Since when does death constitute the breaking of a lease?

The ex-husband of one of the nine people killed at a Christmas Eve party in Covina has received demands from a landlord to pay the dead woman's rent.

Broadcrest Foothill Apartment Homes claims Alicia Ortiz broke her lease on an Upland apartment when she and her 17-year-old son were killed by her sister's disgruntled ex-husband. The landlord informed her former husband, Carlos Ortiz, that she gave "insufficient notice to vacate." The company says it is owed $2,821 in rent and penalties.

The itemized invoice claimed Ortiz's estate owes $1,655, plus payment for 12 days rent and other fees for the weeks after she died.

Imagine that – Ortiz and her son were so inconsiderate of their contractual obligations that they went out and got themselves murdered. Apparently she should have notified the company in advance of their impending murder.

HereÂ’s hoping that every resident of this complex chooses not to renew their leases, and that no others move in. After all, this demand is simply beyond the pale.

Posted by: Greg at 01:41 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Failure to disclose income as required by House rules and federal law FOR THREE DECADES.

A new report says that Rep. Charles B. Rangel failed to disclose what became of thousands of dollars in assets over the past three decades.

The report identifies 28 separate instances within the past 30 years where he failed to report in congressionally-mandated filings on personal assets. The report from the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation was based on a review of Rangel's filings from 1978 to the present.

The researchers write, "Assets worth between $239,026 and $831,000 appear or disappear with no disclosure of when they were acquired, how long they were held, or when they were sold."

I wonder when Queen Nancy will act to remove this unethical alligator from the congressional swamp?

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Dahlia Lithwick offers an interesting observation about the current liberal justices of the Supreme Court and the sort of justice various liberals have said that Obama needs to appoint when a vacancy occurs. But in the midst of it all, she offers this observation that makes a lot of sense – but which is also a telling point about the “great” liberal justices of generations past.

It's sometimes said that in addition to being voiceless, or at least librarian-voiced, the court's liberals cannot see big. Thus we often hear that the court's liberals lack a revelatory constitutional vision. Sunstein, for instance, once lamented the "absence of anything like a heroic vision on the court's left." He writes longingly of Marshall and Brennan as "the Court's visionaries, offering a large-scale sense of where constitutional law should move." What Scalia has always done so much more effectively than anyone else at the court is sell his view of originalism and textualism. He has a coherent interpretive rulebook to which he almost always adheres. Oh, and he can explain it in 60 seconds on 60 Minutes.

Yes, it is “the vision thing” – but in the course of explaining another point about the vision of the three justices she shows the fundamental difference between a Scalia and a Brennan or a Thurgood Marshall.

Whether they persuade by the force of their personality, a la Brennan; or their life story, a la Marshall; or their browbeating analysis, a la Scalia, the big justices tend to be the ones with the big ideas.

But consider the basis upon which the three justices mentioned persuade others. In the case of Brennan, it was his personality. In the case of Marshall, it was his biography. In the case of Scalia, though, it is the expounding of rigorous legal reasoning grounded in the text of the Constitution. In effect, Lithwick is calling for a move away from the founding document, with decisions instead being based upon the whims and preferences of the men (or women) on the bench. So much for being a nation of laws.

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Invading a speech and shutting down the speaker is not democracy, no matter how loudly the hooligans in question make the claim that it is.

houting "This is what democracy looks like!" about 100 protesters stormed a hotel ballroom Tuesday where Mayor Michael Bloomberg was addressing an economic forum and accused him of ignoring the concerns of working-class New Yorkers.

A few minutes into the mayor's speech at a Manhattan hotel, the demonstrators charged in, chanting and waving signs that said, "Mayor Bloomberg, talk to us about the future of NYC!"

Protesters said the demonstration was organized by a coalition that advocates for communities. They said Mr. Bloomberg has ignored the concerns of working-class New Yorkers, favoring the rights of rich developers instead.

Organized by :a coalition that advocates for communities”? I wonder – could that be ACORN? It seems possible – but why aren’t we told for sure?

I'm curious -- is this the kind of Hope'N'Change the Community-organizer-in-Chief told us we should believe in?

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HereÂ’s the plan.

1) Arrange for women to be raped.

2) Raise the issue family shame and honor killings.

3) Convince them to strap on bombs to commit murder as a form of redemption.

A WOMAN suspected of recruiting more than 80 female suicide bombers has confessed to organising their rapes so she could later convince them that martyrdom was the only way to escape the shame.

Samira Jassam, 51, was arrested by Iraqi police and confessed to recruiting the women and orchestrating dozens of attacks.

In a video confession, she explained how she had mentally prepared the women for martyrdom operations, passed them on to terrorists who provided explosives, and then took the bombers to their targets.

What an evil woman. Such a person can only be produced by an evil ideology that warps the human psyche – and we all know what that is.

HereÂ’s hoping for her quick conviction and rapid execution.

Sadly, it appears that this is not the only use of sexual assault to recruit unwilling participants for bombings -- and that these Islamofascists don't limit its use to women.

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I donÂ’t often urge that convicts be pardoned. And these days, when Wall Street crimes are in the news again, this one is probably goes against the grain of popular sentiment. But sometimes a person who has served his sentence and then engaged in exemplary civic-minded behavior ought to receive a pardon out of gratitude for his good works. And one such person is Michael Milken, the one-time junk bond king.

In the 16 years since his release from prison, disgraced junk-bond king Michael Milken has beaten prostate cancer, raised hundreds of millions of dollars for medical research and reshaped an image tarnished by a 1990 conviction for securities fraud.

* * *

Milken. . . recovered from the disease and started a foundation that has raised more than $350 million for cancer research. He has also donated millions more for scholarship and education programs, and launched the Santa Monica-based Milken Institute, an economic think tank.

I don’t minimize Milken’s earlier misdeeds. But like Chuck Colson, we see in Milken a man who really has been changed by his experience and demonstrated that he is truly rehabilitated. He has no right to a pardon – which is, after all, a privilege extended by the president – but Milken has become the model of what we ought to want to see more of our citizen become.

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Allowing a historical building to retain its historical character is simply common sense. But to then attempt to suppress the free speech rights of the building owner is even worse. And to waste so many tax dollars on a pair of battles that the government could not win is not only foolish, but is also irresponsible.

But thatÂ’s what happened in Ogden, Utah.

A man who has fought for a decade to restore a nearly century-old painted sign advertising beer has emerged victorious.

In 1998, Bruce Edwards' request to restore the painted sign on his C.C. Keller building on the city's 25th Street was denied by the Ogden Landmarks Commission. Edwards said one member of the commission said no because the sign advertised beer and didn't fit a family-friendly image for the thoroughfare.
But recently, the commission approved a renewed request.

"I outlasted 'em," Edwards said. "And the bottom line is, I was right."

The original wording on the sign dates back to about 1910 and is painted on the north side of the two-story brick structure. It reads, "Every hour upon the hour for about an hour Drink Becker's Beer — Ogden's Famous Beer."

After his request was denied, Edwards and the city got into a war of sorts. In 2000, Edwards put up a sign in the window of his then-vacant building hammering the city with insults. The City Council then passed an ordinance forbidding signs like Edwards'.

The battle moved to court, where in 2005 a judge sided with Edwards, saying the city had violated his First Amendment rights. So the critical sign stayed and the landmarks commission denied his request to restore the beer sign again.

After more time in court, Edwards applied again last year and finally got the long sought-after approval.

No word on how much money the battle cost the city.

But a hearty hoist of the beer stein to Bruce Edwards for fighting the good fight on behalf of free speech and property rights.

Posted by: Greg at 03:50 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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What the Grey Lady said in the headline.

Australian Court Jails Muslim Cleric

Sounds shocking. What possible reason could the court have had for jailing the “Muslim Cleric”?

A Muslim cleric convicted of forming a terrorist cell in Australia was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison, bringing the countryÂ’s largest terrorism trial to a close. Six of his followers were ordered to serve between six and 10 years in prison.

I’m curious – why wasn’t the headline “Australian Court Jails Muslim Terrorists”? Why didn’t they disclose the most important information in the headline?

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If Tom Daschle’s “limousine liberal” venality and Nancy Killefer’s penny-ante tax offenses disqualify them from posts that include spending tax dollars, how can Tim Geithner stay on in a position that includes collecting those tax dollars?

Not only did Geithner neglect to pay his taxes, he turned a buck by doing so—accepting payments from his employer for the very purpose of offsetting those taxes. When he took the money, he signed a statement promising to pay the taxes and then ignored his obligations—for years. Protected by a statute of limitations, he did not pay his 2001–02 taxes until his nomination made them a public issue.
If Daschle’s tax problems should bar him from managing the federal health-services bureaucracy and Killefer’s preclude her from scrutinizing the budget, how is it that Geithner’s transgressions—the worst of the lot—are insufficient to disqualify him from managing the same Internal Revenue Service whose attentions he evaded?

I argued against GeithnerÂ’s confirmation when his misdeeds first came to light. Now that two other appointees have been forced out over tax issues, the argument against his serving as Secretary of the Treasury is even more compelling. Perhaps he and President Obama need to learn the lesson of the little parable that my father kept taped to his bedroom mirror when I was a kid.

Sometime when you're feeling important;
Sometime when your ego's in bloom
Sometime when you take it for granted
You're the best qualified in the room,
Sometime when you feel that your going
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow these simple instructions
And see how they humble your soul;
Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Pull it out and the hole that's remaining
Is a measure of how you will be missed.
You can splash all you wish when you enter,
You may stir up the water galore,
But stop and you'll find that in no time
It looks quite the same as before.
The moral of this quaint example
Is do just the best that you can,
Be proud of yourself but remember,
There's no indispensable man.

Secretary Geithner may be a great guy, and may have many skills and qualifications for his office – but his transgressions are such that he is and should be disqualified from holding a position that oversees the collection of taxes. After all, even if he is “uniquely qualified” for the post, his failure to pay taxes ought to be uniquely disqualifying for the job.

H/T Hot Air

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It might, because nationalizing the health care system will kill off private sector medical care, including abortuaries.

Follow the logic for a moment. LetÂ’s say Progressive (socialist) Democrats are successful at unleashing their command and control utopia on the civilian population. The long term result will be the death of private medicine (among many other private markets). No problemo, some say, because healthcare is a right and only the government can properly secure that right at any cost.

The unintended consequence would be that over the long run, the only place where an abortion would be available is inside the national health system, leaving only the black market for women who wish to remain anonymous and undocumented by the state, (think very young scared girls and cheating spouses).

Then take it one step further, and consider for a moment how long state run abortion services would remain in business after the political pendulum swings back in the conservative direction (or do you think that Republicans will never be in power ever again?) At that point, the pro-lifers will only have to turn off the spigot at one source to eliminate most safe abortion options.

WhatÂ’s more, the cutoff of funds will be quite popular with Americans, a clear majority of whom believe that the government ought not be paying for abortions regardless of whether or not they support abortion being legal. And unless we are going to have the courts reverse decades of jurisprudence and begin ruling that government is obligated to fund the exercise of fundamental rights (in which case I want my domain name and computer paid for under the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and of the press), there will be no recourse.

Posted by: Greg at 01:37 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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A year ago, ChicagoÂ’s Holy Name Cathedral was closed so that major structural renovations could be completed. In August it reopened. It will be closed again for some time after todayÂ’s major fire.

An extra-alarm blaze that broke out this morning at Holy Name Cathedral downtown caused extensive fire damage to the roof and attic, but spared the cathedral's sanctuary.

Cardinal Francis George said the cathedral's roof would have to be rebuilt and there was considerable water damage inside. "Chicago has always bounced back from fires and I think we'll bounce back from this," the cardinal said as he left the church.

The fire may have been related to some renovation. Work was being done on pillars in the cathedral and on some deteriorating wood high in the rafters, according Jimmy Lago, chancellor of the Chicago Archdiocese. He said a worker was present at the time the fire broke out, but didn't know if he was working in the area where the fire started.

May God bless the parishioners of Holy Name Cathedral and the people of the Archdiocese of Chicago. And may God also bless the firefighters who put themselves on the line to preserve as much of this historic building as they did.

I ordinarily donÂ’t find it appropriate for reporters to inject their personal feelings into a news story, but in this case I donÂ’t see how it is possible to not do so in the case of a building that has been the spiritual hub of a city for such a long period of time. That is part of why I was touched by this passage in one report.

CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine was emotional on the scene.

"What you can see, basically, is the smoke billowing the roof, but what you see in your mind's eyes are all the events and all the emotional moments," Levine said. "My mind goes back to Luciano Pavarotti singing 'Ave Maria' when Pope John Paul II was here. My mind goes back to the funeral of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin inside; the people that were standing around outside and watching. My mind goes back to so many emotional events in the building, which is really a part of the fabric in the community."

Indeed, my mind goes back to the five priesthood ordinations I attended and/or participated in at Holy Name Cathedral during and after my time as a seminarian at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in the early 1990s. Indeed, it was at the last of these (as members of my seminary class was ordained) ordinations that I was blessed with a sense of peace with my departure from the seminary and a recognition that my vocation in life lay in marriage and teaching. It is therefore a special place for me, and so I count myself among those who share in the sense of loss brought by this morningÂ’s events. But I know that after the loss associated this event will come a resurrection that mirrors that of Christ himself, and it is my hope that from this experience will flow much grace upon those whose lives have been impacted today.

Posted by: Greg at 01:36 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Because Racism, Sexism, Classism and Low Rent Vulgarity as usual are just a part of the Democrat family values espoused over at Bay Area Houston. After all, what else are we to make of this post.

OK. This is getting strange. Palin was pallin' around with Perry purposely at the Governors Political Convention. Here we have two sort of attractive peppy politicians (I threw up a little in my mouth), with Palin pouting the trailer trash grandma look, and Perry with the perfectly quaffed hair, lookin to score politically. And score he does.

Palin has come out swinging with a one night endorsement of Rick Perry for another 4 years of screwing us Texans.

While a bunch of politicians have gone to Washington, hat in hand, seeking a bailout, Governor Perry has left his hat in my hotel room while he sticks his hand out for whatever giveaways the Federal governement will give. Rick Perry is true to conservative principles even when others think the party suck. I like that about him: he doesnÂ’t care who blows, he acts on who does.

And clearly, she does. If she was looking to score a date with Rick Perry, that endorsement just might do it for her. I can see her being dragged around from hotel to hotel on Perry's campaign across Texas speaking to a group of hard dicks, with her yee-ha, howdy-doody, folksy, hot grandmother with an 18 year old unwed mother look. And the retards of the republican party eating it up like a buck toothed hillbilly getting a $2 lap dance at the C-Sec Nudie Bar.

Perry wouldn't have it any other way.

So let’s look at what we have here. Blog author John Cobarruvias engages in racist and classist insults towards white people from working class backgrounds – clearly such folks don’t have any place in politics (or at least not GOP politics – he still worships at the altar of the Clintons). As for his “buck toothed hillbilly” comment, I’d like to remind him that the buck-toothed hillbilly vote is what originally brought his fellow Democrats like Senator Robert Byrd (D-KKK) into office.

And letÂ’s not pass on his tendency to objectify women in politics, in this case comparing a successful governor to a stripper. I guess we shouldnÂ’t be surprised. A couple of weeks ago he decided that a lobbyist event for female legislators that included pedicures was indicative of members of the organization having foot fetishes.

Then there is the vulgarity that he believes passes as witty political commentary providing meaningful insight on the issues of the day. What it really shows is his own warped sexuality, which is apparently stuck somewhere around the level of the typical thirteen-year-old.

Oddly enough, John sees himself as an opponent of racism, a supporter of women, and an advocate for the lower and middle class, while claiming that Republicans are on the wrong side of all of those issues. Seems to me that he actually is suffering from what psychologists call projection, seeing non-existent faults in others while being blind to their presence in himself. But on the bright side, at least he didn't call for the lynching of these Republicans.

Posted by: Greg at 01:32 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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ThatÂ’s what they call their new satellite.

Iran has successfully sent its first domestically made satellite into orbit, the country's president announced Tuesday, claiming a significant step in an ambitious space program that has worried many international observers.
The satellite, called Omid, or hope in Farsi, was launched late Monday after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave the order to proceed, according to a report on state radio. State television showed footage of what it said was the nighttime liftoff of the rocket carrying the satellite at an unidentified location in Iran.

Of course, the current regime in Teheran is noted for its exaggerations regarding its military and space technology. It will be interesting to see if this can be independently verified.

But if it is, it means that Iran has rockets that can hit Israel and Europe -- and may not be far from having the capacity to hit the USA. Will this development result in a CHANGE in the policies of the Obama Administration.

Posted by: Greg at 01:10 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I like Sarah Palin. I voted for her. I might (but only might) vote for her again in the future. But I do not feel guided by this endorsement.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has endorsed Rick Perry for re-election, calling him the "true conservative" in a primary election showdown with fellow Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison.

Palin, who electrified the GOP base as the party's vice presidential nominee last year, has strong support among the party's social conservatives. Her endorsement appeared aimed at undercutting Hutchison's appeal with GOP women. Both groups will be important in picking the party's nominee in next year's Republican primary.

Sorry, Sarah, but Rick Perry lost my vote when he decided to play doctor with every little girl in Texas. He lost my vote with his wishy-washiness on border issues. He lost my vote when he lied about property tax reform and implemented a ruinous business tax. None of that is particularly conservative in my book. IÂ’ll stand with Kay Bailey Hutchison instead.

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I have long been a Michael Steele fan. He is, dare I say it, my kind of Republican – a guy who is interested in reaching out to everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or religion, without compromising on the essentials of conservatism. To the degree that his race matters to me, it is a plus – if it helps him to reach out to African-Americans who are skeptical of the GOP, that makes it a positive factor – but it certainly is not a negative to me and most Republicans with whom I have worked over the year. I supported him for GOP chairman, and am pleased by his victory.

And I must say that I like what I hear from him in this new position. We Republicans have needed a chairman who has grassroots support and the courage to say what it really means to be a Republican – that we are a party that supports human life, civil rights and civil liberties, and a strong national defense.

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Let’s see – a college kid does something sort of dumb, like so many other college kids. Why is it news? Because he is among the most elite athletes in the world today, Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps.

Now let’s be honest – taking a hit off of the bong was a dumb thing to do. But his response and that of the IOC are absolutely correct.

The International Olympic Committee expressed confidence Monday that Michael Phelps will learn from his "inappropriate behavior" and continue to serve as a role model after a British newspaper published a photo of him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at last year's Beijing Olympics, apologized and acknowledged "regrettable behavior" after the picture was published Sunday by the tabloid News of the World.

"Michael Phelps is a great Olympic champion," the IOC said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press on Monday. "He apologized for his inappropriate behavior. We have no reason to doubt his sincerity and his commitment to continue to act as a role model."

Of course, the media has had a field day with the story, and really has not separated the issue of performance enhancing drugs from recreational drugs. Just call it one more sign of media cluelessness.

And for those of you who are surprised by my position – yes, I do support legalization (or at least decriminalization) of marijuana, even though it is a substance that I’ve never had any particular interest in using. I’d classify it along with tobacco and alcohol – substances that I either don’t use or don’t use often, but which I personally find inoffensive if they are used responsibly and in moderation.

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And counting.

It is easy to project yourself as a clean politician after making your debut in South Side Chicago with buddies like Rahm Emanuel. US president Obama has appointed more than 17 lobbyists after talking big on anti-lobbyist Governance and rooting corruption out of the American Government.

And Barry Hussein has only been president for 14 days – meaning that he has given more than 1.2 waivers a day. At this rate he will be employing every lobbyist in Washington by the time the 2012 election rolls around.

And then there is the pair of tax cheats and the guy who urged Clinton to give dicey pardons.

In other words, this is shaping up to be one of the dirtiest administrations ever.

Is it time to appoint the special prosecutor yet?

H/T Hot Air

UPDATE: Here's a partial list -- though it doesn't include some of the appointees or Tom Daschle, who was a lobbyist in all but name.

Here are former lobbyists Obama has tapped for top jobs:

• Eric Holder, attorney general nominee, was registered to lobby until 2004 on behalf of clients including Global Crossing, a bankrupt telecommunications firm [now confirmed].


• Tom Vilsack, secretary of agriculture nominee, was registered to lobby as recently as last year on behalf of the National Education Association.


• William Lynn, deputy defense secretary nominee, was registered to lobby as recently as last year for defense contractor Raytheon, where he was a top executive.


• William Corr, deputy health and human services secretary nominee, was registered to lobby until last year for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a non-profit that pushes to limit tobacco use.


• David Hayes, deputy interior secretary nominee, was registered to lobby until 2006 for clients, including the regional utility San Diego Gas & Electric.


• Mark Patterson, chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, was registered to lobby as recently as last year for financial giant Goldman Sachs.


• Ron Klain, chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, was registered to lobby until 2005 for clients, including the Coalition for Asbestos Resolution, U.S. Airways, Airborne Express and drug-maker ImClone.


• Mona Sutphen, deputy White House chief of staff, was registered to lobby for clients, including Angliss International in 2003.


• Melody Barnes, domestic policy council director, lobbied in 2003 and 2004 for liberal advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the American Constitution Society and the Center for Reproductive Rights.


• Cecilia Munoz, White House director of intergovernmental affairs, was a lobbyist as recently as last year for the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group.


• Patrick Gaspard, White House political affairs director, was a lobbyist for the Service Employees International Union.


• Michael Strautmanis, chief of staff to the presidentÂ’s assistant for intergovernmental relations, lobbied for the American Association of Justice from 2001 until 2005.

Posted by: Greg at 12:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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AinÂ’t it great what computer technology can do?

Using age progression software to regress a portrait of our nationÂ’s first First Lady, historians have come up with a very different image of the dowdy old matron we see depicted in the history books.

Examination of records from her lifetime reveal an intelligent, competent, and passionate woman who would certainly have been a proper match for the studly young man we know George Washington to have been. It certainly makes one wonder if there was the sort of lively intellectual repartee between these two that we know existed between John and Abigail Adams – a couple who we also know had a smoldering passion for each other as well.

Posted by: Greg at 12:41 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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We canÂ’t offend the Muslims, can we.

A cricket team has been forced to change its name after angry complaints from Muslims and Jews.

The Middlesex Crusaders, who have played under the name for almost 10 years, will play next season as The Panthers.

Bosses at the county club acted after protests about the name from Jewish and Muslim communities, who said they felt it was a reference to the religious wars waged by Christians in Europe against other faiths.

Let’s be honest here – the Crusades were not against “other faiths”. It was waged – rightly – against one other faith which had engaged in centuries of armed aggression against other faiths and was intent upon denying Christians access to their holy sites.

And we all know what that aggressive religion of non-peace was – and, sadly, remains until this day.

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HereÂ’s one that is sure to get the old arteries hardening.

Think we could introduce this as a part of the menu at Gitmo and its successors? Or perhaps make consumption of a complete one a condition of release?

H/T Hot Air

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“Obama 1260” is no more – the victim of ratings so low that they were virtually unmeasureable.

Program Director Greg Tantum says he thought the station could work because of enthusiasm over Obama, but that ratings collapsed to a level that could not be measured after the election. But ratings nearly doubled, he says, at...conservative station, WTNT, which features Laura Ingraham and Bill Bennett. Tantum said he will move Schultz to WTNT to give him another shot.

In other words, it isn’t that commercial stations are not trying to program liberal talk – it is just that no one wants to listen. Good grief – if it cannot succeed in reliably blue Washington, DC and the liberal suburbs in Maryland and Virginia, is there really a market for such programming?

And notice – the station manager is trying to keep one of the liberal hosts going by moving him to an existing conservative talk station. My guess? Ed Schultz will not go over well there. You know, sort of like a decision to program a bit of baroque chamber music on a hip-hop station. After all, that isn’t what the listeners are tuning in for.

H/T Hot Air, NewsBusters

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ItÂ’s awful, isnÂ’t it, that President George W. Bush and his invited guests spent Super Bowl Sunday chowing down on $100 steaks in a White House heated to sauna temperatures while people were freezing to death in Kentucky due to a natural disaster to which FEMA has not been dispatched.

Oh, excuse me – that is President Barack Obama.

Tell me – will any white entertainer have the “courage” of Kanye West and make the claim that this FEMA non-response is because Barack Obama hates white people who vote Republican? Of course not – that would be RRRRAAAACCCCIIIISSSSTTTT!!!!

The Anchoress points out the non-response of the Obama administration to this humanitarian catastrophe – and the media’s willing complicity in it.

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On Good Morning America, Diane Sawyer took a pair of soundbites, uttered nearly a week apart, to make it appear that Rush Limbaugh’s animosity towards Barack Obama is based upon race. In doing so, she took them out of context – and ignored words that made it clear that ideology, not ethnicity, were at the heart of his opposition to Obama.

On Monday morning, ABC’s “Good Morning America” gave Limbaugh’s “I hope he fails” comment a racial slant by editing it in a deliberately misleading way.

In an interview with Sen. John McCain on Monday, anchor Diane Sawyer described Limbaugh’s “I hope he fails” comment as “another big issue in the news.”

She then tossed to a sound bite comprised of two separate comments made five days apart, which ABC joined together. The edited comment made it sound like Limbaugh wants Obama to fail because heÂ’s black.

HereÂ’s the ABC version of LimbaughÂ’s comment:

Limbaugh: “I don’t need 400 words. I need four. I hope he fails.”
[Edit]
“We are being told that we have to hope he succeeds, because his father was black, because this is the first black president, we’ve got to accept this.”

Looks damning – until one notes that the entire monologue from which the first snippet was pulled dealt with the policy implications of the Obamist platform, and why he views it as bad for America. Indeed, the words which followed indicated that “ideas and policies are what count for me, not his skin color, not his past, not whatever ties he doesn't have to being down with the struggle, all of that's irrelevant to me.” That certainly undercuts the racial argument raised by the creative editing job – which is why those words were left on the cutting room floor.

Posted by: Greg at 11:40 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Now I join with many other folks in questioning how a woman with no job and six kids was able to get IVF treatment so as to give birth to octuplets. After all, where did she get the money and how is she going to support the kids? I think we all know the answer to the second question.

But what is most shocking to me is the response of so many folks in the media over this. After all, we regularly hear about “reproductive freedom” and “a woman’s right to choose” – and even about the necessity of government providing funding “reproductive health services” for poor women. But suddenly, the MSM and its talking heads are up in arms, expressing outrage over these births and the medical professionals who assisted this woman in conceiving and bringing the kids to term. I’ve heard some guests on cable news shows this weekend suggesting that the doctor had an obligation to refuse her services, based upon his/her subjective view of whether someone in her situation ought to be permitted to bring more (and certainly that many more) into the world.

Hold on! What about “reproductive choice”? What about “a woman’s right to choose”? Doesn’t “her body, her choice” enter into the discussion? And haven’t we had court cases regarding doctors choosing to deny services to a woman based upon the fact that his or her belief system led to the conclusion that the home to be provided by the prospective mother was an acceptable one? After all, these are the same folks who objected to “conscience clause” protections for those medical professionals who object to participating in abortion procedures.

Now mind you, I think that perhaps there are some interesting legal and ethical questions raised by this situation. But why is it that, once again, it is when the choice is “live birth” we have the “pro-choice” opinion elite coming out in favor of limiting those choices.

Posted by: Greg at 11:39 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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