The Water Cooler is written by Washington Times staffers.
By Kerry Picket — Published October 11, 2009 Comments
According to this link, Safe Schools Czar Kevin Jennings wrote the following piece in the September 29, 1998 issue of The Advocate: (h/t Morgen R at VerumSerum.com) Be a man: when boys take up guns to kill those who torment them with words like "faggot," we shouldn't be surprised. When I was 8, my dad died unexpectedly of a heart attack. As the youngest of five siblings (four of us, boys), I looked to my brothers for guidance on how to act in this unsettling and unfamiliar territory. At dad's funeral I got the message. When I started crying, my brother Mike looked down and barked, "Stop crying. Be a man. Don't be a faggot." While astoundingly insensitive in his timing, my brother was simply passing down the code of masculinity he'd been taught. "Real men' don't show their feelings, and those men who do are faggots--which is the last thing any real ...
by Kerry Picket — Published October 10, 2009 Comments
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said on Tuesday that women would soon serve on submarines reversing a long time ban by the Navy. The Department of Defense : Appearing on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Mabus signaled that the Navy is moving closer to allowing coed personnel on submarines. “It will take a little while because you’ve got to interview people and you’ve got to be nuclear trained,” he said, referring to prerequisite steps before a sailor is assigned to a submarine. Officials previously have cited a lack of privacy and the cost of reconfiguring subs as obstacles to allowing female crewmembers to serve aboard the vessels. But Mabus is one of several top Navy officials recently to call for an end to the policy. The Navy secretary’s comments yesterday amplify his previous endorsement of ending the ban. “This is something the [chief of naval operations] and I have been working on since ...
by David Mastio — Published October 9, 2009 Comments
OBAMAWORLD: Peace in 12 daysWhat will the president do for an encore?By Mark SteynThe most popular headline at the Real Clear Politics Web site the other day was: “Is Obama Becoming A Joke?” With brilliant comedic timing, the very next morning, the Norwegians gave him the Nobel Peace Prize. Up next: his stunning victory in this year's Miss World contest. Dec. 12, Johannesburg. You read it here first. For what, exactly, did he win the Nobel? As the president himself put it: “When you look at my record, it's very clear what I have done so far. And that is nothing. Almost one year and nothing to show for it. You don't believe me? You think I'm making it up? Take a look at this checklist.” And up popped his record of accomplishment, reassuringly blank. Oh, no, wait. That wasn't the real President Obama. That was a comedian playing Mr. ...
by Kerry Picket — Published October 9, 2009 Comments
UPDATE 10/17/09 - Americans for Tax Reform announced yesterday Assemblywoman Scozzafava signed ATR's Taxpayer Protection Pledge: Yesterday, Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in her race to replace former Rep. John McHugh. Democrat Bill Owens is the only candidate not to sign the Pledge in this race. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New York's 23rd Congressional District seat was recently vacated by Republican John McHugh after President Obama appointed the upstate New York former congressman to be the Secretary of the Army. A special election to be held on November 3 is scheduled to fill Mr. McHugh's old seat. However, conservatives and some GOP activists are not necessarily thrilled with New York's Republican local county committee chairmen's nominee for the race. By nominating Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, Republican county chairs have disappointed the conservative base of the state party as well as the New York Sate Conservative party itself, and it is hardly ...
by Anthony Bowe — Published October 9, 2009 Comments
Only two comments were left by Department of Justice computers on WashingtonTimes.com this year. This certainly doesn't lend any support to the charge there is a "blog squad" working within the department. To reiterate what Matthew Miller, Director of Public Affair at the Justice Department told the Washington Times: "There is no 'blog squad'. There is Tracy [Russo] who handles online media. It’s the policy of the office of public affairs to not post anonymous comments. We have not seen any evidence that anyone does post comments, and if we did have evidence of that, people would no longer work here." If any bloggers out there have additional evidence of blog comments left by Department of Justice IP adresses, we'd love to have info added to comment section for this post so that we can follow up. Of particular use would be the exact IP addresses used to leave comments.
by Anthony Bowe — Published October 9, 2009 Comments
Rep. Charles Rangle can barely see out of the hole he's dug himself in to as repeated ethics violation claims continue to build. Thursday, a congressional ethics committee expanded their two year investigation into the New York congressman to include hundreds of thousands of dollars of personal assets that Rangel underreported in 2007.According to Politico: “Now, Rangel will have to combat allegations that cropped up when he amended several years of legally required personal financial disclosure reports in August, revealing that his 2007 disclosure had understated his assets by as much as half. “He initially reported a range of assets between roughly $500,000 and $1.3 million but later amended that to between roughly $1 million and $2.5 million. “The unreported assets, first reported by CQ, included two accounts worth at least $250,000 and property in New Jersey." Even before the ethics committee broadened their probe, House Republicans were blocked Wednesday ...
by Kerry Picket — Published October 9, 2009 Comments
Update: A sly take on Obama's Nobel from John Henke. (Added by Dave Mastio) President Obama may have been snubbed by the International Olympic Committee last week in Copenhagen, but the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize committee gave the president a boost this morning by presenting him with the Nobel Peace Prize. The response from various bloggers both conservative and liberal and is that of shock to say the least. However, not every supporter of Mr. Obama believes he deserved the award just yet.: Peter Beinart at the Daily Beast : Obama's Nobel Farce The president has done nothing to deserve the peace prize. Peter Beinart on why the award only aids the right’s arguments that Obamamania bears no relation to reality. The Local(Sweden News) : Obama Nobel win shocks Swedish peace group Ek conceded that the US president had sent "positive signals" with regard to his future commitment to global peace. "But at the ...
by Kerry Picket — Published October 9, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: President Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize for 'what he might be able to do,' Nancy Pelosi wants a "windfall profits tax" on insurance companies, and two New York GOP congressional candidates for a special election are compared. Freedom's Lighthouse on Videos: President Obama Wins 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on 'tone' not 'accomplishment' As they admit: He won it because he has repudiated the Foreign Policy of former President George W. Bush. The Europeans, who dominate the Nobel Committee, saw this as a chance to reward Obama for representing the interests of the world rather than the interests of the United States. Hotair.com Ed Morrissey on: Pelosi wants “windfall profits tax” on insurance companies What constitutes a “windfall” in an industry that averages a paltry 3.3% profit margin — free donuts on Fridays? Whatever it is, or rather whatever it is after Congress pounds insurers and ...
by Anthony Bowe — Published October 8, 2009 Comments
The New Jersey gubernatorial race between incumbent Jon Corzine and GOP candidate Chris Cristie is too close to call three weeks before election day. Polls show both candidates in lockstep and rhetoric is revving up on both sides. New Jersey bloggers offer poll updates, commentary, and campaign news. One Dem poll has Christie ahead by 5, another Dem poll has Corzine up by 3. Childish Corzine ad pokes fun of Christie's weight. “I guess when your entire record as Governor of the most taxed state in the country with the third worst financial problems, you make the campaign about...your opponents weight.” - New Jersey Tax Revolution Today's News NJ: How Corzine caught up to Christie with mammogram rhetoric. The Save Jersey Blog: Corzine mammogram attacks fly in the face of ObamaCare. The Save Jersey Blog: Corzine campaign shows sign of future democrat propaganda.Dan Cirucci: Corzine's Job MessChristie "Wins" On The ...
by Kerry Picket — Published October 8, 2009 Comments
Various conservative blogs are talking about the existence of a "blog squad" at the U.S. Justice Department. The website, the Muffled Oar writes that a blogging unit formed within the Department of Justice to counter websites with posts, articles, and user comments critical of the Obama administration. Matthew Miller Director of Public Affair at the Justice Department told the Washington Times,: "There is no 'blog squad'. There is Tracy [Russo] who handles online media. It’s the policy of the office of public affairs to not post anonymous comments. We have not seen any evidence that anyone does post comments, and if we did have evidence of that, people would no longer work here." Mr. Miller countered accusations of the existence of a "blog squad" pointing to what he says is lack of evidence. "I noticed, actually, that the posts don’t actually point to any evidence of anonymous comments coming from the Department ...
by Kerry Picket — Published October 8, 2009 Comments
ACORN has figured out how to register one person more than once. Establish that individual as the other gender in another alias. Matthew Vadum at the American Spectator writes about an unusual ACORN story involving dual gender aliases and the usual voter fraud.: The activist group ACORN, which has long worked with criminals as it preys on the weak and the troubled, is on the verge of yet another public relations catastrophe. That's because a cross-dressing Ohio male escort whom ACORN registered multiple times to vote was convicted of full-fledged vote fraud in addition to the lesser crime of voter registration fraud. A spokesman for Cleveland prosecutor Bill Mason confirmed yesterday that a local investigation of ACORN remains wide open. The conviction of Darnell Nash, apparently known by several aliases including Serina "Sexy Slay" Gibbs, is hugely significant for several reasons, not least of which is the fact that ACORN has ...
by Kerry Picket — Published October 8, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: Thirteen Senate Gop'ers voted for all of President Obama's appropriations bills, check out the top ten anti-Obamacare videos, and is Obama becoming a joke? TheConservatives.com Robert Bluey on : Bennett, Hutchison Back Obama Again Despite Challenges at Home According to the Club for Growth, Hutchison and Bennett are among 13 Republicans who have voted for all seven of Obama's appropriations bills. RightWingNews.com (VIDEO) John Hawkins on: The Top 10 Anti-Obamacare Videos RightWingNews.com lists the 10 best anti-Obamacare videos that have come out so far. Real Clear Politics David Paul Kuhn on: Is Obama Becoming a Joke? Political satire matters when it is larger than the joke. The growing rap on Obama is that he is a man both ineffective and meek; a man who is loved by all and feared by none.
by Anthony Bowe — Published October 7, 2009 Comments
The Virginia gubernatorial race is in full control of Republican candidate Robert McDonnell. Just one month before elections Mr. McDonnell holds an average 7.6 percent poll lead over Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds, and the White House appears to be backing away from full-fledged support of Mr. Deeds. Bloggers in Virginia discuss:Too Conservative: “It’s worth noting exactly how far Deeds has deviated from the campaign model of Warner and Kaine he pledges to follow. Where they de-emphasized social issues, Deeds has made it the centerpiece of his campaign. Where they pledged no tax increases (and quickly betrayed the electorate once elected), Deeds has wedded himself to tax hikes. Where they were able to get business support, Deeds has received none and is instead embraced by unions. Where Warner was able to get votes in rural Virginia and Kaine was able to run up margins in Richmond and NoVa, Deeds seems unable ...
by Kerry Picket — Published October 7, 2009 Comments
From the American Principles Project: This video comes from NYU's Apr 25, 2008 "Gender, Schooling and New York City" Education Policy Breakfast. Kevin Jennings answers a question about what sort of policy could be implemented to counteract the "negative impact of stereotypes" against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered students by their teachers. (transcript below) Jennings: "It should be impossible to graduate from NYU or any other school of education without coursework - required coursework - that address issues of [LGBT] bias in the classroom and how it might influence your teaching. [It] should be a graduation requirement. "... you cannot be an effective teacher if you are not aware of how [LGBT] biases can influence how you interact with your students. Pure and simple." "There's some really nice - largly guilty, white, liberal straight people who tend to take the one elective on "bias in schools" we offer, but ...
by Kerry Picket — Published October 7, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: Chavez redistribution thug tactics caught on video, Michael Moore says only a wuss is scared of Al Qaeda, Shocking revelation: Republicans do not watch Keith Olbermann : MichelleMalkin.com Michelle Malkin on (VIDEO): This is what the thuggish redistribution of wealth looks like A.M. Mora y Leon tipped me to this video last night of Chavista thugs confiscating farms across Venezuela. A.M. notes the parallels to what Lenin, Mao and Castro did: “But this time, some farmer had the presence of mind to turn on his cellphone camera and film the thuggery as it happened. Gateway Pundit (VIDEO) on: Michael Moore: Only a Wuss Would Be Afraid of Al-Qaeda The left's favorite movie man socialist Michael Moore was on Hannity discussing his new movie and defending Marxist killer Fidel Castro. JammieWearingFool on: The Evidence Is In: No Republicans Watch Olbermann According to TiVo's Power Watch ratings, the ...
