Change?

Michelle Malkin has a post up you should see.

I’ve obtained documents sent to a reader in response to his FOIA request regarding the creation of Barack Obama’s Change.gov website. It gives you the rest of the story. You’ll recall last month that I blogged several questions about the propriety of allowing the perpetual Obama campaign to use a .gov domain name for what appeared to be a fund-raising front. Readers and industry observers noted that the decision appeared to violate General Services Administration rules governing government domains.

So it does. Apparently, ‘Change’ includes making America a place where mere laws don’t apply to The Chosen One.

The New York Times is crying foul:

HONG KONG — Chinese authorities have begun blocking access from mainland China to the Web site of The New York Times even while lifting some of the restrictions they had recently imposed on the Web sites of other media outlets.

When computer users in cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou tried to connect on Friday morning to nytimes.com, they received a message that the site was not available; some users were cut off on Thursday as early as 8 p.m. The blocking was still in effect on Saturday morning.

But the Chinese-language Web sites of BBC, Voice of America and Asiaweek, all of which had been blocked earlier this week, were accessible by Friday. The Web site of Ming Pao, a Hong Kong newspaper, was blocked earlier this week and still restricted on Friday

Forgive me, but the Ny Times held it’s silence when right-wing Bloggers were blocked in China. They have no legs left to stand on.

Beating up on Glenn Greenwald (And Socky the Sockpuppet)  is perhaps passe, being such an obvious and easy target. But damn it, it’s so much FUN… as Jules demonstrates so well:

The Other McCain has been graced with a Greenwald citation. High honor. If you wish to continue to be mentioned by the (throughly self-documented) great one, it is important that you avoid a few pitfalls. No references to that unfortunate “sockpuppet” affair. Greenwald has an ego so big, the extensive self-adulation of his “about” and the real estate at Salon being insufficient to the task, it has required other online identities to fully express it.

The ego so big he needs two personae to contain it.

“Rick Ellensburg” take note: You’re serving as a bad example of humanity.

Correction:

You’re serving as TWO bad examples of humanity.

Me at Q&O just now, on the bit with Caroline Kennedy and the senate seat here in NY:

—

I’m not totally convinced that the issue is one of entitlement, or dynasty, or anything of that sort. I suspect that what’s really going on here is the Democrats and their recognition that amongst the Democrat party faithful, star power is of far more import than is actual ability for the office they propose to fill. That, if nothing else, is one of the lessons that was learned by the Democrats in Obama’s election. More than once I and several other people have commented on how thin the resume of Barack Obama is. So, how else did he obtain the office, other than star power?

Speaking of that, one wonders how much of Caroline Kennedy being offered the position is recognition of her endorsement of Obama, and her willingly tying him on to the Myth of Camelot. After all, she is the only one left who could legitimately do that.

The whole thing seems rather well planned; all of the strong points are being hit, and all of them were out in the news, within 24 hours of the announcements first being made. One cannot help but wonder if this wasn’t part of the chat that Obama and Hillary Clinton had a short while ago.

However that may be, what we really have here is the political need being dealt with before the nation’s need was.

There does seem something of a pattern to this. Consider a parallel case; Paul White. White was recently named to be Secretary of the Navy. In looking at the lay of the land there is only one conclusion to draw about the appointment; Obama was responding to pressure from the left over the Rick Warren thing, by appointing an openly homosexual man to a cabinet post. Now, one may argue that the appointment was not extraordinarily successful to that end, and I can almost see the argument. Regardless, it seems clear to me that as with Kennedy, the political need trumped White’s ability to perform in the role.

It doesn’t take great genius to know that such politically driven appointments very seldom worked out to the advantage of the role. They do, often as not, however, workout for the benefit of those in power, particularly within a political party. Is this the pattern we’re going to see for the next four years? Sadly, I think the answer is “yes”.

Addendum: (David L)

Star Power?   Do the Democrats depend on star power rather than competency?    Does the Kennedy family retain star power and does Mrs. Schlossberg  have star power herself.  Yes, some, and no.

The Senate Democrat caucus does  resembles an elite country club.

As for Kennedy family star power, does it exist outside the confines of the Peoples Republic of Massachusets?    I think not.

As for Mrs. Schlossberg, does she have any personal star power, as opposed to merely a family name?   If star power is the power to fill a room or a stadium, Mrs. Schlossberg  simply does not have it.    Sarah has star power.  Mrs. Schlossberg  is simply a nice person with good upbringing and am excellent education.    Mrs. Schlossberg  might be everything a man would look for in a wife.   However Mrs. Schlossberg  is not asking for the state’s hand in marriage.    She asking to be New York State’s junior senator.   Mrs. Schlossberg is the best a sorry lot, a decent person in family of reprobates.

However the citizens of  New York need a good senator in Washington and not merely a nice perosn.  As a politician, Mrs. Schlossberg  simply does not exhibit the confidence, knowledge of the issues or display either the desire or willingness to lead.    I have utterly no confidence that Mrs. Schlossberg  will have the couage to stand-up to BO.    We can not afford another sycophant in the Senate.

Addendum: (Bit) Courage to stand up to The Chosen One? Say rather, she will lack the desire to.

As to the name having star power outside of Mass, I’m not so sure they do not. Consider the history of Bobby Kennedy.  Other levels of celebrity come to mind;   Nelson Rockefeller,   Averill Harriman, and  Hillary Clinton being among these. Not a one served a day in any state level job prior to their biggest gig, most never really lived in NY state, and those who did, Caroline Kennedy particularly, along with Hillary Clinton, did so in name only.  Interestingly, the Democrats who argued against Clinton taking the Senate seat a few years ago are pretty much using the same arguments against Caroline Kennedy. They were equally inappropriate for the job. Yet, by popular (Democrat) acclaim, they took the job.

Do not under-estimate theattraction of star-power… the attraction of celebrity to the rank and file Democrat. The polling I’m seeing at the moment, shows Kennedy in a proverbial dead heat… 25% each,  with another celeb.. Andrew Cuomo, who also has more celebrity than ability.

John Hawkins over at Right Wing News notes the passage of an event that frankly I didn’t figure on for another week or two…

Barack Obama  and the left side of the blogosphere have had their first real spat over Obama selecting Rick Warren to do his inaugural invocation.

“President-elect Obama chose eliminationist hate preacher Rick Warren to give the invocation at Obama’s Inaguration. With this choice, Obama sends three destructive messages. Number one: In Obama’s America, equal rights and reproductive freedom aren’t for everyone. Number two: President-elect Obama likes sharing the national stage with hate. Number three: While Obama enjoys his equality before the law, LGBT Americans can go to Hell. Literally. Gee. Is this change we can believe in?” — Firedoglake

I’ve addressed this in tonight’s Ramble, of course.
What everyone misses, though is that Warren has lost a lot of creds, too, for snuggling up to Obama.

As I’ve already mentioned.

Addendum:  (David L)

I suspect that Rick Warren and Barack Obama are two of a kind, power grabbig attention seekers.    As for BO, he cna cuddle up to all the ministers he wants.   That can’t hide the fact that BO hsa supported infanticide.    When BO leaves this world, he will never be cold again.

As for Jane Hamsher,  she is simply a bigot, Gregg Levine, Fire Dog Lake:

Jane spoke with Rick Sanchez who repeatedly asked why “the left” would have a problem with inviting Warren to speak at the presidential inaugural. Jane told Rick what has been noted repeatedly on these pages, that Warren is a bigot that equates homosexuality with incest and bestiality. Jane went on to add that if the president elect had wanted to be inclusive, he could have invited a Muslim or Jewish cleric, or a Christian minister that was less divisive.

In short, Hamsher rejects some sexual behavior and feels herself enlightened.    Warren too rejects some sexual behavior,for which Hamsher  calls him a bigot.  Pot, kettle, black.

Welcome one and all to the most intense nightly read anywhere on the ‘sphere… Bitsblog’s Nightly Ramble

Lots going on as we move into Christmas week… and yes, we still dare to call it that here. Let’s get to it.

• It’s time we figured out that not having any attacks here in the US, post 9/11 is not a matter of luck. Investor’s Business Daily  reads the doubters the riot act. Kudos to them for that; It’s about time someone did. I have my problems with Bush, too, but his handling of terrorism isn’t one of them. (Yes, before you ask, that includes interrigation methods employed… it was and remains the correct thing to do.)  Bush’s handling on terorism being proven the correct way of dealing with it,  as it has been, is an important point because if we want to keep the reocrd of no-post-9/11 attacks that way,  Obama’s going to need to emulate what Bush has been doing there. Can you imagine the howling from the left when he does? Nearly worth the price of admission.
• Yesterday, we reported snow in Vegas. Now, Snow in Malibu, too.  See, every time the Gorebots decalre the debate over man-made global warming a closed matter, Mother Nature kicks a little snow down to where the Gorebots live, and reopens it.  And there are a lot of people… dare I say, the majority, who aren’t buying this dreck. Like this guy, for example. Question is, will he have a job at CNN after this? No amount of questioning the global warming mantra can be brooked, ya know.   Wouldn’t it  be interesting to see a pic of Babs Streisand’s Malibu estate covered in snow?  You could print it up poster sized, and show it to her when she starts her usual global warming spiel…. can you imagine the rose in her cheeks? And yes, there will be the true believers like Streisand and  like Benen who insist that global warming is a threat. Mental midgets, all.  Frankly, they only make themselves look more stupid with this argument, in the face of the pictures of the residents of Malibu shovelling snow.
• A few years ago, there was a heavy prediction of snow for the whole of the northeast. Real wrath of God type stuff. The schools were closed, business shuttered, everyone bundled down. The result? Perhaps an inch of snow in some areas of the region. Most got nada. So, when I got up this morning and saw despite the forecasts we didn’t get any snow at all, I wondered if we had a repeat going. It did snow, though, today,   and fairly heavy, too.  That’s OK. Either way, I wasn’t stupid enough to dump my SUV for a ‘smart car’. I have the Rainier. It really doesn’t care much about the snow. It works in the real world.
• I saw one of those “smart cars” day before  yesterday, trying to deal with a light snowfall. Trust me when I tell you, you don’t want one of them. You could almost hear the idiot chanting …”I’m saving the planet… I’m saving the planet… I’m saving the planet… I’m saving the planet…  ”  I can imagine them trying to drive that bit of crap today… I’m telling ya… The best planet savings those things do, is by reducing the population by the number of fools who manage to squeeze themselves into that thing.  It’s a fatality waiting to happen.
• Oil’s at $34/bbl or so, which to my mind obviates the needs for such idiocy, anyway.  Ya know, about the prices; If there’s one thing that this price drop proves, the price spikes we saw last summer  were decidedly not an oil availability issue. There was plenty in the ground, both here and abroad.   So much for the ‘peak oil’ freaks. These price drops prove it, beyond any doubt.  And don’t tell me it’s a global resession causing the price drops. Prices tend to fll on everything pretty much equally. You’ve been shopping of late, I’m sure, given Christmas time. And groceries for that matter. Have the prices of these been cut by over half in the last 6 months? No? Well, then…. the claim is exposed as so much plant food.   So much, too, for those who say Domestic Drilling wouldn’t have helped. Look at the consumption rates. Claims to the contrary aside, they really haven’t dropped all that much. All it would have taken to prevent that run up from happening was a commitment from the US to actually start domestically drilling again, to the reserves we know are out there… and if you really want the prices falling, allowing exploration here in the US as well. Proof? Consider the timing of the bubble breaking, this time; All it took was a mere threat from the White House to allow more domestic drilling… and POP… the bubble goes away and over 6 months the price drops by well over $100/bbl. Oh… and added refining capacity wouldn’t hurt, either, gang. Of course the left isn’t having any of it, as Bruce points out rather well.
  

  It may not convey the total status, but it seems to me to be a good indicator of our problem now and even more so in the future:

  Shell Oil has canceled its drilling and other exploration plans for next year in the Beaufort Sea while it focuses on court challenges to its offshore plan….

  Yeah, that’s pretty well the situation. Fighting tooth and nail to keep us in the 14th century. No, not Islamic Radicals. Their freinds, in the American left.

• Ramesh, today, points out, regarding the Rick Warren/Obama thing:
  

  By giving Warren a platform, Obama is not endorsing his views—but he is saying that those views are a legitimate part of the national conversation.That’s not a snub of liberals. But it is a swipe at one type of liberalism—the type that has been working to get people fired for making donations to the campaign for the initiative, that has attacked the Mormon Church for its support of it, and so forth.

  I don’t know if I agree with the way he sets that up, but I’ll agree to his main point.  And here’s the thing; Obama’s not taking sides in the matter, because he doesn’t want to suffer the consequences of having chosen one side of the argument or another. What’s got the homosexual rights crowd so pissed is that he’s not shutting down points of view opposite to theirs. Again, we find proof that the liberalism of today, isn’t. It’s fascism in all it’s glory, and Obama will suffer from it. Then again, that’s the bed he made for himself when he started playing the politics of faction. 

•  Sirius/XM is ending the year with a lot less employees… mostly from programming and such. They’re started simulcasting on both systems for a lot of channels, and it shows.  They started running freebie channels to try and drum up some business from people who have XM radios that aren’t active at the moment. Hey S/XM: If you’re trying to sell us on the idea of commercial free radio, does it make sense to have commercials on the channels you’re showcasing? And when’s the last time you changed the cut rotation? Take the “LaughUSA” channel… I’ve heard the same cuts four times now, in three days, and I’m not even listening that closely.  I had considered activating my radio, and to ignore the sound quality, which suffers greatly from the amounts of digital compression applied. (Trust me, CD quality it isn’t. Those who know audio will understand when I say phase stability is a thing of the past. ) Frankly, I get more variety and better sound quality  off my MP3 player, sorry Cheaper, too. .  It’s not worth paying ~$120 a year to get insulted like that. I doubt I’m alone in this perception. And yes, I know the mp3 stream I use isn’t too stable either. But at least I’m not trying to cram two channels of 20-20k audio through what has to be 50kbit or less of bandwith. Yeccch. (I usually run 256 lame on my own stuff, 128 minimum. The compression artifacts show up once in a while, not continuously as they do with Satalite Radio.  I love the idea, guys, but forgive me if I find your execution wanting in multiple areas.
• Blago is the gift that keeps on giving. Ed Morrissey brings us news that Blago, good Democrat that he is,discussed laundering campaign funds.  Forgive me, but does it seem to you an unreasonable question to ask if such maneuvering isn’t how Obama managed to break all these campaign finance records? 
• I kept telling you people that they were going to steal the election. Tell me I was wrong. Go ahead.

Caylee Anthony has been found:

ORLANDO, Florida (CNN) — The remains found in a wooded area last week in Orange County, Florida, are those of Caylee Anthony, authorities confirmed at a news conference Friday.

[…]

“It is with regret that I’m here to inform you that the skeletal remains found on December 1 are those of the missing toddler,” Orange County Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Garavaglia said

Rest in peace Caylee.

The New York Times is mourning the loss of one of it’s heroes…

W. Mark Felt, who was the No. 2 official at the F.B.I. when he helped bring down President Richard M. Nixon by resisting the Watergate cover-up and becoming Deep Throat, the most famous anonymous source in American history, died Thursday. He was 95 and lived in Santa Rosa, Calif.

As you may have figured by my opening line, I’m less than sure the man should be lauded as a hero. After all, his response could only be considered political payback for Nixon not naming him FBI director when Hoover died.  Nothing heroic about that.

The one thing I’m sure about is that the Times wouldn’t have regarded someone doing the same thing with Bill Clinton, as a hero, whatever their motivation.

Irony:

While Watergate was seething, Mr. Felt authorized nine illegal break-ins at the homes of friends and relatives of members of the Weather Underground, a violent left-wing splinter group. The people he chose as targets had committed no crimes. The F.B.I. had no search warrants. He later said he ordered the break-ins because national security required it.

Yes, that would be the same Weather Underground as Obama’s freinds,  Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dorn were members of.

Addendum:  (David L)

I come not to defend the late Mark Felt, bur rather remind the reader that the so-called Deep Throat was fictional creation of  Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.    The fictonal Deep Throat knew  things that Felt could have never known.    The indespenable Blondie:

Of course, in Felt’s defense, he wasn’t Deep Throat. There was no Deep Throat. Now we know.

[…]

Now that Woodward and Felt are both claiming Felt was Deep Throat, the jig is up. The fictional Deep Throat knew things Felt could not possibly have known, such as the 18 1/2-minute gap on one of the White House tapes. Only six people knew about the gap when Woodward reported it. All of them worked at the White House. Felt not only didn’t work at the White House, but when the story broke, he also didn’t even work at the FBI anymore.

Hat tip:  Gateway Pundit.

The LA Times is reporting:

Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the widow of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry and an actress whose longtime association with the “Star Trek” franchise included playing Nurse Christine Chapel in the original series, died early Thursday morning. She was 76.

Roddenberry died at her home in Bel-Air after a battle with leukemia, said family spokesman Sean Rossall.

…

As she told the Buffalo City News in 1998, “It’s been a hell of a ride.”

Indeed it has. They say behind every great man there’s a woman. I’ll admit to often having wondered to what extend Roddenberry’s post series work was quietly directed by Majel.

Addendum:  (David L)

I am both old enough to have watched Star Trek when it fist came out,  back in the Middle Ages, and am a recovering Trekkie.    Star Trek was one of the few series to have gotten two pilot episodes.    Gene Roddenbery first version featured Jeffery Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, the first and the best.  His executive officer was female and went the sexy title of  Number One.    NBC liked Captain Pike but disliiked about everything else about the pilot.   So NBC gave Roddenbery a chance to shoot a new pilot.

For second pilot, Hunter became unavailable.    While Hunter did not return, Leonard Nimoy’s chacter, somebody naned Spock did, and the actress who played Captain Pike’s executive officer came back as Nurse Chapel, from executive officer to nurse.    From her role as Number One in the first pilot, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, appeared in every incarnation and reincarnation of Sar Trek.   She was the voice of the computer for the entire  long  run of  the Star Trek francise.

So who says you can’t get ahead by marrying the boss?   The computer will never sound the same, or right, again.

A 20-year association with a radically leftist, anti-American, racist preacher whom Obama referred to as a spiritual adviser meant absolutely nothing about Obama’s judgment or philosophy, and illustrated only the bigotry of those who dared criticize it.

A 20-minute association with one of the country’s most well-liked, mainstream evangelical preachers who happens to support traditional marriage cannot be countenanced and illustrates only the bigotry of those who would dare allow it.

Mary Katherine Ham, Weekly Standard.

Welcome, one and all to the most intense nightly readanywhere on the ‘sphere…Bitsblog’s Nightly Ramble

I said if Obama got elected, we’d have no shortage of things to write about. The hard part now is where to start.  let’s get started…

• It’s a little hard to argue that global warming is a problem, when there’s snow in Vegas. Global warming, dear reader, is still being preached because it’s the basis for the largest (fraudulent) transfer of wealth any mere human has ever cooked up. Trouble is, the ones who think it’s real are now in charge. We’re supposed to catch a serious storm Friday, and over the weekend. Chicago’s WLS is saying a foot there, New York stations are saying eight inches, and I don’t remember what for Philly. Of course, it’s like everything else the left pushes these days; It’s not based in fact to begin with, so mere fact isn’t going to defeat the idea that global warming is happening and giving our money to leftist causes will solve it. 
• I see Chris Dodd isn’t polling so well  just now. Apparently, those in his home state have started figuring that mess out. His role in putting us in the financial bind we’re in just now is just starting to resonate.  In watching such reports, the idea becomes stronger that there’s a great concern among voters about what they’ve just done, both at the presidential level and congressional… and the state level, for that matter, in the case of NY, which I’ve been watching closely, the last several weeks.  In fact, Matt Kaminski has been watching this  on a larger scale and suggests it’s happening all over the world.
  

  Of course, Andrew Sullivan told us it would be so on the cover of last December’s Atlantic–and subsequently told us, repeatedly, that he’d told us that “Obama matters” because the world will see us differently. He has plenty of company in the commentariat and among (admittedly) Democratic politicians. All together, they channel Gidget: “You like me, right now, you like me!” I imagine Sally Field (of 1985 Oscar ceremony fame) partakes fully in the Obama-as-America’s-salvation-overseas mania, though I haven’t bothered to ask.

  One hates to spoil a good party, but here’s a bet that’s far safer these days than a U.S. Treasury bill: Even with Obama at the White House, they won’t really like us any more than before.

  It’s not because America’s not a special country, a City upon a Hill, from the Pilgrims to Obama, the Blagojevich couple and other American horrors notwithstanding. It’s because it is. And as ever, our earnest assertion of our superior ontological uniqueness–not to mention its reality in and of itself–is exactly what always grated on the unfriendlies grouped together under the banner of anti-Americanism.

   Including the anti-Americanism at home that pushed Obama into the White House.  They’re going to all figure this stuff out within the next two years and  that’s going to result in openly changing minds, again. This stuff isn’t nearly as attractive as it was before to them, and it’s going to get worse in their eyes as time goes on. They’re finding out that the reason the grass was greener over there was because there’s so much fertilizer being spread on it. My guess is that we’re going to see a massive shift right in two years at all levels.. I suggest the Democrats know this too, and are going to be driving to the left… hard… for the two years between now and the mid-terms. Which of course will only hasten their electorally driven exit, two years hence.

• Iain Murray gets it right, here.
• Boortz says it well, this morning:
  

  Brit Hume is retiring. Well… sort of retiring. He’s leaving Special Report as of Christmas Eve. To put this succinctly, that sucks. There was no better news program on the air, and I don’t know who they could find to replace him.

  No matter who they end up putting in that timeslot… and Brett Baier seems a likely candidate… will end up being a pale imitation… and I suspect whoever they chose for the role will agree with my thought.  He’s one of the paltry few on that side of the mike, these days, that I actually have any respect for, anymore.

• Local utility companies can breathe a sigh of relief… the Chevy Volt won’t be made for a while yet. GM is so busy with pay and benefits, they have no money to build the plant that would build the … well, I hesitate to call it a car, but I guess I have to…  along the same lines of “Because it’s in the front of that thing on top of your neck, it must therefore be a face”.   This … car… is no panacea, though. Think; do we really have the electical capacity to handle the added draw from the grid?  Given Obama’s calls against Nuclear and coal burning, are we likely to have that added capacity in the near future? And how many are going to die when these things crap out, having exhausted their 40 mile per charge limit? Not ready for prime time. Sorry. What this boils down to is they know it’s not going to sell, and they’re wating for the federal government to finance it.  Paygo in reverse, looks to me. where if the government wants it, we pay for it.
• David and I have both blogged to the issue of  Caroline Kennedy and her bid to become a Senator. But it seems worth one more shot. One cannot help but wonderif this isn’t payback for the endorsement of Obama, pictured at right. Look, guys, past that, there is no reason for her to be in this position other than star power.  Take the Kennedy brand away, and what you have is someone who would be laughed out of any group looking to elect a Senator; She has none, never having held elective office at all. If the election of Barack Obama has taught the Democrats anything it’s the value to star power when trying to attract votes. When star power is at the top of the qualification list, what’s a small matter like actual experience?   Which kinda gives us a new perspective of the Democrats and their complaints about Sarah Palin and her relative experience, hmmm?  By the way, you’ll want to see what Dr Krauthammer has to say on the point. Victor Davis Hanson, as well.
• Robert Redford: Brainless. What’s this outburst all about? Mostly it’s Redford trying to calm some of the left who have decided to boycott his Sundance Film Festival.
• Oil’s down below $40, if you’re interested. Around here, the prices at the pump seem to have leveled off from heir drops of a few weeks ago. My usual place is $1.81/gal.  I find FlyingJ’s Fuel page to be a good indication of prices around the country. Usually they’re at or below the lowest prices in the area, so keep that in mind, but it’s the best and most frequently updated indicator for local prices I’ve ever found. Cheapest I’m seeing as of this writing is $1.27/gal in Wyoming.
• Hey, it works for Talkshow hosts. Why can’t BitsBlog be on George Soros’ list?  I figure the closer we come to the truth should be reflected directly in how pissed off Media Matters  gets about our drawing breath.
• So, Eric Holder was also working for Blago?  Not unexpected, actually. But, funn,y how he didn’t mention it on his confirmation questionnaire…
• Speaking of Blago, Jen Rubin has something to say to Republicans on the subject.
• So does Lynn Sweet. Lynn points out that Rahm Emanuel’s involvement in pushing Gov. Blagojevich toward appointing Valerie Jarrett to replace Barack Obama in the Senate has now been shown to be deeper than previously known. Deep enough for me to question the meme  that Obama didn’t know what was happening, and indeed, that Emanuel’s activity wasn’t being directed by him. That would seem to be the most logical reason for he and his team scrambling to deny Obama had anything to do with it… a point which also was since proven false.
• I snarked at Rick Warren last night. Seems the homosexual-extra-rights crowd is annoyed, too.  Now, this is interesting. Someone hit me up in feedback last night, suggesting that I was not taking into account Warren’s attitude that ‘we are all Americans”.  First of all, I am in fact taking that attitude into account. Indeed, it accounts for most of my anger.  There is a right and a wrong, people,and we’d best get used to the idea that there are consequences to legitimizing the wrong, under the guise of ‘we’re all Ameicans’.  But more; those who would point up my supposed ‘narrow mindedness’ on the matter, are  by and large, the ones who will also bitch loudly at Obama for inviting Warren, because of Warren’s views, for fear he was legitimising Warren’s views.   In other words they regard exclusion as only being legit in one direction. Think about it. As for Obama himself, he’s busy playing the politics of faction.

From the mail bag:

Looking for something for the man in your life? Here are some simple rules to insure you get the perfect gift for him!

Rule #1: When in doubt – buy him a cordless drill. It does not matter if he already has one. I have a friend who owns 17 and he has yet to complain. As a man, you can never have too many cordless drills. No one knows why.

Rule #2: If you cannot afford a cordless drill, buy him anything with the word ratchet or socket in it. Men love saying those two words. “Hey George, can I borrow your ratchet?” “OK. By-the-way, are you through with my 3/8-inch socket yet?” Again, no one knows why.

Rule #3: If you are really, really broke, buy him anything for his car. A 99-cent ice scraper, a small bottle of de-icer or something to hang from his rear view mirror. Men love gifts for their cars. No one knows why.

Rule #4: Do not buy men socks. Do not buy men ties. And never buy men bathrobes. I was told that if God had wanted men to wear bathrobes, he wouldn’t have invented Jockey shorts.

Rule #5: You can buy men new remote controls to replace the ones they have worn out. IF you have lots of money, buy your man a big Screen TV with PIP in the corner. He flips, and flips, and flips again.

Rule #6: Do not buy a man any of those fancy liqueurs. If you do, it will sit in a cupboard for 23 years. Real men drink whiskey or beer.

Rule #7: Do not buy any man industrial sized canisters of after shave or deodorant. I’m told they do not stink – they are earthy.

Rule #8: Buy men label makers. Almost as good as cordless drills. Within a couple of weeks there will be labels absolutely everywhere. “Socks. Shorts. Cups. Saucers. Door. Lock. Sink.” You get the idea. No one knows why.

Rule #9: Never buy a man anything that says “some assembly required” on the box. It will ruin his Special Day and he will always have parts left over.

Rule #10: Good places to shop for men include Youngstown Iron Works, Lowe’s, Home Depot, John Deere, Penn RV Center, and Wholesale Tire. (NAPA) Auto Parts and Sears’ Clearance Centers are also excellent men’s stores. It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t know what it is. “From NAPA Auto,eh? Must be something I need. Hey! Isn’t this a starter for a ’64 Ford Fairlane? Wow! Thanks.”

Rule #11 Men enjoy danger. That’s why they seldom cook. – but they will barbecue. Get him a monster barbecue with a 100 pound propane tank. Tell him the gas line leaks. “Oh the thrill! The challenge! Hey, who wants a hamburger?”

Rule #12: Tickets to a NFL football game are a smart gift. However, he will not appreciate tickets to “A Retrospective of 19th Century Quilts.” Everyone knows why.

Rule #13: Men love chainsaws. Never, ever, buy a man you love a chainsaw. If you don’t know why – please refer to Rule #8… and what happens when he gets a label maker.

Rule #14: It’s hard to beat a really good wheelbarrow or an aluminum extension ladder. Never buy a real man a step ladder. It must be an extension ladder. No one knows why.

Rule #15: Rope. Men love rope. It takes us back to our cowboy origins, or at least The Boy Scouts. Nothing says love like a hundred feet of 3/8″ real hemp rope. No one knows why.

B D Sharp writes in the Rochester, NY, Democrat and Chronicle:

In her first visit to Rochester, U.S. Senate hopeful Caroline Kennedy met Wednesday with Mayor Robert Duffy and Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, asking questions about upstate but not asking for an endorsement [emphsis added]

Hang dang it all Bit, Mrs. Schlossberg, and if I had only known, I’d have bought her a plate.   If Mrs. Schlossberg thinks a plate is something which you eat off of,  rather than something you eat, she does not know Rochester.

And you thought that only male Kennedy’s had balls.   Mrs. Schlossberg is seeking, and expects to, repreent a major city whch she had never even visited.   Wow!    Bit can you explain to Mrs. Schlossberg who the Buffalo Bills are?

As  for the Blind Governor, I want to know the quid pro quo for Mrs. Schlossberg’s Senate seat?  She has no apparent qualifications, aside from her her maiden name and money.   Further there are plenty of better qualified local ‘rats, such as Mrs Slaughter.\

I’ve heard Paul White being bandied about for Obama’s pick to be Secratary of the Navy. With this, I know Obama was the wrong choice; this proves it. Look, White did OK as chief operating officer of the Intrepid Museum Foundation, because while it gave him a place to make use of his Naval pretentions, it also gave him responsibility over no real combat units… about the same as your average six year old with bathtub ships.

That Obama takes this guy seriously, tells me two things;

He’s trying to throw the homosexual- extra- rights- gang a bone after the Rick Warren thing (Which I’ll get to again in tonight’s Ramble) and the political is of greater import to Obama than the practical realities of what constitues a good military leader.

Surber calls it tokenism, and has more.

From the Heritage Foundation, a sad note:

Paul M. Weyrich, chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation and first president of The Heritage Foundation, died this morning around 1 a.m. He was 66 years old. Weyrich was a good friend to many of us at Heritage, a true leader and a man of unbending principle. He won Heritage’s prestigious Clare Boothe Luce Award in 2005.

He was only 66.