About time:

Before the 2008 election, Wisconsin’s Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisolm formed a special task force to combat attempts to pervert elections, especially in Milwaukee, where most of the problems occurred in 2004.

Today, Van Hollen announced indictments in five cases — including two felony indictments against ACORN for scheming to have registrants vote multiple times in November 2008. The AG released this statement today:

MILWAUKEE – Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced today that the Milwaukee Election Fraud Task Force has brought additional electoral fraud cases against five Wisconsin residents. The Department of Justice, acting as Special Prosecutor for Milwaukee County, has filed felony charges against Maria Miles, Kevin Clancy, Michael Henderson, Herbert Gunka, and Suzanne Gunka, all alleging election fraud arising out of the November 4, 2008, Presidential Election.

“The integrity of elections is dependent upon citizens and officials insisting they be conducted lawfully. Wisconsin’s citizens should not have to wonder whether their vote has been negated or diminished by illegally cast ballots,” Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said.

According to the criminal complaints, Miles and Clancy served as Special Registration Deputies (“SRD”) for the City of Milwaukee in advance of the 2008 Presidential Election. Each worked for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (“ACORN”). Miles and Clancy are each charged with the felony offense of Falsely Procuring Voter Registration as Party to a Crime. The complaint alleges that Miles and Clancy submitted multiple voter registration applications for the same individuals, and also were part of a scheme in which they and other SRDs registered each other to vote multiple times in order to meet voter registration quotas imposed by ACORN…

In 2004, Wisconsin went for Kerry by a bit more than 11,000 votes out of more than 2.9 million cast. In 2004, it went for Gore by less than 6,000 votes. Both are within the “margin of ACORN”. And I’ve long been convinced that both in 2000 and 2004, Bush was denied a Wisconsin victory by voter fraud – and denied other States, as well, in both cycles. In 2008 it didn’t affect the outcome as Obama’s margin over McCain was quite large, but its clear that the voter fraud which became endemic in 2000 has continued – and will continue until people go to jail over it.

Unless there is absolute confidence in the vote, democracy is unworkable. Democrats, foolishly determined on winning no matter what, are placing the entire American experiment at risk by colluding in actions such as ACORN’s in the matter of voter fraud. That the nation could go in to acute crisis due to such things just doesn’t register in the minds of the Democrats.

Mostly this is because of the overall culture of corruption in the Democrat Party. They’ve been getting away with law breaking for so long, they just don’t see any reason to not break the law. Always keep in mind such things as the indisputable fact that Speaker Pelosi rose to her position by a series of illegal actions. For any Democrat, this is a lesson which cannot be ignored – routinely break the law; become Speaker.

Fundamentally, it is for liberal voters to finally wake up to this and do the right thing – but, in the meantime, the job of all patriots who care about our democratic way of life is to ensure that as many Democrats as possible see the inside of a jail over this sort of thing.

Showing a much better grasp of what being Commander in Chief requires than our current President:

First the Obama Administration opened up the possibility of prosecuting CIA interrogators doing their jobs seeking information from terrorists. Then they tried to go after the Bush Administration lawyers who acted in good faith to protect us in the months after 9/11. Now some of the military brass are court-martialing three brave Navy SEALs for allegedly throwing a single punch at Iraqi terrorist leader Ahmed Hashim Abed. This is wrong. The Washington Times got it right: Save the SEALs.

These brave warriors belong in combat, not in the courthouse. They captured the most wanted terrorist in Iraq. We may never know how many other heroic missions they undertook on behalf of our country. The charges should be dropped, and they should be returned to their unit – with our gratitude for their service.

Stand up for the SEALs who are standing up for us!

– Sarah Palin

Indeed, Save the SEALs – and you can go here to help out.

It just disgusts me that we’d even think of prosecuting. A punch in a war zone? Give me a break! This is war, not a playground game. If the SEALs did it – which I doubt, as I doubt any accusation made against our troops by our enemies – the terrorist should count himself lucky not to have been beaten to a bloody pulp. You go pick a fight with the United States military, you’re in for a world of hurt.

A bit of nasty, political infighting going on:

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has become a reluctant central figure in the battle between liberals and centrists in the Democratic Party.

A spate of recent reports have portrayed Emanuel, known for his aggressive brand of Washington politics, as either the voice of reason in a weak, liberal White House or the wet blanket preventing President Barack Obama from pursuing the kind of change he promised as a candidate…

…The culprits behind those stories are not Emanuel or those who support him, Democratic strategists say, but instead the liberal Netroots crowd disgusted by what they view as appeasement to the center.

Some of those efforts to weaken Emanuel are coming from inside the building at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, one Democratic strategist said.

“There are people in the White House who are trying to get rid of Rahm, and they are leaking everything they can,” said the strategist, who is close to Emanuel. “Some of it’s personal, some of it’s professional[ly] judgmental, but there is no doubt there’s an effort.”…

A lot of things are coming together here:

1. Emanuel is not a proper Chief of Staff. The man who once sent a letter to a colleague stating, “I hate you very much”, and including a dead fish, is not the man to bring everyone together in a loving embrace. A CoS does need to have a hard edge about him (its the CoS who must say “no”, while the President is allowed to say “yes” when ever the CoS thinks it a good idea) but there also needs to be an ability to smooth over differences and get massive egos to work together. Emanuel isn’t that kind of guy.

2. Centrist Democrats – especially those in GOP districts – are getting increasingly frightened about November. Its all well and good for party liberals to say, “lets do this, win or lose”, but when you’re the guy who will almost certainly lose if it happens, its not quite as cut and dried as all that.

3. The liberal netroots was out there fighting hard for a very leftist candidate in 2008. Given the way that netroots is a gigantic, mindless echo-chamber, it probably didn’t (and doesn’t) occur to them that while they knew Obama was far left, Obama was running as a centrist. The American people did not vote for what the liberal base was fighting for. Now the liberal base – still entirely clueless about the realities of American politics – is getting furious that what they fought for is not being enacted. Even simple – in liberal-think, at least – things such as closing Gitmo and repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” aren’t being moved on.

4. Obama is proving to be that worst sort of leader imaginable – a weak yet stubborn man. He’s not got the raw courage to either tell his base to shut up or tell the GOP to jump in a lake, but he’s also blind to realities and simply will not retreat from a position, once taken. He doesn’t know how to lose gracefully, or even beat a tactical retreat in preparation for a renewed offensive at a more propitious time.

5. The various corrupt elements of the Democrat party complicate things a thousand different ways – no matter what happens, they want their usual piece of the pie and as they do their normal looting of the Treasury for personal gain, its causing all sorts of headaches for Democrats who want to get things done. Used to be, this sort of thing never came up as the MSM could be relied upon to cover up things – but with the New Media, its become impossible to keep a lid on it.

This has all resulted in a complete breakdown on message and, resulting from that, a sort of “you first” attitude where everyone is waiting for everyone else to walk the plank, first. Untangling the knot is still possible, but only if the corrupt give up their payoffs, liberals give up their more leftwing dreams and Obama learns how to ruthlessly take charge and give clear, crisp orders to be obeyed or get out.

I don’t think they can do it. Disaster impends for the Democrats. I’m quite happy about that.

Axelrod: You idiots are ruining the Obama Administration.

Barack Obama: imperialist running dog of capitalism. Who knew?

A bit of Hopey-Change fatigue?

J D Hayworth hits McCain on “amnesty” issue.

Student riots and the student loan scam.

Death of Civilization Watch: Gay Catholic Ex-Stripper Awaits Birth of Twins Carried by Husband’s Sister (The linked article describes the guy as “devout” in his Catholicism…I can only assume he’s early on in his return to the Church and thus needs a great deal more instruction).

One governed by people who believe they are really good at governing, the other governed by people who would rather be out hunting of fishing – Michael Barone has an excellent article contrasting the miserably failed State of California and the stunningly successful State of Texas, here’s one of many points:

…From 2000 to 2009, the Census Bureau estimates, there has been a domestic outflow of 1,509,000 people from California — almost as many as the number of immigrants coming in. Population growth has not been above the national average and, for the first time in history, it appears that California will gain no House seats or electoral votes from the reapportionment following the 2010 census…

…Americans have been voting for Texas with their feet. From 2000 to 2009, some 848,000 people moved from other parts of the United States to Texas, about the same number as moved in from abroad. That inflow has continued in 2008-09, in which 143,000 Americans moved into Texas, more than double the number in any other state, at the same time as 98,000 were moving out of California. Texas is on the way to gain four additional House seats and electoral votes in the 2010 reapportionment…

Another point in the article is that California’s legislature meet year-round, while Texas is only burdened with such 90 days every other year. Texas is a State which has a government – California is a government which has a State.

I don’t know how California gets out of the mess – my bet is that the 1.5 million who left are of the conservative, will-work-for-money mindset. This means that those remaining are ever more likely to see government as the answer – whether its as a welfare distributor or as a path to personal riches via government employment. Meanwhile, the very rich who infect Los Angeles and San Francisco will continue to vote liberal because behind their gated communities and in their enclaves of wealth and privilege, California is still going great. There is a chance of revolution in California this year – and if Californians don’t take it, I think the Golden State is doomed.

Meanwhile, out here in Nevada one of our goals is not to become “Californicated”…naturally, our liberals are starting to say that the cure for our own budget woes is a round of tax increases…including, of course, the imposition of a State income tax. This sort of thing proves liberals are impervious to reason.

They fear that Americans wills start farming, again, rather than allowing some of the best farm land in the world to lie fallow due to asinine concerns about a guppy.

They fear that Americans will start manufacturing again, rather than allowing Chinese to make shoddy goods for the American market.

They fear that we’ll start exploiting our own oil, gas and coal resources rather than importing oil from enemy States.

They fear that we’ll let the “zombie banks” fail rather than continue the Federal Reserve’s efforts to bail out the bankers.

They fear that American will insist upon enforcement of the Constitution rather than allowing judges and bureaucrats to make it up as they go along.

What they fear, ultimately, is Americans acting like Americans. The fear we’ll become as we were before we allowed various cretins to take hold of our nation and sell us out in order to enrich and empower those who either hate America, or hold it in contempt.

Who are “they”? They are our enemies in places like Iran and Venezuela. Rising challengers in China. Leaders of dying Europe. Shortsighted, greedy banksters and money men who are so fixated on quarterly profits they can’t see doom coming a year away. Domestic liberals – people who are, in Sowell’s phrasing, “the anointed” – who figure they know what is best for all of us.

Its not that all these disparate people and groups work consciously together, but they all do share the same, fundamental goal – to make Americans not be Americans. To make us other than the people who created the most powerful, wealthiest and most generous nation in human history. A bunch of Lilliputians who wish to appear larger by taking down that which is greater than they.

The state of the world today – from Iran’s power to China’s economic growth – has only been possible by the hamstringing of the people of the United States. The shiftless and the very wealthy have worked against the interests of those who do the work of America – and all of those who have profited off our decline are deadly afraid that we will arrest the decline, and start to revive.

America is a titan in the world – never forget that. If one puts it in to proper perspective, it was sheer impertinence for pipsqueak nations like Germany and Japan to have challenged us in the 1940’s – we crushed both of them, at the same time, without ever exhausting our resources. We were vastly more powerful in 1945 than we had been in 1940, after more than three years of continuous battle. That is the America the world – and, even, some Americans on the left – don’t want to see, again. They like a tied down America – an America which serves their interests, rather than the interests of America.

We have a chance, Americans, to revive our great nation. Starting this November, we can start to take our country back and reforge what our grandfathers knew. But, here’s the thing – it isn’t enough for us to just win an election. We will have to show the raw courage necessary to break the ties which bind us to our enemies.

We will have to say “no” to a great many things and make ourselves, temporarily, very unpopular…but the key is that once we undo what has been done, there won’t be the political power to put it back together again. Even if we lose the following election, if we’ve cleared out the rot, the American people will not suffer to have it restored.

Here is our grand chance. We must seize it with both hands.

A bit of news from southern Nevada:

An Islamic advocacy group has filed a complaint against the Henderson Police Department on behalf of seven Muslim men detained while praying in a gasoline station parking lot in December.

The Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, announced the complaint in a press release on Friday.

The complaint says seven Muslim residents of Southern California were traveling through the Las Vegas Valley on Dec. 20 when they stopped for gasoline and food at a Rebel station in Henderson.

The apparent claim is that whomever called this in should have known it was time for evening prayers for Moslems – and, of course, that the responding police officers should have known, too. Which claims are, of course, nonsense. Not just nonsense, but idiotic nonsense.

If I were to get out of my car and start doing the Rosary in the gas station parking lot, I’d certainly expect that people would think it odd and perhaps even a bit threatening. Lets face it, some people use religion as a cloak for wicked deeds – I’m suddenly on my knees praying and if you’re not Catholic, you don’t know what I’m up to. If a police officer did not come up and ask me what I was up to and check out my background, I’d be surprised. Surprised and concerned that the cops are not being alert.

This, of course, was seven men praying in a manner only a few Americans are familiar with – it would be exceptionally odd to see and natural that official attention would be drawn to it, and that the people in question would be given the once-over. Its not like there isn’t a mosque in Henderson – from what I can tell, a rather large and well-appointed one where these men could have gone for prayers; and Henderson isn’t the biggest town in the world…wouldn’t have taken more than ten or fifteen minutes to get from where ever they were to where they needed to be.

I see three possibilities:

1. The men were just being foolish.

2. The men were testing local law enforcement to see how alert it is.

3. The men were deliberately trying to provoke an incident.

I figure foolish is the most likely – and the Henderson Police Department should kindly tell CAIR to go jump in a lake. I’ll not have us walk on egg shells for fear of offending Moslems who don’t act in accordance with normal American usage. We don’t tend to pray in gas station parking lots and anyone who does so – especially in a group – shouldn’t expect to go undisturbed. Religion is required in the public square in any healthy society, but everything has its time and place.

A breath of fresh air:

With 83,478 votes counted following Saturday’s referendum in Iceland, 78,092 are votes to reject December’s Icesave law and 1,284 (1.5 percent) have voted to keep the law in force. 2,830 empty ballots were cast in protest.

What’s it all about? Here:

Icelanders overwhelmingly rejected a bill that would saddle each citizen with $16,400 of debt in protest at U.K. and Dutch demands that they cover losses triggered by the failure of a private bank, first results show.

Got that? Brit and Dutch investors put money in to the overheated Icelandic banking system a couple years back and lost everything when the inevitable crash occurred. Naturally, the desire of governments – in Iceland, Britain and Holland – was to get the taxpayers to cover the losses suffered by greedy fools.

Nothing doing, says the people of Iceland, and good for them. Mish offers some advice:

Perhaps the best thing to do is default and suffer the consequences. Even if it is not the best thing to do, that is what 93% of Icelandic voters want to do, so that is what Iceland should do.

Fitch downgraded Iceland’s debt to Junk. Moody’s and the S&P threatened to do so. Note how pathetic Moody’s and the S&P are in threatening (not doing), even after the fact. Does anyone give a rat’s (expletive deleted) about that downgrade now?

Iceland does not need help from the IMF when it will saddle every citizen with $16,400 of debt. Fools in the UK and Netherlands rushed in to Icelandic banks and the fools in the UK and Netherlands are the ones who should suffer the consequences.

It was perfectly obvious Iceland was in an unsustainable situation so the prudent thing to do would be to get the (heck) out of the way.

By defaulting on debt, Iceland will send a much needed message “Don’t do stupid things”.

We, the people of the United States, are on the hook for all $12 trillion in federal debt. We let those idiots in DC do this, and now we’re going to have to pay. What is intolerable is to have the people bail out the banks and investors who screwed up. Bankruptcy is not the worst thing which can happen – and it might teach some worthwhile lessons about those who want to make a killing rather than set up long term, prudent investments.

I congratulate the people of Iceland on the clear eyed courage.

Remember when the liberals said that when the Iraqi kook threw his shoes at President Bush it was a sign of how little respect the world had for us because of evil, rotten, nasty Chimpy McSmirk BusHitler’s policies? Well…

Scores of Islamic students staged protests outside Jakarta’s parliament and in at least three other major Indonesian cities on Friday against President Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to this predominantly Muslim country.

The students carried banners branding Obama as an enemy of Islam and an imperialist in downtown Jakarta as well as in the provincial capitals Padang, Yogyakarta and Surabaya.

They also threw shoes at large pictures of Obama’s head. An Iraqi journalist was sentenced to a year in prison for throwing his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush during a news conference in Baghdad in 2008. (emphasis added)

The lesson to be learned here is that the people who hate the United States hate the United States, no matter who is President. The President can be as firm as Bush or as soft as Obama, it doesn’t matter – because they hate us for what we are, not what we do. To you liberals, Obama might be a shining light – to our enemies he’s just another infidel imperialist pig.

Keep that in mind….

That is the average deficit projected over the next ten years:

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said President Barack Obama’s budget would lead to annual deficits averaging nearly $1 trillion for the next decade.

The estimates are for larger deficits than the budget shortfalls expected by the White House.

Annual deficits under Obama’s budget plan would be about $976 billion from 2011 through 2020, according to a CBO analysis of Obama’s plan released Friday.

The reality is, of course, that we won’t be able to do this. There isn’t ten trillion dollars for us to borrow in the world – if we try to go with Obama’s plan, we’ll have to default on our debt in just a couple years as we become unable to borrow to refinance the current debt (when you’re in deficit, you really don’t have the money to pay off the debts coming due, ya dig?). We’ll wind up like Greece, or worse.

This is the insanity of our left – with this stark fact, national bankruptcy, staring us in the face their whole focus is on spending even more. They are just completely divorced from reality.

Our chance comes in November – we can prevent this.