Reuters Gives us Another Christ-Like Obama Photo
May 31, 2008 | Filed Under Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment
-By Warner Todd Huston
Take a gander at this one…
Reuters gives us another Obama photo in a seeming Christ-like pose, halo surrounding him.
They just can’t resist it, can they?
Original caption:
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama waits to speak in Aberdeen, South Dakota May 31, 2008. Obama said on Saturday he quit his Chicago church in the aftermath of inflammatory sermons that could become a lightning rod in the November election.
REUTERS/Rick Wilking
No, they aren’t in the tank, eh?
NH Middle School Celebrating ‘Open Tent’ Day — Kids Dress Like Arabs
May 31, 2008 | Filed Under Democrats/Leftists, Education, Islam, Islamofascism, Media Bias, News, Publius Contributor, Religion, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | 2 Comments
-By Warner Todd Huston
Only in the west can one see a school that hosts a day when school children are encouraged to dress like, act like, and “learn about” those trying to kill them and all in a day that the country is in the midst of war. And only in the west would the media help celebrate such an outrageous example of support for what, in truth, are our enemies.
On May 9, the kids of the Amherst Middle School in Amherst, New Hampshire, were forced to parade about their school dressed as “Saudi Arabians” so that they could “learn from people around the world” in a happy day of multiculturalism. But, what they ended up being taught was the wholly sanitized version of how wonderful Saudi society is instead of the truth.
Sadly, the Milford (NH) Cabinet, a small newspaper group in the Granite State, is full of uncritical praise and wonder at the multicultural extravaganza forced upon these children unawares. Worse, they didn’t do any reporting on how this day of appeasement came to be held.
For one night, on May 9, the quaint colonial town of Amherst, New Hampshire, was transformed into a Saudi Arabian Bedouin tent community, with the help of 80 seventh-graders at the Amherst Middle School. The weather cooperated, providing 85 degree temperatures to give an authentic Saudi feel to the evening.
And what was this exercise in sympathy for our enemies supposed to do for the community?
The “open tent” was created to encourage participants to reach out and learn from people around the world, and to promote curiosity and cultural understanding.
One wonders if Amherst Middle School dressed up their kids like Imperial Japanese soldiers and had them learn about Shintoism during WWII? Somehow, I’d bet not.
Sad Stories Do Not Justify Federal Legislation
May 31, 2008 | Filed Under Congress, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, News, Publius Contributor, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments
-By Warner Todd Huston
The horrible accident that befell Kaitlyn Lasitter, well it rips your heart out. A bubbly, well-liked Kentucky teen girl just at the beginning her life suffers a grievous, life-changing injury in an accident at an amusement park, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. In January of 2008, some cables fell loose from the Superman Tower of Power ride and this malfunction ended up costing the girl both her feet when they were severed as the ride continued despite the girl’s screams of horror.
It is a sad story and Kaitlyn certainly deserves to have her day in court to force the amusement park to explain itself to all involved. If the park violated safety rules, then the park should pay. But, whatever the legal ramifications, the story just makes you cry out at the injustice of this fate.
Yes, it’s a sad, sad story. But heartrending stories do not call for Federal government intervention no matter how outrageous or gut wrenching they are.
Sadly, regardless of the proper role of the Federal government, we have here yet another grandstanding Congressman trying to feed off this poor girl’s horror so that he can get his name in the paper and garner some undeserved attention for “doing something” for this victim of circumstance. Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-MA) has chased this ambulance from Massachusetts all the way to Kentucky and back again to Washington D.C. to propose unnecessary legislation to “fix” something that isn’t broken — at least as far as the Federal government is concerned. Naturally, Last month he introduced more unnecessary legislation.
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It’s Official, Union Rejects Money for Kids
May 31, 2008 | Filed Under Business, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Education, News, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | No Comments
-By Warner Todd Huston
A while back we mentioned that the State of Washington was about to refuse a grant of $13.2 million grant being offered to the kids of the state to help them learn math and science. Well now it’s official, Washington State has refused this generous donation.
The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) was started by Bill Gates, Michael Dell and other technology titans concerned about the declining performance of American students in math and science. The public-private partnership funds efforts to increase the number of students taking advanced placement courses in those subjects. But thanks to the Washington Education Association, a teachers union, the initiative’s recent efforts in Washington state have been torpedoed.
This seems crazy, doesn’t it? Why would the state do this?
One word: unions
Earlier this month NMSI announced that a $13.2 million grant slated for Washington state was being scrapped. Why? The contract ran afoul of the union’s collective bargaining agreement. NMSI wanted to compensate teachers directly and include extra pay based on how well students performed on AP exams. But under the teacher contracts, the union is the exclusive agent for negotiating teacher pay and union officials refused to compromise. They were willing to turn away free money for their teacher members rather than abide this kind of merit pay.
State Representative Bill Fromhold, who was helping to administer the grant, told the Seattle Times, “We worked hard to try to find middle ground.” But in the end, he said, “we got caught in the middle of the grant requirements and collective bargaining laws in the state of Washington that have to be followed.”
Yeah, they “worked hard.” Riiight.
So, once again, proving that they could not care less about the kids, a teachers unions actually stands in the way of helping kids learn.
Aren’t you glad we have unions?
National Candidates Champion Universal School Choice
May 31, 2008 | Filed Under Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Education, GOP, Government, Corruption, Israel Teitelbaum, Media Bias, News, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture | No Comments
-By Israel Teitelbaum
Dick Zimmer, candidate for U.S. Senate from New Jersey, and candidates for U.S. Congress Dale M. Glading (NJ-1), Martin Marks (NJ-7) and Roland Straten (NJ-8) have committed to support the Civil Rights Act for Equal Educational Opportunity (CRA for EEO). This proposed legislation would require the states to provide equitable educational funding for children in public and non-public schools, while respecting the liberty of schools in hiring and provision of services.
Israel Teitelbaum, of Parents for Free Choice in Education (PFCE), joined today with Larry Cirignano of CatholicVote.org, and candidates Martin Marks and Dale Glading in Washington, DC to introduce this proposed legislation to congressional staffers and fellow activists at the Wednesday Meeting of Americans for Tax Reform, as well as the halls of Congress.
The CRA for EEO is based on the writings of economist Milton Friedman in his 1955 article The Role of Government in Education, his 1962 book Capitalism and Freedom, his 1980 book Free to Choose and his 2005 article School Vouchers Turn 50, But the Fight Is Just Beginning. Although it’s been proven time and again that competition improves quality and efficiency, this is the first time in the 53 years since Friedman first proposed school choice that his plan is being introduced as national legislation.
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An Obama Presidency Will Set Race Relations Back Decades
May 30, 2008 | Filed Under Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, President, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | 2 Comments
-By Warner Todd Huston
I know some conservative Republicans who almost wouldn’t mind if Barack Obama does win the White House in November. Their theory is that once we as a nation elect a black man to the White House, that election will forever eliminate the claim that Americans are racist because we won’t elect a black man to that office. On its face, it seems a logical theory. In practice, however, it will not work. Not with this black man, not with Barack Obama. If Obama becomes president of the United States, his disastrous time in office will set race relations back 50 years.
First of all — and there is just no other way to say this — the man is a liar. He claims to want to solve our partisan strife, doesn’t he? He claims he wants to work with Congress instead of against the other party. He is supposedly the man of “change” and “hope.” If you do a web search for “Obama reach across the aisle” you’ll get thousands upon thousands of hits. The general perception that Obama has succeeded in fostering is that he does, indeed, want to “reach across the aisle.”
Unfortunately for all of us, it is all a giant lie.
As a legislator, Barack Obama has absolutely no history of working with anyone “across the aisle.” There are instances when he has occasionally made statements that have seemed to auger support for an idea that is supported by the Republicans, but when ever it has come down to actual votes, his is always a straight up, far left, liberal vote. He has never worked with anyone on the other side of the aisle on anything. And there is no reason to suspect he’ll suddenly start such a practice upon stepping into the White House, either.
Worse, we have seen the sort of people he’s surrounded himself with and none of them are folks on the other side of the aisle. He is close friends with racists (Rev. Wright, Louis Farrakhan), he has the support of aging hippies who were domestic terrorists in their youth (William Ayres, Bernadine Dohrn), he has even invited a young fellow who was mentioned as a communist while at Harvard to be his official campaign blogger (Sam Graham-Felsen). Then we get to his wife who is famous for having said that she was never “proud of America” until her hubby ran for president. She has also said things to disparage capitalism and called the country “mean.” But does Obama have any close associates and supporters who are Republicans, even moderate ones? No. Not a single one. And further more, he never has.
Then we add this little fact: Obama has rarely stood up to be counted on much of anything in his whole political career. He has never been a major activist for any cause. He has never led a movement or pushed an organized, identifiable agenda. He has no past of true leadership. His past is almost a blank slate.
So, what sort of president will he make? And why do I say he will set race relations back 50 years?