Lest We Forget

 

Just in case it has slipped your mind how… ah, complex ObamaCare is, we’re re-posting the image below to remind you. 

Thanks again to Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) for creating this.

Stoutcat

A Major New Talent Emerges

 

Over at HotAir, which is one of our favorite sites, they recently opened an area called the Green Room. The Green Room publishes a regular stable of new up-and-coming writers on a variety of political topics. Ed Morrissey and Allahpundit still do the front page articles, but occasionally a Green Room article will be so good that it gets promoted to main page status.

While this particular article, “Glenn Beck and the Unforgivable Curse“ wasn’t so promoted, it should have been; and it stands as a glowing example of writing that is so clear, so eloquent, so extraordinary that it outshines everything I’ve read (and written!) for a while.

We’ve quoted Dr. Zero here at Grand Rants before, at which time I recommended him to any aspiring Republican candidate as head speech-writer. (This is not to denigrate the other Green Room writers, all of whom at one time or another have written something that made me think, “Wow!”)

But with today’s effort, I’m thinking that if Sarah Palin is thinking about 2012, she’d better call Dr. Zero, stat. Here’s a highlight:

The comment that got Beck in hot water involved calling President Obama a racist, who has “deep-seated hatred for white people of the white culture.” Calling any liberal a “racist” is the Avada Kedavra of political discourse, the Unforgivable Curse. Admittedly, it seems like an unprovoked act of rhetorical aggression. It’s not like Obama and his party have been running around calling everyone who disagrees with them racists, mindless drones, un-American traitors, Nazis, assassins, or Astroturf lawn gnomes who get their opinions from their corporate paymasters. Oh, wait, it’s exactly like that.

Just like that! Facts, pop culture, analogy, Nazis, and sarcasm. This man is a master of his craft. Another example:

We have arrived at a moment when politics determines the survival of entire industries. Broken companies are dug up from shallow graves at the edges of the free market, and reanimated with massive infusions of tax dollars, for the benefit of the politically-connected union infestations that killed them. [Emphasis mine.] People who end up on the wrong side of health-care rationing could pay for their unwise 2008 presidential votes with their lives. There is no place where a taxpayer can go to secure a refund for his share of the squandered $787 billion “stimulus” bill… just as there will be no place to go when they discover socialized medicine is a disaster. There will only be a comment box at the local Post Office / Government Surgical Clinic, where you can scribble your complaint on the back of your organ donor card.

Words fail me, where clearly they didn’t fail Dr. Zero. Reading this article made me want to jump up and run around the room yelling, “Yes! Yes! YES!!!” Since I was on a bus at the time, I refrained.

But my, oh my, I’m thinking Michelle Malkin and Ed and Allah have a major new talent on their hands here. I urge you to go over to the Green Room at HotAir and read the entire article. All of it is that good.

Thanks, Dr. Zero.

Stoutcat

United Airlines: Revenge is Sweet

 

Dave Carroll’s eagerly-awaited (at least by me) second tune about his trials with United, the airline which broke his guitar last year and disclaimed all responsibility. It’s said that revenge is a dish best served cold. It’s getting colder and sweeter with each song Carroll produces.

Note: Videos number one and three are also available here on Grand Rants as well as Dave’s exclusive interview with Gerry Ashley.  Click on the links above to view them. Also, for more Grand Rants articles on Dave, just type “Dave Carroll” in the “Search” box which is to the right of the title line of this article.  

Stoutcat

Yes, Icon

 

Bill Whittle hits another home run!

UPDATE: Bat Boy, er, Ed Anger at Weekly World News is getting tired of the logos, too.

Stoutcat

Granny Meets ObamaCare

From the clever folks at NotSoSure.org, another informative and gently entertaining commercial:

Exit question: why aren’t we seeing these on late-night TV?

Stoutcat

Oh, Barf!

 

Talk about nausea-inducing! From AZCentral.com, on the occasion of the Obamas’ visit to the Grand Canyon:

For tourists at the Grand Canyon Sunday, the political star power of President Barack Obama and the First Family temporarily eclipsed the landmark’s majestic natural beauty.

Three and a half more years until this crap is done.

H/T: Exurban League via R. S. McCain

Stoutcat

ObamaCare to Fund Abortions… So What?

 

I’ve seen a lot of righteous indignation at the idea that President Obama’s healthcare plans will fund abortions with taxpayer money. And the fact is crystal clear that ObamaCare will do just that. After much hemming and hawing and backing and filling from both the White House and a complicit press corps, Peter Orszag, the White House Budget Director, admits as much, as he says he’s not “prepared to rule it out.” Right. And we all know what that means.

But it’s no use getting our knickers in a twist over this plan in particular. It’s just another bucketful of our money, after all. In truth, the sad fact is that hundreds of millions our taxpayer dollars already go to fund abortions, and have done so for years. Last year alone, Congress gave Planned Parenthood $350 million (34% of their annual revenue), and if 2008 is any indicator, our funding this year will allow them to perform in excess of 300,000 abortions in 2009.

Sadly, whether we like it or not, our taxes will continue to pay for abortions, whether ObamaCare flourishes or withers on the vine. Last month Congress voted down a measure to strip Planned Parenthood of its taxpayer funding. Mike Pence (R-IN), who authored the unsuccessful measure, says he will keep fighting:

“How the federal government spends taxpayer money says a great deal about who we are as a nation. Federal spending should reflect the cherished values of an overwhelming majority of American taxpayers. Even pro-choice advocates oppose taxpayer funding of abortion and it is morally wrong to commit the tax dollars of pro-life Americans to promoting or performing abortions at home and abroad. It is deeply disturbing that this Democrat Congress just defeated the will of a strong majority of the American people who oppose federal funding for abortion.

“While our Democrat colleagues talk about their desire to reduce abortions, today’s vote suggests otherwise. You can’t reduce abortions by funding abortion providers with taxpayer dollars.”

If you don’t want your tax dollars going to fund abortions, forget about ObamaCare for the time being. Start with the measure that’s been in place for years; work to de-fund the organization that continues to get our money, continues to perform abortions, continues to flout the law, and continues to give illegal advice to young girls in need of real help.

If you really want to stop your dollars from funding abortions, de-fund Planned Parenthood.

Stoutcat

Stirling Bridge: Are We Living in Such Times?

I suppose it’s possible.

Stoutcat

I Tell Ya, Obama Gets No Respect… No Respect At All

Sorry to paraphrase Rodney (Dangerfield), but it seems like just about everyone with an IQ higher than shredded wheat has figured out President Obama’s agenda. In a sense, this is one of his campaign promises coming true: His administration is becoming more transparent, but not in a way he intended it to be. I could go on, but, hey… it’s Sunday. It’s supposed to be a day of rest. Time to take a break from all the negative energy flow of the past week (and probably the week to come). Over in the “Open Thread” Topic on Michelle Malkin’s blog, MadMonkPhotog and Tigerlady are discussing how they need a break from the news today, but can’t. Maybe I can help. 

So for your Sunday relaxation, how about a nice humorous little video to enjoy? It’s got a puppy in it and everything. And you know just how darn cute those little pups can be… Hey, wait a second… is this Glenn Beck’s Dog?

Gerry Ashley

NASA Photo of the Day: Victoria Crater on Mars

 

Wow… If this doesn’t blow your mind, you ain’t got a pulse… (And no, this isn’t a photoshop fake. This is real.)

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-caltech/University of Arizona

(The  full 1.34 MB image is here.)

What follows is directly from this NASA site:

This image of Victoria Crater in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at more of a sideways angle than earlier orbital images of this crater. The camera pointing was 22 degrees east of straight down, yielding a view comparable to looking at the landscape out an airplane window. East is at the top. The most interesting exposures of geological strata are in the steep walls of the crater, difficult to see from straight overhead. Especially prominent in this oblique view is a bright band near the top of the crater wall. Colors have been enhanced to make subtle differences more visible.

Total cost of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter program? $720 million or $0.72 billion.

Alan Speakman