I'm Seeing Red. Are You?

Remember back in the 1980s when the Democrats cried gloom and doom over the "huge" deficits that Ronald Reagan ran up in order to rebuild the military, or their criticism of George W. Bush's deficits in order to fund the Terror War? Well, dear readers, you ain't seen nothing yet.

It's pay-off time, Chicago style.

A Clear Understanding Of The Matter.

Exactly.

This Should Keep You Awake At Night.

At first I thought this was a joke; a very sick, nightmarish parody, but apparently it's not. This is may well be serious:

"That is why this thread has been created. For you, the future of our nation, to let us know who your parents are. Tell us the names of those who do not support Obama the way that you do. Let us know if your parents own guns, or wish ill will toward the government. Let us know before it is too late for you and too late for your country."

I'm beginning to wonder if "fear on the right" isn't fearful enough. If you dare read through the comments at the link, do so at your own risk.

UPDATE: OK, this link is insinuating that theobamaforum.com is a parody by the Ron Paul crowd, but has hooked a number of hard-core Obama zealots whose posts are real. Others say it's all quite real. I can't say for certain. But what I do know is that if this is real, God help us.

An Expensive Joke. (UPDATED)

How many FEMA employees does it take to completely fuck up (sorry, there's no other way to put it accurately) our recovery?

This many:

She (Senator Mary Landrieu) said that Louisiana residents would be "shocked" that the New Orleans office employs more than 1,000 people, given its failure to resolve funding disputes that have held up over $1 billion in funding for key infrastructure projects in the region.

More than 1,000 people. Doing what, exactly? Not helping us recover, that's for sure. "Shocked" should be the least of our reactions to this.

Send the carpetbagging leeches home. Now.

UPDATE 27FEB09: Seems the blood is in the water:

Underlying the tension is the sense on the part of state and local officials that FEMA is denying adequate rebuilding money for many projects -- beginning with the rebuilding of Charity Hospital -- because these institutions, according to FEMA, could have done a better job mitigating the storm damage.

"How can you mitigate damage when 80 percent of the city got flooded, it was under water, with looters and crime and people out of their homes and without medical care?" Cao said. "How do you stop to send personnel in order to address roof problems?"

At Wednesday's hearing, Cao asked Stark about those concerns: "Who makes the final (public assistance) decisions, you or Mr. John Connolly?"

Stark replied that he relied on Connolly's judgment.

Noting that Connolly is from Philadelphia, Cao asked: "How many times has Philadelphia ever been hit by a hurricane"

If somebody had asked that question, say, three and a half years ago, I think we'd be in a whole lot better shape than we are now. I hope they put Mr. Connolly on a plane back to Philadelphia, ASAP.

UPDATE 27FEB09 II: The house cleaning has begun.

The Audacity Of Propaganda.

The recent "vicitm" put forward by Obama's Sturm Abteilung "community organizers" isn't quite what she purports to be. Not at all.

Like that's a surprise.

With Three, You Get... Yet Another Marriage Rite.

Now that gay marriage is about to be fully embraced by The Episcopal Church (tm), the next relationship "new thing" is already on the horizon. I'm sure they'll embrace that, as well.

Hattip: Ontario Emperor.

Bidenmath, Or, Numbers Are Scary.

Vice President Joe "Plugs" Biden huffs up yet another fact-free pontification - this time about my fair state:

"But what I don't understand from Governor Jindal is what would he do? In Louisiana, there's 400 people a day losing their jobs. What's he doing?"

Oh, really? Let's do some simple simple multiplication: 400 times 365 equals...

146,000 people a year. (That's right, Joe, 146,000. I had my sixth-grader son check the math.) Joe didn't cite any backup for his numbers, and (of course) the Obama groupie at CBS interviewing him didn't ask for any. But according to the Louisiana Department of Labor, Louisiana gained 3,700 non-farm jobs in December 2008 (the most recent numbers). And Louisiana was the only state to do that. Our total unemployed is only 121,949, Joe, which comes to 5.9 percent - 1.3% below the national average.

So whatever Governor Jindal is doing, it seems to be working. And now that President Obama has put Biden in charge of the "stimulus", maybe Joe should come down here for a lesson or two.

UPDATE: An FYI, Mr. Vice President: It's "Gin-dall", not "Gin-DELL"; and beleive or not he's never worked at a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts.

Well, That Didn't Take Long.

I hate to say it, but I told you so. Only a month in and the Obama administration is already talking about banning guns. (I thought The Messiah said he wasn't going to take away our guns... Oops.) And what reason is Obama giving to justify curtailing the Constitutional Rights of Americans? Because - and I am not making this up - it will help protect Mexicans.

This has nothing to do with Mexico, dear readers. It has everything to do with a bone thrown to invigorate the red-meat Left, and a conveniently distracting wedge issue for the rest of us. The Obama grab for government control over large parts of the private economy in order to permanently fund the Left's agenda, sorry, "stimulus" plan, is not playing as well as they had hoped. (People who are playing by the rules don't want to pay for deadbeats and leeches? Really? Who knew?) Watch for this issue to be played up by the administration and their propaganda apparatus as criticism of the "stimulus" increases.

And for those who think that this is about AK-47s and won't affect their guns, well, think again. I suspect this is only the beginning. So if you want to keep the right to protect yourself - whether from a common criminal or from a tyrannical government (the real reason the Second Amendment exists) - you'd better make your voice heard. Now. We can't wait 'till 2010.

A Jerk Heard Round The World?

It seems one of the MSNBC crowd didn't realize his mike was turned on as Bobby Jindal was beginning his response to Obama last night. As Jindal approached to speak, someone was heard to say, "Oh, God."

I mean, really! Keith Olbermann should be ashamed of himself for um... "finishing up" thinking about Obama while on the air. Next time, wait for a commercial break. I hear that's what Chris Matthews does.

About Time.

I'll believe it when I see it:

In one of her first moves as U.S Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano has ordered a fresh review of hurricane recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast 3 1/2 years after two killer hurricanes swept ashore.

In testimony prepared for a congressional hearing Wednesday, Napolitano said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will assign a new team of senior staff members to look at ways to improve hurricane recovery operations that have been under way since hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The Associated Press obtained an advance copy of her testimony.

My suggestion: Fire the current lot of carpetbagging FEMA contractors here, who seem less concerned about our recovery and very concerned about minute compliance with the ever-changing interpretations of the Stafford Act. Then, hire people who are actually qualified in their respective fields, can read, and can make - and take responsibility for - real-world decisions. That would be a good start.

Or, better yet, just go away.

Am I pissed about how FEMA has treated my state? Damn right I am.

Tuesday Required Viewing, Or, Civics 101,

Why I am a Republican and not a Democrat:



Watch it all. Several times.

From the new RSR Blog de Jour: Feed Your ADHD.

Andrew Lloyd Weber Was Wrong.

At least, if you subscribe to the current theology of The Episcopal Church (tm), as succinctly explained by one Rev. Ernest W. Cockrell.

I suggest my Anglican and Episcopalian readers put something soft under your jaw. You're gonna need it when it drops.

Tuesday Required Reading.

Camille Paglia hits one out of the park today. Read. It. All. Best description of the 'stimulus package' to date:

Money by the barrelful, by the truckload. Mountains of money, heaped like gassy pyramids in the national dump. Scrounging packs of politicos, snapping, snarling and sending green bills flying sky-high as they root through the tangled mass with ragged claws. The stale hot air filled with cries of rage, the gnashing of teeth and dark prophecies of doom.

And she voted for Obama.

Hattip: Sarah.

Tuesday Morning Funny (Well, Sort Of.)

A recent protest at NYU. Watch the video. It would be hallarious were it not for the fact that people like these are now running our country.

"They don't want our water bottles, they probably drink corporate water." I guess 'Consesus Water' is better for you?

Whole thing kinda reminds me of this.

It's 1997 Again.

Obama is bringing back Clinton-era Dow-Jones numbers. At the rate he's going, it's gonna be 1978 again, real soon.

Not quite the change I was expecting.

No Excuse.

Because posting a picture of a Guinness and a lovely lady needs no excuse.

(Image stolen from Aardvarks & Asshats, who, of course, stole it frome someplace else.)

You Can Contain Yourself.

Shipping container architecture.

I remember reading about this design back in mid 2005 and being rather impressed. Post Katrina, I sketched up a concept of using pre-fab container modules for temporary housing in leiu of trailers. They are reusable, rugged, can be connected and stacked, and one can haul them to the disaster site by by ship, rail, truck, helicopter, or cargo plane. You can create other prepackaged emergency modules, like a medical clinic, a food kitchen, toilets/showers, etc., that can be quickly inserted and reused But FEMA, in their bureaucratic wisdom, had already decided to buy over-priced, formaldehyde-rich, travel trailers. Lucky us.

Hattip: Ruining the Internet, of course.

CHUMPS ANONYMOUS

I, am a chump. So is my wife. And if you try to live within your means, pay your taxes and your bills, you are a chump, too.

Who says so? The President of the United States says so. The Democrat Congress says so. Their near trillion dollar “stimulus” isn’t for you or me – the folks who play by the rules – it’s for those people who didn’t (and don’t) give a damn about the rules (which seems to include more than a few Democrat congresspersons and current Administration officials).

If you took an ARM so you could live in a house you really couldn’t afford, or bought three or four like that… no problem. President Obama will get your mortgage(s) restructured, or get you out from under it with little or no penalty. You’re not responsible – you’re a victim.

If you have bad credit because you lived beyond your means and now can’t pay it back… no problem. Nancy Pelosi will make sure your bad credit will not count against you in the future. You’re not responsible – you’re a victim.

If you’re a large corporation whose products can’t compete in the market… no problem. Harry Reed will give you the money people would’ve given you had they bought your products. You’re not responsible – you’re a victim.

If you made bad choices in the past, the government will make sure you don’t have to face them or suffer because of it. (You're a "victim," remember?) That’s the real message of the “stimulus”: responsibility is for chumps.

And who will pay for all this, um, stimulating? Well initially, such stalwart American allies as Russia, China, and Saudi Arabia will lend us the money. And the majority of Americans who made responsible choices – you know, us chumps - will then have to pay them back. As will our chump children, and our chump grandchildren, and our chump great-grandchildren.

Obama hasn’t just mortgaged our nation’s future, dear readers. Oh, no. With stroke of the pen he, and the Democrat Congress, have sold our future to the very enemies of our freedom – authoritarian thugs, communist opportunists and zealous islamofascists. And he saddled our descendents with paying for it. For what? The “stimulus” has become little more than a pork-loaded exercise to pay off loyal Democrat constituencies and special interests, to cover some really bad (I'd say incompetent) failed Congressional do-good schemes, and is a convenient excuse to grab more government control over the private means of production and finance. (A long term goal of the Left - just ask Bill Ayers.)

Those of us who played by the rules didn’t create this mess. It was caused by those who didn’t. But somehow, we’re expected to pay for it. Us chumps.

But us chumps have been complacent for too long. It’s time the silent majority of this nation speaks in proportion to our numbers, and drowns out the shrill, shrieking Left and their squeeling groupies in the media. How, you say? By doing three things:

First, get involved. The world really is run by those who show up. Put a sticker on your car; write a letter to the editor of your local paper; comment on blogs. (Heck, start a blog.) Let the world know what you think. Take time off work to attend a taxpayers rally, or a Tea Party protest. If 10 show up, it’s not news; if 10,000 show up, it is. Put on an event of your own – a rally or small cocktail party to get like-minded people together. Get involved in a national movement. Talk to your friends and neighbors. If they feel similarly, get them involved as well.

Second, put your money where your mouth is. Us chumps still control something like 1/2 – 2/3 (for the time being) of the national economy, so let’s use that to our advantage. If there is a national or local taxpayers day of protest, call in sick or close your business. Yes, you’ll loose a day’s vacation, or a day’s pay, or a day’s revenue, but is that a greater cost than what will happen if we keep going down this path? If you own a business, refuse to take any money that comes from the stimulus, or work on projects funded by it. Don’t buy GM, Ford or Chrysler vehicles. Move your money to banks that do not take stimulus money. When you get Obama’s tax rebate, spend it all on something the Left would not approve: ammunition, a new gun, or a fur coat, for example. (Me, I’m thinking of driving our V8 SUV to Mexico or Canada and buy a couple of 3.2 gallon / flush toilets for the house.) Or, send it to the GOP (they do seem to be getting their act together), or the NRA, or your church, or a local conservative/libertarian political candidate or cause. Use it to help fund local anti-stimulus protests, or a national organization.

Third, we need to do something we lovers of individual freedom really suck at, and our Leftist friends really excel – we need to organize. I mean, really organize. Obama won because he had an organization, right down to the neighborhood level, which could - and would - turn out (some more than once). It had a simple, understandable, optimistic message, and lots of energy. We need the same, and we each need to be an active part of it. Showing up on voting day isn’t enough anymore. Which organization it will be, well, that’s an open question. I don’t think it exists yet, or is just in it’s infancy. But we need to settle on just one, and keep it going. You may not agree with everything it stands for, but speaking with a single voice carries great power.

There is a fourth thing, but I think it goes without saying. We need to believe. We need to believe in our nation. We need to believe in the wisdom of our Founding Fathers. We need to believe in the greatness of our people. And finally, we need to believe that America can only be hurt by a bunch of arrogant, amateurish, Chicago pols so long as we remain chumps.

And I, for one, am ready to quit being a chump. Are you?

Calling Their Bluff.

The Episcopal Church (tm) says the Current Unpleasantness in the church is distracting from the church's mission, and that mission should be the focus.

The Rev. D. Stuart Dunnan, headmaster of Saint James School, St. James, Maryland, quite agrees, and proposes a reasonable, realistic solution that takes the focus off property and legal wranglings and returns it to mission. It is also a proposal that will, in all likelihood, end the good Reverend's long-term career aspirations in The Episcopal Church (tm). (Our Presiding Bishop deals rather swiftly with those who oppose her agenda. The-end-justifies-the-means, you know.)

Watch the Episcopal Life comments section here. They should prove most illuminating.

Follow The Money.

Obamanomics, Day 1.

Economics 101.

The domestic US automakers want billions more of our money to stay open. Here's a hint guys - if you want more of our money...

Make. Something. We. Want. To. Buy.

You're not in the mess you're in because of some "slowdown"; you're in the mess you're in because the Japanese kicked your ass in your own backyard.

Give me a quality American alternative to my current ride, and I'll buy it.

See. BS.

The Voice of Worriors takes apart a recent MainStreamMedia scare story which shows, yet again, how little the MSM really knows about US military or it's equipment. Watch the video in the post and read the commentary. Note that, except for some cheap (and very non-issue) knives, none of the things shown by CBS were "weapons."

Actually, I'm very surprised how little military equipment we've lost over there to our opponents. Remember, we've been in Afghanistan for more than seven years. When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, their opponents were armed with WWI-era British .303 bolt action rifles. Seven years later, the opposition had captured so much Soviet weaponry that AK-47s and RPGs were the norm in the opposition. If the CBS story is at all accurate, then where are the Taliban with M-16s, M-203s, M-249s, or M-2s?

Hattip: LGF.

Whatever.

Our Gracious Lord of Canterbury opines once again on allowing sharia law in the UK, and proves (once again) why he, and his notions of Christianity, are becoming less and less relevant.

Some Cubist Art.

You out-of-work geeks may want to try a bit of Rubik Cube Art to wile away the time until The Messiah's Stimulus Package puts you back to work and makes every day a sunny day.

Monday Afternoon Distraction II.

Words fail me.



The peace sign is in the background is a wonderful touch - I guess fisting a farm animal somehow promotes non-violence. Who knew?

Hattip: Ruining the Internet. See this image as well - sure to make your Dear Leader, um, swell with pride.

Monday Afternoon Distraction

Oh, my. One size does indeed fit all:



How do people figure out this kind of stuff??

Hattip (no pun intended...): Keith.

Condell Speaks. Again.

Atheist though he may be, Pat Condell gets it when it comes to the threat to the West from Radical Islamism:



Here is the movie, Fitna, which is at the center of the furor. It's only about 15 minutes long, so watch it all.

Not Your Father's Faith. Or Yours, Most Likely.

If you want to know what has folks (like me) upset about the Current Unpleasantness in The Episcopal Church (tm), some people have made a nice list.

It's Stewardship time in many parishes, so I recommend all my Anglican / Episcopal friends read it all. Tithe accordingly.

An American Devolution

Back when GM made great cars, they distributed things like this. Ironic, since GM is helping pave the modern Road to Serfdom with it's recent bailout.

While down in Honduras this past week we were in some of the most rural, impoverished parts of the country - a place where only the toughest, most reliable vehicles endure. Out there all the trucks and SUVs we saw - vehicle types America pioneered - were Japanese, not American. (Our SUVs were Mitsubishi and got us everywhere. Only in the cities did we see American-made cars and trucks. And then, not very many.)

Hattip: Instapundit.

I'm Baaaack.

I returned yesterday from my week in Honduras. Wow. More after I get some R&R and get my thoughts collected. Until then, let's see what's going on out there.....

Bueno.

Posting will be very light this week, as I am in Honduras on a mission trip with my church. We are finishing a school building in one town and looking at sites for a new church in another. The villages we work in are WAAAAAY up in the mountiains (remote is a good descrioption - one just got electricity this past month). The ride is very ardious and, with the recent rains, darn dangerous. The scenery is breathtaking; as is the the poverty. If you want to see poor, come to Honduras.

For my readers who practice a faith, please pray for us. There is so much to do.

More as I can post.

And If You Have A Stimulated Economy Lasting More Than Four Years...

A commercial about Obama's exciting little blue bill:



Don't worry about the cost, dear readers - government-run health care will pay for your prescription.

Hattip: Instapundit.

The New Orleans' Cross.

Those of you familiar with post-Katrina New Orleans know all too well the ubiquitous cross, painted on nearly every building by first responders during the flood as they searched for survivors. Initially, they were being scrubbed off buildings as the buildings were renovated, but lately I've noticed that folks are leaving them up - a symbol of survival and renewal, if you will:


(From a house in Mid-City. Image by RSR.)

I also noticed something else the other weekend - someone (an artist on Magazine Street, I understand) has taken this to another level - and is now making metal sculptures of your cross to attach to your building:


(Also from a house in Mid-City. Image by RSR.)

The numbers and codes are almost as unique as a street address (they tell the date of the search, who made the search, and what they found), so they tie that specific building or place to a moment in time during the disaster. The sculptor(s) did something truly profound here - they took the symbol of so much pain and suffering, and turned it into a symbol of victory over it.

Simple. Powerful. Spiritual.

Wonderful.

(This isn't the first cross to do that, y'know. A connection? Hmmm... -ed.)

Engineers Gone Wild.

A calculator. Newton's laws. Lots of time. Warning: It gets geeky.



Hattip: Garland.

OK, it's not as geeky as this engineer's masterpiece.

An Opportunity On Illegal Immigration.

The Obama Administration wants to stop the flow of illegal sorry, undocumented, guns going to Mexico. OK.

So let's make the Mexicans a deal here - they get serious about stopping the flow of people going north, and we'll stop the flow of weapons going south. Sounds fair.

Hattip: Gun Pundit.

Wednesday Morning LOLCAT Distraction.

Sound veterinary advice:


From here, of course. Take the morning and see 'em all - your boss won't mind. Really.

FWIW, my favorite LOLCAT.

Tuesday Morning Distraction. (Hint: It Involves Atheists.) (UPDATED)

It seems atheists in the UK have started advertising on the sides of buses. OK. Since you wouldn't be insulting their religion or anything, go have a bit of fun with it.

My entry:


Hattip: Stand Firm.


UPDATE: Had a few minutes at lunch:




This stuff almost writes itself.

We Just Got Fooled Again.

Meet the new boss; same as the old boss:

"Even the toughest rules require reasonable exceptions," said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

Some change...