Obama's Democratic Convention speech will preempt the NFL season opener

Revenge. It's the Chicago Way.

Remember last year when Barry had to reschedule one of his totally forgettable "jobs" speeches due to a Republican primary debate? And then he had to bump up the new time so NBC could broadcast the first NFL regular season game?

Well, Barry remembers. And this year he told Roger Goodell who's boss.

So for the first time since 1948 the NFL opener will played be on Wednesday night. Mark your calendars for 7:30 PM on September 5th, so Barry can give his DNC acceptance speech on Thursday the sixth.

Are you ready for some ego?

Posted at 15:18 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Wild Wednesday Wanderlust, Sadie Hawkins hosts Bloggers Appreciation Day

Today is Bloggers Appreciation Day. Figures it'd only come around once every four years. Fortunately it's also Sadie Hawkins Day, C'mon ladies, go for a two-fer and ask your favorite blogger out!

"Pick me!, Pick me!", he said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically.

From the wow-that's-cool-in-a-totally-geeky-way department. TiVo is back at DirecTV. Yeah DTV's home-grown DVRs get the job done, but there's just something about the TiVo user experience that's just so much more snazzy. On the other hand, they hobbled it by not including the TiVo in their Whole Home DVR service. So I'm torn.

My second installment of The #VRWC Report is up at Theo's place. Take a gander, and let me know what you think.

Interpol swept up dozens of suspected members of the anarchist hacker group Anonymous this past week, hopefully crippling their ability to wreak more havoc. The arrests in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Spain led to the seizure of 250 items of IT equipment and mobile phones in searches of 40 premises in 15 cities.

Personally I'd have just unleashed the Navy's new railgun on their basement-dwelling maleficent asses, but that's just me.

Did you hear about those poor, deprived sex-crazed Georgetown coeds? They can't get by without free contraceptives. At a Catholic university no less. Where they were told up front about the no free birth control rule. Egads, Nancy Pelosi is aghast that those horrid Catholics would actually expect people to act Catholic.

What's next, Congressional hearings into whether or not a bear poops in the woods? And what exactly are we getting for all those federal dollars Pelosi shovels into Planned Parenthood if a coven of round-heeled slatterns can't manage to wangle a few free rubbers on a Friday night? Perhaps their, uh, gentlemen callers, should come better prepared.

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Tandem Tuesday Temptations, the To Tell The Truth edition

I must say, I like the way Newt cuts to the chase. Afghanistan is broken, and they don't want our help fixing it.

His prescription: "What you have to do is say, 'You know, you're going to have to figure out how to live your own miserable life… Because you clearly don't want to learn from me how to be unmiserable.'"

But in today's Star-Ledger self-proclaimed conservative intellectual Paul "Moonshine" Mulshine tries to make the case that Obama's really doing us a favor by kowtowing to Hamid Karzai's murderous riff-raff. It goes something like this — The Taliban is the real enemy, Karzai is our ally, and "the reason Obama apologized is that he wanted to get our allies back on our side."

Perhaps Mulshine is thinking of a different Hamid Karzai, rather than the one who confers with The Taliban each and every day. I dunno.

Then there's that whole after the apology our "allies" are still shooting our guys thing. Which of course does show just how effective the apology was in the first place.

Then in another Obama slap in the face to our military, the guys Karzai's goons are shooting at will have to pay more for their health insurance.

The Obama administration's proposed defense budget calls for military families and retirees to pay sharply more for their healthcare, while leaving unionized civilian defense workers' benefits untouched. The proposal is causing a major rift within the Pentagon, according to U.S. officials. Several congressional aides suggested the move is designed to increase the enrollment in Obamacare's state-run insurance exchanges.

Political Junkie Mom is not amused.

The new Obama budget protects all unionized government workers and their benefits (of course!) but hands another crap sandwich to military families and retirees. Eat up folks.

Well, since he couldn't actually make Cindy Sheehan Secretary of Defense, this is the next best thing. Because unless he's taking credit for their heroism, it's no secret that Barack Obama despises the American military.

But unions? Unions are his peeps. He'll give the unions anything. And he has.

OK, time to end on a definite up-note. Yes, for our feel-good story of the day we have VFW Post Commander with a roll of duct tape vs flag-burning dirtbag. If it doesn't bring a smile to your face, you just might be an Obama supporter.

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Warren Buffett swings at Chris Christie's pitch, and whiffs

On Sunday Governor Awesome took a swipe at Warren Buffett's taxing tirades, "He should just write a check and shut up." Warren Buffet write a check? Yeah, that'll happen right after Rosie O'Donnell misses a meal.

And the off-key Oracle of Omaha didn't in fact take the challenge seriously.

"It's sort of a touching response to a $1.2 trillion deficit, isn't it?" Buffett asked. "That somehow the American people will just all send in checks and take care of it?"

Not "the American People" numbnuts. You. Chris Christie told you to send in a check. Because you owe more than $1 billion dollars in back taxes. And you sued the IRS claiming that taxes are illegal.

Care to explain to me how that figures into your "raise my taxes" fantasy?

What's that? Cat got your tongue?

Listen up Warren, if you wanna talk the talk, you gotta walk the walk. Otherwise us Jersey guys are gonna call bullshit. Every time.

Posted at 09:17 by Chris Wysocki   [/economy]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Monday Melange, the No Apologies Necessary edition

Maybe our president could take some pointers from Ray Kelly:

Could we please clone him and put Ray Kelly in charge of TSA too?

Everything you need to know about what's wrong with this country in one convenient headline: Why It's Better to Molest a Child in L.A. than to Defend Yourself with a Gun in Des Moines.

Then there's the insufferable Dick Cavett, who sank to a new low by sneering at Rick Santorum from the pages of The New York Times.

When Cavett is finished mocking Rick Santorum's religion he makes fun of his looks. Then he moves on to homeschooling. I'll give Cavett credit for thoroughness: he hits all the cliches.

I imagine the pretentious Upper East Side snobs who subscribe to this tripe snickered knowingly throughout the whole thing. As if any of their kids would ever be permitted to set foot inside a public school either.

As a friend once said about another, equally noxious fellow named Richard, there's a reason people call him "Dick."

Your tax dollars at work, Californication-style: California Government Mailing Condoms To Teenagers At Home In Unmarked Envelopes.

Of course if the kids light up a cigarette after using their free condoms, that's a felony.

Michelle Obama's Food Police are everywhere. On Friday night after work I stopped off at Caldwell Seafood to grab something for dinner (first Friday in Lent, no meat). Tammy and Sophie went skiing so I'm just shopping for myself.

Bully for you Chief.

I took it home, cut out the vein, rubbed it with some cajun seasoning, and seared it in a cast iron skillet. Then I ate the whole thing. It was delicious. And I'm sure those helicopters flying above my house were purely coincidental.

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WyBlog World Domination Update

The incomparable Theo Spark has graciously granted me posting rights at his fine establishment. Ayup, WyBlog's hegemony now extends across the pond.

My initial foray — The #VRWC Report, Episode One — is now online. This limited first edition classic is suitable for framing, and will glady be autographed upon request.

Because yeah, I'm cool like that.

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It's all fun and games until Wyoming gets their own aircraft carrier

For the record, I'm all for being prepared. And it's prudent to plan ahead for every contingency, even the complete collapse of the federal government.

I'd stock up on batteries. Especially D batteries. Based on my experience with last October's freak snowstorm, when the lights go out and the government is AWOL, the #1 thing you need is batteries.

Wyoming's hatching, er slightly bigger plans:

The task force would look at the feasibility of Wyoming issuing its own alternative currency, if needed. And House members approved an amendment Friday by state Rep. Kermit Brown, R-Laramie, to have the task force also examine conditions under which Wyoming would need to implement its own military draft, raise a standing army, and acquire strike aircraft and an aircraft carrier.

OK, they had me until "aircraft carrier." Wyoming is land-locked. Where're they gonna park it? In Canada's garage?

Besides, they've got Cheyenne Mountain. One-stop shopping for all your first-strike needs!

Instead of an aircraft carrier they should take a junket to Bremerton, Washington and test drive one of the mothballed nuclear submarines our Navy's got laying around. When it comes to bang for the buck you really can't beat sea-launched ballistic missiles. That is unless you can cobble together a squadron of B-52's… Too bad those are all in North Dakota.

Because that aircraft carrier? I don't think you guys have a lake big enough to fit it.

UPDATE 27 Feb 2012 09:02:
Linked by Theo Spark. Thanks!

UPDATE 27 Feb 2012 09:57:
Correction — I relied on bad intel from the guy who emailed me the original story.

So although Wyoming may not actually have Cheyenne Mountain (which as it turns out is in Colorado), they do have the next best thing — Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, home of the 90th Strategic Missile Wing. As in ICBMs. 200 of 'em at last count. I'm sure there's more than enough firepower on hand!

Posted at 20:24 by Chris Wysocki   [/news]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Dharun Ravi on trial: Are you now or have you ever been anti-homosexual?

"Point of order!" What in fact is the point of putting Dharun Ravi on trial?

Middlesex County First Assistant Prosecutor Julia McClure is tail-gunning for the Roy Cohn Lifetime Achievement Award. Oh sure, she'll tell us she's out to obtain "justice" for Tyler Joe Clementi McAllister, the homosexual Rutgers student who committed suicide by jumping off the Tallahatchee George Washington Bridge.

But what she's really doing is ferreting out anti-homosexual thought-crime. And Ravi's defense is reduced to producing witnesses who'll attest that "he didn't have an issue with homosexuals and in fact, he had a really good friend who was a homosexual." (The "friend" probably isn't named Philby, Burgess, Maclean, Blunt, or Cairncross though…)

The entire trial is preposterous; a sop to the politically correct Lords of Homosexualism. There is no crime here. There are only (purported) impure thoughts. And "hurt feelings." Which must be assuaged, preferably by burning Mr. Ravi at the stake.

John Derbyshire is reminded of an old Soviet joke:

The main prosecution witness against Mr. Ravi is his one-time "accomplice," Molly Wei, with whom he is alleged to have commiserated over Clementi's use of their dorm room for his homosexual adventures. In exchange for her testimony, Ms. Wei was shipped off for a stint at a re-education camp (known colloquially around here as "pre-trial intervention"). She's undoubtedly been fully counseled in the appreciation of "alternative life-styles," and is now ready to denounce Mr. Ravi in front of the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations Into Anti-Homosexual Tendencies. Or in a New Brunswick courtroom, her schedule's pretty flexible.

Dharun Ravi's show trial is expected to last about a month. If the mobs don't haul him off first. Think that's overblown? Think again.

Equality Forum, a national gay-rights organization, released a statement that called the actions of Ravi and Wei "shocking, malicious, and heinous," and urged "the prosecutor to file murder by reckless manslaughter charges."

Sadly the actual charges are a joke.

These prosecutors are a disgrace to their profession. The Dharun Ravi trial is a travesty of justice. The actual charges are "invasion of privacy" (in Ravi's own dorm room!), "bias intimidation," which basically means having Bad Thoughts, and evidence/witness tampering — deleting tweets and such, really just b.s. what-the-heck charges, added on the off-chance that the court might take them seriously.

Nothing.

For this the Middlesex County prosecutors want ten years.

Because everybody knows, for nothing, the sentence is ten years.

UPDATE 26 Feb 2012 16:49:
Cross-posted to Right Wing News.

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Guess what? Paying for coverage of pre-existing conditions costs more. A lot more.

So Barry thought he could wave a magic wand and all the folks with pre-existing conditions would be instantly covered by affordable health insurance. Because he's Barack Obama, and those insurance company actuaries who set the rates are just a bunch of greedy corporatists profiting at the expense of downtrodden poor people. Nancy Pelosi said so!

Except a funny thing happened on the way to Obamacare Nirvana.

Hey, they were only off by a factor of 2. Coulda happened to anybody, really. Perfectly understandable, and it helped get Obamacare passed so we're all good. Right? What's another $5 billion among friends! We're already $14 trillion and change in debt, who's gonna notice?

Oh wait, when the states were handling high-risk health insurance pools the costs were lower. Much lower. Lower than even the government's completely completely bogus initial estimates.

The costs also are significantly higher than those of similar high-risk pools that many states have operated for decades. States spent an average of $12,471 on enrollees in 2008, according to the National Association of State Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans.

Hmmm. Aren't those evil Tenth Amendment types always saying the states can do stuff cheaper than the corruptocrats in DC? Wouldn't it be a fly in the whole Obamacare ointment if it turned out they were right? Because it sure looks to me like they're right.

The Washington DC one-size-fits-all model never works. Never.

Posted at 17:09 by Chris Wysocki   [/obamacare]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Fermented Friday, your car wants algae

Before Obama: Put a tiger in your tank!

Obama: Your car wants algae.

Remember this movie scene?

Talk about your half-baked ideas…

So really, during that whole speech, weren't you waiting for John Quinones to pop up and say "Gotcha!" Because whenever Barry talks about energy, the joke's on us.

Speaking of cars, I've noticed something interesting recently. Knocking. Lots of cars, especially late model SUVs, are knocking when they drive by. Their engines are designed to run on premium gas, which of course nobody can afford nowadays, so the owners are putting in regular. Which leads to knocking.

Think Gulf will bring back No-Nox? Now with algae!

Two percent cap? What two percent cap? NJ State Police were awarded retroactive raises for the past three years.

The contract awarded members of all three troopers unions raises of 2.75 percent for the fiscal year 2008-2009, 2.5 percent in 2009-2010 and 2.25 percent in 2010-2011.

Hardly the example of fiscal restraint the state keeps demanding our local towns must adhere to. Sort of like the Port Authority and their multi-billion dollar cost overruns while doubling tolls. Do as I say, not as I do?

Another day, another affront to "Muslim sensibilities." This time it's Barry apologizing for NATO troops burning some books.

I suppose "appropriate steps" include giving them Bibles to immerse in urine, at which point Obama's NEA will call it "art" and hand out whopping checks to pay for it.

Predicatably, The Religion Of Peace™ reacted peacefully.

Perhaps Obama did not sufficiently grovel in the direction of Mecca. Or maybe, and I'm just guessing here, these people are simply nuts. There seems to be a lot of that going around in Islamville.

And there really ain't all that much we can do about it.

Posted at 11:12 by Chris Wysocki   [/misc]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Theriomorphic Thursday, we're all bozos on this bus

There must be something in the water around here. Riding the bus to work this morning an older, rather disheveled but wild-eyed fellow boards, walking somewhat unsteadily. After paying his fare he announces to the assembled contingent, "Did anyone else watch the debate last night?"

Of course nobody responded. Which didn't deter our new Cruise Director from launching into his spiel. "I started with a blank piece of paper. I listened to each of them try to convince me he should be president. And let me tell you, the only man who can save this country is Ron Paul."

Then he started to say something about Mitt Romney and "The Rockefellers" but the bus driver interrupted, "You need to sit down sir!"

So he sat. And kept right on talking. My stop was next so I missed the rest of the show. Hopefully the driver called Transit Police, and they brought their nets.

Oh, by the way, I didn't watch the debate. Another CNN gotcha-fest isn't my idea of how the Republicans need to go about beating Obama. We are trying to beat Obama, aren't we?

The big headline in today's Star-Ledger — "Inside NYPD's Newark Spying." Evidently the NYPD, tasked with preventing another 9/11, had the temerity to covertly monitor Muslims living in New Jersey.

Naturally all the usual crybabies are crying foul. Because Muslims from New Jersey have never tried to blow up stuff in NYC before. Mayor Cory Booker is outraged! that the surveillance was "based on no more than religious affiliation."

I'd be sympathetic, but then there's that whole Catholics have to pay for birth control thing, and I didn't hear word one from Cory Booker about that.

I guess some religions are more deserving of protection than others. Maybe because the practitioners of a certain religion have the tendency to blow stuff up. And you know, if that turned out to be a recognizable pattern, I'd expect the police to pay attention to it. Wouldn't you?

One of my Facebook friends posted this Rush Limbaugh quote:

"Do the Obamas know how to party or do they know how to party? Oh, man. You get called off the ski slopes in Aspen to come back for a blues concert. Mick Jagger sang a couple songs. You know what I wish? I wish he would have sung 'Sympathy for the Devil,' what with all this talk of Satan out there. But he didn't sing 'Sympathy for the Devil.' I also would have loved for him to sing 'Brown Sugar' just to irritate Moochelle, 'cause she doesn't like sugar."

Mick Jagger comes to their house. Sure, the Obamas are just like you and me.

Coupla notes. Yeah, I know the Posterous headlines widget up top is broken. A fix is in the works. The Day Job is being a bear right now so that's gotta take precedence. Sophie's off school this week and she's getting a jump on her teen years by staying up late and sleeping in. That means less time for blogging at night. Oh, and I got a new BlackBerry. I like new toys and I'm having (my kind of) fun getting it set up the way I want. So no links today.

Posted at 09:29 by Chris Wysocki   [/misc]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Tantalizing Topiary Tuesday, or beware of Russians bearing 30,000 year old flowers

Paging Dr. Malcolm, Dr. Ian Malcolm, please pick up a white courtesy telephone.

"Oh, yeah. Oooh, ahhh, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and screaming."

Seriously, it "adapts really well?" Just what we need, prehistoric kudzu!

Anybody here remember a movie called The Andromeda Strain? Scared the living shit out of me, it did, back when I was a lad. I wonder if anyone ever bothered to translate it into Russian.

Public employees Living Large on our dime — Chicago teachers union demands 30% raise.

Oh right, it's Rahm Emanuel on the other side of the table. Heck, if the union promises to vote for Obama twice he'll probably give 'em 40 percent raises. Every year.

Joe Biden, always good for a few laughs, is headed to the mythical state of "Road Island." No, really. It says so in an official White House press release.

Bunch of Rhodes Roads Scholars over there, eh?

Remember when Obama promised us $5 per gallon gas? Finally, a promise he's made good on! Yup, a mere 10 blocks from the White House, Fausta found $5 per gallon gas. $5.19 if you want Premium.

Is this not the Hope and Change you were looking for?

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Monday Marauders, or get ready for Taxmageddon in 2013

The Lonely Conservative sets the tone for this President's Day, by pointing out what's coming down the pike at the end of the year.

Hunker down. Save every dime. Stock up on canned goods and ammo. Because when Taxmageddon hits you're gonna be broker than broke. The voracious appetite of our Federal Department of Moochers and Sluggards must be satiated, and Barack Obama is just the guy to do it. Warren Buffett said it's "fair!"

We're all the 99% now. Tax bracket that is.

Besides, Aspen ski vacations are over-rated anyhow.

Unless you're living in a bubble (or driving a company car) you undoubtedly know gas prices are rising faster than your marginal tax rates. There's good news though comrades! Obama's new fuel efficiency standards will ease the pain at the pump. Really. His re-election campaign said so. And of course they'd never lie to you.

Now I'd rather believe the guy who's chanting Drill, Baby, Drill!, but that's just me.

Here's another of those distractions again. Moochelle's food police are coming for your candy bars.

Mars signed an agreement with Michelle Obama's partnership for a healthier America to stop selling chocolate products with more than 250 calories in them by the end of next year. This means popular favorites like Big Snickers and Twix bars are going to disappear off the shelves and smaller bars will shrink.

Next on her agenda, a one candy bar a month purchase limit. Because when you believe in liberalism, obesity kills more people than guns.

And just to beat the metaphor to death, sometime in Obama's second term, Operation Fat and Furious — a candy bar walking sting operation gone totally wrong. Fat little Mexican kids, unable to scale the virtual border fence, gorge themselves on the Twix bars Americans won't eat.

Eric Holder has already denied knowing anything about it.

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If I had a bigger ego I'd believe Mark Steyn was cribbing from me

No really, hear me out. Late last week I posted Obama as Henry VIII, he'll "accommodate" Catholic concerns, for now. A few hours later, Mark Steyn wrote Obama goes Henry VIII on the Church.

Yeah, his version was better than mine. That's why he gets the big bucks.

OK, so once is a coincidence. But twice? That's a conspiracy!

On Friday morning I noted the Democrats and their cheerleaders in the MSM are distracting us, talking about contraception when they ought to be concetrating on our trainwreck of an economy. And once again, a few hours later, there's Mark Steyn: Brokest Nation In History Fusses Instead About Sex. With the same chart I used!

Dude. Would it kill you to throw a guy a link?

OK, all you hosers can stop laughing now. Yes I realize the blogosphere is a big place and ideas cogitate from 57 different directions. But consider that he reads Pundette. And she links to me. It's possible I've done a small part to inspire the creativity of conservativism's foremost commentator. (And you'd better keep your "small part" jokes to yourselves if you know what's good for you…)

So Mark, my man!, if you're reading this, thanks! Really. Thanks for visiting my blog. Don't be a stranger, and tell your friends! Please? Keep up the good work. I'll be here if you need me.

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The state of NJ wants to be your landlord

I saw this doozy earlier in the week and forgot to blog about it until a friend emailed last night, "can you believe it?" Sadly yes, I can believe just about anything when it comes to progressive do-gooders looking to save the world.

Some New Jersey politicians want to buy up foreclosed properties and turn them into "affordable housing."

One boondoggle begets another! The river of money flowing out of Obama's bogus mortgage fraud shakedown is too tempting a gravy train, now isn't it. These guys can't wait to spend it!

So either way the government becomes the landlord? There's no private option? No chance for someone with an incentive to invest in housing stock to get on board? You can't secure a mortgage in 45 days. Not in this economy. So here comes the state, buying up random foreclosed properties willy-nilly, and turning them into slums.

What's their incentive to perform routine maintenance? Where's the money for that? (I know, another shakedown tax on the private homeowners!) Because you're not gonna catch the renters fixing the roof or mowing the lawn. Not most of 'em anyway.

How many times does history have to repeat itself? When the state gets into the landlord business, it fails. Government housing attracts crime, drug use, vermin, and lowlifes of every stripe. It inevitably falls into decay, and brings down the entire neighborhood with it. Just visit any inner city housing project and tell me I'm wrong.

Government meddling in the housing market (Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act) got us into this mess in the first place. We don't need any more "help" from the government. What we need is an economic recovery strong enough to attract private investment by people who can actually afford the properties they're buying.

But there's "buying" going on here alright, vote buying. Nobody's gonna vote against his landlord, not when the landlord is giving him a sweet deal paid for by somebody else. Food stamps. Welfare. Social Security. Public schools. Obamacare. And now a free house. When the government starts passing out socks and underwear only a schmuck would head out to look for a job. Which is pretty much where we're at now, seeing as how the labor force participation rate keeps dropping like a rock.

They should rename this country The United Moochers of America. Because that's what we've become.

UPDATE 19 Feb 2012 10:27:
Cross-posted to Right Wing News.

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As expected, Chris Christie vetoed gay "marriage"

Chris Christie said he'd veto it, and he vetoed it.

Delivering on his promise of swift action, Gov. Chris Christie this afternoon conditionally vetoed the gay marriage bill and suggested appointing an ombudsman to address complaints of same-sex couples and strengthen New Jersey's civil union law.

I don't get the "conditional veto" part. That's reserved for bills the governor believes to be flawed, but ultimately worthwhile. Such a bill gets sent back to the legislature with suggestions for improvements that would win the governor's signature.

What improvements does Christie have in mind? Religious exemptions? Or something else?

I still wonder about his State Supreme Court nomination of Bruce Harris, the openly gay mayor of Chatham Township and unabashed same-sex "marriage" advocate.

Could Chris Christie be wavering?

I wish I could say the circus was over. But it's just intermission. The proponents of unnatural marriage vow to keep on fighting. And Christie's conditional veto leaves them a foot in the door.

But really, in the meantime can we please try to address some issues which actually matter? Folks who don't have a job and can't feed their families aren't particularly worried about the tribulations of Adam and Steve.

(And yeah, the Memeorandum thread on this one ought to be lively…)

UPDATE 19 Feb 2012 09:49:
Linked by Jazz Shaw at Hot Air. Wow, thanks!

Posted at 21:01 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   Comments | Perm Link |
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I get it now, the Democrats are trying to distract us

What's the biggest problem facing America right now?

The Economy.

What's everyone talking about?

Contraception.

And gay "marriage." And now banning electronic devices in cars.

Reading that article I kept noticing the word "distracted" (driving) and it hit me. That's it!. They're distracting us.

It's gotta be on purpose.

The only way Obama gets re-elected is if no one is talking about what dismal shape our economy is in. So he picks a fight with the Catholic Church. George Soros sends Politico and Media Matters out to fan the flames of gay "marriage."

The Republicans fell for it too. Social issues bring Rick Santorum to the forefront, and he's probably the guy who's least likely to beat Obama come November.

Meanwhile our national debt is headed to infinity, and beyond.

And there are no jobs.

Are you better off today than you were 4 years ago?

We need to keep our eyes on the prize. Defeat Obama.

UPDATE 17 Feb 2012 16:03:
TurboTax Timmy sez, We got nuthin', but your plan sucks eggs.

We're not coming before you today to say we have a definitive solution to that long term problem. What we do know is we don't like yours.

Hey Tim — When you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

What a tool.

UPDATE 18 Feb 2012 10:30:
Linked by Gator Doug and Doug Ross. Thanks!

Posted at 10:54 by Chris Wysocki   [/democrats]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Political theater: NJ legislature approves gay "marriage", awaits Christie's veto

The Democrats' political farce is almost over. On Monday our state Senate voted to approve gay "marriage" in New Jersey. Today the Assembly sashayed their way into insignificance.

Neither chamber has the votes to override Governor Chris Christie's promised veto.

"If they pass it on Thursday and send it to my desk, believe me, I will take swift action on the bill and we can move on to the things that the people of New Jersey say are most important to them, which is creating jobs, lowering taxes and continuing the New Jersey come-back," Christie said.

At least on Broadway the plot turns aren't always evident until the 3rd act. This theatrical number's denouemont was painfully obvious from square one.

New Jersey will not redefine marriage.

Not today. And not tomorrow.

Proponents of this folly cast it as a civil rights issue. They have the temerity to usurp the term "marriage equality."

Listen up, we already have "marriage equality."

Every man has the right to marry a woman.

And every woman has the right to marry a man.

That's equality.

What the homosexual radicals want is a redefinition of marriage; one that imputes their notion of fairness onto state sanctioning of any relationship which satiates unbridled carnal desires.

For if two men can "marry," what is to stop every New Zealander from demanding equal rights for his favorite sheep? Or the Al-Harem mosque from auctioning off 9 year olds? In a few years Mormon polygamists could be bringing Big Love into our living rooms, and "kissing cousins" won't have to hide out in West Virginia anymore.

As slippery slopes go, this one is greased lightning.

There are plenty of Real Problems facing New Jersey and our nation. Until they're all solved, let's not get sidetracked. Besides, it's almost Tony Award season, and you know what that means — the drama queens need to go shopping for shoes.

Not even unnatural "marriage" can interfere with that.

Posted at 22:56 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Newark PD finally evicts the Occupods, to make way for Whitney Houston's funeral

Well it's about freaking time, right?

Now the cynic in me says (and face it, cynicism is why you guys keep coming here, isn't it?) the timing of this eviction is no coincidence. I"m guessing the Occupods will be welcomed back right after Saturday's Whitney Houston funeral and sideshow extravaganza is over.

A bunch of dirty, smelly hippies isn't the face of Newark that Mayor Cory Booker wants to project on national television.

And before you jump on me for mocking a deceased "music icon" let me just say this. Everyone knew what a trainwreck she was. Where were all these concerned, caring, important people when she needed them? The outpouring of celebrity grief is touching, but would it have killed Oprah or Aretha or Jesse Jackson to pay Ms. Houston some attention while she was alive and it might have done some good?

Yeah, I know, they were busy.

Posted at 09:15 by Chris Wysocki   [/news]   Comments | Perm Link |
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I sure hope SI took all those pictures using only compact fluorescent lighting

Kate Upton's, I mean. She's this year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl. And she's also the niece of Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI).

Ole Fred's the brains behind the incandescent light bulb ban.

Wouldn't be fair if she got to break Uncle Fred's rules, would it?

Posted at 14:34 by Chris Wysocki   [/odds_n_ends]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Weary Winter Wednesday, or random ranting rebuking recycled rubbish

Obama's budget priorities: $10,000 each for wealthy yuppies to buy electric cars; nothing to help poor black kids escape Washington DC's failing public schools.

Oh, and $800 million to prop up "The Arab Spring," presumably so the Muslim Brotherhood can keep killing Christians in Egypt.

You know what else is in that budget? A "replacement" for the dreaded AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax). And since Obama is a socialist at heart it's not good news for us. Out with the AMT, in with the GMT!

Gene Sperling, the director of the White House national economic council, talking about President Obama's proposed budget said to "ensure fairness" and to keep people from using tax shelters "we need a global minimum tax."

Global. Minimum. Tax.

All your money is belong to Obama.

Newt's moon colony idea is sounding better and better. I'll be moving my accounts to First Lunar Bank and Trust, how about you?

Elsewhere in the news we have Racism. It's everywhere. Even if the "victims" have to fake it in order to prove just how racist we really are.

These two Tawana Brawley wannabes ("Tawannabes?") probably won't face any serious repercussions. Their membership in an Officially Designated Victim Class ensures that. And hey, it's not like all those "unity rallies" which sprung up in response to their bogus charges were a complete waste of time, right? Somewhere there's gotta be a white racist just waiting to make his move. Awareness has been raised!

Your feel-good story of the day: Iranian terrorist suffers "work accident."

Iranian bomber Saeid Moradi blew off his own legs after a bungled terror attack in Bangkok today.

Maybe Obama could use some of that Arab Spring money to send a few OSHA guys over there. You know, just to keep the next Mohammed Ayers or Aaliyah Dohrn safe.

Michelle Obama's Food Police are always alert, ever ready to swoop in and confiscate unhealthy turkey sandwiches from unsuspecting 4 year olds. Inspectors from the USDA determined that a home-packed lunch consisting of a turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice did not meet Official Federal Guidelines. (Yes, cue scary music here…)

And what did Moochelle's minions substitute for this nutritionally deficient abomination? Three chicken nuggets. For which the girl's mother was billed $1.25.

Go ahead, tell me there isn't anything we can cut from the federal budget. Because if the Department of Agriculture has enough guys to go around inspecting brown bag lunches carried by pre-schoolers I'm pretty sure they have too many guys working at the Department of Agriculture.

What's next? Clean underwear checkers?

And finally for today, here's your Tweet Of The Year.

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Barack Obama and the Magisterium of Cafeteria Catholics

When I heard about it, I wondered how is it that Jack Lew can go on TV and say the White House is "done" negotiating with Catholics? Did they not see the bishops' response to their "accommodation?"

But then a liberal priest friend pointed me at an Op Ed from that noted Catholic theologian E.J. Dionne and another, even more troubling column printed in the National Catholic Reporter.

"Take these comments seriously," he said.

As if I would do anything else!

And I read both. I'd encourage you to do the same.

But when I got to this passage, well let's just say I stopped taking the comments as seriously as my friend had probably intended.

Good grief, it's the Lutheran heresy writ large! Popular opinion carries equal weight to the Magisterium? And what's the "magisterium of the theologians" anyway? Do scholars issue encyclicals now? Or does His Holiness The Pope still confer authority to a theologian by virtue of extending his blessing to their work?

If there is a better, albeit inadvertant definition of Cafeteria Catholicism, I haven't seen it. Let your conscience be your guide, because the bishops are just some random dudes with no inherent authority. So long as you've given the matter "serious thought" you're good to go!

This is going to be a long post. Because I'm just getting warmed up, and there is so much wrong here that I don't know where to start.

Obama thought he had his bases covered. He found some ostensibly "Catholic" organizations to endorse his faux compromise. Father Z calls them the Magisterium of Nuns.

What I mean by that phrase is a hitherto loose — now coalesing — group of catholics in organizations and as individuals who are setting themselves up as an alternate teaching authority, "magisterium", over and against the legitimate authority of bishops. Why "of Nuns"? Because they key figures are women religious, such as Sr. Carol Keehan of the Catholic Health Association — who gave cover to catholics in Congress to vote for Obamacare and Sr. McBride in Phoenix who approved a direct abortion at a catholic hospital, and a coven of other women religious who have set themselves against Catholic doctrine concerning the exclusive ordination of men, contraception, homosexuality, etc.

It's no coincidence that Sr. Keehan's endorsement of Obama's compromise was trumpeted by the White House itself. Alas she embodies a significant problem within the Church. The Magisterium of Nuns has no ecclesiastical authority. Yet they have accumulated considerable gravitas, granted by their schismatic relationship with the secular power structure in Washington, DC. They give cover to Obama when he, to quote Mark Steyn, "decided to go Henry VIII on the Church's medieval ass."

It is past time for the bishops to Do Something.

Again, Father Z has a suggestion.

It's a start.

Bishop Jenky of Peoria is out in front.

I read somewhere that Secretary Sebelius is already forbidden from receiving Holy Communion due to her unabashed pro-abortion activities while governor of Kansas.

Yes, Canon 915 means what it says. The Church ought make more use of it.

Beyond that, the next logical step is of course, public excommunication.

Yes. It is time to take the gloves off. Catholic politicians have gotten a pass for far too long. Kathleen Sebelius and Nancy Pelosi have traveled far beyond the bounds of Canon 915. Formal excommunication is more than warranted.

The pseudo-magisterium of cafeteria catholics must be neutered post haste.

Some may be wondering who is going to win the battle for authority in the U.S. Catholic Church: The pseudo-magisterium or the bishops. I know one thing for certain: Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church, so where does that leave the pseudo-magisterium and it's followers?

Pray for the bishops, that they may remain steadfast.

Posted at 00:34 by Chris Wysocki   [/religion]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Nicki Minaj mocked the Catholic Church, but more importantly she violated their copyrights

How about we fight the copyright trolls with their own medicine? Nicki Minaj's sacrilegious mockery of Catholic rituals was obviously endorsed by The Recording Academy, the group who produced the Grammys.

And they'd sic a boatload of lawyers on our ass if we showed footage from one of her "songs" during a Mass without their permission. Under SOPA some of us might do hard time.

So the Church should sue The Recording Academy for violating Catholic copyrights. Our rites are by right the property of Holy Mother Church, and can only be used with ecclesiastical blessing. Which I'm certain they didn't get.

C'mon, for sheer humor value alone it'd be priceless.

UPDATE 14 Feb 2012 09:12:
Linked by Theo Spark. Thanks!

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Tech lament, who are the iDiots behind iTunes for Windows 7?

Well, yesterday was a Sunday I'll never get back, wasted fighting iTunes on Windows 7. Or rather, fighting to get iTunes to work on Windows 7.

Doesn't anyone at Apple test their software?

Sophie's PC "upgraded" iTunes from V8.mumble to V10.5. And it disapeared.

Oh, we could see iTunes in Task Manager. But not on the screen.

10 seconds with Google assured me it wasn't something stupid that I did. Lots of other people have reported the same problem, and it's been going on for years. Apple's response?

Buy a new PC.

OK, not really. But that would have been easier.

Manually uninstall every Apple application. Of which there are approximately 729,411 of them running in the background. Reboot a half-a-gazillion times. Nuking some iDiocy called "Bonjour" was particularly annoying.

Then reinstall iTunes. Reinstall Quicktime. And finally, here's the best part. Really, the absolutely best part. Open MS Internet Explorer. Go into the internet options. Turn on "use a proxy server." Go right back in and turn off "use a proxy server." Reboot.

And Voila! iTunes starts up "correctly."

Almost. If you don't have Administrator privilege when you plug in the iPod it hangs the PC and you gotta reboot.

Sigh.

I didn't bother tracking that problem down. Apple's support website was "offline for scheduled maintenance." Really. That's what it said on Sunday night.

I gave Sophie Administrator privilege.

And then we discovered that since we'd uninstalled iTunes she had to "reauthorize" her PC for the iTunes store, and we'd already "authorized" 5 PCs and there is no fucking way in Heaven to find out which PCs are actually "authorized," all you can do is de-authorize all of them and start over.

I went over to my office PC to check iTunes (maybe it was "authorized?"), and iTunes didn't start up.

I hope they heard my screams all the way out in Cupertino.

Actually I think Apple purposely makes iTunes on Windows this convoluted so people will give up and buy a Mac. Does that work? Not for me.

I already loathed Apple with every fiber of my being. This waste of a day didn't make me upgrade my opinion of their products. If Tammy hadn't won this stupid iPod at a church auction I'd never have bought one for Sophie. I'm not about to shell out thousands of dollars for one of their fan boi wet dreams.

Because truthfully, I don't know why people put up with this shit.

UPDATE 14 Feb 2012 09:03:
Linked by Doug Ross. Thanks!

Posted at 09:17 by Chris Wysocki   [/tech]   Comments | Perm Link |
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The bishops weigh in, call Obama's contraception compromise "unacceptable"

As I suspected, Obama's "accommodation" doesn't go nearly far enough.

Now get this, Pundette learned that the "accommodation" is a total fraud anyway.

Despite what President Obama said at his White House press conference, the actual regulations make permanent the "interim final regulations" issued August 3, 2011 — the ones that sparked the furor in the first place.

Bait and switch! Even as he's telling us he'll address our concerns he's carving the original, totally objectionable regulations in stone.

No wonder the bishops call the accommodation "unacceptable!" It's smoke and mirrors. The formal regulatory process could take more than a year.

But in the meantime how many rubes will be fooled? Enough to ensure Obama's re-election? If so, any promise of "accommodation" will fade away, and we'll be stuck.

Posted at 10:10 by Chris Wysocki   [/religion]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Obama's contraception "compromise" is worse than the original mandate

I just knew, when I saw how happy the baby-killers at Planned Parenthood were, I just knew Obama's contraception "compromise" was a gigantic F-U to us Catholics.

The media is saying Obama "backed down."

He did no such thing. He made the mandate worse.

Now Obama is forcing religious institutions to purchase group insurance policies that include contraception. It's a shell game. Now NO employer can provide a plan that does not cover contraception.

The coverage is supposedly "free," because there's no longer a line item in the premium to pay for it. Obama folded the contraceptive and abortifacient requirement into the basic coverage offered by all health insurance plans.

No wonder the abortionists are giddy. They're mainstream now! Right there in your insurance policy, next to broken arms, heart attacks, and flu shots. Abortion, it's Health Care! Contraceptives, they're just like aspirin!

Well, except that health insurance doesn't actually pay for aspirin.

And there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

We cannot "compromise" our religious liberty.

There will be a lot of confusion. But don't be confused, and don't let people around you be confused. These last days have been instructive. As Rick Santorum just said: This is "about government control of your lives and it's got to stop." As Cardinal Wuerl put it this morning: This is about "basic freedom." As Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez said the other day in a column: This new mandate moves us closer to what Pope Benedict XVI warned against in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est ("God is Love"): "The state which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself . . [is]. a state which regulates and controls everything."

There is indeed a lot of confusion. Obamacare Tool / Useless Idiot Sister Carol Keehan jumped out ahead of the bishops (again) to proclaim she is "very pleased" that "a resolution has been reached."

Only one problem though — Archbishop (and Cardinal-designate) Dolan is not pleased at all.

We heard from Archbishop Dolan yesterday in a CBS Morning video (link contains full transcript), who said the HHS decision was, "at odds with the very sincere assurances" Obama gave to himself and to the Catholic Health Association.

Ah yes, "assurances."

Via Father Z, "I have been given personal assurances from the very highest sources…"

I think we know how much we can trust Obama's "assurances."

UPDATE 11 Feb 2012 09:41:
Linked by Doug Ross. Thanks!

Posted at 20:04 by Chris Wysocki   [/religion]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Obama as Henry VIII, he'll "accommodate" Catholic concerns, for now

Obamacare's contraceptive mandate problem isn't going away. If anything, the backlash is building as more people realize just how much of a power grab it really is. Because what Obama is doing here isn't limited to this one assault on our religious freedom. Oh no. He's assuming the role of America's Henry VIII, and dictating to the Church how it will operate. Or else.

If the contraceptive mandate stands what's to stop him from sending the EEOC into our seminaries to force the ordination of women priests?

If the contraceptive mandate stands what's to stop him from requiring Catholic priests to perform gay marriage ceremonies? (You'll note that his Administration has already imposed that requirement on the Methodists of Ocean Grove, NJ.)

If the contraceptive mandate stands what's to stop him from ordering our private schools to cease teaching that homosexuality is a sin and abortion is murder?

It's not just Catholics who should fear Barack Hussein Tudor. Orthodox Jews separate men from women in their synogogues. Will his power-mad feminist advisors let that religious requirement continue?

I doubt it. They're on a roll.

So word is there's some sort of "accommodation" in the works.

The move, based on state models, will almost certainly not satisfy bishops and other religious leaders since it will preserve the goal of women employees having their birth control fully covered by health insurance.

He won't roll back the mandate, he'll just shift the costs.

Uh, so the administration response will be tell insurers for religious organizations to take on the costs themselves without passing it along to the religious organizations that pay for the policies? Religious organizations whose doctrines oppose birth control are not going to buy insurance policies that cover it — nor should the government be forcing them to do so.

Does anyone here believe this "accommodation" will survive for 5 minutes after (God forbid!) Obama is re-elected?

The bishops are standing strong.

Our Founding Fathers fought for freedom, for liberty, for justice. They wouldn't recognize our current federal government. Or rather, they'd recognize it as a tyrannical monster which dwarfs the long train of abuses and usurpations perpetuated by King George. They'd see that Obama's Object evinces a design to reduce us under absolute Despotism. For surely he has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance. And imposed Taxes on us without our Consent.

To a man the Founders would stand up for what is right and just. We can do no less. We. Will. Not. Comply. Ever. The fate of our childrens' future hangs in the balance.

UPDATE 10 Feb 2012 19:30:
Linked by The Laughing Conservative and at I Own The World. Thanks!

Posted at 09:52 by Chris Wysocki   [/religion]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Thursday Thermionic Thunder, the Mark Zuckerberg (Almost) Endorses Mitt Romney edition

Facebook needs an irony button. Mark Zuckerberg "liked" a snarky comment someone added to a Mitt Romney link. But Facebook's software propagated the "like" onto the link, and in the process stripped the comment. The end result? Mark Zuckerberg appeared to "like" Mitt Romney for president.

Cue the hotheads!

Heh. Of course, this being the internet, along with the outrage there were also a handful of comments trying to convert Zuckerberg over to Ron Paul.

Good luck with that.

Here's more proof that Barack Obama is Jimmy Carter V2.0 — now Barry's got his very own Middle East hostage crisis to mismanage. Egypt is holding 19 Americans on trumped-up charges of "plotting unrest." Among the group is the son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. So far the Administration is making some feeble noises about cutting off Egypt's foreign aid, but otherwise they're ignoring the whole thing in the hopes that it'll just go away.

Must be more of that Smart Diplomacy we keep hearing about.

Bob Menendez, our he's-probably-corrupt-but-we-can't-prove-it U.S. Senator, is up for re-election this year. The good news is his poll numbers are down. Way down.

The bad news? The guy the NJ GOP picked to challenge Menendez would have more name recognition if he was in the witness protection program.

80 percent of respondents don't know GOP challenger Joe Kyrillos, the veteran state senator from Monmouth County who launched his campaign last week.

I'm pretty sure "Who Dat?" isn't a viable campaign slogan. Listen, I follow NJ politics pretty closely and I couldn't pick Joe Kyrillos out of a lineup. Can't think of a single thing he's ever done either. But he's not Bob Menendez so I suppose he's got that going for him.

Vote for good ole what's his name!

Back on the presidential campaign trail I'm now getting spam from Rick Santorum, begging me to send him money. Guy's feeling his Cheerios I guess. Do people send him money? Why?

And the Union Of Telephone Solicitors For Newt Gingrich is indeed relentless, or else they just really like hearing me say "no mas." I sort of backed into a seat on the Newt bus and I'm not nearly enthused enough to write a check.

Given my druthers there's only one candidate who'd get me off the couch. Need a hint? Morgan Freeburg breaks it down for you, far better than I could.

Finally for today, Fishersville Mike has uncovered Obama's latest super-secret plan to reduce the deficit. Trust me, it's better than anything Harry Reid's proposed.

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NJEA union honcho: You can't have school vouchers because "Life's not fair"

It's no surprise that teachers unions oppose school vouchers. What is surprising though is just how blatantly cavalier they are about it.

Appearing on NJTV this past Sunday, NJEA (New Jersey Education Association) Executive Director Vincent Giordano mocked parents who can't afford to take their children out of poor-performing public schools.

"Life's not always fair and I'm sorry about that."

Yup, Vince took a page from the Albert Shanker playbook. He'll care about the children when the children start paying union dues.

Normally the NJEA's condescending contempt for us is carefully hidden behind a veneer of obsequious solicitude. But draw the curtain back, and well, it's just not pretty, now is it?

Governor Chris Christie is outraged. He's demanding Giordano's resignation.

But I think we need to thank Mr. Giordano for his candor.

Right now, all across the state, school boards are busy preparing next year's budgets. When the teachers union shows up to demand bigger raises and additional benefits we can simply repeat the perfect comeback:

"Life's not always fair and I'm sorry about that."

Followed by, Suck it NJEA, no more money for you.

UPDATE 08 Feb 2012 16:44:
Fausta had this yesterday, and she's lovin' the whole "1%" angle...

UPDATE 09 Feb 2012 09:16:
Linked by Theo Spark and Wombat-socho's Live at Five. Thanks!

Posted at 15:20 by Chris Wysocki   [/education]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Waltzing With Wednesday's Winner, or Rick Santorum is the "Not Romney" flavor of the week

The Rick Santorum bandwagon is gaining momentum. He went 3 for 3 last night, winning in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri.

On the other hand, total delegates awarded as a result of his landslide? Zero.

It's still a long way to Tampa dudes.

Like the other flashes in the pan before him, Rick Santorum might not be able to stand up to the intense scrutiny lavished upon the presumptive front-runner. He hasn't been tested in any meaningful way, largely because until this morning he has not been viewed as a serious national threat to Romney.

The one time Santorum was tested in a small way with negative ads in South Carolina, he reacted like Newt has reacted. Can you imagine how Santorum would have reacted if he faced what Newt faced?

I think we're about to find out. Romney's sending Tim Pawlenty to be a thorn in Santorum's side. And if we learned anything from Santorum's stint in Congress it's this: Don't make Rick Santorum angry, because you won't like him when he's angry.

We already have one petty, vindictive, thin-skinned glad-hander in this race. But enough about Barack Obama.

Then again, Barry's 180 on Super PAC money was almost enough to give me whiplash.

Anybody wanna bet the Cardona brothers aren't knee deep in fundraising for the DNC's Priorities USA Action Super-PAC-that-isn't-really-a-Super-PAC-honest?

Of course Barry now says he needs the Big Corporate Money to get his message out. Huh? Is TOTUS on the blink? Everywhere I look, there's Obama, getting his message out, which this week seems to be that those evil Rethuglicans will steal your lady parts.

Next week, another laser-like focus on jobs!

Zeeba The Syphilitic Camel is looking better every day…

Posted at 10:13 by Chris Wysocki   [/election]   Comments | Perm Link |
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The Ninth Circuit rules in favor of gay "marriage". Also, water is wet, the sky is blue.

I suppose I have to say something, seeing as how the Ninth Circuit came down from On High this morning to proclaim a Constitutional Right to gay "marriage."

As if anyone expected them to find otherwise?

C'mon, these Ninth Circuit guys are more liberal than the Number One Activist Court In The Nation — my state's very own New Jersey State Supreme Court.

So it's not exactly a surprise they'd discover some magical incantation which leads to striking down the certified determination of seven million California voters.

Two activist judges > an infinite number of pesky voters. Every time.

And yet my Liberal friends keep trying to tell me we live in a Democracy.

Professor Jacobson, who's probably forgotten more about Constitutional Law than those knuckleheads on the Ninth Circuit ever pretended to know, says the court did not take into account the circular nature of its argument.

Prop. 8 was directed at the very judicial decision which gave rise to the right which the Court now finds cannot be taken away.

Seen elsewhere on Twitter today: Given the chance the Ninth Circuit would find the Constitution unconstitutional.

Well yeah. Certainly the Declaration of Independence. They'd obviously say it violated precedent established by King George. Unless, of course, someone told them that Old George wasn't a fan of buggery.

Onward then to SCOTUS, where everyone agrees Anthony Kennedy will be the deciding vote. Ain't Democracy grand?

Posted at 21:18 by Chris Wysocki   [/news]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Torrential Tuesday Tousle, the Fluoridated Water Is A Communist Plot edition

I had a math teacher in high school who swore fluoridated water was a Communist plot. If Mr. Nagle was still with us he'd be laughing at the NJ legislature's latest attempt to improve our dental health.

Because nothing else important is on Trenton's radar?

Speaking of Communist plots, in Kansas Obama's Zampolits run the state medical licensing board.

A Kansas doctor was denied a license to practice due to his political beliefs. Terrence Lee Lakin questioned Obama's birth certificate so Kansas denied him a license to practice medicine.

His medical credentials are impeccable, but they didn't come up during his appearance before the licensing board.

Just wait until an Obamacare functionary gets to decide who will be denied treatment due to improper political views. You know it's coming.

Buried somewhere in Obamacare is probably a mandate for fluoridated water too.

Today is the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens. A man for our time, if only he'd lived to see it.

In my last post I wrote, "Obama is the new Nixon." You know what just hit me though? No one under 40 probably knows who Nixon was. I think the schools replaced him with Cesar Chavez, or Harvey Milk.

(And yes, because her Catholic school uses textbooks "borrowed" from the public school system, Sophie already knows more about those two nobodies than she does about any previous U.S. president, with the possible exception of George Washington. And thanks to me, Ronald Reagan. Sigh.)

While we're talking about notable historical figures, the last known World War I veteran died yesterday, two weeks shy of her 111th birthday. Florence Green (nee Patterson) joined the Women's Royal Air Force in September 1918 at the age of 17 and worked as a waitress in the officers' mess at RAF Marham in eastern England until the war ended two months later.

The RAF gave Mrs. Green a cake for birthday number 109, and she recalled her time during the war with affection.

By rights, the Queen should attend her funeral, with full military honors.

R.I.P.

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Meet Pepe Cardona, the next Marc Rich

Well, isn't this special.

Oh, but it's OK, Obama is returning the money.

Barack Obama's re-election campaign is returning more than $200,000 in donations from the family of a fugitive casino magnate linked to violence and corruption in Mexico who has been seeking a pardon.

A pardon? You don't say! With Eric Holder involved, I'd imagine 200 grand buys way more than a pardon, wouldn't you? Like maybe a lifetime supply of AK47's via the Fast And Furious gun-running scandal?

Watch for that money to reappear in Obama's coffers, one $10 anonymous internet donation at a time. And rumors that Pepe is now dating Denise Rich could not yet be confirmed.

Like I've said before, Obama is the New Nixon, and Eric Holder makes John Mitchell look like a saint.

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Majestic Monday Melodies, The Day After The Super Bowl Edition

Seen on Facebook: The day after the Super Bowl should become a federal holiday. "National Recovery Day"

I'll drink to that.

Congrats to the Giants for smacking down the hatred Bellicheats twice in four years.

Matt's got the Super Bowl commercial that wasn't. It was rejected in 2008 as "too political." But Mike Bloomberg's No Guns For You ad? That was A-OK this year.

Then of course there was Chrysler's ad, "Imported from Obamaville Detroit," a thinly veiled push to re-elect Barry or the UAW will #Occupy your house.

The NFL already has their finest minds working on a very peculiar marketing problem — Super Bowl L — coming in just 4 short years. Unsurprisingly Lance thinks the L is all about him.

If this doesn't disturb you, it should. Or you're a racist.

Like how I did that? Sadly it's something Obama does every day.

JFK: The President as Pimp. What is it with Democrats and White House interns?

Remember when America had a Real President? If he were still alive, Ronald Reagan would be 101 today. Happy Birthday Mr. President.

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Newt understands what's at stake in Obama's war on religious freedom

I am lovin' me some Newt Gingrich this morning.

"The Obama Administration has declared war on the religious freedom in this country and people need to understand that."

Sadly St. Al's chose to again ignore Archbishop Myers' scathing letter on this topic, even though His Excellency instructed that it be read at all masses.

What did Monsignor Desmond find to be more important? The Giants. He ceded the pulpit to a sportswriter to offer analysis of how well the Giants match up against the Patriots.

I kid you not.

Monsignor's final score prediction — Giants 27, Patriots 20.

I'm glad I went to Mass today. I couldn't have gotten such splendid insight anywhere else.

Please take a moment to read the letter from Archbishop Myers.

Surely the future of religious freedom in America is more important than a football game. It's not like Monsignor Desmond is a military chaplain, ordered by Obama to shut up. So perhaps he could squeeze this letter in next weekend, before March Madness consumes us all.

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My Weekly Obama Jobs Report, the Illusion of Falling Unemployment edition

Yesterday's announcement of an 8.3% unemployment rate, the best it's been in more than 3 years, is a lie. A Big Fat Honker Of A Lie.

Unless you believe that 1.2 million people suddendly took themselves out of the labor force in one month. Which has never happened before. Ever.

it appears that the people not in the labor force exploded by an unprecedented record 1.2 million. No, that's not a typo: 1.2 million people dropped out of the labor force in one month! So as the labor force increased from 153.9 million to 154.4 million, the non institutional population increased by 242.3 million meaning, those not in the labor force surged from 86.7 million to 87.9 million. Which means that the civilian labor force tumbled to a fresh 30 year low of 63.7% as the BLS is seriously planning on eliminating nearly half of the available labor pool from the unemployment calculation.

Whatever it takes to re-elect Obama, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is on the job, fudging the data. The Daley Gator has charts which illustrate the point quite effectively.

I started this weekly series half a year ago, back when Obama was promising to "focus like a laser on jobs." Was I skeptical of his intentions? Well, sure. He's a putz. But now it's obvious he's much more than just an incompetent hack. He's using the government for purely partisan purposes, manipulating key economic indicators to retain his grip on power. Helping Americans find work is not, and quite frankly probably never was, his intended goal.

Is it worth continuing these reports now? I don't know. I feel betrayed, in the sense that I perhaps naively hoped governmental agencies like BLS and CBO would honor a commitment to public service regardless of partisan bickering.

I wonder too if any of those 1.2 million folks Barry kicked to the curb will be inclined to vote Republican this year. You never know, it could make a difference.

Oh well, I've got a list of economic links from the week, so I may as well post them, with a little help from Lola.

Contrary to the Debbie Wasserman Schultz propaganda machine, George W. Bush did create 9 million new jobs. If it helps you to believe this statistic, consider that it comes from the BLS, which as we've seen is pre-disposed to report data which favors Obama.

And the Green Energy boondoggle continues to crash and burn. Solar panel maker Amonix, heavily subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer and backed by surprise! a whole coterie of Obama's donors, is laying off 2/3 of its staff.

Oops.

Despite the artificially rosy jobs numbers consumer confidence cratered in January. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index now stands at 61.1. A healthy economy has readings above 90, a level we haven't seen since December 2007.

Gee, who was president in December 2007? I can't seem to remember his name…

And who took over soon thereafter? Definitely not a coincidence, right?

Oh, and the government propaganda prognosticators had predicted a reading of 68, up from (a conveniently revised upward) 64.8 in December.

Oops.

Here's another grim statistic, something I've encountered every week at Vila Meats. The price of beef is going through the roof.

Beef prices soared more than 10 percent last year according to the Department of Agriculture, and they will likely go up at least another 5 percent this year.

No, you can't afford steak. Not even with Hamburger Helper™.

Finally for today, if our economy is really on the rebound:

I only ask because if we had a Republican in the White House the media would be all over stories like those. Really. It's kinda like their rediscovery of the homeless on the morning of a Republican president's inauguration. You watch, on January 20, 2013 the lead story won't be President Not-Obama; it'll be bread lines.

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Previously:
My Weekly Obama Jobs Report, the Obamanomics Sets New Records edition
My Weekly Obama Jobs Report, the Pipeline Dreams Busted By Green Schemes edition
My Weekly Obama Jobs Report, the Downgrade Fever is Catchy edition
My Weekly Obama Jobs Report, the Short Term Gain For Long Term Pain edition
My Weekly Obama Jobs Report, the Year End Wrapup Unhappy New Year Edition
My Weekly Obama Jobs Report, the Debbie Wasserman Schultz Reality Check edition
My Weekly Obama Jobs Report: the Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics edition
My Weekly Obama Jobs Report, the Incredibly Shrinking Labor Force edition

Posted at 12:05 by Chris Wysocki   [/economy]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Komen capitulates, caves to the Abortion-Industrial Complex

That didn't take long. The Susan G. Komen Foundation caved to the merchants of death.

We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants.

Yes, those little pink ribbons still do signify the blood of innocents, buried beneath the Killing Fields of the Komen Rouge.

Posted at 11:50 by Chris Wysocki   [/feminists]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Just when you thought the presidential election follies couldn't get any weirder

Roseanne Barr is running for president! And unlike Stephen Colbert, she's serious. Well, as serious as someone who grabs her crotch and spits whenever she sings the National Anthem can be. But that's serious enough for the Green Party!

The actress-comedian said in a statement that she's a longtime supporter of the party and looks forward to working with people who share her values. She said the two major parties aren't serving the American people.

She's got a pretty interesting economic recovery plan too. Beheadings!

Re-education camps? Guillotines? What happened to everybody sit in a circle and sing kumbaya? Does Dick Cheney know you're in favor of this stuff? I'm sure he'll be glad to give you a few pointers.

Barr plans to bring her message of economic justice and 9/11 Truth to America's livingrooms.

"I will barnstorm American living rooms," she said in a candidate questionnaire submitted to the Green Party. "Mainstream media will be unable to ignore me, but more importantly they will be unable to overlook the needs of average Americans in the run-up to the 2012 election."

Bolt your doors, or she'll barnstorm your living room. Probably track all kinds of stuff in too, and leave it on your carpet. She's been hanging out with the Occupods you know. But not, alas, hosting any "average Americans" on her 46 acre Hawaiian macadamia nut farm.

Because in her case, the nut didn't fall very far from the tree.

Posted at 09:41 by Chris Wysocki   [/election]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Thursday Theodicies, Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the greatest POTUS of all?

OK, so we had meatloaf for dinner tonight. My favorite. And our neighbor came by to dine with us. I may have had a glass of Scotch. Or two.

So I'm ready to opine.

Who would Jesus tax? Obama has the answer — us!

I hope the folks at the prayer breakfast had something stronger than coffee in their cups. And that it didn't come shooting out of their noses when he spoke.

Christian values and Obama? Yeah, I know what you're thinking. I'm thinking it too. But wait, it gets better.

The president said he often falls to his knees in prayer.

Of course he does. Every time he sees a mirror.

So of late these daily alliterative aggregations haven't been multi-faceted. I get on a roll, and well, you know how it is. The post takes on a life of its own. Maybe my meds finally kicked in?

Nah, that can't be it. I'm as ADD as they come. And I like bouncing topics. On trampolines. I definitely like to watch topics bounce on trampolines. Big topics. Loosely aggregated.

Oh yeah… Wait, where was I?

Chevy Volts are selling like hot cakes. Three day old, stale, roach-infested hot cakes, next to a free gourmet buffet. But hot cakes none the less. And Government Motors is committed to them!

Is Government Motors committed to profits? Not that I can tell.

From Frank J's latest Random Thoughts.

I could be an enthusiastic Romney supporter. The Romney campaign just needs to tell me where to send the invoice for that.

Me too Frank. Me too.

I work cheap!

Out with the new, in with the old. Or if you prefer, they're baaaaaack!

The Taliban is set to return to power in Afghanistan when British and Coalition forces end their combat role in 2014, a damning leaked confidential report reveals.

Biding their time, they were. Just waiting for a political hack like Leon Panetta to get all squishy and pull the plug on Operation Enduring Freedom.

Obama's making sure our freedoms don't endure here at home. Why on earth would he want to support freedom for the people of Afghanistan?

Mister we could use a man like Donald Rumsfeld again.

Finally, and because I'm tired, I have one simple question. Which one of you knuckleheads knocked me off the Top 150 Conservative Blogs list? Was it Belvedere? That snake bloggeriffic genius, always with the Rule 5. He snuck in at #147. And Blam! I'm pixels in the ether, forgotten like another one of Obama's campaign promises.

Fame is fleeting. And alas, addictive. I'm gonna have to ask Tori for a little help. You know, just to get me back into the game.

Posted at 23:31 by Chris Wysocki   [/misc]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Essex County again funnels taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood's infanticide mill

The merchants of death always find a way to suckle at the public teat even though Chris Christie repeatedly vetoes the Democrats' attempts to fund them directly. One trick is to have no-scruples local politicians misuse the federal Community Development Block Grant program to pay the butcher's bill.

And so, again this year Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo arranged a $10,000 "donation" on behalf of county taxpayers to the baby killers of Planned Parenthood. It comes from $4.9 million of CDBG funds earmarked for the Emergency Shelter Grant Program.

Our tax dollars at work. "Sheltering" abortionists. Because they need "emergency" funding. Or something.

It's a disgrace. Sadly our all-Democrat, rubber-stamp Freeholder board won't even bat an eye. And, because the citizens of this county are genetically incapable of voting for politicians with integrity, there ain't a damned thing I can do about it.

How many abortions will $10,000 buy? One is too many. Not that anyone around town besides me seems to care. The Giants are in the Super Bowl! Apparently that's more important.

Posted at 14:29 by Chris Wysocki   [/feminists]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Chris Christie stands up for his bizarre NJ Supreme Court nominees

I told you guys the fix was in. And I was right!

Bruce Harris, the first openly gay man nominated for a seat on New Jersey's State Supreme Court, does in fact have a published opinion on the key hot button issue of the day. Gay "marriage." He's for it.

In 2009 Harris wrote a letter to State Senator Joe Pennacchio equating our Judeo-Christian marriage traditions with slavery.

Any guess on how Bruce Harris will rule when gay "marriage" hits the docket?

Oh, but it's OK! Harris promises to recuse himself from that one court case. BFD. He's got no concept of Original Intent and he's perfectly willing to invent new "rights" by judicial fiat. He's an activist, nominated to a court noted for it's activism. More importantly, Chris Christie promised he'd put a leash on our activist judiciary and this nomination turns that promise on its head.

Not that Christie's willing to admit he screwed up. Oh no. He's digging in for a fight.

State Senator Kevin O'Toole, who's usually a pretty level headed guy, is giddy as a schoolgirl at the prospect of the first Asian-American sitting on New Jersey's highest court.

Qualifications be damned, Identity Politics Rulez!

O'Toole's not alone, Assembly Republicans put their blinders on to fall in line behind Christie too.

"Politics should not interfere in the nomination process of two exemplary candidates. Their academic records, in conjunction with their experience in the law, are outstanding."

See? Pointing out the nominees' obvious flaws is politics. They did great in college! They're experienced lawyers! What's not to like?

Any resemblance between NJ Republicans and Actual Conservatives is purely in your imagination. These guys put the "O" in RINO. As in "O" No, here they go again.

Posted at 10:29 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Wednesday Waterloo, the Feminist Freakout edition

When feminist shibboleths collide, it ain't pretty.

In one corner we have breast cancer, the deadly disease dreaded by all women, personified by pink ribbons worn in support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

In the other corner we have infanticide, the vaunted "right to choose" our Supreme Court found emanating from penumbras, practiced with ruthless efficiency by Planned Parenthood.

In the middle are modern feminists, supporters of Susan G. Komen, who in turn funds the Kermit Gosnells employed by Planned Parenthood.

Er, make that funded. Past tense. Because the Komen Foundation woke up one day and realized that an organization which saves womens' lives ought not be in the business of subsidizing one that's dedicated to murdering baby girls.

Bravo for them. If only the Girl Scouts could exhibit the same clarity of thought.

But among feminists there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth. They're aghast at Komen for "betraying" the Ya-Ya sisterhood. Death by cancer, bad. But infanticide by saline injection, when you've got Important Things you still haven't done yet? Choice!

Alas, "Save us from dying of breast cancer so we can kill our unborn children" does not strike me as a winning slogan. But apparently it's all they've got.

Let's go for some moral clarity. Here's local newswoman Diane Lilly:

Do I think abortions are wonderful? Of course I don't. Do I want them to be legal? Yes, I do, because if they are not legal, many many young girls and women will die from botched abortions.

Got that? Abortions aren't wonderful, they're just necessary! Or young girls and women will die! Many many of them!

How many? 57 million?

Not hardly. But remember that number. I'll say it again. Fifty Seven Million. That's how many babies have died at the hands of abortionists like Planned Parenthood since January 1973.

Six million Jews died. That was a Holocaust. Fifty Seven Million dead babies? They're a statistic. No one weeps for them. There are no museums on the National Mall dedicated to their suffering. Instead of "never again," it's abort as often as you'd like.

Michael Vick killed a dog. He's Public Enemy #1.

Planned Parenthood kills babies by the truckload. They're heroes. To feminists anyway. Because puppies are cute and a fetus is just a clump of cells.

Women and young girls everywhere must stand up and say no to political stands taken by a non-profit organization that is supposed to support women.

"Support women?" Which women? The shrill, vociferous ones? Or the helpless unborn who can't speak for themselves?

That's a question feminists don't want to answer.

Posted at 21:39 by Chris Wysocki   [/feminists]   Comments | Perm Link |
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Vote for Obama, and he'll pay your mortgage!

Well, part of it anyway. That's the latest vote-buying scheme Barry's unveiling today — force banks to accept write-downs on underwater mortgages, and then refinance the balance at "historically low" interest rates.

Even the Star-Ledger can't mask the obvious quid pro quo going on here.

The Obama administration is trying to fix a stubborn drag on the economy by allowing millions of more homeowners to refinance their mortgages at lower interest rates even if they owe more than their homes are worth, tackling a difficult issue of vital concern in states key to President Barack Obama's re-election.

Heh, vital concern to Obama's re-election indeed. It's the whole point of the exercise. Buy votes with a new tax on the banks!

The administration proposal faces a major hurdle in Congress. The program would cost between $5 billion and $10 billion, depending on participation, and would be paid for by a fee on large banks. The administration has tried unsuccessfully before to win support for such a tax on large banks.

So first he gave the banks free money (TARP) and now he's gonna whack them good and hard because he needs votes more than he needs their campaign contributions.

The best part (for him) is he gets to paint Republicans as heartless Scrooges simply because we'll insist people honor their commitments and pay their bills.

Fortunately this nonsense has very little chance of passing the House. And maybe the GOP presidential contenders could take a moment to remind folks that their mortgages wouldn't be underwater in the first place if Obama had actually fixed the economy like he said he would. Everything he's done so far has made things worse. Everything. Don't forget that come November.

Posted at 10:07 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   Comments | Perm Link |
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