Monday, November 9, 2009

Has Farrakhan Been Talking w/Reverand Wright?

(This article first appeared at The American Thinker.)
"The Earth can't take 6.5 billion people. We just can't feed that many. So what are you going to do? Kill as many as you can. We have to develop a science that kills them and makes it look as though they died from some disease,' Farrakhan said." http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/10/19/Farrakhan-suspicious-of-H1N1-vaccine/UPI-63931256011008/

Since President Obama has made it clear that there is almost no statement that is racist enough, anti-American enough or preposterous enough to cause him to denounce it, militant crack-pots like Louis Farrakhan feel free to continue to strain the bounds of credulity with racist theories that no reasonable person could entertain. The Nation of Islam zealot's divisive remarks came at what was called a Holy Day of Atonement for his outfit, held on the 14th anniversary of the futile Million Man March. The well-hyped demonstration provided little benefit to the black community it purported to assist and remains the subject of controversy:

"Although the march won support and participation from a number of prominent African American leaders, its legacy is plagued by controversy over several issues. The leader of the march, Louis Farrakhan, is a highly contested figure whose biting commentary on race in America has led some to wonder whether the message of the march can successfully be disentangled from the controversial messenger.[4] Further, men and women alike question the decision to focus on black men to the exclusion of black women. Although women were involved in the planning and execution of the event, it is a male-only occasion in both name and public image that, some argue, could be detrimental to the already tenuous gender relations in the African American community.[5] Finally, within the first twenty-four hours following the March a conflict between March organizers and Park Service officials erupted over crowd size estimates. The National Park Service issued an estimate of about 400,000 attendees[6], a number significantly lower than March organizers had hoped for.[7] After a heated exchange between leaders of the march and Park Service, ABC-TV funded researchers at Boston University who estimated the crowd size to be 837,000 plus or minus 20%. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Man_March

It truly sounds as though Farrakhan has been talking with the Reverand Jeremiah Wright http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=617eK2XIaLk again. The Reverand Wright provided the "Prayer for Hope" listed in the program of events for the March. Clearly the two black spiritual leaders are as inextricably linked to one another as they are linked in turn to Barack Obama. I was unable to find a text of Wright's MMM speech in my research, but you can bet it was filled with the tub-thumping theatrics we have come to expect from Obama's long-time pastor. Note that this clip includes Wright's suggestion that the HIV virus was designed to kill people as well: blacks in particular. Seems to be a theme here.

As part of the Atonement Farrakhan sought to generate from his followers, he included the following disclaimer regarding President Obama:

"Farrakhan told listeners not to become complacent as a result of Barack Obama's election as the United States' first black president, the newspaper said.
'You have to understand that he was voted in to take on the affairs of a nation, not yours and mine. He is the American president, not the black president." (ibid)

This is not a particularly ringing endorsement of Obama. One would expect a strong American president to condemn the dangerous lies being pedalled by his demogogic former associates. But then we don't have a strong American president. We have Barack Obama.

Justice Sotomayor-Fashion Emergency

The sartorial expression of Sotomayor chic has been the subject of controversy since the decidedly dowdy new Supreme Court Justice first appeared as nominee to the post. The Washington Post’s Robin Givhan was restrained in her criticism of the Wise Latina look:
“Her wardrobe, as she sat for her daily grilling by the Senate Judiciary Committee, did not reflect the fashion industry's constant refrain. In fact, it did not even appear to have been influenced by the 21st century. Instead, Sotomayor's clothes evoked authority in the manner of a 1980s lady power broker.
And while a wing of the fashion industry has been enraptured by the styles of the 1980s, its focus has been more on embellished military jackets, harem pants and jersey dresses that look as though they might spontaneously combust on a particularly hot day. That is not the part of 1980s fashion history Sotomayor was channeling. She embraced that period in fashion when femininity had no place in the executive suite.’
She, in Givhan's words, left her gender at the door.” http://jezebel.com/5318648/critique-of-sotomayors-fashion-choices-falls-flat
Given the seriousness and dignity of the position she was applying for, coupled with Sotomayor’s general frumpiness http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/16/judge-sotomayors-suits-wh_n_236042.html , something more feminine was probably out of the question. Showing up in spandex or a halter top would likely have put the kibosh on the carefully orchestrated Sotomayor roll-out.
As it turns out, the presentation of the Wise Latina was far more intricately organized by the Obama team image-makers than we realized. According to NBC news:
“(Sotomayor,) The Yale Law School grad talked about shopping for clothes to wear to her acceptance ceremony, but government officials took over the fashion decisions. They told her to bring five suits and then recommended which one she should wear.” http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/politics/Justice-Sotomayor-says-White-House-Left-Nothing-to-Chance-64724512.html
If B.O. and the Keystone Fashion Cops in charge of the executive branch couldn’t trust Red Sonia http://ezinearticles.com/?Red-Judge,-Blue-Judge---Science-and-Sonia-Sotomayor---Research-Reveals-Judicial-Bias-to-Be-Common&id=2612211 to pick out the right outfits to wear to her confirmation hearings, do you think they trust her to make the right decisions on the bench?

Rep. Patrick Murphy-His Record Speaks for Itself

In his American Thinker blog http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/10/the_people_of_this_country_are.html George Joyce asks:

" how the “Saber Speaks” video made it past Iraq War veteran and panelist Patrick Murphy," since it depicts the defacement of an American flag.

Well, Democrat Congressman Murphy is certainly not your traditional American military veteran. His history suggests he is cut from the same cloth as Senator John Kerry who also used his military service as a springboard to political office.

Murphy became an attorney before he joined the military, rather an odd choice, at least in terms of income production. I find nothing in Murphy's on-line history to indicate that he was a battlefield veteran. Although he is listed as a paratrooper as well, Murphy's served as a JAG Corps attorney with 82nd Airborne:

" work(ing) to reconstruct the justice system and help(ing) prosecute Sheik Moyad, a lieutenant of Muqtada al-Sadr.[4] Murphy was awarded the Bronze Star for his seven months of service in Iraq." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Murphy_(politician)

Once Murphy returned home, he immediately ran in the next Congressional race for the seat in Pennsylvania's 8th Coingressional District. He defeated the incumbent by less than 1500 votes and was re-elected with a boost from the coat-tails of Barack Obama in 2008.

There is nothing in Congressman Murphy's voting record to suggest that he is particularly patriotic-his record appears to this reporter as typical for one leaning over the far leftist fringe:

"Murphy has a 100 percent rating from NARAL and "supported the interests of Planned Parenthood 100 percent in 2008.

Murphy voted for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009-the dreaded Stimulus Bill.

Murphy has a D+ rating from the NRA. [8] In 2007, Murphy co-sponsored legislation that would re-authorize a Federal ban on semi-automatic firearms.[9] In 2008, he was an original co-sponsor of legislation that would repeal the District of Columbia's ban on semi-automatic weapons and mandatory handgun registration.

Patrick Murphy opposes the military's "Don't ask, Don't Tell" policy of excusing service members from the American military because of their sexual orientation.

Murphy opposed the Surge in 2007. He was a cosponsor, with Senator Barack Obama and Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA), of the Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007." (all ibid Wikipedia)

What a guy! Even a cursory examination of Congressman Murphy's voting record and political inclination demonstrates that he is not the man you want protecting your flag. Even if he resigns his position as an "Expert" on Obama's Organizing for America public relations gambit, this disgraceful negligence in the face of Murphy's pledged duty as a member of the military to support America should be used to chase this purported Blue Dog Democrat out in the open.

He looks more like a Yellow Dog http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_dog_Democrat to me.

Economically Unbalanced Budget

Did you ever stop to consider how in the world the United States of America, the most powerful economic engine in the history of the known universe, can end up several trillion dollars in debt? Well, take a look at the microcosmom of America evident in this report from the Denver Post:

"Thousands of tiny dead fish drifted down Cherry Creek through Denver on Tuesday morning, becoming fodder for other urban critters and bit players in an ecological mystery.
As the silvery gizzard shad began to wash ashore upstream from Confluence Park, firefighters responded, followed by city, federal and state environmental overseers." http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13655676?source=rss

So some hapless beasties, very far down the food chain, go belly up and America has teams from not only the fire department, but at every level of our government, poised and ready to strike. And with state-of-the-art equipment, I might add.

Why did the fire department respond in the first place? Did they think the fish caught fire?

Let's take a look at the Keystone Bureaucrats call-to-action over what is most likely a normally occuring act of nature:

"A state biologist (was) called to the creek

Federal scientists sampled water from Cherry Creek...

Colorado Department of Health and Environment officials (were consulted)

Federal Environmental Protection Agency experts hiked a few blocks from their regional headquarters to Cherry Creek to check out the drifting dead fish and offer help

Firefighters used an infrared device to look for contamination in the water.

(H)azmat crew Capt. C.J. Haberkorn said (, results were) "negative so far."

In addition, state parks rangers were consulted and local marina employees were interviewed. How many man-hours and how much equipment expense was rustled up in the Mystery of the Silvery Shad? I don't want to appear hard-hearted about the little semi-sentient creatures, but where is the fiscal restraint?

Across the full spectrum of the American bureaurcracy, every day tens of thousands of busy-bodies waste our tax dollars pursuing the politically correct agenda entrenched at every level of our government. Are these the jobs we continue to save and create?

Doctors Recommend Obamacare

(This article first appeared at The American Thinker on 11/7/2009.)
By the late 1930's Americans began to recognize the health risks associated with smoking. The tobacco companies responded by enlisting the use of physicians and some decidedly questionable studies (see vintage Philip Morris ad here) in their advertising:

Now the Democrats attempting to foist their public option upon us have drafted physicians again to promote a raft of legislation that will do just as much harm to the public health as those disingenuous cigarette ads. Despite considerable dissension in the ranks, it appears the AMA is willing to horse-trade with the Democrats:
"Dr. James Rohack, the Temple cardiologist who heads the 250,000-member American Medical Association, said the bill isn't perfect but goes a long way toward expanding access to health coverage and making the system better. He said it must be passed with a companion bill that averts a 21 percent cut to Medicare reimbursement."
Of course, the AMA doesn't speak for all physicians:
"Sermo.com, a 3-year-old physician-only online community, has recently become a hotbed of discussion against the AMA. Its founder, Dr. Daniel Palestrant, posted that he was "joining ranks with physicians who believe the AMA no longer speaks for them."
The results of a survey of 4,156 physicians were recently posted on the site. Of the respondents, 75% are not AMA members, and 89% claim that, "The AMA does not speak for me," while 91% do not believe the AMA accurately reflects their opinions as physicians."
And the AMA, at least according to one U.S. Senator with a long history of engaging the organization, appears to be easily manipulated by politicians:
"I continue to be perplexed at the short-term focus of the AMA on this issue - over which they are willing to swallow hook, line and sinker the rest of the Pelosi bill,' Cornyn said. 'The Pelosi bill not only fails to include common-sense medical liability reform for physicians, but it includes a new government program that will have all the same problems we've seen with Medicare.'"
Cornyn last week told the Associated Press that "I can't think of a more ineffective organization when it comes to dealing with Congress" than the AMA. "The lesson I've learned ... is if you agree to fix their compensation, they will basically get in the tank with their natural adversaries." (ibid Houston Chronicle)
In short, the American public needn't be swayed by the quizzical stand taken by some physicians in support of their narrow financial interest. At least not any more than consumers should have been convinced that smoking a different brand of cigarettes would heal the effects of previous damage from smoking.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Chimp Attack Victim Seeks Damages

The tragic victim of Travis the Chimpanzee in Connecticut has served notice that she is suing both the state and the late chimp’s owner, Sandra Herold. The nightmarish scene at Herold’s Stamford home ended in Permanent Bedtime for Travis http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1182571776/tt0043325 and the loss of the victim’s eyelids, hands, noses, lips and vision.

No amount of money could ever erase the horror of that unimaginably vicious attack. The victim is seeking $150 million from the state and $50 million from Herold, the chimp’s grieving owner, who may have plied the chimp with Xanax prior to his violent rampage.

Perhaps the state’s failure to prohibit Herold from keeping a potentially dangerous animal as a pet is grounds for the state’s liability. In any case, $200 million is not exactly chimp change.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

The Search for the Wikipedia Libelist

(This article was first published at The American Thinker.)
Thanks to an intrepid blogger with the tag Trapdoc posting a letter to Mark Steyn, the search for the Wikipedia Libelist responsible for damaging posts to the Rush Limbaugh account has been narrowed to the IP address of a New York City law firm:

"The quotes were added by a user with the IP address of 69.64.213.146. This address has been used mostly to make changes to the article about Rush, but also Karl Rove, Sean Hannity,.. James Dobson and Sara Palin from 2005 until earlier this year.
While others have noted this in various forums, no one seems to have made the connection that this IP address is used as a gateway by the law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP (see here, for example) that all users from that IP address come from the pbwt.com domain.)" http://www.steynonline.com/content/blogcategory/38/113/

The firm provides a wide array of legal services with a broad spectrum of politically correct causes served:

"It is one of the first major firms in New York City to elect a woman as managing partner. In addition to its Diversity Committee, a group of Patterson Belknap attorneys formed PAC—Patterson Attorneys of Color—to assist with the enhancement of workplace diversity and the recruitment, retention and promotion of attorneys of color. Another group, Out at Patterson, focuses on issues relevant to the firm’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, and Women Lawyers at Patterson (WLAP) focuses on women's issues." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patterson_Belknap_Webb_&_Tyler

Considering Rush's militant political incorrectness, there may be a large number of potentially culpable attorneys and/or staffers to choose from. However, a forensic data retrieval technician should surely be able to narrow the focus and identify the likely poster. Perhaps Rush can enlist the aid of PBWT alumni, Rudy Giuliani, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau or firm partner, Edward F. Cox, (son-in-law of former President, Richard M. Nixon) in his search for justice

There is no question that Mr. Limbaugh has been damaged by the salacious quotes added to his Wikipedia profile and their dissemination in the PC-stream media. Hope this helps, Rush.

You know they say the only cure for a lawyer is another lawyer.....