Archive for April, 2009
Your Carbon Butt-Print Is A Problem
Monday, April 20th, 2009Environmentalists now want to tax your ass–not metaphorically. They literally want your ass taxed. This science was inevitable (via Pierre LeGrand). I love the title, “Stay Slim To Save The Planet“:
Overweight people eat more than thin people and are more likely to travel by car, making excess body weight doubly bad for the environment, according to a study from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
…
“We need to be doing a lot more to reverse the global trend toward fatness, and recognize it as a key factor in the battle to reduce (carbon) emissions and slow climate change,” the British scientists said.They estimated that each fat person is responsible for about one tonne of carbon dioxide emissions a year more on average than each thin person, adding up to an extra one billion tonnes of CO2 a year in a population of one billion overweight people.
Environmentalism is the new religion. And now, the amen pew will be shaming the gluttons. For being so open-minded the Left sure sounds like a bunch of old ladies at a prohibition meeting.
BlogHer
Monday, April 20th, 2009Should conservative women go to BlogHer?
Do we need a genderized blog conference?
Tea Parties & Making A Difference
Monday, April 20th, 2009The recurring question after the Tea Parties has been “what now”?
Yesterday, I returned from the Sam Adams Alliance encouraged and more optimistic than I’ve been in a while about the direction of things. First, the winners of the awards are doing excellent work. Chad Everson of the GrizzlyGroundswell.com is empowering others in many states to blog locally. He won the Sammie for the Blogger of the year award. Ari Armstrong of FreeColorado.com is keeping the state government there accountable. Fred Baldwin of SchoolBoardTransparency.com is doing just that. Here’s Caleb Brown and Austin Bragg’s award-winning video about Virginia’s absurd liquor laws:
Second, the presenters were optimistic and fierce warriors, themselves. Michelle Malkin, Mary Katherine Ham, and John Fund presented, to name a few. John Fund, especially, was optimistic. He sees President Obama being the new Carter or Clinton. He feels that President Obama will usher in a conservative revival. Let’s hope he’s right.
And of course, for me, nerd blogger extraordinaire, a big part of the fun was hanging with my fellow bloggers who are doing awesome work in their own right: I got to meet Marathon Pundit who is fantastic, Bob Weeks and Earl F. Glynn, both local Kansas bloggers, and Doug Welch of Stix Blog.
The most heartening part of the experience was seeing many people who have never been involved much in politics getting motivated and involved. The power of new media was being spread to many who get their news by the MSM. One great moment was when Twitter was explained to mid-50′s business owner and he said, incredulously “the news doesn’t get filtered!”
Through blogs, Twitter, YouTube the message is hitting a critical mass and people never exposed want to learn so they too can spread a message unfiltered and distorted by the traditional media.
If you are the type of person who contributes to the movement with money, I’d recommend the Sam Adams Alliance. They’re doing great work.
Cross-posted at RightWingNews.com
Obama’s Chavez-Love And America Ambivalence
Monday, April 20th, 2009President Barack Obama didn’t just greet Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez, he gave him the hood handshake and the warmest smile he’s managed with any foreign leader. It’s not just that he shook hands with a socialist leader who is currently bankrupting his country, destroying the economy and cozying up to dictators and tyrants around the world, it’s that he pulls him in for the the thug hug.
In street parlance, our President is giving the world tyrants all sorts of respect while dissing our allies with lame gifts, protocol mistakes, diplomatic foolishness and mixed messages.
A genuine, fully joyful greeting to a 3rd rate wannabe dictator reveals everything a person needs to know about President Obama’s philosophy. He relates to the guy with a persecution complex. He relates to the guy who blames everyone else for his (or his country’s) personal failure. He relates to the guy who believes that the way to help the underdogs is to punish the productive–because, of course, they didn’t work for it, like President Obama himself, business leaders and the successful just got really lucky or were born with a silver spoon and don’t deserve it. He relates to the class resentment and social isolation.
And it’s with this distrust, resentment and “big and successful” loathing that President Obama governs. The irony is that President is now big and successful and powerful.
Not only does President Obama want to level the playing field in America–no rich and poor. He wants to level the playing field amongst the world. There is no better or worse government. Iran and Venezuela deserve the same, if not more, respect than loyal, strong democracies like India, Poland, Israel, Britain and France (well, they’re kinda loyal).
It’s a perverse egalitarianism that puts murderers, extortioners and general evil doers on the same moral plane as those who believe in freedom, the rule of law, and individual rights. Rather than being an incentive for the bad guys to do better, the good guys see no reason to be good–they’ll get the same respect either way. Just as the guy not working sees no reason to work harder when his neighbor gets the respect of a paycheck one way or another.
This is not going to end well.
Cross-posted at RightWingNews.com
Don’t Be Hatin’ His Procreation: Meet The Feminist’s Poster Man-Child
Friday, April 17th, 2009Us Michiganders or is it Michiganians are good at lots o’ things. Procreation has got to be at the top of the list. I mean, look at this guy:
Authorities in Michigan say a man fathered 14 children with 13 women and owes more than $530,000 in unpaid child support.
A Michigan newspaper reports 42-year-old Thomas Frazier was jailed Thursday.
Court records say he hasn’t made a support payment in six years.
The newspaper says the unemployed man could be held for 90 days if he doesn’t pay $27,900.
Frazier says he thinks he fathered only three of the children and it’s unrealistic for authorities to expect him to pay child support that was $3,000 a month at one point.
What a fine, upstanding fella.
I’m going to swim upstream a bit on this one, though. What if women couldn’t get child support if she was unmarried? What if a woman knew that she was on her own if she got pregnant–no government support, no spousal support, no government subsidized abortions?
What if she either had to raise the child, her choice, on her own or give the child up for adoption? Do you think she would be more selective about her bed companions?
While this guy is despicable, irresponsible and a slut, he’s been enabled by at least 13 women, probably significantly more, who couldn’t be bothered to use birth control (not that that’s always 100%) or demand that he use it.
There is no way for him to make right by all these kids. He’s like the Octo-Mom. As the parent to one kid he wouldn’t be great, he’ll likely be exponentially worse with more.
The current situation where a guy can be on the hook because he’s on a birth certificate creates these insane situations. And let me be clear: I think he’s an irresponsible jerk.
Still, if women’s lib has gotten women anything, it’s ownership of their reproductive organs. A woman can make sure she doesn’t get pregnant and she pays the price if she’s irresponsible. These women needed to have more sense than have unprotected random sex with this creep. It’s not like irresponsible, slutty men make fantastic providers.
Cross-posted at RightWingNews
Obama Jesus
Thursday, April 16th, 2009Well, self-love is all the rage. So why not substitute yourself in Jesus’ parables and not mention his name? From Dawn Eden:
And so it came to pass, beneath Gaston Hall’s beautiful painting of Morality, Faith, and Patriotism, with gold letters on the wall behind him spelling the Jesuit motto “Ad majorem Dei gloriam”—”To the greater glory of God”—Obama shared his prosperity gospel at the nation’s oldest Catholic university.
But there was one thing missing: Jesus’ name.
I’m not just talking about Obama’s failing to mention Jesus—though he did pointedly fail to mention the name of the One—that is, for him, the other “One”—who first told the “parable” he shared.
No, Jesus’ very name, in the form of the ancient monogram IHS, which had been in gold lettering on the wooden archway above Gaston Hall’s dais, was painted over (or otherwise expertly camouflaged) prior to Obama’s arrival. Apparently, the Name that is above every other name is not permitted to be above Obama.
The photo above shows the archway “before.” You can see the “after” clearly in C-SPAN’s video, as Georgetown President John DeGioia emerges to give his fawning introduction.
I can’t say I’m surprised. If Obama has a theology, I think it’s the if-I-believe-it-I-can-achieve-it. A Higher power interferes with self-love.
Obama is an amalgam both literally and philosophically and religiously. He believes and is everything and nothing. He’s a literal melting pot–heating up ideology and rhetoric and coming up with messages and meaning that suit him.
He is only offensive if you believe anything. No wonder he’s so popular.
Tea Bag Envy And The Left’s Lack Of Imagination
Thursday, April 16th, 2009I’m going to tell a story in pictures today. Since the Left, including the Legacy Media, simply cannot display any empathy–that is, since they are incapable of putting themselves in someone else’s shoes–perhaps pictures will help them “see” what we on the Right see. Then again, maybe not.
Imagine being a conservative woman blogger. I don’t have to imagine, because that’s what I am. In fact, my local friend and often times, co-hort, Kathleen McKinley is also a woman blogger. We have both been subjected to vicious sexism, degrading insults and general antipathy because we are considered traitors to our gender. That is, we are breeders, we are anti-abortion, we are conservative, and we like men. Our critics don’t see the irony of degrading a woman for making a choice they disagree with, but I digress.
We also, it turns out, “whip up” people. We are powerful. Yes. We. Are.
Like many bloggers across the country, Kathleen and I went to a Tea Party. In our case, we went into Houston, where estimates have the crowd at around 8,000 people. Kathleen was up on stage right and got some great crowd, performer and speaker pictures. I was mingling with the crowd.
I brought my kids with me. One was sitting in that stroller you see. The crowd was filled with dangerous people–the elderly, children, college, students, and everyone in between. No wonder the government is on high alert.
Now, I think it’s important, here, to point out what a Leftist demonstration looks like and that it is rarely safe to bring children to those. Here is some visual evidence as to why.
Imagine, if you will, if the whole left had been singled out by the government in a report to police. Say, for example, you’re dangerous if you are still sporting a John Kerry or Al Gore for President sticker (something I saw a couple days ago). And one could argue that those people are a little dangerous…I mean, come on people, it’s been years. Get over it. Imagine how the Left would howl at that sort of over-generalized profiling.
The crowd was diverse. Imagine: There are black people who judge President Barack Obama not by the color of his skin but by the content of his policies. I know, it’s hard to fathom when you’re steeped in identity-politics and every position is defined by your gonads, skin and sexual identification, but can you at least try to imagine that there is diversity of thought in this country still?
That DHS report must have been taken seriously by Houston because there were police everywhere. And everywhere I went, they were hanging out, shooting the bull and looking bored or vaguely interested in the content. Some officers brought their horses as close as possible, and had a good view while they, too, listened to the speakers.
Oh, I know, when there’s a bunch of folks gathered and it wasn’t orchestrated by George Soros or his minions, there must be a conspiracy in there somewhere. Well, Rick Santelli’s rant started something, even he couldn’t fathom. People thought, you know what? Enough.
The general mood, as the picture above demonstrates was against all the fat cats in Washington, with a good dose of hostility toward the greedy Wall Street types so willing to gamble with someone else’s money. Republicans and Democrats got skewered.
Should politicians be afraid? Yes.
If they aren’t afraid, they’re beyond help. If they have any sense, they realize that people are sick to death of the way things have been. Mostly, people are sick of spending. Leftists, look at that picture again. See how the Republicans are portrayed? They’re pigs but just not as big of pigs as Democrats.
It’s the spending, stupid.
Some brave Republicans showed up. Above, you’ll see one. John Culberson is a Rep from Houston. The other is Sheila Jackson Lee. She did not show up. I took this picture on the outside of the square as he was entering. He said, “I don’t want to speak. Just let them know that I’m here.” And he didn’t speak. He did listen.
Many Republicans did not show up at the Tea Parties. They worried about being tarred and feathered. I think their absence demonstrated the weakness that so many find repulsive. If you’re going to vote like a Democrat, at least come and defend your reasons. If you’re going to spend our children and grand children into poverty, defend why it’s necessary.
Jane Galt, it turns out, is hot. Many fine looking young people at the event.
John Galt is also a fine looking specimen.
The gathering was also good humored. Unlike the sneering, frothing-at-the-mouth anger or childish temper tantrums displayed by the Left when they gather, the people at the Tea Party seemed to really be enjoying themselves. They didn’t even need hallucinogens, tie-dye or mud to have fun.
Gotta love George Washington with a moustache.
And then, there’s the envy:
The Tea Parties, around 300,000 in attendance nationwide, were a gathering of people, on a work day, no less, that the Left can only dream about. Sure, they’ve bussed people in for the nowhere near a Million Man March. But who did the organizing? Guys like Barack Obama who were paid “community organizers”. No such animal at these shindigs. Regular old people donated time, resources, and energy to make this happen.
Regular people in Cincinnati. Regular people in Atlanta. Yes, Atlanta. Regular people from Santa Ana. Regular people from everywhere.
This is America. And people like this couple showed up.
How did the Media cover these events, IF, they did? Well, FOX went live with it and covered all sorts of cities. CNN picked fights with attendees rather than report. MSNBC was embarrassing.
Imagine, if you will, that the Media, except one network, made fun of over 300,000 of their potential viewership. Imagine if the Million Man March, or even better, the Code Pink ladies, were treated with derision and scorn rather than seriousness. One could question whether, in Ma Sheehan’s case anyway, whether she should have been treated seriously. But everyone did. Everyone.
The Legacy Media has demonstrated why they are diminishing into irrelevance. They see no problem in portraying the electorate as stupid rubes if it doesn’t fit their own narrative. The Tea Bags have outed the Media once and for all.
They are in bed with President Obama’s administration and the Left generally and they don’t care who knows. It’s better this way. It’s better to be clear when it comes to propaganda. When it’s subtle. When a Dan Rather pretends at objectivity, it’s confusing. Not anymore. Now, we know.
Still, if the Left can imagine being on the other side, they might wonder how they’d feel if the Media attacked them. But then, why worry about what will never happen?
All in all, the Tea Party day was something of a Leftist dream…but it wasn’t the Leftists doing it. In their envy and anger, they revealed yet again their bias and contempt for average Americans.
Cross-posted at RightWingNews.com
What Is The Tea Party Protesting?
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009Dan Riehl says it’s the spending. So does Betsy.
Glenn Reynolds calls them, in the Wall Street Journal, a “they’re really a post-partisan expression of outrage.”
Michelle Malkin talks repeatedly of “generational theft“, as in people are protesting robbing our children to pay for the current generation’s mistakes.
MaxedOutMama brilliantly discusses the economics of things. The Tea Party folks, myself included, might not understand the details, but the principles of things are clear. She says here:
But with employment declining, and CRE busting so badly, and with corporate profits in a profound swoon, the fundamental economic choices facing a government are:
The government lets the natural economic cycle run its course (and that natural economic cycle is for a depression-like event), or
The government intervenes to bring needed infrastructure investments a few years forward, which puts a floor on the drop in economic activity, supports employment, and knocks the bottom off the cycle.
Our current leaders in Congress seem to have chosen yet a third way to produce a lengthening and deepening of the natural economic cycle, which is to pull money out of the private sector and to invest it in projects such as research grants for non-viable energy production, mandates for utilities to spend on higher-cost energy production, investments in frilly socially attractive programs (community outreach?), and throwing money into non-viable financial institutions. These steps pull money out of gross private domestic investment instead of supporting it.
I don’t think it makes Americans extremists because they see the implications for this government mess. The protesters are protesting a tone-deaf government, bailouts, spending, and just the implications for the future.
Some aren’t protesting at all…and taking a vacation.
Mourning Michigan: Part II
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009After visiting Michigan, my home state, this last summer, I wrote an emotional post expressing my grief at how the state has declined. It is still difficult to contemplate, because the place is so dear to me.
You can understand why, then, this article from the Detroit News was difficult to read. Here’s the facts. The article itself includes distressing anecdotes.
Poorer, less educated
Michigan’s exodus is one of the state’s best known but least understood problems. Long ignored or downplayed, outmigration has been shrugged off partly because it was assumed that those who were leaving were unemployed blue-collar workers and retirees, groups that, in economic terms, don’t cripple the state with their departure.
But a Detroit News analysis of U.S. Census Bureau and Internal Revenue Service data reveals that every day, Michigan gets less populated, less educated, and poorer because of outmigration.
The state’s net loss to outmigration — the number of people leaving the state minus those moving in from other states — has skyrocketed since 2001. Although the Census Bureau does not report totals moving in and out each year, Internal Revenue Service records show that the population decline is a result of two disturbing trends: The number of Michigan residents leaving the state rose 25 percent between 2001 and 2007, while the number of new residents moving in plummeted by nearly one-third.
Essentially, educated people are leaving because there’s no jobs and no future and taxation is oppressive. So those left behind are those who use most of the government services, only there’s no one to pay for those services.
The solution would to cut back services, be ruthless about budgeting and give incentives for businesses to come and work. But even if that were to happen, it would take time.
Michigan, like upstate New York, is quickly becoming an aging wasteland where there’s no jobs and those who still live there are taxed punitively.
The government doesn’t help the state with policies like these. Government interference only delays the inevitable.
What the Federal Government under President Obama want to do is not to cut services and cut spending, they want to make every state like Michigan so companies have no where to go. Redistribution of wealth and a steadily high unemployment rate, ala Europe, is just the way of life. Workers have guarantees but no one enjoys greatness.
In the socialist’s world, it’s not so bad if there’s suffering–as long as everyone is suffering. Michigan is what the President’s policies look like when played out.
Heaven forbid this happens nationwide.
