Pensacola, Politics, Uncategorized, War On Terror

Progressive News, Truth Deficit Disorder

Given the circumstances days before Gen. David Petraeus’s progress report to Congress, where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) laid down a pre-condition that there better not be any good news, no sugar coating in his report, especially regarding recent fighting in Basra, I was pleasantly surprised to see some unanimity in the reporting of the conclusions of his appearance before Congress. With one exception, the ‘premier’ outlet for progressive news, GoLeftTV.

GoLeftTV says the story was ‘Petraeus’s admission that we are not making headway in Iraq.’ This is about 180 degrees from what I heard of the two days Petraeus spent on Capital Hill. I heard Gen. Petraeus say that much progress has been made in the last year and since his last report to Congress. Pressed for an answer as to when our troops can come home, he said that we have not turned that corner yet, we’re not at the point yet where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The bottle of champagne is pushed to ‘the back of the refrigerator.’ But, there is every expectation that the end game is achievable if we and the Iraqi government keep at it, and every expectation it will be an utter failure if we were to leave prematurely.

To settle this dichotomy from what I saw and what Farron Cousins saw, I sought to get the left’s perspective on the Petraeus report. I did what any good liberal would do. I watched PBS’s NewsHour program Saturday night where Mark Shields and David Brooks were on the panel with Jim Lehrer discussing news of the week, including the Patreaus testimony as relates to the war in Iraq. They were honest enough to interpret the Petraeus testimony exactly the same as everyone else. Everyone else except GoLeftTV, the progressive news source. It was good to see that I had seen the same testimony as David Brooks and Mark Shields.

GoLeftTV decided instead to report that we are not making any progress in Iraq, and, Bush lied. According to Farron Cousins, Bush’s description of progress was contradictory to the message carried by Gen. Petraeus. This interpretation is patently deceptive and dishonest and proves that truth deficit disorder is not limited to the Clintons as this video will attest. The Petraeus analysis, thankfully, is the first minute and a half.

related links: GoLeftTV video | Speaker Pelosi’s Petraeus Prebuttal

2008 Election, NewsBustedTV, Politics, Uncategorized

NewsBusted 4/11/08

In this edition: –Hillary Clinton running for NY governor? –New York Times hires a former Saddam Hussein soldier as a reporter –Weird voter registration gimmicks in Indiana –Heidi Montag endorses John McCain –Jogging for homeless people? –A man stops traffic in LA by taking wheelchair up freeway ramp –Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon finalize their divorce

related link: Trailer Park Lawmakers Don’t Ask Questions

Uncategorized

United Nations Warns Of Food Fight

Nine months ago, the United Nations warned that they could no longer afford to feed the worlds hungry to the same extent as before because of rising prices of the basic foodstuffs. The alleged solution to alleged man-made global warming, more bio-fuels, is drawing focus to the unintended consequences of higher cost of all food world-wide.

Giving new meaning to the phrase ‘food fight,’ Sir John Holmes, the undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs at the United Nations says rioting could spread around the world over food, as has happened in Egypt. Egypt? Who knew that Egypt is a poor and undeveloped country?  He told a conference in Dubai . . .

that rising prices would spark unrest across vulnerable nations. Average prices have risen 40 per cent across the world in less than a year.

The security implications should also not be underestimated as food riots are already being reported across the globe.

Current food price trends are likely to increase sharply both the incidence and depth of food insecurity.

related links: Food riots could spread, UN chief warns | Biofuel, A Liberal Record Of Failure

Uncategorized

New Photo Gallery Inside

Technical update to The Lunch Counter blog.

I’m happy to inform you that the old photo gallery software that was on phillysonline.com has been replaced with a WordPress plugin called NextGEN. The photo albums can be found under the Pages tab located at the top of the page.

This represents the best integration of photo gallery software into the WordPress platform that I’ve seen in the several months that I’ve been looking to replace the older ‘Gallery’ software.

Just hover over the Pages tab and move on down to any of the 6 photo albums you’ll find there. More albums may be added as appropriate.

You can browse pages full of thumnails, click on them to enlarge, or view the album in slideshow mode.

Enjoy!

Uncategorized

Speaker Pelosi's Petraeus Prebuttal

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the third person in line of succession in the United States,issues a prebuttal, some say warning, to General Petraeus concerning his upcoming report of the war in Iraqand Afghanistan. Feeling her testosterone rise again, Nancy is out front trying to frame the General’s report in a way that there better not be anything good reported or else the report will just be Bush’s report. Just the same as she did last year in September 2007.

Speaking directly to the recent offensive in Basra, Pelosi wants to make sure that that is ignored.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned Army Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker on Thursday not to “put a shine on recent events” in Iraq when they testify before Congress next week.

“I hope we don’t hear any glorification of what happened in Basra,” said Pelosi, referring to a recent military offensive against Shiite militants in the city led by the Iraqi government and supported by U.S. forces.

related link: Sept. 2007, Democrats Question Petraeus Report | April 2008, Pelosi warns Petraeus on Iraq testimony | Progress In Iraq Ignored

2008 Election, Politics, Uncategorized

Sen. Obama Demagogues Big Oil On Windfall Profits

One only has to see this campaign ad that Sen. Barack Obama is running in Pennsylvania to get an idea of his grasp on economics as it relates to the price of gasoline. Obama labels oil company profits as ‘windfall profits’ and something that needs to be taxed, ostensibly, to gain ‘energy independence.’ The fact that Sen. Obama calls a modest 10% profit margin a ‘windfall profit,’ something to be attacked with the tax hammer, calls to attention his ignorance in economic principles, running a business, and capitalism. It also shows his willingness to mislead and misinform Pennsylvanians.

Increasing taxes on a corporation to, ostensibly, bring prices down is not only wrong thinking from an economic perspective, but to characterize Exxon’s 10% profit margin as ‘windfall profits’ is dishonest and/or shows his ignorance where economics is concerned. Playing to the dumb masses is what liberals do. It is named appropriately though, ‘Nothing’s Changed.’

Given the chance, both he and Hillary would only make gas prices at the pump higher and the country more dependent on foreign oil than ever before.  Increasing supply is not on their agenda. That is one thing you can count on.

Judiciary, MRIOTD, Politics, Supreme Court, Uncategorized

Criminal Safe Haven Endorsed By SCOTUS

The SCOTUS decided to allow a safe haven for Rep. William (Dollar Bill) Jefferson (D-La) to conduct illegal activity by refusing to hear an appeal by the FBI.

Hiding behind the ’speech or debate’ clause of the Constitution creates a safe haven for criminal behavior. Who thinks that was the intention of the founding fathers?

related link: The Godfathers In Congress | Court Declines FBI Jefferson appeal | Best Defense Is A Good Admission?

Organized Labor, Pensacola, Politics

Big Education, Not So Big Students

1 Comment

Ever notice how politicians in both parties always want to spend more on education at all levels? There never, never seems to be enough money. After all, spending more on education is a feel-good type exercise. It makes our caring-karma glow and helps politicians get re-elected. But what good does it do our children? Why are we not seeing positive results there? Could it be because of the K-Mart (no offense to K-Mart) mentality of educating our children. That is to say, quantity rather than quality, like the editor writes. . .

The problem at the bigger, higher-profile institutions like the University of Florida and Florida State University is that they have been trying to handle too many students with increasingly tight budgets.

Yes, the budgets have risen in total dollars, but not enough to offset the rising costs of providing high-quality education to growing numbers of students.

Time is long overdue to expect more for our money which is already ‘invested’ into educating our children, and to dispel this blank-check, or bottomless-pit theory that if we just spend more money on education that we will get bright and educated children. We’ve had bright and educated children in our history with much smaller expenditures than what we are seeing today.

In financing education in Florida, the lottery shell-game that we all bought into years ago ‘has come home to roost.’ And while some politicians are quick to trash BIG OIL, BIG PHARM, BIG INSURANCE, and BIG ENERGY on costs, where in the world are they on BIG EDUCATION? The assumption that spending more money because costs are rising, instead of addressing the rising cost is where we lose focus on the important thing, teaching our children to be bright, productive, and able to think and reason on their own.

To borrow an overused phrase and campaign slogan, it’s time for change we can believe in. It’s time for politicians to step up and attack the ‘rising cost’ factor like they are so quick to do with other industries, instead of the taxpayers’ wallet. But first, they have to come to terms with their biggest obstacle, BIG LABOR, teacher’s unions.

related link: PNJ editorial, No free lunch on tuition

Media, War On Terror

Progress In Iraq Ignored

The fact that most of the news nowadays is about the economy, if not about the Democratic primary race and not about Iraq is not news. I mean, ever since the surge started showing positive results, news in Iraq is limited to a death toll tally or IED and mortar count. What is happening in Iraq that is also being ignored surrounds the current fighting going on in Muqtada al-Sadr territory against his militias in Basra. The news here is that the Iraqi army is the military doing the fighting there, not U.S. Basra was turned over to Iraq for full security control last December, and what we are seeing is Iraq taking care of business. And, Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is personally overseeing operations against al-Sadr’s militias and supporters. al-Maliki says

“We have made up our minds to enter this battle and we will continue until the end. No retreat,” al-Maliki said in a speech broadcast on Iraqi state TV.

So where are the headlines like Iraq Taking On Security Responsibilities?

related link: Iraqi prime minister says no retreat

Politics, Uncategorized, War On Terror

Trailer Park Lawmakers Don't Ask Questions

Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser. Today it is Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, who earned the moniker ‘Baghdad Jim’, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California, going on an all expenses paid junket to Iraq in October of 2002 to meet with Saddam Hussein over a year before the war began. And not one of them knew that the trip was financed by Saddam Hussein.

Are we to think that these three anti-war Democrats did not know who was paying for the trip, since they were not? ‘Plausible deniability’ dictates not to be so curious as to inquire who is picking up the tab. Take the free ride to Saddam’s palace.  Take the opportunity to accuse the President of lying to the American people.  And let’s not forget, all the free propaganda material Saddam can use.

I’m reminded of the words of James Carville, then attack dog and political adviser to President Clinton, when Clinton Inc. was smearing Paula Jones as ‘trailer park trash.’ Of Paula Jones, he said something like ‘that’s what you get when you drag a dollar bill through a trailer park.’ The analogy fits when applied to these three, Baghdad Jim McDermott, David Bonior and Mike Thompson. Drag a dollar through their office and they’re yours. They’ve apparently been conditioned to not ask questions.

Of the lawmakers . . .

None was charged and Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said investigators “have no information whatsoever” any of them knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam.

That’s one issue. Then there’s what they said while in Baghdad. Baghdad Jim told ABC, from Baghdad, that “the president of the United States will lie to the American people in order to get us into this war.” But wait, there’s more! He said this on Iraqi TV . . .

“We are three veterans of the Vietnam War who came over here because we don’t want war. We assert from here that we do not want the United States to wage war on any peace-loving countries. As members of Congress, we would like diplomatic efforts to continue so as not to launch any aggression. We will visit children’s hospitals to see the negative impact of the sanctions imposed on Iraq. We hope that peace will prevail throughout the world.”

related link: US: Saddam paid for lawmakers’ Iraq trip | The Baghdad Democrats

Belly up to the counter. Politics are on the menu and Ross is on the grill.