Roger Aisles Apologizes For Calling Spade, Spade!

I don't get why Roger Aisles thinks he should apologize for calling NPR Nazis but he did so, to Abraham Foxman, the head of the ADL, who these days seems to be the number one defender of leftist fascist news organizations and activist groups. Number one, he's right, and number two, many of the people who support NPR have spent years referring to the Tea-Party as racists, bigots, sexists, and homophobes. Did I leave anything out?

Oh yeah, they are always calling them Nazis and Fascists. Oh, and lest I forget-
RAAAAAACISTS!!

And not just the Tea-Party, but mainstream Republicans as well. Not just mainstream conservatives, but even RINOs, like John McCain. Have we already forgotten-

Bu$Hitler!


That went on for years, but Aisles thinks he should play nice with these clowns?

Wait a minute, now that I happen to think about it, they've spent years calling Roger Aisles and Fox News Nazis and Fascists. They have called the network as a whole Nazis and Fascists and they have referred to individuals within the network by those appellations as well. Beck, Hannity, O'Reilly, all of them at one point or another, have been dubbed Nazis and Fascists who engage in Goebbels style propaganda as an arm of the Republican Party, the chief Nazis in America.

Daily Kos points out that, since Aisles called NPR fascists, and since Aisles hired Juan Williams, that proves Roger Aisles intentionally hires fascists. Incredible.

Why is he apologizing? Even if he were to point out the years we were all subjected to the slurs of the left, the most you would get out of them would be-wait for it-

"Just because a few hotheads on the Left did it doesn't make it right for you to do it. It's time we all tried to soften the rhetoric, start a new more respectful dialogue."

So where the fuck were YOU when this was going on for years from the left, assuming you weren't taking part in it, and oh, by the way, why the fuck is it still going on?

Time to soften the tone? No, actually, its time for all of you to go to hell.

He Who Walks Between Two Worlds

We'll never find somebody who can do the job as well as evil parallel world Mr. Spock did it, but we still need to find somebody who can meld together the two main factions of the Republican Party-the Tea Party and the, you know, those other guys. The ones that are the shit right now. We know they aren't going to go away, so what to do? Well, you put somebody in charge of the RNC who is capable of taking on the mantle of, yes, He Who Walks Between Two Worlds.

I can only think of one person right now with both the inclination, the skill, and the-and this is vitally important-the EXPERIENCE NECESSARY TO TAKE ON THAT MANTLE!

It's probably too late now, as I'd imagine before long the field of dancers on the Steele corpse will be narrowed down to three, neither of whom will be my favored candidate.

To be sure, Dick Armey has a controversial past. He has been allegedly in favor of Amnesty, he has fussed with James Dobson, and some people blame him in part for the bank failure cos he helped bring about the repeal of Glass-Steagall.

But, he was Republican Majority Leader for ten years. Plus, he has recently been the head of Freedom Works, which has been one of the biggest supporters of the Tea Party Movement. In doing this he even walked away from a top-paying position with a lobbying firm in order to avoid conflict of interest.

In other words, if you want somebody to walk between two worlds, you can't do much better than somebody who has already walked the walk.

Granted, he has his issues, and I'm not saying he's the perfect candidate, but he's certainly worthy of being vetted for the position.

We Need A New Way Of Running Things

Sweet, sweet smell of compromise is in the air on the matter of extending the Bush tax cuts, but that perfumed scent disguises the sweaty odor of opportunism. The Republican Party, flush with success in the House, but in the Senate limping over the finish line in an improved position, though still in second place, are rife to be waylaid. They don't seem to perceive the danger. The Democrats act like they are playing soft ball, but in reality they are playing the long game.

If the Bush tax cuts are extended for two years-otherwise known as until after the next presidential election-there's a good chance they could help the economy, and Obama will of course try to take credit for it. Why else would Obama agree to such a "temporary extension" other than as a tacit admission that to do otherwise would put a further drag on economic recovery? He knows good and well that if he refuses to extend the cuts, it is likely to put us further in the hole, whereby the Republicans will have more ammunition to use against him.

So far, so good. But this begs the question if he and the Democrats recognize this, why not extend the cuts permanently, which is easily answered. They have no intention of making those spending cuts that would be necessitated by such tax cuts.

The GOP should change its focus. By no means should they moderate their demands for making the tax cuts permanent, but they should emphasize in addition to this the need for regulatory reform. For without this, in addition to spending cuts, the tax cuts in and of themselves might lessen the amount of the deficit spending, but they certainly won't come close to eliminating it. The best they can do is insist that tax cuts, without the accompanying spending cuts and regulatory reform, will increase the governments revenue by virtue of contributing to economic growth. But you have to be kidding yourself to believe they will solve all deficit problems on just their own merit.

Either way it goes, the Democrats can't lose this battle. Even if the temporary cuts work, they obviously won't be enough to do more than decrease the deficit, and this will be blatantly obvious. Worse, if it doesn't work toward contributing to significant economic growth-which is most likely-the Democrats have a further weapon with which to bash Republicans.

"See, we tried extending the tax cuts, and they didn't work."

And of course they won't work. Tax cuts not accompanied by spending cuts is a non-starter, but you will never find enough spending cuts in this divided Congress to make up the difference. The key, the true key, is regulatory reform which, by the way, is even more important than tax cuts, and for that matter maybe even way more important than government discretionary spending or entitlement cuts.

Without regulatory reform, the whole thing is an exercise in futility, and everybody knows it. Ask any owner or proprietor of any business that qualifies as a small to medium to slightly large business which they would prefer between tax cuts and spending cuts, if they had to pick just one, and I would bet good money the majority, possibly by as much as two-to-one at least, would prefer the regulatory reform. This of course is dependent on the type of business they run and the type of regulatory regime they are under, but I would actually be surprised if the percentage of those who would prefer to see relief from federal red tape were not as high as eighty percent.

That is what puts the brake on economic growth. That is what limits new hiring, it limits R & D, and it is absolute hell on business expansion. Taxes are just one of those ugly necessities of life that you can learn to work around. You don't like them, you don't want them, you would much prefer to not have them, or not quite as much of them, but by the same token if you aren't strangled every step of the way by red tape you can work around them and through them.

The GOP needs to do a better job of explaining this to people when the Democrats spew out shit like "well yeah but the actual *Real* tax rate for business is 16.5%, blah, blah, blah". And then there's my favorite one of all-

"Yo if the Bush tax cuts work so good how come they haven't been working so hot for us lately, cos nyuk nyuk nyuk, we've had them for years, wuuuuuur's all the jobs wingnuts?"

Just once I'd like to see somebody get right back in their face and point out that even a zero percent tax rate might well be useless in the face of a regulatory regime that has all but declared war on American business.

Regulatory reform has got to be the wave of the future if the GOP expects to make a coherent case for economic growth based on tax cuts, because otherwise it just sounds like another appeal for corporate welfare.

Granted, that would be a battle royal in its own right but its one that has to be fought. I don't know how. My own idea is to charge the states with enforcing their own regulations with a minimum of federal oversight. This would be appropriate since any actually necessary regulations are also state law in most cases. Most regulations could then probably be drastically reduced and in some cases scrapped all the way around. Just as importantly, the states, for the most part, can manage what is left over more quickly, efficiently, and thus more cheaply than the federal government, who would only need to provide a small presence for the purposes of oversight.

Then those tax cuts could finally be made permanent, and then we would actually find ourselves walking the long path toward eliminating the budget deficit, and eventually the overall national debt.

The best part of it is, further spending cuts beyond what you accomplish through regulatory reform would not seem so ominous then, in fact, they might not even be necessary. What might be required could probably be accomplished by a freeze on further federal hiring for a year or two and strict limitations on new hiring over a following five-to-seven year period, and in the meantime updating computer systems, maybe even eliminating a few agencies here and there, beyond those reductions and possible eliminations of regulatory agencies. Reductions in the defense department could be achieved gradually over a period of seven to ten years to coincide with our final withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan. And by the way, we should finally end the NATO nightmare. But that's a subject for another time.

Don't tell me this stuff can't be done. It can. It just takes something resembling a spine and a set of balls, from denizens of both political parties.

What we need in Congress is far fewer Lindsay Grahams, who could be replaced by the Carl Paladinos of the world, if necessary. And if things keep going the way they have been, it might not only be necessary, but inevitable. Many people might balk at the idea of such a political culture that would portend, but bear in mind, we are faced with a series of problems that, while no means are they minor, are made unnecessarily worse than they ever had to be. To cure what ails us all is going to require a sea-change in the political culture, and a rethinking as to what actually is the art of the possible.

The Trouble Is Not In Your Set

This is a test of your local PDS station. The trouble is not in your set.



Repeat-your television is an innocent bystander. Do not shoot it. In the event of a real emergency, you will be instructed on the first Tuesday of November of 2012 to turn the barrel of your gun at a one hundred eighty degree angle away from your television screen, and then to commence firing.

This has been a test of your emergency Palin Derangement Syndrome station. The problem is not in your set. And now we return you to our regularly scheduled program. But first, a word from our sponsor.



Brought to you by your local chapter of the Committee To Appoint Bristol Palin Secretary of Education 2012.

Have a good night.

Artemis Smiles

Now THIS is the right way to raise kids. Thanks to WSBT in Indiana for this video. I don't do cute kid stuff, but in this one case I'll make an exception.

 

Of course you always have nuts like the Committee To Abolish Sport Hunting who are going to object and others who even suggest in outrage that children like little six-year old Grace Peregrine Zerbel should be taken from her home. These are some truly sick, screwed up individuals who should not be allowed to be out and about in civil society, let alone allowed to influence it in any way.

There is nothing more magical than a parent bonding with child in the ancient tradition of the hunt in such a way that instills in the child respect for nature and its creatures, while insuring proper gun etiquette and gun safety consciousness. Little Grace is far less likely to grow up to be a menace to society than almost all of the snot nosed brats raised today with a sense of entitlement and NEA school-board approved left-wing "ethics".

Who Jumped The Shark?

UPDATE appears below

A few years back I dropped expanded cable. I've missed having all those channels and decided just a few weeks ago to get it back, but put it off for a while, until last week. Today it was hooked back up. What was the first thing I watched, at 5:00 pm today? Well, I'll just say that the painting above figured prominently in the program. It's an old painting by a Flemish painter named Pieter Bruegel-The Tower Of Babel.

It's important to remember that it is not a photo or a reproduction of the actual Tower Of Babel of Biblical fame but is, in fact, an artists conception of what the structure might have looked like.

That of course is assuming it ever actually existed. There is no proof that it did, nor is there any evidence it did not. But whatever the case, the artwork above would not be an accurate representation of The Tower of Babel which, unlike the sixteenth century painting, was either a gigantic ziggurat or, if it indeed existed only in the realm of mythology, was nevertheless inspired by the ziggurat, a rendition of which is featured below. Do note the difference.




The Bruegel painting is of a gigantic, circular monolith, while the true type of ziggurat is more of a pyramidal structure.

What in the hell am I talking about?

Update tomorrow, sometime or another as time allows. Until then, to those who have not yet seen the previous post, posted earlier today, I have another question I would appreciate an answer to and which I will no doubt ponder tonight.

What color are Chelsea Clinton's panties?

UPDATE-And now as promised, I present the answer, though with great reluctance and trepidation. Glenn Beck may well have jumped the shark, and you can view the carnage here.

I say he *May* have, and you should bear in mind, this is my first experience of watching this gentleman's program on Fox, so for all I know this might be a common theme, though if it is I would be highly surprised were he not called to account by many on the right to say nothing of the left.

And I want to stress, its not that I don't agree with Beck's overall main point, in fact I agree wholeheartedly with the gist of what he is trying to warn us all about. George Soros is without a doubt hazardous to the health of individual freedom, dignity, and overall to the US Constitution. He quite plainly promotes internationalist style "one world government", for lack of a better term. He is through his "Open Society" project a firm believer in open borders, and a leftist approach to democracy in the same vein as the European style Socialist Democrats. He has proven to be a pernicious influence on politicians and the political process, and in particular on the Democratic Party. He also has his tentacles spread throughout the media.

And while I for one consider it a dubious proposition that George Soros is personally responsible for the collapse of the Bank of England, there can be no doubt that he has made a significant portion of his billions in wealth by taking advantage of and utilizing insider information in order to know when to sell short various international currencies in ways that are at least unethical. But the main fault here is not with him, but with those who have set the situation up and allowed it to devolve to this point. Soros has merely taken advantage of the mess others have set up, although I concede he might well be a partial influence on them, or has learned over the past couple of decades how to look for and manipulate these kinds of trends.

Be that as it may, this post is not about Soros, or even about the "New World Order" he undoubtedly promotes. Its about the apparent tendency of Beck to go completely off the deep end, as he came close to doing in his program yesterday. This brings me back to the Brueghels painting, which Beck and his guest, a Jewish Rabbi Daniel Lapin, claims is the inspiration for this-


This is the Louise Weiss European Parliament Building in Strassburg France, which is the headquarters of the European Union. Beck was told by an unnamed EU source that the building was modeled loosely after the Roman Colosseum (which inspired a comment from the Rabbi pertaining to the execution of Christians) but Beck infers that its actual modeling was after the Tower. Again, the Tower was a Hebrew legend inspired by the ancient Babylonian structures known as ziggurats.

I guess what bothers me about all this is that Beck, in jumping into this lion's den, as it were, risks limiting the appeal of what should be his broader argument against over-expansion of government and especially the internationalist aims of the quasi-socialists of Europe and others. And what is worse, he does it in ways that depends on inaccuracies.

At one point, incredibly, he even contradicts the Bible by inferring that mankind already spoke a variety of tongues prior to building the Tower, and that Nimrod tried to enforce a universal language. The rabbi guest did not dispute this.

As for Nimrod, he was a legendary figure, and a very shadowy one about whom, if he did exist, next to nothing is known, other than he is credited in Hebrew scripture with founding the nation of Assyria, and various other cities of that nation and in that general vicinity. He is also referred to as a "great hunter before the lord", which some have taken to mean in opposition to God. The original point was probably an attempt to explain the origins of the divine king system of Mesopotamia, whereby kings were traditionally seen as hunters, and engaged in royal hunts as a matter of cultural tradition, but beyond that as a matter of ritual initiation. He has been identified with various Babylonian gods and kings, but the main gist is he was put forth as the progenitor of the Babylonian system of false religion, the concept of divine rule of kings, and of polytheism-the worship of the forces of nature as opposed to their creator, according to the Hebrew scheme of things.

But even this Beck turns on its head, by identifying the Babylonian system as "secular". By this device, he ties this into the secular humanist movement of modern times. Granted, the Hebrews might have been ahead of their time in seeing the Babylonian pagan religions as somewhat an idolatrous expression of self-worship, but that hardly made them secularists, by any stretch of the imagination. If anything, they were woefully superstitious. Even if this originated as a promise that by building the tower they would "be as gods", there are still significant differences at work here. For one thing, secularists tend not to burn incense and sacrifice animals in hopes of curing their gout, regardless of whether or not the god in question might have at one point walked the earth as a man.

The point is, it was a different time, and a different world, when men looked towards strong rulers and cohesion, with a goal of building society. Freedom was based on strength and security, not individual liberties and human rights, which were secondary considerations at best.

Of course, there are similarities worthy of illustration. For example, even though Beck's Jewish Rabbi guest insists there is no Jewish word for "coincidence", there is one at play here. Bruegel's painting of The Tower of Babel was purposely modeled after the Roman Colosseum. It just so happens the Louise Weiss Building was also purposely patterned after the Colosseum, although presumably for different reasons. Brugels used the Colosseum as a symbol of hubris and tyranny. The European Union is certainly nothing if not an exercise in hubris. In its own way it is also tyrannical in concept and execution. But does that mean the leaders of the EU are purposely trying to recreate the culture of ancient Babylon?

Granted, there are other similarities which can be read as disturbing. The Tower in Bruegel's painting is unfinished. So is the Weiss Building, as a symbol of the "unfinished" nature of the European Union. There are also similarities between communism and capitalism, but if you make too much out of the similarities the whole fabric unravels, and so does your case.

In other words, you wonder if Beck actually believes himself in what he is saying. In the example of the language mix-up, he certainly seems to be tip-toeing ever so gently around the prospect of literal Biblical truth, which is understandable. He doesn't want to offend a large portion of his viewers who insist on a fundamentalist interpretation of scripture.

The real reason for the mix-up of languages is pretty well-established as an on-going, multi-epochal process that involved mankind being "scattered" long before there was any civilization to speak of, let alone anything on the order of a major city. We are talking about prehistoric times here, and for that matter possibly even before the times when human beings had evolved to the point where they could properly be called human. As a natural consequence of this multiple migration to various and diverse points around the globe, when mankind did develop more complicated languages and social structures, there would by the nature of the process have to be significant divergences and variations in language and culture.

This does not imply that the story of the Tower is not without merit as a morality tale and a warning relevant to any time as to the dangers of tyrannical dependence on human government. It just speaks to a need to see to that greater truth.

The Tower Of Babel was written in ancient times by people trying to come to grips with these differences in humanity and in the meantime explain other phenomena as well. Beck had to have known this, or at least he had to be familiar with this commonly accepted view, yet instead of confronting it directly he dances around it in order to preserve his greater point.

That point is that any such attempt to forge all mankind into one common, one-size fits all system of laws and government, however loosely forged, is unnatural and by its nature doomed to failure. It always does, as the decline and fall of empire after empire serves to demonstrate. That was the meaning of the Biblical story. He could have concentrated on that, and he could have used the story of The Tower Of Babel as an apt symbol, a prophecy if you will, that perfectly illustrates the ultimate outcome of any such endeavor, however well-intentioned or cleverly and carefully implemented. It will always be doomed to failure.

Unfortunately, Beck wasted precious time chasing after phantoms in the forms of now widely discarded mythologies once but no longer accepted as literal fact, instead of making clear their value when viewed as symbolic warning applicable to the time and subject matter.

In doing so, he does himself and us a disservice by building his case on a foundation that will collapse as quickly as the Tower, and as quickly as, ironically, the European Union has all but collapsed today, with one member nation after another going into default and bankruptcy, with others desperately trying to engage in severe cutbacks in spending and services, all geared toward propping up a system which by its nature is unsustainable.

The Tower has all but fallen, as well it should, but it seems to have escaped the notice of Glenn Beck.

The Accounting School Of Economic Theory

When you read the words of an economist, you might as well be reading Tarot. You should always bear in mind that Economics is a social science and is highly theoretical, far from hard science. So when Paul Krugman declares, for example, that it would require a much larger stimulus package than was passed in 2009 to pull the US out of its economic rut, you need to realize that Krugman is, by definition, spewing out of his ass what amounts to fumes of guess. Its the perfect example of a person who would see you in a big hole and tell you to keep digging. Eventually, you'll dig yourself out of that hole, it will just take some time. In reality, you're far more likely to find yourself at the bottom of the ocean.

Krugman's latest gem is a pastiche of the wonders of magical thinking. He makes three points, one of which is a gross contradiction of his previous claims. Another is typical Krugman style economic snake oil disguised as strong medicine. He ends this exercise in fantasy with such a fanciful speculation you have to wonder if he's kidding.

His three points are as follows-

*In order to climb out of our massive debt, eliminate deficit spending, and thereby get our finances in order, we are going to have to institute a VAT (Value Added Tax). This is the one that falls in the category of wishful thinking, in ignoring the obvious fact that this would more than likely amount to just another drag on economic recovery.

*In order for the current health care law to remain viable over the long term, there will have to be some form of rationed care, which he admitted in an almost throw-away, off-hand fashion would amount to "death panels"-a contradiction of his earlier statements of rebuttal to Sarah Palin when she warned this was a near certain consequence of Obamacare. He later claimed to be utilizing sarcasm by use of the term death panels. Since that is nevertheless what it would amount to regardless of what name you apply, the joke is on Krugman. Actually, its on all of us.

But the biggest gem of all-

*One day, the President of the United States will be Clinton-CHELSEA Clinton, who will go on to institute the policies Krugman recommends.

Sure, Paul, that's going to happen. By the way, while you're at it, what color panties does she wear?

Can we now all agree to stop taking this clown seriously? Sure, he *might* have been "joking", but a joke only has value if it has some basis in reality. Seeing as how Chelsea Clinton has no experience of elective office, or even in running for such, his remark isn't humor or satire, its nonsense based on some fantasy only he is privy to, but which he might have inadvertently let slip. It's the kind of thing that makes you wish Bill O'Reilly had knocked the little shit silly when he had the chance.

As for the other statements related above, there's nothing particularly original about the concept of a VAT, and he seems to be way behind the curve when it comes to recognizing the potentially negative impact of The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) on the quality of health care in America.

So really, my question is, is there a chance that Economics is in essence nothing more than snake oil in general, and that we might be best served by relying far less on economic theory? After all, it seems that the slightest disruptions render the most impressive economic models obsolete. What's worse, they don't necessarily have to be that profound, or that unexpected.

It might sound simple-minded, but maybe we would be better served by turning to people who know how to balance a checkbook.

You know, people like Sarah Palin.

Let The Right One In

"parents, not politicians, should decide what their children eat, especially when it comes to spending their own money. Despite its good intentions, I cannot support this unwise and unprecedented governmental intrusion into parental responsibilities and private choices."

That was Gavin Newsom explaining why as outgoing Mayor of San Francisco he vetoed the ordinance passed by the City Board of Supervisors which banned the practice of the inclusion of toys in McDonald's "Happy Meals". Never mind the Supervisors have enough votes to override his veto, and doubtless will within two weeks, and that he has to know that. The main thing to realize here is that he has purposely misrepresented the ordinance. As many of his critics have pointed out, the ban is on the use of toys as a marketing tool for Happy Meals. The Supervisors ruling even stated that the toys could instead be used in menus that featured healthier alternative foods. However, Happy Meals themselves were not banned by the measure.

Newsom further elaborated the position that, in his opinion, overreaching rules and regulations such as this had transformed San Francisco into a laughing stock.

Newsom said his opposition is not just about policy, but also about reputation. The city already has been through the wringer nationally and internationally for its ban on plastic bags and a mandatory recycling law in which residents can get in trouble for not composting – ordinances the mayor supports. But Newsom said the toy ban, which has captured the attention of Jon Stewart, “Dr. Phil” and national headlines, goes too far.

“There’s a reason there’s not a TV station in this country that hasn’t candidly been mocking us,” Newsom said.

My question is, has he just now become aware of this? Is it possible that San Francisco is that insulated from the outside world that they aren't aware of their reputation? That would explain a lot, but I don't buy it.

Newsom is looking toward the future, and I have a very good idea he is making plans to run for Governor of California-not in eight years, but in four. He wants to make sure the people of California know that he is not the stereotypical Bay Area leftist lune. He is a successful businessman with a record of accomplishment as Mayor, and takes a common sense approach to situations and to the problems that face the every day Californian.

That's plain to see, but the question is, why now, well over a month before his scheduled swearing-in as California Lieutenant Governor? Others think his actions are cynical politics, such as a commenter at Queerty who also speculates that Newsom is trying to pivot toward the center. But again, why? The election is barely over, and though he hasn't even taken office yet-he won! So what's the big deal?

I think he sees the runaway train screeching down the tracks and knows California is about to experience the biggest crash since New York defaulted a few decades ago. In fact, this will be much, much worse. He knows its coming, and he knows Jerry Brown will be unable to do the hard work necessary to get California back on the right track, even if he had the political will to do what was necessary to set things right again. But, while Jerry Brown will likely be seen as the favorite lap dog of the California State Legislature and the unions, Gavin Newsom might well play the role of the pitbull willing and eager to go for their throats. We might have just seen a preview of that.

When the crash comes, it will be a national issue, and there's a good chance California will go through a political upheaval such as it has never experienced. By positioning himself early as a moderate, one willing to stand up to the legislature and the unions, as well as other specially targeted interest groups, Newsom might well think he can avoid the coming bloodshed, and even profit from it.

There's also a possibility that he holds national aspirations. If he does run for Governor of California in 2014, and wins, he would have to be considered a top contender to run for the presidency in 2016. In the meantime, there has been talk of a potential challenge to Barak Obama from the left in the next primary season. If California is suddenly in play in 2012, which is very possible depending on what happens between now and then, Newsom might position himself as a liberal on social issues, while at the same time portraying himself as a friend to business, families, and the middle class, thus capturing for himself that spark that lit the Obama movement in '08.

Alternately, if he doesn't challenge Obama, it might well be that he could help keep California in the Democratic column that year. It might not be enough to save the presidency of Barak Obama, but it would be enough to earn him serious consideration as Obama's heir apparent. That will be all the more true if his help is vital in re-electing Obama. In that scenario, he will be owed big time, and remember, California is on the edge of default. When that happens, whether before or after the next election, there will be a significant push to bail out the entire state, which would amount to a massive federal expenditure.

There will then be a push for reform of the states pension systems and tax and regulatory systems as well. If Newsom is seen as the man that saves California by instituting these reforms, and making them stick, he could be well on his way to a major place in the Democratic Party firmament, and beyond.

Watch him but believe nothing that you hear and no more than half of what you see.

Century Old Treaty Ends With Invasion Caused By Google Maps Error

I don't know why anyone in the Nicaraguan military would look at Google Maps anyway-they have their own precision military maps-but a Nicaraguan Commander named-I swear-Eden Pastora did so and must have come to the conclusion that the treaty forged more than a century ago in a peace deal mediated by President Grover Cleveland must have been some kind of illegitimate fraud. Having taken this dramatic leap of faith, albeit one based on the cutting edge hard science of Google technology, Pastora came to the conclusion that a territory long ceded by terms of the treaty to Costa Rica, by rights belonged to Nicaragua.

Commander Eden Pastora therefore entered the territory of roughly 1.7 miles, ordered the flag of Costa Rica removed and replaced with the flag of Nicaragua. As you might imagine, that didn't sit too well with Costa Rica, but what could they do? Nicaragua is a revolutionary, militarized society, while Costa Rica, Central America's oldest democracy, while prosperous and successful, is also at a slight disadvantage in that they have no standing military. Out of exasperation as much as desperation they turned for assistance to the OAS, an official of which attempted the first mediation between the two countries concerning the territory since 1897.

Nicaragua scoffed at them, told them in effect to go to hell.

It starts to sound like some kind of surreal play. Costa Rica is a little democracy with a prosperous market based economy, and its President-President Lauren Chinchilla (Yeah, really)-has stated she might take the matter to the UN Security Council. What else can she do? Nicaragua is aid dependent, so maybe they would have enough leverage to solve this problem without making it a bigger disaster than it already is, although I doubt it.

The crazy thing is, Pastora is laying the blame on Google Maps, which seems to be a tacit admission that he was wrong, but at the same time the OAS is still trying to "resolve the problem"-which seems to suggest the Nicaraguans have no intention of leaving or ceding the territory.

In fact, Nicaragua has stated the incursion was nothing more than "security officials conducting drug raid operations in the region", and further stated the OAS had no authority to resolve border disputes.

That sure sounds to me like they have every intention of keeping the territory. All this over 1.7 miles. Well, I guess they must have their reasons.

But whatever their reasons, you can blame Google for providing the impetus. Google's competitor Bing got it right.

Airport Security

H/T Ace Of Spades

Only In Kentucky

Let's face it. You have to go down into a really deep, dark place in your soul before you are capable of cutting off a man's beard-and making him eat it!



Of course, alcohol was involved. Whiskey, to be precise, and who knows what else. In another report, the perpetrator Troy Holt, in typical alcoholic fashion claims the fault lies mainly with his victim, Harvey Westmoreland, by whom he supposedly had been threatened, and by whom he claims he still felt threatened.

It is also worth noting that, although the men were friends, a significant part of their problem could be traced to a woman, one which allegedly one or the other (or both) had been seeing.

Whether or not this is true, it seems patently obvious that this has been brewing for quite some time. The controversy over the lawn mower was simply the spark that blew the lid off.

Interestingly, there is some evidence that beards among at least some prehistoric cultures were viewed as expressions of virility. If true, this cultural attitude might well be stored in the human unconscious, where It is possible that it could be accessed while in a deep state of alcohol intoxication.

Seen in this context, by cutting off Westmoreland's beard-which he had grown for eight years, and which was evidently very long and thick-Holt and his partner James Hill were not only humiliating their victim, but symbolically emasculating him as well.

In other words, its probably a damn good thing for Westmoreland that he and Holt were friends. If anybody needs "supervised diversion", it's these two guys.

The Hopi Indian Tribe Declare War On The Radical Environmentalist Agenda

Recently, the Hopi Indian Nation ended its relationship with the Sierra Club, declaring the organization persona non gratis. The ultimate decision to end the relationship came after a unanimous vote of the tribal council. The reason was one of economic livelihood. The Sierra Club, in an effort to shut down a coal fired energy plant they claimed polluted the environment and contributed to Global Climate Change, won instead the ire of the Hopi Indian Tribe, recognized by the US Government as a sovereign entity in its own right. The tribe held that closing the plant would cost the Hopis in jobs and in economic development.

The Sierra Club held firm to its commitment, promising the Hopi long-term benefits in terms of a cleaner environment while holding out the promise of future jobs and economic development in the field of green energy. This however was not enough to ease the ire of the Tribe, which ordered them permanently off their sovereign lands.

When I first learned of this story from Moonbattery, I wanted to make note of it, but at the same time I wanted to find out more. Basically, I wanted to get the Sierra Club's side of the story, if for no other reason than just to get their spin on it, but also on the off chance that I might one day find myself blindsided with a previously unstressed other side of the story.

True to form, the Sierra Club makes no bones about their objection to the coal industry and their desire to rigidly regulate, if not entirely dismantle the industry. One article, entitled King Coal, elaborates their efforts and accomplishments in the West, particularly in Kansas. It is all the more surprising then that I have been unable to find anything about this incident involving the Hopi Indians on the Sierra Club's official website. I did, however, find some mention of the Hopi pertaining to another matter.

Interestingly, they had at one point been allies. The two had banded together and won an injunction to prevent uranium mining on Mt. Taylor, a sacred mountain to the Hopis, on the grounds of potential contamination of ground water and streams. They succeeded in winning a one-year moratorium on any further mining and exploration by declaring Mt Taylor a Traditional Cultural Property.



However, it is worth noting that this story was posted on the Sierra Club website on March of 2008, more than two and a half years ago. Since then, there has been nothing posted on the website pertaining to any kind of followup on the Mt Taylor controversy, even though the injunction was granted for only one year.

The story seems suspended at the following point-

The nuclear power industry is now seeking to resume operations, and in response the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division streamlined the permit process, allowing mining activities to proceed without notifying the affected tribes when the site is less than five acres, and ignoring Governor Bill Richardson's executive order requiring statewide tribal consultation to protect sacred places. New mining plans on Mt. Taylor are opposed by tribes because the state has failed to perform environmental analysis on underground drinking water supplies, groundwater withdrawls, and impacts from exploratory wells.

The emergency stay granted by the New Mexico State Cultural Properties Review Committee will give the state time to gather input from affected tribal groups and allow the tribes and the state Historic Preservation Division to carefully evaluate applications for mining permits. "The committee action means pueblos and tribes can't be ignored when there are imminent threats to a sacred mountain," says Tohe.

And that seems to be the end of it, with no word on whether the mining permits and exploration and/or mining resumed or whether there were further extensions on the injunction granted, or for that matter whether or not the entire project was scrapped, or even if the required testing turned up any kind of evidence as to any potential hazards or seeming lack thereof. We just don't know, at least insofar as anything I've learned from the Sierra Club or from any other source thus far.

Putting aside for the moment my considered suspicion over the likelihood that a state agency would "ignore" an Executive Order issued by a governor, which is curious enough, I find one other thing that I thought perhaps even more telling.

In the above linked Sierra Club article on Mt. Taylor, there was a link pointing to a website which seems to be a joint enterprise of the Navajo and Hopi Tribes, and which the Sierra Club points to as evidence of their collaboration with the Hopi. However, if you click on this link now, you will see-an empty page, one which is nevertheless identified in the url as the page of an article, albeit one which seems to have been deleted. It almost looks like the cyber equivalent of a jilted lover excising his unfaithful spouse's image from the wedding pictures.

The same website, however, in another post has a lot to say about the present rift between the Hopi and the Sierra Club. The title says it all-

Hopi Tribal Council bans environmental groups-
Actions by environmental groups threaten total economic collapse of the tribe, council declares

There's so much there its almost impossible to copy a small part of it which is adequately representative of the whole, but suffice it to say the Tribe felt their very existence was threatened by the Sierra Club, in addition to various other environmentalist groups working in tandem with them.


(Black Mesa Water Coalition photo
Roberto Nutlouis (left) and Lillian Hill at the Black Mesa Mine coal mine before it was closed.)

It's worth your time to go and read the entire article, because it could well be a signpost to what lies ahead in the coming years for all of us if these groups succeed in imposing their radical agenda.

Cigarettes With Graphic Warning Art Coming Soon-Collect All Seventy-Two

See now, there's an upside to big government after all. If our corporate tax rate wasn't the second highest in the industrial world, our government wouldn't have enough money to be able to do this.

But thanks to the new law giving the FDA power to regulate the tobacco industry, we soon will have the opportunity to buy packs of cigarettes with graphic warnings as to the possible consequence of smoking. This is your chance to invest in a potential collector's item. Most people that buy cigarettes will continue to discard the empty packs, insuring they will become rare after so many years.

Ah, but if you save them, store them and keep them in mint condition, in fifty years time each one in good to mint condition might fetch from five to ten dollars. That means that even if you live in New York City you will almost recoup at least half your investment. Or, if you are a more frugal investor, you can buy your smokes in a neighboring state or an Indian casino. You have to bear in mind though that not only will smokers buy them, it might become a big fad with non-smokers as well. You might even have schoolkids trading them, like baseball cards. Take advantage of such opportunities wherever and whenever it might arise. Fads are always temporary, whereas with patience and perseverance you might have an opportunity to double, triple, maybe even quadruple your investment over time.

Just remember, although its certainly not out of the question that the FDA will mandate that they must be laminated, its probably not likely. No matter how carefully you store and preserve them they will still be a fragile product, but you can increase the likelihood of preserving their long-term value simply by not purchasing packs of cigarettes in soft packs, but in the hard, or box packs.

You can get a head start on this new, exciting collector's opportunity. Just head over to the website of the FDA, where you can view or if you want even download the proposed gallery of up-coming cigarette artwork in either pdf or jpeg format.

Friday Night Lies

I hate to say this, I know there are more people than you could ever imagine who might disagree, at least privately, but I'm going to come on out with it-

There's more important things in life than high school sports, even football or basketball. So if one of your more talented players, a student who excels at both sports, is involved in a sexual assault of a younger female student, you should have no problem booting him from the team. After all, talent and ability notwithstanding, this is not the kind of person you would want to represent your school, correct? Just because he might well be instrumental, possibly even vital in getting you to the state finals, that should not really be an issue, right?

Well, evidently most of the citizens of this small little town in Hardin County Texas don't quite see it that way. When Rakheem Bolton, one of the star players on their school football team, was accused of sexual assault, the Grand Jury failed to return an indictment on him. A second Grand Jury did so, but he managed somehow to plea bargain his case down to one of simple assault. He later engaged in an altercation with one of his teachers, which earned him a requirement to engage in anger management courses. Otherwise, some one hundred fifty hours of community service staring him in the face and a few remorseful statements to the press, and he's back on the football field.

One of the cheerleaders on his squad then got in trouble for refusing to join in the squad's cheers for him when he made a play. She was told she had to forget about what happened and either join in with the rest of the squad in cheering him on, or she had to resign her position.

Sounds reasonable enough. Of course, it would probably be easier for her to accede to these demands if she were not the girl he and two others assaulted and, according to her, raped. Her father led her off the court when patrons of the school team, their former friends, neighbors, and fellow community citizens, verbally abused her for what they took to be her bad sportsmanship-or maybe it was her unladylike conduct.

She sued the school on First Amendment grounds, claiming that she had the right to not cheer her assailant. Unfortunately the Fifth Circuit Court Judge who heard the case disagreed, going so far as to sanction the girl for what was described as a frivolous lawsuit, even ruling that she was liable for the school's legal expenses. The family is appealing the verdict, but its probably a lost cause. Justice is often cold and hard when it is applied fairly and according to precedent, and the truth is there is no free speech issue here.

A better, perhaps more realistic attorney would have tried a different approach than the use of the First Amendment as grounds for a suit. Not being an attorney myself, I wouldn't know what that would be, but there would have to be something, you would think, some legitimate grounds with which to defend the rights of a young girl against an oppressive, humiliating, and perhaps even dangerous environment enforced by her own school against her, a victim, in favor of her oppressor. Maybe some kind of civil rights suit might have been more appropriate.

After all, this girl was subjected to an ordeal that went beyond one night at a football game. She was ostracized, mocked and humiliated during school hours on a regular basis, and it got so bad her younger sister transferred to another school.

The larger point, in reality, is that there never should have been a need to bring any kind of action in court. The offending player should have been removed from the squad permanently, but the people of that small town in Hardin County Texas, as much as the school officials involved in this sorry case, may have had other, varying priorities.

For one thing, the defendant was black, the girl white, and it was widely assumed the first Grand Jury failed to render an indictment because of that, due to the presence of a number of blacks on the Jury.

But even more perniciously, the school seems to have been far more intent on keeping a valued member of their sports team than in seeing to the welfare of the one lone girl, evidently feeling that, in some way that is unclear, she willingly put herself in the position where she should have known she was endangering herself. In other words, she was asking for it.

For the record, this happened at a party where a number of team members and cheerleaders were present, and alcohol was a factor. But even that much is beside the point. The girl has been expected to give up her position on the cheer-leading squad, sacrifice her own social standing at school, as well as her dignity, peace of mind, and in effect her basic rights, in order to help salvage the potential future of her assailant.

Bear that in mind the next time you hear somebody pontificate about how we should look out for the welfare of our children. With all too many people, that's apparently only good for so much, and as long as it doesn't stand in the way of a winning record.

Rachel's Tomb-To The Arabs With Love, From The UN

Rachel's Tomb is one of the most sacred places in Jewish tradition, reputed for well over one thousand years-by Jews, Christians, and Muslims-to be the burial spot of the beloved Jewish Matriarch Rachel, the wife of Jacob.

Now it has been decided by the United Nations organization UNESCO, that it will no longer be recognized as a world heritage site, and that, furthermore, Rachel's Tomb should henceforth be recognized not even as a Jewish site, but as an Islamic mosque.

This provocation has been going on since 1996, and has gained currency in the Arab world, especially with the Turks. That's one thing in and of itself, its something quite again for the UN to deign to decide the issue. It's not really surprising though, since when it comes to issues such as this, especially those that touch on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the UN is the world's biggest lap dog to the Muslims. This is in fact a title for which they have fought long and hard to attain.

The Israelis, to their credit, have let it be known they will no longer cooperate with UNESCO, going so far as to describe this latest action as tantamount to an act of war.

So it looks like yet another round of conflict between the proponents, adherents, and defenders of the "religion of peace", and the one tiny little country that can't seem to achieve it with them, regardless of how hard they try.

There can be no doubt, this insanity is going to keep on until one day the Jews might well feel they have no other option but to embark on the massive wholesale slaughter of their surrounding Arab population, who in fact seem to be desirous of just that, possibly out of some internal collective desire to die as martyrs, or even more possibly out of some ancient and primeval suicidal impulse that is unique to them as a group.

As for the UN, I for one want them off of US soil. This fiasco, this shameful act of collusion, is just one more reason among a multitude of reasons as to why I feel that way, and wish the Israelis good luck in solving their own problems in however way they see fit. I'm afraid they are, unfortunately, pretty much on their own.

WARNING-Don't Read This Post If You Have A Weak Stomach

Melissa Lee Williams, who lives four doors down from her estranged husband, knocked on his door. He had a friend visiting him, and requested that one of them eat her pussy. When the husband refused, that might have been a good clue to the friend to not offer to honor the request, but some people are kind of thick. Especially when they are drunk, as everybody seems to be in this story. Melissa dropped her pants, whereupon the ex-husband's friend made ready to go at it.

Here comes the sickening part-

While Danny Williams “declined said invitation,” the other man, Adam Watson, told cops that he “agreed to perform at her request.” However, as Watson approached Williams, “he became overwhelmed by horrible vaginal odor emitting from Melissa Williams.” Watson, understandably, “declined to proceed any further.”

And here's where it gets scary. Melissa produced a knife and told her husband that "somebody's going to eat my pussy or I'm going to cut your fucking throat!"

The police came and found her naked from the waist down, holding the knife, and took her into custody.

And the rest is history. If you want to read the police report, you can find it at The Smoking Gun page linked above.

My question is, is it possible that what made her so desperate is the same thing responsible for the smell? And what was that? I can't get the thought out of my head and can't think of a point of comparison, because I myself have experienced this, and believe me, there are few if any things more repulsive.

Think in terms of a jar of spoiled milk mixed with equal parts cat urine and rancid diarrhea shit from eating spoiled beef left out in the sun for a fucking week, and you start to get the idea.

So why did I feel compelled to share this? I don't know, I guess I needed to get it out of my system. It's just nice to know I'm not the only person to have gone through this. Just be glad this post isn't a scratch and sniff. Because you know you would just love to, wouldn't you?

When You Need Expert Testimony, Who Better To Call Than A Hollywood Actor?

Today, Tuesday November 9th, there will be a public hearing in Anchorage Alaska due to objections from environmental and Native American groups to plans to develop the area involved in a 2008 petroleum lease sale in Alaska's Chukchi Sea.

The former Minerals Management Service-now called the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement-sold leases totaling 2.7 billion dollars, mostly to Shell Oil, in February 2008. The leases involved are in the Chukchi off Alaska's northwest coast.

A subsidiary of Shell had planned to drill exploratory wells in the Chukchi in summer 2010, but that's been put on hold now due to a decision applied by a federal judge, who in siding with Oceanus said that "environmental information was lacking".

Therefore, the hearing scheduled for today will involve The BOEMRE "collecting testimony on the effect of possible natural gas development and whether missing information is essential", while Oceanus is determined to block any further plans for development. Their secret weapon-an expert Hollywood witness.

In this case the "expert" witness is actor Ted Danson of Cheers and Three Men And A Baby fame, and a few other offerings, most of which is even more forgettable than the aforementioned movie. The proof of that being-I've forgotten them. Well, he did portray a curmudgeonly and politically incorrect doctor who smoked and insulted everybody. I think the name of it was "Please Watch My Show, I Know I'm A Leftist Nut But I Promise My Character Isn't".

Recently though he's been in Alaska filming a movie called Everybody Loves Whales, starring Drew Barrymore. Now bear in mind that any actor worth his salt researches every aspect of his role. He doesn't just learn his lines, he learns about the character and situation the character is in, along with every aspect of the personality of the role, to the point that he literally becomes the character he is portraying. This in a very real way tends to make him an expert on every subject involved in his performances.

Ted Danson then happens to be an authentic, expert Bostonian alcoholic ex-baseball player and womanizing bar owner, baby-sitter, diaper changing, chain-smoking, cursing doctor who is politically incorrect and a curmudgeonly devotee of mediocre actresses, whales, and the ocean.

Who better for Oceanus to call to testify at an open public hearing involving the future of oil leases, with potentially billions of dollars at stake.

What will be the basis of Danson's testimony?

Oceana attorney Mike LeVine said Danson's testimony will focus on the lack of basic scientific information about the Chukchi Sea ecosystem.

Well, he is an expert on not knowing jack shit, so maybe he's on pretty solid ground there after all.

Almost One Third Of Gay Voters Voted Republican

It was a pleasant surprise to learn the GOP pulled 31% of the gay vote in the last election. When you consider that not all gay people might be open with their orientation, even with pollsters, the numbers might be more, or less, or roughly the same, but no matter how you slice it, such numbers are an obvious sign of growth. It's even more surprising when you consider the rap on Republicans and the criticisms aimed at them, some of which are not without merit.

One example is the failed GOP Senate candidate from Colorado, Ken Buck. When I heard him say, on Meet The Press, that being gay is a choice, I waited for a follow-up, some kind of explanation that would put the statement in context. When none was forthcoming, I almost came to the conclusion that Buck was being blackmailed to throw the election.

You don't have to be gay to realize how nutty such a statement sounds. All it takes is an exercise in logic. I am straight, and I imagine I came to be straight in the same manner every other straight person came to be straight. One day, I got a full blown erection-over a woman. In my case it was an incidental woman model in an old Matt Helm movie. She uttered no lines in the film, I don't recall her name, she was just a model in what if I remember correctly was see-through lingerie.

There was no choice involved. I didn't sit there thinking, you know I think I'd better make a decision. Do I want to experience sexual desire over Dean Martin, or over this random female bit player without a speaking part who just happens to look hot?

Some time after this, I experienced my first wet dream, involving a female classmate at my elementary school. The strange thing about that was, this was a girl with whom I was friendly, but not all that close, nor was I particularly attracted to her consciously. My subconscious mind was probably telling me, this is available to you if you just make your move. Unfortunately, I was not sufficiently skilled in the art of dream interpretation, or for that matter much of anything else, and before long that window of opportunity slipped away. I just forgot about it, and her, as she slipped more into the background of my school life-such as it was.

For whatever reason which I no longer remember clearly, I chose not to pursue the matter. But the initial attraction, at least, had nothing to do with choice. And that brings me back to Ken Buck.

I think what Buck really meant was not that people choose whether or not to become gay, they choose as to whether or not to act on those impulses. If that is what he meant, he should have said so, but of course, even this stance brings with it a load of questions as to the ability of any given person to be a fair and impartial representative of their constituencies and their issues and concerns.

Republicans should really avoid this political hot potato, because no matter what they say or do they are going to offend somebody. They either come across like they are pandering to one group or the other, or they sound like a would-be theocrat, one who is ruled more by their religious philosophy than an adherent to any kind of coherent policy view.

To say the states should deal with the issue of gay marriage may sound to some like an exercise in avoiding a tough issue, but in reality that is the legitimate federalist approach. There is no excuse to allow for yet more federal government intrusion into what should be a state prerogative. Sure, you can infer a constitutional right to gay marriage, as easily as you can infer a "right to life" for the unborn, but its nebulous at best.

Bear in mind, although 31% of gays voted Republican, this has got to be seen as a national average. What do you want to bet that in Colorado, the numbers weren't quite so good for Ken Buck? Now I'm not suggesting that the GOP simply pander to prospective gay voters in the hopes of improving their share of that voter demographic. For one thing, the fact that they got 31% to begin with proves that is unnecessary.

Still, there are some things they can and should do. The Defense of Marriage Act is a cynical piece of legislation that should be repealed, as it is just one more federal intrusion on the prerogative of the states no better or worse than any similar measure from the other end of the spectrum. By the same token, any kind of federal law mandating the states provide for gay marriage rights, or any such decree by judicial fiat, is similarly inadvisable, and frankly unacceptable.

A simple party platform affirming the rights of gay Americans as equal citizens, with rights neither inferior nor superior to other Americans, as predicated by any simple reading of the Fourteenth Amendment, entitled to all the rights and protections of other Americans, should suffice. This would not have to imply a support for gay marriage or adoption, things that, again, should be decided at the state level.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid even this relatively minor move would be met with howls of protest by many of the rank-and-file traditional Republican voters, so its probably never going to happen. In addition, some of the more radical gay activists would view it as a transparent attempt to gain support, a paper tiger with no teeth and with bleeding gums. So what else is there?

DADT is something where there can and should be room for honest and open debate, with each side of the equation receiving a fair hearing. A person's sexuality should not be an impediment to promotion in rank nor should it be a consideration of job security, but on the other hand any changes in policy should be approached with caution and respect. My own feeling is the military brass should set their own rules, with some civilian oversight. I'm reasonably sure it would turn out better than some heavy handed decree from the civilian authorities which would then be turned into a political football on both sides. It would probably come down to a ban on fraternization, which is in place anyway in general terms, and that would be the extent of it.

There are other things, but no matter what policy you approach, its going to encounter storms of protest and discontent. There's nothing you can do about that, but people should remember, gay rights and homosexuality was never an issue or a controversy until gay activists made it so. I'm sure there are many who would question that, but remember this-most of the laws against homosexuality were in place from a time when one could be prosecuted for having sex with a married woman, or for having sex out of wedlock, or for engaging in interracial sex. They were put in place during a time and place when morals and ethics were decreed by a relatively small cabal of social leaders, and those who acted against their mores were strictly stigmatized. It wasn't just gays, it was a lot of different actions that could get you ostracized by your local communities and society at large. Back in those days, if a woman or a younger girl had a child out of wedlock, she was automatically considered a whore, a tramp, and even her innocent child was considered a bastard, not quite good enough to associate with the children from the "good families".

You could also be prosecuted for engaging in anal or oral sex-even with the person with whom you were married.

So when you look at it in that context, its quite understandable there would also be laws against homosexuality. The major difference here is, not many people gave it much thought. Gays pretty much kept to themselves and kept their lifestyles secret. For one thing, they had no legal outlet such as marriage, and for another, they knew they would be despised by society at large, who out of ignorance looked at them as insane, or debauched, or in some cases possessed by unclean and malignant spirits. Homosexuality as an issue was always way, way, way back in the public consciousness-in fact it was all but nonexistent-for the simple fact gays themselves were not a part of the public consciousness. At most, they were seen as a relative handful of individuals afflicted by a sickness that led them to engage in a shameful act. In some cases it was a point of amusement. It was not all that long ago that the worse insult one man could say to another was "suck my dick" or in the case where the two parties were aware of another man's or boy's homosexual tendencies, to call the other person that gay person's name.

It's not so surprising then that when gays finally came out of the closet in the beginning, they did so with an explosive force that took no prisoners. That was certainly understandable, but there's been no letup from some quarters, and who have been the main target of their outrage? Of course, that would be the purveyors of what they see as the traditional values that have always scapegoated them as at worse evil proponents of a sick sub-culture, and at best as victims of some evil spiritual soul-destroying sickness. It's no surprise then that they haven't been inclined to support the Republican Party, whom they see as the champions of the same system that has maligned and marginalized them throughout history.

If the latest election numbers are any indication, however, they are starting to some degree to see the Democrats as cynical opportunists who are using them for their votes, but not really willing to do much beyond lip-service in the way of redressing their grievances. This is in no small part due to the fact that many of their stated aims are impractical, and also because their tactics are to many reprehensible enough it would amount to trading two votes for one in the name of justice, which is never going to happen.

But in the interim along the way to this awakening, many gays have come to see that, social considerations aside, they have as much to gain by supporting Republicans, maybe in some cases more, than they do by sticking with the Democrats. A large percentage of gays are of above average intellect and income, and like everyone else are susceptible to the allure of a lower tax rate, especially when they see how Washington has wasted money. Many as well are attracted to the more libertarian aspects of basic conservative philosophy-live and let live, another philosophy that gets little beyond lip service from the Democrats. And how can they not be attracted to the prospect of a smaller, more efficient, less intrusive government. It's one thing to look toward government as the guarantor of civil rights and equal protections under the law. It's another thing all together to want the government sticking its nose into every aspect of your life, both public and private, to the point where you are or at least feel dependent on their good graces for everything from the roof over your head to the food you eat and even the air you breathe. And this is all the more true if you are a business person or a professional of some sort who suddenly finds that a good portion of your working life is spent adhering to some mandated obligation to fill out forms, making sure every "i" is dotted and every "t" is crossed-a service that in reality you provide to them, and for which you yourself must pay, not just with the time you spend doing it, but with your own hard-earned tax dollars as well.

The question then becomes not why are so many gays suddenly supporting Republicans, but why wouldn't they?

It's now up to the Ken Bucks of the Republican Party to realize that, sometimes, its best to keep your personal beliefs to yourself, in at least some regards. This wouldn't make them any more hypocritical than the person who refrains from stating that consuming alcohol is a sin, or that the blood of Christ is the only way to salvation. You can believe that all you want, but the minute you state that in public, in the course of a run for electoral office, you run the risk of broadcasting the appearance of making a policy statement. You shouldn't be too surprised at that point if the neighborhood Hindu family decides to sit the election out, or maybe even go to the trouble to vote against you.

That's not to say you should hide your beliefs, just that you should be circumspect in how you express them, while making clear that as a public figure you have an obligation to respect and defend the constitutional rights of all your constituents, regardless of race, sex, creed, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation and that, as a Republican, you intend to do so in strict adherence to a literal reading of the constitution and the Bill of Rights.

That won't be enough to win over the folks at GLAAD or any other advocates of the so-called LGBT community. It is way too easy though to look askance at the antics of the Folsom Street Fair or various other Gay Pride Parades, some of which seem purposely designed to shock the sensitivities of the traditionalists among us. We can laugh or shake our heads in dismay at the activities of groups that demand that script changes be made to movies and otherwise threaten boycotts if such demands are not met, or who purposely devote time and resources to outing closeted gays who only want to live their lives in peace and a minimum of drama, just for political effect.

When we see them acting out in outrageous ways, all but copulating in public in some cases, engaging in acts of masturbation and other lewd behaviors, while simultaneously demanding that they be accepted in our neighborhoods and communities with respect and even deference, demanding the right to marry and adopt, its easy to dismiss them as just another arm of the leftist lunatic fringe, which is in truth what they are.

But we should never make the mistake of assuming that these people speak for all gay people. The people of GOProud might now represent a minority among those gay people who are politically active, but they do represent a sizable portion of a gay community that is conservative, responsible, respectable, and deserving of our support, just as they themselves supported many Republican candidates, including Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. In some cases, their support for Republican candidates might have been enough to contribute to their victories.

By accepting them in turn, and gay people in more general terms, however, we make it clear we don't do so as just another hyphenated American interest group, but as American citizens, who just happen to be gay, yet who we recognize and affirm as having the same rights and responsibilities as any other American citizen-no more or no less.

That should be enough to make progress among not just gays, but truthfully among any demographic group who truly wants what is best for himself, his family, community, and his country.

Everything else in the way of specific policy proposals geared toward them is for the most part, with very few exceptions, mere Democrat window dressing meant to promote controversy with an aim to divide and conquer.

Senator-Elect Rand Paul On ABC This Week With Christiane Amanpour

Surprise Surprise-Olbermann Will Return

Well, well, well, guess who's going to be returning to MSNBC after all. Yes, Keith Olbermann has completed what might be the shortest indefinite suspension without pay in the annals of recorded history, and he's going to be back on the air as early as Tuesday.

I'm not surprised in the least, nor am I disappointed. In fact, I'm quite pleased. Let's face it, Olbermann is a perfect example of what the left is really all about, and as such he does provide a service.

And let's be real here, this is all the whole brouhaha was about anyway. Olbermann is one of these kinds of guys that are just one step from sliding completely over the edge at any given time, given just the right push. It hasn't been that long ago that he took a two-week vacation because Tucker Carlson, of all people, was making sport of him.

The fool can't even take criticism from me. FROM ME! Yes, he blocked me from following his Twitter account, and when that didn't stop me from fucking with him, he BLOCKED ME FROM EVEN READING HIS TWITTER ACCOUNT. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bragging. I'm just pointing out-who the fuck am I that he should worry what I think?

I was fairly sure Olbermann wasn't really indefinitely suspended. He was just given a few days off, to give him a chance to cool off, calm down, and recover from the disappointment of the election results, as otherwise, he probably would have gone completely off the rails.

If he seems somewhat more subdued than usual by the time he returns, I think we can just assume he must have had his meds adjusted. If MSNBC was smart, though, they'd give him his typical two weeks. You just never can tell when you're dealing with these excitable Type A personality types, especially when they really start to come unhinged.

The Momma Bama Might Be On To A Way To Cut The Deficit

Although the Administration denies it, the current trip to Mumbai India has been estimated to cost close to 200 million dollars a day. No word if this is the cost for the entirety of the ten day Asian trip, but if it is that would make the total cost a staggering two billion dollars. No word from the White House as to the actual cost, but the Indian past of the visit would have to be considerable. The President's contingent is so huge, presidential entourage is reportedly not only renting the entirety of the Taj Mahal hotel, but many rooms from two other luxury hotels as well. Then there are the automobiles, as many as forty-five of them, in addition to an air fleet that includes two jumbo jets and a couple of attack jets in addition to Air Force One. There have even been reports that a number of ships will be stationed outside the Mumbai ports, due to concerns over potential terrorist attacks from off the Indian coast.

This is more than just a diplomatic mission, although Obama will address the Indian parliament. It is a business trip, one which has been arranged by the American and Indian wing of-wait for it-

The Chamber of Commerce. The trip was almost derailed due to criticisms of the Chamber's donations to Republican candidates, but it was brought back on track. This trip was just considered too vital to allow politics to get in its way.

It's ostensibly an effort to get India, and other Asian countries, to allow more American products to be imported. Of course, first he has to convince American manufacturers to produce such goods, which they will only do if there is a cost-effective way to produce and then to export such products with any hopes of adding to their companies profit margins.

In other words, whatever the cost of the trip, it is probably a waste of time and resources, given the Obama addiction to tax and regulation. But at least Obama, when he visits the Gandhi Museum, will have the benefit of a bomb-proof air-conditioned above ground tunnel to make sure he can go to and fro the museum in relative comfort and security.

And, just to be on the extra safe side, coconuts will be removed from trees along the routes listed on the President's itinerary. Can't take the chance of one of those things falling on the presidential noggin, you see.

Yet, for all the obvious terrorist concerns, with the related and incredibly extreme measures taken to insure the President's security, he does not see fit otherwise to even acknowledge the very real terrorist problems faced by Mumbai, or greater India, nor will he visit the site of the last major terrorist attack which resulted in the loss of dozens of lives.

And, one other note that even further illustrates the lack of any kind of sense of irony-First Lady Michelle, at the encouragement of an NGO, is slated to visit Mumbai's oldest red-light district, where she will meet with commercial sex workers.



Well, that might be one way to help defray some of the cost of the trip. I'm not sure what the rate of exchange is these days, but she might actually want to consider working for rupees as opposed to American dollars. For that matter the Obamas might possibly even encourage what remains of the Congressional Democrats to join in and make this a regular thing. They should take their cue from history, and follow the precedent set by the Roman Emperor Gaius Caligula.



Think of it as Pay To Play. This might well be an opportunity for the Obamas to lead by example. If the President is amenable, and the Momma Bama is willing to put herself out to this extent, surely the Democratic members of Congress would be willing to follow suit, with their wives and husbands too. Since Nancy Pelosi is so determined to remain the Democratic Minority Leader, she could take on the role of Congressional Whore House Madam. Since Barbara Boxer would probably object to such a title, we'll just call her Senator Whore. Henry Waxman could be in charge of prosecuting any Democratic member who fails to show up with wife in tow and ready to put out for the team. Barney Frank could play a role as well, as this is something with which he has past experience.

Let's face it, since your policies have brought the national debt to a staggering fourteen trillion dollars, and you are responsible for running trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, it might not be enough for Democrats to demand higher taxes on the rich and productive members of society-not in this political climate.

Since the Daily Mail has stated that the expense of this Mumbai trip is as grandiose as anything ever exhibited by the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs and Roman Emperors, you should take your cue from the Momma Bama. Don't allow her to take this responsibility on all by herself. We know you are all whores anyway. Since you will never set an example of austerity, and you've already fucked us good, at least allow us to return the favor.