Religion of Peace ? ? ? ?

Click on Screen and Wait for Enlarged Video
With Better View of Translation Subtitles

The U.S. government now has confirmed the authenticity of this video and the translation of what the Muslim cleric is saying.

Surprises from The New York Times

Even the New York Times retains vestiges of the ability to spring journalistic surprises on occasion:

How about this story, suggesting that the Teleprompter in Chief may not be perfect despite his ability to read,

Or this one indicating that not all of our troops are mindless brutes?

Dick Cheney and His Detractors

The Obama administration is in defensive denial as a result of Dick Cheney having had the temerity to openly state a plain hard truth, and Democrat politicians, liberals, and their gaggle of academic and media supporters are in full cry over the former vice president's offensive utterances.

The fact that Mr. Cheney had the nerve to point out is that the policies the administration is pursuing remove disincentives and difficulties for, and obstacles to new and further attacks against America, its people, and its interests. Thus such policies will encourage and facilitate attacks with possibly horrendous consequences.

Instead of addressing the message that he has put before the public and made part of an important national political discourse, the gang of enforcers for our teleprompter in chief are concentrating on attacking the messenger, upbraiding Mr. Cheney personally.

In evaluating the merits of the respective positions, rational citizens will note that Mr. Cheney's detractors are careerists, politicians, and time servers on the make.

Mr. Cheney on the other hand is in the same position he was when he undertook to serve as vice president. He then had, and now has nothing to gain by his actions, and no need to do or say anything. Through decades of hard work and achievements he long ago earned the right to sit back and relax, to retire to a private life of ease, comfort, and tranquility. Instead, he is speaking out and remaining an active force, as are his equally effective, honest and plain spoken wife and daughter. In contrast to his detractors, concern and love for the country is Mr. Cheney's only possible motive.

He deserves our admiration, gratitude, and respect.

Sign of Media's Pathetic Ignorance

Headline in big black type at the top of page 2 of the Sunday, May 24, issue of the San Francisco Comical:

"The Portola - an S.F. secret"

Questions:

1. Should readers contribute to the costs of remedial English grammar instruction for the Comical's headline writer and its proofreader(s) who let this mangled language appear in the paper?

and

2. Are we still supposed to continue taking the Comical seriously as a professional journalistic operation?

. . . and the Suckers Are Falling for It

Dreaming of Justice

Hitting Rock Bottom on Leadership, and the Good News Is . . . .

The bad news is that:

* The White House is occupied by (and totally dependent on) a teleprompter in chief,

* In Congress we have the Dissembler of the House of Reprehensibles, and

* The Senate's majority is led by the Whiner from Searchlight, Lightweight Harry . . . what's 'is name.

The good news is that we probably can't go anywhere but up.

Jefferson and Jackson Would Be Appalled

Do Democrats still have a Jefferson and Jackson Day dinner or celebration?

If they haven't dropped that event, they ought to do so as any claim of adherence to the principles of those estimable leaders is patently bogus.

Jefferson and Jackson both believed in individual responsibilities and rights and small limited government. They would be horrified at the size and scope to which the government has swollen and the extent to which it today routinely undermines individual responsibilities and infringes on individual rights.

Dumb and Dumber

Only products of a failed education system -- one under the domination of schools of education and teachers unions -- that imparts to its students neither logic nor critical thinking can be gulled into accepting the notion that increasing borrowing and spending is a solution to a financial meltdown caused by the bursting of a borrowing and spending bubble.

Big Pay Off

An increasing number of people are waking up to something that nation's founders knew: If you have a big powerful government that does lots of things, it is going to be worth buying and eventually will be controlled by those who can pay the most for it.

That's why our major financial institutions and industrial concerns spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on lobbying and bribes of . . . oh, pardon me, campaign contributions to -- politicians.

. . . and that's why ordinary -- and financially struggling -- citizens are seeing their tax dollars (as well as those their descendants will be paying for generations) going to bail out the biggies.

The small limited government the founders envisioned would not be able to engage in such insane and destructive behavior.

Says It All

What Comes With the Stimulation . . . as Sure as Death and Taxes

Click on the Image to Enlarge It for Better Viewing

Your Tax Dollars at Play

For a wonderful view (after a brief commercial) of the feckless abandon with which our 'leaders' squander our tax money, take a look at this video.

It's So Not True That Our Intrepid Leader Hasn't Got A Plan

Today's Robber Barons

Click On Image To Enlarge It For Viewing

What a Class Free President!

Our society has devolved to the point that we've now got a president who thinks jokes about one of his critics suffering a fatal affliction are funny. He publicly laughs at such 'humor.'

Makes one proud, doesn't it?

Real class is being shown by the critic who was the subject of the purported joke -- he hasn't even deigned to mention it.

The Audacious Scale of Our Fearless Leader's Proposed Budget Cuts

This Left Me Absolutely Breathless!

Jefferson Anticipated Voters Today's Schools Are Producing

"Man, once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without rudder, is the sport of every wind. With such persons, gullibility, which they call faith, takes the helm from the hand of reason and the mind becomes a wreck."

--Thomas Jefferson, Letter to James Smith, December 8, 1822

The Audacity of Unawareness

From TexasRainmaker (Via a Friend):

Barack Obama, through his spokesman, claimed on April 15 that he was unaware of the tax day tea parties. Granted, the MSM has done a good job in suppressing any sort of coverage ahead of time (and the little coverage they did provide was derisive at best) . . . but how out of touch is the Community Organizer in Chief, really?

This much:

* He for 20 years was unaware that he was attending a church with a racist pastor who hates America.

* He was unaware that he was family friends with, and started his political career in the living room of, a domestic terrorist.

* He was unaware that he had invested in two speculative companies backed by some of his top donors right after taking office in 2005.

* He was unaware that his own aunt was living in the U.S. illegally.

* He was unaware that his own brother lives on pennies a day in a hut in Kenya.

* He was unaware of the AIG bonuses that he and his administration approved and signed into a bill.

* He was unaware that the man he nominated to be his Secretary of Commerce was under investigation in a bribery scandal.

* He was unaware that the man he nominated to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services was a tax cheat.

** He was unaware that the man he nominated to be his Secretary of the Treasury was a tax cheat.

* He was unaware that the man he nominated to be the U.S. Trade Representative was a tax cheat.

* He was unaware that the woman he nominated to be his Chief Performance Officer was a tax cheat.

* He was unaware that the man he nominated to be No. 2 at the Environmental Protection Agency was under investigation for mismanaging $25 million in EPA grants.

For the love of God, there are people in comas who are more aware than this guy of what's going on in the world.

Cooking the Books . . . with Government Approval

Over the last week a number of banks have reported first quarter earnings, which was a pleasant surprise. Citigroup said it made $1.6 billion. One of the ways Citigroup achieved this gain was booking a profit of $2.7 billion on the decline in Citi's own debt. Say what? Under accounting rules, Citi was allowed to book a one-time gain equivalent to the decline in its bonds because, in theory, it could buy back its debt cheaply and save $2.7 billion over time. Of course, Citi didn't actually do that. Even though more consumer loans went bad in the first quarter, Citi reduced its loan loss reserve from $3.4 billion in the fourth quarter to $2.1 billion in the first quarter, thereby picking up another $1.3 billion of 'earnings'. And the recent change in mark to market accounting enabled Citi to book an additional $413 million in 'profit' on impaired assets. Without theses one-time adjustments, Citi's $1.6 billion in first quarter profit becomes a $2.8 billion loss.

According to a Wall Street Journal analysis of Treasury Department data, the 19 banks that received tax payer funds made or refinanced 23% less in new loans in February versus last October. Why lend money when all you've got to do is make a few adjustments and make even more money.

Where a Presidential Apology Really Is Called For . . . and Overdue

Among the political class it has apparently become acceptable, and even fashionable, for American politicians from the President on down to mock the citizens they represent. In a development that can only further denigrate the discourse necessary to any effective democracy, politicians and the "serious" news media are now mocking citizens regularly and with impunity. Supported by mainstream journalists on MSNBC and CNN, who themselves use sexual slurs on national television to mock and attack the same citizens, the politicians openly demonstrate their feelings of superiority over those they were elected to represent. They now candidly express their disdain of a significant portion of the American population without the threat of reprisal by the mainstream media.

On the morning of the April 15th Tea Parties, the American public was informed on national news by one of the President's economic advisers, Jared Bernstein, that the President was "unaware" of the Tea Parties taking place in over 850 cities across the nation! On April 29th, the President informed a Town Hall meeting in St. Louis that he had just now become aware of the Tea Parties, but only from "certain news channels on which I'm not very popular." He referred disdainfully to the one million plus Patriots who came out in legitimate and constitutionally protected demonstrations of free speech on April 15th as "folks waving tea bags around..." While he collects royalties (last year about $2.6 million) from his books, "The Audacity of Hope" and "Dreams From My Father", the President has the audacity to imply that we the people have nothing legitimate to say about high taxes, wasteful spending and corporate bailouts. The President also seems to believe that it is appropriate to mock millions of Americans who are expressing their opinions publicly in a peaceful manner. Perhaps he feels that by mocking the Tea Parties and the Patriots who attended, that he can marginalizes them. But we know that real Patriots cannot be marginalized, and that they will continue to make their voices heard in ever greater numbers," says Elsie Gufler , San Mateo County Tea Party Coordinator and Tea Party Patriots National Leadership Council Member.

This sort of condescending approach to the Grassroots is a hallmark of politicians all across this land. We, the Grassroots are mocked by the President as "folks waving tea bags around"! Discussion of our legitimate complaints and concerns is avoided through the use of derogatory and condescending rhetoric. We've heard similar rhetoric from the Speaker Nancy Pelosi who says the Tea Parties are an "Astroturf initiative," and "contrived events backed by those who like tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans." Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL), called people who attended the Tea Parties "despicable" and "shameful," "corporate interests" and said the events were created by "Republican lobbyists and politicians". At every level, the President and the majority of politicians nationally refuse to discuss the issues head on, and refuse to acknowledge the fact that a huge, non-partisan, Grassroots movement has coalesced around limited government, fiscal responsibility and lower taxes. As politicians, they are simply interested only in taking and spending more and more of our money, and in leaving our children to inherit the burdens of their excess. They mock, deride and oppose anyone who objects to what they are doing!

At this time, the President, and all other politicians who demeaned the protestors, Speaker Pelosi (CA), and Rep. Schakowsky (IL) included, owe 1.2 million Patriots an apology. If our politicians are truly interested in dialogue with the people they claim to represent, such a dialogue must begin with respect for the citizens of this country. That show of respect will begin when the politicians acknowledge that mocking and demeaning well-intentioned, peaceful Tea Party Patriots who love their country is the height of arrogance, and a terrible mistake. The American people deserve better from their elected representatives, and they are beginning to demand it!

An Impossible Task

The government wants the insolvent big banks to raise more capital but it is making it impossible for those hapless institutions to do so.

Given the government's involvement with, and upending of established law in the case of Chrysler, why on earth would anyone invest in any enterprise in which the government is or may become interested? There is no basis on which anyone can have any confidence in what rules may apply going forward.

One can rely only on tangible in-hand possessions with intrinsic values.

Patriot Act Atrocity

No One Is Exempt or Safe.
The Government and Its Jack-Booted Thugs
Can Do This to Any of Us.

Standing Up to the Media Distortions on Interrogations

For a refreshing view of how the knee jerk media jerks can be countered (and spanked) calmly and effectively, even while they are in full and hysterical cry, take a look at this.

Marvelous Home Security: Pets on Guard