Baby, It’s Cold Outside

 

Don’t bet on it.

Despite it being summer in the southern hemisphere, by all reports the temperature dropped below that record low in Johannesburg yesterday. I’ve gathered a series of images showing the gathering clouds that blew in the cold front.

As you can see here, some people are more sensitive to the falling barometric pressure that indicates an approaching storm. Some however are totally oblivious.

The insensitive ones are completely caught up in their own activities when all of a sudden – BLAM!

The deep freeze arrived like a fury:

“The -135.8-degree temperature is more like you'd see on Mars on a nice summer day in the poles,"

Or perhaps a fury scorned.

As soon as the full force of the storm cell appears, self preservation skills begin to kick in:

 “Lord, please don’t let me hurt him too bad; we still have to go to Hawaii later this month.”

Helle: “If I’d known Hurricane Michelle was going to strike, I would’ve brought an umbrella.”

Despite rolling up her sleeves to deck one of them, Lady M eventually calmed down and decided to use the teacher’s method of dealing with these situations; she just made them change seats.

“And another thing, Helle, I hate your people’s stinky little fish sandwiches.”

Whew! That was a close one! Big Guy sure doesn’t seem to do learning. This isn’t the first time he’s been caught in the middle of Hurricane Michelle. You all remember the Thalia incident don’t you?

Unfortunately, Jimmy Kimmel captured the whole thing for the Presidential library:

So maybe the interpreter for the deaf at Nelson Mandela’s memorial was a complete fake, whose signing of Big Guy’s speech was complete nonsense (hee):

Fraudulent signer/interpreter with…Barry. Hee.

butt Big Guy’s apologies were sincere; both the one he delivered to Raul, and the one he delivered to Lady M.

And hopefully all this blow back we’re getting over this international incident will teach Barry an important  lesson on proper protocol when headed into a storm: always remember to bring your umbrella.

That way you can avoid these awkward “clean-up after the storm” shots.

“Yeah, baby, you’re still my number one beard.”

Maybe I should nominate him for another Noble for this peace accord?

Linked By: BlogsLucianneLoves, and NOBO2012 on Free Republic, Thanks!

Cross-Posted on Patriot Action Network

Castro, Mandela, Obama: Which Doesn’t Belong and Why?

This jet-lag is killing me, butt I just thought you would want to know: Lady M arrived to honor the late Nelson Mandela in one of her signature mini-me’s.

The Wons arrive at Waterkloof Air Base, South Africa

And as you can see, it’s raining. And Lady M had to carry her own umbrella. Apparently this country still has a way to go before accomplishing complete racial equality, if you know what I mean and I think you do:

 

As might be expected, Big Guy’s remarks were awesome:

“For nothing he achieved was inevitable. In the arc of his life, we see a man who earned his place in history through struggle and shrewdness; persistence and faith.”

Fine traits indeed - struggle and shrewdness; persistence and faith. And I will say, BO seems to have nailed the persistence part, to the point of being a pest. And I guess 1 out of 4 ain’t bad. Anyway, here’s my takeaway from the speech: “nothing he achieved was inevitable.” So, unless Big Guy gets to work on the schtruggle, the shrewdness and the faith parts, his legacy may not be inevitable either. Hold that thought. It my sustain you.

Butt today’s memorial was historic for more reasons than just Big Guy’s speech eulogizing Mandela as a “great liberator.” He also unveiled his new foreign relations policy by extended his unclenched fist to Cuba’s Communist President, Raul Castro: the first such gesture between a US President and a Cuban head of state since, well, you know, the Communists fought “inequality and poverty” and won.(?)

El Presidente, meet El Presidente

And since he also reprised his “Bowing to Foreign Monarchs and Dictators” policy while shaking hands, I guess we have a pretty good indication of what BO wishes his legacy to be. (UPDATE: More “Bowing to Foreign Monarchs and Dictators” at Fausta’s Blog here.)

Oh, and what a relief! Lady M had time to have her hair done and change clothes (for the third time since leaving Washington). She wore an occasion appropriate outfit for the actual memorial service: short, black and lacy. I thought you would want to know.

Oh, and Val-Jar was with us!

Uh, Oh! I said short, black and lacy, not “racy”

Former President and Laura Bush were there,

No, wait, that’s them right behind the Clintons:

“Miss me yet? I thought so.”

Anyway, back to “the Speech:” BO urged the world to carry on Madiba’s legacy, like he is, by fighting inequality, poverty and discrimination:

"We, too, must act on behalf of justice. We, too, must act on behalf of peace. There are too many of us who happily embrace Madiba's legacy of racial reconciliation, but passionately resist even modest reforms that would challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality,"

He’s talking to all you old white guys still trying to keep the black man down. And you know who you are: the cranks who invented the term “Obamacare” - the racist way for old white guys to refer to the Affordable Care Act. Tune in later when we cover in more detail precisely how increased premiums, higher deductibles, limited access to doctors and top shelf hospitals, and restrictions on prescription medicines “challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality” (hint: it’s called “re-distribution”).

Until then, let’s all just think happy thoughts as we reflect on legacies of the black man’s schtruggle, fighting “inequality and poverty.” Obama’s schtruggle, that is, not the other guy’s.

 

“Now what, Einstein?”

“I think we’ll just have to raise these taxes a bit higher.”

Linked By: burrata on HotAir, and @ValCSilver on twitter, and Laurie Guthrie, Scott Wayt, Ray Schafer, Abby L Call on facebook, and BlogsLucianneLoves, and glorgau and NOBO2012 on Free Republic, Thanks!

Cross-Posted on Patriot Action Network

“You Can’t Shake Hands with a Clenched Fist.”– Indira Gandhi

It’s really a shame Big Guy didn’t get the chance to enjoy the same kind of photo op with Nelson Mandela that Bubba did.

Looking reflectively pensive is just not the same when you’re alone in the cell.

Looks good though, no?

And if Barry had actually had a chance to spend some quality time with “Madiba” perhaps he could have taught him the same thing he taught Bubba: how to forgive people for telling the truth about the lies you told:

It must be something you learn at President School: how to make every major world event about you. Because left to my own devices, I never would have been able to make the connection between a militant South African black man being left to break rocks in a hell-hole of a prison for 27 years, and the first black American President being impeached for lying to the Grand Jury about getting bjs in the Oval office.  Only a world class fabulist/prevaricator like Bubba could do that.

Big Dawg sure has set a high bar for making this “all about you” though. Especially since the only opportunity BO ever had to meet Madiba in person was “in his first months as an Illinois senator. He met briefly with Mandela in his hotel room in a hurriedly arranged get-together for a senator already rising like a rocket.”

As a result, they never really had a chance to swap stories and experiences that could later be translated into life-changing insights. Like how smoking crack for 18 hours while cramming for finals is like cracking rocks all day for 27 long, hard years.

I’m not saying Nelson Mandela didn’t have a big impact on BO’s life. Indeed, the symbolism of President Mandela has not been lost on our President.

Take for example this iconic shot of BO and Lady M in Oslo, accepting his (first) Nobel Peace Prize. Here he is, shot behind bars, flashing Nelson’s signature raised fist salute:

To be sure, the raised fist salute has long been the iconography of political struggle:

"It's a way of indicating that you intend to meet malevolent, massive institutional force with force of your own - you are an individual who feels bound with other individuals to fight an oppressive status quo."

Granted, it has most frequently been embraced for extremist movements like Communism and militant black power and female-power activists.

As well as black American Presidents

and important, bankrupt, American cities:

Detroit’s iconic “Black Fist” on Jefferson Ave.

I think the message’s clear.

And speaking of messages,  Bubba’s self-aggrandizing remarks actually included a deeper message, intended for the GOP. He was just reminding them that when he was President, he was a very big man; he forgave his adversaries for the good of the party and the stability of the Republic. His not so veiled threat is that they have no reason to assume that to be the case with Big Guy. So got that boys? “If you impeach this little pissant President, you will all pay the price; as will the rest of the country.”

So be vewy, vewy quiet. And consider this your last warning.

Oh, and while you’re at it, better pass that message on to all those damn Teahadists as well:

"It's a way of indicating that you intend to meet malevolent, massive institutional force with force of your own - you are an individual who feels bound with other individuals to fight an oppressive status quo."

P.S. That welt on Bubba’s forehead? Not the mark of the devil, he just got clipped with another flying ashtray.

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and Clarice Feldman and Abby L Call, Patty Bride, Diane Marie on facebook, and @ValCSilver on twitter, and BlogsLucianneLoves, and NOBO2012 on Free Republic, Thanks!

Cross-Posted on Patriot Action Network

An A Cappella Christmas Sunday

In the spirit of the season’s message of “Peace on Earth, Goodwill Towards Men,” I’m taking Sundays off from the madness that has transformed our world.

So, in honor of Big Guy’s eternal prancing down the steps of Air Force Won to the tune of the Little Drummer Boy, I offer up this far more entertaining and season worthy rendition for your enjoyment.

Pentatonix Little Drummer Boy

 

Please feel free to post your favorite song of the season, your favorite photo of Barry drumming – or whatever -

 

or just carry-on as you see fit. I’m going to make some cookies. There’s not a chance in the world they’ll be anywhere near as cute as Robin H’s “ugly Christmas sweaters” cookies butt they’ll taste good.

Robin H’s yummy Christmas cookies

And if you decide to make cookies, be sure to share them with us too!

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and Abby L Call, Bill Wickline on facebook, and @ValCSilver on twitter, and BlogsLucianneLoves, and NOBO2012 on Free Republic, Thanks!

Cross-Posted on Patriot Action Network

Christmas Without Tinsel: Unemployment Really is a Zero Sum Game

There’s nothing quite like the holiday season in Washington!

We’ve got Santas:

The American Santa Claus and the jolly old elf: you decide

 

to Menorahs:

OK, so we were a day late for a proper Hanukkah celebration, butt we’ve been busy. And when it’s a “holiday menorah” the precise date is irrelevant.

And in case you missed it last night, we lit the national Holiday tree:

And nearly everyone was “happy, happy, happy”

We had lots of guests, including Aretha Franklin who came as Humble Bumble from the Isle of Misfit Toys:

 

And Mariah Carey, who came as…

 

well, I’m not sure. Maybe a sack of marshmallows?

Meanwhile, our legislators were busy wrapping gifts for their constituents. Here’s Nancy Pelosi at her annual holiday news conference, promising extra unemployment benefits to all the good little boys and girls who still haven’t had any luck finding a job, lo, these many (5, butt who’s counting?) years:

""Economists agree that unemployment benefits remain one of the best ways to grow the economy in a very immediate way. It immediately injects demand into our markets and increases employment. For every dollar spent on unemployment benefits, the economy grows by, according to one estimate, $1.52; by others, $2. So somewhere in that range, but much more than is spent on it," Pelosi said.

Apparently extended unemployment benefits have proved to be so popular with recipients in the past that Nan decided to re-gift them again this year.

This gift concept originated way back in 2010, when San-Fran-Nan first told us that unemployment

“injects demand into the economy…It creates jobs faster than almost any other initiative you can name.” 

And here she is at the first re-gifting, for Christmas 2011:

“The unemployment insurance extension is not only good for individuals. It has a macroeconomic impact. As macroeconomic advisers have stated, it would make a difference of 600,000 jobs to our economy.”

The super-velocity of unemployment dollars is an interesting Keynesian-lite economic theory that our regime economists have skillfully created from whole cloth scripted to be used by any of our Democratic propagandists legislators who are willing to repeat such moronic indisputable talking points. And they are legion.

(Note: all talking points memos are also handed out daily to our compliant useful impartial media. That would be everyone except Fox News.)

As Doug Powers first pointed out during the 2010 inaugural run of the unemployment multiple gifting idea, if unemployment is the best way to create jobs, our economy won’t be fully functioning until nobody’s working. And I doubt even Big Guy can accomplish that. Although I certainly give him credit for trying.

Perhaps this would be a good time to point out that SFN also believes that tax increases are spending reductions, so at least her illogical syllogism is consistent.

Oh, and for the record moron Nan, you “inject” money into the system. Demand is “created.” Butt trust me, unemployment does neither; it just redistributes what was already there. You know, “spread the wealth around,” sort of like Santa does, only with other people’s money.

I still don’t get it; you mean no matter how many times I add it up, I still get ZERO?

 

Linked By: Clarice Feldman, and Abby L Call, Far North Dallas Tea Party Patriots, Clint Counts on facebook, and BlogsLucianneLoves, and NOBO2012 on Free Republic, Thanks!

Cross-Posted on Patriot Action Network

Obama Fan Fiction: the Hardball Series

Are you familiar with fan fiction (FF)?

“Fiction written by fans about an extant fictional universe.”

Often written when the fans don’t like the ending; for example, thousands of fans have re-written the ending of “Titanic,” some with very creative plot twists.

In this animated FF version, Jack and Rose live on and on…as vampires.

All of which may explain why people trash the genre:

Fan fiction is what literature might look like if it were reinvented from scratch after a nuclear apocalypse by a band of brilliant pop-culture junkies trapped in a sealed bunker. They don't do it for money. That's not what it's about. The writers write it and put it up online just for the satisfaction. They're fans, but they're not silent, couch-bound consumers of media. The culture talks to them, and they talk back to the culture in its own language.  - Lev Grossman, TIME, July 18, 2011

Anyway, fan fiction is not unlike fan journalism (FJ), where journalists make up stories to keep the narrative of their favorite politician going strong. Like their counterparts in fiction, fan journalists don’t do it for the money, they do it for the love.

“I love you man!” “Me too, Chris.”

So imagine Chris’ excitement when he found out he was going to have the opportunity to interview his favorite politician of all time! On his Ms.NBC Hardball show. And while the idiom “Hardball” use to mean “to act or work aggressively, competitively, or ruthlessly, as in business or politics,” with the adoption of Newspeak as the official language of the U.S. government, it now means something more like, well, “softball” - “something that can be easily dealt with.” Alternate Newspeak definition: “un-hardball.”

Big Guy is tossed a softball by fan journalist Matthews

Fan Boy took the opportunity to lob in some good ones, like this question about why young people should buy Obamacare:

“And for young people to recognize that it is in their financial interest and their health interest to be able to get ongoing preventive care, to be able to get — free contraception and — you know, benefits that — like mammograms that allow them to maintain their health throughout their lives, without fear of going bankrupt or making their family bankrupt if they get sick — that’s something that’s priceless.”

Seriously? Free condoms? Is that your final, priceless answer? You’re sure you don’t want to phone a friend?

Next, Chrissy slammed this one in about Republicans obstructing the rights of minorities to vote:

Let me ask you about something else. This is a Twitter question from C. Wilhelm’s, his name: “What can we do to stop the GOP, the Republicans, from rigging the votes state by state to disenfranchise voters and destroy our democracy? 36 states right now led by Republican legislatures, have been trying to make it difficult for minority people to vote, especially in big cities, and older people.” Everybody knows the game. Republicans often admit the game to deny people the vote. What's your reaction?

Barry knocked it out of the park:

You can’t say you take pride in American democracy, in American Constitutionalism, American Exceptionalism, and then you’re doing everything you can to make it harder for people to vote as opposed to easier for people to vote.

 

And he also asked Big Guy about the NSA kerfuffle, to which the Prezzie responded:

“I can’t confirm or get into the details of every aspect of what the NSA does.  … I’ve said before and I will say it again, the NSA actually does a very good job about not engaging in domestic surveillance, not reading people’s emails, not listening to their– the contents of their phone calls. Outside of our borders, the NSA’s more aggressive.”

I’m pretty sure that “a very good job about not engaging…not reading…not listening” is Newspeak for something, butt I’m not sure what just yet. Butt that might have been an opportune time for Fan Journalist Chrissy to do what Politico was hoping he would do with the interview:

Matthews and MSNBC have a chance to display some journalistic integrity here. To push the president where he needs to be pushed and, after the interview, criticize him where he deserves criticism. In that October interview, Griffin said MSNBC was "not here to be the voice of the administration." This interview and its post-game analysis offer a trial run for that thesis.

Allow me to respond to Politico’s comment on FJ Matthews behalf :

Since Big Guy added that he would soon be “proposing some self-restraint on the NSA.”  I guess that doing “a very good job” wasn’t quite good enough in this case, even for government work.

Still not done with the Hardball questions though, FJ asked for Barry’s response to recent polls showing a decline in trust in both the federal government and in Big Guy himself. Big Guy deftly batted that one away by hitting a foul ball into the Republican’s stand:

“The entire Republican Party brand over — since Ronald Reagan has been, ‘Government’s the problem,’” Obama told Matthews. “And if you, day after day, week after week, election after election are running on that platform and that permeates our culture, and it’s picked up by, you know, ordinary citizens who grow skeptical. Then it’s not surprising that over time, trust in government declines.”

Gosh! That sounds like propaganda! There’s no propaganda in politics, right?

Next, we discussed the phony IRS scandal, which FJ set up as a “tricky” 501(c)4 issue; Big Guy agreed:

He explained that the IRS office in Cincinnati was merely trying to “streamline” the system for “bureaucratic reasons.”

Naturally, Chris held the blockbuster question of the fan interview for the very end:

MATTHEWS: It's an essay question. The qualities required of a president. Vice President Joe Biden, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, compare and contrast.

OBAMA: Not a chance am I going there. [Laughter] The-- here-- here's what I'll say. Both Hillary and Joe-- would make outstanding presidents-- and possess the qualities that are needed-- to be-- outstanding presidents. They-- I think Joe Biden will go down in history as one of the best vice presidents-- ever. And he has been with me, at my side, in every tough decision that I've made from-- going' after Bin Laden to-- dealing with the health care issues to, you name it, he's been there.

Good answer, seems neutral with a slight nod to Joey whose been there through thick and thin. Been there for Bin Laden:

Uh, Joey, turn that around.

There for Healthcare:

Yeah, Joe, it is a big f***ing deal. Now go sit down.

There for gun control:

And there for ice cream. And pizza.

The man is as ready as Big Guy himself.

So the only question FJ Chrissy didn’t ask yesterday was “Briefs, boxers, or none of the above?”

Butt that’s okay, we probably can’t handle the truth anyway.

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and Clarice Feldman, and @batfreight, @ValCSilver on twitter, and Dennis Denton, Abby L Call, Janet Moorhead, Patty Bride on facebook, and BlogsLucianneLoves, and NOBO2012 on Free Republic, Thanks!

Cross-Posted on Patriot Action Network

Obama Gets Schooled On The “Root” of Prosperity

“Let me end by addressing the elephant in the room here, which is the seeming inability to get anything done in Washington these days.”

Woo-hoo! I’m dying here! Did you catch that? The “elephant” in the room! Ha ha ha! The do-nothing “elephant” Congress. Kudos to the speechwriter who came up with that, you’ve got a standing job offer on the Daily Show.

As I’m sure you’ve heard, Big Guy pivoted away from the continually unfolding disaster of Obamacare yesterday back to the economy which, by comparison, is doing much better.

Donkey ears for the Prezzie making elephant jokes

Making the claim that income inequality is “the defining challenge of our time,” Big Guy pivoted back to what he hopes will be his priority for the next three years: fixing that pesky inequality through even more redistribution of wealth.

“The basic bargain at the heart of our economy has frayed,” Big Guy said, implying that we no longer offer an honest day’s wage for an honest days work. He said that challenged “the very essence of who we are as a people” and called for an increase to the minimum wage.

I know somebody who would agree with his statement whole-heartedly; Madison Root. You know, the little 11 year old who harvested mistletoe on her uncle’s farm,

packaged it up, tied with a ribbon and tried to sell it in a park in downtown Portland.

Only to be shooed out of the area for violating city ordinances regarding the sale of goods in parks. Begging, hanging out, smoking pot there - all cool. Selling mistletoe to help pay for your braces? Not so much:

'People can get money for pot but I can't get money for braces? I'm working for this, they're just sitting down on their butts all day asking for pot.'

Here’s an 11 year old girl who understands the principle of “an honest day’s work for an honest day’s wage” far better than our Prezzie. And I dare say she also has a better grasp of the unintended consequences of well-meaning government intervention and regulation as well.

The country needs more Madison Roots, as well as more Mr. and Mrs. Roots who raise children like Madison. In Portland Oregon of all places!

Get out of her way, and Madison will be able to realize the American Dream: I wonder if she’s home-schooled?

Oh, and for the record: the elephant in Big Guy’s front room is not the do-nothing Congress, it’s the do-everything Congress. The rear-end problems with Obamacare haven’t been addressed yet, and they show signs of festering. Not to worry though, we’ve got our A-team of tech experts (“the best and the brightest” by Common Core standards) working on it.

Obamacare: Praying it FORWARD! Period.

This Economics Lesson was brought to by your Democratic Party:

“Spreadin’ Your Wealth As Fast As We Can!”

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and Abby L Call, Red Target, Mireille Buser, Candace Crider on facebook, and @batfreight on twitter, and BlogsLucianneLoves, and NOBO2012 on Free Republic, Thanks!

Cross-Posted on Patriot Action Network