Made the Blind See

A breathless ABC investigation shocks the country with this news:

U.S. Military Weapons Inscribed With Secret 'Jesus' Bible Codes
Pentagon Supplier for Rifle Sights Says It Has 'Always' Added New Testament References

By JOSEPH RHEE, TAHMAN BRADLEY and BRIAN ROSS

Coded references to New Testament Bible passages about Jesus Christ are inscribed on high-powered rifle sights provided to the U.S. military by a Michigan company, an ABC News investigation has found.

The sights are used by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the training of Iraqi and Afghan soldiers. The maker of the sights, Trijicon, has a $660 million multi-year contract to provide up to 800,000 sights to the Marine Corps, and additional contracts to provide sights to the U.S. Army.

U.S. military rules specifically prohibit the proselytizing of any religion in Iraq or Afghanistan and were drawn up in order to prevent criticism that the U.S. was embarked on a religious "Crusade" in its war against al Qaeda and Iraqi insurgents.

[...]

Trijicon confirmed to ABCNews.com that it adds the biblical codes to the sights sold to the U.S. military. Tom Munson, director of sales and marketing for Trijicon, which is based in Wixom, Michigan, said the inscriptions "have always been there" and said there was nothing wrong or illegal with adding them.

ABC did not explain how the imprint of Bible verse in font size 2 on the scopes counts as proselytising. ABC did not ask if the U.S. military allows its soldiers to issue a prayer under their breath as they pull the trigger on the enemy.

Sydney Brillo Duodenum hears through his sources that ABC is widening the scope of its investigation and is about to break a similar piece of news. It turns out that the U.S. military has been buying copies of the Bible containing complete, unexpurgated tracts from both the Old and New Testaments, and distributing them to soldiers, so-called Chaplins, and get this, whose job it is to provide religious ministry to other troops, and, even more distrubing, to do this when they are on the sacred soil of other countries!

Senator Ben Nelson: Unprincipled Whore

Excuse me, ma'am?!

Ma'am Barbara Boxer, Chairman, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee

"You call it 'Climategate'; I call it 'E-mail-theft-gate."

The Dangerously Stupid

This little gem appeared in the New York Times Letters to the Editor page:

To the Editor:

The Obama administration is to be commended for its decision to try the alleged 9/11 plotters in federal court — an approach that should be followed with respect to all terrorism suspects, however, including the U.S.S. Cole suspects.

And it is troubling that administration officials “also suggested that they could continue to detain anyone deemed to be a ‘combatant’ under Congress’s authorization to use military force” — thereby indicating an intention to continue to hold the suspects regardless of the outcome of the trial.

I have not been professionally involved in these deliberations, and I am expressing my personal opinion based solely on the public record. But unless the United States is prepared to release these men if they are acquitted — or in the perhaps more likely event that the charges against them are dismissed on due-process grounds, because they have been subjected to procedures that “shock the conscience” — it is arguably merely conducting a show trial. The government cannot have it both ways.

John S. Koppel

Bethesda, Md., Nov. 14, 2009
The writer is a career appellate attorney with the Justice Department.

SBD would bet his bottom dollar that Mr. Koppel and his thousands of sympathetic clones throughout the Washington bureaucracy can't hardly wait for KSM and friends to be acquitted and let go. But Mr. Koppel is being entirely disingenuous. The entire purpose behind the Obama administration sending these admitted mass murderers to New York is to conduct a show trial - a show trial where the Bush administration, specifically, President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, are in the defendant's seat. Obama would love to see KSM acquitted as it would be the final indictment of the War on Terror and the methods used by the Bush administration to protect this country. And Mr. Koppel just loves the drama this presents. It's a Watergate and Iran Contra Hearings redux wet dream; the hearings those pussy Dems in Congress wouldn't pursue because they knew Americans with torches and pitchforks would drive them into the Potomac. Mr. Koppel, after living in the shadows for eight horrible years under the Bush hunta, now crawls from under his laminated government-issued desk and cries "J'Accuse!" on the pages of his heroic chronicle of the oppressed and abused. It's rare to see a career government attorney put himself out this way, even on the letters page of the hallowed NYT, and it's clear message to Obama that his leftist base isn't yet convinced he is their savior. For the Mr. Koppels of this country, only when the perpetrators of 9/11 are freed into the world will the United States have adequately paid the price for not turning the other cheek on September 12, 2001.

If on some sad, outrageous day, KSM and friends are to be released, then they should be released to their freedom at the building site of the WTC at noon or so when all the hardhats are standing around the lunch wagons.

But SBD doesn't believe that day will come. He thinks KSM will be found guilty by a New York jury. He thinks he will be sentenced to death. He thinks the Supreme Court will eventually overturn his execution order on the grounds that he was "tortured." He will then be sent to ADX Florence for the rest of his life and be interviewed every ten years by Geraldo Rivera.

A Certain Madness

Here's an interesting item in the local Montgomery County, MD newspaper The Gazette.

Headline:

Area Americans Hope For Best But Prepare For Worst
Many fear hate crimes after Fort Hood shooting

The opening graphs read:

At the quiet Community Center in Silver Spring [MD] where even the local ping pong ace is said to avoid unncessary attention, community center regulars say they are facing constant news trucks at the front gates and a fear of retaliation against Americans in a post-9/11 world.

When Maj. Nidal M. Hassan, a Muslim Army psychiatrist, allegedly opened fire on a crowd of people at Fort Hood in Texas Nov. 5, killing 13 people, Americans at community centers, theaters, malls, waiting lines at the DMV, pumpkin stands, grocery check out lines, bus stops, Home Depot parking lots, town squares, farmers' markets, ball fields, playgrounds, street fairs, block parties, marathons, restaurants, business conferences, gas station pumps, Disney World, tailgates, camp grounds, stopped at red lights, monuments, and in their homes have been once again thrown into the spotlight as they try to understand the violence behind Hasan's outburst.

Of course that's not really what the article says. Here's what it really says:

Headline:

Area Muslims Hope for Best but Prepare for Worst
Many Fear Hate Crimes After Fort Hood Shooting

At the quiet Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring [MD]where even the holy leader is said to avoid unncessary attention, worshippers say they are facing constant news trucks at the front gates and a fear of retaliation against Muslims in a post-9/11 world.

When Maj. Nidal M. Hassan, a Muslim Army psychiatrist, allegedly opened fire on a crowd of people at Fort Hood in Texas Nov. 5, killing 13 people, Islam had been been once again thrown into the spotlight as Americans try to understand the violence behind Hasan's outburst.

"I don't think it's right to relate it to his religion, because people do crazy things regardless of their religion, whether they're Christian, Jewish, whatever," said Imam Mohamed Abdullahi, the center's holy leader.

"Why is it that whenever Muslims are involved in a crime, it's because of religion?" asked Arshad Qureshi, chairman of the center's board of trustees. "It's a double standard."

Now, here's where it gets crazy:

It's a double standard that center members are quick to dismiss, with worshippers such as center member Abdoulah Oyola bringing up other crimes, such as the recent discovery of 10 bodies and a human skull at a Cleveland sex offender's home. These crimes aren't linked to religion, he said.

Some members questioned how Hasan could even commit such an act, saying they question the reported accounts of what happened.

"To this day, I'm still not convinced this man did it," Oyola said. "I can't fathom it. I [used to] see this man every day." He questioned how Hasan could have fired so many shots during the attack without stopping to reload.

Whew, that is a deep, profound uncrossable river of denial.

But the concern of the article is the oppression committed daily upon the Muslim community following these non-religious-oriented attacks by what must be serial rapist-killers whose Jihadism, communications with extremist imams and Al Queda, and powerpoint slides on the proper decapitation of infidels are minor contrivances of a nationally hostile to Muslims mainstream media.

But the fear of vandalism, threats and other hate crimes lingers at the center and among many Muslims in the county.

Yes, and it lingers among Americans at community centers, theaters, malls, waiting lines at the DMV, pumpkin stands, grocery check out lines, bus stops, Home Depot parking lots, town squares, farmers' markets, ball fields, playgrounds, street fairs, block parties, marathons, restaurants, business conferences, gas station pumps, Disney World, tailgates, camp grounds, stopped at red lights, monuments, and in their homes.

At the center's regular Friday services, Abdullahi spoke out against hate crimes, saying he had heard from one person who received a threatening phone call. Non-Muslim Debbie Shankman, who regularly attends services at the Muslim Community Center, said one of her friends at the center told her she would not go to service Friday because she and her husband were scared.

Well, the evidence is incontrovertable - an annecdote about a person receiving a threatening phone call but without any detail as to the actual threat. Was it Comcast calling about a late payment? And a further annecdote, provided by, for lack of a better term, a groupie, about a couple running scared and being prevented from worshipping. Where's the Justice Department when you need it?!? Fortunately, according to the article:

Immediate statements from the Islamic Center of Washington and other Islamic groups were sent out, denouncing [Hasan's] purported attacks. The Muslim community learned to be more involved in the community and proactive about speaking out against violence.

Well, just going by the first quotes in the article, Mission Accomplished!! Muslims are speaking out about imagined violence against Muslims following a mass murder by a serial-rapist killer murderer who just happens to be a Muslim but is probably not the killer because questions linger as to how one person, particularly someone in the Army, could handle two semi-automatic handguns without apparently reloading while in a room full of unarmed men and women.

Officials from the Islamic Center of Maryland in Gaithersburg released a statement cautioning Muslims to be careful when visiting religious facilities or wearing clothing associated with Islam. The center also recommended that parents discuss the shooting with their children and what to do if they experience harassment at school.

But there is hope. There is always hope. Because it turns out that depiste the fear and self-pitying and basically made up bullshit about Americans driving Muslims underground . . .

As much as Muslim communities say they fear for the worst, many say they are overwhelmed by the support they have received over the past week.

Obligatory Emily Litella insertion - Nevermind!

"I think the media, the government and our military were very positive about this, " Abdullahi said. The center hasn't received any threats, he added, "But you have to understand, after 9/11, everybody is scared."

Oh, indeed, Mr. Abdullahi, indeed.

"There have actually been more expressions of support in the past rather than these isolated incidents [of hate crimes]," Ahmad said of the Islamic Center of Maryland. "The problem is that one incident can cause a lot of harm."

Ah, if it were only just one incident.

Beer Summit

The news out of Washington is that President Obama will be hosting a summit on race relations between whites, as represented by Cambridge Police Sergeant James Crowley, and blacks, as represented by Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

President Obama's highly anticipated sit-down with Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. over some brews is expected to take place early this week, administration officials said Sunday.

The President has selected the theme of “beer” to set the stage for a friendly discussion. Although the President’s inclination will be to offer Sgt. Crowley and Prof. Gates cold Heinekens wrapped in two ply cocktail napkins, Sydney Brillo Duodenum urges the President to direct the White House Bartender to seek out and procure some microbrews.

Because Sgt. Crowley and Prof. Gates are both Massachusetts-based, SBD offers the following two selections:

For Sgt. Crowley, who caught a really big fish, we recommend that the President offer him the following:

Harpoon IPA

For Professor Gates, the President could not go wrong by offering his close friend the following:

John Harvard's Nut Brown Ale


Anything with the name "Harvard" in it should appeal to the professor.

And, of course, the President should have something special for himself, which is why this presidential hometown brew is sure to please His Coolness:

The Blue Cat Brew Pub Off the Rails Pale Ale

Rigid Ideobamology

With the news that four men, who attempted to procure high explosives in order to destroy two temples in New York City, were fairly recent converts to radical Islam through their brief exposure to radical Islamist prisoners in US jails, The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto poses a simple test of the Obama administration:

In his speech yesterday, Obama declared that "the American people are not absolutist, and they don't elect us to impose a rigid ideology." Importing hard-core Islamic supremacists [Guantanamo prisoners] into U.S. prisons is an insane policy. If Obama's proposing it is not an example of an official being driven by rigid ideology, then the phrase has no meaning.

A Most Successful Flyover

Sydney Brillo Duodenum is a fan and generator of conspiracy theories. He has a theory about the errant “Air Force One” flight over New York City. It is Sydney Brillo Duodenum’s rabidly held belief that this flight is solely the work of a frustrated element of the American military. Of course, one could argue that "the frustrated element" of the American military is the entire American military, so this particular conspiracy comes courtesy of the 89th Airlift Wing.

For the past month, we have witnessed a President abroad apologizing for America’s 8 year resolve to defend itself. We have seen a US President bow before a Saudi king. We have seen him exchange a soul-brother grasp with a prominent South American fascist dictator. We have seen him sit silently for 45 minutes while another two-bit commie thug excoriates America and we have seen the President respond that he was only three years old when it committed the crimes lectured upon. We have seen a Pentagon announce ill-considered, politicized cuts in aspects of our military profile, such as missile defense. At home, we have heard the President suggest that former Bush administration personnel should be considered for prosecution for their legal analysis of harsh interrogation of terrorists directly responsible for the September 11 murders. Several days after that, the administration agreed to release photos of said so-called interrogations.

We are to believe the context for all of this is that, for eight years, these United States have acted without reason, have reacted irresponsibly to murder of its civilians, have unleashed professional soldiers on misunderstood brown peoples, have serially and unreasonably tortured innocent teenagers, and have abridged the world’s US Constitutional rights. Nothing that happened on that bright sunny September day warranted the past 8 years. Or so we are told.

After a month of Obama misdirection, sickening apologies, and messiah mirroring, a good many Americans have been infused with shameful doubt about their country and themselves.

Which brings us back to our allegedly scheduled PR flight of one of the 747s used for the Air Force One fleet. Certainly, a modicum of warning was delivered by the White House to the appropriate bureaucratic moles in New York City, indicating a million mile removal from reality such that it did not see the effect such a flight would have on New Yorkers and the nation. Why? Because that hole in the ground is just a PR opportunity for them. It has no meaning beyond its political usefulness, either as a tool to chastise Americans for their overreactions or as a tool to remind Americans who’s in the Executive seat. There is no amount of "heads up" that could be given to prepare the city for the flyover that took place. It's an affront at all altitudes.

But certainly those responsible for actually managing the use of the aircraft, the 89th Airlift Wing, knew this flight would be sensitive and provocative. “Oh, you want to buzz New York City for some photos. Um, certainly, sir. And you want F-16s trailing it as well, while photos are being taken? No sir, not a problem at all, sir. The Air Force always likes to be in the air, even for public relations photo ops designed to create an image of President Obama as the Great Protector. Yes, sir, sorry, sir. No, sir we will not make a big deal out of it, sir. Yes, sir, we will keep it quiet, sir. Last minute notice? Oh, certainly, sir. Yes, sir, makes perfect sense. How about a Monday morning, sir, just after everyone gets to work in the city? Agreed sir, not before lunch. And you want that 5,000 off the ground? May I recommend a 1000, sir? That will make for some very nice photos, sir.” Later, to men and women of the 89th: “Ladies and Gentlemen – the White House wants to buzz New York City next week to get some promotional photos and videos that the White House can use to hand out to big time contributors and use for campaign spots for the coming 2012 election. Let’s help them be very successful at this flyover and get a really accurate picture of the Obama administration, er rather, for the Obama administration (snicker, snicker).”

And it was indeed a very successful flyover. As some say, Mission Accomplished!

Scene 5 - Witch Hunt Week

Scene 5:

The Witch: I'm not a witch I'm not a witch!

Sir Bedevere: But you are dressed as one

The Witch: *They* dressed me up like this!

Crowd: We didn't! We didn't...

The Witch: And this isn't my nose. It's a false one.

Sir Bedevere: [lifts up her false nose] Well?

Peasant 1: Well, we did do the nose.

Sir Bedevere: The nose?

Peasant 1: And the hat, but she is a witch!

Crowd: Yeah! Burn her! Burn her!

Sir Bedevere: Did you dress her up like this?

Peasant 1: No!

Peasant 3, Peasant 2: No!

Peasant 3: No!

Peasant 1: No!

Peasant 3,Peasant 2: No!

Peasant 1: Yes!

Peasant 2: Yes!

Peasant 1: Yeah a bit.

Peasant 3: A bit!

Peasant 1,Peasant 2: A bit!

Peasant 2: a bit

Peasant 1: But she has got a wart!

First, it was the outing of Miss California as a “typical American,” as most polls see it, because she shockingly believes that marriage should be between a man and a woman. The media can’t have fantastically beautiful people spouting non-sanctioned hate speech (otherwise known as conventional wisdom), so they must be ambushed during the most kitschy, stale anti-Feminist televised dog and pony show by a young crass fat gay gossip whore, whose entire corpus of work is the epitome of cultural and moral decrepitude. We're to believe that Miss California is a hideous foul witch worthy of the stake.

Second, it was the release of interrogation authorization memos by the Obama administration in order reveal the most heinous government sanctioned crime since Herod slew the Innocents one night a couple thousand years ago. The purpose was simple: to suss out, pillory and lock in a holding pattern former Bush administration officials so as to give the press a reason to forever and always ignore the incompetence, mismanagement and hackery of The Man Child’s administration on the economy, foreign relations, national security, and the choice of accessory dogs.

Third, it was Earth Day, “celebrated” across the apparently raped and bleeding landscape by multitudes of elementary school kids. If your kid didn’t show the proper prostration before Fury Gaia; if they did not pack a “trash free” lunch; if they did not walk to school; if they did not submit “Cool the Earth” coupons promising to limit their tiny little Croc-clad carbon footprints on the scorched globe; if they did not spend five minutes lecturing their parents on the merits of recycling plastic tampon applicators; if they did not attach an aluminum water bottle to their environmentally sustainable backpacks; if they did not wear green clothes to show their solidarity with the enviro-fascists – then their names went on a list being maintained by Al Gore’s Climate Project.

Fourth, again orchestrated by the Obama administration, where Obama called his cabinet to order and demanded they seek out and destroy $100 million in unnecessary spending. Burn it! No stack of surplus copy paper is safe anywhere in Federal DC.

Fifth, last week’s outing of average, pissed off Americans as right wing extremist crazy people who surfaced in a surprise assault on the Constitution on that most revered of national community days otherwise known as Tax Day continued in the MSM. Only the devil could inspire those people.

Sixth, apparently because the government does not pull all the strings on the Bank of America puppet, early this week rumors were lofted that BofA CEO Ken Lewis had to go, but Mr. Lewis, being a witch (really a Warlock) and using his dark arts, was able to put into the hands of the WSJ his testimony in February before the Grand Inquisitor and Master Witch Hunter, New York’s attorney general, that he was pressured by the Fed not to reveal what a massive black hole of losses Merrill Lynch represented to shareholders and to go ahead anyway with the government sanctioned bailout of ML. So now, because Ken Lewis did not stand up for shareholders because he was strongly advised by the government to do something against their interests, he should get the hell out of the way, with the likely result that the government will name who replaces him.

Seventh, President Obama, the Mexican government, and America's major media outlets and pussies, did all they could to pin a great deal of Mexico’s problems on America’s drug and gun habit, in the latter case by rolling out all types of weaponry, allegedly seized from narco-badasses and traced back to a sporting goods store in Ottumwa, Idaho (Iowa?). The message: America’s law abiding gun worshipers are an evil minority cult responsible for Mexico’s narco-terrorism and chaos, not the mainstream secular culture that bathes daily in fountain of gangsterism, drug use, libertine-ism, feelings, and Jeff “Dude, whatever!” Spicoli worship.

Well, now that you've settled on a name . . .

. . . how about you build the goddamned thing!?!?!!?!?

Freedom Tower Will Be Called One World Trade Center

NEW YORK — The Freedom Tower is out. One World Trade Center is in. The agency that owns ground zero confirmed Thursday that the signature skyscraper replacing the towers destroyed on Sept. 11 will be more commonly known as One World Trade Center.

The building under construction at the site was named the Freedom Tower in the first ground zero master plan. Officials at the time said the tallest, most symbolic of five planned towers at the site would demonstrate the country's triumph over terrorism.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey chairman Anthony Coscia says the agency refers to the building as One World Trade Center. He says it's the building's legal name and "the one that's easiest for people to identify with."

Yes, we know it's been ONLY eight years since murder and mayhem were brought to our shores, and there was the whole design contest, and of course EVERYONE knows what the permitting story is in NYC, and . . . (start channeling Christian Bale, here folks) NO, NO - FUCK THE EXCUSES!

WHERE IS THE FUCKING BUILDING?

WHEN IS THE FUCKING BUILDING GOING TO BE DONE?

WHY IS THERE NO FUCKING BUILDING NOW?

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS FUCKING STUPIDITY?

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IT ISN'T FUCKING DONE ALREADY?

Guess what? Sydney Brillo Duodenum doesn't any want any answers.

THERE IS NO FUCKING EXCUSE!

Hate him as most do, but Donald Trump would have finished it by now. It would be a monstrous Gold 2001 Space Odyssey block, but it would be done.

If anyone should have lost their jobs in these times, it is the asshats and serial fuck ups associated with the reconstruction of the World Trade Center.

BUILD IT. NOW. FAST.

You want to put people to work, President Obama? Send them to New York City and put up that damned skyscraper.

No doubt, when it is finally done, it will be named Obama Plaza.

Do Our Business In the Light of Day . . .

President Obama, Inaugural Address:

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Washington Post:

Despite the brokered deal, confusion reigned in the Capitol's hallways. With no text circulating 30 hours after Reid's announcement, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office sent out a half-joking e-mail to reporters last night making light of Democratic accusations that Republicans were blocking the legislation -- since none yet officially existed.

Lawmakers had warned of the complications involved in drafting such a large bill in such a short time. Earlier versions had nearly 800 pages. When House and Senate negotiators sat down Wednesday evening to formalize an agreement, their aides wheeled in drafts of the bill on a cart. That version was dated Feb. 9, before the Senate centrist compromise that gutted more than $100 billion from the legislation.

Piles of paper, bound by metal clips, sat next to the old drafts, representing the new versions of the legislation.

Talk Is Cheap

Charles Krauthammer reminds President Obama what America's real legacy vis a vis Muslims has been the past "20 or 30" years:

Is it "new" to acknowledge Muslim interests and show respect to the Muslim world? Obama doesn't just think so, he said so again to millions in his al-Arabiya interview, insisting on the need to "restore" the "same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago."

Astonishing. In these most recent 20 years -- the alleged winter of our disrespect of the Islamic world -- America did not just respect Muslims, it bled for them. It engaged in five military campaigns, every one of which involved -- and resulted in -- the liberation of a Muslim people: Bosnia, Kosovo, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. The two Balkan interventions -- as well as the failed 1992-93 Somalia intervention to feed starving African Muslims (43 Americans were killed) -- were humanitarian exercises of the highest order, there being no significant U.S. strategic interest at stake. In these 20 years, this nation has done more for suffering and oppressed Muslims than any nation, Muslim or non-Muslim, anywhere on Earth. Why are we apologizing?

[...]

Every president has the right to portray himself as ushering in a new era of this or that. Obama wants to pursue new ties with Muslim nations, drawing on his own identity and associations. Good. But when his self-inflation as redeemer of U.S.-Muslim relations leads him to suggest that pre-Obama America was disrespectful or insensitive or uncaring of Muslims, he is engaging not just in fiction but in gratuitous disparagement of the country he is now privileged to lead.

And to further demonstrate what a punk President Obama is, Mr. Drudge directs our attention to this:

US President Barack Obama's offer to talk to Iran shows that America's policy of "domination" has failed, the government spokesman said on Saturday.

"This request means Western ideology has become passive, that capitalist thought and the system of domination have failed," Gholam Hossein Elham was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency. "Negotiation is secondary, the main issue is that there is no way but for (the United States) to change," he added.

Punk or not, Sydney Brillo Duodenum wants to see President Obama succeed with respect to Iran. Obama is courting bitter failure by continuing with this charade that talking and meeting and backchanneling are going to lead to strategic US success in keeping Iran bottled up. The only thing Iranians understand at present is force, as demonstrated by their backing off in Iraq when we started identifying and assasinating their agents. Now, it may be that President Obama does not believe any of his own crap regarding direct conversations with America's most bitter enemy, but that would require believing that President Obama understands that Iran is our most bitter enemy and has been a central source of anti-American action since 1979. But the evidence strongly suggests that Obama doesn't know what he believes. Or he believes his own rhetoric that only he can go to Tehran, in the way that only Nixon could go to Beijing, forgetting that Nixon actually had some bona fides when it came to dealing with the commies. So, from what position of strength is Obama proceeding in his attempt to have tea with Mahmoud Imabadbondvillian?

President Obama's first foreign policy forays have been: to admit "guilt" in the War on Terror by closing down the prison housing the fruits of battlefield action; to grant his first formal interview as president to Al Arabiya, the so-called moderate Arab television network, wherein he proclaimed that the United States is set to rectify this, that and the other dhimmhi transgression; to launch a trial balloon (exploding worse than the Hindenberg) that the administration will send a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader in an affort to warm things up in Preparation H for some kind of formal sit down; to reaffirm that there are no preconditions for sitting down with Mahmoud Imadinnerjacket; to look cool by implying that Obama's people have been working the backchannel with Iran since before the Inauguration; to state that Iran knows what it has to do before talks can take place, but in no circumstances does that imply any kind of precondition to a meeting; to dickswagger lamely that all options, e.g., military action, remain on the table (oooh, scary); and to state that the administration doesn't know what it's going to do in any event because it still hasn't appointed a special envoy to handle the "Iran portfolio", because apparently Hillary Clinton is too important to muddy her hose on this seconary issue.

So, it all looks like one big clusterfuck as Obama tries obstinately to distinguish himself as a master diplomacist. The kid from Chicago. Like all things Obama, it's all form over substance and a complete waste of time.

State of Unprecedented Emergency

Well, it's martial law, friends. So unprecedented and costly and, apparently, unprecedentedly dangerous is the (unprecedented) Inauguration of (unprecedentedly named) Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th President of the United States that the only way to handle it is to declare it a national emergency and smash open another federal piggy bank. But, since we have been living under a virtual dictatorship lo these eight shameful and embarrassing years, it only makes sense that Obama's people would seek to maintain that aspect of the Bush Hunta, in addition to its general economic and national security policies and personnel and the chef. Don't forget the chef.

How is this not the biggest racist statement yet from white America (other than their racist act of voting for Obama because he is black and his election would assuage their White Guilt?) "Uh, oh, a black man is about to take the White House - better declare an emergency!!!!" You know, if a Republican did that it would be the end of the . . . , oh, wait a minute . . . As White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said,

"Because of this anticipated influx of people, declaring an emergency permits the federal government to provide additional requested support ... to ensure that the inauguration is not only safe and secure, but that the health and well-being of visitors is preserved."

Who do they think is crashing this party dressed in death and mayhem? Are they talking about the guests? Are they talking about the host not being able to manage the Unwashed Deluge? Talk about the low bigotry of soft expectations, or something to that effect. Honestly, if you have blown the catering budget wide open, just admit it and put out the call to the B-listers to kick in a little potluck here and there. And apparently, Obama has done quite well tallying subscriptions to his Day of Glory from a not unprecedented group of morons. The Wall Street Journal reports that, "A total of 207 fund-raisers have collected $24.8 million of the $27.3 million in contributions disclosed by Mr. Obama through Thursday, according to an analysis by nonpartisan campaign finance group Public Citizen." Apparently they have contributed so much that The Fashion House of Goodwill is the only morally acceptable source of ball regalia this year. These monies do not cover the expenses of Democratic-run governments in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and D.C. to ensure the health and well-being of visitors. So many people are expected at all the historic events they have arranged that taxpayers need to kick in more money to pay for it. Those entirely unprecedented costs can be expected to run the entire cost of this unprecedented extravaganza above $100 million. That's more than twice what President Bush spent on his second coup d'etat. And, to the Professional Elite, spending that kind of money on a Republican was an unprecedented scandal.

Of course it's unprecedented nonsense to declare an emergency. Democrats simply want to ensure a further historical zenith attached to the ascendancy of Obama. If you don't get it, then you'll have to fuck off. For the Lore to take its place in the national psyche and to serve its purpose across this century as a beacon of unprecedented hope, the Obama Inauguration has to have been so unprecedented that every unprecedented step that could be taken had to be taken. Close the bridges! Shut down the city arteries! Commandeer the parking lots! Deploy every man, woman and child wielding a badge! Build a sound stage in front of the Lincoln Memorial bigger than the Lincoln Memorial! Close down the schools! Shut down the Beltway! Scare everyone away! But keep telling them it's the most historic national event to occur since the Founding itself and Being There may help you get a gold star when Obama's Mutaween stop you in the street and ask where you were when Obama was sworn in.

What's truly unprecedented is the cult of personality enveloping this man. Even more unprecedented is his total embrace of his own myth. Now that is an emergency unanswered.

Of course this entire post is really just sour grapes, but it's an unprecedented case of sour grapes!

Crime of Commission

American Enterprise Institute's Kevin Hassett:

One reason the increase [in spending] is so dramatic is the mystery of compounding. Each year, Congress passed pork-laden expenditure bills, which became part of the long-run baseline the minute they became law. Each time that the federal government wasted a billion dollars, it created budget space to waste $1 billion again and again, ad infinitum.

That’s perhaps the scariest fact about next year’s budget. The skyrocketing spending of 2009 will be the CBO baseline for every year after that. It will be easy to provide health care to everyone; the budget space will be blocked out. Indeed, Congress can spend with impunity in years to come, covered by the protective shroud of the CBO baseline that this year delivers. We can ride big government spending and trillion-dollar deficits all the way to 2017, when the Social Security trust fund itself starts running deficits.

This year may establish a government-spending black hole with gravity strong enough to suck the U.S. economy over the event horizon. Such a spending path has two possible endgames. Neither is pretty.

The Federal Reserve could print enough money to accommodate all of that debt, in which case the dollar will collapse and the U.S. will be looking at a South-America-style run on its debt.

Or the U.S. government could get its fiscal act in order with higher taxes. For that to happen, income taxes would approximately have to double.

While advocates of Keynesian-style stimulus are correct that this economy is terrible enough to warrant dramatic action, it is hard to understand how such a fiscal path might help. So what if second-quarter gross domestic product blips up a little bit? What business is going to expand its operations with the mother of all tax hikes peeking over the horizon? If government spending provided such a wonderful boost to the economy, we would be in Nirvana already.

If we want to create optimism about our future, we need to provide a reason. Putting a ring road around every city in the U.S. will not accomplish that. The only sensible path is for the U.S. to put its long-term fiscal house in order. Without that, this year’s stimulus will likely be a historic flop.

Hassett then reveals his entire column to be a sick joke by proclaiming this bit of "good news":

The good news is that a bipartisan group of senators, led by Democrat Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Republican Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, is on the right track. Their idea is for Congress to empower a commission to make the tough choices about future benefits and taxes to restore sanity to the U.S. budget outlook, and then to fast-track the commission’s recommendations to an up-or-down vote. If Congress fails to take Conrad and Gregg seriously, we may all be headed for the bread line.

A Commission? No. A bipartisan Commission. Well, the timing is certainly right, what with a new Democrat president, who merely holds the entire hope of the world in his uncalloused hands, about to take his seat in the Oval Office and a Democrat-controlled House and Senate run by those unrepentant centrists Harry Pelosi and Nancy Reid. Why wouldn't they share power? Why wouldn't they hand over the power of the purse to a commission of, well, who exactly? No doubt there are BIG, BIG names on that list, all perfectly bipartisan and properly credentialed by the Ivy League, which has been unnecessarily excluded from formulating national policies and programs since the Carter years. Start Richard Ben-Veniste and Lee Hamilton. They look good on Commissions. Ben-Veniste has that Blago hair, which chicks dig, and Hamilton looks kinda like Ike.

Still, one should not be too pessimistic. It would be a tough sell for the American people, but if they'll vote for Obama, then anything is possible. But the Commission's work would need to be as open to the American people as the work of the Congress. How about turning it into a Broadway show? It could be the first big government stimulus project under Obama. A new Works Project Administration Federal Theater -- oops, sorry - Theatre Project. Every city could put on its own show. The real work of the Bipartisan Commission of Bipartisan Bipedals, all the hacking and slashing and "tough choice" making, would be instantly transcribed to the stage. David Mamet could write the scripts. Our children could be pressed into service as stage hands in exchange for college credit or tuition tax credits. Hollywood's prodigious propaganda machine could be volunteered into service, although they will expect certain tax breaks when filming comes around, otherwise they'll have to film in Toronto or Vancouver.

But perhaps there is a better way. Let these people who have been elected to office fight for their agenda, make laws on it, and impose it on the people who elected them. And if the People don't like it, they usually form their own ad hoc, informal committee every two or four years and make a fast track decision with an up or down vote on what they think of those elected people. We may all suffer in the meantime, which could be a longtime, but how the hell else are to we learn from our behavior.

The belief that committees of the unelected, who spare the elected from making tough choices or even stupid ones by allowing them to assign away their responsibility, can save us from ourselves is the worst sort of indictment of our Republic. It's the kind of crazy talk that makes messiahs of politicians. Such a Republic cannot stand for long. Nor should it.

Blue Sky and Sunshine

Does Obama know this Rod Blagojevich?

"I don't believe there's any cloud that hangs over me. I think there's nothing but sunshine hanging over me." -- Indicted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Dec. 8, 2008

Oh, really?

Count One:

From in or about 2002 to the present, in Cook County, in the Northern District of Illinois, defendants did,conspire with each other and with others to devise and participate in a scheme to defraud the State of Illinois and the people of the State of Illinois of the honest services of ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH and JOHN HARRIS, infurtherance of which the mails and interstate wire communications would be used, in violation of Title 18, UnitedStates Code, Sections 1341,1343, and 1346; all in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 1349.

Count Two:

. . .corruptly solicited and demanded a thing of value, namely, the firing of certain ChicagoTribune editorial members responsible for widely-circulated editorials critical of ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH,intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with business and transactions of the State of Illinois involving a thing of value of $5,000 or more, namely, the provision of millions of dollars in financial assistance bythe State of Illinois, including through the Illinois Finance Authority, an agency of the State of Illinois, to theTribune Company involving the Wrigley Field baseball stadium; in violation of Title 18, United States Code,Sections 666(a)(1)(B) and 2.

Paragraph 13:

Defendants ROD BLAGOJEVICH and JOHN HARRIS, together with others, attempted to use ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s authority to appoint a United States Senator for the purpose of obtaining personal benefits for ROD BLAGOJEVICH, including, among other things, appointment as Secretary of Health & Human Services in the President-elect’s administration, and alternatively, a lucrative job which they schemed to induce a union to provide to ROD BLAGOJEVICH in exchange for appointing as senator an individual whom ROD BLAGOJEVICH and JOHN HARRIS believed to be favored by union officials and their associates.

Paragraph 60:

In response to questions posed by agents, Individual A has described efforts by ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Fundrasier A to obtain campaign contributions from state contractors by the end of the year. Specifically, Individual A advised that ROD
BLAGOJEVICH is seeking a total of approximately $2.5 million in campaign contributions by the end of the year, principally from or through individuals identified on a list maintained by Friends of Blagojevich. The FBI has obtained a copy of that list, which identifies individuals and entities targeted for campaign contributions, as well as amounts sought from those individuals and entities. A comparison of the names and entities on that list with information available from public sources and FBI investigative files reflects that numerous of the individuals and entities on that list have state contracts or have received public benefits conferred by ROD BLAGOJEVICH, such as appointments to positions in state government.

Paragraph 63:

According to Individual A, after Individual B left the meeting on October 6,2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Individual A that he was going to make an upcoming announcement concerning a $1.8 billion project involving the Tollway Authority. ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Individual A that Lobbyist 1 was going to approach Highway Contractor 1 to ask for $500,000 for Friends of Blagojevich. ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Individual A that, “I could have made a larger announcement but wanted to see how they perform by the end of the year. If they don’t perform, fuck ‘em.” According to Individual A, he/she believed that ROD BLAGOJEVICH was telling Individual A that ROD BLAGOJEVICH expected Highway Contractor 1 to raise $500,000 in contributions to Friends of Blagojevich and that ROD BLAGOJEVICH is willing to commit additional state money to the Tollway project but is waiting to see how much money Highway Contractor 1 raises for Friends of Blagojevich.

Paragraph 65:

According to Individual A, on October 8, 2008, during a discussion of fundraising from various individuals and entities, the discussion turned to Children’s Memorial Hospital, and ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Individual A words to the effect of “I’m going to do $8 million for them. I want to get [Hospital Executive 1] for 50.” Individual A understood this to be a reference to a desire to obtain a $50,000 campaign contribution from Hospital Executive 1, the Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Memorial Hospital. Individual A said that he/she understood ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s reference to $8 million to relate to his recent commitment to obtain for Children’s Memorial Hospital $8 million in state funds through some type of pediatric care reimbursement. As described in further detail below, intercepted phone conversations between ROD BLAGOJEVICH and others indicate that ROD BLAGOJEVICH is contemplating rescinding his commitment of state funds to benefit Children’s Memorial Hospital because Hospital Executive 1 has not made a recent campaign contribution to ROD BLAGOJEVICH.

Paragraph 71:

During the course of this investigation, agents have intercepted a series of communications regarding the efforts of ROD BLAGOJEVICH and JOHN HARRIS to corruptly use the power and influence of the Office of the Governor to cause the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members as a condition of State of Illinois financial assistance in connection with Wrigley Field. The phone calls reflect that ROD BLAGOJEVICH directed JOHN HARRIS to inform Tribune Owner and an associate of Tribune Owner, Tribune Financial Advisor (Tribune Financial Advisor is believed to be an individual identified in media accounts as a top assistant and financial advisor to Tribune Owner, who played a significant role in Tribune Owner’s purchase of the Tribune), that State of Illinois financial assistance for the Tribune Company’s sale of Wrigley Field would not be forthcoming unless members of the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board were fired.

Paragraph 73:

In another call between ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Deputy Governor A that occurred a short time later on November 3, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Deputy Governor A discussed an editorial from the Chicago Tribune regarding the endorsement of Michael Madigan and calling for a committee to consider impeaching ROD BLAGOJEVICH. During the call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife can be heard in the background telling ROD BLAGOJEVICH to tell Deputy Governor A “to hold up that fucking Cubs shit. . . fuck them.”

Paragraph 76:

ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that because of the impeachment articles, “we don’t know if we can take a chance and do this IFA deal now. I don’t want to give them agrounds to impeach me.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that “our recommendation is fire all those fucking people, get ‘em the fuck out of there and get us some editorial support.”

Paragraph 87:

During the course of this investigation, agents have intercepted a series of communications regarding the efforts of ROD BLAGOJEVICH, JOHN HARRIS, and othersto misuse this power to obtain personal gain, including financial gain, for ROD
BLAGOJEVICH and his family. In particular, ROD BLAGOJEVICH has been intercepted conspiring to trade the senate seat for particular positions that the President-elect has the power to appoint (e.g. the Secretary of Health and Human Services). ROD BLAGOJEVICH has also been intercepted conspiring to sell the Senate seat in exchange for his wife’s placement on paid corporate boards or ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s placement at a private foundation in a significant position with a substantial salary. ROD BLAGOJEVICH has also been intercepted conspiring to sell the Senate seat in exchange for millions of dollars in funding for a non-profit organization that he would start and that would employ him at a substantial salary after he left the governorship.

Paragraph 89:

On November 3, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with Deputy Governor A. This discussion occurred the day before the United States Presidential election. ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Deputy Governor A discussed the potential Senate seat vacancy. During the conversation, ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Deputy Governor A that if he is not going to get anything of value for the open Senate seat, then ROD BLAGOJEVICH will take the Senate seat himself: “if . . . they’re not going to offer anything of any value, then I might just take it.”

Paragraph 90:

During the call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated, “unless I get something real good for [Senate Candidate 1], shit, I’ll just send myself, you know what I’m saying.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH later stated, “I’m going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain. You hear what I’m saying. And if I don’t get what I want and I’m not satisfied with it, then I’ll just take the Senate seat myself.” Later, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that the Senate seat “is a fucking valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.”

Paragraph 92:

On November 4, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke with JOHN HARRIS regarding the potential vacant Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that the “trick . . . is how do you conduct indirectly . . . a negotiation” for the Senate seat. Thereafter, ROD BLAGOJEVICH analogized his situation to that of a sports agent shopping a potential free agent to various teams, stating “how much are you offering, [President-elect]? What are you offering, [Senate Candidate 2]? . . . Can always go to . . . [Senate Candidate 3].” Later ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he will make a decision on the Senate seat “in good faith . . . but it is not coming for free . . . .It’s got to be good stuff for the people of Illinois and good for me.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH states “[President-elect], you want it? Fine. But, its got to be good or I could always take [the Senate seat].”

Paragraph 93:

On November 5, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke with Deputy Governor A regarding positions that ROD BLAGOJEVICH might be able to obtain in exchange for the soon-to-be vacated Senate seat. Among the potential positions discussed were Secretary of Health and Human Services and various ambassadorships. Deputy Governor A noted that 58 the cabinet position of Secretary of the Energy is “the one that makes the most money.” Deputy Governor A stated that it is hard not to give the Secretary of Energy position to a Texan, but with ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s coal background it might be a possibility.

Paragraph 94:

On November 5, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke with JOHN HARRIS regarding what ROD BLAGOJEVICH could obtain for the Senate seat. After discussing various federal governmental positions that ROD BLAGOJEVICH would trade the Senate seat for, ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked about “the private sector” and whether the Presidentelect could “put something together there. . . .Something big.” Thereafter, HARRIS suggested that the President-elect could make ROD BLAGOJEVICH the head of a private foundation. ROD BLAGOJEVICH told HARRIS that he should do “homework” on private foundations “right away.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked whether he could get a high-ranking position at the Red Cross. HARRIS stated that “it’s got to be a group that is dependent on [the President-elect],” and that a President probably could not influence the Red Cross. ROD BLAGOJEVICH told HARRIS to “look into all of those.”

Paragraph 96:

On November 5, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with Advisor A about the Senate seat. During the phone call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that the President-elect can remove somebody from a foundation and give the spot to ROD BLAGOJEVICH. In regards to the Senate seat, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated “I’ve got this thing and it’s fucking golden, and, uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for fuckin’ nothing. I’m not gonna do it. And, and I can always use it. I can parachute me there.”

Paragraph 99:

ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he is interested in making $250,000 to $300,000 and being on some organization boards. Advisor B said they should leverage the Presidentelect’s desire to have Senate Candidate 1 appointed to the Senate seat in order to get a head position with Change to Win and a salary. Advisor B agreed that the three-way deal would be a better plan than ROD BLAGOJEVICH appointing Senate Candidate 2 to the Senate seat and getting more done as Governor.

Paragraph 101:

On November 10, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH, his wife, JOHN HARRIS, Governor General Counsel, and various Washington-D.C. based advisors, including Advisor B, discussed the open Senate seat during a conference call. (The Washington D.C.-based advisors to ROD BLAGOJEVICH are believed to have participated on this call from Washington D.C.). Various individuals participated at different times during the call. The call lasted for approximately two hours, and what follows are simply summaries of various portions of the two-hour call. ROD BLAGOJEVICH expressed his interest in figuring out a way to make money and build some financial security, while at the same time potentially participating in the political arena again. ROD BLAGOJEVICH mentioned the Senate seat, the dynamics of a new Presidential administration with the strong contacts that ROD BLAGOJEVICH has in it, and asked what if anything he can do to make that work for him and his wife and his responsibilities as Governor of Illinois.

ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked what he can get from the President-elect for the Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that Governor General Counsel believes the President-elect can get ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife on paid corporate boards in exchange for naming the President-elect’s pick to the Senate. Governor General Counsel asked, “can [the President-elect] help in the private sector. . . where it wouldn’t be tied to him? . . .I mean, so it wouldn’t necessarily look like one for the other.” ROD BLAGOJEVICH’s wife suggested during the call that she is qualified to sit on corporate boards and has a background in real estate and appraisals. ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked whether there is something that could be done with his wife’s “series 7" license in terms of working out a deal for the Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he is “struggling” financially and does “not want to be Governor for the next two years.”

ROD BLAGOJEVICH said that the consultants (Advisor B and another consultant are believed to be on the call at that time) are telling him that he has to “suck it up” for two years and do nothing and give this “motherfucker [the President-elect] his senator. Fuck him. For nothing? Fuck him.”

Paragraph 116:

In addition, in the course of the conversations over the last month, ROD BLAGOJEVICH has spent significant time weighing the option of appointing himself to the open Senate seat, and has expressed a variety of reasons for doing so, including frustration at being “stuck” as governor, a belief that he will be able to obtain greater resources if he is indicted as a sitting Senator as opposed to a sitting governor, and a desire to remake his image in consideration of a possible run for President in 2016, avoid impeachment by the Illinois legislature, make corporate contacts that would be of value to him after leaving public office, facilitate his wife’s employment as a lobbyist, and assist in generating speaking fees should he decide to leave public office.

Before We Elect Dorian Gray . . .

The New York Times makes everybody run to their mirrors this morning to see if they are beautiful. Sydney Brillo Duodenum is decidely certain that they are not. In this Fashion and Style story - mind you not the Technology, not the Science, not even the Psychology section of the Times (because one does not exist, if you can believe that!) - some "scientists" have developed a program that fixes peoples faces according to some bullshit algorithms based on a survey of beauty as discerned from the faces of the woman in the pages of the porn mags hidden in the back of their closets.

While perusing the altered images offered by the Times in the accompanying slideshow, of the 6 billion people who could have populated the 9 slots in the slideshow prepared by the Times, there was Woody Allen. Woody Allen! Sydney Brillo Duodenum looked at the before and after images of Mr. Allen and, try as he may, he still saw a disgusting old pedophile, suggesting perhaps that our God-given programming is a bit more complex than that written by the beauty code geniuses.

It further suggests that we must always strive to get down to the deeds of the individual before we become enraptured with them. What is their history, what did they spend their time doing, and who did they spend their time with? How has one's personal associations aged their soul? Beauty is expected to change our lives; it shouldn't make us stupid at the same time.

Often we take the broad, hopeful smile, sometimes matched strongly with soaring rhetoric and we never look into the soul of a person. It's too bad that someone hasn't written a computer program featuring an algorithm or two that factors in non-visual information about a person and then presents that image. Sydney Brillo Duodenum would love to run some people through a Dorian Gray program.

Of course, none of this applies to Sydney Brillo Duodenum. He has no desire to see that picture of himself.