Quick Takes, August 11, 2011

ITEM: Ready For Prime Time: Go here for a list of ten sci-fi predictions that actually came true. From landing on the moon to credit cards, it's an interesting reminder of how much we take for granted.

ITEM: How To Encourage Job Creation: Punish Success! That would seem to be precisely what Mr. Obama intends if one watches what he is doing rather than listen to what he is saying. The invaluable Mona Charen agrees. See what she has to say here.

ITEM: Military Thoughts: Active duty milbloggers have to be very careful about what they say. Go here to the Mellow Jihadi for thought-provoking questions and comments about our current—and future—place in the world.

ITEM: Does He Get It? Does President Obama understand the world-wide threat to the existence of western civilization? Does he have any real idea of the danger, and if he does, any idea how to respond. Everything he has said and done to date would suggest that the answer is an emphatic "no." Go here to Pajamas Media for an excellent article on the subject by the invaluable Michael Ledeen.

ITEM: They Walk—Swim?—Among Us! Go here to Fox News for a brief video showing what appears to be a UFO resembling—are you ready for this—the Millennium Falcon of Star Wars fame on the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Chewie, speak to me!

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Obamacare Division: I'm shocked, shocked! I just can't get my mind around the idea that Obamacare not only will not save money, but will cost a very great deal more than Mr. Obama has claimed! How can this be possible? Go here to find out the latest outrage. You know, I'm almost tempted to think that Mr. Obama actually lies to us!

ITEM: I Can See It Now: The executives of a major, international automotive accessory conglomerate are sitting around a massive table in their opulent boardroom…

Chairman of the Board: "Sales of our little green pine smelling thingies and fuzzy dice are through the roof month after month—(applause and cheers)—but the question remains: What's our next accessory triumph?"

Executive #1: "Chromed silhouettes of naked, reclining women?"

Executive #2: "Nah, that only works on semis."

Executive #3: "Bobbleheads?"

Executive #4: "Nah. We tried that with Obama and got our bobbleheads handed to us."

Executive#5: "I have it! Large multi-colored testicles made of plastic! We'll hang them from the rear of pickup trucks!

All: "Brilliant! Genius! Bonuses for everyone!"

And the rest, as they say, has been history, until a woman was cited by a Bonneau, SC police chief for displaying her testicles (uh…), and now, plastic truck testicles have become a symbol of First Amendment free expression. God bless America! I mean, if your truck can't display its testicles, what's the Constitution for? Go here to the Volokh Conspiracy for the story.

ITEM: Mr. Obama's Seven Deadly Sins. We can hope that the public will think similarly in the voting booth. Go here for an interesting and informative list.

ITEM: We're Not Even Halfway There Yet! So said Mr. Obama in his momentous recent speech. Which one? Er, you know, the one where he said something about something or other…you know, the one where he talked about class warfare…what's that? He does that whenever he opens his mouth? Well, yeah, but what's your point? Anyway, Mr. Obama was blaming George W. Bush again and apparently suggesting that we're not halfway to the midpoint of an eight year term. Hmmm. Please Mr. Obama, keep saying that sort of thing, please? Go here for the take of the boys at PowerLine.

ITEM: Donuts Are Good For You! This was particularly true at a Dunkin' Donuts in Rockaway, NJ until recently. Why until recently? Well, it seems that not only could you get yummy donuts and hot coffee, an attractive employee by the name of Melissa Redmond was also selling her own special brand of sugar on the side! Some fuddy duddy called the cops, and now all you can get are donuts. Go here for yet another urban tragedy.

ITEM: Girls and Guns! In QTs last week, I wrote about the heavenly sight of Helen Mirren firing a Browning .50 machinegun in an evening gown in "RED." There is just something about a woman who knows what she's doing firing a serious firearm. Go here for another brief peek. Thanks to Eric for the heads up!

ITEM: An Abyss? We're not raising the debt ceiling, we're making a deeper debt abyss. So says the invaluable Mark Steyn in a prescient article written before the credit downgrade. Must reading: here.

ITEM: Natural Selection At Work: For those who doubt the veracity of Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution, go here for conclusive proof. Yes, he shot himself in the pee-pee with a pink gun. How do you explain that to the emergency room doctor?

ITEM: Everything The Dems Would Like You To Know About Economics Under Bush Is Wrong. Go here to an important article by the invaluable Byron York that explains precisely why whenever Mr. Obama's lips are moving to blame George W. Bush for his own economic illiteracy he's lying. But you knew that, right?

ITEM: The Tea Party Did It! That is the newest Dem. talking point, first run up the flagpole by David Axelrod. It was the Tea Party that was responsible for the downgrade of America's bond rating, the first in history. Let me see if I have this straight: The Tea Party, a loose confederation of diverse Americans whose only real message is small government, adherence to the Constitution and low spending, is responsible for the berserk spending binge of Congress and Mr. Obama? I suppose when a man with no accomplishments of any kind can be president, why can't black be white, day be night, up be down, and the group of people primarily responsible for imposing any degree of fiscal sanity are responsible for the opposite. The Dems are absolutely out of ideas. Integrity—did they ever have any? Bonus: go here for the invaluable Jennifer Rubin's take.

ITEM: Other Than That Mrs. Lincoln, How'd You Like The Play? Once again, as if any additional evidence was necessary, we see the lunacy of Obama economic policies. Remember when Mr. Obama released 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve? Wasn't that a brilliant, stimulative policy? Not so much. In fact, a bit more than a month later, gas is 10 cents per gallon higher than it was before the release of oil. Sigh. Go here for the whole story.

ITEM: Who Knew It Was That Easy? Alfred E. Neuman of Mad Magazine, the "What, me Worry?" chap had it right after all. According to former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan and every Media talking head's favorite billionaire Warren Buffett, America has no debt problem at all! Why not? Because we can print as much money as we want! We have the paper and the ink! Hmm. That didn’t work so well for the Weimar Republic, if memory serves. Go here for the lunacy.

ITEM: Brilliant! The brain is endlessly fascinating. Go here for ten things you probably didn't know about the brain.

ITEM: Common Sense. Sarah Palin is an idiot, some backwoods hick with too many children. Every sophisticated self-styled elitist knows that, right? Yeah, not so much. In fact, after reading this, you might wonder why anyone ever allows the elite to tell them anything at all.

ITEM: Louis Renault, Wisconsin Division: I'm shocked, shocked! Yes, who'da thunk it? Who could have possibly imagined that when union thugs were removed from the budgeting equation, a city or state could save millions, even billions of dollars? Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker for one. Go here to see the mayor of Milwaukee try to suggest that saving at least $11 million dollars is somehow a bad thing. I'm shocked, shocked!

ITEM: What? Is Mr. Obama actually stupid? I tend to think it's a combination of socialist fascism and stupidity, but on the other hand, wouldn't one expect stupid people to be drawn to Socialism and Marxism? Food for further thought may be found here at the Wall Street Journal.

ITEM: Yes, It's The Seminal Sexual—Er, Non-Sexual--Er, Slutty—OK, so no one really knows what it was, but it's called the "Slutwalk," and it took place in San Francisco (surprised?). It's about protesting about being called a slut while simultaneously demanding the sisterly liberation of being a slut, or something. Oh yes, and it's a protest against rape, which as we all know, everyone thinks is just the sweetest thing. Anyway, go here to Pajamas Media where Zombie provides a blow by blow account with many photographs, some of which will not provoke immediate mental trauma.

And with that bizarrely informative link, I must once again thank you for stopping by and encourage you to drop in again next Thursday for another edition of Quick Takes! Keep on slutwalkin'!