Quick Takes, March 23, 2011

ITEM: In the Is This Cool Or What? Department, comes news from the Daily Mail Online (here) about a gunfire locator miniaturized to fit on contemporary rifles. Using a version of sonar, it will allow troops to locate the firing positions of enemy soldiers within 1.3 seconds and return accurate fire on them. The device is currently being tested by the British in Afghanistan. Compact and lightweight, the device has the promise of giving troops a real edge in combat. Very cool indeed. Perhaps Mr. Obama might want to see about restoring the “special relationship” between America and England he has worked so hard and long to denigrate.

ITEM: From The Hill (here) comes the news that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) and other liberal Democrats have introduced a bill that would require a 2/3 majority in each house of Congress to pass any cuts to Social Security benefits. While Social Security is in real fiscal trouble, its problems are overshadowed by Medicare and Medicaid. But as always, it’s good to know that the Democrats are so serious about preventing our impending national bankruptcy and the collapse of the world’s economy that they’re willing to make it impossible to prevent our impending national bankruptcy and the collapse of the world’s economy. Wait a minute...I think I’m missing something here...

ITEM: From Sarah Palin Via Powerline (here) we learn that since Mr. Obama first took office, gas prices have increased 67% and continue to rise. During the same 26 month period of George W. Bush’s presidency, gas prices rose only 7%. Mr. Obama has said that if he gets his preferred polices, energy prices will “necessarily skyrocket.” He has also said that his only concern about skyrocketing gasoline prices is that he would prefer that they skyrocket more gradually. He has, of course, simultaneously all but shut down the production of new oil wells in America, and in the Gulf Coast, has issued only one drilling permit, and that for a well that was already nearly completed before the BP disaster. If a Manchurian Candidate had become president, how would his polices for the destruction of America differ from Mr. Obama’s? Discuss.

ITEM: And This Week’s Louis Renault Award Goes To: The Obama Administration (cue applause)! Fox News (here) reports that the Congressional Budget Office has examined Mr. Obama’s budget and his concluded that budget deficits until 2021 would be at least $2.3 trillion dollars more than the $7.2 trillion dollars the Obama budget projected. This disparity was due primarily to wildly optimistic economic assumptions on the part of the Obama Administration, and on at least some magical thinking. I’m shocked, shocked! But, oh what the heck? What’s two trillion or so among friends when you’re already throwing more than seven trillion down the rat hole? It’s all borrowed money anyway.

ITEM: Oh, so you’re calling me a rapist?! Sure, come on in, sit down, let’s negotiate in good faith! From Hot Air (here) come news of Vice President Joe--”The Sheriff”--Biden who recently compared Republicans who are trying to cut the federal budget to rapists. He also blamed them of creating the current deficit. Hmm. Wasn’t it Barack Obama who, in less than two years, has created the largest budget deficit in history, all by himself? And wasn’t it Barack Obama who, in his current budget, wants to increase that deficit to nearly $10 trillion dollars by 2021? If Mr. Biden and Mr. Obama get their way, the only people being raped will be taxpaying Americans. Joe Biden isn’t really the Vice President--is he?
It’s a parody, right?

ITEM: And in the “C’mon; This Has To Be A Parody, Right?” Department, comes Ed Morrissey from Hot Air (here) who informs us that Harry Reid has announced the most compelling reason for continuing to pour taxpayer dollars into the liberal sewer that is NPR yet, I mean, even more compelling than ensuring Nevada cowboy poetry (yeee-haw!) unto eternity. What could be more compelling than cowboy poetry? Why, ensuring that Harry Reid continues to be informed on the true origins of Alaskan dog-sled races! But wait, it gets better! Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-sort of--Alaska) wants continued NPR funding because of the “Mukluk Telegraph.” Accordingto Murkowski, NPR allows hunters to communicate that they returned to camp safely. It does? How would NPR go about that sort of thing, exactly? “And next on All Blubber Chewed, Bubba Jones and his hunting buddies are coming back to Anchorage from their annual Alaskan mosquito hunt...” Apparently NPR has a monopoly on all Alaskan radio frequencies. I know that Senator Reid is reality challenged, but now it seems that the frigid north has affected Senator Murkowski more than we realized.

ITEM: And in the “C’mon; This Really Has To Be A Parody, Right?” Department, against comes Ed Morrissey of Hot Air (here) who explains that many Congressional Democrats are grasping to understand why out of control spending that will--sooner rather than later--bankrupt the country, is so unpopular. They think they have the answer: It’s a failure of messaging! That’s right ladies and gentlemen, if only the Dems can trot out a few more Sesame Street puppets and get a bit more mileage out of sob stories about cowboy poetry and poor Harry Reid who might, in the future, be denied vital information on the origins of Alaskan dog-sled racing, why, they can convince everyone to march to their collective economic doom with smiles on their brainless faces! Read my messaging: WE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY! WE’RE BROKE! NO MONEY! NO...oh, never mind...

ITEM: Via Powerline (here) we learn that a recent Rasmussen survey revealed that only 20% of the public is willing to pay higher taxes to reduce the deficit, while 71% would not be willing. Interestingly, 83% believe that the size of the deficit is a result of politician’s unwillingness to cut spending rather than reluctant taxpayer’s unwillingness to part with more of their money. You know, it’s almost as if the American public suspects that if we give the fiscally handicapped in DC more tax revenue, they’ll just blow it on more boondoggles rather than paying down the debt and balancing the budget. If you think about it, you can almost believe it.

ITEM: From greenautoblog.com (here) comes news of a study by the American Public Transportation Association (I had no idea such a thing existed, you?) that surmises that when gasoline leaps to $5.00 per gallon, Americans will turn to public transportation in record numbers. They also suggest that said public transportation would be overwhelmed. Well, yeah. What they apparently do not realize is that most of America--you know, that part of America that is not actually a major city?-- has no public transportation. Some people really think that everyone lives in New York City, don’t they?

ITEM: In The Continuing Saga of the Religion of Peace Department: From Patrick Poole at The Tatler (here) comes the New York Times Magazine which ran a recent profile on a prominent “moderate” Muslim, one Yasir Qadhi, presenting him “as the new face of ‘moderate’ American Islam.” A Houston Imam, Qadhi would seem an odd choice to present as a moderate as he is an unapologetic Holocaust denier. Among his other moderate credentials are four of his former moderate students who have been arrested on moderate terror charges, including moderate underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Qadhi claims they must have misunderstood his message of moderation and peace. Uh, doesn’t the NYT have what they used to call “editors?” You know, people who would read something like this and say to the eager cub reporter trying to publish it something like “What the hell is wrong with you? This guy’s no moderate! If you can’t even get that fact right, what good are you! Get out of my office, you wet behind the ears whiner, and don’t come back until you have a factual story!” Ah, one can dream, can’t one?

ITEM: Anyone remember Barack Obama promising that he would make America loved and respected again throughout the world? Yeah. Not so much. For an across-the-pond perspective, read this article by Anna Pukas of the Express. Content Warning: You’ll have to ignore some of the left wing certitude, but the piece is all the more remarkable for it. You’ll see what I mean.

ITEM: And in the Man Up Department: Via Fox News (here), following the UN resolution to actually, you know, do something about Libya, military air strikes have begun. “Our planes are blocking the air attacks on the city [of Benghazi]” said French President Nicolas Sarkozy. French president?! French President. After weeks of dithering, weeks of allowing Qaddafi to murder thousands of his people, Mr. Obama has once again lived up to his reputation as a miracle worker: He has made the French look like the dominant, capable military power in the world. In the meantime, President Obama returned from his 5-day Latin America tour. His first diplomatic triumph of the trip was an announced press questioning opportunity that turned into a “we’ll talk at the media” opportunity when the Brazilians decided they didn’t want to take questions, yet more evidence of the transformative power of Obama international magic. There’s more, but it’s just too depressing.

ITEM: He said What?! From the invaluable Mark Steyn we learn of Mr. Obama’s comments at a gathering of major Dem. contributors last week in Washington. He was referencing his favorite topic: Himself. “As time passes, you start taking it for granted that a guy named Barack Hussein Obama is president of the United States. But we should never take it for granted. I hope that all of you still feel that sense of excitement and that sense of possibility.” Uh, I’m nearly--speechless. No, actually I’m not, which is a good thing as I’m the one writing this. I hereby offer a signed photograph of Barack Hussein Obama dropping a nickel in a piggy bank, payable as soon as I can get him to sign one (a photo, a nickel or a piggy bank), to anyone who can produce a more egregious example of entitlement, arrogance and narcissism. In this, at least, there is no question that our president leads the world.

ITEM: Cosmic Irony Department: From the bright and beautiful Michelle Malkin comes the news of the renaming of a Wilmington, Delaware train station on March 19. The station was renamed for VP Joe Biden in honor, apparently, of his gracing trains with his posterior in that vicinity over the years. The best part is that the Amtrack CEO who was officiating had a bit of a problem. The train on which he was to symbolically and historically arrive broke down, so he had to drive. And in the second bit of cosmic irony in a single item--we give you your money’s worth here--Mr. Biden admitted that he didn’t deserve the honor, but following in the footsteps of Mr. Obama who also said that he didn’t deserve a Nobel Peace Prize, accepted it anyway. Oh, and in the third bit of irony, the new station came in $5.3 million dollars over budget. And the fourth bit of irony? Guess who is responsible for seeing that all stimulus projects come in on budget and on time? Joe “The Sheriff,” “Mr. Gafftastic” Biden. Makes you proud to be an American, doesn’t it?

ITEM: And in the “Well, That Guy’s Career Is Over,” department, comes news of Rene Jaquez, the second ARF agent to go public with information about the ATF’s infamous operation “Fast and Furious.” During this botched operation, apparently sanctioned by the highest levels in the ATF, agents were ordered to allow thousands of guns to flow into mexico under threat of firing. Several of these weapons were used to kill Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in Arizona in December. Go here for additional information. The country is in the very best of hands.

ITEM: And in even more news from the Religion of Peace, Fox News (here) reports that “Palestinian militants” fired a rocket into southern Israel on March 20, this following a recent firing of about 50 mortar rounds into Israel. Several Israelis were wounded and Israel retaliated. Darned touchy those Israelis. After all, I’m sure those were peaceful mortar rounds and a peaceful rocket aimed only at establishing a sort of explosive yet peaceful dialogue and understanding.

ITEM: American Exceptionalism On Parade! From the Washington Examiner (here) comes Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commenting on the attack on Libya: “We did not lead this. We did not engage in unilateral actions in any way...” Hmm. So if it’s worth doing at all, if it’s the morally right thing to do, America can’t act unilaterally? Aren’t we supposed to be the good guys? Whatever happened to truth, justice and the American way? Golf, anyone?

ITEM: Let Them Eat iPads! To read a very satisfying account of an elite government economist getting his comeuppance from some of the little people, visit The Wall Street Journal Online here.

ITEM: Oh Goodie! Department: President Jimmy Carter is scheduled to visit North Korea to do--something or other. Its a virtual certainty that he’ll denigrate America and kowtow to the Nork’s lunatic leadership. Perhaps he’ll even negotiate a brilliant diplomatic breakthrough like so many others negotiated by Democrats, you know, something like we provide money, fuel and food that will prop up the regime for a few more years while they make meaningless promises that they simultaneously promise to break before the ink is dry on the agreement. It’s that kind of smart diplomacy that has made Mr. Carter what he is today. Mr. Obama is hot on his heels in the race to the bottom to surpass him. Go here for the full story, if you have the stomach for it.

ITEM: NEWSFLASH: Mr. Obama has recently announced his absolute support for the development and retrieval of the nation’s oil resources. Unfortunately, the nation happens to be Brazil. George Soros has a significant ownership stake in Petrobras, Brazil’s national oil company. I’m sure this is just a coincidence. In the meantime, Energy Secretary Salazar, speaking to unemployed oil field workers on the Gulf Coast, put his thumbs in his ears, stuck out his tongue and said: “PHHBBBBBT! OK, so I made that last part up, but you know he’d like to say it. It’s what he’s doing anyway.

ITEM: Have you always suspected that jihadist terrorists have been crossing our southern Border into America? They have indeed. At PJM, here is the proof. Nothing truly new for those who keep themselves well-informed, but oh deary dear. For serious people, there can be no doubt that Democrats can never again be allowed to be anywhere near national security. Or finances. Or domestic policy. Or foreign policy. Or (fill in favorite topic here).

ITEM: There Really Are Heroes! Department: Who’s tougher than Hideaki Akaiwa? Only Hideaki Akaiwa. To read about a man who is a genuine hero, go here.

And on that hopeful note for mankind, thanks for dropping by, and I’ll see you next Thursday!