Saturday, February 28, 2009

RIP, Mr. Paul Harvey



Legendary broadcaster Paul Harvey has passed away at the age of 90. For more than 70 years, his was a trusted voice in American households. He and his dear wife (and producer/manager) Angel created such icons as The Rest of The Story and Paul Harvey News & Comment.

Mr. Harvey was in fragile health after the passing of his beloved wife early last year and he never resumed his regular schedule afterward. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to Paul Harvey, Jr. and the rest of Mr. Harvey's family. May God rest his soul.

UPDATE: Media Coverage of Michigan Taxpayers' Tea Party

Friday, February 27, 2009

Michigan Taxpayers' Tea Party

UPDATE: There is now a separate site dedicated to free-use Tea Party signs and slogans!  Visit Tea Party Signs to see them all.


Despite early morning sleet and rain, temperatures in the mid-20's, and just three day's notice, 300+ hardy souls gathered on the steps of our Capitol in Lansing to deliver tea bags, protest the SwindleUs bill, tax increases, and the general encroachment of government on our freedoms. Here are a few of the photos I took earlier today. If any of you has a picture of Grammy with her 'Stimulus Plan' sign, please let me know.

We didn't get much attention from the MSM, as you might expect. Here's a link to the story the Lansing State Journal has on their web site. If I find other coverage, I'll update later.


Crowd Shot, Ground Level


The 'Come & Take It' Guys


Kids in the Crowd. They will be paying for this!


Even the dogs were protesting!


Delivering the message on the Capitol steps.
Note the message on the middle sign - your KIDS will have to pay
for this mess!


A smart little girl!


Her very smart brother.


Organizer Joan Fabiano (left) speaks to the crowd.


Scott Hagerstrom, Michigan Director of Americans For Prosperity


Organizer Wendy Day


Nice crowd!


Leon Drolet (Michigan Taxpayers' Alliance) and Nick DeLeeuw (Right Michigan)
in the crowd... right in the middle of it all!

Friday Morning Funnies


Hat Tip: Townhall.com

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

And The Award Goes To...

Grammy's been playing with Photoshop again. I know, Crumb Crunchers - I'm not terribly good at it (yet). I still think this is pretty funny. Hope you do, too.


Breakfast of Chumpians


Wise Guy: John Adams

John Adams was the second President of the United States and a very wise guy. He was well-educated, graduated from Harvard (before 'well-educated' and 'Harvard Law' became mutually exclusive terms) and was considered more a philosopher than politician during his life. His words are both relevant and cautionary for America in 2009.

Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak.

Power always thinks... that it is doing God's service when it is violating all his laws.

All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise, not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from the downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.

Democracy... while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.
And finally, proving he had wit to match his wisdom:
In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Michigan Taxpayers' Tea Party

Taxpayer protests are being organized around the country for this Friday, February 27th. Here in Michigan, we will gather at noon on the East Lawn of the Capitol in Lansing. Everyone is welcome. Bring tea bags and signs. For more information, visit the Michigan Tea Party blog. Get driving directions at Mapquest.com. The East Lawn faces Capitol Avenue, at the foot of Michigan Avenue. See you there!

Taxpayers' Prize Patrol

This video is priceless! Watch as the 'Prize Patrol' delivers huge checks to big banks, showers Treasury Secretary Geithner with cash and presents $28,000 invoices to unsuspecting taxpayers!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Old Time Gospel Sunday

The message of this hymn couldn't be more appropriate now. Please listen carefully.


Pastor Wintley Phipps, 'Heal Our Land'

Thursday, February 19, 2009

WGRC: Thursday Morning Jazz Interlude

Here's some really great jazz to pick you up on a Thursday morning. It seemed a fitting choice, since we're all living in the land of make-believe-the-government-will-bail-you-out. Enjoy the music. It's the only 'stimulus' you're gonna get, Crumb Crunchers.


Chuck Mangione, 'Land of Make Believe'

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Wise Guy: Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, was known as the Great Communicator for a reason. With poignancy and wit, he spoke timeless principles of freedom and conservatism directly to the hearts of Americans everywhere. We would be well-advised to heed his words today.


"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

"Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty."

"Man is not free unless government is limited."
President Reagan was a very wise man indeed.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Muslim TV Station Founder Beheads Wife

The Buffalo (New York) News reported today that Mr. Muzzammil Hassan, 44, an influential area businessman, is under arrest for murdering his wife, Aasiya Z. Hassan, by beheading her.
Authorities say Aasiya Hassan recently had filed for divorce from her husband.

"She had an order of protection that had him out of the home as of Friday the 6th [of February]
A lot of good that protection order did her. Hell hath no fury like a Muslim man scorned.
Mr. Hassan is the founder and chief executive officer of Bridges TV, which he launched in 2004, amid hopes that it would help portray Muslims in a more positive light.
Seriously. Nothing says 'positive portrayal of Muslims' like chopping off your wife's head because she wants a divorce. We can only pray Mr. Hassan's 'influence' had nothing to do with promoting domestic violence and murder.
Mount Rushmore
3 Republicans, 0 Democrats


Happy President's Day!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Friday, February 13, 2009

R.I.P, U.S.A.



WGRC: I'm In A Grand Funk State Of Mind

The passage of the Porkulus Package has me in a blue funk this Friday the 13th...so here's a great song by a great Michigan band in keeping with the heartbreaking events of the day:


Grand Funk Railroad, 'Heartbreaker'

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Wise Guy: Milton Friedman



The brilliant American economist Milton Friedman (RIP) could convey profound concepts in a sublimely concise and approachable way. Here are three examples that are most apropos for current events:
"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand."

"Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it."

"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself."
Very wise guy, that Milton Friedman...

WGRC: We Just Disagree

Dave Mason is doing an interview this morning on local radio, which prompted me to remember this great song. The title seems appropriate given the activity in Washington these days, while the lyrics (from Traffic's Low Spark of High Heeled Boys) are perfect. Enjoy! Then call your Senator...
The percentage you're paying is too high-priced
While you're living beyond all your means
And the man in the suit has just bought a new car
From the profit he's made on your dreams
[snip]
If I gave you everything that I owned
And asked for nothing in return
Would you do the same for me as I would for you
Or take me for a ride
And strip me of everything, including my pride
But spirit is something that no one destroys


Dave Mason, 'We Just Disagree'

Monday, February 9, 2009

More Lies, Damn Lies And Statistics: Carl Levin On The Stimulus Plan

Paul W. Smith, the morning drive host on Detroit's 50,000 watt powerhouse news/talk station, WJR-760 AM, spoke with Senator Carl Levin on the content of the Stimulus Bill. This is a must-hear interview, Crumb Crunchers. You will understand why Senator Levin is referred to as Senator Lenin in the Cracker household.

With a straight face and serious voice, Senator Lenin informs Paul W. that there is NO pork in this package. None. Really! No transcript is available, but the entire interview can be found on the WRJ website here.


Lies, Damn Lies And Statistics: Benedict Arlen Explains Himself

In today's Washington Post, Benedict Arlen tries to explain why he will vote for the so-called Stimulus Bill. I have taken the liberty of parsing the article for you:
I am supporting the economic stimulus package for one simple reason: The country cannot afford not to take action.

Wrong. The country cannot afford to rush into a cesspool of debt from which she will never recover.

The unemployment figures announced Friday, the latest earnings reports and the continuing crisis in banking make it clear that failure to act will leave the United States facing a far deeper crisis in three or six months. By then the cost of action will be much greater -- or it may be too late.

Wrong. We have already thrown 350 Billion down that rat hole, to no discernible effect. How is throwing more supposed to solve anything?

Too late for what exactly, Senator? Too late for you and your elitist, ruling-class pals to grab control of huge swaths of the American economy? Too late to provide the President with the false shield of 'bi-partisanship' he so clearly seeks? Too late to keep the great unwashed from finding out what's really in this boondoggle? Too late to scare the average American into taking this crap lying down?

Wave after wave of bad economic news has created its own psychology of fear and lowered expectations.
Well whose fault is that? The compliant media sings from the President's hymnal to achieve the desired, intentional outcome of fear and low expectations.
As in the old Movietone News, the eyes and ears of the world are upon the United States. Failure to act would be devastating not just for Wall Street and Main Street but for much of the rest of the world, which is looking to our country for leadership in this crisis.

Wrong...or if not wrong, then 'why do we care'? I for one am sick of pompous Washington pols telling me what the rest of the world thinks of me, my lifestyle, my country. Joining the world's merry band of Socialist states might please Europe, but we'll pass, thank you very much.

The legislation known as the "moderates" bill, hammered out over two days by Sens. Susan Collins, Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberman and myself, preserves the job-creating and tax relief goals of President Obama's stimulus plan while cutting less-essential provisions -- many of them worthy in themselves -- that are better left to the regular appropriations process.

Wrong. There's nothing 'moderate' about American elected officials negotiating away the very fabric of the United States under the guise of 'saving jobs'. Cut taxes? Absolutely! All of them! For everyone, for every business. See my three-point plan for reviving the economy for more ideas.

Only in government Newspeak can we justify "less-essential provisions". Get a clue, Arlen et al...if it is not essential you have no business doing it. Period. End of discussion. Sending millions to foreign countries to pay for abortions may be 'essential' to the infanticide-supporting President and some of his contributors, but it does absolutely nothing for the American economy. Millions for ACORN and other 'community organizers' will be equally useless to America. One of my personal favorites is the so-called tax credit for people who do not pay taxes, including illegal aliens. We already have a word for this activity: welfare.

These and countless other 'less-essential' provisions are nothing more than quid pro quo for the President's campaign supporters.

Our $780 billion bill would save or create up to 4 million jobs, helping to offset the loss of 3.6 million jobs since December 2007. The bill cuts some $110 billion from the $890 billion Senate version, which would actually be $940 billion if floor amendments for tax credits on home and car purchases and money for the National Institutes of Health are retained.

Wrong. The private sector creates real jobs. Government make-work jobs, bureaucratic paper-pushers and the like simply create an even bigger burden on the private sector.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the proposed cuts "do violence to what we are trying to do for the future," especially on education. Her objections are a warning to conservatives that more cuts would be unlikely to win House approval. They are also an admission of the high price that moderates have been able to extract for their support of stimulus legislation.

Well of course she does! Princess Pelosi is quite open about her desire to quickly, radically, permanently alter the structure of this country into a Socialist utopia of her making. You can no more be a little bit Socialist than you can a little bit pregnant, Senator. You either is or you ain't. From where I sit, you is.

If a stimulus bill doesn't pass, there won't be any money for Title I education programs. The moderates' bill provides marginally less money for Title I than the House and Senate bills. But while it's less than supporters want, this proverbial half a loaf beats no loaf by a mile.

In health funding, both the House and Senate bills contain billions of dollars for wellness and prevention programs, including for smoking cessation, prenatal screening and counseling, education, and immunization. The moderates' bill, regrettably but necessarily, cancels this funding on the grounds that such programs are better left to the regular appropriations process.

Oh NO! Without this black hole of spiraling debt, there won't be any education! Senator Specter, have you taken a look at government education lately? We already have little to no education going on. The public schools are doing a bang-up job of creating good little comrades, though...and that's what we really need to keep funding, isn't it?

"Regrettably" cancels billions for smoking cessation, prenatal screening, etc? Why regrettably? What do any of those programs have to do with saving the economy? Not a thing, but then again, that isn't the point.

"In politics," John Kennedy used to say, "nobody gets everything, nobody gets nothing and everybody gets something." My colleagues and I have tried to balance the concerns of both left and right with the need to act quickly for the sake of our country. The moderates' compromise, which faces a cloture vote today, is the only bill with a reasonable chance of passage in the Senate.

Get real. Here's what the deal actually is: some get most, most get none and everyone loses freedom. You cannot balance the concerns of freedom and tyranny. You cannot compromise with it. Every member of Congress took an oath to the Constitution of the United States. Any one who votes for this destruction-of-America-as-we-know-it bill has violated their oath of office and betrayed their country. Nothing less.


Benedict Arlen Specter is a Republican-in-name-only senator from Pennsylvania.

Bright Sunshiny Day

I defy you to listen to this and not smile. Can't be done, I tells ya! This doubles as your Michigan weather report for the day.


Jimmy Cliff, 'I Can See Clearly Now'

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Keep It Stupid, Simple


So here we are, face to face with the largest expansion of government in American history, all in the name of economic stimulus. We're supposed to feel better that a couple of spineless, brain-dead "Republicans" joined with the Obamastration and reduced the cost of this leviathan by 150 billion. Wow. Sorry, Barry; I still don't have a tingle in my leg. Your plan is still an Obamanation.

In the classic Newspeak our politicians wield so well, what they dub the 'stimulus' bill will actually stifle the economy, crush the private sector and permanently empower the ruling class. Welcome to the U.S.S.A., comrade Crumb Crunchers.

I have a three-step plan for restoring the economy and stimulating growth. It won't cost the taxpayers a dime, will not run up the national debt and could be accomplished immediately. Here's what I want the government (federal, state, local) to do for me:
  1. Get out of my wallet. Cut taxes. All of them. I know what I need. Government bureaucrats do not. I earned the money; I should be the one spending it.

  2. Get out of my face. Cut regulations. I am an entrepreneur; a business owner. I have earned a paycheck and made a payroll. I know how to run my company and my life. Government bureaucrats do not. Leave me alone.

  3. Get out of my way. Sit down, shut up and hang on, because the economy will be roaring again if the private sector is allowed to do what it's good at.
This plan will never be considered by Washington for one simple reason: it reduces rather than expands their power. Our politicians are not interested in your rights, your freedom, your well-being or your happiness. They are concerned with their power, how to keep it and how to get more.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Old Time Gospel Sunday


'Christian Composer' offers his rendition of the classic hymn
'Take My Life And Let It Be'