Teach Immigrants About America Rather Than America About Immigrants

In previous eras, those coming to the United States were the ones obligated to learn about and open their minds to a culture other than their own.

In this era of political correctness where Westerns particularly of a Northern European extraction are to be blamed for every disappointment known to man, it is now we Americans that are not only obligated to go out of our way to familiarize ourselves with the backwards peculiarities of the new arrivals but to also degrade our own cultural standards.

A flier for a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration sponsored by a suburban Maryland municipal agency admonishes, "Join us in honoring the traditions and heritage of our Hispanic/Latino neighbors...You will be introduced to the songs and rhythms of Latin America in an exciting interactive performance for the entire family."

No thank you. Many have already had this experience, irrespective of whether they wanted it or not, at two or three o'clock in the morning thanks to rowdy neighbors that civic authorities are extremely reluctant to tell to tune it down for fear of appearing ethnically insensitive but whom would just as easily crack down on you with SWAT raids and tear gas for removing a tree from your own property if failing to make the proper procedural oblations on bended knee before assorted eco-bureaucracies.

Though few possess the cahonies to say it, it is doubtful that many actual Americans still even remain in the area where this concert is being held. Most of those that will likely attend will be Hispanic to begin with.

Basically scarce public money is being expended in what amounts to little more than Hispanics wallowing in their Hispanicness.

In the present day, tolerancemongers would never permit government funds going to finance an activity to lavish praise upon White people over how wonderful White people are by asking minorities to fawn all over White people for simply being White.

If there is tax money burning a hole in the public pocket that just has to be spent on Hispanics, perhaps it should done in such a way that acclimates this population to our bizarre American ways.

The average American wasn't consulted as to how many migrants both legal and illegal would be permitted entrance into the country because immigration policy is crafted to meet the needs of elites rather than the good of the nation as a whole.

Perhaps high on that list of things to be taught ought to be not playing music so loud at 3 AM that it rocks windows half of a block away.

By Frederick Meekins

My Skepticism About The Cain Allegations

Like Joe Lawler and Quin Hillyer, I recognize the seriousness of the allegations which have been leveled against Herman Cain.

But I also know a rate when I smell one.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Video: Imagine if the 2008 Obama Had Listened to the 2004 Obama

Selwyn Duke has made a neat little video of Obama saying he wouldn't run for president unless he was experienced.

Brokaw & Schieffer Should Blow Smoke Elsewhere

Well, both Tom Brokaw and Bob Schieffer are appalled with Herman Cain's campaign manager Mark Block for smoking in the now legendary campaign ad.

Brokaw and Schieffer can spare me the sanctimony. If they object so vociferously why didn't they object when Barack Obama lit up on the campaign trail in 2008?

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

A Conservative Poet in Cambridge

Tomorrow night I will be the featured poet at the Stone Soup Poetry Reading Series in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The reading takes place at the Yarrow Gallery (formerly known as the Out of the Blue Gallery) in Central Square beginning at 8 p.m.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

October Weather

What a crazy October. Three weeks ago, my roommate Christopher and I went to Walden Pond for a swim when temperatures reached the mid-80s.

Well, today there's snow on the ground here in Boston and much of the Eastern seaboard.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Mr. Smith Goes to Waziristan

After reading Reid Smith's response to my rejoinder to John Guardiano yesterday it appears that Mr. Smith has caught a terrible case of the snarks.

It is unfortunate that Smith chooses to address my concerns about the status of women under Sharia law as it is practiced in Britain and elsewhere in such a supercilious manner.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Cardinals Win World Series

The St. Louis Cardinals won their 11th World Series in franchise history with a 6-2 victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 7.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Diversity Under Sharia?

In response to my post yesterday on Sharia law in the United Kingdom concerning the status of women, John Guardiano reiterates Reid Smith's argument that Sharia law means different things to different Muslims. But it's rather difficult to have a proper discussion of the most elementary tenets of Sharia if we fail to acknowledge there is no equality before the law. Smith failed to mention the status of women so I did.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Vatican About To Step Into A Socialistic Hornet's Nest

Speaking on a Vatican proposal to restructure world finance, a Cardinal declared, "We should not be afraid to propose ideas even if they might destabilize pre-existing balances of power that prevail over the weakest."

And does this include the position enjoyed by the Vatican as well?

Or is this yet another example of the "don't do as I do, do as I say" mentality that prevails among globalist elites?

Before calling for the redistribution of global wealth, shouldn't an institution calling for such divest itself of its ostentatious finery that, despite having a certain beauty, wasn't necessarily part of the founder's original business plan when operating in the field?

Before lecturing the rest of us how we need a goodly portion of what we have taken away in the name of the downtrodden, how about telling the downtrodden to exercise a little control over themselves by refraining from having so many children that they can't afford?

Isn't that the greater act of selfishness, going through with one's own carnal enjoyment despite knowing the that the life of the resultant progeny will be likely destitution?

Shouldn't one of the world's foremost moral authorities instead be calling for more independent creation of wealth rather than the centralized bureaucratic redistribution of such resources?

The Vatican insists such reforms are required in order to make the world economy more responsive to democracy.

So what is going to protect Vatican assets when the enemies of all forms of Christianity vote to confiscate that institution's vast and historically varied holdings?

For the sake of sound doctrine and human liberty, patriotic and Tea Party conservatives should be no more reluctant to speak out against the Vatican's call for the redistribution of wealth than they would be of any other politician or institution proposing a similar policy that has historically resulted in the infringement of basic civil liberties and even the significant shedding of innocent blood.

by Frederick Meekins

That Was The Greatest Game Six Ever

To quote the late St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck, "I don't believe what I just saw."

Not only was that the greatest Game 6 in World Series history - yes, better than Game 6 of the 1975 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds when Carlton Fisk waved his homerun fair - it was the greatest World Series game of all time.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Women & Sharia Law in the UK

Reid Smith seeks to enlighten us on the question of Sharia law. But curiously he omits one of the central tenets of Sharia law - that the word of a woman is half that of a man.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Why Woodstock & Occupy WS are Different

I read Lisa Fabrizio's article which likens Occupy Wall Street to Woodstock.

While I'm sure those at Occupy WS see this as their Woodstock there are significant differences.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Lackey, Red Sox Nation to Have Cooling Off Period

Yesterday, newly appointed Boston Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington announced that pitcher John Lackey would undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow thereby missing the 2012 season.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Why I Don't Believe The CBS/NYT Poll on Occupy Wall Street

Yesterday, a CBS News/New York Times poll was released which showed that 43% of Americans agreed with the aims and objectives of Occupy Wall Street.

Nonsense.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Jindal Won't Renege on Perry

Quin Hillyer sings the praises of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and thinks he should consider a bid for the 2012 GOP nomination in light of his convincing re-election over the weekend.

However, there's one thing that stands between Jindal and a White House bid - his endorsement of Rick Perry.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

What Wasn't Foreseen in Iraq

Over at The American Conservative, Clark Stooksbury briefly comments on my reflections on the impending conclusion to the War in Iraq.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Cain Pizza vs. Romney Wrap

I liked Jim Antle's critique and follow up to Ross Douthat's assertion that Mitt Romney has the GOP nomination "wrapped up." By that logic, we should just dispense with the primaries and hail Romney the new king. Except it doesn't work like that.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Phil Kerpen's new book Democracy Denied released

Democracy Denied is the book Mark Levin calls “a must-read for everyone who values our nation’s bedrock principles” and Glenn Beck calls “a literal guidebook on the progressive game plan.”
Democracy Denied by Americans for Prosperity vice president Phil Kerpen exposes the Obama administration's agenda that disregards the American people, Congress, and the U.S. Constitution--and offers a plan of action to stop it.
Jim DeMint says this “must-read book provides much-needed solutions to the unaccountable bureaucrats who seek to control what cars we drive, the foods we eat, and even the lights we use.”
Rand Paul says “Kerpen’s book is an excellent tool for anyone seeking to understand the consequences of regulatory tyranny and the story of the REINS Act.”
The book is selling fast after Dick Morris sent a glowing endorsement to his email list.  Don’t miss out. It is very likely the first printing will sell out.  Order today!

For more information on Phil's book and to order, please go to http://amzn.to/ogheVa



Phil Kerpen is vice president for policy at Americans for Prosperity, an opinion columnist on FOXNews.com, and chairman of the Internet Freedom Coalition.

Ford Withdrawn From Syria

Over the weekend, the Obama Administration temporarily pulled its Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, from Damascus amidst reprots that his life was in danger. Ford has now returned to the U.S.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Will Islamists Win in Tunisia?

The votes are being counted in Tunisia's elections which were held yesterday and it appears that the Islamist Ennahda Party is doing very well. Even if it doesn't win the most votes, Ennahda will probably be part of the new governing coalition.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Romney's Emerging Economic Strategy: Blame China

by Ian Fletcher

I've just seen one of Mitt Romney's new campaign commercials, here, or watch it below.

Romney's emerging economic strategy is clear: blame China. Not only does this get the heat off of GOP-linked (yes, I know) constituencies like Wall Street, it also skewers the administration, which has played appeaser to Beijing.

Some might call this a cynical case of scapegoating. Comparisons to the old red scare and yellow peril will doubtless be forthcoming.

But this raises an interesting question: Is scapegoating still scapegoating when the scapegoat is guilty? The Chinese economic threat is hardly imaginary, unless one still believes in the Pollyanna "free" (as if!) trade economic fantasies of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Cato Institute, and the Wall Street Journal.

I wrote before about what Romney and the Republican establishment may be up to here: pivoting to economic nationalism as the only rightist economic ideology that is still viable in this country. On some level, I think that this establishment knows that it's either that or be swept away in some leftist deluge, even if not an immediate one.

As I noted in this article and this one, the datapoints on Romney's true intentions are unclear. But the picture does seem to be firming a little, as the more he stays on this trope, the harder it will be to walk away from it if elected.

Pujols Hits 3 HR in Gm 3 of WS

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols added to his legend tonight hitting three homeruns in Game 3 of the World Series.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Republicans Help Obama

Leave to the CNN guys to bait the trap that led to one of the most divisive and bitter debates among the Republicans to date.

What a shame. For most of the debate, the Republican candidates stepped into the traps set for them by Anderson Cooper, beating each other up, getting angry, and showing little inclination to dissect the policies of the President that want to unseat.

It is okay to want power if you are running for president, but it is not okay to be so power hungry that you would ratehr savage your fellow party members than the philosophy and record of a sitting president you claim to oppose.

For the past few debates, Newt Gingrich had it right -- let's not allow the media to push us to demean one another. Instead, the Republicans came out knifing one another, often with cheap shots (such as Perry's attack on Romney for hiring illegals) and Romney's attack on Perry on the grounds that his experience was like that of a football coach wanting to go to the NFL after losing 40 games. Really? Likewise, they all ganged up on Herman Cain and his 999 plan, which, whatever its merits, is surely superior to the ideas being floated by then Democrats. If Santorum had half as much passion for attacking the Democrats as he did in going after Romney and Perry, well, he might be a serious candidate.

Too often they sound like sixth graders running for class president -- I did this, I did that, I was this, I was that, my plan does this, my plan does that. You did this, no I didn't, etc. They seem to have forgotten everything they might have learned from Ronald Reagan. The American people need a vision, not a resume and certainly not bickering that would embarrass most high schoolers. If the defeat of Obama is their goal, the Republicans did themselves little good in the Las Vegas debate. Instead, they became petty and small and that is not the way to beat a sitting president.

Cain's Simple Revisions

As Joe Lawler has noted, Phil Klein of The Washington Examiner makes the case that Herman Cain's new 9-0-9 plan for lower income Americans and other modifications to 9-9-9 undercut it's simplicity.

However Cain refines 9-9-9 it will still be far simpler than our present federal tax code.

Will Libyan Jews Be Allowed to Return?

John Guardiano sings the praises of the Libyan rebels as is his wont.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

UN Wants to Probe Gaddafi's Death

The Office for the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights is calling for a probe of Colonel Gaddafi's death.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Cain Isn't Pulling a Romney on Abortion

Joe Lawler takes Herman Cain to task for not communicating his pro-life position clearly during his interview with Piers Morgan on CNN last night.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Thoughts on a Post-Gaddafi Libya

If Colonel Muammar Gaddafi isn't already dead, he soon will be. To which I say good riddance.

But let's not uncork the champagne bottles just yet. It is far from certain that post-Gaddafi Libya will be any better off and if it is any better off it will be a very long time before we can arrive at that conclusion. Then there is the question of Libyan rebel links to al Qaeda.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Democratic Party Full Of Nuts As Well As Flakes

On the 6/26/11 edition of Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace inquired if Representative Michelle Bachman was a flake. As justification for this line of interrogation, Wallace pointed out an instance where Bachman insinuated that certain members of Congress were anti-American.

So apparently in the eyes of those considering Bachman a flake on the grounds it is now allegedly a sign of instability to expose those facts that a number of elites would rather gloss over in the hopes that the American people won’t find out about such personalities and instances.

For example, Cynthia McKinney cannot be described in any other way than anti-American. Not only did this Georgia representative appear on Libyan state television. She also praised the Qaddaffi regime.

People of good conscience can disagree as to the propriety and prudence of U.S. and NATO intervention in this north African uprising. However, what cannot be denied is that old Muammar is one of the great scumbags of the 20th and 21st centuries.

For though Al Qaeda and Qaddaffi’s regime have come to blows in this rebellion, it must be remembered that Qaddaffi was, for a lack of a better term, a superstar of world terrorism decades before any of us ever heard of Bin Laden.

If McKinney wants to position herself as a feminist, she must be asked why would she even give this regime the time of day, much less speak favorably of it. It was reported during one point of the conflict that Libyan forces were using rape as a weapon of terror and intimidation.

It could be argued that, despite her ability to grab an occasional headline such as when she tussled with Capitol Hill police when she insisted regulations regarding members of Congress showing identification didn’t apply to her, McKinney’s subversive tendencies do not necessarily epitomize the foremost personalities of America’s national legislative body.

As one of America’s most prominent families and one of the Senate’s longest serving members, Ted Kennedy was such a part of that institution that he was referred to as the lion of the world’s greatest deliberative body because of his forcefulness in speaking out on behalf of Democratic causes. Though one can be a Democrat and a loyal American (despite this combination becoming increasingly elusive), it could be questioned exactly where Ted Kennedy’s ultimate political loyalties were to be found.

For example, one cannot necessarily cast suspicion by default upon the Massachusetts Senator simply for opposing many of the policies of President Ronald Reagan. After all, a hallmark of a free society is the opportunity to express one’s disagreement with ruling authorities without fear of reprisal.

It is a shame, though, that the youngest Kennedy brother felt the propriety of befriending a regime that epitomized the denial of basic human liberty, namely the Soviet Union.

Those still not convinced of this line of argumentation might observe that, unlike Michelle Bachman, none of these figures are currently in contention for the presidential nomination of their respective party. After all, Ted Kennedy quite literally drove his off a bridge when he fled the scene of an accident in Chappaquiddick, leaving Mary Jo Kopechne to drown. As airheaded as the press might portray her to be, it is doubtful anything that absentminded is to be found in Mrs. Bachman's track record.

To many that would oppose someone like Michelle Bachman winning the Republican nomination and possibly even the presidency of the United States, Barack Obama represents the pinnacle of what this country has to offer in terms of political leadership. However, if one is able to get over the giddiness that the President is half Black to examine him for what he really is as a human being, one cannot avoid the conclusion that Obama is actually flakier than Michelle Bachman.

As a number of her detractors will insist that Michelle Bachman does not have enough experience to be President of the United States. What was it other than emerging from his mother’s birth canal as a baby of mixed pigmentation did Barack Obama do to deserve to have the reigns of the highest elected office in the land handed over to him?

Both Bachman and Obama went on professionally to become attorneys. However, Bachman used her skills to administer her family’s farm and business, adding to the productivity of the United States. Barack Obama used these kinds of skills to become a community organizer in the Alinskyite tradition, meaning he led the downtrodden not into lives of self-sufficiency but rather into dependency on the public welfare roles all for the purposes of overburdening the system in the hopes that it would totter ever closer to the brink of violent revolutionary upheaval as detailed by the Cloward & Piven Hypothesis

Both Bachman and Obama served terms in their respective state legislatures. It was in such an environment that Obama would develop the decisive leadership style he is known for by voting “present” on a variety of issues so he would not be required to take a position one way or the other. One might not that this could be construed as a violation of the injunction in the Gospels of letting your yes be yes and your nay be nay.

The wisdom of the ages holds that you are known by the company that you keep. You can determine a pretty good measure of a man by examining those he surrounds himself with especially in terms of those that he considers advisors.

For example, former White House Director Of Communications Anita Dunn publicly admitted that Chairman Mao was her favorite political philosopher. What all is admirable about one of history’s greatest mass murders?

The affinity of this administration for the most homicidal brands of Communism did not end with that one incident. A Mao ornament was hung from the White House Christmas tree.

Some will laugh this all off. However, would these same fans of Obama be as of a good humor of a presidential underling lauded the political insights of Adolf Hitler or if an Adolf Hitler ornament was spotted dangling from a White House Christmas tree? If anything, wouldn’t a Mao ornament be even more vile since his numbers surpassed the nightmarish atrocities of the Nazi regime, or, since his victims were Chinese rather than predominantly Jewish, these actions weren’t somehow quite as bad?

Granted, somewhere along life’s path we all list among our acquaintances a number of eccentrics and scoundrels. I no doubt fill that role for a number of people. However, for Obama, those closest to him make Dick Tracey’s Rogue’s Gallery look like the Smurf picnic roster in terms of their overall contempt for human liberty.

For example, regulatory advisor Cass Sustein believes those promoting what the government categorizes broadly as "conspiracy theories" should have their freedom of speech curtailed. Sustein also believes that it is the role of the government to implement policies that nudge citizens into certain behaviors. For example, if the government does not want people to rely so much on personal automobiles, increased gasoline taxes might be levied or roads constructed designed in such a way to increase traffic congestion.

Science advisor John Holdren believes sterilants should be put into the public drinking water in order to decrease fertility rates. However, Holdren is not the only Obama minion wanting to do away with what Ebenezer Scrooge dismissed as the “excess population” before this famed miser's Yuletide change of heart. Obama Healthcare Advisor Ezekiel Emanuel thinks that those below or above a certain age range should be denied medical treatment. Basically put a bullet in granny's head.

Obama's Secretary of Energy believes you should be permitted to color your roof any color you want so long as it is white. And speaking of colors, Obama's FCC appointment Mark Lloyd believes White folks should be denied FCC licenses. Obama's State Department Legal Advisor Harol Koh believes that Sharia law should be consulted as a source for American jurisprudence.

It could be argued that flake is a designation in the eye of the beholder. Come election day, voters will have to decide what perspective they want steering the national helm.

Do they want someone thinking that at worst you are a worthless lump to be disposed of by the government as bureaucrats or at best a witless clod needing government control in every facet of your existence. Or do they prefer someone that believes that you are better at optimizing these kinds of decisions in your own life on your own.

Frederick Meekins

My 2011 World Series Prediction

The 2011 World Series between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals gets underway tonight at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

The Rangers are a great team but I can't see them getting past St. Louis. The Cardinals have been the best team in MLB since the end of August. So the Cardinals in six with Lance Berkman winning World Series MVP honors.

CNN Western GOP Debate Post-Mortem

Here are my thoughts concerning each of the candidates in the CNN Western Republican debate in Las Vegas which concluded earlier this evening.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Romney & Perry = Nasty

Mitt Romney and Rick Perry are having yet another pissing match. It's getting rather unappealing.

Romney on the Defensive

Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and, yes, Rick Perry have all landed punches on Mitt Romney and have messed up his hair. Romney doesn't serve himself well impersonating Ross Perot telling Al Gore, "Let me finish."

Apples, Oranges & 9-9-9

Well, the debate unsurprisingly starts out with a critique of Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Paul Leka, 1941-2011. R.I.P.

Songwriter, producer, arranger and pianist/keyboard player Paul Leka passed away on October 12th. His cause of death is not known. He was 70.

To read the rest of this obituary, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Obama Nearly Left Speechless

This is no joke. President Obama's teleprompter was stolen last night.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Axelrod Underestimates Cain

Yesterday, during an appearance on Morning Joe, David Axelrod dismissed Herman Cain's candidacy.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

What Susan Sarandon & U.S. Nazis Have in Common

Fresh off calling Pope Benedict a Nazi over the weekend, actress Susan Sarandon appears to have a great deal in common with the American Nazi Party.

Both have endorsed Occupy Wall Street.

A Sick Feeling About The Iranian Plot

Reid Smith has expressed skepticism over the plausibility of the Iranian plot to launch attacks against the United States. John Tabin has taken Smith to task for relying on the likes of Hillary Mann Leverett to support his arguments. Smith responds to the citing other Iran "experts" like Gary Sick and Stephen Walt much to the dismay of Tabin.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Neo-Nazis show up to support Occupy Phoenix, NOT counterprotest as the left is spinning

Check out this post by known white supremacist JT Ready who organized the National Socialists' appearance at Occupy Phoenix, and this post by one of the other National Socialists who attended. They were not counterprotesting, they were there in solidarity supporting the protesters. This is contrary to the endless retweeting that has occurred on the #occupyphoenix and #ows Twitter channels gloating that it is a good thing that the neo-Nazis are counterprotesting.

The U.S. Border Guard deployed an urban combat trained security squad to the Occupy Phoenix rally today as armed peace keepers and legal observers. Border Rangers who patrol the border took a non-political stance to defend peaceful assembly and free speech of all citizens by exercising our right to keep and bear arms. Phoenix Police units were on scene also keeping the peace. Our founding fathers and founding mothers knew full well that the 2nd Amendment is what protects all our other amendments from tyranny. The U.S.B.G. protected the rights of all parties involved.

 J.T. Ready

Almost everybody I spoke with had something in common with me. I enjoyed speaking with a wide variety of people and even posed for a few pictures. The event was billed as being non-violent and it was. Despite the futile actions of a few provocateurs, there were no confrontations, excessive profanities or violence.

Cooler heads prevailed and the anarchists failed to give this event a black eye by inciting a riot. They also failed to cause division among us and the majority of the attendees.

Dan Wheldon, 1978-2011. R.I.P.

I just watched the crash which claimed the life of Indy Car Driver Dan Wheldon yesterday.

To read the rest of this obituary, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Cardinals Win NLCS

The St. Louis Cardinals have won the 2011 NLCS with a 12-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 6.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Crazy Occupy San Fran speaker says banks are arresting customers for closing accounts

Apparently their position - whatever it is - is so nutty they have to make up unbelievable things to get any traction.

Occupy San Franciso hippy sings "We got to have 100%"

Scary, they really want to redistribute 100% of our money.

One Thousand Days of Obama

Today marks President Obama's one thousandth day in office.

On January 21, 2009, the night following his inauguration, I read a poem at The Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts titled "October 16, 2011 (A Thousand Days of Obama)." I have since been banned from reading at The Cantab. Now that we have reached that one thousandth day, I thought I would share it with you.

To read this poem, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Rangers Win 2nd Straight AL Pennant

The Texas Rangers have just captured their second consecutive American League pennant with a 15-5 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game 6 of the ALCS.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Laura Pollan, 1948-2011. R.I.P.

Laura Pollan, the founder of the Cuban dissident group Ladies in White, died yesterday of a heart attack brought about by a pulmonary illness. She was 63.

To read the rest of this obituary, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Huntsman to Boycott CNN Debate in Vegas

Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman has announced he will boycott Tuesday night's GOP debate which will be held in Las Vegas and will air on CNN.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Bread, Roses & Apple iPhone 4S

As we know by now Brookfield Properties (and for all intents and purposes the City of New York) blinked over the proposed clean up of Zuccotti Park.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Why Holder Should Hold On

Quin Hillyer thinks Eric Holder should not hold on as Attorney General. I read his piece and find little with which to disagree. Nevertheless, I think Holder should stay.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Parliamentary vs. Presidential Systems

F.H. Buckley of George Mason University Law School has an interesting piece which makes the case that if we had a parliamentary system like Canada we could have avoided a downgrade in our credit rating last August.

As someone who was born in Canada and subsequently had the opportunity to see the inner workings of the House of Commons (as well as Westminster in London) I think there are considerable merits to a parliamentary system. But with that said, I don't believe a parliamentary system would have prevented Standard & Poors from taking action against the United States.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Those Poor, Little Rich (White) Occupiers

As you might be aware, Boston Police arrested nearly 150 occupiers earlier this week when they disobeyed an order to leave the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Well, as it turns out, many of those arrested reside at some rather tony addresses in the People's Republic of Cambridge. It also seems these so-called 99 percenters are a rather homogeneous bunch.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Epstein Heading to Wrigley

WEEI radio here in Boston is reporting that Theo Epstein will leave his position as General Manager of the Boston Red Sox to join the front office of the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs haven't given Epstein a formal title but he will have considerably more responsibility and higher compensation. The deal is worth more than $15 million over five seasons.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

NH GOP Debate Post-Mortem

Here are my final thoughts concerning tonight's GOP debate on the economy at Dartmouth College which was sponsored by Bloomberg, The Washington Post and WBIN-TV with Derry, New Hampshire.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Romney Propping Up Bachmann?

Jim, your point about Romney propping up Bachmann is certainly plausible. But I think it's a day late and a dollar short. With that, I think Romney could have bigger things in mind for her.

NH GOP Debate Gets More Interesting

The New Hampshire GOP Debate is getting better now that the candidates are asking each other questions. It's a better approach to take when the candidates are seated around the table.

What is interesting about the questions isn't so much their substance but to whom each of the candidates directed their questions.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Santorum is Being Snarky

A little advice for Rick Santorum. Snarky doesn't sell whether it's critiquing Herman Cain on 9-9-9 or Mitt Romney on Romneycare. Nor does kvetching about being asked only one question in an hour. He would capture more flies with honey than with vinegar.

The NH GOP Debate Drags On

Charlie Rose has just taken a break from the proceedings.

A debate with eight people standing up is unwieldly.

A debate with eight people sitting down is like watching an infomerical for sleeping pills.

Who Should Go To Jail? Wall St. Execs or Dodd-Frank?

It was interesting to see Karen Tumulty of The Washington Post ask Michele Bachmann if Wall Street executives should go to jail. It was even more interesting to see moderator Charlie Rose become aghast when Newt Gingrich suggested that Barney Frank and Chris Dodd might go to jail instead.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Netanyahu Says Shalit Will Be Released

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went on national television today to announce that IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit would be released in a few days after more than five years in captivity.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

I'm Pretty Sure Kanye is Part of the 1%

Yesterday, hip hop icon Kanye West made his way to Zuccotti Park to show that he is down with the so-called 99%.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

A Liberal Makes My Point on Cain & Racism

Last week, I listed nine reasons why Republicans ought to nominate Herman Cain.

Let's go straight to Reason #7 - "He Would Make Liberal Charges of Racism Look Really, Really Stupid."

It seems that Leslie Savan of The Nation is eager to make that point for me. While she is kind enough to cite my Cain article she seems to have missed the point of it.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Cain's Candor on Race

I think Herman Cain discusses the question of race where it concerns economic opportunity most admirably in his interview yesterday with CNN's Candy Crowley.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

My ALCS & NLCS Predictions

Game 1 of the ALCS between the Detroit Tigers and the Texas Rangers is just underway.

Much to my surprise, former Red Sox manager Terry Francona is doing color commentary on the FOX telecast with Joe Buck.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Obama Lies For "A Higher Truth"

Consider if you will this item from today's Boston Herald concerning a tall tale told yesterday by President Obama at his press conference.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Why I Don't Like Hitler Analogies

I was bemused by the commentary on my criticism of Hank Williams, Jr's Obama-Hitler remarks.

The commentary largely ran along the lines of a) Williams, Jr. was making an analogy, not a comparison and b) Williams, Jr. wasn't comparing Obama to Hitler.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Ventura Named White Sox Manager

The Chicago White Sox have named Robin Ventura as their new manager.

Now this is a surprise.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

This Isn't The First Squirrel To Run on The Field

Like Larry Thornberry, I saw the squirrel dart out in front of homeplate during Game 4 of the NLDS between the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals last night.

But this isn't the first time a rodent with a furry tail has made its way onto the field of play during a game.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Goodbye Hank Williams, Jr. My Friend

So ESPN has said "Goodbye Hank Williams, Jr, My Friend." To paraphrase the late Tim Hardin, "We no longer know you/We don't like the things you said." In response to the dismissal of Williams, Jr. concerning his Obama-Hitler comparison, Jim Antle wonders, "Maybe ESPN would have been equally sensitive if the Dixie Chicks had been singing the intro during the Bush Administration but I doubt it."

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Other Notable Arab-Americans

Joe Lawler asks if Steve Jobs was the greatest Arab-American ever.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle Blog.

Steve Jobs: A Life Well Done

Ross Kaminsky has written a fine tribute to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs who lost his battle with cancer on Wednesday. Jobs' time in this world was a life well done.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle.

Will Palin Endorse Cain?

Now that Sarah Palin has announced she won't run for the GOP nomination, the question now becomes which Republican, if any, she will endorse.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle.

Sarah Palin Stays Unshackled

As Jeff Lord has just noted via Mark Levin, Sarah Palin will not be seeking the GOP nomination.

Her decision comes a little more than 24 hours after Chris Christie announced for the 1,674th time he was not running for President.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle.

Samuel L. Jackson Pulls a Freeman

Actor Samuel L. Jackson has pulled a Morgan Freeman claiming that the Tea Party's opposition to President Obama is based solely on race.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle.

Bert Jansch, 1943-2011. R.I.P.

Folk music legend Bert Jansch passed away today after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 67.

To read the rest of this obituary, please check out The Spectacle.

Broadcast Sports Declare Robust Debate Out Of Bounds

It seems that the only stereotypical male behavior broadcast sports won't put up with is free thought and the speaking of one's mind.

For example, Hank Williams Jr. --- a number of whose own songs revel proudly in bawdy behavior such as boozing and smoking --- has been removed from the opening sequence of Monday Night Football for comparing Obama to Hitler.

This reprisal will certainly go a long way in laying to rest the old canard about Jews controlling the media.

In a number of ways, Obama is like Hitler.

Both men would have liked to have seen the nation of Israel removed from history and not above forming alliances with fanatic Muslims in order to do it.

Both men undermined the value of the individual in the name of the COMMUNITY.

Both of these men exerted the coercive power of government to curb free expression. Need one remind of the Administration's pressure applied against the Ford Motor Company to pull an ad referencing the auto bailout stimulus?

It's just that Hitler was more decisive in implementing his agenda.

Regarding his remarks, Williams assures he has always respected the office of the President.

And what if he didn't?

Apart from not threatening the Commander and Chief, there is virtually no legal obligation to harbor any specific sentiment regarding the office.

Did Whoopi Goldberg respect the Presidency when she used the "F-word" in regards to Ronald Reagan?

Did Bill Ayers exhibit fitting homage towards the Executive Branch when he bombed the Pentagon?

Yet today both of these figures are counted among Obama's sociopolitical allies, with Obama actually launching a campaign for political office in the domicile of the one actually given over to physical violence and the destruction of public property.

It will be no doubt be pointed out that, as a business, the NFL is not obligated to respect the First Amendment rights of those under its contract or employ and technically that is correct.

However, it must be remembered that this blurring of governmental and industrial interests is also among the first steps towards the Fascism that apparently no one is suppose to talk about.

by Frederick Meekins

According to the 10/10/11 edition of Newsweek, in China a number of eateries have opened glamorizing the Cultural Revolution. It would probably be best to stay away from such dining establishments. It has been claimed cannibalism went on during that period of violent upheaval.

Christie Keeps His Hat On

There are multiple reports indicating New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will not seek the GOP nomination. Christie is expected to confirm these reports during a press conference which has been scheduled for 1 p.m. EST.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle.

Panetta Demands Congress Restore Palestinian Aid

It looks like Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has become the Obama Administration's point person on the Middle East.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle.

Panetta Bashes Israel

The Obama Administration continues its hostility towards the State of Israel. Only President Obama is letting members of his cabinet do the talking. Enter Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle.

Marv Tarplin, 1941-2011. R.I.P.

Guitarist Marv Tarplin has passed away. As of this writing, his cause of death is unknown. He was 70.

You might not know Marv Tarplin's name but you probably know Smokey Robinson's name and if you are a fan of Smokey Robinson then you are a fan of Marv Tarplin.

To read the rest of this obituary, please check out The Spectacle.

Roger Maris: 61 @ 50

As you might imagine, I have spent the better part of the day watching playoff baseball. I have now tuned into Game 1 of the ALDS between the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees after the Texas Rangers evened their ALDS with the Tampa Bay Rays. The broadcasters at TBS have just mentioned it was 50 years ago today that Roger Maris hit his 61st homerun of the 1961 season, breaking Babe Ruth's single season record of 60 homeruns which he set in 1927.

To read the rest of this post, please check out The Spectacle.