Shew Head

The Frugal SondraK

I can't tell if this is satire

The 41st Vote?

TWICE?

Am I missing Something?

Scott Brown's thrilling win in Mass. prolly made this moot, but it's still a poser.  Was he really the 41st vote needed to stop Obamacare from coming to a final vote? "Get Him the Hell Out of Here"  Since Ben Nelson (D NE) cast the 60th and deciding vote for Senate passage in December, his name has been mud.  Nebraskans reacted so violently to his betrayal, that he's now considered unelectable.  Restaurant patrons booed him and Mrs.Nelson out of the place before they could be served. Nelson has since fallen all over himself apologizing, saying "it was a mistake." So how in hell could he do it again in final passage?  I mean, he's not a Clinton.

Texas Retail

Rick Beckham asks ...

How Do You Know You're Shopping in Texas? Player not working?

Little Charred Footballs

Right-Wing Flame War!

The NYT Magazine does Charles Johnson

“ No one ever said L.G.F., or any blog, had to be about the free exchange of ideas. “It’s his sandbox,” Pamela Geller says simply. “He can do whatever he wants.” Still, if you read L.G.F. today, you will find it hard to miss the paradox that a site whose origins, and whose greatest crisis, were rooted in opposition to totalitarianism now reads at times like a blog version of “Animal Farm.” - [Full] ” Gateway Pundit

Glen Beck v. Che, Hitler and Stalin

Saturday Matinée

I stumbled across Glen Beck's  most excellent "The Cult of Che" last night.  It's the second? installment of his documentary series 'The Revolutionary Holocaust, that sets out to "correct progressive lies" - which of course is damned near everything.  The video on the right was the opener, and I'm just now watching it myself.   The Cao girl bundled the first five segments here. The Cult of Che Live Free or Die

Metaphors

In Passing

In passing ..

I found this stuff (read between the lines)

Cool, but not too “ U.S. slips to rank of ‘mostly free’ The U.S. continues to enjoy a strong position — ranked as the 8th freest economy in the world — but lost 2.7 rating points because of its handling of the economic downturn. GOP: CALL THE DEMOCRATS' BLUFF AND REGULATE THE BANKS, DEMS BIGGEST DONORS (Ann Coulter's title) It isn't the thirties anymore. Wall Street owns the Democratic Party Donk Twit Overheard: I am the ocean, you are shore. I will wear you out. They Are Like Rats: New Hidden Digs For Senators Shhhhhhh. The perks of Senate membership just got sweeter. Tea Party Crashers Movements can be stifled or stopped by publicly disclosing certain conversations, thoughts, or plans made in private. Indeed, the government has often sought to interrupt the privacy of peaceable association before causes become too big. Sanity check: 2008 & 2009 Were The Coolest Years Since 1998 in the USA Why the Court protected us last Thursday (and why it's okay to go back to despising John McCain) Do you want government regulating what movies can be shown to the public? Do you want the government determining what movies can be advertised? Or what books can be sold? Early reactions to the blockbuster free speech decision ... it is a rather one-sided list. This just isn't a day when I'm inclined to give the proponents of censorship equal time. (not withstanding Stuart Taylor, Jr.) Obama has suspicious number of letter-writing fans named 'Ellie Light' In recent weeks, Light has published virtually identical “Letters to the Editor” in support of President Barack Obama in more than a dozen newspapers.Every letter claimed a different residence for Light that happened to be in the newspaper’s circulation area. ” I love Stuart Taylor's "Kennedy all too cavalierly bats aside a compelling argument for banning executives from spending shareholder funds on elections."   Stuart,Stuart, Stuart ...

Rachel Ray Corn Porn

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Obama's Bank Attack

CNN's Christine Romans Connects the Dots Between Dow Drop and Obama's 'Tough' New Bank Rules

Whoa!  That makes three times in a few weeks that CNN reporters have strayed off the Liberal reservation. Newsbusters also carries CNN's Cafferty Slams Pentagon's Omission of Islam in Ft. Hood Report .  On Jan 6th Cafferty broke ranks and blasted Obama for his failed "Openness Pledge."   Huzzahs!

Wheee.... striped kitties

Mommy - look what we found!

ThoR

It hurts when I poop special

TODAY'S "WOOT THE FLOCK" Kid's Book Sale

It Hurts When I Poop!: A Story for Children Who Are Scared to Use the Potty - by Howard J., M.D. Bennett and M. S. Weber Visiting Day by Jacqueline Woodson and James Ransome But You Gotta Act Now!

Homeland Follies

A moment of levity - until you think about it Player not working?

Mirrorless SLR

Your Next Camera Will Be EVIL 5 Reasons to Ditch Your Digital SLR

She reminds me of Peggy Noonan  “ There’s a new camera category in town. It’s EVIL, and it’s going to kick your DSLR’s ass. EVIL stands for Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens, and is our favorite acronym for cameras like the Olympus Pen, the Lumix GF1 and the Samsung NX10. These small, mirrorless, finderless cameras can fit in a pocket and outperform bulky DSLRs. Here’s why your next camera will probably be EVIL Now we can see what the sensor sees either on a screen, or through an electronic finder. With the mirror gone, the body can be a lot smaller, just like a compact digicam. This means you can carry it with you everywhere, fit it in a jacket pocket and be ready for *that* picture, wherever you are. [cont] ” Which means there'll be some great buys on Digital SLRs ahead.

In Passing

In Passing

Stuff I saw and a FREE HUG!

Grab Bag Link “ Olbermann Unhinged: ‘Supreme Court-Sanctioned Murder’ of Democracy It'll be news when this guy's hanged hinged Gallup buries the lede in its latest polling on health care 57% unhappy or disappointed with Obama Deacon BluesMorning, All. Here is another interesting tid bit. A majority of union members in America (52 percent) now work for the government. This is up sharply from 49 percent in 2008. Put another way, Sherk finds, three times more union members now work in the Post Office than in the auto industry. Thing From Snowy MountainOldspook: we found a liberation-theologist old school commie and installed him as president of the place, and lo and behold it turned out he wasn't ruthless or bloody-minded enough to keep order. Who'd have thunk it? The End of Air America: For Green Family Media, No More Whine and Cheese After a scandal involving misappropriated funds from black school children it promptly filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy two years later. Franken, Rhodes and Garofalo abandoned ship. But like most left-wing media ventures it has managed to keep going by being a sink hole for left-wing donors. ESPN: Ban by baby steps UN's push for Arms Trade Treaty could affect American gun ownership The Fort Hood Report: Why No Mention of Islam? Unbelievable. CAIR’s Fort Hood Idol Question: How many more people has al-Awlaki been able to inspire in this way? Mom forces son to kill pet hamster after getting bad grade And Richard Gere grew up determined to ... (I'm kidding --  this is really horrible) ”

... that man from Nantucket

Handicapping 2010

The 2011 Senate

"Cum 'on, train!" On January 6th the Weekly Standard's  Matthew Continnetti handicapped the Republican chances of taking the Senate. Let's see how that's working out. Connecticut - Dodd was toast, but popular Connecticut AG Dick Blumenthal, a Democrat, is expected to announce tomorrow that he'll run for Dodd's seat, and an early poll shows him winning by 30 points. Rasmussen -Blumenthal leading former GOP Congressman Rob Simmons 56% to 33%. A month ago, Simmons had a 13-point lead over Dodd. NC North Dakota - North Dakota governor John Hoeven, a Republican, is expected to run for Dorgan's seat and win handily. Gov. John Hoeven has announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat - Unless something absolutely unforeseen happens, Hoeven will become the Republican Party nominee to run + Nevada - Senate majority leader Harry Reid as the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent; Reid has a high disapproval rating and trails his Republican challengers in polls. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely voters in Nevada finds Reid earning just 36% of the vote against his two top Republican challengers. That’s a seven-point drop from 43% a month ago. Reid, who is seeking a fifth term, received 61% of the final vote in 2004.Real Clear Politics - Tarkanian +10 over Reid + Republican chances of flipping Democratic seats in Delaware, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Colorado also look good. Delaware - Rasmussen Reports Castle +5 RCP Average  Castle +1.7 Illinois - RCP AVG Giannoulias (D) +3 PPP - Even Pennsylvania - Rasmussen - Toomey (R) +9 Colorado - Rasmussen Frazier (R) +1 + ? + + And with the right candidate, the GOP could also be competitive in the New York, California, and Arkansas races. Heck, the GOP seems to be competitive in Massachusetts right now. New York RCP AVG Pataki (R) +.5  Rasmussen Reports Gillibrand (D) +3 California - Rasmussen Reports  Boxer (D) + 3 Arkansas -Rasmussen Reports Hendren (R) +8 ? ? + So let's follow Toby Harnden's lead and say Republicans hold on to seats in Florida, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Ohio, Louisiana, and Missouri. And let's say they sweep the competitions listed above. Even if the Republicans sweep the field without losing any ground--this probably won't happen--Harnden notes that the GOP would control 49 seats and the Democrats would control 51. Harnden: But what if Joe Lieberman (I) flipped to the Republican party? Very possible, particularly if he was induced with a juicy committee chairmanship. That would mean 50-50. But still Vice-President Joe Biden would hold the casting vote. Even in this (wildly optimistic) scenario, then, Republicans still wouldn't control the Senate. Unless, of course, Scott Brown defeats Martha Coakley this month in Massachusetts ... ” Click-Click

Tea Party Cancer?

Sabotage?

A critical moment for any spontaneously successful movement is the formation of a governing structure.  Red  State's  Erick Erickson says the upcoming Tea Party convention " looks scammy," and I agree. My first thought: GOP hardliners are involved. My second thought: Merde  merde merde !

A fine whine

Revelations: a Democrat Staffer's  Epiphanic Moment

Not as delicious as  John L. Jackley's Hill Rat, but good enough for gummint work

“ The worst is that I can't help but feel like the main emotion people in the caucus are feeling is relief at this turn of events. Now they have a ready excuse for not getting anything done. While I always thought we had the better ideas but the weaker messaging, it feels like somewhere along the line Members internalized a belief that we actually have weaker ideas. They're afraid to actually implement them and face the judgement of the voters. That's the scariest dynamic and what makes me think this will all come crashing down around us in November. [TPM Full] ”

You are getting hungry ... you are get -

Today's Random Burger

Testing New Year resolves since Jan 2nd.

Wanted -Under New Management Sign

Unshackle That Elephant!

I clipped this from Insta-Pundit's post election summary yesterday. Of course, what the GOP apparat does is less important nowadays than it was. As I noted before, there’s a whole lot of disintermediation going on here — Scott Brown got money and volunteers via the Internet and the Tea Party movement, to a much greater degree than he got them from the RNC. Smart candidates will realize that, too. And lies don’t work as well as they used to. Obama promised transparency and pragmatic good government, but delivered closed-door meetings and outrageous special-interest payoffs. This made people angry. If Republicans promise honesty and less-intrusive government, but go back to their old ways, the likelihood that the Tea Party will become a full-fledged third party is much greater. Are the Republicans smart enough to realize this? I don’t know. The Democrats weren’t smart enough to look at Virginia and New Jersey and realize that what they were doing was a mistake that would backfire. And on the third-party front, the Tea Party enthusiasm for Scott Brown bespeaks considerable pragmatism. Republicans who are seen as sellouts may face third-party challenges — or primary challenges, or both — but support for Brown indicates that people aren’t in a “take your marbles and go home” mode yet. Throwing a monkey-wrench into the ObamaCare works was seen as more important than getting the perfect candidate in, and that was a very wise move. I suspect that we’ll see similar pragmatism between now and November, but the GOP should also remember — as was shown in NY-23 — that making an example to encourage the others can be pragmatic, too. ” I'm in no way hinting at an ideo-parallel between the GOP apparat and the commie pigs from Animal Farm, but .. I do obviously think of  Michael Steele's Napoleon,  hiding under the bed until the battle is over, then giving himself a medal after a surprising victory.   The only way the GOP can regain it's vitality IMO, is to give Sarah Palin (sorry, but I can't think of anyone else I'd trust) the job of restructuring the party from the top down.   Restructuring means replacing the apparat with Tea Party veterans.  Axe-chop-whack.  Alear gets to stay. Newt doesn't. Dunderhead

auf Wiedersehen Barry

wtf

Caption

Better late than ...

SUPREME COURT READS FIRST AMT! *  WISE LATINA VOTES AGAINST IT. Court rules against corporate campaign spending curbs

Justice Kennedy, writing for the majority: When word concerning the plot of the movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" reached the circles of Government, some officials sought, by persuasion, to discourage its distribution...  Under Austin, though, officials could have done more than discourage its distribution—they could have banned the film.  - ”   St. Anne had this on her site, sans story link

Getting Even

Conan Blows $1.5 Million on 60-Second Comedy Bit to Waste NBC’s Money

Juice

Pelosi Shot Down

Pelosi: I Don't Have the Votes to Pass the Senate Bill 2 days ago "Let’s remove all doubt. We will have health care one way or another.”

"We're not in a big rush," Pelosi said. "Pause, reflect."

A Coakley Laff-off

okely coakely

The Chicagoboyz are challenging readers to come up with Election Haikus.  I'm a limerick kind of guy, so take your  pick and give it a try. Chicago Boyz Barn Army Early and often Is no longer adequate. Will Dems move rightward? —- Barack Obama! Double down, you clever guy. We need more Scott Browns. —- Scourge of Amiraults, Martha was unappealing. (The best they could do?) There once was a man from Boston Who had very big balls, and he tossed 'em Into the ring Where he risked everything But it was worth all the money it cost him There once was a man from Nantucket Who gave Martha Coakley a bucket He said with a grin It's for you puking in 'Cause I'll kick you from here to Pawtucket

Spectacular

What a spectacle

A real spctacle! Stuart Haygarth turns discarded eye glasses into a gorgeously green glowing chandelier. Spectacle is an optical chandelier assembled from 1020 pairs of discarded prescription glasses, with a smaller size constructed from 620 pairs. The refracted light from the lenses makes fluid shadows that play across walls creating an aqueous lighting effect that shimmers as much as it delights. That would be about the number of prescription glasses I've lost.

Easy Money

In Passing

In passing

here's  everything you need to know at the water cooler

“ Krugman- He Wasn’t The One We’ve Been Waiting For Libs eating their dead Matthews, Dean Call Each Other Crazy Dean was floating the absurd argument that by choosing Scott Brown over Martha Coakley, voters were sending a secret coded message that they really wanted a health care bill . . . more liberal than the current Obamacare version.  In case you missed it: Terrorists are out to get us I’ve been tracking attempted terrorists attacks on the United States after 9/11... because it seemed no one else was. [via Cheryl Jones tweet] Earmarks for Donations in No. Va.   Before new-speak, Rep Jim Moran would be called the bribee Aside: check out  his Wikipedia entry for a look at Moran’s fisticuffical tendencies. System Failure There is one reason that White House should be thrilled about the Massachusetts Senate race. It crowded out news that came out of the stunning testimony of Obama administration officials Wednesday on the Christmas Day terrorist attack. [more ... Who Made the Decision on Abdulmutallab?] FPI Analysis: President Obama's Foreign Policy, Year One During Obama’s first year in the White House, the President has repeatedly sought to strike out on a new, more humble course for American foreign policy. But, aside from that Mike ... You crazy sons-of-bitches, you right-wingers. Do you not understand that the people you hold up as heroes bombed your goddamn country? Do you not understand that Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly are as complicit of the September 11, 2001 terror attack as any one of those dumb-ass fifteen who came from Saudi Arabia? Don’t you get that? The Fall of the House of Kennedy In 1962, President John F. Kennedy planted the seeds that grew the modern Democratic Party. That year, JFK signed executive order 10988 allowing the unionization of the federal work force. This changed everything in the American political system. (Audio version) I know you hate my guts, but marry me, and you'll learn to put up with me David Axelrod told the Washington Post that the health care bill has been such a drag that the only thing the party can do is to pass it and then hope it becomes more popular: Huntley man accused of illegally recording ex-girlfriend in the shower Talk about criminalizing a whole society.   Right?  Not me, of course. ”

Sweet Times

the value of time

To realize  The value of a sister/brother  Ask someone  Who doesn't have one.   To realize  The value of ten years:  Ask a newly  Divorced couple.    To realize  The value of four years:  Ask a graduate.    To realize  The value of one year:  Ask a student who  Has failed a final exam.   To realize    The value of nine months:  Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.    To realize  The value of one month:  Ask a mother  Who has given birth to  A premature baby....  To realize  The value of one week:  Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.   To realize  The value of one minute:  Ask a person  Who has missed the train, bus or plane.    To realize  The value of one-second:  Ask a person  Who has survived an accident.    Time waits for no one.    Treasure every moment you have.    You will treasure it even more when You can share it with someone special.   To realize the value of a friend or family member:   LOSE ONE. -anon Hucker sent this.

Hayseed Rhapsody

Gadgetry

GPS and Bread Crumbs

I bought MoSup that Garmin GPS I talked about the other day,  for her birthday. Garmin 265WT.  Actually, it was you guys who bought it for her, since I used my Pay Pal money.  She thanked me for you. We're  prolly the last people here to get one, and I'm blown away.  It did take several hours to get the initial satellite fix (too may trees here),  get  updated maps installed, etc.  Then I input addresses of peeps she goes to see, shopping, etc.  The upshot is that I'm something of an expert now; she can't turn it on.  MoSup's also worried that someone will steal it, which is a real problem.  A friend had his factory installed GPS ripped from his dashboard.  This is what I can't figure out.  The thing has a serial number. The thing accesses satellites.  Why can't I report it stolen, and Garmin tracks it's whereabouts?  First time used, the cops have a pin-point location.   Why not? The other exciting thing for me was, and I'm pretty embarrassed to tell you, what with me being a Kordon Blue trained chef, but it's Panko! Japanese bread crumbs.  HFS!  Never used Panko before for three reasons. Iwo Jima I make my own bread crumbs Never saw them in a grocery store until recently. Last night I used Panko to bread some (I think I'm getting Alzheimer's ... the flat fish.  Flounder!) Flounder, and WOW.  I want to "Panko" everything now.  I'm going to try fried peanut butter.  Dip some flattened, chilled PB in flour, egg wash, then Panko,  and fry.  I'll let you know.  Panko cannot be beat for crunch. Back to the GPS.  While I was playing with it, another thought struck me.  Garmin had better get into the cell phone business, or go bust.  This thing looks like an iPhone, and I'm told iPhones  have the GPS built in already, right?  Damn, if I'd waited another 6 months, I prolly buy this Garmin for $12.95 from Woot.  One other thing.  I forgot. Never mind.

In Passing

In Passing

THE MORNING AFTER  Gawd, no loud noises, please

Standup Comedy “ Boston Globe Calls Election For Coakley Coakley eking out a 50-49 victory. Barney Frank Deals Potential Death Blow to Obamacare But since Scott Brown has won and the Republicans now have 41 votes in the Senate, that approach is no longer appropriate. Reid promises to press ahead on health care ...  despite the loss of a Massachusetts Senate seat to a Republican. [Aside: If he even runs, Reid will lose his Senate seat this year.  What has he to show for it?  Nada,  Zip. Zilch.  No legacy as Senate Majority Leader but abject failure] Save the planet from GHG’s – use astroturf? Now according to this press release from UC Irvine, green spaces in cities are bad for the planet….but wait, what about the UHI offset? Can I buy grass credit certificates? Rethinking Bush: A Year Later, How the MSM Cracked Up At times consciously and even triumphally, the media increasingly abused the traditional journalistic standards of independence and neutrality in favor of functioning as a virtual arm of the liberal Democratic Party. They took on, in effect, a new and disturbing identity. Welcome, Instapundit readers – and I assure you, I don’t ever want to get on Glenn’s bad side.  I heard that he once linked a site in Reno, just to watch it crash… QOTD "And the message we need to send in dealing with terrorists: Our tax dollars should pay for weapons to stop them and not lawyers to defend them." From Scott Brown's victory speech (rough paraphrase): ”

Hitler finds out Brown won ...

Sold!

China removed as top priority for spies

Inconceivable

“ The White House National Security Council recently directed U.S. spy agencies to lower the priority placed on intelligence collection for China, amid opposition to the policy change from senior intelligence leaders who feared it would hamper efforts to obtain secrets about Beijing's military and its cyber-attacks. ~ The decision downgrades China from "Priority 1" status, alongside Iran and North Korea, to "Priority 2," which covers specific events such as the humanitarian crisis after the Haitian earthquake or tensions between India and Pakistan.  [Full] ” When former New York Mayor  Ed Koch said he would vote for Bush in 2004, because it's  not safe to vote for democrats now ("The Democratic Party just doesn't have the stomach to go after terrorists."), he was joined by others, like Andrew Cuomo and  Zell Miller, to name a few. So, when did that switch get flicked?  I find this decision to downgrade intelligence gathering on Red China, to a level close to that of Ireland, as inconceivable. When President Clinton opened the vault for Chinese spies, it seems (to me) to have been more cash motivated than ideological (see Cox Report).  Okay, so now China holds $800 billion in US debt.  Obama has reacted by showing his belly and spreading  hooves. But treason?  That's what this amounts to. It was expected that Obama would work to weaken the United States,on ideological grounds, because we have his words on it. Just not so quickly, and brazenly. Just last year the FBI estimated that there are over 2,600 Chinese front companies in the U.S.  And this .. Are The Chinese Better At Spying Than The KGB? It Seems Like It CBS NEWS - Panel: Chinese Spies Stealing U.S. Secrets Chinese spy who defected tells all A midsummer tale of two Chinese spies  Chinese Spies in U.S. Portend War With China .....  47,300.  and so on ... How, I wonder, can anyone square this action with Obama's oath to "... preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States?"   They can't. So Impeach the SOB.

Insensitive