The Song: 2-13-11 The Record: 5-23-11

Housing Prices are Still Too High

Peter Schiff argues in this Op-Ed in the Wall Street journal that average US housing prices are still too high:

If we assume the bubble was artificial, we can instead imagine that home prices should have followed a more traditional path during that time. In stock-market terms, prices should have followed a trend line. When you do these extrapolations (see lower line in the nearby chart), a sobering picture emerges. In his book "Irrational Exuberance," Yale economist Robert Shiller (co-creator of the Case-Shiller indices along with economists Karl Case and Allan Weiss), determined that in the 100 years between 1900 and 2000, home prices in the U.S. increased an average 3.35% per year, just a tad above the average rate of inflation. This period includes the Great Depression when home prices sank significantly, but it also includes the frothy postwar years of the 1950s and '60s, as well as the strong market of the early-to-mid 1980s, and the surge in the late '90s.

In January 1998 the 10-City Index was at 82.7. If home prices had followed the 3.35% annual 100 year trend line, then the index would have arrived at 126.7 in October 2010. This week, Case-Shiller announced that figure to be 159.0. This would suggest that the index would need to decline an additional 20.3% from current levels just to get back to the trend line.

Schiff is quite correct. And I would add that the diversion of capital from other industries to housing during the 1998-2006 bubble is one of the reasons why the current recession is so severe. It is unfortunate that the federal government continues to subsidize the home mortgage market.

#1: Jimmy Page

Back in the 1960s, there was an excellent British rock band called the Yardbirds. Their personnel changed several times, and included the likes of Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.

After Beck and Clapton left the group, the lead guitarist was a man from London named Jimmy Page. He played for the Yardbirds for a time, and then all the other members of the group quit. So he found a new singer, bassist, and drummer and they went on their first tour billed as the "New Yardbirds". And then they changed their name --- to Led Zeppelin.

Page was heavily influenced by Robert Johnson. But he brought the art of guitar playing to its highest level. As can be seen in this early video of one of their greatest songs: Communication Breakdown:




Like a handful of other people, Page has that unusual ability to transform his thoughts and emotions into music. Watch how he makes a masterpiece by simply strumming a scale on his guitar:




So there we have the greatest musician on the planet. But you'd best watch out Jimmy. There's a tiny woman from New York in your rear-view mirror. And she's gaining on you fast.

Top 20 Musicians

Before we discuss who is #1, let's first review #2 through 19:

2 Lady Gaga
3 John Bonham
4 John Lennon
5 Paul McCartney
6 Jimi Hendrix
7 Brian Jones
8 David Bowie
9 Elvis Presley
10 Robert Johnson
11 Hank Williams Sr
12 Patsy Cline
13 Nat King Cole
14 Cindy Wilson
15 Diana Ross
16 Johnny Cash
17 Brian Wilson
18 Willie Nelson
19 Mick Jagger
20 Paul Simon

"Britain will be hit by longer and colder winters in coming years because of global warming, scientists have said."

Chris Monckton Asks for Perspective on "Global Warming"

Chris Monckton, aka Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, has been attending the Climate-Change junket in Cancun. He has the following to say:

With perspective, no one would waste a single second of his own time or a red cent of other people’s money trying, Canute-like, to make “global warming” go away.

In the me and now, even eminent professors lack perspective. Last week one such wrote to the Daily Telegraph to say that Roger Helmer, the jovial Tory MEP, ought not to have gone to Cancun for the latest big-carbon-footprint UN climate junket. Instead, said the Prof, Mr Helmer should have used the time learning that “global warming” of 0.7C in a single century was unprecedented in the last 600,000 years.

Once the number of people who are waking up to the global warming hoax reaches a critical mass, those who are currently promoting this nonsense will have nowhere to hide.

Taylor's got legs right up to her neck

Don Meredith: 1938 - 2010

Branch Carbonians Junket to Cancun

Anyone ever notice these 'climate change' conferences are always in exotic locations like Cancun?

ENTERPRISE Minister Jim Mather has sparked fury by jetting off to a Mexican holiday resort on a climate change junket.

As Scotland is gripped by the worst snowfall in 45 years, Mr Mather flew out on Saturday to Cancun, where temperatures soared to a balmy 79F yesterday.

Flanked by two officials, he joined the UK’s 45-strong delegation at the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

The four-day trip is expected to cost more than £6,000 in business class flights alone. Mr Mather’s 10,000 mile round trip will create almost four tons of greenhouse gas.

If the climate alarmists were really serious about reducing CO2 emissions, they could have had a teleconference, instead of jetting around the world while they expect the little people to live like cavemen.

#2: Lady Gaga

You see new stars in the music world make their splash in the mainstream genres of country-western, rhythm and blues, rock, and hip hop. It would be quite amazing to see a musician from the offbeat fields like classical or jazz to have the highest number of views on youtube or dominate the iTunes sales. That is what makes Gaga’s accomplishments all the more spectacular. From the further offbeat world of electropop we are witnessing one of the most talented musicians to emerge on the scene in decades, with both commercial and artistic success.

How does Gaga command all this attention? It’s not just her outrageous costumes or her catchy lyrics. She has a talent for creating music that only a handful of people possess. Her sense of tempo and phrasing are unmatched. These are not things you can learn from a music teacher. You’re either born with it or develop it on your own. I can only think of one musician who has that same innate sense: Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. Even though their music styles and instrumentation are completely different, I swear I can hear faint echoes of Page’s influence throughout Gaga’s music.

Gaga’s singing voice can send me into orbit. She has a way of working the raspy lower tones in her voice in a manner that is reminiscent of John Lennon singing “Hard Day’s Night”. Her frequency range is impressive and dynamic range is awe-inspiring. She can sing in a soft, whispery doll’s breath or belt it out like an opera singer. To hear such a tiny woman blow her pipes in that manner can send a chill down my spine.

Gaga already has an impressive repertoire of songs she has written and recorded herself and also for others. Unlike many artists who have one or two good songs per album and a lot of filler, Gaga has had multiple hits off both the Fame and the Fame Monster.

Gaga is so talented she has several unreleased songs from earlier in career that are every bit as good as Poker Face or Bad Romance. These were leaked to the internet in various ways, mainly by a hacker who calls himself ‘Burim’. These songs, including “Wonderful”, “Retro Physical”, and “Fashion”, are some of my favorites. Here is “Captivated”, sung by a pre-famous brunet Gaga at a talent contest at NYU:

Gaga has made a connection with her fans in a way that has never been done before. She makes us feel like every one of her successes are our successes too. I have attended three monster balls and was floored. The woman knows how to perform. For a couple of hours you can forget about life’s problems and go completely bonkers with her.

So here she is, only two years after releasing her first album, bracketed at #2 between two of the greatest rock musicians ever.

My Blogue

Have nay been posting much of late. I will now resume the top 20 countdown of the best musicians of all time. Its been so long since I updated that we might need a reminder of where we left off and what the other rankings were:

3 John Bonham
4 John Lennon
5 Paul McCartney
6 Jimi Hendrix
7 Brian Jones
8 David Bowie
9 Elvis Presley
10 Robert Johnson
11 Hank Williams Sr
12 Patsy Cline
13 Nat King Cole
14 Cindy Wilson
15 Diana Ross
16 Johnny Cash
17 Brian Wilson
18 Willie Nelson
19 Mick Jagger
20 Paul Simon

Christopher Hitchens

Some of my favorite people are former marxists. Thomas Sowell for one. And another is Christopher Hitchens. Chris eventually came to the same conclusions that I have about the nature of the left:

I learned that very often the most intolerant and narrow-minded people are the ones who congratulate themselves on their tolerance and open-mindedness.

Very true. And now we learn that sadly, Chris has contracted esophageal cancer. Let's hope that he defeats it, just like he has defeated the lunacy of the left.

Residents of Mumbai, India confined to homes for two days while 0bama visits

The leftists' god 0bama has always opposed freedom for most people. And while visiting India, he and his minions forced the residents of Mumbai to be locked in their houses for two days

During the two-day visit of the US president, while the lives of many reporters were on the fast track, the residents of south Mumbai were confined to their homes due to security arrangements. No wonder, they celebrated their ‘freedom’ after Barak Obama left the city
It may sound strange, but on Saturday and Sunday, lives of countless reporters as well as residents from south Mumbai were held 'hostage' by the establishment for making 'arrangements' for US president Barak Obama and Co. While our friends from the media were running from one place to another like there would be no news left for the next moment, the residents, particularly from Colaba (Mumbai's southern tip) were locked in their homes.

The dumbass thinks it was because he didn't get his message across.

I can't believe it. Pigs must be sprouting wings.

Barbara Billingsley: 1915 - 2010

Stupid Op-Ed of the Week

I always get a smile when I read someone who thinks they understand the writings and philosophy of Ayn Rand, and yet doesn't have a clue. This time, an Op-Ed written in the Christian Science Monitor written by Rand's fellow Russian Vladimir Shlapentokh betrays a near-complete ignorance of Rand:

But the ironic truth is that, among American authors over the past two centuries, it is impossible to find somebody who has so openly and consistently praised the American elite as Rand has. Rand created magnate protagonists like John Galt and Francisco d’Anconia who ran their industries and societies without paying heed to public opinion. Rand and her heroes hold ordinary people in great contempt. They would surely be appalled to see how the “everyday Americans” at tea party rallies have demanded that they (not the American nobility nor the Ivy League graduates) should have the decisive voice in American politics.

There was nothing elitist about Rand. She believed in ability, not in privilege. She had no admiration for nobility, and deeply distrusted the ivy league elite. What she wanted above all was a limited government, a possibility that Shlapentokh and many of his fellow collectivists will not even consider. As for Rand's attitude towards everyday Americans, one paragraph from The Passion of Ayn Rand, a biography of Rand written by Barbara Branden, is particularly telling:

Two preview of the movie [The Fountainhead] were scheduled, one in Beverly Hills, the other in Hollywood Park, a working-class district. Henry Blanke [producer of the movie] hoped the studio would give the first preview in Beverly Hills. Ayn told him she wanted it to be in Hollywood Park, because that was where her real audience would be. It was in Hollywood Park. "I never saw so responsive an audience," she recalled. "They understood it all, and they applauded Roark's speech. After the previews, the top brass were gloating and delighted, they were sure it would be a big hit, and we had an enourmous celebration. The Beverly Hills audience was not quite as responsive or perceptive, although they liked it. That's why I like the common man." [pp 211-212]

Another ridiculous statement in the Op-Ed, totally unsupported by fact:

While tea partiers commend Rand as the champion of individualism, they conveniently forget that in her novels, the only people who seemed to benefit from her aim to protect individualism and the unlimited freedom of action were her Nietzschean tycoons. Indeed, Rand was fully indifferent to the workers in her novels, whom she described as primitive beings – “savages” in the words of Atlas’s steel mogul Hank Rearden, arguably one of Rand’s most beloved personages.

The character Hank Rearden never once referred to his workers as "savages" in the novel. He had the utmost respect for his employees, having worked his way up from being a mine worker as a boy.

There are many more nonfacts in the Op-Ed. Anyone who has read Rand will recognize that Shlapentokh does not understand her at all.

Retired Physics Professor: Global Warming is the Greatest and Most Successful Pseudoscientific Fraud

Harold Lewis, Emiritus Professor of Physics at UC Santa Barbara, recently resigned from the American Physical Society. Some excerpts from his letter:

It is of course, the global warming scam, with the (literally) trillions of dollars driving it, that has corrupted so many scientists, and has carried APS before it like a rogue wave. It is the greatest and most successful pseudoscientific fraud I have seen in my long life as a physicist. Anyone who has the faintest doubt that this is so should force himself to read the ClimateGate documents, which lay it bare. (Montford’s book organizes the facts very well.) I don’t believe that any real physicist, nay scientist, can read that stuff without revulsion. I would almost make that revulsion a definition of the word scientist.

The appallingly tendentious APS statement on Climate Change was apparently written in a hurry by a few people over lunch, and is certainly not representative of the talents of APS members as I have long known them. So a few of us petitioned the Council to reconsider it. One of the outstanding marks of (in)distinction in the Statement was the poison word incontrovertible, which describes few items in physics, certainly not this one. In response APS appointed a secret committee that never met, never troubled to speak to any skeptics, yet endorsed the Statement in its entirety. (They did admit that the tone was a bit strong, but amazingly kept the poison word incontrovertible to describe the evidence, a position supported by no one.) In the end, the Council kept the original statement, word for word, but approved a far longer “explanatory” screed, admitting that there were uncertainties, but brushing them aside to give blanket approval to the original. The original Statement, which still stands as the APS position, also contains what I consider pompous and asinine advice to all world governments, as if the APS were master of the universe. It is not, and I am embarrassed that our leaders seem to think it is.

Taylor is every bit as good live as she is in the studio.

I am finding myself quite smitten with Taylor Momsen and The Pretty Reckless. They are good.

John Bonham: May 31, 1948 - September 25, 1980

The greatest man to ever hold a drumstick in his hand left us 30 years ago today.

Taxpayers to Buffett: Get Over Your Stupidity

Anyone who has invested in stocks knows it is difficult to pick the future winners and losers. It either takes extraordinary skill or extraordinary luck. Warren Buffett earned a fortune by repeatedly investing in the right stocks through Berkshire Hathaway, an insurance company turned closed-end mutual fund. Many people assumed he must have a rare talent, so they dubbed him the 'Oracle of Omaha'.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that Buffett's fortune is due to just dumb luck. Out of the millions of people who invest in stocks, there are going to be a handful who get lucky, time after time. Warren has revealed himself to be incredibly stupid when it comes to politics and government policy.

Taxpayer anger against President Barack Obama and Congress is counterproductive because policy makers took measures including deficit spending to stimulate the economy, billionaire investor Warren Buffett told CNBC.

“Sentiment has turned very sour in the last three or four or five months,” the chairman and CEO of Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said in an interview broadcast Thursday.
“I hope we get over it pretty soon, because it’s not productive,’’ Buffett said. “We will come back regardless of how people feel about Washington, but it is not helpful to have people as unhappy as they are about what’s going on in Washington.”

Warren, taxpayer anger against 0bama, Pelosi, Reid, & Co is very productive because it informs our elected officials of when they are doing stupid things like the stupid stimulus package, the federal nationalization of health care, and other lunacies that are planned including amnesty for illegal aliens and the restrictions on CO2 emissions.

Its called democracy, Warren. The people of the USA decide how the country is to be run. Not the political leaders and not the super-rich. We have every right to be angry. You need to get over it.

“The truth is we’re running a federal deficit that’s 9 percent of gross domestic product,” Buffett said. “That’s stimulative as all get out. It’s more stimulative than any policy we’ve followed since World War II.”

Is it really stimulative Warren? Then why aren't any jobs being created? How can you possibly take so much money out of the private sector and put it into ridiculous government programs and expect it to help the economy?

Warren, your hero 0bama is nothing more than a glib marxist with a messiah complex. He has no understanding of economics whatsoever and neither do you.

Sure You Want to Donate to Bono's "One Campaign"?

Singer Bono has a 'charity' called the One Campaign that supposedly fights poverty in the third world. Here is what they do with their donations:

The Bono nonprofit took in $14,993,873 in public donations in 2008, the latest year for which tax records are available.
Of that, $184,732 was distributed to three charities, according to the IRS filing.
Meanwhile, more than $8 million was spent on executive and employee salaries.

Among other things, One Campaign is worried about the nonexistent 'climate change' threat.

Camille Paglia Brainfarts in Sunday Times

I am normally an admirer of Camille Paglia's intellect and insights. In this stupid Op-Ed she displays neither. In one of the stupidest comments I have ever heard in my life:

Most of her worshippers seem to have had little or no contact with such powerful performers as Tina Turner or Janis Joplin, with their huge personalities and deep wells of passion.

Yeah, Camille. Gaga's fans haven't had much contact with Turner or Joplin. Tina Turner is 70 years old. Her last single that charted was in 1992. Janis Joplin died in 1970. Even many of the parents of Gaga's fans are too young to remember Joplin.

How chickenshit can you get, Camille? You're an American writing about another American. Why do you have to go to a UK paper to do it?

"Don't allow people to dim your shine because they're blinded. Tell them to put on some sunglasses ... cuz we were born this way BITCH!"

Some people try to tell me I have too much Gaga on my blogue. Well guess what, pilgrim. There's no such thing as too much Gaga. I can't ever have enough.

EPA Denies Petition Calling for Lead Ammunition Ban

In one of the very few things the 0bama administration has done right, the EPA rejected a ridiculous backdoor attempt at gun control

In a swift and unexpected decision, the Environmental Protection Agency today rejected a petition from environmental groups to ban the use of lead in bullets and shotgun shells, claiming it doesn't have jurisdiction to weigh on the controversial Second Amendment issue. The decision came just hours after the Drudge Report posted stories from Washington Whispers and the Weekly Standard about how gun groups were fighting the lead bullet ban.

The EPA had planned to solicit public responses to the petition for two months, but this afternoon issued a statement rejecting a 100-page request from the Center for Biological Diversity, the American Bird Conservancy, and three other groups for a ban on lead bullets, shot, and fishing sinkers. The agency is still considering what to do about sinkers.

The decision was a huge victory for the National Rifle Association which just seven days ago asked that the EPA reject the petition, suggesting that it was a back door attempt to limit hunting and impose gun control. It also was a politically savvy move to take gun control off the table as the Democrats ready for a very difficult midterm election.

The Cost of Illegal Immigration

We often hear how illegal immigrants supposedly contribute tax dollars to our federal and state government coffers. The reality is they cost much more in government services than they contribute in tax revenue. A new study commissioned by the Federation for American Immigration Reform shows illegal immigrants cost the federal, state, and local governments a total of $113 billion per year and they only contribute $13.4 billion in taxes. In other words, they are only paying 12 cents on the dollar for the government services they consume.

Some more highlights of the study:

Illegal immigration costs U.S. taxpayers about $113 billion a year at the federal, state and local level. The bulk of the costs — some $84.2 billion — are absorbed by state and local governments.
The annual outlay that illegal aliens cost U.S. taxpayers is an average amount per native-headed household of $1,117. The fiscal impact per household varies considerably because the greatest share of the burden falls on state and local taxpayers whose burden depends on the size of the illegal alien population in that locality
Education for the children of illegal aliens constitutes the single largest cost to taxpayers, at an annual price tag of nearly $52 billion. Nearly all of those costs are absorbed by state and local governments.
At the federal level, about one-third of outlays are matched by tax collections from illegal aliens. At the state and local level, an average of less than 5 percent of the public costs associated with illegal immigration is recouped through taxes collected from illegal aliens.
Most illegal aliens do not pay income taxes. Among those who do, much of the revenues collected are refunded to the illegal aliens when they file tax returns. Many are also claiming tax credits resulting in payments from the U.S. Treasury.

If there are 11 million illegal immigrants living in the USA, and the estimated figures from the study are correct, that means the average illegal is consuming $10,272 in government services and paying only $1,218 in taxes. Why are our elected officials allowing this to happen?

And an even better question: Why are we allowing our elected officials to allow this to happen?

Gay Bar Next To Ground Zero Mosque To Cater To “Islamic Gay Men”

You've probably heard about the plans to build a muslim mosque next to the site of the former World Trade Center. Now Greg Gutfield of Fox News wants to open a gay bar for muslim men, next to the mosque:

No, this is not a joke. In fact, it is instead one of the most brilliant pieces of provocations in recent years. Greg Gutfeld from Fox News’ Red Eye announced today via his blog that he is actively speaking to investors and plans on opening a gay bar next to the controversial mosque being built near Ground Zero in New York. To make matters worse (better?) the bar will be specifically designed to cater to homosexuals of the Islamic faith. God, this is going to be an exciting block.

What an excellent idea! And lets ask the Saudis if they will mind if we build a Jewish synagogue next to the kabbah in Mecca.

A Very Useful Blogue

#3: John Bonham


He was the perfect accompaniment for Jimmy Page's gigawatt-powered guitar licks. The ideal rhythm section for Robert Plant's ear-splitting vocals. There never has been a drummer like John Bonham. Zeppelin called it quits in 1980 when he died and their few reunions have always been done with son Jason Bonham.

I apologize for the recent lack of posts. Here's what I have been doing. Went to two Monster Balls this week and I'm totally blown away.

Lee Bollinger: Socialist Moonbat of the Week

Lee is the president of Columbia University. His accomplishments include support of racist 'affirmative action' programs at the University of Michigan. Now get a load of what he wants to do to journalism in the USA (MAJOR BARF ALERT):

Both the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission are undertaking studies of ways to ensure the steep economic decline faced by newspapers and broadcast news does not deprive Americans of the essential information they need as citizens. One idea under consideration is enhanced public funding for journalism

...the broadcast news industry was deliberately designed to have private owners operating within an elaborate system of public regulation, including requirements that stations cover public issues and expand the range of voices that could be heard. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld this system in the 1969 Red Lion decision as constitutional, even though it would have been entirely possible to limit government involvement simply to auctioning off the airwaves and letting the market dictate the news. In the 1960s, our network of public broadcasting was launched with direct public grants and a mission to produce high quality journalism free of government propaganda or censorship.

Lee you are fucking hilarious. The broadcast news (ABC, CBS, and NBC) report with an extreme leftwing slant. This was the result of the FCC-enforced oligopoly during the pre-cable, pre-satellite era. All markets were limited to stations that carried the three alphabet networks, plus an independent station or two.

Likewise, PBS is not high quality, but has a similar leftist slant.

But I'm not surprised that you approve of the reporting of the broadcast networks plus PBS, and I'm sure you are appalled by Fox, talk radio, and much of the internet.

Ironically, we already depend to some extent on publicly funded foreign news media for much of our international news—especially through broadcasts of the BBC and BBC World Service on PBS and NPR. Such news comes to us courtesy of British citizens who pay a TV license fee to support the BBC and taxes to support the World Service. The reliable public funding structure, as well as a set of professional norms that protect editorial freedom, has yielded a highly respected and globally powerful journalistic institution.

So what is this 'editorial freedom' the journalists at the BBC possess? Is it the freedom to be a leftist political hack while calling yourself a journalist? My counterparts in the UK find the BBC to be every bit as biased towards the left as are ABC and CBS in the USA.

Now here's the best part. Lee tries to claim government- funded academic research is 'independent'

There are examples of other institutions in the U.S. where state support does not translate into official control. The most compelling are our public universities and our federal programs for dispensing billions of dollars annually for research. Those of us in public and private research universities care every bit as much about academic freedom as journalists care about a free press.
Yet—through a carefully designed system with peer review of grant-making, a strong culture of independence, and the protections afforded by the First Amendment—there have been strikingly few instances of government abuse. Indeed, the most problematic funding issues in academic research come from alliances with the corporate sector. This reinforces the point that all media systems, whether advertiser-based or governmental, come with potential editorial risks

Really, Lee? You mean like that great 'independent' research being conducted by the likes of Michael Mann and Keith Briffa on the subject of global warming? Yeah, they're getting lots of great government funding, as long as it supports the notion that human CO2 emissions are causing atmospheric warming and that government controls are necessary. The fact that Mann and Briffa and others are conducting very questionable research doesn't seem to matter. Most scientists who do not support the global warming mythology are getting little or no government funding.

Above all, Lee, what about those of us who don't care to pay taxes to support propaganda in favor of your stupid, racist political views? We don't stick a gun in your face and tell you to support our views. Please give us the same courtesy.

What Caused Steinbrenner's Heart Attack?

The Folly of Government-Financed Sports Stadiums

An interesting article cites research by Andrew Zimbalist

For one thing, Zimbalist says, the money that will be spent on the events held at the new sports arena or stadium is money spent by local residents. This is not new money but money that would simply have been spent on other entertainment in the metropolitan area if the stadium didn’t exist. Secondly, the big money that goes to players, owners and investors does not stay in the area but is invested elsewhere. Third, the city or state is often chipping in up to a third of the continuing costs and this is tax money wasted, not revenue made

The third point is most important to dwell upon in this time of one of the worst economies in 70 years. “’… in the typical case,’ Zimbalist says, ‘the city and/or state contributes roughly two-thirds of the financing for the facility’s construction and takes on obligations for additional expenditures over time.’”
There are other problems with these projects, as well. For one thing, the jobs created are for the most part low paid, part time and offer no benefits. Because of this “jobs” are not really created by a sports complex. Also, very few ballparks have been much of a boon to surrounding businesses. Few people that attend sports events stay around the area in which the stadium sits to shop, eat, or look for other entertainment. They go to the park and then they leave. About the only thing locals get are traffic nightmares and litter.

As much as I like sports, I agree that government-financed stadiums are a horrible idea. Aside from the lack of economic benefits, it simply is not fair. Many people could care less about sports. Those of us who do like sports should not force others to pay for our entertainment. Should the government also finance somebody's stamp collection or scuba diving?

Who's a Coward, Eric?

We wrote previously about Attorney General Eric Holder's ridiculous accusation that Americans are cowards on matters of race. Now we hear from J. Christian Adams, who recently resigned from the Department of Justice over its handling of a voter intimidation case in Philadelphia during the 2008 presidential election

In emotional testimony, J. Christian Adams, until last week a member of the DoJ's Voting Section — he resigned in protest over the department's handling of the case — told a stunned hearing room why he felt the case had been dropped. In no uncertain terms, Adams noted that senior officials within the Obama Justice Department had told employees that they were not to bring voting-rights cases where the alleged victim in the case was white. In other words, white transgressor and black victim, bring it on. Black transgressor and white victim? Forget about it.

Many people were hopeful that the election of 0bama would help heal wounds from past racial conflict. It is clear that through his handling of the Black Panther case, as well as the nomination of the racist Sotomayor to the supreme court, that just the opposite is happening.

Hollywood's Golden Age

I just saw this pic on another blog and I realized that the two in the middle are still alive. How many other actors and actresses from Hollywood's Golden Age, which ended about 1950, are still alive? The only ones I can think of are Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine.

Lady Gaga Leads List Of Celeb 100 Newcomers

She has only just begun. Forbes has her ranked at #4 in her first appearance on the list

LOS ANGELES -- Getting famous is easy. Just ask Kate Gosselin or Kim Kardashian--who each appeared on more than 20 magazine covers between June 2009 and June 2010.
But getting rich and famous is something different. And few stars have done it as quickly or as well as Lady Gaga. Her first album, aptly titled The Fame, dropped in 2008. This year she debuts at No. 4 on our annual Celebrity 100 list.

Gaga's success is a mixture of extreme theatricality, catchy hooks and an image that is edgy, yet business friendly. Sure Gaga might drip fake blood on stage, make out with women in her videos and encourage Internet rumors that she is a hermaphrodite. But she does it all in a way that doesn't scare off corporate sponsors. Yes, she wore a dress made out of Kermit the Frog dolls, but you won't see her stumbling drunk and high out of a nightclub at 4 a.m. (Though she recently caused some controversy for allegedly being drunk at a Yankees game.)

Al Gore behaved like 'crazed sex poodle' with masseuse

Say it ain't so, Al!

The unidentified 54-year-old woman gave police a detailed account of her claims that Mr Gore groped and kissed her in an aggressive attempt to have sex during a night-time appointment in his suite.
However, the police concluded that there was insufficient evidence to press charges.

The woman, who recalled telling Mr Gore he was behaving like a "crazed sex poodle", claims he pinned her to his bed and forcibly French kissed her.

I'm sure its not your fault, Al. Climate change causes people to commit acts of antisocial violence. Just look what it did to your former boss.

Graeme McDowell Wins US Open

Graeme is from Northern Ireland.

Ulster Scots Wha Hae!

0bama to Sue Arizona Over Immigration Law

How ridiculous is this? We have some 11 million illegal aliens who are committing crimes and clogging our prisons. Costing the taxpayers far more money in government services than they pay in taxes. Taking jobs away from American citizens and driving down the wages for many types of jobs. So what does the 0bama administration do? They sue the state of Arizona for trying to do something about the problem!

From NBC's Pete Williams

Justice Department officials say it's only a matter of when -- not if -- the federal government will sue Arizona over its new immigration law.
Justice Department lawyers have been working for weeks to draft their complaint, an effort that is not yet complete, officials say. Though the lawsuit will likely not be filed within the next several days, the government's goal is to go to court before the Arizona law takes effect in late July.
A comment earlier this month by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which came to light late this week, has caused a stir. Asked about the Arizona law in a June 8 television interview in Ecuador, Clinton said: "President Obama has spoken out against the law because he thinks that the federal government should be determining immigration policy. And the Justice Department, under his direction, will be bringing a lawsuit against the act."

"Oil Can" 0bama

#4: John Lennon


Are the sum of parts greater than the whole? In the case of the Beatles, I have no idea.

Southern Baptists Favor Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants

Some of my least favorite people, the southern baptists, actually found a way to become even worse. Now they want citizenship for illegal aliens

When Nashville's Richard Land talks to Hispanic Southern Baptists this month, he'll tell them the denomination supports establishing a path to U.S. citizenship for illegal immigrants.

After borders are secure, he'll say, there needs to be a way for them to pay back taxes, take a civics course and get in line with others seeking legal status.
Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, admits it's a message that will test some of the church's mainstream membership, but it's one that needs to be said.
"It's love your neighbor, do unto others," Land said. "This is a kingdom issue. They are disproportionately suffering because they are forced to remain in the shadows because of their illegal status."

Richard there is a simple solution to the problem of illegal aliens 'disproportionately suffering'. They can simply refrain from entering a foreign country without proper authorization.

12 Dead in Cumbria

Yet another mass murder, in a victim disarmament zone.

Not So Fast....

Before anyone jumps to any conclusions about what happened when the Israeli navy seized a flotilla of ships carrying 'humanitarian aid' to the Gaza Strip today, bear in mind who the passengers on at least one ship were:

Speaking earlier today after the official re-naming of the Irish cargo ship bound for the under siege city of Gaza from Dundalk harbour, Sinn Féin Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD called for all Irish citizens’ support for the venture, which will aim to bring cement and other much needed supplies to the people of Gaza. The ship will set sail this evening for the Mediterranean, where it will join other boats on May 24th. Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD will hopefully join the MV Rachel Corrie here and sail to the Palestinian city of Gaza which has been under siege by Israel for over three years. On board the boats which will make up the Break the Siege flotilla, will be other human rights workers, parliamentarians, trade unionists and journalists.

Just 'humanitarian aid', eh Aengus? Your group have supplied your fellow terrorists in the middle east with weapons in the past. It is perfectly understandable that the Israelis should suspect you are doing the same again.

Peggy Noonan: Raving Idiot of the Week

Peggy once made some decent contributions to her country and to the conservative cause by writing speeches for Ronald Reagan and President Bush Sr. Unfortunately, in her old age, she completely lost any sense of judgement and endorsed 0bama's candidacy for president in 2008. Her Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal on October 31, 2008:

The case for Barack Obama, in broad strokes:
He has within him the possibility to change the direction and tone of American foreign policy, which need changing; his rise will serve as a practical rebuke to the past five years, which need rebuking; his victory would provide a fresh start in a nation in which a fresh start would come as a national relief. He climbed steep stairs, born off the continent with no father to guide, a dreamy, abandoning mother, mixed race, no connections. He rose with guts and gifts. He is steady, calm, and, in terms of the execution of his political ascent, still the primary and almost only area in which his executive abilities can be discerned, he shows good judgment in terms of whom to hire and consult, what steps to take and moves to make. We witnessed from him this year something unique in American politics: He took down a political machine without raising his voice.

What was clear to me and most non-0bama voters at that time was that this was a man who (1) Leaned to the far left, (2) Had connections with some very questionable people: Ayers, Dohrn, Wright, etc, and (3) Had really never done anything other than serve as a 'community activist', run for political office, and make flowery speeches in which he did nothing more than glibly repeat the conventional leftist bromides.

So now Peggy, after observing 0bama in office for 16 months, has concluded he isn't so great after all. In a recent Op-Ed in the same Wall Street Journal:

He Was Supposed to Be Competent
The spill is a disaster for the president and his political philosophy.

I don't see how the president's position and popularity can survive the oil spill. This is his third political disaster in his first 18 months in office. And they were all, as they say, unforced errors, meaning they were shaped by the president's political judgment and instincts.
There was the tearing and unnecessary war over his health-care proposal and its cost. There was his day-to-day indifference to the views and hopes of the majority of voters regarding illegal immigration. And now the past almost 40 days of dodging and dithering in the face of an environmental calamity. I don't see how you politically survive this.

Supposed to be competent, eh Peggy? Based upon what evidence? 0bama has college degrees from the prestigious Columbia and Harvard universities. However, he has refused to release his education records. There is a high probability he was admitted under racist "affirmative action" admission standards.

And its not surprising that his policy choices leave him so far out of the mainstream. Thats exactly how he was talking during the campaign. All his supporters like Peggy were too busy kissing his ass or swooning over his 'gifts and guts' to notice that he was merely a glib marxist with a messiah complex. 0bama actually fell for all the crap that was being spewed about him during the campaign. He really believed that he was someone who could bring about 'change in the direction and tone' without the hard work and intelligence such change requires.

Why does the Wall Street Journal bother keeping Noonan on as an Op-Ed columnist? I have no idea.

#5: Paul McCartney




We're getting up there. Talking about some really talented people.

The Raving Hypocrite

This is so fucking ridiculous, I don't have the words for it

LONDON—U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner landed in Europe and reasserted a traditional American role of dispenser of financial advice to the world, telling European governments to get their fiscal houses in order.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Here are the US federal receipts and outlays since Geithner became treasury secretary (billions of $):

2009 Q1 Receipts: 442.3 Outlays: 891.2 Deficit: 448.9

2009 Q2 Receipts: 598.8 Outlays: 903.7 Deficit: 304.9

2009 Q3 Receipts: 515.9 Outlays: 845.3 Deficit: 329.4

2009 Q4 Receipts: 487.8 Outlays: 875.8 Deficit: 388.1

2010 Q1 Receipts: 466.1 Outlays: 795.0 Deficit: 328.9

The tax-evader Geithner has no business telling anyone to get their fiscal house in order.

0bama remains mostly unscathed by his allies in the leftist press for his inability to get something done about the oil leak in the Gulf. If this had happened when Bush was president, the press would be nailing the former president to a cross right about now. Yet another example of leftist hypocrisy.