Reader Tips

The very definition of "in the tank":

The Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC) Wednesday evening newscasts devoted more than 9 minutes (9 minutes, 28 seconds) to the flap over Mitt Romney's statement criticizing the administration's handling of the Libyan crisis but spent just 25 seconds on questions regarding Barack Obama's Middle-East policy, a greater than 20-to-1 disparity.

(emph. mine)

Yes, it's THE story:

NBC's Brian Williams opened the Nightly News telling viewers: "Romney is taking fire tonight for the way he went on the attack politically…"

For that to be the lead story on the national news, on that particular day, is…well, insert your own adjective.

Amadeo Modigliani has painted a new species of monkey.

Quite lifelike, really.

Obama That I Used To Know - Gotye parody

Ben Bernanke childhood video

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NhXqXKdf6Vw/UFI8QL_qgkI/AAAAAAAAUuw/xTWTw2wb9WU/s1600/throwing-money.gif

CK demolishes Obama's Middle East policy.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/09/13/krauthammer_were_seeing_the_collapse_of_the_obama_policy_on_the_muslim_world.html

Article, stating US Ambassador to Libya was sodomized before he was murdered. http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2012/sep/13/picket-report-murdered-us-ambassador-libya-reporte/

EBD @10:08- I love it and want it and would be interested in adopting it and all its family and loving them and naming them and cuddling them.

You H8ters are the freaks! Look at those big brown eyes! As long as they don't eat cats I'm on board.

Great Modern Lovers tune! Jonathan comes through here almost every year still - saw him in a club here earlier this summer, always lots of fun.

EBD, 10:04p.m. -- Overall, I'm somewhat inclined to say that the media response to the situation is probably a good sign for those of us who wish to see Mr. Obama defeated and replaced by Mr. Romney. The trouble is, I absolutely don't trust the media's judgment -- or, for that matter, the judgment of a big part of the American public anymore.

For the big 500, or whatever's it's called, to so completely abandon any pretense whatsoever of professionalism, integrity and objectivity would be a pretty strong indication that they have concluded among themselves that the story is so damaging to Obama that it will sink his re-election chances.

On the other hand, they apparently had deluded themselves, against all available evidence, into thinking that foreign policy would be a strong suit for Obama. What's that about? Grasping at straws?

Fortunately, it's getting worse (see Drudge) -- we're now finding out that the Egyptian government knew the attacks were coming on September 4 (before the infamous film came out) and that the State Department had received warnings forty-eight hours before the attack. So, hopefully, the media line against Romney will collapse faster than Obama's ME policy.

Open question for the gun nuts: briefly, could someone explain to me why a "sawn off" shotgun is considered desirable? Obviously it's more easily concealed, but if that were the only criterion then one would just get a handgun. What's the advantage?

(BTW I of course mean "gun nuts" in a very very positive way. I'm sure any self-respecting member of the Dead Gopher Nation understands that.)

Since this is Readers Tips and I need an excuse to comment, I'll share with you the song that was playing with eidetic vividness in my head as I was waking up. Since most of my dreams are boring, unfocused and vaguely annoying, and since I am not at all musical, I guess this could be somehow significant. Like, Mayan Calendar stuff, or something. I mean, you don't know. I don't know. Who knows?

Obviously it's more easily concealed, but if that were the only criterion then one would just get a handgun. What's the advantage?

Shotguns and hacksaws are easier to obtain than handguns, and a lot cheaper too. The fact that 'sawed-off' guns are illegal makes little difference to someone using them for criminal activity.

north - so it's basically just a crude handgun? (I'm not trying to make one or anything.)

Veg-O-Matic was one of the true "Made in USA" kitchen gadgets that was sold by its own inventor, Sam Popeil, and later by his son Ron who formed the Ronco Corp.

What is amazing is that the original model was sold through direct marketing. It was one of the first food processors sold on TV.

In Malcolm Gladwell's book "What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures," he devotes a lot of time to highlight the Popeil family`s success.

@ Black Mamba

Like North of 60 mentioned, it is nothing but an easily available short range and easily concealable weapon. It is also illegal since it's barrel length is too short for a long gun, to which it is classified. It is also useless for any hunting applications too.

PS: The Dodge Veg-O-Matic

Its ironic that anyone would compare a bad used car to the Veg-O-Matic that was one of the best selling kitchen devices in US history!

Thanks.

Mamba, a shotgun has dozens of lead pellets in one shell. You're likely to hit your target; bystanders might take a hit too though. Train your cats to stand behind you.

@ Black Mamba
Also , the shorter the barrel,the wider the spread of the ammo. For short distance you only have to point the barrel in the general direction without a lot of aiming to hit the target.

I see. So it's more immediately (i.e. to the person firing and anyone standing next to him) dangerous. You might end up like a very nasty grouse-hunting accident (I will not diss Dick Cheney).

You guts always wow me on a gun thread.

Romney is losing again.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444433504577649850398690734.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

At close range there is little that equals a short barreled shotgun. From 1 oz. to 1 1/2 oz. of pre-fragmented lead is a horror story. Loaded with dimes and other creative loads makes for entertaining social occasions.

Someone pointing a 9mm hole at you, compared to 2 12 ga. holes is something to think about.

Toronto Star, Thursday, Sep. 13. Bob Hepburn.

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1255830--stephen-harper-s-democracy-award-a-sad-joke-on-canadians

"Harper’s record of abuse and assault on democracy and rights in Canada is long and well documented."

"In April, his government killed the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development (Rights & Democracy), which for 24 years had promoted democracy and monitored human rights around the world. "

Did it ever actually accomplish anything? Which previously undemocratic nations became democratic due to its efforts?

"In 2010, Harper slashed funding for the Canadian Human Rights Commission ..."

"In 2009, the prime minister approved cutting funds to Kairos, an organization of church groups ..."

"In 2006, Harper’s government severely chopped funding to Status of Women Canada ... Also in 2006, the Conservatives shut down the Court Challenges Program ..."

"In addition, Harper and his cabinet have flagrantly ignored freedom of speech and information tenets by muzzling senior bureaucrats, withholding and even altering documents, launching personal attacks on whistleblowers and lying to voters."

"Also, there’s the anti-democratic robocall affair in the 2011 federal election ..."

Democracy is about electing representatives into government, not about implementing left-wing policies, which is apparently what Hepburn would have us believe. None of these items affected Canadians' ability to elect a government in the slightest. Only the robocalls could have a serious anti-democratic effect, and they are reprehensible, although in practice they're probably no more effective than a lie told by a political candidate in a democratic election campaign, whether about another party or simply an empty promise. Of course no one ever suggests doing anything about that (and it would be highly impractical).

The only "sad joke" here is Hepburn's biased, fatuous column.

Black Mamba, a few years ago I spent election season in Venezuela, just for fun. One of the folks I stayed with kept a 12 gauge double barreled pistol next to his bed on his nightstand. Just a short little thing, nothing serious. It didn't appear to be home made, or home customized.
When I saw it, I asked what he expected to hit with this, it had a rather nice pearled plastic inlay on the sides. He replied that he simply wanted to shoot towards the door if need be, and made a "splat" sound with his mouth, trying to explain that he wouldn't be able to see anything at 3 am, or aim at anything. It needed to cover much of the doorway, and be a quick, single action.

So, a sawn off shotgun, would be the north american version of this. Messy, but quick and easy if you've got a job you need to get to.

Zerohedge wades into Bernanke's pool, and finds paper values for gold and oil, er... rising:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/what-does-4-trillion-fed-balance-sheet-mean-gold-and-oil

Ben and Stephen: Of socialism's Free Money stash.

...-

PM Harper:

"As U.S. Federal Reserve opens the vault, Harper warns: uncertainty has become ‘the new norm’; "I didn’t expect the level of uncertainty that we still see in the global economy""

Ben Fed/USA:

"Fed's bold plan still might not jolt slow economy; Bernanke urges everyone to keep expectations in check: "I personally don't think that it's going to solve the problem."

http://www.newswatchcanada.ca/

nv53, 2:21a.m. -- You got that right. And he carries on as if we're not capable of spotting the hypocrisy.

The robocall thing epitomizes the derangement in the clearest way -- Harper is guilty until proven innocent (not that we're going to allow him to prove his innocence, mind you) and 1,100 robo-calls changed the election outcome from what it would have been if the Tories hadn't cheated.

Are you kidding me? 1,100 robocalls. Even if they all proved legitimate, which is laughable on its face, and all proved to be Conservative inspired and all proved to influence voter behaviour. The irony, of course, is that Hepburn's failure to accord Harper the presumption of innocence is a whopper "abuse and assault" on what we consider to be an important tenet of our system of government. And Hepburn says this stuff with a straight face.

In this regard, the robocall thing is also a good representation of the rest of Hepburn's list of "abuses and assaults": they're so totally important and consequential that the only people who noticed they happened at all were those like Hepburn himself, a liberal lefty who actually gets paid to play Sherlock Holmes on this stuff -- as you say, a pretty sad way to earn a paycheque. Hepburn might want to stop and consider that the subjects of the alleged abuses and assaults are a case in point about the reasons for the decline and fall of his beloved Liberal Party -- all fury and outrage at election time, followed by the most miniscule and meaningless window-dressing once in office.

You don't have to read Czech to understand this blog post.

http://ac.blog.sme.sk/c/307639/Ben-Bernanke-za-mlada.html

Crowds are gathering outside of French consulates across the English speaking world today, chanting death threats, setting fires, and trampling the French flag. Commentators suggest the violence is a result of a French magazine publishing topless photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge. "How dare they insult our royalty?" screamed the leader of the Canadian riot, a fervent monarchist named 'Roy' who screamed for blood.

Oh yeah, right. We don't behave that way.

"[Michael] Totten is a dupe, and a pious ass."

"He has done his part, along with many others, to obfuscate the dire predicament in which we now find oursleves viz. Islam and the reborn global Jihad ."

...-

58. Morton D.

#41. Larry, Israel: “Why quote Michael Totten, though? He is one of the people who with great enthusiasm and self-righteous moral superiority cheer-led the Arab Spring. Now he says enough is enough?”

Indeed, I failed to point that contemptible fact out above. I began to figure out what a tool he was in 2005 or so before he was even more widely known. He wrote an article entitled something like “Kosovo, the Israel of the Balkans”. The comparison was an obscenity, and betrayed a gaping lack of comprehension. It was obvious he was ignorantly devoted to the evil Clinton/Wesley Clarke/Euro/NATO narrative of that entire tragedy/debacle. So there he was equating a newly minted Jihad mini-state with Israel. Disgusting. I tried to inform him about some history in the region, the fact that this was far from the one sided so-called “genocide” used to justify the titanic blunder. Totten was and is very fond of the Muslim Kosovars. I pointed out that the Muslims had been raging Jihad aginst this tiny European outpost since they sacked Constantinople 500 years prior. The Serb Christians were not perfect, they did some mean things, but the Muslims were getting paid back in their own coin. And the Christian Serbs were still Western, they were stalwart, and, unlike many of their horrid Western counterparts, they had effectively and successfully resisted Islam’s rape for centuries. We could have learned a thing or two about resisting Jihad and protecting ourselves from great harm.

I pointed out that the Kosovo region had, until very recently, been predominantly non-Muslim, orthodox Christian (descended from Byzantium, no less). I pointed out that their situation was not unsimilar to Lebanon – within living memory a functioning pretty place where Muslims were thankfully in the minority. I pointed out that today, and during the war of which Totten was also such a pious righteous arrogant fan, that the Muslims, yet again, had exterminated their enemies with nary a complaint from the West. The narrative then to justify that heinous, self destructive war was the same warmed over vile, self-loathing story we are seeing played out today. Muslims = victim. Anyone who stands up to them vigorously = hater, racist, bigot, maniac, etc.

http://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2012/09/13/islamic-zombies-and-much-more/#comments

O's Mohammedans' Policy Busted/Exploded.

O: Ich Bin Ein Mohammedan, Old Chaps.

...-

"Liberal super PAC: Calling Republicans racist more effective than criticizing policy"

"updated: 5,000 Islamists storm/torch German embassy in Khartoum, Sudan
"badly damaged" by fire; British embassy also stormed; details emerging"

http://www.newswatchcanada.ca/

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/09/13/hillel-neuer-new-un-human-rights-official-is-a-hero-to-holocaust-deniers/

The UN is increasingly bizarre.

A hilarious photo from BNI.

Whatever happened to

"It's the economy, Stupid!"
?

French publish topless photos of Kate Middleton. Reports of outraged Brits storming the French embassy...

"Friday Funny – Guardian publishes a story about Earth ‘raising the white flag’ due to disappearing ice, then disappears the story"

"Fortunately, the Internet has a memory. Here’s some excerpts from the story by Damian Carrington. After reading it, I can see why they disappeared it.

Continue reading →"

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/09/14/friday-funny-guardian-publishes-a-story-about-earth-raising-the-white-flag-due-to-disappearing-ice-then-disappears-the-story/

U.S. commanded MFO base in North Sinai under attack by Muslim terrorists, dead reported...breaking

Jay Carney, David Axelrod and Barack Obama are working on how to blame Romney for this.

Obama's the do-nothing, know-nothing, take-responsibility-for-nothing POTUS. He's not worthy of the office and makes a mockery of it.

Watch this: Michelle Malkin on Fire

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/09/michelle-malkin-on-fire.php

O'narcissist 'stand fast':

"Says other governments must help protect U.S. diplomats"

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/14/film-protests-obama-idINL1E8KEH3N20120914

I demand to be arrested for blasphemy. Now.
Posted by Ann Barnhardt - September 14, AD 2012 1:12 PM MST

http://barnhardt.biz/