Bill Maher's sexism and racism

He's good at finding subliminal racism in others, like an abbreviation for "negative," but stuck on stupid about sexual slavery and "don't teach them to read" advice from ACORN. Just google Bill Maher and ACORN. Oops. Nothing there. Oh, except to shoot the messenger.

Glenn Beck’s army of zombie retirees are marching on Washington in protest of, well, everything. It’s the Million Moron March, although they won’t get a million of course, because many will be confused and drive to Washington state. But they will make news, because people who take to the streets always do. They’re at the town hall screaming at the congressmen, we’re on the couch screaming at the TV.

So folks, he calls you morons for expecting your representatives to represent you, but sex slavery of children is just not worth commenting about. He says you, Democrats and Republicans and Independents, can't find Washington DC. I think the last count was around 2 million. On ACORN, he's tongue tied. Slavery only matters to a liberal if it happened in the 18th century.

One year anniversary since Lehman and Ike

Yes, Hurricane Ike also hit Ohio with $553 million in losses, the second most expensive storm to ever hit. But unless you live here, you probably don't remember. The Lehman crisis you may recall--lots of news stories about it yesterday. WSJ (9-15) our nation's most liberal newspaper (can't find a thing to report about ACORN) had several related comments, op-eds and observations:

Speeches were made which the authors (By John Cochrane and Luigi Zingales) paraphrase tongue in cheek: "The financial system is about to collapse. We can't tell you why. We need $700 billion. We can't tell you what we're going to do with it." from "Lehman and the financial crisis" "One year, 2 CEO's and $82 billion since the government rescue of AIG, monsters are still rattling in the closet." Dennis K. Berman, "The Game." "At the height of the [housing] boom, just 20% of Universal Lending [Denver] mortgages were backed by FHA, which guarantees loans to borrowers who can't afford big down payments. Today FHA accounts for more than 80% of his business," more government, more paper work, but more sales. It's no longer free enterprise for Peter Lansing. "Today I think of my self as a government contractor. . . Plan B is to sell pencils on the corner." John Helsinrath, "No easy exit." Gee, I hope all those doctors who think a public option is OK for health insurance are paying attention to Mr. Lansing's business.

Keep in mind FHA always had a higher rate of foreclosure, so don't expect that to change, except to climb higher, like your taxes. Also notice that the same non-profits that funnelled people (for a handsome fee skimmed from the government, the agent, the buyer and the lender) into homes they couldn't afford, are now (for a handsome fee) offering foreclosure workshops and tax advice. Meanwhile, yesterday we were treated to the most tepid good economic news by Gregory Zuckman (for rich people who gamble) I think I've ever seen in the Wall Street.

1. Stocks are up nearly 50% since early March. 2. Housing markets are stabilizing. 3. So are auto markets. (Sorry Chrysler dealers and pension plans) 4. Consumer confidence was higher in mid-September than was originally forecast. 5. Labor markets, although grim, are stabilizing. 6. Global trade is rebounding. 7. Durable goods orders are climbing. 8. Core inflation rates are trending lower in many countries. 9. Inflation seems to be under control. 10.Risky bonds are climbing.

Wow. I'm underwhelmed.

If you want to witness a real hate crime

Just go to Google and type in "Hate crimes against women." Personally, I don't think special laws are needed for specific groups--gays, blacks, the elderly, etc. Most black men are killed by other black men; most gays are killed by other gays; most elderly are not abused, but are injured from their own confusion and neglect. Hate crimes are just laws to trip up the white majority--they rarely apply to minorities. But if there were a need for a special kind of law to hang someone twice for the same crime, it should be those against women. We saw the President of the United States jump to the defense of Louis Gates, with no knowledge of the situation, a man who had been locked out of his house and the police called when it appeared to a neighbor that he was trying to break in. We saw him speak out on the death of Tiller an abortionist; and the death of a museum guard. All men. Meanwhile, all over the nation, women were being beat up, raped and murdered, and not a peep from Washington.

Shortly before we left northern Ohio to return home, the local Toledo stations were all reporting the death of a women tied up and weighted down with cement blocks and dropped in a marina. You probably didn't hear about it. I'd call that hate, wouldn't you? Last summer it was the pregnant white Akron mother killed by her black policeman boyfriend, and father of her toddler who witness his mother being shot. No one called that a hate crime. What about the young girl held prisoner in the back yard of her captor, raped and forced to bear his children? Sounds like hate, not lust. Only the bizarre story could bump Michael Jackson off the news for a few minutes. And remember the guy who shot up that exercise class? How many women did he kill? He didn't even know them. But they were women. Now they've found the body of Annie Le, the missing Yale student and bride to be, hidden in the basement of a medical building.

The despicable crimes against the women of Darfur at the UN refugee camp in Chad so far exceed anything that happened at Abu Graib or Gitmo, you can't even put them in the same category. But what gets the headlines? Whatever fits the liberal agenda, and feminism aside, which these days won't even speak out against Muslim oppression for fear of losing their position on the left, crimes against women really aren't important. . . because they are. . .after all. . . just women.

Fix Health Care Policy

Yes, let's. . . Fix Health Care Policy

The Problem. Obama wants to make all the decisions.

The Solution. Individuals and families make the decisions.

America's health care system is one-sixth of the entire economy -- larger than Britain's. Restructuring something that large and complex in one massive bill rammed through Congress is a fool's errand.

Remembering how we got here

Was it just two years ago we woke up to the damage the sub-prime loans and putting people into mortgage products they couldn't possibly pay was going to do to all of us? Usually, I don't search out Wikipedia for answers, but this little paragraph really sums it up nicely. The numbers refer to its footnotes.

The Community Reinvestment Act (or CRA, Pub.L. 95-128, title VIII, 91 Stat. 1147, 12 U.S.C. § 2901 et seq.) is a United States federal law designed to encourage commercial banks and savings associations to meet the needs of borrowers in all segments of their communities, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.[1][2][3]

Congress passed the Act in 1977 to reduce discriminatory credit practices against low-income neighborhoods, a practice known as redlining.[4][5] The Act requires the appropriate federal financial supervisory agencies to encourage regulated financial institutions to meet the credit needs of the local communities in which they are chartered, consistent with safe and sound operation. (See full text of Act and current regulations.[1] To enforce the statute, federal regulatory agencies examine banking institutions for CRA compliance, and take this information into consideration when approving applications for new bank branches or for mergers or acquisitions.[6]

Reading through it, you see all the intentions were good--by community activists, the FHA, Fannie and Fred, oh, and lookee here

Community groups only slowly organized to take advantage of their right under the Act to complain about law enforcement of the regulations."

So soon banks and lending institutions were being threatened and pushed into unwise credit risks by these "community groups," [who were taking their cut from the applicants.] Hmmm. Now those same groups are threatening Americans who are exposing them--like the film maker in the Baltimore ACORN and Glenn Beck and Fox News. [I don't know if they've intimidated NYT and CNN and broadcast news, but they are certainly quiet.] Time to wake up, folks, You've been scammed big time--the intentions of the Democrats 30 years ago were good (I was one so I know). And the Republicans and business CEOs fell in line and were afraid of being called racists if they resisted. Who could not support a welfare mother or a Latina housekeeper with suspect documentation getting her own home?

Interesting that I got to this article through another article on "Centrally Planned Economies" which used the CRA to show how it's done in America.

English Pronunciation

Last week I was at a local department store attempting to spread some money around to help the economy (I got a lovely one piece, full coverage swim suit for only $6 marked down from $40 and I don't even swim!) and I was behind a good old boy with tattooed arms neck to wrist who was attempting to be pleasant with the Pakistani check out clerk. I didn't understand a word he was saying; and I'm sure she didn't either. When it was my turn, I was tempted to mention it to her, but wasn't sure how much English she knew other than the basics--did you find what you need and sign here.

I noticed OSU has a class that even non-foreign students are allowed to take called

Pronunciation
Understanding English Pronunciation
02 credit hours
"An overview of the English sound system, with emphasis on understanding meaningful distinctions in rhythm, stress, and reductions. In-class practice of listening and speaking skills."

I'm pretty good with accents and dialects, but I have to say, this guy really put me to the test, and I failed. I've taken the on-line pronunciation quizes. Have no idea how authoritative they are, but apparently I'm part Canadian.

Rebuke your representative

if she tries to vote on a formal House rebuke of Joe Wilson. He has already apologized and the President accepted it. Harry Reid and John Murtha have never apologized to anyone for their outrageous speeches and acts, and they never will.

Donations pouring in for Wilson

Politico reports

"A source on Rep. Joe Wilson's campaign says his fundraising has broken $1 million -- and surpassed that of his Democratic rival, Rob Miller -- since his outburst of "You lie!" during President Obama's address to Congress Wednesday.

The source said Wilson's current tally is $1,005,021 from 18,859 donations amid a high-profile campaign on the Drudge Report and elsewhere telling conservatives that Wilson is "under attack" for his willingness to take on Obama.

Wilson, who initially apologized for his words, is now riding a reaction that has surpassed the liberal backlash to his words: Miller has raised less than $900,000, according to the Democratic fundraising site ActBlue -- though still more than enough to envigorate his challenge. [this was updated later to a million for miller]

Still, Wilson's success -- despite having been criticized by Republican leaders -- represents the power of the conservative grassroots to reward politicians who confront the White House in the sharpest terms. Link.

That's a lot of small donations. Want to bet on the big guns donating to Miller like Soros, Move it over, ACLU etc.? Also, if you wish to contribute, I'd use snail mail. The wackos have hacked his site.

Notice Politico's wording and scare quotes. (Liberal site which struggles with fairness) Why is a Drudge Report called high profile, but ALL the MSM supporting Obama isn't? And Reid's calling Bush a liar and loser many times wasn't sharpest terms, but Wilson's spontaneous outburst was?

No trash day

Over at The Lonely conservative there is an interesting photo essay about the lack of trash left by the tea party folks. She has photos of the Obama inauguration compared to the 9/12 tea party. Maybe it's people who walk the talk, (the green-goes have bad manners but talk a good line), or maybe these protesters just bent over during the walk and looked for a trash receptacle. Being primarily conservatives, they've probably figured out tax dollars have to clean up trash. The photos of the trash left after the Obama event were the worst I've ever seen and apparently there wasn't a very timely pick up afterwards. Sort of a foretaste of what would happen to the economy. But just as the media has underestimated the number who attended, they'll probably over estimate the trash problem it created.

We'll try to get a first hand report from Murray when he returns.

Hispanic Pastors respond to ELCA Sexuality statement

"We have received with profound sadness the ELCA Churchwide Assembly decision of passing a Social Statement on Human Sexuality which significantly changes the historical teaching and practice of the Church on Sexuality. We have also read with great disappointment and grave concern the changing of our ministry standards, allowing non-celibate homosexual pastors, associates in ministry, diaconal ministers, and deaconesses to serve as rostered leaders in the ELCA.

We, Hispanic ELCA rostered leaders of the Florida-Bahamas Synod, REPUDIATE these new policies, declaring them to be incompatible with Christian teaching, the tradition of the Christian Church, and our consciences. As Martin Luther did in his own day, we reject the idea that ANY human being, prelate, council, or Assembly, can rightfully vote to invalidate the teachings of Holy Scripture.

It is clear to us that the ELCA has decided to stop recognizing the Authority of the Bible, presenting a different and diluted Gospel not in accordance with the teaching of the Scriptures (Galatians 1:6-10). Therefore, we RENOUNCE the decision of the Churchwide Assembly and will continue to uphold the clear Biblical standards for marriage, family, and sexuality."

From the CORE website

If you haven't been following this painful, long drawn out battle, read "How the ELCA Left the Great Tradition for Liberal Protestantism" at Christianity Today.

Right before the vote on the Social Statement a totally unexpected tornado hit the Minneapolis Conference Center where we were meeting as well as the huge Central Lutheran Church next door, knocking the cross off one of its towers. Orthodox voting members saw the work of God in the tornado's cross-toppling effects and in the vote that passed with a .666 majority. Revisionists noted that the sun came out after the vote. In response the orthodox quipped that the sun comes out almost every day, but rogue tornados are pretty rare!

H1N1 Flu

I've been looking over the suggestions at the Ohio State health site (even has a blog) and the CDC 2009 H1N1 Flu site, and it looks to me that one of the best things you can do is get the regular flu shot, because I don't really see much difference in the list of symptoms. In fact, I see no difference.

•fever greater than 100 degrees
•cough
•sore throat
•body aches
•headache
•chills and fatigue
•respiratory congestion

So if you feel crappy, at least you can partially rule out regular flu, and also, you're not in a weakened condition if exposed to the swine flu. Third, many more people have died from plain old seasonal flu than the H1N1 type. In May 2009 CDC reported "With seasonal flu, we see in the United States over 30 million cases. We see 200,000 hospitalizations and, on average, 36,000 deaths."

Also, I don't think this will help the economy much with people missing work at the first sign of a sniffle and staying home from cultural and sporting events, which in turn hurts restaurants.

I just hate, hate, hate even catching a cold, which for me usually lasts 6 weeks. So I'll really be awful if I get the flu.

And while researching this I came across the sites that think this is a conspiracy between the government and big pharma and I think the WHO (UN) is in that mix someplace. Yawn. Have you noticed evil and sin can never happen or evolve. There always has to be a committee planning it?

History repeats itself

A cartoon from the 1930s (I haven't vetted it, so if it's as phony as an ACORN registration gig, it's still true) seen at The Lonely Conserative The artist in the foreground writes "Spend spend spend, under the guise of recovery. Blame the capitalists." Stalin lurks in the background. There's even some pinkos from Harvard and Columbia enjoying the ride. Yes, change a few names and it is deja vu all over again. FDR managed to extend the Depression about a decade after Hoover's failed policies.

ACORN loses Census account

"ACORN Housing Corporation received $1.6 million to provide housing services to low-income communities in this fiscal year, ending Sept. 30, according to USASpending.gov, a federal government Web site for tracking government grants.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development Grants has given $8.2 million to ACORN in the years between 2003 and 2006, as well as $1.6million to ACORN affiliates.

HUD could not be reached for comment.

The hidden-camera videos, released this week, showed workers in two separate ACORN housing offices apparently helping a couple posing as a pimp and prostitute evade the IRS and apply for an illegal housing loan for a brothel. A 25-year-old independent filmmaker, James O'Keefe, posed as the pimp in the undercover expose, which was conceived by a friend, 20-year-old Hannah Giles, who posed as a prostitute.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the offices shown in the videos had received any of ACORN's federal grant money for housing services.

The Census Bureau notified ACORN on Friday in a letter that it is severing all ties with the group for all work having to do with the 2010 census.

"Over the last several months, through ongoing communication with our regional offices, it is clear that ACORN's affiliation with the 2010 Census promotion has caused sufficient concern in the general public, has indeed become a distraction from our mission, and may even become a discouragement to public cooperation, negatively impacting 2010 Census efforts," read a letter from Census Director Robert M. Groves to the president of ACORN.

"Unfortunately, we no longer have confidence that our national partnership agreement is being effectively managed through your many local offices. For the reasons stated, we therefore have decided to terminate the partnership," the letter said." (FoxNews.com)

ACORN, not surprisingly, is going to retaliate big time against Fox. After all, exposing the schemes that some very rich white guys think up to fool and scam minorities can get you in a peck o' trouble. When can the rest of us expect the NYT, LATimes, CNN, NBC, etc. to start doing a little homework on the side? Their main job seems to be as campaign hustlers for Obama. Still, it shows a certain shallowness when a saucy story with a pimp, prostitute and underage sex slaves gets Americans more worked up than obvious voter fraud in 2008 which helped elect the president and the corresponding crimes in 2006 and 2007 of luring bad credit risks into homes with sub-prime loans and grabbing big fees.

Geithner's on top of this tax cheat scheme

Sept. 8, 2009 "WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced that the United States and Monaco have signed an agreement to allow for the exchange of information on tax matters between the two countries. The agreement was signed by Deputy Secretary Neal Wolin and Minister Franck Biancheri in Washington.

"This Administration is wholeheartedly committed to combating offshore tax evasion," said Deputy Secretary Wolin. "We are working with countries like Monaco to ensure that the IRS has access to the information that it needs to enforce U.S. tax law. Today's agreement serves as an example for other financial centers around the world and reflects our continued efforts to end the use of offshore accounts as a tool for tax evasion." (Weekly Digest e-mail from U.S. Department of the Treasury) "

What I wrote about Timothy Geithner on January 15

Someone at IRS gave Geithner a pass Go, do not go to jail card, because he was too big to fail. It was the Obama team vetting him that found the error. The IRS let him off the hook. Another too big, too brilliant to fail, Washington insider. When will we learn? We are about to have a tax crook as head of Treasury!

There was plenty of information for Geithner to correct his own mistakes--no special laws needed--even very low level employees paid by international organizations knew what to do with that reimbursement money. But because of his position with the fed, he was above the law. So how has his appointment helped our economy?

Is there a double standard based on race? Van Jones has to go because he's a loud mouth paranoid bigot, but the white guy crook with good manners gets to be a member of the inner circle?

Forget Maytag

When we moved here in 2002 I bought a matching washer and dryer--I'd never had a matched set. My older models used to last 15-20 years, but they'd wear out on a different schedule. I'm about to go back to a mismatch. My Maytag dryer, which has been a constant frustration for seven years because it balls the clothes instead of fluff, needs a new motor, according to the repair man, to whom I gave $35 just to come and look at it. We thought it was the timer-switch, and even that was going to be about $150 with labor, but the motor is much more expensive, both in parts and labor. What a piece of crap. The repairman said he bought a rebuilt Maytag about 15 years ago, and now at 30, it's still going strong, but the new ones aren't worth piddle.

Anyone have a recent model (not Maytag) they'd recommend? The washer squeals when stopping after spin cycle, so maybe I should just start over with one of those efficient models. I have a CD coming due, and that's certainly not worth reinvesting, so maybe that's the route to go.


I'm not sure of the date of this photo, but I think it's about 1953, and my mother had her first automatic washer and dryer. Before that she used a wringer washer and we either hung the clothes in the basement (which I've been doing this week), or outside if the weather was good. These were in the downstairs 1/2 bath which in an earlier era, was a porch to the back yard, so this bathroom had four doors, one to the kitchen, one to Dad's office, one to the outside, and one to the basement. My mother was about 40-41 in the photo.

Do leftists know people are employed in the food industry?

The food industry--agribusiness, processors, packagers, designers, marketers, chemistists, nutritionists, magazine writers, etc.--will continue to be under attack by the left as we inch our way through the health care mess. Diabetes, cardiovascular problems--it's all the fault of evil capitalism, not our genes, not our personal choices.

Here's an item from today's paper that will thrill Michael Pollan. Even by suggesting in his editorial that the food industry is the next target of the Obama surrogates, he's probably killed investment.

"Marzetti Pfeiffer foods plant is to close in western New York putting 150 people out of work." Link

Oh look. The announcement came on 9/11--maybe the President could find volunteer jobs for all those people in Wilson, NY.

Back to the gardens and kitchens ladies! Drop those brief cases and get out the aprons. It's your patriotic duty.

Dear Ted Celeste

You are a nice guy. I think you are one of the few democrats I voted for. But really, today's editorial on civility was a bit one sided. One Republican yelled out in a fit of righteous anger, "You Lie," to a President who was lying to Congress and the American people, and you just fall apart. The only items you listed were failings of the Republicans. That's odd. Listen to these NO's and Boo's during Bush's important (and truthful) speech on Social Security, when Democrats were the minority party, before 2006 when they set in concrete really rude behavior--like Barney Frank's imitation of Joe McCarthy, or confirming tax cheats like Timothy Geithner and wackos like Cass Sunstein who perform as Obama surrogates.

You suggest people look in the mirror, and Ted, that's an excellent idea, especially for Democrats with a poor memory, and those who worry about "birthers" on the right but ignore "truthers" on the left, even appointing them to influential offices within government where they can continue their paranoid hate in comfort.

Bag Lady in suburbia

Bag lady you gone hurt your back
Draggin all them bags like that
I guess nobody ever told you
All you must hold on to
Is you, is you, is you

One day all them bags gone get in
You way (x4)

So pack light (x4)
Bag Lady sung by Erykah Badu


I saw a young, slender attractive "bag lady" in the coffee shop--don't know what else to call her. She had 4 or 5 large bags outside next to the window so she could keep and eye on them, and inside she was sorting compulsively through smaller bags, wallets, boxes, etc. She was dressed for cool weather. I remember seeing her about 5 or 6 years ago at Caribou when unemployment in Ohio was under 5%, so I don't think the current Obama economy is the cause of her condition. She's probably eligible for numerous programs, especially if she's disabled because of mental illness, but perhaps in her mind the social workers just want to entrap her. Or maybe she just lives in the neighborhood and enjoys carrying her worldly possessions with her. Over the years, I've seen several mentally ill regulars at local coffee shops. Once I saw one attack the manager, and he was even with his care taker, so when I see him I usually go to a different store.

Where's the splashy headlines about this killing?

On A6 of the Columbus Dispatch I read about the murder of a Michigan man--an abortion protester. The killer, according to the news account, didn't like the activist holding a sign with graphic images of a fetus in front of students. So he shot the guy in front of the students--I suppose in his twisted mind, that wouldn't disturb them. The killer then went to a business and shot another man, and was on his way to kill a third, when he was shot by the police. Apparently he wasn't a minority, because there was no mention of an investigation of the police killing an armed and dangerous man. But also, the press and the president haven't taken much notice. Remember back in May?

"The killing of abortion doctor George Tiller, who was fatally shot in his Kansas church Sunday morning, drew a flood of denunciations from President Obama along with liberal and conservative lawmakers and abortion rights groups and abortion foes. The murder occupied front pages and led news broadcasts for nearly three days."

At the same time an army recruiter William Long was killed and Quinton Ezeagwula wounded by a Muslim terrorist (homegrown) but Obama, the men's Commander in Chief, didn't even blink. Attorney General Eric Holder called for protection of abortion clinics, but ignored the killing of a U.S. soldier and ignores the attacks against U.S. military facilities since 9/11.

Some lives, matter, some don't. Abortionists and terrorists get a pass during this administration.