The Constitution Club

Too funny. Apparently the radicalism that Obama failed to notice in the first twenty-four years he attended Trinity has become untenable (now that he’s running for President) over the past ninety days. Is there any person or institution Obama’s truly devoted to besides himself?

Word to the wise, Michelle: you’d better sharpen up your act if you want to stay on the topside of the bus, baby!

“Young Hillary Clinton”

Perhaps an earlier namesake of Scott McClellan served as a prophetic example for him to follow.  Most readers know of the calculating but bumbling Gen. George McClellan of Civil War fame.  Yet fewer probably know of his exploits following his being relieved of command by President Lincoln.  From Wiki:

General McClellan also failed to maintain the trust of Lincoln, and proved to be frustratingly insubordinate to the commander-in-chief. After he was relieved of command, McClellan became the unsuccessful Democratic nominee opposing Lincoln in the 1864 presidential election. His party had an anti-war platform, promising to end the war and negotiate with the Confederacy, which McClellan was forced to repudiate, damaging the effectiveness of his campaign. He served as the 24th Governor of New Jersey from 1878 to 1881. He eventually became a writer, defending his actions during the Peninsula Campaign and the Civil War (emphasis mine).

Conclub readers have been routinely treated to the scathing editorials of the failings of the Bush Administration by conservatives.  Those of us on the right, most notably DFV, have not pulled many punches in our criticisms of the President.   Over a year ago, DFV had this to say about Alberto Gonzales:

Like so many high-ranking Bush officials, Gonzales appears to have been given his job because of his proximity to Bush himself. Some of those glaring mistakes have mercifully left town. It’s time for General Gonzales to follow them.

And yet even as DFV was writing those words, who would have thought that Bush buddy Scott McClellan would be in the planning stages of making his return trip to Washington with a new book to tout?

The former press secretary has written a somewhat scathing account of his years in the Bush White House.  But as I hear and read more about the book, it seems to reflect the very nature of McClellan’s duties and actions on behalf of the President: dull, erroneous, and full of gaffes and miscalculations.  The title of the book itself (What Happened) contains an ironic grammatical error (no question mark.)

As I watched McClellan on the Today show, he seemed both bitter and resigned to the realities of life in the White House.  The basis of his argument is that the administration enacted a propaganda campaign to sell the war in 2002.  He says that there was a “political propaganda campaign” in the run-up to the war, doing “a disservice to the American people and to our democracy.”  My response was, yeah?  And?  I awaited greater detail.  Did Bush lie?  The answer from a guy trying to sell as many books to the left as possible?  “Not exactly.”  In his language, which he has little command of, that means, ‘no.’

So the thrust of a great portion of his book is that the Bush Administration tried to sell the war?  Apparently if you add the moniker ‘propaganda’ it somehow makes the push for war seem more nefarious.  Nevermind the fact that every presidential administration engages in the active selling of their product using the press.

There are certainly more issues which McClellan took exception with.  But despite his inner opposition to whatever was taking place, McClellan was so principled that he continued to chirp the party line.  What a hero.  When asked about such issues as defending the death penalty in Texas, McClellan said “I do feel significant doubts about it, much as I would later feel about the necessity of war in Iraq.” But he swallowed them: “I was called on, as official spokesman, to defend a position despite inner qualms about it.”

All of this goes to show just how counterproductive it can be to lug along your friends into positions of power.  Having the likes of Harriet Miers, Alberto Gonzales and Scott McClellan working on your behalf demonstrates that talented people will always carry the day when the push comes to shove.  And untalented people always leave behind a mess that you have to clean up later.

As a political observor and writer, I considered the election in 2000 — the disputed, razor-thin, bizzare, surreal, “Florida” election to be the ultimate in modern political drama, and a jolly good ride, as well.  

I also thought that the 2004 election was captivating in that it was fought over the largest issue of the day (Iraq), and yet came down to a tiny number of votes. I recall that on the first half of election day, the numbers coming in looked great for Kerry. I had already announced the night before that I thought Kerry would pull it out, and apparently the Kerry HQ were giddily divying up jobs, while at the White House, the President was prepared to concede graciously, if that’s what the outcome required.  

But later in the evening, ConClub contributors began to analyse numbers first in Florida, whereupon it was announced that although Kerry was leading in the Sunshine State, based on the remaining counties, Bush should win. This seemed outlandish at the time, until a few minutes passed and Karl Rove and Ken Mehlman issued a statement from the White House agreeing with the ConClub analysis in principle.

Inspired by this, our intrepid analysts shortly thereafter set their sights on Ohio, and a detailed analysis of Cuyahoga County followed. Ohio was where Kerry sought to hang his hat that night, and a big return in Cleveland was required. While the returns came into the Ohio Secretary of State office, Bush led, but Cuyahoga County remained uncounted, leading many Democrats and pundits to conclude that Kerry would win the state and the presidency. However, a meticulous ConClub, real-time, number-crunching session indicated that the votes necessary to carry Ohio for Kerry weren’t there in Cayahoga County. It was announced on our blog that, based on our analysis, Bush would win reelection. Other than the petulent, post-election whining about Ohio voting and the Diebold machine, this analysis proved to be effectively the last word in the election of 2004.

So now, here we are in 2008, and another pivotol election looms. Over the next five months, ConClub will provide a serious in-depth analysis of the campaign, written from the perspective of writers representing both candidates. We welcome the comments of both McCain supporters and Obama supporters, right through the election night in November. And whichever side should win the election, this site is sure to produce preeminent election coverage and commentary.

Chalk another one up for the people haters who are so desperately attempting to slit the throat of civilized and industrialized Western Civilization. I am beginning to despise those are intent on indoctrinating us all with their hatred of modern society. Modern man can not, and should not, just return to the days of hunting and gathering. A washing machine is not evil (my wife will agree with me on this one) and neither is my heated home, or motorized vehicle. I have no wish to return to the days of horse and buggy or simply squatting in a cave at night. The modern day luddites continue their assault on the rest of us using the same polluting, technologically advanced, consumer goods medium that they despise in their heart of hearts.

ABC kids’ website shows Aussies as pigs

The Planet Slayer website, which can be accessed via the science section on the ABC home page, also demonises people who eat meat and those involved in the nuclear industry, a Senate estimates committee heard.

The site has several features including a cartoon series, Adventures of Greena, and a tool called Prof Schpinkee’s Greenhouse Calculator to help kids work out their carbon footprint.

The calculator lets users compare their own carbon output to the “average Aussie greenhouse pig” and estimates at what age a person should die so they don’t use more than their fair share of the Earth’s resources.

Too much carbon production causes a cartoon pig to explode, leaving behind a pool of blood.

Link: Planet Slayer homepage

Be sure to take the test at the Greenhuouse Calculator to figure out when you’re supposed to die. Definitely a “nice” site for kids. It told me “you should die at age 57.7″. I have a feeling I did quite a bit better than some of you will. When I played the “How much do you suck” game it told me that “I totally suck”.

Removal of sect kids “not warranted”

Interestingly enough, this entire sad episode was triggered by a fake call from a lady in Denver who had strung police along for a year or so pretending to be different underage girls calling from the compound. In my opinion, you either have to smash polygamists cults and compounds completely so there won’t be another generation perpetrating the traditions and teachings that have continued unabated and virtually unchanged since the days of Brigham Young, or you keep a closer eye on them, tell them to cut out the underage marriages and basically leave them alone to practice their beliefs as they wish. The courts today decided the latter.

“Amongst a sea of awful poems, this one is truly wretched.”

Makes ya proud, doesn’t it?

In response to Denver Public Schools’ offer of one of the largest pay increases in state history, the teacher’s union has told members to prepare for a strike. Today, demonstrating that any raises given to them would be money wasted, the teachers called in “sick” en masse. At one school, Academia Ana Marie Sandoval, a dual-language school, all 16 classroom teachers stayed home — just two days before the end of the school year.

There is no way that teachers who care about their students would have pulled such a bush league stunt. And there is no way that teachers who don’t care about students can ever be part of the solution for rescuing failing schools.

Today in America, the teachers’ union is one of the most nefarious organizations afflicting our children’s education. True educational reform won’t happen until the union is eliminated.

Incidentally, E and I, as charter school teachers, are not part of the union, and have no employment protection, such as tenure. All of which is fine with me. That just means that we are like almost all other American workers. If we perform a good service for our employer, we will keep getting paid. If we don’t, we’ll get fired.

UPDATE: The liberal Denver Post editorial page ripped the teachers’ stunt in an editorial today.

Knocking Miley Cyrus out of the top spot.

Call me a dork but I think this is cool. NASA has just gotten back some images from Mars’ northern polar region transmitted from the Pheonix Mars Rover. The fissures you see in the familiar red surface are caused by the expansion and contraction of underground ice scientists postulate

Here is a link to some of the images posted on CNN’s website

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/05/27/mars.lander.ap/index.html#cnnSTCPhoto

Or NASA’s website has the whole offering of images from the rover. Enjoy

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/main/index.html

Today is of course Memorial Day. I am partial to the day’s original name Decoration Day, it reminds us what today should mean. It is a day to remember and celebrate those who sacrificed themselves for the greater good. They watered the tree of liberty so that we may live under the shade it provides.

I think of my family, of my father who was really no more than a boy who served bravely and was wounded in the Pacific during WWII. I think of my uncles and grandfathers who served both in WWI and WWII. They too were wounded in defense of this precious nation. They are all, or were, patriots in the truest sense of the world. They are heroes to me. This day though is really not for them. They got to come home, Veterans Day is for them. This day is for the brothers they left behind.

We are fighting two wars right now. Over 4500 Americans have sacrificed themselves so this generation can grill hot dogs and watch baseball today. But 4500 is just a number. History tells us it is not small, it also unfortunately is not very large either. Today we need perspective, not numbers.

Here in Colorado a number of heroes have answered their nations call and given the last full measure they could give. We could mention Andy Olmsted for instance, or Chris Anderson. Looking at who they were shows clearly that they were the very best of us. There are others of course. Others from our community and across this great country. They stretch back in an unbroken line to the birth of this nation.

If anyone seeks to understand what today is really about I offer you Luke Milam. Just this one hero to put things in perspective. I mentioned Luke last fall…

This was taken in total from Blackfive. I don’t think they mind.

Someone You Should Know…. Luke Milam

Posted By Deebow

All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing…

And it is today that here on B5 I say “Fair winds and Following Seas” to Hospital Corpsman Luke Milam of the United States Navy. Luke was killed on Sept. 25 during a battle between coalition and Taliban forces near the city of Musa Qula, an opium-poppy growing area of Afghanistan.

I have not been to Musa Qula, but I know where it is in Southern Afghanistan and I served with and know men who have fought there. It is still one of the places we get in fights regularly, and by we, I mean all Coalition forces that are fighting in the South.

Luke Milam knew the nature of true evil. He knew this because he was a senior at Columbine High School. On April 20, 1999, Milam, a senior at Columbine High School, lost his buddy, Isaiah Shoels.

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Last Sunday, on a thread devoted to the way Chris Matthews grilled a historically ignorant right-wing talk show host, Andre made some embarrassing assertions of his own.  In the comment section, Andre made this point in relation to Obama’s childish take on foreign policy:

Ok, in case they read our humble blog… “Appeasement” means giving up something to your enemies for temporary peace. “Diplomacy” means talking to them, without giving in. What do you think the traitor Dems will give up, Dave?

Annoyed with the simpleminded leftist blather, and probably in a piss poor mood, I fired back at Andre with two comments:

“What the f*** does Andre think diplomats do? They give in dummy! Diplomacy means you bend to the will of others in exchange for getting something in return.

So just what should we bend to the will of Iran for? Tell me Andre you frickin genius! What should we give to Iran that will make the world more peaceful? What should we bend to Hamas for in order to get something? I anxiously await your enlightened answer.”

And by the way Andre, your take on Reagans diplomacy is as big of a joke as the guy Matthews is grilling. Equivocating the Soviets with Iran or Iraq or Hamas shows how immature and devoid of integrity your worldview really is. Let me fill you in here. . . talking to the Soviets, a country that shared the world power structure with the U.S. is different than talking to those pissant fanaticals. Get it?

As if on cue, or spurred on by my wisdom, Charles Krauthammer then kicks out this editorial five days later.  His point mirrors my own in that Obama and Andre/Wes are basically children in a grown ups world.  In reference to Obama’s plan to meet with the worlds totalitarians and gangsters, Krauthammers says this:

After that, there was no going back. So he doubled down. What started as a gaffe became policy. By now, it has become doctrine. Yet it remains today what it was on the day he blurted it out: an absurdity.

And what does Krauthammer say about the nature of diplomacy?  He simply parrots a refined version of my annoyed comment:

As every seasoned diplomat knows, the danger of a summit is that it creates enormous pressure for results. And results require mutual concessions. That is why conditions and concessions are worked out in advance, not on the scene.

What concessions does Obama imagine Ahmadinejad will make to him on Iran’s nuclear program? And what new concessions will Obama offer? To abandon Lebanon? To recognize Hamas? Or perhaps to squeeze Israel?

On the topic of comparing diplomacy with Iran with that of the Soviets, Krauthammer is clear:

Having lashed himself to the ridiculous, unprecedented promise of unconditional presidential negotiations — and then having compounded the problem by elevating it to a principle — Obama keeps trying to explain. On Sunday, he declared in Pendleton, Ore., that by Soviet standards Iran and others “don’t pose a serious threat to us.” (On the contrary. Islamic Iran is dangerously apocalyptic. Soviet Russia was not.)

The entire parallel Conclub-thread-turned-editorial comes full circle when Krauthammer exposes Obama’s utter lack of historical knowledge.  **Coincidentally, when Matthews and Andre declared appeasement to be “giving” something to your enemies, they show their own unrefined knowledge of the Treaty of Versailles and the parameters Hitler broke that went unenforced.** 

Obama cited Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman as presidents who met with enemies. Does he know no history? Neither Roosevelt nor Truman ever met with any of the leaders of the Axis powers. Obama must be referring to the pictures he’s seen of Roosevelt and Stalin at Yalta, and Truman and Stalin at Potsdam. Does he not know that at that time Stalin was a wartime ally?

During the subsequent Cold War, Truman never met with Stalin. Nor Mao. Nor Kim Il Sung. Truman was no fool.

Obama cites John Kennedy meeting Nikita Khrushchev as another example of what he wants to emulate. Really? That Vienna summit of a young, inexperienced, untested American president was disastrous, emboldening Khrushchev to push Kennedy on Berlin — and then near fatally in Cuba, leading almost directly to the Cuban missile crisis. Is that the precedent Obama aspires to follow?

Needless to say, there was never a reply to my comments.  Aside from Dave, PG, and CK (Charles Krauthammer) piling on, liberal contributors and readers would rather not be bothered with facts that expose both their own and their candidates inept and dangerous foreign policy objectives.  They would rather bitch about what a “disaster” President Bush’s foreign policy is. 

We were able to make it home today (Saturday), but are still without power or gas. We spent several hours working on cleaning up and we will now be staying for the next couple of days as guests of my friend Matt (commentor Mbucky) and his wife Kim. It was very generous of them to open their home to us and we are very grateful.

Updated: We came back over on Sunday to work at the house. We had a nice meal courtesy of the Red Cross and then a dinner courtesy of Scientology Volunteer Ministers who had set up a large tent with donated food from Sonic and McDonalds and a large spray painted sign saying “Dinner: 5:30″. Right on cue several dozen people dropped in for some burgers, potato chips and chips and salsa, and to pick up some water.

There have been large work gangs of yellow shirted volunteers roaming the area and playing a major role in cleaning up the amazing amount of debris, downed trees and shattered fences that just seem to be everywhere. They had come through earlier before I got home and sawed up and stacked about fifty or more feet of my downed fence. I figured they were groups of local volunteers that were coordinated with the town. We discovered later that these are groups of LDS (Mormon) ministers that respond quickly to the scenes of natural disasters.

We were joking this evening that all it takes is a natural disaster and all the cults start coming out of the woodwork. All kidding aside, all those who took the time to help strangers get some semblance of order back into their lives and to provide a good meal or some bottled water to the residents were greatly appreciated. The area is getting virtually no help with clean up yet from the authorities. They seem to be entirely preoccupied with security and getting the power and gas back on. My neighborhood is saturated with patrols by police from all types of jurisdictions and National Guard troops. All clean up has been done by the residents themselves and by the Mormon brigades. Nearly every house now has a big pile of twisted tree limbs, broken fences and assorted debris in front of it. I guess the hope is that the city or county will be sending out some crews and trucks to haul it all away. It’s one big mess. The local churches have also been helping out with a large variety of things and the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity have also set up camp in various parking lots and buildings throughout the town.

Power was finally restored about six this evening and the gas apparently sometime before that. So tonight I am blogging from my own computer, and will get to sleep in my own bed. The insurance guy is coming in the morning to look everything over so we’ll see how that goes. When this is all over I should have a brand spanking new look to the outside of the house and bright, shiny new fences to boot.  That will be nice. We will be totally changing the color of the outside. The wife is favoring either maroon or darker blue with a light trim. I’ve been told by multiple people that I will have little choice in such a matter (the woman always wins in things like this) but I am holding my pocket veto powers in reserve against a worse case scenario (or decision on her part).

Those who lecture us on the evils of the internal combustion engine and sneer at those selfish Americans who insist on driving to work and heating their homes deserve just as much derision as they level at the rest of us. Only elitists say “too bad but what about the polar bears” when confronted with the human and economic costs on the middle and lower classes that high gas and food prices invariably have. And the next idiot that tries to somehow justify his finger wagging in my face by referring to Europe, in any sense, should simply be slapped.

Why $4-a-gallon gas is a bargain

On the environmental front, people concerned about greenhouse-gas emissions should be cheering today’s oil prices. Expensive motor fuel is the only thing that will lead consumers to use less and make the switch to hybrid vehicles, smaller cars and public transit. Higher oil prices are persuading automakers to change their fleets.

The family and I are getting ready to head back home. We’ve been given the OK. PGW, I’ll get in touch with you once the power is back on in regards to any insurance type questions. I appreciate the offer of help. I’ll be out of touch for a few days. They expect the power to be back on by Monday evening if everything goes alright. The outpouring of generousity and quick responsiveness was, how should I say this, very un-Katrina like. Of course the scale of need was miniscule in comparison. The area overall tends to be upper middle class and educated and that has kept fears of looting, or general trouble of any sort to a bare minimum. Everyone has been very helpful to their neighbors and strangers alike and the response from local and state government was very quick. We’ll hopefully be able to get ahold of some food today as I am sure the contents of my fridge may be compromised. I’m hoping the contents of the deep freeze faired a bit better. Hopefully, I’ll be back early next week to once again blog on regular things like appeasement of terrorists, the collapse of the GOP vision, Hillary’s increasingly odd behaviour and things like that instead of downed power lines and destroyed infrastructure.

Carry on Conclub.

I wasn’t able to get very many good pictures yesterday of the Windsor, Co tornado damage. This was the best I could do. The ones of my house I quickly took for possible insurance purposes and for posting on the blog. As soon as I get back I’d like to get some better ones of the general damage to the area. These are mostly just of my home.

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Greetings everyone. For those who have taken the time to view the slideshow, you can see that my neighborhood and the surrounding area has taken quite a hit from a tornado. The worst of the devastation that you see is three to four blocks from my home. My house and the entire area definitely looks like a tornado hit. It reminded me of pictures I have seen of war zones. My roof is good but my siding and insulation now litter most of the block and my long, wooden privacy fence completely blew apart. Much of it ended up on my roof, and a long board played missile and punched a foot hole through my daughter’s upstairs bedroom. My mother was home with two of my children and my baby niece. She said she knew that they were in trouble when the fence basically exploded. My yard and the entire neighborhood is strewn with debris and half the street is blocked with large uprooted trees. They are estimating the winds were about 165mph in the area of my home.

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h/t to Instapundit.

The Beast just started working for a State Department organ three weeks ago and he got a good chuckle over this post on The Diplomad Blog:

 Have a few minutes to spare? Go to “Google,” type in the phrase “highly educated voters,” hit “Search News.” Go ahead. We’ll wait . . . OK, what do you get? All sorts of stories about Obama voters, and how he attracts the “highly educated.” You will get the same from the pundits on network and cable news: lots of blather about how Obama appeals to “highly educated” Americans. 

  That, of course, is just more MSM “spin doctor” nonsense and we conservatives let them get away with it. We heard the same song when John “Xmas in Cambodia” Kerry ran for President, to wit, the “highly educated” went for Kerry the ignorant ones went for Bush. Every time you hear that phrase, “highly educated” substitute the phrase “attended a lame liberal college or university.” That’s what we are really talking about. Given the state of higher education in the world, including in our own beloved Republic, spending four years in a typical “liberal arts” institution generally qualifies you for . . . uh . . . well, not much, except, of course, to boast that you are “highly educated.” And that just don’t mean a whole hill of beans today. Let me explain.

The Diplomad had to choose some recent “highly educated” college grads for an intern-type position, but their resumes were all the same. Literally. So he devised a test.

 I stole a friend’s idea and devised “The World War II Test.” I invited the applicants for interviews. These PMI wannabes came off as slick and somewhat rude. I noted something among my subjects, a sense of entitlement, they all, to varying degrees, emitted a message along the lines of “Why are you bothering me with this silly interview? I am obviously brilliant. I have a degree from Columbia. I am not going to spend my whole life as you have in this stupid bureaucracy. I just need this to add to my resume. I am in a hurry.” I hit them with the test, which consisted of about dozen questions about WWII and its aftermath. I recall a few,

Can you tell me how US troops got into Europe in the first place? When was WWII? (I would accept a variety of answers as long as the applicant could defend the dates as the true start and end of WWII.) What nations comprised the principal Allied and Axis powers? Who was Neville Chamberlain? What he did he do at Munich and with whom? Who was Mussolini? What did he do to Ethiopia? Who was Stalin? Who was Hirohito? What was D-Day? What President ordered the dropping of the atomic bombs and why? Can you name a result of the Conference at Yalta? What was the  What was the Berlin Airlift?

Of the 14 or 15 applicants I interviewed, only one got them all right — the only male in the crowd, by the way. None, zero, zip of the rest got even ONE right. Not a single one. A very irritated applicant asked me, “Do we really need to know this old stuff?” I noted that we worked with NATO and Europe, hence, it was important to know the background that led to the creation of NATO and the then just-concluded Cold War. She stared at me and said, “What does World War II have to do with NATO, the Cold War and Europe?” I promptly offered the job to the male — oh, the cries from “Human Resources” — who turned it down for a more lucrative one in the private sector. In the best Foreign Service tradition, I stalled hiring anybody else, let my two-year assignment run out, and left my poor successor to get stuck with one of the clueless ones.

The Beast is going to try that test on some of the twenty-somethings he works with tonight and see what they come with. Read the rest of the piece and don’t miss the fantastic comments section – where they skewer the postmodernist “Skills vs Raw Data” apologists.

I spoke with Dave this morning.  I called him at 7:15 this morning oblivious to the fact that he probably was up late getting things squared away.  He and his family are okay.  The tornado touchdown was about 1/2 mile from his house.  Many of the pictures you see in this slide show are houses that lie in Daves neighborhood.  Dave and his family were “lucky” in that they only sustained roof and shingle damage and had a 2X4 go through the outside wall of their daughters bedroom.  Needless to say I think Daves agricultural endeavors have been hampered.

He was at his brothers house since much of the town is under mandatory evacuation notice.  I didn’t ask but I suspect that this is due to gas leaks.  He will be off grid for a while until power is restored and the town can pick up the pieces.  I’m sure there is much much more that I couldn’t glean from a two minute phone call.  He will certainly fill us in as he becomes able.

A friend of a guy who works for me recently applied for a handgun permit and used him as a reference. Just to clarify in New Jersey when one submits an application for a handgun he is asked to give personal references. The local police department then sends the references a little questionaire in an effort to determine if said applicant is insane, a drug addict etc. . These are the questions the town of North Arlington NJ asks of an applicant’s reference. Being the smartass that I am here is how I would have answered.

Has the applicant ever been convicted of a crime or disorderly persons offense?  Isn’t this the sort of thing that should be covered in a background check? or You’re the police. You tell me.

Is the applicant an alcoholic? No There is no alcohol in paint thinner

Is the applicant a habitual drunk? (yes they actually used the term habitual  drunk) Didn’t I answer that in the last question?

Is the applicant a narcotics user?    Is LSD a narcotic?

Has the applicant ever been confined to a mental institution? No he is treated on an outpatient basis.

Does the applicant suffer from any physical defect or illness? Yes. he has an itchy trigger finger

Has the victim ever commited an act of domestic violence? Yeah but his wife burned the meatloaf. So it was justified

Has the applicant ever been a member of any organization which advocated the overthrow of the US or the state of New Jersey? (Overthrowong a state? that’s a new one.) Well he did vote for Lyndon Larouche.

How many years have you known the applicant? We met last week

To your knowledge is there any reason why the above named person should not be issued a firearms permit? No

The case that was begun with a bogus phone call, now appears to be getting crushed under the weight of overzealousness. In a sharp rebuke, a Texas court has ruled that the state’s outrageous assertion that 434 compound children were part of a single family cannot stand.

This case has proceeded like so many similar ones:

1) The government raids an unpopular group

2) The government releases lurid and inflamatory “facts” through a professional PR organization

3) The media and the public compete to see who can offer the most severe condemnation of the unpopular group

4) Slowly, it emerges that many of the government’s claims turn out to be outright lies

5) Courts and/or the media shake off the initial story and begin to reveal the truth

6) Immediately, everyone loses interest, the government loses (or presses on) and the shattered unpopular group is left to pick up the pieces 

As most readers know quite a few ConClub members reside in Colorado. Dave the Infidel Sage and Guru Steve live in northern Colorado. David lives in the area where it hit. I would very much like Dave and Steve to let us know they are okay. If Eric or Damien have any news please let us know ASAP.

An open message from us Republicans to you Democrats.

Admittedly, Kentucky is a red state (shouldn’t the dems be the “red” one?) and will be in the McCain column come November. But shouldn’t the presumptive Democratic nominee actually be able to hold more than a third of registered, voting Hillary supporters in Kentucky come election day? Obama is doing appallingly poorly in certain parts of the country even with the traditional base of the Democratic party. He will have to do better with working class/white/male voters in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania if he would actually like to be the next POTUS. This is the last remaining argument that Mrs. Clinton has to offer the Superdelegates on why she, and not the new guy, should get the party’s nod. It is interesting to me that there are STILL so many unpledged Democratic Superdelegates. What the heck are they actually waiting for? I’m used to some of them not having a backbone but this is ridiculous.

Senator Obama should have put this away a long time ago and he still can’t seal the deal and it appears that the Democratic party is cut almost straight down the middle between the two. Very unusual in this era of coronations, not nominations, but I’m still rooting for a brokered convention. This may be my one shot to view one in my lifetime. They have literally become a once in a lifetime event.

Obama takes Oregon; Clinton wins Kentucky

Two-thirds of Clinton’s supporters there said they would vote Republican or not vote at all rather than for Obama, according to the polls.

Forty-one percent of Clinton supporters said they’d cast their vote for McCain, and 23 percent said they would not vote at all.

Just 33 percent said they would back Obama in the general election, according to the polls.

Those numbers are even worse for Obama than in West Virginia one week ago, where 36 percent of Clinton voters said they would back him in the fall.

Obama on Tuesday downplayed the idea that his party will have trouble unifying once there is a nominee.

Back in January I posted about one of my daughters classmates who had died from an aggressive form of cancer. Yesterday, her class dedicated a small garden in her memory. It was built with volunteer labor and donated materials. My wife attended the dedication ceremony and the entire elementary school turned out for it as well. The fifth graders presented Hope’s mother with a check for a thousand dollars which they had raised. I was not present to take any pictures then, but my children did give me a mini-tour of the memorial garden today after school so I snapped a few. Hope was a wonderful little girl and she will be greatly missed by many. 

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In 1991, Conan O’Brien teamed up with Robert Smigel (TV Funhouse, SNL, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog) to create a pilot called Lookwell! starring Adam West. The basic premise was about Ty Lookwell, an actor who used to be the star of a 70s detective show, but now is struggling to find work as an actor, only making money by teaching an acting class on the side. However, even though he was never a real detective, he keeps coming across cases that catch his attention and decides to intervene… badly. It’s a lot like The Naked Gun, but not quite as broad a parody. Presented below is the entire pilot.

Sample quote:

Student: “How’d you get beat up, Mr. Lookwell?”
Lookwell: “I’m not exactly sure, Suzanne. The working-class mind is strange and unpredictable.”

Blow the trumpets in Zion, it is the time for jubilee! Things are actually starting to grow in Farmer Dave’s vegetable garden. After I got home from work today, my eldest daughter and I took a short stroll out to the old garden plot as we discussed the various electives she has the choice of taking in school next year. As we sagely discussed her academic career we surveyed the stretch of formerly barren earth now heavily planted with seeds, blood, sweat and tears to see if anything was yet showing a hint of life.

I already have had lettuce and radishes beginning to come up but I’ve eagerly awaited signs from the rest. After much hard work and an attempt at patience I was happy to hear that my daughter had managed to spot the fact that I now have two varieties of peas making an appearance and that the very first of some eighty planted corn kernals was bravely poking its little head through the soil to face the world. I also later discovered that two cucumbers and one pumpkin plant had sprouted as well. This, of course, is actually a positive sign of progress. You can view my earlier gardening related posts here and here. 

I have already planted nine seedling tomato plants (several different varieties), two zucchini’s, a watermelon, two banana peppers, three celery plants and a cantaloupe. All of which seem to be doing fairly well. I have yet to see any evidence that my planted green onions, carrots, varieties of gourds, beans or other varieties of pumpkins have decided to bless me with their presence, but hopefully they will be doing  so in greater numbers by the end of the week. My strawberry patch is doing a bang up job and is already starting to set berries. I expanded its borders by another foot or so on two sides and will be helping to direct its eventual plethora of runners into the new areas to get a head start on next year. Tomorrow I have the day off so I’ll be planting three different types of flowers in an ad hoc rock garden that I designed and attempting to outsmart some weeds by laying down cardboard strips in between the crop rows. Bring on the weeds and the scorching sun, I’m ready for them!

The Beast brought his daughter and friend fishing at the Farmington Rod&Gun Club Sunday. The weather was beautiful, sunny and hot. The club stocked over a thousand trout for the kiddies to catch. Unfortunately the little beasties swam right to the bottom and refused to open their yaps. But a good time (including prizes, raffles and a free lunch) was had by all.

Some three hundred parents and kids showed up.

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It has just been announced that Ted Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor. He is by no means a favorite of mine but I wish this fate on no man. The Kennedy curse lives on I suppose.

“…by the Buoys of Argos!“

Have you ever had a big barbeque ruined because you can’t get the grill hot enough to cook the meat? This must be how the Global Warming crowd is feeling these days.

From The National Post:

So much for ’settled science’

You may have heard earlier this month that global warming is now likely to take break for a decade or more. There will be no more warming until 2015, perhaps later.

Climate scientist Noel Keenlyside, leading a team from Germany’s Leibniz Institute of Marine Science and the Max Planck Institute of Meteorology, for the first time entered verifiable data on ocean circulation cycles into one of the U. N.’s climate supercomputers, and the machine spit out a projection that there will be no more warming for the foreseeable future.

Of course, Mr. Keenlyside– long a defender of the man-made global warming theory — was quick to add that after 2015 (or perhaps 2020), warming would resume with a vengeance.

Climate alarmists the world over were quick to add that they had known all along there would be periods when the Earth’s climate would cool even as the overall trend was toward dangerous climate change.

Less well-known is that global temperatures have already been falling for a decade. All of which means, that by 2015 or 2020, when warming is expected to resume, we will have had nearly 20 years of fairly steady cooling.

Even Rajendra Pachauri, the head of the IPCC, reluctantly admitted to Reuters in January that there has been no warming so far in the 21st Century.

Global Climate Forecasting is a science still very much in its infancy – the only thing “settled” about it has been the fact that it’s universally wrong. None of the two decades of predictions have come true. And, as others have noted, Anthropogenic Warming appears to be a theory that cannot be proved untrue. When temps rise – warming. When they fall – warming. Polar Bear populations have doubled in the past 40 years, but predicted arctic ice loss is going to kill them, so they go on the Endangered List. Even the recent spate of shark attacks and fatalities have beem blamed on Global Warming.

The question now is – will the Climate Change Advocacy take note of this good news, or will they ignore it so they can continue to promote their thinly disguised socialist political agenda under the false aegis of saving us all from a carbon dioxide oven that refuses to light?

Bets, anyone?

Obama’s view of your economic future

Buried in the sea of Obama’s largest crowd (what Drudge calls the “Obama Mass”) is the economic ramifications of his latest pronouncements on global warming:

“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK…. That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen.”

Let’s break that down. First, under an Obama administration, “we can’t drive our SUVs,” which begs the question: “What precisely qualifies as an ‘SUV’? Is my family minivan an SUV? Perhaps any vehicle that doesn’t deliver 30 miles per gallon will be a banned ‘SUV.’ Let’s move on. ” We can’t… keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times.” My home was set at 70 degrees last night and my office is at 72 degrees all day. I think it’s been proven that air conditioning actually does increase productivity. And why pick on ‘72 degrees’? Why not 76 degrees? What is morally acceptable in this new Obamaworld?

Of course, what’s funny is that I keep my work temperature at pretty much 72 degrees for three fourths of the year and a bit cooler in the summer (about 70 depending on the day) and my wife drives a minivan. But that’s not good enough or acceptable for ol’ Barack. He would have to start picking on me personally. Back off Barry!

Barack Obama didn’t like his middle name to begin with and I’m not allowed to say it, so this is probably a good thing. This does make him a sworn enemy of the Cheyenne and Sioux but he may not have realized that. At least they didn’t name him something like Barry Muhammad Kill A Pig. That would have been a step backwards and not quite as good. Naming him “black” eagle was a tad politically incorrect for me, but then again it is Montana. They are a bit behind the times out there.

Crow Nation welcomes Barack Black Eagle

I’m speechless. Twenty nine thousand dollars for this? Nero fiddled while Rome burned… and then he blamed the Christians for it. Western Civilization, what hath ye wrought? It’s an interesting concept but the kind of halfhearted attempts to flail away at ‘evil oil’ is a bit much. Are you complaining about high prices or that we have to have oil to get to work, bring food to the stores and heat our homes? Even she doesn’t really seem to know what point she’s trying to make, but she sure knows how to make it. Whatever that may be.

 I was going to say something about this gal needing a hobby, but apparently she’s found it. How do these people get these jobs? Wrapper of abandoned building, UN Special Rapporteur. I need a cushy job like that. Blogger extraordinaire, planter of vegetables, typer of words, producer of children… and I’ll need lots of donations to keep me going as well. Somebody’s got to save the planet with your money. It might as well be me.

Artist Covers Old Gas Station with Huge Blanket

”I really tried to find a good balance of art and politics. I don’t want it to be just a political statement. And I don’t want it to just be a sculpture,” said the 27-year-old Marsh, who is finishing her master of fine arts degree at nearby Syracuse University. 

”I wanted to startle people so they would stop and think about it (oil) … and be inspired to make up their own opinions about the situation and how it has affected their community,” she said. 

With the help of professional and amateur artists from 15 countries and more than 2,500 grade-school students in 29 states, Marsh covered the 50-year-old former Citgo station — pumps, light stands, signs and all — with more than 3,000 fiber panels that are crocheted, knitted, quilted or stitched together.

”My teacher told us it’s about creating a caring community,” he said.

Or about creating an eyesore and gawdy tourist attraction. I wonder how many people drove their cars to go look at the big blankie attacking “oil”? Wait until you see what she did with her lawnmower.

View a vid and interview here.

My panel would have said:

 My car runs on food. Oil sucks, but now I’m hungry.

UN human rights investigator (and invited guest) Doudou Diene

U.N. racism investigator to visit U.S. from Monday

A special U.N. human rights investigator will visit the United States this month to probe racism, an issue that has forced its way into the race to secure the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. The United Nations said Doudou Diene would meet federal and local officials, as well as lawmakers and judicial authorities during the May 19-June 6 visit. 

“The special rapporteur will…gather first-hand information on issues related to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,” a U.N. statement said on Friday. 

His three-week visit, at U.S. government invitation, will cover eight cities — Washington D.C., New York, Chicago, Omaha, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Thank goodness the club of tyrants, thugs and despots is taking the time to look into this. Obama has sounded the call, and the UN has answered. I guess the flights to Cuba, most of sub-Saharan Africa, Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and China etc. etc. were all booked. I know I will sleep better this evening knowing that the world body of peace and freedom is sending Doudou Diene to make sure I am feeling sufficiently guilty for the sins of the past and that I have my current Islamaphobia under control. This guy is all about Islamphobia, and can you begin to imagine what we are going to hear in New Orleans? Who invited him anyway? That’s what I’d like to know.

 I have only two suggestions for the UN freeloader, er, Mr. Diene.

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Your average local right wing radio host goes to Hardball, and Chris Matthews rips his guts out:

Go Tweety!  More please?

Those who are responsible for putting Democrats in the broken place we are in right now withregard to Barack Obama had better own it to the end. Leave those bumper stickers on and wearthose campaign pins until the bitter end folks because YOU OWN IT. And people are going to want to know whose to blame.

…Has anyone truly and fairly presented the problem Obama faces by continuously saying “a vote for John McCain is a vote for another 4 more years of George Bush” particularly when most of us don’t even know what a vote for Barack Obama would mean? Not to mention the fairly obvious fact that the whole reason McCain is able to run so strongly in 08 is specifically because everybody knows he is NOT George Bush.

A suggestion to Obama: when you are an unknown like yourself with no record to back up your flowery words, you might better your chances of people getting to know you by telling them WHY THEY SHOULD VOTE FOR YOU—not why they shouldn’t vote for the other guy. Especially when that other guy John McCain has been in the public eye for years and enjoys a very well-cemented identity.

Just exactly what is David Axelrod’s reasoning as to how Obama — the candidate who “says” he represents change and “outsider politics”– will fare against the well-documented record of a maverick like McCain who has actually spent his entire career bucking the political system and truly enacted change? Will Obama change his campaign theme? Yikes. Is the Obama campaign strategy being unveiled when Obama states that “a vote for McCain is a vote for Bush”? Because if that is the Obama campaign’s idea of a “winning” strategy against John McCain, we are in serious trouble.

 …To me, it’s the difference between buying cereal for the picture on the box rather than the ingredients on the nutritional label. Clinton supporters want to know what they are eating for breakfast–they don’t get swayed by the fancy packaging that often hides the sugar and artificial additives hiding inside. They check the label. They read the ingredients.

 Kristen Breitweiser: Jersey Girl, 911 Widow, You Broke It, You Own It — Obama Style, The Huffington Post

Read the whole thing, or remain snarky, drunk and angst-happy. It is all the same to me.

It sure was nice of John Edwards to throw his hat back into the Democratic presidential ring when he could make a difference.  Say what you want about John McCain but at least he has the guts to take stances that are risky, unpopular and move against the prevailing tide.  Not Johnny boy though!  With unwavering courage and desire for change, John Edwards waited until the race was over to jump to the side of the winner.  Since he is little more than an empty suit – a political version of Ryan Seacrest – it really doesn’t matter.  But it does demonstrate that Democrats will promise or do virtually anything to regain and maintain power.  Needless to say, they have come a long way from JFK’s concept that “we will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe in order to assure the survival and success of liberty.”  For Edwards and others, they will “purchase at any price, not bother to be burdened, face none of the hardships, selectively choose their friends when it is convenient, and create foes where none exist to ensure the success of themselves.”  Edwards is but one example. 

Henry Waxman is a man of great courage.  This ’superest’ of superdelegates carefully weighed his options and when the winner became clear, he sided with the victor!  Said Super Henry, “that has been one of the major reasons I have remained an uncommitted superdelegate. I wanted to make sure that Senator Clinton had every opportunity to bring her campaign to the American people.  It is now clear, however, that the Democratic Party is nearing a broad consensus on our nominee. And it is with great pride that I endorse Senator Barack Obama for President.”   Touching, Henry.  It really is.  Way to take a stand early on!

Former Democratic Party chirman Joe Andrew was courageous when, after North Carolina and Indiana, he switched his support over to Obama.  Nothing like jumping ship when you have the chance.  Andrews isn’t just a Clinton voter.  He is a Clinton loyalist!  Hell, with friends like him, who needs enemies?

Indiana Congressman Pete Visclosky endorsed Obama, saying in a statement: “America needs a President who offers a vision of the future comprised of sensible solutions to today’s troubles. My choice is Senator Barack Obama, who promises to seek pragmatic, progressive solutions to problems like jobs, Iraq, the energy crisis, and healthcare. Barack Obama will bring people together, give them hope, spur change, and set the U.S. back on a course toward progress, prosperity, and global leadership.”  Somehow I don’t think that speech would have been any different if Hillary were the slight leader. 

And when the superdelegate lead for Obama gets insurmountable, the Dems will make the “bold” step of deciding to seat delegates from Michigan and Florida.  What courage!  What leadership!

What a joke!

Instead of acting decisively, many Dems have engaged in a self-flagellating orgy of distinctions based upon soundbite friendly rationales like ‘the will of the people,’ that effectively achieved the same result but spared the consummate politicos the potentially unpleasant backlash of more direct and public expressions of supports. If anything, the whole affair has demonstrated an utter cowardice and spineless nature that speaks unsettlingly about the leadership of the Democratic Party.  For us to entrust the Democrats to the highest seat of power in the world, shouldn’t they and their cronies be forced to demonstrate even the most minute ability to stand against a power greater than themselves? 

Stephen Colbert reminds me why I can’t stop laughing at the Bill O’Reilly Inside Edition video:

The picture confirms that Cheech was the real brain of the team. This dude really does live in Portland.

Portlandsurfcaster From Stripers Online NH/Maine Forum:

He heard the fish were in!!!

Best comment and tagline by JohnWade of Rye, NH:

I know why. He is using too light a jig for that sewer! You need to bump bottom for a hookup there.

Is that Jesus? Is he back?

__________________
Every time someone grills a steak, a hippie’s Hackysack rolls in the gutter.
Patton Oswalt

Quotes from Obama’s books

From Dreams of My Father:

 ”I ceased to advertise my mother’s race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.”

“ I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mothers race.”

 ”There was something about him that made me wary, a little too sure of himself, maybe. And white.”

 ”It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.”

 ”I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn’t speak to my own.”

“It was into my father’s image, the black man, son of Africa, that I’d packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela.”

From Audacity of Hope: 

“I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”

THB mentioned that “Genetic research on the origins of Man in North America suggests a European source for many Native American populations. This confounds the narrative that American Indians came exclusively from Asia and Europeans are invaders.”

Identity politics, entitlement and political correctness have become the guardian spirits of the concept that only Native Americans (but not really “native” if they came from Asia) are Native Americans and not some other Native Americans who may have also come here thousands of years ago (but from other continents so they can’t be “native” either) primarily because it might somehow validate the ideas that other races might have the right to live in the America’s as well. Did you follow that?

Well, I didn’t either but it is the basis for some serious scientific and political tomfoolery and is the reason many tribes are scrambling to get their hands on various skeletons before scientists have a chance, They are doing their best to prevent any such tests or study that might prove that some proto-Kelts (or if you prefer proto-Celts) may have wandered across the Atlantic at one time or another, or some Chinese may have been shipwrecked on the California coast or some Africans had made it to the jungles of Central America. It suddenly places the early, Siberian-descended migrants to the New world on a similar plain as some other potential arrivals and we couldn’t have that, could we?

 

The classic theory trotted out in traditional history books is that the peoples of Siberia walked across the a land bridge spanning across to Alaska and proceeded to scatter throughout North and South America and were the sole ancestors of every tribe in the America’s. It was also taught that the America’s had remained untouched and undiscovered by any others until that fateful day in 1492.  This usually managed to fill about a fourth of a page and that was that. I never did buy this theory in its entirity and my habit of absorbing irrelevant and unusual historical tidbits from a large variety of sources turned up many things that didn’t fit with the story I had been taught.

The ancients were far more mobile, technological resourceful and far ranging that we typically think.

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As you all know I am a big fan of Amanda Marcotte over at Pandagon.net and never miss an opportunity to say a few nice things about her or in support of her most recent endeavor. She recently published a book and is now doing book readings at feminist bookstores. (Feminist bookstore? Is that kind of like an adult bookstore but less “interesting” and staffed only with stern, matronly, man-hating lesbians? I don’t know either, but it sounds weird and slightly creepy.)

Her latest contribution to the world is a book titled It’s a Jungle Out There and undoubtedly contains a few swipes at misogyny and patriarchy which, if you didn’t already know, are Miss Marcotte’s two favorite words in the whole wide world. No word if the Infidel Sage made it into her book, but I did my best. So here are some highlights of the disgraced, former Edward’s blogger reading some selections from her new book. The lesson to be learned here is that we should all write a book and hock it on our website. There is no way that it could be worse than hers. Don’t believe me? Then be sure to listen to the clip. I do have some bad news to report to you though, I am still banned from Pandagon. Darn it.

Come out to a reading and support your local feminist bookstore

Uh, no thanks.

“He — yes, he’s in trouble, in that campaign managers, candidates, are really angry with him. He has raised $74 million and spent $64 million. He says it’s a long-term strategy. But what he has spent it on, apparently, is just hiring a bunch of staff people to wander around Utah and Mississippi and pick their nose.That’s not how you build a party. You win elections. That’s how you build a party. “  – Paul Begala, explaining to us how stupid Howard Dean’s “Fifty State Strategy” is. (via my beloved Dark Lord)

Funny what a difference two years makes.  Earlier this year, the Dems won Denny Hastert’s old seat in Illinois.  Then we picked up a seat in Louisiana that the GOP held since Carter was in office.  And just yesterday, Begala’s “nose-pickers” in Mississippi helped us win a seat in a district that went 62% for Bush in 2004 by eight frakkin’ points.  Dave was right… It’s going to be a bad year for the GOP.

“When I was much younger I would have probably said, ‘Sure, I’ll be glad to accept it,’ but I’m 70 years [old] and they need a younger person for the job. I would probably tell them, ‘Look for somebody else.’”  – Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) explaining how he is way too old to be Veep.  McCain turns 72 this year.

Amazing. Latarian has struck again. Here’s the new video of his latest exploits.

Guess that weekend without video games didn’t do the trick. So it seems the young man is going to get some “evaluations” this time around. I’m not sure what would help him except military school and some extreme discipline instilled into his life. He sure doesn’t need to be let loose upon society again with the serious attitude problem he’s got. Sad, just sad.

Milton’s grandmother, Vikkita Stratford, told WPBF that the 7-year-old took his mischievous activities to a new level Monday when she said he beat her up inside a Lake Park Wal-Mart.According to Stratford, the problem began when Milton asked his grandmother for some chicken wings. When she refused, Milton walked over over to the counter and ordered them anyway.Stratford said that when she confronted him about it, Milton just snapped.”He just started hitting me — just started hitting me in front of the whole Wal-Mart. Every one in there was upset,” Stratford said.Stratford told WPBF that Milton hit her stomach, legs and “wherever he could reach me.”Riviera Beach police picked up Milton from his home and took him to an area hospital for a mental health evaluation Monday afternoon, WPBF reported. The 7-year-old can be held for up to 72 hours while he is evaluated by mental health officials.Stratford said that she believes Milton’s problems are due to a bad atmosphere with his parents.

The complete story from  WPBF

“Trivialization, thy name is American politics. For example, I see by the perfectly serious New York Times that Sen. Obama’s advisers had debated whether to let him be pictured playing some basketball on the campaign trail because, though it might help him look like a regular guy, especially in Hoosierland,’it could raise racial stereotypes…’ You can’t make this kind of thing up. It’s remarkable how the Times’ esteemed correspondents can keep a straight face when reporting on this year’s presidential election. And something tells me the campaign has only begun to get silly.”

—Paul Greenberg

The Bush Legacy [Jonah Goldberg]

About a month ago, I called Ramesh in a panic because I’d forgotten that I was slated to do a Close-Up Foundation interview on the Bush legacy and I hadn’t thought too much about it. Fortunately, not only did Ramesh have some great thoughts, but I was wrong about the date — by a month (I’d entered it into my PDA wrong). Anyway, I’m doing the interview this Thursday and while I have my thoughts far better organized, I thought it’d be interesting to know what NRO readers think Bush’s legacy will be. Please send thoughts — hopefully constructive — to JonahResearch@AOL.com.

And, as usual, Sadly, No! was there to oblige another of his all too common blegs.

Pretty good answer, IMHO.

The liberal media edition. From Newsradio:

So in an email to the membership, including the “Grand Triune,” I indicated the date of the Conclub semi-annual gathering was May 30.  Ooops.  Not a good move when one considers a certain little girl has some pre-arranged 6th grade continuation ceremony on May 30.  Can anyone say D-day?  Friday June 6 we storm Ft. Collins.  The Wise One hopes this did not throw off the schedules of the faithful.  Please let me know if it did so we can adjust further.