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.