2,300 Candidates for Congress

Just astounding:

Discontent with incumbents and anti-Washington anger are adding up to a potentially record-breaking crowd of congressional challengers this election year.

More than 2,300 people are running for 471 House and Senate seats in the midterms. It’s the highest number of candidates in at least 35 years, according to data provided to The Associated Press by the Federal Election Commission, which began tracking candidates in 1975.

The people are furious but, also, very much engaged. That is the big difference in 2010 – not only are we mad as heck and not going to take it any more, but we’re bound and determined to change things. All politicians must beware!

The only way we can get any worthwhile change is for we, the people, to aggressively challenge those in power – in primaries and in general elections. In the streets, on the blogs, in the meetings. Never, ever let up the pressure for even a moment – and for goodness sake, never let them intimidate us in to silence. When they say they’re worried that our anger will spill over in to violence what they are really saying is “darn it, if these people don’t shut up, I might lose re-election!”.

That is all the elite care about – their power and their wealth. We are challenging them and they are like frightened rabbits. And its a great time to be an American.

Blago Subpoenas Rahmbo

The Chicago Way might get its dirty laundry aired – from The Hill:

Lawyers for Rod Blagojevich have subpoenaed Rahm Emanuel, the Sun-Times reports…

…The former Illinois governor has already subpoenaed Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Harry Reid (D-Nev.), though none of those subpoenaed may actually be forced to testify.

A judge has declined the defense’s efforts to subpoena Obama.

If the judge agrees to the subpoena, then look for a sudden plea deal…and then watch for the pardon on January 19th, 2013. The Obama people don’t want to have the lid taken off Chicago corruption.

Another White House Bribe?

Corruption, thy name is Obama Administration:

The Obama administration dangled the possibility of a government job for former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff last year in hopes he would forgo a challenge to Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, officials said Wednesday, just days after the White House admitted orchestrating a job offer in the Pennsylvania Senate race.

These officials declined to specify the job that was floated or the name of the administration official who approached Romanoff, and said no formal offer was ever made. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not cleared to discuss private conversations.

The new revelation of a possible political trade again called into question President Barack Obama’s repeated promises to run an open government that was above back room deals.

This was first reported in the Denver Post in September and now the Obama people are kinda-sorta admitting to it – not admitting what was offered or anything which could directly lead to indictments or impeachments, but sort of clearing the corruption decks with some false candor…political candor, that is: the sort of thing a politician in trouble hopes sounds honest enough to get the issue to die down.

If we win in November we’re going to need a special House committee just to look in to Obama Administration corruption…

UPDATE: Three jobs were discussed.

In The Global Reaction to Gaza, the Risk of Another Holocaust

Victory Davis Hanson questions why this is happening:

Perhaps the outrage reflects simple realpolitik — 350 million Arab Muslims versus 7 million Israelis. Perhaps it is oil: half the world’s reserves versus Israel’s nada. Perhaps it is the fear of terror: Draw a cartoon or write a novel offending Islam, and you must go into hiding; defame Jews and earn accolades. Perhaps it is anti-Semitism, which is as fashionable on the academic Left as it used to be among the neanderthal Right.

Perhaps there is also a new sense that the United States at last has fallen into line with the Western consensus, and so is hardly likely to play the old lone-wolf supporter of Israel in the press or at the U.N.

At this point, it doesn’t much matter — as this latest hysterical reaction reminds us, much of the world not only sides with Israel’s enemies but sides with them to such a degree as to suggest that, in any existential moment to come, the world either will be indifferent or will be on the side of Israeli’s enemies.

Quite frightening, when you think of it.

Indeed, very frightening – Israel is a tiny, liberal democracy of whom no one would ever hear much about except for the fact that it is routinely attacked. Working against Israel is the fact of Israel’s sublime military victories – the stunning events of the 6 Day and Yom Kippur wars remain with us. Israel towers up in the public mind as a great power – in reality, Israel is no more powerful than Sweden or Switzerland.

If the Moslem powers were to ever press the issue – be willing to exchange 5 lives for each Israeli life – they’d have won prior to Israel developing nuclear weapons. Does cowardice explain their failure to press home? Perhaps – but there is also the prospect that the leaders of the Moslem world never really cared about Israel, per se, but did care to have a convenient, foreign enemy to focus hatred upon. The merest means of distracting their own people from their impoverished and oppressed condition.

But over time all the events have come to a point – from a useful propaganda tool there has now arisen a generation of Islamists who do dream of murdering all the Jews…and they are seconded in the West who stupidly assume that the victorious power must be the flawed party. Used to despising their own nation’s glorious past, they see in Israel just an extension of what they despise in themselves. An American leftist looks over the tale of American victory, hates America for it, and when he hears of Israeli victory, assumes the worst of Israel. And as time has gone on, a distaste for Israel has degenerated in to a species of anti-Semitism.

Israel stands at the precipice. America is no longer reliable – we could have stopped the various UN actions, but didn’t. Israel can not rely upon American re-supply should a shooting war break out. There is only a vanishingly small chance that America will act against Iran’s nuclear program. And now the world his hopped up with anti-Israel fervor because Israel fell in to an Islamist PR trap over the “aid” flotilla.

Nations with their backs against the wall tend to act accordingly. A dangerous soup has been cooked and the world will have to drain it to the dregs. Because of cowardice; because of cheap moralizing; because of slick, political calculations, a lot of people may soon end up dead and the world in deep crisis. Where a bit of courage and foresight could have prevented all problems, their lack have put together the makings of a war.

Canada's Health Care System Going Broke

Sorry, liberals, but your dream is really just a nightmare:

Pressured by an aging population and the need to rein in budget deficits, Canada’s provinces are taking tough measures to curb healthcare costs, a trend that could erode the principles of the popular state-funded system.

Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, kicked off a fierce battle with drug companies and pharmacies when it said earlier this year it would halve generic drug prices and eliminate “incentive fees” to generic drug manufacturers.

British Columbia is replacing block grants to hospitals with fee-for-procedure payments and Quebec has a new flat health tax and a proposal for payments on each medical visit — an idea that critics say is an illegal user fee.

The thing can’t be done – you can’t provide high quality health care for all. It will be rationed – either by the market place, or by the government bureaucrat. My father put it simply to me many years ago – under socialized medicine, who gets to the use of the best brain surgeon?

The western nations – save a few small States unburdened by things like massive immigration – have been bankrupting themselves for decades trying to provide “free” health care. All they’ve got to show for it is bloated health care unions, massively unfunded health care systems, burdensome taxes and lousy health care. I know – none of us ever want to have a person not live because they couldn’t obtain timely, competent health care. But life isn’t perfect – and to try and pretend it can be, when we all know it can’t, is to conspire in a lie…and, in the case of health care, an expensive lie.

We’re on the brink here in the United States – ObamaCare is the Trojan Horse to get us on to a Canadian or British health care system. We must roll it back – we dare not go further down this foolish road.

Nancy Pelosi's Strange Religion

The Speaker, via Hot Air:

They ask me all the time, ‘What is your favorite this? What is your favorite that? What is your favorite that?’ And one time, ‘What is your favorite word?’ And I said, ‘My favorite word? That is really easy. My favorite word is the Word, is the Word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the Word.

And that Word is, we have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the Word. The Word. Isn’t it a beautiful word when you think of it? It just covers everything. The Word.

Fill it in with anything you want. But, of course, we know it means: ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.’ And that’s the great mystery of our faith. He will come again. He will come again. So, we have to make sure we’re prepared to answer in this life, or otherwise, as to how we have measured up.

Fill it in with anything you want? Nancy Pelosi is no spring chicken. She was, I understand, educated in Catholic schools. While I hold that in a lot of ways Catholic instruction today is superior in explaining the faith, even waaaaay back when little Nancy was sitting in rapt attention in school, you really can’t miss something like this. You don’t fill in the Word with anything you want…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. – John 1:1-5

One wonders just what Nancy Pelosi thinks she’s saying? Or is she just running off words? Half remembered dogmas imparted decades ago; all of which long since cast aside in a greedy and base pursuit of power? The Word is not something, I think, to call to witness for whatever particular enthusiasms you might have – the Word is God.

The darkness shall not over come the Word – but I wonder if the Word can yet overcome the dark places of Nancy Pelosi’s mind? That place where legalized abortion exists even while she calls upon the Saints for aid in passing a narrow, bigoted and partisan agenda?

The Anchoress has it right – just pray for her.

Census Fraud

Geesh:

Your government at work – elsewhere I’ve heard that the census is hiring people for a couple hours, “firing” them and then re-hiring them, over and over again…thus pumping up the “jobs created” numbers at BLS.

The scope of scandal in this government grows day by day – and we simply must do a full investigation when we get back in power and people must go to jail over this.

What To Do About the Gaza Incident?

The world shrieks in horror over it – mostly because condemning Israel costs nothing and can buy some cheap headlines. Here is my view:

It was clearly a provocation from start to finish. Why?

1. If you want to bring aid to Gaza, Israel has a regular channel for you do to that – pour it in…but the Israelis would like to check and make sure you aren’t also bringing in rocket parts.

2. Gaza is sealed off on the Egyptian side of the border, too. Why wasn’t there a convoy of trucks heading across the Sinai towards Gaza?

3. Why have anyone on the boat except for people absolutely vital to deliver the aid? This wasn’t a pleasure cruise.

The Islamists got what they wanted – people dead at the hands of the IDF. But the responsibility for the deaths must be placed where it belongs – in Islam, not in Israel.

The bottom line for me is this – until there is a church and a synagogue operating openly in Mecca, the Moslem world’s pleas will fall on deaf ears with me. In other words, until I’m no longer considered filth unworthy to be in Islam’s holy city, all Moslem claims about being treated justly and such are just so much nonsense spread about to advance a particular, political agenda.

And so all these shouts for justice in this incident are just so much noise. Be just and then seek justice. Don’t try to use injustice all the time and demand justice in your turn.

Tuesday Morning Open Thread

Been a long weekend and I just don’t have it in me to write up a good bit for the AM – sorry about that, boys and girls. At any rate, plenty to talk about:

1. Obama’s miserable and increasing failure in the Gulf.

2. Sestak-gate being joined up with Romanoff-gate out of Colorado.

3. The criminal attempt by Israel’s enemies to use civilians as cannon fodder off Gaza.

4. The continuing and deepening financial crisis in the Euro-zone.

5. The bursting of the Chinese real estate bubble.

6. The pending bursting of the Australian and Canadian real estate bubbles.

And so on – have at it.

Greenpeace UK's Rebrand BP contest

Greenpeace UK is running a contest for individuals to “rerand” BP in light of the oil spill.

I certainly agree that BP is at fault for the explosion, etc. but it just seems to me what was being lost in this contest was the lack of government response. Let’s face it, the accident occurred in federal waters, yet Obama has chosen to play golf and go on vacation rather than participate in solving the problem.

So, I decided to make my own entry, that reflects the dual culpability of BP and the Obama administration:

I added the “hopeless” here for emphasis. As you can see, it is a combination of the Obama logo (changing the red striped “hills” into blue striped “water” and putting two slicks of oil between them. BP’s logo, colored yellow, makes the sun on the horizon.

What I would love to find out, is will they post this on their flickr page as an entry when they load today’s entries on it?

If you  like the logo, you can get some merch with it printed on it here.

UPDATE: It was added to their Flickr page this morning