Mark Potok pours fuel of hate where there is no fire.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which has long made a crusade of demonizing Conservative America, has once again put in the form of a so-called investigative report their amalgamated dismissal of Conservatives as an angry mob of racists.

This is hardly a new spin on the political climate of our nation since Democrats officially assumed control of both the Legislature and the Office of the Executive.  What makes this report more disturbing than the regular slew of flippant accusations from the Left is the insidious capacity of the author to present the most disingenuous aspersions cast upon the Right in a tidy, 1,200-word package entitled Rage on the Right: The Year in Hate and Extremism.

NPR picked up on this “investigative report” while the metaphorical ink was still drying, hosting its author, the champion of white guilt Mark Potok, on Fresh Air recently to discuss his deceptive diatribe.

One needn’t go beyond the title to understand the full substance and intent of the article’s 1,200-plus words. For Potok (a former reporter – *gasp*), this report was just another step in a mission that long ago took him beyond the line separating perceptions from the misperceptions deemed necessary by the radical left.

In the same paragraph, Potok lumps conservative political activists (fiscal conservatives, federalists, small-government advocates, and so forth) with neo-Nazis – a correlation that can be made only when one substitute’s his integrity for a liberal ideological agenda.

Potok writes:

Hate groups stayed at record levels — almost 1,000 — despite the total collapse of the second largest neo-Nazi group in America. Furious anti-immigrant vigilante groups soared by nearly 80%, adding some 136 new groups during 2009. And, most remarkably of all, so-called “Patriot” groups — militias and other organizations that see the federal government as part of a plot to impose “one-world government” on liberty-loving Americans — came roaring back after years out of the limelight.

Potok extends only a discreet gesture of truthfulness in the form of a hyperlink. If you click on the hyperlinked text “Patriot” groups and you will eventually come to the line –

Listing here does not imply that the groups themselves advocate or engage in violence or other criminal activities, or are racist.

To get to the truth of the matter, Potok need only take a small step from fact to fact. No leaps required. The fringe elements we’re hearing so much about on the news – the ones spitting on politicians at rallies, breaking windows at democratic political offices, shouting racial and homophobic slurs – are NOT conservatives. They’re a radical, violent minority that stands in opposition to the very principles driving the Conservative movement – “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”

No – they are not Conservatives. These belligerents are opportunists. They’ve latched onto a legitimate political movement in which – because of historical divisions furthered by reports like Potok’s – many are willing to accept a perceived association between politically-active Conservatives and hate groups.

The Left is all too happy to – in this instance – to see things in black and white.  Unfortunately, the genuine concerns of the majority of Conservatives are being overshadowed by this fantastically choreographed liberal deception.

(Robert Siegel, liberal host of NPR’s “All Things Considered,” behind the mics with NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg.)

We need to come up with a new name for our left-wing members in the U.S. House of Representatives, for they’re clearly not Representatives of their constituents, accept by accident of a shared liberal agenda.

“Representatives” in the current majority party continually forsake the will of the American people – in deal after deal bartered for greater power and prestige. The cynic in me says, “Hey, that’s politics.”

What’s more difficult to tolerate is the depiction by the left-wing media of these non-Representatives as noble renegades fighting against popular will to do the right thing, even if it means sacrificing their chance at re-election.

Case in point: Today, on NPR’s All Things Considered host Robert Siegel oozed admiration and praise for one-term Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies (D-PA), who lost her seat after she voted ‘yes’ for President Clinton’s budget in 1993.

“Margolies says she didn’t realize at the time that her constituents would respond as they did, but still believes she did the right thing.”

Margolies voted for a bill, despite the overwhelming call from her constituents to vote against the bill, and she didn’t get re-elected. Rather than revealing her as the failed representative she was, she is instead aggrandized as a martyr.

But it’s of no surprise that an ultra left-wing news outlet like NRP - and in this particular case, Robert Siegel – would praise a failed legislator. For in this scenario lays the fundamental characteristic of liberals/Democrats; their unspoken modus operandi – “Trust me. I know what’s best for you.”

It has many names: arrogance, audacity (Pres. Obama’s favorite), chutzpah, contemptuousness, egotism, gall, haughtiness, high-handedness, imperiousness, nerve, overbearance, pomposity…  But it boils down to this – once in office, a Democrat will again and again supplant the will of the people with their own agenda and that of their party.

Members of Congress must make countless decisions, day after day. Consulting with constituents on all of these decisions for a consensus is not feasible. But what Democrats have perfected is the act of voting contrary to what the people want while telling them all the while, “Trust me. I know what’s best for you.” And shame on NPR for towing this party line so blindly and dutifully.

Take a listen to the full interview. (Warning: This audio clip may cause your head to spin and your eyes to roll back into your head.)

All Things Considered – 16 Mar 2010

Pop quiz hot shot.

Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Nancy Pelosi are at the wheel of the Washington spending bus, ramming spending bills through Congress and leaving a path of fiscal destruction in their wake. If the bus slows down, voting Americans start catching on to the looming economic devastation, and the federal spending bus explodes before Democrats can achieve their goals – power and control.

What do you do? What doooo you do?

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) slammed the breaks on the haphazard spending with two simple words – “I object.”  The 78-year-old Hall of Fame pitcher-turned-politician reminded us all of what it means to be a fiscal conservative. The liberal reaction has been what the Wall Street Journal fittingly describes at “faux indignation.”

Mr. Bunning has dared to put a hold on a $10 billion spending bill to extend jobless insurance and fund transportation projects. Mr. Bunning says he won’t yield until the Senate finds a way to pay for the new spending with cuts somewhere else in the $3.5 trillion budget. For this perfectly reasonable stance, Mr. Bunning has become the Beltway and media villain of the hour. We’d call it his finest hour.

Indeed – a proud moment for fiscal conservatives longing for true representation in Washington. Fiscal restraint – even when it’s inconvenient.

The $10 billion bill Bunning intercepted would extend unemployment benefits, extend health insurance subsidies, extend highway funding, increase Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians, extend a temporary “flood insurance” program and continue aid for small business programs.

“If we can’t find $10 billion to pay for it, we’re not going to pay for anything,” Bunning declared.

The source of this cowboy senator’s inspiration for fiscal responsibility? He’s not running for re-election after his current term, so what does he have to lose by doing the right, but unpopular, thing. Or perhaps, like so many conservative Americans, he just couldn’t bring himself to quietly acquiesce to more reckless spending. Or maybe it was that legislation Congress passed last month which mandates that for every dime of new federal spending, a dime of cuts must be made to other spending.

It’s called PAYGO. New spending bills must be budget-neutral or bankrolled with savings derived from existing federal funds, forcing fiscal restraint and prioritizing. Nonetheless, a mere 18 days after President Obama signed the joint resolution reinstating PAYGO, Congressional Democrats are already trying to slide an unfunded spending bill through the loopholes in PAYGO rules and are mad as hell that Sen. Bunning won’t play along.

Yes – the Democrats rallied around the successful reinstatement of PAYGO spending rules. Yes – the Democrats tried to slip a $10 billion bill through. They were called on it. But, never to be hampered by the facts, Democrats on the Hill (with the unconditional and eager assistance of the liberal media) are vilifying Bunning. No shame in Washington.

Unabashedly biased, left-wing CNN host Campbell Brown is married to a fervent Republican – a former foreign policy advisor for George W. Bush, no less. They’re not exactly Carville & Matalin, but who is?

Mr. Brown, better known as Dan Senor, is no casual Republican either, and is hoping to take his conservative values to Washington, where he will (voters willing) park them prominently in the congressional seat of New York Democrat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. Several news outlets have reported Senor is making the rounds, seeking the blessings of prominent NY Republicans including state GOP chairman Ed Cox, and putting feelers out in the money circles.

Senor is one of a handful of potential candidates to pop up on both sides of the political spectrum, in what is becoming a whack-a-mole race for Gillibrand’s seat. This should be cause for concern for the junior senator, who’s popularity is running low among New Yorkers.

In a recent Siena poll, Gillibrand scored low with only a 34-percent favorable rating – compared to Gov. David Paterson’s 35 percent favorable rating (and we all know he’ll be job hunting before the year’s over). Only 30 percent said they would vote to re-elect Gillibrand. But when decision time comes, New Yorkers have proven Einstein’s definition of insanity election after election – voting for the same candidates, expecting different results.

Madame Governor?

In other news — Kristin Davis, the former madame who ran one of New York’s biggest and most expensive escort services (serving the likes of Eliot Spitzer, among others), announced today she plans to make a run for Paterson’s post as governor of New York. Davis told Sean Hannity on his show today she’s already secured the campaign services of renowned Republican strategist Roger Stone, a self-described “GOP hitman.” There will be no shortage of tasteless jokes in this race.

Davis’ platform – “P-squared.” Legalize pot and prostitution to bring billions in new revenue to the state. Sure, she talked about other issues, but how can you get past P-squared?

A DAILY WRAP-UP OF SOME OF MY FAVORITE BLOG POSTS OF THE DAY

You can debate tax reform after you clean your room!

Calvin Freiburger explores the hubris of youth in his post about the considerable buzz surrounding 14-year-old conservative author Jonathan Krohn, offering a healthy perspective on the ambitious, pubescent teen. A grain of salt…

Brains and Backbone

Liz Cheney proves a force to be reckoned with. Check out Lori Ziganto’s post on the savvy daughter of former VP Dick Cheney.

Dems are Eating Their Own

Democrats across the country are jumping ship, leaving behind a bitter crew in denial. Liz Blaine writes that Democrats still aboard the sinking ship have turned on each other and their departing comrades, particularly Dems who aren’t left-wing enough – like Sen. Evan Bayh. Argh – yee ship is sinking, scallywags!

Maddow Fueled by Pain of Rejection?

The Washington Post reported that Rachel Maddow, rabid liberal talker on MSNBC, actually (at some point in her career) applied for a job at FOX News.

It was opening day yesterday for the latest commercial jackpot kids’ adventure movie, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Sounds like a good family night out, right? Get the kids out of the house for a while in the midst of a winter that’s been harsher than usual. So I took my son, niece and nephew to see The Lightning Thief after a nice dinner out.

Without question, the only enjoyable moment of this theatrical experience was the pre-movie commercial asking theater patrons to quiet there cell phones. “It takes a lot of phone calls to make a movie… and only one to spoil it.” Or something like that.

The movie was just bad – a weak regurgitation of the Harry Potter concept that fails on the big screen, as well as in print. Apparently Zac Efron wasn’t available for the role, so they tracked down some kid who – after enough time in the make-up trailer – could be made to look like Efron’s twin, obnoxiously forward-combed hair and all. The story has the promise of an alluring fantasy adventure – mythical Greek gods, their ties to our world and the threat of an Earthly and epic battle between the gods. But the storyline is so rushed on the big screen, the result is instead an incongruous string of scenes dominated by a bad script and mediocre acting.

To top it off, the “minds” behind the movie – in the fashion of true Hollywood liberalism – inject their political opinions into a story that had none in print. It’s common that a book be altered to some degree in the process of morphing it into a screenplay. But this addition to the script was so blatant in its adoration of President Barack Obama, and so irrelevant to the story, that it’s injection into the movie left me scratching my head – and was the final straw in my decision to completely write off this movie as worthwhile entertainment.

Percy Jackson learns early in the movie that he is a demigod – the half-man, half-god son of Poseidon. Percy’s earthly protector – the half-man, half-goat satyr – explains to Percy that demigods are every where and at all levels of power in society - including the White House.

Just to be sure this wasn’t, in fact, the opinion of the author written into the book, I bought the book (electronic version) and did a text search. Nope. No mention of demigods in the White House.  Nice job Hollywood. Subtle. There’s a chance I’m jumping to the wrong conclusion here – but it wasn’t much of a jump. More like a long stride, given Hollywood’s gushing affection for Obama.

(Okay – there was one positive aspect to the movie – Sean Bean clad in Greek gladiator-style attire. But that seemed like a base and trivial observation.)

Sean Bean as Zeus - ehhh???

A DAILY WRAP-UP OF SOME OF MY FAVORITE STORIES OF THE DAY

Tool of Islam – Emphasis on Tool

England’s judicial system is right behind that of the Netherlands in its pursuit of the liberal mandate of religious kowtowing and appeasement with no regard for the dangerous consequences. Take a look at John L. Work’s post today on the Iranian-born British police commissioner who was recently sentenced to four years in prison for assault, after years of shielding other criminal activities behind accusations of religious discrimination.

Fair-Weather Feminist

Medine Memi, a sixteen-year-old girl in Turkey, was recently and repeatedly beaten by her father and grandfather after they learned she was talking to boys. NRB’s Jamie Glazov writes today about a noticeably absent voice in the feminist response – that of the wolf in feminist clothing, Naomi Wolf. She’s busy tackling what she says is the next big issue for women – sleep. No joke. The worry keeps her up at night.

9/11 Attacks Were “… bad. I am against it.”

NRB’s Kathy Shaidle offers a mind-boggling look at one college student’s response to questions about 9/11. The icing on this cake? This same college student plans to take the Foreign Service exam to qualify for service in the U.S. diplomatic corps. A guy of this caliber could single-handedly ignite a war.

MySpace CEO Permanently De-friended

From the wonderful nerds at Geek.com – MySpace CEO Owen Van Natta fired.  Still waiting for him to update his status on Facebook…

Let them eat cake?

This guy is a one-man circus act, constantly back-peddling his unicycle around his circular policy platform. The issue now – Candidate Obama’s promise to exempt from tax hikes families making less than $250,000, and President Obama’s self-proclaimed “agnosticism” on the issue.  Meanwhile, Americans are experiencing far less doubt about their votes in 2012.

A DAILY WRAP-UP OF SOME OF MY FAVORITE STORIES OF THE DAY

Still Just the Bitter Fat Kid on the Playground

Robert Gibbs is a shell of a man still tormented by his self-loathing, chubby inner child.  Lori Ziganto takes a few jabs at the petty Press Secretary, but stops short of taking his lunch money.

The Horrors of Personal Responsibility

Sandra Lee calls out the liberal freeloader mentality at The Nation. The socialist rag posted a Tweet that suggested paying one’s bills is worse than cancer. Probably posted by a TN writer via Blackberry while waxing philosophic with Leo Tolstoy’s ghost in a bar in St. Petersburg.

“Then, we’re off to Haiti.”

That’s Tahiti.  Riiiiight. (Movie reference.) Anyway, today PopEater tells us Angelina Jolie is heading to Haiti. She is one of very few in Hollywood who do more to help others than just sign checks payable to charities. Still, my first thought was, “How can we convince more Hollywood celebs to head to an island somewhere outside the U.S. – and stay there?”

Does Irony Cause Global Warming?

Because if it does, I’m going to start trading in the Irony Credits market – make myself rich in no time while doing my part to save the world from the threat of excessive Irony Emissions. The source of my investment inspiration? This headline - Blizzard Rearranges Climate Change Announcement. Check out the full story at Washington Wire.

A DAILY WRAP-UP OF SOME OF MY FAVORITE STORIES OF THE DAY

Between a Rock and Left-Wing Lunacy

JE Tabler writes today about a group of moderate Democrats (yes – you read that correctly) in Chicago who are fighting against the radical left-wing machine – and they have one hell of a fight ahead of them.

Hey Zirin! You wish you could throw like a girl!

Kudos to Jenn Q. Public for b*tch slapping the outrageous David Zirin, sports editor at The Nation. Zirin lashed out, in a recent column, at CBS and those behind the pro-life Tim Tebow ad that aired during the Super Bowl (including the popular Christian ministry Focus on the Family).

The Liberal Conception of Birtherism?

“Investigations for my new book, Wingnuts, revealed that the Birther conspiracy theory was first concocted by renegade members of” a hard core group of Hillary Clinton supporters, says  Wingnuts author and regular Daily Beast writer John Avlon. Take a look at Calvin Freiburger’s post examining Avlon’s discovery of Democrat duplicity behind the Birther movement.

Sister Toldjah Tells Us About Murtha

Sister Toldjah has a good post up today about the passing of Rep. John Murtha (D-Penn). Check it out – and check out more of her blog while you’re there! Good stuff.

Another Google App Suicide on the Horizon?

Orkut, Google Video, Open Social, Friend Connect… If these apps don’t sound familiar, it’s because they were complete Googletastic flops. Nonetheless, Google is going toe-to-toe with yet another popular social media tool. This time, they have Twitterers (Tweeters?) in their sights. The Business Insider describes the changes coming to Gmail’s status update feature, which align it more with the functionality of Twitter updates. Good luck with that, Google.

Megan Fox Has Clubbed Thumbs???

Of all the post-Super Bowl chatter, this is by far the most shocking, stunning, heart-breaking, Earth-shattering… and so on, and so on, with the hyperbole. Yes – the woman every man wants (long enough for bragging rights) and every dim-witted woman wants to be is, in fact, NOT perfect. *GASP* This after-school special brought to you by I’M NOT OBSESSED.

A DAILY WRAP-UP OF SOME OF MY FAVORITE STORIES OF THE DAY

Pre-Game Presidential Propaganda

I didn’t watch Super Bowl XLIV today. The New England Patriots (my team) weren’t playing, so I avoided Katie Couric’s pre-game back-and-forth with President Barack Obama. No doubt it provided a good look at the best that state-run media has to offer. NRB writer Liz Blaine took one for the team and watched Couric play her own kind of game, throwing only soft balls to our fearless leader. In her post today, Blaine writes that Obama “inadvertently admitted he has not listened to Republican healthcare ideas.”

Filed Under “L” for Liberal Wackjobs

Brought to our attention by David Horowitz, an article in today’s Washington Post asks Why are liberals so condescending? My guess – inferiority complex drives them to demean all others in order to feel better about themselves. But I’m not a shrink – I could be wrong about that.

Where are Dutch people from, Joey? asks Chandler Bing

“Well, uh, the Pennsylvania Dutch are from Pennsylvania,” answers Joey Tribbiani. Great episode of Friends. Anyway – today, NRB blogger and actual Dutchman Michael van der Galien writes from the Netherlands about the leader of the country’s newly founded Islam Democrats political party, Dilaver Delikaya – revealing the violent nature of the party leader’s young children. A disturbing read with even more disturbing photos.

Mainstream Media – “You suck”

Leave it to brash conservative writer Andrew Breitbart to speak his mind – sans filter.

To tighty are the whities?

Today from Reuters — President Barack Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, is really angry and he isn’t gonna take it anymore! Damn Republicans are playing political games with national security, he says (in incoherent strings of babbling bad grammar).

This Week in Crazy…

From Salon.com – AIG leadership attempted recently to exhibit a collective conscience, experiencing the same degree of success with which they brought our economy to its knees. After the fury that followed last year’s exorbitant executive bonuses totaling $165 million, the head honchos at AIG are doing right by the American taxpayer this year. That’s right – they’re only paying out $100 million in bonuses.  Such compassion, such self-sacrifice. (Single tear running down left cheek.)

If NY Gov. Paterson Resigns…

I’ll turn in my SUV for a fuel-efficient hybrid and quit smoking. Lucky for me, New York Governor David Paterson is prone to irrational arrogance. So, my bet is I’ll be hanging on to my Jeep and pack of smokes. But the rumors persist – from Business Insider.

Katie Couric, a dutiful White House ally among many in the U.S. media, will do a live interview with President Barack Obama during tomorrow’s Super Bowl pre-game coverage on CBS, bringing together two of America’s most notable megalomaniacs – and forever tarnishing the pure joy that is Super Bowl Sunday. Is nothing sacrosanct?

Couric and her crew at CBS are asking viewers, via their website “What should she ask him?” and invite you to email Katie your question.

It seems to me Pres. Obama is pretty transparent – as my vision isn’t impaired by the warping lenses of extreme left-wing ideology. So instead, I would like to ask Couric a few questions. Here’s my draft email –

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What would you ask the President?

Fondation des Soeurs Redemptrices de Nazareth, an orphanage in Kenscoff, just a few miles southeast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

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I’ll be the first to admit it – I loath all that is Hollywood. The celebrities themselves (most – perhaps not all), the sheep-like mentality that drives them all to liberal/socialist leanings, their over-the-top lifestyles and utter lack of persepctive on just about everything.

But, I’m compelled to give a hat-tip to the many celebrities who returned – if only briefly – to the “real world” long enough to rally global support for a cause long overdue. In the aftermath of the earthquake that took Haiti to a new and more devastating low, stars like George Clooney, Sean Penn, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige, Madonna, Jay-Z, John Legend, Coldplay, Beyonce, Bono and Sting – to name a few – brought their talents and personas to the international stage via a telethon that has (so far) raised more than $58 million for aid and reflief efforts in Haiti.

To reel in the youth audience, the telethon even showcased teen heartthrobs (think Twilight saga) Anna Kendrick, Taylor Lautner, and every high school girl’s favorite vampire, actor Rob Pattinson.

It struck me as an interesting coincidence, given the tragedy that brought 23-year-old Pattinson to the stage for this telethon, that when I was his age I was in Haiti.

In 1997, I was still serving on active duty in the U.S. military and I deployed to Haiti to serve in the U.S. Support Group-Haiti, headquartered in Port-au-Prince. My job, as a military journalist and photographer, was to capture the work we did to help the people of Haiti – rebuilding schools, orphanages, medical clinics, providing medical care and distributing clothes and school supplies.

The world media has done a thorough job of recognizing – even glorifying – the celebrity contributions to the Haiti cause. Here are some of my photos of those American troops who did even more, when the world wasn’t watching.

Related posts:

1. Haiti: Thousands Dead after Massive Earthquake
2. Haiti: Even a Superpower Can’t Move Mountains
3. On Haiti and Self-Reliance

Rep. Parker Griffith (Alabama-5th) switches to Republican Party as health care debacle continues in Congress.

When Sen. Arlen Specter (D R D – Pa) switched political parties earlier this year – for the second time in his congressional tenure – to rejoin the Democratic Party, the overwhelming national response was a collective yawn.

Today’s defection in the House of Representatives, however, came like the proverbial bolt from the blue. Freshman Representative Parker Griffith returned to his home district today (Alabama’s 5th, which includes Huntsville) to explain to his constituents, face-to-face, why he has decided to extricate himself from the Democratic Party. Too bad his move is more a political statement than a political power-shift.

Politico, first to report the breaking news, says the Democratic health care bill was the impetus for Griffith’s final step to the right. From Politico:

Griffith’s party switch comes on the eve of a pivotal congressional health care vote and will send a jolt through a Democratic House Caucus that has already been unnerved by the recent retirements of a handful of members who, like Griffith, hail from districts that offer prime pickup opportunities for the GOP in 2010.

The first-term congressman, who was until now dubbed a Blue Dog Democrat, has been at odds with the Democratic agenda in Washington from Day 1, criticizing the Obama Administration’s positions on health care reform, the federal stimulus plan, environmental legislation, and other top legislative priorities.

So it’s hard to fathom how this news caught Democrats in Washington completely off their guard. Yet, a headline on The Hill’s website reads “Dem leadership caught by surprise.” The Capitol Hill newspaper went on to report:

Rep. Parker Griffith’s party switch announcement caught Democratic House leadership by surprise — so much so that they were still preparing official statements when contacted on Tuesday morning.

“He didn’t tell anyone in leadership,” a leadership aide said. “He didn’t even tell his staff. In fact I understand he’s telling most of his staff right now.”

As of 12 p.m. on Tuesday, neither Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) nor Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) had commented on Griffith’s announcement.

Yehhhh, uh, right. Didn’t see this coming.

Also of no surprise is the reaction of some bloodthirsty Democrats in Washington, who will not tolerate a mutiny. The immediate attack on Griffith and House Republicans by House Democrats – who, like spoiled children, refuse to acknowledge culpability in anything (unless it gets them re-elected) – attempts to divert our attention from the reasons why Griffith is moving to the right.

Rather than discuss Griffith’s concerns with and objections to Democrat health care reform bills, Washington’s Democratic leadership (with the ever-helpful voice of liberal-leaning media) is accusing the Republican Party of “orchestrating” the entire thing.

So what, exactly, would “orchestrating” Griffith’s party-switch entail? Convincing him that Congressional Democrats are ruining our nation one bill at a time? Persuading him to act in defense of our Constitution?

Okay – maybe it was more sinister than that. Maybe Republicans promised to help him in his re-election bid. Like the Democrats claim to have helped Griffith secure his first election, maybe?

“Democrats of every stripe and philosophy sweated and bled for this man,” said Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Joe Turnham in a statement today. “He narrowly became a Congressman through the hard work, votes and financial contributions of thousands of Democrats. Today, they feel betrayed.”

I feel your pain guys. It’s kinda like when Brenda (90210, the original) found out that Dillon had a summer fling with Kelly, right?

My advice to Democrats – embrace these feelings of betrayal. Learn from them. For only through such understanding will you come to know how millions of tax-paying Americans feel everyday about the Democratic-led Congress.

Related posts:

1. Disgusted Democrat Defects to the GOP
2. On the “Precipice” of Health Care Reform Disaster
3. Pelosi: No Health Care Bill This Year

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All other media outlets reporting on this new legislation – CNN, Huffington Post, Salon.com  -left out the fact that the legislation contains a significant typo that exemplifies the buffoonery of current Washington leadership.

From FOXNews.com –

It may sound absurd. But President Obama signed a bill into law Wednesday that requires passengers who carry firearms aboard Amtrak be locked in boxes for their journey.

It’s a mistake in the law’s wording. But for now, the clerical error is the law of the land.

Earlier this week, Congress sent the president a massive spending bill that funded dozens of federal departments. Tucked into the transportation section of the legislation are safety requirements for Amtrak customers who carry firearms on board the government-backed train system. The bill Congress passed mandates that passengers with firearms declare they have weapons with them in advance and stow them in locked boxes while on the train.

The bill text was correct when the House approved the legislation last week. The Senate followed suit Sunday, but somewhere along the line, the language that referred to putting the guns in locked boxes morphed into stuffing “passengers” into locked boxes.

Read the rest of the story on FOXNews.com.

Related posts:

1. 'No Credit Card For You Unless You're Rich' Bill Passes Senate
2. Bachmann & Friends' Message to Congress: Read the Bill! (Updated)
3. It Depends On What `Is' Is: Bill Clinton Jumps into the Obamacare Fiasco

"Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow." This billboard stands in front of St. Matthew-in-the-City Anglican church in Auckland, New Zealand. The church vicar says the billboard was erected to spark conversations about the Christmas story. It's working!

Related posts:

1. Lunch Break – Board Game Recommendation
2. Lunch Break
3. Lunch Break

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Tuesday, President Barack Obama, flanked by his liberal cronies in the Senate, told the truth – if only by slip of the tongue.

“It’s clear that we are on the precipice” of a major health care overhaul.

– President Obama

Truer words were never spoken by this administration. Quick vocabulary lesson though, Mr. President.

prec⋅i⋅pice  –  [pres-uh-pis] –noun

1. a cliff with a vertical, nearly vertical, or overhanging face.
2. a situation of great peril: on the precipice of war. 

Democrats are indeed dangling our nation’s health care system from a steep vertical cliff and it IS in great peril of a government takeover that does great harm to all Americans.

But before they give our health care system that final heave-ho into the deep and bleak chasm of government bureaucracy, they intend to quibble over matters that have nothing to do with the problems that got us into this crisis. Paying for abortions and an early buy-in option for Medicare are two items delaying our forthcoming plunge.

One thing Senate Democrats could agree on Tuesday was the decision to reject two proposals that would have allowed Americans to buy cheaper prescription medicines from abroad. Of the 1,000+ pages of back-room deals that make up this health care reform bill, Democrats – in an effort to preserve a deal made between the White House and the pharmaceutical industry – would not support proposals that would open the door to lower cost prescription drugs in the United States.

The rejection of less expensive prescription drugs for Americans serves as an accurate reflection of the kind of legislation Democratic lawmakers are trying to steam roll through Congress. The skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs is, without a doubt, one of the most significant hurdles in our current health care system, yet Democrats dismissed the opportunity to effect meaningful change for millions of Americans.

Of little surprise, but no less an affront to the American people, is the fact that during the 2008 presidential campaign Barack Obama repeatedly claimed to be in favor of importing less expensive prescription drugs to ensure more Americans could get teh medicines they need.

AARP, which has been vocal of its support for the Democrats’ health care overhaul, lashed out Tuesday at the drug imports rejection.

“Senators had a choice between meaningful savings for their constituents and higher profits for the drug industry. We’ll be letting our members know where they stood,” said AARP’s Nancy LeaMond.

At this point, it is clear that Democrats in Congress, and the President, are desperate for a win and will continue their bastardized version of health care reform until they have something – anything – that will get the necessary votes, regardless of how destructive, impotent or expensive the resulting legislation may be in the end. As long as they can call it health care reform.

Democratic lawmakers in Washington are operating in a sphere circling beyond reality if they believe anything they produce at this point will be a “win.” In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp poll conducted Dec. 2-3, a majority of Americans – 61 percent – said they oppose the Senate reform bill. Seventy-five percent said the proposals in the Senate bill would not help their families.

We are on the precipice of disaster, America. Our representatives in Congress should be pulling us up from the brink. They are not. They are dangling Americans over the edge – their constituents, their voters – YOU.

Remind your representatives that you are on the falling end of this health care reform bill.

Related posts:

1. FREE SPEECH TV: Obama's Health Care Reform Plan Stinks in Every Nostril
2. HCAN: Scripting and Directing the Left’s Health Care Reform Stage Show
3. The Left Pushes Linguistic Lunacies in Health Care

There’s no joy in Mudville when I have to call out a fellow conservative. In his Dec. 10 episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart (NOT the conservative in question) launched into yet another satirical diatribe targeting Glenn Beck (the conservative in question). Nothing new there, except this time Stewart was right on the money – or the gold, in this case – and Beck’s credibility is at issue.

• FACT #1: Glenn Beck tells his viewers and listeners that the economy is heading for catastrophic failure.
• FACT #2: Beck tells us the only safe-haven for our money is gold.
• FACT #3: Beck is a paid spokesperson for Goldline.com.

Setting political leanings aside for the moment, this is a clear-cut conflict of interest.  The conflict of interest lays not in his recommendation that his listeners and viewers invest in gold, but that he is paid by a specific gold seller to endorse gold buying AND he incorporates a pro-gold message in his shows disguising the message as analysis of the economy.

 The Society of Professional Journalists employs a code of ethics that reflects the common standards across the profession. In part, their code of ethics says –

Journalists should:

• Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
  Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
• Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.
• Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.

Granted, talking heads like Beck, Chris Matthews, Bill O’Reilly and Rachel Maddow aren’t expected to stick to the Who, What, When and Where of news stories. They’re paid for their opinions. But Beck crossed an ethical line when he began espousing opinions that intersect with his own financial interests. The whole scenario calls into question the credibility of Beck’s analysis of our economy, and I will hereafter cringe whenever he utters the word “gold,” regardless of the context.

What is even more disheartening about Beck’s arrangement with Goldline.com, and the recent hullabaloo over his conflict of interest, is his smug, sarcastic mea culpa. He takes the cheap way out by blaming liberal bloggers for creating a controversy over his endorsement of Goldline.com, suggesting that he uses the service he promotes and that makes it okay. It doesn’t.

Glenn Beck is undoubtedly one of the more polarizing conservative talking heads on television and radio these days. His commentary is impassioned, gritty and confrontational – often calling into question the integrity and motives of government officials and anyone who exercises influence over our government. In such a business, Beck must hold himself to the higher standard by which he judges the actions of others if he is to maintain any credibility.

As much as his loyal fans of the conservative ranks may want to dismiss this whole situation as small potatoes in a world of dirty politics, to do so would land them guilty of the same hypocrisy of which the left is often accused. Beck needs to admit to his poor judgment and remedy the situation, and guard his integrity with greater vigilance.

Related posts:

1. Generation South Park 3: Cartman Gives Wendy The Glenn Beck Treatment
2. Media Matters: Why be critical of Glenn Beck for pushing against the extremists?
3. Glenn Beck: New Vince Flynn Thriller “Conservative Porn?”

Acorn-shaped cookies were served at the Dec. 7 White House Christmas Party.

It often seems the Obama administration’s sole purpose is to give Saturday Night Live more material. One thing is certain, the Obama White House decision makers continue to offer evidence that they are an unabashedly useless band of idiots.

At the Dec. 7 White House Christmas Party attendees were treated with acorn-shaped chocolate cookies, rubbing the President’s affiliation with the controversial group ACORN in everyone’s faces as though they were punishing a puppy by rubbing its nose in their sh*&.  

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), who attended the party, was flaberghasted by the administration’s chutzpah and said of the cookies:

“…from the man who wrote ‘The Audacity of Hope,‘ we were served the very redefinition of the word ‘audacity.’”

So much for the grand, fence-mending, bipartisan rhetoric of Candidate Obama.

Related posts:

1. Media Matters Freaks Out Over Coverage of White House Advisor's ACORN Ties
2. Another White House advisor: 'We kind of agree with Mao'
3. Leftist Lawmaker Nadler Aligned With ACORN Still Defending ACORN

A recent headline in the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail reads “Amy Goodman’s Border Woes Have Americans in a Tizzy.” Really? Because this is the first I’ve heard of it.

Don’t know who Amy Goodman is? You’re not alone. As host of the television/radio program Democracy Now! (undoubtedly the most ironic misnomer in the history of news media), her activist-style “journalism” has kept her operating on the periphery of mainstream media.

Fact is, a quick Google news search shows that the only U.S. news outlets to report on her “ordeal” have been, well, Amy Goodman for Democracy Now! and her left-wing-nut-job soul mate Keith Olbermann for his show on MSNBC.

Apparently, Amy Goodman was held and questioned at the U.S.-Canada border for 90 minutes, during which “Canadian border guards demanded to know her views on the Olympics.”

I would be outraged – if the whole damn ordeal wasn’t so laughable.  Just say this to yourself, or out loud – “Canadian border agents interrogate journalist Amy Goodman for a grueling 90 minutes about her views on the Olympics.”

Good grief, where to start? Let me begin by making it clear that I DO NOT find it acceptable for border agents ANYWHERE in the world to detain ANY journalist unless the journalist in question is also suspected of participating in an illegal activity – say, running drugs across the border. Without question, the situation should be addressed with the Canadian government.

That said…

Poor Amy – interrogated by Canadians about the Olympics! It must have been horrifying. No doubt the tea they served her during questioning was only luke warm. I honestly cannot stop laughing. (I’m sorry, Amy. I don’t mean to diminish the gravity of your ordeal. Okay – maybe I do.)

Who is Amy Goodman?

The Canadian border agents in this case made two errors: first, choosing to hold a journalist for questioning; second, mistaking Amy Goodman for a journalist. Let’s be clear on this second point – Goodman is NOT a journalist. She’s an activist with a microphone and a soapbox.

The Society of Professional Journalists is quite clear on the issue of ethical journalism. In part, their code of ethics states:

Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know. Journalists should: avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived; and, remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.

At no point in her career has Goodman failed to grandstand on a liberal issue. As a matter of fact, Goodman has frequently chosen actions antithetical to the ethics of journalism by opting to BE the news – a cardinal sin for journalists. In September 2008, Goodman was arrested for conspiring to cause a riot at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis.

She is known to launch into conspiratorial tirades against what she views as a largely right-wing media, and often gives speeches (on and off her show) and writes in support of popular left-wing agenda items like single-payer universal health care, civil rights for terror suspects, opposition to the War on Terror, and man-made global warming.

Her credibility has been steadily eaten away by her own thoughtless rhetoric, offering such analysis as:

“The women of New York had a champion in Eliot Spitzer. The good news in the wake of the governor’s resignation is that his successor, David Paterson, and the state’s activists are ready to keep up the fight.”

– Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, March 2008

I grew up in New York, just outside our capitol city of Albany. The delusions she expressed didn’t get by me and are actually now being acknowledged by members of the Democratic Party – including President Barack Obama – as they seek to discourage a determined but failed Gov. David Paterson from running for election in 2010 to the post he stepped into after the sex scandal that led to Eliot Spitzer’s resignation.

Imagine that –Eliot Spitzer (or Client #9), a champion for women. And his successor has been a success in nothing. Paterson has failed to fight for anything, save his position on next year’s ballot.

We have long tolerated a leftist bias in mainstream media. Should we also come to accept activists operating under the cloak of protection offered to journalists?

Everyone has an agenda, and in the information age, everyone has an outlet for the viewpoints. However, journalists should be held to higher standards – the very standards they have established for themselves as a profession.

Amy Goodman has flaunted her partisan activism in the face of her profession, waving her microphone – the lone piece of evidence available to her – as proof that she is a journalist. Like a soldier in war, wearing a red cross on her back to avoid enemy fire, she hides behind such props of the journalism profession. In reality, she’s just another leftist radical.

Related posts:

1. FREE SPEECH TV: Amy Goodman Finds a New Enemy to Despise
2. Americans Kill Bloodthirsty Savage; Amy Goodman Laments his "Assassination"
3. Democracy Now: Amy Goodman's Hate Sessions