Rock and Roll Conservative

Can't see any potential problems with this one...

Given that almost everyone has received some stimulus money from the Obama administration it shouldn't be a surprise that those who haven't want in on the action. The latest to cry for some cake? Journalists.

In an editorial which ran in yesterday's Washington Post, Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols argue that journalism is so important that public money should be used to subsidize it.

A cynic would argue that any media organization taking money from the federal government would eventually be beholden to it but given how the majority of the press already treats the Obama administration it might not be that much of a threat.

That said, what the two editorialists failed to address was what happens after media outlets begin to rely on the money merely to survive, as eventually happens to any entity that gets access to that "free", sexy money from the Beltway? The decline in public consumption of newspapers and many mainstream media outlets is a fact confirmed by the media itself. That means their budget would gradually see a greater and greater share coming from the feds. Journalists have been bitching for years about how the Chinese Wall between the ad department and the newsroom has been slowly eroded, would they bitch too when a Democratic administration made it quietly known how they wanted a story to be treated?

We know, after all, that a Republican administration could never dictate terms to the unbiased corps of brave journalists who work in the Beltway...

Sigh

I must hand it to Barack Obama for knowing what his priorities should be. Before the man has decided on a policy for Afghanistan, that little thing he said he would concentrate on over Iraq, he addressed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.

Well, he's finally made a decision on Afghanistan: No surge in Afghanistan before the election is decided. And they have the cojones to slam the Bush administration on the issue.

Hey, you elected him.

He was for the Afghan war before he was bored by it

Barack Obama talked big talk in 2007-08 about getting out of Iraq and concentrating on Afghanistan. Since his election? Apparently he forgot about both wars -- good for Iraq, not so good for Afghanistan. This weekend Gen. Stanley McChrystal admitted he had only talked to the Bamster once since taking command of Afghanistan in May and this article reports that people seem to be annoyed by Obama's delay on announcing new troops.

Of course, being the ahead of the curve guys we are, we've already chewed the Afghani fat twice this month alone. You can read our thoughts here and here.

Quel dommage!

One of good friends is an immigrant from Libya and the man he hates the most is none other than strongman Moammar Gadhafi. If you hadn't heard, Gadhafi was threatening to spend a day in lovely St. John's, Newfoundland early next week. I was looking forward to the fireworks the next time I spoke to my friend.

Alas, Gadhafi has canceled his plans.

Criminal behavior is only allowed if Chavez signs off

Venezuela, that magical land that has seen an explosion of crime, corruption and poverty since Hugo Chavez has taken over, is apparently dead set against marijuana. The government is threatening to fine any television station that airs Fox animated comedy "Family Guy" because a recent episode promoted the decriminalization of marijuana.

This from the same country which has seen its leader linked to narco-terrorist organization FARC for the entirety of his political career.

The news from the ground

Afghanistan has been in the news a lot lately so it's especially timely that author Stephen Pressfield (Gates of Fire) has launched a new series on his web site. This time he's interviewing Ajmal Khan Zazai, chief of tribes in the Paktia province.

It's a multi-part series and you can find the first one here.

Legitimacy is the key

Good article over at Reason's web site today about the nature of dictatorships.

Just a thought...

After listening to Rush Limbaugh’s show today -- particularly the segment concerning Dr. Ezekiel Emmanuel -- it reminded me of some relatively recent European history. Limbaugh has been calling Obama's policies fascist in nature and I completely agree. One of the principles of fascism, of course, is essentially the government control of industry for its own purposes.

I'm struck more, however, by the attraction to death in ObamaCare. It reminds me of the cult of death that had its start in the Weimer Republic and achieved its full glory under Mussolini and Hitler. It’s not the cult of death that promoted martyrdom in the cause of National Socialism or Italian fascism, a call to glory based on a mythic past, but a cult of death which promotes things like death panels and what Emmanuel argued in a November blog post. (Some of his ideas are enumerated here)

Though the ultimate goals in both are ostensibly different, there are common threads -- outside of Emanuel's scary Nazi-like plan not to guarantee disabled children treatment. In both people must die in order for the majority to receive what they feel they deserve from the state. In Hitler's case it was German supremacy. In Obama's care it is progressive supremacy.

Secondly, a human being's life is not their own, that it belongs to the state. For Hitler and Mussolini it meant throwing millions into a slaughterhouse but for progressives it means willingly sacrificing anyone who doesn't fit into their calculations for an optimal society. In both cases the individual does not exist, only categories of masses that need to be managed for our supposed good.

Perhaps that's ultimately the reason for abortion. Hitler and Mussolini needed to prepare the ground for total war and they instilled in their populations the idea that death was necessary to build a new world. Abortion allowed progressives to sell the idea that state permitted and funded death of innocents was permissible because it advanced society.

Perhaps Limbaugh’s comparison of the ObamaCare logo to Nazi insignia wasn't too far off after all.

We're shocked...

I'm not sure whether to praise China for what could be perceived as common sense or condemn them but the country's state media has admitted that more than 65 per cent of organ "donations" comes from executed death row prisoners.

Given that at least some of those executed are political prisoners, I lean towards the later.

Man, that's the dumbest thing I've heard this week

I'm not a follower of soccer -- and it is called soccer by the way -- so when I hear the debate on whether David Beckham is still among the best players I kind of tune it out. One thing I do know: Beckham isn't responsible for British foreign policy.

The reason why I say this is because some no-name Scottish singer declared this week that had Beckham publicly opposed the war in Iraq, Britain would have stayed out of it.

Now I know Bono had Tony Blair's ear for a while but between the U2 frontman and Cheri Blair, I think the former British prime minister had his fill of advice.

A third way

Russia or China? Who should be America's best friend? Gordon Chang says neither.

What do the Norks really have?

Over at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists they analyze a recent North Korean missile launch and what it may mean. I think their final conclusion is a little too sanguine given the unstable nature of Northern leadership but that's just my opinion.

You have to admire his stones

The key to being a successful autocrat is to be able to spin every story as an "Us vs. Them". Case in point: The killing of Neda Agha Sottan during the protests in Iran galvanized the world into briefly taking notice of massive vote fraud in the Persian nation.

Now for those of us with a conscience, we'd be embarrassed to be the Iranian authorities. Perhaps be a little conciliatory. Not Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Nope, the pint-sized tyrant announced that an investigation into Sottan's "suspicious" death would take place because it would appear that the "enemies of the nation" were responsible.

You have to admire his pluck.

Am I missing something?

Occasionally I'll miss some nuance and not get the gist of the story. That may be the case with the "coup" which took place in Honduras this weekend. As I understand it, now former president Manuel Zelaya attempted to hold an illegal referendum to pretend he was Hugo Chavez and hold on to power after his term was over. The courts ruled against him. In support of the courts, the military and congress moved against him.

So am I missing something? Where's the coup?

The only thing that surprises me is that Barack Obama is standing with Hugo Chavez in support of Zelaya.

Yeah, that last bit was sarcasm.

I bet they're devastated

Canada has disinvited Iranian diplomats from Canada Day celebrations next week, joining the Americans who announced previously that diplomats from the Persian nation had their invitations withdrawn from Independence Day gatherings.

In the world of diplomacy this is apparently a strong signal.

Hey, I have an idea. Why not a Radio Free Iran that pounds that country with The Rolling Stones and news from the outside world? I heard something like that worked in Europe a few decades ago...but I might have heard wrong. Now that would be a strong signal. Damn, I'm clever...

Keep it up

The fact that I am no fan of Barack Obama should not be a surprise. Something about him being a socialist who's hastening America's economic decline. That said, today I stand with America's president. Why?

Everyone -- that is those people who can't get enough of being in other people's business -- is up in arms over the news that Obama is still smoking. Hell, if I'm ever in D.C. I'll treat the Bamster to a fine Canadian cigarette.

Keep lighting up big guy.

The value of life in Iran

The blogosphere has gone apoplectic with rage, and understandably so, over news that the Iranian regime is charging a $3,000 "bullet fee" to the families of people slain in the recent clashes in Tehran, as this family experienced this week.

I'd be shocked but when has an authoritarian regime ever valued the lives of people over the price of bullets?

Yawn. So like how?

Barack Obama made another speech. Said some stuff. Make some promises. Today? North Korea will not be allowed to make nukes or extort more aid from the world. How? Mumble mumble mumble...

This is like Iraq all over again

Except this time we actually know the country in question has weapons of mass destruction. So, I'd have to say that North Korea has learned from the example of how the United Nations dealt with Iraq. Pass resolution after non-binding resolution, avoid tough talk and hope the problem goes away.

The Norks have decided that they'll celebrate tomorrow's passing of a UN resolution of their recent nuclear test by...you guess it...testing another nuke.

Remember

Last post of the day and it's a serious one. Today is the 20th anniversary of the Tianamen Square massacre of peaceful pro-democracy protestors by Chinese troops. If you weren't alive to watch it unfold or just forgot, watch the most memorable video here.

Meh

I wasn't going to comment on Barack Obama's speech (read it here) in Cairo earlier today because a) Rush Limbaugh did a systematic job demolishing it, and b) if I discussed every Obama speech I'd eventually just cut and paste the following: "Once again Obama delivered a lengthy speech where he straddled both sides of the fence, said a lot without saying a thing and tried to be all things to all people...and fooling a good number in the process." If you want commentary, go here.

We're not far away from the six month mark in Obama's tenure and I'm still amazed that he's getting such a pass from the media. I realize they were in the tank for him and have a lot invested in his success, but at a certain point even the most threadbare prostitute will tell a John that no, she won't do that. And yet here we are with a speech that even the dumbest in the media -- let's say, Maureen Dowd -- would listen to and the spell would be broken. A speech that seemed to legitimize Holocaust denial, gave the Muslim world credit for inventions of others, advance the notion that the American state was no better than any other and confuse Islam with Islamism.

But hey, he's America's first black president, he's not George W. Bush and one day he might actually keep one of his promises. Let's not judge him too harshly.

I wish I had gone to Gitmo University

Back when I went to school we didn’t get free laptops—we had to make due with old computers running Windows 3.1 for Workgroups (it was the early 1990s), the restaurants on campus were mostly horrible and we had all of one room to watch television in. Oh yea, and because it was in northern Ontario, it was bloody freezing half the year. Inmates at Gitmo? Man…I wish I had it so good.

About the only way I had it better was the presence of fine Canadian babes…something members of al-Qaida apparently have little use for.

Fight Fiercely, Gitmo U!
Jihad, Jihad, Jihad!
Demonstrate to them our skill.
Albeit Yankees possess the might,
Nonetheless we have the will.
How we shall celebrate our victory:
We shall invite the whole team
Up for tea! How jolly!
Hurl that bomb down the field
Jihad! Jihad! Jihad! Jihad!

– With apologies to Harvard

Too bad it isn't that much of a joke

Hugo Chavez, patron of narco-terrorists and enemy of capitalism, joked this week that if Barack Obama continues on his agenda that he and Fidel Castro will be to the right of the American president.

But is he still relevant?

Some years back in an interview with ESR, Mark Steyn noted that it didn't really matter whether Saddam Hussein was dead or alive because being a dictator was "like being in showbiz: if you're not working, you're effectively dead." Same thing, I imagine with the terrorist game. Since 9/11, Osama bin Laden has basically been reduced to living in dank caves and making increasingly lame audio recordings.

So news of a new audio tape -- the first since late 2007 -- is kind of like hearing that about the ex-girlfriend you were utterly ambivalent about getting married. So what?

Soldier complains: Asked to do soldier stuff

An American war deserter, apparently wanting to be this generation's Hugh Thompson, Jr., wants to remain in Canada because he says he participated in raids in Iraq designed to "dehumanize" people. Perhaps, but I don't buy his argument that the U.S. Army picked some names out of the Baghdad telephone book to screw with the population, especially since they seem to be winning the hearts and minds battle.