Liberty At Stake

The Conservative Idea Campaign and the Inevitable RINO

2012-02-01T19:41:00.002-05:00

Two videos LAS initially encountered today during his morning ~~read~~ view.

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For a simple summary presentation of the contrast, using another medium (the word cloud), you can digest what the American Enterprise Institute has cooked up this morning.

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OK, you tell me - who sounds like he's reading a speech and who sounds like he's talking from the heart?

OK, you tell me - who sounds like he can't wait to *be* coronated President and who sounds like he seeks the Presidency to *do* something for the country.

OK, you tell me - who made generic promises and who made perfectly specific commitments.

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As the estimable Jeffrey Lord has recently been pointing out eloquently in the pages of LAS's all time favorite conservative punditry mag - The American Spectator - Mitt Romney is the candidate of the GOP Establishment, losers to the Saul Alinksy radical, and Newt Gingrich is the candidate who gives voice to the new conservative grass roots that has sprung up in reaction to that very same Saul Alinsky radical.

That Newt Gingrich gives voice to the TEA Party patriots who entered politics for the first time in the spring of 2009 is an irony of historic proportions. He has, after all, more or less made his living as a Washington "insider" for about 30 years. However, he has done so in the manner of an iconic (and polarizing) figure this blog has dubbed "the outsider's insider." Newt has pi$$ed off a lot of insiders, to be sure. And that's because, to Newt, ideas are more important than feathering the bed of the status quo. If you are one of those TEA Party patriots who experienced a political awakening in the spring of 2009, I think you get what I mean. And I probably don't need to repeat Newt is the last Speaker - the only Speaker in your lifetime probably - who balanced a federal budget. Working with William Jefferson Clinton, for chrissake.

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The "outsider's insider" has vowed to carry his campaign of ideas all the way to the GOP convention in August. This is good for the republic. The voice of the grass roots TEA Party movement deserves an articulate spokesman for at least that long. And September and October is plenty long enough to wipe the floor with the abysmal record of the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama. That's the only time clueless independents pay attention anyway. The only difference is how much heavy lifting will be required by the grass roots. (hint: way more for Mittens, much less for Newt.)

Footnote

Memo to Mittens: We all know what happens when you make assumptions.

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Memo to patriots: Let's have a knock-down drag-out until the last gavel of the convention.

d(^_^)b
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
"Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive"

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Update 2/2/12

The American Spectator's iconic editor R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. disagrees with LAS and AS contributor Jeffrey Lord. The good news is, as a long time AS subscriber, I'm certain Mr. Tyrrell is a defender of 1st Amendment rights, and therefore Mr. Lord's right to submit articles to Mr. Tyrrell's publication will not be adversely impacted. Let the conservative sorting continue through the convention. As I've said, the Saul Alinsky radical in the White House is plenty noxious enough to unite us behind the surviving candidate in the two months coming afterward.

Just Because I Signed Up For the Blind Email Distribution List ...

2012-01-29T20:06:00.009-05:00

... And positively shocked OccupyDC is not organized enough to have removed me from subject list by now. I mean, they did go to all that trouble to block me from posting comments on their site.

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Occupy DC to defend our dream, right to sleep

We have a dream of a better world. Let us sleep so we have the energy to create it.

Participants of Occupy DC at McPherson Square, both sleeping members and non-sleeping members, will defend the public space we have used as our center for activism on this Monday, January 30th. The National Park Service has given notice that they will be giving citations to – i.e. likely arresting – occupiers at noon for having camping material in an attempt to shut down our movement. Occupy DC will peacefully resist this politically motivated attempt to suppress the free speech of the disenfranchised 99%.

The 1%, led by Darrell Issa, the wealthiest member of Congress, has launched an attack upon the free speech of those of us who disagree with the direction in which our country is going but cannot afford to give unlimited contributions to Super PACs or have lobbyists write legislation for us. In occupying public spaces we act as an ongoing challenge to the K Street lobbyists and elected officials undermining our democracy through the corrosive influence of money in politics.

We give shelter and voice to those who have had none. Attempted foreclosure upon our home will not solve homelessness or improve our health and safety. Nor will it quiet us.

At a time in American history when corporations are deemed to be people and money is considered free speech, structures sustaining people who are working to improve our democracy should be equally protected by society. Occupy DC is a voice for the 99%, whose voices have been kept out of the back rooms and muzzled in our economic and political conversations.

It’s no accident that the 1% earned 60 percent of all new income in the last three decades. The system is rigged against us, the 99%, and it will take more than voting to fix. On Monday we will defend free speech and our vision of a just society from attempted repression by the 1% – by any peaceful means necessary.

-----

We will be providing updates to the press, and participants will be available for interviews throughout the day. People will be livetweeting with the #defend99 and #J30 hashtags. Livestream URLs will be published on those tweets. Occupy DC Media can be reached at 202-540-0155.

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Looks like my usual lunch time constitutional may be very entertaining tomorrow. Frankly, I'm surprised. I didn't think Barry and His Corrupt Gang of Progressives were willing to stay true to their constitutional oath to enforce the laws. We shall see ...

Could be a double reverse back flip to give up the mud pit without giving up the "cause." RebelPundit has insight into the next big move.

d(^_^)b
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
"Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive"

==

Update 1/30/12

Driving past Camp Stinky, McPherson Square this morning, I noticed two things in particular. A few more derelicts than usual, and a lot more media than usual. So it appears there will be kabuki and farce at Camp Stinky to bemuse the civil society.

And let us not forget Team Leftie still has Camp Stinky, Freedom Plaza - which already enjoys the cover of a permit extorted from the Park Service months ago. It is also a strategically superior assembly point for Team Leftie - the foundation is raised concrete (with drainage pipes embedded) instead of mud. I'm firming up a theory this is a just a tactical withdrawal.

Update #2 1/30/12

Home from work and now in my jammies (no feet). The occupiers of Camp Stinky did not disappoint. These geniuses, for the first time as far as I know, draped the statue of General McPherson in spray paint adorned tarpelin. I guess he thought it was an improvement protecting him from the usual pigeon sh*t. But the General's relief was brief. The occupiers calculations were faulty and the general's hat, as well as his steed's ears, poked through their free speech.

So far, though, Barry's Park Police have not enforced the sleeping ban on Barry's Bolshevik Brigade. Maybe they are waiting until ... you know, when the occupiers ... go to sleep.

Update 1/31/2012

Bob Schieffer Blog Roll stalwarts Pundit and Pundette have a morning update on the epic standoff. The local news here in DC reports the McPherson Square mob plans to stay up all night every night indefinitely. Pure genius. Well, at least the sleep deprivation should increase the day time entertainment value for commuters.

Update #2 1/31/2012

This thing is beginning to look like a showdown between Barney Fife and Ernest T. Bass.

During my noon time constitutional I initially found the Tent of Dreams in the previous day's state. On cue, there was a thunderous riiiiiip! sound, as the tent was further torn by the wind. I was Johnny-on-the-spot requesting a 'mic check' to ask if anyone had any duct tape. I was largely ignored, proving occupiers fail to respect free speech, in addition to being racist and misogynistic.

By 2 pm or so, the Tent of Dreams had fallen down to General McPherson's waist. The occupiers missed an opportunity to recover the situation by renaming it the Skirt of Dreams. I then observed the occupiers' Tent of Dreams Committee deciding what to do. One proposal was to to make an offer to the Park Police to take it down in return for the 'right to sleep' in the park. With negotiation skills like this, it's a wonder they have failed to grow their enterprise into every park in DC with a civil war statue. (hint: there are a lot of those)

At 4 pm or so I observed the Tent of Dreams down around the horse's ankles and the police rushing to the scene en masse. (It was actually half a dozen park police strolling from their usual position on the edges toward the center).

It is now 7 pm here in my capitalist bastion wired to the Intertubes and I think I now know why.

Here's the bottom line, kiddies. Barry is executing the Saul Alinsky / Bill Ayers playbook - fomenting chaos to exploit for tyrannical purposes - but the result is looking more and more like vaudeville slapstick. Because We The People have better things to do - like make a living and take care of our families.

The Only Thing Dumber Than the Average Person is a Crowd

2012-01-28T20:21:00.004-05:00

I made that up tonight - as far as I'm concerned. Upon which my 13 year old son claimed it is already a well known and popular quote. My 13 year old son! I have exercised extreme restraint by not 'Googling' (God, I hate that word as a verb!) it, before posting this for all time. I'm half inclined to *NEVER* 'Google' (God, I hate that word as a verb!) it, as a matter of fact, because, it's mine, I tell you, mine!

I win!

Take THAT, whipper snapper!

My First Demotivational Poster

2012-01-27T19:54:00.000-05:00

Created here.

OccupyDC Fears LAS

2012-01-26T19:51:00.000-05:00

Hey, all I was gonna say was I couldn't make it because I had a previous engagement with the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (VRWC) monthly meeting at the Masonic Memorial.

Or, maybe I should have told them to take me off the email distribution, too - because that's the only reason I stumbled into this silliness.

OccupyDC is now added to the list with Huffington Post and National Public Radio as official censors of the phenomenon known as LibertyAtStake. The case demonstrating the Left tolerates no dissent grows.

If you are reading this, why not follow the link and give OccupyDC a little dissent to digest?

d(^_^)b
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
“Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive”

SOTU 2012: Boilerplate From the Empty Suit

2012-01-26T00:03:00.001-05:00

The decision making challenge for this amateur, part-time, blogger was whether or not to even ~~waste~~ invest any time at all in covering Barry’s State of the Union address. The Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama violated the first rule of Demagoguery 101 – he was, frankly, boring and predictable. He predictably showed up in the guise of campaigner-in-chief and proceeded to give us a boring laundry list of the usual Leftist campaign bromides.

The Big Lizards blog took the minimalist’s approach toward documenting this embarrassing performance. LAS appreciates that approach from long experience.

For those of you possessing a taste for big words and long sentences – The Heritage Foundation’s Morning Bell was all you needed. (It was my first contact, having wisely skipped the real time telecast.)

Even the hapless establishment GOP got it, and then documented it using the visual arts.

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The Donkey Party’s titular head perfectly represents his party’s Leftist heart and soul. The One Trick ~~Pony~~ Donkey has but one solution to every problem: tax and spend. In campaign mode the One Trick ~~Pony~~ Donkey has but one tactic: demonize those to be taxed, and stoke the envy of those to be designated recipients of the gub’ment spending.

Of course, it never works out as the dollar-for-dollar redistribution for utopian purposes these Lefties intend. On the tax side, the incentives created by the punitive taxes produce fewer revenues because taxpayers adjust their behavior to avoid the punishment. On the gub’ment constituent delivery side, gub’ment operations siphon off a percentage, and gub’ment inefficiencies cause a percentage to simply disappear. Call it the 'Deficit Engine.'

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A fun way to document my point regarding the by now predictable and boring One Trick ~~Pony~~ Donkey occurred to me early today whilst enduring a predictable and boring meeting attached to the job I am thankful to possess in today’s sluggish economy.

The four legs of the One Trick ~~Pony~~ Donkey can represented graphically ...

Tax.

Spend.

Demonize.

Envy.

And then there is the always in play with the Leftist demagogue {*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*}

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These fun little graphics can be ~~easily~~ liberally ~~copy and pasted~~ sprinkled throughout the transcript provided by USATODAY to make the point ...

==

{*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*}Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought - and several thousand gave their lives.

We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. Most of al Qaeda's top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban's momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.

These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness, and teamwork of America's Armed Forces. At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They're not consumed with personal ambition. They don't obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.

Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we're in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren't so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.

We can do this. I know we can, because we've done it before. At the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known. My grandfather, a veteran of Patton's Army, got the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth.

The two of them shared the optimism of a Nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism. They understood they were part of something larger; that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share - the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement.

The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What's at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. We have to reclaim them.

Let's remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren't, and personal debt that kept piling up.

In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn't afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people's money. Regulators had looked the other way, or didn't have the authority to stop the bad behavior.

It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag. In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly four million jobs. And we lost another four million before our policies were in full effect.

Those are the facts. But so are these. In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we've agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. And we've put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like that never happens again.

{*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*}The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we've come too far to turn back now. As long as I'm President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.

No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last - an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.

This blueprint begins with American manufacturing.

{*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*}On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world's number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs. {We already had Chapter 11. Didn't need the bailouts, Barry}

We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back.

What's happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. It can happen in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We can't bring back every job that's left our shores. But right now, it's getting more expensive to do business in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home. Today, for the first time in fifteen years, Master Lock's unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.

So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.

and

We should start with our tax code. Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it.

So let's change it. First, if you're a business that wants to outsource jobs, you shouldn't get a tax deduction for doing it. That money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like Master Lock that decide to bring jobs home.

Second, no American company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. From now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here.

Third, if you're an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. If you're a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making products here. And if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers.

My message is simple. It's time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America. Send me these tax reforms, and I'll sign them right away.

{*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*}We're also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years. With the bipartisan trade agreements I signed into law, we are on track to meet that goal - ahead of schedule. Soon, there will be millions of new customers for American goods in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea. Soon, there will be new cars on the streets of Seoul imported from Detroit, and Toledo, and Chicago.

I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products. And I will not stand by when our competitors don't play by the rules. We've brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration - and it's made a difference. Over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires. But we need to do more. It's not right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated. It's not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they're heavily subsidized.

Tonight, I'm announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing finance or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you - America will always win.

I also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the United States but can't find workers with the right skills. Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that - openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work. {No, actually, if you made LEGAL immigration more efficient, more than enough 'ferriners' have the necessary skills. Skills anybody can acquire from the closest technical training institute.}

That's inexcusable. And we know how to fix it.

{*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*}Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic. Then Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte, and formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training. It paid Jackie's tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant.

I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as Jackie did. Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. My Administration has already lined up more companies that want to help. Model partnerships between businesses like Siemens and community colleges in places like Charlotte, Orlando, and Louisville are up and running. Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers - places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing.

And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people like Jackie have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help they need. It's time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.

These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier.

{HUH? WTF?}For less than one percent of what our Nation spends on education each year, we've convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning - the first time that's happened in a generation.

But challenges remain. And we know how to solve them.

At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies {LAS' wife has done this. Just because.} - just to make a difference.

Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let's offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren't helping kids learn.

We also know that when students aren't allowed to walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.

When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college. At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves middle-class families thousands of dollars. And give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next five years.

Of course, it's not enough for us to increase student aid. We can't just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we'll run out of money. States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down. Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who've done just that. Some schools re-design courses to help students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it's possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can't stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can't be a luxury - it's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.

Let's also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge: The fact that they aren't yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.

That doesn't make sense. {So, apply for an effin' green card for chrissake.}

{*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*} I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That's why my Administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. {HUH? WTF?}That's why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office.

The opponents of action are out of excuses. We should be working on comprehensive {"comprehensive" = Barry codespeak for "amnesty"} immigration reform right now. {DREAM ACT sop} But if election-year politics keeps Congress from acting on a comprehensive plan, let's at least agree to stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs, start new businesses, and defend this country. Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.

{Begin: empty bullshit} You see, an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country. That means women should earn equal pay for equal work. It means we should support everyone who's willing to work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.

After all, innovation is what America has always been about. Most new jobs are created in start-ups and small businesses. So let's pass an agenda that helps them succeed. Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs from getting the financing to grow. Expand tax relief to small businesses that are raising wages and creating good jobs. Both parties agree on these ideas. So put them in a bill, and get it on my desk this year.

Innovation also demands basic research. Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched. New lightweight vests for cops and soldiers that can stop any bullet. Don't gut these investments in our budget. Don't let other countries win the race for the future. Support the same kind of research and innovation that led to the computer chip and the Internet; to new American jobs and new American industries. {momentary end: empty bullshit}

{*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*} Nowhere is the promise of innovation greater than in American-made energy. Over the last three years, we've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration, and tonight, I'm directing my Administration to open more than 75 percent of our potential offshore oil and gas resources. Right now, American oil production is the highest that it's been in eight years. That's right - eight years. Not only that - last year, we relied less on foreign oil than in any of the past sixteen years.

But with only 2 percent of the world's oil reserves, oil isn't enough. This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy {Keystone?} - a strategy that's cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs. -

We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly one hundred years {no shit, sherlock!}, and my Administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy. Experts believe this will support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. And I'm requiring all companies that drill for gas on public lands to disclose the chemicals they use {greenie sop and counter-productive to the stated goal.}. America will develop this resource without putting the health and safety of our citizens at risk.

The development of natural gas will create jobs and power trucks and factories that are cleaner and cheaper, proving that we don't have to choose between our environment and our economy. And by the way, it was public research dollars, over the course of thirty years, that helped develop the technologies to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock - reminding us that Government support is critical in helping businesses get new energy ideas off the ground.

What's true for natural gas is true for clean energy. In three years, our partnership with the private sector has already positioned America to be the world's leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries. Because of federal investments, renewable energy use has nearly doubled. And thousands of Americans have jobs because of it.

When Bryan Ritterby was laid off from his job making furniture, he said he worried that at 55, no one would give him a second chance. But he found work at Energetx, a wind turbine manufacturer in Michigan. Before the recession, the factory only made luxury yachts. Today, it's hiring workers like Bryan, who said, "I'm proud to be working in the industry of the future."

Our experience with shale gas shows us that the payoffs on these public investments don't always come right away. Some technologies don't pan out; some companies fail. But I will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. I will not walk away from workers like Bryan. I will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to China or Germany because we refuse to make the same commitment here. We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That's long enough. It's time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that's rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that's never been more promising. Pass clean energy tax credits and create these jobs.

We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. {uhhh ... maybe because the "science" is an effin' hoax?} But there's no reason why Congress shouldn't at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven't acted. Well tonight, I will. I'm directing my Administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power three million homes. And I'm proud to announce that the Department of Defense, the world's largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history - with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.

Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. So here's another proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. Their energy bills will be $100 billion lower over the next decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing, and more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a bill that creates these jobs.

Building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair America's infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We've got crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy. An incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the world.

During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. After World War II, we connected our States with a system of highways. Democratic and Republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them today.

and

{duplicate intentional}
In the next few weeks, I will sign an Executive Order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we're no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home. {can you just finish the G-D Beltway, please?}

{triplicate intentional!}
There's never been a better time to build, especially since the construction industry was one of the hardest-hit when the housing bubble burst. Of course, construction workers weren't the only ones hurt. So were millions of innocent Americans who've seen their home values decline. And while Government can't fix the problem on its own, responsible homeowners shouldn't have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief.

That's why I'm sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low interest rates. {already did it} No more red tape. No more runaround from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure that it won't add to the deficit, and will give banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust.

Let's never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a Government and a financial system that do the same. It's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts {welcome aboard, Barry}, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody.

We've all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to people who couldn't afford them, and buyers who knew they couldn't afford them. That's why we need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. Rules to prevent financial fraud, or toxic dumping, or faulty medical devices, don't destroy the free market. They make the free market work better.

There is no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly. {welcome aboard, Barry} {*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*} In fact, I've approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his. I've ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don't make sense. We've already announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of them will save business and citizens more than $10 billion over the next five years. We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill - because milk was somehow classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk.

I'm confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf two years ago. I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury pollution {like from a broken CFL?} , or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. {*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*}
I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.

And I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its own set of rules. The new rules we passed restore what should be any financial system's core purpose: Getting funding to entrepreneurs with the best ideas, and getting loans to responsible families who want to buy a home, start a business, or send a kid to college.

So if you're a big bank or financial institution, you are no longer allowed to make risky bets with your customers' deposits. You're required to write out a "living will" that details exactly how you'll pay the bills if you fail - because the rest of us aren't bailing you out ever again. And if you're a mortgage lender or a payday lender or a credit card company, the days of signing people up for products they can't afford with confusing forms and deceptive practices are over. Today, American consumers finally have a watchdog in Richard Cordray with one job: To look out for them.

We will also establish a Financial Crimes Unit of highly trained investigators to crack down on large-scale fraud and protect people's investments. Some financial firms violate major anti-fraud laws because there's no real penalty for being a repeat offender. That's bad for consumers, and it's bad for the vast majority of bankers and financial service professionals who do the right thing. So pass legislation that makes the penalties for fraud count.

And tonight, I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.

A return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility will help us protect our people and our economy. But it should also guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future.

{*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*} Right now, our most immediate priority is stopping a tax hike on 160 million working Americans while the recovery is still fragile. People cannot afford losing $40 out of each paycheck this year. There are plenty of ways to get this done. So let's agree right here, right now: No side issues. No drama. Pass the payroll tax cut without delay. {What made you think a two month extension made sense in the first place, Barry?}

When it comes to the deficit, we've already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings. {Yeah, over TEN EFFIN' YEARS!} But we need to do more, and that means making choices. Right now, we're poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.

Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else - like education and medical research; a strong military and care for our veterans? Because if we're serious about paying down our debt, we can't do both.

{*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*}The American people know what the right choice is. So do I. As I told the Speaker this summer, I'm prepared to make more reforms that rein in the long term costs of Medicare and Medicaid, and strengthen Social Security, so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors.

But in return, we need to change our tax code so that people like me, and an awful lot of Members of Congress, pay our fair share of taxes. Tax reform should follow the Buffett rule: If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes. And my Republican friend Tom Coburn {Coburn really needs to renounce this "friendship" or turn in his Con-Card} is right: Washington should stop subsidizing millionaires. In fact, if you're earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn't get special tax subsidies or deductions. On the other hand, if you make under $250,000 a year, like 98 percent of American families, your taxes shouldn't go up. You're the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages. You're the ones who need relief.

Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. {Ummmm ... Duh.} But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense. {flatten rates, broaden the base, simplify the code}

We don't begrudge financial success in this country. We admire it. When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it's not because they envy the rich. It's because they understand that when I get tax breaks I don't need and the country can't afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference - like a senior on a fixed income; or a student trying to get through school; or a family trying to make ends meet. That's not right. Americans know it's not right. They know that this generation's success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other, and to their country's future, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility. That's how we'll reduce our deficit. That's an America built to last. {I repeat: flatten rates, broaden the base, simplify the code}

I recognize that people watching tonight have differing views about taxes and debt; energy and health care. But no matter what party they belong to, I bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right now: Nothing will get done this year, or next year, or maybe even the year after that, because Washington is broken.

Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?

The greatest blow to confidence in our economy last year didn't come from events beyond our control. It came from a debate in Washington over whether the United States would pay its bills or not. Who benefited from that fiasco? {You did, Community-Agitator-In-Chief}

I've talked tonight about the deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street. But the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad - and it seems to get worse every year.

{*Pander and/or Lie Alert!*} Some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics. So together, let's take some steps to fix that. Send me a bill that bans insider trading by Members of Congress, and I will sign it tomorrow. Let's limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact. {Like Solyndra, Barry?} Let's make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can't lobby Congress, and vice versa - an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.

{You know what, this is why I couldn't stomach watching this jackass live in the first place ... good damned night!}

Some of what's broken has to do with the way Congress does its business these days. A simple majority is no longer enough to get anything - even routine business - passed through the Senate. Neither party has been blameless in these tactics. Now both parties should put an end to it. For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days.

The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it's inefficient, outdated and remote. That's why I've asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.

Finally, none of these reforms can happen unless we also lower the temperature in this town. We need to end the notion that the two parties must be locked in a perpetual campaign of mutual destruction; that politics is about clinging to rigid ideologies instead of building consensus around common sense ideas.

I'm a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more. That's why my education reform offers more competition, and more control for schools and States. That's why we're getting rid of regulations that don't work. That's why our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a Government program.

On the other hand, even my Republican friends who complain the most about Government spending have supported federally-financed roads, and clean energy projects, and federal offices for the folks back home.

The point is, we should all want a smarter, more effective Government. And while we may not be able to bridge our biggest philosophical differences this year, we can make real progress. With or without this Congress, I will keep taking actions that help the economy grow. But I can do a whole lot more with your help. Because when we act together, there is nothing the United States of America can't achieve.

That is the lesson we've learned from our actions abroad over the last few years.

Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies. From Pakistan to Yemen, the al Qaeda operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they can't escape the reach of the United States of America.

From this position of strength, we've begun to wind down the war in Afghanistan. Ten thousand of our troops have come home. Twenty-three thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. This transition to Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan, so that it is never again a source of attacks against America.

As the tide of war recedes, a wave of change has washed across the Middle East and North Africa, from Tunis to Cairo; from Sana'a to Tripoli. A year ago, Qadhafi was one of the world's longest-serving dictators - a murderer with American blood on his hands. Today, he is gone. And in Syria, I have no doubt that the Assad regime will soon discover that the forces of change can't be reversed, and that human dignity can't be denied.

How this incredible transformation will end remains uncertain. But we have a huge stake in the outcome. And while it is ultimately up to the people of the region to decide their fate, we will advocate for those values that have served our own country so well. We will stand against violence and intimidation. We will stand for the rights and dignity of all human beings - men and women; Christians, Muslims, and Jews. We will support policies that lead to strong and stable democracies and open markets, because tyranny is no match for liberty.

And we will safeguard America's own security against those who threaten our citizens, our friends, and our interests. Look at Iran. Through the power of our diplomacy, a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran's nuclear program now stands as one. The regime is more isolated than ever before; its leaders are faced with crippling sanctions, and as long as they shirk their responsibilities, this pressure will not relent. Let there be no doubt: America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal. But a peaceful resolution of this issue is still possible, and far better, and if Iran changes course and meets its obligations, it can rejoin the community of nations.

The renewal of American leadership can be felt across the globe. Our oldest alliances in Europe and Asia are stronger than ever. Our ties to the Americas are deeper. Our iron-clad commitment to Israel's security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history. We've made it clear that America is a Pacific power, and a new beginning in Burma has lit a new hope. From the coalitions we've built to secure nuclear materials, to the missions we've led against hunger and disease; from the blows we've dealt to our enemies; to the enduring power of our moral example, America is back.

Anyone who tells you otherwise, anyone who tells you that America is in decline or that our influence has waned, doesn't know what they're talking about. That's not the message we get from leaders around the world, all of whom are eager to work with us. That's not how people feel from Tokyo to Berlin; from Cape Town to Rio; where opinions of America are higher than they've been in years. Yes, the world is changing; no, we can't control every event. But America remains the one indispensable nation in world affairs - and as long as I'm President, I intend to keep it that way.

That's why, working with our military leaders, I have proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget. To stay one step ahead of our adversaries, I have already sent this Congress legislation that will secure our country from the growing danger of cyber-threats.

Above all, our freedom endures because of the men and women in uniform who defend it. As they come home, we must serve them as well as they served us. That includes giving them the care and benefits they have earned - which is why we've increased annual VA spending every year I've been President. And it means enlisting our veterans in the work of rebuilding our Nation.

With the bipartisan support of this Congress, we are providing new tax credits to companies that hire vets. Michelle and Jill Biden have worked with American businesses to secure a pledge of 135,000 jobs for veterans and their families. And tonight, I'm proposing a Veterans Job Corps that will help our communities hire veterans as cops and firefighters, so that America is as strong as those who defend her.

Which brings me back to where I began. Those of us who've been sent here to serve can learn from the service of our troops. When you put on that uniform, it doesn't matter if you're black or white; Asian or Latino; conservative or liberal; rich or poor; gay or straight. When you're marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails. When you're in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one Nation, leaving no one behind.

One of my proudest possessions is the flag that the SEAL Team took with them on the mission to get bin Laden. On it are each of their names. Some may be Democrats. Some may be Republicans. But that doesn't matter. Just like it didn't matter that day in the Situation Room, when I sat next to Bob Gates - a man who was George Bush's defense secretary; and Hillary Clinton, a woman who ran against me for president.

All that mattered that day was the mission. No one thought about politics. No one thought about themselves. One of the young men involved in the raid later told me that he didn't deserve credit for the mission. It only succeeded, he said, because every single member of that unit did their job - the pilot who landed the helicopter that spun out of control; the translator who kept others from entering the compound; the troops who separated the women and children from the fight; the SEALs who charged up the stairs. More than that, the mission only succeeded because every member of that unit trusted each other - because you can't charge up those stairs, into darkness and danger, unless you know that there's someone behind you, watching your back.

So it is with America. Each time I look at that flag, I'm reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those fifty stars and those thirteen stripes. No one built this country on their own. This Nation is great because we built it together. This Nation is great because we worked as a team. This Nation is great because we get each other's backs. And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard. As long as we're joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong.

Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

==

Let the campaign begin.

==

Update 1/26/12

A new day brings a fresh outlook. Readers can have fun pasting in the monopoly man warning labels below the line where I lost my patience. The comments section brings evidence the One Trick ~~Pony~~ Donkey hit a home run with his hopey-changey Looney Left base. The politics of envy coming to a location near you soon.

The Senator and the Transportation Sandusky Administration (TSA) Flap

2012-01-24T20:12:00.001-05:00

(To 'sandusky' is a verb now in use by the gang of unsocialized miscreants my 7th grader runs with. The things kids will come up with.)

So, anyway, this blogger invited the blogosphere to engage in thoughtful discussion regarding the strange case of the jackbooted airport brownshirts (the blue shirts are a clever disquise) detaining the duly elected Senator from Kentucky.

I was voluntarily unable to participate on this particular blogger's comment thread, because this particular blogger uses WordPress as her commenting system and I long ago wrote off that configuration as a huge pain in the arse to be avoided. According to my early experience with this whole blogging thing, WordPress apparently requires a distinct password for each and every WordPress serviced site, and that's simply too hard for this simple mind to keep up with.

Now, don't get me wrong - I often enjoy this particular blogger's writings (rantings), that's why she retains her highly sought after place on the Bob Schieffer Blog Roll. I am simply prohibited by individual choice from interacting directly on this particular blogger's site due to this particular blogger's poor (in my view) choice of commenting systems.

==

So, I guess I'll just have to start the sorely needed erudite discussion thread here on my site.

First of all, we have reached a truly dark age for the constitution when low level bureaucrats equipped with intentionally faulty machines feel empowered to detain and harass a United States Senator. Read the last sentence, first paragraph, Article I, section 6; then get back to me kiddies. You, Ezra Klein, can hire a translator if you want, because it was written a really long time ago, or something.

Number two - the TSA, in its present configuration, was never necessary. Setting aside the debate over private vs. government agency staffing - trampling on the Fourth Amendment rights of each and every traveler to protect all from the criminal intent of a few easily profiled (there's that word! eek!) criminals has always been a ridiculous farce at best.

Number three - there is still time to eliminate the TSA and implement an Israeli style profiling and interviewing system. It's been working for them for decades. The only reason it hasn't been given a chance to work for us is the scourge of Political Correctness inflicted upon the republic by our political Left.

Profiling is not racism. Profiling is smart police work. Period. End of sentence.

Newton's Three Laws (Part 24)

2012-01-23T21:29:00.002-05:00

I was determined to retire this series title - really - on the grounds it was looking as old as Joe Namath in his Los Angeles Rams uniform. However, sometimes events conspire to overtake the best intentions of the humble blog author.

The GOP Establishment is positively losing its' collective mind over Newt Gingrich's South Carolina primary win. Losing its' mind!

This is good for the republic and an absolutely perfect fit for the Newtonian F=M*A theme that has been a big part of this blog.

==

Who exactly is this "GOP Establishment?" I, LibertyAtStake, shall now provide the most succinctly transparent definition available on the Intertubes of this suddenly common term. The "GOP Establishment" is (most, not all) of the collection of people who make their compensated livings working for team (R) in our two party system. It's the career politicians, career staffers, paid pundits, paid pollsters, and all the other paid media hacks who live inside the two party bubble 24 x 7. They have a losing record. Most recently they got wiped out by a Saul Alinsky Communist with no record of achievement beyond the capacity to read a teleprompter and repeat the empty chant "Yes We Can" in at least two languages. Basically, they lost to Ron Burgundy in Al Jolson "black face."

The Establishment GOP also possesses a very personal interest in maintaining the status quo, or something close to it, as the junior partners in your ruling cabal. Their immediate ability to pay their mortgages and pay their kids' tuition bills, and all the other bills, depends upon it. They lined up in lockstep up to six years ago behind the Massachusetts moderate named Mitt Romney - or Mittens, or Sir Mitt of RINO, on this blog.

LAS is here to inform you that's what explains many observations from today's news and opinion feeds. Herewith is a small sampling.

Wall Street Journal Opinionator becomes so unhinged as to draw a false equivalence between Newt and a well-known Cuban mass murderer.

Well known pseudo-conservative David Frum makes the case you should reject Newt because his (Frum's) "Establishment," losers to the Empty Suit in 2008, are frightened by the Newtser. (You can bet they are!)

The Old Grey Lady - and I do mean OLD AND GREY - editorial board takes a stab at dismissing the obviously uncomfortable reality (for them).

==

You, dear reader, are not buying it, though. (And good for you!) The latest measurement taken by the republic's most reliable pollster at this moment - Scott Rasmussen - informs us of a huge tidal wave of support surging in the hurricane prone state of Florida. (btw - I love Reaganite Republican's "Revenge of the Nerds" gestalt on this link. It reminds me of the time me and my high school friends donned broken glasses, short sleeve shirts, and pocket protectors to view the original's theatre opening in our particular backwater. But I digress.)

==

This is the bottom line, patriots. Newt Gingrich, as Speaker of the House, balanced the federal budget *and* showed sufficient conviction to shutdown the federal gub'ment in the political fight to get there . Ask Denny Hastert, Blinky Pelosi, or John Boehner if they can lay claim to these accolades. Newt Gingrich has arisen as the "outsider's insider" at this crucial time in history. Embrace it. It is what it is.

This confluence has given LAS the opportunity to use the following album cover graphic; which I obtained as a registered user of the best Internet Idea Ever - Pandora Radio. I had never heard of the band "Elf Power," or their album "Creatures" (under this cover), or the song on this album titled "Let the Serpent Sleep" - but I was instantly entranced by the song when Pandora's algorithms brought the song forward based on my recorded preferences. The very same Intertubes that made this possible makes the Establishment's resistance to Newt's rise futile. This graphic captures the gestalt of the grass roots TEA Party fueled Conservative Ascendancy that will record one hell of a Newtonian impact come November 2012.

Don't cede one single inch of the ring to the Establishment, patriots. They don't deserve it. They lost to a Saul Alinsky trained Socialist.

Jack Wiley Dithers Exclusive: OccupyDC Instant Messages Intercepted

2012-01-21T13:44:00.229-05:00

(AP) - Jack Wiley Dithers Reporting.

My cracker-jack investigative journalism team has uncovered direct ties between the OccupyDC camp at McPherson Square and the White House. This connection is firmly established by our archive of intercepted Instant Message (IM) packets, all sent and received from the same Toshiba Satellite Pro laptop. This laptop has been using the open, public, wi-fi connection provided by a Starbucks two blocks north of McPherson Square ever since the occupiers arrived in town. The IM exchanges are between an account inside the Starbucks using the handle @FreeAbbieHoffman, and a co-conspirator using the handle @OFA. Our elite IT staff has analyzed the IP addresses in these packets, have done their geo-location computations, and have established with 99.98% certainty the @OFA packets originate from inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC.

The promising young intern I hired last year for her unique qualifications has connected the Starbucks laptop to a hobo. This hobo somehow manages to walk around all day with very expensive digital devices and film equipment, and also somehow affords the freight to sleep every evening in the Residence Inn directly across from the targeted Starbucks network. We have observed him expertly agitating the mob most evenings during so-called General Assembly (GA). This is our best surveillance photo to date.

I think you'll find the IM exchanges quite eye-popping. I know I did as I observed the perky intern doing her desk work to assemble them into this report.

==

10/1/2011 3:30 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Checked in with Residence Inn. Awaiting instructions.
10/1/2011 3:33 pm
@OFA: Plouffe taking nap. Check back tomorrow.

10/3/2011 4:00 pm
@OFA: Introduce yourself to the mob at GA tonight. You will be an unemployed auto worker who lost his job due to Governor Scott Walker's illegal union busting activities. Begin gaining the mob's trust as an expert in Marxist economics. Talk to the mob a lot about how Teddy Roosevelt was a progressive. Plouffe is working up a speech for the One channeling TR.

10/6/2011 11:12 am
@FreeAbbieHoffman: 3 new CPUSA registrations since last night. Reading up on the Rough Riders and Spanish-American War to learn about TR.
10/6/2011 11:32 am
@OFA: Nice start on the registration drive. Re: TR, read something about his policy disagreements with Taft instead.

10/7/2011 1:42 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: 8 more CPUSA registrations. Total now 11. Met promising young activist from West Virginia. He's been a very effective voice at GA.
10/7/2011 1:53 pm
@OFA: Excellent. Plouffe is cooking up something big for tomorrow. Stay sober.

10/8/2011 10:44 am
@OFA: The mob will ransack the NASA museum today. Capture everything on film.
10/8/2011 11:08 am
@FreeAbbieHoffman: WV guy riling mob with chant - Space Travel For the 99% Now! Told you he had promise.
10/8/2011 2:28 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Mob on the march.
10/8/2011 3:03 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Museum doors breeched!
10/8/2011 3:14 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Pepper spray! Kent State moment!
10/8/2011 3:26 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Mob retreating back to base camp.
10/8/2011 8:57 pm
@OFA: What do you know about the American Spectator reporter?
10/8/2011 8:59 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Huh?
10/8/2011 9:01 pm
@OFA: Never mind. Get your Anonymous people on the case.
10/8/2011 9:49 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Anonymous on the case. Spectator post should be wiped by tomorrow.

10/20/2011 11:02 am
@OFA: Flash mob at Union station tonight - Walmart CEO at fund raiser.
10/20/2011 1:04 pm
@FreeAbbirHoffman: WV guy came up with another great chant. We're Here! We're Smart! We Fart on Walmart! Recommend for early promotion to Organizer.

10/29/2011 12:14 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Exciting news! Some black kids have joined camp!
10/29/2011 12:33 pm
@OFA: Jarrett sent them down from Howard U. Brush up on your black liberation theology for GA.

11/1/2011 2:02 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Some guy wearing dark glasses and smoking a cigar keeps coming into camp and talking to occupiers. Talks to WV guy a lot. The chants coming from WV guy much weaker lately. Withdraw promotion recommendation. Cigar guy has Lolita spooked 'cos he keeps asking about the welfare of her kids.
11/1/2011 2:04 pm
@OFA: Ignore him. Plouffe is on the case.

11/4/2011 11:11 am
@OFA: The mob terrorizes the AFP summit at Convention Center tonight.
11/4/2011 11:13 am
@FreeAbbieHoffman: There's cigar guy again. Who IS he?
11/4/2011 11:15 am
@OFA: Get a hold of yourself.

11/5/2011 1:13 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Cigar guy knows WV guy pushed that old woman down the stairs. How is that even possible? WV guy spooked - thinking about leaving camp.
11/5/2011 1:16 PM
@OFA: Forget cigar guy. WV guy no matter. Convince Lolita to go home and lay low for awhile. Wash Times posted video of her using her kids as a barricade. It's linked all over the Internet.

11/17/2011 10:43 am
@OFA: The mob blocks the key bridge at rush hour today.
11/17/2011 10:51 am
@FreeAbbieHoffman: R U sure? That might piss a lot of people off.
11/17/2011 10:56 am
@OFA: Just do it. Plouffe says so.

11/20/2011 11:34 am
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Cigar Guy walked right up to me and asked about the Franklin School arrests. U GOT TO DO SOMETHING!
11/20/2011 11:36 am
@OFA: Are you back on crystal meth?

11/22/2011 2:33 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: OWS marchers arrived. Send Kosher food.
11/22/2011 2:36 pm
@OFA: ACORN on it.

12/4/2011 3:38 pm
@OFA: Baltimore friend will deliver lumber tonight. Organize mob to build shed from delivery.
12/4/2011 6:48 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Lumber arrived from Baltimore friend.
12/4/2011 8:08 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Finished explaining to occupiers what a hammer does. Cops looking agitated.
12/4/2011 10:06 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Cops moving in! Kent State! Kent State! Kent State!
12/4/2011 10:16 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: WV guy resisting from shed roof. Pissing on cops. Reinstate promotion recommendation.
12/5/2011 9:08 am
@FreeAbbieHoffman: WTF happenend to the shed?
12/5/2011 9:09 am
@OFA: Never mind.

12/6/2011 10:04 am
@OFA: The One gives TR speech today. How did TR brainwashing go with the mob.
12/6/2011 10:07 am
@FreeAbbieHoffman: T Who?

12/7/2011 10:43 am
@OFA: The mob blocks the K street at rush hour today.
12/7/2011 10:51 am
@FreeAbbieHoffman: R U sure? That might piss a lot of people off.
12/7/2011 10:56 am
@OFA: Just do it. Plouffe says so.

12/8/2011 11:16 am
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Cigar guy commenting on our site. DO SOMETHING!
12/8/2011 12:02 pm
@OFA: We have his real name and address. Organize a march on his house for this evening.
12/8/2011 2:04 pm
@FreeAbbieHoffman: March on cigar guy's house a no go. Too far to walk and nobody in camp has a valid drivers license.
12/8/2011 2:06 pm
@OFA: No matter - we decided to cancel because he has a blog.

1/16/2011 10:41 am
@FreeAbbieHoffman: Cigar guy in camp almost every day now. This is really pissing me off.
1/16/2011 10:42 am
@OFA: We told you he has a blog. Nothing can be done.

(AP) - Jack Wiley Dithers Reporting.

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned

2012-01-19T14:31:00.006-05:00

We have been informed that ABC News will air an interview with Newt Gingrich’s second wife this evening. She will be re-hashing old gossip from their divorce of 13 years ago.

This is interesting on several levels – not the least of which is the sound argument it makes for mandatory gag orders with all divorces.

A slightly more instructive angle is given to us by the corrupt and biased liberal MSM positively salivating all over itself at the possibility of sinking the candidacy of most articulate voice left in the GOP nomination race.

I have often heard the phrase “timing is everything,” and often lived its truth - almost always a day late and a dollar short. The timing of this MSM hatchet job is positively exquisite; what with Newt rising again in the polls.

Especially when you consider some of the things that have somehow escaped the attention of corrupt and biased MSM ... documentary evidence provided by L. Brent Bozell’s excellent organization known as the Media Research Center (MRC).

The MSM couldn’t figure out John Edwards’ mistress was flying on the same press plane with them.

MSM hacks lined up to be apologists for Eliot Spitzer’s whoring.

Not to mention William Jefferson Clinton’s record of serial sexual assaults.

==

But, LAS also understands the conservative coalition does have its standards, the double standards of the Left are not something to emulate, and those social conservatives over there at the other end of tent are staring at me suspiciously. So, for me, the most interesting angle on this one is the perpetual tug and pull inside the conservative coalition tent - between social conservatives with a gag reflex reaction to infidelity, and liberty conservatives now dedicated to the proposition of beating Barack Hussein Obama like a government mule in the general election of 2012. The liberty side of the tent doesn’t give a damn about 13 year old gossip.

Therefore, I’ve put together my own poll to get to the bottom of this latest MSM hatchet job on a Republican candidate. Only registered Republicans should vote. It’s the honor system, so all dead voters are assumed to be Democrat mischief makers.

==

Update 1/22/12

It's a BLOWOUT in the Palmetto state! Nikki Haley still has time to admit she made a mistake endorsing Mittens and seek TEA Party forgiveness. Because we believe in redemption - Rick Perry said so. And now, the speech that made LAS go "woo-hoo!"

Recess? Don't Talk About Recess! You Kiddin' Me!

2012-01-17T21:19:00.004-05:00

With Apologies to Jim Mora ...

==

The Community-Agitator-In-Chief has inflicted yet another constitutional crisis upon the republic with his recent “recess appointments.”

These appointments represent precisely what our Founders rebelled against – the unilateral dictatorial decree of a tyrant executive. The Founders split power between three branches of government to avoid the grand errors that always arise from concentrating too much power in too few hands. In the situation at hand, the constitution requires otherwise unaccountable bureaucrats to receive the consent of the Senate before being deputized as our masters and overseers.⁽¹⁾

The Founders made provision for the so-called “recess appointment”⁽²⁾ in an 18th Century world – intending it to cover the exceptional condition of the Executive branch needing to suddenly fill a position between sessions of Congress, when re-convening an adjourned Congress was dependent on the horse and buggy.

The recess appointment simply serves no purpose anymore in a world of travel governed by the internal combustion engine and jet air flight. At this point in history, the recess appointment no longer serves its’ originally intended purpose as a stop-gap measure mitigating the limitations of Congress to hold up its’ end of the appointment / confirmation bargain. The recess appointment is now nothing more than a procedural option the Executive possesses for subverting the originally intended separation of powers.

The political argument over these appointments makes my point. In practical terms, it is nothing but political theater. Every single one of today’s Senators could make the round trip home and back to DC in infinitely less time than the 18th century Senator from New Hampshire might have spent stuck in a Philadelphia snow storm just trying to get home. The Senate Majority leader can send a tweet instantly to have the Senate in session day after tomorrow. If Barry needs these positions filled so badly, he should just tell Dingy Harry Reid to get everybody back in town and get the confirmation process started.

For the same reasons, the argument over whether Congress is or is not really in recess based on the House’s refusal to accept the Senate’s adjournment⁽³⁾ is more political theater than constitutional legal debate. It really doesn’t matter how many warm bodies are inside the Capitol. Speaker Boehner has the power and capacity to get every Representative back into the building day after tomorrow.

If Barry is truly the enlightened “progressive” constitutional scholar he claims to be, he should be arguing that we “progress” into modern times by amending the constitution to eliminate recess appointments altogether. But he won’t – because the only real value held by BHO and his corrupt gang of Progressives is the raw, naked exercise of power.

Just ask Anita Dunn’s favorite political philosopher, Mao Tse-Tung: “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”

Or ask Barry’s community agitator hero, Saul Alinsky: "The third rule of ethics of means and ends … the end justifies almost any means...." (p. 29 of “Rules For Radicals”)

Or ask Dingy Harry Reid why he used the identical tactic (not adjourning) to block Bush era recess appointments, yet rejects the same argument against Barry’s recess appointments today.

Footnotes
⁽¹⁾Article II, Section 2 of the constitution.
⁽²⁾Article II, Section 2 of the constitution.
⁽³⁾Article I, Section 5 of the constitution.

Proposed constitutional amendment: "Article II, Section 2 shall be amended to remove the final paragraph 'The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.'"

Got that, Ezra Klein? It's really not that hard.

d(^_^)b
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
"Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive"

Update 1/18/12

A visit today to this site generated by a long ago forgotten url signed comment reminds LAS this is not the first time Barry has abused Article II, Section 2.

Tagged!

2012-01-16T18:05:00.000-05:00

Discovered last week inside my mailbox. So many questions ...

Really?

AYFKM?

Is there a dire national need to improve the efficiency of junk mail delivery?

Am I a criminal if I remove the sticker?

If I replace the crusty old mailbox with a shiny new one, will their system become confused? Will I be assessed a tax?

If they can afford the snazzy new data collection technology, why can't they print a leaflet answering my questions?

Does this mean I will never again have to walk my neighbor's mis-routed mail across the street? (Doubt it)

Or maybe there is something more nefarious afoot. Perhaps I should write a memo.

==

HIGH PRIORITY MEMO

EXTRA SPECIAL EMERGENCY CLASS DELIVERY

Monday January 16, 2012

To: VRWC HQ

From: LAS DC Outpost

** BURN AFTER READING **

========================

Stop sending instructions via snail mail. They are on to me. Please reimburse postage.

LAS 2011 Review & 2012 Preview (Part 4 of 4)

2012-01-14T14:25:00.004-05:00

Part 1 covered domestic conditions.
Part 2 covered foreign affairs.
Part 3 covered the current electoral situation.
Part 4 covers this blog project. 

When I inaugurated this blog nearly 25 months ago, the Democrat Party (usually referred to on this blog as DemoHacks or the Donkey Party) held commanding majorities on both sides of Capitol Hill and was also in command of the White House. This version of the Democrat Party held – and still holds - policy positions closer to Nikita Kruschev than to John F. Kennedy. The hapless GOP establishment had lost the entire store to the Donkey Party, mostly because they (the GOP) had foolishly governed as ersatz progressives. The Donkey Party, long ago taken over by real progressives, was riding high and hell bent on “fundamentally transforming” America into a European social democracy like Greece or, more likely, if given sufficient time to slide down the slippery slope, a communist misery pit like Cuba. It was a dark time for liberty.

The only countervailing political force was a grass-roots citizen driven movement whose name matched precisely its message – Taxed Enough Already (TEA). While simultaneously weathering a withering caricature assassination mercilessly coordinated by the corrupt and biased liberal media, the patriots in this movement, political novices for the most part, accomplished the initial stages of a hostile takeover of the empty husk that was the GOP. The initial fruits of this takeover were the historic “shellacking” of the Donkey Party in the election of 2010, giving the GOP control of the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama was not on the ballot, and therefore still sits in the White House scheming and dreaming for “fundamental transformation.” His method for furthering his socialist, statist dreams is to constantly pick fights with the House GOP with the objective of dividing the American people into competing factions. Just as he was instructed so long ago by the teachings of Saul Alinsky in “Rules For Radicals” and Bill Ayers in “Prairie Fire.”

The election of 2012 will be a monumentally decisive and historic election for this 235 year old republic. Just as the Newtonian F=M*A theme running through this blog archive predicts and documents. If control of the government is given to a newly TEA Party infused GOP, the future for liberty will be restored. If the government remains split, especially if BHO holds onto the White House, the prescription is four more years of chaotic gridlock and whatever that may lead to at street level. If, in the least likely event, full control is restored to BHO and his corrupt gang of Progressives: Hello Cuba! This blog will remain in operation until this historic decision is made by the American people. Whether or not it turns out to be “Shellacking II” as I fully expect, this blog will shutter operations once the decision is made. Assuming, for the sake of argument, a period of postscript extending from election day 2012 to inauguration day 2013 – what, then, to expect from LibertyAtStake over the next twelve months or so?

==

Keeping up a decent blog is hard work. That’s why so many of the hacks paid to do it suck at it. The ubiquitous bell curve that applies to all of life’s undertakings does not spare the blogging community.

In recognition of this, and the old saw “work smarter, not harder,” the evolution of the blog format has been a constant search for higher returns on lower investments (of effort).

I have also tried to keep in mind the first keystone to success in any endeavor is a clear and unambiguous mission statement.

“Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive”

==

With these things in mind, I have settled on a few tweaks for the 2012 run.

I’m stripping down the header section. It will contain only one widget devoted to political cartoons. A picture being worth a thousand words, as they say. This will also allow the meat of the matter – my own genius spilling forth from my own archive – to rise closer to the top of the blog.

I’m pretty happy with the sidebar as it is. The Assigned Reading List will continue to grow as a library in its own right to fuel the Conservative Ascendancy. The Daily Barry will automatically update itself each day as a tool for monitoring the Conservative Ascendancy’s progress. The JAUL Gallery has grown in direct correlation to the scourge of the White House directed Occupy movement, and the 2012 projection is for explosive growth. The video roll will continue to be rich source of mirth for conservatives, and the Bob Schieffer Blog Roll will continue to be the best damn conservative RSS feed on the planet.

==

Getting back to the dual objectives – return on level of effort and mission – I think the 2012 run will have more frequent, but shorter, posts. I will be less concerned about delivering the essay format personified by this four part series. I will concentrate more on hitting one issue at a time, with a short commentary designed to connect it to larger themes.

Like, for example, when Barry and his corrupt gang were patting themselves on the back for hitting 8.5% unemployment, I would have put together something like:

• Link to some corrupt and biased MSM cheerleading piece.
• Link to that chart everyone has seen, reminding us these are the same hacks who told us the trillion dollar crap sandwich known as Stimulus was needed to keep the number below the 8% they expected if we did nothing.
• Link to a piece reminding us they got down to 8.5% in large part by not counting people who have stopped looking for work.
• Link to a piece reminding us the only number that really matters – real jobs added per month – was half of what is necessary to get back to pre-crash employment levels. (200,000 vs. 400,000)
• Something about the anemic growth being a product of the American spirit and free market despite being saddled by the most anti-growth administration in American history.
• A snarky conclusion – something like, “It’s called math. They should try doing it honestly some time.”

There will be ten more opportunities to do this one. You get the idea for now.

==

I’m sure there will be the occasional essay as my muse (a truly lazy fellow, truth be told) dictates.

For example, I’d like to find the time to write an essay contrasting progressivism and conservatism in a way that makes clear why progressivism is perpetually at a competitive advantage. Not because it has superior ideas; but, rather, because it is an easier “sell.” Progressivism allows its’ adherents to simply feel good about intentions. Consequences, intended and unintended, never seem to come into the calculus of the progressive mind – at least not an honest accounting of consequences, anyway. Any idiot with a beating heart can embrace progressivism – functioning brain totally optional. By contrast, conservatism requires its adherents to start out by thinking clearly and honestly about human nature, and then to apply this understanding to an honest calculation of policy consequences, before spending other people’s money or issuing mandates for everyone else.

As an aside, this contrast brings to my mind the one word answer I whip out whenever a progressive pulls out that favorite canard of theirs – “how can you be pro-life and for the death penalty?” The one word answer is accountability. The fetus in the womb has had zero opportunity to make any choices, and is therefore accountable for nothing. The defendant in the court room, as well as the mother carrying the fetus, is accountable for all the choices leading up to the circumstance they find themselves in. But I digress.

I’d also like to do an essay piece on the commonalities between agile software development and conservatism. Both begin with a hardheaded acceptance of reality as it is given to us, both value transparency and individual accountability, and both emphasize disciplined adaptation to constant change, while always maintaining contact with a few governing principles to guide the change management process. And, yes, I am quite aware there may be as many of three of you out there who will understand what I’m talking about.

==

I’m certain Jack Wiley Dithers and his cracker-jack investigative journalism team will make a few contributions. JWD informs me they are now busily intercepting Instant Message (IM) communications sent and received by the hirsute raggedy-ass recycled hippie that has been using the Starbucks store wi-fi ever since OccupyDC has been in town.

The ‘Commentapalooza’ format will make the occasional appearance – because the raw content is so easy to collect systematically. Which means the url signed comments will continue to seed the input. Sorry comment board prudes, the beatings will continue until morale improves.

I’m also considering mounting a comment board invasion on the Leftie and biased MSM sites. This has to be carefully timed, however. While the repartee of a comment board fight is fun for me (yes, I know I am on the extreme edge of this bell curve for conservatives), Lefties are a time-consuming bunch to engage directly. They possess a tireless capacity for circular argument, the non-sequitur, ad-hominem attack, and setting straw men on fire. The overall experience is like chasing a bevy of moonbats with a tennis racket. It’s a good work out largely achieving nothing but the workout itself. But, timed properly, it could change the minds of a few observers, perhaps.

==

What to do after this blogs closes its’ shutters? Well, first and foremost, I fully expect to be celebrating the inauguration of Not-Obama in January 2013. And I still enjoy what I do outside of politics / blogging for compensation. I also enjoy the political blogging, though it remains uncompensated. However, this blog archive will forever stand as a resume bullet on the political blogging side. The question of what to do beginning from 2013 and beyond looks like a nice problem to have to LAS.

Commentapalooza V

2012-01-11T21:01:00.001-05:00

(Find IV if you can)

To fill a gap between parts 3 and 4 of the currently active series ... drawing on the 'Plan B' potential provided by the Commentapalooza format ... LAS gives you ... what LAS has in inventory tonight. The usual rules apply - LAS Intertubes comment genius captured upon its' boomerang back to this site 90 days or later after seeding.

LAS seeks legal advice regarding his brash comment board practices.

LAS opines on the existentially critical question ... 'fake or real?'

LAS spots a familiar inflatable.

LAS explains why the death of the corrupt and biased MSM is nigh.

LAS reflects on Barry administration's domestic energy policy.

LAS still making friends everywhere he goes.

LAS praises Bibi.

LAS pans waivermania.

LAS plays fashion critic to liberal moron.

LAS 2011 Review & 2012 Preview (Part 3 of 4)

2012-01-07T12:55:00.005-05:00

Part 1 covered domestic conditions.
Part 2 covered foreign affairs.
Part 3 covers the current electoral situation.
Part 4 will cover this blog project. 

In Part 1, we examined the domestic chaos being inflicted upon the republic by the Community-Agitator-In-Chief. In Part 2, we took a whirlwind tour around the globe to review the foreign affairs wreckage being left behind by the Appeaser-In-Chief. Now, in part 3, we take up the race to replace the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama.

==

Understandably; the attention of the media, its’ pundits, and the small percentage of us willing to pay attention is on the GOP nomination process for President. I have made my position clear. Newt Gingrich is the best nominee left in the field.

My principal objection to front runner Mitt Romney is now and always has been that he is the wrong candidate to draw the sorely needed sharp distinction with the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama. I don’t just want to defeat BHO – I want to defeat his morally and intellectually bankrupt Leftist ideology. Leftist ideology has spread quite enough financial wreckage and human misery across the planet, TYVM. If the GOP nominates Mittens in 2012, this opportunity is effectively lost. I don’t care what Karl Rove says, the clueless independents that swing general elections will simply not be able to distinguish RomneyCare from ObamaCare – and David Axelrod’s corrupt attack machine will exploit their ignorance.

Until Iowa played out, that was the sum total of my Not-Romney nomination position. But then Mittens really pissed off LAS when he broke Ronald Reagan’s eleventh commandment and attacked fellow Republican Newt Gingrich so mercilessly. Especially galling were the thinly veiled “character” attacks contrasting Romney’s single marriage with Gingrich’s three. This angle played well in an atypical state where literally 56% of the caucus attendees self-identified as fundamentalist Christian, and establishment “super PACs” funded a relentless rotation of vicious attack ads. (News flash for Social Conservatives: Ronald Reagan was on his second marriage when he saved the country after Jimmy Carter’s term of ‘malaise.’ The fidelity thing is irrelevant to this critical election cycle. Get over it.)

Mittens then further pissed off LAS by hiding behind legal technicalities in a bogus attempt to avoid accountability for the attacks his friends funded. Sir Mitt of RINO is looking more and more like the same old establishment politician that got us into this mess in the first place.

The GOP establishment loathes Newt Gringrich, because they know he’s the last Speaker to balance a budget and the only Speaker who ever showed sufficient conviction to actually shut down the gub’ment. As such, the establishment feels compelled to destroy Newt because they are not ready to have their apple cart overturned with the level of big idea direct action he is uniquely capable of delivering. We The People are not only ready for it, but hunger for it.

Gingrich is still the best debater on the stage – and this is still the prime qualification for defeating BHO as well as his intellectually and morally bankrupt ideology. As far as I’m concerned, the interesting story out of Iowa is that Newt still polls even 3rd or 4th anywhere after the barrage of negativity funded by Mittens and his establishment pals. The Santorum surge proves but one thing – the search for Not-Romney continues unabated. It could yet yield Newt when all is said and done.

All that stated – I will repeat the warning I have frequently set down in comments posted all across the Intertubes. We need to keep our eye on the ultimate prize – BHO’s defeat in the general election. Whoever the nominee becomes – however weak he is - (with Conservative Warrior Princess Michele Bachmann unfortunately out, I can abandon any PC attempt to cover both genders with my use of pronoun) – we will need to close ranks behind him to ensure the defeat of BHO and his corrupt gang of Progressives. Their ascendancy to a second reign of comic-tragic F-A-I-L would simply be a disaster for the republic. IMHO, Gingrich is slightly better than Santorum, who is a thousand times better than Romney. However, everybody left on the GOP stage would be a trillion times better than the Alinsky trained socialist now occupying the Oval Office – even that crazy old isolationist kook Ron Paul. So, nobody better be thinking about splitting the vote with any foolish 3rd party runs. I’m talking to you, crazy old isolationist kook Ron Paul.

==

Some in the conservative blogosphere are still kvetching about what they perceive as a weak field of candidates. The “Run Sarah (Palin) Run” grassroots drumbeaters are still out there, for example. I also recently heard pundit Krauthammer wistfully lament how the race would be different if only it included some of his preferred eggheads; such as Bobby Jindal, Mitch Daniels, and Paul Ryan. I have a news flash for these fantasy nomination players – the field is the field. Its makeup – especially its omissions - has an awful lot to do with the rectal examination any GOP candidate for POTUS will immediately receive from the corrupt and biased liberal media from the moment an announcement is made. A decision to run for President as an (R) is synonymous with accepting that you, your record, and your character will be mercilessly molded into a negative caricature by the liberal media, and fed to clueless independents as red meat in a mercilessly coordinated political assassination. Just ask Sarah Palin how that works on the receiving end. I suspect her decision, and the decision of Krauthammer’s list of fellow smart guys, took this reality into consideration. Correcting this problem is a longer term project. For now, let’s just play the game with the team on field, shall we?

Which brings me to the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue ... Yes, getting a warm body not actually hostile to the interests of the American people into the Oval Office is important. But that’s only half the equation, at most. We need conservative legislation to come off Capitol Hill for that warm body to sign with his autopen. National polls are starting to show, for the first time in my lifetime I think, more voters self-identifying (R) than (D). These numbers bode well for keeping the House of Representatives out of the kleptocratic clutches of Nanny Pelosi and her corrupt gang. The 2012 set up is also ripe for a GOP takeover of the Senate. Of the 33 seats on the line, 23 are the Donkey party’s to hold or lose. Only 10 are for the GOP to defend. A swing of 4 gives the GOP a plain majority, and a swing of 13 gets the GOP to the magical filibuster proof 60 number. Reaching 60 is very possible IMHO, provided the GOP runs a decent campaign. However, based on history, I expect the GOP to run the usual dismal campaign and come out with a 52-55 seat majority.

I intend to do all I can at a local level to defeat the progressive technocrat with the (D) label representing my congressional district – affectionately known around these parts as “Jihad” Gerry Connolly for his close ties to the Islamist front group CAIR. I also intend to somehow help with George Allen re-taking the Senate seat he lost in 2006, all because the hacks at the Washington Post mounted a merciless character assassination over a nonsense word. George Allen’s re-ascendancy to that seat will be a sign of the decline of Political Correctness and its cult of mumbo-jumbo. If you don’t have a clue about the congressional races in your district / state, LAS strongly suggests you start paying attention and prepare to cast votes you won’t regret down the road.

==

Nationally, the visceral battle for the hearts and minds of the American electorate will occur at street level.

As far as “governance” from DC is concerned - there won’t be any in 2012. The hapless establishment GOP will once again fail to capitalize on the strong hand We The People gave them in the election of 2010 – the hand that controls the purse strings. They proved that by snatching defeat from the jaws of victory time and again in 2011. Dingy Harry Reid’s Democrat Senate will ring up a fourth straight year of failing to even bother to pass a budget. The Empty Suit That Occasionally Occupies the Oval Office will be in perpetual campaign mode, on the taxpayer dime, demagogically spreading lies across the land. His unaccountable Leftist bureaucrats will dream up still more economy killing regulations and taxes.

The real action will be in a contrast between the TEA Party and Occupy movements. Translating this contrast to an actionable vote is within the grasp of clueless independents. We need to relentlessly remind clueless independents of the following:

• TEA Party patriots assemble and make a specific point – i.e. we’re tapped out on taxes and regulations. Then they clean up after themselves and go back to their individual productive activities in the civil society. In other words, the TEA Party movement represents the productive class.

• Occupiers never leave, unless and until evicted, and the only coherent point seems to be a strong desire to be handed more of other people’s stuff. When finally evicted, they leave behind a bestowment of trash, pestilence, and crime for the civil society. In other words, the Occupy movement represents the entitlement class.

• TEA Party patriots organize behind candidates and issues when they go home. They get people elected and legislation passed. Occupiers go back to their basements and rant on the Huffington Post and other Leftist sites.

The corrupt and biased liberal media will apply all of its resources to obfuscating and lying about the contrast. Communicating the contrast will be the patriotic duty of the blogosphere, AM talk radio and all the other forms of alternative media rapidly making the MSM obsolete.

LAS has one specific 2012 recommendation for the TEA Party movement. We need one more massive rally in DC along the lines of the 9-12-09 rally. Even the corrupt and biased MSM will not be able to hide it from America when we assemble by the hundreds of thousands, make our point legally, peacefully, and articulately, pick up after ourselves, and leave behind the pathetic band of whiny hippies, hobos, and criminals sleeping in McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza under the Occupy banner.

Update 1/8/12

Following is a 9-12-09 vid from my YouTube Playlist.

Check out the whole playlist. It's a great reminder of the patriotic spirit that was unleashed in 2009. Some of the links are broken, but after nearly three years, that's to be expected. My personal favorite is #12, depicting the Russ Carnahan townhall revolt (one of many that summer). A close second for me is #26 - lampooning how ObamaCare was shoved down our throats. The singer-guitarist in the prologue and epilogue is my then eleven year old son; equipped with nothing but an $80 acoustic and off-the-shelf PC microphone.

LAS 2011 Review & 2012 Preview (Part 2 of 4)

2012-01-02T20:41:00.003-05:00

Part 1 covered domestic conditions.
Part 2 covers foreign affairs.
Part 3 will cover the current electoral situation (probably after the Iowa caucuses).
Part 4 will cover this blog project. 

In Part 1, we covered domestic conditions. To quickly summarize: (1) intentionally divisive due entirely to the political tactics of BHO and his corrupt gang of Progressives; (2) standing on the precipice of total chaos due to same. Law and Order will be a big topic next year. 2012 is looking a lot like 1968. That’s the election year that gave us Nixon, btw.

We now turn our attention to the state of foreign affairs with the scandal LAS predicts will become the ‘Watergate’ of 2012. As the following graphic shows, the Fast and Furious scandal has aspects that neatly fit into any / all of the posts in this series. I’m throwing it into the foreign affairs area just because it has Mexico in it. Last time I checked - Mexico is a sovereign foreign nation as we haven’t yet invaded Mexico and made it a territory. For the sake of Law and Order, that is.

This is the Fast and Furious story in a nutshell ... In a politically corrupt effort to score political points around gun control, Eric “My People” Holder’s “Department of Just Us” literally sold military grade automatic weapons to Mexican drug cartels. When this operation was uncovered south of the border, it naturally strained relations will the small part of the Mexican government that is still independent of the drug cartels. But that was the least of it. Eventually – and completely predictably (the truly maddening part!) – American Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was shot dead by one of these weapons. Holder and the rest of his corrupt gang has been stonewalling Brian Terry’s family and the American people on this tragedy ever since. To his credit, the Congressman with investigative jurisdiction, Darrell Issa of California, has been holding Holder’s feet to the fire. The next round of questioning occurs later this month. LAS predicts the confrontation will drive Holder into ever tighter fits of dissembling to avoid accountability for his corruption and incompetence, and this will be his ultimate undoing – maybe even BHO’s.

==

Just as the original genesis for Fast and Furious was this administration’s corrupt domestic politics, the remainder of our foreign affairs review is chock full of situations arising directly from this administration’s domestic political calculus – i.e. pandering to the naïve worldview of its’ Leftist base.

When populist riots erupted in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, Team Leftie misinterpreted events as a grass roots democratic movement – in a country that has no historical experience whatsoever of democracy. Consequently, BHO and Team Leftie actively participated in bringing down a secular dictator who also happened to be an important ally in maintaining stability in that most volatile region. The first couple of rounds of Egyptian “elections” have yielded the result LAS predicted from day one of this diplomatic fiasco – a massive “electoral” victory for fundamental Islamism in Egypt. When BHO and Team Leftie threw Hosni Mubarak under the bus, they effectively threw Israel under the bus with him.

The current state of affairs is a set up for the rise of an Egyptian Islamic Caliphate. The latest turn is more astro-turfed street riots aimed at Egypt’s last remaining stabilizing institution – the Army we have spent 30 years training and arming. Thanks, Barry.

Next, BHO picked a fight with Muammar Ghaddafi, secular dictator of Libya. Once again, naively reading it as an opportunity to use armed force in support of some ill-defined downtrodden and oppressed “peoples”, BHO committed American prestige, treasure, and armed forces to fight on behalf of a loose collection of “rebels” no one could quite identify. His stated rationale was a foolish policy known as “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) – an open ended blank check to rush in wherever populations are being mistreated by brutal governments. News flash: there are an awful lot of those across the globe - way, way, more than we can possibly police.

BHO was lucky no American blood was spilled. Really lucky, because he unconstitutionally committed US armed forces without so much as a conference call with Congress. (At least Geo. W Bush acquired legislation for both Afghanistan and Iraq). And, of course, Al Qaeda and other Islamic fundamentalists now appear to be enjoying the spoils of victory in Libya. Thanks, Barry.

Now, a secular dictator in Syria is brutally mowing down crowds of civilians with his armed forces. No signs of the Barry admin showing any willingness to invoke R2P here. WTF, Barry? Mubarak was a friend and ally. Ghaddafi was at least neutral with respect to US interests. (Thanks to Geo. W. Bush, TYVM.) Assad is a friend and ally of Iran, and actively involved in waging terrorism against Israel. If there is an argument for engaging any one of these situations, Syria is it. Well, the good news is that at least R2P seems to be thoroughly discredited. That much will be useful in the future.

==

Speaking of BHO’s “inheritance” from Geo. W. Bush we now train our attention on the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan. IMHO, both of these countries are doomed to be under the influence of stronger neighbors ruled by fundamental Islamism in the next stage of their histories.

In Iraq, history will record that Geo. W. Bush started the war, David Petraeus won the war, and Barack Hussein Obama lost the peace.

Whatever went before, President Bush deserves credit for implementing General Petraeus’ “Surge” strategy in Iraq. The immediate result was a military victory not only over Al Qaeda but also various other de-stabilizing proxies of Iran. Through various twists and turns, much heavy lifting by Americans, and much honorably spilled American blood; the end result was a functioning democracy in Iraq. Simply an amazing bestowment to a region of the world otherwise stuck in the 7th Century.

All this nascent democracy needed was sufficient leadership to keep a relatively small contingent of American troops in theatre for the sake of stability. Like the garrisons still in Europe that won the Cold War stand-off with the Soviet Union. Like the garrisons still protecting South Korea from North Korea’s lunatic Kim dynasty. But BHO and his corrupt gang of Progressives weren’t up to the task. They couldn’t negotiate an extension of the Status of Forces agreement, and Iraq is now on its own. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is consequently making Ramadan 2012 travel plans for Baghdad. BHO is disgracefully claiming a political victory with a so-called promise kept to “end the war.” In fact, he has condemned all of Iraq to Iranian dominance. Thanks, Barry.

Similarly, the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama has guaranteed Afghanistan will be under the influence of the Taliban internally, which will in turn enjoy strong ties to its fellow travelers in Iran’s government as well as Pakistan’s security services and government.

BHO "inherited" the perfect set up in Afghanistan - the democracy building and stabilizing influence of a “reach out and kill the enemy when necessary” small garrison. Afghanistan is not Iraq strategically. Afghanistan is a landlocked mountainous region offering no strategic advantage. Iraq, by contrast, literally sits on an important cross-road of civilization (the Tigris-Euphrates river valleys). That’s the fundamental difference. Attempting total military victory in Afghanistan was never the right strategic move. Just ask the Brits or Russians. But still, if you’re going to attempt it, do it right. BHO did it all wrong – ramping up while simultaneously broadcasting to the enemy a date certain for ramping down. Military Science 101 will teach any fool the foolishness of giving your timeline to the enemy. No one on Team Leftie seems to have ever taken Military Science 101, however. They’ve spent all their time in the faculty lounges discussing transgender social and economic justice, or something. Expect the Taliban to be on the rise in Afghanistan next year, as our Army pulls out prematurely.

==

Osama Bin-Laden is anticlimactically dead. BHO dithered for nine months before pulling the trigger on the special forces capabilities he “inherited” from Geo. W. Bush’s administration. Anwar al-Awlaki, technically an American citizen, is also dead by drone capability developed during Geo. W. Bush’s administration. Some of us still have a problem with the concept of Presidents assassinating American citizens without a due process conviction for treason.

The giant elephant in the foreign affairs room for 2012 is Iran, of course. The so-called “Arab Spring” – now clearly becoming the “Islamist Winter” – has but one common denominator for the close observer. The common denominator is an increase in Tehran’s hegemony over the region.

Tehran’s saber rattling in the Strait of Hormuz is but a sign of Tehran feeling its oats for this very reason. From a foreign affairs point of view, Iran is turning out to be the singular cautionary tale of the BHO administration. In 2009, BHO initiated an appeasement policy toward Iran with his “open hand / clenched fist” Cairo speech. This appeasement policy caused him, in 2009, to forego extending any aid to the authentically democratic Green Revolution. (Where was R2P then, Barry?) Iran barreled forward with its nuclear weapons program through 2010 and 2011.

I just heard KT McFarland, Fox News analyst, predict 2012 is the year the question of Iranian nukes will come to a head. I agree. The Iranian Islamic regime – on record as desiring to “wipe Israel off the map” – will either acquire a nuclear capability in 2012 or western civilization will find a way to prevent it.

This brings me to Israel – the only functioning modern democracy in that otherwise God-forsaken region stuck in the 7th Century. Thank God Israel is being run by Benjamin Netanyahu – former special forces operative and all around stand up guy. 2011 was the year his government wisely decided to start acting in its own interest and told Barry’s administration to take a hike. My personal theory – just a theory – is the recent mysterious explosions around Iran’s nuclear weapons production infrastructure are the work of Israel’s Mossad organization. Whether or not this theory holds water – these explosions are certainly in the interest of Israel’s survival, which makes them in the interest of the continuation of western civilization. For Israel, 2012 will be a year of living at defcon one and a half.

I am also in agreement with what I’ve heard KT McFarland recommend as the best strategy for choking Iran off economically. “Drill Baby Drill!” We need to exploit our copious domestic fossil fuel resources to reduce – maybe even nearly eliminate - dependence on Mideast oil. Beginning now. However, the problem is “now” means a heated national argument leading to a historic election in November 2012.

(Shameless plug for the F=M*A theme that has permeated this blog from inception)

==

The spasmodic street riots that erupted in Greece, the United Kingdom, and other parts of the European Union in 2011 – all foretelling the predictable end game for the socialist welfare state, or any society foolish enough to embrace it – barely even merit mention at this time. We can thank God, I guess, for the temporarily stabilizing force of Germany conquering the rest of Europe with financial loans rather than tanks. Because we here in the USA will be spending the year 2012 deciding for ourselves how much further down the road of socialist moral and financial bankruptcy we will allow ourselves to go.

Sorry “world community”, the USA has had its attention turned inward by its political Left. You’re on your own for 2012. GLWT. See you in 2013 hopefully.

Footnote

Encountered while idly scrolling down the Bob Schieffer Blog Roll. Thanks again. Barry.

Update 1/3/12

This take on the Appeaser-In-Chief made me laugh.

LAS 2011 Review & 2012 Preview (Part 1 of 4)

2011-12-30T21:45:00.008-05:00

Part 1 covers domestic conditions.

Part 2 will cover foreign affairs.

Part 3 will cover the current electoral situation (probably after the Iowa caucuses).

Part 4 will cover this blog project.

==

2011 has been an eventful year for LAS. Personally, for the second time in three years, I lost and then gained superior employment. And, this time, the transition period was shorter and smoother – owing to a slightly improved hiring market, at least by my observation, and at least in my field of compensated endeavor. That noted, I’m sticking to my original stipulation: this blog is less about me and more about my country.

==

Looking back on 2011, LAS observes an America whose attention has been turned inward by the corrupt and inept governance of a kleptocratic crony statist (the crony capitalism is but a marriage of convenience). The domestic chaos created by the kleptocrat in the White House, purposely or otherwise, has the nation bitterly divided.

We opened the year with a garden variety apolitical lunatic named Jared Loughner shooting a Democrat congresswoman named Gabrielle Giffords. The corrupt and biased MSM rushed to their fantasy conclusion the shooter was motivated by right wing politics. The Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama improbably rose to the occasion and called for a “new tone” in political discourse. The Left heeded this call for about twelve and a half seconds.

Soon thereafter, Team Leftie launched a frenzied mob assault on the rule of law in Madison, WI. The Democrat caucus ran to Illinois like grifters jumping bail, earning the fitting nickname ‘fleebaggers.’ The Left’s astro-turfed street mobs laid siege to normal legislative business by “occupying” the state capitol - to prevent a duly elected legislature from enacting the will of the electorate to cut back on gub’ment spending. A pattern for the year was established.

By spring, the republic had the first real opportunity to observe the newly TEA Party infused GOP in ideological battle with Barry and his corrupt gang of Progressives. We the People had given the GOP control of the House of Representatives in November 2010, to put adults back in charge of the republic’s purse strings. The federal gub’ment was running out of money and there was much wringing of hands over the possibility of a federal gub’ment shutdown. In the heat of argument, Team Leftie predictably went for lowest common denominator gutter politics, falsely claiming the GOP intended to end Medicare in the next twelve and a half seconds. This obnoxiously divisive advertisement was actually aired by Team Leftie.

(Yeah, that's it - conservatives are all secretly plotting to throw Granny off the cliff)

Following quickly on the heels of this preliminary dust up, our attention was gripped by the Great Debt Ceiling Debacle of 2011. The Establishment GOP once again figured out how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, giving Barry and his corrupt gang of Progressives authority to implement $1.5T more in deficit spending at any time, in return for a so-called “Super Commission” with the charge to find a mere $1.2T in spending cuts over the next ten years. President WTF disingenuously trumpeted this deal as saving the country from financial ruin. (There would have never been a loan default. Just a reduction in current deficit spending to service loan interest) Overnight, the country’s credit rating was instantly downgraded. Later in the year, this “Super Commission” predictably met with gridlock, and Washington once again failed to address its spending addiction with even a token measure.

As this so-called “Super Commission” was reaching its anti-climactic and ultimately useless conclusion, Team Leftie decided it was time to throw an infantile temper tantrum in the nation’s streets. Day of Rage became Occupy Wall Street, became Occupy Whatever, became Occupy FAIL. Most cities under local jurisdictions have had the good sense to clear these mobs from their parks and plazas. Two apparently independent illegal encampments still remain in DC, under federal jurisdiction, and therefore under the protection of the corrupt Barry regime. OccupyDC and OccupyWashingtonDC will continue to be way stations for the Aimless Mob of Maladjusted Malcontents for the foreseeable future.

In an effort to coordinate his so-called “governance” with the so-called “message” of the astro-turfed Occupy mob, BHO introduced the American Jobs Act - which really was nothing more than a proposal to raise taxes on the so-called “rich” (to appease his Leftist base), while simultaneously pandering to everyone else with a payroll tax holiday extension. He failed to soak the rich because Congress correctly dismissed it as folly in a down economy. He got the payroll tax holiday because no one in politics would dare object (more on the politics to come in Part 3). The entire set up was an intentionally divisive class warfare gambit aimed at demonizing “rich” people in order to forcibly confiscate more of their wealth for BHO’s pet ideological projects.

Make no mistake, the Occupy mob is connected directly to Barack Hussein Obama’s White House. BHO’s White House is consciously pursuing an intentionally divisive, Saul Alinsky inspired, class warfare strategy. BHO and the rest of Team Leftie is intentionally stoking resentment among the 47% of Americans who pay no taxes at all, in an effort to extract even more wealth from the 53% who do pay taxes, to fund more deficit spending on “social justice” and other Leftist redistributive schemes. BHO fancies himself the champion of the entitlement class and the scourge of the productive class. This ideology explains and animates every BHO domestic policy position. This ideology, and consequently every BHO policy position, by definition, pits this American against that American.

2012 will be a chaotic year on America’s streets, because the Community-Agitator-In-Chief has designed it to be so.

LAS is a bit player in the unfolding historical drama, and knows it. The Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama is also a bit player, though he fancies himself a historical figure. Yeah sure, he’ll go down in history books – as the most corrupt, incompetent, and divisive American President ever.

But, IMHO, the best summary of what awaits the United States of America in 2012 is captured by Bill Whittle of Pajamas Media with this simple video. It has much to do with the conditions BHO has set up with his corrupt and inept governance, but contains very little he can can control from hereon out.

2012 will be a time of choosing for all Americans.

Update 1/1/12

Here's a little video preview of what the Left's #Occupy mob has in store for the civil society in 2012. The rule of law is not, nor has it ever been, a priority for the Left. The Left is, and ever has been, all about imposing its' will by any means necessary - the street mob being today's preferred tool with their "community organizers."

Update 1/3/12

And here's a preview of the treatment cops can expect from the occupier criminals in 2012, just for doing their job.

Phis O’ Rama

2011-12-27T20:15:00.001-05:00

When I initiated this blog project, as 2009 was turning into 2010, I did not anticipate being targeted with moronic attacks, perpetrated by obviously stupid attackers, proceeding from the obvious assumption I was also an idiot. Yet precisely such a steady stream of such attacks has been one of the more bemusing byproducts of the blog project.

‘Phishing’ is a criminal activity by now familiar to even the most modestly knowledgeable internet users. A phishing scam attempts to separate the victim from his or her money, or collect personal information on the victim, usually with the motivation to subsequently separate the victim from his or her money. In its most unsophisticated form, the criminal sends an email, the unwary victim replies, the crime is perpetrated.

Before I donned my not-so-secret identity as LibertyAtStake, the number of phishing emails aimed at my real identity could be counted on the digits of a single hand, and these emails were always obviously part of a much larger global sweep of the ‘net for fools. This experience makes some sense, as I have never been accused of being stupid, nor suspected of sitting on piles of money. Not a juicy target for the email phisher, that is.

Yet something very interesting – to me, at least – happened almost from the moment I began blogging as LibertyAtStake. Legions of phishers lined up to dip their hooks into the libertyatstake@gmail.com pond almost instantly, and the phishers still throw their hooks into the water to this day. Given I’m not being paid for this, and I’m essentially lazy as well, there will be no effort from me to thoroughly catalog, label, and statistically analyze this vitally important historical archive. Of course, it is already archived, the act of archiving itself being entirely trivial. However, you and I, dear reader, can have some fun with a subjective ad-hoc romp through a representative sampling.

The first thing to note is the currency unit referenced by the vast majority of phishers directly mentioning currency is the British Pound. The British Pound? For a while, I thought maybe this meant Great Britain is the phishing capital of the world. The Brits were dumb enough as a population to adopt socialized medicine, after all. But, further reflection on this matter leads me to conclude the phishing community is more an international collection of criminals making the simple assumption English language equals English money.

Then there’s the question of motivation. Why target the anonymous blogger known as LibertyAtStake? I imagine LibertyAtStake’s readers quickly reach two conclusions, in no particular order – LAS is definitely passionately conservative, and maybe even a little bit off his rocker. So these phishers are either internet psychologists in search of a research subject, or ideological Leftists targeting the “enemy.” I think odds favor the latter conclusion.

So, what can we conclude about these international Leftists? Do they worship each evening at the altar of PT Barnum (“there’s a sucker born every minute”)? I don’t know about that … but one thing is absolutely certain … these Leftists firmly believe the rest of us are complete idiots.

How else to explain this representatively weak effort?

Though the attacker does get extra credit for covering the possibility I might be bi-lingual.

Taking the fiendishly clever attack to new levels, a language using a completely different alphabet in combination with a completely empty message body is tried.

Not to be outdone, this phishing master goes with empty subject as well as empty message body, but an attachment with his devilishly disguised payload.

This attacker goes with the old “Neon Sign” approach, in an effort to induce me to click on the ticking attachment.

This one desires the more personal approach of a telephone call. He must fancy himself a smooth talker.

Google isn’t the only evil corporation throwing around British money like a drunken sailor.

Coke over Pepsi for thoroughness.

Finally, something referencing my native currency – from a Nigerian situated in Japan. High marks for a polite note, though.

Occasionally I can’t resist writing a reply note. I was very impressed with the thirteen (13) field “grant validation form” that didn’t make the screen shot.

Last but not least, there’s the old “we’re from Tech Support and we’re here to help” gambit.

==

These international Leftists can make the assumption they have a reasonable expectation of success because, like all Leftists, they assume the rest of us are idiots. Their results are a big fat zero because, like all Leftists, they are engaged in what psychologists label 'projection.'

Why The Republic Teeters On The Brink Of Disaster

2011-12-21T09:49:00.012-05:00

A simple table explaining where we stand. Click to zoom in.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays fellow citizens.

d(^_^)b
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
“Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive”

Footnote

On the Fox panel last night, Charles Krauthammer spoon fed the next political move to the House GOP. Pass the entire Senate bill with one and only one modification - making the payroll tax holiday a full 12 months. Then let Dingy Harry and Veto Threat Barry defend not coming on board to that one with clueless independents. LAS does not hold his breath in anticipation of the House GOP being so smart.

Update 12/22/11

I tweeted today.

#40 dollars isn't nearly the half off it. http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/2011/12/why-republic-teeters-on-brink-of.html

Because tweeters vote, too.

Update #2 12/22/11

I'm now for taking the Krauthammer plan to the next logical step. My comment on the Washington Examiner blog today ...

Wrong again. Go-along-to-get-along Mitch wants the House to pass legislation for the promise of negotiations with the Senate. A Senate he lost the majority in years ago? House should pass a straight up, no strings attached 12 month extension, forget paying for it (include a promise of finding cuts later as cover) and dare Dingy Harry and Veto Threat Barry not to come on board with that. iow simplify the game of chicken for the independents. i.e. This is the next generation Krauthammer plan: extend the payroll tax holiday and delete the remainder of the Senate bill. We can discuss firing go-along-to-get-along Mitch afterward.

Update #3 12/22/11

The stupid party folds like a cheap tent.

Update 12/23/11

Details of the promise to fix the abominable two month provision reported by Fox.

Our Black Guy Didn't Do It

2011-12-15T21:09:00.002-05:00

In memoriam for the media's lynching of Herman Cain.

In acknowledgement the charges are still tenuous at best.

In recognition the media may yet feel sufficient guilt to stand down now that they’ve put Herman Cain in his proper place.

While reflecting upon the lessons learned.

And considering the growing scandal rapidly engulfing two other prominent black guys.

LibertyAtStake gives you his latest bumper sticker creation.

==

Now take the poll!

==

Update 12/16/2011

I did not fail to notice there was a televised GOP debate in Iowa last night, which lacked the racial diversity that would have been provided by Herman Cain's presence. Obviously a Leftist plot to charge the Republican party with "lily whitism" or something.

Ron Paul shot himself in the foot with a couple of unhinged rants. No second tier candidate scored a knockout punch - unless you count Michelle Bachmann's assist to one of Paul's self inflected wounds. Newt Gingrich once again proved he is the best debater in the room. Mitt Romney once again proved he is the safe prom date.

So, it looks like the general election will require the Ron Paul devotees to get behind someone not named Paul, and the grass roots to choose either the smart guy that can best argue their case even though he's been inside DC for freakin' ever (Newt) or Sir Mitt of RINO. The Establishment - surprise! surprise! - is already rushing to line up behind the guy who's been running for six years solid (Mittens). Man, this politics stuff is complicated.

Sounds Like a Threat To Me

2011-12-08T19:14:00.007-05:00

Astute readers of this blog already know Camp Stinky, McPherson Square has been a regular feature in my life lately. A fuller account of the human flotsam and jetsam I have encountered there will have to wait for the book, I guess.

Tonight, in true blogger style, however, I am simply sending out a snapshot of our insane times to the world at large. Starting a couple of days ago, I "got into it" a little bit on the occupydc.org comment board. You can find the full comment thread here. Actually, most of the comment activity occurred while I was "WFH" (my current client's acronym for "Working From Home") with a cold bug. I billed three (3) hours for the meetings I dialed into.

If you don't want to sort through the totality of the madness at the link, the relevant portions for this evening's post follow:

LAS:

"David" fears LAS. This is useful to the continuation of the republic.

Bplegate:

[LAS' real first name redacted] lives at [LAS' real address redacted]; if anyone wants to meet him in person. I want to meet him in person.

Bplegate:

Oh, and here is what he looks like:
[My real linkedin photograph redacted]

LAS:

And the Zombie swarm begins. I welcome the publicity for my blog. Make sure you don't do anything that isn't "largely peaceful" now.

Bplegate:

I'm not an occupier; so not a real big fan of the whole nonviolence thing.

LAS:

Sounds like a direct threat of physical violence. Care to clarify before I contact authorities?

For this evening's post, I invite rational citizens who have stumbled into this post to compose their own replies to "Bplegate" in the comments section of this post. And LAS reminds "Bplegate" I myself stroll through Camp Stinky, McPherson Square 1-2 times daily, between the hours of 10:30 am and 4 pm, depending on the demands the civil society places upon me through the prism of my daily "J-O-B". Just leave a note with the so-called "media tent" - or something. I guess it will get to me. Maybe the nut job who was there in Army surplus fatigues on day one, yet has managed to somehow not be arrested yet (the nut job knows what I mean), will hand the note to me.

And let no one forget Barry is down with #occupy.

d(^_^)b
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
“Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive”

Update 12/09/2011

This afternoon seemed like an opportune time to bookend my October 7th #OccupyDC photo essay with a new photo essay. The October 7th post documented the opening stages of the illegal encampment. In that post I opined on the underwhelming numbers with the line "I was hoping for more lunatics."

Karma, that cruel bastard, took notice and gave me a great big helping of "be careful what you ask for, you might get it."

==

McPherson Square from K street. That's a whole lot of REI.

A closer look at some of the flotsam and jetsam. When I approached the camper in the lounge chair, I learned he was reading something by Voltaire. But he declined to have his picture taken, and I obliged - not realizing he was already captured on the edges of this shot. Oops.

Another look at the growing public health hazard. But, apparently, squirrel heaven.

The facilities.

You almost have to admire the ingenuity of the camper who fashioned see-through living quarters out of scrap plastic. Except the briefest inspection reveals it is not even close to water tight. The man in my photo taking a photo is a fellow TEA Party patriot documenting the madness for the historical record. This is his Facebook page.

This native-looking structure is clearly not water tight either, the top being completely open, chimney style.

This lovely creature shielded her face with the coffee mug - then told me she'd beat me to death with the mug if I tried taking her photo again. My fellow TEA Party patriot appears in the background.

Not your father's skate park. You can't see it, but the skateboard enthusiast is wearing the anarchist's facial bandana as a fashion accessory. The expensive gear hanging off her shoulders somehow makes me think she hasn't actually thought much about the actual politics of 'anarchy.'

The polished young gentleman flipping me the bird assured me everything was non-violent.

Tai-Chi exercises or self-defense lessons?

#10 is my personal favorite. Click to enlarge and zoom.

Fatigue Boy is the nut job I mentioned above in the main body of the post. He's still very proud of avoiding arrest thus far. His sign is meant to harass the guy next to him (more in a moment) - but it of course looks like he's talking about himself. I say arrest the moron for stupidity. Who could possibly look more like a danger to himself and others?

This working class hero has had enough - and has started his own one man counter protest. If this weren't DC, I'd feel confident predicting he has started a trend. This being DC, all I can say is: hang in there, fella. You are a beacon of hope.

These trust fund kiddies on an excellent adventure are sleeping in a tent flying the black and red Anarchist flag. They were also engaged in the juvenile harassment of the one man counter protest. When I mocked the bullshit Anarchy angle, the tubby red head attempted to mount the poor dog like a horse. Where's PETA when they are really needed?

The civil society grows more bemused by the day.

d(^_^)b
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
"Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive"

Update #2 12/09/11

Ruh-Roh! Maybe Fatigue Boy's arrest record is no longer untarnished.

A Low Fidelity Drop Down List Widget Prototype

2011-12-05T19:55:00.003-05:00

==

Conceived by LAS in the pre-dawn sleepless hours. Drawn by LAS' very own hand whilst making coin doing something somewhat tangentially related. LAS' mind reminded at this very moment how his eighth-grade educated grandmother had vastly superior handwriting. Perhaps inspired by a long ago forgotten contact with this vitally important font of knowledge.

Yep, that's how LAS' sick and twisted mind works.

d(^_^)b
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
“Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive”

An Interview

2011-11-29T12:33:00.000-05:00

(AP) – Jack Wiley Dithers reporting.

I ran into my old friend LibertyAtStake on Black Friday at a local Best Buy. We were unable to have much of a conversation shouting at one another across the frenzied mob, but we were able to arrange an appointment for that evening - to raid the liquor cabinet of our mutual friend Francis Charles Hamilton, Doctor of Pontification. Dr. Hamilton is out of the country on business - but we had a spare key to his manor made last year. What the doctor doesn’t know won’t hurt him. LAS agreed to do an interview because he needed the publicity for his blog and I asked for it because I had a deadline coming up.

JWD: So what were you doing out on Black Friday? You always hated shopping in general.

LAS: I was people watching. The only thing comes that close to the chaotic slapstick of a Black Friday crowd is a Leftist street mob. What were you doing out there?

JWD: My son wanted that new X-Box thing.

LAS: You really need to get that pasty-face couch-potato out of the basement. Get him to join the Boy Scouts, or a sport, or something.

JWD: He’s not gay!

LAS: Man, you really are on a hair trigger with the gay son anxiety. Have another drink, relax, dude.

JWD: Let’s just do the interview.

LAS: OK, grumpy pants.

JWD: Has the blog brought in revenue?

LAS: Not one thin dime. I should have pretended to be a Leftist blogger. Those zombies are constantly flocking to this or that counter culture flavor of the week. After two years, I surely would have hit bingo! and made my mint selling idiotic tee shirts to those zombies. But, noooooooooooooooooo – I had to become a conservative, and blog in the conservative blogosphere. What a bunch of tight bastards. They actually seem to care about how they spend their own money.

JWD: So, will you be continuing the blog?

LAS: Of course. The helicopter fly-overs are telling me I’m living rent free inside the Empty Suit’s head. There’s no telling when he’ll snap and mention LAS by name at the podium. Then I’ll move some tee shirts, you’ll see.

JWD: Uhhhh, yeah …. Let me pour you another drink.

JWD: How are your traffic numbers?

LAS: Steady at barely measurable.

JWD: That’s why you’re not selling tee shirts, genius.

LAS: Is this going to be a hostile interview? You need to meet your deadline more than I need the so-called publicity from that rag of yours nobody reads.

JWD: Best recent development?

LAS: I recently picked up a regular troll. And you know what kind of street cred that brings. Her screen name is Ema Nymton. I’ve profiled her based on her rantings. Full time academician. Entered academia as an affirmative action scholarship student. Got teaching tenure based solely on her demographics. Teaches something totally useless in the humanities. Published, highly credentialed, and dumb as a brick. Good foil. I hope she’s not insulted by the profile and comes back often.

JWD: You must be honored.

LAS: Deadline….

JWD: Will you be continuing the Newton’s Three Laws series of posts? I, mean, 23 chapters already. Really?

LAS: Probably not – since you put it that way, snarky bastard.

JWD: How about Stupid or Treasonous?

LAS: Always on an as needed basis. You never know when the Empty Suit will step on his crank big time.

JWD: E2E?

LAS: Now, that one has some real long term potential. It could provide the “Rosetta Stone” to understanding Leftist drivel. Who knows, I could get a tenured position teaching it when it catches on. Three squares a day, cushy office on a neatly manicured campus, with no possibility of ever being fired. Not bad.

JWD: How would you compare your 2010 archive to your 2011 archive?

LAS: I think I was a better writer in 2010, but a better blogger in 2011.

JWD: What the hell does that mean?

LAS: I’m not sure, but it sounds good.

JWD: How has the site itself evolved from 2010 to 2011?

LAS: Well, for one thing, at the beginning of this year I was treating the Assigned Reading List like a roll – pruning things off after they aged two weeks or so. Then in March I think it was – I had real forehead slapping DUH! moment - and I stopped doing that. By next November it should be recognized as THE ‘Cliff Notes’ on why the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama doesn’t deserve a 2^nd term.

JWD: What else?

LAS: I also inaugurated the Just Another Unhinged Leftie (JAUL) aggregation. By next November it ought to be the best virtual presentation of Leftist mobbery this side of Berkeley.

JWD: Clever devil. How is the aggregation accomplished?

LAS: I just add one extra line to my standardized signature.

J.A.U.L. (pronounced “jowl”): Just Another Unhinged Leftie.

d(^_^)b

http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/

“Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive”

JWD: Yeah, about that signature thing … has it ruffled any feathers?

LAS: A few. But I couldn’t care less. 2012 is for all the marbles. Plus I think Disqus is using it now to aggregate a comment archive from all over the Intertubes. The count is currently well over 4000. How cool is that?

JWD: Yet you still use Intense Debate to moderate your blog?

LAS: Well, I made that decision before I noticed Disqus’ aggregation. And I am a conservative – not going to fix what ain’t broken without a really good reason.

JWD: Plans for 2012?

LAS: Don’t try to fix what ain’t broken.

English-To-English (E2E) Translation, Numero Cinco

2011-11-25T19:00:00.001-05:00

The Search Box informs me this is the fifth time this year I’ve gone down the E2E path. This seems to be a good season for E2E. We have Aimless Mobs of Maladjusted Malingering Malcontents defiling public spaces in order to tell us something we are still deciphering. We have pointless committees of legislators explaining to us why they can’t figure out a math problem. And we have a corrupt and kleptocratic demagogue roaming the country in the guise of POTUS - siding with the entire mob and siding with one half of the legislators. The half that failed math.

The Empty Suit with the Wi-Fi Teleprompter Connection recently stepped out and gave us two good bits of Leftist demagoguery to dissect with the E2E format. Enjoy.

On November 21, The Empty Suit That Shills For the Donkey Party stepped up to the podium to give us his take on the uber-duper committee’s predictable failure to reduce a ten year deficit projected in the tens of trillions by a mere $1.2T. This outcome is entirely due to the fact the Donkey Party never had any intention to strike a deal. Their plan is to spend, spend, spend, and soak the rich to make up the difference. This is their plan even though you can’t close even half the gap even if you confiscated all the wealth belonging to every single “rich” person. They failed math.

A video putting Barry’s Shameless Display of Demagoguery into plain view is given to us by a site appropriately named Shallow Nation. Herewith is LAS’ E2E deconstruction …

@0:15: “Part of that law also required Congress to reduce spending by an additional $1.2T”

E2E: “I suckered Speaker Boehner and the hapless establishment GOP into a trap allowing me to transfer blame for my failure of leadership during the Great Debt Ceiling Debacle of 2011”

@0:20: “In September I sent them a detailed plan that would have gone above and beyond that goal”

E2E: “In September I submitted a joke document that counted as ‘savings’ $1.1 trillion from the ending of the American combat mission in Iraq and the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan no rational person thought for a second would ever be spent”

@0:47: “Balanced Approach”

E2E: “My way or the highway. Redistribute wealth.”

@0:52: “an approach where everybody gives a little bit and everyone does their fair share”

E2E: “an approach where taxpayers give even more money to the gub’ment to redistribute to permanent clients of the gub’ment”

@0:56: “An approach that is supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. It is supported by experts and economists from all across the political spectrum.”

E2E: “I think you’re too dumb to notice I’m not providing any specific sources. I also think you are too dumb to notice my political spectrum spans the entire breadth of communist, socialist, and liberal.”

@1:09 “and to their credit, many Democrats in Congress were willing to put politics aside”

E2E: “I think you’re too dumb to realize the hapless establishment GOP put a plan on the table with revenue increases the Democrats rejected because it wasn’t ‘balanced’ enough. I also think you are too dumb to realize the only serious plans ever put on the table this entire session have come from the hapless establishment GOP. Furthermore, I know you are too dumb to realize the Democrats that control the Senate haven’t even put together a budget for three years.”

@1:26: “There are still too many Republicans in Congress who refuse to listen to the voices of reason and compromise.”

E2E: “Damn those TEA Party freshman for doing what they were elected to come to town to do.”

@1:33: “[voices]that are coming from outside of Washington”

E2E: “[voices] that are coming through the so-called people’s mic in my illegal astro-turfed #OccupyCamps”

@1:37: “they continue to insist on protecting $100B in tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% of Americans”

E2E: “Man, did I piss off my Leftist base last December, when I agreed to extend the Bush tax cuts saying taxes shouldn’t be raised in a soft economy. Not gonna make that mistake again.”

@1:54: “at this point at least, they simply will not budge from that negotiating position”

E2E: “I’m so sure you are too dumb to notice the hapless establishment GOP put revenues on the table, I feel comfortable repeating the lie again.”

@2:15: “there’s no imminent threat of us defaulting on the debt we owe”

E2E: “I suckered Speaker Boehner and the hapless establishment GOP into raising the debt ceiling in return for this ridiculous kabuki, when the ceiling never needed to be raised, because there never was a threat of default, because all the gub’ment would have had to do was simply prioritize debt payments over even more deficit spending.”

@2:30: “there would be another $1.2T in automatic cuts in 2013”

E2E: “What an awesome set up for me. I get to pander to my Leftist base with a promise to gut defense, and I get to blame the GOP for looming Medicare austerity, all during the election of 2012 – then do whatever I want in 2013”

@3:30: “My message to them is simple – No. I will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts.”

E2E: “This is way too good a political set up for me to not milk it for all it’s worth. My way or the highway, baby - the opinion of my own Secretary of Defense about these automatic cuts notwithstanding.”

@4:09: “They’ve still got a year to figure it out.”

E2E: “I intend to milk this set up for all it’s worth.”

@4:58: “If we don’t act, taxes will go up for every single American starting next year.”

E2E: “That payroll tax holiday is a tax break I can get behind, because I figure it buys a lot of votes.”

@5:03: “I’m not about to let that happen.”

E2E: “Every idiot knows it won’t happen, so I will be getting in front of this one for the reflected glory.”

@5:22: “We still need to put construction workers back on the job … we still need to put our teachers back in the classroom”

E2E: “I desperately need to put those union votes back to work by buying them with gub’ment payoffs.”

On November 22, the Empty Suit That Occasionally Occupies the Oval Office was back out on the campaign trail dissembling for dollars. TheManachester Union Leader outlet gives us a full transcript to deconstruct using the E2E format.

The Empty Suit That Organizes Communities used this opportunity to astro-turf his allegiance with the Aimless Mobs of Maladjusted Malingering Malcontents. Quite a spectacle this election season is already becoming. We have a POTUS – sworn by constitutional oath to uphold the law of the land - aligning his fortunes with a so-called “movement” illegally camping in public spaces. We have a POTUS – sworn by constitutional oath to protect the liberties of all Americans – shilling for a so-called “movement” whose only solution to anything is always to confiscate property, by force if necessary, from other people. Truly extraordinary times … which is why we need E2E …

BHO: “I just want to point out, we're keeping our promise -- we are back.”

E2E: “Please don’t think too hard about all the stuff I promised the last time I was here that I haven’t delivered on.”

BHO: [After the euphemistically transcripted ‘Audience Interruption’] “That's okay. All right, okay, guys.”

E2E: “Axelrod in the House.”

BHO: “because by the end of next month, all of our troops will be out of Iraq.”

E2E: “My administration couldn’t get the Status of Forces Agreement re-negotiated, so the Revolutionary Guard is making Ramadan plans for Baghdad.”

BHO: “in the Occupy movement, there is a profound sense of frustration”

E2E: “in Project Occupy Astro-Turf, my community agitators are working overtime”

BHO: “we stay true to a fundamental idea -– the idea that we're all in this together.”

E2E: “we stay true to my fundamental transformation of America from a society based on individual liberty and accountability to socialist collectivism.”

BHO: “That's what is at stake right now.”

E2E: “LibertyAtStake is living rent free inside my head.”

BHO: “because our economic problems weren't caused overnight and they won't be solved overnight.”

E2E: “because you should blame Bush and not hold me accountable.”

BHO: “[The American Jobs Act] is a jobs bill that will put more Americans to work, put more money back into the pockets of working Americans.”

E2E: “[The American Jobs Act] is more Keynesian stimulus nonsense guaranteed to throw more wealth down a publicly funded rat hole.”

BHO: “Some folks in Washington don't seem to get the message that people care right now about putting folks back to work and giving young people opportunity.”

E2E: “Damn those TEA Party freshman for doing what they were elected to come to town to do.”

BHO: “So I said I will do everything in my power to act on behalf of the American people –- with or without Congress.”

E2E: “The constitution means nothing to me.”

BHO: “We announced -- on our own -- a new policy that will help families refinance their mortgages and save thousands of dollars.”

E2E: “We announced – on our own – because the constitution means nothing to us -- more Keynesian stimulus nonsense guaranteed to throw more wealth down a publicly funded rat hole.”

BHO: “On our own, without Congress, we reformed the student loan process to make it easier for more young people to pay off their debt.”

E2E: “On our own, because the constitution means nothing to us, we are buying your votes by allowing you to default on legally contracted debts.”

BHO: “ By the way, that was building on top of legislation we passed a year ago that said instead of sending $60 billion to banks to manage the student loan program, let's give it directly to students so that millions more young people can afford a college education.”

E2E: “By the way, that was building on top of legislation we passed a year ago that said student loans are now entirely the purview of statist bureaucrats. Ain’t socialism great? Only in a socialist utopia can you be given somebody else’s money and then be forgiven the legally contracted debt. Vote for me.”

BHO: “I've lowered your taxes, haven't raised them”

E2E: “Damn those TEA Party freshman for doing what they were elected to come to town to do.”

BHO: “Now, we can't let that happen. Not right now. It would be bad for the economy.”

E2E: “Letting private citizens keep their own money is only good when it buys me votes.”

BHO: “The American Jobs Act would also cut payroll taxes in half for small business owners”

E2E: “LibertyAtStake needs to review his 2012 S-Corporation tax assumptions. He might be able to keep more of his own money.”

BHO: “And we set up a straightforward tax calculator on whitehouse.gov -- that's our website”

E2E: “Every idiot knows this will pass, so I will be getting in front of this one for the reflected glory.”

BHO: “blah, blah, blah, for about five paragraphs”

E2E: “Every idiot knows this will pass.”

E2E: “blah, blah, blah, for the remainder.”

E2E: “Pander.”

Meet the Teachers

2011-11-18T18:06:00.001-05:00

If you are a parent of school-age children, you know the drill. Rows of educational professionals, apparently arranged in something resembling alphabetical order, sit behind folding tables in a gymnasium or cafeteria, awaiting conferences with parents eager to ensure their progeny receive the instruction from said professionals said progeny deserve, to lock in that wildly successful future said progeny are entitled to.

The lines of parents willing to occupy folding chairs set up in front of the aforementioned folding tables begin to form. In this case, the school is a public school balkanized between “honors” (mostly the progeny of two parent families from the east side of the tracks) and “general ed” (mostly the progeny of broken families from the west side of the tracks). Take a wild guess which educational professionals had dozens lined up and which had nearly none.

==

The Mathematics teacher with a habit of assigning homework before teaching the material said everything was cool with Young Master James except for a tendency to hand in homework late. Go figure.

I thought I smelled alcohol on the US History teacher’s breath. I could be wrong because he seemed perfectly in control of his wits. He’s a young man still.

The Environmental Science teacher – an old man who Young Master James reports is a Global Warming denier – had to look up the computer record to remember who Young Master James is. His eyes brightened when the record came up, and it informed him who Young Master James is. He then kicked off the discussion complimenting Young Master James on his punctuality and good manners. Yep, he’s a conservative.

The Art Foundations teacher said everything was cool with Young Master James, except she wished he tried harder to reach his real potential. Imagine that.

The Band teacher reported Young Master James has been promoted to first chair trumpet, but asked about his practice habits. The rest of our discussion revolved around improving the latter. Imagine that.

==

Young Master James’ future remains a virgin green field.

And LAS Endorses …

2011-11-16T20:54:00.003-05:00

(Plus the much anticipated Commentapalozza IV)

Halfway through the eleventh month of the eleventh year of the twenty first century, and LAS has arrived at his endorsement for the most important political nomination of LAS’ lifetime.

(Now switching from referring to myself in the third person to the more conventional first person pronoun)

As I confidently predicted in my November 7 post - She Said, He Said, They Said, We Said (Part 2) - the corrupt and cynical Leftist media assault on Herman Cain and his character did not crater his polling, and only increased his fundraising velocity.

So, I will be throwing my support to Newt Gingrich. This decision has nothing to do with the scurrilous and unfounded charges designed by his political enemies to make Mr. Cain go away (and utterly failing to do so). I believe Mr. Cain can and should still have a very prominent role in the new TEA Party infused GOP. But I’ve decided 45th President isn’t quite the right fit – because apparently boning up on foreign policy hasn’t been an important component of an otherwise commendable run. Maybe Vice President with a specialized portfolio that is something like Czar of Making Sure Political Correctness is Killed Done Dead Forever. The corrupt and biased MSM has certainly bestowed the necessary credentials, and motivation, with their rabid lynching of the man.

LAS arrived at this endorsement through deep and careful thought about who will make the best Not-Obama in the general election. I think I’ve already made clear the short answer is Not-Romney. But, the question has hung … which Not-Romney? What recommended Mr. Cain was his automatic disarming of the race card. Yet, as the scurrilous unhinged attacks on Mr. Cain’s character demonstrate, the GOP nominee will be facing what liberals like to label an “uneven playing field” in the biased press. The road to the White House for a GOP nominee goes through the televised debates with the incumbent, because that is the forum offering the most impactful opportunity to by-pass the media and influence the electorate directly. Think Reagan vs. Carter and “There you go again.”

Among the available options, the best debater in the room is far and away Newt Gingrich. Newt will most assuredly reduce the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama to a babbling fool in any debate format not moderated by a teleprompter. Defeating the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama in 2012 is simply paramount above all other considerations. For this reason, Newt Gingrich must be the GOP nominee. We can leave nothing to chance in 2012.

So, now that that’s settled, let’s move to the fourth installment of the Commentapalooza format – because at the end of the day, this all about me. The rules remain the same – comment board genius that has boomeranged back to me via Feedjit, aged ninety days or more.

==

LAS stoops to the lowest form of humor: word pun.

LAS recalls fond childhood memories.

Some people could learn a thing or two from Dead White Males.

The JAUL Gallery intersects Commentapalooza for the first time.

Politically Correct means never having to admit you're wrong.

Catchy Post Title, Bob.

With any luck, the Pentagon will be more influential in Egypt than the State Department has been.

Just can't shake that 'treasonous' hunch.

Footnote

Newt says “I’ll do anything I can to help defeat Obama.” Ring the bell and let's get it on!

The #Occupy Meltdown Will Be Swift and Ugly From Here

2011-11-10T19:58:00.016-05:00

The light bulb just went on making it crystal clear to LAS that I must succinctly record my wholly impressionistic take regarding #Occupy, on this day, November 10, 2011.

By way of background - for my entire adult life, I have made a habit of getting up from my desk and occasionally walking around outside to clear my head. It has been a useful technique whether the immediate surroundings have been urban, suburban, rural, or manicured. Astute readers of this blog have certainly noticed Camp Stinky, McPherson Square has become a regular feature for me in the execution of this habit lately.

Today the feel was entirely different than it was just yesterday. It was ... militant. The so-called "media tent" was shuttered (as much as a structure consisting of aluminum poles and tarp can be) - and I clearly heard the sound of people arguing over strategy. In that hushed voice "leaders" use when they don't want the minions to overhear. I talked to the guy who looks like he's homeless, was leading the "people's microphone" chanting on day one, and spotted panhandling for bus fare to New York last week. He was wearing one of those anarchist bandanas, acting nervously, recognized me, and made a point of pulling up the anarchist bandana while talking to me. The guy who has been wearing the same set of US Army surplus fatigues from day one was nowhere in sight. I suspect he was inside the media tent plotting next steps. I've seen him there (in front of the "media tent") conferencing with others often. The worst mom in the world was nowhere in sight, either. Probably inside the "media tent," too. I have judged her to be one of the leadership cabal.

The light bulb for this post finally went "on" as I've been consuming several reports from the field here in my comfortable capitalist confines (all are from today):

Portland #Occupy camp violence is building (this is just the latest of many Portland violence reports over the past days)

Ancient Diseases popping up in #Occupy Atlanta camp

Gunfire In Burlington, VT? Vermont?

Hell, Even Kathy Lanier Gets It Now

==

The meltdown will be swift and ugly from here. Good. Let's be done with it.

Update 11/11/11

The final descent into total madness is off to a fast and furious start in the Oakland encampment.

Should be a wild ride for occupiers and the civil society alike, this weekend in Portland.

And apparently new diseases are being classified for medical science, thanks to the Zucotti Park squatters.

Meanwhile ... Barry is playing small ball lately with his "go-it-alone, 'We Can't Wait', we-don't-need-no-stinkin'-constitution governance." He's probably too busy getting ready to declare martial law when the ~~occupier~~ illegal squatter clearing operations are in full swing.

Update 11/12/11

And the Smart Ones De-Camp ...

Update 11/13/11

The inevitable delayed while the civil society awaits the opportune moment to begin eviction operations ...

Update 11/14/11

The civil society finally acts, and the aimless remain in the street, roaming rather than squatting.

And the aftermath is a rat's paradise. Maybe that's what they meant by creating a new world.

Nobody Gets Away With Blocking a Good 'Ol 'Merican Thanksgiving Parade.

Update 11/15/11

About Damn Time.

The Litigious Left steps in to legally defend "squatter's rights" - Bloomberg hasn't joined the lawsuit, yet (keep an eye on him).

Update 11/16/11

Brace Yourself For the Temper Tantrum.

Update 11/17/11

Initial indications are the bark is worse than the bite of the Aimless Mob of Malingering Malcontents.

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Nomination

2011-11-09T10:52:00.003-05:00

The only thing more breathlessly unhinged than a Leftist mob is a Ron Paul mob.

Late yesterday afternoon, I stumbled into a well written article on the Daily Caller site by a Ron Paul devotee named Jack Hunter. As anyone familiar with my intertubes genius would expect, I dropped a comment stating my position on some aspect of the article, with my standard signature linking back to my blogspot archive.

I briefly considered commenting on my agreement with the author that Herman Cain was wrong in his support of TARP. If we never bailed out the damn banks in the first place, we’d already be well into the recovery today – and without Leftist mobs in the streets demanding the bailout riches – which have all been paid back - be redistributed to them today (presumably for even more expensive tents).

I let it go though – because I know Herman Cain to be educable and pragmatic (meaning ‘practical’, not ‘unprincipled’) as an executive. I’ve seen him do it. Perhaps in a future post, I’ll explore why I find the sins of my other “not-Romney” favorite – Newt Gingrich – more egregious; i.e. falling for the Global Warming hoax and being slow off the mark embracing the TEA Party movement.

I chose instead to comment on the importance to get on with the primary process of finding the ‘not-Romney’ on principled grounds. As well as looking ahead to the possibility Romney can still win, and we may need to suck it up and be big boys come general election time. Which will mean embracing Romney as ‘not-Obama’ (with noses firmly held, of course).

==

Comment board chaos ensued. Frankly, I should have anticipated it, given who I was dealing with. But I failed to, and now I have to write this damned post. ;)

A swarm of Ron Paul devotees jumped on the thread to frantically push their man’s case. Some of the content, and the whole attitude of it, is entirely unhinged. You can read it for yourself.

The swarm failed to abate even after I told them to read my March 1, 2010 blogspot post for a comprehensive read designed to put the discussion to rest, and allow us to at least agree to disagree.

Actually, I should have anticipated this would be a fruitless offer. I suspect most of this swarm have never taken a breath from ranting long enough to read and comprehend that many words all at once.

The swarm still continues this morning. Trust me when I tell you I could make a game of causing it to continue as long as I cared to, inclusive of “endlessly.” Or in the spirit of Hunter S. Thompson, I can now simply report on my experience from the thick of the fight. At least having my character and motives mischaracterized, misunderstood, and smeared on a comment board is lighter duty than getting beat up by the Hell’s Angels (an actual HST episode).

==

The core problem with the Ron Paul mob is a wicked mix of two character defaults; a naiveté about how the world works, and a religiosity around their devotion to their candidate. This, as a matter of fact, if you replace the word “candidate” with “ideology,” is the same axis of character defects that makes Jihadis an existential threat to the planet, and Leftists an existential threat to the constitution.

She Said, He Said, They Said, We Said (Part 2)

2011-11-07T20:26:00.005-05:00

* Yeah, I’ll get to Sharon Bialek, whoever the hell she is. And Gloria Allred, too - well known Leftist hack and media whore. But, first, I shall finish what I began drafting just yesterday.

Continued from Part 1 ...

What’s really going on here is an epic battle between forces I’ve labeled Team Liberty and Team Leftie. Team Liberty is the collection of institutions and people who believe in individual liberty. Team Leftie is the collection of institutions and people who believe in statism and collectivism. These two teams have been at odds and fighting an ideological war that has ebbed and flowed since about 1870 by LAS’ reckoning.

World War I and World War II were gigantic exercises in sorting out the two sides. In WW I, armies mostly belonging to Team Liberty scored a temporary victory against armies mostly belonging to Team Leftie – only to give rise to Team Leftie’s most virulent strains of the 20th century: the Fascism of Mussolini, National Socialism of Hitler, and Communism of Vladimir Lenin. In WW II, armies mostly belonging to Team Liberty scored a victory against two out of the three by making a military alliance of convenience with one of the three.

The Cold War then ensued. We (Team Liberty) won a huge victory when the Berlin wall fell and the half of Europe that had been occupied by Communist armies for 45 years was liberated.

American Progressives have always been with Team Leftie. Every step of the way. LAS recommends Jonah Goldberg’s excellent book – “Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning” – as the summer vacation read that proves it.

==

Now to contemporary events …

One of Team Leftie’s own sits in the Oval Office today. One of their own is Senate Majority Leader. One of their own was Speaker of the House from 2007 until 2011, until We The People corrected that particular travesty in the historic election of 2010.

Team Leftie’s propaganda organ in modern America is the corrupt and biased main stream media (MSM). Period. End of sentence.

Team Leftie desires political power above all else. To the exclusion of all else. Team Leftie simply *must* have political power to impose their statist / collectivist central plans on everyone else. Every one of you. Team Leftie maintains its’ hold on political power with a corrupt narrative that includes such asinine memes as:

• To not be with them is to hate poor people
• To not be with them is to be racist
• If you are a minority, you must be with them, or your very survival is at stake

Team Leftie has become dimly aware that the Conservative Ascendancy, marked most spectacularly by the TEA Party movement, threatens their present hold on power in the soon to be historic election of 2012. Team Leftie must destroy Herman Cain, because Herman Cain’s very presence in the Presidential race destroys Team Leftie’s asinine narrative.

That is what is really happening here.

And That's The Bottom Line, Because LAS Said So!

(Sorry, couldn't resist the Stone Cold Steve Austin detour)

==

Now to Sharon Bialek. We need to find out what her politics are. If she is demonstrably on board with Team Leftie, then my contemporaneous reaction on the Gateway Pundit site stands - she is as likely a liar as a victim.

There is simply no need to even explore the hypocrisy angle Team Leftie gives us with one of their heroes – the one named William Jefferson Clinton. Because we on Team Liberty have standards – and if it can be credibly demonstrated Herman Cain has been serially lecherous, then we will be done with him.

The problem right now remains the credibility of the charges.

We already know Gloria Allred is deeply embedded inside Team Leftie. For a total destruction of her credibility, revisit this thirteen month old takedown by Mark Levin.

Since Sharon Bialek has chosen to hide behind Gloria Allred, well …

What else ya got, Team Leftie?

Update 11/8/11

The plot thickens. Bialek has participated in Republican politics. But she seems to be that most contemptible form of Republican - the gold digger. Rest assured the source of the truth here lies in motivations. We already know Politico's and Gloria Allred's motivation. They fear the candidacy of the principled conservative black man.

Game On.

Without purporting to know what is presently unknowable as far the truth in this matter, and assuming no further shoes to drop, LAS predicts the "take no prisoners", "no quarter, no compromise," posture is in perfect tune with the times and bodes well for Mr. Cain's next round of polling and fundraising data. We shall see.

She Said, He Said, They Said, We Said (Part 1)

2011-11-06T20:40:00.001-05:00

* This was supposed to be a single post, divided into two movements; the first more “creative,” the second a straight up analysis of the epic battle now underway between Liberty and statism/collectivisim. I think instead I’ll throw it out there in two distinct posts. Enjoy the "creative" movement.

==

First, a musical break to set the stage … Train Kept a Rollin’ … The Cain Train, That Is!

==

She said something happened, but wouldn’t say her name;
He said nothing happened, maybe not so well;
They said it would make him go away;
We said ‘No way in Hell!’

==

On Sunday evening, October 30, 2011 a so-called news organization that calls itself “The Politico” - staffed entirely by Leftist hacks - broke a so-called “news” story designed to cripple the candidacy of the GOP Presidential candidate they fear most. I, LibertyAtStake, published my initial reaction for all the world to discover in the immediately subsequent days. Herewith is a small sample.

Monday morning at the Daily Caller.

Tuesday morning at Flopping Aces.

Man, I’m Good, Just Ask Me! (MIGJAM!)

==

And now, in accordance with the design of this blog project – after establishing my MIGJAM credentials in the heat of ideological battle with contemporaneously signed intertubes comments, and being able to retrieve them, just as future historians will be able to, I can now take a breath from the Lib media ‘Hack Train’ and take a deeper dive into the real meaning of the ‘Cain Train’ and the Lib media’s unhinged reaction to it.

==

To be continued …

Received From a Cable Communications Provider

2011-11-03T20:42:00.002-04:00

Dear Comcast Customer:

On Wednesday, November 9 at 2 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), FEMA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will conduct the nation's first ever Emergency Alert System (EAS) test. The purpose of this test is to help determine if the national-level system will work as designed, should officials ever need to send a national alert.

This test will last approximately three minutes and will be seen on all local, cable, and satellite TV stations across the country, as well as radio.

Here's What You Should Know

Your Comcast programming will be temporarily interrupted. However, as soon as the test ends, you will be returned to your regularly scheduled programming. While we do not anticipate an interruption in your service, in some rare cases, you may need to:

• Use your remote to channel up and then channel down or power down your box to fully restore programming after the test completes.

• Any DVR recordings that are in progress during this test will be interrupted, and in some cases, lost.

If you experience the Emergency Alert System message for more than five minutes, please do the following:

• Power-cycle your cable box by unplugging the power cord from the outlet

• Wait thirty seconds and then plug it back in

==

And if it still doesn’t work, run around the block three times and then shoot the highest permanent structure you can see.

==

Some people think this is actually a dry run for the declaration of martial law by The Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama.

That may or may not be true (I give it even odds), but LAS knows one thing for sure: since it’s the first full scale test of a gub’ment developed application, there will be chaos somewhere in the system.

Try not to lose your head during this “unprecedented” exercise in nationally centralized command and control.

And, yeah, I will get to the Cain conspiracy soon. I’ve processed enough credentialed news and commentary so far to know the post will cover unhinged MSM bias, unhinged Politically Correct litigiousness, there is no God-given right to avoid being made to feel ‘uncomfortable’, the public putting all of the aforementioned in focus, and this fresh poll:

Cain 26, Mr. Establishment 23, Newt 14.

Newton's Three Laws (Part 23)

2011-10-27T21:17:00.010-04:00

A three part movement in the series soon to be known far and wide as the ‘Newtonian Predictive Model for Politics.’

Part 1: #OccupyFAIL

Lest we forget, one of the Left’s most decorated community agitators – Van Jones – warned us October 2011 would be something to remember.

Well, Mr. Jones apparently meant Team Leftie had a master plan in the works to mobilize recycled hippies and community organized zombies into tiny illegal encampments across the nation, under the banner #OccupyWhatever, or something.

Well, Halloween is fittingly just around the corner, and it’s now official: October 2011 has been something to rememebr. But not in the way Mr. Jones intended. You can re-designate #OccupyWhatever as #OccupyFAIL. The recycled hippies and community organized zombies attracted to these illegal and unsanitary encampments have not impressed the civil society. The so-called ‘99 percenters’ have not prevented the civil society from moving along quite nicely with normal business, despite the tragic-comic presence here and there of their stone-age encampments.

And of course these encampments are predictably following the arc of human nature that goes from aimless, to restless, to criminal. The examples are coming in from places as far ranging as Boston, Dallas, and , yes, ground zero of Mr. Jones' revolution at WallStreet, Manhattan, New York, York.

The civil society has taken notice and is beginning to lose its’ patience. Restoration of law and order has begun in Oakland, Portland, and Atlanta, for example.

Memo to Mayor Bloomberg in New York, as well as whomever the hell has jurisdiction in DC: The longer you wait, the greater the health hazard to Police when the clearing operation are finally inevitable. It will be demanded by your constituents – that is, the people walking past these illegal encampments (holding their noses of course) to work, produce wealth, and pay taxes. Lest you forget, the taxes that fund your gub’ment.

I’ve already sent the memo to #occupydc, to prepare them for the inevitable. Based on what I’ve seen up close and personal, my advice here is as pearls are to swine.

Part 2: We Can’t Wait … To Throw More Public Money Down the Keynesian Rat Hole

And, of course, true to form – The Empty Suit That Seeks 2012 Re-election has hitched his wagon to this aimless, restless, and ultimately criminal rabble.

GLWT, Barry – you own it now! That smell you smell is your peeps. ROTFLMAO!

But, let’s give him credit for owning it through and through. The Empty Suit That Occasionally Occupies the Oval Office is traveling the country in campaign mode assenting to #OccupyFAIL demands.

With the new empty slogan “We Can’t Wait” – which roughly translated means “we have no qualms about abusing the powers of the executive branch and ignoring the constitution” - Barry is promising one redistributive giveaway after another to his so-called “base” – which can increasingly be identified as the national collection of whiny, selfish, entitled slackers.

Barry is promising a new bailout to keep the housing bubble pumped up. This is the same redistributive policy madness that created the very problem it assuredly will not solve. The Housing bubble was created by the meddling gub’mental arc that started with the Community Reinvestment Act, ran through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and Barney Frank’s committee chairmanship. Which was then aggravated and prolonged by the TARP scam and various other Obama admin re-financing programs like HARP, HAMP, and now whatever they are calling this new bundle of the same old sh*t. As the following chart demonstrates, these programs have only made things worse – as redistributive Keynesian nonsense always does. Whether Barry realizes the silly futility of the policy or not is beside point – for him. He has calculated, as the empty suited demagogue will, that there are votes to be bought with this cash giveaway.

Barry is also promising another new bailout to promote delinquency among over-educated pseudo-intellectuals. Barry’s motivation is the same here – the demagogue’s naked interest in bought votes. But LAS believes this particular gambit will backfire on Barry. LAS believes there are more votes to be lost (for Barry) from hard working blue collar Americans who rightfully won’t be able to fathom why anyone lucky enough to gain a college education should be allowed to go scot free on legal loan obligations – bailed out by taxpayers who may have never seen the inside of a college or university. This numb-nuts I’ve rolled into the post from my ‘Snark U.’ roll is the contemptible poster child.

Hey Dummy, Didn't You Do the Math Before Taking Out the Loan?

Hey, it’s tough for the class warrior to decide who to pit against whom. LAS predicts Barry will soon want a mulligan on this one.

Part 3: Report on the All Black Guy Running For President

Yes, we are talking about the candidacy of the man who will be the first all-black (both parents!) President in American history, should his candidacy come to a successful conclusion.

Astute readers of this blog have noticed two things for sure.

(1) I have mostly avoided getting into the thick of the GOP primary debate. This is because I’m prepared to vote for a #2 pencil over The Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama.

(2) I do have a sweet spot for Herman Cain. This is because I once had the privilege of working for him, and to this day he is far and away the best executive I’ve ever personally known.

And it seems the rest of America is beginning to like what it sees in Mr. Cain, as well. Improbably, despite running an unorthodox campaign, the Cain Train is roaring down the tracks as GOP primary poll leader.

Now, astute readers of this blog have surely noticed something else. LibertyAtStake licks no one’s boots. As such, I must chastise Mr. Cain for a very confusing policy message on the abortion issue. I, LibertyAtStake, shall now inform him how he needs to package his position on this matter – which coincidentally, is also mine.

“As a matter of personal morality, I am pro-life. Life begins at conception, period. As a matter of public policy, I am constitutionalist. The federal government has no place, pro or con, in matters of morality, period.”

Memo to social conservatives … this position requires the over -turn of Roe v Wade and de-funding of all federal support to abortion. What else do you want? If you lack faith in your ability to convince the civil society your moral position is good and necessary, without the blunt force of federal mandates, then you are doing ‘conservative’ all wrong.

Oh, did I mention I have bumper stickers (and other cool stuff) for sale? Click the pic ...

Footnote

You need a scorecard to know who the players are ...

Updates 10/29/2011

LAS memo to Herman Cain ... You've got the name recognition, now you need to use the November debate run to get over this impression. Regarding your campaign, November 2011 is for all the marbles. Come out of November with the 'policy weakling' charge defused, and it's clear sailing from there. Be prepared for the attacks and 'gotcha' questions.

Daily Caller and Heritage Foundation are both in agreement with LAS that the student loan cash giveaway will backfire on Barry politically.

The original post was supposed to be a four part movement. The fourth part was to be We Can't Wait ... To Cede the Mideast To the Islamists - lampooning Barry and Hillary's comically ad-hoc interventionist foreign policy during the so-called 'Arab Spring.' But I ran ("I ran" - get it?) out of time and energy. The Daily Caller nicely covers that angle here.

Update 10/31/2011

Some scholarly research into the at least 17 year old root cause of what is vexing the #OccupyFAIL mob. Hint: It ain’t “Wall Street.”

And, yeah, I'll get to the Left's scurrilous attack on Herman Cain in due time. But I think I’ll wait until it’s even obvious to Karl Rove it is redounding to Cain’s benefit. It should only be a couple of days for the poll evidence to start rolling in.

Update 11/02/2011

LAS expects this Daily Caller report will prove to be the pivot point in the 'Great GOP/NRA Kinda Sorta Sex - Even Though There Wasn't Actually Any Sex - Scandal'

The New Journolisters: Spinning the Unspinnable Edition

2011-10-20T14:23:00.001-04:00

(AP) – Jack Wiley Dithers reporting.

When last we checked in on the New Journolisters, they were engaged in an erudite live analysis on election night 2010, courtesy of a chat room service hosted by National Public Radio (NPR). Shortly after our coverage, the NPR hosted chat room was shut down, and we lost track of the New Journolisters.

Recently, however, the New Journolisters and our cracker-jack investigative journalism team stumbled into one another again. It seems the New Journolisters are chatting it up again – on a server belonging to Obama For America (OFA). What they didn’t know is we have placed an entry level IT geek on the OFA staff, who is willing to do our bidding for a limitless supply of free Xbox games.

Herewith is a recent discussion thread.

==

Ezra Klein: A principled conservative black man is now the GOP primary front runner. This could be an absolute disaster.

Joe Klein: If we lose the black community our only captive constituencies will be ditzy pseudo-socialites, overeducated pseudo-intellectuals, and illegals. Ideas?

Spencer Ackerman: Smash him through a plate glass window!

David Wiegel: Lynch the teabagging race traitor!

Jeffrey Toobin: Come on, guys, this is serious. Cain has a real tax reform plan. With details we can attack. A real tactical mistake on his part. Let’s get to work.

Jonathan Cohn: Let’s mock the 9-9-9 as 6-6-6. That should get under the skin of the religious right.

Paul Krugman: I ran some calculations and 6-6-6 is actually a lower effective tax rate than 9-9-9. This line of attack might backfire because it could become popular with the public.

David Brooks: I looked up his educational credentials on the Internet. Nothing from the Ivy League – we need to tar him as not belonging to the educated class.

Eugene Robinson: No, better to attack him as not really black.

Maureen Dowd: That might backfire too. Unlike Obama, both of Cain’s parents are really black.

Joe Klein: I think we’re stuck on this one, let’s move on to something else and come back to this later.

Ezra Klein: Good idea fake dad (/sarc). What can we do to pump up OccupyWallStreet?

Spencer Ackerman: We should arrange to have an occupier jump through a plate glass window, and blame the cops.

David Wiegel: No, blame a teabagger! Sarah Palin!

Jeffrey Toobin: Has anybody actually gone down there and talked to somebody?

Maureen Dowd: Ick!

Eugene Robinson: Too many white people. It scares me.

David Brooks: I haven’t seen a single photo of anybody with a decent pants crease. No way I’m talking to anybody that looks like that.

Edward T. Hall III: Help us!

Joe Klein: We need to move on, folks.

Ezra Klein: How do we help defuse the ‘Fast and Furious’ scandal?

Spencer Ackerman: Smash Darrell Issa through a plate glass window!

David Wiegel: Claim we can trace all the guns to Sarah Palin's church!

Eugene Robinson: Spin Issa as a racist for investigating Eric Holder.

Jonathan Cohn: Spin Issa as homophobic for not investigating Barney Frank.

Maureen Dowd: Spin Issa as misogynistic for not investigating Nancy Pelosi.

David Brooks: I found out from the Internet that Issa dropped out of high school. Let’s take the educated class angle.

Paul Krugman: Easy! It was just stimulus for Mexico. It would have worked if we had only spent more!

Mr. Soros: Damn it! I’m shutting this thing down right now!

BREAKING: LibertyAtStake Opens Online Store

2011-10-15T20:59:00.005-04:00

(AP ) - Jack Wiley Dithers Reporting.

Our cracker-jack investigative journalism team learned today the conservative blogger known as LibertyAtStake has opened an online store to peddle cheap merchandise for profit. One of our investigators was moonlighting as a grounds keeper at the Cameron Run Regional Park miniature golf course in Alexandria, VA – when he overheard LAS say to his son “soon we join the one percent, boy.” This investigator, obviously with a well-tuned ear, contacted me immediately via mobile telephonic device, and I quickly leapt at the opportunity. I contacted our mutual friend Francis Charles Hamilton via landline (the anachronistic bastard), and I thusly discovered LAS’ whereabouts this week. Armed with this knowledge, I was able to arrange an interview with LAS.

==

[begin: interview]

JWD: So, why did you decide to monetize the blog?
LAS: What, do you think I’m doing this for my health? Do you think this is some kind of socialist utopia, or something?

JWD: Oh, I see you’re in a crappy mood tonight. Let’s just do the interview, OK?
LAS: Alright.

JWD: Why did you choose CafePress as the online store service?
LAS: Well, I test drove Zazzle and CafePress. It was a quick decision for me … quite simply, the CafePress user experience was a lot better. Either I was drunk test driving Zazzle, and sober test driving CafePress – or CafePress really is better. Either way, CafePress works for me.

JWD: What do you have on the online store?
LAS: A lot of cheap crap with my branding.

JWD: What the hell is wrong with you tonight?
LAS: Let’s just do the interview, OK?

JWD: Have you previously sought revenue with the blog project?
LAS: Well, quite awhile ago I installed a PayPal tip jar bleg. But none of my readers hit it. The tight bastards. So, I figured maybe some of them would part with a couple sheckles if they got a cheap tee-shirt out of the deal.

JWD: Do you have any complaints about CafePress? As if ..
LAS: Well, yeah! I filled in my shopkeeper bio - all complete and everything - LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogspot - you name it. I even clicked that sidebar inclusion checkbox thingee. Still can't see the bio in the online store. It's really pissing me off.

JWD: Uhhhh … Why is your blog so awesome?
LAS: Oh, I see you’ve finally gotten to the list of interview questions I faxed you. And look, I’m already late for my next appointment. You’ve wasted my time again, Dithers.

[end: interview]

==

Click here for LAS’ awesome new online store.

==

Update 10/16/2011

9:07 pm

Just seen on the Daily Caller site. LAS hopes (assumes) CafePress's intentions are pure.

Newton's Three Laws (Part 22)

2011-10-10T22:17:00.011-04:00

LAS is going all abstract on this one. Because as my A.D.D. generation 13 year old often tells me: words hurt the brain. And not only do I desire contemporaneous mass success amongst the A.D.D. generation with this project - but, more importantly, I want my kids to be able to understand at least part of the archive later in life.

==

Prologue to the Great Looney Left Occupation of October 2011...

==

More like "Release the flea-bitten mangy mutts" ...

==

Epilogue to the Great Looney Left Occupation of October 2011...

Well, actually it’s far from over at this point. Barry’s Bolshevik Brigade (hat tip Chris Plante) will not be discouraged by witnessing the utter failure of its first assault wave. Because remember: the Left never, ever, relinquishes political power willingly.

These lunatics still have cards in the deck yet un-played.

For example, they have not yet turned loose their union thugs on the streets. This is now practically inevitable – and those nut jobs are far more muscular and much more determined to create true mayhem. When Barry releases these berserkers there will be a serious turning point where the nation’s cops have to choose between law and order vs. union sympathies. I trust the cops will choose wisely.

Then there is the martial law play called for by the blueprint written by Cloward-Piven, Ayers, et. al. With an all volunteer citizen armed force this play stands zero chance of succeeding. Which will not necessarily prevent them from trying. Because remember: the Left never, ever, relinquishes political power willingly.

Footnote

And they all think they are so damn smart. Like the creepy guy who parked outside my house yesterday afternoon with MD plates 7FX K68 apparently trying to break into my home wi-fi network. And the even creepier dude with VA plates FDP1PR doing the same this evening. GLWT, pathetic little script kiddies.

Update 10/12/11

OccupyLA trotted out the "Most Interesting Man In the World" (Dos Equis beer commercial reference) for a rousing socialist revolutionary rant.

Update 10/13/2011

You just had to know Camp Stinky on Wall Street would have connections to George Soros ...

Also ... it rained like hell in DC today, but I worked at home, so I have no first hand knowledge yet of the storm's effects on Camp Stinky at Freedom Plaza or Camp Stinky at McPherson Square. I'll try to launch an investigation in my spare time tomorrow while in the office.

Update 10/14/2011

One final update to cap off the week before we move on to other topics ...
And the winner of the coveted award as OccupyWallStreet's telethon poster child ... drum roll please ... is this sad lunatic.

10/15/2011

And here's a full bio on the poor, downtrodden fellow.

10/19/2011

Off the Snark U. roll and into the archivable post. Just for future historians. Click the pic.

10/20/2011

More occupation nuttiness for the historical record.

OccupyDC: The Blackberry Photo Essay

2011-10-08T08:28:00.005-04:00

Photos: October 7, 2011

Simply because it was a fine afternoon (weather wise), I needed to decompress from two solid hours of meetings, I live in a fantastic society where virtually everyone carries a telephone with a built-in camera, and there was a gathering mere blocks away the biased MSM assured me was 'historic.'

Freedom Plaza at approximately 1:15 pm - which I would have thought would be prime rantin' time ...

East to West on Freedom Plaza - I was hoping for more lunatics.

This elderly moonbat agreed to pose for me taking a photo of the young moonbat photographing her. I wonder what she thinks of the system that generated the standard of living that made this possible. She thanked me for covering the event. I don't think she'll appreciate the coverage much.

West to east on Freedom Plaza. While I was snapping the photo, I overheard one of the moonbats state she needed to find a bank. What kind of candy-ass radical does business with the enemy, anyway?

The only other moonabt gaggle (you know, aside from the usual DC fauna) I saw on the return walk was camped out at 15th and K streets. Perhaps they received faulty maps from the organizers. They were doing that odd repetitive chant thing we've seen them do across the country recently. One of the moonbats explained to me it is "the People's microphone" - designed to amplify a message across distance. More proof they really do want us living a stone age standard of living. And besides, I didn't see anybody around who gave a sh*t that couldn't hear the originating speaker just fine.

Footnote

And, of course, Newton Part 22 is literally writing itself as these moonbats fan out across the country in tiny, easily dissected, bands. My personal favorite is "OccupyCincinnati" - can't wait for Les Nessman's report.

Update 10/8/2011

It now looks like the nuttiest occupydc moonbats were resting up yesterday ... apparently in order to mount a crazed assault on the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.

The American Spectator has a fantastic same day 'Gonzo' piece.

Do not forget how I began this line of inquiry a couple of weeks ago ... The Left never, ever, reliquishes political power willingly.

Update 10/10/11

A new work week, and more data on Barry's little class warfare gambit.

I noticed during my brief lunch break that the small band camping out at 15th and K Streets was still blighting the scenery. I spoke with a few of them. Let me first say I must give them high marks for politeness. But also low marks for a very tenuous grasp on how the world works. Overall, I’d have to say the vibe was very similar to a Boy Scout camp out, to be perfectly honest.

So, I guess the Washington Examiner’s reporter Timothy P. Carney is correct that the true Marxist believers are concentrated on Wall Street. Sounds to me like a chance to round them all up on the cheap.

Also, the other sign that Barry’s little class warfare gambit is a gigantic fail … today was a federal holiday - and I didn’t see one single bureau-weenie out there showing solidarity with the occupiers.

Automatic Promotion

2011-10-04T19:21:00.001-04:00

Deserving of immediate archivable post status.

Iffin' you get it, go do it.

And the next movement ...

Newton's Three Laws (Part 21)

2011-10-02T12:53:00.006-04:00

Part 21 of the Newtonian series became necessary when I realized I had given short shrift to a key idea in Part 20. After writing “…the problem for the republic is the Left never, ever, relinquishes political power willingly,” I turned the corner very quickly to optimism about the ultimate outcome of the republic’s fight to beat back the scourge of Progressivism. Yes, LAS does indeed stipulate the 2012 election cycle is nearly certain to bring a new dawn of national prosperity, pride, and optimism - all by virtue of simply running the corrupt Progressive gang out of DC. This certainty, however, is based on an underlying assumption. This assumption is that the American people are up to enduring one hell of a fight to remove the Left’s current grip on DC power. Glossing over this assumption in Part 20 was kind of like skipping directly to planning the victory parade, without first drawing up a battle plan. My mistake. Because, repeat it once again with me, “the Left never, ever, relinquishes political power willingly.”

You can be absolutely certain the Community-Agitator-In-Chief now serving as the Left’s titular head is hell bent on retaining his power. After alienating all but his hard Left base with his corrupt and incompetent governance, the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama now has no choice but to run hard and fast off the edge of the electoral cliff - surrounded by his most loyal, chanting point screaming, totally unhinged, irredeemably Progressive adherents. Barry is determined to go down in a blaze of Leftist public display of insanity, and he has kicked off his Magical Agitation Tour to ensure this outcome. If all goes according to plan, history could very well get the first POTUS impeached for ‘disturbing the peace.’

==

Barry’s Magical Agitation Tour

The ‘Community Organizer’ America elected POTUS in 2008 is fulfilling the old saw “be careful what you ask for, you might get it.” Barry has decided the best strategery (sic) available to him for 2012 re-election is to do what Community Organizers do best – rile up malcontents and put them in the street to be public nuisances.

Speaking to the Congressional Black Caucus – he instructed his street zombies to "put on their marchin’ shoes" – code for get out there and raise some hell for Barry.

While raising funds in California for this contemptible campaign plan, he leveled the veiled threat “[my way or] we’re gonna have problems.” Gee, what kind of problems would those be, Barry?

When Barry took the Magical Agitation Tour to Florida, he tried to subliminally boost morale among his street zombies by reassuring them the rest of us have grown ‘soft.’

==

The Hard Left is Already Answering the Call

Barry’s street zombies are answering the muster call. But before I present the recent proof of this, let us review just how batshit crazy these people are, by taking a quick stroll through the J.A.U.L. Gallery I am now certain is just getting under way. Click the graphic …

The most recent addition concerns these mindless idiots taking the standard Leftist call and response chant to new levels of stupidity.

These nut jobs are the shock troopers that will launch wildly into the ‘Progressive October Offensive’ one of Barry’s chief lieutenants – Van Jones – told us about on the program of one of Barry’s MSM lackeys – Lawrence O’Donnell.

They’ve already made a continuing general nuisance of themselves in Manhattan.

They’ve made their hateful presence known in Boston.

We’ve already seen what mayhem the more aggressive union thug subspecies of JAUL is capable of creating on the docks.

And, apparently, beginning this coming Thursday, this mindless rabble will begin assembling in DC just a few blocks walk from where LAS toils in obscurity for meager pay.

==

Sunlight is the Best Disinfectant

So, how successful will these malcontents be? LAS confidently predicts the manic efforts of these malcontents will be highly annoying, somewhat destructive, and utterly in vain to their intended purposes. The JAUL will be a very demoralized and disappointed creature one year hence.

How do I know? Point 1: Louis Brandeis laid down the philosophical foundation with his famous quote “sunlight is the best disinfect” – meaning, of course, exposing chicanery to transparency is always its undoing. Point 2: We live in the newly dawning age of social media – I think I covered that sufficiently in Part 20. Point 3: They (the Left) are who they are, which means they are definitely not you (the vast majority of Americans).

The corrupt and biased MSM will ignore point 1, and seek to subvert their access to old media to obscure point 3. Their efforts will be fruitless because you now have access to the new media availed by point 2, allowing you to bypass those sclerotic dinosaurs in the MSM.

Let the chaos begin so we can finally be done with it. It's what your Agitator-In-Chief wants.

Footnotes

Signs the Conservative Ascendancy is in good fighting trim ...

Gallup demonstrates that the American public, by a three to one margin, distrust the very thing Barry and his corrupt gang of malcontents seek to impose more of on you - gub'ment control.

Who knew there was even such a thing as "Berkeley College Republicans"? (Yet we always did know irony is lost on Leftists, didn't we?)

And finally, slightly off topic yet very indicative of what we're dealing with: I tried to warn the establishment GOP the uber duper commission is a Leftist trap.

Guess who LAS is, and who the establishment GOP operatives are, in this classic Python clip.

Update 10/3/2011

And the biased MSM template is ... drum roll please ... false equivalency with the TEA Party movement. (The scorecard for arrests is all it will take to blow that one out of the water.)

Commentapalooza III

2011-09-30T21:34:00.000-04:00

Never fear, loyal readers, Newton (Part 21) is well along in draft. Barry made certain of that by kicking off his Magical Agitation Tour.

However, my muse has been taking a lot of naps lately – the lazy bastard. Which means Part 21 is solidly stuck in draft at the moment. So, to keep up my established pace of 1.6 posts per week (on average with a 0.6 standard deviation), we can enjoy falling back on the “commentapalooza” format together. As a refresher, this is where I simply aggregate LAS comment board snark that has generated traffic back to this site, with aging equal to or greater than 90 days. It’s good to have a cheesy format to fall back on when the muse is slacking off – that’s called ‘economy of scale,’ kiddies. The last two times, I ordered the presentation chronologically. This time … no, I don’t think so - too much work. It’s Friday night, after all.

==

LAS wonders what’s taking the House so long to draft the articles.

The Left always picks such pathetically useless fights, don’t they?

LAS calls out Bill Ayers.

Boob. Belt.

Mataconis is still an idiot.

LAS recalls the Incredible Collapsing Pro-Life Democrat.

And then she talked … damn it!

How’s that ‘Arab Spring’ workin’ out fer ya?

Daddy was a cop, you know.

2010 prelude to Barry’s Magical Agitation Tour.

So, how’s that ‘Arab Spring’ workin’ out fer ya?

Newton’s Three Laws (Part 20)

2011-09-22T20:36:00.002-04:00

The recent avalanche of political news is all good, as far as this humble blog project is concerned. Progressive (statist) policy is predictably collapsing, progressive (statist) street agitation is somehow also failing pathetically, progressive (statist) use of social media is a subject of mockery, and liberty loving conservatives are doing the mocking. LibertyAtStake approves. LAS also sees a trend obviously worthy of his Newtonian political observation series. Hell, even James Carville is advising the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama that it is time to ‘panic.’ How much more obvious could it get than that?

==

I wrote the following into my 1/28/2010 post, when Scott Brown – a politician with an (R) after his name – was elected by Massachusetts of all states, to sit in Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, of all seats. (*footnote 1)

The wheels are coming off for the Obama administration. The wheels are coming off for the Democrat party. The wheels are coming off for the regulatory/campus/newsroom complex. The wheels are coming off for the American Progressive project.

And now 20 more months into the undeniably disastrous and failed Obama experiment, who can deny my foresight?

==

The American Progressive Left’s canon of policy positions has proven to be an utter disaster for the republic.

The biggest dose of Keynesian stimulus economics in history has given us long term structural unemployment stuck at 9-10% and quarterly GDP growth that can barely be measured in what is now officially called a “slow recovery,” but will be recognized as a double dip recession soon enough.

They are engaged in a mad rush to alienate as many American citizens as possible - with the suffocating regulatory regime they are force-feeding to an unwilling private sector. When they had control of both houses of congress, they shoved ObamaCare down our throats like a frontier mother may have forced castor oil into a resisting infant. When they lost absolute control of congress in the 2010, they hardly missed a beat in pivoting to producing a blizzard of restrictive regulations from faceless and unaccountable bureaucracies with three letter acronyms like EPA, HHS, FDA, ad nauseum.

The composite of their foreign and military policies is rapidly yielding the most dangerous and unstable world in living memory. A world in which the crescent and star of radical Islamic jihad is on the rise, nuclear armed, and in control of more than one nation-state.

Victor Davis Hanson, who does this sort of thing professionally, has written the political obituary.

And most telling, these Leftists can’t even organize a decent street demonstration anymore. This used to be their core competency. Yet, the so-called ‘Day of Rage’ on Wall Street last weekend looked to LAS more like a production of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar.’ With a small cast.

==

People are noticing.

The people in Queens, New York have noticed sufficiently to elect a politician with an (R) after his name - in the district formerly represented by Progressive hero Anthony “seven inch” Weiner and various other Democrats for 93 solid years.

The people in Washoe County, Nevada have noticed sufficiently to give a politician with an (R) after his name a ten point victory. Ten points in a congressional election is roughly equivalent to a 10-0 score in baseball, just as a reference point.

Nationwide, even a clear majority of the clueless independents whose judgment this blog has expended so much energy fretting about have rejected the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama.

==

Mission Accomplished?

No, I don’t think so - the problem for the republic is the Left never, ever, relinquishes political power willingly. I also doubt the nationwide gaggle of clueless independents actually gets it’s the message (Progressivism) and not the messenger (Obama) that plaques the republic.

So, the epic battle to save the republic from the bankrupt ideology of American Progressivism carries on, verily even quickens despite the utter collapse of the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama.

The generally upbeat and humorous editors of the American Spectator have forwarded to me this advice on the 37 things I should be hoarding to survive the coming collision. Yikes! And the earnest proprietors at World Net Daily assume I could benefit from instructional videos on the topic of handgun use. Hmmmm. It seems some think we are headed for a ‘Road Warriors’ existence in the very near future. If so, LAS will miss the top shelf beer.

But I don’t really think so. I honestly believe we are living through the opening stages of a great Conservative Ascendancy – with a distinctly libertarian flavor. This libertarian conservative moment is an explosive revival of the very same First Amendment Rham Emanuel told us in 2009 was overrated.

Rham Emanuel is a statist, so naturally he would find the individual liberties guaranteed to citizens in the First Amendment “overrated.” These liberties represent an inconvenience to the implementation of the statist’s collectivist, centrally planned, utopian fantasies.

And when you are a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Which brings me to social media – the greatest enabler of liberty since the printing press.

The statists running the administration of BHO and his corrupt gang of Progressives – quite idiotically – have always viewed social media as a tool for centrally orchestrating armies of political operatives with an “inside-out” command driven propaganda model. They are right insofar as sheeples previously enslaved as serfs within the statist model will comply with the orders they receive from their social media talking points.

What the statists never counted on is the power of social media to bind together the vast numbers of misfits who are generally inclined to go their own way. Without social media, these liberty loving individualists are a collection of unrelated individuals. With social media, they are able to bind together in their common interest of pushing back against the statist’s threats to their collective right to individual liberty.

I offer as proof of my thesis the brand new YouTube channel “Misfit Politics.” First of all, the name grabbed me right away. How could I not take immediate notice of something that combined two of my favoritest all-time entertainment options: [1] The Kinks (1978 album = “Misfits”) and [2] Politics (continuous loop = “Send In the Clowns”)?

And these guys (and/or gals), whoever they are, have real talent. So much talent, LAS has seen fit to add them to my video roll immediately upon viewing their 3 maiden efforts.

||||

LAS believes Misfit Politics has a bright future in the Conservative Ascendancy - in humiliating and mocking statists. The noted statist Saul Alinksy would be proud of the means, if not the ends.

Footnote 1

Today’s hijinks from the statist assigned to the task of reclaiming Teddy Kennedy’s seat from Scott Brown ... Elizabeth Warren ... who made the idiotic mistake in the age of social media of assuming she could deliver red meat to a friendly crowd without anyone else seeing her do it. GLWT Lizzie.

Update 9/24/11

It would appear Elizabeth Warren isn't the only Leftist "economist" who wants to confiscate more of your wealth ...via a plan to nationalize private retirement funds... and it seems BHO and his corrupt gang of Progressives were in on the heist when they drafted their 2010 budget.

Update 9/25/11

Dear Leader is unhappy with these developments.

#ATTACKJWD

2011-09-16T22:19:00.003-04:00

On the heels of their shrewd launch of the attackwatch.com site, Obama For America (OFA) has upped the ante.

OFA campaign manager Jim Messina sent out the following fundraising email to OFA supporters today.

Friends –

This week’s attackwatch.com launch has proven to be an unprecedented success story in the annals of grass roots citizen involvement. Your involvement progresses the progressive march toward economic, social, racial, environmental, and every other kind of justice we can make up. You have helped us harness the power of social media, to enable OFA zombies like you to be our network of informants on our political enemies. And not only are you unpaid for your services to Obama, but you are actually willing to send us money for the privilege. Obama is so thrilled with your service to him, he has decided to eat rubber chicken with a select few of you, as his way of saying thank you.

As all of our OFA friends know, the frantic march toward progressive justices never stops. You made the Twitter hashtag #ATTACKWATCH a national story instantly upon launch. To follow up on this unprecedented success, we here at the OFA Central Planning Committee have naturally come up with something else for you to do for us. Our philosophical visionary, Saul Alinsky, taught us with his rule 8 – “attack, attack, attack” and his rule 12 – “polarize and freeze the target” that we must assassinate individual characters. Therefore, over the coming days we will be astro-turfing new Twitter hashtags you can use to swarm over individually chosen conservatives.

The first test run will be #ATTACKJWD. Now get those Twitter thumbs loose and pound it out on Jack Wiley Dithers, that contemptible conservative contributor to the amazingly annoying blog LibertyAtStake!

YIKES! OFA’s zombie army is pointed right at the beloved inspirational leader of our crackerjack investigative journalism team, here at our humble little blog! Here’s a sample of the hurtful comments we’ve already seen on the #ATTACKJWD feed.

#ATTACKJWD Dithers subscribed to Journolist before he wrote about it. http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/2010/11/jack-wiley-dithers-exclusive-new.html
Tweeted by: Ezra Klein

Jack Wiley Dithers almost never has a crease in his pants. The #ATTACKJWD vulgarian!
Tweeted by: David Brooks

JWD is a slimy hypocrite. Supports #ATTACKJWD Defense of Marriage Act, yet still runs that tingle up my leg.
Tweeted by: Chris Matthews

If #ATTACKJWD LAS doesn’t fire JWD immediately, I’m moving to France!
Tweeted by: Alec Baldwin

I once saw a copy of #ATTACKJWD Milton Friedman’s “Capitalism and Freedom” on Dithers’ book shelf. He must be arrested immediately.
Tweeted by: Paul Krugman

Dithers is a #ATTACKJWD thief. He stole my copy of the Democrat 2010 campaign strategy book. http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/2010/09/campaign-strategy-exclusive-jack-wiley.html
Tweeted by: Joe Biden

JWD is worserer than the #ATTACKJWD worserest person on Earth. Ever.
Tweeted by: Keith Olbermann

Dithers is a slave labor capitalist - never #ATTACKJWD pays his sources.
Tweeted by: Arianna Huffington

I heard a rumor Dithers once owned a #ATTACKJWD corporate jet. The #ATTACKJWD bastard!
Tweeted by: Ed Schultz

I overheard Dithers saying his favorite political philosopher is #ATTACKJWD DWM John Locke.
Tweeted by: Anita Dunn

Dithers once visited the estates of #ATTACKJWD slave-owners Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
Tweeted by: Van Jones

JWD sympathizes with #ATTACKJWD TEA Party movement. This makes him a domestic terrorist. He must be arrested now.
Tweeted by: Bill Ayers

When we briefed Mr. Dithers on this deeply unsettling development, finding him at his usual 7 pm Friday location – the National Press Club bar – he calmly set down his bourbon and soda and proceeded to tweet the following:

#ATTACKJWD GFY OFA.

Footnote 1

'Jack Wiley Dithers' is a “phonetic” pseudonym, inspired by Barack Hussein Obama’s 2009 decision process regarding troop levels in Afghanistan. I couldn't come up with anything better of an equal or greater length.

Footnote 2

In the pseudo-tweets above, replace the #ATTACKJWD hashtag with your favorite expletive for advanced reading.

Three Laws of Motion (Part 19) … Make It the Newtonian Stupid or Treasonous Edition … No, Let’s Do E2E!

2011-09-10T20:33:00.000-04:00

It was difficult deciding how to properly treat Barry’s Big J-O-B-S speech of September 8, 2011 in the context of this blog. The epic train wreck that was History’s Most Ill-Conceived Address to a Joint Session of Congress generated a limitless supply of potential energy for political satire.

This momentous failure of executive governance certainly did fit as the next installment – Part 19 to be precise – of the Contemporary Politics and Newton’s Three Law’s of Motion series. Future historians will mark this speech as the opening shot of the last stand for the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama. The Dow’s 300 point plunge the very next day – to below the psychologically important 11,000 mark – is just the tip of the iceberg. The Dow will probably right itself, but it’s highly negative 24 hour reaction to Barry’s empty speechification will be matched by a precipitous decline in voter approval for BHO, which will never again recover.

Then, of course, there is the question that still nags at the national conscience – "is BHO intentionally wrecking the whole damn place?" Nobody capable of getting elected POTUS could be this stupid, could they? This question obviously made it a potential fit as the next installment in my Stupid or Treasonous series … except I’ve already settled on Treasonous. See the writings and actions of Saul Alinksy, Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, Van Jones, and numerous other criminal and radical BHO associates for my evidentiary submission.

So, moving on to new, recently established, literary horizons on this blog … with thanks to OpenCongress.org for generating many dozens of hits on this blog (yes, literally dozens I tell you!) … and thus reminding me of the English-To-English (E2E) format … as well as ABC News for providing the complete transcript (not a half bad transcription for the corrupt and biased MSM, there's hope yet) … I give you the E2E translation of History’s Most Ill-Conceived Address to a Joint Session of Congress.

==

We continue to face an economic crisis that has left millions of our neighbors jobless, and a political crisis that has made things worse.

E2E: We continue to face an economic crisis that has been extended by my rigidly ideological policies, and a political crisis that has been deepened by my rigid ideological intransigence.

But the millions of Americans who are watching right now: they don't care about politics.

E2E: I’m counting on bamboozling millions of clueless independents tonight.

And they know that Washington hasn't always put their interests first.

E2E: I am hoping tonight I can convince millions of clueless independents to adopt Washington as their savior.

There are steps we can take right now to improve people's lives.

E2E: You can count on me going directly into campaign mode to whip up my lunatic base into pressuring you pass my Progressive program.

There should be nothing controversial about this piece of legislation.

E2E:

And everything in this bill will be paid for. Everything.

It will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans, and more jobs for the long-term unemployed.

E2E: Unions and the desperate are my natural constituency. This is their payoff with the expectation I will receive their votes.

You should pass this jobs plan right away.

E2E: Nobody can mobilize chaos and anarchy like the unions and the desperate – under proper Democrat guidance of course. (That's a threat in case you're slow on the uptake)

So for everyone who speaks so passionately about making life easier for "job creators," this plan is for you.

E2E: Political Grandstanding, Class warfare, Redistribution, yattee-yatta-yatta, chirp chirp chirp, wah-wah-wah …

This approach is basically the one I've been advocating for months

E2E: Damn that Paul Ryan for making this a serious national discussion.

==

Oh, look on the big screen … are you ready for some football!?

==

Footnote 1

A few slightly more serious reactions to was History’s Most Ill-Conceived Address to a Joint Session of Congress from around the blogosphere …

Flopping Aces compares Barry's Empty Speechification to various GOP responses.

Maggie Thornton Reports Rove's Reaction (Pretty Good For Rove)

Kudlow on Obama (Like Plato on Curly)

The starched shirts at 214 Mass Ave Opine (Always Useful If Boring)

Footnote 2

Meanwhile, in other news of the week concerning the administration of BHO and his corrupt gang of Progressives …

The 'Arab Spring' is headed on rails toward 'Islamist Hell'

The Army of Hoffa, Trumka, Obama, Soros, LLC is on the march ...

Keep your powder dry, Patriots.

Quickie Analysis: Barry’s Big J-O-B-S Speech of 2011

2011-09-08T20:13:00.001-04:00

Far too big a train wreck for the amateur blogger to fully address tonight. First and foremost – it was the same old Barry. Sanctimonious. Arrogant. Duplicitous. Assumptive. Insulting to the reasonable mind. Heavy Handed. LEFT WING PARTISAN TO THE CORE. My very next post will address the matter in detail. But now is not the right time to do this epic train wreck justice . My day at the day job (glad to have it) was particularly “interesting” today – six hours in one planning meeting, with all the 3D chess horse trading, plus all the usual shtuff (sic) that comes with the day job. I need a rest.

I came into my viewership of the speech with the following prequel prepared. “xx” represents numeric placeholders pending further factual research. Underlines are indicators to go find links for support.

Warm Beer and Cold Pizza … “The Breakfast of Champions”

That’s what Barry’s Big J-O-B-S speech of September 8, 2011 was. After partying it up, Keynesian style, with Stimulus I (trillion dollar crap sandwich), ObamaCare (trillion dollar side of fries), xx % growth in federal spending (straight bourbon), xx% growth in national debt (straight scotch), and xx% growth in federal regulations (six pack of beer) – Barry gave us nothing but Keynesian leftovers to counter the hangover of the worst-economic-recovery-ehah caused by his Keynesian bacchanalia. It will be as unsatisfying to the national J-O-B-S economy as the “Breakfast of Champions,” defined by this post title, is to the human constitution.

He called it the “American Jobs Act.” It will turn out to be anything but. Its’ recipe consists of equal parts Big Labor payoff and sophomoric political gamesmanship. The price tag - Four Hundred BILLION Dollars more of Keynesian nonsense – is the Big Labor Payoff. The optics and stage handling is the political gamesmanship – typically played too smart by half on the part of the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama.

Fairly predictive, if I don’t say so myself. Note to self - I will need to emphasize the sophomoric political gamesmanship angle more in the proper post.

Bottom Line: If you pay attention to American politics … mark tonight as the “beginning of the end” for the Empty Suit Known as Barack Hussein Obama. If you don’t pay attention to American politics…start, it gets really (and I mean really) interesting now. You will have a different POTUS come January 2013, that much is certain. How we get there is going to be the "interesting" part.

Jack Wiley Dithers Exclusive: Heads Exploding Across DC

2011-09-02T12:01:00.004-04:00

Our cracker-jack investigative journalism team has begun an investigation into a mysterious outbreak of exploding heads in the District of Columbia.

On August 10, witnesses saw a burly man wearing a purple “SEIU” tee shirt wander out of AFL-CIO headquarters and into traffic on 16th Street, NW. Just before he was struck by a Smart Car traveling at a high rate of speed, his head exploded. The Smart Car was totaled. The driver escaped with only a few broken bones.

An attractive young lady strolling through the Botanical Gardens on August 12 caused quite a stir amongst the nearby tourists, when her head exploded all over one of the glass walls. This young lady has been identified as a lobbyist for the Planned Parenthood organization. She had just left a meeting at Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) headquarters.

An unidentified headless body, wearing a hand tailored Brooks Brothers suit with a “Sí, se puede” button on the left lapel, was found on G street, near 18th street, just a couple of blocks from the White House, early in the morning hours of Sunday, August 14.

During the evening commute of August 15 there was a multi-car pile-up on Southbound I-95 just outside the city in Lorton, VA. One of our investigators has learned the lead car in this pile-up was a Prius with an Obama 2012 sticker on its bumper, and the driver was found to be headless.

Late in the evening of August 18, the headless body of a young female professional was found at S. Capitol Street and L Street, SW. Police initially assumed they were dealing with a flash mob assault incident (Navy Yard neighborhood, ‘nuff said). The investigation remains open with no real leads except an unused Washington Nationals ticket for that evening’s game and a Democrat National Committee (DNC) identification badge found in the young lady’s purse.

The downtown lunch hour on August 22 was punctuated by the explosion of a head belonging to a man wearing an off-the rack Macy’s suit, while he was in a coffee shop on 15th and M streets, NW. Patrons were forced to pick up their laptops and trudge to one of the six other coffee shops with wi-fi service on an adjacent block. The man whose head exploded has since been identified as a blog editor on the Washington Post payroll.

The evening commute of August 24 was marred by the exploding head of a high level State Department official assigned to Hillary Clinton’s staff. He was making his way up the broken escalator at the Metro Red Line’s Tenleytown station.

On August 26, a man later identified as a staffer for Senator Schumer (D-NY) shocked witnesses by wandering into the Reflecting Pool at high noon, just before his head exploded. The pool had to be drained and scrubbed afterward.

At approximately 10 am on August 30, a man created a Hazmat emergency when his head exploded all over the pastries in the Au-Bon-Pain store located on the corner of Vermont Avenue and L Street, NW. This man has been identified as an Obama political appointee assigned to DHS in a nearby building.

==

I sensed there was a pattern connecting these supposedly unrelated incidents, but couldn’t quite put my finger on the common thread connecting them. So last evening I paid a visit to the most learned man I know in order to discuss this matter.

I explored this matter with my host – Francis Charles Hamilton, Doctor of Pontification. During the course of the erudite conversation we enjoyed my host’s dry gin and tonic water – sometimes even mixed together in the same tumbler.

I had come to the right place. Dr. Hamilton has had prior experience with the common cause of these incidents. He identified the malady as Sudden Onset Cognitive Dissonance Syndrome (SOCDS). SOCDS strikes committed political ideologues when real world events rapidly contradict all of the assumptions and conclusions of their ideology. Most susceptible to SOCDS are ideologues that have constructed their entire identity around, and poured all of their hopes into, the ideology. When the ideology collapses, the victim has nothing left to anchor them to reality. Dr. Hamilton was renting a Moscow apartment during the period 1988 – 1990, strictly for classified business, and was therefore privileged to be a witness to the last recorded widespread outbreak of SOCDS.

When stricken by SOCDS, the victim quickly spirals into a trap of the victim’s own lifelong making. The victim attempts to rationalize the onrushing wave of real world events contradicting the ideology using only the rigid assumptions, conclusions, and memes provided to them by their ideology. The maze of contradictions thereby produced within the brain that has been wired by a life exclusively devoted to the ideology generates something akin to the venerable Hollywood device of a computerized robot melting down on a logical fallacy. Such as in this Star Trek episode or this South Park clip.

In the spirit of public service, our cracker-jack investigative journalism team has initiated a campaign to elevate the readiness posture for FEMA and several local emergency response agencies as we approach the 2012 election cycle.

Update 9/4

Still breaking …

The mid morning peace of September 1 was disturbed by a young lady riding one of those ‘Wicked Witch of the West’ bicycles supplied by the DC Bikeshare program. While riding along Woodley Road, NW, the young lady’s head was launched onto the ~~Hurricane Irene~~ earthquake damaged parapet of the National Cathedral. She was wearing a tee-shirt with the slogan “Green is Sexy.”

Treasured works of art were forever lost on September 2, when a man identified as a staffer to the Council of Economic Advisors was strolling through the National Museum of Women in the Arts. He succumbed to the final stages of SOCDS while enjoying the artistic treasures assembled before him.

Update 9/6/2011

And the outbreak continues ...

Organic food lovers on Capitol Hill were sent into a panic this morning when a the head of a Politico reporter exploded all over the fresh produce offered by the Eastern Market. Several organic egg aficianados were forced to compromise their principles - by consuming for breakfast eggs from a local super market that may have been dropped by hens fed fish oil. The horror!

In a Democracy, The People Get The Government They Deserve

2011-08-27T19:41:00.005-04:00

The post title is one my favorite all time quotes. It is the perfectly pithy expression of my own thoughts and feelings about the non-stop clown parade the American people seem content to send to the nation’s capital every election cycle. This simple ten word sentence is also positively dripping with sarcasm, which any reader of this blog will know would have made it an instant favorite of mine from the moment I bumped into it.

My first exposure to the quotation remains lost in the swirling mists of my personal memory. Whatever it was, the moment of exposure surely connected the quote to Alexis de Tocqueville – prominent 19th Century French politician and political scientist – because until today I was certain he was its’ author.

But today is the day I began researching the facts around fleshing out the general idea for this post. While I browsed the Intertubes for information on deTocqueville, I certainly did confirm, as expected, he was the author of the great work of political and social science that nailed a profound examination of the American character – Democracy In America (1835).

However, his connection to my beloved quote was severed by this:

The statement is often quoted as "In a democracy, people get the government they deserve," and often attributed to Alexis de Toqueville ... but it's hard to verify where he said it, and even whether he really did.
…
But I doubt that de Toqueville said it, simply because it doesn't sound like him. The tone of the remark is sarcastic or cynical, and de Toqueville's writings weren't like that. It wasn't his style.

Ack! (Bill the Cat) How could I have gone on for so long so mistaken? What failure of gub’ment education policy has allowed me to carry this ignominious badge of ignorance with me all my life! OK, I’m over it now.

==

I kind of remember asking in an earlier post something like “what the hell are these people thinking?” This question was re-constituted in my brain, courtesy of two recent polls local radio man Chris Plante discussed over the AM wavelength this past Thursday and Friday morning.

In the Thursday morning poll, a majority of Americans expressed, incredibly, the belief that deposed President George Walker Bush is more to blame for today’s economy than sitting President Barack Hussein Obama.

In the Friday Morning poll, at least half the country expresses the belief, incredibly, Martin Luther King’s dream of racial equality remains unrealized. Most interestingly, white Americans are slightly more pessimistic than black Americans on this question.

What the hell are these people thinking?

Well, upon long and careful consideration of this existential question – I, LibertyAtStake, have come up with a two part answer. Part 1 = The Power of Propaganda. Part 2 = White Guilt.

==

The Power of Propaganda

There is by now a very strong case to be made for a Leftist bias in today’s mainstream media (MSM). The case for MSM bias has been articulately made on this blog, if I don’t say so myself. I won’t belabor the point of this case. I will simply stipulate what should by now be obvious to the most casual observer – the MSM is actively working on behalf of the Progressive Left.

The agenda of the Progressive Left is, at rock bottom, an agenda of identity politics. The furtherance of this agenda involves the continuous stoking of divisions between wealth, gender, and race classes – with certain of those designated victim and ~~the~~ certain others designated oppressor.

The political party owned and operated by the Progressive Left is the Democrat Party. The Democrat Party’s well-heeled propaganda organ is the corrupt and biased MSM. Any American that is only getting his or her information from the corrupt and biased MSM has been barraged with a steady one-sided drum beat pounding home the Leftist agenda. The messaging for this agenda includes, among other things, the messages “George Bush evil” and “Blacks victim class.”

==

White Guilt

I’ve spent less time on this blog examining the effects of “white guilt” on today’s republic. I am not susceptible to its deleterious effects, as I was born into a low socio-economic status (as measured by the class warriors of the Left) and spent time as a toddler in one of LBJ’s housing projects. I clearly remember how George Wallace’s snarky label “limousine liberals” resonated with my parents, friends, and neighbors shortly after the family escaped said projects.

In the subsequent decades, however, I have become something of a bemused observer of privileged liberal whites seemingly willingly to turn off their cognitive functions when confronted by questions of race.

Take, for example, the legions of privileged white voters who were willing to suspend disbelief on a (non) record of (non)accomplishment coupled with a fully demonstrable record of radical associations for this numb nuts in 2008.

I tell the “victims” (full sarcasm entirely meant) of 2008’s outbreak of “white guilt” the only cure is affixing this bumper sticker to your Prius or Smart Car immediately.

Update 1/27/12

LAS has noticed a pattern of visits directly to this post, by Intertubes users searching on phrases closely approximating the post title. Therefore, since this post is apparently destined for Intertubes fame, I made a quick editorial pass to correct a couple of grammatical errors. My Grandmother apparently told my father a lot to wear clean underwear every day because you never know when you'll be in an accident and have to be picked up by an ambulance. Basically, I'm applying that advice toward cleaning up this post before it takes off into true Intertubes fame and fortune. And since I pride myself on remaining the Most Transparent Blog In History, the original errors remain with strikethrough notation.

Commentapalooza II

2011-08-20T22:02:00.001-04:00

Every serious blogger will use a real-time traffic analysis utility as a tool to acquire valuable feedback on how the marketplace of ideas known as the Intertubes is absorbing the incredibly important concepts the blogger has to express to the world at large. Some use something that goes by the name Site Meter, some use something called Get Clicky. My utility of choice is Feedjit. My selection process was very complicated and scientific. It was the first one I tried and it met my very basic requirements.

Feedjit allows me to see the general geographic locations of my visitors, and I have seen some interesting patterns.

For example, I believe I have seen a relatively high proportion of foreign national visits in relation to my relatively small total visit population. Especially since I configured the Blogger utility to focus on the continental US - "Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive."

I think - through observation, not precise measurement - a majority of the foreign visits come from foreign capitals. It gives me great satisfaction to know it's at least possible the Intertubes has given me a direct channel to dispensing advice to Benjamin Netanyahu or mocking taunts to Hugo Chavez.

Feedjit also affords me the opportunity to become aware of who seem to be the most regular visitors from our great republic to my humble little blog. Hello Glenwood, Maryland; Duluth, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; Phenix City, Alabama; Plano, Texas; Houston, Texas; Carlsbad, California; Eugene, Oregon; Vancouver, Washington; North Las Vegas, Nevada; and others. I sometimes play a little game with Google Maps or Mapquest to find these places and learn about the geography of our great republic.

A pretty significant percentage of my visitors seem to be taking advantage of the easily discovered practices to mask their location from Feedjit - resulting in their location being reported simply as "United States." Why so paranoid? It's not like [city],[state] is actually enough information to find anybody in this great big world. Mine is Alexandria, VA. Find me if you can.

Feedjit also gives me minimal data regarding how visitors link to my humble little blog. In combination with my little habit of signing comments on other blogs with this url, I can make some very interesting, if ultimately useless, observations.

For example, there is a very curvacious model named Petra Verkaik and a blogger named Robert 'Bob' Belvedere providing the proof of one Robert Stacy McCain's Rule 5 of blogging (Sex sells). This December 15, 2010 throwaway comment of mine has generated a steady stream of traffic to my blog - and mostly from the continent of Europe to boot!

==

I've also lately noticed a trend toward older LAS comments generating hits here. My criteria for assembling the following sample is simple: at least 90 days old, and (re)brought to my attention via Feedjit. Enjoy the advanced snark.

March 27, 2010 - LAS lays down a marker for one of the MSM's most biased hacks - the NYT's resident hack for failed economic theory, Paul Krugman. 15 months later, who can deny LAS is 'Winning!'?

August 24, 2010 - LAS sticks his nose into Paul family business. No repercussions yet.

August 24, 2010 - LAS explains his motivation, again, for those slow on the uptake.

September 23, 2010 - LAS lectures on priorities for the Conservative Ascendancy.

October 11, 2010 - LAS identifies and classifies the fire BHO and his corrupt gang of Progressives are playing with.

December 5, 2010 - LAS identifies and classifies the fundamental source of conflict between Islamists and western civilization.

January 13, 2011 - LAS remembers the good times of the early 90's, when the Soros paid hack known as David Brock was doing real journalism in Slick Willie's old Arkansas stomping grounds.

January 29, 2011 - LAS lays down an 'Arab Spring' marker. Still 'Winning!' by any rational calculation.

April 7, 2011 - LAS all of sudden remembers how the dumb kids got to school.

April 19, 2011 - LAS has lost his patience with a regular Daily Caller troll.

April 26, 2011 - LAS facilitates scientific discussions amongst the unwashed massed ruled over by the EPA bureau-weenies.

May 29, 2011 - LAS explains just who Barry's sugar daddy really is.

==

And now, Daddy needs a nap.

d(^_^)b
http://libertyatstake.blogspot.com/
"Because the Only Good Progressive is a Failed Progressive"

Liberty At Stake

The Conservative Idea Campaign and the Inevitable RINO

Just Because I Signed Up For the Blind Email Distribution List ...

The Only Thing Dumber Than the Average Person is a Crowd

My First Demotivational Poster

OccupyDC Fears LAS

SOTU 2012: Boilerplate From the Empty Suit

The Senator and the Transportation Sandusky Administration (TSA) Flap

Newton's Three Laws (Part 24)

Jack Wiley Dithers Exclusive: OccupyDC Instant Messages Intercepted

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned

After viewing the ABC News hatchet job on Newt Gingrich, please select the answer that best fits your reaction.

Recess? Don't Talk About Recess! You Kiddin' Me!

Tagged!

LAS 2011 Review & 2012 Preview (Part 4 of 4)

Commentapalooza V

LAS 2011 Review & 2012 Preview (Part 3 of 4)

LAS 2011 Review & 2012 Preview (Part 2 of 4)

LAS 2011 Review & 2012 Preview (Part 1 of 4)

Phis O’ Rama

Why The Republic Teeters On The Brink Of Disaster

Our Black Guy Didn't Do It

The bumper sticker is …

Sounds Like a Threat To Me

A Low Fidelity Drop Down List Widget Prototype

An Interview

English-To-English (E2E) Translation, Numero Cinco

Meet the Teachers

And LAS Endorses …

The #Occupy Meltdown Will Be Swift and Ugly From Here

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Nomination

She Said, He Said, They Said, We Said (Part 2)

She Said, He Said, They Said, We Said (Part 1)

Received From a Cable Communications Provider

Newton's Three Laws (Part 23)

The New Journolisters: Spinning the Unspinnable Edition

BREAKING: LibertyAtStake Opens Online Store

Newton's Three Laws (Part 22)

OccupyDC: The Blackberry Photo Essay

Automatic Promotion

Newton's Three Laws (Part 21)

Commentapalooza III

Newton’s Three Laws (Part 20)

#ATTACKJWD

Three Laws of Motion (Part 19) … Make It the Newtonian Stupid or Treasonous Edition … No, Let’s Do E2E!

Quickie Analysis: Barry’s Big J-O-B-S Speech of 2011

Jack Wiley Dithers Exclusive: Heads Exploding Across DC

In a Democracy, The People Get The Government They Deserve

Commentapalooza II