Sen.Hutchison Shoots Self In Foot; Texas Repubs Line Up For Her Seat

You may remember my post of a few days ago HERE; where Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison offered to resign her Senate Seat (sort of) to battle incumbent Governor Rick Perry for the Republican nomination. In my lifetime, this may well be the most blatant example of ‘Country Club Republicanism” I’ve ever seen.

Honestly; I can’t imagine anyone doing more harm to Hutchison’s election chances than she has to her own with her elitist, condescending, and out-of-touch attitude this last week.

And apparently a lot of other Texas Republicans feel that way too, because they’re lining up to fill Kay’s Senate seat:

WASHINGTON — Sen. John Cornyn, who heads the Senate Republican campaign arm, said Friday that a large field of GOP candidates in Texas are eyeing a special election race to fill the Senate seat vacated by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison when she steps down to run for governor this fall.

Hutchison, a Republican, announced this week that she plans to step down in October or November to return to Texas and challenge Gov. Rick Perry in the Republican primary in March.

Cornyn told Texas reporters that he has spoken with Hutchison about her timetable and with Perry about candidates who he could appoint, either on a temporary basis or with the intention to run in a special election in May 2010.

A host of Republican candidates are also eyeing the seat, including Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, former Secretary of State Roger Williams, state Sen. Florence Shapiro and Railroad Commissioners Elizabeth Ames Jones and Michael Williams.

“I’m not picking sides. I don’t have a preferred candidate. I just want to make sure we have the very strongest field we can so that we can retain the seat in 2010,” Cornyn said.

Heh.  Over and done with.  Buh-bye Kay. Have a nice day. See-ya!

~Johnny~

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Kay Bailey Hutchison to Resign From Congress . . . Only if Gov. Rick Perry does First!

Even by Texas standards this is odd. Is Kay trying to prove she’s even wackier than Governor Perry? Was she expecting marquis of Queensbury rules during the election? Perhaps she’s an “It’s-My-turn-Now” Country Club Republican?  Or is she completely out of touch and not worthy of our time?

AUSTIN — U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s message today was as simple as it was confusing: If Gov. Rick Perry doesn’t quit his re-election race to give me a free run at the Republican gubernatorial nomination, I’ll quit the Senate to run against him.

In just a matter of hours, Hutchison told a Dallas radio station in a telephone interview that she planned to quit her Senate seat in October or November to challenge Perry. But then several hours later she told reporters in Washington that her statements had been misunderstood and what she really wanted was for Perry to get out of the race.

“Nobody expected [Perry] to run for 15 years, and I think there’s a chance that he wouldn’t run because he would see how divisive it is and that he’s trying to stay too long and that he can really help in many ways if he doesn’t run, in which case I could then be able to stay in the Senate all the way to the end,” Hutchison said, according to Congressional Quarterly.

It’s amazing – this sounds like an explanation cobbled together and yelled at full speed by a six-year-old who just broke the lamp in the living room and trying to blame her little brother for the crime.

Hutchison said her preference would be to stay in the Senate through next year’s election but that would be hard to do if she has to have a primary fight with Perry.

“I was really trying to say to him he could step back here, and he’s really trying to hang on too long and maybe he’ll rethink,” she said.

Her campaign put out a statement saying, “Rick Perry should do the right thing and stop his quest to be governor for life.”

Perry spokesman Mark Miner said the governor is doing nothing but running for re-election. As lieutenant governor, Perry became governor in December of 2000 when George W. Bush resigned to become president, and then Perry won election to the office in 2002 and 2006.

“It looks like the campaign is trying to clean up another botched interview by the senator,” Miner said. “He’s running for re-election, and he’s the only candidate in the race.”

Hutchison has been hinting at a possible resign-to-run scenario since last year, but this is the first time she has set a time frame for leaving the Senate seat. Her resignation would give Perry the opportunity to appoint an interim senator who would then face a special election for the remainder of her term of office through 2012.

Hutchison told host WBAP host Mark Davis her formal announcement for governor will occur next month. “Well I’m going to announce in August. Formal announcement: I am in. Then the actual leaving of the Senate will be sometime — October, November — in that time frame,” she said.

Maybe. That’s a solid maybe. Sort of. She may yet change her mind.

Hutchison’s resignation prediction is likely to open a floodgate politically.  There already is a crowd of politicians looking at running for Hutchison’s Senate seat, including Houston Mayor Bill White and former Comptroller John Sharp as Democrats, and among the Republicans there are Railroad Commissioners Elizabeth Ames Jones, Michael Williams, state Sen. Florence Shapiro and former Secretary of State Roger Williams.

But if Perry names Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst as Hutchison’s interim replacement, that also likely opens up the attorney general’s office as incumbent Greg Abbott is expected to run for lieutenant governor if the office is vacant.

Sound like someone’s been chumming the waters. The sharks are already out. And NOTE to Kay Bailey Hutchison — just because no Governor in Texas history has been able to win more than two terms doesn’t mean there’s some kind of Gentlemen’s agreementthat no Governor should serve more than two terms.

It’s not “your turn”, Kay. You want the Governorship?  Resign, and fight for it. Fight the Governor of the state best-situated politically to weather the recession.  Fight the Governor who minimized the recovery time for Katrina and Ike.  Fight the Governor who walks the walk and fights the good fight with the Tea parties.

Good luck with that.

~Johnny~

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Sanford Displays the “Horndog” Gene and Puts his D**k in It; (or) “The Girl From Ipanema”, Literally

To Quote Jay Leno (who was interviewing Hugh Frant at the time over that transvestite hooker thing) . . .

WHAT  WERE  YOU  THINKING!?!?!???

I mean, C’mon, Governor!!!

COLUMBIA, S.C. – After going AWOL for seven days, Gov. Mark Sanford admitted Wednesday that he had secretly flown to Argentina to visit a woman with whom he was having an affair. Wiping away tears, he apologized to his family and gave up a national Republican Party post, but was silent on whether he would resign.

Y’know, at first I thought this was just a communications screw-up in his staff — until he was missing through Father’s Day and his wife didn’t even know where he was.

And i wouldn’t worryabout that “resignation” thing — in South Carolina, you can pretty much impeach the Governor for eating a ham sandwich if you want.

What the frack???

And the “resignation” thing may be problematic. he may not have a choice.

“I’ve been unfaithful to my wife,” he said in a news conference in which the 49-year-old governor ruminated on God’s law, moral absolutes and following one’s heart. He said he spent the last five days “crying in Argentina.”

Aw geez. Maybe he should look up Perez Hilton so they can weep a river together.

Sanford, who in recent months had been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2012, said he would resign as head of the Republican Governors Association.

All gone now. Kiss that goodbye. Who’s gonna elect him to ANYTHING now?

By leaving the country without formally transferring power, critics said he neglected his gubernatorial authority and put the state at risk. It wasn’t clear how his staff could reach him in an emergency.

Or whether he’s a complete nutjob, or just a few peanuts short of a Baby Ruth.

At least one state lawmaker called for his resignation. As a congressman, Sanford voted in favor of three of four articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, citing the need for “moral legitimacy.” A newspaper published steamy e-mails between Sanford and the woman. He did not identify her, nor did he definitely say.

And this is where the Democraps and the press start to pile on, but good. Start drafting that resignation speech now, Mark.

Sanford described the woman who lives in Argentina as a “dear, dear friend” whom he has known for about eight years and been romantically involved with for about a year. He said he has seen her three times since the affair began, and his wife found out about it five months ago.

“What I did was wrong. Period,” he said. His family did not attend the news conference, and his wife Jenny Sanford said she asked the governor to leave and stop speaking to her two weeks ago. The governor said he wants to reconcile, and his wife’s statement said her husband has earned a chance to resurrect their marriage.

Yeah, I’ll bet he does. (Sigh.) But the Republicans won’t let him. See, here’s the thing that delineates Republicans From Democrats. When a Democrat is caught in an extramarital affair, we start hearing about alternative lifestyles, differing perceptions of marriage, and how high the divorce rate is today. When a Republican is caught, the loudest howls are from their fellow Republicans, who have very little tolerance for this kind of crap.

Buh-bye Mark. Nice knowing you.

Nutjob. (But at least we found out before the 2012 primaries . . . )

~~ACP~~

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Smarmy Senator Slams Soldier with Snark; But Who’s Really Earned What Here?

Even The L.A. Times is incredulous at how smug and smart-ass the dubious Barbara Boxer was with Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh:

California Sen. Barbara Boxer was chairing a hearing of her Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, examining what in blazes is taking the Army Corps of Engineers so long to properly protect a Louisiana city that sits below sea level from the sea. Good luck with that still. Again.

Boxer was getting a little exasperated, head dramatically on hand and all. As the proper sign of military respect for a female, Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh was answering “Yes, ma’am” and “No, ma’am.”

And finally, the ma’am had had enough. “Could you say ‘senator’ instead of ‘ma’am’? It’s just a thing. I worked so hard to get that title.” No, really. Watch for yourself. She actually said that. A different attitude than on Memorial Day.

Truth be told, even on Capitol Hill, Walsh has taken a few years of service to his country to earn those general stars too. But Boxer did not deign to call him general. Nor did she bother with a please. Of course, the general complied with the Democrat’s wishes immediately without complaint.

Next year, Boxer is up for reelection back home. We’ll see if Babs gets to keep that title.

Chuck summarizes the two careers in question:

Brigadier General Michael Walsh assumed command of the Mississippi Valley Division, Vicksburg, Miss., February 20, 2008. He also serves as President-designee of the Mississippi River Commission. General Walsh came to MVD from Baghdad, Iraq, where he was the Commander for the Corps’ Gulf Region Division.

As MVD Commander, Walsh is responsible for a $7.5 billion civil works program. In addition, he plays a vital role in managing the Corps water resources program in the Mississippi River Valley. The boundaries of the Mississippi Valley Division extend from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, include portions of 12 states, and encompass 370,000 square miles. The programs and activities overseen by the MVD and MRC are conducted by six district offices located in St. Paul, Minn., Rock Island, Ill., St. Louis, Mo., Memphis, Tenn., Vicksburg, Miss., and New Orleans, La. He also serves as Commander of Task Force Hope. TF Hope is the designation given to the Corps’ effort in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s national response plan to Hurricane Katrina. Engaging more than 3,800 personnel at its peak, TF Hope was among the largest disaster recovery operations in the history of the Corps of Engineers.

Previous assignments include: Commander of the Corps’ South Atlantic Division, Atlanta, Ga., from June 2004 to September 2006, Chief of Staff at Corps headquarters, Washington, D.C., from May 2003 to June 2004, Executive Director of Civil Works at Corps headquarters, Washington, D.C., from August 2001 to May 2003, District Commander of the Corps’ Sacramento District, Sacramento, Calif., from 1998 to 2001, and District Commander of the Corps’ San Francisco District, San Francisco, Calif., from 1994 to 1996.

Brig. Gen. Walsh has held a wide variety of Army command and staff assignments, to include: project management officer for Engineer Branch, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE); Environmental Task Force Leader, Fort Stewart, Ga.; Executive Officer, 92nd Engineer Battalion, Fort Stewart, Ga., and Saudi Arabia; Project Engineer and Assistant Area Engineer, Baltimore District; Construction Officer, 18th Engineer Brigade, Darmstadt, Germany; and Commander, Company B, 94th Engineer Battalion, Darmstadt, Germany.
Brig. Gen. Walsh graduated from Polytechnic Institute of New York in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He also earned a Master’s degree in construction management from the University of Florida. His military education includes the Engineer Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College.

For the record, he’s also completing his Ph.D. I know that because it’s a requirement for all general officers to complete their PhD level degrees within 2 years of promotion. See a general, see a doctorate — it’s a given.

That woman’s “experience:”
BA, Economics, Brooklyn College, 1962.

Professional Experience: (Note, when you add it up, she has worked outside of politics for seven whole years…. if you count her time as a congressional aide as non-political work.)

Congressional Aide, 1974-1976
Journalist/Associate Editor, Pacific Sun Newspaper, 1972-1974
Stockbroker/Economic Researcher, Wall Street Securities Firm, 1962-1965.

Political Experience:
Senator, United States Senate, 1993-present
Representative, United States House of Representatives, 1983-1992
Member, President, Marin County Board of Supervisors, 1977-1983
Chief Deputy Majority Whip, United States Senate.

Oh yeah, I’m sure impressed. Some baby-kisser’s B.A. beats a Ph.D. any day. (Or Master’s degree, if you prefer.)

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. The U.S. military gains nothing by keeping military bases in the constituencies of military-haters like Boxer. Why the Navy continues to home-port in her hometown of San Francisco is beyond me.

And why the imbecile voters of California continue to re-elect her is stupidity defined.

~~ACP~~

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Palin / Letterman Feud Kicks Up A Notch; Turning Into a Deathmatch

Sarah Palin appeared on the Today Show with Matt Lauer yesterday, and the Governor wasn’t in the mood for Matt’s crap.  She gave far better than the sad, overmatched Lauer gave her:

Heh.  Never bait the Mama Bear in her lair.  She’ll defend her cubs viciously.

If you liked that, Michelle Malkin’s been eatingthe same Wheaties as Sarah Palin has:

Tell us, great comic genius, how tacking on another four years to the target daughter makes it funny? We unenlightened dim bulbs who live outside of Manhattan’s boundaries don’t get the joke.

Will you be able to explain it to your son?

Face it: David Letterman, late-night entertainer-turned-partisan hack/hitman has a deranged obsession with Sarah Palin and her family that has crossed into rank bigotry and hatred. If the CBS network cares about basic standards of decency on public airwaves and if it cares at all about bolstering its shrinking audience, the network honchos will get Letterman a therapist pronto.

Over the past year, Letterman has displayed his sexist, elitist stripes in jibe after jibe aimed at Palin. Taken cumulatively, Letterman’s mockery is about much more than expressing contempt for the popular GOP governor. It’s a handy device to deride a broad class of working-class and middle-class women he holds in contempt.

Ouch.  Somebody get that man a butt-dressing, because she just chewed his butt clean off. Gotta love it!

And more and more people are jumping into this furball on the Governor’s side.  The House Minority Leader in New York’s State Assembly is calling on CBS to fire Letterman:

New York State Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, a Republican, is calling on the CEO of CBS to fire David Letterman for crude comments he made about Sarah Palin and her daughter.

In the letter to CBS chief Les Moonves, Kolb said he took Letterman to task for the “shockingly inappropriate” jokes. “As the proud father of a daughter, and as a husband, I wanted Mr. Moonves to hear from me directly about Mr. Letterman’s disparaging remarks,” Kolb said in a written statement.

“Firing Mr. Letterman would send a clear message that CBS will not tolerate any of its employees — even an established media figure like Mr. Letterman — making demeaning and degrading comments about women.”

And to add insult to injury, the oh-so-liberal National Organization for Women (NOW) hs finally decided to step up:

NEW YORK (AP) – The National Organization for Women has placed David Letterman in its “media hall of shame” for a joke about Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s daughter.

The president of NOW, Kim Gandy, says, “Nobody should be making jokes about the sexual activities of teenagers.”

This is not a good thing. When the Libs start to turn on their fellow Libs, it gets ugly — fast. Something’s that almost as ugly — an FCC Complaint:

After the CBS late-night talk show host made some off-color jokes about the former vice presidential candidate’s daughter Monday night, Austinite Russell Korman, owner of Russell Korman’s Fine Jewelry & Watches, decided to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.

“I really think it was intent to hurt a public figure by going through their children,” said Korman, who saw the jokes on Tuesday when they were rerun on cable news shows. “We didn’t do that, much, to the Bush kids and we didn’t do it much to Chelsea Clinton or Amy Carter, and we certainly shouldn’t do it to Sasha and Malia Obama. And we shouldn’t do it to a governor or senator or, really, anyone’s underage kids.”

He’s exactly right on that point, as  I wrote on this subject previously, HERE. How far the FCC will go with it I don’t know and seriously doubt it will go very far.  Still, it’s good for “panic value” with the CBS suits, if nothing else.

The heat is on, Dave.  Hot enough for ya?

~~ACP~~

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Another Great Sign from the Tea Party Rallies!

Washington and the Media can ignore this at their own peril. It reminds me of a sign I saw numerous times at the Alamo Rally:

Throw them *ALL* Out!

Something’s moving . . .

(Not the “Usurper” sign in the background.)

~~JD~~

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Schumer to Pack Hearing With Pro-Amnesty Advocates and Call For Amnesty for Illegals!

Borderfire Report (the best blog you’re NOT reading; and so important he blog has been hacked three times this year alone!) has the story:

This Thursday, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), who chairs the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Refugees, will hold a hearing on April 30 at 2:00 pm entitled “Comprehensive Immigration Reform in 2009, Can We Do It and How?”

I think Chuckie has already packed the Title of his committee with loaded, emotional terms.

Senator Schumer has packed the witness panel with individuals hopelessly biased in support of amnesty. While there is one witness, Kris Kobach, who is a friend of true immigration reformers, the remaining witnesses represent “a who’s who” of the open borders lobby and big business interests who want to import cheap labor. In addition to Mr. Kobach, the following individuals have also been named as potential witnesses at the hearing:

• Alan Greenspan, Former Chairman, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System
• Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President, Service Employees International Union
• Doris Meissner – senior fellow, Migration Policy Institute

The “Migration Policy” Institute? Apparently Chuckie doesn’t have a corner on the “loaded terms” market. Throw in the Unions, and it’s a party!!!

By calling your Senator today, you can make sure Congress hears from the American people and not just special interests. Your calls today, Wednesday, and Thursday are especially important because La Raza has organized a grassroots lobbying effort to coincide with the Senate Subcommittee hearing this week. This nationwide effort will include phone calls, and — according to our best information — will culminate with marches on May 1st to demand amnesty.

Thanks to Debbie Schlussel for the pic!

Ah . . . La Raza. See, NOW it’s a Party! And on May Day; the International Socialist Holiday celebrating Workers of the World.

Who says they’re not real communists?

True immigration reformers understand that granting amnesty to illegal aliens rewards law-breakers, imposes a huge cost burden on American taxpayers, and does nothing to solve the problem of illegal immigration. In fact, as we saw after 1986, it only encourages more illegal immigration.

The Senate needs to hear from you that the American people still oppose amnesty. In 2007, true immigration reformers defeated “comprehensive” amnesty with a firestorm of calls to Congress. FAIR is ready to lead the fight against the DREAM Act once again, but we need your help again! Please call your Representative and Senators and tell them you oppose any effort to pass any “comprehensive” amnesty bill.

Find the phone numbers of your Senators here.

Same Day, Same Old Party Line.  Note to La Raza: Cesar Chavez not only did not support illegal immigration; he actively turned in illegals as a threat to American workers.

Call your Senators and Representatives.  Call them now.  Don’t let Chuckie Schumer have his little dog-and-pony show unopposed.

Hey Texans — Cowboy Up!

Kay Bailey Hutchison: (202) 224-5922
District Phone: (512) 916-5834

John Cornyn: (202) 224-2934
District Phone: (512) 469-6034

Get a move on!

~~JD~~

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RINO Overboard!!! — Specter Jumps Ship, Runs Crying to Democraps (Again)

In an absolutely stunning (but entirely predictable) display of moral cowardice, Arlen Specter (RINO, Pa) has told Republicans who supported his liberal thinking agenda and went to bat for him to the tune of millions in Republican campaign funds amd endorsements to cram it with walnuts:

I have been a Republican since 1966. I have been working extremely hard for the Party, for its candidates and for the ideals of a Republican Party whose tent is big enough to welcome diverse points of view. While I have been comfortable being a Republican, my Party has not defined who I am. I have taken each issue one at a time and have exercised independent judgment to do what I thought was best for Pennsylvania and the nation.

I strongly challenge the statement that Specter has done ANYTHING of substance for the Republican party. He has been consistently ranked as one of the most liberal Senators — even out-liberal-ing many Democrats. Once in a while he was there for a key vote, but only after a ton of cajoling, glad-handing, and even the occasional arm-twisting to get him to the table. Just the fact that Specter is flying the coop just when the Democraps can make it worth his while by his being the key “60th vote”, making Obama’s Agenda Filibuster-proof — shows what a sunshine patriot this phony truly is.

Joy.

Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans.

Yes, and that far-right move was instituted by and implented by Ronald Reagan, jerk. This took you 29 years to acknowledge, Captain Dimbulb??

When I supported the stimulus package, I knew that it would not be popular with the Republican Party. But I saw the stimulus as necessary to lessen the risk of a far more serious recession than we are now experiencing.

“Pardon me while I try to cover my butt here . . . ”

Since then, I have traveled the state, talked to Republican leaders and office-holders and my supporters and I have carefully examined public opinion. It has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences irreconcilable. On this state of the record, I am unwilling to have my twenty-nine year Senate record judged by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate. I have not represented the Republican Party. I have represented the people of Pennsylvania.

I have decided to run for reelection in 2010 in the Democratic primary.

“And I’m going to blame it all on the Stimulus Bill that I just spen two minutes defending.”  Say, WHAT now? “I am not willing to be judged . . . by the people who elected me and whom I am supposed to represent”??? Are you kidding me, Captain Imbecile?

To echo many other commentators, “Don’t let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya.” Good riddance to bad rubbish, indeed.

This has a lot more to do with Specter’s Poll numbers than anything else.

Longtime Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter trails former Congressman Pat Toomey 41 – 27 percent in a Republican primary for the 2010 Senate race, with 28 percent undecided, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released March 25.

Overall Pennsylvania voters have a 45 – 31 percent favorable opinion of Sen. Specter, but he gets a 47 – 29 percent unfavorable score from Republicans. The Republican gets a 60 – 16 percent thumbs up from Democrats and a 41 – 35 percent positive from independent voters, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

Voters approve 52 – 33 percent of the job Specter is doing, with a 71 – 16 percent positive from Democrats and a 41 – 37 percent boost from independent voters, off-setting a 52 – 36 percent disapproval from Republicans. This is Specter’s highest approval among Democrats and lowest approval among Republicans since Quinnipiac University began polling Pennsylvania in 2002.

Specter’s support of President Barack Obama’s Stimulus Package wins 87 – 6 percent support from Democrats and 56 – 38 percent support from independent voters, while Republican voters disapprove 70 – 25 percent.

He screwed up; he knows it; he hasn’t got a prayer in the Republican Primary, so he’s bolting. The rest is all bullcrap verbiage. Congratulations on your Senator there, Pennsylvania.

Now you may be wondering about that first sentence out of Specter’s mouth, that “I have been a Republican since 1966.” Wel,, I was too — and guess what Wikipedia found?

In 1965, Specter ran for District Attorney, on the Republican ticket as a registered Democrat. He handily beat incumbent Jim Crumlish, and subsequently changed his registration to Republican

in short, he ran as the Republican nominee in 1965, and only changed party affiliation the next year after he won the election. Oh yeah — THERE’s a guy with a spine, eh?

Perhaps this is related: Egypt and Jordan began culling the pigs in their countries as a precautionary measure against the spread of disease.

Or not.  What do I know?

Note to Senator Specter: do you have any idea how many potential Democrap candidates you’ve just pissed off with this announcement?

You don’t need to watch your back from the republicans — you know where we stand.  But I wouldn’t turn around in Obama’s presence, if you know what I mean . . . A turncoat is a turncoat.

~~JD~~

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Palin Creates “Most Restrictive and Transparent Legal Fund in History” to Battle Nuisance Lawsuits by Libs

The Libs, not content to defeat Sarah Palin at the Ballot Box, must crush her once and for all by death from a thousand papercuts. Politico has the story, and some of the details of the Libs attempts to “get” Palin are patently ridiculous:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced the creation of a legal defense fund Friday to help pay down legal debts stemming from a series of ethics complaints.

The Alaska Fund Trust will be run by longtime Palin friend and Wasilla native Kristan Cole. The Republican governor owes more than $500,000 in legal bills, but donations to the fund will be capped at $150, according to a release.

“Over the past months it became increasingly clear that supporters of Gov. Palin needed to help defend against the onslaught of frivolous attacks against her. These baseless accusations are designed to inhibit her ability to focus on the issues Alaskans truly care about and force massive personal debt on her and her family,” Cole said.

In addition to the unusually low, self-imposed donation cap, the fund will also voluntarily disclose contributor names and dollar amounts.

“We have created one of the most restrictive and transparent legal funds in history,” Cole said.

Palin has been hit with numerous ethics complaints from citizens of her state. The latest came Wednesday, when an Anchorage woman complained that Palin violated state ethics rules by using funds from her political action committee to attend a right to life rally in Indiana.

Earlier this month the conservative group Free American Citizens set up an unaffiliated fund that billed itself as the governor’s official legal defense fund. Palin aides had to ask the group to cease promoting the unaffiliated fund.

The most restrictive and transparent legal funds in history; versus nuisance lawsuits and firebombing a church she sometimes attends.

Stay classy, Democrats. Stay Classy.

~~JD~~

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“Obama Wants to Control the Banks”- Stuart Varney Unloads on Takeover of Banking System~

I have loved Stuart Varney since his first days at CNN; he is by his own admission “a refugee from European Socialism,” so he knows whereof he speaks. He speaks well, but is plain-spoken. he speaks his mind without speaking unnecessarily. He can say more in two sentences than most politicians will say in a lifetime.

So when Stuart says that a scam is brewing in the takeover of American Banks by the Fed for political purposes, I sit up and listen closely:

I must be naive.

I really thought the administration would welcome the return of bank bailout money. Some $340 million in TARP cash flowed back this week from four small banks in Louisiana, New York, Indiana and California. This isn’t much when we routinely talk in trillions, but clearly that money has not been wasted or otherwise sunk down Wall Street’s black hole. So why no cheering as the cash comes back?

My answer: The government wants to control the banks, just as it now controls GM and Chrysler, and will surely control the health industry in the not-too-distant future. Keeping them TARP-stuffed is the key to control. And for this intensely political president, mere influence is not enough. The White House wants to tell ’em what to do. Control. Direct. Command.

It is not for nothing that rage has been turned on those wicked financiers. The banks are at the core of the administration’s thrust: By managing the money, government can steer the whole economy even more firmly down the left fork in the road.

If the banks are forced to keep TARP cash — which was often forced on them in the first place — the Obama team can work its will on the financial system to unprecedented degree. That’s what’s happening right now.

Here’s a true story first reported by my Fox News colleague Andrew Napolitano (with the names and some details obscured to prevent retaliation). Under the Bush team a prominent and profitable bank, under threat of a damaging public audit, was forced to accept less than $1 billion of TARP money. The government insisted on buying a new class of preferred stock which gave it a tiny, minority position. The money flowed to the bank. Arguably, back then, the Bush administration was acting for purely economic reasons. It wanted to recapitalize the banks to halt a financial panic.

Swear to God; An *Actual* photo from the Inauguration. Classy.

Fast forward to today, and that same bank is begging to give the money back. The chairman offers to write a check, now, with interest. He’s been sitting on the cash for months and has felt the dead hand of government threatening to run his business and dictate pay scales. He sees the writing on the wall and he wants out. But the Obama team says no, since unlike the smaller banks that gave their TARP money back, this bank is far more prominent. The bank has also been threatened with “adverse” consequences if its chairman persists. That’s politics talking, not economics.

Think about it: If Rick Wagoner can be fired and compact cars can be mandated, why can’t a bank with a vault full of TARP money be told where to lend? And since politics drives this administration, why can’t special loans and terms be offered to favored constituents, favored industries, or even favored regions? Our prosperity has never been based on the political allocation of credit — until now.

Which brings me to the Pay for Performance Act, just passed by the House. This is an outstanding example of class warfare. I’m an Englishman. We invented class warfare, and I know it when I see it. This legislation allows the administration to dictate pay for anyone working in any company that takes a dime of TARP money. This is a whip with which to thrash the unpopular bankers, a tool to advance the Obama administration’s goal of controlling the financial system.

After 35 years in America, I never thought I would see this. I still can’t quite believe we will sit by as this crisis is used to hand control of our economy over to government. But here we are, on the brink.

Clearly, I have been naive.

Clearly, this is an entirely new level of escalation in American Politics. This is far beyond shaping an agenda’ this is co-opting an entire generation’s beliefs about “business as usual” and how politics should be done.

Somehow, I can’t see Barack Hussein Obama as the architect of such a grandiose and subtle plan. Can You?

~~JD~~

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Dodd’s Numbers Tumble As Electorate Ready to Rumble

The latest Quinnipiac Poll shows Chris Dodd is in a ton of trouble, considering he’s the Incumbent:

Dodd Falls Way Behind As Approval Drops To Lowest Ever; Voters Are Angry At AIG Bonuses And Blame Dodd

Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd trails former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, a possible Republican challenger, 50 – 34 percent in the 2010 Senate race, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today, as voters disapprove 58 – 33 percent of the job the Democratic incumbent is doing, his lowest approval rating ever.

Matched against two other possible Republican challengers, Sen. Dodd trails both State Sen. Sam Caligiuri 41 – 37 percent and former ambassador Tom Foley 43 – 35 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

In the Dodd-Simmons matchup, Democrats back Dodd by only 58 – 27 percent while Simmons leads 87 – 6 percent among Republicans and 56 – 25 percent among independent voters.

For an incumbent, that’s catastrophic. Absolutely apocalyptic. Someone’s having the whiskey shits right about now.

The incumbent’s approval is down from 49 – 44 percent March 10.

A total of 35 percent of voters say they definitely or probably will vote for Dodd for reelection next year, while 59 percent say they probably won’t or definitely won’t vote for him.

“A 33 percent job approval is unheard of for a 30-year incumbent, especially a Democrat in a blue state.

See? What’d I say? Catastrophic!

Sen. Dodd’s numbers among Democrats are especially devastating. Since the AIG controversy, his approval rating among Democrats is down to 51 percent, and only 58 percent of Democrats say they will vote for him against Simmons, who at this point is the best known and strongest Republican challenger,” said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, PhD.

And when you lose your base; particularly your uber-liberal Democratic base, you are roasted and toasted.

“The generic numbers are even worse for Dodd than the specific matchup numbers, with only a third saying they probably or definitely will vote for Dodd compared to 59 percent saying they definitely or probably won’t vote for him,” Dr. Schwartz added.

Connecticut voters say 50 – 43 percent that Dodd has strong leadership qualities, but they say 54 – 32 percent that he is not honest and trustworthy and 52 – 39 percent that he does not care about their needs and problems.

Most voters, 59 percent, are angry that AIG paid bonuses to some executives, while 33 percent are “bothered but not angry.” Asked if they blame Dodd for these bonuses, 39 percent of voters say “a lot” and 35 percent say “some.”

Asked which public official is most to blame for the AIG bonuses:

* 28 percent blame former President George W. Bush;
* 27 percent blame Dodd;
* 20 percent blame Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner;
* 7 percent blame President Barack Obama.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman gets a 46 – 47 percent split approval rating, including 64 – 33 percent among Republicans and 50 – 42 percent among independent voters. Democrats disapprove of the Democrat turned independent 63 – 31 percent.

When you can barely outpoll George W. Bush in a blue state, you are in a *TON* of freaking trouble.

Interestingly, I followed a link on Drudge to this story to the Chicago Tribune. When i got done setting up the blog for the story, the link on the very liberal Tribune site had disappeared.

Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.

~~JD~~

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Alaska Senator Ted Stevens; Not Guilty Thru Contemptible Prosecutor

Oh Brother!

The Justice Department on Wednesday asked a federal judge to drop all charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska.

A jury convicted Stevens last fall of seven counts of lying on his Senate disclosure form in order to conceal $250,000 in gifts from an oil industry executive and other friends. Stevens was the longest-serving Republican in the Senate. However, he lost his bid for an eighth full term in office just days after he was convicted. Since then, charges of prosecutorial misconduct have delayed his sentencing and prompted defense motions for a new trial.

The judge in the Stevens case has repeatedly delayed sentencing and criticized trial prosecutors for what he has called prosecutorial misconduct. At one point, prosecutors were held in contempt. Things got so bad that the Justice Department finally replaced the trial team, including top-ranking officials in Public Integrity Section, which is charged with prosecuting public corruption cases.

With more ugly hearings expected, Holder is said to have decided late Tuesday to pull the plug. His decision is said to be based on Stevens’ age — he’s 85 — and the fact that Stevens is no longer in the Senate. Perhaps most importantly, Justice Department officials say Holder wants to send a message to prosecutors throughout the department that actions he regards as misconduct will not be tolerated.

Holder began his career in the Public Integrity Section; and, according to sources, he was horrified by the failure of prosecutors to turn over all relevant materials to the defense.

The attorney general also knows the trial judge, Emmett Sullivan, well. The two men served together as judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before each was promoted to higher office.

Holder respects Sullivan and reportedly has watched with growing alarm as Sullivan repeatedly has scolded prosecutors for failing to follow his judicial orders to fully inform defense lawyers about everything from potentially favorable evidence to the travel plans of witnesses. During the trial, prosecutorial missteps led the judge to instruct the jury to disregard some evidence.

This was a prosecutorial cluster-flark from the word “Go.”  What the HELL were these prosecutors thinking, might you ask?

Two words: “Sarah Palin.”

Most of the Federal Prosecutors in the Bush years were holdovers from the Clinton administration due to Congress’ unwillingness to confirm Bush’s nominees.  Plus Sen. Steven’s indictment was repeatedly brought up and mentioned as if it somehow damned Gov. Palin by association.

Just more politics of personal destruction from the Democraps.  Again.

These prosecutors need to be fired.  These prosecutors need to be disbarred.  And Ted Stevens needs to file a big ole’ personal damages lawsuit as well.

~~JD~~

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Appeals Court B-Slaps Whiny Atheists; Upholds “Moment of Silence”

I’m always astonished how whiny and insecure atheists are about “prayer in schools.”  They howl and scream should anything even remotely resembling “prayer in schools” be introduced, even though church-based schools have far higher grade averages and results than public schools.

From WOAI Radio San Antonio:

Appeals Court Upholds “Moment of Silence”
Allows the moment to continue as a pillar of the school day
By Jim Forsyth; Monday, March 16, 2009
A federal appeals court has upheld the ‘moment of silence’ which has become a fixture of the start of the school day in public schools across Texas, dealing another blow to a north Texas atheist family which has fought the ‘moment of silence’ since it was approved by the Legislature nearly a decade ago, 1200 WOAI news reports.

A panel of the Fifth US Court of Appeals rejected a lawsuit filed by David Wallace and Kristine Croft of Farmers Branch, who have claimed that the ‘moment of silence’ is in fact a backdoor way to introduce prayer into the public schools.

“No court has ever accepted…that a ‘moment of silence’ challenge is “excessive government entanglement with religion,” the justices said. “There is no excessive entanglement, and the primary affect of the Amendment is not to advance religion. This is not an unconstitutional advancement of religion.”

The Crofts had claimed that when State Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) rewrote the ‘moment of silence’ law in 2003, to specifically say that the moment is to give students the opportunity to ’pray reflect or meditate,’ Wentworth admitted that the moment is in fact an attempt to place prayer illegally into public schools.

“The United States Constitution plainly protects a young person’s right to observe a moment of silence before school each morning,” said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who’s office successfully argued the case before the appeals court. “In an age where children are bombarded by distractions, beginning each school day with a moment of silence offers a welcome moment of quiet contemplation.”

The ‘moment of silence’ has now been upheld by the state and several federal courts. The Crofts could now ask for what is called an ‘en banc’ hearing, and ask the entire Fifth Court of Appeals to consider the case.

“Senate Bill 83 (the moment of silence law) plainly serves secular rather than religious purposes,” Abbott said. “The purpose of these exercises is plain…to foster patriotism and provide an opportunity for students to engage in quiet contemplation.”

The Houston Chronicle had some interesting observations; including the one that implies this case may now determine the fate of a similar case now pending in the people’s Republic of Illinois:

Cook said that Judge Lynn . . .  agreed that the law did have a secular purpose of encouraging quiet contemplation.

Lynn called her ruling a “difficult and close question” because of divergent statements by lawmakers at committee hearings and during floor debate in the Senate and House.

In her opinion, Lynn said “there is no doubt” several legislators, including the bill’s author, Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, expressed a purpose to “put prayer back in schools.” But debate also focused on other ways students could spend the 60 seconds.

“Legislators repeatedly emphasized that students could stare at their shoes, think about upcoming exams, think about their pets, engage in other nonverbal activities during the moment of silence, as well as pray, if they wished,” Lynn said.

Earlier this year, a federal district judge in Illinois issued a temporary injunction banning a similar law from being observed in that state. A trial is pending.

And as anybody who’s watched more than 2 or 3 episodes of “Law And Order” knows;  this case is now a federal precedent; and federal precedents transfer to other states.  Bonus!

You’re Welcome, Illinois.

~~JD~~

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Signs of Discontent Apparent? Minutemen Founder wins Primary in Rahm Emanuel’s Old Congressional District

I think it’s more interesting what the Chicago Tribune tries hard NOT to say in this article, rather than what they say.  Pay attention to the asides:

Quigley wins Democratic nomination

CHICAGO – Winning the Democratic nomination in a special primary election sets up Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley to replace former U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who left Congress to be President Barack Obama‘s chief of staff.

Quigley earned his party’s nomination Tuesday in a heavily Democratic district that includes Wrigley Field, making him the immediate favorite in an April 7 special election against Republican and Green Party candidates. The winner of that election will finish out the two-year term Emanuel won in November before he resigned.

Please notice it doesn’t say why Emanuel resigned. They don’t really acknowledge the fact that he’s now part-and-parcel of the Obama team, even in overwhelmingly Democrat Chicago? Interesting . . .  Watch his campaign commercial:

“After all we’ve been through in Illinois in the last six months or so this is really the first chance the voters have had to say ‘Enough is enough, we’re voting for change and reform,”‘ Quigley told supporters.

Quigley, who has been a Cook County commissioner since 1998, campaigned as a reformer and fiscal watchdog. His reputation for taking on establishment Democrats in Cook County earned him the endorsements of both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.

Tuesday’s primary pitted a dozen Democrats against each other, including Quigley, longtime Chicago Alderman Patrick O’Connor and state Reps. Sara Feigenholtz and John Fritchey.

Quigley said he thought the race would be closer, saying he was humbled, appreciative and honored by his win. “We’ve been fighting for reform for 10 years,” Quigley said.

Unmentioned by the article is that Quigley is the mortal foe of Cook County Board president John Stroger; the most powerful man in Cook County politics. So, if nothing else, a vote for Democrat Quigley could very likely have been a vote against the Status Quo.

The race also included six Republicans and five Green Party candidates in a district that stretches from Chicago‘s wealthy North Side lakefront to ethnic enclaves on the northwest side and neighboring Cook County suburbs.

And that’s a GOOD Deal of challengers for a “stronghold” Democrat district.

On the Republican side, Rosanna Pulido claimed the GOP nomination with 979 votes or 24.9 percent. Pulido is director of the Illinois Minuteman Project, part of a national volunteer civilian border patrol group that wants to stem illegal Immigration.

Don Doughman liked that Quigley drew support from Cook County politicians he considered reform-minded, including Quigley’s fellow commissioner, Forrest Claypool. “We need some cleaning up in this county,” he said.

Martin Plesha emerged from the polls with a one-word answer for how he voted: “Republican.” The 47-year-old, who runs a program business at Wrigley, said he always comes out for elections, even primaries. He said he thought it was important to get out the Republican vote in the Democratic stronghold.

Libertarian Republican has this on Mrs. Pulido:

She is best known as the Chair of Illinois Minutemen, a libertarian-leaning group that advocates Enforcement First on the Nation’s Immigration laws. Ms. Pulido garnered national media attention, including an appearance on CNN during the 2008 campaign, as an Hispanic opponent of illegal immigration, and critic of John McCain’s former amnesty position.

The District is overwhelmingly Democrat. But there is a small sliver of hope for the GOP. In 1994, Republican Michael Flannagan, a downtown Chicago stockbroker, stunned the political world by winning the seat for a two-year term. This was during the specter of the Dan Rostenkowski scandals. And in the wake of the Democrat Blagojevich/Roland Burris/Tony Rezko scandals, some political pundits in the Chicago area predict that this seat could be ripe for a GOP pick-up.

And . . . that would be ME, actually. I think this district is ripe for the taking by an organized, united group of Conservatives (Libertarians and Republicans alike. This district is one to throw out a “protest vote” every now and then, and this seems like the time.

~~JD~~

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“The Absence of a Thriving, Vital Republican Party”

I’ve been reading and following with great interest the race for Republican Chairman in Porter County Indiana, as detailed at the <a href=”http://reasonbellpundit.blogspot.com/”>Porter County Politics blog</a>.

Lake County Indiana provides a clear example of what occurs in the absence of a thriving, vital Republican Party.  You may remember Lake County as the county next to Chicago where Every-Single-ACORN-Registration — over 9,000 of them –were rejected as fraudulent. Joyce Webster and attorney David Bengs of Portage have both declared for the candidacy of this position, and both have sent statements here to be posted. That’s a good thing, as it shows both are embracing the “new media” of the Internet.

But I think there’s more to it than that. And it’s something we should recognize.

The chairmanship of the Porter County Republicans is not a post to be held in the traditional sense. It’s not a “resume builder”. It’s not an honorary title; nor is it an honorific of any sort. It’s not something that can be put on autopilot and left to it’s own devices, although that may have been the case in the past — like in the 1980’s when I was growing up in Valpo.

The chairmanship of the Porter County Republican Party is the bunker of the generals who are fighting for the survival of red-state politics. It’s the front line of the blue-politics from Lake County. And it’s not just happening there in Porter County. It’s happening here in San Antonio, and nationally at the federal level as well. I’m sure you’ve heard of President Obama?

One of the major things that needs to happen with the next Porter County Chairman is that they need to realize this. Stop thinking in terms of simply Porter County. Start thinking in terms of porter County, Starke County, Laporte County, and Lake County. Lake County is not an anomalous blue county in a red state. Lake County is blue because Cook County IL is blue, and has been bleeding over into Lake County for years and years.

Porter County has held this line against Cook County’s onslaught. If we can hold this line, we can also take Lake County back. This is how we do that:

1.) We should be looking for ways to work with and cooperate together with Lake County Republicans, as well as the surrounding counties Republican chairs. Raise funds together. meet together and get to know each other. Get on Twitter and other social networking sites to communicate better.

2.) We should have a plan of action to take back every single seat up for election. Conservatism is favored by every voter it is explained and exposed to. There is no excuse in the world for having any democrat run for any seat unopposed. Barack Obama has made a career of running for seats unopposed and sliding into office this way. I’ve made a career of voting ‘No Candidate’ rather than vote for an unopposed liberal.

3.) We need to teach conservatism, and show the electorate how Ronald Reagan turned the country around economically in 1982 against all odds. We should teach the abject failure of the Great Depression and the Democrat New Deal. Again, conservatism is favored by every voter it is explained and exposed to. We should make it cool to be Conservative – and I think that goes back to a basic problem with our schools. How many of our schools even teach basic checkbook or bank account management? When people understand the idea of basic budgeting, they begin to understand how Obama and Congress are spending us into oblivion.

When I was stationed in the Army at Fort Campbell Kentucky, I had to go to a mandatory budget counseling class when I arrived (the commander’s idea to keep soldiers from bouncing bad checks.) The classes were sponsored by the local Republican Party, and the instructor (a local accountant) blended simple financial stategy with real-world exoperience – with a Republican slant. This class is the first place I ever heard how the New Deal was a financial disaster that only World War II relieved. It’s one of places my turn away from liberalism was really cemented in my mind.

I’m not saying budget classes are the way to make new Republicans – but it is *one* way. and we need to be thinking along the lines of educating people into conservative lines of thought.

4.) Finally, as I said before, We should make it cool to be Conservative. While the Elephant Ear booth is a time honored tradition at the Porter County Fair, the lines at the booth put off people. We don’t need image problems – we need to reach people and let them see how cool it is to be conservative. Sponsor dances. Sponsor Soap Box Derby racers. Sponsor bigcommunity events, like the Popcorn festival or Oz Fest. Put our name out there and highlight our brand. Surely there are good advertising people who can make this work in the Party. Is there a committee that already exists that does this? (If there is, they’re not doing a good job.)

These are just a few things Republicans can do to get noticed, and make a difference. These just came off the top of my little bald head. Do the candidates for Republican Chair have any ideas they’d like to share?

We’d love to hear them. Maybe we should add Communication to that list, too.

~~JD~~

Cross posted at <a href=”http://reasonbellpundit.blogspot.com/”>Porter County Politics</a>.

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A Brief Note From Will Rogers . . .

If America ever passes out as a great nation, we ought to put on our
tombstone: America died from a delusion she had Moral Leadership.
—Will Rogers

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Bill Introduced to Declare Texas Sovereignty

* * * UPDATED BELOW * * *

A bill to declare the sovereignty of the State of Texas has been introduced in the Texas Legislature. This bill would restore to Texas those rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, such as free speech (nullifying federal Hate Crime Laws) and the right to keep and bear arms, should any federal gun control legislation be passed.

From an e-mail I received Saturday:

I was listening toLynn Wooly’s radio show this morning… he is a conservative talk show host here in Central Texas. He had as his guest Texas State Representative Leo Berman who represents the district Tyler,  Texas is in.  He has proposed legislation in the Texas legislature for Texas to declare sovereignty under the 9th and 10th amendments. He said he wants to head off any move by the federal governement to confiscate or restrict guns, and He said when we get this passed by the legislature, then we can tell the feds that we will NOT turn in any guns.  The state can also tell them they will not turn over any information about guns that are registered or info on who has a license to carry a concealed weapon.

He has also proposed legislation that any city in Texas that declares itself a sanctuary city will have to let every illegal alien in Texas live in that city, and the city will get no funds from the state whatever.  The more I heard this guy talk, the better I liked him. He said we do NOT want the federal government to know where all our guns are in Texas, and we will get this thing passed, and we will retain our right to keep and bear arms no matter what sneaks through Congress.

Representative Berman’s address and contact information is:

P.O. Box 6028

Tyler, Texas  75711

Phone:  903-939-2400

Capitol Office
Room EXT E2.908
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-0584
(512) 463-3217 Fax

And this information is available from the Texas State Legislature web site:

HCR 50	Author:	Creighton | Hughes | Berman | Gattis
	Last Action:	02/23/2009 H Referred to State Affairs
	Caption:	Affirming that the State of Texas claims sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the U.S. Constitution, serving notice to the federal government to cease and desist certain mandates, and providing that certain federal legislation be prohibited or repealed.

I’ve contacted Rep. Berman for more information, as well as to express my support. I’ll let you know when he calls or e-mails. Please feel free to let him know if you support him, too.

If you don’t; just ignore him, he’ll go away. Yeah, sure, that’s the ticket. [/SARCASM]

* * * UPDATE * * *

Received this in my e-mail from Rep. Berman Himself:

Dear [Alamo City Pundit]

There are several legislative proposals in the Obama administration that cause us much concern. One, is federal registration of all handguns.  Another is the federal hate crimes bill which could result in your arrest if you just read from the old testament, out loud, that homosexuality is an abomination.  Another is involuntary servitude of all kids under 18 for two years.  HCR 50, tells the federal government that they can impose mandates on Texas only if allowed by the US Constitution.  26 other states are doing the same thing.

Sincerely,Leo Berman

I love this guy.  If you’re a Texan, contact your state Rep today and tell them to vote for HCR 50.

~~JD~~

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Obama Kool-Aid Drinker Threatens Blogger

* * * WARNING: Adult Language Advisory.  The Author is Exercised about a Threat made to him.  * * *

If you haven’t gotten around to reading my profile yet, I’m a nurse. I work in a hospital in San Antonio.

I was at work this afternoon and a co-worker of mine got on board the elevator, along with me and a nurse’s Aide (CNA) I work with. The co-worker and I started talking about all the work we were getting lately, and she made a comment about not getting hurt on the job. I responded, “That may be the only way I’d get some time off.”

She responded, “But you wouldn’t get paid!”

I said to her, “Ah, you forget! This is the Obama Administration now. The Stimulus Bill just extended Unemployment compensation for a full year!

She rolled her eyes and made a face, and got off at her floor. She wasn’t mad.

The CNA is still on the elevator with me. She is seething. “Why do you want to say something like that?,” she snapped at me when the doors closed.

I’m taken aback, to say the least. “Like What?”

“Talking bad about the president like that!” She’s visibly angry now, and spitting those words like machine gun bullets. I explained that what I had said was true; that the Unemployment benefits had been extended in the Stimulus Bill. Don’t believe me? Google it.

The door to our floor opened, and we got out.  As we walked down the hallway she said to me under her breath, “You better watch out that somebody doesn’t report you for that!”

Report me?  To whom?  And what for; for telling the truth?

What the HELL is wrong with this stupid little shit?  Is this where we are?  Are we at the place where anything even “suspected” of being disloyal to ur Dear Leader Comrade president is actionable?

The answer may be yes.  It ocurred to me that if this little shithead brownshirt knew I wrote this blog; if she knew my extent of activities with Twitter and the #TCOT group, she very well could have gotten me fired for being “Hateful”, what with Nursing being the PC-oriented place it is.

Very easily could have.  And me, having been alone with her in the elevator, there were no witnesses, so who are they going to believe?

Her, most likely.

Damn.  I think I may be John Galt.  Whattya Know?

~~JD (Galt)~~

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Bobby Jindal Embarrasses David Gregory on “Meet The Press”

This is really embarrassing.  Gregory is almost drooling over the “Stimulus” money, and quotes Senator Mary Landreiu (D-La) on the “temporary” nature of the bill before Jindal pulls him up short, citing the word “Permanent” in the actual bill.

In other words, Jindal actually read the Bill. Gregory and Landrieu didn’t bother.

And that’s just in the first two minutes.

Gregory would be an embarrassment to any actual “news” organization; but sine he works for the paradoxically named “NBC News”, he looks tame compared to Chris “Tingle-Me” Matthews and the like.

Yeesh.

~~JD~~

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San Antonio City Council To Spend $131,000 During Election Year on Anti-Business Environmentalis Wacko

* * * U P D A T E D * * *

Dan Forsythe at WOAI.com has a story about the San Antonio City Council’s spending $131,000.00 on an environmental seminar that is a direct affront to the city’s major industries.

And you just don’t insult the cattle industry in South Texas. Just ain’t done. A Snippet:

There were two big stories out of City Hall this week. The first–news first reported by 1200 WOAI’s Bud Little that the city manager was ordering all department heads to recommend budget cuts of between one and two percent. The second–that City Council, dressed in the requisite sucker overalls and with the hayseed dutifully planted in their pearly whites, agreed to spend $131,000 for a ‘three day executive seminar’ on ‘Third Industrial Revolution infrastructure.’

Now, I’m not a mathematician, but that three day seminar works out to more than $43,000 a day. Assuming that each day’s session is eight hours long, which is probably giving them the benefit of the doubt, that works out to $5,458.33 an hour.

And I love anyone who can quote “Blazing Saddles”:

It will be spent on, and to paraphrase Blazing Saddles, this is authentic City Hall gibberish, ‘prioritization and positioning of sectors to launch the green jobs program.’ This at a time when the city is seriously looking at downsizing police, fire, and street repair services. Is everybody on Military Plaza out of their minds?

The $43,000 a day executive seminar will be delivered to us pinheads from on high by economics gadfly , on whom Mayor Hardberger clearly has a big time man-crush…Rifkin was mentioned several times in the Mayor’s State of the City speech. Rifkin is a bizarre character to say the least. He was an organizer of the famous 1968 anti-military March on the Pentagon. He is an opponent of the beef industry and an outspoken critic of the biotechnology industry. Odd, since the military, biotechnology, and cattle raising are three main components of our region’s economy.

* * * U P D A T E * * *

A pseudo-anonymous source (meaning I won’t give you her e-mail address guys — she’s married!) sent this link HERE:

In June 2005, I reported on the UN’s efforts to recruit the nation’s mayors to directly impose Sustainable Development policy into our local communities. The Mayors weren’t there to simply discuss policy, they committed to an agenda with specific goals. And the results are now clearly being seen in more than 400 communities in 48 states.

First, let me define the policy I’m talking about and describe where it came from. Sustainable Development is the direct opposite of the type of locally elected representative government our Founding Fathers organized for the United States. Sustainable Development expert Michael Shaw explains, it “is the process by which America is being reorganized around a central principle of state collectivism using the environment as bait.” In fact, the policy involves every aspect of our daily lives from food processing and consumption, to health care, to community development to education to labor, and much more. The blue print for sustainable development came from a United Nations soft law policy called Agenda 21, first revealed at the UN’s Earth Summit in 1992.

Ugh. You tell me one thing, ONE thing the U.N, has done “right” — ever — and I’ll consider listening to this “Agenda 21a’ crap.

~~JD~~

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Texas Republicans Beat Up On Rich Guy; Rich Guy Volunteer Tells Governor to Shove It

The world’s 55th richest man, an unpaid volunteer overseeing the investments of the University of Texas investments, has told UT to shove it and resigned from his positions with the UT system when criticized about the decline of UT’s investment portfolio.

And before you get righteously indignant, read the article from the San-Antonio Express News:

AUSTIN — Robert Rowling said Friday that he won’t reconsider his abrupt resignation a day earlier from a panel that oversees the state’s higher education fund after a heated exchange with state leaders over $3 million in bonuses paid to fund managers.

Rowling, a Dallas businessman who owns the Omni hotel chain and is listed by Forbe’s as the 55th-richest American, was still steaming from what he called “pretty brutal” treatment Thursday morning when he appeared before the Senate Finance Committee. “They made it sound like we raped and pillaged the taxpayers of the state  giving those bonuses,” he said.

Rowling stunned senators by announcing his resignation as chairman of the University of Texas Investment Management Co. board of directors during harsh questioning at the Capitol. He later stepped down as a University of Texas regent, a post he had held for more than four years. (The regents had named Rowling to the UTIMCO board.)

Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, had called the bonuses — $1.05 million given to UTIMCO President Bruce Zimmerman and $2.3 million to other staff — “shameful” at a time when the fund is down 27 percent and people are losing their jobs.

The bonuses also had been criticized by Gov. Rick Perry, who appointed Rowling to the UT board, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. They wrote a letter to Rowling on the eve of the Senate committee meeting, saying the bonuses were “irresponsible given the financial crisis that is spreading across our nation.”

Another UTIMCO director said Friday that he expects the board to revisit the bonuses at a future meeting. Charles W. Tate, a Houston investor, said he thought the bonuses were appropriate.

No one said whether the bonuses could be rescinded, since 70 percent of the money has already been paid out.

The bonuses were based on the fund’s performance from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008. The two funds earned positive returns of 2 percent and 2.4 percent, which Rowling said exceeded expectations.

The board signed off on the bonuses in November, when the fund’s earnings had dropped an estimated 23 percent.

“We had made an agreement with the staff that if they met their performance goals, we would come through and compensate them,” said UTIMCO board member Clint Carlson, a Dallas investment manager.

So, to summarize, the UT Board was going to pay $3 million in bonuses. These bonuses were based on the performance of UT’s investments, which exceeded expectations through June of last year. Just for the record, here’s a chart of the market for the last year or so. June of last year starts just after the line that mark the market’s high on May 2nd, 2008 at 13012.53:

(You can find the Interacgtive version of this chart HERE.) You can see from the legend at the bottom that even in June of last year, while the market had started downward, it still was above 12,500. Friday (2/6/09) the market closed at 8280.59.

That means that, as of Friday, the market has declined 36.4% since last May.  Did you read that line in the article that the investment portfolio for UT has only declined 27%?

That means the UT protfolio is running ahead of the market by 9%. Pretty damned good in a serious recession, I’d say.  But don’t get too used to that – Bob Rowling just told the UT system and Governor Perry to screw themselves.

Expect tuition hikes in your future.

Good move, Governor Perry.  Fine Job,  Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.   NOTE to State Sen. Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler); I expect this type of demagogery from damned Democrats — NOT Republicans.

Great move, Texas legislature.  What the Hell is wrong with you?

~~JD~~

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Michigan Senator Supports “Fairness” Doctrine So Hubby Can Make A Quick Buck

Brian Malloney at the Radio Equalizer has a hard-hitting piece about Michigan Senator Debbie Stabbenow (D-MI) and her support for a renewed version of the “Fairness’ Doctrine. The “Fairness” Doctrine would requpre TV and radio shows to give both points of view, and would mean sweeping changes to Talk Radio as we know it.

As frequent targets of conservative Talk Radio, many Democrats support the “Fairness” Doctrine for the damage it would do to largely conservative Talk Radio. Stabbenow’s support comes from the fact that it would provide a huge boost to the career of her husband Tom Athans, an early supporter of the failed Air America Libtalk network.

Mallonee reports:

Athans first found a role in “progressive” talk radio back in 2004 as CEO of Democracy Radio, which preceded Air America and whose programming (Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller) was ultimately absorbed by Jones Radio Networks (now part of Dial Global).

In November 2005, we reported exclusively that Athans had received a cushy (if not downright fishy) deal to establish a “DC office” for Air America Radio, at an annual salary of $165,000 once he went full time in 2006. His job duties were fuzzy at best and any real results even harder to quantify. At the time, we wondered if he was hired simply to gain political access to Stabenow.

Lasting less than a year in that position, Athans left Air America once it could no longer afford him, departing to start yet another liberal talk radio network, Talk USA Radio. What ultimately became of that venture is anyone’s guess.

We next heard from Athans in 2008 as he was arrested as part of a prostitution sting in Troy, Michigan.

Air America’s Zier supports the Fairness Doctrine most likely because it would compel successful conservative stations to carry unpopular liberal programs in the name of “balance”. That could open up a tremendous number of new opportunities for Athans, given his background in the industry, which would certainly benefit his family financially.

Hmmm . . . another Democrap who will benefit by pushing through dishonest legislation. Why am I not surprised.

Mallonee’s article is excellent, as usual. His stuff his highly underrated; if you love radio as a medium, you should bookmark his sites and read them daily. Great Stuff.

~~JD~~

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Tom Daschle; Disgraced Tax Cheat Part II – Add A Few More Charges

Americans For Limited Government at Get Liberty.org have a fascinating rundown of some of the sleazy crap Tom Daschle has been neck-deep in for years:

Now, please understand, I really don’t have all that big a problem with Mr. Daschle lining up phony preachers to make bogus charges against John Thune in the hotly contested 2004 Senate race. Mr. Daschle falsely claimed Mr. Thune was saying nasty things about the lovely Mrs. Daschle. And though that was a lie, at least it was all in the family.

And I can even understand Mr. Daschle voting for higher gas taxes, higher death taxes, higher marriage taxes, higher estate taxes, higher incomes tax, higher taxes on the elderly, and even trying to impose a tax on the Internet. After all, Mr. Daschle is a card-carrying Democrat, so one would hardly expect him to believe working people could spend their own money better than he could spend it for them. And besides, he already knew he’d cheat on the taxes anyway.

But, I do have a real serious problem with Tom Daschle quite possibly costing the lives of three good, decent doctors in a 1994 mercy-mission plane crash, so that he could do a political favor for an old buddy and rake in some additional campaign contributions. And that’s why I am more than happy to kick this five-ply, two-bit politician while he’s down on his hands and knees groping around for the next tawdry place to make an easy buck.

Here’s how the New York Times described Mr. Daschle’s deadly pay-to-play scam in a tip-of-the-iceberg lead story on May 7, 1995:

“Government investigators have obtained evidence that Linda H. Daschle, second in command at the Federal Aviation Administration, may have used her position to help her husband, a United States Senator, reduce safety inspections of an air-charter company owned by a family friend, Government officials have said.”

Read the rest of the sick, sorry mess HERE.

This, of course, brings to mind two very important questions:

1.) Who the HELL is vetting President Obama’s picks ofr these offices?

2.) Whatever happened to transparency and honesty in Government?  And whatever happened to CHANGE?  Seems like “more of the same” to me . . .

~~JD~~

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Tom Daschle, Disgraced Tax Cheat – via Wikipedia & Google

Twitter user TheBusyBrain found this on Yahoo and confirmed it’s presence on Wikipedia about 2:17pm CDT today.

Oddly, it disappeared rather quickly. That DNC Web Committee, they never rest.  Just goes to show what a roomful of teenagers high on Mountain Dew can do for you.

For those of you with poor eyesight, it say: “Tom Daschle, former US Senator, now disgraced Tax Cheat.”

Meanwhile, there’s this:

The irony in the commercial is that Daschle got caught because he neglected to report his use of a luxury car and chauffer; for which he owed back taxes.

Heh-heh-heh.  Karma is a killer.

~~JD~~

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Most Inept, Most Corrupt Administration — In Only Ten Days!

Gateway Pundit has been tallying up the mis-steps, ineptness, and outright corruption that Team Obama has gotten Behind:

** Obama’s Attorney General pick Eric Holder is tied to the Marc Rich scandal.
** Obama’s Health and Human Services secretary pick Tom Daschle is a tax dodger.
** Obama’s Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is a tax dodger and lied about it.
** Obama’s Commerce Secretary pick Bill Richardson is engulfed in a pay for play scandal and was forced to step down.
** Obama’s Climate Czar, radical socialist Carol Browner, oversaw the destruction of EPA computer files in brazen violation of a federal judge’s order requiring the agency to preserve its records.
** And, the governor of his home state Hot Rod Blagojevich (whom Obama campaigned for and endorsed) was  impeached.

**Plus Obama’s Chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, is neck-deep in this as well.  Emmanuel was endorsed by Blagojevich in the race for his House Seat when Blago wond the governorship; and Emmanuel talked several times with the governor about whom to appoint to Obama’s vacant Senate Seat.  When reporters tried to question Emmanuel about it, He disappeared to Africa for three weeks.

One of the Commenters Added These:

–North Korea has scrapped all it’s agreements with South Korea and has placed itself on a war footing. They have enough weaponized Plutonium for 5-6 warheads and missiles that can deliver those warheads to Seattle and San Francisco.

–The Iranians . . .  will have their nukes by the end of the year and they will make their move when ready because there is no one to stop them now.

–Russia is starting to disintegrate-economically, politically and geographically. There are mutinies in the east, a widening rift between Medvedev and Putin and their economy is in chaos.

–Civil unrest is spreading in China. Bankruptcies, unemployment and protests against the government are increasing. There is a mass migration of people back to the countryside from the cities. The government will have to act soon or give up control of the country. We all know which one they will choose.

–Across Europe there are strikes and rioting. Some countries want out of the EU and the Euro. Trade is being blocked, and Russia is using petroleum as a weapon against them. In many countries their Muslim populations are becoming increasingly strident and violent and the native Europeans are getting fed up with them despite being calld the equivalent of “redneck racist morons” by their Marxist elitists in the government and the media.

–The Indians . . .  have moved military assets along the border and Pakistan has done likewise. Pakistan is barely functioning as a country at the moment, it has no control of large swaths of the country and that which they do not control the Islamofascist do.

-The Corruptocrats are using the uproar over that flaming fudge bag aka the “stimulus” package to sneak things into law that should make any freedom loving American’s blood run cold. Ever hear of H.R.645 aka the `National Emergency Centers Establishment Act’? It is a bill introduced by Alcee Hastings (D-FL) to create no fewer then six detention centers in the US for housing massive amounts of citizens the government wants to “detain” during a “national emergency”. One does have to laugh because the Corruptocrats want Halliburton to build these concentration camps for them.

The bill also gives the president the authority to declare an emergency and take over the direction of all federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments without even consulting Congress.

And All in just Ten Days.

Fabulous.  Sometimes I think this was not the “Change” we had in mind.

~~JD~~

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