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April 26, 2007
Democrats vs. The First Amendement
It is well known that Democrats don't believe in the Second Amendment of the U. S. Constitution. Despite explicit language that states "the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed," Democrats insist that the words don't mean what they say.
For decades, Democrats have invested themselves in the First Amendment, particularly the part they call the "establishment clause" that allows them to wage jihad against Christian expression. Democrats' latest assult on religious liberty comes in the form of H. R. 1592, known as the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007. If passed, the law would make members of the clergy targets of criminal prosecution if they preach what the Bible says about homosexuality. As dangerous as that is however, that's not what this post is about.
Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, believes that candidates for office should be able to speak in "media-free zones" so that they can say what they really think. Dean told the Mortage Bankers Association, "I suggest you have candidates in to meetings like this and bar the press." The Democratic Party chairman said that the best way to get politicians to be honest is to allow them to conduct private meeting away from cameras and recorders so that the public won't hear. Stunning.
The Old Media has been slow to react to Dean's remarks, since he didn't say "n**** h***** h**", but National Press Club President Jerry Zremski issued a blistering statement chastizing him:
National Press Club rips Dean comments
National Press Club President Jerry Zremski Wednesday lashed out at Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean for suggesting that interest groups bar the press from meetings with presidential candidates.
"Today's suggestion by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean that the press be barred from covering candidates' forums is so outrageous it defies reason," Zremski said. "One wonders whether -- like a small child seeking attention -- the statement was designed simply to get a rise out of reporters."
"Has Dean read the First Amendment? The Founding Fathers knew that a free press is central to the free flow of information to the citizenry -- and that the free flow of information is the very foundation of a democracy. Repressing media is a tactic one expects from totalitarian regimes, not democracies.
"If there is a concern that candidates talk only in sound bites and not in meaningful dialog, they have only themselves to blame. If candidates cannot speak what Chairman Dean calls 'the truth' in front of the media, one has to wonder to whose truth he's referring – the facts presented in honest reporting or the image so carefully crafted by campaign handlers."
"Further, if the chairman would prefer that his party's candidates no longer be covered by the media, we would posit that not only would that candidate have a much more difficult time reaching the majority of the electorate, but also that those messages would be far more scripted and managed, and thus less credible to the public."
Perhaps Dean believes that if the press had been barred from the event during which he let loose the infamous "Dean scream" he would have been elected president. And all this time I thought that was a Rovian plot.
Posted by jeffgannon at 07:09 AM
April 25, 2007
Dow Reaches Historic High, AP Sees Gloom
The Dow closed above 13,000 today, validating the the greatest economy in American history. Yet the Associated Press still found a way to cast the news in a negative light in the first two paragraphs of the story:
NEW YORK (AP) -- It looks like cause for celebration: The Dow Jones industrial average surged from 12,000 to 13,000 in just six months. But appearances can be deceiving, and there may be more reason to worry than rejoice about Wall Street's latest accomplishment.
Stronger-than-expected profits from several large companies helped push the stock market to historical heights. But many big corporations, including the Dow components, made a chunk of that money overseas, where economies are growing faster than in the United States. And many of the same worries that weighed on investors earlier in the year remain: rising energy costs, a slumping housing market and a possible credit crunch.
I'm beginning to believe that there is more than the liberal bias of individual reporters at work here. It seems that the AP has a policy against presenting a positive view of good economic news when a Republican is in the White House.
Posted by jeffgannon at 06:59 PM
April 24, 2007
Thursday At The Q & A Cafe
Carol Joynt interviewed me during a lunchtime event at Nathan's in Georgetown last week. The Q & A Cafe bills itself as "Candid conversation with notable people...on the best corner of the most important city in the world."
Carol was a gracious and generous host and the audience was terrific.
Listen to the interview: Jeff Gannon at Nathan's
The event brought a special suprise, a hand-delivered gift that touched me beyond words. God's love transcends all.
That's my Slugger!
Posted by jeffgannon at 06:27 AM
April 20, 2007
Democrats Revert To Form
In order to win the majority in Congress in 2006, Democrats had to give themselves a "conservate eye for the liberal guy" makeover. In just a few months after taking the reigns of power however, Democrats have reverted to form. The events of this week forced Democrats to drop the charade and come back out of closet and be the flaming liberals they are.
1. Defeatocrats - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid raised the white flag of surrender Thursday when he declared that "the war is lost."
2. Gun grabbers - In the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, Democrats are rushing to introduce new restrictions on gun ownership.
3. Baby killers - After the Supreme Court upheld a federal ban on the barbaric practice of partial birth abortion, Democrats wailed and promised legislation that would legalize the procedure during which infants emerging from the birth canal have their skulls crushed and sucked out.
4. Tax and spenders - The war supplemental is loaded with pork that has nothing to do with the war. In the latest budget, the Democrats have built in a tax increase of $400 billion over the next five years.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:54 AM
"I Don't Recall" Means You're A Lying Republican
In Washington, DC hypocrisy abounds and double standards are the rule. The Old Media/DNC talking points about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday include a count (officially pegged at 75) of how many times he uttered "I don't recall," in response to a question. The implication is that the Attorney General is hiding something - even though Democrats admit there is not a single bit of evidence of any wrongdoing.
Contrast this with the feeble testimony of Hillary Rodham Clinton and other Clinton Administration officials on several occasions while under oath. The Progressive Review tallied the use of the Amnesiac Defense, listing the number of times people who testified in various Clinton scandals said "I don't recall" or something similar:
Bill Kennedy ............... 116
Harold Ickes ............... 148
Ricki Seidman .............. 160
Bruce Lindsey .............. 161
Bill Burton ................ 191
Mark Gearan ................ 221
Mack McLarty ............... 233
Neil Egglseston ............ 250
Hillary Clinton ............ 250
John Podesta ............... 264
Jennifer O'Connor .......... 343
Dwight Holton .............. 348
Patsy Thomasson ............ 420
Jeff Eller ................. 697
Tip to Donkey Cons
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:28 AM
April 13, 2007
Don't Feel Too Sorry For The Newsies
There is no gloomier event than a panel discussion of "the future of journalism" at the National Press Club. Over the past few months, I have attended several programs there that, no matter what the topic, usually devolves into a pre-mortem on newspapers. During the Q & A sessions, I usually pose the same, simple question:
"How much has the perception of political bias contributed to the decline of the Old Media?"
Panelists consistently disregard the question, most often with laborious explanations that avoid even using the word "bias." It is this state of denial that is driving and hastening the demise of the Old Media.
The issue of liberal bias in the media is a settled matter. Bias exists, yet its perpetrators cannot bring themselves to see it - let alone admit their ideological proclivities affect their news reporting and analysis.
Don't feel sorry for those who leave the newsrooms with pink-slips instead of Pulitzers. The Old Media is beginning to reap what it has sown, having squandered a monopoly and soiled a noble profession.
As an example, I offer an article from my former White House colleague, ABC News' Terry Moran entitled, "Dont' Feel Too Sorry For The Dukies." In the piece, Moran preposterously suggests that the three Duke lacrosse players who were wrongly accused of rape and were in danger of being railroaded to lengthy prison terms will be just fine - because they are white men of privilege.
Moran can't bring himself to unequivocally state that the players are "innocent", relying on the smarmy wiggle-words that have become his trademark. He then recites a short list of questionable behavior on the part of the players, implying that they are undeserving of sympathy for the ordeal they endured or praise for the character the young men displayed during the year-long nightmare.
It's almost as if Moran is going on offense before too many people like me start to examine the Old Media's role in the rush to judgment of the players. District Attorney Mike Nifong could not have acted for so long as a "rogue prosecutor" without the active participation of Moran and his ideologically-driven ilk masquerading as journalists. Not only did the Old Media aid and abet the Nifong's fraud, but it also gave ample airtime and column inches to race hustlers like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson always willing to fan the flames of racial division.
The Old Media owes an apology to Reade Seligman, Collin Finnerty and David Evans instead of a recitation of Moran's white, liberal, elitist class warfare gibberish.
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:26 AM
April 12, 2007
McCain Calls Out Defeatocrats On Iraq War
Sen. John McCain has officially severed his relationship with the Old Media that once fawned over the "maverick Republican." In a speech yesterday at the Virginia Military Institute, McCain called out Democrats that are looking to defund American troops fighting in Iraq.
McCain hit them right between the eyes:
Before I left for Iraq, I watched with regret as the House of Representatives voted to deny our troops the support necessary to carry out their new mission. Democratic leaders smiled and cheered as the last votes were counted.
What were they celebrating? Defeat? Surrender?
In Iraq, only our enemies were cheering. A defeat for the United States is a cause for mourning not celebrating.
And determining how the United States can avert such a disaster should encourage the most sober, public-spirited reasoning among our elected leaders not the giddy anticipation of the next election.
And followed with an upper-cut:
Democrats, who deny our soldiers the means to prevent an American defeat, have chosen another road. It may appear to be the easier course of action, but it is a much more reckless one, and it does them no credit even if it gives them an advantage in the next election.
This is an historic choice, with ramifications for Americans not even born yet. Let's put aside for a moment the small politics of the day. The judgment of history should be the approval we seek, not the temporary favor of the latest public opinion poll.
McCain's withering criticism of Democrats who oppose the war is sufficient to turn the Old Media against him, but the Arizona Republican took a jab at the political operatives in the press when he said:
I just returned from my fifth visit to Iraq. Unlike the veterans here today, I risked nothing more threatening than a hostile press corps.
The viability of the McCain candidacy will be tested over the next few months as the Old Media tries to take him down. If McCain survives into November, he's got a real shot at the the Republican nomination and the White House.
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:24 AM
April 11, 2007
Washington Post/Newsweek Religion Contributor Is Terrorist-Supporting Antiwar Activist (And A Witch)
The Washington Post and Newsweek have launched a website "On Faith", devoted to discussion of religious issues. The panel is broad and diverse, yet one name stands out from the rest: Starhawk.
Starhawk's WP/Newsweek bio states that she is "a prominent voice in modern Wiccan spirituality and cofounder of Reclaiming (www.reclaiming.org), an activist branch of modern Pagan religion." Read more about Starhawk on her own website.
Missing from the information about Starhawk is that she is also a founder of the antiwar group Code Pink. From the Code Pink website:
"CODE PINK came to the face and space of the national leadership to protest the pre-emptive strike in Iraq. Medea Benjamin, Starhawk, Jodie Evans, Diane Wilson and approximately 100 other women kicked off this new women's initiative on November 17, 2002. They marched through the streets of Washington, DC and set up for a four month vigil in front of the White House."
Last Friday, I sent an email to Deb Howell, the Washington Post Ombudsman complaining about the newspaper's ludicrously one-sided article "A Family-Friendly Easter Egg Hunt" about Code Pink's "cluster-bomb hunt" in front of the White House on Monday. The article was a promotional piece for the event and the group and not a news story. I have not yet receieved a response from the Washington Post.
Code Pink is a supporter of terrorists and insurgents in Iraq that are killing American troops and Iraqi civilians. Code Pink funneled money to "the other side" in Fallujah and endorsed the Iraqi insurgency at the 2005 World Tribunal on Iraq. Members of Code Pink stage antiwar protests outside Walter Reed Hospital every Friday night when the families of wounded soldiers come to visit. One of their signs read: "Enlist Here to Die for Halliburton". More on Code Pink from
Human Events.
The Washington Post has done promotional work for Code Pink in the past with dozens of news stories about their antics. The Washington Post website features a video that is a six-minute infomercial narrated by Code Pink leader Medea Benjamin.
The Washington Post's antiwar agenda is clear, as the newspaper continues to support its "military analyst" William Arkin even though he referred to American troops as "mercenaries."
Now, the Washington Post and its affiliated publication Newsweek believes that terrorist-supporting Code Pink founder Starhawk should be given a platform for her views on a website about religion.
What say you?
Deborah Howell, Washington Post Ombudsman
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:15 AM
Jefferson To Give Criminal Justice Testimony
Rep. William "Cold Cash" Jefferson is set to testify before a House panel looking into the failure of the criminal justice system in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Maybe someone will ask him where he got the $90,000 in cash discovered in his freezer.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:02 AM
Grandma Pelosi Ready To Meet Iran Dictator
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seems to like her new role as the Secretary of State in the Democrat's shadow government. Maybe Grandma Speaker has taken such a shine to terror-sponsoring thugs like Bashar Assad that she wants to meet them all. The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that a trip to Tehran to meet with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is being considered. Too bad for Pelosi that Saddam Hussein and Yasser Arafat are dead and Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar are in hiding.
Some good could come out of a trip to visit Ahmadinejad. Maybe Pelosi and her sidekick Rep. Tom Lantos can convince the Iranian dictator that the Holocaust really did happen and that Israel shouldn't be "wiped off the map."
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:38 AM
Liars Plame And Wilson Flee Washington, DC
The discredited former CIA analyst and her blowhard husband have moved to New Mexico, leaving behind their legacy of deceit. The pair have relocated to Sante Fe, far away from the scene of their crimes.
I generally refrain from such harsh language, but these two have perpetrated an enormous fraud against the United States and undermined the global war on terror. How many American citizens will die because Plame and her ilk leaked classified information about effective counter-terrorism programs to The New York Times and Washington Post?
Even though Plame and Wilson expressed a desire to get away from politics, I'm sure they'll pop up again when President Bush pardons Scooter Libby (if necessary.)
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:24 AM
April 07, 2007
Irrelevant Sheehan Irritating Democrats
Antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan is wearing out her welcome. Democrats and the Old Media lionized Sheehan as the "Peace Mom" when she was hectoring President George W. Bush, but now are beginning to take her less serously now that Sheehan is turning on her liberal enablers. When Democrats took over Congress, they gained the ability to end the war in Iraq. Unfortunately, Democrats have not been able to convince enough of their own members to cut off funding for the war and precipitate America's defeat in Iraq. That isn't sitting well with Sheehan and her ilk who are demanding "defeat at all costs."
More problems for Sheehan: Crawford Peace House Faces Strife
Posted by jeffgannon at 03:19 PM
Old Media Swirl Around The Bowl Continues
The Old Media is melting down faster than global warming is making glaciers disappear under the paws of polar bears. Gail Shister, the TV columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer for the past 25 years is being "reassigned" to other duties. The future of one of the most liberal newpapers in America is looking mighty grim as newsrooms and circulation shrinks.
The dead tree business itself is dying. The Internet has a great deal to do with it - but liberal bias has also driven away millions of readers.
Posted by jeffgannon at 03:08 PM
April 06, 2007
Imus & Co. Gets Pass On Racist Comments
Radio and MSNBC host Don Imus and others on his program described the predominantly African-American Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos" and "jigaboos".
Where's the Old Media outrage? Democrats should be shrieking! Rev. Al? Jesse?
Posted by jeffgannon at 10:26 AM
Hanoi John Kerry Supports Pelosi's Syria Trip
Despite disapproval from the White House and a law that forbids it, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi inserted herself into American foreign policy. John Kerry, who met with the enemies of his own country (North Vietnam) defended Pelosi - no suprise there.
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:46 AM
More AP Gloom Over New Dip In Unemployment
The U. S. umemployment rate dropped to 4.4 percent and workers' wages rose in March, but Associated Press economics writer Jeannine Aversa can still find a dark lining in a silver cloud. In the first few paragraphs Aversa uses the words "sluggishness", "struggling" and "troubles."
Posted by jeffgannon at 09:12 AM
April 05, 2007
San Francisco Mayor Launches Re-Election Bid
Send in your comments. I'll post the ones I think are funny.
Posted by jeffgannon at 02:46 PM
WashPo: Grandma Diplomacy A Disaster
ABC News anchor Charlie Gibson might think House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the ultimate multi-tasker, being able to juggle a child in her arms while she directs the lower chamber of Congress, but the Washington Post has dissed Grandma's attempt to usurp President Bush's leadership of foreign policy.
In an editorial titled "Pratful in Damascus", the Washington Post chided Pelosi on her naivete in dealing with Syria's terror-sponsoring dictator, Bashar Assad. Worse yet, Pelosi announced a diplomatic breakthrough that didn't happen, supposedly carring a message from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that wasn't given.
Democrats say Americans gave them a mandate in 2006, but I'm sure it wasn't for this.
Posted by jeffgannon at 11:38 AM
Bush Beats Dems Again
On Tuesday, President Bush chided Democrats for leaving Washington without passing the supplemental for the troops. On Wednesday, he made them pay for their dereliction of duty. Bush gave recess appointments to three nominees that the Democrat controlled Senate failed to act on. The President's actions were well within his constitutional authority, but Democrats and the Old Media characterized them as an abuse of power.
Let's look at the details:
1. The New York Times editorialized in its headline: "Bush Defies Democrats With 3 Appointments"
Of course, the NYT believes that the Democrats are in charge. However, the more important point is that the Senate is abusing it's role of "advise and consent." The nominees are all qualified for the positions they now hold, the Senate's role is to prevent unqualified persons from political appointments. Political or ideological disagreement is not a disqualifying standard.
2. Sen. John Kerry opposed the nomination of Sam Fox to be ambassador to Belgium because he had been a contributor to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Fox refused to apologize for his political activity during the 2004 campaign during his confirmation hearing under prompting from Kerry. After the White House withdrew Fox's name, Kerry said that Fox, “had every opportunity to disavow the politics of personal destruction and to embrace the truth” and had not done so.
Now that's chutzpah! Kerry has had every opportunity to sign Form 180 to allow Americans to "embrace the truth" about his military service and has not done so.
3. Susan Dudley had been opposed for a post as administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the office of Management and Budget.
Her crime? In 2005 Dudley wrote a paper that expressed doubt about government regulation. In Washington, that's heresy!
4. Andrew Biggs has gone over to the Social Security Administration over the objections of Democrats.
Biggs holds a bachelor’s degree from the Queen’s University of Belfast, a master’s from Cambridge University and a doctorate from the London School of Economics and Political Science, worked for the Cato Institute and served as a staff member for the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. I guess he's not qualified.
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:14 AM
April 04, 2007
Students Assault Rove - Why No Arrests?
A mob of 50 students protesting an appearance at American University by White House advisor Karl Rove, threw "objects" and kicked the vehicle in which Rove was riding. Police had to remove students who laid down in front of the car to prevent it from leaving. A spokesman for the group said that they were attempting to perform a "citizens' arrest" of the White House official.
No students were arrested - why not?
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:49 AM
Dems Drop "Global War On Terror"
In keeping with its propensity to minimize and underestimate the threats America faces from radical Islamists, Democrats in Congress have dropped the phrase, "Global War on Terror" when discussing U. S. military and intelligence operations against terrorists around the world. Maybe Ohio Democrat Dennis Kucinich will be successful in advancing his legislation to change the name of the Department of Defense to "Department of Peace."
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:42 AM
April 03, 2007
Judge Grants Antiwar Activist Objector Discharge
The antiwar movement and the court system have teamed up once again to undermine America's ability and will to defend itself. A federal judge has ordered the Marine Corps to discharge Lance Cpl. Robert Zabala because "he was shocked during boot camp here to find such a strong emphasis on killing."
How committed is Zabala to his country's defense? Not much. Lately, he has been working for the Santa Cruz Resource Center for Nonviolence, which "encourages youths to resist the entreaties of military recruiters."
Zabala also said that he hopes "the judge's decision encourages other service personnel who consider themselves conscientious objectors."
Posted by jeffgannon at 08:26 AM
April 02, 2007
Pelosi, Ellison Head Appeasement Delegation
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Muslim Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison are heading up a Congressional delegation that will likely discuss the terms of America's surrender in Iraq with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. The White House expressed dismay at Pelosi's trip.
John Kerry met with North Vietnamese leaders to negotiate with the communists while American troops languished in the Hanoi Hilton and communist Daniel Ortega while President Ronald Reagan was helping Nicaraguan freedom fighters. Typical Democrat behavior.
Posted by jeffgannon at 12:46 PM
Feinstein A War Profiteer?
California Democratis Sen. Diane Feinstein quietly resigned from a military appropriations subcommittee after a watchdog group questioned the propriety of her husband's companies receiving billions of dollars in federal defense contracts. If a Republican were the subject of this story, the Old Media would be promoting the latest "scandal" and the subpeonas from Henry Waxman would be flying.
Posted by jeffgannon at 11:50 AM