Via Power Line:

The top finishers in the Power Line Prize competition are being posted around the web. Number seven, called “Fiscal Child Abuse,” is a video submitted by the Independence Institute in Colorado. It features three young girls who want to start a lawsuit; it is funny, and is one of my favorites in the competition. Roger Simon of Pajamas Media has posted the video. …

Number five was submitted by the Young Cons, two rappers (and basketball players) from Dartmouth. Their video features lots of quick cuts as they interview students and a soldier. The cons themselves take the stage at the end. It is an impressive piece of work that rivets your attention even though it was one of the longer videos in the competition.

And here is number five:

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Barack Obama’s approval rating is presently a rousing 42%. That means the largest portion of the sane American public would love to see the first family pack up their Samsonites® and head back to the Winfrey City, famous for deep-dish pizza, Mayor Rahm, and the type of thuggish politics the head of the house is obviously comfortable with.

However, President Barack Obama’s latest fundraising report cites an “A-list of Hollywood stars, with donations from some of the top celebrities in the entertainment industry.” Apparently, left-coast liberals want to see to it that the best script reader since Martin Sheen has another shot at practicing lines on set while acting the part of President.

It’s not surprising that Hollywood is smitten with the “Yes We Can” man’s refusal to admit he can’t.  Those in the acting profession are impressed by amateurs like Barry Soetoro (stage name Barack Obama), who has proven to have a professional-level ability to make believe he’s something he is not. Heck, for a season, even Paul Giamatti was convinced he was John Adams.

What could be better for Hollywood than a President who swims around in a policy cesspool similar to the one they refuse to empty in Tinsel Town, overflowing with the squalid water of loose morals, abortion rights, angry feminists, racial indignation, class warfare, and overall elitist hypocrisy? (more…)

In 1796, President George Washington decided to retire from public service, thus not seeking a third term. He wrote a 32 page Farewell Address, with Alexander Hamilton’s ever present counsel. It was printed in Philadelphia’s American Daily Advertiser, on September 19, 1796. Not only is it mesmerizing, it is pertinent. To shed light on the remarkable, relevancy of his words and the timelessness of his wisdom, I am writing a five-part series on George Washington’s Farewell Address.

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Where is reason?

But the constitution which at any time exists, till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people is sacredly obligatory to all.

George Washington, in his Farewell Address, speaks to us about the obligation we have, as citizens, to the United States Constitution. Obligation. Americans, we the people, who live in America, we the people, who reap from her spirit, her resources, her goodness, her history of independence and equality, should be obliged to live by and honor our Constitution.

But do we? How can we, if we do not know it?

Americans love football. How would we ever expect a football player to play the game, if he did not know the rules? Similarly, how do we expect to maintain our republic if we do not know the rules, the laws, of our intended government?

Respect for its authority, compliance with its laws, acquiescence in its measures, are duties enjoined by the fundamental maxims of true liberty.

George Washington states that we should respect the Constitution’s authority, comply with its laws, acquiesce to its measures.

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There is a lot that a person can learn from watching “Scarface.”  While most of the lessons involve how to build a drug distribution empire, alternative uses for a chainsaw, and what not to do with your tongue when trying to impress a young lady, this movie also gives us some insight into the nature of Michael Moore.  There is a scene in the film where Tony Montana’s boss, Frank Lopez, is describing what a “chazzer” is.  Frank describes the term “chazzer” as a Yiddish word for “pig.”  In the world of “Scarface,” one of the traits of a chazzer is that “He don’t fly straight no more.”  This is the perfect description of Mr. Moore.

I am not calling Michael a pig because he hasn’t seen his toes since zoot suits were in fashion, or that he seems like the type who roots around the snack cake aisle at the supermarket like a hog rooting for truffles.  I am calling him a pig because all objective evidence points to the fact that he fits the definition of chazzer.  Michael is a pig that doesn’t fly straight.

OBAMA AND ME

Michael Moore first rolled onto the American scene when he made the film “Roger and Me.”  This movie was about the evils of General Motors and how the callous pursuit of profits by then CEO, Roger Smith, resulted in American plant closures and the unemployment of thousands of union workers.  At this point in his career he was very interested in what was going on with the world’s biggest auto producer (at the time) and how it affected the working man. (more…)

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Rep. Anthony Weiner and Bill Maher are both, obviously, looking down the road towards the inevitable ObamaCare fight in the Supreme Court and desperately hoping to craft some sort of conflict of interest narrative that might remove Justice Clarence Thomas – a likely vote for overturning that pile of steaming socialism – from the case. The Wall Street Journal’s John Fund not only destroys that desperate talking point with inconvenient facts about a judge on the notorious Ninth Circuit, but in a beautiful act of intellectual judo, he effectively throws down the feminist card … twice. 

Argue with that, Lefties!

I must say that with all the personal vitriol and venom we’ve seen directed towards conservative women and Blacks lately, it was impressive to see (outside of a couple of harmless jokes) a substance-based debate surrounding Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. Maher can talk about Glenn Beck’s behavior all he wants, but all of America knows that the only person melting down on cable right now is Chris Matthews. One can only imagine the spectacle that spittle-flecked ball of Bachmann rage would’ve made of himself had he been on the “Real Time” panel last night. Just hearing the names Clarence and Ginni Thomas would’ve likely split his skull wide open as he screamed “APOSTATE!”  Thankfully, Matthews wasn’t there, though, and this ended up being a pretty good discussion.  

It’s also worth noting that on the very same evening Maher declared an end to Palin’s political ascent, she was giving the speech of her life.

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Larry McMurtry is a national treasure, the man responsible for literary classics like Lonesome Dove and The Last Picture Show.

His op-ed skills, alas, need some fine tuning.

McMurtry took to the pages of The Washington Post this week to share his thoughts on the Tucson shooting and the ensuing cultural debate. He’s a longtime Tucson resident and felt he had something to add to the conversation.

“Brokeback Mountain” screenwriters Larry McMurtry, left, and Diana Ossana with director Ang Lee

On second thought …

His rambling essay contained the usual liberal bromides spelled out in convoluted fashion. And, worst of all, he apparently has serious misgivings about the free and unfettered political debates in this country. Why would an artist who makes his living with words fear a spirited body politic?

After a quick attack on Arizona’s lax gun restrictions – a subject wholly relevant to the matter at hand – McMurtry brings out his big guns.

Oh, sorry. Is that hate speech today?

He applauds Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik for blaming heated political rhetoric for the killings, even though the entire civilized world now knows there isn’t a microscopic scrap of evidence to bolster Dupnik’s case. (more…)

CNN’s Headline News division might not know what it’s getting into by hiring Dr. Drew Pinsky to anchor a nightly broadcast in 2011. The media savvy doctor, the addiction medicine specialist behind “Loveline” and “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew,” should be the go-to guy for the latest Lindsay Lohan meltdown.

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But there’s another side to the good doctor, one recently revealed on “The Adam Carolla Podcast.” The Nov. 26 podcast, which reteamed Pinsky with his old “Loveline” partner, found the duo railing against government overreach while praising the free market system. You won’t find that kind of material on HLN’s “The Joy Behar Show.”

It’s grand news for conservatives, who might hear their opinions shared by that rare TV personality outside the Fox News bubble. And Pinsky isn’t a divisive figure like former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin or Rush Limbaugh. He’s not viewed through an ideological prism, so when he pontificates on a topic it has the chance to stir the independent crowd to action. He might even make a liberal or two rethink an entrenched opinion.

Behar likely won’t be swayed, though. (more…)

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Dr. Drew not only has a new Headline News show, he’s also sounding more and more like a small government conservative/libertarian every day. Who can’t relate to his statement about all the government hassles involved in simply improving YOUR OWN HOME. the ObamaCare prediction is chilling, however, because it makes so much sense.

As the old joke goes, if America screws up her health care system, where will Canadians and wealthy European socialists go?

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By now you’ve probably seen one of those TV ads where 84-year-old small-screen legend Andy Griffith blatantly shills for ObamaCare. If not, take a look below at the first spot, entitled “1965.” Put your feet up on the antebellum veranda and listen to the guitar sweetly plucking and Andy gently extolling the benefits of the U.S. government’s incipient hostile takeover of one-sixth of the economy. You can practically smell the magnolias blossoming just outside the overcrowded, understaffed clinic you’ll be stuck in for days once the new law really takes hold.

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There’s something disturbingly Being John Malkovich about Griffith’s Being Andy Taylor routine in these ads. That said, you have to credit the ObamaCare marketing team for this stroke of advertising genius. How do you best sell a wildly unrealistic, Utopian health-care fantasy to a resistant American public? You hire the beloved star of a beloved show set in a beloved, unrealistic, Utopian fantasy town, naturally.

Or do you?

Because, paradoxically, that’s exactly what’s wrong with hiring Sheriff Taylor to pitch ObamaCare. Mayberry was an alien, antiseptic fantasy-land of normalcy run amok. Even by the pristine naive standards of rural 1960, that America never existed. (more…)

President Barack Obama is about to learn that Hollywood is the ultimate fair-weather friend, where one hit and especially one flop can change everything about the way a majority of the power in this town will publicly support and stand by you. There’s only one thing these people hate more than everyday Americans and that’s the stench that emanates from a loser. So insecure are they over their own status that when faced with a public failure, the very first instinct these Tinseltown paragons of narcissism summon is to immediately run away out of the selfish fear that some of that stench might get on them.  

Two examples:

In 1978, a young director named Michael Cimino ascended to the very tippity-top of Tinseltown adulation with his sophomore directing effort “The Deer Hunter,” which triumphed at the box office and that year’s Oscars. Subsequently, everyone in Hollywood wanted to be like Mike. And yet, a mere two years after his out-of-nowhere rise to the top and flushed with the power of his own invincibility, Cimono went on a then-unprecedented spending spree to produce the ill-conceived “Heaven’s Gate” which would not only become the biggest financial debacle in all of Hollywood history, but effectively destroy an entire studio, United Artists. 

And thus ended Hollywood’s love affair with Michael Cimino. Oh, he would go on to make a few more films but by most definitions, the toast of Hollywood’s career was all but dead and he would never truly receive a second chance.

Fast-forward to 2008 when a young Senator named Barack Obama ascended to the very tippity-top of Hollywood adulation and won the highest office in the land. Everyone in left-wing Hollywood wanted to be like Barack. And then, right after his out-of-nowhere rise to the top, while still flushed with the power of his own invincibility, President Obama went on an unprecedented spending spree to produce the ill-conceived Heaven’s Gate of economic plans which would become the biggest financial debacle in generations and the Waterworld of health care plans which would prove to be more unpopular than some diseases. Overnight, the net result of both would all but destroy the hard-earned gains of the Democrat Party in a single midterm election.

And thus ended Hollywood’s love affair with Barack Obama. (more…)

For decades the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People fought the good fight against racial discrimination. The organization was instrumental in defeating Jim Crow and discrimination in the work-place; it led the charge in establishing voting rights for all and equal access to quality education. Even now the NAACP does some good work in local communities. However, as a national civil-rights organization, it has lost its way.

In his seminal book, “The Souls of Black Folk,” NAACP co-founder, W.E.B. Dubois describes awakening to a morning “when men ask of the workmen, not ‘Is he white?’ but ‘Can he work?’ When men ask artists, not ‘Are they black?’ but ‘Do they know?’”

Sadly, the NAACP has veered far from Dubois’ vision and the realization of the principle of racial non-discrimination. The NAACP is now a defender of a system of racial spoils, a champion of big government, and a promoter of progressive politics. In short, the organization has been transformed into an enforcement arm of the Democrat Party. And that enforcement is achieved through the use of race as a weapon.

The NAACP’s recent report on racism within the Tea Party is a rather clumsy attempt at wielding that weapon in order to demonize political opposition to the Democrat agenda. It is also dangerous because it undermines black political and cultural progress. (more…)

Above is part one where President Obama ticks off his talking points for five very long minutes. Admittedly, Stewart’s guest is the President of the United States and you have to respect the office and not interrupt (though calling him “dude” is apparently on the table), but wow — has Obama lost his magnetism, or what?

In part two below you’re going to see Stewart assume the role, not of a satirist, but as the symbol of the Disillusioned Left. The left-wing comedian is really, really, really upset that ObamaCare isn’t a complete takeover of the entire capitalist economic system of the Free World. 

Also, again in part two, keep an eye out for right around the 7:30 mark when Stewart mocks Obama’s strained “I talked to a woman from Poughkeepsie…” anecdote.  This President cannot take a joke.

The “dude” comment comes early in part three but the scariest part of the whole interview comes at 6:38 mark of part three when Obama talks about how the use of the filibuster isn’t constitutional. Preview of a post-2010 wave strategy? Beats moving to the center and compromising with the Will of the People, right? (more…)

Am I the only one who feels like yanking my teeth out with needle nose pliers when he hears questions about what the ‘Tea Party’ is up to?  What candidate they’ll promote, which direction they’ll move next, and how the ‘Tea Party will influence upcoming election?  Am I the only one?   Okay, let’s clear this up – (unless of course I’ve taken too many rim shots to the head and have simply lost my mind, but)… there is no ‘Tea Party.’

It is not a political party.  Tea Parties are political gatherings in which concerned and outraged American citizens express their outrage at government spending and crippling legislation and reaffirm collectively their devotion to American Constitutional values.

But there is no Tea Party, there is no Conservative Party, and there is no Liberal Party.  We have basically a two-party political system, the Democrats and the Republicans.  All other ‘parties’ act as spoilers in political elections.  Third party candidates end up swaying election results as to hurt the very people they were hoping to help: themselves.  They split the vote.  Witness two past presidential election votes in which Ross Perot split the Republican vote, awarding both elections to the Democrat, Bill Clinton.  Ralph Nader has been a thorn in the Democrats’ side with his Green Party…or is it the Peace & Freedom Party…or was it the Nutjobs & Pudwhacks for Mindless Change Party, I don’t remember.  Anyway… There is no Tea ‘Party’.

But there is a Libertarian Party. (more…)

Via C. Edmund Wright at American Thinker:

NEWS FLASH: Student Loan Forgiveness for the Arts

Good news for those who work in the nonprofit or public arts and still carry student loans or employ those who might. Some of your debt might be eligible to be “forgiven” by the government. Under the health care reform legislation passed in February in the United States, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program was established to encourage individuals to seek out employment and remain employed full time in public service organizations. The deal is that the remaining balance of federal direct loans would be forgiven after the borrower has made 10 years of monthly payments (beginning after Oct 1, 2007) while employed full time by a public service organization. Find all of the details at http://studentaid.ed.gov.”

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So.  Is “fired up” to be the defining signature phrase of our time?  The ghastly aptness that it has to many settings now may help shield President Obama from history’s judgment for his over-dependency upon it, but he’s still bandying it about almost daily.  Right now it’s providing him “hope” in needed doses, I guess.

I’m remembering his 2008 campaign litany “Y’all fired up? Ready ta go? …Fired up?”

Call and response does energize a crowd.  Obama wasn’t the first to deploy it, only the first to deploy it with such momentous success.  In the unknown future of our constitutional republic, call n’ response is as here to stay as rock n’ roll.  Crowds still matter, even in the cyberspace age.  Acting together physically is still how the homo sapiens do it, and any ruling class of the species still takes heed.

The method of call and response and of group chanting or singing may be powerful, even dignified, as in “We Shall Overcome.”  Or may be lame, even embarrassing, as in “Whadya want?”… “When d’ya want it?” and the like.  People participating in call and response or in sing-along reveal things about their character:  Faith?  Anxiousness?  Selfishness?  Opportunism?

What did you experience in the character of the last throng you got next to?  Mine would have sneered back at Obama’s call “Fired Up?” with the response “Hell, yeah!!”  And yet there was gloom.  Not always competing well against the gloom were joy, faith, or any of the quite rational exuberance or lightness of being with a just cause. 

C’mon!  The issues may be solemn, but that’s not what we’re entitled to be.  For your consideration, for your next throng—a little lightness for your jumbo-tron! 

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According to Nikki Finke, Universal sent a trailer of the upcoming film The Dilemma, directed by Ron Howard and starring Vince Vaughn, to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) in order to get their blessing. Universal claims that GLAAD had no problem with the trailer, but a press release issued by GLAAD says they did:

After reviewing, GLAAD called on Universal to remove the scene where the word ‘gay’ was used as a pejorative from the trailer. Today, after Anderson Cooper also spoke out against the scene, Universal confirmed to GLAAD that the offensive joke will be removed from promotional campaigns from this point forward, including in the trailer currently playing in movie theatres.

Kind of hilarious, isn’t it, that Anderson Cooper, who made plenty of jokes on television about “teabagging” at the expense of Tea Partiers, would complain about the word “gay” being used as a pejorative? But that’s neither here nor there. And the point of this post is not to debate whether saying “that’s so gay” or whatever is offensive enough to be scrubbed from the American lexicon, and whether one group should have the power to make that decision.

No, the point of this post is to ask some very serious questions: Why did Universal feel the need to send its trailer to GLAAD for their PC benediction in the first place? Does Universal send their trailers to other special interest groups for vetting too? What about other studios? Do they make it a regular practice to send trailers to GLAAD, the NAACP, PETA, NOW, CAIR, and others? And does it stop at trailers? What about scripts? Previews? Merchandising ideas? (more…)

So Campus Progress – whatever that is – released a new video featuring college students, naked, whining about lack of health care.

It’ll tickle the back of your throat:

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So let me get this straight: you’re young, healthy and unemployed – and your solution for lack of health care is …THIS?

You know – There’s another option: getting off your asses, stop sponging off your parents and your government, and look for a damn job. That’s what people do in order to pay for things they want.

I mean – listen to this whine:

“For decades we were left wondering if we’d ever get covered.”

Really – you were wondering about health care before you were born? I don’t know what’s worse: your lack of initiative, your mindless dependence on handouts or your sulky expectations that obliterate any desire for achievement. (more…)

I am Victoria’s ukulele and I am in this fight for freedom too.

She takes me to all the rallies and I purposefully sit right in front of the podium so that everyone will notice me. I attended the Beverly Hills Tea Party. All the cameras saw my bumper sticker shouting, “I SUPPORT ARIZONA!!” Can you believe the President of the United States would sue a state?! Man, these are crazy times! All AZ did was ask him to protect them from illegal aliens and criminals. I guess the President doesn’t want to protect them and he is really mad about it. Mad enough to sue.

Suing is a big problem in America. Suing and lawyers. Tort Reform. The President is a lawyer, right? Lawyer sounds like Liar.

You don’t think he has ulterior motives…like, if he kisses butt to millions of illegals and gives them amnesty, they’ll all vote for him? Nah! That’s too nefarious.

Although, I did hear a rumor recently involving that Sherrod lady and “reparations” being paid to black farmers in the south. Many of the “farmers” receiving government money were not even farmers. A lot of things happen below the radar, with our tax money. Things we did not vote for…like abortions. And speaking of nefarious, what’s happening with the offshore oil drilling moratorium? Seems a bit odd how it’s not in the news. And, why would the President want to limit the USA from using its natural resources, while allowing other countries to use them? Um, maybe he wants to make the USA a third world country. But, what do I know? I’m a Ukulele!! (more…)

Recently I was lucky enough to attend a political fundraiser featuring a new breed of documentary that looks, sounds, and smells like a real Hollywood movie.  I Want Your Money fairly summarizes the ideological battle currently playing out all over this country between big government liberalism and small government conservatism.  The movie is ultimately a teaching tool to encourage a return to the conservative constitutional principles that the Tea Party and true conservatives espouse.  It’s political evangelization, if you will.

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Bias alert: I am a member of the Eeeeevil Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, and have been since I was old enough to understand politics.  I realize I like the movie because it gives voice to facts and principles that animate conservatives — facts and principles that are ignored or omitted by the Make-Believe Media and Hollywood.  Many hardcore leftists will hate the film because they will hate the advocacy for limited government.  Predictably, they will call the director every name in the left-wing play book and pooh-pooh the film’s style; however, I challenge them to actually address the film’s facts without using name calling. 

I Want Your Money does the near-impossible: it makes politics entertaining.  The documentary combines historical clips and quotes with interviews of today’s conservatives, and lampoons prominent politicians from Nixon to Sarah Palin, Bill Clinton and, of course, President Obama using CGI cartooning.  My favorite bit was counting how many times Hillary got to slap a womanizing Bill Clinton.  There were many moments where the crowd of about 50 die-hard conservative Tea Party-types laughed out loud.  The director Ray Griggs has proved the adage, “you gotta know your audience.” (more…)

While listening to music on my I-phone, I began to contemplate the upcoming mid-term elections. The rock band, The Who sang: “I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution/Take a bow for the new revolution/Smile and grin at the change all around me/Pick up my guitar and play/Just like yesterday/And I’ll get on my knees and pray/We don’t get fooled again”

It struck me that the words could be an anthem for a new political generation. Of course, they might also be a prescient warning for voters casting ballots on November second.

As Election Day approaches, there is a feeling of excitement among conservatives. Republicans are poised to take control of both houses of Congress. As of this writing, both the Gallup and Rasmussen polls have Republicans holding a commanding double-digit lead among likely voters. There is even speculation that Republicans could win as many as 100 seats in the House of Representatives and 12 seats in the Senate.

Pardon me if, like Chris Matthews, I do not have a tingling sensation running up my leg at the prospect of Republican victory in November. Perhaps I would feel differently if Republicans had done something to earn victory in November. Alas, being the only alternative to an over-reaching, liberal congress and a president who is out of touch (and seemingly in over his head) is no great accomplishment. Yes, Republicans have stood in the way of Democratic hubris, as they should have. They are the opposition party and shouldn’t get brownie points for doing their job. (more…)