Just imagine if Clint Eastwood won an award and said the same thing.
Sean Penn took home the Oscar for best actor on Sunday for his portrayal of slain San Francisco gay rights activist Harvey Milk in the movie "Milk" and used his win to defend the right of same-sex couples to wed.
Penn, 48, picked up the second Oscar of his career, the first being his 2004 win for his lead role as a grieving father in "Mystic River."
"You commie, homo-loving, sons of guns," the sharp-tongued Penn told the audience as he collected his award. "I did not expect this and...I know how hard I make it to appreciate me."
The straight actor's portrayal of an openly gay politician was a timely one -- with "Milk" coming out shortly after California's same-sex couples lost their right to marry in a voter referendum.
"I think it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way," Penn said.
I have written previously about the HBO movie that premiered last night called "Taking Chance", the story of LTC Strobl who escorted the body of LCpl Chance Phelps home for his final trip, and after watching the movie last night all I can say is Bravo! to HBO.
I talked about the movie earlier today on my BTR radio show, (click the icon over on the right to hear the episode), and left my comments over at Blackfive's place in the hopes that the Phelps family will see them.
If you have HBO I can wholeheartedly recommend that you watch this movie, with generous amounts of Kleenex handy.
But this is more then a movie about the sacrifice of a Marine, it is the story of America. The America we don't see on our televisions, but the one in which we all live. Too much of the attention in the media is to that 5% that manage to make asses out of themselves and therefore get more then their amount of attention.
While it is the story about the honor and respect that is shown to the fallen by the military, a much bigger part of the movie shows us just how decent and respectful most Americans are of those who put on the uniform and are willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice to protect the rest of us and our way of lives.
The only big name star in the movie is Kevin Bacon, who played the role of LTC Strobl, the officer who escorted LCpl Chance Phelps' body home for burial. To me that was a good thing. People were not playing watch the stars and instead were drawn to the story.
I was struck by the respect paid to him and to the body of Chance by everyday people all across this nation. People from every walk of life, all age groups, and all areas. Some too young to realize just what it was they were witnessing, but taking their cues from the adults around them knew that something special was occurring.
I will admit to tensing up a few times in the movie, when I saw an opportunity for some left wing, liberal, anti war talking point to be inserted into the movie, but it never happened. I wonder how much peer pressure the producers and directors of this movie must have felt to do something like that? To their credit they did not give in to the temptation, and instead we got a view of the America most of us live in.
It is rare that I can recommend a movie without having to issue some sort of caveat, but I can do it with this one.
The movie will be on HBO for a while, so those that can please make the time to see it. Other viewing options are that HBO is going to make this available "On Demand" starting on Monday for those that have cable service that offers such a feature. For others the DVD should be coming out in May.
During my career I never performed the duties of escort. I have been a notification officer, even though I was an NCO, on a couple of occasions as well as being part of the military funeral detail on numerous occasions. Every time I took my duties seriously and performed my duties with all of the respect and solemnity that was called for. As hard as it was for me, I always realized that it was far harder for those for whom I was performing the service for, and always kept in mind that if the roles were reversed that those that I may have left behind would be accorded the same.
Finally thanks to the Phelps family and LTC Strobl for sharing their story with the rest of us. Cross posted at my place.
Say what you will about George W. Bush, but he's a standup guy who can take a joke and have a laugh at his own expense. More than can be said for most politicians.
Former President George W. Bush has visited a Dallas hardware store that earlier this month made him a lighthearted offer to work as a greeter.
Andrea Bond, a manager at Elliott's Hardware, says Bush walked into the store Saturday and quipped: "I'm looking for a job."
The store had published an open letter to Bush, inviting him to apply for a store greeter position. The tongue-in-cheek appeal appeared in The Dallas Morning News and its commuter-oriented sister publication, Quick.
Bond says Bush spent about an hour shopping and talking to customers during the surprise visit. He bought a few flashlights, batteries and a can of WD-40. He also bought night lights.
Not only can he take a joke, but he even buys a few items. Class act.
It's bad enough Christopher Dodd played a role in the housing market crash and largely avoids any blame, but now whenever he opens his mouth the markets instantly react negatively. It would be nice if he just dummied up and laid low. It would be even nicer if his constituents sent him into political retirement next year.
Last week, the scary word was "nationalization," a government takeover of a business or industry. It's pretty much the worst fear of every capitalist.
A number of the nation's biggest banks -- Citigroup and Bank of America, chiefly -- are sick, their balance sheets poisoned with toxic assets they can't unload, such as mortgage-backed securities.
They are so sick that Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), the powerful head of the Senate Banking committee, nearly sent them into cardiac arrest on Friday with a comment he made.
A little after 1 p.m. on Friday, while speaking on Bloomberg television, Dodd said that nationalization of some of the nation's unhealthiest banks may be necessary "for a short time." ad_icon
"I don't welcome that at all, but I could see how it's possible it may happen," Dodd said.
It's usually a mistake to link market fluctuations to moment-by-moment news.
Not this time.
The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 instantly dove nearly 3 percent following Dodd's comments.
That's not the worst of it: Shares of Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo responded to Dodd's comments by each dropping a staggering 25 percent within minutes.
Dodd's comment was so potent, the White House felt compelled to chime in quickly, saying "a privately held banking system is the correct way to go."
Naturally, in response, the markets ricocheted back up, as did bank stocks, more than recovering their losses, at least for a time.
Forget actually getting justice and forcing the Serbs to hand this monster over. Just arrange some payola and everyone's happy right? Well, that's how the Clintons roll. It all comes down to cash.
One of Hillary Rodham Clinton's first acts as secretary of State was to broker a $1 million blood-money payout by the Serbian government for the New York victim of a vicious beating, high-ranking sources told The Post.
Bryan Steinhauer of Brooklyn, who weighs 135 pounds, is to receive $900,000 for being thrashed to a pulp by classmate Miladin Kovacevic, a nearly 300-pound basketball player, during a barroom brawl near Binghamton University last May.
The Serbian government will also forfeit the $100,000 it posted as Kovacevic's bail.
Steinhauer, 22, spent months near death in a coma. After being arrested on assault charges, Kovacevic skipped the country with travel documents prepared by Serbian diplomats in New York.
The Serbs, who have no extradition treaty with the United States, still refuse to hand over Kovacevic, who has flaunted his freedom and remains unrepentant.
While in the Senate, Clinton ratcheted up the heat on Serbia, demanding the country hand over the 22-year-old fugitive goon to face justice here.
After being named America's top diplomat, Clinton kept the pressure on, via instructions to the US ambassador to Serbia, Cameron Munter.
But with a US trial looking unlikely, the Steinhauer family pushed for a financial settlement to cover Brian's medical bills, sources said.
Munter conducted negotiations with Slobodan Homen, Serbia's state secretary of justice, until the settlement was reached Thursday.
"This was Hillary Clinton's initiative all the way through," said a senior government official in Belgrade, who spoke to The Post on condition of anonymity.
The official added that the Serbian government agreed to the Steinhauer family's demands to maintain good relations with the United States, which provides $50 million in annual aid to the economically ailing Balkan nation.
A State Department spokesman called the settlement "a private matter" between the Serbian government and the Steinhauer family.
So we provide $50 million in aid and they just turn around and sent $900,000 of it back, essentially. Nothing like putting the screws to them and withholding money until they hand this thug over.
I can't wait to see Clinton declare "victory" with this one.
Granted, the Bush administration did little if anything with this case, but this is just a bit unseemly. You know the Serbs will never hand Kovacevic over and now they can claim they've done us a favor.
It's been a banner week for Mrs. Clinton. First she throws human rights under the bus and now she accepts payola in lieu of justice. Apparently nobody cares. If the Steinhauer family so desperately needed money, maybe while she was Senator Clinton she could have helped raise money or, perish the thought, donate some of her own vast wealth.
Hey, the guy had tax issues, so obviously that's a resume enhancer these days. Though it's odd rehiring a guy who caused so many problems that still plague David Paterson to this day.
Charles J. O’Byrne, the former top aide to Gov. David A. Paterson whose resignation amid a tax scandal last year destabilized the administration, will return to help oversee the governor’s 2010 re-election campaign, the governor’s office said on Saturday.
Mr. O’Byrne’s new role will be as an unpaid political adviser, a spokeswoman for Mr. Paterson’s office said, a setup that will allow Mr. O’Byrne to continue to work on behalf of private clients as a consultant.
Mr. O’Byrne’s duties were still being defined, the spokeswoman said. He is expected to have responsibility in helping to run Mr. Paterson’s political operations and to work in a significant way with the governor’s senior staff in the Capitol.
“The governor will have a reinvigorated operation led by O’Byrne that will focus on the re-election,” said one person with direct knowledge of the governor’s plans. “That’s where they decided to deploy him, and he’ll provide guidance to the new internal team about what works for the governor.”
The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss decisions that the administration has not revealed publicly, said it was possible that more top positions in the governor’s cabinet could change hands in the coming days and weeks.
The announcement that Mr. O’Byrne would rejoin the Paterson administration was made just two days after the governor started clearing a path for the former top aide’s return. When asked on Thursday about the possibility of Mr. O’Byrne coming back as the governor’s most senior adviser, Mr. Paterson replied that it was a “fascinating idea” that he planned to discuss with Mr. O’Byrne.
Mr. Paterson’s office released a statement on Saturday evening saying that the governor had spoken to Mr. O’Byrne about rehiring him and that the former adviser agreed to come back in a volunteer capacity.
“Yesterday evening, I met with Charles O’Byrne to discuss the possibility of us working together again,” Mr. Paterson’s statement said. “Charles is very much enjoying his new career and has offered to work as a volunteer in a leadership position with my 2010 campaign.”
Expect this to be the first of many newspaper outfits to file this year. Of course we're anticipating the day when the New York Times files and asks for a government bailout. Heck, we might have to start a pool on what date that will be.
The Journal Register Co., owner of 20 daily newspapers, filed today for bankruptcy protection from its creditors. The Yardley-based company blamed a slump in advertising.
The company operates primarily in the Philadelphia and Cleveland areas, as well as throughout Michigan. Its newspapers include the Delaware County Times and the Trentonian near Philadelphia.
The company would cancel its stock and become a closely held company, owned by its lenders under a proposed reorganization plan filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. It listed debt of as much as $1 billion and assets of between $100 million and $500 million in Chapter 11 documents.
"With the increased competition from other forms of media and slumping advertising revenues, the downward pressure on newspaper earnings will likely remain intense in the near term," company chief executive officer James Hall said in court papers.
Since 2006, the company's revenue has dropped by more than 20 percent, Hall said.
How exactly is commenting on this story misusing it? I guess they prefer we pretend none of this ever happened and make believe that Islam is a gentle, peaceful religion.
Sorry, no can do.
The crime was so brutal, shocking and rife with the worst possible stereotypes about their faith that some U.S. Muslims thought the initial reports were a hoax.
The harsh reality of what happened in an affluent suburb of Buffalo, N.Y. — the beheading of 37-year-old Aasiya Hassan and arrest of her estranged husband in the killing — is another crucible for American Muslims.
Here was a couple that appeared to be the picture of assimilation and tolerance, co-founders of a television network that aspired to improve the image of Muslims in a post 9-11 world.
Now, as Muzzammil "Mo" Hassan faces second-degree murder charges, those American Muslims who have spoken out are once again explaining that their faith abhors such horrible acts, and they are using the tragedy as a rallying cry against domestic violence.
The killing and its aftermath raise hard questions for Muslims — about gender issues, about distinctions between cultural and religious practices, and about differing interpretations of Islamic texts regarding the treatment of women.
"Muslims don't want to talk about this for good reason," said Saleemah Abdul-Ghafur, a Muslim author and activist. "There is so much negativity about Muslims, and it sort of perpetuates it. The right wing is going to run with it and misuse it. But we've got to shine a light on this issue so we can transform it."
There is evidence of movement in that direction in the 10 days since the Hassan slaying. In an open letter to American Muslim leaders, Imam Mohamed Hagmagid Ali of Sterling, Va., vice president of the Islamic Society of North America, said "violence against women is real and cannot be ignored."
He urged that imams and community leaders never second-guess a woman in danger, and said women seeking divorces because of physical abuse should not be viewed as bringing shame to their families.
Muslim women's advocates consider the statement significant after years of indifference in a community which has seen only recent progress — for example, the opening of shelters for battered Muslim women in a few major cities.
"This is a horrible tragedy, but it gives us a window," said Abdul-Ghafur, editor of the anthology "Living Islam Out Loud: American Muslim Women Speak." "The next time a woman comes to her imam and says, 'He hit me,' the reply might not be, 'Be patient, sister, is there something you did, sister? Is there something you can do?' The chances are greater the imam will say, 'This is unacceptable.'"
Goof luck with that.
Here's a helpful suggestion from the evil right: How about going to the police the next time your husband hits you instead of some useless imam?
Perhaps also the Associated Press should think twice about going to the Islamic Society of North America for a quote, considering they have ties to terrorism. You know, that could perpetuate "negative" stereotypes used by those mean old rightwingers.
Heck, we already have war and mass migration. Can't see what some mythical global warming is going to do to change that.
If we don't deal with climate change decisively, "what we're talking about then is extended world war," the eminent economist said.
His audience Saturday, small and elite, had been stranded here by bad weather and were talking climate. They couldn't do much about the one, but the other was squarely in their hands. And so, Lord Nicholas Stern was telling them, was the potential for mass migrations setting off mass conflict. "Somehow we have to explain to people just how worrying that is," the British economic thinker said.
Stern, author of a major British government report detailing the cost of climate change, was one of a select group of two dozen — environment ministers, climate negotiators and experts from 16 nations — scheduled to fly to Antarctica to learn firsthand how global warming might melt its ice into the sea, raising ocean levels worldwide.
Their midnight flight was scrubbed on Friday and Saturday because of high winds on the southernmost continent, 3,000 miles from here. While waiting at their Cape Town hotel for the gusts to ease down south, chief sponsor Erik Solheim, Norway's environment minister, improvised with group exchanges over coffee and wine about the future of the planet.
"International diplomacy is all about personal relations," Solheim said. "The more people know each other, the less likely there will be misunderstandings."
Some really deep thinking there. Where would we be without such experts?
I know, it sounds like some sort of horror flick. And, well, it is.
Here you have the failed former presidential candidate picking up where Nancy Pelosi left off: sucking up to a leader of a terrorist state that allowed killers of our troops into Iraq.
Refresh me if I'm incorrect, but isn't this Hillary Clinton's job?
The United States and Syria are exploring the possibility of better relations after years of tension—but questions remain over just how much common ground exists between the two.
In a sign that President Barack Obama may be seeking better ties, several U.S. congressmen have passed through Syria in the last few days, including Sen. John Kerry, who arrived Saturday and met with President Bashar Assad.
The State Department also announced Friday it has scheduled a meeting next week with Syria's ambassador to the U.S. to discuss differences between the two countries—the first such meeting in months.
U.S.-Syrian relations have long been tense. Damascus' support for the militant organizations Hamas and Hezbollah has drawn the ire of Washington, which has also accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq. Syria, which staunchly opposed the 2003 invasion, insists it is doing all it can to safeguard its long, porous border.
Relations soured further when the Bush administration pulled the U.S. ambassador out of Syria in 2005 to protest Syria's suspected role in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Damascus denied involvement in his death, but in the uproar that followed, it was forced to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, ending a 29-year military presence.
The congressional delegations, led by Democrats, are carrying the message that America wants to engage countries it has been at odds with if they are willing, as Obama puts it, to unclench their fists.
So far all Obama has gotten is a series of clenched fists upside his head.
If anything, this will throw her off the Natalee Holloway trail.
An arrest may be near in the nearly decade-old slaying of federal intern Chandra Levy, whose disappearance in 2001 ended Gary Condit's congressional career, several television stations reported.
The California Democrat was romantically linked to Levy, but was not considered a suspect in her death or disappearance. Television stations, KFSN and KCRA in California and WRC in Washington, D.C., reported that police were seeking an arrest warrant.
Levy's parents said Friday outside their Modesto, Calif., home that police called them and told them an arrest was near.
"Your child is dead and gone and it's painful, but we're glad that the police and people are doing something, and investigating, and making a difference so somebody's not on the street to do it again," Chandra's mother, Susan Levy, told KGO-TV in San Francisco.
The parents did not say when an arrest warrant might be issued.
The 24-year-old Levy disappeared in May 2001 and at the time, she was wearing jogging clothes when she left her apartment. Her remains were found in Rock Creek Park in Washington about a year later.
Authorities questioned the married Condit in her disappearance. He reportedly told police that he and Levy were having an affair, and while he was not considered a suspect, the negative publicity was cited as the main cause of the Condit's re-election defeat in 2002.
This was probably the biggest news story in the summer of 2001.
Gee, I hardly know what to do with the promised riches King Obama is throwing my way. Granted, it won't do much to offset the thousands a month that are disappearing from my 401K.
It took only a matter of weeks for the notoriously slow Congress to pass the $787 billion economic stimulus package. President Barack Obama signed it into law less than one month into his presidency.
So when should people hope to start seeing the benefits of tax cuts in it?
By April 1, according to the president.
"Never before in our history has a tax cut taken effect faster or gone to so many hardworking Americans," Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address.
He said the Treasury Department has begun directing employers to reduce the amount of taxes withheld from people's paychecks in accordance with the new law, and that in six weeks, a typical family will start taking home at least $65 more every month.
Obama says his signature "Making Work Pay" tax break will affect 95 percent of working families.
I guess this means he's kept his promise.
The $400 credit for individuals is to be doled out through the rest of the year. Couples are slated to get up to $800. Most workers are to see about a $13 per week increase in their take-home pay. In 2010, the credit would be about $7.70 a week, if it is spread over the entire year.
The latest to be served up on the platter are the useful idiots from Amnesty International, who never utter a peep while there's a Democrat in the White House. Bought, paid for and heck, they'll park cars if you ask.
Or so we thought. Now here they are, a month to the day of the Dawning of the Age of Obama, and thump, thump, is that the bus running over them already?
Suckers!
Amnesty International and a pro-Tibet group voiced shock Friday after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed not to let human rights concerns hinder cooperation with China.
Paying her first visit to Asia as the top US diplomat, Clinton said the United States would continue to press China on long-standing US concerns over human rights such as its rule over Tibet.
"But our pressing on those issues can't interfere on the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis," Clinton told reporters in Seoul just before leaving for Beijing.
Everything's a crisis, apparently.
T. Kumar of Amnesty International USA said the global rights lobby was "shocked and extremely disappointed" by Clinton's remarks.
How naive are these people? They're disappointed?
What exactly did they expect? Don't they realize mythical climate change is much more important than human rights?
"The United States is one of the only countries that can meaningfully stand up to China on human rights issues," he said.
"But by commenting that human rights will not interfere with other priorities, Secretary Clinton damages future US initiatives to protect those rights in China," he said.
I hope he realizes he's on his own. Expect little help from this administration.
Hate to put it this way, but this is Mrs. Clinton's likely reaction.
The silver spoon revolution at NYU is over. This will go down in the annals of leftwing idiocy as perhaps the lamest protest ever.
So much for the revolution.
Security guards on Friday dragged the last of the renegade New York University students out of a campus cafeteria where they had been holed up in protest for three days.
"Solidarity! Solidarity!" the fist-pumping rebels yelled as they were ousted from the Kimmel Center.
Four students tried to flee a balcony after campus cops breached their barricade. Others were physically removed - and unceremoniously dumped outside.
"He picked me up by the shoulders and dragged me through the door," complained protest organizer Farah Khimji, a 20-year-old sophomore. "I was physically subdued. I was thrown to the ground."
The rest of the two dozen or so protesting students left like lambs, and were greeted outside with cheers by supporters like 21-year-old senior, Clara Green.
"We're not going to take it any more," Green yelled. "This is our university. We should be allowed to stay. This is unfair and unjust."
Many of the other NYU students who stopped to watch the revolt fizzle said they still didn't know what the rebels were trying to accomplish.
"They're requesting so many different things," said Ryan Jacobson, a 19-year-old freshman. "None of it actually seems doable."
Senior NYU vice-president Lynne Brown said that whatever it was, the protesters didn't get it.
NYU did not "bend" to student demands and all the malcontents are banned from all NYU buildings - including the dorms - until their expulsion hearings, Brown said.
"This was an inappropriate forum for protests."
The writing was on the wall at 10 a.m. when four student negotiators went up to the sixth floor of the building to talk with NYU officials - and were ambushed by campus cops.
After that, campus security tore down the barricades barring the entrance to the third floor cafeteria and started evicting the Take Back NYU! Coalition protesters.
When the group took over the cafeteria, their stated cause was a demand for greater transparency in the NYU budget.
Then came talking points in which the protestors also demanded scholarships for Palestinian students - and for supplies to be donated to the Islamic University of Gaza.
Hopefully they're all expelled and charged to the full extent of the law. It would probably also serve them right if their parents booted them from the house. Let these little shits learn how to live on their own.
Just imagine you're the female contestants who were beaten out. I wonder how they feel?
Spend time with George Mason University senior Ryan Allen and it's clear why he's a Big Man on Campus. He wears size 12 pumps.
Allen is now -- as of halftime at Saturday's sold-out basketball game against Northeastern at the Patriot Center -- the school's homecoming queen. He received more votes than the two women who vied for the crown.
Allen, who is gay and performs as a popular drag queen at local clubs, assumed the title of Ms. Mason. He was wearing a green-and-gold bow, sewn for him by the theater department costume's shop, that was visible even from the cheap seats, a sequined top, a black skirt and heels. Ricky Malebranche, a junior from Woodbridge, was named Mr. Mason.
Beyond the joyful tears and tiara, Allen's election exposed conflicting cultural currents at the sprawling campus in Fairfax County. Many see it as an expression of inclusiveness at a place where about one-third of the 30,000 students are minority. But others say it is an embarrassment at an inopportune time when Mason is trying to revamp its image from commuter school to distinguished institution of higher learning.
Officially, the university is "very comfortable with it. We're fine," spokesman Daniel Walsch said. The school does not require participants in the Mr. and Ms. Mason pageant to compete along precise gender lines, he said.
"It was just for fun," Allen, 22, said over coffee at the Johnson Center, where he was congratulated by classmates with hugs and squeals. "In the larger scheme of things, winning says so much about the university. We're one of the most diverse campuses in the country, and . . . we celebrate that."
The pageant has been a part of homecoming for five years, but it often didn't register with the far-flung student body, of which only 16 percent lives on campus. Students say it was considered the province of pretty blondes and fraternity boys.
Until now.
"I've never been into homecoming over here. This is the first time I've actually wanted to support someone," said Melissa Benjjani, 21, from Lebanon. "He deserves to be queen. He's already a queen for everybody."
George Mason has attracted greater national attention in recent years as officials worked to recruit first-class academic talent while undergoing a $400 million expansion. Then there was the Patriots' Cinderella trip to the Final Four in the 2006 NCAA men's basketball tournament -- a huge boost for school spirit.
But electing a dude as homecoming queen is not the way to bolster pride, sophomore Grant Bollinger said. Mason was recently named the No. 1 national university to watch by U.S. News & World Report, he said -- it should act like it.
"It's really annoying," said Bollinger, who works as an ambassador for the admissions office. "The game was on TV. Everyone was there. All eyes were on us. And we do something like this? It's just stupid."
Detective Ken Leonard (on the right in the picture above) is just another one in a long line of average everyday Americans, who heeding an inner calling has gone and done extraordinary things, at a great personal cost, who only continues to inspire others.
Mr Leonard was working for the High Point, NC police department when the call went out for volunteers to go to Iraq and assist them in creating and training a new police force for the country. While serving in Iraq the vehicle he was driving in was the victim of an IED and as a result he lost both of his feet.
“After the bomb went off, I knew exactly what had happened,” Ken said. “My feet got jarred, so I knew they were hit.”
Not one to let a little setback like that slow him down, he went through the painful process of rehabilitation and adapting to new prosthetic feet so that he could once again regain his position on the police force.
He not only did that, but he is now a detective.
On the heels of all of his hard work he is now up for some recognition of his achievements and he is well deserving of the attention.
Now is your chance to further reward Mr. Leonard by voting for him in the contest sponsored by America's Most Wanted called the AMW All Stars
Uh, Ken, please tell me you have lost that New York Yankees hat.
Update (JWF): Ken's obviously an intelligent guy since he's not only a Yankees fan but also a NY Giants fan.
Yesterday's trial balloon was the economy-crushing idea to regulate carbon dioxide. Today the geniuses are floating the idea of taxing drivers by the mile, an idea so reckless even the people in Massachusetts are in near revolt at the idea.
One of Obama's token Republicans is the fall guy for this absurdity.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he wants to consider taxing motorists based on how many miles they drive rather than how much gasoline they burn — an idea that has angered drivers in some states where it has been proposed.
Gasoline taxes that for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving, LaHood said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled," the former Illinois Republican lawmaker said.
Most transportation experts see a vehicle miles traveled tax as a long-term solution, but Congress is being urged to move in that direction now by funding pilot projects.
The idea also is gaining ground in several states. Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island are talking about such programs, and a North Carolina panel suggested in December the state start charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax.
A tentative plan in Massachusetts to use GPS chips in vehicles to charge motorists by the mile has drawn complaints from drivers who say it's an Orwellian intrusion by government into the lives of citizens. Other motorists say it eliminates an incentive to drive more fuel-efficient cars since gas guzzlers will be taxed at the same rate as fuel sippers.
This is so profoundly wrong on so many levels it's hard to know where to begin. First of all, wasn't all this wonderful "stimulus" money forced upon us last week supposed to be the magic elixir to bring us into the land of Hopenchange and save the economy? The ink is barely dry after Tuesday's signing of this bill and twice already now this week we have two more means of onerous taxation being foisted on us.
Second, with the economy hemorrhaging jobs, fewer people will be driving to work as it is, so any set sum of money they'll expect to gain will never be met, and just as when gas prices skyrocketed last year, people will cut back on non-essential driving. Further, this simply punishes the workers Democrats claim to support so much as it's people commuting to work that consume the largest amount of miles driven. Not only that it'll damage the trucking industry and drive up prices across the board because they'll just pass along costs to consumers.
Also, what incentive would there be for out of work Americans to consider driving long distance in order to secure or keep a job when they're just going to be further gouged to commute?
If you think they'll stop there, just consider what they're trying to foist upon the folks in Massachusetts.
Governor Deval Patrick wants to raise the Massachusetts gasoline tax by 19 cents, charge higher registration fees for gas-guzzlers, and even suggested taxing drivers for every mile they drive, the Boston Globe reported this week.
Under Patrick's plan, the state gas tax would nearly double from 23.5 to 42.5 cents, making it one of the highest in the country. Plans to increase tolls along the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Ted Williams and Sumner tunnels could be shelved if a gas tax hike is approved before the end of March. If it fails, the tolls would be raised anyway in July.
The so-called "Hummer fee" would target SUVs and trucks - vehicles not covered by the federal gas-guzzler tax. Cars that already carry the tax would effectively be penalized twice. But these fees - which would fund the state's debt-ridden public transportation system and $15 billion Big Dig - may be unneeded if their claim is to promote fuel-efficient vehicles.
The $15 billion Big Dig, one of the biggest boondoggles in human history that came in eight times over budget. Of course, that's pocket change compared to the "stimulus" package which, last I checked, has sent the markets into freefall.
OK, with all that bad news, I though I'd end on a humorous note. I see the most profligate spender in recorded history is actually warning people to not spend wastefully. This guy is a born comedian.
Invoking his own name-and-shame policy, President Barack Obama warned the nation's mayors on Friday that he will "call them out" if they waste the money from his massive economic stimulus plan.
"The American people are watching," Obama told a gathering of mayors at the White House. "They need this plan to work. They expect to see the money that they've earned — they've worked so hard to earn — spent in its intended purposes without waste, without inefficiency, without fraud."
In the days since the White House and Congress came to terms on the $787 billion economic package, the political focus has shifted to how it will work. Obama has staked his reputation not just on the promise of 3.5 million jobs saved or created, but also on a pledge to let the public see where the money goes.
Uhh, they how come we never had a chance to read the bill?
Oh, we're watching all right and we're not liking what we see.
Update: Epic blowback. Even Obama is bright enough to realize this dog won't hunt.
President Barack Obama will not adopt a policy to tax motorists based on how many miles they drive instead of how much gasoline they buy, his chief spokesman said Friday. Press secretary Robert Gibbs commented after Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told The Associated Press that he wants to consider the idea, which has been proposed in some states but has angered many drivers.
"It is not and will not be the policy of the Obama administration," Gibbs told reporters, when asked for the president's thoughts about the policy and LaHood's remarks.
Gasoline taxes that for nearly half a century have paid for the federal share of highway and bridge construction can no longer be counted on to raise enough money to keep the nation's transportation system moving, LaHood told the AP in an interview Thursday.
They'll just find another stealthy way to gouge you, don't worry.
Let's just hope more Americans are driven to such anger and resist these tax scams.
Everybody knows that Barry O was up in Iowa, er Ottawa yesterday. What most people are not aware of is what the President in Training Pants said in response to a question posed to the 2 leaders, President Obama and Prime Minister Harper, in regards to energy policy.
The whole exchange was captured but unfortunately it is spread between 2 separate videos. The question is here along with Mr Harper's response starting about 4:25 mark. I am putting up the video that contains Obama's response which contains a portion which ought to scare you. In it he advocates for the United States to pursue a "Cap and Trade" policy in regards to coal power. Of course nobody in the news is reporting this little revelation.
Cap and trade is a policy which is designed to devastate an industry. Essentially it makes the price of doing business too prohibitive to be viable.
These measures would set a limit, or cap, on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use. The effect of such a cap would be to impose rationing of coal, oil, and natural gas on the American economy. Each covered utility, oil company, and manufacturing facility would be given allowances based on past emissions or some other formula. Those companies that emit less carbon dioxide than permitted by their allowances could sell the excess to those that do not; this is the trade part of cap and trade. Over time, the cap would be ratcheted down, requiring greater cuts in emissions.
In the video you will find Baracks' response starting at about the 2:19 mark. The environmental and energy team that Obama has are all big advocates of this sort of approach along with all the environmental progressive weenies. It was tried in Europe and it has failed. Of course if there is one thing this new administration has shown us they are not about to let failed policies of the past stop them from adopting or proposing them again. Whether those policies belonged to FDR, Jimmy Carter, or the Europeans.
For somebody who everyday is regaling with dire warnings of how bad our economy is he sure seems to be doing everything in his power to make sure it soon rivals countries such as Zimbabwe.
Just when you thought the whole A-Roid brouhaha was about to die down, here comes another potentially damaging revelation of a known steroid dealer who traveled with the Yankee slugger all throughout 2007. I was getting the feeling there was some piling on going on earlier this week, but if this story proves true, this will dog Rodriguez for a long time.
Embattled Yankee Alex Rodriguez has had a long relationship with a steroid-linked trainer who's been banned from major league clubhouses, four independent sources told the Daily News.
Angel Presinal, who was banned from private areas of every MLB ballpark after an October 2001 incident involving an unmarked gym bag full of steroids, has been tight with the Yankee slugger dating back to his time with the Texas Rangers, several sources said.
A former New York-area scout says Presinal, whose named surfaced in the Mitchell Report, was with Rodriguez in New York and Miami as recently as this past fall.
MLB has warned players to stay away from him.
"He's an unsavory character," said a source.
Another source said Presinal accompanied A-Rod for the entire 2007 season, staying in the same hotel as the A.L. MVP, but in a separate room with the "cousin" Rodriguez pegged three days ago as his steroid source from 2001-03.
The cousin was identified Thursday as Yuri Sucart.
The source said Rodriguez avoided being seen in public with Presinal.
"He was around Alex in 2007," the source said of Presinal. "Every hotel they went to, he stayed in the same room with Yuri. You would never see Alex with [Presinal]. They would meet in one of their rooms."
