Friday, March 20, 2009

Bizarro News Story of the Day



From our own KTBS:

"A man faces a trial next week on charges that he had sex with a young neighbor's dog and horse.

John Coppes was arrested Dec. 13 in his neighbor's horse pen. A 13-year-old girl said she saw Coppes with her Anatolian shepherd. Coppes is also charged with abusing the girl's small Palomino horse.

The bestiality charges each carry up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. If convicted, Coppes would not have to register as a sex offender.

The 25-year-old from Polk County is free on bond but has been ordered to stay away from his neighbor and her animals. He also faces a criminal trespass charge. He had faced a public sexual indecency charge but Arkansas law requires the participation of two humans for a conviction."

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Talk to the TelePrompter


It was inevitable. Obama's TelePrompter has started his own blog. Does Teleprompter have to pay taxes?

"Teleprompter, do you have a name?"
Yes, but with all the 1’s and 0’s in the coding it’s tough to pronounce. Call me Tele, like the television, only I encourage conversation a bit more. Or, now that I’m a government official, by my acronym: TOTUS.

The Shreveport Tea Party


I spoke to Rob Gaudet today and it seems the Shreveport Tea Party is in full organizational mode. It's a big GO for April 15 at 5:00 p.m. Gerry May from KTBS is going to do an advance story on the event so watch for that soon.

Some of the details are still being worked out; the plan is to hold the event on the Shreveport Riverfront - ideally at Festival Plaza but it's not nailed down just yet.

Gaudet tells me that the event is being organized by a great, energetic and informed group of people from various backgrounds, all bringing unique skills to the table. They have nailed down their first speaker: La. Congressman Dr. John Fleming. Other speakers will include various small business owners and community leaders.

The response so far has been encouraging. According to Rob, thirty people registered on his site just yesterday and another sixty contacted him through the event's FaceBook page. There is also a Twitter page. So far about 200 people have expressed interest in attending which is a great response this early in the game.

There will be a voter registration drive at the Tea Party and you can count on there being a roast pig, of course. Plenty of pork!

Gaudet wants to encourage all attendees to bring signs and has examples and photos on the event site. Volunteers are also welcome. If you have something you think you can contribute or know someone who would be a great speaker, get in touch with Rob via either of the above links. You can also help by spreading the word and inviting people to come along.

Beer is Food



In our continuing quest as beer connoisseurs, Steve and I have stocked the fridge again. The common domestic beer is delegated to lower shelves. My favorite is the Winter Lager and the Optimator. The Optimator has a delicious molasses, almost a coffee, taste. I'll have to drink a few more to be sure. Good times.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Wednesday Night Linkfest

IBD Editorials seems to be echoing what has been on my mind this week about national security. They reference the Washington Post article about disarming pilots; the Obama administration has issued a statement denying this practice. They heard the outcry, perhaps?

William Jacobson has a great post on Shell and alternative energy. Jacobson also has the Official Guide to Obama Kitsch - simply incredible.

Critical Narrative has a nice response and analysis to the American Thinker article about the OFA and the cult-of-Obama.

Texas Rainmaker has some comments on the NCAA Tournament BARACKet.

And via Insty, an interesting montage of news coverage:

Coming to a Neighborhood Near You...


Via the Wall Street Journal: "Attorney General Eric Holder said some detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may end up being released in the U.S. as the Obama administration works with foreign allies to resettle some of the prisoners."


Go read Thomas Joscelyn's article about Ghassan Abdullah al Sharbi in The Weekly Standard and see if this is the guy you'd like for your new neighbor. Maybe the five guys that wrote this document will land in your neighborhood. That's Khalid Shaikh Mohammed pictured left, the guy that said killing those Americans on 9/11 was a "badge of honor." Maybe he'll be your new neighbor. They aren't "enemy combatants" anymore, after all, so what's the problem?

Do you feel safer now?

Shreveport Tea Party


Shreveport is having a Tea Party on April 15!

I've contacted organizers for more information so check back if you are interested in participating or attending. I hope to provide more information as I get it.

Go here to sign up to help or to attend.

Here are some dates from the site:

Monday March 23rd - Organizers Meeting
Monday March 30th - Organizers Meeting
Monday April 6th - Organizers Meeting
Monday April 13th - Final Preparation Meeting

Wednesday April 15th - Shreveport Bossier Tax Day Tea Party 5:00 pm


Blogging Business


Robert Stacy McCain has addressed a problem that plagues me, sort of.

I blog part-time during the school year because teaching English to 10th graders is my full time job. During the summer I can blog full time. When school started this year, I had just started my blog, so I only had about three weeks to blog full time until my real job started for the semester.

I blog all day in my head, but can't blog at school. I can't even get ON my blog at school because we have filtering software and I'm not a big enough geek to figure out how to get around it. So I have a little notebook where I can jot down blog ideas (otherwise I'd forget them) and I do some research in between teaching, grading, planning, and meetings.

Stacy addresses the need for speed, and that's not my problem so much. I can punch out a post in anywhere from ten to 45 minutes, depending on what the topic is, how much research, and how many links I put in. Like RSM, I proofread my post, then I read it again on the blog after I post it and always find a typo or some goof that needs to be fixed.

I don't have a problem writing long posts; in fact, writing long posts probably IS a problem for me. Everything I read tells me that people don't read long articles on the internet "so keep your blog posts short and pithy!" But I can't always do that. Some topics require more elaboration.

No, my problem is just no time to blog. At the end of the day I have about 2.5 to 3 hours to write and that is squeezed in with cooking dinner, cleaning the kitchen and other duties around here that must be done. Weekends are a little better for blogging. I'm working on perfecting the concept of writing posts and scheduling them for throughout the day, when I'm not here. That way my blog updates more than once a day.

Stacy's advice is sound and you should check it out! He's an old-school writer and by that I mean he probably has a copy of Strunk and White in his back pocket. He's written for publications besides the internet. Also, if you are a blogger and haven't checked out his Rules, shame on you. And if you've never read his blog, more shame still.

(Time on this post - 15 minutes).

Rosanna Pulido


My friend Sarah has had her nose to the political grindstone these past couple of weeks doing some heavy research on Rosanna Pulido who is running for the vacated Rahm-bo seat in Illinois.

She's done some great research on Pulido and even had the opportunity to ask her a few questions.

"Rosanna Pulido is a strong voice against illegal immigration and has been fighting tirelessly against it for the last few years. Unlike many politicians, she understands the consequences and how much illegal immigrants cost taxpayers each year. She understands that illegal immigration is a big problem in this country and is not only costing us money, but jobs, resources, and even lives. She's also head of the Illinois chapter of the Minutemen."

I encourage you to check out Sarah's research and the candidate's own page. Even if you don't vote in Illinois, as conservatives we could stand to get a head start on reclaiming Congress in 2010. You can contribute to Pulido's campaign or offer whatever other support you can.

Pilots, Guns, and Public Safety


The Washington Times has a great editorial on Obama's ending the federal firearms program, that is, that pilots may carry guns if they completed federal safety programs.

After 9/11, commercial airline pilots were allowed, once trained, to carry guns in order to help prevent future, similar attacks. There are currently about 12,000 pilots who participate in this program.

The Times suggests that Obama is risking public safety in favor of an anti-gun ideology. The whole thing has done with a bit of stealth in this oh-so-transparent administration. Pilots report that since the election the approval process for the permits has slowed significantly and now has "stalled out." In addition, pilots are worried about speaking out "for fear of retaliation from the Transportation Security Adminsitration." Yikes.

The anti-gun ideology certainly seems to be there as we learned earlier this week of the DoD's new policy on the sale of expended brass. Slowly, but surely, the administration is working on gun control.

The editorial closes with this point:

"Frankly, as a matter of pure politics, we cannot understand what the administration is thinking. Nearly 40 House Democrats are in districts were [sic] the NRA is more popular than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. We can't find any independent poll in which the public is demanding that pilots disarm. Why does this move make sense?

Only anti-gun extremists and terrorist recruits are worried about armed pilots. So why is the Obama administration catering to this tiny lobby at the expense of public safety?"

A good point.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Class Act


George W. Bush is a class act.

"Former President George W. Bush says he won't criticize President Barack Obama because Obama 'deserves my silence,' and says he plans to write a book about the 12 toughest decisions he made in office. Bush's speech Tuesday at a luncheon in Calgary, Alberta was his first since leaving office."

Meanwhile, Obama is still in campaign mode, blaming George Bush for everything.

A Response to Jack Cafferty


At first, I thought I was reading satire. I thought it was a joke. I kept waiting for the punchline. I was reading Jack Cafferty's post on CNN today.

Let me just share the first part, what I thought was a joke:

"What a welcome change to feel like someone is running the country instead of running it into the ground. President Obama has done more in eight weeks than George W. Bush did in eight years -- unless you include starting a couple of wars.

While the armchair quarterbacks second guess the new president, he gets up every day and does things, lots of things. Whether it's creating commissions for women and girls, ordering the investigation of President Bush's use of signing statements, or jamming a huge stimulus package through Congress, the man is working his tail off. And he seems to be loving every minute of it. It's almost as though our president was born to do exactly what he's doing. He's leading, and boy, is that refreshing."

Where is Michelle Malkin with her drool bucket? But then I remembered, this is Jack Cafferty who back in September said that if Obama didn't win the election it was racism. The same Jack Cafferty who, earlier this month, wrote a love letter to Michelle Obama.

Let me just address a couple of the points Cafferty brings up. He accuses George W. Bush of starting two wars but he might go back to 9/11/2001 and review the events of that day and the days right after. He might review the attacks on innocent Americans on that day, and on our own soil for that matter. He might review subsequent events also such as the beheading of Daniel Pearl, an American.

I don't think George Bush started that.

I don't think George Bush ran the country "into the ground" either. America saw a great deal of economic growth under George W. Bush even after the catastrophe of 9/11 in his first term which nearly devastated the airline industry.

Not to rehash the record on this too much, but Bush and Company tried to do something about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the lenders primarily responsible for the housing debacle, but the Democratic Congress, including Barney Frank, shut them down. Oh there is plenty of blame to go around, I don't deny that, but Mr. Cafferty overlooks that point.

Cafferty goes on to celebrate what he sees as Obama's accomplishments so far, in fact, praising Obama for "jamming a huge stimulus package through Congress." You can see why at this point I thought I was still reading satire. The word choice of "jamming" was just so appropriate.

Then Cafferty criticizes Bush yet again (he must have gone to school with Obama on this skill) when he says that Bush would appear "in front of a handpicked audience to utter some banalities" and I wondered if Cafferty has ever seen his man Obama off the TelePrompter? Uhh..uhm, ah, well, uhh, uhm, probably not.

To his credit, Cafferty does point to the appointment of Tim Turbo Tax Challenged Geithner as a possible faux pas, equating this appointment to a "stubbed toe." Geithner, the architecht of the AIG bailout who missed all those bonus contracts. Cafferty even points out that maybe "signing that omnibus bill with all those earmarks in it...was probably a mistake." That's a little bigger than a "stubbed toe," don't you think, Mr. Cafferty?

In fact, Geithner has not been the only Stubbed Toe Appointment we have here: Tom Daschle, Eric "Nation of Cowards" Holder, Nancy Killefer, Charles Freeman, Bill Richardson, Hilda Solis (well, her husband, anyway)...should I go on?

No, by the time I got to the last paragraph I had figured out that Cafferty was indeed serious in this drool-fest. By the time he said Obama has "got ambitious ideas on how to solve [the country's problems], and he communicates a sense of calm and confidence to the rest of us as he goes about his business. Will all his ideas work? Of course not. But if you throw enough stuff at the wall, some of it will stick" I figured out Cafferty was serious. Speak for yourself on the "calm and confidence" thing, Mr. Cafferty, because I'm not getting that.

It's the "Spaghetti Approach" to leading: Throw everything at the wall and see if it sticks.

He closed with the reassuring "And at least I don't go to bed at night worried that I'll wake up in the morning to find out we're about to invade someone."

No Mr. Cafferty, you might instead wonder about who is going to invade US. Do you seriously feel safer now that Obama has vowed to close Gitmo and has already released terrorists? Now that pilots are no longer allowed to carry guns on airplanes for protection against another 9/11? Now that Russian bombers may soon be based in Venezuela and Cuba? Now that Russia is vowing rearmament? Now that Obama is not denying throwing our veterans under the bus with regard to service related health insurance?

I'm glad you don't go to bed at night worried, Mr. Cafferty, because I sure do. I'm terrified.

Smoke More!


Remember when Obama said, "If you make less than $250,000 your taxes will not go up! Not one dime!"

I guess the only people that smoke make more than $250K.

If you're a smoker, be prepared to dig deeper for that nicotine fix when April 1 rolls around. April Fools Day! You may have noticed it already because manufacturers have already raised prices to pay for the upcoming new taxes on stored inventory.

You might remember that one of Obama's first acts in office was to expand the SCHIP program which funds health insurance for underprivileged children. The irony of course is that it is funded by smokers. Kill yourself if you want to but by golly you'll pay for somebody's else's health care because of it! In fact, smoke more!

Smokers accustomed to paying about $35 for a carton of cigarettes will be paying closer to $50 when the tax kicks in April 1. Ironically, the increase is making some smokers either cut back or quit altogether, and while good for their health, it's not so good for SCHIP.

But if you make less than $250K, maybe the increase doesn't apply to you.

Switched at Birth?


RSM and Matthew? Switched at birth? Go here and see what you think.


Happy St. Patrick's Day!



Since I didn't snag an invitation to the "O'Bama's" party tonight, I will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day right here in Shreveport. I will have beer, but it will not be green.

Here is the only St. Patricks' day joke I know (apologies to my Irish friends):

Q.: What is Irish and stays outside?

A.: Paddy O'Furniture.


So sorry.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Eeeeeeeeeewwwwww



Obama sushi? No, thanks. He's already raw enough for me.

Go here to read about how "creating the perfect Obama futomaki roll took considerable trial and error according to Kawasumi-sensei. Careful selection of ingredients was just the start: brown rice for the skin, black sesame seeds for the hair, tiny shrimps for the lips and a gleaming fish-paste smile. "

"Choked with Anger"? You Bet I Am.

Update: 3/19/09: Obama pulls back on this one. After two meetings with veterans groups and a huge public outcry, the decides this wasn't such a good idea.

"I'm choked up with anger here," said Barack Obama today. He was, of course, referring to the AIG bonuses which Geithner didn't catch when he helped negotiate the deal. But that's another story.

I'm choked up with anger too, about the AIG deal, yes, but more so about this; I continue to be enraged by Obama's commitment to the idea of forcing our veterans to pay for service related injuries with their own private insurance. The whole issue makes my ears bleed. I can't believe what I'm hearing.

I feell like I'm in a bad movie on this one. How can he SUGGEST such a thing? Only a man who had never served his country would even dream of it, but one with any sense at all would never suggest it. As a country we have a moral obligation to take care of these soldiers.

I'm not alone in my outrage. Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion met with Obama today to discuss the issue. He left the meeting "deeply disappointed and concerned" over what he heard.

"It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan. He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it."

He added: "This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ' to care for him who shall have borne the battle' given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm's way, and not private insurance companies."

Besides the moral outrage that comes with this, who in their right mind would enlist to serve and protect this country anymore knowing that their country, or rather their commander-in-chief, does not support them? What insurance company would cover these soldiers knowing the risk that might entail? And what of their families?

My father served in WWII; I feel like this is a slap in the face to him, even though he died 20 years ago and suffered no permanent service related injuries (he broke his back in a parachute exercise, but recovered.) My fiance served as well, and although he suffered no service related injuries either, the fact remains that this is a slap in the face to everyone serving or who has served. What of the morale of those that are currently serving? I bet this make them feel all warm and fuzzy.

I'll say it again, you jerk! You sad sack of a human being.

Mitch McConnell on Gitmo


Sen. Mitch McConnell has written a nice piece in the Washington Post arguing the case for the retention of Gitmo:

"The Obama administration has had to take on a number of thorny issues, but few will be as difficult as Guantanamo. Still, some things about Guantanamo are well worth recalling as the administration moves forward. First, not a single detainee has ever escaped to maim or kill innocents. Guantanamo Bay is, above all else, secure and safely distant from civilian populations.

Second, detainees are well cared for. They receive three meals a day. They are free to worship five times daily and provided with prayer beads, rugs and copies of the Koran in their native languages. They send and receive mail. The prison library offers more than 12,000 items in 19 languages (a favorite DVD, according to the librarian, is "Deadliest Catch" and a favorite book is the Arabic translation of "Harry Potter"). Medical care is said to be excellent. It is hard to imagine these men being treated nearly as well anywhere else in the world. Indeed, one European official who visited in 2006 called Guantanamo "a model" prison and better than the ones in Belgium. On my visit, the first detainee I came across was riding a stationary bicycle. This is not Abu Ghraib. "

Team Obama will begin talks today with a high-level delegation from the European Union on the future of the detainees. Some European leaders are now expressing concern about resettling some of the enemy combatants.

“We understand, you have a big problem,” said one European official who said he would speak only if not identified. “And we appreciate what President Obama has said about closing Guantánamo. But that doesn’t automatically mean putting all the remaining inmates on a plane and sending them to Europe.”

For the life of me, I can't see why BHO wants to shut this place down just to keep a campaign promise. I've written about it here, here, here, and here. There are no easy answers, but the best answer is to keep it open and keep the terrorists there.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

DOD Eliminates Sale of Expended Brass


This from Gordon Hutchinson, author of The Great New Orleans Gun Grab:

"From now on, remanufacturers of military brass will not be able to buy surplus brass from DOD--actually from Government Liquidators, llc.--the corporation that sells surplus materials for the U.S. government. At least, not in any form recognizable as once-fired brass ammunition. Now all brass ammunition will have to be shredded, and sold as scrap."

Now, to be clear, I'm not a gun enthusiast in that I don't participate in the sport of shooting. I don't own a gun, as I've said. But that doesn't mean I don't believe in the Second Amendment or the right of people to own guns if they want to.

What Hutchinson is telling us is that if the government can't control the sale of guns, which they have had trouble doing, then they CAN control the sale of ammunition.

Hutchinson explains:

"You can expect this to affect every bullet you purchase in the future--with no reloaded ammunition available, the already strained new manufacturers will be unable to meet demand. They are already turning out everything they can build for the military market. The civilian market is stressed to the point even reloading components have become hard to find.

Now, with this hit, ammunition prices will go through the roof in the next year.
"

Even if you don't own guns or participate in the sport of target shooting this will affect you because it also affects law enforcement. Who pays for the ammo for law enforcement? Taxpayers, maybe? With this market gone, some smaller law enforcement agencies and individual officers will no longer be able to purchase inexpensive reloaded ammunition for practice. Companies such as Georgia Arms, which Mr. Hutchinson writes about, will go out of business.

Not such good news in this economy. Why would the Obama administration take such action as to put more small businesses out of work in this economy? So they can control guns. One of his agenda items.

In addition to putting people out of work, the cost to the taxpayers is compounded by the fact that it reduces the return by 80% on the sale of expended brass. Now the material will be sold as scrap and sold to China at a much lower return.

The nanny-state business of it is disturbing as well, as the letter received by Larry Haynie of Georgia Arms from the DOD suggests that in addition to being unable to sell him anymore brass, they must also come to his place of business and witness the destruction of his already purchased brass: "The new DRMS requirement calls for DOD Surplus personnel to witness the mutilation of the property and sign the Certificate of Destruction. Mutilation of the property can be done at the DRMO, if permitted by the Government, or it may be mutilated at a site chosen by the buyer."

If you visit Mr. Hutchinson's site, linked above, he has written a letter which you can copy and send to your legislators.

Update: Via Instapundit, here is a post about ammunition shortages in Florida.

Update 2: Jonah Goldberg at NRO has picked up the story.

Update 3: Memeorandum has picked up Gordon Hutchinson's post.

Newt Points Out....


Newt on Twitter:

"Didn't geithner host the first meeting on aig at the ny fed? Wasn't he advising as paulson cut the deals which made the bonuses ok?"

"Hasn't geithner approved every step of the $170billion bailout of aig? Doesn't this indicate the dishonesty of efforts to shift blame?"

Makes you wonder.....

Taxing Health Care Benefits


The New York Times reports that Obama is "open" to taxing employer provided health benefits.

During the campaign, Obama denounced John McCain's suggestion to tax some employer provided health benefits as “the largest middle-class tax increase in history” but now he seems to be changing his mind. One difference between the McCain plan and the Obama plan is that when McCain suggested it, he also planned to give all families a tax credit to pay for health coverage.

Assuming you have health insurance through your employer, as it now stands, employer contributions to your health coverage are not counted as income.

Obama denounced McCain's plan as a "multitrillion dollar tax hike." I guess now that idea is looking pretty good to him. He has planned to cut the deficit in half, you know.

Many Democrats are opposed to the idea: “It’s a dumb idea,” said Representative Pete Stark of California, chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health. “We have to maintain as much as we can of the employer payments.”

Unions aren't so thrilled with the idea either. Alan V. Reuther of the UAW said, “These proposals would represent a tax increase on working families. They would undermine good health care coverage.”

Obama needs the influx of income to help pay for his takeover of the health care system.

Though it's still early in the formation of Obamacare, it is not hard to discern that this administration believes that health care is a right, written into the Constitution, and that nationalized, socialized health care is the way to go. I've already made my own feelings on that known here.

Budget Director Peter Orszag says the idea should "remain on the table."

The question is, what happened to Obama's statement that the middle class would not see a tax increase? "Not one dime" I believe he said. You'll see one with this plan. Even the Democrats can see it.

The point isn't this issue so much, even though the suggestion is troubling, but that all of Obama's statements seem to come with an expiration date. It gives the impression that he's calling the shots as he goes, making it up as he goes along. It doesn't imbue one with a strong sense of security to see such unsteadiness at the helm.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Peace The Old Fashioned Way


Do you feel safer now? Cuba and Venezuela could soon be hosting Russian bombers.

What would Reagan do?

My guess: Peace Through Superior Firepower.

Boys, Toys and Gun Control


Steve and his friend went out this week and each purchased a replica of 1858 New Army Texas .44 caliber revolver. I don't know much about guns but he tells me it's a "black powder" revolver. They are both cops and know their way around guns, and both of them like to go shoot targets.

Since the election, gun sales and ammo sales are way up. One Tulsa newspaper reports an 87% increase from February 2008 to February 2009. The owner of a gun shop there says that people are buying and hoarding ammunition in anticipation of potential gun control legislation coming from the Obama administration.

One of the pieces of gun control legislation the NRA is following is H.R. 45: "Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act" which is currently in committee. The bill would require

"all handgun owners to submit to the federal government an application that shall include, among many other things: a photo; an address; a thumbprint; a completed, written firearm safety test; private mental health records; and a fee
.

The bill would further require the attorney general to establish a database of every handgun sale, transfer, and owner's address in America. Moreover, the bill would make it illegal to own or possess a "qualifying firearm" -- defined as "any handgun; or any semiautomatic firearm that can accept any detachable ammunition feeding device…" [emphasis added] without one of the proposed licenses.

Additionally, the bill would make it illegal to transfer ownership of a "qualifying firearm" to anyone who is not a licensed gun dealer or collector (with very few exceptions), and would require "qualifying firearm" owners to report all transfers to the attorney general's database. It would also be illegal for a licensed gun owner to fail to record a gun loss or theft within 72 hours, or fail to report a change of address within 60 days. Further, if a minor obtains a firearm and injures someone with it, the owner of the firearm may face a multiple-year jail sentence. "

There is also plenty of talk of not only gun registration, but ammo registration. According to NWV News, such legislation "would provide that, after a specific date, all handgun and 'assault weapon' ammunition manufactured or sold in the state shall be coded by the manufacturer, and would include a list of all calibers covered by the coding requirement. It would mandate the disposal by a certain date of all non-coded ammunition listed, whether owned by private citizens or retail outlets."

Gun enthusiasts are concerned because Obama has stated publicly that he will ban firearms, collect firearms, and tax firearm ammunition over 500 percent, all positions AG Eric Holder shares with BHO.

Personally, I don't shoot guns and I don't own one but I certainly respect the Second Amendment and I respect the rights of people to responsibly own guns. People that are pro-gun-control point to things like the recent shooting in Alabama but as Don Surber pointed out, "A New York Times editorial blames America’s gun lobby for 11 deaths in Alabama — but ignores 16 deaths in “gun free” Germany on the same day."

You have to look at both sides of the story and certainly there are irresponsible people but there are also responsible ones. It's been fairly well documented that strict gun control laws don't really stop criminals from getting guns, or anyone else who wants one for that matter.

Attempting to legislate every aspect of gun control violates the Second Amendment and further turns us into a nanny-state.

Here is the NYTimes editorial Surber mentions.

Saturday Round Up


Gratuitious Rule 5-beefcake-Round-Up picture this week is Matthew McConaughey.

It's been a hectic week both at work and in the blogoverse for me. First I ticked off William, then groveled my way back into good graces; the mini-brouhaha didn't escape the notice of the Master of the Rules and so between the two of them (and CNN linking my Shinseki Shuns Vets post) I had a thrilling little avalanche of sitemeter frenzy.

So on to my Saturday round-up:

In his radio address this morning BHO decides not to talk about the economy but talks about peanut butter.

Andy McCarthy comments on the "enemy combatant" business, suggesting that the BHO administration may think they are "better vetters" of who might need to be detained than the Bush administration had been. Given the successful vetting of their own cabinet appointees, I'm not so sure.

Ed Whelan has the easy answer to the "enemy combatant" thing: "Maybe President Bush should just have changed the name of Guantanamo. Then he could have announced that there were no longer any enemy combatants at Guantanamo."

Sarah has posted a LONG list of songs for the Obama administration soundtrack.

Ed is rightfully concered about Russia basing bombers in Venezuela and Cuba: "It took John Kennedy more than a year to precipitate a military standoff with the Soviet Union over Cuba in the 1962 missile crisis. It’s taken the Obama Amateur Hour less than two months." Yikes!

Suitably Flip has done a nifty analysis of the Daily Kos site traffic since the election. File under "Be careful what you wish for."

Don't miss Don Surber's 52 Days, 52 Mistakes tally. Don't miss the comments; readers are posting their own additions.

Instapundit has updates on the Columbus, Ohio Tea Party protest.

Robert Stacy McCain is having a contest.

Sippican Cottage has another eloquent and beautifully written post, this one about our quest for immortality and Frank Millet (QUICK - who is that?!)

Update: Welcome back RSM readers! I'm humbled by 'lanche3 (yes, I'm keeping count!) Still waiting on that blogroll add, Stacy. How 'bout it?

Friday, March 13, 2009

What's in a Name?


So we can't call them enemy combatants anymore? Is that sort of like not calling it the War on Terror anymore? What part of "enemy combatant" is offensive, exactly? The "enemy" part? The "combatant" part? Well what should we call them?

Future refugees?
Terrorists?
Displaced jihadists?
Misunderstood Muslims?
Imprisoned Islamofascists?
Duped Detainees?
Misguided citizens of the world?
Potential voters?

Rush always said Club Gitmo was the tropical retreat from the stresses of jihad. In that case we can just call them "visitors."