Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Regarding Eldridge


Ed Kaitz:

Back in the early 1980s, I was sitting in Wheeler Hall at UC Berkeley with hundreds of other students, waiting rather impatiently to see a man who clearly embodied much of the turmoil, outrage, and overall ethos of the 1960s: ex-Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver.

Cleaver combined his roles as radical philosopher and warrior for the oppressed to serve the Black Panthers as Minister of Information shortly after his release from Folsom prison in 1966. Cleaver hit the national stage in 1968 when he published a collection of his prison writings, Soul on Ice, which combines a visceral hatred for America with black liberation theology, admissions about "insurrectionary" rape, a spiritual odyssey, and a search for personal meaning in a racist environment.

Perhaps Shane Stevens of The Progressive captured the essence of Cleaver's book best when he said in a review, "The hell is there, and its name is America." Indeed, the raw power of Cleaver's remarkable and revealing eloquence in Soul on Ice made him a favorite on college campuses and also among legions of leftist intellectuals.

I read Soul on Ice as a teenager and was floored by the radical difference between the violent and turbulent streets of Cleaver's young life and the strawberry fields and apple orchards that girded the quiet dirt roads I strolled along during my own youth on a farm.

Cleaver's life took yet another violent turn in April of 1968 when he helped organize an ambush of the Oakland city police. The resulting shootout left fellow Panther Bobby Hutton dead, two police officers injured, and Cleaver charged with attempted murder. To avoid more time in prison, Cleaver left the country for Cuba and other communist destinations such as North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union, where he was heralded as a celebrity by authorities in each government, who also helped provide for his living.

By 1975, however, Cleaver had learned firsthand about the crushing weight of the state in the communist world. He experienced a personal transformation that left him longing for life back in America. And despite being vilified and called a traitor by his colleagues on the left, Cleaver began openly defending American values and traditions in speeches and interviews upon his return.

Sitting in the crowd at UC Berkeley some years after Cleaver's repatriation, I again thought about what this compelling and exotic man might be able to teach me about America. When the audience began hissing and sneering, I realized that Cleaver had arrived.

It has been over twenty-five years, but I still remember Cleaver's imposing figure strolling across the stage, unfazed by heckling and howling that met him from some in the audience. As Cleaver rested his large, black hands on the podium, I heard voices in the back snapping with anger and calling out in rapid succession, "You're a traitor, Cleaver!"

As I remember, Cleaver began his speech by defending the conservative American values of self-reliance and entrepreneurship and warning against the dangers of statism and collectivism. Shortly into his speech, however, as the heckling reached intolerable levels, dozens of protesters began marching down the aisles of the auditorium, headed for the stage...

read more...

h/t: IOTW

Oh Noes! In the Crosshairs




I was tempted to search out "targeted" republicans from election news archives but I (rightly) suspected others would be on the case. Much more here.

Drill a Little



It's true, Obama did something right. Sure it could be better. He could have opened ANWR. But some drilling is better than none. And who knows, once his base sees that environmental disaster doesn't necessarily follow, we may get more. (as if Texas and Oklahoma aren't already proof that oil drilling doesn't ruin everything)

***UPDATE:

Well darn:

Bennett: ‘They’re not serious about this’ [Robert Costa]
Sen. Bob Bennett (R., Utah), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, tells National Review Online that President Obama’s proposal to open areas of the American coastline to oil and natural gas exploration is “more of this administration talking a good fight about moving toward domestic sources of energy.” Yet when “you get into the details,” he says, “they’re clearly moving as strongly as they can in the opposite direction.”

While the administration may act like it is moving to the political center on energy, Bennett says that “tucked away in the language of its policy are countless actions that make it all the more difficult” for exploration.

Big mistake, O. Not only will people notice when no drilling happens, but you've given me a chance to show that I will give (would have given) you credit when it's due.

Gallup Poll




Gallup keeps reporting the numbers.

It's hard to imagine anyone saying this will make healthcare better. I also have to wonder what the numbers will look like when those who get new coverage discover that they have to pay for it. The "It's Christmas!" factor can't continue once it bumps into reality.

BTW, anyone remember the woman at Obama's victory celebration? The one who said she would no longer have to worry about her mortgage? Sad, but I wonder what she'd have to say about her personal situation today.

I'm Flabbergasted


Or rather I would be. Believe me, if I had flabber, it would be gasted up one side and down the other.

David Letterman interviews a tea party activist and is not totally unfair. In fact he's actually pretty even-handed. View the entire episode from link in the YouTube description.

Yikes! The video somehow misbehaved and was removed. No worry: Newsbusters has the video.


Dave does blame the recession on "republicans deregulating the banks" but hey, he probably really believes that.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Being Torn Limb From Limb


Panda Takes Revenge on Tree Branch That Wronged Him. Witness the adorable fury.



Now I Get It



With all the accusations of racism, I thought it would be worthwhile to show what real racists are like. (and what always happens to them in the end)

via

Before He Was House




Cat/dog



You try to be nice. You share your kibble. This is what you get.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Beware Identity Theft This Easter


Via e-mail from a friend:



















Waxman Seeks to Control the Narrative

Henry Waxman greets the CEO's of AT&T, Caterpillar,
Deere & Co, and Verizon. The latex glove's utility will become
apparent once he's got them properly bent over the table.

You've probably read that Henry Waxman is angry about some of America's largest companies reporting what Obamacare is going to do to their bottom line. Personally, I don't get it. They're big companies and we hate big companies now, right? What do we care that they'll have to eat less caviar with their golden spoons sitting around their diamond encrusted pools?

And who cares if they have to raise the prices of their products? We don't need telecommunications, tractors, or earth moving equipment. I mean, when was the last time you bought a bulldozer?

And who cares if their stock falls? We don't have any of these stocks in our retirement funds, do we? And so what if they have to lay off workers? We don't work for Verizon, do we?

Waxman has the wrong attitude. Instead of shutting them up with the proctological exam, he should be celebrating the defeat of the fat cat. Yes we can!

VDH


If you've got a little spare time today you should check out the completed set of interviews with Victor Davis Hanson on Uncommon Knowledge. If you have less time, at least check out his review of the military differences between Obama and Bush at about the 6 minute mark of the final segment. I think he sums it up nicely.

Blogger seems to have gone Mel Gibson on images today so I can't put up the screen cap.

Graft Gets a Makeover


The Onion:

CHICAGO—In an effort to streamline unethical practices and boost illegal profiteering, Mayor Richard M. Daley announced sweeping new plans Monday to overhaul his city's "antiquated" system of graft.

According to Daley, Chicago's once-great fraudulent institutions have grown obsolete, and City Hall is no longer bilking taxpayers out of as much money as it once did.

"It's been business as usual for too long in Chicago, and now it's time to find more efficient ways to misuse authority for personal gain," said Daley....

This has been long overdue; I mean really. Just look at the primitive methods the Obamas had available : no-show jobs, and slum-lords buying the side-yard for their new house, for Pete's sake. That's Teapot Dome league. With the advent of computers and the 'paperless' office, you'd think we could move beyond 19th century corruption. We need a yes we can attitude here if we want corruption to blossom.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Another Personal Slur on Baucus


Type "Baucus" into the YouTube search box and this is what you get. Obviously, a vicious rumor. Below that, type "Bacchus" into the Merriam-Webster dictionary and this is what you get. Obviously a misprint.

You probably remember the YouTube video that started the rumors of drunkenness last December. At that time the Senator's office denied guilt and characterized the video as an "untrue personal smear".

Me, I took the denial with a grain of salt. But Baucus took it with a dash of salt, a slice of lime, and a shot of tequila, and with a dash of salt, a slice of lime, and a shot of tequila, and with a dash of salt, a slice of lime, and a shot of tequila... Yup, he did it again:



"Too often to... eh, a bunch of late, the last couple-three years... the maldistribution of income-merica has gone up w-way too much. The wealthy are getting w-ay, w-ay too wealthy, and the middle income class is left behind...."

And this time his internal censor was also somewhat dazed. Apparently a maldistribution of wealth has gotten out of hand, and this income shift is necessary. So yeah, he's admitting it's a redistribution of wealth.

The censor was working some though, because he stayed with the line that this would only take from the wealthy and give to the middle class. I'm waiting for him to get so drunk that he admits "the wealthy" is D-speak for the middle class.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

What More Proof Do You Need?



Maybe Steny Hoyer is right. Pictures from a rally in Searchlight, Nevada seem to show protesters amassing large numbers of lawn chairs; which could be used as weapons should the crowd choose to attack Democrats. Plus, calls to "Defeat Harry Reid" have been heard, and many Democrats suspect that "defeat" is code for "yell racial epithets and burn his house down".

Friday, March 26, 2010

The Second Amendment




via

How Much More Proof Do You Need?


A Democratic staffer observed that "this could quite
possibly be a family of tea party activists, training to
attack Democratic congressmen. "It looks to me as if
the children are being instructed in the use of fish
hooks as an offensive weapon against democracy."


Hello? You guys! If you want this thing to work, you're going to have to stop being caught red handed. The Democrats are wise to us now and they're watching our every move.

Fetch the Patrol Car




h/t: Bits

Dead Giveaway



Nothing says "impending mayhem" like a rolling pin. Just ask any hen-pecked cartoon husband from the 1950's.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Congressional Fashion


"Perfectly understandable accident. You might
want to look into suspenders though."


Why Mascots and Cartoon Characters Shouldn't Drink


call it fuzz-thuggery:



oh, and regarding the thugs that weren't:


Turns out that threat-coffin of doom was used in a prayer vigil and was taken away by the protesters when they left.

Smells like the N-word that wasn't. And it makes me wonder: why are they bending over backwards to paint conservatives as violent? Could it have anything to do with renewed calls for the fairness doctrine?

FDR & BO


First, from NRO, Krauthammer's Take:

I think he is the man who, perhaps without intending, has given historical context to this presidency. After all, Obama sees himself as a successor to FDR and Truman, so now we have the historical procession: the New Deal, the Square Deal, and the "Big F**n Deal."

Remind me of this, written on the FDR memorial, in fact:
They (who) seek to establish systems of government based on the regimentation of all human beings by a handful of individual rulers... call this a new order. It is not new and it is not order.
-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Just reminding you, Bo.



Free Speech, Freeze Peach


Ann Coulter responds to the preemptive hate speech prevention riot:

Since arriving in Canada I've been accused of thought crimes, threatened with criminal prosecution for speeches I hadn't yet given, and denounced on the floor of the Parliament (which was nice because that one was on my "bucket list")....
Read the rest here.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Threats



Like a stopped watch, Steny Hoyer is sometimes right:

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is warning that some of his Democratic colleagues are being threatened with violence when they go back to their districts — and he wants Republicans to stand up and condemn the threats.

I'm not sure he's right about them receiving threats. (though I wouldn't be surprised that politicians on both sides of the aisle receive them in the best of times) Maybe they do feel threatened; or maybe this is just a ploy, like the n-word nobody said. Regardless, I don't mind condemning threats. They shouldn't be part of the debate.

Ann Coulter shouldn't be threatened by vegans with torches and sticks either. I'm sure Steny mentioned that, right? And I don't have time to research it but he must be on record condemning all the death threats against President Bush as well.




photos via

The Givening


(clickabiggen)

Sure the smiles will fade when they find out they're paying for them, mostly it's stuff they don't want, and their jobs are gone.

How Obamacare Will Affect Our Lives


Many people who used to die under the Republican policy of Kill Everyone, But Especially the Poor and the Children, will now live. White House scientists estimate that so many people will be walking the planet that personal hairstyles will have to change to incorporate "don't crowd me" spikes for protecting personal space.

Jobs, jobs, jobs will happen as people feel free to pursue artistic careers, free from the worry of health care concerns. A tax on tanning beds will enable the government to buy all the Obama paintings produced. And when the growing population makes tanning beds the only places where people can lay down, revenue should skyrocket.



Taxing away any profit that there might have been in the medical device industry will put some companies out of business. But alternatives such as the Chinese wind-up pacemaker should fill the void. (and be more environmentally friendly)

It's the future. Live it, or live with it.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

One Bad Day



The room grew quiet, except for the muffled grinding of teeth.

(note: it is a photoshop)

this is the original:



Monday, March 22, 2010

The Secret of the Cute








The secret is this page. You can vote on the cutest.

An Instrument I Can Play




h/t: Bits

Atop My Majestic Steed


No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.
~Winston Churchill


It was a toss up between the Churchill and :
When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes.
~William Shakespeare, Henry V


Racist Thugs


K-lo has pictures of Saturday's protest downtown. If they're rioting racists, they're being pretty darned subtle about it:




And it the comments Talnik linked to the spitting n-worders who weren't:



It looks like we're the ones who have to educate the people we meet every day; the MSM is going to carry water for this thing for the duration.

What to wait for next: Republicans being blamed for the failures of Obamacare.

This Machine...




Indirectly, and many years later.

It's true, I've tried it




No matter how sweetly you play, once a squirrel has been run over, you can't play it back to life.

Time Machine





via

Now Wait for It




"We'll work with your employer to lower your premiums by $2,500 per family per year!"

He says it over and over and over here.

So we'll all look pretty stupid if this happens, right? Me, I'm not much worried about that eventuality.

I'm Just Sayin




Main Entry: cack·le
Pronunciation: \ˈka-kəl\
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s): cack·led; cack·ling \-k(ə-)liŋ\

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