Quote du jour

“President Obama said Hillary Clinton is approaching one million frequent flier miles in her job as Secretary of State. Though even that can’t get her upgraded to the seat she really wants.”

–Jimmy Fallon

Weinergate Update: Weiner Pulls a Boner, Calls Hill Reporter, "jackass"

Wienergate update

By the Left Coast Rebel

First, a refresher on the term my grandmother used for a mistake:

bon·er/ˈbōnər/Noun

1. A stupid mistake.

I know I poo-poo'ed Weinergate earlier today and thought it would end up dust in the wind of the 24-hour news cycle lamestream media within a day.

Guess not.

Memo to a Wiener: act combative and elusive with the press and (even though they love you), damned if those sharks don't circle!

This is simply too good to not post:



ABC News:

Rep. Anthony Weiner’s response to the flap around a lewd photo posted from his Twitter account went from dismissive and joking over the weekend to frustrated and combative Tuesday in Washington, when the Congressman became agitated with reporters and called a TV producer a “jackass.”

Jackass? Blood in the water! It's pretty funny watching such a narcisstic tool self implode so quickly.

Cross posted to LCR.

Confirmed: Housing Double Dip

The failure of Keynsian economics: Housing upside down

By the Left Coast Rebel

Via CNBC:

U.S. single-family home prices dropped in March, dipping below their 2009 low, as the housing market remained bogged down by inventory and weak demand, a closely watched survey said Tuesday.

The S&P/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas declined 0.2 percent in March from February on a seasonally adjusted basis, in line with economists' expectations.

The price index was below the low seen in April 2009 during the financial crisis. The glut of houses for sale, foreclosures, tight credit and weak demand have kept the housing market on the ropes even as other areas of the economy start to recover.

The 20-city composite index was at 138.16, falling below the 2009 low of 139.26.

The cause of the failure of Obamanomics (Keynsian economics) is quite simple. The "Making Home Affordable Act," eight-thousand-dollar first-home-purchase tax credit and other "stimulus" for the post-2007 ailing housing market delayed the inevitable correction in pricing and inventory and stole from future growth in the market.

That's the basics of what is causing the "double dip".

Of course, our politicians know that Keynsian economics doesn't work and it would be better for our markets -- and Americans in general -- if the market(s) were allowed to correct and become healthy again.

But they can't resist the call "do something" thereby making the problem -- such as the terminally-ill housing market -- all that much worse.

That's statism and Keynsian economics for yah!

Cross posted to LCR.

BONUS: Cato's Dan Mitchell on the basic fallacies of Keynsian economics:

"Cost of War in Afghanistan will be Major Factor in Troop-Reduction Talks"

Obama's Proposed Afghan Air Force

This is your post Memorial Day "Oh, crap!" moment, brought to you by the Obama administration!

Of all the statistics that President Obama’s national security team will consider when it debates the size of forthcoming troop reductions in Afghanistan, the most influential number probably will not be how many insurgents have been killed or the amount of territory wrested from the Taliban, according to aides to those who will participate.

It will be the cost of the war.

Someone should tell the Commander in Chief, that when you have men and women on the battlefield, some dying for their country, this is not the time to "go cheap".

Military and civilian officials agree that the cost of the Afghan mission is staggering. The amount per deployed service member in Afghanistan, which the administration estimates at $1 million per year, is significantly higher than it was in Iraq because fuel and other supplies must be trucked into the landlocked nation, often through circuitous routes. Bases, meanwhile, have to be built from scratch.

Here's a clue for the Obama people:
A) Figure out what your objective is.
B) Figure out how you will accomplish your objective
C) Budget for that

Anything else will be like those commercials where the guy only buys part of a car, or a car without wheels because "it was all he could afford".

I have the feeling that this country in general and the military in particular "can't afford" this president.

H/T Memeorandum

Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.

Quote du jour

Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.

-Robert A. Heinlein

Medal of Honor Recipient Paul J. Wiedorfer, RIP

We note with sadness the passing of Paul J. Wiedorfer, WWII Medal of Honor Recipient, age 89.



“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Medal of Honor didn’t exist because there were no wars and we could all live in peace?" -PJW

Staff Sgt. Wiedorfer's citation may be found here.

Born July 17, 1921 in Baltimore, he was the last surviving WWII Medal of Honor recipient in Maryland and died at the age of 89 this past Wednesday from heart failure at Loch Raven Community Living and Rehabilitation Center.

Rest in peace, Staff Sergeant.

“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors; the men it remembers.”

-John F. Kennedy

More at Flopping Aces
Cross posted at Say Anything

The Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act

US Embassy Tel Aviv

Are you at all familiar with the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act? This act, to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was passed overwhelmingly on October 23, 1995, by both the Senate (93-5) and the House (374-37).

The Act then states what henceforth will be not Congressional preferences but the official policy of the United States toward Jerusalem: that it should remain a united city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group are protected; that it should be recognized as the capital of the State of Israel; and that the U.S. Embassy should be established there no later than May 31, 1999.

1995. If you were born in 1995, you would be sixteen years old this year. For sixteen years, the will of the people, as reflected by the vote of their representatives has been overridden, delayed and virtually ignored by the executive branch. What are the odds that a president who advocates a return to a border which divides Jerusalem, would ever implement this act of Congress?

In June of last year, Obama, like his predecessors before him, delayed the implementation of this law.

For the third time, U.S. President Barack Obama delayed for six months moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Ever since 1995, when the Jerusalem Embassy Act was passed ordering the transfer of the U.S. embassy, U.S. presidents have routinely delayed the move.

The fourth time would be December 3, 2010

Anyone want to make book if he'll go for five? Me, neither.

Update: If he were serious that "Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and it must remain undivided", as he told AIPAC in 2008 when he was running for president, he would back up his words with deeds. Don't look for that to happen anytime soon.



Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.

Obamas to Visit Arlington on Memorial Day

This constitutes breaking news. Barack Hussein Obama II has been president for three Memorials Days now. The man who will cross the Atlantic to shill for the Chicago Olympics, the man who will cross the Atlantic to accept a Nobel prize he didn’t earn or drink beer in Ireland, will finally travel the three and a half to five miles and cross the Potomac to visit Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day. I was beginning to think, after finding time to schedule 67 rounds of golf*, the only way to see a picture of Obama at Arlington on Memorial Day would be to photoshop one.

The Obamas will visit Arlington National Cemetery where the president will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Good on you, Mr. Obama. As the nation's Commander in Chief...it's about time.


*through May 10th – this number may have changed

Update: After double checking, Obama did lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in 2009. It must have been one of a number of other occasions where the Commander in Chief was conspicuously absent from Arlington that I was thinking of.

UpdateII:It may have been Veteran's day that I was thinking about. As I noted last November 12th:

Last May, when Obama skipped the Memorial Day services at Arlington because he was vacationing in Chicago, like many Americans, I thought that it was inappropriate and somewhat disrespectful to our fallen soldiers. He did plan a visit to a smaller cemetery near Chicago (which visit, as I recall, mercifully rained out his speech), but as Commander in Chief, he ought to have attended the most prominent national ceremony, IMHO.
Tailgunner Joe Biden took his place at Arlington.

UpdateIII: From Barack Obama's 2008 Memorial Day speech:

"On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes – and I see many of them in the audience here today – our sense of patriotism is particularly strong."

UpdateIV: Obama Pays Lip Service to Military During Visit to Arlington Cemetery, Promptly Heads to Play Golf For 70th Time Since Taking Office

Troopathon IV - Remembering Those Still Serving

Carol, over at No Sheeples Here, is involved in Troopathon IV, encouraging people to donate small "care packages" to the troops, to show our appreciation for what they do:

This Memorial Day, Be Their Hero

For $24.95, you can give "Items the military does not provide for our troops but which they really appreciate getting include: gourmet organic coffee, Oreo Cookies™, deodorant, candy, Diplomacy Jelly Belly Jelly Beans™, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, wet wipes, sunblock, battery operated fans, Gatorade™, Painted Hills Beef Jerky™, Chap Stick™, Planters Trail Mix™, Ocean Spray Craisins Trail Mix™, bug repellent, “For The Troops” CDs, Diana Nagy “The Journey of Life” CDs and foot powder."

We all know times are tight. If $24.95 is too steep, then you might consider a "Cup of Joe for a Joe". The Green Beans Coffee company has a program "Cup of Joe For A Joe":

In our travels to see the Troops, many share with us their sense of loneliness, isolation and feelings of being forgotten. Their commanders tell us that some Soldiers never receive mail from home. In response, Green Beans Coffee has launched Cup of Joe For A Joe to let anyone, anywhere in the world, say thanks to our troops through the simple act of buying a cup of coffee and having it delivered along with their own personal note of encouragement into the hands of a deployed Soldier.

It's hardly an adequate way to express our gratitude for the sacrifice that they are making, but it beats sitting on your butt doing nothing. You can contribute here.

Gifts there start at $2.00. And as the old song says, "If you haven't got a penny, then a ha'penny will do. If you haven't got a ha'penny, then God bless you."

Make life a little easier for one of the men defending liberty on your behalf, halfway around the world. I can guarantee you that they'll appreciate it.

Memorial Day 2011

Because some gave all...

Quote du jour

So this EPA directive requiring milk to be treated the same as petroleum for the purposes of storage and transportation has been around since the Seventies, and it's only taken the best part of four decades to get it partially suspended even though it's udderly insane? Hallelujah!

-Mark Steyn

Themes Like Old Times

Superman

Democrat Talking Points Still Impervious to Facts

Was watching Fox News Sunday this AM, two Congressional freshmen, Allen West R-FL and Donna Edwards D-MD were on and the one thing that stuck out for me was Ms. Edwards (no relation to John, we trust) kept parroting the line about "two wars" that were "unpaid for". What is Libya, Ms. Edwards? Chopped liver??

I think the hundreds of millions of dollars Obama has spent in taking military action against Libya meet every criteria for an "unpaid for" war as anything Bush did.

Is it their math which is fraudulent, or just their rabid partisanship in sticking to their talking points, no matter what?

What Do You Get When you Cross...

...an elephant with a rhino? Remember this one from grade school?



You get an 'el if I know!

Quote du jour

If burning the flag in public is protected free speech saying "I hate this country", why wouldn't burning a small tube of tobacco, wrapped in paper be protected free speech saying "I like tobacco"? They both produce toxic fumes and smoke. Why is one protected and the other not?

-Proof

A Little Saturday Night Music

Steve Winwood - Valerie

Jeff Conaway Has Gone Away

Jeff Conaway, the long-troubled actor from Grease and TV's Taxi who waged a public battle with cocaine, painkillers and alcohol, died Friday at age 60.

Jeff Conaway was a victim of his early success. Though not a child actor, he achieved a large measure of recognition early in his career, which measure would afterwards ever elude him. An apparently affable fellow, he did not age well in an industry and a culture which prizes youth and beauty.

His brief exposure to fame and fortune led to substance abuse when he could not regain it, nor deal with the fading glory of his youth. Here's hoping he found the peace in death that eluded him in life. Rest in peace, Jeff.

Wienergate: Did Far-left Hack Anythony Weiner Tweet his Wiener?

By the Left Coast Rebel

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) is one of the most noxious far-left hacks to ever (dis) grace the floor of Congress.

That personal aside, aside, apparently Anthony Weiner (or someone that hacked his Twitter account) sent out a very inappropriate photo of his....ahem...well, his last name to all of his Twitter followers.

Meant as a private message to someone that is clearly not his wife, the photo shows a not-safe-for-work image (click at your own risk) of a skinny white dude -- clearly aroused -- strutting his stuff in his tighty-whities.

Publius at Big Government reports:

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY 9″) finds himself in a late night online pickle.

This evening a photo surfaced on Congressman Weiner’s yfrog account and in his verified Twitter timeline of a man in his underwear with an erection. The photo was reportedly sent to a woman on Twitter. We’ve protected her name and her account, which was at one time verified to be active but has since been deleted after the photo in question was deleted...

...Coincidentally, the rest of the photos in the congressman’s alleged yfrog account were also deleted around 11 p.m. eastern...

...Weiner, who married Hillary Clinton’s longtime assistant, Huma Abedin, last year, has been Tweeting about hockey this evening. Confusion reigns online as puzzled Weiner followers wonder what occurred to Weiner’s timeline.

The photo, stored at Weiner’s alleged yfrog account, is connected to his verified Twitter account. Were his yfrog and Twitter accounts hacked as well?

My take on Wienergate -- at least at this point -- is that only Anthony "Wiener" and the woman he sent the disgusting photo to knows the truth.

The photo that was publicly tweeted does not show Weiner's face, as Rep. Christopher Lee (R-NY-26) recent Craigslist sex solicitation ad that caused him to resign clearly did (photo at left).

I assume that Weiner will slither away from Wienergate and that the controversy will not add up to anything.

It's very odd that Weiner's response to the whole thing was an admission that his Facebook account had been hacked (not Twitter), Either way, it's a funny story that is finding a lot of us on the right-blogosphere tongue-tied-and-twisted this holiday weekend -- who can't giggle about a possible sex scandal regarding a guy with the last name Wiener?

Do you think Weiner actually did post his Wiener?

Maybe just the implication or possibility that he did will leave a bad taste in voter's mouths next year as Wiener faces reelection.

Bad choice of words!

MORE: Doug Ross has more, including the double standard placed on Republicans that are caught in this kind of scandal.

Patterico also has the screen-capped timeline to Wienergate.

Donald Douglas at American Power thinks the Twitter timeline looks pretty incriminating and Sister Toldjah has a great Wienergate writeup as well.

More Wiener discussion: Memeorandum. Cross posted to Proof Positive (who I am certain will love this story!).

Updated: Post amended to correct spelling of Weiner's name, not "Wiener" -- although it's pretty funny!

Saturday Linkaround

Cartoon of the Day – NRO

President Obama’s Excellent Idea

Sarah Palin Buys A Home In Scottsdale?

Question: What would President Cain offer the Palestinians to make peace?

SEIU drops mask, goes full commie

Obama at AIPAC: Beneath the Flattery, He Revealed His Indifference to Israel’s Needs and His Tilt Against It

California, which imprisons about 30,000 illegal immigrants, ordered to release 30,000 prisoners due to overcrowding

Congress Silent As Obama Ignores War Power Act

“Stout –dark and bitter”

Yes They Kahn!

Local Stations Are Canceling PBS Contracts

Hamas rejects the 1967 borders, too

Golden State blues –George Will

Obama skirts rule of law to reward pals, punish foes –Michael Barone

50 Years Ago Today: NASA Didn’t Sell AGW Hysteria

Thiel Fellowship Pays 24 Talented Students $100,000 Not to Attend College

Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell And Gene Cernan: Obama Is Killing-Off The U.S. Space Program

Obama's Tornado Math

Yes, Obama Did Attempt To Shift U.S. Policy On The Pre-1967 Borders

The Democratic Party: Protecting tax cheats since 1944

Obama’s New Internet Propaganda Czar Is Married To The Woman Behind MoveOn’s General “Betray Us” Ad… Anyone Surprised?

Congressman On Recent Flight: TSA Patted Down Child, Little Old Lady; Ignored Man In Arab Garb

If Obama was President in 1812...

Why the "recovery" is jobless

What is a turncoat? –Bill Whittle, video

What Obama did to Israel –Krauthammer

Gasoline Prices Erode Incomes, Spending





Rule Five Roundup*:


American Power- Saturday Rule Five Kate Upton

Camp of the Saints - Rule Five Saturday, Hump Day Rule Five NSFW, Rule Five News

Classic Liberal – Beautiful Dangerous

The Daley Gator – Daley Babes Taylor Cole, Daniela Ruah, Rachelle Leah

Eye of Polyphemus – Katy Perry, Kaley Cuoco, Kristin Cavallari

Friday Night Babe – Olga Kurylenko

Jammie Wearing Fool – Miss World

Lasso of Truth – Pinup

Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World - Friday Pin up

Pirates Cove - Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup, If All You See..., If All You See…, If All You See…, Cindy Crawford , If all you see...


POH Diaries -Rule 5: Lindsey Wixon

Randy’s Roundtable –Thursday Nite Tart, Midweek break – Eva Longoria

Soylent Green – Motivationator, X Babes, Sunday Swim

Support your local Gunfighter- Sarah Michelle Gellar

Teresamerica – Rule 5 - Purrrr....Catwomen

The Last Tradition- Sam Cooke vs Shakira

Theo Spark –Bedtime Toddy

The Other McCain- Rule 5 Sunday , Kathy Ireland

Behold! The Power Of Boobs! -Katy Perry

Three Beers Later – Denise Milani

Vintage Babe of the Week – Christie Brinkley

Vodkapundit- Rule Five Sunday – Playa del Carmen Edition


Rule 5 Woodsterman Style


*By no means comprehensive.

Use the comments as an open thread on any of these topics.
Cross posted at Say Anything

Quote du jour

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read!"

-Groucho Marx

"Mork Levin"

Now, don't get me wrong, I like Mark, ya big dope! This is just where my mind goes sometimes...



It could explain why he keeps his "bunker" hidden!

Obama's Israeli Peace Proposal in Cartoons

There seem to be a lot of these floating around. Pretty good ones, too!















H/T Brutally Honest, Wyblog, Michael Ramirez,

Friday Night Babe

Tonight's FNB* is Olga Kurylenko!

(*a.k.a. Rule Five Friday)

Video of Osama's "Burial at Sea"

From Military.com. (Because no one would ever lie about something like this!)



H/T Grouchy Old Cripple

Texas Governor Rick Perry to be GOP 2012 Wild Card?

Texas Governor Rick Perry to enter the 2012 race? Image via Governor Rick Perry/Flickr

By the Left Coast Rebel

Via The Hill:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) said he will consider running for president in 2012.

Perry had previously taken himself out of contention for the Republican nomination but he has been walking back on that in recent days.His comments on Friday were the strongest to date.

“I’m going to think about it” when the Texas legislature adjourns on Monday, Perry said, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Most consider the GOP primary field to be set, but several Republicans have expressed unhappiness with their choices, prompting speculation a dark-horse candidate could enter the race.

I still contend that a dark-horse candidate (no offense, Herman Cain) will emerge when people least expect it. This dark horse -- or relative unknown individual at this point -- will enter the race late and may come to the table with true fiscal-conservative bona fides and sans the baggage that every candidate has at this point.

A Rick Perry candidacy may play into this theme. What do you think?

More discussion: Pajamas Media, Wake up America, Hot Air, Big Government, and The Gateway Pundit.

Via Memeorandum, cross posted to LCR.

End of the World Could Be Game Changer for Obama

By now, most of you know that the world did not come to an end last weekend. Residents of Berkeley will undoubtedly find out soon. My prediction is, that their response will be, "Whoa, Dude!"

But if the whole "world is going to end" thing weren't bad enough, a poll has been taken to determine what effect the Rapture might have on next year's election. I.Kid.You.Not.

Public Policy Polling has taken a poll to "figure out how big of a political game changer the rapture would be."

"The Rapture", for those of you not schooled in such things, is the belief, that at the end of the world, as things get really bad, God will deliver his people from the devastation at the end of the world. That they will literally rise up and meet Christ "in the air", while those left behind have to suffer untold hardship, pain and agonizing regrets. (Think: The Obama administration on steroids.)

First off- no one really believed the Rapture was going to happen last weekend, or at least they won't admit it. Just 2% of voters say they thought that was coming on Saturday to 98% who say they did not. It's really close to impossible to ask a question on a poll that only 2% of people say yes to. A national poll we did in September 2009 found that 10% of voters thought Barack Obama was the Anti-Christ, or at least said they thought so. That 2% number is remarkably low.

Did you catch that last part? "That 2% number is remarkably low." Are they saying that they expected it to be higher? Or the fact that it was brought up at all?? (I apologize. When I first read this, I thought they were referring to the percentage that thought Barack was the "Anti-Christ". My bad. I really should finish my second cup of coffee before reading statistics.)

11% of voters though think the Rapture will occur in their lifetimes, even if it didn't happen last weekend. 66% think it will not happen and 23% are unsure. If the true believers who think the Rapture will happen in their lifetime are correct- and they're the ones who had the strongest enough faith to get taken up into heaven- then that's going to be worth a 2-5 point boost to Obama's reelection prospects...if the Rapture occurs it would be an even more immediate boost to Democratic electoral prospects.

Hear that? I think what this poll is saying, that after all the really good people are taken out of the equation, Obama gets a majority from those who are going to Hell! So, in addition to getting votes from dead people, Democrats get votes from those who are as good as dead!

This could go a long way in explaining the tactics of Democrats to bring in "the faithful". Too funny!



H/T Memeorandum
Cross posted at LCR.

(VIDEO) Dinamo Bucharest midfielder Elis Bakaj Dodges Firework During Romanian Cup Final

By the Left Coast Rebel

Caught this video this morning of Dinamo Bucharest midfielder named Elis Bakaj (in red, on the right), narrowly escaping getting smacked down by a large firework during the recent Romanian Cup Final :

Want the story behind the rogue firework? Gotta love this British commentary from Metro.UK:

The nimble winger had already skinned his marker on the flank, and was bursting into the Steaua box when a firecracker was launched from the crowd.

Not one to shirk at the sight of a bright light, Bakaj showed he was definitely no Gremlin by dodging the smoking missile, and still managed to get his cross in anyway. What a man.

Unfortunately nothing came of his unbelievable tekkers, and just to rub salt in, Steaua went on to lift the cup thanks to goals from Nicolae Dica, and an own goal from Stefan Barboianu in a 2-1 win.

It was Steaua’s 21st cup victory in the club's history, and by the spirit of the crowd, we’re sure the celebrations were a real blast.

"The nimble winger had already skinned his marker on the flank....?"

Sounds painful!

Cross posted to LCR.

Quote du jour

Extremism in the pursuit of bad puns in no vice!

-Proof

Obama is Like Reagan...

...Ron Jr. that is! And David Cameron is like Thatcher.


"Reagan and Thatcher"

President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron...liken their personal efforts to two leaders who came before them: Reagan and Thatcher. -USA Today

Vintage Babe of the Week

Tonight's Vintage Babe* is Christie Brinkley!
(*a.k.a. Rule Five Thursday)












Like fine wines, the ladies improve with age!

Stephen Moore at Wall Street Journal: 62% Top Tax Rate?

By the Left Coast Rebel

As our government continues to deficit spend, what, 40% of every dollar?, the bill that is yet-to-come comes with a state and federal combined price tag of 62%. Sure sounds like a European socialist basket case economic scenario, doesn't it?

Hello, 1970s:

If the Democrats' millionaire surtax were to happen—and were added to other tax increases already enacted last year and other leading tax hike ideas on the table this year—this could leave the U.S. with a combined federal and state top tax rate on earnings of 62%. That's more than double the highest federal marginal rate of 28% when President Reagan left office in 1989. Welcome back to the 1970s.

What's that giant sucking sound? Business headed to Europe and other tax-friendlier nations, is what it is:

What is particularly worrisome about this trend is the deterioration of the U.S. tax position relative to the rest of our economic rivals. In 1990, the highest individual income tax rate of our major economic trading partners was 51%, while the U.S. was much lower at 33%. It's no wonder that during the 1980s and '90s the U.S. created more than twice as many new jobs as Japan and Western Europe combined.

And a solution? No more, says Moore:

Perhaps there can still be a happy ending to this sad tale of U.S. decline. If there were ever a right time to trade in the junk heap of our federal tax code for a pro-growth Steve Forbes-style flat tax, now's the time.

Where is our Steve Forbes-like candidate?

We shouldn't be surprised that our government is run by Robin Hood-wanna-be economic illiterates.

Cross posted to LCR, Rational Nation.

MORE: The Moderate Voice, The Lonely Conservative and Wake up America

Walt Disney Surrenders to Navy's SEAL Team 6

As a follow up to an earlier story, Disney is apparently waving the white flag before an onslaught of bad PR involving their attempt to co-opt the term "Navy's SEAL Team 6" under copyright law.

Less than a month after a daring raid on Osama bin Laden's secret hideout, the U.S. Navy's SEAL Team 6 notched a victory over the Magic Kingdom.

Walt Disney Co. said Wednesday that it would pull an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in which the entertainment giant sought the exclusive right to use the term "SEAL Team 6" on items ranging from toys and games to snow globes and Christmas stockings

Snow globes? You've got to be kidding me! "Oh, look, sweetie! It's snowing on the bullet riddled corpse of bin Laden! We'll take two!"

Disney withdrew the application "out of deference to the Navy," a spokesman said.

The move comes after comics and other critics ridiculed the Burbank, Calif., company for trying to profit off bin Laden's killing. Disney first made the claim two days after the world learned of the secret special-operations unit's daring mission into the al Qaeda leader's Pakistan compound.

"Putting a trademark on SEAL Team 6 is like copyrighting 'The guys who stormed the beach at Normandy,'" joked "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart last week. "It belongs to all of us."

Navy officers privately expressed relief Wednesday that the company had chosen voluntarily to retract its application, saving the organization from a long trademark battle.

Disney knew that once they had lost Stewart, they'd lost the war. Disney then withdrew to their pre-2011 copyright lines as a condition of the peace.
In return, I may need to give up my copyrighted use of Uncle Walt®, though I may lob an occasional rhetorical missile into the Land of Mouse as necessary.

Uncle Walt® is a registered trademark of Proof Positive blog. Any attempt by a large rodent like corporation to usurp this title or his likeness will be met by the full force of law. The crack attorney firm of Dewey, Cheatem and Howe has been retained to insure that copyright provisions are strictly adhered to.

H/T Memeorandum

Quote du jour

Leave Israel alone and roll back the U.S. Government to its 1967 size.

-Roger Kimball

Netanyahu on Hannity -video

We've seen a lot of Benjamin Netanyahu this week, prompted by his visit to the US, preceded by the colossal blundering of Barack Obama in his latest foreign policy speech.

This man is plain spoken and a breath of fresh air compared to some of his US counterparts.

Medal of Honor

Staff Sergeant Drew Dennis Dix

Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Dix distinguished himself by exceptional heroism while serving as a unit adviser. Two heavily armed Viet Cong battalions attacked the Province capital city of Chau Phu resulting in the complete breakdown and fragmentation of the defenses of the city. S/Sgt. Dix, with a patrol of Vietnamese soldiers, was recalled to assist in the defense of Chau Phu. Learning that a nurse was trapped in a house near the center of the city, S/Sgt. Dix organized a relief force, successfully rescued the nurse, and returned her to the safety of the Tactical Operations Center. Being informed of other trapped civilians within the city, S/Sgt. Dix voluntarily led another force to rescue 8 civilian employees located in a building which was under heavy mortar and small-arms fire. S/Sgt. Dix then returned to the center of the city. Upon approaching a building, he was subjected to intense automatic rifle and machinegun fire from an unknown number of Viet Cong. He personally assaulted the building, killing 6 Viet Cong, and rescuing 2 Filipinos. The following day S/Sgt. Dix, still on his own volition, assembled a 20-man force and though under intense enemy fire cleared the Viet Cong out of the hotel, theater, and other adjacent buildings within the city. During this portion of the attack, Army Republic of Vietnam soldiers inspired by the heroism and success of S/Sgt. Dix, rallied and commenced firing upon the Viet Cong. S/Sgt. Dix captured 20 prisoners, including a high ranking Viet Cong official. He then attacked enemy troops who had entered the residence of the Deputy Province Chief and was successful in rescuing the official's wife and children. S/Sgt. Dix's personal heroic actions resulted in 14 confirmed Viet Cong killed in action and possibly 25 more, the capture of 20 prisoners, 15 weapons, and the rescue of the 14 United States and free world civilians. The heroism of S/Sgt. Dix was in the highest tradition and reflects great credit upon the U.S. Army.

S/Sgt. Dix: We humbly salute you and thank you for your service.



Hat tip Home of Heroes

There are fewer than a hundred living MoH recipients today. Their names and their stories should not be forgotten. My mission is to honor one of those heroes here each week, and salute them for their courage and sacrifice. In the words of John Fitzgerald Kennedy:

“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors; the men it remembers.”

Cross posted at Say Anything

Royals, Obamas Sip $1,000 Vino

At the risk of inciting class envy, we note this story about the Obamas abroad:

Finally, after two straight presidents who didn't appreciate the taste of a fine French burgundy, Buckingham Palace tonight had a chance to put on the Ritz for a first family who enjoy a long dinner and luscious wine.

Most notable from the wine cellars of the famous palace: A Echezeaux Grand Cru 1990, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, that goes for $1,000 - $1,700 per bottle in the United States.

There were a bunch of other wines, like Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin champagne and a very nice $170 1963 port President and first lady Michelle Obama, who are noted for dinner dates at Washington's finest restaurants, have probably had before.

And just so that you know just what you're missing, a description:

The Grands Echezeaux is broader than the Echezeaux, with more black-raspberry and black-cherry elements in its smoky, exotic nose, as well as a longer, more opulent and fleshy finish.

Think of this the next time the bouquet of aromatic hydrocarbons of four to five dollar a gallon gas, with its "smoky, exotic nose", and that "tell-tale complex, exotic fragrance" fills your nostrils (if not your tank), and think of how many times you could fill your tank for the price of that one bottle of wine. And know that Barry feels your pain.

H/T Memeorandum

Separated at Birth?

We report. You decide.

Quote du jour

California’s Constitution requires a balanced budget. Sort of. For more than a decade it has been “balanced” only by creative accounting — a fact that should give pause to conservatives, in Washington and elsewhere, who are eager to constitutionalize fiscal policy by putting a balanced-budget requirement in the U.S. Constitution.

-George Will

New Date For End of the World - *Sigh*

I really hate to bring this up again, but as the Official Blog of the End of the World™, I have an obligation to stay current. In case you haven't heard, Harold Camping is at it again. Mark October 11th on your calendars.

In spite of making predictions in the face of pretty clear scriptural teaching that "no man knows the day or the hour", and getting it wrong not once, but twice, you'd think he'd learn just a little bit more humility, wouldn't you?



My own predictions center around the number of desertions, as Family Radio staffers find other employment or other ministries that might make better use of their talents.

Mr. Camping, I expected better from you. Still, if I were you , with your track record, you should work on your press release for next October 12th.

H/T theblogprof

Israeli Prime Minister Gets 29 Standing Ovations in Congress

...at his 2011 SOTU, Obama got 25. (Not that anyone's counting!)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before a joint meeting of Congress had all trappings of a State of the Union address by a president with sky-high approval ratings.

Speaking to a packed House chamber with Speaker Boehner and Vice President Biden over his shoulders, Netanyahu was repeatedly interrupted by applause – including more than 20 standing ovations. One of his biggest applause lines was aimed directly at President Obama.

“Israel will not return to the indefensible boundaries of 1967,” Netanyahu said, prompting a big standing ovation.

Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to be getting a lot warmer reception for his views than Obama is getting for his. And rightly so!

H/T Memeorandum

Netanyahu Heckled Speaking Before Congress -video

...and gets a standing "O" for his comeback.



More at Mediaite

Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.

Christina Hendricks: The Embodiment of Rule Five

Since most of the other news is so depressing, we give you this!

It was reported this year that there had been a sharp rise in breast augmentation in the UK because British women were longing to look more like Christina, though she says: ‘I hope I’m not encouraging that. If there’s anything to be learned from me it’s that I’m learning to celebrate what I was born with, even though it’s sometimes been inconvenient. Having larger breasts has made it harder for me to shop throughout the years, but I’ve learnt to love it. It’s so bizarre that people are constantly asking if my breasts are real or fake,’ she adds. ‘They’re so obviously real that anyone who’s ever seen or touched a breast would know.’

-Daily Mail

Helping you stay abreast of the news since 2008...

H/T The Other McCain

"An Attack on Pakistan is an Attack on China"

Well, as they used to say, "This is another fine development you've gotten us into!"

ISLAMABAD, 19 MAY: In the wake of the US raid in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden, China has “warned in unequivocal terms that any attack on Pakistan would be construed as an attack on China”, a media report claimed today.
The warning was formally conveyed by the Chinese foreign minister at last week's China-US strategic dialogue and economic talks in Washington, The News daily quoted diplomatic sources as saying. China also advised the USa to “respect Pakistan's sovereignty and solidarity”, the report said.
Chinese Premier Mr Wen Jiabao informed his Pakistani counterpart Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani about the matters taken up with the US during their formal talks at the Great Hall of the People yesterday. The report said China “warned in unequivocal terms that any attack on Pakistan would be construed as an attack on China”.

So, if this was conveyed "last week" according to a four day old story, exactly when were the MSM going to get around to informing us of the consequences of Obama not informing the Pakistanis that we would be coming after bin Laden? Have you heard anything about this? Me neither.

Did Obama drive one of our allies into the arms of our enemy? Could it have been avoided? We live in interesting times.

Update: I wonder if this means a UAV visit into Pakistan would be considered an act of war on China? Border skirmishes, anyone?



H/T Weasel Zippers

Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu At AIPAC -video

An excellent counterpoint to the insincere rhetoric of any previous speaker you may have heard. (For those who were impressed by the applause that Obama received here, wait til you get a load of this!)

H/T Real Clear Politics

Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.

Quote du jour

Tony Blair and Barack Obama have an awful lot in common. Both are lawyers; both are snake-oil-salesman; both claim to be post-partisan, and Third Way and consensual; both play the acceptable, moderate-seeming public face of a regime chock full of Communists, class warriors, single issue rabble rousers, malcontents, communitarians and eco-loons hell bent on destroying every last vestige of what once made their country great.

-James Delingpole

Barack O'Bama and All that Blarney

Had you heard this? More news about America's first "black" president:

He (Obama) has also found time to stop off in Moneygall in Country Offaly, which prides itself on being an ancestral home of the 49-year-old.

...Mr Obama's great-great-great-grandfather Falmouth Kearney, a shoemaker, was born there in 1831 before emigrating to America in 1850

Isn't that what the liberals have all been telling us all along? That we're racists and we only oppose Obama's policies because...he's Irish!

Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.

Quote du jour

“Republican candidate Ron Paul came out for the legalization of heroin and prostitution, unfortunately not in time to be cast as Charlie Sheen’s replacement on ‘Two and a Half Men.’”

-Conan O’Brien

Themes Like Old Times

The Drew Carey Show -Five O'Clock World -The Vogues

The Least Serious President in the History of the Republic™ Speaks at AIPAC, Again

Israel can sleep safely tonight! Barry has imposed sanctions on Iran!

The Least Serious President in the History of the Republic™ addressed an AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington today. (Candidate Obama addressed them in 2008.) A couple of things jumped out at me.

We also know how difficult that search for security can be, especially for a small nation like Israel in a tough neighborhood.

A "tough neighborhood"??? Excuse me, Mr. President, but Israel is a nation under siege from its enemies. Chicago has rough neighborhoods, Israel is in a war zone.

"You also see our commitment to our shared security in our determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Here in the U.S., we’ve imposed the toughest sanctions ever on the Iranian regime."

Tough sanctions against Iran? How'd that work out for us against Saddam Hussein in Iraq?
Did tough sanctions bring down his regime or bring about peace in the region or extinguish his desire to rebuild his WMD capabilities? Israel can sleep safely tonight! Barry has imposed sanctions! /sarcasm

"...a new generation of Arabs is reshaping the region."

Oh, you mean like the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, after you were instrumental in the removal of Mubarak, who are avowedly hostile to Israel? And whatever factions are rebelling in Libya, about whose ideologies and intentions towards Israel you haven't a clue?

So, let me see...we have turmoil in Egypt, Syria, and Libya, where you just started a military action. We have shooting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and you sent a military mission into Pakistan, without the knowledge or permission of their government, and now you want to impose your will on our lone democratic ally in the Middle East, because...you needed to draw attention away from your golf outings??

"The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps"

Here's where you plan goes off the rails, Mr. President. Take the city of Jerusalem, the city of David, the capitol of Israel. Your proposal not only has it jutting like a peninsula into what would then be another country, but the old lines transect Jerusalem. Which part of Jerusalem do you envision either side would "mutually agree" to give up? On what would you base that belief? Certainly not on the last 44 years of history! And you have publicly stated that Jerusalem "must remain undivided". Who mutually agreed to that swap, Mr. President?

In the end, you have a pretty speech, which is only as dependable as the man who gives it. Too often in the past, Obama's promises have come with an expiration date. Why should we believe these are any different? And why should the nation of Israel risk its security and existence based on your words, Mr. Obama?

Full Text Of Obama's Speech To AIPAC

Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.

Netanyahu and Our Yahoo: The Early Years

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

H/T In A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Herman Cain Makes it Official

The Hermanator threw his hat in the ring for president today.

Tea Party favorite Herman Cain announced his long-shot presidential candidacy to a raucous crowd in Atlanta Saturday, yelling, "I'm running for president of the United States and I'm not running for second."

At a rally attended by thousands, the businessman, author and talk radio show host showed he knows how to wow a conservative gathering. The crowd chanted, "Herman, Herman, Herman," as Cain unleashed the same soaring rhetoric and relentless attacks on President Obama that has created buzz in recent weeks.

"Let me tell you some of the reasons why I'm running for president of the United States.We have become a nation of crises," he said, citing morals, the economy, entitlement spending, immigration and foreign affairs as among the crises facing the nation.

"And we've got a deficiency of leadership crisis in the White House," he said to roaring cheers.

A long shot? Definitely. But then, what was Barack Obama against the inevitability of a Hillary Clinton candidacy?



H/T Memeorandum

Quote du jour

I think if Obama can set the timeline for Israeli borders, Mexico should be able to set the timeline for American borders to solve the problems of immigration, drugs, guns and gangs.

The President of Mexico should demand that the US return to it's pre-1848 borders before it would negotiate any new treaties with us. If Obama can void the Six Day war, why can't Mexico void the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?

-Proof

Barack Obama's "Peace" Prize Explained

"Here's a piece of Israel for the Palestinians, and a piece for Egypt, and a piece for Jordan and a piece for Syria and a piece for Lebanon... "

Update: Lest anyone should think that this old joke originated with me, it didn't. Sadly, we used to tell it about Soviet dictators.


Cross posted at LCR, Lady Cincinnatus , Say Anything.

A Little Saturday Night Music

Telstar by the Tornados

Obamoses Leading the Children of Israel (Backwards)

Theo Spark had this great cartoon from the incomparable Michael Ramirez: