“A U.S. government that has barred the phrase ‘war on terror’ has nonetheless acknowledged that a failed Christmas day bomb attack on an airliner was a terrorist attempt. Can we all now drop the pretense that we stopped fighting a war once Dick Cheney and George W. Bush left the White House?”

– Review & Outlook, Wall Street Journal, 12/28/09

UMAR THE PANTY BOMBER

“Even a hungover, nearsighted, cross-eyed, Spanish Fighting Bull could have seen this guy coming a mile away. Umar the Islamic Jihadist Terrorist, whose actions should have raised more red flags than even the Russian Army owns, tried to blow up a commercial flight to Detroit with a Panty Bomb.

…Why is it that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a last minute, cash paying customer on an international flight, whose only carry on luggage was his Panty Bomb, was not subject to the same level of scrutiny that I received when I flew from Tampa to Newark NJ to attend my uncle’s funeral? This, even though his father had called the US Consulate and warned them that his son was dangerous; a phone call that landed Umar on a terror watch list.

…Our politically correct system of airline screening is a Giant Joke, inconveniencing everyone, yet protecting no one. How can I tell? It’s easy. I can’t carry sunscreen in my suitcase when I go to Miami, but an Islamic Jihadist from Nigeria on the government’s terrorist watch list, a person whose actions should have set off all kinds of alarms, can carry a bomb onto a plane and all they want to know is if he wants the chicken or the vegetarian dinner.

…The Last Nut Job Islamic Jihadist who tried to use this type of explosive to blow up an airplane bound for the US had it hidden in his shoes, which is why everyone who now boards a plane is commanded to take off their shoes. Won’t flying be fun when the folks at TSA start checking out Grandma’s Knickers because of the Panty Bomber! What’s next? Body cavity searches?”

– Blogger Dave Cribbin of Americans for Limited Government

WHAT OBAMANOMICS HATH WROUGHT

“Despite a $787 billion federal stimulus package, much of the U.S. economy continued to sputter throughout the year. The jobless rate topped 10 percent nationwide, scores of banks failed, the federal deficit tripled to a record $1.4 trillion, and stock fell to their lowest levels since 1997.”

– Year-end report on the economy by the Associated Press, 12/27/09

REFORM WITHOUT THE, UM, REFORM

“The (Senate health care bill) makes no sense whatsoever — not to conservatives, not to liberals, not to anyone. Rather than reform a system that everyone agrees is a failure, it will subsidize that system and compel participation in it.”

– Weekly Standard

MEDICARE: A FINE EXAMPLE OF GOVERNMENT SUCCESS

“Democrats tout Medicare as their model for a government-run health care system, bragging about what an extremely popular government program it is. Medicare is tens of trillions of dollars in the red. It is expected to go bankrupt by 2017. In order to pay for Medicare alone, the government will either have either have to cut every other federal program in existence, or raise federal income taxes to rates as high as 77 percent.”

– Columnist Ann Coulter

A FAT, SLOW PITCH FOR THE GOP

“There may not be ‘death panels’ under ObamaCare – because they’ll be called something else – but Republicans will be missing a fat slow pitch if they don’t go after the senior vote on the basis of ObamaCare’s rationing priorities. Democrats pooh-pooh such fears, but then how to explain away the most politically prominent feature of the senate bill? In black and white, it proposes to transfer $400 billion in Medicare dollars over ten years away from older folks in favor of the younger beneficiaries of the Democrats’ new health insurance entitlement.”

– Holman W. Jenkins Jr., Political Diary, 12/28/09

MUTH’S TRUTHS

If you think a government-run health care system would be a good thing, you must also think that our government-run postal system, education system, tax collection system and vehicle registration system are all top notch. You might also be an idiot.

In addition, wouldn’t it be nice if the Democrats could answer the simple question of exactly where in the Constitution the power to force every American to buy a health insurance policy comes from? Here’s a list of headlines on just that subject from CNS News today:

Sen. Lautenberg Declines To Say Where Congress Gets Constitutional Authority To Mandate Health Insurance
Sen. Bob Casey: Health Care Mandate Constitutional But Not Sure If There’s ‘Specific Constitutional Provision’
Sen. Nelson: Constitutionally, Congress Can ‘Probably’ Mandate Health Insurance In ‘Same Place’ States Can Mandate Car Insurance
Alaska Senator Begich Doesn’t Say Where Congress Gets Authority to Mandate Purchase of Health Insurance
Sen. Sanders: Constitutional Authority for Congress’ Health Insurance Mandate ‘Probably’ Same As Medicare

ADDITIONAL READING

RightBias.com says THIS five and a half minute video clip shows Sen. Max Baucus indulging “in a drunken tirade against Republicans during the health care hearings.” Either that, or maybe he was just doing his Foster Brooks imitation.

The Right and the Left don’t often agree, so when they do, it’s usually newsworthy. And the fact that our friend Grover Norquist on the Right and Jane Hamsher on Left both agree that the White House Chief of Staff ought to be investigated and resign from office definitely falls into the newsworthy category. Click HERE to read the explosive letter Norquist and Hamsher sent to the Attorney General of the United States two days before Christmas.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice.”

– Thomas Paine

12/29/09

Getting to the Bottom of the Keith Gladney Firing

By: Bob McCarty
Bob McCarty Writes

Kenneth Gladney

Less than 48 hours before Christmas, Keith Gladney was fired from his job as a St. Louis County (Mo.) Animal Control Officer, according to a BigGovernment.com article published the same day. Why is his firing important? Because, as you’ll see in reviewing the points noted below, integrity of government is at stake:

PUNCHES THROWN

First and foremost, it’s important because Keith Gladney is the brother of Kenneth Gladney (right), the St. Louis man who became the subject of no fewer than six posts on this blog after he was allegedly beaten by a group of thugs from the Service Employees International Union after they found him selling conservative memorabilia outside Bernard Middle School, the site of of a South St. Louis County health care town hall meeting hosted by ultra-liberal Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.). And, in case you’re not aware, these events that resulted in only misdemeanor charges took place on the same day the White House told its supporters to “punch back twice as hard.”

PERFORMANCE NOTED

Second, it’s important because Keith Gladney had, according to the aforementioned news report, received a positive job performance rating as recently as October.

PUBLIC SUPPORT GIVEN

Third, it’s important because Keith Gladney alleges that he was fired after expressing publicly his support for his brother.

POWERFUL PROSECUTORS

Fourth, it’s important because Keith Gladney’s former employer is St. Louis County, the same powerful government entity that employs County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch and County Counselor Patricia Redington, two power brokers who were at the center of controversy (see this post) during the 2008 presidential campaign.

PALS

Finally, it’s important because the St. Louis County Department of Health, within which the Animal Control Division operates, is reported to have a close working relationship with SEIU Local 1.

In an effort to get to the root reasons behind the Keith Gladney firing, I launched an investigation today by filing a Missouri Sunshine Law request addressed to Dr. Dolores J. Gunn, director of the St. Louis County Department of Health, and two of her underlings. In that request, made via fax and e-mail, I asked for two pieces of information:

1. A listing of the names of all individuals, segregated by department or division, who were employed by the St. Louis County (Mo.) Department of Health as of Jan. 1, 2009; and

2. A listing of the names of all individuals, segregated by department or division, who were employed by the St. Louis County (Mo.) Department of Health as of Dec. 31, 2009.

Stay tuned as updates will surely follow.