Christie Wins One Round

So far so good

TRENTON — A New Jersey judge has refused to block a new law that will require public employees to pay 1.5 percent of their salaries toward health insurance.

I have to say I’m shocked.

Pleased, but shocked.

North Korea Threatens War If Punished…

…for their act of war

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Tensions deepened Thursday on the Korean peninsula as South Korea accused North Korea of firing a torpedo that sank a naval warship, killing 46 sailors in the country’s worst military disaster since the Korean War.

President Lee Myung-bak vowed “stern action” for the provocation following the release of long-awaited results from a multinational investigation into the March 26 sinking near the Koreas’ tense maritime border. North Korea, reacting swiftly, called the results a fabrication, and warned that any retaliation would trigger war. It continued to deny involvement in the sinking of the warship Cheonan.

“If the (South Korean) enemies try to deal any retaliation or punishment, or if they try sanctions or a strike on us …. we will answer to this with all-out war,” Col. Pak In Ho of North Korea’s navy told broadcaster APTN in an exclusive interview in Pyongyang.

Isn’t everyone still technically at war with them, anyway?

Unexpectedly, in the Era of Hopey Changey, There’s That Word Again!

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance unexpectedly rose last week for the first time since early April, government data showed on Thursday, dealing a blow to the labor market recovery.

It’s just the weirdest freaking thing how this keeps happening with the gang of super geniuses we have at the helm, idn’t it?

(Ooooh, Timmay! Missed a spot!)

Today’s Posts Are Presented By

The Super Best Friends

Proud defenders of Freedom of Speech.

One of our most cherished rights.

Mr. Valentine Has Set The Price…

On euro-denominated government bonds in Germany

(Reuters) – Stocks were set to open lower on Wednesday, adding to the previous sessions losses and mirroring weakness in Europe as worries over tighter financial regulation put pressure on equities.

…Investors’ confidence was rattled as Germany banned naked short sales of euro-denominated government bonds, credit default swaps based on those bonds, and shares in the country’s 10 leading financial institutions.

Sell, Mortimer! SELL!!!

Thailand Says “World Opinion? Phuket”

This can’t be good

Large numbers of Thai troops and armoured vehicles have gathered near a fortified encampment of anti-government protesters in Bangkok in what may be the start of a crackdown to disperse them.

A leader of the Red Shirted protesters called on supporters to fight the army, saying he feared an imminent offensive on their protest site occupied by thousands in the heart of Bangkok’s commercial district for more than six weeks.

I fear a lot more blood may soon be spilled.

Update:

BANGKOK – Downtown Bangkok turned into a flaming battleground Wednesday as an army assault toppled the Red Shirt protest leadership, enraging followers who fired grenades and set numerous fires that cloaked the skyline in a black haze.

Using live ammunition, troops dispersed thousands of anti-government protesters who had been camped in the capital’s premier shopping and residential district for weeks. Four protesters and an Italian news photographer were killed in the ensuing gunbattles and about 60 wounded.

After Red Shirt leaders gave themselves up to police, rioters set fires at the Stock Exchange, several banks, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, the high-end Central World shopping mall and a cinema complex that collapsed. Thick smoke drifted across the sky of this city of 10 million people.

The Screwtape Letters

Went and saw it last night with some folks from church. I’ve frankly never read C. S. Lewis’ works beyond “Narnia,” so I found this very interesting and thought provoking.

As it says on the website above

The book’s success as a piercing insight into humanity’s bent toward evil is due to Lewis’ lucid ability to make his readers squirm in self recognition.

It’s very true, and I highly recommend that you go see the show if you are at all interested in taking a peek into your soul.

Gawd, I Hope This Puts A Stake Through His Campaign

Richard Blumenthal is another one of those greasy slimy pompous state Attorney Generals who goes on a bunch of legal shake-down sprees to get his name in the press and tout how he “fights for the people.” Blech. He’s from the same mold as Spitzer.

Oh, and he’s also a lying weasel about his military service

It’s Richard Blumenthal, current attorney general of Connecticut, whom Chris Dodd made way for by retiring earlier this year. He’s been leading all Republican challengers by upwards of 20 points in the polls and was considered a mortal lock to win the seat in November. Until now.

Click through for all the juicy quotes from him about “when I served in Vietnam” and “when we returned from Vietnam” when the closest he ever got to South East Asia during the War was a dim sum shop in DC.

Best comment so far at Ace’s:

“Hartford… shit; I’m still only in Hartford… Every time I think I’m gonna wake up back in the jungle. ”

Posted by: Richard Blumenthal at May 17, 2010 09:31 PM (asRwH)

What is it about these egotistical political douche-a-holics that make them lie so constantly about their military service?

I’m sure the memory is seared seared in his brain of that Groundhog’s Day in 1971 when he infiltrated the Hanoi Hilton to investigate whether unscrupulous vendors were overcharging on the buffet line by using unfairly weighted plates.

Update: Piling on with gleeful abandon, William Saletan in Slate merrily hoists Blumenthal by his own douchbaggery. And most deservedly.

From The Spam Files

Sometimes the spam is pretty funny, an odd mix of sensible phrases and computer-generated gibberish. Today we got a “comment” from one “Ernest English” who wrote

Your blog is an excellent example of what the blog is meant to be as well as how a blog should be written. I really like your formal writing style. All the best.

Not to be outdone in the suck-up department is “Raleigh Wageman”

hey,just discovered your Blog when i google something and wonder what hosting do you use for your website,the speed is more faster than my wordpress, i really need to know it.will back to check it out,i appreciate it!

“More faster” has always been a goal of mine.

Finally, I offer these pearls of wisdom from our good friend “chanel handbags” who opines

Martin you beed to sort out the awful display after this weekend. Too many tired wasters.

Truer words have never been written.

I Dunno, Maybe It’s Me

But given some of the stories that have been in the news recently I’m thinking that, were I considering holding a charity event to raise money for a worthy cause, well sir, I’m thinking that I most certainly would not call it “Kruise For Kids.”

Ah, no.

There Is So Much That Is So Perfect…

in this short article in today’s Asbury Park Press

MANALAPAN — A 17-year-old Marlboro boy driving on a provisional driver’s license is being cited by police for causing a four-car collision on Saturday, as he attempted to make an illegal left turn on Route 33 because his GPS “told him to turn left.”

The teen, who had two juveniles in the car with him in violation of the state’s graduated license rules, was headed westbound on Route 33 in his Ford Mustang when, he told police, his GPS told him to make a left turn onto Sweetmans Lane, police said.

Click through to the APP and look at the picture of where this took place (I am very familiar with the place): he made a left turn across a four lane highway.

At an intersection that has jughandles and lots of “all turns from right lane only” signs.

With other juveniles in the car.

A car that happened to be a Mustang.

Goddamn I love New Jersey.

It makes my chest swell with pride to realize that this took place but a few short miles (including several left turns) from my house.

Get Ready For The Earthquakes!

It is a well-known fact that scantily-clad women cause earthquakes.

“Many women who do not dress modestly … lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes,” Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi was quoted as saying by Iranian media.

Especially scantily-clad Muslim women.

Most especially scantily-clad Muslim women who went to Catholic school

A 24-year-old Lebanese immigrant has been crowned Miss U.S.A.

Rima Fakih, from Dearborn, Michigan, is believed to be the first Muslim to win the pageant despite nearly stumbling over in her evening gown last night.

Born in Lebanon, she emigrated with her parents to the U.S. as a baby. She was raised in New York and attended a Catholic school.

Look, right over there, I see men whose chastity I shall corrupt so the very earth will open up and swallow them for their perfidy”

Women are so very very bad.

Euro Taking A Pounding Again

Lots of nervousness

Nervous trading in Tokyo sent the euro into an early nosedive on Monday morning, as fears of further debt crisis contagion and stalling growth crept across dealing rooms.

The euro, already under pressure in New York before the weekend, plunged to a four-year low of $1.2306 against the greenback, sending stock markets in Japan and Korea sharply lower. Tokyo stocks were especially hammered, as the yen’s supposed safe-haven status pushed the Japanese currency higher, making life tougher for the country’s big exporters.

Angela Merkel was asked about how positive she was on the situation for Europe and all she could mutter was “Fahrvergnügen”

There is now a pervasive awareness in Germany that the post-war consensus of subsuming its national identity — and national self-interest — in the “common European house” no longer gets a popular rubber stamp.

“We give millions to countries where they have big annual pay rises, perks for civil servants and soaring pensions. I’ll have to work to 67 for a pension that might not be enough,” complained Ulrike Daunheim, a 38-year-old shop assistant and Bild reader.

“Greece has no industry worthy of the name, makes no products with prospects on a global scale and carries out no research to discover any,” was the verdict of the left-liberal Der Spiegel news magazine.

The Germans are getting pissed off at the rest of Europe…what could possibly go wrong?

But not to fret, Fritz! The Greeks has decided to take a long, hard, honest look at the true cause of this crisis in their country, and for once with boldness and refreshing candor to root out the problem

May 16 (Bloomberg) — Greece is considering taking legal action against U.S. investment banks that might have contributed to the country’s debt crisis, Prime Minister George Papandreou said.

…In the CNN interview, Papandreou said many in the international community have engaged in “Greek bashing” and find it easy “to scapegoat Greece.” He said Greeks “are a hard-working people. We are a proud people.”

“We have made our mistakes,” Papandreou said. “We are living up to this responsibility. But at the same time, give us a chance. We’ll show you,” cautioning that the world might have to wait a little while for this rousing display of Greek Responsibility as “we have a few general strikes scheduled for the coming weeks and then, well, what with the World Cup and all” things might be delayed “somewhat.”

No worries.

Sometimes, You REALLY Have to Love the South

Yessir. SWEET home Alabama.

I’d vote for him.

I Need A Laugh

And Los Colorados always provide it

I’m Not Pointing Any Fingers

But a certain blogging buddy of ours has been awfully quiet of late…and, well, really, who can resist the charms of Ramsbottom?

A flock of 271 sheep, worth up to £25,000, has been stolen from a field in Ramsbottom, Bury.

No cheap Eastern European Woolly Floozies for our lads

“The value of the euro means lamb is no longer being imported and so British lamb prices have rocketed, so that may be a reason why thieves want to take sheep,” he said.

Well, one of the reasons.

The intrepid police are hot on the trail of this scoundrel

Sgt Ben Hodgkinson, from Lancashire police, said: “It is likely that they knew how to handle the sheep, which would mean they had knowledge of animal husbandry.

Oh, I think that knowledge is pretty extensive.

UK Central Bank: “US Like Greece…Only Bigger”

Cheery and surprisingly blunt assessment from Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England

Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, fears that America shares many of the same fiscal problems currently haunting Europe. He also believes that European Union must become a federalised fiscal union (in other words with central power to tax and spend) if it is to survive. Just two of the nuggets from one of the most extraordinary press conferences I have been to at the Bank.

Of course, being at heart a statist euro, his solution…more government!

Yeah, that’ll work.

America, and many other large economies including the UK, share some of the same problems as Greece with its public finances:

Every country around the world is in a similar position, even the United States; the world’s largest economy has a very large fiscal deficit. And one of the concerns in financial markets is clearly – how will this enormous stock of public debt be reduced over the next few years?

How will this insanely large deficit be reduced? Why, by the amazing and inspiring Power of M.U.M.*: we reduce it by making it bigger and then declaring that “our plan is working.”

Quite simple, really.

*Magic Unicorn Method

Hah! I Beat Bingley to Posting This Video

…of his MANcrush.

(That way I can act like I’m too cool for it.)

Did I tell you OUR governor’s plan for fixing Social Security? Well, when he gets to be Senator, he’s gonna try to have all them illegal immigrants get to be citizens. Really! That’s his plan! That’ll fix everything! Plenty a’ money then! (Shut up, Skyler.) (I meant that in an affectionate way.)

The man’s sucking up so fervently to every conceivable group, he’s in danger of completely inverting himself and appearing like a disemboweled TaunTaun.

Make that a TanTan.

I Beg Your Pardon, I Never Promised You…

except, well I guess he did kinda sorta promise

Remember President Obama’s supposedly inviolable pledge—repeatedly uttered during the 2008 campaign and at countless town meetings since the inauguration—that he would never raise taxes on middle-class citizens who earn $250,000 a year or less?

This morning at a Manhattan breakfast sponsored by Thomson Reuters, White House Budget Director Peter Orszag threw that pledge out the window. Instead, he described Obama’s “read my lips, no new taxes” pledge as a “stance” and a “preference” that is subject to study by the president’s newly-formed bipartisan Commission on Fiscal Responsibility.

As the saying goes: how can you tell when a politician is lying? His lips are moving.

(I can hear Tiger telling Elin “my stance and preference is to be faithful…”)

Sweet!

April 2009 monthly US budget deficit: $20.91 billion
April 2010 monthly US budget deficit: $82.69 billion

(Reuters) – The United States posted an $82.69 billion deficit in April, nearly four times the $20.91 billion shortfall registered in April 2009 and the largest on record for that month, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.

It was more than twice the $40-billion deficit that Wall Street economists surveyed by Reuters had forecast and was striking since April marks the filing deadline for individual income taxes that are the main source of government revenue.

Department officials said that in prior years, there was a surplus during April in 43 out of the past 56 years.

The government has now posted 19 consecutive monthly budget deficits, the longest string of shortfalls on record.

We’re spending four times as much money now.

That’s got to be good, right?

I Know There Are “THE Rules” Which Will ALWAYS Trump “Sportsmanship”

…and that’s how life is and I accept it.

Just like I accept that life is also peppered with dicks, who use the minutiae in those rules in applications that pretty much appall the sportsman in most of us ~ that innate, inbred sense of fairness ~ but we’re at a loss to contest it, because, well…those…are the rules.

And, dicks or no, we abide by them.

He’ll get his ~ hopefully STRUNG up by it, if there’s any justice. But that’s just me.

No Worries!

Well, thank goodness. Here I was, silly religiogunclingy type that I am, getting all concerned and nervous because our government is spending money at a rate far faster than we can hope to repay whilst at the same time increasing the regulations and restrictions on both our economic activity and our Constitutional rights. Oh, and we’re underwriting European bankruptcies as well. But fear not, simpleton that thou art, Bingley!

The US exposure to the European debt bailout could be at least $50 billion, but the chance of taxpayers actually being on the hook for that appears remote.

See? “Remote”. This from the same group of Real Smart People who said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac “posed no risk to the government or Us taxpayers.” The same group who told us how ObamaCare would bend that cost curve and save money.

So I am perfectly comfortable in the knowledge that we are totally screwed yet again.

OMG

I just wanna eat her up.

Christie Unveils His “33”

Maybe we should call him Governor Rolling Rock

TRENTON — As New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Monday unveiled a package of 33-bills to cap state spending in order to reduce property taxes, Democratic lawmakers laid out their proposal to raise income taxes on millionaires for one year to give relief to seniors.

The dueling tax plans come just 51 days before lawmakers are constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget.

The crux of Christie’s plan includes a 2.5 percent limit to property tax increases that would requires an approval by voters to exceed. The package of bills also includes caps on increasing public employee contracts … including wages, health benefits, vacation time and other perks … and limiting the amount of unused sick leave they can cash out at $15,000. Another proposed change would be allowing workers to only carry over unused vacation time for one year.

Now I am in theory not a big fan of proscribed limits on how much things can be raised; again in theory I would prefer to let the Legislature have the freedom to respond to whatever circumstances may arise. Unfortunately that theoretical ship has run aground on the reality of a Legislature that can not restrain itself from spending more than it takes in, year after year after year, a Legislature that continually obligates the people of New Jersey to pay ever greater benefits for an ever greater amount of time to an ever increasing number of state employees; all of which supposedly will be paid for by some mystical “future growth” which Trenton’s policies of Tax and Regulate will continually choke off. And rather than cut back on spending when these models that Very Smart People have developed fail to pan out they seek more and more revenue from taxpayers…and the data clearly shows that the wealthier taxpayers are fleeing the state, so the only solution is rigid limits on what the Legislature can spend.

The Democrats, of course, beg to differ

Democrats, who accuse Christie of presenting a budget proposal that protects the rich, announced their intention to try and reinstate a tax on the wealthy.

…A levy on those making more than $400,000 per year expired in December. Democrats are now looking to reinstate the increased tax those making $1 million and more, or approximately half a percent of New Jersey taxpayers, but Christie still opposes it.

That’s the surest way to drive even more of them away.

I fully support the Governor’s proposals. We need to draw a line in the sand and enforce it.

(yeah yeah yeah, I know Rolling Rock is a Pennsylvania beer. Sue me.)

For Gregor

I’ve never heard this version before…these guys really are musicians

How many of today’s “artists” will be able to do this when they’re pushing 70?