So much for that "civility" thing...

California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton...

Remember when U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was nearly killed by a crazed gunman (who murdered and wounded more than a dozen other people?

Remember how it occurred in January -- not long after the contentious November elections -- and how the still-smarting Left used it as an opportunity to cut into GOP momentum by calling for "civility?"

Remember how pundit after pundit called for nicey-nicey in American politics and decried anyone who didn't sign up for the newest version of political kumbaya?

Remember how long it lasted? Yep. Not long at all.

Oh, sure, members of Congress sat next to each other at the State of the Union speech, but that was about as long as it lasted.

Gabrielle Giffords...

Since those golden days of our refreshed democracy, a virtual laundry list of less than civil comments (read: downright ugly/violent) have been made by Democratic politicians and pundits about their opponents. The latest: John Burton, California's Democratic Party chairman, who -- according to The Contra Costa Times -- "came under fire Friday for suggesting Gov. Jerry Brown "try shooting" a Republican to persuade them to vote for taxes."

The story continues: "In an interview with Bay Area News Group this week, Burton said Brown 'can try shooting somebody and tell the next guy, 'You don't want that to happen to you, you better step up and vote.' "... What's Jerry going to do unless he took out a gun?'"

As the story points out, "Sensitivity over violence-laden political remarks has come under scrutiny since the assassination attempt on U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, that some believe was incited by heated political rhetoric."

So how does Team Burton respond?

"A spokesman for Burton said Republicans are in no position to criticize Democrats for using violent political metaphors."

That sounds like a very civil response...

From the days after the Giffords shooting...

Standing up for an accused traitor...

The Moonbats emerge...

An earlier pro-Bradley Manning protest...

President Barack Obama's visit this week to the nation's biggest ATM (aka: California) included several fundraising stops in the liberal-heavy Bay Area and Hollywood.

His last appearance in the Bay Area took place on Thursday morning and, yes, it was nothing more than another high-priced opportunity for him to build-up his war chest for the 2012 presidential campaign.

Held at San Francisco's tony St. Regis Hotel, guests paid between $5,000 and $35,800 -- each -- to hear him give yet another speech filled with platitudes. Along the way, however, things went a bit off the rails. A protest was staged by members of the “Fresh Juice Party” (hey, another hilarious send-up of the Tea Party's name...remember how well the "Coffee Party" went over?).The group kicked in a total of $76,000 to gain entrance to the event so that they could let the president, those assembled and the media know that they don't like the way alleged Wikileaks leaker, U.S. Army Pvt. Bradley Manning, is being treated in pre-trial detention. (See video below.)

Bradley Manning...

So what this group of clowns was essentially doing was to hold a sing-along at an event few witnessed or heard about, and to top it off they were there defending an accused traitor -- a sworn member of the U.S. military who reportedly leaked secret documents. Oh, and along the way fattened the very treasury of the man they have a beef with -- Obama.

Let's remember this: Manning isn't being tortured. At. All. The conditions he lives in might be a tad spartan, but he is in prison. Furthermore, whatever discomfort he's feeling, it's probably nothing compared to the discomfort being felt -- 24/7 -- by our brave men and women serving in the Iraq, Afghanistan and (now) Libyan wars...not to mention their loved ones.

I guess no one ever accused these protesters of being smart...

Touchy, touchy...

Before he made his way west to California (aka: the Democratic Party's ATM), President Barack Obama gave a few interviews.

In this particular sit-down, he did with a Texas station (below), the president not only got some key historical facts wrong, but he also had a few choice (read: cranky) remarks for the interviewer.

After watching it, you've got to wonder, "Does the president actually know any American history? How could he think that 'Texas has always been a pretty Republican state, for, you know, historic reasons.' Does he have any idea that it was the Democratic Party that dominated the South from the 1830s up until the 1970s and 80s? Does he know which party dominated the Confederacy and the Jim Crow South?"

You decide...

(h/t: Betsy's Page)

Radio tonight...

The former U.S ambassador to Malta...

Just a brief appearance tonight on the John Batchelor Show...

We'll be discussing the rising price of gasoline at the pump, and what the resignation of Douglas Kmiec, U.S. Ambassador to Malta, means...

Bonus: The show cleared No. 1 with all (ALL) audiences during the most recent ratings period. WABC-77 AM's head honcho declared that it was the first time - ever - that any show had won every one of its demographics/ratings groups.

He's Chevy Chase...

...and you're not.

And for that you can be thankful...

in·co·her·ent/ˌinkōˈhi(ə)rənt/Adjective

1. (of spoken or written language) Expressed in an incomprehensible or confusing way; unclear.

2. (of a person) Unable to speak intelligibly.

He's just different...

From England's The Daily Mail: "Outspoken politician Dennis Kucinich is known for his anti-war views, veganism and statuesque British wife. But it appears the diminutive 64-year-old Ohio Congressman can add another even more bizarre string to his bow - he is also an accomplished ventriloquist. Appearing on Thursday's Daily Show, Kucinich demonstrated the bizarre talent in a mock interview." (See video below...)

The story goes on to explain that, "He has twice run for president, garnering little support and leaving him open to criticism that his candidacies were mere 'vanity' projects."

While the piece does a good job of explaining Kucinich's political career and, um, hobby, it neglects to mention his previous reports of an encounter with a UFO."

A UFO encounter would explain a lot about Kucinich and his, um, hobby...

Putting their stamp on it...

The U.S. Postal Service is an easy target -- and an especially tempting target for proponents of the small-government, free market approach to basic services.

Time and time again, the USPS comes under fire for everything from its predictable billion-dollar deficits, to the ground it's losing to new communications technologies, to the market share it's lost to competitors in the private sector.

It also regularly takes hits for mistakes (like the one above) that serve to make jokes easier to write and eyebrows easier to raise.

According to the New York Times, "The United States Postal Service has issued a new stamp featuring the Statue of Liberty. Only the statue it features is not the one in the harbor, but the replica at the New York-New York casino in Las Vegas."

Time to call in an expert?

"You might think that the post office would have just gone with the original, the one off the tip of Lower Manhattan that for 125 years has welcomed millions of New York’s huddled masses yearning to breathe free," the NYT story goes on to say. "Instead, they accidentally used the 14-year-old statue that presides over thousands of weary gamblers a week. The post office, which had thought the Lady Liberty 'forever' stamp featured the real thing, found out otherwise when a clever stamp collector who is also what one might call a superfan of the Statue of Liberty got suspicious and contacted Linn’s Stamp News, the essential read among philatelists."

So, I wonder how the USPS will rectify this error?

“'We still love the stamp design and would have selected this photograph anyway,' said Roy Betts, a spokesman, in the NYT story. Mr. Betts did say, however, that the post office regrets the error and is 're-examining our processes to prevent this situation from happening in the future.'”

Yes, go with that...

We owe our souls...

..."to the company store."

Here's a nifty collection of visuals that will help you understand the debt...

(h/t: Iowahawk - producer of this very fine piece)

Asleep at the Wheel?

Sleepy Joe...

Apparently, Joe Biden - already burdened with more responsibilities than any other vice president...evah - decided he would multi-task during today's budget/debt speech by President Barack Obama.

Not only was Vice President Biden attending and listening to his boss' address - and, no doubt, going over the countless tasks before him (in his mind) - he also was getting a few ZZZZs in.

ABC News' The Note adds, "Biden, at one point, could be seen apparently nodding off -- or at least deep in thought. The bug was catching, too. The woman in glasses directly behind Biden appears to close her eyes too."

Nap time!

Barack "Flip-Flop" Obama...

It's tough being a politician. Typically, if you're going to be effective, you have to compromise here and there to fulfill your promises and carry out an agenda.

There is, however, a term for those politicians who will do anything to grab and hold power (or to at least keep their heads above water): flip-flopper.

In a nice little article in the Telegraph-UK, our current Commander in Chief, Barack Hussein Obama, is taken to task for his blatant flip-floppery.

Making those flip-flops work for him...

The Top 10 list includes:

1. Keeping Guantanamo Open

2. Bringing back military tribunals for terror suspects

3. Continuing renditions of terror suspects

4. Ordering military action in Libya without seeking Congressional authorization

5. Dropping Third Site missile defenses in order to appease the Russians

6. Letting Sudan off the hook for the Darfur genocide

7. Backing a federal Europe after defending national sovereignty

8. Pledging to restore America's standing in the world but lowering it instead

9. Dumping Mubarak in Egypt after calling him a "stalwart ally"

10. Killing the NASA manned space program

That's not all -- but it is enough....

Bonus: video flip-flop evidence...

More Obama flip-flops on display...

Worrying themselves to death...

Fukushima: the view from above...

Far be it for me to minimize the nuclear catastrophe in Japan.

The post-tsunami damages/meltdowns/leaks at the Fukushima nuclear power facilities are, obviously, one of the very worst nuclear disasters in history. Period.

The damage to the immediate area will likely persist for years - maybe decades - the people of the region are likely to experience short- and long-term problems, and the entire Japanese economy is likely to be impacted for some time.

The troubled Fukushima nuclear facility...

What is highly unlikely, however, is that people outside of the "exclusion zone" - and certainly those living as far away as the United States - have anything to worry about when it comes to the plant's leaking radiation.

In a piece cited by Overcoming Bias, "MIT’s Josef Oehmen explains, there is very little chance that many will suffer much radiation harm: 'There was and will not be any significant release of radioactivity from the damaged Japanese reactors. By significant I mean a level of radiation of more than what you would receive on – say – a long distance flight, or drinking a glass of beer that comes from certain areas with high levels of natural background radiation."

Overcoming Bias points out that experts say that while, "...radiation escaping from a nuclear power plant catastrophe can increase the risk of many cancers and other health problems, stress, anxiety and fear ended up in many ways being much greater long-term threats to health and well-being after Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and other nuclear accidents."

In a Washington Post story entitled, "Fear is potent risk of Japanese nuclear crisis," Fred Mettler, a University of New Mexico professor emeritus and one of the world’s leading authorities on radiation, who studied Chernobyl for the World Health Organization, states: “The psychological effects were the biggest health effects of all — by far. In the end, that’s really what affected the most people.”

The story goes on to say that, "Fears of contamination and anxiety about the health of those exposed and their children led to significantly elevated rates of suicidal thinking and anxiety disorders, and rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression about doubled, Mettler and others said."

But won't that radiation turn us all into mutated freaks?!?!?

“In the movies and in comic books, people getting exposed to radiation turn into monsters,” said John Boice Jr., a radiation expert at the International Epidemiology Unit in Rockville, MD.

In fact, radiation is a far less potent carcinogen than other toxic substances. Studies of more than 80,000 survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki blasts have found that about 9,000 people subsequently died of some form of cancer. But only about 500 of those cases could be attributed to the radiation exposure the people experienced.

“The average amount of radiation that victims in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were exposed to would increase the risk of dying from lung cancer by about 40 percent,” Boice said. Smoking a pack of cigarettes a day increases the risk of dying of lung cancer by about 400 percent.

“Radiation is a universal carcinogen, but it’s a very weak carcinogen compared to other carcinogens,” Boice said. “Even when you are exposed, it’s very unlikely you will get an adverse effect. But fear of radiation is very strong.”

Who knew worrying could be more deadly?

You know what radiation causes? Godzilla movies...

Priorities on display...

Congress still gets paid during a shutdown, but the troops won't...

Obama, Boehner, Reid: the three at the center of the shutdown crisis...

According to Talking Points Memo, " With less than 48 hours to go until the government does shut down, all [Congressional ] members -- and the President -- are still slated to receive their checks. The optics of this are so bad that members are figuring out ways to avoid political stigma for swimming in dough while their constituents suffer."

Those constituents include members of the U.S. armed forces who are now engaged in three separate wars.

What was that about "a government for the people?"

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), left, joined the vast majority of members of Congress Wednesday night, saying elected federal officials should not be paid in the event of a government shutdown.

"President Barack Obama's First Ad of 2012"...

...the one he's not thrilled with.

Sainthood? Already?

Various media outlets have tried the shot below on numerous occasions. This one, taken during the president's speech on Libya, is courtesy of the Associated Press.

Yeah, not in the tank -- much...

(h/t: TigerHawk)

Sign language...

"Seen from Highway 60-70-84, 5 miles east of Clovis, New Mexico"...

(h/t: Moonbattery)

Where's Al Gore when you need him?

"The Earth...has a feeee-vur!" - Al Gore Jr.

(h/t: failblog)

Something's out of whack here...

In an op-ed in today’s Wall Street Journal by its senior economics writer, Stephen Moore, is this scary bit of information: “More Americans work for the government than work in construction, farming, fishing, forestry, manufacturing, mining and utilities combined.”