LibertyAtStake’s Anatomy of the Blogosphere

Or: A Beginner’s Guide to the Blogosphere - From a Certified Beginner

The following words are contained in the song “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” an integral movement in the rock opera “Tommy,” by The Who.

My name is Tommy
And I became aware this year

These words could be the introduction to any number of timely themes for a post today, substituting “Tommy” for any number of people or groups.

• The American people becoming aware of the destructive agenda the Progressive Left has in mind for their country and way of life.

• The Progressive Left, in a panic, as it becomes aware that the American people are becoming aware of their agenda.

• The Democrat Party becoming aware, far too late in the game, it has been hijacked by the Progressive Left.

• The Republican Party becoming aware, perhaps in the nick of time, that principled conservatism is the path to enduring governing majorities.

• Barack Hussein Obama becoming aware, much later in life than most of us, and with far more profound consequences, that voting ‘present’ doesn’t work when you’re supposedly in charge.

• Pollsters becoming aware that if it walks like a Muslim and quacks like a Muslim, a large swath of the public will come to believe their own eyes.

• Team Amnesty, Team Deficit, Team Enviro, and Team Jihad all slowly becoming aware “We’re Not Gonna Take It” anymore.

• Glenn Beck becoming aware he can make money hand over fist by preaching founding principles.

• The criminally biased MSM becoming aware that those patriotic crowds gathering in the in the streets are mainstream America. Oh wait, the time hasn’t quite arrived for that particular theme.

==

This post is not about any of those things (at least not directly). Rather, it is about me becoming aware of a vibrant ecosystem called the blogosphere.

I did not come to it naturally. My own wife of 18 years has labeled me “anti-social.” My own kids have wondered aloud how I could possibly have any friends at all. I have trouble remembering the names of acquaintances and business associates I have not met personally at least three times. Then, if I don’t meet them again for an extended period of time, the cycle repeats. The concept of maintaining a large network of “BFFs” I’ve never actually met is absolutely beyond my comprehension. Trust me, you will not find me on Facebook nor Twitter. And I’m OK with all of that – I am comfortable in my own skin.

On the other hand, a lifetime of professional experience has acquainted me closely with the concept of applying Information Technology to mission directed systems. So, a particular line of thought came easily to me within the past year or so:

• BHO and the Progressives are obviously hell bent on trashing the Constitution ….
• That really pisses me off because I’m a Conservative …
• What can I possibly do about it …
• Well, there’s this TEA Party thing rising up in opposition to BHO and the progressives, maybe I’ll wade into the crowd and check it out ….
• Hmmmm…this TEA Party thing seems quite visceral, but it could possibly use some grounding in the Conservative principles it has tapped into ….
• Well, blogging technology may have matured to the point where it could be possible to reach a lot of these folks with a free blogger utility …
• {Some messing around online}
• Blogspot seems good enough, let’s get started …

==

The first month or so, I felt like Axl Rose's character getting off the bus in the "Welcome to the Jungle" video.




My original design vision for the blog – essentially writing an online book chronicling these intense times – kept me plowing forward. Among other early lessons, I learned how trivial it is to embed videos – so long as the publisher allows it. Seems like a perfectly libertarian model to me – supporting the free flow of information with respect for property rights.

By February my comment board style was taking full shape. The comment board is a place where a guy can have a good opinionated dust up (aka policy argument) without worrying about doing business or breaking bread with the idiot you just called an idiot. Excellent. It’s the Arena. Don’t step into the Arena unless you are prepared to drop the gloves and get dirt and maybe some blood under your fingernails. The really interesting thing is the key to success here is the same key that applies to so much of the rest of life – good humor. The well structured joke at your opponent’s expense is the Arena’s form of “disagreeing without being disagreeable.” Straight up vulgarity remains unpersuasive in the Arena.

I think it was March when I discovered I could use the Feedjit utility to gain some measure of understanding around who was coming to my blog, and use this information to direct my comment board activity to boards that were bringing people to my blog.  I allowed them to do so by signing my comments with my url. Shamelessly whoring my blog? I recall applying that label to the marketing department myself in the past.

For a brief period, I played a little game with Feedjit. Whenever I commented on Huffington Post, within seconds a swarm of HuffPo readers would follow the link to my right wing extremist blog. Then the effect would disappear. It was absolutely unlike any other effect I’ve observed before or since on Feedjit – exactly like a swarm of bees agitated by Dennis the Menace poking at their beehive. Soon my HuffPo account was banned without explanation. Make of this experience what you will. I am bemused by yet another indicator of Looney Left mob mentality.

If the Leftie Astro-Turf Coffee Party is any indication, the Left Wing blogosphere must be a stale and stultifying place to inhabit – with rigid rank hierarchies and top-down driven agendas. It must be a lot like trying to get anything done in any randomly chosen federal bureaucracy.

The right wing blogosphere I inhabit, by contrast, is a loosely knit and eclectic confederation of  individualists gathering together voluntarily. There are the Aggregators and Amplifiers, who keep those of us who are easily distracted on point. The News Analyzers and Policy Opinionators constantly pre-process it all to lend a bit of initial organization. The Humorists keep it entertaining. The Philosophers connect it all to back to founding principles and a roadmap for the future. Bloggers who stay on my blog roll do so because they consistently fill one or more of these roles for me as a reader.

I think I’m settling into a special sub-division of the Philosopher role – the Predictor. I think it fits. I’ve always been opinionated, and never gave too much of a damn what anybody thought of my opinions.

Prediction: 70-12. That’s the November seat turnover count for the House and Senate, respectively. It’s pre-ordained by Newtonian physics, you know.

Contemporary Politics and Newton's Three Laws of Motion (Part 8)

The Conservative Ascendancy has gained considerable momentum this past week - all the better for the prospects a republic cleansing collision come November.

This week’s catalyst was a local zoning issue in the borough of Manhattan. Except that this particular local zone contains a gigantic hole in the ground, courtesy of the Murder Monkey Cult from Hell - a.k.a. Radical Islam. And this particular zoning issue involves the building of a mosque within camel spitting distance of this gigantic hole in the ground.  And the fund raising effort for this mosque is being lead by an Imam with very obvious sympathies for the Murder Monkey Cult from Hell. Good grist for the Conservative Ascendancy mill indeed.

Good grist for the mill because it has sparked a nationwide conversation about the real intentions of the Murder Monkey Cult from Hell. Good grist for the mill because it focuses the nation’s attention on the Ideological Left’s appeasement policy toward the Murder Monkey Cult from Hell. Good grist for the mill because it once again places the Lefties now governing us in direct opposition to We the People.

Did you notice I did not mention Barack Hussein Obama directly in the previous paragraph? This was intentional. He is merely a bit player in the immediate drama. His only part was to stick his foot in his mouth, waffle, and exercise zero leadership. In other words, he was just being Barry. After having a week to reflect on it, and a week to listen to the chattering class chatter on and on, I feel about Barry’s part in this exactly like I felt when I wrote this comment on a Daily Caller story last Sunday.

==

As I write this, Barry is doing what Barry does best – taking yet another vacation. This time it’s ten days at Martha’s Vineyard. According to his own Communications office he’s “recharging his batteries” – presumably by engaging with friends and fellow travelers in that favorite pastime of the Leftie, the endless faculty lounge debate over things that don’t really matter. Like a First Amendment right everyone obviously agrees on.

While Barry dithers in the Vineyard, the rest of us our left to our own devices to figure out what this “Cordoba Initiative” is all about. Here’s my take – and I promise it won’t take you a week to figure out where I’m coming from, either.

Let’s start with the name. Cordoba was the seat of the Islamic caliphate in southern Spain during the high-water mark of Islam’s expansion by the sword into Europe. Cordoba is universally recognized in the Islamic world as a symbol of Islamic conquest. Hmmmmm, why would anyone name anything after Cordoba within camel spitting distance of that particular gigantic hole in the ground?
 
Now, let’s move on to who is behind this “Cordoba Initiative.” Well, actually we don’t know. But we do know who’s in front of it. His name is Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. As this Weekly Standard piece illustrates, he is hardly a sympathetic character if you would prefer the values of Western Civilization over the values of the Murder Monkey Cult from Hell. Note also the Weekly Standard piece informs us our Leftist masters in this administration are sponsoring trips abroad for this guy. Put this data point into the Impeachment file for later.
 
It also looks like this story will get better next week, as I personally found out courtesy of the blogger “Nice Deb.”  Another excellent blogger, “merriemarie” covers the tapes as well.  My guess is the release of these tapes will eventually lead us to who’s funding this Cordoba Initiative.
 
The release of these tapes will also contribute mightily to the continuing implosion of the Democrat party, as the blogger “iOwnTheWorld” captured in this post, with a plain bravado appropriate to the blogosphere.
 
 

Then there’s this Wall Street Journal piece, which I think will be studied by future historians. I will do my best to assist in that outcome by moving it to the Must Read Lockbox before it rolls off the Assigned Reading List. I may also analyze the comments in further detail in a future post. From my Feedjit feed I noticed a large volume of links from my comment on this piece back to the blog, which lead me back to the comment thread, which I found to be an interesting impression of what’s really going on with this national conversation. I also think I detected some Leftie troll activity on this thread, starting with the comments posted in reply to my own.

In reply to my comment, “Donald Dewitt” offers the tired old Progressive meme that the Constitution is a suicide pact. Then “Ned Stevens” – probably his immediate supervisor in the troll army, and likely familiar with my superior work – calls him off. The only “pearls to swine” in this conversation would occur if these two clowns read my archive front to back. When things settle down, this could be good grist for a post on the blogosphere ecosystem.
 
Yeah, I think we are coming to grips with the plain fact this is a clash of civilizations, and the time has come to choose sides. The Cordoba Initiative has stuck a thumb in our collective eye. We can call our response the Todd Beamer Initiative. This mosque will not be built.  No less a blogging master than Atlas Shrugs tells me so.

Update 8/23/10

Is Barry back from vacation yet?  Because I want to tell him I have a hat.

So does Remy.

Contemporary Politics and Newton’s Three Laws of Motion (Part 7)

Or: the Left Is Eating It’s Own, Break out the Popcorn and Enjoy!

To appreciate the full measure of my genius, my first six postings under this title should be read in order. However, according to Google Analytics the average time per visit on this blog hovers somewhere around 5 minutes. So, I’ll give you the short version. I have been boldly predicting the complete and utter political destruction of BHO and the Progressives since January - for the plain and obvious reason they stand in absolute opposition to the vast majority of the Americans on every issue that comes down the pike.


Now, with less than three months remaining until the mid-term elections, BHO and the Progressives can see the writing on the wall – and it’s every Leftist for himself, herself, themselves, or whatever the hell the Politically Correct word is here.

The collision between the great Conservative American majority and the Progressive gang was metaphysically inevitable enough. But the manner in which, and the momentum with which, it is unfolding is due to one specific new social factor – the revolution is being blogged. And tweeted and emailed, too.

The Progressive gang is a classic collection of statists. As such, their regime depends entirely on controlling the message. Social media has created an environment that is completely hostile to the statist’s classic behavior patterns. Social media will go down as the most important enabler of liberty since the printing press.

Social media enables a diverse and vibrant ecosphere of information flow that is hopelessly beyond the statist’s ability to spin. Make no mistake, however, they will continue to try – and the attempt will continue to bring us more follies to enjoy. It’s what they do, they can’t help themselves. There are many observations to be made confirming this law of nature – including the Progressive hubris displayed by their belief man can both cause and correct global temperature trends.

My original idea for this post involved carefully documenting and attributing the copious news reports of Leftist infighting. But that seems so tedious now that the revolution is being blogged. Any person paying any attention at all should be able to take in the markers I’ve left in my little cartoon above, glibly browse through the Bob Schieffer Blog Roll at right, and achieve the same result.

I think I will, however, note the latest manifestation of the Progressive gang’s implosion. Last night, apparently, BHO came out in support of the mosque construction on Ground Zero in Manhattan. Make no mistake – his stated defense to Constitutional freedom of religion is feigned. (See what he says the next time the Ten Commandments show up on somebody’s front lawn) No, this statement is a sop to his Political Left, which is enslaved by the dogma of Political Correctness, which instructs them they must make nice with America’s enemies, because then they’ll make nice with us. How’s that foreign policy been working out, Barry?


Footnote

At the beginning of August I took a 5 day mini-vacation in Florida with my family. Wish I could have taken more time off, but I’m still catching up financially from the ten months I was out of work in the Great Recession. As it turns out, however, these five days were an opulent time investment compared to Barry’s 27 hour Gulf vacation this weekend. LMAO – what a pathetic statist’s attempt at spinning the unspinnable! Does he actually think we’ve already forgotten the Marie Antoinette tour of Spain and the weeklong Barry fantasy camp?

Anyway, as documented by the picture below, we gave one of the five days to deep sea fishing in the Gulf off of Cedar Key, FL. The boys catch included ten edible fish. I caught two catfish and one baby shark. I am pictured with my contribution to the edible catch.

On the plus side – no sign of BP’s oil – to Barry’s disappointment you can sure. This is one crisis that seems to have peaked too soon for the Progressive gang.

Update 8/16/10

Barack Hussein Obama sure stepped in it this weekend, didn't he?  Circumstances prevent me from blogging extensively this evening, but I thought I'd throw out a few news pieces I noticed that speak to the theme of a Democrat crack-up in its advanced stages.  Just for the historical record.

The usually reliable Obama cheerleaders at CNN report there may be unrest among the herd of donkeys.

Dingy Harry tries to create some daylight between himself and Barry.

Old line liberal Senator receives rude greeting from loyal members of liberal base, perhaps inspired by Groucho Marx.

When the democrats went all in with Barack Hussein Obama, they put everything they had on red, and the wheel came up black.  So sad.

Rules For Extreme Golf

(AP) – Jack Wiley Dithers reporting.


While looking for his ball in the woods on a local public golf course, one member of our cracker-jack investigative journalism team found instead a dog-eared spiral notebook with this unusual custom graphic on the cover:

Several days of expert analysis has lead us to the conclusion this notebook was the first draft of a rule book for a new game called “Extreme Golf.”

Here are some of the more telling excerpts, presented in italics.

These rules shall be considered an extension of the official rules of golf.


All golfers not playing their ball may at any time assume the role of “Defender.”


Defenders must clearly announce the intention to assume the role of Defender each time by stating loudly and plainly “DEFENDER!”


The permissible actions for defenders will depend on the lie of the ball being played.


If the ball is on the tee, or in the fairway, general ‘Extreme Golf’ rules apply:


Defenders may do anything EXCEPT (1) make physical contact with the golfer playing his ball, or (2) make physical contact with the equipment of the golfer playing his ball, not to include the ball itself after it is struck, or (3) damage the course layout in any way.


If the ball is on the green, the general rules apply, with the additional restriction declared defenders must also take off their shoes.

If the ball is in the rough, in a hazard, or in any other position; the general rules apply, with the additional restriction declared defenders must also remain silent.


Scoring shall always be in accordance with “match play” rules.


The penalties for rule infractions by defenders shall be severe. (1) Damaging the course shall result in immediate expulsion from the round and forfeiture of the match. (2) Contact with the golfer playing his ball, the equipment of the golfer playing his ball (excepting the ball itself after being struck), shall result in immediate elimination from contention for the hole being played. (3) Failure to remove the shoes while defending on the green shall result in the requirement to play the entire next hole with only putter and driver (or the largest club in the bag if no driver is available). (4) Failure to remain silent while a ball is being played from the rough, a hazard, or any other position, shall result in the requirement for the defender to play his next shot (no exceptions) with putter.

==

Our staff of Nobel Prize winning Analyzers has provided the following intriguing insights.

The skill sets that apply to blocking punts in American football will be important in Extreme Golf, though probably more widely used to defend chip shots than drives off the tee. Blocking drives off the tee may become known as the ‘Hail Mary’ in Extreme Golf parlance.

The general rules provide for some interesting risk/reward tradeoffs for golfers playing their ball. Many may opt to intentionally hit into trouble, so as to earn the right of peace and quiet for the next shot. A long tee shot into the first cut of rough may come to be accepted as the smartest shot in Extreme Golf.

Adoption of Extreme Golf rules could prove to be a jobs program boon for course management companies. Our Analyzers believe the ratio of course marshals to golfers will need to be dramatically increased. Disputes over the lie of the ball will need to be arbitrated more often. The incidence of fist fights on golf courses is also expected to rise. It may become commonplace for course marshals to carry side arms. This could have a secondary stimulative effect on the guns industry.

The Return on Investment (ROI) for golf course management companies should increase as well. At least 17% of all rounds is expected to degenerate into acrimonious chaos, and not be finished, at or before the turn.

The most effective green defense will probably involve silly antics on the line of sight (but of course, not the line of putt per regular rules of golf), similar to those given to us by this innovative pioneer.




This guy seems to have the skill set needed to succeed wildly with the new rules.




We will update our loyal readers as our investigation continues.

Jack Wiley Dithers reporting.

When Your Government Goes Lawless

As the news developed throughout Wednesday, concerning Judge Susan Bolton’s illegitimate decision, I found myself getting angrier and hotter, and angrier and hotter. I haven’t yelled at my TV and my radio like this for some time. The decision made me want to crash a La Raza meeting and pick a fight. It made me want to change to banner on my blog to more resemble the banner Angry White Dude uses.

It made me recall the sentiment I shared with my neighbor at a mutual friend’s 50th birthday party, when the Progressives were shoving ObamaCare down our throats. He said, “let the IRS agent come to my door and try to collect the mandate money, he’ll be greeted by three 9 mm sized holes coming back at him through the door.” Believe me, I know this guy. He’s perfectly capable of firing those shots – accurately – from his recliner, without taking his eyes off the big screen, one hand on the trigger, the other hand still actively engaged with the potato chip bowl. I’d probably give the IRS’ hired Barney Fife a verbal warning first, but that’s just me, I’m more tolerant in that way.

In between making a living and living a life, I’ve devoted spare brain cycles to sorting out what got me so hot Tuesday. After all, this is hardly the most outrageously damaging thing BHO and the Progressives have inflicted on the republic. We’ve heard all the pseudo-intellectual analysis on how Judge Bolton cut the loaf in half – ruling it’s OK to say it’s illegal to be illegal, so long as you don’t actually ask the illegal about being illegal.  The substance of the ruling - as flawed as it is - is not the point.  The point is just that such a case could even be heard, much less given a favorable ruling.

The one word that explains what is so anger-provoking about this decision is: RUBICON. When Caesar crossed the Rubicon River with his army, there was no turning back in his campaign to take power from the Pompey and the Roman Senate. In a similar way, this decision will be remembered as the point where BHO and the Progressives crossed a line and became literally lawless in their campaign to destroy the republic.

==

The willingness of BHO and the Progressives to push their ideological agenda against the will of the people and in opposition to the consent of the governed is easy to catalog. So easy, the list can now be recited by any grade school kid with access to information sources other than the public school propaganda machine or the criminally biased MSM: ObamaCare, Gulf drilling moratorium, advancing Cap and Trade, billions upon billions of dollars thrown down the Keynesian rat hole, civil rights enforcement policies dictated by the skin color of the criminals, national security priorities seemingly more concerned with political opponents than the Jihadists who actually blow stuff up, …. etc.

But their decision to oppose S.B.1070 is a plain refusal to fulfill their constitutionally mandated duty to protect the nation’s interests. This is the moment where they have officially become lawless and illegitimate. BHO and the Progressives are firmly defending the interests of a foreign power (Mexico), and a population that has no legal right to be on American soil (the 12-20 Million Undocumented Democrats); against the interests of the citizens of Arizona, their duly elected representatives, and the clear will of the vast majority of American citizens.

==

Now is a good time to review the basic principles of the American Founding.

(1) All people are bestowed with inalienable natural rights by a just creator.

(2) Governments are formed by the consent of the governed and earn legitimacy by serving the interests of the governed.


(3) When a government consistently defies the will of the governed, and consistently acts against the interests of the governed, it is the natural god-given right of the governed to “throw off” (as the Declaration puts it) that government.

These are the principles over which the Founders bravely entered into a shooting war, as the hands-down underdog, against that period’s greatest global military power.

==

Now, let me be clear (I just love when BHO says that, especially when he's in full dissembling mode) - I’m not advocating any shooting here. (But do keep your powder dry, Patriots – the Founders gave us the 2nd Amendment for good reason.)

I am indeed advocating active resistance to the illegitimate governance of Barry’s regime, using the model practiced by Martin Luther King during the Civil Rights movement.

The updated model is demonstrated by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who will continue to ask the illegals about being illegal, in open defiance of Judge Bolton’s illegitimate ruling  That's the spirit, Joe, let's see how the news plays out if Barry has the guts to send somebody down there to serve an arrest warrant to Sheriff Joe.

The updated model is also demonstrated by the nationwide grass roots Nullification movement, promoting the legitimate 10th Amendment protected right for the people and the states to ignore the health insurance mandate. I noticed in the news recently that Missouri is acting to defend its 10th Amendment rights.

The updated model is demonstrated by Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William (Virginia) Board of County Supervisors, who has been quoted as saying it's "full steam ahead" for Virginia's version of S.B. 1070.  It's also demonstrated by Maryland Delegate Pat McDonough, who has made pushing an S.B. 1070 style bill in his state his cause.  That’s the spirit, let’s see if BHO and the Progressives can find 50 judges as muddle-headed as Susan Bolton.

And, most amazingly, several Senators actually managed to wake up from their midday slumber long enough to call out the Regime on its illegitimate schemes to grant amnesty procedurally.

Memo to BHO, the Progressives, and La Raza: You’re not getting amnesty, period. You’re not getting “reform” of any kind until We The People are satisfied the government is actually doing its job and enforcing existing law. You can get the “reform” part in due time, through an orderly and constitutional process, if you choose to cooperate.  Or you can keep taking it out into the streets – and quite possibly piss us off to the point where mass deportation really does become the new consensus. Your call. Why don’t you listen to the obscure Kinks’ gem “Hard Way” while you reflect on your decision.


Update 8-5-10

I mentioned the Missouri ballot initiative to reject ObamaCare above, before the vote was held.  The news of the day yesterday (while I was traveling) included reports of an overwhelming popular vote against ObamaCare.  We've come a long way since the Townhall season of 2009, just about a year ago.  Let's review what happened to one Missouri Democrat hack when things were just beginning to heat up. 



This particular Democrat hack wasn't listening to his constituents then, and has yet to do so - he still carries the stench of a 100% Pelosi Index.  I expect this hack will be shown the door by "Show Me" state voters come November.  Don't let it hit you in the a$$ on the way out, Russ.  We have a lot of cleaning up to do with the mess left to us by the likes of you.

The MIGJAM Tapes

(AP) – Jack Wiley Dithers reporting.

Our cracker-jack investigative journalism team is unable to take part in this week’s journalistic scrum over WikiLeaks. You see, our sources at the Pentagon are busy chasing down the treasonous bastard responsible for leaking the documents, and there is a lot of running room and a lot of places to hide in the Pentagon, so it could take a while. We will report on the slow and painful death meted out to the treasonous bastard as soon as it occurs.

Instead, our sources at CNN have something for us to put into “context” the now famous beat down Ann Coulter gave to Rick Sanchez on his show last week. They have provided us with off-air audio tape from both before and after the beat down.

==

{Ann Coulter enters CNN “Green Room”}

Coulter: Hmmmm, only crumbs in the peanut bowl. Bob Beckel must have just been here.

CNN minion #1: Welcome, Ms. Coulter. Is there anything we can do for you?

Coulter: No, I’ll just relax until I’m on with Rick. What are we talking about again?

CNN minion #1: That Diary book thing, of course. It went to #1 on the Times Bestseller list today. Congratulations.

Coulter: Uhhhhh, I think you meant to call Laura Ingraham.

CNN minion #1: Oh, oh, I better go find Mr. Sanchez!

==

{Rick Sanchez enters his personal dressing room}

Sanchez: Man I’m great, just ask me.

CNN minion #2: I’m askin’!

Sanchez: The hair helmet needs some attention.

{five minutes of Sanchez lightly humming and singing the chorus to “Everybody Loves Me”}

Sanchez: That hair right there …

CNN minion #2: Got it. Perfect, Mr. Sanchez. Man, you're great, just ask me.

Sanchez: You know I will.

{Sound of door opening}

CNN minion #1: Rick, Rick, Rick, wrong blonde wing nut!

Sanchez: Huh?

CNN minion #1: Coulter didn’t write the book! It was Abraham, Beckham, Oh I don’t know!

Sanchez: Shit! It was Ingerhamm. Damn speed dial. Get me the smart guy!

{20 seconds of silence}

Sanchez: The guy who does opposition research watching Fox all day!

CNN minion #2: Oh. Yes, right away, sir!

==



==

Sanchez: She thinks she’s so smart!

CNN minion #3: That kiddie porn stuff was so out of line.

Sanchez: Never speak of that again!

CNN minion #3: [sounding cowed] Yes, sir.

Sanchez: {mutters something under breath}

{sound of something slamming down}

==

Coulter: Hey, can I get somebody to validate my parking?

Jack Wiley Dithers reporting.

Contemporary Politics and Newton’s Three Laws of Motion (Part 6)

Man, I’m good! Just ask me. You might say I think of myself as a MIGJAM. ;)

When I started the series of posts under this title, I openly declared the inevitability of a massive defeat at the polls for the Progressives now in power - to be visited upon them by the great majority of conservative American citizens – awakened by the abuses of power and outrageous governance visited upon them during 2009-2010. To highlight the inevitability of this collision, I framed the situation as a (verifiable) scientific formula; F = m * a.

In part 2 of the series, I introduced the woefully inadequate (as it turned out) measuring tool I called the Conservative Ascendancy Thermotron 2010. I broke down the Thermotron’s moving parts into three inter-related and equally weighted measures: events affecting the news, alignment (i.e. comity) between the GOP and the TEA Party movement, and Leftie Lunacy (the propensity for Leftist ideologues to form circular firing squads being nothing if not predictable.)

By the time Part 3 of the series was being posted, comity between the GOP and TEA Party movement was coming together. The ever growing number of (R)-labeled politicians signing the Contract From America is the product of this comity. Part 4 highlighted Arizona’s S.B. 1070, which has sparked a fusillade of overheated rhetoric and hyper-partisan law suits in the historic conflict I call Liberty vs. Tyranny USA 2010. Part 5 highlighted five distinct events – Times Square car bomb, S.B. 1070, BP oil spill, Wall Street takeover bill, and phony deficit reduction commission – any one of which could have the biggest story by a mile in any normal year. But not this year – the poor Thermotron was already creaking under the weight of 2010’s unprecedented political chaos (brought to you by BHO and the Progressives). The distinction between the Events and Leftie Lunacy meters was becoming hopelessly blurred by the governance of BHO and the Progressives. Within a couple of weeks, I was compelled to retire the tired old Thermotron, with full honors and benefits (gratuitous Christmas Story reference).

This news of this past week has brought another extraordinary pair of events rooted in the intellectual chaos that is Leftie Lunacy. There was a second round of revelations from Ezra Klein’s JournoList archive, terribly embarrassing to the liberal media, broken by the Daily Caller (DC). No doubt Eric Holder’s DOJ spent this weekend standing up a special investigative unit dedicated to finding something – anything - on Tucker Carlson, Jonathan Strong, or anyone else working at the DC. There was also the Shirley Sherrod affair - a moraility tale with high drama, low comedy, and lessons on restraint learned the hard way.

The Sherrod slapstick and the JournoList flap have much more in common than initially meets the eye.

They are both are about spinning facts and events for strictly political reasons. They are both also about how karma has a way of dispensing justice with its ruthless boomerang effect.

In the case of the Sherrod flap, at least the people doing the spinning have been openly acting as partisans. Breitbart posted the original video excerpt as a partisan attempting to turn the tables on the NAACP’s nakedly partisan attack charging the TEA Party movement with racism. The Obama administration’s knee-jerk firing of Sharrod was in their usual fecklessly partisan tradition – it was an merely an attempt to distance themselves from a politically damaging news story. Neither Breitbart, nor the administration, is guilty of omitting or twisting any part of the originally available record. At this point, all either of them had was the shortened excerpt.

The next couple of movements in this farce are where I started to piece together in my mind what was probably really happening here. Almost as if in coordination (hmmmm) - the NAACP beseeched us all to judge Sherrod on the “full context” of the entire tape, which (interestingly) the NAACP had in its possession all along; and Ms. Sherrod went on the liberal talk circuit and starting opening her mouth. Apparently she has yet to seek counsel.

Well, many of us who viewed the entire tape decided it put Sherrod into a worse light. Her line in the full context was basically “race based politics misses the mark, class based politics are the answer.” The black conservative Alan Keyes captured this point on his blog. Then she went on the talk show circuit in an apparent attempt to cash in the “15 minutes” Andy Warhol had told her she was entitled to, and began talking like a partisan foaming at the mouth. She called Out Fox and the TEA Parties. She threatened to sue Breitbart. Huh?  D'ya think this is somebody with an axe to grind?

My strong suspicion is Sherrod and the NAACP were in cahoots to set a trap for Breitbart. They did not anticipate Obama’s thin skinned and feckless reaction (apparently they’ve never met the man), and were forced to play out Act 2 sooner than they wanted to.

Ann Coulter appears to agree with me (hat tip to Newsbusters).




I just love how Rick Sanchez’s CNN minions feed him some partisan crap at 5:50, 6:07, and 6:37 of the taped exchange, and how Coulter slaps him down using nothing but her own memory. It’s easier to remember the truth than it is to remember your old lies. I imagine a moronic MIGJAM like Sanchez goes home at night muttering “she thinks she’s so smart!”


I suspect Sanchez’s IQ is about half of this guy’s IQ. (hat tip to Sharp Elbows)



But I digress. We will not really get to the bottom of this Sherrod thing until we get to the cut out (or series of cut outs) that was used to carry the excerpt to Breitbart. This may or may not happen in due time. What IS perfectly predictable is Mr. Breitbart will learn from the experience and not repeat the mistake. The NAACP and the Obama administration, on the other hand, will continue to act according to form, because they can’t help themselves. Ms. Sherrod’s future depends on whether or not she has sought competent counsel.

The cut out that will bring the JournoList cabal to ruin is easier to identify – it’s called the Internet! How stupid were these guys to have any expectation of privacy on a list serve? Here’s how it works. You type your partisan crap into the list server, where it is recorded electronically. Then a copy is sent to every single other subscriber’s email address, where it is recorded electronically. Along the way, multiple hops across multiple server relays are made, where everything is recorded again to varying degrees of permanence. Good luck covering your tracks, JournoListers. And since your crime (violation of a professional standard) is much greater than anyone involved in the Sharrod flap  – all I can say is I can’t wait for next week’s news cycle. Especially from the Daily Caller. LMAO!

postscript:  I just heard Howard Dean say on Chris Wallace's show that Obama fired Sherrod because he feared the story was headed toward the Glenn Beck show.  Circular Firing Squad given the order to fire.  LMAO!

An Insider’s View of White House Campaign Strategy

(AP) – Jack Wiley Dithers reporting.

Our cracker-jack investigative journalism team has acquired audio tape from a campaign strategy meeting recently held at the White House. If it were a video tape, or at least a high quality audio tape, we would have sold it to Breitbart. However, the audio recording device was stuffed inside our White House source’s shoe, so this transcript will have to do.

Unidentified Voice: Somebody wake up Harry.

Harry Reid: {snort!} {ack!} THIS WAR IS LOST!

Nancy Pelosi: {sigh} Wrong election, Harry.

Joe Biden: OK, Barack is out on the trail stumping for a candidate, so I’m in charge here.

James Clyburn: [sounding sarcastic] Who’s the lucky bastard? Hope it’s Alvin Greene.

{entire room laughs heartily}

Joe Biden: Gibbsy, you takin’ minutes?

Robert Gibbs: {mutters something under breath}

Nancy Pelosi: You’re lucky to have the job, Baghdad Bob.

Joe Biden: OK, let’s get started.

{Sound of door opening. Sound of ‘Hail to the Chief’ playing from an iPod speaker.}

Joe Biden: What are you doing here?

Barack Obama: Greene couldn’t cover the campaign event, because the Senate didn’t approve his UI check soon enough.

Barack Obama: OK, let’s get started. What are we doing here? Gibbsy, you got the agenda?

Robert Gibbs: {mutters something under breath}

Nancy Pelosi: What did I tell you?

Barack Obama: OK, who do we have on the conference line?

{15 seconds of silence}

Nancy Pelosi: {sigh} Do I have to do everything myself?

Beep! {Dial Tone} Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Machine Voice: Welcome to the White House Live Conferencing System. Press 1 to join a conference, press 2 to manage your personal account, press 3 to replay an old conference recording, press 4 to manage your recording options, press 5 to start a new conference, press 6 for more options.”

Beep!

Machine Voice: Press 1 to enter your White House Live Conferencing System user id.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Machine Voice: Enter your White House Live Conferencing System password, followed by the pound sign.”

Barack Obama: Michelle, that’s your cue, heh-heh.

Michelle Obama: {mutters something under breath}

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Nancy Pelosi: Who do we have on the conference?

George Soros: George.

Andy Stern: Andy here.

James Carville: [sounding agitated] What the hell took you so long! You gotta get somebody on that phone pad, man! You gotta show some leadership!

Bill Ayers: Can we just get started? I have to give a lecture on the history of domestic terrorism soon.

Barack Obama: OK, we got an election coming up and my poll numbers are in the tank …

Nancy Pelosi: [interrupting] Geez, it’s always about you, Barry. You’re not up this cycle, we are.

Harry Reid: Yeah, me too!

George Soros: You people are pathetic. Can I just get a report on what I’m getting for my Astro-Turf money?

David Axelrod: Yes, sir! There’s the Coffee Party …

George Soros: [interrupting] What a joke!

Valerie Jarrett: Well, we also have that “Other 95” thing …

George Soros: [interrupting] DOA! Plouffe, are you on the line?

David Plouffe: Yes, sir!

George Soros: Anything good from the Internet trolls?

David Plouffe: I think we’ve uncovered the identity of that ‘LibertyAtStake’ guy.

Click! Click!Click!Click!Click!

David Plouffe: Ah, here it is. OK, … our man ‘JournoListIsGreat’ has evidence his real name is …

Click!Click!

David Plouffe: Hunter S. Thompson.

George Soros: {sigh} I’m outtahere. Talk to ‘ya next week.

Click.

James Carville: [sounding agitated] You gotta energize the base! Tell the illegal immigrants they won’t be able to get ice cream anymore! Get ‘em out to the polls! Get some Panthers out to those polls! Make sure everybody knows the TEA Party is full of racists! Make sure everybody knows BP is full of British people! Get Michelle out to some NAACP meetings! You gotta show some leadership here!

Andy Stern: I know just what to do. How many buses do you think you’ll need in November? 5, 6 thousand?

Barack Obama: Sounds about right. OK, what’s for lunch?

Michelle Obama: We’re having McDonald’s catered in. The kids wanted Happy Meals.

Jack Wiley Dithers reporting.

Pollapalooza

Recent polling data validates and extends the thematic framework of my humble little blog project. It also provides an opportunity for me to indulge in one of my favorite all time rants, which might be titled “what the hell are these people thinking??!!” Depending on circumstances, this rant has often been directed at the criminally biased MSM, and occasionally at the American people.

The new raw data is this ABC News / Washington Post poll and this NBC / Wall Street Journal poll. For attribution purposes, below, I will refer to the former as the Georgetown poll and the latter as the Upper West Side poll.

The good news is some of the data indicates the public at large is catching on to the outrages perpetrated upon the republic by BHO and the Progressives.

The Georgetown poll shows the political party they hijacked has lost considerable ground in our two party system, while their regime has been in power. My trend line markups also demonstrate that the upcoming midterms already look much worse for them than the beating they took in 1994.

And when I say “hijacked” – I mean “hijacked”. This Gallup poll I discuss in my 01/11/10 post shows Americans self-identify as “liberal” has been consistently around 20% for going on twenty years now. Yet this 1/5 minority is now calling all of the shots for the donkey party, which is now calling the shots for the rest of us.

 
Precisely because of this profound mismatch between the governing and the governed (in my view), the Upper West Side poll shows Barry’s approve/disapprove spread has gone from +34 to -3 in a mere 16 months.  Didn’t take long for the coattails to turn into radioactive kryptonite for professional donkeys, now, did it?  It's because Barry has been coddled by the 1/5 his entire life, and has no experience that allows him to understand the other 4/5.

Oh, oh, I feel a rant running up the back of my leg….

==

I just love how the Georgetown poll posits an equivalence between Obama’s initial public approval trend and Ronald Reagan’s initial public approval trend.

Then, in a typically biased analysis; (1) these geniuses give us the statistical correlation so far, (it’s .9), and correctly identify a tough economy as the factor the two trend lines have most in common, and (2) they completely leave out, as if afraid to mention it (a common symptom of Political Correctness), the set up for the next two years. Obama is pursuing economic policies that are diametrically opposed to the Reagan policies that turned his economy around.  So, expect the results to be diametrically opposed.

Reagan’s policies of economic freedom and tax cutting launched us into an 18 year cycle of prosperity, as the estimable Lawrence Kudlow wrote for CATO way back in 2000.

One might imagine that the ideologically challenged “compassionate conservative,” Mr. George W. Bush, temporarily absorbed this lesson early in his administration, when he had to deal with the tech bubble crash at the outset of his administration, as documented by the blogger Lonely Conservative here (with chart reprinted below).

Bush's tax policy set us up for another period of growth, except for the economic cancer that was already growing as the housing bubble, which finally burst right as Mr. Bush was preparing to leave office – to Barry’s electoral benefit. Who or what was behind the housing bubble is a topic for another post – but it wasn’t George Bush. Start with the googling acronym CRA, and go from there, kiddies.  And, oh yeah, these tax cuts are due to expire in 2011.  That ought to help Barry with his economic "recovery" (LMAO!).

Unfortunately, neither Reagan nor Bush 43 was able to put a dent in federal spending – Reagan because he had to accommodate a Democrat Speaker named Tip O’Neill and Bush 43 because he didn’t get it, err, was “compassionate” I mean.


Anyway, back to the posited equivalence between Obama’s job approval trend and Reagan’s. What a bunch of crap.

Here’s the data from the rest of the Reagan term, from this 2004 Gallup article.

I think I’ll superimpose my prediction for Barry. Bottom for Barry is around 20%, which approximates the 1/5 minority among us that actually wants his administration to do more damage to the republic than it already has.

So, how can it be that this 1/5 minority can manage to seize power on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue? Answer: they are constantly working, day and night, to seize and exercise the reins of power. So they can impose their brilliant (in their minds) Progressive ideology on you. It is their religion. They are not above using every possible means of deceiving you to get your vote, either. Their water carriers in the liberally biased media (see the Statistical Data section of this wiki for the unrefutable case that makes the point) will use every possible method of deception in their reporting – omission of key facts, insertion of moot facts, repetition of lies – to spin every story in a liberal direction. Some seem to do it intentionally – a transparent dummy like Keith Olbermann (http://www.keitholbermann.com/) comes to mind. Most, I think, do it unintentionally because they are blinded by their ingrained ideology and hang out with no one but fellow travelers.

Which brings me to the other side of my well-practiced rant. Why do you people let them get away with it? All you have to do is pay attention a little. Is it really that hard?

For example, there is this polling data from a Big Government post, which spun me into a brief comment board fit. 

How can any thinking person have a positive view of the terms Family Values, States’ rights, and Capitalism – yet also hold a positive view of the term Progressive. To me it looks like a clinical case of cognitive dissonance that needs immediate intervention.

Which brings me finally to the motivation behind this blog project, I think. It’s a motivation that’s perfectly captured by the Tom Sizemore character (LTC Danny McKnight) in the 2001 movie “Black Hawk Down.” LTC McKnight is the officer in charge of the truck convoy. At the very beginning of the fight inside Mogadishu, one of the enlisted soldiers yells to him something like “Colonel, they’re shooting at us. What do we do?” The Colonel looks back at the soldier with an expression that says “are you stupid?” – and gives him the only sensible order – “Shoot back!”

The Most Racist Administration Ever?

Why in the world would I feel compelled to ask such a question? I mean, weren’t we told Mr. Barack Hussein Obama was the post-racial candidate by the criminally biased (and sometimes government owned) MSM.

Here’s why.

As Ms. Malkin points out (from her uniquely qualified “minority” status), this administration has given us ample reason with its actions to consider this question.

This Department of Justice, under the pathetically clownish leadership of one Mr. Eric Holder, decided to give a mere slap on the wrist to a two-bit unwashed thug carrying a baton and issuing racial slurs at a polling place. For no other reason than because the miscreant was black (or is it African-American now? What is the Congressional Black Caucus position on this vital question?) – you can take that much to the nearest bank that hasn’t been nationalized yet.

This is the same Mr. Eric Holder who told the nation at large we are “cowards” on matters of race at the onset of this administration. Please allow me to address Mr. Holder directly. You, sir, are the coward here. You had the chance to do your job on a “matter of race,” and chose to duck under your ornate desk. Let’s not even get into your unwillingness to say “radical Islamic Jihadist.” Come on, say it with me, jerk – “radical Islamic Jihadist.” Say it again. Come on, don’t be a coward, now … jerk.

No one can say the signs weren’t there before Mr. King Samir Shabazz was caught on tape bearing his racist soul to the world.

During the campaign we learned, no thanks to the criminally biased MSM, that Mr. Barack Hussein Obama had spent nigh on twenty years listening to the racist rantings of one Rev. Jeremiah Wright. I’m not exactly sure, but I think Mr. Barack Hussein Obama’s motivation was “street cred” with a constituency that was majority black (or is it African-American now? What is the Congressional Black Caucus position on this vital question?) – you can take that much to the nearest bank that hasn’t been nationalized yet.

And who remembers the Beer Summit circus? Who remembers Mr. Barack Hussein Obama precipitating this very circus by knee-jerking his assessment the “police acted stupidly.” For no other reason than because the guy put in cuffs was black (or is it African-American now? What is the Congressional Black Caucus position on this vital question?) – you can take that much to the nearest bank that hasn’t been nationalized yet.

===

Now, before I’m tarred by this administration with inciting racism (wait, maybe I already was) , allow me to transition to my real point.

Despite head-faking the entire nation into a false “post-partisan” narrative, Mr. Barack Hussein Obama and his cronies are running the most hyper-partisan administration in history. And the partisanship springs from the well of Leftist Ideology.

Enslavement to Leftist ideology explains why this administration can sue Arizona for enforcing existing federal immigration law, while incongruously not lifting a finger against so-called “sanctuary cities” that openly flout existing federal law.

Enslavement to Leftist ideology explains why this administration will undoubtedly sign off on a “financial regulation reform bill” that deals in racial and gender quotas. (Are you reading this Mr. 41?  Don't take the RINO bait.)

Leftist ideology is all about dividing the masses by race, class, and gender. During the election of 2008; if you were a minority, a woman, or making less than $200,000 annually; you may have been head-faked into believing Mr. Barack Hussein Obama was one of you. Trust me, he’s not – unless of course you are enslaved to socialism, Marxism, communism, Progressivism, or some other variety of Leftist ideology.  Progressivism is my conclusion, but that's immaterial here.