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palin derangement syndrome continues »

Todd Purdum from Vanity Fair just wrote an article about Sarah Palin, and I can’t decide if he wants to take her down, or get down with her.

“Sarah Palin is still the sexiest brand in Republican politics….she is by far the best-looking woman ever…the first indisputably fertile female to dare to dance with the big dogs….she looks like a beauty queen….When she chooses to reveal herself….Palin is at once the sexiest and the riskiest brand in the Republican Party…Palin turns her debate with Joe Biden into a winkathon…nailing…knockout…she was a fresh-faced reformer…”

It Came from Wasilla” is an idiotic hit piece, filled with anonymous sources, and a revival of Trig trutherisms. Complete with a slew of juicy, negative quotes from insiders and a smoothly crafted narrative that demeans and diminishes Palin’s accomplishments.”

Real Clear Politics says it best:

Todd Purdum pulls down the black ski mask and whips out the sawed off shotgun for this utterly predictable hit piece on Sarah Palin in the August issue of Vanity Fair.

Read the rest »

Frank Ricci Speaks Out »

Fellow NQ writer, LisaB, has covered the issue of the SCOTUS and the New Haven Firefighters, but this video contained information I had not previously heard:

So, there WERE African Americans and Hispanics who passed the exam, too, something previously unreported. As Mr. Ricci said, the press did NOT do its job, accepting as fact the city of New Haven’s talking points. Wow - what a HUGE surprise - the press not engaging in fact checking. Again! Shocking. Ahem.

I thought this was an interesting interview. Congratulations to all of the firefighters who worked so hard to pass their tests (Ricci was not the only one who sacrificed studying for the exam - it sounds like EVERYONE sacrifices for these extra classes and tests). Here’s hoping you all get the positions, and back pay, you worked so hard to achieve.

The TARP Has a $159 Billion Loss!! »

The American taxpayer was going to make money on the investments in assets related to Bear Stearns, AIG, Citigroup, Bank of America, ad nauseum, correct?

Is it even possible to track the massive government outlays across the entire economic landscape? Is it further possible to measure the actual cost of the outlays as a percentage of the overall subsidies? Can we navigate this terrain without getting bogged down in the midst of a thicket of government data and statistics? You have come to the right place.

Subsidyscope has just released a report, entitled Estimated TARP Subsidy Rate Rises, which links to a report from the Congressional Budget Office highlighting all aspects of the TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program).

Just as “you can’t tell the players without a program” when attending a sporting event, “you can’t track Uncle Sam without Subsidyscope and Sense on Cents.”

What do we learn? Uncle Sam is still holding some TARP firepower. The TARP was launched as a $699 billion capital commitment. If you recall, the TARP legislation was passed as a vehicle to purchase toxic assets from banks. It has moved a long way away from that. Read the rest »

After a Coup d’Etat at NOW, the Future of “Feminism” »

amy-headshotI am the president and co-founder of The New Agenda. This article was originally published at Huffington Post.

…………………………………………………

It’s not personal, it’s business. Revenues have been decreasing at an escalating rate in all business lines. Major losses in the main subsidiary have been financed through intercompany borrowings. Despite the financial hemorrhage, management has been taking salary increases. A bankruptcy filing could be imminent. Is this Bear Stearns or Lehman Brothers? No, this is the National Organization for Women (NOW).

Some may think that NOW is an organization which has become obsolete, that women’s advocacy can move forward without this remnant of the second-wave of feminism. But that is missing the point. The success of national women’s organizations such as NOW is as important to women’s advocacy as it was for Wall Street to have Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley find their financial footing.

Last weekend, a major coup d’etat occurred at NOW’s election conference in Indianapolis.

Read the rest »

Iraq–Dawn of Hope or Audacity of Hubris? »

We pulled out of Iraq’s cities today and Allah only knows what comes next. What do you think Iraq will look like a year from now? A placid Arab nation with a flourishing economy and revitalized night life? A theocracy struggling to imitate Iran? A bloody mess of balkanized provinces divided along sectarian and ethnic lines?

I vote for the latter. And I think reporter Tom Ricks would agree. Ricks posted the following at Foreign Policy today:

Several times the Bush administration tried to transfer responsibility for security to Iraqi army and police forces, only to see them unable to handle the burden. Now, once again, the Americans are trying to get Iraqi security forces to take over, as most U.S. troops withdraw from Iraqi’s cities. Will the Iraqis be able to keep the population relatively secure? To be honest, I don’t know, and no one else does. It’s a matter of faith. And the leap comes tomorrow.

Read the rest »

Iranian Protest Support »

(More than worthy of a replay, so bumped up from last night - ed.)

Have you seen this?

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora hook up with a famous Iranian singer. Read the rest »

Government Health Care »

I am a physician. I am a full-time faculty member at a University hospital, but as an unpaid care-deliverer, I also frequently work in a the real government health care establishment, the VA Hospital, ….not the NIH where the docs can do anything they want. If we, in real life, would do some of the things done at the NIH under the auspices of research (and, by the way, virtually all care at the NIH is research), we would be guilty of Federal crimes such as Medicare Fraud. It is a Federal crime to offer free or discounted care to anyone without offering the same to all Medicare recipients, basically. Your government calls it ‘fraud’.

The real government system exists in the many VA’s of this country. Some are good. Many are horrendous. And none of them are equipped to deal with their mission as stated. Those of us who have seen the returning casualties from Iraq and who also take care of the now-aging Vietnam War patients are acutely aware of the deficiencies. Whomever wrote that recent glorious endorsement giving the VA system the highest grades among the country’s health systems did a marvelous job of cherry picking with blinders so narrow that to those of us who actually work out here, the entire document sounds like fiction based on absolutely no reality. Read the rest »

SCOTUS and Ricci »

CBS/AP reported that SCOTUS found for the white firefighters in the notorious Ricci v. DeStefano case.

Opinion (.pdf) here.

New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said Monday in a 5-4 decision.

The controversy started when New Haven voided its entire 2003 promotional exam after the results made 18 whites - but no blacks - eligible to become officers. When the city decided to promote no one, the white firefighters called that invalid under the Constitution.

New Haven was worried that if they actually promoted those who scored at the top of the test, they’d be sued. SCOTUS said fear of such a suit wasn’t reason enough to throw out the scores. The 5-4 decision reversed that of the appeals court, which included Judge Sotomayor at the time.

Read the rest »

Incarceration Nation Revisited: Webb to the Rescue! »

smallerwebincarceration-nation-too

It is a scandal. It breaks families and our economy. My first post on the crises in our prisons got a great response from many of you, but we didn’t come up with many solid answers. Then I got an email from the Press Secretary for Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) who had actually seen my toon and story! She sent me a lot of information, and now I have hope. See what you think.
Read the rest »

Madoff Sentencing Only the Beginning »

Bernie Madoff

Having received the maximum 150 years in prison, Bernie Madoff now knows how he will ‘exist’ for the balance of his ‘life.’ Today does not represent the end of the pursuit of justice in this massive fraud, but truly the beginning.

Victims of crime typically look for justice in two forms: restitution and justice “for all” parties involved.

The victims of the Madoff Ponzi scheme will be lucky to receive a small percentage of the monies invested in this fraud. The money is obviously extremely important to all the victims, but there is much more to justice than that.

For justice to truly be served, all of those who aided and abetted this fraud must also be brought to justice and pay the maximum price. To think that Bernie Madoff managed this scheme by himself is beyond naive. The Wall Street Journal highlights as much in writing, For Victims, Downsized Lives and Many Shattered Dreams:

“I hope he has to go to jail forever,” said Sheila Ennis, 63, of Manhattan Beach, Calif. “I hope they get all his assets, and I do feel others were involved. But now it’s a question of how we fix things for ourselves.”

Read the rest »

Bush Power Grabs Exceeded Only by Obama’s »

Three days go, WaPo wrote that the Obama administration was considering an executive order on [keeping in place] “prolonged” detention.

Obama administration officials, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, are crafting language for an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations.

Such an order would embrace claims by former president George W. Bush that certain people can be detained without trial for long periods under the laws of war. Obama advisers are concerned that an order, which would bypass Congress, could place the president on weaker footing before the courts and anger key supporters, the officials said.

Read the rest »

In 15 Minutes, Join the One and Only Nocturnal Warrior on No Quarter Radio »

(June 30 - show over)

The Nocturnal WarriorWe’re proud (always proud) to promote the One & Only Nocturnal Warrior on No Quarter Radio. Warrior’s a real-life radio pro whose show is as humorous as it’s entertaining, with top-drawer professional production values.

Tune in to NQR tonight — 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. ET! Join the live chat and call in to the show via (347) 677-0792.

The Warrior e-mailed me, and revealed tonight’s plans … Read the rest »

Honduras Tells Chavez and Obama to Butt Out »

By now most of you have heard of the “coup” in Honduras. The media, ever ignorant, is going with the story line that the military has ousted a democratic leader. Here’s the AP view:

Police and soldiers clashed with thousands of protesters outside Honduras’ national palace Monday as world leaders from Barack Obama to Hugo Chavez demanded the return of a president ousted in a military coup.

Leftist leaders pulled their ambassadors from Honduras and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called for Hondurans to rise up against those who toppled his ally, Manuel Zelaya.

“We’re ready to support the rebellion of the Honduran people,” Chavez said, though he did not say what kind of support he was offering.

But there is a lot more to this story then most of the press is reporting. Read the rest »

so, cap and trade… is it a good thing or not? »

I do think it a good thing to reduce pollutants in the air – and whether you believe in manmade climate change or not, I imagine you would agree. I also think the US needs to stop spending $200,000 per minute on foreign oil, and would love to see alternative methods developed and utilized.

The question seems to be whether Cap and Trade is the best method to achieve these goals. (And, how can Congress even make that decision, and vote on the bill when they haven’t read it? Heck, even Carol Browner, Obama’s Energy Czar, hasn’t read it….)

In theory, supporters of Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain shouldn’t be all that opposed to the Cap and Trade bill since all three candidates supported Cap and Trade during the primary. I don’t know if the proposals put forth by Clinton and McCain were similar to Obama’s, since, like Congress, I haven’t read the new bill.

Hillary Clinton and John McCain both supported cap and trade during the primary.

“Under Clinton’s cap-and-trade plan, 100 per cent of carbon credits would be auctioned to polluting companies, with the proceeds going towards new technology investments and a program to help low-income families heat and cool their homes.

She also announced plans to increase investments in energy efficiency and cleantech R&D, set targets for a quarter of US electricity to come from renewables by 2025, and introduce legislation demanding all listed firms report on climate change risks.”

My biggest concern regarding this bill is the argument that it will kill jobs. Obama flat out told his supporters before the election that he would cause their electric bills to skyrocket, so I assume this must not be a concern, at least for the 69 Million who voted for him. But, losing jobs is a major concern, especially now.

Obama – Energy Prices Will Skyrocket


Read the rest »

Some Anniversary Celebration »

I had planned on doing something completely different today - something snarky about John Edwards and Mark Sanford (maybe a video of “Your Cheatin’ Heart” or something), but then I saw this article:

Gays, Lesbians Rally Over Bar Raid in Fort Worth

About 18 hours after officers with the Fort Worth Police Department and agents with the Texas Alcoholic Beverages Commission raided a Fort Worth gay bar, about 150 to 200 people gathered on the steps of the Tarrant County Courthouse in downtown Fort Worth Sunday night, June 28, to protest the raid.

Sources have said that seven people were arrested in the raid although witnesses at the scene said many more people were handcuffed with zip ties and taken out of the bar.

One man, identified by his sister as Chad Gibson, was in the intensive care unit at Fort Worth’s JPS Hospital with bleeding in his brain after officers threw him to the ground and used zip-ties to handcuff him.

The raid happened on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion.

Read the rest »

john edwards: the paris hilton of politics »

john-edwards-hairJohn Edwards, he’s cute in an odd sort of way, spends a fortune on his hair, likes to primp in front of the camera, and has an infantile fixation of the phrase *you’re hot*.

He got caught with his panties down, and now, god save us all, there is a sex tape.

Former presidential candidate John Edwards is out of luck if he hoped that the extramarital affairs of Gov. Mark Sanford and Sen. John Ensign would take people’s minds off his own cheating scandal.

Former Edwards aide Andrew Young says the ex-senator and his former mistress, Rielle Hunter, once made a sex tape, according to someone who has seen Young’s book proposal.

Read the rest »

A Little Boogie Woogie - **OPEN THREAD** »

With all the fancy foot work going on in Washington while the media celebrates its obsession with all Michael Jackson all the time, I thought you might like something different to start your morning. Enjoy!

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Original Video - More videos at TinyPic
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(h/t BGD)

Read the rest »

Sexist Pig Kerry Is NOT Funny »

Some of you may have heard that Senator John Kerry tried to make a joke about Governor Palin recently in light of Gov. Sanford’s, um, “adventure”. Like his previous comedic attempts, it was NOT funny. Seriously - he should leave comedy to the professionals (and Letterman doesn’t count). Anyway, The Sleuth from The Washington Post has the “joke” in this piece, Sen. Kerry Clarifies Joke About Palin:

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) would like to amend that little joke he made earlier this week about Sarah Palin when he said he wished it had been the Alaska governor who had gone missing instead of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.

“Too bad, if a governor had to go missing, it couldn’t have been the governor of Alaska. You know, Sarah Palin,” Kerry told a group of civic and business leaders on Tuesday, according to the Boston Herald. That, of course, was before he and the rest of us learned Sanford had lost himself in Argentina with his secret mistress.

Conservative women rushed to Palin’s defense after the Kerry joke. Ethel Fenig at American Thinker wrote, “Tee hee! Letterman, Kerry — all afraid of strong, independent women! Kerry should find a job with David Letterman — who would miss him?”

Heaven knows, they DO have a point - who even knew he was speaking to a group? Ahem.
Read the rest »

Barack’s Hypocrisy on Health Care »

You’ve heard of NIMBY? (i.e., Not In My Back Yard). Meet the cousin, NIIIMK (i.e., Not If It Is My Kid). So Barack Obama is trying to sell a Health Care plan that, at the end of the day, will leave families in the position of being told by a government bureaucrat that they can’t get care for a loved one because it is “experimental” or “too costly.”

Here’s a video snippet from Barack’s ABC sponsored Health Care Infomercial:

Now let’s give Barack credit for an honest answer. Read the rest »

Dems Are Moms, Reps Are Dads »

I’ve thought for a long time that Democrats seem comfortable in the role of mothers, while Republicans like to think they are the father figures of America. I’m not talking about the kind of father who is a deadbeat alcoholic who cheats on his wife while she’s at work… well, maybe that’s not such a stretch for Republicans, now that I think about it.

I think it’s safe to say that if these political parties represent a family, it’s dysfunctional at best.

Democrats want to mother everybody, and that’s good in general, although it can be a bit stifling. Some of the mothers reading this might take offense at this idea, but ideally, everyone should aspire to taking care of ourselves without Mom coming over every day to clean and cook for us. I mean, Mom’s great, but jeezus, sometimes you just need her to mind her own damn business and let you live your life as an adult. She rearranges things in the kitchen, puts blue stuff in your toilet, and irons your wash’n'wear shirts. You just don’t need all that much help!

Republicans as dads are even worse. They not only demand you be perfect (or just like them, or both), they’ll refuse to help you out when you make a mistake! They figure that’s the only way you’ll learn your lesson. “OK, have it your way,” Dad says as you ignore his advice against eating a habanero pepper for the first time. He watches smugly as you defiantly bite into it, then laughs his ass off as you yell and start gulping water. Then comes his coup de grace:  “Just wait’ll it comes out the other end!” And he laughs some more. Read the rest »