EBL

Let's take a look at this poster.It's red—and that right there, like the darkening water that swirls down Janet Leigh's drain [in Psycho’s famous shower scene], is plenty suggestive. It touts a play called The Love Song of Saul Alinsky, Alinsky being the notorious community organizer from Chicago who wrote books with titles like Reveille for Radicals and Rules for Radicals. On it, fists are raised—meaning insurrection is in the air.And down at the very bottom, crawling across the poster in small print, it mentions the panel discussions that will follow the Sunday performances. The panelists are that era's usual "progressive" suspects: Leon Despres, Monsignor Jack Egan, Studs Terkel . . .
And state senator Barack Obama. [emphasis added]

Barack Obama has never been vetted.

Bill Maher claims who the hell is Saul Alinsky...(we conservatives are just making this stuff up he breathlessly claims). And the left wants to down play any Marxism angle to Alinsky... (although Barack Obama knew who he was since he specifically spoke at The Love Song of Saul Alinsky--I am sure the Red poster was just coincidental), And Bill Ayers (who Breitbart is referring to above) is just another guy from the neighborhood as Barack Obama claimed in 2008? In terms of cooking, Breitbart is referring to his dinner that he recently had at Ayers house. As Andrew noted, Ayers is a hell of a cook but he is still a sociopath. Which again raises that question as to who really wrote Dreams From My Father? (Here are two links here and here from Jeff Goldstein and an Andrew McCarthy link).
And as The Other McCain notes, what about this Chicago guy and his family's political past? Just another guy from the neighborhood?
And Richard Fernandez notes: If it is just so what that Barack Obama was hanging out with all these lefty radicals all those years...why did he go to such steps to hide that in the last election?
Update: Welcome to Total Political War

AlinskyPosterFullRez

The proper response to the left...

2012-03-04T03:03:00.001-06:00

The left revels itself over the death of Andrew Breitbart. We are not really people to them. I am not into conspiracy theories but if the left wanted to take one pundit on the right out he would be it.

This whole Rush Limbaugh nonsense? Over this joke? What should we call her? Rush should not have apologized. Yet the left can vilely attack Sarah Palin and anyone on the right without any repercussions. That they think that they can get away with such blatant hypocrisy is what is so disturbing. Of course we have to put this in perspective (it is not like this yet in the West). Although we know that the radical left would love to have the power that the Iranian mullahs have. God help us if they ever do get that power.

Update: The Macho Response had this gem

It is becoming more critical that we keep the House and take back the Senate and White House. And that is just a start. And we need to step up and take up where Andrew Breitbart left off... Be Breitbart.

Update: Rush's long time advertisers leave (hint: Rush can find new advertisers, those advertisers need to find another market of 20 million people who buy things he sells).

When you go to church today you might reflect on how some people take their faith very seriously...

2012-03-04T00:06:00.000-06:00

Not yet verified, but this story and photograph are chilling. I pray and hope this has not occurred.
Youcef Nadarkhani was always a Christian (I believe his parents converted to Christianity) and his Muslim past was that his father was Muslim. Under this standard Iran could hang Barack Obama for apostasy.
And given this "tolerance" by Iranian officials, you wonder why Israel takes Iran's threats seriously.

Washington State GOP Caucus

2012-03-03T17:21:00.001-06:00

No one really knows...(Update III: Except now we do and Romney won) But here is some polling. There was reports of much higher than expected turn out at some caucus locations. Why this caucus is a toss up.
Here is the Sound Politics link which has general conservative news from the Seattle/Westside areas of the state. This caucus will get a lot of attention once the results come in since it potentially augers for Super Tuesday.
Real time results from Huffington Post.
Here is some results from the NY Times: Romney initially leading but the real populations centers are Seattle and Tacoma. Still, it looks good for Romney. Paul also doing well.
Fox News results.
Update: As of 8:14 p.m . Central Time (6:14 p.m. Pacific) results are Romney at 36% (and it is called for him), with Paul and Santorum essentially tied at 24% for both of them. Gingrich trails in fourth at 11.3%. Washington State delegates are not formally committed till the convention.
Update II: Unrelated to the caucuses today, but Ace of Spades HQ had this rather interesting budget outmaneuvering by the GOP Minority in the Washington State Legislature. Well done!
Update IV: Instapundit on readers' emails from Washington State: Be Breitbart!
Update V: The Other McCain on Rush and the GOP Washington Caucuses...

Joke of the Day: Sandra Fluke

2012-03-03T16:43:00.000-06:00

Sorry if I do not take the Left's outrage
over Rush's comments seriously...

Q. How many Sandra Flukes does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A. How many have you got?

Q. How many Sandra Flukes does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A. Just one, but she’s going to screw it long and often, and we’ll pay for the screwing.

Sandra Fluke is not easy, but...

"Birth control pills costs a lot of money," says a co-ed. "You'll pull through," says a homeless dude.

Stacy McCain has a tip jar...just sayin...

Update: Sandra Fluke joke and image link (yes there are some funny ones here)

Meanwhile: Of course this outrage over Rush is just one sided. Bill Maher reveals himself as a classless fool. And do you hear any of these feminist hypocrites defending Sarah Palin? I wish Bill Maher and Andrew Sullivan would run into Todd Palin in an alley some day.

Update: Here is President Barack Obama referring to the Tea Party as "tea baggers." Stay classy Mr. President.
Update II: Serr8d's response.
Update III: Jeff Goldstein's week in review and George Orwell responds.
Update IV: SNL's James Carville...that is a pretty fair depiction of lefty pundits.
Update V: The Other McCain notes current events.
Update VI: Don Surber comments about Maher.
Update VII: The proper response to the left...
Update VIII: The Other McCain: If we can't call her the "s" word, what about this...
Update IX: Kirstin Powers says liberals also need to hold their own accountable...
Update X: Nick Gillespie: A pox on all their houses...
Update XI: The hypocrisy, it burns...

Best tabloid headline of the day...

2012-03-03T14:43:00.001-06:00

DUI driver with sex toy in tush rear-ends other driver, Martin deputies say (he also soiled himself on the way to the station)

Classic Tabloid Headlines of the Past

h/t: The Agitator

The Lorax, he speaks for the trees...

2012-03-03T02:00:00.000-06:00

Chuck Jones' version of Dr. Seuss' the Lorax

New but not necessarily improved Lorax

I watched the new version of The Lorax. I am a big Dr. Seuss fan and I liked the original children's book The Lorax and the Chuck Jones' embedded animated version depicted above. But the most recent movie 3-D version, while it had some moments, was not as good. Any surprise? It will probably entertain your kids for a sitting or two, but it will not be a classic you will watch again and again. This current movie bordered at times on Al Gore sanctimonious. There is an anti capitalist message in the story (which I disagree with), but there is a pro life message in Horton Hears a Who, and a pro parenting message in Horton Hatches An Egg, and a anti materialistic and focus on the meaning of Christmas message in The Grinch who Stole Christmas. While I don't agree with every opinion Theodor Seuss Geisel may have had, I believe Dr. Seuss was a genius. So I am not going to be too harsh on the new version of The Lorax. Kids will probably like it even if it is a bit preachy, drawn out, heavy handed, hypocritical, and over the top. There is also difference between conservation vs. environmentalism. You can use the movie as a starting point to discuss that with the kids. Danny DeVito as the voice of the Lorax and Taylor Swift and Zac Efron as other characters do fine as voices in the film. The animation well done.
Update: Separated at Birth: The Lorax and ...?

Andrew Sullivan and his Protocols of the Elders of Zion Daily Beast Post

2012-03-02T12:06:00.000-06:00

Andrew Sullivan looking for another story to post...

Sullivan opines: "Here's a prediction. Netanyahu, in league and concert with Romney, Santorum and Gingrich, will make his move to get rid of Obama soon. And he will be more lethal to this president than any of his domestic foes."

I will not bother linking Sullivan himself, but he does his anti Semite past proud (at least from his perspective) with his latest conspiracy theories about Israel possibly defending herself against Iran. Given the statements by the current leadership in Iran about their intentions regarding getting rid of Israel, do you think that might be more a motivator for Israel's leadership to act rather than who is currently in the White House? Here are two excellent posts on the subject by Rod Radosh and by the Blogmocracy. And here is another by Karl at Hot Air. And by Crikey.

Jeff Goldberg has an interview with Barack Obama where Obama makes the argument why Israel should wait till after the election. Hmmm. Netanyahu: Israel has the right to defend itself. Commentary: Israel cannot rely on any assurances.

And this is anti-Israel thing by Sullivan is nothing new as noted by Jeff Goldberg over at Sullivan's old place, by Rod Radosh, and by Israel Matzav.

The Bill of Rights, the First 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution (guess which state was one of the last to ratify the Bill of Rights on March 2, 1939)

2012-03-02T02:03:00.000-06:00

1st Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

2nd Amendment

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

3rd Amendment

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

4th Amendment

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and noWarrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

5th Amendment

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

6th Amendment

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

7th Amendment

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

8th Amendment

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

9th Amendment

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

10th Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

The U.S. Constitution was drafted in 1787 by delegates of the 13 original states. But before it would be adopted, the people demanded that certain rights be guaranteed in that document. In response, the Bill of Rights were drafted by James Madison and ratified by ten of states in 1791. Massachusetts, however, did not formally ratify the Bill of Rights until March 2, 1939.

You can get a free copy of the U.S. Constitution here. You can take a free course on the U.S. Constitution courtesy of Hillsdale College. Sadly some people do not get what the value of the U.S. Constitution.

Romney supporters try to cause Santorum's collapse by wishing for it...

2012-03-01T12:13:00.000-06:00

The Architect

Karl Rove: It's over if Santorum does not win Ohio
Ann Coulter: The problem with Santorum
Hugh Hewitt: Race effectively decided and Romney will be the nominee
Jennifer Rubin: Santorum losing women (well certainly Coulter and Rubin)

Andrew Breitbart RIP

2012-03-01T09:35:00.003-06:00

This is shocking and heartbreaking news. A terrible loss to us all. Andrew Breitbart died at midnight in Los Angeles this morning. RIP Andrew. My deepest condolences to his family.
Jonah Goldberg's points are especially well said: here and here.
Update:
Sunshine State Sarah links a lot of others feeling the same today.
Daily Kossacks trying to get Westboro Baptist Church to protest his funeral. Stay Classy Dems. Ironically Andrew Breithbart would love this for you guys revealing yourselves.
The Other McCain has various links...

As for those like David Frum who spoke badly of Andrew's passing...they reveal themselves. I will not speak badly of Frum. Frum is dead to me.
Jeff Goldstein has some of the comments from the left. Again, Andrew would treat it as a badge of honor.

All American Blogger has an Andrew Breitbart tribute
Instapundit on readers' emails from Washington State: Be Breitbart!

Let the Sunshine In...

2012-03-01T01:32:00.001-06:00

Let the sunshine in... (provided that sunlight is shining on all)
h/t Hot Air

The Greatest Dance Team Evah! (Update: this helps after the bad news about Andrew Breitbart)

2012-02-29T19:28:00.000-06:00

This is some amazing dancing and performing. The Nicholas Brothers.
Some more information. Here also.
Update: I am feeling rather down about Andrew Breitbart. I was once told that if you feel depressed the best cure for it is tap dancing (it is impossible to be depressed when you tap dance). After watching this again, I have to agree. And I believe that is the Cab Calloway Orchestra in the background. Andrew Breitbart, in his own unique way, danced like this...
Sunshine State Sarah links a lot of others feeling the same today.
Daily Kossacks trying to get Westboro Baptist Church to protest his funeral. Stay Classy Dems. Ironically Andrew Breithbart would love this for you guys revealing yourselves.
The Other McCain has some links too...

As for David Frum and others who spoke badly of Andrew. What is there to say? Again, they reveal themselves for what they are. I will not speak badly of Frum. Frum is dead to me.
Jeff Goldstein has some of the comments from the left. Again, Andrew would treat it as a badge of honor.

All American Blogger has an Andrew Breitbart tribute
Instapundit on readers' emails from Washington State: Be Breitbart!

And now a preview of GOP Super Duper Tuesday!

2012-02-29T19:20:00.000-06:00

Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich have all been described as "Frankenstein" by pundits on the left. I won't bother with links to send them traffic, but...
Here are the current polls for the GOP Super Duper Tuesday States (Georgia, Ohio, Tennesee, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Virginia)

And it is also fair to describe the left and their pundits as an angry mob of ignorant villagers with pitch forks and torches who will be coming for which ever GOP candidate prevails...

RIP Davy Jones

2012-02-29T15:08:00.002-06:00

RIP Davy. Davy Jones fan site.

Update (some links):
Althouse: Goodbye to Davy Jones
Ed Driscoll: How Davy Jones changed the world
JWF: Davy Jones dies at 66
The Corner: The Monkees Front Man Dies
Weird Hollywood: The Monkees with Jack Nicholson
The Macho Response: Here's to a guy my sister liked...

Even Maureen Dowd is right once every four years...

2012-02-29T10:17:00.000-06:00

MoDo: "I am big.
It's the 'newspapers' that got small."

Ms. Dowd opines: "Mitt Romney needs to be left alone to limp across the finish line, so he can devote his full time and attention to losing to President Obama..."

Why the left (and some establishment Republicans) fear Rick Santorum. And taking about tragedy, since it is a leap year Maureen Dowd can ask some lucky guy to marry her!
Prior EBL Posts:
Maureen Dowd: The Ghastly Outdated Op-Ed Columnist
Einstein defined insanity as...

Einstein defined Insanity as...

2012-02-29T00:30:00.001-06:00

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Mittens lives to fight another day...

2012-02-28T22:31:00.000-06:00

Romney 41%, Santorum 37.8%

Update: Why the left fears Santorum

And that is the way the cookie crumbles...

2012-02-28T01:51:00.000-06:00

Ann Althouse notes that Ben & Jerry's is apologizing for its raaaaacist Lin-Sanity frozen yogurt ...
Yes things are that politically correct and insane now. How dare you, Sir, suggest that a Chinese person might actually like Chinese inspired vanilla frozen yogurt with lychee honey and fortune cookie pieces in it! What next? Dublin Mudslide with Irish cream liqueur! Jamaican Me Crazy with pineapple and tapioca! Do these raaaaacists at Ben & Jerry's have no shame?
How about a song?

And we continue to spin ourselves into butter over these issues.
How crazy can it get? How about this crazy?

Meanwhile back in China (where they do not eat fortune cookies)
the sesame seeds for an economic meltdown are being sown...
Do you think if that happened that might have a negative impact on the global economy?
Like the Chinese not buying our debt anymore?
But you know what they say about Chinese economics...it is inscrutable.

Update: Fortune Cookies we would like to see...

Separated at Birth: Andrew Sullivan and...?

2012-02-28T00:18:00.000-06:00

Separated at Birth: Andrew Sullivan and ...

Andrew Sullivan,
Daily Beast Contributor
Rabid Obama Supporter

Michael Medved,
Daily Beast Contributor
Rabid Romney Supporter

Michael? Is there something you want to tell us? Do you think there is just a wee bit of hysteria in all of this? Hmmm, hysteria, conservative politics, destroying the opposition, where have we seen that before?

Andrew Sullivan endorses Rick Santorum for the GOP nomination:

I am relieved [Santorum] is at least candid. For now we can see in plain view the religious fanaticism that has destroyed one of the major parties in this country, a destruction that is perilous for any workable politics. It must be defeated - and not by electing a plastic liar and panderer like Romney. But by nominating Santorum and defeating him by such a margin that this theo-political Frankenstein, which threatens both genuine faith and civil politics, is dispatched once and for all.

Did Santorum make Excitable Andrew Sullivan feel bad about himself? Rick Santorum is an observant Catholic (unlike that other Catholic that Andrew Sullivan thinks was such a model of presidential virtue). But Santorum has said flat out that he would not restrict contraception. Santorum has said that just because he talks about an issue, doesn't mean he is going to take presidential action on an issue. The reason that Santorum's moral message has appeal in America of 2012 is there is a demonstrable moral decline occurring. In terms of success, as shown demographically, the stogie values of 1960 are the ones that successful people adopt. And yes, success is in many ways due to old fashioned attitudes like hard work, discipline, marriage, and commitment. I understand that Santorum opposes same sex marriage (and I also disagree with Mr. Santorum on that issue). But Barack Obama said he thought marriage should be limited to one man and one woman too and that his Christianity was the basis of that belief. But of course we all know Barack Obama really did not mean that. And apparently, that sort of moral pandering and subterfuge is the model for a good president? Sullivan of course ignores that in terms of same sex marriage and instead focused on when Obama has done similar things on health care. But is Andrew Sullivan calling for repeal of Obamacare? Nope. Hey if you are not a true believer of the neo-Gaiaism New Ageism that passes as supposed rational thought, you must hate the earth! Christianist!

As far as passing an amendment to ban abortion--the country is still roughly evenly divided over this issue (although the majority now support greater restrictions on late term abortion) and I doubt NARAL and Amanda Marcotte can start a civil war over it (although if a President Santorum gets to pick a replacement for one of the liberal Supreme Court justices, they just may try). And given how difficult it is to pass a constitutional amendment, Andrew can stop hyperventilating and can safely hit his medical marijuana bong again--a President Santorum is probably not going to be able to pass an amendment restricting marriage to one man and one woman. What absolute horror would take place if Santorum got elected? A more balanced budget? Cuts to entitlements? Perhaps the possibility the United States will not end up like this in a few years? Rather than panicking over the possibility of Santorum, why isn't Sullivan (who still have the gaul to call himself conservative) panicking over the damage Barack Obama and the Democrats are doing?

Michael Medved also panics that Rick Santorum might win the GOP nomination, fearing that a Santorum ticket would have such negative coattails as to not only lose the general presidential election, but to lose the House and Senate to the Democrats:

Democrats promising to spend hundreds of millions in a determined bid to recapture the House, and with Republicans mounting a supreme effort to win the four Democratic seats they need to win control of the Senate, the members of Congress naturally want a candidate at the top of the ticket who will make their own races easier, not harder. Even veteran incumbents with only token opposition still care deeply about the overall outcome: if the GOP loses the House, then Republicans must give up all the committee chairmanships and other prerogatives of power they currently enjoy.

I expect this sort of thing from Sullivan, but the hyperventilating and defeatism over Santorum by supposed conservatives like Ann Coulter, Chris Christie, Karl Rove, and Jennifer Rubin is getting tiresome. And what is Michael Medved smoking? If you guys are for Mitt Romney, then support Mitt Romney. This defeatist talk in Medved's column about how inevitable Barack Obama is pathetic and also untrue! Glenn Reynolds is no Santorum fan, but he acknowledges that the attacks on him as unelectable have been unfair. I have been critical of Rick Santorum and warned him not to be a nanny stater or alienate folks who could be potential allies. And it is possible Rick Santorum could blow it. But if Santorum does become the nominee, I am going to support him (and also encourage him to win). Plus Obama's victory is not guaranteed. These conservative pundits can support whoever they want, but remember the Left will be trying to destroy Romney as the nominee as much as Santorum in the general. I would rather have a conservative fighting than see another 2008 election.

EBL Separated at Birth posts:

Separated at Birth: Creepy Democratic Couples Separated at Birth Valentine's Day Edition!
Mitt Romney and...? (February 9, 2012)
Mitt Romney and...? (February 4, 2012)
Mitt Romney and ...? (January 22, 2012)
Tim Geithner and...?
Barack Obama and...?
Rick Santorum and ...?
Newt Gingrich and....?

original hat tip: Spy Magazine

Why Drudge cracks me up sometimes...

2012-02-28T00:03:00.000-06:00

OBAMA TO CUT HEALTHCARE FOR TROOPS...

h/t: Photo and Headline Courtesy of Drudge Report

Two candidates from two different places...Fishtown vs. Belmont: A tale of two suburbs

2012-02-27T12:38:00.000-06:00

Fishtown vs. Belmont, a tale of two suburbs...

Michael Barone has a very interesting article on the changing dynamics of White America and where these two candidates, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney, are coming from...

In Fishtown, he reports, one-third of men age 30 to 49 are not making a living, one-fifth of women are single mothers raising children, and nearly 40 percent have no involvement in a secular or religious organization.The result is that the children being raised in such settings have the odds heavily stacked against them. Santorum made this point vividly, and Mitt Romney chimed in his agreement.These findings turn some conventional political wisdom on its head. They tend to contradict the liberals who blame increasing income disparity on free-market economics. In fact, it is driven in large part by personal behavior and choices.They also undermine the conservatives who say that a liberation-minded upper class has been undermining traditional values to which more downscale Americans are striving to adhere. Murray's complaint against upscale liberals is not that they are libertines but that they fail to preach what they practice...

This may explain why Rick Santorum is surging with conservative women... Here are four different theories on why Rick Santorum is surging with women: Theories 1-3 are generally correct, theory 4 is a warning on not letting the Democrats brand Santorum in this way (no one likes a nanny scold). Here is Stacy McCain, who is a Rick Santorum supporter, on the fight and the figher.
Update: Creative Minority on Rick Santorum and JFK. Of course what Rick Santorum is right--religious people should have a voice on policy, but: "The problem Santorum faces is that although he's absolutely right, it's not something that can be explained to folks in ten second sound bytes. So his words are taken out of context and shown in the worst possible light." And yes the left will twist this (so be prepared).

Update II: This is just great advice on pivoting a gotcha media or debate question from DaTechGuy (good advice for any GOP candidate in the general, but especially for Rick Santorum now):

Valley of the Shadow raises a great point concerning election 2012:

Stay on message. Remember the Surber Rule: The economy alone will get a Republican elected president next year. Talk about nothing else.

Surber himself gives this example:

Reporter: Is homosexuality a choice or genetic?
Answer: That’s above my pay grade, as the president likes to say. But unlike the president, the economy is not above my pay grade. I can promise you a lower unemployment rate when I am elected president and the economy is allowed to grow.

Me I’d answer a different way:

Reporter: Is homosexuality a choice or genetic?/Do you believe in evolution/should the church pay for contraception/ etc. etc etc..
Answer: Are you serious? Unemployment is over 8%, Millions have given up on looking for work, Gas prices are skyrocketing and that’s the question you’re asking? Is that really the question your viewers/readers want asked?
Reporter: It’s a topic on people’s minds

Answer: No it’s the topic you and the media want to talk about because you understand that a conversation on the economy is a loser for the left.
Reporter: So you are refusing to answer the question?
Answer: Look if a voter in a town hall asks me a question I’ll answer it, my views are not a secret, but if you want to get fodder for your talking points you’ll just have to do the legwork.

Surber is right in the sense of not playing the reporters but if the voter asks, you answer, unabashedly, unashamed and without reservation.

Update III: Rush: Don't fear the social issues

Of course both Rick and Mitt will not win over all women. But that is okay, they were lost a long, long, time ago.

Hypocrisy: Thy name is Islamic Outrage نفاق

2012-02-27T09:21:00.001-06:00

A photograph of a Koran burning in Lebanon

Muslims throwing hundreds of Korans in a sewage ditch in Pakistan... no outrage whatsoever over that.

Afghan Protestor about Koran burning منافق

Muslims murdering and rioting in Afghanistan because the U.S. Army had the temerity to burn some Korans that were already defaced and desecrated by Muslims first. Two U.S. advisors were shot in the back by a member of the Afghan forces we are working with.

This is tiresome and intolerable. Islamists murder in the name of God over cartoons? Islamists blow up mosques that they disagree with and in the process kill Muslim women and children (beyond burning Korans). And this outrage is something we are supposed to take seriously? The only part I take seriously is this: Violent over-reaction is not tolerable. Update: Hundreds of death threats to "Zombie Mohammed" victim.

And we have nothing to apologize for (at least not in the manner that was done in this case). The President should be explaining that to the world, rather than catering to this sort of behavior. This sort of weak reaction by the White House encourages this sort of over-reaction, it does not prevent it. Charles Krauthammer and National Review are absolutely correct in this:

The reason we’re apologizing is not because of politeness or showing respect. A single apology would have done that. It’s the fear of violence. People don’t object if Mormons are mocked on Broadway, if Christian crucifixes are put in bottles of urine and displayed in a museum, because violence isn’t a factor.
[Regarding Islam, however] people are afraid. You do a cartoon of Muhammad and you get beheaded or shot. It’s a matter of fear. It’s not respect. One apology is correct. It [the administration’s multiple apologies] shouldn’t have been done — all of this stuff is cravenness.

h/t: Instapundit

Okay, you can change the channel from the Oscars to the Walking Dead now...

2012-02-26T18:51:00.000-06:00

Well the one funny bit of the night is done, you might as well switch to The Walking Dead
“If someone asks what you are wearing, tell them Kim Jong Il.”

Sacha Baron Cohen comes as "The Dictator" to the Academy Awards red carpet and dumps Kim Jong Il's ashes on Ryan Seacrest.

Sadly, while Mr. Cohen finally managed to get invited, Uggie, the star of The Artist will not be. Sadly, blatant speciesism is still rampant in Hollywood:

Update: They did the right thing!

How could the Academy say no to a mug like this?
Thank you to the Academy for doing the right thing!
We will beat speciesism! One animal at a time!
Uggie was allowed to attend and The Artist wins best picture.

At least MoDo is not there either.

Maureen Dowd Speaks: The Ghastly Outdated Op-ed Columnist

2012-02-26T11:46:00.001-06:00

MoDo: "I am big. It's the 'newspapers' that got small."

On Oscar night, with a silent film being considered for Best Picture, Ms Maureen "Norma Desmond" Dowd comes out of seclusion and takes pot shots at the GOP. Here is a hint Ms. Dowd: You are not in a position to call anyone "creepy." And this statement by you was curious: "How can the warm, nurturing Catholic Church of my youth now be represented in the public arena by uncharitable nasties like Gingrich and Rick Santorum? " I am pretty sure you abandoned that "warm nurturing Catholic Church" of your youth way way before Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the House, let alone in this election cycle.
Prior EBL Post:
Maureen Dowd is a big fat liar...
Sarah Palin on Maureen Dowd: Don't get all wee-weed up!
Maureen Dowd on Silence is Golden (it is indeed Ms. Dowd, when it comes to your political opining)

Academy Aware Update: Well it is over, Sacha Baron Cohen steals the show...

Update: The Other McCain comments about Marueen Dowd's latest rant: "Finally, if ”perceived sexuality” is to be so zealously protected, would the Oakland Police press hate-crime charges against protesters if they shouted “bitter old spinster” at Maureen Dowd?"

Judge Martin Responds: On "Zombie Mohammed" Case

2012-02-26T02:27:00.001-06:00

Judge Martin: I did use the word “doofus,” but didn’t call him that directly;
I said something akin to “ if you’re going to mock another religion or culture,
you should check your facts, first- otherwise, you’ll look like a doofus.”

Volokh Conspiracy supposedly has the response from Judge Martin on the case. Professor Volokh does not have the link, but he says he got an email from someone who knows Judge Martin. It seems to be written in Judge Martin's voice...did Judge Martin send Volokh the e-mail? Judge Martin claims he did not do what he is being accused of doing. Judge Martin also outlines his duty in Iraq and Afghanistan (which involved combat and seems very honorable and commendable) and states that he is not a Muslim.
Original Post: Pennsylvania Sharia Law? Free speech vs. Insulting Islam
Granted the tapes were partial, but do they square with what Judge Martin is claiming now? There must be an official taping or court reporting system for the hearing in question. Shouldn't that resolve the issue (probably not for official judicial council review, but at least in terms of immediate public interest)?

Update: Hundreds of death threats to "Zombie Mohammed" victim.
Update II: Volokh Conspiracy makes a good follow on point:
More from Judge Mark Martin (of the Zombie Mohammed Incident), on CNN

Eugene Volokh • February 27, 2012 8:05 pm

From a CNN interview (starting at 2:15):

Interviewer: When I spoke to him over the phone, Judge Martin acknowledged it’s his job to protect the rights of people like the atheist, no matter how offensive they might be.
Interviewer to Judge Martin: … There are some who believe you were failing to protect that right.
Judge Martin: No, I don’t think so. Here’s the thing: It’s a right, it’s not a privilege, it’s a right. With rights come responsibilities. The more that people abuse our rights, the more likely that we’re going to lose them.

But I don’t quite see how this is “the thing,” at least in the sense of an explanation of the judge’s actions at the trial. I don’t think that we’re in danger of losing our free speech rights because some people say things that are offensive to Muslims. I do think that free speech rights are in danger when judges berate alleged crime victims for their anti-Islam speech, and thus convey the message that the legal system may be biased against those who engage in such speech and may fail to protect those people because of such speech.

Categories: Blasphemy

USA Number One! USA Number One! Oh wait...USA is number one in per capita debt?

2012-02-26T00:59:00.002-06:00

This is not a good thing to be number one in... The Debt Star is not just coming, it is here. The Paul Ryan Republican budget plan is not radical, it is the minimum solution. The cuts needed are far more draconian than what Ryan is recommending.
h/t: Protein Wisdom

It is this sort of thinking that got us in this mess...

2012-02-25T14:14:00.003-06:00

The economics of the death star.

I do not want to be too critical of this thought experiment,

and beyond the economics are also the physics of it, and people have thought about how it works,

but if you do not pay attention to the details you end up with this mess:

Prior EBL Posts:

These are beautiful works of art...

2012-02-25T11:15:00.001-06:00

Combining exercise and show shoeing...
h/t: The Agitator

The Obama poster creator, Shepard Fairey, pleads guilty to criminal contempt

2012-02-25T10:36:00.000-06:00

Who did Fairely think he was? Eric Holder? Bill Clinton?

Shepard Fairley and the four steps to becoming a lying king...

Belmont Club: Honest as the day is long...

h/t: Instapundit

The problem with hate crimes...

2012-02-25T09:52:00.000-06:00

The statement by the defense attorney frames the issue exactly right. Why not just charge people with assault and battery (or whatever crime they are accused of committing) if they deserve it? Three Massachusetts lesbians charged with hate crimes for beating up a gay man:

Three women identified by their lawyers as lesbians were arraigned yesterday on a hate crime charge for allegedly beating a gay man at the Forest Hills T station in an unusual case that experts say exposes the law’s flawed logic.
“My guess is that no sane jury would convict them under those circumstances, but what this really demonstrates is the idiocy of the hate-crime legislation,” said civil liberties lawyer Harvey Silverglate. “If you beat someone up, you’re guilty of assault and battery of a human being. Period. The idea of trying to break down human beings into categories is doomed to failure.”

Here is a video of some New Zealand ladies taking on a guy who mouthed off to one of them on the sidewalk:

Here is a different story of some UK women who beat up the wrong man by mistake (they thought he "wolf whistled" them.

Update: The problem with hate crimes. Oh my. This is a great example. Thanks to The Other McCain.

Visiting Brooklyn? Oddities and Fashion

2012-02-25T02:23:00.000-06:00

Heather Holliday, Sword Swallower from elizabeth glover on Vimeo.
More Heather Holliday I am glad they are bringing the old school carney back to Coney Island.

And if you are looking for fashion in Brooklyn, you might check out this place too...

There are obnoxious new comers in Brooklyn though. Ignore them.

Happy 91st Birthday Abe Vigoda

2012-02-25T00:38:00.000-06:00

I am a little late, but happy birthday Abe.

Glenn Beck and Rick Santorum discuss libertarians and Ron Paul

2012-02-24T16:34:00.001-06:00

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Your browser does not support iframes.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
Glenn Beck is trying to help Rick Santorum here...
I am not a fan of Ron Paul's foreign policy either. I also lean more George Washington than Thomas Paine. This is an interesting exchange. Rick is much better in this setting than in debates.

But it goes back to the advice of Jim DeMint and Sarah Palin. We want to keep Ron Paul from running third party. We want his supporters to support the GOP nominee. There are also Ron Paul positions on fiscal matters that the GOP absolutely should adopt. And while Ron Paul is a libertarian, not all libertarians are Ron Paul supporters. So when Rick Santorum criticizes Ron Paul by using the term libertarian, he is alienating himself from those other libertarians.
I am not the only one who has noticed this.

Meanwhile are Ron Paul and Mitt Romney working some sort of deal out? Or is this the explanation for Ron Paul's assistance to Mitt Romney in the debate the other day? Hint: If you are trying to debunk a conspiracy theory involving Mitt Romney, it might be a good idea not to have Hugh Hewitt or Jennifer Rubin make the pitch.

Update: Mark Levin has a "no gotcha" interview with Rick Santorum.

Pennsylvania Sharia Law? Free Speech vs. Insulting Muslims

2012-02-24T10:56:00.002-06:00

This is a bizarre story I suspect we will hearing more of. An atheist activist, Ernie Perce, dressed as "Zombie Mohammed" in a Pennsylvania parade was physically assaulted by Talag Elbayomy, an offended Muslim on looker. Assault and harassment charges were brought against the Mr. Elbayomy. A Pennsylvania judge, Magistrate Judge Mark Martin, an Iraq war veteran and Muslim convert, threw out the charges against Defendant Elbayomy saying any first amendment rights were trumped by the offense to Islam. The judge then lectured Mr. Perce about Islam. The judge accepted the defendant's Sharia defense for the assault. Now Mr. Perce, the victim, is facing contempt of court charges for releasing video of the hearing.

This story leaves me speechless. God, I wish Christopher Hitchens was still here for this one. Under this judge's theory if you are offended by images of Christ being mocked in art, you can resort to violence too? Oh wait, no, he said it was different for Islam.

h/t: Atlas Shrugged and The Corner

Update:

Pales in term of judicial misconduct above, but a lesbian judge refuses to marry straight couples until gay marriage is legal in Texas
Creeping Sharia
Pat Dollard: More links and video
AoSHQ
Weasel Zippers
The Volokh Conspiracy: Good point on why it is best not to mess with free speech.
Jawa Report
DaTechGuy: Related issues with Afghanistan and other "outrages"
PJ Tatler: Sharia comes to Pennsylvania
Other civil liberties in the news: 11th Circuit Appeals Court decision on searches/computers
The Blaze
Sister Toldjah
Blogmocracy
The right sort of apology to Muslims in Afghanistan
Volokh Conspiracy on Zombie Mohammed
Instapundit
Breitbart Big Peace
Opposing Views
The Agitator
If Judge Martin was not Muslim, does that change this? No, it is his methodology that was wrong and why this decision is so flawed and wrong.
Perverse incentives: Chickens come to roost
The Judge Responds: Says he was only trying to help the victim and there was insufficient evidence of a crime...
New Post
Update: Hundreds of death threats to "Zombie Mohammed" victim.

Gasoline prices spike: President Obama offers algae as an alternative fuel? Meanwhile Mahmoud Ahmedinejad asks, "Who run barter town?"

2012-02-23T19:12:00.000-06:00

The above video clip is provided as a parody of Mahmoud "Master Blaster" Ahmadinejad making such a demand... You think that little clown is a trouble maker now, wait till he has some nuclear weapons to hide behind. The U.S. is pressuring Israel not to act in Iran. But hey, the Obama administration want to negotiate. Of course the current Iranian leadership is reasonable...they just sentenced an Iranian Christian convert to death by stoning. Hey, maybe the left admires the way those Iranians deal with those Christianists!

If only there were an alternative substance that the Obama Administration had in abundance that produces gas....hmmmm

The White House denied it killed the Keystone Pipeline, even though it absolutely did. And Obama friends benefited from that. President Obama then offered that our future is oil made from algae. Algae fuel costs about $33 a gallon. Wouldn't it be smarter to use our own native oil and natural gas until the algae fuel is affordable? It has been the goal of the Obama Administration to have gasoline prices as high as they are in Europe. And maybe some other "Friends of Obama" will get the algae fuel gig! There is plenty of money to be made in green energy. Yet the Obama Administration has made it its goal to restrict domestic energy development.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Army burns Korans that were desecrated by Muslim detainees. The Taliban are encouraging rioting and killing U.S. Soliders, and President Obama is apologizing for that? The Taliban when in power in Afghanistan regularly executed homosexuals, mutilated women, destroyed and desecrated cultural heritage, and murdered children. Newt Gingrich rightly calls that apology an outrage.

Update:

Flashback 2005: Debbie Wasserman Shultz blames gas prices going up on GOP
Obama mocks those calling for more drilling
Taliban behead 70 year old baker accused of spying
Obama thinks you are stupid
Obama touts his "miracle" fuel
Six ways Obama could lower gasoline prices (approve Keystone, more exploration, add flexibility to regional "boutique" gas requirements, end ethanol mandate, end low carbon specs, do not impose new oil taxes)
Guess what triggers recessions?
Campaign Spot Flashback 2008: Obama blaming Republicans
JWF: Five biggest whoppers in Obama's Oil Speech
JWF: Pelosi in 2008: Blame Bush, Pelosi in 2012: Blame Wall Street
A beautiful letter to Blotivator Bill O'Reilly about economics and oil
Hot Air: Democratic conspiracy theory about rapacious Canadians

How to Refuse Police Searches

2012-02-23T13:51:00.001-06:00

Other than occasional speeding, I do not break the law. But you can always be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and this is very good advice. Never voluntarily consent to a search. You might be the most law abiding person in the world but someone may have left something in your vehicle you do not know about. There are certain constitutional protections that are waived if you agree to a search. Be polite. But you gain nothing by agreeing to it and lose a lot of protections. Do not agree to a search. If you ever are arrested, ask to speak to a lawyer. Then be quiet. Again, be polite and cooperative.
h/t: The Agitator
Update: Other civil liberties in the news: 11th Circuit Appeals Court decision on searches/computers

Is there a Ron Paul and Mitt Romney deal?

2012-02-23T01:16:00.001-06:00

Is Rand part of a Paul-Romney deal?

There seemed to be more than a little simpatico tonight between Ron Paul and Mitt Romney in going after Rick Santorum. Mark Levin and William Jacobson noticed signs of it before the debate tonight. Jeff Goldstein is also noticing the pattern. Although Professor Jacobson is probably right about this: "Paul doesn’t need promises now. He’ll do his bargaining when he is at maximum power, which will be in a couple of months." Still, for this to work Ron Paul needs to make sure Mitt Romney is leading going into the convention (but weakened enough that he has to deal with Paul). They both want Rick Santorum out.

There was a suggestion post debate that Ron Paul was offered a vice president spot with Mitt Romney, but that seems implausible. But a deal to give Rand Paul the vice presidency spot? Still unlikely, but perhaps. Of course the argument would be is Romney acting "Mavricky" out of desperation. I was going to use the analogy of Ron Paul like Tessio and Mitt Romney like Barzini...but it is not even that dramatic. This may be just Huckabee and McCain '08 again. And we know how that turned out.

I have argued that Santorum should be less hostile to libertarians (even Sarah Palin argued for it generally for the GOP)...well it looks like Mitt is taking up the advice.
Update:
Ace on the topic

Maybe they can ask a question at the debate tonight about this...

2012-02-22T16:28:00.000-06:00

Mitt Romney supporters taking down Rick Santourm signs?
Santorum rising in Wisconsin and Oklahoma
Mitt: This is not the sort of thing that will endear you to Republicans...

Satan Angry? Santorum ahead 34% to 18% in Wisconsin

2012-02-22T15:33:00.002-06:00

Satan: "I still have a lot of followers in Wisconsin...especially in Madison!"

Stacy McCain reports! Background numbers on the poll. Don't get too excited, Obama (at least right now) still wins Wisconsin against any of the Republican candidates. Santorum, however, also up in Oklahoma.
Are Romney contractors taking down Santorum signs?

Washington's Birthday: Washington at Valley Forge

2012-02-22T10:27:00.000-06:00

The debate over Washington praying at Valley Forge

Today is Washington's Birthday. Whether Washington prayed or not as depicted above at Valley Forge is really not the point. Valley Forge, at least at the beginning, was the low point for the Continental Army. That they survived that winter, and drilled and prepared throughout the winter in preparation of a summer campaign, is testament to George Washington's leadership. On the prayer debate, Washington was a very private man when it came to matters of faith and was certainly familiar with this.

Prior EBL Post:

Happy Presidents Day

Ash Wednesday: Saint of the Day, Margaret of Cortona

2012-02-22T09:55:00.000-06:00

Saint Margaret of Cortona

I just had a discussion with a friend about Ash Wednesday, Judas, and St. Lucy. But today, beyond being George Washington's birthday, is also Saint Margaret's day. What Ash Wednesday is about. Today is the start of Lent. The Anchoress has some links of the subject.
T.S. Elliot's Ash Wednesday

Why tolerance is condescending...the respect of dissent

2012-02-22T01:06:00.000-06:00

Crack Emcee had this clip the other day and I found it very profound. So I am posting it again. A good video to contemplate on Ash Wednesday.

Penn Jillette: Mistrust of Government Is a Beautiful Thing

2012-02-22T00:58:00.001-06:00

This is very true.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is now just blatantly lying: Claiming President Obama didn't turn down the Keystone pipeline...

2012-02-21T20:53:00.002-06:00

Shameless Jay Carney
Update: $6 gasoline in Florida?

"The American press is all about lies! All they tell is lies, lies and more lies!" Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, Iraqi Minister of Information (Bagdad Bob)
"The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth." H. L. Mencken
"The size of the lie is a definite factor in causing it to be believed, because the vast masses of a nation are in the depths of their hearts more easily deceived than they are consciously and intentionally bad. The primitive simplicity of their minds renders them more easy victims of a big lie than a small one, because they themselves often tell little lies but would be ashamed to tell big ones. Such a form of lying would never enter their heads. They would never credit others with the possibility of such great impudence as the complete reversal of facts. Even explanations would long leave them in doubt and hesitation, and any trifling reason would dispose them to accept a thing as true. Something therefore always remains and sticks from the most imprudent of lies, a fact which all bodies and individuals concerned in the art of lying in this world know only too well, and therefore they stop at nothing to achieve this end." Adolph Hitler, Mein Kampf

Jay Carney just told a giant lie for the Obama Administration:

White House press secretary Jay Carney first says Republicans "forced" President Obama to deny the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. Later in his press briefing, Carney says Obama didn't turn down the pipeline."In terms of Keystone, as you all know, the history here is pretty clear. And the fact is because Republicans decided to play political with Keystone, their action essentially forced the administration to deny the permit process because they insisted on a time frame in which it was impossible to completely approve the pipeline," Carney said when asked about the pipeline by ABC News' Jake Tapper. Later in the briefing, Carney says it is the Republicans' fault.

Do you think the Democrats might be concerned by rising oil prices and the effect of that on the election? The internal polling by the White House must be downright ugly over this.
The Truth:

Update: This is exactly spot on

The Investors: Obama killed Keystone pipeline
Reason: NY Times Joe Nocera calls the Obama Administration out on killing Keystone
Politico: Editorials strongly against Obama's decision killing the Keystone pipeline
Protein Wisdom: We are on to your lies...
Indigo Hicks: The Lies of Jay Carney
Reddog Report: Jay Carney caught in another lie...
All-American Blogger: Jake Tapper calls Jay Carney out...
Ed Driscoll: High Gas Prices and the Memory Hole
Instapundit: Democrats do not want to admit in an election year that they want high gasoline prices...
Free Enterprise: Words mean things...
Ace of Spades HQ: Orwell Wept
President Obama: "Sorry, there is nothing I can do..." Really?
President Obama: How about some algae?

The Declaration of Independence: The pursuit of happiness

2012-02-21T15:10:00.003-06:00

I love this scene from HBO's John Adams, so I am including it.
Rick Santorum is right, in part, that the term "pursuit of happiness" was not intended as some hedonistic license. And even Jefferson, himself, stated these rights were from God:

The evidence of [the] natural right [of expatriation], like that of our right to life, liberty, the use of our faculties, the pursuit of happiness, is not left to the feeble and sophistical investigations of reason, but is impressed on the sense of every man. We do not claim these under the charters of kings or legislators, but under the King of Kings.

Thomas Jefferson to John Manners, 1817.

But Rick Santorum's overall statement, while in some ways correct, misses the point. Part of this is style: There is something about Rick Santorum's manner that is off putting. But it is substance too. I find it implausible that Thomas Jefferson meant what Rick Santorum thinks he meant (it is frankly a little too "Puritan" an interpretation for a Virginian like Jefferson) . The "pursuit of happiness" phrase was, at its core, a recognition of the primacy of an individual over his own conscience and dreams. Ayn Rand nails it with this:

The Right to the Pursuit of Happiness means man’s right to live for himself, to choose what constitutes his own private, personal, individual happiness and to work for its achievement, so long as he respects the same right in others. It means that Man cannot be forced to devote his life to the happiness of another man nor of any number of other men. It means that the collective cannot decide what is to be the purpose of a man’s existence nor prescribe his choice of happiness.

I do not want to be too harsh on Rick Santorum. I just wish Rick Santorum was not so hostile to libertarian concepts and libertarians. While the Democrats love to expound on liberty, they often have a rather passive-aggressive relationship with the concept [Update: check out this link by The Anchoress]. Ayn Rand was also correct about this: "A right is the sanction of independent action. A right is that which can be exercised without anyone’s permission. If you exist only because society permits you to exist—you have no right to your own life. A permission can be revoked at any time."

We will need libertarians to win general election and I wish Rick Santorum could grasp that "self evident" fact. Maybe Satan is trying to trick Santorum about libertarians? And as Bill Jacobson noted by referring to a Hot Air comment, I am also sure some so-called "conservatives" are not arguing in good faith about Santorum. And Dan Riehl is also right, many of the faith based attacks against Santorum are repulsive.

Update:

Happy Fat Tuesday! With some helpful comments about Paula Deen from Anthony Bourdain

2012-02-21T13:00:00.002-06:00

King Cake

Some Food Network Fat Tuesday Recipes

And, talking about the Food Network and fat, how about some helpful general criticism from Anthony Bourdain:

"When your signature dish is hamburger in between a doughnut, and you've been cheerfully selling this stuff knowing all along that you've got Type 2 Diabetes... It's in bad taste if nothing else," "She revels in unholy connections with evil corporations and she's proud of the fact that her food is f---ing bad for you. If I were on at seven at night and loved by millions of people at every age, I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it's OK to eat food that is killing us. Plus, her food sucks."

Paula Deen's English peas recipe.

The Artist: It is good to see an old favorite actor bounce back in a plumb comeback role...

2012-02-21T01:34:00.002-06:00

Uggie with Bérénice Bejo as Peppy Miller

Uggie with Jean Dujardin as George Valentin

I went to see The Artist yesterday and the stranger sitting next to me belched, chewed, and farted through the whole movie (and that is saying a lot given I am a cow). And in a silent movie the noise of a person belching, chewing, and farting next to you becomes even more annoying. I was at the movie early and this "person" and her slightly less offensive partner came right up and sat next to me (they were aging baby boomer hippies). I should have moved. I have not had that much sensory input at the movies since John Water's Polyester and Smell-O-Vision. What I suffer through sometimes so I can report to you what is happening in the movies!

Despite that unpleasant experience at the theater, The Artist was a very entertaining movie (which trusts me says a lot about that film that I got over the distractions). Set in the period when the silent movies went to "talkies" it chronicles a silent film star who seeks meaning and redemption...good to see "Eddie" from Fraiser get such a plumb comeback role! Actually "Eddy," was played by Moose, and is sadly no long with us. The dog in The Artist is Uggie (who is retiring now). Uggie steals every scene he is in. Both Moose and Uggie were rejected house pets who were rescued (Jack Russell terriers can be terrors if they are not properly trained and challenged). What made these dogs nightmare house pets made them stars in Hollywood (because they have the energy and drive to work hard and were not intimidated by the sets, lights and trapping of film). The rest of the cast do okay too. Actually both Bérénice Bejo and Jean Dujardin do a wonderful job in this film.

NY Times review. The Artist won Golden Globes for best film, best actor (for Dujardin) and best screen play. It has been nominated for Academy Awards for Best Film, Best Actor for Dujardin, Best Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design and Original Score. The movie did sample (with permission) part of the score from Vertigo which has upset Kim Novak.

Financially, Oscar bumps, however, are not what they used to be. And sadly, Uggie is not being invited to the Academy Awards due to tension between him and Director/Writer Michel Hazanavicius. Here is the blooper reel. I am sure this is a film that will do well in the rental market (And given my lovely experience at the theater, I can't imagine why rentals you can enjoy in the privacy of your home would be thriving...)

Rush Limbaugh is right about Margin Call

2012-02-20T22:32:00.002-06:00

I heard about this movie on Rush Limbaugh back in December and got around to getting it on Netflix. It is a very well made movie (the writing, directing, and the acting). An all star cast. It reminded me of Glengarry Glen Ross, but the acting in Margin Call is more subtle (Glengarry as a film retained a theatrical stage feel to it)--even though this is a financial thriller with far greater stakes. Margin Call did get an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay--and it deserves it. Staring Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Stanley Tucci, Jeremy Irons, Demi Moore, and Zachary Quinto. I can see why Rush watched this film three times. This is one I might keep an extra day to watch again. Official site. NY Times review.

Happy Presidents Day!

2012-02-20T04:07:00.000-06:00

Prior EBL Posts:
George Washington crossing the Delaware River
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Teddy Roosevelt riding a bull moose (no it is not photo-shopped)
Other posts:
Taiwan Animation explains Presdents' Day (sort of--not sure what their sources were...)
Actually today is Washington's Birthday (officially) not Presidents' Day
The WaPo Presidents Day Quiz
The LA Times Presidents Day Quiz
When Washington became great
GOP candidates bring Founding Fathers back into the spotlight...
Protein Wisdom: Abraham Lincoln feats of strength (when he was 57 years old)
Lincoln as a wrestler/sportsman
Why we honor George Washington
Abe Lincoln Blog (with a photo of that ax Abe straight armed)
American Thinker on Washington's Birthday
Other News:
Presidents Day Snow Storm

Karl Rove: You are "mentally ill" if you think a new GOP candidate will emerge...

2012-02-20T03:29:00.001-06:00

The Architect

Karl Rove on Fox News Sunday strongly dismissed any suggestion of a new GOP candidate emerging. Has Jeb Bush has told Karl Rove privately "No"? Joe Trippi (in the panel discussion) suggests that the fear of Republicans of Barack Obama winning again is very similar to what Democrats experienced about George W. Bush in 2004 (which of course gave them John Kerry and John Edwards).

Prior EBL Posts:
A Brokered GOP Convention?
Santorum sweeps Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado, What does this mean?

It is all Greek to me (and you too)...is this our future?

2012-02-19T15:35:00.001-06:00

A glorious civilization, now in ruins...

The Way the Greeks Live Now, by Russell Shorto. Life goes on in Greece, but not as good as it was. It shows (again) that Robert Heinlein was right about TANSTAAFL: "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch." Eventually we all will pay.

Russell Shorto's: Island at the Center of the World This is a great book about the history of the Dutch colonies in North America (now New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) and I strongly recommend it. Our Dutch predecessors focused on libertarian business and economics in their colonies and it was there influence that became the dominate one in the United States. Well at least for a while.

Blogs to watch:
Greece Economy Watch
Dollar Collapse: Greece collapse postponed a few months, next up Portugal
Update:
Greece on the edge of collapse
Debt is causing U.S. to follow Greece's example...
VDH: Europe in the rear view mirror
Prior EBL Posts:
Working Hard? Suckas
Mark Steyn: Thanks for ruining my weekend...
Why we are so screwed: The U.S. Economy and Medical entitlements...

Working hard and feeling you just cannot get ahead...Suckas!

2012-02-19T11:37:00.000-06:00

If we didn't laugh, we would cry...

If Mark Steyn's news left me depressed yesterday, Tyler Durden and Vodka Pundit are goading me to go out and pelt an Occupy Camp with rotten eggs and fish heads: Yes it is confirmed, with all the government assistance you will have more disposable income working one week a month on minimum wage and collecting the available benefits than working for a $60,000 a year salary in a full time stressful job. So it is not just fat cat corporations getting government bailouts.

Not surprisingly, it is not only the richest and most audacious thieves that prosper - it is also the penny scammers at the very bottom of the economic ladder that rip off the middle class each and every day, courtesy of the world's most generous entitlement system...

We have been writing for over a year, how the very top of America's social order steals from the middle class each and every day. Now we finally know that the very bottom of the entitlement food chain also makes out like a bandit compared to that idiot American who actually works and pays their taxes. One can only also hope that in addition to seeing their disposable income be eaten away by a kleptocratic entitlement state, that the disappearing middle class is also selling off its weaponry. Because if it isn't, and if it finally decides it has had enough, the outcome will not be surprising at all: it will be the same old that has occurred in virtually every revolution in the history of the world to date.

We are also subsidizing the protest class with this nonsense.
Update:

The power of belief to shape reality...

2012-02-19T02:29:00.001-06:00

A fascinating article. And we can see it happening all the time with the rise and fall of candidates in a political process, the stock market, relationships, history... I suspect human nature has been relatively constant (at least over the last 5,000 years of recorded history). But certainly how people have processed information and dealt with it has changed dramatically over time. Here is the example (this is not an endorsement) of some leadership training course. Do optimists out perform pessimists by force of will? What is the role of skepticism? What about faith and doubt? Just because you believe something doesn't mean it is objectively good. The reality certain beliefs create is not one I would care to participate in. Beyond individuals does this have broader implications to societies?

Update:

Late Night Saturday Night: Ray Charles - Wichita Lineman

2012-02-19T02:05:00.000-06:00

Tina Korbe: The legs that launched a million hits...

2012-02-18T15:30:00.000-06:00

A visitor from space this week might conclude that the most important issue facing the nation right now is Ms. Korbe's skirt length...Wombat-socho at The Other McCain has some of the good links! But even the mighty Wombat missed a lot.
Update: Stacy McCain apologizes... Ouch!

Who Wants to See Tina Korbe’s Thighs?

Subject to Misinterpretation

It might be good to have the original Hot Air post
Vodka Pundit
The POH Diaries (link fixed)
Haemet
Katie Pavlich at Townhall (the Salem girls have to stick together!)
Laura Donovan
Jenny Erikson (and the important "pick one rule" for ladies)
Goodboys Nation
Three Beers Later: CPAC secrets revealed
Ms. Korbe ranked #5 hottest conservative media woman by Right Wing News (Ms Korbe prefers to be referred to as pretty)

Windmills: Some of us have to sacrifice to be green...even the eagles!

2012-02-18T11:25:00.001-06:00

A golden eagle in flight. Could become extinct in U.S.?

California wind "subsidized" mills (of course)
I am staring to get a new
perspective on Cervantes...

More dead eagles! Managed by the federal government!

Thanks Mark Steyn for ruining my weekend! The growing debt crisis and the demographics of an entitlement society...

2012-02-18T09:33:00.001-06:00

We have a very big problem.
Even though we are screwed, we probably do not need free contraception.

The United States faces a mildly less daunting arithmetic [than Europe]. Nevertheless, the Baby Boomers did not have enough children to maintain mid-20th-century social programs. As a result, the children they did have will end their lives in a poorer, uglier, sicker, more divided, and more violent society. How to avert this fate? In 2009 Nancy Pelosi called for free contraceptives as a form of economic stimulus. Ten thousand Americans retire every day, and leave insufficient progeny to pick up the slack. In effect, Nancy has rolled a giant condom over the entire American economy.

h/t Instapundit and The Corner

It is almost like the analogy of a big ship crashing into a great big iceberg and a lot of people ending up having bad things happening to them...

Update:

A brokered GOP Convention?

2012-02-17T18:10:00.000-06:00

A candidate picked in a "smoke-filled" room? Of course any smoking is usually on the sidewalk now a days...

courtesy of Dave in Texas at AoSHQ

A brokered GOP convention? It might just happen...
Why a brokered convention would be perilous
Sarah Palin?
Mitch Daniels or Jeb Bush? (Oh sure, that would make everyone happy...I don't think so.)
Jonah Goldberg on a brokered convention
Karl Rove says you are mentally ill for thinking so (Jeb Bush must have told him again, "NO!")

Paul Gauguin: D'où Venons Nous / Que Sommes Nous / Où Allons Nous

2012-02-17T12:23:00.000-06:00

D'où Venons Nous / Que Sommes Nous / Où Allons Nous
Where Do We Come From / What Are We / Where Are We Going
Loans of Gauguin masterpieces are tough to arrange, and there's one painting,
commonly seen as the culmination of his time in Tahiti, that's conspicuous in its absence...

Ann Althouse has a link on the Paul Gauguin & Polynesia show at the Seattle Art Museum.

The works of Paul Gauguin...

There is a Wisconsin connection to Quinn becoming an actor, as a young man Quinn met Frank Lloyd Wright at Talliesin through an architecture competition and Quinn stammered. Wright advised him to take acting lessons, since an architect must be articulate.

Gary Carter: Rest In Peace

2012-02-17T11:18:00.000-06:00

Hall of Famer Gary Carter dies at 57. A great ball player and a great human being. RIP

Newt Gingrich: "Houston, We have a problem..."

2012-02-17T11:04:00.000-06:00

Newt Gingrich: I could lose Georgia...
But Newt is getting a potential life line!
Rick Santorum thinks gambling is bad?

Unusual in their dishonesty and meanness, but certainly not unique...

2012-02-17T00:41:00.003-06:00

INSTAPUNDIT NOTES:

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

JAMES TARANTO: Fear and Feminism: Some criticism of Rick Santorum is downright irrational. Yeah, I’ve never been a Santorum fan, but the attacks on him are unusual in their dishonesty and meanness.

Posted by Glenn Reynolds at 11:52 pm

Dishonest and mean, but hardly unique...

And this was a relatively mild attack on Sarah Palin.
And while Sarah Palin has Andrew Sullivan out there probing around where no ~~gay man~~ decent human being should go...Rick Santorum has Dan Savage stalking him.

Why we are so screwed: The U.S. Economy and Medical Entitlements...

2012-02-17T00:10:00.003-06:00

This is the U.S. Economy

This is the iceberg

I am waiting for the GOP candidates to lay out why the Paul Ryan budget is necessary. They seem afraid to say it. I doubt the collision can be avoided, but I would like to think of these budget reforms as the Carpathia. The Ryan budget is not a radical solution, it is a minimal solution. Things truly are that bad.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz says all women should get free contraception!

2012-02-16T15:59:00.001-06:00

This is why the Debbie Wasserman Schultz is not a Lady...

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz told Megyn Kelly today that all women deserve free contraceptives! (Debbie: I am pretty sure you are safe from pregnancy without the free contraceptives...). Hey, can Debbie make a declaration that EBL also wants free whiskey and ice cream? Why not? Everyone loves free stuff.
[Update: But even if you get it as a benefit on insurance it is not "free." Someone pays the premium (like you, your employer or both of you). As P.J. O'Rourke said: If you think health care is expensive now, wait till it is free. Of course, maybe we should put contraception on the list that you can use food stamps for and then problem solved!]

And The Blaze's Tiffany Gabbay misses a rather old joke..."SANTORUM BACKER MAKES MSNBC ANCHOR’S JAW DROP WITH BIZARRE SEX JOKE" Tiffany: That is not a bizarre joke, just a very old one. The point being there is a sure fire way not to get pregnant! Think about holding an aspirin between your knees?

Update: Rick Santorum came out and said he is not going to restrict contraception. Rick Santorum should consider having his Rombo people come up with a new ad on contraception.

Foster Friess (Santorum's PAC supporter) also made this joke: A consevative, a moderate, and a liberal walked in a bar and the bartender said, "What’ll you have Mitt?"

Update II: Disinformation about contraception and Rick Santorum...

Paul Ryan is a very good leader...

2012-02-16T05:00:00.003-06:00

For all the insanity in Madison sometimes, Wisconsin produces some pretty good leaders...
And let's not forget this guy.
Update: Geithner admits that the Dems have no solutions...

Santorum's "Rombo"

2012-02-15T09:30:00.000-06:00

I love this. Well done Rick. Good cheer and humor (combined with principles) wins elections. I have been hard on Rick for being a nanny scold lately, but this is very good.
Update: Some info about making Rombo!

Teddy Roosevelt rides a bull moose...

2012-02-15T00:55:00.001-06:00

I know Glenn Beck thinks he was a dirty progressive, but this is impressive. I disagreed with some of his policies (and his party splitting stunt gave us Woodrow Wilson)... I still cannot help but admire him.

Maybe it will be better than Cowboys and Aliens...

2012-02-14T18:29:00.000-06:00

It certainly has to be better than Twilight! I have not seen it yet, so I can't comment on the movie, but I liked the trailer. And Cowboys and Aliens was not terrible, but it just wasn't a great popcorn movie. A movie is great when it can hold up to multiple viewings and still be enjoyable. Compared to the whole Log Cabin gay thing, it is refreshing new when the Log Splitter is splitting a few vampires.

Rick Santorum: The Bad and the Good...

2012-02-14T10:04:00.002-06:00

I was hoping Rick Santorum, returning after his years in the political wilderness after his loss in 2006, was going to be a fiscal hawk, small government, states rights guy. To some extent he is improved. Rick Santorum is spot on when he is discussing curtailing entitlements. Rick Santorum is wrong about earmarks though, because while only a small fragment of spending, earmarks are Congress' "walking around money" that makes entitlement curtailing and any other reform so damn hard. We need to scale back entitlements (the sooner we do it the less pain it will entail) and we need stop doing the practice earmarks to keep Congress honest.

But I am troubled by the video above. I was troubled when Glenn Reynolds noted it the other day. I know it is edited, but my gut reaction to this is I cannot see that Rick Santorum beating Barack Obama in the general. This concern is more than just debate style. Rick Santorum sometimes comes off as sanctimonious.

Update: Rick, a libertarian would never have bragged about this!

Libertarian is a broad term. Libertarian does not mean libertine. [Update: Small "l" libertarian also does not always mean Ron Paul supporter.] Small "l" libertarianism is very consistent with what our founders envisioned and with conservative values. Bluntly, I do not think Rick Santorum can win a general election with this attitude about libertarians and tea party supporters. We need their votes. We need to have Ron Paul not run third party and we need to peel off some of his supporters (or at least not have them vote for Obama). [Update: That does not mean we have to buy into everything Ron Paul stands for--we can and should pick and choose what are acceptable positions from what are not.] Rick Santorum lost Pennsylvania by 18 points in 2006, not just because that was a bad year for Republicans, but because Santorum lost touch with what Pennsylvanians cared about. I do not care for all of Rick Santorum's social conservative vision for America but that is not a deal breaker for me. I am not a big fan of where there Griswold case has led as jurisprudence, but I also do not believe the government needs to get involved in contraception as public policy. But hey, he probably does not agree with all I stand for too. They way we deal with issues like that is through federalism. State by state. It may be messy, but it is the better way to go.

I am not a Mitt Romney or Newt Gingrich fan. They both have serious flaws. I want to like Rick Santorum. But I know America is not eager to elect a social conservative scold. We want a leader who will reverse the harm caused by the Democratic Party and Barack Obama over the last few years. As Grover Norquist laid out at CPAC, we need the House, we need sixty Senators, and we need the White House. And for Rick Santorum to be effective in signing legislation getting rid of Obamacare and controlling the budget deficit (which I do believe he is serious about) he needs to get elected. This election is bigger than any one man running. Rick Santorum needs to get elected so he can sign legislation and nominate conservative judges to the federal courts. But I fear if he keeps going down the social conservative road as his emphasis he is never going to get that chance. And if he manages to get nominated and goes down this road, he will blow the general election. He needs to be the smiling happy and confident warrior that Ronald Reagan was.

I am not asking Rick Santorum to abandon his principles. I am asking him to get his priorities straight. As he rises in the polls and challenges Mitt Romney for the lead in this race, the media fire storm will be fierce and they will focus on all these videos far more than I am doing.

Update: This is depressing