Lee Rodgers

June, 2012
June 1 --

DECORATING THE SKIN-YOU'RE-IN HURTS JOB CHANCES ...
ABORTING GIRL BABIES NOT A "WAR ON WOMEN?" ...
OUR PRESIDENT 007

One business that IS booming in this wretched economy is -- ta-ta! -- tattoo removal. Why? Because many people who thought it cute, clever and creative in their youth are finding that wearing body art hurts their chances of getting a job.
Of course, a woman applicant for a job under, say, John Edwards, might find that "tramp-stamp" on the lower back advantageous.

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So 161 Democrats (and seven Republicans) in Congress join Obama in opposing a ban on aborting babies, almost always GIRL babies, because the mother wants a boy. Every female, including expectant mothers, needs to consider very carefully what this attitude says about her own place in this world.

By the way, China's "one child" law lit a slow-burning fuse because so many girl babies were aborted that young Chinese men so far outnumber their female counterparts that many will never find wives, guaranteeing a seething male unrest. It's already so bad that poor girls in nearby countries, including North Korea, are being sold as "wives" for some of these men.

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For the record, the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Boston, that found the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional has an active judges list that includes two Obama appointees, one by Clinton, one by Reagan and one by each of the Bush presidents. Two of the three judges who decided this case were appointed by Reagan and Bush Sr.
Ultimately, the U. S. Supreme Court will decide. In any event, the First Circuit said its ruling wouldn't be enforced until the Supreme Court decides the case.

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While Obama is telling his gullible sheeple that he's confident Obamacare will survive the soon-to-be-announced Supreme Court decision, Bloomberg News reports that he's telling his big-money donors he expects to have to re-do it during his second-term. If he should get that second term, he's obviously bent on installing government-run health care.

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A major reason why Obamunists should be concerned about the upcoming Supreme Court decision on Obamacare: Nancy Pelosi is certain it will be upheld because, as she says, “I know the Constitution.”

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Since he obviously believes he has a license to kill (via drones and based on his personal decision) when do we begin referring to Obama as "President 007?"
Why is campaign advisor David Axelrod sitting in on those death-decision meetings, if not to gauge their political effect?

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Wes Pruden, Editor Emeritus of the Washington Times, reflects upon Pres. Obama's recent meeting with twenty Jewish rabbis and his boast that he knew more about Jews than any previous American president and that, after all, "Some of my best friends are Jews" ...
"Haaretz, the (Ed. note-- left-leaning) Israeli newspaper, reported that Mr. Obama boasted to the assembled rabbis that he knows 'more about Judaism' because he reads a lot, talks a lot and even, sometimes, listens a lot. When you’re sitting around with your pals from the old community-organizing days in Chicago, the lights dim and the second or third bottle of wine lending a mellow tone to the evening, the conversation will naturally turn to theology, and to Moses and Lot, Jeremiah, Joshua, Nehemiah, Micah, Isaiah and all those old dead Jewish guys.
"Mr. Obama no doubt learned all this at his Muslim school in Indonesia, and when he got to Chicago he heard a lot of Jewish stuff from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his mentor in the faith who, after all, carried the name of a Jewish prophet. Who else in America, president or not, can boast of a religious education as careful and as thorough as that?"

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So the repulsive scatterbrain Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz is going to Wisconsin to campaign for the Democrat trying to unseat Governor Scott Walker. Could the Governor possibly ask for a greater stroke of good luck?

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Reason #1,001 to get the hell out of that international sewer, the U. N., and throw it out of this country ...
Mass-murderer Robert Mugabe, the bloodthirsty dictator of Zimbabwe, has been named "Chief of Tourism" for the United Nations. And to think ... we let these crazy SOBs run loose in New York City.

Show of hands, please: How many want to vacation in Zimbabwe and watch Mugabe's poor people eat the bark off trees?

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Condoleeza Rice has many admirable qualities, but I fail to grasp the calls from some quarters for her to be named Romney's running mate. What is the presumed political plus? Because she's black? Black voters will, without doubt, vote overwhelmingly for Obama. A Californian? Does anyone seriously believe that state won't vote Democrat?
All that leaves two qualities that might appeal to some. Being a woman and having name recognition. But those might be overridden by her association with George W. Bush, anathema to many independents whose votes will be essential to a Romney win.

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Investors Business Daily addresses the link between high taxes and citizens voting with their feet ...
     "From 1949 to 1961, more than 2.6 million of East Germany's 17 million population escaped to West Berlin or West Germany, a hemorrhage of humanity that led the Communists to construct the infamous Berlin Wall in 1961.
     "The state of New York, with about 19.5 million people, has no known plans to erect concrete barriers or barbed wire fences. But from 2000 to 2010 it suffered an exodus of some 3.4 million New Yorkers — nearly a million more people than in Germany's post-war experience and more than that of any other state.
     "Most New York refugees are in sunny, zero-income-tax Florida. The Sunshine State, along with its rays, offer big relief from New York's state tax on income, which starts at almost 6.5% and reaches nearly 9% for the overly successful.
     "On top of that are high sales taxes that approach 9% in New York City, but 7% in some other areas. New Yorkers who leave an estate of more than $1 million to their loved ones get hit with a state death tax reaching 16%."

As a former longtime Californian who migrated to Arizona, I have no trouble understanding the motivation. Just the difference in state taxes paid all of my homeowner expenses; property taxes, insurance, utilities, etc.

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Things you don't learn from Big Media ...
Germany's version of NPR ("public" radio) reports that Obama flies his barber from Chicago to Washington every two weeks to trim his hair. (Unlike Clinton, however, he doesn't get it done onboard Air Force One while blocking airline traffic.)

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The real issue is not how many jobs were created in Massachusetts when Romney was governor, it's how many have been LOST while Obama has been president. Romney had best not stray too far from that message.

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We are indebted to Jason Kissner of The American Thinker for exhuming his excerpt from an April 5, 2004 Chicago Sun-Times Barack Obama interview with Cathleen Falsani ...
In response to Ms. Falsani's inquiry "what is sin," Mr. Obama replies with "being out of alignment with MY values [emphasis added]."
Make of it what you will.

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Which nation has the highest percentage of its population in the millionaire category? Singapore, where 17% of households have achieved that level of success as denominated in U.S. dollars.

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I don't care who wins the NBA championship and probably won't even remember it a week later, anyway. But let's say it, just for the record: NBA officiating is a joke.

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'Tis the season of graduation speeches, and Christopher Orlet has the makings of a fine one in The American Spectator. It includes the following ...
"Don't give up on marriage. I know it sounds crazy in this day of drive-through divorce. I know many of you are still traumatized by your parents' separations. The fact remains that marriage is the foundation of civilized life. No advanced civilization has ever existed without the two-parent family. American society simply will not survive long without healthy marriages."

This year a classic line from Bob Hope's writers and delivered by the maestro himself seems particularly apt. He gazed out over the graduates and said, "I have just one word of advice for you young people about to go out into the world. Don't."

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The word-bird squawks again ...
DRIVEL and DRIBBLE can be used interchangeably if describing a baby-like slobbering or drooling.
DRIBBLE is also what a basketball player does. But only DRIVEL is appropriately applied to speaking (or writing) foolishness.

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More media ignorance on display ...
     On one cable network, the city of Granada was called the capital of Nicaragua. Not even close. It's MANAGUA.
     And the ESPNudniks persist in referring to the NBA's Heat as being in "South Beach." Also wrong. They are based in the city of Miami, which is totally separate from the city of Miami Beach, which has one small neighborhood that is identified as "South Beach."
     Then there's a former broadcasting colleague who, attempting to sound well-informed on legal matters, would refer to a particular case as being "mute." He obviously meant "moot," i.e., meaningless.

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Vice and vegetables; no video available ...
     A female police officer arrested Patrick Lawrence, 22 year old white male, for fornicating with a pumpkin in the middle of the night.
      The next day, at the Gwinnett County (GA) courthouse, Lawrence was charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, public indecency and public intoxication.
      His testimony revealed that while in the process of doing the deed, Lawrence failed to notice an approaching police car and was unaware of his audience until Officer Brenda Taylor approached him.
     Officer Taylor went on to describe what happened when she approached Lawrence.
     'I said, 'Excuse me sir, but do you realize that you're having sex with a pumpkin??'
     He was clearly very surprised that I was there, and then he looked me straight in the face and said, 'A pumpkin? Really? Is it midnight already?'
     -- Contributed by ace reporter Mike --
June 2 --

MENTAL HEALTH TIP -- LOWER EXPECTATIONS ...
THE IGNORAMUS SULLYING THE WHITE HOUSE ...
HOLDER: "LET THOSE PEOPLE VOTE ILLEGALLY!"

As an aid to retaining your sanity during this election campaign season, let me recommend that you write the following in large letters on a large sheet of paper ... keep it readily available ... and look at it after every news report you see, hear or read:

"BLESSED ARE THEY WHO EXPECT NOTHING, FOR THEY SHALL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED."

People with a functioning brain know that the destructive Obama foolishness has to end. Nevertheless, don't expect great things from a Romney-led government, but only a moderation of the madness.
     For instance, it is likely that none of the stupidly-conceived government departments or agencies will be eliminated. The Department of Education, which has overseen the steady deterioration of learning since it was created by Jimmy Carter as his gift to the teachers' unions, will doubtless survive. It shouldn't, but will. And the Department of Homeland Security, parent of the airport Gestapo, which should be gutted and rebuilt to half its size and twice the intelligence, probably will continue to do nothing but annoy people. And don't even get me started on the stupid, evil EPA.
     Nevertheless, since the alternative is a continuation of the bungling (or subversive) Obama debacle, there is no other rational choice. The Affirmative Action experiment in the White House must end. He was never qualified for the job; the evidence is all around us.

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The economic news goes from bad to worse ... the war in Afghanistan drags on without positive result ... gas prices, down a little because the economy is dead, are still double what they were when he took office ... he's offended Jews and Catholics (just for starters) ... the housing market is wretched ... he's bowed before enemies ... wants to gut the military over the protests of his own Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta.
The Big Question looms: Just what can Obama claim as a substantive reason to re-elect him? He has no answer, of course, therefore he must somehow convince a nation he's misled for more than three years that his opponent is Satan incarnate.
Pathetic.

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The only "real" money on earth today is the Swiss franc.

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I don't care if he has Hahvuhd degrees stacked to the Oval Office ceiling, Barack Obama is ignorant on a level that should shame a high school student. Or even those pathetic big-boobed bimbi in the Miss USA pageant who had no idea who is Vice President.
His latest egg-on-face episode, implying that the Poles operated the Nazi death camps in World War II should come as no surprise to anyone who remembered that this is the dope who claimed that in 2008 he'd campaigned in 57 states, thought the people of Austria spoke a non-existent language called "Austrian" and said that U.S. Marines were members of something called "the Marine CORPSE."
This phony is just one endless national embarrassment.

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The Daily Caller finds that almost half of the people who "follow" Obama on Twitter are foreigners. By contrast, 90% of Romney's are American.
And what does it say about our national political culture that candidates think it necssary to indulge is such petty nonsense, anyway?

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War on women? How does this measure up: There are 766,000 more women UNemployed today than when Obama took office.

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Obama did have a successful day yesterday in one respect. He enlarged his all-time presidential record high number of fund-raisers attended by scooping up campaign cash at no fewer than six (6) events.

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Burt Prelutsky peruses French politics; are we next? ...
     "As you may have noticed, France elected a new president named Francois Hollande. I’m delighted. It’s rare that a country and its president so richly deserve one another. France, after all, is a nation that sat by while its Muslim population set its cities afire because sharia law wasn’t yet on the books. Then, more recently, they had riots because their former president proposed that in order to save the economy, retirement age would have to be raised from 60 to 62. The fact that they might have to work an additional two years 40 years down the road was more than enough to send outraged 20-year-old Frenchies into the streets.
     "Keep in mind that they are already guaranteed two months of paid vacation every year. That means that over the course of four decades, that’s 80 months or nearly seven years they’re not punching a clock. So, in reality, it’s more like lifting the retirement age from 53 to 55."
          ... and Mr. Prelutsky adds these thoughts ...
     “The Republicans are for the working man; the Democrats are for the non-working man.” Or, as an unknown source put it: “According to liberals, I’m supposed to be more worried about how Mitt Romney spends his money than how Barack Obama spends mine.”

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Spain, teetering on the brink of financial collapse, stopped pouring money down the financial rat-hole that masquerades as "Green Energy." Has this made any impression on the White House dunce? No.

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Typical. Democrats in Florida whining to our racist Attorney General and getting him to block action by election officials there to remove from the voter rolls the names of dead people, illegal aliens and others whose votes regularly pump-up Democrat tallies at election time.

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Thomas Sowell opens the curtain on Eric Holder's racist regime at the Justice Department ...
     "Attorney General Eric Holder recently told a group of black clergymen that the right to vote was being threatened by people who are seeking to block access to the ballot box by blacks and other minorities.
This is truly world-class chutzpah, by an Attorney General who stopped attorneys in his own Department of Justice from completing the prosecution of black thugs who stationed themselves outside a Philadelphia voting site to harass and intimidate white voters.
     "This may have seemed like a small episode to some at the time, but it was only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. The U.S. Attorney who was prosecuting that case -- J. Christian Adams -- resigned from the Department of Justice in protest, and wrote a book about a whole array of similar race-based decisions on voting rights by Eric Holder and his subordinates at the Department of Justice.
     "The book is titled 'Injustice: Exposing the Racial Agenda of the Obama Justice Department.' It names names, dates and places around the country where the Department of Justice stopped its own attorneys from pursuing cases of voter fraud and intimidation, when it was blacks who were accused of these crimes.If Mr. Adams is lying, he has taken a huge risk in citing individuals by name and quoting them directly. Yet, despite the fact that most of those he accuses are lawyers, apparently no one has sued him."
     -- (Townhall.com) --

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Watching the Massachusetts Senate race from afar, with mild but morbid curiosity, I am compelled to ask: Is this Elizabeth Warren crazy, or just stupid? Either affliction was apparently enhanced by her association with Harvard, along with a predilection for prevarication.

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Are people led by the endless media barrage on the subject to believe far more Americans are gay than is actually the case? The Atlantic Magazine reports the following ...
"The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, A GAY AND LESBIAN think tank, released a study in April 2011 estimating based on its research that just 1.7 percent of Americans between 18 and 44 identify as gay or lesbian, while another 1.8 percent -- predominantly women -- identify as bisexual. Far from underestimating the ranks of gay people because of homophobia, these figures included a substantial number of people who remained deeply closeted, such as a quarter of the bisexuals."

I am reminded of a longtime reporter who believed that about half the U.S. population was black, and was astonished to learn that, at the time, it was actually 12%. It is now about 13%.

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In the (book title) words of Peter Ustinov ... "Add a Dash of Pity" ... and control the impulse to ask anyone you know who actually supported John Edwards for president, or as Kerry's running mate for VP, "Just how stupid DO you feel?"

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Actor/comedian Albert Brooks --
"Congrats to John Edwards for ruining his life and getting away with it."

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I state it without fear of rational contradiction: New Yorkers are stupid. Why else would they let a devious scumbag mayor (who ran as a Republican because he couldn't get on the ballot as a Democrat) tell them what they can't eat or drink? Who the hell does this runty clown think he is? -- Michelle Obama?

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Yahoo News reports this ...
     ... depressing fact from a recent survey conducted by the Water Quality & Health Council, a scientific research group sponsored by the American Chemistry Council.
     If you're taking a refreshing dip in a pool with four other people, odds are one of you is urinating.
     The survey, conducted in April, asked nearly 1,000 adults whether they urinate in pools. One in five confess to going wee-wee -- and those are just the ones who admitted it.

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Is there any more depressing -- and sad -- form of entertainment than the so-called "tribute" shows that clutter up so many venues in Las Vegas and elsewhere? If you can do a passable imitation of a famous person, inflict it upon family or friends. Otherwise, for the sake of your own self-respect, either develop an act of your own, or seek other employment.

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An Irish friend contributes ...
     An Irish woman visited her physician to ask advice on reviving her husband's libido. 'What about trying Viagra?' asked the doctor.
     'Not a chance', she said... 'He won't even take an aspirin.'
     'Not a problem,' replied the doctor. 'Give him an Irish Viagra'... 'What is Irish Viagra?', she asked.
     'It's when you drop a Viagra tablet into his coffee. He won't even taste it. Give it a try and call me in a week.'
     A week later when she called the doctor, who directly inquired as to her progress. She exclaimed, 'Oh, faith, bejaysus and begorrah! T'was horrid! Just terrible, doctor!'
     'Really? What happened?' asked the doctor.
     'Well, I did as you advised and slipped it in his coffee. The effect was almost immediate. He jumped straight up, with a smile on his face, a twinkle in his eye and with his pants a-bulging fiercely! With one swoop of his arms, he sent me cups and saucers flying, ripped me clothes to tatters and took me then and there passionately on the tabletop! T'was a nightmare, I tell you, an absolute nightmare!'
     'Why so terrible?' asked the doctor, 'Do you mean the sex your husband provided wasn't good?'
     'Freakin' jaysus, it was the best sex I've had in 25 years! But sure as I'm sittin' here, I'll never be able to show me face in Starbucks again!'
June 3 --

A DESPERATE, DESTRUCTIVE DEMAGOGUE ...
MITT -- MASTERFUL MONEY MANAGER ...
INFLATION, THE SLOW-MOTION CANCER

If word that almost half of American households get some form of government welfare -- starting with food stamps -- doesn't scare the hell out of you about the nation's future, it certainly should.
And somewhere in hell, Karl Marx is thumbing thru his "Das Kapital" and thinking, "Good work, Barack my son!"

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Rumors persist that in his desperation as his ratings slide, Obama may yet pressure Hillary and Biden the Babbling Buffoon to trade jobs before the election.
Picture it: Following the ineffective Hillary as Secretary of State, our link to other nations, Joe Biden, master of the foot-in-mouth faux pas, takes that role.
It must be re-stated every election year that the Vice-President's job is to turn on the news in the morning to find out if the president died overnight, and keep a clean suit ready to wear to the funeral of a foreign dignitary. Dick Cheney was one of the few VP's ever to actually influence policy. Does anybody really believe Obama would give his bitter opponent of 2008 any real authority? She was obviously brought into his cabinet under the ancient axiom, "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

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Obama's willing to undermine national security if it'll help his campaign. Michael Goodwin of the NY Post elucidates ...
     "Panic is never pretty. When it involves a politician scrambling desperately to stay afloat, it is ugly. When it involves a president of the United States trading national-security secrets for political gain, it is obscene.
     "Twice last week, The New York Times published insider accounts of Obama-administration decisions. One involved “kill lists” of terrorists targeted by drones. The other described cyberwarfare attacks against Iran.
     "The articles revealed details of top-level meetings and quoted the president’s comments. They were so gushingly favorable to him that it’s clear they were based on authorized leaks by the White House designed to make Obama look tough against terror.
     "These authorized leaks go to the heart of integrity and presidential character. With the economy stuck in stall and with even leading Democrats bucking their attacks on Mitt Romney, Obama and Axelrod appear ready to abandon all principles in a frenetic quest for victory."

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How liberalism rots the brain ...
     Connecticut is run by Democrats, from the governor's office on down thru the legislature.
     Connecticut, like many other states run by liberals, is effectively bankrupt.
     Nevertheless, that liberal power structure came up with $300,000 of taxpayer money to pay for renovations to ... wait for it ... the state headquarters of ... the COMMUNIST PARTY.
     -- (Source: Cowboy Byte) --

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The unwillingness of liberals to give up so many of their precious "social programs" is analogous to the inability of small children to distinguish between "wants" and "needs."

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Jonah Goldberg provides an epitaph for the "green energy" nonsense ...
     "It looks like the “green revolution” has entered the long slide into 'What was all that about?'
     "In January, the Spanish government removed lavish subsidies for its renewable-energy industry, and the industry all but imploded. You could say it was never a renewable-energy industry at all, but a government-subsidy industry: The government gave the makers of inefficient windmills and solar panels piles of cash that consumers never would.
     "The Spanish example shows how the whole green-energy “revolution” was really an ideologically driven boondoggle from the start.
     "At the start of his administration, President Obama insisted that if we didn’t follow their lead, we’d surrender the hugely profitable renewable-energy sector to those sagacious Spaniards.
     "Spain had destroyed 2.2 jobs in other industries for every green job it created, and that the Spanish government has spent more than half a million euros for each green job created."

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David Horwich (PJ Media) compares the investment records of Mitt Romney and Obama ...
     "If Bain Capital buys and fails on any particular investment, the wreckage is contained to the employees of the business that was bought, the investors, and Bain management. It also means that if Bain does it too often they will be unsuccessful in raising the next round of capital.
     "Conversely, when the government fails, it fails on a far larger scale, particularly if the investing is done via many entities having a similar industry focus. With government investing, we all become venture capitalists, whether or not it fits our individual risk profiles.
     "Bain diversified itself by risking capital in a variety of industries and not going all in for any one sector. That way, its eggs are not all in one industry basket and it looks more like the overall economy.
     "In contrast, the administration’s attempts to invest in “green” technology, no matter what one’s views are about the efficacy of 'green' technology, are a fool’s bet. Even were it able to discern winners from losers, the inevitability of bad investing in one sector should be apparent to all.
     "Which of these two would you rather see as stewards of your money? After all, it is your money."

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A likely indication that a devaluation of its currency is coming in Argentina: That nation, which throughout most of its history has been run by a succession of crazy people (currently Mrs. Kirchner), has heard from a top official that no such action is planned to deal with a chaotic economy.
     That, historically, has been a virtual guarantee that just such a devaluation is highly likely.
     Devaluation simply means, for example, that the $10 bill you have is now officially worth ONE dollar. It's happened all over the world many times, and don't think for a minute our own nation is immune to it. My late and longtime business partner in the travel industry once worked at the U.S. Embassy in Athens (he was Greek-American) and recalled how that nation's currency was once devalued to the point that the buying of a simple meal required him to carry two suitcases full of near-worthless paper money.
     Did the Greeks learn a lasting lesson from that debacle? Of course not; look at the mess they have today.

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It is entirely consistent with his goal in this nation that Obama would advise European nations that the hard-working, productive nations -- starting with Germany -- should continue to subsidize the slothful, starting with Greece.

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"Let there be (less) light!"
     Tucson is the nearest real city to my little patch of Arizona earth. Folk from elsewhere who drive thru on I-10 at night must find it hard to believe they're in the center of a city of 750,000 people, because there is no brightly-illuminated skyline of skyscrapers.
     Oh, there are some tall buildings clustered in the city center, but lighting is limited to protect two major observatories from the bane of "light pollution." The town in which I live -- little more than a village, really -- has no street lights for the same reason. The observatories, doing serious work, are regarded as community assets.
     The major facilities are the Smithsonian Observatory, operated by the University of Arizona, and the Lick Observatory, located farther west. The Tucson metro area as a whole lowers its lamps so as not to interfere with our "eyes on the skies."
    A few miles south of Tucson, flashing lights in the dark sky are probably Border Patrol helicopters, not UFOs.
    We think.

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Reader Gordon passes along the collection of childrens' letters to God ...
     "Dear God, I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church.
         Is that okay?" -- Neil
     "Dear God, Instead of letting people die and having to make new
        ones, why not just keep the ones you got now?" -- Jane
     "Dear God, I think the stapler was one of your best
         invention." -- Ruth
     "Dear God, I think about you sometimes when I'm not
         even praying." -- Elliott
     "Dear God, I am an Amearican. What are you?: -- Robert
     "Dear God, I bet it is very hard for you to love all of
         everybody in the hole world. There are only 4 people in our hole
         family and I could never do it." -- Nan
     "Dear God, Please put another holiday in between
         Chrismas and Easter. There is nothing good in there
        now." --Ginny
     "Dear God, If you watch in church Sunday I will show
         you my new shoes." -- Mickey
     "Dear God, If we come back as something please don't let
         me be Jennifer Horton because I hate her." -- Denise
     "Dear God, Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other
         so much if they had their own rooms. It works with
        my brother." -- Larry
     "Dear God, We read Edison made light but in Sunday school
         they said you did it. I bet he stoled it from you." -- Donna
     "Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother but what I
        prayed for was a puppy." -- Joyce

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Jimmy Fallon --
"First lady Michelle Obama said that if she could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be Beyoncé. Of course it got awkward when Barack was like, 'I'm game!'"
June 4 --

THE BUZZ FROM THE (spelling) BEE ...
WAR AS A POSSIBLE RE-ELECTION TOOL ...
CONVENTION CHAOS COMING TO 2 CITIES

For the fifth year in a row -- and ten times in the last fourteen -- a youngster with family roots in India won the National Spelling Bee. The two runners-up have similar backgrounds. A fourteen-year-old with the same kind of family tree won the National Geography Bee a couple of weeks earlier.
This kind of success is a clear indicator of the value and emphasis placed on education by those families and the parents who are products of an education system obviously superior to the Ignorance Factories we call schools.

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Of all the "October surprise" possibilities a desperate President might consider in order to achieve re-election, the most drastic would be a war -- most likely with Iran. Let us hope that Mitt Romney and his brain-trust are prepared with a response, however unlikely such an eventuality may seem.

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A simple way to keep score: Bain Capital invested in many businesses. Some failed. Far more were successful.
Then consider Solyndra, the centerpiece of Obama's "stimulus" plan. Or GM, which lost thousands of jobs, left stockholders and creditors (bond holders) empty-handed ... and is expanding (and creating jobs) in ... CHINA!

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With the impending collapse of the Eurozone -- or at least part of it -- recall that sane people (as opposed to Utopian fantasists) predicted all along that the entire concept was ridiculous. The idea that countries as dissimilar as the leisure-loving southern members like Spain, Italy and Greece (where the retirement age is in the 50's, yet people average living into their 80's) were going to share a common currency with their more industrious northern neighbors (starting with Germany) was absurd and doomed to failure from its birth.
Monsieur Hollande, France's new president -- elected largely by the Muslim vote -- promises to lower the retirement age there from 62 to 60, a move which predictably attracted the slothful and mindless.
Why should we care? Because the economic spillover will inevitably affect us. Negatively. Those nations, collectively, are a major market for American products. Combined with China's economic slowdown, our export trade is in danger of serious decline.

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Obama's off to three fund-raisers today, after doing six last Friday. This is your president "at work," collecting money to pay for more ads lying about Romney, since his own record as president is utterly indefensible.

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The Republican governor of Virginia says certain elements of Obamunism have been helpful to his state. Of course. Since many residents of urbanized (part of the D.C. metro area) northern Virginia are government employees, they're part of the one segment of the population that has done well under Obama; their number has grown by the tens of thousands, even as most of the population has suffered under the economic idiocy perpetrated by the Marxist madmen across the river.

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Florida's (paraphrased) response to the racist Eric Holder and his Justice Department's demand that the state stop removing illegal voters from the list of those eligible to cast a ballot: "Go to hell!"

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So presidential advisor David Axelrod and Holder nearly had a fistfight after a 2009 cabinet meeting. I nearly wrote, "almost came to blows," but feared offending Barney Frank.
Too bad they didn't finish the job, but how do you root for both fighters to lose? Still, put it on pay-TV and I'll ante up!

- - - - -

Suggestion for the mentally-stunted youth who have succumbed to the leftist propaganda of the professariat : Take some of the money being spent on your own brainwashing and buy a ticket to any Eastern European country that struggled for years to get out from under Soviet domination. Ask people there what they think of socialism.
In the meantime, shut the (bleep) up, because you don't know what you're talking about. Inexperience, ignorance and stupidity are a poor basis for making decisions about real issues and no rational person will take you seriously. And assuming you do finally grow up, in twenty years you'll look back and wonder, "How could I have been so dumb?"

- - - - -

Is Obama a socialist? Paul R. Gregory (Forbes Magazine) looks at the overlap of Obama politicies with those of ...
     "...the Party of European Socialists, which represents leftist and socialist parties in the European parliament. French socialist Francois Hollande’s and Obama’s platforms are virtual carbon copies, and Hollande is quite open about and proud of being a socialist.
     "Democrat strategists know that the American electorate reacts strongly negative to 'socialism' and are doing their best to discredit any and all who call Obama a socialist. There can be no doubt that Obama is a socialist in the European reform-Marxism tradition. In France, Obama would be the candidate of the French socialist party. In Spain, he would be at home in the Socialist Worker’s Party. In Germany, Obama would be torn between the Social Democrats and Die Linke.The United States has still to decide whether it wants the European welfare state or not. Obama does. Romney does not.
     "Democrat strategists discredit Obama-is-a-socialist claims by equating them with the ludicrous charge that Obama is a card-carrying communist of the cold war tradition. That is not what is being said. European socialists are proud of their rich tradition. In the United States, however, candidates must conceal rather than openly proclaim their socialist beliefs.
     "The upcoming November election offers American voters a choice that is starker than they understand. Obama brings to the table a deep distrust of free enterprise and a belief in government as the solution to most problems. Romney offers a vision of faith in private enterprise and a distrust of government intervention. Obama will disguise his views with 'fair share' slogans and weak protestations of faith in private enterprise."

- - - - -

Dep't. of Counting Blessings ...
     Whatever other troubles afflict you, be grateful that this summer you're not living in Charlotte or Tampa -- that is, unless you DO live in one of those cities.
     They may be wonderful towns, but for a week in late summer, each is likely to seem like a suburb of hell. Those are the host cities for, respectively, the Democratic and Republican conventions. Along with the predictable traffic chaos, much of it occasioned by VIP's with police escorts, it is easily predictable that a venomous campaign will conclude with wild-eyed crazies coalescing into street mobs.
     With the cops tied up in VIP security chores, criminals will have a field day -- or days.
     Heartiest congratulations to the other cities that sought to host a convention -- and lost.

- - - - -

Must reading today: TOWNHALL.COM ... Bruce Bialosky ... "How Steve Jobs Jobbed the Left." Read it -- and send a link to a liberal friend.

- - - - -

Stella Paul (The American Thinker website) commits heresy ...
     "In 2008, Americans voted to deify a unique man of history. Obama is much more than the first president to be raised by a transsexual nanny in Indonesia. He's also the very first commander-in-chief to thank his drug dealer in his high school yearbook, instead of his mom.
     "In the last election, public schoolteachers forced their students to sing hymns of praise to their puppy-eating Obama-god, and proudly placed their devotionals on YouTube. Media acolytes proclaimed him 'The One and 'The LightBringer,' and audiences fainted dead away at his rallies.
     "And religious people and institutions went right along with the whole preposterous charade, unfazed by this utterly un-American worship of a politician. (Can anyone imagine true believers fainting at an Eisenhower rally?) Obama won 54% of the Catholic vote and 78% of the Jewish vote by tilting his chin towards the heavens, aglow with a media-affixed halo, and offering himself as a Replacement Deity.
     "And when he won the nomination on June 3, 2008, he unleashed this self-sanctifying twaddle: '... Generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment...when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.'. (Though the puppies may be out of luck.)"

- - - - -

While channel-surfing the vast TV wasteland, I occasionally land on an HGTV program about Americans buying houses abroad. I don't blame them for doing so; it's their money. But the level of ignorance displayed in regard to their chosen destination is appalling.
     Many profess a wish to become part of the local culture, but their enthusiasm quickly dims as they learn that many of the conveniences they take for granted at home may be rare or non-existent in other countries. They say they want to live abroad, but they really want to take America with them.
     The utter ignorance of many of these would-be expatriates regarding the politics and history of their prospective homeland is almost frightening. For example, because it's cheap, some folk seem to be buying property in Nicaragua. It's cheap because it's one of the poorest countries in Latin America. And I'd make a sizable bet that most American buyers don't know that the country is run by "Red Danny" Ortega, who was re-elected despite the nation's constitution that specifically forbids an incumbent president running for a second term.
     How did that happen? Easy; he appointed all the judges on the court that (surprise!) found in his favor.
     What could happen to a property owner who foolishly chooses to locate there? This may be instructive: the first time Ortega and his Sandanista communists ran the country in the 1980's, a member of my wife's family was managing a U.S.-owned seafood operation there. The government, in a frenzy to communize the country, (A) blew up his house and (B) grabbed one of his two children off their departing airline flight and held him for years in a brain-washing "school."
     Before relocating -- especially to a third-world country -- be sure that both property rights and human rights are respected. You might learn that having the services of a housekeeper working for low wages may not be such a bargain, after all.

Footnote: I have neighbors who, because of the husband's work, have lived in several foreign countries. They recently moved here from Panama, which is luring American retirees with many government benefits. After enjoying their first few years in Panama City, they felt compelled to leave because crime had accelerated to the point where their luxury high-rise condo building had to be fenced-in with barbed wire as a security measure. And Panama is superior to a place like Nicaragua in every respect.

- - - - -

Richard Dawson ("Hogan's Heroes," "Family Feud") dead at 79. Cancer.

- - - - -

Dr. Bud forwards this item ...
    The Secret Service has issued new rules of conduct for agents.
    They can no longer get drunk, procure hookers or go to strip bars.
    The rules say that from now on, if agents feel compelled to engage in such behavior, they can run for public office like everyone else.

- - - - -

In order to add a note of pretentiousness to this daily screed, I am considering borrowing from Bob Elliot and the late Ray Goulding, radio's Bob & Ray, and adopting -- with minor alteration -- a slogan. How does thiss trike you? "Puissance sans hauteur."
If it sticks, I may have a future as a maitre'd in a French restaurant. I hear the tips are good.

- - - - -

Conan O'Brien --
"A new survey just came out and it finds that sex is better when you're on vacation. Yeah, at least that's what my wife emailed me from the Bahamas."
June 5 --

DECISION DAY IN THE DAIRY STATE ...
OBAMA'S FRANTIC, FUTILE FLAILING VS. FACTS ...
INTERVENTION IN SYRIA: SERIOUSLY FLAWED

Everybody sing along!
     "On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
      Fight on for her fame
      Fight! Fellows! - fight, fight, fight!
      We'll win this game!"

Say "cheese"!

- - - - -

Democrats are hoping the gullible voters they fooled four years ago will come back for a second bite of the same rotten apple. Above all, they are hoping that they can still blame Obama's three-plus years of abject failure on (A) Bush and (B) the current Republican House. That requires that the brainwashed sheeple forget the fact that, for his first two years in office, Obama had a compliant Democrat-controlled Senate AND House.
He got to play his silly, sophomoric, socialist stimulus games unimpeded for two years. Result? Look at the evidence of an economic train-wreck all around you and worsening by the day.
He has nothing to sell except envy and demonizing his opponent.

- - - - -

"To Obama and (Atty. Gen. Eric) Holder, illegal immigrants are just undocumented Democrats." -- Congressman Steve King of Iowa.

- - - - -

The Democrat diehards who continue to enthuse about Obama even in the face of his many and manifest failures are remindful of the biblical story of the golden calf. They have constructed a narcissistic idol and are unwilling to admit that he is nothing more than a creation spun out of their own delusions with no more substance than the Easter bunny.

- - - - -

"Few things are more difficult in politics than confronting failure and learning from it. It is especially difficult when a leader you have championed, and in whom you have placed your highest hopes, turns out to be less than he seemed.
"Such is the dilemma facing liberals in the age of Obama. Barack Obama entered the presidency with his sights and standards very high, and many liberals believed he could be the transformative figure they had been awaiting for generations. But by now it is clear that, by any reasonable measure (including those set out by Obama himself at the beginning of his term), his presidency has been a failure."
-- (Peter Wehner in Commentary) --

- - - - -

Coming full circle ...
"If a mandate was the solution, we can try to solve homelessness by mandating everybody to buy a house." -- Barack Obama during his 2008 Democratic primary campaign vs. Hillary ... criticizing the very element in Obamacare (required purchase of insurance) that may well lead to its overturn by the Supreme Court.
He was against it ... until he was for it.

- - - - -

"A taxpayer voting for Obama is like a chicken voting for Col. Sanders." -- Anonymous Secret Service agent.
-- (Thanks, Greg) --

- - - - -

Presumably well-intentioned prominent people are wringing their hands and insisting that we must intervene in the ongoing massacre in Syria. Given the recent -- and ancient -- history of that wretched region of the world roughly defined as the middle-east, who would make the assumption that the next government wouldn't be as bad for either the Syrian populace or the interests of the United States?
We still await the answer to the question: What have we achieved in Afghanistan at the price of more than 3,000 American lives and billions of dollars?

- - - - -

Dan Sorkin forwards a few imponderables to ... well ... ponder ...
       Only in America could people claim that the government still discriminates against black Americans when we have a black President, a black Attorney General, and a federal workforce that is roughly 18% black when the black population is only 12%.
      Only in America could we have had the two people most responsible for our tax code - Timothy Geithner, the head of the Treasury Department and Charles Rangel who once ran the Ways and Means Committee - turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.
      Only in America can we have terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and have the media primarily react by fretting that Muslims might be harmed by the backlash.
     Only in America would we make people who want to legally become American citizens wait for years in their home countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege while we discuss letting anyone who sneaks into the country illegally just become American citizens.
     Only in America could the people who believe in balancing the budget and sticking by the country's Constitution be thought of as "extremists."
      Only in America could you need to present a driver's license to cash a check or buy alcohol, but not to vote.
      Only in America could people demand the government investigate whether oil companies are gouging the public because the price of gas went up when the return on equity invested in a major U.S. oil company (Marathon Oil) is less than half of what a company that manufactures sports shoes and apparel (Nike) makes.
      Only in America could the people who pay 86% of all income taxes be accused of not paying their "fair share" by people who don't pay any income taxes at all.

- - - - -

A travel tip from Len the haiku master ...
    Off to Mexico?
    Best take your Three Amigos.
    Colt, Glock, and Mossberg.

- - - - -

Barbara presents a compendium of classic humor by Jewish comedians who used to work the Catskill circuit; Shecky Greene, Red Buttons, Joey Bishop, Milton Berle, Alan King, et al ...
     * I just got back from a pleasure trip. I took my mother-in-law to the airport.
     * I've been in love with the same woman for 49 years! If my wife ever finds out, she'll kill me!
     * What are three words a woman never wants to hear when she's making love? "Honey, I'm home!"
     * Someone stole all my credit cards but I won't be reporting it. The thief spends less than my wife did.
     * My wife and I went back to the hotel where we spent our wedding night; only this time I stayed in the bathroom and cried.
     * Doctor: "You'll live to be 60!" Patient: "I am 60!" Doctor: "See! What did I tell you?"
     * The Harvard School of Medicine did a study of why Jewish women like Chinese food so much. The study revealed that this is due to the fact that Won Ton spelled backward is Not Now.

     * A man called his mother in Florida. "Mom, how are you?"
     "Not too good," said the mother. "I've been very weak."
     The son said, "Why are you so weak?" She said, "Because I haven't eaten in 38 Days."
     The son said, "That's terrible. Why haven't you eaten in 38 days?"
     The mother answered, "Because I didn't want my mouth to be filled with food if you should call."

     *Did you hear about the bum who walked up to a Jewish mother on the street and said, "Lady, I haven't eaten in three days." "Force yourself," she replied

     *Short summary of every Jewish holiday: They tried to kill us. We won. Let's eat.

- - - - -

Argus Hamilton --
"Bill Clinton praised both Donald Trump and Mitt Romney in a CNN interview. He has to please both parties. When he speaks to businesses they pay him a hundred-thousand-dollar fee but when he speaks for Obama they shred fifteen pages of his FBI files."

June 6 --

UNIONS NO LONGER MILKING DAIRY STATE ...
POLLSTERS & BIG MEDIA HEARTBROKEN ...
OBLABBER A SECURITY THREAT

... and the Big Media wept ...
... and Obama wept ...
     Even liberal Wisconsin finally awakened to the extortion racket being run by the government employee unions.
     What Wisconsin was all about:
     For more than a century, there was an unstated but universally understood concensus on government jobs vs. jobs in the private sector. It was understood that, for essentially identical work, employment in the private sector would be higher-paid. That was balanced by greater job security on the government payroll plus pension and health-care benefits that usually were equal to or better than in private enterprise employment.
     Democrat politicians colluded with labor unions to break that tacit agreement and begin methodically milking the taxpayers for pay and benefits that far exceeded those being received by those private sector workers who were coerced into supporting unionized government employees.
     The unions, in turn, gave part of the money squeezed from taxpayers back to the liberal pols in campaign contributions, plus providing manpower to get out the vote on election day. And the beat goes on.
     This government-approved extortion is responsible for an enormous part of our government debt and has brought many cities and states into real or de facto bankruptcy. The textbook case is California, which for several decades has been run by lunatics, elected by lunatics. In yesterday's elections, voters in San Diego and San Jose began to fight back.

- - - - -

Rahm Emanuel, mayor of Chicago and part of the political machine that created Barck Obama, is feeling an example of a teachers' union in action. Windy City teachers are demanding a 30% raise over the next two years, plus a cap on class size at 23 students. While he's supported the Democrat in the Wisconsin battle, the Tiny Dancer might want to consult the Republican (still) governor of the Dairy State about an answer to his problem.
The Wall Street Journal checked the numbers and found that the average Chicago teacher makes $76,450, nearly 30% more than the typical private sector worker and teachers work two months less a year. Schools' main source of local funding is property taxes—which would have to rise by 75% to meet all of the union's demands.
A perfect example of the points made in the previous item.

- - - - -

It is ironic that Wisconsin, the first state to foolishly allow government employee unions (even FDR opposed them), sounds the death knell for the racket. And what union members really thought about having the state collude with union bosses is reflected in the fact that, when Gov. Walker stopped the practice of forced collection of union dues by withholding those dues from paychecks, more than half the membership of the members of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) quit paying and dropped out.

- - - - -

Is anyone surprised that death threats are pouring in to Governor Walker?

- - - - -

The "exit" pollsters had it wrong in Wisconsin. They bought into the liberal BS and came out with egg on their faces. Some might wonder if they're also wrong in anticipating a close election, or even an Obama win, in November.

- - - - -

A footnote to yesterday's Wisconsin taxpayer revolt: The practice of politicians colluding with government employee unions in their stranglehold on public services is a major factor in the mob-scenes and shutdowns of public services so often seen in Europe.

- - - - -

Reminder to government employee-union bosses:
"... a man's reach should not exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?” -- Robert Browning.

- - - - -

Madison, Wisconsin, is the state capitol and home to the University of Wisconsin. It is the Berkeley of the midwest, and left-wing stronghold. So nobody should be surprised that the voter turnout in Democrat-run Madison was 119% of registered voters.
Even the Democrat thugs who run Chicago would be impressed.

- - - - -

Were you reassured to hear that yesterday's voting in Wisconsin and several other states would be monitored by the federal Department of Justice? If so, you need mental health counseling, since that department is run by the racist demagogue Eric Holder, who refused to prosecute New Black Panther thugs who threatened voters in Philadelphia in the 2008 election.

- - - - -

"Collective bargaining RIGHTS" can now be properly redefined as "Collective Bargaining PRIVILEGES" where government employees are concerned.

- - - - -

Headline: "Is Barack Obama Too Weak to Win in November?" in left-leaning Newsweek magazine. A sign of the times?
Convinced lefties like Maureen Doud of the NY Times and Chris Matthews of M(arxist)SNBC and many other liberal media shills bemoaning their hero's performance. A sign of the times?
Is that clay seeping out of Obama's shoes?

- - - - -

Did you see the movie "The Devil Wears Prada?" The arrogant bitch magazine editor was based on Anna Wintour of Vogue. She's doing fund-raising -- and commercials -- for Obama.
Nothing like that common touch!

- - - - -

Our self-aggrandizing president and his lackeys just can't keep their mouths shut, and there's a very real danger that national security will suffer as a result. After firm agreements that all concerned would reveal no details of the intelligence work and operational details that went into the raid on Osama bin Laden, presidential ego won out and the story was made public worldwide within a matter of hours.
     As a result of that piece of politically-motivated (Obama: "I -- note 'I' -- got bin Laden, blah, blah") irresponsibility, a helpful Pakistani doctor is being imprisoned by that nation's double-dealing government for 33 years. We can only guess at how many other intelligence operations have been compromised.
     Now the bragging bunch in the White House has proudly claimed to have corrupted computers in Iran's nuclear weapons program, which guarantees the shut-down of that avenue of intelligence gathering and action.
     And all done out of the desperation of an egomaniac who fears that his demonstrated incompetence (or is it deliberate?) is going to cost him his favorite toy, Air Force One.

- - - - -

What is your hard-working, on-the-case President doing today? Attending four fund-raisers in California. Perhaps he's trying to prove what many of us have long suspected: that, on most days, the nation would function better without a President. After all, just because we need a plumber when a pipe breaks doesn't mean we need to pay one 24/7.

- - - - -

As Bill Clinton quotes continue to befuddle Obamunists, keep in mind the strong likelihood that -- wily pol that he is -- the Ol' Hillbilly Whorehopper knows exactly what he is doing by keeping up a facade of support for B.O. while slyly undercutting him.
Does anyone seriously believe he WOULDN'T be pulling the strings if Hillary moved into the Oval Office?

- - - - -

Speaking of rampant egomania ...
Bill Clinton is now bragging about his era of (some) balanced budgets and welfare reform, both of which were crammed down his reluctant throat by a Republican congressional majority.

- - - - -

A curious person might wonder just what Pakistan has in its intelligence files about a young Barack Obama who somehow was able to finance travel to that nation during his college years at a time when only Americans on official business were visiting that wretched country.

- - - - -

Any Democrats who are susceptible to Obama's constant blaming of Congress for his failures should be reminded that it consists of two houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Republicans control only the House, while the Democrat-controlled Senate is the body responsible for not passing a budget for almost three years, in clear violation of the constitution. In a sane country, those Senators responsible would be locked up until they produced a budget.
Or worse.

- - - - -

If you know anyone who still buys the teachers' union blather about ever-increasing education budgets as being "for the children," please let me know. I have a large, reddish-orange bridge from San Francisco north to Marin County I'd like to sell them.

- - - - -

The National Enquirer, frequently dismissed as "tacky" by the Big Media, has a disconcerting habit (to the BM) of breaking stories about liberal icons that turn out to be true. Let's see how much attention the liberal lackeys give to news that the major financial backer of Oprah's failing cable network, Discovery Communications, has bounced her out of her executive job and removed her decision-making powers.
On top of being blackballed at the White House by Michelle Obama, who hates her, these aren't good days for the former Queen of Daytime TV.
See Robert Browning quote above.

- - - - -

It took a British newspaper to blow the whistle on another liberal American TV icon ...
"Barbara Walters, the grande dame of American television news, was forced to apologise on Tuesday night after it emerged that she had tried to use her influence to further the career of a former leading aide of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"Emails seen by The Daily Telegraph show that Walters tried to help Sheherazad Jaafari, the daughter of Syria's UN ambassador, secure a place at an Ivy League university and an internship with Piers Morgan's CNN programme."

- - - - -

The end of an era in music. Herb Reed, the founding member of the Platters a half-century ago, dead at 83.

- - - - -

A cautionary note to lonely North Carolina men. Dating Joyce Gregory of Shelby, N.C., could be hazardous. Following an argument with a 59-year-old man, she grabbed him by the scrotum and squeezed out one of his testicles.
When police arrived to arrest her, Ms. Gregory took off her panties and went wee-wee in the back seat of the patrol car.
The victim was treated at a local hospital and is now available for employment by any middle-eastern potentate who needs a harem guard.

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"According to a new study, the average member of Congress can only speak at a tenth grade level. Which is worse than it sounds, because the average tenth grader speaks at a third grade level."
June 7 --

BIG-NAME DEMOCRATS BAILING OUT ON OBAMA ...
WALKER WALKS THE WALK AND WINS ...
WILL OBAMA GAIN FROM GAY STANCE?

Do the thundering hoofbeats of prominent Democrats publicly disagreeing with Obama's vow to raise taxes by opposing renewal of the Bush cuts at the end of the year ... somehow remind you of the scurrying of rats leaving a sinking ship?
Count on it: Many Democrat members of both houses of Congress and Democrat governors facing the voters in November will be running away from Obama as though they were only faintly connected by party identification.

- - - - -

In the wake of the government-employee unions' resounding defeat in Wisconsin, the question now is how many other governors and mayors of financially-strapped states and cities will have the backbone to emulate Governor Walker and take on the shakedowns that have been bleeding taxpayers for years.
Perhaps governors like Walker, Daniels of Indiana and Christie of New Jersey should begin a consulting service.

- - - - -

When we edit the story down to essentials, Gov. Walker of Wisconsin won because (A) he did what he said he was going to do when he originally ran for the office and (B) was successful in meeting his announced goals.
Result: He got an even bigger share of the vote than that which put him in office in the first place.

- - - - -

Twisting slowly in the wind while trying to spin the results of the Wisconsin election, we get this senseless piece of blather from the Chairperson of the Democratic National Committee, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman
Schtupid ...
"Despite the disappointing outcome of tonight’s election, there is no question that over the past year this recall effort sent a message to Scott Walker that his brand of divisive politics is offensive and wrong."

Suuuure it did. Now, go suck your thumb and go nappy-bye, dope.

- - - - -

Did you see Ann Coulter's election summation in Human Events? Vintage
Annie ...
     "I watched the Wisconsin returns on MSNBC Tuesday night, and it came right down to the wire between 'the Democrats were outspent 7-to-1?' and 'Republicans are stripping union rights!' President Obama wanted to go to Wisconsin, but he just didn’t have time. He’s been doing so many campaign fundraisers lately he barely has time to play golf.
     "The left’s 'outspent' argument is ridiculous. Unions take money by force from members, hire hundreds of political operatives and give them salaries to work on campaigns, then call them 'volunteers' so their work isn’t reported as a campaign contribution.
     "Luckily for them, government employees’ non-punishing work schedules leave them plenty of time to be in a constant state of grievance, demanding recalls after any election they lose, and mobilizing voters.
     "This election had nothing to do with people being paid a fair wage for the work they do. The question is: Do you want a society where the people whose salaries you pay make more than those who pay them?
     "The Democrats will do anything the government unions ask, because (1) It’s not their money they’re spending, it’s the taxpayers’; and (2) Government unions reciprocate by making sure the Democrats keep getting re-elected."

- - - - -

Those liberal lefties don't take defeat too graciously. After it was obvious Gov. Walker had won in Wisconsin, one of the loonies actually slapped opposing candidate Tom Barrett for conceding defeat.
It serves as a reminder that, if you go to bed with snakes, eventually you'll get bitten.

- - - - -

Headline on the left-leaning Politico website ... "Bill Clinton Is out of Control," By Roger Simon.
Does that not imply that he SHOULD be "controlled" by Obama?

- - - - -

Obama's dilemma in a nutshell --
"The punishment of a liar is that, even when he speaks the truth, none believe him." -- Talmud

- - - - -

From Rasmussen polling ...
"Fifty-one percent (51%) of Likely U.S. Voters think taxes will go up if Obama is returned to the White House and Democrats take over Congress, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 31% expect taxes to go up if Mitt Romney is elected and Republicans take control of the House and Senate."

- - - - -

A CNN poll asked people, "What's the most important issue facing the country?"
Result: 52% said the economy, 18% said the federal budget deficit, 14% said health care, 5% said terrorism, 4% said illegal immigration, 3% said Afghanistan, 1% said policies toward gays and lesbians.
That last number might suggest that perhaps the Obamunists over-estimated the political value of endorsing gay marriage. It gets big play from a sympathetic, left-leaning media, but to many it's a "who cares?" issue, while others are actively opposed; indeed, outraged.

- - - - -

"Taxing millionaires and billionaires is at the top of President Obama’s agenda. He plans to use money extracted from 'the rich' to pay for his big government - but not until he’s used their cash to fuel his campaign. Mr. Obama is also all too willing to break bread with the vilified hedge-fund owner or raise a glass with the awful private-equity investor as long as their wallets are open to his billion-dollar quest for re-election. The public should see through this hypocrisy." -- Emily Miller, Washington Times

- - - - -

Between the fast-growing invasions of privacy by government and outfits like Google ... plus the knowledge that the government is using drones within the country ... plus knowing that Obama presumes the right to use drones to kill enemies ...
... a paranoid person might be afraid NOT to tell a pollster he plans to vote for Obama. (There's a movie plot somewhere in this.)

- - - - -

The sentiments of millions are echoed in this quote from David Limbaugh ("The writing Limbaugh," as I've often introduced him on-air, contrasted with brother Rush) ...
“Obama, if he wins, will take it as an indication he’s got a mandate to do even more. And you know he already doesn’t honor the rule of law. He doesn’t honor the Constitution. He does end-runs around it, with abuses of executive authority, administrative ruses — and there’s no telling what he would do. If he’s not kicked out of office after spending this kind of money, after running up what will have been 6 trillion dollars in four years, then we don’t deserve to keep our country.”

Mr. Limbaugh's new book is ”The Great Destroyer: Barack Obama’s War on the Republic”

- - - - -

Jim Eason reports ...
My wife brought home a container of Pirouette cookies. The label reads Made in Indonesia. I wonder, "is there a note inside reading 'actually from Hawaii, trust us'...?"

- - - - -

France's new Socialist President Hollande, elected with large Muslim support, has kept his promise to give his populace what he promised: more of the medicine that has led their economy into a slough of despond. While rational nations are doing the opposite, he's lowered the retirement age to 60.

I am reminded of an observation made by a Vietnamese in conversation with me in a Saigon restaurant a few years ago. He said of the former colonial masters of Vietnam, "The only good thing the French brought with them was a recipe for bread."

- - - - -

Argus Hamilton --
"John Edwards was contrite after a jury acquitted him of laundering a wealthy widow's check to conceal a mistress's pregnancy from his dying wife. All three women are out of his life. It's the first time that an acquittal been saluted on Sports Center as the Play of the Day."

- - - - -

Wonder if Mika "Attila the Hen" Brzezinski of M(arxist)SNBC's little-watched morning show required medical attention for her shock over the Wisconsin election result ...

- - - - -

This week's "Get Over Yourself" award goes to little-known "starlet" Amanda Bynes who got a DUI ticket after hitting a police car in West Hollywood at 3AM. Her response was to send a Tweet message to President Obama asking him to fire "the cop that arrested me." -- (People magazine)

- - - - -

Reader Wes poses this question ...
"How 'bout the Justice Dept. telling Florida they have to stop purging their voting rolls of dead people because it is intimidating to minorities. Doesn't Eric Holder know the dead far outnumber the living and are thus not minorities?"

- - - - -

A working definition of the word "corrupt" in all too many cities: "Building inspector."

- - - - -

With Oklahoma City now in the NBA finals, all will be perfect if the aging Celtics also make it before their "Use by" date.

- - - - -

Cindy Adams, NY Post --
"Prospective buyer asks the real estate broker, “On what floor is the penthouse?”

- - - - -

Dan Sorkin forwards a classic ...
     My wife and I were watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed.
     I turned to her and said, 'Do you want to have sex?'
     'No,' she answered. I then said, 'Is that your final answer?'
     She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying, 'Yes..'
     So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."
And that's when the fight started...

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"The No. 2 guy in al-Qaida has been killed. Who says Obama isn't creating job openings?"
"Former Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak has been sentenced to life in prison. You know, it's too bad we couldn't get the John Edwards trial moved to Egypt."
June 8 --

OBAMA'S "BLAH-BLAH-BLAH" PRESS CONFERENCE ...
WISCONSIN HAS A MESSAGE FOR MICHIGAN DEMOCRATS ...
CBS HONCHO ADMITS MEDIA BIAS

Quick review of the Obama press conference, underway as this is written:
Begins with tired recital of why the recession isn't his fault ... we need to hire more people for government jobs ... it's bad to cut bloated payrolls that drain taxpayers' pockets ... moves to planted questions from pre-selected "reporters" about Europe's problems and another question that had been obviously screened in advance so that an answer could be prepared.
All this nonsense apparently calculated in order to avoid discussing his own chaotic messes and problems. How likely does it seem that a for-real press conference wouldn't have yielded a single question about the Wisconsin result or Bill Clinton's "off the reservation" remarks? It was, in one word, farcical.
His total economic message is: Let's put more people on the government payroll by spending more taxpayer dollars and pretend it's an economic "fix." It's the old game of taking money from one pocket to put in the other pocket -- with the government taking a cut for doing the transfer. All while pretending that "government" money to be handed to states and cities doesn't come from taxpayers IN those states and cities. It's a fool's game, but many fools will buy it. As always.

- - - - -

They don't even know they're being funny. Democrats whining about being "outspent" in the Wisconsin recall debacle they chose to create.
Aside from the millions poured in by unions from all over the country and the uncounted "in-kind" contributions of union personnel involved in get-out-the-vote effort, one might wonder where was all this hand-wringing over excess money being spent when Obama's campaign had a multi-million dollar advantage over McCain just four years ago.
Did Democrats invent hypocrisy, or does it just seem that way?

- - - - -

There was no reason why Democrats should have believed their own boasts that they'd succeed in ousting Wisconsin Governor Walker. He'd already kicked their butts twice and their previous attempt to tilt the state Supreme Court had failed, plus polling from every source indicated they'd fail again.
Perhaps henceforth while they peddle their propaganda they should remember the old bartender's adage: "Booze is to sell, not to drink."

- - - - -

The failed effort to recall the Wisconsin governor had had an echo across Lake Michigan in the state of Michigan. A left-wing group ("progressives") there has abandoned its own campaign to recall Republican Gov. Rick Snyder.
It seems Wisconsin was, to use a favorite Obama term, "a teachable moment."

- - - - -

Peggy Noonan (Wall Street Journal) has a take on the deeper meaning of the Wisconsin outcome ...
     "Governors and local leaders will now have help in controlling budgets. Down the road there will be fewer contracts in which you work for, say, 23 years for a city, then retire with full salary and free health care for the rest of your life—paid for by taxpayers who cannot afford such plans for themselves, and who sometimes have no pension at all. The big meaning of Wisconsin is that a public injustice is in the process of being righted because the public mood is changing.
     "President Obama's problem now isn't what Wisconsin did, it's how he looks each day—careening around, always in flight, a superfluous figure. No one even looks to him for leadership now. He doesn't go to Wisconsin, where the fight is. He goes to Sarah Jessica Parker's place, where the money is.
     "There is, now, a house-of-cards feel about this administration."

- - - - -

San Jose has never achieved the prominence in image of San Francisco, although it's larger in both population and area (locals like to surprise out-of-towners with that little-known tidbit).
It is, however, ultra-liberal, although less flamboyantly than it's near-neighbor. Therefore Tuesday's vote to curb city government employee union benefits may be an indicator that a measure of sanity is making inroads in California.
However, until such a trend manifests itself in statewide votes to make serious changes in the governor's office and a totally irresponsible Democrat-run state legislature, we'll withhold judgment.

- - - - -

Election polls are like the string bikini. What they reveal is interesting; what they conceal is vital.
Keep in mind thru the endless blizzard of polls coming at us from now to November that, while their attempts to track the national popular vote is interesting, the state-by-state electoral vote is the vital factor. So the polling within some key states, to the extent that the poll is credible, is the story to watch.
States like Florida, Ohio, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin.

- - - - -

Cautionary note to Laura Bush! Nancy Pelosi's sounding as if she has a sudden case of the hots for George!

- - - - -

Reader Bill's observations on comedian Chris Rock calling attention to the fact that Obama is half white ...
     "Now even some blacks are distancing themselves now in anticipation of Obama's loss in November. While they will no doubt vote for Obama, folks like Rock still have to earn a living, and openly backing a loser is not good for business."
     ... and ...
     "Bill Clinton's various recent remarks are done to solely limit damage to the Democrat brand name, and more importantly the Clinton name. He anticipates Obama losing and doesn't want to see the whole Democrat party go down in flames with him. He and Hillary also stand to lose a ton of money serving as Board members for various corporations. It's all about ensuring future Clinton access to big money."

- - - - -

An exquisite line from Jonah Goldberg (National Review Online) regarding Bill Clinton's deviations from Obama's message ...
"Watching Bill Clinton act as Barack Obama’s 'No. 1 surrogate,' in the words of NPR, is as exquisitely painful as watching a runaway monkey with a paintball gun at a museum."

- - - - -

Whopper of the week: John Pistole, head of the TSA -- a/k/a "Airport Gestapo" -- says only 7% of the calls they get from the traveling public are complaints. Are we to believe the other 93% are from grateful travelers who enjoy being annoyed and/or molested?
He and his boss, the despicable Janet Napolitano, richly deserve a top-ten position on Romney's list of "people to be fired immediately."

- - - - -

What else do we need to know about Big Media bias after Les Moonves, head of CBS, attends an Obama fundraiser and ADMITS media partisanship?
Generally, Big Media "news" is, at best, their concealed spin ... at worst, outright lying. They are NOT to be trusted.

- - - - -

Too bad it would be regarded as impolitic, much less impolite, for Republicans to use an easily-understood campaign slogan: "Obama, you (bleeped)-up. Get out!"

- - - - -

If the Pinocchio Effect were a reality, (Obama Press Secretary) Jay Carney would need a pushcart to haul his nose around.

- - - - -

From Britain's Express newspaper, some promising news ...
     "A POWERFUL vaccine which can stop Alzheimer’s disease in its tracks has been developed by scientists. The jab, called CAD106, is designed to trigger the body’s immune defence against deposits that are found in the brains of Alzheimer’s victims.
     "Researchers found that 80 per cent of the patients developed their own protective antibodies without suffering any side-effects over the three years of the study.
     "They believe that this suggests CAD106 is suitable for patients with mild to moderate versions of the disease and say it could prove to be the breakthrough in the search for a cure."

- - - - -

The Sky-guy checks in with a compendium of excuses for potentially volatile situations ...
     "Those aren't text messages, dear, that's the latest installment of my romance novel."
     "No, of course it's not a hickey. I was cleaning my car and got the vacuum hose stuck to my neck.
     "No those aren't the hairs of a blond woman on my coat. A sheep dog jumped up on me."
     "No that's not lipstick on the wine glass. I bit my lip and it was bleeding."
     "No, I wasn't looking at that woman's butt. I was trying to see what brand of jeans those are because I was thinking how great you'd look in them."
"No, of course I didn't forget our anniversary. I just haven't been able to think of a gift worthy of you."

- - - - -

And ... in sports ...
Jay Leno --
"I had a terrible nightmare last night. I dreamed that I was a union member in Wisconsin who loved the Miami Heat." (Before last night's blowout of the Celtics!)

Conan O'Brien --
"There was a rumor that President Obama would stop by an L.A. Kings hockey game. He doesn't want to draw attention to himself. He just wants to blend in with all the other black, Hawaiian hockey fans."
June 9 --

OBAMA'S HOOF-IN-MOUTH DISEASE ...
... AND HIS SOCIALIST "NEW PARTY" HISTORY ...
GAME OVER, SO WHY HAVE CONVENTIONS?

It's one of those times when, more than usual, politics descends into farce. After spending most of the week horse-whipping his surrogates into reversing (i.e., "walking back") previous statements about his bungling of the economy, the Big Zero had to do a 180-degree turn on his own stupid remarks about the private sector "being fine."

Are we sure this whole administration isn't a comedy sketch written by Milton Berle? -- or Chris Rock?

- - - - -

Among the many things Obama didn't address at yesterday's bogus "press conference" was his blocking of the pipeline project, which would have created tens of thousands of PRIVATE payroll jobs. Of course, he DID find time to do a full-lips suck-up to the teachers' and other government-employee unions.

- - - - -

Ed Rogers' review of Obama's performance yesterday in -- OMG! -- the liberal WASHINGTON POST! --
"If you are president of the United States and you don’t have anything to say, don’t have a press conference to say it. If you’re the president of the United States and by Thursday it’s widely believed you’ve had one of the worst weeks of your presidency, take Friday off, and specifically avoid having a press conference.
"Anytime you are president and you’re speaking in public at an ill-timed press conference after a bad week, try to have something to say, and do a good job in saying it. I watched the whole thing, but it’s not easy to think of one useful thing that he had to say. And what he said, he said very poorly."

When even the habitually-supine Post publishes such an article about their White House darling, you KNOW his future is likely taking a bad turn.

- - - - -

The Washington Times editorializes on possible reasons for Bill Clinton's undercutting of Obama ...
"Mr. Clinton always wanted to go down in history as one of the great presidents. He rarely makes the list of the top 10, and he has been thoroughly eclipsed by Mr. Obama, whose ethnicity made his election historic from Day One. The current president achieved the health care reform Mr. Clinton could not and ordered the killing of Osama bin Laden when Mr. Clinton would not. Most galling of all is Mr. Obama being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, the recognition Mr. Clinton most sought in his presidency but which eluded him. He then had to witness his former vice president Al Gore be given the prize for his crazy ranting about global warming.
"Helping make Mr. Obama a one-termer will harm Barack’s standing in history, perhaps dropping him below Mr. Clinton on the list of presidential greats. That’s right where Willy wants him."

- - - - -

Why is anyone surprised to learn that only a few years before running for president, Obama was a member of an ultra-left-wing -- i.e., socialist -- third (or tenth) party called "The New Party?"
     It's true ... the record is clear ... but, of course, he lied about it and the Big Media whores covered up for him.
     That "New Party" was a spin-off from the racist, fraudulent ACORN operation, which still gets taxpayer money thru the Obama funnel.
     Only those willfully blind to obvious reality wouldn't have realized long ago where his deepest political inclinations lie. Of course, there are those who DID know -- and love it.

- - - - -

It is one of the tragedies endemic in human nature that the stupid don't realize they ARE stupid (see above).

- - - - -

Analysis of the Wisconsin vote Tuesday shows that -- surprise! -- Gov. Walker won the youth vote. Another bad omen for Obamunism. When even young people with a newly-minted college diploma only have about a 50% chance of finding a job above burger-flipping, even some of the most naive figure out that they've been conned.

- - - - -

Democrats now whine about "out of state" money used in the Wisconsin campaign -- as if lefties and unions coast-to-coast weren't pouring in the bucks; in the case of union money, extorted from workers elsewhere.

Did you see video of that poor, dumb SOB whining on election night about "the death of democracy?" People that mentally-handicapped need to be in a nice, benign institution so they can't injure themselves.

- - - - -

Under questioning by House oversight committee chairman Darrell Issa, senior U.S. Labor Department officials revealed that the Obama administration counts oil lobbyists, bus drivers, garbage men, bicycle shop employees and used-record store clerks as “green jobs.” -- Daily Caller --

- - - - -

Insight from columnist Burt Prelutsky ...
"I don’t like to question anyone’s sanity, just how nuts do you have to be to want to raise taxes in the midst of an economy that is already on life support? I suppose when you owe your academic career and just about everything else to affirmative action, it’s not too surprising that Obama seems blissfully unaware of the fact that his idol, FDR, prolonged the Great Depression by twice raising taxes in the 1930s. Getting the country back to work wasn’t nearly as important to Roosevelt as punishing Republican capitalists. Sound familiar?"
...and Burt adds this ...
"Re-electing Obama would be like the Titanic backing up and hitting the iceberg again."

- - - - -

Since the original purpose of political conventions was to select presidential nominees ... and since we already know the winners ... isn't the whole concept obsolete? Much noise, big expenses ... for what?
Of course, on the positive side, they do give employment to squadrons of hookers.

- - - - -

Add this to your political dictionary ...
"Affordable"-anything: The government will make somebody else (taxpayers) pay for it.

- - - - -

With Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another scratched from the Belmont and thus missing a chance at the Triple Crown of horse racing, I probably won't even watch it. Neither will millions of others. But far better a noble horse not have his life risked in another race. Now he can graze on a nice farm and enjoy the company of shapely mares.
Know who's already gotten burned? Ticket scalpers. After I'll Have Another won the first two of the Triple Crown races, they stocked up on admission tickets at Belmont Park and were re-selling them for many times over the face value. As soon as the horse was scratched, the bottom fell out of demand and now they're taking a loss on them -- if they can sell them at all.

- - - - -

If two people have significantly different views on saving/spending or politics, a marriage MAY work -- but the odds are against it. Incompatible views of either ranks right up there with sex as a reason for marital friction. And there's no such thing as "great make-up ... political discussion."

- - - - -

It's an enduring monument to the failure of America's "education" system. The ignorance about the plural word "media" is so all-encompassing, people employed in that industry use it as a singular as if to advertise their ignorance. You hear or read it all the time; "The media IS doing this-or-that ..."
I admit that it grates on my ear as much as some illiterate clod saying, "Me and my wife IS going to do this-or-that ..."

- - - - -

A three-truck crash on Interstate 40 in Albuquerque, N.M., in May destroyed one truck and sent two people to the hospital with minor injuries. One tractor-trailer carrying a load of charcoal and charcoal lighter fluid crashed into the rear of a tractor-trailer carrying frozen meat. The lighter fluid facilitated a huge fireball/barbecue.
-- Albuquerque Journal --

- - - - -

From haiku master Len, observations re the occasional "bleep" on radio, TV and in this screed ...
     Bleep you liberals.
     Bleep all you bleepin' leftists.
     You don't know Jack bleep.

- - - - -

Ineptitude in crime ...
A suspected thief was taken to the police station in Panama City, Florida. While awaiting questioning in the interrogation room, he got caught stealing the clock on the wall and trying to stash it in his backpack.

- - - - -

Argus Hamilton --
"NASA astronomers report that the Earth will be destroyed in four billion years when the Milky Way collides with the Andromeda Galaxy. The Hubble Telescopes can see the crash coming. The Mayans just issued a new calendar with twelve more zeros on it."

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"There were some tense moments during President Obama's visit to Los Angeles. Three private planes drifted into his restricted air space. And as you know, the president's restricted air space can be penetrated only by people donating more than $35,000."
June 10 --

PRISONERS IN LOVE WITH THEIR CAPTOR ...
NOT EVERYONE THINKS LIKE YOU -- OR ME ...
WHAT A REAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE LOOKS LIKE

A key element in Obama's approach to an election in which, by all rational measures, he should have no chance, is a political version of the Stockholm Syndrome. That's the mental state that afflicts some hostages or kidnap victims in which they come to sympathize and identify with the very people holding them captive.
The political version, which Obama has already put in place, works similarly. You create economic conditions in which millions are unemployed, then give them government handouts, making them feel dependent upon you and therefore emotionally obligated to vote for you.
Obscene, but it works with multitudes.

- - - - -

Conservatives and liberals share a common failing in their analysis and expectations regarding elections and political trends. Since human nature leads us to spend most of our time in the company of people with whom we agree, there is an almost automatic expectation that most people think as do the people within our own social circle. This always leads to many people being greatly surprised the morning after an election.
For instance, there were liberals who believed to the bitter end that Jivin' Jimmy Carter was going to defeat the hated Reagan and win a second term. More recently, there was Wisconsin ...
Then there were Republicans who couldn't believe a couple of wooden campaigners like Dole and McCain could lose to, respectively, a draft-dodger and a nonentity of no accomplishment other than a facility for using a teleprompter.

- - - - -

Can Ron Paul fanatics really be so dumb that they don't realize their ongoing effort to undercut the Romney campaign, if successful, will only guarantee giving Obama four more years?
Apparently the answer is, "Yes, they CAN be that dumb." Or petty, spiteful, vengeful ...

- - - - -

One of the more interesting states to watch thru the presidential campaign and election will be Colorado. Reduced to basics, the question is whether so many Californians who have moved there, have brought with them the political insanity that has plunged their former home-state into fiscal quicksand and an unsustainable political culture. Judging from local election results and polling in Colorado, it's a close call.

Here in Arizona, there's an undercurrent of fear that the influx of California refugees from that state's general nuttiness may bring the infection that might take root here. In my neighborhood and many others throughout 'zona, California transplants are viewed with deep suspicion, although it's usually leavened with the kind of hospitality that the newcomers may find unfamiliar.
When I built a house here and moved to Arizona ten years ago, coming from San Francisco and its well-deserved reputation for all-around craziness, acceptance came only after considerable scrutiny.

Arizonans ask of Californians who come here and attempt to replicate the very culture they left ... the same question many Californians ask of immigrants (legal or not) from south of the border: "If you thought things were so great back there, why didn't you STAY there?" We do NOT want our state "Californiaized."

- - - - -

Remember this for the inevitable "spin" after any election ...
Even if the winner barely ekes out a one-point win, his spokesparrots will claim he has a "mandate" to carry out whatever cockamamie schemes he has in mind.
If the winner is victorious in a landslide, the losing side will claim he does NOT have a "mandate."

The meaning of the very word, "mandate," was a lot clearer when I lived in San Francisco.

- - - - -

Wonder what an economic collapse might look like? Business Insider carries a report on what's going on in Greece right now. Here's a small sample ...
     "Tourism, Greece’s second largest industry after the shipping industry, and already in a downdraft, is taking another hit as tour bus drivers will go on strike for four days next week; wage negotiations have deadlocked. Owners demand that drivers take a 50% cut in pay and benefits on top of the 20% cut they’ve already suffered. (Footnote to tourists: only fools go to Greece these days.)
     "The National Organization for Healthcare Provision (EOPYY), Greece’s state-owned health insurer, hasn’t paid pharmacists for months and owes them 540 million euros ($675 million).
    "In turn, pharmacists are refusing to sell medications to insured patients, including cancer patients, unless they’re paid in cash—and even hospitals are reporting shortages. And unpaid bills are now threatening Greece’s electricity supply.
     "Greek politicians, even the new generation, are sticking to their time-worn strategy: vote-buying with ruinous promises that can only be fulfilled with an endless flow of borrowed money."

Does that concluding formula sound familiar? It should. It's precisely what Obama is doing.

- - - - -

It could only happen in the loony liberal media. This headline in the Washington Post ...
"It is time for governments to borrow more money"

Do we need more evidence that liberals are crazy?

- - - - -

“The notion that my White House would purposely release classified national security information is offensive.” -- Barack Obama at his latest "press conference."
Offended you may be, Mr. President, but what do you say to the mountains of evidence -- printed in the leftist NY Times, no less -- that you are guilty? And "offended" is not denial.

- - - - -

"The smaller the man, the easier it is for him to believe in his own greatness." -- Yalkut Shimoni, quoted in Jewish World Review

Remind you of any White House occupants you know?

- - - - -

Mark Steyn with a guide to Obama's endless celebrity fundraisers ...
     "Any American can attend an Obama event for a donation of a mere $35,800 – the cost of the fundraiser hosted by Dreamworks honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg, and the one hosted by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett, and the one hosted by Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas. $35,800 is a curiously nonround figure. Perhaps the ticket cost is $36,000, but under Obamacare there's a $200 co-pay.
     "However, there are some cheap seats available. Democrats in Rhode Island paid $7,500 per person for the privilege of having dinner with President Obama at a private home in Providence. He showed up for 20 minutes and then said he couldn't stay for dinner. "I've got to go home to walk the dog and scoop the poop," he told them, because when you've paid seven-and-a half grand for dinner nothing puts you in the mood to eat like a guy talking about canine fecal matter.
     "For a donation of $35,800, he'll pose with you in a Seal Team Six uniform with one foot on Osama's corpse (played by Harry Reid). For a donation of $46,800, he'll send an unmanned drone to hover amusingly over your sister-in-law's house. For a donation of $77,800, he'll install you as the next president-for-life of Syria (liability waiver required). For a donation of $159,800, he'll take you into Sarah Jessica's guest bedroom and give you the full 007 while Carly Simon sings Nobody Does It Better'."

- - - - -

Confidential to Bill Clinton: If you REALLY want to help Obama -- a doubtful proposition at best -- you might remind him of your own words, "The era of big government is over." He clearly didn't get the message.

- - - - -

An apt biblical reference from reader Grover in Idaho ...
"Your report that the Madison (Wisconsin) turnout for last Tuesday's election was 119% of registered voters reminded me of the many Bible verses that state that the dead shall rise again. However, on further reflection I thought it might relate closer to 2 Timothy 4:3 ...
2 Timothy 4:3 -- 'For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear'."

- - - - -

The disputed split-decision in the Bradley-Pacquiao boxing match (favor of Bradley) reminds one of the classic definition of horse-sense: The reason why horses don't bet on people.

- - - - -

Dan Sorkin forwards excerpts from a medical dictionary, attributable to whatever regional or ethnic group you care to demean ...
     Artery -- The study of paintings.
     Bacteria -- Back door to cafeteria.
     Barium -- What doctors do when patients die.
     Benign -- What you be, after you be eight.
     Caesarean Section -- A neighborhood in Rome.
     Cat scan -- Searching for Kitty.

- - - - -

Conan O'Brien --
"Comedian Bill Maher has purchased a minority share of the New York Mets. He's going to change the team's name to the New York Smirking Atheists."
June 11 --

LIBERALS WANT YOU UNARMED AND DEFENSELESS ...
OBAMA'S OBSESSION WITH GROWING THE PUBLIC PAYROLL ...
DEMOCRATS LOVE THE 1% -- IF NAMED KENNEDY, KERRY, ETC.

It was bound to happen after all the hype over the Trayvon Martin shooting. An attack on so-called "stand your ground" laws in several states, including Florida. The government's instrument for for this "investigation" is the Civil Rights Commission. One of the commission members is a former member of the notoriously loony San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
     The clear goal is to kill state laws that enable a citizen to use deadly force when in imminent danger of being assaulted. In other words, there are elements within the U.S. government that want to make it illegal for you to defend yourself against criminals. In more other words, they are determined that your role in any such encounter is to be a hapless victim.
     The Florida law was inspired by an epidemic of carjackings. When criminals figured out that they just might find themselves staring down the barrel of a .38, the epidemic abated. And liberal protests that allowing law-abiding citizens to be armed would result in another epidemic of shootings by newly-armed people prepared to defend themselves proved to be a false alarm.
     All in all, it reaffirmed the code of the old west: "An armed society is a polite society." Tough guys are less inclined to bully someone who just may be packing heat.

- - - - -

Democrats endlessly replay Romney's admittedly maladroit line about liking to fire people; replay it out of context, of course.
Actually, anybody who's ever had any experience with any government agency, from the DMV to the TSA to the IRS to the guy leaning on his shovel at the government "infrastructure" job knows full well that firing the incompetent, slothful and inefficient is the ONLY way to fix a failing business -- or government. If you've never encountered such a person in any government operation, count yourself fortunate -- and rare.

- - - - -

Mickey Kaus (Daily Caller) reacts to Obama's concern about shrinkage of government jobs, while maintaining -- then correcting himself -- that the private sector is "fine" ...
"The problem is that many voters (myself included) don’t think government jobs are just another sector. We want the number of housing and manufacturing jobs to keep growing–the more the merrier, all things being equal. We don’t want the number government jobs to keep growing, in part because we pay for them without the assurances, offered in a competitive private economy, that we’re getting our moneys worth or that the jobs are necessary at all. It’s one thing to boost government jobs as a temporary stimulus measure. It’s another thing to never let federal, state and local governments shrink to a more sustainable size."

- - - - -

Romney's wealth is now an issue as the Democrats turn to their old reliable, envy politics. But big bux were never a concern when they considered Roosevelt, Kennedys, Kerry, etc.

- - - - -

Wouldn't the proper term be "Regressives" instead of "Progressives" for people who want to return to Roosevelt's 1930's policies that prolonged the depression?

- - - - -

Polls show Hillary to be the most popular politician in the country in a count obviously heavily weighted with Democrats.
One question for those so enchanted: Exactly what has she accomplished? Let's hear a list of her concrete achievements.
If the American public had asked -- and gotten answers -- to a similar question four years ago, it's unlikely we'd have the ongoing embarrassment that IS Barack Obama in the White House.

- - - - -

An oversimplified one word explanation for the inbred nature of American politics, unfair but with a large dollop of truth: Harvard.
When frequent candidates of both parties wallow in the same culture, the concerns of average Americans fail to penetrate the layer of elitist skin they develop.

- - - - -

I would not want to be a functionary of any government agency currently involved in trying to deny the tough little town of Tombstone, Arizona ("The town too tough to die"), water to the residents of that community.
Sounds like hazardous duty in a place still haunted by the likes of Wyatt Earp and his brothers, the Clanton family and Doc Holliday, of whom it was said, “Doc was a dentist whom necessity had made a gambler; a gentleman whom disease had made a frontier vagabond; a philosopher whom life had made a caustic wit; a long, lean, ash-blond fellow nearly dead from consumption, at the same time the most skilful gambler and the nerviest, speediest, deadliest man with a six-gun I ever knew.” -- Wyatt Earp, San Francisco Examiner - August 2, 1896.

- - - - -

I was a youthful lad in radio when I worked with Dewey Phillips, whose colorful life is the centerpiece of the long-running Broadway hit show, "Memphis." If anyone among our readers has seen it, I'd appreciate whatever opinions might be offered before I fly to New York to see it. Ol' Dewey was one wild dude. Wink Martindale (of quiz-show fame) and I were part of the lineup that included Dewey at a great radio station, WHBQ.

- - - - -

Re yesterday's reference to Arizonans' resistance to being "Californiaized": I did consider another bastardized word, "Californicated," but being a person of impeccable taste ...

- - - - -

Dr. Bud provides some fascinating facts about the human body ...
    It takes your food seven seconds to get from your mouth to your stomach.
    One human hair can support 6.6 pounds.
    The average man's penis is two times the length of his thumb.
    Human thighbones are stronger than concrete.
    A woman's heart beats faster than a man's.
    There are about one trillion bacteria on each of your feet.
    Women blink twice as often as men.
    The average person's skin weighs twice as much as the brain.
    Your body uses 300 muscles to balance itself when you are standing still.
     If saliva cannot dissolve something, you cannot taste it.

Women will be finished reading this by now.
Men are still busy checking their thumbs.
June 12 --

"WISDOM OF THE VOTERS" IS BULL-BLEEP ...
HOWARD DEAN, STILL A RAVING LUNATIC ...
GOVERNMENT PAYROLL LEECHES "DOING JUST FINE"

In election years, we often hear, "I'm leaving the country if so-and-so wins!" Usually this is to be taken with a large grain of salt. But not always.
     Over the weekend I had a too-short visit with friends whom I hold in high esteem. They escaped from the Soviet Union as a young couple at the height of the cold war and managed finally to reach the U.S. virtually penniless, stopping briefly in other countries along the way. They literally did leave the old USSR with only the clothes they were wearing.
     In the U.S., they made successful lives and careers.
     They have already begun laying the groundwork for an eventuality they hope will not come about. However, given that they've already demonstrated the determination needed to do so, when they tell me flat-out that if Obama is re-elected they're moving to another country, I believe them.
     As they said, "We've seen this country at its best; we don't want to hang around and see it at its worst."

- - - - -

Media people are given to frequent laudatory outbursts about "the collective wisdom of the great American people." Massages the ego of the listener/reader. A feel-good stroke.
     Bullfeathers.
     Long before more than half the nation's voters were seized by collective hysteria and elected a nonentity of no real accomplishment whose only skill was reading monstrous lies from a teleprompter, I had a deep skepticism about that widely-accepted wisdom.
     Perhaps my cynical view was fostered by living most of my life in three major cities. One was Chicago, where the sheeple have meekly submitted to -- and supported -- a vast and corrupt political structure. Another was Miami, where corruption and cronyism have been at the core of local politics for decades. Then more years in the lunatic world of San Francisco, where crazy people are regularly elected and re-elected by even crazier people.
     That's why if you're looking for an encomium for the wisdom of the voters, you done come to the WRONG place!

- - - - -

I have one major guiding thought regarding Mitt Romney's ultimate choice of a running mate. He, or she, had better be checked out very, very, very carefully. If the chosen one so much as belched at the dinner table at age seven, it'll be blown up to something akin to treason by the Obama campaign.

- - - - -

Jennifer Rubin succinctly nails it in her "Right Turn" column in the WashPost ...
"What’s Obama’s big idea? The only specific one is not very big — pass his stimulus proposal to hire more teachers and build more schools. That’s it. It is not a serious economic recovery plan but instead a talking point to blame Congress for not doing something."

- - - - -

May we assume that Commerce Secretary John "Crash" Bryson took his driving lessons from Ted Kennedy?

- - - - -

Yitzhak Rabin, the former Prime Minister, once joked to me that Moses had wandered in the wilderness and finally settled in the one place in the middle-east with no oil. Israel.
That may no longer be the case. A major oil-field has reportedly been discovered offshore.

- - - - -

Howard Dean, the screaming lunatic who once (2004) aspired to the Democrats' presidential nomination and was rewarded for his manic behavior by being named party chairman, spoke to an audience of left-wing bloggers over the weekend and compared Mitt Romney to Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadenijad.
"Still Crazy After All These Years" -- Paul Simon

- - - - -

Today's Significant Statistic ...
The average age of aircraft flown by the U. S. Air Force is 25 years.
If that doesn't make you nervous ... it should.

- - - - -

Michael Ledeen (PJ Media) looks at leaks ...
"I once had a long discussion about leaks with Richard Helms, a thoughtful gentleman who steadfastly refused to reveal state secrets even when threatened with imprisonment. Helms was director of Central Intelligence for many years, and he told me that he had often been asked to identify the source(s) of leaks of sensitive information. 'We always found the leaker(s),' he said, 'but then nothing happened. Why? 'Because most of the time the leaker was so high-ranking that there was no desire to prosecute or punish.' He said that he’d identified the likes of cabinet secretaries in some of his investigations.
"There are two invaluable lessons from Richard Helms’ reflections on leakers. Lesson One: If you want to know who leaked it, you will know. Then add Lesson Two: But you are not likely to be happy with the answer."

- - - - -

Frank Gaffney (Washington Times) asks the pertinent question ...
     "Suddenly, congressional leaders of both parties are demanding investigations into serial disclosures of national security secrets on President Obama’s watch. The truth of the matter is that we already know what we need to about those leaks. The question is: Will anybody do anything about them?"

Answer: probably not. And again, we know why. Political cowardice, corruption and Republican fear of the charge of racism, which is already being used as a weapon in Obama's otherwise hapless re-election campaign.
     ... to which Editor Emeritus Wes Pruden adds ...
     "Rarely in human history has a nation turned itself inside-out and bottom side-up to make amends for racial injustice. It’s the essence of authentic bigotry to ascribe evil motives this year to those who, with ample cause, prefer someone other than Barack Obama for president. Many Democrats and their toadies in the media insist that we must shield Mr. Obama from the consequences of his incompetence simply because he’s black. So who are the racists?"

- - - - -

Cutting thru all his lies and laments about needing to support more government-paid jobs, here's the reality. Under Obama, the total number of people getting paychecks financed 60% by your taxes and 40% by money borrowed mostly from China has grown 11.4% -- 225,000 people -- since he took office. This while more than 4 1/2 million people in private enterprise were LOSING their jobs.

- - - - -

A Texas father caught a man sexually molesting his four-year-old daughter. He beat him to death with his fists. Good.

- - - - -

Chicago teachers have voted to strike. Given that it's demonstrably one of the worst school districts in the nation, graduating thousands of utterly ignorant young people every year ... will anyone be able to discern a difference?
A Chicago faculty member once told me, "We're not teachers, we're wardens."

- - - - -

An unfortunate -- but apt -- acronym ...
In the European nations that make up the Eurozone (i.e., those nations that use the common currency, the Euro, worth about $1.25 in U.S. money) they refer to those nations teetering on the brink of fiscal disaster as "the PIGS".
Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain.
All represent the unsustainable folly of living beyond their means, which is precisely what our own government is doing today. But people who support Obama are either too stupid to understand it -- or just don't care, so long as their "gimme now" attitude (temporarily) prevails.

- - - - -

Think the cost of living is high here? Consider Tokyo, again the world's most expensive city, where a cup of coffee will set you back upward of $8. Second-highest, surprisingly, is Luanda, Angola.
Want a nice apartment in Hong Kong? Ante up something north of $7,000 per month. Australian prices are skyrocketing, as attested by friends who were there recently.
On the other hand, if you want life on the cheap, head for Karachi, Pakistan. While humming the old Sinatra hit, "My Kind of Town."

- - - - -

Re my earlier gratuitous slap at Harvard, reader Todd sends this apt quote ...
"I would rather be governed by the first 2000 people in the Boston telephone directory than by the 2000 people on the faculty of Harvard University." -- William F. Buckley

- - - - -

Now playing for the NBA's Weather Bureau trophy ... Heat and Thunder!

- - - - -

Is Cher now senile -- or just nuts?

- - - - -

Argus Hamilton --
"The Senate demanded a probe into recent leaks of top-secret intelligence to the New York Times. Everyone has adjusted. Last week the CIA got rid of six al-Qaeda fighters in Pakistan by telling President Obama they're CIA informants, and making him promise not to tell a soul."

- - - - -

Dan Sorkin passes along a story with a moral ...
     A drunk man who smelled like beer sat down on a subway next to a priest. The man's tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half-empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and began reading.
     After a few minutes the man turned to the priest and asked, "Say, Father, what causes arthritis?"
     The priest replies, "My Son, it's caused by loose living, being with cheap, wicked women, too much alcohol, contempt for your fellow man, sleeping around with prostitutes, and lack of a bath."
     The drunk muttered in response, "Well, I'll be @#%." He then returned to his paper.
     The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man and apologized. "I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?"
     The drunk answered, "I don't have it, Father. I was just reading here that the Pope does."

MORAL: Make sure you understand the question before answering.

June 13 --

ANALYZING AN ARIZONA ANOMALY ...
THE "FIX" WILL BE NEITHER FAST NOR THOROUGH ...
OBAMA'S FAILURES CONTINUE TO MULTIPLY

Unadulterated bull-crap department: Obama saying that China MAY be subject to sanctions if they don't go along with pressure on Iran over nukes.
You, I and every yak-herder in Mongolia know damned well he will do no such thing. He "owes his soul to the company store" -- and the store is run from Beijing.

- - - - -

To the great surprise of no one who covers politics in Arizona, Ron Barber, the Democrat, prevailed in the special election for the congressional seat occupied by Democrat Gabrielle Giffords.
     Although Republican Jesse Kelly nearly beat Ms. Giffords two years ago and was superior to Barber by any rational measure, the Democrat had two things going for him. First, he was a member of Giffords' staff and was wounded in the shooting by the lunatic who almost killed her, so there was a big sympathy vote for the knee-jerk political hack.
     Secondly, the district encompasses the giant University of Arizona, with all that implies: a largely liberal faculty and a student body that, like counterparts on other campuses, feels good about liberal legislation for which somebody else will be paying.
     Largely because of the presence of the University, Tucson taxes are much higher than in my own locale, some twenty miles away. And while we get our electricity from exactly the same source (Arizona Public Service Co. is the wholesaler) Tucson Electric's rates are roughly twice as high as the independent power company in my little town.
     You may take this as gratuitous advice on real-estate shopping. It's virtually guaranteed that if you locate in a town where a sizable university if located, you will pay higher taxes, directly or indirectly, than neighboring communities. It's an inevitable result of having largely leftist professors brainwashing the young, inexperienced and gullible.

Post-script: Congresswoman Giffords by all accounts was very good at tending to political basics, i.e., having her staff help constituents who had problems with government agencies. And, knowing Arizonans, she stood firmly for gun ownership rights. Yes, the irony is clear.

- - - - -

California insanity in a nutshell:
The state has 1/8th of the nation's population, but 1/3rd of the nation's welfare recipients.
Now we can expect some product of the state's public education system to tell us that's okay, because "eight is bigger than three."

- - - - -

A few words about realism.
As the fever builds in another election season and for each side expectations enlarge, it's good for our long-term mental health to remember that most of those expectations will not be met. Even if Romney wins and Republicans take control in both houses of Congress, as conservatives generally hope, expect only a moderation and limitation of the insanity that guides our government today. The cancer of stupidity may be treated, but not cured.
And always remember: "Blessed are those who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed."

- - - - -

The revelations -- via the left-wing NY Times, no less -- about our intelligence operations make it blatantly obvious that Barack Obama would happily sell-out the security of the United States if he thinks it would enhance his re-election chances with the rabble. Anyone who doesn't see him as a threat to the very survival of this nation is stupid beyond redemption. It is fruitless to argue with them; they're like human marshmallows in the throes of ecstasy over a demagogic TV preacher.

- - - - -

Consider this: It's widely acknowledged among people who know about oil production that the U.S. has available a supply of petroleum that could conceivably eclipse the likes of Saudi Arabia. But the gullible fools who made up more than half the electorate in 2008 placed in the White House a Marxist who prevents production of it.
Footnote: North Dakota, where oil resources are located on private land that Karl's protege can't block from production, is getting so much income for the state treasury that they even considered eliminating property taxes, although that proposition lost at the polls.
One fact is already established. North Dakota has now replaced California as the nation's #3 oil producer, after Texas and Alaska, because Obama couldn't stop it.

- - - - -

When even the liberal Washington Post devotes a major story to the fact that from 2007 to 2010 the net worth of the average American family dropped by almost 40%, the message should be (but isn't) clear to the dumbest liberal: It is time to clean house in Washington and rid ourselves of the idiots who created this debacle and think they can fix it with even more reckless government spending.

- - - - -

Wily Arnold Ahlert is bemused by the utter silliness that prevails on the left ...
     "To be exceedingly kind, government union workers and the president are standing on the wrong side of history. For them and their ilk, everything good in life comes from the state and goes to the people. That's not only the essence of arrogance, it's exactly backwards. But don't take a conservative's word for it. Take it from the tens of thousands of former dues-paying union members who stopped contributing, once it was no longer mandatory to do so. Union "solidarity?" What a giant steaming load, slowly being revealed for the fraud it has been for quite some time.
     "Yet if it were up to the president, the fraud would not only continue, it would be expanded.
     "Mr. Obama is an economically ignorant, out-of-touch narcissist who characterized American forces as 'fighting on MY behalf'."

- - - - -

Let's be clear. Eric Holder, our racist, devious Attorney General, is trying to rig the November election in the key state of Florida by prohibiting that state's removal of illegal aliens, dead people and others not entitled to vote from their voting rolls.
Of course he is trying to prevent the removal of those named, because he knows who will benefit from those bogus votes. His boss, who rose from the Chicago political machine that's been collecting graveyard votes for over a century.
I have it on good authority that Al Capone voted in the last Chicago election. Twice.

- - - - -

Dan Sorkin unearthed this, from The Washington Post/Associated Press ...
"The Arctic Ocean is warming up, icebergs are growing scarcer and in some places the seals are finding the water too hot, according to a report to the Commerce Department yesterday from Consulafft, at Bergen, Norway .
"Reports from fishermen, seal hunters, and explorers all point to a radical change in climate conditions and hitherto unheard-of temperatures in the Arctic zone. Exploration expeditions report that scarcely any ice has been met as far north as 81 degrees 29 minutes."

PS from Mr. Sorkin-- "I apologize, I neglected to mention that this report was from November 2, 1922, as reported by the AP and published in The Washington Post."

Hard to believe that Obama's still trying to peddle this throughly discredited "global warming" fraud.

- - - - -

Have you ever seen a more uncomfortable public figure than Obama's press secretary, Jay Carney? Understandable. How would you like to face cameras and squadrons of (admittedly mostly sympathetic) reporters day after day, telling what you -- and they -- know to be outlandish lies and obfuscations?
Even if Obama's successful in fooling the sheeple again in November, how long before Carney quits?

- - - - -

"WARNING: MEDIA BUTT-KISSER AT WORK"
"Why does the White House seek out interviews with local television affiliates? Maybe its because they ask questions like these: 'Mr. President, we've heard you sing, we've seen you do stand up at the correspondents dinner.' Tom Wills of WJXT in Jacksonville, Fla. stated. 'I was just wondering if you would give any thought to being on 'American Idol' or 'America's Got Talent'?' he asked. '"You'd be a big hit Mr. President'."
-- The Washington Times --

- - - - -

Bad days in the newspaper biz. The New Orleans Times-Picayune, the only daily in the city, is cutting a third of it's employees -- more than 200 -- and cutting back to publishing only three days a week.

- - - - -

In the business world, they call it "vertical integration" ...
Aaron Weber of Lakeland, Florida, was busted for stealing a tow truck. He used the tow truck to steal other cars and trucks.

- - - - -

My friend Richard Lederer ... the Wordman ... the world's foremost authority on the English language ... calls it "the fear of 'me'," the tendency among many, confused over whether to use "I" or "me," to settle for the lame compromise of using "myself."
Miss Bell, my long-ago English teacher (gifted with a prodigious rack, by the way!) taught the simple way to remember the I-or-me dilemma. If it's a reference to, say, someone doing something to/for two of us, "He/she did it to/for Murgatroyd and ... ME." You simply mentally remove Murgatroyd from the equation and think, "He did it for ME." After all, you wouldn't say, "He did it for I."
Time for recess. Murgatroyd and I will ogle Miss Bell. Then she will punish Murgatroyd and ME. Murgatroyd will enjoy it, the little perv.

- - - - -

Are there really people who are actually excited at seeing Madonna's nipple? They must go wild at the sight of an inverted belly-button ...

- - - - -

Argus Hamilton, Jewish World Review --
"The House of Representatives had a brief ceremony honoring Nancy Pelosi to mark her twenty-fifth anniversary in Congress. She was expressionless as they handed her the plaque. This is why Botox is the choice of poker champions everywhere."

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"Lindsay Lohan is OK after she totaled her rented Porsche. Authorities said they've ordered a psychiatric evaluation. Not for Lindsay — for the idiot who rented her a Porsche."

"Commerce Secretary John Bryson has been cited for felony hit and run after he crashed into a car. Then he drove away and hit another car. He said he had a seizure — to which Lindsay Lohan said, 'Why didn't I think of that? I had a seizure!'."

June 14 --

BARACK OBAMA AS BART SIMPSON ...
UNEMPLOYMENT: FIGURES LIE & LIARS FIGURE ...
WALLS CLOSING IN ON HOLDER AND HIS EVASIONS

"I didn't do it and besides, you can't prove it!"
     Even if a voter is willing to swallow the endless Obama line, "I inherited this economic mess," at what point does that voter wise up and demand an answer to, "Just what have you done in almost four years to FIX it?"
     Burying the nation deeper into debt certainly hasn't done the job. Bill Clinton's reported observation that the guy doesn't know what he's doing should get the attention of even the most devoted, dogmatic and deranged Democrat.
     Not knowing what he's doing is the kindest interpretation to be given the actions of Obama. The number of people is growing who think, given his obvious anti-American attitude, that it's a case of deliberately undermining the country. In the books he purportedly wrote, he seethes with hatred for this nation.
     That "average American" who's lost 40% of his/her net worth during the Obama years would have to be mentally incompetent to believe that four more years of Obamunism is the answer. Unless voters have collectively lost their minds -- always a distinct possibility -- the election should be a blowout on the scale of Reagan-Carter.
     Obama blames his troubles on his predecessor. We might wonder if he ever considers what his successor might have to say about HIM.

- - - - -

Obama "recovery" note: In May, foreclosures nationwide hit their highest number in two years, three months. Short sales were up 25% in the first quarter of this year, a three-year high.

- - - - -

“Give Us Two More Years. If It Doesn’t Work, You Have Another Election In Just Two Years. You Can Vote Us All Out Then.” -- Bill Clinton, 2010

- - - - -

The game goes on; Obama's administration announces unemployment figures ... the correction, invariably upward, comes the next week. Last week's announced figure of new applications for unemployment compensation -- 380,000. This week's corrected number -- 386,000.

- - - - -

Be forewarned: Unemployment figures, understated already, may be distorted even more as & if Obama's nominee to head the Bureau of Labor statistics gets the job, as appears likely. She's an ultra-left-winger who would obviously try to make Obama's record look as good as she could.
Senate Republicans should be raising hell about this -- but aren't. Typical.

- - - - -

The irony -- and hypocrisy -- are just ... staggering. The same incompetent White House occupant who's spent 3 1/2 years saying all his problems are Bush's fault are now complaining that Republicans are saying the problems are HIS (Obama's) fault.

- - - - -

Our government is run by a bunch of fools acting like drunk children in a toy store with a credit card.
The federal deficit (difference between income and outgo) in May was more than twice as bad as last year.
The numbskulls of Obamaland ran up a net loss for May 2012 of $125 BILLION dollars.
Do that in the real world and you go to prison for fraud.

- - - - -

Credit to Founder's Quote Daily ...
"I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious." -- Thomas Jefferson, 1824
If he thought it was bad THEN, he should see it NOW!

- - - - -

Our transparently phony racist Attorney General Eric Holder has picked two prosecutors WHO WORK FOR HIM in the Justice Department to investigate that same department -- and him -- for their role in running guns to criminals in Mexico.
     File this under "Putting the Mice in Charge of Guarding the Cheese."
     Of course Senate Democrats -- including Senator Diane Feinstein of the Intelligence Committee, who's briefly shown flashes of common sense, are now determined to continue Holder's coverup.

As Michael Goodwin puts it in the NY Post ...
     "Feinstein matters because she is one of her party’s few trusted voices on national security. Her criticism of the leaks finally forced Obama to address them. If she flips on the independent prosecutor, he’ll have to follow her. That should happen soon, because the motive, like the sources, is remarkably obvious. Understanding it starts by reversing the question: Other than to help Obama’s campaign, what possible motive could there be?
     "Tick, tock, tick, tock . . . time’s up. There is no other possible motive."

- - - - -

Reader Wes asks a pertinent question ...
"Do you think maybe NBC covering 'Fast and Furious' might be a sign that the bus is about to roll over (Atty. General Eric) Holder?"
Since NBC, the most dedicated butt-kisser among the old Big Three alphabet (ABC, CBS, NBC) Obama suck-up networks, it might be a clue.

- - - - -

Hillary fans will ignore the latest hallmarks of her "reset" with Russia. The testing of a new missile and the sale of Russian attack helicopters to the Syrian murderer.
The Russians obviously hold her and Obama in utter contempt.

- - - - -

Ben Shapiro sorts through the debris of California's idiotic government ...
     "Reality has smashed the Golden State across the face with an iron fist. The state suffers from a $16 billion deficit and has over $500 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's pension reform wouldn't even make a dent. Gov. Jerry Brown's welfare reform would save just $880 million -- and meanwhile, recent studies show that $69 million in welfare cash is spent in casinos, cruise ships and Hawaii every year. The new deal with the CHP won't touch the CHP pension problem, which amounts to more than $3 billion per year. The LAUSD's furloughing will save a few bucks but won't touch its $390 million deficit.
     "California, in short, is royally screwed. For several decades, the state of California has ignored all calls to fiscal responsibility. Instead, its voters have elected big-spending liberal after big-spending liberal to the state legislature."
     "But the state's economy is upside-down. Businesses have been fleeing in droves. There's nobody left to pay the taxes anymore. And so California is left in a peculiar political situation: The folks who elect politicians aren't the folks who pay the taxes. And the folks who pay the taxes will soon be headed to Texas." -- Townhall.com --

- - - - -

What kind of sleazy creeps do they have in the administration at Penn State University? You know -- the creeps who agreed it would be "humane" to conceal reports that had accumulated over the years about Coach Sandusky's adventures with young boys.

- - - - -

We are indebted to economics Professor Walter Williams (Townhall.com) for yet another attempt to cure the delusion that grips many Americans; the idea that Social Security is a form of savings account and that when they start receiving those monthly checks, they're getting back what they paid in. Not so ...
"Americans were led to believe that Social Security was like a retirement account and that money placed in it was, in fact, their property. Shortly after the Social Security Act's passage, it was challenged in the U.S. Supreme Court, in Helvering v. Davis (1937). The court held that Social Security was not an insurance program, saying, 'The proceeds of both employee and employer taxes are to be paid into the Treasury like any other internal revenue generally, and are not earmarked in any way.' In a 1960 case, Flemming v. Nestor, the Supreme Court said, 'To engraft upon Social Security system a concept of 'accrued property rights' would deprive it of the flexibility and boldness in adjustment to ever-changing conditions which it demands.'
"The only way Congress can give one American a dollar is to first take it from some other American. Congress takes the earnings of a person who's currently in the workforce to give to a Social Security recipient."

Social Security payments to the government are not and never have been segregated from other government funds.

- - - - -

Conan O'Brien --
"Illinois Rep. Derek Smith has been accused of accepting a $7,000 bribe. If he's found guilty, he could serve up to four years as the state's governor."

- - - - -

Jimmy Kimmel on the LA Kings' hockey championship ...
"There's a great tradition in hockey. Each player on the winning team gets the Stanley Cup for a night. It's similar to what happens in the NBA, but instead of a trophy, they get a Kardashian sister."

- - - - -

The doctor, after an examination, sighed and said, "I've got some bad news. You have cancer, and you'd best put your affairs in order."
       The woman was shocked, but managed to compose herself and walk into the waiting room where her daughter had been waiting.
       "Well, daughter, we women celebrate when things are good, and we celebrate when things don't go so well. In this case, things aren't well. I have cancer. So, let's head to the club and have a martini."
       After 3 or 4 martinis, the two were feeling a little less somber. There were some laughs and more martinis. They were eventually approached by some of the woman's old friends, who were curious as to what the two were celebrating.
       The woman told her friends they were drinking to her impending end. "I've been diagnosed with AIDS."
       The friends were aghast, gave the woman their condolences and beat a hasty retreat.

       After the friends left, the woman's daughter leaned over and whispered, "Mama, I thought you said you were dying of cancer, and you just told your friends you were dying of AIDS! Why did you do that?"
       "Because I don't want any of those bitches sleeping with your father after I'm gone."
               -- Bart Price --
June 15 --

DEADBEAT PREZ STIFFS A RESTAURANT ...
WHY IS A MASS MURDERER STILL BREATHING? ...
THE REAL GOAL OF ERIC HOLDER'S GUN-RUNNING

So Obama takes four guys out for some barbecue and soul food at a place called Kenny's BBQ in D.C. and stiffs the joint. Walks out without paying his $55.58 bill.
Sounds like he's emulating the Kennedys, who were notorious for inviting people out to lunch or dinner, then sticking them with the check.

- - - - -

Why has Maj. Nidal Hasan, perpetrator of the Ft. Hood massacre, not yet faced trial (court martial) almost three years later? And why does the Muslim-influenced Obama administration ludicrously refer to the bloodbath that killed thirteen people and wounded more than forty others on a military base as "workplace violence?"
The handling of this case, alone, should be enough to remove Obama and everyone associated with his foul, misbegotten administration from office.

- - - - -

A useful new word to describe the Obama butt-kissers in the Big Media ...
Presstitutes.

- - - - -

Michael Walsh (NY Post) summarizes the plight of the scheming, devious Attorney General, Eric Holder ...
     "After more than a year of half-truths, stonewalling, obfuscating and outright lying to Congress about the 'gunwalking' scandal known as Fast and Furious, Attorney General Eric Holder now finds himself trapped in a box canyon, out of ammo and surrounded by hostiles.
     "Under Fast and Furious, the feds funneled thousands of firearms through phony 'straw purchasers' directly to Mexican drug cartels, all without any notification of Mexico’s government or rational provision to trace the weapons. It was madness.
     "And, despite Holder’s delaying tactics, the truth about how that insanity came about has been clear for some time: A cabal of officials at the highest levels of the Justice Department authorized the operation as part of the Obama administration’s 'stealth' gun-control strategy — presumably to make it appear that the horrific violence of Mexico’s drug war is partly our fault."

Got it? The plan was to make it APPEAR that more U.S. gun-control laws (confiscations) were needed to prevent killings in Mexico. It was all about Obama's determination to undermine the gun ownership rights of Americans.

- - - - -

Are you getting e-mail with attractive offers on Mediterranean cruises? There are some unbelievable bargains being offered, but be forewarned: there's a reason why cruise lines are having to cut prices.
     Aside from overall economic conditions that have forced discounts in most cruise destinations, Med cruises are particularly hard-hit because of political strife stemming from teetering economies.
     In some ports, dockworkers' strikes have hindered or blocked loading and unloading passengers. Visitors to Athens' port, Piraeus, have found themselves unable to go anywhere because strikes have killed ground transportation. Tourists have been stranded.
     Strikes of airport workers have caused chaos at some airports ... Venice is notorious for canceled flights ... Iberia airlines flights to/from Barcelona are reported to be notoriously unreliable.

- - - - -

Joe Hicks (PJ Media) with the bottom line on the racism of Obama & Holder ...
"Barack Obama and Eric Holder had the opportunity to help steer the nation toward race-neutral policies — perhaps into a post-racial era. Instead, the first black president has often dabbled in the politics of racial identity, and the first black attorney general has often shamelessly exposed his own solidarity with 'his people.' This is the man who lectured us about America being a nation of racial cowards because white Americans haven’t engaged in sufficient'“soul searching'.”

- - - - -

Congratulations, taxpayer! Not only are you supporting all the freeloaders getting food stamps, who have multiplied at a prodigious rate under Barack the Magnificent ... you're also providing them with FREE cell-phone service.
Think of that when you pay your own bill.

- - - - -

Bruce Thornton has composed what should be the epitaph for the Obama presidency ...
"Failed economic theory, illiberal racial policies, elitist snobbery, political freedom reduced to selfish license, and intolerance of disagreement and dissent––these are some of the pathologies of progressivism that have been illustrated every day of Obama’s presidency. It will take November’s election to show whether a critical mass of Americans has finally had their fill of this rancid progressive wine, or whether it returns once again in a new bottle." -- Frontpage Magazine --

- - - - -

One wonders what it would take to awaken the sheeple who still blindly worship a president under whose administration the average American family has lost more than 40% of its net worth, pays double the price for gasoline since he took office and knows from any visit to the supermarket that inflation is running rampant while the government lies about it.

- - - - -

A view from abroad: Walter Ellis in Britain's Telegraph newspaper and an evaluation of our Secretary of State ...
     "There was a time when US secretaries of state cut a swathe through the diplomatic landscape. John Foster Dulles, who headed the State Department during the presidency of Dwight D Eisenhower. Henry Kissinger needs no introduction. George Schulz was the man who kept Ronald Reagan focused on the major issue of his time, ending the Cold War and dispatching the Soviet Union to history.
     But then something happened. Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice never seemed more than ciphers for their master, George W. Bush (or perhaps, more plausibly, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld).
     Now we have Hillary Rodham Clinton as a performing seal of office for Barack Obama. While Obama has floundered, Clinton has almost slipped from public view. Oh, we still see her popping up on our television screens, voicing her “deep concerns” about Burma, warning Iran, or Syria, or North Korea that the “international community” will not stand for much more of whatever crimes they are currently accused of, or calling on young women around the world to “dare to compete” with men in the world of work. But it is as if she is just going through the motions and her heart really isn’t in it.

- - - - -

Mike passes along the wisdom of the Orient, old and new ...
Original Chinese Proverb:
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish… and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Latest Chinese Proverb Import:
“Give a man a welfare check, a cell phone, cash for his clunker, food stamps, section 8 housing, Medicaid, 100 weeks of unemployment checks, a 40-ounce malt liquor, needles, drugs, contraceptives, and designer Air Jordan shoes… and he will vote Democrat for a lifetime."

- - - - -

The word-bird swoops in ...
To be in accord with a person or viewpoint is to JIBE with it, not JIVE with it. Jibe comes from a nautical term which has come to be used to indicate agreement.
Jive is, well, talking bullfeathers.

- - - - -

Sunday is Father's Day. You know how it works; Father's Day is just like Mother's Day, except you don't spend as much for a gift.

- - - - -

Seth takes note that my boy Calvin is a Cockapoo, a mix of cocker spaniel and poodle and offers the following possibilities ...
     A Collie and a Lhasa Apso. The new breed is a Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transport.
     Spitz and a Chow-Chow. The new breed is a Spitz-Chow, a dog that throws up a lot.
     Pekingese and a Lhasa Apso. The new breed is Peekasso, an abstract dog.
     Labrador Retriever and a Curly Coated Retriever. The new breed is a Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of laboratory researchers.
     Pointer and a Setter. The new breed is a Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet.
     Irish Water Spaniel and a English Springer Spaniel. The new breed is a Irish Springer, a dog fresh and clean.
     Newfoundland and a Basset Hound. The new breed is a Newfound Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors.
     Malamute and a Pointer. The new breed is a Moot Point, owned by….oh, well, it doesn’t really matter.
     Collie and a Malamute. The new breed is a Commute, a dog that travels to work.
     Deerhound and a Terrier. The new breed is a Derriere, a dog that’s true to the end.
     Bull Terrier and a ShihTzu. The new breed is a ... uhh, I’ll get back to you on that….

- - - - -

Craig Ferguson on the return of "Dallas" --
"The original 'Dallas' series started in 1978. Back then, America was very different. We had an ineffective, one-term president. Gas prices were through the roof. We were in a stand-off with Iran. I'm glad those dark days are over."

- - - - -

Reader Merle writes ...
     "I just took a leaflet out of my mailbox informing me that I can have sex at 82!
    I'm so happy, because I live at number 88, so it's not too far to walk home afterwards.
    And it’s on the same side of the street, so I don’t even have to cross the road!"
June 16 --

OBAMA'S LONG STEP TOWARD TYRANNY ...
WORKERS: LIKE FREE JOB-TRAINING FOR ILLEGALS? ...
TIME FOR REPUBLICANS TO GROW A COUPLE

Shortly after taking office, Barack Obama admitted to proponents of illegal immigrants being granted favorable treatment that he had no legal right to act on their wishes, much as he'd like to.
“The fact of the matter is there are laws on the books that I have to enforce. And I think there’s been a great disservice done to the cause of getting the Dream Act passed and getting comprehensive immigration passed by perpetrating the notion that somehow, by myself, I can go and do these things. It’s just not true.” -- Barack Obama, 2011.
Now he's done it by "executive order." Only one conclusion is possible: The current U.S. government is nothing more than a giant criminal enterprise. One man deciding which laws NOT to enforce.

Contrary to media reaction, can anyone be surprised that Obama is opening the floodgates even wider for illegal aliens to remain in the country, and even setting up a jobs program for them while millions of Americans are unemployed? This race-pandering and groveling for votes is entirely consistent with his entire pattern of behavior in office.

Just imagine how grateful union workers are, seeing how Obama's "protecting" their jobs. Especially after his effort on their behalf in Wisconsin, which consisted of one late-night Twitter message to the loser.

Did Obama exceed his constitutional authority by changing immigration law by executive order? Of course he did. The question is whether any of the gutless lumps of Jello in Congress who call themselves Republicans will somehow surprise us and find the will to do something about it. We know the answer to that: no.

In any case, while the House may impeach (i.e., indict) a president, only the Senate can convict and remove from office. That requires a two-thirds vote. And which party controls the Senate? So please hold the e-mails demanding impeachment; ain't gonna happen.

- - - - -

Noted by the scorekeeper: The next time President Obama hits the links, it will be his 100th round of golf since coming to the White House. That’s quite a milestone in just 3 1/2 years. As it takes him about six hours to drive to the greens and complete 18 holes, Mr. Obama has spent the equivalent of four months’ worth of work time golfing. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy has been stuck in a sand trap. -- Emily Miller, Washington Times

"Fore!"
"Did you say 'four,' Mr. President?"
"Uh ... yes ... I want four more years."

- - - - -

Democrats have reacted with snide dismissal when someone not enchanted with the Dear Leader suggested he might be a socialist. Now that it's established fact that, only a few years before running for president, he DID join the socialist New Party, we can expect an apology from the scoffers. NOT.

- - - - -

Peter Wehner of Commentary neatly captures the essence of Barack Obama ...
     "Barack Obama’s increasingly desperate struggle to win re-election is causing some of his worst traits to be put on display, including petulance and self-pity.
     "No president in human history has quite equaled Obama when it comes to blaming others for his problems. And during the 2008 campaign, everything wrong with America could be laid squarely at the feet of President Bush. But now Obama, having presided over what at this stage must qualify as among the most inept presidencies in American history, is complaining because he’s being held accountable.
     "A jolting collision is occurring between his own self-conception (Obama views himself as a world-historical figure and Great Man) and the multiple and multiplying failures of his presidency. Obama appears incapable of processing the truth or coming to grips with reality."

- - - - -

A friend laments that other Republicans already in leadership positions -- governors, especially -- didn't make a run for the Republican presidential nomination. The bottom-line reality is, if you don't have the "want-to's" and a willingness to deal with the rough and tumble of campaigns, you aren't the person for the job, anyway. If you can't deal with a self-inflated, pompous wimp like Obama, Putin or the Chinese would bury you.
Bottom-line reality: We have what we have, and the only relevant comparison is to the poseur in the White House, not other Republican "could've-should've" people who chose not to enter the contest.

- - - - -

Jeb Bush seems to long for the same breed of Republicans who were the party "leaders" in days gone by. Actually, he seems to long for the same kind of Republicans who bring a tear of reminiscence to the eyes of Democrats.
You know ... the kind who would "go along to get along," which essentially meant letting the then-Democrat congressional majorities do pretty much as they pleased, gratefully settling for a few crumbs from the table.
It is to be hoped that Mitt Romney, regarded with suspicion by conservatives who will vote for him only as an anti-Obama gesture, doesn't make the foolish mistake of picking Jeb as a running-mate.

- - - - -

Since Obama, by the government's own accounting, has impoverished Americans by robbing the average family of more than 40% of its net worth, I receive ever more inquiries along the lines of, "Where can I go to get out of this nut-house of a country?"
Alas, as Mark Steyn writes, "Most of the countries worth fleeing to, Americans can no longer afford to live in." The American and his dollar were, for many years, both welcome and impressive in foreign countries. Now, in many advanced countries, we're the poor folks. Want respect? Show up with Swiss francs.

Mr. Steyn continues ...
"Obama whines that his opponents say it's all his fault. One can argue about whose fault it is, but not, as my colleagues at National Review pointed out, whose responsibility it is: It's his. He's the only president we have. And he made things worse. He increased the national debt by some 70 percent, and what do we have to show for it? No dams, no railroads, no moon shots. Just government, and bureaucracy, and regulation, unto national bankruptcy."

- - - - -

Wes Pruden of the Washington Times with consolation for Obama after a survey of Europeans finds they aren't quite so crazy about him anymore ...
     "Mr. Obama still nourishes his lifelong crush on the Europeans, regarding them as the source of the kind of government compassion and bureaucratic kindness he yearns to transplant to these shores."
     ... looking back to Europeans' enthusiasm in 2008 ...
     "Like many Americans in that faraway time, they expected the messiah to stretch out his arms and all unhappiness would give way to peace and joy unrestrained, all kittens would be cute and puppies would arrive housebroken, the earth would cool, men would smite their arms into ploughshares, lambs would lie down with lions without becoming 'what's for supper'."

- - - - -

"The Department of Health released a survey revealing that teenagers today smoke more marijuana than they smoke cigarettes. They just don't understand the risks. Judging from the last five national elections, marijuana is a gateway drug to the Oval Office." -- Argus Hamilton, Jewish World Review

- - - - -

Jennifer Rubin, one of the few conservative voices in the Washington Post, evaluates common sense vs. the Obama approach ...
     "In Wisconsin, after Gov. Scott Walker’s reforms went into place, there were no state layoffs and overall the state added about 23,000 jobs. In Ohio, Gov. John Kasich has been streamlining government, wielding his veto pen and making Ohio more friendly to business. Lo and behold, Ohio is now among the top states in job creation. But some states are following Obama’s advice.
     "Illinois keeps raising taxes, and its budget deficits keep piling up. Its unemployment rate is above the national average at 8.7 percent.
      "Then there is California, a policy paradise from Obama’s point of view. High marginal tax rates on individuals, dominating state employee unions, strict environmental legislation and a pro-trial-lawyer legal environment. Oh, yes, and it has 10.9 percent unemployment, an outflow of people and businesses and a $15.7 billion budget deficit"

Anybody but a committed Marxist could draw the obvious conclusion from the contrasts.

- - - - -

It's graduation season and Derek Hunter (Townhall.com) has some discomforting words for this year's crop ...
     "After the hangovers from your graduation parties fade away, the hangover of reality will set in. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you rely on the mainstream media for your information, you probably haven’t heard this – you’re screwed.
      "In addition to the tens of thousands of dollars in student loans you now owe, your share of the national debt as a citizen is more than $50,000. Once you find a job and become one of the elite 53 percent of Americans who pay taxes, your share will jump to $138,000.
      "But don’t think about that number just yet; it won’t apply to about half of you for some time. You see, in President Obama’s economy about half of you won’t find full-time employment – or any job – for quite some time. Sure, you’ve been hearing for months about the dropping unemployment rate and are probably thinking your prospects are looking up. Well, I’m the pin here to burst your bubble, because someone has to.
      "The rate hasn’t fallen because jobs have been created. It’s fallen because hundreds of thousands of people have given up looking for work. In the government’s dishonest way of calculating labor statistics, these people no longer exist."

- - - - -

If you've wondered how some of the rude, stupid incompetent TSA clowns who've hassled you at an airport ever got their jobs, you won't be surprised at revelations that some bribed the people who were giving the tests for employment. Americans have allowed themselves to be subjected to the kind of treatment otherwise found only in dictatorships.

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"The White House softball team played the pro-marijuana lobbyists' team and lost 25-3. Still no word yet on which side President Obama played for."

"Guantanamo Bay is getting millions and millions of dollars of upgrades and renovations. In fact, they're not even calling it a detention camp anymore. It's now a gated community".

- - - - -

Wes offers this ...
"Father's day week is the largest sales of men's cologne and aftershave of the year only proving that everyone loves dad but they don't like the way he smells."
June 17 --

OBAMA TURNS NATION INTO CRASH-TEST DUMMY ...
GREECE TODAY, AMERICA TOMORROW? ...
McCAIN, LOOK IN THE MIRROR

News headline ...
"PRESIDENT PRICKLY IN ROSE GARDEN"
Well, they got it half right.

- - - - -

Always remember and never forget: No government agency set up to solve a "problem" ever has or ever will really solve it, because to do so would mean everyone working (?) in that agency would become unemployed.

- - - - -

No matter the outcome of today's election, Greece is a failed nation -- and Obama has this country on the same track. Too many government workers, too much government-union power and a "live for today" attitude that has them buried in debt. Grasping, childish short-sightedness has prevailed far too long in Athens, and is mirrored in Washington, D.C.

- - - - -

Jose e-mails with a question about Obama's unconstitutional order to let illegal aliens stay AND give them job training that unemployed black Americans might want to consider ...
"One aspect that has not been brought up, or I have missed: when these 16 - 30 year old illegals become legal to work, how will that affect the same age group and educationally-equivalent black community? Some 800,000 'new' workers thrown into a pool with a black community already having a 30% or greater unemployment rate sounds like a disaster for the Chosen One's black base supporters."

- - - - -

The lead investigator for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Cold Case Posse – which already has found probable cause that Barack Obama’s publicly released birth certificate is a forgery – says any Hawaii documentation for Obama’s birth that exists would probably be of little value.
Mike Zullo, a retired New Jersey detective now heading Arpaio’s volunteer investigative team, explained in an interview that at the time of Obama’s birth during the state’s early years, Hawaii birth documentation routinely was purchased by foreigners for children not born in the state.
-- Vision to America --

- - - - -

Burt Prelutsky takes a more-than-skeptical view of Obama's finding it "offensive" that anyone would suspect he or his lackeys leaked national security information ...
"The gall of the man! He has meetings with three or four close advisors, and the next thing you know, New York Times paperboys are on the sidewalk, shouting, 'Extry! Extry! Read all about it! A Pakistani doctor told the CIA where Osama bin Laden was hiding!' or 'Read all about how the United States and Israel successfully hacked into Iran’s nuclear computers! or 'Read all about how Barack Obama personally directs drone attacks from the 16th tee!'
"Everyone, including those on Obama’s side of the aisle, knows exactly how the NY Times was fed those various items intended to make Obama look like a combination of Alexander, the philosopher king, and Gen. George 'Old Blood and Guts' Patton. As I see it, he either placed a phone call, had Eric Holder run an errand or hand-delivered the self-aggrandizing information himself."

- - - - -

Senator John McCain is upset over Obama's leak of vital national security information, as he should be. He should also look in the mirror if he wants to see someone who bears considerable responsibility for the ongoing disaster that IS the Obama regime.
He ran a marshmallow 2008 campaign against a sly, sinister opponent, and the nation got Obama as a result. Now the biggest "star" in the family is McCain's wacko daughter, going on national TV to advocate legalizing marijuana, assorted left-wing causes and acting like the spoiled brat she is.

- - - - -

Looking at Egypt today, I wonder how the starry-eyed fools and brainless media cheerleaders feel about their cherished "Arab spring."
Anyone with the slightest knowledge of the country -- and I've spent a good bit of time there -- would have known that only wildly misguided optimists would have expected other than the choice now being made between a continuation of a military-dominated dictatorship or the tyranny and oppression of a fundamentalist Muslim regime.

- - - - -

Wes has a pertinent question, in light of the increasing cigarette taxes ...
"Could it be that more teenagers are smoking pot because they can't afford cigarettes?"

And, in light of Obama's decision not to enforce our immigration laws, reader Seth asks, "Why should ANYONE obey any law he disagrees with? How would the IRS react if I decided not to pay my taxes?"

- - - - -

Brett Decker (Washington Times) evaluates the 99% ...
     "A brand new Cadillac Escalade hybrid rolled down the posh streets of Old Town Alexandria, Va., on Friday morning. On the tailgate of this $78,000 luxury SUV was an Obama campaign bumper sticker carrying a simple message: “99%.” These limousine liberals just don’t get it.
     "The 99 percent slogan rips off rhetoric from the Occupy movement, the confused collection of left-wing misfits and unemployed college graduates that has soiled public parks across America. According to this minority of malcontents, they represent the vast majority who are not served by The Establishment, whether that be banks, corporations, the school system, the military-industrial complex or whatever institution the paranoid mind perceives to be part of some ruling-class conspiracy to keep the masses down.
     "These people aren’t losers, you see, they are the heroic but oppressed 99 percent. The remaining 1 percent are the privileged overlords. Somehow, President Obama, who is teeing up to play his 100th golf game since taking office three years ago, is worshipped by the liberal rabble as the savior of the little guy."

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"In New Orleans, the daily newspaper has eliminated 84 newsroom jobs. But the publisher said those positions could be reinstated if this whole Internet thing turns out to be a fad."

- - - - -

Seen in print: "the media have a large ROLL to play in the election."
No, they have a ROLE to play ... unless they turn into a bakery product or, more aptly, toilet paper.

- - - - -

Economics Professor Walter Williams with a strong recommendation that we look in the mirror when we worry about the economy ...
     "What we're witnessing in Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal and other parts of Europe is a direct result of their massive spending to accommodate the welfare state. A greater number of people are living off government welfare programs than are paying taxes. Government debt in Greece is 160 percent of gross domestic product. The other percentages of GDP are 120 in Italy, 104 in Ireland and 106 in Portugal. As a result of this debt and the improbability of their ever paying it, their credit ratings either have reached or are close to reaching junk bond status.
     "Here's the question for us: Is the U.S. moving in a direction toward or away from the troubled EU nations? It turns out that our national debt, which was 35 percent of GDP during the 1970s, is now 106 percent of GDP, a level not seen since World War II's 122 percent. That debt, plus our more than $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities, has led Standard & Poor's to downgrade our credit rating from AAA to AA+, and the agency is keeping the outlook at "negative" as a result of its having little confidence that Congress will take on the politically sensitive job of tackling the same type of entitlement that has turned Europe into a basket case.
     "I am all too afraid that Benjamin Franklin correctly saw our nation's destiny when he said, 'When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic'."

- - - - -

Making the rounds on the internet ...
    The Presidential election in 2012 was too close to call. Neither Mitt Romney nor Obama had enough votes to win. There was much talk about ballot recounting, court challenges, etc., but a fishing competition seemed the sportsmanlike way to settle things. Both men were to be sent out separately on an isolated frozen lake and return at 5 p.m. with their catch for counting by a neutral team.
     At the end of the first day, Romney returned to the starting line and he had 10 fish. Soon Obama returned and had no fish. At the end of the 2nd day Mitt came in with 20 fish and Obama came in again with none.
     That evening, the Democrats got together secretly and said, "We think that Mitt Romney is cheating. Tomorrow, Barack, spy on him and see just how he is cheating."
     The next night after Mitt returns with 50 fish and Obama none, the Democrats got together for the report on how the Republican was cheating. Obama said, "You are not going to believe this, but he's cutting holes in the ice!"

- - - - -

It's Father's Day. If yours is still around, count yourself lucky. Let him know he's appreciated.
     When your dad is gone, most of us feel a hole in the heart that never quite heals. Same when mom is no longer with us. Most of us are what we are because of them.
     I was talking recently with a friend who lost both parents in a fairly short time. Mine died twenty-plus years apart. But we agreed on our common reaction. Along with the pain, when the second parent goes, whether it's mother or father, it's a vivid reminder of our own place in the cycle of life.
      If you're the oldest child, the demographic reality reminds us, "You're next."

- - - - -

Jimmy Fallon--
"President Obama gave a major speech where he defended his handling of the economy. And there were tons of people in the audience, since nobody had to be at work."
June 18 --

A KING'S LEGACY ...
CHEERLEADER FOR THE "99%" IS REALLY IN THE "1%" ...
"ARAB SPRING" REWARDS EGYPT'S MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD

A sad post-script to the life of Rodney King, whose beating by police led to the Watts riots in LA in 1992, found dead (presumably from drowning) in his swimming pool. TMZ reports sources who say he was drinking and smoking pot earlier. He had a long history of drug abuse.
His legacy may be his plaintive, "Can't we all just get along?" Sadly, after three years of Obama's "post-racial" presidency and Eric Holder heading the Justice Department, the answer is obviously, "No, we can't." (see item below)

- - - - -

The New York Post provides a profile of a contender for a congressional seat representing a district in New York. His name is Charles Barron ...
"Barron ranks among the city’s loopiest council members, a former Black Panther who dresses like the Beatles circa 1965, loves dictators, hates Israel, supports communism and the teaching of Ebonics.
"This is the guy who, at a 2002 rally to demand reparations for African-Americans, said, 'I want to go up to the closest white person and say, ‘You can’t understand this, it’s a black thing,’ and then slap him just for my mental health.”

- - - - -

The Daily Caller blows the whistle on Jon Stewart, who uses his cable TV show to regularly bash the rich. Turns out Mr. Stewart makes $41,000.
Per day.

- - - - -

Financial analyst Terry Keenan (NY Post) analyzes the government data showing the drastic decline in net worth of the American family ...
"The Americans who have been hurt the most by the credit bust are truly in the middle in terms of age, income and wealth — the Generation Xers who came into the work force during and right after the Bush recession of 1991. It turns out that almost 55 percent of the median worth of Gen Xers has been wiped out since ’07 — and they will likely decide the election this fall.
"That’s on top of the incredible escalation in the federal debt burden per US household since 2009, money that families in America will have to eventually pay back in taxes. Indeed, the size of the federal debt load per US household has risen 50 percent, to $190,000, since President Obama took office. That’s $190,000 in borrowed money per family from families with median incomes that have dwindled to $45,000, less than one-fourth of that $190,000."

That's the real payoff for Obamanomics.

- - - - -

The harvest is in from last year's "Arab Spring." In a surprise only to the terminally naive, the Muslim Brotherhood will govern Egypt as a result of the weekend's election. And already there's been an attack across the border into Israel, resulting in one death and several wounded.

- - - - -

The SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Food Stamp Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is pleased to be distributing the greatest amount of free meals and food stamps ever.
     Meanwhile, the National Park Service, administered by the same U.S. Department of the Interior, asks us to "Please Do Not Feed The Animals." They say that this is because the animals may grow dependent on handouts and not learn to take care of themselves.
     Thus endeth today's lesson.
          (Thanks, Mike)

- - - - -

Rich Lowry of National Review assesses the current Washington/Obama mentality ...
     "President Obama thinks Republicans are in the grips of a 'fever.' Only if they can be coaxed back to rationality, through the calming effects of his re-election and perhaps some aromatherapy and a deep-tissue massage, will Washington ever work again.
     "By 'work,' he means pass his priorities, of course. That is the operative definition, too, for all the liberal analysts rending their garments over the breakdown of our governing institutions. If only everyone could sit around a table and agree that Obama is the personification of reasonableness, the country’s faith in government could be restored.
      "This whole line of argument from Obama on down is partisanship wrapped in a veneer of high-mindedness. The current crisis is that not enough bills are passing; if Mitt Romney is elected with a Republican Congress, the new crisis will be that TOO MANY bills are passing."

- - - - -

Charleen contributes a couple of timely slogans ...
"2012: It's not just an election. It's a restraining order."
"With Obama, under that thin veneer is a thin veneer."

- - - - -

Professor Walter Williams (Tonwhall.com) addresses the morality of robbing Peter to pay Paul ...
"Suppose I saw an elderly woman painfully huddled on a heating grate in the dead of winter. She's hungry and in need of shelter and medical attention. To help the woman, I walk up to you using intimidation and threats and demand that you give me $200. Having taken your money, I then purchase food, shelter and medical assistance for the woman. Would I be guilty of a crime? A moral person would answer in the affirmative. I've committed theft by taking the property of one person to give to another.
"Most Americans would agree that it would be theft regardless of what I did with the money. Now comes the hard part. Would it still be theft if I were able to get three people to agree that I should take your money? What if I got 100 people to agree -- 100,000 or 200 million people? What if I got together with other Americans and asked Congress to use Internal Revenue Service agents to take your money? In other words, does an act that's clearly immoral and illegal when done privately become moral when it is done legally and collectively? Put another way, does legality establish morality? Before you answer, keep in mind that slavery was legal; apartheid was legal; the Nazi's Nuremberg Laws were legal; and the Stalinist and Maoist purges were legal. Legality alone cannot be the guide for moral people. The moral question is whether it's right to take what belongs to one person to give to another to whom it does not belong."

- - - - -

Early in my broadcasting career I did play-by-play on many major-college football and basketball games. However, I never developed an attachment to pro basketball. My interest is limited to watching the last couple of minutes of the final playoff rounds and I have no rooting interest in any particular team.
So I wonder: Have I correctly concluded that NBA officiating resembles in quality the sort seen in professional wrestling?

- - - - -

Maureen Raymond, 49, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, said her roadside DUI test administered in January was unfair. She told a deputy that she couldn't walk a straight line because her big boobs make it difficult to keep her balance.
She also offered to show them to the deputy to prove her point.
     He declined.
     He says.
     -- (News of the Weird) --

- - - - -

It is to be hoped that someone will explain to Congressman Gallegly of California the difference between ANTIDOTE and ANECDOTE before he appears foolish again on TV.

- - - - -

Conan O'Brien --
"Burglars broke into Kanye West's home. As a result, 500 statues of Kanye West are missing."

- - - - -

An elderly man is stopped by the police around 2 a.m. And is asked where he is going at this time of night.
      The man replies, "I am on my way to a lecture about gambling, alcohol abuse and the effects it has on the human body, as well as smoking and staying out late."
      The officer then asks, "Really? Who is giving that lecture at this time of night?"
      The man replies, "That would be my wife."
June 19 --

PUTIN PULLS POWER PLAY ON OBAMA ...
TWO VIEWS OF LATEST B.O. POWER-GRAB ...
BIG MEDIA INTEREST IN BUSH'S GOLF, NOT OBAMA'S

Russia is openly boasting of its support for the murderous Assad dictatorship in Syria, with armament support including advanced missiles. Putin's message to Obama and the cowering western nations is clear: "We'll do as we please, when and where we please, and you haven't the guts to do anything about it."
Judging from their behavior after a private meeting yesterday in Mexico, Putin gave Obama a dressing-down.
While most Americans don't want another military engagement in that rat's nest called The Middle East, the more serious question is: what would Obama do if Putin did threaten our own -- and obvious -- interests elsewhere? I suspect we know the answer to that ... and cringe.

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"There's a rumor going around that suggests President Obama may legalize marijuana as an October surprise to win the election. And if he doesn't win, at least he'll have a way to mellow out later."

- - - - -

Congressman Allen West on Laura Ingraham's radio talk-show, speaking out about Obama's unilateral decision to alter immigration law ...
"What country did we wake up in on Friday?," West asked. "It just causes people to ask, where are we? You know, the last time we had this was with King George III, and we didn't like it too much. And I think that you’re seeing the resurrection of an imperial presidency, and the arrogance thereof. To think that you can come out and basically tell the American people that this is what we're going to do ... and don't question me.
"He could have brought [immigration] up back in 2009, and got it through. And also it was just not even a year ago -- September 2011 -- when his own admission, this is something he said he could not do, that he did not have the power and authority to do. So what has changed from September 2011 to where we are today? Political expediency."

- - - - -

James Robbins (Washington Times) points out the consequences of Obama's latest power-grab on immigration ...
“These are young people who study in our schools, they play in our neighborhoods, they’re friends with our kids, they pledge allegiance to our flag,” the president said in an attempt to redirect the national conversation. What he left out is that these newcomers also take our jobs. Most of the estimated 800,000 immigrants to whom the policy applies are of working age, pitted against young citizens in the competition for scarce employment. The struggle is fierce; youth unemployment and underemployment are about double what the rest of the country is suffering. Young voters who supported Mr. Obama in 2008 have to ask if this is the hope and change they expected.

- - - - -

Survey says ... Most Americans still believe the U.S. economy will be weaker or unchanged in a year's time. Fewer than half expect the economy to be stronger even five years from now. (Rasmussen)

- - - - -

Obama -- uniter or divider? Thomas Sowell weighs in ...
     "Among the people who are disappointed with President Obama, none has more reason to be disappointed than those who thought he was going to be 'a uniter, rather than a divider' and that he would 'bring us all together.'
     "It was a noble hope, but one with no factual foundation. Barack Obama had been a divider all his adult life, especially as a community organizer, and he had repeatedly sought out and allied himself with other dividers, the most blatant of whom was the man whose church he attend for 20 years, Jeremiah Wright.
     "Now, with his presidency on the line and the polls looking dicey, President Obama's re-election campaign has become more openly divisive than ever.
     "He has embraced the strident 'Occupy Wall Street' movement, with its ridiculous claim of representing the 99 percent against the 1 percent."

- - - - -

Have you noticed that the supine Big Media whores have had little to say about Obama playing his 100th round of golf since becoming president? It's revealing, considering that the same leftist media criticized Bush endlessly when he played much less often -- he played fewer times in eight years than Obama has in 3 1/2 -- and quit during the Gulf war. ("I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander-in-chief playing golf." -- George W. Bush, 2003)

- - - - -

The Chicago murder scoreboard over the weekend shows seven killings and another 35 people wounded as the city continues its climb toward the title, "Murder Capital of America." Meantime, more than a hundred Chicago police officers were occupied with serving as security guards at the wedding of the daughter of Obama's eminence grise, Valerie Jarrett.

- - - - -

It didn't take long. After the socialists won the parliamentary election in France over the weekend, the new government announced a marginal tax rate of 75%. And in the White House, Barack Obama is wishing he could do the same.
Meantime, prosperous French are leaving the country; a recent report said that Britain, hardly a low-tax haven itself, now has its largest French population ever.

- - - - -

We are on the horns of a dilemma not of our making or choosing. Europe's economic problems continue to mount even with a temporary (probably VERY temporary) relief in Greece.
No doubt an economic collapse across the Atlantic would have negative repercussions in our own troubled nation, but how can we be expected to help those folk, burdened as we are with our own enormous debt, much of which is owed to China? We should borrow MORE from China to assuage the debt problems of irresponsible European governments which have already been emulated by our own silly government?
There's also the lingering bad taste left by some European nations, especially France, with their ingratitude and downright hostility after we saved their sorry butts in two 20th-century wars. Now, some in the Eurozone say their financial crisis is -- guess what! -- America's fault!

- - - - -

If I hadn't lived and worked there for twenty-five years, I wouldn't believe it ... but the nuts who run the world's largest outdoor lunatic asylum, San Francisco, are spending $150,000 of taxpayer money to find out if sea-birds are frightened by sailboats. The goofy thinking behind it, as expressed by a former president of the Board of Supervisors of SF is that "when they take off because they are frightened, they expend energy, and that can affect their health."
And this clown is still walking around loose.

- - - - -

The Patriot Post offers this bit of satire ...
     White House sources tell me Michelle flew into a jealous rage when informed of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's decision to limit soda sizes. She immediately gathered her staff in the East Wing and began creating a new set of proposals to reduce caloric consumption nationwide. Some examples ...
     McDonald's employees required to apply electric shock to customers every time they say 'Supersize it.'
     All Marijuana imported into the United States must be specially formulated so as not to induce 'the munchies.'
     Donuts now required to have two holes.
     Parents permitted to feed children vegetables via suppository.
     Hostess Cupcakes to be filled with mashed potatoes.

- - - - - - -

The Sky-guy contributes this domestic vignette ...
     One evening, while sitting around the dinner table, our daughter looked up and asked her father, "Daddy, you're the boss right?"
     Her father was very pleased by this and responded, "Yes"
     Then, the little girl continued, "That's because mommy put you in charge, right?"

- - - - -

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY from Jewish World Review ---
"Never underestimate the capacity of another human being to have exactly the same shortcomings you have."
--- Leigh Steinberg

- - - - -

Jimmy Fallon--
"A new survey found that US Airways is the most hated airline in the country. Today, US Airways apologized to its passengers — then charged them a $50 apology fee."
June 20 --

EXECUTIVE COVERUP, A/K/A "EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE" ...
BOEHNER'S BACKBONE: PRESENT OR ABSENT? ...
SOMETIMES THE BAD GUYS DO WIN

The message is clear: Obama and his racist Attorney General, Eric Holder, DO have something to hide. An administration that was willing to blab to the world about intelligence operations vital to American security now declares "executive privilege" to keep secret its own illegal activities. Congrats, Democrats! You now have your own Nixon -- only far, far worse. After all, nobody got killed at Watergate. This Obama outfit is nothing more than a giant criminal enterprise ... a clear example of affirmative action gone disastrously wrong.

If John Boehner, who's been a portrait of cowardice in this whole episode, tries to roadblock a contempt of Congress citation in this disgusting Eric Holder gun-running affair, he should be removed from his position as Speaker of the House.

- - - - -

Recommended entertainment for the politically-minded: read the liberal columnists who've been gung-ho for Obama since he rose from the sewer of Chicago politics. Their current breast-beating springs from an obvious expectation that he's going to lose in November and their offerings of advice to their left-wing stumblebums are transparent preparation for post-election "I told you so" analyses.
However, lefties shouldn't give up yet. Republicans have often demonstrated a talent for peeing-away victory.

- - - - -

Americans are taught from childhood that democracy is a good thing, an unadulterated blessing without a downside. That is a lie. Democracy can, in some cases, be a threat to the well-being of both the nation and individuals personally.
     Young Americans are never taught, for example, that the very symbol of evil, Adolf Hitler, came to power via a perfectly legal election in which his party, the National Socialist Party, won a higher percentage of the vote than that which elected Bill Clinton President of the United States.
     To pick a current illustration of a threatening flaw, Egypt has just concluded a democratic election won by the Muslim Brotherhood. Any American who believes democracy is an unalloyed blessing should consider that the Muslim Brotherhood is a loudly-avowed enemy of America and all that it stands for and is clear in its goal of eradicating Israel. And more Egyptians voted for that position than any other.
     As usual, the keystone of Muslim hatred of Israel is the plight of the Palestinian Arabs who are unwelcome in other Arab countries, including Egypt. And overlooked by the devious media, including our own Big Media, is that plain fact that Arabs who've chosen to remain in Israel have both more freedom and a far higher standard of living than Arabs in Israel's endlessly hostile neighboring Muslim nations.

- - - - -

People who are favorably disposed toward Obama's unconstitutional "Executive Order" changing immigration law might do well to consider this observation from the redoubtable Thomas Sowell ...
     "President Obama's latest political ploy -- granting new 'rights' out of thin air, by Executive Order, to illegal immigrants who claim that they were brought into the country when they were children -- is all too typical of his short-run approach to the country's long-run problems.
     "Whatever the merits or demerits of the Obama immigration policy, his Executive Order is good only as long as he remains president, which may be only a matter of months after this year's election.
     "People cannot plan their lives on the basis of laws that can suddenly appear, and then suddenly disappear, in less than a year. To come forward today and claim the protection of the Obama Executive Order is to declare publicly and officially that your parents entered the country illegally. How that may be viewed by some later administration is anybody's guess."

- - - - -

Victor Davis Hanson (National Review Online) assesses the obstacles to re-election Obama has created for himself ...
"Obama simply cannot run on 40 months of 8 percent–plus unemployment, a June 2009 recovery that sputtered, $5 trillion in new debt, serial $1 trillion–plus annual deficits, and dismal GDP growth. Few believe any more that what he and the Democratic Congress passed in the first two years of his administration worked — and fewer still that the Republicans are to blame in the last 17 months for stopping him from pursuing even more disastrous policies. He cannot turn instead to the advantages of Obamacare, a dynamic foreign policy, national-security sobriety, a scandal-free administration, or stellar presidential appointments."

- - - - -

It's nice to know that the Obama campaign is doing something about unemployment. They're paying people to show up at Romney speeches to demonstrate against him and, if possible, heckle him. Some demonstrators admitted they were being paid for their, uh, "work."

- - - - -

Craig Ferguson --
"It was a great day for our president down in Mexico for the G-20 Summit. He met with Russia's Vladimir Putin. He said 'I think your communist policies are a danger to the world.' There's no word on how Obama responded."

- - - - -

Obama's ill-fated attack on Romney's success at Bain Capital failed. Perhaps he never considered that most Americans would prefer to have a winner rather than a failed loser determining the course of the nation.

- - - - -

If, as is being reported, Romney is giving serious consideration to former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty as a running mate, he's making a mistake. Pawlenty, while apparently a competent administrator, has all the charisma of a fire hydrant (perhaps sufficient in Minnesota) and demonstrated early in the Republican primary race that he hasn't the stomach for a fight. That's why he was a very early dropout, and why he's unsuited for the VP nomination, which calls for a running mate who's willing to do the fierce infighting that might be deemed unseemly if done by the top guy.

- - - - -

Let's be blunt. When it comes to economics, both Barack Obama and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke are stupid. I don't care what their academic credentials say, they are utterly devoid of common sense.
     Both believe that cranking out more (increasingly worthless) paper money will solve our national problem. They believe this in the face of the evidence of Japan's "lost decade" recession tried that same approach, with endless interest rate cuts that eventually lowered to zero, and ... it was a total failure.
     In this country, lower interest rates still leave us in a stagnant economy while retirees, many of whom are dependent on even modest income from their CDs to supplement Social Security payments, are reduced to penury while these "leaders" wallow in a swamp of economic stupidity.
     How dumb do you have to be in order to stare at a neon sign reading "FAILURE" -- including your own demonstrable failure -- and not get the message? No reasonably bright eight-year-old would hire either of these pompous fools to do the accounting for a sidewalk lemonade stand.

- - - - -

Will anyone else join me in making a small contribution toward a haircut for Democrat spinmeister Bob Shrum? The poor guy seriously has long needed a trim of what's left of his hair.

- - - - -

Argus Hamilton --
"President Obama signed an order permitting eight hundred thousand young illegal aliens to remain in the U.S. He argued that as a practical matter it's impossible to move eight hundred thousand people to another country. That is not true, Mexico did it."

- - - - -

Jim Eason contributes an item from the medical world ...
     Kevin had shingles.
     He walked into a doctor's office and the receptionist asked him what he had. Kevin said: 'Shingles.' So she wrote down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.
     Fifteen minutes later a nurse's aide came out and SHE asked Kevin what he had.
     Kevin said, 'Shingles.' She wrote down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told him to wait in the examining room.
     A half hour later a nurse came in and asked Kevin what he had. He said, 'Shingles.' So the nurse gave him a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, and told Kevin to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.
     An hour later the doctor came in and found Kevin sitting patiently in the nude and asked him what he had.
     Kevin said, 'Shingles.' The doctor asked, 'Where do you have them?'
     Kevin said, 'Outside on the truck. Where do you want me to unload 'em?'

June 21 --

There is no column today due to technical difficulties which will require a temporary hiatus.

June 22 --

THE OBAMA MIRAGE REVEALED ...
ENDLESS LIBERAL SUCKING-UP TO ENEMIES ...
OBAMA HAS THE INSTINCTS OF A WOULD-BE DICTATOR

Now that the largely self-created fiction that IS Barack Obama's life has been made clear in David Maraniss’ new book, “Barack Obama: The Story,” only the hopelessly delusional can place any confidence in anything Obama says about either his past, plans or policies.
Maraniss, an editor at the Obama-supporting Washington Post, and authors of several other recent, credible books, have belatedly done the investigative reporting that a responsible media should have done four years ago.
Americans, you have been duped by a con-man assisted by a corrupt, lying, subversive leftist Big Media.

- - - - -

One manifestation of the mental illness that IS modern-day American liberalism is this: A proclivity for unjustified affection for one's avowed enemies and attacking those who would defend against enemies.
     During the Cold War, when we and the world teetered on the brink of nuclear annihilation by aggressive communism, American liberals found sympathy for the evil Stalin and his parade of successors.
     Currently the evidence for this peculiar liberal behavior is to be found in the fact that, after every Muslim act of terrorism and proclamation of determination to rid the world of "The Great Satan" (that's us), whiny liberals express fear that there'll be an American backlash against those who would destroy us.
     Sick? Masochistic? Just plain stupid? Take your choice.

- - - - -

"America is a nation of laws, which means I, as the president, am obligated to enforce the law. ... There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply through executive order ignore those congressional mandates would not conform with my appropriate role as president." -- Barack Obama, last year... before he decided to violate the constitution and subvert immigration laws with his "Executive Order."

- - - - -

Executive Orders issued by a president are not written in stone. They can just as easily be canceled by another Executive Order by a later president, or superseded by legitimate Congressional legislation.
Illegal aliens, of whatever age, are unlikely to be aware of this. Therefore, those who plan to take advantage of this cheap -- and unconstitutional -- political ploy on immigration law by Obama could well find themselves in a self-created trap. They will have admitted that they're here illegally, which could turn out to be a precarious position. Such is the hazard of placing faith in demagogues.

- - - - -

This column was conspicuous by its absence yesterday because of a failure of the program which is used to upload it to the internet.
I say again: If automobiles were as unreliable as the computerized world upon which we have become so dependent, we'd all still be riding horses.

- - - - -

What happens when lunatics elect a lunatic ...
     We've now seen and heard the latest spectacular piece of nonsense from San Francisco-based Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, who stupidly said she could have arrested former Bush adviser Karl Rove.
Bullbleep! She could do no such thing.
     Now she's whining that, by removing dead people and illegals from the voting rolls, Republicans are trying to "suppress the vote," knowing full well that her own party depends heavily on such chicanery to win. Her own family ran one of the most corrupt big-city political machines in the country when they held Baltimore under their thumb. They were a little league version of the Daley Machine in Chicago.
     For political guidance, it's sufficient to know that her fellow Democrats in Congress elected this babbling fool to be their Speaker of the House when they had a majority.

- - - - -

Democrats, in defending the despicable, deceiving Eric Holder, are simply following the ancient -- and corrupt -- political dictum, "My mother, drunk or sober."

- - - - -

Have you seen the video of the hysterical young woman making her incoherent speech after the leftists lost the recall election in Wisconsin? In the unintentionally funniest line of the week, she shouted, "We ANARCHISTS have to get ORGANIZED!"
Organized ... anarchists? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?

- - - - -

Those oh-so-sophisticated New Yorkers ... from Cindy Adams' NYPost column ...
Manhattan couple. Dining in Venice. After the meal the waiter suggests desserts, ending with, “tiramisu or gelato?” The guy replies: “No, I want Italian.”

- - - - -

Americans are largely ignorant of geography because it's been little taught in our schools for a long time. The other night I watched a re-run of an old show supposedly set in Brazil (actually on a soundstage in LA). In it, "Brazilians" were speaking Spanish while a flamenco dancer stomped furiously on a nightclub stage.
(A) Brazilians speak Portugese, not Spanish.
(B) Flamenco is part of the culture of Spain; Brazilians samba.

- - - - -

Heartening news from Bristol Palin, young single mother and Sarah's daughter. She says she will not, uh, become lain again until after marriage.

- - - - -

"John Edwards was reported to be considering returning to politics in North Carolina. Don't bet against him. Any man who can talk a widow out of a million dollars and use it to hide his pregnant mistress from his dying wife while running for president, then convince his jury he did nothing wrong has what we call good people skills." -- Argus Hamilton, JWR

- - - - -

... and now the daylight hours are shortening as we have passed the summer solstice. All together: "BWAAAAH!"

- - - - -

More sound effects -- for sports fans: "AAARGGHHH!" (The sound of the Oklahoma City Thunder, choking big-time in their biggest game.

- - - - -

    Jay Leno --
         "President Obama is going to let certain illegal immigrants stay in this country. But there is an age requirement. You have to be old enough to vote by November"

Conan O'Brien --
     "President Obama issued an order that allows some illegal immigrants to stay in the country. Or as Fox News reported it, 'Obama issues order allowing himself to stay in the country'."

June 23 --

FRIGHTENING THOUGHT ABOUT A 2nd OBAMA TERM ...
"FAST & FURIOUS" WAS ABOUT YOUR GUN RIGHTS ...
MICHELLE SAYS "BARACK'S YOUR BABY-DADDY" ...

Reader Arlys suggests that, if you can think of no other reason to vote in November, consider this possibility ...
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ERIC HOLDER

- - - - -

It's obvious. A desperate, flailing and failed president either falling back upon his own childish faith in socialist economics or convinced that more American voters are stupid, talking the old leftist nonsense about the evils of "top down" prosperity.
     He obviously believes (correctly) that his followers are so ignorant, they don't know what high-income earners do with their money. Sane people know they invest it, either directly or indirectly, in stocks and bonds that (A) provide the financing to start and operate businesses that employ people or (B) in the case of government bonds, finance government projects that also employ people.
     In short, he's indulging in babble for boobs.
     And now, the sleazeball wants couples getting married to have their wedding gifts sent as cash to his campaign fund! He is ... beneath contempt.

- - - - -

His media whores are, predictably, making much of a recent lowering of gasoline prices, minimizing the plain fact that the reduction is because the economy is in such wretched shape, there's less demand and simultaneously hoping that the stupid sheeple won't remember that they were paying half as much for gasoline when Obama took office.

- - - - -

Habitual liar. What else could you call a man who, in his own "memoirs," has been caught flat-out lying no fewer than 38 times. That's the count of fabrications and falsehoods found in Obama's "Dreams From my Father" book by Ben Smith of Buzzfeed, who has been an Obama fan.

- - - - -

It is important not to lose sight of the basic fact behind the Obama/Holder scheme to deliver guns to Mexican drug gangs. The purpose was to find evidence that those weapons were used to commit crimes. Two of those crimes happened to be the murders of a U. S. Border Patrol agent and a U.S. ATF agent in Mexico.
Evidence of the use of American-originated guns for criminal purposes in Mexico was to be used to support the argument made early in the Obama administration. The argument that Americans' gun ownership rights should be curtailed in order to suppress violence in Mexico -- ridiculous on the face of it because guns are available worldwide. In fact, many guns used by the drug cartels that largely govern Mexico come from Russia.
Even if our increasingly-dictatorial government could effectively ban gun ownership in the U.S., there would quickly arise a black-market in weapons -- probably run by those same Mexican gangs.

- - - - -

Peter Ferrara (Washington Times) reminds us just how deeply the blundering clown in the White House has buried our economy (assuming he isn't doing it purposefully) ...
"Since the Great Depression 75 years ago, recessions in America have lasted an average of 10 months, with the longest previously lasting 16 months, not counting this latest spooky downturn."

- - - - -

Michelle encapsulates Obama's pitch to women in one concise statement: "Barack is YOUR husband, too."
Right. It's the liberal message (to women) in a nutshell: "Get knocked up by some irresponsible dude who has no intention of paying the bills for his children, and I'll make sure the taxpayers fulfill the 'husband' role by supporting you and your offspring."

- - - - -

Survey says ... Obama only attracts support from 35% of white voters, eight points below his 2008 vote in that cohort. (Rasmussen)

- - - - -

How confident is Obama that he is much-loved by Latinos? This much.
Before his speech to the National Association of Latino Elected Officials luncheon, their forks were taken away. Knives were entirely absent from table settings.

- - - - -

His sycophants used to scoff at allegations that Obama was a socialist. Now that there's proof that he was a member of the socialist New Party, deep in their pea-sized brains they must wonder just how much more of the Obama myth is going to be ripped away.

- - - - -

Did you see the video of Obama falling on his face as he bounded onstage at a Tampa appearance? Probably not. The media certainly didn't give it nearly as much attention as they'd devoted to President Ford's trip-up on an airplane stairway.

- - - - -

David Goldman at PJ Media looks askance upon the fruits of the "Arab spring" ...
"There are still democracy activists on (Cairo's)Tahrir Square wondering where their revolution went, calling for a million-man march against the military’s “coup.” But the punditeska that hailed the Arab Spring as the best thing since the American founding is thunderously silent. Where is the snow job of yesteryear? The punditeska’s infatuation with the Arab Spring ran across the whole political spectrum."

Only the delusional ever found reason to believe it would be otherwise.

- - - - -

Now that the Central Intelligence Agency is blabbing about "covert" assistance to the rebels in Syria, a question occurs: Why not change the title and call that department by it's rightful name? The Central ADVERTISING Agency.

- - - - -

Kyle-Anne Shiver poses the question, "Is This Republic Worth Saving?" ... and answers it on The American Thinker website. Recommended reading at AMERICANTHINKER.COM. Here's the opening line ...
"There's been a great deal of talk lately on the likely demise of this Grand Republic of ours. Very wise and scholarly Americans have taken to opining publicly on the dire state of things, all asking the basic question, 'Can this Republic be saved?'

- - - - -

One piece of constructive advice for the next presidential administration: High on the "to do" list should be ... fire everybody remotely associated with the Environmental Protection Agency and convert the headquarters into condominiums, the sale of which should be used to reduce our national debt.
Other agencies to be abolished or drastically altered include, but are not limited to, Education, Energy, Housing & Urban Development.

- - - - -

Thinking out-loud ...
Now that Micky Arison, head of Carnival Cruise Lines, has collected the NBA trophy won by his high-priced Miami Heat basketball team, it wouldn't be a shock to have him announce "mission accomplished" and sell the team. Just a hunch ... don't bet your house on it.

- - - - -

In the wake of the Sandusky conviction for sexual abuse of children, covered up for years by Joe Paterno and administrators, I don't think we'll be hearing quite so much from the sports media about Penn State's squeaky-clean reputation.

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"President Obama has played his 100th round of golf since taking office. He's played more golf than Tiger Woods in the last four years. Actually, Obama's staff is a little concerned. They're concerned all this golf is cutting into his fund-raising."

And just how hot HAS it been along the East Coast? Jay provides the answer ...
"It was so hot, Attorney General Eric Holder was selling water guns to Mexican drug gangs."

- - - - -

Sheila contributes this little domestic vignette ...
     After examining her husband, the doctor calls the wife aside for a private chat.
     "Your husband is suffering from severe stress. It is likely to be fatal. However, if you subject him to no nagging, demand no chores from him, prepare three nourishing meals for him every day and make love to him four or five times a week, he will likely regain his health in about a year."
     Later, at home, the husband asks, "What did the doctor tell you?"
     "You're going to die."
June 24 --

REPUBLICAN ROADBLOCK? HOW ABOUT DEMS VS. BUSH? ...
THE TIMELESS WISDOM OF MILTON FRIEDMAN ...
THE READERS WRITE -- AND RIGHTLY

Consider this. Democrats, who held majorities in both houses of Congress during Obama's first two years in office, now complain that the Republican-dominated House is preventing their guy from working his will on the economy.
However, even as they complain, they ignore the fact that during the last two years of Bush's tenure in office, 2007 and 2008 -- WHEN THE RECESSION BEGAN -- they had the House majority and were therefore able to block Bush initiatives.

- - - - -

"Imagine being so down and out that you have to deter people from talking about the economy with the news that you are an accessory to murder." -- Clarice Feldman, quoting a friend's remark about Obama in The American Thinker. (Reference to the "Fast & Furious" gun-running scheme that got an American Border Patrol agent killed.)

- - - - -

Reader Greg does a little digging into history for an anecdote that illustrates the futility of more government jobs as a cure for our economic woes ...
     Free-market economist Milton Friedman travelled to China in the 1960’s. He visited a work-site where the government was building a new canal. Friedman was shocked that modern machinery like tractors and earthmovers were not being utilized to speed and ease construction. He asked his host why there were so few machines.
     The government bureaucrat explained, "You don’t understand. This is a jobs program."
     To which Friedman replied, "Oh I thought you were trying to build a canal. If it’s jobs you want, then you should give these workers spoons, not shovels."

- - - - -

The most subjective -- and therefore meaningless -- word in any language is "fair."
Beauty is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder. The same applies to fairness.

- - - - -

Columnist and radio talker Dennis Prager has some observations on Mormonism and other faiths ...
   "Commentators on both the right and left and both secular and religious note with disdain that Mormons (Latter Day Saints, as Mormons refer to themselves) have irrational practices and beliefs.
    "Everyone who makes these charges holds beliefs and/or practices that outsiders consider just as irrational.
    "There doesn't exist a religion without such beliefs. I say this as a believing and practicing (non-Orthodox) Jew, so I'll begin with my own religion
     "I believe the Torah is a divine book. I believe that God took the Jews out of Egypt and that He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. To atheists and secularists, these are not necessarily rational beliefs. And they are certainly not scientifically provable.
     "As for Christianity, non-Christians cannot be expected to regard the belief that God has a son who was born of a virgin as reason-based. (If they did, they would probably be Christian.) Nor do outsiders consider rational the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that the wafer and wine consumed during Communion literally become the body and blood of Christ.
    "As for Muslims, the belief that the Koran was dictated by an angel to an illiterate man (Islam holds that Muhammad was illiterate) is surely not rational to a non-Muslim. Nor are myriad post-Koranic beliefs such as the requirement that women wear a veil.
    "As for the secular world, irrational beliefs permeate the left. For example, a generation of Americans has been educated to believe that men and women are, beyond physical differences, the same.
    "Or how about the tens of millions of people who believed Marxist claptrap about the inevitability of socialism?
    "We would do a lot better to judge Mormonism -- and, for that matter, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the left -- by their fruits." -- (Entire article at Townhall.com) --

- - - - -

I find myself watching Fox News less and less. I've seen a disturbing trend on the cable network for some time. I don't really mind Juan Williams; we all need moments of comedy. But Geraldo Rivera? Please ...
The Fox & Friends morning show has become just that. A "show." More like a carnival, with an excess of inane silliness. I expect a watermelon-seed spitting contest any day.
But they'll get along fine without me. And I without them.

- - - - -

Reader Charleen with a report on the down-and-out ...
     "A couple of years ago a neighbor came to me and said his sister was back in town, no job, no money and no place to live.
     "He wanted to know if I would sell the old Saturn that was sitting in front of our house. Like an idiot, I said, 'Oh, that's all right, she can have it.'
      "Today I saw the car again. It had a Barack Obama 2012 bumper sticker."

Some folks DO love those who give them government freebies paid for by other people's taxes!

- - - - -

Radio legend Jim Eason with an early pre-election reminder ...
"Don't forget to 'take out the trash' in November. If you re-elect the same Congress, you'll GET the same Congress -- and you'll deserve it."

While you're about it, take note of which members of Congress who came to office with only a modest net worth leave it with multi-multi millions.

- - - - -

Longtime TV comedy writer, now serious columnist Burt Prelutsky finds entertainment in the endless Obama bungling ...
     "I find it impossible to stay abreast of the madcap antics of Barack Obama and his multitude of stooges. For instance, consider the fact that Obama has increased our national deficit from roughly 10 trillion dollars to16 trillion in just three years, and is now trying to convince us that he’s the biggest penny pincher since Dwight Eisenhower.
     "Sillier yet, he has chosen to run against Romney’s record at Bain Capital. According to objective sources, Bain’s success rate during Romney’s years was 78%. In other words, about four out of the five companies in which Bain invested became successful. What percentage of green energy companies in which Obama has invested our tax dollars have succeeded? Does 'zero percent' ring any bells?
     ... and, on the hapless Juan Williams on Fox News ...
     "No matter how dumb he sounds, no matter that Steve Hayes, Bret Baier and Charles Krauthammer, are all staring at him as if he’s begun speaking in tongues, nothing can dissuade Mr. Williams from defending his guy (Obama). Sometimes, I find myself wondering if Obama sits in the Oval Office, dreaming up nonsense just to see if Williams will back him up."

- - - - -

A match made in heaven ...
The Scotsman, major newspaper in Scotland, reports that the town of Dull in that lovely country has a new sister-city relationship with an Oregon town called -- what else? -- Boring.

- - - - -

Reader Dick in Fremont, California, forwards a blast from the past ...
"I just came across a brilliant quote I scribbled across a page of the San Francisco Comical back in 2006. It went something like this: 'Liberals have certain core problems rooted in their failure to understand human nature. Their central beliefs are often at odds with human nature.'
"I believe it came from a morning host on KSFO radio whose name frankly escapes me."

Thanks, Dick. Could it be that guy who now lives in Arizona?
(Pithy observations have been a hallmark of my media career. Always made while wearing a pith helmet, of course.)

- - - - -

It's hard to believe that there are athletes (mostly in sports other than baseball) who don't know how to wear a baseball cap. Every kid should know that, when you get a new one, the first thing to do is to bend the cap's bill into a curved shape. Wearing it in a straight-across configuration makes you look like a dope.

- - - - -

Illiteracy. It's everywhere. David Maraniss, speaking of his book about Obama that's making headlines: "I’m writing it as an historian."
No, dammit! You may be writing as A HISTORIAN, but never AN when the "H" is sounded. Would you read AN history book?

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
     "There is a record heat wave back east, close to 100 degrees in New York City. The temperatures are higher than President Obama was in high school."
     ... and ...
Craig Ferguson--
     "New York City reached 102 degrees. That's the first time all year the temperature in Manhattan was higher than the age of Barbara Walters."

- - - - -

A contribution from Sheila ...
     A steel company's board of directors hired a new CEO. The new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers.
     On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning against a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business. He asked the guy, "How much money do you make a week?"
     A little surprised, the young man looked at him and said, "I make $400 a week. Why?"
     The CEO said, "Wait right here." He walked back to his office, came back in two minutes, and handed the guy $1,600 in cash and said, "Here's four weeks' pay. Now GET OUT and don't come back."
     Feeling pretty good about himself the CEO looked around the room and asked, "Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?"
     From across the room a voice said – “He's the pizza delivery guy from Domino's”
June 25 --

OBAMA CHEERS MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD VICTORY ...
NEW EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT TILTS TOWARD TEHRAN ...
YOU'RE "RACIST" IF YOU DON'T LIKE OBAMACARE

Egypt's New President, Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood: "Our Capital Shall Be Jerusalem, Allah Willing."
     Egyptian "democracy" in action ... from Alexandria, word that a Muslim plumber beat his pregnant wife to death because she didn't vote for Mr. Morsi.
     After being declared winners of the Egyptian presidential election, one of the first pledges from the Muslim Brotherhood was a declared intent to close the Suez Canal, and international waterway, to shipping by both the U.S. and Israel.
     Question for the stupid, gullible, liberal mush-heads: Just how happy do you feel NOW about your precious "Arab spring?"

- - - - -

Today's "Do-It-Yourself" political analysis project ...
1.-Obama sends congratulations to the Muslim Brotherhood for their victory in Egypt's election.
2.-Egypt's new president announces plans for closer ties with Iran.
Consider these two facts and draw your own conclusions.

- - - - -

From reader Gerry ...
"President Obama’s approval ratings are so low now, Kenyans are accusing him of being born in the United States."

- - - - -

Michael Barone (Townhall.com) analyzes the latest Obama alibi formulation ...
     "As Barack Obama's lead over Mitt Romney in the polls narrows, and his presumed fundraising advantage seems about to become a disadvantage, it's alibi time for some of his backers.
     "His problem, they say, is that some voters don't like him because he's black. Or they don't like his policies because they don't like having a black president.
     "So, you see, if you don't like Obamacare, it's not because it threatens to take away your health insurance, or to deny coverage for some treatments. It's because you don't like black people."

- - - - -

Also offered without comment ... this NY Post report on the latest idiocy by the TSA airport Gestapo ...

     These fools are keeping us safe?!?
     The TSA’s bungling reached a new low (Saturday) when a JFK Airport terminal had to be evacuated and hundreds of passengers marched back through security screening all because one dimwitted agent failed to realize his metal detector had been unplugged.
     The stunning error led to hours of delays, two planes called back from the runway and infinite frustration for furious passengers.
     “The truth is, this is the failure of the most basic level of diligence,” a law-enforcement source said. “How can you expect the public to feel confident of the mission of the TSA if they don’t even know if the lights are turned on?”
     The chaos at Terminal 7 was caused by screener Alija Abdul Majed, who had manned Lane No. 1 during the morning shift with no idea his metal detector had no juice, sources said.

- - - - -

Thomas Sowell views how government redefines words ...
     "Perhaps the biggest frauds committed by redefining words are the many fraudulent uses of the word 'poor.' For most of the history of the human race, there was no problem in defining who were 'the poor.' They were people without enough to eat, often without adequate clothing to protect them from the elements, and usually people who lived packed in like sardines in living quarters without adequate ventilation in the summer or adequate heat in the winter, and perhaps also lacking in such things as electricity or adequate sewage disposal.
     "Today, most of the officially defined 'poor' have none of these problems, and most today have amenities such as air conditioning, a car or truck, a microwave oven and many other things that once defined a middle class lifestyle. Americans in poverty today have more living space than the average European.
     "Why are they called 'poor' then? To justify draining more money from the public in taxes, expanding the government, and allowing politicians to give handouts to people who are expected to vote for their reelection.
     "If we keep buying it, politicians will keep selling it."

Footnote: I have talked with Mr. Sowell many times. He knows whereof he speaks on being poor, having grown up as a black child left with relatives in North Carolina and Harlem and having to drop out of high school because of poverty. After service as a Marine he eventually earned degrees from Harvard, Columbia and the University of Chicago. After a distinguished professorial career, he's long been at Stanford's Hoover Institution.

- - - - -

Andy offers a reminder from the omniscient Ayn Rand ...
"When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing; when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors; when you see that men get rich more easily by graft than by work, and your laws no longer protect you against them but protect them against you...you may know that your society is doomed."

- - - - -

A sometimes dubious fringe benefit of a career in big-city media is the opportunity to meet prominent people from all walks of life, presidents and and celebrities of various sorts among them. In a talk-show environment, you sometimes spend an hour or more with them. Sometimes multiple visits take place. Inevitably that leads to questions from friends and relatives about your close-up impressions of these famous names.
     I long ago stopped interviewing most showbiz types because a lifetime of focus on their particular skill or gift has left many with little to offer beyond that specialty, thus ... boring. Among the few I recall as being substantial, real people:
     Robert Duvall, who showed up for an interview upon the release of "Apocalypse Now" with no studio entourage and immediately violated the publicity department's code by saying, off-air, "Let's not talk a lot about the picture or movie stuff. I'm open to anything else." He was smart, witty and a great interviewee.
     Mitzi Gaynor and Donald O'Connor were both charming and great story-tellers. Anita O'Day, the great jazz singer, and Eartha Kitt were reluctant guests. I got Anita to open up when I started singing (not well) the seldom-heard verse to Cole Porter's "You're the Top" and she began singing along with me. After that, she was outgoing and very funny. Eartha exploded with laughter when I penetrated her sulk by telling her that some of her sexy songs had gotten me through puberty.
     My all-time showbiz favorite, although we never did anything on the air, was and is Doris Day. After I left ABC's San Francisco owned & operated station, KGO and moved to Seattle for a year, not knowing that she'd been a regular listener at her home in Carmel, I got a genuine fan letter from her, saying how much she missed hearing me. When I returned to ABC in San Francisco, I soon got a call inviting Susan and me to lunch. We spent a long day at her home, had a great time followed by considerable phone-time, correspondence and more visits. She is one of the great people and without a trace of self-obsession. She's interested in the real world and not her illustrious showbiz career, even though she was the biggest movie star in the world for several years.
     Tippi Hedren, the ice-blonde in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds," had marvelous stories about the legendary director, delighted in showing me baby pictures of daughter Melanie Griffith and shared Doris' love for animals.
     I had a memorable (for any football fan) hour with the legendary Notre Dame coach, Frank Leahy.
     President Gerald Ford was a very pleasant man; Jimmy Carter, less so. Both Bushes were easy to talk to.
     Among the more memorable interviews was an hour with the one-time Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. I have never met a person so obviously consumed by guilt. He'd been in charge of much of the strategy in the Vietnam war and was clearly haunted by the nearly 60,000 young Americans who died there. The man was a portrait of misery.
     I had the good fortune to meet two of the broadcasting idols of my youth. Steve Allen and I hit it off instantly and when I'd call their home, Jayne Meadows would charge me a toll before she'd put Steve on the phone. The price was ... I had to help her solve that day's New York Times crossword puzzle.
     My favorite all-time news reporter was -- and is -- the late David Brinkley. Covering the Democratic convention in New York in 1992, I found myself in line to get entry credentials the day before the confab opened and noticed to my surprise that the fellow in front of me in the long, long line was Mr. Brinkley. Without preamble, he turned to me, began a casual conversation (instead of using his unquestionable clout to move to the head of the line), during which he told me a very funny story about an NBC reporter during his days doing the Huntley-Brinkley news program (he was by now doing "This Week" for ABC).
     Seems this reporter, who did regular appearances on Huntley-Brinkley, was often assigned to out-of-town stories. David noticed that, even if the assignment only required a quick overnight trip, the reporter always took a bulging suitcase. Much later, David and the NBC folk found out why he carried so much luggage. Seems he always took his dirty clothes along so he could have his laundry done at whatever hotel he'd spend the night, and put it on his NBC expense account.

- - - - -

With crime running rampant, its status as the nation's murder capital, a financial catastrophe, city employee unions running wild and productive citizens fleeing outrageous taxation, perhaps it's time for Chicago to change its name to something more appropriate. Like ... New Detroit.

- - - - -

Q -- What is a mild heart attack?
A -- What Alex Trebek had.
He's reportedly doing well.

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"Guantanamo Bay is getting millions of dollars in upgrades and renovations. They're adding things like cable TV, nicer beds, an athletic facility. In fact, the government isn't even running Guantanamo Bay anymore. It's now part of the Sandals Resorts organization."

- - - - -

Mad Mike strikes again ...
There comes a time when a woman just has to trust her husband... for example...
A wife comes home late at night and quietly opens the door to her bedroom.
From under the blanket she sees four legs instead of two.
She reaches for a baseball bat and starts hitting the blanket as hard as she can.
Once she's done, she goes to the kitchen to have a drink.
As she enters, she sees her husband there, reading a magazine. "Hi Darling", he says, "Your parents have come to visit us, so l let them stay in our bedroom. Did you say ‘hello’?"
June 26 --

A PRESIDENT WHO ONLY ENFORCES LAWS HE LIKES ...
OBAMA BOWS TO PUTIN, MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD ...
A NETWORK PRODUCER COMES CLEAN ON BIAS

Consider the absurdity of this: Judging from the reaction to the Arizona decision by pandering politicians and the lying Big Media, any non-Hispanic American of any ethnicity or complexion would have to conclude that the most serious mission of our government is to run the country primarily for the benefit of Mexicans who have entered illegally.
That, I submit, is the bottom line.
And before the inevitable accusations of racism begin, be it known that my wife has family roots in Mexico.

- - - - -

The key part of the Arizona law on illegal immigrants -- the right of police officers, having stopped a person for one offense having the right to question his/her citizenship status -- was sustained by the Supreme Court.
     It is, however, no more than a "moral victory," a term every athlete knows is simply a Band-Aid used to cover the wound of defeat. And the Obama administration has made it clear that it has no intention of enforcing immigration laws. Unless this arrogant fool is removed from office by the voters, the United States is willingly submitting itself to a tyrannical mentality.
     To be remembered: The parts of the Arizona law that were struck down were done so on the basis of the expected weasel-words from Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose nomination to the court was one large Reagan mistake. Chief Justice Roberts also sold out. Watch for his role in the upcoming Obamacare decision.
     Only Justice Scalia was outspoken against the craven Arizona decision.

- - - - -

The Washington Times, the alternative to the leftist Post, editorializes ...
"The Supreme Court ruled that the state of Arizona checking the citizenship status of people detained or arrested for other offenses is not racial profiling. The court, however, refused to address the core issue: What can states do to protect their borders when the federal government refuses to enforce the law?
"America is at a crossroads in the desert. The framers of the Constitution didn’t envision a president preventing states from upholding the law. Mr. Obama’s actions eviscerate the Supreme Court’s logic and prove the very point made by backers of S.B. 1070 and similar legislation. When the federal government abrogates its constitutional duty to protect the states, the states must protect themselves. A statute on the books is useless when the occupant of the White House calculates that it’s in his political interest not to enforce it."

- - - - -

Conan O'Brien --
"Mitt Romney has accused President Obama of pandering to the Latino community. The president said he's too busy to comment because he's watching Telemundo and eating chalupas."

- - - - -

Many people are already asking the obvious question: "If Obama doesn't obey the law, why should I?"

- - - - -

A small cry for help, please. What is a good word for a dictatorial regime that refuses to enforce existing, clear immigration laws?
The level of morality exhibited by Obama, Holder & Co.would shame the proprietor of a whorehouse.

- - - - -

Trend to watch: More and more Democrat politicians at all levels from national to local deciding not to attend the party's convention for fear of their own careers and figuring they need to distance themselves as much as possible from Obama. This trend will be largely ignored by the Big Media, endlessly prostituting themselves.

- - - - -

The rumors are bubbling again ...
Rumors that Hillary will replace Crazy Joe as Obama's running mate, despite all the denials.
Desperate people do desperate things.

- - - - -

Democrats insist that the effort to uncover the motivation and operation of the "Fast & Furious" program to sell guns to Mexican criminals is a "witch hunt."
     I suspect that characterization would not go over well with the families of the two slain U.S. government employees, one a Border Patrol officer, one an ATF officer, who were murdered with those very weapons. Once again Democrats determined to protect their heroes, Obama and Holder, know no limits to the depth of their sleaze. Yes, Pelosi and Reid, we start with you two cretins.
     It would be an enlightening experience for Nancy Pelosi & Co. to spend a full night, alone and without protection, out in the desert a half-hour from my home where BP agent Brian Terry was murdered. The illegal alien traffic might provide them with badly-needed education.
     It speaks volumes that Obama and Holder would rather risk public speculation about their possible culpability in murder than have the presidential campaign focus on the wretched job performance of the White House Marxist. (If you doubt it, do a quick web search under these words: Obama New Party.)

- - - - -

Respected national security reporter Bill Gertz in the Washington Free Beacon, reporting on the latest suck-up to Moscow perpetrated by Obama in the White House ...
"Russian strategic nuclear bombers threatened U.S. airspace near Alaska earlier this month and F-15 jets responded by intercepting the aircraft taking part in large-scale arctic war games, according to defense officials. The Russian war games began the same day President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a frosty summit meeting in Mexico June 18. U.S. officials said the arctic exercises over the Russian Far East and Pacific appeared to be a further sign of Russia’s hardening posture toward the United States. The Obama administration made no protest of the bomber intrusions, according to the officials, in line with its conciliatory 'reset' policy."

"Conciliatory" -- Practical definition, ass-kissing.

- - - - -

Another reason to scratch Mexico off your vacation list: Yesterday three police officers were shot dead by drug-cartel killers ... in the food court of the nation's largest airport in Mexico City.
That nation is a giant sewer, which many of its emigrants apparently would like to recreate here.

- - - - -

Just so you don't get your attention misdirected by the Big Media, this is the stated creed of the Muslim Brotherhood that just won the presidential election in Egypt:
“God is our objective; the Quran is our law, the Prophet is our leader; Jihad is our way; and death for the sake of God is the highest of our aspirations.”

And failed presidential candidate John Kerry says we shouldn't "pre-judge" the new government? Perhaps he should ask them what they meant by the above statement of principles.

I have friends in Egypt. I suspect that their lives are quickly to become ... difficult.

- - - - -

Longtime CBS and MSNBC Producer Greg Kendra wrote this “Memo to NBC: What the hell is wrong with you?”
     "I’m tired. Truly. I’ve grown weary of trying to defend the indefensible and explain the inexplicable. For years, people have stomped their feet and pounded their fists and snorted 'Liberal media bias!' and I’ve always tut-tutted and shooshed them and said, 'No, no. Calm down. They meant well. It was just a misunderstanding. A mistake. These things happen.' I spent over 25 years working in the oft-reviled Mainstream Media and I saw up close and personal how the sausage was made. I knew the people who wielded the knives and wore the aprons, and could vouch (most of the time, anyway) for their good intentions.
    "But now?
    "Forget it. I’m done. You deserve what they’re saying about you. It’s earned. You have worked long and hard to merit the suspicion, acrimony, mistrust and revulsion that the media-buying public increasingly heaps upon you. You have successfully eroded any confidence, dispelled any trust, and driven your audience into the arms of the Internet and the blogosphere, where biases are affirmed and like-minded people can tell each other what they hold to be true, since nobody believes in objective reality any more. You have done a superlative job of diminishing what was once a great profession and undermining one of the vital underpinnings of democracy, a free press.
    "Good job. I just have one question: What the hell is wrong with you guys?"

- - - - -

The Pritzker family is one of the wealthiest in the nation. Their vast properties include the Hyatt hotel chain.They are big Chicago contributors to Obama. It's paid off. They owned a bank in suburban Chicago that made housing loans to a lot of people who were bad credit risks. The bank went under. Now, instead of getting the full FDIC payoff, depositors who had money in that bank are getting screwed over. Obama's administration arranged for the Pritzkers and their failed bank to get a discounted deal which saved them $3,500,000. Politics, Chicago-style.

- - - - -

Columnist Burt Prelutsky with a pithy pronunciamento ...
"As you may have noticed, Obama’s latest attack on his opponent consists of claiming that while Romney was governor, Massachusetts had the fourth-worst record in the country when it came to job creation. Or, in other words, they ranked 54th among all 57 states.
"What Obama doesn’t mention is that Massachusetts had an unemployment rate of 4.2%. When your jobless rate is that low, it figures that job creation is not going to be a major priority. In fact, when you realize that in spite of a trillion dollar stimulus steamrollered by Reid and Pelosi, Obama has never been able to get the national unemployment rate under 8%, Obama would be better off comparing golf scores."

- - - - -

National Journal is one of several political journals reporting the Cong. Debbie Wasserman Schtupid, Democratic Party chairwoman, is as good as gone from that post after the election. He repeated public manifestations of silliness have been too much even for other powerful party members.

- - - - -

There they go, lying again ...
The Washington Post's "The Fix" column again referring to Obama as a "professor of constitutional law." He was not. Ever. Anywhere.

- - - - -

C. J. communicates regarding California Gov. Jerry Brown's bogus budget ...
"The Wall Street Journal has reported, quite matter-of-factly, that this budget is balanced by including revenue from Brown's tax initiative that hasn't even been voted on yet.
"Am I missing something here? On what planet could this "budget" be taken seriously, let alone be submitted as a legal representation of a budget. How can a budget be valid when a major component DOES NOT EXIST? This is fraud, pure and simple.

- - - - -

Wisdom from reader Gordon ...
"Everything is a racket until proven otherwise. Or, unless you're in on it."

- - - - -

A word for -- and about -- the latest cap-and-gown club from Malcolm Fleschner, Jewish World Review ...
"We've finally reached the end of the school year, and you know what that means: A freshly minted crop of bright-eyed college graduates casting their hopeful gazes toward the future, mulling the endless possibilities before them, and leaving campus life behind forever as they take that big next step -- moving back in with their parents.
"Because, sadly, no matter how bright-eyed the class of graduates, the job market for young people these days remains downright gloomy, causing recent alumni to scamper back home faster than Punxsutawney Phil after catching a glimpse of his shadow."

- - - - -

Survey says ...
Red cars attract more bird doo-doo than any other color. Next favorites were blue, black, white and gray. Green was in last place as the chosen target.
Come to think of it, I have a green car and have never had a bird do a bathroom chore on it.

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"Our space probe, Voyager 1, launched back in 1977, is 11 billion miles in space. It's on the verge of leaving our solar system on its mission to find other civilizations to try and borrow money from."
June 27 --

SUBSTANCES HITTING THE FAN ...
MORE DEMOCRATS DECLINE PARTY POW-WOW ...
WHAT IF DOCTORS WALK AWAY FROM OBAMACARE?

Admit it, Democrats. Obama's claim of "executive privilege" to shield his racist Attorney General Holder fairly screams "cover-up!"
Nixon redux: "What did the president know and when did he know it?"

- - - - -

It's the eternal question for which liberals have no answer. It's wrecked Greece, has several other European nations on the brink of economic collapse and is digging America's grave even now. It is this:
What do liberals do when they run out of other people's money to spend?

- - - - -

Liberal media talking heads, cornered in trying to support Obama, try to pretend it's Congress -- more specifically, only the House of Representatives -- that is his opponent in November. Now, even that pathetic lie is looking futile because a Gallup Confidence in Institutions Survey finds that television news has fallen to a 21 percent approval rating among the public, a record low.
It appears that a large slice of the public has finally figured out the deceitful SOBs.
Perhaps Miss Information Andrea Mitchell would like to take a bow for the whole sorry bunch.

- - - - -

The trend ...
     U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, facing a tough re-election campaign in the often-bellwether state of Missouri, will not be attending the Democratic convention in August. Another Democrat finding that too close an association with Obama is poison.
     Democrat Congressman John Barrow of Georgia has also announced that he will also skip the convention.
     And the beat goes on ...

- - - - -

See if the Big Media take note of this: Obama referred to the NBA champion Miami team as the "HeatS."
The same Hahvuhd man who referred to the U.S. Marine Corps as "the corpse."

- - - - -

Burt Prelutsky takes a shot at Obama's anti-capitalism campaign against Romney ...
"Obama is so desperate that he is running a TV ad that attempts to make out Bain Capital’s Mitt Romney to be the mustachioed villain in an old-fashioned melodrama, tossing widows, orphans and a few disgruntled steelworkers, out into the snow. The fact that Bain Capital, not having been either a major bundler for Obama’s campaigns or the UAW, couldn’t count on being bailed out with taxpayer dollars the way that Solyndra, GM and Chrysler were, bears out the rewards and pitfalls of the capitalist system.
"Only the lamebrains on the Left would try to make a case against an honest businessman by pointing out that he occasionally suffered a setback. Because the Left consists mainly of academics, state and federal bureaucrats, sluggards, media leeches and college kids, they have no actual concept of how the private sector works."

Of course, the hypocrisy of Obama's "outsourcing" charges vs. Romney becomes obvious when it's revealed that his own campaign is using foreign-based companies to provide some of the services for its operations.

- - - - -

The irony ... As my friend (although we don't always agree) columnist Debra Saunders points out that, while Obama does nothing to or about self-proclaimed "sanctuary cities" like San Francisco that flout immigration laws, he attacks Arizona, which tries to enforce them. Does not even the dumbest Democrat see a problem with that?
Even people who agree with Obama's position on illegal immigration would do well to consider the long-term potential in allowing a president -- eventually one they dislike -- to simply ignore or violate laws with which he disagrees. But most won't. If they weren't that stupid or hypocritical, they wouldn't be Democrats.

- - - - -

Many Republicans are disappointed that Mitt Romney didn't come out fighting against Obama on immigration law, but he has undoubtedly calculated that he'd better focus on the single most important issue to most people, the economy, rather than get sidetracked into other issues, which Obama clearly wants. On the first Wednesday in November, Romney -- and we -- will learn if his calculation was correct.

- - - - -

When liberal commentators/columnists posit that a contempt-of-congress vote against Attorney General Eric Holder would be a political setback for Republicans, you have to know they expect the exact opposite.
If the Congressional Republicans DON'T keep the heat on Holder, they might well worry that their own political base will figure "What's the use?" and stay home in November.

- - - - -

"He may be a crook, but he's our crook." Congressman Charles Rangel was re-elected by his constituents, despite ethics charges.
Senator Orrin Hatch will also return for another term, since he won his Utah primary.

- - - - -

Ol' Jimmuh Cahtuh just can't help himself. The failed and disgraceful former president has now made it a clean sweep of bitterness toward every successor with his attacks on Obama over the use of drones to kill terrorists. Violates their "human rights," dont'cha know ...

- - - - -

Reminder of a basic fact that gets lost in the Obamacare debate ...
Doctors HATE it. And you can't force people to be -- or become -- doctors. Most people with the smarts to master the skills are also smart enough to do other things for a living without the encumbrances and interference of a bunch of politicized, know-it-all government burocrats.

- - - - -

Wes picked this up this piece of investment advice from Fox Biznews ...
"US government bonds are like the best horse in a glue factory. And you know what happens to the horses there."

- - - - -

Being a left-wing propaganda mill eventually exacts a price. CNN's ratings have hit their lowest point in 21 years.

- - - - -

The forthcoming (in two years) four-team playoff system to determine a college football championship won't be perfect, but it'll become a great improvement over the BCS system. I doubt, however, that anyone would've beaten the 'bama juggernaut of this past season.
Long range prediction for this year's Final Four: USC, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas. Warning: This prediction is not to be saved for discussion later if it doesn't materialize. Burn it immediately.

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"Gas prices are expected to drop to around $3 a gallon by this fall. The price drop is the result of a complicated system. It's called the election."

- - - - -

Memo to the morning twit on CNN ...
Airline dispatchers, who do the flight planning, do not work for the FAA. They work for the individual airlines.
Most airline personnel cringe when the Big Media approach any aviation story because they expect it to be distorted by the vast ignorance of the reporters. They're almost invariably correct in that expectation.

- - - - -

“If you’re conservative in Hollywood, you’re on a list of people who need to be put in their place. If you’re Woody Allen, you do what you want. If you’re Spike Lee, you can go ahead and tweet out the address of the guy who the New Black Panthers put a bounty on and there’s no repercussions, because Hollywood will decide who’s guilty and who’s not guilty. Now, if Tom Selleck tweeted out the address of a black guy who the new Klan had put a bounty on, there’d be repercussions against Tom Selleck. That much I can promise you.
“They (Hollywood liberals) all pretend like they’re part of the 99 percent, but they’re not; they’re part of the 1 percent. They’re all incorporated, they all have tax attorneys, believe me.” -- Comedian Adam Carolla, who grew up poor and is one of the few outspoken conservatives in Hollywood, to The Daily Caller.

- - - - -

The indispensable Thomas Sowell offers a political dictionary that will be useful as November approaches ...
     One of the most versatile terms in the political vocabulary is "fairness." Life in general has never been even close to fair, so the pretense that the government can make it fair is a valuable and inexhaustible asset to politicians who want to expand government.
     "Racism" is another term we can expect to hear a lot this election year, especially if the public opinion polls are going against President Barack Obama.
     A more positive term that is likely to be heard a lot, during election years especially, is "compassion." But what does it mean concretely? More often than not, in practice it means a willingness to spend the taxpayers' money in ways that will increase the spender's chances of getting reelected.
     If you are skeptical -- or, worse yet, critical -- of this practice, then you qualify for a different political label: "mean-spirited." A related political label is "greedy."
     A political term that had me baffled for a long time was "the hungry." Eventually, over the years, it finally dawned on me. People who make no provision to feed themselves, but expect others to provide food for them, are those whom politicians and the media refer to as "the hungry." Those who meet this definition may have money for alcohol, drugs or even various electronic devices. But, if they look to voluntary donations, or money taken from the taxpayers, to provide them with something to eat, then they are "the hungry." -- More at Townhall.com

- - - - -

Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood and new president of Egypt says he will be a "leader for all Egyptians."
Bull(bleep)!
This Sharia-law-loving bunch of Muslim fanatics who want to return to the tenth century are trying to sell this pap to the gullible in Egypt and especially to the Muslim-sympathizer in the White House in an effort to tap the wallets of American taxpayers. To expect otherwise is silly.

- - - - -

One of the largest -- and ever-growing -- causes of discontent in society is a widespread inability to distinguish between needs and wants, e.g., "I NEED food ... I WANT lobster."
You will find that inability at the root of many of our political disagreements.

- - - - -

I barely slept last night, despondent as I am over word that former Democrat presidential candidate John Edwards and the lovely Rielle Hunter have split up. Who could have imagine that a relationship that began with such promise could fail to survive?

- - - - -

More romance in the news ...
In Sweden, a 52-year-old professor suspected his wife was playing hide-the-weenie with some other dude, so he cut off her lip ... and ate it. While telling her, "You'll never kiss anyone else again."

- - - - -

Ever find yourself seated on a long-distance flight next to a person who talks incessantly? Could be worse.
     Ask the lady who flew a red-eye overnight from Amsterdam to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The man next to her was quiet. Too quiet. For good reason. He was dead.
     On a jammed flight, the crew had no place to put him, so she made the entire trip seated next to a corpse.
     No word whether she snacked off his tray.

- - - - -

Argus Hamilton --
"Pew Research reported Asian immigrants were the largest group coming into the U.S. last year for the first time ever, with most coming from India. It brings tears to the eyes of many Americans. After twenty years of endless waiting, technical support is a local call."

June 28 --

SUPREME COURT IMPORTANT, NOVEMBER MORE IMPORTANT ...
DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS DISTANCING FROM OBAMA ...
GETTING TO THE BASICS ABOUT "FAST & FURIOUS"

As this is written, we still await the Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare. Ultimately, however, that matters less than the voters' ruling on its namesake on the first Tuesday in November.
Whatever the Court says, if Obama is ousted, it's likely enough Senate votes could be obtained to abolish the whole absurd conspiracy, anyway. If he's returned to office and Democrats should somehow regain control of the House, it will be rewritten in some fashion to meet the constitutional requirements. From Democrats' standpoint, better than admitting the idea was a loser from the get-go.
Healthcare does need some fixing, but socialized medicine is NOT the answer. Just ask the droves of Canadians who pour across the border to our doctors and hospitals in order to evade their own system. A doctor who is on the faculty at the largest hospital in Tucson, a teaching institution, tells me more than 100,000 Canadians annually come all the way down here to get medical care.

- - - - -

The stampede of Democrat pols running away from Obama is being encouraged by an unlikely source. Commentary magazine reports that Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee head Steve Israel is publicly advising Democrats to stay home from President Obama’s nominating convention this year:
"The man responsible for getting Democrats elected to the Congress this fall has a message for his party’s candidates: Stay away from the Democratic National Convention in September. 'If they want to win an election, they need to be in their districts,' New York Congressman Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told the Reuters Washington Summit."

- - - - -

Obama's shameless fund-raising operation is now beseeching the Democrat herd to send him money in lieu of purchasing wedding or anniversary gifts.
And what about those flowers at funerals? Wouldn't he appreciate that money, too?
Enquiring minds want to know: would a gift of the customary tip to a hooker also be appreciated?

- - - - -

If you'll recall, before you heard about this "Fast & Furious" scandal, you were being told by Obama's stooges that most of the guns used by Mexican drug gangs came from the U.S. It was all part of the liberals' plan to deprive Americans of their gun-ownership rights, as Ann Coulter summarizes ...
     "(1) Liberals thought it would be a great argument for gun control if American guns were ending up in the hands of Mexican criminals;
     "(2) They wanted that to be true so badly, Democrats lied about it;
     "(3) After they were busted on their lie, the Obama administration began dumping thousands of guns in the hands of Mexican criminals.
     "We also know that hundreds of people were murdered with these U.S.-government-supplied guns, including at least one American, U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.
     "Contrary to more Democrat lies, there was no such program to dump thousands of guns in Mexico under George W. Bush. The Bush administration did have a program that put GPS trackers on about 100 guns in order to actually trace them. That operation was ended almost as soon as it began because of the lack of cooperation from Mexican officials.
     "No one has explained what putting 2,500 untraceable guns in the hands of Mexican drug dealers was supposed to accomplish.
     "But you know what that might have accomplished? It would make the Democrats' lie retroactively true -- allowing them to push for the same gun restrictions they were planning when they first concocted it. A majority of guns recovered from Mexican criminals would, at last, be American guns, because Eric Holder had put them there."

In any rational country -- and this is NOT one of them -- anybody involved in this whole stupid, deceitful conspiracy would be going to prison for a long, long time.

- - - - -

The technique known as "fracking" has led to the extraction of massive amounts of oil and natural gas from our enormous shale deposits. Naturally, the subversive, treasonous, anti-American EPA wans to ban it. A less gentlemanly candidate than Mitt Romney might be asking, "Americans, are we going to let this bunch of EPA SOB's frack us over?"

- - - - -

Never make the mistake of assuming that most Americans are as well-informed as you who follow serious news closely. They aren't.
If they vote, they make vital political decisions based on largely superficial trivia; appearance, "likeability," etc., with no real understanding of issues or thought of long-term consequences. They are easily duped.
We have had so many incompetent charlatans elected to high office, the astonishing thing is that the nation has survived in spite of them. But someday our luck will run out. The last election brought us a lot closer to that end. The next might finish the job.

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"Analysts, according to The Wall Street Journal, say the weak economy is causing less energy use, resulting in falling oil prices. So basically the worse the economy is, the lower the price of oil. Do you know what that means? If Obama gets re-elected, gas could be free."

- - - - -

Dave, a Californian, provides more info on the Stockton city bankruptcy ...
"Front page of Sacramento Bee headline: ' Stockton Council Backs Bankruptcy Protection,' and continues, 'City unable to meet health and retiree benefits.'
"In the classifieds, in the same paper, "City of Stockton, California, is seeking a Budget Officer, with annual salary up to $131, 500, including Competitive Benefits Package.'"

- - - - -

Survey says ... 58% of Likely U.S. Voters think the policies and practices of the federal government encourage illegal immigration. Just 24% disagree, while 18% more are undecided.-- (Rasmussen)

- - - - -

Thomas Sowell further explores the language of politics ...
     "'Access' is one of those words. Politicians seem to be forever coming to the rescue of people who have been denied 'access' to credit, college or whatever.
     "It could mean that some external force is blocking you from whatever your goal might be. Or it could mean that you just don't have whatever it takes to reach that goal.
     "Michael Jordan became a basketball star — and a very rich man. I did neither. Was that because I was denied 'access' to professional basketball? Nobody was blocking me. They didn't have to block, because I was not going to make the NBA anyway.
     "For years, politicians and the media went ballistic over the fact that different groups had different approval rates for mortgage loans. When statistics showed that blacks were turned down for conventional mortgage loans at twice the rate of whites, that was the clincher for those saying that "access" was the problem and that racial discrimination was the reason.
     "Statistics on the average credit ratings of people in different racial groups likewise seldom saw the light of day. The average credit ratings of whites were higher than the average credit ratings of blacks, and the average credit ratings of Asian Americans were higher than the average credit ratings of whites.
     "But to lay all these facts before the public might well result in the public's deciding that banks and other financial institutions prefer lending to individuals who were more likely to pay them back."

- - - - -

We've come to expect it. The quadrennial mass-media push for everyone to "get out and vote." Far from a civic virtue to be applauded, if such admonitions were/are effective we'd have even more ignoramii turning up at the polls, uninformed, subject to mass hysteria and susceptible to even the most transparent demagoguery.
If you doubt it, a cursory examination of history and election results might change your mind.

- - - - -

Crime news ...
Police in Newtown Township, Pennsylvania, have had no luck searching for a 35-to-45-year-old black male who exposed himself ... at the office of the Country Association for the Blind.
No word on who reported -- or described -- the perpetrator.

- - - - -

As if we needed more proof that we're surrounded by lunatics ...
     National Geographic Channel contacted 1,114 adults across the United States last month in a survey asking which presidential candidate was better qualified to defend us from an invasion by ... aliens from other planets.
     Thirty-six percent of respondents said they were certain that unidentified flying objects exist. Eleven percent were confident they had spotted a UFO, and 20 percent said they knew someone who claimed to have seen one.
     In response, 65 percent said Obama would be more able than Romney to respond to a space-alien invasion, with women and younger Americans more likely than men and over-65s to agree with that prospect.
     An astonishing conclusion, since Obama's made it clear he won't even defend us against earthling aliens from Mexico.

- - - - -

Argus Hamilton --
"Secret Service agents came under probe for a Nantucket barroom brawl they got into over a woman on the dance floor. In a way it's a sign of growth. The agents are learning that romancing a woman takes a lot more time and effort than just paying for her."

- - - - -

... and Argus has this sports note ...
"The Women's Tennis Association approved a hand-held device for umpires to use to penalize women who grunt and shriek too loudly. It's embarrassing. Many men who can no longer afford pay cable channels now watch women's tennis with their eyes closed." -- (JWR) --

- - - - -

Time to recycle an old joke ...
The Women's Tennis Association is cracking down on who scream, grunt and shout as they whack the ball.
So ... (drum-roll) ... "I got a sweater for Christmas, but what I wanted was a moaner or screamer."

I'll be going now ...

June 27
June 29 --

JUSTICE ROBERTS REVOLTING? YES ...
DID HE IMPROVE ROMNEY'S CHANCES? MAYBE ...
A BLACK DAY FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS

There he is! The new poster-boy for the left! Put his picture right up there with Barry Soetoro, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, etc.
Chief Justice John Roberts. And never, ever, forget that he was chosen by George W. Bush. That should effectively poison the well for Jeb -- permanently -- and with it, a stain on the Bush name with conservatives for a long, long time.

- - - - -

Chief Justice Roberts did make one observation that should bring voters face-to-face with the consequences of their decisions: “Those decisions are entrusted to our Nation’s elected leaders, who can be thrown out of office if the people disagree with them. It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.”

Regardless, John Roberts has placed himself and the man who chose him in positions comparable with historic predecessors in their respective occupations. Earl Warren was nominated as Chief Justice by President Eisenhower. He became a turncoat liberal once in that lifetime position and was detested by conservatives. Eisenhower later said the Warren choice was the worst mistake he'd ever made.
Perhaps someday we will hear a similar admission from George W. Bush regarding Roberts.

- - - - -

From this column yesterday, before the Supreme Court decision on Obamacare was announced: "Ultimately, however, that matters less than the voters' ruling on its namesake on the first Tuesday in November."
     And several days earlier we had warned that Chief Justice John Roberts needed to be watched closely. Now we know why. Although Obama had repeatedly said his scheme was NOT a tax, Roberts joined with the left wing of the court in allowing the forced-purchase mandate to stand because it WAS a tax!
     Roberts, by the way, was nominated to the court by ... George W. Bush.
     If this decision doesn't light a fire under voters in order to get this mess eliminated by a Republican president and Republican Congress, the bottom-line is -- as Justice Scalia said in his dissent -- there is nothing to keep the government from forcing you to buy anything it chooses, including whatever Michelle thinks you should have for lunch. Just call it a "tax" and it's a done deal.

- - - - -

Barack Obama -- and any American paying attention -- now knows one basic fact about John Roberts. You can insult him to his face on national television, as B.O. did in his state-of-the-union speech, and he'll be your puppy-dog. "Gutless nothing" doesn't begin to describe this wimp. He did, however, likely improve Romney's chances of ousting our Marxist-in-charge. Maybe.
Unlike some conservative pundits, however, I'm not totally convinced this piece of idiocy will seal the deal. They assume that most voters wisely consider the consequences of such decisions and vote accordingly. I don't. My reading of history tells me that the electorate largely consists of a mindless mob. When we do get a competent president, it's largely a matter of luck, not voter wisdom.

- - - - -

Jim Eason contributes a timely -- and timeless -- quote ...
".....a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.....” -- JOHN ADAMS

- - - - -

Playing their usual race-based game (even as they denounce racism), the members of the Congressional Black Caucus walked out during the vote to cite their soul-brother Attorney General Eric Holder for contempt. If the rest of Congress had either guts or sense, they'd have KEPT them out.

- - - - -

From the Obama-cheerleading Washington Post ...
"Obama is going to Colorado to deal with the wildfires."
DEAL with them? And what, pray tell, is the Dear Leader going to do? Let's see ... perhaps he could first drink a lot of beer ...

- - - - -

Some of Obama's media stooges quote polls of questionable provenance showing my home state, Arizona, as "in play" or even tilting toward their hero. The highly-reliable (based on actual track-record) Rasmussen poll has it thusly: Romney with 54% support to President Obama's 41%.
The response of most Arizonans to Obama's childish, spiteful refusal to even accept notice from Arizona law enforcement officers that they have caught an illegal alien provokes this response: "(Bleep) me? No, dude -- (bleep) YOU!!"

- - - - -

Question: If Democrats believe the amount of illegal voting is so "inconsequential" as they say, why are they expending so much energy trying to protect those who do it?

- - - - -

Wham! Zap! Bang! Pow!
     Michael Goodwin of the NY Post takes a swing at B.O. ...
     "In political peril because of its arrogance and incompetence, the Obama administration has lost its moral bearings in a bid to stay in power.
     "Laws are ignored, and new rules created simply for the convenience of the campaign. The president’s mad dash for cash has turned Air Force One into a shabby shuttle, its grand symbolism reduced to getaway-car status.
      "This week offers an especially clear view on the disaster of the last 42 months and the rough road ahead. The chaos in the Mideast, the broken jobs machine at home and America’s bitter polarization are the fruits of a failed presidency.
    “'Hope & Change' has become a punch line, and even Jimmy Carter, the poster boy for fecklessness, is piling on by attacking Obama for failing to protect human rights."

- - - - -

Sad to see, but utterly predictable. The same kind of Democrat/labor union coalition that destroyed Detroit is now completing the same kind of job on Chicago. The daily scoreboard of murdered and wounded on the streets of the city is now a standard feature in the Chicago newspapers. And sitting atop the dung-heap is Obama's former hatchet man, the Tiny Dancer, Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Between the black and Latino street gangs and crazed unions, starting with the teachers, Chicago's situation looks hopeless.

- - - - -

A new slogan that would work equally well for either CNN or Fox News: "We get it FIRST, and we get it ... WRONG!"
In their haste to be first with news of yesterday's Supreme Court decisio, both cable networks first announced that the key part of Obamacare, the individual mandate, had been overturned.

- - - - -

Cindy Adams reports the latest joke going around poor old CNN ...
One exec: “We should announce all our changes on the air.”
Second exec: “Yeah, but if we announce it on CNN, who will know?”

- - - - -

Conan O'Brien --
"For the first time ever, Saudi Arabia is going to allow women to compete in the Summer Olympics. The rumor is that Saudi women are excellent runners — because they're not allowed to drive."
June 30 --

REPUBLICAN WISHFUL THINKING ...
REMEMBER BUSH #1 AND DAVID SOUTER? ...
SO OBAMA LIED ABOUT OBAMACARE TAX. SURPRISED?

Some conservatives are tying themselves in knots looking for a silver lining in the Supreme Court's recent decisions on Arizona and socialized medicine. They should be reminded of the cynics' creed: "Behind every silver lining is a big black cloud."
November is far from being a done-deal for a Republican White House and Senate to overturn this abortion.

- - - - -

Victor Davis Hanson looks at the bottom line and doesn't like what he sees ...
"Conservatives should not listen to themselves and their ingenious rationalization about how things are 'really' swinging their way, and instead accept that the presidency, the courts, and much of Congress are doing all they can, as quickly as they can, with enormous powers at their disposal, to change the fundamental nature of the United States — and so far are mostly winning."

- - - - -

A judge who follows the law considers the facts, makes his decision based upon the applicability of relevant laws to those facts, then reaches a decision.
A politicized judge begins by deciding what outcome he wants, then finds a way to twist laws in order to get that result.
In which category does Chief Justice Roberts belong? We know the answer, don't we?

- - - - -

The Dear Leader told us repeatedly that Obamacare WASN'T a tax, but the Supreme Court says it is. And it falls most heavily on the very suckers whose taxes Obama swore he'd never raise -- the middle-class and lower-income folk.
Will many of those voters support him in November, anyway? Yes.

- - - - -

Only the very naive believe that there are no leaks from the Supreme Court. Keeping in mind that hospital owners are among those expecting to profit from Obamacare, some will take this report by The Daily Caller as evidence that somebody WAS talking ...
     "In a brief 10-minute period starting at 9:32 a.m., the stock value of the nation’s largest hospital chain, HCA Holdings Inc., jumped from $26.81 per share to $27.53 as bidders bought several hundred thousand shares before the court made its announcement just after 10 a.m.
     "The bidders who snatched up shares before the announcement made a gain of roughly $2 a share once the price rose again after the court officially announced its backing for the law.
     "The bidding and the price jump came more than 30 minutes BEFORE Chief Justice John Roberts read his unexpected decision from the bench."

- - - - -

Reader Rick points out this reminder: George W. isn't the first Bush to nominate a turncoat judge to the Supreme Court. Daddy George H.W. gave us left-wing weasel David Souter.

- - - - -

Wes Pruden, Editor-emeritus of the Washington Times, has this take on the Obamacare decision ...
"Chief Justice John Roberts, author of the majority opinion, is first a corporation lawyer, and a lawyer is always looking out for the client. The U.S. Government is the biggest corporation of all. Twisting, manipulating and torturing the law is what corporation lawyers do, and Justice Roberts is very good at his job."

- - - - -

Far too many conservatives placed their faith in the Supreme Court to do for them what they'd failed to do at the ballot box. Now they're paying the price for that misplaced confidence. Conservatives have to learn what liberals have always known -- and practiced. It's "win ... or else."

- - - - -

Are the Obamunists a class act, or what? First word out of the White House after the Supreme Court decision was from an Obama operative: "It's constitutional, bitches!"
Then came the tee-shirts emblazoned "Health Care -- it's still a BFD."

- - - - -

My friend Kevin holds up a mirror to Obamacare and lets us look into it -- and our future ...
"Two patients limp into two different medical clinics with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking and appear to require hip surgery.The FIRST patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day and has a time booked for surgery the following week.The SECOND sees his family doctor after waiting 3 weeks for an appointment, then waits 8 weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn't reviewed for another week and finally has his surgery scheduled for 6 months from then pending the review boards decision on his age and remaining value to society.
"Why the different treatment for the two patients? The FIRST is a Golden Retriever taken to a vet. The SECOND is a Senior Citizen on Obama care...or what the British already have. In November if He and his Czars get another term we'll all have to find a good vet."

- - - - -

Jay Leno --
"If you're an illegal immigrant in Arizona hoping to become a citizen so you can get free healthcare, this is the greatest week of your life."

- - - - -

Reader Jack is pessimistic about whether the Court's decision on Obamacare will sufficiently motivate voters to oust Obama ...
     "Don't think the Supremes' absurd call will motivate the Repubs. The 'gimmes' out number the doers."

... and, from Mike ...
     "The Roberts quote 'It is not our job [Supreme Court] to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices' has a lot of truth to it. However, when a legislative case gets to the Supreme Court, it is THEIR job to decide whether that legislation is constitutional or unconstitutional. Clearly Roberts' decision wasn't merely a choice between legal or illegal, but one about whether the Constitution of the United States is relevant or irrelevant.
     We have a Marxist in the White House, a left-leaning and aging Supreme Court, and a once-liberal, now divided Congress. This next election very well could decide whether this country will survive much longer. Yet, even if the Republicans can control Congress and the White House, there is still no guarantee that they will have the backbone to fix the ailments of this country. A bleak future awaits."

- - - - -

I've heard occasionally from Penn State fans who want to preserve the image of the late Coach Joe Paterno as a candidate for sainthood. Here's the blunt news from the New York Daily News ...
     "Newly uncovered emails in the Jerry Sandusky case show that Penn State officials were on the verge of blowing the whistle on him -- but changed their minds after talking to coach Joe Paterno.
     "The missives, obtained by CNN, seemingly contradict the late Paterno's claim that he alerted higher-ups to a report of Sandusky showering with a boy and had nothing to do with the matter after that.
     "They could also spell trouble for a trio of university bigwigs: Athletic Director Tom Curley and Senior Vice President Gary Schultz, who have been charged with perjury, and former college president Graham Spanier, who was forced to resign after the scandal broke.
     "Tom Kline, a lawyer for one of the molestation victims, called the emails 'shocking' and told CNN they showed a 'concerted, conscious, collaborative effort' to keep Sandusky's crimes a secret from authorities."

- - - - -

This pointed, pithy observation comes from Andrew ...
"In light of the traitor Chief Injustice Roberts' ruling...Happy Dependence Day!"

- - - - -

Burt Prelutsky vents on the Obama birthplace debate ...
"It has annoyed me for the longest time that a great many conservative pundits joined the chorus of liberals who denounced anyone who dared to question Obama’s birthplace. Perhaps if I had heard them at least ponder why Obama has kept his college application, his earliest passport and his academic records, under lock and key, it wouldn’t have galled me quite as much. But after we recently discovered that in the biographical material he’d sent to his literary agent 20 years ago, Obama claimed he’d been born in Kenya, their continuing to insist he was hatched in Hawaii verges on lunacy."

- - - - -

President Obama used executive privilege to stop the Attorney General from revealing confidential documents to Congress. Government rules are ironclad. You're only allowed to leak classified secrets that make President Obama look tough on terrorism. -- Argus Hamilton

- - - - -

The Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes marriage is kaput. A major factor is said to be Scientology. Before the marriage, she had to convert from her Catholic faith to the "religion" dreamed up by a science-fiction writer ... and got fed up with it.

- - - - -

Jimmy Fallon--
"It was reported that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi wore her lucky purple shoes for the Supreme Court’s healthcare ruling — while House Speaker John Boehner wore his lucky orange face."

"...and now, if you'll excuse me..."

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