From the Army Times:

The many nations helping Haiti recover from the devastating earthquake that struck there have set up their own military compounds and fly their flags at the entrances.

France’s tricolor, Britain’s Union Jack and even Croatia’s coat of arms flap in the breeze.

But the country whose contributions dwarf the rest of the world’s — the United States — has no flag at its main installation near the Port-au-Prince airport.

(more…)

The Bloom is Off the Rose

Remember when Obama was talked about in glowing terms? Remember when his supporters talked about how he would improve our image overseas, how he would bring jobs to America, how he would bring unity to a shattered nation? As we read the headlines below, we get the feeling that some people are realizing that we got a pig in a poke:

• The end of the road for Barack Obama? – Barack Obama seems unable to face up to America’s problems
• Dan Rather: ‘Articulate’ Obama Couldn’t Even ‘Sell Watermelons’
• Star Matt Damon is disappointed in President Barack Obama
• George Soros tells CNN: I’m not satisfied with Barack Obama
• Poll shows Obama, Dems losing ground: majority of Americans say the United States is less respected in the world than it was two years ago
• Payrolls fall by 36,000; U.S. jobless rate steady at 9.7%
• Indonesian students protest Barack Obama’s visit

TAKE THE PILL! TAKE IT! TAAAAAKE IT!

When George W. Bush wanted to reform Social inSecurity, he spent a few weeks flying around the country giving townhalls to drum up support. The people weren’t crazy about the idea, so Bush wisely dropped the issue. Now, We the People are more opposed to the federal takeover of healthcare than we were of Social Security reform, and the prez continues to try and shove the poison pill down our throats. When he’s not putting on a dog-and-pony show with doctors in White House-supplied white coats, he’s calling for the Senate to use a procedure called reconciliation to pass healthcare with just 51 votes… something he called “a vehicle designed for deficit reduction and fiscal responsibility has been hijacked to facilitate reckless deficits and unsustainable debt” when he occupied one of Illinois’ two Senate seats in 2005. But rules don’t matter to this White House. Campaign promises don’t matter. As is the norm in Chicago-style politics, the only thing that matters is winning. Bloomberg News executive Washington editor Albert Hunt urges Obama to “go Chicago-style on healthcare“, and it looks like the president is taking heed. After all, bribes are just business-as-usual to Obama & Company. Is it mere coincidence that the brother of one of the Democrat opponents of the healthcare bill has been nominated for judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit? We think not.

And with headlines like these from the socialist healthcare hell that is England, is it any wonder the White House has to resort to bribes?

• Stafford Hospital caused ‘unimaginable suffering’, at least 400 deaths linked to appalling care
• Up to 1,200 needless deaths, patients routinely neglected, staff bullied to meet targets
• National Health Service turned blind eye to conditions, rewarded cost cuts
• Neglected by ‘lazy’ nurses, man, 22, dying of thirst rang the police to beg for water

Does a Republican Congress Create More Jobs?

Matthias Shapiro over at politicalmathblog.com digs into data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and creates another excellent post. The short version:

Come out, come out wherever you are

It seems that Obama has been ducking reporters more than President Bush. It’s been 219 days since Obama’s last press conference. Perhaps he doesn’t want to answer questions about why his approval numbers continue to tank, with only 22% of Americans strongly approving of his job performance and 41% strongly disapproving. Or why a group of business owners in Wisconsin pooled their money and bought a billboard calling for Obama’s impeachment. Or why overseas he’s made fun of by the Germans, and a statue of him that was erected in Indonesia to much fanfare has been pulled down.

Some people are saying that the president needs to ignore his falling approval numbers and growing discontent of the American people and “go gangsta” and “man up“. So what does Obama do? Despite the overt outrage of Americans everywhere over the topic, he puts forward a $1,000,000,000,000 health care plan. A plan which would use taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions. Despite the will of We the People, the White House vows that if the GOP filibusters, they’ll pass Obama’s healthcare plan with 51 votes, after Obama and the Democrats said back in 2005 that the so-called “nuclear option” is an “arrogant” power grab against the founders’ intent. This strong-arming and ignoring the will of We the People is likely why Congress’ approval ratings are down to 10%.

We’re still #1! (for now)

Speaking of healthcare… despite the vaunted Canadian “free” government healthcare, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams came to the United States for heart surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami. Asked by reporters why he didn’t get treated in Canada, he said, “I did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when I entered politics.”

So wait… the best possible healthcare isn’t in Canada? The best possible healthcare isn’t provided by the government? The best possible healthcare isn’t… free? No!

“This was my heart, my choice and my health,” Williams said.

“My choice.” Well, it is for now. Once the United States Federal Government gets involved, Mr. Williams, that will cease to be the case.

We’re not #1! (And that’s okay)

We’re going to just blatantly copy the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s opening paragraph for an article with the same title, and paste it here with the obligatory link:

“Internet access is not a right. It is a privilege; one that we pay for. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, while not explicitly demanding high-speed Internet access for all Americans did tip-toe toward that ledge in recent comments, in which he noted the importance of high-speed broadband Internet in economic development.”

The full article can be found over at OpenMarket.org

Brrrrrrrrrrr

While we’re still looking for Al Gore, we’ll leave you with these headlines:

• Follow the money: BBC exposed in biggest climate racket on planet
• Climate scientists withdraw journal claims of rising sea levels
• New Climate Agency Head Tried to Suppress Data
• Global warming as religion
• Northeast Braces for Hurricane-like Snowstorm
• Dallas close to breaking all-time snowfall record
• Russian capital Moscow covered by record snowfall