Noise takes up the airwaves, verbiage the printed page. It’s all big business naturally but ninety percent is - no surprise - garbage.
Take the mosque bit. When the soaps are off the air, why not? It’s become tabloid. Big $. What a waste.
Actually, this mosque deal has nothing to do with freedom of religion or tolerance. It’s a matter of decent respect for sensibilities. The authors of 9/11 hyped the same “faith” the proposed mosque celebrates. We all know that. That should be enough. Stop the noise.
Not so fast, just one little problem.
BO’s obsequious posturing to Muslims, his insipid and mindless appeasement of this “religion” is truly repulsive but that is what the slum lord Feisal Abdul Rauf is counting on (oh, you didn’t know he was a slum lord?). And that’s what's given life to this thing.
During a visit to the home place the other day we saw a full page ad in the Fresno Bee, a whole bunch of folk - grocers, salesmen, truck drivers, all together in a big family pic, all smiling and in the type below telling us readers just what great Americans they really are.
The only differentiation between these and their more militant cousins is measured in degrees of aggression. They all go by the same book. (The grocers just don’t have the xxxx’s to shoot us, yet.) That’s the book that calls for a reordering of society, the complete merger of church and state, by force if necessary. With the exception of Turkey, all other Muslim countries are run by the Koran, that is, by the teachings of one Mohammed, a 6th century butcher (who in his spare time enjoyed life as a pedophile).
No problem for Obama. In his official statement on the occasion of Ramadan Obama praised “Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings . . . (its) great diversity and racial equality” and “American Muslims’ . . . extraordinary contributions to our country.” This is nonsense. Conrad Black reminds us, “Islam has done nothing to advance justice or any version of progress or tolerance, and Obama, like Condoleezza Rice, is regularly denounced by the official outlets of leading Muslim countries in ethnic slurs that would embarrass Bull Connor and Lester Maddox.”
Too much!
Let’s get Obama to shut up, cut the noise and in so doing get this mosque sham put to bed.
Robert Craven
Monday, September 20, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
HIGH NOON
Most of us recall the western classic, “High Noon.” The sheriff (Gary Cooper) is about to leave office just when a gang of toughs ride into town. He could leave but he waits to face the killers. All his friends and all the townspeople who supported him during his years of keeping them safe, slowly abandon him. In the end, he walks alone to meet the killers because someone had to.
George Bush’s strength and character were reflected in a 20 minute speech of Jan/07 that announced a new initiative designed to win in Iraq. He had no support for that decision, not State, not the Pentagon, not Congress, not the foreign policy establishment, not the Joint Chiefs, not Gen Casey, not Centcom commander Abizaid, not Condy Rice. Yet that day the President wasn’t looking for affirmation. He knew what was right, what had to be done and he did it because someone had to.
This makes this decision a profile in courage. As Charles Krauthammer reminds us, “The surge...effected the most dramatic change in the fortunes of an American war since the summer of 1864.”
A year ago we praised Bush for his decency and his dedication to his country. We re-visit that topic this pm. Those that continue to demonize Bush and in Pavlovian fashion condemn his presidency demonstrate a lack of scholarship, a weak hold on reality. What they do illustrate is a matter of association and party sympathy, not reasoning and examination. They diminish themselves, not Bush, in the process. In trying to belittle him, they merely reveal their own littleness.
Bush kept us al Qaeda-free for 8 years (9, now that Obama has adopted the Bush security apparatus wholesale). Here in Marin the lefties who are protected from dangers, simply conclude that there are no dangers. And of course they were the most hysterical over interception of phone calls, the other efforts to thwart slaughter. Hysterical yes, even though they were the beneficiaries. This second great achievement then is also the number one function of government - to protect its citizens. Nobody on 9/11/01 believed there would not be another such attack on American soil. Thank you Sir.
Finally, when we consider the Bush administration juxtaposed aside that of Obama, it is no wonder so many have come to reconsider the leadership of this fine man, just as they did the administration of Truman, and Truman the man and for similar reasons.
We yearn do we not for the corruption free, honest Bush governance? And we are grateful for the end of nuclear processing in Libya, for Dr. Khan shut down, for Syrians out of Lebanon, for pro-US governments in Europe, good relations with China and India, the miraculous act of strengthening relations with east Asian democracies without upsetting the Chinese, two good Supreme Court judges, unswerving support for Israel, the Medicare prescription drug benefit, and finally the universally acclaimed world AID’s initiative.
Yet it is not these but the courage of decision making for which George Bush will be remembered. Equipped with a moral compass he exercised his just and rightful authority in a way that deserves every American’s recognition and respect.
He defiantly did the right thing. That is what distinguishes his presidency.
Robert Craven
George Bush’s strength and character were reflected in a 20 minute speech of Jan/07 that announced a new initiative designed to win in Iraq. He had no support for that decision, not State, not the Pentagon, not Congress, not the foreign policy establishment, not the Joint Chiefs, not Gen Casey, not Centcom commander Abizaid, not Condy Rice. Yet that day the President wasn’t looking for affirmation. He knew what was right, what had to be done and he did it because someone had to.
This makes this decision a profile in courage. As Charles Krauthammer reminds us, “The surge...effected the most dramatic change in the fortunes of an American war since the summer of 1864.”
A year ago we praised Bush for his decency and his dedication to his country. We re-visit that topic this pm. Those that continue to demonize Bush and in Pavlovian fashion condemn his presidency demonstrate a lack of scholarship, a weak hold on reality. What they do illustrate is a matter of association and party sympathy, not reasoning and examination. They diminish themselves, not Bush, in the process. In trying to belittle him, they merely reveal their own littleness.
Bush kept us al Qaeda-free for 8 years (9, now that Obama has adopted the Bush security apparatus wholesale). Here in Marin the lefties who are protected from dangers, simply conclude that there are no dangers. And of course they were the most hysterical over interception of phone calls, the other efforts to thwart slaughter. Hysterical yes, even though they were the beneficiaries. This second great achievement then is also the number one function of government - to protect its citizens. Nobody on 9/11/01 believed there would not be another such attack on American soil. Thank you Sir.
Finally, when we consider the Bush administration juxtaposed aside that of Obama, it is no wonder so many have come to reconsider the leadership of this fine man, just as they did the administration of Truman, and Truman the man and for similar reasons.
We yearn do we not for the corruption free, honest Bush governance? And we are grateful for the end of nuclear processing in Libya, for Dr. Khan shut down, for Syrians out of Lebanon, for pro-US governments in Europe, good relations with China and India, the miraculous act of strengthening relations with east Asian democracies without upsetting the Chinese, two good Supreme Court judges, unswerving support for Israel, the Medicare prescription drug benefit, and finally the universally acclaimed world AID’s initiative.
Yet it is not these but the courage of decision making for which George Bush will be remembered. Equipped with a moral compass he exercised his just and rightful authority in a way that deserves every American’s recognition and respect.
He defiantly did the right thing. That is what distinguishes his presidency.
Robert Craven
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Those Pesky Facts
Millions were taken in by Obama. We all suffered. What’s the flip side? Can we gain anything at all from this experience?
Well, we know that on a national level the Dem party organization will move from extreme left, towards, but still far from, center. Fine. That was an easy one to predict.
But what about the average chatterer? One would venture something like this: “Well, sure, these guys won’t pull that trigger again; they’ve seen how Obama even got into their pockets.” Sadly, that’s not likely to happen. Lefties are impervious to lessons, facts, history, never being quite able to associate the burnt thumb with the match.
Take “stimulus.” Some of us knew it was a sham the day it was announced. By definition, it cannot work. For example, unemployment never hit double digits in any of the 12 months following the stock crash of ‘29. Unemployment peaked at 9% two months after the Oct/29 crash, and then headed downward. From Thomas Sowell, “Unemployment was down to 6.3 percent by June 1930, when the first big federal intervention occurred. Within six months, the downward trend in unemployment reversed and hit double digits for the first time in December 1930.” But of course. Where in the heck do the left think the money comes from?
Or how about the deficit “inherited” by BO? Again, facts (and in this case, the Constitution) are pesky critters. It was the Dem’s who controlled both houses before BO became president. President's don't make legislation. The deficit BO inherited was created by the Democrats, including Obama himself who did absolutely nothing to oppose spending. He was one of the biggest of the big spenders. Oh, that. The problem with Bush is that he did not veto enough of this nonsense.
Or how about regulation? Naturally, if Bush had simply regulated the financial markets we would have been saved, say our nursery pals. He tried to do just that. In 2004 the WH made a hard push to regulate the hazardous practices of Fannie & Freddie. The Dems, led by Frank, Pelosi, Obama and Rangel defeated this effort (guess why?). The result - ground zero.
Even now, the chatterers remain contentedly naive, willfully blind. Their messiah claims that his health plan is a winner. The facts are as follows: 1) Health costs, as reported by BO’s own Ctr for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will go up $1000/yr for a family of 4 in 2019, as a result of this heist. 2) Last week, health insurers asked for premium increases of up to 9% solely because of the health deal. What? 3) Hey! Didn’t BO say that we could all keep our coverage? The administration now admits that 51% of all employees and 66% of workers in small businesses will have their current plan changed in three years as a result of this scam. (Most of the left are still oblivious to the fact that health was only a means, not an end at all, but then that is another topic.)
Robert Craven
Well, we know that on a national level the Dem party organization will move from extreme left, towards, but still far from, center. Fine. That was an easy one to predict.
But what about the average chatterer? One would venture something like this: “Well, sure, these guys won’t pull that trigger again; they’ve seen how Obama even got into their pockets.” Sadly, that’s not likely to happen. Lefties are impervious to lessons, facts, history, never being quite able to associate the burnt thumb with the match.
Take “stimulus.” Some of us knew it was a sham the day it was announced. By definition, it cannot work. For example, unemployment never hit double digits in any of the 12 months following the stock crash of ‘29. Unemployment peaked at 9% two months after the Oct/29 crash, and then headed downward. From Thomas Sowell, “Unemployment was down to 6.3 percent by June 1930, when the first big federal intervention occurred. Within six months, the downward trend in unemployment reversed and hit double digits for the first time in December 1930.” But of course. Where in the heck do the left think the money comes from?
Or how about the deficit “inherited” by BO? Again, facts (and in this case, the Constitution) are pesky critters. It was the Dem’s who controlled both houses before BO became president. President's don't make legislation. The deficit BO inherited was created by the Democrats, including Obama himself who did absolutely nothing to oppose spending. He was one of the biggest of the big spenders. Oh, that. The problem with Bush is that he did not veto enough of this nonsense.
Or how about regulation? Naturally, if Bush had simply regulated the financial markets we would have been saved, say our nursery pals. He tried to do just that. In 2004 the WH made a hard push to regulate the hazardous practices of Fannie & Freddie. The Dems, led by Frank, Pelosi, Obama and Rangel defeated this effort (guess why?). The result - ground zero.
Even now, the chatterers remain contentedly naive, willfully blind. Their messiah claims that his health plan is a winner. The facts are as follows: 1) Health costs, as reported by BO’s own Ctr for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will go up $1000/yr for a family of 4 in 2019, as a result of this heist. 2) Last week, health insurers asked for premium increases of up to 9% solely because of the health deal. What? 3) Hey! Didn’t BO say that we could all keep our coverage? The administration now admits that 51% of all employees and 66% of workers in small businesses will have their current plan changed in three years as a result of this scam. (Most of the left are still oblivious to the fact that health was only a means, not an end at all, but then that is another topic.)
Robert Craven
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Look Ahead
We all know what happened, the why and the how. That’s done. Let’s look ahead.
We have witnessed a tragedy. We ask those who contributed, to inflict no further harm. Primary results seem encouraging, yet lame duck radicals can still do a lot of harm. For these we can only hope they muster some strength of character.
Next, we must repair the damage. To accomplish that we need to reduce uncertainty, that key factor which has retarded a recovery. That is, restore a sense of reason; as Yuval Levin of National Affairs declares, restore some “...predictability where the Democrats’ hyperactive liberalism has created a crushing sense of uncertainty that has kept employers from hiring and investors and consumers from spending.”
Levin means that we need to kill the health legislation (families and businesses unsure of future expenses), that we need to iron in the Bush tax cuts. This is the first step.
Finally, new leaders will sculpt a resurrection. We told our family at the annual picnic in April not to worry. We meant it. One taste of extremism is enough for most Americans. A return to liberty, a regeneration of self respect and optimism as a nation, cannot come too soon.
Robert Craven
We have witnessed a tragedy. We ask those who contributed, to inflict no further harm. Primary results seem encouraging, yet lame duck radicals can still do a lot of harm. For these we can only hope they muster some strength of character.
Next, we must repair the damage. To accomplish that we need to reduce uncertainty, that key factor which has retarded a recovery. That is, restore a sense of reason; as Yuval Levin of National Affairs declares, restore some “...predictability where the Democrats’ hyperactive liberalism has created a crushing sense of uncertainty that has kept employers from hiring and investors and consumers from spending.”
Levin means that we need to kill the health legislation (families and businesses unsure of future expenses), that we need to iron in the Bush tax cuts. This is the first step.
Finally, new leaders will sculpt a resurrection. We told our family at the annual picnic in April not to worry. We meant it. One taste of extremism is enough for most Americans. A return to liberty, a regeneration of self respect and optimism as a nation, cannot come too soon.
Robert Craven
Friday, September 10, 2010
Off The Ship
See that guy standing in the middle of what used to be a trailer park after the big one that came out of nowhere? That’s your everyday liberal, deer-in-the-headlights. But it’s a free for all for the politicians; they’re not deer but rodents, rats leaving the ship in droves. Too much.
Most of us knew early on that bo’s agenda was bunk. Perhaps so did many of his fellow politicians, only keeping their fingers crossed. It didn’t work. Witness the mad rush to get as far away from this guy and as fast as their little feet will carry them. Take the health heist. From Kim Strassel in today’s WSJ, discussing the retreat, “Alabama Rep. Bobby Bright's ad explains he voted against ‘massive government health care. South Dakota's Stephanie Herseth Sandlin boasts she voted against the ‘trillion-dollar health-care plan.’
"But the prize," Strassel continues,"goes to former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes vying to get his old job back: Not only is ObamaCare ‘financially devastating,’ it is ‘the greatest failure, modern failure, of political leadership in my lifetime.’”
Hah!! Excuse us, but this is truly entertaining!
And not only the health heist; most of this bunch now realize that the “stimulus” was phony, that cap & trade is an expensive sham, etc. Again from Strassel's article, “‘I voted against Nancy Pelosi's energy tax on Hoosier families,’ explains Indiana Rep. Joe Donnelly in an ad, echoed by North Carolina Rep. Mike McIntyre and Pennsylvania Rep. Jason Altmire. And the yes votes are rushing to argue that all they were really voting for was ‘renewable energy.’”
It was just this last April at the family picnic when so many fine folk there expressed the concern that our country might be changed forever through Obama, that, as best summarized in a WSJ editorial, “Democrats purposely used the recession as a political opening to redistribute income, reverse the free-market reforms of the Reagan era, and put government at the commanding heights of economic decision-making,”and that this might work, that we saw something else. Take heart dear cousins.
We secured an anchor that day. We knew that this country would be alright, that the ship would right itself, that we were not destined to become another Greece, that the far left will remain what they have been past years - abnormalities.
Looks like we were right.
Robert Craven
Most of us knew early on that bo’s agenda was bunk. Perhaps so did many of his fellow politicians, only keeping their fingers crossed. It didn’t work. Witness the mad rush to get as far away from this guy and as fast as their little feet will carry them. Take the health heist. From Kim Strassel in today’s WSJ, discussing the retreat, “Alabama Rep. Bobby Bright's ad explains he voted against ‘massive government health care. South Dakota's Stephanie Herseth Sandlin boasts she voted against the ‘trillion-dollar health-care plan.’
"But the prize," Strassel continues,"goes to former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes vying to get his old job back: Not only is ObamaCare ‘financially devastating,’ it is ‘the greatest failure, modern failure, of political leadership in my lifetime.’”
Hah!! Excuse us, but this is truly entertaining!
And not only the health heist; most of this bunch now realize that the “stimulus” was phony, that cap & trade is an expensive sham, etc. Again from Strassel's article, “‘I voted against Nancy Pelosi's energy tax on Hoosier families,’ explains Indiana Rep. Joe Donnelly in an ad, echoed by North Carolina Rep. Mike McIntyre and Pennsylvania Rep. Jason Altmire. And the yes votes are rushing to argue that all they were really voting for was ‘renewable energy.’”
It was just this last April at the family picnic when so many fine folk there expressed the concern that our country might be changed forever through Obama, that, as best summarized in a WSJ editorial, “Democrats purposely used the recession as a political opening to redistribute income, reverse the free-market reforms of the Reagan era, and put government at the commanding heights of economic decision-making,”and that this might work, that we saw something else. Take heart dear cousins.
We secured an anchor that day. We knew that this country would be alright, that the ship would right itself, that we were not destined to become another Greece, that the far left will remain what they have been past years - abnormalities.
Looks like we were right.
Robert Craven
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Deer in the Headlights
Our friends from the left suddenly have that deer-in-the-headlights look. They share a lot of the characteristics of deer now that we think of it, yet as opposed to deer, the chatterers actually sense that they are about to be rolled over. It’s just that most don’t yet know why.
We’ve noted before that Americans will forgive a lot. The unforgivable to Americans however were the gestapo tactics employed by BO to ram through the health heist. The process involved bribes and deceit; bo further endangered US military in Afg by promising an actual withdrawal date in a swap for votes. All of this would gag a maggot; it certainly gagged most of the electorate.
This was the bullet that did in the extremists.
Far lefties wanted a health deal so badly and for so many years that once they actually got traction they lost all sense of caution, all sense of self preservation. It was a frenzy.
This phenomenon is nothing new; it is in fact a common occurrence in the wild. When angling Hat Creek for example we have seen times when otherwise extremely wary native trout shed all sense of caution, all sense of self preservation. This will occur when enough of one variety of fat insect, say a salmon fly, floats overhead. They can't believe their eyes! Pretty quick the rainbow and browns get “keyed in” and there is a free for all. No longer shy of the fish hawk’s shadow, no longer keen to expel a false fly (vs the real thing) these fish commit suicide. In a very real sense they disregard tomorrow for their near term satiation.
This is the far left and health.
So yes, Mother Nature has seen this sort of thing before.
Oh, almost forgot - She’s also put deer on the face of the earth to be stupid.
Robert Craven
We’ve noted before that Americans will forgive a lot. The unforgivable to Americans however were the gestapo tactics employed by BO to ram through the health heist. The process involved bribes and deceit; bo further endangered US military in Afg by promising an actual withdrawal date in a swap for votes. All of this would gag a maggot; it certainly gagged most of the electorate.
This was the bullet that did in the extremists.
Far lefties wanted a health deal so badly and for so many years that once they actually got traction they lost all sense of caution, all sense of self preservation. It was a frenzy.
This phenomenon is nothing new; it is in fact a common occurrence in the wild. When angling Hat Creek for example we have seen times when otherwise extremely wary native trout shed all sense of caution, all sense of self preservation. This will occur when enough of one variety of fat insect, say a salmon fly, floats overhead. They can't believe their eyes! Pretty quick the rainbow and browns get “keyed in” and there is a free for all. No longer shy of the fish hawk’s shadow, no longer keen to expel a false fly (vs the real thing) these fish commit suicide. In a very real sense they disregard tomorrow for their near term satiation.
This is the far left and health.
So yes, Mother Nature has seen this sort of thing before.
Oh, almost forgot - She’s also put deer on the face of the earth to be stupid.
Robert Craven
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Accosted at the Nursery
We were accosted at the nursery today. Surrounded by a staff amply armed with garden tools, we were told that Bush is the cause of all our problems, especially our economic problems and that if we did not sign a statement to that effect, we’d seen our last sunrise.
After a harrowing escape we return to the keyboard.
Where to start? Why not at the beginning - ground zero, our heart of darkness. As we have explained at least two dozen times, the Democrats protected the mortgage twins in an effort to buy black votes. They falsely claim it was Bush’s fault the twins were not reformed. Bush tried. When he said in 2004 that Fanny and Freddy should be reformed or we’d have big trouble, the House blocked any attempt, led by Barney Frank, Pelosi, Waters, Rangel. Surprise. Surprise.
“Well, maybe,” say our nursery pals but how about Wall St? Bush refused to reform this bunch and that’s key to our problem, they pant. (We’ll admit that Wall St types are predators. So what? It’s legal.) Dem’s controlled both houses before BO became president. It was this majority who encouraged financial institutions to package bad loans - Frank and Obama (when senator) and the rest were gung ho because Wall St took the twins out of the garbage they originated.
“OK, maybe so,” say our little chattering buddies, but how about the earlier stuff? What about the deficit BO inherited? From the economist Thomas Sowell, “No president of the United States can create either a budget deficit or a budget surplus. All spending bills originate in the House of Representatives and all taxes are voted into law by Congress. The deficit Obama inherited was created by the congressional Democrats, including Sen. Barack Obama, who did absolutely nothing to oppose the runaway spending. He was one of the biggest of the big spenders.”
Oh, that. Facts and names are such an inconvenience.
Sowell continues, “The only direct power that any president has that can affect deficits and surpluses is the power to veto spending bills. President Bush did not veto enough spending bills, but Senator Obama and his fellow Democrats in control of Congress were the ones who passed the spending bills.”
At this point we can just see our lefty friends - eyes averted, shoulders slumped, sorry sights to be sure. They screwed up big time.
Robert Craven
After a harrowing escape we return to the keyboard.
Where to start? Why not at the beginning - ground zero, our heart of darkness. As we have explained at least two dozen times, the Democrats protected the mortgage twins in an effort to buy black votes. They falsely claim it was Bush’s fault the twins were not reformed. Bush tried. When he said in 2004 that Fanny and Freddy should be reformed or we’d have big trouble, the House blocked any attempt, led by Barney Frank, Pelosi, Waters, Rangel. Surprise. Surprise.
“Well, maybe,” say our nursery pals but how about Wall St? Bush refused to reform this bunch and that’s key to our problem, they pant. (We’ll admit that Wall St types are predators. So what? It’s legal.) Dem’s controlled both houses before BO became president. It was this majority who encouraged financial institutions to package bad loans - Frank and Obama (when senator) and the rest were gung ho because Wall St took the twins out of the garbage they originated.
“OK, maybe so,” say our little chattering buddies, but how about the earlier stuff? What about the deficit BO inherited? From the economist Thomas Sowell, “No president of the United States can create either a budget deficit or a budget surplus. All spending bills originate in the House of Representatives and all taxes are voted into law by Congress. The deficit Obama inherited was created by the congressional Democrats, including Sen. Barack Obama, who did absolutely nothing to oppose the runaway spending. He was one of the biggest of the big spenders.”
Oh, that. Facts and names are such an inconvenience.
Sowell continues, “The only direct power that any president has that can affect deficits and surpluses is the power to veto spending bills. President Bush did not veto enough spending bills, but Senator Obama and his fellow Democrats in control of Congress were the ones who passed the spending bills.”
At this point we can just see our lefty friends - eyes averted, shoulders slumped, sorry sights to be sure. They screwed up big time.
Robert Craven
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