Liberal Solutions

Why is it that so many liberal solutions to societal problems don't work? Now liberals generally are not stupid ... nor are they, I assume, trying to make matters worse. But all too often their well-meaning solutions to imbalances in our society end up costing a fortune and destroying an existing working mechanism. What is that old saying ... if it ain't broke, don't fix it?

It isn't difficult to come up with examples of these liberal failings here in the United States  How about their insisting on dealing with terrorists inside of our criminal justice system? How about their not enforcing many of our immigration policies (George W. Bush included)? How about their continued diminishing of our military hegemony? How about their expansion of our welfare system beyond reason? How about their creating of mechanisms that encourage voter fraud? How about their self-serving roiling of race and gender relations? How about their attempts to overthrow our gun freedoms? How about their penchant for deficit spending (ditto George W. Bush)? How about even their continued attempts to centralize powers away from the people?

To be fair, there are occasional liberal ideas that do work ... at least for a time ... like social security, and some reasonable welfare benefits. (Many might also claim that the roll-back of slavery and the Jim Crow laws were liberal wins ... but it was just the opposite.) But, when such successes are accomplished, liberals double down, triple down, and even quadruple down until such benefits are crushed under their inherent weaknesses.

reddit Gallery CCXXXV

Another excursion into the world of reddit Pictures. See: reddit Pics for sources.  Do yourself a favor and click on pictures to enlarge them.  Enjoy!

Money from the Titanic

Black Swan in Koi Pond

Tulips

Chrysocolla

Shooting Star

Who

is not in this picture of the Charlie Hedbo Unity March in Paris? Obama? Biden? Kerry? They must be under the haystack, fast asleep ... see: UK Daily Mail Story.

Afterward: To read Diplomad's slightly different slant on this issue, please read: Paris Peace March.

Little Boy Blue

Little Billy De Blasio

The Mayor of New York City, Little Billy De Blasio, has created a bit of mess for himself in his dealings with Big Apple's police department. I hope I don't need to recount the details of his hashing of relations with the police there ... a muddling that may not be remedied in the next three years of his term. However, seeing what has just happened in Paris, I believe that Little Billy's problems may have just begun.

I surmise this because one of Wee Willy's first actions after assuming his office last year was to disband the city's anti-terrorist task force (see: Atlas Shrugged) ... a task force which had proven over the years its effectiveness in thwarting many terrorists incidents there. So now, if and when there is a Paris-like jihadist attack in Gotham, it will clearly be on De Blasio's shoulders ... just as the recent assassinations of the two policemen there can be traced directly to Little Billy's inept handling of the Staten Island death of a seller of "onesie" cigarettes.

I clearly hope that De Blasio's ideological-driven silliness does not backlash on New York City. However, if it does, then this physical giant's metaphysical stature will shrink even further ... into nothingness.

Priorities

I don’t particularly like Bill O’Reilly as I find him a little too pompous for my taste. Anyhow, last night I did happen to be watching him as he was interviewing Josh Earnest, the Obama administration’s press secretary, regarding Islamic terrorism and their recent attacks in Paris. O’Reilly was on a rant and tore Earnest a new orifice. In particular, after ticking off the numerous recent horrendous incidents of Muslim butchery, O’Reilly asked him what was Obama’s strategy for defeating the worldwide Jihadist movement. The usually glib Earnest said that Obama did not have one! Oops!

However, our fearless leader apparently did spend his 17-day Hawaiian vacation coming up with another government spending program to appease his base … taxpayer-funded (China-funded, actually) free two-years of community college. I’m so glad that our president has his priorities straight.

Global Smarming

IPCC Global Warming Model Projections vs. Actual Observations

John Hinderacker tosses a dart into the heart of the global warming cabal with his latest blog post on Powerline. In it he compares the actual global temperature track (from satellite data ... the most reliable data there is) from October, 1996 to present which shows absolutely no global warming for the last 18.25 years. In this blog post's conclusion he states:

Models that are invalidated by observation are worthless. There is no point trying to excuse their failure or make modest tweaks to keep the erroneous theories on which they are based alive. As a matter of science, anthropogenic global warming alarmism is finished. It survives, like a dead frog whose legs are still kicking, by virtue of countless billions of dollars in government funding. The warmists will keep up the charade as long as the money holds out.

Well said! Let us hope that the money dries up faster than the smarmists' tears of perfidy. To see Hinderacker's full riposte and the 18 years 3 months chart see: Powerline Blog.

A Modern Crusade

The brutal attack on the staff of the satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, yesterday in Paris has raised higher the spectre of a real religious war between Islam and the rest of the world. It seems that the appeasers (like you know who) are still stuck with their heads in the sand maintaining that Muslims are a peaceful lot and that it is just extremists of some unspecified religious persuasion who are grabbing headlines around the world with all these unspeakable butcheries.

George W. Bush was tut-tutted when he opined that the horrors of 9/11 necessitated an extended “crusade” against such Islamic extremism. This word evoked the thought of how those medieval evils were eventually neutered by Christendom’s crusades and Islamic infighting. However, fate has a way of keeping mankind’s next Pax Romana at bay … in that so much of the world’s oil has been found to lie under the sands of Araby and petroleum has become the life blood of our modern society.

As a result of these sea changes, very many in the Muslim world began feeling their oats and decided that they now had the capital wherewithal to convert the rest of us to their backward thinking. And so, oil-funded Islamic proselytizing became the norm which then evoked more and more extremist thinking and actions in a religion unfortunately founded not on love but on butchery. The history of Islam, much like the history of early Christianity, is replete with mayhem and murder. The difference is that Christianity and most of the other world’s religions have evolved out of such insanity. Islam has not … as we continue to experience on almost a daily basis.

Fortunately, there are some Muslims who have recognized this flaw of faith. The current president of Egypt, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, has called for Islam to abandon its extremism and growing militancy because it is corrosive and ultimately futile … see: Fox News Story. (How many U.S. media outlets have carried this item? Has the Obama administration reacted favorably to this ray of hope?) And in the 1920’s Kemal Ataturk in Turkey also recognized this Islamic failing and tried to modernize his country into a secular state. However much of the progress he made is now being rolled back by Turkey’s current fundamentalist president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

I suppose that the conclusion of this short overview is that things are very likely to get worse as ancient Muslim beliefs continue to scrape against modern societies. And, yes, if things maintain their current path, the non-Muslim world (including Russia, India and China) probably is in for a very long and bloody crusade to modernize these zealots of Mohammed’s teachings. That is, unless the likes of Sissi or a neo-Ataturk can bring about a Muslim religious reformation. This, I believe, should clearly be the basis of any foreign-policy push back from the United States’ government against Islamic terrorism.

But all I have witnessed here at home is exactly the opposite.

Afterward: For a slightly more frank view ... see: The Diplomad's Thoughts.

After Afterward: George Will thinks that Sissi should get the next Nobel Peace Prize for this stance. I agree. However, President Obamais, once again, is coming down on the side of the Muslim extremists ... see: Daily Caller Story.

reddit Gallery CCXXXIV

Another excursion into the world of reddit Pictures. See: reddit Pics for sources.  Do yourself a favor and click on pictures to enlarge them.  Enjoy!

Big Sur's Golden Portal

Skeleton Flower

Namibian Desert Meets the Ocean

African Pangolin

Frog in a Rose

Gone With the Wind

(I must confess that I posted this entry only because of the blog title that immediately came to mind.)

A huge wind turbine collapsed in Northern Ireland in only moderate winds ... for reasons currently unknown ... see: Breitbart Article.

Doesn't this turbine look a little like Michael Mann's upside-down "hockey stick?" Perhaps it should be so memorialized?

Tweet, Tweet

I don’t understand Twitter … nor do I enjoy it.

First of all it encourages twits (those who tweet) to say insipid things in a moment of fervor that they often later regret. Some studied reflection (and editing) of one’s ideas is very often a better course … such as in a blog format … particularly those blogs not comprised of a series of tweets.

Second, 140 characters is hardly enough text to express any important idea … so, as a result, tweets become so cryptic as to be unreadable by anyone but the “inside baseball” crowd (for an example see: Powerline Entry).

Thirdly, hashtags give me a #headache.

And lastly, Twitter’s only appeal seems to be the amassing of a huge number of followers as an indication of one’s hipness and popularity. Please, has such vanity overtaken our lives?!

Twitter is a bird ... no wonder its stock is tanking.

Dog Nab It!

Sarah Palin is constantly depicted by most media outlets as a backwoods hick … who knows nothing about the world and whose only responses are knee-jerk jerks. But no, my precious, this attractive ex-governor and once V.P candidate must have been doing more than halibut fishing and caribou hunting since 2008. She was recently accused by PETA and other lefty wing-nuts of animal cruelty for letting her Down-syndrome son, Trig, stand on their Labrador retriever. Her Facebook riposte is as sophisticated as one might find in the New Yorker magazine … yet more grounded and with a bit more cleavage … see: Breitbart Article and Powerline Commentary.

Obama Nation Update

Back in early 2008, well before Barack Obama was elected, I made some predictions as to what might happen if this were to occur … see: Obama Nation. I here list those predictions that came true or are close to coming true:

- The U.S. will recognize Hamas
- Taxes will be increased across the board
- The budgets for the Defense Department and U.S intelligence activities will be slashed
- Sharia law will be made a local option throughout the U.S.
- All U.S. soldiers will be out of Iraq and Afghanistan by July 1, 2009
- All wire-taps will be stopped and those who have been tapped will be informed and any such evidence collected will be destroyed
- Illegal immigrants will be granted amnesty and given Social Security benefits

- Presidential pardons – Lynne Stewart and all current and past Guantanamo prisoners

- Oil will hit $200 per barrel
- A national carbon tax will be endorsed by the U.S. and implemented through the U.N. 

9.3 out of 22 isn't a bad batting average.

Predictions

Every year a group of our friends get together to celebrate New Year's Eve. One tradition is for us to make predictions for the ensuing year and then, come the next New Year's Eve, prizes are given for the most prescience. Here are a few of this year’s more interesting predictions:

                                                                                                                    

• New vaccine to slow the onset of Alzheimer’s disease

• Prince and Elton John appear together on tour      

• Amazon takes over US Postal Service

• Drop in oil price puts kibosh on XL Pipeline

• President Obama’s approval rating reaches 58% 

• Republicans will lose two more House members due to misbehavior

• Superbowl will be lowest scoring game in history

• Google will buy Netflix      

• Greece will be asked to leave the European Union

• Joe Biden is not VP at the end of 2015

• Cosmic pulse disrupts communications for days

• Deval Patrick appointed judge of a high court or ambassador

• Hillary urged to drop out in favor of Elizabeth Warren

• Lost Malaysian jet debris discovered in unexpected location

• Joyce Carol Oates will win Noble Prize in literature

• Putin removed from office as Russian economy tanks

 • RIP – George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter

• George Clooney and wife separate

• Miley Cyrus marries Patrick Schwarzenegger

• Patriots win Super Bowl

• Iran acquires atomic weaponry

• Stock Market will correct by at least 10%

• Eddie Redmayne wins Best Actor for “Theory of Everything”

• “Selma” wins Best Picture

• Major LA earthquake … extensive damage
• Latin America pushes Middle East off of 24/7 news casting    

• Brazil will launch a satellite

• Sony Pictures will sell off its library of movies
• Apple stock soars 50%

• Keith Richards dies

• Aaron Hernandez found not guilty

• Marathon bomber – guilty but no death penalty

• “Boyhood” wins Best Picture

• Russia will default on its debts … again

Tune in this time next year for the results …

Tribute

“Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute” -- Thomas Jefferson (his response to the Barbary pirates demand for money to keep them from attacking U.S. shipping.)

Tribute is nothing more than ransom paid to keep some entity from harming you. There are many instances of this practice … from the Mafia demanding a percentage of the profits of businesses as “protection money” to Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and other race baiters shaking down American businesses so that they are not accused of “racism” … see: ABC News Story.

Now the Muslims are getting into the payoff racket with demands for “Halal certification” which is a statement that a food purveyor has met the standards of the Islam faith. In exchange for paying a fee schedule, these purveyors are “allowed” to sell their products or services to the Muslim community … see the Australian schedule of demands: Q Society Story and in Malaysia: Malaysian Halal Rate Schedule. Unfortunately, many suspect that this certification money finds its way into funding much Muslim terrorism around the world.

In fact the recent jihad attack by a Muslim radical from Iran on a Sydney, Australia coffee shop seems somehow connected with this shop’s refusal to pay Halal tribute … see: Atlas Shrugged Story. Unfortunately, the number of businesses who do pay this Halal bribe seems to be large and growing.

What did Lenin say, “The capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them?” But, in this case, we seem to be giving them the rope.

Afterward: For validation of Sharpton's sleezeball style see: NY Post Story. Also my wife had an interesting comment, "Aren't taxes a form of protection money?"

More Things I Don't Get

I have previously posted a list of things that just go over my head ... see: Perloined Powerline. For the New Year, to show what a curmudgeon I really am,  I thought I would update this list of things that genuinely perplex me:

- The Uber® car service

- Monster truck shows

- Earned-income tax credits

- Bob Dylan's singing

- Social networking

- Pop Tarts®

- Starbucks® (baristas, etc..)

- Infinity pools

- Al Sharpton's religious credentials

- Cabo (Mexico)

- Bitcoins

- Pet reptiles

- Mayor Bill de Blasio

- Mojitos

- Renoir paintings

Pulling the Tiger’s Tail

The United States government (FBI) rapidly concluded that it was North Korea that had hacked into Sony’s computers in retaliation for producing the picture, “The Interview,” which spoofs the leader of that country, Kim Jong-un. Now many cyber-security firms have expressed reservations about that conclusion … saying that it more likely was a combination of a disgruntled ex-employee colluding with a hacking group … see: Politico Analysis. This conclusion seems supported by additional hacks into Sony’s Playstation servers on Christmas day by a group self-labeled the “Lizard Squad.”

If it eventually turns out that the original hack was NOT performed by the North Koreans, the United States intelligence community has egg on its face (again) … which then spawns three possibly serious consequences:

1)     President Obama, in his very public rush to judgment in this case, may end up being made to look as foolish as George W. Bush. (Remember how many years the media drumbeat went on … accusing Bush 43 of lying to the world about Iraq’s WMDs?)

2)     It is fairly obvious that the United States, in retaliation, has crippled the North Korean Internet … twice. This is a serious piece of cyber-aggression against an unstable government that likely possesses atomic weapons. Talk about pulling the tiger’s tail.

3)     In taking down North Korea’s Internet, I am certain that the U.S. cyber counter forces have revealed to the Chinese and Russians technical capabilities that might have been left for more serious cyber-attacks against this country’s infrastructure. To me, it is questionable whether such counter-measures might now work when they are more critically needed.

Will the American media now excoriate luau-boy for his too-quick accusation of North Korea in this matter? Hmmm?

reddit Gallery CCXXXIII -- Happy Nude Year

Another excursion into the world of reddit Pictures. See: reddit Pics for sources.  Do yourself a favor and click on pictures to enlarge them.  Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Taylor Swift wit Victoria's Secret Models

Hand-Made Pizza

Marilyn Monroe in a Potato Sack

T.L.C.

Spiderwoman

Infallibility?

I know, I know that the Pope is only supposed to be infallible when speaking on church doctrine. But the current pontiff, Francis, has outdone himself by preparing an encyclical which will be calling for the U.N. to stop global warming … see: The Guardian Story. How the U.N. is supposed to do this when its well-funded subsidiary, the World Heath Organization, can’t even begin to curb the Ebola epidemic is a little beyond my perceptive talents. Perhaps, if it stopped propping up the five-star hotels in Geneva and Brussels? And besides Popes don’t have a stellar record when it involves things science … remember Galileo?

And speaking of global warming, John Hinderaker of the Powerline blog has produced a nice article that references hard scientific analysis of Antarctic ice cores to show that CO2 levels are a lagging indicator (by thousands of years) to our Earth’s large historic swings in temperature … see: Powerline Blog . Perhaps the Pope (and Al Gore) should read this research paper before they step into this cauldron of controversy?

New Year's Resolutions

In the ensuing year I will endeavor to do (or not do) the following:

- Give President Obama the benefit of the doubt ... once

- Don't join any organization that beheads people

- Thank a cop for his/her service

- Not fly on any Far East airlines

- Stop rooting for the Red Sox

- Write a blog that makes the world a tiny bit better

- Steer clear of posting or reading social media

- Never watch the SONY movie "The Interview"

- Laugh more often, particularly at myself

- Stop commenting on Kim Kardashian's monster derrière

A Suggestion

The men in blue from New York City have been dissing Mayor Bill de Blasio of late by turning their backs to him as he walks by or addresses them  ... see: Breitbart Article. (De Blasio did get back at them however by being two hours late to the wake of one of the assassinated policemen, Rafael Ramos.)

Although I believe that this gesture by New York's finest is easily justified by de Blasio's unprofessional disregard for them and their daily dangers, I would like to suggest that they also augment this protest with a mass-mooning of de Blasio while they are turned around.

Yes, I do realize that both sides are acting like teenagers ... but then so are the demonstrators and even out fearless leader. So think of this suggestion just as a mimicking our elected elites ... and it feels kinda good.

Out of Outrage

It seems that pop stars like Madonna, Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga have hyped the sales of their songs and concerts with outrageous stunts and cross-culture controversy ... simulated sex, twerking, screwy costumes, breaking all sorts of social norms, and anything else that the twisted creative minds of these poop stars' posses could invent. However, it now seems that the well of creative outrage is drying up because Madonna's latest performance album, "Rebel Heart" has hit the wall ... its lead single "Living for Love" only ranks 529th on the amizon.com popularity charts ... despite some silly promotional shenanigans such as unauthorized "leaks" ... see: Showbiz 411 Story.

I guess that eventually a manipulated public wises up ... either through boredom or maturation. Whereas old pop stars, since their singing is usually only marginal, fade from view when they run out of ways to be outrageous. How wonderfully quaint!

Afterward: See Madonna's new album hype: Breitbart Story.

Cooking the Books

I have in the past lamented the fact that our government is getting creative when it comes to reporting economic and employment numbers … see: Funny Numbers.

Now we have another instance of culinary accounting when it comes to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reportage. It seems that the Commerce Department has moved something like $40 billion of Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE, a large piece of GDP) from the first quarter of calendar 2014 into the third quarter. This PCE “adjustment” is also a bit of an anomaly in that it represents U.S. citizens’ spending on Obamacare. This adjustment in turn caused the first quarter of the year to look pathetic … basically 0% growth … and the third, to appear gangbusters (that +5% figure that gave us all a warm holiday glow) … see: Powerline Blog.

I think that some of our government’s numbers chefs might have misread their recipe  instructions this time around … lest why didn’t they put this $40 billion PCE “adjustment” into second quarter results where it would have done the most good politically … right before November’s national elections. 

I for one used mostly to trust what our government reported. Now we all need to rethink such trust … particularly under the current administration. The real problem is that, in trying to fool the American public, this administration may well end up fooling itself … with dire consequences.

reddit Gallery CCXXXII -- Christmas

Another excursion into the world of reddit Pictures. See: reddit Pics for sources.  Do yourself a favor and click on pictures to enlarge them.  Enjoy ... and Merry Christmas!

Santa

Shipping Glut

Cozy Room

Lone Cabin

1950's Street

Rockefeller Center

High Society

The other night I watched  the old movie "High Society" on Turner Classic Movies ... starring Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, and Celeste Holm. This comedy of manners originally came out when I was a freshman in college and I, along with many of my classmates, were gaga over the message it conveyed ... sophisticated social interactions, loose morals, plenty of alcohol consumption (without real consequences). and romantic music spiced with lots of newly-discovered jazz. I still recall the general appeal that this film engendered. Many of us imagined a fling with Grace Kelly after an evening of champagne and ballroom dancing in a well-appointed mansion.

Alas, it was all a chimera then ... as I can clearly see now in its re-viewing ... Grace Kelly driving Frank Sinatra along the curvy roads of Newport, Rhode Island without hardly turning the steering wheel (rather ironic in that this was the way that Princess Grace of Monaco perished) ... pear-shaped Bing Crosby wooing and winning his scripted svelte former wife, Grace Kelly, at least 30 years his junior ... Frank Sinatra launching into song at the drop of a cigarette ash. This movie is replete with lots of bon mots that don't survive the years. Most of the charm of this movie that I cherished 58 years ago has been interred with its actors.

But then, I strongly suspect our grandchildren will some day feel the same bitter nostalgia about today's romantic cinematic blockbusters (if there are such things?)

Yankee Si, Cuba No

If you think I write diatribes on this blog, you ain’t seen nothing yet. President Obama’s “normalization” of relations with Cuba has stirred the juices of the Diplomad (W. Lewis Anselem) into writing two entries on his blog that not only take our president to task for his international policy blunderings toward our neighbor to the south, but also provides many interesting diplomatic insights regarding the Castro brothers and their evil, evil history. See: Castros Pull It Off Again and On Cuba. (The many comments are also worth the time to peruse.)

These first two installments from this seasoned, but retired U.S. diplomat are a little long, but should be read to gain a better perspective on what Obama is doing … or not doing. The Diplomad promises further writing on this subject which I will be sure to reconvey to you as they appear.

Groupthink

Liberal Bill Maher finally addressed the students at that liberal bastion, UCal Berkeley, on Saturday and told students to avoid “groupthink” (that famous and insightful term from George Orwell’s book, “1984”) … be an individual, a free thinker. He ironically also cajoled them to be soldiers in the fight against climate change. “I hope all of you here today consider the environment to be paramount among the many challenges we face.” See: Breitbart Article.

Need I point out the obvious to you dear reader? The religion of climate change is one of the most blatant examples today of "groupthink." Bill Maher might just as well have been speaking “newspeak,” warning of “thoughtcrimes” to the “Ministry of Truth” members at “Airstrip One” (other insightful terms from “1984”). Maher, much as he likes to view himself, clearly is no hammer thrower.

When Pigs Fly

I suppose that New York City’s Mayor Bill DeBlasio thought that no one would follow through with the taunts that were chanted at these past weeks’ protest marches, “What do we want? Dead cops! When do we what them? Now!” Stupid, stupid mayor! Now, two police officers are dead, one Hispanic and one Asian murdered in cold blood by an African-American in Brooklyn who boasted on Instagram that “I’m putting wings on pigs today.”  And these assassinations were primarily because the man-boy mayor clearly sympathized with the chanting protesters. And luckily two more police officers escaped this same fate in the Bronx when the gun of their would-be assassin jammed. Read the appalling details here … see: New York Daily News Story 

It is difficult to express how irresponsible the mayor of New York and his race-baiting cronies like Al Sharpton and, to a lesser extent, President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, have behaved following the controversial deaths of two black men by the police in these last months. But clearly their hand ringing and two-faced rhetoric has contributed to this outcome … see: Open Wound. The street demonstrations around the country have caused numerous other incidents of violence against police officers … with the strong likelihood of more to follow. It would take a pretty naive (or stupid) politician to not expect these events to occur as a result of their tacit encouragements.

Here is not the place for a reprise of the grand jury’s decisions on the deaths of blacks in Ferguson and Staten Island, but it is the place to decry how many leaders have handled these decisions … and it is shameful. These reactions remind me of entertainers who hold up one hand to stop an audience's raucous reaction ... while lower-down using the other hand in the “come-along ... more” inward wave. Suddenly all cops are guilty of racism and all grand juries are tainted in the sub rosa text of these guttersnipes.

This is a perfect example of the old Biblical expression … “What ye sow, so shall ye reap.”

Afterward: For Powerline Blog's John Hinderacker's reaction to President Obama's reaction to these events see: Powerline Blog.

Youthful Indiscretions

When I was 19. and was working a summer construction job in State College, Pennsylvania, I was approached by a recruiter from Fidel Castro to join his Cuban revolution. I thought about it for about 30 seconds before I declined. But, being young and full of daring-do and having a head full of mush (a Rush Limbaugh expression), I easily could have screwed up my life for good with a wrong decision then.

I'm sure that many of the foreign fighters from England, Belgium, France, Germany, etc. who have joined ISIS over the last year made their decisions with less studied consideration .... be it wanderlust, romantic idealism, and/or the pull of danger. The reward for many of these fighters has not been all that they expected ... as about 100 of them have been executed by ISIS when they became disillusioned and tried to leave this insurrection to return home ... see: Breitbart Article.

It is amazing sometimes how our callow youths ever reach adulthood when they are surrounded by the toxic temptations such as the Internet now lays at their feet. Youthful indiscretion often seems a bigger reason for a young person's demise than any other possible disease, accident, or freak of nature.

Blame Game

With one foot on Marine One ready to whisk him away on the start of his 17 day holiday frolic in Hawaii, President Obama today at his press conference blamed Sony for caving into the North Koreans by canceling the opening of its movie, “The Interview.”  Sony apparently did this because of terrorist threats from anonymous (North Korean) sources against anyone attending this movie. The President’s other foot was firmly planted where it usually is … lodged in his pie hole.

This newest faux pas was because President Obama said that, had Sony called him, he would have told them to not accede to this threat to its First Amendment rights. And, as it turns out, Sony did call the White House for advice, but Barry was probably polishing up his surf board and never responded to its entreaty … see: Breitbart Article.

I know that I criticize our president a lot, but this shame visited on Sony … and the American people by proxy … was another affront that came as a direct result of the incompetence and inattention of the Obama administration … made worse by its leader’s inability to ever accept the responsibility for anything. I do believe that Obama keeps the Greyhound Corporation afloat by his frequent use of its bus fleet to cover his continued haughty and shameless disregard for the facts.

A Benghazi Lesson Learned

On the "direct advice" of President Obama, Sony Pictures has canceled the release of “The Interview” due to fears of possible threatened attacks by unspecified malcontents on the theaters that show it. This movie is supposedly funny yet depicts some personal insults to North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un. The Obama administration (with Hillary Clinton’s me-too blessing) has decried such unprovoked slights to a foreign leader and has jailed its directors, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, on unspecified charges. The United States has also posted an apology to North Korea on YouTube and closed all its embassies in the Far East throughout this “holiday” season.

Open Wound

It seems that the black deaths in Ferguson and on Staten Island have given President Obama an opportunity once again to pull the scab off of the wound of racism in the United States. In the current issue of People magazine both Barack and Michelle Obama recount what they have seen as racist encounters in their past lives ... see: People Magazine Teaser. I'm not saying that these things didn't happen. I'm sure that they did. However, I know I have been socially slighted in the past and I suspect that most people of all races have had such tactless incidents. But when a black person sees every possible faux pas as a racial slight, then I think we are in for a very long process before our racial wounds over-heal.

And this is particularly true of our president and first lady. President Obama promised, with his election, to usher in a post-racial society. Instead, he has taken every opportunity to escalate any conflict involving a black person into a federal case. Can he not see that many of the demonstrations and riots of these past months are as a result of his two-faced rhetoric? No wonder that the race-baiter extraordinaire, Al Sharpton, is his close advisor and a frequent visitor to the White House.

One can only conclude that the degeneration of race relations we are currently experiencing has been a real goal of our president all along. So sad ...

Afterward: For equivalent perceptions on this same subject see: Powerline Blog.