No.

I don't think so.

The party of the Donkey is making an ass of itself

Tony Blankley writes cogently about the disgraceful activities of the Democratic slander machine.

Can I get an 'amen?' I guess so!

Mark Davis of the Dallas Morning News agrees with me that Frank Rich and Colbert King of the New York Times should be ashamed of themselves for slandering the Tea Party movement as racist.

Some time this morning...

...this blog had its 5,000th visitor.

I just saw last night's episode of '24'

It may have already been canceled, but for the first time this season the show is actually beginning to approach its usual level.

I wonder whether ratings will improve... and whether Fox would be open to reconsidering.

Regrettably, I suspect not, at least on the latter count.

This is getting ridiculous... and worrisome

The Blackhawks just lost to the Blues, for crying out loud.

We're in in big trouble, folks... and at precisely the wrong time.

If the Capitols win the Stanley Cup because of the injury to Campbell, it will be an injustice of historic proportions.

Is Jonathan Toews ManBearPig from South Park?

Well, no. But a new mural on the Eisenhower Expressway might make you wonder whether the Blackhawks' captain is the mythological creature of television fame.



I'm also a bit worried about the presumption of the depiction of the Stanley Cup in the mural. The way the Hawks have been playing in the absence of two of their best defensemen raises serious questions about how far they'll get in the playoffs even if their goal-tending stabilizes.

HT: Bleacher Report

For a preview of the 2012 campaign if Romney is the nominee...

..start at about 5:25 of this video.

HT: RightOSphere

And while the Left whines about the Tea Baggers exercising their freedom of speech....

...their comrades in totalitarianism have deprived Karl Rove of an opportunity to exercise his:



The Left, as Mr. Rove rightly says, has always believed that the Bill of Rights only applies to people it agrees with. The disgusting hypocrisy with which it seeks to suppress the right of the Tea Baggers to express themselves by using the rhetoric (rather than the actions) of a loony minority as an excuse sorts well with the actual disruption of Mr. Rove's attempt to exercise his First Amendment rights.

Somewhere, Saul Alinsky- President Obama's mentor- is smiling. The Left continues to follow his Rules for Radicals.

HT: Drudge

Outrageous and disgusting

The family of a Marine killed in Iraq is being ordered- by some logic I don't pretend to fathom- to pay the appeal costs of anti-gay and military protester, Christian apostate, and general whack-job Fred Phelps after what strikes me as a very reasonable judgment against him for having the gall, the ingratitude, the bad taste, and the bad manners to picket the Marine's funeral.

I don't know whether to be more disgusted at Phelps- by whom all decent people are perennially disgusted- or at the court.

While Obama fiddled....

The CIA reports that Iran has had the capability of building nuclear weapons since 2009- and that, while it apparently has not yet done so, it is keeping its options open.

God help us all if they ever decide to pursue that option. And the report only underscores how urgent is the task of defeating our ineffectual president in 2012.

If we have that long.

HT: Drudge

Even the MSM gets it: Romney can't run against Obamacare

John Harris and Andrea Mitchell 'get it:" the guy who's responsible for Romneycare in Massachusetts can't credibly run as the opponent of Obamacare:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama turns a personal Nixon quirk into national policy

Nixon loyalists used to complain that our 37th president treated his enemies like friends, while ignoring, neglecting, and often failing to treat with appreciation those who were truly loyal to him.

Michael Barone observes that Barack Obama has turned Richard Nixon's personal failing into a foreign policy.

Obama makes history- but not the history his supporters think

Matthew Continetti of the Weekly Standard is right: President Obama will go down in history as the president who signed the health care bill.

Only history won't say about him what he hopes. The man who increased the deficit in his first month in office by more than George W. Bush did in eight whole years will be remembered as the president who took a difficult moment in American economic history, and made it harder to put behind us.

HT: Real Clear Politics

Arrest made in death threat against a Republican congressman

While Democrats complain that wild-eyed Tea Baggers are about to kill them all and that the entire Republican party is to blame, it might be worth noting that a man was arrested today for threatening the life of Rep. Eric Cantor (R, Va).

I know of no case in which anybody has been arrested yet for threatening the life of a Democratic member of Congress, regardless of how he or she voted on Obamacare. And I should point out that I, at least, do not hold the entire Democratic party responsible for the threat against Rep. Cantor. Neither, I strongly suspect, does he.

Of course, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla) apparently would classify Rep. Cantor's nefarious trick of having somebody plan to kill him as the equivalent of the way the Nazis handled the Reichstag fire.

HT: Drudge

'Good Friday' not good enough for Davenport

The Mississippi River city of Davenport, Iowa has decided that calling the holiday school kids and municipal officials get this Friday "Good Friday" violates the separation of church and state.

Horse hockey, as Col. Potter used to say on M*A*S*H.

There is a vast difference between government at any level acknowledging the religious beliefs of a certain group within the population, and that same government endorsing those beliefs. One might even argue that all of us taking a day off on the holy days of other people's religions might help us to understand those religions better, and foster an increased appreciation for the diversity of our society.

Jefferson never wrote that the government should be hostile to one religion, or all religions, or even that it should pretend that they don't exist (while I would expect atheists and agnostics to bristle at this, their belief systems are properly granted exactly the same treatment Christianity or Judaism or Islam receives at the hands of the government; there is no constitutional ground for either discriminating against them, or granting them favored treatment). It is enough that the government be neutral as regards the various belief systems- including atheism and agnosticism.

So if atheists and agnostics want to set up a special day on which they go to work as usual and do nothing out of the ordinary, I would even be willing to join in that observance in acknowledgment of their beliefs. But I really don't see the problem with Jewish kids taking a day off from school on Good Friday, or Christian kids on Yom Kippur- and calling those holidays by their proper names. Seems to me that respect for the beliefs of others is something government has a stake in encouraging, and which Jefferson and Madison themselves would view with favor.

HT: Drudge

Davenport decides to rename 'Good Friday' 'Spring Holiday'

Davenport, Iowa has decided to re-name Good Friday "Spring Holiday" for purposes of closing schools and government offices that day.

I have mixed feelings. Certainly Jewish kids should no more have to take a day off from school to celebrate a Christian holy day than Christian kids should have to take a day off to celebrate Yom Kippur. On the other hand, I don't think many kids- Christian or Jewish- would object to strenuously to being given a day off from school for pretty much any reason. And more to the point, there is a difference- which modern secularists fail to recognize- between government acknowledging even sectarian religion and government endorsing it.

Personally, if it were practical, I think it would be reasonable to close the schools and government offices for all holidays celebrated by major religions- and to call the holidays by their proprer, sacred names, too. I think it would be great for Christian kids to learn about Yom Kippur, and its significance for the religious lives of their Jewish classmates. And I have a strong hunch that a lot of Jewish parents feel the same way.

Nor do I think that many Jewish kids would really object too strongly to not being required to go to school this Friday, no matter what you call it.

ADDENDUM: They've changed their minds. Good Friday will remain "Good Friday" in Davenport after all.

HT: Drudge

Nothing like a cold winter...

...to help our German friends get over their fear of global warming!

HT: Drudge

Does this look like "hundreds of people, perhaps dozens of people" to you?

In case you're interested, CNN...the official estimate of the crowd at this anti-Harry Reid rally in his home state of Nevada was 20,000.

HT: RightOSphere

"A Nazi allusion that may be seized on by Republicans?"

You'd better believe it!

Another congressional moonbat is trying to blame the Republican party for threats a handful of his fellow fanatics on the other side of the spectrum have made against Democrats.

It seems that when Eric Cantor points out that shots have been fired at his office, and his fellow Republicans report that they, too, have been targeted for threats of violence by disgruntled whack-jobs, this is the equivalent of the Nazi response to the Reichstag fire.

Do these Democrats even realize how all this hysteria and overheated rhetoric makes them look to objective observers? I'm a registered Republican- and I, for one, resent being compared to the Nazis, Rep. Grayson- especially for behavior with which I have absolutely nothing to do.

Sonuvagun.

Here's a columnist who actually gets this whole anti-Obama anger thing.

And- lo and  behold- here's another one!

HT: Real Clear Politics

A columnist unclear on the concept

What part of 1 Timothy 2:12 does Maureen Dowd not understand?

HT: Real Clear Politics

Ack! Hendry is still being Hendry

The Cubs have traded slick-fielding Andres Blanco, whose bat showed clear signs of coming around late last season, to the Rangers for a player to be named later.

This is a move worthy of Jim Hendry's last off-season. I've been all for giving Hendry one more year at the helm. But maybe the Cubs would be better off giving Greg Maddux his job now.

They are going to regret this.

Breitbart offers $100K for evidence that Tea Baggers used the 'N-word'

Conservative publisher and blogger Andrew Breitbart is offering $100,000 to the United Negro College Fund if congressmen who claim to have heart the "N-word" fifteen times during their stroll through the recent Tea Party rally can actually prove that they heard it even once.

The MSM, of course, has pronounced the Tea Baggers guilty even in the absence of evidence.

McConnell on alternatives to Obamacare

Apropos of my observations concerning the silly attempts of the Left to make opposition to Obamacare about anything but that deeply flawed and unaffordable piece of legislation, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is already talking about the GOP posture toward the health care issue going forward: repeal the bad parts of the bill, and replace them with better ideas.

Sen. McConnell's remarks belie the meme that only Democrats are concerned about the problems posed by the present system. But it is admittedly easier to make wild accusations against one's opponents than to engage them in constructive debate, and the path of least resistance seems to have badly addicted the Democrats during the eight years they were out of the White House.

That's Rich!

According to Frank Rich of the New York Times, the anger about Obamacare isn't about massive government spending we can't afford or the government takeover of an entire segment of our economy.

It's about white Americans feeling threatened by Barack Obama, African-Americans, and other minorities.

Thank you for explaining that to us, Mr. Rich. Nobody would ever have reached that conclusion by thinking.

People predicted it before the last election, and sure enough, it's coming to pass: to disagree with Barack Obama politically is to be automatically labeled a racist by the Left and its acolytes in the media. And perhaps the greatest tragedy is that the abuse of the concept "racism" as merely a way to stigmatize one's political opponents will have the effect of rendering a word which ought to fill people with loathing and revulsion utterly meaningless to them instead.

If you're going to use the idea of racism simply as a politically convenient ad hominem to employ against Republicans and conservatives, what are you going to call the real racists?

HT: Drudge

Well, bless his drunken heart!

This is disturbing, disgusting... and somehow kind of touching.

In a disturbing and disgusting kind of way.

HT: Drudge

GOP likes its chances of re-taking Iowa House

Iowa Republicans like what they see when they look at the polls- and at their prospects of regaining a majority in the Iowa House of Representatives.

HT: The Beanwalker

Sarah Palin calls the Left's Tea Party lies exactly what they are

Meanwhile, Politico considers it newsworthy that Sarah Palin has labeled the media's water-carrying for the hysterical Democratic slander machine that is seeking to portray the Tea Party movement- and, by extension, the entire Republican party- as inherently violent as exactly what it is: dishonest and manipulative.

What they media are repeating, Palin observes, are, quite simply, "lies."

Colbert King is the real fanatic here

This hysterical- and frankly, racist- attack on the Tea Party people by Colbert King of the Washington Post is even scarier than the ridiculous image Democrats are trying to evoke of an entire Republican party resorting to violence to express its opposition to Obamacare, or the wholly unsubstantiated charges of spittle and racial epithets supposedly hurled at Democratic congressional provocateurs during the Tea Ba'ggers' recent rally in Washington.

King's rhetoric is so far over the top that it's embarassing. Consider this ripe passage:

Without folks like them, there would be no Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity or Pat Buchanan. There would never have been a George Corley Wallace, the Alabama governor dubbed by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Diane McWhorter in a 2008 Slate article as "the godfather, avatar of a national uprising against the three G's of government, Godlessness, and gun control."

Gee. I guess anybody who worries about an excessively powerful government, about the increasing spiritual vacuity of our common life, and about an admittedly questionable but very admissible interpretation of the Second Amendment must be a racist. Care to try again, Mr. King? Ms. McWhorter?

That Colbert can identify Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck with George Wallace is merely inflammatory, irresponsible, and borderline libelous. Limbaugh and Beck are often over the top, but they are not racists. But for King to include Sean Hannity in the comparison is to forfeit any right to serious consideration by thoughtful people.

I have no doubt that there were whack jobs among the Teabaggers at that rally. Of course the signs King cites are nutty. But they are no nuttier than the excessive, malicious and libelous rhetoric of fanatics like King and other Leftists in and out of the media, who are continuing the same pattern of behavior we saw from them during the administration of Bush 43: when frustrated by an inability to answer the arguments of those they disagree with, they simply start spewing ad hominems, with utter and reckless disregard for truth or even proportion.

Mr. King, you should be ashamed of yourself.

HT: Real Clear Politics

'24' is cancelled

The last episode of 24 will air in May.

It's my favorite show. I'm going to miss it like you wouldn't believe. But I can't say I'm surprised.

In the wake of 9/11, the idea of a heroic, larger-than-life figure protecting us all from the Bad Guys and giving them exactly what they deserved (with due homage to the ethical questions rendered by a tortured conscience) was irresistible. And despite lapses in realism that even knowledgeable and diverse fans like Bill Clinton and Janeanne Garafalo (who actually played a recurring role in the series) on the Left and Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld on the Right were willing to wink at in the interests of a more compelling narrative, the series ran with the premise for a remarkable length of time and with remarkable dramatic success.

But you can only take the audience to the edge of Armageddon so many times before it becomes passe'. A plot to assassinate a presidential candidate- and (in Jack Bauer's universe) the first African-American with a realistic shot at the Oval Office at that? Duly thwarted. Air Force One crashes, either killing another president or injuring him so severely that the 25th Amendment has to be invoked? Done that. The ascension of a weak president who allows himself to be blackmailed by terrorists? Done that, too. Terrorist obfuscation takes us to brink of nuclear war with a post-Soviet Russia headed by a sympathetically portrayed (!) president? Thwarted. The hero is kidnapped, taken to China, and tortured for a number of years before being repatriated in a prisoner exchange? An attempted palace coup by a power-hungry Vice-President in the midst of a crisis he is ill-equipped to handle? A suitcase nuke being detonated by terrorists in Los Angeles? An armed take-over of the White House and the kidnapping of virtually the entire Executive branch by terrorists? All these crises have come and gone in the past eight seasons, and Jack Bauer has been equal to them all.

And this year, the prospect of a dirty bomb being detonated in Manhattan has not been enough to stop the ratings from declining to a level which, while still impressive, is inadequate to generate the revenues necessary to save the show. A regrettable, tawdry and just plain dumb sub-plot starring Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica hasn't helped. It's been a great run, but Fox realizes that it's time to pull the plug. And sadly, even the show's biggest fans- of which I am one- will reluctantly have to agree.

24 has simply played itself out.

But the universe of Jack Bauer doesn't die with the show. A feature-length movie is reportedly in the works, and vague hints of "other venues" for the story have been forthcoming from the show's producers. Freed from the constraints of the 24-hour deadline which the show's premise imposes upon each season (each individual episode supposedly represents one hour in real time of that 24), the story may find new directions to go in, and the legend may gain new life.

But come May, it will be time to bid good-bye to Jack Bauer, at least for now. He's become an American icon, and deservedly so; a cultural figure who will go down in legend. And while it may only in fiction that the American people owe him for saving their bacon over and over again during the past eight years, in sober reality we all have cause to be grateful to him for eight years of marvelous, exciting dramatic entertainment.

HT: Drudge

Mark B. Lowe is WrongO at RightOSphere

Call the notion that Mitt Romney- the guy responsible for Romneycare in Massachusetts- can't plausibly serve as the point-man for the counterattack on Obamacare, and thus is precluded from being the 2012 GOP presidential nominee "simplistic" if you must. Mark B. Lowe does.

The trouble is that not one of Lowe's points made in rebuttal of the notion even dents it. Above all, let it be clearly understood that American political campaigns are not forums in which the differences between two systems of government-managed health care can be debated in terms which clearly distinguish each from the other when one of the sides- the Democrats- is pulling out all the stops to obfuscate those differences.

Sorry. But Mitt is history, whether he ought to be or not. If he is the nominee, Obamacare simply cannot be a winning issue for the Republicans in 2012.

Is it just me...

...or is 'Give it up, girls' kind of a tacky slogan for a local drive to get young ladies to donate their used prom dresses so that girls who can't afford to buy new ones can go to their proms?

President Obama's reception in Iowa not unmixed.

Even in the People's Republic of Johnson County, Obamacare did not get the president as warm a reception as he might have hoped yesterday.

HT: The Beanwalker

And Osama bin Laden will be on Mount Rushmore some day, too

Fred Barbash of Politico suggests that, in view of history, the unpopularity of Obamacare proves that it will eventually be seen as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Bounceless Barack

A new Quinnipiac poll seems to confirm a point the Democrats and the media, in their spasm of self-congratulation over the passage of Obamacare, seems to have missed: the victory has given President Obama no bounce at all.

'N-wordgate,' the myth of violent Tea Party, and the manipulation of the media

Andrew Brietbart on the manipulation of the media by the Democrats in recent days.

Manipulating the media is, of course, no real trick for anybody on the Left. The media is so eager to be manipulated in the service of The Agenda that it's often embarrassing.

It's certainly ought to be embarrassing in this case.

Note that Breitbart provides something which neither those who claim that those Tea-Baggers uttered racial slurs nor insinuate that Republicans all over America are preparing to assault Democratic congressman have bothered to provide: documentary evidence.

HT: Real Clear Politics

A day that shall live in infamy, to coin a phrase

Ralph Peters of the New York Post on the worst day for American diplomacy in recent history.

HT: Real Clear Politics

Obamacare's collateral damage

Two of Obamacare's first casualties ought to be of particular concern to folks here in Iowa.

John Deere and Caterpillar are taking a hit whose shock waves will be felt alls over this state.

HT: Real Clear Politics

Yucking it up with the comedy stylings of Paul Krugman

Here's Paul Krugman's unintentionally funny New York Times piece about how extremists have allegedly taken over the Republican party.

Note how Krugman's hysteria over the threats of violence which have come from certain right-wing nutjobs blends seemlessly into an attempt to implicate the entire Republican party. Note too how, for Krugman, taking exception to a piece of legislation disapproved by the overwhelming majority of the American people is a mark of extremism.

Note, finally, Krugman's failure to appreciate the central irony of his piece: extremists have been in control of the Democratic party for years!

Only one reaction is possible to Krugman's piece.

HT:Real Clear Politics

The foreign policy that couldn't shoot straight

Nial Gardiner of The Telegraph writes more about the Obama administration's unprecedented knack for publicly humiliating and alienating our allies- in this case, Israel.

HT: Real Clear Politics

All things are possible if one strives according to the people's will

Or something.



HT: Denise Jochens Struve

Not gonna happen.

When it comes to a 2012 opponent President Obama, Romney leads Huckabee among Ohio Republicans by four points. Democrats seem to consider Romney the presumptive GOP nominee.

But even though Mitt is "the next in line" in a party which almost always nominates the next in line, my gut tells me that it's not gonna happen.

The author of Romneycare in Massachusetts is simply not the man to run against Obamacare.

Barack's buddy all smiles over Obamacare passage

One of President Obama's most outspoken admirers, former Cuban president Fidel Castro, thinks the passage of the Mr. Obama's health plan is just swell.

HT: Drudge

So exactly which side has the violent Neanderthals?

You know all that very public hand-wringing by the Democrats about how worried they are that opponents of Obamacare are going to get violent?

Well, while they're worrying about somebody being mean to them, Mr. Sluggo has actually visited Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va).

Shots have been fired at his office.

HT: Drudge

Somebody tell me this site is a joke.

Please.

If Rasmussen is right, the Iowa GOP had better nominate Branstad for governor

Former Gov. Terry Branstad leads Democratic incumbent Chet Culver by sixteen points.

Bob Vanderplaats, on the other hand, only beats Culver by two- and Rod Roberts narrowly loses.

HT: The Beanwalker

Bejing is unclear on the concept

The Chinese government says that Google "is not God.".

This is true. But I have news for the Chinese government: it isn't God, either.

Which is kind of Google's point.

HT: Drudge

Lest the day slip by unnoticed...

Today is this blog's second birthday.

Happy birthday, All in Faber!

Conservative "hater" Coulter silenced in Ottawa by threat of violence by non-hating Leftists

As much as I love Canada, it is a strange country in some ways. Despite its commitment to democratic institutions, it has a very odd concept of free expression which criminalizes "hate speech." The practical problem, of course, is that what constitutes "hate speech" tends to depend on who is making the call. As a practical matter, the test is whether or not the person making the call approves of the position taken by the speaker. The ultimate incompatibility of such an arrangement with anything resembling either free speech or democracy of any description seems not to have sunk in up there.

A clear example is the cancellation by police order of a speech by Ann Coulter tonight in Ottawa. Ann's rhetoric is admittedly sometimes a bit... well, excessive. But I don't think I've ever read anything she's written that's as chilling as an email she was sent by the university at which she was to speak tonight warning that she could go to jail if she said the wrong things.

The irony, of course, is that the fear of "hate speech" on Coulter's part was not what led to her speech being canceled. It was the fear of violence on the part of those who disapproved of her.

No hate there, of course.

People have a right to be excessive, obnoxious, and even verbally reprehensible. If we silence even the extremist and the boor among us, none of us can be sure that it won't be our turn next. Either speech which does not directly lead to the credible threat of violence or actual harm is protected in principle, or it's not. This is simply not an issue that can be decided, as a practical matter, on a case-by-case basis.

And there is something desperately wrong with a system in which the parallel between people holding unpopular viewpoints can be silenced by official action and by the threat of mob violence is not seen as merely two sides of the same, utterly totalitarian coin.

Is Neptune a cannibal planet?

It would explain a lot if the blue gas giant swallowed another planet twice the size of Earth once upon a time, and stole its moon- Triton.

Neptune and Uranus are huge- which is hard to explain if they formed where they are now, in the material-thin outer reaches of the solar system. Scientists reason that they either formed closer to the Sun and drifted outward, or absorbed other, smaller bodies. And Triton orbits Neptune in the opposite direction from the planet's rotation, which can most easily be explained by its having been captured by Neptune rather than originating with the giant blue planet.

The Last Supper was not supersized

But the meals in contemporary paintings of it are.

One more piece of evidence that we're growing more gluttonous- and an interesting commentary on the psychology of our current epidemic of obesity.

Who says those Democratic congressmen are telling the truth?

Some hard Left Democratic congressmen report overhearing Tea Party activists use racial epithets and other unsavory language at their rally the other day. They also claim to have been spat upon. If either of these accusations is true, it is nothing less than shameful. But the thing is, we have only the word of those congressmen that either of them is true.

Not only have some in the MSM accepted their unsupported allegations as unchallengeable fact, but they are going from there to build what may well be a smear in the first place into an indictment of the entire Republican party!

Look, dudes. I don't know what those partisan politicians really heard or didn't hear from those anonymous ideological opponents of theirs whose side of the story is unavailable to us. But it seems to me that your own journalistic integrity is compromised when you treat such unsupported charges as gospel, much less extrapolate from hateful attitudes which may or may not be held by a group of activists to the entirety of one of our major political parties.

Just sayin'.

New Gallup poll says more like than dislike Obamacare!

Gallup's first survey after the passage of Obamacare should be worrisome to Republicans. It seems to indicate that the public has done a 180 on the issue in the last day or so.

This guy is a comer.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) strikes just the note too few in either party seem to be able to find these days:



HT: Right-O-Sphere

The hard Left is firmly in control of the Democratic party

A moment of breathtaking clarity from The New Republic, in which the lib- er, progressive magazine's Jonathan Chait recognizes that the passage of Obamacare marks the end of Clintoneque pretensions to centrism on the part of the Democratic party, and the birth of an era in which the donkey frankly and openly embraces the ideology of the hard Left.

HT: Real Clear Politics

Martian ice

Here is a breathtaking closeup view of the huge ice walls in the Mojave Crater on Mars.

HT: Drudge

Even the CNN poll shows a majority disapproving of Obama

Even the CNN poll (for the first time) shows a majority of the American people disapproving of President Obama's performance in office.

Meanwhile, according to a CBS News poll, Nancy Pelosi's approval rating is now 11%; Harry Reid's, 8%.

HT: Drudge

Ding dong.

How The Wizard of Oz should have ended...



HT: How it Should Have Ended

Iowans are seeing red when they look at November

Doesn't look like Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is going to have any problems getting re-elected.

Democratic Gov. Chet Culver, on the other hand....

It's a done deal

The Democrats have the votes.

From the White House: The Executive Order

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release March 21, 2010

STATEMENT FROM COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR DAN PFEIFFER

Today, the President announced that he will be issuing an executive order after the passage of the health insurance reform law that will reaffirm its consistency with longstanding restrictions on the use of federal funds for abortion.

While the legislation as written maintains current law, the executive order provides additional safeguards to ensure that the status quo is upheld and enforced, and that the health care legislation's restrictions against the public funding of abortions cannot be circumvented.

The President has said from the start that this health insurance reform should not be the forum to upset longstanding precedent. The health care legislation and this executive order are consistent with this principle.

The President is grateful for the tireless efforts of leaders on both sides of this issue to craft a consensus approach that allows the bill to move forward.

A text of the pending executive order follows:

Executive Order

- - - - - - -

ENSURING ENFORCEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ABORTION RESTRICTIONS IN THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (approved March ­­__, 2010), I hereby order as follows:

Section 1. Policy.

Following the recent passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“the Act”), it is necessary to establish an adequate enforcement mechanism to ensure that Federal funds are not used for abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered), consistent with a longstanding Federal statutory restriction that is commonly known as the Hyde Amendment. The purpose of this Executive Order is to establish a comprehensive, government-wide set of policies and procedures to achieve this goal and to make certain that all relevant actors—Federal officials, state officials (including insurance regulators) and health care providers—are aware of their responsibilities, new and old.

The Act maintains current Hyde Amendment restrictions governing abortion policy and extends those restrictions to the newly-created health insurance exchanges. Under the Act, longstanding Federal laws to protect conscience (such as the Church Amendment, 42 U.S.C. §300a-7, and the Weldon Amendment, Pub. L. No. 111-8, §508(d)(1) (2009)) remain intact and new protections prohibit discrimination against health care facilities and health care providers because of an unwillingness to provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.

Numerous executive agencies have a role in ensuring that these restrictions are enforced, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Section 2. Strict Compliance with Prohibitions on Abortion Funding in Health Insurance Exchanges. The Act specifically prohibits the use of tax credits and cost-sharing reduction payments to pay for abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered) in the health insurance exchanges that will be operational in 2014. The Act also imposes strict payment and accounting requirements to ensure that Federal funds are not used for abortion services in exchange plans (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered) and requires state health insurance commissioners to ensure that exchange plan funds are segregated by insurance companies in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, OMB funds management circulars, and accounting guidance provided by the Government Accountability Office.

I hereby direct the Director of OMB and the Secretary of HHS to develop, within 180 days of the date of this Executive Order, a model set of segregation guidelines for state health insurance commissioners to use when determining whether exchange plans are complying with the Act's segregation requirements, established in Section 1303 of the Act, for enrollees receiving Federal financial assistance. The guidelines shall also offer technical information that states should follow to conduct independent regular audits of insurance companies that participate in the health insurance exchanges. In developing these model guidelines, the Director of OMB and the Secretary of HHS shall consult with executive agencies and offices that have relevant expertise in accounting principles, including, but not limited to, the Department of the Treasury, and with the Government Accountability Office. Upon completion of those model guidelines, the Secretary of HHS should promptly initiate a rulemaking to issue regulations, which will have the force of law, to interpret the Act's segregation requirements, and shall provide guidance to state health insurance commissioners on how to comply with the model guidelines.

Section 3. Community Health Center Program.

The Act establishes a new Community Health Center (CHC) Fund within HHS, which provides additional Federal funds for the community health center program. Existing law prohibits these centers from using federal funds to provide abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered), as a result of both the Hyde Amendment and longstanding regulations containing the Hyde language. Under the Act, the Hyde language shall apply to the authorization and appropriations of funds for Community Health Centers under section 10503 and all other relevant provisions. I hereby direct the Secretary of HHS to ensure that program administrators and recipients of Federal funds are aware of and comply with the limitations on abortion services imposed on CHCs by existing law. Such actions should include, but are not limited to, updating Grant Policy Statements that accompany CHC grants and issuing new interpretive rules.

Section 4. General Provisions.

(a) Nothing in this Executive Order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) authority granted by law or presidential directive to an agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This Executive Order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This Executive Order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity against the United States, its departments, agencies, entities, officers, employees or agents, or any other person.

HT: Real Clear Politics

Text of the Executive Order

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release March 21, 2010

STATEMENT FROM COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR DAN PFEIFFER

Today, the President announced that he will be issuing an executive order after the passage of the health insurance reform law that will reaffirm its consistency with longstanding restrictions on the use of federal funds for abortion.

While the legislation as written maintains current law, the executive order provides additional safeguards to ensure that the status quo is upheld and enforced, and that the health care legislation's restrictions against the public funding of abortions cannot be circumvented.

The President has said from the start that this health insurance reform should not be the forum to upset longstanding precedent. The health care legislation and this executive order are consistent with this principle.

The President is grateful for the tireless efforts of leaders on both sides of this issue to craft a consensus approach that allows the bill to move forward.

A text of the pending executive order follows:

Executive Order

- - - - - - -

ENSURING ENFORCEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ABORTION RESTRICTIONS IN THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (approved March ­­__, 2010), I hereby order as follows:

Section 1. Policy.

Following the recent passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“the Act”), it is necessary to establish an adequate enforcement mechanism to ensure that Federal funds are not used for abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered), consistent with a longstanding Federal statutory restriction that is commonly known as the Hyde Amendment. The purpose of this Executive Order is to establish a comprehensive, government-wide set of policies and procedures to achieve this goal and to make certain that all relevant actors—Federal officials, state officials (including insurance regulators) and health care providers—are aware of their responsibilities, new and old.

The Act maintains current Hyde Amendment restrictions governing abortion policy and extends those restrictions to the newly-created health insurance exchanges. Under the Act, longstanding Federal laws to protect conscience (such as the Church Amendment, 42 U.S.C. §300a-7, and the Weldon Amendment, Pub. L. No. 111-8, §508(d)(1) (2009)) remain intact and new protections prohibit discrimination against health care facilities and health care providers because of an unwillingness to provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.

Numerous executive agencies have a role in ensuring that these restrictions are enforced, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Section 2. Strict Compliance with Prohibitions on Abortion Funding in Health Insurance Exchanges. The Act specifically prohibits the use of tax credits and cost-sharing reduction payments to pay for abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered) in the health insurance exchanges that will be operational in 2014. The Act also imposes strict payment and accounting requirements to ensure that Federal funds are not used for abortion services in exchange plans (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered) and requires state health insurance commissioners to ensure that exchange plan funds are segregated by insurance companies in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, OMB funds management circulars, and accounting guidance provided by the Government Accountability Office.

I hereby direct the Director of OMB and the Secretary of HHS to develop, within 180 days of the date of this Executive Order, a model set of segregation guidelines for state health insurance commissioners to use when determining whether exchange plans are complying with the Act's segregation requirements, established in Section 1303 of the Act, for enrollees receiving Federal financial assistance. The guidelines shall also offer technical information that states should follow to conduct independent regular audits of insurance companies that participate in the health insurance exchanges. In developing these model guidelines, the Director of OMB and the Secretary of HHS shall consult with executive agencies and offices that have relevant expertise in accounting principles, including, but not limited to, the Department of the Treasury, and with the Government Accountability Office. Upon completion of those model guidelines, the Secretary of HHS should promptly initiate a rulemaking to issue regulations, which will have the force of law, to interpret the Act's segregation requirements, and shall provide guidance to state health insurance commissioners on how to comply with the model guidelines.

Section 3. Community Health Center Program.

The Act establishes a new Community Health Center (CHC) Fund within HHS, which provides additional Federal funds for the community health center program. Existing law prohibits these centers from using federal funds to provide abortion services (except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered), as a result of both the Hyde Amendment and longstanding regulations containing the Hyde language. Under the Act, the Hyde language shall apply to the authorization and appropriations of funds for Community Health Centers under section 10503 and all other relevant provisions. I hereby direct the Secretary of HHS to ensure that program administrators and recipients of Federal funds are aware of and comply with the limitations on abortion services imposed on CHCs by existing law. Such actions should include, but are not limited to, updating Grant Policy Statements that accompany CHC grants and issuing new interpretive rules.

Section 4. General Provisions.

(a) Nothing in this Executive Order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) authority granted by law or presidential directive to an agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This Executive Order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This Executive Order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity against the United States, its departments, agencies, entities, officers, employees or agents, or any other person.

HT: Real Clear Politics

Press release from House Minority Leader John Boehner on the health care deal

This from the office of House Republican Leader John Boehner:

The law of the land trumps any Executive Order, which can be reversed or altered at the stroke of a pen by this or any subsequent President without any congressional approval or notice. Moreover, while an Executive Order can direct members of the executive branch, it cannot direct the private sector.

Because of Roe v. Wade, courts have interpreted the decision as a statutory mandate that the government must provide federal funding for elective abortion in through federal programs. In other words, no Executive Order or regulation can override a statutory mandate unless Congress passes a law that prohibits federal funding from being used in this manner. Legal experts at the US Catholic Conference of Bishops, National Right to Life Committee, Americans United for Life, and Family Research Council have confirmed this view that if the Senate bill is signed into law, it is a statutory mandate for the new health plans to include federal funding of elective abortion. The need for an Executive Order is evidence that this is true, and Congressional Democrats know it. Make no mistake, a ‘yes' vote on the Democrats' health care bill is a vote for taxpayer-funded abortions.

This is the very point which former Speaker Gingrich tweeted when the details of the proposed deal first came out.

HT: Real Clear Politics

Boehner on that executive order

From the office of House Minority Leader John Boehner:

The law of the land trumps any Executive Order, which can be reversed or altered at the stroke of a pen by this or any subsequent President without any congressional approval or notice. Moreover, while an Executive Order can direct members of the executive branch, it cannot direct the private sector.

Because of Roe v. Wade, courts have interpreted the decision as a statutory mandate that the government must provide federal funding for elective abortion in through federal programs. In other words, no Executive Order or regulation can override a statutory mandate unless Congress passes a law that prohibits federal funding from being used in this manner. Legal experts at the US Catholic Conference of Bishops, National Right to Life Committee, Americans United for Life, and Family Research Council have confirmed this view that if the Senate bill is signed into law, it is a statutory mandate for the new health plans to include federal funding of elective abortion. The need for an Executive Order is evidence that this is true, and Congressional Democrats know it. Make no mistake, a ‘yes' vote on the Democrats' health care bill is a vote for taxpayer-funded abortions.

HT: Real Clear Politics

Happy birthday, JSB!

Stupak caves

Rep. Bart Stupak has announced that the reported deal between pro-life Democrats and the White House is done.

The "Blue Dogs" will vote for the health care bill, and in return President Obama will sign an executive order supposedly strengthening prohibitions against Federal funds being used for abortions. Trouble is, many believe that the bill requires such use of Federal funds, and that nothing the president does can change that.

It's official

Bart Stupak has announced that he and the president have struck that deal after all.

Close, but no cigar- yet

Fox News has spoken to Stupak and clarified the situation: no deal has been finalized, but he and the president are "close" to reaching one.

Stupak: 'Close to' deal

Fox News is quoting Stupak as saying that while he is still a 'no,' he is "close to" a deal with the White House

Reports conflict on status of deal

The Washington Examiner says that Bart Stupak is still voting "no." MSNBC continues to report that deal.

The vote is going to be close. Stupak has not yet shown up.

The Washington Examiner reports...

...that Stupak is still a "no."

MSNBC says otherwise.

Or not!

Newt Gingrich tweets that the health care bill contains a statutory requirement that Federal funds be spent on abortion. He says that an executive order can't trump that requirement; that only Congress can do what the president has promised Stupak and his friends to do.

Hold the presses! Newt says Obama can't make good on that promise

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich tweets that the health care bill contains a statutory requirement of funding for abortions that an executive order can't set aside.

Obama to sign executive order strengthening abortion ban; Stupak and company will vote for the health care bill

Congressman Stupak and his fellow pro-life Democrats have agreed to support the health care bill in exchange for a promise by President Obama- who campaigned as an opponent of the Hyde Amendment forbidding the use of Federal funds for abortions- to issue an executive order strengthening the ban.

The bill will almost certainly now pass. But a major pro-life victory has been won in the process by Stupak and his fellow "Blue Dogs."

ADDENDUM: Scratch that last comment. A consensus is emerging among thoughtful opponents of the bill that no executive order can trump the statutory requirements of the bill itself.

Rep. Stupak and his colleagues have not, after all, won a victory for the pro-life cause, major or otherwise. They have simply been snookered by the administration.

BREAKING: Obama strikes deal with pro-life Dems to cinch health care passage- in exchange for strengthened abortion ban!

President Obama, who campaigned on a pledge to seek repeal of the Hyde Amendment banning the use of Federal funds to pay for abortions, has agreed instead to issue an executive order strengthening the ban in exchange for the votes of pro-life House Democrats who had threatened to oppose it.

The bill will almost certainly now pass. In the process, however, Bart Stupak and his fellow "Blue Dogs" have won a major victory for the pro-life cause.

ADDENDUM: Or not. The consensus among thoughtful observers seems to be that no executive order can trump the provisions of a law which- the protests of its supporters to the contrary- does indeed mandate the use of Federal funds for elective
abortions.

Stupak and company seem to have been snookered.

You can tell it's likely a Republican year

Real Clear Politics lists my congressional district- Iowa 3, which includes Des Moines- as a toss-up!

Sometimes it's better to be backward

HT: Denise Jochens Struve

What can I say?

To sum up, as we await the result of the health care vote...

Hawks lose

Hawks lose to Phoenix in a shootout, 5-4.

Still number one in the Conference, though.

We play them again Tuesday night at home. Better win.

ADDENDUM: The Hawks are only a .500 team since the Olympics. This has to change.

Fast.

So much for media objectivity

Journalist M.Z. Hemingway was at the Tea Party rally for about five hours today.

She reports that, with the exception of a Fox News shoot at the end of the rally, she saw absolutely no evidence of any coverage of the event by the mainstream media.

Don't look now...

...but Ryan Theriot, the Cubs' shortstop and newly-designated leadoff man, leads all of baseball in spring training with a .536 batting average.

What Obamacare would look like in practice

Some things about Obamacare the Democrats don't want you to know.

HT: Real Clear Politics

For the Democrats, winning on health care is a losing proposition

Dick Morris on why all Democrats should be praying (that is, those of them who do pray on occasion) that the health care bill is defeated.

How low will he go?

According to Rasmussen's Daily Tracking Poll, 43% of Americans now approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president

56% disapprove.

HT: Drudge

A petition to the UN

The petition below can be signed here.

The Declaration of Human Rights, referenced below, was adopted and proclaimed by the UN General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948.

Recalling that:

The Universal Declaration is a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all Nations,



Bearing in mind that:

Human rights, dignity, freedom, equality, solidarity and justice constitute the spiritual and moral patrimony on which the union of Nations is based,


Stress that:

Proper consideration must be given to

1. The right to life of every human being, from conception to natural death, each child having the right to be conceived, born and educated within the family, based on marriage between a woman and a man, the family being the natural and fundamental group unit of society,

2. The right of every child to be educated by his or her parents, who have a prior and fundamental right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.


Therefore, we call upon:

All governments to interpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights properly such that:

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person (Article 3)

Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family (Article 16).

The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State (Article 16).

Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance (Article 25).

Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children (Article 26).

Take a moment to speak up for the human rights of every living member of our species.

Didja catch this the other night on Leno?

Of course, the Hawks kicked the Kings' butts, and the Ducks needed help from the zebras to win by one goal. Except the one they gave a two-minute penalty for a hit the league suspended him eight games for, that is. I guess he did kind of kick Seab's head, or something.

Prost!

The law here in Iowa is changing to allow local versions of high alcohol content beer styles to be sold in restaurants.

Apparently the legislature is good for something after all.

HT: The Beanwalker

Romney leads Huckabee, Palin in early poll

A new survey by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic firm, shows Mitt Romney with a narrow lead over Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin among Republicans as their choice for president in 2012.

The "next-in-line" in a party which almost always nominates the "next-in-line," Romney nevertheless will have to weather what figures to be a major storm over the similarities between the health care plan he had passed when he was governor of Massachusetts and Obamacare. And candidates like Tim Pawlenty and Mitch Daniels, whom I suspect will be much heard-from before the next Republican nominee is crowned, are at present not well enough known by rank-and-file Republicans to register in the polls.

Say what?

Douglas Burns of the Carroll, Iowa Daily Times Herald has presented us with one of the most poorly reasoned opinion pieces I've seen in some time.

The admittedly somewhat ripe Iowa Family Policy Center- a conservative Christian group which says that it will withhold support from anti-gay "marriage" former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad if he, rather than their favored Bob Vanderplaats, wins the GOP gubernatorial nomination in June because Branstad isn't anti-gay "marriage" enough- is headed by a gentleman named Chuck Hurley. Mr. Hurley recently made the controversial statement that homosexuality is more dangerous to one's health than smoking.

That might be a debatable point, but it's not absurd on its face. Anal intercourse always causes physical injury, and gives various bacteria present in fecal matter access to the bloodstream. Moreover, it's no secret that the life expectancy of male homosexuals is significantly lower than that of the general population.

Rather than challenging Hurley's argument, Burns devotes his article to arguing that homosexuality can't be bad for your health because it isn't voluntarily chosen. Not that I'm equating any of these with homosexuality, mind you, but by that logic no congenital sickness can be bad for your health, either. Heart attacks, traffic accidents, cancer, and strokes- none of which are voluntarily chosen- would, by Burns' logic, also necessarily be good for you, since people do not choose to have them!

Burns also argues that it is "obvious" to most people of the current generation that people are born gay rather than choosing homosexuality. The evidence suggests that in fact there are numerous factors which go into determining sexual orientation . Some studies report that nearly two-thirds of lesbians, for example, have been either raped or otherwise sexually molested. The same twin studies which show a higher incidence of homosexuality among identical twins of gay men also prove by the very fact that nearly half of those sharing the identical genome of gay twins are not gay that homosexuality cannot be exclusively genetic. It is clear from the evidence both that pre-natal and perhaps even genetic factors strongly contribute to homosexuality, but the evidence also strongly supports the presence of environmental factors as well.

On the basis of what evidence is the truth Burns' simplistic opinion "obvious" to anybody? Surely the more acquainted one is with the science, the less obvious any "either/or" attribution of homosexuality to nature on one hand or nurture on the other becomes. Burns' argument that one is simply born gay, period, is as simplistic and mindless as the position of ignorant extremists on the other side that it's merely a choice.

Despite the evidence that homosexual behavior is indeed injurious to health, I have little doubt that smoking is not only considerably more dangerous, but demonstrably so. Burns had a strong argument to make. It's a shame that he wasted the opportunity by making such a bizarre and ridiculous one.

HT: The Beanwalker

'Vlad the Inhaler' has been smoking something nasty

Russian Prime Minister and power behind the throne Vladamir Putin has pledged Russia's help to the whack-jobs in Tehran in building a nuclear reactor.

Russia has historically seen itself as Iran's protector. But it's endangering itself- and the entire world- in giving nuclear technology to an irresponsible and unstable regime which supports international terrorism and threatens the security of everybody on earth.And make no mistake: if Iran develops "peaceful" nuclear technology, it will become a nuclear power- and that will constitute the greatest threat not only to the peace but to the survival of our species in history.

Fess Parker is dead

Fess Parker, who became my generation's first celebrity idol when he starred as Davy Crockett in the very first TV mini-series and later portrayed Daniel Boone in the conventional series of that name, died today at 85.

Every kid of my generation wore a coon skin cap back in 1956, when Disney's Davy Crockett aired, and it would be hard for younger Americans to imagine what a big star he was. The Ballad of Davy Crockett (below, in its entirety) topped the recording charts, and Crockett-mania seemed to permeate every aspect of our popular culture.

While he looked nothing like the real Crockett, he was stuck with that identity in the minds of the American people. That's doubtless the reason why he was cast as Boone, another coonskin hat-wearing hero. Hopelessly type-cast, he didn't appear all that often on either the large or the small screen once the Boone series was canceled, and sort of faded from the public eye. But there's not a person of my generation who doesn't remember him.

CNN and MSNBC have been beaten in the ratings by...

...the Cartoon Network!

Makes sense. They do basically the same thing, after all... and the Cartoon Network does it so much more professionally.

HT: Drudge

Report: Wisniewski will be suspended for eight games

Multiple sources are reporting that Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski, the former Blackhawk whose dirty hit knocked Brent Seabrook out of the game last night, will be suspended for eight games.

ADDENDUM: The report has been confirmed.

Gallup, three new polls show more disapproving than approving of President Obama

Tom Bevan notes that, in addition to Gallup showing more of us disapproving than approving of President Obama's performance in office, three other polls in the last 24 hours show the same thing.

India, not China, is Asia's economic powerhouse of the future

David Ignatius is among the many who believe that China's superficially impressive economic growth is really just a bubble.

The real economic power in Asia, Ryan Streeter says, is in the long run likely to be India- a model of entrepreneurship and free enterprise.

HT: Real Clear Politics

Dem pollster: Obama, Romney tied in 2012 preview

A Democratic pollster (PPP) says that if the 2012 election were held today, President Obama and Republican front runner Mitt Romney would be tied at 44%.

Of course, according to a consensus of the polls, if the 2012 presidential election were held today, 100% of the voters would be very surprised.

HT: Right-O-Sphere

Odd police sketches

Very odd.

Wisniewski's dirty hit tonight makes Ovechkin's on Sunday look good by comparison

James Wisniewski of Anaheim has knocked Brent Seabrook out of tonight's game with a hit that makes Ovechkin's on Soupy last Sunday look clean by comparison. The hit is at about :15 of the video below; a close-up can be seen at 1:18. After watching the closeup, it's obvious to that Seabrook suffered a concussion.

Incredibly, Wisniewski- who charged Seabrook from somewhere in the adjacent county- only got a two-minute penalty. And Seabrook didn't have the puck! Reportedly a complaint has been registered with the league office by off-ice officials.The Hawks' announcers expect that Wisniewski will be eventually be suspended.



ADDENDUM: In what the Hawks' announcer John Wiedeman calls "one of the worst-officiated games I've ever seen," featuring officiating Troy Murray called "reminiscent of the Keystone Cops," Brent Sopel of the Hawks has been blatantly cross-checked out of the puck, resulting in the lead goal for Anaheim.

ADDENDUM II: Ducks win 4-2 on an empty-netter. Game summary by the Hawks' announcer Wiedeman: "On a scale of one to ten, the officiating in this game was a zero."

Good luck, Corey!

Cristobal Huet has the flu, so Coach Quennville is starting rookie Corey Crawford in goal tonight against the Ducks.

Crawford's only NHL victory was against Anaheim at the UC last March.

C'mon, guys. The playoffs loom. Time to get our mojo back.

Try again, Mr. President

Ramesh Ponnuru of The Corner at NRO holds President Obama's talking points on the health care plan up to examination.

They don't pass.

HT: Real Clear Politics

Don't play

Even Chris Matthews understands why "deem to have passed" is a bad, bad idea.

BTW, Right-O-Sphere.... nicely played on that War Games YouTube footage at the end of the post!

HT: Right-O-Sphere

Give me a break!

Jimmy Carter, whose own viciously partisan rhetoric concerning former President Bush helped so much to set Republicans and Democrats at each other's throats throughout America, is now bemoaning the "unprecedented" partisanship in Washington.

HT: Drudge

Is China's rise in economic power merely a bubble?

Reports of China's emergence as a dominant world financial power may be premature. At least some think that the explosive economic growth of the new superpower may only be a bubble, and that China may be headed for a colossal crash.

HT: Drudge

More disapprove of Obama than approve: Gallup

According to Gallup's Daily Tracking Poll, more Americans (47%) disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing as president than approve (46%).

HT: Drudge

If you've got the eardrums, he's got the pipes!

Two of my favorite Irish songs, performed on bagpipes:

Yes, this Lutheran is wearing green today

My grandmother was born and raised in Downpatrick, County Down, where St. Patrick (as well as St. Columba and St. Brigid) are buried. I am descended from the Protestant leader of Wolfe Tone's rebellion in Ulster, Henry Joy McCracken, through his illegitimate daughter Maria. McCracken died on the gallows as a martyr to Irish freedom on July 17, 1798. So yeah. I may not be Catholic, but I'm wearing green today. That's not about religion. It's about the land of my ancestors, and it's about freedom.

The shamrock, on the other hand, is about religion. It derives its significance from its use by Saint Patrick as an illustration of the Holy Trinity. In this post-modern world, even advertisements for Beamish Irish Stout confuse the shamrock with the four-leaf clover. They are, however, two entirely different pieces of flora. "Luck o' the Irish" or not, four leaf clovers have no place in the celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

Here is an entry I did a few years ago on the life of Patrick- born Maewyn Succat in Scotland, kidnapped to Ireland where he lived as a slave, escaped, and then returned after being consecrated a bishop to convert the land of his captivity to Christianity. Interestingly, St. Columba- who, like Patrick, is buried in my ancestral home, Downpatrick- was an Irishman who brought Christianity to Scotland.

Ovechkin apologizes- and Soupy WILL be back this year

Alex Ovetchkin has this to say about the hit that broke Brian Campbell's clavicle and rib:

I am very sorry that Brian was injured and I hope he is able to return to his team soon. NHL hockey is a physical game. We all play hard every time we are on the ice and have battles each shift in every game we play so we can do our jobs and win. As players we must accept responsibility for our actions and I am no different but I did not intend to injure Brian and that is why I was disappointed with the NHL's decision yesterday. Every time I have the honor to play for my team, I will continue to do what I have done since I was taught to play. I will play hard, play with passion and play with respect for my teammates, opponents and fans. I look forward to returning to my team and doing everything I can to be the best player I can be."

More on the story: Soupy will avoid surgery and be out only six to eight weeks. He'll return to the Hawks in May at the earliest. He'll miss the first round of the playoffs at least, but this is still good news for the Good Guys' prospects for a run at the Cup.

Ovechkin gets a two game suspension for likely ending Campbell's season

Alex Ovechkin's dirty hit on the Blackhawks' Brian Campbell (video below)- a hit which broke Campbell's clavicle and ribs and probably ended his season- has earned him a two-game suspension.



A Maple Leafs fan I know called Ovechkin's blindsiding of Campbell "flat out dirty." The on-line reaction among Caps fans seems to echo that of the Washington management: that the hit was no big deal, and that Ovechkin really didn't do anything wrong. Some have even suggested that Campbell took a dive!

Personally, I think ten games would have been more appropriate, especially given the fact that Ovechkin is a repeat offender. Two days earlier, he'd been given a previous match misconduct for kneeing Tim Gleason of Carolina (see video below).



Ovechkin may be the NHL's leading scorer, but that doesn't mean he should be treated any differently from any other NHL player who begins to display a pattern of dirty play.

Contrition? Ovechkin's response to Campbell's injury was this: "There's nothing I can do right now. He just fell and this happens."

Oh, please.

The photo below was actually run by the New York Times:




These have appeared in the media before, or have been used as campaign materials:











These are admittedly either sarcastic or satirical. But they draw their relevance from the fact that nonsense such as the pictures above has been appallingly common:







HT: Drudge