Saturday, April 28, 2012

Friday, April 27, 2012

Gene Simmons Kiss to Support the Troops




Gene Simmons, the lead singer of the rock group KISS, has not been bashful about voicing his appreciation for those serving in uniform to protect our freedoms. 

But during this 2008 Tribute to the Military, which was filmed on a U.S. Marine Base in 2008, it was not the Kiss Army that was honored.

Obama Schools on Student Loans


It is dubious if "Veritas" is incorporated in this Harvard Law graduate's curriculum.

h/t: Ron Rogers, Pittsburg Post-Gazette

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Why Educate? Indoctrinate!

The Process of Budgeting A Straight Answer from the DNC Chair


Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL 20th) appeared on FNC's Special Report to bash the so called Ryan-Romney Budget.  But she seems to have gotten stumped on fillibustering over the budgetary process.  Brett Baier gently asked the head of the Democrat National Committee where was a Democrat budget in the United States Senate.



This sort of Donkey-Kong cognitive dissonance is common-place.  Recently, an acquaintance was urging friends to prevent cuts in the NHS  budget.  When I kindly suggested focusing efforts on convincing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to pass a budget, which the upper chamber has not done in nearly 1100 days, I got the standard lefty line that blames Republicans.  When the budgetary process was explained that it only needed a simple majority, the next tactic was to demonize the source, but then pretending like the insipid interlocutor was just joking.

The Blame Bush mantra will work on the base voter, but it is unclear if that will inspire as many as during the 2008 cycle, especially in an anemic growth economy.  But independent voters will not be impressed by transparent partisan pap, especially when their pocketbooks are hurting. 

Maybe the DNC needs to embrace change by switching messengers.  Perhaps Vice President Joe Biden is available.  Biden recently gave such a following answer about the oil industry that he spoke for 11 minutes seemingly without using a period.

Obama Scorecard

h/t: Newsbusters.com

Samuel Johnson on Communication

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Skewering Santorum with a Polemic Political Parody


As Rick Santorum bowed out of the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination, liberal feminists could not resist giving his conservative candidacy a final kick. The internet humor site Funny or Die hosted a video featuring Ashley Judd which skewered Santorum with an edgy parody "When to Abort a Candidacy".




The parody was well produced and the black humor certainly was sharp. Fox New's Bill O'Reilly thought that the skit comparing terminating a candidacy to an abortion would hurt Ashley Judd. The actress might be Missing (sic) some of the audience by pushing her politics in a polemic manner.


Some think that Ashley Judd would be insulated from offending an audience as she has been a well known liberal activist.  But one must wonder if Oprah Winfrey's downfall from the heights of her popularity was magnified by Oprah's entry into partisan politics by overtly supporting Barack Obama in 2008.  This loss of viewership has signficantly impacted her Oprah Winfrey Network's success.



What do you think?

Jon Lovitz Critical of Presidential Lies


The comedian Jon Lovitz is either walking on the comedic wild side or he is a disatisfied liberal engaged in some truth telling.

On his podcast "The ABC's of SNL", the infamous alumnist of Studio 8H let loose his opinions about class warfare politics.



This whole thing with Obama saying the rich don’t pay their taxes is f---ing bulls---. And I voted for the guy and I’m a Democrat. What a f---ing asshole...

“The rich don’t pay their taxes? Let me tell you something, right... First they say to you – you’re dead broke –  the United States of America, you can do anything you want, go for it. So then you go for it, and then you make it, and everyone’s like, f--- you.

This blunt assessment does not sound like Tommy Flannagan although it does touch upon subject matter about Pathological Liars.



In summary, Lovitz would quote Jay Sherman, his cartoon alter ego, and opine "It stinks!"

h/t: Politico

Opinions from the Oval- Excellence Around Us



Saying no thanks to politicos who want to take care of things for us.

h/t: GBTV

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Forcing Catholics Institutions Out of Charity Not Fine with US

The HHS final rule on qualified health plans imposes a Contraception Mandate that poses a poison pill for faithful Catholic and other institutions that believe that life begins at conception. Mark Rienzi, the Becket Fund For Religious Liberty attorney who represents faithful institutions effected by the dictat, believes that if the courts do not defend religious liberty that Catholics could end up engaging in civil disobedience against an unjust law.

The civil disobedience with religious liberty protestors will not be like the sit-ins of the civil rights movement. Instead, Rienzi anticipates institutions not paying for the contraception, sterilizations and abortifacients. This would lead to crippling fines which eventually would put the charitable and educational missions out of existence.

READ MORE at the DCBarroco website

P.J. O'Rourke on Character

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Spaced Out View on Manned Space Program

While I suspect that the trash talk about NASA's past was tongue in cheek. The emphasis on private space flight for the future is hyped but leaning in the right direction.



Competition encourages innovations and checks against spiraling costs. May Space-X, Virgin Galactic, XCOR et ali, have a better mission plan than NASA Chief Bolton promoting pride amongst Arabs for past math and space achievements.

Winston Churchill on Taxes

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Space Shuttle Discovery's Washington Fly Over

People between-the-beltways were treated to the sight of the retired Space Shuttle Discovery on its final flight to the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport.  The Discovery was the most traveled space shuttle, having made 39 missions which totaled over one service year in space.


Many Washingtonians took a break before 10 am to see this fond farewell to flight by Discovery. The Discovery was piggy backed on top of a modified 747 jet on its trip from the Kennedy Space Center to Washington.  But it was not a direct point by point flight.  The Space Shuttle made several dramatic pass overs Washington, to fly by the Monuments on the National Mall, the NASA headquarters and Capitol Hill before landing at Dulles.

 

See and READ MORE at the DCBarroco website

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Space Shuttle Discovery’s Final Flight Over DC





People between-the-beltways were treated to the sight of the retired Space Shuttle Discovery on its final flight to the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport.  The Discovery was the most traveled space shuttle, having made 39 missions which totaled over one service year in space.


Many Washingtonians took a break before 10 am to see this fond farewell to flight by Discovery. The Discovery was piggy backed on top of a modified 747 jet on its trip from the Kennedy Space Center to Washington.  




But it was not a direct point by point flight.  The Space Shuttle made several dramatic pass overs Washington, to fly by the Monuments on the National Mall, the NASA headquarters and Capitol Hill before landing at Dulles.




The flight was a bittersweet moment, as crowds spontaneously applauded when seeing the Space Shuttle, which had served the American manned space program for 27 years.  But it is sad to think that NASA does not have a replacement manned space craft ready.  So American space interests need to be served through Russian Soyuz spacelifts from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for the foreseeable future.

These triumphant pictures of the Space Shuttle flying by national landmarks will have an iconic appeal. It seems fitting that there are be photos of the Space Shuttle flying by the  White House, as the Obama Administration has effectively scrubbed the American Manned Space Program.





Now NASA can concentrate on helping Muslims feel better about their contributions to math and science. But on the bright side, Space X is a private American company which is set to make its first payload mission to the International Space Station on April 30th.

These final flights of the Space Shuttle are also a reminder of the politics of allocating NASA museum pieces.  The Atlantis will remain at Cape Canaveral, Washington was a natural pick.  New York and Los Angeles were also chosen to receive Space Shuttles.  Yet Houston, which has hosted the Johnson Mission Control Center for half a century was shut out, as decision makers seemed to be seeing red on electoral maps.

 Next week, the Smithsonian Institution will relinquish the Enterprise, the engine-less prototype Space Shuttle to New York City’s Intrepid Space-Air-Sea Museum, which will build a $100 million hanger for it.  This piggy back Enterprise flight ought to be better received than Air Force One’s joy ride over Manhattan in 2009 which created a panic by stunned spectators.

Samuel Adams on Leadership

Monday, April 16, 2012

Titanic Fair Share

Cartegena Chiste

Making the best of  what is a bad situation, a little bit of leivity from the West Wing.



It depends upon what the meaning of the word "is" is.

Not Just Gassing About Change



Who needs the Tea Party when we can organize a Gas Party to change the formula in November.

On Farrakhan's Alabama Eschatology

While recently speaking at Alabama A&M University (a traditionally black institute of higher education), Minister Louis Farrakhan offered some novel theological insight. Farrakhan contends that the people of Israel would listen to neither Elijah the Prophet nor Jesus of Nazareth because of the way they look. Farrakhan contends that: "[Y]ou are not trained to accept wisdom from a black person no matter how wise that black man is... Jesus was a black man." In fact, the Minister Farrakhan goes further and postulates: If Elijah was at the door and he was black, you would call 911 and say there’s a n****r at the door, claiming he’s Elijah! Send the police!”

See the video and READ MORE at the DC-Laus Deo blog

A South Side of Chicago Constitutional Challenge

Chicken Feed--Sick of Stimulus



This surreal Herman Cain is the political equivalent of Un Chien Andalou.  Did it convey  it's small government message effectively or was it more of a chicken feed curiosity?

Sunday, April 15, 2012

A Remote Contemporary Shadow of Patriotism


We need to do more than reach for the remote.  But changing programming on the "Executive Channel" in November would be a good start. 

Tales of Totalitarianism-Restricting Religious Liberty

GBTV showed a special featuring oral histories on how Communism affected ordinary citizen with their necks under the boot of the state.

A poignant segment of this show on Communism is how religious liberty can be restricted by an overbearing totalitarian irrelegious state.



We should not simply dismiss these tales as distant blasts from the past. Nor should it be laughed off as Sinclair Lewis' satire It Can't Happen Here.   As George Santayana wrote, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Obama on Work and Moms


Friday, April 13, 2012

War on Women Backfired?


Sharpton Draws Cross Comparison

photo:/ David Shankbone
On Easter Thursday, the Reverend Al Sharpton made some cross comparisons between Jesus Christ and Trayvon Martin when he spoke before the National Action Network’s meeting in Washington, DC. Sharpton pontificated:

We believe in Jesus, they crucified him and never had a charge... They never charged, there wasn’t no crime on his indictment. So we’ve got to deal with the inequities of the criminal justice system. The fact that we (black people) are overly-incarcerated, the fact that we go to court and are treated differently, and the fact that when we’re victimized there is not the same response. That’s what Trayvon was about.


That’s extraordinary exegesis from the Reverend Sharpton. But Sharpton’s other pronouncements about Trayvon seem as provocative and pugnacious as the Lunacy in Luton. This tendency towards fusing intolerant theology with polemic politics is a trend that we should resist we much (sic).

Protestors in Sanford, Florida were disappointed that the Reverend Sharpton reneged on his promise to appear at a Pre-Easter Occupation for the slain teen. But Sharpton was not chanting with the Culture Club. Instead, the right Reverend was keeping it real as Sharpton spent Resurrection Sunday leaning forward on MSNBC panel.

No wonder Sharpton could make such cross comparisons.

On Negotiating with Terrorists

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Panetta Pledge



Such a proposterous pledge should be DOD on arrival (sic). But this is the Obama Administration.  Sadly, the cartoon reflects reality.




h/t: GaryMcCoy.org

Keeping Politically Curious on Public Broadcasting



The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down the ban on political advertising for public radio and television stations on a 2-1 vote. But Judge Carlos Bea affirmed the ban on for profit companies advertizing goods and services...

Be mindful that this is the Ninth Circuit, has a reputation of being the most overturned federal jurisdiction. But for this election cycle, prisoners of PBS might be praying for telethons rather than the onslaught of election ads.

READ MORE at the DCBarroco website.

White House Press Dummies


But who had to pull Helen Thomas' string until she went off prompter on Israel?




Opinions from the Oval- The Imperial City

This is the first episode segment from GBTV "The Oval". It is promoted as being  as the speech that should be given from the Oval Office.



The message should appeal to libertarians and conservatives. But it is likely that a strain of BDS will cause a cacophony that shouts down the message.

Still, I recommend watching and reflecting upon the video. It would be wise to take the District of Calamity from being the Imperial City to a sleepy swampy backwater where nothing much seems to happen, just as our Founders intended.

Bob Marley on Freedom

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Huckster Exposed?


On Monday, the Mike Huckabee Show premiered on about 40 stations nationwide, syndicated by Cumulus Media (the current owners of ABC Radio).  The show is slotted to compete head to head with the Rush Limbaugh show from Noon to Three p.m.. To distinguish himself from the King of Talk Radio, former Governor Huckabee’s (R-AR) slogan is “Less Confrontation, More Conversation”, which is meant to appeal to the mushy middle of news-talk listeners.

Huckabee took his first phone call fifty minutes into the show from “Mike in San-Francisco”.  The caller chimed in:
Well Governor, let me start by saying it's great to have a different opinion and a different person on the radio and I'm very, very happy that you're doing this radio show. One of the reasons why I want to listen to your program every day is because you ran for office and you've been a politician, you have a different perspective I think.
What a wonderful way to start off your show. Unfortunately, the background behind this sterling first call may expose the Huck-ster.
READ MORE at the DCBarroco website.

Enigmatic Tax Code


h/t: Mike Keele  Caglecartoons.com

UK Must be PC on IPs



Adrian Smith, an 18 year veteran of the Trafford Council and Trafford Housing Trust (near Manchester, United Kingdom), was significantly demoted on his job for making moral comments on Facebook.

In October, Smith for daring to post on his own time on a private Facebook page that he thought that same sex “marriages” in churches was “an equality too far”.

These comments were brought to the attention of a supervisor. Subsequently, Smith was demoted from a £35,000 managerial post to a £21,000 position. The only reason that he was not fired outright was because of his long record of service.

The fracas over Adrian Smith’s Facebook posting raises some interesting issues...

READ MORE  at the DCBarroco website

"Chauncey Gardiner" on the Future


If only powers that be would stop trying to change the economic climate and allow the natural cycle to occur then we might have some spring.