AT THE CAPTAIN’S JOURNAL, Calling on National Security Advisor James L. Jones to Resign.
Archive for 2009
July 5, 2009
ANN BARTOW: The Supposedly Liberal Doods Are STILL Odiously Hypersexualizing Sarah Palin. Half the fun of being a “Supposedly Liberal Dood” is the license to do that sort of thing while still being “progressive.” You wouldn’t take that away from them, would you?
ANN ALTHOUSE: “Memo to Purdum, Dowd, and the several people there in Alaska: Everybody who runs for high office will have a lot of check marks on the DSM list of symptoms of ‘narcissistic personality disorder.'” She continues: “I mean, maybe Fred Thompson didn’t, but you see, it’s a problem if you don’t have these things. Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, etc. etc. — who among them lacks a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, blah blah blah? Oh, but they have empathy, you burble. Bullshit! Watch all the Democrats try to claim the empathy loophole to the narcissistic personality disorder diagnosis. Ha! Bullshit! They all have it. And don’t throw your money at a prospective candidate who doesn’t. He’ll poop out, like Fred.”
Perhaps we should try reconfiguring our system of government so that it attracts sane people, instead. And yes, we’ve been here before.
KURT SCHLICHTER: The Force Is With Sarah Palin. What’s this — “If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine” is becoming a catchphrase? I claim credit.
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE looks at California’s problems. But Chris Reed at the Union-Tribune notes that they forgot to mention public employee unions. “It was even worse than I expected. . . . The article focuses on the volatility of income taxes, which is a key point. But it never offers the context that California’s other taxes are almost all among the nation’s highest. It leaves the impression, as do all East Coast media, that California is relatively undertaxed. . . . Pathetically enough, in 8,000 words, the author never mentions the fact that the public thinks the state’s biggest problem is an inability to live within its means, not the difficulty of raising taxes. . . . There is a reference to same-sex unions. There is a reference to Gavin Newsom dealing with the SEIU in San Francisco. But the CTA? The prison guards union? AFSCME? The SEIU’s lobbying in Sacramento? All unmentioned. Incredible. Pathetic. Typical. Even by the rotten standards of the East Coast media, the New York Times has hit a new low.”
PHOTOGRAPHING fireflies at Elkmont.
PHOTOS AND VIDEO from the Northville, Michigan Tea Party.
GORDON CHANG: Did Obama Score a Victory at Sea vs. North Korea? Let’s hope.
MORE PORN MEANS LESS RAPE. Hey, as I’ve noted before, porn and violent videogames are good for America’s children!
July 4, 2009
A BUNCH OF interesting food links.
HITLER FINDS OUT Michael Jackson has died.
WANT TO STAND UP FOR AMERICA? Support PJTV.
IRAN NEWS: Clerical Group Defies Leader on Disputed Iran Election. “The most important group of religious leaders in Iran has called the disputed presidential election and the new government illegitimate, an act of defiance against the country’s supreme leader and the most public sign of a major split in the country’s clerical establishment.”
UPDATE: Another revolution that won’t die.
ANOTHER UPDATE: U2 Dedicates ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ to Iranian Freedom Protesters (Video). Perhaps Bono can ring up Obama and suggest he offer more support.
TEA PARTY UPDATE: GARY TIETJEN SENDS THIS PHOTO FROM ALBUQUERQUE and reports, “This demonstration was 0.3 mi long, on both sides of Alameda Blvd with people standing shoulder to shoulder. A continuous stream of people passed by, honking.”
Here’s a CNN report on the Washington Tea Party rally:
Instead of celebrating the Fourth of July holiday with barbecues and sparklers, about 2,000 small-government advocates, toting signs and chanting slogans, rallied outside the U.S. Capitol Saturday. “They are wasting all of our money,” said Sean Albert of Richmond, Virginia. “They’re not running our government like we would run our own checkbooks. When I’m out of money, I stop spending the money.”
The rally followed a national effort that drew thousands of activists to TEA Party events across the country on April 15, when income taxes are due.
Organizers said similar July 4 rallies were planned for nearly 1,500 cities.
Of which I’m just scratching the surface here! Here’s a report from Fresno, California, where 15,000 showed up:
Organizers said 15,000 ralliers showed up in Tulare Saturday morning demanding limited government, fiscal responsibility and free markets, something they believe they are not getting.
Thousands of people from all over the central valley gathered at the Tulare Agri-Center Saturday morning for a 4th of July “Freedom Rally Tea Party.”
“This is the most patriotic thing I could be doing on this 4th of July,” said rallier Michelle Riddle.
And here’s a report, with pictures, from Oklahoma City.
Here’s a report from Bismarck, North Dakota.
And here’s one (via cellphone) from Peachtree City, Georgia. Reader Cheryl Drury, who sent it, writes: ” I don’t know exact attendance, but Mr. Cain said about 2,000 during his speech. (I had thought a little less, at least 1500, but whatever). Peachtree City is about 35 miles south of downtown Atlanta. We have a population of about 30,000. I’ve attached a couple of pictures. It was HOT! Not too many signs, especially compared to the earlier Atlanta party, but a real emphasis on getting organized quickly and taking action now, rather than just waiting around to vote for someone else. Glad to go and glad we took our kids.”
Jim Borchert sends this from Louisville, Kentucky:
And Matt Barker sends this from Asheville, NC:
Here’s a report, with photos, from Reno. And Alex Bensky emails from Detroit:
I did not stay for the entire program. My offhand guess is that they had about 600-700 people. Except for a few JROTC young people and one speaker the crowd was entirely white. Mostly middle-aged but some younger people who were clearly not with their parents, The crowd was very good-natured.and the unison responses to various speakers’ points did not strike me as particularly rancourous. I have wandered into a few leftist demonstrations in the last few years and seen others on tv or Youtube, and certainly the venom and viciousness that characterizes such events was entirely absent.
Groups with information tables included the Libertarians, Objectivists, Fair Taxers, someone doing a documentary movie on Detroit during the Second World War, and of course the organizers selling t-shirts. I noticed only one sign regarding immmigration and a couple about the Tenth Amendment…nice to see someone at least is reading the constitution. Otherwise the signs were nothing beyond what you’d expect and only a couple were overwrought, the kind calling Obama communist, etc. You’d get that sort of thing at a progressive function, a certain number of people from groups that are more or less out of touch with reality…ACORN, ANSWER, the Democratic Party…The Libertarians had a table but I only saw one sign I could identify as Libertarian; it was specifically promoting Ron Paul.
There was a singer who sang something I’m delighted to hear, conservative protest songs, someone from a veteran’s assistance foundation, the Pledge, the national anthem, Michigan’s attorney general spoke at some length and other than standard but not necessarily unwarranted jabs at Gov. Granholm and the president it was a typical political stump speech–he flattered the crowd’s patriotism and acumen, came out for lower taxes, more jobs, and a strong America.
Although the organizer who spoke said that the group was not endorsing any political party, she did make a brief plug for a local Republican congressman. On the other hand, she said that a local Democratic congressman and Senator Stabenow had been invited. They didn’t show up, which didn’t surprise me. They didn’t have the courtesy to respond to the invitation, which I regret to say didn’t surprise me either.
Also, here’s a report from Philadelphia. I’ll round up some more reports tomorrow if I can.
Philly pictures below from reader Rich Gonzalez:
Finally, Michael Silence of the Knoxville News-Sentinel emails: “Went through ‘downtown’ Crossville, TN, about three hours ago, and on Main Street there were about a half-dozen people holding tea party signs. Some cars honked in support. Certainly not the volume you’re hearing about, but the symbolism certainly significant on this day and in this small town.” Indeed.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY Fireworks.
STEVE MCNAIR shot to death in Nashville.
RAND SIMBERG POSTS A REPORT from the Fort Lauderdale Tea Party.
Plus, pics and a report from Chicago.
UPDATE: A report from Dallas. And one from Washington, Missouri, where 1500 showed up. And here are some pictures from Frankfort, Kentucky.
PJTV: What Would John Galt Do? I didn’t realize that Atlas Shrugged has outsold every book but the bible.
UPDATE: A reader emails: “I’m a big Atlas Shrugged fan and WISH that it outsold all books besides the Bible. Unfortunately, the PJTV host misspoke when he said that. What he probably had in mind was a 1991 Book-of-the-Month Club/Library of Congress survey which ranked Atlas Shrugged second only to the Bible as being the most influential book.”
DRIVING BMW’S Electric Mini-E. I’d like to be one of those beta-testers.
9 SERIOUS DIY Beer-Brewing rigs. I never had anything quite this serious, but this reminds me that I haven’t brewed in three or four years. Brewing is kind of social, and the two guys I used to brew with moved away. It’s just not as fun on your own, and the Insta-Wife’s interest in beer is pretty limited.