Jester’s Court — January 2, 2012

Posted on January 3, 2012 by

jesterscourt.

BERJAYAFirst Mitt Romney compared Barack Obama to Marie Antoinette, now Romney compared him to Kim Kardashian.

BERJAYAMichele Bachmann starts a new ad describing her as America’s “Iron Lady” and possessing a titanium spine.

BERJAYABachmann has promised a “big surprise” at the Iowa caucuses.

BERJAYARon Paul: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 “destroyed the principle of private property.”

BERJAYAPaul called Rick Santorum “very liberal.”

BERJAYANewt Gingrich: “I am an amateur paleontologist.”

BERJAYAGingrich: “Romney would buy the election if he could.”

BERJAYAGingrich has figured out that he isn’t going to win in Iowa.

BERJAYAMitt Romney: Barack Obama will be a “footnote” in history.

BERJAYARick Santorum upset patrons in a bar who wanted to watch Iowa St. play in a bowl game instead of a presidential candidate politicking.

BERJAYASantorum said that would be in favor of launching airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.

BERJAYASantorum wants to invalidate the marriages of same-sex couples who were legally married.

BERJAYAThe Santorum salad.

BERJAYASantorum: “I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them other people’s money.”

BERJAYASantorum linked to herpes, porn and drugs.

BERJAYARon Paul said that he doesn’t believe the U.S. was behind the 9/11 attacks.

BERJAYAIn Israel, ultra-Orthodox Jews dressed up as Nazi concentration camp inmates protested.

BERJAYAPortugal’s prime minister has been criticized for suggesting that unemployed youth leave the country to find work.

BERJAYANew York Rep. Bob Turner wants a big parade in New York City for returning Iraq war veterans. The Pentagon is not so hot on the idea.

Posted in Jester's Court | Leave a comment

Santorum Holds Back Tears Over Comments About His Dead Son

Posted on January 3, 2012 by

There are so many angles to look at this, but the first is the most serious. The death of any child is a crying moment. That Rick Santorum’s son died two hours after birth is a tragedy for the Santorum family. That over a decade later Santorum and his wife still grieve is nothing to be ashamed. Having listened to Santorum preach his view of the sanctity of life for months, any reaction but to weep would be surprising.

Earlier, commentator Alan Colmes called Santorum’s behavior over the death of his son as “crazy.” Crazy is a stretch, strange would be more appropriate, but that is not a political issue and deserves no place as one. This isn’t the same thing as Herman Cain being charged with sexual harassment, Newt Gingrich cheating on his wife while condemning Bill Clinton for doing the same or even Michele Bachmann’s husband’s turning gays-into-straights with his therapy. This is the death of a child and should remain out of politics. However, it is in the campaign now. That is very unfortunate.

Despite the tragedy, this may help the Santorum campaign immensely. Santorum is an extremist on social issues, but he comes across as a sincere, personable, unpretentious man in person. This video highlights that. All of those “normal” traits are severely lacking in the rest of the Republican field.

In the video, Santorum describes showing his dead son to his other children. Most people would never think of doing this, but this is a moment for the Santorum family, and they deserve no criticism for this. Colmes, by the way, apologized and Santorum and his wife graciously accepted.

Back in the 1972 presidential campaign, then Democratic frontrunner Ed Muskie teared up after responding to a vicious attack on his wife. Muskie’s campaign folded soon after. Back in those days male politicians were not supposed to cry. Today, it is mandatory. Bill Clinton, John Boehner, Newt Gingrich and now Rick Santorum does it. Of all of them, Santorum is the one that comes as most sincere. He comes across as a guy that a beer could be shared, as long as their was no discussion about religion, politics, world events…

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House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Denies that Ronald Reagan Raised Taxes

Posted on January 2, 2012 by
BERJAYA

Eric Cantor

In an interview on 60 Minutes with Lesley Stahl, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor announced that he was ready to “cooperate” but not “compromise” with the Democratic leadership on taxes.

“I would say cooperate is ‘Let’s look to where we can move things forward to where we agree,” Cantor said. “Compromising principles, you don’t want to ask anybody to do that. That’s who they are as their core being.”

On its face, that is not really offering very much. Cooperation is easy when there are no disagreements, which is what Cantor is willing to do. Cantor refuses to compromise on the essential issues like taxes. Cantor wants to be like his hero Ronald Reagan who never saw a tax increase he could support, right? Actually, that is very wrong as the Raw Story summarizes in the Stahl interview:

Stahl then mentioned to Cantor how his “idol” Reagan compromised his principles by raising taxes during his presidency. Cantor tried to deflect the focus by mentioning that Reagan cut taxes, but Stahl reiterated her point.

Upset at the reporter, Cantor’s press secretary yelled off camera, “That’s not true, and I don’t want to let that stand.”

Cantor is very wrong. Reagan raised taxes 12 times during his presidency. He even raised taxes by a huge amount when he was elected governor of California in 1966. Reagan cut taxes whenever he could, but if a huge deficit needed to be closed, he was willing to raise taxes because he knew that cuts along could not fix the problem.

The truth about Reagan’s legacy is not difficult to find. Nevertheless, Cantor wants to deny the truth because it doesn’t fit with his ideology. Cantor’s rigidness makes Ronald Reagan look like a flaming liberal. That points to a very clear difference between the Republican Party of Reagan’s time and the obstinacy of the 2012 GOP.

Reagan was an extraordinary politician. He spoke tough on domestic and foreign matters, but he was willing to work with his political opponents like House Speaker Tip O’Neil or Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev. Reagan, who powered a huge military buildup that wore the Russians down at the same time they were fighting a costly war in Afghanistan, tried to strike a deal with Gorbachev at the 1986 Reykjavik Summit that would have abolished nuclear weapons within 10 years. It was an unattainable goal, but it bore out that Reagan deeply believed in compromise.

Today’s Republican leadership in Congress, which claims to adore Reagan, won’t compromise a dollar on taxes and is willing to run the country into its first-ever debt default. Cantor and his allies are driving the nation straight off a cliff because they refuse to vary a single degree from bullying straight ahead. They have an ideology and only accept the facts that support that ideology. Politics is the art of compromise. No democracy can survive if all sides take a hardened position and refuse to budge from their positions.

Compromise is the centerpiece of American democracy. We only need to look at the Constitution, how it was crafted and ratified to see that all sides surrendered to create a more perfect union. Those like Cantor are obstructionists, like rocks in the road. The only way to handle them is to find a way around them so that sensible people can deal with solutions. The problem is that sensibleness is increasingly hard to find in Washington. Those Republicans who want to compromise are driven from office by primary challenges.

All this aids intransigence on the Democratic side. If this lack of compromise continues, the Democratic Party may become as uncompromising as the Republicans. There is a point where Democrats will not continue to rollover on no new taxes. At that point, the system collapses. It happened once before in 1861. While a bloody civil war is not going to happen, a political civil war could eventually weaken American institutions until they collapse into something that no American wishes even to imagine — a society neither equal, free or fair.

Posted in Eric Cantor, Republican Party, Ronald Reagan, United States | Leave a comment

Rick Perry’s Campaign “Bumps and Grinds”

Posted on January 2, 2012 by

BERJAYA

Rick Perry sure has a way with words, just not the way most people would expect from a presidential candidate. Yes, bump and grind can refer to some tough times, but most people have other things in mind when hearing those words. Letting this phrase describe the difficulties in his campaign is similar to Rick Santorum retweeting a newspaper headline about his growing support: “Rick Santorum Surges from Behind in Iowa.”

These are intelligent men. Why can’t they figure out the connotations of these phrases?

On FOX News Sunday, Chris Wallace asked the Texas governor, “You got in late without sufficient planning, without sufficient thought about what it would take to run for president, quite frankly without sufficient preparation for debates?”

“Not at all,” Perry replied. “I think we had bumps and grinds, but most campaigns have bumps and grinds. But the issue is the campaign is smooth and Iowa is a great ground game for us, and I feel very comfortable we are going to do good on Tuesday. Wednesday morning we’ll find out whether or not who was right.”

Posted in Quote of the Day, Rick Perry | Leave a comment

Iowa, Why are You Relevant?

Posted on January 2, 2012 by

BERJAYAIowa is part of the 1%. No, not the 1% of Wall Street and billionaires but 1% of the population. Just as the wealthiest 1% controls the economy beyond their numbers (they have 40% of the wealth) so does Iowa control presidential politics far beyond its tiny percentage of the country’s population.

Iowa is not representative of the nation by any means. It is 95% white. The largest city, Des Moines, barely surpasses 200,000 in population. If the purpose is to find a candidate who knows corn, Iowa is it. If the purpose is to find candidates who can relate to an increasingly urban and diverse American population, Iowa fails as an option.

While candidates who receive a mere 1% in the presidential race are discarded as irrelevant, a caucus representing such a scant percentage of the national population is treated as a sacred political journey for all candidates. At best, only 10% of the population trudge through the cold and sometimes snow to attend three-hour caucuses. In 2008, only 120,000 Republicans showed up to begin whittling the presidential field to a handful of candidates.

The people who are willing to do this are not the average Iowan. It is only the most dedicated party activists or candidate supporters who attend. That means people with children, disabilities, ill or away in the military or college find it difficult or impossible to participate. In sum, Iowa doesn’t represent the U.S. population and the caucus goers don’t represent the Iowa population.

Candidate spending is out of proportion to the state’s size as well. Rick Perry spent $3 million in December alone. Plus, a PAC supporting Perry added another $1.3 million. Perry is wallowing just above 10% in the polls. If that is all the support that he gets, and the 2012 turnout is the same as 2008, Perry will have spent at least $250 for every caucus vote. Perry is not alone in his wild spending ways. From candidates to PACs, Iowa is deluged in campaign cash.

BERJAYA

Corn plays a role in selecting the president, from ethanol to farm subsidies

On top of all this, a mere 28 delegates, representing a shade over 1% of the total needed for the GOP nomination, are all that is at stake. Iowa is a very small step for the nomination distorted way beyond reason.

Yet Iowa, and New Hampshire with a smaller population of 1.3 million, determine who will be on the November general election ballot. Since 1980, no candidate has been the Republican nominee without winning at least one of these states. The same holds true for the Democrats, with the exception of 1992 when Iowa Senator Tom Harkin ran as a favorite son and neighboring Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas carried New Hampshire.

Come Wednesday, the Republican field will start to narrow. At this point, Iowa looks like a three-way race between Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum.

Santorum may very well win because of his momentum, but it is difficult to imagine him staying in the race much beyond that. His next must-win state would be South Carolina where he is a blip in the polls.

Ron Paul might even be able to squeeze out a victory because of his large cadre of dedicated supports. That would only be possible if 20-25% of the vote was enough to win. Paul lacks the appeal to go beyond that. If Perry, Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann do well, the total needed to win maybe low enough for Paul.

That leaves Mitt Romney, who could win and march into New Hampshire with another victory. That would be historical as no non-incumbent Republican candidate has ever won both states. Of course, Romney could come in third, appear weakened and need New Hampshire to generate momentum.

For the others, Perry will trudge on because he has millions in his campaign bank account. Gingrich will stay in because he has more books to sell. Only Bachmann will probably fall out of the race, unless she can get a late boost to kick her out of sixth place.

The weather in Iowa is supposed to be clear and the temperature in the 30s. It shouldn’t be a significant factor, which means a high turnout is possible. That helps whoever has momentum, which is Santorum.

However, when all the votes are counted, we should all ask ourselves a simple question: Is this is any way to pick a president?

Posted in Iowa, Republican Party | Leave a comment

Jester’s Court — December 31, 2011

Posted on January 1, 2012 by

jesterscourt.

BERJAYAMichele Bachmann: “I want to be America’s Iron Lady, America’s Margaret Thatcher.”

BERJAYA Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum joined Rick Perry’s lawsuit seeking to allow them on the Virginia ballot.

BERJAYAMitt Romney appeared to be making a mocking reference to Newt Gingrich tearing up about his mother when Romney said: “I won’t cry. No, No, I won’t. But I do. I do. Nothing to be ashamed of in that regard.” The video puts the comments in a different context, where Romney is trying to be empathetic.

BERJAYARomney has an antiquated sense of humor that might be affecting the way he relates to voters.

BERJAYANewt Gingrich blasted the Justice Department for blocking a South Carolina voter identification law and suggested the Obama administration wants to “steal elections.”

BERJAYAThe Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci congratulated the Vatican and all Catholics on the occasion of Easter instead of Christmas.

BERJAYAFrance makes it harder to be French.

BERJAYAAn uncomfortable comparison of 2012 with 1932.

BERJAYAIt only took 8.8 billion hours to fill out government paperwork last year, down from 9.8 billion. The reason for the decline is because the government estimated people can do it faster now than before.

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Donald Trump is Fool of the Year

Posted on December 31, 2011 by
BERJAYA

Donald Trump -- Fool of the Year

Donald Trump has never been a candidate for public office. Nevertheless, at one time earlier this year, he was the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. That is both scary and amazing because Trump is not a statesman, much less a politician. He is a showman, a big time huckster interested only in self-promotion. Yet Trump lingers above the fray in the quest for the GOP presidential nomination because he represents all that is bad about politics in the twenty-first century.

The presidential race has become a reality show. That is why it is no surprise that a reality show star should become such a big part of presidential politics.

Trump made soundings of running for president last spring, but then dropped out. He has not made an endorsement, which he claims “millions of people” are waiting to hear. Part of the reason is that Trump is holding out running for president as an independent. He has even changed his voter registration to an independent. Trump maintains that he is waiting to see who the Republican nominee is before considering running himself. Conveniently, that nominee will probably not be definitely known until well into the primary season. That is convenient because Trump is waiting for the filming of this season’s last episode of “The Apprentice” before considering a presidential run.

Trump will not run. He doesn’t want the scrutiny of a race, nor the responsibilities if he wins. In the meantime, he will make plenty of noise and generate as much publicity about himself as possible.

While most sensible people who had doubts about Barack Obama’s birth certificate have ceased to doubt it since the second copy was released in April, Trump jumped on the birther bandwagon at that time. Prior to then, he had not expressed doubts about Obama’s birthplace. Today, it is something he wants to inject into the conversation whenever possible. This in itself points out his bad judgment.

His poor judgment was further amplified earlier in the year when he released his own birth certificate, challenging Obama to do the same. Unfortunately, the document Trump released was not a legal birth certificate, but a souvenir certificate from the hospital where he was born.

Trump also tried to hold a debate with the Republican candidates, but nearly all avoided a commitment. The debate would have been a circus with Trump as the moderator.

Trump thinks he is a statesman, comparing the significance of his recent book to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Jefferson and Madison would be appalled at the comparison.

Trump is a joke as a politician. Yet the real joke is being played on all of us by the American public and media that continues to take him seriously.

Silvio Berlusconi: Runner-up.

BERJAYA

Silvio Berlusconi may be back for another performance

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi deserves “Fool of the Year” honors. He would have received it except Berlusconi represents just a flawed man. Trump, on the other hand, may very well represent a profound change in politics. Politicians are no longer just leaders, but entertainers auditioning for spots as political pundits on television or simply trying to sell books. It is a scary trend.

Berlusconi has left a tarnished legacy in Italy. That is not just because of the country’s financial mess or his many trials facing charges of corruption. Berlusconi turned the position of prime minister into the political equivalent of a tawdry peep show. Berlusconi was accused of hiring prostitutes. He also was accused of having sex with a 17-year-old whom he coaxed out of Italian jail the previous year by telling the police that she was the granddaughter of then-Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

Berlusconi tries to pass off every bit of negative publicity as something entirely different. The wild sex parties that flooded the media earlier in the year were described by Berlusconi as social gatherings with soft drinks and karaoke.

When police claimed that Berlusconi kept 14 women in apartments he owned, equipped with sex toys and expensive jewelry, Berlusconi passed it off as his political enemies getting back at him.

It seems wherever Berlusconi turned, he left a wreck. He referred to German Chancellor Angela Merkel as an “unfuckable fat ass.” At another time, he joked that he would rename his political party “Go Pussy.”

Finally, the Italian Parliament had enough of Berlusconi and kicked him from power. We may not have seen the last of him, though. He is already plotting his comeback.

Michele Bachmann: Runner-up.

BERJAYA

Michele Bachmann may not be a presidential candidate much longer, but she will still be in Congress

Italy has Berlusconi; the United States has Michele Bachmann. Although Bachmann does not have a scandalous private life, her constant run of political gaffes are overwhelming.

Her latest misstep was a comment that she wanted to stop the Obama administration from letting eight-year-old girls buy abortion pills. That is not the only bizarre idea Bachmann had. She suggested putting Ronald Reagan, James Garfield and Calvin Coolidge on Mount Rushmore. Some people have suggested Reagan, but this must be the first time Garfield and Coolidge were ever mentioned.

A Bachmann presidency would be a disaster. She believes that Iraq should provide the U.S. free oil because we invaded them. She claimed that “gays will destroy the armed forces.” She promised $2 a gallon gasoline if elected. Bachmann also wants evolution and intelligent design taught equally in the schools so students can make up their own minds.

Not content with turning the present upside down with wild comments, Bachmann has shown herself to be ignorant of history. There was her ridiculous statement earlier in the year when she thought the battle of Concord in the Revolutionary War took place in New Hampshire, not Massachusetts. She also stated that the Founding Fathers worked tirelessly against slavery. Apparently, she forgot that in the original Constitution, slavery was a protected institution.

Fortunately, the United States will not need to fear a Bachmann presidency. Her campaign is headed for dismal single digit showings. After winning the Iowa Straw Poll in August, her support has plummeted, with good reason.

BERJAYA

Rick Perry made "oops" his signature mark

Rick Perry: Foolish Moment of the Year

Rick Perry squandered front-runner status in the GOP presidential nomination by bumbling through the debates. Perry looked very unpresidential. At times he looked downright stupid. He is guilty of the single most foolish moment of the year when he failed to remember the third government agency that he wanted to abolish. That “oops” moment will last in political history for an eternity. Long after Perry is gone from being Governor of Texas, a stumbling video of himself will be present for the world to see.

Kim Jong-il: Lifetime Achievement Award

BERJAYA

Kim Jong-il made a career out of being a fool

 

Kim Jong-il won’t be around to ridicule anymore. For his countrymen, that is a good thing. He left them oppressed and starved. As brutal as any dictator there is in the world today, Kim helped maintain a personality cult that indoctrinated the North Korean population. Thousands of North Koreans were seen crying at his funeral. It probably was heartfelt because propaganda has constantly portrayed Kim as the sole reason that North Koreans have what little they do have. Instead of being credited for that, he should be blamed.

Kim has been honored with everything from being the greatest golfer in the world to inventing the hamburger to be a fashion trendsetter with those snazzy gray suits he always wore. There are plenty of things he did in the last year to achieve recognition as one of the biggest political fools of the year, but now that he is dead it is time to take note that he was one of the biggest fakes in the world.

Kim did leave us with one last foolish act. He made sure that his twenty-something son, Kim Jong-un, would be the new ruler of North Korea. However, there is nothing funny with such an inexperienced leader holding the keys to nuclear bombs.

Washington Leadership: Dishonorable Mention.

BERJAYA

Gang of fools

Everyone has a different idea on who is to blame for this fiasco in Washington. The government is deadlocked. Simple acts such as extending the national debt to cover expenditures that have already been approved become more difficult than negotiating a peace with the Taliban. It is an embarrassment.

The leadership in Congress and the President should not be blamed equally. Yet the simple fact is that they are the leaders of this nation. They are supposed to identify problems, present solutions and act on them. No one forced any of them to take this job. Right now, all are failing miserably at it.

Conservatives don’t want the GOP leadership to compromise one dollar on new taxes. On the other hand, liberals blast Obama for caving into Republican demands last summer. Liberal, moderate or conservative, no one is happy with what is going on. There are problems that need to be fixed but this nation is failing in that area. The only time this level of political stagnation was greater than the present was in the 1850s when the Presidents and Congress could not find a solution to the slavery question. That is not a comforting comparison.

Posted in Donald Trump, Fool of the Year, Kim Jong-Il, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Silvio Berlusconi | Leave a comment

GOP Candidates Tell of Their Humble, Poor Backgrounds

Posted on December 31, 2011 by

It makes sense for a candidate to humanize oneself to the voters in a way that he or she can relate to those who are not famous or rich. This isn’t just Republicans trying to appeal to the average American either. Barack Obama does the same thing. Nevertheless, when candidate after candidate uses the same language to identify with voters, there is some definite absurdity going on.

Both Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman grew up rich so their attempts to emphasize with voters are particularly hard to believe. Romney makes the hardest stretch. He recounts his time as a missionary in France where his shower was a bucket and his toilet a hole. The only problem with that is this was Romney’s choosing. He had a way out and knew that lifestyle was going to end. Those who really are poverty-stricken only have a sense of hopelessness. Romney has a great line where he admits that he didn’t grow up poor, but his father did.

The video even has Tim Pawlenty in it.

Posted in Republican Party | Leave a comment

Jester’s Court — December 30, 2011

Posted on December 31, 2011 by

jesterscourt.

BERJAYASaif al-Islam, the captured son of slain Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, wants a lawyer.

BERJAYAKim Jung-il’s look-alike in South Korea may be looking for new work.

BERJAYANewt Gingrich shed some tears as he recalled his mother.

BERJAYAGingrich suggested that he might pick Sarah Palin as his vice-president.

BERJAYARick Santorum retweets “Santorum surges from behind in Iowa” headline.

BERJAYACampaign photo of the day.

BERJAYAAccording to Michele Bachmann, Barack Obama has an alliance with NBC, Google and Facebook.

BERJAYAOne of Mitt Romney’s sons is a birther.

BERJAYARomney mocked Newt Gingrich’s crying when discussing his mother.

BERJAYAToday’s Obama conspiracy revolves around the startling revelation that he traveled to Mars between 1981 and 1983.

BERJAYABarack Obama doesn’t seem to like being around other politicians.

BERJAYAIn Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio said that his opponents are treating him like he was a sheriff in Alabama during the 1960s.

BERJAYAA federal judge ruled against a challenge to the 1965 voting rights act by reasoning that lack of access to party affiliation would discriminate against minority voters who otherwise wouldn’t know how to find Democratic candidates on a ballot.

Posted in Jester's Court | Leave a comment

Virginia Republican Party to Require Loyalty Oaths at Primary

Posted on December 31, 2011 by

BERJAYAThe Virginia Republican Party does not want people voting in its presidential primary who will not support the Republican nominee in November. The Republican Party may be able to force a loyalty oath on the voters in the primary, but there is no way that it will be constitutionally enforceable in November.

Virginia does not have its voters register by party. That means any Democrat or independent can cast a vote in the Republican primary. The Republicans are concerned that a surge of Democrats voting in the Republican primary might cast their votes for a weaker candidate. That could damage the Republican Party chances in the general election.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch explained that absentee voters were informed of the pledge and signs explaining the loyalty pledge would be placed at polling places.

Signs for polling places and the pledge form will advise voters that “Section 24.2-545 of the Code of Virginia allows the political party holding a primary to determine requirements for voting in the primary, including ‘the signing of a pledge by the voter of his intention to support the party’s candidate when offering to vote in the primary.’”

The pledge will require the voter to sign and to print his name beneath a line that says: “I, the undersigned, pledge that I intend to support the nominee of the Republican Party for president.”

Presumably, a loyalty pledge is going to keep voters aligned with one party from voting in another party’s elections. Realistically, it may mean a lot less than it sounds. What is the punishment for deception when signing a loyalty oath with the intent to break it late? No one is going to be denied their constitutional rights or the opportunity to vote.

Signing a loyalty oath sounds intimidating, but it has no teeth. Only if someone refuses to sign the pledge can the Republican deny that person a right to vote in the primary. Yet the idea of an oath for the politically sacred right of voting has a bad ring to it.

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Romney Calls Obama “Marie Antoinette”

Posted on December 30, 2011 by

BERJAYA

BERJAYA

Marie Antoinette

While on a campaign stop in Iowa, Mitt Romney turned his attention to Barack Obama:

“When the president’s characterization of our economy was, ‘It could be worse,’ it reminded me of Marie Antoinette: ‘Let them eat cake,’” Romney said, referring to the infamously dismissive remark toward the poor attributed to the queen.

While that is a nice one-liner to throw out in the political season, it falls a bit short. “It could be worse” just doesn’t have the flair that “Let them eat cake” has.

Besides, Romney, whose worth exceeds $200 million, is not really the person to relate to the poor, unemployed or disadvantaged. Obama, with a net worth of $10 million, may not relate to the poor any more either. At least, Obama grew up in a middle-class environment, unlike the privileged Romney, so he should have some appreciation for those less well off.

Which of these men could be envisioned spouting off “Let them eat cake”? I don’t think it’s Obama. He might be more in line with telling the rich, “Let them eat at McDonald’s,” but even that is unlikely. Obama is not quite the populist to do that.

That leaves Romney as the likely choice. It seems he has already had his Marie Antoinette moment last August in Iowa. At a fair, Romney said “Corporations are people.” Now that is a comment of which even the Queen of France would be proud.

Posted in Mitt Romney, Quote of the Day | Leave a comment

Taliban Ringtones — Don’t Leave Kabul Without One

Posted on December 30, 2011 by

BERJAYAThe Taliban hate music. During their reign, possession of a music tape meant a beating for the owner, and destruction of the tape. Today, things aren’t much different in Taliban-controlled areas. Those selling music tapes have seen their stores bombed. However, there are exceptions to the music ban. Religious songs or Taliban chants are acceptable.

The Taliban have learned an easy way to determine a person’s allegiance. They routinely stop travelers at checkpoints and examine the ringtones on cell phones. A ringtone playing Indian or American music results in the destruction of the phone or worse, including beatings or death. That has led to a brisk business in Taliban ringtones. The Wall Street Journal reports how one man switches SIM cards when he travels into the countryside:

Afghans who travel beyond the capital say insurgents have forced Afghans to eat SIM cards, broken phones on owners’ heads and interrogated travelers for hours about their contacts with foreigners.

“If you are going 30 or 60 miles outside of Kabul, you will surely find Taliban on the road,” said a member of President Hamid Karzai’s government. “If you have Indian music or Afghan music ringtones, they will tell you that you are not obeying Islamic rules and, in most cases, break our mobiles.”

This official said that whenever he leaves Kabul, he routinely carries two SIM cards for his cell phone. One contains the numbers of Afghan leaders, Western officials, military officers and other contacts he needs to do his job. The other is the Taliban-safe SIM card that he pops into his phone outside the capital.

Taliban songs are doing so well that the Taliban even have their own recording enterprise. It is filled with 40 singers who produce a 12-song album every month or so. These songs include snappy tunes such as “Doomsday” and everyone’s favorite, “Suicide Bomber.”

If there is one thing the Taliban should be known for, it is their war against fun. A cell phone can’t even ring any longer without a jihadist getting uptight.

Posted in Afghanistan, Taliban | Leave a comment

Jester’s Court — December 29, 2011

Posted on December 30, 2011 by

jesterscourt.

BERJAYAMichele Bachmann’s favorite gun is an AR-17.

BERJAYARick Perry could not recall the 2003 Supreme Court decision of Lawrence v. Texas, which overturned Texas’ sodomy laws. Perry was governor at the time.

BERJAYAPerry’s legal challenge to get on the Virginia ballot has been initially denied by a judge, but arguments will be heard on Jan. 13.

BERJAYAPerry said that if he loses the Republican presidential nomination it is “God’s will.”

BERJAYAPerry has taken a new position on abortion, opposing it for rape or incest, but his wife remains a fundraiser for a sexual assault organization that supports abortion rights.

BERJAYAA proposed ballot measure that would require porn actors to wear condoms while filming in the city of Los Angeles has qualified for the June ballot in that city.

BERJAYAJon Huntsman, who is bypassing the Iowa caucuses for New Hampshire’s primary said, “They pick corn in Iowa. They actually pick presidents here in New Hampshire.”

BERJAYARon Paul said there were only “eight or ten” offensive sentences in the widely-criticized newsletters that beared his name. He did admit to writing parts of the newsletter but not the offensive parts.

BERJAYAMichele Bachmann: “I’m not a politician. I never want to be a politician.”

BERJAYAAn anti-alcohol crusader has asked all 105 Idaho legislators to swear off alcohol during the 2012 legislative session.

BERJAYAThe State Department criticized Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’ words that the U.S. is causing cancer to South American leaders as “horrific and reprehensible.”

BERJAYANorth Korea photoshopped a picture of Kim Jung-il’s funeral procession that had a few spectators straggling outside the official lines.

BERJAYAA federal judge has ruled that homeless sex offenders may stay overnight at shelters near schools.

BERJAYAChile’s supreme court ruled that a newspaper must compensate 13 readers who suffered injuries when they followed a recipe it published.

BERJAYAThe daughter of the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has hired an Israeli lawyer to petition the international criminal court to investigate the circumstances of the death of her father.

BERJAYAA Zimbabwean MP has been freed after spending Christmas in jail for allegedly saying President Robert Mugabe had engaged in gay sex.

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Buddy Roemer “Pleased and Humbled” that He is Getting 2% in Iowa Poll

Posted on December 30, 2011 by
BERJAYA

Buddy Roemer by Gage Skidmore (CC)

Former Congressman and Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer is running for the GOP presidential nomination but most people don’t know that. Roemer’s national poll results have trailed even former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson’s. At least Johnson was invited to a debate or two. Roemer hasn’t made it that far.

Roemer, who is best known for having trailed ex-Klansman David Duke in the 1991 Louisiana gubernatorial primary race, appears to be making some headway in Iowa and New Hampshire. Recent polls showed Roemer at 2% in Iowa and 3% in New Hampshire. Generally, meager polling numbers like those would not be cause for celebration. When your name is Buddy Roemer, and you have been all but forgotten in the presidential race, any blip in a poll is worth celebrating.

In a press release, Roemer almost did somersaults with his polling “surge.”

“I’m pleased about the two percent in Iowa, but I’m really pleased and humbled to see the hard work we’ve done in New Hampshire start to show,” said Roemer. “Mine is the only campaign that has been entirely committed to the First in the Nation Primary since day one. I love this state – it’s Live Free or Die attitude, the fact that a former Governor and Congressman like myself can come here and talk directly to the people. Granite Staters want to see you up close, to see if you pass the smell test. So far, they’ve smelled all the other candidates and ended up throwing them away like yesterday’s garbage.”

Roemer’s living in a political fantasy world if he thinks 2 or 3 percent is a groundswell of support. “Yesterday’s garbage” is still trouncing Roemer worse than David Duke ever did.

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Indiana Lawmaker Proposes Fining Those Who Sing Star-Spangled Banner Badly

Posted on December 29, 2011 by
BERJAYA

Vaneta Becker

Everyone knows “The Star-Spangled Banner” is a difficult song to sing correctly, but should it be criminal to sing it badly? A bill proposed by State Senator Vaneta Becker of Indiana is proposing just that. She wants to develop “performance standards” for the national anthem at any event sponsored by public schools or universities.

Indystar covers the details of Becker’s bill:

Performers would have to sign a contract agreeing to follow the guidelines. Musicians — whether amateur or professional — would be fined $25 if it were deemed they failed to meet the appropriate standards.

…

Becker said she would expect the guidelines to require that the national anthem be sung with the usual lyrics to the traditional melody — “the way that we normally have it sung or heard throughout most of our state and our country.”

Although Becker does not intend for the bill to fine amateur singers away from government sponsored events, it is clearly designed to influence anyone who sings it. Becker says that she is not trying to punish those who miss a few words or notes, but only to hinder those who try to add or remove a few words or twist the meaning of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“Sometimes it’s just done in a joking manner,” she said, “but I don’t think the national anthem is something we ought to be joking around with.”

Becker’s intent here is clear. She wants to outlaw parodies of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” This raises some First Amendment questions. Although Becker doesn’t like the idea of “joking around with” the national anthem, the real joke is proposing this bill in the first place. Weakening the First Amendment to show respect to a song is a lot worse than flubbing the national anthem.

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