Our Smart Aleck-in-Chief

Daniel Henninger, of the Wall Street Journal, wrote an excellent piece about Obama's bad mouthing his domestic critics:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704423504575212232624277058.html?mod=rss_opinion_main

Comrade Karla says:

I get the feeling the Prez spends more time demonizing Glenn Beck then he does thinking about stopping Iran’s nuclear program, assuming he hasn’t decided to let them get one. As the old magic 8 ball used to say, “signs point to yes.”

Obama's behavior towards his critics, most of them private citizens, is unbecoming and undignified for the Office of the President of the United States.

El Bote de Llamar el Caldero Negro*

*"The Pot Calling the Kettle Black" (From Bing Translator)

With special interest groups, the "lamestream" media, President Obama and even the government of Mexico bashing Arizona's attempt at enforcing its own immigration laws, Michelle Malkin takes a peek at Mexico's "enlightened" policy on illegal immigration:

http://michellemalkin.com/2010/04/28/police-state-how-mexico-treats-illegal-aliens/

I'm with Michelle on this one.  I don't have any sympathy for those who criticize our country, and specifically one of our nation's states, for enforcing its own laws.  Especially when our laws ar mild in comparison with those south of the border.

Besides, Mexico's thugish treatment of immigrants does nothing to solve the rampant narco-terrorism, which is a more serious problem:

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/border_disorder_rfy8ccTuYvAzNeDzP7qmsM?sms_ss=email

And to highlight both points, the news today is of an Arizona deputy shot by drug smugglers:

http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0410/731479.html

Uproar Over Arizona Enforcing it's Immigration Law

Funny you don't see this picture in the "lamestream" media (taken from Verum Serum):

http://www.verumserum.com/?p=14216 

Now if something like this occurred at a Tea Party rally, then it would be plastered 24/7 on every network, newspaper and their websites.

Five days ago, the State of Arizona decided to take action against its illegal immigration problem, since the Federal Government  is failing to do so.  Of course, Mexico's upset over all this:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100428/wl_time/08599198547600 

Of course they don't mention that Mexican immigration law gives illegal aliens one of two choices:  2 years in prison or deportation.

There is some good news:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100429/ap_on_re_us/us_immigration_day_labor_3

Which, as a friend pointed out, is what the law is suppose to do.

Liberal and immigration groups try to paint this as a racist issue.  It is not.  Arizona is simply trying to enforce it's own law.  Nor is this an "anti-immigration" issue.  It is an anti ILLEGAL immigration issue.

"It's All Clear to Me..."

I received this story via e-mail from a friend and copied the title of his message.

The above chart is an example of PowerPoint overload.  Here's the full story form the Daily Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1269463/Afghanistan-PowerPoint-slide-Generals-left-baffled-PowerPoint-slide.html

Comrade Karla responded:

Well…this was true in the 90s and it’s only gotten worse...

While you were making your slides, we would be killing you."


- Russian Officer


Submitted by C.M. Coglianese


In a discussion between US and Russian officers serving in Bosnia as to who would have won if we had ever actually fought in Western Europe.

From the 24 March 1997 edition of US News and World Report

The good comrade also attached the following link to more PowerPoint parodies:

http://www.nbc-links.com/powerpoint.html

Rolling-in on Comedy Central's Cowardice

Mark Steyn skewers Comedy Central caving in to intimidation against free speech, along with rebuking those trying to demonize the TEA Party movement:

http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/tea-245567-comedy-clinton.html

Here are the enemies of freedom:

Not here:

Jihad Watch also rolls-in on Comedy Central:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2006/04/comedy-central-fears-islamic-violence-chooses-dhimmitude.html

I agree with Robert Spencer on this one.  So what if Comedy Central spent the past 15 years trashing other religions, especially Christianity.  When it came down to the real fight against an assault, by intimidation against our nation's 1st Amendement by 1 thuggish website, Comedy Central wussed out.

Standing by South Park

I'm not a regular fan of South Park.  Sometimes I even find their programs over-the-top and out of line.  But most of the shows I've managed to see I found to be laugh-out-loud funny.  And the producers of the show pride themselves on being "equal opportunity offenders."

That is, until the subject turns to Islam and its prophet Muhammed:

http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/04/south-park-censorship-.html

Even the non-conservative, LA Times had some tempered criticism over the bleeping controversy:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-south-park-20100423,0,5940860.story

The irony is that some of the group's postings could be construed as hate speech and therefore raise their own free-speech issues.

Hmm.  Ya think?

While the network bleeped out "Muhammed," the creators aren't backing down and stand by their work:

http://www.southparkstudios.com/news/3878

I'm really sad to see an American network caving in to such intimidation. Since 9/11 our enemies have learned that if they launch a massive attack against us, we'll respond in kind. (Maybe even this administration would be forced to respond).  This only reinforces in their minds that we're unwilling to defend our basic principles and are completely vulnerable to a "death of a thousand cuts."

Other comments by friends:

South Park was one of the last bastions of the freedom to be truly offensive to any and all. This is a dark day...

Needless to say, bashing all other religions is still OK.

A lot of people say that this conflict or war or whatever you want to call it will not be won militarily. Well, I guess that same logic applies to the bad guys as well and in the sphere of non-military victories, they just won a big one....

SEC Staffers "Looking Elsewhere" as Economy Collapsed

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? 

Loosely translated from the Roman poet Juvenal, the above phrase means:  Who guards the guards?

Back in 2008 as the economic crisis was unfolding, SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) staffers, weren't exactly "sleeping on the job."  Nope their keen eyes were too busy roving elsewhere:  Internet porn sites.

http://www.komonews.com/news/national/91877389.html 

So, while Bernie Madoff had his hand in the cookie jar, several of these SEC staffers' hands were too preoccupied to stop him.

I can only imagine that we can expect more of this when taxes are increased in order to pay for a larger government bureaucracy.

Unless of course, this is some backdoor method of subsidizing the porn industry.

You Can't Escape History

I was reading the May 2010 issue of The Writer today, which featured an interview with Bosnian-American author Aleksandar Hemon.  His response, in another interview with Deutsche Welle, on what motivates him to write, really struck a chord with me:

Living outside of history is a priviledge that comes to people who live in affluent societies, and affluent people can protect themselves from history.  But of course one day airplanes fly into the high-rise buildings somewhere and then everything changes.  It's a delusional priviledge or it's a priviledge of delusion to think that you can live outside history. Where I come from, nobody can really afford that kind of illusion and even if you are able to temporarily delude yourself, reality still comes crashing down with certain regularity.

(Rescued by Language, by Sarah Johnson, The Writer, pg 19, May 2010 Issue).

Unfortunately, despite the 9/11 attack Mr. Hemon alludes to, a large percentage of our population--not to mention our key leaders--are still living in the confines of their deluded world.

For more information on Aleksandar Hemon:

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

Peace in Our Time--The Sequel

Last week representatives of over 40 nations gathered for the Nuclear Security Summit.  However, nations sowing the most of the world's insecurity, Iran and North Korea, just to name two; weren't invited, nor does it seem their actions were discussed.

Mark Steyn rolls-in with some excellent points, along with another 1930s comparison, on last week's photo-op:

http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/nuclear-244432-obama-summit.html

Some of my favorite comments:

The mound of corpses being piled up around the world today is not from high-tech nuclear states but from low-tech psycho states.

So virtuously proclaiming oneself opposed to nuclear modernization ensures a planet divided into civilized states with unusable weapons and barbarous regimes happy to kill with whatever's to hand.

Speaking of  "...whatever's to hand..." remember the "I" in IED stands for "Improvised."

Volcanic Ash from Iceland Grounds European Air Travel

Ash from Mount Eyjafjallajokull (pronounced EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl), Iceland halts air travel throughout northwest Europe.

From the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/world/europe/16ash.html?hp 

From National Geographic:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/04/100415-volcanic-ash-cancels-flights-airports-airline-europe-iceland-volcano/

The Tax Man Cometh!

Image from:  The Wizard of Id, by Parker and Hart, 15 April 2010