Contributed by: filbert Sunday, January 31 2010 @ 11:21 AM CST
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Thank you. We now return you to your regularly scheduled Whip.
A (mostly) daily review of what’s out there that caught my attention. (Yeah, it’s possible I might have ADD . . .)
I surf the Web, so you don’t have to!
Section One: The Word:
An occasional comment, rant, or snark, brought on by the flow of events:
Behold my “Awesome Zelazny Riff” at Ace of Spades HQ here: Advice for Governor Palin. [*1] My comment is at #194, which you have to scroll down through the whole dull, tedious thing for, because for reasons I don’t understand, the direct link doesn’t work. Bummer for you, eh? No, seriously, go. It’ll be worth your while. Trust me! Have HOPE.
Lord of Light is, I think, my all-time favorite book. Of all time.
Oh, another thing that I just think is the funniest thing:
Guantanamo eyed for 9/11 trial [*2] — So . . . we . . . have to . . . close the prison there . . . so we can . . . hold . . . the trials there? Huh? WTF?
In other news, Mark Steyn speaks Truth to Power:
In the last 60 years, the size of America’s state and local workforce has increased five times faster than the general population. But the president says it’s still not enough: We have to incentivize even further the diversion of our human capital into the government machine. Like most lifelong politicians, Barack Obama has never created, manufactured, or marketed any product other than himself. So quite reasonably he sees government dependency as the natural order of things. And in his college-loan plan he’s explicitly telling you: If you start a business, invent something, provide a service, you’re a schmuck and a loser. In the America he’s building, you’ll be working 24/7 till you drop dead to fund an ever-swollen bureaucracy that takes six weeks off a year and retires at 53 on a pension you could never dream of. Obama’s proposals are bold only insofar as few men would offer such a transparent guarantee of disaster: It’s the audacity of hopelessness.
Hope! Change! Perpetual Servitude To Your Masters In Washington (who, of course, love you)!
More after the “read more” . . . Section Two: Things That Amuse Me:
2.1: Simians and other aminals*:
South American peacock bass are adjusting to suburban life in Florida[*4] — Animals . . . them’s good eatin’ . . .
PETA Proposes Robotic Groundhog For Pa. Festival [*5] — No, Bill (who sent me the link), it’s not just you who wonders about PETA . . .
*Yes, I know it’s “animals,” it’s just that I always found the childhood mispronunciation really, really cute . . .
2.2: Travel:
Not today.
2.3: Sports:
Turnovers spell doom at ORU [*6]
Clutch Collins carries No. 2 Jayhawks past K-State [*7]
Jacks fall just short at Oral Roberts [*8]
Southern Utah knocks off UMKC [*9]
Turnovers haunt SDSU women in loss [*10]
2.4: Science Fiction and Writing:
I’m watching soccer right now. It’s that kind of day.
2.5: Miscellany:
Miss America: Limbaugh Wins ‘Judge of the Night’ — ‘Variety’ Frets Over Political ‘Tinge’ [*11]
Reinvented Characters Give ‘24′ New Life [*12] — Too bad I totally gave up on the show last year then, huh?
2.6: Science, technology, and space:
Sunday. Fun day.
Section Three: The News, featuring Liberty And Its Enemies:
3.1: Strategy and tactics for defending human freedom and liberty:
Post-SOTU poll shows disbelief among most voters on Obama claims [*13] — A key strategy: Don’t buy the BS that Washington is trying to sell you . . .
More Bailouts? Forever? Not So Fast [*14] — Don’t go there, Democrats. Seriously. Don’t. Not if you want to remain a relevant political party beyond 2010.
Eric Odom on Tea Party Nation Organizers: They Don’t Know What’s Going On & Haven’t From Day One (Video) [*15] — See, the thing about the Tea Parties is that there are no leaders — rather — everybody is a leader. It’s a very–you might say it’s a uniquely–American way of political organization. The People Are The Power.
The Deficit of Trust [*16] “There is no logic in trusting a massive government that is the primary source of information about itself. There’s no wisdom in accepting the “sale” of irrevocable, unaccountable government programs on faith.”
Degenerate Democracy [*17] — “John Adams asserted, “Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide.”” That’s why the USA was not a democracy, but a republic.
Grassroots vs. Establishment Battles Shape GOP Primaries [*18]
Tea Partiers aim to remake local GOP [*19] — Reform . . . “Hope and Change,” if you will . . . begins at home, not in Washington . . .
Glenn Reynolds: More impact is what’s next for the Tea Party movement[*20]
3.2: The reality of Obama and the Democrat leadership as blithering idiots:
Stephen Hayes: “The President’s Claim That He Is Not an Ideologue Was One of His Single Most Ridiculous Statements” (Video) [*21] — No, Barack, dude, you’re an ideologue. Get serious . . .
Obama’s Deaf Ear May Cost His Success [*22]
Obama’s Stunning Admission [*23] — “Oh, yeah, that whole “you can keep your health care plan if you like it” thing? Oh, gee, sorry about that. I lied. That’s what you get for trusting a progressive collectivist. Your mistake, not mine.”
Hawai’i Democrats Kill Same-Sex Civil Unions [*24] — Hey, gay people. The Democrats Do Not Care About You. They just care about your votes, and more importantly, your money. You folks in the Black community–same thing. And you Hispanics? Yep. Labor union members? You guessed it. The Democrats don’t care about YOU, or your family, or your kids, or your life. They just want your vote, and your money. Why do you keep giving them both?
Talking Down to the Public Will Surely Work . . . [*25]
Obama Admits Partisanship at GOP Retreat; Forgets About Change.gov [*26] — Serial, shameless liar? Or just dangerously incompetent? I’m leaning toward liar.
In his finest hour, Obama manifests his greatest weakness [*27]
Obamacare = Stray Dog, So Says President [*28] — So, maybe it’s time to spay/neuter it?
Obama’s Bounce: Zero [*29] — Well, I was wrong. I thought he’d get a little bounce from the State of the Union address.
McCain smirks: Barack Obama discovers bipartisanship [*30]
President Obama goes to the GOP retreat and purports to promote the “absolutely essential… the process of disagreement.” [*31] — Would you buy a used car from this man? Really?
Obama: Healthcare as “Some Bolshevik Plot” [*32]
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D): Makin’ it rain [*33] — $101,429.14 over two years just for in-flight refreshments? What the ever-loving frack? What better illustration of the attitude of the Democrat leadership that “it’s our money and we’ll do with it as we please?”
Obama Gets Real with Republicans, Without His Teleprompter [*34]
Unreal… Obama’s Proposed Budget Will Increase Spending by 6% Over Last Year [*35] I really HOPE there will be CHANGE this November . . .
The Holder hangover (and whence it comes) [*36]
White House meddling in college football now too? [*37]
3.3: The reality of the Republican leadership as blithering idiots:
Ugh. Awful RINO Lindsey Graham Pushes Climate Policy Because “Congress Needs a Win” [*38] — No, Lindsay, Congress doesn’t need a win. The American people do. And they’ll get one this November.
Newt to Conservatives on NY23: “They Were Right” (Audio) [*39]
Armey tells House GOP: Win back the tea-partiers to win [*40] — Alternate title: Armey tells House GOP: Stop being blithering idiots . . .
3.4: Opposition Research: The enemies of human freedom and liberty:
Freedom vs. Safety [*41] — Their strategy: seize on a “problem,” get the public in a tizzy about it, then start passing laws restricting freedom and liberty. They do it because it works.
Leftist Astounded at Conservative Ascent Before FoxNews? [*42] — It really is difficult for rational people to think like leftists/progressives/collectivists do–to stubbornly insist that facts are whatever you, personally, say they are, despite any and all evidence to the contrary. Saying it, and saying it often enough, will make it so. This is exceedingly hard for people with an affection for the real world to deal with in a serious manner.
The GOP’s Tactical Mistake [*43]
left wing fat cat corporatist fesses up (and tugs at conservative heart strings) [*44]
Liberal Fantasies v. Reality: Can You Spot the Difference? [*45] — Video: “Klavan on the Culture”
More Washington: As Obama sees it, whatever the problem, the solution is more Washington. [*3]
Lech Walesa: ‘America Is Moving Toward Socialism’ [*46] — So says a man who knows a little something about socialism, so you can take your “oh, no, it’s not socialism” BS and stick it, OK?
3.5: Media bias–and incompetence:
The truth IS out there . . .
3.6: Fear The ‘Cuda–A spotlight on Citizen Palin, who really needs to find a better phrase than “Common-sense conservatism” to describe her philosophy:
Conservatives 4 Palin [*47] –Semi-permanent link for Palinmania . . .
3.7: “Global warming” aka “Climate change” — or should that be “Climate Reform?”:
IPCC chief hid glacier information for months [*48]
Minnesota wind turbines won’t work in cold weather [*49] — I need a “Greenie Global Warmingists as blithering idiots” section, apparently . . . HEY, YOU EINSTEINS, IT GETS COLD IN MINNESOTA. REALLY, REALLY COLD.
IPCC now in Bizarroland: Pachauri releases “smutty” romance novel [*50] — Not That There’s Anything Wrong With That . . .
3.8: Health care “reform” aka health insurance “reform” — or should that be health care “change?” Perhaps “Global healthing?:
Who’s in YOUR wallet?
3.9: The Economy:
This Explains A Lot [*51] — Don’t be too exposed to the markets this year–there’s no telling what economically disastrous bill the Democrats might manage to actually pass . . .
Jobs [*52]
3.10: Foreign affairs and National Security:
The World is a Dangerous Place[*53]