The Infant Tyro Strikes Again

September 27, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Elections, News, President, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Kissinger Says Obama Wrong on Kissinger’s Position in Debate Tonight

September 26, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Foreign Policy, GOP, Media Bias, News, President, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here is something that the media should focus on. In the debates tonight, Barack Obama said that even Henry Kissinger agreed with Obama that on a presidential level a diplomatic meeting with as rogue a leader as Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a good idea. McCain immediately said that this was not true, but the issue wasn’t further addressed in the debate.

Well, now Henry Kissinger himself is attempting to set the record straight. Kissinger says that Obama was wrong, McCain was right. Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard has a short post to this effect on his TheBlog entry.

Kissinger Unhappy About Obama

Henry Kissinger believes Barack Obama misstated his views on diplomacy with US adversaries and is not happy about being mischaracterized. He says: “Senator McCain is right. I would not recommend the next President of the United States engage in talks with Iran at the Presidential level. My views on this issue are entirely compatible with the views of my friend Senator John McCain. We do not agree on everything, but we do agree that any negotiations with Iran must be geared to reality.”

Well, that about answers to that Obama lie.

This reply by Kissinger should find greater exposure to show that Obama really is out of his depth on foreign policy issues. Let’s hope the Old Media corrects the record.

Dems Bailout Proposal Redirects ‘Paulson’s Profits’ To Left-Wing Groups

September 26, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Elections, GOP, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, News, President, Society/Culture, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

Bush told the country that we are in an economic crisis and his Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, came up with an idea that would, it is claimed, end up actually making money for the U.S. Treasury in the long run. That’s all well and good, but the Democrats already have a plan to siphon off any repayment of the people’s money back to the treasury by adding one little line to the agreement that would end up stealing money from any repayments and giving it to left-wing political advocacy groups like ACORN, the National Urban League and the Hispanic group La Raza. Instead of trying to help the economy, the Democrats just want more money for their left-wing political constituents. It’s business as usual for the Democrats, of course, but a bigger question is will the media let them get away with it?

On Thursday, the Senate Democrats shopped around a one page “Agreement in Principle” from the U.S. Senate Banking Committee that laid out their proposal for the bailout of the economy. At first it all seems rather straight forward, but hidden inside this document is one little line that proves that Democrats aren’t as interested in the economy as they are in trying to extort a payday for their favorite political advocacy groups. Yes, even in a bill as important as the bailout the Democrats are trying to stuff it with pork!

Of course, the claim that this bailout will make money is not cut and dried. But the idea is that the bailout will put the Treasury Department in ownership of what could easily later become lucrative investments. And, at that later date, the Treasury Dept. can then begin to sell these investments off at a profit and, thence, pay back the Treasury for the bailout — in essence repaying the American people. But, the Democrats already have a plan to spend “profits” that not only do not exist yet, but may never exist. In the “Agreement in Principle” is the following line:

FL Paper Quotes White Woman as Racist Against Obama, SHE Says She Never Mentioned Obama

September 26, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, President, Race, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

A 60-year-old white woman from Spring Hill, Florida is quoted as saying that there is no chance a black man can win the White House. This same woman, Sandra Cichon, is quoted in a total of three St. Petersburg Times stories, the latest being from September 15. But in a follow up interview, Barbara Sowell of digitaljournal.com finds that Cichon claims she was never called by a pollster, as the paper claims, and never told any reporter that she wouldn’t vote for a black man.

So who is right? Did the St. Petersburg Times merely make up racist quotes out of whole cloth and put words in the mouth of this woman or is she suddenly trying to take back what she said by claiming not to have been interviewed about Obama? Here’s the story and you can decide.

WaPo Editor Broder Says ‘No Such Thing’ As Media Bias

September 26, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

In a recent visit to Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, Washington Post political editor David Broder told students that he believes there is no such thing as media bias. He claims that too many confuse talk radio with journalism and imagines the bias is predicated on that basis.

Speaking also to WOAI radio, Broder said, “I have spent almost fifty years of my life covering campaigns with other people. I don’t think there is a serious problem with ideological or political bias.”

According to WOAI, Broder claimed not to see any bias in reporters of his generation nor in younger journalists. “I don’t find a problem with bias among my younger colleagues at all,” Broder said. “That’s not a concern of mine.”

John Fund Talks ACORN Vote Fraud

September 25, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

Who ARE You Mr. Obama?

September 25, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, President, Society/Culture, Taxes, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Old Media Pushes False ‘Rape Kit’ Charge Against Gov. Palin

September 25, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, GOP, Media Bias, News, President, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | 6 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

At least since September 8 the extreme left has been pushing a lie that Governor, then Mayor, Sarah Palin “charged rape victims for rape kits” performed upon them in the Alaskan town of Wasilla. The charge stems from a May 22, 2000 article in the local Wasilla paper The Frontiersman and has been spun from a comment made by the Wasilla Police Chief. This comment was somehow made into a Sarah Palin policy. Evidence of the incident, though, shows no involvement by Palin at all. Still, many Old Media outlets continue to keep illegitimately linking this rape kit billing claim to Sarah Palin, even though the truth is easily discovered.

As mentioned first up was The Frontiersman story from 2000. In that story Police Chief Fannon was quoted as standing against legislation that would force local municipalities to pick up the costs of rape kits being performed. In the interview Fannon said that, upon conviction, he favored the criminals being charged for the costs.

The story mentions that Fannon claimed that at the time Wasilla did have a policy that rape victims’ insurance would be charged for the kits being performed but there was no mention that victims themselves were charged and no claim that any ever were. It should be pointed out that The Frontiersman is the local Wasilla paper, so, consequently, the story did not mention what the policy was in any other Alaskan city outside the area the paper covers other than to say that “most municipal police agencies have covered the cost of exams.” This last phrase has been focused on by Palin’s detractors and spun from “some municipalities” into “all” (except Wasilla) and presented as some sort of proof that she hates rape victims.

Another Non-Obama Voters are Racists Story

September 25, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Education, Media Bias, News, President, Race, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

The single most common current explanation for a possible Obama loss posited today by the left is that America is filled with racists. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review uses this charge to the hilt in a September 21 piece on union members voting McCain. Naturally, the only reason the Trib-Review can come up with for this phenomenon is because these McCain supporting union members are wild-eyed racists. Yet, there are no statistics, no interviews with racists, no proof presented in this story other than the claims of professors and Obama supporters that it’s a true assessment.

This is an entirely common occurrence with these sorts of stories, too. We get all sorts of tongue clucking “experts” assuring us that anyone who votes for John McCain is a racist yet no proof other than the bald faced claims of those who merely assert the point as fact.

The Trib-Review story starts with former AFL-CIO union head Joe O’Connell standing for John McCain at a recent Youngstown, Ohio McCain rally.

Unions Forcing NJ Newspaper to Fold

September 25, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Communism, Democrats/Leftists, Media Bias, News, Socialism, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Anyone following the print media will know that newspapers are falling on hard times everywhere in the country. The Internet has damaged newspaper’s once dominant position as the source for daily local and national news. In this day when papers are folding everywhere and many more are firing people right and left (well, just “left” because there are few on the right in that business!) one would think that everyone involved with any particular paper would be bending over backwards to help keep the doors open and the printing presses rolling.

Well, apparently, unions would rather see everyone lose their jobs instead of compromising, at least in the case of two New Jersey papers, anyway.

It seems that the Mail Delivers Union and the truck drivers that delivers The Star-Ledger in New Jersey refuse to come to an agreement with the troubled paper and the the Star-Ledger is saying that it will have to quit publication by January of next year because of it.

This is a small illustration of the hidebound position that unions take all too often. They’d rather see a business destroyed completely then compromise. Cutting off the nose to spite the face comes to mind.

NATO’s Uncertain Future

September 25, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Foreign Policy, Jeff Lukens, Media Bias, Military, News, Patriotism, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror | Comments Off

- By Jeff Lukens

Russia’s invasion of Georgia in August marked a return to their historic pattern of imperial conquest. Without confronting NATO directly, Vladimir Putin signaled he intends to keep Georgia and Ukraine in Russia’s sphere of influence, and keep them from joining NATO. Putin can now bully other Eastern European countries as well to sway their policies away from the West and toward Russia. If any of these countries fail to comply, the implied message is they can expect a fate similar to Georgia.

The European Union gets more that a quarter of its oil from Russia, and the pipeline through Georgia is the only oil from the Caspian oil fields not controlled by Russia or Iran. Putin now is able to shut it down anytime he wants to.

The attack on Georgia also exposed a dangerous overextension of NATO forces in Eastern Europe, and United States forces around the world. Power abhors a vacuum, and when there is any uncertainty about it in the Kremlin, instability follows. Putin has proven Russia will brutally fill any power void around them. NATO needs to reexamine its long-term strategic purpose, and determine what it should do about a newly aggressive and revitalized Russia.
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Into The Heart Of Darkness, Part 1

September 25, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Frederick Meekins, Media Bias, News, President, Society/Culture | Comments Off

-By Frederick Meekins

Senator Barack Obama has captured the world’s attention unlike almost any other political figure of the era in which we live. However, despite all the theatrics surrounding the candidate and the almost messianic adoration displayed on the part of his followers, very few can possible tell you what he actually believes other than in “change”, which, though sounding like everything you ever dreamed of, can actually consist of the stuff of nightmares.

Discerning Americans caught an early glimpse of what was beneath the facade of intoxicating rhetoric when it became more widely disseminated what Obama’s spiritual mentor Jeremiah Wright actually believed and what Obama had to have soaked up philosophically during the formative years of his early adulthood. Devoted acolytes will respond that his holiness has distanced himself from such racialism.

David Duke made similar claims during the early to mid 90′s until falling back into similar patterns of extremist thought. So if few believed Duke back then, why should we extend the benefit of the doubt to Obama now since a leopard seldom changes its spots?
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Obama Thinks A New President Will Take Over in 40 Days?

September 25, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, President, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

I’m just curious, but if McCain had made such a gaffe as Obama did in his news conference on the current economic situation, wouldn’t the Old Media lose its mind ripping McCain as a senile, uneducated, old coot? Yet, Obama makes an obviously stupid statement and the media has remained mum all day.

In his news conference after dinner time on the 24th, Obama said the following:

“With respect to the debates, it’s my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess.”

Well, here is the thing… a new president won’t be “responsible” for any decisions until January of next year.

Sure, in 40 days we will be going to the polls to vote for a new president. But he won’t take office and, therefore, won’t be responsible for anything until he actually is sworn into office in January of 2009.

So, no, Baarack. In 40 days we will NOT have a new person “responsible for dealing with this mess.”

So, why has decided not to lambaste this man who obviously has no idea when he might take office if elected?

Paul Murdoch channels Allahpundit

September 24, 2008 | Filed Under Democrats/Leftists, Family, Flight 93, Foreign Policy, Islam, Islamofascism, Media Bias, News, Patriotism, Religion, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror | Comments Off

Two years ago Allahpundit (who works for Michelle Malkin) made a very strange judgment. He accepted that the original Crescent of Embrace design for the Flight 93 memorial pointed roughly to Mecca (to be exact, it points within 2 degrees of Mecca), but said that worrying about the orientation of the crescent reeked of “truther-iness.”

“A good rule of thumb,” said Allah:

if you need a protractor to properly express your outrage, you’ve probably gone too far.

Orientation on Mecca may sound esoteric, but it is certainly not esoteric to Muslims, who are supposed to face Mecca five times a day for prayer, and often carry special compasses for that purpose.

NBC’s Andrea Mitchell Compares McCain/Palin’s Press Exclusion to North Korea, Forgets Same By Obama

September 24, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Foreign Policy, Media Bias, News, President, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Andrea Mitchell is mad at John McCain and Sarah Palin because the McCain camp excluded the press from Palin’s meetings with foreign officials this week. She is so upset that she as much as charged that John McCain’s treatment of the press is as bad as that of the dictatorial ruler in North Korea, Kim Jong Il.

On Tuesday’s Rachel Maddow show (MSNBC), Mitchell said that excluding the press when Palin met with foreign leaders was not “standard practice” and mentioned that in oppressive countries like Sudan and North Korea the press is often excluded. Mitchell also added that The State Department has a “standard practice” of making sure the press is included in meetings even in foreign countries. But Obama also excluded the press in his meetings with leaders in Europe this Summer, yet this fact didn’t even rate a mention by Mitchell tonight.

A Lump of Coal in Their Stockings

September 24, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Energy, Media Bias, News, President, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Biden Misleads That Al Qaeda Forced His Helicopter Down in Afghanistan… Where is Media Exposing This Lie?

September 24, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Foreign Policy, Media Bias, Military, News, President, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Back on September 10 in a visit to Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden seemed to hint that al Qaeda forced down a helicopter he was traveling in when he was visiting Afghanistan in February of 2008. He made the claim again on September 22 in a campaign stop at the National Guard Association. The truth, however, is not exactly what Biden may be trying to allege. Thus far, only ABC’s Jake Tapper is exposing the ruse for what it is, a misleading tale pumped up to make his Afghanistan visit seem more menacing than it really was.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that on September 10 Biden told a Chicago audience a harrowing tale about his helicopter ride.

“The superhighway of terror between Pakistan and Afghanistan where my helicopter was forced down…John McCain wants to know where Bin Ladin and the gates of Hell are? I can tell him where. That’s where Al Quaida is. That’s where Bin Ladin is. It’s not in the country of Iraq.”

Wow. Forced down was it? Biden says this as if it were some attack that forced his helicopter down, doesn’t he? However, immediately after that September 10 campaign stop, it came out pretty quickly that Biden’s helicopter was not forced down by enemy weapons fire. No, it was a snow storm in the mountains that “forced” the aircraft down and then only because the pilot thought the better decision would be to err on the side of safety. He had generals and Senators in his craft, after all. You can imagine how nervous the pilot was in that case.

Voters See Media’s Prez Debate Moderators as Biased for Barack

September 24, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Once again Rasmussen Reports presents evidence that more and more Americans are coming to the realization that the media is biased to the left. This time Rasmussen’s polling results shows that more Americans than ever think the folks chosen from amongst the Old Media to moderate the upcoming presidential debates are biased in favor of Barack Obama.

Earlier in the month, Rasmussen found that 50% of their respondents feel that the media is trying to help Obama get elected while only 11% felt the media was trying to help McCain win. This time Rasmussen finds that 56% feel that the debate moderators are biased in their questioning, though veteran TV newsman Jim Lehrer (PBS) gets better personal numbers with 43% saying he’ll be neutral as a moderator.

Union Operative Infiltrates Grocery Store to Organize

September 24, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Democrats/Leftists, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

It’s like some sort of spy novel gone bad where the Soviet Agents are somehow the good guys. A grocery store worker and union member that makes over $20 an hour “quits” his job and starts a job in another grocery store making only $10 an hour just so he can cajole his new workplace into joining the union from the inside, pretending to be one of them. In fact, the union “supplements” this activist’s pay while he invades the other store to agitate for unions there.

At issue is the organizing of the Fresh & Easy grocery chain in Huntington Beach, California. Fresh & Easy is a British chain that not long ago launched 83 stores in 3 states, one of them California, and ever since the United Food and Commercial Workers union has been agitating for the chain to become unionized.

The company offers health-care benefits to employees that work only 20 hours a week, but the unions want more, naturally. The chain says it stand behind its benefits and pay scale.

But here is the interesting part. The unions are not just presenting their union idea to Fresh & Easy employees for an honest and open debate about the value of the union, they are sneaking employees into the stores to act as inside agitators.

Helping organize Fresh & Easy workers in Huntington Beach is Graham Ozenbaugh.

The 19-year Vons employee started working at the store as a $10 an hour “customer assistant” in December with the specific goal of getting the workers to form a union.

Todd Conger said the use of undercover union lobbyists such as Ozenbaugh is typical in “major campaigns” waged by labor organizations.

Conger said these workers, who take a leave of absence from their union-grocery jobs, are given supplemental pay. Ozenbaugh earns $20.80 an hour as a Vons supervisor.

This underhanded, sneaky move is supposed to make people comfortable that unions are interested in fair representation? I don’t see how anyone can trust such an organization that would engage is these sorts of tactics?

Political Elections, Cultural Elections, and the Votes that Really Matter

September 24, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, GOP, Media Bias, News, President, Selwyn Duke, Socialism, Society/Culture, Taxes | Comments Off

By Selwyn Duke

To be honest, treating politics isn’t my favorite pastime. Sure, like other commentators I do it, but it’s not something I can truly sink my teeth into. I’ll explain why momentarily.

This election season, my pen has directed many slings and arrows Barack Obama’s way. I criticized John McCain, too, but that was during the primaries. Now there is what I perceive to be a clear and present danger in the person of a slick demagogue, so my sights — and my site — are trained in one particular direction. Because of this, however, I sometimes receive emails from disenchanted rightist voters. “What do you have to say about McCain?” some ask. “How is he any better than Obama?”

My feelings toward such respondents vacillate between surliness and sympathy. I understand why they feel the way they do, but they don’t understand me. I’m neither a party man nor a doctrinarian. I’m probably at least as dissatisfied with our wanting candidates as those who write me, and I can sum up my reasoning very simply:

Both candidates deserve to lose.

Only, one deserves to lose more.
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Emergent Church Teaches Everyone Goes to Heaven!

September 24, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Education, Family, Media Bias, News, Religion, Society/Culture | Comments Off

-By Don Boys, Ph.D.

Emergent Church leaders’ distaste for absolute truth and their desire for embracing everyone have led many of them into the heresy of universalism—everyone will go to Heaven.

Dallas Willard, a graduate of Tennessee Temple University, and professor at University of Southern California (and a Southern Baptist) said, “I am happy for God to save anyone he wants in any way he can. It is possible for someone who does not know Jesus to be saved.” (Dallas Willard, Cutting Edge, Winter, 2001.) That is universalism! You have heard from Willard, now hear from God in Acts 4:12: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” In bygone years, all believers would have charged Willard with heresy, but today we are much more refined, so we prefer to say that he is confused. I say he is a heretic.

Oct. 3 – An American Carol

September 23, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Entertainment, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

FL Paper Quotes White Woman as Racist Against Obama, SHE Says She Never Mentioned Obama

September 23, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, President, Race, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Dems Threaten Anti-Iran Rally Organizers With IRS Attack if They Let Palin Speak

September 23, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Foreign Policy, GOP, Media Bias, News, President, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

News has emerged that the organizers of that anti-Iran rally that famously got snarled up in Senator Hillary Clinton’s ire at Governor Sarah Palin last week were threatened by New York Democrats with IRS action against their tax-exempt status if they allowed Palin to speak. CBS local NY news reported this little fact and so did NBC but most of the national news has ignored this outrageous threat to use the IRS to silence Governor Palin.

Accusing New York Democrats of using “McCarthyism” to shut Palin down, Democrat Assemblyman Dov Hikind was flabbergasted by the behind the scenes threats against the rally organizers. “It’s an absolute shame that this has happened,” CBS quoted Hikind as saying. “To threaten organizations … to threaten the Conference of Presidents that if you don’t withdraw the invitation to Gov. Palin we’re going to look into your tax exempt status … that’s McCarthyism.”

The charge was that inviting only Palin and not also Democrat VP candidate Joe Biden is somehow a violation of “equal representation of candidates” (As NBC claimed in its report). But, this is not a certainty. After all, the appearance wasn’t a campaign stop nor was it a venue to advertise Palin or engage in presidential politics. Besides, as HotAir notes, of the political speakers that were invited to speak last year, few were Republicans.

Hitting Obama for ‘Whopper’ and ‘False’ Statements on Soc. Sec.

September 23, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, President, Security/Safety, Socialism, Society/Culture, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

I have been known, of course, to dedicate many of my articles to exposing liberal bias in the press. But, once in a while the liberal press gets something right and this is one of those cases. On Spetember 20, Newsweek hosted an article by FactCheck.org that exposed the outright lies contained in the claims Barack Obama made against John McCain’s record on Social Security in order to scare as many elder citizens as he can. Obama may have expected every Old Media outlet out there to cover for him, but Newsweek didn’t oblige this time. So, I thought I’d highlight this piece and give Newsweek the thumbs up for hosting the FactCheck.org article.

Over the weekend, Barack Obama appeared in the battleground state of Florida and made to scare citizens over McCain’s votes on Social Security. Obama claimed that McCain voted for a plan that would have seen the Social Security benefits of “elderly women” at risk in the stock market during the recent wildly fluctuating market. Telling his audience, “if my opponent had his way, the millions of Floridians who rely on it would’ve had their Social Security tied up in the stock market this week,” Obama tried to claim that the elderly would have lost their money because of John McCain. FactCheck.org called these claims “not true.”

SEIU Formally Removes Embattled Freeman

September 23, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Democrats/Leftists, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has made its first determinations in the Tyrone Freeman spending and influence peddling scandal that plagued a California Local. Freeman has been removed from the SEIU payrolls.

The L.A. Times launched a major investigation revealing the fraud and misuse of funds tied to Freeman and his close associates that we’ve discussed at length here on the blog. But, the SEIU report had a few new allegations, too.

Most of the union’s findings mirror The Times’ disclosures. But an SEIU report contains new allegations that Freeman spent dues-payers’ funds on his 2006 wedding and a Santa Barbara resort, and improperly drew payments from an affiliated local and a housing corporation.

The nine-page report, from union trustee John Ronches to SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger, spells out seven charges accusing Freeman of violating the union’s corruption statutes.

The SEIU report alleges that Freeman’s dealings with the housing firm and worker-training charity amounted to a “misuse of the funds of these nonprofit corporations by his disregard for the specific nonprofit missions for which they were created.”

The L.A.Times reports that an unnamed union official says that more charges will be forthcoming.

What gets lost so easily in this discussion of Freeman’s corruption is that he was a protege of SEIU president Andy Stern. Freeman was the sort of man that Stern wanted as a leader. It shows the sort of person that Stern takes under his wing causing worry about his other proteges.

At least, though, this one corrupt union thug is getting his just deserts.

When Will The Other Shoe Drop

September 23, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Budget, Dan Scott, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Taxes | 2 Comments

-By Dan Scott

As I considered a recent article by Warner Todd Huston on Obama’s misquoting McCain over his position on reforming Social Security it raised the issue of when the next shoe will drop on the taxpayer. When George W Bush raised the issue of Social Security reform early on, what was the Democrats response? Here is a brief Explanation of Private Accounts idea:
In the 2004 Debates, George W Bush addressed the issue as a starting point:
In 2004, The LAT recorded the Democrat response: “He is trying to create a crisis,” Matsui said. “The problem today is a manageable problem.” In other words – Do Nothing, there is no problem.
The same response again in 2005: Democrats Blast Bush On Social Security. Of course, we in the conservative community have been discussing these issues forever and with the compromising ineffectual help of Republicans in Congress we are still only talking about it.

Wasn’t this the same response the Democrats had with the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (FMs)? The Democrats claimed there was no problem with the FMs and thus stonewalled reform when it could have made a difference, as we see they also made the exact same claims regarding Social Security when Bush raised the issue of reform! Everyone is shocked at the $700 billion proposed bailout of toxic mortgages. It seems the Party of Change is actually the Party of the Status Quo. The receipts for Social Security are dropping every year approaching 2017, the year in which receipts equal outlays. The significance of this is not just Social Security funding but the effect on the budget deficit. This year the budget deficit is projected to be $800 billion due to the slowing economy. Does that lack of forward thinking by Democrats give you comfort in their leadership abilities? Isn’t one of the marks of leadership to be proactive instead of reactive? Based on their track record so far, I would say their leadership is reactive. At this time the Democrats are still opposed to Social Security reform:
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Ordinary Folks Are Never Welcomed Here

September 23, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, President, Socialism, Society/Culture, Vince Johnson | Comments Off

-By Vince Johnson

Greystone Mansion, Beverly Hills, California – Obama Fund Raising Dinner for two $57,000 – Served Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Beverly Wilshire Hotel – Where Barbra Streisand performed Tuesday, September 16, 2008 – $5,000 per couple

Some very wealthy people had a party on Tuesday, September 9, 2008. Ordinary folks could not attend because the event was by invitation only and the fee was set at $28,500 per person! After the gourmet dining at the Greystone Mansion was over and the final toasts were orated, Barbra Streisand sang songs at a private concert held at the Beverly Wilshire. The cost to be present during her performance was $2,500 per person.

This means the affair was $62,000 per couple which is enough to more than cover the average salary of an experienced school teacher for an entire year. The proceeds from the event ($9 million) were given to the Barack Obama’s campaign.

Candidates often ask ordinary folks like you and me to send in $25 to $50 dollars or more. We never get invited to a party at a fancy mansion and many of us cannot afford to attend a Barbra Streisand “event” no matter where it might occur. The elite media treated this story with words that are very complimentary to all involved. I wonder how they would handle it if John McCain did the same thing?

Brokeback ‘Irritation’

September 22, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Entertainment, Gays, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

The author of the famous gay cowboy story that the movie Brokeback Mountain was based on says the story is a “source of constant irritation” in her life. Apparently her porn addled fans keep sending her re-writes of the lurid tale made even more lurid with amped up porn scenes added.

To many in the gay community, Brokeback Mountain is insufficiently “gay” enough. Apparently, these people want it to be a wild tale of cowboy queens in everyone’s face infused with wild abandon. Instead of what the author wanted it to be, these people want it to be more akin to some San Francisco Gay Pride parade writ literati.

Author Annie Prouix told the Wall Street Journal that she is sick of the whole thing.

The Washington Post Slams Civil War History

September 22, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Anti-Americanism, Democrats/Leftists, History, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Washington Post Writer Philip Kennicott sees all the worst in America at the reopening of the famous Gettysburg Cyclorama.

Talk about a skewed look at history. On September 20, the Washington Post’s Philip Kennicott unleashed a tirade against everything Civil War in a story that was supposed to be about the re-opening of the revamped Cyclorama painting in the America’s quintessential Civil War town, Gettysburg, PA. Not only did Kennicott denigrate in every way possible the over 100-year-old painting in the round of the battle of Gettysburg — it’s a mere “relic” that doesn’t live up to its hype he says — he also attacked Americans who have an interest in the Civil War as somehow just trying to forget about slavery. Kennicott also cast stones at capitalism and basically said that the gigantic painting was not really “art.” With his final analysis he seemed to turn up his nose at every aspect of the Civil War, Gettysburg, and the Cyclorama painting. If he hated the thing so much he should have stayed home and played a video game!

On the occasion of its re-opening Kennicott tells us that the famed 1884 painting received a $15 million restoration and has been returned as a major attraction at the recently completed Gettysburg visitors center. The way the public views the painting has also been changed to better reflect the way the creators had envisioned. A light and sound show has been added to enhance the viewing, as well. And, apparently this all does not sit very well with Kennicott.

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