Gov. Christie: What Are We Paying You For, Mr. President?

While delivering remarks from a commercial kitchen (apparently Denny's in Newark) may not be a good visual for the portly New Jersey governor, Chris Christie's remarks on failed presidential leadership seems on target:



Along similar lines, Donald Trump was less than pleased with the scheduling of a presidential fundraiser on the same evening of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting:



 Added: Investor's Business Daily also wasn't thrilled with the fundraiser with the crony capitalist 1% either:

President Obama jammed traffic in Manhattan on Wednesday. State business? No, he was raising campaign funds. It's just the latest example of his questionable strategy of running for re-election by taking from the public.

And no, the public was not invited. Three stops the president made were strictly for fat-cat donors who paid as much as $36,000 a plate for the privilege, while reporters weren't even permitted to cover the protests outside the hotels.

But the trip was hardly just between Obama and his donors. The three trips disrupted rush hour traffic in New York City and the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, something that very much cost the public time and money. The only winner was Obama, who flew home with $2.4 million.

That's emblematic of the arrogance of this president and the kind of re-election campaign we can expect him to conduct: always leaning on the public and its government to get his.

Dr. Conrad Murray Gets Maximum Sentence in Jackson Death

A Los Angeles County judge today sentenced Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, to four years in jail (the maximum sentence under the law) for involuntary manslaughter. Because of California prison overcrowding, however, Murray will serve his time in county jail rather than a hardcore prison and likely be released early no matter where he winds up. House arrest is also a possibility. Murray would have received a harsher sentence had he been tried and convicted of a crime that requires specific intent to do harm, otherwise known in the law as malice aforethought.

ABC Reporter Questions Presidential Campaign Travel

Here's some breaking news: a member of the usually compliant White House press corps finally asks a tough question. Congratulations to Jake Tapper of ABC News who asked administration spokesman Jay Carney if Obama was "campaigning on the taxpayer's dime" after The Wall Street Journal wrote about Obama's record-setting swing-state visits.

Considering the Obamas charge the taxpayer for their lavish vacations and a never-ending series of fundraisers and White House parties, is this any surprise?

By the way, what is up with political hacks like Carney (and many others) relying on the thumb-index finger gesture for emphasis?

Black Friday Shopping Rage 2011

In case you were wondering, yes, some bargain-hunters went completely nuts at Walmart and in other venues on Black Friday.
Videos like this makes us wonder what kind of anarchy could happen in the aftermath of a widespread national disaster, a "zombie apocalypse," or God forbid a terrorist attack when food and water could be in short supply.

Business Owner Won't Hire Until Obama Leaves Office

A Georgia businessman is not a big fan of Hope and Change: He says he can't afford to add new employees to his company until economic conditions improve under a new president.

Artur Davis: Democrats Cooking the Ballot Box

Organizations similar to ACORN allied with the Democrats are likely gearing up to commit vote fraud in the 2012 election. Former Congressman Artur Davis says that the real problem in voter fraud, at least in his home state of Alabama, is in the absentee ballot process, and that no "progressive" should oppose voter ID laws.

Again, if you need to show an ID for mundane activities such as getting on a plane, buying booze or cigarettes, picking up a package at UPS or the Post Office, or in some cases completing a credit card transaction, why in the world should any reasonable person oppose showing photo identification at the polls?

People's Court Defendant Goes Misssing

The cases heard on The People's Court and other TV judge shows sometimes have less to do about money and more about the tawdry implications of the relationships involved. We get the sense that the producers who are scouring small claims court dockets around the country specifically look for the latter to some degree. In a recent episode, a couple in an ongoing dysfunctional relationship had a fight at a science fiction convention, culminating in the defendant tossing an engagement ring out of a hotel room window (she was apparently aiming for the plaintiff). Judge Marilyn Milian ruled that since both parties shared some responsibility for the incident, each should split the $5,000 cost.

After the episode aired, the defendant, Michelle Parker, 33, vanished. Orlando, Fla., police are investigating:



Update: The ex-fiancee is lawyering up according to press reports now that the police have identified him as the prime suspect:

Here's the episode in question of The People's Court , which originally aired on November 17, the same date of her disappearance:

Law Firm Releases Confidential Information as Scrap Paper

Here's a disturbing privacy violation that has nothing to do with digital hacking for once: A Minneapolis-area personal injury law firm apparently donated "scrap paper" to a local elementary school that contained client medical records and other sensitive information.


[Note: If the above video does not appear in your browser, it can be found here].

Presumably this form of reckless recycling is a possible violation of HIPPA as well as a breach of attorney-client confidentiality that the firm will wind up paying for big time.

The Correct Answers are Barack Obama and Bill Clinton

                                                        [image credit: David Shankbone]

If you listen to the mainstream media (who, for example, aren't putting much effort into reporting the entire scope of the Solyndra green energy scandal), you would conclude that only Republicans are in the back pocket of corrupt Wall Street bankers and other crony capitalists.

Back in April at a Tea Party rally in Madison, Wisc., Sarah Palin told the sometimes too-quick-to-compromise GOP to "learn to fight like a girl" (a reference to the Univ. Of Wisconsin's championship women's hockey team). In a recent speech in Florida, she was equally frank with the left, noting that the so-called Occupiers should consider occupying the area outside the White House:

"Barack Obama is owned by Wall Street,” she said. “The fat cats, as he calls them, they’re his friends. They’re his pals. That’s where he gets his campaign donations. And he’s very generous about giving these cats their cat nip: bigger returns on their investments in bailouts.”

The Washington Examiner further explains:

 As the Washington Post recently reported, Obama has accepted more money -- more than $15.6 million -- from these people than all of the Republican presidential aspirants combined (aided significantly by the fact that contributors can give to both Obama and the Democratic National Committee). No wonder Opensecrets.org ranks the financial sector as one of the five most generous industries in contributions to the Obama re-election effort. By comparison, the most successful GOP fundraiser, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, has generated a mere $2 million from the Wall Street fat cats. Obama has even gotten more campaign money from Bain Capital, the consulting firm Romney managed before becoming a presidential candidate, than Romney has.

Filmaker Evan Coyne Maloney recently visited Zuccotti Park to give a pop quiz about who really gets the most campaign cash from the Wall Street greedheads:



Maloney explained to Mediaite.com the intent behind the filming:

Maloney...wanted to set the record straight that he was only trying to expose the hypocrisy of Democratic politicians championing the Occupy Wall Street movement while still receiving thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the banks...

Maloney said that the media “propagates this perception that Republicans are in bed with big business, and that Democrats are for “the little guy,” when in fact the establishment of both parties are corporatists."

Walmart Black Friday Signage

It won't be long before YouTube sadly becomes loaded up with videos of obsessed discount-hunting shoppers going wild at Walmart and other stores on the day after Thanksgiving, a.k.a. Black Friday. In preparation, Walmart is apparently trying to further explain what express checkout really means for those consumers who might be linguistically challenged:

[h/t Bob's Blitz]

Eric Holder Was Against Apologizing Before He Was For It

Does being Attorney General mean never having to say your sorry?

Lost in this week's headlines was U.S. AG Eric Holder's testimony on Capitol Hill about the Fast and Furious gunrunning scandal linked to the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, a former Marine. During testimony, Holder--whose Justice Department continues to stonewall the investigation--admitted that he had not apologized to the family.




Holder seems to have no difficulties apologizing to terrorists, illegal aliens, or those engaged in vote fraud or intimidation, however. Since his remarks before the Senate Judiciary Committee went semi-viral on the Internet, Holder has decided to apologize after all, according to Politico and The Daily Caller, although the letter was leaked to the media before it reach the family.

11-11-11 Veterans Day Salute to Troops

Customer Sends Message to George Zimmer of Men's Wearhouse

Men's Wearhouse commercials often feature the clothing chain's founder George Zimmer saying "You're going to like the way you look; I guarantee it." Commercials have also featured voicemail messages left for George from satisfied customers. The dissatisfied consumer in this video, however, no longer like they way he looked once the retailer went public with its support of the chaos at Occupy Oakland. So he returned his purchase to his local store. As he says "You have to take a stand, no matter how insignificant you may think it is. Take a stand."

Zimmer is apparently a big Democrat campaign donor.

Two footnotes: The manager seems like a nice person, and his nothing to do with setting corporate policy, so perhaps the customer could have been a bit less abrupt with her. Also, while this is irrelevant to his Occupy counter-protest, there doesn't seem to be any paperwork exchange before the customer left the store. Did the customer get a refund slip, cash back, or any written proof that the charge was removed from his credit card?

Herman Cain Passes Lie Detector Test

In his press conference, Herman Cain expressed willingness to take a lie detector test. A private investigator using voice analysis software that he claims is more accurate than a traditional polygraph says that Cain is innocent of sexual harassment charges:

Gloria Allred's Stimulating Press Conference

Celebrity ambulance chaser Gloria Allred is at it again, with another splashy, trashy press conference (that often lacks a logical follow-up). Most, but not all, of Allred's controversial grandstanding has a political motivation, such as her efforts to undermine Meg Whitman's campaign for California governor. Apart from the latter instance (which was a set up by organized labor bosses and other Democrat operatives), we wonder how these quasi-plaintiffs get connected to Allred so fast, not to mention establishing their "credibility"? Do they just call the main switchboard?

As Michelle Malkin writes, Allred is "scrambling to hop aboard the Cain Train." Allred's comment about a "stimulus package" was funny, but a rush to judgment int his case may be premature, however. For example, reports are surfacing that Herman Cain's accuser hugged him like an old friend or a long-lost relative at a political event last month.

By the way, during the Clinton administration, even though an active civil lawsuit against the-then president was in play, didn't the liberals insist it was okay to lie about sex?

Law School: Our LSAT Data was Bogus

More gavels falling on law school admissions malfeasance?

The University of Illinois acknowledged Monday that its law school reported and/or published inaccurate admissions data in six of the last 10 years.

The university, in a prepared statement, said it had determined that Paul Pless, the law school's former assistant dean for admissions and financial aid, who resigned last week, was solely responsible for the inaccuracies...

Investigators concluded that Pless, who was responsible for reporting the information, "knowingly and intentionally" miscalculated key data to make it seem as if the University of Illinois was showing steady and occasionally dramatic improvement in the main factors used to gauge the academic credentials of a law school class.

Back in 2009, the same law school was accused of corrupt, politically motivated admissions practices.

Your Mileage May Vary

"Breaking" news:

A Norwich [Connecticut] man who police say intentionally drove his pickup truck into the front of the police station was arrested, police said.

Kevin Vary, 51...was arrested after driving his full-sized, Chevrolet pickup truck into the front glass door entrance about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. No one was injured.

The front entrance of police Hq. sustained extensive damage in the incident. Police charged the man with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, and reckless driving.

Sources: Hartford Courant, WTNH

Machete Attack at Paterson, NJ, Restaurant

As we have noted before, it is not just the fat and salt that poses a danger at fast food restaurants--other customers can be hazardous to your health. Police say the perpetrator of this machete attack at US Chicken in Paterson, New Jersey, is apparently still at large.

Expert: World War III Will Be Cyber War

The massive power outages in the Northeast following the freak October 29 snowstorm showed just how personally and professionally dependent we've become on our electronic devices. Left without electricity, Starbucks (and other similar venues offering a Wi-Fi oasis) in the affected areas were jammed with strung-out people 50% of whom were suffering caffeine withdrawal and the other 50% suffering Internet cravings.

But the disruption after a natural disaster is only a minor part of a a national and international security menance according to SkyNews in the U.K. in an interview with Internet security expert Eugene Kaspersky:

"I don't want to speak about it. I don't even want to think about it," he said.

"But we are close, very close, to cyber terrorism. Perhaps already the criminals have sold their skills to the terrorists - and then...oh, God."

Speaking privately at the London Cyber Conference, Kaspersky told Sky that he believed that cyber terrorism was the biggest immediate threat to have emerged to confront nations as diverse as China and the US.

"There is already cyber espionage, cyber crime, hacktivisim (when activists attack networks for political ends) soon we will be facing cyber terrorism," he said.

The New Eden: the Bloated Public Sector

Each time reasonable people seek to shrink bloated federal (or state) workforce costs, the fearmongers trot out the usual "police and firefighter" scare tactics. Although public safety pensions appear to be a time bomb, one of the primary concerns involves deskbound pencil pushers in make-work government jobs, those "unessential" employees that never have to report to work in bad weather. Large segments of the media never seem to question vast amounts of taxpayer money spent on or by self-serving bureaucrats. Ross Douthat of The New York Times nails it:

The public-sector workplace has become a kind of artificial Eden, whose fortunate inhabitants enjoy solid pay and 1950s-style job security and retirement benefits, all of it paid for by their less-fortunate private-sector peers. Some on the left have convinced themselves that this “success” can lay the foundation for a broader middle-class revival. But if a bloated public sector were the blueprint for a thriving middle-class society, then the whole world would be beating a path to Greece’s door...

The story of the last three decades, in other words, is not the story of a benevolent government starved of funds by selfish rich people and fanatical Republicans. It’s a story of a public sector that has consistently done less with more, and a liberalism that has often defended the interests of narrow constituencies — public-employee unions, affluent seniors, the education bureaucracy — rather than the broader middle class.