Archive for May, 2008

Scottie

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Sadly No! is having a lot of fun with the right wing freak out about new Scott McLyin’ book. But they seem to have missed Michael Medved, so I’m here to help.

I still think he’s a little shit. Maybe if he’d, you know, shared this when it was relevant, I’d have more respect for him. Maybe if he’d quit and told us all why in the early days of the war, or in the heat of the election there’d be more value to what he was saying. So great, he’s come clean, but the war he helped lie us into is still going on, so that kind of sucks.

Posted by: Michael Medved  at 1:24 PM

Remember when we were hearing about how the Bush administration was sooooo awesome because nobody was leaking? Me either.

Yes, the Scott McClellan book proves that Bush made a terrible mistake during his presidency—and the worst of them was hiring this loser in the first place. Scott McC. was utterly unqualified for his high position – having achieved nothing in his life prior to working for Bush other than serving in three of his nutty mother’s campaigns (she was a thrice-married former Mayor of Austin, former Democrat, former Republican, current “Independent” nut-burger and recent fringe candidate for governor). Scott’s proud papa is a conspiracy theorist and disbarred lawyer who wrote a book charging LBJ and “Big Oil” with the JFK assassination.

No, the worst mistake was being asleep at the wheel before 9/11, then Iraq, maybe then Katrina, outing a CIA agent, and maybe being asleep at the wheel as the economy went to shit. He’s kind of fucked up Afghanistan. Torture is usually considered bad. The point isn’t that hiring Scottie was good (hell no!) it’s that there’s so much that was even worse.

Obviously, McClellan got his White House job simply because he displayed loyalty to Bush (after Karen Hughes hired him during the gubernatorial campaign) and even that single qualification is now shown as worthless – like Scotty himself.

And we thought his peering into souls only worked with Putin.

Outrage of the Day!!

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

– posted by thehim

Victoria Taft is all over the latest major scandal involving Barack Hussein Obama and his ongoing mission to subjugate the good and decent people of America to global socialism. She explains:

During B-Ho’s triumphal visit to Portland (“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK.” ), his workers and supporters placed Porta Potties on the site of a fallen police officer memorial in downtown Portland.

If you remember, Obama drew a rather large number of communists, hippies, and subversives to his recent speech in Portland. The outrage continues:

Didn’t they read the plaque or look at the flag that was at half staff? Here’s a quarter, buy a clue! By the way: no apology from the Barack Obama headquarters. Locals say they meant no disrespect.

Sadly, 16 comments were left before someone named jonny chimed in with the obvious:

Uh… to clarify for you once again Victoria, Everyone knows the Obama campaign doesn’t decide where to place restrooms in Portland. Its the city of Portland that does that. Take it up with the city if you have a problem with it.

She will not.

I’m Told to Pray for the Strangest Things

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

I believe in the power of prayer, but sometimes Ken Hutcherson sends me the strangest things to pray over.

There are five Christian hard rock bands who have just started a 16 week tour of the country.

Allright

Please pray for one band in particular, “The Demon Hunters.” One of their band members is a member of Antioch. I saw them last night and their music ministry is beyond your wildest dreams! Here again, we are a church for all people!

I wonder if demon hunters have demon heads mounted on their walls. Also, does the Hutch seal of approval mean much?

Pray that as they tour, many hearts will be changed.

Dear Jesus,

I hear that there’s some trouble in Zimbabwe right now. But it’s not important right now. Right now, if you could make sure that there’s more Christian rock, that would be helpful.

Love Carl

Freedom of Religion Has its Limits

Monday, May 26th, 2008

– posted by thehim

One of the northwest blogosphere’s most enthusiastic racists, Ms. Tracy (a.k.a No Compromises), is still on the case of America’s “Muslim Problem.” Not content with simply chasing Middle Eastern looking men out of public courthouses, she’s now launched something called the Mosque Blog Burst. Here’s her latest post explaining it all:

With the recent examples of journalists taking pictures of mosques, and muslim schools, and the picture takers being “escorted” to the head of security of a mosque, or assaulted by the head of the school, I think it’s time for a Mosque Blog Burst.

So what we have here is a case of a single charter school in Minnesota (or possibly two schools, the first link goes nowhere) that is/are violating the mandated separation of church and state by teaching Islam. I certainly won’t defend this, as I went to elementary school in a district where the separation between church and state was somewhat tenuous (and I was not of the majority religion), but what separates me from Ms. Tracy is that my experiences in elementary school did not convince me that Christianity is an evil religion that needs to be expelled.

This is what you need to do: Go to all of your local mosques, muslim schools, Islamic Educational Centers, halal shops, Muslim Student Associations, maddrassas, CAIR Offices, etc, and take pictures of these places as you are standing on PUBLIC sidewalks and streets.

There’s nothing more patriotic than intimidating the immigrants who arrived in this country slightly later than you.

Do not attempt to go on any private property, however, if tax dollars foot the bill then it is open to the public, e.g. universities.

I’d imagine that the people responding to this call to arms haven’t spent much time around universities.

Then when you click a few pictures send me your blog address, and I will put it in the Mosque Blog Burst and hopefully you will also put the Mosque Blog Burst on your blog as well! That is the point ya know!

I’m still not convinced there’s a point to this.

The email address is: nocompromisewhenyoureright@gmail.com

The inspiration is here.

As a side note: Schools: public and charter schools are funded by tax dollars, and are open to the public, but you have to go to the front office to get a pass.

If they force you to convert to Islam to get the pass, just play along. It’s a little known fact that you can reject the conversion by watching an entire Richard Simmons workout video.

It is not necessary to go into any school, muslim or not, unless you are a parent of a student in that school, so don’t bother, however, the outside of the school is fair game.

If you’re not following this at all, don’t worry, I have no idea either.

The muslim believes that the entire world belongs to them, and you, the kafir, have no right to be in that “muslim space.”

This is why so many Muslim-led countries have their troops in non-Muslim-led countries.

Dhimmis are required to pay a jizya tax, and I am sure that certain muslims believe that since most tax payers are kafirs and dhimmis anyway then the tax dollars spent on these muslim public funded schools will be considered a jizya tax!

And this is why we have the separation of church and state in this country in the first place, knucklehead.

Well, this is America, and we will take pictures of what ever is in the public view if we want, especially if it’s funded by OUR tax dollars.

And especially if it’s completely pointless to do so!

Legal precedent is such that whatever is in public view is FAIR GAME for photographs.

Unless you’re Middle Eastern looking and on a Washington State ferry.

Even if you are standing on a public sidewalk, and you snap a picture of the inside of ones’ house, it’s fair game as it is in public view!

Voyeurs have rights too.

So don’t worry that you are breaking any laws. You are not!

You’re just crazy.

Muslims and their “religion” are not used to being questioned.

Being waterboarded, on the other hand…

It enrages them as we can see with these recent events.

Yes, the actions of a small handful of Muslims can easily be attributed to all Muslims. Just as I’ve considered all Irish-Americans to be terrorists since the Oklahoma City bombing.

Get your camera phone out and start clicking away.

It’ll be helpful for later when we start making them wear yellow crescents.

It is time that the Islamist realize that THEY will have to deal with American life one way or the other.

Oh, the sad irony.

It isn’t us who has to absorb their religion.

Um, actually, it is.

It is THEM who has to absorb our American culture, law precedent and the American Way of Life!

No, it’s not (except for the law part).

Let’s plaster the internet with every mosque we can find through a blog burst!

You can probably already do that with Microsoft’s Birds Eye Views.

One would not be assaulted if they took a picture of a church, or a synagogue, or a catholic school!

No one was attacked for simply taking a picture of a mosque either. But Ms. Tracy doesn’t need to read the articles or know the facts. Her gut tells her that the brown people are different and that they’re trying to kill her. What more does a loony racist need?

Well Duh

Monday, May 26th, 2008

Not much to this somewhat old fund raising appeal by Luke Esser, but I did want to point out one paragraph. Bold is mine.

We’re not afraid to criticize Barack Obama for his ignorance on the issues, or his shocking lack of experience for the job he seeks, even though his campaign’s strategy is to deflect any and all criticism, whether legitimate or not, as “personal attacks.” Apparently any criticism of Obama is to be considered an attack on “hope” itself.

I always assumed that Esser knew that most (at least some) of his attacks were not legitimate. But it’s nice to have confirmation. To any members of the press who might be reading this, from now on if Esser attacks Obama (or any other Democrat) I think a fair follow up question is, “is this attack legitimate or not?”

Trade

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

Eric Earling thinks that if John McSame could just figure out a way to get people to talk about trade, then that’ll be a winning issue.

Trade as a General Election Issue

In my ideal world trade between Washington and Mexico or China would be as free as it is between Washington and Oregon: Goods and people would be free to cross, but the products would be free of contaminants like lead, the people on both sides would be free to join a union and have other labor rights and other basic human freedoms.

I’ve said before it would be unlikely that trade will be a major issue in the Presidential campaign. That’s still probably true, but for a couple reasons it could still be a significant one.

The Boeing tanker deal? Lead paint in toys? Poisons in food? The way the economy is going so swimmingly?

As a straight issue, the economic populists are normally going win an argument with the voters in what at least feels like a gloomy economic year. Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee, however, gives John McCain an opening.

Also, because people don’t want their children eating lead chips that fall off toys, or their cats eating melamine.

1) The politics of Democratic opposition to pending trade deals and NAFTA is so grossly beholden to liberal special interests (especially organized labor) that it gives McCain an opportunity to decry the “old politics” of the supposedly post-partisan healer. With Hillary Clinton it would just be a debate about economic policy.

Because heaven knows that the corporate interests that want unrestricted trade is not a special interest. So kowtowing to them is by definition not a special interest. I’m still a Clinton supporter, and I don’t understand the difference Earling is trying to draw out here.

2) The near unanimity of MSM editorial board agreement with the pro-free trade position gives the Republican a unique chance to score points on a topic that the bulk of relevant media voices and the pundit class don’t agree with the Democratic nominee. Not going to be many of those this year.

Damn liberal media! Yes, but it is shocking how much the establishment media love trade. On most controversial issues of the day, ed pages will go out of their way to find people who are on all sides. But trade, no. Sometimes when things get too awful to ignore, we’ll hear about lead in the toys coming in from China etc., and we’ll get some calls for solutions to that specific problem, but not a look at the system overall.

Foreign Policy Bedwetting

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

– posted by thehim

While I’m not as much of a regular reader of the local dailies here as I should be (I’m sure I’m missing out on some good material), I do think Bruce Ramsey is the sharpest conservative voice among the folks I’ve read. He and I share some small-government sensibilities even if there are some other ideological differences that generally keep me on the left and him on the right. But as with any principled conservative, he’s bound to anger the buffoons behind the wheel of the great orange clown car. And that he did last week, by trying to inject some common sense into the debate over what passes for appeasement and the problems with seeing every enemy you have as Hitler. Here, Eric Earling responds to Ramsey’s two posts:

Bruce Ramsey has a follow-up post to his original discussion of appeasement that caught Stefan’s attention as well as that of a number of national blogs, including HotAir.

Stefan’s critique of Ramsey was valid, but also besides the main point. The main point, which Ramsey makes rather well in the second post is here:

It is said we can’t talk to terrorists. Get beyond the “terrorist” label, which is another device for barring communication. You have to ask: do these people represent the political aspirations of a large group? if they do, you’d better talk to them, because they’re not going away. Find out what they want. You don’t have to knuckle under. But talk. Hear them out. Have them hear you out.

There is a whole Internet jeering section that considers this a weakling’s argument. Gotta be tough. Don’t give an inch. They also seem to think the United States is surrounded, beleaguered, encircled, vulnerable and insecure. I see a nation that is a dominant superpower that might profit greatly if it listened more.

This is such a basic and important point which is fundamental to why I find the way both Bush and McCain view the world to be not only naive, but also truly dangerous to both our own interests and the interests of our allies. And it’s a matter of common sense to people of both liberal and conservative inclinations. But this simple realization is still blasphemy to the emotionally insecure bedwetters that dominate the ranks of the Republican Party today.

I’ll have more to say on this later as a broader point in the wake of the appeasement kerfuffle, but there is obvious problem here. The belief that radical Islamic terrorists and rogue regimes can simply be negotiated with is a false premise.

Despite the fact that no one is talking about negotiating with small groups of radical Islamic terrorists, even recent history shows this to be incorrect when it comes to rogue regimes, as western nations were able to negotiate with Qaddafi and bring him in line through pressures other than military force. Beyond this, what constitutes a regime as “rogue” anyway is very much in question right now. Part of the problem that the Bush Administration believes that America has the right to dictate a significant amount of ideological issues to foreign governments, and their response to the regimes who don’t play along is to label them as “rogue.” In the end, when we judge the “rogueness” of regimes by their willingness to obey us as opposed to how well they obey the principles of basic human rights, our strongest allies are often those who are seen as dangerous to their people (Colombia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, etc) but stay on our good side. All this does is strengthen the regimes we consider “rogue.”

We negotiated with the Soviet Union because in the end they were a rational government (i.e., they wanted to live), even if we disagreed with them violently over ideology.

Does Eric believe that the governments of Iran, Syria, and other “rogue” regimes don’t want to live? What the hell is he talking about?

People that want to wipe a democratic country off the map, are perfectly happy making national (and international) policy based on the coming of the 13th imam, and are willing to die making all the above happen aren’t going to have a pleasant talk with us and suddenly change their ways because, well, it’s the right thing to do.

Wow, there’s just so much wrong in that sentence it’s sad. First of all, as has been pointed out numerous times, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has no power to launch military actions using the Iranian military. Second, anyone who even has a basic understanding of Iranian politics knows that Ahmadinejad’s goofy rhetoric is political. It’s meant to rally his supporters. The fact that Iranian politicians can still garner support by fear-mongering over America and Israel is a really good indication why it would be bad to threaten them militarily.

Iran has a population that has become much more pro-west in the generation since the 1979 revolution. Even during the 90s, a more moderate politician shocked the establishment by winning an election while talking of reconciliation with the United States. This is not a country with imperialist ambitions and one which is still years away from potentially having nuclear weapons. Even the Secretary of Defense has conceded that we need to talk to the leadership in Iran in order to solve the mess we’re in next door.

There is a difference between an ideologue and a zealot. It’s an important distinction to bear in mind.

Yes, an ideologue is someone who believes that it’s a bad idea to negotiate with world leaders who don’t respect your authority. A zealot is someone who continues to believe it after it becomes absolutely clear that it doesn’t work.

Add Another One to the Ban List

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

– posted by thehim

What’s the latest thing Lou Guzzo wants to ban? Televised poker! Here’s the royal flush:

My objection to the televised poker games is twofold. First, watching people play poker for high stakes on TV is a gigantic bore. And, second, how in the world do the TV networks get away with running a gambling racket on so many channels without being challenged by law enforcement?

I don’t know Lou. Maybe because it’s legal?

Simple Answers to Simpleton’s Questions

Monday, May 19th, 2008

Pudge should probably stick to inane songs that I can just not hit play on.

Um. What? Didn’t you just … ?

This is a strong title. I think that the ellipses are there to let you know that it wasn’t a question until he thought about it a little bit. Or perhaps in Pudge’s case, “thought” is too strong of a word.

From a CNN article:

WATERTOWN, South Dakota (CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama linked Sen. John McCain Friday with what he called “the failed policies” of the Bush administration, accusing the presumed Republican presidential nominee and the White House of “bombastic exaggerations and fear-mongering” in place of “strategy and analysis and smart policy.”

So what about Senator Obama’s own “bombastic exaggerations and fear-mongering” in place of “strategy and analysis and smart policy” that link Senator McCain to “the failed policies” of the Bush administration”?

John McSame supported Bush’s most disastrous policies. The only time he ever “broke” with the administration was to throw out a trial balloon on the surge. He’s also attacking Obama for saying and doing perfectly reasonable things. So because he doesn’t have a good strategy, and certainly doesn’t have a strategy that the American people would want to get behind on Iraq specifically or on a broader foreign policy, he’s attacking people who are being reasonable. So Obama thinks he should knock that off, and maybe come up with a sane foreign policy instead of making baseless attacks.

Just curious.

Well then, glad I could help.

Marriage is so gay

Friday, May 16th, 2008

I’m thrilled that California has finally decided to be the second state in the nation to legalize gay marriage. Two down 48, and the district, and a bunch of territories to go. You know, if we go one state every 4 years, we’ll have full marriage equity by 2220 or thereabouts (I’m assuming we add a few states that don’t have gay marriage in the next 200 years, then they get gay marriage).* Anyway, noted expert on the California state constitution, Federal Way Conservative takes time to weigh in on the ruling.

The big news of today has dramatic meaning in Washington State. The California Supreme Court determined that Homosexual Marriage (there’s nothing gay about it) is protected by the California State Constitution.

Is Gardner really trying to take back “gay”?

Obviously, they are wrong.

I’m sure he spends his time pouring over the California state constitution.

I doubt anyone who wrote that document, nor anyone who signed it, nor anyone who voted to sustain it as the law of the land had any intent to grant homosexual couples the same rights and privileges as married couples. I am justified in this because the entire idea of putting homosexual couples on the same level as married ones is a very modern invention of the 1990’s. It was unthinkable before then–absurd, something we would call crazy.

What about the people who decided to amend the state constitution to include an equal protection clause in the state constitution?

How can a document, written in a time when only marriage between one man and one woman be considered marriage at all, how can such a document have hidden in it a right for homosexual couples to pretend to be man and wife? Impossible.

Well, that’s a bit like saying, “Mormonism wasn’t even a religion when the U.S. Constitution was written, how can it possibly protect the rights of Mormons?”

The judges in California invented this so-called right (which is really a wrong), just like the federal supreme court invented the right to murder babies in the womb and the right of governments to take property away from private citizens for private purposes.

They didn’t say that there was a right for gay couples in California to get married. They said that if California is going to grant marriage licenses to straight couples, then they have to extend the practice to gay couples.

Folks, there is no reason why we have to defer our own conscience and interpretation of the constitution to judges. They are no more human than you or I because they wear a black robe and are officials in our government. We granted them the right to speak on matters of law for the government, to arbitrate between two parties within the parameters of that law.

And just because almost all of those judges were “appointed” by “Republicans” don’t think that they are anything but in the tank of teh queeah.

We never granted them the right to interpret our rights, or grant us new rights, or take away our existing rights. Look closely. It is not in the constitution. Not in the federal one, not in the state ones, nowhere. They cannot do this anymore than I could declare war on Timbuktu. The moment a judge steps out of his duty, out of his lawful jurisdiction, then he is unlawful as much as a president who wrote law, or a congress who conducted a war, or a policeman who enforces non-existent laws would be.

Something tells me he hasn’t read every state constitution and the U.S. Constitution.

To place judges in a position of superiority is the same as making the president a King, or the congress a heavenly messenger of law. These are not gods, these are not kings nor emperors, these are citizens who have no more nor fewer rights than you or I or Bill Gates or the bum who lives on the street. They are not blessed with any divine power to discern any more than you or I. Don’t cede your moral right to judge between right and wrong to them.

Um, who is doing that? You can still not like it when gay people get married, and you can still not get gay married in California. You just can’t say that marriage isn’t open to couples of the same sex if it’s open to couples of the opposite sex.

There are obviously some remedies that the Californian people have available to them. First, they can amend their own constitution. That is their right. They wrote the document, they get to fix it. Second, they can have the members of the Supreme Court removed from office for violating their oaths to uphold and sustain the constitution of their state. Third, they can elect a new government that will represent them, and not a tiny minority of sexual deviant bent on perverting the natural laws of God in a vain effort to justify their own sinful natures.

They could do away with marriage all together, thus keeping it out of the hands of teh gay.

I hope the people of California wake up and remedy this mess immediately. It is not the social conservatives who made this an issue. Never forget that.

It’s those damn people who are in the wrong kind of love. Fall in love right, gays!

The decision in California has massive repurcussions in our home state of Washington. Don’t think that our justices see this and don’t imagine themselves writing new laws or amending the constitution or inventing new rights out of thin air. In fact, our Supreme Court is just as deviant as the Californian one. Any difference would be one of degrees. Don’t be surprised to wake up to more foolish decisions.

Unfortunately, our supremes said that marriage equity is up to the legislature. Fortunately, if our legislature had any gumption whatsoever, they’d just pass it in the next session (and as long as I’m dreaming, universal healthcare).

Folks, it is vitally important that you pay attention to whom you elect as judges in our state. This is not a matter to be left to the judges and lawyers and judicial activists. It is not a slot to be passed over because the issues are too hard to think about. It is our law, we wrote it, and we must enforce it upon our government when they break it. The government is a creation of our hands, not the other way around. If we refuse to keep our own government in check, we must live with the lawlessness and tyranny it will bring.

Remember, this paragraph isn’t about illegal war, or torture, or illegal spying, or immunity for that illegal spying; it isn’t about a state AG attacking people for taking medical marijuana even though that initiative passed overwhelmingly; the preceding paragraph is about the horrors of people in love getting married.

To all those homosexual activists out there who imagine a day when marriage means nothing more than a sexual union between two parties, I challenge you to think carefully about what you are doing. You imagine a universe where there is no living God, where he is just an abstract concept invented by weak-minded individuals like myself to console ourselves in our own stupidity. As you remove God from our society, what do you plan on replacing him with? What will we worship and adore and strive to emulate in place of the Christian God? Do you think our society will be so tolerant of its deviants if we remove the Christian God who preaches love and mercy instead of violence and hate? Think carefully, because in other countries, countries that don’t worship Christ as the Savior of mankind, homosexuals are branded and executed without mercy. Diversity is not tolerated in these places, and only homogenity is acceptable.

First off, Israel recognizes gay marriages performed in other countries, so I suppose they must believe in a Christian God. Are they just killing gay people consistently in Japan? More to the point, what the fuck? I do believe in a Christian God, and I can’t parse this out. Seriously!
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