Patterico's Pontifications

3/23/2010

Signed, Sealed, and Flubbed

Filed under: Obama — DRJ @ 10:00 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Barack Obama has an interesting signature:

Barack Obama

“President Barack Obama’s signature on the health insurance reform bill at the White House, March 23, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)”

In addition, Andrew Malcolm at the LA Times’ Top of the Ticket noticed an interesting gaffe from Joe F***ing Biden, his second today. This one was delivered “in the East Room of the White House just before Obama used his left hand to sign the measure with his distinctive scrawl:”

“Biden is fond of quoting poets in public, usually Irish ones and often in the Mideast for some reason. But today the man who was a senator while Obama was in the sixth grade chose another nationality.

Here’s what he said, according to the White House transcript:

As I said just before the president signed the healthcare bill, I quoted Virgil, the classic Greek poet, who once said, ‘The greatest wealth is health.’ The greatest wealth is health. Mr. President, you’ve made us a nobler and wealthier nation by providing for the health of your fellow citizens.

Here’s the problem, as loyal Ticket reader Mike points out:

Virgil wasn’t Greek. He was Roman. Very Roman. So Roman, in fact, that the author (70 BC-19 BC) of the “Aeneid,” among other famous works, is buried in Naples.

As in Napoli, as a graduate of Syracuse (Siracusa in Sicily) might know. But, hey, Biden’s boss thought Canada had a president and they speak Austrian in Austria. And he went to Harvard.”

Andrew Malcolm is on a roll.

— DRJ

Criminal Mushroom Growing

Filed under: Crime — DRJ @ 9:31 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

A Mississippi man faces up to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to growing hallucinogenic mushrooms.

But he looks happy.

— DRJ

Rodeo Fun and Food

Filed under: General — DRJ @ 9:30 pm



[Guest post by DRJ]

Rodeos are fun, especially when they have little piggy races and cowboy monkeys:

“At the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo’s Swine Sprints, four little piglets rocket around a tiny NASCAR oval. They do it for the Oreo cookies waiting at the finish line, rooting them out like trans-fat truffles. It’s one of the things you can watch for free with your $7 fairgrounds admission, it’s in a shaded tent with bleacher seats, and your kids will lose their minds over how cute the beagle-sized porkers are.

I went to the rodeo chasing after Oreos, too. The deep-fried kind. Ich bin ein swine? Maybe, but I wasn’t the only cookie chaser. “We came from Southwest Austin to see the monkey ride a dog,” Joe Dickie said. “And to eat deep-fried Oreos.”

Yes, there’s a cowboy-monkey show. But this is a story about what to eat at the rodeo.”

In fairness, nothing beats the fried food at the State Fair of Texas but here’s some fancy fare from Austin’s Star of Texas that won’t get the food police seal-of-approval either:

  • Deep-fried Oreos with powdered sugar on top and chocolate sauce on the side;
  • Funnel cake with strawberries and soft-serve ice cream;
  • Chocolate-dipped cheesecake, shrimp, fried chicken, corn dogs, mushrooms, marshmallows or pizza … served on a stick;
  • Mexican food, Philly cheesesteaks, ribs, turkey legs, beans and slaw;
  • Candy apples and more, including “vintage chuck-wagoneers K.R. Wood and Karen Jellison from Manchaca” selling cane-sugar draft sodas in flavors from sarsaparilla to black cherry.
  • Bet you a nickel you don’t know how to pronounce Manchaca the Texas way. (Just kidding! I’m too cheap to really bet, but guess away if you like to win theoretical bets.)

    — DRJ

    Obama Signs Health Care Bill

    Filed under: Obama — DRJ @ 8:21 pm



    [Guest post by DRJ]

    From Jim Treacher:

    “‘Congratulations, you just thwarted the will of the people. What are you going to do next?’

    “I’m goin’ to Disneyland the signing ceremony!”

    Also, click these links for an update on Jim/Sean’s hurt knee and his new Biden nickname. I think it’s a keeper.

    — DRJ

    Guess Who’s Exempt?

    Filed under: Health Care — DRJ @ 7:48 pm



    [Guest post by DRJ]

    From Hot Air:

    “Reid Wilson at National Journal’s Hotline took Nancy Pelosi’s promise to heart. She said last week that Congress had to pass the first-ever federal mandates on American citizens to purchase a product before we could see what else was in the bill. Now that it’s passed, Wilson discovers that the bill exempts perhaps thousands of staffers on Capitol Hill from a mandate to purchase coverage from government-run insurance exchanges.”

    The lawmakers will probably exempt themselves soon because government insurance, like rules, are for the little people.

    — DRJ

    UPDATE: Ed at Hot Air says some staffers aren’t subject to the individual mandates to purchase insurance. Others suggest the issue is not mandates but the source(s) from which staffers can obtain coverage. I think the latter view is probably correct.

    Thanks to imdw.

    A New Era in U.S.-Israeli Relations **

    Filed under: International,Obama — DRJ @ 6:11 pm



    [Guest post by DRJ]

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today with U.S. Congressional leaders and later with President Barack Obama. The Washington Post said Netanyahu received “a warmer reception from Congress than the White House:”

    “On Capitol Hill, Netanyahu received a warm public reception from Congress on Tuesday, with a top Democrat and Republican joining to praise a leader who has refused to back down in a disagreement the White House says threatens new peace talks.”

    Obama’s public welcome was chilly:

    “Obama and Netanyahu conferred for about 90 minutes in the Oval Office, but in a break with custom reporters were not invited to see the close allies shake hands and begin their discussions. The White House had no immediate comment on what was discussed.”

    This is reminiscent of Obama’s snub of Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the British media, a mistake that may have been intentional or due to diplomatic ignorance. My guess is Obama’s treatment of Netanyahu was intentional, perhaps because the White House is concerned Netanyahu would clean Obama’s rhetorical clock.

    — DRJ

    ** The way things are going, “A New Era in U.S.-____ Relations” may become a series.

    A New Era in U.S.-Mexico Relations

    Filed under: International — DRJ @ 5:19 pm



    [Guest post by DRJ]

    Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met today in Mexico City with Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa. I’m sure this topic was near the top of their discussion list:

    “The murders of three people with ties to the U.S. consulate in Juárez were attacks by drug cartels against the U.S and Mexican governments, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said today in Mexico City.

    She said drug cartels were responsible for the increased violence in the border region.

    “There is no question that they are fighting against both of our governments,” Clinton said in closed-door remarks that were reported by the Associated Press. “Tragically, that fact was underscored on March 13th,” she said, with the murders of two Americans and a Mexican affiliated with the U.S. consulate in Juárez.”

    The American victims were U.S. Consular employee Lesley A. Enriquez, who was pregnant, and her husband Arthur H. Redelfs, an El Paso County Jail detention officer. Their 7-month-old daughter is now an orphan. Also killed in a separate but simultaneous shooting was a Mexican man married to woman who works at the U.S. Consulate. He leaves behind 3 young children.

    — DRJ

    Obama’s Department of Politically-Favored Education

    Filed under: Education,Obama — DRJ @ 5:01 pm



    [Guest post by DRJ]

    Via the Instapundit:

    Arne Duncan manipulated [Chicago] school lists to favor powerful:

    “Chicago Breaking News reported late last night that former Chicago schools chief and current Secretary of Education Arne Duncan manipulated a system to favor powerful political allies by placing their children in the schools of their choice.”

    How can we get D.C.’s public schoolchildren on his “choice” list?

    — DRJ

    RSS and Other Technical Issues — Any Improvement?

    Filed under: General — Patterico @ 1:01 pm



    A tech guy whom I will tell you all about very soon has had a team working very hard on some technical improvements. For one thing, I am hoping that the RSS feed issue so many of you have written about is fixed. Also, we’re hoping for faster performance and less down time during a big link.

    Since there is no big link right now, let’s have some feedback on the other issues. Is the RSS problem fixed? Are your load times any shorter?

    Please let me know in the comments.

    Joe Biden: Always a Class Act

    Filed under: Buffoons,General,Morons — Jack Dunphy @ 12:09 pm



    [Guest post by Jack Dunphy]

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