Contributed by: filbert Tuesday, May 11 2010 @ 11:09 AM CST
Obama: Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength [*2] — “”With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation,” Obama said.”
Worst President Ever? Or just the most ignorant[*3] ?
Skepticism and Independence: Bad! [*4] — “Why should a mother with an Ivy League MBA suppose that she is less capable of teaching her children arithmetic than a state-school graduate with a BS Ed.? (As a proud alumnus of Jacksonville State University, I don’t intend this as a put-down of state-school graduates.)”
And, oh, by the way, Jax State stole the 1985 Division II National Basketball Championship Game from South Dakota State. So, take that, McCain! Cheater! Governor Palin Questions the Credibility of the United Nations [*5] — The real question is: who with two or more working brain cells doesn’t question the credibility of the UN?
The American ‘Watershed’ — “The government declares that it knows best, it will take care of all our problems, and we should cease worrying. Trust us, it says, and most of all, please stop thinking so much: we are the experts who can do your thinking for you.”
Iron Man 2: Monsters of Metal [*6]
Jacks drop series finale to ORU [*7]
Second Half of a ‘W’-Shaped Recession? [*8] — “The extreme neo-Keynesian interventions of the past two years were the exact opposite of sound policy, and I repeatedly predicted in 2009 that the bond market would eventually bring about a reckoning. Investors now sense that this reckoning is much closer, and the latest attempt to prop up the Eurozone won’t change the underlying gloomy prospect.”
Are the Feds Trying to Nationalize Your Retirement Savings? [*9]
At this point, I think the best we can say is this: the federal government is desperate for cash, and the biggest untapped source of wealth is the hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars that Americans who are now nearing retirement age have saved over their lifetimes. I don’t doubt for an instant that the Obama administration would like to get its hands on this money, which would go a long way toward resolving the current government debt crisis. An obvious way of doing so is to take the money now, in exchange for a promise to pay an “annuity” later. The bottom line is that, given what we know about the Obama administration’s rapacious appetite for swallowing up private wealth, anyone who has savings should be vigilant.
The AP Whitewashes Its Favorite President [*10]
Two things about the AP story immediately jump out at the reader. First, it is based on interviews with administration sources. It accepts their narrative and repeats it uncritically. Second, despite describing the Obama administration’s response as “aggressive,” the AP does not detail a single action taken by the administration that did anything to effectively combat the spill. Yet this doesn’t seem to bother the AP; its analysis takes place entirely on a symbolic level.
California: The American Greece [*11] — “In what is undoubtedly a coincidence noticed only by free-market fundamentalists, it turns out that Greece, that sun-drenched paradise on the Aegean, and California, that sun-warmed El Dorado on the Pacific, are the worst places to do business in their respective economic zones.”
Obama: All this darned media is putting “pressure” on our democracy [*12] — “All he’s saying, really, is that as media multiplies, it becomes easier to spread disinformation. Which may be so — but of course, it becomes easier to challenge disinformation too. The One neglects to mention that last part; I wonder why.”
Federal Reserve opens credit line to Europe [*13] — Spending, and lending, like drunken sailors–except that even drunken sailors eventually have to pay their bills, one way or another . . .
Perfection [*14] — “Maybe the most important thing to know about our perfect game pitcher Dallas Braden is this: He was never a prospect. Not ever. …”
Royals’ missed chance on appeal not known until after game[*15] — The Kansas City Royals’ ingenuity at losing games is perhaps unmatched in all of sports history . . .
The Supreme Court nominee [*16] — “Full disclosure up front: Elena Kagan was a college classmate . . .”
Five Airline CEOs on New Aircraft and Regulation [*17]
“She is certainly a fan of presidential power.” [*18]
It’s also not surprising to hear that Kagan and Obama “think alike.” Obama’s rhetoric on civil liberties shifted nearly the day he took office. When it comes to fulfilling campaign promises, Obama has been bold and fearless in pursuing policies and initiatives that expand the size and power of government (and, consequently, his own power), and somewhere between compromising and submissive on promises that would limit the power of government and protect our rights and freedoms.
Writing Your Book, part VIII: Story Arc and Your Ending [*19]
Constitutional Infidelity: Progressive Judicial Philosophy [*20]
The authors’ misunderstanding of baseball and its criticism of Judge John Roberts – then nominee for Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court – is most indicative of its own infidelity. While now Chief Justice Roberts stated correctly that judges are like umpires whose job is simply to call balls and strikes, constitutional fidelity asserts that baseball fans know that umpires over time have “interpreted the strike zone differently in response to changing aspects and contemporary understandings of the game.” This is absurd. Analogous to amending the constitution, Major League Baseball can change the rules of the strike zone at its leisure. I would pay a high price, however, to see one of the authors of constitutional fidelity serve as an umpire in a baseball game and explain to New York Yankee fans, after losing to the Boston Red Sox, that the last called strike was based not upon MLB’s rules, but the umpire’s evolving understanding of the game. While the fact that it might happen is inevitable, this is not argument, as constitutional fidelity analogously asserts, that it is acceptable.
The other shoe drops – Fannie Mae asks for $8.4 billion [*21] — “Don’t forget, this is off budget money – even though it adds to the deficit, its not counted – yeah, you figure it out.”
Why is Janet Napalitano still Secretary of DHS? [*22] — This is what is known as a “good question.”
Rule change favors unions at airlines, railroads [*23] — Because unions have been such positive forces for the survival of airlines and railroad companies, don’t cha know . . .
Obama administration reverses itself on Times Square bombing conspiracy [*24] — The Country Is In The Very Best Of Hands . . .
Ryan: EU contagion will spread to the US [*25] — Not “will,” Representative Ryan . . . “has.”