Send in questions you would like President Obama to answer? It almost feels like a set-up by the Secret Service or FBI to entrap overzealous conservatives.
Or is that just being paranoid?
(Click to enlarge)
Friday, January 27, 2012
Is this some kind of a trick by the Secret Service?
Send in questions you would like President Obama to answer? It almost feels like a set-up by the Secret Service or FBI to entrap overzealous conservatives.
Whose side are the MSM RNC debate moderators on?
If the MSM carries the water of the Democrat Party and is the rooting section for the reelection of President Obama to a 2nd term in the White House...
Why in the hell would you line-up an already weak and wounded crop of Republican candidates in front of one of their moderators like doomed men facing a firing squad?
Particularly because we know that like everything else in politics and society today, decorum and respect is largely a thing of the past.
Add to the mix that many if not most of the MSM moderators have private (or not-so private) political agendas consistent with the outlets they work.
Giving them the opportunity to ask debate questions that they select is providing them the opportunity to attempt to shape public opinion and is a recipe for potential disaster.
Which they will gladly do!
Is there any better way to make the current already weak crop of Republican candidates look like non-presidential buffoons than to smugly open a debate with a question that forces them to look like little children fighting with each other or that forces one of them to respond to the debate moderator regarding the stupidity and irrelevance of some question.
That will play well once, maybe twice but will soon get very old.
All while President Obama sits on the sidelines with at least the appearance of being presidential.
Of the 20-odd RNC debates that have either taken place or are scheduled it appears that well over half are being sponsored and moderated by MSM outlets that have historically been loyal to the Democrat Party.
My question to the RNC is why you would allow the "enemy" to have this outsized opportunity to affect the election in November in the first place? And now it is too late to do anything about it!
File this under fool me once shame on you but fool me ___ times and there may be something wrong with the leadership of the RNC!
Cartoon source
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TGIF: The Frequent Flier Edition!
Today's libation comes straight from the 2012 presidential campaign of President Obama, now in full swing!
On Tuesday night the President gave a campaign speech to the country that went by some other very official sounding name. I believe he and the pundits in the press and on T.V. used the name State of the Union Address.
In it he told the country all kinds of interesting things, a great many untrue or that stretched the truth, and he made all kinds of great promises.
Promises that caused some of us wonder why he would be able to accomplish them in a second term when he failed so miserably at them in the 3+ years he's already been in office.
Promises that caused some of us wonder why he would be able to accomplish them in a second term when he failed so miserably at them in the 3+ years he's already been in office.
As an example he spun some great yarns about the need energy independence when ironically just days before he had killed the Keystone Pipeline. This project would have gone a long way towards accomplishing that independence along with the added kicker of creating lots and lots of jobs.
I believe that's called poetic license.
On the road again!
I believe that's called poetic license.
On the road again!
The morning after the SOTU the President took off on a 5-state campaign swing that in some way is supposed to pass as "official business" but that in reality is a very expensive, taxpayer funded junket.
The President's schedule!
The President left the White House Wednesday morning hitting Iowa and Arizona before spending the night in Nevada.
Bright and early Thursday he attended to some "official business" in Nevada before heading off to a day of some additional "official business" in Michigan where he would be spending the night.
The drink of choice chosen for a long and hard presidential week of travel and "official business" for the people of the country!
With a schedule like this there could be only one logical choice to present to President Obama as the "official business" cocktail of the week.
The TGIF beverage ... the One Night Stand!
5 ounces of Remy Martin Cognac
3.5 ounces of Mountain dew
3.5 ounces orange juice
Shake well and serve in a highball glass. (Source)
Prior TGIF honored politicians!
Barney Frank and the Super Fruity Sangria here.
Ted Kennedy and the Irish Car Bomb here.
Marion Barry and The Dirty Hooker here.
Enjoy, and next week don't work so hard!
Barney Frank and the Super Fruity Sangria here.
Ted Kennedy and the Irish Car Bomb here.
Marion Barry and The Dirty Hooker here.
Enjoy, and next week don't work so hard!
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
New Google privacy policy: Good, bad or indifferent?
Google is implementing a new privacy policy as of March 1, 2012! Why are they doing it, what is its purpose and does it matter?
From Alma Whitten, Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering at Google, comes this statement describing how these privacy policy changes will be good for you, the user:
"...But there’s so much more that Google can do to help you by sharing more of your information with … well, you. We can make search better—figuring out what you really mean when you type in Apple, Jaguar or Pink. We can provide more relevant ads too. For example, it’s January, but maybe you’re not a gym person, so fitness ads aren’t that useful to you. We can provide reminders that you’re going to be late for a meeting based on your location, your calendar and an understanding of what the traffic is like that day. Or ensure that our spelling suggestions, even for your friends’ names, are accurate because you’ve typed them before. People still have to do way too much heavy lifting, and we want to do a better job of helping them out..." (Source)
"Data-protection agencies in Ireland and France said they would assess the implications of the push. At least one consumer-advocacy group fretted that the policy -- which makes it easier for Google to target advertisements to specific groups -- might tie users’ hands and make it harder for them to limit what the company can do with their information..." (Source)
And certainly no one know yet what hacker-group Anonymous will think but I am sure that in time they will make their feelings very well known.
If you are so inclined and would like to come to your own conclusions the new Google Privacy Policy can be read here.
What happens when 6.65% is missing?
If we're talking about 6.65% of the body weight gained by a supermodel during pregnancy then that's a good thing (and a good start)! But if it's a pension fund missing its return assumptions by 6.65%, then that's not so good!
This is a follow-up to the article "The Public Pension Time Bomb!" that discussed the ballooning pension liabilities of towns, cities and states who also faced with shrinking tax bases, shrinking tax receipts, shrinking state and federal reimbursements and rising costs.
In addition to being reliant on new funds from now less plentiful sources, these pension funds operate under annual percentage return assumptions that need to average a certain rate far into the future so that those returns together with paid-in money will be sufficient to meet that funds obligations.
Well what happens if those annual percentage returns miss by a country mile or even worse the fund suffers losses significant losses and when there are gains they are miniscule? Where will the money come from to pay the retirees?
Consider the example of CalPERS aka the California Public Employees' Retirement System!
"The nation's largest public pension fund, the California Public Employees' Retirement System, posted a 1.1% return on its investment portfolio in 2011, Chief Investment Officer Joseph Dear told his board.
The 2011 performance was well below the estimated average annual return of 7.75% that the fund's actuaries say is needed to meet current and future obligations to its members.
The $229.5-billion CalPERS provides retirement and other benefits for 1.6 million state and local government employees and their families
CalPERS' annual investment results, whose volatility has echoed that of the overall markets, have become the focal point in an ongoing debate about looming pension fund liabilities and the ability of future generations of taxpayers to continue financing them. Gov. Jerry Brown has said he wants to overhaul state and local government pension programs, but whether he and the Legislature have the political wherewithal to do so in an election year remains unclear...
... This fiscal year, the state is contributing $3.51 billion. Next fiscal year's contribution is to be determined in the late spring."
So what will happen if at some point the state is no longer able to make a sufficient contribution? (Source)
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Is it Howdy Doody Time?
Nope, it's even better than that! It's Watcher's Council nominations time!
But before we start who and what is the Watcher's Council?
The Watcher's Council is a long-standing group of 15 conservative bloggers from around the world and the winner of the 2011 Fabulous 50 Blog Award in the category of Best Conservative Blog-Ring.
Each week, first thing Wednesday morning, we the members of the Watcher's Council make known our two articles for public consumption; one of our own (Council) and one from somewhere around the blogosphere (Non-Council) that address issues we feel are particularly timely and important to present.
After a secret ballot among the members, Friday morning the winners in each category are announced and the grand prize, the appreciation of our peers, is awarded! Stay tuned!
For the week of January 23, 2012 the nominations are...
Council Submissions
- The Colossus of Rhodey – What the Gingrich South Carolina victory could mean
- The Political Commentator – Doing away with the Electoral College! One man, one vote and majority wins!
- The Noisy Room – Revolution Moves Into The Overton Window
- Simply Jews – Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey vs FUKUS
- GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD – Going All The Way
- Bookworm Room – War is not, and should not be, sporting
- Right Truth – Making Sausage
- The Right Planet – Are We a Democracy?
- The Razor – A Tale of Two Disasters: The Titanic and the Costa Concordia
- VA Right - Will Newt Survive His Ex-Wives With Knives?
- The Mellow Jihadi – Lance Corporal Donald Hogan, Marine Hero
- Rhymes With Right – Am I Wrong To Be Troubled Here?
- The Glittering Eye -You Be the Judge
- Joshuapundit-Obama’s State Of The Union – The Hollow Man
- New Zeal – Kyrsten Sinema: Communist Connected Arizona State Senator to Run For Congress
Honorable Mentions
- Liberty’s Spirit – Abbott and Costello Discuss Unemployment
- The Independent Sentinel – Obama Reduced Our Dependence on Foreign Oil & I’m the Easter Bunny
- Ask Marion – Tic… Tic… GOP Toc… or Rather Talk
- Capitalist Preservation – The Fallacy Of The Minimum Wage Part Four
Non-Council Submissions
- The Foundry – 1,000 Days Without a Budget: Facts on the Senate’s Failure submitted by The Colossus of Rhodey
- Family Security Matters -Muslim Children in America are Being Taught to Hate submitted by The Political Commentator
- Sultan Knish –So You Want a Revolution… submitted by The Noisy Room
- Yourish.Com – TANSTAAFL submitted by Simply Jews
- The Compass – An Iran Attack Would Succeed, Then What? submitted by GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD
- The Anchoress-Pro-Lifers and the Truth-Phobic Press submitted by Bookworm Room
- Gay Patriot -SOTU: Obama’s last chance to change tone submitted by Right Truth
- Chicago Reader – What Makes Obama Run? submitted by The Right Planet
- Zero Hedge –Obama Puppetmaster Warren Buffett Biggest Winner From Keystone Pipeline Rejection submitted by The Razor
- Creeping Sharia – Colorado Muslim arrested on terrorism charges submitted by VA Right
- Right Wing News –The Worst People In Politics Aren’t Racists submitted by The Mellow Jihadi
- Polipundit – Why Newt should not be the nominee submitted by Rhymes with Right
- James Taranto/Best of the Web – The Genetic Fallacy submitted by The Glittering Eye
- Mark Steyn – The Sinking Of The West submitted by Joshuapundit
- Accuracy In Media – The FOX News Feminists submitted by New Zeal
- The New Atlantis – The Global War Against Baby Girls submitted by The Watcher
- Cabinet – The Behavioral Sink submitted by The Watcher
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Barack Obama: A joke that's an oldie but still a goodie! (Bonus SOTU caption contest)
(Enter the caption contest in the comments section below)
And any kind of humor is very much needed after last nights State of the Union Address!
But first, for anyone who played along with the SOTU cliche game, did you pick the correct first one of the speech and if you did what was it?
As for this joke we had to dig deep in the archives (actually a friend of mine emailed it to me yesterday), but it is still very funny in a very sad sort of way.
The Marine and the terrorist
Photo source Detroit Free Press
A Marine squad was marching north of Fallujah when they came upon an Iraqi terrorist who was badly injured and unconscious.
On the opposite side of the road was an American Marine in a similar but less serious state.
The Marine was conscious and alert and as first-aid was given to both men, the squad leader asked the injured Marine what had happened.
The Marine reported, I was heavily armed and moving north along the highway here, and coming south was a heavily armed insurgent. We saw each other and both took cover in the ditches along the road.
I yelled to him that Saddam Hussein was a miserable, lowlife scumbag who got what he deserved.
And he yelled back that Barack Obama is a lying, good-for-nothing, left wing Commie who isn't even an American.
So I said that Osama Bin Laden dressed and acts like a frigid, mean-spirited lesbian!
He retaliated by yelling, Oh yeah? Well, so does Nancy Pelosi!
And, there we were, in the middle of the road, shaking hands, when a truck hit us.
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