Herman Cain Makes His Presence Known In New Hampshire

Herman Cain, the first person to announce his intentions to seek the presidential nomination on the Republican ticket continues to impress folks. Last night the Americans for Prosperity in New Hampshire held a forum in which 5 alleged, or potential candidates were given a chance to give a short speech and then answer a couple of questions from the moderator. Granted this was friendly turf but by a wide margin Herman Cain won the night.

I watched the event streaming on the web and was waiting for videos to come out and now courtesy of The Other McCain I am able to get the video of Herman's speech.

A few quick comments on the others just from my seat on the other speakers.

Former governor Tim Pawlenty led off and was uninspiring while trying to draw distinctions between himself and Mitt Romney.

Rick Santorum was next and was all politician. A couple of buzz words and some catchy phrases designed to curry favor with the crowd but short on substance.

Mitt Romney was next and quickly went into his business credentials and was adequate in his presentation. Where Mitt got into trouble was when questioned on his health care legislation in Massachusetts now referred to as RomneyCare. He got a positive response when he said if Obama, who is constantly drawing comparisons to his plan had called him and asked him he would have told him not to do it. While that is good for a laugh it doesn't undo the harm done. He thereafter referred to RomneyCare as an experiment.

Then there was Herman. He was fiery and passionate and spoke with conviction, something none of the previous folks had done. He laid out his economic plans, which was the purpose of the forum to start with. As always you may or may not agree with all of his proposals but he has put his chips on the table and given a starting point to begin the negotiations. He quite literally stole the night and in so doing allowed folks to become acquainted with him since the regular talking heads and those in the media are ignoring him.

Last was Michele Bachman. First off she was unlucky to have to follow Herman, but secondly she then launched into a laundry list of stuff, all read off of notes prepared for her that quite simply had my eyes glazing over. She was putting out so much stuff that you couldn't keep up and if she had some good ideas they simply got lost in rapid fire delivery she employed.

So anyway enjoy the video of Mr Cain, truly the only one worth watching from last night.

Brilliant: Connecticut Governor Wants to Raise Gas Tax

Hey, the poor schlubs in this wall-to-wall Democrat state just aren't paying their fair share, I guess. I mean, all he wants is a mere three extra cents a gallon on top of the 25 cents they're already hitting the people up for. This is such a brilliant plan I'm surprised Obama and his merry band of Congressional idiots haven't come up with this idea on the national level. So the governor is scratching his pointy head wondering how anyone could object.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy often defends his proposal to raise Connecticut's gas tax amid skyrocketing prices at the pumps by arguing the extra money is needed to fix the state's roads and bridges.

But the idea of tacking on another three cents to the state's 25-cent-per-gallon excise tax isn't sitting well with members of the Democratic governor's own party, or with many motorists.

"This is not the time, that's for sure," said Fred Smith of Columbia, after spending more than $28 to buy just seven gallons of gasoline for his pick-up truck last week. "The roads aren't going to get any better by hiking the gas three cents. ... There are so many people on unemployment right now. What are you going to do?"

What are you going to do? Go to Rhode Island to buy gas.

Right now the national average for a gallon of regular gas is $3.91, up two cents from yesterday.

In Connecticut the average is $4.20 a gallon.

The high gas prices in the state has people living along Connecticut's border traveling to Rhode Island for cheaper gas.

The price difference is significant. Compared to a nearby Connecticut station, a station in Westerly Rhode Island is 23 cents cheaper and offers a twenty cents savings. It's enough to get Conor Gleason to cross the state line for fill ups.

"It's definitely cheaper than my town I know, I was at the gas station in my town today and I went by and it was $4.25, so it's saving a quarter over here, so it gives me another reason to come," says Gleason of North Stonington.

Update: Apparently the madness has spread to Maryland. Gee, these Democrats are really in touch with reality.

Watching Royal Wedding, 'The View' Idiot Asks 'Where Are All the Black People?'

It just doesn't get any dumber than this.

The ABC network even found their own all-American William and Kate to marry on air. However, the presenters on the American morning talk show The View marred the celebrations with controversial comments.

Comedian Joy Behar said the Queen had dressed like a 'bumble bee' while comedian Sherri Shepherd asked 'where are all the black people?'

More here.

The star said she had earlier searched through the footage of guests at Westminster Abbey.

'Audrey Jones our producer was looking for the black people in the wedding and we found our Rosa Parks moment, because we were like 'where are the black people'?' she said.

'It was like where's Waldo, where are the black people?' she added.

Does she realize there isn't any black royalty in England?

One enterprising blogger did find a famous black person there.

Chris Christie Gets a Standing Ovation ... at Harvard

Wait, what? At Harvard? Indeed.

Conservatives may see Harvard as the heart of liberal darkness, but on Friday it gave a warm, even enthusiastic reception to Gov. Chris Christie and his ideas on education overhaul.

Speaking to almost 200 students and staff members at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the New Jersey governor drew rounds of applause with his talk of sharply limiting teacher tenure, rigorously evaluating teachers and administrators, curbing the power of teachers’ unions and pledging to appoint more-conservative justices to the State Supreme Court.

Mr. Christie’s first ovation came when he said, “The reason I’m engaging in this battle with the teachers’ union is because it’s the only fight worth having.”

The ground he covered would be familiar to anyone who has watched the town hall-style forums in New Jersey that have made Mr. Christie a YouTube star. There, at least a few detractors usually show up to question him, and his policies and pugnacious statements can make even some supporters uncomfortable.

But here, during Mr. Christie’s 40-minute opening talk and a question-and-answer session of the same length, the response was less equivocal.

“I came away very encouraged, and I admire him for saying things that might be unpopular,” said Matt Shiraki, 26, a graduate student at the Kennedy School of Government.

The closest thing to a hostile question Mr. Christie faced came after he embraced the title bestowed on him recently by The New York Times Magazine: The Disrupter. Jenny Hanson, a graduate student in education, told him that she liked his ideas, but added, “I think using language like ‘disrupter’ and ‘battle’ and ‘fight’ could prevent buy-in.”

Mr. Christie, uncharacteristically, said he often thought about — and “struggled a lot” with — the notion that he is too combative, his language too harsh.

But he said he would not change his tone until the teachers’ union, the New Jersey Education Association, agreed that schools are in crisis and showed more willingness to make major changes.

“I have to convince the public that the house is on fire,” he said.

He saved some choice comments for the thugs from the NJEA.

Christie spoke about various obstacles to reform and cited the New Jersey Education Association, which he called a “political thuggery operation” and said was “fat, rich and entitled.”

Earlier this month, Christie referred to the leadership as “bullies and thugs” during a speech in New York.

An NJEA spokes-thug responded.

Now the governor is exporting his lies to Massachusetts, maybe because they’re not selling here in New Jersey," Wollmer said.

Uh, yes, they are.

Update: Via the comments, a first-hand account. If anyone has video, feel free to forward.

Uh, No, Media Pinheads, Romney Doesn't Really Want to Hang Obama

I guess using the wond hang in the same sentence as "Obama" will now be off limits. Talk about a non-story.

A comment about figuratively "hanging" President Obama with poor economic news has no alternate meanings, a spokeswoman for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) said Saturday.

"It is not what the governor meant and that was very clear in what he actually said," Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in a statement to The Hill on Saturday. "It's a ridiculous exaggeration of his actual comments."

At the conservative Americans for Prosperity dinner on Friday, Romney, a highly likely presidential candidate, referred to the so-called "misery index" Ronald Reagan used to criticize President Jimmy Carter's economic record -- a familiar theme in Romney's nascent campaign -- but the former governor tripped on his words.

"We're gonna have to hang the Obama misery index around his neck, and I'll tell you the fact that you've got people in this country really squeezed with gasoline getting so expensive, with commodities getting so expensive; families are having a hard time making ends meet. So we're gonna have to talk about that," Romney said. "And housing foreclosures and bankruptcies and higher taxation -- we're gonna hang him with that..."

Indeed, Obama should have his entire miserable record hung around his neck. Figuratively, of course.

Talk about taking his comments entirely out of context.

Palin Sued for Causing Traffic or Something

Palin Derangement Syndrome: There is no known cure.

Sarah Palin is being sued for more than $100,000 by an longtime Alaska political activist who said the hockey mom tried to railroad him while she was governor.

Theodore "Chip" Thoma of Juneau alleges Palin launched a campaign "to punish, embarrass, discredit and silence" him after he raised serious concerns about traffic in the neighborhood surrounding the governor's mansion.

Thoma's attorney, James McGowan, said that after Thoma complained about tour bus traffic on the narrow streets around Palin's place, the governor attempted to turn the tables and make it appear as if Thoma were directing "some unsavory and lunatic" campaign against the first family, the Associated Press reports.

The traffic was due, in part, to Palin's sudden national fame after she was picked by Republican Sen. John McCain to be his running mate in his failed bid for president.

Thoma is a 2010 recipient of the Celia Hunter Award for Outstanding Volunteer Contributions presented by the Alaska Conservation Foundation.

This sets up a convenient narrative should Palin enter the 2012 presidential race. All the stories will lead with "Sarah Palin, currently being sued in Alaska, has thrown her hat in the ring..."

Pundit Turns Tables on Race-Obsessed MSNBC Dimwit, Calls Her 'Racer'

The obsessed left just cannot move on from this whole birther thing. Now that Obama finally came up with ID, these clowns are clinging like rabid dogs to it, and focusing on race. It's all the have left. Their guy is a miserable failure, so all they can do is make baseless allegations.

Via Breitbart. Speaking of Andrew Breitbart, here he is with Jason Mattera discussing the media's never-ending obsession with calling people racist simply because they have differing political viewpoints.



I'm sure most of you detest Bill Maher, but tune in this week as Breitbart appears. Should be interesting.

Teacher Celebrates Zen Moment By Strolling Naked Through School With 'Third Eye' Open

I'll have some of what this cat's smoking, although I promise I'll keep my clothes on.

A teacher in the middle of a sudden spiritual awakening celebrated his moment of Zen by stripping naked and strolling the hallways of his school in the nude, police said.

Harlan Porter was arrested and charged with public indecency for his impromptu strip show at the B.C. Haynie Elementary School in Morrow, Ga, The Smoking Gun first reported.

School staff members called police at around 3:20 p.m. on April 22 after seeing Porter take off his clothes and roam the building in his birthday suit.

Although no students were in the school at the time, Porter was fired from his job.

Porter, 31, was found by police sitting in the teacher's lounge.

Under questioning, he explained to cops that he "reached a new level on enlightenment" and that he "wanted everybody to be free now that his third eye was open," according to a Morrow Police Department report.

Despite losing his job, Porter expressed a desire to continue teaching, although "on a new level, with hands in the earth, gathering the essence and learning how to love one another and fully appreciate the spiritual realm."

Fellow teachers at the school described Porter as a vegan who avoided both drugs and alcohol.

"However on the date in question they noticed that he was drinking a coke and had gone to taco bell to get tacos for lunch," the police report said.

Former Obama Supporter Calls Administration Marxist and Fanatical: 'They Might as Well Put on the Brown Shirts and Swastikas'

On today's Laura Ingraham Show, Harry Alford, the President and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, went nuclear on Obama. I suspect he'll soon be a pariah in the black community.

Such rhetoric gets folks called racist nowadays. Alford has done more for black-owned businesses than Obama ever will.

Asked by Ingraham why he voted for Obama: "Because he was black".

Thanks to Matt Wolking for the clip.

Emmy Award Winning Editor Lies, Journalistic Integrity Dies

He has won eight Emmy's, is the editor-in-chief of a weekly publication geared towards the African-American community, a staunch Democrat supporter and master of playing 5 card Hold 'Em race poker.

Oh yeah, and he lies about being assaulted at a metro Atlanta commuter station in an attempt to ratchet up pressure against the so-called rapid transit system.

Longtime Atlanta broadcaster Maynard Eaton has retracted comments made last Friday about an alleged attempted robbery at the Peachtree Center MARTA station.

Eaton had told the AJC he tumbled down an escalator after a group of young men tried to steal his laptop. The AJC used Eaton's account as part of a story on MARTA safety. On Tuesday Eaton left a voicemail with the newspaper saying, "I made some comments about MARTA ... that I’d like to retract. I simply fell and hurt my own self."

According to an incident report provided by MARTA, Eaton told the officer he "missed a step" on the escalator, causing him to fall. The officer wrote that Eaton was intoxicated.

All the news that's fit fabricated to be news.

Jeez, isn't it nice that bloggers don't have to live up to that whole journalistic integrity thing?

Obama: Sacrificing My Unfunded Utopian Domestic Agenda Would Be Like Mortgaging Our Future, Or Something

Ah, the subtle nuances of Obamanomics. See if you can follow the logic.

If you can't, you're probably a racist.

(CNSNews.com) -- Deficits are not the only thing that could mortgage America’s future, President Barack Obama told Democratic donors in New York on Thursday. He stressed it would be mortgaging the country’s future if government did not spend money on certain areas.

“There’s more than one way to mortgage America’s future,” Obama said at The Town Hall in New York. “We mortgage that future if we don’t get a handle on our deficit and debt, but we also mortgage it if we’re not investing in those things that will assure the promise of the American Dream for the next generation.”

Obama, in the speech, broadly defined the government expenditures needed to ensure prosperity for the next generation that should not be sacrificed for deficit and debt reduction.

“I’m not going to sacrifice investments in education. I’m not going to make scholarships harder to get and more expensive for young people,” Obama said to a cheering crowd. “I’m not going to sacrifice the safety of our highways or our airports. I’m not going to sacrifice clean air and clean water. I’m not going to sacrifice clean energy at a time when we need to free ourselves from dependence on foreign oil, and folks are getting killed at the pump.”

Well, that just about covers everything on Obama's domestic agenda. How convenient.

But don't worry, the historic deficit problem that Obama inherited single-handedly made three times as historic will be addressed by slashing frivolous budget expenditures like the military, and gutting NASA. Those sort of outlays don't have much to with "winning the future" anyway.

Wait, what?

Cross-posted.

Sick: Think Progress Uses Tornado Tragedy To Castigate 'Climate Pollution Deniers'

The soulless goons at Think Progress think it's cute to promote their junk science agenda on the bodies of those killed by tornadoes Wednesday night. Even though so-called global warming, climate change, or whatever they're calling it today had nothing to do with the devastating tornado outbreak in the South, these pigs decide it's a good time to promote their twisted agenda.

The Congressional delegations of these states overwhelmingly voted (HR 910 and McConnell Amendment 183) to reject the science that polluting the climate is dangerous:

ALABAMA: All nine members of the Alabama congressional delegation voted in April to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s endangerment finding for greenhouse pollution.

MISSISSIPPI: Five out of six members of the Mississippi congressional delegation, including both senators, voted in April to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s endangerment finding for greenhouse pollution.

TENNESSEE: Nine out of 11 members of the Tennessee congressional delegation, including both senators, voted in April to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s endangerment finding for greenhouse pollution.

GEORGIA: 13 out of 15 members of the Georgia congressional delegation, including both senators, voted in April to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s endangerment finding for greenhouse pollution.

KENTUCKY: Six out of eight members of the Kentucky congressional delegation, including both senators, voted in April to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s endangerment finding for greenhouse pollution.

VIRGINIA: Eight out of 13 members of the Virginia congressional delegation voted in April to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s endangerment finding for greenhouse pollution. Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) voted to suspend greenhouse pollution rules for two years.

Meteorologists blamed the weather, not so-called climate change.

US meteorologists warned Thursday it would be a mistake to blame climate change for a seeming increase in tornadoes in the wake of deadly storms that have ripped through the US south.

"If you look at the past 60 years of data, the number of tornadoes is increasing significantly, but it's agreed upon by the tornado community that it's not a real increase," said Grady Dixon, assistant professor of meteorology and climatology at Mississippi State University.

"It's having to do with better (weather tracking) technology, more population, the fact that the population is better educated and more aware. So we're seeing them more often," Dixon said.

But he said it would be "a terrible mistake" to relate the up-tick to climate change.

But since when has the left allowed facts to get in the way of their sick agenda?

Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), also dismissed Thursday climate change as a factor in the deadly tornadoes: "Actually what we're seeing is springtime," he said.

Our fellow Americans are digging through the rubble and mourning the dead, and the thugs at Think Progress are politicizing a tragedy. These people have no shame. They're truly evil.

Democrat Bogeyman Paul Ryan Gets Standing Ovation at Town Hall Event

The idiotic left wants to pretend Paul Ryan is facing vociferous opposition as he presents his plans to his Wisconsin constituents. So don't expect to see this video on any of the far-left echo chambers. Think Progress hardest hit.

Via John McCormick.

Americans United For Change, Except When They Are Against It

The old legacy media is hard at work trotting out various trial balloons in their support of the Democrat campaign efforts for 2012. There is the obvious of their promoting Donald Trump, while having to go in to deep denial that he is playing them like a fiddle. One thing Mr Trump has learned from his Apprentice days is that controversy equals ratings and attention. When was the last time you saw a commercial for a reality show, any reality show, that showed the contestants getting along like one big happy family? By having the media seize upon his latest attention grabbing headline whether it is the birth certificate or Obama's grades, he has managed to take attention away from others and promote himself. This is also further proof of the liberal media mindset which dictates they only going to promote the person they think their liberal guy can beat like they did with McCain.

In what has been a continuing narrative now is the shift from identifying Republicans as Republicans. Instead they are labeling them as Tea Party backed. There is a reason for this. They have invested much time and effort in painting the Tea Party folks as just a bunch of crotchety old racist white folks living on the fringe of the political spectrum.

This article caught my attention for a couple of reason. First of course is the headline. Tea Party Lawmaker Frank Guinta Draws Ire Over Medicare Vote. Rep Guinta is a Republican from New Hampshire. The next thing that got my attention was the photo accompanying the article. Anytime you see pre printed mass produced signs it is a good sign that the folks holding them are part of a larger organization such as a union or a liberal front group. That is the case here. If you look at the bottom of the signs you will see the group these folks represent is Americans United For Change dot org.


My blogging experience has taught me that if a group ends with dot org designation there is a very high probably that it is a liberal/progressive group.

I surely can't be the only one who is struck by the irony of a group with change in their title that is against change. The simple fact is the current Social Security system and Medicare program just are no longer viable. They were fine for the WWII crowd, but folks we are 70 years down the road and the realities in American in the 21st century simply don't reflect the conditions that existed in the 1940's.

I have never forgave AARP for being instrumental in killing former President Bush's attempt at overhauling Social Security. I will never be a member of their organization for that reason but then they compounded the problem by participating in the Obamacare legislation to such a degree that they managed to kill all the successful Medicare Advantage programs EXCEPT for the one they offer that is underwritten by United Healthcare. It is just another example of this administration rewarding their supporters and picking winners and losers in the private sector, and at the same time punishing the American people.

Then there is this exchange during the meeting.

"Why Congressman Guinta, why in the world, did you ever vote for the Paul Ryan Medicare plan," asked, Gary Patton, who posed the first question at an often raucous town hall meeting the congressman hosted at a local high school here.

Patton, 73, told Guinta that he was concerned that the plan introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the chairman of the House Budget Committee, would "end Medicare as we know it."

"The proposal that was in the House last week, again, does not affect anyone who is 55 or older," Guinta assured. "I want to try to allay some fears about the proposal, I want to make sure that people have the proper information. If you don't like the plan, let me know that."

It is the same thing that was going on with the Social Security reform efforts. The liberal/progressives have managed to scare senior citizens once again. Just like the Social Security reform this Ryan budget proposal will make no changes to those receiving Medicare currently.

What I am getting tired of is senior citizens getting worked up into a tizzy, and since so many of our legislators fear this crowd and are closer in age to them then they are me, wind up continuing to punish me.

Hey Geritol crowd here's a news flash. It is my benefits they are trying to change, not yours.

Anyway my advice to everyone is 1) When looking for political candidates look for the ones not getting attention by the media to find a conservative probably more in line with your way of thinking and 2) Realize the Tea Party is not a political party. We still have a predominately two party system in this country, Republicans and Democrats.

When was the last time you saw a Democrat labeled as a Move On backed lawmaker?

Oh yeah and as far as that 'ire' directed at the representative goes, he might actually take it serious if the folks acting like children weren't you know, actually children.

Joe Platte, a middle school student from nearby Stratham, N.H., who took a back-row seat at the meeting, interjected: "What about me? I'm 14, what am I going to do."

'Even Against a Largely Unknown Candidate, Obama is Not Able to Reach 50 Percent'

Poor Bammy, he looks so tired. Probably just dying to take a vacation. But he should cheer up. In about 20 months he'll have plenty of free time on his hands.

A struggling economy and concerns over health care are taking their toll on President Barack Obama's job approval numbers in New Hampshire.

According to the latest WMUR Granite State Poll, 44 percent of those polled believe that Obama is doing a good job, while 52 percent disapprove of his performance.

The poll of 504 randomly selected New Hampshire adults was conducted by telephone by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center from April 15 through April 26. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.

Obama's job approval numbers are down 2 points since February. UNH pollster Andy Smith said they spell trouble for the president in New Hampshire.

"The important thing about that from a political science perspective is that 46 percent is the magic number," he said. "If you are above that, a president almost always gets re-elected. Below 46, they often do not get re-elected."

According to the poll, New Hampshire voters are also growing more pessimistic about the direction the country is headed. Only 32 percent of those asked said they think the country is on the right track, while 63 percent said they think the country is headed in the wrong direction.

In matchups against potential Republican presidential candidates, the polls shows Obama would lose to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

The poll shows Romney beating Obama 50 to 43 percent. Smith said the result shows Obama losing steam with a particular group of voters.

"He's in danger of losing those independents," Smith said. "They've been sliding away over the last year because of health care and the continuing weakness in the economy."

Huh? I though once he passed that healthcare scam all would be well? Continued weakness in the economy? The "experts" have been telling us how strong the economy has been? You mean they've been lying?

When pitted against former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Obama comes out on top, 45 to 38 percent. But Smith said again the numbers signal trouble for the incumbent.

"Even against a largely unknown candidate, Obama is not able to reach 50 percent," Smith said. "And then when you put him up against social conservative Mike Huckabee, Obama is still not doing that well. He's leading, but only by a 46 percent to 42 percent margin over Huckabee."

If Obama isn't close to 50% nationally I suspect his Secretary of State will be oiling up her campaign machine in about six months.

Shadowy Extremist Group Launches Obama Re-election Campaign

In case you don't get the subtle, underlying message here, the Republicans are extreme or something.

Former White House officials launched a new group on Friday intended to fend off conservative attacks on President Obama's reelection with unlimited campaign cash.

Former Obama deputy press secretary Bill Burton announced the long-expected formation of Priorities USA and Priorities USA Action, twin groups that will take advantage of campaign finance loopholes President Obama had previously decried.

The groups opened up shop on Friday with a website and video attacking the "extreme right," showcasing examples of some Republican presidential candidates' harsh rhetoric toward Obama, as well as the deep-pocketed conservatives that support them.

The groups in many way mirror their counterparts on the right, American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, the two GOP-boosting groups founded by Bush political guru Karl Rove and another senior Bush aide and longtime Republican figure, Ed Gillespie.

Crossroads GPS took advantage of elements of the tax code to collect unlimited donations from individuals and corporations to spend tens of millions of dollars against Democratic candidates in the 2010 election.

Priorities USA Action will take advantage of the same part of election law, opened by the Supreme Court's "Citizens United" decision, to raise and spend millions in similar, unlimited donations, to defend Obama and go on the attack against the GOP.

After decrying anonymous donors to the GOP, this extremist group will be raking in money from anonymous donors.

Mr. Obama has spoken out against such outside groups in the harshest terms, using a radio address in August to complain of their ads, “We don’t know who’s behind these ads and we don’t know who’s paying for them.”

But the White House gave its veiled, but public approval to Democrats looking to form such groups after the party took a beating in last fall’s congressional elections and the Republican groups indicated they planned to play an even bigger role in 2012 against the President.

Officials with the group said seed money has come from the Service Employees International Union and the film mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg.

CNN's Paul Begala, aka The Forehead, will be among the extremists behind this shadowy group.

"We're eager to meet Karl Rove and the Koch brothers in the public arena," said Begala. "As long as they're spending millions telling lies in their effort to destroy the middle class, we will answer them by telling the truth."

Khadafy Unveils Special Forces

Seems so long ago when our kinetic military action was going to finish off Moammar Khadafy in a week or so. But our fearless Commander-in-Chief has moved on to more pressing concerns, like sitting down for Oprah and marathon fundraising efforts. Now we can't even defeat old ladies and teenagers.

A desperate Moammar Khadafy is reduced to training grannies to fight for him.

The Libyan leader's regime boasted in a propaganda show that it has drilled hundreds of retirees, including old women, and teens as young as 15 to use weapons and form a civilian army in case NATO ground forces invade Libya.

Western reporters on a government tour of the Tarhouna camp, near Tripoli, Wednesday saw schoolboys fire Kalashnikov rifles into the air and gray-haired men handle a grenade launcher.

Abdel Monem al-Muftah, who oversees the Tarhouna training, said about 200 people have been trained at each of 15 sites, ranging in age from 18 to 70.

"We want to fight the Americans, the British, the French," said a woman who gave her name only as Fatima.

High-school student Sanna Kanouni, 16, said she was learning how to handle a rifle to repel the "barbarian, colonial, Crusader aggression."

The hastily arranged press show appeared designed to rally support for the regime and back government claims that thousands of Libyans have been given rifles to defend against NATO.

In another outrage, Khadafy loyalists are increasingly using rape as a weapon -- and some have been issued Viagra, diplomats at the United Nations were told.

Several diplomats who attended a closed-door Security Council meeting on Libya said US Ambassador Susan Rice raised the Viagra issue.

Unreal: Bottom-Feeding Lawyer Gloria Allred Hits New Low at Bizarre Press Conference

This should clear up any confusion in your mind concerning the precise mechanics of sodomy. Good thing Gloria Allred had a Louisville Slugger and an assistant handy here, or I'd still be scratching my head trying to figure out what Roger McDowell's latest prank heinous hate crime was exactly.

Dude's been on the lam ever since the Keith Hernandez Spitball Assassination of '87, I guess it's about time he faced justice.

Now, can anyone please tell me what those two young girls are doing up there with her?



h/t: Breitbart.

Cross-posted.

Leftwing Drone Cites "Nobel Prize-Winning Economist" Paul Krugman at Town Hall, Hearty Laughter Ensues

Seems the Nobel Prize just isn't as prestigious as it once was, back in the days when only the true greats like Yassar Arafat and Al Gore were awarded the medal.

Eh, never mind.

The good part comes around the 1:20 mark.



Andrew Stiles has more over at NRO, including the ThinkProgress version of the video which conveniently edits out the gut-busting laughter at Krugman's expense.

Cross-posted.

Mensa Members Behar, Jackson, Schieffer: Of Course Trump is Racist

When you're unable to think coherently, just call people racist. Of course the word has lost all meaning since this is the all-purpose dog-whistle for these bottom-feeders.

The co-hosts on "The View" started by trashing Trump over his recent remarks suggesting President Obama wasn't qualified to attend Columbia and Harvard universities.

"It's very racist," said Joy Behar Wednesday, noting Obama "wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth" like Trump. "He can't fathom that a black man could be that smart. That's what's behind this."

CBS News' Bob Schieffer echoed the sentiment.

"That's just code for saying he got into law school because he's black," he said Wednesday. "This is an ugly strain of racism that's running through this whole thing."

Fringe extremists have long argued that Obama is ineligible to serve as President because he wasn't born in the U.S. - usually claiming that he was instead born in in his dad's native Kenya.

Many, including Jesse Jackson, liberal talk radio show host Cenk Uygur and Whoopi Goldberg of "The View" say such birtherism is just dog-whistled racism.

"I'm getting tired of trying to find reasons not to think of stuff as being racist," said Goldberg, who has had previous spats with Trump. "Being black, when you say, 'You know, this is racist,' 9,000 people say,, 'Oh, no, you're just playing the race card.' Well, you know what? I'm playing the damn card now."

Nice to see "newsman" Schieffer remaining objective about things.

Not mentioned, naturally, is the fact this birther talk began with Hillary Clinton associates.

That theory first emerged in the spring of 2008, as Clinton supporters circulated an anonymous email questioning Obama’s citizenship.

“Barack Obama’s mother was living in Kenya with his Arab-African father late in her pregnancy. She was not allowed to travel by plane then, so Barack Obama was born there and his mother then took him to Hawaii to register his birth,” asserted one chain email that surfaced on the urban legend site Snopes.com in April 2008.

So using their logic, Mrs. Clinton is a fringe, extreme racist. Thanks for clearing that up.

Also noted at that link is the fact over half of Democrats are 9/11 truthers. So a majority of the Democrats are also obviously "fringe" extremists.

In 2006, an Ohio University/Scripps Howard poll found that slightly more than half of Democrats said they suspected the Bush Administration of complicity in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Goldberg and Behar don't seems to have any problem with 9/11 truthers, yet they can read minds and tell people are racist.

Rand Paul: 'I Want to See the Original Long-form Certificate of Donald Trump’s Republican Registration'

Ouch. It's about time some real Republicans started taking this poser on.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Thursday took a swipe at billionaire businessman Donald Trump, demanding to see his "Republican registration."

While speaking at a breakfast with New Hampshire Republicans one day after "The Donald" visited the Granite State, Paul riffed off of the potential GOP presidential candidate's "birther" questions.

“I’ve come to New Hampshire today because I’m very concerned,” said Paul, according to The New York Times. “I want to see the original long-form certificate of Donald Trump’s Republican registration.”

Paul's comments follow up on some GOP-aligned groups' effort to discredit Trump as a conservative. The free-market Club for Growth has accused Trump of being a liberal for his previous support of universal healthcare and his desire to raise tariffs on China.

Considering Trump's longtime financial support for noxious Democrats, including Chuck Schumer and Anthony Weiner in just the past year, Paul has every right to tee off on Trump. Let's hope more elected Republicans tell him where to go.

So How Was Your Night?

For many of us in the south our night was spent being serenaded by tornado sirens while being dazzled by the light show being put on by Mother Nature.

And we were the lucky ones. For many of my neighbors, dawn couldn't come soon enough and most of us didn't get a lot of sleep. What separated Georgia from Alabama, besides the level of destruction, is that by the time the storms got here the sun had set. A tornado could have set down and nobody would see it. Just hear it.

Here is some video of a town just to the north of me called Ringgold.

There is another town, Trenton, GA that folks are still trying to find this morning. Eyewitnesses can only say it is gone. The fact that the loss of life in the northwest corner of Georgia so far has been low is incredible, but with all the reports of the devastation we expect that to rise through the day.

How bad was it? Because of the darkness while radar could track the storms the only way meteorologists had of telling if a possible tornado had set down was by tracking what they called 'debris balls' on the radar.

But the sun did rise today, and the people around these parts will roll up their sleeves and get to work helping their neighbors and we will make this right. There will probably be little coverage cause you just won't find victims. You find survivors.

Wonkette Creep Suddenly Concerned About Journalistic Ethics

A week after becoming an Internet pariah for his disgusting treatment of Trig Palin, lowlife Jack Stuef takes ABC News to task for their coverage of Gabrielle Giffords.

HAHA, NICE TRY, STAFF MEMBERS WHO GOT SHOT AND WORK FOR A PERSON WHO GOT SHOT! You thought news organizations would be respectful enough of this tragedy to not try to stick their cameras under the things you used to cover her face? WRONG! ABC News has no such scruples! Journalism!

Ugh, but isn’t it annoying ABC News’ photog spies had to shoot this photo from so far away? We want to see what clothes this recovering shooting victim is wearing! Tell us, ABC News, is Giffords’ outfit a hit, or is it a fashion faux pas?! What do you think an elected official recovering from the hole shot into her brain should wear when she’s watching her husband’s shuttle launch, fashion experts? And more importantly, where are the upskirt photos?! We want to see what her vagina looks like!

Gross.

The commenters there have apparently learned little.

In a way this is at least consistent, on the part of the press. Ever since the invention of Sarah Palin, the media has begun to cover random mental patients, frauds, and imbeciles as if they were real policy experts who have political relevance. Now here we have an example of the media covering a real politician as if she was some random coked-up celebutards, or the chubby charity-grifting daughter of a snowbilly grifter. Its an homage, really, that Gabby is now getting the same treatment the press used to reserve for people like Princess Dianna, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and festering pile of shit Donald Trump.

Obama Milking Birth Certificate Story: 'Today Was a Fun Day. Nobody Checked My ID at the Door'

Good to see he's getting back to the serious issues like fundraising and schmoozing with Oprah and getting past all the silliness.

President Obama crashed the Big Apple on Wednesday night for a hobnobbing, glad-handing, check-cashing blitz from the upper East Side to midtown.

A trio of fund-raisers included a swank soiree at the Fifth Ave. home of former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, a gala at the Waldorf-Astoria and a jamming Roots concert at Town Hall.

The events were expected to net up to $3 million for the Democratic Party and Obama's 2012 reelection campaign.

The President insisted he'll need it.

He told 60 deep-pocketed donors at Corzine's elegant apartment overlooking Central Park that winning in 2012 is "going to be a little bit harder than the first time around."

He even made a joke about the news that dogged him through the day - the release of his birth certificate.

"Today was a fun day," he cracked. "Nobody checked my ID at the door."

Guests including Democratic royal Kerry Kennedy, cosmetics mogul Bobbi Brown and former Connecticut Senate and gubernatorial hopeful Ned Lamont - and they all gave the maximum $35,800.

At the lavish cash bash at the Waldorf, about 350 Democratic fat cats paid at least $2,500 to enter - and dug deeper for perks like premium seating and a podium shoutout.

Ironically, Obama wants to be seen as the grown-up in this story. I guess cracking cheap jokes elevates him above everyone else.

Meanwhile, bitter clingers in the South were devastated by massive tornadoes, with the death toll up to at least 173 people as of this morning. It obviously wasn't a fun day for them.

Obama managed to find a minute in between his marathon fundraising to offer his condolences.

"Michelle and I extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives because of the tornadoes that have swept through Alabama and the southeastern United States," he said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to all those who have been affected by this devastation, and we commend the heroic efforts of those who have been working tirelessly to respond to this disaster."

Khadafy Daughter Taunts Obama: He's 'Achieved Nothing So Far'

I've got to admit she does have a valid point. Well, I guess he's achieved putting the birther issue to rest before lapsing back into his characteristic silliness by appearing with Oprah. Other than that, I can't think of anything.

The daughter of Colonel Gaddafi has taunted President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, saying the President has 'achieved nothing' while chastising Mrs Clinton for not leaving her husband after he had an affair.

In response to Allied attacks on her native Libya, Aisha Gaddafi used personal jibes to try to rattle the American leadership.

While calling for open talks to begin to try to end the conflict in Libya, Ms Gaddafi said President Obama had 'achieved nothing so far'.

The glamorous Lawyer, once dubbed 'North Africa's Claudia Schiffer' because of her long blonde locks, then posed a personal question to Secretary of State Mrs Clinton about her husband Bill's affair with Monica Lewinsky when he was President.

'Why didn’t you leave the White House when you found out about the cheating of your husband?' she asked rhetorically, while laughing.

Ouch. Of course we all know the answer to that.

'The People Who are Threatening Not to Pass the Debt Ceiling are Our Version of al Qaeda Terrorists. Really'

Way to elevate the dialogue. I've come to expect this drivel from the left, but now it's coming from former George W. Bush's former Treasury Secretary. You can disagree on principle, but calling people who've got a legitimate gripe like al Qaeda? What a douchebag.

Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill compared lawmakers trying to block a debt-ceiling increase to terrorists.

Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill compared lawmakers trying to block raising the debt ceiling to "al Qaeda terrorists.""The people who are threatening not to pass the debt ceiling are our version of al Qaeda terrorists. Really," O’Neill, Treasury secretary in the Republican administration of George W. Bush, said Wednesday in an interview with Bloomberg Television's InBusiness with Margaret Brennan.

"They're really putting our whole society at risk by threatening to round up 50 percent of the members of the Congress, who are loony, who would put our credit at risk," O’Neill said.

Naked Workouts: Nice Idea in Theory, But...

As Seinfeld once observed, there is "good naked" and "bad naked".

Here we definitely have a case of "bad naked." If you must, click to see - but trust me, you won't be doing yourself any favors.

One can just imagine the wild, jiggly scene going on over by the treadmills at this Spanish gym.

Easy Gym in the Basque region is the first gym in the country to offer special exercise sessions for nudists.

The workouts were thought up as a response to the nation's recession, which had hit gym membership, owner Merche Laseca told the BBC.

"With the crisis we noticed there were fewer people using the gym," he said.

"I'm not a nudist myself, though I have no problem with it. But this initiative is about the money."

***

"Doing sport without clothes is natural - and much more comfy."

Well, sure. Doing lots of things without clothes is "natural and much more comfy." Tax returns, graphic design, carpentry - these things are all very doable in the nude.

But for most people this is not advisable.

Via Hot Air Headlines.

Cross-posted.

'She Needs To Be Very Careful...'

Gee, we never saw this coming. Oh wait, actually we did.

A MUSLIM actress has caused a storm by posing naked for Playboy.

Sila Sahin has been branded a "whore" and a "western slut" after appearing topless on the cover of the German edition of the men's magazine.

And Islamic fanatics have posted threatening internet messages.

Sila, raised in Germany by conservative Turkish parents, says she fears being "spat at" and "shamed".

Her parents are said to have reacted with "horror" at the 12-page coverage, and her mother has apparently cut off all contact.

Sila, 25 - star of German soap Good Times, Bad Times - claimed the shoot was a reaction to the "slavery" of her youth.

She added: "What I want to say with these photos is, 'Girls, we don't have to live according to the rules imposed upon us'.

"For years I subordinated myself to various societal constraints. The Playboy photo shoot was a total act of liberation."

But Islamic internet sites are being monitored by the BND - the German intelligence agency - after threats were posted about her "shaming Muslim womanhood" and "prostituting herself for money".

One poster on the Jihad Watch website wrote: "She needs to be very careful..." Another simply said: "She must pay."

A kebab shop owner, asked on German TV what he would do if Sila were his daughter, replied: "I would kill her. I really mean that. That doesn't fit with my culture."

And what culture is that exactly?

Maybe some of these cavemen need impotence injections like their brethren.

Seniors Most Receptive to Ryan Budget Plan

Looks like those astroturfed townhall protests staged by the left are being confronted by a stark reality.

A new Gallup/USA Today poll contains a counterintuitive finding: the age group most receptive to House Budget Chair Paul Ryan's plan to deal with the budget - seniors.

The poll finds 48 percent of seniors (those 65 and over) support Ryan's plan over President Obama's plan, while 42 percent back the president.

That's the highest total among the age groups tested - a 47 percent plurality between the ages of 50 and 64 backed Ryan, and a 45 percent plurality of those between 30-49 backed Ryan. But young voters overwhelmingly sided with Obama by a 23-point margin, 53 to 30 percent.

Overall, 44 percent back Obama's plan, while 43 percent support Ryan.

Republicans hold a double-digit lead over Democrats in public perception of which party would do a better job dealing with the federal budget, according to the survey. 48 percent prefer Republicans, while 36 percent prefer Democrats in Congress.

Confirmed: Obama Most Incompetent President Born on American Soil

I guess Obama milked this non-story long enough, so here it is.

The White House released President Obama's original birth certificate Wednesday.

The surprise release follows recent and sustained remarks by businessman Donald Trump, among others, that raised doubts as to whether the president was born in the United States.

In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper Monday, Trump repeated his doubts and said he had been told the certificate was "missing."

A new CNN investigation revealed earlier this week what most analysts have been saying since the "birther" controversy erupted during the 2008 presidential campaign: Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

So, about those college transcripts...

Update: The White House manages to incorporate the release of this, which could have simply been done years ago, into a campaign pitch.

At a time of great consequence for this country – when we should be debating how we win the future, reduce our deficit, deal with high gas prices, and bring stability to the Middle East, Washington, DC, was once again distracted by a fake issue. The President’s hope is that with this step, we can move on to debating the bigger issues that matter to the American people and the future of the country.

Minor Traffic Delays Expected for Obama Fundraising Trip to NYC Tonight

By minor, we mean expect the entire metropolitan area to come to a grinding halt as King Obama graces New Yorkers with his presence for the third time this month. This should go over well with the suckers who'll all be voting for him again next year.

President Obama loves New York, and on Wednesday, he's coming to town once more. The timing couldn't be worse, thanks to a 7 p.m. Yankees game and matinee day in the Theater District. Public schools also return from recess Wednesday.

Obama is scheduled to arrive at Kennedy Airport about 5 p.m. Then it's a short chopper ride to Wall St. and up the FDR Drive to the 61st St. exit, where he'll cut over to Fifth Ave. and the upper East Side for a fund-raiser. The FDR Drive below 63rd St., York through Fifth Aves. and the Central Park transverse roads will all be frozen. Fifth Ave. will be closed from 86th to 59th Sts. between 6p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Then it's off to the Waldorf-Astoria, between Park and Lexington Aves. from 49th to 50th Sts., for a fund-raiser from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. before heading to Town Hall at 43rd St. between Sixth Ave. and Broadway to attend a reception from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The gridlock dust finally settles about 11:30 p.m. as the President heads crosstown to the FDR and the Wall St. Heliport for the flight back to Washington. All avenues from Eighth to First along with the FDR will be frozen once more.

I guess considering the plight of New Yorkers would factor into his visit. Well, if he thought about anyone but himself, of course.

Finally: Law & Order to Tackle Giffords Shooting

Just a hunch, but the left may finally get the storyline they were so desperate to write January 8.

The latest “ripped from the headlines” plot on the cop drama "Law & Order" is inspired by one of the more tragic episodes in our very recent past: the shooting of Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and massacre of five others at a grocery store just three months ago.

The episode, which is being filmed for the Los Angeles version of the series, started shooting Monday, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Federal Judge John Roll was killed, along with six other victims, including a small child, when a gunman attempted to assassinate Giffords, shooting her in the head at a "Congress on Your Corner" gathering outside of a suburban Tucson Safeway grocery store on January 8th.

We'll go out on a limb here and predict the shooter in the episode will be a cartoon caricature of a "hate radio" listener who's inspired to murder after attending a Tea Party rally.

Fresh Off Grueling West Coast Fundraising Blitz, Captain Awesome Heading to NYC for More Fundraisers

It's gotten to be a such a running gag that even the very liberal New York Daily News is suggesting he get an apartment in the city. May I suggest a place at the Trump Tower? He spends his days demonizing oil companies and then burns thousands of gallons of jet fuel shaking down the stooges for his never-ending campaign.

Brace yourself, New York City!

President Obama is returning Wednesday for his third visit in less than a month, bringing the increasingly familiar swirl of traffic - and buckraking - that surrounds presidential campaigns.

Obama will schmooze with fat cats at a high-dollar fund-raiser at the Waldorf-Astoria, mingle with guests at the home of Sharon Elghanayan, a psychotherapist who married former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine last fall, and then address fans at a Roots concert at Town Hall.

The President formally launched his 2012 reelection bid this month and is signaling that New York is a place he'll visit early and often.

"[New York] is where the money is and where the media is," said Ken Sherrill, a political science professor at Hunter College. "It's very efficient to campaign here because it resonates nationally, particularly with his base."

It'd be a lot more efficient if he just stayed home and had his fat-cats just mail the checks in. This guy says it resonates nationally. It sure does. People who can't afford gas because of his policies see him jetting around at taxpayer expense and seethe. Indeed, it is resonating.

Building on a swank Harlem fund-raiser he held here last month that raised a cool $1.5 million for his party, the President plans to mingle with big donors tonight, first at the fund-raiser in a private Fifth Ave. home.

Then he'll grip-and-grin at the gala on the Waldorf's Starlight Roof. The fete is hosted by Gov. Cuomo and Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by the Daily News.

Donors must pony up at least $2,500, with $5,000 buying premium seating and $10,000 buying a "photo reception." In exchange for raising $100,000, donors get a shoutout from the podium, a VIP reception and a listing in the dinner program.

But don't forget, the GOP is the party of the rich or something.

His wife must be getting antsy having to stay at home with the kids while he flies all over piling up the cash. I imagine he'll have to make it up to her with another date night in NYC pretty soon.

Obama in Mourning as Inventor of Teleprompter Passes Away

A somber day in Washington.

Hubert J. “Hub” Schlafly Jr., a television engineer who aided countless politicians and performers when he helped invent the scrolling public-speaking crutch known as a teleprompter, died April 20 of undisclosed causes at a hospital in Stamford, Conn. He was 91.

Inspiration for the teleprompter came in the late 1940s from a Broadway actor, Fred Barton, who dreamed up a device that would help him remember his lines. He pitched his idea to Irving Kahn, then vice president for radio and television at 20th Century Fox.

Kahn turned to Mr. Schlafly, director of television research at Fox.

“I said it was a piece of cake,” Mr. Schlafly told the Stamford Advocate newspaper in 2008.

Delusional Bloomberg: GOP Should Stand Behind Obama

Has this guy been sniffing glue or something?

Even the Republican candidates lining up to topple President Obama next year should be supporting him now for the good of the country, according to Mayor Bloomberg.

"We should be behind this president even if you're a candiate who's going to run against him -- which I am not," Bloomberg said in a taped interview with PBS' Tavis Smiley in taking bi-partisanship to its highest level.

Considering how gracious Obama has been towards Republicans it's really so unfair of them to even think about running against him. Strange, but I don't recall the mini-mayor calling for Democrats to stand behind George W. Bush. Must have missed that proclamation.

Oh, and hanks for the reminder you're not running for president. It must have been a couple of weeks now since we heard you claim you're not running.

Let's not forget this craven opportunist changed from Democrat to Republican so he could run for mayor, then later abandoned the GOP and became an independent.

Obama Rails Against Oil Subsidies, Gave ACORN $3 Billion in Stimulus

Yeah, how dare those evil oil companies who produce a product we all need get money from the federal government.

President Obama lashed out at oil companies — and the tax breaks they get from the government — for a second consecutive day on Thursday and again in Saturday's address.

“Four billion dollars of your money are going to these companies at a time when they’re making record profits and you’re paying near record prices at the pump,” the president said at a Nevada town hall. “It has to stop.”

Funny, but he didn't have such objections when the criminal enterprise known as ACORN was given $3 billion in his stimulus scam two years ago.

At least $53 million in federal funds have gone to ACORN activists since 1994, and the controversial group could get up to $8.5 billion more tax dollars despite being under investigation for voter registration fraud in a dozen states.

The economic stimulus bill enacted in February contains $3 billion that the non-profit activist group known more formally as the Association for Community Organizations for Reform Now could receive, and 2010 federal budget contains another $5.5 billion that could also find its way into the group’s coffers.

An Examiner review of federal spending data found that ACORN has received at least $53 million in federal money since 1994.

So glad to see the media point out his hypocrisy. Oh, nobody has?

Cable Clown Who Nobody Misses to Return in June

In a move sure to please hundreds, cable nonentity Keith Olbermann will return to the airwaves on an obscure channel starting June 20. In a a nod to his creativity, the show will be called Countdown With Keith Olbermann. That sounds so familiar.

Keith Olbermann formally announced the start date and the name for his new program on Current TV Tuesday – and it sounds a lot like the old program on MSNBC.

At least the title and the location on the prime-time schedule do. In a presentation on his Web site, FOK News Channel, Mr. Olbermann declared, with some fanfare, that the new show will be called “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” just as his previous show on MSNBC was, and it will begin on June 20 at his old time of 8 p.m. eastern.

If expropriating the title was not enough of a tweak to his former employers at MSNBC, in the video of his announcement on the website (FOK stands for “Friends of Keith” but is also an obvious play on his old rivalry with the Fox News Channel,) Mr. Olbermann also declared that this show, which he several times labeled a “newscast,” will be a place where “journalistic integrity and analytical honesty would never be compromised by corporate synergy.”

An MSNBC spokesman said the network would not comment on Mr. Olbermann’s decision to import the “Countdown” title.

A Tale of Two Schools or Why School Choice Is Important

A recent incident in the beleaguered Dekalb county school system, yet another metro Atlanta school district facing an accreditation battle, points up just why having a school choice is important.

The first participant is Lithonia High School. Last year the school did not meet the goals in the Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) as outlined under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program, and as a result parents were allowed to transfer their kids to a better school.

Well many of the parents did just that and transferred their kids to a Arabia Mountain High School.

There are some distinct differences between the two schools. Arabia requires the wearing of uniforms and boasts of it's numerous academic achievements, although in fairness I am not sold on their whole environmental theme.

Near 100% pass rate on the Georgia High School Writing Test
Highest participation rate of any Georgia high school in the Garden Club of Georgia’s annual essay contest
Technology Student Association (TSA) – 2nd place in System Control Technology at the 2010 State Conference
TSA – 1st place in Agriculture and Biotechnology Design at the 2010 State Conference
TSA – 1st place in Electronic Game Design at the 2010 State Conference
TSA – Arabia’s Andrew W. elected as the 2010-2011 TSA State Reporter
TSA Vex Robotics team winners at the DeKalb County Vex Tournament
3rd place win in the Iron Chef High School Competition held at the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School
Nine Arabia Mountain students were selected to perform in the 2009 Spivey Hall Honor Chorus

Lithonia applauds their athletes and on their main page post several warnings to the students and parents.

Punctuality plays an important role in the development of our students, and being on time to class further ensures optimal class time for instructional purposes.

As we monitor our hallways, we have noticed the number of students intentionally not arriving to class on time has increased. As you are aware, tardies are disruptive and interrupt the entire class during instructional time. Students having four classes in close proximity to each other and five minutes to transition to class on time, it is a reasonable expectation that all students are in class before the tardy bell sounds.

We have instituted a tardy lock-out process where occasional, random, unannounced tardy lock-outs will take place. Those students “swept” up in the lock-out will be escorted to the commons area where a discussion regarding punctuality will take place. The students will sign in, receive their tardy, and report to class. The awarded tardies will be cumulative, though if caught in a tardy lock-out, the following progressive discipline consequences will take place:

1st tardy lock-out : Warning/Parent Phone Call
2nd : Detention/Parent Phone Call
3rd : One Day In School Suspension/Parent Phone Call
4th : One Day Out of School Suspension with a
principal-parent conference and behavior contract
5th : Referral to School Social Worker

and

If a student misses 10 days of school, the Department of Motor Vehicles will rescind their driver's license or permit.

So what happened? Due to overcrowding at the high performing school the school was forced to bring in trailers. Citing a lack of space at the good school they located the trailers on the failing school grounds with the predictable results.

A fight, a near riot and vandalized trailers are why DeKalb County school officials moved 155 students from one campus to another Monday.

The county is going to separate the two schools but this points to one of the main arguments parents make for having a choice in which schools to send their kids too. Parents who are involved and concerned about their kids want to be able to send them to a school where they can have a chance to succeed. They want to get them out of an environment where low expectations are the norm. Remember the students at the high achieving school used to attend the low performing one, but once they were removed from that situation they suddenly became hated. When you punish success, or even the attempt at success you breed a mentality that becomes a deep seated hatred of those trying to climb above the station in life that has been assigned to them.

That applies to academics, business or any other endeavor in life. This lesson is lost on the fairness arguing folks. Life ain't fair. Never has been, never will. In the end we are left the choice to accept what happens to us and use it as an excuse to justify our failures or we treat it as a challenge and rise above it in spite of the obstacles.

Obama Prepares to Dump Biden, Spotted With New Running Mate

He'll do anything to get that all-important bunny vote.

Strong upside: The rabbit won't say nearly as many dumb things as Biden.

The New Tone: DCCC Back to 'Targeting' Republicans

I though this sort of violent and incendiary rhetoric was off limits?

House Democrats’ campaign chief said the targeting of Republicans who voted for the Paul Ryan budget plan will help his party win back two key constituencies it lost in 2010: seniors and independents.

In a recent campaign of robocalls and radio and TV ads, Democrats have hit Republicans for voting for House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) plan to “eliminate” Medicare.

"They have put back into play two critical groups of the electorate, seniors and independents," Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told MSNBC Monday night. "Look, the bottom line is that we lost seniors in 2010 and we lost about 9 million independents in 2010. Now, we lost them because Republicans were effectively able to lie about us on Medicare.

"All we have to do to get them back is tell the truth about wanting to end Medicare and that's precisely what we're doing now and what we're going to continue to do every day," Israel said.

The media blitz is a coordinated effort by Democrats and liberal groups. On Monday night, the DCCC upped the number of targeted districts from 25 to 42.

You've really got to admire the chutzpah of these people. Republicans lied about us, but we're going to tell the truth by lying about Paul Ryan.

If this tool thinks they're going to win back seniors and independents, I say keep it up. He's going to be in for a rude awakening in 2012.

WaPo Juice Boxer: Obama's Really a Moderate Republican or Something

The Washington Post actually pays this moron for this drivel?

America is mired in three wars. The past decade was the hottest on record. Unemployment remains stuck near 9 percent, and there’s a small, albeit real, possibility that the U.S. government will default on its debt. So what’s dominating the news? A reality-television star who can’t persuade anyone that his hair is real is alleging that the president of the United States was born in Kenya.

Perhaps this is just the logical endpoint of two years spent arguing over what Barack Obama is — or isn’t. Muslim. Socialist. Marxist. Anti-colonialist. Racial healer. We’ve obsessed over every answer except the right one: President Obama, if you look closely at his positions, is a moderate Republican of the early 1990s. And the Republican Party he’s facing has abandoned many of its best ideas in its effort to oppose him.

This guy was in diapers in the early 90's, so how on earth would he have any recollection?

This is what the left is reduced to: Trying to rationalize the failures of the most extreme left president in our history and trying to pass him off as some sort of moderate. It isn't working.

Obamamedia Frets: Skyrocketing Gas Prices Could Hurt Dear Leader at Ballot Box

Don't worry, though, they'll manage to find a way to blame Republicans.

Rising gasoline prices are taking a political toll on President Obama, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll finds.

It shows that among people claiming “serious” hardship from pump prices, only 39 percent approve of Obama. Among those who say there is no serious hardship or no hardship, 50 percent and 56 percent approve of the president, respectively.

What's more, among those claiming “serious” hardship, 53 percent say they will not vote for Obama. That number dips to 40 percent among people who say the financial burden is not serious and 39 percent among people who do not report hardship.

“Political support usually rests heavily on economic performance, and there the sharply rising price of gas is taking its expected toll,” a summary of the poll states. The poll also finds that people reporting serious hardship from gas prices are far more likely to believe the economy is getting worse.

Overall, the poll of 1,001 adults finds that 71 percent claim that the run-up in gasoline prices is causing financial hardship for them or others in their household. Forty-three percent called the hardship serious, 29 percent say it isn’t.

Those numbers are similar to polling in the summer of 2008, when gasoline prices reached record highs and the share of people reporting hardship peaked at 77 percent.

The summary notes that gas prices battered former President George W. Bush’s approval ratings just as much as – or more than – Obama’s.

That was probably because when prices surged in 2008 the media led off every newscast with horror stories from gas stations. Usually included tales about people having to decide whether to eat or fill up. We wonder how long the media will avoid doing those reports. Maybe when gas hits $5 per gallon, or $6.

Of course, Obama does have one plan of action: Blame those "greedy" oil companies.

Of course his class warfare rhetoric ignores the fact he happily accepted money from oil companies in 2008.

In the ad, Obama says, "I'm Barack Obama, and I don't take money from oil companies or lobbyists, and I won't let them block change any more."

Obama has taken $213,884 from the oil and gas industry as of Feb. 29th, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Sen. Hillary Clinton has taken $306,813 in that same period.

Two of Obama's campaign bundlers are also CEOs for oil and gas companies, per a list released on his campaign Web site.

Oh, and don't forget who was the largest recipient of BP money.

Despite Slaughter, Syria 'All But Assured' to Be Elected to UN Human Rights Council

Why should a little slaughter prevent Syria from ascending to a seat on the prestigious UN Human Rights Council?

In a move reminiscent of his brutal father, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has dispatched his armed forces to try to snuff out the country’s five-week-old democratic uprising.

Thousands of Syrian troops backed by tanks and armoured personnel carriers stormed the southern city of Daraa on Monday, killing as many as 25 people, witnesses said. It was the first time the Syrian regime has resorted to such extreme measures against civilians in the current crisis.

“This is monumental,” said Barry Rubin, director of the Global Research in International Affairs Centre in Herzliya, Israel, and author of The Truth About Syria. “All the Arab regimes have a three-level priority of response,” he explained.

At the level one, “they hope the protests will go away and can be waited out.” At level two, “they respond with a mixture of repression and promises,” just the way Mr. al-Assad has, Mr. Rubin said. At level three, they resort to “heavy repression and killing people in order to destroy the protests and intimidate people from participation.”

“Assad has now gone to the third level,” Mr. Rubin said, noting that “even in the Shah’s Iran in 1978, as well as Egypt and Tunisia in 2011, the regimes did not go to level three because large elements in the elite did not want to do so.”

But hey, the folks at the UN have their priorities.

Human rights groups and a growing number of governments are working to prevent Syria from being elected to the U.N.'s top human rights body, as President Bashar Assad's security forces crack down on pro-democracy protesters.

Syria's election to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council is all but assured as one of four candidates selected to fill four Asian seats unless another candidate enters the race or Syria fails to win a majority of votes in the May 20 election in the 192-member General Assembly.

Since the 53-member Asian Group endorsed its slate — which also includes India, Indonesia and the Philippines — for the council in January, rights groups and some governments have engaged in a behind-the-scenes effort to keep Syria off the council.

Those efforts have gathered steam since a crackdown on pro-democracy protests since mid-March has left more than 350 dead and hundreds wounded, diplomats said.

One diplomat involved in the process, speaking on condition of anonymity because the consultations are private, said he was confident that another country would be found to contest the election but declined to say which countries were being pursued.

Meanwhile, the White House has sprung into action and is now "considering" sanctions. That ought to scare the pants off Assad.

The White House is considering new sanctions against Syria amid a crackdown by that country’s government against pro-democracy demonstrators.

Syria is one of only four countries on the State Sponsors of Terrorism List and is already subject to heavy sanctions, limiting U.S. options.

As a result, new sanctions are expected to focus on the assets of Syrian officials close to President Bashar al-Assad. Such a strategy would mimic actions taken by the U.S. against Libyan dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi.

Obviously that's been such a success that Gadhafi is still in power. So why would Assad even blink?

U.S. President Barack Obama's direct attack on Assad's regime did little to deter the Syrian president, who apparently decided to escalate violence against the opposition on the assumption that the international community will not take dramatic steps against Syria - that is a similar move to the bombing campaign in Libya.

Assad is, in effect, mocking his international critics. He clearly has little interest in the international community's condemnation. He has understood that the reforms he offered the Syrian public not only did not quell the unrest, but may have even added fuel to the fire.

Newsflash: Rachel Maddow 'The Top US News Anchor', MSNBC Has 'No Political Agenda'

Calling someone from MSNBC the "top" anything is certainly news to us.

"I'm not a screamer," she agrees after the show during a chat in her office, her legs curled up underneath her, and contacts swapped for heavy-framed geekish glasses. "I'm confrontational, but I don't think that translates into anger." What it translates into is ratings. In the first quarter of this year, Maddow's ratings were 26% higher than CNN's talkshow in the same timeslot (1,065,000 to 848,000), which, incidentally, is hosted by Piers Morgan.

I guess they simply have to pretend Fox News doesn't exist in order to buttress the claim she's the "top news anchor in the US," something obviously not supported by the ratings.

Another howler:

Of Fox News, she says simply "When it starts to seem like you have popped into bed with a specific party, it makes it difficult for people to believe you are not doing someone else's bidding for them."

At MSNBC, on the other hand, "there are people here who are identified as liberals, but there is no political agenda".

Really? I guess if you lie to yourself enough you begin to believe it.