Evil Clown Wants to Stay in Office Until 2021

Or maybe until he's dead. Which hopefully is sooner than 2021.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday urged supporters to work on a constitutional reform that would let him stay in office as long he keeps winning elections, a year after voters narrowly rejected this same proposal in a referendum.

The anti-U.S. leader is pushing forward the controversial proposal to eliminate a two-term limit for the president just a week after regional elections in which the OPEC nation's fractured opposition gained ground by beating Chavez allies in key states and the capital of Caracas.

"I'm ready to be with you until 2021," Chavez told a crowd of red-clad supporters in a televised address.

Chavez said reports of opposition governors and mayors sabotaging social programs and attacking government supporters convinced him he needed more time in office.

"Last year, when we lost the referendum, I said I should accept the decision of the majority," he said. "But now seeing what's happening, seeing more clearly the great threat of these fascists ... I say you were right, Chavez will not go."

Typical leftist, ignoring the will of the people.

I suspect his carcass will have to be dragged from office.

Giants Roll, Idiot Burress Facing Arraignment

The New York Giants rolled to another victory Sunday despite the absence of wideout Plaxico Burress.

The Giants spent most of a week cheerfully preparing to play the Redskins at FedEx Field on Sunday, carrying a six-game winning streak and a swelling sense of invincibility. But their smooth glide to a 10-1 record was gone in a painful flash on Friday night, when receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub.

Suddenly, Sunday’s result against the Redskins, win or lose, would be a proxy on the Giants’ resilience and focus. Win, and the Giants further prove themselves a single-minded bunch, able to steer clear of even the most unseemly of distractions. Lose for the first time since Oct. 13, and frenzied debate would ensue over whether one bullet could cripple their equilibrium.

On a drizzly and dreary afternoon at FedEx Field, the Giants powered past the rival Redskins, 23-7, their latest show of defiance against a difficult schedule and the occasional off-field controversy.

Well, it appears nothing may stop them now. Eli Manning sent a not-so-subtle message to Burress and the rest of the league by throwing for 305 yards on a rainy day, spreading the ball around and utilizing Domenik Hixon, the (permanent?) replacement for Burress. The Giants are now the only team since the 1970 Vikings to defeat winning teams six straight weeks. They still face four teams with winning records, starting with Philadelphia at home next Sunday, when they could possibly clinch the NFC East.

Meanwhile, Quickdraw is scheduled to be arraigned on weapons charges Monday.

Giants receiver Plaxico Burress, who accidentally shot himself in the thigh Friday night at a Manhattan nightclub, will surrender to the New York City police on Monday morning and will be charged with criminal possession of a handgun, according to his lawyer, Benjamin Brafman.

Burress will plead not guilty, said Brafman, whom Burress hired Sunday and who has represented high-profile defendants like the rapper Sean Combs.

“I ask his fans and the New York Giants to withhold judgment in this case until the facts come out,” Brafman said in a telephone interview, adding that he did not yet know what the possible punishment for Burress could be.

Once can hope he's made an example of. Maybe some jailtime and a lengthy suspension will finally wake this moron up. He also could face charges in New Jersey since his has no concealed carry permit there, either.

LA Times Pinhead: Joe McCarthy Is the Father of Conservatism

Breathtakingly moronic analysis here, so naturally, it's Neal Gabler examining the problems facing the GOP. I'm so happy to know these liberals are so concerned with the fate of the Republicans that they're all lining up to offer advice as to how to right the ship. Where would be be without them? Coming from a guy who's so smitten with Obama, maybe this should be considered an outreach effort.

McCarthy, Wisconsin's junior senator, was the man who first energized conservatism and made it a force to reckon with. When he burst on the national scene in 1950 waving his list of alleged communists who had supposedly infiltrated Harry Truman's State Department, conservatism was as bland, temperate and feckless as its primary congressional proponent, Ohio Sen. Robert Taft, known fondly as "Mister Conservative." Taft was no flamethrower. Though he was an isolationist and a vehement opponent of FDR, he supported America's involvement in the war after Pearl Harbor and had even grudgingly come to accept the basic institutions of the New Deal. He was also no winner. He had contested and lost the Republican presidential nomination to Wendell Willkie in 1940, Thomas Dewey in 1948 and Dwight Eisenhower in 1952, three men who were regarded as much more moderate than he.

McCarthy was another thing entirely. What he lacked in ideology -- and he was no ideologue at all -- he made up for in aggression. Establishment Republicans, even conservatives, were disdainful of his tactics, but when those same conservatives saw the support he elicited from the grass-roots and the press attention he got, many of them were impressed. Taft, no slouch himself when it came to Red-baiting, decided to encourage McCarthy, secretly, sealing a Faustian bargain that would change conservatism and the Republican Party. Henceforth, conservatism would be as much about electoral slash-and-burn as it would be about a policy agenda.

Gabler must be using some particularly hardcore hallucinogens, as he quickly makes the leap of tying McCarthy to his modern-day incarnation: Sarah Palin, of course.

Republicans continue to push the idea that this is a center-right country and that Americans have swooned for GOP anti-government posturing all these years, but the real electoral bait has been anger, recrimination and scapegoating. That's why John McCain kept describing Barack Obama as some sort of alien and why Palin, taking a page right out of the McCarthy playbook, kept pushing Obama's relationship with onetime radical William Ayers.

And that is also why the Republican Party, despite the recent failure of McCarthyism, is likely to keep moving rightward, appeasing its more extreme elements and stoking their grievances for some time to come. There may be assorted intellectuals and ideologues in the party, maybe even a few centrists, but there is no longer an intellectual or even ideological wing. The party belongs to McCarthy and his heirs -- Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Palin. It's in the genes.

Stoking grievances? Excuse me, the the GOP is hardly the party of grievance. Pot, meet kettle. If there's anyone walking about perpetually aggrieved it's the left.

Maybe if Gabler wants to see some real anger, recrimination and scapegoating, he should take a look at liberals and a guy who once worked for Joe McCarthy: Robert F. Kennedy.

McCarthy established a bond with the powerful Kennedy family, which had high visibility among Catholics. McCarthy became a close friend of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., himself a fervent anti-Communist, and was a frequent guest at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port. He dated two of Kennedy's daughters, Patricia and Eunice, and was godfather to Robert F. Kennedy's first child, Kathleen Kennedy -- Robert was chosen by McCarthy as a counsel for his investigatory committee. Joseph Kennedy had a national network of contacts and became a vocal supporter, building McCarthy's popularity among Catholics and making sizable contributions to McCarthy's campaigns. The Kennedy patriarch had high hopes that one of his sons would be president, and with the memory of fellow Catholic Al Smith's defeat for that office in 1928 largely because of anti-Catholic prejudice, Joseph Kennedy supported McCarthy as a national Catholic politician who might pave the way for a younger Kennedy's national candidacy.

So to use Gabler's logic, since McCarthy was practically an honorary Kennedy and the Kennedys are Democratic icons, then Democrats are the party of McCarthy!

See how easy this is? And I didn't even need hallucinogens to figure it all out.

Miss England Told She's Too Fat

Who knows, maybe she put on a couple pounds since this photo was taken. But she sure looks fine to me.

MODEL agencies are turning down sexy Miss England Laura Coleman because she is too fat.

The blonde has gone up a dress size to a perfect 10.

But Laura, who will take part in Miss World in South Africa next month, has found most agencies have a problem with her new curves.

Laura, 22, said: “I really think the curvy girl should be promoted more as a positive image in the media. But the agencies seemed to have a problem with me when I wasn’t skinny any more.”

H/T Tim Blair.

OK, one more look.

Still looks fine to me. Beats looking like some stick figure.

Ace links. Thanks!

Perfect For Your Little Moonbat: The Obama Coloring Book

Getting them indoctrinated at a very young age.

An inspirational and educational, twenty-four (24) page, 8.5" x 11" book that highlights President Elect Barack Obama and his historic campaign leading to the White House. This coloring book is designed for children and parents alike. It can be used as a childs school or small text book with the amount of information inside.

This commemorative coloring and activity book reflects and celebrates change in America! Features include patriotic songs, historical locations & facts, pages describing how children may be involved in their local community, along with fun games, mazes and puzzles.

Patriotic songs? What, like this?

Kos Kidz Still Sniffing Glue

How else can you explain this?

It is, perhaps, the most exciting part of the Legacy Content being created by our new President-Elect. Love returns to the highest office in the world, and its healing power washes over every human being. If the aliens are watching, they will surely see a change in the energy field. Which leads me to a question.

Which comic book characters have the healthiest relationships, and what superheroes do Barack and Michelle Obama most closely embody with their love?

Apparently not all the Kos Kidz are feeling the love.

Been feeling angry, fearful, sad, or depressed, lately? I have. I remember the joy I felt on election night, and how that joy came crashing down when I woke up the next morning to the reality of California's Prop 8 having passed. It blew me away. I had been talking to my sister in the weeks leading up to the vote of possibly moving out there with her so that me and my boyfriend of nearly nineteen years could get married. To straight people out there, imagine being with your boyfriend or girlfriend for nineteen years. Who has a boyfriend that long? Imagine never being able to call, by law, your boyfriend or girlfriend your spouse, and imagine that was the case because people who hated you spend millions to tell your neighbors every lie in the book about you.

I guess handling defeat like an adult is out of the question.

You'd Be Depressed If You Also Looked Like This

This cranky old fart has declared we're now in a Depression.

Hey, she's quoting Paul Krugman, so it must be true.

Seems To Be a Lot of This Going On: Police Chief Shoots Self In Thigh

Turns out Plaxico Burress isn't the only one who needs to learn a little gun safety.

Middletown police Chief Greg Schwarber is recovering from a gunshot wound he suffered Friday, Nov. 28, at his residence on Todhunter Road.

Monroe police were called to the Schwarber residence at 1:25 p.m. on a report of an accidental discharge of a gun, said Sgt. Tom Cobaugh.

Schwarber, 54, was shot in the leg while cleaning a Glock .45-caliber pistol just minutes after giving his daughter a gun safety lesson, according to reports.

When officers arrived at the residence, they found Schwarber lying on the floor of his house with his leg covered by a towel. The pistol, which was behind Schwarber, was retrieved and secured.

According to the Monroe police report, "Mr. Schwarber stated that he was out teaching his daughter gun safety and shooting techniques. When they returned home, Mr. Schwarber was preparing to clean his weapons, when he failed to realize that his pistol was still loaded and accidentally shot himself in the leg."

Note to Self: Put Down the Wine Glass Before Unloading Bullets

Geez, Plaxico Burress looks dumber by the minute.

Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress caught a bullet in his leg while fumbling with a gun in the vestibule of a Manhattan nightclub early yesterday, sources said.

The trouble-plagued NFL star blasted himself through his right thigh just after midnight near the VIP entrance to the LQ nightclub on Lexington Avenue and East 48th Street and had to be hospitalized, sources said.

Burress, 31, was allegedly inside the hot spot with teammate Antonio Pierce when they were confronted by security guards looking for weapons.

The Super Bowl hero, who nabbed the game-winning catch in the Giants' monumental win over the Patriots in February, admitted to the guards that he was packing heat, sources said.

After moving to a secluded area with a guard, he allegedly took the gun out and started to unload the bullets while drinking a glass of wine. But the sure-handed wideout began to bobble the firearm, accidentally firing a shot that ripped through his leg but missed the bone.

A source said a guard came over in the aftermath, emptied the gun's chamber and then gave it back to Burress.

Security personnel tried to call an ambulance, but the grid great stopped them.

Sources said Pierce drove Burress to Cornell Medical Center at 2 a.m. and then left immediately. It's not clear where Burress was in the time between the shooting and his arrival at the hospital.

Such stupidity I've come to expect from Burress. But I'm disappointed to find out Antonio Pierce was with him. I thought he knew better. Now he faces legal issues, although word is he'll still be in the starting lineup in Washington today. The police would like to chat with him.

Plaxico Burress isn’t the only one in trouble after Friday night’s shooting. Antonio Pierce is in hot water, too.

Pierce was not only with Burress when the receiver shot himself in the right thigh at a Manhattan night club Friday night, he apparently tried to hide the gun after the incident, the Daily News has learned. In fact, Pierce’s attorney was frantically trying to save him from criminal charges late last night, the News is reporting.

Burress, meanwhile, is expected to be arrested on felony weapons charges sometime in the next few days, according to sources. He could face up to five years in prison if he’s eventually convicted. Carrying an illegal, concealed weapon in New York also carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 3 ½ years.
...
• Burress was drinking at the nightclub, and the gun apparently slipped down his pants leg and went off accidentally. He apparently does not have a permit to carry a concealed weapon in New York. He had a license in Florida, but that expired in May and wouldn’t have been recognized here anyway.

• Burress told Pierce (and others at the club) not to call 911 after he was shot, and he didn’t go to the hospital for two hours, until 2 a.m. when his wife, Tiffany, and a friend finally took him to New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

• Pierce agreed to cooperate with police if they agreed not to immediately charge him with a crime. Cops are still planning to get a warrant to search Pierce’s car.

I'll assume Burress doesn't have a license in New Jersey, either.

NFL Week 13

Updated and bumped. Since we posted this early Thursday, we need to make it visible for the Sunday games.

We enter Week 13 with the New York Giants clearly the top team in the league at 10-1. Sure, we won't forget the Titans, also at 10-1, but after they were dismembered by the Jets, all anyone is talking about is a Jet-Blue Super Bowl in Tampa.

Not so fast. In 1986, after 11 game the Jets were 10-1 and the Giants 9-2. The Jets crashed miserably and wound up 10-6. The Giants never lost again on the way to winning Super Bowl XXI. The Jets left their hearts in Cleveland. While the Giants are now consensus odds-on favorite to be the NFC representative in Super Bowl XLIII, the Jets face a far tougher road. They'll probably wind up with the No. 2 in the AFC and a bye week, but better be ready if it's the Colts or Patriots who show up for that first home game.

We went 11-5 in Week 12 and stand at 89-85-3 for 2008.

THURSDAY
Titans -11 LIONS: Eviscerated by Jets, Titans snack on Thanksgiving hosts. Winless Lions most gracious. Titans 38-13

COWBOYS -12.5 Seahawks: After slapping around the Seahags, the Cowboys visit Pittsburgh then host the NYG. Good luck. Cowboys 38-13

Cardinals +3 EAGLES: Good news: Donovan McNabb is starting. Better news: Reid-Mc-Nabb era to close shortly. With a win the Cardinals franchise assures a division title for the fist time since 1975. Cardinals 27-24

SUNDAY
Giants -3.5 REDSKINS: Betting against the Giants at this point is risky. In Vegas, 94% of the money on this game is with New York. Who am I to argue? Giants 33-20

BILLS -7 49ers: Last week I though the Bills were dead. Then they hung 54 on the Chiefs. West coast teams now 0-386 in the eastern time zone this season. Bills 44-14

Ravens -7 BENGALS: Baltimore can still win their division. Bengals playing out the string. Ravens 27-13

Colts -4.5 BROWNS: Indy will be a very dangerous wildcard team. Dysfunctional Brown have given up. Colts 30-10

PACKERS -3 Panthers: Carolina might be the weakest 8-3 team in history. After giving up 51 points in New Orleans, Packers must win here to keep pace in the dreadful NFC North. Packers 31-21

Dolphins -8 RAMS: Fish are beginning to sink, but me and 10 of my friends could hang 30 on the awful Rams. Dolphins 35-14

Saints +3.5 BUCCANEERS: No chance erratic Saints score 51 again. Bucs have a shot at the division and a No. 2. A slugfest. Bucs 19-17

BRONCOS +7.5 Jets: Jets on a major roll, while Broncos were trashed at home by lowly Raiders. I suspect a letdown is in order, but Jets scrape by. Jets 27-23

Falcons +5 CHARGERS: A bang-up job by Norvelous Norv Turner in San Diego. Bolts were 14-2 two years ago and have four wins at the end of November. Time to pack it in. Falcons 28-24

Steelers +1 PATRIOTS: Am I the only one not ready to anoint Matt Cassel as the next Tom Brady? Steelers 20-13

Chiefs +3 RAIDERS: The ultimate turkey to close out the weekend. Chiefs 30-13

SUNDAY NIGHT
VIKINGS -3 Bears: Can't trust the Bears on the road after 37-3 shellacking in Green Bay two weeks ago. Nine wins locks up this dreary division. As always, The Olbermann Rule is in effect. Vikings 31-17

MONDAY
TEXANS -3.5 Jaguars: Jags giving the Chargers a run for their money as most disappointing team this year. It will be amusing to see how ESPN spins this a a must-watch game. Texans 34-24

Ethics Schmethics: Rangel and Pals Hit the Caribbean on Corporate Dime

What, you expect rules and laws to apply to Charlie Rangel? Quite an illustrious lineup he brought along to the posh Caribbean resort. Must be great to be above the law.

High-ranking members of Congress were flown to a lush Caribbean resort this month for a three-day conference planned and paid for by several of the country's most powerful corporations - a violation of federal ethics rules, critics say.

Six members of the Congressional Black Caucus attended the 13th annual Caribbean Multi-National Business Conference in sun-drenched St. Maarten, including embattled Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel and New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne.

Three New York City officials attended, including Comptroller William Thompson and Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr., as well as Gov. Paterson, who was the keynote speaker at a luncheon on the second day of the gathering.

The politicians were seen by The Post during the Nov. 6-9 conference, walking among the palm trees on the breezy grounds of the sprawling, terra cotta Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino.

Paterson's office said he'd paid for his own travel and lodging during his visit. But other legislators enjoyed free airfare, meals and hotel rooms covered by the trip's organizer - and paid for by donations from corporations such as IBM, AT&T, Verizon, Citigroup, Pfizer, Macy's and American Airlines, a Post investigation discovered.

Officials with those companies were observed at the conference - sometimes acting as featured speakers at daily seminars and freely mingling among the pols at social events. Citigroup - which just last week received a massive bailout from the federal government - was one of the conference's biggest sponsors, ponying up $100,000 to help finance the event, according to one of the lobbyists at the gathering.

A spokesman for Citigroup told The Post the company has financially supported the conference for several years, but would not reveal an amount.

Of course, if anyone dares to criticize these freeloaders, you'll likely be called racist. Besides, these are all Democrats involved, so nothing will happen.

But according to House ethics rules, members of Congress and their staffs cannot accept multiday trips from a corporation that "employs or retains a registered lobbyist. Included in this limitation are companies, firms, non-profit organizations (including charities), and other private entities that retain or employ a lobbyist."

Though the conference's organizer is listed as New York City-based Carib News Foundation, that group pays for the event through donations from private, for-profit companies.

Furthermore, according to House rules, members of Congress must seek prior written permission from the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to take free multiday trips. They must also file reports with the Clerk of the House of Representatives listing all financial sponsors within two weeks of each trip.

The filings for the St. Maarten trip were due last Monday. But as of that date, only Rep. Payne's filings were available.

A spokesman for Rangel said his disclosure forms were submitted last Monday - but by the end of the week his filing hadn't turned up in the database of the Clerk of the House.

Must be a clerical error, of course.

MoveOn to Absurdity

Savor the insanity.

I've survived being around people like this.

Via Tim Blair and Ace.

Al Gore and Live Earth Bozos First to Surrender to Mumbai Terror Fear

A Tower of Jelly

Way to man up, Al. Send that decisive message that indeed you are a coward.

LIVE Earth India, a concert scheduled for December 7 in Mumbai to raise money for solar energy projects, has been cancelled due to the terrorist attacks in the city.

"Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are saddened to announce that Live Earth India has been called off,'' said a joint statement from the organisers, including former US vice-president Al Gore.

Of course, the weather is also out of our control, but for some reason this buffoon thinks we have an effect on it.

"Together, we will continue to work for solutions to the climate crisis for the good of the people of India and around the world,'' the organisers said.

"But for now, our thoughts and our prayers are with the victims of this terrible attack, with the bereaved, with the people of Mumbai and with everyone across India.''

Based on the record of the Clinton administration, he won't be working on any solutions to the terrorism crisis.

It's probably best, if only for the sanity of Mumbai residents. I'm sure they'd appreciate another stultifying lecture from this bloated boob about the alleged gravest crisis we've ever faced when these poor folks just lived through it. Maybe Gore should engage in a little less moral preening about the weather and devote some of his vast riches to fighting terrorism. How about it, big guy?

Plaxico Burress Shoots Himself in the Leg' Update: Shocker! Shooting Took Place at a Nightclub

Clueless

What more can go wrong with this idiot?

Plaxico Burress' controversial year has just taken a turn for the worse.

The New York Giants wide receiver accidentally shot himself in the leg on Friday night, FOXSports.com has learned, not long after being ruled out of Sunday's game against the Redskins with a hamstring injury.

He spent the night in the hospital and the injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The team is still trying to gather further information on the incident.

This has been a troubled year for Burress, who opened the season with a lengthy contract dispute. He was also suspended one game in October for violating team rules, benched during another game and hit with a series of fines.

The Giants are atop the NFC standings with a 10-1 record and are vying for their seventh straight win Sunday when they face Washington.

I suspect Burress may have played his last game in a Giants uniform. Knowing Burress and his dubious recent history, I suspect there's more to this story and the team may have hit the breaking point. The Giants may be headed for the Super Bowl again and don't need the endless soap opera with this guy.

Update: He was reportedly shot at a nightclub. There's a shocker.

New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was accidentally shot in the leg at a nightclub, it was reported Saturday.

ESPN.com and Fox Sports.com said the wound was not life threatening. It was not clear at what club the shooting took place. The Fox Web site said Burress spent the night in the hospital.

"I don't have anything for you at this stage," team spokesman Pat Hanlon told The Associated Press from Giants Stadium before the Super Bowl champions left for a flight to Washington for a Sunday game against the Redskins.

Yup, injured player with a really bad track record of late out at a nightclub with a gun. What could possibly go wrong?

Update: Giants react.

“Obviously, our primary concern is for Plaxico’s health,” the Giants said in a statement released by Pat Hanlon, the team’s vice president for communications. “We have been in touch with N.F.L. security on this matter. At this point, we are attempting to gather all the facts surrounding this incident. This incident could become a matter for law enforcement officials, and because of that, we have no comment on any of the details.”

'I Doubt It Was the Casual Holiday Shopper'

If the sagging economy isn't enough to keep you away from the stores this Christmas season it may be the fear of being trampled by a bunch of savages or getting shot at Toys 'R' Us.

Two men pulled guns and shot each other to death in a crowded toy store Friday after the women with them erupted into a bloody brawl, witnesses said. Scared shoppers fled but no one else was hurt.

The violence erupted on Black Friday, the traditional post-Thanksgiving start of the holiday shopping surge, but authorities indicated the shooting wasn't related to a shopping frenzy.

Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez said the fight was not over a toy. He said handguns were found by the men's bodies, but he released little other information. He would not answer a question about whether the shooting was gang-related.

Witnesses Scott and Joan Barrick said they were checking out of the store when the fight began between two women, each with a man. The women were near the checkout area, but the Barricks did not think the women had purchases.

One woman suddenly started punching the other woman, who fought back as blood flowed from her nose, Scott Barrick, 41, said.

The man who was with the woman being punched pulled a gun halfway out of his pocket, then shoved it back in, he said.

"He pulled his gun right next to me. I turned to look for my wife, and she was already hiding," Barrick said.

"I was scared," said Joan Barrick, 40. "I didn't want to die today. I really didn't want to die today, and I think that's what we were all thinking."

The other man pulled a gun and pointed it at the first man but forgot to cock it, Scott Barrick said. The first man tried to run but was blocked by the line of people, then ran back toward the store's electronics section as the other man fired his gun, he said.

The first man reached a dead-end in electronics, turned around and ran toward an exit, pulling his gun and firing back, he said.

"He went up to the cash register, he went to put his hand on the thing and he just went phoomp," he said, indicating the man fell.

He said he did not see what happened to the other man.

Palm Desert Councilman Jim Ferguson said police told him two men with handguns shot and killed each other.

"I think the obvious question everyone has is who takes loaded weapons into a Toys "R" Us?" he said. "I doubt it was the casual holiday shopper."

Stay safe. Shop online.

'Obama-Remorse'? Media Sycophant Pretends Slobbering Press Will Turn on The Messiah

It's quite amusing to see the media start covering their tracks and rewriting history before Barack Obama is even sworn in. After spending the better part of two years ignoring the skeletons in Obama's closet, now we have this guy advising him to enjoy the adulation while it lasts. I have some news for him. The adulation will never end.

I'm starting to feel a little guilty about the media's treatment of President-elect Barack Obama -- and I may not be the only one.

Chalk it up to a phenomenon I'd like to call "Obama-remorse." You know how you feel buyer's remorse after you've spent a lot of dough on some big-ticket item, only to realize that you might have made a mistake? Well, it's going to happen to the president-elect as well.

Perhaps this sort of recognition prompted Washington Post media writer Howard Kurtz to do an incisive piece called "A Giddy Sense of Boosterism" on Nov. 17. As Kurtz noted, the media have tripped over themselves to celebrate and cash in on Obama's victory.

NBC News is preparing a DVD called "Yes, We Can: The Barack Obama Story." ABC and USA Today are racing to publish a book on the election. HBO is readying a documentary on the campaign, too.

As I see it, the media are having second thoughts about their performance over the past year.

They sure have a funny way of showing it.

To the contrary, the bulk of the Obama worshipping media have invested what little credibility they have in propping Obama up no matter what happens during his term. Do you honestly believe they'll ever admit they sold the American public on an inexperienced neophyte? Never will happen. The media likes to rewrite history as much as possible. Just look back ten years to the days of the Clinton impeachment.

After spending six years fawning over the wonder-boy from Arkansas, we thought they'd shift gears when Clinton was caught with his pants down, literally. So, what did they do? They doubled down to protect Clinton. Instead of an honest look at the cover-up of the Lewinsky affair, they instead savaged Linda Tripp and Ken Starr, quickly turning them into modern-day caricatures of Tokyo Rose and Adolf Hitler. By the time the Clintons and their media spin-machine were done with them, Tripp was in hiding, Starr was reviled for his salacious report and horny Republicans everywhere were cowering in fear on Larry Flynt and his smut merchants.

Do we really expect anything different from the media this time around? No way. If Obama is criticized in the least it will be portrayed at attacks from the right-wing smear machine, talk radio spewing hate or simply racist, take your choice. But you can guarantee the liberal press will never admit they were hoodwinked.

Still, for sheer breathtaking dishonesty, get this part.

But I also feel guilty because I know that the media's Adulation Express -- never to be confused with McCain's old Straight Talk Express -- is going to hit a few speed bumps before it inexorably grinds to a halt.

It's inevitable. Look at what happened to Sarah Palin, McCain's running mate.

When McCain first nominated her, she could do no wrong in the media's eyes.

Say what? She could do no wrong?

If that was the case, how come less than 72 hours after Palin burst on the scene we had the following stories (courtesy of Memeorandum)?

Sarah Palin hit by internet rumours over fifth child

No Experience Necessary

Sadly Nuts

Biden: Palin's Good Looking

Agasin, this less than 72 hours after Palin was announced, and Jon Friedman wants us to believe she was treated fairly and could do no wrong? Within another 72 hours, it got far uglier: the endless tales of her giving birth to Trig, how she wasn't vetted, Troopergate, etc.

In other words, the media spent two years ignoring Obama's dubious associations and within three days were well on their way to mercilessly savaging Palin.

But we're to believe they'll turn on Obama.

It's inevitable, too, that Obama will eventually have his turn under the microscope. When the media start picking apart some of his Cabinet choices or his pronouncements on the state of the economy or his declarations about Iraq, he may be surprised to find that the afterglow of his stunning victory turns sour so fast.

He cannot be serious. Thus far, I've seen nothing but gooey praise for his deft selection of the Clinton administration to stock his cabinet, he's widely praised for his economic team (even Karl Rove is now starry-eyed) and you can be sure that any good news trickling out of Iraq will be credited to him.

But with all that, we can expect the media to soon turn on him.

Sure, and I've got a good line on some Bear Stearns stock for you.

Bollywood Stars: Strike Terrorists With Iron Hand

Could you ever imagine seeing a reaction such as this from Hollywood? Sure, after 9/11 we had a brief period rallying around the flag and President Bush, but that didn't last very long.

Wake up and strike terrorism with an iron hand, say Bollywood's stars shocked by the brazen terror attack that targeted Mumbai's poshest areas. From Hema Malini, who worries about her daughters, to Bipasha Basu, who narrowly missed the Vile Parle blast, this terror strike has shaken them all.

Shveta Salve: Please send me Raj Thackeray's number, if you can find it. I don't know where he is when we need him. We want him to go and save 'Amchi Mumbai' along with his MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) men. After all they are the 'sons of the soil', aren't they? The army, the commandos who are right now battling to save Mumbai are not all 'Marathi Manoos', are they? I wonder why they should risk their lives for us!

Hema Malini: I think the Mumbai police rose to the occasion. It is very sad that we lost some brave officers. Hats off to the army for rescuing people. It's really sad that Mumbai has become so unsafe. I wait with my heart in my mouth until Esha and Ahana are home. We desperately need more security.

Raveena Tandon: We were in a restaurant in south Mumbai having dinner with friends when we started getting calls to leave immediately. We still waited. But then a policeman called and advised us to go home. We headed home in groups and stayed on the phone till each of us reached safely. It's time for the corrupt politicians to wake up. Stop thinking of your vote banks and think of what's happening to the country.

Bipasha Basu: It's shocking and scary. We're going through a very disturbing and inhuman phase. On Wednesday night, I travelled on the highway two minutes after the Vile Parle blast. There was mayhem on the roads. John's (John Abraham) aunt, who works at the Taj (Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotels), reached home at 7 a.m. Thursday. I wonder where and when it will end.

Stange seeing such reaction and noboody is asking what they did to bring it upon themselves. No hand-wringing over how the world views them and if only they wre nicer to people, none of this would have occurred.

Of course, if it escalates into a wider conflict, maybe we'll see Bollywood churn out an endless stream of money-losing antiwar bilge.

Although now, however, if we happen to be struck by terrorists and a President Obama reacts with an iron hand (we can hope, can't we?), I suspect Hollywood will be very gung-ho with the effort.

Meanwhile, it appears the siege at the Taj hotel is finally over.

Indian commandos killed the last remaining gunmen holed up at a luxury Mumbai hotel Saturday, ending a 60-hour rampage through India's financial capital by suspected Islamic militants that left more than 150 people dead and rocked the nation.

Orange flames and black smoke engulfed the landmark 400-room Taj Mahal hotel after dawn Saturday as Indian forces ended the siege in a hail of gunfire, just hours after elite commandos stormed a Jewish center and found six hostages dead.

More than 150 people were killed and several hundred wounded in the violence that started when more than a dozen assailants attacked 10 sites across Mumbai Wednesday night. Fifteen foreigners were among the dead.

"The Taj operation is over. The last two terrorists holed up there have been killed," Mumbai Police Chief Hasan Ghafoor told The Associated Press. J.K. Dutt, director general of India's elite National Security Guard commando unit, told reporters outside the hotel that his forces would continue to search and clear the hotel.

With the end of one of the most brazen terror attacks in India's history, attention turned from the military operation to questions of who was behind the attack and the heavy toll on human life.

I'm glad these terror scum are dead. One can envision the reaction here. The ACLU would be caterwauling about harsh police tactics and fretting over the rights of the dead terrorists.

Thanks to Hot Air for the link.

'If I Have a Bite of This Cookie It's Going to Make Me Feel Good'

Introducing the Obama cookie. One bite and the world is once again a shiny, happy place.

No, it's not a black and white. That would probably be a bit overt. It's chocolate chunk.

Want an example of the change Barack Obama is bringing to the country?

Check out cookie sales at Baby Boomers Cafe in Des Moines.

Ever since word spread about the president-elect and his family's fondness for Baby Boomers' chocolate chunk cookies, the small downtown restaurant can't bake them fast enough.

"Two months ago I was giving these cookies away," said co-owner Rodney Maxfield. "Now, it's like 'I need two dozen cookies. I need four-dozen cookies.'"

A regular one-man recession buster.

"I think everybody just ... thought, 'Oh, great cookie, great president—the world is a happy place. Barack's going to fix all the problems and if I have a bite of this cookie it's going to make me feel good,'" Maxfield said.

I think those cookies may contain hallucinogens. Probably washed down with a tall glass of Kool-Aid.

Sticking It To Sarkozy

Somehow I doubt we'll ever see such laws in this country, but who knows, before long it may be illegal to criticize The Messiah.

A French appeals court says Voodoo dolls of President Nicolas Sarkozy may remain on sale, but must carry a notice saying that pricking them harms the president's dignity.

Sarkozy's attorney had asked that the dolls be withdrawn from sale, saying the president like any French person — owns the right to his own image.

The appeals court backed an earlier ruling allowing the dolls to stay on the market in the name of freedom of expression.

But it ordered the doll's marketer, publishing house K&B Editions, to add a warning that using the needles which come with the kits "constitutes an attack on the personal dignity of Mr. Sarkozy."

'He Turned Into a Maniac'

Somehow I missed this amusing item earlier this week, being the perverse and weird usually catches my eye.

A HORRIFIED pet owner was stunned when she woke to find her lusty parrot having, erm, relations with her expensive feather hat - while she was wearing it.

Bird-brained Shrek flew into a randy frenzy after swallowing nine SlimNSexy diet pills, which also boost sex drive.

Mum-of-three Jackie Lucking, of Witham, Essex, UK, had fallen to sleep with the hat on after a christening.

"He turned into a maniac," she stormed. "All he wanted was to get his wing over, it’s disgusting."

She should have filmed it. Talk about YouTube gold.

'I'm Going To Let You Go Because You Have the Obama Name'

Just having the same last name as Barack Obama now means no speeding tickets, comped lunches and easy dinner reservations. Who cares if you're not even related? When that mortgage statement comes, just send it back and say "Don't you realize I'm an Obama?" Don't want to wait in line to pay for groceries? Just stroll out, it's all free, baby!

Nicanor Obama began to realize he might be on to a good thing when he didn't get a speeding ticket not long ago. After stopping the 28-year-old for a little lead-footing near the Verizon Center, a District police officer looked at his driver's license and put the citation book away.

"He said, 'Well, I'm going to let you go because you have the Obama name' " is how the Arlington County resident recalled the encounter.

Since Election Day, his moniker has sparked goodwill, from nightclub freebies to hearty handshakes from fellow students at the University of the District of Columbia, where he studies political science. "I'm not related to the president, but I think Obama is a good name to have right now."

Their lives might not have changed as dramatically as a certain Chicago-based Obama family, but the area's non-Barack Obamas have been basking in a little low-watt glory of their own. Suddenly, having the most famous last name in the world means cashing a check, flashing an ID or making a dinner reservation might never be the same.

Half brother George Hussein Obama was unavailable for comment on the joys of being an Obama.

Advice for the Stupid: Be Careful Shopping Online

We're seeing the usual litany of Black Friday stories today, most of them of the gloom and doom variety, but this helpful bit of advice caught our eye. In case anyone out there was dumb enough to fall prey to some online scams, the Associate Press is here to save you.

The New York state Consumer Protection Board warns consumers to be wary about providing personal information when shopping online this holiday season.

Nielson Online, a consumer research company, says online holiday shopping will spike this year because it allows consumers to comparison shop and save money on gas.

Is there a stature of limitations on these stories about gas prices? You would think a news organizations, above all, would happen to notice gas prices are now at their lowest in three years. Heck, I was over in New York Thursday and even there prices are approaching two bucks a gallon.

Judging by the relentlessly negative stories on the economy, you would think people are sitting home shivering while they burn their furniture to stay warm. It appears may are ignoring the dire warnings. In fact, they're coming out in waves earlier than ever.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there. Even you crazy liberals, to whom I offer this blast from the past. It's your final Thanksgiving enveloped in BDS, I hope.

Terror Monsters Came From Pakistan

The shi* is really going to fly now.

Militants who staged multiple attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai, killing at least 125 people and injuring hundreds more, came from Pakistan, a senior military official said on Thursday.

"They are from across the border and perhaps from Faridkot, Pakistan. They tried to pretend that they were from Hyderabad," Major General R.K. Hooda, leading the military operation to flush out the extremists, told reporters.

Roundup of links and reaction here.

Was this the al Qaeda spectacular expected?

Counter-terrorist experts last night said that India would have been selected for the latest spectacular “probably because that’s where al-Qaeda has sufficient resources to carry out an attack on this scale. They don’t choose for the sake of it, they look to see where they have the greatest capability and then order an attack,” a counter-terror expert told The Times.

The key to this latest attack was the search by the armed terrorists for American and British passport holders. With a reported 40 Britons held hostage, the terrorists have the upper hand. The counter-terrorist sources said targeting Bombay’s most luxurious hotels and a crowded railway station had all the hallmarks of an al-Qaeda operation.

Meanwhile, we're now on a heightened alert here.

The world's economic fears were violently pushed aside on Wednesday by another global threat -- terrorism.

A massive coordinated attack was launched in Mumbai, India just hours after the FBI warned that Al Qaeda may be targeting New York's subways and railroads.

If Al Qaeda terrorists have their way there will be chaos and mayhem here this holiday season, a mass transit bomb plot that would probably affect all the subway and train lines at Penn and Grand Central stations.

"The threat is serious, the threat is significant, and it is plausible," said Congressman Peter King, R-Long Island, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

Uniformed officers, including this NYPD Counter Terrorism Squad members and Amtrak cops with M-16s, flooded Penn Station Wednesday after the FBI said it had received a "plausible but unsubstantiated" report that Al Qaeda operatives discussed a plan two months ago to bomb New York City's mass transit system.

The report said: "These discussions reportedly involved the use of suicide bombers or explosives placed on subway/passenger rail systems."

And here I thought the Age of Obama would usher in a wave of love for America. I guess that was all BS.

Rosie Live: A 'Ghastly Ego Trip'

Here's a stunner. The Rosie O'Donnell primetime variety show bombed. It must be homophobia. I almost wish I tuned in to savor the awfulness.

If the TV variety format weren't already dead, the ghastly ego trip of NBC's Thanksgiving-eve turkey Rosie Live would surely have killed it. Like the pie Alec Baldwin predictably pushed into Conan O'Brien's face that fell to the floor without sticking, the entire hour landed with a sickening, sad, ill-conceived thud. It felt like an off night at America's Got Talent, bookended by wobbly appearances from Liza Minnelli and Gloria Estefan, each forced to perform with the caterwauling host, Rosie O'Donnell.

The low point? There were so many. I ran to the kitchen to see how our sweet-potato casserole was progressing so I could escape Jane Krakowski's career-low stripper-ish ode to product placement, warbling new lyrics to Gypsy's "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" that listed all the giveaways the live audience would get, everything from a Vudu player to White Castle hamburgers and Crest Whitestrips (probably not a bad idea after gorging on those stomach bombs). But even that was a treat compared to Clay Aiken, arriving in his Spamalot costume, engaging in who-loves-who-more banter with Rosie, coyly dancing around the gay issue. "We're both Gayyy-briel Byrne fans," Rosie sorta joked.

Kathy Griffin bombed in a Nancy Grace-less impersonation. Rosie's opening monologue, larded with fat and boob jokes, stank of mothballs. Dancing boys wore food costumes and children were trotted out every so often in an attempt to make things appear wholesome. Harry Connick Jr., pitching his new Christmas CD in a Santa hat, didn't even get to complete a full number without Rosie intruding. And there were a handful of so-so novelty and musical acts, a la Ed Sullivan. But this wasn't a really big show. It was a really big bomb, an embarrassment and a pathetic eulogy for a form of TV that, like Rosie-the-eternal-fan, I grew up loving and still miss.

Banks Hoarding Cash

With all the market unrest, and the year end reporting coming up soon, it appears that banks have resumed hoarding cash to make their balance sheet look better to investors.

The cost of borrowing in dollars for one month in London jumped the most since 1999 as banks sought to bolster balance sheets through year-end amid a squeeze on credit that’s being exacerbated by the global economic slump.

The London interbank offered rate, or Libor, that banks say they charge one another for such loans climbed 47 basis points to 1.90 percent today, British Bankers’ Association data showed. The Libor for three-month loans rose two basis points to 2.20 percent. The Libor-OIS spread, a measure of the willingness of banks to lend, increased.


“There is some concern about the turn of the year,” said Patrick Jacq, a senior fixed-income strategist in Paris at BNP Paribas SA. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see this tension easing over the next few days as central banks address the situation with more liquidity.”

With little more than a month to go until the end of 2008, banks are vying for loans that mature after Dec. 31 to strengthen their balance sheets as they prepare to report to investors. Financial institutions mark the value of loans and cash positions at the end of each quarter. The euro interbank offered rate, or Euribor, for one-month loans rose 22 basis points to 3.61 percent today, the first increase in 24 days, according to the European Banking Federation.

“This is purely because the loans are crossing year-end,” said Barry Moran, a money-markets trader at the Bank of Ireland in Dublin. “It’s a little bit harder to tell this year how high rates might go because central banks are going a long way toward providing excess liquidity."

Look for the Feds to lower the discount rate another 0.25% and pump even more money into the banking system in December.

Now, that leaves the issue of what happens to all this cash in the banking system after the reporting period is over?

Well, eventually the banks are going to get tired of sitting on all this cash and will want to use it. That means loans and lots of them (hopefully, this time around, they actually vet the applicants). And that means the market and the economy will take off.

At first it will see like a miracle. But then when unused production capacity is absorbed, we will see high inflation.

Also, get ready for phase 2 of the credit defaults as credit card and other consumer debt defaults start hitting hard in January. They are much smaller though, per person than mortgages and so the down side should be a little easier to handle in the market. If you did not notice, American Express got itself declared a bank the other day so it can borrow at the discount window and get a piece of the bail out. They see the credit card defaults coming.

At this point the bigger economic threat is not the recession (as long as Obama does not raise taxes any time soon), but the ensuing inflation we will see.

But regardless, we will have to pay higher taxes sometime down the road. With the $8.5 trillion bail out, we not only have borrowed on our future, we have passed that burden onto our children and grandchildren.

We have been following a path of pain avoidance. Eventually, we have to pay the tab.

Americans, Britons Specific Targets of India Terror Attacks

Here I thought the world loved us again.

Guess not.

MUMBAI, India – Teams of heavily armed gunmen stormed luxury hotels, a popular tourist attraction and a crowded train station in at least seven attacks in India's financial capital, killing at least 78 people and wounding at least 200, officials said Thursday. The gunmen were specifically targeting Britons and Americans and a top police official said the gunmen are holding hostages at two luxury hotels, the Taj Mahal and Oberoi hotels.

The gunmen also attacked police headquarters in south Mumbai, the area where most of the attacks, which began late Wednesday and continued into Thursday morning, took place.

"We are under fire, there is shooting at the gate," said constable A. Shetti by phone from police headquarters.

Hours after the first attacks, A.N. Roy, a senior police officer, said police continued to battle the gunmen.

"The terrorists have used automatic weapons and in some places grenades have been lobbed, the encounters are still going on and we are trying to overpower them," Roy said.

Johnny Joseph, chief secretary for Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, said 78 people had been killed and 200 had been injured.

The motive for the attacks was not immediately clear but Mumbai has frequently been targeted in terror attacks, often blamed on Muslim militants, including a series of blasts in July 2007 that killed 187 people.

The Office of President Elect was unavailable for immediate comment.

Live feed from Fox here.

Joys of Islam, Part 856: Almost Half of Egyptian Wives Beaten

This would normally be considered a world calamity, but since they're beaten in the name of the Religion of Peace, it barely gets noticed. Imagine the reaction if it was reported that half of American wives were beaten. This elicits stifled yawns.

Almost half of married Egyptian women have been physically abused by their husbands, a study by the government statistics centre said on Wednesday.

The study by CAPMAS said that 47 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 reported being victims of domestic violence and seven percent said a spouse raped them, state news agency MENA reported.

Domestic violence is punishable under Egyptian law, but police are reluctant to intervene in something that is considered a private matter, said an Egyptian women's rights activist.

"If a woman complains, it would be considered a crime. But if she doesn't, the husband won't be punished," Nahed Abu el-Qumsan, head of the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, told AFP.

The National Association of Gals were unavailable for comment.

LA Times To PC Thanksgiving Nitwits: Give It a Rest

We noted yesterday the absurdity of a college professor in California so consumed with rage and anger that she forced five-year-olds to miss out on a Thanksgiving tradition because of her politically correct madness. Well, much to my surprise, even the editorial board at the Los Angeles Times thinks this lunacy has gone too far.

When the LA Times thinks you're nuts, well, you are definitely cuckoo. It's a rare occasion when I'm in line with them, but let's give props where due.

Conservative commentators are no doubt blowing kisses in the direction of UC Riverside professor Michelle Raheja, whose odd interpretation of oppression has given them endless fodder for discussion and mockery. Raheja, the mother of a kindergartner at Condit Elementary School in Claremont, was outraged at the school's traditional Thanksgiving pageant, in which kids from Condit and kids from nearby Mountain View Elementary dress up as either Indians or Pilgrims and visit the other school for a feast. After Raheja wrote a letter to her daughter's teacher likening the event to "asking children to dress up like slaves (and kind slave masters), or Jews (and friendly Nazis)," the school board held a hearing on the issue and decided to hold the event without the costumes. On Tuesday, the day of the feast, the exchanges at Condit between parents supporting and opposing the costumes grew so heated that the parents had to be separated by police.

It's gotten to the point now where because one crackpot is "offended" we now have police intervening at a kindergarten. Yes, libs, you should really be proud at what you've accomplished with this PC madness.

As the culture wars rage on, this incident will be used by conservatives as an example of the absurd lengths to which liberals will go for the sake of political correctness, just as liberals burst a blood vessel whenever some school district in Kansas refuses to teach about evolution. Could everybody sit down for a minute, and pass the stuffing?

Damn right we'll use this as an example. Because it's absolutely insane. It would be nice if those on the left who are relatively sane would condemn this nonsense more forcefully and frequently.

As for the Claremont school board: No seconds on pumpkin pie for you. Caving to the demands of a small group of oversensitive parents is cowardly and ill serves the district's children.

Amen.

Update: Since Ace so graciously linked, I'll leave you this magnificent smackdown.

Although there are many annoying things about this monkey-like behavior, three of the top ones must be:

1) The ostentatious manner of displaying one's putative greater morality and enlightenment, never passing on a single opportunity to make a preening spectacle of oneself. Meanwhile, the rest of us just want to get through the day without being bothered, and without being forced to pay attention to the political equivalent of a flasher.

2) The eternal presumption of being an instructor in a neverending series of "teachable moments." Usually the deal is that if one wishes to be taught, one signs up for classes and chooses a teacher. Not with these people. They choose their classroom -- that would be you -- and sign themselves up as your moral and political instructor.

3) And of course the thuggish determination, arising from that ugly, worst-of-all-worlds mixture of overweening vanity and contradictory feelings of inadequacy which can only be mollified by even greater displays of egotism, to impose their will on others. And, as always, one strongly suspects the pretext for the imposition of their will, their control, is irrelevant; they would be just as happy bullying people to accept the sky is pink, so long as at the end of the day they had people knuckling under them.

Fuck them all.

And Happy Thanksgiving.

Ouch.

A Happy WaPo Thanksgiving: More Than Ever Using Food Stamps

Always looking at the bright side. They manage to equate food stamp use with hunger. Obviously they've never seen the immense girth of some folks I've seen using food stamps. The joke of it is you can be 130% over the poverty level and still receive them. In fact, the government actively seeks people to give them out to. But since this is Thanksgiving and people gather around to celebrate, the media desperately needs to put a damper on things.

Can't have people happy. At least until King Obama ascends to the throne.

Fueled by rising unemployment and food prices, the number of Americans on food stamps is poised to exceed 30 million for the first time this month, surpassing the historic high set in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.

The figures will put the spotlight on hunger when Congress begins deliberations on a new economic stimulus package, said legislators and anti-hunger advocates, predicting that any stimulus bill will include a boost in food stamp benefits. Advocates are also optimistic that President-elect Barack Obama, who made campaign promises to end childhood hunger and whose mother once briefly received food stamps, will make the issue a priority next year.

"We soon will have the most food stamps recipients in the history of our country," said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center, a D.C.-based anti-hunger policy organization. "If the economic forecasts come true, we're likely to see the most hunger that we've seen since the 1981 recession and maybe since the 1960s, when these programs were established."

Meanwhile, food prices are declining a bit of late due to the rapidly decreasing cost of oil, but are still expected to increase somewhat for 2009. I thought Obama would just wave his magic wand and food would be free for all?

Free Press Moron: Hey, Let's Impeach Bush Now

Something named Rochelle Riley, who I'll assume suffers from raging Bush Derangement Syndrome, thinks now is a good time to impeach George W. Bush.

Does this idiot realize his term is up in less than two months?

Pelosi wouldn’t have to start from scratch: Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the bravest member of Congress, introduced legislation 11 months ago to impeach the president and vice president. Last January, the House gave a first reading of one of those articles of impeachment. Our own Rep. John Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, joined 38 other representatives to sponsor HR 635, which would form a committee to look into whether there are grounds for impeachment. Revive that effort!

Last week, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, submitted a resolution demanding that Bush stop issuing “pre-emptive pardons of senior officials in his administration during the final 90 days of office.”

Anyone outside the districts of Kucinich and Nadler who pays the slightest attention to those oddballs should really consider psychiatirc help.

The only question remaining is this: Who's dumber? Riley or Gail Collins?

Congress to Probe Spitzer Case

No, they don't care that the chief law enforcement officer of New York State was wiring money to a prostitution ring. What Barney Frank and pals want to know is whether the disgraced former governor of New York was targeted because he's a Democrat.

Nice to see the Democrats have their priorities in order. If you ask me, Barney Frank investigating anything to do with prostitution rings is more than a bit amusing.

A Congressional committee is investigating the circumstances that led to the downfall of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer earlier this year, and whether expanded powers under the Patriot Act were misused by federal agents.

Spitzer resigned as governor after his February rendezvous with a prostitute at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington came to light as part of a federal investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and other law enforcement agencies.

Ostensibly, Spitzer was in Washington at the time to testify before part of the House Financial Services Committee. Now, that committee demands to know how and why the Democratic governor popped up on the radar of criminal investigators.

Officials have said a number of unusual money transfers by the governor triggered a "suspicious activity report," or SAR, within the banking system. Eventually, that SAR led to a full-blown criminal investigation of Spitzer.

"We have no concern about Eliot Spitzer. That is not what this is about," said Steve Adamske, spokesman for Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank. Frank could not immediately be reached for comment.

The panel seeks details of the Spitzer case only to the extent that it shows how effective the suspicious activity reports have been in catching terrorists and their financiers, Adamske said.

He said the panel would like to know exactly how the Spitzer case started.

"It is a concern that we have that (the law) could be used for political reasons," Adamske said.

Yes, and we know Democrats would never use law enforcement for political purposes.

Meanwhile, the booker for the hookers was spared jail time. Maybe Barney can have her testify how those mean old feds terrorized her.

NYC Councilmen: Hey, Let's Call It Citi/Taxpayer Field

Another non-starter, of course, from the world's most useless political body, but since it comes from that rare species, GOP New York City Councilmen, we figure it's worth noting. I understand where they're coming from, but I doubt this is going anywhere.

Two New York City Council members say that Citigroup should show its thanks for a federal bailout by sharing the naming rights to the new Mets ballpark in Queens.

The struggling bank is slated to pay $400 million over the next 20 years to name the stadium Citi Field.

The bank made the commitment years ago, when it was flush with cash. Now that Citigroup is getting billions of dollars in federal aid, Staten Island Republicans Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo say the ballpark's name should be changed to Citi/Taxpayer Field.

Of course, any story mentioning the infamous James Oddo is always worth a look. A blast from the past:

'Whizzinator' Pair Guilty in Fake Penis Scam

They should do hard time just for that stupid name.

The owners of the company that made the Whizzinator, a prosthetic penis used to mask illegal drugs in urine, pleaded guilty in federal court today to two counts of conspiracy.

Gerald Wills, the president of Puck Technology, based in Signal Hill, Calif., and Robert D. Catalano, the vice president, were charged by criminal complaint last month with selling two masking products, the Whizzinator and Number 1

Both were sold through their Web sites.

As part of the investigation, there were two undercover purchases of the products on Sept. 8, 2006, and Feb. 7, 2007.

Mr. Catalano and Mr. Wills pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell drug paraphernalia and conspiracy to defraud the United States government.

If you really need to see what these things look like, you can go here. Defenitely not safe for work. A very, ahem, diverse array of skin colors.

Oh, Brother: Feel Good Pap in Lieu of Black Friday: The 'National Day of Listening'

Can you hear me now?

Tired of all that crass commercialism on the day after Thanksgiving when the masses rush to the malls? Well, thanks to the nice folks at NPR, after a day spent listening to your relatives while you stuff your piehole, you can now spend yet another day listening to your relatives.

After 25 years of marriage, there are still too many stories Gail Ostrow and her husband haven't shared.

She hasn't heard the whole truth of what it was like in Vietnam. Or why, after the war, he retreated to 240 acres in Wisconsin to live without electricity and water. Or how it has felt not being the one to raise his son.

"This is the man that I have lived with and loved and slept next to and been through some really great adventures and been through some really hard times together," the 64-year-old college professor said. "But there hasn't been a lot of talking."

Hey, professor, you ever think maybe he likes it that way?

I don't know about you, but I prefer to lay out on the recliner and watch some football on Friday after Thanksgiving, but maybe I'm weird. Sure, relatives are all about, and I'll spend time speaking with and listening to them, but I don't need a day to recognize it.

"There are things that I want to know about him that don't come up in conversation."

So on the day after Thanksgiving, Ostrow will sit down with her husband at their Bridgeport, Conn., home to interview him and record his words — joining thousands of people nationwide who are participating in the National Day of Listening.

The first question to him should be "what on God's earth are we doing living in Bridgeport?!"

I guess it's particularly timely this year with all the gloom, doom, and tales of economic woe. Maybe we can sit around listening to everyone whining.

Launched by oral-history organization StoryCorps and scheduled for a day when families are more often dashing to take advantage of Black Friday sales, the event seeks to give people a reason to sit down with friends and family and have intimate conversations that can be preserved as heirlooms.

Uh, what prevents anyone from having an intimate coversation the other 364 days of the year? Am I missing something here?

More Tolerance and Diversity in California: Now Pilgrims Are Racist

Sorry, kids, you're racist

Naturally the instigator here is some grievance-laden college professor. Now there's a stunner.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For decades, Claremont kindergartners have celebrated Thanksgiving by dressing up as pilgrims and Native Americans and sharing a feast. But on Tuesday, when the youngsters meet for their turkey and songs, they won't be wearing their hand-made bonnets, headdresses and fringed vests.

Parents in this quiet university town are sharply divided over what these construction-paper symbols represent: A simple child's depiction of the traditional (if not wholly accurate) tale of two factions setting aside their differences to give thanks over a shared meal? Or a cartoonish stereotype that would never be allowed of other racial, ethnic or religious groups?

"It's demeaning," Michelle Raheja, the mother of a kindergartner at Condit Elementary School, wrote to her daughter's teacher. "I'm sure you can appreciate the inappropriateness of asking children to dress up like slaves (and kind slave masters), or Jews (and friendly Nazis), or members of any other racial minority group who has struggled in our nation's history."

Raheja, whose mother is a Seneca, wrote the letter upon hearing of a four-decade district tradition, where kindergartners at Condit and Mountain View elementary schools take annual turns dressing up and visiting the other school for a Thanksgiving feast. This year, the Mountain View children would have dressed as Native Americans and walked to Condit, whose students would have dressed as Pilgrims.

Raheja, an English professor at UC Riverside who specializes in Native American literature, said she met with teachers and administrators in hopes that the district could hold a public forum to discuss alternatives that celebrate thankfulness without "dehumanizing" her daughter's ancestry.

"There is nothing to be served by dressing up as a racist stereotype," she said.

Last week, rumors began to circulate on both campuses that the district was planning to cancel the event, and infuriated parents argued over the matter at a heated school board meeting Thursday. District Supt. David Cash announced at the end of the meeting that the two schools had tentatively decided to hold the event without the costumes, and sent a memo to parents Friday confirming the decision.

So here we have some meddling nitwit comparing pilgrims and Indians to Nazis and slavemasters injecting her wacko viewpoints on everyone and ruining fun for five-year-olds.

Is this what we've come to in this country, where one nutcase can be allowed to dictate to everyone else? Apparently so.

Liberals must be so proud of themselves for such childlike behavior.

Oh, and Ms. Raheja, I hope you have a miserable Thanksgiving while the rest of America is enjoying a day with friends and family.

Consumer Confidence Rises Amid Massive Doom and Gloom

The big BUT comes in the first sentence. Of course, the experts were again wrong. Maybe we should stop paying attention to them.

Consumer confidence rose in November amid receding gas prices, but Americans' views on the economy remain the gloomiest in decades as they grapple with massive layoffs, slumping home prices and dwindling retirement funds.

The New York-based Conference Board said Tuesday its Consumer Confidence Index now stands at 44.9, up from a revised 38.8 in October. Last month's reading was the lowest since the research group started tracking the index in 1967.

Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected the November reading to slip to 37.9. Still, the November figure is about half of what it was a year ago, and hovers around levels not seen since December 1974, when the index was 43.2.

The Present Situation Index declined to 42.2 from 43.5 last month. The Expectations Index, which is consumers' assessment of the economy over the next six months, increased to 46.7 from 35.7 in October.

"The persistent declines in the Present Situation Index suggest that the economy has weakened further in the final months of this year," Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center, said in a statement. "But despite the improvement in the Expectations Index this month, consumers remain extremely pessimistic and the possibility that economic growth will improve in the first half of 2009 remains highly unlikely."

It's more like the media and the experts remain pessimistic. I think most Americans would prefer to be optimistic, but the relentless onslaught of negativity does wear people down. Expect it to get worse as Christmas approaches.

Different Mayor, Same Story

What is it with Detroit mayors and New York governors? Other then being Democrats, which, of course, you won't see mentioned in this article about the new mayor of Detroit who may be facing perjury charges.

Maybe he was a graduate of the Charlie Rangel School of Tax Accounting.

The second Detroit mayor in a row is facing questions about possible perjury.

An attorney for Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. acknowledged Monday that his client met last week with state attorneys to discuss a document stating he didn't owe campaign fines in two previous city elections.

Cockrel has since paid $42,000 in fines. Lawyer Michael Hodge says Cockrel believed he didn't have to pay the fines because he was told they would be waived.

I really, really am considering changing my voter registration to Democrat just so I can get by with all of the crap they do. Whether hacking the private records of normal citizens like they do in Ohio or pretending to be a representative from Florida while living in Maryland, or just jetting around the country on my own private jet while lecturing the rest of the country on how wasteful they are of energy and scolding CEO's of large corporations for doing the exact same thing.

Welcome to the Charles B. Rangel School of Public Service

Seriously, a Charles Rangel School of Public Service? You can't make this stuff up. Here's how the brochure should read:

Here at the Charlie Rangel School of Public Service, students will learn how to cheat on their taxes in several different jurisdictions, glom as many rent-controlled apartments as humanly possible and generally act like an arrogant prick when called in it.

You will learn the art of obfuscation, memory loss, selective judgment, cronyism, graft, greed and corruption.

Graduates will be qualified to serve in Congress, takes bribes and kickbacks and run their own personal fiefdoms.

And that's just for an entry level course. Just imagine how sleazy you can be if you actually graduate. But don't worry about working too hard. You can just cheat and lie your way through.

Memo to FNC: Here's Who Should Replace Hannity & Colmes

Word is Sean Hannity will be going it alone once Alan Colmes leaves. Frankly at this point I'm tired of Hannity and would much prefer one of the above.

We report, now you decide which of these two should have her own show. Or maybe the two of them can co-host, wearing lingerie.

Sexist? Nah. I'm just looking out for their own best inetrests, and hot babes equals ratings.

'We Should Dress Them Up as Rabbits and Go Bang, Bang, Bang With a Rifle'

This guy sounds like a real piece of work. Is there anyone he hasn't offended?

He likes to express controversial opinions, like the notion that police should "ethnically cleanse" homosexuals or that immigrants in public parks should be "dressed up like rabbits" and used for target practice. But now Giancarlo Gentilini, the deputy mayor of the northeastern Italian city of Treviso, has reportedly had a fatwa declared against him.

"I defend my culture, my religion and civilization without any fear, and so it is natural that I will make some enemies," Gentilini, who belongs to the anti-immigrant, far-right Northern League party, told the Italian news agency ANSA Friday.

Gentilini's name can be found on a list of men to be killed on an Islamic Web site based in Lebanon, according to ilpadano.com, a news site with ties to the Northern League. The site's name is related to the term "Padania," which the party uses to denote northern Italy.

According to ilpadano.com, the fatwa was issued in response to Gentilini's "blaspheming" Islam. Police consider the reports credible, according to ANSA, which adds that the fatwa was issued several months ago.

Gentilini -- who served as mayor of Treviso for two terms before taking his current job -- has been no stranger to controversy. "I want to see a revolution against those that want to open mosques and Islamic centers," he told a Northern League gathering in Venice in September 2008. "This also includes the members of the church hierarchy here who say that we should leave them alone to pray. No, let them go pray in the desert. I'll open a factory to give them the carpets they need to pray on in the desert."

He has also advocated removing benches from public parks to keep immigrants from using them, saying "we should dress them up as rabbits and go bang, bang, bang with a rifle."

He even launched a crusade last summer against non-local dogs in Treviso, according to ANSA. "We don't want foreign breeds here," he said.