00Publius Contributor

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - GOP - Media Bias - News - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Vince Johnson

THIS TOPIC IS OFF LIMITS!

October 5, 2008 by

-By Vince Johnson

cc: The Jump$tart Coalition for Financial Literacy for Youth – 919 18th St. NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20006

The “topic” that no one in America will discuss has to do with what we adults are doing to our children. We are doing it without their approval or consent. Politicians are careful to never mention it. We have devised all kinds of gimmicks to divert their attention. We spend billions developing games and movies of the most violent nature we can conceive. We have loosened discipline in schools in a manner that encourages kids to engage in perverse diversions like drugs, edgy tattoos, body metal, too much teen pregnancy and disgusting fads that focus attention on belly buttons and snuggy jeans worn far too low.

Whether or not this laxity in discipline is by design or the result of overwhelmed school systems does not matter. What matters is that we are all aware of it and we are not sufficiently motivated to do anything about it. We have led the kids to believe that the teachers answer to the principal. That the principal answers to the superintendent. That the superintendent answers to the Board of Education. That the Board of Education answers to the parents. That the parents answer to their children. And therefore, the kids are not required to be answerable to anybody!
Continue reading “THIS TOPIC IS OFF LIMITS!”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Salvato - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture

Give Us Our Money Back. We’ll Fix It!

October 5, 2008 by

-By Frank Salvato

The ultimate example of opportunistic politics before good government was displayed in Washington over the past several days. Political operatives from both sides of the aisle did everything in their power to create a government-based solution to the financial crisis facing our country; a government-created problem. In the end the US House of Representatives voted down the highly contentious Wall Street bailout bill mostly due to the fact that we are within the 30-day window when voters do not forget actions taken by their elected officials. If only the public’s attention were always so focused.

In the end 90 House Democrats joined with 133 House Republicans in an effort to stop a measure that would have seen the biggest expansion of government in US history. In effect, it would have placed the coyote in charge of the hen house.

Many in our citizenry viewed the now-dead proposal as a “no fault” measure that would have allowed those responsible for this financial malfeasance to escape culpability and with good reason. Watching US Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and US Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) – along with their leadership, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senior Senator from New York, Charles Schumer – harangue about how Democrats were taking the lead in crafting “bi-partisan” legislation to “rescue” the average American from the evils of Wall Street was the ultimate exercise in political hypocrisy .

Continue reading “Give Us Our Money Back. We’ll Fix It!”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

False Rumor on CNN’s iReport Causes Apple Computer Stock Price Dip

October 4, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

One of CNN’s citizen reporters on their new iReport service caused a bit of panic for Apple’s stock prices this week when one of those reports featured a false claim that Apple CEO Steve Jobs had suffered a heart attack. With rumors swirling the stock price fell until official news from Apple quashing the rumor calmed investors’ fears.

Apple shares, which have in the past been shaken by the question of Jobs’ health, climbed more than 5 percent in early trade but retreated as the rumor gained momentum on Internet blogs. The stock at one point was down more than 2 percent, and hit a 17-month low of $94.65.

After Apple denied the report, the shares recovered, climbing to $104.04, up 3.9 percent on Nasdaq.

This particular incident is a result of a new effort by several news services offering citizens the opportunity to become local reporters by submitting their own stories on the Internet. CNN, the AP and Reuters all offer such an outlet for first hand news reporting by the public at large. It is all an effort for news agencies to get the edge on reporting breaking news.

Continue reading “False Rumor on CNN’s iReport Causes Apple Computer Stock Price Dip”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Constitution - Dan Scott - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - GOP - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Taxes

Collateralized Debt Obligations, The CDO Menace

October 4, 2008 by 4 Comments

-By Dan Scott

When the discussion turns to financial instruments people’s eyes glaze over due to the complexity of the issue. However, in this case what you don’t understand or rather what you don’t know can hurt you. Congress and the Whitehouse at this point have focused on a plan that supposedly will solve the credit lock threatening the economy with Recession. The problem is the solution proposed doesn’t address the cause but the symptoms. The upshot is while this solution will work it will only do so in a very short time frame, leaving the underlying problem unresolved and festering. Unfortunately, it may take the fall of Wells Fargo, Citicorp and HSBC who literally own TRILLIONS of dollars in CDO derivatives to finally bring Congress and the Whitehouse to their senses. Bears Stearns and Lehman Brothers already paid the price of inaction. I’m not optimistic about any of the current batch of politicians in power actually acting proactively, their track record speaks otherwise.

The Bush Administration for years has been warning about the potential of the lending abuses by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Unfortunately, their warnings have been too technical, understood by only those in the financial arena. Combined with the incompetence of Rep. Barney Frank (D) and Sen. Christopher Dodd (D) the problem was not resolved and in fact the solutions were repeatedly rebuffed. Even Sen. Barack Obama in 2005 failed to grasp the issues when reforms were repeatedly requested, he dutifully voted the Democrat Party Line as an Order Taker against reform. He opposed CHANGE in the favor of the STATUS QUO. His response thus far in 2008 is more Order Taking. What was his response about going back to Washington to work out a bipartisan compromise? He said to paraphrase, I can fly to Washington for the vote and then return in time for the debate. A leader is involved in negotiations, an order taker settles with the results.
Continue reading “Collateralized Debt Obligations, The CDO Menace”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - Patriotism - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Rolling Stone: McCain a ‘Mean Little Fu_ _er,’ That Puts Own ‘Advancement Above All Else’

October 3, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Rolling Stone has a long attack piece on John McCain in its October issue that really rakes the GOP presidential candidate over the coals. The piece indulges in quite a lot of name-calling and dismisses his patriotism, bravery, and integrity in nearly every paragraph. It’s quite a vicious attack piece, really.

This slanderous piece doesn’t even take a little time to get warmed up as it emerges, guns blazing, in the first few paragraphs by calling John McCain an “undisciplined, spoiled brat” and insisting that he once went to Rio to “get laid” despite being married, with three kids at the time. This sort of name-calling is indicative of the whole piece.

Continue reading “Rolling Stone: McCain a ‘Mean Little Fu_ _er,’ That Puts Own ‘Advancement Above All Else’”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Det. Free Press: Another Boring Palin’s-Bad-For-Women Screed

October 3, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

I suppose this makes something like the one hundredth leftist female writer that has decided that Sarah Palin is a traitor to womanhood. But, here we have it again, another wild-eyed, hate filled, far left screed filled with name calling and little else, this one from Rochelle Riley and the Detroit Free Press. One would think that the papers all across the country would be ashamed of giving space to these obviously unhinged women and their so-called political analysis. If you want to see set backs, these sorts of catty, snippy, over-the-top articles against Sarah Palin have set female commentators back to the stone age where it concerns serious people being able to take them seriously.

Riley starts right off the top, not even taking a few lines to get to the blinding hatred, with the headline telling Palin to “leave the race before you further hurt women.” One could easily ask Riley to stop writing “before she hurts women further,” but she goes on anyway.

In her first paragraph, Riley assumes right off the top that Palin “cannot win” the upcoming VP debate with Joe Biden. Then Riley seems to think that a VP candidate cannot have a difference with the top of the ticket when bringing up Palin’s Pakistan comment that seemed to differ with McCain’s position. If this no-conflicts ideal is Riley’s criteria for the proper sort of vice presidential candidate she should be writing far more readily about Joe Biden than Sarah Palin. About every time Biden opens his mouth he’s contradicting Barack Obama these days.

Continue reading “Det. Free Press: Another Boring Palin’s-Bad-For-Women Screed”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Union Lobbyist: ‘I Broke The Law All The Time’

October 3, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Confessions of a criminal… well, that is what this new memoir should be titled, but it isn’t. The Bellingham Herald (Washington State) is reporting on the publication of a new memoir by Joe Miller who was once a lobbyist for various unions and Democratic Party candidates. In it he admits that he broke the law “all the time” in pursuit of legislative/financial wins for the left.

In “The Wicked Wine of Democracy,” Miller records his 40 years as a lobbyist, starting as a political operative for Henry “Scoop” Jackson in the 1960s, and the tales he gives us shows how corrupt the whole system has gotten to be.

Continue reading “Union Lobbyist: ‘I Broke The Law All The Time’”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Gays - Health - Media Bias - News - Science - Warner Todd Huston

AIDS is 100 Years Old? So Much for Conspiracy Theories

October 3, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Negroists — that would be people who think “black” first, instead of American first — have posited for years that the U.S. government created AIDS to kill blacks and keep them down. But now geneticists are discovering that the HIV virus is at least 100 years old. That would sort of blow the ridiculous conspiracy theory out of the water, wouldn’t it? (And it would be contrary to what Barack Obama’s “spiritual adviser” Reverend Jeremiah Wright has said.)

According to a new report “The AIDS virus has been circulating among people for about 100 years, decades longer than scientists had thought, a new study suggests… Genetic analysis pushes the estimated origin of HIV back to between 1884 and 1924, with a more focused estimate at 1908.”

The researchers also said that it isn’t a surprise to find HIV is that old.

Experts say it’s no surprise that HIV circulated in humans for about 70 years before being recognized. An infection usually takes years to produce obvious symptoms, a lag that can mask the role of the virus, and it would have infected relatively few Africans early in its spread, they said.

Once again, we find that the wild-eyed conspiracy theorists are fools, easily led, and not very bright.
Continue reading “AIDS is 100 Years Old? So Much for Conspiracy Theories”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Education - Elections - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Unions - Warner Todd Huston

Teachers Union Using The Classroom to Push Barack Obama

October 3, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

A teachers union in Virginia sponsored an “Obama blue day” in schools throughout the state for teachers to show their support for Obama in the classroom. The plan was for teachers to come to work with a blue shirt to show solidarity with Obama.

Naturally — and properly — the Virginia GOP is crying foul and denouncing the effort to indoctrinate children with Obama’s message.

The Virginia Education Association sponsored “Obama Blue Day” on Tuesday. In an e-mail sent last week, it urged teachers to participate by dressing in blue.

“Let’s make Obama Blue Day a day of Action!” the e-mail continues. “Barack the vote!”

Of course, it is outrageous that our nation’s most impressionable, our children, are being indoctrinated by teacher’s unions to support a specific candidate in a contemporary election. It only goes to show how low unions will go to force their views on the voting, and non-voting, public.
Continue reading “Teachers Union Using The Classroom to Push Barack Obama”

00Publius Contributor - Congress - Crime - Dan Scott - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - GOP - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Taxes

Crisis Management, An Act Of Incompetence Or A Choice of Willfulness?

October 2, 2008 by

-By Dan Scott

The current economy is beset with many daunting problems, most of which were self inflicted wounds. Congress is debating a financial bailout plan that seems to have a huge dollar value to it in the neighborhood of $700 billion. No question that $700 billion is a serious pile of money and it has certainly piqued the ire of the taxpayer since they are the ones being told they have to fork it over. The MSM and government officials tell us daily that the world will end if Congress doesn’t pass a bailout plan. It certainly does seem the decade of the 2000’s has been a series of claimed catastrophes that demand our unqualified attention to act. The phrase, the price of inaction is greater than action has been bandied about frequently. It is almost as though some terrorist has put a gun to our heads, said you don’t get to read the fine print, sign here or I’ll pull the trigger. I don’t know about you but I dislike being threatened on every issue as though my life or my future depended on it.

This “Do it now or the earth is will come to an end” attitude smacks of crisis management using the tyranny of the urgent to force our acquiescence. It is as though we are being trained to accept every deal by government like Pavlov’s dog to respond in a certain manner. Speaking of coming catastrophes, this brings me to the curious silence by both the MSM and government officials regarding the 2008 federal budget deficit, the Medicare and Social Security financing imbalance this election season. If the current bailout could be described as the 700 pound gorilla we are currently grappling with, what about the 800 pound gorilla called the 2008 federal budget deficit, the 900 pound gorilla called Social Security and the equally big 900 pound gorilla called Medicare (Hospital Insurance Fund)? Is the MSM overly consumed with the problem de jour to the point of ignoring the other issues in context or is there something more to it? Are they attempting to train us to believe government is the answer to all of our problems by springing these upon us one at a time only when it becomes a crisis to just sign the paper?
Continue reading “Crisis Management, An Act Of Incompetence Or A Choice of Willfulness?”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Reporter Fired For Wearing Obama T-Shirt While Covering Obama Rally

October 2, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

15 year Detroit radio reporter was fired for wearing an Obama T-Shirt while on the job covering an Obama rally. As a result of this major breach of ethics, WWJ Newsradio 950 showed reporter Karen Dinkins the door — that’s right, she was fired.

I must say that it is pretty amazing to see a media outlet uphold ethics like this, especially in Detroit. But there you have it.

According to the local Fox affiliate, the radio station issued a press release.

WWJ Newsradio 950 Believes that our credibility with our listeners rests on the independence of our newsroom staff.

WWJ does not favor any candidate, party or issue.

While we encourage employees to exercise their rights as citizens, we expect them to be on guard against any actual or perceived conflict of interest when covering news stories.

Georgeann Herbert  
Director of Programming

The TV station quotes a professor to the effect that the reporter should more properly been suspended instead of fired and that she will probably go to the courts and end up getting her job back. And, more’s the shame there. If ethics mean anything at all there really should be consequences.

But, at least the station took a stand.

Continue reading “Reporter Fired For Wearing Obama T-Shirt While Covering Obama Rally”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Boston Globe Leads With a Lie — Debunked Palin Rape Kit Story Again

October 2, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

I would urge someone close to members of the editorial board of the Boston Globe to let them know that the world is not flat, the moon is not made of green cheese, and Elvis is, indeed, dead. I say this because obviously the Boston Globe is way behind the times in discovering facts that debunk rumors and it’s clear they have no capacity to do any research. I mean, they must not be paying attention to reality because in today’s editorial, the Globe again raises the thoroughly debunked claim that Sarah Palin charged rape victims for their rape kits when she was mayor of Wasilla. The claim is a straight out lie that has been demolished by many writers (including myself), yet the Globe obviously took no efforts to research the facts before they revealed their incompetence to the world.

It’s no surprise that this proven lie against Palin is being whipped up again just before the VP debates by the Obama flacks at the Globe. They want her to be tagged with this lie to distract her from real issues, it is plain. And that isn’t just my opinion because they justify the re-raising of this long ago debunked charge as one that should be asked of her during the debate on Thursday.

Continue reading “Boston Globe Leads With a Lie — Debunked Palin Rape Kit Story Again”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

NYT Maureen Dowd Kicked Off McCain’s Campaign Plane: He’s ‘Dismissive of 1st Amend’

October 2, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Well, I guess the McCain campaign really did get tough on the New York Times. Yesterday, leftist columnist Maureen Dowd was told she was no longer welcome on McCain’s campaign plane and had to go home with her tail between her legs. Tim McNulty of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that Mo’s parting shot was a charge that because of this incident McCain is somehow against the First Amendment like she imagines Dick Cheney is.

Rather amusingly, she was dumped in the middle of Pennsylvania, too. After an August 30 rally in Washington, PA, she was told she could not get back on the plane. The rest of the press corps loaded up and off they flew leaving poor Mo standing there in shock.

Naturally, instead of seeing this as just deserts, Dowd goes on to blame everyone else.

Continue reading “NYT Maureen Dowd Kicked Off McCain’s Campaign Plane: He’s ‘Dismissive of 1st Amend’”

00Publius Contributor - Media Bias - Military - News - Race - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Poll: 41% Say Iraq War Succeeding, 48% Say Will Get Even Better

October 2, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

Granted the focus of today’s news is overwhelmingly on the bailout and the presidential race, but there is also big news on how Americans are now seeing the war effort. The pendulum has swung from despair to hopeful belief and this is important news that impinges on the elections.

Rasmussen released new data on September 30 that shows that more Americans are now viewing the war as a success and a growing number think that things will get even better in the near future. This is the highest support that Rasmussen has seen since they began to report on this issue. Curiously, news of the war has completely dropped off the radar of the Old Media.

Continue reading “Poll: 41% Say Iraq War Succeeding, 48% Say Will Get Even Better”

00Publius Contributor - Abortion - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Family - GOP - Media Bias - Morals/Sex - News - President - Religion - Security/Safety - Selwyn Duke - Society/Culture

Does Pro-life Now Mean Pro-libertinism?

October 2, 2008 by

By Selwyn Duke

At NationalPost.com, journalist David Frum has a piece in which he discusses what he perceives to be the transformation of the pro-life movement. His thesis is that the widespread acceptance of unwed motherhood – including by pro-lifers – has eliminated the stigma attached to the state, thereby causing a quarter-century decrease in the abortion rate.

Frum starts out talking about how the applause for Sarah Palin’s pregnant, 17-year-old daughter at the Republican Convention reflects this sea-change. Then, contrasting today’s sexual mores and abortion rate with those of 27 years ago, he writes:
Continue reading “Does Pro-life Now Mean Pro-libertinism?”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Family - News - Religion - Society/Culture

The Emergent Church Teaches One World Religion!

October 2, 2008 by

-By Don Boys, Ph.D.

Brian McLaren, recognized as the major leader of the Emergent Church, is not too sure what he believes about the essential truths of Scripture (except to doubt many of them). He is not too sure what he is but we know what he is not–sane, sensible, or scriptural. Note the confusion of the poor man: He characterizes himself as “a missional, evangelical, post/protestant, liberal/conservative, mystical/poetic, biblical, charismatic/contemplative, fundamentalist/calvinist, anabaptist/anglican, methodist, catholic, green, incarnational, depressed-yet-hopeful, emergent, unfinished Christian.” (Subtitle of A Generous Orthodoxy.) Well, that seems to cover the waterfront! He seems to be a little bit of everything, except a Christian!

McLaren is a fevered ecumenist who has met with major Jewish leaders from a group known as Synagogue 3000’s with the purpose to break down walls of separation. He wrote, “We have so much common ground on so many levels.” He notes. “We face similar problems in the present, we have common hopes for the future, and we draw from shared resources in our heritage. I’m thrilled with the possibility of developing friendship and collaboration in ways that help God’s dreams come true for our synagogues, churches, and world.” (From Doug Pagitt’s website, “Emergent Christian/Jewish Leaders Meeting News Release,” 12-7-2005.) Emphasis added.

Continue reading “The Emergent Church Teaches One World Religion!”

00Publius Contributor - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

Democrats Insisted Fannie and Freddie Were Juuust Fine…

October 2, 2008 by

-By warner Todd Huston

The Wall Street Journal has an important op ed that every American should read. It is simply a reiteration of quotes from high ranking, Congressional Democrats who swore to us that there wasn’t a thing wrong with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They made these claims because the faulty rules they were pushing were little else but sweet heart deals for the special interests, lobbyists and NGOs that donated huge cash to their campaign coffers. This was graft, pure and simple, and, to use a favorite Democrat expression, those chickens are coming home to roost.

Aside from the WSJ, the rest of the media have seriously neglected the truth in this case. This economic mess can be laid squarely at the feet of the Democratic Party.
**********
What They Said About Fan and Fred

House Financial Services Committee hearing, Sept. 10, 2003:

Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.): I worry, frankly, that there’s a tension here. The more people, in my judgment, exaggerate a threat of safety and soundness, the more people conjure up the possibility of serious financial losses to the Treasury, which I do not see. I think we see entities that are fundamentally sound financially and withstand some of the disaster scenarios. . . .

Secretary Martinez, if it ain’t broke, why do you want to fix it? Have the GSEs [government-sponsored enterprises] ever missed their housing goals?
* * *

House Financial Services Committee hearing, Sept. 25, 2003:

Rep. Frank: I do think I do not want the same kind of focus on safety and soundness that we have in OCC [Office of the Comptroller of the Currency] and OTS [Office of Thrift Supervision]. I want to roll the dice a little bit more in this situation towards subsidized housing. . Continue reading “Democrats Insisted Fannie and Freddie Were Juuust Fine…”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Flight 93 - Islam - Islamofascism - Media Bias - Military - News - Patriotism - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Flight 93 Update…

October 1, 2008 by

What a mihrab means to the Wahhabists, the Khomeini-ists and the other Salafists

Blogburst logo, petition

In 1981, Ayatollah Khomeini explained the meaning of a Mecca-direction indicator (called a mihrab), like the one now being planted on the Flight 93 crash site:

Mehrab means the place of war, the place of fighting. Out of the mehrabs, wars should proceed, just as all the wars of Islam used to proceeded out of the mehrabs. [Hat tip Yoel Natan, Moon-o-theism, p. 30]

The I-ah-told-you-so wasn’t just speaking allegorically either. The University of Chicago’s Francis Joseph Seinglass Comprehensive Persian-English dictionary lists amongst its definitions for mihrab: “warlike,” and “a field of battle.” (Hat tip Czechmade.)

Anyone who thinks it is okay to build the world’s largest mihrab on the Flight 93 crash site really should read Khomeini’s whole speech (his tribute to Muhammad). It’s only two pages, but psychopathic hellspawn like Khomeini can pack an awful lot of murder-lust into a short space, when every stinking sentence is a plea for wanton slaughter.
Continue reading “Flight 93 Update…”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Media Bias - News - President - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

L.A.Times: Conservatives Should Stop Complaining About Media, They Have Killed ‘Truth’

October 1, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

This has to rank as the all time most hypocritical piece I’ve yet seen featuring liberal finger waging at conservatives over their ire at the product of the leftist press. It is conservatives, you see, that have “have put the final nail in the coffin of truth,” in essence killing the truth, not the left for doing its level best to eliminate the entire concept of truth. It is our fault for pointing out the liberal’s efforts to destroy truth not theirs for having launched the campaign. How’s THAT for spin?

The Times’ Gregory Rodriguez gives us this convoluted logic in “When all truth is relative Conservatives play a dangerous game in attacking the media for bias” from September 29. In it, Rodriguez acknowledges that it is the left and our fetid universities that launched a campaign early last century to make truth relative or situational. But, instead of focusing on this illicit attack on truth, Rodriguez blames those pointing out the folly of relativity for causing what he sees as the downfall of truth. Yes, it’s the watchdogs’ fault, not the perpetrators!

I say, if you want truth, the truth is Rodriguez isn’t mad that the truth has been harmed, he’s mad that HIS “truth” has a dissenting voice against it.

Continue reading “L.A.Times: Conservatives Should Stop Complaining About Media, They Have Killed ‘Truth’”

00Publius Contributor - Budget - Business - Congress - Crime - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Salvato - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Society/Culture - Taxes

Let’s Blame Barney Frank, Chris Dodd & Bill Clinton

October 1, 2008 by 1 Comment

-By Frank Salvato

Now I know how Elvis Presley felt when he shot his television! Watching Barney Frank (D-MA) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) pontificate about how they are going to save the country in it’s time of financial crisis made me nauseous. How is it that these two charlatans can fain concern when they are among the principles responsible for getting the taxpayers into this mess?

By now even the most intellectually stunted among us understands that the first casualty of politics is honesty. No matter how superficial or how serious the matter, inside the beltway spin doctors take the facts, carve out anything that points to their client’s guilt or responsibility in any given matter and then figure out how to package it so they can level a charge of irresponsibility and ineptness at their opponents or opposing colleagues. Kool-Aid drinking political sycophants glom on to these talking points and suddenly the innocent are the guilty and the inept and responsible are pointing fingers of blame.
Continue reading “Let’s Blame Barney Frank, Chris Dodd & Bill Clinton”

00Publius Contributor - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - GOP - Media Bias - News - President - Society/Culture - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Gets His Own Wedding Anniversary Wrong

October 1, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

So, The One was in front of his subjects of the Black Congressional Caucus in D.C. and was wowing them with the mellifluous tones of his oratory and there stood the little missus. There was that mean Mama all a flutter over her man — you know, the one that made her proud of America for the very first time? — and the messiah deigned to notice her across the room.

The One thought to bring her before the enraptured crowd and let everyone know that the Dear Leader was having his 15th Anniversary with Michelle the Angry. “She just about has me trained. Almost. I still do stupid things she tells me sometimes,” he jests.

What a wonderful day. A 15th wedding anniversary… well, maybe Barack is a bit late with that celebration? You see, he is supposed to be celebrating his 16th wedding anniversary, not his 15th. From October of 1992 to October 2008 is 16 for most of us.

Oh, these things happen. Especially to men, let’s face it. Many, many men throughout time have forgotten little details like, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, birthdays… men sometimes don’t have a mind for these dates so important to women. So, to be fair, we cannot do much else but chuckle at this little slip.

But, here is the thing. If John McCain had made such a glaring error the Old Media would be crucifying him over it. He and his wife would be the butt of jokes on every late-might TV talk show, would be portrayed as a doddering, senile old fool by every barely listened to PACIFICA or Air America host, and would be the hottest topic of ridicule from all the partisan pseudo-analysts in every medium from pulp to electronics.

And guess what?

Obama is getting a pass.

It’s hard for the media to even see daylight anymore they are so in the tank.

Continue reading “Obama Gets His Own Wedding Anniversary Wrong”

00Publius Contributor - Business - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Media Bias - News - Socialism - Society/Culture - Taxes - Warner Todd Huston

How The Democrats Love Their Corporate Welfare Policy

September 30, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

What is it we hear echoing in the left-o-sphere? Don’t we hear all the time that the left is chock-full-o-nuts on how those eeeevil capitalists are so in love with what they call “corporate welfare”? Aren’t the nutrooters always railing about how the right is so in bed with business, giving them oh so many tax breaks? Of course, the left loves their corporate welfare, too. So much so that they’ve gone back to slipping it into play even when it was defeated not only by the right, but deplored and castigated by the left’s pals in Europe and the international community.

I am talking, of course, about the infamous (and infamy is the proper word) Byrd Amendment. This little bit of poison was repealed by Congress in 2005, but the decrepit Byrd and his shifty friends snuck it back into law by camouflaging it in a recent spending bill. So now it’s back as law even though many countries in the world are upset about it, even though it harmed our trading reputation the last time this dose of hemlock was forced on our trading partners world wide, even though all it really ends up being is corporate welfare.

So, what is it? It’s a nasty piece of protectionist policy — the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act — that makes it quite lucrative for American businesses to claim that they are put at an unfair advantage by foreign products. How it works is a U.S. company will file paperwork with the federal government claiming that they are being harmed by unfair business practices from a foreign product. The government then slaps a high, punitive tariff on that foreign product and pays the American business the amount of the increased tariff. That’s it. The business doesn’t have to prove anything. There is no inspection agency, accounting agency or compliance agency to check the claims. They just get paid.

Continue reading “How The Democrats Love Their Corporate Welfare Policy”

00Publius Contributor - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Media Bias - News - Security/Safety - Warner Todd Huston

Obama Campaign Stifles Free Speech At University Rally

September 30, 2008 by

-By Warner Todd Huston

The candidate of change, the shining proponent of a “new way” in national politics, says that you aren’t allowed to bring a sign to his rally. So much for the right of free political speech. To add insult to injury, this rally was held at the publicly funded University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. So, now the government is lending the weight of its authority to squelch free speech. So, where is the hue and cry about this unAmerican activity? Did the media even note this heavy-handed policy?

But, it is all true nonetheless. The rally was held and weak-spined school officials bent over and meekly accepted the rules derived from the fascistic penchant of the Obama campaign with its anti-first amendment proclivities. Some few small voices questioned this oppression of American rights, but for the most part no one seems to have noticed that Virginians had their Constitutional rights quashed that day. Shockingly, some even thought it was a good idea.

The Obama campaign, falling back on the oldest dodge in the book, claimed that campaign signs were not allowed because of “security concerns.” Who can doubt, though, that it was instead because of “camera concerns”? The Obama campaign was far more interested in photo ops clear of McCain signs or other unwanted reminders that there are other opinions out there among the unwashed masses than that of sycophancy for The One.

Continue reading “Obama Campaign Stifles Free Speech At University Rally”