Friday, January 30, 2009

Yup - Saw This Coming...

Angry Senator Wants Pay Cap on Wall Street 'Idiots'

Uh-huh...

An angry U.S. senator introduced legislation Friday to cap compensation for employees of any company that accepts federal bailout money. Under the terms of a bill introduced by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, no employee would be allowed to make more than the president of the United States.
Anyone who says they didn't see this coming - was too busy looking for the inaugural unicorns.

Prior to the 'Bailout', the very IDEA that government would be allowed to introduce legislation dictating what a company could pay its employees would have been met with gasps of horror from anyone not already on the welfare rolls.

Now?

Hey guys, what did you think you were selling?

Let me give you a hint : "Freedom"

...hope you got a good price.

- MuscleDaddy

P.S. -
Gov't gives money to Business... Gov't takes control of Business... Gov't tells Business what pay is "Fair"...

Sounds familiar... like something I might have said Before

CNN Hits Bottom - Digs...

That they can make themselves see this as anything but shameful absolutely beggars the imagination:

CNN Hawking Obamessiah Shirts

(Here's a couple of captures, for when they memory-hole this later...)



There's... just ...nothing to say here.

How could I mock this in a way that would make it seem more ridiculous?

- MuscleDaddy

Thursday, January 29, 2009

"Well I, for one, am v-v-very interested to see w-w-what's going to happen next."

So there I am, following up on an article link from Tyrone (my favorite sparring-commenter), when I run across this in the UK Telegraph:

"Perez Hilton: Is Michelle Obama pregnant?"

Now, at the moment these stories (everyone who's anyone is buzzing about it) are still in the 'unconfirmed rumor' stage - but the idea does set one to thinking...

Michelle is, what? 45? 46? - That's 'getting on a bit' for child-bearing age.

Also, as is reiterated in the Telegraph story:

"Mrs Obama, known as America's "mom-in-chief", has stated that she and her husband and "commander-in-chief", President Barack Obama, do not plan to have another child."
So let's see - "do not plan" - so if there is, in fact, a pregnancy @ the White House, we could reasonably characterize it as 'unplanned'.

An 'unplanned pregnancy' (btw - both MuscleBabies were 'unplanned') is something we Bitter-Clingers out here in Flyover-Bumpkin-Land would largely refer to as a "Baby".

Some others would refer to an unplanned pregnancy as a "Mistake."

And we already know how The One feels about "mistakes"...



...and we already know Michelle's stance...


Hmmmm....


So - if the rumors are true, this could obviously go one of two ways:

We could either see the first White House birth in over 100 years...

...or find out just how Pro-abortion the White House really is.

(can you just imagine NARAL staging a Victory/Support demonstration in front of the White House?)

A child-bearing-age couple in the White House - and this is something to legitimately wonder about...

...God Help Us All.

  - MuscleDaddy

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The only point to take away from the "Rush Scandal"

So, here is a pretty good indication of how most supporters of The One are madly spinning the current Rush/Obama business:


"Rush Limbaugh is worried."...

"Right now Rush is being played. The Obama dinner with conservative columnists, shortly before his inauguration, was as much about excluding Rush as coddling the columnists. Not only did the conservatives fawn, but Rush fumed. It got under his skin. Indeed, the rumor that he might in fact be there (likely coming from the Obama camp), and then his evident lack of an invitation, highlighted the slight."...

"The game the president is playing is to make a testy, easy-to-arouse, fun-to-rankle Rush come to stand for an odd-ball, tone-deaf, blowhard far right that the rest of the desperate-to-be-liked Republican Party will eagerly distance itself from."...


Okay, so 'Rush is running scared'...blah,blah...'Obama's a genius'...blah,blah...'Rush is being marginalized'...blah,blah... etc, etc, et-frakkin'-cetera...


Consider this:

George W. Bush endured every manner of slight & slander from every media outlet available, from "straight news" to commentary shows, newspaper columns, sitcoms and even asshat music award shows (look, a two-fer! MS-LSD calls it 'candor')

Now - name for me ONE TIME that 'W.' called out a single media personality like that... or made reference to a network or even overt references to 'The Press'.

(...No, it's okay - Take your time - I'll wait....)

So now, let me understand this:

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, goes out of his way to acknowledge Rush and even to deliberately disinvite him from a 'conservative media dinner' - and RUSH is the one on the ropes?

Are you kidding me?

That's more air-time than Bush gave Olbermann after years of spittle-flecked ranting!


OBAMA: If you guys listen to Rush, you're just not cool!

OBAMEDIA: Ooooo,... pwned!!!1!


Oh yeah, baby - Rush is the one who's worried!

Look out - it's amateur-hour @ the White House.

- MuscleDaddy

Too Little, Too Late?

The British people would like their guns back, please...
(h/t- "Public Secrets")

Apparently, the 40% post-handgun-ban, cause-and-effect crime increase has finally become too much for the British law-abiding populace to bear.


Watch the whole thing and listen to some of those people:

"It's not safe."

"We can't count of the police to protect us."

"The ban was a failure."

"Things have changed."

...and even aside from the usual travelling packs of layabouts that socialism historically breeds, do you suppose they could also be referring to the annexation of whole sections of Britain and their transformation into places where the laws of the land simply do not apply?

Or maybe the continuing increase of homicides committed by indistinct "youths"?

Even the police (as @ 2:55 in the video) know what no one will openly admit - Gun Bans only work to disarm the law-abiding populace - and allow Goblins to commit their crimes unimpeded.

The police, after all, haven't stopped carrying or wearing body armor since the ban that was to "make everything safer".

So here is the mature case-study in disarming a country's general populace, while simultaneously pushing them ever farther down the slope of socialism: England.

There, in the light of day, for anyone with the desire & honesty to see it.

The people of once-"Great" Britain now see what they've lost - what they've given away - and, as you can see in the video, they want it back.

Unfortunately it is far, far more difficult to regain Rights & Liberties, once lost, than it is to defend them in the first place.

...just ask Tony Martin.


- MuscleDaddy

Two Thousand Words

Vermont.
Area: 9,620 Square miles
Population: 621,270 (2008 est.)

Israel.
Area: 8,019 / 8,522 Square miles (give or take) It depends on who you ask.
Population: 2008 estimate 7,282,000

Is it too much to ask that this tiny little sliver of land could be a safe home for the sons and daughters of Abraham?

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

I REALLY thought they'd wait for this...

...at least for a little while.

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you:

"Obama's Little Blue Book"


(From the Product Description)

POCKET OBAMA serves as a reminder of the amazing power of oratory and the remarkable ability of this man to move people with his words, a primer for readers who want to examine the substance of his thought and reflect on the next great chapter in the American story.

His superb and captivating oratory has earned comparisons to John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and this collection presents words that catapulted his remarkable rise to the American Presidency.

Learn earnestly and diligently. It is an unofficial requirement for every citizen to own, to read, and to carry this book at all times.

Now - before you start thinking "This is Amazon making a joke"
(understandable, given the 'customer images' that have been added)
... let's look around:


Here is the website of The History Company - being the company that holds the copyright.
(they only sell in packs of 10 - referring you to Amazon for single copies...)

Here's the search by ISBN:

And if THAT'S not frightening enough, apparently you can also find it at CampusBookRentals.com
(this will be an important resource when university funding depends on how many sections of 'Dear Leader' are being taught per semester)


BTW - that "unofficial requirement" bit is actually in the book, too

....which just shows how ahead-of-the-curve this publisher is (as in 'unofficial' - so far).


Personally, I think that being able to refer back to this in the future will be an important teaching tool.

I think everyone should get one of these and keep it on the shelf next to "Fall of the Roman Empire", Mao's "Little Red Book" and "Mein Kampf"


.... after all, we repeat history because we forget it.


Like the man says: "Learn earnestly and diligently"

- MuscleDaddy

Monday, January 26, 2009

Well, THAT was Quick!

"Barack Obama's approval rating plunges 15 points"

"But there were signs yesterday that reality has set in following the wave of optimism surrounding his inauguration last Tuesday."

But...but it cannot be!

Was not the sky to open, the light come down, celestial choirs sing and everyone know to do the right thing and the world become perfect???

Yea verily, and so it was upon the Fifth Day (being neither the fourth nor the sixth) that the first of the great plagues were loosed upon the denizens of Obamatopia - and so unto them did come ...

The Rain of Subpoenas

Hmeh.

- MuscleDaddy

Same Actions, Expecting Different Results...

It occurred to me that I shouold have posted about this before - but somehow I never let it get beyond the 'conversation' stage.

Earlier this month, I tapped out a post about the (then) shooting-war in Israel.

I pointed out that everything was happening as it has happened before, complete with the standard, anti-Israel responses and "coverage" from the Left-wing Media.

Ben Shapiro wrote on the same matter, from the Israeli perspective - explaining Why Israel Will Lose...Again (essentially, because they continue to insist on playing this the same way every time)

So here we are, right back where we've been:

- Israel stops defending itself to "negotiate",

- The former Egyptians/Jordanians declare victory,
(because they weren't all slaughtered - which must demonstrate Israel's weakness, after all)

- An "Uneasy Cease-fire" begins

- During which we're supposed to believe that the former Egyptians/Jordanians are "negotiating" in good faith...


...and everything old becomes new again...

U.S. Navy intercepts Iranian arms vessel

"...carrying weapons to rearm Hamas in the Gaza Strip..."

I understand that the Arabs/Muslims hate the Israelis because they have to - they are born and bred into it, and the Jews are the only thing further down their ladder-of-evil (tm) than Americans - but why do the Israelis insist on running through the same cycle that has failed so many times in the past?

Why do they insist on trying to 'negotiate' with people who only seem to even procreate so they can send more bomb-carriers against Israel - with people whose only intention is to carry-water for any country that would see Israel wiped off the face of the earth?

How many times will this particular Kabuki theater be played out before someone finally wakes up and says "enough"?

(seriously, jump in here and lend some insight - I'm at a loss)

- MuscleDaddy

Okay, I admit it...

The "Randians" win - they're right...
'Atlas Shrugged': From Fiction to Fact in 52 Years ...


(H/T to Don for the video)

...congratulations.

- MuscleDaddy

Thursday, January 22, 2009

And now, just you aren't left hanging...

A quick roundup of what DIDN'T happen on Tuesday:

- Bush didn't suspend the 2008 election

- Bush isn't going to have a third term
(although Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y seems to want that for The One)

- Bush didn't declare martial law and become our first dictator.

And let's not forget...

- Bush didn't stage false flag events to reinstate the draft, either.

Amazing!
All that Eeeevil - and it was like he Didn't. Even. Try.

... of course, staying on the topic of 'What Didn't Happen' - I am left wondering...


Where the hell is my Rainbow-Farting-Unicorn that pees Healthcare?


Just Askin',

- MuscleDaddy

Obama promised "Change"...

...and now he has delivered.
Via 'This Ain't Hell' ...

We learn that the Shitbird-In-Chief is the first newly-inaugurated President in 56 years (that's 14 Presidential Inaugurations) to blow-off the “Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball”, which recognizes recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Apparently CMH winners don't make the Presidential short-list anymore...

So, where was Barry Soetoro - clearly too busy to be bothered with a bunch of 'old guys'?

According to the
Sofia News Agency, the evening went like this:

- The Neighborhood Ball,
(celebrities at the Neighborhood Ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center included Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Mary J. Blige, Faith Hill Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine, will.i.am. from the Black-Eyes Peas, Sting and Mariah Carey.)

- The Home State Ball, for Illinois and Hawaii

- The Commander-in-Chief Ball, was next. Obama saluted the nation's military
men and women... via satellite.

- The Youth Inaugural Ball, where people between the ages of 18 and 35 gathered,
(Kid Rock and Kanye West )

- The Home State Ball for Delaware and Pennsylvania,

- The night ended with brief appearances at the Mid-Atlantic,

Western, (Marc Anthony)

Midwest, (Cheryl Crow)

Southernand Eastern regional balls.

Of course you can understand how The One would see hob-nobbing with Jay-Z and Kanye West as being more pressing than merely continuing a 56-year tradition of meeting with some of America's greatest heroes, right?

I mean - especially when meeting what other, lesser men might previously have considered an "obligation" would take him so far our of his way on the party circuit!

I mean honestly, all the way from the
Walter Williams Convention Center to the Renaissance Hotel?!?

Clearly, he'd have missed the chance to dance with Cheryl Crow!
Some perspective here, please!

Change... it begins here.


- MuscleDaddy

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Politico, aka: "Obama Tank-Depth Monitor"...

...joins in with some pre-emptive excuses for why Obama WON'T be able to lower the seas and heal the world.

Seven reasons for healthy skepticism

Okay - quick overview:

1) Just being "smart" isn't enough.

2) The economy is in trouble and one man (even The One) can't fix it.

3) The economy is going to get worse and one man (even The One) can't fix it.

4) He's far more prone to talking than making actual decisions.

5) He tends to be in the pocket of the Party or Special-Interests

6) He doesn't know enough to do anything but make it up as he goes.

7) The media won't be doing their job to keep his feet to the fire.

Well, Isn't That Special!

Sounds like all the same reasons we were giving for NOT electing him in the first place!

Hey, great job !

Oh, BTW - Where was all that analytical ability 6 months ago - you know, back when you were carrying Obama's water and bashing Sarah Palin?

Ass-Hats.

- MuscleDaddy

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Another "Czar" appointee...

Remember last week, when I pointed out that Obama's pick for "Global Warming Czar" is an Industrial Revolution-hating, Big-S Socialist?

(Of course you do, everyone who's anyone reads this blog)

Well, I'm starting to see a pattern here...

Because Obama's pick for "Regulatory Czar" (technically, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator) is actually a dyed-in-the-wool, anti-meat, anti-hunting, animal-rights (as in, "squirrels can sue" animal-rights) ...well,...nutjob.

Originally from Chicago (shocker!) ,Cass Sunstein is a Harvard University Law School professor (so you know he must be a good choice) , an author and has the endorsement of the Wall Street Journal (I feel their circulation dropping....)

He also believes that “There should be extensive regulation of the use of animals in entertainment, scientific experiments, and agriculture,”

"Extensive regulation" - and that "should be" part means that he doesn't currently feel that existing regulations are nearly extensive enough....

Okay, so he's a regulation-wonk, a bean-counter by nature and training - but what does he think those regulations should actually be?

Well, funny you should ask...

In Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions , a book Sunstein co-edited, he included his vision for a new direction in "animal rights":

“Animals should be permitted to bring suit, with human beings as their representatives, to prevent violations of current law … Any animals that are entitled to bring suit would be represented by (human) counsel, who would owe guardian like obligations and make decisions, subject to those obligations, on their clients’ behalf.”
Can you imagine what that consultation would look like, or the pooper-scooping necessary in the event of a class-action suit?

But wait - there's more...

Sunstein delivered a keynote speech at Harvard University’s 2007 “Facing Animals” conference.
(if you want to watch, Sunstein starts @ around 39 minutes in)

At that conference, Sunstein stated:


“We ought to ban hunting, I suggest, if there isn’t a purpose other than sport and fun. That should be against the law. It’s time now.”
During that same speech, Sunstein spoke in favor of “eliminating current practices such as greyhound racing, cosmetic testing, and (...wait for it....) meat eating, most controversially.”

He later wrapped up that speech by concluding that our treatment of livestock and other animals should be considered “a form of unconscionable barbarity not the same as, but in many ways morally akin to, slavery and mass extermination of human beings.”

Remember, this is the guy who will have final say in the review and implementation of any regulations that fall in any way under the Office of Management and Budget which is, well... nearly everything.

And, by the way - that's just his view on animals.

Go take a look at his wish-list for the Internet.

When someone proposes:

"...a Civility Check that can accurately tell whether the email you’re about to send is angry and caution you, “warning: this appears to be an uncivil email. do you really and trulywant to send it?”

A stronger version, which people could choose or which might be the default, would say, “warning: this appears to be an uncivil email. this will not be sent unless you ask to resend in twenty-fourhours.”

...that sounds remarkable Czar-like to me - so at least the title is appropriate.

Don't worry, I'm sure the Senate confirma.... oh, right - that one doesn't need approval either.


- MuscleDaddy

Hail to the Chief!

The reason we always win at war, even if we lose a battle

Because that, folks, I am learning, is the Big Fear. I’m afraid of lots of things here – cars that blow up, roads that blow up, potholes that look like they might blow up, so on and so forth. But the thing I’m finding really makes my blood run cold is the idea of something happening to one of my dudes, especially when I’m not with them.

Go read.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Where else could you apply this...

"Do not blame Caesar, blame the people of Rome who have so enthusiastically acclaimed and adored him and rejoiced in their loss of freedom and danced in his path and gave him triumphal processions…

Blame the people who hail him when he speaks in the Forum of the ‘new, wonderful good society’ which shall now be Rome’s, interpreted to mean ‘more money, more ease, more security, more living fatly at the expense of the industrious.’ Julius was always an ambitious villain, but he is only one man."


– Cicero

Think about it - who else is famous for speaking of ‘new, wonderful good society’ - interpreted to mean ‘more money, more ease, more security, more living fatly at the expense of the industrious.’ ?

Who else has enjoyed the roars of approval and adoration from crowds who don't know & don't care how those promises are kept, so long as their expectations of 'milk-and-honey' are met?

Who else has promised to tear-down-and-rebuild a society & government as it has stood, into something that the clamoring masses think they want?

Who else has drawn people toward the same edge-of-the-abyss precipice as Caesar?

.... scroll down, click play and
read the words

(don't just roll your eyes and say "yeah, yeah-move on" - read the words)

- MuscleDaddy


Biggest Boobdoggle in American History...

Powerline Blog has...
'A Dozen Fun Facts About the House Democrats'Spending Bill'

... or, if you've got some time and want to see what happens when a bunch of spend-crazy hedonist legislators get a chance to run wild with a 'President' who lacks the executive experience to keep himself from signing anything they put in front of him...

Head straight over to ReadTheStimulus - but I suggest taking a bottle with you.

...and some tissues.


- MuscleDaddy

Because his election IS bigger....

...than some outdated piece of paper or, you know, Laws - after all.

Like so many things, it starts 'small' :



The relevent objection here being from:
The US Code - Section 36, Subsection 176 - part g :

"(g) The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature. "

While some might make the arguement that you could visit any flea market in the country and find all manner of images on American flags
(also known as the "But-but..HE'S doing it!" - defense).

While that's true as far as it goes - be sure that these exist in the full view and permission of the Obama campaign, the "Office of the President-Elect" and the Democrat party...

... and they should not only know better but also hold such laws in higher regard than your average flea-market vendor - so why don't they?.

Which, unfortunately, make for an excellent segue into the next (and much scarier) part:



Look at a couple of those bits - they slip right past if you're (like so many Obamalytes) not paying attention to te details...

“It was these ideals that led us to declare independence, and craft our constitution, producing documents that were imperfect but had within them, like our nation itself, the capacity to be made more perfect."

So - hold on - straight away, both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States are 'imperfect' should be changed?


"We are here today not simply to pay tribute to our first patriots but to take up the work that they began."

Sorry, but after that first sentence - it only seems reasonable to infer that 'work' being the "improvement" of those original 'imperfect' documents...

"And yet while our problems may be new, what is required to overcome them is not. What is required is the same perseverance and idealism that our founders displayed. What is required is a new declaration of independence not just in our nation, but in our own lives..independence from ideology…

Okay, when someone says "not just in" - they are most pointedly NOT saying "not in".

So that's "What is required is a new declaration of independence in both our nation and in our own lives" - a new declaration of independence...

...and I'm sorry - "independence from ideology"?

Let's look at that for a minute:

Merriam-Webster says "ideology"is:
1: visionary theorizing
2 a: a systematic body of concepts especially about human life or culture b: a manner or the content of thinking characteristic of an individual, group, or culture


So, an "ideology" is that belief system and perspective that determines how a people sees not only itself, but the world at large and their place in it.

Now think about what exactly Obama insists is required that we cast aside here...

But it's not over yet.

We should not forget we are the heirs of those who declared independence…and who somehow believed that they had the power to make the world anew, that’s the spirit we must reclaim …for the American Revolution did not end when the British guns fell silent…it was never something to be ended on a battlefield, or fulfilled in our founding documents…the American Revolution was and remains an ongoing struggle in the minds and hearts of the people…


Okay, back to Webster for "Revolution":
2 a: a sudden, radical, or complete change b: a fundamental change in political organization ; especially : the overthrow or renunciation of one government or ruler and the substitution of another by the governed.

So, I'd have to say that yes - it most certainly did end when the British guns fell silent and most certainly was fulfilled in our Founding Documents - or, even more accurately, in 1783 - when Britain officially recognized the independence of the United States...

News-flash: It was a Revolt - and we have NOT been in a constant state of revolt since then - nor were we intended to be. - So what is he really "requiring" here?

"so starting now, let’s take up in our own lives, the work of perfecting our Union. Let’s build a government…let all of us do our part to rebuild this country , let’s make sure this election is not the end of what we do to change America, but just the beginning.”

Being a 'maker of things' myself, I know these simple, iron-clad, inescapable realities:

- You can't "build" something where something else already exists, unless you are willing to destroy or remove what's already there.

- You don't "rebuild" something until it's already been destroyed.

...So what is he really calling for here?

- MuscleDaddy

p.s. - those of you who've taken it - remember your oath - MD

Friday, January 16, 2009

And we wonder why 'Sanctions' don't work...

It's because foreign banks will find a way to circumvent them.

"Lloyds TSB has agreed to forfeit $350 million (£231 million) to U.S. authorities in connection with charges it faked records so clients from Iran, Sudan and elsewhere could do business with the U.S. banking system."

Faked.
Records.

What does that mean in this case? (I know because 'Tracking The Terrorist Funds' used to be my job) - Let's look at that for a minute...

See, a wire transfer actually happens in two parts:

- The transfer itself, where the electronic 'money' moves through various correspondent accounts to make the connections between "Bank A" and "Bank G" (without a direct account-connection, the transfer will have to change hands several times between 'A' and 'G') .

- the second part, that travels 'with' the transfer, is the "Instruction" - this has information about the Originating bank, the Originating account-holder, Destination bank and which receiving account-holder is actually having the funds paid out to him.

That Second part is what investigators et al use to 'flag' transfers going in/out of different regions, to/from different individuals/corporations/front-businesses, etc.

So, what exactly did Lloyds do for their "Known and Valued Customers"?


"The U.S. Justice Department said that, from 1995 to 2007, Lloyds' offices in Britain and Dubai removed information such as customer names, bank names and addresses so wire transfers would not be flagged and blocked as improper by U.S. financial institutions."

Read that again: "from 1995 to 2007"

That means that after WTC-1 in 1993,
during the USS Cole bombing in 2000,
during WTC-2 on 9/11,
during the US invasion of Afghanistan and right through the Iraq war, ...

Lloyds Bank deliberately rigged transfer records to ensure that money could flow freely to & from sanctioned countries and individuals.

...and lest you wonder "how bad could it have really been?"

"This process of 'repairing' or 'stripping' ... allowed more than $350 million in transactions to be processed by U.S. correspondent banks that might have otherwise been blocked or rejected," the department said in a statement.

Oh, and make no mistake - there's very little "might" involved there.

Not only law-enforcement and regulators, but banks themselves spend truly ludicrous amounts of money developing and implementing systems and investing in analysis for the sole purpose of filtering, vetting, flagging and responding to that very information - in fact, an entire industry has sprung up around this very work.

But - as Lloyds Bank clearly knows - none of that is worth the electrons it pushes around if the banks deliberately strip out the very data-points that identify the problem.

We're not talking about the owner of "Achmed's Falafel Stand" sending money to his kid in college, btw:

"The stripping allowed about $300 million to be sent between the United States and Libya, about $21 million between the United States and Sudan and about $20 million between Libya and the United States without scrutiny to ensure it was legal."

...and by 'legal' they mean "not stopped dead for being obviously illegal".

All of that said, here's the part really gets my blood-pressure up:

First -

"Lloyds' criminal conduct was designed to assist its clients in avoiding detection by filters employed by U.S. banks because of United States economic sanctions against Iran, Sudan and Libya,"
- followed by -

"The actions violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which allows the U.S. president to block commerce with countries deemed a threat to the United States."
- and then we find -

"The U.S. Justice Department and Manhattan District Attorney said on Friday the London-based Lloyds had agreed to the forfeiture to settle charges stemming from the investigation."
W.T.F. ?

Lloyds Bank knowingly and deliberately commits overt acts specifically designed to circumvent International Sanctions - allowing free and unimpeded flow of monies into and out of specifically-designated terrorist and genocidal nations and...

.... they pay a fine?!?

How exactly do you NOT prosecute for something like this?

And at what point do we take "Give us money and we won't prosecute you for your crimes" and just call it extortion?

Clearly - somehow - at this point, no-one is taking the 'Crime' part of this seriously - even Lloyds is approaching this as merely the 'Cost of Doing Business':


"Lloyds said it had set aside 180 million pounds last year to cover a possible settlement in the U.S. case and it "does not anticipate any further enforcement actions."
'Yeah, we did it, so we set a little something aside to cover the cost of clean-up... no big.'


It's like it's some kind of frakkin' GAME to them - like Lloyds landed on their 'Park Place', and now have to pay-up.


What do you want to bet that Manhattan D.A. is the Governor of NY in the next couple of years?

I'll bet he's reserving his special room @ 'VIP-Escorts' as we speak.

Of course, when the place is raided, it'll be difficult to tell which one's the whore.

- MuscleDaddy

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Okay - Connect-the-Dots with me...

(Via the Washington Times)

Follow along - see if you can guess where this is going...

"Until last week, Carol M. Browner, President-elect Barack Obama's pick as global warming czar, was listed as one of 14 leaders of a socialist group's [that's Socialist International - MD]Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which calls for "global governance" and says rich countries must shrink their economies to address climate change."

Okay so far?
(although making a Socialist into a 'czar' seems a bit contradictory...)

"Socialist International, an umbrella group for many of the world's social democratic political parties such as Britain's Labor Party, says it supports socialism and is harshly critical of U.S. policies."

Hm. Yeah. Line forms on the left.

"The group's Commission for a Sustainable World Society, the organization's action arm on climate change, says the developed world must reduce consumption and commit to binding and punitive limits on greenhouse gas emissions."

Now remember, Browner is one of the Leaders of this brain-trust...

"Mr. Obama, who has said action on climate change would be a priority in his administration, tapped Mrs. Browner last month to fill a new position as White House coordinator of climate and energy policies."

Okay, hold on - for 'climate & energy policies", The One wants to appoint a documented, Big-S Socialist who think that the US should roll back the Industrial Revolution or incur crushing fines if it doesn't?

Well, at least that appointment won't likely pass th...


"The appointment does not need Senate confirmation."

... Ah, of course - great.


Oh, and just in case you were thinking that she's JUST a stone-age-yearning, progress-punishing, America loathing Socialist - fear not....


"Mrs. Browner ran the Environmental Protection Agency under President Clinton. Until she was tapped for the Obama administration, she was on the board of directors for the National Audubon Society, the League of Conservation Voters, the Center for American Progress and former Vice President Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection."

...See?
She's also a professionally shameless, Leftist-partisan political hack, so there!



So - what is left to us now?


Why - to mock her picture, of course!





"... introduce President-Elect Barack O...oh..oh! Watch the cold hand back there!"
- MuscleDaddy

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

So Why Is It.... UPDATED!

... that so many of Obama's political supporters...

...just happen to be on a fast-track to jail?

I mean, really... what are the odds?


Stop and think back a minute - or, say, 20-30 years ago...

What chance would someone with this level of low-brow criminal association have had of being elected President of the United States?

UPDATE!

Okay, so now Eric Holder (Obama's AG pick) has some uncomfortable ties to Blagojevich too!

Quite the incestuous little group, no?

- MuscleDaddy

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Intern for a Day?


This in from the NY Daily News...

So there's Chelsea, suporting her mom through confirmation hearings...
(which, according to Michelle Malkin, involve only softball questions - if any - from GOP members).

When Committee Chairman John Kerry, known for his warmth and excellent comedic timing...
...er, no, wait...


Anyway, he comes across with this gem:

“Since your father served as an intern on this committee, maybe we can make you an intern for a day, chairman’s prerogative,” Kerry said to laughs. “So if you want to come up here later and look out, we’re happy to welcome you.”

Ok, so I was bored & on my way to work when I heard that one on the radio (delivered straight and strictly as part of the story coverage) ...

So I understand that it's completely on me that my mind tossed up an image of Lurch leering down from the podium, uttering the words...

"Your father served..."

"...an Intern..."

"...we can make you an intern for a day..."

"...if you want to come up here later..."

Even now, a couple of hours later, I'm still torn between flinching, laughing and checking to make sure my cup is sympathetically in place against the inevitable kick, delivered to Lurch with such force as to be deemed the new "Shot Heard 'Round The World".

If Chelsea's expression is any indication:


... she may have heard it the same way.

OhMyDamn.

- MuscleDaddy



P.S. - it's not just me - Chelsea is looking hotter than she has any right to?

....right?

Remember Mocking The One...

“The sky will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect.”
- Hillary Clinton

Looks like Hamas supporters in Tehran aren't buy it either...



(Tire Tracks?!? - Looks like it's Barry's turn under the bus!)

Oh no they di'in't!

Yes They Can.

- MuscleDaddy

Sunday, January 11, 2009

This in from Don...

You might, reading these posts, occasionally get the idea that I'm a little concerned about the WOT, Obama's likely effect on our Constitutional freedoms, the otherwise (even without Obama) insidious approach of Nanny-State 'Big-S' Socialism into our society and culture and other various & sundry threats along such common veins.

You be right about that.

Here's an excellent example of why:

Our intrepid outlier and man-in-the-wilderness, Don, offers this video of a guy with - some might say - a perfect example of freedom.



Now having, myself, grown up in central Florida (somewhere between the Withlacoochee and Weekiwachee rivers), I can honestly say that I not only know this guy, but have set down to smoked mullet with him.... okay, not THIS guy - but you get the idea.

Try to imagine someone with THIS kind of freedom, trying to live his life in a country with all the extra Laws necessary to regulate that boat (for Safety, of course), his lamps (coal-oil???? coal's supposed to be bankrupt!!!), his stove (the environment!!!), his fishing (Obama's never seen a catfish - so they MUST be endangered!), his music (surely,someone's citation-worthy idea of noise pollution) ... and let's not forget... they mentioned hunting (sshhh...they use weapons for that!)

All Regulated, Taxed, Permit-ed, and Licensed - until only those who are "more equal than others" could ever hope to afford such a life.

This is why we continue to fight here, so that freedom the like of this man's shall not perish from the earth.

Don's favorite line (and mine):

"We had some a' that gub'mint cheese, but we ate 'fore you got here."


Sing it, brother.

  -  Muscledaddy

Friday, January 9, 2009

Oops! ... Found Bill...

So there I was, over at the Rott for some fun and a healthy dose of Right-wing hyperbolic invective...


(Good Times...)

Emperor Misha links a truly excellent article by Gary Graham (one o' them "Hollywood Conservatives I've mentioned before) over at Andrew Breitbart's new site, "Big Hollywood"...


(Breitbart's got a new site - who knew?)

So there I am, enjoying Graham's pissed-off-ness, when suddenly I look to the Right (a tendency of mine) and see none other than...

Bill Whittle!

Writing for "Big Hollywood"!

No short MuscleDaddy-esque blurb either, I'll have you know (I'll be remedying that soon, btw) - but rather a full-on Whittle-esque essay, the likes of which you poor starving saps-in-the-wilderness have been praying for over @ ejectejecteject!
(you know, the name that "E3" stands for?)

As you might imagine - it's great - no way around that.

So head on over there and get your fix - D4, you might want to add it in with the rest in the right sidebar.

Until next time - here I sit, bloggin' away and tripping over Whittle-writings, saving him the trouble of telling us about them,

- MuscleDaddy

Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Results Are In...



Barack Obama really does inspire all sorts of people.

God help us.

- MuscleDaddy

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

I'm a Geek For Seeing This Comparison...

...but all I can think of is the liar's paradox from the "I, Mudd" episode of Star Trek.

"Al-Qaida No. 2 blames Obama for Gaza fight"

Apparently, Ayman al-Zawahiri - in support of the "Palestinians" - got on the airwaves and accused Obama of "not doing anything to stop" Israeli incursions into Gaza this week.
(looks like someone took Obama's "Office of the President-Elect" seriously ...)

He goes on to refer to the on-going conflict as "Obama's gift to Israel" before he takes office later this month.

Right now, in newsrooms and University faculty lounges across the globe, Lefties are staring blankly into space with smoke coming out of their ears and a small 30-GOTO-10 script echoing as it bounces around in their angry, angry little skulls:



"But, supporting Palestinians is Good."
"But, he is Critical of The One"

"But, slaughtering the Zionist Oppressor is Good"
"But, he is critical of The One"

"But, defying the BusHitlerBurton Indutrial complex is Good."
"But, he blames The One"

"ExplainExplainExplainExplainExplainExplainExplain...."
============================================
...almost as good as Harry Reid refusing to seat Burris - and being called 'Racist' for it.
(when everyone knows that Democrats can't be racist!)


At least, amid all of this, one thing is certain:

Al-Zawahiri won't be getting any NBC interviews anytime soon
... what with his being "so highly critical of President-elect Obama" and all...

Heh - Good Times.

- MuscleDaddy

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Where to Begin?

I should probably should start with the shooting-war in Israel...
(seems to be getting some mention with a couple of the more remote news services)

Well, it was going to happen sooner or later - the former citizens of Egypt-and-Jordan have finally found the Israeli's saturation-point for rockets attacks into civilian areas .

Checked in with CNN last night, to see what the Anti-Israeli-Media had to say about it - sure enough, they've packed Anderson Cooper (I can never remember if he's a Kennedy or a Vanderbilt) off to Israel so he can look sternly into the camera and recite the DNC-approved mantra of:

"Many of the dead are children."

Of course, Anderson won't be speaking of their standard practice of using women & children as human shields
(a two-fer, since either the Israelis back down, enabling further attacks or the don't and they're monsters)

- because, you know - how could you spin that into "America is Bad"?

(the MSM's also shieking about a U.N. school being hit... yeah, THAT U.N. school)

Listening to Hugh Hewitt yesterday, I found that he had actually reached into the dark-side and interviewed Salon's Glenn Greenwald for a sample of how the Left thinks that Israel should be responding to the past 3 years of rocket attacks...

Typically, the answer is "Negotiation" - basically, he thinks that Israel should be able to deal with terrorist-organization Hamas, just as they were able to deal with the actual governments of Egypt and Jordan in years past.

He (and by extension, the Left at large) doesn't see that there is any difference between the government of a country that has terrorists - and a "country" where the goverment are the terrorists...

It's. Just. The. Same.

(Remember THIS? Remind me who broke that "truce"... and every other "truce" since then?)

Of course, he sees no need to get specific about what exactly the Israelis would use in any such negotiations - like, say - giving up useful lan...

...Oh, wait - tried that already.

Or giving the rocket-senders millions of dollars every month...

...Oh, wait - tried that already.


At the end of the day, the Former Egyptians/Jordanians could have taken all of that Gaza land , complete with its high-tech hydroponic Farms (read: "food-growing-stuff to feed your 'starving' people) and made a real country for themselves.

As Deroy Murdoch over at NRO so eloquently explains - they blew it.

They could have shown the world a noble people, capable and deserving of their own country - willing to work for their own betterment with the hand that ...well, that they dealt themselves... instead, they have demonstrated time and time again that they want nothing - absolutely nothing - but the destruction of Israel and the deaths of everyone in it.

Now they reap the whirlwind.


....unless you watch CNN/MSNBC/ABC/CBS et al....

Then it's just them murderin' Joooos' fault.... or Bush's fault... or Capitalism's fault - because there's never any other reason, right?


- MuscleDaddy