Monday, May 12, 2008

Michelle on Michelle

"THE GLOOM AND ANGER VOICED BY THE ASPIRING FIRST LADY AS SHE SURVEYS THE ROTTING, MISERABLE HELL THAT IS AMERICA HAVE REACHED ALARMING DEPTHS.”

Michelle’s Inferno is a must read.

• Michelle Obama Suicide Watch

God’s Country

I grew up in the mountains of Western Pennsylvania very near the border of PA and W. VA. Our favorite hang out spot overlooked the Blue Ridge and on a clear day you felt you could see all the way to Tennessee. It is some of the most beautiful country there is. Fall in the Blue Ridge takes your breath away with its beauty. The people lucky enough to live surrounded with so much natural beauty don’t care how many lattes you order at Starbucks, they don’t care how many letters you tack on behind your name, they don’t care that you have peeps to do your lying for you. They know what is truly important in life. They don’t need some wet-behind-the-ears arrogant pr*ck telling them how to lead their lives. They know how to live off the land. They know who to thank for their bounty. They know that life can be hard, but living is joyous.

And it isn’t just those backwoods rubes of West Virginia and Kentucky that want Hillary to stay in the race. This poll supports my view that if the Dems could have a do-over in the early primary states now that they’ve gotten to know more about their anointed one, a good portion of them would vote differently today than they did a few months ago.

• ABC/Wash. Post Poll: 64% of Dems Say Hillary Should Stay in Race

Pushing back against political punditry, more than six in 10 Democrats say there’s no rush for Hillary Clinton to leave the presidential race even as Barack Obama consolidates his support for the nomination and scores solidly in general-election tests.

Despite Obama’s advantage in delegates and popular vote, 64 percent of Democrats in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll say Clinton should remain in the race. Even among Obama’s supporters, 42 percent say so.

(H/T: Talk Left)

News to Make a Moonbat’s Head Explode

Looks like the Code Pink witchcraft isn’t as powerful as they thought.

• Services Exceed Recruiting Goals:

The Marine Corps far surpassed its recruiting goal last month and could eventually be more than a year ahead of schedule in its plan to grow the force to 202,000 members.

All military services met or exceeded their monthly recruiting goals in April, with the Marine Corps signing 142 percent of the number it was looking for, the Pentagon said.

The Army signed 101 percent of its goal, recruiting 5,681 against a goal of 5,650. The Navy and Air Force met their goals — 2,905 sailors and 2,435 airmen.

The Marine Corps enlisted 2,233 recruits against a goal of 1,577.

“The Marine Corps, if they continue to achieve the kind of success they have had, could meet their growth figures more than a year early,” Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters. That would mean by around the end of 2009.

RELATED:

• AP: Military Hits Recruiting Goals Despite ‘Slow Economy,’ and ‘Unpopular War’

Don’t you just love the MSM? They can’t even report good news without interjecting their doom and gloom, agenda driven verbiage into any report. This time it is the Associated Press with the good news that the Marines and the rest of America’s armed forces have reached their recruiting goals. In fact, many branches of the service exceeded them. All good news, right? Well, naturally the AP had to throw some cold water on the good tidings. You see, according to the AP the Marines fulfilled their recruiting goals because of a “slow economy” and despite Iraq being an “unpopular war.” They just can’t let it go, can they?

After giving us the details that the Marines surpassed their recruiting goals the AP had to remind us that U.S. forces were “stretched thin by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan” and that those joining the service are doing so because—and here is that old canard again—“other job possibilities” are limited for them.

Read more

Can You Spot the Fake Smiles from the Real Ones?

I scored 18 out of 20 and of the two I got wrong, one I debated about and had I been able to see it again before voting, I might have gotten it right, so I’m giving myself an 18 1/2.

See if you Spot the Fake Smile.

Most people are surprisingly bad at spotting fake smiles. One possible explanation for this is that it may be easier for people to get along if they don’t always know what others are really feeling.

Although fake smiles often look very similar to genuine smiles, they are actually slightly different, because they are brought about by different muscles, which are controlled by different parts of the brain.

Fake smiles can be performed at will, because the brain signals that create them come from the conscious part of the brain and prompt the zygomaticus major muscles in the cheeks to contract. These are the muscles that pull the corners of the mouth outwards.

Genuine smiles, on the other hand, are generated by the unconscious brain, so are automatic.

Another Major Earthquake, China 7.8 - Updated - Death Toll Nearly 9000 - Nearing 10,000

UPDATE: Via Drudge: China Deploys 50,000 Troops to Sichuan, Earthquake Death Toll Nears 10,000...

Thousands evacuate buildings in Beijing, 900 miles from the epicenter of a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake that rocked central China’s Sichuan Province.

BEIJING (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck China’s Sichuan province on Monday, less than 100 km (60 miles) from the provincial capital of Chengdu, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.

The tremor, centered 92 km northwest of Chengdu, was felt as far away as Beijing and Shanghai, where office buildings swayed with the impact.

USGS - May 12: A map shows the epicenter of the powerful earthquake in Sichuan Province, China.

Sichuan Province

UPDATE:

• Death toll in China earthquake up to nearly 9,000

CHONGQING, China (AP) - One of the worst earthquakes in decades struck central China on Monday, killing nearly 9,000 people, trapping about 900 students under the rubble of their school and causing a toxic chemical leak, state media reported.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated a hilly region of small cities and towns. The official Xinhua News Agency said 8,533 people died in Sichuan province and more than 200 others were killed in three other provinces and the mega-city of Chongqing.

Xinhua said 80 percent of the buildings had collapsed in Sichuan province’s Beichuan county after the quake, raising fears the overall death toll could increase sharply.

State media said a chemical plant in Shifang city had cratered, burying hundreds of people and spilling more than 80 tons of toxic liquid ammonia from the site.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Jenna Bush, a Beautiful Bride

Here they are, the pictures of the wedding. Jenna’s dress is gorgeous and she is a beautiful bride. Dad looks so proud he might burst. Congratulations and Best Wishes to the happy couple.

Jenna Bush poses for a photographer Saturday, May 10, 2008, prior to her wedding to Henry Hager at Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas. White House photo by Shealah Craighead

President George W. Bush and Jenna Bush pose for a photographer Saturday, May 10, 2008, prior to Jenna’s wedding to Henry Hager at Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas. White House photo by Shealah Craighead

Henry Hager and Jenna Bush exchange vows at the altar Saturday, May 10, 2008, during their wedding ceremony at Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas. Presiding over the ceremony is the Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell of Houston’s Windsor Village United Methodist Church. White House photo by Shealah Craighead

Henry and Jenna Hager pause as they cut their wedding cake Saturday, May 10, 2008, during a reception in their honor following the ceremony at Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas. White House photo by Shealah Craighead

More pictures here.

Primary Humor

Flopping Aces has a collection of primary cartoons, mostly at Hillary’s expense. There are several good ones, but this is my favorite:

100th Anniversary of Mother’s Day in the U.S.

Although historians can trace the history of celebrating motherhood or the mother diety to as early as the Goddess Isis in Egypt, Mother’s Day in the United States as we know it is the work of one very determined woman. The fascinating historical look about Mother’s Day celebrations, found at Mother’s Day Central, is packed full of interesting information and well worth a look.

Anna M. Jarvis’s Mother’s Day in 1908

After Anna Reeves Jarvis died, her daughter Anna M. Jarvis campaigned for the creation of an official Mother’s Day in remembrance of her mother and in honor of peace. In 1908, Anna petitioned the superintendent of the church where her Mother had spent over 20 years teaching Sunday School. Her request was honored, and on May 10, 1908, the first official Mother’s Day celebration took place at Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia and a church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The West Virginia event drew a congregation of 407 and Anna Jarvis arranged for white carnations—her Mother’s favorite flower—to adorn the patrons. Two carnations were given to every Mother in attendance. Today, white carnations are used to honor deceased Mothers, while pink or red carnations pay tribute to Mothers who are still alive. Andrew’s Methodist Church exists to this day, and was incorporated into the International Mother’s Day Shrine in 1962.

US Government Adoption

In 1908 a U.S. Senator from Nebraska, Elmer Burkett, proposed making Mother’s Day a national holiday at the request of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). The proposal was defeated, but by 1909 forty-six states were holding Mother’s Day services as well as parts of Canada and Mexico.

Anna Jarvis quit working and devoted herself full time to the creation of Mother’s Day, endlessly petitioning state governments, business leaders, women groups, churches and other institutions and organizations. She finally convinced the World’s Sunday School Association to back her, a key influence over state legislators and congress. In 1912 West Virginia became the first state to officially recognize Mother’s Day, and in 1914 Woodrow Wilson signed it into national observance, declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

There isn’t a day that goes by since I lost my Mother in 2004 that something doesn’t remind me of her. A song, a smell, a picture, an anecdote, a look or mannerism, something will cause memories of her to flood over me. Even after nearly 4 years, my emotions are still raw and I miss her each and every day. She was an extraordinary and brilliant woman of amazing accomplishment. Motherhood was not her strong suit, but we were a team, especially after my father died when I was thirteen, we understood each other and although we were often at odds as two strong-willed personalties often will be, our unconditional love for each other was never in doubt.  She was my rock, my foundation. She called me her “eyes to the future.”

Our last trip together, windblown Christmas at Catalina Island, Mother age 89

Of the many “official” photos she had taken over the years for various news articles, this one was always my favorite, Mother, age 63

Mother’s 91st Thanksgiving, age 91

24 Hours of a Mom’s life reduced to under 3 minutes and hilarious

Saturday, May 10, 2008

I Didn’t See This One Coming!

• Cindy Sheehan endorses Ron Paul over Barack Obama

(H/T: Wigderson

Phenom Image of the Day

This astonishing picture shows the Chaiten volcano erupting during storms in the middle of the night

More pictures

RELATED:

• Chilean Chaiten Volcano Erupts

Shaking My Head at This One and LMAO

How would you like to come home and find a stranger sitting on your toilet, wearing your clothes, and refusing to move until he finished his “business?”

• Naked stranger on toilet asks to ‘finish business’ before arrest

OCALA — Lisa Bess could not figure out why the front door to her home on West Silver Springs Boulevard was locked and the key was missing Tuesday afternoon. She couldn’t figure out why her bathroom door was locked and water was running. She called the police.

When Ocala police officers kicked open the door to her bathroom at about 5 p.m., she had her answer: A man had found the extra key outside, let himself in, picked out a new outfit of her clothes to wear and took a long hot shower. They found him sitting naked on the bathroom toilet.

“There was still a stench of my body lotion; actually, water was still draining from the bathtub,” Bess said. “And he was refusing to get off the toilet until he finished doing his business.”

...

Bess believes he spent most of the day inside her home.

...

“He went through all our clothes and picked out socks, some plaid shirts, a nice pair of black dress pants and my underwear,” she said. “My neighbors said they saw him come and go to the store and smoke cigarettes outside on the porch, and they just thought he was a friend of mine.”

...

The time in the house gave him a chance to shower up, using Bess’ Victoria’s Secret lavender body wash, and shave. She could smell her body wash in the air and said there was still steam on the bathroom mirror.

“He was perfectly clean cut when we saw him, but he was wearing our clothes,” she said. “I couldn’t tell you what underwear he was wearing, but I don’t think I want to know.”

Good to see that Bess has a sense of humor.

“It was scary, but it was so funny, too,” she said. “I couldn’t be mad at him because I was laughing so hard.”

And so am I.

(H/T: Ace)

A Bad Day for Barack All the Way Around

I’m not even going to begin to try to explain or analyze this since Gateway Pundit is on the job as usual.

• Sick!… Obama’s Letter to Lebanon Echoes Hezbollah Talking Points

Well, Barack Obama already has:

** The Hamas vote
** The Iranian regime’s vote
** The Gaza vote
** The FARC vote
** Moammar Ghaddafi’s vote
** Fidel Castro’s vote
** Nicaraguan Marxist leader Daniel Ortega’s vote
** Other assorted America-haters’ votes, not to mention his pastor’s vote…

Now it looks like Obama’s shooting for (no pun intended) the Hezbollah vote!

Mindboggling. Read it all.

I would call the man a real life Manchurian Candidate, except I think he is showing his own core beliefs rather than the results of brainwashing. But either way, the country suffers.

Is Obama’s Lead in Delegates Built on Collapsing Sand

One has to wonder how many people who voted for Barack NMN Obama in the early primaries would still vote for him today? My guess is about half would bail now that they know a whole lot more about him and have seen his traveling whine and obfuscate show in action.

• Hillary Ahead in West Virginia...by 43 Points

I don’t think he’ll fare much better in Kentucky either.

The LA Times would like to guilt you into voting for Obama by calling you a racist and bigot if you are white and not voting for the man that was supposed to be post-racial, but who has turned out to be nothing but the left’s token. And when 91% of blacks do vote for Obama, despite the fact that he never articulates any policies in their interest, that isn’t racism at work? Give me a break.

I have 10 solid political reasons why I think Obama in the White House would be a disaster for this country and another 10 personal reasons why I don’t like the man or his angry wife, and not one of those reasons has a thing to do with the color of his skin.

Saying it with song, compliments of Curt at Flopping Aces:

RELATED:

Like Kerry and Kennedy in Massachusetts, who intend to support Obama, despite the voters in their state having a preference for Hillary, two W. VA superdelegates intend to defy the voters of their state.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Rep. Nick Rahall, two of West Virginia’s superdelegates backing Barack Obama, say they’re sticking with him despite polls showing Hillary Clinton a heavy favorite in the state.

“I view my role as a superdelegate as one that takes the long-range view of what is in the best interest of our party and our country,” Rahall said Thursday.

Rockefeller said he’s sticking with his conscience.

So much for “it’s the will of the people” Obama was touting earlier in the race.

Obama Campaign Now Rewriting Their Own History

Little Green Footballs takes the Obama campaign to the woodshed for blatantly rewriting their candidate’s history. Read it all, here is the gist:

• Obama Changes His ‘Unconditional’ Position

In yet another New York Times advocacy piece for Barack Obama, we discover that the Obama campaign is trying to rewrite history again.

Susan E. Rice, a former State Department and National Security Council official who is a foreign policy adviser to the Democratic candidate, said that “for political purposes, Senator Obama’s opponents on the right have distorted and reframed” his views. Mr. McCain and his surrogates have repeatedly stated that Mr. Obama would be willing to meet “unconditionally” with Mr. Ahmadinejad. But Dr. Rice said that this was not the case for Iran or any other so-called “rogue” state. Mr. Obama believes “that engagement at the presidential level, at the appropriate time and with the appropriate preparation, can be used to leverage the change we need,” Dr. Rice said. “But nobody said he would initiate contacts at the presidential level; that requires due preparation and advance work.”

The problem is that the current statement from the Obama camp is a flat out lie and there is video (LGF has the transcript) to prove it:

And Allahpundit has more:

Not only did the Prince of Peace say at the YouTube debate last July that he’d meet personally and without precondition with Iran, he reaffirmed that position in November in an interview with — ta da — the New York Times, a fact, incredibly, that’s omitted from today’s article. Memory lane:

Senator Barack Obama said he would “engage in aggressive personal diplomacy” with Iran if elected president, and would offer economic inducements and a possible promise not to seek “regime change” if Iran stopped meddling in Iraq and cooperated on terrorism and nuclear issues…

Making clear that he planned to talk to Iran without preconditions, Mr. Obama emphasized further that “changes in behavior” by Iran could possibly be rewarded with membership in the World Trade Organization, other economic benefits and security guarantees…

Mr. Obama’s willingness to conduct talks at the highest level with Iran … differs significantly from the Bush administration.

Does Obama ever admit to anything? He reminds me of my kids when they would argue vehemently their own case as to why they fudged the rules or failed to live up to their own promises. It is immature and smacks of the spoiled brat who thinks he is so engaging he can get away with saying or doing anything without consequence. It might have worked with his Grandma and it works for his angry wife, but then she has her own social climbing agenda and can easily rationalize anything her husband says as long as her own agenda (and bank account) is advanced in the process. After all she is entitled, right?

Not being able to keep your story straight from one day, one month, one year to the next is the foremost characteristic of a liar, is it not?

UPDATE:

Gateway Pundit has a good catch with screen shot in case it does a disappearing act. Turns out that we don’t need videos and the fact checkless New York Times. Obama’s website says it all - BUSTED!:

Here is what the Obama website says about meeting with Iran:

Diplomacy: Obama is the only major candidate who supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions.

Annual Stamp Price Increase

Since I pay all but one bill through online banking and all my correspondence is now done through email, text messages or fax, I rarely need a stamp and I’m glad. Stamps are going up again and it will now cost a whopping 42 cents to mail a single letter. If I was still using stamps at the rate I did a few years ago, it would cost me more per month for snail mail than I pay for monthly Internet access. And if there is anything that makes me feel really old, it is the news that it will now cost 27 cents to mail a single post card. Sheesh, I remember penny post cards. What’s wrong with that picture?

• Stamp prices go up Monday

WASHINGTON (AP) – The cost of mailing a letter goes up a penny to 42 cents on Monday, the latest in what are expected to be annual price adjustments by the Postal Service.

A new law regulating the post office makes it easier to raise rates as long as the agency doesn’t exceed the rate of inflation. Rates are to be adjusted each May.

But the post office also has introduced a way for people to save money when the price goes up, the Forever stamp, which remains valid for first-class postage regardless of any increases.

...

While the charge for the first ounce of a first-class letter rises to 42 cents, the price of each added ounce will remain 17 cents, so a two-ounce letter will go up a penny to 59 cents.

The cost to mail a post card will also go up a penny, to 27 cents.

Other rates set for Monday:

– Large envelope, 2 ounces, $1, up 3 cents.

– Money Orders up to $500, $1.05, unchanged.

– Certified mail, $2.70, up 5 cents.

– First-class international letter to Canada or Mexico, 72 cents, up 3 cents.

– First-class international letter to other countries, 94 cents, up 4 cents.

– Priority mail flat-rate envelope, $4.75, up 25 cents.

– Express mail flat-rate envelope, $16.50, up 25 cents.

But, the Postal Service said that overall prices for Express Mail, its overnight service, will be lower at the weights and in the delivery zones used by most customers.

My Vote for Best Election Bumper Sticker

Suitably Flip explains in his post, but the bumper sticker really tells the tale:

• Battle Of the Proxy Incumbents