At his inauguration President Barack Obama promised to usher in a new "Era of Responsibility". He promised throughout his campaign that no lobbyists would work in his White House. He promised full transparency in his administration. Yet a little more than 2 weeks into his adminstration one could compare him to the Wizard of Oz telling Dorthy to "pay no attention behind the man behind the curtain!"
Just the other day the 44th President of the United States admitted that he "screwed up" in his attempted appointment of Tom Daschle to Secretary of Health and Human Services. Immediately the media began slobbering all over this statement claiming how humble the President was.
Now let's take a step back for a second, compose ourselves and look at this rationally. If he really felt like he screwed up then why is Timothy Geithner still the Treasury Secretary. Furthermore, why was President Obama (knowing about Daschle's tax problems) putting his full support behind Tom Daschle right up until the point Daschle withdrew his name. Why is appointing one tax cheat to the HHS department a mistake, but appointing one to the Treasury department the best possible move for the sake of the country? I'm not even going to get into the fact the Charlie Rangel is still allowed to write the tax code.
Next up we've got the stimulus bill. $900 Billion of tax payer money at work. The bill is loaded down with pet projects that the Democrats have been trying to push across the table for years. Seems to me like more of a thanks for the votes payoff than a stimulus. This week President Obama has repeatedly stressed that there is no time to waste in passing the stimulus. However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has stated that if the Republicans try to trim the bill that Obama would walk away from it. So which is it Mr. President? Is there no time to waste on the economy. Are we in such imminent danger that this needs to be passed immediately, without review, and without hesitation. Maybe it's not that serious if you're willing to walk away from the negotiating table unless you get every little thing you want.
So the next time the President gets up for a press conference or an interview pay no attention to what he's actually saying. Instead, take a step back and wonder why he's saying it. Chances are it's just a bunch of smoke and mirrors.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Saturday, August 16, 2008
America, F*** Yeah!
The Miracle On Ice
The "Miracle on Ice" is the nickname given to the Medal-Round men's Ice Hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in which a team of amateur and collegiate players from the United States led by coach Herb Brooks, defeated the Soviet Union considered to be the best international hockey team in the world for the better part of 2 decades, 4-3.
The U.S went on to win the gold medal by beating Finland (4–2) in their final game. The Soviet Union took the silver by beating Sweden in their final game. Sweden received the bronze medal, and Finland finished 4th.
Kerri Strug
In 1996 Kerri Strug competed as a member of the U.S. Olympic Women's Gymnastic team, later referred to in the history books as the 'Magnificent 7'. In the final event of the Team Competion Kerri took to the vault, the last hope for gold for her team. On her first vault she under rotated and landed poorly, damaging her left ankle. While in retrospect her 1st vault's score of 9.137 was enough for gold, Kerri and her coach knew that she needed to go one more time to secure the gold. Kerri limped to the starting line for her 2nd and final vault. She landed the vault perfectly on both feet and then quickly retracted her bad ankle. Her second score of 9.712 was more than enough to secure gold for Team USA. Kerri had caused so much pain and so much damage to her ankle that she had to be carried to the gold medal podium by her coach.
Michael Phelps
If you don't know who this guy is by now you obviously do not own a TV or pick up a newspaper in the morning. Phelps is now a 13-time Olympic Gold Medalist (the most in Olympic history) and the holder of 7 world records. Phelps 7 Goals at the 2008 games in Beijing this year has tied him with another Olympic great Mark Spitz for the most golds in a single games. Like most historical events Phelps' this year did not come without a flair for the dramatic. Earlier this week in the 4 x 100 Freestyle Relay the U.S. team was trailing late in the final leg to French anchor (and noted trash talker) Alain Bernard. In an unprecedented show of grit and determination Team U.S.A. anchor Jason Lezak dug deep for a little extra and in a final 15 meter push passed Bernard to win gold for USA and to keep Phelps' dreams of 8 in '08 alive for another day. Last night Phelps made Olympic history in a race for the ages. Going for #7 in the 100 Fly Phelps made another late race push to pass Serbia's Milorad Cavic by .01 seconds.
Where am I going with all of this you ask? All of these events have one common denominator. They are all US Olympic athletes. They all compete for the pride of themselves, their families, their friends, and most importantly their country. They don't come to these games to compete because they are forced to, or because they've been locked in a gym by their government for the last four years. It takes a special kind of passion and love for self, family and country to be able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and to create great Olympic moments like these men and women have. The Olympic games have long been a display of American exceptionalism and what this country is really all about. So while NBC and the rest of the network news is going ga-ga over the lock-step ChiCom performers from the opening ceremonies (who by the way were forced into performing), let's not forget where all these great moments in Olympic history come from.
Not to mention who's leading in the medal count.
The "Miracle on Ice" is the nickname given to the Medal-Round men's Ice Hockey game during the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in which a team of amateur and collegiate players from the United States led by coach Herb Brooks, defeated the Soviet Union considered to be the best international hockey team in the world for the better part of 2 decades, 4-3.
The U.S went on to win the gold medal by beating Finland (4–2) in their final game. The Soviet Union took the silver by beating Sweden in their final game. Sweden received the bronze medal, and Finland finished 4th.
Kerri Strug
In 1996 Kerri Strug competed as a member of the U.S. Olympic Women's Gymnastic team, later referred to in the history books as the 'Magnificent 7'. In the final event of the Team Competion Kerri took to the vault, the last hope for gold for her team. On her first vault she under rotated and landed poorly, damaging her left ankle. While in retrospect her 1st vault's score of 9.137 was enough for gold, Kerri and her coach knew that she needed to go one more time to secure the gold. Kerri limped to the starting line for her 2nd and final vault. She landed the vault perfectly on both feet and then quickly retracted her bad ankle. Her second score of 9.712 was more than enough to secure gold for Team USA. Kerri had caused so much pain and so much damage to her ankle that she had to be carried to the gold medal podium by her coach.
Michael Phelps
If you don't know who this guy is by now you obviously do not own a TV or pick up a newspaper in the morning. Phelps is now a 13-time Olympic Gold Medalist (the most in Olympic history) and the holder of 7 world records. Phelps 7 Goals at the 2008 games in Beijing this year has tied him with another Olympic great Mark Spitz for the most golds in a single games. Like most historical events Phelps' this year did not come without a flair for the dramatic. Earlier this week in the 4 x 100 Freestyle Relay the U.S. team was trailing late in the final leg to French anchor (and noted trash talker) Alain Bernard. In an unprecedented show of grit and determination Team U.S.A. anchor Jason Lezak dug deep for a little extra and in a final 15 meter push passed Bernard to win gold for USA and to keep Phelps' dreams of 8 in '08 alive for another day. Last night Phelps made Olympic history in a race for the ages. Going for #7 in the 100 Fly Phelps made another late race push to pass Serbia's Milorad Cavic by .01 seconds.
Where am I going with all of this you ask? All of these events have one common denominator. They are all US Olympic athletes. They all compete for the pride of themselves, their families, their friends, and most importantly their country. They don't come to these games to compete because they are forced to, or because they've been locked in a gym by their government for the last four years. It takes a special kind of passion and love for self, family and country to be able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and to create great Olympic moments like these men and women have. The Olympic games have long been a display of American exceptionalism and what this country is really all about. So while NBC and the rest of the network news is going ga-ga over the lock-step ChiCom performers from the opening ceremonies (who by the way were forced into performing), let's not forget where all these great moments in Olympic history come from.
Not to mention who's leading in the medal count.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Phew, that was close ...
This week's U.S. Supreme Court 5 to 4 decision in favor of Heller in Heller v. District of Columbia is a win for every American citizen who wishes to keep the Bill of Rights and their individual liberties intact. It's a very marginal victory though.
Four Supreme Court Justices nearly threw the Constitution (which they swore to uphold and defend) out the window this week. Justice's Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer all voted in favor of the District of Columbia's complete handgun ban. Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito all voted in favor of Heller's right to own a firearm in his home.
Make no mistake this is a huge win for individual liberty in this country. However, all it takes is for the biggest Liberal in the Senate to attain the highest position in the land and for one of those 5 justices to kick the bucket and suddenly the "law of the land" is in a world of trouble.
You want to know how the left feels about your rights in this country take a look at a few of these quotes from the media and from justices.
Heidi Collins: "Specifically, Jeffrey, that's what it's about, isn't it, the Constitution trumping policy?"
Dahlia Lithwick (Speaking on CNN): The really big, big metaquestion here, this question of, is there a personal individual right to bear arms really is fundamentally a very ideological one, it's a very political one, it has a lot to do with your Libertarian notions about the constitutional protections that you're afforded, and so I think at the end of the day what we're seeing here with this very, very typical 5-4 split.
The U.S. Constitution is the Nation's policy and don't you people forget it. Dahlia Lithwick also wrote in article in Newsweek about how the next President could be able to nominate as many as 3 Justices in their term. This is hugely important to the future of our great country. While I agree that it is of vast importance to our country, Ms. Lithwick and I sit on opposite sides of the table when it comes to who would be better suited to essentially dictate the law of the land for many, many years to come perhaps. The U.S. Supreme Court needs more justices like Antonin Scalia who view the U.S. Constitution not as a "living document", but as a set of enduring laws and truths that will withstand the test of time and the changing fads of our society.
Freedom is not a fad, and it will never go out of style or become uncouth.
Four Supreme Court Justices nearly threw the Constitution (which they swore to uphold and defend) out the window this week. Justice's Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg, and Breyer all voted in favor of the District of Columbia's complete handgun ban. Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito all voted in favor of Heller's right to own a firearm in his home.
Make no mistake this is a huge win for individual liberty in this country. However, all it takes is for the biggest Liberal in the Senate to attain the highest position in the land and for one of those 5 justices to kick the bucket and suddenly the "law of the land" is in a world of trouble.
You want to know how the left feels about your rights in this country take a look at a few of these quotes from the media and from justices.
Heidi Collins: "Specifically, Jeffrey, that's what it's about, isn't it, the Constitution trumping policy?"
Dahlia Lithwick (Speaking on CNN): The really big, big metaquestion here, this question of, is there a personal individual right to bear arms really is fundamentally a very ideological one, it's a very political one, it has a lot to do with your Libertarian notions about the constitutional protections that you're afforded, and so I think at the end of the day what we're seeing here with this very, very typical 5-4 split.
The U.S. Constitution is the Nation's policy and don't you people forget it. Dahlia Lithwick also wrote in article in Newsweek about how the next President could be able to nominate as many as 3 Justices in their term. This is hugely important to the future of our great country. While I agree that it is of vast importance to our country, Ms. Lithwick and I sit on opposite sides of the table when it comes to who would be better suited to essentially dictate the law of the land for many, many years to come perhaps. The U.S. Supreme Court needs more justices like Antonin Scalia who view the U.S. Constitution not as a "living document", but as a set of enduring laws and truths that will withstand the test of time and the changing fads of our society.
Freedom is not a fad, and it will never go out of style or become uncouth.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
So Easy Even A Caveman Could Do It
So I think it's pretty safe to assume that everyone wants lower gas prices right? Well you know what they say when you assume right? For a group of people that claims to care so much about "the little guy" and their struggle, Democrats have proven time in and time out that they want nothing more than for that struggle to be perpetuated. Since the Reagan Administration (over 20 years ago mind you) the United States has been pushing for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and since the Reagan Administration the environmentalist movement and Liberals have blocked it at every juncture. Let's cut the CNN, MSNBC, Democratic Party talking points crap for a moment and take a look at the voting records:
ANWR Exploration:
Coal to Liquid Technology:
Oil Shale Exploration:
Outer Continental Shelf:
Increasing Refinery Capacity:
Dept of Energy:
I could go on about how as a country we are out consuming our production rate which isn't helped by our dwindling refinery capacity. What about the people that tell you that you should be practicing conservation to help bring down the price of oil (which is a blatant attack on individual liberty if I ever saw one). I'll just let the facts speak for themselves. As much as Leftist/Marxist politicians try to tell you that it's just too complicated for a simple person such yourself to figure out it really is that simple. It's the laws of supply and demand that we've been taught in basic economics classes for decades. There is a greater demand for oil and there is enough of a supply to meet that demand if we choose to do so.
Lowering gas prices ... So easy even a caveman could do it.
ANWR Exploration:
- House Republicans: 91% For
- House Democrats: 86% Against
Coal to Liquid Technology:
- House Republicans: 97% For
- House Democrats: 78% Against
Oil Shale Exploration:
- House Republicans: 90% For
- House Democrats: 86% Against
- 1-2 Trillion BBLS in Rocky Mtns and Canada
Outer Continental Shelf:
- House Republicans: 81% For
- House Democrats: 83% Against
- 85% off limits
- 86 Billion BBLS of Oil
- 420 Trillion Cubic Feet of Natural Gas
- According to US Minerals Management Service
Increasing Refinery Capacity:
- House Republicans: 97% For
- House Democrats: 96% Against
- The United States hasn't built a new refinery in over 20 years.
Dept of Energy:
- Daily U.S. Oil Production has fallen 40% from 9 million bbls/day to 5 million bbls/day since 1985.
- Daily U.S. Oil Consumption has risen 30%.
I could go on about how as a country we are out consuming our production rate which isn't helped by our dwindling refinery capacity. What about the people that tell you that you should be practicing conservation to help bring down the price of oil (which is a blatant attack on individual liberty if I ever saw one). I'll just let the facts speak for themselves. As much as Leftist/Marxist politicians try to tell you that it's just too complicated for a simple person such yourself to figure out it really is that simple. It's the laws of supply and demand that we've been taught in basic economics classes for decades. There is a greater demand for oil and there is enough of a supply to meet that demand if we choose to do so.
Lowering gas prices ... So easy even a caveman could do it.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Day Objective Journalism Died
On Friday June 13th at approximately 2:30pm the longest running host of Meet the Press, Tim Russert, died of an apparent heart attack. With Mr. Russert passing comes the death of objective journalism. Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal Tim Russert never shied away from tough questioning. Arguably the best interviewer of his time you knew if you going to come under his scrutiny that he always did his homework on you. Often showing audio clips or videos of you contradicting itself.
In a media new world order being led by agenda driven journalist hacks the likes of Keith Olbermann, Andrea Mitchell, and Chris Matthews, Tim Russert's strong and clear voice will be sorely missed.
In a media new world order being led by agenda driven journalist hacks the likes of Keith Olbermann, Andrea Mitchell, and Chris Matthews, Tim Russert's strong and clear voice will be sorely missed.
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