Category Archives: Politics

2008 Election, Politics, Uncategorized

John Kerry, Outsourcing, Benedict Arnold Companies, HJ Heinz

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A funny thing happened while unpacking a box of freedom fries the other day.  I was surprised to see that the Ore-Ida french fries I’ve been using were not from Oregon or John Kerry is apparently OK with the concept of outsourcing now.Idaho.  I can vaguely recall the advertising jingle when I was much younger, something like ‘if it’s Ore-Ida, it’s all right-a.’  The Ore-Ida brand became a national favorite.  It’s not national any more.  Today Ore-Ida potatoes are a product of Canada, distributed by a ‘Benedict Arnold’ company (to use John Kerry’s words), HJ Heinz of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Similarly, as American Ore-Ida potatoes were, Heinz’s ketchup was too.  Oh, but not any longer.  Heinz ketchup is a product of Canada also.  I wonder if outsourcing is no longer a democrat platform issue?  Maybe it’s OK for John Kerry’s companies, just not yours?

Outsourcing is OK for John Kerry's companies. Just not yours.Can’t wait to hear John Kerry say “I was against outsourcing when I was running for president, but now I’m not.” 

ref: Outsourcing and The Left

More pictures like these in the gallery.

UPDATE note: Thanks to Tony @ HJ Heinz (see first comment to this post) for pointing out a factual error in the above post.  That being that neither of the Kerrys have any controlling interest in the company, so the reference to “Maybe it’s OK for John Kerry’s companies, just not yours?” is incorrect.  HJ Heinz is not his or her company.  To say that I was surprised to find that those products are not from the USA was not a mis-statement of fact.  Which begs the question, if Canadians can get fries and ketchup made in Canada, why can’t Americans buy fries and ketchup from the US?

Politics

UN Affirms Bias And Media Remains Mute

Congress needs to take sides when it comes to the United Nations and our temporary Ambassador John Bolton.  The world could not be more dangerous a place to live than it is today and, this is not a time for a linguini-spined politician to represent our interests in the world.  That’s why Congress needs to confirm John Bolton as Ambassador to the UN.

To find out what went on at the UN on Friday, you have to read the foreign press or you can check out the Democracy Project or PowerLine articles on this subject.  The legacy media doesn’t want to leave the ‘democrats are united’ play.  Discussing real-world problems that the UN is incapable of solving is too problematic politically.

Some highlights. . .

Bolton was furious over the adoption by the General Assembly of a resolution which said the assembly regretted the deaths of 19 civilians in an attack by the Israeli military in the town of Beit Hanoun last week.

Despite the resolution being significantly watered down at the behest of the United States, and being passing by 156 votes to seven, Bolton launched a blistering attack on the UN, and many of its members.

“Many of the sponsors of that resolution are notorious abusers of human rights themselves, and were seeking to deflect criticism of their own policies,” he said.

“This type of resolution serves only to exacerbate tensions by serving the interests of elements hostile to Israel’s inalienable and recognized right to exist.”

“This deepens suspicions about the United Nations that will lead many to conclude that the organization is incapable of playing a helpful role in the region,” Bolton continued.

“In a larger sense, the United Nations must confront a more significant question, that of its relevance and utility in confronting the challenges of the 21st century. We believe that the United Nations is ill served when its members seek to transform the organization into a forum that is a little more than a self-serving and a polemical attack against Israel or the United States,” he said.

Complete text of Ambassador Bolton’s statement here.

Politics, War On Terror

Crossed-Fingers Diplomacy For Iran

It doesn’t sound like good foreign policy to me, trying to ‘save face’ in ending Iran’s nuclear program, or to ‘save face’ in letting Iran continue to develop their nuclear capabilities beyond just electricity production, while keeping your fingers crossed that Iran won’t follow through on wiping Israel off the map, while fueling and funding the insurgency in Iraq.

We’ve tried the crossed-fingers diplomacy with North Korea under the Clinton-Albright administration in the 90’s.  The results of that effort is a nuclear bomb wielding North Korea, exactly the opposite of their goal.  Buttressing Bush’s label as one of the ‘axis of evil’, future leaders in Iran seem comfortable enough to wear that moniker proudly.

An ultra-conservative Iranian cleric who opposes all dialogue with the West is a frontrunner to become the country’s next supreme spiritual leader. 

In a move that would push Iran even further into the diplomatic wilderness, Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi, 71, who publicly backs the use of suicide bombers against Israel, is campaigning to succeed Grand Ayatollah Ali Khameini, 67, as the head of the Islamic state.

‘How do you save face while losing your head’ might be something to explore, since that’s what the current geopolitical environment seems to suggest.  In an atmosphere where ‘trust but verify’ is viewed as radical, what else could be expected from an Ayatollah who backs suicide bombers and other extreme Muslim acts of ‘peace?’

Telegraph, UK link

2008 Election, Politics, War On Terror

Democrats Have Nothing To Say?

The great issues of today are not being addressed by the new democrats’ ‘new direction.’  Increasing the minimum wage and spending more on education are neither of them.  The obvious ones are winning the war-on-terror, economic policies like making the tax cut permanent, fixing Social Security, educational policies like allowing school choice via the school voucher program (No child left behind), real tort reform, earmark removal just to name a few.   The party has nothing to say about the issues they just ran on.  Oh that’s right, it was ‘Bush sucks.’  What is happening now is the party has nothing to say.  The minimum wage issue is a standard election issue for every election.  The fact that there never was a plan beyond ‘Bush is a liar’ is becoming evident as democrats are being seen as in some state of disarray. 

I don’t know how this ever got passed the editorial board, but this New York Times headline is an example.  After Win, Democrats Revert to Finger-Pointing

2008 Election, Politics

Not Exactly Hitting The Ground Running

For post-election democrats, it’s more like just hitting the ground.  The great issues of today are not being addressed by the new democrats’ ‘new direction.’  And increasing the minimum wage and spending more on education are neither of them.  The obvious ones are winning the war-on-terror, economic policies like making the tax cut permanent, fixing Social Security, educational policies like allowing school choice via the school voucher program (No child left behind), real tort reform, earmark removal just to name a few.   The party has nothing to say about the issues they just ran on.  Oh that’s right, it was Bush sucks.  What is happening now is the party has nothing to say.  The minimum wage issue is a standard election issue for every election.  The fact that there never was a plan beyond ‘Bush is a liar’ is becoming evident as democrats are being seen as in some state of disarray. 

I don’t know how this ever got passed the editorial board, but this New York Times headline is an example.  After Win, Democrats Revert to Finger-Pointing

Politics

Speaker-elect Pelosi, 0 for 1

Here’s a picture that’s worth 1000 words.  House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi’s strained smile beside her new number two Steny Hoyer (D-Md).  House democrats handed the San Francisco liberal her first defeat in her first assertion of power.  John Murtha was Pelosi’s choice for the position.  He’s the one with the frown on his face.

House Democrats today picked Steny H. Hoyer, right, over John P. Murtha, far right, for majority leader and Nancy Pelosi for Speaker.

In defending her choice for John Murtha, Nancy Pelosi said, among other things, that she chose Murtha because she thought that would lead to an expedient end of the war.

I was proud to support him for majority leader, because I thought that would be the best way to bring an end to the war in Iraq.

That admission was omitted from the NYT’s article. Mmmm

Disclaimer: This is a New York Times link. It’s truthfulness and completeness should be judged against what you already know about the NYT and Nancy Pelosi.

Politics, Uncategorized

Socialist Candidate and French Values

France is having what we would call their primary season, picking a candidate from their party to run for president next year.  The ‘liar’ accusation is alive and well in French politics.  Not sure if it has always been that way or if they are mimicking the US model.  I guess we can take small pride in what family values means to US politicians though, compared to candidate Miss Ségolène Royal, the favorite to win France’s Socialist Party’s nomination. 

Miss Royal reportedly has four children, all possibly with the same father, the article does not go into that much detail, but it does say this. . .

Miss Royal, 53, has four children with her partner, Francois Hollande, who is leader of the party.

She has a partner, not a husband, and they are raising four children.  At 53 and four children later, is ‘marriage’ and ‘family’ a thing of the past in France or is shacking-up embraced by the Socialist Party?  

Politics, Uncategorized, War On Terror

Citizenship Test, The Missing Questions

Debbie Schlussel has found the lost questions from the US citizenship test.  These are the questions that should be asked.  Here’s number one for example.

1. If a woman doesn’t want to cover her hair with a headscarf, she should be:

a) allowed to do as she pleases.
b) stoned to death, after being buried up to the neck in dirt. The woman exposed her sexy hair to men who are not her husband, so she is clearly a whore unworthy of life.
c) forced to watch PBS specials and the “ladies” of “The View.” Wearing a do-rag on my head is like way totally cool. Means I don’t have to wash or do my hair.