John McCain and Barack Obama Debate at Belmont University in Nashville

I promised myself that I wasn't to LiveBlog the debate tonight.
The previous two almost did me in.

That resolution lasted until Obama opened his mouth with some faux outrage about some AIG executives going on a $400,000 junket after the bailout. Obama says those executives should be fired.
Well Barack, you just gave them their share of 800 billion freakin' dollars ! What did you think they were going to do with it - put on haircloth shirts and eat McDonald's Value Meal #1's until they paid it all back? If some people run a company into the ground, and then get a gift from God, do you really think these leopards are going to change their spots? Good Lord in heaven, I wish we had a genuine competitive choice in this election.

Then McCain got up and said we have to stabilize housing prices.
No we don't. Let the market determine the price for each house.
How do we do that?
See what it sells for.

McCain just said he would consider EBay founder MEG WHITMAN for Treasury Secretary. He's been bringing her name up for the last 6 months as someone who would advise him on financial matters. He just did it again by pure reflex.

McCain is now objecting to the term "Bailout", while he prefers the term "Rescue". He's now detailing how much money Obama was given by Fannie and Freddie.

Obama is blaming the crisis on deregulation. (Whereas in reality, the crisis was caused by lenders following Fannie and Freddie and The Community Reinvestment Act's regulations to the letter.)

You know what? We started off as a great country. But once we discovered that we could vote ourselves money from the public trough, it was over.

Someone named Teresa Finch just asked why either candidate should be trusted with our money, when both parties got us into this crisis?

While Obama blathers on with cliches and boilerplate, let me take this moment to nominate Teresa Finch for President of The United States.
Obama says that we've had surpluses. Short term, yes. But you know what? We have entitlements that are about to come due that are going to plow through any potential surplus like Sherman went through Georgia.
McCain is blathering about how he's been able to reach across the aisle and achieve bipartisanship. Well, if that's the case, his Republican base shouldn't vote for him. They should vote him out immediately.
He's now talking about an earmark for a 3 million dollar overhead projector for someplace in Chicago. I can't wait to see what the fact-checkers do with that one.

Brokaw just asked McCain to prioritize several items for his administration. McCain says he'd work on all three at once.

Senator McCain, we're going to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. Which one do you think will win first? All three, Mr. Brokaw.

Obama, to his credit, says we'll have to prioritize. He's mentioned Energy first. Then Healthcare. Then Education.

Thank you for answering the question, Senator. It was very refreshing. It would also be refreshing if you'd advocate turning the oil companies loose on offshore drilling, encourage the medical schools to produce more graduates, and shut down the Department Of Education.

Brokaw asks what sacrifices we'll have to make.

McCain says we'll have to examine every agency and bureaucracy in government. He mentions defense spending. Earmarks.

I know what we can do, kids ! Let's have a spending freeze ! ! !

Obama is criticizing Bush for saying "Go out and shop" after 9-11.

I bet there are people in NYC who are grateful for that, Barack.

Brokaw: Who got drunk? The Government? The American People? Wall Street? The guy who is typing this drivel? (Beer is the only thing making this bearable....I really didn't want to do this tonight. If Obama hadn't opened up with that stupidity I might be in the recliner throwing popcorn at the TV screen.)

Obama: He disagrees with McCain about an Across-The-Board Budget Freeze. McCain wants to use a hatchet, while he wants to use a scalpel.

WE HAVE A TEN TRILLION DOLLAR DEBT, AND YOU WANT TO USE A SCALPEL???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

WE NEED A CHAINSAW. A LUMBERJACK SAW. SLEDGEHAMMERS. WITH A "HOGGER" BRAND CHIP GRINDER. Why isn't McCain bringing up the debt? Is he asleep?

Brokaw: Huge unfunded obligations for Medicare, Social Security? How are we going to pay for this?

McCain, he's giving you an open door here....

Obama: The straight talk express lost a wheel here. I want to provide a tax cut for 95% of Americans. The money for the 10 trillion dollar debt will be provided by fairies and Oompa Loompas who will leave the money under my pillow when I go Night Night when I get shweepy.

McCain: Reach across the table. Reach across the aisle. Give in. Compromise. After all, Republicans and Democrats are really the same political party.

Wouldn't it be fun to have Bob Barr's mad howling outrage dumped into the middle of this festival of ineffective half-measures?

A questioner named Ingrid Jackson has asked why Congress could move so fast in the economic crisis. Will they move that fast on the environment, and for "Green" Jobs?

McCain: I reached across the aisle to Joe Lieberman. I want some nukes. Nuclear power creates hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Ok, John. Your wrinkled butt needs to go back to school. Prosperity occurs when jobs are eliminated due to something like nuclear power. Efficiency is good, inefficiency is bad. You don't become more efficient to create more jobs. It gets ugly. Be honest about it.

Obama: I favor nuclear as one component of an energy "mix". McCain voted AGAINST alternative fuels 23 times.

Well, if one of those alternatives was subsidizing the ethanol industry, more power to him. Some sort of fracas just broke out over Obama going past his warning light. This is almost like NASCAR, where the warning flag gets thrown out onto the track, and everybody is supposed to stop and wait in line.

Bad analogy.

Too much beer is now required to listen to this. They're not making sense, and I'm not either.

McCain is talking about fundamental economics and drilling offshore.

Did I just hear him accuse Obama of voting with Bush when he voted against some Bush proposal?

Questioner: Healthcare as a marketable commodity? (As opposed to a form of life on the planet Nektor???? In places where it works, it's a marketable commodity.)

Obama: I'm going to change lots of stuff without eliminating government, lawyers, and insurance companies from the process, which would lower healthcare costs by 50%. After all, that would be a positive change, and I'm against that.

At least I think that's what he just said.....

McCain: Let's do lots of stuff. There's a fundamental difference between me and Obama. Government Government Government. Obama will fine you. I want to give everybody a refundable tax credit.

I'm going to Georgia and South Carolina tomorrow. It's a work-related road trip. I'm kind of looking forward to it.

This has nothing at all to do with the debate, but it has more to do with the question than the answers these two guys are giving.

Brokaw: Is healthcare a privilege, a right, or a responsibility?

McCain: We should have available and affordable healthcare for every citizen. I'm nervous about mandates.

My home church, Broadway Baptist in Fort Worth, used to have a dentist's chair in the basement. Homeless/Low income people could get dental care there. You know why we can't have the dentist's chair there any more? Guess.

Obama: You are going to have to make sure that your child has healthcare. Children are cheap to insure. I think it's important for govt to crack down on insurance companies that rip off their customers. Big companies shouldn't be able to shop around for the least regulated state to base their operations in.

Phil Elliot: Let me provide a paraphrase of Phil's question....How will the economic crisis affect our ability to provide a free military for South Korea, Japan, Germany, the rest of eastern Europe, Antarctica, Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan, Greenland, NATO, and everyone else who gets a free ride at the expense of the American taxpayer? I mean, this has to cost a lot, right? Does it make sense to you? How much longer do we have to do this?

McCain: Lots of Bullshit.

Obama: Lots of Bullshit. More eloquently presented.

Brokaw: What about humanitarian interventions for Humanitarian purposes?

Ok, McCain, here's your chance to jump Obama on voting against intervening when Saddam was gassing 90,000 Kurds.

Obama: Nothing about Saddam.

McCain: Obama would bring our troops home in defeat. I will bring them home with honor. Are you going to bring up Saddam Freakin' Hussein gassing the Kurds in his own nation? It's sitting there, waiting...O God, he's just blathering more about opposing his own party. I bet he's going to talk about reaching across the aisle. 90,000 Kurds died in vain.

Brokaw: Katie Hamm....

Katie Hamm: Should the U.S. respect Pakistan's sovereignty in the pursuit of terrorists?

Obama: I'm going to ignore your question, and slam Bush for not staying in Afghanistan. The situation in Pakistan is such a freakin' nightmare that I don't want to go there.

If Bob Barr was in this debate (as he would be in any truly just society), he would slam dunk all these questions. He'd say that we shouldn't be in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, of Afghanistan.

McCain: Teddy Roosevelt is my hero. Walk Softly, and Carry A Big Stick. Almost totally irrelevant to the question under debate. Now I want to link myself to Petraeus. I LOOOVE me some Petraeus.

Big confusion about follow up questions. Brokaw says he's just the hired help. Giggles from the audience.

Obama: I want to hunt down Bin Ladin. I have hair on my ass too. But John, you sang "Bomb Bomb Bomb Bomb Bomb Iran". So there, you old fart.

McCain: Not true. Not true. I have supported the U.S. when we HAD to go in, and have opposed it when we didn't. I was joking when I put on a Tutu and said "Bomb Iran". But I'm not going to telegraph my punches.

Brokaw: Developments in Afghanistan. The place is screwed beyond recognition. We need an acceptable dictator.

Obama: I'll be very brief. Because this question is hell. I want to pull more troops out of Iraq and put them in Afghanistan.

McCain: Petraeus. Petraeus. Petraeus. That's one of the names he knows that he chants like a freakin' mantra. That, and Meg What's her name, the founder of EBay. More about Petraeus. Petraeus. Petraeus.

Brokaw: How can we apply pressure to Russia on humanitarian issues without starting another Cold War?

McCain: There won't be another Cold War. I looked into Putin's eyes and saw KGB. The Ukraine is in the sights of Putin (I agree. But the Ukraine has been ruled by Russia for a Looong time. How many of your sons and daughters do you want to sacrifice for their Independence? That's the question.)

Obama: We can't just provide moral support. We have to provide support for everybody. Poland, Estonia, etc. Yeah, we're nowhere near totally broke. 21st century challenges. See them before they happen.

Brokaw: Reagan called the Soviet Union an Evil Empire. Do you think it is an Evil Empire under Putin?

Obama: They might have Evil Impulses.

McCain: Maybe. It's a Catch-22 question.

Brokaw: Terry Shrey:

Terry: What if Iran attacks Israel? Would you intervene, or wait on the U.N.

McCain: All I Know, I Learned In Kindergarten And From Chief Petty Officers. There are all sorts of people in the middle east who are a threat to Israel. Ok, just like Palin did, and just like he did in the previous debate, McCain is trying to make a HUGE deal over Obama's willingness to meet with the bad guys "without preconditions". Nobody cares about that outside of the State Department, and you need to drop it.

Obama: We can't allow Iran to get nukes. It would be a game-changer. Nukes would be in the hands of terrorists, and not just in the hands of government contractors. That would be totally unacceptable. Let's interrupt their supply chain.

Brokaw: Peggy in Amherst has a question...."What don't you know, and how will you learn it?"

Obama: Ask Michelle. It's not the challenges you expect. This country gave me an opportunity. I got scholarships. Grandmaw scrimped on things. Food Stamps. I went to the best schools on earth. Are we going to pass on the American Dream to the next generation? We need change. That's why I decided to run for President.

McCain: What I don't know? That's what's going to happen at home and abroad. Campaign speech boilerplate. Cliches. I've spent my whole life. Ok, here's McCain trying to hop on the victim bandwagon. Mama kept the family going while daddy was gone. What is it with the victim motif in this election? Give me another opportunity to contribute. We need a steady hand at the tiller.

Brokaw: That's it.

The winner of this debate? The entrenched Republicans and Democrats. The loser?

You.

Is This The Wall Street Bailout? Or Another Nigerian Scam Email?

For the last year, I've posted all of the Nigerian scam emails that I receive. The last few weeks have been screaming for a parody.
The idea was sitting there.....waiting.
And I didn't do it, Dang it....
Someone else did, and it's brilliant

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude. I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.
I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s.
This transaction is 100% safe.
This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.
Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout @washington.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction.
After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury,

Henry Paulson


Thanks to Samizdata.

Now you've gotta ask yourself....

1) How drunk would you have to be to send this guy any money if his appeal were to show up in your inbox?

2) Is there anything inaccurate about this letter? Does it reflect the reality of our situation?

3) Why do you continue voting for members of the BiPartisan political parties?

Thomas Sowell And The Financial Crisis

Please stand for this month's reading from The Gospel According To Saint Thomas....
Economist Thomas Sowell, the smartest man in the world now that Milton Friedman is dead, has stated that the blame for the current economic crisis can be laid at the feet of Chris Dodd and Barney Frank.

Fact Number One: It was liberal Democrats, led by Senator Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank, who for years-- including the present year-- denied that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were taking big risks that could lead to a financial crisis.

Please excuse Dr. Sowell for his misuse of the word "liberal".
Those of us who favor minimal government interference in the public and private sector are liberals. I am a liberal. Ron Paul is a liberal. Dr. Sowell is a liberal.
(Liberty, Liberal, Liberate, Libertarian - all from the same root word.)
Dodd and Frank are impostors, and technically should be called "statists".
Dr. Sowell has probably grown tired of having to make the proper distinction.

It was Senator Dodd, Congressman Frank and other liberal Democrats who for years refused requests from the Bush administration to set up an agency to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
It was liberal Democrats, again led by Dodd and Frank, who for years pushed for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to go even further in promoting subprime mortgage loans, which are at the heart of today's financial crisis.
Alan Greenspan warned them four years ago. So did the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to the President. So did Bush's Secretary of the Treasury, five years ago.
Yet, today, what are we hearing? That it was the Bush administration "right-wing ideology" of "de-regulation" that set the stage for the financial crisis. Do facts matter?
We also hear that it is the free market that is to blame. But the facts show that it was the government that pressured financial institutions in general to lend to subprime borrowers, with such things as the Community Reinvestment Act and, later, threats of legal action by then Attorney General Janet Reno if the feds did not like the statistics on who was getting loans and who wasn't.
Is that the free market? Or do facts not matter?

Therefore, Chris Dodd and Barney Frank should be sentenced to twenty years of involuntary servitude, driving potential home buyers from place to place and trying to sell them distressed "properties". All sales commissions would be contributed to our national debt payments.
Dr. Sowell has spoken.
Thus endeth the reading from The Gospel According To Saint Thomas.
You may be seated.

For those wanting further devotional readings, copies of the following are available in the narthex of The Sepulchre:

"Frank's Fingerprints Are All Over The Financial Fiasco", by Jeff Jacoby of The Boston Globe. The Globe is Congressman Frank's hometown newspaper. Jeff Jacoby is a libertarian demigod. This piece is highly recommended to those wishing to affirm their faith, or to assist in the spiritual formation of the young.

"The Devil's Kitchen" has written that "Yes, It's Still Largely The Fault Of The State". I recommend this post to the congregation here at The Sepulchre with a few misgivings....The Devil's Kitchen is a British blog, and is therefore far removed from our economic concerns in the U.S. However, Mr. Kitchen is usually entertaining and always accurate. And the language used by his commenters makes you people look like a Masterpiece Theatre presentation.

I Can't Believe People Still Fall For This - South Africa Edition

I post every ripoff email that I receive, mostly for the search engine hits, but partly as a public service to the rest of the gullible world.
The idea is that if every blogger who receives them also publishes them, the con artists involved in sending this stuff will eventually stop.
And they usually generate some interesting comments. Hit the "ripoffs" label at the bottom of this post to see all the others.
This one came in on the morning of October 5, 2008.
Apparently there's a dead expat engineer in South Africa who has the last name "Sepulchre".
Enjoy.

Hello
My Tel: 0027741071085
I am Mr. Gavin Tarr, account manager to an expatriate Engineer, Who was a contractor in South Africa.
On the 24th of Jan 2004, my client was involved in a boat accident and died leaving no will or next of kin. He had earlier lost his wife during child birth and never remarried
I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased since you have the same last names, so that the proceeds of this account can be paid to you on your respon se we shall then discuss the sharing ratio and modalities for transfer.
I have all necessary information and legal documents needed to back you up for claim. I guarantee that this will be executed under legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.
Please include your private Tel/Fax and Mobile
Best Regards,
Mr. Gavin Tarr
Tel:0027741071085

Here's another from October 6th. This person, from having read my profile, wants to know if
1) She can trust me
2) She wants to know if I will accept her as my sister, and
3) You'll have to read #3 for yourself. It's kind of abrupt.

From: Miss Lily Jones
Dear Beloved one,
Based on your profile, l am happy to request for your assistance because I beleive that you are not going to betrayed the trust which I am going to lay on you Dear Beloved i pray all is well with you and Other members of your family.
My name is Lily 20 years old and the only daughter of my late parents Mr.and Mrs Jones, My father was a highly reputable busnness magnet-(a cocoa merchant) who operated in the capital of Ivory coast during his days. It is sad to say that he passed away mysteriously in France during one of his business trips abroad on 12th.November 2005.Though his sudden death was linked or rather suspected to have been masterminded by an uncle of his who travelled with him at that time, but God knows the truth!
My mother died when I was just 6 years old, and since then my father took me so special. Before the death of my Father on November 12th 2005 he called the secretary who accompanied him to the hospital and told her that he has the sum of(USD$17.5 000 000) Seventeen Million five hundred thousand dollars left in a metalic trunk trunk box, wich he deposited in a Security Company here in abidjan, that he registered it as family valuable items for security reasons, he told the secretarythat I should contact the Company for them to know me as his next of kin wich I have did as he instructed,
He also told the secretary that I should not let any of his relations to know about this because he was kiled by them and if they know about it, that they will do nothing but to kill me in other to take hold of every thing,
He told her that I should seek for a foriegn partner abroad who will help me retreived the trunk box and also travel with him or her in other to continue my Live and Education and also to start a Bussines relationship with the person whom can take care of me in the future,
My dear, this is why I have come incontact with you in order to help me retreive that trunk box from the Security Companys custody and send it direct to your country and also to make an arrangement for me on how I will come over to your country in other to continue my Live and Education and also to go into bussines relationship with you hence I am still a child and I dont know any thing about bussines,
I am just 20 years old and a university undergraduate and really don't know what to do. this is because I have suffered a lot of set backs as a result of incessant political crisis here in Ivory coast. The death of my father actually brought sorrowto my life, My dear, I am in a sincere desire of your humble assistance in this regards and your suggestions and ideas will be highly regarded. Now permit me to ask these few questions:
1. Can I completely trust you?
2.Can you accept me as your own blood Sister (Or Daughter)?
3.What percentage of the total amount in question will be good for you?
Consider this and get back to me as soon as possible with your full assurance that you will not disapoint me in this issue so that i can give you the contact of the Security Company where my late Father deposited that trunk box for you to contactthem on how the trunk box will be retreived from their custody and deliver to your country,
Thank you soo much for your understanding and may almighty God bless you and your Family to the Glory of God Almighty,
My sincere regards,
Miss Lily

Here's a new one from 11-15-08. It takes a different angle. Esophagal Cancer.

I have a new email address!
You can now email me at: lafeefather2@yahoo.in-
My name is GUADALUPE URDANETA LAFEE,
I have been diagnosed with Esophageal cancer.It has defiled all forms of medical treatment, and right now I have only about a few months to live,according to medical experts.I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for anyone (not even myself)but my business.Though I am very rich,The last of my money which no one knows of is the huge cash deposit that I have with a Finance Vaulting Unit.I will want you to help me collect this deposit and dispatch it to harity organizations.N/B: Kindly note that 35% of this funds must go to the tsunami victims,60% o other Charity Organization and 5% for your effort and time.I cannot talk with you on the phone due to my health situation, as I am using my Lap Top Computer to communicate with you. You should respond to this e-mail mrgul03@aim.com) if you are interested in carrying out this assignment on my behalf.
God be with you.
MR.GUADALUPE URDANETA LAFEE

William Ayers Demotivational Poster

The Daddy Party (R) is FINALLY hitting back at The Mommy Party (D) over Barack Obama's relationship with William Ayers.
The bulk of Obama's executive experience was with Bill Ayers, a former member of The Weather Underground.
I posted and linked and wailed about this guy back in August. Click here and here if you're interested. The stuff on the Chicago Annenberg Challenge is still under lock and key, and probably will stay that way until after November.
Nobody cared back in August, but the puppetmasters have now declared that Ayers is a legitimate concern.

"An American Carol" - The Worst Movie Ever?

According to Wikipedia, filmmaker David Zucker was involved in the following movies:

Collaborative works (with Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams)
The Kentucky Fried Movie • Airplane! • Top Secret! • Police Squad! • Ruthless People • The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
David Zucker films
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear • Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult • High School High • BASEketball • My Boss's Daughter • Scary Movie 3 • Scary Movie 4 • An American Carol

Kentucky Fried Movie, Airplane, and the Police Squad!/Naked Gun movies were greatness. Unless you saw them in the theatres in the late 70's - early 80's, you don't quite understand what a groundbreaking streak of irreverence the Zuckers and Jim Abrahams put together. No one had ever seen anything like it.

So last night, I decided to go see "An American Carol", David Zucker's latest film. I've been traveling a lot, and had heard Right Wing Radio incessantly peddling the movie. I understood going in that Kevin Farley plays a Michael Moore/America-Hater type documentarian. JFK visits him, and warns that he'll be visited by three spirits: George Patton, George Washington, and ummm....country singer Trace Adkins. Yes, Trace Adkins.
Trace Adkins.
But I pride myself on being open minded. Michael Moore is a pompous windbag, he's the worst thing in his movies, and a Michael Moore parody in the Scrooge role could be funny.
(For an outstanding demolition of a Michael Moore movie, click here to read Christopher Hitchens on Fahrenheit 9/11.)

My second warning came when I walked into the theatre. The ACLU's mental image of the Fox News Network's viewers? That's what the theatre was packed with. VFW vests. Wheelchairs. 45-year old husbands in polyester Sans-a-Belt slacks, with wives who still had Farrah Fawcett hairstyles. Granted, I was in Euless Texas, but still..... This was almost scary.

The movie begins with some Muslim terrorists trying to get a suicide bomber to explode properly. They fail. They decide they need a P.R. campaign. Cut to the Michael Moore character winning MoooveOn.Org awards for documentaries, but getting no respect or box office $$$'s. They terrorists recruit Michael Moore to do their movie.

In the meantime, Michael Moore is involved in a campaign to eliminate the Fourth Of July.

Later that night, JFK comes out of Michael Moore's TV set and tells him he's going to be haunted by 3 spirits. Kelsey Grammar does a good General George S. Patton. He shows Moore what we're fighting for, the consequences of defeat, and so forth. John Voight is George Washington, doing the same. And then Trace Adkins, well, whose idea was he?????

There's a big finale when Michael Moore prevents the terrorists from blowing up Madison Square Garden during a Trace Adkins concert. Depending on your opinion of Soccer Mom Country Music, this may not have been a heroic act.

Here are the problems with the movie:

1. It wasn't funny. The sight gags, a Zucker Brothers staple, weren't particularly well done. Most of the jokes only elicited nervous giggles from an audience that walked in the door wanting to love this movie. I laugh out loud during movies all the time, and I think I only snorted four times in 90 minutes.

2. The sound quality was bad. The vocal dubbing was bad. I couldn't understand a lot of the terrorist dialogue.
There's an anti-academic dance scene, where old tenured hippies burst into song - something about 1968. The lyrics may have been funny, but I'll never know. I couldn't understand them.

3. The editing was choppy. Some scenes looked like the actors were waiting around for someone to say "Action". There are limited special effects, but they seemed cheap. High School students shooting for YouTube have done more authentic explosions.

4. Trace Adkins.

5. Any time a movie relies on profanity from children for its biggest laughs, the movie is in trouble.

6. The previous Zucker comedies were hilarious because they were a) irreverent, and b) politically incorrect. I love political incorrectness. But the politically incorrect parts of "An American Carol" weren't funny. There's a scene where Dennis Hopper plays a judge who is trying to fight off ACLU zombie lawyers. The zombies, among other things, are trying to tear the 10 Commandments off the wall of his courtroom. And it just wasn't funny.

It's politically incorrect to mention that we're having to endure increased airport security because of Muslims. Yes, Muslims. (Please forgive me for speaking the unspeakable. But it really is because of Muslims.)
One scene in the movie shows airport personnel enforcing ludicrous investigations, body cavity searches, etc, because of Radical Christian Extremists. It made you think, and it made you question political correctness, but it wasn't funny.

7. It's difficult to make an irreverent comedy that's to be marketed to political conservatives, simply because one of the chief features of conservatism is reverence.

Contrast this movie with "Team America: World Police". Now there's a movie that took no prisoners, and made almost all of the same points that "An American Carol" attempted.

There's a 1979 film called "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh" that I saw in its original theatrical release. It's a Disco/NBA/Astrology mashup about an adorable black kid (this was the age of Gary Coleman, Webster, etc) who figures out that if his home team have the same astrological sign (Pisces) they'll win all their basketball games.

I hated, hated, hated that movie. Any time the subject of bad movies comes up in conversation, I can hold forth for waaaaay too long on the complete and utter crap that I paid good 1979 money to watch.

But now there's a contender. "An American Carol" may have been worse.

Sarah Palin and Joseph Biden debate at Washington University

They're calling this discussion between the BiPartisans a debate. No 2nd parties are allowed to participate.

To add insult to injury, Gwen Ifill of PBS is moderating this thing. She's got a book on Obama coming out on election day. She works for PBS. PBS. Yes, government owned PBS. And she's supposed to be neutral.

Ifill opens up with a question on the giveaway/bailout.

Biden: The last 8 years have been the worst ever. Biden's quoting Obama's plan. Oversight. Homeowners. Taxpayers are investors. CEO's can't benefit. We don't need people making money off the rescue plan? We don't need people making money off the rescue plan???? What is the rescue plan about?

Palin: Has this been a good time or a bad time? Go to a soccer game. You're going to hear fear. The soccer moms just took a major hit. She's wearing The Mother Of All Flag Pins. We need more oversight (as if they didn't ride roughshod over the present oversight.) People wouldn't listen to McCain's pleas for oversight. Biden is staring a hole through her.

Ifill: How would you fight this polarization in Washington?

Biden: I've reached across the aisle my whole career. But enough about that..... McCain said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. That was at 9:00. By 11, we had a crisis.

Palin: McCain was talking to, and about the American workforce, and by the way, your flag pin is smaller than mine. I'm known for putting partisan politics aside. 96% of Obama's votes are party line. Americans want something new. Reform. We need to send a maverick to the White House.

Ifill: Neither of you are answering my question. Who was responsible for the subprime meltdown?

Palin: It was the predator lenders. Selling 300k houses to people who could only afford a 100K house. Joe six pack, hockey moms need to band together and never be taken advantage of again. We need strict oversight. WE NEED A MOMMY STATE, AND I'M A MOMMY ! ! !
She's dropping her g's on the end of gerunds a lot.

Biden: Two years ago, Obama warned about this, and McCain was surprised by it. McCain says he's always for cutting regulations. Right Wing Republican. Deregulate. He thinks Wall Street could regulate itself. He wants to deregulate the healthcare industry.

Palin: Darn right, we need tax relief for Americans. Obama voted for the increases, 92 times. 94 times. That's not what we need to heat up our economy. Government has to learn to live with less. Make just $$42,000 a year, and you get a tax increase with Obama.

Biden: He didn't vote to raise taxes. McCain voted the same way. McCain voted 477 times to raise taxes. Palin didn't answer the question about deregulation. He's in her face about it.

Palin: I'm gonna talk straight with you. I voted to reduce taxes. She's not answering about McCain yet. She's going into his position now.....Ifill cuts her off.

Ifill: Comes out with a wonkish tax question. Biden, you want to raise taxes on those making $255,000 per year. Why isn't that class warfare? Palin, you've proposed a tax on employer health benefits. Why isn't this taking things out on the poor?

Biden: Fairness. Under McCain's plan, 100 million middle class families wouldn't get a tax break. Under Obama's plan, no tax increases for these folks. Free lunches for 97% of us. When the middle class does well, America does well. McCain wants to give more stuff to the rich. They'll pay no more than they did under Reagan. (Having it both ways.)

Palin: You're forgetting how many small businesses fit into that category. You've said that paying more taxes is patriotic. That's horse hockey. Government is the problem. Lessen the tax burden on the economy. Obama is proposing a trillion in new spending.

Ifill: McCain's health care plan?

Palin: McCain is proposing a plan, blah blah blah blah, freakin' blah.

You know, I was at a small Libertarian party meeting at Pop's Safari bar in the museum district of Fort Worth before this. I left early to come home and blog this mess. These two are all about class warfare and fairness. They're throwing percentages and vote totals and stuff back and forth at each other with NO reference.
This thing is much harder to liveblog than the presidential debate.
They're debating each others' proposals (done on the fly, depending on which state they're in.)

Biden just got a laugh with a "Bridge to Nowhere" joke.

Ifill: What are you willing to get up, now that we're in an economic crisis?

Biden: We're not going to go through with tax cuts for Exxon. (We're going to tax the hell out of them, so you can pay more at the pump. As if higher taxes for corporations won't have an effect.) I'd eliminate the tax dodge of going offshore.

Palin: The nice thing about running with John.... He's consistent. The energy plan....Obama voted for an energy plan that gave Exxon those big tax breaks. She said that wasn't going to happen in her state. They're not her biggest fans. She busted up a monopoly up there in Alaska. Obama voted for those tax breaks that I had to undo. And my state is freakin' huge, and you're just a senator from Delaware.

Ifill: There's nothing you've promised you wouldn't take off the table.

Palin: I've only been running 5 weeks, so I don't have a big table.

Biden: Obama voted for the bill because of the support for Alternative Energy. Why is John adding 4 billion to the tax breaks for Exxon? Rhetoric, rhetoric, I give Palin credit.

Ifill: Last year, Palin, Congress passed a bill that would make it more difficult to declare bankruptcy because of getting suckered into a mortgage. Do you agree?

Palin: We need to be more appreciative of McCain's call for reform. You can thank him for bringing people to the table, trying to fix the problem. It's a toxic mess on MAIN STREET THAT'S AFFECTING WALL STREET? She got it backwards.

Ifill: Biden, you voted for the bankruptcy bill, Obama voted against it. Mortgage holders paid the price.

Biden: Obama and I disagreed, Glass half empty, glass half full. Obama wrote to the Treasury and said Get On The Stick Here. McCain said "I'm surprised".

At Pop's Safari Bar, I smoked a cigar Wayyyyy to fast, so I could get home and watch this. Does anyone ever succesfully go back and verify what these people say? There are so many earmarks lumped together on every vote, there's no way to briefly explain what you're voting for or against.
Ok, Palin just made a jab at EAST COAST NON-PRODUCING STATES (UNLIKE HER MASSIVE PRODUCTION EMPIRE) and we're relying on foreign countries to produce for them, countries that don't like America.
Energy independence is the key, blah blah blah.

Palin is doing better than I thought she would.

Ifill: What causes climate change?

Palin: Alaska feels the impact more than any other state. Part of it is man made, some of is cyclical. What I want to argue is (Ok, I admit I'm reversing the Tivo on this sentence, wanna get it right) how are we gonna get there to positively affect the impacts, we have got to clean up this planet, we have got to encourage other nations also to come along with us with the impacts of climate change.....impacts? impacts? impacts? She's freakin' out for the first time. Ifill and Biden are just letting her roll along....She's blathering on about impacts....

Ifill: Biden?

Biden: It's clearly man-made. If you don't understand the cause, you can't develop a solution. He's going into how much we produce, vs what we consume. McCain's record of voting against alternative energy programs. He's not going into how he and Pat Robertson are going to change the weather.

Ifill: McCain says he supports caps. Biden hasn't always supported clean coal technology.

Palin: Drill baby, drill. Even in my own energy producing state, etc etc, we're building a massive pipeline, etc etc etc. I live in Alaska, and you don't. You call exploration "raping" the outer shelf. O GOD, SHE JUST PRONOUNCED NUCLEAR LIKE BUSH DOES.

Ifill: Who supports carbon caps?

Everyone: I do.

Biden: Something about a rope line comment.

i had one beer at Pop's Safari bar. It has worn off. I need another. Back in a few. Whoops, never mind. Gay marriage question....

Ifill: Same sex benefits to couples?

Biden: Yep. No difference. Same sex couples should be granted the same rights as everyone else. Let's see if he supports gay marriage.

Palin: Not if it supports the traditional definition marriage. I'm tolerant. I have a diverse family, and diverse friends. In that tolerance, no one would propose anything to prohibit hospital visits, property rights. I don't support anything but a traditional definition of marriage.

Ifill: Biden, do you support gay marriage?

Biden: No.
Ok, people, that's why you should support Libertarians.

Ifill: You both have kids in Iraq. What's the exit strategy?

Palin: We've got an exit strategy. Petraeus, Petraeus, etc etc Obama voted against funding the troops. Biden, you called him out on it. You said it was political. We don't need early withdrawal. The surge has worked. Let's move people to Afghanistan. We can't lose against Al Qaeda, and the Shia.

Biden: I didn't hear a plan. Obama has a plan. The same one Bush is now negotiating. McCain voted the same way I did, because it had a timeline, to draw down American troops if there's a timeline. Obama and I think you've got to have a timeline to shift responsibility to the Iraqis. They have an 80 billion dollar surplus (their government never sponsored a Fannie and Freddy).

Palin: Your plan is a white flag of surrender in Iraq. You opposed the surge, the surge worked. We'll know when we're finished when they can govern and protect themselves. Biden, you said you wanted to run with McCain on the ticket? You said Obama wasn't ready to be president. I respect you and your decision. Obama's is another story.

Biden: John McCain voted to cut off funding to the troops. Because it had a timeline in it. McCain was saying the Sunnis and Shias would get along. He's been dead wrong on the fundamental issues.

Ifill: Iran and Pakistan.

Biden: Both are extremely dangerous. Pakistan has nukes. They've tested them. They can hit Israel. Iran would be destabilizing. John says the central front in the war on terror is in Iraq. It will be in Afghanistan, not Iraq, John !

He's calling McCain "John" a lot. Let's you know he knows all about him.

Palin: Both are bad. Petraeus is who turned this around. Petraeus and the leader of al-qaeda agree that Iraq is the center of the fight. Leader of Iran called Israel a stinking corpse. o god, she's going off into the "preconditions" thing that Obama said 9 months ago. McCain, Palin, nobody cares about this outside of the state department.

Ifill: All of the Wise Men have advocated some level of engagement with our enemies. Do you agree?

Palin: I hang out with Kissinger, and I agree with him. It's the preconditions thing again. the folks at home don't get it. I promise.

Biden: That's not true. Leader of Iran (whose name I can't spell) doesn't control the nukes. All our friends and allies say Talk, Talk, Talk. McCain says he wouldn't sit down and talk with the adversary. McCain says he wouldn't sit down with Spain.

Ifill: Israel. Palestine.

Palin: A two state solution is the solution. Rice is working on it. Israel is our best ally in the middle east. We won't allow a 2nd holocaust. Let's build an embassy in Jerusalem.

Biden: Nobody in the senate has been a better friend to Israel than Joe Biden. Bush's policy has been a disaster. Hamas won the elections. This is the sharpest that Biden has sounded. I think Palin wishes he was a moose.

Ifill: Failure?

Palin: I'm just soooooo happy that we both love Israel. Cause you know what? There are lots of Jewish people in Miami and I want their votes ! ! ! We're gonna work this out. Boilerplate, cliches, and we all respect each other. Change is coming.

Biden: How different is McCain going to be from Bush? You know how a word sounds funny when you repeat it over and over? Biden just said "George Bush's" about eight times in a row. Sounded ridiculous.

Ifill: Nukes?

Palin: I say the word Nuclear just like Bush. It's uncanny. Can we talk about Afghanistan? The surge principles that have worked in Iraq would work in Afghanistan. Petraeus and the surge. It's all we've got, and I'm gonna keep bringing it up. And we're building schools for children.

Biden: Our commanding general in Afghanistan said the surge principle won't work there. He said we need more troops? (Heck, isn't that what the surge is?) We've spent more in 3 weeks in Iraq than we've spent building the govt of Afghanistan in the last 6.5 years. More hits on John McCain. Obama reached across the aisle to Dick Lugar.

Palin: McClellan didn't say that the surge principles would work (definitively). Counter-insurgency strategy could work there. Talking points. talking points. scripted. She's not herself here.

Biden: He did say that. While Barack and Lugar and I have wanted to do more in Afghanistan, McCain has been saying they've succeeded. Ok, from now on, I'm typing "A" for Afghanistan. It's a really long word.

Ifill: More troops on the ground?

Biden: America has a stomach for success. What I did in Bosnia saved 10,000 lives. They'd been fighting for thousands of years, and now it's working. I said it would be a mistake to go into Iraq. Palin just looked up and got giggly. Something about Darfur and Nato. We can do it. I've been to the camps in Chad. We should rally the world to act to stop genocide.

Palin: It's so obvious that I'm a Washington outsider. Hey if you voted for it, just tell us why. You loved all this until the pres. race. Darfur: We can agree there. No fly zone. We're in a position to help. Alaska has a 40 billion dollar fund, and we divested our Sudan funds. Let's end atrocities.

Ifill: Where do you draw the line?

Biden: We have to have the capacity to do something about it. You can't harbor terrorists. Let's go back to McCain's strategy. On and on and on about who said what, tied down for a decade. McCain was lockstep with Cheney.

Palin: Ummm....I beg to disagree with you, you can say what you want to say....The pundits are going to weigh in on this, fact checkers, the truth will come out about who supported what.

Ifill: Vice Presidency is a heartbeat away. How would a Biden administration differ from an Obama administration?

Biden: I would carry out his policies. (Not answering the question. Does he not get it, or is he ignoring it?)

Palin: Heaven forbid anything should happen to a President. As for disagreeing with McCain? We're mavericks. I disagree with him on ANWR.... SHE ANSWERED THE QUESTION ! Now she's not answering the question, going off into cliches. Working class families. Running against Washington.

Biden: Go to the diner or Home Depot. You'll see. What has John McCain done to distinguish himself from Bush? Nothing.

Let's talk about class warfare for a few minutes.... We're a very fluid society. We don't have rigid classes. They're both saying "middle class" like it'll get them back to Auntie Em in Kansas.

Palin: Say it ain't so, Joe. (Gets a laugh) Your wife is a teacher, I'm from a family of teachers. Gives a shout out to the 3rd graders at Gladys Wood elementary. We need more flexibility in No Child Left Behind. We've got to ramp it up.

Ifill: Let's bring up your gaffes about the Vice Presidency.

Palin: We were both trying to make jokes, and nobody got yours, Joe. We know what a VP does, preside over the Senate. Support president's policies. I'd be all about energy independence, reform, children with special needs.

Biden: Education. I don't know any education program John has supported. Barack asked me to get things done in the Senate. I'd be the point man for the legislative initiatives. Obama wanted me with him. I'd give advice. I look forward to working with Barack.

Ifill: Do you believe that the exec branch doesn't hold complete sway over the Veep?

Palin: The founding fathers gave the rules. I do agree that we have some flexibility in there.

I've got to ask myself.....I liked Biden a lot in the Democratic debates. He said a lot of sensible things. Am I hostile to him now because he's the only big government guy on the stage, and Palin is more libertarian on most issues? Or is it because he's having to debate a woman? Neither one of them is setting the world on fire right now. Biden ought to be dominating, but it ain't happening.

Biden: Cheney has been a disaster. Primary role of Veep is to support the president. The idea that the Veep is part of the legislature is dangerous.

Ifill: Achilles heels. What is yours?

Palin: My experience as mayor, business owner, executive, and huge energy producing state? Let's see if I can find a weakness.....Hmmmmm. I can't think of one right now. I have the same world view as McCain. We're a shining city on a hill. cliches, cliches, cliches. If you think i'm going to admit to a weakness, you're crazy as hell.

Biden: Lack of discipline? Excessive passion, maybe? (He's answering the question that Palin dodged.) He's going off into the family narrative like Palin did. He's saying that he's as big a victim as Palin.

Palin: People aren't looking for more of the same. McCain's nickname is the Maverick. I'm the same way. Worked both sides of the aisle. She does this squinty thing with her eyes and nose when she wants to be sincere. It's more disturbing than helpful.

Biden: McCain hasn't been a maverick when it matters. He's voted for Bush budgets, healthcare, the war, education. Let's all bring up the kitchen table some more.

Ifill: Can you think of a single issue, Biden, where you have been forced to change a long-held view?

Biden: Robert Bork.

Palin: Budgets she could've vetoed, but didn't.

Ifill: Bipartisanship. How do you change the tone of Washington?

Biden: McCain would agree that I've worked across the aisle as well as anyone. Mike Mansfield anecdote. Don't question people's motives. Question their judgement.

Palin: You appoint people regardless of party. My family is diverse. She's grown up having to work with those who disagree.

Ifill: Closing statements

Palin: Biden, it's good to meet you. McCain and I are going to fight for the middle class. I'm one of you. We're blessed. Reagan quote. We've got to fight for freedom.

Biden: Palin, nice to meet you also. The last eight years have stunk up the known world. We need a fundamental change. Obama and I don't measure progress based on cutting regulations. He gets in another dig at Exxon Mobil. Lordy, I wish I had the debate bingo card with Exxon Mobil on it. He brings up the old neighborhood back home. When you get knocked down, get up.

Biden seemed more slick and polished. A lot of what he says is nightmarish from a libertarian perspective. Palin mumbled around and free-associated a few times. I think Hunter Biden, the lobbying artist, just made his way to the stage. I didn't see him during the Dem convention.

Biden probably won it. We'll see how he holds up against the fact-checkers. It was a long way from a knock-out punch, though.

When Will The U.S. National Debt Reach The 11 Trillion Dollar Mark?

Texas Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison both voted for the $700 billion giveaway.
It's cloaked in the language of Propping Up The Financial System and Preventing An Economic Apocalypse.
I don't buy it.

They're going to take your money and invest it in homes that were built during a housing bubble and sold during a housing bubble.
The idea is that they're going to unload all these houses onto unwary purchasers during the next housing bubble.
There might be some unwary purchasers left out there. People who've been living under rocks, the mentally ill, North Koreans, etc.

In the meantime, keep an eye on the National Debt meter to your right. When I installed it a few months ago, it was at 9.5 trillion, and now we're hitting 9.8 trillion. Unless the remaining rational beings in the House of Representatives hold their ground, we'll be at 10 trillion next week.

So here's the question. When do you think the National Debt meter will hit 11 trillion dollars?
Since we'll probably have the blessings of an Obama presidency with a Democratic majority in the House and Senate next year, I'm betting that we'll hit the 11 trillion mark by 1:15 p.m., October 2nd, 2009.

Place your wagers below. Give time, date, and year. Person to come closest gets a two dollar contribution for a down payment on a Community Reinvestment Act home in Yazoo City, Mississippi.

And by the way, Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn must be punished.

Who's To Bless And Who's To Blame

Here's some Bailout/Giveaway linkage from my friend John Spivey, who runs the Tarrant County Libertarian Meetup Group:

Who to blame? I only have so many fingers! And one is needed for my eternal salute to Congress...
I thought that I'd check out the Ludwig Von Mises Institute, since they're usually so right on target - and of course, they didn't disappoint.

Below is a link to their page "The Bailout Reader" which has many prescient articles written some months to several years ago which foretell the future in Nostradomus-like fashion!http://www.mises.org/story/3128

This is a GREAT collection of articles that John is recommending. Most of them were written in the last 10 years, and predict financial meltdown, panic in Congress, and just about all the stuff you see going on now. They were widely ridiculed at the time, of course.

I particularly like this (about the time Pelosi and Franks were gushing over the shrewd financial brilliance and management capabilities of FNMA's Chief Rains) - http://mises.org/story/1463

Compare to this Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs

It glosses over the culpability of the GOP, but it's funny that the ones pushing the hardest for the bailout now are the ones pushing the hardest to build up the character of FNMA execs in 2004!!
Of course, the GOP is as guilty as the Dems...
Well, maybe it's 49% - 51%... but still...

And at some point, you've got to ask yourself.... Why do voters continue to elect convicted arsonists to supervise the Fire Department?

If it weren't so sad, it'd be funny.

Enjoy?

John

Michael C. Burgess didn't vote for the giveaway

My Congressman, The Honorable Michael C. Burgess, did NOT vote for the giveaway.

Therefore, I'm going to send him some money next time he runs for something. Whoops, he's already running for re-election. Will send something this week.

Here's the link to his official site.

Here's a link to his re-election campaign site.

I've been on the road for the last two days, and was struck by the rabid hostility to this legislation on talk radio. The only exceptions, of course, were public radio stations.

Does anyone (with a private sector job) believe that we should give this money away? Or to use the official BiPartisan line, does anyone believe that the taxpayers should invest in all these "assets" in the hope that the price will increase?

Remember, Nancy Pelosi is your broker.

Carnival Of The Libertarians - Pre-Wall Street Giveaway Edition !

Welcome to the September 28, 2008 edition of Carnival of the libertarians ! Ordinarily, I like to provide some additional commentary for the submissions, but it's been one heck of a work week. I only did a little pruning and weeding of some submissions that were too far off-topic. Enjoy !

Menstrual Poetry presents Sarah Palin is Not a Feminist posted at Menstrual Poetry.

Archvillain presents Achtung! posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "How long will we (the People) permit this sort of abuse by the Government?"

Andrew Ian Dodge presents British Government Chooses Hitler-Loving Eugenicist posted at Dodgeblogium.

Rickey Henderson presents Rickey Presents: The Republican National Convention Drinking Game posted at Riding with Rickey.

Mark Montgomery presents Affirmative Action for Boys: The Moral Equivalent to Affirmative Action for Blacks and Latinos? posted at Great College Advice, saying, "Thanks for considering my post."

Hunter Beck presents OPEC, ANWR and Gas Prices posted at - AMERICAN EYEBROW -.

Praveen presents Environmentalist Meddling Causes Uneasy Existence Between Humans and Komodo Dragons? posted at Tao of Simplicity.

NotYourDaddy presents Environmentalists vs. Alternative Energy posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "The environmentalists claim they oppose drilling for oil because they favor alternative energy sources that are cleaner and safer for the environment. But it turns out that the greatest opposition to alternative energy production comes from environmental groups!"

Hunter Beck presents Why do we care what entertainers say about politics? posted at - AMERICAN EYEBROW -.

GrrlScientist presents The Biology of Politics: Is It For Real? posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying, "Do we have free will or are we "programmed" by our genes to be "defensive" in our political views?"

Andrew Ian Dodge presents AT&T blocks this site… posted at Dodgeblogium, saying, "AT&T does not like my content...so it censors it for those who use their service. My crime? Porn? Racism? No it seems they don't like my criticism of their handling of the iPhone."

Archvillain presents Basic Criteria posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, "Personal responsibility is on life support"

Jeffrey Stingerstein presents Hey, Big Spender: Let's Cut Taxes: Two Sides of the Same Coin: Socialism Here We Come... If You Own a Business posted at Disillusioned Words.

John Spaith presents Toastmasters & Etc. » Evaluating Bob Barr posted at Toastmasters & Etc., saying, "Spaith evaluates Bob Barr's speeches at the Libertarian Convention - both the good and the bad."

Menstrual Poetry presents Congratulations, Did You Pray Today? posted at Menstrual Poetry, saying, "An experience with a religious, pro-life woman who makes all religious, pro-life people look like overbearing psychopaths."

Mike Gogulski presents Renunciation as divorce nostate.com posted at nostate.com.

NotYourDaddy presents No Federal Bailouts! posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "This country is headed for disaster because of fiscal irresponsibility at every level, encouraged by those who think the government can just manipulate the economy a little bit more, just another tweak here or another pinch there. A push here or a squeeze there. But it’s all an illusion as long as the debt keeps growing."

NotYourDaddy presents When A Free Lunch isn't Good Enough posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "What these kids have been taught is that, if you don’t have the money to buy something, you can just say “charge it,” and then it’s free! And there’s no limit to how much you can charge without ever having to pay it back."

Archvillain presents Shell Game posted at A Dark and Sinister Force for Good, saying, ""Politician" seems to be synonymous with "criminal" these days"

Bear Nichols presents WSJ Claims Paulson Plan will Make Money for Taxpayer posted at Right Werds, Korrekt Speech, saying, "Concerns the housing bailout."

Phil B. presents The National Debt of the USA « Phil for Humanity posted at Phil for Humanity, saying, "Before it is too late, please contact U.S. politicians to demand immediate fiscal responsibility through a balanced budget and a gradual decrease in the National Debt."

NotYourDaddy presents Social Engineering as Economic Policy posted at Government is not your Daddy., saying, "What we are witnessing today is not a failure of the free market. It is the failure of social engineering as economic policy. And it’s a disaster of epic proportions."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
carnival of the libertarians using our carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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carnival of the libertarians, blog carnival.

Barack Obama, John McCain, Debate at The University Of Mississippi

After watching (and liveblogging) the previous debates of the Bipartisans, I swore that I would never do it again. They were that dumb.
If this were a truly legit debate, 2nd parties would be allowed to participate. Bob Barr and Ralph Nader are nowhere to be seen (to name a few).
As it stands now, you will be seeing a family discussion with about 3 degrees of difference between the two candidates. Held in Oxford, Mississippi. Ole Miss.

"Hotty Totty, Gosh A Mighty,
Who In the hell are we?
HEY !
Flim Flam Blim Blam,
Ole Miss, by Damn !"

(I Went there for 3 semesters.)

Here goes, Jim Lehrer has asked where the candidates stand on the financial giveaway to Wall Street.
Obama thinks we should move swiftly (before we realize we're getting ripped off) and we should move wisely (contradiction in terms, if you're talking about giveaways). He blames it on 8 years of failed economic policies from the Bush administration, disregarding the long standing role of Fannie and Freddie.
McCain opens with some crocodile tears over Ted Kennedy. McCain says he feels bad about things, but he feels better because The Mommy Party and The Daddy Party have agreed to sit down and work out the problem (kinda like when Mom and Dad went to counseling). Obama has offered some concrete things, numbered and orderly. McCain seems foggy.
Lehrer invites them to go at each other, kinda like when the counselor let Mommy and Daddy hit each other with pillows.
Obama says we've got to solve the problem short-term, and we've got to intervene. We need more regulation.
Lehrer asks if McCain will vote for the plan. McCain says he probably will. He warned about the Fannie and Freddie abomination in waiting, just like everyone else. He tells about Eisenhower writing two letters before the Normandy invasion. He says the Securites and Exchange Commission Chair should resign, just like Ike would've if the Normandy invasion had failed. McCain says he'll hold people accountable.
Obama contrasts Wall Street and Main Street. He wants to look at things that made ordinary Americans do worse than Wall Street.
Lehrer tries again to get the Mommy and Daddy Party representatives to talk to each other, not to the cameras. Obama isn't doing it.
McCain is looking at the cameras and Lehrer, not Obama.

(Sigh....these two aren't going to talk to each other. They're sticking to their talking points and stump speeches. Can this marriage be saved?)

Lehrer asks McCain if there are fundamental differences between what he and Obama would do to get us out of the financial crisis (Short Answer: NO).

McCain speaks truth when he says that Republicans have spent money like drunk cowboys. He speaks truth when he says that earmarking is a "gateway drug". He goes off again on spending 3 mil on taxpayer money to study bear DNA in Montana.
He's going to veto every spending bills that come across his desk.
He accuses Obama of spending 1 million per day as Senator. McCain finally shows some gumption.

Obama agrees that earmarks have been out of control. He says lobbyists and special interests are responsible, but only for 18 billion. He says McCain has proposed 300 billion in tax cuts for rich people and CEO's. (In all honesty, if you're going to cut that much in taxes, they're the only ones you can cut that much from.)
Obama is starting to stammer a bit. The earmark thing hit him hard, I think.

McCain hits back again on the earmarks. Says it's a systemic problem. He's hitting again on 800 billion in new spending on new programs. He wants to cut spending and keep taxes low.

Obama calls Bullshit on that one. He wants to cut tax breaks on people who send jobs overseas, is for a good healthcare system. He says the original point is that we should spend money wisely, Obama speaks truth when he says that eliminating earmarks will only take care of a small part of the problem.

Lehrer wants Daddy to talk directly to Mommy.

McCain says the business tax in the U.S. is the 2nd highest in the world. HE BRINGS UP IRELAND'S INCREDIBLY SUCCESFUL LOW TAX RATE ! ! ! (See a book called "The Pope's Children" on this topic). McCain says there's a lot more than 18 billion in pork barrell spending out there. There are 2,000 special deals out there. McCain says he wants every family to have tax cuts for health care. Double the dividend for dependent children in America. The worst thing we could do is raise taxes right now. Gets in something about wanting to know Obama's definition of "rich".

Obama says if you make less than 250 K, then you won't see a tax increase. Business taxes are high, but they have a ton o' loopholes, meaning that our businesses pay some of the lowest taxes. (Hell, they're getting what they've bribed their representatives to do....)
Obama says McCain intends to tax health benefits. Says McCain thinks the market can solve everything.

McCain: This is the difference between walking the walk and talking the talk. Mentions an energy bill that was a Christmas tree of goodies for all concerned.

Both of these guys are different from their previous performances within their own groups. Barack is much more relaxed here than he was against Hillary.

They're going back and forth about who has given away the most to the rich, and taken away the most from the poor.

Lehrer asks about the financial bailout. "As president, what are you going to have to give up because of this 700 billion dollar rescue plan?"

Obama ain't gonna give up anything. He says some things will have to be "delayed". He's not answering the question. He's going off on energy independence. Giving up things is an anathema to The Mommy Party.

This is why these debates are a total farce. Lehrer should interrupt, and say "Barack, WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE UP BECAUSE OF THIS GIVEAWAY TO WALL STREET?"

McCain: We've got to cut spending. It's hard for Obama to reach across the aisle from that far to the left. MCCAIN SAYS HE WOULD CUT OUT ETHANOL SUBSIDIES. He would cut out "cost plus" contracts. (Amen). We've got to get cost overruns out of control. McCain is winning this round, just because he was willing to put Iowa at risk by saying he'd cut out the ethanol subsidy.

Lehrer says none of that is enough. He presses Obama. Obama says we need to invest in energy to decrease independence on foreign oil. He goes off into lobbyists shaping medicare legislation. (Amen, Brother Obama). He wants to list every dollar of spending to see who is promoting each piece of spending. (I like it.)

McCain proposes a spending freeze on everything but defense, veterans, and entitlements. (Heck, what do we NOT think of as an entitlement?)
Obama says McCain is using hatchet when we should use a scalpel (WHEN WE'VE GOT A 9.6 TRILLION DOLLAR DEBT???? HELL, USE A CHAINSAW.)
McCain avoids a dig about Iraq, by talking about foreign aid being mis-spent. We can create a ton o' jobs with nuclear power plants. JOHN, YOU DON'T OPEN NUKES TO CREATE JOBS. YOU DO IT TO ELIMINATE THEM ! ! !

Lord have mercy, I'd forgotten why I stopped live-blogging these things.

Obama says we probably won't see anything back from the 700 billion any time soon. And in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
McCain wants to be sure we don't hand the healthcare system over to the Feds, the people who can't deliver "Sports Illustrated" to East Fort Worth on time.

(They're not really saying anything. I'm going to get some beer out of the fridge...be right back.)

More talk about who voted for what. No one mentions when they voted for what. They just throw this crap at each other, and Lehrer doesn't demand specifics. He lets them get away with being vague.

McCain says he's got a good maverick (Palin) with him now.

Lehrer asks about the lessons of Iraq. McCain says you can't have a failed strategy. The surge, the surge, the surge, victory with honor. Consequences of defeat: more Iranian influence, sectarian violence, etc. Petraeus, Petraeus, Petraeus.

Obama says there's a fundamental disagreement. Obama says he opposed it from day one. Obama says we've spent over 600 billion over there. We took our eye off the ball. Iraq has a 79 billion dollar surplus (truly one of the great WTF? facts of our involvement over there.)

McCain: next Prez is going to have to decide how and when we'll leave. McCain is going off on how he and Obama disagreed on The Surge. Obama is chair of NATO in Afghanistan committee, but hasn't had a hearing yet.

Obama is proud of his V.P. selection, Joe Biden. Explains how the system works. He's proud of the troops and Petraeus. He explains how the surge is a tactic design to contain damage of the previous four years of the war. The war we shouldn't have gotten into. He's nailing him on the WMD's. McCain is staring off into space with a slight grin, reminiscing about Hanoi.

McCain says Obama doesn't know the difference between a tactic and a strategy. Tells anecdote about speaking to the troops. The troops said "Let us win. We don't want our kids coming back here".

Both sides aren't debating each other. They're just trying to strengthen their base. Kind of interesting to watch.

McCain says Obama voted to cut off troop funding. Obama says it was timetable oriented. Refutes the timetable vs. strategy dig. Obama is giving more McCain quotes. Blah blah blah, more quote references.

McCain interrupts with Petraeus and Bin Ladin agreeing that Iraq is central to any conflict.

Lehrer goes into Afghanistan. More troops?

Obama thinks we need more troops there. The situation is getting worse there. Fatalities going up. 2 or 3 additional brigades need to go to Afghanistan. There was no Al Qaeda presence in Iraq till we got there. Press the Afghans to be sure the government is working for their people. Gotta eliminate the opium poppy trade. Stop them from playing footsie with Pakistan.

McCain says we made a mistake when we helped Afghanistan drive out the Russians, only to let the Taliban take over. He's not prepared to threaten Pakistan. He's spanking Barack over his willingness to attack Pakistan. The policy that Obama condemned in Iraq is the only one that will work in Pakistan. HE'S GOT FAITH IN PETRAEUS. Petraeus, petraeus, petraeus.

Obama denies wanting to attack Pakistan. He wants Bin Ladin. And if he's in Pakistan, so be it. Takes some shots over McCain's "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" jokes.

Barack is holding his own really well here. McCain should be kicking his butt on Foreign Policy, and it ain't happening yet. I'm looking forward to the fact-checks on this debate.

McCain tells about disagreeing with Reagan about invading Lebanon. But he supported first Gulf War. Supported going into Bosnia/Serbia/Kosovo. Said we should convert Somalia force from peacekeeping force to peacemaking force. Anecdote about wearing a soldier's bracelet, and promising that the soldier's death was not in vain. Anecdote about parents not wanting defeat.

Obama says he has a bracelet too. They both have bracelet stories. The troops have performed brilliantly. We took our eye off Afghanistan and the 9-11 perps, and we went into Iraq. You don't muddle through this type of thing.

McCain: You might think Obama could've gone to Afghanistan. He's been there. He knows what the security requirements and needs are.

Lehrer: McCain, what about Iran?

McCain says if Iran gets nukes, it's an existential threat to Israel. We can't allow a second Holocaust.

Obama believes that Saddam's Republican Guard was a terrorist organization. Iraq and Iran were enemies, now Iran's inflence is growing. We can't tolerate Iran with nukes. You could set off an arms race in the middle east. We need some cooperation with Russia and China.

"Reason" magazine is sponsoring a Bob Barr event, where he's answering these questions at the same time as the two Bipartisans. I wonder if it's more interesting than this.

McCain slams prez of Iran (I'm not going to try to spell his name on the run) for anti-semitic remarks in the U.N. this week. He slams Obama for being willing to meet without pre-conditions.

Obama says he'll talk with anybody he damn well chooses, as long as it'll help keep America safe. Brings up Kissinger stating that we should immediately meet with Iran, and Kissinger is now a McCain advisor.

Obama is doing really well on all this. McCain should be totally dominating. Not happening.

McCain gets in a dig about Obama's "Yes We Can" seal of the president. He emphasizes that you can't sit down with a nutcase like (the guy whose name I can't spell) when they're calling Israel a stinking corpse. Trust but verify.

McCain is trying to make too much over Obama's willingness to sit down without preconditions. That doesn't resonate with anybody outside of the Domestic Corps. Give up on it.

Now they're going on about what Kissinger would and wouldn't say.

Lehrer: Barack, how do you see Russia?

Obama: Our entire Russian approach has to be revamped. They're a threat to the region. What they did in Georgia was unwarranted. We need a unified alliance. We have to affirm the fledgeling democracies in that region. HE SAYS GEORGIA SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO ENTER NATO. MISTAKE. WE HAVE NO BUSINESS ATTACKING RUSSIA IF THEY ATTACK GEORGIA. We can't have a Cold War posture r.e. Russia.

Obama is coming across as knowledgeable and smooth and eloquent. McCain is coming across as someone primed with talking points. Obama is not necessarily accurate, but that's not what this is about.

McCain: Russia committed serious aggression against Georgia. They're fueled by petro-dollars. Putin is KGB. We need to help our friends and allies. This is about the oil pipeline running through there. He's going on and on without a structure or a mental outline of the point he's trying to make.

Obama agrees with most of what McCain says. Says we should've objected more forcefully. We have to anticipate some of these problems. Obama warned (September last year) that Russia was up to no good. Russia is all about the petrodollars. We need to increase offshore drilling. But we can't drill our way out of this problem. Solar, wind, clean coal, etc etc etc. McCain voted 23 times against solar, wind, and biodiesel.

Lehrer: There's time for one more.

McCain: I call bullshit on Obama's last statements. Offshore drilling will help relieve our energy requirements. Jabbering back and forth about who supported what, and when they supported it. This is the most cross-talk we've had so far.

Lehrer: What is the likelihood of another 9-11.

McCain: Much less than after 9-11. We're a much safer nation. He worked with Joe Lieberman to find out what happened, and fixed it.

Throws Bush under the bus.

He's bipartisan, reached across aisle. We need trained interrogators, no torture. Work closely with allies. America is safer today than it was on 9-11. We still have a ways to go. The aftermath was the biggest re-organization of government since we started the Defense Department.

Obama: We're safer, but still have a long way to go. Biggest threat isn't an airborne nuke, it's in a suitcase. We need more help from our allies. We have to understand that the way we're perceived is important. He will restore America's standing in the world. He gives McCain credit on the torture issue.

McCain: brings up a Reagan era thing about Star Wars that very few people remember. He says all would be lost if we follow Obama's plan of setting a timetable for withdrawal.

Obama: over the last years, this administration, including McCain, have been focused on Iraq. We still don't have Bin Ladin. We owe China one trillion dollars, and they're raising hell all over the world. We've weakened ourselves by focusing so much on Iraq. We're spending 10 billion a month on Iraq. This hurts healthcare, science, technology. We haven't funded veteran's care. We have put all chips in on Iraq. We're not talking about losing the war. We're talking about a broader strategic vision.

McCain: I've been in on every challenge we've faced in the last 20 year. Obama hasn't. Plus, Obama is wrong a lot. MCCAIN COMPARES OBAMA'S STUBBORNNESS TO THAT OF BUSH? McCain says he's got the unique background for this job. Ready to go right now.

Obama: My father came from Kenya. Wrote letter after letter to come to the U.S. It's where you could make it if you tried. But we've declined since then. Now, we're going to invest in education, in how ordinary people invest in our dreams.

Lehrer: Last Call

McCain: when I came home from prison, I worked on veterans affairs. I know how to heal the wounds of war.

Lehrer: Get ready for the V.P. debate on October 2nd. Washington University in Saint Louis.

Obama won it, unless fact-checkers come up with inaccuracies. McCain did ok, but wasn't as smooth. But it's not going to change a thing. Bipartisans are still going to be running the show.

Kill The Bill

Michelle Malkin is live-blogging the giveaway package Bailout Bill.

Worth perusing every couple of hours.

A few thoughts I've had today....

I know a lot of people who have defaulted on their mortgages - mostly employees going through divorces, dealing with addictions, or other circumstantial reasons. But the number doesn't seem higher than usual. Where are all of these millions of people who are losing their homes? Do you know many?

Regarding the inevitability of the giveaway bailout....

1) The people on Wall Street clamoring for this bailout, are they friends and contributors to various Congressmen and Senators?

2) Have Wall Street and the banks succesfully lobbied government for tariffs, quotas, tax breaks, loopholes, and other freebies?

3) Will this bailout increase the power of government?

4) Will most Americans continue to vote the way they've always voted?

5) Was the 700 billion dollar figure arbitrarily pulled out of someone's nether regions? Do you believe it's merely the amount they think they can loot from the treasury?

6) Do you believe that we're merely refilling more Golden Parachutes?

If you answered YES to all these questions, but haven't written or emailed your representatives yet, please email me. I want you to invest in this nice Nigerian Lady's project to get some money out of Africa.

If you don't have strong opinions on these questions, don't worry about it. "Dancing With The Stars" and "American Idol" will be into their new seasons soon.

Regardless of our opinions, we can kiss that money goodbye. Check out the National Debt Counter to your right. It's spinning like mad.

That's nothing. It's going to be whirring around like the odometer on Haley's Comet.

A Prophetic Book - "The Revolution: A Manifesto"

Here's Texas Congressman Ron Paul on CNN, commenting on the root causes of our financial meltdown.

Most of this information was available four or five months ago, in his book "The Revolution: A Manifesto".

It's one of those books that's so good, you have to stop reading every few sentences to think over the implications of what the author saying.

Finishing it a few weeks before a major financial crisis has been an unnerving experience.

In a truly caring society, this little book would already be required reading in High School Government classes. The chapters entitled "Economic Freedom" and "Money: The Forbidden Issue" should be tattooed onto Paulson and Bernancke's forearms. Remember the Alabama courthouse that tried and failed to have a marble statue of the Ten Commandments in one of the courtrooms? Let's put copies of this book in a glass case in that space.

Friends and family, get ready. Ron Paul is what I'm getting you for Christmas.

Here's a brief excerpt from the CNN editorial:

Unfortunately, the government's preferred solution to the crisis is the very thing that got us into this mess in the first place: government intervention.

Ever since the 1930s, the federal government has involved itself deeply in housing policy and developed numerous programs to encourage homebuilding and homeownership.

Government-sponsored enterprises

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were able to obtain a monopoly position in the mortgage market, especially the mortgage-backed securities market, because of the advantages bestowed upon them by the federal government. Laws passed by Congress such as the Community Reinvestment Act required banks to make loans to previously underserved segments of their communities, thus forcing banks to lend to people who normally would be rejected as bad credit risks.

I can't believe that people are wanting to solve this problem with more government intervention.

Throw them out

A large group of bankers, lenders, brokers and bean counters tried to get rich quick with subprime mortgages.

They failed.

I've tried to get rich quick a few times. I've split 10's against a dealer 6 upcard. I've put everything on red.

I've failed.

The U.S. House and Senate will soon debate a bailout plan for the big money people who have failed to get rich quick. It will be cloaked in the language of "preventing a meltdown of the financial system", but basically, they're wanting you to cover their losses.

The only way to do so will be with dollars that don't exist. They will print more. A truthful government would write .50 on the front of this new currency, instead of $1.00. It will be totally devalued.

The question is this: Will you vote to re-elect any congressperson or senator who votes for this bailout?

A Fund-Raising Appeal

The prophets have foretold Global Warming.
The seas should be rising soon.
The glaciers will melt one day. I know they will. I have faith.

But Chris at Counting Cats says otherwise.
We have not reached him with our Global Warming Gospel.
He is mocking us.

Because of my passion for converting The Lost, I am starting a missions fundraising project to bring Chris to the light.
Last night, Saint Albert, The Goracle of Music City Tennessee, appeared to me in a dream.

He was 900 feet tall, and had a voice like thunder. He had one foot in my back yard, and one foot in Dallas. Saint Albert said "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth and on K street where the lobbyists gather. Go ye therefore into Australia, and teach the Cat Counters to fear my voice, baptizing them in the name of the Gore, and of the Reid, and of the Pelosi: Teaching them to observe all warming (but not cooling) as I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

I awoke in a cold sweat, but with a feeling of renewed energy and purpose.
I must find a way to get to Australia, to give Chris a hardback copy of Saint Albert's "Earth In The Balance", a DVD of "An Inconvenient Truth", and a Democrat party donor form.
And then we might drink some Cascade Premiums, but that's not the purpose of the trip.

I am starting a non-profit foundation for this mission trip. Chris must be led to The Goracle, and I'm the man to do it. So reach down into the bottom of your heart, your pockets, your purses, and your wallets, and give.

Let me know as soon as possible how much you can contribute.