Eric Clapton: Happy Birthday

Guitarist Eric Clapton, sometimes known as "Slowhand," is 66 today.

One of my all-time favorite Clapton songs:



Another one of my favorite Clapton songs, whilst with Cream:



Born on March 30th of 1945 -- a British war baby -- he is the only three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Clapton ranked fourth in Rolling Stone's Greatest 100 Guitarists Of All Time.

He began his professional life as a guitarist with the Yardbirds in 1963 (which later featured Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page). Clapton, a blues purist of sorts, left the Yardbirds to join John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers in 1965.

He left Mayall to form Cream in 1966 with bass player Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker.

At that time, Clapton was 21, Jack Bruce was 23 (b. 1943) and Ginger Baker was 27 (b. 1939).

From there Clapton went on to the groups Blind Faith, then Derek and the Dominos (1970). That album featured "Layla," a song inspired by the unrequited love of Clapton to George Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd Harrison.

Following, his career was only solo.

God bless, Slowhand.

You've given millions of people a diversion from their own personal trials and tribulations.

BZ

Obama: Repairing His Black Relations

A reminder of some recent thoughts by a few of America's most cogent, honest, insightful, moderate and considered black representatives:



[Pick up the video at 7:15 for the best comments.]

The New Black Panther party weighs in as well:



That "said," Mr Obama realized he needed to repair his relations with the black community.

Therefore, he held a lunch in New York City's Harlem district on Monday this week (03-28-11), with fundraising taking a back seat. He felt it was necessary to be seen and heard by his base black constituency and -- resultingly -- he was. Conversely, he wanted to listen to and observe the common black voters of Harlem in order to better understand the issues and concerns of poor black America.

With one slight exception that few if any in the MSM/DEM have the cojones to point out:

Uh, no. Mr Obama went to Harlem specifically to fundraise for his second term. He used Harlem, instead, as a frontispiece to placate and take advantage of the Ignorant Black Vote. Because the facts, instead, are these:

Mr Obama's visit was in fact a fundraiser. For only $30,800, you could have had lunch with Mr Obama at the Red Rooster on Lenox Avenue near 125th Street (looks like "poor" Harlem has gentrified to me). And color wouldn't have truly mattered unless the base color was green. Green clearly trumps black.

As you might guess, local black Harlem residents couldn't quite afford to pony up that kind of cha-ching:

President Barack Obama will fundraise in Harlem today, but many uptown residents grumble that they can’t afford to see him. The president’s hosting a $30,800-a-head fundraiser at Red Rooster on Lenox Avenue, near 125th Street.

“I think that’s ridiculous,” said Hope Cameron, 52, a stay-at-home mom who lives nearby. “In Harlem, who has that kind of money?”

Others near the restaurant yesterday afternoon echoed her sentiment — even as many said they like Obama.

“I’m an Obama fan but I won’t see him for that,” Lenny Bembry, 53, told Metro.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” added Maurice Lenin, 45, who had just balked at spending $10 on Chinese for lunch. “Harlem has been messed up since way back in the day and now they’re wanting to charge us $30,000?”

“He should be eating with us for free,” Lenin added.

Huh. Imagine that. Mr Obama may in fact be a regular politician who couldn't give one whit less about poor blacks -- unless they can kick down a good $30K for his re-election campaign.

On the other hand, that's NOT how his "lunch" will be portrayed by the GOWP media.

Damn! I hate it when a good Second Coming turns out to be a racial Socialist who wets his pants at night like the rest of us. In the quiet. In the dark.

BZ

Obama's War: A War For Oil?

If you recall, Leftists (and then Demorats, later, when short memories had faded) said that GW Bush, 43rd president, went into Iraq for oil. The possibility that he was proffered faulty intelligence from a large number of domestic and foreign sources -- then was supported by the US Congress -- had little influence on Leftist opinion. Cogent information indicates whatever WMD Mr Hussein possessed moved into Syria. Purposely. Hussein made the threat in order to appear larger than life on screen, then took the step to transfer it from his soil.

Oddly enough, it seems that a far-Left Demorat president, Mr Obama, is treading upon the same identical steps as President Bush with one major difference: Bush didn't do it for oil. The United States of America gets less oil from Iraq than before 9/11 -- contrary to Leftists arguments.

And yet, Mr Obama -- the prototypical "anti-war" president -- has unilaterally decided to move into Libya under the guise of the UN. He simultaneously attempts to push sole-source code onto the UN but they defer to his move.

Does Libya directly threaten the United States? No. Does Libya even allegedly possess WMD devices and schemes? No. Further, in fact: Libya, during the term of Bush, unilaterally decided it would disarm itself of perceived WMD physicants precisely because it feared, at the time, the GW Bush 43 Focus.

Imagine that.

Senator Obama would NOT have voted or subscribed to the current Mr Obama's movement into Libya. Does anyone, possibly besides myself, find that just a bit odd and dessicant?

Bueller?


Why Libya? Could it possibly be because of: Brent sweet crude?

Further: why not the US into Tunisia, into Syria, into Yemen, into Egypt, into Jordan, into Oman, into Kuwait, into the EAE, into Qatar, into Lebanon, into Sudan, into Eritrea, into Bahrain?

What makes Libya so special? I ask.

I submit: current OIL production.

And yet former Republican administrations were completely excoriated for this perception. Burned right to the very ground.

Go Obama. Make things right. Make drilling a priority. Make this a Logical Extension of your current policy.

But you won't.

You hypocritical and ignorant, callow patsy.

And oh yeah: Trump asks for your certificate. He's got his. You got yours?

BZ

Eric Holder: the New Black Panthers Placing BOUNTIES on PEOPLE??

ObamaKare: NOT Good Enough For Demorats But Good Enough For YOU

Washington Times columnist Dr Milton Wolf writes:

Becoming the most hypocritical politician in America is not an easy goal to achieve, but New York’s Rep. Anthony Weiner, a Democrat, is up to the task.

Earlier this year, the Obama administration began rewarding its union friends and others with an escape from the clutches of Obamacare. Now one of the most outspoken Obamacare supporters - the man who actually said, “I wrote the bill … the bill and I are one” wants his own “get out of jail free” card from this abominable law.

Obamacare is already leaving a trail of destruction. Despite promises to the contrary, Mr. Obama’s own Medicare chief actuary estimates that up to 20 million Americans may lose their current health insurance. Despite promises to the contrary, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates Obamacare will destroy 800,000 jobs. Despite promises to the contrary, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently admitted cooking the books by double-counting $500 billion toward both Medicare savings and Obamacare implementation funds and admitted that a major program within Obamacare, the CLASS Act, is - in her words - “totally unsustainable.” As a direct result of this government takeover, many insurance companies already have been forced to raise their premiums or drop out of the Medicare Advantage program, while others no longer offer policies for children, and still others have simply closed their doors.

So how does the White House respond to this unraveling? With more waivers. HHS acknowledges issuing 1,040 “get out of jail free” cards to unions and other friends. Five states have been graced with their very own Obamacare waivers, including Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and, newest pampered friend, Maine. Why Maine? According to the administration, Obamacare “has a reasonable likelihood of destabilizing the Maine individual health insurance market.”

Now Mr. Weiner wants in on the action. Why? He thinks escaping Obamacare would mean that New York City “can save money and have more control over its own destiny.” Regular Americans need not apply.

Such is the standard operating procedure for big-government types: Impose ever-increasing burdens on hardworking Americans who play by the rules and don’t have best friends in Washington or armies of lobbyists at their disposal or millions of dollars for campaign contributions. This sickening display shows that, at best, this administration is admitting that Obamacare is unraveling, in part, because its one-size-fits-all, big-government plan simply cannot accommodate all the unique needs of 310 million patients. At worst, its pay-for-play, politics-as-usual scheme is enriching administration cronies on the backs of everyone else. As Mr. Weiner said, “A lot of people who got waivers were … people who are our friends.”

The question remains: If Obamacare is such a great law, why does the White House keep exempting its best friends from it?

Why indeed?

And yet, just ask any granola-and-algae-spewing Leftist: Obama is still the Next Coming. It doesn't matter if he bombs little brown people. It doesn't matter if he insists that Brazil despoil its own shores with oil drilling. ObamaKare will still save us all. All of us in the United States, that is. It will buy us homes, seed our lawns, water our minds, repair our cochlear implants, reupholster our furniture, wipe our fetid brows, unzip our trousers and provide national hand-jobs all around. Hooray for Lockheed Martin!

I must ask, America, are the bulk of you so incredibly ignorant, truly ill-learned (not educated), gullible, emotive and just plain jejune?

I submit: apparently so.

Keep it up. Because so many of you Leftists make such wonderful pawns.

Check.

BZ

WHAAAT??

From Drudge Report:

*** REPORTER CONFINED IN CLOSET DURING VEEP'S FUNDRAISER ***

Sat March 26 2011 17:04:37 EDT

Staffers with Vice President Joe Biden confined an Orlando Sentinel reporter in a closet this week to keep him from mingling with high-powered guests gathered for a Democratic fundraiser.

BZ

And Now For Something Completely Different:

BZ

Tax, Tax, Tax, Remove Your Freedom & Your Rights

The federal CBO wants to tax your vehicle mileage.

More taxes. Less freedom.

From The Hill:

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) this week released a report that said taxing people based on how many miles they drive is a possible option for raising new revenues and that these taxes could be used to offset the costs of highway maintenance at a time when federal funds are short.

The report discussed the proposal in great detail, including the development of technology that would allow total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) to be tracked, reported and taxed, as well as the pros and cons of mandating the installation of this technology in all vehicles.

You'll particularly appreciate this part:

Conrad said in response that federal funds are tight, and in asking for recommendations on how to raise that money, he noted the possibility of a VMT tax as a way to solve the problem of collecting less in taxes as people move to more fuel-efficient vehicles.

"Do we do gas tax?" Conrad asked. "Do we move to some kind of an assessment that is based on how many miles vehicles go, so that we capture revenue from those who are going to be using the roads who aren't going to be paying any gas tax, or very little, with hybrids and electric cars?"

Any other concerns? Certainly:

On how to implement the idea, CBO said it is unclear how much it would cost to "install metering equipment in all of the nation's cars and trucks."

"Having the devices installed as original equipment under a mandate to vehicle manufacturers would be relatively inexpensive but could lead to a long transition; requiring vehicles to be retrofitted with the devices could be faster but much more costly, and the equipment could be more susceptible to tampering than factory-installed equipment might be," CBO said.

The report added that VMT taxes could be tracked and even collected at filling stations. "If VMT taxes were collected at the pump, each time fuel was purchased, information would be sent from a device in the vehicle to a device at the filling station," it said.

CBO also suggested different VMT tax rates might be assessed to different vehicles because heavier vehicles do more road damage, and rates might change depending on whether miles are driven at peak use times or during less congested hours.

CBO did acknowledge that privacy concerns may be a hurdle to implementing a VMT tax because electronic tracking of miles driven might provide too much personal information to the government. However, CBO noted that some have proposed restricting the information that would be transmitted to the government.

In essence: because we've finally pushed you into hybrids, it's not fair that taxes on gasoline are faltering (even though you already pay 47+ cents per gallon in federal taxes); we need another way to fleece the taxpayer, another strata of taxation. It's not enough that you already pay for roads via other taxes -- now we need to turn you upside down, charge you for mileage and then install intrusive devices on your vehicle.

What's next? GPS on your conveyances, so that the government can know where you are at all times? And then what of insurance companies? You think they're going to sit idly by whilst the government collects mileage fees without them? Oh no, think again. The insurance industry will jump on the mileage issue with both feet and that's how you'll be charged in addition to your deductible, etc.

Fleecing you for more cash, demanding more taxes, losing more of your freedoms, being monitored in terms of time, place and distance by your federal government -- what's not to love about that?

BZ

The UK "Gets It" -- Sadly, Mr Obama Does Not:

The United States under Mr Obama and his minions, Demorats, and various realms of Leftists absolutely insist on reliving and following the former path of Europe when, in fact, they could merely open their eyes to the trends currently seen in Europe. I, for this example, hold up the United Kingdom for examination.

Someone always thinks they can "do" Socialism "correctly." And so it is with Mr Obama. Except that, now, he finds himself torn in many different directions and, thusly, disappoints his Core Leftist Base. Please see my previous post.

And guess what? History clearly, again and again, proves: it can't be done. Socialism, complete and utter reliance on the government, cannot be done and, further, results in catastrophe and an entire re-thinking of that apparent Utopian goal -- if in fact you can even remotely classify Socialism as "Utopian." I tend to classify Socialism as more solipsistic for its instigators, who truly do not have the Utopian goal in mind. They feature their own individual and/or collective power in mind.

America and, specifically, Mr Obama possesses clear and present -- what I term -- Historical Alzheimers. That is to say, Mr Obama fails to learn from history and thinks that his iteration of Socialism is the one that will trump all others and actually work.

There is no history or evidence to support or indicate this.

Which is where the newest move by the UK comes into play. Courtesy of The Telegraph:

George Osborne has announced a surprise cut in fuel duty in a Budget statement designed to help families and deliver growth and jobs.

The Chancellor told the House of Commons that he had “put fuel into the tank of the British economy” as he announced that petrol duty would be reduced by 1p a litre from 6pm this evening.

In a move designed to help drivers suffering from record petrol prices, he cancelled a 1p rise in duty scheduled by the last Labour government for next week, and announced a "Fair Fuel Stabiliser" to keep costs down.

The move will be funded by an increased levy on oil and gas production.

In a 56 minute address, Mr Osborne also announced that corporation tax would be cut by 2 per cent, more than the 1 per cent reduction which was already scheduled, with further 1 per cent falls in coming years.

Funded by an extension of the banking levy, the tax will eventually be slashed to 23% from its current rate of 28%.

As he concluded his speech, Mr Osborne said: “We want the words ‘Made in Britain,’ ‘Created in Britain,’ Designed in Britain,’ ‘Invented in Britain’ to drive our nation forward.

“A Britain carried aloft by the march of the makers. That is how we will create jobs and support families.”

Imagine that. Someone in a government who wants to reduce taxes in order to stimulate economic growth. And who, apparently, believes in Nationalism. Sovereignty.

Reduce taxes. Reduce regulations. Remove obstacles to private property, capitalism. If anything should shrink, it should be the federal government followed by state and local governments. Let entrepreneurs make the big steps. But reward them, if successful. Reward ideas and new moves. Then step out of the way.

But, of course, Nationalism and Sovereignty, those are Bad Words. Here in America, we have been told time and again by the Obama Administration that there is no such thing as American Exceptionalism.

Keep repeating it, sir, and you will be rewarded with precisely that.

You blithering idiot.

Someone, please, insert an actual adult into American politics, will you?

BZ

P.S.
I will say this in defense of Mr Obama: at least he can keep his penis in his pants, unlike other former presidents during their terms. I suspect the bulk of you know why.

New Calls From The Left: Impeach Obama

And please recognize: this clarion call isn't from the GOP -- it's from the Demorats:

President Barack Obama should be impeached for approving air strikes against Libya, Rep. Dennis Kucinich said in an interview Monday.

“President Obama moved forward without Congress approving,” the liberal Ohio Democrat told Raw Story. “He didn’t have congressional authorization, he has gone against the Constitution, and that’s got to be said.” Several other members of Congress have also chastised the Obama administration for not doing enough to sell the intervention to Congress, let alone to the American people.

Kucinich went a bit further in his Monday remarks than he did over the weekend when, as POLITICO reported, he questioned why the U.S. strikes weren’t impeachable offenses while on a Democratic Caucus conference call.

Obama’s decision “would appear on its face to be an impeachable offense,” though he conceded in the interview that he’s unsure whether Congress would move ahead on a trial. Kucinich wanted to impeach former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney for their roles in leading the United States into war in Iraq and for their oversight of the conduct of the war, but was blocked by Democratic leadership.

The Left is worried that the president's incoherence isn't just clear to our nation but to the world as well. This is Jimmy Carter Lite -- and we've become a Spectator Country.

Because our president does two things remarkably well:

- He monitors
- He is concerned

And that's the end of this post.

BZ

Republicans To Conservatives: Go To Hell

You, you damned Conservatives, you're making the lives of DC Republicans difficult.

Because of that, there is now "pushback" and whining from the GOP.

Not just whining, but finger-pointing, negative rhetoric, and the accusation that "you Conservatives just don't get it."

Really?
This tactic is so tired and so obvious that even the historic carriers of GOP Water are beginning to turn on the GOP -- to wit: Hugh Hewitt. His interview with Jack Kingston?

Here is an actual unguarded opinion from the GOP, aimed directly at TEA Partiers, true Conservatives and various budget hawks. One GOP aide unloaded on the Conservatives, offering a more colorful view privately held by many other Republicans. From the DailyCaller:

These people aren’t thinking clearly. Their logic doesn’t pan out. They have NO plan. What concessions were they going to get if it failed? They were going to shut down the federal government over Planned Parenthood?” the source said, “It was totally reactionary. These people got elected to lead. Instead they got jerked around by the political equivalent of music critics. If these people knew anything about governing, they’d be in Congress, not lobbing bombs from the cheap seats and sending out fundraising emails.”

The aide offered contempt for Pence in particular. “Pence is running for governor, and has to get through a primary, so his position is about as genuine as a $10 Gucci hand bag on Sunset Boulevard.”

Mike Pence appeared on Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday, and revealed that he (Pence) is in the gunsights of the GOP for his defunding stances. 54 Republicans actually deigned to vote against the three week extension of the federal budget. At least some Republicans made a stand. But this stance infuriated Welded Republicans -- who Have Theirs and want Theirs to be a continuing well-funded process.

Where are the Speaker and the Leader and the Whip? Where is their support of the various TEA Parties and Conservatives -- who managed to PLACE GOP leadership back into the House come November?

George McClellan Republicans? Retreat - retreat - retreat?

The GOP "growing tired" of actual Conservatives?

Some veteran Republican House members are pushing back against conservative deficit hawks who are pushing for endlessly deep spending cuts, saying the right wing of the party is creating unnecessary divisions for the GOP majority.

While the 54 Republicans who voted against the most recent stopgap spending bill didn’t derail the legislation, some GOP lawmakers are becoming increasingly wary of a faction that rejects substantial spending cuts because they want deeper ones or the inclusion of divisive social policy riders.

Right. Conservatives "don't get it." You don't "get it." I "don't get it."

When you are beginning to lose your public Water Carriers -- Republicans -- I submit you are in some major jeopardy.

You, Republicans, clearly failed to read the writings on the wall.

What have you learned from November?

I submit this: you've got yours. You sit in your office. 54 Republicans made a stand. And they threaten you.

You're doing primarily nothing but force a Third Party -- something that, in reality, few people truly want.

BZ

Obama: Clueless McGurk

Mr Obama campaigned upon the need of America to once again gain its position of respect and, further, adoration by other nations of the world.

Imagine, if you can, the total shock that must be occurring, in private, with Mr Obama and his wife when they were not met with utter and complete deference and love during their vacation in Rio de Janeiro this weekend.

A molotov cocktail was launched in front of the US consulate in Rio de Janeiro late Friday in protest of the arrival of President Barack Obama, the O Globo newspaper in Rio reported. Military police reacted by firing rubber bullets into the gathering of 200 at around 18:30 local time. A CBN news reporter suffered a minor injury from the shots and traffic was blocked.

Worse:

President Barack Obama has cancelled a public speech he was scheduled to deliver Sunday in a Rio square during his upcoming visit to Brazil, the US embassy in Brasilia said.

The speech in the historic plaza known as Cinelandia, in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, "is cancelled," an embassy spokeswoman told AFP.

Obama instead will deliver remarks at Rio's Municipal Theatre, the official said, without specifying whether it would be open to the public or exclusively for invited guests.

No explanation for the change of venue was given by the embassy. Brazilian authorities have laid out a heavy security presence for Obama's two-day visit to South America's largest nation, and police in Rio had closed numerous streets from midnight Thursday in preparation.

On Thursday, members of an advance US security team were seen inspecting the surroundings of Cinelandia, where anti-US banners could be seen hanging from a road-side fence.

Some social and union groups have declared Obama a "persona non grata" and called for a protest, accusing him of a "bellicose policy of occupation" in foreign countries, and of attacking people "in the name of the war on terror."

Can you imagine how this must be stabbing Mr Obama in his very Socialistically/Alinsky/Ayers-educated heart? How it must pain him to be called an "occupier," a "terrorist." For shame!

Further, he won't take questions from the Brazilian press.

So let's see if I have things straight: though Mr Obama will bow before damned near anyone, will allow the UN to determine US policy, denigrates and sublimates America and tries, himself, to put us in our place. . .

He still finds that he isn't universally loved around the world?

Imagine the shock! The consternation! The feelings of betrayal!

And now its Obama's good friend and racist Louis Farrakhan who wants to determine Obama's policy? From WVON, Chicago:



[Pick up the video at 7:15 for some very specific and salient comments to his fellow black man.]

How sharply disappointing it must be to find yourself targeted from both sides of the spectrum -- particularly the side that supported your original election bid.

Perhaps the one thing that actually managed to change Mr Obama a bit after taking office: the PDB.

BZ

Donald Trump: Considered?

Is this a man who should run for president?



He certainly could afford the run.

BZ

Internet Virality: Bully Gets His Due Reward

You tell me what you think:



Looks to me like the bully got what he deserved.

But, of course, at least in America, the kid who body-slammed the bully should pay at least as much -- if not more -- than the actual initial aggressor.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, explains so much of our country today.

BZ

Obama Indecisive? Clearly A Lie!

Unless it's said by a fellow Demorat. From The Daily.com:

Fed up with a president “who can’t make his mind up” as Libyan rebels are on the brink of defeat, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is looking to the exits.

At the tail end of her mission to bolster the Libyan opposition, which has suffered days of losses to Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s forces, Clinton announced that she’s done with Obama after 2012 — even if he wins again.

“Obviously, she’s not happy with dealing with a president who can’t decide if today is Tuesday or Wednesday, who can’t make his mind up,” a Clinton insider told The Daily. “She’s exhausted, tired.”

He went on, “If you take a look at what’s on her plate as compared with what’s on the plates of previous Secretary of States — there’s more going on now at this particular moment, and it’s like playing sports with a bunch of amateurs. And she doesn’t have any power. She’s trying to do what she can to keep things from imploding.”

Clinton is said to be especially peeved with the president’s waffling over how to encourage the kinds of Arab uprisings that have recently toppled regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, and in particular his refusal to back a no-fly zone over Libya.

In the past week, former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton’s former top adviser Anne-Marie Slaughter lashed out at Obama for the same reason.

Huh; imagine that. A Demorat actually acknowledging that Mr Obama commits to nothing, decides nothing, sits back and prefers -- as I've certainly stated before -- to be "concerned" and "monitoring"?

Let's tot things up on the Big Board, shall we?

March 11th, the 9.0 Richter Tohoku earthquake in Japan; Mr Obama played golf.

Egypt and Libya cooked off; Mr Obama was likewise "concerned" and "monitoring." It was the UN which decided to instigate a "no fly" zone -- not a unilateral Mr Obama, who is unfamiliar with the definition of the word.

Simultaneously, the Middle East continues to cook, in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, the UAE, Algeria, Morocco, Somalia, Tunisia (to name a few locales). Mr Obama concerns and monitors with unfurrowed, lethargic brow.

The country directly to our south, Mexico, is beyond merely cooking and is now boiling, bringing death to our border, into our nation, whilst our good, young men and women combat Mexican cartels with LTL beanbag shotguns vs fully automatic AK-47s, Ingrams, ARs and the like.

Meanwhile, back at the DC ranch, the Demorats and Mr Obama absolutely refuse to make significant cuts to the national budget, argue over defunding the CPB (a mockery of a do-nothing bill anyway!), whilst Republicans such as Boehner, Cantor and GOP Congressman Jack Kingston (his dribblings on Hugh Hewitt's Wednesday show are here) indicate that -- check this out -- the GOP "needs to be more inclusive, collaborative and inclined towards compromise and concessions."

Isn't it odd, I should care to point out, that when the GOP is allegedly in power, it needs to compromise; when the Demorats are in power they can simply ram ObamaKare down the national throat.

Mr Obama indecisive? Perish the thought!

BZ

Jihad Cosmo

From the UK Daily Mail:

Al-Qaeda has launched a women's magazine that mixes beauty and fashion tips with advice on suicide bombings.

Dubbed 'Jihad Cosmo', the glossy magazine's front cover features the barrel of a sub-machine gun next to a picture a woman in a veil.

There are exclusive interviews with martyrs' wives, who praise their husbands' decisions to die in suicide attacks.

The slick, 31-page Al-Shamikha magazine - meaning The Majestic Woman - has advice for singletons on 'marrying a mujahideen'.

Readers are told it is their duty to raise children to be mujahideen ready for jihad.

And the 'beauty column' instructs women to stay indoors with their faces covered to keep a 'clear complexion'.

They should 'not go out except when necessary' and wear a niqab for 'rewards by complying with the command of Allah Almighty'.

A woman called Umm Muhanad hails her husband for his bravery after his suicide bombing in Afghanistan.

And another article urges readers to give their lives for the Islamist cause.

It advises: 'From martyrdom, the believer will gain security, safety and happiness.'

No.

I'm not kidding.

BZ

US Oil: A National Abomination Writ Globally

This might be my most important post to date.

Please: go with me here, and read until the end.

Whilst the rest of the world's journalists pen uninformed and untruthful screeds about the circumstances in Japan in re its three runaway reactors, there is yet still an overarching concern. If one but dons and utilizes the Long Run Glasses.

And, in my world, in the long run, this issue easily, very easily trumps whatever jeopardy Japan may face.

Because the United States of America -- Uncle Sam -- is in fact the Last and Best Hope for the entire planet.

And America has been betrayed, ladies and gentlemen.

You have been betrayed.

Every lawful citizen and taxpayer has been betrayed.

I first became aware of this situation via TexasFred:

New report says US has largest fossil fuel reserves in the world.

I read this once in disbelief and then had to read it again. I'd never heard of this, prior. I thought: it simply can't be true. It must be a lie. Read it. What do you conclude?

Weren't we told the exact opposite?

In that light, at the same time, Mr Obama wants to tap our oil reserves. Why?

This is fuel kept in reserve for, bottom line, our last-chance military needs. Mr Obama wants not to enable military victories, but to try to drop the cost of a crude barrel. He is in "good" company: Bush Sr did this in 1991 during the Gulf War; Clinton did it in 2000. And Bush Jr did it behind Katrina in 2005. And it is WRONG. Even Chevron -- who could profit -- thinks this is a bad idea.

Moreover, did anyone make a stutter-step besides ME when you read the "fossil fuel reserves" link?

That is my point.

From The Daily Caller:

Senators James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Ranking Member of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, will release a report Thursday from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) showing that the United States’ combined recoverable natural gas, oil and coal endowment is the largest on Earth.

Russia comes in as a close second with recoverable fossil fuel reserves, followed Saudi Arabia, China, Iran and Canada.

According to the new report, an updated version of a 2009 paper, the United States’ resources are larger than Saudi Arabia, China and Canada, combined. The report estimates that the U.S. has 163 billion barrels of recoverable oil and enough natural gas to meet the country’s demand for 90 years.

The CRS report is being made public at a time when oil and gas prices are skyrocketing and the Department of Interior is embroiled in a battle with oil companies over offshore drilling. Last week, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Michael Bromwich, Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, appealed a court decision that ordered them to act on five pending drilling permits.

Further:

Moreover, earlier this week it was reported that President Obama is considering tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as a response the rising gas prices. On Monday, the national average for a gallon of gas was $3.51 – up 39 cents since the unrest in Libya began in mid-February.

The rising cost of oil is putting immense pressure on the White House to act. And Obama, said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is “very cognizant of the fact that Americans are experiencing a sharp rise in prices at the gas pump that affects them and their family budgets.

"The largest on earth."

Those points made, let us consider an overarching goal or -- a placement, a massively-important question. In consideration of the fact that technology enables our ability to tap oil heretofore unconsidered.

It distills down to an IF / THEN equation.

IF the US may possess the greatest untapped oil fields, greater than Russia, greater than Saudi Arabia, Canada and China combined -- THEN why have we sent our young and good men into heavy combat behind various wars and skirmishes in the Middle East -- which is a place on earth wherein inherent Evil exists behind Islam and wherein there exists the belief that "oil stability" is paramount?

I'm telling you, ladies and gentlemen, I am still having a hugely difficult time wrapping my Wheelhouse around the concept that the largest oil reserves on the planet lie beneath our feet.

Because, if this is true, we have literally wasted more American lives and billions of American dollars than we would even remotely want to consider. Our entire defensive posture, our entire linear Strategic Thought has, if this is true, been a blatant LIE.

And we could have let all those heathen Middle Eastern nomadic, barbaric, no-account pederastic bastards kill each other off with abandon and not much cared. Much as they've themselves wished.

Because you and I and the rest of cogent Americans know the actual unspoken truth: that we've invested ourselves in the Middle East due -- primarily and only -- due to oil. The gift of which by recognition we, truly, gave to them.

Perhaps it's time to bring in the Religious Left.

Perhaps it's time for the Leftists and Marxists and Socialists and Demorats to make an accounting.

And, moreover, perhaps it's time for Republicans to take their own share of the guilt.

Above, I mentioned genocide.

I ask you: is it not genocide when you purposely sacrifice generation after generation of good American soldiers behind the uninformed and -- further -- the politically-correct stance of energy disavowance when, truthfully, the answer literally lay beneath our feet? Purposely occluded and stymied by Leftists, Demorats and "wanting to get along" Republicans?

We could solve our own problems. We could abandon the Middle East. We could, concurrently, develop alternate resources in the ten, twenty, thirty, forty years in reserve?

And we REFUSE to do so?

Oh my God. How many Americans have we sacrificed on the altar of Politically Correct?

I still find it difficult to wrap my Brain Housing Group around this.

Please weigh in. What think you?

BZ

March 19th: Looming Moon Disaster?

Fact, and not-so-much:

Fact:

On Saturday, March 19th (four days from now), our moon will be physically closer to earth than at any time in the past 18 years. That would be, specifically, 221,567 miles away -- and, the moon will be in full phase.

Not-So-Much:

An astrologer, Richard Nolle, thinks the moon at its lunar perigee on that day could trigger natural disasters on an unprecedented scale, to include earthquakes, volcanic activity and various storms.

Hip, or hype?

BZ

You Want Unmotivated & Stupid Cops? You Got It!

Said it before and I'll say it again.

Many people disagree with me.

But my numerous years of experience have affirmed: you get the kind and type of cops you pay for. If you're not interested in paying for them, you'll get -- again -- what you pay for. If you're not much interested in choosing and paying them correctly, then they're not much interested in serving you. Particularly considering the newest generations extant and upcoming.

Dayton, Ohio, is having problems with hiring via the US DOJ. From ABC22:

DAYTON -- The Dayton Police Department is lowering its testing standards for recruits.

It's a move required by the U.S. Department of Justice after it says not enough African-Americans passed the exam.

Dayton is in desperate need of officers to replace dozens of retirees. The hiring process was postponed for months because the D.O.J. rejected the original scores provided by the Dayton Civil Service Board, which administers the test.

Under the previous requirements, candidates had to get a 66% on part one of the exam and a 72% on part two.

The D.O.J. approved new scoring policy only requires potential police officers to get a 58% and a 63%. That's the equivalent of an ‘F’ and a ‘D’.

Perfect!

There you go, that's what I want: an ignorant and, moreover, documentedly-more stupid cop. Wielding "deadly force" with an ability to physically place you under arrest -- hey, that's not so terribly important. Really. It's over-rated. Further: speaking the English language: not so important anymore as well. Reading and writing: well hell, everything is relative, isn't it?

But I'm the primary racist because, now, in Sacramento, Fornicalia (where I work) I am the Official Minority as a member of Caucasoids.

Making me, of course, quite glad I'm not so far from retirement and, moreover, living numerous miles away from places where cops will be desperately needed.

So, people, keep on trying to balance your local, state and federal budgets on the back of public workers. Kick them damned privileged cops to the curb. Reduce their salaries and benefits. Reduce entrance level skills and testing thresholds.

At this point, I damned near couldn't care less. I can see retirement in my crosshairs. I've got mine, my house, my precious metals, and distance from the valley's Thug Culture.

Oh boy, people, I can't wait to see how positively all this plays out.

BZ

Saturday Videos:

Imagine this is your cruise ship:



Largest plane in the world (yes, larger than the Airbus A380), the Russian Antonov AN-225:



And finally, James May of BBC's Top Gear takes a ride in a U-2/TR-1 training variant to 70,000 feet and beyond:



Say a prayer for the people of Japan; they'll be a long time in rehabilitating their country.

BZ

Simplicity. Clarity. Discipline.

A friend of mine (Thanks, Chris!) recently sent me a video of Canadian soldiers disassembling and re-assembling a low-hood Willys Jeep during a holiday event in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Some people simply see a cool and amusing video on YouTube.

Instead, I see something completely different:

I see the physical embodiment of three primary factors necessary in societal and national success:

1. Simplicity

2. Clarity

3. Discipline

First, Simplicity: we have purposely made life way too complicated. We revel in making life too complicated. I submit that we have deliberately done this because Man, by his nature, will and has pushed thoughts and theories to points they've not themselves demanded to travel.

Whenever things look grim, whenever things look too complicated, whenever you think things are irreversible and unchangeable -- then it's time to go back to what I call The Basics.

Because, in our personal lives, in our professional lives, in our corporate lives, in our working lives, if we can't accomplish The Basics -- if we can't build and buttress and support a solid and strong and immovable Foundation upon which all else can be built -- then everything beyond that Foundation is pointless.

Second, Clarity: without Clarity we are doomed. Clarity is also known as Truth. If we can't call things what they are, if we can't acknowledge words for their definitions, if we can't admit to ourselves the things as They Are vs the Thing We Wish Them To Be, then we are merely deluding ourselves. We cannot exist isolated in Theory; we must deal with actual Reality.

Finally, Discipline: this is best expressed in our national motto: E pluribus unum.

"Out of many: one."

It is not the individual that moves the nation. It is the individual working towards a common goal, embraced by freedom, that creates the myriad links providing our unified strength. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one.

From many seemingly disparate individuals, we work towards a national unification and sovereignty. We are the United States of America.

And it is Discipline that will get us there. A committed goal and a common vision. Michael Savage expresses it best: Borders. Language. Culture. And not so-called "personal esteem." And not T-ball or minimized scores or parsed phrases or lawsuits or emotions or fear of failure. But Discipline and striving and risk and daring. And the freedom to make mistakes, to fail, and to let our paths be determined by our work. Our Constitution mentions opportunity but guarantees no outcome. To achieve our goals we clearly require: actual Discipline.

Sometimes the most truthful things are the simplest and clearest things.

BZ

Obama: Get Behind Entrepreneurs And Business!

According to NPR:

With no money left in the government coffers, the "only strategy" for growth is to get behind America's entrepreneurs, President Obama has said.

In a speech to his party's spring conference, the president declared war on the "enemies of enterprise" - and said he was on the side of "go-getters".

And he vowed 23 March's Budget would be the "most pro-growth this country has seen for a generation".

Obama's press secretary, Jay Carney, has already told the media in DC that his Budget will be "unashamedly pro-growth" and will include 10 new enterprise zones to boost some of the most deprived areas in the United States.

Mr Obama used his speech to reinforce his pro-growth message, and to promise a "fundamental rebalancing of our economy" with "less debt, more saving; less borrowing, more investment; less dependence on financial services, more new industries, exports and trade".

With interest rates at a record low, and no money to spare, the president said he wanted to champion the growth and ingenuity of the American people.

He said: "The spark of initiative. The courage to make your dream happen. The hard work to see it through.

"There's only one strategy for growth we can have now and that is rolling up our sleeves and doing everything possible to make it easier for businesses to grow, to invest, to take people on."

"Back small firms. Boost enterprise. Be on the side of everyone in this country who wants to create jobs, and wealth and opportunity."

The words you've been waiting to hear from Mr Obama, yes?

Except: NO.

Those words are from Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, spoken on March 6th and documented here.

Britain "gets it."

America does not.

Mr Obama has Historical Alzheimers and demands that our country repeat the failed ministrations of the UK and Europe. Europe is starting to come around. The US is on a crash course with history and finds itself startlingly ignorant of the past. And the oh-so-recent past!

Mr Obama, the dolt that he is, thinks that somehow he can do what the UK, Europe, the USSR and China hasn't been able to do in over 100 years: install true Ideal Socialism.

Note to Mr Obama: you are clearly "educated." But you have "learned" nothing.

BZ

In Obama's World, The Homeowner Would Go To Jail:

From The Smoking Gun:

After breaking into an Oregon residence last night, Timothy Chapek, 24, barricaded himself in a bathroom after the owner unexpectedly arrived home. Chapek, you see, was worried that Hilary Mackenzie might be armed (or that her barking German Shepherds could prove problematic).

So he called 911 seeking help. “I just broke into a house and the owner came home,” Chapek told a police operator. “You broke into a house?” the surprised operator responded. “I think she’s got guns,” Chapek added.

Simultaneously, Mackenzie called police to report that there was an intruder in her Portland home (she told an operator that Chapek had reported he was taking a shower).

In the Perfect World envisioned by Mr Obama, it is clear to me that the homeowner would subsequently be arrested whether she possessed a gun or not, her home searched, a background check conducted on her personal affairs (Is she a TEA Party member? Subscribe to The Weekly Standard? What are her radio listening habits? Does she have a blog? What is her political affiliation?). Mere suspicion of possessing a handgun for defensive purposes would be sufficient for an arrest, "registered" or not. Clearly, it's every bit as important what the female homeowner was thinking as compared to how she acted.

Just as clear is the fact that the true victim in this crime is the so-called "trespasser" who, obviously, isn't a homeowning elitist.

He obviously had unfulfilled needs and the economy, his societal position and lack of personal empowerment placed him into that unfortunate circumstance.

There's a glimpse at one possible future, America.

You like it?

Then re-elect Mr Obama come 2012.

BZ

P.S.
Finally:

According to a Portland Police Bureau report, Chapek told cops he was “taking a shower, nothing more.” Mackenzie reported that none of her belongings were out of place and that Chapek had “earlier made some utterance…that ‘Mexicans’ had kidnapped him and put him in the bathroom.”

Chapek, pictured in the above mug shot, was arrested and charged with criminal trespass. Go here for access to both 9-1-1 calls.

Huh. Imagine that. There still exists a bit of sanity, even in Leftist Portland.

I'm sure, however, the protesters are gathering who will insist he was framed. Framed, I tell you!

Corporations To Obama: We're Not Indentured Servants

Businesses and corporations aren't perfect. We know that. But they create the wealth, not government. Small businesses employ most people, but big businesses do what's left of heavy manufacturing and allow the US to have a presence in world markets for goods and services. Even and particularly in down economic times, business needs a break with regulations and taxes. And the die has been cast:

3M chief warns Obama over business regulation

By Hal Weitzman in Chicago

Published: February 27 2011 19:27 | Last updated: February 27 2011 19:27

The head of one of the US’s biggest industrial groups has launched a scathing attack on Barack Obama’s attempts to repair relations with companies, dubbing him “anti-business”.

Manufacturers could shift production out of the US to Canada or Mexico as a result, warned George Buckley, chief executive and chairman of 3M.

So who demands more taxes from business? The US or other countries? (Go here for a photographic presentation of same.) Forbes.com answers:

But it's the tax benefit of overseas operations that is the biggest reason why multinationals end up with lower tax rates than the rest of us. It only makes sense that multinationals "put costs in high-tax countries and profits in low-tax countries," says Scott Hodge, president of the Tax Foundation. Those low-tax countries are almost anywhere but the U.S. "When you add in state taxes, the U.S. has the highest tax burden among industrialized countries," says Hodge. In contrast, China's rate is just 25%; Ireland's is 12.5%.

Corporations are getting smarter, not just about doing more business in low-tax countries, but in moving their more valuable assets there as well. That means setting up overseas subsidiaries, then transferring to them ownership of long-lived, often intangible but highly profitable assets, like patents and software.

Mr Obama and other like-minded Leftists seem to think that it's a private company's duty to lose money specifically so the US government can disburse it to pet political projects, more entitlements for cronies, do-nothing welfare types, illegal immigrants who will vote for them, and for themselves, of course. Everyone knows the laws Congress makes for others and, for themselves, exempted, yes?

On the other hand, I have said and will continue to emphasize that with fewer taxes and regulations, corporations are on their own. There should never have been any bailouts for businesses perceived as "too big to fail" (a political phrase if ever there was one). GM and Chrysler should never have been bailed out; GM failed anyway. The money to banks and other financial institutions? Never. They should all have been allowed to fail completely. That is true freedom.

Now look where we are.

Still and all, 3M Chairman Buckley makes some more excellent points:

Mr Buckley, who has run the diversified manufacturer since 2005, said: “There is a sense among companies that this is a difficult place to do business. It is about regulation, taxation, seemingly anti-business policies in Washington, attitudes towards science.”

He added: “Politicians forget that business has choice. We’re not indentured servants and we will do business where it’s good and friendly. If it’s hostile, incrementally, things will slip away. We’ve got a real choice between manufacturing in Canada and Mexico – which tend to be pro-business – or America.”

Precisely. American businesses, simply by dint of being in America, are not and won't be held hostage under indentured servitude. They have choices. I suspect they truly would prefer to stay right where they are but larger ones have sufficient capital to move, lock, stock and balance sheet.

Further, we have all spoken about illegal immigration repeatedly. Isn't it about time we give priority to those who actually have something positive to bring to America -- like their education or their dollars -- such as Canada does? Buckley continues:

The 3M chief also criticised US immigration policy, saying the difficulty of obtaining visas was forcing companies to move research and development overseas. “About 68 per cent of our science PhD candidates are from outside the US,” he said. “Many want to stay here afterwards but we’re not allowed as many visas as we would like.”

“We are now exporting science overseas to China, India, Germany, building labs there. There’s a good strategic reason for it, but we also have no choice – if we can’t get the people here and we’re competing with the people there, we have no choice but to do it locally.”

America's predominant Urban Thug Environment (honed and polished by America's young black males) in school makes it, ahem, "unfashionable" and in many instances, unwise to succeed in learning, to even want to learn. That attitude and purposely-defeatist lifestyle has now run rampant through not just the black community but a good portion of the Mexican, Asian and Caucasoid young communities as well. Kids wish to be basketball players, tattooed "celebrities" or nothing at all. What they fail to realize is that, at this point, America is basketball-player'ed and celebrity-player'ed out. The Inn is beyond full and space was limited anyway.

Other countries have been lowering their tax rates, but not America. Continuing, from Forbes.com:

Naturally the Obama administration has proposed doing away with tax deferrals on overseas income. If the plan passes, a U.S. company that pays a 25% tax on profits in China would have to pay an additional 10% income tax to Uncle Sam to bring it up to the 35% corporate rate. "Eliminating deferrals would put U.S. companies on an unlevel playing field," says the Tax Foundation's Hodge, "especially if competing with the likes of Germany, which only taxes companies on domestic operations."

So: let's kill America's ability to compete globally. Isn't it the hallmark cry of the Leftist to "think and act globally"? Apparently, not if it involves business.

What most Americans forget to consider is this:

Would no more tax holiday for GE really end up helping Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer? Doubtful. "The average Joe should be in favor of lower corporate taxes," says Hodge, "because ultimately they are paying the corporate income tax. Either as workers, getting lower wages and fewer jobs, or as consumers, paying higher prices, or as retirees, getting lower dividends and earnings on their investments."

Because:

In the same vein, JPMorgan Chase ( JPM - news - people ) Chief Executive Jamie Dimon has spoken out against an Obama proposal to levy a special tax on banks to recoup bailout costs. "Using tax policy to punish people is a bad idea," said Dimon. "All businesses tend to pass costs on to customers."

I redundantly state the obvious: it is not the duty of businesses to lose money so that DC can piss it away for themselves, cronies, and those segments of society perceived to vote Leftist -- such as illegal invaders, prisoners, non-producers and parasites.

The hosts, at this point, are truly beginning to wither on the vine.

BZ

Bean Bags vs AK-47s

Kind of like taking a carton of eggs to a gunfight.

With some sarcastic language and sense of irony thrown in.

From FoxNews.com (thanks, Chris):

The U.S. Border Patrol is under fire for allegedly ordering its elite, SWAT-style units to use non-lethal bean bag ammunition before responding with deadly force – even against suspects armed with high-powered semi-automatic and automatic weapons like AK-47s.

The controversy over the agency’s “bean bag” policy began in the days following the Dec. 14 killing of U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry and has escalated recently as more information is uncovered in the investigation of the fatal shooting.

"When the suspected aliens did not drop their weapons, two Border Patrol agents deployed ‘less than lethal' beanbags at the suspected aliens,” according to a FBI search warrant request filed in the U.S. District Court in Tucson on Dec. 29. “At this time, at least one of the suspected aliens fired at the Border Patrol agents. Two Border Patrol agents returned fire, one with his long gun and one with his pistol. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was shot with one bullet and died shortly after.

The warrant appears to support claims made by Terry’s brother, Kent, and former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo that Terry’s team -- part of the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit, also known as BORTAC -- was under standing orders to always use bean-bag rounds first before using live ammunition.

"There was a group of four guys with my brother and two had lethal and two had non-lethal weapons there," Kent Terry told Fox News Friday.

Tancredo wrote about the issue in a Dec. 18 op-ed article here.

Would your federal government ever purposely send its own very precious CIVILIAN agents into battle less than perfectly equipped?

For "Politically Correct" purposes?

You figure that one out.

BZ

P.S.

May the good Lord keep and hold USBP Agent Brian Terry, and look after him and his family.

Reality = Kabuki Theatre

Anyone besides me wondering what the Hell happened to reality?

Anyone besides me wondering what new abortion will occur day-by-day?

Anyone thinking that, daily, our lives are becoming true extensions of a version of an actual Kabuki Theatre?

Me too.

Where did we go wrong?

And when did we lose control?

Or, a question: has control truly been lost?

Or is "control" only subject to discussion when times are "bad" -- or, perhaps more significantly, when times are perceived as "good"?

Does your reality change day-to-day?

And, moreover, does perception rule reality?

BZ