And We Thought Politico.com Was Friendly to Liberals!

The Atlantic ran the following story:

Nov 30 2009, 8:24 pm by Marc Ambinder

The White House Takes On POLITICO

It's not just Fox News that's become subject of White House derision. The following is an excerpt from a joke e-mail that is circulating among White House staffers. It's a response, of sorts, to the analytical essay that POLITICO editor-in-chief John Harris wrote about the "seven stories that Barack Obama doesn't want told." It's fairly caustic -- and, truth be told, the White House maintains good relationships with POLITICO reporters and has been known to try and agenda-set by dishing out a few tips to the publication. But make no mistake: many on the White House senior staff dislike POLITICO's brand of journalism, and they do not like the effect that POLITICO's metabolism has on the rest of the press corps, including this (i.e., my own) corner of it. Still, don't read too much into this. There's been plenty of back-and-forth between the Whit House and the POLITICO, and the White House accepts the role -- which is often substantial -- that POLITICO plays in the newsgathering process.


7 narratives politico is fighting in their efforts to get an interview with the President

1. They are more interested in readers than accuracy

2. Its okay to be wrong everyonce in a while, if your are the first to break the news

3. More interested in gossip than news

4. A spouter of the worst sort of insider conventional wisdom

5. Their analysis about obama has been wrong more than any one

6. Click ... period

7. More obsessed with personality than policy

We Are Now the Newsmakers

The eminently readable Mark Steyn, in the National Review, takes the dinosaur media to task for covering up "Climategate," the story we featured on 22 November about the inconvenient truth of incriminating documents suppressing data that contradicts the current "climate change" dogma. Blogs and Internet aggregators (such as the Drudge Report or Free Republic) are increasingly places that people turn to for news that the leftist media won't touch, such as positive news from Iraq and Afghanistan, toilet technology, and success stories of people with psychiatric disabilities.

Unknown Assailant TP's Colorado Governor's Mansion

The family of Gov. Bill Ritter was startled to learn that their residence and surrounding trees were covered with toilet paper on Thanksgiving morning! KOAA-TV (NewsFirst5.com) has a report. It is not known whether Republicans were behind this prank.

Navy SEALs in Trouble for Capturing Terrorist!

The FOX News article starts with these disturbing words:

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

The three, all members of the Navy's elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called a captain's mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.

From the Slimy Depths: Hacked E-Mails May Reveal "Global Warming" Fraud

Officials at a key global warming research center in the United Kingdom have authenticated a series of e-mails and other documents apparently taken from their computer system by a hacker, but they cannot explain what scientists in internal exchanges meant by references to a "trick" that would "hide the decline" of global temperatures nor by instructions to delete contrary data.

Author James Delingpole writes in a London Telegraph column the most damaging revelations indicate climate-change scientists may have "manipulated or suppressed evidence in order to support their cause."

According to the Australian Investigate magazine, the 62 megabyte Zip file with documents, e-mail exchanges and other information from the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit apparently was posted by an unidentified hacker on a Russian web server.

Read the rest of the story at WorldNetDaily.

Eeewwww! Peruvian Gang Kills People for Their Fat

Here's the beginning of the article from the Guardian [U.K.]:

A Peruvian gang that allegedly killed people and drained fat from their corpses for use in cosmetics may have been inspired by a grisly Andean legend.

Hilarió Cudeña Simon, the alleged ringleader, linked the crimes to tales of demonic assassins, known as Pishtacos, who purportedly waylaid victims in pre-Columbian times, police said.

Peru reacted with revulsion and horror to reports that scores of peasants may have been butchered by the gang, which was said to have operated in Huánuco, a rural province dotted with Inca temples between the jungle and Andean peaks.

Are You Living in La-La Land?

He's a rare bird indeed, a Jewish conservative syndicated columnist, lawyer, executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation, executive director of the Second Amendment Foundation, former opinion writer for the Boston Herald, and editorial director of WEEI Newsradio in Boston.

TRIGGER-HAPPY MUSLIMS AND DELUDED INFIDELS IN THE HAPPY LAND OF MAKE-BELIEVE
GrassTopsUSA Exclusive Commentary
By Don Feder
11-19-09

Let me tell you about the Happy Land of Make-Believe. It’s a magical place where ideology trumps reality, evidence is irrelevant, and illusion reigns supreme.

Liberals are permanent residents of the Happy Land of Make-Believe. Some conservatives are not immune to its allure....

Read the rest of this column at GrasstopsUSA.com.

Bring Out the Champagne! Today Is World Toilet Day

WBBM has the story of why this unofficial holiday is so important:

"World Toilet Day is a day set aside to raise awareness of the world to the global sanitation crisis," said Ned Breslin," head of the group Water for People.

"Two-point-five billion people around the world do not have access to improved sanitation. Many people believe the number is even higher," he said.

Even the United Nations is involved, saying prison inmates around the world, including those in the United States, frequently have no access to clean toilets.

This is the 8th annual World Toilet Day.

Union Upset at Allentown, PA; Take It Out on Boy Scout

In pursuit of an Eagle Scout badge, Kevin Anderson, 17, has toiled for more than 200 hours hours over several weeks to clear a walking path in an east Allentown park.

Little did the do-gooder know that his altruistic act would put him in the cross hairs of the city's largest municipal union.

Nick Balzano, president of the local Service Employees International Union, told Allentown City Council Tuesday that the union is considering filing a grievance against the city for allowing Anderson to clear a 1,000-foot walking and biking path at Kimmets Lock Park.

Balzano said Saturday he isn't targeting Boy Scouts. But given the city's decision in July to lay off 39 SEIU members, Balzano said "there's to be no volunteers." No one except union members may pick up a hoe or shovel, plant a flower or clear a walking path.

Read here for the rest of the story.

UPDATE-1: Check out the following letter from Congressman Charlie Dent -

Dear Mr. Balzano:

I am deeply troubled by a story that appeared in the Sunday edition of the Morning Call titled, “Union Troubled by Eagle Scout Project in Allentown.” I read it twice, as I’m sure a number of other readers did, because I couldn’t believe that issue would be taken with the volunteer activity of a Boy Scout working to become an Eagle Scout.

For the last five years I have had the honor to support the Boy Scouts by chairing the Minsi Trails Council’s Lehigh Valley Leadership Dinner. The volunteer spirit of the young men who participate in Scouting should be valued and praised, not condemned or considered a grounds for a grievance.

Taxpayers pay my salary, your salary and the salaries of your Allentown members. As a taxpayer and Member of Congress, I can assure you that no one wants to hear about you or your union bothering and hassling young people trying to do right by their community.

Further, speaking as a taxpayer and resident of Allentown, I am astounded that you would threaten to file a grievance against the City of Allentown because the Administration wisely chooses to make volunteer opportunities available, especially when this type of frivolous grievance could add to the tax burden of the citizens. The vast majority of people would consider your actions in this matter outrageous, uncivil and wrong-headed.

I urge you to reexamine your decisions and actions in this matter and after doing so, that you drop it entirely.

An apology both to the Scout involved and to the public would be appropriate as well.

Gretchen Rubin on Loneliness

In an ongoing series of articles in Slate Magazine ("The Happiness Project") Gretchen has this to say about the effects of loneliness:

Some Counter-Intuitive Facts about Loneliness.
Posted Monday, November 16, 2009 6:18 AM | By Gretchen Rubin

Sometimes people ask, “If you had to pick just one thing, what would be the one secret to a happy life?” The answer is clear: strong bonds with other people. If I had to pick one thing, that’s it. The wisdom of the ages and the current scientific studies agree on this point.

On that subject, I just finished a fascinating book by John Cacioppo and William Patrick, Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection. The book underscores the conclusion that few things will challenge your happiness more than loneliness.

Without thinking it through, I’d assumed that being lonely would make people warmer, more eager for connection, and more accepting of differences in others. If you’re lonely, you’re going to be open to making friends and therefore more easy-going, right?

To the contrary! It turns out that being lonely has just the opposite effect....
Read the article for the rest of the story.

Words of Wisdom from John Stossel

"As an American, I am embarrassed that the U.S. House of Representatives has 220 members who actually believe the government can successfully centrally plan the medical and insurance industries. I'm embarrassed that my representatives think that government can subsidize the consumption of medical care without increasing the budget deficit or interfering with free choice. It's a triumph of mindless wishful thinking over logic and experience. The 1,990-page bill is breathtaking in its bone-headed audacity. The notion that a small group of politicians can know enough to design something so complex and so personal is astounding. That they were advised by 'experts' means nothing since no one is expert enough to do that. There are too many tradeoffs faced by unique individuals with infinitely varying needs. Government cannot do simple things efficiently. The bureaucrats struggle to count votes correctly. They give subsidized loans to 'homeowners' who turn out to be 4-year-olds. Yet congressmen want government to manage our medicine and insurance." --columnist John Stossel, quoted by Patriot Post

KSM Trial Puts New York in Danger, Says Former Attorney General

If this Michelle Malkin column doesn't make you nervous, nothing will!!!

Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey said today that it is highly likely that terrorists will attack New York City as a consequence of the Obama administration’s decision to send five alleged Sept. 11 plotters there for trial in federal court.

During a question and answer period following a speech to a conservative legal group, Mukasey was asked about the possibility that there might be an escape by one or more prisoners.

“The [Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan] is a very secure place….Is it secure? Of course, it’s secure. They’re not going to escape,” Mukasey told a conference of the Federalist Society. “The question is not whether they’re going to escape. The question is whether, not only that particular facility, but the city [at] large, will then become the focus for mischief in the form of murder by adherents of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed–whether this raises the odds that it will. I would suggest to you that it raises them very high....”

Just to Show We're Not Serious 100% of the Time

President Obama Bows to Emperor Akihito of Japan

Let 'Em Go to Jail If They Don't Pay Up!

Video: Pelosi Says Jail “Very Fair” Punishment For Not Buying Health Insurance

Heritage Foundation Posted November 13th, 2009 at 11.54am in Health Care.
According to the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), the House health care bill passed last Friday empowers the federal government to imprison people for up to five years if they willfully refuse to buy federally regulated and approved health insurance....[video included at Heritage Foundation Web site.]

UPDATE: Dick Morris and Eileen McGann have a few choice words on the subject at The Hill's Pundit Blog.

Who Noticed the Red Flags?

For those mourning the loss of 14 (12 Soldiers, one civilian, one unborn baby) and the wounding of many others at Fort Hood, this Jewish World Review story based on a Washington Post article will raise your blood pressure:

"As a senior-year psychiatric resident at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Maj. Nidal M. Hasan was supposed to make a presentation on a medical topic of his choosing as a culminating exercise of the residency program," reports the Washington Post.

Hasan went a different way. He opted to give a bizarre PowerPoint presentation in which he defended suicide bombing and explained that nonbelievers should be beheaded, burned alive and have boiling oil poured down their throats (presumably not in that order). He argued that all Muslims should be discharged from the military.

One slide concluded: "We love death more then (sic) you love life!"

According to the Post, the medical staff in attendance was deeply disturbed by the incident. But there's apparently no record of anyone reporting it to authorities. That would have been insensitive and discriminatory.

But that's not all. The article goes on to describe Maj. Hasan's attempts to start a correspondence with al-Qaeda, and celebrating the murder of an Army recruiter in Arkansas.

Karma's a Bitch

The Supreme Court's 2005 decision in Kelo v. City of New London stands as one of the worst in recent years, handing local governments carte blanche to seize private property in the name of economic development. Now, four years after that decision gave Susette Kelo's land to private developers for a project including a hotel and offices intended to enhance Pfizer Inc.'s nearby corporate facility, the pharmaceutical giant has announced it will close its research and development headquarters in New London, Connecticut.

The aftermath of Kelo is the latest example of the futility of using eminent domain as corporate welfare. While Ms. Kelo and her neighbors lost their homes, the city and the state spent some $78 million to bulldoze private property for high-end condos and other "desirable" elements. Instead, the wrecked and condemned neighborhood still stands vacant, without any of the touted tax benefits or job creation.

Read the rest of the story in the Wall Street Journal.

Celebrating 20 Years of German Reunification

We are happy to report that today is the 20th anniversary of the day the Berlin Wall came down, with the collapse of the Soviet Empire following soon thereafter. FOX News has a slideshow. President Obama sent Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to represent the United States.

Massacre at Fort Hood!

An Associated Press article reports that 12 people have been killed and another 31 wounded at the Fort Hood Soldier Readiness Center. One shooter was killed and two others arrested. This is the worst case of mass murder in that part of Texas since the Luby's Cafeteria massacre in Killeen on 16 October 1991. "Bloodthirsty Warmonger" does not hesitate to call it a terrorist incident.

UPDATE: Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a suspect, was shot 4 times but not killed, as earlier reported.

UPDATE2: The death toll has risen to 13. An Associated Press article has short bios of some of the victims.

UPDATE3: CNN has a list of all 13 people who lost their lives in the Fort Hood Massacre.

You Might Be a Racist...

Neal Boortz clued me in on this flowchart at Missourah.com, which should settle all questions as to whether you are or not.

Prophetic Statement, or Premature Confession?

This story comes out of Mexico:

Mauricio Fernandez was being sworn in again as mayor of San Pedro Garza Garcia, one of northern Mexico's most exclusive communities, when he announced to his cheering supporters: "Black Saldana, who apparently is the one who was asking for my head, was found dead today in Mexico City." However, speculation that Mr Fernandez might have had something to do with the death of Hector Saldana arose when it emerged that the barefoot, blindfolded corpse of "Black Saldana" had not been found until three and a half hours after the mayor's speech, according to Mexico City prosecutors....

Gates and Shinseki in Mental Health Summit

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of Veterans' Affairs Eric Shinseki got together at a Mental Health Summit in Washington, DC on 26 October to declare that more should be done to cut red tape and help combat veterans with PTSD, other mental disorders, and traumatic brain injury.

A DefenseLink article quotes Gen. Shinseki:

“Our collaboration with [the Defense Department] is mission-critical, because we share the same clients, the same population, at different stages in their lives,” Shinseki said. “There can be no ‘seamless transition’ or ‘continuum of care’ without serious and high-quality collaboration between both departments.”