Nattering Nabobs (and Others)

Herewith, a few "bullets" and comments, based on various current headlines and articles in the mainstream media -- which occasionally allow the truth to slip out unnoticed:

“TARP chief bails as program wraps up.” I'm assuming that he's already enrolled in the witness protection program...

Oh, and by the way, TARP and similar programs are now being characterized as "taxpayer investments”. Well, fine, then. When can I expect my dividend check?

Quoth Raul Castro: “We have to erase forever the notion that Cuba is the only country in the world where one can live without working.” Gosh, did he forget about the European Union? And about the U.S.?

From my home-town newspaper, a citizen describes a derelict building: “Once the roof structure is gone, it's like a box,” he said. “With heavy snows, it could implode in or out.” Um... I'd like to see something implode “out”, wouldn't you?

Columnist John Browne points out that government economic stimulus packages “can be justified only if a government's secret agenda is to erode an economy and reduce it to state control.” Hmmm...

Quoth General Petraeus: “You have to recognize that I don't think you win this war. I think you keep fighting... This is the kind of fight we're in for the rest of our lives and probably our kids' lives.” We used to lock people like this up in insane asylums – now we put them in charge of wars.

The mayor of Moscow has called homosexuals “satanic” -- and guess what, he hasn't been recalled. Which proves, for better or worse, that there is more freedom of speech in Russia than in the U.S.

“Iranian leader blames capitalism for poverty.” Sounds like he's been doing some reading in Catholic social teaching. I think the Church needs to open a dialog with this guy.

“According to security software maker F-Secure Corp., the shortest [computer] virus so far was just 22 characters long.” That's about the size of George W. Bush's genome.

“The Defense Department declined to comment immediately after the vote [on “Don't Ask, Don't Tell”], in an effort to be cautious in the face of the controversy surrounding it.” Which is another way of saying they're waiting to see which side is going to win, at which point they'll jump right up and claim that, indeed, that is the position they've always had and continue to support. Funny how “civilian control” so often makes political slaves and cowards out of our military...

Pat Buchanan points out that American blacks have, by and large, been left on the church steps by the Obama administration. Well sure – who needs a bunch of people with no economic clout who can't even be relied on to vote? Plus, as I've pointed out before, the American system requires a permanent underclass – that's just the way things are set up. And Obama is securely a part of that system. (Plus, let's not forget, he's “not really black”. At least that's what all the “black leadership” said about him during the 2008 campaign.)

And on a related topic, George Will quotes Prof. Nathan Glazer, who “considers it a 'paradox' that the election of Barack Obama 'coincided with the almost complete disappearance from American public life of discussion of the black condition and what public policy might do to improve it'.” Well, as I've said before, this is a variation on the fact that the “homeless” always magically disappear whenever a Democrat becomes president, and just as magically reappear the minute a Republican does. You see, there are always victim groups waiting in the wings to be marched out to give everyone a case of liberal guilt when the greedy Republicans are in charge – because, as we all, know, they are cold and indifferent to the plight of the poor and/or homeless and/or black – and all this talk about “compassionate conservatism” is a total sham. The Democrats, on the other hand, have such awesome humanitarian powers that they can, in an instant, eliminate poverty and discrimination and homelessness – as long as they are kept in office, that is. So don't you dare ever vote them out of office, because, if you do, all these troublesome groups will reappear overnight and once again lie heavily on your conscience.

An Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear sites “could drag U.S. into war”. It wouldn't if we didn't want to be dragged...

A political leader in Japan characterized Americans as “simple-minded”, and said, “I like Americans, but they are somewhat monocellular.” Wow – he obviously watches way too much American television (especially news programming).

“Children tossing grenades make it difficult to trust the villagers [in Afghanistan].” Yeah – this is obviously not your grandfather's war. Just forget about the Hershey bars...

The growth rate of Pentagon spending “is expected to slow to 1 percent as the wars wind down”. That's adjusting for inflation. But 1% growth is still growth. The leadership is silent as to why our defense establishment needs to enjoy continual growth even in the unlikely event we get out of both Iraq and Afghanistan.

The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will, according to Bloomberg News, be “an independent agency housed at the Federal Reserve.” Um, yeah... sort of like having a VD clinic in a brothel. Lots of luck getting anything of value out of that agency...

From the always-quotable Pat Buchanan: “To the Republican establishment, tea party people are field hands.” I couldn't have put it better myself – although I have tried.

And a quote from Pope Benedict XVI: “Society today needs clear voices which propose our right to live, not in a jungle of self-destructive and arbitrary freedoms, but in a society which works for the true welfare of its citizens and offers them guidance and protection.” We all know what those “self-destructive and arbitrary freedoms” are – they're the things, like the games and circuses of old, that distract us and keep us from pondering our loss of true liberty.