Debbie, can you keep it set up for Carl?

Thanks to Michelle Malkin for this precious moment.

Simple Arithmetic.

The Federal budget this year will come to nearly three trillion dollars. There are roughly thirty million seconds in a year. Therefore, this year the United States Government will spend your money at the rate of $100,000 per second.

Nanny on US-12.

A friend of mine noticed that traffic on Michigan Avenue (US-12) on the east side of Saline has become quite snarled, with traffic on the busy route now timed to be repeatedly stopped by the intersection lights. He called MDOT to point out the obvious inefficiency and to ask whether the timing of the lights had been altered. He was told that he was one of many who had called with the same inquiry, and that yes, the timing of the lights had been changed. Why? Well, MDOT had timed the lights to allow a smooth flow of traffic on Michigan Ave, but one of the US Department of Transportation's "secret drivers" had determined that the lights fell outside of the official federal guidelines for traffic light timing. MDOT was told to change the timing or risk losing its share of Government Asphalt (which is a lot like Government Cheese).

The mind reels from multiple assaults on its sensibilities with this bizarre tale: 1) The Federal Government has decided that traffic light timing is too important to leave to the 10th Amendment of the Constitution and MDOT, 2) the Federal government makes POOYA rules about traffic light timing (POOYA is a common business colloquialism, think about it for a bit)
and insists that they be enforced even when common sense guides otherwise, and 3) Federal employees are paid as highway ferrets to find criminal traffic lights! The first description that comes to mind is - staggering nincompoopery. It's time to take your wallet back from the chimpanzees.

Michigan Public Radio Payola?

The Detroit Free Press reports that the current criminal probe of Michigan Radio's WOUM - an NPR turnkey operation since the late '90s - is examining "incentives" for station staffers, like a pool table, Persian rugs, and comp'ed meals provided by local merchants in exchange for on-air promotion. Also called into question are station staff activities at a local golf course and alleged inappropriate spending at a convention. Earlier this month Donovan Reynolds, the Karl Rove of Michigan Radio, left the station.

Since the coup that deposed its classical-music format, the nearly all-talk WOUM has raked in the contributor dough hand over fist - nearly a million bucks last year - and has become the favorite son of the public radio family for this success. We at Deaddrifts have previously lamented the lack of programming at WUOM produced by or for the local community.

WOUM starts its Spring Beg-a-thon at the end of March. Perhaps they'll use the barter system this year: a freezer full of steaks, new carpeting for the rec room, etc.?

Exeunt Milosevic.

Slobo has nickels on his eyelids, with a peaceful passing unlike the victims of his evil.

Perhaps Ted Rall is preparing a cartoon showing Slobo's arrival at the Pearly Gates?

Free Speech's Bull Run.

Bull Run, the inglorious debut of the Union Army against the Confederacy, was also known as the "Great Skiddaddle", as panicking soldiers ran from the battlefield. So it's been with the Press of the Western Democracies, sans Denmark. Ben Stein sums up the disaster.

Big Net Sophistry.

Pajamas Media's China Syndrome interviews Tom Lantos on Big Net's role in supressing free speech in Red China, complete with video clips of corporate legal weasels parsing the meaning of "discrimination".

Winter's Work.

The Opener is ten weeks away. I won't get caught with too few Hendricksons in the box this year!

Microsophists.

Big Net's recent appearance in congressional hearings was depressing. It seemed impossible for them to admit that they were assisting the Red Chinese in supressing free speech. The facts: Yahoo turned over information on online dissidents, Google produced a "freedom-free" version of their search engine for use in China, Cisco instructed Chinese police on how to monitor net traffic through their hardware, and Microsoft has banned such nine-letter words as "democracy" from Chinese blogs.

Tom Lantos' analogy with IBM's "accounting" assistance for the Nazis cut right to the quick. This is just shameful.

The War for Free Speech, Pacific Theatre.

The Congressional-Executive Committee on China has published findings on the supression of the freedom of expression in the "People's Republic", and it's a must read. Congressman Tom Lantos was particularly eloquent in his opening statement for hearings with "Big Net" (Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, and Cisco) on their dealings with Red China in internet censorship and surveilance on Chinese citizens who dare speak of freedom or religion.

Let Me Guess...It's Our Fault?

The Hard Left's premiere spokescritter Amy Goodman (she is darned good at her job) has, predictably, blamed the Cartoon War on the West, particularly the US. Appearing on Hardball, Goodman dismissed the notion of Islamofascist intolerance for freedom of speech, and said that the uproar was caused by relentless Western oppression of Islamic people.

Republican Dry Rot.

Rich Lowry has a great article in the latest National Review about how the '94 Revolution and the Contract with America has been smashed by K-Street and "earmarks". The Republicans should not be surprised if they are cashiered this fall, not that the Democrats are really going to find the faith of fiscal conservatism. Alas, back into the wilderness...

A Fundamental Question.

Here's one of the original copies of our Bill of Rights, the creation of men who proposed that God had bestowed upon a man the dignity of a unique identity and with it the inalienable value of fundamental rights and the pursuit of his happiness.
Twice in the course of our history, we have faced mortal threats to this proposition. The first threat was found within our own country, the corrupt belief that some men were the property of others and thereby could be denied these God-given rights. The second threat believed that the individual existed only to serve the State, and that therefore the concept of a Creator's gift of "inalienable rights" did not exist.

We pose this question: isn't it clear that we now facing another mortal threat, by those whose claim that human beings exist to serve self-proclaimed proxies for God, where death is ordained for those who fail to obey?

Here's a photo from an earlier "Cartoon War" (visit the US Holocaust Memorial Museum for more information):

Baloney into the Grinder.

Hugh Hewitt shows why giving an ignoramus like Joel "Who?" Stein column space in a major newspaper is like giving a 15-year old boy keys to the liquor cabinet and the Ferrari...
(thanks to Michelle Malkin).

The World Turned Upside Down.

Twenty five years ago this past week the Reagan Revolution came to Washington, and world was changed: the demise of the Soviet Union, the rescue of America from malaise and the misery index with the awakening of the American economic dynamo, and the renewal in our pride to be Americans. Viva La Reagan Revolucion!

Remembering MLK.

Stanford University has a great site of his collected papers and speeches. Measuring a man by the "content of his character" is one the profound definitions of true equality - and so simple. To bad we don't adhere to it; too bad many even reject the concept of character.

"...But a Great Cigar is a Smoke."

Kipling's remark was never more appropriate than for the Avo Piramides.
This was a spectacular cigar to welcome in the New Year during a lovely winter walk on the shores of Little Traverse Bay.

Eradicating the Parasites of Leviathan.

John Fund reminds us of another reason for limited government: dampening corruption. Newt Gingrich, Tom Coburn, and John McCain are beating the drum on this point as well.

Let Us Honor Brave Men.

With the poor words that we write here we try to offer some comfort to the grieving families of the men of the Sego Mine. We honor their service to our country in doing a dangerous job. May they find eternal peace in the arms of a loving God.

Say Yes! to Abramoff.

As reported by the Detroit Free Press:

"Former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and associate Michael Scanlon
encouraged an American Indian tribe in Michigan to make big political
contributions. At least seven Michigan members of Congress benefited...

Here's a look at the Michigan connections of Abramoff:
...

Contributions to Michigan congressional members (all since 1999):
(Rep. David) Camp (R-Midland), $35,500; Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Flint, $19,000; (Debbie) Stabenow (D) $5,000; Carl Levin (D), $2,000; Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, $4,000; and Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, $2,000."