The Hound Of Ulster

It’s right HERE:

This will be the 25th Notre Dame graduation during my time as bishop. After much prayer, I have decided not to attend the graduation. I wish no disrespect to our president, I pray for him and wish him well. I have always revered the Office of the Presidency. But a bishop must teach the Catholic faith “in season and out of season,” and he teaches not only by his words — but by his actions.

My decision is not an attack on anyone, but is in defense of the truth about human life.

…

Even as I continue to ponder in prayer these events, which many have found shocking, so must Notre Dame. Indeed, as a Catholic University, Notre Dame must ask itself, if by this decision it has chosen prestige over truth.

Tomorrow, we celebrate as Catholics the moment when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, became a child in the womb of his most holy mother. Let us ask Our Lady to intercede for the university named in her honor, that it may recommit itself to the primacy of truth over prestige.

I think they’re TRYING to copy/update THIS.  But the quarter century limit seems to have produced some strange entries, like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at #17.  I’m not comfortable even calling that a good film, let alone one of the Best Conservative films in recent memory.  (I also wonder if everyone means the same thing by “conservative” here.  Some of the blurbs would suggest otherwise.  That’s what Stuttaford THOUGHT, too.)

#25 - GRAN TORINO
#24 - TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE
#23 - UNITED 93
#22 - BRAZIL
#21 - HEARTBREAK RIDGE
#20 - GATTACA
#19 - WE WERE SOLDIERS
#18 - THE EDGE
#17 - THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE
#16 - MASTER AND COMMANDER
#15 - RED DAWN
#14 - A SIMPLE PLAN
#13 - BRAVEHEART
#12 - THE DARK KNIGHT
#11 - THE LORD OF THE RINGS
#10 - GHOSTBUSTERS
#9 - BLAST FROM THE PAST
#8 - JUNO
#7 - THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
#6 - GROUNDHOG DAY
#5 - 300
#4 - FOREST GUMP
#3 - METROPOLITAN
#2 - THE INCREDIBLES
#1 - THE LIVES OF OTHERS

As I look at some of these selections, I come to the realization that “Best” is clearly meant to modify “Conservative” here, and not “Movies.”  Because I can only think of about 5 or 6 of these that I would consider great films.  (A correlary: I don’t think the order is important.  At least I sure hope it isn’t.  If 300 and Forest Gump are towards the top of just about any list, I’m not thrilled. )

NRO’s folks had a great LINE from Charlie Krauthammer on Obama’s “budget:”

The president used the word “honest.” That’s astonishing. Look, all budgets are fiction. This one is fantasia.

Pay no attention to the fact that the fellow leading the parade in that picture has huge ears.  It’s a complete conincidence.  Nothing to see here.  Move along.
 

And yes, I know it’s usually “1,000.”  I’m just taking the impending inflation into account.
 

The Duck recently COMMENTED on Bush’s refusal to pardon Scooter Libby.  Actually, he was mostly commenting on other praisworthy ways W. found to keep himself busy in the final days of his presidency, but the Libby stuff was the context.

Apparently, Cheney was none too THRILLED:

In multiple conversations, both in person and over the telephone, Cheney tried to get Bush to change his mind. Libby was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in the federal probe of who leaked covert CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity to the press.

Several sources confirmed Cheney refused to take no for an answer. “He went to the mat and came back and back and back at Bush,” a Cheney defender said. “He was still trying the day before Obama was sworn in.”

After repeatedly telling Cheney his mind was made up, Bush became so exasperated with Cheney’s persistence he told aides he didn’t want to discuss the matter any further.

Rove says that’s not quite ACCURATE.

The depth of Cheney’s discontent seems open for dibate.  But either way, it strikes yet another blow against those anxious to see Bush as Cheney’s puppet.
 

As I have had cause to remark in the past, my knowledge of economic matters is cursory at best.  (That’s one of the reasons I keep The DUCK around.  That, and the puns.  No, wait…)  So, despite my interest in THIS story, I recognize that I am almost compeltely unqualified to comment on it.

To set the C-SPAN scene, Kanjorski is harkening back to the middle of last September, when, as it happens, John McCain was enjoying his brief lead in the presidential polls and the economy as we knew it was imploding. Here’s what Kanjorski said:

“I was there when the Secretary (of the Treasury Hank Paulson) and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve (Ben Bernanke) came those days and talked to members of Congress about what was going on. It was about Sept. 15. Here’s the facts, we don’t even talk about these things.

“On Thursday at about 11 o’clock in the morning, the Federal Reserve noticed a tremendous drawdown of money market accounts in the United States to the tune of $550 billion, as being drawn out in the matter of an hour or two.

“The Treasury opened up its window to help. It pumped $105 billion into the system and quickly realized that they could not stem the tide. We were having an electronic run on the banks. They decided to close the operation, close down the money accounts and announce a guarantee of $250,000 per account so there wouldn’t be further panic out there, and that’s what actually happened.”

OK, so my knowledge of financial matters is sadly lacking.  But “Soros and Co. trying to stack the deck for Obama,” I get.  Quite a bit of food for thought there.  (Or “thought,” in my case.)  The Champman, who sent me the original link, said it reminded him of THIS:

Japan begins its part of the operation against the U.S. by launching torpedoes at two of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet aircraft carrier and two submarines at the conclusion of a joint U.S.-Japan naval exercise, destroying both submarines and crippling the carriers. Simultaneously, the Japanese cabal engineers the collapse of the American stock market (through the use of witting and unwitting personnel who electronically wipe out the computerized records of all transactions on Wall Street), leaving America at a huge economic disadvantage.

Great.
 

In driving down the total cost of the stimulus bill — from $838 billion approved by the Senate and $820 by the House — legislators also sharply reduced proposed tax incentives for buyers of homes and cars that held huge public appeal. Senator Collins said getting the final number to under $800 billion was more than symbolic; it meant “a fiscally responsible number,” she said.

I’m trying to get my head around the phrase “fiscally responsible number” and the amount “$800 billion” appearing in the same sentence.  Having no luck.

Bonus points for identifying the non-D’s in that picture.  The real ones.  Remember, if it walks and talks like one, it probably is.  (Here’s a more complete report of the “DEAL.”)
 

Nancy’s at it AGAIN:

Pelosi publicly stated that “every month that we do not have an economic recovery package 500 million Americans lose their jobs.”

Although Pelosi made the absurd claim last month, video of the event where she spoke surfaced over the weekend on YouTube and various right-wing blogs.

The United States has a population of 303 million.

It isn’t the only time Pelosi has made the bizarre claim.

In a Jan. 18 interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Pelosi repeated that 500 million jobs would be lost unless Obama’s stimulus package was passed by Congress.

When host Chris Wallace corrected her and asked if she meant 500,000 jobs.

“What did I say, million?” asked Pelosi, adding that it “feels like 500 million.”

“Some 500,000 Americans will lose their jobs each month until we have a recovery package,” she said.

“Yes, Madam Speaker, it feels like almost twice the entire population are losing their jobs each month,” retorted Wallace.

OK, so making that mistake once could easily just have been a slip of the tongue/brain.  But twice?  Wow.  That’s a little harder to stomach.  And no, I would not want to have a camera in front of my face 24/7.  I’m sure it’s really, really hard.  Still, let’s expect more.  We might just get it.
 

As the DUCK can no doubt attest, I’m not the most knowledgable guy when it comes to financial matters.  I know enough to say: “900 Billion seems like too much,” but not a whole lot more than that.

So I like it when guys like Larry Kudlow can provide insightful (and encouraging) COMMENTARY:

So if the administration wants to go off on a class-warfare binge — jacking up taxes on successful earners and investors — you can bet Judd Gregg will argue strongly against it. In fact, you can bet that Judd Gregg doesn’t like the Pelosi-Reid stimulus package one bit, and that he will argue against it in various administration meetings.

It might be that Obama doesn’t like the Pelosi-Reid bill either, and that the president will be sponsoring major changes in that bill. I have no idea if this is the case, but I am surmising that it could be the case simply because Obama has put Gregg in a visible spot.

…

So maybe this awful stimulus bill will in fact be completely changed and delayed until we can figure out how much the next TARP bill is gonna cost. Until Team Obama can come up with a TARP plan and a TARP number for borrowing, the stimulus package should be shelved (and completely reworked).

Might Judd Gregg be the catalyst for all this? Let’s wait and see.

Course, now I’m going to have to check with The Duck to see if Kudlow knows what he’s talking about.  I’m at the mercy of arguments from authority.
 

Keeping comics in business EVERYWHERE:

The dispute centers on a five-year, $63,000 contract the library wants to sign with 3M, an international technology company based in Minnesota, to service five scanner machines library patrons use to check out books.

But 3M, a company with operations in 60 countries, refused to sign Berkeley’s nuclear-free disclosure form as required by the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act passed by voters in 1986.

As a result, the library’s self-checkout machines have not been serviced in about six months. Library officials say 3M is the only company authorized by the manufacturer to fix the machines, which were purchased in 2004.

The library asked the Peace and Justice Commission for a waiver, but at its Jan. 5 meeting the commission voted 7-1, with two abstentions, to reject the request. The library is now appealing the decision to the City Council.

I’m not sure someone could come up with that sort of thing on their own even if they were trying to be funny.  But then, that’s probably true of the creation of the COMMISSION itself.  Seriously, could there be a better example of government and ideology run amuck than this?  (I almost feeling bad labeling it “Politics.”  But I don’t have a “Absurditas” category yet.)

Special bonus: they LOST.