Virginia's governor supports Governor Walker of Wisconsin

HT Bob Kirchman, a Virginia blogger, Christian and conservative. Also a great photographer. Check out his web site.

Size still matters

Obama's not a great coalition builder like our previous 3 presidents--probably because he's never run anything before. He thinks it's all about him. Attack first, then work the phones and try to get support. Not the way it's been done in the past. Might have helped to check with our Congress, too--support at home never hurts.

Thirty two nations in Desert Storm and Desert Shield (1991 GHW Bush); 34 nations involved in the Bosnia mission (1995 Clinton); 19 in Kosovo mission (1999 Clinton); 49 in Afghanistan Enduring Freedom (2002 GW Bush); 40 nations in Iraq (2003 GW Bush ); and only 15 in Libya Odyssey Dawn. Maybe he shouldn’t have rushed off to Brazil to give away drilling rights so we'd have to continue buying foreign oil. It's possible other national leaders have noticed, as we have, that he dithers, dawdles and heads for the golf course when a problem arises.

Why Obama’s Libya war coalition is the smallest in decades | The Cable

Is the Federal Reserve System part of the U.S. Government?

". . . the Fed is more accurately seen as a private, not a governmental institution, though with substantial governmental ties.

The ambiguity arises from a combination of misleading appearances; the fact that our President appoints (with consent of the Senate) the Chairman of the Fed to four year terms, and the 5 member Board in Washington to 14 year terms; the fact that the Fed is supposed to promote governmental fiscal policy; and the fact that the system was originally set up in law by Congress in 1913 and can be altered, nationalized or even dismantled by Congress.

. . .most Americans would be surprised to learn that almost all of what we use for money is not issued by our government, but by private banks. They have been “allowed” to form erroneous assumptions about our money and banking system that are far from reality and that serves to shield from closer scrutiny, whether the Fed is truly operating in the public interest or advancing more private agendas, either on purpose or by default.

Is the Federal Reserve System part of the U.S. Government? | Ron Paul 2012 | Sound Money, Peace and Liberty

Still think it is part of the government? Which branch--it's not Executive, Legislative, Judicial or Military; its expenses (extremely high) are not in the budget; its employees are not civil service; it is not supervised or overseen by any government agency; it has never been audited although it controls everything about our monetary system. The Federal Reserve Act describes what it can do, but not what it is. Each Federal Reserve Bank is a separate corporation owned by commercial banks in its region--does that sound like the federal government? A department owned by commercial banks?

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM - GLEE or Red Meat for my troll

Who was the creator of Nip/Tuck? Ryan Murphy.

What other immensely popular show did he create?

Glee.

The similarities between the two shows are not exactly hard to see. Emmy winning, groundbreaking and more popular than any other show Murphy has created, Glee is a massive hit. It’s also a show with much more heart and soul than Nip/Tuck and occasionally rises to incredible highs the likes of which other comedies could only dream of.

Unfortunately, it can also be unbelievably frustrating, saccharine, cynical and unwatchable. Sometimes, those highs and lows can occur in the space of an episode.

Box Seat: CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM - GLEE

Spooky Dude Soros plans Event to Remake Global Economy

And guess who will come out on top? Soros, of course, the man with no guilt.

"The event is bringing together "more than 200 academic, business and government policy thought leaders' to repeat the famed 1944 Bretton Woods gathering that helped create the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Soros wants a new 'multilateral system," or an economic system where America isn't so dominant. More than two-thirds of the slated speakers have direct ties to Soros. The billionaire who thinks "the main enemy of the open society, I believe, is no longer the communist but the capitalist threat" is taking no chances. Thus far, this global gathering has generated less publicity than a spelling bee. And that's with at least four journalists on the speakers list, including a managing editor for the Financial Times and editors for both Reuters and The Times. Given Soros's warnings of what might happen without an agreement, this should be a big deal. . .

Speakers include chairman of President Obama's Economic Advisory Board, Paul Volcker (former head of the Fed); director of The Earth Institute and longtime recipient of Soros charity cash, Jeffrey Sachs; Soros friend Joseph E. Stiglitz (World Bank);INET Executive Director Rob Johnson (Soros funded and founded).

Unreported Soros Event Aims to Remake Entire Global Economy

In comparison, the Koch Brothers don't have enough money to shine Soros' shoes, but the left loves to trot them out as funding all sorts of nefarious events and causes on the right. It must tough to live in Soros' brain or hide, a Hungarian Jew who collaborated with the Nazis, and a capitalist funding communist causes--he's already said he has no guilt--probably because he has no conscience.

NATO deal on Libya doesn't mean quick exit for US - Yahoo! News

Well now, isn't this a shocker (not)! Also not a shock, but still a surprise, is that more Republicans than Democrats supported Obama's bellicose behavior. A surprise because he's basically yellow, doesn't believe in a government of freedom and democracy, so why follow him into battle if we just get another Muslim dictator? This morning driving in the dark, I saw a tiny mouse skiddaddling across the road from one drain to another right in my headlights. First thing I thought of after I braked, was the Republicans.

AP report via Yahoo News. WASHINGTON – NATO's limited role in command of the no-fly zone over Libya doesn't allow the U.S. to make a quick exit from the costly military operation as the Obama administration had wanted.

CREDO study on charter schools funded by liberal Joyce Foundation

The Joyce Foundation funded in part the study on the successes and failures of [public?] charter schools, CREDO national charter school study [alert: this is one of the most visually boring websites you'll find on the internet--Stanford needs a new web designer] The Joyce Foundation in its causes and in its directors is left wing, with Barack Obama and Valerie Jarrett members of its board of directors.

The 2009 CREDO report, “Multiple Choice: Charter School Performance in 16 States,” “recognized a robust national demand for more charter schools from parents and local communities, it found that 17 percent of charter schools reported academic gains that were significantly better than traditional public schools, while 37 percent of charter schools showed gains that were worse than their traditional public school counterparts, with 46 percent of charter schools demonstrating no significant difference.”

The full report plus supplements since the 2009 issue, includes those states like Indiana and California where charter school students did better than those in traditional classrooms, but also those in Ohio who did worse. (This could mean that Ohio's public schools were better at the starting gate than Indiana's or California's.) With 46% demonstrating no difference and 17% better, that’s at least 63% positive--at least they didn't loose ground. And then there’s the unmeasurables--parental involvement, safety, bullying, behavior, spiritual and moral guidance, special focus (art, music, math, sports) etc. . . . some things aren't measured in test scores. Also, I don't know of a way to account for the "head start" that traditional public schools have over the charters--public or private--nor how to account for the positive affect of competition on the public schools.

It will be interesting to see how the report is used by the various sides, including the unions, within the school system to woo the parents. Also it looks to me like Ohio charters ought to visit Indiana to see what's happening.

At least the President knows how to dress

Tuesday night I served supper at the homeless shelter. The women there were better dressed than the first family women who seemed to be making a fashion statement, but in translation it just came off sloppy and messy.

Geraldine Ferraro dead at 75

A great lady--I enjoyed her appearances and viewpoints as a Fox commentator. Her last TV appearance on Fox was with Sarah Palin after the November election. The only two top ticket females in our history--together--watch the video. They were both very gracious.

The Federal Reserve

A friend at the coffee shop alerted me that Glenn Beck would be covering the Federal Reserve on his program tonight. So I guess that means we'll be late for our Friday night date. Even if you can't stand him, this would be a good thing for you to know. The Federal Reserve is not a government agency, but a private for profit bank. The Federal government only recommends the chairman--and that's Ben Bernanke, who seems to have more power than Barack Obama and also served "under" George W. Bush.

"On Friday 2011 March 25, the entire Glenn Beck show will be devoted to an exposé of the Federal Reserve. I was invited to be a guest on the program and, when it was taped last Tuesday, I was amazed to find that Beck, not only has read the book but praised it highly. In fact, almost his entire opening monologue was based on the information and, in some cases, the very same phrases used in the book and in my lectures. I was delighted to know that someone, either Beck or his researchers, had spent a great deal of time studying The Creature from Jekyll Island. But what is even more encouraging is that several million viewers will be exposed to an hour of economic and monetary truth. This will bring us a giant step closer to actually slaying the Creature." G. Edward Griffin

Thanks, but no thanks

This came today. "As your family tree grows, you need software that will grow with it. In Family Tree Maker 2011 you'll find the features and tools you need to define complex relationships, organize your family history and design beautiful family trees and posters." I am so, so sorry I ever upgraded to 2008. The 6th ed. of Broderbund (1999) was wonderful, and I really miss its flexibility which apparently was turned in for more splashy graphics capability.

On the Ancestry.com site there is an explanation dated 2002 about when the software was sold to Riverdeep, so it's been passed around, like a cheap date, but in my opinion, many of the useful features have been lost.

"Broderbund produced Family Tree Maker for several years. Late in 1999, Broderbund’s owners at that time, Mattel, decided to spin off the genealogy software division to create an independent company called Genealogy.com which, in turn, was later acquired by A&E Television Networks early in 2001 (see my article for details). As part of the Mattel spin-off, Genealogy.com does all software development and also sells the software via the Web and by mail order. Broderbund retained exclusive rights to sell Family Tree Maker in retail stores, such as at Costco, CompUSA, etc.

The relationship apparently does not change with the new owners: Genealogy.com will continue to develop the software and sell it via direct sales channels while Riverdeep will sell it into retail outlets."

George W. Bush thought he was helping the Iraqi people (and he did)

In Afganistan, Bush freed more women than Lincoln did slaves--but did you hear any applause from NOW?

But that didn't carry any weight with his detractors, the howling Democrats, even the ones like Ms. Clinton, Kerry and Edwards who warned us about WMD. But especially Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden were critical of Bush's motives of wanting democracy for Iraqis. Now with calls to return that ridiculous Nobel award for peace (when he hadn't done anything), Obama denies the conflictin a CNN interview,

He says the United States is involved in attacking Libya to help the Libyans. “I think the American people don’t see any contradiction in somebody who cares about peace also wanting to make sure that people aren’t butchered because of a dictator who wants to cling to power,” he said.

Both Obama and Bush have misjudged these people--they definitely aren't ready for western style freedoms, particularly where women are concerned.

Samantha Power, the power behind the Gaddafi strike?

They are the glam couple of the Obama Administration--and I don't mean Michelle and Barack. Cass and Samantha (and baby makes three). He left his main squeeze (Martha Nussbaum) in Chicago for the Harvard Professor (much, much younger than his "partner" Martha) he met in the Obama campaign in 2008.

"Most of the commentary on Libya has focused on the tension between Obama’s apparent desire to displace Qaddafi and his reluctance to admit to it. But the chief reason for this intervention is the one that’s staring us in the face. Obama dithered when it was simply a matter of replacing Qaddafi, yet quickly acted when slaughter in Benghazi became the issue. What Samantha Power and her supporters want is to solidify the principle of “responsibility to protect” in international law. That requires a “pure” case of intervention on humanitarian grounds. Power’s agenda would explain why Obama acted when he acted, and why the public rationale for action has not included regime change.

Yet Obama has so far been reluctant to fully explain any of this to either Congress or the American public, perhaps because he realizes that the ideological basis of his actions would not be popular if openly admitted. If Obama were a different sort of president, we would have all heard about “responsibility to protect” long ago. The country would have thoroughly debated Power’s ideas, and the public would have quickly recognized the core motives of the president’s actions in Libya."

President Reticent - By Stanley Kurtz - The Corner - National Review Online

Mrs. Sunstein is very anti-Israel. I wonder if he is?

Samantha Power Sunstein's ties to George Soros who funds her Responsibility to Protect organization.

3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Technically Recoverable Oil Assessed in North Dakota and Montana’s Bakken Formation—25 Times More Than 1995 Estimate—USGS

This report by the US Geological Survey is from April 2008, but the oil hasn't gone away. It came through on an e-mail, so I decided to take a look--and yes, the report is at the U.S.G.S. web page.

"North Dakota and Montana have an estimated 3.0 to 4.3 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil in an area known as the Bakken Formation.

A U.S. Geological Survey assessment, released April 10, shows a 25-fold increase in the amount of oil that can be recovered compared to the agency's 1995 estimate of 151 million barrels of oil."

USGS Release: 3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Technically Recoverable Oil Assessed in North Dakota and Montana’s Bakken Formation—25 Times More Than 1995 Estimate— (4/10/2008 2:25:36 PM)

It really is strange that U.S. environmentalists have such a stranglehold on leaders of both parties, because the shutting down of our energy supplies and regulating it out of business, certainly isn't unique to this administration. It forces us to buy foreign supplies--where we have no control over the environmental conditions--involves us in foreign wars with Muslims, and sends our President to Brazil to offer them to drill where he says we can't. It would seem that the long term goal is to destroy both the U.S. and the environment, so obviously they are not interested in "Mother Earth."

However, depending on which version of the e-mail you get, the number of barrels keeps expanding as it is passed along (as does our use for oil), so it's best to go to the website to read the article. And new sources are being found all the time. What doesn't expand is our government's willingness to pursue it. We just pay others to pollute.

Detroit's Liberal Nightmare

"What happens when a city buys the liberal dream hook, line and sinker? Just take a look at the City of Detroit. The once-great city lost 237,493 residents over the last decade according to the 2010 Census, bringing it to 713,777 – a population plunge of 25%. That's its lowest population since 1910, and it marks the city's fall from a 1950s peak of two million, over 60%. And that’s just the people who can afford to leave."

Detroit's Liberal Nightmare | The Foundry: Conservative Policy News.

Other articles by Mike Brownfield

And look at what Hiroshima, which we destroyed in 1945, was able to accomplish by embracing the free markets in about the same period of time, compared to Detroit which took the "easy" progressive road. And now Obama and the Democrats want that for the whole nation. Looks like they will get it too, with the help of the union thugs, socialists and Muslims mixing it up in Madison and Columbus.

Glenn Reynolds law: "The government decides to try to increase the middle class by subsidizing things that middle class people have: If middle-class people go to college and own homes, then surely if more people go to college and own homes, we’ll have more middle-class people. But homeownership and college aren’t causes of middle-class status, they’re markers for possessing the kinds of traits — self-discipline, the ability to defer gratification, etc. — that let you enter, and stay, in the middle class. Subsidizing the markers doesn’t produce the traits; if anything, it undermines them." via Belmont Club

Or maybe it was Union greed?

RealClearMarkets - Who, or What, Killed Detroit? Union Greed

Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey

Could two of the wealthiest Americans, neither of whom finished college and began working at their current career when very young--one black, one white, one female, the other male--have ever made it with the advice, encouragement and assistance of the Office of Financial Empowerment of New York City. OK--that's probably not fair. Could anyone, who is never reminded to get a job, or to save and invest, or to plan for retirement, or to even pay their bills on time, have even climbed out of poverty with the help of the Office of Financial Empowerment? If you liberals are advocating closing the gap between rich and poor, maybe you should look at the agencies that keep people poor?

I glanced through the on-line dictionary. Phishing and payday loan were defined, but not paycheck or salary. It does no good to build on a weak foundation.

Jon Stewart gets it once in awhile

The Daily Show - Odyssey Dawn - Unconstitutional War
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Now who could be in charge of this mess in Libya?

Westerncanadian says: "Besides America, there are competent fighting men and women in Britain, France, Canada and Poland. How they must cringe with embarrassment at being involved in this comedy of errors.

Apart from the Tent Flap Wiper (Khadafi), the villain of this piece must be whomever convinced the gang to go into this with no clear objective, no command structure, no timetable and no laundry ticket.

It has to be someone who has never run a project that did more than talk about things; has never run a private business where your own house is the collateral for the bank and a bunch of families depend on the business; has never taken success or fail decisions on the ground, alone; and who thinks that he is a genius Messiah, unaccountable and blameless simply because he exists. Someone who upon hearing “two fish in a tank; one says ‘ I’ll drive, you man the guns”, would think it was some kind of fishy military training.

Now who could that be? The Sopranos of Europe aside, we keep coming back to the same World Class Ninny. This is getting downright depressing."

http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2011/03/22/laundering-a-war/#comment-150471

Obama squanders America's legacy

Obama the internationalist--and not even a very good one, at that.

"How painfully and awkwardly Mr. Obama steps forward and timidly flexes the mighty sword that was bequeathed to him. Even his most uninspired and uninspiring predecessors at least understood they had inherited an American legacy that was the gleaming beacon of freedom and humanity around the globe."

HURT: Obama squanders America's legacy - Washington Times

Union boss goes off at meeting, prison guards say - Washington Times

They thought it was a Charlie Sheen moment when the union boss exploded when questioned about tactics and benefits of membership.

Union boss goes off at meeting, prison guards say - Washington Times