Happy Halloween!

Have a bewitching evening.

Update: And here's an urban legend from my own Occupied Northern Virginia - the notorious Bunny Man.

Update II: When Halloween and politics collide...

Happy Feet Friday (Saturday edition)

Just in time for Halloween, the Brian sisters issue a warning about the Boogie-Woogie Boogie Man.

Have you ever wondered how Australians developed that cool accent?

According to this professor, alcohol was involved.

A rose by any other name...

...would still smell like a partisan hack. News wallah Charlie Rose professes himself baffled by Marco Rubio's charge that Hillary Clinton is a liar.

What is interesting is not that Rubio would call Clinton a liar - a self-evident observation that is on the order of noting that the sun rises in the east - but that Rose seems stunned by the comment.

Seriously, how can anyone not believe that Clinton is a chronic liar when evidence of her mendacity is thicker on the ground than excreta Bovinae in a livestock exhibit at the county fair?

In New York City...

...it's never too late for Obama Care!

Two men who went to hell and back reunited

Dan Bloom has the story of two Holocaust survivors of the Bergen-Belsen death camp and their "reunion".

Another question

If Hillary makes a comment and there's no one around to hear it, is it still a lie?

Question

Anyone out there own a Springfield M1A rifle? What do you think of it?

Assortment

What you might call a left-handed compliment: "Dem Whip says Ryan an 'outstanding' choice for speaker".

The right stuff. These guys have it: "HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SERVE AS PALLBEARERS FOR HOMELESS VETERANS WITHOUT LOVED ONES".

"President Obama Says He’s Not Going to ‘Take Everyone’s Guns Away’". Damned right you're not, you jug-headed peckerwood. And I don't need you to tell me that.

Even people who are ready for Hillary might not be ready for her stuff.

Hillary's a sure thing (you know, like the 1968 Baltimore Colts).

I wonder if Bernie Sanders counts the corpses of Cuban political prisoners to get to sleep at night.

Related: Hey, what a boon it was for the Cuban people that Che Guevara was able to overcome his asthma problem.

My favorite sheriff flicks another hysterical critic off his lapel.

Silly! Of course sleep is racist



H/T: Moonbattery

Yeah, there's a surprise

Since the Department of Just Us declared that Lois Lerner's war against her boss's ideological foes represented no wrong doing, I profess myself to be not in the least shocked by the news that the IRS is continuing to harass conservative organizations.

Update: On the upside, the House has filed articles of impeachment against John Koskinen, IRS Commissioner. As Ace points out, this move will probably fail in the Senate, where Democrats can be counted on to form a shield ring around one of their own, no matter how outrageous his contempt for the law. Still, I believe it's worth the attempt. Obama, of course, is never going to be impeached; however, there's no reason the GOP can't go against at least some of his more "ethically-challenged" minions. Make the targets squirm, and make the Democrats publicly defend them.

Not promising

Paul Ryan, who seems headed for the Speaker's chair, has named a Chamber of Commerce flunky as his chief of staff.

Presidentissimo Barack Obama

Great! We now live in a banana republic.

Sunday funnies

Sydney's Michael Pederson has created some highly original street signs. For example:



Lenin gets remodeled.

Sumo wrestlers try a new sport.

Swing dancers cut the rug to the sound of hip hop, and hip hop dancers bust some moves to swing music at the Montreal Swing Riot.

C'mon, you know you want one: the pedestrian horn.


(H/T: Moonbattery)

Maureen O'Hara, RIP

The Queen of Technicolor has died at age 95.

Here she is, with long-time pal John Wayne, in a scene from The Quiet Man.



Ah, the old days are gone forever, sure an' they are.

Victorious liar

The only thing more disgusting than Hillary's towering mendacity is the fact that the news media really don't care - indeed, they seem to admire her for her eel-like ability to slip over, through and around the facts. To the MSM, the search for truth is simply a sport, and they have declared that Hillary won on points.

Is there any lie she could tell that would give her media fans pause? I doubt it. Is there any horrible truth about her that, once discovered, would trigger alarms? Probably not. Defeating her in the election may be the most patriotic thing some of us wind up doing in our lifetimes.

"Guilty as sin, free as a bird"

The heading is a quote from William Ayers - incompetent would-be revolutionary and early booster of Barack Obama - describing himself after he managed to slip through the U.S. justice system with nary a scratch. Apparently, practically all of Obama's friends enjoy this particular kind of good luck.

Among Rush Limbaugh's many contributions to a better world...

...not least is his ruining of the word "feminism" (at least, Gloria Steinem says he ruined it; although I'd say the word was actually ruined by people like...Gloria Steinem).

Happy Feet Friday

Smiley Lewis gets us up and moving this morning with some of that early 1950s New Orleans shuffle boogie.

Slow Joe Says No Go

Joe Biden, concerned that he has insufficient time to put together a successful presidential campaign - and, no doubt, fearful of getting knee-capped by Ma Clinton and her mob - has decided to retain his hat for the purpose of winterizing his hair plugs instead of tossing it into the ring.

Whittier was surely right: "For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been'". What a contest we will miss! On Biden's side, the endless series of gaffes; specially trained minions armed with crowbars and grappling hooks, standing by day and night, instantly ready to remove foot from mouth; the unseemly pawing of females from 8 to 80.

And in the Cankles Camp: Imagine one or two decades down the road, when one of the late Hillary Clinton's last remaining old flunkies - secure in the knowledge that he (or she, as the case may be) is safely beyond the reach of the defunct harridan's devouring vindictiveness - writes a tell-all book describing the scene where Hillary learns of Biden's shocking act of lèse-majesté. What a tale we would have heard of screaming, lamp-tossing, scratching and biting; the deployment of the extra-large butterfly net; the copious amounts of scotch required for pacification. Such entertainment would have been well worth the wait.

Ah, well. There's still Clinton vs. Trump. That should be fun. And of course we have the present spectacle of the GOP frogs clamoring for Paul Ryan to be their stork king.

Woman calls upon her god for redress

The Director of Women and Gender Studies at the College of Brockport has revealed her radical position on gun control - and, more interestingly, a strange faith in the totemic qualities of place mats:

During his 2008 presidential campaign, my two daughters, partner, and I ate every meal in our house on Obama placemats. We bought these at our local supermarket, plastic-coated, plate-sized paper rectangles with an image of his face framed by colors of the flag. While politically minded, I am not overly patriotic, so this mealtime ritual of American allegiance was odd for me. Still, we looked at the image of his face each day and we believed that he really could be the change in America.

This person is a classic example of what psychological experts refer to, in precise scientific terminology, as a "dumb ass". You can almost visualize her willing Obama to flap his ears and create a mighty wind to blow down the factories of Ruger, Smith & Wesson and Mossberg.

Perhaps a smidgen of orthodox theology would enlighten her: "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." [Psalm 146: 3-4]

Update: Of course, I would criticize her, wouldn't I? I mean, bein' white and poorly educated an' all.

Oy, Canada

The "progressive" virus is going around again, as indicated by the victory of Trudeau minor in Canada.

How bad is Robert Redford's crockumentary on the Dan Rather/Mary Mapes fraud?

This bad: "CBS BANS ADS FOR ROBERT REDFORD’S DAN RATHER ‘TRUTH’ FILM".

To which I respond with a resounding "HAW!"

Sunday funnies

"The year's 10 weirdest excuses for calling in sick". My personal favorite is the excuse provided by this hero: "Employee broke his arm reaching to grab a falling sandwich."

Important international economic question of the day: should Australia's currency be renamed the "dollarydoo"?

Innovative optician branches out (click to enlarge)...



President 666.

Home security system...



Deadpan comedian (and, incidentally, the voice of Frosty the Snowman) Jackie Vernon does his famous slideshow bit.

Just in time for Halloween, Hickok45 demonstrates the quick and easy way to carve a pumpkin...

How about if we just give you your dollar back?

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!

State of Illinois: Not so fast.

Assortment

So, will the next big wave of immigrants to the U.S. be dominated by Swedes?

"Migrants" in Germany engage in , er, extreme sexual objectification of a cleaning woman.

No doubt Grandma Clinton also thinks kangaroos would make great "comfort" pets.

Obama's minions tie themselves into knots trying to avoid labeling Palestinian militants as the murderers they are.

Chicago politics: alive and well on the shores of the Potomac.

There's just no sense of gratitude anymore: "3 nations the Obama admin has established 'historic' relations with are opposing the US in Syria".

Who said that, Che or Hitler? (H/T: David Thompson).

Call me crazy, but I think that criminals who won't be able to pass background checks to purchase ammunition will get the stuff from the same place they get the guns they can't legally buy.

Happy Feet Friday

Fred Astaire sings the lovely ballad, The Way You Look Tonight.

Obama recently said that Fox made him look scary

Well, we don’t need Fox to make Obama look scary. He is scary. Not in the way of a cruel and omnipotent dictator or a super-human villain or a brilliant psychopath. He’s scary in exactly the same way as a four-year-old boy who’s gotten hold of a loaded revolver. Obama is insensible to the danger inherent in the improper use of the instrumentality – political power – that he holds in his hands, yet he can’t resist the urge to play with it, even fancying himself an expert because he’s had occasion to witness other people (genuine adults) employ the same power successfully and often to great acclaim. Yet what Obama can’t or won’t admit is that these others have almost always been smarter, more knowledgeable and more experienced than he, not to mention less burdened by the myopia associated with the blinders of an overweening narcissism.

Hmm. Now that I think of it, Barry's more like a four-year-old boy who's not only got his hands on a revolver, but a box full of speed-loaders as well.

Update: Now, you want to talk really scary, let's talk Evita 2.0 (or is she the reincarnation of La Pasionaria?)

Did you watch the first Democrat debate?

Yeah, me neither. But some brave souls, like Jim Geraghty, did, and based on his observations, I'd say that practically the whole thing sounded like a revival of the Comintern.

As I've said before, the truly interesting (and ominous) thing to me is not the revolution going on in the GOP, but the ideological fossilization of the Democratic Party. Through a kind of petrifaction, the form of the organization is still recognizable, but its constituent elements have been almost completely replaced through the crystallization of statist nostrums which admit of few, if any, competing variations.

I'm just absolutely shocked that this woman is a human resources manager

Not! (of course). She sounds like a slightly warmer, more humane HR chief than the one at my agency. Excerpts from the Guardian article:

A Manhattan human resources manager is suing her 12-year-old nephew for leaping into her arms when he welcomed her to his eighth birthday party.

The aunt, Jennifer Connell, claims her nephew acted unreasonably when his exuberant greeting caused her to fall and break her wrist in 2011, the Westport News reported from the courthouse on Monday.

She is seeking $127,000 in damages from the boy, whose mother died last year [Smelled a legacy, perhaps? - Paco]. Westport News also reported that the 12-year-old appeared confused as he sat in the courtroom with his father. Connell reportedly testified that she loves her nephew, whom she described as always being “very loving, sensitive” toward her.

Of the damage done, Connell testified that she did not complain at the time, but she said her life had been “very difficult” since the injury because of “how crowded it is in Manhattan”. “I was at a party recently, and it was difficult to hold my hors d’oeuvre plate,” she reportedly said [Manhattan martyr! - P.]

There's an update to the article which suggests that not all sanity has been drained out of Connecticut: "Aunt receives zero damages from suit over nephew's wrist-breaking hug".

Update: Alex, in the comments, offers some interesting context.

That’s ok, boys

There’s still all a’ them in’trestin’ articles to read. Ain’t that right?



"Sho nuff, cousin Paco! We was always big readers of Playboy (‘cept for Lester back there, who had to have the articles read to ‘im). It’ll continue to be the operatin’ manual for us hipsters here in Frog Pond, and a eesential guide to members of the local jet set (or rather, I oughtta say backhoe set, since we ain’t got no airport)."

Here's a common sense gun control law I can get behind

No guns for liberals.

Well, duh!

That's been evident for years: Hillary Clinton is "really not even a human being."

Still, for a robot, she's no great shakes. More "artificial" than "intelligence".

Sunday funnies

Courtesy of the ever-alert Captain Heinrichs, "The Best British political insults and putdowns". The Brits really do have a knack for this sort of thing. One of my personal favorites is this zinger Harold Wilson used to describe Edward Heath: "A shiver looking for a spine to run up".

Well, it might be if you're trying to sneak out of prison...



Hillary's coming to town!

Meet Kyle Waring, the new head of product development at Paco Enterprises.

Career change...

Chaos?

The word has been used frequently to describe the current state of the House of Representatives, as Kevin McCarthy has resigned (unexpectedly and without explanation), and conservatives struggle to wrest power and legitimacy from the sclerotic GOP establishment. Wars - especially civil wars - are always chaotic. But they also tend to clear the air and can, for a time, at least, settle important questions which have stubbornly resisted the arts of peaceful negotiation (in the present instance, I would argue, primarily due to the bad faith of the so-called moderates, who seem to think they were elected for the purpose of withdrawing in good order before the onslaught of our kingly chief executive).

I am reminded of the words of Thomas Jefferson:

"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion.The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ...And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

We live in a less rugged age than the founders, so perhaps - perhaps - no blood will be required. But of a certainty, the tree of liberty needs to be watered with something more vivifying than John Boehner's flop sweat.

Overall, I see the spectacle of Republicans grappling with one another for the soul of their party as a healthy thing - in contrast with the Democrats, whose party lost its soul a long time ago, and who therefore march along in a lock-step, invariable gait on the road to perdition.

Happy Feet Friday

"After Hours", recorded by Avery Parrish in 1941, is one of the truly iconic piano solos of the swing era. Great blues.

I guess there must have been a few Mitch McConnells around in the time of Samuel Adams, too

Bob Belvedere cites a very relevant passage on the bogus "prudence" of moderation from the writings of one of our early firebrands.

There are many fine things in the lengthy quote; here's a taste:

It is the Effect of a mistaken Prudence, which springs from Indolence or Cowardice or Hypocricy or I know not what, in those who should point out to them the constitutional Methods of Opposition to arbitrary Power. Too many are afraid to appear for the publick Liberty, and would fain flatter themselves that their Pusillanimity is true Prudence.

Ok, Australia, all is forgiven

Looks like one of your blokes just threw another bucket of cold water on the global warm-mongers.

Good on him

Kurt Schlichter thumbs his nose at Barry's petulance.

So when we utterly reject your demands that we give up and give in and turn in the weapons that keep us free of the violence and tyranny, it is a personal rebuke. It is directed at you. We don’t like you. We don’t trust you. And we won’t submit.

Paco Enterprises cancels massive Vegemite purchase

Two can play at this game. If Australia wants economic warfare, then economic warfare it shall have.

Interesting gig

My older son, the eminent Virginia tattooist, landed a somewhat offbeat assignment this weekend: a tattooing session at a nudist colony.

I don't know whether the prospect had originally conjured up in his mind a fantasy of scores of Kate Upton lookalikes, but if so, he must have been disappointed. He admitted to me that, almost without exception, his clients were the sort of people who not only ought to keep their clothes on, but probably should be required by statute to do so.

Inclement weather

It's pretty soggy here in Occupied Northern Virginia, but nothing like the monsoon in South Carolina.

Pretty windy, though, as indicated by this human wind sock...

Sunday funnies

Yes, the police are there to serve and protect. But they're not there to sort out your unsatisfactory drug deal.

The octopus apparently has all kinds of, er, interesting encounters over the course of its life.

So, you think you're good at playing catch with a Frisbee?



Ok, buddy, hand in your dog card.



"What is it, doctor?"
"Hmmm...m'y-e-s...Looks like you're suffering from Jumping Frenchmen of Maine syndrome."

(H/T: Cracked)

Happy Feet Friday

Tiny Grimes plays some jump blues in Blue Tiny.

At first I asked myself, "Why?"

And then I realized that the proper question is "Why not?" After all, Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize based simply on his perceived promise.

"Nobel Prize Rumors Put Focus On Kerry-Iran Coziness".

Horror in Oregon

We offer our prayers for the souls of those who were killed by a crazed shooter in Oregon today, and for the healing of the injured.

Barry, of course, has already jumped into the fray with his two big feet, calling for more - and ineffectual - gun control. His goal, of course, is ultimately confiscation. My goal, on the other hand, is to do everything I can to prevent something like this from happening to my family, or something like this from happening in my country.

How about more shooter control - like fewer "gun free" zones?

Update: Much more on the massacre here.

Colin Powell is still a Republican

And I'm an anarcho-syndicalist.