Category Archives: Opinion

GM RESUMES POLITICAL DONATIONS

Posted on September 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

General Motors and US Steel were once icons of America, perhaps a bit like the World Trade Towers were. They grew and prospered with the nation through the Industrial Age. We were proud of them. Then they matured, grew old and stodgy. Steel remains sturdy but Motors went into a government nursing home. Hugo Chavez expressed his delight when that happened.

Now GM is majority owned and totally controlled by the Obama administration. You cannot buy a share of stock, which traded as low as 27 cents before trading stopped. All big corporations make political donations. Whether that is a good idea or not is open to debate. Of course there will be no debate because both parties are more or less equal recipients of corporate money. Democrats do get a little more, Republicans a little less. Whether that’s because business thinks Democrats are the best at government or it’s just a matter of getting the most bang for your buck is an open question.

To the credit of the Obama administration political contributions by General Motors were suspended when they took control of the company. But now they are resuming donations and indications are they will tilt Democratic; no surprise there. With government still the majority stockholder the move is premature and therefore improper. The conflict of interest is obvious. But we don’t think it is necessarily cause for great concern. We may need to change our opinion if the pattern of giving differs widely from general practice.

Leave a comment

Posted in Opinion

Tagged ,

RIGGED DEMONSTRATIONS

Posted on September 21, 2010 | 1 comment

Mumia Abu-Jamal happened upon the scene where a young police officer had stopped his brother for a traffic violation. Mumia pulled a gun from his shoulder holster and killed the lone police officer in cold blood. It was 1981. He was convicted of murder and sits in a jail cell today.

Mumia is the kind of Black man Joe Biden would describe as articulate, but not refined. Born Wesley Cook his Kenyan school teacher gave him the African name Mumia and the name stuck. Before the killing he was a community organizer known only locally. The murder thrust him onto the national scene and getting him out of jail became a cause célèbre of the Left. The Pacifica Radio network took up the cause. Many “Free Mumia” demonstrations were organized by the Left.

Philadelphia residents knew the story well because that is where the crime occurred. At one of these demonstrations a local resident asked one of the demonstrators why she thought Mumia should be let out of jail. She replied she had come all the way from Ohio with some friends who told her it would be a cool demonstration and that’s all she knew.

Some people go to church to practice their religion. Others go just to be part of a community. Some demonstrators demonstrate for a cause, others demonstrate just to be part of a community. There is a third group forming, those who demonstrate for pay. We saw it on the front lawn of a bank executive. See THUGS ON THE LAWN.

Now, a bus load of paid demonstrators was organized to appear at a conservative convention in Illinois. Andrew Breitbart was there and he confronted the group. By now the video has been around, but if you haven’t seen it, please do. It begins with a lot of undecipherable shouting but don’t give up. It gets very amusing when the organizers finally surrender and begin to herd their flock back toward the bus.

Andrew was persistent and he won the day.

1 Comment

Posted in Opinion, Political polemics, Uncategorized

ABOUT YOUR BULBS

Posted on September 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

You are aware, I am sure, of those light bulbs that look like a screw that has eaten too many Big Macs? But are you aware that under already enacted federal Liberal law, they are all you will be able to buy after 2012? If you have any of those cute little lamps whose shades clip onto round bulbs get ready to toss them out. The elites have declared round bulbs are a tool of hedonistic conservatives who have no concern for the planet.

I have nothing against screwy light bulbs. In fact I recommend them. Using them is the moral thing to do. But the government should not be legislating morality, at least not in matters of incandescence or fluorescence. That’s a personal decision that should be left between a consumer and his lamps. What’s next? Will your Congressman be reaching his hand into your shower to adjust the water temperature?

Earlier this year, Arizona State Senator Frank Antenori, (R Tucson), introduced a Bill to get Washington’s hands off the people’s bulbs. It would have allowed round bulbs to be made and sold in Arizona. It whizzed through the legislative bodies of the State. Sadly, Governor Jan Brewer vetoed the Bulb Bill. She said one fight with the Feds is enough. So much for States Rights, where is Lincoln when you need him?

As Bill Buckley (RIP) might say, enjoy your hot showers while Washington still allows you to have them.

Leave a comment

Posted in Opinion

Tagged , ,

THE TEA PARTY – CRITICS JUST DON’T GET IT

Posted on September 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

The third defining moment.

Critics of the Tea Party movement have spoken of guns, church, abortion and even insurrection. A prominent article published earlier this year in the New York Times alarmed its ill-informed readers by characterizing Tea Party people as militia types walking around with rifles and preparing for insurrection. Radical activist and convicted criminal Lyndon LaRouche was said to be typical of the leadership within the group. The fact that LaRouche has run for political office at least nine times, always and only on Labor or Democratic Party tickets did not deter the authors from connecting him with the Tea Party movement; nor did the fact that LaRouche chose the far left Ramsey Clark to be his defense attorney.

The most amazing, even amusing thing about the article is the authors seemed entirely genuine. They had not a clue how far off the mark they were. Members of the Press have sequestered themselves in a liberal bubble for so long that the walls of their self-imposed enclosure have become totally opaque. Even the brilliant ones are blind to, and ignorant of the world outside.

The Tea Party movement is perceived to be an eruption of old issues like abortion, guns, church and marriage by extremists who are anti-immigrant, anti-minority and anti-Obama only because he is Black and a Democrat. Whatever caused this unsophisticated lot to suddenly become so restless remains a total mystery. They just don’t get it. The only thing of which they are sure, is that any group that thinks a soccer mom can run the country better than a Harvard Law School graduate is a group to be feared and condemned, not one sought to be understood.

It is true, the old issues of abortion, guns and “In God we trust” are there. However, they are but a sidebar to the major concern of the people fast becoming known as the Tea Party Express. This is not about winning debates. It is about preserving the right of having debates. The Tea Party stands firmly athwart the path the nation is travelling toward totalitarian rule.

Obama is not the cause. He is the culmination. We sit at the end of a trend that began with Woodrow Wilson. It was extended by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon Baines Johnson and is in the final stage of culmination by a (thus far) triumphant Barrack Hussein Obama.

Two significant events have shaped the land the world calls America, the parting from England and the Civil War. The third event stands before us. The November election is critical but we can survive whatever the result. If Obama wins re-election by a narrow margin in 2012 we will still have a slim chance of preserving our shining light. But if he wins it easily, it will mean the country has chosen another path.

Burke is the central figure.

Anyone who fails to vote this year or in 2012 is assuming an awesome responsibility. As the noted 18th century British statesman said “The only thing needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing”.

Leave a comment

Posted in Opinion, Political philosophy

Tagged , ,

SUBTLE BIAS IN THE PRESS

Posted on September 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

This example is from Bloomberg Financial and linked to by Yahoo Finance. Click the blue link if you want to read the entire article.

Representative Tim Ryan, an Ohio Democrat and co-sponsor of legislation letting companies seek duties on Chinese imports, said China is violating trade laws and the bill would give the U.S. tools to combat undervalued currencies.

“It’s now time for our country to have the guts to stand up and take a strong stand against China’s currency manipulation,” Ryan said today in testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee. Representative Dave Camp, top Republican on the panel, said he opposes the legislation.

This will be taken by most readers as straight unbiased news. But what does it really convey? It says China is breaking the law and manipulating the currency markets. A Democrat is trying to help farmers and corporations disadvantaged by this illegal activity. A Republican opposes helping farmers and business men for no given reason.

Bias is definitely evident, but it is subtle enough to go unseen by most readers. Such subtle bias is not unusual, it is the norm. It is as common as dirt. In fact it is dirt.

The facts: The Republican cited, Dave Camp, used the entire time allotted to him by the Carl Levin’s Ways and Means Committee urging the committee to take strong measures to combat China’s trade practices. Read his statement here.

The bill was broadly opposed by Republicans because it was loaded with earmarks. Earmarks are bribes  politicians give to their constituencies in return for their votes. That is a valid reason for opposing the bill. A better one is given in Random Thots article equating tariffs on China to the Smoot-Hawley bill passed in 1930 that precipitated the Great Stock Market Crash and launched the depression.


Leave a comment

Posted in Opinion, Political polemics

Tagged , , , ,

KRUGMAN CALLS FOR REPEAT OF THE SMOOT-HAWLEY ACT, THE LAW GENERALLY REGARDED AS THE CAUSE OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION

Posted on September 14, 2010 | 1 comment

Paul Krugman has sunk to the level of complete idiocy with this latest recommendation. All through most of the 1920’s a debate was raging in Congress over the passage of a bill to put large tariffs in place, most notably on imported steel. The argument pro was to protect American industry by making imported products non-competitive. The argument con was that other nations would respond with similar tariffs on American goods and trade would cease. The law was passed, other nations retaliated by raising their tariffs on American goods, exports collapsed, the stock market crashed, the Roaring Twenties ceased, the Great Depression began.

Edited from a Wall Street publication:

So after President Herbert Hoover took office in March 1929, Congress immediately set to work on a new tariff regime. This is an important point, because you have to picture that this legislation was winding its way through committee long before eventual passage in June 1930. It is a fair statement to say that the prospects for Smoot-Hawley had something to do with the October 1929 market crash itself.

On Monday, October 28, the New York Times ran a front-page story on possible passage of Smoot-Hawley, the next day, on Tuesday the 29th, the day of the Crash, other national papers had picked up on the issue.

Now Krugman wants to do the same thing again. Of course it is not the steel industry this time. Steel was a major import in 1930, now it’s goods from China. It is forgivable for the man in the street to think this is a good idea. We’re all a bit miffed that everything seems to come from China and the world of economics is not broadly understood.

What would China do? What would American industry do? What would other nations do? We have spoken previously of the economic tenet called Rational Expectations. All players act, I should say react, in their own best interest. One rational expectation would be for China to cease funding our debt. This could cause a 200 to 300 percent increase in the currently very low rate of interest we are paying on our skyrocketing national debt.

Another expectation is China would raise its prices to recoup the tariff. U.S. manufacturers cannot produce goods as cheaply as the Chinese. If they could, they would be doing it already. The cost of everything we get from China would increase, and likely by more than the rate of the tariff itself. When Smoot-Hawley was enacted, even nations not directly affected perceived an opportunity and instituted high tariffs as well.

Einstein is usually the one credited with defining an idiot as someone who repeats the same mistake while expecting a different result. Krugman is an ideologue posing as an economist. Yes, I know he was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics. That only serves to confirm my opinion of him.

1 Comment

Posted in Opinion, Political polemics

Tagged , , , ,

LIFE ON THE BORDER

Posted on September 7, 2010 | Leave a comment

From the San Juan Monitor, the local newspaper in a Texas border town.

An 18-year-old woman, whose name was not disclosed by police, was walking to a friend’s house about 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

A black van pulled up alongside her and three men hopped out, San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez said. They snatched the girl, blindfolded her and took her to Reynosa [Mexico]. The kidnappers began calling the woman’s family demanding ransom money.

Once the abductors realized their victim’s family would not be able to pay a ransom, they dumped her in a random field. She had her cell phone, but police still had no idea where she was.

U.S. authorities did not contact their Mexican counterparts because they did not know whether they were corrupted or connected to the girl’s captors, Gonzalez said.

People that she came across didn’t want to help,” the chief said. “People are living in fear in Mexico.”

This happens to be a Texas story. Arizona is no different, except that some of the towns smaller than San Juan are overwhelmed. Instead of fighting Arizona, Obama should send a contingent of the U.S. Army to the border as President Wilson did in 1914.

Leave a comment

Posted in News, Opinion

Tagged , ,

NATIONAL ANTHEM BANNED IN NATIONAL PARKS

Posted on August 26, 2010 | Leave a comment

The Lincoln Memorial is in the news again. We are reminded of an incident that took place on its steps in June. A group of high school students from Georgia were on a tour of all the Washington D.C. memorials. As they stood in awe below that towering statue of Abraham Lincoln one of them spontaneously started to sing the National Anthem. Others joined in. It promised to be one of those special moments, a delightful mix of lack of talent and love of land.

But the government stopped it immediately. One participant said they had hardly finished the second bar when a National Park Service officer stepped forth and declared “demonstrations” are not allowed. But there were no signs; there was no “demonstration”. The officer said “The grounds must remain neutral”. Neutral? Showing pride in our country is not allowed in National Parks?

A rustling went through the small group of youngsters – this is America – why can’t we sing? – I can’t believe this. Then, once again they broke into spontaneous song. Only this time they sang the anthem through to the end.

Dear friends, there is hope for America. In fact, with youth like these, there is more than hope. There is assurance. Here is the inspiring video.

Leave a comment

Posted in Audio/Visual, Opinion

Tagged ,

NEW COMBAT TROOPS DEPLOYED TO IRAQ

Posted on August 25, 2010 | 1 comment

Bangor, Maine is the last stop in the U.S. for many troops on the way East because it is the closest major airport to Europe and points east. The Bangor Daily News reported at 9:45 yesterday evening that approximately 150 new combat troops are leaving Bangor for Iraq. Read the article here.

They are not “new” troops because they are replacing soldiers who are returning. They are not “combat” troops because , although trained and classified and as combat troops, they are not expected to engage in combat. Their function will be to train others to engage in combat.

That sounds like a very fine line of distinction. The returning troops saw little actual combat recently. They were combat ready, of course, but the arriving soldiers will also be ready if needed.

In the fanfare surrounding “the withdrawal of the last combat soldier from Iraq” the fact that 50,000 troops remained was completely overlooked by the press. That is an awful lot of teachers.

1 Comment

Posted in News, Opinion

Tagged , ,

ALINSKY RULE PREVAILS AT THE MOSQUE

Posted on August 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

Rules for Radicals Tactical Rule #4 “Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules. You can kill them with this, for they can no more obey their own rules than the Christian church can live up to Christianity.”

Obviously, our rule in this instance is freedom of religion.

In Act II of his plan, Alinsky also states the job of a community organizer is to agitate. He says flat-out in the book, – a good community organizer is a community agitator. Get the people riled up, then, use the turmoil to your advantage.

RAUF, THE IMAM OF THE MOSQUE

Certainly, the Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is no follower of Saul Alinsky. He doesn’t need to be in order to know and employ the principles and tactics. Alinsky didn’t invent them; he simply put them together in clear and cohesive form. Knowledge of Alinsky’s teachings gives an observer great insight into the motivation behind the actions of anyone who strives to change our government or our way of life.

The Imam has chosen controversy. He has no interest in pleasing the crowd. He wants to stir up the crowd. He seeks a victory for Islam and there can be no victory if there is no battle to be fought. Appeals to his “sensitivity” are naïve in the extreme, almost silly. Lower Manhattan is not a haven of Muslims; it is a symbol of free market America. Building a 100 million dollar monumental Mosque in that location, rather than close to a Muslim population, makes no religious sense at all. But as we have said before, it is a brilliant move for the advancement of Islam.

NOTE: We had this article written, all but the editing, when we discovered the video by U.K. personality Pat Condell. We are not a fan of the man but must give the devil his due. So often it seems, those on the outside looking in have a clearer view than those who are within.

Leave a comment

Posted in Audio/Visual, Opinion, Political philosophy, Political polemics

Tagged , , , , ,