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	<title>Heartland Murmurs</title>
	<updated>2008-08-28T08:37:11Z</updated>
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	<entry>
		<title>Only Racism Can Win it for McCain: UPDATE</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/25/only-racism-can-win-it-for-mccain-update.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-25:c62066ce-86cd-41a7-9dc9-f028251d5ae9</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-25T15:35:05Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-25T15:30:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[UPDATE:<BR>Weisberg crap described previously thoroughly disembled in a way only James Taranto at the Wall Street Journal can right here: <BR><A class=bold80 href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121968110578569543.html?mod=Best+of+the+Web+Today"><STRONG><FONT color=#0253b7 size=2>The Weisberg Fallacy</FONT></STRONG></A>&nbsp;do go read it if for no other reason than a glimpse&nbsp;into the dark and scary recesses of an enlightened liberal mind...<BR><BR>Incidently, I only get 3 political&nbsp;RSS feeds to my personal mailbox, Taranto's Best of the Web, Hugh Hewitt's Townhall blog, and Mark&nbsp;Alexanders Patriot Post.&nbsp; Gotta figure out how build a blog roll one of these days.....and by the way, to the the handfull that subscribe to the murmur...you cannot imagine how flattering that is.&nbsp; You are truly a rare breed, and no doubt,&nbsp;great Americans...&nbsp;]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>Blazing Saddles Update: New Hired Gun</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/25/blazing-saddles-update-new-hired-gun.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-25:ed8c2606-c1e8-4367-9271-61a6884bb3db</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-25T14:44:14Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-25T14:00:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<P><IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/83513-73024/Blazingsaddles2.jpg" width=700 border=0><BR><BR><FONT size=2><FONT size=1>Black Bart&nbsp;and new hired gun Jim, played by Milwaukee native Gene Wilder, scan the landscape.<BR><BR></FONT></FONT><FONT size=2>Much much commentary on the Dem veep selection and it seems, given absolutely no bump in any tracking polls, the majority&nbsp;shares my&nbsp;non-plussedness with Joe Biden. <BR><BR>Among the best in terms of well thought out and written critiques, on this and most subjects for that matter, is the gang at <A href="http://www.powerlineblog.com/">www.powerlineblog.com</A>, a morsel:<BR><BR><EM>"But if we focus on matters relating to Iraq – probably the most serious issue that has faced Biden over the years – we find of pattern of incoherence and error that belies any claim to statesmanship, or even sustained seriousness."</EM></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=2>-Paul Mirengoff <BR><BR>The post is entitled <EM>Talkin' Joe Biden, the Foreign Relations Committee years.</EM><STRONG>&nbsp; </STRONG>Click above and scroll down a bit TRTWT.<BR><BR>Even some liberals are unhappy with Biden, particularly the PUMA (party unity my ass) crowd who just cannot accept that Hilary lost, which has morphed into its own soap opera subplot at the Dem convention.<BR><BR>Ron Rosenbaum at Pajamas Media had this to say: <BR><EM>"You wonder why I seem irate about clueless Joe. Because I think it would be an electrifying, transformative thing to elect our first non white President, the final triumph of the civil rights movement. And I think bloviating Joe could easily ruin it."<BR><BR></EM>and in his&nbsp;post called "A Huge Mistake"<BR><BR><EM>"Biden’s sagacity and earnestness act would only go over in the class of dummies that is the U.S. Senate..</EM><EM>...But a huge mistake by Obama in choosing a self-important clown for vice president, a choice that is the gift that will keep on giving to his opponent throughout the rest of the election. Biden has proven himself incapable of opening his mouth without making you cringe at his self-congratulatory pretentiousness." <BR><BR></EM>Only comment to follow that would be to say it sounds like something I'd say.&nbsp; In comments to one of Rosenbaum's posts I happened across this&nbsp;nugget, only slightly paraphrased to correct a grammatical error, from someone calling themself Herr Morganholz:<BR><U><EM><STRONG><BR>"If the government is the answer,&nbsp;you’re just asking stupid questions"<BR><BR></STRONG></EM></U>That is destined to be a Heartland Axiom.&nbsp; Gotta love it....</P></FONT>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>Northeast Liberal Jew to Heartland:  Only Racism Can Win it for McCain</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/25/blazing-saddles-2008-new-hired-gun.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-25:2589de71-adca-40df-b5af-ef6611bdffc5</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<category term="Decision 2008" />
		<updated>2008-08-25T15:29:16Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-25T13:24:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[In a&nbsp;May 7&nbsp;posting I made this prediction&nbsp;on the liberal narrative&nbsp;once Obama became the presumptive nominee&nbsp;: 'If he loses it's because we are a racist country.&nbsp; If he wins it's because we want to move beyond racism"&nbsp;.&nbsp; <BR><BR>I am no political genious and was certainly not the only guy to&nbsp;sense&nbsp;that in today's politically correct climate non-support for Obama would be unfairly translated into bullshit charges of racism.&nbsp; If nothing else, Liberals certainly are predictable....Exhibit A&nbsp; <A href="http://www.slate.com/id/2198397/" target=_blank>Racism is the only reason McCain might beat Barack Obama</A>. <BR><BR>So in an amazing display of both his own bigotry and astonishing cluelessness Mr Weisberg earns his lieftime&nbsp;credential as a political hack.&nbsp;&nbsp;IMHO if it weren't for Christopher Hitchens Slate would be a waste of cyberspcae altogether. <BR><BR>UPDATE:<BR>Above Weisberg crap thoroughly disembled in a way only James Taranto at the Wall Street Journal can right here: <BR><A class=bold80 href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121968110578569543.html?mod=Best+of+the+Web+Today"><STRONG><FONT color=#0253b7 size=3>The Weisberg Fallacy</FONT></STRONG></A>&nbsp;do go read it if for no other reason than a glimpse&nbsp;into the dark and scary recesses of an enlightened liberal mind...<BR><BR>Incidently, I only get 3 political rss feeds to my personal mailbox, Taranto's Best of the Web, Hugh Hewitt's Townhall blog, and Mark&nbsp;Alexanders Patriot Post.&nbsp; Gotta figure out how build a blog roll one of these days.....&nbsp;]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>Slow Joe Fizz</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/23/slow-joe-fizz.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-23:12ddb4e1-7315-4522-b27b-91693a7bc7da</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-23T11:51:19Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-23T10:37:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<P><IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/83513-73024/SmugPlugs1.jpg" width=535 border=0><BR><BR><BR><BR><FONT size=2>Now that's a pair to draw to if I ever saw one.&nbsp; Not a lot to say about Biden as Dem Veep.&nbsp; Will be good for the party - - both of them.&nbsp; He does add&nbsp;an earthier variety of&nbsp;charisma to the ticket.&nbsp; Hell, how can I not like a&nbsp;gregarious Irish Catholic family oriented storyteller?&nbsp;&nbsp;Peggy Noonan's description of him as the garrulous uncle after he's had a one too many seems about right. And did I mention?&nbsp; - - &nbsp;he's not black. &nbsp; <BR><BR>His ultimate pick may explain why Obama&nbsp;waited so long to let anyone know.&nbsp; I mean if the best the candidate of change can come up with is a 65 year-old who has known nothing but Washington politics his entire career why hurry?&nbsp; But it is&nbsp;entirely consistent with&nbsp;the "candidate of change" borne of Chicago&nbsp;machine&nbsp;politics, and&nbsp;shows once again that if they can&nbsp;believe his resume`is Presidential caliber they can&nbsp;believe anything.&nbsp; YES THEY CAN!&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <BR>We are constantly reminded this decision is the first indication&nbsp;of a nominees&nbsp;judgment and decision making.&nbsp;&nbsp;OK then, I will wholeheartedly stress it is as impressive a decision as any I have seen from the nominee so far.&nbsp; <BR>&nbsp;<BR>With all the&nbsp;media hype of Geraldo Rivera and Al Capone's vault the management of this message is a bit curious and a lot ridiculous.&nbsp; How long will the adoring media tolerate being whip-sawed and manipulated?&nbsp;&nbsp;Probably a reasonable strategy though,&nbsp;seeing how focusing on the&nbsp;process and all this cloak and dagger crap diverts from the&nbsp;substance of policy&nbsp;and his decreasingly attractive character.<BR><BR>By adding&nbsp;an old school career politician most famous for his verbal mis-steps to the&nbsp;ticket Blazing Saddles 2008&nbsp;(<A href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/06/25/the-audacity-of-arrogance-or-blazing-saddles-2008.aspx">see</A> below) has successfully upgraded from a gaff a day to a gaff a minute.&nbsp;I've been saying for years this campaign is gonna be a hoot.&nbsp; This virtually guarantees it.&nbsp;</FONT>&nbsp;<BR><BR><A href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/06/25/the-audacity-of-arrogance-or-blazing-saddles-2008.aspx">The Audacity of Arrogance or Blazing Saddles 2008&nbsp;<SPAN class=readlink></SPAN></A><BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</P></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>A Tale of Two Cities</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/22/a-tale-of-two-cities.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-22:9707ece8-7896-43c7-ae44-01ffcb906b17</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-22T14:08:49Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-22T13:01:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<FONT size=3>It gets a bit tedious constantly griping about the various governmental inadequacies and screwups, it's just thats there are so damn many.&nbsp;(I'll address&nbsp;the Milwaukee Public Schools $170 million fiasco in a future post but today I wanted to accentuate the positive, seeing how those opportunities come&nbsp;so rarely.)<BR><BR>When something goes right it should be noted too. I am talking about the successsful conclusion of the&nbsp;Marquette Interchange road construction project here in Milwaukee.&nbsp;Gotta hand it to parties involved, private contractors mostly, not the government actually, but the largest highway project in state history at $810 million&nbsp;came in on time, under budget and with no fatalities or serious injuries.&nbsp;I suppose this could be a good example of how well something can work when the government just gets out of the way and let's profit oriented companies do their thing.<BR><BR>It is a vast improvement both aestetically and functionally.&nbsp; What used to be the most intimidating motoring and arguably the ugliest&nbsp;feature of Milwaukee is now quite impressive,&nbsp;a lot friendlier to both&nbsp;drive and look at.&nbsp; To see the end result&nbsp;go here <A class="external text" title=http://www.mchange.org href="http://www.mchange.org/" rel=nofollow>Marquette Interchange Website</A> <BR><BR>Now compare this to another huge roadway construction project in a town about the same size, Boston, and see how that went.&nbsp; The Big Dig as it was called, not only took longer than planned but had overuns that bloated&nbsp;it's original budget of&nbsp;$2.8 billion in 1985&nbsp;to over $14.6&nbsp;billion when all was said and done.&nbsp; Holy crap.&nbsp; By my math they exceeded their budget by oh, a mere 520%.&nbsp;Granted, some poeple are in jail, but I seriously&nbsp;doubt there are any public officials doing time.<BR><BR>here's bit form Wikipedia:&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<EM>The project has incurred criminal arrests, </EM><A class=mw-redirect title="Escalating costs" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escalating_costs"><EM>escalating costs</EM></A><EM>, death, leaks, and charges of poor execution and use of substandard materials. The </EM><A title="Massachusetts Attorney General" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Attorney_General"><EM>Massachusetts Attorney General</EM></A><EM> is demanding contractors refund taxpayers $108 million for “shoddy work”.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-Reuters-StateWeighs_9-0><A title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig_(Boston%2C_Massachusetts)#cite_note-Reuters-StateWeighs-9">]</A></SUP> On </EM><A title="January 23" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_23"><EM>January 23</EM></A><EM>, </EM><A title=2008 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008"><EM>2008</EM></A><EM>, it was reported that Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the consortium that oversaw the project, would pay $407 million in restitution for its poor oversight of subcontractors (some of whom committed outright fraud), as well as primary responsibility in the death of a motorist. However, despite admitting to poor oversight and negligence as part of the settlement, the firm is not barred from bidding for future government contracts. Several smaller companies agreed to pay a combined sum of approximately $51 million.</EM><SUP> </SUP><BR><BR>Yeah yeah I know the projects aren't that comparable, ones a tunnel and the other a bridge, or more accurately a network of interconnecting&nbsp;bridges. But still, our roadway&nbsp;runs about 4 times the distance of&nbsp;their tunnel and their orignal budget was 3 and a half times bigger, which should have more than offset&nbsp;additional engineering and constrcution costs.&nbsp; But nooooooo.&nbsp;&nbsp; <BR><BR>What's the difference?&nbsp; Ours is in the Heartland, where stuff works.&nbsp; We don't automatically seize a huge public project as a gigantic opportunity to pilfer the national treasury.&nbsp; We see it as a necessary task that needs to be done as expeditiously and prudently as possible. So we get it done.&nbsp; <BR><BR>I will say however that when it comes to bringing public funds back home our Feingold and Kohl are pikers compared to the likes of Kennedy and Kerry, not even the same league.&nbsp; Again though, that's just the difference between us Heartlanders and them Northeasterners...&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</FONT>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>Poking Bears With Sticks</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/14/poking-bears-with-sticks.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-14:f1756b45-9328-4bb6-896f-b370c0387695</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-14T15:35:52Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-14T12:06:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<FONT size=2>First of all let's stipulate that oil was and always has been a key rationale behind&nbsp;our venture in Iraq.&nbsp; Not however, to enrich neocons or other nonsense but simply because our country will fail without,&nbsp;albeit&nbsp;shamefully gluttonous amounts of,&nbsp;free flowing&nbsp;oil.&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>That being said&nbsp;I maintain the right to ridicule the purist "no blood for oil" types who advance a particularly dangerous&nbsp;and, dare I say it "blame America first"&nbsp;agenda&nbsp;that displays&nbsp;remarkable close mindedness&nbsp;in steadfastly refusing to acknowledge even the possibility of nobler causes.&nbsp; But then those who truly believe Barack Obama's resume`is&nbsp;Presidential caliber will probably believe anything - - that's what makes them so dangerous.&nbsp; <BR><BR>But enough of that, let's step back for a wider view of the world stage where the interplay between the Eagle, Bear, and Dragon come into particularly sharp focus given recent events between Russia and Georgia - - which, given how control over 100% of oil to western Europe is now in jeopardy, is ALL about, nothing but, oil.<BR><BR>The Dragon<BR>To maintain its ever increasing standard of living will require&nbsp;ever increasing amounts of energy.&nbsp;The Dragon, therefore, will stop at nothing&nbsp;in its quest to overtake the economic supremacy of the Eagle, after that military supremacy will become its primary focus. &nbsp;It is already ramping up in that regard.&nbsp; Unhindered by humanitarian concerns the Dragon will also stop at nothing to maintain its oil supply, whose main&nbsp;supplier&nbsp;is&nbsp;Sudan.&nbsp; For anyone willing to see the connection,&nbsp;the slaughter and ethnic cleansing in western Sudan is largely underwritten by China.&nbsp;<BR><BR>The Bear<BR>Feeling threatened by pro Eagle&nbsp;governments in Germany, France, and most embarrassingly,&nbsp;its own former states, the Bear responds&nbsp;borrowing a page from Papa Bear, the USSR,&nbsp;as they did&nbsp;Czechoslovakia in 1968, invades a comparatively powerless neighbor to divide, conquer, and eventually rule through a puppet government.&nbsp; Meanwhile, the world watches the Dragon Olympics, histories biggest most&nbsp;shrewdly developed and executed public relations propaganda campaign ever.&nbsp; Economically reinvigorated after a decade and a half&nbsp;of capitalism&nbsp;the Bear is frisky and seeking to expand its territory.&nbsp; <BR><BR>The Eagle<BR>...is tired.&nbsp; Tired from a prolonged war and overextended military, tired from a sluggish&nbsp;economy, tired&nbsp;of a feckless congress and&nbsp;President both&nbsp;at&nbsp;historically low approval ratings, and&nbsp;tired of being unpopular.&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>Of all the excuses&nbsp;for weariness the popularity thing puzzles most.&nbsp; Think about this: The Dragon overtly&nbsp;aids and abets ethnic cleansing on a scale with WWII Nazis.&nbsp;The Bear&nbsp;places its boot squarely and firmly on the neck of a non-threatening neighborhood democracy.&nbsp;Meanwhile the Eagle&nbsp;deposes&nbsp;a notorious tyrant and facilitates a self-governing democracy in a military operation with&nbsp;a casualties-to-liberated ratio so low it is likely to go down as&nbsp;the&nbsp;most humanitarian war in hisory.&nbsp; All of these actions, in varying degrees,&nbsp;are oil-driven - - yet&nbsp;only the U.S. suffers the middle school curse of not being popular.&nbsp; <BR><BR>Why?&nbsp;because&nbsp;an 800 pound bear, or even bigger&nbsp;dragon, can and will take a crap&nbsp;wherever they want, with nary a thought&nbsp;about what the world thinks.&nbsp; The Eagle?&nbsp;apparently constipated out some misguided priority&nbsp;on world opinion.<BR><BR>The bottom line is, like it or not,&nbsp;the world is still ruled by brute force.&nbsp; That said even the hardest hearted conservative joins&nbsp;his liberal brothers and sisters in wishing that were not the case.&nbsp; But it is the case, and the problem is wishes fill peoples heads with mush - - but&nbsp;munitions actually turn peoples&nbsp;heads into&nbsp;mush.&nbsp; Facts on the ground remind us we need to&nbsp;deal with the world we have - - not&nbsp;the world we want.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>If the&nbsp;United States showed even a trace of the disregard for popularity as that of Russia, Iran would have been neutered as a&nbsp;nuclear threat years ago.&nbsp;Some would argue&nbsp;our hesitancy is in direct proportion to the Bears new found aggression, a valid point.<BR><BR>Maybe the most maddening&nbsp;part is that, time after time, our timidity and inaction,&nbsp;driven by a yearn&nbsp;for popularity,&nbsp;has done precious little to&nbsp;enhance our world standing.&nbsp;When&nbsp;we&nbsp;do&nbsp;the "right thing", i.e.&nbsp;stress diplomacy and restraint,&nbsp;and are still considered the bad guys&nbsp;why&nbsp;does popularity&nbsp;factor in our policies at all?<BR><BR>This&nbsp;begs another question; those&nbsp;clamoring to avoid war at all cost&nbsp;are the same folks&nbsp;promoting popularity for its own sake.&nbsp; Is this&nbsp;coincidence or&nbsp;simply both sides of the same page from&nbsp;the left-liberal foreign policy agenda?<BR>&nbsp;<BR>This country needs to grow up&nbsp;and realize that popularity is the cost of being number one.&nbsp;Deal with it.&nbsp;<BR><BR>Fighting and winning their wars,&nbsp;rebuilding their countries,&nbsp;perpetuating their economies through favorable trade practices, and subsidizing their lavish socialistic programs&nbsp;by covering their defense costs&nbsp;should not necessarily warrant a defacto cheerleading squad, but at the very least it should warrant the benefit of the doubt.&nbsp; <BR><BR>Memo to world: you are&nbsp;ever-so cordially invited to shop a round for a better lone superpower.&nbsp; We&nbsp;might suggest you&nbsp;see what&nbsp;the Dragon and Bear have to offer, but be sure to call&nbsp;Sudan&nbsp;and&nbsp;Georgia for references.<BR><BR>In the&nbsp;meantime keep your opinions on the Eagle to yourself, remember, he's still circling overhead in search of a&nbsp;target. When he finally let's go it could be ugly. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp; </FONT>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>Bandwagon Tire Pressure II</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/08/bandwagon-tire-pressure-ii.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-08:ef300438-f01a-4e45-86e8-0d93f5228a4a</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-13T08:59:21Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-08T14:04:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[Peggy Noonan, a terrific conservative Wall Street Journal columnist, had this open question on The One&nbsp;&nbsp;...<BR><EM><BR>Does he have real greatness in him? Or is he, say, a product of the self-esteem campaign, that movement within the schools and homes of our country the past 25 years that says the way to get a winner is to tell the kid he's a winner every day? You can get some true people of achievement that way, because some people need a lot of reinforcement to rise. But you can also get, not to put too fine a point of it, empty suits that take on a normal shape only because they're so puffed up with ego.</EM> 
<P><EM>Is Mr. Obama's self-conception in line with his gifts, depth, wisdom and character? That's the big question, I suspect, on a number of minds.</EM></P>
<P>You got THAT right Sister.<BR><BR>This article from Politico also provides some&nbsp;insight on the questionable inevitability of&nbsp;Dems taking the White house...&nbsp;<A class=homeHeaderLink href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12433.html"><STRONG><FONT color=#494343>7 worrisome signs for Obama</FONT></STRONG></A>&nbsp;<BR><BR>One of the signs is race because it's too hard to nail down in polls,&nbsp;I mean who, but an idiot,&nbsp;would admit to a pollster they wouldn't vote for someone because of their skin color?&nbsp; I have a good buddy who believes McCain's only chance to win is if he names a black VP.&nbsp; I'm not so sure.&nbsp; <BR><BR>Obama has already broken through enough&nbsp;barriers for America to feel good about itself, taking 98% white Iowa comes to mind.&nbsp; America also, one hopes, is&nbsp;mature enough to recognize that any perceived benefit, particularly&nbsp;at this place in history, of electing an affirmative action president to assuage white guilt&nbsp;is just way too risky, especially this particular affirmative action candidate.&nbsp;<BR><BR>If he wasn't so far left we might indulge ourselves the experiment of something completely different for its own sake or the sheer novelty, but as world events like Georgia and Iran&nbsp;keep reminding us, as&nbsp;alluring as it may sound, the time for radical change just isn't ripe.&nbsp;&nbsp; Fortunately the more&nbsp;they find out about the kind of change Obama is talking about, the more comfortable they can become with voting the status quo.&nbsp; One hopes...&nbsp;&nbsp;</P>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>Liberal, Logic, Oil, Water; Some Things Just Don't Go Together</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/08/liberal-logic-and-linear-thinking-like-oil-and-water.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-08:735d72ba-f5b2-41da-9c17-9fdcaa01ffcd</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-22T12:58:56Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-08T11:02:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<P>It's both&nbsp;the best and worst things about the blogosphere, just when you think you have unique take or&nbsp; profound revelation on something someone validates your theory but&nbsp;beats you to the punch.<BR><BR>My recent revelation was in&nbsp;noticing a consistent inconsistency in Democrat logic on both the war and energy policies that exposes their&nbsp;serious problem&nbsp;with linear thinking.&nbsp; In Iraq they would have&nbsp;us believe that the sooner we pull out militarily the faster&nbsp;the political and economic&nbsp;solutions will occur&nbsp; - -&nbsp; when in fact&nbsp;only a military component&nbsp;can facilitate&nbsp;those solutions.<BR><BR>Likewise in energy where they want us to believe&nbsp;that&nbsp;the energy crisis can be solved without increasing&nbsp;our domestic oil supply - - apparently&nbsp;clueless to the reality that a wholesale immediate switch to all alternative energy&nbsp;would leave us in the dark.<BR><BR>It's a matter of sequencing&nbsp; the proper amalgam of solutions.&nbsp; Not even the most rabid hawk&nbsp;implied that Iraq&nbsp;solution was&nbsp;strictly military,&nbsp;just as&nbsp;the most&nbsp;anti-environmentalist claims&nbsp;domestic drilling&nbsp;is the sole solution to the energy mess.&nbsp;Most problems consist of a&nbsp;combination of factors so only the most naive can believe there is a single solution.&nbsp; <BR><BR>The rhetorical trick is to cast doubt on&nbsp;the other side by accusing them of oversimplification.&nbsp; That is the flip side of the same coin they use in deliberately over complicating an issue&nbsp;to the point&nbsp;where we&nbsp;clueless Heartlanders just throw up our hands in surrender because only something as big and powerful and all-knowing as government can fix it.&nbsp; I've said it before but it bears repeating and will be a&nbsp;Heartland Axiom:&nbsp;<STRONG>most issues aren't too complicated to fix,&nbsp;they&nbsp;are fixed to look too complicated. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR></STRONG><BR>Rand Simberg explores he dark intricacies of this line of thinking in&nbsp;Scarecrows and Bogeymen, excerpted and linked below.&nbsp; &nbsp;</P>
<P>The inestimable Dr. Krauthammer says...</P>
<P><EM>The green fuels the Democrats insist we should be investing in are as yet uneconomical, speculative technologies, still far more expensive than extracted oil and natural gas. We could be decades away. And our economy is teetering. Why would you not drill to provide a steady supply of proven fuels for the next few decades as we make the huge technological and economic transition to renewable energy? </EM></P>
<P>Just like it took security first to allow progress in Iraq it will take more oil first to help us out of this energy crisis. </P>
<P><EM>...drilling requires no government program, no newly created bureaucracy, no pie-in-the-sky technologies that no one has yet invented. It requires only one thing, only one act. Lift the moratorium. Private industry will do the rest. And far from draining the treasury, it will replenish it with direct taxes, and with the indirect taxes from the thousands of non-subsidized new jobs created. TRTWT </EM><A onclick="return trackclick('http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/08/drill_and_conserve.html', 'Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post','It\'s Simple: Drill and Conserve');" href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/08/drill_and_conserve.html"><STRONG><FONT color=#cc0000>It's Simple: Drill and Conserve</FONT></STRONG></A> </P>
<P>Brilliant, unfortunately in this Democrat controlled Congress<EM> </EM>the relationship of brilliance to policy is inverse.</P>
<P>Rand Simberg at Pajamas Media weighs in by examining&nbsp;two overused Democrat sound bites: "there is no military solution" and "We can't drill our way out of this&nbsp;crisis".&nbsp; On point 1; Uh, yes there is, and it happened, and&nbsp;point 2; drilling is not the only&nbsp;way, but&nbsp;it is irrefutably among the most crucial, and&nbsp;at least as immediate as any alternative sources given the&nbsp;capacity requirements.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </P>
<P>I liked this part <BR><EM>...the Democrats continue to pretend that it is those who wanted to win in Iraq, and those who want to bring new supplies to market, are advocating a single solution, it is in fact they who are denying the true total solution, by preemptively excluding critical elements in both cases. Those who favored the successful Petraeus strategy have never dismissed the need for diplomacy and other counterinsurgency tactics. Those who advocate environmentally sensitive production in promising new fields don’t deny the need for other, better energy technologies. In both cases, we have to continue to move forward on every front, TRWT </EM><A href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/democrats-throwing-up-scarecrows-and-bogeymen/"><FONT color=#02446a>Democrats Throwing Up Scarecrows and Bogeymen</FONT></A><BR></P>
<P>And no sooner does Simberg observe that Dems accuse Republicans of single solution stupidity none other than NYT Columnist Paul Krugman&nbsp;provides a perfect&nbsp;exhibit A:<BR><BR><EM>is that know-nothingism — the insistence that there are simple, brute-force, instant-gratification answers to every problem, and that there’s something effeminate and weak about anyone who suggests otherwise — has become the core of Republican policy and political strategy.&nbsp;<BR><BR></EM>Oh really?<BR><BR>But hold on a minute, wasn't it Obama who came up with the doozy of all simple solutions with his roundly debunked&nbsp;theory that properly inflated tires will save as much oil as can be pumped from the outer continental shelf?&nbsp;(I have about as firm a grasp on the amount of oil under our collective&nbsp;continental shelves&nbsp;as my&nbsp;5 year-old daughter but that claim&nbsp;sounds pretty goofy to me)<BR>&nbsp;<BR>To my eye&nbsp;all it takes&nbsp;is a Democrat with a microphone to make the Republicans look like the party of Einsteins.<BR><BR>Gotta hand it to Krugman, not only does he get it wrong, he gets it EXACTLY wrong.&nbsp;Assuming you are not gluttons for punishment&nbsp;I&nbsp;didn't link Krugman's&nbsp;rant.&nbsp; The charming and clever title should tell you all you need to know;&nbsp; <EM>Republicans Now The Party&nbsp;of Stupid</EM>. Just think of the trees, ink, and hot air saved if only liberals could argue without insult.&nbsp; <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>&nbsp;<BR></P>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>Time to Check the Pressure on Those Bandwagon Tires</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/07/time-to-check-the-pressure-on-those-bandwagon-tires.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-07:f1ad55cb-5884-4193-8ed1-5bf24fd73eee</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-07T14:51:10Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-07T14:25:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<P>Jennifer Rubin notices how lefty pundits are beginning to notice all that Obama isn't... interesting stuff, but good news?&nbsp; Not if there's still hope for a Clinton McCain matchup... as explained here by American Thinker's Denis Keohane: <A class=home_title href="http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/could_obama_lose_the_nominatio_1.html"><FONT color=#003399 size=2>Could Obama still lose the nomination?</FONT></A><BR><BR>If Obama has a succession of weeks like the last one, i.e. a series of 9% drops in polls,&nbsp;anything could happen at the convention.&nbsp; Maybe&nbsp;our best bet is to keep the media Obama love affair in tact for awhile.<BR>&nbsp;<BR>samples from Rubin:<BR><BR><EM>The bottom line: liberal pundits — following months of analysis by their conservative counterparts — had figured out that despite the best possible terrain for the Democrats to recapture the White House, the Democrats (with a whole lot of cheerleading from the mainstream media) have chosen a thinly experienced, irresolute, underachieving and obnoxious standard bearer. And his excuse-mongering just makes it all the more irritating.</EM></P>
<P><EM>and...<BR>But Obama has done his share to lift the veil from the pundits’ eyes. Sometimes the accumulated evidence is too much even for the mainstream media to ignore. And it is ironic (but not altogether surprising) that the tipping point may have been the Berlin rally — an explosion of ego and meaningless rhetoric which attained the level of self-parody.<BR><BR>To read the whole thing: </EM><A title="Permanent Link to Pundits Begin to Worry About Obama" href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/pundits-begin-to-worry-about-obama/" rel=bookmark>Pundits Begin to Worry About Obama</A><BR><BR>Well, the fat lady is still in the dressing room in this opera so there's plenty of time for more drama.&nbsp; I believe to the core of my being that if any opportunity to attain&nbsp;power&nbsp;presents itself to Ms. Clinton it will be pounced upon like a hungry bitch on a bone, pun entirely up to the reader, but it works for me...&nbsp;</P>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>An Outsider Analyzes Home</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/06/an-outsider-analyzes-home.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-06:554cdecd-de27-4fe6-b9cb-e1d71ecc5b73</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-07T14:09:54Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-06T15:34:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[Found this on Pajamas Media a while back.&nbsp; Can't let an article on the Heartland, especially the Upper Great Lakes Region,&nbsp;go without comment but&nbsp;I think he pretty much nails it.&nbsp; Not exactly a deep analysis but interesting nonetheless.&nbsp; He's so wrong about cheese curds&nbsp;I can't tell you, but I'm not sure it makes his entire opinion suspect.<BR><BR><A href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/upper-midwest-politics-as-blue-as-the-great-lakes/"><STRONG><FONT color=#02446a>Upper Midwest Politics — As Blue as the Great Lakes</FONT></STRONG></A><BR><BR>His conclusion:<BR>
<P><EM>In my final analysis, after four days and 2,200 miles through these three states, I believe Obama, like Kerry in 2004, will keep them as blue as the splendid Great Lakes, with Michigan likely being the closest. Though they’ll be close, there are too many Democrats — not willing to be wooed by McCain’s centrism or turned off by Obama’s inexperience — in the major cities, suburbs, in college and river towns, for Michigan, Wisconsin or Minnesota to flip, even in 2008.<BR></EM><BR>Sad, and probably true, but not if I can help it...<BR><BR>I'm not sure&nbsp;I agree Michigan will be closest, especially if McCain taps MN Gov. Pawlenty as his running mate.&nbsp; One thing he missed completely about Wisconsin, and to some extent Minnesota, the ones who elected Jesse&nbsp;Ventura Governor,&nbsp;is that we love our mavericks.&nbsp; In my mind&nbsp;McCains close association with Feingold is a reason to vote against him but Feingold is very popular here&nbsp;so it might actually help.&nbsp; Because of his close ties to McCain fence-sitting Feingold loyalists can vote against his presidential endorsement.&nbsp; One hopes.<BR><BR>He really doesn't elaborate on the college campus /&nbsp;blue vote pattern here in Wisconsin&nbsp;but it is exactly what won it for Kerry in 2004.&nbsp; Platteville, River Falls, LaCrosse, Oshkosh, Eau Claire, you name it, he got it.&nbsp; Makes me wonder whether Democrats actually planned this way back when they&nbsp;granted land for all those rural (aka red area) campuses - - and&nbsp;thereafter began routinely populating the faculties with uber liberals.&nbsp; A little too conspiratorial?&nbsp; Maybe, but&nbsp;campus organization and activism for Democrats is definitely&nbsp;institutionalized, sophisticated, and intense, and that I am sure, is no accident.&nbsp; Big campuses in little towns wield a hell of a lot of influence on the surrounding area.&nbsp;&nbsp;Having grown up in one I know whereof I speak.<BR><BR></P>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>Do Heartlanders Stand a Chance?</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/06/do-heartlanders-stand-a-chance.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-06:383e38d0-ff0b-456d-9b79-d4751ab7bdfe</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-08T11:50:28Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-06T14:59:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<FONT size=2>One wonders when this is the best their senators can serve up.&nbsp; Following is form letter response from Senator Russ Feingold to a friend who had written on his concerns regarding the economy.<BR></FONT><BR>
<P><SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN><EM><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Dear </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Mr. P----</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">,</SPAN></EM></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><EM>Thank you for contacting me about the need for new <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1218056294_3 style="CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">economic stimulus</SPAN> legislation. I appreciate hearing from you on this subject.</EM></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><EM></EM></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><EM>As you may know, Congress passed economic stimulus legislation and the President signed that bill into law on February 13, 2008. The legislation includes a variety of business tax incentives as well as provisions to address some of the current problems in the housing market, but the centerpiece of the package is an individual <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1218056294_4>tax rebate</SPAN> for low-income and middle-income individuals. I was disappointed that the legislation did not include other worthy provisions, such as <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1218056294_5 style="BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; CURSOR: hand; BORDER-BOTTOM: #0066cc 1px dashed">extending unemployment benefits</SPAN> and to expand <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1218056294_6>food stamp benefits</SPAN>. </EM></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><EM></EM></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><EM>Given the sluggishness of the economy, many believe additional stimulus legislation is needed. Should a second stimulus bill come before the Senate for consideration, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind.</EM></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN><EM>&nbsp;</EM></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><EM>Again, thank you for contacting me with your thoughts. Please feel free to do so on this or any other issue of concern to you.<BR><BR>Sen. Russell Feingold<BR></EM><BR><FONT size=2>Now isn't that special?&nbsp; I wasn't privy to the concerns outlind by Mr. P but I know him and I can guarantee you he wasn't calling for more handouts which, judging by&nbsp;this letter, appears to be Feingold's only notion of economic stimulus.&nbsp; No tax cuts, no deregulation, no cut backs&nbsp;on government spending (indeed calls for increases)&nbsp;no suggestions to trim government waste.&nbsp; But it's true blue Feingold in full Democrat form, where there&nbsp;is no problem&nbsp;government can't spend its way out of.&nbsp; You'd think a smart guy, Rhodes Scholar dontcha know,&nbsp;might notice just how well that method&nbsp;works for schools and myriad other government programs.<BR><BR>I noticed Sen. Feingold didn't actually say he VOTED for the stimulus package but I checked and he did.&nbsp; That would make sense since there has probably never ever been a government handout he voted against.&nbsp; I only checked because it would so typical for the weasel to take credit for something he didn't sponsor.&nbsp; He has all the integrity of the guy&nbsp;being run out of town who jumps in front of the parade to pretend&nbsp;it was his idea. &nbsp;<BR><BR>( by the way, if you want to check out any vote of any elected official&nbsp;go here </FONT><A href="http://www.votesmart.org/index.htm"><FONT size=2>http://www.votesmart.org/index.htm</FONT></A><FONT size=2>) <BR><BR>For fear of appearing the hypocrite I don't&nbsp;want to get into the merits of the economic stimulus tax rebate since mine is paying for the new pergola.&nbsp;However,&nbsp;congressional&nbsp;mismanagement&nbsp;has cost us plenty and generally speaking the more they put&nbsp;in our hands instead of theirs the better.&nbsp; It's frightening to realize that&nbsp;no one in Washington seems to get that printing more money for short term fixes will only make the&nbsp;actual fix that much more difficult and&nbsp;painful.&nbsp; <BR><BR>Remember, Feingold is ranked below&nbsp;Obama&nbsp;by liberal scorekeepers.&nbsp; If Obama wins and Dems have control over both houses of congress, God help us folks, I gotta tell ya...WE. ARE. SO. SCREWED...&nbsp; <BR><BR>Hat tip to buddy Red<BR></FONT><BR>Bonus pictures: Seperated at birth<BR><BR><IMG style="WIDTH: 149px; HEIGHT: 194px" height=194 src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/83513-73024/feingold.jpg" width=108 border=0>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<IMG style="WIDTH: 132px; HEIGHT: 190px" height=190 src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/83513-73024/soupy_sales_.jpg" width=82 border=0><BR><BR>Russ Feingold&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Soupy Sales <BR><BR>Personally I prefer the clown on the right...<BR><BR><BR></SPAN></SPAN></P>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>A Parody From The Other SIde of the Pond</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/06/a-parody-from-the-other-side-of-the-pond.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-06:38bddd63-65e6-4b78-9841-1008412beba8</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-07T14:06:44Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-06T14:47:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[He Ventured Forth:<BR>This too was brought to my attention, from a reader in Oshkosh.&nbsp; He&nbsp;sent the print version which is hilarious enough.&nbsp; Gotta admit, the Brits do a great job on parody. <BR><BR><!-- Print Author name from By Line associated with the article --><SPAN class=small></SPAN><SPAN class=byline>Gerard Baker / London Times</SPAN> 
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<P><STRONG>And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?” </STRONG></P><!--#include file="m63-article-related-attachements.html"--><!-- BEGIN: Module - M63 - Article Related Attachements -->
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<P><STRONG>In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One. </STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the whole host of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God and singing: “Yes, We Can.” <BR><BR></STRONG>Hil freakin larious...hat tip to buddy Jim&nbsp;for a dandy<BR><BR>A youtube version of the author reading it over a video is available hear, particularly entertaining and authentic when heard&nbsp;in a British accent...... <BR><BR><A class=l onmousedown="return clk(this.href,'','','res','7','')" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThFvlybQYso"><FONT color=#551a8b>YouTube - <STRONG>He Ventured Forth</STRONG> To Bring Light To The World</FONT></A>&nbsp;</P></DIV>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>About That Experience Thing...</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/06/about-that-experience-thing.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-06:0d99f5ea-b1bc-41b0-a26b-7ccabe5da4de</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-06T14:42:43Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-06T14:38:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[I just love it when so much can be said in so few words.&nbsp; A reader in Ohio shared this:<BR><BR>I know that some&nbsp;of you don't like to read long drawn out&nbsp; missives...<BR>sooooooo here's the executive summary.........<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Congress&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Military<BR>John&nbsp; McCain&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;26&nbsp; Years&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 22&nbsp; Years<BR><BR>Barrack&nbsp; Obama&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;143&nbsp; days&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 0&nbsp;&nbsp;<SPAN class=Apple-converted-space>&nbsp;</SPAN><BR><BR>Summary&nbsp; Concluded.<BR><BR><BR>Yup, that pretty much concludes the argument on experience.&nbsp; Next. <BR>Hat tip to my buddy Jan...]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>Observations</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/04/observations.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-04:644b0e22-283b-4dd9-b301-c1b92fd04e69</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-04T14:34:49Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-04T13:28:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[I've seen most states and many countries but am hard pressed to find any place better than Wisconsin in the summertime.<BR><BR>For simple culinary excellence, is there anything better than a BLT with fresh home-grown tomatoes? <BR><BR>The more I watch it the more this presidential campaign looks like an argument between fantasy and reality.<BR><BR>FANTASY:&nbsp;Vote for me and all the worlds ills will disappear.<BR><BR>REALITY: He's so caught up in himself he actually believes that.<BR><BR>Fantasy: We are what we've been waiting for<BR><BR>REALITY: Uh yeah, I've been busy working while you've been busy waiting, by the way, what exactly have you done for the last 20 years anyway? <BR><BR>FANTASY: That's racist.<BR><BR>REALITY: Huh? you're the only one to have ever mentioned race, I only mentioned you're resume couldn't fill a&nbsp;post-it note. <BR><BR>FANTASY: There you go again.<BR><BR>REALITY: Forget it, hey lightweight, in your&nbsp;new politics, do you mean that every criticism will be answered with a charge of racism or fear mongering?<BR><BR>FANTASY: Hey, it got me here didn't it?<BR><BR>REALITY:&nbsp; Maybe so, but it ain't much of a change.&nbsp; If people give you a close enough look and aren't afraid they are as stupid as you think are.&nbsp;<BR><BR>FANTASY: That's the hope part.<BR><BR>REALITY: If you want to depart form old politics, or "change" to use your vernacular,&nbsp;why won't you take this argument to the people in a series of unscripted town hall debates?<BR><BR>FANTASY: It interferes with my message of hope and change.<BR><BR>REALITY: Huh? Apparently you don't understand so I'll ask s-l-o-w-l-y wouldn't this series of debates offer the kind of change you are talking about?<BR><BR>FANTASY:&nbsp; No, I'm Fantasy remember, all I have to do is TALK about it, not actually DO it!&nbsp; And if you think I'm gonna change from delivering lofty well scripted rhetoric&nbsp;from a teleprompter you're as dumb as the voters.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>REALITY: Yeah, well, you got me there, but remember I am Reality, and in reality when someone backs away from a seemingly&nbsp;harmless challenge they look pusillanimous, or in reality vernacular, like a&nbsp;pussy.<BR><BR>FANTASY:&nbsp; There you go again!<BR><BR>REALITY: Whatever. Never mind.&nbsp; I'll just continue to have my own conversations with the voters without you.&nbsp;&nbsp;You don't seem to have much to add anyway, an empty stool can offer as much.<BR><BR>FANTASY:&nbsp;But I'm refreshing, different, young,&nbsp;new worldly, athletic, and did I mention - -&nbsp;not white?<BR><BR>REALITY: Now you're starting to piss me off... if you think showing you with vapid blonde celebrities and Moses was nasty you ain't seen nothing yet.&nbsp; This is a Jerry Springer society Cream Puff, I'm just getting started. <BR><BR>FANTASY:&nbsp;Just do it from a distance k? I don't want to get messed up.<BR><BR>REALITY: You really are fantasy aren't you?<BR><BR><BR>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>You Call That Negative?</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/08/01/you-call-that-negative.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-08-01:89684689-6b85-41d1-91a3-2d5dd666215e</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-08-01T16:36:27Z</updated>
		<published>2008-08-01T15:13:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[Oh the humanity! That many&nbsp;pundits got their undies in a bunch over McCains sudden turn to negativity is hilarious.&nbsp; First, there's the "smear" ad using images of Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton to,&nbsp;I think honestly and fairly,&nbsp;poke fun&nbsp;at Obama's hypercelebritization.&nbsp; Like them, right now he is more famous for being famous than for anything else, period.&nbsp; Hey, in an era where&nbsp;American Idol participants&nbsp;routinely get more votes than the total election day turnout&nbsp;it's certainly open to commentary.&nbsp; A subtle and clever admonishment that this really is more than a popularity contest is certainly among&nbsp;the mildest&nbsp;"negative" campaign ads I've ever seen.<BR><BR>There is some truth to the adage that the truth hurts so maybe that's why they're crying foul.&nbsp; But even so, why&nbsp;and how exactly is that a smear?&nbsp;I'll grant negative, but a smear?&nbsp; No, a smear is like in 2000 when the Dems promised southern voters that more black churches would burn if Bush won - -&nbsp;that's a smear.<BR>&nbsp;<BR>Speaking of race, as I do hear quite often being a resident of the longest standing integrated community in Wisconsin, how about that smooth talker dealing the race card off the bottom of the deck?&nbsp; In Missouri Obama warned&nbsp;his audience that McCain and Republicans would try to scare voters by reminding them he&nbsp;has a funny sounding name and "doesn't look like the other Presidents on dollar bills".&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>Seriously, you'd have to have a single digit IQ to understand that&nbsp;reference as anything other than racial, but sure enough, Obama's campaign manager, David the Weasel Axelrod, actually tried to explain that as&nbsp;"just Obama's way of&nbsp;explaining how he wasn't just another typical politician."&nbsp;&nbsp;No kidding, I saw the video, and with a straight face no less.&nbsp; Which begs the eternal question; which is bigger, their capacity to insult our intelligence or our tolerance for taking it?<BR><BR>If you ask me,&nbsp;for an all out open contest with the stakes as high as they've ever been, and partisanship as stark as ever,&nbsp;this campaign is pretty tame, so far.&nbsp; I would go so far as to argue the general hasn't even gotten&nbsp;as negative as did the Democrat primary.&nbsp; Not complaining, just saying enjoy it while it's relatively clean.&nbsp;&nbsp;If the 9 point loss in Obama's numbers is no accident we have witnessed&nbsp;just how effective ridicule can be when&nbsp;adroitly applied.&nbsp; And when they come to that conclusion, trust me,&nbsp;the shit is gonna start flying both ways in increasing measure and velocity.&nbsp; &nbsp;<BR><BR>In the week following&nbsp;an international tour with Presidential-looking images galore and press coverage just short of&nbsp;rhapsodic,&nbsp;one would think "The One" would be 20 points ahead.&nbsp; What gives?&nbsp; I'd postulate it's because the alternative media is having none of the spoon fed drivel served up by the lamestream media and is exposing Obama for what he is, as they say in Texas,&nbsp;"all hat and no cattle"&nbsp;or, as my mother used to say&nbsp;"a little too big for his britches" or&nbsp;an empty suit&nbsp;with a resume that could fit on a business card.<BR><BR>If the best rebuttal he's got is to&nbsp;say I only say that&nbsp;because of how he looks,&nbsp;he's just proving the point, or&nbsp;to further torture the haberdashery metaphor, this&nbsp;would be emperor has neither an empty suit, britches,&nbsp;nor&nbsp;even a hat...&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp;<BR>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>Just Words</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/07/30/just-words.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-07-30:6ea0ff57-5de9-41c0-9948-7cc3aa523bd5</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-07-30T12:25:23Z</updated>
		<published>2008-07-30T10:55:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<H2><FONT size=2>Been busy lately, turned fifty, partied, couple a camping trips with the family and a not so minor home construction project, do-it-yourself of course, building a pergola.&nbsp;Since everyone&nbsp;I tell I am a building a pergola asks, "what's a pergola?" heres a picture.&nbsp; Sorta like a square gazebo without a roof...sits where the fish pond used to be.&nbsp; Almost finished ... this isn't the actual, my&nbsp;corner posts aren't&nbsp;so spindly.&nbsp; I'll post a photo when finished.<A onclick="return amz_js_PopWin(this.href,'AmazonHelp','width=700,height=600,resizable=1,scrollbars=1,toolbar=0,status=1');" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000NJHSRQ/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&amp;n=286168&amp;s=garden" target=AmazonHelp><IMG id=prodImage height=280 alt="Danove® 7100 Series 12' X 9' Pergola" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sAcYCmstL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" width=280 onload="if (typeof uet == 'function') { uet('af'); }" border=0></A><BR></FONT><BR><FONT size=2>Anyway, &nbsp;watching the Presidential race with sort of detatched bemusement and must say I am pretty happy with the course of events.&nbsp; People seem to be picking up on some of the Obama traits I wrote about earlier and the&nbsp;corresponding lack of elevation in his poll numbers seem to show we aren't really buying what he has to sell.&nbsp; Maybe the&nbsp;Republican "our guy doesn't suck as much" strategy&nbsp;will actually work.&nbsp;<BR><BR>A few words come to mind as we watch this campaign progress...&nbsp;</FONT><BR><BR>hubris</H2>
<P>/<B>hyoo</B>briss/ 
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;• <B>noun</B> excessive pride or self-confidence. <BR><BR>Example: <EM><STRONG>"I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions."</STRONG></EM><BR><BR>-- B. Hussein Obama<BR><BR>Further reading: <SPAN class=style3><A href="http://weeklystandard.com/Weblogs/TWSFP/TWSFPView.asp#7875">About That Quote - Obama Ego Unbound, Part 2</A></SPAN><SPAN class=style2>&nbsp;<BR></SPAN>and<BR><A onclick="return trackclick('http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902068.html?hpid=topnews', 'Dana Milbank, Washington Post','President Obama Continues Victory Tour');" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902068.html?hpid=topnews"><STRONG><FONT color=#cc0000>President Obama Continues Victory Tour</FONT></STRONG></A>&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR>More reading: Ala Krauthammer <A class=l onmousedown="return clk(this.href,'','','res','7','')" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/17/AR2008071701839.html"><FONT color=#0000cc>The Audacity of Vanity - washingtonpost.com</FONT></A>&nbsp;<BR><BR>tidbit: <EM>....Americans are beginning to notice Obama's elevated opinion of himself. There's nothing new about narcissism in politics. Every senator looks in the mirror and sees a president. Nonetheless, has there ever been a presidential nominee with a wider gap between his estimation of himself and the sum total of his lifetime achievements? </EM></P>
<P>with a big finish....</P>
<P><EM>Who does he think he is? ... </EM><EM>We are getting to know. Redeemer of our uninvolved, uninformed lives. Lord of the seas. And more. As he said on victory night, his rise marks the moment when "our planet began to heal." As I recall -- I'm no expert on this -- Jesus practiced his healing just on the sick. Obama operates on a larger canvas. </EM></P>
<H2><BR>callow</H2>
<P>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;• <B>adjective</B> (of a young person) inexperienced and immature. <BR><BR>Example in a sentence:<BR><STRONG><EM>Sen. Barack Obama is a callow, highly ambitious political prodigy who is asking voters to "roll the dice" and elect him president.&nbsp;<BR></EM></STRONG>&nbsp;- - Former President Bill Clinton, Dec. 2007.<BR><BR><BR></P>
<H2>obstinate</H2>
<P>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;• <B>adjective</B> <B>1</B> stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or chosen course of action. <B>2</B> hard to deal with or overcome: <I>an obstinate problem.</I> <BR><BR>Example: <STRONG>Couric: </STRONG><EM>Do you think the level of security in Iraq … </EM><BR><BR><B>Obama</B>: <STRONG><EM>Yes.&nbsp;<BR></EM></STRONG><BR>… <EM>would exist today without the surge? <BR></EM><BR><B>Obama</B>: <STRONG><EM>Katie, I have no idea what would have happened had we applied my approach, which was to put more pressure on the Iraqis to arrive at a political reconciliation.<BR></EM></STRONG>&nbsp;<BR>Further reading: <A href="http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/wehner/17211">Obama's incredible response to the unchallengeable truth that the surge has worked is analyzed by Pete Wehner:</A></P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<H2>experience</H2>
<P>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;• <B>noun</B> <B>1</B> practical contact with and observation of facts or events. <B>2</B> knowledge or skill acquired over time. <BR><BR>Example: on qualifications to be a tenured professor at University of Chicago....<EM><STRONG>He would be given tenure upon his hiring-not a bad deal-and certainly almost unheard of in the world of academia. The unusual nature of this offer arises from the fact that Barack Obama had not one piece of legal writing associated with him - no signed papers, no legal opinions, no law review article, and no previous experience as a teacher. Nothing.<BR></STRONG></EM>Ed Laskey - American Thinker<BR><BR>and Dr Krauthammer weighs in: <BR><STRONG><EM>Obama is a three-year senator without a single important legislative achievement to his name, a former Illinois state senator who voted "present" nearly 130 times. As president of the Harvard Law Review, as law professor and as legislator, has he ever produced a single notable piece of scholarship? Written a single memorable article? His most memorable work is a biography of his favorite subject: himself. </EM></STRONG><BR><BR><BR>So, if what you are looking for in a President&nbsp;callow, hubristic, and obstinate, without much experience, here's your guy. <BR><BR>In a way though, he really is the perfect representative of the Democrat party, so he's got THAT going for him....</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>The High Cost of Gasbags</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/06/27/the-high-cost-of-gasbags.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-06-27:73058f75-4b1c-41da-98ed-b71f1b87b225</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-06-27T10:42:38Z</updated>
		<published>2008-06-27T10:11:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<P><FONT size=3>Found this handy dandy little list.&nbsp; In case you were harboring the naive notion that the current gas crisis was not designed&nbsp;and executed according to Democrat plan.<BR><BR>A brief history on the Democrat scheme to rid our beautiful nation from the scourge of cheap energy and evil big oil... <BR><BR>Voting statistics:<BR><BR>ANWR Exploration<BR>House Republicans: 91% Supported<BR>House Democrats: 86% Opposed</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3>Coal-to-Liquid<BR>House Republicans: 97% Supported<BR>House Democrats: 78% Opposed</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3>Oil Shale Exploration<BR>House Republicans: 90% Supported<BR>House Democrats: 86% Opposed</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3>Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Exploration<BR>House Republicans: 81% Supported<BR>House Democrats: 83% Opposed</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3>Refinery Increased Capacity<BR>House Republicans: 97% Supported<BR>House Democrats: 96% Opposed</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3>SUMMARY</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3>91% of House Republicans are on record trying to&nbsp;increase the production of American-made oil and gas.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=3>86% of House Democrats are on record&nbsp;against.&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>How they get away with is a question for the ages.<BR><BR>Further summary:<BR><IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/83513-73024/hutb2.jpg" width=166 border=0><BR><BR>The laws of supply and demand are not really that complicated.&nbsp; Supply up&nbsp;=&nbsp;demand and prices down,&nbsp;&nbsp;supply down =&nbsp;demand up and&nbsp;price up.&nbsp; The decades long Democrat crusade to deliberately limit&nbsp;supply is unmistakable and irrefutable.<BR><BR>It's been belabored ad nauseum that&nbsp;congress ignores the laws of economics at it's own&nbsp;peril yet somehow their political peril seems non-existent. The lethal combination of widespread economic illiteracy and spineless go-along-to-get-along Republicans, hey W, yeah, I'm talkin to <STRONG>you</STRONG>, who for fear of being accused of questioning their patriotism, can't muster the cajones to call out the Democrats for&nbsp;undermining our economic and national security.&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>If what they are doing is patriotically questionable that's their problem.&nbsp; State the facts as they are and demand an accounting.&nbsp;&nbsp;After all,&nbsp;looking the other way while they usher our economy into the tank is as&nbsp;patriotically questionable as it gets.&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp; <BR></FONT></P>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>Blazing Saddles The Sequel</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/06/27/blazing-saddles-the-sequel.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-06-27:ab751dec-48d7-44f2-9a67-f4fa6c8a22b4</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-06-27T08:42:19Z</updated>
		<published>2008-06-27T07:42:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<P><FONT face=Arial>It <FONT size=3>appears I am not&nbsp;the only one to take umbrage at Obamas (aka Black Bart)&nbsp;race-baiting last week.&nbsp; Indeed the outrage covers the spectrum.&nbsp; Where&nbsp;I first heard the remark was, of all places that, the most entrenched of all bastions of liberalism, NPR, from Scott Simon who, after noting that John McCain has never raised race as an issue, admonished Obama and asks the&nbsp;key exit question:<BR><BR><EM><STRONG>“Can someone raise questions about the experience of a candidate who’s only been a US Senator for four years and who does not have a prodigious legislative record without being stained as a bigot?”&nbsp;</STRONG></EM> </FONT></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=3>Great question and it means even more coming from him.&nbsp; Problem is I don't see anyone from either side stepping up to answer it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>Lee Carey over at American Thinker offers a response for McCain.&nbsp; American Thinker is&nbsp;a daily visit site I cannot recommend highly enough btw.&nbsp;&nbsp;His thesis is that McCain should not only not let the remark pass without a rebuke but that&nbsp;rebuke should be with both barrels.&nbsp;&nbsp; He's not wrong. RTWT </FONT><A href="http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/06/its_time_mccain_picks_up_the_g.html"><FONT face=Arial color=#0033cc size=3>It's Time McCain Picks Up The Glove</FONT></A><BR><BR><FONT size=3>A tidbit;&nbsp;<BR></FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3><EM><STRONG>"Senator Obama's statement at a Jacksonville, Florida fundraiser last Friday is being heralded as a brilliant political move by many in the MSM.&nbsp; It was, in fact, a shameless and unjustified insult to all Republicans, and all Americans."<BR><BR></STRONG></EM>I'm not sure why the outcry isn't louder, either playing the race card so brazenly is what we expect from Obama so it's not newsy enough, or much like the phenomena surrounding the last&nbsp;black candidate, Bill Clinton, the press is too awestruck by his political guile and lovestruck by his charisma to think or analyze critically.&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>The media has changed a lot since they paved the road to the White House for Clinton.&nbsp; With you tube, blogs,&nbsp;continuing strength of talk radio, and new found strength of cable news&nbsp;the scrutiny has intensified.&nbsp; It will take spin of more than clintonian proportion for this candidate, regardless of his&nbsp;political gifts, to&nbsp;continue to fool most of the people most of the time, or at least long enough to win.<BR>&nbsp;<BR>In the meantime there is absolutely no reason for McCain to help Obama by&nbsp;letting accusations of racism&nbsp;go unchallenged.&nbsp; It is not as if the lack of&nbsp;rebuke is admission of guilt, but if no one challenges a smear like this why would a casual observer&nbsp;not&nbsp;take it at face value?&nbsp; The very least McCain could do would be to say the charge is so ridiculous it is not worthy of a response, but no response at all is to cowardly throw&nbsp;in his hand&nbsp;when the race&nbsp;card is played.<BR><BR>One would think a man who holds the concept of honor so dearly, Senator McCain,&nbsp;would be a bit more pugilistic in&nbsp;it's defense. &nbsp;&nbsp;<BR></FONT></FONT><BR></FONT></FONT><BR><BR><BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</P>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>The Audacity of Arrogance or Blazing Saddles 2008</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/06/25/the-audacity-of-arrogance-or-blazing-saddles-2008.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-06-25:087abf19-17b6-4f66-b4d6-15829c9ef40c</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-06-25T12:04:25Z</updated>
		<published>2008-06-25T11:06:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<FONT size=3>Had a nice vacation up north.&nbsp; Saw a big old bear crossing Interstate 39 on the way up.&nbsp; That sucker had to be 350 pounds or more.&nbsp; Unlike deer, a bear will actually wait for a break in traffic before they cross the road.&nbsp; Later in the week we had one about 60 yards off our deck, mid morning, yikes.&nbsp; This one was just a tad beyond a yearling I would guess.<BR><BR>Anyway, what to my disbelieving eyes and ears when I&nbsp;return and hear this:<BR><BR><EM><STRONG>“Most of all we can choose between hope and fear. It is going to be very difficult for Republicans to run on their stewardship of the economy or their outstanding foreign policy. We know what kind of campaign they’re going to run. They’re going to try to make you afraid. They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black?" <BR>&nbsp;- Barack Obama<BR><BR></STRONG></EM>Wow, talk about audacity!&nbsp; He's not only&nbsp;playing the race card, he's leading with it.&nbsp;You gotta love the irony no?&nbsp; He knows full well actually addressing his&nbsp;stewardship of the economy,&nbsp;higher taxes and an even more bloated government,&nbsp;and foreign policy, retreat in Iraq and buddying up with Ahmadenejad,&nbsp;is a losing proposition so his best bet is to change the subject and&nbsp;accuse Republicans of being racist.<BR><BR>Even more audacious than that is&nbsp;he employs the tried and true divisive smear tactics of the past 40 years&nbsp;while&nbsp;accusing his opponents on politics of he past.&nbsp; Like I said, WOW.&nbsp; The audacity is hard to miss but where's the hope and change we keep hearing so much about?&nbsp;<BR><BR>But that dude sure is a smooth talker though eh.&nbsp; This guy<BR><IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/83513-73024/obama_allhat.jpg" width=240 border=0><BR><BR>Sorta reminds me of this guy<BR><IMG style="WIDTH: 240px" height=186 src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/83513-73024/images.jpg" width=118 border=0><BR><BR>another smooth talker who had to outwit a bunch of stupid white crackers, for their own good of course. <BR><BR>In the scene above Black Bart, played by Cleavon Little, says "don't move or the darkie gets it!".&nbsp; Now it's " vote for me or the country gets it!"&nbsp; Who exactly is trying to scare whom one wonders.&nbsp; <BR><BR>Henceforth the Obama campaign will be referred to as&nbsp;Blazing Saddles 2008. <BR><BR>The funniest parts of that movie, ranking right up there with Animal House and Caddy Shack for&nbsp;all-time best comedy ever,&nbsp;was how it so mercilessly ridiculed bigotry.&nbsp; Obama's over the top race-baiting is just as ridiculous.&nbsp; Too bad it's&nbsp;not funny.</FONT>]]></content>
	</entry>
	<entry>
		<title>Congress at Work</title>
		<link rel="alternate" href="http://heartlandmurmurs.com/2008/06/13/congress-at-work.aspx" />
		<id>tag:heartlandmurmurs.com,2008-06-13:57ed9795-c2a4-4b73-ab96-5bde35e559ae</id>
		<author>
			<name>Frank Byrne</name>
		</author>
		<updated>2008-06-25T11:03:20Z</updated>
		<published>2008-06-13T08:29:00Z</published>
		<content type="html"><![CDATA[<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<P><FONT size=3>The only elected body with an approval rating lowers than W's is hard at work trying to look hard at work.<BR><BR>One Senator showed this chart to try and educate others on what actual work might include: <BR>&nbsp;<BR><IMG style="WIDTH: 526px" height=498 src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/83513-73024/GasChart51.jpg" width=618 border=0><BR><BR>While others, our own Herb Kohl for example, voted to sue OPEC.&nbsp; Yeah, that'll teach 'em.&nbsp; Predictable enough&nbsp;with a congress full of trial lawyers I suppose.&nbsp;<BR><BR>Other glimpses of genius problem solving include a windfall profits tax on oil companies, socializing the oil industry altogether and of course bad mouthing speculators.&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>The windfall profit&nbsp;tax when tried in the late&nbsp;70's created a shortage by&nbsp;eliminating&nbsp;any incentive for domestic production.&nbsp; Nationalizing the oil industry is so over the top it's hard to imagine, or at least it used to be, that&nbsp;an elected official would be so bold, or is it careless, or with this particular pol, Maxine Waters, who can tell, to even use such language.&nbsp; Th adage that a political gaff is when a pol accidently tells the truth is dead on, and Waters accidently showed her true marxist colors on that slip.&nbsp;:<A class=hLink href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN6s1KVFBNg&amp;feature=related"><FONT color=#0033cc size=2>Democrat Maxine Waters Wants To Nationalize Big Oil&nbsp;</FONT></A>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR><BR>A typical scene from congress:<BR><BR><IMG src="http://images.quickblogcast.com/83513-73024/hutb2.jpg" width=166 border=0><BR><BR>Hey fellas, while you're up there look around for some new energy, natural gas maybe?, or perhaps a clue. <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR></FONT></P></BLOCKQUOTE>]]></content>
	</entry>
</feed>