tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17320726808948892212024-02-20T10:07:00.875-06:00The Audacity of HypeMax Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-7057489444630486712009-06-24T14:29:00.003-05:002009-06-24T14:34:21.277-05:00It Just Gets Worse And Worse...<a target="new" href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/24/iranians-responding-july-th-embassy-invite/">This would be comical,</a> if it wasn't so sad and insulting already. The White House has now announced that since no Iranian diplomats have accepted the BBQ invite, they're not invited after all.<br /><blockquote>"As you all know many weeks ago the administration extended an invitation to celebrate the freedom that this country enjoys. not surprisingly based on what we see in Tehran, no one has RSVP'd," said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.<br /><br />"Understand that July 4th allows us to celebrate the freedom and liberty that we enjoy. I don't think it's surprising that no one has signed up to come given the events of the last few days. Those invitations will be no longer extended."</blockquote>It's like a childish mixture of 'sour grapes' and rapid back-peddling. Ridiculous from start to finish.<br /><br />Stand by for the attempt to blame this on the prior administration.Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-29233088480342282422009-06-24T13:36:00.002-05:002009-06-24T13:39:18.911-05:00Nonvite?<a target="new" href="http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/24/iran.invitations/">Officials: Obama reconsidering July 4th invitations to Iran</a><br /><blockquote>WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Obama administration is seriously considering not extending invitations to Iranian diplomats for Fourth of July celebrations overseas, senior administration officials tell CNN.<br /><br /> The officials said intense discussions on the issue were taking place, but the final decision had not been made.</blockquote>The criteria, apparently being which way the wind blows.<br /><br />I would like to see the unvitation, though. "We're sorry, but people are really mad that we asked you over for pork chops, so we're going to have to ask you not to come. You don't eat pork chops anyway, so hopefully this all works out. Love, B."Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-395641717443484992009-06-24T08:56:00.002-05:002009-06-24T09:05:18.285-05:00Stop Beating Your People and Come Over For Dinner, Already<a target="new" href="http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_090624.htm">A little late to the party...</a><br /><blockquote>ABC World News reported President Obama "escalated his criticism of Iran's crackdown on protesters opposed to the outcome of the election, but he skirted the issue of how the unrest might affect future relations with Iran." Using his "most aggressive language yet," Obama condemned the "iron fist" of the Iranian government "cracking down on those protesters, but he said it was too early to determine whether or not there would be consequences."</blockquote>Still, it's hard to be too critical when you've already <a target="new" href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/24/us-contacted-irans-ayatollah-before-election/?feat=home_cube_position1">written a letter to Iran's Oppressor in Chief </a>asking if we can be friends, and hoping they'll bring something yummy to your little <a target="new" href="http://www.kxmc.com/News/Nation/395008.asp">Independence Day cookout</a>.Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-24056406308499396042009-06-02T13:02:00.001-05:002009-06-02T13:02:27.464-05:00Your Next HummerWill be from <a target="new" href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/AP-source-GM-to-sell-Hummer-apf-15414837.html?sec=topStories&pos=3&asset=&ccode=">China</a>.Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-12791459634445223392009-05-19T11:15:00.002-05:002009-05-19T11:21:57.280-05:00Up Next: Credit Card SocialismYes, <a target="new" href="http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/107096/Credit-Card-Industry-Aims-to-Profit-From-Sterling-Payers?sec=topStories&pos=2&asset=&ccode=">it's everywhere</a>.<br /><blockquote>"It will be a different business," said Edward L. Yingling, the chief executive of the American Bankers Association, which has been lobbying Congress for more lenient legislation on behalf of the nation's biggest banks. "Those that manage their credit well will in some degree subsidize those that have credit problems."</blockquote>Oddly, but not entirely surprisingly, the Times helps spin this as a good thing, essentially accusing people who spend responsibly and carry little or no debt as the freeloaders.<br /><blockquote>"There will be one-size-fits-all pricing, and as a result, you'll see the industry will be more egalitarian in terms of its revenue base," said David Robertson, publisher of the Nilson Report, which tracks the credit card business.<br /><br />People who routinely pay off their credit card balances have been enjoying the equivalent of a free ride, he said, because many have not had to pay an annual fee even as they collect points for air travel and other perks.<br /><br />"Despite all the terrible things that have been said, you're making out like a bandit," he said. "That's a third of credit card customers, 50 million people who have gotten a great deal."</blockquote>Yes, the nerve of those folks, meeting their fiscal obligations like that. Shameful.Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-67843768862176968402009-05-13T17:54:00.002-05:002009-05-13T17:56:50.471-05:00Not-So-Hidden Agenda?Maybe the guy is just... you know... <a target="new" href="http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/politics/2009/05/13/gop-strategists-to-cheney-enough-already.html">genuinely concerned about the safety of our country.</a> I know I am.Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-17608279648274911642009-05-06T13:10:00.001-05:002009-05-06T13:13:28.452-05:00"Papa Joe" Obama?<a target="new" href="http://www.northstarwriters.com/dkk177.htm">This guy</a> takes it one step further, but admit it... you've all been thinking it.<blockquote>To hell with the Constitution, the rule of law, the integrity of contracts and any other written limitation on their power – they will do anything they can get away with. Which means that we are all at risk, and the only reason some of us haven't been targeted is that Obama simply hasn't turned his attention to that particular sector yet. But he will – it's only a matter of time.</blockquote>Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-64362855591448632082009-05-06T13:05:00.001-05:002009-05-06T13:07:47.059-05:00Tell It<a target="new" href="http://zerohedge.blogspot.com/2009/05/cliff-asness-i-am-ready-for-my.html">Read this whole thing.</a><br /><br />Excellent.Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-88595178772646755942009-05-06T11:09:00.003-05:002009-05-06T11:14:44.574-05:00We Go Way Back...<a target="new" href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/06/specter.seniority/">Arlen might need to adjust his campaign message:</a><blockquote>Specter has been citing his seniority on the Appropriations Committee as he hits the campaign trail as a Democrat.<br /><br />"My senior position on Appropriations has enabled me to bring a lot of jobs and a lot of federal funding to this state," Specter said at a town hall meeting on Monday.<br /><br />Over and over, he made a point of telling an auditorium filled with medical faculty and staff about the hundreds of millions of dollars he delivered to the Keystone State, thanks to the power he's accumulated in his 29 years in the Senate.<br /><br />"Pennsylvania has a big interest in my seniority, a big interest," he said.<br /><br />A day later, the Senate stripped him of that seniority. The resolution, which set out committee assignments for the entire Senate, was approved on a unanimous voice vote.</blockquote>Now... how do we spin <em>juniority</em> as a good thing?Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-66503367639079371442009-04-30T12:29:00.002-05:002009-04-30T12:32:58.431-05:00SkepticalDavid Freddoso in the corner frets about a Senate race:<br /><br /><blockquote>It's not a good sign that Sen. Richard Burr (R, N.C.) leads by just one point in a newly released survey and polls in the mid-30s (35-34) against a hypothetical opponent. But it's not as though he has high negatives. It's just that no one in the state seems to have an opinion of him:<br /><br />Very Favorable – 14%<br />Somewhat Favorable – 19.2%<br />TOTAL FAVORABLE – 33.2%<br /><br /><br />Somewhat Unfavorable – 8.7%<br />Very Unfavorable – 8.7%<br />TOTAL UNFAVORABLE – 17.3%<br /><br /><br />NO OPINION – 38.7%<br /><br /><br />NEVER HEARD OF – 10.8%</blockquote><br /><br />I'm always skeptical of polls that involved "hypothetical candidates" for one reason: The hypothetical is automatically granted the best characteristics in the mind of the person being polled and carries none of the negatives. Recall that prior to the 2004 presidential election, Bush was getting killed by the so-called hypothetical candidate. When the grim reality of Kerry's campaign ousted the imaginary candidate...eh, not so much.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-37308133766202876662009-04-26T22:43:00.001-05:002009-04-26T22:45:40.525-05:00Couldn't ResistLoosely translated, the <a target="new" href="http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=92602§ionid=351020606">new Icelandic Premier's</a> last name means "secure your daughters."Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-83058986635701932102009-04-26T22:25:00.004-05:002009-04-26T22:36:18.218-05:00Yeah... and:Reading through the Wolf's post (immediately below) and the linked article, I think the very last sentence in that article applies to far more than this single topic:<br /><blockquote>In other words, the debate over which Obama presided was all about what would help Obama. The debaters obviously knew their audience.</blockquote>This is an administration that began running for it's <em>second</em> term about a year ago, and hasn't allowed that goal to fall second to any other since. Fiscal responsibility, national security, and all the rest can wait for someone else's watch (and wallet).<br /><br />It's beyond naive to think that any of the changes taking place are designed to benefit anyone other than politicians, chief among them the One. What will be left afterwards?Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-2551126790645572862009-04-24T13:52:00.005-05:002009-04-26T22:24:11.922-05:00Very TellingOver at <a href="http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/04/023400.php">Powerline</a>, a good analysis of the administration's proposed release of interrogation details. I was struck by Mirengoff's update at the end:<br /><br /><blockquote>UPDATE: One more point. In the Post's account those who argued against releasing details about interrogation techniques were no more high-minded than the other side. Their main argument seems to have been that releasing the information "could spark a national security debate with conservatives that could undermine Obama's broader agenda."</blockquote>One can only speculate as to why the Dems would fear having that debate. Clearly, they must think that they would come out on the short end of it. If that's the case, aren't they tacitly admitting that conservatives are correct about national security?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-14213083041669878692009-04-22T15:40:00.003-05:002009-04-26T22:23:54.044-05:00I've Got An Idea<a target="new" href=""><br /> Obama calls for new era of energy exploration in America</a><br /><br />How about lifting the ban on drilling where we know we can get oil RIGHT NOW?<br /><br /><blockquote>"The nation that leads the world in creating new sources of clean energy will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy."</blockquote>Agreed. Somehow the US managed to lead the world in creating new sources of cleaner energy from the 19th into the 20th century without a lot of government interference.<br /><br /><blockquote>But Obama's promise of preserving natural resources and jump-starting the economy ran smack into the reality of this economically struggling town about 30 miles east of Des Moines. The wind energy plant where he spoke, and received a tour beforehand, is a shadow of what it replaced — a Maytag Corp. appliances plant that built washers, dryers and refrigerators.<br /><br />It employed some 4,000 in a town of 16,000 residents in jobs that paid about $30,000 to $40,000 a year.<br /><br />Trinity Structural Towers has roughly 90 people working at the old Maytag site, a number that is expected to grow to about 140. Mark Stiles, a senior vice president at Trinity, which builds the towers that support wind turbines, said workers at his factory make about $17 an hour, plus benefits.<br /><br />"This is a piece of the recovery, but we think it's a nice piece," Stiles said.</blockquote>My wife planted some flowers on our deck. They look nice too.<br /><br /><blockquote>Newton Mayor Chaz Allen said many are still trying to recover after the loss of Maytag in 2007.<br /><br />"You know, 115 years with one company was a great thing, but it's a different world now," Allen said. "Our economy has to be diverse and we can't put all of our eggs in one basket."</blockquote>Right. Let's keep replacing plants that make products that people want to buy and employ folks at good wages with stuff that serves little useful purpose. Maybe that can be your next campaign slogan, chief.<br /><br /><blockquote>Obama was at the plant to highlight his energy proposal that has slowed on Capitol Hill. Skeptical Republicans and some Democrats from coal-producing states complain that it will increase costs for consumers, send jobs overseas and hurt businesses.</blockquote>Probably because it will increase costs for consumers, send jobs overseas and hurt businesses.<br /><br /><blockquote>He pushed personal responsibility, calling on every American to replace one incandescent light bulb with one compact fluorescent. The president also said the leaders of the world's major economies will meet next week to discuss the energy crisis.</blockquote>Because empty symbolic gestures will save us all from the imagined "crisis."<br /><br /><blockquote>For his remarks, Obama chose Iowa, second only to Texas in installed wind capacity.</blockquote>And, for a day, Iowa was in first place in windiness, thanks to the president.<br /><br /><blockquote>He announced his administration is creating the nation's first program to authorize offshore projects to generate electricity from wind turbines and ocean currents. The Interior Department on Wednesday issued the long-awaited regulations governing how leases will be issued for the development of such energy sources and how revenue will be shared with coastal states.</blockquote>So drilling for oil on the coasts would be an economic catastrophe, but building a sea of wind turbines would not. Gotcha.<br /><br /><blockquote>Obama said that wind could generate as much as 20 percent of the U.S. electricity demand by 2030 if its full potential is pursued on land and offshore. It would also create as many as 250,000 jobs, he said.<br /><br />"As with so many clean energy investments, it's win-win: good for environment and great for our economy," the president said.</blockquote>Horsehockey. Go <a href="http://www.energytribune.com/articles.cfm?aid=1029">read for yourself</a>.<br /><br />The rest just makes me tired. It's the same old nonsense about reducing greenhouse emissions predicated solely on Obama's feelings of self-aggrandizement. Honestly, if we could harvest that, our energy CRISIS would be over.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-1078967276398337622009-04-21T11:17:00.002-05:002009-04-21T11:18:41.816-05:00Arms Control<a target="new" href="http://allafrica.com/stories/200904210775.html">South Africa: Food Used as Election Weapon, Say Monitors</a><br /><br />I've said it before, and I'll say it again: careful where you point that churro.Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-47843963206244315652009-04-21T11:03:00.004-05:002009-04-21T11:18:54.874-05:00Help Wanted<a target="new" href="http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Hackers-Swipe-Terabytes-Of-Sensitive-Pentagon-Data-259690/">Hackers Swipe Terabytes Of Sensitive Pentagon Data</a><br /><br /><a target="new" href="http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/15058/">Chinese Hackers Penetrate US Electric Power Grid</a><br /><br />Maybe instead of inundating my online e-mail accounts with offers of hot stocks, pleas for international banking aid for African royalty, and advertisements for medical supplies of questionable effectiveness... instead of hacking cheap computer games, setting up dumb viruses and worms, and phishing around... maybe some of the technically-skilled and obviously bored netizens out there could step up, show some patriotism, and put a stop to the threat. <br />Who knows, maybe there are some good recipes for lead paint and toxic pet food to be scored while you're at it.Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-77173457132583147722009-04-14T11:26:00.003-05:002009-04-14T11:45:59.507-05:00Rock Me Gently<blockquote>President Obama has begun giving his <a target="new" href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/04/65447951/1">remarks on the economy</a> at Georgetown University. <br /><br />In the prepared excerpts, Obama says steps taken so far are starting to show signs of progress but there is a hard road ahead. He cites a parable from the Sermon on the Mount about a man who built his house on a pile of sand and another who built his house on a rock. <br /><br />The first man's house "was destroyed as soon as the storm hit," Obama says in the excerpts, and adds: "We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand. We must build our house upon a rock."</blockquote>Biblical scholars may note one minor distinction, which is that the rock described by Christ wasn't too expensive to afford in the first place, and heavily mortgaged on the backs of future generations. The Bible actually urges folks to go the other way... to leave something for their grandchildren, rather than steal from them.<br /><br />Also, the Rock in the Parable of the Two Builders is a metaphor for God. Not sure if the President is intentionally suggesting that his economic plan is divine, but it's interesting that he uses Scripture to make his point here, when some of his policies have flown in the face of that same source of instruction. <br /><br />No word yet on the general population's reaction to B.O. using a Sunday School lesson to make his point. I'm fairly certain that if W. had made this reference there would have been much indignation and gnashing of teeth, so let's just stand by and see...Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-83622749603121061342009-04-13T11:06:00.001-05:002009-04-13T11:09:09.892-05:00Tick Tock<a target="new" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090411/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_shrinking_footprint;_ylt=Apnq0aXYIni9s3YBMlRBGwcDW7oF">Not everyone is excited</a> about the timetable-driven withdrawal of troops from Iraq.Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-1795714869102356402009-04-07T15:26:00.001-05:002009-04-07T15:27:21.581-05:00La PropagandaAnyone else find it odd that N. Korea's news agency publishes their stuff <a target="new" href="http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm">in Spanish?</a>Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-71940675770199631312009-04-07T15:12:00.002-05:002009-04-07T15:14:44.521-05:00Out of Context Quote of the Day<a target="new" href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKTRE5365GF20090407">Ross Stein, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California:</a><blockquote>This physicist from Italy has every right to pursue something, as do the cockroach people. But we all have to subject our work to the same standards of review.</blockquote>Score one for the cockroach people.Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-54670372787172723462009-04-07T08:40:00.003-05:002009-04-07T08:53:12.755-05:00Global Gun ControlOne wonders if the soundest strategy for <a target="new" href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iOmBrSJce9WwmkDD2o9EU8KT0RxAD97CDGIG0">complete nuclear disarmament</a> is really <a target="new" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/us/politics/06prexy.html?bl&ex=1239249600&en=8ba6184e7896eb41&ei=5087%0A">to volunteer to go first.</a><br /><blockquote>[Obama's] strategy [is] based on the idea that if the United States shows it is willing to greatly shrink the size of its atomic arsenal, ban nuclear testing and cut off the worldwide production of bomb material, reluctant allies and partners around the world will be more likely to rewrite nuclear treaties and enforce sanctions against North Korea and Iran.</blockquote>And that strategy might not seem quite as silly if there were any indication whatsoever that it could ever work. Sanctions are meaningless unless they're unanimous (sort of like test ban or emissions treaties), and of course they never are.<br /><br />There is nothing that can be done to punish N. Korea while China's support continues unwavered. The U.N. is meaningless, and can't even muster a slap on the wrist, having no ability to slap. When has scolding a dictator from afar <em>ever </em>worked?Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-80986185488394928322009-04-01T08:13:00.003-05:002009-04-01T08:23:46.802-05:00Groundhog DayBBC News: <a target="new" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7976299.stm">Obama Nominee Admits Tax Errors</a>.<br /><br />The sad part is that this seems to apply to nearly all of them, so without reading the article you have no way of knowing who specifically is the subject this time.<br /><br />Tax dodging: it's the new black. Hollywood will need to come out with a new lapel ribbon, etc.<br /><br />Of course <strong><em>the rest of us </em></strong>are expected to not only pay <strong><em>our </em></strong>taxes, but pay more of them. Not because it's fashionable, but because the current Congress and the Obama Administration have given government the biggest allowance in history. Good times...Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-51198229697515175522009-03-27T09:09:00.000-05:002009-03-27T09:10:16.166-05:00No One Knows What It's Like<a target="new" href="">I'm glad I have <a href="http://hotair.com/archives/2009/03/26/good-news-brazilian-prez-blames-financial-crisis-on-white-people-with-blue-eyes/">green eyes</a>. Dodged a bullet there.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-15586860083014424642009-03-23T14:57:00.003-05:002009-03-23T15:00:57.525-05:00And the trees were all kept equal by hatchet, axe and sawAn <a href="http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2009/03/23/how_to_die_in_s.html">interesting story</a> about the state of government-run health care in Sweden and some good stuff in the comments also. This bit stuck out:<br /><br /><blockquote>His doctor's request was denied because the drug was 33 percent more expensive than the older medicine. Mr. D. offered to pay for the medicine himself but was prevented from doing so. The bureaucrats said it would set a bad precedent and lead to unequal access to medicine.</blockquote><br /><br />Right, so instead it will lead to complete lack of access to <em>everyone</em>. Welcome to the perversity of the socialist paradise.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1732072680894889221.post-8184419299537834642009-03-18T16:27:00.002-05:002009-03-18T16:28:09.765-05:00As We Say, Not As We Do<strong><a target="new" href="http://blogs.reuters.com/frontrow/2009/03/18/biden-to-local-officials-dont-use-stimulus-money-on-stupid-ideas/">Biden to local officials: </a>Don’t use stimulus money on stupid ideas</strong><br /><br />Apparently that right is reserved exclusively for the federal level.Max Powerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07561186765548812779noreply@blogger.com0