That ain’t right

It’s bad enough that Abraham Lincoln is revered in this country, notwithstanding the Constitutional wreckage his presidency left behind. But most Americans – including, until yesterday, me – aren’t aware that another Constitution-wrecker is being given special posthumous honors on an annual basis.

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Just learned on @dailyrundown that each yr a military honor guard lays a wreath on Woodrow Wilson’s tomb. Can next R president stop this?

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WHA-WHA-WHAT?!?!?!?!? Woodrow effing Wilson?!?!?!?!?

For those of you unfamiliar with the disgrace that was Woodrow Wilson, his presidency was the first real-world implementation of fascism, a full decade before the original Il Duce, Benito Mussolini, coined the term. Wilson employed legislative coercion, media control, and even outright thuggery to achieve his ends. His current address is that dark corner of Hell where despots and tyrants spend their days. This piece of shit gets a military honor guard? Every frickin’ year?

That ain’t right. It just ain’t right.

TSSA – coming to a highway near you

I don’t know which is more chilling – the reported news, or the headline.

Tennessee Becomes First State To Fight Terrorism Statewide

You’re probably used to seeing TSA’s signature blue uniforms at the airport, but now agents are hitting the interstates to fight terrorism with Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR).

“Where is a terrorist more apt to be found? Not these days on an airplane more likely on the interstate,” said Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons.

Tuesday Tennessee was first to deploy VIPR simultaneously at five weigh stations and two bus stations across the state.

Anyone harboring any illusion that 21st century American media is anything other than the propaganda organs of Big Government is delusional.

But enough criticism of the lapdog media’s fawning. What we have here is the dreaded “next step” in the so-called War on Terror.

Our rulers have moved beyond herding us about at airports. Now they want to slowly get us used to being spot searched on our highways. They start small, with truck inspections at weigh stations. And before you can say, “WTF! Fourth Amendment violation!”, it’ll be random traffic stops of ordinary folks in passenger vehicles.

As if another reason to hate the failed War on Drugs is needed, the power for state police to stop a motorist on the most minimal (or invented) probable cause is already in place, courtesy of “law and order” judges ruling in favor of police in the majority of random stop cases to “stem the flow of drugs”. I suppose our rulers figure that since the War on Drugs has been such a phenomenal success [/sarcasm], they might as well extend those benefits to the far more successful War on Terror personal freedoms.

Like the proverbial frog in a pot of water that is slowly brought to a boil, we sit in bovine stupor as our freedoms are stripped from us. As long as we have American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and tons of televised sports, we’re content to pretend that we live in the “freest nation on Earth”.

But pretending doesn’t make it so.

Will TSSA parody become illegal?

The other day I was perusing Ye Olde Journalist (a fine blog to which I am a contributor) and came across this item. It seems that the tools from TSSA (two S’s, because you can’t spell Schutzstaffel without the second S) take umbrage with the near constant abuse they have to endure at the hands of those they serve grope. H.R. 3011 would criminalize ANY unauthorized use of the TSSA name, logos, and such. It makes no distinction between use of said items in an attempt to falsely pass as a TSSA agent and the use of said items for parody purposes, such as the pictures contained in this post (click on image to display full size).

It seems to me that the TSSA is being rather thin-skinned and petty.This is, of course, exactly the kind of reaction one would expect from a federal agency with TSSA’s reputation.

If the TSSA wishes to make use of its names and logos illegal, then by all means we have to get as much out there as we can before it becomes a crime.

The following soon-to-be-illegal uses of the TSSA name are courtesy of about.com.

“Have you heard the TSA’s new slogan? ‘We handle more junk than eBay.'” -Jay Leno

“TSA says they are going to crack down on the invasive pat-downs. In fact, one agent was transferred to another parish.” –David Letterman

“This year marks the first Thanksgiving in which travelers will get molested before they get to their uncle’s house.” -Seth Meyers

“Now, to make it worse, the airlines are charging a $15 molestation fee.” –Jay Leno

“I get more action going through airline security than I did all through high school.” –Jimmy Kimmel

Okay, you get the picture. No need to belabor the issue any further.

There is no excuse for the excesses of TSSA. Having only recently returned from a trip via flying bus to Arizona to see my parents and brother, I can tell you that being herded about like cattle, stripped of your dignity, and either junk scanned or gate raped by a civil servant, is NOT what our founding fathers had in mind. The next time some tool tries to tell you that the terrorists hate us for our freedoms, take them to the airport and show them what totalitarianism looks like.

Just don’t abuse the TSSA name or logo while you’re at it.

Huge win for freedom

There are some, among them a certain troll who likes to hijack my blog’s comments for his small-minded rants, who are of the opinion that journalists must be accredited and licensed in order to hold that “lofty” title. I disagree wholeheartedly; had that sort of constraint been in place 250 years ago, individuals such as Patrick Henry would have been proscribed from publishing their treatises against the King of England, and we might still be no more than ragtag pommy colonies.

Apologies in advance to any Brits offended by the preceding paragraph. I was just being cheeky.

No, the tradition of the citizen-journalist is at the very bedrock of rights the founding fathers held most dear. Troll-boy’s protestations to the contrary, the reporting of news and spouting of opinion by mere commoners is of vital importance to the health of a republic.

And now a federal judge agrees.

Boston lawyer Simon Glik was arrested on October 1, 2007 when he used his cell phone to record officers making a drug arrest, and later sued the city and the officers for violating his rights. After the officers tried to having the lawsuit dismissed on the basis of qualified immunity, a Federal Appeals Court denied the motion last week and ruled that filming and photographing police is in fact protected by the First Amendment. They also note that the rights extend not just to professional news gatherers, but ordinary citizens as well:

“[…] changes in technology and society have made the lines between private citizen and journalist exceedingly difficult to draw. The proliferation of electronic devices with video-recording capability means that many of our images of current events come from bystanders with a ready cell phone or digital camera rather than a traditional film crew, and news stories are now just as likely to be broken by a blogger at her computer as a reporter at a major newspaper. Such developments make clear why the news-gathering protections of the First Amendment cannot turn on professional credentials or status”.

How big is this news? Beyond big.

As I reported well over a year ago, it is a felony crime in the State of Maryland People’s Republic of Maryland to take video of the Maryland State Police Schutzstaffel in the course of executing their duties (such as shooting pet dogs, for example). Or, should I say, it was.

Now that we can confidently record the jackbooted jagoffs in action, I’m willing to bet that their behavior toward we mere commoners might just be a little less strident. We can only hope.

And it begins…

(Cross-posted from The Vulture Lurks)

You knew it was coming. After all, you can’t just kill Usama bin Laden and declare victory. Oh no. You have to milk the sumbitch for all it’s worth. Welcome to 2001, the sequel.

An advisory has been sent to law enforcement officials advising them to be vigilant about train security based on information uncovered after the death of Osama bin Laden, officials said.

Officials stressed the advisory is general in nature and the information apparently uncovered from the bin Laden compound dates back more than a year.

According to NBC News, U.S. officials say they have not found reference to specific plots. Instead, they say they’ve found what they call “aspirational” items — events al-Qaida operatives were interested in trying to make happen.

I see. So…we’re in a heightened state of alert and expected to endure God-knows-what in the name of “security” based on…al-Qaida’s wishlist????

*bangs head on wall*

Taking credit

Amidst all of the happy talk following the death of Usama bin Laden, there is a telling tale of the true nature of our dear President, Il Duce.  In his press conference Sunday night, he made a big show of highlighting his decisiveness and his role in the military action.

Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad Pakistan.

Uh, yeah…about that…

The operation was at this time effectively unknown to President Barack Obama or Valerie Jarrett and it remained that way until AFTER it had already been initiated. President Obama was literally pulled from a golf outing and escorted back to the White House to be informed of the mission. Upon his arrival there was a briefing held which included Bill Daley, John Brennan, and a high ranking member of the military. When Obama emerged from the briefing, he was described as looking “very confused and uncertain.” The president was then placed in the situation room where several of the players in this event had already been watching the operation unfold. Another interesting tidbit regarding this is that the Vice President was already “up to speed” on the operation. A source indicated they believe Hillary Clinton had personally made certain the Vice President was made aware of that day’s events before the president was. The now famous photo released shows the particulars of that of that room and its occupants. What that photo does not communicate directly is that the military personnel present in that room during the operation unfolding, deferred to either Hillary Clinton or Robert Gates. The president’s role was minimal, including their acknowledging of his presence in the room.

At my direction? Uh-huh.

One need only take a look at the photograph of the situation room to know what Il Duce’s role in the event was. It’s standard meeting protocol; the people who are directly involved in decision making have a seat at the table, and everyone else grabs a chair where they can. Vice President Hairplugs and Succubus of State Clinton have a seat at the table; they are in on the decision making. Obama’s seat indicates spectator status.

As if we should be surprised…

McCain’s Perfect Choice for a Running Mate: Governor Sarah Palin

While most of the pedantic, two-dimensional, inside-the-box-thinking, conservative political hacks are touting Tom Ridge for the slot (Not a bad guy, but…), David Freddoso notes a far superior choice has been proposed: The Republican Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin.

I believe this is a truly inspired idea. Gov. Palin ran as an anti-corruption outsider, and handily defeated a corrupt and entrenched Republican political machine. Plus, at 44, she would almost totally wipe the “age issue” McCain has off the slate, and since Obama is only two years her senior, there is no way they could attack her for her youth and inexperience: She has much more executive experience than Senator Obama has.

Not to mention the fact that, she’s a gorgeous woman who exudes mass quantities of charisma…

and has a super-solid family life.

Dibs on the eldest daughter! LOL!

This inspired choice would allow McCain to actually capitalize on his “maverick” persona, as Gov. Palin shook Alaska politics to the core: She’s a charming, charismatic woman, but she can also play with the big boys and kick ass.

What say ye?

UPDATE: Things are looking optimistic!

UPDATE II: Welcome to all 4500 8000 40,000 in the past few hours (so far!) people visiting us from Google. We’re a fairly opinionated right-wing blog, and you might like to take a look at our “About” page. You might also be interested in our other coverage of Sarah Palin and whether she becomes a prospective Vice President of the United States. You can find this coverage here and here. Personally, I hope she does, but you can feel free to debate the idea in comments below. All first comments are moderated, but unless you either insult or use severe profanity (and I mean severe by my standards, which generally only means the C U Next Tuesday word or the implication that someone has had a rather enjoyable erotic experience with someone who has borne a child), however if you come up with a new one, I may simply delete your comment. I, and all other contributors to this blog are more than fair in what we permit.

UPDATE III: Nayr Drahcir, don’t bother even trying. You will not be published.

UPDATE IV: A lot of people must like Palin.

UPDATE V: More coverage of Governor Sarah Palin and a theme song here.

UPDATE VI: Funniest observation on the announcement yet: “Put Obama and Palin on a basketball court one on one. Winner takes all!”

UPDATE VII: [spot_the_dog] No, we do not have any pictures of “Sarah Palin + Naked,” nor do we have any of “Sarah Palin + Swimsuit.” In the past 24 hours, there have been 157 separate searches on this site for “Sarah Palin Swimsuit,” and 161 separate searches for “Sarah Palin Naked.” I repeat, we have no bathing suit, swim suit, bikini, or naked pictures of Sarah Palin. What kind of people do you think we are, anyway? 😉

UPDATE VIIa: [spot_the_dog] Ace has noticed a similar search phenomenon on his blog and has a theory…

UPDATE VIII: A well-rounded view of the selection of Sarah Palin for the Vice President Nomination can be found here.

UPDATE IX:  We got it!  YES!  Nude photo of Sarah Palin right here!  (C’mon.  You know you want to click.)

UPDATE X: Feel free to visit our main page and read the latest posts we’ve written.

Sense Spoken

I don’t agree with everything the man in this video clip says, but he says it well and makes his points clear. It’s worth a watch.

Does anyone know who he is?

This video, focusing mostly on abortion, is also worth watching. Excellent points are made.

I’m not sure who he is either.

The Five Stages Of Obama Worship

Stage One

Feeling not only an admiration and respect for the man, but then starting to defend him in every argument, whether what you’re saying is true or not.

Stage Two

A small donation to the campaign is made, and a bumper sticker is bought and affixed to the bumper of your car with a small sense of pride.

Stage Three

A decision is made to pump more money into the Obama campaign, because he genuinely seems like a nice guy, so you buy a t-shirt, a few more bumper stickers, put a sign in your yard and talk him up to family, friends, co-workers and neighbours.

Stage Four

You read about Camp Obama, the chance to learn about the man and his propaganpolicies, and you leap at the chance. You learn about the Democratic Party’s policies and start spreading the news to all of your friends, family members, co-workers, neighbours, random people in the street and school children. If you’re already a teacher, you form a choir out of innocent children.

Stage Five

Now that you’re a trained Camp Obama Counsellor, you also get brought into the inner folds of the Obama Campaign. This means that you’re now qualified to not only spread the good news about Obama, but also criticise any Republican Party members, spread lies about their family, claim to have previously voted Republican but now see the light, and participate in the AstroTurf Campaign. Reaching Stage Five means that you’ll also be widely mocked, derided and deleted for using fake names and email addresses.

The Vice-Presidential Debate: My Wrap Up (Updated)

The line that spoke to me most came from Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin:

“I think we need more of Main Street Wasilla in Washington, so that these people, these middle-class, hard-working people are heard in Washington.”

Contrast this to the line that almost made me cry with laughter:

“I go down Union Street, and speak to folks in Home Depot…”

On to the serious stuff, I think Palin nailed this debate. She spoke in a way that showed that she’s far outside Washington circles, using some very homely expressions such as “doggone it”, “ya”, “Say it ain’t so Joe”, and she sounded nowhere near as rehearsed as Joe Biden, plus Governor Palin didn’t rely on her notes almost every sentence. Certainly, she looked at notes (although hers were clearly in dot point form, whereas Biden’s can’t possibly have been) yet she spent the majority of her time making eye contact with the camera.

An Alliance Worth Keeping

Republican Presidential candidate John McCain has written an excellent article examining the Australia-US alliance and puts forth a very convincing argument as to why the alliance should be kept.

An extract:

In the middle of 1908, Australians and Americans recognised immediately the kindred spirit of two rugged and energetic peoples separated by half the globe but united by shared hopes for mankind. That initial friendship would be forged into an inseparable bond through many struggles in the years to come. Ten years after the Great White Fleet left Sydney Harbour, American soldiers would serve under Australian general John Monash at the decisive Battle of Hamel on the Western Front. My father and grandfather would both serve side by side with the Royal Australian Navy in the Pacific theatre, turning back the Japanese tide and then building a post-war network of alliances that would usher in a new era of peace and prosperity in Asia.

He makes a solid argument for the continuation and deregulation of free trade, as well as the case for maintaining an alliance with Australia, and furthering relations with Asia. It’s an excellent article and well worth a read.

Today Is September 11, 2008. I Will Never Forget, Nor Will I Forgive.

While many people died in the atrocities in 2001, we tend to remember most the Twin Towers falling.

Many of us watched it happening in real time, even myself here in Melbournistan, Australia.

Seven years after the event, the enormity of it is something that never leaves; perhaps that really was the end of history as we know it, rather than the year 2000.

For someone with the gift of the gab, this is one that renders me nearly speechless, and so I will just leave you with a comment of the frollicking mole’s from Tim Blair’s old blog:

I saw people jumping and never considered it suicide. It was a choice between the auto-de-fe of the islamists or the quick death of their own making.
They made a CHOICE not to die by burning, I only hope they closed their eyes and thought back to when they were 5 and could fly….

In the interests of tolerance, diversity and multiculturalism, and for those who think that America (we) deserved 9/11:

I hope you fucking rot in hell.

God bless America and her martyrs.

(crossposted at RightWingDeathBogan)

UPDATE (Beef): Memories of that morning posted here.

John McCain – Too Old? An Entirely Subjective Post

Frankly, I don’t think so.  Much has been made about John McCain’s age (which is just the adjunct to “not conservative enough, too tempermental, unhinged by his POW years, etc., blah de blah blah blah”).  I am turning  62 this year, and I’m discovering (as people my age inevitably do) that all my youth-oriented biases were just so much ignorance and misunderstanding.  Not that I claim to be all-wise and stateshiplike at this point, but just that I’m finding out, as my parents and grandparents did, that I really didn’t know shit when I was young.  Kind of like when you leave your college years and get a job and find out you didn’t know everything after all.  It’s a humiliating process, and unfortunately for the ego, it doesn’t stop when you move into middle age and after.

Whatever you think about McCain’s political philosophy (and I certaintly don’t agree with all that either), let’s put to rest his age.  At 72, in this day and age, he’s unlikely to die in office.  My mother-in-law, bless her heart, is 80, and still spry and self-sufficient, and not at all stupid.  But, if our worst fears are realized, McCain will still be surrounded by the advisers and government functionaries whose job it is to keep the Office Of The Presidency operating at maximum, and if he has chosen wisely, a responsible second who will step in to take over.  Let us all remember Ronald Reagan, who even in his presidential heyday was no doubt showing the initial signs of Alzheimers, and yet the Republic did not fall and did not falter.

The fiction is that we elect a man we think will save us all.  The truth is, he will set in motion processes that will, if nor guarantee, at least lend momentum, to the political direction we, the American people, desire. The man is not important.  The office, and its guiding principle, is.

My mother in law turned 80 this year.  She’s still sharp as a tack when it comes to what matters.  She doesn’t like McCain.  She likes Obama even less.  She lived through the Great Depression, WWII, the Cold War, Vietnam, and now the Great Middle East Mess.  She is the daughter and granddaughter of German immigrants.  She’s never lost sight of American values.  So what makes her irrelevant because of her age?

Same deal when you’re choosing a president.  Crusty old warrior, or clueless metrosexual?

Archbishop of Washington Chides Pelosi; Denver Archbishop Warns Biden to Skip Communion

Fox News

“As an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time,” Pelosi told NBC’s Tom Brokaw, who had asked her when life begins. “And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. And St. Augustine said at three months. We don’t know.”

Personally, when a religion involves itself in politics, it should lose the corporation sole tax exemption. Then again, this is the U.S. and they should be able to voice their opinions, but as we know, taxes are completely different from “freedom of speech”. Just ask the IRS.

On the other hand…I like who the church targets 🙂

Just the Facts!

FactCheck.Org

Peep at all the links and see who seems to be distorting more facts. Hint, his name starts with B.O.

Received in my email. One of the few advertisements you will see on our Blog, unless or until we go “commercial”.

A Personal Note from John O’Neill

(and Human Events’ sister company, Regnery Publishing)

Dear Friend,

As you may recall, I was privileged to play a role in helping prevent John Kerry from being elected president when my fellow Swift Boat Veterans and I released the book Unfit for Command. As liberal as Kerry was, America faces an even more liberal threat today: Barack Obama. Fortunately, investigative journalist and National Review Online political reporter David Freddoso has written the book every voter needs to read: The Case Against Barack Obama: The Unlikely Rise and Unexamined Agenda of the Media’s Favorite Candidate.

Uncovering stories the mainstream media has neglected, Freddoso reveals Obama for who he really is: the U.S. senator with the #1 most liberal voting record in the Senate. And a politician whose rhetoric of “change” does not match the reality of his corrupt, “Chicago-machine politics” background.

Moving past Obama’s inspiring speeches and say-anything-to-win campaign tactics, Freddoso outlines Obama’s extreme, far-left legislative record and his questionable associations with both criminals and radicals. From Obama’s repeated support for the Chicago patronage system, to his hard-line position of no restrictions on abortion, The Case Against Barack Obama offers the cold, hard facts about this man who would be our next president.

As American citizens, it is our right and duty to question the background, character, and proposals of any candidate who could be our next commander in chief. Democrats and the media are not holding Obama accountable, so conservatives must. I’m grateful to David Freddoso and my publisher, Regnery, for finally revealing the man behind the myth.

I urge you to read The Case Against Barack Obama. I also recommend that you buy copies for your friends and relatives who may consider voting for Obama. They deserve to know the truth, too.
Please click on one of the links below to order your copy today.

Sincerely,
John O’Neill

Click below to save 20% or more off bookstore prices!

Should one chose to do so, the links:

Amazon.com

Barnes and Noble.com

Borders.com

Anyone For A Challenge?

Who would like the challenge and exclusive honour (YES! I used a “u” there!) of explaining the Electoral College to me?

I’m currently reading a book called The Right Nation: Why America Is Different by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, and it keeps on mentioning the Electoral College, but I’m not completely sure what it is.

So take the ultimate challenge! Explain it to me!

Reasons why McCain is still doing OK

Say hello to Sergeant Schmidt.

Pajamas.

Don’t Rush, Uhbama

Barack in Aman, Jordan the other day.

(Thanks, Yojimbo, for the idea)

An Australian’s View On McCain

John McCain hasn’t received too much media coverage here in Australia at this point, but now that Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic Party nomination, that will probably change.

Australia isn’t likely to hear too much about John McCain’s outstanding military service, or that a number of people in the McCain family have served their country, or that McCain and his wife adopted one orphan who couldn’t get the medical treatment she needed in Bangladesh, so Cindy McCain brought the child home and cared for her, or that McCain and his wife also rescued another child, who was taken in by a McCain aide.

Iowahawk: Still An International Wonder

Iowahawk makes an appearance in Perth’s major newspaper.

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

The Year Ahead

Ever since the birth of the United States of America, there has been political discord between the major parties, each believing that they knew the best way to lead the nation and prepare it for the challenges of the future. The values of the two major parties have always differed, and always will.

The Republican party was originally founded by “anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge”, and gradually built up a profile as a party known for promoting diversity and equality. The Republican Party worked to free the workers from slavery, guaranteed the workers equal rights under the law, and gave African-Americans and women the right to vote. The basic values of the Republican Party have shifted over time to encompass the belief that: “Individuals, not government, can make the best decisions; all people are entitled to equal rights; and decisions are best made close to home.”

the missing “link”

this election year (or should I say years) has been interesting and entertaining. but one subject none of our prospective wannabes wants to tackle is the subject of illegal aliens.. not immigrants..aliens. they are sapping our resources and it needs to be addressed. so with out further ado, i am linking a website that does address the subject.

Welcome To The Free State Of PIG!

i need not comment further although i could go on a rant.. i will let them say it so eloquently

Muslims Demanding Change… Again

Once again, Muslims are calling for everything in the world to change to suit their ideological desires. The current move is to replace Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) with Mecca Time.

One geologist argued that unlike other longitudes, Mecca’s was in perfect alignment to magnetic north.

This of course, requires us to ignore the fact that magnetic north is constantly changing. But boy, will it be fun watching them move Mecca every couple of years! I wonder if they’ll use something like this? If so, it’s a good thing they’re constantly breeding with goats, because they’ll need an awful lot of them. I digress, however, and back to the article.

He said the English had imposed GMT on the rest of the world by force when Britain was a big colonial power, and it was about time that changed.

I’m thinking, if that’s the criteria for deciding what time standard to use, and it has to do with power, shouldn’t we be using a time standard from the USA? I mean, the same types of people pushing this Mecca-time thing are constantly telling us that the USA has too much power and is always taking advantage and pushing the boundaries, so let’s have fun with it!

I demand my USA time immediately. I expect nothing less from the Big Bad USA. I demand my full oppression! Stop giving me freedom and oppress me! I can’t rely on Australia to do it now we’ve gotten rid of that evil HoWARd.

What Pope Benedict XVI Brought Home from America

The Pontiff has a smashingly good time in the United States, and received many choice gifts.

I’m wondering exactly where in The Vatican this will be displayed.