There's Nothing Theoretical About This Conspiracy!

In an article at The Hill, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi asserted that the process of reconciling the Senate and House versions of "healthcare reform" is displaying "historic transparency," despite the fact that no Republicans or video cameras were invited to the secret negotiations. One of her statements, we agree, is quite true: "We will do what is necessary to pass the bill."

UPDATE: A Wall Street Journal editorial says that Pelosi & Reid are making ex-Congressman Ton DeLay look almost respectable in comparison.

An Alternative to Nursing Homes for Vets

Joe Wymer, center, has opened his Winterset home to U.S. military veterans Ron Marusek, right, and Bob Fenoglio through a federal foster program for veterans.

Excerpted from a Des Moines Register article:

Iowa veterans gain freedom, family through foster program

Winterset, Ia. - If they weren't living in Joe Wymer's house, Vietnam War veterans Ron Marusek and Bob Fenoglio would be in a nursing home by now.

Marusek, 65, has terminal cancer. Fenoglio, 67, has a severe case of multiple sclerosis. Both decided to enroll in a new federal program in which veterans can choose to live with paid "foster families" instead of in an institution.

"They're awfully nice to me," Marusek said of his foster family, which includes local residents whom Wymer hires to come over and help. "They take care of you like you're gold. They treat you with respect and compassion."

Wymer smiled. "You're forgetting the best part," he said. "We're family."

"That's right," Marusek said. "I feel like Joe's older brother."

The arrangement is organized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, whose nurses and other staff members make regular visits to the foster homes. The veterans directly pay the homeowners for services, including meals, bathing, laundry, medication assistance and transportation to doctors' offices and local stores. Marusek pays $2,000 a month, which comes from his military pension and Social Security. Fenoglio, who uses a wheelchair and needs more help, pays $3,000 per month.

The idea is new in Iowa, with just four veterans living in three foster homes so far. Nationwide, about 600 veterans have participated in the program since it started in 2000 in Arkansas.

Veterans stay with their foster families an average of nearly two years, and their medical conditions often worsen with age, Edes said. More than half stay with their foster families until they die.

Wymer, the Winterset homeowner, said he was up for the challenge. He already was caring for his aging father at home, and he decided he had room and time to help two veterans. "It's a way to give something back to these guys, who we've been taking from pretty much all their lives," he said.

Wymer said the veterans' rent payments let him concentrate full time on their needs. "You don't go into this to get rich," he said. "It basically pays the bills - no thrills."

Roger Ebert Has a Lapse in Taste

Newsbusters has this story:

In a demonstration of Hollywood's quintessentially intolerant hatred of conservatives, film critic Roger Ebert took to the Twitterverse on Saturday to mock Rush Limbaugh and his sudden trip to a Hawaii hospital (h/t Big Hollywood headlines).

Ebert was hardly alone in rejoicing Limbaugh's hospital visit--and distressed when he was given a clean bill of health. Liberals nationwide let loose the vitriol, some--including members of the hate-stricken mobs at Daily Kos and DU, as reported by P.J. Gladnick--simply wished he would expire.

Here's a sample of his tasteless Tweets:

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Rush: Hawaii is the only country where the Hawaiian shirts come in S, M, L, XL, Rush, and Sumo.

Rush: Stuck in this hospital room watching TV, I really miss Lou Dobbs. All the Oriental nurses are U.S. citizens, though.

Rush: Our US health care system is the best in the world. The nurses here in Hawaii keep offering me lays.

Rush: The Orientals here talk funny. They keep saying "howdy" and it comes out sounding like "howley."

Rush says docs found nothing wrong. They're obviously not listeners.

Now, Ebert thought up all those racist quips, so one has to wonder whether that says more about him than it does about Rush....

Islamic Extremists Must Be Laughing at Us

Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab

Much as I hate to be the bearer of such depressing news, it appears the federal government's response to the underwear bomber has been to blame the victim(s):

Mark Steyn in PatriotPost.us:

"On Christmas Day, a gentleman from Nigeria succeeded (effortlessly) in boarding a flight to Detroit with a bomb in his underwear. Pretty funny, huh? But the Pantybomber wasn't the big joke. The real laugh was the United States government. The global hyperpower spent the next week making itself a laughingstock to the entire planet. First, the bureaucrats at the TSA swung into action with a whole new range of restrictions. Against radical Yemen-trained Muslims wearing weaponized briefs? Of course not. That would be too obvious. So instead they imposed a slew of constraints against you. At Heathrow last week, they were permitting only one item of carry-on on U.S. flights. In Toronto, no large purses. Um, the Pantybomber didn't have a purse. He brought the bomb on board under his private parts, and his private parts weren't part of his carry-on (although, if reports of injuries sustained in his failed mission are correct, they may well have been part of his carry-off). But no matter...."

The Hill reports heightened tensions between Democrats and Republicans over the issue of national security:

"Democrats have called the Republicans 'giddy' over the attempted plot and have blasted them for playing 'crass political' politics with national security, arguing that the American people will hold them accountable for the gross display.

“'It’s just shameful and pathetic that Congressional Republicans continue to put their beloved GOP ahead of the country no matter the issue, even in the immediate aftermath of a terror plot to blow up a plane and kill innocent Americans on Christmas,' said Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Ryan Rudominer.

"If Republicans are afraid of being slammed for playing politics with the attempted Christmas Day bombing, they’re not showing it. In fact, they seem to be spoiling for a national security fight."

Here's an excerpt from Michelle Malkin's latest column:

"Yemen human rights activist and blogger Jane Novak has reported for years on how Yemeni intelligence and military officials have facilitated al-Qaida training camps — often providing 'safe houses, training and passports to the jihadists that travel to Iraq to attempt to kill U.S. troops.'

"The Yemeni government, Novak points out, has also used al-Qaida mercenaries to fight northern rebels and train tribal militias. Jihad spiritual advisor Anwar al-Awlaki, linked to the Sept. 11 hijackers and Fort Hood mass killer Hasan, also calls Yemen home — and reportedly blessed the Crotch Bomber attack, according to The Washington Times.

"Now, the Yemen government has the gall to blame the West for not providing enough assistance to stop the breeding of hundreds of future flying Crotch Bombers.

"America, unfortunately, is hardly in a position to criticize Yemen’s jihadi revolving door. ABC News reported this week that two of the four jihadi leaders behind the Christmas Day terror plot were released from Gitmo during the Bush administration in November 2007.

"(What a quandary for Bush-bashers who have stubbornly denied that Gitmo recidivism threatens our national security.) The freed detainees were shipped off to terror-friendly Saudi Arabia, where they underwent 'art therapy rehabilitation' — the ultimate bloody brainchild of the jihadi-as-victim mindset.

"In January 2009, the two 'rehabilitated' recidivists released a video vowing to wage jihad to 'aid the religion,' 'establish the rightly guided caliphate' and ' fight against our enemies.' One of the duo, Said Ali al-Shihri, is suspected of involvement in a deadly bombing of the United States embassy in Yemen’s capital, Sana, in September 2008."

We Hereby Resolve...

'Tis the season for New Year's resolutions, and Michael Reagan has this one:

I am resolving to work with party activists, candidates, elected officials, organizations, donors, and conservative voters across the country to find those issues and ties that bind us as Republicans rather than revert to the internal attacks that will set back our party, and our nation, for decades to come. I am resolving to move forward, and I hope I can count on each of you to join me!

Adam Graham of Pajamas Media reminds us that being able to govern is far more important than being electable.

When Frank J. Fleming of IMAO weighs in, you can count on some tongue-in-cheek humor.

Jumping the Gun on Rush Limbaugh

When the king of talk radio, Rush Limbaugh, was taken to Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, HI after complaining of chest pains, one overzealous contributor announced that he was dead in Wikipedia [the entry has since been corrected]. At this time he appears to be on the road to recovery, and Ann Althouse, on her blog, has a few choice words to say about that.

UPDATE: "Elective Decisions" reports an outbreak of RLDD (Rush Limbaugh Derangement Disorder) in Baltimore!

The Deification of Obama

A World Net Daily article describes an unsigned Danish editorial that goes beyond the usual media glorification of our 44th President:

An editorial in a Danish newspaper, citing both foreign and domestic policies pursued by President Barack Obama, is deifying the American political leader.

"Obama is, of course, greater than Jesus – if we have to play that absurd Christmas game," opined the unsigned editorial yesterday in Politiken, which boasts of being Denmark's largest newspaper, in publication since 1884....

A Simple Solution

After Sen. Nelson of Nebraska sold his soul to the highest bidder, Dik Thurston of Colorado Springs, CO wrote the following letter to the [Colorado Springs] Gazette on Sunday, 27 December:

Letters: Sunday
Take one trip to Nebraska

When people on Medicaid presents themselves for treatment in Colorado the doctor should write a prescription for a bus ticket to Nebraska. Shouldn’t the citizens of Colorado be able to take advantage of Nebraska’s benefits for which we are taxed?

Dik Thurston

Colorado Springs

Too Funny

The Media Research Center has come out with its list of "Best Notable Quotables for 2009." Here are just 3 juicy examples out of many:

Ed Schultz
“The Republicans lie! They want to see you dead! They’d rather make money off your dead corpse! They kind of like it when that woman has cancer and they don’t have anything for her.”
— Ed Schultz, host of MSNBC’s The Ed Show, September 23.

Terry Moran
“I like to say that, in some ways, Barack Obama is the first President since George Washington to be taking a step down into the Oval Office. I mean, from visionary leader of a giant movement, now he’s got an executive position that he has to perform in, in a way.”
— ABC Nightline co-anchor Terry Moran to Media Bistro’s Steve Krakauer in a February 20 “Morning Media Menu” podcast.

Janeane Garofalo
“The type of female that does like Rush [Limbaugh] is the same type of woman that falls in love with prisoners. You know what I mean? They like Richard Ramirez or — Squeaky Fromme is a good example. I think Charles Manson’s — Eva Braun, Hitler’s girlfriend. That is exactly the type of woman that responds really well to Rush. And there will be some Eva Brauns, Squeaky Frommes out there that will respond really well to this cattle call right now.”
— Actress/activist Janeane Garofalo on MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann, February 26

More Where That Came From

Here's the beginning of an article from The Sun [U.K.]:

FAILED plane bomber Umar Abdulmutallab has bragged to FBI agents that there are more young men plotting to launch attacks on the West.
The 23-year-old Nigerian has told security chiefs of a sinister network in Yemen who are ready and waiting to strike.

The reports come after The Sun revealed that cops fear that 25 British-born Muslims are plotting to bomb Western airliners.

The fanatics, in five groups, are now training at secret terror camps in Yemen....

UPDATE: FOX News reports that al-Qaeda claims responsibility for the attempted bombing, which should not come as a surprise to anyone.

Why Stop at Ten When You're Counting Corrupt Politicians?

Judicial Watch has compiled a top ten list of corrupt politicians. You will see some of the usual suspects: Sen. Chris Dodd, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, etc., but one wishes they could have expanded the list to 25, at least. Hat tip: Free Republic.

Subway Rises to the Occasion

Faced with the problem of how to feed construction workers building 1 World Trade Center (also known as "Freedom Tower"), Subway constructed a sandwich shop out of nine shipping containers, which will be raised as construction progresses, until a permanent Subway is built on the 105th floor, according to Newsmax. In addition to the usual menu, it will sell hamburgers, hot dogs, and New York pretzels.

Merry Christmas, from Sheriff Arpaio

Saturday, December 19, 2009 2:03:44 PM ·
washingtontimes.com reports this story by Jerry Seper, dated today:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio - the self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff" in America - likes Christmas music, especially "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and anything by Alvin and the Chipmunks, and apparently he thinks the 8,000 inmates inside his Phoenix jail should, too. So it was with some glee that his Maricopa County office announced Thursday in a red-and-green press release that the "sixth and perhaps final lawsuit" brought by inmates to stop the sheriff from playing the holiday songs all day, every day, during the holidays had been dismissed in federal court.

Another One of Those End-of-Year Lists

The Globe and Mail of Canada has compiled the following top 10 list of irritating people for the year 2009:

1. Jon and Kate Gosselin (who else?)
2. David Letterman
3. The Grey Power Woman (depicted in a commercial on Canadian TV going bonkers in a car)
4. Jillian Harris (the "Canadian Bachelorette")
5. Kanye West (who rudely interrupted Taylor Swift's moment of triumph at the MTV Video Music Awards show)
6. Carrie Prejean (Evangelical Christian, anti-gay-marriage, sex-tape and topless-photo star)
7. Greg Gutfeld (Host of the late-night Fox News Channel chat show Red Eye)
8. Everyone on CBC's "The National"
9. Michael Ignatieff (sat in the woods and blinked at the sunlight in a Liberal Party commercial, like a furry little critter)
10. Don Cherry ("Shut up, already. A novel idea, we know. But you're barking mad. Yes, you are.")

Half of these people are better known in Canada than in the USA. What about the Heene family in Colorado and their "Balloon Boy" hoax? There are a number of American politicians we can name. Readers added the following suggestions:

Glenn Beck, Dog the Bounty Hunter's wife, Al Gore, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, John McCain, Tiger Woods, Stephen Harper (Canadian Prime Minister), Lady Gaga, Ben Bernanke, financial planners (trolls of the earth), bankers, Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Ann Coulter, Octomom Nadya Suleman, all Canadians, Bernie Madoff and his wife, Sasha Baron Cohen, Paris Hilton, and John Doyle (author of the column),

EPA Identifies Carbon Dioxide as a Pollutant, Proposes Solution

Source: PatriotPost.us

Another Reason Why Newspapers are Speeding Their Own Extinction

CBS4Denver.com has a hot news item about Bob Berwyn, former journalist for the Summit Daily News, being fired from the paper for daring to criticize the way ski resorts calculate their daily snow totals. The newspaper was worried about losing advertising revenue from Vail Resorts.

Open Letter from Lou Pritchett to President Obama

Source:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/barackobama/a/lou_pritchett_letter.htm

Lou Pritchett, author, motivational speaker and former Vice-President of Sales and Customer Development for Procter & Gamble, has acknowledged writing the above opinion piece and submitting it to the New York Times for publication, though to date it has only been published on the Internet, including on various conservative blogs and the American Family Association's website.

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

Dear President Obama:

You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.

You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.

You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.

You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.

You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.

You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.

You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.

You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.

You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America' crowd and deliver this message abroad.

You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.

You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.

You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.

You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.

You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.

You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.

You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.

You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent and omniscient.

You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.

You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaughs, Hannitys, O'Relllys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.

You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.

Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.

Lou Pritchett

Eye Candy

Check out these award-winning photos from the National Geographic.

Here We Go Again: Enviros Leave Big Carbon Footprint in Copenhagen

The FOX News article starts thusly:

World leaders and VIPs began pouring into Copenhagen Monday morning for the city's long-awaited climate summit, arriving in style in a fleet of gas-guzzling limos and luxury cars.

Most delegates to the climate change conference haven't exactly been hoofing their way to Denmark's capital, swarming the city's airport with 140 private jets, 1,200 hired limousines and a carbon footprint the size of a small country.

Video shot on the scene Monday shows squads of new arrivals at the green gathering pulling up in BMWs, Mercedes Benzes, sleek Volvos and plush Jaguars. A bus reserved for the delegates rode along empty outside the conference center....

Ideas for You to Think About

1. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown compares climate-change skeptics to "flat-earthers." Story in the Telegraph.

2. Another sign of the end times: An abortion center in Michigan, according to Lifenews.com, is running a series of video ads claiming that what they're doing is "sacred work."

3. Right Wing News reports that Sen. Barbara Boxer is advocating going after the people who leaked the ClimateGate e-mails. This is known as punishing the messenger.

4. Genevieve S. Kineke compares the Judaeo-Christian God with Allah, and comes to the conclusion that they are not the same. Terminology may vary in different churches, but there is much that Christians can agree upon in this Catholic Exchange article.

5. This is enough to cause panic in the White House: Obama's job approval rating slipped below 50%, largely because the war in Afghanistan is perceived as being his rather than former President Bush's, according to a CNN poll.