So I was there, and like a schmoron I forgot to bring a camera.
I must say, for the fact that this was a grassroots movement with about a week to get organized, the turnout was quite encouraging. There were at least 300, maybe closer to 400 in participation. Hats off to Smart Girl Politics, #DontGo, Americans for Tax Reform, the HeartlandInstitute, American Spectator Magazine and anyone else involved with the planning.
I was nervous walking to Daley plaza before the event, because it didn't seem that I was bumping into anyone else headed to the teaparty along the way. However Daley plaza was pretty crowded when I arrived and more people filed in before we began the march. All of the local news networks were on hand.
Tony Perica was there, and it appeared that a few of the protesters were giving him a little grief for trying to get in on the act. I for one was glad to see some elected officials out showing support for the event. Some self appointed leader started shouting "Don't Tread On Me!" at the cameras, which was a little annoying, but my worst fears, that some true racist nutcases would show up to intermingle with the rest of the protesters, were soon allayed. I groaned when I saw one or two posters of Obama with a Hitler mustache--if anything was going to make it on the news, that would be it--but by and large, it was a bunch of sensible, peaceful conservatives who were outraged by the Porkulus bill.
We marched down Dearborn to Wacker, and over to Michigan. As we neared Michigan I turned around and saw that the marchers stretched back along Wacker as far as the eye could see. We ended up in front of Tribune Tower, where more cameras and reporters awaited us. Someone from #Dontgo grabbed a megaphone and launched into a speech that, among other things made it pretty clear to Perica & co. that Republicans are not going to get a pass if they don't stand up against Obama's socialist agenda. There was also "Sam Adams," resplendant in powered wig and colonial garb, who provided some comic relief as well.
All in all, I feel that the event was a success. We definitely got noticed, and when multiplied by the dozens of other cities that held tea parties today, I think it amounts to a not insignificant shot across the bow of the SS Obama. The important thing is to make sure that the momentum continues to build rather than ebb. And to that end, I hope the planners make the most of the time between now and the July 4th event to make sure the next tea party is conducted on a much more massive scale, with far greater turnout.
Special kudos to Chicago's Finest. The police in our escort were outstanding. At no point were things tense, and the cops were always polite and courteous. They knew they weren't being forced to escort the usual radical crazies they get stuck with at these sorts of events, and you could generally tell that they were in agreement with us even if they weren't allowed to say anything. The police really made the event all the more enjoyable.
Here's looking at July.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Congress Got Back
Big Guv is back with a vengeance, sayeth Boehner, in what is probably the biggest understatement since the August 24, 79 AD weather forcast for Pompei called for "dense atmospheric conditions."
Letting Democrats run government is like putting Charles Manson in charge of a daycare center.
Letting Democrats run government is like putting Charles Manson in charge of a daycare center.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Anything goes
Today, President Obama hosted "dozens of leaders" in a brainstorming session to come up with solutions for "solving" this current fiscal crisis.
Which for me, begs the question: what the hell have you and your advisers been doing for the last month, Mr. President? You mean to tell me your team couldn't think of anything? This inspires a ton of confidence.
Also of note: these "leaders" were generally members of Congress or "community leaders"--In other words, the group that passed this pork bill and the group directly benefiting from it. Great. I'm sure they'll have a lot of new and innovative ideas.
Congratulations, America. You wanted youth and excitement and you're going to get it. You voted for the teenager without a lick of experience or a ghost of a clue what he's doing, and now we all get to suffer for your stupidity.
I for one am sick and tired of this blather about how "smart" the American people are. It appears at the moment that at least 52% voters in this country are damned naive and stupid. They bought a lot of idealistic sounding fluff over a boring acerbic curmudgeon with a ton of experience, and it looks like my great grandchildren will be picking up the bill.
Which for me, begs the question: what the hell have you and your advisers been doing for the last month, Mr. President? You mean to tell me your team couldn't think of anything? This inspires a ton of confidence.
Also of note: these "leaders" were generally members of Congress or "community leaders"--In other words, the group that passed this pork bill and the group directly benefiting from it. Great. I'm sure they'll have a lot of new and innovative ideas.
Congratulations, America. You wanted youth and excitement and you're going to get it. You voted for the teenager without a lick of experience or a ghost of a clue what he's doing, and now we all get to suffer for your stupidity.
I for one am sick and tired of this blather about how "smart" the American people are. It appears at the moment that at least 52% voters in this country are damned naive and stupid. They bought a lot of idealistic sounding fluff over a boring acerbic curmudgeon with a ton of experience, and it looks like my great grandchildren will be picking up the bill.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
It could happen!
Listening to a recent archive of Reason To Believe's Creation Update program. Fazale Rana PhD is discussing a current initiative in the field of Synthetic Biology to create "artificial life." The team of scientists aim to map out a synthetic genome and put it into a cell without DNA to create "microplasm labotoreum", an organism that currently doesn't exist in nature. At first blush it sound like something for moral concern, but in effect what they're doing is taking parts from a very basic organism, throwing out the non-essentials, and reassembling the parts to form a new, simple organism. It's like ripping apart a lawnmower engine, taken out the parts that are unnecessary, and rebuilding a lawnmower that you hope will work. Which is not to say that what these scientists are doing is not remarkable--as it turns out, this lifeform they are looking to make still requires a mindblowingly large gene sequence.
Rana couldn't avoid mentioning the irony that some of the brightest scientists in the world have spent years working on this project, which they're not even sure will work, and yet nontheists are unquestioningly willing to extend the benefit of the doubt to blind unguided random processes bringing life about.
Rana couldn't avoid mentioning the irony that some of the brightest scientists in the world have spent years working on this project, which they're not even sure will work, and yet nontheists are unquestioningly willing to extend the benefit of the doubt to blind unguided random processes bringing life about.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Bully!
Reading Edmund Morris's exceptional Theodore Rex, which captures Theodore Roosevelt's two terms as President. More overall later. But I had to share one short exerpt that caused me to burst out laughing.
The passage begins at 2:00am at Sagamore Hill, Roosevelt's family estate on Oyster Bay, NY. Roosevelt and his War Secretary Elihu Root have just finished a meeting and are smoking cigars:
Below them, Root's naval transport lay black on the moonlit water. Father off floated another recent arrival...Roosevelt's own official vessel, USS Mayflower...with its twelve guns and white-and-gold reception rooms. He looked forward to a tour of inspection in the morning.
About five hours later, sailors were swabbing the Mayflower's decks, and its officers were dressing below, when a rowboat began to splash across the bay. Pulling the oars was a stocky man in a sleeveless swimsuit. The sailors paid no attention until there was a creaking of the gangway ladder, and the President appeared beaming in their midst.
"Bully! Bully!" Roosevelt exclaimed, as he rushed around admiring fixtures and fittings. By the time the officers came on deck in their hastily buttoned tunics, he was already rowing back to Sagamore Hill for breakfast.
Okay, so seriously...
Who at the NY Sun thought this was a good idea? (click for full image)
I am willing to give a benefit of the doubt that this wasn't intentionally racist, if only because if it were intentionally racist, it would be so unmistakably intentionally racist that no newspaper editor who did not wish to be compared to David Duke would let it see print.
As it stands, the editor who allowed this to go to press deserves to be fired. If someone had the colossal lack of judgement necessary to allow this to see the light of day, there's no telling what else they're capable of letting through. Rupert Murdoch should personally fire the editor and issue an immediate apology.
UPDATE: Post issues a pseudo apology.
I am willing to give a benefit of the doubt that this wasn't intentionally racist, if only because if it were intentionally racist, it would be so unmistakably intentionally racist that no newspaper editor who did not wish to be compared to David Duke would let it see print.
As it stands, the editor who allowed this to go to press deserves to be fired. If someone had the colossal lack of judgement necessary to allow this to see the light of day, there's no telling what else they're capable of letting through. Rupert Murdoch should personally fire the editor and issue an immediate apology.
UPDATE: Post issues a pseudo apology.
Have You Heard About The Lonesome Loser?
All I ask is that you willingly suspend disbelief!
Haven't written much about this latest joke of the IL Democratic Party. Why write when you can let John Kass do it for you?
Not so bad after all, eh, Mr. President?
From today's Playbook:
THE WAR ON TERROR CONTINUES, AFTER ALL – We noted this in Playbook yesterday but Jim VandeHei, our North Star, says we should have made more of it as a conversation-driver. N.Y Times, “Obama’s War on Terror May Resemble Bush’s in Some Areas,” By Charlie Savage: “Even as it pulls back from harsh interrogations and other sharply debated aspects of George W. Bush’s ‘war on terrorism,’ the Obama administration is quietly signaling continued support for other major elements of its predecessor’s approach to fighting Al Qaeda. In little-noticed confirmation testimony recently, Obama nominees endorsed continuing the C.I.A.’s program of transferring prisoners to other countries without legal rights, and indefinitely detaining terrorism suspects without trials even if they were arrested far from a war zone. The administration has also embraced the Bush legal team’s arguments that a lawsuit by former C.I.A. detainees should be shut down based on the “state secrets” doctrine. It has also left the door open to resuming military commission trials. …
“These and other signs suggest that the administration’s changes may turn out to be less sweeping than many had hoped or feared — prompting growing worry among civil liberties groups and a sense of vindication among supporters of Bush-era policies. In an interview, the White House counsel, Gregory B. Craig, asserted that the administration was not embracing Mr. Bush’s approach to the world. But Mr. Craig also said President Obama intended to avoid any ‘shoot from the hip’ and ‘bumper sticker slogans’ approaches to deciding what to do with the counterterrorism policies he inherited. ‘We are charting a new way forward, taking into account both the security of the American people and the need to obey the rule of law,’ Mr. Craig said. ‘That is a message we would give to the civil liberties people as well as to the Bush people.’”
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Innovative Spelling
Caption reads: A geographer uses innovative analysis to narrow Obama bin Laden's location to three sites.
Heh.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Forboding on Presidents Day
As Presidents Day wanes, I can't help but note the troubling irony that our new President, perhaps the least experienced, least qualified man in my lifetime to hold the office, has had a near-trillion dollar spending bill thrown in his lap. A responsibility this massive and potentially catastrophic--and which never should have been enacted in the first place--would be a troubling burden in the hands of the most experienced statesman. And it currently resides in the hands of this inexperienced and untested young President who, if he is to be judged by his past associations and statements (ACORN, J. Wright, "spread the wealth"), is still surrounded by some very unsettling question marks. This untested young President has been handed an unprecedented opportunity to do incredible damage to our nation. Let us pray he shows heretofore uncharacteristic good judgement in how he proceeds.
Presidents Day
Reading a lot of different opinions re: greatest President of all time. I think my favorite comment so far was from Jacob Sullum, senior editor at Reason:
It is a sign of how magnificent our country is that there can be so much debate on this topic. At the risk of being predictable, the two greatest Presidents ever are the two whom we specifically honor on this day.
George Washington was a demigod among men, which accounts for the tireless efforts of revisionist historians to cut him down to size. A man of impeccable character, grace and strength, he was a gift from God at a moment when our nation needed such a gift. How this man managed to hold together a ragtag army of freezing, underfed, underclothed and largely unpaid volunteers from 1775 until French aid came in 1778 is inexplicable. In fact it can only be called miraculous. Having every opportunity at the war's end to seize control of the nation as our first King, or at least Lord Protector (which in fact he was urged to do so by several supporters), Washington chose instead to surrender his command (Prompting King George to dub him the "greatest man who ever lived"). Called back into service as his nation's first President, Washington served humbly, assembling the original "team of rivals" in cabinet members Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Washington rejected in disgust the suggestion that he be referred to as "Your Excellency" and demanded to go by "Mr. President." And once again, with limitless power in his hands and zero tradition to hold him back, President Washington humbly established the tradition of serving two terms only.
His second year in office, Abraham Lincoln came to understand that he was to be God's instrument in the abolition of slavery. Slavery had always been an abomination in Lincoln's eyes. Earlier in his career he referred to the slave trade as that which has the "capacity to make me miserable" and as a Congressman he had successfully fought to ban the sale of slaves within the Washington city limits. Lincoln did not immediately move to abolish slavery when the first states began to secede, in no small part because some of the Union states were in fact slave states. However, he soon acted in accordance with the mandate he felt God had set upon him and freed by Executive mandate some four million human beings. Were the war fought with remarkable efficiency to swift victory by the North, the Emancipation Proclamation alone would have secured Lincoln's place as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) Presidents. But of course the war was not fought well. Lincoln endured a long succession of incompetent Generals while American boys bled to death by the hundreds of thousands. History had once again dropped a massive weight onto Lincoln's shoulders--in all, some 600,000 American boys and men would die--and once again he carried on without buckling. He waited, he ordered, he excoriated, he replaced, and he was finally rewarded with "Unconditional Surrender" Grant. Thanks to Lincoln's resolve, which sometimes manifested itself in draconian tactics such as suspending Habeas Corpus, the North won the war and our Union was preserved.
There are blessed few other Presidents who can said to even approach the tier occupied by these two men, though their fellow Rushmore occupants Jefferson and T. Roosevelt are undoubtedly two of the more remarkable Presidents. Certainly Reagan deserves adulation comparable to that lavished upon Teddy. Harry Truman is an unsung hero who, like Lincoln, made the hard decisions necessitated by a horrific war. Yet Washington and Lincoln still stand above the rest, and rightly so. I don't know that there will ever be another Abraham Lincoln. There will certainly never be another George Washington.
First choice: Zaphod Beeblebrox, because (as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy notes) he had “no real power whatsoever.” Also, he was the sort of guy you could imagine having a drink with, and he had two heads, which are better than one.(quoted from National Review Online)
Second choice: William Henry Harrison, because he left office before he could do much damage.
It is a sign of how magnificent our country is that there can be so much debate on this topic. At the risk of being predictable, the two greatest Presidents ever are the two whom we specifically honor on this day.
George Washington was a demigod among men, which accounts for the tireless efforts of revisionist historians to cut him down to size. A man of impeccable character, grace and strength, he was a gift from God at a moment when our nation needed such a gift. How this man managed to hold together a ragtag army of freezing, underfed, underclothed and largely unpaid volunteers from 1775 until French aid came in 1778 is inexplicable. In fact it can only be called miraculous. Having every opportunity at the war's end to seize control of the nation as our first King, or at least Lord Protector (which in fact he was urged to do so by several supporters), Washington chose instead to surrender his command (Prompting King George to dub him the "greatest man who ever lived"). Called back into service as his nation's first President, Washington served humbly, assembling the original "team of rivals" in cabinet members Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Washington rejected in disgust the suggestion that he be referred to as "Your Excellency" and demanded to go by "Mr. President." And once again, with limitless power in his hands and zero tradition to hold him back, President Washington humbly established the tradition of serving two terms only.
His second year in office, Abraham Lincoln came to understand that he was to be God's instrument in the abolition of slavery. Slavery had always been an abomination in Lincoln's eyes. Earlier in his career he referred to the slave trade as that which has the "capacity to make me miserable" and as a Congressman he had successfully fought to ban the sale of slaves within the Washington city limits. Lincoln did not immediately move to abolish slavery when the first states began to secede, in no small part because some of the Union states were in fact slave states. However, he soon acted in accordance with the mandate he felt God had set upon him and freed by Executive mandate some four million human beings. Were the war fought with remarkable efficiency to swift victory by the North, the Emancipation Proclamation alone would have secured Lincoln's place as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) Presidents. But of course the war was not fought well. Lincoln endured a long succession of incompetent Generals while American boys bled to death by the hundreds of thousands. History had once again dropped a massive weight onto Lincoln's shoulders--in all, some 600,000 American boys and men would die--and once again he carried on without buckling. He waited, he ordered, he excoriated, he replaced, and he was finally rewarded with "Unconditional Surrender" Grant. Thanks to Lincoln's resolve, which sometimes manifested itself in draconian tactics such as suspending Habeas Corpus, the North won the war and our Union was preserved.
There are blessed few other Presidents who can said to even approach the tier occupied by these two men, though their fellow Rushmore occupants Jefferson and T. Roosevelt are undoubtedly two of the more remarkable Presidents. Certainly Reagan deserves adulation comparable to that lavished upon Teddy. Harry Truman is an unsung hero who, like Lincoln, made the hard decisions necessitated by a horrific war. Yet Washington and Lincoln still stand above the rest, and rightly so. I don't know that there will ever be another Abraham Lincoln. There will certainly never be another George Washington.
Wrong Oval Office occupant returned.
I had to hear this on President's Day, didn't I.
Obama returns a bust of easily one of the top three greatest statesmen of the 20th century, loaned by the Brits to W. after 9/11.
Personally, I'd rather the statue was in charge.
Obama returns a bust of easily one of the top three greatest statesmen of the 20th century, loaned by the Brits to W. after 9/11.
Personally, I'd rather the statue was in charge.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Bump! There it is
Hey, remember when Gerald Ford was the dumbest man on earth for doing this?
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Turd Sandwich
And so, because three Republicans are going along for the ride, we take a giant leap toward socialism. Heck, there's no "toward" about it; it's socialism. This President is less than one month in office, and already I've moved beyond disgust to ennui. I can't believe we're letting this vacuous pile of graft happen. This bill couldn't be any more stupid if it were drafted by a committee comprised of Jessica Simpson, Ashton Kutcher and Sid Vicious.
"The plan is not perfect," the President says. That's about the biggest understatement uttered since Custer said "my, but these Sioux seem rather worked up today."
The only thing that remains to be seen is if it solidifies democrat power for decades a-la FDR's New Deal ("stimulus" has a way of bringing out the welfare baby in so many of us) or if there remain enough people, disgusted as I, who are prepared to turn Obama into a one-and-done.
The President claimed he'd listen to any "ideas that work." The bill stands to the contrary.
"The plan is not perfect," the President says. That's about the biggest understatement uttered since Custer said "my, but these Sioux seem rather worked up today."
The only thing that remains to be seen is if it solidifies democrat power for decades a-la FDR's New Deal ("stimulus" has a way of bringing out the welfare baby in so many of us) or if there remain enough people, disgusted as I, who are prepared to turn Obama into a one-and-done.
The President claimed he'd listen to any "ideas that work." The bill stands to the contrary.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Brian May, PhD
Dr. May demonstrates why he is awesome.
He does all of this delay the old fashioned way, with mic placement. The Edge gets all the credit for it, but May is a delay pioneer.
I can't believe he toured all those years with just this one guitar that he made as a kid. If anything had happened to it...sheesh. Luckily he finally allowed replicas to be made a few years ago.
He does all of this delay the old fashioned way, with mic placement. The Edge gets all the credit for it, but May is a delay pioneer.
I can't believe he toured all those years with just this one guitar that he made as a kid. If anything had happened to it...sheesh. Luckily he finally allowed replicas to be made a few years ago.
Chairman Steele
Liking what I'm hearing so far. I was glad Steele got the job, and now I'm gladderererer.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
All the Pork you can eat
NRO's home page today lists 50 things that suck about the Porkulus Package.
If you think "suck" it too harsh of a word, Hugh Hewitt has Senator Graham on record using exactly that word to describe the bill.
The popularity for this bill is polling somewhere between getting a colonoscopy and letting your daughter go on a date with Drew Peterson. And yet Harry Reid wants to ram it through. This is a no win situation for the Dems. They should go back to the table and hammer out a realistic plan with an increasingly boisterous GOP.
If you think "suck" it too harsh of a word, Hugh Hewitt has Senator Graham on record using exactly that word to describe the bill.
The popularity for this bill is polling somewhere between getting a colonoscopy and letting your daughter go on a date with Drew Peterson. And yet Harry Reid wants to ram it through. This is a no win situation for the Dems. They should go back to the table and hammer out a realistic plan with an increasingly boisterous GOP.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Inimitable Professor Hanson...
On what happens when you elect a teenager with no relevant experience President of the United States.
Caption This Photo
[H/T Hot Air]
LA Times is running a caption contest for this photo.
My contribution:
"Now if you'll excuse me, Vice President Biden requires my assistance with a--what was it again Joe, a "turtle head?""
LA Times is running a caption contest for this photo.
My contribution:
"Now if you'll excuse me, Vice President Biden requires my assistance with a--what was it again Joe, a "turtle head?""
Monday, February 2, 2009
50 Greatest Solos
Guitar World's 50 Greatest Guitar Solos. H/T the Porembski Ponderosa
While such lists are obviously subjective, I think this is a halfway decent list. I like the fact that masters like Satch, Vai, Eddie, Yngwie, Eric Johnson, etc. were all honored. And the obligatory icons of rock like Clapton, Page, Hendrix, Gilmour, May, Richards, et al. I like the fact that Ace Frehley was noted. I ALSO like the fact that they told the anti-cliche crowd to go scratch and put Stairway and Freebird at the top.
My only gripes are that Light My Fire and Smells Like Teen Spirit perennially show up on these lists, out of whatever obligatory need the authors have to include them. To put these songs up against songs like Crazy Train, Layla and Voodoo Chile is a joke. And one Metallica is more than enough. AND, Jeff Beck? Hello?
All in all though, not half bad. The guitar nerds always know better than the rock critics.
While such lists are obviously subjective, I think this is a halfway decent list. I like the fact that masters like Satch, Vai, Eddie, Yngwie, Eric Johnson, etc. were all honored. And the obligatory icons of rock like Clapton, Page, Hendrix, Gilmour, May, Richards, et al. I like the fact that Ace Frehley was noted. I ALSO like the fact that they told the anti-cliche crowd to go scratch and put Stairway and Freebird at the top.
My only gripes are that Light My Fire and Smells Like Teen Spirit perennially show up on these lists, out of whatever obligatory need the authors have to include them. To put these songs up against songs like Crazy Train, Layla and Voodoo Chile is a joke. And one Metallica is more than enough. AND, Jeff Beck? Hello?
All in all though, not half bad. The guitar nerds always know better than the rock critics.
S.L.E.D.
Scott Klusendorf, possibly the world's finest pro-life debater, demonstrates an excellent tactic for the defense of the anti-death position.
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