Intellectual Conservative Blog

The Shafia Family Honor Killings

2012-01-31T10:31:00.003-07:00

This story didn't receive much attention here but it has dominated the headlines in Canada since October when the Shafia Family trial began in Kingston, Ontario. Mohammad Shafia, his second wife Tooba Yahya and his son Hamed Shafia were accused of the June 2009 murders of his teenaged daughters Zainab, Sahar and Geeti (ages 19, 17 & 13) and his first wife Rona Amir Mohammad. Their bodies were found submerged inside a car in a lock along the Rideau Canal outside of Kingston.

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

Stream Of Consciousness Observations Regarding The 2012 State Of The Union

2012-01-30T21:49:00.001-07:00

Obama insists he doesn't want our energy needs linked to unstable parts of the world. Then why did he veto the Keystone Oil Pipeline?

Obama remarked his grandparents' generation triumphed over fascism. Yet fascism is the very economic system that he advocates. Perhaps not yet in terms of wide scale deprivation of human rights but rather in the technical sense of the means of production remaining privately owned but strictly controlled by the government.

If we are all to play by the same set of rules, then why has it taken months for the National Park Service to do anything about the Occupy beatniks laying siege to a number of parks in Washington, DC?

Why should it be portrayed as a greater tragedy when a "single mother" loses her job rather than a man with a wife that stays at home? Seems both domestic arrangements are in similar positions without income.

In calling for a single source for the unemployed to seek information on training opportunities, doesn't that involve the federal government assuming more control over education?

Obama insists it should be illegal for students to drop out of school before they are 18. Why should this be a matter of federal interference and what will the punishment be for those leaving prior to that age?

If no country is better than any other according to multiculturalist dogma, then why should foreign students be allowed to remain here after graduation?

If women are to earn equal pay for equal work, then make them lug the same weight around the stockroom or warehouse without having to seek masculine assistance to do so.

If lightweight vests are being developed by federal researchers that can stop any bullet, will such protective garments be made available to civilians as well or do we have an obligation to be shot by law enforcement?

Interesting how it was mentioned derisively about a company that at one time ONLY produced yachts.

If it should be impermissible for insurance companies to charge more for women’s health coverage, then why should men have to pay more for motor vehicle policies?

Obama claimed politics is not about clinging to rigid ideologies. So why is it conservatives that must always surrender their basic ideals and ideas?

Obama claimed that government ought to only do what people are unable to do for themselves. Thing of it is, given his Frau's desire to manipulate and meddle in your dietary intake, the First Couple doesn't think you are really capable of doing anything for yourself.

Obama wants to grant tax credits to businesses hiring veterans. Why should the military status of a business's employees be any business of the federal government?

The best way to insure opportunities for veterans, as well as all other Americans, is for the federal government to know the least amount possible regarding the nation's workforce.

If it doesn't matter in the military what color or gender you are, as Obama insists, why are certain standards lowered for females seeking advancement and White males held back because of the color of their skin rather than the content of their character. If color has no bearing in the military, why are we often reminded that Colin Powell was the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as if that is suppose to immunize him against all criticism and scrutiny?

Would Bob Gates have been kept on as Secretary of Defense had he been a solid conservative Republican rather than an ardent establishmentarian compromiser?

Obama admonished the American people to look at what the nation could accomplish if the people were organized along military lines. However, the purpose of the military is to defend democracy, not practice it. In a civilian state, the average person is allowed to question the decrees and decisions of leaders at all levels: elected, appointed, and bureaucratic. Such bottom up scrutiny is not allowed in the military and is punished severely.

This analyst tabulated approximately 80 rounds of applause in the 2012 State of the Union Address.

by Frederick Meekins

Reporters Without Borders: U.S. & Argentina Tied for 47th in Press Freedom

2012-01-30T09:46:00.002-07:00

Last week, Reporters Without Borders released its Press Freedom Index 2011-2012. Out of 179 countries, the Paris based organization ranked the United States tied for 47th place with Argentina and Romania. In fact, the United States fell from 27th place because of the arrest of reporters during the Occupy protests last fall.

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

Video: Can Southern Occupy protesters answer four basic questions about our Government?

2012-01-30T09:24:00.001-07:00

This is hysterical! From Accuracy in Media.

Van Jones promised back in November that the Occupy gang will put up over 2,000 candidates for election in 2012. After AIM’s Ben Johnson did some man-on-the-street pop quizzes in the south this past week, we sure hope they come through on Jones’ promise. Ladies and gentlemen: we present to you the fruits of public school social studies programs.

UN's Agenda 21 destroying small communities, farms, livelihoods

2012-01-29T14:37:00.001-07:00

This is the best personalized story I've read of how Agenda 21 is crippling small communities and destroying farms and livelihoods.

Wildlands Project Cripples Rural Communties

CHALK ONE UP FOR DAVE
Editorial by Brian Hawthorne,
BRC Public Lands Director

I recently toured parts of southern New Mexico where my travels took me to a small town called Glenwood, right next to the Gila National Forest. The folks in Glenwood were very friendly and eager to show me around this small community. I was invited to visit with a group of locals at the Blue Front restaurant in Glenwood. After the best beef brisket lunch I've ever had, I was introduced and given a few minutes to give a presentation about BRC.
The Carter family used to run cattle on public lands near Escalante, Utah. See that alfalfa field in the background? It's irrigated with water from the Wide Hollow Reservoir, shown in the photo below. What's all that got to do with foundation funded "environmental" groups? Wide Hollow Reservoir's dam needs to be replaced. Thanks to lawsuits funded by foundations, plans to re build the reservoir have been litigated into oblivion. The result? The Carter's aren't running cattle anymore, and if the foundations are successful, that alfalfa field will be gone too. Either dried up and brown or built up with vacation condos. It's a crime!

I wasn't into my presentation for a minute when an elderly gentleman interrupted me. He did this remarkably politely, and when I think back on it now, I guess I could have been a bit 'put-out' by the interruption. After all, the group had invited me to come speak to them! But I wasn't bothered and sat down to quietly listened.

The gentleman told me the story of what has happened to Glenwood and other communities in the area. As with most small towns in rural areas, especially in the West, Glenwood had "grown up from nothing" based on resource related jobs. Jobs in logging, mining and agriculture were, and still are, the foundation of this community.

I continued to listen as my new friend described how foundation funded "environmental" groups began to change all that. He described how massive budgets allow these fringe groups to file lawsuits and systematically eliminate natural resource jobs. Closing roads is just icing on the cake, he said.

He talked about what happened to the community when the lawsuits forced the sawmills to close. Cattlemen were similarly affected, he said, and the population has been dwindling ever since. Most local businesses closed and community services dropped. He said this year their public school might have to close for lack of money.

"That hasn't stopped these radical groups," he said. The green groups are using litigation, legislation and, of course, the Endangered Species Act to take long held water rights. He said, "If they take our water, our community will die. There is no doubt about it."

Read the rest of the article at Stewards of the Sequoia

Cain Endorses Newt

2012-01-28T21:12:00.002-07:00

Tonight, Newt Gingrich received an endorsement from former GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain at a Republican gathering in West Palm Beach.

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

Kevin White, 1929-2012. R.I.P.

2012-01-27T21:46:00.003-07:00

Former Boston Mayor Kevin White passed away tonight at the age of 82. He had been afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease for more than a decade.

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

Musharraf Postpones Return to Pakistan

2012-01-27T14:59:00.002-07:00

Pervez Musharraf has postponed plans to return to Pakistan to re-launch his political career. Earlier this month, the former Pakistani military ruler had announced he would end more than three years of self-imposed exile in London and Dubai.

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

CNN Florida GOP Debate Post-Mortem

2012-01-26T21:21:00.001-07:00

Here are my final thoughts on tonight's Florida GOP Debate in Jacksonville which aired on CNN.

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

Santorum: Rights are God Given, Not Government Given

2012-01-26T19:57:00.002-07:00

Rick Santorum had an excellent answer on a question from the audience about how faith would influence his decisions.

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

Romney: "Not Terribly Politically Involved" Until He Ran For Governor

2012-01-26T19:39:00.002-07:00

In response to a query about Mitt Romney questioning Newt Gingrich's Ronald Reagan bonafides, Romney just said he "wasn't terribly politically involved" until he ran for Governor here in Massachusetts.

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

Are We Electing a First Lady?

2012-01-26T19:24:00.002-07:00

Wolf Blitzer has just gone to a break. He is planning to ask each of the candidates, "Why would your wife make the best First Lady?"

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

Romney is Out to Space

2012-01-26T19:04:00.001-07:00

Mitt Romney chides Newt Gingrich for talking about a lunar colony on the moon.

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

Santorum Makes a Salient Point

2012-01-26T18:04:00.002-07:00

I don't think Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have helped themselves with their terse exchanges on illegal immigration and Fannie & Freddie.

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

Robert Hegyes, 1951-2012. R.I.P.

2012-01-26T15:54:00.001-07:00

Actor Robert Hegyes passed away this morning of a heart attack. He was 60.

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

Two More SOTU ?'s for Obama

2012-01-26T15:00:00.001-07:00

Following President Obama's SOTU address on Tuesday night, I wrote out a list of a dozen questions.

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

Dole's Bitter Fruit

2012-01-26T14:29:00.001-07:00

What makes Mitt Romney think Republican primary voters in Florida and elsewhere will be attracted to him by airing out Bob Dole's bitter fruit against Newt Gingrich?

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

And if N.C. Elects a Republican Governor

2012-01-26T10:13:00.001-07:00

David N. Bass notes that Bev Perdue's decision not to seek a second term as Governor of North Carolina increases the likelihood of a Republican Governor being elected this November.

Well, if North Carolinians are motivated to vote for a Republican Governor chances are they will also be inclined to vote for a Republican President. Needless to say, this is not good news for President Obama.

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

Obama, OWS & Getting Out of the Way

2012-01-25T15:50:00.002-07:00

Derek Thompson, senior editor of The Atlantic, thinks President Obama's SOTU address has a lot in common with the grievances of Occupy Wall Street, for better or for worse.

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

Christmas Irritants Pervasive

2012-01-25T15:09:00.001-07:00

Use to be during the Christmas season in modern America, if the individual wanted a little buzz during the holidays, they would slip a bit of something into their eggnog. Now, all you have to do to feel that surge of agitated surliness is to turn on the news or read about those turning themselves into the hind quarters of the species the Holy Family rode into Bethlehem in order to pay the assessed tax (an existential financial matter it seems fewer and fewer could possibly relate to).

If you think it is only secularists making an overall nuisance of themselves, you are in for a bigger disappointment than finding a lump of coal in your stocking Christmas morning.

For better or worse, the Internet is widespread enough that most are aware that there is nothing in the Bible compelling believers to participate in the celebration of the birth of Christ even though His miraculous arrival is documented in the pages of Scripture and that many of the trappings such as decorations and related customs now imbedded with meanings symbolizing the spiritually profound account have (to invoke a word of sectarian irony) less than kosher origins.

However, for the most part, Christians on either side of the divide have established a kind of amicable truce where for the most part about the worst that they do to their counterparts is to look down their noses at one another and snicker how peculiar or inconsistent the ones on the side of the debate opposite their own happen to be.

That has changed in one Michigan town. There, an anonymous equivalent of Dana Carvey’s Church Lady character from Saturday Night Live sent a letter to those daring to adorn their abodes with Christmas lights.

Usually, those going to such lengths as to put the criticism of such decorations into writing make a point of accusing either the decorations or the individual putting them up of being too religious. This time, the victims of such in your face busybodyism have been accused of not being religious enough.

The note insists that the homeowners ought to reevaluate their beliefs. This is because decorative lights, mistletoe, and yule logs can be traced back to pagan origins.

While nothing should be done about the doofus posting the letter since the First Amendment is pretty much a get out of jail free card for unbridled stupidity, it makes you wonder just how much authority over what goes on in homes or on our property should be granted to those insistent upon a hardline implementation of America’s Puritan heritage.

Most years, it seems many of the Christmas time outrages such as the one detailed above occur on the local level such as a school child having their constitutional religious liberties trampled upon in the attempt to forge Christmas-free school zones or as result of the directors of homeowners associations overly eager to enforce Soviet-style architectural conformity. However, it now seems the partisans of the White Witch of Narnia are attempting to assert themselves at the center stage of U.S. national government.

Irrespective of the overall decline in respect for the body brought about by the often unconscionable behavior on the part of the institution, Congress is often looked upon as the greatest deliberative body in the world in that its members are suppose to be able to speak their consciences freely to their fellow members, their particular constituencies, and the nation as a whole.

However, it now seems that an authority within the legislative branch may be attempting to curtail expression that, to most Americans not having jumped off the cliff into one variety of fanaticism or the other, would be about one of the least partisan things one could say as such sentiments are usually enunciated freely irrespective of the party affiliation of those to whom the greeting was intended. One of the perks extended to members of Congress is the so-called franking privilege where taxpayers pick up the tab for the postal correspondence between legislators and their respective constituencies.

In exchange for this benefit, the outgoing communications are required to adhere to certain criteria regarding content. For example, these items aren’t suppose to be of a campaign nature.

It seems now though that, at least in regards to the House of Representatives, wishing someone a Merry Christmas via these official dispatches has been deemed the equivalent of saying, “Vote for me because the other guy kicks puppies.” Proponents of the prohibition insist epistolary interference is necessary as today one never knows who might be offended by the platitude.

I’ll tell you what ought to offend people. It’s that these clowns don’t only get to send any mail at someone else’s expense but that they’ll get to enjoy lavish retirements while the last words from your dieing lips will likely be “Hello. Welcome to Walmart” because Social Security will be nothing but a memory.

This snide disrespect towards the religion and customs of the vast majority of the American people on the part of parts of the Legislative Branch extends beyond the House mailroom. It has even come to infiltrate the symbols this branch of government has adopted to commemorate this particular holiday. In so doing, it has attempted to manipulate the meaning of the occasion in the minds of the American people.

On the Capitol grounds, each year a stately tree is erected. As with countless other trees the world over, this one is adorned with a variety of ornaments.

By tradition, the ornaments are donated by the residents of the state from where that year’s particular tree originated. The 2011 tree came from California. So hence the theme “California Shines”.

CNSNews correspondent Terrence Jeffery observed that, while the decoration is a Christmas tree, other than a reference to Psalm 19 symbolizing that the Word of God is more precious than gold, not a single ornament on the visible part of the tree references Christmas as the celebration of Christ’s birth. There is also an ornament declaring how much the creator of that particular bulb loves President Obama, the figure many concluded worthy of adoration as a new Christ figure for no other reason than that he emerged from his mother's womb of racially mixed pigmentation but who came up disappointingly short perhaps even more so than many other aspiring pseudo-messiahs.

When informed of this incongruity, officials from the U.S. Forest Service and the Architect of the Capitol both sheepishly feigned an unawareness as to the nature of the tree's adornment and insisted that there is no stipulated prohibition regarding decoration content. However, that does not mean that hullabaloo surrounding the tree will remain objective and neutral.

To get students particularly to contribute ornaments to the tree effort, a special curriculum was developed. Yet if you assumed the lesson plan was about how these trees came to be replete with Christian metaphor and symbolism, you are sadly mistaken.

Instead, the Christmas tree has become merely an additional prop in the unending effort to indoctrinate students with environmentalism. According to Jefferies, the website sponsoring the decoration contest intones, "We ask that all ornaments for the Capitol Christmas Tree be made of natural or recycled materials...There is No Away with your students when they create an ornament for the Tree. Ask students where they think that trash goes when they throw it away. Work with them until they understand that trash eventually ends up in a landfill. Show students the image of a landfill."

Can't the students of today simply be allowed to do something for fun without being politically browbeaten? Why ought they be made to feel guilty for simply living and enjoying their lives when greater examples of waste occur at the levels fostering environmentalism not so much as a way to steward finite resources but rather as a way to control those of us deemed to be the lesser breeds of man.

If we are to lead lives of constant ecological vigilance as epitomized by the constant admonitions to buy locally grown produce, carpool to work, and these guidelines insinuating the environment will collapse if ornaments aren't crafted from recycled material, isn't one of the most profound examples of unnecessary excess the annual felling of a tree and the shipping of it to Washington, DC for no other reason than to titillate Congress’s sense of Yuletide vanity?

Between 1964 and 1968, the tree decorated was one planted permanently on the Capitol grounds. So in this era where environmental concerns are suppose to triumph over other concerns such as convenience and enjoyment, shouldn’t our so-called leaders set the example by planting a permanent tree rather than harvesting one at the close of each year?

The U.S. government is divided into three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. Each of these have played their own role as a social irritant in the disputes regarding Christmas.

The courts have eroded the Judeo-Christian foundations of the legal system through rulings such as those removing Nativities and Menorahs from public land and decisions curtailing religious expression in the public school system.

In this exposition, it has already been examined the role played by the legislature in fomenting Christmas discord. Readers should not expect the executive branch to go unscathed.

Regarding the other examples examined thus far, each has been about those attempting to undermine the celebration of Christmas. However, it seems the Executive Branch may have gone overboard in commemorating Christmas 2011.

During his ascent to power as well as throughout the duration of his reign, Barack Obama has consistently called for shared sacrifice on the part of all Americans in the hopes of getting the nation through challenging economic times. One would think such a plea for austerity would result in the White House erecting only one or two trees not all that different than those enjoyed by Americans in most of our homes. And the cost for such a decoration ought to come out of the Obamas’ personal pockets given that they are multimillionaires several times over and it is doubtful they have been burdened with picking up the tab for their own Washington utility bills while we let them bunk in the servants’ quarters.

However, White House decorators didn't exactly take the spirit of the Charlie Brown Christmas special to heart with that program's classic message that even the scrawniest tree possesses its own form of inner beauty. Not only were thirty-plus Christmas trees jammed under the White House roof but also a gingerbread house weighing nearly 500 pounds. I am sure it wasn't wasted and was distributed for consumption once it was no longer needed for ornamental purposes.

When this incongruity of calling upon the rest of us to give a little more up for the good of the COMMUNITY while she herself wallows and frolics amongst extravagant opulence was pointed out, Michelle Obama feigned what a burden it really was dwelling in the light of such splendor. The First Lady assured the trees are really there to uplift the spirits of the struggling in America, especially the unemployed and the families of U.S. military personnel.

But try showing up unannounced (even if you belong to one of these two unassailable classes invoked to nullify and evade nearly every form of known criticism) insisting you are there to see YOUR trees and see how far you get. The only holiday greenery you'd get to see after that would be the mold on the bread in the prison cafeteria.

The First Family spent the lion's share of their Christmas vacation in Hawaii. So few Americans get to see the White House (as well as numerous other sites around Washington, DC) thanks in part to the security procedures put into place as a result of the Jihadist Third Worlders Obama so admires in the darkest depths of his heart.

There is really little reason for the White House to be decorated at all other than for a sprig or two of evergreen in the windows or on the pillars for the tourists to take pictures of from the sidewalk. But I doubt the common American is even allowed to do that anymore given that glorified rentacops so inebriated on their trivial amount of power that they don't enforce properly enacted laws but rather ones pulled from their doughnut-fed backsides.

Even though fewer and fewer Christians or conservatives want to admit to the existence of the culture wars anymore either out of the weariness that inevitably results from nearly constant struggle or for fear of losing any status they might have gained as a result of silent compromise, these disputes for the most part have become a permanent feature of American society. And until the triumphant return of the King so humbly born in that simple manger, these disputes surrounding the day celebrating His birth will no doubt ring out as among that conflict’s most contentious.

by Frederick Meekins

Posada Retires

2012-01-25T13:29:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, as was widely expected, longtime New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada retired after 17 seasons.

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

An Observation of Mitch Daniels

2012-01-24T21:27:00.001-07:00

I watched Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels' response to President Obama's SOTU.

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

Twelve SOTU Questions for Obama

2012-01-24T18:57:00.001-07:00

I just sat through President Obama's SOTU address.

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

Tigers Pay Fielder a Princely Sum

2012-01-24T15:52:00.001-07:00

Prince Fielder has signed a 9-year contract with the Detroit Tigers worth $214 million.

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

Hannah Montana Sings Dylan

2012-01-24T15:02:00.002-07:00

I have to give Miley Cyrus props for her cover of Bob Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go", one of his songs from his legendary 1975 album Blood on the Tracks. It has a nice, understated country feel to it.

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

Thoughts on Tim Thomas

2012-01-24T11:33:00.002-07:00

Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas made waves when he skipped the White House ceremony yesterday honoring the 2010-2011 Stanley Cup champions.

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

Thoughts on the 84th Academy Award Nominations

2012-01-24T09:54:00.001-07:00

The Academy Awards nominations just came out this morning.

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

NBC Florida GOP Debate Post-Mortem

2012-01-23T21:10:00.001-07:00

Here are my final thoughts on tonight's Florida GOP debate in Tampa which aired on NBC.

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

Good Answers on the Terri Schiavo Question

2012-01-23T20:29:00.002-07:00

I thought Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and even Ron Paul had good answers on Adam Smith's question to whether the federal government should have more say than a spouse with regard to end of life decisions vis a vis Terri Schiavo who was a resident of Florida.

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

Tehran Ron is at it Again

2012-01-23T19:57:00.002-07:00

Ron Paul said that Iran's threats to blockade the Straits of Hormuz is justified because we're blockading them.

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

Paul Wants to Engage The Castros

2012-01-23T19:50:00.001-07:00

So Ron Paul wants to engage the Castros and end the embargo with Cuba.

Clearly, Paul isn't putting much effort in Florida.

Newt Needs to Fight Back

2012-01-23T18:57:00.002-07:00

In less than ten minutes, Mitt Romney has thrice said Newt Gingrich "resigned in disgrace."

Thus far Newt has declined to respond stating he'll have information on his website tomorrow.

Newt's getting hit. He needs to hit back.

Ron Paul, Now Playing Second Base for the Houston Astros

2012-01-23T10:12:00.001-07:00

I got a kick out of these photos of Ron Paul wearing a Houston Astros uniform during the 1976 Congressional softball game between Republicans and Democrats at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. By the looks of it, Paul can handle himself at the plate.

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

Pats Return to the Super Bowl

2012-01-22T16:35:00.001-07:00

The New England Patriots are going to the Super Bowl.

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

Giffords to Resign from Congress

2012-01-22T15:15:00.002-07:00

Gabrielle Giffords has announced she will resign her Congressional seat later this week.

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

Joe Paterno, 1926-2012. R.I.P.

2012-01-22T14:40:00.002-07:00

Former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno has died of complications from lung cancer. He was 85.

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

Why Newt Beat Mitt

2012-01-22T00:34:00.001-07:00

I think Newt Gingrich's decisive victory over Mitt Romney in South Carolina can be summed up this way.

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

Mr. Paul's Neighborhood

2012-01-21T18:27:00.001-07:00

I am watching Ron Paul's speech and am distracted by his blue sweater. He looks like Mr. Rogers.

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

Romney Concedes

2012-01-21T18:21:00.001-07:00

Mitt Romney has ceded South Carolina in Newt Gingrich.

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

FNC & MSNBC Project Newt Winning S.C. Primary

2012-01-21T17:26:00.001-07:00

Moments after the polls closed, both FNC & MSNBC have projected Newt Gingrich as the winner of the South Carolina GOP Primary.

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

Santorum's Overrated Debate Performance

2012-01-20T14:13:00.001-07:00

I wasn't impressed with Rick Santorum's debate performance last night but it appears that I am in the minority.

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

Etta James, 1938-2012. R.I.P.

2012-01-20T10:13:00.001-07:00

Legendary blues and jazz singer Etta James passed away today from complications of leukemia and dementia. Her death came five days shy of what would have been her 74th birthday.

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

A Year From Today

2012-01-20T07:32:00.002-07:00

A year from today there will be an inauguration in Washington, D.C.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will be asking someone to repeat after him the words written in Article II, Section 1, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

The question, of course, is to whom Justice Roberts will administer the oath of office.

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

CNN S.C. GOP Debate Post-Mortem

2012-01-19T19:48:00.001-07:00

Here are my final thoughts on tonight's GOP Debate in Charleston, South Carolina which aired on CNN.

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

Ron Paul Needs a Voice Coach

2012-01-19T19:19:00.002-07:00

When asked what he would do differently, Ron Paul said he would improve his messaging and learn how to speak more slowly.

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

Romney Being Taxed by Tax Question

2012-01-19T19:14:00.001-07:00

Mitt Romney is still struggling with the tax question.

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

Santorum Goes After Romney & Newt on Health Care

2012-01-19T18:50:00.002-07:00

Rick Santorum went after both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich on health care, especially their support of the individual mandate.

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

Newt Gets Two Standing Ovations

2012-01-19T17:57:00.002-07:00

CNN's John King wasted no time in going after Newt Gingrich over his ex-wife's interview with ABC. When King asked him if he had any comment about it, Newt said, "No." It won him an instant standing ovation.

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

Rangers Land Hurling Darvish

2012-01-19T11:09:00.002-07:00

Yesterday, Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish signed a six-year, $60 million contract with the Texas Rangers. The Rangers paid a posting fee of $51.7 million to the Nippon Ham Fighters, the team Darvish toiled with for seven seasons. Darvish went 93-38 with a sterling 1.99 ERA in Nippon Professional Baseball.

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

Does Santorum Winning Iowa Matter?

2012-01-19T10:18:00.001-07:00

So it turns out that Rick Santorum won the Iowa Caucus after all. By 34 votes.

But does that matter 48 hours before the South Carolina Primary?

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

Daniels to Deliver SOTU Response

2012-01-19T09:33:00.001-07:00

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels will give the GOP response to President Obama's State of the Union address on January 25th.

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

Perry to Exit Stage Right

2012-01-19T09:08:00.001-07:00

Multiple reports are indicating that Texas Governor Rick Perry will drop out of the GOP race today.

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

Criticizing Romney Isn't Anti-Capitalist

2012-01-19T07:51:00.002-07:00

Jeff Lord takes Rick Santorum to task for criticizing Mitt Romney's public speaking fees and characterized Santorum's criticism as stepping into the "I-hate-capitalism cow pie."

I disagree. To start with, let's stop equating criticism of Romney with anti-capitalism. Santorum's criticism of Romney's public speaking fees is no more anti-capitalist than when people complain about the salaries of baseball players.

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

What is TransCanada's Next Move?

2012-01-18T14:13:00.002-07:00

Well, it's official. The Obama Administration has rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline.

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

Christie to Romney: Release Your Tax Returns

2012-01-18T09:27:00.001-07:00

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has called upon Mitt Romney to release his tax returns.

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

Fox News South Carolina GOP Debate Post-Mortem

2012-01-16T21:55:00.001-07:00

Here are my final thoughts on tonight's Fox News South Carolina GOP Debate which took place in Myrtle Beach.

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

Romney: Super PACs Should Disappear

2012-01-16T20:56:00.001-07:00

It took until nearly the end of the debate but Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich had it out over their respective Super PAC ads.

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

Romney Enjoys Newt, Santorum Discord on Social Security

2012-01-16T20:46:00.002-07:00

Rick Santorum criticized both Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney on their Social Security reforms. It was the first time Santorum has gone after Gingrich in any significant way.

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

Paul on Killing bin Laden: Didn't Go Through Enough a Process

2012-01-16T20:12:00.001-07:00

Ron Paul's incoherence on foreign policy is shining through.

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

Newt Takes Juan Williams Deep

2012-01-16T20:00:00.002-07:00

Newt Gingrich took Juan Williams accusations of racial insensitivity about calling President Obama the "food stamp President" and hit them out of the park when he noted that more people have gone on food stamps under Obama than any other President. It earned Newt a partial standing ovation from the crowd.

Romney Needs to Answer the Tax Question Succinctly

2012-01-16T19:51:00.002-07:00

When Kelly Evans of The Wall Street Journal asked Mitt Romney if he was going to release his tax returns he should have said, "Should I become the party's nominee, I will do so." Instead he spent several minutes babbling before saying that candidates generally release their returns during tax season.

If you ask Mitt Romney what time it is he would tell you who made the watch.

Santorum to Romney: "Stop It!!!"

2012-01-16T19:32:00.002-07:00

Rick Santorum had Mitt Romney on the defensive concerning the Romney PAC ad which said that Santorum voted in favor of legislation allowing convicted felons to vote. In fact, the vote Santorum made applied to felons who had served their sentence and paid their debt to society.

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

Perry to Romney: Release Your Tax Returns

2012-01-16T19:13:00.002-07:00

Rick Perry just called on Mitt Romney to release his tax returns because "we cannot fire our nominee in September."

Sounds to me that Perry is resigned to Romney as the GOP standard bearer.

Jacoby on MLK

2012-01-16T17:18:00.002-07:00

Jeff Jacoby, the lone conservative at The Boston Globe, has a superb column on Martin Luther King, Jr. with a special focus on his Letter from Birmingham Jail.

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

DC Grants Rats More Rights Than Unborn Children

2012-01-16T15:44:00.001-07:00

A law has been enacted by the DC city council not only requiring that must most forms of rodentine vermin be captured for rerelease, but that they must also be relocated as family units.

These creatures are not a pod of whales, a herd of elephants, or a troop of gorillas.

Given that they will even eat their young and produce another liter a few months or weeks later, I doubt they form deep meaningful bonds with their offspring.

The same fanatics that don't want rats harmed by human hands are the same ones that decimate feral cat colonies that would otherwise keep these pests in check.

It's not like rats are on the verge of going extinct in the nation's Capitol (and given the nature of the city it's doubtful that they ever will).

According to one DC health official from Pakistan, the rat problem at Occupy movement shantytowns exceed those in Third World refuge camps.

Some will snap that the law applies only to pest control officials.

But for how long?

Often as in regards to other expansive laws, eventually this dictatorial regulation will be expanded to homeowners trying to handle these vermin themselves.

And speaking of plagues and such, it wouldn't surprise me if such laws were being enacted as a way to allow some kind of new strain of the plague to develop with the hopes of systematically eliminating vast swaths of the human population.

by Frederick Meekins

Huntsman: GOP's Nowhere Man

2012-01-16T00:54:00.002-07:00

I'm surprised that Jeff Lord invoked The Monkees in response to Jon Huntsman's now cancelled "Ticket to Ride" to South Carolina when there are plenty of Beatles references at his disposal.

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

Huntsman to Drop Out & Endorse Romney

2012-01-15T21:39:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow morning Jon Huntsman is expected to withdraw from the GOP race and endorse frontrunner Mitt Romney.

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

Brady Bests Tebow

2012-01-14T22:24:00.002-07:00

Tim Tebow could not pull off another miracle as the New England Patriots squashed the Denver Broncos 45-10 at Gillette Stadium. It was the first time the Pats won a playoff game since 2008.

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

Yankees Bolster Starting Rotation

2012-01-13T21:57:00.002-07:00

The New York Yankees have had a very quiet off-season. That is until tonight when they bolstered their starting rotation.

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

Romney: Corporate Welfare Bum

2012-01-13T11:35:00.002-07:00

Consider if you will what Mitt Romney had to say about welfare and dependency at CPAC in February 2008:

The threat to our culture comes from within. The 1960's welfare programs created a culture of poverty. Some think we won that battle when we reformed welfare, but the liberals haven't given up. At every turn, they try to substitute government largesse for individual responsibility. Dependency is death to initiative, risk-taking and opportunity. Dependency is a culture-killing drug. We have got to fight it like the poison it is.

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

Could Warren Be Trouble for Mitt?

2012-01-11T14:25:00.001-07:00

As Jim Antle points out Elizabeth Warren has once again outraised Senator Scott Brown in campaign contributions.

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

Are Romney & Capitalism Above Criticism?

2012-01-11T07:21:00.002-07:00

Jeff Lord is aghast that Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry would criticize Mitt Romney's tenure at Bain Capital.

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

Romney-Paul 2012?

2012-01-10T18:43:00.001-07:00

It is interesting to see the Ron Paul campaign come to Mitt Romney's defense over the "firing" controversy.

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

Will Romney Win NH By Double Digits?

2012-01-10T18:25:00.001-07:00

Last week, I argued that if Mitt Romney won New Hampshire by less than 10% he would be in deep trouble in South Carolina.

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

Romney's Firing Line

2012-01-10T16:02:00.001-07:00

Ross Kaminsky characterizes Newt Gingrich and others who have criticized Mitt Romney's tenure at Bain Capital as an attack on free enterprise itself.

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

Making a Federal Case vs. Newt

2012-01-09T21:01:00.002-07:00

Talk about making a federal case. Quin Hillyer quite literally wants to make one against Newt Gingrich because he said the Winning Our Future PAC's anti-Romney King of Bain video was based on mainstream media sources like The New York Times, The Washington Post and Bloomberg.

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

Larkin Goes to Cooperstown

2012-01-09T16:20:00.002-07:00

Congratulations to Barry Larkin who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 86.4% of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). It was Larkin's third year on the ballot.

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

Romney: I Like Being Able to Fire People

2012-01-09T10:02:00.001-07:00

Mitt Romney just stepped in it. Big time.

During a meeting this morning with the Nashua Chamber of Commerce, Romney was discussing health insurance when he said, "It also means that if you don't like what they do, you can fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me."

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

Musharraf Plans Return to Pakistan

2012-01-09T09:07:00.002-07:00

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has announced he will return to Pakistan sometime between January 27th and 30th. He intends to compete in elections scheduled to take place next year.

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

Tony Blankley, 1948-2012. R.I.P.

2012-01-08T19:25:00.003-07:00

I am saddened to hear of the passing of Tony Blankley. He died last night at the age of 63 after battling stomach cancer.

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

NBC Meet The Press NH GOP Debate Post-Mortem

2012-01-08T09:43:00.002-07:00

Here are my final thoughts on the New Hampshire GOP Debate which aired this morning on NBC's Meet the Press and moderated by David Gregory.

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

Both Romney & Santorum Handle Gay Rights Question Effectively

2012-01-08T08:02:00.002-07:00

Joe Hiller of WHDH, the NBC affiliate here in Boston, posed questions on gay rights to both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum and they both answered Hiller's questions effectively.

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

David Gregory's Silly Question

2012-01-08T07:46:00.001-07:00

David Gregory just asked Rick Perry what he would do to make Republicans uncomfortable.

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

Santorum Goes For Romney's Jugular

2012-01-08T07:32:00.003-07:00

Finally!!! Rick Santorum puts it point blank. If your record in Massachusetts was so great why didn't you run for re-election? Why did you bail out?

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

A GOP Pajamas Debate

2012-01-07T22:21:00.002-07:00

Since we have to get up bright and early tomorrow for the next GOP faceoff I think the candidates should be required to spend the debate in their pajamas. Admittedly this format would work better if Michele Bachmann were still in the race.

ABC NH GOP Debate Post-Mortem

2012-01-07T22:01:00.002-07:00

Here are my final thoughts on tonight's New Hampshire GOP debate which aired on ABC.

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

It's All Mandarin To Me

2012-01-07T20:47:00.002-07:00

The dynamic between Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney has been interesting.

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

Sawyer & Stephanopoulos Are Quite Annoying

2012-01-07T20:09:00.002-07:00

Both Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos are being incredibly annoying.

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

Ron Paul Calls MLK & Parks Libertarians

2012-01-07T18:55:00.002-07:00

Ron Paul just called Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks as his heroes and described them as libertarians. I think this is the first time King and Parks have been described as libertarians. Mind you this is the same Ron Paul who says he would have opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

NH GOP Debate Pre-Mortem

2012-01-07T14:58:00.001-07:00

We are a few hours away from tonight's GOP debate in Manchester, New Hampshire.

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

Christmas Billboards Point In The Culture War's Direction

2012-01-07T08:19:00.001-07:00

Christmas is the time of year when the thoughts of most Americans grow to be at their most devout. It is increasingly the time of year that the avowed despisers of the Almighty are at their most disrespectful.

Before now, the most culturally embarrassing thing to come out of the wastelands of the Garden State was likely Snooki and her Jersey Shore compatriots. However, it now seems even their debauched escapades have been surpassed in terms of deliberately thumbing one’s nose at God.

For decades, one municipality there has draped across a main street a banner reading that horrible bit of wordplay “Keep Christ In Christmas”. As has become customary, leftist subversives have stepped forward insisting that the banner be taken down to placate one or two discombobulated by the message.

Those holding to this position contend that the feelings of a handful must be upheld at all costs for the sake of social cohesion. So if it cannot be urged to keep Christ in Christmas, are these diversitymongers going to be consistent and call for the decoupling of “Black” from “History Month”? That commemoration is even more divisive and controversial, but most Whites are too afraid to speak up as to what they really think of it.

In what could be categorized as a battle of the banners, to express their disdain regarding public displays of belief, a gaggle of atheists have hoisted an ensign emblazoned with the following: “At this season of the winter solstice, there are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only the natural world. Religion is but a myth and a superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”

Perhaps the greatest gift such deluded infidels could be given this Christmas season would be for someone to point out that their countersign is itself fraught with a number of faith-based assumptions as ultimately improvable as anything held by the most ardent adherents of traditional religious belief.

For example, can the atheist really irrefutably prove that only the natural world exists? If one wanted to get really snotty about it, couldn’t one make the argument that, since man’s knowledge is finite, God is floating a mere two inches out of range of the most powerful telescopes ever designed?

The banner hoisted by the unbelievers attempts to strike an eminently scientific pose. However, its conclusion has nothing whatsoever to do with experimental objectivity.

Furthermore, aren't we often chided in response to the most ludicrous postulations to keep an open mind? So why is the existence of God an invalid assumption?

The banner concludes, “Religion...hardens hearts and enslaves minds.” But if nothing exists beyond physicality and materiality, on what grounds are hard hearts and enslaved minds such a negative thing?

With power and brute force being the only true values since they promote survival and existential optimization of those that wield them, why are hard hearts and enslaved minds less than optimal states of being? You see, in a materialistic context, one cannot even use the word “bad”.

During Christmas each year, St. Matthew's-In-The-City Church in Aukland, New Zealand sponsors a billboard that the congregation considers provocative. This year, the church went with a billboard depicting the Virgin Mary holding a home pregnancy test with an expression of shock and dismay upon her face.

This work does attempt to take the viewer beyond the quaint romanticism of the Christmas story as popularly presented to better appreciate how the lives of those involved were profoundly impacted and altered. Yet this depiction is still wrong on a number of levels.

There is one thing the observant notices right out of the gate. That is just how long would you live if you drew the portrait of the founder of a particular world religion with a proclivity for loud explosions holding a home pregnancy test?

Secondly, depicting Mary with a look of befuddlement on her face ignores the facts and implications of the Biblical account. A surprised look would indicate a couple of things.

A pregnancy test suggests that the angel did not make the announcement to Mary as chronicled in Luke Chapter 1. According to the artistic depiction in question, she would not have suspected she was with child until whatever it is that prompts a woman to suspect she might be and seeks confirmation through the highlighted pharmaceutical apparatus.

If the angel did appear as detailed, the taking of a home pregnancy test would indicate that Mary did not believe the angel. And though there were no doubt times that her heart grew heavy as did that of her child in the Garden of Gethsemane, there is no indication from Holy Writ that she ever doubted the veracity of the message sent to her and the move of God upon her. In Luke 1:38, Mary says, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said (NIV)."

Many dismiss billboards as nothing but blights upon the landscape. But if one takes a closer look, one discovers how a number of these oversized signs can highlight the ideas clamoring for prominence in public perception and a remind Christians why they must always be ready to give an answer in response to the confusion and despair that has gripped mankind in various forms throughout history.

by Frederick Meekins

Huntsman Gets The Much Coveted Boston Globe Endorsement

2012-01-06T14:23:00.002-07:00

Daniel Allott's piece today on Jon Huntsman went out of his way to alienate conservatives and ingratiate himself with liberals is timely in light of the Boston Globe endorsing him in the New Hampshire Primary.

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

Thoughts on the Dec 2011 Unemployment Rate

2012-01-06T07:34:00.001-07:00

The national unemployment rate fell to 8.5% in December 2011, its lowest level since February 2009. It has fallen 0.7% since June.

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

Obama's Petty Tyranny

2012-01-05T14:35:00.002-07:00

Like others too numerous to mention, I am appalled at President Obama's abuse of his office in making recess appointments when Congress is not in recess.

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

Perry: Here We Come South Carolina

2012-01-04T10:09:00.002-07:00

While Michele Bachmann may have exited the GOP presidential race, Rick Perry is planning to stick around despite a fifth place finish in Iowa last night.

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

Bye-Bye Bachmann - For Now

2012-01-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

As I suspected last night, Michele Bachmann has stepped aside and suspended her presidential campaign after garnering only 5% of the vote in last night's Iowa Caucus.

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

Santorum Won More Than a Moral Victory

2012-01-04T07:49:00.001-07:00

John Tabin is correct to say that the history books will show that Mitt Romney won the 2012 Iowa Republican Caucus. But Rick Santorum won far more than a moral victory.

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

Santorum's Grandfather

2012-01-03T22:46:00.002-07:00

O.K., I'm not ready to go to bed just yet. As I write this, with 98% of the vote, Santorum is leading Romney by five votes.

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

Santorum Wins Iowa Regardless of the Result

2012-01-03T22:10:00.002-07:00

It is just past midnight and with 97% of the vote in, Rick Santorum is leading Mitt Romney by 37 votes in Iowa.

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

Where Does Newt Go From Here?

2012-01-03T21:29:00.002-07:00

As much as it pains me I find myself in agreement with Quin Hillyer. It would probably be prudent if Newt Gingrich drops out of the race along with Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann.

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