Andrew Sullivan can’t help himself

What a sick human being. 

On a night when the news of Steve Jobs’ passing and Sarah Palin’s announcement not to run for president take place within two hours of each other, he chimes in comparing the two:

It’s a fitting comparison: achievement versus resentment, creativity versus narcissism, hope versus fear. I know which one will get the bigger headlines tomorrow. And there is some comfort in knowing it will pain her.

Yeah, Steve Jobs will be getting the headlines tomorrow, Andrew.  The man just passed away after a life of changing the very fabric of our lives through technological innovations, the founder and leader of one of the most powerful companies in the world. 

Palin merely announced she wasn’t running for office.  One definitely takes precedent over the other in the news cycle.  This, despite the importance that you, yourself, and your psychotic, obsessive ramblings about Palin and her uterus have placed on her.

The weed and the meds take its toll on the normalcy of the brain, Andrew.  Stay classy.

End of the world?

Probably not, but a NASA satellite is about to come crashing down to earth:

The six-ton satellite circles the Earth on a tilted orbit, and as the planet turns each day, different locations pass underneath. The satellite’s orbit on Friday afternoon will not take it over any part of North America, but by Saturday, parts of the United States will again be in its path.  [...]  At least 26 pieces, the largest 330 pounds, are expected to survive the plunge and land along a path 500 miles long.

Not to worry, as it’s happened before:

NASA satellites also receive considerably more attention when they come back to Earth than other debris of similar size. About one satellite five metric tons or larger re-enters the atmosphere every year.

For example, on a test flight of its Falcon 9 rocket in June 2010, the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation placed the second stage and a prototype capsule into orbit. That object, heavier than the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, came crashing back to Earth two and a half weeks later without causing a media ripple.

Sgt. Dakota Meyer gets the Medal of Honor

From his citation:

Moving into the village [of Ganjgal, Afghanistan], the patrol was ambushed by more than 50 enemy fighters firing rocket propelled grenades, mortars, and machine guns from houses and fortified positions on the slopes above.

Hearing over the radio that four U.S. team members were cut off, Corporal Meyer seized the initiative. With a fellow Marine driving, Corporal Meyer took the exposed gunner’s position in a gun-truck as they drove down the steeply terraced terrain in a daring attempt to disrupt the enemy attack and locate the trapped U.S. team.

Disregarding intense enemy fire now concentrated on their lone vehicle, Corporal Meyer killed a number of enemy fighters with the mounted machine guns and his rifle, some at near point blank range, as he and his driver made three solo trips into the ambush area.

And it doesn’t end there.  Click through and read the whole thing.  Sgt. Dakota Meyer is a true American hero.

 

 

9-11

There’s nothing to say.  Nothing really anyone can say.  Just never forget.

The Hurricane Irene post

Totally obligatory. 

Yesterday we rented a bunch of movies, and loaded up on water and some vino.  This morning, I went out to get the paper and ran some errands, all the while it was about 80 degrees and a bit muggy. 

The best part?  This afternoon I was attempting to get some wind chimes down from the top of our patio, and awkwardly landed on my foot, apparently crushing my big toe.  At least it feels like that.  I’ve iced it down throughout the day, but that didn’t stop it from swelling to an uncomfortable purple color.  And throbbing.  I don’t think its broken, but whatever.  Just another addition to the anxiety.

Right now (about 10:30 PM EST) there’s a light, steady rain, and winds blowing about 10-15 miles an hour.  The Tee Vee tells me that Irene won’t touch New Jersey until sometime around 1 to 2 am tomorrow morning, and is not expected to leave until about twelve hours later.  The only serious thing I’m expecting is loss of power, which would just really suck.

Nevertheless, I’m relatively safe, but not so comfortable thanks to my busted toe.   To anyone reading this, hope all is well on your end.

About those recall elections in Wisconsin

Six Republican seats were up for recall elections in the Wisconsin State Senate last night, and the Republicans held four of them.

The Tea Party effectively smacked the vitriolic left-wing progressive movement upside the head:

…[T]he union-backed Democrats picked up only two state Senate seats in Wisconsin last night, at a staggering cost in time, effort, and of course money. One of the seats was solidly Democratic, held by a Republican due to an apparent fluke of nature. The other was held by an alleged adulterer who had moved outside his district to live with his young mistress, and whose wife was supporting his recall.

[...]

The people” were supposed to be on the side of the unions who protested at the state capitol when Walker’s bill passed, limiting the unions’ collective bargaining privileges against taxpayers and school districts. But it turns out that “the people” had other ideas. In the end, even a massive infusion of cash and union volunteers was not enough to deliver the three state Senate recall races the unions needed, despite the fact that President Obama carried all six of the seats in question in 2008.

This marks the unions’ third huge defeat in Wisconsin this year. The other two were the passage of Walker’s bill and the re-election of David Prosser to the state Supreme Court. The grand talk of recalling Walker himself next year seems a bit blustery now, given the great failure of last night.

The implications are clear:

…[A]almost 350,000 people voted in Tuesday’s recall elections — and Republicans won 53 percent of the total vote. After blowtorching the state with negative ads and benefiting from a favorable timetable, the unions could still only get 47 percent of Wisconsinites to support their effort.

This should make the unions think long and hard about whether they want to embark on a mission to recall Gov. Scott Walker next year. Doing so successfully would easily cost them five times as much as they just spent — and even with their recent deluge of cash, most of the public still didn’t support them at the polls. Additionally, the extra time will also give Walker’s reforms more time to work — and once the public sees that schools can manage their affairs effectively without being hamstrung by union regulations, organized labor’s argument gets even weaker.

When establishment Republicans talk about shying away from political battles, the “hills” that are not worth politically taking a hit for, I would urge them to look at Wisconsin.  The Republicans there, with the Tea Party having their backs, stood for conservatism, stood for true reform, and won.  Twice.

And a major hat-tip to Governor Walker who, in my book, is Republican of the Year.  He stood up to the vitriol, to the onslaught of hate and violent rhetoric from the Left, to the deluge of union money and their thuggery, all for doing his job and standing up for conservatism.  He never resorted to chest-thumping, never spoke with malice.  He just made his case to the people of Wisconsin and they voted accordingly.  All of this in the cradle of America’s modern progressive movement.

Kudos to Governor Walker, the GOP senators who won, and to the people of Wisconsin.

[Hat Tip: Memeorandum]

New Tone: Wisconsin left-winger screaming “Sic Semper Tyrannis” at Governor Walker appearance

Sic semper tyrannis, means “thus always to tyrants” in Latin, but it’s primarily associated with John Wilkes Booth’s last words before assassinating President Lincoln, and were allegedly the words of Brutus before he stabbed Julius Caesar.

With that in mind, watch this Wisconsin douchebag protester screaming the phrase at Governor Scott Walker:

I believe this scumbag gentleman is encouraging violence against Governor Walker, don’t you?  But it’s the Tea Party that induces violence and racism.  Where is the media’s thought police on this?

California prison psychiatrist and public employee made over $800K in 2010

Can’t say I’m surprised.   But still, wow:

The chief psychiatrist for California’s overcrowded prison system was paid $838,706 in 2010, more than any other state employee that year, payroll figures released today show.

The doctor, whose name wasn’t released, had a salary range of $261,408 to $308,640, according to data released today by California Controller John Chiang. The total compensation was raised by bonuses or payout of unused vacation time, according to the controller’s office.

If you don’t see anything wrong with this, then you’re part of the problem.  Plain and simple.   If the people of  California continue to elect nanny-state supporting, overspending politicians as their representatives to state government, then quite frankly, good riddance.  Let it break off the continent and sink into the Pacific.

Meanwhile, this insanity.

UPDATE.  Linked by Ed Driscoll.  Thanks!

Entenmanns steps into Casey Anthony/Twitter controversy

The real story here is that Entenmann’s even has a Twitter account.  Who knew?

Alabama tornado victim calls out POTUS on Federal aid

Why does Obama hate brown people so much?

File this under “Imagine how the media would react if this was George W. Bush”