Behind Blue Lines

Fly Government Air and Avoid the Rabble

by CrockerFebruary 1, 2010

As Instapundit observes, if this thing pans out, there may be a scandal brewing. Apparently, Nancy Pelosi (aka Marie Antoinette) likes to send her kids and grandkids cross country on the same military transport she uses. For more, jump to Doug Ross.

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Never Believe Your Own Press

by CrockerFebruary 1, 2010

Or, in Hope ‘n Change’s case, never believe your own crap. Which is what Fouad Ajami says in today’s Wall Street Journal – only in nicer language.
There is nothing surprising about where Mr. Obama finds himself today. He had been made by charisma, and political magic, and has been felled by it. [...]

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Barack Obama: C’est Moi, C’est Moi

by CrockerJanuary 27, 2010

While writing my earlier, French-tinged piece on Hope ‘n Change’s identification with the Sun King, I recalled the Lerner and Lowe tune from Camelot. The song is sung by Sir Lancelot, who – like Obama – esteems himself highly. The lyrics are both apt and hilarious. Robert Goulet played the role best [...]

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Federal Tax Receipts Continue to Tank

by CrockerJanuary 27, 2010

Last April, we commented on plunging federal tax receipts and predicted that the downward trend would continue. Unhappily, we were right – the trend continues, as noted by Liberty Works.
It’s that fear thing again.
Hat tip to Glenn Reynolds.

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Obama: L’etat, C’est Moi

by CrockerJanuary 27, 2010

Back in August, I commented on Hope ‘n Change’s reaction to criticism and opposition. I opined that he was something of a mama’s boy who was used to getting his own way and really did believe he was untouchable.
Since Scott Brown’s victory last week, however, we’ve been treated to a display of his petulance [...]

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Chinese Inflation – Coming to a Wal Mart Near You?

by CrockerJanuary 27, 2010

We’ve all been horrified by the sheer volume of money pumped by the Fed into our economy. We’re not the only guilty parties when it comes to quantitative easing, however – Britain has followed suit as well as the Euro zone.
But quite possibly the biggest offender has been China, whose economy is both awash [...]

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Don’t Drink the Holy Water

by CrockerJanuary 27, 2010

From the “news you can use” department. As reported in the Moscow Times, 117 people were hospitalized after drinking holy water during Epiphany celebrations in Irkutsk in Siberia:
More than 100 Russian Orthodox believers have been hospitalized after drinking holy water during Epiphany celebrations in Irkutsk, an official said Monday.
A total of 117 people, including [...]

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Scott Brown, Martha Coakley and the Blue State Rebellion

by CrockerJanuary 17, 2010

Politically, I’ve always thought it sucked to live in a deep-blue state in deepest-blue New England – after all, the name of this blog is “Behind Blue Lines” and we’ve incorporated the Checkpoint Charlie sign as part of our persona.
Over the past year, however, I’ve begun to think that the “progressive” establishment here is rotten [...]

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Google Bows Out of China?

by CrockerJanuary 17, 2010

It seems that Chinese censorship and demands made on foreign companies doing business in China go hand and hand. The more business, the more demands. But it appears that Google at least has had enough.
Google has attracted criticism for censoring search queries related to minor things like political liberty and such. Apparently [...]

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What a Week It’s Been

by CrockerJanuary 17, 2010

Sorry for the silence – unfortunately, work does get in the way and work always comes first, alas.
But what a week it’s been. The next four or five posts will be more of a retrospective with – hopefully – some fresh comment and insight. With luck, we’ll get back into a rhythm next [...]

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The Feds Hungrily Eye Your 401(k)

by MoodyJanuary 9, 2010

This morning I read a very disturbing news item by Theo Francis in Bloomberg. The essence of the article is that the Obama Administration is proposing to force retirees to purchase annuities via conversion of their 401(k) accounts. Now, the article does not fully define what “annuity” would qualify, but my guess is [...]

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How’s That Democrat Transparency Working Out? The Case of Jon Gruber.

by CrockerJanuary 8, 2010

I love this new “openness” by Democrats. Consider the following:
President Barack Obama: “My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government … Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.” (President Barack Obama, “Transparency and Open Government,” whitehouse.gov)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: “There has never [...]

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Harrison Bergeron Comes to the Screen

by CrockerJanuary 6, 2010

Kurt Vonnegut’s dystopian classic has now been turned into a motion picture entitled, “2081 – Everyone Will Finally Be Equal”. The film has a good cast that includes Patricia Clarkson, James Cosmo and Julie Haggerty. Here’s a clip:

2081 Film Clip from 2081 on Vimeo.

For those unfamiliar with the Vonnegut short story, Harrison Bergeron is [...]

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The Relentless Misery of the 1.6 Gallon Toilet

by CrockerJanuary 6, 2010

That’s the title of a posting by Jeffrey Tucker at the Mises Economic Blog. Tucker eloquently discusses the government’s assault on civilization as symbolized by the 1.6 gallon toilet, foisted upon Americans by federal regulation in 1992.
I’ve long maintained – and Tucker apparently concurs – that sewer workers are the true heroes of civilization. [...]

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Freddie, Fannie, Politicians, Bankers and Bubbles

by CrockerJanuary 5, 2010

Moody and I have commented numerous times on the GSE mess, the latest by Moody just before Christmas. Marla Singer at Zero Hedge currently has a good post pointing us to Matt Taibbi’s lengthy rumination at the True Slant blog. Bottom line, there’s plenty of blame to go around:
For what we’ve learned in the [...]

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Michael Yon Arrested At Seattle Airport

by CrockerJanuary 5, 2010

This is a breaking story.
I’ve long been a fan of Michael Yon, embedded war correspondent par excellence. Although now a civilian, Yon is special forces trained and understands the military like few others. His reporting in Iraq and Afghanistan has been both fearless and honest.
As reported on his Facebook page, Yon [...]

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The Strangeness of Charles Johnson

by CrockerJanuary 4, 2010

During the 2004 presidential campaign, Charles Johnson and Little Green Footballs effectively destroyed Dan Rather’s career by the simple act of posting an animated GIF file superimposing the bogus National Guard memorandum over a duplicate that he had created in Microsoft Word. For nearly four years, reading LGF was a daily ritual for me. [...]

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Yemen and the Gitmo Connection

by CrockerJanuary 4, 2010

As reported in today’s Times of London, Yemen is turning into a magnet for terrorists freed from Guantanamo. And Yemen is none too stable these days.
At least a dozen former Guantánamo Bay inmates have rejoined al-Qaeda to fight in Yemen, The Times has learnt, amid growing concern over the ability of the country’s Government [...]

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JetBlue Announces Idiotic New Federal Regulations

by CrockerDecember 29, 2009

In my prior post, I mentioned the new “arrangements” put into effect after the crotch bomber’s failed attempt at urban renewal in Detroit.
The new regulations make us virtual prisoners in our seats – no TV, no restroom, no blankets, no reading materials, hands where we can see ‘em. Here’s the announcement from a JetBlue [...]

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Fire Janet Napolitano – Now

by CrockerDecember 28, 2009

By now we’re all following the Nigerian ‘panty bomber’ and his failed attempt to bring down the Northwest Airbus over Detroit. Kudos to the passengers who took prompt action – I hope they gave him the beating he deserved.
What’s more interesting, however, is the pathetic response of Janet Napolitano and the TSA to this [...]

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Eminent Domain – Chinese Style

by CrockerDecember 28, 2009

Think the Kelo decision trashed U.S. eminent domain law? Welcome to eminent domain – China style. Stealing is more like it.
As reported in Sunday’s Washington Times, China’s “urban housing demolition law” is under increasing pressure after a couple of bitter recent protests ended with evictees setting themselves on fire.
The law has [...]

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“Collegiality” in the Senate – Democrat Style

by CrockerDecember 28, 2009

It’s always a source of wonder for me at the Democrat double-standard. Even in matters of “collegiality”.
When a Republican tells the truth in plain language, expect a torrent of ad hominem abuse. In fact, in any discussion with a leftist, it’s only a matter of time before the epithets begin to fly. [...]

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New Hampshire Overtakes Maine – in Population

by MoodyDecember 28, 2009

Hell, New Hampshire leads Maine in just about everything else – why not population too?
Last year it appeared that New Hampshire’s population would exceed Maine’s sometime early in 2009. The revised data, however, shows that New Hampshire’s population actually exceeded Maine’s in 2007. The attached chart shows the growth in population for the two [...]

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Maine’s Leftist Population Bomb

by MoodyDecember 28, 2009

On December 23rd, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau released new state population data for July 1, 2009 (previous years were also revised). The data brings more bad news. Maine’s total population shrank by 1,390 people to 1,318,301 in 2009 from 1,319,691 in 2008 (click “continue reading” to view chart). This [...]

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Merry Christmas–Fannie Mae Style

by MoodyDecember 25, 2009

While the nation celebrates Christmas, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac got a special visit from Uncle Sam dressed as Santa. According to this Wall Street Journal article, “The Treasury announced Thursday it was removing the caps that limited the amount of available capital to the companies to $200 billion each.” In other words, [...]

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← Previous Entries

Next Entries →

Samizdat from the Blue Northeast

Fly Government Air and Avoid the Rabble

Never Believe Your Own Press

Barack Obama: C’est Moi, C’est Moi

Federal Tax Receipts Continue to Tank

Obama: L’etat, C’est Moi

Chinese Inflation – Coming to a Wal Mart Near You?

Don’t Drink the Holy Water

Scott Brown, Martha Coakley and the Blue State Rebellion

Google Bows Out of China?

What a Week It’s Been

The Feds Hungrily Eye Your 401(k)

How’s That Democrat Transparency Working Out? The Case of Jon Gruber.

Harrison Bergeron Comes to the Screen

The Relentless Misery of the 1.6 Gallon Toilet

Freddie, Fannie, Politicians, Bankers and Bubbles

Michael Yon Arrested At Seattle Airport

The Strangeness of Charles Johnson

Yemen and the Gitmo Connection

JetBlue Announces Idiotic New Federal Regulations

Fire Janet Napolitano – Now

Eminent Domain – Chinese Style

“Collegiality” in the Senate – Democrat Style

New Hampshire Overtakes Maine – in Population

Maine’s Leftist Population Bomb

Merry Christmas–Fannie Mae Style

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