The Occasional Observer

Mark Steyn has a long lecture in the recent edition of Hillsdale College's Imprimis newsletter that is a great read for all of you who are concerned by America's sudden lurch towards European socialism. It's a long, long read, but I highly recommend it.

Newt tells it how he sees it regarding Nancy Pelosi. It has to be one of the most honest and correct assessments I have ever heard of Speaker Pelosi. "She is either incompetent or dishonest ... those are her only two defenses ..."

Her time might be short ...

...as per Gallup (see here). This is the first time since Gallup began polling in 1995 that the percentage of people who self-identify as pro-life (rather than pro-choice) is higher than 50%.

Great interview with prominent earth scientist about problems with recent data claiming to support massive global warming.

Read about it here. Money quote:

When he had finished, the question in my mind was: who in American politics is better? The only name that came to mind was Bill Clinton, but thankfully he's retired.

"There's got to be more trouble ahead for the banks, but the government is behind them. So go long the banks and short your grandkids."

Great. I have no idea about the validity of the "long the banks" advice, but I'm pretty confident in the "short your grandkids." The national debt speaks for itself...

On the birth of your son Logan Adam! May God bless him and your family.

Glad to hear that mother and child are doing well!

w/r/t the Chrysler bankruptcy, and the toxic combination of politics, campaign contributions, and class warfare:

In the Chrysler deal, the [UAW]...were unsecured creditors and the Chrysler bondholders were secured creditors. The bondholders received 28 percent of the value of their $6.9 billion in bonds in cash; the Union will receive stock worth approximately $4.2 billion, and a note for an additional $4.58 billion, which represents 82 percent of the value of their claim. Either the government negotiators have dyslexia and have made a terrible mistake in their paperwork, or this is political payoff WRIT LARGE. Is this not the equivalent of financial water-boarding?

And thus we enter a brazen new era of government, when the White House is openly complicit in the theft of—as a matter of fact is directing the looting of—private property from investors. Welcome to the Rule of Man, or as the President calls it, change we can believe in!

SHK, this video goes out to you.

Liberals have a long history of trying to confuse the average person, who knows his own mind fairly well, with a game of semantics.

Sure, you may be against abortion (the killing of unborn children), but aren't you for "choice"?

Sure, you may be against socialism (the government takeover of the economy), but aren't you for a "new deal", a "fair deal", or a "great society"?

Sure, you may believe there's no such thing as a free lunch, but how can you argue with someone who says "health care is a right?" This country's all about "rights," right?

With the semantics of marketing liberalism in view, I bring you environmentalism's new playbook, courtesy of the NY Times:

The problem with global warming, some environmentalists believe, is “global warming.”

The term turns people off, fostering images of shaggy-haired liberals, economic sacrifice and complex scientific disputes, according to extensive polling and focus group sessions conducted by ecoAmerica, a nonprofit environmental marketing and messaging firm in Washington.

Instead of grim warnings about global warming, the firm advises, talk about “our deteriorating atmosphere.” Drop discussions of carbon dioxide and bring up “moving away from the dirty fuels of the past.” Don’t confuse people with cap and trade; use terms like “cap and cash back” or “pollution reduction refund.”