What if Mitt Romney Had Done This?

I'm behind a couple of days so I've just heard the new Obama radio ad targeted to African-Americans.

Have you heard this thing?

Wow.  Just wow.  Talk about racial pandering.  And this from the president that was supposed to transcend racial boundaries?

What if Mitt Romney had released an ad like this?

Obama Denies Small Business Owners Impacted by ObamaCare

In yet another example of Obama's total lack of business acumen or experience, in an interview with KTIV (Sioux City) Obama denies the possibility that Obamacare is pushing serious burdens on small business owners.

Via The Washington Examiner:

"That'd be kind of hard to explain," an incredulous Obama told KTIV of Sioux City, Iowa. "The only folks that have been impacted in terms of the health care bill are insurance companies who are required to make sure that they're providing preventive care or they're not dropping your insurance coverage when you get sick," he said. "And so, this particular company probably wouldn't have been impacted by that." 

 It would be difficult to be more out of touch or insulated from the complexities of small business ownership than that.  "The only folks...impacted...are insurance companies"?

Yet consider Scott Womack who owns several IHOP franchises:



He currently provides insurance to only his management staff yet ObamaCare would require him to provide insurance to every full time employee.  Mr. Womack explains that his current profit per employee is $3,000  yet the Obamacare mandate would cost $7,000 per employee.  He's looking at major cuts including cutting employee hours and services.

Mr. Womack was planning on building more restaurants throughout Ohio yet the Obamacare mandate will preclude that.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how that cuts into economic growth.

The regulations of the Obama administration, and Obamacare in particular, are certainly stifling economic recovery.

In the interview with KTIV, Obama insisted that his administration has enacted fewer regulations than "the previous administration."

"I know that there's a perception sometimes that there's all kinds of regulations coming out of Washington," Obama said. "The truth is we've seen fewer regulations coming out of my administration than the previous administration." 

 Again, misleading.

It's not necessarily the number of regulations coming out of his administration so much as it is the cost of the regulations and their effect on growth that is at issue here.

Last November Bloomberg reported that while Obama had (at that point) instituted fewer regulations, they have cost more.

The number of significant federal rules, defined as those costing more than $100 million, has gone up under Obama, with 129 approved so far, compared with 90 for Bush, 115 for President Bill Clinton and 127 for the first President Bush over the same period in their first terms.

And of course, the kicker here is that these numbers do not include independent agencies such as the SEC and the EPA.

In 2009, Michigan Science did an extensive study on the effect of the EPA's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.  It's not pretty.

His his book, The Great Destroyer, David Limbaugh recounts the story of Peter Schiff who explained the impact of government regulations on his investment company.  Mr. Schiff testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Regulator Affairs in September 2011:

Regulations have substantially increased the costs and risks associated with job creation.  Employers are subjected to all sorts of onerous regulations, taxes, and legal liability. The act of becoming an employer should be made as easy as possible. Instead we have made it more difficult. In fact, among small business owners, limiting the number of employees is generally a goal. This is not a consequence of the market, but of a rational desire on the part of business owners to limit their cost and legal liabilities. They would prefer to hire workers, but these added burdens make it preferable to seek out alternatives. 

In my own business, securities regulations have prohibited me from hiring brokers for more than three years. I was even fined fifteen thousand dollar expressly for hiring too many brokers in 2008. In the process I incurred more than $500,000 in legal bills to mitigate a more severe regulatory outcome as a result of hiring too many workers. I have also been prohibited from opening up additional offices. I had a major expansion plan that would have resulted in my creating hundreds of additional jobs. Regulations have forced me to put those jobs on hold. 

The evidence that this administration is stifling job growth is insurmountable.

For anyone to believe Obama's misleading gibberish is inconceivable.

Obama has often been touted as a great orator and while I fail to see that or to agree with it, it is safe to say that he is a master at just saying whatever he wants to say and expecting you to believe it for no other reason than that he said it.

Shame on you if you do.

Obama says that only insurance companies have been hurt by Obamacare?

Shame on him.

When You've Lost Nicholas Kristof...

When you've lost Nicholas Kristof...

Avowed Obama supporter Nick Kristof is disgruntled with Obama's foreign policy:

Yet the president is taking prudence to the point of paralysis. I’m generally an admirer of Obama’s foreign policy, but his policies toward both Syria and Sudan increasingly seem lame, ineffective and contrary to American interests and values. Obama has shown himself comfortable projecting power — as in his tripling of American troops in Afghanistan. Yet now we have the spectacle of a Nobel Peace Prize winner in effect helping to protect two of the most odious regimes in the world. 

 Earlier this month Kristof called Obama out over a lack of support for the starving children of Sudan:

President Obama, you harshly criticized President Bush for failing to stand up to Sudan’s slaughter in Darfur. So now what are you going to do as Sudan kills again — on your watch? 

That Kristof is even surprised at Obama's "dithering" is naive; who can forget Obama's "dithering" while Iranians protested and died in the streets fighting for their freedom?  Hell, even Bon Jovi stood with Iran on that one.   Obama not only "dithered" in 2009 while Iranians protested, but he went out for ice cream, grilled with Bobby Flay, had a luau and, of course, played golf.

Why should Kristof think the Sudan would be any different?

Yesterday Kristof wrote:

Obama was forceful in demanding that President George W. Bush stand up to Sudan during the slaughter in Darfur, so it’s painful to see him so passive on Sudan today. When governments turn to mass murder, we may have no easy solutions, but we should at least be crystal clear about which side we’re on. That’s not too much to expect of a Nobel Peace Prize winner. 

What exactly did Obama do to win that prize again?

The Nobel Peace Prize 2009 was awarded to Barack H. Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples". 

 Oh, yeah.  Right.  Tell that to Neda.



Photo Credit:  Deborah Hakes/The Carter Center

Full Metal Jacket Reach Around: The Thermostat Drop Edition

My AC guy just left after repairing my unit which quit working yesterday.  It was working yesterday morning; Steve and I left in the afternoon, went to the American Legion for a couple of beers on the lake, returned home and it was 85 degrees inside.  

I put in an SOS to my AC guy who showed up at 8:30 this morning and replaced the capacitor which is apparently lots better than having to replace a compressor.  I'm very grateful for chilled air right now.  It's going to be almost 100 today and it had hit 90 in the house before Ron finished the AC job.   How did people survive before air conditioning?!

So, while the dogs and I sit real still and enjoy the 20 degree drop in temperature, I'm surfing the blogs.

The New Yorker imagines an Obama second term - horrors.  The Pirate's Cove dissects and analyzes the article so you don't have to subject yourself to it.  (H/T:  Memeorandum).

The Daley Gator reports that the Paulbots are really, really upset about Rand Paul's endorsement of Romney.

Speaking of endorsements, is anyone surprised that Castro's daughter endorsed Obama?  Read American Power's post (with video).

Professor Jacobson OWNS the Elizabeth Warren coverage; he's been all over this story.

The Camp of the Saints reports on another blogger targeted because of his Kimberlin reporting.

Anyone contemplating voting third party in November should note Wyblog's post concerning five words every conservative should fear.  Smitty concurs:  "Let's play crayons with the Constitution...".

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wreck in a "smart car"?  See Doug Ross.

Pecan Corner has discovered that there is life after a computer dies, and it's not so bad!  I concur; I've completed a lot more projects, have a cleaner house, and have read more books since I lightened up on my blogging.  

Let's check the thermostat. 

Okay - we've dropped from 90 to 83 while I've been surfing.  Let's keep going for a few more degrees.

Maggie's Notebook shares Judge Andrew Napolitano's outrage over drones spying on private citizens.

The Rio Norte Line shares the wonders of universal health care which will be our future unless SCOTUS come through.

Ace reports on the Eric Holder contempt vote in the House.

Ed Morrissey reports that while Obama will still likely keep his hold on the Jewish vote, support is evaporating there.

Jed Babbin has an important article over at American Spectator on the leaks coming from the Obama White House.

Okay, it's time for me to get back to work around here.  The thermostat has dropped to 81 so I think I can get back to my baseboard scrubbing without having a heat stroke.

Telephone Stand: Before and After

Remember back in March when I dug this out of my neighbor's trash pile?

At that point it wouldn't even stand up because one of the feet on one of the legs was rotted.

It's an old telephone cabinet and was used, obviously, to keep that unsightly telephone out of view. This one had lots of problems when I went over, in the rain, and rescued it from the curb.  The top part was coming apart from the table part, the veneer was gone on one of the sides and on the decorative piece on the front, and the veneer was peeling away in multiple places.  the large door has a profound warp to it but I couldn't do anything about that.  I tried.

Anyway, here is the restored version.

It's far from perfect and I have some touching up still to do, like the smudge by the hardware on the door:

But it's vastly improved.

I had to cut off the rotten feed so I'm going to find some tips to put on the bottom of the legs.

I had to replace the shelf in the storage compartment; I just got a piece of luan and then trimmed and stained it.

It's not a perfect restoration, but it is a pretty decent salvage job!

Take A Stocking the Freezer Trip to Ed Lester Farms and Find a Cool Truck!

Ah, summer!

We're on baby watch around here - NO not me!  Horrors!  My beautiful daughter and her husband are expecting my first grandchild within the month so we are not getting too far away from the house these days in case we have to throw a suitcase in the Jeep and drive over to Texas for a few days.   Here she is at about 24 weeks in - I like this picture.

We are very blessed that things have gone smoothly so far!

Baby watch.

So, keeping close to the house but wanting fresh veggies from Ed Lester Farms, Steve and I headed down to Coushatta today to start stocking the freezer for the winter.  I love having fresh purple hull peas or butter beans year round (although Steve is about SICK of purple hull peas now).

Once at Lesters I could hardly pay attention to the produce because I kept looking at this gorgeous 1952 Chevy truck sitting there:

My goodness but that thing was gorgeous!  The interior was spectacular!  Beautiful!

I did finally manage to focus on the task at hand and starting picking up veggies:

This trip we got new potatoes, sweet corn, tomatoes, a bushel of purple hulls (already shelled!), pinto beans (not shelled), yellow squash, okra, cucumbers, hot peppers, and peaches.  We're going to make at least one more trip down because the butter beans aren't in yet, there's more corn coming, and I like the larger freestone peaches that are still to come.  And always more tomatoes!

We can never go to Coushatta without our regular stop at Bailey's for a big ol' greasy cheeseburger.  They have other things, too...

...but I do love those burgers!

After we ate we checked out a recently opened antique shop on Front Street:

It's in a grand old building and check out that tin ceiling!  Love it!  I bought these funky glass candlesticks for $10:

When we got home Steve and I set to work shelling pinto beans...

...some of which I cooked for dinner:

I love summer!

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:

Take a Trip to Coushatta Down Louisiana Backroads

Take a Sunday Drive in North Caddo Parish

Take a Trip to Minden's First Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival

Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation

This is Coffee

I love this video:

Let's Turn Gitmo Into a Giant Beehive!

The mind boggles.

It shouldn't surprise me, really, but it never fails to.  And to think, people who think like this get to vote.  Punk rocker Patti Smith:

 “And I’ve said this over and over, but I’ll say it a million more times — I’m concerned more about the death of a bee than I am about terrorism. Because we’re losing hives and bees by the millions because of such strong pesticides. We can live with terrorism. We can’t live without the bee.”

She's not a bit happy with Obama's performance in that regard, or in other areas as well:

“He hasn’t helped the environment. He didn’t close Guantánamo Bay. He went deeper into Afghanistan.” 

 I guess he should have closed Gitmo and released all those harmless terrorists because we can totally live with that.  We should turn the place into a giant beehive.

Yeah.  That's the ticket.

The 507th PIR on D-Day

Today is the 68th anniversary of D-Day.

From History.com:

During World War II (1939-1945), the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe.

Check out the site for videos and interactive maps.

One of the groups involved in that invasion was the 507 P.I.R. (Parachute Infantry Regiment).  This unit is sometimes called "the forgotten regiment."  The unit was activated in 1942 at Ft. Benning, GA.  A little history about the unit can be found here.  Here's an excerpt of their participation in the D-Day invasion:

The 507th PIR first saw combat during the Normandy invasion - 6 June 1944. The 507th and the 508th PIRs were to be dropped near the west bank of the Merderet River. The objectives of both regiments was to establish defensive positions in those areas and prepare to attack westward sealing off the Cotentin Peninsula. 

In the pre the predawn hours of D-Day the sporadic patterns of the 507th and the 508th PIRs left troopers spread out over a twenty mile area.  Some who overshot the Drop Zone (DZ) dropped into the Merderet River and its adjoining marshes. Many troopers who jumped with heavy equipment were unable to swim free and drowned. Others roamed the countryside until they encountered other units and joined their effort. Even Colonel Millett, the commanding officer of the 507th was unable to muster his troops and was captured three days after the drop in the vicinity of Amfreville. Only the 2nd Battalion under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles J Timmes  was able to function as a team and began digging in around Cauquigny on the west bank of the Merderet River. 

At that point the 507th was joined with the 508th for the rest of the mission.  Read the rest.

For the Normandy invasion the 507th flew from airbases further north in England than other regiments and thus arrived later to the battle than other units, therefore losing the element of surprise.

Sergeant Bob Bearden was a squad leader of a mortar squad in the 507th  PIR.  Here's an excerpt from his book:

Massive anti-aircraft fire and dense cloud banks encountered over the Normandy coast caused the 507^th to have the worst drop of any of the airborne units participating in Normandy. Most sticks completely missed their drop zones and ended up stranded as individuals or in small groups in totally unknown territory. In addition, their drop zone and surrounding low-lying marshes had been flooded by the Germans, who manipulated locks to make the Merderet River overflow its banks, causing many of the heavily overloaded 507 troopers to drown before they got out of their chutes. 

There's much more at the link.

Here is a photo gallery of some of the members of the 507th PIR.  Look at their faces; check out the guy with the pipe!  So many young lives.

Here is the story of Howard Huebner who was in the 507th PIR, assigned to Company C.  An excerpt:

I am a Paratrooper! I was 21 yrs old when we jumped into Normandy. 

We knew the area where we were supposed to land, because we had studied it on sand tables, and then had to draw it on paper by memory, but that all faded as our regiment was the last to jump, and things had changed on the ground. Most of us missed our drop zone by miles.  As we were over our drop zone there was a downed burning plane. Later I found out it was one of ours. The flack was hitting our plane and everything from the ground coming our way looked like the Fourth of July.  

When I hit the ground in Normandy, I looked at my watch.  It was 2:32 AM, June 6, 1944. I cut myself out of my chute, and the first thing I heard was shooting and some Germans hollering in German, "mucksnell toot sweet Americanos".  

We the 507th, was supposed to land fifteen miles inland, but I landed three or four miles from Utah Beach by the little town of Pouppeville. I wound up about 1000 yards from a French farm house that the Germans were using for a barracks, and about 200 feet from a river, an area that the Germans had flooded. If I would have landed in the water, I may not be here today as I can’t swim. A lot of paratroopers drowned because of the flooded area.

Be sure to read the part where he talks about "a soldier I will never forget."

Huebner was in the same drop plane as Pfc. Bose Kelley; in the drop order, Huebner was #3 and Kelley was #13.

Pfc. Bose F. Kelley, Jr. was from Shreveport.  He died on D-day and is buried here in Shreveport at Greenwood cemetery.

Take time today to read through some of these stories and to remember.

Added:  There's an interesting D-Day documentary at SnagFilms about the secrecy behind the D-Day invasion and the subterfuge against the German army.  (Thanks, Harold, for the heads up.)

On the Reading Table

I was out running errands today when heard Rush Limbaugh promoting his brother David's new book, The Great Destroyer.

Since I was two blocks from a Barnes and Noble, and since I don't have nearly enough to read this summer, I popped in to pick it up.

I'm already 60 pages or so into it and can't put it down.  This book isn't one that would do well for me on a Kindle because I'm constantly flipping back and forth and looking back to the copious footnotes at the end.  It's a really well documented book.

I would consider it a must-read for the days ahead.

"Ready or Not" Jackson Browne is No Longer "A Soldier of Plenty" for Obama

Jackson Browne is still going to "Take it Easy" on Obama this fall. but "These Days"  he is "Walking Slow" on the fundraising and thinks there are "Lives in the Balance" with regard to Obama's nuclear policy.  He's letting Obama know, "My Problem is You" in an interview with Sharon Waxman recently.

Via Politico:

“Look, Obama told me in a personal conversation that he wasn’t up for any new [nuclear] plants. Obviously, he changed his mind at some point. But what a surprise that one of his main supporters is the energy company, Exelon -- which has nuclear plants -- and that he would suddenly change his policy,” Browne said. “I don’t know what we would expect. He’s just as a beholden to the people who put him in office as any of the Republicans would be. But what’s a mystery to me is how he installed pretty much the exact same infrastructure in his administration that deals with finances as the administration that we thought we voted out. That’s really a shocker.” 

Apparently, Jackson Browne and Barack Obama are "Miles Away" when it comes to common ground on nukes.

 Of course, "For a Rocker" like Jackson Browne to turn against Obama's policies is just another sign of the defections that have been coming Obama's way the past couple of weeks.  "Anything Can Happen" in the fall but when Obama starts alienating even his own base, well, you just never know.  "Before the Deluge" of more defections surely to come his way, Obama might well be "Running on Empty" by November and might find himself with "Nothing But Time" to perhaps work on another memoir.

While Obama could "Hold Out" and still get re-elected, he won't be doing it with Jackson Browne's help.

Take a Trip to the 2012 Cross Lake Floatilla

The tops of my feet are sunburned.  I wore sandals today to the Cross Lake Floatilla (yes, I know it's "flotilla," but they spell it "floatilla" for this event.)  I'm usually a jeans and tennis shoes kind of girl but it didn't seem right for a party on the lake with some 150 boats.  So, I wore sandals and now I have a strange sunburn pattern.  

Steve and I made a day of it today watching the boats at the Floatilla; being land lubbers, we survived just fine by going in and out of the air conditioning at the American Legion post today. 

 We'd walk around outside and listen to the band.

We ate sausage on a stick.

We pet an alligator.

There was a decorated boat parade.

The theme this year was "Swampy People and Cross Lake WILDlife."

The decorated boats definitely reflected Louisiana's swampy side and some gave a nod to Louisiana's bicentennial year as well.

This craft definitely got a lot of attention...

...both in and out of the water:

The Shreveport Police were there to be sure everyone behaved themselves:

When we got hot we went back inside for cold beer, air conditioning, and visiting with friends while watching the action through the windows:

These folks had the right idea:

Of course, I never saw them again after I took this picture.  

It was a grand time and we are fried.  Until next year.

The Shreveport Times has a great photo gallery here.

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:

Take a Trip to Coushatta Down Louisiana Back Roads

Take a Sunday Drive in North Caddo Parish

Take a Trip to Minden's First Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival

Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation

SIGIS Summer Reading

So far I'm calling this my ADHD summer.   I'm just all over the place and unable to settle and focus on anything.

I got out of school exactly one week ago today and so far I've been to Coushatta for vegetables, to Minden for antiques, to Belcher & Gilliam just cruising around.  I've joined the American Legion Auxiliary and attended two Memorial Day services.  I've cleaned out the fridge, the pantry and my closet.  I've taken two huge bags of clothes to Goodwill.  I've worked in the yard a little and blogged a little and read a little.

I need to slow down.

Summer lasts more than a week.

I have lots of things I want to do this summer but I don't have to do it in a single week.  So today (after the Memorial Day service) I just sat.  I forced myself not to do anything.  I didn't go to the store.  I didn't go anywhere.  I sat on the couch and blogged a little and I sat on the deck and read some.  I played ball with the dog.  I grilled steaks.  I watched Gunsmoke.

So maybe now I can settle in and enjoy my downtime without this gunshot approach to relaxation.  I have a piece of furniture I'm dying to start refinishing and restoring.  And I have a huge stack of things to read.

Speaking of ADHD, I'm reading at least three books right now.  Why do I do that to myself?

What am I reading, you ask?  Well, I'm about a hundred pages from finishing The Fountainhead.  I've never read it before and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.  I'm pulling for Howard Roark.  No spoilers, please.

I'm also about halfway finished with Marcus Luttrell's Service.  I became a fan after Lone Survivor and am proud to own a personally signed copy of that one.  Service has held me riveted just as Lone Survivor did, and I continue to be thankful for people like Marcus Luttrell and his brothers in arms.

The third book I'm currently reading is Diane Ravitch's The Death and Life of the Great American School System.  I'm only 41 pages into that one but so far I'm filling pages with Post-It Notes.  Ravitch is a  former assistant secretary of education who has repudiated her earlier views that a national curriculum and charter schools are the way to solve the woes of public education.  She now advocates leaving education to educators rather than business models and encourages family involvement in education.  While I think she's still for a good national curriculum, she has modified her views on the best way to achieve that.  I'm only 41 pages in, as I said, so I'm not sure yet where she's going with this.

Waiting in the wings on the reading list?

The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg - the third in his family trilogy.  I loved All Over But the Shoutin' and Ava's Man.  Bragg has a lovely, Southern style voice to his writing that reminds me a little of Pat Conroy.  He was raised by his mom while his father was out drinking somewhere and ended up becoming a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist.  His family stories are sad, funny, and poignant.  Reading his words is like sitting under the magnolia tree listening to your great aunt and your grandma tell family tales.

I also have Bragg's Somebody Told Me which is a collection of his favorite articles that he's written.

Also in the stack, Michael Chabon's Wonder Boys.  It came out in 1995 and there's a movie version but it was recommended by a fellow English teacher whom I admire very much so I'm going to read it.  She tells me I'll see some "familiar" characters.  I'm looking forward to it!

If I ever finish The Fountainhead I still have We the Living and Anthem to read by Ayn Rand.  I know Anthem will only take a couple of hours, but I've never read it.  And once I've done that then it would just be silly not to read We the Living so I can say I've read all the major Rand works.  Why not?

I'm not a fan of Chick Lit  but I do like to read Mary Kay Andrews and she has a new book coming out next week which I've pre-ordered:  Spring Fever.  I like her books because she talks about antiques and vintage finds that interest me.  Plus, sometimes you just need something rather mindless that you don't have to concentrate too hard on or make Post-It Notes.

I also have a copy of The Help; never seen the movie, never read the book.  No spoilers.  I'm going to read it.

I've done a lot of reading on the war in the Pacific during WWII (and still don't consider myself an expert, by any means), but have three more tomes on my stack in that subject area:  first is On The Canal which tells the story of the Marines storming ashore on Guadalcanal.  Also sitting there is Into the Rising Sun which tells the story of the Pacific War through the men who were there.  And finally, The Long Road of War by James Johnston - a very personal account of one Marine's experience in the Pacific.

I have a couple of other books I want to re-read.  I've been thinking about Ira Stoll's book on Samuel Adams and while I know it has nothing to do with beer (sorry - just had to say that), I want to go back and re-read that.  I don't think I gave it due diligence the first time.  I had just read David McCullough's book on John Adams and Stoll's book on Samuel was not as riveting at the time.  I'm thinking I need to give it another shot.

I also want to finish reading Empire of Liberty which I started and never finished.  It's been on the shelf for at least two years.

That's enough to keep me busy for a little while, but I'm sure I've overlooked something.  I'm going to finish the three I have in progress before I start another one, though.  I swear.  

What are you reading?

Smartest President Ever is Now an Expert on Judaism

Barack Obama yesterday:

Obama also stressed he probably knows about Judaism more than any other president, because he read about it - and wondered how come no one asks Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner or Senate minority leader Mitch McConnel about their support to Israel. 

That's absolutely amazing.  The arrogance of that statement leaves me speechless.

I've read a lot about the war in the Pacific but does that mean I know more than anyone else about it?  More than any other teacher?  More than any president?  More than any person in Louisiana?  No matter how you qualify it, it's still an arrogant and condescending statement.

I've read a lot about the history of pressed glass and about depression glass.  Does that mean I know more than Milly Rose about it?  Not hardly.

And how does Obama know what every other president has read or what they knew?  Oh wait, probably because he's read about them.

Bill Kristol:

And the claim that Obama knows more about Judaism than any president? His vanity boggles the mind. One could begin by citing Adams and Madison, who knew Hebrew, or Harry Truman, who knew Jewish history ... but it's silly to dignify this claim with a rebuttal. In thinking about the presidents since Truman, though, I'd guess the president who knew the most about Judaism was Jimmy Carter, who taught Sunday school and had a deep interest in religion. So let's stipulate that of the modern presidents, Carter and Obama "know" the most about Judaism. But what is it they know? In Obama's case, one could ask whether what he “knows” is what he learned from Rashid Khalidi and Jeremiah Wright.

I would add Thomas Jefferson to Kristol's list.  He knew a thing or two about Judaism and religious freedom.  He was certainly well read.

I've read about narcissistic personality disorder too...

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance and a deep need for admiration. Those with narcissistic personality disorder believe that they're superior to others and have little regard for other people's feelings. But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem, vulnerable to the slightest criticism. 

 ...and while I'm not expert, I sure know it when I see it.

(H/T:  Memeorandum)

Memorial Day Service at Greenwood Cemetery 2012

Today is the actual date of Memorial Day before it was moved to accommodate a three day weekend.  This morning the Louisiana Disabled Veterans and the Louisiana Disabled Veterans held a memorial service in historic Greenwood Cemetery in Shreveport - except the DAV cancelled the service because of what looked to be bad weather moving in.  Nobody told the LDV or the spectators present though, so we forged ahead and had the ceremony anyway.

No tent, no chairs, no programs, no podium or microphone was needed to honor the fallen today.  

Someone was recruited to give the prayer and the service was underway.  Parkway High School's AFJROTC was in attendance to post the colors:

and these two young ladies did a spectacular job singing the national anthem:

They sang a cappella and their clear, sweet voices brought a tear to my eye, I must admit.  It was beautiful.  

The DAR ladies were there:

There was a brief speech and then the traditional laying of the wreaths:

The Sons of the Confederacy did a three shot volley:

And a lone bugler played the mournful Taps from beside the cannon:

There were about as many photographers present as there were spectators and I'm sure that was due somewhat to the confusion around the supposed cancellation of the service.  I suspect, also, that many people who normally attend this ceremony were back at work today.  

Here is the post from the 2010 ceremony, and the 2011.

Kudos to all the participants today for forging ahead and conducting a lovely service despite miscommunication and mix-ups.  

The Shreveport Times has a photo gallery (much better photos than mine!) here.

Debbie Disses Marco

In typical liberal fashion, Debbie Wasserman Schultz flings mud against the wall to see if it sticks.  In an interview which aired yesterday the DNC chair said:

“Marco Rubio, in the polling that I’ve seen recently, doesn’t really make much difference and, in fact, in some cases actually hurts Mitt Romney or does very little,” she said. “Marco Rubio is a nice guy, but not someone who I think belongs on a national ticket for a lot of reasons.” 

 She, of course, fails to elaborate on any of those reasons or provide any polling information to substantiate her claim.

In fact, according to this article from the Tampa Bay Times, Romney is leading Obama in Florida and Rubio actually helps:

Mitt Romney has crept to a 6 percentage point lead over President Barack Obama in Florida, where a new poll shows a majority of registered voters don't think the incumbent deserves a second term. 

Romney's 47 percent to 41 percent lead over Obama would grow even bigger — to an 8 percentage point advantage — if the challenger chose Sen. Marco Rubio a running mate, according to Quinnipiac University's new survey.

Maybe Wasserman Schultz is referring to this poll which says Jeb Bush would be a better pick.

But polling aside, what are these "reasons" that the DNC chair suggests would keep Rubio off the national ticket?  He's "not someone who I think belongs on a national ticket for a lot of reasons."  That sounds sinister, doesn't it?

Usually when people make insinuations like that with no evidence, there isn't any.  I suspect that is the case here.

Speak up Debbie.  If you know something that should keep Mr. Rubio off a national ticket, share it with us.  It couldn't be his lack of experience on the national stage, could it?  Because pretty much everybody had more experience than Obama in 2008.

If DWS knows something relevant she should reveal what she knows.  Insinuations without evidence are meaningless.