But just so you know, this is what it's supposed to look like.
And some background from LaCoast on their discovery, near extinction and their heroic comeback and fight for survival.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Real Brown Pelicans
By now everyone has seen the images of the oiled brown pelicans:
But just so you know, this is what it's supposed to look like.
And some background from LaCoast on their discovery, near extinction and their heroic comeback and fight for survival.
But just so you know, this is what it's supposed to look like.
And some background from LaCoast on their discovery, near extinction and their heroic comeback and fight for survival.
Team Obama's Shocking Disregard of the Gulf Oil Spill ... Since APRIL
The Daily Beast reports:
Carol Browner, director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, told Obama at one of the earliest briefings in late April that the blowout would likely lead to an unprecedented environmental disaster, senior White House aides told The Daily Beast. Browner warned that capping a well at such depths had never been done before, and that they ought to expect an oil spill that would continue until a relief well was drilled in August, the aide said.Obama has known from Day One how bad this oil spill would be and how devastatingly detrimental to the Gulf Coast it would be.
More specifically, he was briefed and told to prepare for the fact that this spill would likely spew until August.
Allahpundit asks,
On the other hand, if he really is powerless to do anything because the feds simply don’t have the expertise to cap a well the way BP does, what was he supposed to have done after Browner briefed him?Yes, he could have given a national address warning the public how bad it would be, but AP is right - the political backlash would be something he would make every effort to avoid.
No, Allahpundit goes on to say,
The real disgrace here is why, if he really did know right away that this was the oil equivalent of an asteroid strike, he didn’t scramble some sort of all-hands-on-deck emergency operation to protect the coastline. Remember, Jindal reportedly requested five million feet of hard boom back on May 2, long after Obama (according to Wolffe) knew about the magnitude of the disaster. By May 24, not even 800,000 feet had arrived. What happened?
What happened? The golf course beckoned at least seven times, and hiking in the mountains, and Paul McCartney lobbing cheap shots at Bush while a guest in the White House, and date night, parties, fundraisers ...:
A reader at Instapundit suggests that Obama's lack of concern might be *gasp* political in nature:
I hate to be a cynic, but have you looked at how the affected states have voted? How many of them did Obama carry? Also, at least 3 of the 4 governors are Republicans, although Charlie Crist is questionable.
I bet if it was California it would be all hands on deck from day 1.To which Professor Reynolds replies:
Nonsense. If that cynical analysis were correct, we’d have seen Obama ignoring the Nashville flood, Kentucky ice storms, etc.
As bad as the pictures of oil covered pelicans are, this is only going to get worse. What in the world could be an acceptable explanation from Obama for failing to do everything in the federal government's power to help protect the Gulf coastline and Louisiana wetlands when he has known from Day One how bad it's going to be?
Answer? There is none.
He may not have the power to part the waters and smite the leaking hole in the ocean closed, but he does have the resources and power at his disposal to marshal all hands on deck to the coast and get those berms built, get the booms in place, and get the clean up going. Governor Bobby Jindal has been begging for these resources for weeks.
Jindal is losing patience with BP, too:
NOLA reports that finally, FINALLY St. Bernard Parish has received 28 miles of hard boom from BP to protect its shores:
Until Thursday, the parish had taken delivery of 200,000 feet of soft boom to absorb oil sheen but had been told by BP that the 150,000 feet of requested hard boom was not on hand and no delivery date could be guaranteed, according to reports posted on the state's Web Emergency Operations Center system.
This is where, it seems to me, Obama should be concentrating his efforts, rather than on the golf course. He could have done something to see to it that St. Bernard had that layer of protection when they asked for it. The answer "not available" from BP is not acceptable and if Team Obama really does have its "boot on the neck" of BP, that boom should have already been in St. Bernard parish.
They've known since April that this spill would be a devastating environmental disaster and Team Obama did what, exactly? Besides a photo op of Obama poking his finger in the sand?
Are we still wondering if it's "Obama's Katrina"? I'm not.
(More on the non-response at Memeorandum)
Full Metal Jacket Reach Around: The Good Friends Edition
Ray has been a chaplain here at Barksdale for the past few years and he's one of the greatest, jolliest people you'll ever meet. You'll almost never see him without that grin. He's from Pascagoula and he really sounds like it, so I can't imagine what they'll think of his heavy southern accent in Boston! His wife Donna is a joy to be around and you can't spend five minutes with either of them without laughing. Donna is one of the two people I know who can quote every line from Monty Python and it's funny every single time.
The good news is that they have family here and will be back. We'll see them again. Donna is looking forward to the cool things to see and do in the Boston/New England area and they'll be fine. We'll be the ones lonely without them. Godspeed, good friends! See you soon!
On that woeful note, on to the links:
No Sheeples Here takes her anger at Helen Thomas out with a nifty Photoshop creation. Left Coast Rebel has the truly shocking video of Helen's comments. Disgraceful.
Doug Ross has the transcript of Helen's comments and adds his insight.
Carol's Closet has Marco Rubio's response to the Israel story.
Stacy McCain reports that Rush Limbaugh is getting married today; Stacy has also been all over the Jake Knotts story.
Little Miss Attila is rooting for a Nikki Haley victory and suggests some people might "need a Bigot-to English Dictionary." Heh!
Fishersville Mike knows how to settle the Nikki Haley controversy (and links the famous Speedo picture!).
Pundit & Pundette take aim at Paul McCartney, dubbing Sir Paul "Maroon of the Week." Camp of the Saints weighs in also and has the perfect headline for the story.
Viewed From the Right finds a teachable moment in the botched baseball call this week.
SWAC Girl is my go-to blog for great pictures, as well as other things, and she doesn't disappoint with her discovery of a baby fawn! Gorgeous!
Wyblog notes the decline of Miley Cyrus.
Fuzzy Slippers laments the divisive tactics of Obama in a well-reasoned post.
Caught Him With a Corndog is totally not in favor of a mosque near Ground Zero.
Sandy is making a full time job out of making me hungry. Luckily I am armed with plenty of fresh vegetables today!
William Teach has your Friday news dump regarding the Obama administration and the hiring of illegal workers.
Pecan Corner explores lessons on civility (and wrote some beautiful stuff about my Coushatta post yesterday!)
Okay, Sandy's made me hungry, as I said, and I have to get some of these wonderful vegetables on to cook for lunch. We're headed to Copelands for dinner tonight with Ray and Donna and I just know I'm not going to eat anything too healthy there! Crawfish bread, shrimp/tasso pasta....nah. Not health food.
Have a great Saturday!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Take a Trip to Coushatta
And when we get to Ed Lester's Farm, we're like two kids in a candy store.
Is that a sign that we're" old" that we look forward to going to a vegetable stand? *Sighs.* Oh well.
We took Highway 1 south; why would anybody go I-49? On the way there is an old, abandoned store that always catches my eye. We look at it all the time when we drive by, imagining days gone by; the old folks sitting on the porch in rocking chairs, drinking Nehis, watching the traffic go up and down the highway...maybe an old dog or two under the porch. There's a gin across the highway. To get to the store we have to park on the shoulder and walk across the railroad tracks; there's no crossing there anymore.
The sign on front says C. M. Hutchinson & Son; C.M. was the son of William Hutchinson who has a fascinating history here.
William Hutchinson also had a store which looks very much like the one that we photographed. I don't think it's the same building, but it's very similar.
It's been a long time since we've seen gas prices like this:
I went up on the porch and peeked inside:
Awesome. I'd love to restore this place and open a little store there; with all the Haynesville Shale activity going on down there, I could stay busy. Put some benches on this porch against the wall, some ceiling fans and rockers, get an old hound dog and I'm ready to go!
About this time a woman living next door to the property seemed to get nervous and walked outside to check us out. We waved an moved on.
Not much further down the road is a little church that always catches Steve's eye so just for fun we stopped and looked at it. We had to park on the shoulder again and walk over the tracks. There's an old door on the ground as a sort of bridge in case the ditch holds water. That wasn't a problem today - no rain.
I couldn't get any pictures of the inside because there was an angry nest of hornets by the door. By looking in the window it's obvious to see that the church is still in use. There's a center aisle, pews on each side with threadbare cushions, a piano, hymn books. and paneled walls.
In the back is a cemetery; the graves are completely overgrown and most have only paper or temporary markers. There were two actual headstones but I couldn't explore too much because of the mosquitoes and overgrowth of poison ivy.
And so, back into the car an on to Ed Lester's farm. By the way, there's like ZERO cell phone service from this point all the way to Coushatta.
When you pull up to Lester's you're greeted with huge live oak trees, a large tented area, planked floors, bright flags and jazz or classical music playing softly from the speakers in the trees.
And there were peaches:
And potatoes:
And most anything else you could want from a produce stand:
The Lesters have lived here for generations; the house faces the Red River and they've farmed there for years.:
After loading up with our treasures, we loaded back into the car and headed into Coushatta to find something to eat and poke around a bit. There's not much to poke at in Coushatta but we went anyway. Steve likes to go to Nichols store there which is one of those places that has everything from galvanized tubs to clothing, guns, ammo, stained glass, toys, a candy aisle, and decorative items for your house. Steve bought me a metal sink stopper with a fleur-de-lis on it. Trust me, it's cute. Cuter than I looked in this hat:
Coushatta is having a little boon these days because of the Haynesville Shale activity. There's more commerce and activity there than there used to be, but it's still a sleepy little town. Me and my love for old buildings...we had to stop and take a picture of this one. What kind of business was it back in the day? It's right there on the river. Looks like it might have been attached to some other buildings but I don't know.
We were hungry so we found THE best place to eat in town:
You know a place is good when the locals are lined up outside. When we walked up there were two guys eating at the table outside and one lady waiting but by the time we left there were at least 10 people in line. It's a hamburger joint and they have chili dogs too. We got two cheeseburgersand split some fries. I could feel my arteries clogging up as I ate:
Properly stuffed, we headed for home.
Steve has been shelling peas for the past three hours and he has purple thumbs now. But we have enough fresh veggies to last for a while!
And now that it's taken longer for me to write this than the entire trip took, I'll go get busy putting some of this stuff up.
More pictures at Flickr.
Road Trip
We make several pilgrimages to Ed Lester's Farm during the summer; it's only 30 or 45 minutes from here.
And there's a veggie cam if you want to see if you see us!
(Thanks again to Carol for the graphic!)
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Lack of Leadership and a Cabinet of Fools
"I need to check on that before I respond."
"I don't have an answer for that at this time."
"I haven't spoken to him on that matter."
That's Robert Gibbs giving the daily briefing. More often than not he presents himself as a clueless front man covering for the Big Man Behind the Curtain.
If it's not Gibbs inviting scorn it's Rahm Emanuel strong arming his way through the day dangling job offers, "incentives" or inviting suspicion of corruption.
Michelle Malkin was dead on when she titled her book Culture of Corruption.
In his opinion piece at Politico today, Keith Koffler begs to differ with Maureen Dowd who wrote, "It's impossible not to feel sorry for President Obama." Koffler says, "Well, it's possible."
I don't feel sorry for Obama. Obama is in meltdown mode and it's getting worse every single day. Every day either he or his cabinet of fools brings some new offense fuel our scorn.
Koffler calls it a colossal failure of leadership and makes the case that however cerebral or intelligent Obama is reported to be, he is no natural and true leader. Period.
Obama’s failure to convey any hint of genuine emotion, to rouse the American people to turn their hearts toward the Gulf and to assure them that their world — still built on the plentiful supply of fossil fuels — is not falling apart, is a profound failure of leadership.
Instead of an uplifting message of unity rallying the country to confront the horror and assuring all Americans that we will deal successfully, one way or another, with its disastrous effects, the nation is treated to petty lecturing of BP — even a refusal to let BP evildoers sully the stage the administration uses to discuss the latest failures.Koffler points to Bush grabbing the bullhorn at ground zero to make the case that a true leader has passion. He uses Churchill and Roosevelt as examples. Leaders.
But sadly, what we have is partisan sniping from the White House intent on pushing through the progressive agenda and using any crisis to get it done.
The fact is, the American people are beginning to see this and are tired of the Blame Bush game, the self-serving arrogance, the cold, aloofness that we get from Obama. As one crisis after another gets piled onto Obama's plate, his meltdown picks up tempo. The arrogance intensifies, the temper gets shorter, the sniping gets louder.
It's a tough job.
We tried to warn you liberals that he couldn't handle it. His only hope was to pick a cabinet and a team with the experience and wisdom to guide him.
He couldn't even do that.
And the nation pays the price.
Classless Act
What a cheap shot he took at Bush at a nonpartisan event meant to honor him. What a jerk:
It's a fantastic honor for the Gershwin family to give me this incredible award and for me to be awarded it by the Library of Congres,s and in fact, after the last eight years its nice to have a president who knows what a library is."
Apparently Paul McCartney has no idea how much George W. Bush reads.
Tool.
(H/T: Hot Air)
Justice
Justice, soon to come, I hope.
From CNN:
Joran van der Sloot, the suspect in a young woman's slaying this week in Peru and previously considered a suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway in Aruba, was captured Thursday in Santiago, Chile, authorities said.Previous post here.
Yes, I Miss You.
In a refreshingly honest speech yesterday, sure to drive liberals over the edge, George W. Bush forthrightly declares "YES!" we waterboarded KSM, "YES!" it was the right thing to do, and "YES" he'd do it again.
"Yeah, we water-boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed," Bush said of the terrorist who master-minded the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. He said that event shaped his presidency and convinced him the nation was in a war against terror. "I'd do it again to save lives."
Jennifer Rubin sums it up best:
Emotional. Direct. Morally unambiguous. Deeply loyal to allies. A true friend of Israel. A clear-eyed understanding of the enemy we face. Yes, Obama is the un-Bush, and the U.S., the West, and Israel are the worse for it.
Perfect.
Meanwhile, we have The Keystone Cops.
And note Bush's restraint in criticizing the man who criticizes him at every single opportunity:
But he also made it clear he would leave political potshots at President Barack Obama to others, saying: "You are not going to see me in the public square criticizing the president."
Class act.
More at Memeorandum.
Obamacare Topics Bubbling Forth
First, in the Louisiana Senate today, HB 1474 is coming to a vote before the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. HB 1474 challenges the Obamacare mandate; it was passed in the House by a 59-15 vote and now goes before the Senate committee at noon today. The bill aims to protect the rights of patients to pay directly for their medical services rather than be forced into the mandate.
Since it's Louisiana, and since it's politics, something has to muddy the waters and that was accomplished by Rep. Fred Mills (D) who added an amendment that would bar the state from paying for hospital care of anyone who refuses the federal mandate. No Charity Hospital for you, if you refuse Obamacare!
Mills explained his amendment:
"If you want this freedom, then you're on your own. ... You want your freedom? Don't come to Charity Hospital" for treatment.
Health Secretary Alan Levine goes to the Louisiana Senate today to explain the cost of Obamacare on the state to the Health and Welfare Committee. According to NOLA, "he is expected to raise the state's price tag well above the $337 million to $536 million figure cited in [the Kaiser Foundation report].
Meanwhile, according to the latest CNN poll, 56% of Americans still oppose Obamacare.
And in other Obamacare news, NRO has an editorial today against Obama's Medicare Czar, Dr. Donald Berwick. I've written about Berwick and his controversial views here, here, and here. NRO opposes the appointment of Berwick:
It is to this crucial position that the administration has now nominated Dr. Berwick, a Massachusetts physician and an unabashed believer in centralized governmental power over the health sector. He has spoken and written in glowing terms about the British National Health Service (NHS), mainly because the NHS has a command-and-control structure in which the nation’s physicians and hospitals have little choice but to fall in line with the government’s orders. He boasts of the political power and cost control such a system provides, but papers over the deteriorating capital structure, rationing, and widespread quality problems that predictably follow when impersonal bureaucratic structures call all of shots. He affirms that a system for health-care financing “must — must! — redistribute wealth.”
Remember, this is the man who said, "Less discretion for doctors would improve public safety!"
Karl Rove, in today's Wall Street Journal, outlines some of the rising costs of health care that are to come under Obamacare:
* Americans would pay $120 billion in fines for not having adequate insurance coverage and that 14 million people would lose their coverage as rising costs led companies to dump it.
* Sick people would face "high drug and device prices" and everyone would pay higher premiums.
* The new health legislation would cost $115 billion more than estimated when it was enacted.
* October will see the first round of Medicare cuts. Many seniors will lose their Medicare Advantage coverage or at least some of their benefits under this program.
* Drug and medical device companies are already making provisions for the new taxes that kick in next year. This means less investment in plants and equipment and smaller R&D budgets. Big layoffs, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, will result as companies confront this expensive new reality.
* 88% of companies plan to pass on increased health-care benefit costs to employees, 74% plan to reduce benefits, and up to 12% will drop all coverage for employees.
* 43% of employers that now provide retiree medical benefits are likely to reduce or eliminate them thanks to the new health legislation.
There's more at the link.
Add to all that the Daily Caller's report yesterday that the HHS has already missed four deadlines in implementing Obamacare and you have a glimpse of the future. Who really believed the government could run this program efficiently in the first place?
Republicans have a golden opportunity in the upcoming elections to use Obamacare to leverage themselves back into office. The bill remains unpopular, gets worse by the day, and Republicans seem to be blowing the chance to capitalize on that.
NRO had an editorial to this effect yesterday here.
Republicans ought to be seizing on each revelation to press the case for repealing Obamacare. It is, after all, the worst law the Democrats have enacted on Obama’s watch; and it is also the GOP’s best issue in this year’s elections. Instead Republicans have largely allowed the Democrats to switch the subject from their unpopular health-care legislation to financial regulation, oil spills, and immigration. They have been reacting to the news instead of trying to make it.
Republicans need to do a better job capitalizing on this. Rove cites a Rasmussen poll from last month that reports 56% of Americans support repeal; 39% do not.
Don't let the Obamacare debate fall off the radar. While we're worried about the Gulf, about Israel, and about the border (among myriad other issues), Obamacare remains a critical issue.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Get Thee To a Barnes & Noble!
I don't get out enough, it seems.The New Yorker via Vanity Fair has selected the top 20 fiction writers under the age of 40:
“Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 32; Chris Adrian, 39; Daniel Alarcon, 33; David Bezmozgis, 37; Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, 38; Joshua Ferris, 35; Jonathan Safran Foer, 33; Nell Freudenberger, 35; Rivka Galchen, 34; Nicole Krauss, 35; Yiyun Li, 37; Dinaw Mengestu, 31; Philipp Meyer, 36; C. E. Morgan, 33; Tea Obreht, 24; Z Z Packer, 37; Karen Russell, 28; Salvatore Scibona, 35; Gary Shteyngart, 37; and Wells Tower, 37.”
Two things: Why under 40? What's magic about age 40? Or not magic about 41?
And why haven't I heard of any of them?
Serial Killer
"...Joran Van Der Sloot has been accused in Peru, for the murder of a 21 year old female. Van Der Sloot was the prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalie Holloway, an American student who vanished on May 30, 2005 while on her senior trip to Aruba."
It was only a matter of time.Lo, the similarities:
Stefany Tatiana Flores Ramirez was found dead this morning in the Miraflores hotel Tac, after vanishing on Friday. Her family named Joran as the last person to see her alive. She reportedly left a casino with Joran and was not seen again until her body was found. Joran is said to have fled the country on May 31, and is suspected of being in Argentina. Interpol is searching for him.
This time there's a body.
I "Like" W
Heh! Via The Corner, W. is now on Facebook!His book, Decision Points
, will be available in November.Update: Hmm. When I clicked "like" on Facebook at 11:30 today, I was #698. As of right now, 3:30 p.m., there are 29,318 people who "like" W. That's a lotta liking going on!
Update 2: As of 10:00 a.m., almost 24 hours later, 75,352 people like W.
BREAKING: Jim Greer Arrested (UPDATED)
Former Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer has been arrested at his Florida home. The Washington Post reports that bail has been set at $105,000.
As of right now the charges are unknown but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will hold a news conference within the hour to announce a "major arrest."
This could foster some backlash on "lonely guy" Charlie Crist who handpicked Greer to head the Florida GOP and stood by him as party activists demanded his resignation after reports of lavish and excessive spending.
Check back for updates.
Update: While we're waiting on that news conference, little quick back story on Greer: You will remember he was dumped in January under increasing pressure and investigation of his lavish spending. The Orlando Sentinel posted an article in April that described lavish parties at his home. A criminal investigation was launched against him which concerned "a secret contract that put a portion of major party contributions into his pocket."
As for Crist, the Sentinel reports that Greer was a '"top-tier" fundraiser for Crist in 2005 and 2006. Exactly how much he raised from others is unclear, but he, his wife, mother and companies donated $8,000." The Sentinel describes some of Greer's excess:
By then, he had developed a taste for expensive things. His $465,000 home, finished in early 2006, is a showplace: 3,700 square feet, with a wine cellar, swimming pool and a two-story entry that features a sweeping, curved staircase and chandelier. He also owns two others: a $240,000 condo and $125,000 town house, both at the beach in Brevard County. He bought a plane, although he's not a pilot. His children — three live with him and his wife — had a live-in nanny. He drives a black Mercedes-Benz, his wife a white Lincoln Navigator.
There's more at the link.
Again, at this point, however, we don't know why he's been arrested.
Update 2: Greer is indicted with six felony counts, including fraud and money laundering and four counts of grand theft centering on his Victory Strategies LLC corporation.
Now a Memeorandum thread is up.
Update 3: The official press releases will be coming out now that the press conference is over, but it was confirmed that Greer's bond has been set at $105,000. The charges focus on Greer's Victory Strategies contract with the Florida GOP. The corporation was set up to allow Greer to serve as a "vendor" with Victory Strategies thus enabling him to write checks to himself from the donations that came in. "Mr. Greer used the money for his own personal lifestyle."
When asked about potential prison time, it was explained that each of the six charges is a felony count. Three are third degree felonies which carry a potential five years each in prison. The two first degree felony counts carry a maximum of thirty years each.
Greer was arrested without incident at his home around 9:15; Governor Crist was informed around 9 a.m. that the arrest would take place. No other charges are expected at this time.
Update 4: Charlie Crist is "disappointed" says the Tampa Bay Buzz:
Gov. Charlie Crist didn't have a lot to say about the arrest of Jim Greer when asked this morning at a press conference dealing with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Crist, answering a question from the Times/Herald, said he was "disappointed" by the news.
"I have faith in our judicial system," Crist said. "I know they will handle it appropriately." A second question seemed to center around whether Crist felt responsible for Greer's actions as head of the Republican Party of Florida. Crist answered: "I do not feel complicit."
Later Crist said the news would not affect his Senate candidacy: "As I said earlier, it's disappointing, it's surprising. Sometimes you're disappointed by people."
No truer words...
Now Taking Bets on Obama's Resignation
Ferrara cites Democrat's increasing abandonment of Obama as the path to utter uselessness that will drive Obama to resign. It's true that Obama has been losing many of his most vocal supporters in past weeks; James Carville comes to mind. I wasn't shocked by Peggy Noonan's reversal on Obama; it had been building for a while and this is a woman that once wrote for Reagan, so I felt there might be a "smatch of honor" in there somewhere.
Besides Carville's change of heart, Ferrera also cites Kirsten Powers and her new found lack of faith in Fearless Leader:
If he promised us anything, Obama promised us competence. Instead, we've gotten the Keystone Cops.
It's true that the world is rapidly piling things on Obama's plate. I don't think the Sestak affair is going to disappear, and in fact, Ferrara makes the case that there could be an impeachable offense in this if the issue is probed deeply enough.
Meanwhile, the BP disaster gets worse - Ferrara addresses this as well, pointing out that the well is in federal waters and therefore under the jurisdiction of the federal government, not Louisiana. It was therefore incumbent upon Team Obama to enact the plans that were in place for just such an event. He did not.
Additionally, tensions mount in Arizona, Korea, Iran, the war continues in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gitmo is still open, questions arise with Pakistan and Yemen, and what about Israel? What about the blockade? Heath care? That's certainly not going to win Obama any supporters as people begin to realize what's coming their way and as the confirmation hearings of the Medicare Czar, Dr. Donald Berwick, begin, the public will be reminded how we will soon be a single payer nation with rationing and long waits. The economy? That's not going to help Obama, either, and Ferrara lays out the case quite succinctly on that front.
Being President is a tough job. One that requires experience and the backup of a good, strong, diversified team behind you. Obama has none of that. He brought no significant experience to the job and his "team" is myopic.
Ferrara may be right in suggesting that Obama will resign, but I don't think so. He is too narcissistic to do such a thing. He would never admit, much less conceive of, the fact that he has failed. He will ride this pony as far as he can because his election is "historic!" Anyone who believes he can lower the level of the oceans and cause the world to love us just by his mere election to office would never willingly abandon said office.
In addition, such a resignation would by necessity be motivated by concern for the good of the country and Obama doesn't have that. He looks at America and sees what needs to be changed and reshaped. The deep love for the country and the Founders, for the foundation upon which this country was built, is not in him.
No, he will stay until the bitter end, unless some impeachable offense arises. The question will be if Obama will be on the 2012 ballot or not.
Besides, if he resigned, we'd have Biden.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
James Cameron to Come to Obama's Rescue
Oh, I know James Cameron has some experience with submersibles but really, what does he know about capping a well, and is this really what it has come to? I guess there's a certain irony in the director of the Titanic coming to the aid of Obama.
Let's just call MacGyver and cap it with bubble gum, paper clips and shoe laces.
WTF.
Epic Fail.
New York's "Shoot to Wound" Proposal
The New York Post article is here.
This proposal has come up before and been defeated each time. It returns now as a reaction to the shooting of Sean Bell in 2006.
The reality is that this proposal is impossible to implement or enforce. Police officers are trained to shoot "center mass" in order to stop the threat. To expect them to be sharp shooters in the heat of intense conflict and be able to kneecap a suspect or shoot a gun out of someone's hand is simply ridiculous.
PoliceOne has two informative articles on the proposal and how impossible it is and potentially unsustainable:
A shoot-to-wound mandate would “not be valid legally” because it sets a standard far beyond that established by Graham v. Connor, the benchmark U.S. Supreme Court decision on police use of force, says former prosecutor Jeff Chudwin, now chief of the Olympia Fields (IL) PD and president of the Illinois Tactical Officers Assn.Dr. Bill Lewinski of the Force Science Institute also explains to PoliceOne the practical problems with this proposal:
“Hands and arms can be the fastest-moving body parts. For example, an average suspect can move his hand and forearm across his body to a 90-degree angle in 12/100 of a second. He can move his hand from his hip to shoulder height in 18/100 of a second.
“The average officer pulling the trigger as fast as he can on a Glock, one of the fastest- cycling semi-autos, requires 1/4 second to discharge each round.
“There is no way an officer can react, track, shoot and reliably hit a threatening suspect’s forearm or a weapon in a suspect’s hand in the time spans involved.
There's more here.
It seems we're placing more burden on the peacekeepers and less on the criminals. The police are charged with the responsibility of protecting the public and if that means stopping a guy waving a gun around in his tracks, so be it. Police officers make mistakes because they're human, but overall they put their lives on the line to protect yours.
Coincidentally, a Harlem police officer encountered an armed teenager hanging out on the streets at 1:30 a.m. yesterday. The kid shot at the officer who responded with five rounds, one hitting the kid in the arm. The kid ran off, the officer followed the blood trail and apprehended him.
Sometimes it's a judgment call, I suspect. The officer instantly has to judge the threat and the threat to others. And as Michael Paladino, president of the Detectives Endowment Association told the Post,
"I don't know of any criminal who doesn't shoot to kill. They are not bound by any restrictions."
The proposal came up before the Codes Committee but has been held for further consideration.
Little Miss Attila Stands Her Ground
Robert L. Hymers, III is attempting to sic the FBI on blogging buddy Little Miss Attila.
As a teenager, years ago, LMA was involved with a church she now describes as a "cult." She left the group, years ago, and apparently they're still ticked off about it.
Check out her post here for the back story and context. It's an eye-opener. And I say kudos to her for not backing down to this scumbag.
Update: LMA receives backup from the blogosphere!
As a teenager, years ago, LMA was involved with a church she now describes as a "cult." She left the group, years ago, and apparently they're still ticked off about it.
Check out her post here for the back story and context. It's an eye-opener. And I say kudos to her for not backing down to this scumbag.
Update: LMA receives backup from the blogosphere!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Who Knows Mushrooms?
Any mushroom experts out there? Steve and I came across this little fellow while we were at Forest Park cemetery today putting out flags. I've never seen a mushroom like it; I love its color. Anybody know what it is?
Funeral of Sgt. Joshua Tomlinson
"To Most People, It's Just a Bar-B-Que Day."
"To most people it's just a Bar-B-Que day."
I've written before about Greenwood Cemetery; it's not too far from my house and there's a huge Veteran's section there. It's a very old and locally historic place; very beautiful. The American Legion had placed flags by every veteran's grave.
I was really sorry that the event was not better attended but I have to wonder if people just didn't know about it. I assume they do this every year; today, I believe, they are doing the same ceremony at Hillcrest Cemetery in Haughton. I found out about it quite by accident; in checking my SiteMeter yesterday I saw that someone had found my blog by searching "Memorial Day Shreveport." Curious then as to what actually might be happening around here on Memorial Day, I did the same search and found a little blurb in The Times about the ceremony.
That said, The Times today did have a nice article about yesterday's event.
At any rate, maybe next year more people will attend the Memorial Day service; maybe the one in Haughton will have better numbers today.
But sadly, like Steve said, to too many people it's just a Bar-B-Que day. Sad.
Change gears now.
We rushed home after the services to get ready for a wedding at the beautiful Caspiana Plantation. It was the wedding of the daughter of a dear friend of mine.
The beautiful bride arrived in a buggy drawn by a white horse and after the ceremony she and her groom left the same way. Actually, they rode around to the back of the house where the reception was. There we spent the rest of the evening eating, dancing, celebrating long after the sun had set. Good times had by all and congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Borel!Today, we're going back to Greenwood Cemetery to place a few flags. On one of our previous visits there, Steve and I found the grave of one Bose F. Kelley, Jr. We noted it at first because next to it is the grave of William C. Kelley and we thought how sad it was that this family lost two sons in World War II. Then Steve gasped and said, "Oh no! He died on D-Day!" We did a little online research and found that Bose Kelley was a part of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment and died at Normandy.
We're going to put a flag out for Bose Kelley and (his brother?) William, one for my dad, my grandfather, and my godfather, and maybe a few more. There's a Purple Heart recipient in Greenwood Cemetery (well, probably lots of them) and we always leave a flag for him, too.
So, after we go set out our flags we'll come back home and THEN we'll fire up the Bar-B-Que!
Have a nice Memorial Day and take time to remember the reason for the holiday.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Blogging the Gulf Oil Spill
His approach to the issue was that of the law student suddenly fascinated by a science project.
Exactly. Perfect.
Little Miss Attila makes an excellent point, which, I'm sure, the environmentalists will ignore:
Folks, what the hell is so much less delicate about the Gulf of Mexico than ANWR, where we could drill much more safely than in the Gulf? Nothing—that’s what. The ecosystems in the Gulf are far more vulnerable than those in ANWR—as are the local economies that depend on them.Gateway Pundit has video of Liz Cheney's evaluation of Obama's response:
"Going down to Louisiana and saying, 'Gosh, you know I'm heartbroken, I'm angry, I'm frustrated, and then going on vacation to Chicago really doesn't send a message that this is a man who is leading."
She's correct; as I said earlier, appearances count for something. That's why George W. Bush quit playing golf after the outbreak of the Iraq war because he said,
"I didn't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."
Clearly, Obama doesn't share that opinion.
No, he's Mr. Cool, Mr. Cerebral, "the most intelligent president" we've ever had.
And finally, don't miss Don Surber, who ties it all together, nicely.
What.A.Mess.
(Other reactions at Memeorandum)
(Cross Posted at Pundit and Pundette )
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