Newsbusters has the story of this drunken dwarf noting:
DeVito then began what was supposed to be mimicry of Bush, making a variety of weird sounds and facial expressions. It’s impossible to really capture DeVito’s performance in words (he’d admitted he’d been up partying all night with George Clooney)
Check out the video, and of course people in the audience are laughing.
— The Ace
This is quickly becoming one of my “big” issues (that is while we’re here, until we’re hit with a large meteor devasting earth, or AQ, embolded by the Democratic party, destroys a city or two):
Around 4 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 25, several New York City police officers in plain clothes fired an estimated 50 shots at a car, wounding two black men and killing a third, 23-year-old Sean Bell. Some police bullets penetrated nearby homes. Although an undercover officer had called for back-up, indicating that the three suspects had a gun, no weapon was found in the aftermath.
Talk about over-reaction. This post at Instapundit notes:
The officers fired 50 or so rounds and only hit *the car* 21 times, much less its occupants. That’s spraying and praying, and ought to be considered reckless endangerment, no matter how evil the guys they’re trying to take down.
In the wake of the Atlanta no-knock raid disaster, Glenn Reynolds also has a column in Popular Mechanics on this topic.
Also related: “7M in U.S. Jails, on Probation or Parole”
That’s right, 1 in 32 American adults is a ward of the criminal justice system. I doubt the signers of the Declaration had this in mind in forming our governmental instutions.
— The Ace
Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed state health care coverage for all Californians. “Californians,” under Schwarzenegger’s definition, does not mean legal residents of the state of California. It means free health care for anyone who decides to sneak across the border.
Fortunately, the Republican legislative minority is united against this dumb idea, and probably has enough Constitutional power to stop it:
“California is not responsible for paying for the medical care of the undocumented – people who are here illegally, period,” said Sen. Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks (Sacramento County). “We are not the health maintenance organization for Mexico.”
Schwarzenegger has not yet revealed details of his health care initiative, and there is no indication whether he will propose spending tax money to extend care to undocumented immigrants.
But the governor said Sunday on a national TV news program that his goal was to extend coverage to all 6.7 million Californians who are without health insurance – a figure that includes an estimated 1.6 million undocumented immigrants, according to figures from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
A spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger would not comment Wednesday directly on the warnings from GOP lawmakers. But Kim Belshé, the governor’s secretary of Health and Human Services, said in a statement that debate over health care reform needs to include undocumented immigrants.
Because, you know, we’re just not attracting enough illegal aliens with free schools, free emergency services, and automatic citizenship for their babies.
— W.C. Varones
Remember the Democrats promising to implement ALL of the 9/11 commission’s recommendations if they were elected, they sure said it enough times, especially San Fran Nan:
If you honor Democratic candidates with your vote today, in the first hundred hours of a Democratic Congress: We will make our nation safer and we will begin by implementing the recommendations of the independent, bipartisan 9/11 Commission.
Well, I guess it depends on what your definition of ALL is:
It was a solemn pledge, repeated by Democratic leaders and candidates over and over: If elected to the majority in Congress, Democrats would implement all of the recommendations of the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
But with control of Congress now secured, Democratic leaders have decided for now against implementing the one measure that would affect them most directly: a wholesale reorganization of Congress to improve oversight and funding of the nation’s intelligence agencies.
— ‘The Commish’ A.J. Sparxx
August 1992, President George H.W. Bush orders emergency airlifts to President Bush.
November 1992, William Jefferson Clinton elected President of the United States.
October 1993, Eighteen US Rangers and Delta Force specialists died in a raid in Somalia and over 70 were wounded.
October 1993. “A few days after the Rangers’ deaths and the humiliating CNN coverage, Clinton did completely reverse course. He announced it had been a mistake to “personalize the conflict.”
November 1996, the American People re-elect President Clinton to a second term.
Today:
Al-Qaida militants are operating with “great comfort” in Somalia, providing training and assistance to a radical military element loyal to the Islamic group that controls most of southern Somalia, a senior State Department official said Wednesday.
Do I “fault” President Clinton for his decision? Good or bad, he was simply following the “will” of the electorate and I am sure he had the internal polling to make “his decision.”
Will America ever learn? All I can do, along with many others, is make sure that the institutional military is as ready as possible to fight another day in another place.
— Oak Leaf
Well the “grand” NATO Summit is over and here is what the alliance did:
NATO leaders pledged in a closing statement to stay the course in Afghanistan.
I know a whole bunch of guys that will be “thrilled” with that news. /sarcasm off
Surely, that was not the purpose of the meeting. Of course not, there was an attempt to ensure that the NATO troop contributions were more useful than Americans donating toys with missing parts to Hurricane Katrina victims:
NATO leaders finished a two-day summit Wednesday without agreement on some members’ refusal to send troops into combat in Afghanistan’s most dangerous regions, where casualties are mounting in the fight against Taliban insurgents.
The worse part of all this is “we” have to accept the “donations” from NATO members knowing damn well their “contribution” is simply taking up space.
— Oak Leaf
The old media no longer considers this “news:”
1st Lt. Benjamin D. Keating, 27, of Shapleigh, Maine, died Nov. 26 in Kamdesh, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when his vehicle turned over. Keating was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Target Acquisition), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.
God Bless You, L.T.
— Oak Leaf
Here is an open thread for those that want to “vent” on Iraq. I think most regular readers understand my “position.”
The electorate affirmed the position of President Bush in both 2002 and 2004. In 2006, the electorate rejected that position. The Democrat “position” on Iraq was clear for 2006.
I personally disagree with the electorates 2006 position but that is now completely irrelevant. I can now only try to ensure that my fellow soldiers and the institutional military come out of all this in the best possible position so that the institution I embrace, can fight another day.
It is no longer worth anyones time to argue the “if and why” of Iraq. The question now is the path forward.
I do know that the path to April 30, 1975 will destroy the fighting will.
— Oak Leaf
Yesterday, the editors of The Orlando Sentinel, a left leaning paper in Florida (U.S.A.), decided that they would print an editorial opinion encouraging the EU to accept Turkey as a member:
Turkey’s acceptance into the European Union would have great significance. It would be a model of integration with the West for other moderate Islamic nations.
An American paper based in Central Florida (US) has absolutely no business about commenting on EU enlargement. That decision rests solely with the existing citizens of the European Union:
According to the EU Treaty, each current member state and also the European Parliament have to agree to any enlargement.
The article also pointed out that the Pope had endorsed Turkeys membership in the European Union:
Pope Benedict XVI surprised Turks this week when he switched from opposing to supporting their country’s effort to join the European Union. Ideally, the pope will inspire the same change of heart among European leaders who have been balking at Turkey’s bid.
The Pope’s opinion will be applicable as soon the Vatican City joins the European Union and then will be able to support or oppose enlargement.
— Oak Leaf