Merry Christmas!

Best wishes to you and yours this Christmas. 

Pajama Boy--70 Years in the Making

Where indeed?

One of my friends posted this on Facebook today, via Liberal Logic 101.

I liked what he had to say about this:

 I would say "Yes, you're reading this wrong." It's not about looks It's about actions and personal responsibility. 60 years ago, The Greatest Generation was fighting a war for the very survival of our way of life against totalitarian regimes in both Europe and the Pacific. Fighting not just to maintain our freedoms, but for the oppressed peoples of the world. They, our fathers, uncles, grandfathers, did not think of themselves or of personal gain or creature comforts, but of participating in "a mighty endeavour" and serving a greater good. A higher calling. Hundreds of thousands of them paid with their lives, as did millions of others around the globe. The point is that today, many (perhaps most?) in our society are not only not contributing to the greater good, but their only concerns are "what's in it for me" and "government's main purpose is to take care of me (e.g., provide me food, shelter, health care, etc) from cradle to grave." It's about self sufficiency, personal responsibility, and core values. 


Well said.  

Duck Dynasty Flap

(Image by Glenn Foden)  

Last week one of the members of the reality TV show, Duck Dynasty was suspended from the show, supposedly for anti-gay remarks made during in an interview with GQ Magazine.  

I didn't comment about during the initial media feeding frenzy because:

1. I don't follow the show, although I hear it's a hoot.  And

2. I know the scenario/story arc...

...which went something like this:

Phil Robertson, made some comment that irked the PC Inquisitors.  Therefore, the Bishop of the Archdiocese of A&E of the High Church of Political Correctness sought fit to excommunicate the sinner from their midst.

In other words:  Standard PC over reaction.

In this case though, the only problem was--they weren't expecting fans to push back.  The Cracker Barrel restaurants tried appeasing the PC crowd--and ended up enraging customers instead.  

Everything I've seen on Facebook from my own circle of friends have been pro-Duck Dynasty.  (I'm sure some of my liberal friends may have posted anti-DD comments, I just haven't seen them yet). 

I finally read Star Parker's Duck Dynasty Christmas article and saw just how little it took to ruffle the PC Commissars' collective feathers.  

One of the many problems I have with political correctness is that it removes the adult concept of agreeing to disagree.  This leaves no room for reasoned debate.  At best, PC puts a crimp on free speech.  At worst, it's intolerant as Mark Steyn writes. 

One can even get in trouble with the PC Commissars for stating the obvious, as Megyn Kelly did over Santa Claus's ethnicity.

The War on Christmas

(Image from The O'Reilly Factor) 

Leftists love to poke fun at FOX News' coverage of the War on Christmas.  

I don't know if I'd call it a full-fledged "war" but there has been attacks, whether concerted or not, against Christmas traditions, even against the word "Christmas" itself.

Now I don't mind people using the phrase "Happy Holidays."  I use it myself, in order to lump in the other holidays that often occur at this time of the year, primarily New Year's and Hanukkah.   I don't know of anyone personally that celebrates Kwanzaa, but if I did, I'd wish them a happy one.  And many of my friends joke about celebrating Festivus.  

What I do mind, is the deliberate attempt to stifle, or outright ban any expression, especially religious ones, regarding Christmas.  

 Matt Mackowiak of Townhall, explains how real the War on Christmas is. 

I certainly won't demand people greet me with "Merry Christmas" if they choose to say "Happy Holidays," as long as they don't get bent out of shape if I bid them a Merry Christmas.

May your Holidays--Christmas, Hanukkah (after 2013), Kwanzaa, New Year and even Festivus--be peaceful and pleasant.

Obamacare's New Superhero--Pajama Boy!

Just before Thanksgiving Team Obama tried getting Americans to talk about Obamacare to their kith & kin during the holiday feast.  

Apparently that didn't work out as planned.  Not as bad as the Obamacare website, or as catastrophic as millions getting cancellation notices from the healthcare plans they liked, but it was widely panned.

Now Team Obama is once again practicing the definition of insanity:  Doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.  

A couple days ago, exactly one week before Christmas they called on the help of--Pajama Boy! 

On-line scorn, like the led picture was immediately followed.  

But on a serious note--now that I'm done laughing--isn't this just like leftists to subvert traditional/religious holidays?

School Shooting "Non-Story"

(Image by Eric Allie)

The shooting at Arapahoe High School, Colorado caught the media's attention for several hours.  One female student was shot and at this time remains in critical condition, or a coma (reports vary).

But since then--nothing.  Nadda. Zip.

No hue & cry about gun control.

Could it be that it came out--rather fleetingly--that the perp's fellow students described him as "an opinionated socialist?"

In any case, politics/social commentaries aside, I pray the girl pulls through and am thankful there were no additional casualties.

Obamacare: Typical Template of Leftist Programs

(Image by Gary McCoy)

Looks like the political cartoonists are getting some miles out of paring Obamacare with South Africa's fake sign language interpreter.

Anyway, while the full negative effects of Obamacare continue to unfold--slowly--John Hawkins of Townhall points out the 5 Things Obamacare teaches you about leftists and their programs.

Oxymoron of the Year: "Affordable Healthcare"

(Image by Jerry Holbert) 

"If you like your healthcare play, you can keep it" was voted Lie of the Year.

(Image by Gary Varvel)

But it's becoming clearer to many early supporters of Obamacare, that the "Affordable Healthcare Act," well isn't very affordable at all.

While us conservative types knew this all along, even we didn't know how bad it would be--and now we're finding out.

The latest is that according to The Seattle Times, via HotAir, your assets can be seized in order to pay for healthcare--even if the government forced you on to Medicaid.  

The leftists are "running out of other peoples' money" so fast they're willing to claim dibs on any family inheritance.  Why make out a will when the government can take it all--even after your dead.

Scrooges of the Poverty Zones

(Image by Glenn McCoy) 

Leftists like to blame conservatives for not caring for the poor, even blaming them for creating poverty in the first place.  Here's a friendly reminder by Newt Gingrich, via Katie Pavlich, on who's been in charge of the poverty zones for the past 50 years.  

The #1 Lie of 2013

 

(Image by Chip Bok)

 

Last week Politifact announced the #1 Lie of the Year 2013 to be--"...if you like your healthcare plan you can keep it..."

 

I'm sure no one is surprised by this, although the Obamacare trainwreck has had some close competition like, Benghazi, the IRS scandal, the NSA scandal, not to mention Fast & Furious now three years old.

 

But Michelle Malkin points out that Politifact has undergone an evolutionary process of calling Our Dear Leader a "Liar! Liar!"

 

This thumbnail sketch of the non-FOX News apparent turning on Obama is motivated by two factors:

 

1. The media are acting like jilted lovers over Obama's broken promise(s) and,

 

2. The story is simply too big to ignore--although they're still trying to soft-peddle the magnitude of this catastrophe.

 

 

Big Apple Gun Grab

I was heading to South Carolina when news broke of Moff Bloomberg and his stormtroopers confiscating rifles and shotguns that hold more than 5 rounds. 

Katie Pavlich of Townhall reminds us of Obama's assurances that nobody is coming for your guns.

Yeah, just like the "..if you like your healthcare plan you can keep it" promise.

 

I just caught the news of all this last night while on Facebook.  The question I posed was:  I wonder how many people with criminal records will turn in their weapons? 

 

Battlefield Reflections

(Image:  My photo of the King's Mountain Visitors Center)

Last week, I was in South Carolina visiting my daughter and her boyfriend.  One day, while they were at work, I stole away to King's Mountain.  It was a cool & cloudy Saturday and I was one of maybe half-a-dozen visitors.  At least it wasn't raining.

My first stop was the Visitors Center.  The place was manned by two female park rangers, a redhead and curly-haired brunette.  The redhead offered to start the short historical film in the theater for me and I took her up on the offer.

After the movie, I set out for a battlefield walk around and over the summit.

When I returned the brunette asked me if I enjoyed my battlefield walk.  The funny thing was--I never told either of them of my hiking plans and was surprised they noticed me.  The gals became less chatty with me when I paid for the several items I found in the gift shop.  (Maybe they saw my wedding ring).

Well whether they were flirtatious or professionally courteous, I bid them a Merry Christmas and went off to meet my daughter for dinner.

 

(Image:  My photo of the Cowpens Monument at the Visitors Center)

 

A couple days later, after a whirlwind day of running errands; my daughter, her boyfriend and I made a quick trip to Cowpens.  This time it was raining.

We were the only ones in the Visitors Center, which was manned by a couple of congenial guys instead of two flirty women.

We had less than an hour and a half to spend before the battlefield closed for the day.  The park rangers offered to show us both the fiber-optic map show and the historical movie outside the normal viewing times, along with giving us some pointers on the battlefield tour.

My daughter and her boyfriend asked me several questions about the battle and the American Revolution in general, but by this time I was more focused on recent events than 18th Century history.

My pleasant encounters with the park rangers at both battlefields were in stark contrast to what transpired during the government shutdown.  A couple months ago, I made several posts based on news reports of "Imperial Parktroopers," as I called them; barricading open-air facilities throughout the nation--most notably the World War II Memorial, close up views of Old Faithful and the scenic stops near Mount Rushmore.

I remembered this quote from an anonymous ranger to the Washington Times (via Townhall):  We've been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It's disgusting. 

So if Obama's version of Order 66 was so disgusting, why did he and his fellow park rangers carry it out?

When the government is your paymaster, it can also be your taskmaster.  I don't know if there were any veiled--or not-so veiled--threats about the consequences of failing to comply.  Maybe none were needed.

I'm not employed by the National Park Service, so it's easy for me to talk glibly about a "vee ver only followink ordahs" mentality during the government shutdown.

But upon further reflection, I wondered--and still wonder--if I were a park ranger, would I execute orders to "...make life as difficult for people...", or would I refuse?

I'd like to think I'd say "Hell no!" However, when I think of possibly losing my job over my righteous defiance--especially in this economy--I'm not so sure.

And this my friends, is how tyrants turn honest public servants into minions. 

All it takes is for the government to do is cut people off from their paychecks, foodstamps, healthcare, free phones--whatever--in order to get a majority of people to do it's bidding.

Funeral Farce

Just as I was leaving to visit family, I heard Nelson Mandela died.  The state funeral was held three days ago and yet, the somber occassion was laced with farce worthy of something out of Bongolesia.

Let's see...

First, there was Obama engaged in a selfie threesome with the Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and her UK counterpart David Cameron.

Michelle did not look amused. (Maybe she was miffed at not being invited to make it a foursome).

Then there was the Dear Leader-to-Dear Leader handshake with Raul Castro, which did not endear Obama to the hearts & minds of Cuban-American lawmakers. 

Finally there was the fake sign language interpreter...

...yeah, that guy standing a few feet from Obama with his index finger across his throat.  This was especially telling since this faker now claims he's a schizzo who "sometimes gets violent."

(I guess the Secret Service had the day off to spend with their Colombian hookers).

What did Our Dear Leader do when he stood at the podium?

He inserted himself--repeatedly--into his eulogy, but this was "normal ops" for Obama.

I'd enjoy a dash of "Funeral Spice" as Mark Steyn suggested, if the "phony scandals" like IRS now openly targeting conservative groups weren't a weekly occurrence. 

This is just a stone's throw away from openly criminilazing political opposition.

And speaking of criminals, Dear Leader Kim Jong Un of North Korea was--shocked, shocked!--to discover his dear uncle Jang Song Thaek wasn't so dear after all.

Or so he and the state media say.

The Obamunists here should take note:  This is the end-game of yielding more and more power to a leader--dear, or otherwise.

 Even those within the inner circle aren't safe and as the North Koreans know all to well--no one is safe.

(Image by Jerry Holbert) 

Obama's Soviet-Style Publicity

 

(Image from The People's Cube)

 

Despite the on-going trainwreck of Obamacare, Our Dear Leader still has his fans among the non-FOX NEWS/Talk Radio media that continue to sing his praises. 

 

Take CNN's LZ Granderson who's defending Obama's if-you-like-your-doctor/healthcare big lie in an everybody does, so it's okay sort of way.

 

But ever since Team Obama shut out independent photojournalists, the liberal media natives are restless. 

 

Brent Bozell writes about the White House staff publishing picture-perfect propaganda.

 

Try saying that three times fast...

 

Anyway, my friends and I actually heard of the Sovietization of presidential publicity from The Telegraph.

 

Which promted Comrade Karla to write:

 

...you have to go to overseas newspapers to actually get any news these days, especially on anything that takes a dim view of the Emperor.

 

 

Obamacare Band Aid in Place

(Image by Henry Payne)

 

Our Dear Leader and his minions have proclaimed the Obamacare website is fixed.

All is well citizens!

Except Jonah Goldberg points out that a a few "minor" details need "some" work--maybe even created from the ground-up.

Bill Clinton is also under the delusion that the central problem to Obamacare is the "glitchy" website.  Once that's fixed, all the "inconveniences" of signing-up for Obamacare will be forgotten by next year's election. 

So no matter how bad Obamacare gets, we can still count on loyal Party members singing it's praises...

 

(Image by Nate Beeler)

China's Opening Moves?

 

(Image by Henry Payne)

 

Last week, China proclaimed an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over a great swath of the East China Sea. 

 

Since then, China's new ADIZ was challenged by American B-52s (which pleasantly surprised my friends and I), along with aircraft from Japan and South Korea.

 

Untapped oil reserves are helping to fuel this diplo-military confrontation.

 

And Carlyle Thayer of Global Post, explains why these events matter. 

 

Meanwhile, Walter Russell Mead of The American Interest, warns China is one member of the "Axis of Weevils," that will continue to "punch above their wieght," until we develop a coherent strategy.

 

I think we can expect more provocations such as this, while Team Obama continues to weaken American influence in the world.

Obamacare Website--Still Broke

 

(Image by Gary Varvel)

 

Well the "red line" for the Obamacare Website Fix came and went on 30 November. 

 

And guess what?

 

It's still "...not smooth sailing just yet" as Allison (sp) said on the CNN video during an "off day," like Kathleen Sebelius suggested. 

 

Here's what happened earlier during Cyber Monday.  You'd figure everyone was on-line shopping, making it an "off day" for the Obamacare website.

 

This would all be a joke if only millions of people weren't now depending on this site to work, as Miss Liebau writes at the end of her article. 

 

What's also no laughing matter is getting "coincidentally" audited by the IRS, after openly complaining publicly about Obamacare.

 

There may be even more "coincidental" audits looming in the future...

 

(Image by Eric Allie)

 

 

 

High Seas Hijinks in Puget Sound

(Image from the Seattle PI)

 

A sex-offender decided to take a Victoria Clipper for a joy ride yesterday. 

 

Here's a video clip from KING 5 News highlighting the merry chase in Puget Sound, along with questions about the facility's security.

Actually, It's Worse Than the Munich Pact

(Image by Jerry Holbert)

 

This past Friday, Mark Steyn, quoting Bret Stephans article in the WSJ, made a very good point that our nuke "deal" with Iran is actually worse than the Munich Pact of 1938. 

 

Here's an excerpt at why the Iranian Nuke Deal is so bad compared to negotiations with Hitler:

 

...the French and British prime ministers were negotiating with Berlin [in 1938] from a position of profound military weakness...This time round, a superpower and its allies accounting for over 50 percent of the planet’s military spending was facing a militarily insignificant country with a ruined economy and no more than two to three months’ worth of hard currency — and they gave it everything it wanted.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Best wishes to all of you and your families this Thanksgiving Holiday.

 

 

Collapse of Core Values

(Image from:  1170 KFAQ)

Heard of the "Knockout Game?" 

I'd add the phrase "sweeping the nation," but there's an on-going debate as to how widespread this brand of voilence is.  Some sources declare the whole thing an urban legend and it's "just" an assault.

I'm surprised no one's said:  Nothing to see here citizen.  Move along.  Move along.

Especially when the cameras show black teens taking swings at non-black victims.  Places like "The City of Brotherly Love" issued warnings to Knockout Players.

But Mark Steyn points out that piling-on more laws isn't going to address the problem.

At issue is a collapse of values, a moral collapse whose ripple effects go all the way to Congress and the Oval Office.

The Tea Party Did It

(Image:  Kevin Costner in the movie JFK)

Last Friday (22 November), marked the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination. 

Conspiracy theories abound, 50 years later, all alleging a "vast right-wing conspiracy" (to borrow Hillary Clinton's words during Lewinskigate).  

An editorial in the Washington Post, gets even more specific (and nuttier):  "Proto Tea Partiers" did it. 

That the Tea Party roots go back to Dallas of 1963.

I would love to dismiss this as a crack-pot fringe theory, except that I'm sure there's a debatable number of leftists and/or low-informed that will believe it. 

Munich Pact II

(Image by:  Gary Varvel)

A couple days ago, new agencies trumpeted the news of an "historic deal" between Iran, the US and five other major powers as the next best thing to "Nixon goes to China."

Meanwhile, every commentator I read says this is a bad deal.

(Image by:  Lisa Benson)

It's certainly a victory for Iran even if "the smartest guy in the room" doesn't see it that way.

Analogies of The Munich Pact of 1938 abound and justifiably so, because Obama & Kerry sold out our allies, primarily Israel, but Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States as well.

The DiploMad has a particularly scathing commentary on this "Kellogg-Briand Moment." 

For the past couple of days, this breaking news coming out of Munich Geneva generated a flood of commentary:

These people are such idiots.  And they are getting paid a lot of money to be idiots.  Everything they do seems predicated on the premise that Iran is being honest. 

Bottom line is that this makes a nuclear war more likely, not less.

Yep.
I was debating things with the usual learned suspects on one of the message boards I drop in on—the lack of concern many seem to have about Iran going nuclear is pretty shocking. “I mean, it’s like they only said they’d nuke Israel which is far away and stuff.”
The irony of how they sound like a certain British PM “a quarrel in a far away country between people of whom we know nothing.” is no doubt an irony lost on most of the leftard foreign policy “experts.” Oh, and this is “in no way like Munich because the Czech and Hitler aren’t involved or something.”  The fact remains that this admin wanted a deal at any price, largely as a result of domestic policy concerns. The latest polling indicates that even the low-info American voters seem to be figuring that one out.

The triumphant articles about how this is like having the Magna Carta or Peace of Westphalia signed have largely died down. Now, the more sober articles are starting to emerge as people actually consider the implications. Basically, we paid $8 billion or so dollars, and (despite what Kerry and Obama say out loud) have acknowledged that Iran has a right to a full uranium fuel cycle. All this was in exchange for an agreement to limit enrichment to 5% and not bring any new centrifuges on line (but they CAN repair damaged ones and use any of the 19,000 they already have). Not a good deal. It is so amazingly clear that Iran is going to do exactly what thinking people have feared -- they are going to toe the line on weaponization for a while, lull us into a false sense of security and warning fatigue, then race across secretly and quickly to make a fait accompli.

We are well and truly F-ed in the Middle East, and I'm not sure POTUS cares (if he does, then he is just monumentally stupid, a feature I assume for Kerry). We are driving the Saudis and Turks to the Chinese, the Egyptians to the Russians, and the Israelis to desperation. Things are so glaringly bad I think I now truly understand how Churchill must've felt in 1938.
Our weakness has not gone unnoticed: scooping an American tourist from a plane in North Korea, the Chinese declaring an ADIZ over Japanese territory. These things will get worse, not better. The One's efforts to cut America down a few notches is working magnificently.

Yep—that link to the Tower website on the Dip article notes that skepticism ranges from AEI to Brookings—the WTF factor is fairly bipartisan.

[Either]...(1) POTUS does not care and (2) he is monumentally stupid. Kerry thinks he cares, but is also monumentally stupid. As cited by one of the Dip commenters, the Israeli secret weapon of “having no alternative” is far more likely to come into play than not, now.
The baseline assumption of the striped pants set and their acolytes on this one is mind-numbing in its ignorance.

I don't agree that this deal was designed specifically to weaken Israel. Obama wanted a foreign policy "victory" to take some heat off of Obamacare (that explains the timing). As for the substance, he has long made it crystal clear that he wants a rapproachment with Iran, a "reset" just like that oh-so-successful one with Russia. He wanted it so bad he ignored the Green Revolution to keep in the good graces of Iran, he's written them happy letters, avoided conflict with them in Syria, etc. He thinks that, if the U.S. become less active and weakeer, then these other countries "legitimate" hate of us will evaporate and everything will be good. In other words, we are the source of the world's problems, and the solution is to back down and talk. Then, Iran won't need a nuke and all will be well.
As I said, this will not end well.

Comrade Karla Senior, who actually remembers the original Munich Pact, had this to say:

The comparison of Kerry with Daladier may be apt, with the distinction that Daladier, I don’t think, was blind to the inevitability of war with Germany. It may have been grasping at a straw, or it may have been horror at the thought of another war so soon after the previous one. Or he may have been wishful thinking. Or maybe just stupid. But I do not believe that even Chamberlain was all that sure ‘war had been prevented.’ Chamberlain and Daladier were old men. Both the French and the Brits (especially the latter) took advantage of the delay to proceed with preparations for the inevitable. In 1939 they were not as prepared as they should have been, but war in ’38 might have been a greater disaster than it was a year later. In contrast to popular reaction to the announcement of war in 1914, public reaction in Britain and France n Sep ’39 was more ‘Christ, not again’. In both countries, there were French and British military, and elements of the public, that knew Munich at best only delayed war. Wishful thinkers among the public hoped war had been prevented, but many knew better. That’s the comparison that makes my skin crawl.
Kerry should have read more history – if he’s read any at all. On the other hand, he may just be stupid. The result of the ‘agreement’ is very likely to be the same as the Munich one. Not enough people learn enough from previous mistakes.

(Image by Ken Catalino)

While everyone has a slightly different opinion about the motivations and outcomes, we all agree on one broad-based conclusion:  This will not end well.

Maybe we can all hunker down behind The Maple Line.

Hijacking the Holiday for Obamacare

(Image by Michael Ramirez)

Leftists don't believe in taking a holiday from indoctrinating others. 

The latest recommendation to prop-up Obamacare:  Take time this holiday weekend to convince--and even help--your loved ones to sign up for Obamacare. 

Comrad Karla said it best:

That this admin would insert it's deluded schemes into, well, just about any venue is rather telling.

And chilling, I'd like to add--especially when there's a pledge one can make at the bottom of the Give-Thanks-for-Obamacare Website.

These guys make telemarketing and used car salesmanship look like noble professions.

UPDATE:

For leftists who may feel they'll be outnumbered and outgunned at the dinner table, the Washington Post's Wonkblog is offering The Liberal's Guide to Surviving Obmacare Debates this Thanksgiving. 

I wonder what the leftist grinches have in store for us this Christmas.

Indoctrinating Our Children

(Image from:  The People's Cube)

Back in '08 I figured Obama was the perfect persidential candidate for leftists.  Anyone saying anything derogatory about The Annointed One would be branded a racist. 

This has, and still is, playing out as we predicted it would. 

But the Leftist Big Lie, isn't limited to voting-age adults.

Nope.  Thanks to Common Core, school kids are being taught that the the one and only reason why whites didn't vote for Obama--because he was black. 

But getting back to voting-age adults, MSNBC's Chris Matthews is issuing a call-to-arms for young people to do their "civic duty" and enroll in the (un)affordable Obamacare.  That is, after blaming Republicans for the problems Obamacare is
currently having.

All for the common good, or so we're told...

(Image from:  The People's Cube)

Political Proclaimation

(Image by Glenn McCoy)

King Barack and his courtiers proclaimed today that signing up for Obamacare 2015 will be delayed--until after the 2014 mid-term elections. 

How noble of him to be thinking about the plight of us peasants and supposedly not for political motives--like trying to shield vulnerable Democrats who all voted for Obamacare.

But all is not well in the within the king's court.  Democratic staffers are whining about "unacceptable" healthcare costs. 

Maybe next time staffers will read the bill for their lords and ladies, before convincing them to "...pass it in order to find out what's in it."

Meanwhile, this along with a a more immediate dealy could spell trouble for the king's court.

Anybody But the Commie Did It

(Image by Eric Allie)

Today all the news stations aired part, or all of the memorial ceremony commemorating JFK's assassination 50 years ago. 

Fortunately, we were spared from the shows airing all the JFK Assassination Conspiracies. 

Maybe one of them is true.

Since I was an infant at the time, I never really paid attention to the various conspiracy theories.  The one thing I have noticed, as the above cartoon depicts, is the attempt to find the "real culprit(s)," other than the confirmed commie Lee Harvey Oswald.  

In addition to assassination conspiracies, the image of the Kennedy Administration's "Camelot" sprang up.  While I thought the movie PT-109 was (still is) pretty cool, I never bought into any Camelot "real estate deals."

But with all the rememberences, Mark Steyn reminds us of one of JFK's dirty foreign policy tricks.

Something that didn't involve a gaggle of women for a change. 

Here's the full article Mark wrote ten years ago.

And getting back to PT-109, was JFK really a hero, or incompetent as some (many?) detractors charge?

HistoryNet provided the most even handed and entertaining article on the cirumstances before PT-109 was sunk, along with the long term ripple affects that allowed JFK to ride the waves into the White House.

Breaching the Walls of Camelot

(Image:  "Idylls of the King")

I was less than five years old when JFK was shot 50 years ago today, so I don't have any first-hand recollections on what his presidency was really like.

I've hear his famous "Ask not what your country can do for you..." quote and thought his spurring the nation on to put a man on the moon was really cool.  Other than that, I've viewed him as an okay leader at best. 

I certainly don't think any American president deserves to be assassinated--even a bad one--but I've never gotten spun-up over the "grassy knoll," "magic bullet," conspiracy theories swirling around JFK's death.

Over the years, the tidbits we've learned about JFK, like his rampant womanizing, have made me flip the "dislike" button.

None of JFK's antics made it into the headlines during his administration, thanks to a protective media, which they're now desperately trying to do for Obama.

Here's two scathing commentaries about JFK and his presidency:

First Derek Hunter exposes the myth of JFK.

Next, The Diplomad rolls-in with some personal recollections, but but follows-up with a scathing assessment of the man and his presidency.

I wish JFK hadn't been shot and killed, but I can't say that I disagree with Diplomad or Mr. Hunter.

Obamacare: The Roach Motel of Healthcare

(Image by:  Lisa Benson)

I came across this story of a woman here in WA State who was forced into Medicaid.

Not only that, but once she was inadvertantly enrolled, she couldn't un-enroll.

So for the poor and elderly, Obamacare is a healthcare roach motel--you can check in, but you can't check out.



Going Nuclear in the Senate

(Image by Glenn Foden)

Earlier today, all but 3 Democrat Senators voted to change the Senate's filibuster rules they were dead-set against doing during the Bush Years. 

Here's Harry's '05 speech against changing Senate rules.

Reid isn't the only one who conveniently flip-flopped.  Here's a comparison of the comments Our Dear Leader made today after Reid's announcement, versus what he said back in '05.

The friend who initially warned us about today's rule change had this to say:

If the GOP retakes the Senate and eventually the presidency, they are really going to rue this day. 

True. 

But I'm worried they assume the GOP will never retake the Senate or presidency.

Giving Away the Keys to the Kingdom

 

(Image:  Putin and his new GLONASS Navigator)

 

I wonder if Vlad's new toy comes with our missile launch codes? 

 

It may as well, especially since the State Department is in full "Reset Mode" and greasing the skids for Russia to build a dozen monitoring stations in the US.

 

One of my friends asked:

 

 Uh, why on earth would we help them with that system?!?

 

Why indeed?

 

I put nothing past this administration. Nothing. They’re already trying to give away the store to the Iranians. Why not add the Russians to that?

Hence my comment about the launch codes.

What concerns me is that, at least with Iran, we had the French, Saudis, and UK to play grown-up. Domestically, there is no grown-up.

Hopefully, 2016 won't be too late to get some adult supervision back into the Oval Office.

Plummeting Popularity

(Image by Eric Allie)

 

According to Susan Rice, Our Dear Leader isn't bummed out over his low approval ratings. 

 

Glad to hear it. 

 

Gee, I'd hate to think of what disasterous effect it would have on the country if our Healthcare Provider-in-Chief was feeling bit out of sorts.

Sounds like SNL has a cure for the Obamacare Blues.

Keep in mind though, news of Obama being his "...enthusiastic self..." comes from the same woman who told every Sunday morning news show, that the attack against our consolate in Benghazi was the result of a cheezy anti-Islamic YouTube video.