Houston Chronical Posts Public Employee Names, Salaries

I like this as a step in the right direction for public accountability.

I noticed a lot of teachers in the $45k+ range. Good for the HC.

New Orleans Cop Suspended for Wearing the Wrong Color Shirt

15 minutes before retiring.

This is clearly appropriate because the NOPD has such a good reputation.

Obama: Your Children Should Learn To Speak Spanish

I know everyone is reporting this, but I have to jump on. In context it's even worse: Before you suggest immigrants should learn English, you should teach your kids Spanish.

Barack Obama: Your Children Should Learn To Speak Spanish

Climate Change Delusion

No, seriously. The fear of global warming is literally driving some people insane.

Update on Iraining Missile Test; McCain, Obama React

In another instance that should point out the vast differences between the candidates, McCain and Obama had very different responses to the latest missile test by Iran.

Obama's:

Senator Obama said Iran "must suffer
threats of economic sanctions with direct diplomacy opening up channels
of communication so we avoid provocation, but we give strong incentives
for the Iranians to change their behavior."

McCain's:

"Working with our European and regional
allies is the best way to meet the threat posed by Iran, not unilateral
concessions that undermine multilateral diplomacy," McCain said.

Iranians Flexing Their Muscles

In the name of peace, they needed to demonstrate that they can in fact hit Israel. Which means they can also hit American forces in Iraq or Afghanistan, as well as our ships in the region.

Michigan Congressman: Hike Gas Tax by $.50 per Gallon

Ever wonder why Michigan's economy is so bad? The next time someone says NAFTA just remember this.

A Michigan congressman wants to put a 50-cent tax on every gallon of gasoline to try to cut back on Americans' consumption.

With politicians like this in Michigan, who needs enemies?

Also of interest...

Some environmentalists and economists say pain at the pump may be bad for Americans, but good medicine for a sick planet.

[Emphasis mine]. Which economists exactly? Other than Marx of course.

Rasmussen: McCain up Big versus Clinton/Obama

More evidence that the Democrat's "perfect storm" election isn't so perfect.

McCain currently leads Barack Obama 49% to 42% and Hillary Clinton 51% to 41% margin

Reuter's: Obama's Lead Deminishes

The poll showed Obama had only a statistically insignificant lead of 47 percent to 44 percent over Clinton, down sharply from a 14 point edge he held over her in February when he was riding the tide of 10 straight victories.

More importantly

McCain leads 46 percent to 40 percent in a hypothetical matchup against Obama in the November presidential election, according to the poll.

The even more shocking part is that this poll was conducted on March 13th and 14th, before the crazy/racist pastor story broke - he will likely fall even further.

Bin Laden: Pope Behind Cartoon Conspiracy

Apparently Osama Bin Laden believes the Pope is secretly behind the re-publication of Danish cartoons some Muslims found offensive. So much so that he's threatening to attack EU countries to prove the criticism of Islam as a violent religion wrong.

Bin Laden in an audio recording posted on the Internet said that the drawings which were published by Danish and other newspapers were part of a "crusade" in which the Catholic Pope was involved.

Astonishing: Gov. Paterson admits to sex with other woman for years

Within hours of being sworn in scandal already surrounds the new Governor.

In a stunning revelation, both Paterson, 53, and his wife, Michelle, 46, acknowledged in a joint interview they each had intimate relationships with others during a rocky period in their marriage several years ago.

I guess he figured he should clear the air now rather than wait for it all to come out later and sink him as well.

Clinton: We cannot win Iraq War

More inspiration (or verbal vomit, I forget which) from the Clintons.

Democrat Hillary Clinton charged on Monday the Iraq war may end up costing Americans $1 trillion and further strain the economy, as she made her case for a prompt U.S. troop pullout from a war "we cannot win."

She must be desperate to get in good with her base... I know McCain's in Iraq. Do you think he'd agree? (That's a hint for those of you who think there is no difference between McCain and Clinton/Obama).

"Iraq war disappears as TV story"

It's not so surprising that since the surge has improved conditions in Iraq the coverage of the war has almost completely disappeared.

Statistics clearly illustrate the diminished attention. For the first 10 weeks of the year, the war accounted for 3 percent of television, newspaper and Internet stories in the Project for Excellence in Journalism's survey of news coverage. During the same period in 2007, Iraq filled 23 percent of the news hole.

The Miami Herald claims it's really just because people are tired of the war and disinterested.

More still they I thought this was an interested portion:

Whether the media is to blame or not, people clearly know less about what's going on in Iraq than they used to. About half of Americans have consistently been able to correctly estimate how many U.S. military personnel have died there, most recently last August. But a survey conducted two weeks ago by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found only 28 percent knew that just about 4,000 Americans have been killed.

Why don't people know how terrible things are there? Clearly the media isn't doing a good enough job reminding us how awful are government is (unless it's socializing medicine).

SNL's Tracy Morgan Defends Obama

How does Tracy Morgan from Saturday Night Live feel about the Obama/Clinton race?

Bitch may be the new black, but black is the new president, bitch.

Outstanding and classy, just like Obama.

Fox: We can say f***, as long as it's not in the script

The Supreme Court is going to decide whether FCC policy that prohibits "fleeting" curses is Constitutional.

The case concerns a Federal Communications Commission policy that allows for fines against broadcasters for so-called "fleeting expletives," one-time uses of the F-word or its close cousins.

Fox Broadcasting Co., along with ABC, CBS and NBC, challenged the new policy after the commission said broadcasts of entertainment awards shows in 2002 and 2003 were indecent because of profanity uttered by Bono, Cher and Nicole Richie.

Obama's Church: "Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who ... embrace the Black Value System "

LittleGreenFootballs has been covering a developing story about some information the Obama's Church has quietly removed from their website.

I won't spoil the whole thing for you but any member of an institution which requires loyalty to an ethnic group should be a questionable candidate for President.

11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System.

At least I don't remember my Pastor ever suggesting I should give my "allegiance" to all "white leadership". But hey, when you're a rock star like Obama pay no mind to the man under the sheet.

Cramer on 3/11: "No! No! No! Bear Sterns is not in trouble!"

On the outside, Cramer looks like a fool for saying this on March 11th:

“Dear Jim: Should I be worried about Bear Stearns in terms of liquidity and get my money out of there? --
Peter Cramer says: “No! No! No! Bear Stearns is not in trouble. If anything, they’re more likely to be taken over. Don’t move your money from Bear.”

If you took his advice last week you should send Cramer a thank you card, since the stock skyrocketed to $2 per share on Sunday.

Obama's Church: Rev. Wright's Message Taken Out of Context

It looks like this one just one big misunderstanding. Apparently there is some context in which "God damn America" being ruled by "rich white people" would be appropriate.

Officials at Sen. Barack Obama's church have taken offense at the controversy born out of the fiery statements made by their senior pastor who sermonized that black Americans should sing "God Damn America" instead of "God Bless America."

My mistake.

Note: props to ABC news for actually quoting the "Reverend's" statements as compared with some other reports which have referred only vaguely to some "inflammatory statements".

Dollar/Credit Crunch; Fed Lowers Rates

The Fed issued another emergency rate cut on Sunday in the aftermath of the Bears Sterns collapse. Despite the declining dollar and inflation it looks like we'll keep bailing out the banks until they're nationalized and we enter a complete collapse.

The Federal Reserve is urgently moving to contain a deepening credit crisis and restore confidence in panicked financial markets by becoming a lender of last resort for Wall Street investment houses, which were able to secure short-term emergency loans beginning Monday.

We're starting to look like inter-war Germany before Nazism. But, hey, they recovered... right?