Wonkette: Selective liberal outrage
While serious individuals spent a recent Saturday trying to improve America, the liberal ladies at Wonkette showed more interest in tearing good people down. Their outrage was as selective as it was destructive.
eric
Oprah, Obama and Minority Sympathy Fatigue
Thanks to Oprah Winfrey and President Obama, Americans are now developing an acute case of (MSF) Minority Sympathy Fatigue.
eric
NFL 2013 Preseason Week 3 Raiders Recap
The silver and black adequate at home against Dallas and awful last week at New Orleans. The third preseason game is the one that is treated most like a regular season game. Starters play at least one half, and often three quarters of the game.
The Raiders were at home against the Chicago Bears, and as Dennis Green once reminded us, “Nobody treats the third preseason game like it’s (b.s.).”
eric
When a breakup lacks a villain
Like flowers, all relationships die.
When the blame game begins, the next step is to divide up everything from possessions to friends.
Yet what happens when there is no villain? In a counter-intuitive way, this type of ending to a relationship can be the absolute worst.
eric
Why the RNC had to crack down on CNN and MSNBC
At the Republican National Committee meetings in Boston, the decision was made to boycott CNN and MSNBC during the 2016 GOP presidential primary debates. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus made the motion, which passed unanimously.
While some media feathers will be ruffled by this decision, it had to be done.
eric
Conservatives must stand with Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity has been a leader in talk radio for a long time. In fact, this is truer now than ever before. Despite terrific ratings, loyal advertisers and fantastic guests, false information is being dispensed against him. The record must be set straight.
eric
NFL 2013 Week 2 Raiders Recap
The Oakland Raiders escaped at home to start the preseason, but faced a far sterner test at the New Orleans Saints.
The Raiders got the ball first after a touchback and Matt Flynn was nearly intercepted on the first play from scrimmage. On 3rd and 3 Flynn fired over the middle and David Ausberry made a juggling catch for a 24 yard gain to the Oakland 48. On 3rd and 1 Flynn threw incomplete. Dennis Allen decided to go for it on 4th and 1 at the Saints 43. Darren McFadden, who on 3rd and 3 came up short, was blown up in the backfield.
Drew Brees rolled out and fired a 15 yard completion. Another completion to Darren Sproles meant another first down. A run by Sproles lost 4 yards, Brees threw incomplete on 3rd and 12 at the Oakland 35. Garrett Hartley drilled a 53 yard field goal to put the Saints up 3-0.
The Raiders went 3 and out again as the offensive line looked atrocious. Chris Kluwe punted the ball 57 yards, but a strong return had the Saints starting again with excellent field position at their own 43. That was enough for Brees to go bombs away to Nick Toon. Former Saints defender Tracy Porter was burned as the Saints were now at the Oakland 2 yard line. Mark Ingram ran it in without having to face something as inconvenient as a defender. Only midway through the first quarter, the Raiders trailed 10-0.
A terrible kickoff return had the Raiders at their 18. Flynn immediately got belted. On 3rd and 7 Flynn was sacked again back at the 10 yard line.
The Saints got it back and Brees picked the Raiders defense apart. The Saints were helped along by a defensive pass interference penalty. On 3rd and short a lob pass from Brees to Sproles worked perfectly for an easy first down. As the first quarter was ending, Brees had all the time in the world to throw. With no pressure whatsoever, Brees fired to the corner and had another touchdown. The Raiders trailed 17-0 after the opening quarter.
The Raiders ended the first quarter by committing an offensive holding penalty. On 3rd and 17 from the 9, a West Coast Offense Dink and Dunk pass gained little. Meanwhile Brees threw early, often, and deep. The Saints would add a field goal to lead 20-0 with 10 1/2 minutes left in the half.
The Raiders would respond by having Flynn sacked again and getting another offensive holding penalty. They followed this up with a punt. Brees responded with another deep ball that led to another field goal and a 23-0 lead with just over 2 minutes left in the half. Flynn would quickly move the Raiders 82 yards in 11 plays and hit Denarius Moore for a 30 yard touchdown, but by then the Saints were bored. So were football fans not living in Louisiana.
Seneca Wallace and Terrell Pryor each started the third quarter as the game settled into a battle of backups. A promising drive for the Saints ended with a fumble. Despite being totally inept on offense, the Raiders got back in the game when Wallace was hit near his own goal line by David Bass. Ryan Robinson recovered the resulting fumble in the end zone for a gift touchdown.
Another gift came in the form of a tipped pass that Omar Gaither intercepted at the red zone. On 3rd and goal from the 7, a touchdown run by Pryor was called back by offensive holding. A field goal had the Raiders down 23-17. The Saints fumbled again but fell on it inside their own five yard line as the game entered the fourth quarter.
From his own 3 yard line, Wallace faded back into his end zone and threw a bomb that was dropped past midfield. The Raiders dodged a bullet.
The Raiders received another broke when a personal foul against the Saints on a punt had the Raiders starting at the Saints 43. Matt McGloin came in and immediately fired a completion for ten yards and a first down. McGloin threw into traffic and was almost intercepted, but Sebastian Janikowski came in for a 50 yard field goal. Seabass was supposed to be done for the day but backup kicker Eddie Carmona got hurt. Seabass drilled his kick and the Raiders were only down 23-20 with 12 1/2 minutes left in regulation.
With the Saints playing their third string quarterback, a deep bomb led to a very questionable defensive pass interference call that had the Saints at the Oakland 10 yard line. On 4th and goal at the one, the Saints went for it and the Raiders made an inspired goal line stand. The defense was what got the Raiders back in the game when it looked hopeless. The offense rewarded the defense when it counted most by giving up a safety and extinguishing any momentum and hope of a comeback. These are the Raiders.
The Saints took the free kick and moved easily. Yet again the Raiders clamped down on defense in the red zone, and the Saints settled for yet another field goal and a 28-20 lead with less than 3 minutes to play.
McGloin had his chance, and at the 2 minute warning the Raiders were at the Oakland 40. Yet 3rd and 1 was followed by consecutive false starts. These are the Raiders. McGloin was then sacked. Then he was intercepted.
Forget the score. This game was ugly, and does not bode well for the Silver and Black. 28-20 Saints
eric
President Obama still does not understand Egypt
As Egypt takes twists and turns in the struggle for freedom, President Obama continues to be unable to come to grips with the facts on the ground. The media also continues to offer an analysis that is as simplistic as it is completely incorrect
Americans are being told that Egypt has “descended into violence.” Obama himself condemned the “cycle of violence” between the Egyptian military and the Muslim Brotherhood. He called on both parties to show restraint, conferring moral equivalence on a situation that requires nothing of the sort.
The cycle of violence seems like a harmless phrase, but it confer levels of culpability and responsibility in a manner that encourages aggression.
Not everything, to paraphrase Secretary of State John Kerry, is “nuanced.”
Sometimes life is black and white. There are good guys and bad guys, and trying to treat them as equals enrages and demoralizes the frustrated good guys and emboldens the bad guys.
The Egyptian military are the good guys. The Muslim Brotherhood are the bad guys.
The Brotherhood are radical Islamists determined to implement Sharia Law on the people of Egypt. The people do not want this, and took to the streets to beg the military to save them from this. While Brotherhood leader and President Mohammed Morsi was democratically elected, he ran under the false promise of pluralism. He broke his word to the people and was removed.
Violence then broke out, but it was instigated by supporters of the Brotherhood. The radical Islamists resorted to violence because they resort to violence. One does not need an advanced psychiatry degree to understand that murderers murder. This week alone the Egyptian Islamists murdered a number of Coptic Christians.
The Egyptian military is being accused of violence, but restoring law and order cannot be done by asking nicely. Too many world leaders have allowed Islamists to run wild, resulting in more aggression. The Egyptian military is one of the few institutions able…and more importantly willing…to crack down on the Islamists with enough force to deter their behavior.
A decade ago, world leaders had the will to defeat radical Islam. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Aznar, and Australian Prime Minister John Howard all favored this muscular approach.
A decade later, there is not one world leader outside of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who speaks out against the threat of radical Islam. He is undermined at every turn by Obama and other world leaders who still believe that dialogue with determined killers can lead to lasting peace.
Islamists are fomenting violence and instability, and the Egyptian military is determined to suppress it.
The Egyptian military knows better.
Obama should know better.
He should know as a Christian that the Brotherhood would kill him for practicing his faith.
He should know as a father to two lovely daughters that the Brotherhood would stone his children to death for various forms of apostasy.
He should know as a passionate advocate for pre-school education that the Brotherhood would deny the right of his daughters to get educated.
He should know as a man who supports the rights of gays and lesbians that the Brotherhood murders them for sport.
He should know as a student of history that the Islamist history is a violent one that prefers waging war to keeping the peace.
He should know, but he does not. He does not allow his nuanced morally relative shades of gray world to allow for concepts of good and evil.
The Brotherhood is evil. The people of Egypt know this. The Egyptian military knows this. Obama does not know this.
He does not understand the Brotherhood. Until he does, he will never understand the situation in Egypt.
For the sake of allowing liberty and freedom to triumph over eternal darkness, he had better understand the situation soon.
The clock is ticking.
eric
How to fix the public education system
Hollywood actor Matt Damon recently added himself to the list of people who praise public schools while placing his own children in private schools.
Damon is lucky enough to be able to afford private school tuition. Many other families are not so lucky. Public schools are where children go to die, and public school parents know they are condemning their children to misery. Between guns, drugs, and bullying, there is no hope.
Those who want to reform the public education system are met with fierce resistance from education unions. The protection of even the worst teachers at all costs supersedes the needs of the students. When a system needs modifications, tinkering around the margins is sufficient. The public education system needs to be blown up and recreated from scratch.
The reason America’s public education system has failed is because there is not even the slightest element of a meritocracy. Wall Street, professional sports, the American military, and various sales industries are all examples of meritocracies, where the cream rises and the garbage sinks. The solution to fixing the education system is easy.
On the last day of the school year, private consultants must be brought in. They need to have absolute authority to do their jobs. The consultants will be independent contractors hired by the federal government. Any school refusing them will be immediately shut down. Sadly, forceful intervention from the federal government will be required in the beginning.
The consultants will give every public schoolteacher in America good news and bad news to end the school year. The bad news is that every schoolteacher will be fired, effective immediately.
The good news is that they will all be allowed to interview to get their jobs back if they choose to do so. Summer vacation is three months long, but the evaluation process will be completed in less than one month. The right to a reasonably speedy evaluation is the compassionate thing to do.
The top 20% of schoolteachers will get their jobs back. In addition, they will be given 20% raises, effective at the start of the next school year.
The next 40% of schoolteachers will also get their jobs back, although without raises. Things will continue as before.
The next 20% of teachers will also get their jobs back without raises, but with one additional change. A note will be placed in their personnel files giving them one year to improve their job performance.
For these teachers not in the bottom 20%, any back pay lost during their temporary firing will be reinstituted.
The bottom 20% of teachers will stay fired. They will be banned for five years from the education industry. After that period they can then reapply for reinstatement. If they are denied, then they must wait an additional five years. If they reapply again and are turned down again, the ban will be permanent.
Any liberals caught howling about how this approach lacks compassion should speak to the top 20% of teachers getting their 20% raises.
Teachers who secretly know they are not in the top 20% will complain that there is no effective quantifiable standard for measuring teacher performance. Some teachers get stuck with terrible students. This hollow argument implies that just because no system is perfect, that no system should be used at all. At the very least , reasonable people can agree that teachers who are caught molesting their students are in the bottom 20%. Even those teachers take forever to be fired.
To make sure that teachers do not receive all of the blame, a significant number of assistant principals may also need to be terminated. Assistant principals are the equivalent in corporate America of middle management. Their jobs are often duplicative. Corporations needing to get lean and mean trim the bureaucracy. This again can be seen as heartless by people who have never worked in a corporation or understood how a business is supposed to run.
No industry tolerates failure like the education industry. Schools spend time explaining what prevents them from succeeding rather than just actually succeeding. The public sector approach has crashed and burned. Privatization is the only answer.
In corporate America, companies often declare bankruptcy so they can restructure bloated union contracts in an attempt to get solvent. By applying this same standard to public schools, the stranglehold of the education unions can be broken. The schools can then be reopened under new management with more flexibility to keep productive teachers and eliminate counter-productive ones.
Permanently closing down all public schools may have to be an option. Like the horse and buggy, some industries cannot be revived. Giving up on the entire industry and leaving charter schools, private schools and home schooling as the only options may be necessary.
Before taking that drastic step, it is worth finding out if anything redeemable can ever come out of the public school system once meritocracy is forcibly entered into the equation.
eric
Anthony Weiner: A typical liberal Jew
With one brief inappropriate interaction, disgraced former congressman and current New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner became just another boring stereotype. Sadly, Anthony Weiner is just a typical liberal Jew.
eric