Katie Couric: Elitist Defeatist

On Sept 25th, Katie Couric, still pretending to be a reporter, spoke at the National Press Club:

“The whole culture of wearing flags on our lapel and saying ‘we’ when referring to the United States ... was just a little uncomfortable.”

The wearing of flag pins is now a cultural thing?

 
This makes her 'uncomfortable'?
Is she kidding?

 
Instead of 'we Americans, what do you say, Ms. Couric? 

You Americans?

I would question Ms Couric's patriotism ... to find if she has any and for what country, because she sure doesn't have any for America.

Greg Gutfield:

"Katie and her ilk are uncomfortable with patriotism because, like religion, it takes the focus off of her. Her kind of patriotism is one of "dissent" and that's the kind our enemies love."

Then Contemptable Couric said on the Charlie Rose Show that she agreed with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on one point:

“Oftentimes Westerners don’t really understand fully the values of this particular culture.”

Oh, I think Monkey-Man has made himself perfectly, revulsively clear ... Death to America.

'That particular culture' wants to destroy our society and culture and they are very happy to kill us to do it.

Too bad Ms Couric doesn't understand that.

Hilpocrisy

A new word has joined Clintonesque and Clintonian in our vocabulary:

Hilpocrisy

From Lowell Ponte:

"But one towering figure on today’s left continues to practice hypocrisy so haughtily brazen, disreputable, dishonest, and transparent that it deserves a new word to describe it.

I hereby dub the hyper-hypocrisy of Sen. Hillary Clinton “Hilpocrisy.”

Mrs. Clinton pretends to care about women, while enabling her husband's extramarital escapades.

Mrs. Clinton claims to be ethical, but she arm-twisted one of the law firms coordinating lawsuits against the tobacco industry to let her brother share in their booty, billing up to $7,000 per hour for his legal work.

Mrs. Clinton claims to oppose terrorism, but to help her campaign for a Senate seat, her president husband pardoned Puerto Rican terrorists involved in the maiming and murder of police officers. She then described as “murderers” New York City police officers who had never been convicted of any such crime, thereby fomenting minority hatred and violence against all police.

Mrs. Clinton acknowledge receiving $850,000 in campaign contributions from convicted criminal Norman Hsu and his intermediaries. She told reporters that she will return this money, but then refused to make public the names of any of these middlemen to whom her truckloads of dirty cash purportedly will be returned. No reporter can readily trace or link it to previous donations or corrupt sources or prove that Mrs. Clinton actually returned it.

Mrs. Clinton claims to support Israel. But when she headed a private foundation, Hillary channeled tens of thousands of dollars to the Palestine Liberation Organization while it was actively practicing violence against Israel, and she helped arrange a fundraiser for the PLO.

Mrs. Clinton in a Senate hearing told our commander in Iraq, Gen. John Petraeus, that “the reports you provide to us require the willing suspension of disbelief.” That is, Mrs. Clinton called this commander a liar to his face.

Her entire political career, from her miraculous $100,000 from a $1,000 investment in cattle futures, to her feigned surprise that subpoenaed missing Rose Law Firm billing records were found next to her living quarters in the White House, has required a “willing suspension of disbelief” by voters.

Mrs. Clinton voted against the Terror Surveillance Act but listened to a secretly recorded audiotape of a phone conversation of Clinton critics.

And as those who have followed Hillary Clinton’s career know, this list of her sins and falsehoods could continue for hundreds of pages.

Hilpocrisy now poisons our politics and saps our national will to win. America might not survive another eight years of Hilpocrisy in the Oval Office."

Restoring Voter Confidence

My US Senator occasionally deigns to send me email.

The title of the most recent: "Restoring Voter Confidence"

Oh WOW!

I thought maybe the nincompoop will actually begin listening to his constituents and maybe even do something worthwhile.

Nope.

Dear Friends,

Electronic touch voting machines won’t be used in future presidential and congressional elections if Congress passes a bill I filed today that bans most touch-screen devices and requires all voting machines to produce a paper receipt.

I met this morning with Florida's chief elections overseer, Kurt Browning, here in the nation's capital. As you may know, Florida recently imposed a state ban on touch-screen voting machines, and I modeled my bill, in part, after that statute. The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007 would require all voting machines to produce a voter-verified paper trail by next year’s presidential election and provides up to $1 billion for states to use for new voting equipment.

But most importantly, the bill would phase out the use of touch-screen voting machines in federal elections by 2012, a measure Browning said he supports.

A companion version of my bill in the House was passed by a key committee and awaits a vote by the full chamber.

Citizens must have confidence in the integrity of their elections. The bottom line is we have to ensure every vote is counted--and counted properly.

Two things, Senator:

1) One Billion dollars for new voting equipment.

   Look at the bottom of the page. That would work as well, and would be a helluva lot cheaper.

Seriously though, if you can't come up with something for lots less than one billion of my tax dollars for new voting equipment, I won't be writing, circling, or punching your name on whatever kind of ballot it produces.

2) "Citizens must have confidence in the integrity of their elections."

  First we need to have confidence in the integrity of our elected congresspeople. And Congress' approval rating is at a record LOW.

Take the hint.

Fallen Hero: LCpl Matthew Snyder

Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, USMC, was killed in al-Anbar province, March 3, 2006. 

Matthew was 20 years old.

“He was a hero and he was the love of my life.” - Albert Snyder, Matthew’s Father.

Those hate-filled, odious folks from the Westboro Baptist Church disagreed. Church members picketed Matthew's funeral, as they do at funerals of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, carrying signs such as "Thank God for dead soldiers".  

In June 2006, Albert Snyder sued the fundamentalist church and three of its members individually. The father argued that Westboro’s demonstrations exacerbated his pain and suffering in March 2006 while he mourned the death of his only son. Specifically, he charged that they violated his privacy, intentionally inflicted emotional harm and engaged in a conspiracy to carry out their activities.

 The jury decided in Snyder’s favor on every count and awarded a nearly $11 million verdict. Mr. Snyder is unlikely to ever see a dime of it, but that isn't the point.

"It is the sincere hope of Mr. Al Snyder, Matthew’s father, that this suit will spark similar legal actions against Mr. Phelps wherever he seeks to inflict harm upon the memory of our heroes and their families."

That's the point. To put these twisted religious nuts under a financial hammer. To stop their emotional abuse of grieving families of US service members killed in the service of our country. Thank you, Mr. Snyder. 

 

Requiescat In Pace, Marine

 

Majority Rule? Not Anymore.

From the Military Times:

Flag-folding recitations by Memorial Honor Detail volunteers are now banned at the nation’s 125 veterans graveyards because of a complaint about the ceremony at Riverside National Cemetery.

The complaint revolved around the narration in the 11th fold, which celebrates Jewish war veterans and “glorifies the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”

The National Cemetery Administration then decided to ban the entire recital at all national cemeteries. Details of the complaint weren’t disclosed.

Administration spokesman Mike Nacincik said the new policy outlined in a Sept. 27 memorandum is aimed at creating uniform services throughout the military graveyard system.

Veterans and honor detail volunteers are furious.

 

A complaint. One.

If I complained about the complaint would that negate it?

How about if thousands of veterans complained?

Members of Congress?

Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., wrote a letter, signed by 11 other congressmen, to the Department of Veterans Affairs:

"The flag folding recitation is a longstanding tradition which brings comfort to the living and honor to the deceased. ...

"Please reconsider the policy and allow the Memorial Honor Detail volunteers to perform the traditional flag-folding recitation if requested by the family of the deceased."

Charlie Waters, parliamentarian for the American Legion of California, said he's advising memorial honor details to ignore the edict.

It shouldn't have to be ignored.
The damned idiot who complained should have been ignored.

What happened to 'by the people, for the people'?

When was it changed to 'for the person'?

What ever happened to majority rule?

Here’s the banned recital:

These meanings, not part of the U.S. Flag Code, have been ascribed to the 13 folds of American flags at veterans burial services:

1. Symbol of life.

2. Symbol of our belief in the eternal life.

3. In honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.

4. Represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.

5. A tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.”

6. Represents where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

7. A tribute to our armed forces.

8. A tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.

9. A tribute to womanhood.

10. A tribute to father.

11. In the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

12. In the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.

13. When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”

Snake on a Plane (and Elsewhere)

  California Democrat Nancy Pelosi assumed leadership of the House of Representatives 10 months ago, promising to enact serious, and long overdue, ethical reforms -- to stop the growing trend of legislators and their families accepting gifts, trips, and jobs from lobbyists and corporations, and proposed "a new direction" for America.  

Apparently that new direction has taken some detours. 

 1) The plane, Boss, the plane:

  The Speaker of the House, 2nd in line for the presidency (after the VP), has been provided a government jet for official business use since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks because of security concerns. 

 Former Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert used a military 12-seat jet to carry him mainly from Washington's Andrews Air Force Base to airports near his home district in Chicago's suburbs. 

 But Ms Pelosi needs a bigger plane, large enough to carry Democratic "supporters" (= family & lobbyists) and Pelosi staff non-stop cross country. The concern apparently included the desire that Pelosi's plane not land for refueling. Pelosi: "It has everything to do with security". 

 Uh-huh.  

 Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL) called it "Air Force Three" and said it shows "an arrogance of office that just defies common sense".  

 Then, of course Rep. John Murtha, who chairs the House Military Appropriations subcommittee, got into the act, saying he spoke to Pentagon officials about the need to provide Pelosi with a bigger plane that can fly passengers coast to coast in comfort. But the House Bully-boy denied pressuring the Pentagon. "I don't need to pressure them. I just tell them what they need to do." 

  2) Junior gets a job: 

 In February '07, shortly after his mother became the first woman speaker, Paul Pelosi Jr., was hired by InfoUSA for $180,000 a year as its VP for Strategic Planning. 

 Unlike all of the other InfoUSA employees, he did not report to work at the company's headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska.  

 InfoUSA is the same company that has been cited by the New York Times for creating marketing lists that were used by con artists to fleece vulnerable elderly people.  

 Oh, and BTW, Bill Clinton also works as a consultant for InfoUSA, for which Bubba was paid $3.3 million over the past five years. And the Clintons got $900,000 worth of free travel. 

 Mama Pelosi insisted that Junior's job opportunity had nothing to do with his influential mother. He just sent in an application for a job and they hired him. 

 Uh-huh. 

 3) Nancy Meddles in the Middle East:   Ms Pelosi, elected to office by a single voting district, took it upon herself to meddle, unasked, in foreign policy by meeting with Bashar al-Assad, Syria's terrorist-president-dictator, in Damascus.  

 Then Ms. Pelosi announced that she had delivered a message to Assad from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that "Israel was ready to engage in peace talks" with Syria. And, she added, Mr. Assad was ready to "resume the peace process" as well. Ms. Pelosi even suggested that her shuttle diplomacy was just getting started. Problem: There was no such message from the Israeli prime minister. A statement issued by the Israeli prime minister's office indicated that "What was communicated to the U.S. House Speaker does not contain any change in the policies of Israel". 

 In fact, Mr. Olmert told Ms. Pelosi that "a number of Senate and House members who recently visited Damascus received the impression that despite the declarations of Bashar Assad, there is no change in the position of his country regarding a possible peace process with Israel".  

 Ex-President Jimmy Carter supported Ms Pelosi's trip, which is itself enough reason to condemn it. 

 4) The Genocide Resolution: 

  Dimwit Dems came up with a controversial resolution to affirm the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide. Ninety-two years ago. 

  It was a 'symbolic' resolution. Turkey happens to be an important American ally. We haven't got many of those and you would think it fairly important to not piss off the ones we do have.  

  Newly installed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael Mullen, tried to calm tensions by phoning his Turkish counterpart.  

  All eight living former secretaries of state signed a joint letter to Pelosi warning that the non-binding resolution "would endanger our national security interests."

  Three former defense secretaries, in their own letter, said Turkey probably would cut off U.S. access to a critical air base. 

  But, expert advice be damned, Ms Pelosi intends to move ahead with a full vote on this incredibly idiotic resolution.  

 Oh, wait. Ms Pelosi has many Armenian-Americans in her California congressional district who have pushed similar proposals for years.  

  So, Ms Pelosi disregards national security and American foreign policy in the interests of playing to a small, localized interest group in her voting district. 

   I wonder how many people actually know that this idiot is 2nd in line (after the VP) for the Presidency?

Political Cartoonists: Henry Payne, & Ken Catalino

Congress Lies, Big Surprise

Here's a big surprise: Congress is not going to do what it said it would do.

After winning Congressional majority last year, Democrats and Nancy Pelosi triumphantly declared that they would put Congress back to work, promising an “end to the two-day workweek.”

Most of us thought that meant a five-day work-week. You know, like most average Americans have.

Silly old us. <rude noise>

The House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, told fellow Democrats this week that the House would not be in session next year on Fridays, except in June for work on appropriations bills. Because ... “I do intend to have more time for members to work in their districts and to be close to their families.”

Note: This is the same Mr Hoyer who announced that the House would take a day off during the new Congress' first week in session. Why? Because of the championship college football game between Oklahoma State and Florida State.
Apparently this is the Democratic standard for the congressional work ethic.

Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said he was not worried about Congress’s low approval ratings.

Note to Maryland voters: perhaps you could help Mr Van Hollen get a clue.

According to Dick Morris' "Outrage":

The awful truth about the 'Do-Nothing Congress' is that they are paid at least $165,500 a year, and they hardly show up at all. In 2006, for example, Congress was only in session for 103 days, slightly more than two days a week on average. Nice work, if you can find it.

On the up side: they won't be in Washington spending our money.
On the down side: They'll probably be off on 'fact-finding trips' spending our money.

Hopefully, a lot of the currently elected deadwood peckerhead congressional idiots will be looking for work elsewhere in say, 12 months and 7 days.

(Political cartoonist: Chip Bok, Akron Beacon-Journal)