Quick Takes, August 4, 2011

ITEM: Not Ready For Prime Time: If you're interested in aircraft as I am, you'll find this story of ten military aircraft that never made it past testing to be interesting indeed. Many of these fall into the "ingenious solutions to non-existent problems" category. Others the "well, that's not gonna work" category. Still, what America can build, yet never use, so far surpasses the capability of most other nations as to be utterly amazing. Despite what some think, we are indeed the one unique, indispensable nation. By the way, #9 scares the hell out of me. You?

ITEM: Are You A History Fan? I certainly am. In fact, when I returned to college to take my education undergraduate degree, I wanted to be a history teacher with an English minor, but the registrar would not allow me to do that because no one would hire a history teacher who wasn't also a coach! In any case, go here for a fascinating pictorial essay about the toughness of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress of WWII. Awe-inspiring stuff. And of course, the Obama Administration must not allow the legendary aircraft maker to manufacture an equally revolutionary aircraft.

ITEM: Is That Cool Or What? Research into black holes is yielding some surprising results, such as a more effective treatment for cancer using less, and less destructive radiation treatment. By embedding gold or platinum nanoparticles in and around tumors, a much lower dose of x-rays can be used to destroy cancerous cells. Go here for the fascinating story.

ITEM: We're In The Very Best Of Hands: At Ft. Irwin in San Bernardino County, CA, on July 15, twenty-six AK-74 assault rifles and one Dragonuv sniper rifle were stolen. The AK-74s are true, fully automatic weapons. Some have been recovered, but others are still out there. ATF spokesman Christian Hoffman said "We determined that there was a public safety issue with the guns getting out on the street." You think? Some people have no sense of irony. Go here for the story.

ITEM: But He Betrayed His Class! What could have liberals so upset? How about a Harvard-trained lawyer with impeccable academic and legal credentials who joins the Army, serving as an infantry platoon leader with the 101st Airborne in Iraq and Afghanistan? And even worse, what happens when he dares criticize the New York Times for revealing national security information to our terrorist enemies? What happened was that liberals could not believe such a person could exist. He does indeed. Go here to PowerLine for the story.

ITEM: Liberalism: A Luxury We Can't Afford, is the apt title of an article by John Hinderaker at PowerLine. I couldn't agree more except to add that even in times of plenty, Liberalism is constantly working from within as a parasitical infection. We can't afford Liberalism at all, ever.

ITEM: In Union There is…Destruction? If the unions had won the battle in Wisconsin against Governor Scott Walker, Wisconsin would be in desperate financial straits. However, because the unions lost, Wisconsin has been restored to fiscal health virtually overnight. Rather than having to lay off countless teachers, many school districts are suddenly back in the black. It is a repudiation of everything unionism and its proponents stand for. Go here to Pajamas Media and an article by Gary Wickert for the encouraging story.

ITEM: The Price Of Heroism: The price of heroism is often as high as any price can be, and Deputy Bryan Gross of the Converse Co. Sheriff's Office in Douglas, WY paid it in an attempt to rescue a 14 year old girl who jumped into a swollen and fast-moving river because she was reportedly upset about her boyfriend. She survived. His body was found after four days. Go here for the story.

ITEM: Ooops! What happened when The One, the most brilliant, tech-savvy, coolest, just most all-around wonderful human being, except he's more than a human being, to ever inhabit the Oval Office tweeted all of his followers to rally the faithful to support higher taxes and spending in the debt ceiling debate? He lost, at last count, about 37,000 followers. Apparently Mr. Obama's halo has dimmed a bit and perhaps even picked up a few dents. Go here for the tragic story.

ITEM: And Speaking of Tragic: If you pay much attention to Mr. Obama, you could not help but to have heard his claim that our economy was expanding by 2.5% a year. But on July 29—Friday—the traditional slow news/bad news dumping day, we learned that the actual number for the last year for GDP growth was only 1.6%. To put that number in layman's terms, it's bad; really, really, bad. To further put it in layman's terms, Mr. Obama is lying; he's really, really lying. Go here for the story and eye-opening charts.

ITEM: The High-Speed Railway Over The Cliff: If you are one of the constantly growing number of Americans who would like to see Mr. Obama given the opportunity to work on his golf game full time beginning on January of 2013, this article by Salena Zito will be an encouraging picker-upper.

ITEM: It's An Opportunity—For Something… Go here for an interesting story of several top Syrian generals who have defected and are forming an army to fight the Syrian Dictator Assad and his terrorist allies. What will Mr. Obama do? If his past actions are any guide, he'll do, well, something. So here are Mr. Obama's top ten responses:

(10) Threaten sanctions.
(9) Threaten really meaningful sanctions.
(8) Threaten to really mean it this time when he threatens meaningful sanctions.
(7) Extend the hand of dialogue, understanding and mutual respect.
(6) Pull back the bloody stump of dialogue, understanding and mutual respect.
(5) Bomb somebody for some reason.
(4) Think up some new nonsensical euphemism for whatever he is—or isn't—doing in bombing somebody for some reason.
(3) Tweet millions of people to convince them that paying more in taxes and spending America into oblivion will win the future.
(2) Get the ATF and DOJ to send guns to Syria.
(1) Lead from really, really, really far behind, in fact, maybe even from underground or underwater somewhere…

ITEM: But HUD Does Really Valuable Stuff…like, you know, like housing, and developing urbans and stuff like that…doesn't it? Not so much. Go here for a brief article about why HUD—along with the Department of Education, the TSA, the ATF, the EPA—might best be employed as anchors on American warships, or as low-grade crop fertilizer.

ITEM: Obama Leads From Behind; This Woman Passes The Bar Exam While In Labor! Go here for the interesting story. Some human beings are capable of amazing things. Some just lead from behind.

ITEM: A Post-American Planet? The invaluable Mark Steyn (here) thinks so, and I agree. With the debt deal—whatever it may actually eventually turn out to be—sort of maybe done, have we actually accomplished anything or merely kicked the proverbial can down the road just a bit more stealthily than usual? Read Steyn to see what the future holds.

ITEM: And Speaking Of The Future: It's fascinating to hear liberals scream about how Mr. Obama betrayed them in the debt deal. How did he betray them? Apparently he wasn't able to spend more than a measly trillion dollars or so and couldn't raise taxes to unbelievably high levels. And they think this is what American needs? I'm beginning to doubt that people who think like this are even the same species. Discuss.

ITEM: Conservatives Live To Destroy? According to Nancy Pelosi, that is. Have you read Jay Nordlinger at National Review (here)? You should. Here's a quote from a recent "Impromptus:"

"Anyway, I’m going to make a point about the Democratic party. Nancy Pelosi said the following about Republicans: 'They don’t just want to make cuts. They want to destroy. They want to destroy food safety, clean air, clean water, the Department of Education. They want to destroy your rights.'

I want to ask you: How do you do business with someone like that? How do you do business with a party like that? “They want to destroy”? (I’ll grant that we think the Department of Education a total boondoggle.) “They want to destroy your rights”?

I’m reminded of why I revolted against the Democratic party long ago: They all talked like this. They all regarded their opponents as monstrous or subhuman. And I knew it was bunk."

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Vice Presidential Edition: I was shocked, shocked! by Mr. Biden's latest gaffe. My favorite was when, at a campaign rally, he told a supporter to stand up so the crowd could see him. The supporter was confined to a wheelchair. Well, this time, upon meeting Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, he welcomed her as a member of the "cracked head club." Multiple reporters heard Mr. Biden say it, and he bragged about it later. Rep. Giffords, you may recall, was shot in the head several months back and is still struggling to recover from her wounds. She will likely experience some significant degree of impairment for the remainder of her life, and her future in Congress is very much up in the air. Imagine, gentle readers, if that had been so much as thought by a Republican. Mr. Biden is a professional; do not attempt this at home.

ITEM: Those Darned Immigrants! You must read this article by the wonderful Mona Charen about Ying Ma, a Chinese girl who, through hard work and dedication, is living the American Dream. Her book Chinese Girl In The Ghetto is the topic of the article. I'm ordering it. You should too. Charen's article will make you proud to be an American, to welcome people like Ying Ma, and show you why the right kind of immigration is what we all must support.

ITEM: A Failed Presidency? That's what Steve McCann argues over at The American Thinker (here). McCann's logic is compelling, particularly if one is a conservative, however, considering everything Mr. Obama will have in his favor in 2012, including a media which will almost certainly still be ready and willing to lie and cover for him in unprecedented ways, that may not be enough.

ITEM: You May Already Be A Weiner! So went the text of one of my favorite cartoons ever. A hotdog was standing by his mailbox (that's funny by itself) with a surprised look on his little hotdog face as he read that text. Well, the folks at PowerLine have announced the weiner in their PowerLine Prize competition. Go here to view it. The "Hands Off My Nuts!" protest sign is priceless! You'll see what I mean.

ITEM: Chrysler Reborn? In last week's Quick Takes, I reported on the fact that Chrysler paid off its government loans six years early! True, we lost $1.3 billion in the process, but in the age of Obama, that's just pocket change, and they paid it off six years early! Perhaps I was a bit hasty. Go here to see how the government threw an additional $3.5 billion into the pot--er, toilet bowl. Take your blood pressure meds first.

ITEM: And Winning The Coveted "Body Of The Year" Award Is… Me! My wife is laughing. Why is my wife laughing? Now she can barely breath. I don't understand. Actually, it's Helen Mirren, and I wholeheartedly agree. She's 66, and one of the most gorgeous sights I have ever seen was Ms. Mirren firing a Browning .50 caliber M2 machinegun while wearing a white evening gown in "RED." Go here for the details and a cheesecakey slideshow, not that any of you would be interested in seeing such things. I mean, who wants to look at beautiful, half nekkid women when you can see so many nekkid male Democrat politicians these days?

ITEM: Movie Emotions. Which film is recognized as the saddest of all time? Which film is recognized as having the most amusing scene (Hint: "Oh God…Ooooohhh God….)? Go here for an interesting piece on the cinematic evocation of emotion.

ITEM: I Knew There Was A Reason I Loved Sarah Palin: Go here to see a recent video of Palin on Hannity's TV show. She drops one of the best pieces of irony I've seen in recent years. It's been my experience that the smartest people are the people who get humor and irony. She is and does.

ITEM: What Does Obama Want? Steven Den Beste explains here. You knew this all along, but this is a good, brief reminder. Read it and be horrified and disgusted.

ITEM: They Want to Kill Children and Old People! So goes the usual Democrat party line about any attempt by Republicans to reduce the size of government or to reign in out of control federal spending. However, the EPA under the Obama Administration is actually implementing policies that will kill just about anybody (and the economy too, of course). Go here for a rundown.

ITEM: The Government Doesn't Have The Authority? So What! As those who have been following the Gunwalker debacle know, the BATF, at the direction of the Obama/Holder Justice Department, has mandated new reporting rules for border state gun dealers. The NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation are filing lawsuits ,which allege that such rules exceed the authority given the BATF by Congress. AG Holder basically responds: "Yeah, so what?" Go here for the story.

ITEM: National Treasure. You know the movie plot: A daring adventurer discovers previously unknown riches and archeological treasures where no one imagined they might be. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction, and the real thing has been found in hidden vaults in a 16th century Hindu temple in India. Go here for the fascinating story.

ITEM: They're Terrorists! They're Holding America Hostage! They're Holding A Gun To America's Head! They Want To Blow Up The Country? Who is doing this (and who writes the Dem's lame talking points anyway?)? Why, you and me! Anyone who believes in such radical ideas as not spending money you don't have, and not raising taxes during a recession, and not encouraging job creation by means of creating regulations that destroy entire companies and industries, that's who. Go here to read the latest from the insightful Jennifer Rubin who laments the lack of civility by those who most lament the lack of civility.

ITEM: On The Road Again! Yes, Mr. Obama is going on a bus tour this summer (here) so he can mingle with the little people and allow them to bask in his greatness. According to the NYT, it's an opportunity for Mr. Obama to shift back to jobs and the economy, while he does everything possible to destroy jobs and the economy. Remember gentle readers, for Mr. Obama, rhetoric is reality. If he talks about intending to create jobs, if he talks about caring deeply about jobs, it is so. Reality conforms to the content of Mr. Obama's teleprompter. Didn't you know that? What's the old saying? Talk is cheap? Yes. That's the one.

ITEM: Infrastructure Bank? We Don' Need no Stinkin' Infrastructure Bank! With the debt ceiling bill signed into law, Mr. Obama is already talking about spending untold gazillions we don't have on things we don't want or need. Go here to the invaluable Michelle Malkin to see how he wants to bankrupt American now.

ITEM: A Party? I Love Parties! Since I already did a top ten list, why not one more? Go here where Michelle Malkin lists the top ten Obama birthday party games. More fun than human beings should be allowed to have. Actually, it's more fun the politicians and bureaucrats should be allowed to have. Is is proper to invite people to your birthday party and charge them nearly $40,000 to attend? Mr. Obama thinks so. Discuss.

ITEM: In The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time? Go here to read an article by the invaluable Victor Davis Hanson on what might appear to be a run of the mill killing by a run of the mill gangbanger. Lessons:

(1) Evil exists.
(2) Evil can and will strike you at any time and at any place.
(3) Evil must be confronted and destroyed; it cannot be reasoned with or appeased.
(4) You are responsible for your own safety; no one else.
(5) Prepare to confront and destroy evil.

ITEM: What The…?! Married women aren't really satisfied with sex until 25 years into the relationship? Well, that explains a lot! Actually, it's not as bad as it sounds. Go here for what is actually common sensical.

ITEM: It's A Wonderful World, sang Louis Armstrong, and so it is. Take a trip to Zoo Borns (here) this week for a visual reminder that might take your mind off our political worries for just a bit. The Giraffe baby is particularly cute. Aaawwwww!

And with that little respite from the woes of the world, I must once again thank you for stopping by our scruffy little blog and encourage you to return, same bat time, same bat channel next week for another edition of Quick Takes! Holy self-promotion Batman! Shut up Robin.