Hey!

It's Friday!

Get up and dance!

        

Some say that my ridiculous obsession lifelong dream of owning an M163 Vulcan Air Defence System is a tad (or more than a tad) silly.

I say it'd work a whole lot better at skeet shooting than an AMX-13.



Via Gunnuts.net.

        

While it is true that I was fortunate enough to have grown up in one of the best (if not THE best) cities in the entire world, I now consider Arizona to be my home. I love this state, and I want to see it continue to grow and prosper. That is why I have decided to seek the Republican nomination for Congress in Arizona's 15th District.

As I have said before, I have made my position quite clear: I will do something about the many issues we currently face only if it's really needed, and then only if a new episode of "Lost" isn't on that night. In addition to this bold decision to do sweet bugger all, I also pledge that I will write A Stern Note Of Great Concern to the new owner of the Coyotes (whoever that may be) if he/she decides to move them out of town.

And let me be clear, as your elected representative, I will also continue to fight for the issues that I firmly believe in, such as outlawing astroturf and the designated hitter in baseball and making the possession, sale and/or distribution of so-called "light" beer a felony with criminal penalties equivalent to those given out to users of heroin, cocaine and other dangerous substances.

And finally, my friends, I ask you to come together and join us as we fight against our common foe. The one thing almost all of us have in common that ruins lives, that makes this country grind to a halt, and that causes so much pain and frustration for people in all walks of life.

I speak, of course, about Microsoft Windows.

Join me, and together we will free our nation from tyranny. We will live in a world without rotten UI structure and inexplicable errors. I look forward to the day that we will all finally come together and use the best personal computers and operating system ever designed and say as one nation, "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty we are free at last!"

I'm ExurbanKevin, and I approved this message because Windows sucks.

        

"The bile [Palin] extracts from her critics is almost like a dye marker, illuminating deep pockets of asininity that heretofore were either unnoticed or underappreciated."
   — Jonah Goldberg, National Review.

        

Rasmussen has the primary race for McCain's Senate seat as a dead heat, and Bill "Thug4Life" Kristol says that Palin will be the deciding factor that wins it for McCain.

Maybe.

This is a tricky one for Palin: If she sits it out or endorses Hayworth, she risks alienating the middle of the GOP, and if she shows up with her old running mate, she may lose her base.

Those who say "Who cares about the RINOs? Let 'em go and let's get back to basics!" should keep in mind that the Democrats won in 2006 and 2008 not because they ran rock-solid liberals who marched in lockstep with Obama in every district, but rather, they ran candidates whose politics were suited to their constituents. And that's McCain's problem: He's an excellent politician, great hero and a decent Republican, but he's not a good fit for Arizona. He'd be better off as a senator from Maryland or Georgia, because we're just too darn ornery here for someone who muddles around in the middle like he does. On the other hand, I'm not sure that replacing him with Hayworth is the answer, because if the Democrats run a strong candidate, the GOP may end up losing that seat.

What we need is another Jon Kyl: Solid Republican, nice guy and well-liked by everyone. I wonder if Kent Dana has any aspirations for political office...

        

There's a lot of truth to this:

In the States, pronouncing foreign words ‘correctly’ is a high-status indicator. It’s not just about demonstrating your racial sensitivity. It’s a way of advertising your membership of the elite.

But, speaking as a Canadian citizen and Arizona resident, it's not the whole story. If there's another word for a given noun in your language, use it, but it it's something like a chile relleño, you pronounce it "ChillAY rayYENno" because, well, that's what it is, no matter what the language you're using.

        

The inexplicably famous Levi Johnston inexplicably showed up at GQ's "Men of the Year" party last night in Hollywood. He was wearing pancake makeup and lip gloss. Inexplicably.

Sounds like Levi's on the backside of his 15 minutes:

Levi, who had on a vest, yellow pocket square and what appeared to be pancake makeup, wandered around the party with both his manager Tank (wearing a diamond earring) and a second beefy gentleman (wearing an earpiece).

And no one cared.

Levi was largely ignored by other guests as he wandered to get a soda (he's underage) and he checked his Blackberry while Tank hit up the buffet. An hour later, they were gone.

I'm guessing Levi spent the rest of the evening drunk-dialing Jon Gosselin and Balloon Dad to discuss the fleeting nature of fame.

        

The long arm of the law knows no boundaries in Chicago:

A Chicago traffic camera could cost you hundreds of dollars. It did for Peorian Casandra Davis, who wrote ‘We Hear You’ after getting tickets for something she says she didn’t do. Her ticket charged her $100 for running a red light in Chicago. The only problem is Davis was in Tennessee.

A red light camera that can ticket people in other states? Good to see that NASA is finding some civilian applications for technology from the Hubble Space Telescope.

And of course, the Chicago authorities were more than happy to clean up their own mess. Errrr, maybe not.

Davis says she called Chicago’s Revenue Department and sent proof, but instead of correcting the problem, Chicago increased her ticket to $200.

Why the increased fine? Because shut up, they explained.

Via SayUncle.

        

Freedom of speech? Such a quaint concept. Maricopa County would rather that you just shut up:

Maricopa County Manager David Smith has filed a State Bar of Arizona complaint against County Attorney Andrew Thomas and three of his employees.

In recent weeks, Smith and the Board of Supervisors have stepped up their offensive against the County Attorney's Office, including the bar complaint, a motion to give supervisors control over the selection of special prosecutors and a formal demand for information about whether deputy county attorneys are making anonymous Internet postings about county business while at work.

Smith's two-page complaint was sent Monday to Chief Bar Counsel Maret Vessella, and in it he makes several allegations about Thomas, Special Assistant County Attorney Barnett Lotstein and Deputy County Attorneys Rachel Alexander and Lisa Aubuchon. The complaint alleges that Thomas has a conflict with his client, the Board of Supervisors, and that some county attorney employees may have leaked confidential, legal information on Internet blogs or to reporters.

"Maricopa County has reason to believe that some of its lawyers are anonymously being adverse to their clients through anonymous use of the internet," the complaint said...

The Sheriff's Office has filed bar complaints against Smith and against two attorneys working for the county.

To summarize, David Smith is using official county time and resources to attack local bloggers and commenters. Not only is he chilling free speech, he's using my tax money to do it.

        

Today is National Ammo Day. I'm celebrating by reloading more .223, but feel free to go out and peruse the barren shelves of your local sporting goods store for the ammo of your choice.

        

The dark night of fascism has settled at last in the United States, and not surprisingly, it's landed in Chicago.

A giant web of video-surveillance cameras has spread across Chicago, aiding police in the pursuit of criminals but raising fears that the City of Big Shoulders is becoming the City of Big Brother.

While many police forces are boosting video monitoring, video-surveillance experts believe Chicago has gone further than any other U.S. city in merging computer and video technology to police the streets. The networked system is also unusual because of its scope and the integration of nonpolice cameras.

The city links the 1,500 cameras that police have placed in trouble spots with thousands more—police won't say how many—that have been installed by other government agencies and the private sector in city buses, businesses, public schools, subway stations, housing projects and elsewhere. Even home owners can contribute camera feeds.

Criminal dog owners of Chicago beware, now you're under the same surveillance as your counterparts in England. And you're just as safe as the English are, too.

        

Another day, another tax cheat in the Treasury Department.

A congressional report says Obama's nominee for undersecretary of the Treasury for international affairs, Lael Brainard, was late in paying real estate taxes in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

When pressed for a comment, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner reportedly said, "Hey, who better to deal with sloppy bookkeeping overseas than a guy who knows how to do it here?"

        

It looks like California bureaucrats aren't happy with their 12.2% unemployment rate. It's just not high enough:

In their continuing quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, state regulators at the California Energy Commission has just approved new regulations which manufacturers and retailers say will in effect ban the sale of big-screen TVs in the state.

The new regulations will require televisions sold in California to be more energy efficient beginning in 2011. The requirement would be tougher in 2013, with only one-quarter of the TVs on the market currently meeting that standard.

Manufacturers believe that implementing a power standard will cripple innovation, limit consumer choice and harm California retailers because consumers could simply buy TVs out of state or order them online.

The standards would apply to all TVs up to 58 inches, allowing increasing power use for larger TVs.

California currently suffers from a 12.2% unemployment rate.

Hear that sound, Golden Staters? It's Arizona laughing.

        

Back in April, Somali-based pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama and seized some of its crew. At the time, much discussion focused on the lack of guns aboard the vessel despite sailing through pirate-infested waters. Some blogs even made light of the situation.

Well, pirates just attacked the Maersk Alabama again today, but the results were markedly different.

Four suspected pirates in a skiff attacked the ship again on Wednesday around 6:30 a.m. local time, firing on the ship with automatic weapons from about 300 yards (meters) away, a statement from the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said.

An on-board security team repelled the attack by using evasive maneuvers, small-arms fire and a Long Range Acoustic Device, which can beam earsplitting alarm tones, the fleet said...

The owners of the Maersk Alabama have spent a considerable amount of money since the April hijacking to make the vessel pirate-proof, Murphy said, including structural features and safety equipment. The most dramatic change is what he called a security force of "highly trained ex-military personnel."

"Somali pirates understand one thing and only one thing, and that's force," said Capt. Joseph Murphy, who teaches maritime security at the school. "They analyze risk very carefully, and when the risk is too high they are going to step back. They are not going to jeopardize themselves."

The wife of the Maersk Alabama's captain, Paul Rochford, told WBZ-AM radio in Boston that she was "really happy" there were weapons on board for this attack.

"It probably surprised the pirates. They were probably shocked," Kimberly Rochford. "I'm really happy at least it didn't turn out like the last time."

So let me get this straight — pirates aren't as likely to attack ships that defend themselves? Madness!

Thankfully, not everyone is happy with this disturbing outbreak of common sense:

Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said the international maritime community was still "solidly against" armed guards aboard vessels at sea, but that American ships have taken a different line than the rest of the international community.

"Shipping companies are still pretty much overwhelmingly opposed to the idea of armed guards," Middleton said. "Lots of private security companies employee people who don't have maritime experience. Also, there's the idea that it's the responsibility of states and navies to provide security. I would think it's a step backward if we start privatizing security of the shipping trade."

Middleton apparently doesn't realize that the best way to protect our shipping is the ultimate "step backward." Read it, sir, before it's too late.

        

... and Ken Ober isn't. (If you don't get it, you never watched his show).

Some may prefer Kari, but I was always a Marisol kind of guy.

        

Edward Woodward, (aka The Equalizer) has passed away.

Great show. Fantastic intro. Gonna miss him.

        

"Feel lucky punk? Well, do ya?"

While loathed by the Left, Dick Cheney remains remarkably popular among conservative Republicans. Some pundits are wondering if the former vice president might be setting his sights on the Oval Office. Even a "Draft Cheney" movement has started.

Over on Twitter, IMAO's Frank J. wondered what Cheney's slogan should be in 2012. Here were my suggestions.

Top Ten Cheney 2012 Slogans

10. "Yeah, I'm a compassionate conservative. I let you live, didn't I?"

9. "The Secret Service's new job? Protecting other world leaders from me."

8. "I'll crush all enemies foreign & domestic. Then I'll figure out a goal for Week Two."

7. "I shot a guy in the face and he apologized to me."

6. "Democrats will need Universal Health Care after I'm through with them."

5. "Want to see world leaders bowing? Oh, they'll bow alright."

4. "Do what I say or I'll have my daughter kick your $*%."

3. "On my World Apology Tour, I won't be the one apologizing."

2. "I never had a heart attack. I just stopped it a few times to show it who was boss."

1. "Vote for me. Or not. Like I give a *!#& what you do."

UPDATE (11/17): Frank J. has finally posted his slogans over at IMAO. As noted above I did totally steal the idea from him, but he stole my mint collection of Tiger Beat back issues (including my way-rare Bay City Rollers souvenir scarf). Consider us even, sir.

        

Obama to China : Uncensored society is healthy.

Obama to Fox News: Shut up, you're not really a news organization.

No word yet on whether Obama will warn the Chinese against runaway government spending.

        

Two gay Hillary supporters from Chicago wouldn't be first on my list of people who miss the Presidency of George W. Bush, but they do, and they write with brutal honesty about the mistakes they made in the past.

If there are any of you out there with any connection at all to the Bushes, we implore you to give them our thanks…you tell them that a bunch of gay Hillary guys in Boystown, Chicago were wrong about the Bushes…and are deeply, deeply sorry for any jokes we told about them in the past, any bad thoughts we had about these good, good people.

You may be as surprised by this as we are ourselves, but from this day forward George W. and Laura Bush are now on the same list for us as the Clintons, Geraldine Ferraro, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, and the other political figures we keep in our hearts and never allow anyone to badmouth.

Criticize their policies academically and intelligently and discuss the Bush presidency in historical and political terms…but you mess with the Bushes personally and, from this day forward, you’ll answer to us.

We hope someday to be able to thank George W. and Laura in person for all they’ve done, and continue to do.  They didn’t have to head to Ft. Hood.  That was not their responsibility.

The Obamas should have done that.

But didn’t.

Wouldn’t.

Thank goodness George W. is still on his watch, with wonderful Laura at his side.

Read the whole thing.

        

A darn good little Ridley Scott movie.


I'm a huge fan of how he lights a set. Not many directors have the guts to use directional lighting and deep shadows like Ridley Scott does, and it gives everything he does a unique look.

        

In the 1908 Summer Olympics, all the world's teams were marching around the great London oval, each carrying their national flag. As each team neared King Edward VII's royal box they obeyed custom and dipped their flag to honor the British monarch. Each team but one.

The United States team held their standard high, ignoring the subservient customs of sclerotic Old Europe. Our athletes were free men, all were created equal regardless of lineage. After the parade team captain Martin Sheridan was asked about his affront to diplomatic niceties. Sheridan said, "this flag dips to no earthly king,"

My, how the times have changed.


(Video via Hot Air)

First Obama dipped to the oppressive totalitarian running Saudi Arabia and tried to deny it. Today he dips before the figurehead of an ally. Apparently the United States of America now dips to every king, as long as he is earthly.

        

Designer and entrepreneur Liu Mingjie wears his "Oba Mao" t-shirt in which he superimposed the face of President Barack Obama over that of China's late revolutionary leader Mao Zedong for sale at his shop in the tourist Houhai district of Beijing. (link)

(Obviously, this guy must be a racist tea-bagging Glenn Beck fan.)

        

For months, Democrats have ridiculed Tea Party attendees with the crude epithet of "tea-baggers." In response to their grave concern about unprecedented spending and unspeakable deficits, these citizens have been pilloried by journalists, bloggers, comedians and politicians. Even President Obama and former President Clinton spewed the moniker in the past week.

As the old saw goes, "first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

President Barack Obama plans to announce in next year's State of the Union address that he wants to focus extensively on cutting the federal deficit in 2010 – and will downplay other new domestic spending beyond jobs programs, according to top aides involved in the planning.

The president's plan, which the officials said was under discussion before this month’s Democratic election setbacks, represents both a practical and a political calculation by this White House.

On the practical side, Obama has spent more money on new programs in nine months than Bill Clinton did in eight years, pushing the annual deficit to $1.4 trillion. This leaves little room for big spending initiatives.

On the political side, Obama can help moderate Democrats avoid some tough votes in an election year and, perhaps more importantly, calm the nerves of independent voters who are voicing big concerns with the big spending and deficits. Even if Obama succeeds - and that’s a big if - it will be tough for many Democrats to sell themselves as deeply concerned about spending after voting for the stimulus, the bailouts, the health care legislation and a plan to address global warming, four enormous government programs.

I guess we're all "tea-baggers" now, right Barack?

        

Hey!

It's Friday!

Get up and dance!

        

I'll be absent with leave for the next few days from the blog, as once again I'll be missing everything I shoot at competing in and RO'ing for the Rio Salado Desert Classic. ExJon, you have the conn. If I'm not back on Monday, execute General Order 24.

Update: Back from shooting, and I didn't suck. Ran the whole match pretty much clean with only one bad stage and one really horrid stage. This is an improvement from last year, when I shot three or four horrid stages in a row (I don't really remember because I've blocked it from my memory).

Tomorrow I'll be RO'ing on Stage Six, running the real competitors through the course of fire. They should have a good time as the stages were well-designed and a lot of fun to shoot. It may not be the most spectacular match we've put on or the most complex, but it'll be a good chance for the best practical shooters in the country to strut their stuff.

        

George W. Bush famously called himself "The Decider." Now we're stuck with the Ditherer.

As family and friends mourn a fallen U.S. paratrooper on Veteran's Day, his mother made an emotional plea to President Barack Obama that it's time to either bring home the troops or end the war in Afghanistan...

"It's time we do something. This has gone on too long. They either need to come home or we need to end it," a tearful Denise Sherman said...

"I think it is time that a decision is made that this country comes together and supports our troops or whatever (Obama) decides. God will guide him. But it is time. It is time," she said.

You can't vote present anymore, Mr. President. Lives are on the line. Decide.

        

Hollywood has abandoned the idea of making a movie that portrays the American soldier as a hero, but Silicon Valley didn't get that memo.

Analysts expect Modern Warfare 2's first week sales to breach $500 million. To provide perspective, The Dark Knight made $155.34 opening weekend. A movie ticket is certainly cheaper than a video game, but half a billion dollars, any way you spin it, screams mainstream hit.

Half a bill in one weekend is rather persuasive proof that the American public IS ready for entertainment that shows our troops doing what they do best. The only question is; can the execs who run Hollywood step out of their echo chamber long enough to cash in it?

        

You know Obama's long-delayed decision on troop levels for Afghanistan? The one Gen. McChrystal sent to the White House about two months ago? And that Cheney claimed Obama was dithering on three weeks ago? That Afghanistan troop request? Yeah, well, tonight Obama decided to throw out all the options and start over.

        

What? A player on a Dennis Erickson-coached football team getting in trouble with the law? I'm shocked, shocked, I say to hear of such things!

Arizona State's Terell Carr has been suspended indefinitely for violating team rules coach Dennis Erickson announced Tuesday after practice.

Carr was arrested on suspicion of three misdemeanors and booked into a Maricopa County Jail Tuesday.

The arrest involved one count of disorderly conduct for fighting, one count assault and one count of driving with a suspended license.

Criminal lawyers rejoice: As long as Dennis Erickson's in town, you will never go out of business.

        

Nice to see a soldier receive honor, even among thieves:

MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee Army reservist's military identification earned him some street cred Tuesday, when he says four men who mugged him at gunpoint returned his belongings and thanked him for his service after finding the ID.

The 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student said he was walking home from work about 1:15 a.m. Tuesday when he was pulled into an alley and told to lay face down and with a gun to his neck. Four men took his wallet, $16, keys, his cell phone and even a PowerBar wrapper from his pants pockets, he said.

But the hostile tone quickly changed when one of the robbers, whom the reservist presumed was the leader, saw an Army ID in the wallet. The robber told the others to return the items and they put most of his belongings on the ground next to him, including the wrapper, the reservist said.

"The guy continued to say throughout the situation that he respects what I do and at one point he actually thanked me and he actually apologized," said the reservist, who asked not to be identified Tuesday because the robbers still had his keys.

The reservist said he asked the men, who all had hoods or hats covering their faces, if he could get up and they said he could before starting to walk away.

"The leader of the group actually walked back, gave me a quick fist bump, which was very strange," he said.

Strange days, indeed.

        

This is not an anti-war poem. This is a poem written by a man who fought and died for a just cause, a cause he believed in.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

        

Kevin over at The Smallest Minority is planning an Arizona blogger meet up / firearms shoot in Casa Grande for a Saturday in near future. If you're like me (and I know I am) and want to meet other Arizona bloggers and like things that go BANG, drop him a line if you're interested in going.

        

Sebastian nails it: All politics is local.

Whether Republicans want to admit it or not, the Democrats have made great gains by running candidates who tailored their message to their districts, and are now using it to push an agenda that is far to the left, even for many of the Democrats they used to get their majority back. I fully believe the Democrats will be punished in 2010 for running too far to the left of the country, but it’s hard to argue the strategy hasn’t been effective for promoting a progressive agenda. The GOP has a lot they can learn in the example.

If the Democrats ran some carpetbagging Californian in 2008 against J.D. Hayworth, would they have beaten him?

Oh heck no. But Mitchell had the name recognition and a ton of money and a decent career as a mayor of Tempe, plus his GOP opponents spent a lot of time and effort beating each other up in the primaries.

A ton of money alone would not guarantee to you a victory, especially if your constituents feel ill-served by their august elected representatives (ask Jon Corzine about that). "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" should be the GOP's battle cry once more, this time on a local level.

It worked before, and it'll work again.

        

... and Germans of every political persuasion were able to come together and celebrate the miracle that is David Hasselhoff's leather jacket.

        

Army Major and jihadist Nidal Hassan was in contact with a radical Islamist leader in Yemen and wanted to be put in touch with Al-Qaeda.

How do we know this?

"Electronic means".

Like this. And this. And this. All of which the Democrats wanted to shut down. The problem isn't the methods, it's the layers and layers of bureaucracy that prevent intelligence information from getting to the people who can do something about it.

Wild Bill Donovan, where are you when your country needs you?

        

I'm huge Joseph Conrad fan, so of course I love this movie. And it's got the 1st Cav in it, and right now, they could use a little love.



Now, the trick is to watch this scene and not think "Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit..."

        

Hey!

It's Friday!

Get up and dance (badly)!

        

Heck of a job, Barry.

(Hat tip: Russn)

        

This isn't Obama's "My Pet Goat" moment, this is worse.



On 9/11, George Bush was talking to schoolchildren who had no idea that their world was about to change forever. A child doesn't understand Islamic terrorism, they just know the adult up at the head of the class looked worried and had to leave right away.

Obama was in front of adults, and he had more information about the current situation than Bush did on 9/11. He said being Commander In Chief was his greatest responsibility, but his actions said something else, for his first concern in his speech was for the politicians and supporters that surrounded him.

Bush showed concern for children. Obama showed love to his political supporters. One person showed love, one showed obsequiousness.

One President was serious about his job, and the other is still campaigning for it.

        

Some unbelievable video from a case in Maricopa Superior Court last month (via Greg Patterson). Fast forward to about 0:40, and you'll see a Maricopa County Sheriff reading the defense attorney's files, then helping himself to some of the documents on the table and handing it off to another Sheriff. Now I'm not a lawyer, (por la gracía de Díos), but I do recall from my experiences on the grade-school playground that sneaking up behind someone and stealing their stuff when they're not looking isn't a nice thing to do.



Wow. Good thing Sheriff Joe is so anti-corruption, or this might become an issue with him. I'm sure he'll get on it riiiiiiiight away.

Just as soon as he gets back from Honduras.

        

Trouble rather the tiger in his lair than a serious woman with her sidearm.

The hero cop who ended the bloody rampage at Fort Hood had been directing traffic moments before she confronted the gunman and pumped four bullets into him despite being shot herself.

Civilian police Sgt. Kimberly Munley and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire Thursday afternoon, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said Friday.

Munley, who had been trained in active-response tactics, rushed into the building and confronted the shooter as he was turning a corner, Cone said.

Somebody give that lady a medal, a dozen roses and a night out on the town.

It's starting to become a trend, I tell ya...

        

Given the horrific events at Fort Hood yesterday, why not take a moment to visit Soldier's Angels and help out anyway you can?

And pray. And never, ever forget we are in a war right now.

        

For sure this time!

I get channel updates on my TiVo before the channels actually go live, and my TiVo told me yesterday that channel 161 will soon be The Outdoor Channel.

Of course, my TiVo also told me to take the Phillies in seven, so you can't always trust your TiVo.

        

We have some Gubernato... Guvana... Gubr... news on Arizona's Governor's Race.

Sonoran Alliance asks what Gov. Jan Brewer is thinking by announcing her campaign for Governor in 2010. Her poll numbers are anemic both with primary-voting Republicans, general election Democrats, and everyone in between. Perhaps she just doesn't want to give up the view from the Ninth Floor.

In other news, Vernon Parker, has a video up about the life issue.



John Munger attended a pro-life event in Tucson last weekend and will be at the Republican Professionals meeting on Nov. 11 in Scottsdale. I'm interested to see who else throws their sombrero in the ring.

        

Pelosi wants a vote on health care ruination reform on Saturday, and I know that more than a few readers of our blog live within Harry Mitchell's district. If he's your Congressman, please take a moment to let him know his vote on this issue will be remembered when he comes up for re-election.

        

We've had one year of Obama as President: Let's see how he's done. First, what he said he'd do:

Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on earth.

And now let's see what he's actually done:

Provide care for the sick: No.
Good jobs for the jobless: Heck, no!
The rise of the oceans began to slow: Yes.
Planet began to heal: Nope.
Ended a war: Don't make me laugh.
Secured our nation: True, as long as your nation isn't the United States of America.
Restored our image as the last, best, hope on Earth: If that's accomplished by cuddling up to dictators, than yes.

Six F's and a C.

Can we put him in a remedial Presidency class until his grades improve?

        

A very unfortunate logo coincidence...





Might want to work on a redesign Vern.

        

Caution: Irony overload ahead.

Fans hoping to catch a glimpse Thursday of U2's free concert celebrating 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall will have to "scale these city walls" after organizers threw up a barrier to block the view for those without tickets.
The move has triggered outrage from Berliners and tourists alike, all of whom see the irony in building wall around a concert dedicated to the wall that has come down.
"It's completely ridiculous that they are blocking the view," said Louis-Pierre Boily, 23, who said he came to Berlin even though he failed to get tickets.
"I thought it's a free show, but MTV probably wants people to watch it on TV to get their ratings up," said Boily, a native of Quebec City who was among several hundred people who gathered Thursday against the roughly 12-foot (2-meter) metal fence, draped with a white tarp that blocked off the view of the stage from the street.

There are many people in the world who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue about having a free concert and then walling it off from view. Let them come to Berlin. There are some who say that MTV is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin. And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere we can work with the big media conglomerates. Let them come to Berlin. And there are even a few who say that it is true that MTV is an evil network, but it permits us to sell our products. Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin.

        

Robert Gibbs said President Obama did not watch the election results on TV last night.

So what did the President watch? The show about a would-be messiahs promising us universal health care and worldwide peace but in reality are nothing soulless aliens bent on destroying our way of life and the utter destruction of our planet...

Or V ?

        

Remember, one particular faith is not the issue here. This murder was not related to any one creed, and the only religious people we need to worry is them darn domestic terrorists.

An Iraqi immigrant accused of slaying his own daughter for becoming "too Westernized" will be arraigned in Maricopa County Superior Court on Thursday morning.

Prosecutors say Faleh Hassan Almaleki, 48, of Glendale, conducted an "honor killing" on his own daughter because he felt she had shamed the family by not following traditional Iraqi or Muslim values.

The elder Almaleki is accused of using his Jeep Grand Cherokee to run down his daughter and another woman in a parking lot outside a state agency's office in Peoria.

To quote Sir Charles Napier, "You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: When men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks, and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."

Multiculturalism's finest hour.