Barack The Baby

Writing at FrontPageMagazine.com, Dick Morris and Eileen McGann rip Senator Token's juvenile crayon scribblings.

In reading Senator Barack Obama’s #1 bestseller, The Audacity of Hope, one begins to wonder whether he is another cynical politician or just a helplessly naïve neophyte.

Ouch!

After a few chapters, one actually has the audacity to hope that it is his inexperience — and nothing sinister — that accounts for his sometimes silly and often misleading narrative. Anyone who is that naive should not be a U.S. Senator, much less the president.

Ouch!

Obama is a uniquely charismatic candidate who has catapulted into second place among democratic primary voters, forcing Hillary Clinton to hastily abandon her coy pretense that she hasn’t made a decision about whether to run. He inspires people by his story, his demeanor and his message.

But if his book offers a window into the real Barack Obama, one thing is certain: He has a long way to go before he is ready for the presidency. He’s only been in the U.S. Senate for two years and before that, he was a state senator and a professor of constitutional law. He’s never been an administrator, met a payroll, developed a budget, or solved a crisis. It’s not only his greenness that sends out warnings; at times, he doesn’t seem to grasp the implications of all that he writes. At other times, his words have a distinct disconnect with his actions and legislative record.

Ouch!

Sometimes he sounds downright juvenile. Consider this missive, which opens chapter five: “One thing about being a U.S. Senator - you fly a lot.” Brilliant! It gets worse: “Most of the time I fly … in coach, hoping for an aisle or window seat” (But not always.) “ … there are times when … I fly on a private jet.” Then, “the flying experience is a good deal different.” Wow. Obama then describes the experience: “lounges that feature big soft couches and big screen TVs.” Hog heaven. “Restrooms are generally empty and spotless, and have those mechanical shoe-shine machines and mouthwash and mints in a bowl.” The planes? “Well, they’re nice.” The purpose of the trip was “fund raising” but the senator was thrilled when his staff “explained to him” that he could travel on “someone else’s jet” and only have to pay the comparatively minor cost of first class airfare.

Heehee!

There’s no mention of the special interests that pay for those corporate jets for senators or about the lobbyists that usually accompany them, using the down time to fill their heads with information and arguments for their client’s legislative priorities. All we learn from Obama is how la dolce vita prevails at private airports.

Ouch!

Obama actually took 23 separate trips on corporate jets during his first year in the Senate, until he was appointed as the democratic point man on ethics legislation last year, following the Jack Abramoff scandal involving lobbyists paying for Congressional travel. Given the political atmosphere and the intense probe of Congressional travel, it would not have been good politics for him to continue to avail himself of the lobbyist largesse. So, that’s when he stopped taking the free rides. Cushy sofas or not.

Ouch!

Obama is a political infant, a babe in the woods. He’s a Jimmy Carter, running for president based on his personal moral outlook, his background and history, and making a virtue out of his limited knowledge of how American government works. One thing is sure - in the age of terrorism, we don’t need a president who can’t find the men’s room.

Heehee! Weewee.

Obama’s book is replete with paeans to non-partisanship and rising above the bitterness of the blue/red divide. He sees the virtues in his political opponents. “I find it possible,” he declares, “to understand their motives, and to recognize in them the values I share.”

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

But, in reality, Obama is no "third way” politician. He is a party line Democrat, according to the National Journal, the 18th most liberal member of the Senate, which puts him ahead of (or behind) 60% of his fellow Democrats in the Senate. The gospel according to Planned Parenthood? He gets 100%. Right to life? Zero. The AFL-CIO celebrates his vote with them on nine out of ten issues and the ACLU agrees.

Eek! A left-fascist totalitarian in moderate clothing! What'll they think of next?

He talks like a moderate, but he votes like a liberal.

This deception, which he shares in common with Hillary, (Wow. Could that really be a coincidence? - F.G.) would be par for the Washington course. But it is the sound bites that festoon his book that lead one to suspect that he really doesn’t understand the facts or the issues.

For example, he writes, “we say we value the legacy we leave the next generation and then saddle that generation with mountains of debt.” Really? Has the senator noticed that the deficit is now down to only a bit more than 2% of our GDP, or is that sound bite too precious to lose in the face of the facts?

Ouch!

Or - he accuses us of tolerating “schools that don’t teach, that are chronically underfunded and understaffed and underinspired.” We hate to get in the way of his speechwriter’s momentum, but how about the central issues: teacher incompetence, the need for merit pay and the importance of waiving tenure to get rid of bad instructors?

Ha! Don't hold your breath.

He speaks of an increasingly wealthy “knowledge class” of Americans able to purchase “whatever they want on the marketplace — private schools, private health care, private security and private jets.” But then he opposes the voucher system designed to give the poor parity in purchasing power for private education.

And then he says that voters are tired of “sound bite solutions to complicated problems.” So are his readers.

HEEHEE!

Senator Barack Obama could indeed represent something new in our politics instead of something old and simply repackaged. He could step up and truly develop a third way, carrying on where Bill Clinton left off on issues of poverty, race, standards, education and global competitiveness. But Bill Clinton worked hard at grappling with our problems and designing real solutions. He immersed himself in the data and worked hard to learn how to be president.

Great. Obama is the first black Clinton.

Oy vey! Dick, does ol' King Goober II still have photos of you in flagrante delicto ?

But Obama is taking the easy way out - skimming the surface, sloganeering and hiding behind Democratic orthodoxy while pretending to be something else.

The saving grace is that he is young and just starting out. If he pays the same attention to substance that he appears to have spent acquiring a profound understanding of constitutional law — which he used to teach — then he has the potential to be a great figure.

But he’s not there yet.

Ack! We have to hope he's going to magically change from a Leninist-Leninist statist to a real live boy with a conscience that has not been quashed by ideology?

No thanks, Dick. We'll look elsewhere.

'Livestock's Long Shadow'*

Memo To Chick-Fil-A's Ad Agency: Below find your new campaign, created for you gratis by the One Worlders. The copy practically writes itself.

Evening Standard: Cows 'do more harm than cars', says UN
Cows generate more greenhouse gases than all forms of transport combined, a United Nations report has revealed.

The methane and carbon dioxide they produce is killing off vast tracts of forest and coral reefs, contributing to acid rain and destroying fragile ecosystems.

The study, called *Livestock's Long Shadow, warns that drastic action is needed.

Its author, Henning Steinfeld, said: "Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems.

"Urgent action is needed to remedy the situation. The environmental costs per unit of livestock production must be cut by half just to avoid the level of damage worsening beyond its present level."

I can see it now...Blue helmeted child-rapists charging across the globe to bravely gun down every Angus, Blonde d'Aquitaine, Nellore, and Romagnola they can find.

Behold the genius of Robert Gates!

Roto-Reuters: Israelis piqued by Gates nuclear "confirmation"

Robert Gates, the incoming U.S. secretary of defense, won plaudits in Washington this week for his candor on the Iraq war.

Some Israelis were less pleased, however, to hear Gates mention with equal frankness what U.S. administrations have long avoided uttering in public -- that the Jewish state has the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal.

To be fair, it was pretty oblique.

During his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Gates speculated on why Iran might be seeking the means to build an atomic bomb. "They are surrounded by powers with nuclear weapons: Pakistan to their east, the Russians to the north, the Israelis to the west and us in the Persian Gulf," he said.

The statement led Israeli news bulletins, with some pundits suggesting that former CIA chief Gates may have breached a U.S. "don't ask, don't tell" policy dating back to the late 1960s.

"I haven't a clue why Gates made those remarks," Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a member of Israel's security cabinet, said in a radio interview.

A retired Israeli diplomat, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, called the testimony "quite unprecedented" and added: "I can only assume he (Gates) has yet to get to grips with the understandings that exist between us and the Americans.

I think everybody, including the Israelis, should be upset with the apparent moral relativism of Gates' statement. Iran is not just another country. Heck, Pakistan with the bomb is bad enough (When their current Generalismo goes, we are going to need India's help. Big time.) but the crazed, bloodthirsty goat rapists who run Iran are dangerous now and will be very dangerous tomorrow.

From The Power of Women Department:

KRLA radio in Los Angeles has a traffic reporter named Lucy Hill who delivers the hideous road conditions in a delightful British (?) accent. Having bad news borne to me by Lucy's dulcet voice just might make the soul-crushing LA traffic a bit more bearable.

Governor Mormon's campaign has run aground upon the rocks (sorry) of sodomite appeasement.

AP: Gov. Romney's record on homosexuals questioned

Boston - Gov. Mitt Romney's beliefs on gay issues are under scrutiny after the re-emergence of a letter he wrote during his 1994 run for U.S. Senate in which he promised a gay Republicans group he would be a stronger advocate for gays than Sen. Edward Kennedy.

That is physically and morally impossible.

Romney's views in the letter contrast with recent statements by the Massachusetts governor, who has emphasized his opposition to gay marriage as he positions himself as a committed conservative in preparation for an expected 2008 run for the Republican presidential nomination.

He's a typical politician. He wants to be all things to all perverts.

News Item: KKK hosts 'Myth of Slavery' conference.

AFP: Iran hosts forum to question Holocaust
Iran has defied an international outcry as it held a conference that questioned the truth of the Holocaust and was attended by a number of controversial Western "revisionist" historians.

Oh, yeah...These guys are rational enough to be allowed to have nuclear weapons.

Unsurprising Headline of the Day.

AP: Annan criticizes U.S. in farewell speech
Independence, Missouri - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi "Alack and" Annan, in his farewell address, criticized the Bush administration, warning that America must not sacrifice its Democratic ideals while waging war against terrorism.

As if a third world kleptocrat has any idea what democracy is!

Good riddance, you thieving bastard.

If you don't get paid, blame the squirrels...

Cincinnati's magical season continues apace.

There must be something in the booze they serve in the city that is soooooo proud it's not Cleveland...

AP: Bengals' Deltha O'Neal charged with DWI

...'cause Number 8 followed closely on the heels of Number 7.

DAMN! Isn't it about time we execute this racist cop-killer?

The Morning Call: 300 rally for Mumia Abu-Jamal
About 300 people rallied Saturday in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal, 25 years to the day after the murder for which he was sentenced to death.

Since I know you are just dying to know how the French are reporting this story...

Independent Media Center: 25 ans plus tard.Dernière chance pour Mumia Abu-Jamal. Soutien en France inculpé
Le prisonier noir condamné à mort et journaliste mondialement réputé Mumia Abu-Jamal fut condamné pour l'assassinat du policier blanc de Philadelphie Daniel Faulkner lors d'un procès en 1982 qu'Amnesty International qualifie d'inéquitable.

BTW, Mumia is a journalist like the French are warriors.

The crackup of my idiot Italian cousins continues apace.

Roto-Reuters.co.uk: Vatican criticises Italy plans on gay, unwed couples
Rome - The Vatican said on Saturday Italy's left sought to "eradicate" the traditional family by adding to its Christmas wish-list legislation that would give legal rights to unwed couples, including homosexual ones.

The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, said in an editorial that politicians in the ruling centre-left coalition were embarking on a "senseless battle". They aim to put forward a bill by the end of January.

"Fifteen days to Christmas. And there are those making other calculations, thinking of other deadlines," it wrote in its weekend edition.

The headline read: "Christmas 2006: To eradicate the family is the priority of Italian politics."

Prime Minister Romano Prodi was elected in April on a campaign platform that included some sort of legal recognition of unwed couples. But he has so far stopped short of openly supporting gay marriage, a divisive issue in Catholic Italy.

He greeted a Senate motion on Thursday urging some recognition of heterosexual and homosexual couples as a "step forward".

Equal Opportunity Minister Barbara Pollastrini said she would start working on a draft law in the coming days so it would be ready by the Senate's requested January deadline.

This outraged centre-right politicians. But the motion, partly a compromise after lawmakers dropped a measure about unwed couples' inheritance, has also stirred up controversy within Prodi's cabinet.

Justice Minister Clemente Mastella, who is also a senator, said in comments published by Italia media on Saturday that he was ready to cast his first vote against the ruling majority unless the traditional family was fully protected. Continued...

Vatican Backs Bishop Bruskewitz.

KETV: Vatican Upholds 'Call To Action' Excommunications
Lincoln, Nebraska - The Vatican has upheld the 1996 excommunications of several Lincoln area members of Call to Action, a Catholic reform (Ha! Guess what religious denomination the AmericaLast media hates most! - F.G.) group. A Nov. 24 letter to Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of the Lincoln Diocese said his decision was "properly taken within your competence as pastor of that diocese."

Ironic Sports Injury of the Day.

***UPDATE ***

From ESPN.com: Johnson, riding on golf cart's roof, fractures wrist

***UPDATE***

ESPN.com: Johnson sidelined with fractured wrist
Nextel Cup champ Jimmie Johnson was involved in an accident this week -- a golf cart accident. Johnson, who was not at the wheel, was at a charity tournament when he fell out of the cart.

Ron Jeremy, (sorry) call your office.

AP: Scottish school says fountain pens boost performance

Fyodor's Headlinks...

...or, Huh?

The Washington Times: Britain expects aliens to conform People wanting to settle in Britain must conform to its tolerant values or stay away, Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday.


KhaleejTimes.com: Britain starts to drop US term “war on terror”
Britain’s Foreign Office is urging government officials to stop using the US term “war on terror” amid concerns it angers British Muslims and...
(Thanks to Michael Savage for the heads up.)

Religion of Peace and Mall Bombing and Jew Stabbing and Judge Killing and Perpetual Outrage, Et Cetera, Update.

Mr. Derrick Shareef, noted American convert to mohammedism, wanted to stab a few Jews to death outside their temples as well as blow up Christians doing their Christmas shopping. Can you guess why you didn't see that in the AmericaLast media, kiddies?

Thank goodness for TheSmokingGun:

Shopping Mall Terror Plot Foiled
FBI: Man planned "to disrupt Christmas" with "acts of jihad"

DECEMBER 8--An Illinois man plotted to set off hand grenades at a Chicago-area shopping mall in a holiday season terror campaign that was thwarted by federal investigators. According to an FBI affidavit, Derrick Shareef, 22, told a confidential source that he wanted to "commit violent acts of jihad," and spoke of killing judges and blowing up public buildings. A copy of the affidavit can be found below. Shareef told the snitch that he sought "to disrupt Christmas," adding that, "I swear by Allah man, I'm down for it too, I'm down for the cause, I'm down to live for the cause and die for the cause, man." The document does not further describe the supposed cause of Shareef, who was named today in a federal felony complaint. Shareef is quoted telling the FBI source, "I probably would have eventually ended up stabbing the shit outta some Jews or something. Just stabbing them niggers with a steak knife...Because during that war with Hezbollah, man, I had already started to look at synagogues out here...I was doing MapQuest." In advance of a planned attack on a Rockford mall, Shareef prepared a martyr's videotape in which he let the "enemies of Islam" know that "the time for jihad is now." He added, "This is a warning to those who disbelieve, that we are here for you, and I am ready to give my life...May Allah protect me on this mission we conduct." Shareef was arrested Wednesday afternoon, moments after trading a set of stereo speakers for four nonfunctioning grenades provided to him by an undercover agent.

The entire eleven page affidavit is available at the link above. It makes for some interesting reading.

News item: Well intentioned rabbi underestimates the mendacity and perfidy of the politically correct mob.

CNN.com: Seattle airport removes Christmas trees to avoid lawsuit
All nine Christmas trees have been removed from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport instead of adding a giant Jewish menorah to the holiday display as a rabbi had requested.

Maintenance workers boxed up the trees during the graveyard shift early Saturday, when airport bosses believed few people would notice.

"We decided to take the trees down because we didn't want to be exclusive," said airport spokeswoman Terri-Ann Betancourt.
"We're trying to be thoughtful and respectful, and will review policies after the first of the year."

Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky, who made his request weeks ago, said he was appalled by the decision. He had hired a lawyer and threatened to sue if the Port of Seattle didn't add the menorah next to the trees, which had been festooned with red ribbons and bows.

"Everyone should have their spirit of the holiday. For many people the trees are the spirit of the holidays, and adding a menorah adds light to the season," said Bogomilsky, who works in Seattle at the regional headquarters for Chabad Lubavitch, a Jewish education foundation.

After consulting with lawyers, port staff believed that adding the menorah would have required adding symbols for other religions and cultures in the Northwest. The holidays are the busiest season at the airport, Betancourt said, and staff didn't have time to play cultural anthropologists.

Cute, you moron.

Hanukkah begins this Friday at sundown.

"They've darkened the hall instead of turning the lights up," said Bogomilsky's lawyer, Harvey Grad. "There is a concern here that the Jewish community will be portrayed as the Grinch."

Of course, Michael Savage has a slightly different take:

"Christmas trees removed from airport because of threats by idiotic rabbi" (JEWS AWAKEN! THIS TYPE OF ACT TURNS YOUR BEST FRIENDS AGAINST YOU!)

As a gentile, I can't really say that sort of thing, but it does make sense...

Food For The Poor

Food For The Poor, Inc.

Food For The Poor (FFP) ministers to spiritually renew impoverished people throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Established in 1982 as a 501(c)(3)corporation, our goals are to improve the health, economic, social and spiritual conditions of the men, women and children we serve.

Food For The Poor raises funds and provides direct relief assistance to the poor, usually by purchasing specifically requested materials and distributing them through the churches and charity organizations already operating in areas of need. In this way, the organization serves the poor with dignity and ensures the most appropriate use of donors' funds.

Since its founding in 1982, Food For The Poor (FFP), a Christian international aid organization, distributed more than $2.3 billion in food, medical, educational, building and small business supplies to 16 countries in the Caribbean and Central America. The organization maintains an average administrative overhead of 4 percent -- ensuring the poor receive 96 percent of all donations.

Food For The Poor follows the principle that education and self-help must fortify charity work so recipients learn to break the cycle of poverty. FFP supports programs to teach recipients how to raise livestock, develop small businesses and provides agricultural assistance to independent farmers.


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Express your ongoing concern for the most disadvantaged of Gods children.
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Make a financial gift in honor of a loved one.

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Print the form and mail the donation to:

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Those folks on the Gulf Coast are our neighbors. You know what to do.

Does everyone now see the futility of government action?

No, of course not.

After more than a year of vote-buying and blame-assignment, at least $110 billion US taxpayer dollars (We have got off light - so far. See below.) have been spent and the region is still a mess. That is no surprise to TheChurchMilitant.

People are the most important resource in the world, and not only cannot government EVER meet the needs of ANYONE, ANYWHERE, at ANYTIME its actions are ALWAYS destructive and corrupting.

For the past year I have given you an opportunity to TRULY help our brothers and sisters in Christ who have suffered from the effects of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita through Catholic Charities USA.

While not perfect (What endeavor of man is?) Catholic Charities USA is infinitely better than the vile slavery offered to the poor and forgotten by our moral and intellectual superiors.

I would like to request another prayer from you, Gentle Reader, as the second year of recovery continues. Please pray to Almighty God that all men may throw off the shackles of ignorance and servitude that demean them and stifle their immortal souls.


First, last, and always, PRAY. Pray for the survivors. Pray for the repose of the souls of those who were killed. Pray for the families and friends. Pray for the relief workers, the cops, the firemen, the troops, and the technicians. Pray for the volunteers.

It is time to step up once again, kiddies. "Do unto others", "I was naked and you clothed me", et cetera.

As time passes, the memory of these disasters will fade for those of us fortunate enough to live outside the devastated areas, but recovery and restoration will take years.

Please, whatever you do, don't become a cynic. (I know, I know. But I just play one on the computer.) Of course there will be more horror stories like the abuse of the debit cards and that $250-odd billion federal package will produce insane amounts of corruption, but our fellow Americans will be suffering from Katrina for a long time.

True charity, (News Flash! Taxes ARE NOT charity.) like the money you donate to Catholic Charities will help the truly needy and will not foster dependency.


Providing Help. Creating Hope.
Catholic Charities Continues to Minister to Hurricane Victims

The presence of our Lord is clearly seen in the loving and caring disaster response efforts of Catholic Charities. Over the past year, we have been providing help and creating hope for the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in every corner of the Gulf Coast region and beyond. Yet our work is not done. Thousands remain in desperate need. But they will not walk the long road to recovery alone. For as long as the need remains, Catholic Charities is committed to rebuilding better communities, helping families become self sufficient, and helping victims to overcome their grief and trauma.

Read the one year report here.



Thanks to Catholic Charities
Catholic Charities assisted an evacuee by installing a stair glide. The family lived in a one-story home with a ground level entry in New Orleans. When they were relocated to the Pittsburgh area they moved into a ranch home with an attached garage. When they requested help, Mr. A fell trying to navigate the steps from the basement to the first floor and became depressed as he was basically home bound. He was referred for counseling and a stair glide was provided for his safety. Once the stair glide was provided, there was a significant improvement with Mr. A. He no longer feared leaving his home. The stair glide was installed several days before Christmas and the family stated, “Our Christmas was a little better thanks to Catholic Charities.” Catholic Charities, Diocese of Pittsburgh

Read more stories of how Catholic Charities have made a difference

Click here to learn about volunteer opportunities with Catholic Charities to help Gulf Coast families rebuild.


Catholic Charities USA is collecting financial donations to Catholic Charities agencies’ emergency and long-term recovery efforts in the wake of both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Catholic Charities USA is consistently ranked among the highest and most efficient organizations across the country. Approximately 96 percent of contributions made to the 2005 Hurricane Relief Fund will be used for emergency response and recovery efforts.


Mail Checks To:

Catholic Charities USA
2005 Hurricane Relief Fund
PO Box 25168
Alexandria, VA 22313-9788

Call: (800) 919-9338

Contribute Now Online


FAQs
FAQ - Donations
FAQ - Hurricane Relief


How you can help:
Unfortunately, Catholic Charities USA is unable to accept contributions of food, clothing, blankets and other relief supplies. Monetary donations will be used to provide for the emergency relief and long-term recovery of Katrina's and Rita's victims.
Catholic Charities USA is consistently ranked among the highest and most efficient organizations across the country.

Approximately 96 percent of contributions made to the 2005 Hurricane Relief Fund will be used for emergency response and recovery efforts.

About the Disaster Response Office
Catholic Charities USA, which has been commissioned by the U.S. Catholic Bishops to represent the Catholic community in times of domestic disaster, responds with emergency and long-term assistance as needed. Its Disaster Response Office connects the Church's social service agencies and disaster planning offices across the nation.

And, as always, give generously to the special collections for hurricance disaster relief in your local parish.

More sad news: New Orleans is back to 'normal'.

Crosswalk.com: Louisiana Voters Send William Jefferson Back to Washington
(CNSNews.com) - Even a liberal group is calling it "sad" that voters in Louisiana's 2\super nd\nosupersub Congressional District have re-elected Rep. William Jefferson to a ninth term.

The Democrat - who's being investigated for bribery - defeated Democratic State Rep. Karen Carter, 57-43 percent, in Saturday's runoff election.

Carter was quoted as saying that she guesses the people of Louisiana "are happy with the status quo."