April 8th, 2014
I’ve been getting a lot of political solicitations this year, one of which came from the Draft Ben Carson for President campaign.
Since this is now a real thing (run by a John Philip Sousa IV) collecting real money, I would like to do my part to quash it.
Ben Carson is an impressive person with a compelling life story, but giving money to this particular cause is a bad idea, for numerous reasons:
Carson himself has said he’s not running.
As impressive as Carson is, he’s never held or run for political office. The Presidency of the United States of America is not an entry-level position. Potential Presidential candidates should run for and win at least one high profile office before running for President*. Carson has not done that, though I’d love to see him run for Governor of Maryland.
There are no shortage of potential first-tier conservative Republican candidates for 2016: Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Scott Walker and Rick Perry are all far more credible and experienced candidates than Carson.
The idea that MSM would “go easy” on Carson because he’s black is bunk. Were he to somehow become the nominee, he would instantly become a threat to their narrative, and I suspect the attacks we’d see on his history, character, etc., would probably make those against Sarah Palin in 2008 look mild by comparison.
Money is fungible. Every dollar you give to Draft Ben Carson is a dollar that could be spent defeating Democratic Senators or Congressmen this year.
The only thing donating to the Draft Ben Carson campaign will accomplish is to pad the bank accounts of political consultants and direct mail specialists.
Though I think we can all agree that Ben Carson would be a dynamite choice for Surgeon General…
*This requirement is optional for any candidate that kicked Adolf Hitler into the dustbin of history.
Tags: 2016 Election, 2016 Presidential Race, Ben Carson, Elections, Republicans
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
April 7th, 2014
Here are some updates to the story of California Democratic State Senator Leland Yee and Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow’s federal weapons trafficking charges, via Dwight and Instapundit (among others):
“State Sen. Leland Yee spent campaign donations in recent years to travel to the Philippines, the country from which federal authorities accuse him of arranging to smuggle hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of military-style weapons.” (Hat tip: Dwight.)
How did Yee escape terrorism charges? The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is not among the “56 foreign terrorist organizations designated by the U.S. State Department.”
Both Yee and Chow hire new lawyers.
Problem: California Democratic State Senator is illegally trafficking arms to international terrorist groups. Solution: California Democrats ask Obama to ban the import of “assault weapons.” It’s like Al Capone’s fellow mobsters making an impassioned plea for stricter laws on bootlegging. (Hat tip: Instapundit.)
Yee wasn’t just a gun control fanatic, he was an anti-corruption crusader as well. (Insta again.)
It took more than a week for MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow to finally mention that Yee was indicted for arms trafficking…and she still failed to mention he was a staunch advocate for gun control.
The guns of the Leland Yee scandal. I’d like to fire a Tavor Assault Rifle, but they seem to garner a hefty premium over AR-pattern rifles. (Hat tip: Dwight.)
Last time I checked, CNN still hasn’t covered the Leland Yee gun trafficking story. But thank God they covered his opposition to banning shark fin soup!
And speaking of CNN, maybe it’s not a coincidence that their ratings are near an all-time low.
San Francisco journalist spends a thousand or so words not explaining why San Francisco’s numerous professional journalists didn’t even catch a whiff of the the scandal. Hey, I think my tweet above just may have a clue…
Though he wasn’t in custody during the initial arraignment, sports agent co-conspirator Marlon Sullivan was taken into custody in Princeton, New Jersey.
Tags: California, CNN, Crime, Democrats, Guns, Leland Yee, Marlon Sullivan, Media Watch, MSNBC, Rachel Maddow, Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, Tavor Assault Rifle
Posted in Crime, Democrats, Guns, Media Watch | No Comments »
April 7th, 2014
This week, UT’s LBJ Presidential Library is having a three-day Civil Rights Summit commemorates the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For this they’ve managed to snag four different past and present U.S. Presidents:
President Barack Obama will deliver the keynote address at a Civil Rights Summit at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, on Thursday, April 10, 2014….President Obama will be joined by three former Presidents who will also deliver remarks at the Civil Rights Summit: Jimmy Carter will speak on April 8; Bill Clinton will speak on April 9; and George W. Bush will speak on April 10.
That’s a real feather in the cap for the LBJ Library and whoever arranged the summit, but it’s likely going to mean a huge pain in the ass to anyone who wants to do something in Austin when Obama comes to town. Obama’s over-protective security detail usually bring traffic to a complete standstill wherever he goes. I don’t know his schedule, but if he comes in and leaves Thursday, expect everyplace from the airport up to about 35th street to be all bit impassable for much of the day.
Better pack a lunch…
Tags: Austin, Obama, PSA, Texas, University of Texas
Posted in Austin | No Comments »
April 4th, 2014
My taxes and family health issues have curtailed blogging somewhat, so here are some statewide race updates, some of which stretch back to just after the primary:
The Weekly Standard covers the Abbott campaign.
One Abbott supporter in Edinburg, former state representative Aaron Peña, is a Democrat-turned-Republican with strong ties to the valley. He says his fellow Hispanic Texans may vote Democratic, but they are traditionalists on cultural issues, including abortion. Davis may be popular with the liberal set in Austin, but she doesn’t offer much to Peña’s constituents, he says.
Also this:
Davis herself doesn’t appear to be making much effort to court the Valley vote, or any vote for that matter. She’s noticeably inconspicuous on the trail, and even friendly media have a hard time finding her.
Davis gives a speech in Midland to sparse attendance. “Davis showed up to an almost empty room but despite the crickets, she told me she felt comfortable.” Ouch!
How Davis benefited from her law firm doing government bond work while she was a state senator.
At least she’s changed her logo from the sinking ship, even if the new logo looks a little familiar…
“Two Dewhurst aides quit amid campaign feuding about tactics.” This is not exactly the sign of a well-oiled campaign machine…
Paul Burka even goes so far as to say that Dewhurst is toast: “The reality is that Dewhurst has been politically dead since the night of the Wendy Davis filibuster, and he has no hope to retain his office. Unless something very strange happens, Dan Patrick is a lock to be the state’s next lieutenant governor.” I’d say he’s been politically dead since losing to Ted Cruz in 2012…
Rick Casey not only thinks Dan Patrick will win, he thinks “Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will be more powerful than Gov. Greg Abbott.” Agree on the first, disagree on the second, mainly because Greg Abbott is a lot more formidable than Dewhurst. It’s an interesting piece, despite making (I believe) some subtly wrong assumptions about Tea Party politics.
State of play piece by Ross Ramsey.
Movement conservatives in Texas — a label that includes fiscal and social conservatives, Tea Partyers and the religious right — seem to be forming up behind Dan Patrick, a state senator running for lieutenant governor; Ken Paxton, a state senator running for attorney general; and Wayne Christian, a former state representative running for railroad commissioner. Each finished ahead of the establishment candidate in his race — in Patrick’s case, the incumbent lieutenant governor, David Dewhurst.
Ramsey also notes money switching to conservative challengers. Plus this: “Every Republican senator has probably given some private thought to state Sen. John Carona’s loss to Donald Huffines, and that kind of private thinking often leads to changed voting patterns.”
Dan Patrick endorsed by Buc-ees. If they throw in free fudge, this race is so over…
Mike Huckabee endorses Ken Paxton. That probably means more to Huckabee than Paxton…
14 Texas state house republicans ask Dan Branch to withdraw.
Democratic Agricultural Commissioner candidate Kinky Friedman calls marijuana farms the future of Texas.
Tags: 2014 Attorney General's Race, 2014 Election, 2014 Governor's Race, 2014 Lt. Governor's Race, Dan Branch, Dan Patrick, David Dewhurst, Elections, Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, Kinky Friedman, marijuana, Midland, Mike Huckabee, Paul Burka, Republicans, Rick Casey, Ross Ramsey, Texas, Wendy Davis
Posted in Elections, Republicans, Texas | 2 Comments »
April 3rd, 2014
A few random followups on the Fort Hood shooting:
Three people remain in critical condition.
More on Fort Hood shooter Ivan Lopez, who was apparently Puerto Rican, not Mexican American as some sources erroneously asserted.
Lopez saw no combat in Iraq.
Lopez was evidently on Ambien. There’s long been persistent anecdotal evidence that several spree shooters were on similar drugs (some sources for which are more reliable than others). I’m not a chemist, pharmacist or psychiatrist, so I’m not in a position to evaluate such claims, nor to answer the chicken and egg “were they crazy before or after taking such drugs” question. But maybe it’s time for people who do know to take a closer look at the question.
Time to allow soldiers to carry their weapons stateside? (Warning: Autoplay.) I think you know my position…
U.S. Congressman Mike McCaul agrees.
Tags: Ambien, Crime, drugs, Ft. Hood, Guns, Ivan Lopez, Military, Texas
Posted in Crime, Guns, Texas | No Comments »
April 2nd, 2014
Another active shooter at Fort Hood. One confirmed dead. 14 reportedly injured. (Some reports have the shooter dead of self-inflicted wounds; let’s hope so.) Early reports of two shooters are most likely erroneous (as is fairly common in these situations).
Now is also a good time to go over Karl Rehn’s advice for what to do when faced with an active shooter.
Update: Shooter identified as one Ivan Lopez, reportedly a soldier. (And remember folks, there’s probably more than one Ivan Lopez in Texas. Don’t break out the Jump to Conclusions mat just yet…)
Hearing reports that now have four confirmed dead on Twitter, but haven’t seen media confirmation.
Update 2: Blithely ignoring my own advice one paragraph up, this would seem to be Ivan Lopez’s Google+ page (“Works at 2-8 CAV/Lives in texas”) and his connected YouTube channel. What little this says about the shooter could be measured in a very small thimble.
Update 3:
Update 4: Four now confirmed dead, including the shooter.
Update 5: 11 wounded, two in “extremely grave” condition.
Update 6: Lopez evidently served four months in Iraq in 2011. “They said the gunman was taking medication and seeking help for depression and anxiety and was undergoing a diagnosis process for PTSD but hadn’t yet been diagnosed.”
I’m far from an expert, but if it’s been two plus years since Lopez saw combat, I would think that would be ample time to make a PTSD determination or not.
Update 7: “I don’t endorse carrying concealed weapons on base,” [Lt. Gen. Mark] Milley told reporters. “We have military police officers on base.”
You know, general, I think we now have enough data points to conclusively prove that that policy isn’t working.
Tags: Crime, Ft. Hood, Guns, Iraq, Ivan Lopez, Karl Rehn, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Texas
Posted in Crime, Guns, Texas | No Comments »
April 2nd, 2014
You may have noticed that all the usual media outlets and liberal extensions of the Democratic Party (but I repeat myself) falling in line to attack the Koch brothers, as I’m sure has been decreed by either the DNC or whatever passes for the resurrected JournoList
Never mind that the George Soros-funded Tides Foundation outspends the Koch Brothers by a good margin. The real reason Democrats hate the Koch Brothers is that their network is kicking Democrats’ collective asses.
Take some of their most recent ads, for example. Here’s one against Michigan Representative Gary Peters:
And here’s one against Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu:
And don’t forget the video that has Julie Boonstra receiving death threats:
(Hat tip: Moe Lane, I think, though damned if I can find the link just now…)
Tags: 2014 Election, Democrats, Elections, Gary Peters, Koch Brothers, Mary Landrieu, Media Watch, Moe Lane, video
Posted in Democrats, Elections, Media Watch, video | No Comments »
April 1st, 2014
Lucky Gunner is offering Shrimp Boy Tactical Statesman Ammunition.
Lucky Gunner is proud to announce that we now have in stock a special batch of 9mm Statesman Ammunition™. Originally made as a special production run for a California state official, the ammo will not reach its intended customer due to pending legal proceedings and is now being offered for sale to the public at a deep discount!
Featuring the Triad-Tech™ bullet from Shrimp Boy Tactical for enhanced accuracy, each round is meticulously made to ensure reliable ignition and all rounds are incredibly corrosive. Don’t get caught feeling stung, elect to buy some Statesman 9mm ammo today!
I don’t currently own a 9mm, so I’ll have to pass. But you have to admire the rapid reaction speed of the American entrepreneur…
Tags: ammo, California, Democrats, Guns, Leland Yee, Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow
Posted in Democrats, Guns | 1 Comment »
March 31st, 2014
Before the LinkSwarm itself, an observation: On the drive home from Houston to Austin this weekend, I saw a Prius with a “Repeal ObamaCare” sticker. Truly the tide has turned…
So today is the latest drop dead day to sign up for ObamaCare. Guess what website is down?
How AP frames questions: “Do you want your Reps to make ObamaCare work, or to let children die?”
Court case to determine whether Obama can rewrite laws at his whim or not.
“A core competency of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is issuing false assurances.”
ObamaCare wastes wastes $2 trillion over 10 years to fail to insure the uninsured.
How Obama’s pro-illegal alien policies released 68,000 criminals onto the street.
CNN decides that California’s third-ranking Democratic state Senator and gun control advocate being busted on federal arms trafficking charges just isn’t news.
Obama’s foreign policy: Neither Hawkish nor Dovish, but rather manifestly incompetent.
Top Ten Things Putin Said to Obama about Ukraine.
One reason for the liberal contempt on guns: They’re losing and they know it.
And when liberals want to have a “conversation” on gun control, what they really mean is “let us shame you into rolling over and giving up your rights.” Then they wonder why they keep losing. “After Newtown, many gun-control advocates tried to shame rather than persuade, as if the ‘correct’ position was obvious to everyone save retrograde idiots. On guns, that strategy has never worked.”
Malcolm Gladwell’s discussion of the Branch Davidian siege makes the ATF sound even more clueless and incompetent.
There are some majors and colleges that bring negative financial returns.
This just in: Jeffrey Toobin is a lying tool. (Related.)
Scott Walker is crushing Mary Burke in fundraising.
How the Washington Post and Robert Reich lie about the Koch Brothers.
But despite all the liberal talking points, Harry Reid is still less popular than the Koch brothers.
Global Warming alarmists push for greater dialog with skeptics. Ha, just kidding! They want them arrested.
How an editor at Ebony picks fights with black conservatives to help prop up the magazine’s ambulatory corpse.
Erick Erickson reviews Noah. I think the movie the movie may have strayed a little from its Biblical source, especially in the light-saber fight in the strip club after the car chase…
Proof that Kayne West is a vampire.
Tags: Ann Althouse, Anthropogenic Global Warming, Crime, Democrats, Ebony, Erick Erickson, Guns, Jeffrey Toobin, Kathleen Sebelius, Kayne West, Koch Brothers, Leland Yee, Malcolm Gladwell, Mary Burke, Media Watch, ObamaCare, Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, Scott Walker, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Washington Post
Posted in Crime, Democrats, Foreign Policy, Global Warming, Guns, Media Watch, Obama Scandals | No Comments »
March 28th, 2014
Will Franklin has a detailed piece up correlating homelessness with Democratic Party rule.
“It turns out that when it comes to mitigating homelessness, the blue state model is just as deeply flawed as the failed blue state model for job creation and economic growth.”
Substance abuse, broken families, or mental illness– tragedies all– often drive people to homelessness, but long-term unemployment and a general lack of economic vitality play a critical role in pushing people out of their homes (and keeping them out). Indeed, when it comes to reducing homelessness caused by economic hardship, we can chalk up another win for Texas and the red state model.
Snip.
California, with just under 12% of the nation’s population, has 22.43% of the nation’s homeless population, giving it a homelessness quotient of 0.88. Quite high, in other words. Almost double the number of homeless people one would predict, given its population.
Texas, which has roughly 8.2% of the nation’s population, only has 4.85% of the nation’s homeless population (meaning: Texas has a quite low homelessness quotient of -0.41).
Read the whole thing.
Tags: Blue State, California, economy, homeless, Red State, Texas, WILLisms
Posted in Economics, Texas | No Comments »