Quick Takes, August 18, 2011

ITEM: Old Crazy Eyes Is Back! One of the favorite, and most idiotic, of the tricks of the Lamestream media is running photographs of conservatives to make them look as unattractive, stupid, crazy or evil as possible. Remember the famous "demon eyes" photoshopping of Condoleeza Rice? One would think that such people would try to hide their bias with a bit of subtlety, but no, these folks are stuck in the middle school locker room. Go here to the invaluable Michelle Malkin to examine what passes for intellect among the self-styled elite.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Climate Change Division: I'm shocked, shocked! that Al Gore, the Goracle himself, would descend to obscenities and screaming. Why, it would almost seem like the self-appointed redeemer of mankind is…well…off his rocker. I guess having the election stolen from him by those dastardly Florida voters has more of an effect than we imagined, or maybe it was wearing all that hemp clothing so as to look more manly. Oh well. Go here to see the mess.

ITEM: SEALs Are So Cute, Especially The Baby Ones! Go here to The Mellow Jihadi (written by a currently serving Naval officer who began as an enlisted swabbie) for an interesting look into the lives of Navy SEALS and those who work with them.

ITEM: Yes, I Know About the Mammalian Diving Reflex, but sometimes miracles really do happen. Go here to see one.

ITEM: Just Desserts. Go here to read that the life of the subhuman animal responsible for killing 38 allied troops on a Chinook in Afghanistan was blown to atoms in an F-16 strike in Afghanistan. It's cold comfort for the survivors of the warriors killed in that attack, but I can't help but wonder whether we'd be safer if we pursued each and every terrorist demon that even thought of harming Americans with this kind of determination. If they knew that there was no doubt that America would swiftly avenge any attack on Americans, wouldn't it stand to reason that our safety would be enhanced in at least some way? And what would be the negatives costs of such a defense posture? None that I can imagine. Discuss.

ITEM: Vacation? What Vacation? Go here to see Presidential Press Secretary Jay Carney suggest that Mr. Obama's upcoming 10 day vacation on Martha's Vineyard (you know, that cheap, sleazy, cut-rate dive) isn't really a vacation at all, and that Americans won't begrudge Mr. Obama some time with his family. Hmmm. He isn't with them in DC? And in other news, after a 400 point rally on August 9, the Dow dumped more than 500 points on August 10. Perhaps the market might be in a begrudging mood even if the American people aren't.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, Vote Fraud Edition: Yes, those Merry pranksters of ACORN were slapped with a maximum fine for voter registration fraud in Nevada (here) recently. Those who support and commit vote fraud are not treated with nearly the disdain they deserve, for their actions strike at the very heart of democracy. Oh yes, Mr. Obama was closely aligned with ACORN, teaching them their craft. He lied about it. Discuss.

ITEM: She's Smart, Witty, Well Read, Eloquent…and OK, she's beautiful too. That's still OK to say about a women, isn't it? Maybe? Go here to see what Ann Coulter has to say about the British riots. Good stuff, as always.

ITEM: I Thought They Just Bronzed Baby Shoes! OK. So other than baby shoes, what would be the most logical thing anyone would want to bronze? c'mon…think hard…that's right! Justin Bieber (I think he's a pre-pubescent rocker star) and Selena Gomez (I have no idea who she is)! Actually, they're not actually bronzed, but there is now a bronze statue of them, naked of course. And at their feet is a duck or goose and an armadillo, which as everyone knows symbolizes armored, er, quacking, which is an ancient symbol for…for…bronzing prepubescent rockers. Anyway, go here for the story and inspiring photos. Does anyone know why? Discuss.

ITEM: There's A Lot Of Them Out There In Them There Hills! Despite being in serious financial trouble, California continues to spend itself to the bottom of the Marianas Trench while simultaneously making life as difficult as possible for business owners. The result has been a mass population and business exodus from the much-tarnished golden state for a very long time now. Go here to read the farewell of yet another productive Californian on the way to—gasp!—Texas.

ITEM: Triumphs of Smart Diplomacy: Remember when the advanced, stealthy helicopter supporting the mission to eliminate Bin Laden crashed at his compound in Pakistan? How did our allies, the Pakistanis, at the behest of the administration that promised to restore our standing in the world, the foremost practitioners of "smart diplomacy," handle it? They let the Chinese photograph it and take material samples! Hope, change, betrayal. Go here for the story.

ITEM: The Rarest Words Any Politician Can Say: "I made a mistake." So said Texas Gov. Rick Perry regarding his 2007 executive order mandating HPV vaccinations for Texas girls. The vaccine would have prevented cervical cancer, but the public and Legislature overruled Perry. Now, running for President, he made what appears to be an honest admission, an admission of which Barack Obama is absolutely incapable. Go here for something exceedingly rare.

ITEM: And Speaking Of Rick Perry, the Obama Campaign will attack him with every dirty trick in the book and many that have not yet been invented, and the onslaught has already begun. What's the truth about Rick Perry? Go here to discover it. Informed reading. I suspect it will make you more likely to be supportive of Gov. Perry.

ITEM: Louis Renault Award, ObamaCare Division: Remember Rep. Joe Wilson (R. SC) who accused Mr. Obama of lying on camera when Mr. Obama claimed that ObamaCare would not cover illegal immigrants? Well, I was shocked, shocked! to learn that HHS is doing exactly what Rep. Wilson accused Mr. Obama of lying about. I'm doubly shocked, shocked! that Mr. Obama would lie about something like this, truly! Go here for Rep. Wilson's justified vindication.

ITEM: But He Has A World-Class Temperament! Go here to see how Mr. Obama actually handles one of the impertinent little people. I suspect we'll be seeing more and more of Mr. Obama's true self in the months to come. Those who have paid attention have always seen it, but more and more, he can't help himself. Go here to see how the elite deal with uncomfortable truths and troublesome villagers.

ITEM: ARRR! Can We All Be Salty Sea Dogs Now? I love salt. I can't imagine not eating it. Salt-phobics stare in absolute horror at the amount of salt I use on my food. Now it turns out that the anti-salt hysteria of, well, most of my life, may well be just that: hysteria. Go here for an article that might help take the fear out of sodium again. Oh, pass the salt, will you?

ITEM: Oh Yeah! The Eleventh circuit has found the individual mandate of ObamaCare to be unconstitutional. It was this circuit that heard the case brought by the Attorneys General of 26 states arguing that the mandate exceeded the powers of Congress under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. The entire case is now, ripe—as they say—for the Supreme Court. This poses enormous problems for Mr. Obama who would desperately like the matter to go away before the 2012 election. If the court promptly grants cert, its decision will be handed down shortly before the election. If it strikes down ObamaCare, that will be very harmful to Mr. Obama. If it supports it, that too would be very harmful and would tend to bring out Republican votes that might not otherwise appear. It's likely a lose/lose situation for the Dems. Go here for the story.

ITEM: Global Warming Is An Inconvenient Truth! Inconvenient indeed; truth, not so much. Go here to Powerline to see a brief and compelling illustration why the AGW hoax is just that. This one is over, Greenies. Move on to destroying western civilization through other means.

ITEM: Nobody Knows The Trouble He's Seen. Go here to the invaluable Byron York to read about Mr. Obama's bad luck and his comparison of himself to Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Obama, I knew Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was a friend of mine. You're no Abraham Lincoln. Heck, you're not even a Jimmy Carter.

ITEM: Even a Dog Knows The Difference Between Being Tripped Over and Kicked. And our military knows the difference between a Commander in Chief who truly respects and cares for the military and Barack Obama. Need proof? Go here to the New York Post for the story. A hat tip to Curtis F. for pointing me in this direction.

ITEM: ObamaCare Quicky: Go here for a brief video by Reason on why ObamaCare absolutely will bankrupt America.

ITEM: Illuminated Russians! Go here for an interesting YouTube video of what is apparently a Russian fellow shooting a fully automatic Glock 17, eventually with tracer ammunition. If language is an issue for you, he does utter one ubiquitous American obscenity. I know; you're very sensitive. The video is interesting on several levels, primarily for the slow motion frames that reveal just how quickly a pistol's slide cycles. It's fun, and women will love the guy's accent, but the shooting techniques are horrifying. Don't try this at home.

ITEM: The Cold Smack In The Face of Reality. So you're a college student who agrees with President Obama: It's best if the wealth is spread around. Make the rich pay more; give it to those who don't have as much. It's only fair, right? Maybe, as long as no one is asking you to give up something you've earned. Go here to see how reality tends to overcome liberalism, even in college.

And with that cold smack in the face, it's time once again for me to thank you for reading my wretched scrawling and to invite you to stop by again next Thursday for another edition of Quick Takes, the fastest growing Quick Takes on Confederate Yankee on Thursdays!