitious domestic agenda.

The Legend Of Bonnie And Conyers?

Sure, Monica Conyers needed a stand in for Clyde back in Detroit, what with hubby off on his own spree in DC. But is it really possible for a man's wife to be a major shake down artist without him knowing anything about what was going down? I'm guessing, no.

The money had to have been spent and/or invested somehow.

[T]he name of Monica Conyers surfaces everywhere in the 27-page [indictment of her shakedown partner Samuel Riddle], which contends that the former city councilwoman played Bonnie to Riddle’s Clyde as they prowled Detroit, boldly shaking down businesspeople and stuffing their pockets and bank accounts with cash.

“You’d better get my loot, that’s all I know,” Conyers is quoted as telling Riddle regarding a payment from a restaurant owner.

Riddle passed her $10,000 in that caper, the indictment says.

Boxer: But You're Black!

Boxer doesn't actually say that, she just implies it. And the black male she's questioning takes great offense. Chuck Devore is certainly going to have plenty of material to work with thanks to Boxer herself!

Update: Lifted from comments via Dan at GP with more - so true. Evidently, she was shaken but not stirred!

why didn't she object when this guy called her ma'am?

So Much For The Pundits On Sarah Palin

Pundits and politicians love to invoke polls. Unfortunately, most of the Palin political obituary writers post-resignation can't really do that, at least not based on new Gallup results - no real change in her numbers and a full 12 percent have no opinion at all. Just think how lucky those people are to not have been subjected to the non-stop media Palimania last week!

It looks like ordinary voters may not care as much about Sarah Palin’s resignation as pundits do.

Last November, the American public was pretty much split into competing camps about the losing GOP VP candidate. Forty-eight percent viewed her favorably, and 47 percent viewed her unfavorably, according to Gallup data.

And now? It’s 43 percent favorable, 45 percent unfavorable, according to a Gallup poll taken from July 10-12.

“This suggests no widespread deterioration in her image after her surprising decision to resign her post as governor with more than a year left in her term,” writes Gallup analyst Jeffrey M. Jones.

In fact, the most startling thing about the new numbers may be that 12 percent of respondents said they have no opinion about Ms. Palin at all – good or bad.

Can The Blue Dogs Help Defeat Bad Health Care Reform?

A dog is still a dog in the end and, unlike the R variety of dog in DC, the D dogs come with fleas known as liberals. They'll be hounded to do a deal and get the thing passed. But as Michelle points out, some pressure sure can't hurt. Help shorten their alleged leash to the people, if you can. The Democrats are running wild these days in Washington. And foaming at the mouth. But that's nothing new. Hopefully we can put 'em down in 2010.

“Centrist” Democrats in the House say they oppose the government health care takeover plans of their leaders and their president.

They’re barking loudly, demanding major amendments to protect small businesses and taxpayers.

But do the Blue Dogs have any bite? Or will they be bought off like many of them were on cap-and-trade and Porkulus One?

Hillary Going Rogue?

File this under very, very interesting. In June, I pointed out Hillary's hiring of Sidney Blumenthal as a strong signal she may go rogue on Obama. Guess what? Obama isn't letting Hillary have her Sidney, she can eat it, instead - there's even more.

They move her top guy on Iran to the WH? And now, Hillary is giving campaign-like speeches with VIP attendees at the Council on Foreign Relations? Perhaps as in Bill's case, this marriage wasn't made in heaven, folks! Stay tuned. Hillary must be fuming that she can't even hire her own staff.

With a few exceptions — during the presidential primary campaign, she had derided the idea of engaging Iran — the speech sounded like one Mrs. Clinton might have given as a candidate, when she sought to make her foreign policy credentials a trump card over the rival who is now her boss.

She even marshaled a cheering section of special envoys and other senior American diplomats in the first few rows at the Council on Foreign Relations. Faced with a White House that has tended to centralize control over policy, Mrs. Clinton is defending her prerogatives as an influential, but loyal, member of the president’s team.

In recent weeks, the administration’s top Iran policy maker was reassigned from the State Department to the White House’s National Security Council; Mrs. Clinton’s candidate to lead the United States Agency for International Development has been tangled up in a vetting process; and she has failed to get her choices into some plum ambassadorships, notably Japan, which went to a fund-raiser for President Obama.

Also, the White House recently scuttled Mrs. Clinton’s effort to bring Sidney Blumenthal, a journalist and confidant of both her and former President Bill Clinton, into the State Department.

It's Name That Party Time

Surely they get around to mentioniong this crook's Party in the story somewhere, right? Well, no, they actually don't. Yes, he is a Democrat.

Manhattan City Councilman Miguel Martinez admitted Thursday he stole tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars from a shadowy council slush fund.

The two-termer became the first council member casualty of a year-old investigation of misuse of the millions of taxpayer dollars council members dole out to pet projects.

Standing in Manhattan Federal Court, Martinez admitted Thursday that he siphoned off $106,000 in public funds through three schemes, in part by creating fake invoices.

"I received the monies as a direct result of the conspiracy," he said.

Today he admitted $40,000 of his ill-gotten gains came from that group, the Upper Manhattan Council Assisting Neighbors (U-CAN). In the last two years, Martinez has sponsored nearly $800,000 in public funds for U-CAN.

The long-running probe of the council's slush fund by DOI and Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office dates back to late 2007.

Two aides to Brooklyn Councilman Kendall Stewart have pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from a council-subsidized non-profit. Stewart has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged.

Bronx Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo's nephew was arrested last month on charges of misusing funds via the South Bronx Community Council, a non-profit Arroyo helps fund. She has declined to comment on the ongoing probe.

Define "Shovel Ready"

Hey, let's do another stimulus for "shovel ready" projects but change the definition of "shovel ready" to shoveling more money into the states to preserve what bureaucracy they already have! That's "shovel ready," alright. As long as you use the shovel from the barn.

Not so great news via The Hill, the Fed now expects unemployment to be higher and last longer than first thought. And with the stimulus appearing to not be working, what do you do? You do another one, of course! Even defenders of the first stimulus quoted are forced to admit there's no way to gauge its effectiveness.

The "shovel ready" revisionism in the last graph from the first excerpt is especially priceless. Forget the private sector, we need to simply give more money to the states, so they can preserve what bureaucracy they already have! Also, the new transportation bill Pelosi wants to see done will require even more new taxes, so Obama wants to drag it out by extending the old one ... for now.

Federal Reserve officials see signs of a turnaround in the economy but expect unemployment to remain high through 2010, according to minutes of their June meeting released Wednesday.

The officials predicted a range in unemployment of between 9.7 and 10.5 percent for the rest of 2009, and a range of 8.5 to 10.6 percent in 2010, according to the minutes.

The outlook was worse than what was forecast in April by Fed officials. Unemployment projects were about one-half a percentage point higher across the board.

Still, some rank-and-file House Democrats say the job numbers suggest another stimulus may soon be necessary.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) said that President Obama should be suggesting another package focused on giving aid to states. Providing money directly to state governments could help them avoid laying off public workers, an option that California and other big states facing budget crises are considering, said Sherman, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee. And unlike with infrastructure projects, the impact of state aid on employment would be immediate, he said.

“Nothing is as shovel-ready as not firing a teacher,” Sherman told The Hill. “It's not a Bridge to Nowhere, it's a bridge to the 21st century.”

Pelosi can't seem to find anything that isn't worth a tax increase inher view.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said last week that she’s committed to making the first stimulus work and to passing a healthcare bill.

Asked about another stimulus, she said she’d like to see the House do the transportation bill.

That $500 billion bill, written by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), would provide money for road, rail and mass transit projects for the next six years. It would be a significant increase in spending over the current six-year transportation reauthorization bill, which expires at the end of September and called for $286 billion in projects.

But the White House, not eager to tackle another bill that will require more taxes, has called for an 18-month extension of expiring legislation. That proposal won the recommendation of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Wednesday.

Black Boxes From Iranian Air Crash Found - NYTimes.com

This was a strange cse to begin with. The airplane just did a nosedive into the ground? I'd love to known precisely who all was on that plane. You never know. However, it was Russian built, so it very well may have been a simple failure - sort of what GM will be like now that the US government is running it!

Black Boxes From Iranian Air Crash Found - NYTimes.com.

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Investigators said Thursday they had found two of the three flight data recorders that were on board the Iranian passenger plane that crashed and exploded shortly after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday. All 168 people aboard the Russian-built airliner were killed, Iran’s state news media said. The plane, leased by Tehran-based Caspian Airlines, had been bound for the Armenian capital of Yerevan.

Endeavour Launched

Godspeed!

After more than a month's delay, the space shuttle Endeavour and seven astronauts thundered into orbit Wednesday on a flight to the international space station.

Success came on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the liftoff of man's first moon landing.

Endeavour blasted off a little after 6 p.m. from its seaside pad -- the same one used to launch Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969.

We're All Organic

We are all organic, lest some people forget. Rut roh, it's the real and ultimate terminator??

Never mind those quaint “I, Robot” and “2001″ type AI systems with personality disorders figuring out they’re smarter than us and deciding to take over. These organic matter-eating robots don’t need to be any smarter than a pit bull to get hungry, look around, not find any plants or dead bodies to eat and decide you’ll do …

First They Came For The Crosses

Yeah, the Commies always wage a war on faith first. Without that, the only higher power left is the State.

Nashville Councilman's Real Crime

Former Councilman Haddox's real crime wasn't trading prescription drugs for sex. It was beating the rap in 1974 and driving Al Gore out of journalism into politics and eventually into the climate change biz!

In 1974, according to the New York Times, Former Vice President Al Gore, then a Tennessean reporter, along with the paper's publisher, John Seigenthaler, cooperated with the district attorney in the operation that appeared to catch then-Councilman Haddox in the act of taking a $300 bribe from a local developer wearing a wire.

After two trials, Haddox was ultimately aquitted of all charges in the incident. Haddox's lawyer was able to convince a multiracial jury that Haddox had been entrapped by the newspaper.

Colleagues at the time said that Gore was devasted by the verdict and two years later left journalism.

Marine Wife Suffers Chapped Ass

Thank God she didn't say "frosts my balls"! That might have been considered less severe but certainly of greater concern in Cassandra's case!

Chaps my ass:  An expression used to indicate strong annoyance at someone or something, a stonger expression than "frosts my balls."

"Global Warming: Scientists' Best Predictions May Be Wrong"

I'm shocked. Shocked I tell you. As if any sane person still believes AlGore's shlock dressed up as science.

Sotomayor On Perry Mason

During hearings today, the Honorable Senator Al Franken questions Sotomayor on one Perry Mason episode in which he lost a case. Neither could recall the case, though technically speaking, there was more than one, or you could argue, none.

The case is, The Deadly Verdict from 1963, though you could argue he lost The Case of the Terrified Typist, as well. A Senate GOP staffer suggested just that very thing, according to Glenn Thrush. So, why could neither Franken, nor Sotomayor remember these facts? Well, one involved a defendant lying on the stand and the other was a case of mistaken identity. Perhaps given Sotomayor's less than candid testimony, the cases hit a little bit too close to home?

See here, here and here for more background on Sotomayor's appearance.

Although it's popularly believed this episode represents the only time Perry Mason loses a case, in the first-season episode "The Case of the Terrified Typist", not only is Mason's client convicted of murder - he turns out to be really guilty! (However, Mason figures out that the murderer was impersonating someone else, and since some of the prosecution's evidence was related to the actual person whose identity had been stolen, a mistrial is declared, meaning a second trial for the defendant, presumably without Mason's services.) In the sixth-season closer, "The Case of the Witless Witness", a respected judge rules against Mason in some civil matter; when the judge ends up falsely accused of corruption, then murder, Mason doesn't hesitate to defend him.

RSC Proposes "REBOUND"

Sure it's a political play, but this actually makes a good deal of sense. Full text of the bill here. What are the chances it can pass? None. The Republican Study Group has crafted a propsosal they are calling REBOUND, short for Reduce Obama's Unsustainable Deficit. Read the bullet pointed provisions. That's over a half trillion dollars in savings, I believe. That was considered real money once.

It's now been six months since President Obama moved into the White House and in that short time, all his economic policies have fallen flat on their face. The unemployment rate has skyrocketed to 9.5%, and the stimulus package has been defined by delays, fraud, and poor management. Americans are becoming increasingly fearful about the path the country is going - the spending, the borrowing, the government intervention.

In an effort to save the country from economic and fiscal disaster, Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-GA), along with RSC Budget and Spending Taskforce Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and RSC Financial Services Working Group Chairman Scott Garrett (R-NJ), have introduced H.R. 3140, Reducing Barack Obama's Unsustainable Deficit Act (REBOUND).  This RSC legislation makes a much needed turn in the direction of fiscal responsibility, including:

Repeals the spending portion of the President’s “stimulus” package - saving taxpayers $460 billion;

Leaves intact the package’s tax relief and unemployment benefits;

Prohibits the Treasury Secretary from obligating any further TARP funds - saving taxpayers $150 billion; and

Requires all repayments of TARP money to go exclusively to debt reduction - no open-ended slush fund.

Here Comes Health Care Rationing

Sure, they try to spin it, but health care reform will be all about rationing care in the end. It's the only way they will be able to afford to take it over as they plan. We're losing the auto industry and health care under this guy Obama. Stop trying to tell me there's anything traditionally "American" about him. That's bs. He's a freaking socialist through and through.

Obama Will Ration Health Care

Congress Reverses Obama On GM Management Decision

Good Lord. If you think there's any chance of business people running General Motors, take a look at this via a brief John Stossel item. This also may help explain while Obama's auto czar Steve Rattner stepped down. Eventually, there won't be any business people running any piece of the American auto industry.

General Motors is now caught in a political tug of war that has nothing to do with sound business judgment. It's all about politics in the end. And who do you think will get the bill when this ends up in a financial fiasco as none of these people know a thing about the industry as insiders?

Now that the Obama administration has spent billions of dollars on the bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler, Congress is considering making its first major management decision at the automakers.

Under legislation that has rapidly gained support, GM and Chrysler would have to reinstate more than 2,000 dealerships that the companies had slated for closure...

Since federal money has been used to sustain the automakers, they say Congress has an obligation to intervene.

Under The Bus: The Sotomayor Edition

It's pretty sad that Sotomayor is going to advance to the Court, even though reviews from those usually friendly haven't been very good. Consistency and high standards don't mean anything in the liberal's worldview. It's all about a misguided notion of alleged fairness based upon identity politics for them. It's a shame they have so much power right now and intend to use every bit of it they can, while happily misleading the public with purposely misleading quotes and such. Even big media hasn't been able to ignore it.

As pointed out by John Hinderaker and others, Sotomayor disingenuously contended that she merely was agreeing with a statement by former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor about "wise men" and "wise women" reaching the same conclusion in a case. In fact, as I posted prior to the hearings, in her "wise Latina" comment Sotomayor actually expressed disagreement with O'Connor, and used the "wise Latina" construct to set herself apart from O'Connor. Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post reached this same conclusion at the time:

Oba-Duh!

Geez. The guy is from freaking Chicago?? h/t Instapundit

Cominskey Field’? President Obama Botches Name of Home of His Beloved White Sox

 

Obama Botches Commiskey Field Name
by krs601

Will Obama Fire Attorney To Protect Edwards And Easley?

I thought firing a US Attorney for political reasons was a no no Obama was going to change?? This is far from resolved, but clearly powerful Democrats are interested in meddling with a US Attorney currently investigating the John Edward's campaign and former Democrat Governor, Mike Easley, known for controversies, like spending tax payer dollars to send his wife abroad. And they're looking to Obama for some help.

Can you really have two people in one spot? Wouldn't Holding end up reporting to a new Democrat Attorney, at least until they find a rationale to get rid of him completely? Inquiring minds might want to follow this and know, unless they happen to be Democrats, of course. Culture of Corruption, indeed.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan says that Republican U.S. Attorney George Holding should still be allowed to continue his investigations into two prominent Democrats -- former U.S. Sen. John Edwards and former Gov. Mike Easley.

But Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, said Friday that someone else should be appointed to oversee the rest of the office's work. She has given President Barack Obama the names of three individuals, including Easley's former legal counsel, to consider for that role.

"You can only have one U.S. attorney," Fetzer said.

"It would have the perception of the Democrats trying to protect some of their own. She has already correctly perceived that unique problem. ... And now she sounds like she's backing away from that."

Among Hagan's three choices for U.S. attorney for the Eastern District is Hampton Dellinger, who worked as legal counsel for Easley when he was governor. Dellinger unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor last year.

Dellinger gave $1,000 to Obama's presidential campaign last year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The others Hagan recommended for the same position are criminal defense attorney Thomas G. Walker and Benjamin David, the district attorney for New Hanover and Pender counties.

Walker is a partner with Alston & Bird LLP in Charlotte and has focused on defending white-collar suspects and on federal and state investigations, according to Hagan's office. Walker gave $1,250 last year to Obama's presidential campaign and $500 to Hagan's Senate campaign, according to records.

MFU: Let My People Smoke

This in email from Military Families United. What really grates is the liberals incessant need to use the military for social engineering experiments in every way they can. Talk about dictatorial.

But I suppose they have to do something with it, after all. Lord knows, it would take something more than a Pearl Harbor II to ever get them to use it effectively, aside from a peace keeping force. This is particularly pathetic and un-American.

Washington, DC  - Brian Wise, Executive Director of Military Families United, a national military family and national security advocacy organization, released the following statement concerning the proposed ban of smoking in the military, even by combat troops in war zones.

“With all the issues facing our military today and the risks our troops take to protect our freedom, banning smoking should not even be on the radar screen.

The Left's Misogyny Spins Out Of Control

Aside from now being so overtly partisan, it's a shame to see Nate Silver at fivethirtyeight squander his credibility so hugely in displaying the Left's hate for Sarah Palin. Forget that he foolishly tries to marginalize her terrific fund raising display for an embattled Republican, the misogyny here is really over the top. One of the things I especially like about Palin is the way she causes the Left to lose their grip. You really should be better than this Nate. Leave the misogyny to Tbogg, or SadlyNo, if you want to be taken seriously as a numbers crunching site. Or, perhaps he was trolling for an Andrew Sullivan link?

Palin: All Tail, No Head

That is a very high percentage -- higher than for any of the '08 presidential candidates but for Ron Paul -- as you can see from this chart where I've colored Palin's total in Misogynist Pink.

If Palin weren't doing exceptionally well in this regard, MoveOn wouldn't be targeting her, as Susan Ducclose blogs:

Anyone that has been following the Sarah Palin show can tell you that the more liberals jump on the Palin Bashing Bandwagon, the more popular she seems to become with her base and it grows.

So, being blinded by this support she is receiving, much to do with the liberals constant harassment of her, what do liberals do?

They up the ante and decide to bash some more, therefore making her even more popular.

Holdren: Science Fiction Czar?

While perhaps more science fiction, than science fact, if you look at some broad themes in the thinking of Obama's science czar, Dr. John Holdren, they do fit nicely into the Obama administration. Abortion and eugenics combined with national health care? Well, all you need is euthanasia to really drive down costs. And undermine the family because the government is going to provide for everyone cradle to grave. What lovely thoughts. But then, people did vote for change!

From David Harsayi's column today:

Dr. John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy — better known as the "science czar" — has been a longtime prophet of environmental catastrophes. Never discouraged, but never right.

Thanks to resourceful bloggers, you can read excerpts online from a hard-to-find book co-authored by Holdren in the late 1970s called "Ecoscience: Population, Resources, and Environment."

Freddoso and Hemingway have more in The Examiner today, as well. See links below.

Obama's science czar suggested compulsory abortion, sterilization

Mark Hemingway on why eyebrows should be raised by Obama science czar's support for eugenics

Obama's Science Czar: Traditional family is obsolete, punish large families

Use It, Or Lose It?

Well, I have experienced that feeling in other ways over the years!

How could these two headlines be connected: "Obama Open to Partisan Vote on Health-Care Overhaul" and "Obama: Unemployment Likely to Keep Ticking Up"?

Road To The Olympics Runs Through A Brothel

The New Zealand lad intends to fund his Olympic bid by opening a brothel. That's capitalism in action!

Is Ahnold Changing His Script?

It might be nice if the CA governor hadn't gone along with so may bad policy decisions so as to make this look like mostly a political ploy in his battle with the CA legislature. But better late, than never, I suppose. We'll see how it plays out.

Listen to that message: Balance the budget; no tax hikes; rationalize government by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse. This line, in pure form, has been completely alien to the Schwarzenegger administration since the recall of 2003. Yet it's the standard program among tea party patriots across the country today. We're "Taxed Enough Already," remember?

How Bad Is Education Funding?

There are different types of college entitlements. Certainly expanding the Pell Grant program so significantly, see video, given the data, may not be a good idea.

If you asked Obama, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that we just don't spend enough on education in America.

But take a look at these announcements from conservative Senator Chuck Grassley's news feed compiled over one week. Over four million dollars for one Senator in one state. I can only imagine what some other politician's announcements look like. I bet it all almost adds up to what some might call real money.

July 13 - $130,656 to University of Iowa from U.S. Department of Education

July 13 - $256,356 to the University of Iowa

July 10 - $935,500 to University of Iowa

July 9 - $599,954 to the University of Iowa

July 8 - $183,071 to Ankeny Community Schools

July 7 - $380,034 to the University of Iowa

July 7 - $455,288 to Cedar Falls Community School District

July 7 - $883,578 to Des Moines Public Schools

July 7 - $799,421 to Clarke College and Indian Hills Community College

Oh, Boo-ma At All Star Game

I'd say the reviews were mixed. Certainly, there was cheering, too. Still, the fact remains - yes, Obama throws like a girl.

Levin and MLF Respond To Frank Rich

With text and audio. It was a particularly pathetic piece by Rich on Palin and also Levin. I believe I mentioned it at the time.

Meet Political Pundit, Mr. Ricky Hollywood

A reliable source confirms that when you call Levi Johnston's phone number, you're now officially greeted by his new marketing identity in long, loud, boldly-exaggerated phrasing, YOU'VE REACHED R-I-C-K-Y ... H-O-L-L-Y-W-O-O-D!!! As Gawker pointed out with image, he even has the tee-shirt to prove it.

The image was created in consultation with Tank Jones and presumably anti-Palin lawyer Rex Butler.

Levi Johnston, ... has hired Tank Jones, "a size-58 suit-wearing black man," to manage his career and be his bodyguard. He's also developed an alter ego to help him destroy his Wasilla-ness and fully embrace douchedom—"Ricky Hollywood."

But while NBC New York noted that the infamous "baby-daddy" has gone Hollywood, that didn't stop the NBC network from believing he's somehow important and sharp enough to national political developments to weigh in with his opinions. Why, he's just the guy to pass along genuine and heart felt insights into Sarah Palin and her family in an NBC exclusive! Give me a break!

The rather sad interview with NBC's Ann Curry is here- also below. Word is, there's a movie role, a television docudrama and book deal in the works. And, yes, even the AP shows up with the networks when Ricky Hollywood of Wasilla calls a news conference, now. How precious is that? Woo Hoo. Curry assures us this interview is an important Exclusive!!

Funny how the media and the Left couldn't wait to trash Ricky Hollywood when he was at the GOP convention. But now he's one of the few key people able to provide insight into Sarah Palin?? What a joke. Hollywood obviously tries to walk some alleged middle-ground on Palin with his self-promotion. But leave it to NBC to dig out potential issues and Ricky Hollywood can't resist the bait. Like a fish, he's being played and doesn't even know it. Unfortunately, they just can't quite get around to asking Ricky Hollywood how many diapers he's bought, let alone changed. Or, in what other ways he's contributing to his child's support. A classy performance all around. Curry is sooo heart felt at the end. Doesn't it show?

Maybe he should marry Meghan McCain and settle down, after all. The two look more and more like the perfect couple everyday!

Update: Say Anything reports HuffPo has determined Palin doesn't have the authority to pen an op-ed. I don't know. Did they run that by Ricky Hollywood first??

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Cat-tastic?

Well, I'm a dog man, myself. View it in full screen - The ScratchingPost Gazette.

Democrats: Gag!

Why do we call them the Democrat Party? Well, along with getting under their skin, because they are the most un-democratic bunch in town.

Democrats Gag Debate on Failure to Follow House Rules

(WASHINGTON, DC) – In an astonishing acceleration of the stifling of debate and transparency in the House, Democrats tonight voted to adjourn and gag the planned special orders speeches of U.S. Representatives John Carter (R-TX) and Steve King (R-IA).

Business Meets Blogging

There are a growing number of relationships between businesses and bloggers highlighted in this New York Times item: Approval by a Blogger May Please a Sponsor. The FCC is looking at regulating them. Given some of the relationships, that would seem unavoidable, if not necessary. I was actually surprised at the level of involvement. But then, that approach has never been my interest.

I won't say it's all bad, by any means. But it is possible to see the opportunities for exploitation, too. Take a look. See what you think.

TNT, for instance, is experimenting with a paid relationship with a popular blogger, Melanie Notkin, founder and chief executive of SavvyAuntie.com, a site that has carved out a demographic niche of professional aunts without children.

Ms. Notkin is sending out several messages to her more than 10,000 Twitter followers on Tuesday nights, when a new episode of “Saving Grace” is shown.

Ms. Notkin declined to disclose how much she is paid by TNT, only saying that she is “well compensated.” But she says she is upfront with her readers about the relationship with the network by labeling every commercial tweet with “[sp],” which stands for sponsored post.

“TNT never told me and will never tell me what to say,” Ms. Notkin stressed. “They want to associate with brands that people trust.”

A Match Made In ...?

Is it heaven, or is it the alternative? Meghan McCain and Levi Johnston!! heh!

By the way, thought I'd only be off line this AM, but it ran all day. Sorry.

NY Times Palin Journalists

What a crew, or is that, a motley bunch?

Godspeed TOTUS: The Glow Is Off The Teleprompter

It's always sad to watch a prolific statesmen fall from grace. Today, WH journalists witnessed just such a tragedy as TOTUS 1 plummeted to the ground from above, crashing rather un-statesmen-like at Obama's feet. Now all that's left are some shards of glass and a mix of wire and metal destined to be sold off in the first official State Ebay auction. The remnants briefly lied in state in the WH until the janitor arrived. A moment of silence was observed until Obama realized he still had one teleprompter with which to work.

Godspeed TOTUS, we'll all miss you until you are replaced.

ABC News' Sunlen Miller and Jake Tapper report: If a teleprompter falls in the White House, does it make a sound?

Yes, especially when it’s the President’s teleprompter – or TOTUS as it is often referred to.

Midway through his speech on urban and metropolitan policy in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building this afternoon, one of his two small glass prompters came crashing down, hitting the wood floor and crashing in many pieces. It made quite a ruckus.

“Oh, goodness,” a startled President Obama said. “Sorry about that, guys.”

He then proceeded on with his remarks, “To pull our economy back from the brink, including the largest and most sweeping economic recovery plan in our nation's history…”

For the rest of the speech the president relied on the one remaining teleprompter, to his right, and notes on his podium to finish his speech.

Shards of glass remained near the president’s feet for the duration of his speech.

Obama: The First Anti-American President

The need to continue to dance around it is growing silly. Obama is Jimmy Carter on steroids, without the homespun Southern meme. From traditional American economics, to our traditional role in world affairs, Obama is not a fan of a traditionally American worldview. He's the anti-Reagan, in that sense. And only fear of being politically incorrect prevents more people from saying it.

Liz Cheney calls him out on his latest episode of undermining America in the world's eyes, because Obama sees America as just another country, with no special place in world history. He is a revisionist in the broadest sense. Don't look for it to stop anytime soon. From undermining the nation economically - to militarily and morally, his new vision for America is increasingly clear with each passing day. He seeks to re-invent us as less than what we are because, to his Leftist mind, it's somehow more.

It is irresponsible for an American president to go to Moscow and tell a room full of young Russians less than the truth about how the Cold War ended. One wonders whether this was just an attempt to push "reset" -- or maybe to curry favor. Perhaps, most concerning of all, Mr. Obama believes what he said.

Mr. Obama's method for pushing reset around the world is becoming clearer with each foreign trip. He proclaims moral equivalence between the U.S. and our adversaries, he readily accepts a false historical narrative, and he refuses to stand up against anti-American lies.

The approach was evident in his speech in Moscow and in his speech in Cairo last month. In Cairo, he asserted there was some sort of equivalence between American support for the 1953 coup in Iran and the evil that the Iranian mullahs have done in the world since 1979. On an earlier trip to Mexico City, the president listened to an extended anti-American screed by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and then let the lies stand by responding only with, "I'm grateful that President Ortega did not blame me for the things that occurred when I was 3 months old."

Stimulus Fail

Thank God Joe Biden was policing all of this, or it might have been worse. That is the administrations usual claim when met with bad press.

If you were going to start a business and had an $8.32 million budget with which to begin, how many jobs do you suppose you could create? You could just employ yourself to play golf, or fish everyday, living off the interest, and do about as well as New Hampshire did.

It's nice work if you can get it. But you'd have to be in New Hampshire government to qualify.

You read that right.  The stimulus package in New Hampshire has created 50 temp jobs, apparently all of them bureaucrat positions, and none of them permanent.  The Office of Economic Stimulus (OES) employs five of those people, and when the governor appoints the director, that position will pay a $110,000 salary, plus benefits.

Roughly speaking, those 50 jobs cost the American taxpayer $8.32 million per position.  If we calculate part-time positions as one-half of a full-time job, the cost per full-time job would be $9.9 million.  At that rate, the $787 billion Porkulus package should generate about 79,495 jobs across America — or about what we lose today by 1:37 pm in new unemployment claims. And of course, all of those would last only as long as the stimulus money kept coming to fund them.

In Politics, $700,000 Can't Be Wrong

For better or worse, if many politicians care about anything, it's the bottom-line. Given that Romney is known for raising money and likely drew a lot of larger corporate donations - at the same time Palin was enduring attack after attack from the Democrats and the media, these numbers are not bad at all. They will force other Republicans to pay attention, especially as they move into 2010 and need any dollars they can get to campaign. It'll be interesting to watch the trend going forward, particularly if Palin starts spending more time in the lower forty-eight.

Sarah PAC, the political action committee formed by Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin earlier this year to maintain her national profile, raised $733,000 in the first six months of the year, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission today.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads the way in terms of fundraising by potential 2012 Republican candidates. Romney showed nearly $1.4 million raised through his Free and Strong America PAC at the end of May.

Palin's showing is, however, a sign that she can raise cash at the national level and that she will be a player in the 2010 midterm elections if she, as expected, chooses to involve herself in downballot races.

It is all the more impressive given the chaos that surrounded her operation -- and herself -- over the first half of 2009. If Palin can spend her time out of office organizing a serious national effort, these numbers suggest the financial support is out there to help her.

Because The GOP Knows Better Than You

I've been as objective as possible on Palin, insisting the jury that matters is a long way out. Because it is. But these comments from a professional Republican to the LA Times highlight the real problem for the GOP. They honestly think they know better, but the base is completely unimpressed by what we've been seeing. They can forget any broad coalition if the base doesn't show up. And the GOP establishment is incapable of turning it out due to attitudes precisely like this.

"People at the grass roots see a charismatic personality who is popular with other people at the grass roots. But their horizon only goes so far as people who think like them," said Mike Murphy. The veteran GOP ad man eviscerated Palin -- a "political train wreck," "an awful choice" for vice president, her resignation an "astonishing self-immolation" -- in a column published Thursday in the New York Daily News.

"Professional operatives keep their eye on a broader horizon and understand, without independents and swing voters, she can't win," Murphy said. "She's a stone-cold loser in a general election."

There's good news and bad news in the wisdom above. The bad news is the GOP will be out of power for years. The good news is, when it comes back, the ass quoted above will be out of a job.

Obama Considers Making Things Worse

His own numbers beginning to tank, Obama is considering pulling out the Bush investigations card as a distraction. It's a bad move. His popularity will just go down that much further and faster if he considers buying into this stunt. His whole deal was supposed to be looking forward. Now that the electorate isn't liking the new vision, he may consider going backwards. That's not very bright.

Leading Democrats on Sunday demanded investigations of how a highly classified counterterrorism program was kept secret from the Congressional leadership on the orders of Vice President Dick Cheney.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, who is the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Fox News Sunday called it a “big problem.” Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, on “This Week” on ABC, agreed that the secrecy “could be illegal” and demanded an inquiry.

NY Times: They Pay For This?

Well, now we know at least one reason why the New York Times is going broke. Five reporters had a hand in a weak attempt to pile on the Palin bad press bandwagon. Save for a few minor details, a twenty-year-old could have written it by reading a few blogs. If this re-hash is the best the Times can do, I guess she does have a future, after all.

This article was reported by Jim Rutenberg from New York and Serge F. Kovaleski from Wasilla and Anchorage, Alaska. Jo Becker reported from New York and Kim Severson and William Yardley from Wasilla and Anchorage.

A Business Report

Business would do well to forget about any real help from the Obama administration. Post-Bush, the Left seems to think it's entitled to go forward with their business-killing agenda, no matter how the economy suffers. It gives them what they want, but only means a worse economic downturn that will last longer than it needs to. Doug Ross offers this report from one businessman.

My clients are all entrepreneurs having built successful businesses with sales of $5 million to $50 million. My prospective buyers are typically companies with sales of $50 million to $200 million. Every one of these companies (buyers and sellers) today shares these common denominators: