Feds' move on Hastert "smells"

  What on earth is motivating the charges against Dennis Hastert? 
  It's remarkable that federal government entities can whip up charges against someone who periodically took more than $10,000 out of his bank account. The offense? Not that he did it, but that he lied about it to the FBI because he didn't want anyone to know he was being blackmailed.
  I dunno.
  I was under the impression that lying isn't a problem anymore, especially for federal employees lying to the public about anything, so why is it wrong for a private citizen to lie to protect himself from the very thing that the feds have revealed?
  It's also remarkable that federal government entities feel it necessary to accuse the individual of sex charges, since neither the blackmailer or black mailee have complained to federal entities.
  What business is it of theirs?
  The original reason for federal "structuring"of bank deposits/withdrawals was to stop drug trafficking but here appears to be used as a form of political trickery.
  What would motivate the feds to "expose" Hastert and his presumed victim to public humiliation and federal charges? (And, really, won't there be more coming out of the woodwork now that it is far too late to prove?)
  This act is highly suspect according to Alan Dershowitz, whose reasoning is that this action makes the feds "being essentially part of the blackmail," predicting that the "feds won't win this one." 
  Newsmax:

"This case just smells," Dershowitz said. "I'm shocked that a prosecutor would allow this kind of case to be brought knowing that it will reveal the secrets, that it would open doors up to things that are alleged or have occurred almost half a century ago. … This is not a case that should've been brought in federal court"

  So is the Clinton corruption case not providing enough work for Democrat politicians and lawmakers to investigate?

  Are we so desperate to find more Republican corruption (and I'm sure there's more) that we had to dig this mess up and ruin people's lives just to deflect from Hillary's, Bill's and Chelsea's vast corruption which is slowly being revealed?

  A two billion dollar charity Foundation that presumably spends only 10-15% of the monies on charity?

  Yeah, something isn't right here.

Baltimore mayor looks the fool in news conference

  Baltimore is afire; its leaders--Democrats all, many if not most black--have had millions of dollars- (In fact--$1.8 billion of stimulus money)poured into their city, yet they seem completely unprepared to deal with the violence they have encouraged, unwittingly or not.
  Most remarkable is the video of Leland Vitter interviewing Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who, though primped, carefully coiffed and glamorously made up for her news conference, appears to be completely flummoxed by the hard questions the press asks only Republicans.
  I don't know what you're doing. I'm leaving if you don't ask the right questions!
  The stunned look on her face is truly wondrous to behold.

A quick look at the Republican field of candidates

  So where do we stand with current Republicans running for POTUS?
  Rand Paul
Pros: 

• Goes into territory many Republicans avoid.
• Unafraid to speak his mind.
• Values personal liberty. 
• Knowledgeable about the private sector.

Cons: 

• His antics the other day were an obvious personal attack against McCain and Graham. 
• He seems petty at times; blaming Republicans for the creation of ISIS is breathtakingly stupid.  
• He has a slightly screwy appearance. 
• Occasionally unreasonably quarrelsome.

Ben Carson:
Pros: 

• Highly knowledgeable.
• Interesting personal story.
• An excellent leader.
• Has the ability to inspire--unlike our current POTUS--minorities with good work ethic and spirituality.
• Unafraid to speak his mind.
• Soothing agreeable appearance and demeanor. He's obviously a healer.

Cons: 

• Politically naive.
• Reacts ineptly to political digs.
• Lacks political experience.
• May not be aggressive enough to deal with the long knives.

Jeb Bush:
Pros: 

• Highly regarded as governor of Florida.
• Numerous political & monied connections.
• High name recognition.
• Affable personality.

Cons:

• Hasn't been in political arena for a while. Flubs easy questions.
• Assumes too much.
• High name recognition.
• Maintains status quo, same ole same ole
• BLEH!

Rick Santorum:
Pros: 

• Easy going traditionalist. Nice guy.
• Lifts values many Americans treasure.
• Interesting personal family life.
• Has experience but not wedded to Republican traditions.

Cons:

• Boring. Boring. Boring.
• Hate the sweaters.
• Gets himself into hot water because his views diverge from mainstream.
• Nice guy.
• Seems to get bogged down in details and weeds.

Donald Trump:

• Please. No.

Chris Christie:
Pros: 

• Truthful when questioned about hard issues.
• Good organizer.
• Unafraid to get in people's faces, regardless party.
• Likeable. Personal appearance identifies with the everyday chub.
• Actually answers questions.

Cons:

• A true political animal.
• Personal appearance identifies with the everyday chub.
• Engenders an uneasy sense that he'll do dishonest things if he can get away with it. True? who knows.
• He's a blowhard from New Jersey, a state with a history of corruption.
• Has some wacky Leftist ideas, including taxing Social Security, penalizing those who've saved.

Carly Fiorina:
Pros:

• Highly energetic; scrappy & savvy.
• Actual business and leadership experience
• Willing to question Hillary at every level. This is invaluable.
• Gender. 

Cons:

• Her business experience means she has business enemies.
• Fundraising may be a problem. 

Marco Rubio:
Pros:

• Personally appealing.
• Moving personal story.
• Has some great ideas.
• Hispanic.

Cons:

• Triangulates with RINOs such as McCain.
• At times seems politically naive.
• Is he firm on illegal immigration? 
• That water sip.

Ted Cruz:
Pros:

• He'll do what he says.
• Firmly in the freedom camp regarding policies and regulations.
• Willing to answer directly hard questions.
• Great personal story.

Cons:

• Has a personally grating personality for many people.
• Has a solid chorus of critics built into his candidacy.
• Can he win?

Rick Perry:
Pros:

• Excellent track record as governor of Texas.
• Great at creating jobs.
• Personally appealing.

Cons:

• Dismal performance in his last run for presidency. True, he had had recent back surgery. Can he overcome?
• Can he campaign without maligning other Republicans?

Scott Walker:
Pros:

• Excellent record reforming unions in one of the bluest states in the country.
• Has a humble demeanor in the face of opposition.
• Unflappable.
• Has faced some of the most vile thug tactics of any politician in recent memory.
• Pro freedom.
• Survived a malicious deceitful recall.
• Quit college 32 hours short for a business opportunity.

Cons:

• Quit college 32 hours short.
• His enemies are already organized.
• Is he dynamic enough?

  Pataki? Meh. Why.
 So apparently there are numerous other candidates already running, including a weasel named Lindsey Graham and a dynamic governor named Jindal, SNL notwithstanding.
  This is an awesome field; it is obvious that at this juncture, Jeb Bush isn't the designated front runner. In fact, it appears that Scott Walker is doing very well, as are Rubio and Fiorina. Ben Carson is holding his own, at least for now. He would make an excellent Secretary of HHS, wouldn't you think?
  Though many nagging wagsters claim there are too many, I find it refreshing that such a diverse field is staring down a commie like Sanders, a corrupt old war horse like Clinton and an inept pretty boy ike O'Malley. 
  Baltimore, anyone?

Seeking the truth about Leftists' intentions

  By now, any non-deluded person--American or otherwise--can see that the liberal dream is just that. A dream that has no root in reality. A dream that is built on the porous and arrogant belief that only leftists know enough to build the perfect society. 
  This dream that has repeatedly been refuted by both reality and history, as communist state after state has fallen into rubble.
  The building blocks of this dream world are lies.
  Obamacare is built on lies that Obama and his kind told over and over, based on the "stupidity of the American people," people who foolishly and repeatedly trust the deceivers.
  You may have noticed the whole global warming push is heating up again.
  This is because Obama's nearing the end of his years of transforming America; time is running out and the world's leaders want to be sure they get their fingers in more Americans' lives.
  These leaders are fairly open that their goal is "remaking the world's economy"; here, read it yourself:

"This is probably the most difficult task we have ever given ourselves, which is to intentionally transform the economic development model, for the first time in human history,” Christiana Figueres, who heads up the U.N.’s Framework Convention on Climate Change, told reporters.

“This is the first time in the history of mankind that we are setting ourselves the task of intentionally, within a defined period of time, to change the economic development model that has been reigning for the, at least, 150 years, since the industrial revolution,” Figueres said.

  See how noble? We need to change the meaning of words, to transform, to remake in a predetermined image.
  This is what Leftists do.
  They redefine words based on their ultimate goal of acquiring wealth and power--for themselves. No matter reality. No matter the "little people" who get squashed on the way to this Godless, society run by gods.
  Even the idea of poverty in the West is -generally- a lie (see here for the definition of poverty in America, including big screen tvs and high speed internet), redefined to suit a purpose that gives a constant thumping to personal achievement and exalts government beneficence, described here at the Telegraph. This redefinition dates back decades:

Given all this [the abundance of modern society], how is it that so many pundits and charities talk about widespread poverty in Britain?

It dates back to 1962 and the annual conference of the British Sociological Association. Two Left-wing academics, Peter Townsend and Brian Abel-Smith, developed a new way of defining “poverty” based on the income level at which people were entitled to a payment called “supplementary benefit”. One person at the conference reported “a mood of conspiratorial excitement” about the idea of redefining poverty. These are her words, not mine, and they do seem revealing. It is as if some people on the Left were longing to find a way in which poverty had not been “conquered” as Barbara Castle had said. They had found a way in which it would always be possible to use the huge emotional power of the word.

  We have redefined police brutality, redefined the duties of the police in a "civilized" society, and we have seen the results. 
  Baltimore is a city aflame with resentment, hatred and murder, much like Chicago where 3/4 of the city sniffs at the "south end," where all the murders happen on a daily basis. And, whooeee, those weekends!
  It's funny how your money is so often at the bottom of all the social justice movements, eh? 
  Like our government taking in trillions of dollars, more money than they have ever taken in from the taxpayers and yet Bernie Sanders gets cheers from his fans when he suggests taking 90% of income for "high" income earners, the word high to be determined by Bernie. 
  So what will happen to all the new monies they want. Why, they'll be squandered invested on regulators, of course! We'll get more laws, more rules, more regulations, petty dictators! Yay!
  As Victor David Hansen says it, "we all sense" that "things are starting to collapse," even as we all remark to one another how rapid the descent has been, but it really isn't our concern.
  And that's the greatest concern.
  Obama's numerous scandals and repeated offenses against a free people have inured the concerned citizen to the point of despair and a sense that we can't fight the powerful machine he and the politicians have built.
  This is all very true and very depressing.
  As a Christian, I would observe, however mournfully, that this is the way it is supposed to happen.
  Perhaps this time man will really come to the end of himself. After all the centuries, we are so much more civilized today, are we not? 
  The fabulously wealthy are paid millions of dollars for vacuous anti-American class warfare speeches, decrying inequality and unfairness, paid with loaned dollars from thousands of college students who've mortgaged their futures for a degree in puppetry and a speech by Michelle Obama about revolutions. 
  And those same fabulously wealthy overpaid speakers lament their circumstances, their perceived slights, their grievances against the middle class that pays their wage and guarantees their future wealth.
  Shhh. We won't mention the beheadings. We might upset the elite.
  Because chimps are people, too, right?
  Perhaps this is near the end of our golden age. Perhaps not.
  For myself,  I choose to believe that God Himself is nearer still and that all who ask receive forgiveness and a future that has nothing to do with social justice and everything to do with actual justice.
  If you do not believe as I, you perhaps will also call me delusional, sustaining the "God myth."
  I guess we'll figure that out one day, regardless your or my belief.
  And regardless your or my belief about the end of the story, it's a good thing that Leftists' selfish and evil intentions are being exposed...daily, even hourly.
  It's a choice, I think, to see what is true, a choice that extends from this world into the next.

Health care problems mount

  As we wait with breathless anticipation to see how Chief Justice John Roberts has decided to rewrite the Affordable Care Act Obamacare law to make it work, we are thrilled to learn that health care is still a mess.
  So it's not just that it's too expensive for twenty somethings, as detailed in this NY Post piece:

I’m teaching on a freelance basis. My husband is also a full-time freelancer, or a “perma-lance,” if you will. Our household income puts us just barely in the lower-middle-class bracket.
And we will end up paying top dollar to have any type of insurance.
So we’ve decided we’re just going to pay the Affordable Care Act’s individual-mandate penalty: 2 percent of household income or $325 per person, whichever is more (of course).

  Now, if you've been sick at all, you know what a mess health care is these days. It's not just slightly improved: it's worse since the politicians mucked it up, Democrats specifically.
  We've discussed previously that you have to be very careful which emergency room you choose; in fact, even if you are careful, you may end up with an ER doctor who isn't in your plan even though the hospital might be.
  Yesterday The Blade had an interesting article about other ER problems, including the "levels" which determine how much you'll be charged, depending on your malady. How comforting to find that ProMedica, which runs most of the hospital care in Northwest Ohio, is so expensive. I know I'm personally glad to know that if I can walk into an ER, my rate will be lower, notwithstanding the cost of an ambulance.
  Most disturbing is the disclosure that, hey, not everybody has bought insurance so you'll be glad that you'll be paying for them too, just like it always was. The Blade:

In addition to services rendered, the point system also builds in the cost of running an ER 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a week into the patient’s bill, she said. [SNIP]

The overhead costs that hospitals incur have to be part of the equation and built into the price because hospitals cannot turn anyone away, even those who cannot pay, said David Morlock, chief executive officer of UTMC. [SNIP]

There are no national standards or regulations around the levels that hospitals assign to ER visits, so each hospital system is free to create its own approach, he said.
UTMC, like most other medical centers in the country, follow guidelines established by the American College of Emergency Physicians to determine if an ER visit is Level 1 through 5.

  So, to quote a truly brilliant orator's truly "memorable speech", "don’t get sick and, if you do, die quickly."
  So, yeah. Alan Grayson is, unfortunately, right, just for the wrong reasons.

Ted Cruz and women

  Ted Cruz has a woman problem. 
  No, not the Bill Clinton type of woman problem.
  Personally I'm a fan of Ted Cruz, though he's not necessarily my primary candidate for the presidency.
  I have to say, however, that a number of women (conservative sensible women) I've questioned really, really can't stand Ted Cruz. Their complaints include a whinily intense voice and a manner that irritates to the point of dismissing him politically.
  I have another sensible  conservative male friend who says Rand Paul can never be president. Why? My friend circled his head and said, "That hair. His screwy hair." Of course, I believe my friend has other reasons for not liking Paul but his dislike is localized in that one descriptor.
  I trust the judgment of these people; I also believe there's an innate ability for some politicians to connect with the public on a personal and singular level. I'm afraid my friends are essentially right.
  Though we prefer candidates with pristine conservative principles, winning also includes relating to people on an organic level, something of which Hillary Clinton is absolutely incapable but of which her husband is a master, though in recent days has become more of a late night joke than a former president.
  Perhaps these women haven't seen enough of Cruz; I'm guessing,though, his problem is similar to the Sarah Palin voice problem--the whole nails on chalkboard issue.

Ohio Conservatives Unite!

May 18, 2015
IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NORTHWEST OHIO CONSERVATIVE COALITION LAUNCHES NEW STATEWIDE PROGRAM “OHIO CONSERVATIVES UNITED”

Toledo, OH: As we enter the campaign season for the upcoming 2016 Presidential elections, the Northwest Ohio Conservative Coalition (NWOCC) has unveiled a unique statewide program called “Ohio Conservatives United” (OCU).

As the Presidential primary campaign unfolds, there are a large number of conservative candidates who will be vying for the conservative vote. Unfortunately, the small number of “establishment” Republican candidates are counting on splitting the conservative vote to increase their chances of winning.

To up the ante even more, two weeks ago the Republican controlled Ohio legislature passed a bill to move the Spring 2016  primary election forward by seven days, thus changing the rules on how a Presidential candidate wins the coveted delegates that will represent Ohio at the Republican National Convention. The rule change now says the winner of the Ohio presidential primary gets ALL of Ohio's delegates, not just the congressional districts they won.

John Mc Avoy, NWOCC board member and spokesman for the OCU project says, “When you put all these puzzle pieces together, the picture becomes very clear. Unless Ohio's conservative voters can coalesce around a single candidate, the establishment candidate will be making that trip to the Cleveland GOP convention with all 64 Ohio delegates”.

The challenge of the OCU program is clear, but it is its unique method that has Ohio's conservatives signing on to participate. According to Linda Bowyer, Chair of the NWOCC, “we will ask voters to make a commitment, not to vote for any one candidate, but to review the data, and talk to other voters about the candidates and the subject of unity around one candidate”.

NWOCC will be sending out a simple three question survey to Ohio’s conservative voters, asking them to rank their top five candidates for the Republican nomination.   The NWOCC then publishes the poll results so all can see where conservative voters in Ohio stand.  The survey then asks the voter if their first choice isn't the first choice of the majority of Ohio conservatives, would they be willing to change their candidate and support the number one candidate. The final question is addressed at disenfranchised Republicans, Independents, and even members of other parties, asking them if they would be willing to vote Republican in the March primary in order to help the conservative candidate win.

Conservative groups throughout Ohio will be asked to participate in this poll.  A group’s participation in this poll will accomplish two major objectives:

1) It will provide a statewide view of where the conservative candidates stand with regards to Ohio’s conservative voters,

2) it will initiate dialogue and discussion within the groups and their members regarding the candidates and the issue of unity.

It is important to remember that in no way does this poll or a group’s participation constitute any commitment by the group or its members to support any particular candidate.  Groups interested in participating in this survey should visit www.OhioConservativesUnited.org to sign up.

The Northwest Ohio Conservative Coalition is a non-connected political action committee registered with the Federal Elections Commission and the State of Ohio.

For more information, visit our webpage www.nwohiocc.com or contact us at nwohioconservativecoalition@gmail.com.

Feds can't even do a recall website correctly

    I have a lot of things on my political mind this morning but when I heard on the news that the air bags on some cars have killed people and many cars have been recalled, I rushed over to the government website to find out if my car was in the recall group.
  I needn't have rushed. True to government form, the website is not working adequately. You can access the page, but the drop down menu for vehicle descriptions does not work, or at least it didn't when I was checking it.
  Instead of fixing it or giving it more bandwidth, some IT brain posted this notice:

This site is experiencing unusually high volume and may cause delays or disruption in some functionality. If you experience a disruption then please visit later to conduct your search. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience. Information regarding the National Recall of Takata Air Bags may be found here: http://www.safercar.gov/rs/takata/index.html

  So there you have it.
  In yet another example, the feds, funded by taxpayer dollars and faith, get out ahead of themselves without adequate planning.
  Incompetence is once again on display.
  Let me extrapolate from this anecdote.
  Big government can't be fixed. Local control is the only way to correct problems like these, with people around these "workers" screaming in their ears that they aren't doing a good job and need to be fired if problems like these aren't fixed immediately.

Who would want to be a teacher these days?

  So-called educators are making disastrous decisions--spurred by Eric Holder's 2014 decree that too many black teenagers are receiving disparate punishments--that will absolutely destroy the high school classroom.
  Just as Obama's made the job of policeman particularly unappealing (who would want to be a policeman these days?), his administration is doing the same for teaching.
  From The Daily Caller, we learn that behavior termed as "willful defiance" will no longer provoke an automatic suspension in Oakland, as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles, particularly for black and hispanic students, nor will badly behaved students be moved to another school.
  Instead, schools will work to restore these teenagers to the educational community, a curious conclusion considering educators will no longer be able to banish them in the first place. Some alternatives to suspension from the San Francisco Chronicle are:

.... the district’s Manhood Development classes for African American males as well as restorative justice, which requires victims and offenders to talk about the behavior and ways to address it.

  We've seen how well talking resolves situations with thugs, no matter their age; considering the behavior we have witnessed in Ferguson and Baltimore and that almost 70% of black children are raised in single parent households, do school officials really think letting teenagers cuss out their teacherrs will benefit criminal teenagers in the long run?
  Most interesting in Oakland is the racial breakdown from the DC:

The racial composition of Oakland’s public school system is about 32 percent black, a little under 40 percent Hispanic, about 15 percent Asian and about 12 percent white, according to Oaklandreads.org.

  So basically--because of the color of their skin--72% of the student population of Oakland Schools will be ineligible for suspension due to bad behavior.
 In Minnesota, based on the color of their skin, all suspensions of black and hispanic students must be reviewed by the school superintendent. 
  Based on the color of their skin, the same is not true for white and Asian students.
  Do Leftists really think letting teenagers play on their cell phones or leave the classroom whenever they feel like it will give them an advantage in life?
  So what's the purpose of rules like this, other than to make actually teaching a miserable and impossible task? 
  Is it advancing the anarchist cause of breaking down the culture, of nullifying any social contract that might have existed? Of undermining local authority?
  One has to wonder what is in the minds of the Obama administration these days. What are the principles behind these regulations?
  Consider:

• Obama has declared too many people of color are incarcerated and wants to lessen punishments, possibly even release thousands of prisoners
• Obama has repeatedly sided with criminals, sending administration officials to the funerals of criminals while not doing the reverse for slaughtered police, at the same time excoriating police for their actions before the facts are known
• Obama continues to negotiate at all costs with the "death to America" crowd in Iran, which is deliberately and contemptuously crossing political and social red lines
• At the same time, Obama's people have politically persecuted his "enemies" and those who do not share his political beliefs
• While giving obligatory lip service to non-violence, Obama rarely emphasizes good behavior on the part of people who look like him, instead reinforcing an attitude of victimhood for people who look like him
• Obama repeatedly criticizes white people, Christianity, America, the Judeo Christian ethic and Western way of life while admiring other countries and especially Islam
• Obama's rhetoric is solipsistic, drawing conclusions based on his own privileged experiences and community outlook way of thinking, such as this example. Though he himself and his children attend[ed] private schools, he has repeatedly stripped anxious poor black parents of inner city children of the possibility of school choice. Indeed, every holiday and occasion honoring "others" is celebrated with a photo of Obama celebrating "others."

  The conclusions we can draw from this:

• Obama does not like autonomy for anyone but himself
• Obama refuses to hold some people accountable based on the color of their skin
• Obama exalts Islamic countries while ignoring the murder and persecution of Christians
• Obama seems oblivious that he is globally regarded as a fool and oblivious to the obvious consequences this will have for the people of the United States and our allies
• The only kind of law enforcement Obama likes is the kind that he himself initiates; this kind of enforcement is partisan, prejudiced and focused on restorative justice rather than the idea that justice is blind

 I can draw only one primary conclusion from these facts and that conclusion is this.

Since Obama judges people on the basis of the color of their skin and their political beliefs, many people will never receive justice under Obama, who himself is hungry for more power to determine fairness and equity based on his own skewed set of values.

  And that is based on fact and critical analysis, not just partisan beliefs, although I am admittedly a partisan.
  And that also, my friends, is why I ask this question?
  Given the direction this country is headed under the guidance of Obama's ilk, both in government and higher education, why would anyone want to be a teacher these days?

SNL digs Hillary again

  Well, as Hillary is busy taking selfies around the country, refusing to answer questions and standing by while the wolves tear apart the Clinton Foundation's rapacious policies depriving the poor of money donated to help them, SNL had fun again with a skit about her lack of personality.
  I was actually surprised they went after her again, especially the portion of the skit when Hillary approaches two "children" playing in the sand (around 4:02) and asks if the children's parents will be voting for her and the "child" responds, "Oh, they don't like you." When Hillary asks why, the child responds, "They don't like you and they just never will."
  Hillary tries too hard, faking the smile and turning everything into a campaign pitch. A randy Bill also makes an appearance.
  What's most surprising is the skit is it wasn't just skewering the truth but was on point with its mockery; Hillary DOES try too hard, lots of people DON"T like her, she has a BILL problem and she's an elitist whose entire life has been consumed by doing anything she can to get to the presidency.
  Because, hmp. SNL usually only does this to R politicians.
  We'll see if they pick up with this line next fall. I'm guessing Lorne Michaels will be getting a call and a shoulder shove from the Clinton campaign soon.

Mrs. Obama needs to put aside the trigger warnings and meet the real world

  Last weekend was a significant weekend for the celebration of graduates' accomplishments. Plastered all over the news today are Michelle Obama's petty solipsistic remarks about how hard it is to be FLOTUS.
  I keep thinking. What. Does. This. Woman. Want.
  What would actually make her happy?
  I guess if she were less pampered, less egotistically pushy and more aware of these precarious times I could half understand what she's saying.
  As it is, anyone who takes an earlier flight by a couple hours to Hawaii for vaca because she doesn't want to wait for her husband, not to mention the extra cost for security, simply doesn't care about the real America who pays her bills.
  Aw, we can rail all we want about her excesses but those criticisms will always be seen as racist, even though ~equal butt kicking for all~ indicates true lack of prejudice.
  So instead we are treated to snippy lectures about how mean people are to the Obamas, who apparently have no idea what it means to be IN POLITICS.
  Opinions, guffaws, chiding and outright bawling laughter about poor Mrs. Obama are all over the web, as I'm sure anyone interested in this topic already knows. We are reminded that she attended Harvard and Princeton, lived in Hyde Park, held a hospital job for over $300,000 a year that funneled needy patients into the poorer parts of town and yet still looks at herself as a victim. Like maybe when Michelle "sneaked" out with her security couterie to Target and some poor short lady made the mistake of asking her to get something from a high shelf. Horrors! Wasn't that short lady expecting to see the First Lady of the United States in Target? How dare she?
  The pampered FLOTUS complains the Obamas have been "stung" by "daily slights" their "entire lives" which are a "heavy burden to carry," and that she's been"knocked back" by satirical portrayals of her, and suffered "sleepless nights" from repeated affronts because being a minority in the US is "tough," regardless the numerous minority population that currently holds venomous political and legal sway over all of America.
  One has to wonder why these people, as sensitive and fragile as they are emotionally, politically and spiritually, ever that politics was the career they wanted. It seems every comment and criticism is viewed as a slight, a trigger that produces the depths of self-pitying despair.
  My perception is that, well, you know, the Obamas really are uppity, but that uppityness is rooted in the Leftist philosophy that they're all--white, black and whatever-- better than flyover country and the taxpayers who foot the bills for their splurging on excessive partying and vacationing in exotic places regardless the cost. 
  On another note, I have to say I admire the Oberlin choir who responded in song to the terrible threats that opposing voices have offered to them through triggering thoughts and terrors which confuse them.
  Unlike the Obamas, these young people who attend Oberlin--you know--Oberlin where they have a special building for transgender students, where everyone has *COEXIST* bumper stickers but quite openly hate anyone who disagrees with them, Oberlin which graduates the most liberal precious students in the United States including the currently aggrieveed mayor of Baltimore, Oberlin which has an 11 on a scale of 10 when it comes to Leftist scoring....
  This Oberlin choir has the courage to challenge those trigger warnings so many Leftists feel when anyone in the real world challenges their strongly held beliefs. You know, like confronting the opposite of actually *COEXISTING*. Anyway here's the song until Oberlin demands they pull it down.
  The Obamas could take some advice from these young people, whose names are all over the video.

Riot porn: the new crowd funding tool

  It's odd that the same time Leftists are excoriating cartoonists about Mohammed they seem to be strangely silent concerning the spate of recent police murders which most surely have been spawned by their hateful rhetoric.
  Stepping into the void to encourage the hatefulness has been Obama's DOJ, which has repeatedly sent three representatives to the funerals of black men who've put themselves in the limelight by breaking the law but has repeatedly ignored the funerals of the police who've been killed in the line of duty.
  Most poignant and haunting are the last words of one of the latest cops to be killed. A witness reported this:

Mills heard one of the officers say, 'Am I dying? I know I'm dying. Just hand me my walkie-talkie.'

'Never in my life have I experienced or seen anything like this expect on TV and to be in the midst of it, it's shocking and heartbreaking,' she told the Clarion-Ledger.

  These words struck me--hard. So much said in so few syllables. I imagine his thoughts as he lay helpless on the ground next to the vehicle which minutes before he drove to the scene:

I can't move. I wondered what it would be like to be killed at work. But is this it? Is this how it happens, how you go from  strong one moment to lying dead on the ground seconds later? Will you tell me? Do you know if I'm dying. Wait. No. This is it. I can feel my blood rushing from my body. But hand me my walkie talkie. I need to do one last job. I need to report the murder of a policeman.

  When will this end? 
  And it's too bad the morons don't realize they're being used by the race baiters. Who wins in creating nightmare scenarios like this? 
  The thugs who get arrested?
  The black, asian and white people whose businesses and homes are destroyed?
  The average citizen watching the nightmares?
  The clueless "rich Republicans" who retreat to their wealthy enclaves?
  The answer is none of those people.
  The people who win are the lollipop headed race baiters dressed in $3000 suits who travel from camera to board room to bank pedaling riot porn.
  Clue: they're all Democrats.
  And they all want more. More money, more power, more ego.
  

Marlin Stutzman for Senate. Yes! Yes! Yes!

If you have followed this blog for sometime you have probably observed that I have been rather stingy with my praise of candidates endorsed by the Tea Party in Indiana and Kentucky. I did not support Richard Mourdock in his successful primary race against Dick Lugar nor did I support Matt Bevin's attempt to unseat Mitch McConnell. For years I had watched Mourdock fumble around in local politics, even visited his home once, and concluded that he was probably a pretty good geologist who should have stuck to his career choice. I predicted he would lose to Joe Donnelly in the general and Mourdock succeeded in confirming that fear.
I regarded Matt Bevin as an opportunist on an ego trip who after losing would never be heard from again. That judgment may have been too harsh. After losing to McConnell, Bevin embarked on an unsuccessful effort to shift control of the Kentucky legislature to the Republicans proving that he is a team player. I will happily back him in his race for governor.



This post in The Hill has me ecstatic. Congressman Marlin Stutzman has announced that he will seek the nomination for the senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Dan Coats. To me this is Christmas in May! Marlin Stutzman is the best Indiana has to offer. Since he arrived in Congress after a special election in 2010 he has been one of those recalcitrant Republicans who have given Speaker Boehner heartburn. As noted in my less than objective post, Yo, Rep. Stutzman the Senate needs you, as head of the Republican Study Committee Budget and Spending Task Force Stutzman produced a budget that reformed Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and added to defense spending. It took a parliamentary maneuver on the part of Speaker Boehner who invoked the "Queen of the Hill" rule to defeat it but it did get 132 Republican votes which is more than any of the 5 alternative budgets.
He is not only a fiscal conservative but is adamantly pro life. Please read this compelling post by the congressman in Life News.
Back in 2010 Stutzman was among a group of at least 5 Republicans who were vying for a chance to run against Evan Bayh. After Bayh announced he would not seek reelection national Republicans prevailed on Dan Coats to enter the race. Being a loyal party man, Coats entered the race and won the seat, a seat that he had once retired from. Now it appears that former Coats staffer Eric Holcomb who has never been elected to anything is the establishment's choice for senate.
Stutzman was elected to the Indiana state senate at the age of 26. The is something compelling and down to earth about politician who cut their teeth in state politics. Think along the lines of Marco Rubio, Cory Gardner, Joni Ernst or Jimmy Jordan. They keep their ears to the ground.
Stand by Marlin Stutzman, collect ballot signatures for Marlin Stutzman, send money to Marlin Stutzman, pray for Marlin Stutzman. Do whatever you can for Marlin Stutzman. This guy is gold!

Wow! Latino restaurateurs want to celebrate "White Appreciation Day"

According to the left the country needs to have a conversation about race. Actually the country has been having a perpetual conversation about race for nearly seven years and for many of us it's wearing a little thin. The whole white privilege concept is nothing more than a facade for ethnocentric blacks to hide behind to safely slander the entire white race. Under the guise of being serious critics of society in the twenty-first century these charlatans seek to excuse their bigotry by hearkening back to a day well beyond the life span of the grandparents of any living American and attempting to gain an aura of moral superiority by virtue of their birth. It is idiotic, absurd, and morally and logically indefensible. Only an age like our own, one that simply revels in banality, one that judges a celebrity's character by her choice of tattoos, one that really cares who Bruce Gender loves would tolerate this nonsense.
It is refreshing to see someone like this pair of first generation Americans of Mexican decent celebrate "White Appreciation Day.
From Fox 10 TV in Milliken, Colorado:

Two Hispanic owners of a barbecue restaurant plan to offer all white people a discount on their food for "White Appreciation Day."
Edgar Antillon and Miguel Jimenez, of Rubbin Buttz BBQ and Country Cafe, announced a 10-percent discount will be given to whites June 11.
"We want to highlight the positive," Antillon said Friday. "We don't want people to focus on the negative. Every time you hear 'white,' it has this cloud over it."
Antillon said the idea started as a joke. He and Jimenez were talking about how there was a Black History Month and a Hispanic Heritage Month, but there was nothing specifically celebrating white cultural achievements.
"The joke turned into a reality," he said.
There are no plans to have appreciation days for any other races or cultural groups.

Update: KUSA-TV reports that the restaurant had to be evacuated because of a bomb threat and the owner have received numerous threats.
 The restaurant in Milliken that gained national attention after a 9NEWS story about it's idea for a "White Appreciation Day" was evacuated Friday due to a bomb threat.
The Hispanic owner of Rubbin Buttz BBQ, Edgar Antillion, says they received numerous threats Friday.
The restaurant hung a sign reading "White Appreciation Day! June 11th. Because all Americans should be celebrated!!" It plans on giving white customers a 10 percent discount.

You don’t really mean that?

Probably you've gotten that sinking feeling when a person in authority, maybe your parent or a teacher, looked at you incredulously and asked, “You don’t really mean that, right?" It's a rhetorical question. Of course the speaker understands that you do mean it but finds your grasp of the matter under discussion to be patently idiotic. It's a polite way of say "you're full of shit." If you remember the blow that was to your self esteem imagine the ego crushing trauma it would have been if you had been a lawyer and the speaker was an appellate court judge. “You don’t really mean that, right?"
The TaxProf Blog has the entire story along with the legal analysis but I thought it was worth relaying just how lame the IRS' defense is in the case concerning it's hostility toward the pro Israel group, Z Street. Readers will remember that Z Street was denied tax exempt status because the IRS candidly admitted its views were at odds with the Obama administration's. It sued but the IRS is attempting to block discovery that will most certainly be embarrassing to the IRS and the Obama administration. The case is now in D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Part of the IRS defense was a section of the IRS code that barred a lawsuit unless the IRS failed to act for 270 days. The IRS contended that the suit should be foreclosed. The court did not buy that and made the point that the plaintiff was not suing for tax exempt status but rather was suing on grounds that the IRS can’t discriminate based on point of view.
The idea that it was all right to discriminate as long as it didn't go on for more than 270 days was too much for Judge Merrick Garland.
“You don’t really mean that, right? Because the next couple words would be the IRS is free to discriminate on the basis of viewpoint, religion, race [for 270 days]. You don’t actually think that?” Judge Garland said. “Imagine the IRS announces today a policy that says as follows: No application by a Jewish group or an African-American group will be considered until one day short of the period under the statute . . . Is it your view that that cannot be challenged?”
And it didn't get better after that. Judge Garland stated that the court had just heard a similar case and had rejected every argument the government was making. “so in a way we have already decided every issue before us today, against you.” ...

Leftists' ideology ruins lives

  So you've heard Obama's infuriatingly pitiable lecture that what's happened in Baltimore is "nothing new" and what did y'all expect anyway, considering that y'all have ignored the poor for decades? 
  Until white people start to care about what happens in urban areas, more riots, more unrest. This is the new norm until white people start to care. "I've seen this movie too many times," he complained.
  As always, caring is determined by the number of dollars that are funneled to these urban areas, the number of midnight basketball programs established and the number of meals served to school children (3 hots a day!) who apparently have no parents who care enough to feed their own children.
  Unfortunately for the community organizer whose primary job seems to organize hate and throw money at problems, the facts do not support Obama's lies.
  Perrysburg Schools, known for excellence, spends about $9,000 per student.
  In fact, even the best school districts in the country do not spend the amount of money on students as Baltimore spends, which is $18,000 per student, for which the taxpayers have been rewarded Baltimore City's dropout rate of 31.5 %, a rate of which they boast because it's an improvement.
  Baltimore also received almost 2 billion dollars of stimulus money from the Obama administration.
  Where did that money go?
  So let's get this straight.
  We have a black president, a black attorney general. Baltimore has a black mayor, a black prosecutor....wait, let's let the LA Times describe the dilemma black leaders have in blaming the lack of caring by white taxpayers, white privilege and the white power structure:

The mayor is black. The council is almost two-thirds black. The school superintendent is black. The police chief is black, and a majority of his officers are black.
Race riots inevitably end in contention over what social woes led to the trigger point, with one overarching element: a white power structure ruling a black populace.

  Let's not count the number of black lives that have been taken by wild thugs in the street; instead let's waste time arguing that the word thug is racist. 
  Let's not count the huge salaries those same black leaders receive for solving all those problems in Baltimore, as recorded by Hoosierman in this post:

In 2013 ABC2 News compiled a list of Baltimore's top 15 well paid public servants slopping at the public trough. Number 15 on the list, identified as a police officer cleared just over $155,000 while Mosby's predecessor scraped by on $238,681. In 2014 hot shot Police Commission Anthony Batts took home $193,800, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, $163,365, and 14 race baiting city council member got $62,918 which isn't bad for a part time job. 

  The truth is that the Leftist narrative is falling apart; whether the American voter chooses to see it or not is debatable. The reality is right before our eyes and the truth is, as I've written before, we are witnessing the winnowing of the chaff. 
  If you've chosen to live in a fantasy world, then you will suffer the consequences, falling further and further into a hole of space that contains nothing but specters, demons and delusions.
  There's never enough money or power to satisfy the delusions of the Left.

Let's end the family?

  Well, now some progressives among us are suggesting that children need to be taken away from their parents and given to the government to raise.
  This is because some philosophers and sociologists have determined that being raised in happy families gives an "unfair advantage" to children, whereas children raised in homes where parents pretty much ignore them are disadvantaged.
  How would this work?
  You'd just lose ownership of your kids because, you know, it takes a village.
  A great example of this is found in the movie The Giver based on the dystopian novel where children are taken from their parents to be given to other families, sort of like a state nursery. No one gets too attached because they are not blood relatives; the purpose of all this is unity and happiness.
  The primary thought that runs through the movie is this: "When people have the power to choose, they choose wrong. Every single time."
  Wrong, meaning the state knows better than you how to shape your reality, such as choosing when it's time to die, particularly for the very young and the old (old being the determination of the state) who tend to be more medically expensive.  Sound like the IPAB created by Democrats in 2010, an unelected body that gets to decide "fiscal" matters like rationing care and medicine?
  From Ed Driscoll's column about The Giver movie at PJ Media:

In her initial appearances as a giant hologram and with her clipped and condescending speech patterns, Meryl Streep as the “Chief Elder” seems eerily reminiscent of Hillary Clinton — and indeed The Community is the futuristic yet primitive village that Hillary believes it takes to raise a child. Near the end of the film, Streep’s Chief Elder sums up the theme of the film in a line that’s right of the Clinton/Obama playbook: “When people have the power to choose, they choose wrong. Every single time.” Which neatly ties together Bill Clinton’s 1999 line on tax cuts and returning the budget surplus of that era back to the taxpayers: “We could give it all back to you and hope you spend it right. . . . Do you really want to run the risk of squandering this surplus?” And Hillary’s infamous 2004 promise that “We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.”

  Here's a trailer of this excellent movie:

  While the idea of unifying the collective by separating the family seems absurd now, one has to wonder where we are headed considering that right is wrong and up is down these days. 
  The fact that this is even being proposed, suggested or propagated is a warning. 
  As usual, Leftists find the solutions to problems by lowering the standard. To make everyone equal, we must discourage innovation, excellence and the "advantage" of having parents who love us.
  Equality means, as in Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron, that no one should have any advantage over anyone else thus, the beautiful are masked, the strong are weighted and the intelligent's thoughts are interrupted.
  Now that's equality.

Jeb Bush's Porn Problem

It looks like the formidable Jeb Bush campaign is beginning to leak oil. According to International Business Times which plowed through 280,000 emails that were released by the former governor show the stalwart of family values invested Florida's pension fund in porn.
"Have you people lost your minds? If investing in hardcore pornography is justifiable, why not go for further investment in legal prostitution,casinos,etc" wrote one angry voter.
In 2005 the American Family Association got wind that the Florida State Board of Administrations, which manages the state's $149 billion pension fund and on which Bush served as a member, had purchased more than 47,000 shares of Movie Gallery. Movie Gallery is a video rental company that according to one email "shades hundreds of its stores with 'back rooms', filled with thousands of magazines and videos exhibiting morbid depictions of sex."
Morbid depictions of sex! tsk, tsk. Too bad David Carradine isn't alive to see it.
At one point the SBA's director told an angry Floridian that the state could not take investment advice from “various constituency groups.” The board, he explained, had a fiduciary obligation to invest in areas that generated profits regardless of how the taxpayers viewed them.
I have harbored the opinion for sometime that Jeb Bush would be this primary's John Huntsman. Articulate and qualified, but one the voters will not be able to stomach.
We didn't see anything about porn investments and peep shows in Sarah Palin's emails.

We don't owe Baltimore squat!

What shall we do about the poor people in Baltimore? Let them eat cake. Now that state's attorney Marilyn Mosby has quelled the riots by serving up 6 police officers as a sacrifice to the looting mobs talk has turned to the "underlying problems of poverty". Obama knows how to fix it. Appearing on the David Letterman Show the greatest orator since Lincoln summed it up.
“What you have,” he said, “are pockets of poverty, lack of opportunity, lack of education, all across this country, and too often we ignore those pockets until something happens, and then we act surprised, and TV cameras come in.”
Who ignores these problems, Mr President? The goddam people of Maryland do. If this is a federal problem the country is in one hell of a mess. When states are ranked by median household income Maryland is number one with a median household income of $70,004. So the citizens of the remaining 49 states should dutifully send their tax dollars to alleviate the mess created by a duo of avaricious state and municipal governments whose affluence is surpassed only by their incompetence?
With a budget of $31 million Mosby's office of state's attorney could not get the correct names on the warrants of two of the six accused officers placing in danger two citizens who did not even work for the city. Ok they did get two thirds of the names right which is probably good enough for Maryland government work. In 2013 ABC2 News compiled a list of Baltimore's top 15 well paid public servants slopping at the public trough. Number 15 on the list, identified as a police officer cleared just over $155,000 while Mosby's predecessor scraped by on $238,681. In 2014 hot shot Police Commission Anthony Batts took home $193,800, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, $163,365, and 14 race baiting city council member got $62,918 which isn't bad for a part time job.
If you have a problem with comparisons of household incomes by states then let's compare Metropolitan statistical areas. Baltimore is part of the Washington–Baltimore, District of Columbia–Maryland–Virginia–West Virginia CMSA which has a mean household income of $57,290. Not as good as the San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose, California CMSA or the New York–Northern New Jersey–Long Island, New York–New Jersey–Connecticut–Pennsylvania CMSA but far better than the Toledo, Ohio MSA at $39,902 or the Evansville–Henderson, Indiana–Kentucky MSA at $39,307.
But the country owes it to  Baltimore according to Obama and the left. There is this history of slavery in the antebellum South which is just as relevant to Baltimore today as the medieval crusades are to ISIS. So the bricklayer in Wheeling where the average household income is $30,335 and the IHOP waitress in McAllen, Texas where that number is a measly $24,863 will eagerly instruct their congressmen to send their tax dollars to Baltimore to ease the income inequality? Of course. It's white privilege.
One should not think in stereotypes but if you must the next time you hear the phrase welfare chiseler don't think of the single mom with the EBT card and Obama phone rather think in terms of Martin O'Malley, Elijah Cummings and Steny Hoyer.

Reflections on Obama's mess in Baltimore

  The last week has been a nightmare tribute to the one and only Barack Hussein Obama.
  Just last Saturday while Baltimore raged, Obama had his self tribute aka the White House Correspondents' Dinner where he said in nuance that he's ready to dump his rhymes with bucket list on the American citizenry.
  Hey, it'd be nice if those dopes we elected last November helped stop some of the mess Obama's creating, much of which may be permanent, instead of prancing off to a cocktail party declaring they're "not into messy," like any of us want to be into messy.
  I can't count the number of people who've remarked that they'd never imagine what has happened to this country in the last six years. They may not know they're Republican, but they sure know they'll never vote for (most) Democrats again.
  The raunch stinks to the heavens, where I'm betting even angelic eyebrows are raised at the degree of stupidity a so-called civilized society has voluntarily inflicted on itself.
  Like claiming urinals are sexist. Um, yeah.
  Or you're a racist if you call looters and arsonists thugs.
  And racist if you root for a mom smacking her son to keep him from getting killed. I would. Wouldn't you?
  Or that Al Sharpton is the premier racial negotiator in the United States.
  And what about microaggressions...those teeny tiny perceived hurts perceived by our sturdy young people who go into $60,000 in debt every year to be damaged by seeing labels on soda machines made in Israel. 
  So let's just get rid of all cops, release prison inmates and generally weaken legal enforcement, eh?
  So the excusers are out in full force this weekend, blaming Baltimore on 1) Republicans  2) lack of money  3)  poverty  4)  because whites  5)  lack of spending on schools (2nd highest in the nation)  6) because cops   7) inequality.
  All this: hence, those people who could really change things never do.
  There is no doubt that elements of the above exist in Baltimore and other urban areas, most of which are run by guess who.
  The uneasy worry is that Obama, often lapsing into his scolding drawl, again seems to be enjoying the mayhem in his perverse community organize way, clucking that y'all better change yourself to help those poor people, but even if you do, the feds are movin' in to control y'all and your communities.
  Never mind the real victims.
  So let's compare two white writers, the first of whom is very privileged and rich. Joan Walsh at Salon on the "hero mom " to you dumb white rubes out there. Quitcher 'ppreciatin' that woman.

The debate over the moment Graham says she “lost it” is complex. There’s a parallel black debate going on that, as always when it comes to racial issues, is richer and more nuanced. But anyone white who’s applauding Graham’s moment of desperation, along with the white media figures who are hyping her “heroism,” is essentially justifying police brutality, and saying the only way to control black kids is to beat the shit out of them.

I’m aware that a lot of African Americans are lauding Graham, too. This piece isn’t directed at them. Whether they applaud or critique Graham’s corporal punishment, most black people debating the issue acknowledge that the desperate public beating came from centuries of black parents knowing they have to discipline their children harshly, or else white society will do it for them – and they may not survive it.

And John Nolte over at Breitbart breaks down the reality:

You can call the arson and looting and violence we are seeing on our television screens, rioting. That’s one way to describe the chaos. Another way to describe it is Democrat infighting. This is blue-on-blue violence. The thugs using the suspicious death of Freddie Gray (at the hands of a Democrat-led police department) to justify the looting that updates their home entertainment systems, are Democrats protesting Democrat leaders and Democrat policies in a Democrat-run city.

Poverty has nothing to do with it. This madness and chaos and anarchy is a Democrat-driven culture that starts at the top with a racially-divisive White House heartbreakingly effective at ginning up hate and violence.

And Nolte in another article again at Breitbart:

Baltimore hasn’t had a Republican mayor since 1967. Since 1969, there have only been two Republican Maryland governors. Of the 15 seats on Baltimore’s city council, all 15 are filled with Democrats. Democrats even run, yes, the very same police department that has paid out $5 million in brutality settlements in just 4 years. Democrats run the schools, and they sure as hell run the unions that only made it easier for Baltimore’s once-thriving blue collar employment base to flee overseas.

For generations, Democrats and their policies and ideas have enjoyed nothing short of a monopoly in Baltimore, and the results have been catastrophic, especially for young black men; 37% of whom are unemployed and 90% of whom do not have a college education. Nearly 25% of Baltimore residents live in poverty, compared to 17% nationwide.

  I hesitate to say we must remember that there really are serious problems in urban areas in this country because that is exactly how Obama justifies violence, right after saying there's no excuse for violence. There are serious problems which affect many innocent people; the problem is that what Democrats have been doing for years is bearing some pretty poisonous fruit.
  And somehow all their solutions involve more of our money which represents our time, ceding authority to communists and being beaten down to believe that they are our betters and all our fundamental beliefs both spiritual and political are wrong.
  I have a poetically legal answer for all this stuff: you know, the more money, fewer cops, lighter sentences for thugs and more power for me but not for thee: