So Long Old Friend - RIP Philadelphia Spectrum

And now, another staple of my childhood is gone.

The House of Clarke...

Bernie ...

Doc ...

Moses ...

and The Hammer.

Where the Stanley Cup was raised...

and the Russian Army defeated

The gift that keeps on giving (non-Joe Biden edition)

Per ABC News (yeah, apparently they still exist): Nancy Pelosi Seriously Considers Staying as Democratic Leader. Oh please, please!!!

High-level Democratic sources in the House tell ABC News Pelosi is seriously considering staying in Congress and running for the position of minority leader.

Pelosi is methodically calling every Democratic House member who won on Tuesday, as well as many who lost, sources tell ABC News. In the process, she is weighing her options and gauging her support.

Some of Pelosi's closest allies are encouraging her to stay and to lead the Democratic effort to win back their majority. Those encouraging her are arguing, in part, that she can unify the progressives in the caucus, and more importantly, that nobody in the House can raise money for the next campaign better than Pelosi.

In the meantime, we hear that some of her defeated collegues have even provided alternate transportation now that she will lose her jet with the Speakership. Our staff caught the soon to be ex-Speaker taking it for a test flight:

Slacker Analysis of the Mid-term Election 2010:

Photo blatantly stolen from Ace.

But too funny not to use!!

Smartest President EVAH takes binky on trip to India

Once again, Obama does something "unprecedented":

A teleprompter will be in use for the first time in the Central Hall of Parliament when US President Barack Obama addresses MPs on November eight.

As per the tentative programme being worked out, the address by Obama, who once said that "America has its roots in the India of Mahatma Gandhi", would not be for more than 20 minutes.
........
Obama will take the help of a teleprompter to deliver his address to the 780-odd members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, sources said.

Parliament authorities said this will be the first time that such a facility will be arranged in the Central Hall.

Super Genius can't deliver a twenty minute speech without his binky!! Does anyone EVER wonder if, maybe, just maybe, he is not the intellectual wonder he is portrayed to be if he can never stray from prepared material. The article itself raises the suggestion but, alas backs off at the end:

Obama’s reliance on the teleprompter is unusual--not only because he is famous for his oratory, but because no other president has used one so consistently and at so many events, large and small.

So, he is famous for his oratory -- which he will only deliver from prepared text. Well, I am less than impressed.

Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta - American Hero

As are who have served honorably in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Sgt. Giunta will be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Obama. He will be the first living recipient for service in Afghanistan. Similarly, there have been no living recipients for service in Iraq.

An excerpt from the Post's article:

About a dozen Taliban fighters had concealed themselves along the ridge, waiting patiently for the Americans to come down the trail.

As gunfire and grenades erupted, the paratrooper's medic, Spec. Hugo Mendoza, was hit in the leg and bled to death. A round struck Staff Sgt. Erick Gallardo in the helmet, knocking him down.

Giunta was also knocked flat and rolled into a washed-out rut for cover. But then he saw Gallardo ahead of him on the trail and lunged forward, dodging enemy fire to reach the staff sergeant, who survived.

Further ahead on the trail was Army Spec. Franklin Eckrode, seriously wounded and stuck with a jammed machine gun. Giunta and two other paratroopers jumped up and rushed to his aid, headlong into the Taliban ambush, returning fire and tossing grenades as they ran.

As the two paratroopers reached Eckrode and stopped to help, Giunta kept going. Over the ridgeline, he saw two Taliban fighters dragging away Sgt. Joshua Brennan, who had taken the brunt of the fire as the lead paratrooper on the trail. Brennan had been shot in the jaw, the back and several other places. Although badly wounded, the Taliban wanted to take him hostage.

Giunta, tossing his last grenade and emptying his magazine, killed one of the Taliban and chased off the other. He tried to keep Brennan alive until a medevac helicopter could get there.

ACLU = Pussies!!

How else to interpret their strange silence regarding the Constitutionality of Quran burning ?? Isn't burning the Quran an exercise of our First Amendment rights ?? I see, "Piss-Christ" and Nazi marches are okay. But don't offend Islam.

And for the record, the "Burn a Quran Day" is a moronic idea. It is clearly designed to be offensive to Muslims. But not just the fanatics but the non-violent, moderate Muslims who merely adhere to their own religious beliefs. It is just as offensive as the ubiquitous pop culture attacks on Christianity.

Also, it is ironic to note how the issue parallels the Ground Zero mosque; i.e. just because you have a right to do something, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

Defining accountability downward

From the beginning of his term, President "Present" has credited himself with an unverifiable measure of jobs "created or saved". Gotta give him credit for devising a clearly subjective metric. This makes him way smarter than his predecessors who used such a simple objective measure such as jobs actually created.

Of course "jobs saved" becomes a touchy subject when job losses continue. What's a President to do ?? Well, devise a new metric .... "lives touched"!!!

In late July, a Government Accountability Office report circulated which analyzed stimulus funding being spent by the Department of Energy. The main gist of that report involved the cost of each job being generated by the stimulus bill - a staggering $194,000. Tucked away in that report was a phrase that was new to most of us, a way to calculate jobs through a term called ‘lives touched'.

The Newsbusters article then recounts some of the reporting instructions for stimulus subcontractors to illustrate the job inflation.

The instructions state that, "The lives touched headcount will remain the same or increase over time as new workers become involved with ARRA contracts. The total headcount will never decrease."

In other words, a temporary, part-time, or seasonal worker can come into a project, work no more than one hour on said project, and that person will continue to appear in the headcount with each report. They will not be removed upon their departure from the project.

The DOE themselves have also confirmed this metric. Spokesman Cameron Hardy explains:

"Lives touched" represents the cumulative number of full-time, part-time, and temporary workers that have been employed with EM Recovery Act funds at some point since the start of the program in April 2009. As of June 30, 2010, the lives touched number is more than 24,000 and we have 10,500 full-time Recovery Act workers, working across the DOE Complex.

The metric, according to the DOE, was developed by the Office of Environmental Management "to capture all workers that have been employed under the Recovery Act."

But why the need to capture all workers, when some may have only worked a mere hour on a project, or who have only supported a project in some manner? Simply put, to inflate the numbers.

"Lives touched". Meh. Maybe the President hasn't heard but not all "touching" is appropriate and is not always welcomed. I feel kinda dirty.

There's a word that comes to mind about the administration's evaluations of its own performance -- Unprecedented!!

ObamaCare will become more popular after it's passed

At least that's what we were told. So anyone wanna guess how many NJ residents have signed on ???

Try TWO !!!

Just two people in New Jersey will begin receiving coverage Monday under new plans created by federal health care reforms.

NJ Protect plans are available to those who have been without insurance for at least six months and submit evidence of pre-existing health conditions.

Breakin' the law !!!

I am if I am blogging this from Philly -- and I'm not telling!!

Philadelphia has been a one party town (Democrats) for as long as anyone can remember. Needless to say they are cash strapped from decades of economic mismanagement and malfeasance; but mostly malfeasance.

So one of the new remedies being proposed is levy a $300 fee on bloggers. The fee is a "business privilege license".

I have always had a peeve with this particular tax. And yes, it's a tax!!! So Philadelphia is such a wonderful business climate that you should pay for the privilege of doing business there. This is stupidity on stilts. An area that should be doing everything it can to attract business always seems to make the environment less and less habitable for business.

But of course Democrats always see every dollar as theirs and allow you the privilege of keeping a certain amount -- so at least they are consistent.

Well this will help smooth things over

The Imam of the Ground Zero mosque (f*ck you AP) argues that the US is worse than al Qaeda

"We tend to forget, in the West, that the United States has more Muslim blood on its hands than al-Qaeda has on its hands of innocent non Muslims," Feisal Abdul Rauf said at a 2005 lecture sponsored by the University of South Australia.

Oh yeah, Feisal Abdul Rauf, moderate bridge-builder.

So what will O do now ??

California's Prop 8 has been ruled unconstitutional. But Obama campaigned on the premise that he opposed same sex marriage. So what will he do ?? Some options:

1) Take to the airwaves and declare that the the judge acted stupidly??

2) Berate the judge at the next State of the Union address for thwarting the will of the people of California??

3) Sue!! Have Holder initiate a lawsuit defending the Defense of Marriage Act??

4) Call the judge "racist"??

5) Blame George Bush??

My guess: He votes "present"!

Behold the colossal ignorance that is Sheila Jackson-Lee

Good thing we won the war in Vietnam and now North Vietnam and South Vietnam can live side-by-side in peace.

Can she truly be this stupid ???



Well, she is a Democrat and their recollection of American history is wanting.

Arlen Specter can't give up living off your hard work

As this blog noted in an earlier blog entry, Senator Sphincter (Ego - PA) is more dangerous as a lame duck than as a Senator. Seems Arlen can't quite leave "public service" and is eyeballing a job in the Kickass administration.

Sources tell ABC News that Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pennsylvania, has informed the White House that he would like to consider remaining in public service after his Senate term ends at the end of this session, and White House officials are keeping an open mind about possible job openings for him.

Remaining in public service for Arlen means holding on to power, bitching at staff and having aides throw squash games. Sphincter embodies everything wrong with Washington -- a career politician without any guiding core principles other than self-preservation; and leaving others to foot the bill and clean up the mess. Case in point, Republican Specter voted against Elana Kagan for Solicitor General; presumably because she is not qualified. But Democrat Specter is about to give her a lifetime pass on the Supreme Court hoping to get an Obama appointment and avoid retiring and becoming one of us common people.

Maybe he can be Obama's caddie. Or the guy that washes the limo.

Poor, poor put upon Obama

You see, he is so smart, and so cool and "clean and articulate" that no rational person could dislike him or his policies. That's why all you haters out there that aren't fully bought in to his policies are clearly racists.

And, apparently, that extends to critics of his foreign policy as well.

Now some people (you racists) might think Obama was anti-Israel based upon such things as his shabby treatment of Netanyahu; his meddling in settlement development in Jerusalem, his voting to condemn Israel actions in the UN as to the Gaza flotilla and his overall actions isolating Israel from the West. You are clearly stupid !! Here's why people don't like his Israel policy:

During the interview Wednesday, when confronted with the anxiety that some Israelis feel toward him, Obama said that "some of it may just be the fact that my middle name is Hussein, and that creates suspicion."

Haters!!!

But don't worry, it's not him; it's you. Because you can see from the quote below why the Israelis should be all warm and fuzzy for him:

"Ironically, I've got a Chief of Staff named Rahm Israel Emmanuel. My top political advisor is somebody who is a descendent of Holocaust survivors. My closeness to the Jewish American community was probably what propelled me to the U.S. Senate," Obama said.

Isn't this the equivalent of "some of my best friends are black"??

Boldly going where no dhimmi has gone before

NASA new priority???

Return to the moon ?? No.

Mission to Mars ?? Nope.

Creation of a space elevator ?? Guess again.

More pointless experiments in low earth orbit ?? Not even close.

The new mission: Improving relations with the Muslim world !!

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a recent interview that his "foremost" mission as the head of America's space exploration agency is to improve relations with the Muslim world.

Though international diplomacy would seem well outside NASA's orbit, Bolden said in an interview with Al Jazeera that strengthening those ties was among the top tasks President Obama assigned him.

ObamaCare meets reality -- may turn away pre-existing conditions !!

Health care insurers who turn away applicants who they consider high risk are branded as evil incarnate; beholden to profit. The fact that the applicants' health risk may pose a risk to the viability of the insurer is always ignored.

But luckily Obama came along with ObamaCare and the government will set up high risk pools and these people will get the medical care that the demagogues have claimed is a human right. Well, in the words of Joe Wilson: "You lie!!"

The Obama administration has not ruled out turning sick people away from an insurance program created by the new healthcare law to provide coverage for the uninsured.

Critics of the $5 billion high-risk pool program insist it will run out of money before Jan. 1, 2014. That’s when the program sunsets and health plans can no longer discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions.

Of course, this really comes as no surprise:

Healthcare experts of all stripes warned during the healthcare debate that $5 billion would likely not last until 2014. Millions of Americans cannot find affordable healthcare because of their pre-existing conditions, and that amount would only cover a couple hundred thousand people, according to a recent study by the chief Medicare actuary.

Bottom line: It's Bush's fault people have pre-existing conditions!!!

Economic Idiocy

From Speaker Pelosi: Unemployment checks create jobs faster !!

Behold the ignorance:


Her and President Kickass are quite a team.

More "unexpectedly"

Initial jobless claims jump again.

In the week ending June 26, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 472,000, an increase of 13,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 459,000. The 4-week moving average was 466,500, an increase of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average of 463,250.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.6 percent for the week ending June 19, unchanged from the prior week's revised rate of 3.6 percent.

The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending June 19 was 4,616,000, an increase of 43,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 4,573,000. The 4-week moving average was 4,567,500, a decrease of 25,250 from the preceding week's revised average of 4,592,750.

Heckuva job Bammy !!!

What's worse than having a 10 foot Great White shark powling your beach ???

How 'bout a 20' Great White. Especially if you're the 10' shark as seen below:

A 'monster' great white shark measuring up to 20 ft long is on the prowl off a popular Queensland beach, according to officials.

Swimmers were warned to stay out of the water off Stradbroke Island after the shark mauled another smaller great white which had been hooked on a baited drum line.

The 10-foot great white was almost bitten in half.
.....

'It certainly opened up my eyes. I mean the shark that was caught is a substantial shark in itself,' says Jeff Krause of Queensland Fisheries.

The great white, the most dangerous creature in the sea, was still alive when hauled onto a boat near Deadman's Beach off north Stradbroke island.

News of the shocking attack on the smaller shark has sent jitters along the Queensland coast from Stradbroke Island, near Brisbane, to the Sunshine Coast further north down to the tourist mecca of Surfers Paradise, south of Brisbane.

'Whatever attacked and took chunks out of this big shark must be massive,' said 19-year-old surfer Ashton Smith. 'I've heard about the big one that's lurking out there somewhere.

And of course, the gratuitous JAWS reference:

New standards (i.e. lows) in academic integrity

Every student at Loyola Law School in LA will see all their grades go up 0.333 next month. Why??? To make their students "more attractive" in a competitive job market. And apparently this is not the first school to do so.

One day next month every student at Loyola Law School Los Angeles will awake to a higher grade point average.

But it’s not because they are all working harder.

The school is retroactively inflating its grades, tacking on 0.333 to every grade recorded in the last few years. The goal is to make its students look more attractive in a competitive job market.

In the last two years, at least 10 law schools have deliberately changed their grading systems to make them more lenient. These include law schools like New York University and Georgetown, as well as Golden Gate University and Tulane University, which just announced the change this month.

As the Times story notes, law firm recruiters do note these changes. But this is so typical of the Left that rewards intentions and politically correct "feelings" rather than fact or results so it is unsurprising.

And what about recent alumni who now have diminished GPAs as a result ?? Surely some of them are subject to the same job market as law firms have spent the last two years scaling back.

Reminds me of Spinal Tap -- "But, mine goes to eleven !!"

Barack Obama: The second coming of Jimmy Carter or Richard Nixon ???

Obama looks back to the '70s and Nixonian price controls.

Why not, it worked so well the first time.

Mr. Holder, meet Mr. Shahzad

You may recall our current AG, Eric Holder, when testifying before Congress, could not bring himself to blame radical Islam for various terror attempts. For a quick refresher:



But just yesterday, along comes the would-be Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad, and his guilty plea.

Calling himself a Muslim soldier, a defiant Pakistan-born U.S. citizen pleaded guilty Monday to carrying out the failed Times Square car bombing and left a sinister warning that unless the U.S. leaves Muslim lands alone, "we will be attacking U.S."

Wearing a white skull cap, prison smocks and a dark beard, Faisal Shahzad entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Manhattan just days after a federal grand jury indicted him on 10 terrorism and weapons counts, some of which carried mandatory life prison sentences. He pleaded guilty to them all.

U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum challenged Shahzad repeatedly with questions such as whether he had worried about killing children in Times Square.

"One has to understand where I'm coming from," Shahzad calmly replied. "I consider myself ... a Muslim soldier."

The 30-year-old described his effort to set off a bomb in an SUV he parked in Times Square on May 1, saying he chose the warm Saturday night because it would be crowded with people he could injure or kill. He said he conspired with the Pakistan Taliban, which provided more than $15,000 to fund his operation.

So, will this be a wake up call for the radical left? Nope, if 9-11 didn't do it, nothing will.

So you thought Obama's speech was a stinker ...

Racist. And CNN says it's because you're too stupid!

President Obama's speech on the gulf oil disaster may have gone over the heads of many in his audience, according to an analysis of the 18-minute talk released Wednesday.

Tuesday night's speech from the Oval Office of the White House was written to a 9.8 grade level, said Paul J.J. Payack, president of Global Language Monitor. The Austin, Texas-based company analyzes and catalogues trends in word usage and word choice and their impact on culture.

Though the president used slightly less than four sentences per paragraph, his 19.8 words per sentence "added some difficulty for his target audience," Payack said.

Our first recommendation for the RadSlack Book Club

"Whiny Little Bitch: The Excuse-Filled Presidency of Barack Obama" - I don't know anything about the book and obviously have not read it; but you can't pass on a title like that!

Fearless World Cup prediction ....

Zzzzzzzz !!!

Seriously people, it's soccer !!

And if I have to make a prediction, it will be that team with all the foreign guys.

Good news; bad news - Economics

The good news - 431,000 news jobs in May!!!

The bad news - 411,000 are temporary Census workers!!!

Ah, CHANGE !!!

A good Memorial Day read

Remembering the Forgotten from American Thinker.

We do not need to glorify war to give thanks for their sacrifice. Young men do not make wars, and no one needs remind them of the ghastliness or grisliness of war. Our obligation is to look at Arlington Cemetery (or any military cemetery, or at a local law enforcement cemetery of policemen who died to keep us safe) and respect what these men have given us. Most of the fallen are now forgotten. Their memory, their shortened lives, their mangled bodies laid into some distant grave -- these plain and awful data of history -- cannot hold the attention of a world in which only the last day's news cycle is real.


The faith in America of those brave men who don a uniform to keep us safe has survived the debauchery and deconstruction of the sixties, the cynicism of politics, and the rule of presidents who "loathed the military." The resilience of these good and ordinary Americans transcends political parties (if there are no atheists in the foxhole, then there are also no Republicans or Democrats). Their will to defend us defies the conventional amorality of modern selfishness. When they not only liberate but succor, in spite of their own long campaigns and bitter deprivations, emaciated Jews imprisoned in Hell, like my wife's parents, these Americans do only what is natural to them.

Bold RadSlack Stanley Cup final prediction

Sorry to say but 'Hawks in 5. As much as I want to say the Flyers will win (35 years is a long wait) Chicago is just too good and too deep. The Flyers were able to negate Montreal's speed with muscle; but they don't have that size advantage over Chicago.

I am still not convinced that Niemi is a star goaltender; but I am not sure Michael Leighton is either.

But what the hell do I know ?? I didn't think the Flyers would get past Montreal and I sure didn't think they were climbing out of a 3-0 hole with Boston. Hopefully I am wrong again and Mike Richards will soon be hoisting Lord Stanley's silver chalice.

Obama White House: You know who will help our credibility the most... a confessed perjuror!!!

According to the White House, Bubba is responsible for the job offer to Sestack.

The White House asked former President Bill Clinton to talk to Rep. Joe Sestak about the possibility of obtaining a senior position in the Obama administration if he would drop out of the Democratic primary race against establishment-backed Sen. Arlen Specter, the Obama administration said in a report released Friday morning.

But the report, by White House Counsel Robert Bauer, concluded that "allegations of improper conduct rest on factual errors and lack a basis in the law."

Batting down allegations that the White House dangled the secretary of Navy position in front of Sestak, the report said that Sestak was offered executive branch positions on advisory boards that were uncompensated.

One of the jobs Clinton specifically discussed with Sestak was the president's intelligence advisory board. But a White House official said the plan always was for Sestak to remain in the House, and he couldn't have served in the House and on the president's intelligence advisory board.

The report also described the Clinton conversations as informal and not tied to any precise job offer since, as a former president, Clinton could not guarantee Sestak anything.

This is almost laughable - including the attempt to bury this in a Memorial Day Weekend news dump. If you believe this bullshit, you also have to believe:

* That Clinton honestly believed that Sestak would drop a bid for the Senate and all its perks for an unpaid advisory position

* That Clinton did not have the backing of the White House for any specific job to offer.

* That Sestak lied/exaggerated the significance of these "informal" discussions.

* That the White House would not have given Sestak a position if he had dropped out.

* That Sestak is sufficiently dim to not understand the difference between an advisory role and a "job".

* That Sestak is also sufficiently dim that he did not understand that Clinton's inquiries were only to explore Sestak's intentions about a Senate run and was of no further concern to the White House.

* And most importantly, that Sestak LIED when he said the "White House offered [him] a job to drop out".


Fortunately, Rep. Darrell Issa has his eye on the big picture (at least for now):

"This is about the White House. This is not about Congressman Sestak," Issa said, adding that he wants to know what Clinton was empowered to say. "They've answered a question and it begs many more answers," he said. "We want elections not to be appointments."

UPDATE:
Of course there is always the possibility that Sestak is liar. Sestak could have simply taken an offer of some glorified perk and railed against it to boost his "me-against-the-Washington-machine" bona fides.

Obama and Sestak work to get their story straight

This smells bad. From Commentary:

Joe Sestak, who felt compelled to blab — truthfully or not, we don’t know — about a White House job offer to get out of the primary race, now suggests that everyone is in the process of getting their story straight. He explained “that his brother has spoken with White House officials about the congressman’s allegation that he was offered an Obama administration job if he would stay out of a Democratic Senate primary”:

Richard Sestak, the congressman’s brother, who has served as his top political adviser and campaign lawyer, spoke with administration officials Wednesday, Joe Sestak said.

“They got a hold of my brother on his cell phone, and he spoke to the White House . . . about what’s going to occur,” said Sestak, who said he expects the White House will release its information Friday. He declined to elaborate on his discussions with Richard.

So, they need to coordinate their story about how nothing "improper" happened. Should we expect less from a hack Chicago politician??

"Smart diplomacy" - it ain't all unicorns and Skittles

Remember back for most of the last 10 years. Every act of aggression was the result of provocation from that cowboy, BOOOOSH!! If only we were wise enough to elect an intellectual, someone the rest of the world would admire. Then all the usual thugs would like us again and everything would be just swell.

Well, now we have President Urkel and the landscape doesn't look much better; and there is considerable argument that it looks worse. The Norks led by their little troglodyte are stirring up trouble in the Korean peninsula again. But now we have Barry O (a/k/a The One) so the international community will now rally behind us now that Bush has been sent packing. Right??

Eh... not so much. Seems China is offering protection to the Norks.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is likely to resist pressure to acknowledge that North Korea torpedoed a South Korean warship when he flies to Seoul tomorrow to meet South Korean President Lee Myung Bak and Japan’s Yukio Hatoyama.

China hasn’t followed South Korea, Japan and the U.S. in blaming North Korea for the March 26 sinking of the Cheonan, which killed 46 sailors. Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun yesterday repeated a call for “restraint” by both sides and said China had no “firsthand information” on the sinking.

Well .. it is change

USA Today reports that income from the private sector hits an all-time low.

Paychecks from private business shrank to their smallest share of personal income in U.S. history during the first quarter of this year, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds.
At the same time, government-provided benefits — from Social Security, unemployment insurance, food stamps and other programs — rose to a record high during the first three months of 2010.

Those records reflect a long-term trend accelerated by the recession and the federal stimulus program to counteract the downturn. The result is a major shift in the source of personal income from private wages to government programs.

So, President Urkel continues to grow the federal government while decimating the private sector. This really should come as no surprise since he did promise to "spread the wealth around."

But here is the problem, which even USA Today feels compelled to report:

The trend is not sustainable, says University of Michigan economist Donald Grimes. Reason: The federal government depends on private wages to generate income taxes to pay for its ever-more-expensive programs. Government-generated income is taxed at lower rates or not at all, he says.

LOST - Finale

WTF ?!? I don't get it.

Better than the Sopranos since it at least had an ending. But I am very confused.

More "unexpected" bad economic news

"Unexpected" - you keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

The number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week by the largest amount in three months. The surge is evidence of how volatile the job market remains, even as the economy grows.

AP, ever vigilant in defending the One, feels compelled to point out that the bad news is still an Obama success. See the increase is because the economy is growing and people want to get out and find a job. All hail Obama. Of course 4% unemployment in the Bush term was indicative of how bad the economy was. Just burger-flippin' jobs.

And just as day follows night, the response of the governing class:

Lawmakers responded Thursday to the persistently high jobless rate by announcing a deal to extend expanded unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed through the end of the year. Laid off workers would also continue to get subsidies to buy health insurance through the COBRA program. House leaders plan to vote on the bill Friday, with the Senate voting next week.

What's next for Specter ??

Snarlin' Arlen is soon to be an ex-Senator. So how does he play out the rest of his term ??

My fear is that, like a wounded animal, Sphincter will be his most dangerous now that he is cornered and wounded. Rather than just retire at 80 and concede a primary to Toomey, Arlen just couldn't live without power to the pointy that he went all-in on a party switch. And he won't let that power slip away now.

Rather than having the freedom to be independent for that next seven months (not that it matters since he clearly has no firm beliefs) he will be a bigger whore than ever. Whatever vote Obama wants he will now get from Specter by dangling the possibility of an appointment or perhaps an ambassadorship. In any event, the damage inflicted by this ass-hat has not yet run its full course.

I mispoke - so let me clear the record

I get where Dick Blumenthal is coming from. You say things where you don't necessarily use precise language and other people take it out of context. It's not your fault that they are morons. For example:

When I used to tell women in bars that I was a professional ballplayer (an up-and-coming 2nd baseman in the Dodger's system) what I really meant was that I actually went to a Dodgers game.

When I have said that I came in late for work because I was working late, I meant to say that I was up late on boubon bender and was working on the excuse for the next day.

When I said that I don't have a drinking problem, I meant that I hardly ever spill.

Of course when I said that I was so well endowed physically that I was sometimes confused with a tripod -- well, that really is true!!

End of the line for Specter ??

Let's hope. PA primary is today. The most recent polls give a slight edge to Sestak.

My preference would be to see Arlen lose in the primary rather than the general election. Nothing like being rejected by the party you just recently joined. Only fitting as Specter's only ideology is the necessity of a Senator Specter.

History !!!! Flyers beat the big bad Bruins

4-3 in Game 7!! In Boston!!

After going down three games to none and spotting the Bruin a 3-0 first period lead the Flyers came back to win and take the series. Only the third NHL team to ever come back from that deficit since the '75 Islanders.

Their reward: they get to go to the conference finals but now face the red-hot Les Habitants (Montreal Canadiens to you great unwashed) and goalie Jaroslav Halak who has simply been out of his mind in the playoffs. Better than breaking out the clubs and arranging tee times.

However, after watching the game, my heart is still racing so I will pour another Jack&Coke (or six) and call it a night.

SUVs, Teabaggers ruin Jupiter

Jupiter lost one of its stripes.

The Daily Mail article linked above states that scientists are baffled as to why. But I think we know the real reason. Global warming caused by evil white corporate fat-cats in their SUVs egged on by teabaggers!!!

It is interesting to note that the scientists concede that they have no idea what happened but here on Earth, the science is "settled" and any denial questions are heresy.

Snarlin' Arlen slips up... again!!!

Thanks "Allegheny County Republicans" at Democratic fundraiser dinner. Whoops !!

Was it because Specter is 80 and just can't let power go absent a toe tag ?? Maybe it's chemo brain. Or maybe, just maybe, it's because he is a turncoat weasel who has no ideology other than self-preservation.

But who cares. C'mon PA, send him to a forced retirement!!

What "smart diplomacy" looks like ??

Russia is looking to build nuclear power plants for ... Syria!! Hey what could go wrong ?!? Not like anything went sideways with building them for Iran.

Being a goalie for the Flyers is like being a drummer for SpinalTap

Now it's Brian Boucher. So they have now lost Ray Emery(twice, including a season-ending injury); Michael Leighton (who rode to the rescue last night); Boucher (for a stretch prior to last night) and even call up Jonas Backlund.

Every team injury problems this time of year. But to loose so many goalies and get this far shows this team does have grit. But it is hard to believe that a team that will face back to back elimination games will be successful with a goalie coming in cold after a return from injury.

Obama picks Kagan

Paul Mirengoff nicely sums up the SCOTUS nominee:

She has no judging experience.

She has little experience as a practicing lawyer.

She has approximately one year of experience as Solicitor General of the United States.

She has lots of experience in academia, but has published only a small amount of scholarly work, none of which seems particularly noteworthy.

As the dean of Harvard Law School, she was tolerant of conservative law professors, but not of the United States military.

Is she a lesbian ?? You make the call:

From the Chicago Sun-Times

(Hat tip: Ace)

Specter trails 46% - 42%

In the Dem primary !!!

Bye-bye dickhead. Looks like the party switch is not playing out as he expected. But he did get the Dems ObamaCare so he has inflicted great damage on his way out the door.

RadSlack is back !!! And just in time.

Apparently, while we were on our bender, the world has gone to pot. It seems now it is culturally insensitive to wear a t-shirt with an American flag in an American high school; pundits smear Arizona's new law as "criminalizing illegal immigration" and now the military is considering awarding medals for "courageous restraint".:

A proposal to grant medals for "courageous restraint" to troops in Afghanistan who avoid deadly force at a risk to themselves...

Lt. Col. Edward Sholtis, a spokesman for Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who commands NATO forces in Afghanistan, said that no final decision has been made on the award, which is the brainchild of British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter.

"The idea is being reviewed at Headquarters ISAF," Sholtis said. "The idea is consistent with our approach. Our young men and women display remarkable courage every day, including situations where they refrain from using lethal force, even at risk to themselves, in order to prevent possible harm to civilians. ... That restraint is an act of discipline and courage not much different than those seen in combat actions."

I remember as a freshman in high school mouthing off to a group of seniors early in the school year. They got annoyed eventually and approached me. At that point, being severely out-sized and out numbered, I decided to exhibit some courageous restraint. They were less than impressed and stuffed me in a garbage can.

The analogy is not exact as our troops have the ability to inflict the type of damage I could never imagine. But doesn't it send a message to the enemy about our resolve? And, at the very least, doesn't it suggest that we might hesitate before we return fire? And that hesitation, in combat, can cost American lives.

We are screwed

When you have elected representatives like the great geologist US Rep. Hank Johnson (D - GA4):



Words fail me in trying to respond to the colossal ignorance of this asshat!

Fight Fred Phelps

and his kooky cult too. For those of you unfamiliar, Phelps is the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church who leads anti-gay protests at military funerals. My understanding of Phelps position is that God is punishing us with dead soldiers because we have become too tolerant of homosexuality.

One of the funerals his group protested at was for fallen Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder who died in Al Anbar province Iraq on March 3, 2006; at only 20 years of age. Snyder's father, Albert Snyder, sued. He recently lost on appeal although the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case in October.

However, in the interim, Albert Snyder has been ordered to reimburse the protesters' appellate fees

The two-page decision supplied by attorneys for Albert Snyder of York, Pa., offered no details on how the court came to its decision.

On Friday, Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ordered Snyder to pay $16,510 to Fred Phelps. Phelps is the leader of Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church, which conducted protests at Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder's funeral in 2006.

Attorneys also said Snyder is struggling to come up with fees associated with filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Financial contributions to aide Snyder can be made here.

Barack Obama is a serial liar

Jim Geraghty lists 33 Obama statements that he charitably characterizes as statements that have reached their expiration date. Or as I see it, 33 willful misstatements by that skinny, lying bastard that occupies the Oval Office. Jim's list is pretty good so read the whole thing. But here's a little taste:

HEALTH CARE MANDATES

STATEMENT: “We've got a philosophical difference, which we've debated repeatedly, and that is that Senator Clinton believes the only way to achieve universal health care is to force everybody to purchase it. And my belief is, the reason that people don't have it is not because they don't want it but because they can't afford it.” Barack Obama, speaking at a Democratic presidential debate, February 21, 2008.

EXPIRATION DATE: On March 23, 2010, Obama signed the individual mandate into law.

HEALTH CARE NEGOTIATIONS ON C-SPAN

STATEMENT: “These negotiations will be on C-SPAN, and so the public will be part of the conversation and will see the decisions that are being made.” January 20, 2008, and seven other times.

EXPIRATION DATE: Throughout the summer, fall, and winter of 2009 and 2010; when John McCain asked about it during the health care summit February 26, Obama dismissed the issue by declaring, “the campaign is over, John.”

RAISING TAXES

STATEMENT: “No family making less than $250,000 will see any form of tax increase.” (multiple times on the campaign trail)

EXPIRATION DATE: Broken multiple times, including the raised taxes on tobacco, a new tax on indoor tanning salons, but most prominently on February 11, 2010: “President Barack Obama said he is “agnostic” about raising taxes on households making less than $250,000 as part of a broad effort to rein in the budget deficit.”

He's averaging over two a month. That's not just having facts on the ground change or naivete about the difference between campaigning and knowing what can be accomplished; although, in fairness, that may be true for one or two. But this many, this fast, shows that he was simply making shit up as he went along to get elected.

I know to many this is not a surprise. But we are not stuck with results of the election. At least until January.

ObamaCare passes: young and healthy hardest hit

As sure as the sun rises in the east, we now get "news" that premiums for health young people will increase -- by as much as 17% !!

Doesn't look like he's bending the cost curve down.

Obama to Israel: Drop Dead

More "smart diplomacy":

For a head of government to visit the White House and not pose for photographers is rare. For a key ally to be left to his own devices while the President withdraws to have dinner in private was, until this week, unheard of. Yet that is how Binyamin Netanyahu was treated by President Obama on Tuesday night, according to Israeli reports on a trip viewed in Jerusalem as a humiliation.

After failing to extract a written promise of concessions on settlements, Mr Obama walked out of his meeting with Mr Netanyahu but invited him to stay at the White House, consult with advisers and “let me know if there is anything new”, a US congressman, who spoke to the Prime Minister, said.

“It was awful,” the congressman said. One Israeli newspaper called the meeting “a hazing in stages”, poisoned by such mistrust that the Israeli delegation eventually left rather than risk being eavesdropped on a White House telephone line. Another said that the Prime Minister had received “the treatment reserved for the President of Equatorial Guinea”.

What is the basis for this pathological need to continuously insult our staunchest allies?? I can almost understand his position with our enemies; I don't agree with it but I understand it. He is like the kid who ate paste in kindergarten; if I'm nice to them maybe they will stop picking on me and taking my lunch money.

I frankly don't know. Maybe it is just a natural progression from the position above; i.e. trash our allies to curry favor with our enemies?? In any event, it does not project a position of strength. Something Iran, Korea and good ol' Vlad Putin have already figured out.

Let's hope

Another Obama promise reaches its expiration date

Dems vote to end American exceptionalism

By a vote of 219-212 we now slide toward Euro-weenie statism.

And Stupak gets funding for three regional airports in lieu of 30 pieces of silver.

Bracket busted

Because of other demands (a trial that has now gone longer than a month) I never did post my NCAA brackets. But I picked Kansas. I also had 'Nova in the Final Four. Safe to say I will not be winning.

Bubba mocks Gore on global warming

Clearly no love lost between these two. Clinton spoke at the Gridiron Dinner; an event not football-related but rather a self-congratulatory love fest for the dinosaur media. Bill noted the first day of Spring thusly:

Elsewhere in his remarks, he noted he was speaking on the night before the start of spring, “otherwise known to Al Gore as proof of global warming.”

As always, Bill couldn't help telling everyone how wonderful he is:

“My only regret in creating 23 million new jobs is that two million of those jobs were for right-wing pundits.”

Consent of the governed ?? Country of laws, not men ??

Will these principles still apply after today's House vote ?? Frankly the trend isn't good. I think the below video from the House Rules Committee says it all:



The fact that this ass-hat was impeached for conspiracy to accept bribes as a federal court judge, by a Democrat controlled House, and is now on the Rules Committee, speaks volumes about the modern Democrat Party.

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY

Some Dropkick Murphy's for your listening pleasure...

Things not to do while driving ....

shaving your cooch!

Florida Highway Patrol troopers say a two-vehicle crash Tuesday at Mile Marker 21 on Cudjoe Key was caused by a 37-year-old woman driver who was shaving her bikini area while her ex-husband took the wheel from the passenger seat.

While that sounds a little strange, it gets even weirder:

"She said she was meeting her boyfriend in Key West and wanted to be ready for the visit," Trooper Gary Dunick said. "If I wasn't there, I wouldn't have believed it.

Rahm Emanuel is poking guys in the Congressional gym showers

Not that kind of poking !! Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Video from RealClearPolitics

"Rahm Emanuel is son of the devil's spawn, Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) said. "He is an individual who would sell his mother to get a vote. He would strap his children to the front end of a steam locomotive."

Rep. Massa describes a confrontation with Emanuel in a shower: "I am showering, naked as a jaybird, and here comes Rahm Emanuel, not even with a towel wrapped around his tush, poking his finger in my chest, yelling at me."

It's Oscars night !!

WHO CARES ?!?! What a bunch of whiny, pretentious, self-congratulatory asshats. No wonder Hollywood was smitten with Barry O.

Beside, there is a Flyers game on.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US

This little venture started a year ago today. This year we will try to post with more consistency -- but hey, the title does say Slacker!!

Noooooooooo !!!

Canada wins 3-2 in OT

Cindy F'ing Crosby !! Ugh !!

OT Baby !!!

Parise scores with 24 seconds left and we are going to OT.It doesn't get any better than this. NBC has to be thrilled !!!

So much for fierce, moral urgency

Democratic controlled Congress approves, and Obama signs into law, a one year extension of the Patriot Act.

Three sections of the Patriot Act that stay in force will:

_Authorize court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones.

_Allow court-approved seizure of records and property in anti-terrorism operations.

_Permit surveillance against a so-called lone wolf, a non-U.S. citizen engaged in terrorism who may not be part of a recognized terrorist group.

Obama's signature comes after the House voted 315 to 97 Thursday to extend the measure.

The Senate also approved the measure..."

This after eight years of non-stop demagoguery about how this amounted to shredding the Constitution. I guess it is too much to ask for an apology to George Bush.

Going for gold

USA v. Canada today.

I know the US won last week, consequently have the better record and are now seen by some as the favorite.

But Canada seems to have adjusted as witnessed by their destruction of a very good Russian squad earlier this week. And their roster is loaded with significantly more experience than the younger American team.

Before the tournament, anyone would have been thrilled if they were told the US team was guaranteed at least a silver. But human nature being what it is, we want the gold!! A loss today would not sting more than achieving the silver would inspire.

Anyway, the assessment is the same as it was last week. Ryan Miller will have to steal a win. Will he ??

US hockey will play for a medal this weekend

The only question is whether they are playing for gold or bronze. That will question will be answered by the outcome of today's game against Finland. Winner plays the winner of Slovakia-Canada for the gold.

The US squad should be able to beat Finland; a steady and solid team. Miikka Kiprusoff has been outstanding between the pipes for the Finns. But Ryan Miller has been better.

Here's hoping we have the US-Canada dream match up.

UPDATE:
Team USA jumps out to a quick 2-0 lead.

A quick summary of the Health Care Summit

Obama: Look, here's the problem. The American people just don't get it yet. By the way, we get to talk more because my time doesn't count since I am the President (i.e. - "I won")

Dingy Harry: We don't intend to use Reconciliation.

Pelosi: Health Care will be produce jobs almost as great as Porkulus!!

Republicans: Your bill is a financial disaster and huge government takeover.

Dems: Hey, here's a list of sob stories. And by the way, you're racist!!

Obama: Your concerns are: "legitimate debates" but shut up and let's move on; an item of discussion for later in the agenda so shut up and let's move on; out of bounds so shut up and let's move on; bogged down in numbers so shut up and let's move on.

And a lot of this in response to Republican speakers:



And the great conclusion from this freak show:

Obama: Hey Republicans, get on board or we'll use Reconciliation.

Do you still believe in miracles ??

30 years ago today (has it been that long??):



Maybe we have another brewing in Vancouver ??

Okay, now we send the pros instead of college kids. But maybe somewhere up there Herbie is smiling down on this team.

USA and Ryan Miller steal a win !!!

They beat Team Canada 5-3. 40 saves for Miller; many of them outstanding.

Obama was named MVP

It's Christmas in February for hockey fans

Whoever set the Olympic hockey schedule made sure that I will burn several hours in front of the today as rivals in North America, Eastern Europe and the Scandis vie for seeding (top 4 get a first round bye) in the elimination phase of the tournament.

The big game of course is USA-Canada. Given the pourous defenses both teams have shown, this could be high scoring, up and down action. But I think both coaches realize that they are not playing Switzerland or Norway anymore and will tighten up their systems. But Canada has to be the favorite as their roster is stacked and they have home ice advantage.

Can't say I agree with Coach Babcock decision to start Marty Brodeur. He may have been one of the top two or three goalies of all-time, but that Martin Brodeur has not shown up as often the last couple of years.

But the real key to the game will simply be can Ryan Miller steal a win for USA. Unfortunately, our fearless Slacker prediction: Canada 4 - USA 2

The Russia - Czech Republic tilt features a return to the spotlight for Jaromir Jagr's ridiculous mullet. News reports also say that Ovechkin and Malkin will be playing on the same line. So that alone will be worth watching. Russia is probably still stinging from their loss to Slovakia and are still our pick for gold. Russia 4 Czechs 3.

And finally the Scandi battle between Sweden and Finland: a rematch of the Torino gold medal game. The Finns have so far dominated their group with 5-1 and 5-0 wins over Belarus and Germany respectively. But Sweden is a much greater test and is also undefeated. Our prediction, the Swedes get revenge for Torino and beat Finland in an overtime shootout.

Maybe I undervalued beating Switzerland

I said I thought Team USA looked "very, very sloppy" in beating the Swiss. Maybe I was too hasty since the Swiss just gave Canada all they could handle before losing 3-2 in a shoot-out.

Or maybe Switzerland is really just that good ??? Nah!!

But it does sort of reinforce that Russia is the team to beat.

How men and women's brains differ during an argument

From Maxim.

Team USA wins again

6-1 over Norway. Looks like they found a little of that goal scoring touch. But hey -- it's Norway !! The big test will come on Sunday night when they play Canada.

Today I met a legend

For those of you who don't know, that is Bernard Marcel Parent -- Hockey Hall-of-Famer, Flyers icon and helluva nice guy!!! You probably remember him better like this:



Growing up in Philly in the seventies, Bernie was one of my all-time childhood idols. I remember being devastated when his career was cut short by an eye injury. He has always had a reputation of being friendly and approachable and I had in fact met him once before -- for all of two seconds and a handshake.

But today I ran into Bernie at a local Cherry Hill WaWa while we were both getting coffee. Recognizing him, I simply said "Hi Bernie". He then asked me if I was watching the Olympic hockey tourney and we then launched into a lengthy conversation about it. I got to talk hockey with Bernie Parent. In truth, I would pay money for this opportunity but I guess the hockey gods were smiling on me.

Anyway, Bernie's take on the Olympics:

* Like me, he thinks Russia is the team to beat.

* Unlike me, he is rooting for Team Canada, not Team USA - he gets a pass because he's Canadian and, well... he's Bernie Parent.

* He thinks the gold is up for grabs because you only have to beat a team in one game, not a series and Bernie should know better than anybody what a hot goaltender can mean for a team.

* He also thinks there is a very great disparity in talent between the top tier teams and teams like Norway.

Sheer genius - Dem plan to save the Senate is....

what else,... more Obama.

Anybody want to check in with Creigh Deeds, John Corzine or Martha Coakely on that strategy?

Team USA open hockey tourney with a win

3-1 over the Swiss. With the first US goal coming from Cherry Hill, NJ native Bobby Ryan.

The thing that stood out -- very, very sloppy play. Hands of stone in front of the Swiss net, too many defensive breakdowns and very weak goal given up by Ryan Miller. Of course it may have something to do with very little time to play together; we'll see how Canada looks against Norway. But they will definitely have to tighten things up if they want to compete for the gold. Fortunately, they get what should be another tune up game against Norway next.

Joe Biden: Just making shit up as he goes along

Seems Joe never doubted that the Iraqi troop surge would be successful. even when he said it wouldn't work, he knew that it would work militarily. Joe knew that only a political solution could bring security; despite the fact that the whole point of the surge was to stabilize the security situation enough to allow the political process to take hold.



Allahpundit charts the evolution of the Biden Doctrine:

If you’re keeping score at home, the supposed foreign-policy genius whom we call our VP has the following track record on Iraq: Voted against the Gulf War; voted in favor of the 2003 invasion; opposed the surge; called for the country to be partitioned and earned himself a healthy degree of infamy among Iraqis in the process; and has now taken to lying about his prior naysaying and insisting that the administration deserves more credit than it does. Point for point, it’s the precise opposite of conventional wisdom about how things have played out. To steal a line from Glenn Reynolds, they told me that if I voted for McCain we’d have a vice president who didn’t know anything about foreign affairs — and they were right!

Bayh's out

Didn't see this coming. Probably because I have been too busy watching the Olympics.

Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh will not seek re-election this year, a decision that hands Republicans a prime pickup opportunity in the middle of the country.

"After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so by serving in Congress has waned," Bayh will say, according to prepared remarks obtained by the Fix. He will make the decision formal at a press conference later today.

Bayh was first elected to the Senate in 1998 and was re-elected easily in 2004. National Republicans had recruited former Sen. Dan Coats to challenge Bayh in 2010 although polling suggested Bayh began the race with a 20-point edge. He also had $13 million in the bank at the end of the year.

"My decision was not motivated by political concern," Bayh is expected to say. "Even in the current challenging environment, I am confident in my prospects for re-election."

Bullshit !! It looks like the Dems are in absolute free fall. I don't think any of them are really operating under the delusion that the American public seriously loves the bill of good they're pushing if only they could sell it better.

They have watched Kennedy's seat flip to the Republicans with Biden's likely to follow. Clinton and Obama's old seats may also go red. So Bayh has to feel some heat running in a usually red Indiana.

However, I would caution the Republican leadership not to get too optimistic. November is still a long way off. But more importantly, the Republicans have not made a case for voting Republican and the largess of their previous majority is still a very recent memory. This is why voters have gravitated to Tea Parties and not the Republicans. But again, November is still a long way off and the Republicans have time to make their case.

In the meantime, anything that derails the Obama agenda is always cause for celebration.

US Marines into the breach once again

D-Day in Marja as the push to stabilize Helmand begins.

Thousands of U.S. Marines and Afghan soldiers traveling in helicopters and mine-resistant vehicles began punching into a key Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan early Saturday, as the largest military operation to assert government control over this country got underway.

The first wave of Marines and Afghan soldiers swooped into the farming community of Marja at about 2 a.m. Saturday local time (4:30 p.m. Eastern), their CH-53 Super Stallion transport helicopters landing amid clouds of dust on fallow fields. As the troops, weighed down with ammunition and supplies, lumbered out and set up defensive positions, AV-8B Harrier fighter jets and AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters circled overhead in the moonless sky.

Two more waves of troops touched down over the following 90 minutes near other strategic locations in Marja. Like the earlier contingent, they did not meet with immediate resistance.

At sunrise, hundreds more Marines and Afghan soldiers plan to enter the area by land, using mobile bridges to ford irrigation canals -- built by U.S. engineers 50 years ago -- that have served as defensive moats for the Taliban. Heavily armored mine-sweeping trucks and specially outfitted tanks will try to carve a path through a belt of makeshift bombs buried around the town.

Good luck boys. Here's hoping for a very low casualty count.

And a word of thanks for the sacrifices these warriors make.

Winter Olympics are here -- Hockey rules !!

Although I am not a big fan of the Olympics themselves I do enjoy the winter games as it gives some television coverage to sports that don't generally get much air time. I enjoy watching the skiing, bobsledding, luge, snowboarding and even the curling (although here I am not really sure what the hell I am watching). But what makes the winter games special is the hockey tournament. It is truly the best collection of hockey talent!

Sooo ... our fearless Slacker prediction for the gold medal: Team Russia. But I will be rooting for the home team. And that's home team USA; not host country.

Another Kennedy seat up for grabs

This time it's Patrick Kennedy's House seat.

Rhode Island Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy will retire after eight terms in office, bringing an end to his House career just months after his father, legendary Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, passed away.

"My father instilled in me a deep commitment to public service," Kennedy said in a video announcing his retirement. "Now having spent two decades in politics, my life has taken a new direction and I will not be a candidate for re-election this year."

And for those of you who enjoy a bit of schadenfreude, there is this:

Patrick Kennedy's retirement means that for the first time in nearly five decades there will not be a member of the Kennedy family in Congress.

Somehow, I think the nation will manage to carry on.

Biden: Iraq one of Obama's greatest achievements

Don't know whether to laugh or hurl in response to this. From Biden:

I am very optimistic about -- about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You're going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government.

I spent -- I've been there 17 times now. I go about every two months -- three months. I know every one of the major players in all the segments of that society. It's impressed me. I've been impressed how they have been deciding to use the political process rather than guns to settle their differences.

So, Obama opposes the surge on the basis that it will only worsen sectarian violence and calls for an immediate retreat. Biden argues that the only solution is to divide Iraq into three individual countries despite the fact that a separate Kurdish state could trigger conflict in Turkey. And now these guys claim they are responsible for victory?? Don't think so.

Who is responsible: the US military and the prior administration for having the courage and political fortitude to believe in what those soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen could accomplish.

"Professor" is now a racist term

Charles Ogletree, ironically, a Harvard professor, thinks so:

Ogletree, founding and executive director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice, says he sees the “professor” label as a thinly veiled attack on Obama’s race. Calling Obama “the professor” walks dangerously close to labeling him “uppity,” a term with racial overtones that has surfaced in the political arena before, Ogletree said. Describing his divisive confirmation hearings as a “circus,” Justice Clarence Thomas called the proceedings “a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas.…” It is perhaps ironic, then, that Ogletree, who represented Anita Hill when she made harassment allegations against Thomas in 1991, now sees a bit of the “uppity” label being placed on Obama.

“The idea is that he’s not one of us,” Ogletree says of the professor label. “He has these ideas that are left wing, that are socialist, that he’s palling around with terrorists -- those were buzzwords, but the reality was they were looking at this president as an African American who was out of place.”

Which is more disturbing...

that despite the collapse of the "science" of climate change:

(1) the White House is still intent on forming a new federal agency to deal with this non-existent problem; OR

(2) the fact that AP fails to mention any of the myriad of scandals related to climate research??

Answer: AP is worse. The Obama White House has an obvious political agenda. The press shouldn't; but obviously does.

Some are more equal

Obama, after a year of savaging business in general, and the banking industry in particular, has decided that he doesn't "begrudge" bonuses for "savvy" bankers.

President Barack Obama said he doesn’t “begrudge” the $17 million bonus awarded to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon or the $9 million issued to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. CEO Lloyd Blankfein, noting that some athletes take home more pay.

The president, speaking in an interview, said in response to a question that while $17 million is “an extraordinary amount of money” for Main Street, “there are some baseball players who are making more than that and don’t get to the World Series either, so I’m shocked by that as well.”

“I know both those guys; they are very savvy businessmen,” Obama said in the interview yesterday in the Oval Office with Bloomberg BusinessWeek, which will appear on newsstands Friday. “I, like most of the American people, don’t begrudge people success or wealth. That is part of the free- market system.”

Change !!!

John Murtha assumes room temperature

From Breitbart:

U.S. Rep. John Murtha, an influential critic of the Iraq War whose congressional career was shadowed by questions about his ethics, died Monday. He was 77.
The Pennsylvania Democrat had been suffering complications from gallbladder surgery. He died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., spokesman Matthew Mazonkey said.

I don't know Murtha personally and have never liked what I have read. So I will not shed a tear at his passing. Nor will I dance on his grave.

What I do know -- there is now another seat in play, probably in a May special election. The White House cannot be happy.

Belated Happy Birthday

Because we were away, we weren't able to post this on the 6th. But we would be severely remiss if we did not note what would have been the 99th birthday of Ronald Reagan.

RadSlack is back

Was out of town when the blizzard of '10 hit and just got back. Missed the Super Bowl too. A complete break from the world for a few days is incredibly refreshing.

Life imitates Monty Python

Pakistani diplomat, Akbar Zeb was denied recognition as the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Apparently his name has created an international incident.

Despite having served for years as a distinguished Pakistani diplomat, Akbar Zeb reportedly cannot receive accreditation as Pakistan's ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The reason, apparently, has nothing to do with his credentials, and everything to do with his name -- which, in Arabic, translates to "biggest dick":

For those of you that are Python ignorant:



Maybe his name is based on personality and not endowment ?? Then we could just call him John Edwards.

Countdown

...to Krazy Keith's termination??

A 44% drop in ratings ?!? What, did he go from 1,000 viewers to 666??

With ratings like that he will soon be working for this blog -- we have had almost 1,000 hits in shortly under a year. He'd be fun to have around for shits and giggles. And we love a good conspiracy theory.

Unemployment rates or zombie virus progression ??

Hard to tell from this video.

Darwin award nominee

This fool tried to create a rocket sled.

The victim -- who had a reputation of doing crazy things at parties, according to investigators -- had made an explosive backpack by filling a motor muffler with gas and gun powder. He placed aluminum on both ends of the muffler and lit it, trying to get a rocket launch effect.

According to an investigator's report, the victim had combined gunpowder, match heads and gasoline and filled the muffler with this combination. He donned a plastic garbage bag as a cape and a motorcycle helmet. He strapped the muffler/pipe device to his back. He asked another person to light a wick and then began to sled down a hill. At some point during the ride, the device exploded.

The article notes that the victim was drinking alcohol prior to the accident. Anybody even remotely surprised by this ??

The article also notes that the identity of the victim was not released. However, our crack-addled crack Slacker research staff was actually able to come up with an exclusive photo of the attempt prior to the accident:

Unprecedented

The administration seems to like that word, so let's use it where it really does apply -- Obama's latest budget proposal.

In its budget proposal to be released on Monday, the White House predicts a record $1.6 trillion budget deficit for the fiscal year that ends September 30, the Capitol Hill source said.

According to the estimate, deficits will narrow to $700 billion by fiscal 2013 before gradually rising back to $1.0 trillion by the end of the decade, the source said.

Of course Reuters still can't help themselves from carrying water for Obama dutifully noting:

But Democrats point out that most of the fiscal mess has been inherited from the previous administration of Republican George W. Bush, who cut taxes and created an expensive prescription drug-benefit while pursuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The recession, which began in December 2007 and ended last year, also worsened the fiscal picture by depressing government revenues while forcing up spending on unemployment benefits and other safety-net programs.

So... time to break out the chart for some context nuance!!

Obama finally gets it ?!?

During the State of the Union as well as today's British-style "question time", Obama stressed that he has learned that people want him to focus on the economy. Of course that is people in general. I don't want him to focus on the economy because he is the King Midas of Bizzaro World -- everything he touches turns to crap!!

But Obama believes this to be what the people want. So he will now turn his attention to ... college football's bowl system?!?

The Obama administration is considering several steps that would review the legality of the controversial Bowl Championship Series, the Justice Department said in a letter Friday to a senator who had asked for an antitrust review.

In the letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch, obtained by The Associated Press, Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich wrote that the Justice Department is reviewing Hatch's request and other materials to determine whether to open an investigation into whether the BCS violates antitrust laws.

"Importantly, and in addition, the administration also is exploring other options that might be available to address concerns with the college football postseason," Weich wrote, including asking the Federal Trade Commission to review the legality of the BCS under consumer protection laws.

Several lawmakers and many critics want the BCS to switch to a playoff system, rather than the ratings system it uses to determine the teams that play in the championship game.

Look, I hate the BCS system too and would love to see a playoff. But this is what we need to do now?? And frankly, I don't know if there is ever a good time to do this because where the hell in the Constitution does it give the federal government the power to determine what format the NCAA must use to decide a champion; or even if they must decide one at all.

And to show how bipartisan I am, I think Orrin Hatch is an ass-hat for even pushing the issue.

No KSM in NYC

President "I won" now does the walkback of his decision to have the trial in Manhattan. And he has ordered the Justice Department to find an alternative location.

I have a suggestion. There is this island, not too far off the coast of Florida...

bin Laden's grievence du jour

This time it's global warming.

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has called for the world to boycott American goods and the U.S. dollar, blaming the United States and other industrialized countries for global warming, according to a new audiotape released Friday.

In the tape, broadcast in part on Al-Jazeera television, bin Laden warned of the dangers of climate change and says that the way to stop it is to bring "the wheels of the American economy" to a halt.

He blamed Western industrialized nations for hunger, desertification and floods across the globe, and called for "drastic solutions" to global warming, and "not solutions that partially reduce the effect of climate change."

Bin Laden has mentioned climate change and global warning in past messages, but the latest tape was his first dedicated to the topic. The speech, which included almost no religious rhetoric, could be an attempt by the terror leader to give his message an appeal beyond Islamic militants.

The al-Qaida leader also targeted the U.S. economy in the recording, calling for a boycott of American products and an end to the dollar's domination as a world currency.

Maybe he's jockeying for a Nobel peace prize ?!?