Political Digest April 23, 2010

I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree with every—or any—opinion in the posted article.

Must Read: An Age of Untruth
http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/an-age-of-untruth/
Excerpt: Make no mistake about it, this is a dishonest age. That our daily lies are purportedly advanced in the cause of the common good, nevertheless do not make them any less lies. Beware of sudden and apparently reasonable “calls for civility.” That pathetic mantra is usually voiced by a liberal administration and its supporters when criticism mounts that they are taking the country too far to the Left — like the Clinton implosion in 1993 or Obama today. I fear “civility” does not mean one should not write novels or produce movies contemplating murdering George Bush — that’s sort of an understandable agitprop art. “Civility” does not mean the New York Times should not give discounts to run ads in wartime like “General Betray Us.” That’s needed dissidence. Civility does not suggest that a Sen. Durbin, or Sen. Kerry, or Sen. Kennedy not use inflammatory language that compares our own troops or personnel to terrorists, Nazis, Pol Pot, Stalinists, or Saddam Hussein’s torturers; that most certainly in not uncivil. And it was certainly not impolite for Rep. Stark to call President Bush a “liar.” “Civility” does not mean that we should not spew hate at anti-war protests; that’s grass-roots popular protest. It doesn’t mean that we should not employ Nazi and fascistic labels to tar the President of the United States like John Glenn or Al Gore or Robert Byrd did. “Civility” does not mean that a shrill Hillary Clinton should not scream that the Bush administration is trying to silence critics, or suggest that the commanding general of an entire theater was lying to Congress in ways that require a “suspension of disbelief.” That’s needed pushback. O Ye of Little Memory! Do we recall any American shock when the Guardian published Charles Brooker’s lament — “John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley Jr. — where are you now that we need you?” And I don’t recall anyone felt that language was getting too heated when Howard Dean, head of the Democratic Party, fumed, “I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for.” And was it not The New Republic that highlighted Jonathan Chait’s infamous “Why I Hate George W. Bush” article? Of course, there was that thoroughly civil New York play, “I’m Gonna Kill the President.”

Give shame a chance, conservatives
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-0421-page-20100421,0,3433007.story
Excerpt: Former President Bill Clinton sees parallels between today's harsh conservative rhetoric and the toxic politics that led up to the Oklahoma City bombing. Conservative commentators responded, alas, with more harsh rhetoric. That reaction reveals a problem in today's conservative movement: Harsh rhetoric seems to be all that they have. I know from experience that the conservative movement has more than angry words in its arsenal, but they're not letting much of it show. Too many thoughtful conservative voices that produced an abundance of ideas in President Ronald Reagan's 1980s are allowing themselves to be drowned out by today's version of what Teddy Roosevelt appropriately called "the lunatic fringe." (Lunatic Fringe? Gee, that’s harsh!)

My Response
Dear Editor: I want to thank Clarence Page for pointing out how what he calls “the lunatic fringe” and what his fellow liberals call those racist, bible-thumping, gun-packing, homophobic, fascist right-wing teabaggers in the conservative movement are using “harsh rhetoric.” But I agree that conservatives shouldn’t get upset at Bill Clinton’s attempt to smear them as being somehow responsible for the Oklahoma City Bombing. It’s what Clinton does. You can hardly blame him for not wanting the media to remember what McVeigh’s trigger really was—the massacre of dozens of children in Waco by troops at the orders of the Clinton Administration. Best to ignore Clinton and leave him to raising money for his library from anti-American dictators currying favor with his wife.

Happy Earth Day
When all the old, but profitable myths will be trotted out. I recall the first one. I was at Mount Wachusett Community College. All the politically correct kids went out and picked up trash. Seemed like a good thing, so I went too. The next week, I was standing outside near a group of hippies, who had been on the same track as I was. One threw a cigarette butt on the ground. ‘What about Earth Day? I asked. “That was last week,” he said. So it goes.

America Already a Green Exemplar
http://frontpagemag.com/2010/04/22/america-already-a-green-exemplar/?utm_source=FrontPage+Magazine&utm_campaign=159eafaf9d-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email
Excerpt: Any dispassionate analysis of the record – and we’ll get to that in a bit – makes it clear that the United States has done a truly remarkable job of cleaning up the air, water and soil in this country. Every one of us has been a part of that and the money that we have expended to make green happen, should anyone ever account for those costs, would boggle the mind. You pay for green every time you purchase a vehicle chock full of the latest and greatest emissions controls. You pay for green with every check you write to your local utility, for without your increased financial obligations the utility could not pay for all of the new pollution controls that they have had to install. You pay for green in every gallon of paint you buy, with every trip to the grocery store and every time you crack a water faucet, for all of these acts, and hundreds more, factor in the cost of going as green as we have chosen to go. Yet, in spite of all you have done simply by tacitly accepting the need to “save the planet” and quietly paying whatever price was demanded, it’s not nearly enough for the environmental movement. On this Earth Day, like every Earth Day, they’ll metaphorically their wag their fingers and tell you that you need to do more. What organizations like Greenpeace, the Sierra Club and the National Resources Defense Council never do on Earth Day, because it would constitute financial suicide if they did, is to extend a hand and say “thank you” in recognition of all that you have accomplished. Just what have you accomplished? In less than half a century you have funded a series of initiatives that has proven to, should someone actually dare to employ any objective means of measurement, forever shattered the image of America as the world’s cesspool. When the Clean Water Act was passed, lakes were declared “dead” and rivers were burning. Thirty eight years later, such images have disappeared in popular culture. Public and private sewage treatment plants are subject to such stringent standards and tight oversight that regulatory agencies have increasingly been forced to turn their attentions to stormwater run-off in order to find a purpose. Before the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) was passed in 1980, unlicensed landfills and “midnight dumping” created scores of toxics hot spots each year. Today, such occurrences are so rare that a generation of attorneys who made their livings negotiating CERCLA settlements are desperately looking for something else to do. But nowhere has the green progress we have made been so evident, if so roundly ignored, than in terms of air pollution.

1970 Quote
"Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make. The death rate will increase until at least 100-200 million people per year will be starving to death during the next ten years." --Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist. Ehrlich’s book, The Population Bomb, was given to my as received wisdom by my professors. Probably why I have no children. Certainly why I now take warnings of global warming/cooling with a pinch of NaCl.

Climate Science In Denial
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704448304575196802317362416.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion
Follow the money. Excerpt: Global warming alarmists have been discredited, but you wouldn’t know it from the rhetoric this Earth Day. In mid-November of 2009 there appeared a file on the Internet containing thousands of emails and other documents from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in Great Britain. How this file got into the public domain is still uncertain, but the emails, whose authenticity is no longer in question, provided a view into the world of climate research that was revealing and even startling. In what has come to be known as “climategate,” one could see unambiguous evidence of the unethical suppression of information and opposing viewpoints, and even data manipulation. The Climatic Research Unit is hardly an obscure outpost; it supplies many of the authors for the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Moreover, the emails showed ample collusion with other prominent researchers in the United States and elsewhere. One might have thought the revelations would discredit the allegedly settled science underlying currently proposed global warming policy, and, indeed, the revelations may have played some role in the failure of last December’s Copenhagen climate conference to agree on new carbon emissions limits. But with the political momentum behind policy proposals and billions in research funding at stake, the impact of the emails appears to have been small. The general approach of the official scientific community (at least in the United States and the United Kingdom) has been to see whether people will bother to look at the files in detail (for the most part they have not), and to wait until time diffuses the initial impressions in order to reassert the original message of a climate catastrophe that must be fought with a huge measure of carbon control…. Mr. Lindzen is professor of meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Emanuel as the successor to Daley is a scary thought by John Kass
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-kass-rahm-emanuel-richard-daley-apr21,0,7643938.column
Excerpt: "It's just a plan to scare the voters," Louie said. "Everybody in politics hates Rahm. Even Rahm hates Rahm. Can't you see what this is?" No, what? "Daley needs a boogeyman," Louie said. "And not just one. He needs about five boogeymen. So when voters look at Rahm and the others and then at Daley, they'll say 'Hey, wait a minute, Daley's not so bad after all.' Get it?" Rahm might be tough and smart enough to run Chicago, just as long as he doesn't show up for political meetings in a sauna without his towel. Among Rahm's many qualifications is that he can raise political cash. His super-agent brother Ari Emanuel can handle that. Also, Rahm speaks the most important language of diplomacy in Chicago: DeLeo. As in state Sen. James DeLeo, D-How You Doin'? Fluency in DeLeo will allow Rahm to maintain cozy relations with Rosemont, Melrose Park, Elmwood Park and other towns within the DeLeo realm

Gunmen kill Kandahar official praying in mosque
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-fg-afghanistan-violence-20100421,0,3604623.story
Didn’t get the memo. Danes drawing cartoons of Mohammad is an outrageous insult to Islam, the Religion of Peace, justifying riots, murders and violence. But Muslims shooting up a Mosque and murdering fellow Muslims is just another day at the office. No cause for outrage from the Imams. Excerpt: Suspected Taliban gunmen burst into a mosque and gunned down the deputy mayor of Kandahar at his prayers, officials said Tuesday -- a brazen attack that underscored the immense challenges faced by Western forces as they push to restore law and order in the volatile southern city.

But will they wear Brown Shirts?
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/04/camp_ofa.html
Bet they have great marching songs and stuff. Wonder if the SPLC is tracking them as a potential hate group? Depends on who you hate, I guess. Excerpt: Organizing for America, Barack Obama's political organization that's run by the Democratic National Committee, wants to recruit and train a cadre of activists, and is holding camps all over America. Find one near you here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/campofa2010/

Another interesting comment
Just posted on “I’m Tired.” 20-years-old. Gives you hope for the future! From “Daughter of Zion”: I don't know if you'll ever read this because as I can clearly see, there's already so many and I don't imagine you check previous posts. Can I just say that I so appreciate your perspective on... haha well, everything. I'm only 20 and it is I who will charge into this world, sword in one hand, flower in the other. I feel as though there might be no hope left at all. But deep in my heart, I believe there is. And even if that hope lies only in the fact that there will be Justice and there will be Peace, no matter how far in the future, so be it. Again, thank you. You are a wise man with excellent input. I'm definitely going to start reading your blog actively. I'm not one for politics much, but I believe it's always good to be well-informed. And just so you know, even though you're 64 and looking forward to an "out", know that you're the hero of this 20-year-old who hasn't really even begun. :D. (Her blog is: http://inreferencetotheheart.blogspot.com/)

Israeli Officials Weigh Option of Attacking Iran Without U.S. Consent
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/20/israeli-officials-weigh-option-attacking-iran-consent/?test=latestnews
Juden! Raus! They won’t get in the cars today, Herr Obersturmführer. Excerpt: The Israeli security establishment is divided over whether it needs Washington's blessing if Israel decides to attack Iran, Israeli officials say, as the U.S. campaign for sanctions drags on and Tehran steadily develops greater nuclear capability. Some senior Israeli officials say in interviews with the Wall Street Journal that they see signs Washington may be willing to live with a nuclear-armed Iran, an eventuality that Israel says it won't accept.

Obama Ignores Islamic Extremist Threat
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=36610
Excerpt: In June 1876, U.S. Army General George Armstrong Custer was defeated by Cheyenne Indians at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. In what became known as “Custer’s Last Stand,” defeat was attributed primarily to a false assumption. Custer expected to encounter an enemy force of approximately equal size; instead, he faced a force at least three times the strength of his. That false assumption cost the charismatic general his life—as well as the lives of 267 men trusting in his leadership. Had Custer been better informed—and the threat better understood—disaster may well have been averted. One hundred thirty-four years later, a false assumption and lack of understanding by President Obama for a threat of a new era could well spell similar disaster—this time for an entire nation. There is a common thread tying together most terrorist activity occurring around the world today. Whether it is Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, China, Yemen, Lebanon, Gaza, etc., that common thread is Islamic extremism. And, when Islamic extremism raises its ugly head, it matters not that most victims of its violence are fellow Muslims. As was the case in the 20th Century, more Muslims in the 21st Century are being killed by Islamic extremists than by non-Muslims. One can only imagine the threat posed to non-believers by an ideology whose believers do not hesitate to “eat their own” in this manner. The Bush Doctrine correctly identified the threat by stating: “The struggle against militant Islamic radicalism is the great ideological conflict in the early years of the 21st Century.” But President Obama is issuing new national security guidelines from which any reference to religious terms such as “Islam,” “Islamic extremism” and “jihad” is to be avoided.

One-Third of Americans Believe Climate Change is Caused by Human Activity
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=64444
Excerpt: One-third of Americans believe that global climate change is a man-made phenomenon, and nearly 60 percent say there is serious disagreement in the scientific community about the cause of climate change, according to two new Rasmussen polls.

Vulnerable House Democrats see the money after voting for the healthcare bill
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/house-races/93449-democrats-see-the-money-after-healthcare-bill-vote
Business as usual! Excerpt: Excerpt: Vulnerable House Democrats who supported the healthcare bill last month reaped big financial rewards. Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports show the crucial yes votes cashed in between March 21 and the end of the first quarter on March 31. They received big money from Democratic-leaning political action committees (PACs) and fellow Democratic members of Congress. Several of these members were last-minute yes votes, which helped push the legislation to passage.

Goldman Sachs is uniquely positioned to fight fraud charges
http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/93687-goldman-sachs-is-uniquely-positioned-to-fight-charges
Including a million bucks to a guy named Obama. The old saying is that an honest politician is one who, when bought, stays bought. Excerpt: Having invested $18 million over the last decade lobbying members of Congress and millions more contributing to lawmakers’ campaigns, Goldman Sachs is uniquely positioned to fight the fraud charges the government has filed against it. On Wall Street, the firm is the perennial kingpin, with both the biggest name and, often, the biggest profits. In Washington, Goldman is just as influential, with a robust lobbying presence, access by its executives to private White House meetings and a long list of politically connected alumni who have maneuvered through the revolving door between government and finance.

Feds launch probes of Florida GOP, Rubio's credit card use
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/04/feds-launch-probe-of-florida-g.html?wprss=44
Good timing. They can announce indictments in October just before the election, quietly drop them in December after the votes are in. I suppose I’m cynical, but the media and Dems took out the black Republican Senator, Ed Brooke, in Massachusetts with pre-election charges. He was exonerated after he lost his seat. Gee, too bad. Excerpt: Hot on the heels of the Republican National Committee's embarrassing expense scandal, the St. Petersburg Times reports that several federal law enforcement agencies have launched an investigation into the use of credit cards by the Florida state GOP, elected officials and staff.

Billionaire Jeff Greene considering candidacy in Florida Senate
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/1-2-former-colorado-lt.html?wprss=thefix
Just what America needs. Another Democrat billionaire fighting for the poor and down-trodden. Who lost the billions he gained in “credit default swaps”? Excerpt: Billionaire real estate developer and financier Jeff Greene is mulling whether to enter the Democratic Senate primary in Florida, according to a senior Democratic source, the latest twist in a race that has resembled nothing so much as a soap opera in recent weeks. Greene, who became a billionaire over the past few years by pioneering credit default swaps, had been considering whether or not to run as an independent for Senate but with Gov. Charlie Crist (R) seemingly moving toward an independent run of his own Greene is apparently now weighing the idea of challenging Rep. Kendrick Meek for the Democratic nod. Greene's massive personal wealth makes him a force to be reckoned with if he decides to run -- particularly in a state as large (and expensive in which to run) as Florida. According to one well-place source, Greene is reportedly soliciting advice -- on an informal basis -- from Democratic consultants Doug Schoen, Joe Trippi and Paul Blank. Neither Schoen nor Trippi returned emails seeking comment on a Greene candidacy or their involvement. While Greene's wealth would make him viable, his past would seem to make him a ripe target for political opponents. In a profile of Greene written by Forbes magazine when he became one of the 400 richest people in the world (net worth: $1.5 billion), it's revealed that former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was the best man at Greene's wedding, former madam Heidi Fleiss lived with Greene for a year after getting out of jail, and he engaged in an extended legal fight with director Ron Howard. National Democrats have acknowledged privately that Meek, while running a credible campaign, is still not likely to have the financial lift to put the state in play in the fall. The Crist vacillation about an independent bid coupled with former state House Speaker Marco Rubio's ongoing problems with his use of a state party credit card during his time as speaker has brightened Democratic prospects in the state, however.

Angles out of America
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=19252&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DPD
Here’s the plan. We kill job-creating investments. Than we blame Bush for high unemployment and low tax receipts. Excerpt: Senator Chris Dodd's (D-Conn.) 1,400-page financial reform bill contains many economic land mines, says the Wall Street Journal. Here's one of the worst: Provisions that would make it harder for business start-ups to raise seed capital. Currently, wealthy individuals who want to invest directly in a new business can do so with minimum interference from regulators. The law requires only that the investor be "accredited" by meeting thresholds for net worth ($1 million) or income ($250,000). Entrepreneurs depend on these "angel" investors, since many new businesses lack the collateral for bank loans and are too small to interest venture capitalists. Amazon, Yahoo, Google and Facebook all benefited from angel investors, who typically target companies under five years old:

Millions face tax increases under Dems budget plan
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100421/ap_on_go_co/us_congress_budget
Obama promised to raise taxes only on “the rich.” Bet a lot of these people voted for him and didn’t realize they were rich. Excerpt: President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in the Senate promise to cut the deficit by almost two-thirds over the next five years, but their budget plan could threaten about 30 million people with tax increases averaging $3,700 in 2012 and after because of the alternative minimum tax. The alternative is tax increases elsewhere in the revenue code averaging up to $100 billion a year after 2011 to continue alternative minimum tax relief and also curb taxes on people inheriting large estates. The Democratic plan released Wednesday by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad of North Dakota relies on such boosts in revenues to carve the deficit from $1.4 trillion last year down to $545 billion by 2015.

Will They Take 'No' As Answer To VAT?
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=530991
Ask almost anyone — economists, politicians, entrepreneurs, average Americans — and they'll tell you a value-added tax is a bad idea. So why does the White House continue to consider it? After hearing VAT opponents smeared as anti-government radicals and worse, we decided to poll Americans on the issue. What our IBD/TIPP poll found was surprising: Not only is the VAT unpopular, but it's unpopular across the board, regardless of political affiliation. Overall, Americans oppose a VAT by 73% to 22%. Republicans, as might be expected, feel the strongest: 83% against, 14% for. But even Democrats oppose it 65% to 27%. Independents stand somewhere in between (see chart).

Obama suggests value-added tax may be an option
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100422/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_tax
People argued with me saying that BO would help me, as my salary is under $250k (and not likely to ever get there), so his taxes wouldn’t hurt me, just “the rich.” But this will hit the poor the hardest. When John McCain called him on his broken promises of transparency on the healthcare bill, Obama said, “The election’s over, John.” In other words, the lies I told to get elected don’t matter because I was elected. Excerpt: President Barack Obama suggested Wednesday that a new value-added tax on Americans is still on the table, seeming to show more openness to the idea than his aides have expressed in recent days. Before deciding what revenue options are best for dealing with the deficit and the economy, Obama said in an interview with CNBC, "I want to get a better picture of what our options are." After Obama adviser Paul Volcker recently raised the prospect of a value-added tax, or VAT, the Senate voted 85-13 last week for a nonbinding "sense of the Senate" resolution that calls the such a tax "a massive tax increase that will cripple families on fixed income and only further push back America's economic recovery."

Absence of U.S. flag in Haiti sparks controversy
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-03-14-haiti-flag-flap_N.htm
No US flag, no US dollars! Maybe Michelle is no longer proud of her country and BO wants to spare her feelings? Excerpt: The many nations helping Haiti recover from the devastating earthquake that struck there have set up their own military compounds and fly their flags at the entrances. France's tricolor, Britain's Union Jack and even Croatia's coat of arms flap in the breeze. But the country whose contributions dwarf the rest of the world's — the United States — has no flag at its main installation near the Port-au-Prince airport. The lack of the Stars and Stripes does not sit well with some veterans and servicemembers who say the U.S. government should be proud to fly the flag in Haiti, given the amount of money and manpower the U.S. is donating to help the country recover from the Jan. 12 quake. The Obama administration says flying the flag could give Haiti the wrong idea. "We are not here as an occupation force, but as an international partner committed to supporting the government of Haiti on the road to recovery," the U.S. government's Haiti Joint Information Center said in response to a query about the flag.

Motorcyclist deaths drop, sour economy cited
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100422/ap_on_re_us/us_motorcycle_deaths
I blame Bush.

Iran boosts Qods shock troops in Venezuela
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/21/iran-boosts-qods-shock-troops-in-venezuela/
How’s that “meeting with Iran without pre-conditions” thing working out, Mr. President? Excerpt: Iran is increasing its paramilitary Qods force operatives in Venezuela while covertly continuing supplies of weapons and explosives to Taliban and other insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the Pentagon's first report to Congress on Tehran's military. The report on Iranian military power provides new details on the group known formally as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the Islamist shock troops deployed around the world to advance Iranian interests. The unit is aligned with terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, North Africa and Latin America, and the report warns that U.S. forces are likely to battle the Iranian paramilitaries in the future. The Qods force "maintains operational capabilities around the world," the report says, adding that "it is well established in the Middle East and North Africa and recent years have witnessed an increased presence in Latin America, particularly Venezuela."

What's Happening With Israel?
http://townhall.com/columnists/VictorDavisHanson/2010/04/22/whats_happening_with_israel
Excerpt: The Obama administration seems as angry at the building of Jewish apartments in Jerusalem as it is intent on reaching out to Iran and Syria, Israel's mortal enemies. President Obama himself, according to reports, has serially snubbed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A new narrative abounds in Washington that Israel's intransigence with its Arab neighbors now even endangers U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East. Obama is pushing Netanyahu's Likud government to make concessions on several fronts, from supplying power and food to Gaza, to hastened departure from the West Bank. These tensions follow the Obama administration's new outreach to the Muslim world. Obama gave his first interview as president to the Middle East newspaper Al Arabiya, in which he politely chided past U.S. policy on the Middle East. In his June 2009 Cairo address, the president again sought to placate the Islamic world -- in part by wrongly claiming that Islamic learning had sparked the European Renaissance and Enlightenment.

Tea Party: Why the Left Doesn't Get It
http://townhall.com/columnists/LarryElder/2010/04/22/tea_party_why_the_left_doesnt_get_it
Elder is black, if you don’t get his joke. Excerpt: "Hello, fellow racists." That's how I greeted the gathering at the Tax Day Tea Party rally in Sacramento, Calif. Several people dropped their hoods and sheets in laughter. After a thorough search, I can report that I detected no secret handshake, security guards or minority-sniffing German shepherds to alert blacks that our presence was unwanted. An MSNBC reporter at another Tea Party rally actually asked a black man whether he "felt uncomfortable." "No," he laughed. "No, these are my people -- Americans." The man appeared far too polite to ask, "You ever felt uncomfortable working for MSNBC?" I once appeared on a television show where a black pundit accused former President Ronald Reagan of racism. When I asked for proof, he said that Reagan "was uncomfortable around black people." I replied, "I'm uncomfortable around you. What does that make me?" So in the black tea partier's case, his presumed discomfort around whites made them racist. In Reagan's case, his presumed discomfort around blacks made him one. It does get confusing.

Tea, Lies and Videotape
http://www.free-times.com/index.php?cat=1992912063981076&ShowArticle_ID=11012004103115756
Remember the good old days, when Democrats thought dissent was patriotic? How long until they will follow the lead of the progressive icon, Wilson, and try to outlaw such sedition? Excerpt: As someone in the Tea Party movement, I have been disgusted by the so-called “mainstream” media and the Democratic Party for trying to tarnish this peaceful, very grassroots campaign. We’ve been called violent extremists, potential domestic terrorists and now the smear du jour: racists. All of these claims have been made without any evidence, yet the biased media and certain Democratic politicians keep fanning the flames. And “racist” is about the most inflammatory label you can use in this country. It couldn’t be further from the truth regarding the Tea Party. I can assure you that bigoted or violent individuals are not welcome. The claims by politicians that they were called the n-word and spit on by Tea Party protesters recently in Washington, D.C., have yet to be proven, despite multitudes of cameras and cell phones in the area. I question the motives of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats for choosing to wade through a crowd of 30,000 loud protesters instead of taking the tunnel to the Capitol, as they normally do. Were they trying to provoke a reaction? They certainly need for something to happen in order to discredit a very powerful and popular movement.

Petition to repeal ObamaCare
http://www.tedcruz.org/petition.aspx

GEICO vs. FreedomWorks?
http://www.redstate.com/tabithahale/2010/04/21/geico-vs-freedomworks/
Excerpt: Last week, Matt Kibbe posted the voicemail from voiceover actor Lance Baxter (A.K.A D.C. Douglas). The voicemail was very calm, very steady, asking how many FreedomWorks employees were “mentally retarded”, and then goes on to ask what our spin will be when one of our members finally kills someone. And then he left his name and phone number. Let’s state the obvious: This is sheer stupidity. If you’re even remotely recognizable and you are representing a company, you don’t alienate customers. It’s as simple as that. GEICO obviously saw the damage, and fired him

If Someone Blows Up a Wal-Mart Tomorrow Can We Blame Democrats?
http://www.redstate.com/erick/2010/04/22/if-someone-blows-up-a-wal-mart-tomorrow-can-we-blame-democrats/
Excerpt: “My administration,” the president added, “is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.” The Pew Poll this week that has everyone talking shows voter distrust of government at an all time high. Congress, federal agencies, the political parties, etc. are all massively distrusted and loathed by the voters. Correspondingly, we have seen news story after news story and Democrat after Democrat come out and tell us the reason for the distrust and loathing is “Republican rhetoric” and tea party activists. The Democrats and many talking heads in the media have gone so far as to say that any and all acts of violence against the government are to be blamed on Republicans. The Pentagon shooter from a few months ago turned out to be a registered Democrat and 9/11 truther who hates conservatives, George Bush, and the right in general. But the right’s “rhetoric” caused the guy to shoot up the Pentagon. Across the board, every bad poll number for the Democrats and every word by the right has been tied together by an angry horde of the seditious, a call to violence, and a warning that when and if any violence does occur against any elected official or the government in general it is the right’s fault because of their words.

Dirty Bombs Revisited: Combating the Hype
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20100421_dirty_bombs_revisited_combating_hype?utm_source=SWeekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=100422&utm_content=readmore&elq=6d7a268b05b744f49606b9c1881f4613
Excerpt: In spite of the fact that dirty bombs have been discussed widely in the press for many years now — especially since the highly publicized arrest of Jose Padilla in May 2002 — much misinformation and disinformation continues to circulate regarding dirty bombs. The misinformation stems from long-held misconceptions and ignorance, while the disinformation comes from scaremongers hyping the threat for financial or political reasons. Frankly, many people have made a lot of money by promoting fear since 9/11.

U.S. Military Jury in Baghdad Clears Navy SEAL in Prisoner Abuse Case
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/64538
Note to US Military: Take no prisoners. Excerpt: A U.S. military jury cleared a Navy SEAL Thursday of failing to prevent the beating of an Iraqi prisoner suspected of masterminding a 2004 attack that killed four American security contractors. The contractors' burned bodies were dragged through the streets and two were hanged from a bridge over the Euphrates river in the former insurgent hotbed of Fallujah, in what became a major turning point in the Iraq war. The trial of three SEALs, the Navy's elite special forces unit, has outraged many Americans who see it as coddling terrorists. Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas, 28, of Blue Island, Illinois, was found not guilty by a six-man jury of charges of dereliction of duty and attempting to influence the testimony of another service member.

Generation South Park Part 7: Offended Muslim Audience Threatens Show’s Creators
http://www.newsrealblog.com/2010/04/21/generation-south-park-part-7-offended-muslim-audience-threatens-show%e2%80%99s-creators/
I don’t watch the show, but they should stick to offending Jews and Christians. Free speech only goes so far in Obamanation. Excerpt: After being on the air since 1997 it is clear that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are not afraid to tackle any subject. For years I have appreciated their courage and spent many episodes in side-splitting laughter. However, after thinking about the legitimate threat that real radical fundamentalists present to the free world I began to fear for South Park’s irreplaceable front men for the first time since the show’s inception. Seeing how extremists handle a harmless satire only heightens my respect for people who literally speak out against violence at the hand of Muslim radicals. Men like David Horowitz and Robert Spencer are brave enough to open a dialogue only to get animosity and death wishes in return. Over the years South Park’s creators have also proven their courage by utilizing Muslims and Mohammed in their cartoon even though such an act has led to death in the past. South Park celebrated their 200th episode last week by exploring the idea of having the celebrities previously lampooned by the show file a lawsuit against the small mountain town. They will only drop the case if the town presents Mohammed to them but they are afraid to show him in public due to fear of jihad. The episode is funny but unfortunately for some there is a no tolerance policy for joking about the Muslim prophet.

Decrying U.S., Iran Begins War Games
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/world/middleeast/22iran.html?om_rid=Mqh-D0&om_mid=_BL0EHfB8HTEkp1&
Excerpt: Iran’s supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared that President Obama’s new nuclear strategy amounted to “atomic threats against Iranian people,” and Iranian state television reported Thursday that the military had begun a large exercise in the Persian Gulf, where the United States and Israel have both increased their presence in recent months.

Take the pain killer and go home
http://spectator.org/archives/2010/04/21/take-the-painkiller-and-go-hom
The reality is that Democrat icons like Truman and JFK couldn’t win a Democrat primary today for any office. Excerpt: To see the magnitude of the political tsunami that is coming, you have to think dynamically. The key is not where things stand now, but where they are going, and where they are going to be. Knowing where we have been, and where we are, can certainly help in knowing where we are going. But the key is to think dynamically. Start with the brutal fact that this is not your father's Democrat party. Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, and others have thoroughly documented Obama's radical left roots, from his openly communist father, to his Marxist mother, to the Communist Party's Franklin Marshall Davis who mentored Obama through adolescence, while his parents were off pursuing the cause around the world. Obama's own books disclose that he was drawn to radical left Marxist professors in college and law school. And all of this was before Obama the adult hooked up with 1960s Weatherman bomb thrower Bill Ayres, the anti-American preacher Jeremiah Wright, and the far left radical front group ACORN. This is all well-established public information, as hard as that should be to believe. As Beck has so rightly asked, if Obama has grown up and changed from this radical foundation, when exactly did that happen? There is nothing in the public record to support such a change. But Obama is not the only one. Ultraleft San Francisco Democrat Nancy Pelosi, a nice lady whose feet are not firmly planted in the real world, serves as House Speaker. Far Left Henry Waxman, the Congressman from Hollywood, serves as Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Uberliberal Barney Frank, the Congressman from Boston, serves as Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. Leftover '60s liberal David Obey, a self-described Robert La Follette Progressive from Wisconsin, serves as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Charley Rangel, the Congressman from Harlem, serves as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. John Conyers, the Congressman from Detroit, with his own past Communist Party ties, serves as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Until recently, ultraliberal Howard Dean from Vermont served as Democrat party national Chairman. Senator Patrick Leahy from Vermont, as liberal/left as they come, serves as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Even these folks are not left enough for Vermont, with the other Senator being openly socialist Bernie Sanders.

Where Bars Trump Grocery Stores
http://flowingdata.com/2010/03/02/where-bars-trump-grocery-stores/
On, Wisconsin!