Quick Links for Today

A couple of quick links - what I'm reading today:

System Failure (Stephen F. Hayes)

Andy McCarthy's comments on yesterday's hearing before the Homeland Security Committee.

Bill Burck's thoughts on same meeting.

I wonder if this is one of those decisions Obama was referring to when he explained that Americans just don't understand. Because maybe he's right. I sure don't understand the decision to treat this guy as a common criminal rather than an enemy combatant in possession of valuable knowledge important to our national security.

Americans Just Don't Understand Obama's Decisions...Says Obama

Did he just insult me? Because...I'm not sure. But I think he called me stupid:

The president said he made a mistake in assuming that if he focused on policy decisions, the American people would understand the reasoning behind them.

"That I do think is a mistake of mine," Obama said. "I think the assumption was if I just focus on policy, if I just focus on this provision or that law or if we're making a good rational decision here, then people will get it."

Oh wait, it's not just me. It's all of us. The American people are too dense to understand policy. Got it. Gosh that'll save me a lot of time now. Now I can just wander aimlessly through life trusting the government to make all my decisions for me because I'm too dense to understand it.

Bwahahahahahahahaha!

What Went Wrong? We Have A Few Ideas...

Oh where to begin? Frankly, I'm sort of surprised to see this at the top of Politico.

The first paragraph of the story is as damning as the headline:

What President Barack Obama needs most is obvious: a new political strategy — ideally one more grounded in the realities of governance than the one he embraced a year ago Wednesday.

Well, yes, he does. Yet even after recognizing this about Obama, John Harris and Carol Lee want to be sure you understand that Obama is still popular (he "scores more than fifty percent in most polls"!) and he still has power (his "party controls Congress"!)

I'd question some of Obama's star power right now, however. He failed to deliver for Martha Coakley in Massachusetts and he failed to deliver for candidates in Virginia and New Jersey recently. He failed to deliver in Copenhagen when he campaigned for the Olympics. The world's dictators are unmoved by him - Iran is still on track to produce a nuclear bomb very soon. Terrorists still want to kill us. Shall I go on?

What went wrong in Year 1? Start with the apology tours and the American president bowing to rulers and dictators the world over. Move on to the elitist, out-of-touch style he quickly adopted - a party every three days or so in The White House and we can't forget the New York "date night" that was on the taxpayer dime.

Let's not forget his appeasement of terrorists, his plans to bring KSM to New York City for criminal trial, his plans to close Gitmo despite no good plan in place to house or disperse those being held there, or his plan to bring those at Gitmo to American prisons. How about his slow reaction time to the underwear-bomber while he played golf in Hawaii? His failure to support those in Iran fighting for their freedom and dying in the streets for it? His embracing of what they believed to be an illegitimate election?

How about his attacks on the CIA that is ongoing?

What about Obama's snubbing of our British allies, among others? And certainly let's not forget that promise of transparency and all those negotiations that were going to be held on CSPAN. The American people are sick of the bribes and the back room deals.

Cap and trade? Let's not even go there.

I recall Don Surber's Fifty-two Days, Fifty-Two Mistakes post. He could do another one at the one year mark. (I'd link to it, but it's not showing up anymore.)

But back to Politico's original question, "What went wrong?" We could go on and on, but I think it's pretty clear that a lot went wrong. If you have to sum it up in 140 characters or less, I'd say Obama tried to do too much too soon - too fast. He leaned too far left. He broke some important promises. He's aloof, detached, and seems unable to speak without his Teleprompter. His cabinet is filled with tax cheats, crooks, and lobbyists.

Well, that was more than 140 characters, but the point remains the same.

Scott Brown's election last night is encouraging. He's not as conservative as some would wish, but he's certainly not as left as he could be. The ground swell that began with the Tax Day Tea Parties last year has continued to grow. People are speaking out and expressing their dissatisfaction with this far-left administration at the ballot box.

It will be interesting to see what they have to say in November.

Ayla Brown and The Boston Pops

Gleefully stolen from The Daley Gator:



Just beautiful!

Obama in Your Pocket

Via Michelle Malkin, here is one iPhone app I will NOT be getting:

Today, we’re excited to announce the new White House App available for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. The White House App delivers dynamic content from WhiteHouse.gov to the palm of your hand.

One feature that stands out is live video streaming. Now anyone with this app can watch the President’s public events at the White House, frequent web chats with Administration officials, and other events like key speeches and press briefings in real time.

In fact, the President’s State of the Union speech next week is a great example. In addition to the millions of Americans watching through TV and websites like WhiteHouse.gov/live, iPhone users on the go will be able to tune in through their phones.

The White House App also lets users stay up to date with the White House Blog and the latest from the Briefing Room. Browse behind-the-scenes photos and watch on-demand videos. The app provides instant access to full videos from recent speeches, press briefings, and special events.

As if Obama isn't on television enough, you could now have him yakking right at a touch of your fingertips! Oh the joy!

Yeah. I think I'd download iBeer first (NO I don't have iBeer!).

Ego check, anyone?

Obama Goes After Tax Cheats...Sort of.

I find it highly ironic that Obama is going to sign a directive today "cracking down on tax cheats getting federal contracts." There doesn't seem to be any reference to tax cheats getting nominated for Cabinet positions, or high-ranking government jobs, but you've got to draw the line somewhere, I guess.

Jason Miller for Federal News Radio also reports:

The President will also instruct the Internal Revenue Service to review the "overall accuracy of companies' claims about tax delinquency to be sure that when a company says it's paying taxes, it's not lying," the White House said in a statement released ahead of the President's daily schedule.

That's rich. Can't have any one "lying" about anything, now, can we?

I'm all for cleaning up the process of federal contracts, but maybe we ought to look in our own house as well, Mr. Obama?

Oh, the irony.

Quote of the Day

The most asinine statement I've read today (so far):

"Massachusetts has health care and so the rest of the country would like to have that too," Pelosi said, referring to the state’s health care program. "So we don't [think] a state that already has health care should determine whether the rest of the country should."

She really doesn't get it, folks.

Great Scott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You ROCK Massachusetts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woo HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Updates on Massachusetts

Keep an eye on Massachusetts today as Legal Insurrection goes live with the events of the day.

The Other McCain is also on scene (shouting "Roll Tide!" whenever he can) to bring you first-hand reporting of the campaign. If you missed his Live Streaming event last night, well...you really missed...well, something. Yeah. Just check the comments at the post (linked) and you'll get the idea.

Meanwhile, you can read Mark Steyn who is always entertaining, or this piece from the WSJ on the message of Massachusetts.

Go Scott, Go!

Update 4:42: I'm a nervous wreck. I can't blog. I can't wait for the polls to close! I've been reading The Corner all day and Kathryn Jean Lopez has been keeping me going. She's posting emails she gets from kindred souls (and MA voters) pulling for Scott Brown.

Oh the nerves!

Update 5:23: I'm hanging out now at Professor Jacobson's Live Feed - what an awesome thing he's doing! Come on over! We'll wait for the returns together! Get your Boston Lager ready!

Election Day

Today is the day. My fingers are crossed and my hopes are high. Go Scott, Go!

If Brown Wins It's the End of the Republic, or something...

Andrew Sullivan:

And so one suspects that this is a profound moment in the now accelerating decline of this country. And one of the major parties is ecstatic about it.

Oh for crying out loud.

Pity party.

Brown By Nine

Go Scott, Go!

Via Politico:

A new InsiderAdvantage poll conducted exclusively for POLITICO shows Republican Scott Brown surging to a 9-point advantage over Martha Coakley a day before Massachusetts voters trek to the ballot box to choose a new senator.

According to the survey conducted Sunday evening, Brown leads the Democratic attorney general 52 percent to 43 percent.

"I actually think the bottom is falling out," said InsiderAdvantage CEO Matt Towery, referring to Coakley's fall in the polls over the last ten days. "I think that this candidate is in freefall. Clearly this race is imploding for her."

Be sure to tune into Legal Insurrection tomorrow; Professor Jacobson is going live for the election.

John Kerry Tries His Hand at Fear-Mongering

And so it goes. Is this what we can anticipate as the 2010 mid-terms get underway?

John Kerry, it is reported, is blaming "Sarah Palin" and "tea baggers" for Martha Coakley's staggering drop in the polls in what he hopes will be a match under the pants of Democrats for tomorrow's election.

Via The Corner, "Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.) thinks Scott Brown’s rallies in the Bay State are “reminiscent of the dangerous atmosphere of Sarah Palin’s 2008 campaign rallies,” the Boston Globe is reporting.

There's more:

This wasn’t Kerry’s first evocation of a frenzied right-wing movement offering something like illicit support to Scott Brown. In a fundraising e-mail sent to Coakley supporters today, Kerry said “tea baggers” are “revved up…at the thought of hijacking health care reform and every chance we have at making progress in Washington.”

Nor is it the senator’s his first use of Palin as bogeywoman. In a December mailing, Kerry asked supporters to “imagine what Washington would look like if a bunch of new senators – inspired by Sarah Palin and the tea party crowd – took over.”

This is what they did with the NY-23 race - blamed "the tea baggers."

If liberals can't defend their own message they attack the other side. Threatened by the conservative values of Palin, frightened by the awakening conservative movement, and unable to change the course of the anger the growing majority of Americans feel at the far-left liberal agenda taking over American politics since the election of Barack Obama, liberals resort to name calling: tea baggers.

Sarah Palin - ooooo! Scary!

John Kerry calling Sarah Palin rallies "dangerous" is incredible. Who were those people at Palin rallies? Parents with special needs children in tow. Working mothers. Conservatives. Working Americans. Teenagers (anybody felt threatened by Jackie Seal lately?)

I'd take issue with Kerry on another point, too. The popularity of Scott Brown is not entirely about his potential vote toward shutting down Obamacare. It could have something to do with the fact that Martha Coakley has imploded and run a terrible campaign. While many people are certainly voting FOR Scott Brown, I'd say there are a fair share voting AGAINST Martha Coakley.

How dare the ultimate elitist Kerry point and wag his finger at conservatives, at Scott Brown, at any of us, and try to spark fear in voters of the conservative movement.

Kerry asks us to “imagine what Washington would look like if a bunch of new senators – inspired by Sarah Palin and the tea party crowd – took over.” I think that's exactly what people are doing. And they like what they see.

Go Scott Brown! Godspeed!

Mixed Signals in the Terror Trials

There are a couple of conflicting stories floating about with regard to the terrorist trials.

Friday I started reading about the Obama administration's consideration of holding one of the trials in Washington D.C. - that of Riduan Isamuddin, or Hambali. Hambali was a high ranking al-Qaeda operative, supposedly the main link between al-Qaeda and a terror group responsible for a bombing in Bali in 2002 which killed more than 200 people and the 2000 attacks in Indonesia on Christmas Eve that killed 19. He was planning a second wave of attacks in America when he was captured. You can read more of his resume here or here.

Hambali is one of the high value detainees at Gitmo, along with KSM, who supposedly is going to be tried in New York City.

However, now Newsweek is reporting that KSM may not be coming to New York at all:

But because of shifting political winds in Congress, the trial is now "potentially in jeopardy," a senior official, who did not want to be named talking about a sensitive situation, tells NEWSWEEK. The chief concern: that Republicans will renew attempts to strip funding for the trial and, in the aftermath of the bombing attempt aboard Northwest Flight 253, pick up enough support from moderate Democrats to prevail.

It's not just the Republicans gumming up the works, either:

Another big factor? The price tag. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently sent a letter to the White House budget office seeking more than $216 million to provide security for the trial this year—and more than $200 million for each year after that. The figures have prompted some critics to say that, given the years a complex conspiracy case could take, the final cost could approach $1 billion.

Meanwhile, there appears to be a communications breakdown in information sharing between the administration and Congress. The Hill reports:

Ever since Obama announced plans to shutter the Guantánamo Bay detention facility in the first days of his presidency, members of Congress have complained about the lack of transparency on the backgrounds of detainees transferred overseas...

...There is no transparency when it comes to detainee transfers,” said Tom Joscelyn, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “The public doesn’t know how the Obama administration is deciding which detainees can be transferred or which detainees are transferred until after the fact. This makes congressional notifications, and passing on those notifications in short order to members of Congress, all the more important.” Even when they receive the classified notifications from the State Department, some lawmakers complain about the quality of the information in the reports and the 15-day window for Congress to request additional information and raise concerns.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of open communication about this going on between the people that should be paying attention. That includes the American people. And it doesn't seem as if the decision makers in Washington are all on the same page.

It might be too expensive to hold a trial for KSM + 4 in New York, but we can maybe try Hambali in D.C.?

It seems as if the Obama administration is just throwing ideas out there to see what gets the least public outcry and that's the one they go with.

It doesn't instill a lot of confidence in the process.

A Challenge to Capitalism and the Free Market

Last week when Obama announced his punitive tax on America's lending institutions, I felt a giant question mark form above my head. In theory, he wants to recoup money from bailout losses, even making banks recoup losses from non-bank bailout recipients. How is that fair?

I am no economist. Economics and financial matters are just not my area of expertise. I readily admit this. I didn't question too loudly this plan of Obama's to "recoup" some of the money received by banks from the bailout at the time, because frankly, I just don't get it.

Marco Rubio gets it, though. He's speaking out about it. Late last week Rubio said, "At a time when American small businesses and job creators are already facing a severe credit crunch, it’s extremely unwise to be imposing a new tax on lenders that will take billions of dollars out of the capital markets and send it to Washington. We should neither bail out banks, nor impose punitive taxes on them.”

That statement promptly made him a target of Democrats who dug out information about Rubio's personal home loan and the bank that gave it to him, which as it happens, was a beneficiary of the bailout. As if that somehow implicates Rubio in anything or makes him a hypocrite.

Today, Rubio strikes back in a post at NRO's The Corner:

This is life in Obama, Reid, and Pelosi’s America, where not only is free enterprise attacked, but so too is anyone who dares to defend it...

...No one should be fooled by the spin. President Obama’s bank tax is not about recouping money for the American taxpayer. If President Obama were truly serious about that, he would call on Congress to repeal his failed stimulus program tomorrow so that future generations won’t be saddled with its crippling debt. President Obama’s bank tax is about finding new ways for the Democrats who control Congress to confiscate more money to pay for their big-government takeover.

It won’t recoup money for the taxpayer because taxpayers will ultimately pay for this tax in the form of higher costs of banking, lost jobs, and a freeze of economic activity. This tax is a cynical and intellectually lazy attempt at pitting the American people against American enterprise in the hopes that we will all forget about this President’s and this Congress’s failures in addressing job losses, reckless spending, and soaring debt.

So what does this administration have against capitalism, anyway? Profits are attacked at every turn, it seems. Obama has attacked profits of oil companies, blasted the evil insurance companies for their profits, he's lambasted the "fat cats" on Wall Street, bonuses...it goes on and on.

Maybe some liberal can explain to me why capitalism is bad and why profits and the free market must be attacked and stifled. Because I just don't get it.

2010 Is Here

Oh I hope....

End of the Line for Kirk

This could be interesting:

Democrats in Massachusetts have talked about delaying Brown’s “certification,” should he defeat Democrat Martha Coakley on Tuesday. Their aim would be to allow Kirk to remain in the Senate and vote the health care bill.

But based on Massachusetts law, Senate precedent, and the U.S. Constitution, Republican attorneys said Kirk will no longer be a senator after election day, period. Brown meets the age, citizenship, and residency requirements in the Constitution to qualify for the Senate. “Qualification” does not require state “certification,” the lawyers said.

Those pesky details!

Full Metal Jacket Reach Around: The Scott Brown Edition

Yesterday was gray and rainy and fit my mood perfectly. My head was gray and rainy as well. Today, bright, sunny and blue skies! I slept until 10:30 which I haven't done in probably 30 years. Part of the reason is that I was up late waiting on my teenager to come in but also because the power blew out about 12:30 and didn't come back on for an hour and a half. This is becoming a regular occurrence; old transformers and what not, I guess.

Anyway, I'm late this weekend with my round-up so let's get on to it. It will be short and quick this weekend as I feel like I've already slept half of the day away! My picture this week is of Scott Brown's Cosmo spread, naturally, since everyone is blogging about Scott Brown this week and I know how much Red likes this picture.

Ann Althouse note this morning that The New York Times will soon start charging for online content. Like her, I link to them often, and I won't link to a site you can't read without paying for it. I understand their point, but I think it's a bad move. They'll lose a lot of readers.

No Sheeples Here is displaying my currently favorite picture.

Fishersville Mike is anxiously awaiting the Scott Brown election! Legal Insurrection has been covering the campaign full time and now Stacy McCain is on the ground, too (I so hate that expression - "on the ground". So sorry.) Reaganite Republican notes the Scott Brown signage. Ruby Slippers is also keeping up with Democratic tactics in the election. Jimmie Bise also notes some Coakley shenanigans.

Pundette notes Coakley's Schilling-is-a-Yankee-Fan blunder and takes the occasion to post a favorite photo.

Bread Upon the Waters wonders who Sam Adams would vote for in the MA election.

Another Black Conservative has photos of SEIU supporting Scott Brown.

Carol's Closet notes more Gibbs buffoonery.

Left Coast Rebel warns of another internet virus.

Emptysuit notes Obama's anger with the banks.

Take some time to check in on some of my other favorite blogs. Sandy is hanging in there in Minden, and probably gearing up for Mardi Gras, even though she isn't riding a float this year. Bride of Rove had me entertained this week. She's a beautiful writer and always seems to say what's in my head, but ever so much more eloquently. Michael Yon continues to post first class stuff and pictures to die for. Finally, Sarah has a cat story.

I'm off for a late shower and to get my day started. I feel like I'll be running catch-up all day. Have a wonderful Sunday, y'all!

Checking In

My weekly Saturday round-up will run on Sunday this week. I've been in a mental funk the past 24 hours and not up to much. I'm rebounding, though. Slowly.

On a happy note, I'm glad Bride of Rove has thawed out down there in the Keys enough to start blogging again. I've just spend a little while at her place reading about Haiti, frozen iguanas, and the problems with the White House carpet. She's in rare form this weekend.

As for me, I'm going to hunker down and watch it rain and put a pot of taco soup on to simmer.

Friday Quick Links

It's Friday so it's Krauthammer day. I look forward to Charles Krauthammer's columns and today he scores once again. This one is subtitled "From Mr. Wonderful to The Grinch in Twelve Months."

Krauthammer looks at Obama's falling popularity and puts a sharp assessment on what happened:

It’s not about style; it’s about substance—about which Obama has been admirably candid. This out-of-nowhere, least-known of presidents dropped the veil most dramatically in the single most important political event of 2009, his Feb. 24 first address to Congress. With remarkable political honesty and courage, Obama unveiled the most radical (in American terms) ideological agenda since the New Deal: the fundamental restructuring of three pillars of American society—health care, education, and energy.

Be sure to read the whole thing.

Today's Peggy Noonan column is also critical of Obama. I have long since lost patience with Peggy Noonan and now when she criticizes Obama or finds fault with his "cool" I just want to scream. She was pretty smitten with his "cool" during the campaign and spent many a column waxing rhapsodic about how wonderful it could be. Now, not so much. Now she discovers that he is disconnected from the American people:

The real story is that his rhetorical and iconic detachment are harped on because they reflect a deeper disconnect, the truly problematic one, and that is over policy. It doesn't really matter how he sounds. It matters, in a time of crisis, what he does. That's where the lack of connection comes in.

Seriously? She's just now discovering this?

Read the whole thing. Maddening.

While you're doing all that, I'm off to work. Today my 10th graders are wring in-class essays and then we're off for a three-day weekend. I'm watching for the UPS truck this weekend; sick to death of my Vista laptop with a slow processor, I've ordered a shiny new super fast kick-ass laptop which will hopefully make me very happy. It's due to arrive any day now. Not sure what I'm going to do with the other laptop - I'd like to put it in the road and run over it.

Happy Friday!

Can't Blame Bush? Blame His Computer.

When all else fails and you can't blame Bush for EVERYTHING, just blame the government computers. That's what Peter Orszag did yesterday. As reported by The Hill:

The public is getting a bad return on its tax dollars because government workers are operating with outdated technologies, Orszag said in a statement that kicked off a summit between Obama and dozens of corporate CEOs.

“Twenty years ago, people who came to work in the federal government had better technology at work than at home,” said Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget. “Now that’s no longer the case.

“The American people deserve better service from their government, and better return for their tax dollars.”

I won't quibble with him on the issue of American people deserving "better service from their government" but I'm not convinced the issue is "outdated technologies."

It's what we used to call "operator error."

Either way, Mark Tapscott did a little research and found this:

Go to USASpending.gov and click on the "Spending" tab, then from the drop-down menu that appears, click on "Contracts." Then in the search box, enter the word "Computer" with or without the quotation marks.

The first time I entered it without the quotation marks and got back a list of 447 companies having the word "Computer" in their names and that have contracts to sell to the federal government in 2009. Total value of those contracts is more than $46 billion.

That's right, $46 B-I-L-L-I-O-N. So, if OMB Director Orzag is right, Uncle Sam spent $46 billion with computer companies last year but couldn't drag itself into the 21st century of office technology?

Not just that, but the government spent nearly $62 billion in 2008 and $91 billion in 2007. And we're STILL outdated? It sounds to me like someone isn't spending their money wisely.

(More at Memeorandum)

Helping Haiti - Alyssa Milano's Twitter Challenge and Others

The pictures coming out of Haiti are devastating. The news is grim.

Everyone wants to help. If you text "Haiti" to 90999 you'll make a $10 donation to the Red Cross; it will be added to your phone bill.

Alyssa Milano has put out a Twitter challenge:

So... it's on! I challenge any corporation to match my $50,000 donation to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. 100% of every dollar will go directly to supplies that include tarpaulins, water-purification tablets, oral rehydration salts, family water kits, medical supplies, medical kits, food, shelter, and protection.

Via USA Today, here is a list of other ways you can help:

Disaster relief and non-governmental organizations:

• Action Against Hunger has mobilized an emergency response and has teams already on the ground, assessing and responding to needs;
• You can make a donation through the American Red Cross' International Response Fund, and it will be allocated specifically for Haiti relief efforts;
• Doctors Without Borders needs donations to provide crucial medical treatment and supplies;
• Habitat for Humanity has been working in Haiti for 26 years, and will be sending a team to assess the impact on affordable housing after the earthquake. To make a donation, go here;
• Mercy Corps has a way for you to donate your money straight to their efforts in Haiti, and Unicef also has a donation site set up;
• Project HOPE, which provide medical supplies and health care services to those in need, is seeking donations for their aid efforts in Haiti;
• Quisqueya International Organization Freedom & Development, founded by a former Peace Corps volunteer, is on-the-ground, assisting with relief efforts;
• The United Nations World Food Program has teams "already on the scene, mobilizing emergency food assistance to families." To support these efforts, you can make an emergency donation here;
• The United Way is accepting online donations to their United Way Worldwide Disaster Fund, which will directly benefit their relief efforts in Haiti;
• Yele, an organization set up by musician Wyclef Jean, a native Haitian, is an additional option.

Faith-based organizations:

• American Jewish World Service is collecting donations for its "Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund," which will help "their network of grantees in Haiti to meet the urgent needs of the population based on real-time, on-the-ground assessments;"
• Baptist Global Response, which coordinates the mercy efforts of the Southern Baptist Convention, is sending a team from Florida to help for its initial outreach. In addition to donations, the organization asks that concerned individuals join in focused prayer for Haiti's 9 million people;

• Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has made an initial commitment of 5 million dollars for immediate use in the relief effort. According to their press release, the CRS offices in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, "were shaken, with some damage to the compound walls, but there were no injuries in the building." Donations can be made via their website or by phone at 1-877-HELP-CRS 1-877-HELP-CRS 1-877-HELP-CRS ;
• Christian Aid Ministries, an Amish-Mennonite organization, has had staff and a distribution network in Haiti for over 20 years. To help earthquake survivors, they are providing search and rescue operations, emergency supplies such as medicines and food, and later on rebuilding of houses. Donations are being accepted through mail or credit card;
• Compassion International, the world's largest Christian child development program, serves 64,000 sponsored children in Haiti, most near the earthquake zone. Their website allows donors to earmark contributions for Haiti;
• The Episcopal Diocese of New York, which has Haitian congregations and a partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, is collecting aid both through the diocese and through the national denomination's Episcopal Relief and Development;
• Islamic Relief USA, in coordination with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is flying a $1 million shipment of aid to Haiti. To donate to their "Haiti Emergency" fund, visit their website or call (888) 479-4968;
• The Lutheran Church Missouri -- Synod along with their mercy arm, LCMS World Relief and Human Care, announced it was making an initial grant of tens of thousands of dollars available to meet emergency needs. Support their efforts by making a donation here;
• Operation Blessing International also has disaster relief teams on the way. A donation of $50 or more will bring emergency food, water, medicine and more to the quake victims;
• The Salvation Army is also sending personnel and supplies to assist in the relief effort, and is in need of donations;
• Samaritan's Purse, the international aid and development group headed by Rev. Franklin Graham, landed a medical supplies flight with teams of emergency medical workers Wednesday morning and will begin pouring in additional aid as needs become clear.
• The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has long been working in Haiti. To support their relief efforts, go here;
• World Vision, a Christian humanitarian charity organization, is also working to help children and families devastated by the quake. To learn more about their efforts and to donate, visit their website.

The fastest way to donate may be by text. Here are several options:

• Text "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross relief efforts;
• Text Yele to 501 501 to donate $5;
• Text HAITI to 864833 to donate $5 to United Way Worldwide's disaster fund for long-term recovery.

There are so many options available that it's hard to create accurate lists, but we want to point out a couple worthwhile efforts. Take a minute to check these out if you haven't had luck with the sites we mentioned:

• Nick Zantop, a blogger, photographer and globetrotter who says she grew up in the Caribbean, has pulled together a comprehensive list of possibilities on Facebook and her blog, ItsJustLight.com;
• MSNBC has a nice list pulled together;
• First Coast News in Jacksonville, Fla., has a good list for folks local to the region;
• LoHud.com also has a round-up, focusing on efforts in New York's Lower Hudson Valley.

It's tough to watch this video of veteran war correspondent Steve Harrigan break down as he describes the devastation to Shepard Smith.

If you can't give any cash, say a prayer. They're going to need it. They're going to need lots of that.

No Transparency To See Here...Move Along

We are well past the joke of calling the Obama administration "the most transparent" administration in history. There is absolutely nothing transparent about what is going on with the health care issue right now.

Daniel Foster at NRO's The Corner sums up what is about to be the mother of all entitlement programs and if it's not just plain illegal then it's bound to be unconstitutional.

As one pet group after another, and one begging Senator after another, and one bribe after another falls into place, the Obamacare legislation has become so tweaked, so manipulated and so filthy as to defy all understanding.

According to Congress Daily, the latest to come out of the all day closed door negotiations yesterday is the "Unions tentatively struck a deal Tuesday to exempt collectively bargained healthcare plans from a tax on high-cost plans expected to be used to help raise revenue for the healthcare overhaul." (Emphasis mine).

Reporting that opposition to the excise tax remains high, The Hill buries this nugget at the end of their report:

Nevertheless, Andrews, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and other Democrats indicated that a compromise that excluded more middle-class workers from the tax is possible “I think we could build a consensus around that idea, a majority,” he said. Increasing the Medicare payroll tax further than the Senate bill and applying it to investment income would help make up for the lost revenue, he said.

So - you're going to exempt "collectively bargained" health care plans from the excise tax AND middle class workers.

Buying votes, anyone?

And what was that we were told about taxes not going up? No taxes whatsoever?

As Foster says, "This would amount to nothing less than a bill of attainder against on all constituencies that are not especially useful to the president and his party."

Hanson on Obama

Don't miss Victor Davis Hanson this morning on Obama's "meltdown." As always, Hanson just nails it:

The once celebrity Obama has lost that luster, point-by-point over a year, bleeding by a thousand small cuts until he nears 40-percent approval. In themselves, the bad jokes like the flippant remark about the Special Olympics, the lunatic appointments like Anita Dunn and Van Jones, the serial untruths about airing health care on C-SPAN or shunning lobbyists, the phony deadlines on Gitmo and the Iranians, the bribing of senators with hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayers' funds, the bowing, the snubbing of the British, the use of the race card against tea-party critics, the Skip Gates mess, the Orwellian NEA business, constant fluff photos ops, but rare real press conferences — all that in the aggregate brought Obama to his present state.

It's not just Obama that carries the burden here - the entire Democratic party is circling the drain right now. Martha Coakley is tanking in MA (and there's that nasty incident with John McCormack last night) which is, I think, evidence of things to come. Campaigning Democrats are feeling the heat and getting frustrated.

Republicans don't seem to have their act pulled together just yet to capitalize on this meltdown, but there is still time. Marco Rubio in Florida is certainly a bright spot. It seems he's about done with Charlie Crist right about now.

Read Hanson's entire post here.

Senator Landrieu Meets Protesters in Abbeville

Via The Daily Advertiser, protesters greeted Senator Mary Landrieu at the Vermillion Parish Public Library yesterday where she was there to speak about coastal erosion and protection. The protesters were gathering signatures for their petition to recall Landrieu despite reports that the recall is unconstitutional and is heading to a dead end. Organizers of the recall are proceeding with the effort.

One protester said that the recall petition might be unconstitutional but they feel that Obamacare is also unconstitutional.

Mary Landrieu, with a straight face, says that she is not for government control of health care and she complains about a hidden tax in the current system. I'm assuming she's read the Senate bill which is loaded with taxes, both hidden and not hidden. But I guess that's beside the point. Then she says that with Obamacare, "No more free lunch!" She means that "everyone has to have insurance." Of course, everyone doesn't have to pay for it. Some will still be getting a "free lunch" as you and I pay for it.



(H/T: The Dead Pelican)