(HT: Jennifer Rubin at Contentions)
Sullivan writes:

It was the most electrifying speech I have heard from a leader of the GOP since Reagan.

She can electrify a crowd. She has the kind of charisma that appeals to the sub-rational. and she has crafted a Peronist identity – utterly fraudulent, of course – that is political dynamite in a recession with populism roiling everyone and everything. She is Coughlin with boobs – except with a foreign policy agenda to expand Israel and unite with it in a war against Islam.

Do not under-estimate the appeal of a beautiful, big breasted, divinely chosen warrior-mother as a military leader in a global religious war. (emphasis added)

I am watching the post-game report on ESPN. And I just heard Stuart Scott claim that the “44th president” correctly predicted the winner of the 44th Super Bowl. Sorry Stuart, you’re wrong. Here’s the New York Times article documenting the president’s pick, the Colts.

(Update: Joe in the combox points out that over a week earlier the President had apparently picked the Saints to win as well. So, ESPN is both wrong and right, and the President predicted both correctly and incorrectly. Just like in Neoplatonism, all apparent contradictions dissipate in the being of the One)

It’s Gameday.

I was born a covenant child of New Orleans Saints fandom and, to put it politely, it has been a long 24 years.

Rick Cleveland of Mississippi’s Clarion Ledger has a great article about just how bad the Saints have been from day one:

More than 43 years later, the Saints’ long and winding road has finally led them to a Super Bowl. To say there were detours, wrong turns and crashes along the way is to understate matters entirely. For most of their first two decades, the Saints were the Aints, a fumble or a false start waiting to happen. Fans, to show their embarrassment for cheering such ineptitude, wore bags on their heads.

This is an ideal Super Bowl matchup. I have always been a Manning fan and, I am convinced that a certain Southernness attaches to them that allows someone in Mississippi to pull for teams in New York and Indianapolis. However, as between a Manning and the Saints, my allegiance lies with the Saints.

WHO DAT?!

One of America’s best presidents. EVER!

Breitbart at the Tea Party Convention. There were several dozen MSM reporters present. Gotta love it.

Three times in the video the President makes reference to a Navy corpse-man. Perhaps the undead are clamoring for bio-equality? Who knew?

Apparently, Rahm Emanuel’s problem with his fellow liberals is self-inflicted. Here’s a job announcement posted on the website of the U. S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division:

The Civil Rights Division encourages qualified applicants with targeted disabilities to apply. Targeted disabilities are deafness, blindness, missing extremities, partial or complete paralysis, convulsive disorder, mental retardation, mental illness, severe distortion of limbs and/or spine. Applicants who meet the qualification requirements and are able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation are encouraged to identify targeted disabilities in response to the questions in the Avue application system seeking that information. For additional information for applicants with targeted disabilities, please contact the Civil Rights Division’s Disability Program Manager, Diane Petrie, at (202) 514-3934; see also http://www.jan.wvu.edu/LEAD/index.htm and http://www.opm.gov/disability/PeopleWithDisabilities.asp. [emphasis added]

(HT: The Volokh Conspiracy, which offers a brief commentary, and good explanation for this)

I’m a pretty big sports fan, but I had never heard of Sean James, until I saw this commercial only moments ago. Al Joyner, I’ve heard of, but only because of his talented late wife, Florence Griffith Joyner, and sister, Jackie Joyner-Kersey.

But here’s my take on this: if you have to tell people you’re a famous athlete, you’re probably not a famous athlete. I can’t imagine, for example, Michael Jordan saying, “Hello, I am Michael Jordan. I am a former professional and college basketball player, and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. I was also a member of six NBA championship teams in the 1990s.”

Michael Ramirez on Obama’s path to recovery (HT Powerline):

From the “I feel safer already” file (via AP):

The Air Force Academy has set aside an outdoor worship area for Pagans, Wiccans, Druids and other Earth-centered believers, school officials said Monday.

A double circle of stones atop a hill on the campus near Colorado Springs has been designated for the group, which previously met indoors.

“Being with nature and connecting with it is kind of the whole point,” said Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier, who sponsors the group and describes himself as a Pagan. “It will dramatically improve that atmosphere, the mindset and the actual connection.”

After the State of the Union, a question hung out there: how would the supreme Court respond to President Obama. Well, they wouldn’t. They couldn’t. They shouldn’t. Though we have checks and balances, our branches are not co-equal. The President’s bully pulpit and executive authority truly is checked only by Congress. To any supreme Court decision the President may (and has in the past said…), “they have their decision, let them enforce it.” Thus the judges show deferential silence. That does not mean, however, a Justice cannot make a rather smart, off-the-cuff comment in rebuttal. Here’s what Clarence Thomas said yesterday to a group of law students concerning Citizens United: (more…)

How many of us REALLY feel good about the idea of Google and the NSA working together to thrawt cyber attacks. Anybody? Anybody?

Under an agreement that is still being finalized, the National Security Agency would help Google analyze a major corporate espionage attack that the firm said originated in China and targeted its computer networks, according to cybersecurity experts familiar with the matter. The objective is to better defend Google — and its users — from future attack.

Google and the NSA declined to comment on the partnership. But sources with knowledge of the arrangement, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the alliance is being designed to allow the two organizations to share critical information without violating Google’s policies or laws that protect the privacy of Americans’ online communications. The sources said the deal does not mean the NSA will be viewing users’ searches or e-mail accounts or that Google will be sharing proprietary data.

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

The Washington Post’s Sally Jenkins destroys the National Organization of Women for their opposition to Tim Tebow’s ad. For those who don’t follow Jenkins, she is both a staunch feminist and pro-choice. The whole column is a must-read. Here is the red-meat section:

I’m pro-choice, and Tebow clearly is not. But based on what I’ve heard in the past week, I’ll take his side against the group-think, elitism and condescension of the “National Organization of Fewer and Fewer Women All The Time.” For one thing, Tebow seems smarter than they do.

Tebow’s 30-second ad hasn’t even run yet, but it already has provoked “The National Organization for Women Who Only Think Like Us” to reveal something important about themselves: They aren’t actually “pro-choice” so much as they are pro-abortion. Pam Tebow has a genuine pro-choice story to tell. She got pregnant in 1987, post-Roe v. Wade, and while on a Christian mission in the Philippines, she contracted a tropical ailment. Doctors advised her the pregnancy could be dangerous, but she exercised her freedom of choice and now, 20-some years later, the outcome of that choice is her beauteous Heisman Trophy winner son, a chaste, proselytizing evangelical.

Pam Tebow and her son feel good enough about that choice to want to tell people about it. Only, NOW says they shouldn’t be allowed to. Apparently NOW feels this commercial is an inappropriate message for America to see for 30 seconds, but women in bikini selling beer is the right one. I would like to meet the genius at NOW who made that decision. On second thought, no, I wouldn’t.

In October, while I was visiting Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, I taped an episode of the EWTN program, Franciscan University Presents. For those who missed the broadcast on Sunday evening, January 31, EWTN will be repeating the broadcast twice more this week: Tuesday, February 2 at 1:00 PM ET and 10 AM PT, and Friday, February 5 at 4:00 AM ET and 1 AM PT.

I discussed my 2007 book, Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case Against Abortion Choice (Cambridge University Press), which, as of Monday evening, was the #1 ranked book in the category of “abortion and birth control” on Amazon.com.

(Originally posted on the Return to Rome blog)

My wife pointed me to the text of an address by Archbishop Chaput to the Congress on Priests and Laity.  He deals with the crisis of belief in our age and the special role of artists.  What is most striking to me is his reminder of the reality of Satan as more than a personified evil.  Too many church leaders are afraid of appearing retrograde or (gasp) medieval.  Not Chaput, God bless him.

It is very odd that in the wake of the bloodiest century in history – a century when tens of millions of human beings were shot, starved, gassed and incinerated with superhuman ingenuity – even many religious leaders are embarrassed to talk about the devil. In fact, it is more than odd. It is revealing. Mass murder and exquisitely organized cruelty are not just really big “mental health” problems. They are sins that cry out to heaven for justice, and they carry the fingerprints of an Intelligence who is personal, gifted, calculating and powerful. The devil is only unbelievable if we imagine him as the black monster of medieval paintings, or think The Inferno is intended as a literal road map to hell. Satan was very real for Jesus. He was very real for Paul and the other great saints throughout history. And he is profoundly formidable. If we want a sense of the grandeur of the Fallen Angel before he fell, the violated genius of who Satan really is, we can take a hint from the Rilke poem The Angels:

(more…)

I am sad to report the death of Ralph McInerny, a man that I had the privilege to get to know last year while I was on the faculty of the University of Notre Dame. Here is a portion of a note I received today from a friend in South Bend, Indiana:

Ralph died early this morning at 7:45… It was, from what I can discern, a happy death, serene and full of the acceptance that comes from a sure and strong faith. I know that for me, I never expect to know another like him in this life. He was outstanding in all the important roles of life: husband and father, friend and teacher, inspirer and witness, in love with God and truly love by God. Has there ever been a happier man, a man more able to make all around him smile?

Ralph was the sort of intellectual giant that becomes more rather than less formidable when one attempts to explain to those outside the guild the scope and influence of his work, the generosity of his spirit, and the habits of Christian virtue and philosophical rigor that he imparted to his students and colleagues in both word and deed. Although I did not have the privilege to study under Professor McInerny, I am one of literally tens of thousands, both inside and outside the academy, who has been deeply influenced by his work and example.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May Ralph’s soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

(cross-posed on Return to Rome blog)

Foot-in-mouth disease strikes again.

Matthews forgets Obama is black.

We are in a post-racial society blah blah blah.  Have they tried being a non-protected minority?  Protected minorities = African Americans, Hispanics (or is the term Latino, I can’t get it straight), Native American.  Non protected minorities = everything else.   What if you’re Asian and are generally penalized for being “smart”? What if you’re white South African but everyone assumes you’re American “white”?  < < insert post-racial society rant > >  Post-racial – yeah right.

Note 1: I do not mean this offensively towards anyone, white, black or purple.

Note 2: This is not just aimed at Matthews and his idiotic remarks about a president whose race doesn’t matter to me. Generally discussing race in America gets my dander up.

When worst comes to worst, at least we have HUD.  That tells you something about the instincts of this group.  Putting the fate of the free world in the hands of the ultimate bureaucrat–what’s not to like?  From the AP:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton missed President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address to attend a conference in London, but she was not the only absentee Cabinet member.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan was designated by the White House to ride out the speech in an undisclosed location as a precaution against the possibility of a catastrophe wiping out the rest of the government leadership.

One positive about this plan is that when the Humanoid Underground Dwellers emerge from the smoking pits, we’ll have HUD vs. HUD for control of the post-apocalypse world.

Mr. Obama has his opinion; now let him render it.

For all his flaws as a leader, Bush 43 was a man. Obama looked so small last night, and I don’t just mean when he school-yard bullied the Supreme Court. I was recalling last night the situation at Bush’s first State of the Union. Bush had inherited a recession and nine months into his office, we were attacked. By his first State of the Union, Bush, however, enjoyed a high approval rating. His tax cuts had prevented the economy from spiraling downward, especially after 9-11. And he had united the nation in a response to the Taliban. Did he complain about the failures under Clinton? Did he blame either problem on the previous administration? I don’t recall so. But more importantly, a year into his presidency, Bush had concretely done something. Obama whined last night about the hand he was dealt. Seriously? He needs to man up, stop complaining, and act resolutely and pragmatically. Instead, he talks about liberal fantasies of the total welfare state and espouses delusional theories about deficit-spending to spur economic growth. Oh yes, and it’s all Bush’s fault. No matter how much the dinosaur media spins it, I think the American people see right through this and are discovering that Obama is indeed, a small, small man.

Would it be too cynical to call it State of the (dis)Union?  I’ll be taking notes.  I’m looking forward to Governor McDonnell’s response and the post-game analysis by my fellow esteemed SA bloggers who are all a lot smarter than me.  Live blog here if you wish. I’ll bring the popcorn.

From the ABC News website (emphasis added):

“The president’s going to explain why he thinks the American people are angry and frustrated,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said on “Good Morning America” today.

“Many of the same factors that led Sen. [Scott] Brown to become a senator from Massachusetts led Barack Obama to become president. Now, we’ve got to deal with those angers and frustrations by putting people back to work, by demonstrating we have a plan to get our economy continued on the road to recovery and putting those folks back to work, and protecting our country from those who seek to do us harm.”

Two observations. First, why is that when a liberal idea is rejected it is the consequence of “anger” at the wrong target, but when a conservative idea is rejected it is “speaking truth to power”? Notice, liberal ideas are never rejected for reasons, and conservative ideas are never accepted but for unreason. If you believe this, you are living in denial, for it means that you have insulated yourself from correction and repentance, from the healing of mind and soul. And that’s not a good thing. Second, the President, according to Mr. Gibbs, will tell us this evening what really lurks in the hearts of those that make up the population whose support for his policies is dwindling at an alarming pace. Apparently, the President has some secret knowledge about the inner lives of vast numbers of the American public, insights that are undetectable by we ordinary humans who are limited by our five senses and cognitive faculties. So, if you think you know what you believe about the President’s policies, your self-knowledge may be mistaken. Tonight, thankfully, the President will reveal to us what we really believe.

“He did not need human testimony about them, for he knew what was in their hearts.” – John 2.24

A woman got a twofer at a New York abortion clinic (i.e. “a one-stop gynecology and plastic surgery clinic”) which killed both the her and her child during an abortion.

An employee at the clinic … insisted that everything had gone well at the second-floor medical facility.

“The patient was transferred to the hospital, she didn’t die at the clinic,” said the woman, who refused to give her name. “Nothing happened here.”

(emphasis added)

Just another day at the office.

Although the article does not mention the child, I presume it was ably killed it as well.

JAKARTA — Indonesian authorities said Monday they are considering a petition to tear down a statue of US President Barack Obama as a boy, only a month after the bronze was unveiled in Jakarta.

The statue of “Little Barry” — as Obama was known when he lived in the capital in the late 1960s — stands in central Jakarta’s Menteng Park, a short walk from the US president’s former elementary school.

HT Drudge, of course.

Yesterday, over at The Corner, John Miller listed the top ten conservative novels. Number four on that list was The Time It Never Rained, by Elmer Kelton. Regardless of the book’s philosophical orientation, The Time It Never Rained, simply put, is one of the best American novels ever written. It is a book every American should read, especially in these times.

The book tells the story of Charlie Flagg, a small West Texas rancher trying to save his ranch during the long drought of the 1950’s. As the drought takes its toll on his livestock and savings he comes under increasing pressure from neighbors, friends, and family to accept federal “assistance” in the form of subsidized feed. However, Charlie will have none of it. For him, self-sufficiency and paying one’s own way are the cornerstone of what it means to be a free man. He refuses to accept handouts while he still has the means to provide for himself. However, as the drought wears on he comes under intense pressure to compromise his beliefs and go along with the crowd.

At its core, The Time It Never Rained is a fight story. By that I don’t mean a combat or action story. It is the story of a man that struggles to maintain fidelity to his personal convictions in the face of withering criticism and personal misfortune.

The Time It Never Rained is a story that is both inspiring and entertaining. It contains some of the most colorful characters you will come across in literature. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Any ideas why Drudge has the inverted bin Laden pic today?  I suppose it’s just a way of tweaking his rather prominent beak or questioning the authenticity of the recording.  Other possibilities?

This was written before Obama became President, but I don’t think he’d win anyway.

So let’s get it on: 43 men enter, one man leaves. No “over the top rope” battle royale, because Taft and Cleveland would have an unfair advantage. All men are at the physical peak of their presidency, because Wilson deserves a chance. No firearms.

We are sticking with the classics: 43 men on a remote island, forced to fight to the death in a series of individual battles with a soundtrack by Stan Bush. It will be called Beyond Capitoldome, and it will cost $49.95 on pay-per-view. Who wins?