Waterboarding Is OK For US Troops, But Not For KSM

Here's a video of Liz Cheney and Eugene Robinson debating waterboarding as torture. Ms. Cheney naturally refutes all his points. Found at Hot Air.

Robinson keeps referring to waterboarding as torture, saying it is illegal and compares it to robbing a bank. However, according to Robinson, it is perfectly acceptable for US military personnel to be waterboarded as part of their training, because they know that they are not going to actually drown.

So, following Robinson's logic, waterboarding itself is not torture; not being told that you won't actually drown is.

Look for it at 10:30 into the video.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Jokes You'll Never Hear At A White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

At least not for four years.

"Sorry I'm late … Louis Caldera was my cabbie and he thought it would be a good idea to drive me by the Statue of Liberty for a photo-op."

"Incidentally, Caldera was also going to be the person who ordered the Navy SEALS to rescue Captain Phillips from the Somali pirates if that had turned out badly."

"In an effort to ensure that any terror suspects killed under orders of the administration is completely legal in the eyes of the president, 'killed terrorists' will now be referred to as 'really late-term abortions.'"

"The White House says that the president had no prior knowledge of that 747 buzzing of Manhattan. Is it really a good idea to entrust our national security to somebody who can't even install The Club on his own jet?"

"This isn't the first time Barack Obama has denied any knowledge of a New York City buzz – the first being the time he smoked a joint with William Ayers at '21.'"

"And I don't know about you, but I sleep better at night knowing that a White House aide can scramble F-16s without anybody else knowing about it. This way, if a war breaks out while Obama's teleprompter is unplugged, somebody can still order planes to bomb New York to appease an enemy like at the end of Fail-Safe."

"If you're wondering why the president is in a good mood, it's because he's glad to be finished with his annual physical
. During his colonoscopy doctors removed two benign polyps and the White House Press Corps."

"Last evening I took a walk through the cemetery – or as ACORN calls it, a 'recruiting trip.'"

"Things are getting weirder and weirder. Barack Obama is now running an auto company, and this morning I read that Lee Iacocca is taking over control of the Black Panthers."

"President Obama said he's going to take care of all Americans just like he takes care of his own family. It's comforting to know that the worst that can happen to us now is ending up homeless in Kenya."

"Michelle Obama is also here tonight. The first lady just taped an episode of 'Sesame Street' but walked off the set after seeing a segment featuring the Count holding photos of Barack's cabinet members and saying, 'Two … two tax cheats. Ah Ah Ah. Three … three tax cheats. Ah Ah Ah …'"

"In closing, I'd like to say thank you to the man who is responsible for all this. I'd like to, but George Soros isn't here tonight. They don't let George and Barack in the same room anymore because the last time they did, Joe Biden got tangled up in the puppet strings."

US Soldiers Fragged; Liberals Celebrate

From the AP: US soldier guns down 5 fellow soldiers in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) - A U.S. soldier opened fire at a counseling center on a U.S. base Monday, killing five fellow soldiers before being taken into custody, the U.S. command and Pentagon officials said.

The shooting occurred at Camp Liberty, a sprawling U.S. base on the western edge of Baghdad near the city's international airport and adjacent to another facility where President Barack Obama visited last month.

Pics from some Iraq war protests:

Guns Save Lives

College student shoots and kills home invader:

A group of college students said they are lucky to be alive and they’re thanking the quick-thinking of one of their own. Police said a fellow student shot and killed one of two masked me who burst into an apartment.

“Apparently, his intent was to rape and murder us all,” said student Charles Bailey.

Bailey said he thought it was the end of his life and the lives of the 10 people inside his apartment for a birthday party after two masked men with guns burst in through a patio door.

“They just came in and separated the men from the women and said, ‘Give me your wallets and cell phones,’” said George Williams of the College Park Police Department.

Bailey said the gunmen started counting bullets. “The other guy asked how many (bullets) he had. He said he had enough,” said Bailey.

That’s when one student grabbed a gun out of a backpack and shot at the invader who was watching the men. The gunman ran out of the apartment.

The student then ran to the room where the second gunman, identified by police as 23-year-old Calvin Lavant, was holding the women.

“Apparently the guy was getting ready to rape his girlfriend. So he told the girls to get down and he started shooting. The guy jumped out of the window,” said Bailey.

A neighbor heard the shots and heard someone running nearby.

“And I heard someone say, ‘Someone help me. Call the police. Somebody call the police,’” said a neighbor.

The neighbor said she believes it was Lavant, who was found dead near his apartment, only one building away.
...
“I think all of us are really cognizant of the fact that we could have all been killed,” said Bailey.

Two comments:
1) I sure hope this quick thinking student was not in a Gun Free Zone(sic) when he shot this guy.

2) I like the way the almost-rapist-and-murderer started calling for help from the police.

What Ben & Jerry Should Have Picked For The Obama Ice-Cream Flavor

Raspberry Rezco
Post-Partisan Praline Crunch
Bipartisan Banana Swirl
Triple Chocolate Tax Cheat
Special Mortage Rate Surprise
Bubblegum Blago (ok, not directly Obama related....maybe)
Chocolate Vanilla Swirl
Porkapalooza! A Little Bit Of Every Flavor For Everyone!
Comrade Cherry

President Obama: Why?

With thanks to National Review and Powerline:

From Cooker To Stable

Mandriva 2009.1 Spring just became stable.

So, naturally, I need to stop using cooker updates, because I really don't want to start using the new cooker yet.

So I need to change all my update repositories. There is, fortunately, an easy way to do this. Open up MCC, go to Software Management, and click on "Configure media sources for install and update."

Delete everything there.

Then, browse to easyurpmi, select the current stable version and architecture (2009.1 & i586 in this case), then scroll to the bottom to the "Advanced" area. Click on "Refresh commands." Finally, open a konsole, "su -", and paste those two lines into it.

Done.

Easy.

Compare And Contrast

Angels And Demons: Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in the US, says he has "never dealt with two more disengenous people [Ron Howard & Dan Brown]." He told The Daily Telegraph "They wouldn't dare treat any other religion like this."

Ron Howard responded by stating: "Let me be clear: neither I nor Angels & Demons are anti-Catholic."

Submission: Mohammed Bouyeri shot Theo Van Gogh eight times, slashed his throat, and stabbed him, leaving with two knives proturding from his chest.

Theo Van Gogh was unavailable for comment.

These Photos Need Captions!

The Obama White House has a flickr stream.

Some of these photos REALLY need captions.



"I am so glad none of these common negro children will be attending my daughters' elite private school!"

If the public schools are so great, why has Obama never sent his children to one?

Voices Of School Choice.

Obama Kills Innocent Mexican In Government Health Care System Takeover!

So...a Mexican citizen who shook hands with Obama in Mexico is now dead. But Obama is somehow fine.

Is it maybe just a little bit possible that Obama created the swine flu in order to create yet another crisis? One that, naturally, he can not let go to waste?

How to cure the swine flu? Why, a government takeover of the entire US health care system of course!

Good Riddance, Arlen Specter

Arlan Specter (R-PA) is finally ditching his RINO moniker and switching to the Democrat Party.

Good riddance. You belong there.

Wonder if this has anything to do with his upcoming tough Republican primary fight against former Club for Growth president Pat Toomey. Do ya think?

The End Of The Muscle Car

The brand credited with originating the muscle car is no more.

GM (AKA Government Motors) recently announced the end of the Pontiac line.

I guess that's what happens when the government dictates what products you can make. No more GTO. No more Firebird.

I'm sure we'll get plenty of small "green" cars though.

So much for the "Excitement Division."

Plane Stupid

More on the Air Force 1 fly-by photo stunt from the NY Post: Plane Dumb (emphasis added):

An FAA spokesman, Jim Peters, defended the event, calling it "a planned, pre-approved military flight over New York to take photos." He said it was "pre-coordinated with everyone involved, including the city."

Except that an FAA memo specifically warned officials that if they released information about the flights to the public or the press, they’d be violating the law.

As Michelle Malkin notes, can you imagine if this had happened under George Bush's watch?

Wheelchair Bound Protesters Arrested Outside White House

From the AP:

U.S. Park Police say they have arrested 91 protesters in front of the White House, including some in wheelchairs who chained themselves to a fence.

The protesters are calling on the president to support legislation that would give people with disabilities in need of long-term care alternatives to nursing homes.

No word yet on whether Obama knew about the protest or not.

Also, Keith Olberman and company at MSNBC have apparently not--as of today--resorted to crude sexual references when discussing the protesters.

Obama Terrorizes New Yorkers For Cheap Photo Stunt!

A jumbo jet being chased by a F-16 fighter jets buzzed Lower Manhattan this morning, panicking New Yorkers, many of whom were forced to evacuate their office buildings.

Mayor Bloomberg, who was unaware of the fly-by, called the the photo-op "insensitive," and also said "Poor judgment would be a nice ways to phrase."

Further information here.

UPDATE:
John Hinderaker also comments: But it also is a timely reminder of why it was, in 2002 and 2003, that being nice to terrorists was not at the top of most Americans' agendas.

Miss America Contestant Is Against Gay Marriage. So what? So is Obama!

I don't get the backlash against Miss California at the Miss America Pagent.

When asked if she thinks other states should follow Vermont's lead and legalize gay marriage, Miss California, Carrie Prejean, replied:

You know what, in my country, in my family, I do believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there.

“But that’s how I was raised and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman. Thank you.

I really don't understand the negative reactions to her comments.

After all, she and Obama agree.

Is the MSM Finally Catching On To Obama?

The venerable Associated Press had a story out Monday about Obama's plan to slash the budget. The headline: SPIN METER: Saving federal money the easy way.

It goes on to say that Obama's proposed "cuts" are the equivalent of reducing your latte intake by one or two per year. Or asking a family making $60 000 to reduce spending by $6.

Even the New York Times says that, upon hearing of Obama's budget slashing, "budget analysts promptly burst out laughing."

Former labor secretary Robert Reich even said "this is pretty small potatoes. I mean, it's the beginning. It's at least a gesture, an important gesture."

Rahm Emanuel's damage control: “This is a symbol of a new attitude and a new perspective."

Well, yes, it's all gesture and symbolism. No substance at all.

Good roundup of the reactions is at US News & World Report.

Hope Springs Eternal For 24

When the newest installment of 24 began, I was really hoping that Janeane Garofalo would turn out to be one of the bad guys, and Jack Bauer would get to apply the thumb screws to her.

For most of the season, we have known that someone else was the plant at the FBI. I was a little disappointed.

But there is still hope!

Now that Tony Almeida is apparently a bad guy again, maybe Janis Gold will turn out to be his gal on the inside!

We can only hope.

Obama: The New Gorbachev?

Steven Hurst of the AP has an article up, claiming Obama is the new Gorbachev.

He may be correct. Gorbachev dismantled the Soviet Union, and it certainly seems that Obama wants to do the same thing to the United States.

President Barack Obama has gone abroad and gored an ox—the deeply held belief that the United States does not make mistakes in dealings with either friends or foes.

I'm not really sure what to make of this statement. He seems to be saying Obama has made mistakes both with allies and enemies during his recent trips abroad. He is correct, but I'm not sure that was his point.

And in the process, he's taking a huge gamble both at home and abroad, for a payoff that could be a long time coming, if ever.

By way of explanation, senior adviser David Axelrod describes the president's tactics this way:

"You plant, you cultivate, you harvest. Over time, the seeds that were planted here are going to be very, very valuable."

Unfortunately, Axelrod may be correct. The seeds of 9/11 were sown by Clinton, convincing Bin Laden and Al Qaida that the US was weak and would not forcefully respond to attacks upon US interests. Or even attacks on US soil.

While historic analogies are never perfect, Obama's stark efforts to change the U.S. image abroad are reminiscent of the stunning realignments sought by former Soviet leader Michael Gorbachev. During his short—by Soviet standards—tenure, he scrambled incessantly to shed the ideological entanglements that were leading the communist empire toward ruin.

The point here that must be made is that the "ideological entanglements" ruining the Soviet Union were communism and despotism. In his attempt to save the Soviet Union, Gorbachev allowed more freedom and moved his economy more towards a free-market capitalism. Exactly the opposite of what Obama has pledged to do.

And apparently, all Obama's subservience and apologizing is now known as the "Obama Doctrine." Great.

And finally, at "his news conference Obama said he didn't think he did much damage to U.S. security or interests by shaking the hand of Chavez, whose country has a defense budget about one-six hundredth the size of the United States, and depends upon it's oil reserves for solvency."

This is the same line Obama used in the Democratic primaries when talking about Iran. Again, he exhibits and extreme naivete when it comes to foreign policy. Al Qaida's "defense budget" is miniscule compared to ours yet, they managed to kill over 3000 people and bring down the World Trade Center towers.

But Obama brushes all criticism aside:

"One of the benefits of my campaign and how I've been trying to operate as president is I don't worry about the politics—I try to figure out what's right in terms of American interests, and on this one I think I'm right."

Hmmm. Sounds rather "arrogant" and "cowboy" like. No?

Tea Day GOP Smackdown

From Michelle Malkin.

Something hugely significant just happened here at the Sacramento Tea Party. Organizer Mark Meckler singled out GOP opportunists who wouldn’t give him the time of day weeks ago — and then wanted to hitch their wagons to the Tea Party bandwagon at the last minute.

Meckler said he heard that California GOP chair Ron Nehring was in the audience. Meckler invited him to say hi to the crowd — and then ripped him for waffling on the massive tax hike ballot measures (particularly Prop1A - $16 billion tax hikes).

Massive boos from the crowd of thousands here against the Calif. GOP establishment.

Will this make the MSM coverage? It doesn’t fit the narrative. But it’s yet another demonstration that this movement is not partisan and equal opportunity when it comes to holding politicians’ feet to the fire for fiscal irresponsibility and fecklessness.

Excellent.

Tax Season Cocktails

Found at the WLS site, some cocktails to make the tax season go by with a bit less stress:
AUDITINI
1oz Belvedere Vodka
1oz St. Germain Liqueur
Freshly squeezed Lime Juice
Pineapple Juice

1040 EASY
1 oz Absolut Mandrin <<-I would, however, recommend something besides Absolut
1 oz Apple Pucker
.5 oz Triple Sec
Splash Homemade Sweet and Sour
Splash of 7-Up

THE EXEMPTION
1oz Stoli Blueberry
.5oz Triple Sec
Homemade Sweet and Sour
.5oz Chambord

STIMULUS CHECK
1.5oz Crown Royal
1oz Peach Schnapps
.5 oz Chambord
Cranberry Juice

MSWindows Doesn't Have "su"...Now What?

MSWindows, damn it, doesn't really have anything equivalent to the "su" command in Linux. With su, while I am logged in as a normal user, I can temporarily get admin rights by opening up a konsole, and typing "su" followed by the root password.

So, in Windows XP, what can you do if, while logged in as a user, you need to modify a file that that was created by the administrator?

Normally, I'd say you're screwed, and you have to log out, and then log back in again as administrator. But I have recently discovered a little hack that gets you admin access as a normal user.

Right-click on the icon for IE, either in the Start Menu or on the quick launch bar--this won't work on the desktop icon--and select "Run As..." This will pop-up a dialog asking which user to run the application as. Click on "The following user" and select the local administrator for the machine. Enter the administrator password and hit OK.

MSIE will pop up. Hit the stop button, then, in the location bar, enter "C:". This will bring up the contents of the C: drive. From there, you can delete files, change permissons, etc.

Much easier than logging out.

Tax Day Tea Party

Kira was certainly feeling better than she was early yesterday morning, so I decided around 11:30 after I picked up the van from the shop, that I'd take her down to the Tea Party downtown.

It was interesting event. Unfortunately I could barely hear anyone talking as I somehow ended up behind the stage. I could barley hear Mancow's voice, much less make out what he was saying. We did manage to sneak around a bit later on so that I could hear part of what Jonathan Hoenig said, but again, not much.

I did run into a former co-worker (from Deluxe) who is unemployed as well now. He has taken it upon himself to make his own "stimulus package," and has started a little store at cafepress.com called Truly Scriptees.

Spread his work ethic around, not his wealth.

Here are some pictures of the, naturally, peaceful and fun event.




All my pics can be found here.

Embedding Gallery Into Your Website

So, I just accidentally discovered that I can "embed" Gallery into my jabster.net site. I'll have to look into that.

Dear Timothy Geitner

Dear Secretary Geitner,

My check's in the mail.

Is yours?

Sincerly,
John

Cowboy President

So over the weekend our cowboy President decided to bypass Europe, forego consulting with the UN, and unilaterally decided to violently attack the so-called pirates hosting Captain Phillips. The last thing this World needs is a US President who rushes into military action, especially without consulting the World Community.

Obama's actions over the weekend are only going to further tarnish the image of the United States, and encourage more Somalians to become "pirates."

Change indeed.

UPDATE: And now we find out that the Navy Seals are baby killers. Thanks a lot, Barry.

Transformers Sequel Spoilers!

Here are some exclusive pictures from the upcoming Transformers sequel, due out this summer! Warning! Spoilers!

HD Video On Linux

Woo. Hoo.

I can now play my ripped HD-DVDs on my Linux box. h264 ones anyways. VC-1 is still a bit of a problem, but I should be able to transcode those to h264.

Per Phoronix: I need to use the vdpau codec and video output options to get hardware accelerated HD-h264 playback at full speed.

mplayer -cache 16384 -vc ffh264vdpau -vo vdpau trailer-autobot.mkv

The cache option is because the movie resides on a samba/cifs share.

Now runs perfectly. "Who knew?"

Max File Size

Another reason to not use ClarkConnect. It has a max file size of 16GB. Which translates into a 1096 byte block size.

Mandriva, on the other hand, uses a 4096 byte block size, which translates into a max file size of 2TB, and a max filesystem size of 16TB.

HD movies, especially while processing, can be much larger than 16GB.

To find the block size on an ext3 system: /sbin/dumpe2fs /dev/sda6

I Really Hate Doing This....

I really don't want to write about American Idol, but I just finished the dishes and am waiting for Transformers to finish encoding (surprisingly, the second pass of AC3 is what's taking so long) [Correction: It's still encoding the video too] , so.....

Odds are now that Adam Lambert is going to win American Idol this season. I sure hope not. To me, his singing is just a lot of showing-off, self-indulgent crap, which may or may not actually fit the song. I had mixed feelings about his rendition of Satisfaction, but now he just seems to keep throwing in the high-pitched screeches just because he can, and because he apparently likes doing it. I'm sure he'll make the top 5, and probably the top 3, but neither I nor my wife actually see him winning. As long as the winner really is determined by call-in votes anyways.

Not that I have a favorite or anything like that.

My personal fav, hottie Megan Joy, got voted off last week. :-(

What's He's Really Thinking When He Talks

Well, at least the Brits are starting to see thru this guy.

So, I actually think ... pause [FANTASTIC. I'VE LOST EVERYONE, INCLUDING MYSELF] ... there's enormous consensus that has emerged in terms of what we need to do now and, er ... pause [I'M OUTTA HERE. TIME FOR THE USUAL CLOSING BOLLOCKS] ... I'm a great believer in looking forwards than looking backwards.

I may have to start reading more British websites.

Obama's Entourage

This is worth a link just for the last paragraph (emphasis added):

Accompanying the party will be a total of 500 officials including kitchen staff, 35 vehicles in all, four speech writers and 12 teleprompters.

Heh.

Hat-tip to Newsbusters.

Ridiculous Anti-Gun Bias

Some guy went off and, in what appears to be a suicide-by-cop, kills three Pittsburgh police officers.

So what's the suspected lead cause? It's right there in paragraph number two:

Friends said 23 year-old Richard Poplawski feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns.

Gosh. Saying that is like saying "The killer believed that the sky was blue." Heck, Obama is the Salesman of the Year at many gun shops. It's darn near impossible to purchase an AR-15 right now demand is so high.

And look at the guns he likes: AK-47. .357 Magnum. Wow. What a wacko.

This second article is not much better, again leading with the statement that he "was also convinced that the government wanted to take away his guns and his freedom."

A little further down we learn a few more things about this guy:

• He was expelled from high school;
  
• He was dishonorably discharged from the Marines during basic training;
  
• His girlfriend left him soon thereafter;
  
• He had a failed internet talk show;
  
• At 22, he's living with his mother and grandmother; his father is not involved in his life;
  
• He lost his job earlier this year.

But what's the reason he killed the cops? He believed Obama wanted to take his guns away.

Dhimmi President

LONDON - APRIL 1: The President of the United States Barack Obama (C back to camera) greets King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (C) before the official G20 leaders photograph with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on April 1, 2009 in London, England. Obama is on his first trip to the UK as President and will be attending G20 world leaders' summit dedicated to tackling the global financial crisis.

This guy is an embarrassment.

National Insurance Crisis!

According to WGN-TV (I think it was on WGN), in these times of layoffs and economic hardship, people are saving money by committing criminal acts in order to save money: They are dropping their automobile insurance!

So a significant portion of the driving public (~10%) is causing the uninsured motorist portion of insurance rates to rise. Once again, responsible people are paying for the irresponsible.

You know what this means, right?

There is a National Automobile Insurance Crisis(tm)!!

Naturally, it can only be solved with a massive federal automobile insurance program, where all people are forced to get expensive government supplied insurance!

Never let a crisis go to waste.

Obama Makes The Case For The Flat Tax

If there's one thing Obama's cabinet picks have shown us, it is that the tax code is way too complex and confusing.

When even someone as smart as Tim Geitner can't figure it out, how are we commoners supposed to figure it out?

More "unintentional errors": Health and Human Services nominee Kathleen Sebelius.


UPDATE:
More obserevations: She paid $7,040 in back taxes and $878 in interest to amend returns from 2005 through 2007. No mention of penalties. No mention of jail time. And she "mistakenly believed" she could deduct interest for a house she no longer owned. Honest mistakes. And I always thought ignorance of the law was no excuse for breaking it.

UPDATE 2:
Dammit. Just when I think I'm making a good point all on my own, along comes Scrappleface. This is a nice bit tho:

“Tom, Tim and Kathleen are some of the smartest people on the planet,” said President Obama, “and if they can’t file an accurate tax return, it’s not a reflection on their competence or honesty, but rather on the tax code that I inherited from George W. Bush.”

The president ordered the IRS to trash more than 800 tax forms, replacing them with a simple postcard for the taxpayer to record his income, multiply it by a rate of 17 percent, and send it in. That rate will apply to all but the “very wealthy” whose rate will be 83 percent.

“The rich, meaning anyone who earns more than $40,000 per year in the private sector, will of course continue to reimburse the rest of us for the surplus blessings they have received,” the president said. “And they’ll be eager to do so out of gratitude for the simplified tax form. After all, people like Tom Daschle, Tim Geithner and Kathleen Sebelius have been wracked with guilt over filing false returns almost from the moment they were nominated.”

Iowa And Taxes

According to this story at the Des Moines Register, Iowa wants to raise taxes by eliminating the current ability to deduct federal taxes when determining state income taxes, a practice known as federal deductibility.

The proposed changes means that the state would receive an estimated additional $595 million per year. But...

Democrats have proposed a plan that would instead lower the state income tax rates and increase certain tax credits to offset the increase.

Well, if the $595 million is going to be offset by another roughly $595 million, meaning there won't be a difference in state revenue, why change the law at all?

Democrats have maintained that two-thirds of Iowans would either see a tax savings or no change at all in their taxes due to the proposal.

Specific numbers show that 49 percent of Iowans who file taxes would get a break in the current tax year, while about 18 percent would see no change.

The remainder – 450,292 people – would see a tax increase, according to the Iowa department of Revenue and Finance.

Ah. Tax the "rich" some more. More spreading around of the wealth. More "fair."

Bollocks.

I am certain that the new tax structure would allow the state to more easily shift the tax burden upwards in the future.

Miss Universe 2008

Just some quick coments (by others) about Miss Universe, Miss Venezuela, Dayana Mendoza:

According to the guys at Powerline, she had a nice visit at Guantanamo Bay. "Miss Mendoza was once kidnapped and held for ransom in Caracas, a sort of crime that plagues Venezuela. Maybe that colors her attitude toward terrorists."

Her blog is here.

Drunken Barstool

How can you NOT drink and drive on this thing? Even going to the bathroom is a moving violation.

Ohio man arrested for drunk driving on a motorized barstool.

Obama vs The Public On Taxes

Back to Rasmussen again: 63% of U.S. voters now say tax cuts would help the economy. This is the highest level recorded since Rasmussen began tracking this issue back in the mid-1990's.

In related news, 51% of voters believe increasing taxes will hurt the economy, while only 23% say it would help the economy.

And, in news that the directly contradicts Obama's plans(1), 54% of voters what to see a tax policy that benefits the economy, rather than one that makes people pay their "fair share".

(1) In one of the Democratic primary debates, hosted by Charlie Gibson, (transcript) Obama said that he would raise the capital gains tax not for the purpose of increasing revenues to the treasury, but "for purposes of fairness."

Obama: Salesman Of The Year

Rumor has it that President Obama will be making a stop at Top Gun shooting range's annual company dinner.

He is up for Salesman of the Year.

Great Minds Thinking Alike On School Choice

So, this morning I was driving the kids to school, and the news story came on about Obama forcing the CEO of GM to resign, and I started thinking about the end of the DC school choice program.

It's a real shame that those poor, black children currently attending the same elite private school as Obama's daughters aren't instead the children of executives at AIG or GM.

Then, on the way home, Dan Proft comes on WLS and says essentially the same thing.

He goes on as well, rightfully criticizing US Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan for his comments that the program must be shut down because if can only help 17,000 children. So, according to Arne, since all the kids can't be saved, none of them should be.

Obama's slogan should be The Elimination of Hope.

The Contradictions of Obama's Economic Plans

On February 9th, President Obama visited Elkhart, Indiana, the American community with the country’s highest unemployment rate, 15.3 percent. (It had been only 4.7 percent the year before.) He was there to sell his stimulus bill, then moving through Congress and since signed. He noted that the bill would provide help for the workers who had lost their jobs and, more important, help them get their jobs back by reviving the economy.

The jobs that have vanished in Elkhart are predominantly in the recreational-vehicle industry, which is concentrated in the city of 52,000. With the severe recession the country is now experiencing, it is hardly surprising that this industry has been devastated. After all, an RV is expensive both to purchase and to operate and is hardly a necessity. But when the economy recovers, will those jobs come back as demand for RV’s returns? Or, in the meantime, will new environmental regulations championed by Obama work to impede the sales of vehicles that get only a few miles to the gallon and thereby make job growth in Elkhart an impossibility?

The latter seems to be the case.

A must read.

TOTUS has a new screen!

Comments of Obama's latest press event:

Now, it's important to remember that this crisis didn't happen overnight and it didn't result from any one action or decision. It took many years and many failures to lead us here.

Senator Dodd? Representative Frank? I think he's talking to you. Or at least he should be...

The first step we took was to pass a recovery plan to jump-start job creation and put money in people's pockets. This plan's already saved the jobs of teachers and police officers. It's creating construction jobs to rebuild roads and bridges.

Really? I thought this money wasn't supposed to hit the economy until 2010? I somehow doubt he's able to point to a specific teacher, officer, or bridge.

we're also beginning to see signs of increased sales and stabilizing home prices for the first time in a very long time. ... Secretary Geithner announced a new plan that will partner government resources with private investment to buy up the assets that are preventing our banks from lending money.

How are home sales up if no one is lending money?

Finally, the most critical part of our strategy is to ensure that we do not return to an economic cycle of bubble and bust in this country. We know that an economy built on reckless speculation, inflated home prices, and maxed-out credit cards does not create lasting wealth. It creates the illusion of prosperity, and it's endangered us all.

There are a few things wrong with this paragraph. Bubble-to-bust is what capitalism does. There is a cycle of economic growth, and at some point competition and the free market will determine that some companies have overexpanded; some products are obsolete; some markets have changed. That leads inevitably to a "bust." But these have typically been small busts. And they are good busts. It is the market correcting itself and reacting to changes in consumer needs and wants. After each "bust" the economy is stronger. Unless, of course, the government gets involved too much and mucks things up. In the probably over-used analogy, should the government have stepped in to save the horse and buggy industry?

And...what a government with maxed out credit and overbearing debt? It's somehow good if the government is spending trillions of dollars it doesn't have?

His faux outrage of AIG and the bonuses is just plain laughable. He specifically allowed those bonuses.

So we've got a regular mechanism whereby we deal with FDIC- insured banks. We don't have that same capacity with an institution like AIG.

Yes, actually, we do. It's called bankruptcy. Bankruptcy allows a company to "renegotiate contracts, get rid of bad assets, strengthen capital requirements, resell it on the private marketplace." So why exactly does government need to step in here?

And I think that there's going to be strong support from the American people and from Congress to provide that authority

: Yet, according to Rasmussen 45% of adults want to stop all bailouts for the financial industry. And 67% think politicians should give back contributions from AIG. Do you hear that Mr. President? Give the money back.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. At both of your town hall meetings in California last week, you said, quote, "I didn't run for president to pass on our problems to the next generation."

But under your budget, the debt will increase $7 trillion over the next 10 years. The Congressional Budget Office says $9.3 trillion. And today on Capitol Hill, some Republicans called your budget, with all the spending on health care, education and environment, the most irresponsible budget in American history.

OBAMA: Yes.

Finally! Some honesty!

Oops. Gone now.

Now, the alternative is to stand pat and to simply say, "We are just going to not invest in health care. We're not going to take on energy. We'll wait until the next time that gas gets to $4 a gallon. We will not improve our schools. And we'll allow China or India or other countries to lap our young people in terms of their performance. We will settle on lower growth rates, and we will continue to contract, both as an economy and our ability to -- to provide a better life for our kids."

So it's spend a lot of money RIGHT NOW, the way I say to do it, or nothing? The implicit message here is that everyone is just criticizing and not offering any alternatives. This is, obviously, bunk. There have been plenty of alternatives, including ones from Democrats. Some that immediately come to mind: ANWAR; school choice; flat tax; federal income-tax holiday. Hardly standing pat.

"It took us a couple of days because I like to know what I'm talking about before I speak." ie: Someone had to write my response for me and put it up on the teleprompter. And it took a couple of days to get that nifty new LCD screen setup and in place.

Regarding embryonic stem cells: "what I don't want to do is predetermine this based on a very rigid ideological approach"? Really? Then why ban cloning? Isn't that a "rigid ideological approach"? And then he says "there's always an ethical and a moral element that has to be -- be a part of this". Why? Why are you bringing up rigid ideology again? That's what ethics and morality is, you know? An ideology. So, basically, he's saying he does not want to be constrained by morals or ethics, yet he wants them to be taken into consideration?

Does he ever listen to anything he says?

Oh wait. Of course not. He just says what TOTUS tells him to say.

The Problem With Barack Obama

"It's like -- it was like Special Olympics, or something."
-President Obama, March 19, 2009


President Obama's recent "joke" on The Tonight Show about the Special Olympics has many people outraged, but also, unfortunately, has many people reflexively defending the President again.

For over eight years, every utterance of George W. Bush was picked over, and every flub, stutter, and mis-speak was offered up as further proof that George W. Bush is an idiot.

And now, yet again, Obama has inadvertantly shown his true colors, and we see all the Obama apologists come out of the woodwork.

Obama is a wonderful orator. When scripted and using the teleprompter, he is eloquent and can even sound quite inspiring. He does truly have a talent for public speaking.

It is a shame that he so desperately requires the teleprompter. He even needed it for his first press conference.

Whenever he speaks off the cuff, he tends to, often embarrassingly, reveal his true nature.

During the campaign, he referred to a female reporter condescendingly as "sweetie." This was dismissed as Obama just being "friendly."

When walking around a Cleveland suburb, he inadvertently made his famous "spread the wealth around" comment. Rather than engaging in a debate about that comment, the Obama camp began attacking "Joe the Plumber" for merely asking a question.

Now, in a relaxed, unguarded moment, with a sympathetic interviewer, in front of a friendly audience, Obama once again gives us a disturbing glimpse into his soul with his Special Olympics comment.

What kind of human being, while ostensibly trying to make a joke at his own expense, instead insults a significant segment of the population?

Did George W. Bush, stupid as he allegedly is, ever say anything close to Obama's terribly insulting comment?

To defend Obama's comment, the "best" some people can do is come back with comments about Bush's "low" GPA, or his "inability" to use big words. They can't truly defend Obama's so-called "flub," so they reflexively retort with tired, overused "Bushisms," even though the comparison is ridiculous on it's face.

The disturbing truth, that those smitten with Obama are incapable of accepting, is that Obama is an arrogant, elitist, insensitive dolt.

Every Hour Is Earth Hour In North Korea

For the rest of the world, Earth Hour is limited to March 28th, at 8:30pm.

Jesus is sitting in a bar...

From PowerLine:

A Republican walked into a bar and asked the bartender, "Isn't that Jesus over there?" When the bartender said "Yes," the Republican sent over a drink. "Put it on my tab," he said.

A little later a Libertarian walked in. "Say," he said, "Isn't that Jesus sitting over there?" The barman said, "Yes," so the Libertarian sent over a hamburger.

Presently a Democrat showed up, noticed Jesus and sent over a plate of french fries.

Jesus soon left. On his way out he stopped to talk to the Republican. "Thanks for the drink," he said; "It was really good. Is there anything I can do for you?" "Well," said the Republican, "I'm facing knee surgery..." "Don't say another word," said Jesus as he laid a hand on the man's knee. "You are healed."

Jesus came to the Libertarian and said, "Thanks for the hamburger. It was really good. Is there anything I can do for you?" "Well," said the Libertarian, "I have cataracts..." Jesus placed his fingers on the man's eyes and said, "You are healed."

Finally, Jesus came to the Democrat. He thanked him for the fries and offered him any help he needed. "Don't touch me!" shouted the Democrat, "I'm on Disability!!"

A Two Way Stop Means YOU Don't Have To Stop, Moron!

Why do people with the right-of-way feel the need to stop at a two-way stop? Do you see a stop sign in front of your car? Do you see me moving? And why the hell are you waving me thru?! YOU DON'T HAVE A STOP SIGN!!

Grrr.

The Blog of TOTUS

The Teleprompter Blog

Democrats Want One Voice For Newspapers, But Talk Radio Needs To Be More Fair

While not necessarily pressing for an old-style "Fairness Doctrine" to force radio stations to stop carrying Rush, Democrats have been talking about mandating more "diversity" in station ownership. The general belief being that stations owned my women and minorities would be less likely to carry Rush by choice, which would, by liberal thinking, thus reduce his audience and influence. (Side note, if you want to reduce his influence, Mr. President and company, maybe you shouldn't keep talkng about him. Eh?)

But, now, according to this Reuters article, Democrats are considering easing anti-trust policy in order to save the newspaper industry.

This is, rather unsurprisingly, being urged by none other than Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D).

Per the article:

The industry is reeling from declining circulation, economic recession and a shift in advertising and reader attention to online media. Venerable newspapers have closed or -- such as the Hearst Corp's Seattle Post-Intelligencer this week -- gone to Internet-only editions with reduced staff.

They're also reeling from lack of reader trust.

And:

Pelosi, a Democrat whose California district is served by Hearst's The San Francisco Chronicle, urged Holder to take a broad view of newspaper competitors under antitrust law and include "electronic and digital" outlets.

What about talk radio? Can you include that too?

Snort-worthy comment of the day:

Newspaper defenders say online news outlets lack the resources and ambition of newspapers. "Our newspapers and news media must be able to engage in investigative journalism and to analyze significant issues, so citizens are informed of public policy issues and public officials are held accountable," Pelosi said in her letter to Holder.

Who broke Rather-gate? Who broke the credit card contribution fraud at Obama's campaign website? The Air America embezzlement scandal? And all those doctored images from the AP & Reuters? Oh yeah. Blogs.

So, a lot of radio stations, under one umbrella company, broadcasting Rush Limbaugh: bad.

But a lot of newspapers, all owned by, say, Geroge Soros perhaps: good.

Maybe we can get Rupert Murdoch to start buying newspapers.

CBS Screams: Limbaugh’s Favorable Rating At 19%!

Oh my god!! People hate Rush Limbaugh!

But wait!

From the same poll, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D), has only an 18% approval rating.

New CBS headline: Limbaugh More Popular Than Democrat Speaker!

Other tidbits:

• 57% of people think the country is on the wrong track
  
• 47% think labor unions have too much influence
  
• 68% find pork earmarks unacceptable (Are you listening Senator Schumer (D)?
  
• Joe Biden has a 23% favorable rating
  

Sivimmasi

Battlestar Galactica At The UN

So it was recently announced that there will be a Battlestar Galactica panel discussion at the United Nations.

BSG has addressed numerous "current" issues, including torture, terrorism, religion, genocide, election fraud, and just general politics. They've all been handled relatively well and interestingly, keeping the show moving forward with pretty interesting plot lines.

But, uh...it's a TV show.

And while there are certainly differences between issues on BSG and real life, there are also some similarities.

The terrorists in BSG were Cylon sympatheziers. BSG, naturally, portrayed them in a sympathetic light, and they were far from evil. Unfortunately, they could probably be equated with holocost deniers, and those who want to better "understand" Islamist terrorists.

You also have the somewhat Arafat-esque Tom Zarek. He's a terrorist with political aspiratons. After becoming Vice-President, he ultimately leads a coup against the cililian government. He also murders all the Quorum members.

BSG has been hailed for examining issues such as terrorism from a deeper, more complex point of view. But it fails to address actual evil. Yes, Virginia, there are bad people out there.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad And His Cylon Advisor At A Recent Press Conference

Even the clylons, who attempted genocide against the human race are now sympathetic creatures, ones we need to understand, and not hate for what they did.

Which brings us back to the UN, Arafat--and now Iran's President Ahmadinejad--and the holocost.

The Cylons devised a "Final Solution." Ahmadinejad is working on one. Hitler had one. All three of those are evil, and not to be "understood."

After all, if the tiny rag-tag group of remaining humans can get along with Cylons, why can't we get along with Ahmadinejad?

A better question might be: if the tiny rag-tag group of remaining humans can get along with Cylons, why can't people like Ahmadinejad get along with the Jews? With the big difference being that the Jews never attempted genocide against another people or religion.

The United Nations: Where people of all colors, nations, creeds, and religions can come together and blame the Jews.

I Want Blago Back!

Among Governor Quinn's tax hike proposals is this gem:
Raising the license plate fee from $78 to $98.

Thanks Governor Rya^H^H^H^H Quinn.

Give Your Computer The Finger

A guy lost a finger, and desided to have a USB key fitted as a prosthesis.


I really hope that the finger comes off. I can't imagine sitting there with my finger shoved into the USB port on my computer. It'd kill my back.

Where the hell is wireless USB when you need it? :-)

Honoring Irving B. Kahn, The Inventor Of The Teleprompter

So this guy has been popping up today as the Inventor Of Obama's Brain:

It was the mid 1950’s and the story goes that Kahn just kind of stumbled upon the idea while working on a project for the U.S. Army. It wasn’t a military project; he was trying to come up with a way to make persuasive presentations to visiting Congressmen.

When the teleprompter was brought into the tv newsroom, it was such a huge success, that Kahn formed the TelePrompTer Company. In 1972, he lost control of the company and founded Broadband Communications.

We do not know if Mr. Kahn, who died in 1994, was fully aware of the fact that he was the creator of the brain of the 44th President of the United States!

No wonder Mr. Obama could not wean himself from his teleprompter! Without it, he is missing a vital organ, namely his brain. What kind of President has no brain? I mean, it’s just like a cigarette: once you’re hooked it’s hard to quit.

I certainly shudder at the thought of the teleprompter going missing in the middle of a crisis. When that 3 am phone call comes in, that teleprompter better be up and running. What kind of President can make a crisis decision without his teleprompter, uh, I mean brain?

If you want see what a mess this country would be in if Mr. President wakes up at 3 am and that red phone is ringing, just watch the following video, and shudder. And get down on your knees and give thanks for Irving B. Kahn; may he rest in peace knowing he has saved our country from having a President with no brain.

Obama and his brain:

AIG Is Nothing. I'm pissed at the Senate's Automatic Raises

Ignore the faux outrage over AIG. The bigger problem is the Senate. US Senators get automatic pay raises each year. This year, that amounts to an additional $4,700.

GOP Sen. David Vitter did try to attach an amendment to the recent $410-billion pork bill, but Sen. Reid (D) killed it.

So we're in a recession, people are losing jobs, and only 18% of Americans think Congress is doing a good job.

So, WHY exactly do "our" Senators deserve a raise?

$165-million at AIG for bonuses. Big deal. That is nothing compared to all the pork contained in the "stimulus" bill.

Senator Schumer says Americans don't care about pork. If true, why should we care about a piddling $165-million spent at AIG?

Class

From the AP:
Bush refuses to criticize Obama in Canada:

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) - Former President George W. Bush says he won't criticize President Barack Obama because Obama "deserves my silence," and says he plans to write a book about the 12 toughest decisions he made in office. Bush's speech Tuesday at a luncheon in Calgary, Alberta was his first since leaving office.

He declined to comment about the Obama administration like former Vice President Dick Cheney. Cheney said Sunday that Obama's decisions are threatening the nation's safety.

Bush says he doesn't know what he'll do in the long term but says he'll write a book that will let people determine what they would have done if their most important job was to protect the country.

Class.

Something Carter and most Democrats are lacking.

Not the AIG I knew.

I do love Scrappleface.

(2009-03-17) — As the furor over AIG executive bonuses threatened to bring the current economic recovery to a halt, President Barack Obama and Sen. Chris Dodd today threw fuel on the fire, announcing their “fierce outrage” upon hearing that the insurance giant had given each of their campaigns more than $100,000 last year.

“While AIG was collapsing, and her executives crawling to DC with hat in hand,” said Sen. Dodd, D-CT, “my campaign, and then-Senator Obama’s were getting what can only be termed influence bonuses from the same firm. Naturally, I knew nothing about this, and I’m now seething with anger at the injustice.”

President Obama and Sen. Dodd were the two largest recipients of campaign contributions from the beleaguered company, and the only politicians to garner six-figure amounts from AIG in 2008 — $103,100 for Sen. Dodd and $100,332 for presidential candidate Obama.

AIG, which has received $170 billion in taxpayer cash from the federal government since September, gave more than $585,000 to Congressional and presidential candidates last year, favoring Democrats 3-to-1 over Republicans.

In unrelated news, Sen. Dodd proposed legislation requiring AIG political gifts to be returned to the U.S. Treasury, “exempting only those campaign contributions made before November 4, 2008.”

The senator’s office immediately issued a statement declaring that Sen. Dodd was not aware that he had proposed such the exemption.

Springtime Colds

So, every single part of me is fine except for my left nostril. It won't stop running.

This sucks.

Wearing Blue Today

Got my blue jeans on and my blue Harley shirt for St. Patrick's day.

Blue:
Americans usually wear green on St. Patrick's Day -- but in Ireland, green was considered to be an unlucky color for a long time. Green was considered the favorite color for the Good People, or faeries, in Irish folklore, and they liked to steal people and especially children who wore too much green.
The original color associated with St. Patrick was blue, not green.

Blue Two:
According to Faith Central, Blue not green is the color originally associated with St Patrick. "St Patrick's Blue" is used on Ireland's Presidential Standard or flag, while the Irish Guards sport a plume of St Patrick's blue in their bearskins. The emphasis on green is thought to be linked to "wearing the Green", a symbol from the 18th century on, of sympathy with Irish independence.

The Scream, as interpreted by Lucas

Sometimes, I am really impressed by Lucas's artwork.

How progressive are you? I'm Very Conservative!

With a hat tip to
Brooks Bayne via GayPatriot.

See how progressive you are! Take the quiz.

And, to American Progress, you should be aware that there is a difference between legal and illegal immigrants.

I scored an impressive 84, btw!

Edit:
A nice response, and a better Progressive Quiz.

Why we need card check: No one wants to join a union

Per Rasmussen, only 9% of non-union workers want to join a union.

Typerical liberal operating procedure: What you can't obtain at the ballot box, obtain by force.

Where force is (but is not limited to) the courts, and union thuggery.

Obama Fingers

A German food company is selling Obama branded chicken nuggets: Der Spiegel

My first thought was, since Obama is giving all responsible Americans the finger (Wall Street bailouts, auto-industry bailouts, mortgage bailouts), why not this? Bite it off or something, I guess.

Bad drivers

Unfortunately, I could not get a picture--had Kira walking into school, and they were towing the car out as I walked out--but someone managed to back their car into a really nice Victorian house across the street from Canty. It's fortunate that the house didn't collapse.

I have no idea how it happened.

Streaming Videos With pyTivo vs Wii

Since CBS Channel 2 OTA reception is pretty much non-existant, I have been downloading shows from the internet (mostly from isohunt) and watching them on the Wii from the 2G SD card. This does, however, require the Wii Homebrew Channel and a Wii version of mplayer. While it does allow me to watch these shows on my TV, it is, to say the least, inconvenient to constantly take the card upstairs to the computer, and wait for the insanely slow transfers to the SD card.

Luckily I inadvertently discovered another solution.

I hit Circuit City the day before they closed for good, and they had a HD-TiVo--floor model including everything but the power cord--for $150. It was, obviously, quite hard to pass up. And to make it even better, it rang up as $120.

So the Samsung box is gone, and all TV is now OTA HD thru the Tivo. As an extra bonus, the TiVo has two ATSC tuners; the single antenna feed is split internally. So we can now record two shows at once! Granted, it is not often that we find two shows that we want to record simultaneously (especially now that I've gotten rid of the DirecTV), but it certainly is a nice feature. Maybe I'll actually start to watch American Idol now. Or not.

I had saved a number of kids shows from DirecTV that I wanted to transfer to the new TiVo, and while the transfers started out OK(1), they are not grouped. After a bit of googling, I discovered that Tivo uses a seriesID, not the show title, to identify and group shows. And the seriesID has to be in the guide data as well. So, since the shows are from channels I no longer receive, I have no way to group the transfered shows. Short of hacking into the thing and perhaps messing with the guide data.

Which brings me to pyTivo. While looking for a non-grouping solution, I stumbled upon a little app called pyTivo. This handy little program, which runs on Linux, Mac, MSWindows, Solaris, and even the Linksys NSLU2 NAS device, allows you to "stream" (see below) videos on your computer to your Tivo.

It is basically a better version of the Tivo Desktop, allowing a much wider range of formats to be viewed on your TV with your Tivo. The best thing about pyTivo is that "it just works." I am running Mandriva cooker, and once I installed ffmpeg (plf version), I started pyTivo, then went down to my living room, pulled up the Now Playing List on the Tivo, and there was my computer share! I was able to browse all my movies, ripped DVDs, etc.

pyTivo will simply transfer mpeg2 compliant videos to the Tivo, and, with ffmpeg, will transcode (nearly) all other formats into a Tivo compatible format before transferring. I say nearly, because ffmpeg has some issues with MKV files. I only got a portion of the video, and even less of the sound on the converted 720p MKV of The Dark Knight. I've only been able to watch that on my computer. I couldn't even burn it to a DVD (again, a ffmpeg issue).

Other than that, movies transfer and play perfectly! It is also nice because I have been making backup rips of the DVDs the kids watch a lot, and I now have a way to easily watch them. Which means I can pack up the DVDs somewhere where prying little hands can't scratch them or throw them across the room. And I can skip the previews & FBI warning taboot!

A couple of notes about "streaming": In order to watch a remote show on the Tivo, you need to transfer the show to the Tivo. You can not just select a remote program and click on Play. However, Tivo does allow you to start viewing immediately. Over my G-band network, shows and DVD rips are transferring quickly enough that I can start viewing immediately, tho I recommend starting the transfer, going to get a glass of water, wine, or whiskey, and then sitting down to watch. Higher definition movies do require a couple of minutes of cache time. Also, the CPU speed of your computer will affect transcoding time of any videos that need to be converted for the Tivo. I have a AMD dual core 5500+, so I don't have too many concerns there.

Also, Tivo places transferring videos in its to-do list, which means that you can't start watching one remote movie, then change your mind and start watching something else. If you change your mind, you need to cancel the transfer, then start the transfer of the new video.

While I have not tried them out, pyTivo also allows you to view pitures and listen to music located on your local network.

There is also a pretty web interface for pyTivo, accessible at http://localhost:9032/ which allows you to add shares (video, picture, or music), change settings, aspect ratio of your TV, etc. Most people will only need to add and remove shares.



Overall, pyTivo is a very handy little application. It has pretty much negated my need to build a home-theater PC with MythTV. (Not that I don't still WANT to....)


(1) My series 2 Tivo appears to have died during the transfers. It was working OK, but now it won't even boot up. I don't know if it was just this Tivo's time to die, or if it had something to do with the transfer process.

Mayor Daley has a YouTube channel!

You can view his channel here.

As is probably to be expected tho, it looks like you can't leave any comments. At least not any comments critical of him.

I do, however like the way that "sri lanken sex girls" is a related video. :-)

Enjoy the warm weather while you can!

All I have to say is thank god for George Bush.

Just imagine how cold it would be without Global Warming(tm)!

Gaffetastic!!

Let the fun begin!

My First Obama Blog Post

So, from roblambert.com (among numerous other places):
"the country ... is changing"

What the HELL does that mean?

Maybe this?

Prosecutors said Hart, who is black, yelled "'White [expletive], [expletive] McCain--you white police can't do nothing anymore.'" With that, she reached through the window of a squad car and slapped a white male officer in the face, according to Assistant State's Atty. Lorraine Scaduto.

Full story.

Of course, this story must be fake, since handguns are illegal in Chicago.

Change.

Hope.

Racism at CBS Chicago

A letter to CBS7 Chicago:

I recently watched a couple of shows on TiVo (so these are from roughly a week ago), and caught a couple of "upcoming news previews" concerning a proposed illegal immigrant ordinance in Carpentersville. One was done by Diann Burns, and the other by Antonio Mora. I forget Mr. Mora's exact wording, but Ms. Burns' comment was about an ordinance that would supposedly "ban Hispanics" from a local town. Mr. Mora's comment was roughly the same.

Aside from making completely inaccurate descriptions of the Carpentersville proposal, I am disgusted by the blatant display of racism from both of your anchors. To assume that all Hispanics are in this country illegally is the height of ignorance. Worse yet is the portrayal of those opposed to illegal immigration as racist, as Mr. Mora and Ms. Burns themselves propagate an ignorant, racist lie.

Mr. Mora and Ms. Burns are a disgrace to your newsroom.
Apparently CBS7 (Wow. Imagine that. The network of Dan Rather!) feels that calling others racist is more important than accurately reporting the news.

From the Chicago Tribune:
In what experts said was a first for the Chicago area, two Carpentersville trustees have proposed that the village punish landlords and businesses that "aid and abet" illegal immigrants.
...
Their ordinance would deny business permits and village contracts for any employer who hired undocumented workers. It also would fine landlords $1,000 for knowingly renting property to illegal immigrants.


Notice. Nothing about punishing those who hire or rent to Hispanics.

To Senators Durbin and Obama

Specifically. Also to any Senator that voted for immigration "reform."

Dear Senator,

This is regarding your recent vote on immigration reform, specifically Senator Dodd's amendment S.Amdt.4089.

When you joined the US Senate, you took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States. I am including that oath here for reference:
==
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.
==

Senator Dodd's amendment states, among other things, that Mexico shall be consulted regarding any "additional fencing and related border security structures" along our southern border.

I would remind you again that you took an oath to support and defend the US Constitution.

Where in the Constitution does it say that we must confer with foreign nations about our border security? Where does the Constitution say that we must consult with foreign nations before passing laws? Where does the Constitution say that we must consult with foreign nations regarding our immigration procedures?

Whom do you represent, Senator?

American citizens? Or a bunch of foreigners?

Thank you

Letter is released to the public domain. Copy and modify as you see fit.

Here's the relevant text of Sen Dodd's amendment:

(b) CONSULTATION REQUIREMENT.--Consultations between United States and Mexican authorities at the federal, state, and local levels concerning the construction of additional fencing and related border security structures along the United States-Mexico border shall be undertaken prior to commencing any new construction, in order to solicit the views of affected communities, lessen tensions and foster greater understanding and stronger cooperation on this and other important issues of mutual concern.

Kubuntu Stuff

Penguin Liberation Front:
PLF & win32 codecs
PLF Main Site

Fix Konqueror Menus:
Kubuntu FAQ
Kubuntu Breezy comes with a simplified Konqueror profile to make things more use friendly compared to default KDE.
To get back to the default KDE profiles:
sudo rm -r /usr/share/kubuntu-default-settings/kde-profile/default/share/apps/konqueror
sudo cp /usr/share/apps/konqueror/konqueror-orig.rc /usr/share/apps/konqueror/konqueror.rc
Still a bit unclear as to how the default Kubuntu menus are actually less confusing and easier to use...

nvidia
$ sudo apt-get install nvidia-glx nvidia-settings
$ sudo nvidia-glx-config enable
Then...$ sudo vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf and comment (#) out the lines "Load GLCore" and "Load dri". Logout of KDE, CTRL+ALT+BKSP. See pretty nvidia logo screen. Play DooM.