Another Incumbent Bites the Dust

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski was booted from office in the Republican primary Tuesday by a little-known conservative lawyer [Joe Miller] backed by former governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, in arguably America's biggest political upset of the year. Source: MSNBC

"The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves"

Count on Derek Hunter in Andrew Breitbart's BigGovernment.com to bring up this point:

Are you opposed to Obamacare or illegal immgration? You’re a racist. Are you opposed to gay marriage? You’re a homophobe. Did you oppose Elana Kagan’s appointment to the Supreme Court? You’re a sexist. After less than two years of complete Democrat control of government, there aren’t many Americas progressives haven’t accused of some sort of bigotry for simply having an opinion different from theirs. The politics of “hope” and “change” have devolved into exactly what those espousing them claimed they would end. Is this really Democrat’s plan to win votes in November?...

They Think They're So Clever

The Consumerist has caught the manufacturer of Scott tissue paper in the act of trying to cheat customers by making their rolls 3/8" thinner! "This is definitely the work of the dreaded Grocery Shrink Ray."

Glenn Beck Organizes Massive Rally in Washington, D.C.

Newsmax.com has the story:

From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck told a crowd of tens of thousands of people Saturday that the U.S. has too long "wandered in darkness."

His rally's marquee speaker, Sarah Palin, praised "patriots" in the audience for "knowing never to retreat."

The two champions of the tea party movement spoke from the very spot where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech 47 years ago. Some civil rights leaders who have denounced Beck's choice of a venue staged a rival rally to honor King.

Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee who may make a White House run in 2012, said activists must honor King's legacy by paying tribute to the men and women who protect the United States in uniform.

Beck, pacing back and forth on the marble steps, said he was humbled by the size of the crowd, which stretched along the Washington Mall's long reflecting pool nearly all the way to the Washington Monument....

Hurricane Katrina Has Forced New Orleans to Improve Itself

(above) new homes built by Habitat for Humanity

Juan Williams of FOX News has written an op-ed piece, "Even Katrina Has a Silver Lining," to show that New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, is making a solid comeback. Among other things, he points out:

1. ... the storm “gave New Orleanians an unprecedented opportunity to remake a city that wasn’t working.”
2. A Pew Research Center poll’s finding show 69 percent of Americans say a lot (14 percent) or some (55percent) progress has been made in getting New Orleans and the Gulf Coast back on track.
3. “The real makeover may be in the new spirit of reform and enhanced self-reliance in the city,” according to the Brookings [Institution] survey. Among the positive developments listed in the think tank’s report is that the New Orleans metropolitan area now has 90 percent of its people back home and 85 percent of its jobs back in place even as the nation goes through recession. The authors found more arts groups, better health care, reforms to the criminal justice system, more monitoring of police and even an improved master plan for city development. The new plan does away with walled off poor and dangerous neighborhoods that made a walk beyond the French Quarter a matter of taking your life in your hands.

Muslims Still Loyal to Obama; Mormons Give Lowest Approval Rating - Gallup

At no extra charge, we will throw in the following cartoon:

Gainesville Church to Burn Quran on 11 September; Islamic Extremists Threaten Violence

Here's what WOKV-TV in Jacksonville, Florida has to report:

A Gainesville church plans to go ahead with the burning of the Muslim holy book on Sept. 11, despite threats of bombings and the lack of a permit.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Terry Jones, pastor at the Dove World Outreach Center will call for Sept. 11 to be an "International Burn a Koran Day."

However, the Gainesville fire department has denied a permit for the event.

One jihadist website vowed to conduct suicide bombings in Florida to avenge the Koran burning, while others predicted an increase in terrorist recruits as a result of such actions.

"By Allah, the wars are heated and you Americans are the ones who...enflamed it," says one such posting. "By Allah you will be the first to taste its flames."

Jones said the radical threats confirmed his views of Muslims. "I can understand that they would be offended. I think their reactions--violence, threats, murders terrorist attacks--that only reveals the true nature of Islam which needs to be revealed," he said.

An Easy Target

Ever since World War II, whenever the Democrats take over, the Dept. of Defense is put on a starvation diet by ideologues who think one dollar spent on the military is one too many. This graph indicates otherwise.

Before You Buy a Single Share of General Motors...

Government Motors is planning to raise billions of dollars with an IPO of preferred stock under the ticker symbol GM. The National Legal and Policy Center has issued a warning as to why one cannot be too careful about this initial public offering:

More evidence that the GM IPO is being hurried for political purposes is found in the IPO registration filing yesterday. The company cannot assure the accuracy of its financial information because of weaknesses in its internal controls. How can GM offer and price shares if it cannot even attest to its own financials?

The shares being offered for sale will come from the U.S. government and the United Auto Workers (UAW) trust fund, another red flag. If the UAW has such great confidence in the future of the company, why is it selling? Is it to cash in on the superficial media accounts of GM’s “progress,” when it knows the long-term future of the company is less rosy?...

UPDATE: No less a source than Investor's Business Daily says, if the IPO is a "welcome victory" for the Obama administration, be afraid, be VERY afraid!

No Need for an Ethics Czar

The Washington Examiner reports that President Obama has eliminated the position of ethics czar and transferred Norm Eisen, the person holding the position, to serve as ambassador to the Czech Republic.

President Obama has abolished the position in his White House dedicated to transparency and shunted those duties into the portfolio of a partisan ex-lobbyist who is openly antagonistic to the notion of disclosure by government and politicians...

Editorial note: There are dozens of czars remaining, whose jobs need to be done away with immediately. The government is drowning in red ink already, and we can't afford to support these parasites.

Americans for Prosperity Slimed by President Obama

Americans for Prosperity (1.2 million members strong, with many more sympathizers) has incurred the displeasure of He Who Cannot Be Criticized! This royal disapproval will probably be worn as a Badge of Pride.

Turkish Version of Halabja

Pajamas Media is helping us to scoop the Big Media once again by reporting of an alleged Turkish chemical-warfare atrocity against its Kurdish population:

The German weekly newsmagazine Der Spiegel has published an investigative article that accuses the Turkish military of using chemical weapons against members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The magazine reports that forensic experts at the Hamburg University Hospital have confirmed the authenticity of 31 photographs that show the severely scorched bodies of eight PKK fighters who are believed to have been killed in the Kurdish town of Çukurca in September 2009. The hospital says it is highly probable that the victims in the photographs, six men and two women who are said to be scarcely recognizable as human beings, died “due to the use of chemical substances.”

The photographs were given to a German human rights delegation that was visiting Turkey in March 2010. That delegation was associated with Die Linke, the far-left political party that traces its roots back to the communist party in the former East Germany, which would imply that the allegations warrant skepticism. But it seems unlikely that Der Spiegel, which is one of the largest publications in Europe, with a weekly circulation of more than one million, would publish the story without first determining its veracity. In any case, Der Spiegel reports that Hans Baumann, one of Germany’s leading forgery specialists, has also confirmed the authenticity of the photographs....

Cool National Park Poster Art and Photos

This vintage poster from the late 1930s is but one example, courtesy of National Geographic.

We Can't Make This Stuff Up!

Glenn Beck on FOX News has an incredible and highly convoluted story about Chicago's ShoreBank, and how it became entangled with the business dealings of Barack Obama, the Chicago Climate Exchange, Al Gore, the Joyce Foundation, and other individuals and organizations. Michelle Malkin also has a few choice words about this shining example of crony capitalism at VDare.com. Understandably nervous Democratic leaders have blocked an investigation of this constellation of shady deals, according to Andrew Breitbart's Big Government.

UPDATE: Not surprisingly, federal regulators closed down ShoreBank, which will be absorbed by the Urban Partnership Bank, according to "The Street."

Fifteen Minutes of Fame x 2

In an amazingly short time, Steven Slater, working as a flight attendant for JetBlue Airlines, has morphed into a folk hero of sorts by the way he exited the plane (via the emergency chute) after an altercation with a rude passenger.

Meanwhile, Levi Johnston, ex-fiance of Bristol Palin, a daughter of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is still struggling to keep his name before the public. He is currently a candidate for mayor in Wasilla, AK, but the election will not take place until November 2011.

Another Obvious Statement: Facebook Comments Are Public Property

Source: Newser

Psst, politicians: Your witty postings on Facebook aren't private. A Democratic candidate for state representative in New Hampshire is learning this all-important lesson after weighing in on comments over the Ted Stevens plane crash with this gem: "Just wish Sarah and Levy (sic) were on board." Of course, state Republicans didn't waste much time pouncing on Keith Halloran, notes NowHampshire.

“Mr. Halloran’s outrageous comments are a new low, even by the standards of the New Hampshire Democrat Party,” said GOP spokesman Ryan Williams. “His publicly stated death wish for Governor Palin and her family is abhorrent, and has no place in public discourse." They want an apology from him and a denunciation from top Democrats.

Religion of Peace Strikes Again: Ten Humanitarian Aid Workers Massacred in Afghanistan

Ten medical/dental volunteers from the International Assistance Mission were gunned down in Nuristan province last weekend. They were Dr. Tom Little, Dan Terry, Dr. Thomas Grams, Dr. Karen Woo, Glen Lapp, Cheryl Beckett, Brian Carderelli, Daniella Beyer, and 2 Afghani assistants. The Taliban immediately claimed credit for this mass murder, charging the group with "espionage" and "trying to convert Muslims to Christianity," which the International Assistance Mission denied. But this unarmed group could just as easily have fallen victim to one of the gangs of bandits that infest that part of the country.

The Only Expert Witness on "Popcorn Lung" Files Appeal

A controversial expert witness for plaintiffs has filed an unusual non-party appeal of a Washington state judge's decision finding his theory that snackers can contract lung disease from exposure to microwave popcorn is not scientifically sound.

Dr. David Egilman, an associate professor of community health at Brown University, has made millions from testifying as an expert witness in about 100 personal injury cases. His non-party appeal challenges a July 2 ruling in the case of a Spokane, Wash., man who sued several companies involved in the making of microwave popcorn or its butter flavoring.

Granting summary dismissal of the case, U.S. District Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson shredded Egilman's testimony that Larry Newkirk “within a reasonable degree of medical certainty developed lung disease as a result of inhaling flavors released by microwaved popcorn.”

“[T]here is nothing to support Dr. Egilman’s conclusion that is at the heart of this case: that the vapors emitted from a microwave popcorn bag contain the same proportion of chemicals [as those emitted in popcorn factories] or that all of the substances in the two instances are identical,” Peterson said....

Read the rest of the story at OnPointNews.com.

Ten Worst Places to Live in the USA

We're always fascinated by top ten lists of worst places to live, and WalletPop has compiled an unofficial list, followed by reasons why a particular city was ranked.

1. El Centro, CA (27.5% unemployment rate)
2. Cleveland, OH (high taxes, lousy weather, political corruption and lousy sports teams -- and that was before LeBron decided to leave)
3. Detroit, MI (crime, high foreclosure & unemployment rates)
4. Las Vegas, NV (highest foreclosure rate)
5. Oklahoma City, OK (rated as the unhealthiest city in the United States by the American College of Sports Medicine)
6. Los Angeles, CA (worst air pollution and traffic)
7. Phoenix, AZ (increased tensions from new state immigration law, high foreclosure rate, poor per capita income growth)
8. Newark, NJ (poverty, toxic wastes, austerity measures such as cutting back on toilet paper, violent crime)
9. Miami, FL (crime, high foreclosure rate, rude drivers, traffic)
10. Memphis, TN (crime, corruption)

Krazy Gun Guy Hits Karaoke Circuit

This series of YouTube videos combines two of my interests, guns and karaoke. Don't worry, Anthony Cumia's firearms are used strictly as props, and at least he seems to be a friend of the Second Amendment.

Lionel Ritchie's "Hello"

Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"

Cat Stevens' "Morning Has Broken"