Obama and his pet press.

Next time you hear a member of the MSN preen about how they "speak truth to power... remember this:

The press corps, most of us, don't even bother raising our hands any more to ask questions because Obama always has before him a list of correspondents who've been advised they will be called upon that day."

One wonders if they'd be so placid if Bush were treating them this way...

Mirror Test

I like POETV. It's an entertaining site that has links to strange videos and is a great filter of the mass that is YouTube.

However, like much of the internet, you don't want to go there for politics.
For example they have a creepy level of raw hate for "Joe the Plumber". I mean... really, why care that much?

In between the mindless trolls that pass for "conservative" viewpoints, and the prevailing liberal-hipster mindset it's quite annoying.

One thing that stuck out on the commentary to the Obama is starting a draft video.

Sure it has the expected trolling but the mindless "The One" support got me.

Here's a theory, say McCain won, or this was 4 years ago and Bush was proposing exactly such a mandetory "civi" service. One, of many, worries I had about McCain was that he seemed to like such "draft" idea too.

Would the bulk of these posters be so for the idea, then?

The concept is exactly the same, only the person proposing it is different.

This shows either a disturbing mindless herd mentality (Obama can do no wrong!), a cynical shifting of your political views to the prevailing winds (Sure, I hated Bush's expansion of power and worry about Obama being the same, but we have to hurt those Republicans), or a beleif that the people in power matter more than the laws (We can trust Obama).

For the last one, that requires faith in the continued rule of Obama and like minded people.


This is why the "Mirror Test" is useful.

Take a political idea and flip it. If it's proposed by the party you dislike think if it were proposed by the one you, well, dislike less and vice versa.

This gives a bit more thought to it. Do you dislike a politician's plan merely because he's "the enemy"? Do you think his idea is great simply because he's "The One"?

For simplicity's sake (and to take advantage of the massive dislike) many can go "What if Bush said it?" Again, if this were Bush's idea, would people be so for it?

This is less to complain about comments to internet videos being dumb (but again much better than on YouTube) and more the sense that people are putting their ideology into a person instead of an idea.

Hoaxes from CNN

Bob Owens has the details of CNN's latest hoax.

Given their past history of aiding thugs and despots, all to retain the privilege of "inside access"...

Is it any surprise what they're doing?

Just remember, that they are perfectly happy to be a propaganda arm for terrorists.
You'd think journalists would at least be skeptical, and maybe question the story they're being told.

"Why doesn’t Israel have the same right to self-defense as other nations?"

Glen Reynolds has a pithy answer: Because much of the world wants Israel to die. Article at the link.

LGF has a video from MEMRI TV, showing where Hamas stands.

The Prisoner

Thanks to someone at the National Review, I've been alerted that AMC has uploaded the whole series of the delightfully sureal "The Prisoner"

For the Children?

Fear can lead the Government to pass horrid laws without thinking of the effects.

Which I suppose is better than the idea of those in government wanting to destroy the secondhand children's clothing market.

Pheistyblog has the story.

That’s right.  As of February 10, 2009, you will no longer be able to sell or buy children’s used clothing under the CPSIA.  Not at the Goodwill, not at a consignment shop, not on eBay.  Not even at a yard sale.  If you do, you face a $100,000 fine and 5 years of imprisonment.  That is, unless the seller can find a government-approved way to test the garments that won’t force them out of business.

You think I’m joking?

Here’s an LA Times article on the matter.

More:

And to those of you who thought that seatbelt and smoking ban legislation was a great idea, you’re getting what you asked for. You want government to take care of you, this is what you get. I’ve been preaching about the ’slippery slope’ for years, and people keep saying, “Oh, Joey. That’ll never happen. You’re exaggerating.”

Well? Did you ever think used children’s clothing would be banned from commerce?

One wonders what the next president and congress will do to "solve" the economy.
Or maybe they don't see it as a crisis but an opprotunity.

Ed Morrissey notes that this will hurt small buisness and the poor the most. Well, I'm sure they can get more bailouts and government aide.

Coverage or Coverup?

Glen Reynolds notes somehting "The New York Times managed to write about the mortgage crisis and not even mention Dodd. Or Barney Frank. Are they covering the news there, or just covering?"

Roger Kimbal goes into more detail.

Bottom line? [The Community Reinvestment Act] forced banks to issue something on the order of $1.5 trillion in sub-prime mortgages.

$1.5 trillion, i.e., one and a half thousand billion dollars in sub-prime,i.e., risky, mortgages, in order to push this latest example of social engineering.

But wait: how did it force banks to do this? Easy. Introduce a federal requirement that banks make the loans or face penalties.

He then goes into details showing how the Democrats are reaping rewards from the very crisis they allowed to happen due to incompetence and corruption.

Read it all and see how the Democrats and the media are working a giant coverup to use a crsis they're responsible for to jsutify taking even more of your money to make the government larger and more intrusive.

Oh and don't hold your breath on them fixing the problem. For that to happen they'd have to admit how it was caused.