The Infidel Babe of the Day
This one is for Mbucky. A firearm and combat boots.
What more could you want?
January 31, 2008
Dave’s Quote of the Day
“Every candidate who repeats the misleading nonsense that ‘47 million in
America have no health care,’ ought to be challenged with hard truth. The
number is grossly inflated by including millions who are here illegally
and millions of others who have the means to pay for health care insurance
but refuse to adjust their budget and lifestyle. And don’t expect any media
type to question where in the Constitution Congress derives any authority
to dispense health care.”
Who’s fault is it anyway?
To build on Dave’s thoughts from this thread.
Self-proclaimed uber-Reaganite Mark Levin:
I don’t pretend to speak for President Reagan or all conservatives. I speak for myself. But I watched the Republican debate last night, which was held at the Reagan library, and I have to say that I fear a McCain candidacy. He would be an exceedingly poor choice as the Republican nominee for president.
Let’s get the largely unspoken part of this out the way first. McCain is an intemperate, stubborn individual, much like Hillary Clinton. These are not good qualities to have in a president.
A mastodon in the Paleo-con camp Robert Novak:
As John McCain neared his momentous primary election victory in Florida after a ferocious campaign
questioning his conservative credentials…
McCain, as the “straight talk” candidate, says things off the cuff that he sometimes cannot remember exactly.
…According to exit polls, voters calling themselves “very conservative” supported Romney in Florida by two to one, and McCain still won in a state described as a microcosm of America. McCain survived a scathing assault on conservative talk radio led by Rush Limbaugh. Romney’s appeal to the right on immigration backfired, triggering Sen. Mel Martinez’s endorsement of McCain and a five-to-one vote for him by the Cuban community.
McCain as the Republican nominee would need those “very conservative” voters. He will encounter some of them at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington Feb. 7-9. His campaign Wednesday asked for McCain to speak there after rejecting an invitation to last year’s meeting. At CPAC, he might well consider providing “straight talk” about Samuel Alito and promising to veto any tax increase by a Democratic Congress.
Welcome back Andre
It is so nice to have Andre at home again! Dave has been baking little infidel cookies in the kitchen, and E and the Scribe have stocked up at the liquor store. The Beast is looking forward to more humor around here. Wes is breathing a sigh of relief, and wondering why he was left alone in the loonie bin for so long. Me? Well I am just looking forward to all the links to uber-stupid moonbat sites again. I just am glad to have the: “I don’t care if its right as long as its snarky” attitude back! Hugs Dre. How was rehab?
Dedicated to Dave and His Infidel Babe
Come to think of it, I not sure which is worse…Dave’s choices or my puttin up a Winger video…hehe.
January 30, 2008
When it’s a crime to be a Christian
Christian Photographer Hauled before Commission for Refusing Same-Sex Job
A same-sex couple asked Elaine Huguenin, co-owner with her husband of Elane Photography, to photograph a “commitment ceremony” that the two women wanted to hold. Huguenin declined because her Christian beliefs are in conflict with the message communicated by the ceremony….In their complaint the homosexual couple has sought for an injunction against Elane Photography that will forbid them from ever again refusing to photograph a same-sex ceremony. They have also requested attorney’s fees.
The same-sex couple filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Division, which is now trying Elane Photography under state antidiscrimination laws for sexual orientation discrimination.
More information on this case can be found at You Have No Choice.
Orwell would call this a “thoughtcrime”. So much for the 1st Amendment and the freedom of religion and association. What about the much heralded freedom of choice we hear so much about? Perhaps this poor lady needs to hang a sign up stating “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, at any time, for any reason.” This woman has no contractual obligation, no special relationship with the same-sex couple, and photography services are not a public accommodation. These “Human Rights” and “Civil Rights” commissions are little more than ideological purity tribunals designed to further certain agendas. If you listen very closely, you can hear the faint treads of fascism in the background.
Meanwhile, across the big pond, teachers are being told not ‘to assume’ that children have traditional backgrounds. So much for ‘mom and dad’.
Teachers should not assume that their pupils have a “mum and dad” under guidance aimed at tackling anti-gay bullying in schools.
It says primary pupils as young as four should be familiarised with the idea of same-sex couples to help combat homophobic attitudes.
Teachers should attempt to avoid assumptions that pupils will have a conventional family background, it urges.
It goes on to suggest the word “parents” may be more appropriate than “mum and dad”, particularly in letters and emails to the child’s home.
When discussing marriage with secondary pupils, teachers should also educate pupils about civil partnerships and gay adoption rights.
The guidance - produced for the Government by gay rights group Stonewall - will be formally launched today by Schools Secretary Ed Balls.
I am just your humble messenger: When a cigar is just a cigar
Sometimes a cigar is only a cigar. Your messenger is familiar with this site. He believes his friend may have landed in the Aussie snake pit that matches up with Mr. Lionheart. They do write more creatively and more effectively though. If anyone likes your messenger can send them the kook/wacko bookmarks in his news feeder if that would help speed 
things up. 
To call these people Libertarians is charitable to them and insulting to the Libertarians. Take the messengers word for it; or consider it him just flying off the handle and jumping to a conclusion. Either way your messenger could careless. He suddenly lack anymore pearls to cast and he do not have the energy to document it anymore.
Just because a hypothetical situation sounds ominous does not mean its theoretical appearance needs to be constantly feared. All kidding aside, one tends to become paranoid and see things that are not there. Our friend Blu is a prime example of this. Her sites may not be right wing conspirator believing sites, though some are, but they illustrate the same process at work.
The L. Ron Paul Hubbard followers are another example of this. It makes one feel terribly patriotic to defend the principles of freedom and it should, but it only should when one is defending those principles from a real opponent; otherwise one appears like the old soldier dressing up in his faded uniform to fight an imaginary enemy, or the child fighting the imaginary dragon.
Your messenger does not just dismiss things out of hand as he was recently accused of, he fully researches things. One would have thought that was clear by now. It is a pity that people don’t notice that. Possibly throwing out unsubstantiated opinion would serve the messenger’s interests better; ya think? I will say this politely: There is NOBODY on this site who has done more to document the REAL pernicious activities of governments infringing upon liberty due to multiculturalism, or transnational socialism, than your humble messenger. Possibly since some have only been coming here for a short time they did not realize this.
It is worth saying that the conspiracy theory “theory” of: The best ones are not uncovered, is the best example of incongruent logic that your messenger have seen in quite a while. Also, to point out the obvious: The conspiracy in the Nixon White House mentioned on here recently was to cover-up a crime, not to put the masses under the thumb of the government. Conspiracies that cover-up a prior crime is not illustrative of the conspiracy theory “theory” proffered above. They did conspire to murder Caesar before hand.
Lets play pick your conspiracy. Vote on which is, and which is not a conspiracy.
-
Do the Patriots cheat? (actually this is rhetorical as it is self evident that they do)
-
The Kennedy Assassination. (you may vote for favorite subplot)
-
911 (a US conspiracy). A favorite it seems of Uncle Ronnie and the Paulbots
-
Aliens visiting us like a Democratic Presidential candidate thinks. You may vote on whether he received an anal probe or not.
- Jews control the US government.
-
The Black Sox (if you say yes, you may then vote if Shoeless Joe actually followed through)
The Last Battle?
We can only hope that the game of ‘whack a mole’ has just become some good ‘ol rat killin’. Al Qaeda and their allies in Iraq seem to be on their last legs with their hopes of true victory or ability to seriously destabilize the area severely undermined.
The Iraqi military has demonstrated the capability to deploy such a reaction force over the past six months. The deployment in Mosul is preceded by deployments in Basrah, Diwaniyah, and Diyala, where the security situations dictated a need for additional forces.
The Mosul deployment highlights the growing capacity of the Iraqi command to plan, deploy and support its forces on short notice. This is a capacity that was nearly non-existent just one year ago when the surge began, and represents the future of operations in Iraq as US forces begin to draw down.
Then there was the other two…
I don’t believe Huckabee counts anymore and unless he pulls off a miracle in the South the GOP presidential race is down to McCain and Romney. And I’m still in shock that these are the two I have to pick from. McCain picked up endorsements from America’s mayor and Gov. Terminator today, but it’s not over until it’s over.
~~”I think what will happen across the country is that conservatives will give a good thought to whether or not they want to hand the party’s nomination over to Senator McCain. He has not been their champion over the last several years,” Romney said in an interview Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”~~
“I think there will be a movement within the Republican party to coalesce around a conservative candidate. Mike Huckabee, of course, might stay in, and that might be one of the reasons he does so - is to try and split that conservative vote.”
The Infidel Babe of the Day - Coed Edition
Strike three? Or does “The Infidel Babe of the Day” live to see another day? You be the judge.
Then there were two… Edward drops out
John Edwards Quits Democratic Presidential Race
Edwards in his closing remarks underscored his central campaign themes of lifting up the working class, expanding health care, ending the Iraq war and striving “to make the two Americas one.”
“It’s time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path,” Edwards said. “We do not know who will take the final steps to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, but what we do know is that our Democratic Party will make history.”
Chances are that this will help Obama. The fact that Edwards did not immediately endorse someone tells me he wants to play a bit more politics and make sure he backs the eventual winner of the contest. He wants to make sure he ends up with a ‘cushy’ position in the next administration if at all possible.
“John, does this mean you’ll call me?”
But at least he’s still looking good…
Goodbye John, we’ll miss you and the two America’s.
Dave’s Quote(s) of the Day
The Hill and Bill edition.
“In 1992 Bill Clinton vowed Americans would get ‘two for the price of one’ if they elected him with wife Hillary at his side. Now it is two against one as the Clintons gang up on Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential race.” —Reuters
“It’s odd that the first woman with a shot at becoming president is so openly dependent on her husband to drag her over the finish line. She handed over South Carolina to him, knowing that her support here is largely derivative.” —New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd
“We all remember when your husband ran, he said two for the price of one. Is that what is happening again here?” —ABC’s Robin Roberts to Hillary
“[Hillary] and John McCain are very close. They always laugh that if they wound up being the nominees of their party, it would be the most civilized election in American history, and they’re afraid they’d put the voters to sleep because they like and respect each other.” —First Laddy hopeful Bill Clinton
“I can’t make her younger, taller, male, there’s a lot I can’t do.” - Bill Clinton
“Exit polls showed that Bill’s campaigning actually hurt Hillary. I just hope it doesn’t cause
any tension in their marriage.” - Jay Leno
One big mouth to another: “I think it’s time for [Bill Clinton] to just be quiet. I think it’s time for him to stop. As one of the most outspoken people in America, there’s a time to shut up, and I think that time has come.” - Al Sharpton (ha, ha, ha,)
(All quotes via The Patriot Post)
Just what did the libertarians uncover?
Perhaps something, perhaps nothing. But there is usually where there’s smoke there is fire. I am swiftly tiring of the authoritarian socialist nanny state movement and I don’t like to see these type of things even being considered. It is a tad troublesome. I’d mutter something here about being a free man instead of a serf or slave or something or other but I think you’ve already heard that on more than one occasion……
This Just In
The field is certainly starting to narrow swiftly. How long before you see some McCain/Giuliani bumper stickers? Possibly sooner than you think. And would ‘the base’ aka ‘the conservatives’ support such a combo? It would certainly be an interesting combination to say the least.
Giuliani to endorse McCain on Wednesday
January 29, 2008
The Infidel Babe of the Day
Without a doubt, an infidel. Since the fine inhabitants of the hallowed halls of Conclub apparently did not enjoy the whole artistic, Celtic culture feel embodied in my first Infidel Babe post, perhaps we’ll temporarily resort to the blonde boozing babe post just to balance it out. Quiz time> How many violations of Shariah law do you see here? This is ‘revenge’ for not liking my little underfed Celtic waif. They’ll get a bit better as we move along.
Dave’s Quote of the Day
IMMIGRATION AND CULTURE
“For a couple of hundred years, foreigners have been flocking to the shores of this most welcoming of nations. They would bring along their art and music along with their cuisine, but they adapted their ways in order that their children and their children s children would acclimate and be full-fledged Americans… But somewhere along the way, there was a sea change. Now we have that oddest of strange creatures known as the dual citizen and we have millions of people living here who apparently have no particular loyalty to this country and are being encouraged to retain their own language and their old ways. ‘Press one for Spanish, two for English’ has become commonplace. Teenagers who have never even set foot in Mexico, Salvador and Guatemala, demonstrate in our streets while carrying foreign flags, and we re all supposed to respect them or be labeled as bigots
and xenophobes. American citizens who are being taxed to death to support illegal aliens are called racists if they object to footing the bill for health care and education for millions of freeloading ingrates who insist they re only reclaiming land that is rightfully theirs. On top of all that, our kids are being brainwashed in their schools into accepting that the
only truly evil society on the face of the earth isn’t North Korea, Iran, China or Syria, but their own…Tolerance is the greatest of all virtues, but only so long as it s not tolerance of anything American.”
—Burt Prelutsky via The Patriot Post
My first choice is done. Another one bites the dust
A distant third place finish has Giuliani singing the praises of John McCain. I think Rudy is a stand-up guy that made some horrible decisions over the past two months. As you read the link, it will be fitting to listen to a little Queen.
Reagan and the boy.
There is a story about Ronald Reagan that takes place after his presidency, and after his Alzheimer’s disease had stated to ravage his mind. It is a short and simple story that always comes to mind when I think of the great man. Apparently routine helps victims of Alzheimer’s, and they tried to keep to a routine with the former president. He had for years regularly gone to his L.A. area office to do business, and they kept this up after he was not capable of doing meaningful work.
There was a park nearby where he would walk to enjoy the outdoors. One day there was a small boy with his grandparents in the park. They pointed out President Reagan and told the boy he was the man who defeated communism. They encouraged him to go over and say hi.
The boy went over and introduced himself. The big man looked down in a confused manner at child, looking as if he did not know what to do with him. Then boy then said his grandparents had said he defeated communism. The people there said old Dutch Reagan stood up straight, his eyes cleared, his face showed determination and said “Yes, that is my job!”
This how I will always remember the wonderful man, even Alzheimer’s could not overcome what made the man great. What made him great was a set of principles that were founded on what his faith showed him to be right or wrong.
The point was never that he was not a giant; he most certainly was. The point was that he was not a god, and not the “perfect conservative”. Nobody is that unicorn. Quit tearing up his party!
(I tried to find this story on the net to no result. My details maybe wrong, but I am sure of the spirit of it.)
CLARIFICATION: The admonition to stop tearing up his party is to all Republicans in general, and not to anyone in particular.
January 28, 2008
The Infidel Babe of the Day
I believe that it is important to violate the taboos of Shariah law daily (my better half fixed pork this evening), to appreciate the female gender in all its ‘beauty and splendor’, and promote an entertaining and informative blog for all of our readers. With that in mind, I will be inaugurating ‘The Infidel Babe of the Day” themed post which may or may not actually appear on a daily basis, but with a minimum amount of commentary will hopefully add a bit to the Constitution Club blog on occasion.
The Last State of the Union Address for GWB
“Others have said they would personally be happy to pay higher taxes. I welcome their enthusiasm, and I am pleased to report that the IRS accepts both checks and money orders.” - Pres. George W. Bush
Dave’s Quote of the Day
“Looking forward to the next presidency, we see that Justice Stevens is 87,
Justice Ginsburg 74, Justices Kennedy and Scalia 71, Justice Breyer 69 and
Justice Souter 68. Perhaps all will be sitting in January 2013. Perhaps all
will be retired. Voters who care about the Supreme Court ought to assume that
the next president will have an impact on the future course of the Supreme
Court greater than any president in modern times. The Court of course affects
every aspect of American life, from the conduct of the war to the protection
of the unborn, the right to worship and speak freely, the right to bear arms
and the right to be free from intrusive governmental oversight. The Court can
chose to protect private property or, as has been the case for decades, almost
completely ignore this foundational right. The Court is the country’s future
in many respects, and the president is the keeper of the court.”
The New Morality: Is Defaulting on a Mortgage Now Ok?
I am a veritable anti-populist. I suppose the term for that would usually be an elitist, but that’s a moniker most often associated with those who own businesses or portfolios or stocks. Or at least those who own a mortgage. Nope, I’m so poor I would do a grave disservice to the term “elitist” and I suspect that the grandiloquent array of legitimate elitists would just as soon I avoid their club altogether. A cease and desist letter from a Yale-educated lawyer can’t be far off.
So when I assert my right-wing economic bona fides, I trust you’ll believe me. I have always maintained that companies exist solely for profit, and that if it is in their business interest to lay off workers or close plants or slash labor costs through outsourcing, not only should they be forgiven for their decisions, we should demand that they do so, as indeed their stockholders do. In fact, any corporate director who forgoes profits for some ethereal reason should be condemned and replaced. Even if I don’t own his company’s stock, someone does, dammit!
So how come I find the logic of those homeowners who intentionally screw the banks and walk right away from their commitments impossible to argue with?
January 27, 2008
Michael Vick’s pit bulls are becoming pets
Here’s a heartwarming story about how the pit bulls rescued from Vick’s estate are being turned into pets in loving homes.
(AP) — His back resting comfortably against her chest, Hector nestles his massive canine head into Leslie Nuccio’s shoulder, high-fiving pit bull paws against human hands. The big dog — 52 pounds — is social, people-focused, happy now, it seems, wearing a rhinestone collar in his new home in sunny California.
60 Minutes gives blueprint to mortgage holders: Just walk away
This segment on tonight’s (1/27) 60 minutes is a decent primer on the problems being experienced in the mortgage and credit markets at the moment. One tactic highlighted by the story is that of “Intentional Foreclosure”. As the value of homes across the country fall, and some are forecasting a drop of 30 percent or more, look for a massive increase in the number of people who simply walk away from their obligation.
As always, the mainstream media is late to the party. 60 minutes segments are usually looked at as a market bottom, but don’t be too sure this time. We have a long way to go to unravel this credit mess.
Vindicated: Why The Beast Voted For Hillary In New Hampshire
Yes you read right - UberCon THB voted for the Wicked Witch Of The West Wing in the New Hampshire Primary. And, as recent events have indicated, he’s proud to have done it.
Why?
Strategery. The Beast is a registered independent who really didn’t know which GOP candidate he wanted to vote for. He thought that over time the choice would become clear, but it didn’t. Election day found him standing in line at the poll in deep conflict. He really didn’t want to vote for any of the Republican candidates - not because he disliked them, but because they all seemed equally capable but flawed.
So at the last minute he asked for a Democrat ballot and cast his vote for Hillary, simply because pollsters had anointed Obama the winner in New Hampshire on that day and with Republicans looking to be in for a long, hard, bitter slog he judged that an early finish for the Dems would give them an advantage. A Hillary win would keep it going and if past Clinton campaigns were any indicator, it would turn nasty quickly enough.
Which it has. With any luck, whichever Dem lurches across the finish line will be so bloodied and sullied that one or another half of his base will squat home and pout on election day. These are the wages of identity politics - Hillary loses the black vote, Obama loses women and whatever tiny percentage of emasculated white male voters the Dems have left. The loose confederation of warring tribes unravels like a cheap sweater.
Meanwhile, Dem pundits sweat as they ponder the eternal question: “Are we blowing it AGAIN?” Maybe you are, but if so you must not look to the stars for the reason - rather look to your heart.
January 26, 2008
Dave’s Quote of the Day
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”
-Sun Tzu, the great Chinese philosopher of war
Wow
What a speech!
I’m not naive enough to think that Hillary is going to lose, but here’s hoping. Now I know how Dave feels… I regret that I have to vote for Romney a week from Tuesday.
“Tear down this wall!”
In his post on Reagan, PG Warner aims to educate the masses about the true Ronald Reagan. In so doing, he makes a few outlandish claims that require a response. PGW uses one fact to simultaneously dismiss the idea that Reagan won the Cold War and to trash his economic legacy: The Saudi decision to drop the price of oil.
He’s right, that decision did greatly help our economy and severely weaken the Soviets — which is why Reagan and his lieutenants conceived the idea.
The Reagan administration began courting the Saudis immediately upon taking office. They also hampered the construction of the Soviet pipeline from Siberia. After the USSR spent tens of billions building the thing, Washington and Riydh implemented the plan to drop the price of oil from $30 per barrel to $12. Not coincidentally, $12 is what it cost the Soviets to produce and ship the oil, and so the pipeline sat empty.
This was just one of numerous covert operations the Reagan administration undertook in their plan to defeat the Soviet Union. It’s all laid out by Peter Schweizer in his book Victory: The Reagan administration’s secret strategy that hastened the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Warner also makes this claim: “Reagan talked tuff, Pope John Paul II and George W. Bush have lived tuff.” The suggestion that Reagan’s toughness paled beside Little Bush is absurd.
The argument gets stranger still:
A Polish Priest and a Polish Labor leader had something to do with it in the end. They worked at great risk to their very lives, throughout their lives, to bring an end to communism. President Reagan made a good speech in front of a wall in an allied country. He did it under the protection the Secret Service and the United States Army. He increased spending in the area of defence to such a level that it hastened the economic downfall of the Soviet Union. He did that from the comfort of the oval office.
This is just silly. What was Reagan supposed to do, belly crawl into Eastern Europe with a knife in his teeth?
Ronald Reagan was as instrumental in defeating communism as any individual in world history.
PGW concludes thusly: “People actually stood up to the Evil Empire, just regular people, and were martyred upon the alter of freedom; and you actually said Reagan ‘won’ the cold war? Go tell that to the Hungarians my friend.”
I don’t have to. They seem to already know it, which is why they built a statue of Reagan in Budapest.
You Suck At Photoshop #1 - #3.
This is really funny (and useful) stuff from Donnie at My Damn Channel. He’s totally henpecked, passive aggressive, and his bitter venting at you only makes you feel sorrier for him as his life literally melts down before your eyes. Tons of other funny details - make sure and read how he titles the photos in his collection! Hint: Don’t get too hung up on the “tutorial” element - there’s a lot more going on here than that.
#1. Pining for high school glory days.
#2. Subconscious Error Correcting.
3. Fixing the “Fat Meat-Stick”.
Number 4 is up on his site but not on youtube yet. It can be seen on his page here.
He goes a little too fast for The Beast but repeated watching should solve that.
****UPDATE: Here’s the finished cat from #2. These tutorials DO work!
Piss_Factory.jpg
January 25, 2008
Another Comeback Kid?
“We have them lulled into a false sense of security” - Rudy Giuliani
In the GOP, we are an equal opportunity type of party. This year nearly everyone gets to be a ‘comeback kid’ (except for old man Fred and a couple other minor also rans). It’s only fair. It’s important that everyone gets to feel good about themselves and know what it is like to “be a winner” at least once on the campaign trail. It’s a positive reinforcement, self esteem thing.
Former Front-runner Giuliani, Now Hoping to be Comeback Kid
The former New York mayor’s rapid descent after leading national Republican polls for most of 2007 is one more remarkable chapter in the story of Campaign 2008. In the space of 12 months he has gone from improbable candidate to unlikely nominee to surprise front-runner to a man now left to joke about becoming the Comeback Kid of this campaign.
January 24, 2008
Where are all the “Fredheads” going?
The answer apparently is to Mitt Romney. Many had predicted that Huckabee would be the recipient but that doesn’t seem to be the case. FreeRepublic.com was always a hotbed of Thompson supporters and their own polls seem to show that the Fred following, if there ever really was one, is breaking to the flip-flopping like a fish former governor of Massachusetts.
I am truly afraid that DFV might be correct, the GOP is probably in for a severe drubbing in November and some serious internal squabbling as a result. Even the much toted Fred wasn’t overly conservative in many respects and the remaining field is some sort of conservative nightmare with a flip-flopping Northeast Mormon vs. some Christian socialist vs. a gun grabbing, gay loving, baby wacking New Yorker vs. a conservative hating, Lefty leaning grouchy old man. You can understand their frustration.
The only chance the GOP nominee truly has is that the opposition candidate will probably be one of the most controversial and divisive figures in modern political history. Can you believe that the most powerful, wealthy and, some would argue, politically advanced nation in the world has given me these as my choices for leader of the free world? It’s enough to make a true conservative cry. My entire voting life has been to vote for the ‘lesser of two evils’ and that is what I’ll be doing again this year. At least I’ve had a lot of practice in the past.
So does the conservative movement prefer to be screwed by McCain or by Romney. I’m not sure, but I just am not convinced that McCain would be “gentle”. But in every poll Romney is getting creamed by both Monica’s boyfriend’s wife and the son of a Luo tribesman with a funny sounding name. I look forward to watching how the South breaks in the next couple of weeks. In this horse race, it may really not be over until it’s truly over.
By the way, I’m not bitter.
In search of the Conservative Unicorn.
Some people seem to mourn the loss of Fred Thompson because he was the only candidate that “represented” the conservative view. They say he embodied the conservative traits Ronald Reagan possessed and used to establish his …well his conservative empire I guess. Folks Ronald Reagan was not Ronald Reagan, and neither is/was Fred Thompson.
Reagan spent like a drunken sailor, he just spent it on things like the military that most conservatives like. The miracle of 
Reagan’s economic recovery had more to do with the Saudis dropping the bottom out of the price of oil than it did with supply side economics. Keep in mind that oil in real terms was higher when Reagan took office than it is now. Can you imagine what would happen to the world economy if the price of energy went down 60%-70% over the next 6-12 months. Hell GWB would be hailed as an economic savior, his legacy would be assured, especially since he did not fold like a house of cards against terrorists like Ronald Reagan did. Reagan talked tuff, Pope John Paul II and George W. Bush have lived tuff. When it comes to fiscal responsibility please recall that the federal budget was not balanced until Clinton and the Republicans did it in the 90’s.
People seem to love to school me on what conservatives really are on this site. These people are generally libertarians or the otherwise whacked out far right. Folks I know who Ronald Reagan was. I voted for Ronald Reagan. I love Ronald Reagan, I just don’t worship him. I very much understand the principles President Reagan stood on. Your views are not Ronald Reagan’s views. As usual The Anchoress states the case in words wiser and more gentle than mine…
Excuse me, but Ronald Reagan would have had no patience for the likes of you.
Unless I am mistaken - and forgive me if I am, but I was a headline-believing Democrat when Reagan was in office, so I cannot quote the Book of Reagan as completely as some - did not Reagan advise an 11th Commandment: Thou shalt not criticize other Republicans?
I don’t know if I completely agree with that commandment, by the way, but he’s your idol, not mine. I can tell you that I do agree with another of Reagan’s dicta: that we ought not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.
If Ronald Reagan were alive right now, watching the GOP split into these tantrum-throwing factions (whereby “perfection” is duly defined as “pro-life, pro-gun, pro-free-market, pro-worship, pro-Bush-doctrine, pro-tax-cut, pro-ship-back-all-illegals” and then, as each less-than-perfect candidate’s failure on one or more issues is noted, each are thus deemed unworthy of the support of the pristine and uncompromising “base”) I think he’d be disgusted with the lot of you.
Wednesday Night 80’s: De La Soul
This song brings back some great memories for Me, Myself and I.
It puts me back in that green Volkswagon Rabbit Diesel with my girlfriend at my side heading up i-70 towards the mountains at the tremendously fast speed of 50 miles per hour. I don’t think I have ever been as happy since, at least in that carefree manner that youth allows.
January 23, 2008
Alaskan Polar Bear Heater
The Nutty Professor is considered Jerry Lewis’ best all around film. Everybody knows the story by now, but you probably don’t remember what mild mannered Prof. Kelp’s alter ego Buddy Love’s favorite drink was.
“Two shots of vodka, a little rum, some bitters, and a smidgen of vinegar…a shot of vermouth, a shot of gin, a little brandy, lemon peel, orange peel, cherry, some more scotch. Now mix it nice, and pour it into a tall glass.”
Sound horrible? Well, thanks to the internet we can now see one being made!
The drink was later described as “tasting like Ernest Borgnine’s ass.” You be the judge.
Reflections on Fred Thompson
Much of the Right leaning blogosphere is in mourning as they look with distaste upon what choices remain for them in the field of GOP presidential hopefuls.
What might have been . . . and what was
Even without a win, Fred’s presence was important to this contest. Before this summer the GOP contest pitted the social conservative, the fiscal conservative, and the military conservative against each other. Fred entered the race and effectively told Republican voters, that they didn’t have to settle for just one. Since his entry, rhetorically at least, the other candidates have echoed his across-the-board conservatism…
…We can only wonder what might have been, but we can analyze what was. And so here are ten lessons that we can take away from Fred’s campaign…..
Pre-emptive nuclear strike a key option, Nato told
The Left isn’t going to like this. I agree that NATO must redefine its role in the future and decide whether it will be relevant in the War on Terror and future confrontations with rogue regimes.
The west must be ready to resort to a pre-emptive nuclear attack to try to halt the “imminent” spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, according to a radical manifesto for a new Nato by five of the west’s most senior military officers and strategists.
Calling for root-and-branch reform of Nato and a new pact drawing the US, Nato and the European Union together in a “grand strategy” to tackle the challenges of an increasingly brutal world, the former armed forces chiefs from the US, Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands insist that a “first strike” nuclear option remains an “indispensable instrument” since there is “simply no realistic prospect of a nuclear-free world”.
January 22, 2008
Tim Masters: Free at Last
Today, Tim Masters was released from prison in a suit bought for him by his tireless attorneys, David Wymore and Maria Liu. Meanwhile, comeuppance may be on the way.
Mere hours after the release of Tim Masters, the Weld County District Attorney held a press conference signifying a new chapter in the case….
Now, Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck has been appointed as a special prosecutor to look into alleged misconduct with the Fort Collins police department.
“I won’t name anybody particularly, but (we’re investigating) individuals within the Fort Collins police department, and the scope involved possible perjury and illegal wiretapping,” Buck said.
Update: Be sure to also read the story of Tim Masters as Conclub covered it here, here and here. It’s a compelling story that all who are concerned about justice should read.
Dave’s Quote of the Day
CULTURE
“Abortion on demand cannot be seen in isolation from social breakdown. In 1973, near the end of the Vietnam War and the approaching resignation of President Nixon two years later, the focus on self, pleasure and convenience by Baby Boomers was at its height. marriages easily dissolved as ‘no fault’ divorce laws were passed; cohabitation and out-of-wedlock births were on the rise; ‘unwanted babies’ (who were labeled ‘products of conception’ to make it easier to deny the obvious) became an impediment to the pursuit of pleasure and material gain. Abortion was not a cause, but a reflection of our decadence and deviancy. One does not begin to kill babies until other dominos have fallen. And once they have fallen, it becomes difficult to set them aright because to do so would require an admission of something so horrible that those responsible for this fetal holocaust would have to acknowledge their sin and repent of it. Such a thing is not a character trait of this most pampered generation. In recent years there have been signs that things may be—if not turning around—then moderating… Politicians and judges could help bury Roe by requiring that pregnant women receive complete information about the nature of the life within them, including being required to view sonograms before electing abortion. This would follow truth-in-labeling and truth-in-lending laws by fully informing and empowering women. Such an approach would satisfy the liberal demand to keep abortion ’safe and legal’ and the pro-life desire to make them rare. After 35 years of slaughtering our young, isn’t it time to stop? That child born in 1973 could be a parent now. There are children who could have been born today. Thirty-five years of killing has diminished and corrupted us all. Let’s summon the moral courage to stop it for our sake and for theirs.”
Who the Heck Am I Supposed To Vote For Now?
Apparently Fred! wasn’t all he was cracked up to be.
As a registered Republican in the great state of California, where do I now throw my monkey wrench? I’m leaning towards Romney, because the whole Huckabee Insanity Factor is kind of odd. What is a disgruntled former GOP guy to do? Any suggestions?
Also, I seem to recall posting this comic before…
Sorry Dave, I really was going to vote for him!
BTW, I’ll be back some time next week.
Holy S#!T:Tsunami Tuesday
World Financial Markets are getting crushed today. Tsunami Tuesday. Dow Futures are down over 500 points right now.
Update: Fed Cuts Rate by 75bps.
The Fed stepped up early this morning to cut the overnight lending rate to 3.5%. In its first emergency cut since 2001, the move seems to be a reaction to some major moves down in indices throughout the world resembling the period of trading directly after 9-11. It also hinted that it may further reduce rates at it’s regular Jan 29th meeting.
With the destruction of capital happening in the financial markets, it is only a matter of time before the pain really begins to be felt down here in the real world. 2008 scares the hell out of me.
January 21, 2008
Sorry lines like this don’t cut it anymore: “We Support Our Troops, Even After They’ve Been Convicted.”
Using words like serial killers, brainwashed and declaring the it was common knowledge that veterans were more prone to violence, two Conclub bloggers attempted to paint our military with the brush of the jackbooted thug. They claimed it was only natural for our military to become battle hardened and for them to commit atrocities. It seems that the NYT agrees with them. They did a series on it, yes a series on this terrible trend. They even used color pictures!
Town by town across the country, headlines have been telling similar stories. Lakewood, Wash.: ‘Family Blames Iraq After Son Kills Wife.’ Pierre, S.D.: ‘Soldier Charged With Murder Testifies About Postwar Stress.’ Colorado Springs: ‘Iraq War Vets Suspected in Two Slayings, Crime Ring.
Individually, these are stories of local crimes, gut-wrenching postscripts to the war for the military men, their victims and their communities. Taken together, they paint the patchwork picture of a quiet phenomenon, tracing a cross-country trail of death and heartbreak.
The New York Times found 121 cases in which veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan committed a killing in this country, or were charged with one, after their return from war.
You have to love the Times as they work so hard at their insincerity that they almost appear sincere. The only problem is they are wrong again.
Do the math: the 121 alleged instances of homicide identified by the Times, out of a population of 700,000, works out to a rate of 17 per 100,000–quite a bit lower than the overall national rate of around 27.
But wait! The national rate of 27 homicides per 100,000 is an annual rate, whereas the Times’ 121 alleged crimes were committed over a period of six years. Which means that, as far as the Times’ research shows, the rate of homicides committed by military personnel who have returned from Iraq or Afghanistan is only a fraction of the homicide rate for other Americans aged 18 to 24. Somehow, the Times managed to publish nine pages of anecdotes about the violence wreaked by returning servicemen without ever mentioning this salient fact.
Our good friend, and real poster-boy for freedom of the press Mark Steyn put it this way…
“Patchwork picture,” “quiet phenomenon.”… Yes, yes, but exactly how quiet is the phenomenon? How patchy is the picture? The New York Times found 121 cases in which veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan either “committed a killing in this country, or were charged with one.” The “committed a killing” formulation includes car accidents.
Jonah Goldberg On Bloggingheads.
The author of “Liberal Fascism”, currently popping cerebral arteries across the Left, discusses his book with Will Wilkerson of the CATO Institute. Check out the comments forum for your maximum daily dose of hate, rage and scorn. The Beast came away wondering if any of these folks actually invested the seventy minutes required to watch that video. We are lucky to have Wes here, who will do that sort of stuff and respond honestly.
Antarctica needs to worry about its carbon footprint
I anxiously await the next Al Gore film depicting poor penguins stranded on icebergs
Scientists have discovered a huge active volcano under Antarctica.
The volcano in the West Antarctic ice sheet last erupted 2,000 years ago but nay still be helping to melt the ice sheet and speed up sea level rises.
January 20, 2008
Re: A travesty of justice is about to be corrected
A 15-year old boy.
That’s all Tim Masters was when he was first accused of murdering someone he never even knew. At that young age, his life was taken from him. Dave reported earlier that justice has finally emerged, and Masters will be freed from prison, where he was serving a life sentence for the crime that everyone now acknowledges he had nothing to do with.
Here’s Masters today:
It should be noted that Masters was convicted in large part because Detective Jim Broderick of the Ft. Collins police department forced the investigation in that direction because he alone was convinced he had his man. He came to this conclusion after browbeating, screaming at, and lying to a teenage boy in an interrogation room for four hours straight.
DET. JIM BRODERICK
But he was also convicted because prosecutors Terry Gilmore and Jolene Blair violated the rules of ethics to gin up a conviction on an innocent boy. Where are Gilmore and Blair today? They are both judges in Ft. Collins.
Gillmore Blair
Now, Gilmore is being investigated for misconduct in the case, and Broderick for perjury.
And Timothy Masters will be left to try to put back together the pieces of his life.
January 19, 2008
McCain wins South Carolina; All eyes on Florida
Now that John McCain has thrown the South Carolina monkey off of his back with a narrow win there, I anxiously await Florida’s primary on the 29th. While the vote in South Carolina probably spells the end to the candidacy of Fred Thompson, I find the strategy of the remaining Republican field to be intriguing. The resurgence of McCain is nothing short of miraculous given the state of his campaign six months ago. Likewise, the ability of a guy named Mike Huckabee to surge to the top of the field early on has been a lesson in appealing to the correct base. Romney has been steady throughout the early primaries managing to gather the most delegates so far. But Rudy Giuliani is the wild card right now, and he has tied down his stake in Florida. He will either live or die there.
Polls suggest that McCain and Giuliani are neck and neck with Huckabee and Romney close behind. But as of today, only Giuliani and Romney have the money to afford television ads there. Also, McCain will not get the independents in Florida that he was able to capture today in South Carolina. Florida is a Republican-only, winner take all state. The winner there will surely ride the momentum into super Tuesday on Feb. 5 and the nomination will be theirs. With Giuliani firmly entrenched in Florida, McCain and Romney holding the media spotlight, and Huckabee courting the religious conservatives, look for Fred Thompson to make a surprise move over the next nine days that will tilt the race in one of those candidates’ favor. I predict that this week will be bloody for the G.O.P. but Rudy will emerge the victor.
