Barack Obama. God? Or Idiot...

Evan Thomas of Newsweek blew out all the stops this week in an appearance on MSNBC. Try not to read this after eating:

Reagan was all about America, and you talked about it. Obama is ‘we are above that now.’ We’re not just parochial, we’re not just chauvinistic, we’re not just provincial. We stand for something – I mean in a way Obama’s standing above the country, above – above the world, he’s sort of God. He’s...going to bring all different sides together.

Now contrast this view with some reality - an unteleprompted, unscripted attempt at answering a DIRECT question on a DIRECT issue. He takes more than 3 minutes to say, essentially, nothing - fumbling, bumbling and obfuscating in a way that would have had the media convulsed with alternating fits of laughter and outrage had it been George Bush:

Fourth Estate? Fifth Column.

The term Fourth Estate, of course, refers to the press; “press” being a now-archaic description hearkening back to a simpler time when delivering news was strictly a function of metal, paper, ink, and the time it took to get it to the reader – no electricity involved. We need not go into how different things are today.

To the best of our knowledge, Edmund Burke coined the term in the House of Commons a short time after the French revolution. The first three estates, as defined by Louis XVI some years earlier, were the clergy, the nobles and the commoners. Burke is said to have gazed up at the Press Gallery and said, “Yonder lies the Fourth Estate, and they are more important than them all.”

Likewise, most of us are aware of the phrase "Fifth Column;" it refers to a dangerous enemy unit that operates clandestinely within the borders of one's own country. The concept originated during the Spanish Civil War with a radio address by insurgent General Emilio Mola, who broadcast the news that his four military columns laying siege to Madrid would be supported by a "Fifth Column" of supporters operating surreptitiously within the city.

Of course, paranoia can lead a nation to fear a Fifth Column that doesn’t exist; the most obvious example in our recent history being the belief that Japanese-Americans represented an internal threat as both spies and saboteurs during World War II, an erroneous conclusion that led to the unfortunate internment of hundreds of thousands of otherwise loyal Americans.

Generally, all Fifth Columns, whether real or imagined, share one commonality: they operate in the shadows. Their members listen behind doors, peep through keyholes, secretly sabotage power plants and transportation hubs and above all, keep their nefarious actions hidden and secret. They wait silently, patiently, until the day finally comes when they can rise up, shed their sheep’s clothing, and proudly affirm their support for the cause that has brought about the destruction of the society in which they so traitorously intermingled.

Not anymore. America’s Fifth Column, fully-operational and horribly dangerous, operates in full view of the public. In fact, they fight amongst themselves for the privilege of being the most visible, as they do their damndest to bring about the destruction of our country as we know it. America’s Fifth Column is its Fourth Estate.

Formerly known as the “Watchdogs of Democracy,” today’s media has become the propaganda arm of the American Left. As vigilant, and destructive, as a starving pit bull during the Bush years, this once snarling beast has now become a pussycat, rubbing at his ankles and purring as President Obama scratches behind its ears.

When the former Republican administration occupied the halls of power, this Fifth Column was capable of almost any calumny, no matter how destructive. Indeed there were cases which, in other generations or situations – would have been considered treasonous. No single matter relating to the conduct of the Iraq War was beneath scrutiny, nor was any misdeed – real or imagined – on the part of the military allowed to go unreported, national security be damned. It seemed that the only standard used to determine what was “fit to print” was the degree to which a story could be used to damage the Bush White House.

Hence endless days, weeks, months and finally years of wailing and gnashing of teeth over Abu Ghraib and Gitmo, rendition and “domestic spying,” endless apologies to the world and boundless recriminations at home.

Former Vice President Cheney saw fit a few weeks ago to single out one particular organization by name:

“The [Terrorist Surveillance]program was top secret, and for good reason, until the editors of the New York Times got it and put it on the front page. After 9/11, the Times had spent months publishing the pictures and the stories of everyone killed by al-Qaeda on 9/11. Now here was that same newspaper publishing secrets in a way that could only help al-Qaeda. It impressed the Pulitzer committee, but it damn sure didn’t serve the interests of our country, or the safety of our people.”

The shockingly biased coverage of George Bush and his administration gave critics of the media plenty of ammunition with which to attack, but all attempts to call the media to task sputtered ineffectually under the onslaught. Undeterred, the American Fifth Column had much more, and much worse, in store.

With the advent of the Obama candidacy and the subsequent descent into the nether-regions of crazed adulation and tingly legs by the “I’m Just Mad About Barry” media, they suddenly and inexplicably lost the ability to investigate. Like a new and potent Andromeda Strain, America’s Fifth Column mutated into a different and even more dangerous pathogen, lethal in its ability to mask and cover all symptoms of the Obama Administration’s rush to insert its tentacles into every aspect of our lives.

The media became not only incapable of any sort of criticism of the party in power, but of any sort of critical thought.

End of Part 1

Obama's Great SCAM and Other Acronyms

That's how I'm going to be referring, from this point forward, to the greatest weapon in the President's arsenal. SCAM is my new acronym for State Controlled American Media.

(That little short-cut works so well, doesn't it? Choose an appropriate adjective to place before it, and see how trippingly it rolls off the tongue: dangerous SCAM, huge SCAM, deceitful SCAM; see what I mean?)

Moving along, the Administration's agenda will hereinafter be known as the President's War on the Constitution, or PWOC, for short. Obama's main allies in this war are the AIDS, a.k.a. the Alliance of Insane Democrat Senators. So let's float a trial balloon: "In the PWOC, both Obama and his AIDS are using a powerful SCAM to achieve their nefarious goals."

Now right there you see the reason for this post: I used three words to take the place of twelve. So why is that important? Well, off the top of my head, I would think it would be valuable in writing Letters to the Editor, which are, in the case of the Staten Island Advance, capped at 200 words.

Plus, I thought SCAM was a pretty snappy replacement for MSM, and the PWOC describes exactly what is going on without mincing words, and without resorting to tired, old descriptives that are not really accurate, like Fascism, Marxism or Socialism.

Ann Coulter: Hoot.

Though she causes the Left to erupt in paroxysms of sputtering rage, the Right is one lucky team to have Ann playing on their side. She wades into the Miss USA kerfuffle with this:

Not even Dick Cheney can incite the blood-curdling rage of liberals at the sight of a sexy Evangelical Christian. Paula Jones, Katherine Harris, Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin and, most recently, Miss California, Carrie Prejean, have all come under a frenzy of attacks from liberals.

Christians are supposed to be fat, balding sweaty little men with bad complexions. It's liberals who are supposed to be the sexy ones. (I know that from watching "The West Wing" and all movies starring Julia Roberts.)

But sadly for liberals, in real life, the fat, balding sweaty little guy with the bad complexion is Perez Hilton and the smoking-hot babe is Carrie Prejean.

This apparent contradiction incites violent anger in liberals, triggering their famous "fight or flight" response. So liberal masturbators are, once again, launching furious attacks on a beautiful Christian in a fit of pique similar to the one directed at Joan of Arc.

First, the Miss USA contest held a press conference to announce that Prejean had breast implants. Take a Christian position in public and Satan's handmaidens will turn all your secrets into front-page news.

Next, a photographer released a single cheesecake photo of Prejean. This prompted liberal reporters who have never met a Christian to proclaim that Christians were outraged by the photo. Liberals believe abortion is a sacrament, but smoking, wearing short skirts and modeling lingerie are mortal sins. (And if wearing women's underwear is a basis for being disqualified from the pageant, that's the end of Perez Hilton's judging career.)

Then on Monday some genuine "semi-nude" photos were released. These were not what we'd call appropriate for a Christian. In a curiously similar attack, the left's final attempt to destroy Paula Jones was to lure her into appearing naked in Penthouse magazine. Oh well.

Christians aren't people who believe they are without sin; they're people who know they're sinners and are awestruck by God's grace in sending his only Son to take the punishment they deserve. [snip]

Liberals used [her parents] divorce papers to argue that Prejean had some deep-seated psychological disturbance causing her to oppose gay marriage. Symptoms of this debilitating illness include a belief in some sort of "god" and a reverence for the Bible.

It's not as if Prejean's special talent in the Miss USA contest was to perform an opposite-sex marriage. (Or, as the president and I call it, "marriage.") She didn't even volunteer her "controversial" views on marriage. Rather, she was asked for her opinion on gay marriage and gave it -- in an answer wrapped in so many layers of sugar it took 10 minutes to get to the point.

"Well, I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one way or the other. We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. You know what, in my country, in my family, I do believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, no offense to anybody out there. But that's how I was raised, and I believe that it should be between a man and a woman."

What a vicious hate-monger! Any second there I was expecting her to bust out a "by golly!" or an "oh my gosh!" Angry gay-marriage supporters should be happy they didn't get my version of that answer. It contains some terms you won't find in your Bible. [snip]

I'm not sure we needed a psychological profile of Prejean to figure out why she holds the same position on gay marriage as: the president, the vice president, the secretary of state, Bill Clinton, John Kerry, John Edwards and his mistress, and the vast majority of the American people.

Anyway, for those of us with a healthy prurient curiousity: Gay Marriage Opponent Topless Photos Leaked

You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up.

There was an album that I used to love as a kid. It was the first-ever release by the Mamas and the Papas, entitled If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, and as I peruse the political landscape these days, that phrase just keeps popping into my head.

The latest foray into insanity by this bizarre Congress comes to us today courtesy of Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D.-Md.

You see, Senator Cardin has figured out a way to staunch the flow of red ink that has been afflicting most major, left-leaning newspapers throughout the country, all long-time allies of the Liberal establishment that they are loath to see lose further ground to the blogosphere.

The crux of his proposal is that he wants to allow newspapers, if they so desire, to choose to become non-profit organizations, thereby avoiding the burden of paying taxes. Liberals are so good at avoiding that particular heavy load, aren't they?

After all, newspapers perform a public service for democracy and should be allowed to operate as tax-exempt non-profits! Right? RIGHT? His bill would explicitly include newspapers as an eligible organization for 501 (c) (3) status, the same status as public radio and public television.

I will pause here for a moment to allow you to catch your breath if you are doubled over with laughter, or to resume breathing if you were momentarily struck dumb at the horror of it all.

The business-ownership model under which these non-profits would operate is called L3C, short for Low-profit, Limited Liability Company. Under the legislation proposed by Cardin, newspaper revenues would be tax-exempt and conversely, those who purchase newpapers could declare their "contributions" as tax deductions.

"We are losing our newspaper industry," Cardin said in a statement. "The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy."

Now here's the onion: In order to maintain its tax-exempt status, the non-profit newspaper would not be allowed to endorse political candidates. But DO NOT panic - they would still be able to report political news. Because, y'know, the way they report a story doesn't carry any built-in political proclivities, or any kind of agenda or anything. Nope. No siree.

Fair. Balanced. Tax-free.