Contributed by: filbert Monday, February 01 2010 @ 09:34 AM CST
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:
InstaComment of the Day: The “Bush was as big a spender as Obama” line is just a flat-out lie, which the apologists for the powers that be hope you’ll buy because . . . well, because a lie is pretty much all they’ve got at this point. [*1]
Accompanied by the Graph of the Year:
 |
| The National Debt under Bush, and under Obama |
And that’s from last summer. It’s gotten worse since then. So, Washington politicians, STOP LYING TO US.
Another random thought: Governments tax the rich for the very same reason that Willie Sutton said that bank robbers rob banks: “That’s where the money is.” The analogy between government and bank robbers runs fairly deep, although bank robbers don’t lie to you about how much their robbery is going to help you–how their theft is good for “social welfare” or the “good of the community,” sometime in the indeterminate future. (Actually, some bank robbers have justified their theft by saying that they’re “spreading the money around.” Sound familiar?) Section Two: Things That Amuse Me:
2.1: Simians and other aminals*:
I need to work harder on the animal-link front, obviously.
*Yes, I know it’s “animals,” it’s just that I always found the childhood mispronunciation really, really cute . . .
2.2: Travel:
Not today. It’s Monday.
2.3: Sports:
No. 5 Tennessee gets scare, beats SCarolina 60-55 [*2]
No. 14 Tennessee stops skid, beats Florida 61-60 [*3]
Digging out from the weekend [*4]
2.4: Science Fiction and Writing:
Nothing noteworthy.
2.5: Miscellany:
Mancrunch, Focus on Family, CBS, Super Bowl [*5]
Anatomy of a Post with the Naming of Parts [*6]
. . . and the source document post of the above . . . [*7]
2.6: Science, technology, and space:
Are You An Internet Optimist or Pessimist? The Great Debate over Technology’s Impact on Society [*8]
Obama axes NASA moon plan in new budget [*9] — I’m not totally upset by this decision, actually. I just wish there were more government programs Obama was willing to curtail or end.
Section Three: The News, featuring Liberty And Its Enemies:
3.1: Strategy and tactics for defending human freedom and liberty:
SEC Climate Disclosures [*10] — Featuring what oil companies SHOULD put in their risk disclosure statements . . .
Democrats at Risk [*11]
GOP to tie Obama to Dem candidates [*12]
Why Aren’t You Home-Schooling Yet? [*13]
What Next for the Tea Parties? [*14]
Tea Party Coordination [*15]
Instapundit: The Tea Party Movement as Disintermediated Politics [*16]
We should have gotten involved in the Illinois races and backed Adam Adrzejewski and David Hoffman. [*17] — If Democrats start running and electing people who believe in individual freedom and liberty, I’ll stop taking swipes at all of them as a political party. I’m waiting.
Will February Determine Whether GOP Wins Senate in November? [*18]
Asses backward [*19]
Fiscal Fraud—or Frugality?: Runaway spending is a bipartisan problem [*20]
A ‘Wall Street’ Sequel?: What Will Make Socialists Shut Up? [*21]
The Era of Stupid Government Is Permanent [*22] — Which is why limited government is such a good idea . . .
GOP Should Embrace “Party Of ‘No’” [*23] — Well, to coin a phrase . . . NO. WE are the “party of YES.” Those advocating bigger government are the true Party of No. No, you can’t keep your property. No, you can’t keep your health care coverage. No, you can’t keep what you earned. No, you can’t live your life the way you want to, as long as you leave other people alone. No, you’re really not capable of living your life at all, without the gentle, loving guidance of We, The All-Knowing Government.
3.2: The reality of Obama and the Democrat leadership as blithering idiots:
Rasmussen: Obama post-SOTU comeback, or dead cat bounce? [*24]
The Public is Not Buying the Spending “Freeze” [*25]
Weird: Obama Bowing Again [*26]
16 Lies in 7 Minutes– Obama’s State of the Union Address [*27]
Obama nominee may have lied to Congress, but she may slip through on Monday before Scott Brown is seated[*28] — Why do they lie? Because YOU let them get away with it.
Pelosi’s Children and Grandchildren Used Military Jets As Private Cross-Country Shuttle Service So They Could Avoid Dealing With the Rabble [*29] — “Do as I say, not as I do.”
White House to paint grim fiscal picture: source [*30] — “Hey, guys? Did you know that when you spend money you don’t have, you go into more debt than you were before? Gee golly, who would have thunk it?”
3.3: The reality of the Republican leadership as blithering idiots:
RNC Adopts “Core Values” Resolution…and ABC News Asks Steele if He Plans to Run for President [*31] — I think there are elements of the RNC platform that are problematic if your goal is to once and for all turn back the wave of progressivism/collectivism for a generation or so . . .
Possible O’Keefe Explanation: He Was an ACORN ‘Secret Shopper’ [*32] — I’m starting to wonder if I should begin placing O’Keefe articles in the Media Bias section.
3.4: Opposition Research: The enemies of human freedom and liberty:
Deficit Of Trust In Government [*33]
What’s the matter with you Americans?[*34]
The Natives Are Restless [*35] — Aww, shucks, those nice people owning the world who are meeting at Davos are worried about us. Funny, we’re worried about them . . .
Oh, How Liberals Contradict Themselves [*36]
Obama’s religious supporters jumping ship?[*37]
The Obama Spell Is Broken: Unlike this president, John Kennedy was an ironist who never fell for his own mystique. [*38]
The Fed as Giant Counterfeiter [*39] — Where does money…wealth…come from? Hint: It’s not the Fed’s printing presses.
3.5: Media bias–and incompetence:
Who’s Calling Whom Unpatriotic? [*40]
The Left’s Parallel Universe [*41]
U.S. Media Silent as Climate Scandals Continue [*42]
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 [*43] –Semi-permanent link for Palinmania . . .
3.7: “Global warming” aka “Climate change” — or should that be “Climate Reform?”:
IPCC based claims on a student dissertation and a magazine article [*44] — Oh, good God . . .
A look at IPCC’s referenced student dissertation shows more economic than climate concern [*45]
First, it was Himalayan glaciers, now it’s the Amazon rainforest [*46]
UHI is alive and well [*47]
3.8: Health care “reform” aka health insurance “reform” — or should that be health care “change?” Perhaps “Global healthing?:
Sen. Harkin Contradicts Obama, Says Final Healthcare Deal Done BEFORE the MA Election [*48] — The fix was in, before Scott Brown rained on their parade . . .
Obamacare Alert: Half a Million Patients Sent Home Too Soon Each Year [*49]
White House: We’re One Vote Away from Ramming Obamacare Through Congress (Video) [*50] — It won’t be dead until the last Democrat is expunged from Congress and the White House . . .
3.9: The Economy:
We Are So Screwed [*51]
Less Economic Freedom = Fewer Jobs for Americans [*52]
China Is Bubbling [*53] — And not in a good way . . .
Swiss warn UBS bank could collapse [*54] — Naturally, the U.S. government’s got their fingers deep in this, too . . .
3.10: Foreign affairs and National Security:
The No-Fire Zone [*55]
China fumes after U.S. arms sales to Taiwan [*56]
Ahmadinejad: Regime Will Deliver Harsh Blow to Global Arrogance on Feb. 11 [*57] — This doesn’t sound good . . .
The most important story you didn’t see last week (and probably won’t ever see) [*58] — “”I do not think he (Obama) has a firm grasp yet on the intelligence community,” 9/11 Commission Vice-Chairman and former Democrat congressman Lee Hamilton told the Senate Homeland Security Committee.”
Nightmare in the Middle East [*59]