Sunday, February 28, 2010

Farrakhan: Chile Earthquake Is a Warning to America or Something, Blames 'White Right' For Obama's Problems

It's not quite as nutty as Danny Glover blaming the Haiti earthquake on global warming if only because I can't quite figure out what the hell he's talking about.
Calling this weekend's earthquake in Chile a precursor to his message, Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan today said America can not avoid the disaster and destruction that is in store.

Delivering an address titled. "The Time and What Must Be Done," Farrkhan addressed thousands at Chicago's United Center to mark the movement's Saviours' Day, commemorating the birth of W. Fard Muhammad-the founder of the faith 80 years ago.

"It's not an accident that a great earthquake took place in Chile," he said an hour into this speech. "It was a precipitate of what I have to tell you today of what's coming to America. You will not escape."
I guess as much as the loon Al Gore is in the climate business Farrakhan now has a degree in seismology maybe?
Farrakhan's remarks in the past have drawn criticism as anti-Semitic and racist.
Funny how anti-Semitic and racist comments are construed as anti-Semitic and racist, isn't it? Well, it seems he's still obsessing on white people.
"I can't even get a meeting with a congressperson if a white man's watching," he said to thunderous applause.
Meanwhile, the racist anti-Semite continues playing the race card, much to everyone's surprise.
Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan claims the "white right" is trying to make Barack Obama a one-term president.

The 76-year-old says the stalling of health care legislation is proof.
So glad to see we're all living in harmony in post-racial America.

The crackpot racist also regaled the audience about his trip on a UFO. Seriously.
Much of Farrakhan's speech, so far, has detailed a 1985 vision he said he had in Mexico.

Farrakhan has often recounted the experience where he says he was invited up to an unidentified flying object and warned about future events, including the 1986 attacks on Libya by the U.S.
Thanks to Hot Air and Gateway Pundit for the links.

Joe Kennedy III Not Running for Congress

There was some speculation over the weekend that Robert F. Kennedy's grandson could possible run for Congress this year.

Well, you can cancel that for now.
Joseph P. Kennedy III, the son of a former congressman and the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, said Sunday he had decided against running for the U.S. House from Massachusetts this year.

Kennedy told The Associated Press that he wants to remain in his new job as a prosecutor in Cape Cod's Barnstable County. The 29-year-old Stanford University and Harvard Law graduate has held the post only for eight months.

"I've got a job I love being an assistant district attorney on the Cape, and I want to get better at it at this point," Kennedy said. "I know serving in Congress would be a great job, but I've got a great job."

A top state Democrat said Saturday that Kennedy was weighing a race if Rep. William Delahunt were to decide against seeking re-election in the 10th Congressional District, which encompasses the Massachusetts South Shore and Cape Cod.

Delahunt and the rest of the Massachusetts Democratic establishment were rocked in January when Republican Scott Brown staged an upset to win the U.S. Senate seat held for more than four decades by Kennedy's uncle, Edward M. Kennedy. While Kennedy's widow, Vicki, and Joseph P. Kennedy III's father, former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, both eschewed races, they lobbied hard for the Democratic nominee, Attorney General Martha Coakley.

Her loss raised questions about the endurance of the Kennedy legacy. It also inspired several local Republicans, including former state Treasurer Joe Malone and state Rep. Jeffrey Perry of Sandwich, to say they are considering running for Delahunt's seat.

Delahunt has been criticized in recent weeks for his handling of a 1986 shooting by Amy Bishop, a University of Alabama professor accused of killing three colleagues this month. At the time, Delahunt was the local district attorney, and he accepted the findings of local and state police that Bishop's shooting of her brother was accidental.
On name alone Kennedy would have become the instant frontrunner. Still no word what Delahunt plans to do, so Kennedy's plan sure could change if he decides to retire, although it's indicated here he won't run even if Delahunt leaves office.

Says a commenter:
The boy raised the flag to see if anybody would salute it. Nobody did. Thank God.

Obama Still Smoking?

A better question probably is did he ever stop?
President Obama's doctors hinted Sunday that he still might be sneaking smokes when Michelle and the kids aren't around to yell at him.

Obama's routine physical at the Bethesda Naval Medical Center found him in "excellent health" and "fit for duty" but the docs also included a cryptic recommendation that he "continue smoking cessation efforts."

Obama should continue his "nicotine replacement therapy - self-use (gum or the patch)," the doctor said.

Obama owned up during the 2008 presidential campaign to falling off the wagon occassionally [sic] in his effort to quit with the help of nicotine gum.

Obama has also said that First Lady Michelle Obama, and kids Malia and Sasha, have been all over him to break the habit.
Naturally folks taking the poll at the link blame Republicans for Obama still smoking.

The AP is a bit more blunt in their assessment.
President Barack Obama hasn't kicked the smoking habit, takes anti-inflammatory medication to relieve chronic tendinitis in his left knee and should eat better to lower his cholesterol, his team of doctors concluded Sunday after the 48-year-old's first medical checkup as commander in chief.

The hoops-happy chief executive, who has endured an exhausting White House run and yearlong battles with congressional Republicans, was otherwise declared in excellent health and fit for duty.
Maybe he's physically fit for duty. I have my doubts whether he's emotionally up to it.

Kiss of Death: Dingy Harry Sinks in New Poll Following Obama Visit

Who could've seen this coming? Well, Jon Corzine and Martha Coakley for starters
During his whirlwind visit to Las Vegas two weeks ago, President Barack Obama mentioned U.S. Sen. Harry Reid by name four dozen times, gave him a big hug and talked him up as if he was a long-lost brother [brother? Isn't that racist?--ed.].

In remarks that could not have been more laudatory, Obama repeatedly characterized the veteran Democratic leader as a man "made of very strong stuff" who was making the right decisions for the state back in the nation's capital.

But as Reid faces an uphill path to win re-election to a fifth Senate term, Obama's enthusiastic endorsement does not appear to have improved the Senate majority leader's standing among constituents, according to a new poll conducted for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Reid got no bounce from Obama's visit on Feb. 19, when the president spoke highly of him at Green Valley High School and to business leaders at CityCenter, polling indicates.

A larger percentage of voters surveyed (17 percent) said they would be less likely to vote for Reid following the president's visit than said they would be more likely to vote for him (7 percent). Seventy-five percent said Obama's visit would have no effect on how they vote.

"Reid was not helped, and Obama was not any more popular than he was before he came to the state," said Brad Coker, managing director at Mason-Dixon Polling & Research.
Meanwhile, the Dim Bulb From Searchlight now trails GOP frontunner Sue Lowden by 13 points as he's cratered at a 33% approval. Reid also trails potential Republican challenger Danny Tarkanian by 11 points.

The only hope for Dingy Harry? Why, Nancy Pelosi's new-found friends from the Tea Party. Expect Reid to suddenly declare himself an populist.
Sue Lowden has emerged as a clear leader among Republicans fighting for the chance to run against Sen. Harry Reid this fall, according to a new poll that also shows the incumbent Democrat continues to trail against his major challengers.

But the polling done for the Las Vegas Review-Journal also shows this year's U.S. Senate race could undergo a major shake-up if a Tea Party candidate gets involved.

It would be a new ballgame, and Reid would be the big beneficiary.

A disaffected conservative running under the Tea Party banner would drain support from a Republican candidate, according to polling of a three-way contest.

In that case, Reid would draw 36 percent of voters, while the Republican nominee would get 32 percent and the Tea Party candidate 18 percent if the election were held today.
In a flight of fantasy completely ignoring Reid's dismal standing, his spokesthing desperately grasps at that silver lining.
Brandon Hall, Reid's campaign manager, said: "For the first time, the Review-Journal is releasing a poll that shows Senator Reid winning."
Hall apparently had no reaction to this news.
Reid's favorability ratings remained largely unchanged from polling a month earlier. He continues to be underwater with 33 percent of respondents having a positive view of him and 51 percent viewing him unfavorably.

The poll also shows that Lowden and Danny Tarkanian, another presumed Republican front-runner, continue to hold leads and may have widened them slightly over the past month in head-to-head matchups with Reid:

■ Lowden, a businesswoman and former state senator, bests Reid by a 52-39 percent margin if the vote were held today, according to the poll. Her lead in polling from Jan. 5-7 was 50-40.

■ Tarkanian, a Las Vegas businessman and attorney, would prevail over Reid by 51-40 percent today. In January, he held a 49-41 lead.

Coker, managing partner of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, said those changes are statistically insignificant. But he said it's worth noting that Reid continues to be stuck at around 40 percent in the matchups.
So both Lowden and Reid increased their leads over Reid and his man is gushing. Keep dreaming, Brandon.

Now while some disaffected Republicans may be inclined to go Tea Party following the GOP primary, Republicans have to look at the big picture, and that's sweeping Reid and the Senate Democrats out of power. The Nevada tea Party can live on to fight other battles. Don't lose the war while fighting your first one. Assuming Reid doesn't find the sudden urge to retire, expect him to go out ugly.
Other analysts say don't write off Reid just yet. The dynamics of the race inevitably will change once a challenger emerges from the GOP primary in June, and Reid can target his multimillion-dollar war chest, they say.

"That is going to unleash the Reid tidal wave of attacks, and that is going to be harmful" to the challenger, said Damore, the UNLV professor.

Plus, Damore said, "The Dems will be able to show something in the next six-seven months in terms of legislative accomplishments. The numbers are going to close. I think this is going to be a nail-biter."

Oh My: Pelosi Says Democrats and Tea Party Share Common Ground

It's a banner day for Mrs. Pelosi. I thought it was sad enough she believes Democrats will retain the House this year, but now her delusions are getting worse by the hour. Seems she's really losing her mind.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Democrats "share some of the views" of the Tea Party movement, even though it "takes direction from the Republican Party."

She has referred to the Tea Party movement as Astroturf, "but, you know, we share some of the views of the Tea Partiers in terms of the role of special interests in Washington D.C., as --it just has to stop," she said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
Pelosi and the Democrats have spent an entire year trashing tea partiers, basically calling them racist and "teabaggers" at every opportunity, but now she wants to cozy up to them?

She's insane. The movement is diametrically opposed to everything the Democrats have been doing for the past year and now she wants a piece of the action? It's laughable. Maybe she realized how badly she made herself look like an idiot.
The common ground between the movement and Democrats only goes so far, Pelosi was quick to add.

"Some of it is orchestrated from the Republican headquarters," she said. "Some of it is hijacking the good intentions of lots of people who share some of our concerns that we have about the role of special interests and many Tea Partiers, not that I speak for them, share the view."

One point of agreement between Democrats and Tea Party members is their response to the recent Supreme Court decision lifting limits on corporate contributions to political campaigns.

"The recent Supreme Court decision, which greatly empowers the special interests, is something that they oppose," Pelosi said.
Really? Where is the evidence of that?

The comments over at ABC News are a hoot. Here's video of this absurdity.


Pelosi supporters on the insane left are very confused.
Fritz (God Told Me To Hate Conservatives) says:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaker Pelosi, are you sure that you want these teabaggers anywhere close to our side? They are, after all, the looniest of the loony, and they aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer. Let’s face it – they are cataclysmically and irredeemably stupid.

They’ve also demonstrated that they are extremely violent, as well.

Allonfla says:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No Nancy. Don’t align yourself with those racists. They are not a movement and are not sincere. They can prove me wrong, however, by giving you a call.
Meanwhile, Frank Rich today links Joe Stack to the Tea Partiers. How clever. Rich tries to have it both ways, however.
Stack was a lone madman, and it would be both glib and inaccurate to call him a card-carrying Tea Partier or a “Tea Party terrorist.” But he did leave behind a manifesto whose frothing anti-government, anti-tax rage overlaps with some of those marching under the Tea Party banner.
In case you somehow didn't grasp Rich's point, the accompanying graphic should do the trick.

Obama: 'We Can't Control Nature'



I caught this on the news last night and my first thought was why does Obama and his wacky band of radical Democrats keep insisting they can control the weather through bizarre "climate change" schemes designed largely to empty your pockets?

Thanks to Gateway Pundit for grabbing the video snippet.

Maybe Obama ought to let junk scientist Algore know about this.

Britain's Labour Party Infiltrated by Islamist Radicals

A real shocker, huh?
The Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) — which believes in jihad and sharia law, and wants to turn Britain and Europe into an Islamic state — has placed sympathisers in elected office and claims, correctly, to be able to achieve “mass mobilisation” of voters.

Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, Jim Fitzpatrick, the Environment Minister, said the IFE had become, in effect, a secret party within Labour and other political parties.

“They are acting almost as an entryist organisation, placing people within the political parties, recruiting members to those political parties, trying to get individuals selected and elected so they can exercise political influence and power, whether it’s at local government level or national level,” he said.

“They are completely at odds with Labour’s programme, with our support for secularism.”

Mr Fitzpatrick, the MP for Poplar and Canning Town, said the IFE had infiltrated and “corrupted” his party in east London in the same way that the far-Left Militant Tendency did in the 1980s. Leaked Labour lists show a 110 per cent rise in party membership in one constituency in two years.

In a six-month investigation by this newspaper and Channel 4’s Dispatches, involving weeks of covert filming by the programme’s reporters:

IFE activists boasted to the undercover reporters that they had already “consolidated … a lot of influence and power” over Tower Hamlets, a London borough council with a £1 billion budget.

We have established that the group and its allies were awarded more than £10 million of taxpayers’ money, much of it from government funds designed to “prevent violent extremism”.

IFE leaders were recorded expressing opposition to democracy, support for sharia law or mocking black people. The IFE organised meetings with extremists, including Taliban allies, a man named by the US government as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and a man under investigation by the FBI for his links to the September 11 attacks.
Mocking black people? Why doesn't anyone care these lefties are in bed with racists terror supporters?
Moderate Muslims in London told how the IFE and its allies were enforcing their hardline views on the rest of the local community, curbing behaviour they deemed “un-Islamic”. The owner of a dating agency received a threatening email from an IFE activist, warning her to close it.

George Galloway, a London MP, admitted in recordings obtained by this newspaper that his surprise victory in the 2005 election owed more to the IFE “than it would be wise – for them – for me to say, adding that they played a “decisive role” in his triumph at the polls.

Sad: Delusional Pelosi Thinks She'll Still Be House Speaker Next Year



It'll all be so easy. All the Democrats have to do is talk some more and presto, they'll retain the House. I'll have some of what she's smoking.
Even as her Republican counterpart continues to openly discuss replacing her, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says House Democrats are not yielding any ground when it comes to November’s midterm elections.

“The Democrats will retain the majority in the House of Representatives,” Pelosi says in an interview set to air Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union.

Pelosi adds, “I'm not yielding one grain of sand, we're fighting for every seat.”

The California Democrat told CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley that in campaigning for November’s elections Democrats need to be aggressive in explaining to the public everything the party has done.

“So Democrats are ready. We're confident of that - what we have done for the American people. We have to get out there. We've been working hard, now we have to go out. We said we were going to do certain things, we did them. Now we have to go talk about what we have done.”
Just keep talking. Then you might lose 100 seats.

Deadbeat Dems Stiff the Children

Considering how Democrats so love to exploit children for cheap political gain, you'd think they'd know better than stiff kids of charity money. But hey, these are New York Democrats we're talking about, so ethics no longer apply.
They stiffed Queens kids, too.

More than $400,000 raised by a nonprofit started by Congressman Gregory Meeks and state Sen. Malcolm Smith was never given to the community they represent, including a youth football league that requested a donation, a Post investigation has found.

The Rosedale Jets Football Association went hat in hand to the New Direction Local Development Corp., hoping for a piece of a $250,000 grant that was to go to community groups.

The Jets dutifully submitted an application, hoping to get up to $25,000 to fix up their field. They never got a cent.

"They said they never received our application," said Gerald Karikari, an immigration lawyer and the football team's chief financial officer.

Karikari said the Rosedale Jets, a squad that mixes football and cheerleading with life lessons for 200 kids ages 7 to 13, is always struggling. It had to stop low-cost equipment rentals to players because it could not pay for refurbishing the helmets and protective pads.

Instead of helping the plucky pee-wee players, New Direction spent $405,000 on salaries, mysterious consultants, office expenses and meals, according to paperwork filed by the nonprofit. By 2008, $55,254 was left sitting in its bank account, untouched.

The Post has reported how the charity started by Meeks and Smith, both Queens Democrats, raised at least $31,000 for Hurricane Katrina victims but gave out hardly any of that money.
Here's Meeks in the middle flanked by those paragons of virtue Charles Rangel and Al Sharpton at a meeting in Harlem yesterday.

It seems they answer to Sharpton before anyone else.
It was a Harlem "leadership summit" to discuss an agenda for the rest of Gov. Paterson's lame-duck term. Except the governor wasn't even invited.

Embattled Reps. Charles Rangel and Gregory Meeks and state Sen. Malcolm Smith were gang-grim for the cameras yesterday as they assembled at Sylvia's restaurant at the request of the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Paterson remained holed up in his Harlem apartment a few blocks away.

"The purpose of this meeting was to focus on policy and priorities. We want to take the focus off of Governor Paterson and put it back on the priorities. For one, we're definitely focusing in on the budget," Sharpton said in a brief statement before the press was ushered out of the room.
Seems to me their priorities are flouting the law and stiffing charities. They've got the perfect role model in Sharpton.

Celebrity Rehab: Chimp Edition

A chimp that smokes and drinks too much? Uh, was he even legally allowed to buy cigarettes and alcohol?
A Russian chimpanzee has been sent to rehab by zookeepers to cure the smoking and beer-drinking habits he has picked up, a popular daily reported on Friday. An ex-performer, Zhora became aggressive at his circus and was transferred to a zoo in the southern Russian city of Rostov, where he fathered several baby chimps, learned to draw with markers and picked up his two vices.

"The beer and cigarettes were ruining him. He would pester passers-by for booze," the Komsomolskaya Pravda paper said.
He's probably not even paying support for those babies he fathered, the deadbeat.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Great News: Another Kennedy Preparing to Run in Massachusetts

You figured now that Patches is fleeing Rhode Island we'd be Kennedy-free for a bit, didn't you? Not so fast, my friends, not so fast. Now while you can count me among the legions that want to see William Delahunt take a powder, we should be careful what we wish for.
With speculation mounting that US Representative William D. Delahunt will not seek reelection, Joseph P. Kennedy III, son of the former congressman and great-grandson of the Kennedy family patriarch, is eyeing a run to succeed him in the 10th Congressional District, senior Democratic sources say.

The sources say that Kennedy, a 29-year-old assistant district attorney on the Cape considered by many to be the most promising member of his generation to extend the family’s political legacy, is not close to making any decisions and will not speak publicly until Delahunt announces whether he will seek another term. The discussions are taking place very privately among Kennedy family confidants.

As Delahunt ponders his future and Democratic hopefuls eye a bid for his seat, Kennedy’s potential candidacy is weighing heavily on the field that is starting to take shape.

“If he runs, he is immediately the front-runner,’’ said state Senator Robert O’Leary, Democrat of Barnstable, who said he would run for the seat if Delahunt retires. “From my perspective if Kennedy enters the race, it obviously changes the dynamic and makes it more difficult. But it would not change my decision.’’

One potential hurdle, however, is the political climate in the state, and especially in that district, which went heavily for Republican Scott Brown in last month’s Senate election. If Kennedy were to run and win his party’s nomination, he could risk become a lightning rod for the newly energized conservatives from around the country who poured millions of dollars into Brown’s coffers. With no member of the family ever losing an election in Massachusetts, he would be putting the Kennedy legacy on the line.

'She Keeps Saying It Was An Accident'

The events surrounding Amy Bishop's 1986 shooting of her brother just keep getting stranger with denials and finger-pointing in every direction.
Accused Alabama campus killer Amy Bishop insists the 1986 shooting of her brother was an accident, even as authorities probe whether she may have been inspired by a celebrity murder case in a National Enquirer article found on her bedroom floor.

Norfolk District Attorney William Keating said Bishop’s actions after the shooting of her 18-year-old brother were “parallel” to the escape plan of the killers depicted in the news article, which the Herald has learned was an Enquirer piece about the 1986 shooting of “Dallas” star Patrick Duffy’s parents in Montana.

Despite the new evidence, Bishop’s Alabama attorney, Roy W. Miller, said, “She keeps saying it was an accident."

In the Duffy case, two teenagers gunned down Duffy’s parents and fled to a car dealer, where they stole a pickup truck at gunpoint.

After fatally shooting her brother with a shotgun, Bishop allegedly fled to a dealership, held a worker at gunpoint and demanded a getaway car. Braintree police arrested her at the scene but she was never charged.

Former Braintree police Chief John V. Polio said he never heard about the article and pointed the finger at state police detective Lt. Brian Howe, who Polio says was called to the scene but never came.

“Howe declined to come,” Polio said. A Braintree police report backs up Polio’s assertion.

Howe has moved out of state and has not been interviewed by investigators. Attempts to reach him have been unsuccessful.

“Who’s talked to Howe?” Polio said. “He’s the key person in this.”

But John Kivlan, the top prosecutor on the case under then-Norfolk District Attorney Bill Delahunt, said Braintree police didn’t call Howe until after the crime scene was processed.

“Had the state police been there . . . they would have gone through the whole room. They certainly would have seen the newspaper and seized it,” Kivlan said. “There’s a serious question as to whether information was intentionally withheld from Howe.”
Speaking of Delahunt, it appears he's been living large off his campaign warchest.
U.S. Rep. William Delahunt’s critics yesterday pounced on the seven-term congressman’s extravagant campaign spending as more details emerged about his all-in-the-family payroll.

The Herald reported yesterday that Delahunt blew through a whopping $560,000 in campaign cash last year, including hiring his son-in-law as his campaign manager.

Delahunt, 68, also paid $48,000 to his ex-wife Katharina Delahunt, a campaign receptionist, and hundreds to his daughter Kara for freelance photography, fueling speculation he’s draining his war chest and won’t seek reelection.

“I didn’t know the congressman had his own jobs plan,” quipped state Rep. Jeff Perry (R-Sandwich), who’s running for the seat. “We’ve been hearing a lot of talk in Washington about jobs, jobs, jobs, and I guess he’s addressed that by hiring his own family."

'Me and Mitt are Homeboys'

It's quite a relief to see that Mitt Romney's got his street cred back. Obviously he'd be going nowhere fast in 2012 with the hip-hop vote.
Rapper Sky Blu told Boston he and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney are now “homeboys” once they reconciled after their mile-high dust-up.

“Me and Mitt are homeboys,” he said between sets last night with his Grammy nominated band LMFAO. “I think it’s time to celebrate that a rapper and politician can come together. . . . We want to celebrate the Vulcan-grip counter move.”

He then launched into “Shot,” a celebratory song. LMFAO opened for the Black Eyed Peas last night at the TD Garden.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Joe Klein: I Missed Healthcare Summit But Obama Definitely Won

Clueless

Obviously it's keen insight like this that has established Joe Klein as a go to source for political insight. The folks at Time must be thrilled they're getting their money's worth. Seemingly everyone on the planet knows Obama and the Democrats were viciously gangster-slapped Thursday, but Joe Klein, ace reporter, knows better, and he didn't even see it.

A scary talent, this one.
Shame on me. I was elsewhere yesterday and missed the health care summit. I'm catching up now, and the tea leaves seem to indicate that Obama came out well ahead of the Republicans. How do I know that? From Matt Drudge, of course. I mean, Drudge's takeaway from the summit is that the President talked a lot--actually, the President, the Congressional Democrats and Republicans each spoke an equal amount--the Times of London found it boring and the networks turned to other programming.

Reading between the lines, you can conclude that the Republicans had nothing very interesting, or clever, to say (and were never able to get the President's goat). And that the President was his usual, unflappable, well-informed self. You can also conclude that not much progress was made at the summit, as Karen reports here--but that's a huge surprise, right?
Does Klein even have a DVR? Maybe he ought to, you know, actually watch and see what happened before looking like a complete buffoon.

No offense to Matt Drudge, but there are other sources of information out there that offer a wide array of opinion. Yet this hack peruses a couple of sites, checks out a few headlines and comes to a conclusion diametrically opposed to virtually 100% of the opinion makers out there.

Is there anyone at Time wondering why this clown is drawing a paycheck?

'They Told Us We Had to Get Off the Plane Because Stewardesses Were Fighting'

Please let there be video of this. So much for flying the friendly skies.
A flight from Rochester, N.Y., to Atlanta was canceled on Thursday after two flight attendants got into a fist fight, YNN Rochester reported.

Two female flight attendants "got into a fistfight on the plane," said passenger Steve Mazur, according to the Web site. "The pilot decided to kick everyone off the plane."

"They told us we had to get off the plane because stewardesses were fighting," said passenger Corey Minton.

The Delta Connection flight was operated by Pinnacle Airlines, which has suspended the two women while an investigation is conducted, the site reported.

"The acts described are not acceptable," said Joe Williams, a spokesman for Pinnacle Airlines.
Imagine how pissed off these two will be when they find out someone called them stewardesses and not flight attendants.

UK Independence Party Seeks to Ban Al Gore Junk Science Schlockumentary

Let's hope they start doing it in schools here as well. It's a start. Click the image for a review of all his lies.
Pending the results of the commission, the party, that has no MPs at the moment, have promised to build new fossil-fuelled power stations to meet energy demands and scrap subsidies for wind farms. Global warming 'propaganda' like the Al Gore film Inconvenient Truth will be banned in schools and public authorities will not be allowed to spend money on climate change initiatives.

A recent poll found the just one in five people believe climate change is man-made, compared to one in three a year ago.

The survey of 1,000 people found people over 65 were more likely to be sceptical.

Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, the UKIP climate change spokesman, said his party was the only opportunity to vote against the climate change consensus.

"At the moment all the major parties have decided to sign up to the eco-fascist agenda and therefore anyone who does not believe in eco-fascist agenda has no where else to go," he said.

Climate change sceptics claim that emails stolen from the University of East Anglia show scientists were willing to manipulate the data around global warming in a scandal known as 'climategate'.

In another scandal known as 'glaciergate' the UN body in charge of climate change science, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), was forced to retract a claim that the Himalayan glaciers could melt by 2035.

However leading scientists, including the Royal Society, insist the case for man-made global warming remains convincing and it is a grave threat to human civilisation.
Well, you can't ever expect the true believers to admit they're in on the hoax.

Climate Hoaxer to Face 'Independent' Inquiry

Somehow I doubt anything will come of this, but it appears the unusually hairy climate hoaxer and Al Gore pal Rajendra Pachauri will be facing an inquiry into his junk science.
Environment and Climate ministers meeting in closed session in Bali last night insisted that an independent review should be carried out following the publicising of mistakes in its last report, and a row surrounding Dr Pachauri's robust response to his critics. If his management is found to be at fault his position could become untenable.

Participants in the unprecedented meeting – held at the annual assembly of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Governing Council in Bali – were sworn to secrecy over the decision and it is only expected to be announced after its detaled scope and composition have been worked out by UNEP and the World Meteorological Organisation, the two UN agencies that oversee the IPCC's work.
How nice of these climate hoaxers to fly to Bali while the rest of the planet is freezing their asses off.

Amazingly, this scammer thought he could get to decide who performed the inquiry. Man, he's got bigger stones than Algore.
The ministers – led by Hillary Benn, the Environment Secretary,and his counterparts from Germany,. Norway, Algeria and Antigua and Barbuda – refused to allow Dr Pachauri to decide who would carry out the review, insisting it must be completely and demonstrably independent of the IPCC.

The two agencies are expected first to approach national academies of sciences and to ensure that it examines the management of the organisation as well as its scientific procedures.

The review is to report by August to allow time for its conclusions - and Dr Pachauri's position – to be assessed before the IPCC meets for its own annual assembly in Korea in October.
Any objective inquiry can result in only one thing: Pachauri's dismissal. A criminal prosecution and being stripped of the Nobel Prize would also be nice.

'If I Wore These Now, I'd Get Shot'

Actually, Senator, if you wore pink shorts now you'd probably have a fanboy in Andrew Sullivan.
Posing naked for Cosmopolitan in 1982 was less embarrassing for Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown than what he wore on the first date with his future wife, Gail Huff -- pink leather shorts. Vanity Fair's Web site got a peek at a profile of Brown in Sunday's New York Times, in which the former male model explains he got the $750 shorts after wearing them in a fashion show. "If I wore these now, I'd get shot. But it was the '80s. Pastels were in." He paired the shorts with white shoes. "Gail comes out, and she's like, 'Those are pink shorts.' I said: 'Yeah, you like them? They're great. Comfortable. Feel this leather.' "

Paterson Not Seeking Re-election

Not that he stood a snowball's chance in hell of being elected to begin with. What he needs to do now is resign.
Gov. David Paterson has decided not to seek election to a full term amid a roiling scandal over whether he and his troopers intimidated a woman who'd reported domestic violence against one of his top aides, The Post has learned.

Paterson has communicated to top advisers and supporters that he will pull the plug on his campaign today, multiple sources said -- confirming a Post report.

He's expected to make a statement at between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. today.

Paterson, who took over the state's top spot when Eliot Spitzer resigned because he had sex with a prostitute, is expected to say he won't resign.

Just last night Paterson said he intended to continue his campaign. But he also said he would talk to fellow Democrats about his future.

IOC 'Investigating' Canadian Women Hockey Players

Those stuffed shirts at the International Olympic Committee, people who've probably never donned a uniform for any athletic endeavor, really need to get a grip. They're going to investigate the Canadian women's gold medal team for celebrating inappropriately? Good grief, get a life, people.
The International Olympic Committee will investigate the actions of Canadian women's hockey players who celebrated their gold medal victory Thursday night by swigging beer and smoking cigars on the ice in Vancouver.

A number of players, including 18-year-old superstar Marie-Philip Poulin, were drinking alcohol on the ice following the team's 2-0 defeat of the United States. (The legal drinking age in British Columbia is 19.) Players lingered for more than 70 minutes after the awards ceremony reveling in the arena, which was empty except for media and arena staff.

Gilbert Felli, the IOC's executive director of the Olympic Games, said that drinking in public was "not what we want to see" from athletes at an Olympic venue. The organization will investigate the actions and will speak with the international hockey federation and Canadian Olympic Committee and ask them to "act accordingly."

Steve Keough, a spokesman for the Canadian Olympic Committee, told the Associated Press, “We condone celebrations. … We don’t condone actions of irresponsibility. I think Canadians understand it’s quite an emotional moment for our team. It was not our intention to go against any IOC protocols.”
Yes, let's punish these young ladies who've spent the better part of thier lives to get to this point.

Let it go, folks.

As an aside, I'd really like to have been at the after-party.

'It Can Only Be Motivated by Moral Weakness in the White House'

In his quest to have "the world love us" again, Barack Obama has managed to now make our staunchest allies hate us.

Heckuva job, Baracky.
This week the White House has refused to endorse the UK's historic sovereignty over the islands and its right to explore for oil in its waters.

Last night, the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based foreign affairs think-tank, said Mr Obama's stance was linked to anger at the release of the secret files.

Executive director Alan Mendoza said: 'The Obama administration's decision to ignore the democratic rights of the Falkland islanders is disgraceful.

'It can only be motivated by moral weakness in the White House or a misplaced desire to punish Britain for the Binyam Mohamed case and the disclosure of U.S. intelligence documents.

'The decision, while feeble, is unsurprising. For the past year, Mr Obama has followed a foreign policy path that punishes allies and democracies while allowing rogue authoritarian nations like Iran and North Korea to pursue their objectives.'

The criticism was echoed by Tory MP Patrick Mercer, the chairman of the Commons' terrorism sub-committee. 'The U.S. position on the Falklands certainly seems to be a warning shot which says to Britain: "Don't mess us around too much or we could make life problematic",' he said.
It's called The Chicago Way, folks.

Gore 'Has Become a Laughingstock. The Glaciers Have Not Melted'

The best part about this? Gore was told this right to his face.
Gore was seated in the first row, along with his six fellow board members, in Apple's Town Hall auditorium as several stockholders took turns either bashing or praising his high-profile views on climate change.

At the first opportunity for audience participation just several minutes into the proceeding, a longtime and well-known Apple shareholder--some would say gadfly--who introduced himself as Sheldon, stood at the microphone and urged against Gore's re-election to the board. Gore "has become a laughingstock. The glaciers have not melted," Sheldon said, referring to Gore's views on global warming. "If his advice he gives to Apple is as faulty as his views on the environment then he doesn't need to be re-elected."
Meanwhile, the climate hoaxers are definitely stuck on stupid.
CLIMATE scientists yesterday stunned Britons suffering the coldest winter for 30 years by claiming last month was the ­hottest January the world has ever seen.

The remarkable claim, based on global satellite data, follows Arctic temperatures that brought snow, ice and travel chaos to millions in the UK.

At the height of the big freeze, the entire country was blanketed in snow. But Australian weather expert Professor Neville Nicholls, of Monash University in Melbourne, said yesterday: “January, according to satellite data, was the hottest January we’ve ever seen.
There really is no hope for these people.

Just Because I Represent You In Congress Doesn't Mean I Have To Live There


Well, ain't this special? I just found out via an article about a community garden that my U.S. Representative doesn't even live in the district he represents. Isn't that sort of illegal?
Perhaps David Scott is so fed up with getting pushed around by Republicans in Washington that he decided to take his frustrations out on his own neighbors.

Otherwise, it’s difficult to fathom why the veteran congressman is fighting a proposed community garden on public parkland across the street from his Inman Park home with a fervor usually reserved for battling toxic waste dumps.

“Why should this be ram-rodded through?” Scott asked neighbors during a rancorous community meeting last week in a church basement. “Don’t we deserve a voice?”

Now, to be fair, Scott and his outspoken wife aren’t the only ones who oppose the garden. At least 16 of his fellow Hurt Street residents have signed a petition affirming that they don’t want the view from their porches ruined by the sight of organic produce.

But clearly it’s Scott’s clout as a Congressman that has put the brakes on a garden that’s been several months in the planning and had enjoyed strong support from much of the neighborhood. According to one bemused observer, Scott’s been seen so much at City Hall in recent weeks you’d think he worked there.

It’s worth noting that Scott doesn’t even represent Inman Park. His 13th Congressional District lies predominantly to the south and west of Fulton County.

That would be David Scott (D-GA). A self-proclaimed Blue Dog who has yet to vote against a single spending bill, and is often referred to around here as San Francisco's second representative. Nancy Pelosi is their main go-to person.

This is the same David Scott who derided a doctor at one of his townhall meetings for daring to question him about the healthcare legislation and who had a swastika painted on a sign outside his office, which is in the district he represents. An incident which has strangely disappeared off the radar screen. It might have something to do with the fact that there was a surveillance camera across the parking lot that may have caught the offender on tape and the suspicion is that it was one of his own staffers.

Video of the townhall meeting that Rep. Scott got ugly with a constituent. Actually accused people in attendance of not living in his district and just being outside agitators.


NY Papers: Paterson Has To Go

Nice to see the old media catching up with the new.

Today both the New York Post and Daily News have editorial urging the accidental Governor to resign.

From the NYDN:

Like most New Yorkers, the Daily News greeted David Paterson's ascension to the governorship with best wishes and fervent hope for success in endeavors suddenly assumed. Today, just shy of two years later, we urge Paterson to step down immediately.

It is clear that the governor tolerated domestic abuse accusations against his closest confidante, and there is a suggestion that he joined state troopers in a campaign of witness tampering to shield the aide from prosecution.

In either case, Paterson has given cause to doubt his word and his judgment, breaking a fundamental bond with the public - the bond of trust.

Having demeaned his high office, having exposed a character flaw that plays out as a truth deficit, Paterson is punchline rather than punch. He does not have the capacity to confront the state's economic challenges.

And the guy just doesn't get it.
The Post cuts right to it.
It's time for David Paterson to close out his role in one of the strangest episodes in New York history -- and turn over the affairs of state to his lieutenant governor, Richard Ravitch.

We don't prescribe this lightly.

But new developments make it painfully clear that the accidental governor lacks the credibility to effectively see New York through its current crises.

The latest: Paterson and the State Police apparently tried to dissuade a woman from seeking an order of protection against a key gubernatorial aide, David Johnson.

And that he has no hope of gaining it.

Yes, Paterson on Wednesday authorized Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to begin a criminal investigation of the matter.

But because we have no doubt that Cuomo will do his duty in this regard, we also don't doubt that the episode will end in tears -- if not for Paterson, then for his aide and for who knows how many other administration officials.

The scandal, of course, is just the latest in a string of Paterson fiascos -- ranging from his allegedly politically motivated awarding of a casino contract to months of nonfeasance in the conduct of his daily duties -- that has reduced state government to a sad, shabby joke.

Simply put, David Paterson is unqualified to hold the office he inherited when the equally scandal-scarred Eliot Spitzer resigned it two years ago.

Paterson's public-safety czar, Denise O'Donnell, jumped ship yesterday, and we doubt she'll be the last.
The New York Times, which has helped grease the skids for Paterson, simply has questions for Dave.

Queen Nancy Answers Your Questions on Healthcare Legislation

I don't know which is creepier, the condescending smile which never leaves her face as she tells us that some government bureaucrat will decide which medical tests and procedures are necessary or her stance on a single payer system, which she admits she advocates for.



After the Democrats pathetic showing at yesterday's summit, in which all they seemed to want to do is tell one sob story after another without engaging in any sort substantive discussion of the issues, and the nuts and bolts of what this legislation actually does and doesn't do, and a meeting which was dominated by Obama taking up most of the time I guess she felt the need to actually try and answer some questions. Too bad they didn't do that yesterday.

After listening to the session yesterday, I came away with one thought. Let's scrap what they have done, break it down into small chunks and pass one piece at a time to see what works and what doesn't and get away from this idea of go big or go home. The only problem with that sort of thinking is that any government program once started is never stopped.

If I were the Democrats I would quit bringing up Medicare and Social Security as some sort of triumphal trophy since it is apparent to all Americans that those programs have now also outgrown their intended purposes and are saddling the workers and taxpayers with more and more debt and programs that most people under the age of 50 will never see a return on. They have turned into the black holes of government excess and inefficiency. It is time to scrap the programs designed and tailored to a generation of the 20th century and move into the 21st century.

The makeup of the country has changed mainly from one of large families with an agrarian and industrial base to one of information technology and small families. We now have fewer people paying into programs than we have receiving benefits and, in fact, one of the main arguments for the Dems plan is to force everybody to purchase health insurance to fund it, but as the Republicans pointed out yesterday there is some shady accounting in the bill which basically says some of the money paid for health insurance would be siphoned off to fund Social Security and Medicare. It all smacks of some sort illegal money laundering and Ponzi scheme type activity that put people like Bernie Madoff in jail.

Anyway, try not to pay attention to her sickly sweet, grandmotherly type smile as she explains why death panels are necessary and why the same folks who bring you such great services as the TSA and DMV will do a far better job making your healthcare decisions. Oh, and Nancy, how many of those industrialized countries with national healthcare plans are as big and diverse as America or have 300 million citizens? Maybe you ought to read a British newspaper from time to time or go visit the Canadian big wigs while they recover in our hospitals.

'It's Easy Being Vice President — You Don't Have To Do Anything'


I've got to hand it to Slow Joe, he's pretty good at doing nothing. Being Vice President: So easy a simpleton like Joe Biden can do it!
There have been some tense moments during today's health care summit at the Blair House, but not for Vice President Joe Biden, it seems.

Just moments before the afternoon session got underway, C-SPAN's cameras picked up audio of Biden chatting casually with participants.

"It's easy being vice president — you don't have to do anything."

Whomever Biden was chatting with said, "It's like being the grandpa and not the parent."

"Yeah, that's it!" replied Biden.
Of course Biden's spokesthing, Jay Carney, then rushed to his aide by pointing out how busy he really is. Carney misses the point. His boss is a walking, talking malaprop, he's Gaffemaster Joe. Live it with. Most everyone else in the Obama administration is detestable. Biden we can at least have fun with.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Rangel Found Guilty of Ethics Violations, Pays 25 Cent Fine

He's been "admonished" now or something, so I guess we've got to lay off all his criminal behavior. Savor the irony that he's probably the safest of the few safe Democrats come November. I have to admit I'm floored the Nancy Pelosi Congress, the most corrupt Congree ever, would find one of their sleaziest members guilty of what to them amounts to a parking violation.
The House Ethics Committee has found Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel violated ethics rules by accepting corporate-funded trips to the Caribbean, according to House sources.

Rangel told POLITICO Thursday night that he was being “admonished” by the committee on the grounds that at least two members of his staff knew about the corporate funding for the trips – and that Rangel himself should have known.

"I’m satisfied that when you read the report, that you will see that I have not been found guilty of anything,” Rangel said. “We were approved, the trip was approved. Whether or not it should have been approved is a serious issue.”

Rangel said that “the critical part in the report is they’re saying the ethics committee should not have authorized it if they had known all the facts — that some private funds were involved in the payment of the conference.”

Reps. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), Donald Payne (D-N.J.), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Del. Donna Christensen (D-V.I.) also participated in the trips, but a source told the Associated Press that they have been exonerated by the committee.

Payne said Thursday evening that he has not received a letter from the ethics committee regarding any ruling, or talked to other members who were on the trip.

"It's hard to comment until I’ve seen the letter," Payne told a clutch of reporters Thursday evening. "I believe that it will exonerate the group, it will exonerate me anyway. It’s very difficult to comment on the letter until I receive it."
More here.
Rengel's ethics troubles also present an election-year dilemma for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who led a Democratic takeover of the House in 2006 on a campaign promise to end a "culture of corruption" in the GOP-led Congress.

Uh - Oh Bad news For Big Retail

I say bad news because if the health insurance profits of 3.3% are considered extravagant and obscene what do you call a profit margin of 28%?
Kohl's Corp. on Thursday posted a 28% jump in profit for its fiscal fourth quarter by increasing sales and improving margins.
This simply can not be allowed to stand. C'mon you union loving, socialist pigs. I demand you devote as much attention to Big Retail as you did Big Banking and Big Health Insurers. Why I bet these executives even got bonuses, and gasp, probably went on a retreat or at least took a vacation. I wonder how many jobs were created by this explosion of profits? This can not be permitted by an entity that did not receive any stimulus funds and must be stopped now before the average citizen hears of this.

I expect President Obama to immediately address this, the most pressing of domestic issues, preferably as soon as the health care summit is over today. Big Retail can not be allowed to continue to take advantage of the poor and disadvantaged in this country. Why I bet you will even find out that they located stores based on some sort of racial profiling and either targeted the minority community like Big Tobacco and Big Liquor does, or denied access based on location.

How long can we as Americans allow this to continue? It just isn't fair. The obvious answer is for government to step in and take over right now to prevent such profit taking in the future, because if there is one thing that Big Government has proven, they certainly don't know how to turn a profit.

Rhubarb Granted Protected Status in Europe

Finally I can sleep easier at night knowing Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb has earned its special privileges.
YORKSHIRE Forced Rhubarb joined the ranks of Champagne and Parma Ham today, as it was added to the list of Europe's specially-protected food and drink.

The humble vegetable, grown and harvested in an area in northern England affectionately known as the ‘rhubarb triangle,’ was awarded the prestigious Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status by the European Commission’s Protected Food Name scheme.
Wow, these people really take this stuff seriously.
In the same way that only sparkling wine from the Champagne region can be honored with the Champagne label, if it is not Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb, it is just plain rhubarb.
Rhubarb lovers rejoiced like only they can.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn expressed his delight at the news, saying, “Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb has been recognized thanks to the quality of this traditionally grown product and the enthusiasm and commitment shown by all involved".

Janet Oldroyd of the Yorkshire Rhubarb Growers Association said the PDO status was “fantastic news”.

ABC News To Obama - You Lie!

Earlier today during the so called healthcare summit there was a back and forth between the TOTUS and Sen Lamar Alexander on whether health insurance premiums would actually go up or down under the Obamacare plan.

Well, it seems that Sen Alexander was right and your premiums would go up 10 - 13% and Barry O was once again, well, lying.
Both cite a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the Senate bill done at the request of Senator Evan Bayh.

Who is right?

Well, the CBO analysis does say, flatly, that “the average premium per person covered (including dependents) for new nongroup policies would be about 10 percent to 13 percent higher in 2016 than the average premium for nongroup coverage in that same year under current law.”

Why are premiums going up? CBO cites the combination of three factors:

1. Premiums would be 27-30% higher because coverage would be better. The law, for example, requires that all policies cover maternity care, prescription drugs, mental health & substance abuse and no denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions.
2. Premiums would be 7 to 10 percent lower b/c of changes to the way the individual market is structured.
3. Premiums would be 7 to 10 percent lower b/c of an influx of more people, many of them healthy, into the insurance market.

The net effect of those three factors: Premiums would be 10 to 13 percent higher for the average policyholders.

President Obama’s claim of premium reductions of “14 to 20 percent” comes from adding factors two and three. The problem: You can’t ignore factor one.

The Dems need to stick with their constant telling of sob stories, which any of us could probably tell, because when it comes to citing facts and figures they fail miserably.

Latest Spin: Tea Partiers 'Reliving the 60s' and Having 'Midlife Crisis'

Where do you even begin with this nonsense?
Oceans of ink, terabytes of blog space and an eternity of television time have been devoted to the latest object of media fascination, the "tea party" movement. Now (finally!), a poll conducted by CNN gives us some hard data on the Tea Party Nation.
Oh great, CNN, which essentially ignored the movement until about two weeks ago, except when they weren't trashing it. Also, has there really been an eternity of television time devoted to the Tea Parties? Uh, no, not exactly.
Neither "average Americans," as they like to portray themselves, nor trailer-park "Deliverance" throwbacks, as their lefty detractors would have us believe, tea partyers are more highly educated and wealthier than the rest of America. Nearly 75% are college educated, and two-thirds earn more than $50,000.

More likely to be white and male than the general population, tea partyers also skew toward middle age or older. That's the tell. Most came of age in the 1960s, an era distinguished by widespread disrespect for government. In their wonder years, they learned that politics was about protesting the Establishment and shouting down the Man. No wonder they're doing that now.
Is it possible to have an analogy any further detached from reality? If I have a glimpse of those crowds, I'd say a good portion of those protesting these days came of age in the 1970s and 1980s. In fact those who now represent "The Man" are the dregs of the 1960s, the radical left that now has infested our government, the media and academia.

But wait, it gets dumber.
The tea party is a harbinger of midlife crisis, not political crisis. For men of a certain age, it offers a counterculture experience familiar from adolescence -- underground radio, esoteric tracts, consciousness-raising teach-ins and rallies replete with extroverted behavior to shock the squares -- all paid for with ample cash.
Again, this is absurd. Most of the tea partiers, it's safe to say, never had anything to do with teach-in and consciousness-raising, whatever that's supposed to be. We were taught in school and for the most part we were already conscious, unlike those who spent the 1960s in a stupor, which it appears the authors of this drivel did.
The partyers are essentially replaying the '60s protest paradigm. (We're aging boomers ourselves, so we know it when we see it.) They fancy themselves the vanguard of a revolution, when in fact they are typical self-absorbed, privileged children used to having their way -- now -- and uninhibited about complaining loudly when they don't. It's the same demographic Spiro Agnew called "an effete corps of impudent snobs who characterize themselves as intellectuals."
So there you have it: We're all a bunch of spoiled children, a smug, condescending look at folks, reminding me of Peter Jennings' sneering disdain for the 1994 Republican revolution, which he called a national temper tantrum. How ironic these deep thoughts are coming from a pair of impudent snobs who probably consider themselves intellectuals.

Of course what would be an "analysis" of the Tea Partiers if it didn't have the ominous hint of violence, now very much in vogue after the deranged Joe Stack incident last week, when many on the left immediately called him a "teabagger."
In a flashback of "turn on, tune in, drop out," the partyers reject mainstream culture, don the equivalent of Che T-shirts that say "Don't Tread on Me," and join sects with trippy names like Oath Keepers, Patriotic Resistance and Freedom Force. Instead of getting themselves "back to the garden," they get off the grid and, like the Bill Ayers crew, indulge in fantasies about armed rebellion against the establishment.
Oh, so now they can mention Bill Ayers, an admitted terrorist? Can these people point to a single incident where Tea Partiers bombed anything?

Well, at least we know where these tools are coming from.
Jim Spencer and Curtis Ellis are Democratic political consultants based in Boston and New York, respectively
This apparently is Curtis Ellis. Seems to me he came of age in the 1930s.

Latest Excuse For Job Loss Numbers? Snow


Are you frikkin kidding me? The latest excuse, put forth by the state media for the of course unexpected decline in job numbers is snow.
The number of new claims for unemployment benefits jumped unexpectedly last week as heavy snows caused layoffs to rise.
Now who could have predicted that the northeast would have snow in the winter? Certainly not the climate change advocates who for a long time have given dire predictions of snowless winters. So I guess that leads to the obvious question: could our current employment situation actually be helped if there was actual global warming?

Folks, I warned of continued layoffs in the first quarter of 2010 last year, when some economists looking through their rose colored glasses were talking of an economy that was turning around. In fact as this article points out, economists say the economy has been improving for six months.
The economy has grown for six months but is not yet spurring new hiring. Many economists point out that the current recovery is weak compared to the aftermath of previous deep recessions.
I am not quite sure what they are using to say the economy is improving, but I can tell you that the general atmosphere in the business world is that there is just too much uncertainty, mostly linked to wondering which portion of private sector business is going to be targeted next by the political class to be public enemy number one. There is a ton of uneasiness related to all of the legislation pending or being bandied about in DC, whether it is the health care takeover, punishing companies with profits that some liberal considers to be extreme, or any of the various environmental measures being contemplated.

There is just too much fear in the private sector and a still tight credit market to promote any sort of expansion or risk taking by private business. Amazing, ain't it, that nobody seems offended by obscene profits being posted by Google or Microsoft?

So let's blame the snow instead of the real reasons. I can't wait until Congress subpoenas Frosty the Snowman to come testify in defense of the obscene levels of snowfall while he was taking exotic vacations to the North Pole. Sounds about as reasonable as their pursuit of a playoff in college football and steroids in baseball.

Stunner: Unemployment Claims Jump 'Unexpectedly'

It's comical how every story about job losses always calls it unexpected, with pointy-headed experts baffled by the news. Maybe someone can ask Professor Obama about this grim news today during his six-hour lecture to Republicans.
The number of new claims for unemployment benefits jumped unexpectedly last week as heavy snows caused layoffs to rise.

In addition, many state agencies in the mid-Atlantic and New England regions that process the claims were closed due to the storms and are now clearing out backlogs, a Labor Department analyst said.

The department said Thursday that first-time claims for unemployment insurance rose by 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 496,000. Wall Street analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a drop to 455,000.

Bad weather can cause job losses in construction and other industries sensitive to weather.

Economists closely watch initial claims, which are considered a gauge of the pace of layoffs and an indication of companies' willingness to hire new workers.

The four-week average, which smooths volatility, rose by 6,000 to 473,750.

The four-week average has risen by about 30,000 in the past month, raising concerns that job cuts are continuing. Initial claims had fallen sharply over the summer and fall but the improvement has stalled since the year began.

The economy has grown for six months but is not yet spurring new hiring. Many economists point out that the current recovery is weak compared to the aftermath of previous deep recessions.
Obama practically tripped over himself rushing to his TelePrompter to announce the unemployment reduction to 9.7%. Let's see how fast he or his spokesthing Robert Gibbs trumpets this news.

Another Deadbeat Liberal?

When last seen, late night television non-entity George Lopez was endearing himself to America by calling Sarah Palin a bitch on his program in a weak rehash of lifted material.

Well, it appears Lopez may want to watch the name-calling, espcially since if this story is accurate we can start calling him a lowlife deadbeat.
George Lopez . . . deadbeat?

The highly paid host of TBS's "Lopez Tonight" has allegedly been welshing for more than a year and a half on $21,000 he owes to Joe Torre's Safe at Home Foundation, which helps battered women and their kids.
C'mon, George, it's for the children.
To nudge Lopez into paying, Scavino e-mailed him in December, offering to extend the membership through the 2009 season, but never received a reply.

"Several attempts by the foundation have been unsuccessful in getting the money," a source said. "I think Lopez made that bid just to show off in front of the crowd and to impress Donald Trump."
What is it with all these deadbeat Democrats?

Proof That Illegals Voted in Latest Elections In Georgia

A local news station was able to finally prove that people ineligible to vote were indeed registered and allowed to vote in recent national elections in Georgia. This is something our former Secretary of State, now candidate for governor, Karen Handel, had pursued during her tenure as Secretary of State, only to be denied by the courts.


Our legislature passed a couple of different pieces of legislation designed to screen the voter roles at the behest of her office, only to have a court strike down the laws. A key piece of the reason that the courts turned the laws down is because southern states are still having to deal a particularly nasty piece of legislation, reminiscent of some of the draconian measures imposed on them during Reconstruction, known as the Voter Rights Act.

This news agency was able to do what the government was forbidden to do, which is to crosscheck a couple of different data sources to determine if any people were registered and then subsequently voted illegally. Let's be clear, not all of those who voted were in the country illegally--they may have been here on some sort of visa or work program; however, they were not citizens and therefore not allowed to vote.

The biggest contributor to this being allowed appears to be the Motor Voter legislation. These people were registered to vote while applying for a driver's license. It is still not clear who it was that encouraged and pushed these people to vote. Somebody had to actively seek them out and get them to the polls, as the testimony of one of the women who cast an illegal vote reveals.

The case once again points out the inefficiency of government, which in this case was severely hampered by the liberal attorneys and courts which aided and abetted if not the illegal activity, at the very least prevented the Secretary of State's office from investigating the matter.

Kudos to WSB for devoting the resources and time to getting the data and then poring over it to do all the crosschecking. A big pfffttt for still not allowing your videos to be embedded, forcing me to link to your site instead.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

It's Official: Paterson Needs to Resign

Consider the irony. For weeks there was much hype and speculation a major bombshell from the New York Times would force New York's hapless Governor David Paterson to resign in disgrace. Well, the stories came and went, met mostly by stifled yawns since they involved an aide of his. Well now it turns out during the period when the Times was working on the stories, Paterson seemingly leaned on a woman who had accused his aide of violently assaulting her.

Is he really this clueless?
Last fall, a woman went to court in the Bronx to testify that she had been violently assaulted by a top aide to Gov. David A. Paterson, and to seek a protective order against the man.

In the ensuing months, she returned to court twice to press her case, complaining that the State Police had been harassing her to drop it. The State Police, which had no jurisdiction in the matter, confirmed that the woman was visited by a member of the governor’s personal security detail.

Then early this month, days before she was due to return to court to seek a final protective order, the woman got a phone call from the governor, according to her lawyer. She failed to appear for her next hearing on Feb. 8, and as a result her case was dismissed.

Many details of the governor’s role in this episode are unclear or in dispute, but the accounts presented in court and police records and interviews with the woman’s lawyer and others portray a brutal encounter, a frightened woman and an effort to make a potential political embarrassment go away.

The case involved David W. Johnson, 37, who had risen from working as Mr. Paterson’s driver and scheduler to serving in the most senior ranks of the administration, but who also had a history of altercations with women.

On Wednesday night, in response to inquiries from The New York Times, a senior administration official said Mr. Paterson would request that Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo investigate his administration’s handling of the matter. The official also said the governor would suspend Mr. Johnson without pay. He declined to answer any specific questions about the governor’s role in the matter.

The woman’s lawyer said Mr. Paterson’s call came sometime between Feb. 1 and Feb. 8, the scheduled court date.

The lawyer, Lawrence B. Saftler, said that the conversation lasted about a minute and that the governor asked how she was doing and if there was anything he could do for her. “If you need me,” he said, according to Mr. Saftler, “I’m here for you.”

Mr. Saftler said the governor never mentioned the court case, but he would not say if the call had influenced her decision not to return to court.

The call also came as The Times was examining the background of Mr. Johnson, whose increasing influence with the governor had disturbed some current and former senior aides to Mr. Paterson.

The woman’s lawyer asked that she not be identified by name because she feared retaliation, in part because she works at a public hospital.

The alleged assault happened shortly before 8 p.m. on Halloween in the apartment she shared with Mr. Johnson and her 13-year-old son for about four years, according to police records.

She told the police that Mr. Johnson had choked her, stripped her of much of her clothing, smashed her against a mirrored dresser and taken two telephones from her to prevent her from calling for help, according to police records.
And just now Paterson gets around to suspending this thug? More pathetic, he's going to have Andrew Cuomo, his putative rival for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, investigate him?

He's got to go. Now.
Mr. Paterson, at a meeting with the editorial board of The Times on Feb. 8, said he was angry that a reporter had gone to the home of what he described as “an ex-girlfriend” of an aide. He suggested that the reporter’s real purpose had been to dig up damaging information about him.
And the blockhead was dumb enough to call the same woman himself, but just to, you know, help out.

Well, Dave, that pretty much seals it for you.

Instapundit links. Thanks!

Allahpundit has more thoughts on Paterson.

CA State Hospital Director Charged With Child Rape

On the creepiness scale of 1 to 10, this guy rates about a 65. Nice to see Governor Schwarzeneggar carefully vetting those state employees.
The executive director of Napa State Hospital, a Northern California mental institution whose patients include convicted child molesters, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sexually molesting a foster child in his care for more than a decade.

Claude Edward Foulk, 62 had been charged Tuesday with 35 felony counts, including 22 counts of forcible oral copulation, 11 counts of sodomy by use of force and two counts of forcible lewd act on a child, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

Prosecutors asked that bail be set at $3.5 million.

If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of 280 years in state prison.

An appointee of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Foulk allegedly began molesting the then-10-year-old boy in the fall of 1992, shortly after taking him in as a foster child. They lived in Long Beach at the time, authorities said.

The molestation allegedly continued through 2003, after Foulk and the youth moved to Walnut.

Prosecutors said there are "numerous" additional victims "who fall outside the statute of limitations." According to a statement from the Orange County district attorney's office, they cannot pursue cases of molestation that occurred before 1988 because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Police were alerted to the allegations of sexual assault last year after one alleged victim, now in his 40s, discovered that Foulk was in charge of a hospital in Northern California.

How Cute: Anthony Weiner Melts Down on House Floor



Chuckie Schumer Jr. has himself a temper tantrum. He was in the midst of freaking out and saying Republicans were "wholly owned" by the insurance industry which, if so, is different from being wholly owned by, say, Big Real Estate and Big Law Firm how exactly? Be that as it may, this sniveling prick curiously makes the claim insurance companies cause taxes to go up and also claims he never met a Republicans who wasn't owned by insurance companies, which leads me to believe he doesn't get out much.

Notice the angry, threatening tone toward the end. By this time next year he'll probably have to be sedated after his House floor meltdowns.

Lingerie Model Turned Drug Smuggler

Imagine my shock to discover some models might have a thing for cocaine.
A lingerie model is believed to be the mastermind behind an all-women drug gang that smuggles cocaine into Britain.

An international arrest warrant has been issued for Angie Sanselmente Valencia, 30, who is said to only hire glamour models to transport the drugs from South America to Europe.

It's believed that Colombian-born Valencia had been seeing a Mexican drug lord known as 'The Monster' but split with him at the end of last year to form her own cocaine-smuggling gang.

She is said to describe the women working for her as 'unsuspicious, beautiful angels'. The women are told to be 'nice, but not flashy'.

Valencia, who was crowned Colombia's 'Queen Of Coffee' in 2000, left modelling and moved to Argentina late last year to establish her network.

Her 'angels' were paid £3,200 for each trip they made and one of her gang is believed to have boarded a flight every 24 hours with the packages of cocaine.
From Argentina they would fly up to the Mexican Caribbean resort of Cancun and from there they would smuggle them into Europe.

However her network began to unravel several weeks ago when one of her 'drug mules' was caught at Argentina's Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires carrying 55kg of cocaine.
Fifty-five kilos? That's more weight than most models themselves. Either that's an incorrect figure or she had two large suitcases packed with cocaine.

It also seems her mules aren't the brightest bulbs.
The 21-year-old woman began to talk and within 12 hours police investigators had arrested a further three people.

The drug mule had made no attempt to hide the cocaine in her suitcase because she'd been told no one would stop her at the airport, according to Argentine newspaper La Nacion.

Police are now investigating the gang's links to people working at the airport.
Following the arrests Valencia promptly disappeared from a four-star hotel in Buenos Aires but is still believed to be in the South American country.