Royal Wedding in Ramshackle Empire

Prince William and Kate Middleton were married today in the most hyped & televised ceremony since Charles and Diana got royally hitched. 

From Yahoo News:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_royals/20110429/wl_yblog_royals/prince-william-and-kate-middleton-now-officially-married

You can also watch the full coverage here on FOX News, although I'd wait a few days.  At this time the video feed keeps stalling:

http://www.foxnews.com/royal-wedding-kate-and-william/

Now I'm not into royal bashing.  In fact, my friends and I admire Great Britain very much.  It's that us Anglophiles are saddened by what a relic this once mighty empire has become--a politically-correct (PC) addled and welfare addicted shadow of it's former self. 

While William and Katie drive off to enjoy their wedding day, one of Her Majesty's subjects has been charged with racism.

On what grounds, you ask?

How about for singing the 70's hit song Kung-Fu Fighting.

Mark Steyn rolls-in on the latest PC insanity in the UK.  Be sure to click in the link to the Daily Mail for the full article:

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/265701/disco-inferno-mark-steyn

Beneath the granduer of today's royal wedding, I have to wonder:  How long can a society so hobbled by PC survive?

Record Number of Tornadoes Ravage the South

Watching the video feeds on the CNN link below, leave me speechless:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/28/tornado.outbreak/index.html 

My thoughts and prayers go out the victims, their families and the devastated communites.

The Rising Cost of Obamacare

Sure.  With massive subsidies that punish work.

Daniel Kessler exposes some of the consequences of Obamacare in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ):

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704628404576265692304582936.html 

As the 2012 elections approach, voters will have to decide: For middle-income families, should economic success be determined by work and savings, or by participation in a government program?


Like previous entitlement programs, once citizens become hooked on it, they're not inclined to ween themselves off it.  Thus transforming themselves from freeborn citizens to wards of the state.

And the Top Anchor Award Goes to--Who?

I guess today's "news day."  In the case of this story, I can't introduce this story any better than Comrade Karla: 

Clear indications that the Guardian staff writers are using hallucinogenics.  "Top news anchor?" In what horrific alt-universe would that be?

From Hot Air:

http://hotair.com/archives/2011/04/26/brits-identify-top-us-news-anchor/ 
 
This of course, set off these follow-on comments:
 
Rachel who?

Such observations truly indicate that the "special relationship" is on the decline.

Precisely. She's another one of those grumpy old men on MSLSD.


Having never actually watched MSNBC for more than a few moments, I am categorically indifferent.

Hear, Hear.  Who're we talking about?
 
I guess it's easy to conclude that an MSNBC anchor is the winner--if you ignore FOX News.

The True Colors of the BBC

Like a feral animal, Wikileaks doesn't seem to care about what hand it decides to bite.  Christopher Hope writing in The Telegraph reveals that jihadists have been making frequent calls to the BBC's World Service Headquarters at the Bush House.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8472430/WikiLeaks-leaked-files-accuse-BBC-of-being-part-of-a-possible-propaganda-media-network.html 

So much for unbiased reporting.

The No Interest in National Interest Strategist

Caroline Glick rolls-in on Obama's national security advisor Samantha Power (pictured above). Crusading against genocide sounds fine & dandy when speaking on college campuses.  However, looking at our feeble "kinetic military action" in Libya, while brutal regimes elsewhere get a free pass.  At best this sends an inconsistent message of support for the world's oppressed. 

From Real Clear Politics:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/printpage/?url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/04/26/obamas_altruistic_foreign_policy_109662.html 

This inconsistency borders on "dementia," as Caroline asserts in her previous article:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/03/22/americas_descent_into_strategic_dementia_109310.html 

Update: 27 April 2011:

"Confused undergrad" has been the basis of this administration's foreign policy from the start.

A couple of friends commented on the picture of Samantha Power below.

Looks like a undergrad, heading into a final that she didn’t study for.

"Confused undergrad" has been the basis of this administration's foreign policy from the start.

Kinder Egg Contraband

 

Instead of searching for terrorists, drug traffickers and illegal aliens, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Customs & Border Protection (CBP) have literally stooped to taking candy from babies.  In this case, Kinder Eggs have been declared a menace to the health and well-being of our nation's children.  Now I don't know if it really requires an entire "village to raise a child," but it does seem that our government is hell-bent on ensuring that it takes a federal agency to prevent a child from choking.

Mark Steyn rolls-in from The Corner:

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/265505/choc-and-awe-mark-steyn  

Here's a Wikipedia entry with the details of the latest "threat to homeland security:"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinder_Surprise 

Happy Easter!

Muslim Minority Majority

Just "happy" to be living in the west.

Mark Steyn isn't the only one paying attention to demographics. Political blogger Sultan Knish discusses the Muslim "minority" and it's current and future impact on non-Muslim nations:

http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2011/04/muslims-are-not-minority.html 

We're certainly witnessing a case of the Muslim tail wagging the infidel dog.

The Most Dangerous Game(s)

(Image by:  "Celluloidhopes")

The wussification of America continues.  The "Nanny" York State Department of Health (NY DOH) declared that certain kids games like freeze tag and wiffle ball are now considered dangerous.

Wiffle ball!? Dangerous!?  YGTBSM!

The NY Daily News has the story:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/04/19/2011-04-19_classic_kids_games_like_kickball_deemed_unsafe_by_state_in_effort_to_increase_su.html 

What's equally surprising is the results of the poll, which asked readers if they thought the games mentioned in the article are dangerous:

88% said yes.

As Comrade Karla would say:  I fear for the Republic.

Update:  I heard on FOX News that the NY DOH is considering backing down.  I guess having 88% of the NY Daily News wasn't enough of a majority for the nanny staters to have their way.

The Taxman Cometh

(Image:  Tax Collectors in 16th Century Russia)

Are you glad Tax Day is passed and feel like you're off the hook for another year?  Well, if you feel like celebrating, you'll quickly find out that various state and federal agencies are more than willing to shake you down as soon as you step out your door.

Diane Schrader has the Top 5 Insane Taxes We Have to Pay, posted on NewsRealBlog:

http://www.newsrealblog.com/2011/04/18/top-5-insane-taxes-we-are-forced-to-pay-1/ 

Even if our Community Organizer-in-Chief is defeated and the Republicans make a clean sweep of Congress in 2012, state and local governments will still nickle & dime citizens.

Our "Shot Heard Round the World"

Mark Steyn's article on America's possible decline was published today.  (See my earlier post).  This may have been deliberate, since today is the 236th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord--the opening shots of the American Revolution (aka the American War of Independence).  A day our nation began it's ascent.

From British Battles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Lexington_and_Concord 

Wikipedia also has a decent entry on the inciting incident regarding "those damned rebels:"

http://www.britishbattles.com/concord-lexington.htm 



Steyn on Decline

Today, Mark Steyn warns that civilizations don't always end because of some cataclysmic event, but can end incrementally.  The whole "...not with a bang but with a whimper" phenomena.  From Steynonline:

http://www.steynonline.com/content/view/3904/26

All we have to do is look at Great Britain to see where America is heading.  When was the last time "Britannia Ruled the Waves?"

In fact, Mark Steyn is just one of several British conservative commentators acting like lookouts on America's ramparts.  They know the signs of decay, because they come from a nation further up--or should I say down?--the decline scale than we are.

The question is:  Is anyone with their hands on the levers of power listening?

Tornadoes Ravage Southern US

A couple days ago, a strong storm front tore across the southern states, spawning several tornadoes--60 in North Carolina alone, which until now, was unheard of.  The storms have killed 45 people in several states and the scale of the wreckage is just now being realized:

From The Seattle Times:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014802998_apussevereweather.html 



Pain at the Pump

(Image from: Big Government, Sunday Open Thread: Gas Edition)

At least someone at Breitbart's Big Government has a sense of humor.  The above image caught my eye, which led me to the parent "open thread."  This isn't an article per se, but a topic catalyst for on-line comments.

Those posting comments, though, are not laughing:

http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/04/17/sunday-open-thread-gas-edition/#idc-container 

Gambling With Our Future

(Image from 21 Fun Casino School)

Mark Steyn takes a spin at the wheel to discuss the deficit and why it's stupid to spend money we don't have in an attempt to "invest" in the future:

http://articles.ocregister.com/2011-04-15/news/29426432_1_lady-liberty-19th-century-statue-new-york-harbor 

Scourge of the Seas Grows Bolder

(Image from: "Pirates of the Amazon")

Well, even the khat chewing Somali pirates sense weakness in the global community.  Pirate attacks surged this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/piracy 

Mukundan [the bureau's director] said the positions of some of the attackers' mother ships were known and called for stronger action to be taken against these mother ships to prevent further hijackings.

Oh, I'm all for "stronger action." Especially if it involves sending the pirate motherships to the bottom--with all hands.

Comrade Karla quips:

Remember, this is just too difficult an issue to deal with and it has no real solution.

Homemade Lunches Not Good Enough in Chicago School

While a Seattle school tries to rebrand Easter Eggs, a school in Chicago has decreed that homemade lunches aren't good enough for their little charges.

The Chicago Tribune has the story:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/ct-met-school-lunch-restrictions-041120110410,0,2614451,full.story 

Meanwhile, Weasel Zippers ran the story--along with some scathing commentaries:

http://weaselzippers.us/2011/04/11/chicago-school-bans-bagged-lunches-from-home/ 

Hopefully, this tentacle of the nanny-state gets chopped off, especially if today's school lunches are anything like the ones I remember when I was in school.



150 Years Ago Today--The Opening Salvo of the American Civil War

Today marks the 150th Anniversary of the start of the American Civil War.

A basic narrative of the war according to Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War 

A couple of Civil War websites:

http://americancivilwar.com/ 

http://americancivilwar.com/civil.html 

Today Yahoo News ran a short piece on rare Civil War photos:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_newsroom/20110412/us_yblog_newsroom/rare-civil-war-photos-document-life-between-battles 

Fort Sumnter Today:

"Spring Spheres" Anyone?

Indoctrination begins early as one teenager discovered when she coordinated an Easter Egg hunt for a class of third graders.  Or rather, a "Spring Sphere" hunt, according to the school's PC-laden vernacular:

http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=459668 

I wonder what would happen if any of the eggs were decorated like this:

 

Can you guess which egg school officials would find most offensive?

Unsustainability + Ideology = Epic Fail

First up, Mark Steyn rolls-in on our sneering political class's response to our looming economic crisis: 

http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/know-295583-medicare-america.html

Next, Sultan Knish, a blogger I discovered thanks to 6 feet 2 in High Heel Shoes, discusses how political ideology can cause societal collapse despite the grandiose schemes and construction projects:

http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-we-can-learn-from-soviet-union.html 

This makes me even more worried when I hear the terms "stimulus package," and "shovel-ready projects."

"And There Was Much Rejoicing."

(Image by Ramirez)

An hour before midnight last night, the elephants and donkeys of Congress managed to avert a shutdown of the federal government and approved this year's fiscal budget.

The headline onYahoo News alludes to another budget battle in the near future:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_re_us/us_spending_showdown 

The Seattle Times also ran the story:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014725990_budget09.html 

While the good news is the dreaded shutdown was averted, but the bad news is we still have a huge deficit crisis that is not being addressed.  So, looking at the Ramirez's Pie Chart above, our elected leaders were arguing over crumbs in true Animal Farm fashion.

This may prove as useful as re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Only time will tell if we can avoid the deficit iceburg.



China Bans Time Travel Movies & TV Shows

Apparently, the People's Republic of China's (PRC) Politburo doesn't want the history of the Workers' Paradise treated in a frivolous fashion. 

From Blastr:

http://blastr.com/2011/04/china-bans-time-travel-mo.php 

(Note:  I find this site takes a long time to upload).

"The producers and writers are treating the serious history in a frivolous way, which should by no means be encouraged anymore."

Comrade Karla's response to the above quote:

Sounds pretty much like how China handles their history anyway. Lord knows we sure do.

I guess, Time Tunnel reruns will banned. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Tunnel

Not surprising really, for a country that censors the internet.

"Murder on the EU Express"

(Image:  David Suchet as Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot)

Niall Ferguson, wrote an interesting "whodunnit" article in Newsweek on what's causing the unravelling of the EU:

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/04/03/murder-on-the-eu-express.html 

Japan's Demographic Tsunami

A few weeks ago, some commentators speculated on why there was no looting in Japan in the wake of the devastating tsunami.  A homogeneous population along with a polite and orderly society were often cited as the reasons for the lack of looting rampages.

However, Mark Steyn points out that during World War II, those living under Japanese occupation found their overlords anything but pleasant and polite; while homogeneous populations in other parts of the world suffered societal breakdowns when disaster struck. 

From Steyn Online:

http://www.steynonline.com/content/view/3865/26

Back to the Tribunals for KSM

(Image:  Sketch by artist Janet Hamlin)

Well, it looks like our nation's chief legal beagle decided it's a good idea to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) in a military tribunal after all.

From the NY Post:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/co_conspirators_will_have_military_MpdhmHfVCFKBbqob0yY9pO 

Well, it only took about 507 days to come to that decision.  I wish I could say "better late than never," if it wasn't for all the turmoil created Holder's attempt to try KSM in a civilian court--near Ground Zero.

Time to Pull-Up Stakes?

(Image:  Remnants of an Army, by Elizabeth Butler)

With Iraq pacified (sort of) and the "kinetic military action" over Libya in full-swing, not to mention our burgeoning deficit, it's time to evaluate the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.

We've been in Afghanistan since we routed the Taliban in 2001.  We have very little to show for our efforts and our nation continues to hemorrhage blood and treasure into the so-called "graveyard of empires."

So the question is:  Should we leave the dust and poppy fields of Afghanistan behind?

John, writing for Powerline and JB on Blackfive seem to think so:

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/04/028748.php 

http://jbsanctuary.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/its-time-to-leave-afghanistan/ 

If all we're doing is playing an endless game of Whack-a-Mole, then maybe it is time to go.

Karla Senior had this to say:

Why not get out now? Historically, that’s more or less what every one else has done. Maybe Afghanistan is so f***ed up nobody can do anything with the place. Dribs and drabs of success do not seem worth the cost in lives. But what do I know?

While Comrade Karla, brings up an excellent point:

The other part of the problem is nobody reads history—the British learned the hard way about renting Afghan tribal leaders.  The idea of electing a Pashtun was probably doomed from the start.

I wonder if anyone read the history of Afghanistan, before we tried "nation building" where none has existed before.

Who's Side Are They On?

"Inquiring minds want to know."

And not just readers of he National Enquire, either.

I got the above photo from Weasel Zippers, a blog I just discovered, who had this to say about the whole Libyan Affair:

http://weaselzippers.us/2011/04/01/pant-suits-says-were-doing-everything-militarily-to-help-the-libyan-rebels-win-but-we-have-no-idea-who-they-are/

And of course, no "kinetic military fiasco" would be complete without a commentary from Mark Steyn:

http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/gadhafi-294586-people-war.html

Mark's concluding statements are--

Option A:

For the Western powers to be bogged down in the least-consequential Arab dictatorship's low-grade civil war desultorily providing air support to incompetent al-Qaida sympathizers may be an artful, if expensive, piece of misdirection.


Option B:
Either that, or we haven't got a clue what we're doing.

I'm going with Option B.

Trying to Justify the Euphamism

(Image by Dave Granlund)

Robert Gates tried to explain our "kinetic military actions" to Congress.  Congress was "not amused."  The story according to Wired:

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/gatesfail-how-hope-became-militarys-plan-in-libya/ 

Meanwhile, Victor Davis Hanson (VDH) asks the tough questions regarding our Libyan Misadventure:

http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/libya-the-genesis-of-a-bad-idea/