Obama: Double Standards for all my men!!

Obama’s much beloved speech-writer, Jon Favreau, while perhaps preparing for his new job in a White House with a Clinton in it, was photographed pretending to grope the “breast” of a life-sized cardboard cutout of a woman while another guy in an Obama Staff T-shirt kissed the cut-out and pretended to pour beer in it's mouth.

The Cardboard cutout was of Hillary Clinton.

It's been well over a week now (at least) and the media response seems to be non-existent, as the Obama camp has said nothing, while Clinton herself has been dismissive of the event as little more that good fun.  And NOW is just too busy even for a pat response. If there is some outrage out there, it hasn't travelled much farther than the remote corners of the blogosphere, with the possible exception of Bill Clinton who might be wondering why he can't get some of that action.

Is it a big deal?  Well that depends.

Take the same picture with two Republican staffers and a cardboard cut-out of any woman known or unknown--God help us if it was actually Hillary Clinton--and convince me that this isn't the lede on every news show, talk show, and on the front of every paper in America until someone or more likely many someones--all of the Republican species of male--quits or gets fired?

Rahm Emanuel calls 21?

Obama is clinging to his claims that he did not have any contact with the Rod Bribeojevich, and that no one on his staff was in contact with him (at least not at his request.)   I believe we can also count on statements to the affect that if anyone on the tranistion team was in contact with the governor or his office, it was about something else, and whatever that "else" may have been, Obama will claim he was not aware of the specifics. 

And as unlikely as that all sounds given his political roots, and the fact that everyone in his Five--in fact the entire friends and family network has followed Mr. Obama to Washington DC, we might still feel inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Or maybe not?

A columnist from the Chicago Sun Times has indicated that Rahm Emanuel--not exactly a stranger to Mr. Obama or his transition team (unless chief of staff means the waitstaff)--can be heard on 21 seperate  taped conversations from the FBI's treasure trove of evidence against Bribeojevich.  Were not talking about one or two calls.  He's talking to Rod the dirt bag on 21 seperate recordings.

I'm sure Rahm was just burning up the transition teams extra unused cell minutes while Barry was sneaking out for a smoke.  You know, cathching up on things back home.

So what could Rahm and Rod possibly have to talk about on 21 seperate FBI recordings?  Seems like you could cover a lot of ground there.  I mean, I can't think of anyone other than my wife that I call 21 times in a single year.  Not even Pizza Hut.  Well, according to the rumblings, and the Sun-Times Columnist, in each and every instance they were discussing Obama's vacant Seante Seat.  Twenty-one taped discussions about Obama's Senate seat.   And Mr. Obama doesn't know anything about this? 

If this turns out to be legitimate--it really is all rumor and specualtion at this point--what would Obama's biggest problem be?  That he didn't know what his own chief of staff was up to, or that he did and he lied about it?  I can't see how either scenario bodes well for President Elect Obama, and if the conversations are legitimate and incriminating (and the investigation is permitted to continue without a change of counsel come January 20 that could slow or stop the investigation) who might Obama offer up as a sacrifical lamb?

Would he toss Rahm under the bus?  It will be interesting to see how this develops, if it does at all.

Gun-grabbers on people grabbing guns

You may or may not have heard that there has been a huge increase in gun sales since Obama’s election on Nov 4^th. (I don’t know the exact figures off hand.) Well the Brady campaign had this to say about this abrupt increase in the commerce of Firearms …(excerpted from the Patriot Post)

"We don't dispute [the gun sales hike] because the numbers from the federal system certainly confirm that there is increased activity out there. We just think it's a bit stupid. Anyone who thinks they need to rush out and buy a firearm clearly has not been paying attention to how quickly we make progress on this issue. We don't think these are first-time buyers. We think they are people who already have more than enough guns at their homes to protect themselves and are buying more."

--Peter Hamm, spokesman for the Brady Campaign against Gun Violence.

The problem with this (well, one of the problems) is that it fails to account for the exponential increase in people taking NRA basic pistol training classes across the country. According to the instructors I have spoken too they can’t schedule enough classes to meet the requests for this introductory class. 

So are current gun owners buying more? I bet they are. But a significant—and it is significant—number of first time buyers and future buyers, are lining up to take safety classes to not only participate in their constitutional right to self defense, but to do so in a safe and responsible manner.  We should all commend them, and encourage any gun-owners who have not yet taken the class to do so. 

No matter what the Brady campaign want's us to beleive, there is a tremendous upsurge in first-time gun owners.  Obama is the catalyst, and it makes a statement by a growing number of Americans that they feel entitled to a right to own a gun and that the Obama Presidency--in their minds--poses a significant enough threat to that right, that they feel the need to arm themselves in advance of his coronation.

whose-fault defaulting mortgages

The Boston Globe reports today that over half of the retooled mortgages designed to keep people in their homes have resulted in homeowners who are still defaulting on loans.

Part of the failure can be linked to the stupidity of the mortgage industry, summed up in this quote from the article.

Even some professionals in the lending industry are mystified at why so many companies are charging delinquent borrowers more in a modified loan when they clearly could not afford the original, lower amount.

That's right. While we can thank the mortgage holders for making the effort to keep people in their homes, instead of just foreclosing, you have to wonder what kind of circumstance leads them to conclude that a higher payment would be more manageable?

Is this some new FHA Ignorance in Lending program? 

Has Barney Frank donned a litte black mask and taken a day-job as the loan-arranger?

The result is that people who were essentially lied to about being able to afford a home, many of whom simply should have known better to begin with, are willing to make any deal that prevents them from losing their homes and whatever money--if any--they have already invested in them.

But all they are doing is giving the bank one more payment (maybe) before they kicked out of what amounted to a rental gig.  It's unfortunate for all kinds of reasons but people assumed debt they could never pay off.  That's supposed to be irresponsible, not tragic.

While less than half of the re-faults are a product of such stupidy a larger 60% appear to result in lower payments but with the same results; they are just arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.  These people were never equipped to own a home, and the lesson we learn--if we learn anything at all--should be a telling reminder of the broader affects of trying to give something to someone who is not yet prepared for the burden. 

A last minute stocking stuffer from Planned Parenthood?

How would you like to wake up on Christmas morning to find a gift certificate in your stocking? How about one from Planned Parenthood?

Before you explode with moral outrage—if that’s something you feel inclined towards doing--think about what a gift like this says. Even thoughanywhere from 35% to 75% of PP’s clinic income is related to terminating pregnancies, they do provide other related services like screenings and birth control. Would you want to receive a free pap smear this holiday season? How about a pelvic exam?

I’d imagine the same feminists who would storm the gates with pitchforks and torches to emasculate any man daft enough to give his woman a kitchen appliance as a holiday gift, are probably more than just ok with a pelvic exam (pap-smear or even, you know what) from Planned Parenthood as a suitable Yule tide offering.  This of course completley abbrogates (or should I say aborts?) the last vestiges of a tradition that began by acknowledging life and creation with gifts, and a divine one at that. 

I mean really, do you know a man who would actually give this gift to the woman in his life—and if he did should she be suspicious?  And doesn’t this just add a whole new dimension to Secret Santa or the Yankee swap at the office of family party?

Well be prepared.  Planned Parenthood in Indiana is offering gift certificates of varying cash values, to anyone with the perspicacity to really put the "Planned" in Planned Parenthood this holiday season.  In fact the organization has considered running it all year round, so it can't be too long before the gift that says you really care is available in our corner of Mother Natures womb.

Is there a woman in your life whose been neglecting her reproductive scheduled maintenance?

And what exactly are the etiquette rules for this?

Should we can expect gift cards next, with cute little pictures on them?  How untasteful could that get?

But the marketing opportunities boggle the mind.  Birthdays, holidays, divorces? How about from your uncle on the anniversary of that ‘special day?'  You getting all this governor--no parental consent for NH parents--Lynch? 

I can picture the “Gift begins with Kay” commercialization.  A tender moment outdoors at night, soft holiday lighting, a gentle snowfall.  She smiles coyly--almost blushing--as they face each other, gloved hands gently reaching out between them . But before they embrace, he reaches into his pocket and...

You know MBNA credit will be all over this.  Introducing the Planned Parenthood credit card.

“Turn your everyday purchases for gas and groceries into rewards points you can redeem on ‘reproductive services’ at any of thousands of Planned parenthood locations nationwide.”

They could end the ads with a catchy phrase like, “What’s in your Vagina?”